Fanciful Floyd

Noah the Jewish Fly, Chapter 10

2011-11-10T15:19:00.000-08:00

"Master, I had an encounter with the Lord of the Flies."
"Tell me about it," Jesus replied.
  "I don't know if it was a dream or a vision but it seemed very real," I said. "We met in an oasis. He was dressed all in white, which I thought was ironic to the tenth power. His robe, tunic, turban and sandals were all decorated with gold and precious stones. With his white hair and beard and pleasant expression he had the demeanor of a friendly prosperous merchant."
"What made you think he was Satan?
"I wasn't sure at first but I knew who he was after he began talking. He had an oily tongue and lies slid of it easily and often. He did confess that Noah Flies had been an aggravation to him since they came off the Ark because they had always refused to kneel to him.  But he said he felt sure that I was different than all the others that came before me."
"Different? How?"
"He said I was more likely to be up-to-date, more modern in my thinking and not hampered by old- fashioned religious ideas like my predecessors.  Surely, he said, you're smart enough to have already figured out that God expects us to use our own intelligence so that we can make choices and control and use that intelligence to determine our own destiny.  Who says we need a great nanny in the sky to tell us what's right and wrong?   That's a myth conjured up by weak-minded people who didn't know any better. Remember, Satan said, when Moses went up on Mount Sinai to carve the Ten Commandments into the stone tablets? The Israelites at the base of the mountain hardly waited 'til Moses was out of sight before they began molding a golden calf to worship. See?  When push comes to shove, people want something tangible for security, something they can experience with their senses and they want it now, not pie in the sky in the sweet bye and bye."
"Moses carved the Commandments into the stone tablets? That's news to me," Jesus observed wryly. "He's still recycling the same old lies and deceptions."
"I asked Satan why he thought he could mock God with impunity. He puffed up and declared that he was God's equal. At one point, he said, he was one of God's favorite angels, but over time he began to wonder why God should have all the glory. He talked it over with some of the other angels and they urged Satan to confront God with a proposition to set up two thrones in Heaven; one for God and the other for Satan. God will not share his glory with anyone so Satan was kicked out of heaven along with all of his conniving angels."
"Yes," Jesus said. "And I saw Satan fall like lightning."
"He glossed over that part like he intended to leave Heaven anyway. He said he was tired of the place and if there wasn't any chance for advancement, what would be the point in staying? It was apparent that he wanted to change the subject because then he said he had the power to give me anything I might want. He said he had put a package of goodies together that was bigger and better than anything he'd offered to my ancestors to get them to change their allegiance. Every earthly pleasure would be mine for the asking."
"I can imagine," Jesus said.
"First, he would make me into a human: young, handsome and rich. Next, he would give me twelve palaces, each one in the center of a golf course. What's a golf course?"
"Something in the future," Jesus answered.
"Oh? Well anyway he emphasised that each palace would not be at the edge of a golf course but right in the middle. After that he promised a thousand of the best horses and the latest chariots made entirely of gold; riches beyond anything I could imagine; a constant stream of beautiful young virgins for my selection and I would move in the social circles of kings, princes and all the movers and shakers. Beyond that I would be famous throughout the world. All this and more would be mine if I denounce you as an impostor and return to his kingdom."
"What was your answer?"
"I said I didn't want anything he offered. It was all temporary and one day it would be only dust and not even a memory. That you, Jesus, offered eternal spiritual riches that will never pass away plus joy, peace and love right now."
"How did he take your answer?"
"In spectacular fashion I must say. His eyes turned bright red and flames shot out of his ears and mouth. Although enveloped in the fire I was not harmed. But the oasis that had been so beautiful and green a moment before was now black earth and charred tree stumps. Satan said I was a fool to put my trust in Jesus because I was betting on a dead horse. He would prove that in just a few weeks and I would see Satan's victory when my hope was hanging on a tree.
"At that moment a very odd-looking chariot without horses appeared next to him. It was long and had four wheels. On the side were the numbers 666. Satan got into the vehicle and told me to remember that although I had turned down his wonderfully generous offer of a better and more exciting life, he would not give up on me. Then, laughing like a goosed hyena, he and the chariot disappeared. Jesus, what did Satan mean about my hope would soon be hanging on a tree?"

Noah the Jewish Fly, Chapter 9

2011-10-25T12:09:00.000-07:00

In the days following, Jesus and his disciples put a lot of miles on their sandals as Jesus taught, healed, raised people from the dead and fed thousands at a sitting.  It seemed to me to be enough evidence to convince a stone statue that Jesus was indeed the promised Messiah. Look, I'm not saying I'm smarter than anyone else but even I could tell at this point the disciples were still somewhat clueless about the real identity of Jesus.
After Jesus performed a miracle at the wedding feast in Cana the disciples were sufficiently impressed to say they believed in him. Big whoop. Jesus said that even Satan and his angels believe that he is the Christ. In the disciples' favor I'll readily admit I also missed the significance of the New Wine served at the wedding feast, the three water pots that contained the wine and more symbols laid out for those who are looking. Subsequent events proved, that until they were filled with the Holy Spirit, the disciples believed in Jesus as long as he conformed to their image of who he should be. An ever present possible human reaction as it turns out.
An incident in Capernaum provided me an interesting example of the kind of faith Jesus was looking and hoping for in the Israelites; sons of the kingdom; A centurion approached Jesus with a request to heal his servant who was suffering terribly. Jesus replied that he would come and heal the man. Two things that must have set the watching Pharisees' teeth on edge: Jesus, a Jew, was talking to a Gentile and, horrors!, Jesus would, potentially, have to go into the house of a Gentile. Both actions would have made Jesus polluted according to nightmare load of the ceremonial laws of cleanliness. Jesus was not interested in abiding by or giving credence to the laws the Jews had compiled.
  The centurion understood authority and immediately recognized it in Jesus. "No need to come to my house," the soldier said.  "Just say the word and my servant will be healed." It made me wonder; Why was it that a Gentile centurion could clearly see the authority of Jesus and the Jews could not?   And that time and distance were no obstacles to the power of Jesus? Could it have been that the centurion was not self-afflicted with a stiff neck or burdened with a mish mash of man-made religious laws, religious prejudices, a know-it-all attitude and a religion that had once been vibrant and God-centered but had now become calcified and institutionalized? Or that he was willing to humble himself and, to get to Jesus, he didn't have to climb over a mountain of doctrines, tenets, mistaken beliefs and spiritual blindness? I was beginning to have an inkling of the enormity of the forces arrayed against Christ but also that faith in him could arise in unexpected places.
My belief that Jesus was the Messiah had been solidified because I had a a sort of an inside view, as it were, being present a few times when Jesus was at prayer.  At those times I felt I was carried on the wings of Jesus' words into Heaven itself and into the dazzling presence of God. It was then that I understood, at a much deeper level, the meaning of, "Believing, trusting and reverencing God is the beginning of Wisdom." Present in the Spirit in the Throne Room, I was overcome, not with fear but with the love and power emanating from the Throne. I am not allowed to tell you of all that I saw but some day you may get your chance to see it.
There were times however when Jesus would say, "Off with you, Noah. I'm going to commune with the Father now and no other human---or insect-- may listen in. But I will tell you this much: We'll be talking about my destiny, the present and the future; of things that will affect mankind in the entire world."
One day Jesus and the 12 stopped for a rest in the shade of some palm trees by the road. Jesus sat alone with his back against one of the trees.
"Come out and sit on my palm, Noah," he said.
I made my way out of his beard and flew to the designated landing spot.
Jesus looked at me intently. "My little friend, the Lord of the Flies and Filth wants to take you back. He is furious that you have escaped his dark kingdom and wished to put you through a barrage of lies, torture you with doubts and deceive you right into Hell.  Be aware of his intentions but don't be afraid; keep your spiritual eyes on me, only believe and your faith will protect you."

Noah the Jewish Fly, Chapter 8

2011-09-27T08:41:00.000-07:00

   As I settled into a vantage point in Jesus' beard I must have wiggled a lot because He asked, "Are you comfy?"
"Like sitting in the back seat of a Rolls Royce (A)," I answered.
"Really? As good as that? (A) Well, you may stay there as long as you can stand it. There are some rough times ahead;  ugly times you may not prefer to witness."
What?, I thought. As long as I can stand it? Ugly times? Hey; bring 'em on. I'm a grizzled veteran of ugly times. I've witnessed murder, child molestation, starvation, torture. You name it; I've seen it.
"Yes, you have" Jesus said, reading my mind. "And the evil-doers of all those things will be repaid. But I'm referring to things even you, with all your experience, would find unimaginable at the moment. For now, you will have to wait to see them as they come into being. But before we leave this subject I know you've been pondering Isaiah's prophecy: "But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement for our peace was upon Him, and by His stripes we are healed." What do you make of that?"
"Oh, that," I answered. "Yes, I've wondered a lot about what Isaiah was referring to. I came to the conclusion that the prophet was speaking figuratively. It is beyond reason that your people would actually do You physical harm. After all, You have come to deliver them from the penalties of sin and to set them right with God if they believe in You. Surely, surely, once they recognize who You are they will receive You with joy."
Jesus did not respond.
  Disconcerted by Jesus' silence I pressed the case for my opinion.
"You grew up in Nazareth didn't you?" I asked.
"Yes," he replied.
"Well, I bet the folks there are proud of You. You know, 'Local boy makes good; Turns out to be the Messiah.'"
I could hear and feel Jesus sigh before he answered.
"I was well received when I returned to Nazareth," he said. "As usual I went to the synagogue on the Sabbath. Recognized by all as a Teacher, I stood up to read and was handed the book of Isaiah. I read a messianic passage, closed the book, handed it back to the attendant and sat down. Everybody in the synagogue stared at me. I was seated but I was not finished teaching. I added, "Today this Scripture is fulfilled in your hearing."
I interrupted with, "And that's when they started cheering, right?"
"No," Jesus said. "They sat quietly for few moments, seemingly amazed and somewhat shocked at what I had said. Then, a buzz started in the crowd and I heard someone close to me say, "Isn't this Joseph's boy? We watched him grow up right here in this town. What gives him the right to claim to be the Messiah? He's either mad or lying." I knew then that not one person there was receiving what God was offering. I went on to remind them of God's acts of grace to Gentiles through Elijah and Elisha during a period of Israel's unbelief. That stung the congregation into a frenzy. Yelling: 'Gentile-lover! Blasphemer! Death to the Liar!' they grabbed me and led me to the edge of a cliff, determined to throw me to my death. It was not my time so I calmly walked through the mob to safety and they were powerless to stop me."
I was stunned into silence by how His hometown had shamefully treated Jesus. Then, something warm and wet from above drenched and roused me from my depressed state; Jesus was weeping.
It's well known that flies cannot cry; but this fly did. Buckets, actually.
"Don't cry for me, Little Friend," Jesus said softly. "Weep for Israel. There will also be many tears shed by My people when they realize Who they have rejected" He stood, gently removed me from his beard and used a corner of His robe to dry my eyes.
"Feel better?" He asked.
"A little," I answered. "I just had no idea anyone would treat you like the Nazarenes did."
" Capernaum is my new hometown," Jesus said. "Nazareth has made its choice. Come, get back in my beard. We must move on."

NOTES

(A) Once again the elderly author slipped off the time track.
(A) Example of Jesus' omniscience

References: Luke Chapter 4, Isaiah 53:5

Noah, the Jewish Fly Chapter 7

2011-08-27T08:29:00.000-07:00

"Master," I asked, "Will you free your people from the grasp of the Romans?"
  "Noah, I am the Shepherd of God.  I have come first to gather the lost sheep of Israel. I know each one by name and they know my voice. But the Seed will not always fall on good ground. Some will fall by the wayside, some on stony places, others among thorns. As for the Romans: Nations rise and fall but the Kingdom of God is forever."
   Within myself I nodded in agreement with all Jesus said but I was so content my mind had shifted into neutral. Sheep? Seeds? Of course. I get it. But the importance of what he said floated right over my head and not into my heart.
When Jesus spoke, his words had the sound of the dawn for He is the "Sun of Righteousness who shall arise with healing in His wings." His words were as new as the next instant and older than the Universe. Even so, many would be unable to hear them over the cacophony of every day concerns and the search for pleasure.  Or simply find them easy to ignore.
Resting in the palm of His hand I basked in a sense of peace and security I had never known before. I tried to snuggle deeper into a line of His palm and rubbed against something unexpected: a callous. What? ---A callous? This was not the soft hand of pampered royalty but of a working man.  He did not get such hardened skin without experiencing drenching sweat and hard labor from the first light of day until he laid aside his tools at sunset. From the first I could tell by looking at Him that Jesus was of peasant stock but until I felt that callous it had not sunk into my tiny brain that Jesus actually had to work like a commoner.
After all, He is the Messiah. He should have been spared the aching muscles and bone tiredness of manual labor which was the lot of commoners, shouldn't He? Shouldn't he have had something finer than the coarse fabric of His clothes and the simple meals that were not always available and the bottom-of the-barrel wine that was within one short step of being vinegar? In the Great Scheme of Things what difference would it have made if His path been made smoother? It seemed to me he deserved much better treatment and if I had been in charge that's what He would've had. But I had to learn that 'the wisdom of God is foolishness to men.'
Jesus voice roused me from my thoughts. "You have to move, Noah. I will have enough trouble with people believing my message without them wondering why I'm carrying a fly in my hand."
"But Master," I protested. "It's so cozy here."
Jesus appeared thoughtful for a few moments and then spoke: "So like human reasoning: Find a comfortable place in spiritual life and stay there. Avoid criticism and embarrassment by living and expressing faith in Me only within the bounds of what is socially acceptable. Build a wall around that comfortable place to keep out anything, including the Holy Spirit, that might urge or cause change. The scribes and the Pharisees have not only built such walls for themselves but for others whom God has made them responsible. Will they welcome the Words of Life? Some will but most will not and then they will compound their sin by shielding their disciples from the Gift of God by denying me as the Christ. I tell you, 'Whoever denies Me before men, him I will also deny before My Father who is in heaven.'
Come, Noah. Climb into my beard. Burrow in and you will go wherever I go and be the first to hear me speak."

Noah the Jewish Fly, Chapter 6

2011-08-16T16:22:00.000-07:00

As I winged my way back into the Upper Room a more complete picture of Jesus was starting to come together in my mind.  One big piece was missing but I felt the total picture was almost in my grasp. The hours that I and Al bar Levi had spent poring over the prophecies of Isaiah concerning the Messiah had borne fruit in abundance in my consciousness and spirit.
Bar Levi used the rabbi's usual teaching method of  answering a question with a question.  I confess I found it exasperating at times but also it made me think more deeply than I might have otherwise. He didn't leave me foundering when I had exhausted all my mental and spiritual resources. Instead, he would carefully, almost imperceptibly, nudge me in the right direction. Still, still, I had a few concerns that lingered until Jesus had me return to bar Levi.
  As bar Levi and I studied the scriptures I wondered: Was Isaiah's description of the Suffering Servant intended to be a portrayal of Messiah? If so, it didn't line up at all with the traditional view of Messiah in the mold of David; a Warrior-King who would rid Israel of all its oppressors, rebuild the Temple and restore the nation to its former glory. For a while the two options bounced around in my head like pinballs.(*) Even though the latter view was certainly the most appealing I ultimately realized that its appeal was to the flesh; not the spirit. It was much later that I understood how accurate Isaiah's vision and prophecy proved to be. Also later, my eyes were opened to the realization that Jesus WAS before the earth was formed and in Genesis, God had set in motion His plan of salvation.
At the feast of the Passover, Jesus said the bread and wine represented his body and his blood which would be 'shed for many.' Who are 'the many?' Are they the righteous? Back to Isaiah; "And the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all." The 'many' are all of us; everybody; no exceptions both now and in the future. The way I understood it, Jesus was going to allow himself to be sacrificed for the sins of everyone in the whole world. The logical question that follows is this: How can the death of one man, no matter how devoted to God; no matter how willing; how can that sacrifice possibly be sufficient to erase all sin in another person's life?
That question was burning in my mind when I flew into the Upper Room where Jesus was sitting alone. He extended his hand and I lined up on it for my landing approach. The instant I touched down on his palm I heard a Voice in my spirit; a majestic, quiet Voice, yet as forceful and awesome as stars colliding or mountains crumbling. I was so startled by the sound and substance of the message the Voice delivered, my landing gear collapsed. I did three forward rolls and ended on my back inside the sleeve of Jesus' robe.
"That was quite an entrance, Brother Noah," Jesus said.
I crawled out of his sleeve and onto Jesus' hand. "Master, I know who you are,"  I said, head bowed and with all the reverence within me.
"Really? Who am I?"
"You are the Christ; the Son of the Living God."
"You're blessed, Noah. You didn't pick this up on the street and you didn't reason it out. No mortal revealed it to you. It came to you directly from my Father who is in heaven. Simon bar Jonah has already been been blessed the same way. One day there will be thousands of thousands who will have made the same confession."

(*) Editor's note: Pinballs were not invented for another 1900 years. Please forgive error by elderly author.

Noah the Jewish Fly Chapter 5

2011-07-29T07:06:00.000-07:00

I wanted to dive into the cloud covering bar Levi but I felt immobilized and as though my six feet were firmly glued to the menorah. What was going on in there? My curiosity was pushing against its limits. Though I had never seen it before, the cloud was strongly familiar. Why? Think; think----. Wait; hadn't God manifested himself to the ancients as a pillar of cloud to lead them by day in the desert? Of course; you knew that, Noah. But, old boy, you can't be faulted for being confused. After all, how often have you been in the presence of God before? Well, everyday, sort of, as a matter of fact. Yes, that's true but------. Stop! Quit arguing with yourself before your brain turns to porridge. Maybe if you'd noticed bar Levi's slippers were out from under the cloud you wouldn't have become so befuddled.

  "Tell me, son of Levi, do the rich, the powerful and the leaders of my people treat them well? Do they have compassion for the weak, the sick, the elderly, the poor, the children and those on the fringes of society?
"You know, Lord."
"I am quite aware of what I know. I'm asking for your observations."
"My observations lead me to say there is little or no compassion forthcoming from those in control. They desire recognition in the marketplace and the Temple and hearing their name praised is precious to their ears. How they love being pointed out on the streets as someone of importance. They expect the highest seats at feast tables and they never tire of seeking after this world's goods."
"Just as I have noticed. Do you think I may require too much from my children?"
"No, Lord," bar Levi replied. "Your prophet Micah said, 'He has shown you, O man, what is good: And what does the Lord require of you but to do justly, to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God?' If we do these things we keep the covenant and the Law."
"Yet," the Lord said with a sigh, "Israel has apparently found that doing these three things consistently is much too difficult for them. To do them requires change and personal sacrifice. This they are not willing to do. In the first place it requires an admission that they need to change. They would be insulted at the suggestion that anything in their lives is wrong. They would say they 'are children of Abraham' as though that entitled them to do as they pleased.
They have not heeded my prophets. Time after time Israel has called out to me in their distress. When I answered and delivered them they promised to obey Me but instead they soon drifted off into idol worship and concerns for their own affairs."
"But," bar Levi said. "When Messiah comes all that will change for the better. They will finally become the people who will be worthy of you. The people will welcome Messiah with praise and adoration. Love, peace and compassion will abound throughout the world. Each person, to the farthest edges of society, will have significance in the eyes of his neighbor because they will know they are all equal in the sight of God and are all loved equally by You."
For several minutes, but what seemed an hour to bar Levi, there was no response to his glowing forecast. He felt his enthusiasm slowly fading as a sense of foreboding took its place. It was not to be. Then the Lord spoke
"You are to say no more to your colleagues or to Noah about Jesus," the Lord said. "Jesus will declare himself in due time. Eventually, Noah will play his part; minor and seemingly insignificant though it will be. In the meantime, though he has memorized the Scriptures, guide him in depth through the writings of Moses and the other prophets. Do not force-feed him. Let him arrive at his own conclusions.
Until just before Noah's death, he has been loaned a mind, will and emotions. In other words: a soul.  Now he has a voice and, generally, those of his kind who have heard him speak, want nothing to do with him. He is different and other flies, without understanding, become frightened, angered or threatened by his strange utterances. The majority are indifferent, they ignore him and go about their lives as usual. Noah is not defeated in his loneliness and rejection.  He soon realized where his abilities came from and submitted himself to Me and dedicated himself to learning My ways. I am more pleased with that than all burnt offerings and the works of ten thousand who cry 'Lord, Lord,' but who have yet to seek and abide in My ways. Nurture Noah. One year from now I want him to be studying the Messiah prophecies of Isaiah."
"I hear and will obey, Lord," bar Levi said.

From my perch on the menorah I saw the cloud suddenly evaporate. Al bar Levi stood, his back to me, head lowered. After a moment or two he raised his head, slid his feet back into his slippers and turned toward me. I was not prepared for the sight of the golden glow covering his face and his brilliantly shining eyes. I almost lost my grip on the candelabra.
"Noah," bar Levi said in a voice saturated with awe. "I've been in the very presence of God."
Overcome by bar Levi's appearance and the powerful holy aura still in the room I blurted out: "What did He look like?"
"I only heard His voice. Otherwise I would be stretched out dead on the floor."
"How foolish of me," I said sheepishly. "I knew that." I felt like kicking myself with all six of my legs. "Can you share anything He said?"
"Yes. You are to diligently study the scriptures with my guidance Together, we shall extract the full meaning of God's words."
"I'm ready."
  "In all fairness you should know that, when the time comes, you will be bereft of your extraordinary
abilities. You will die as an ordinary fly," bar Levi said, a hint of sadness in his voice.
"I am not the least bit dissuaded," I replied. "Nor do I have any regrets. I understand who I am in God. He knows me by name and He cares about me individually. What more could I ask from the gift of life He has given me? I rejoice in the certainty that I am part of God's plan."
"Noah; you have more wisdom in your tiny body than in most of Israel," bar Levi said quietly.

Noah, the Jewish Fly Chapter 4

2011-07-12T15:00:00.000-07:00

   As Al bar Levi approached I could tell by his grin he had spotted the two Pharisees scurrying in the opposite direction. I hitched a ride on top of his turban for what turned out to be a two block journey to his house. The Pharisees had said enough for me to know that bar Levi was very likely the one I was looking for. Or, has God picked him out? Hm. That's kind of presumptuous. Why would God take even the least notice of me?
At his house we passed through a gated wall into a courtyard cooled by a fountain and shaded by two palm trees. Inside, a male servant met us in the entry, removed bar Levi's sandals and washed his feet, dried them and put house slippers on his master. That looked like it would be refreshing for my six feet also but I wouldn't have survived even the gentle scrubbing. We moved on into the study where the rabbi placed the two scrolls, he had carried from the Temple, on a large table and his coin bag in a cabinet. He selected, and ate, a few dates from a brass plate presented by a female servant. The dates looked delicious and I was sorely tempted to get a nibble but summoned enough will power to resist. Maybe later. After the servant retired and the rabbi was seated I hopped over to the top of a nearby empty seven-branched candle holder. I took a deep breath and thought,"Well; I guess this is as good a time as any to introduce myself.."
"Al bar Levi," I said softly, my voice quivering.
Bar Levi slid from his chair and knelt with his palms and forehead on the floor. "Here I am, Lord," he said.
"Uh,---It's not the Lord, Rabbi," I replied. "It's me, Noah."
"Noah?" Bar Levi raised himself to a sitting position, still on his knees. "Where are you?"
"Over here; on the top branch of the menorah."
"I can't see you.  Are you a spirit?"
"No, I'm not a spirit. I'm a --uh--fly."
   Using the table top for support, bar Levi pulled himself up to his feet. He smoothed his robe and took two steps closer to the source of the voice he had heard. Leaning forward he squinted at the candle holder.
"Well so you are," he chuckled. "You had me going there, Noah."
"You don't seem at all surprised that a fly can talk."
"Is anything too hard for God?"
"Well no; of course not. But why do you think God is involved in this meeting?"
"Surely you remember the story of Balaam's donkey speaking to Balaam," the rabbi said.
"I do," I responded. "I'm also reminded that Balaam wasn't surprised to hear his animal talking."
"God opened Balaam's eyes so he could understand why the donkey spoke to him."
"Do you think God will open your eyes? And/or mine?"  I asked,
  At that moment I heard a sound like distant thunder; a compelling sound unlike anything I had ever experienced.  From bar Levi's stricken expression it was evident he knew the sound was not due to an approaching storm. A cloud enveloped the rabbi and he immediately fell to his knees again in his former pose. From then on until the thunder ceased and the cloud dissipated, I didn't speak nor did Iunderstand any thing that transpired between the intermittent thunder and bar Levi, now hidden within the cloud.

  "Arise, Al bar Levi. I already know you are my devoted servant. You don't need to demonstrate. Besides you're getting too old for that up and down business." The voice was calm and gentle.
"Lord, I am not worthy that you should come to me," the rabbi mumbled.
"Do I need an invitation to come to you?"
"Oh, no. Heaven forbid----I mean,------goodness gracious I don't know what I mean."
"Calm down, son of Levi. I merely want to discuss Noah the fly with you. Why do you think I have visited you?"
"You know, Lord."
"Yes, I know. Since you have not had time to get acquainted with Noah, I should like to point out some of his attributes and characteristics that I find very pleasing; more pleasing than all burnt offerings. I also have some instructions for you."

Chapter 5 in the next blog. What do you suppose God would find pleasing about Noah?
******************************************************************

Now, a completely different but spiritually related matter:
I recently had open heart surgery; quite unexpected since there was no heart attack and symptoms were mild. So mild in fact that I, like most men, would have dismissed them. But not my faithful wife. Off to the family doc and then to the cardiologist. Multiple tests, poking and prodding. Serious deterioration of aortic valve. Go to Houston for conference with noted heart surgeon. Valve must be replaced. We left his office at 5:00 pm, I was in a hospital room by 7:00 pm and wheeled into operating room around 7:00 am the next morning. I told the surgeon I had changed my mind and wanted a tummy tuck instead. He had great sense of humor. Three days in Intensive Critical Care Unit, then back to hospital room. All was well.
Two cows were talking about a steer who had recently been placed in the corral with them.
Bessie said to Lucy, "He's such a bore. All he wants to talk about is his operation."
My operation is just the setting for the point of this story. This is the point: From the moment it was apparent an operation was necessary I did not have one nano-second of fear, anxiety, worry or concern about the proceeding or the outcome. Why? Because I had perfect peace in Jesus Christ.
This was not a case of my bravery or "manning up" or a show courage. The peace had nothing whatever to do with my personal resources. Instead I was totally assured by the scripture: "To live is Christ; to die is more of Christ." I was in a win-win situation; I couldn't possibly lose.
I am no spiritual giant and God is no respecter of persons to single me out. I only know that Christ is exactly who he says he is. He has proven that over and over in my life and the lives of others.

John 14:27
John 14:21

2011-06-20T14:30:00.000-07:00

It took twice as long for me to return to the inn because I couldn't seem to fly in a straight line. My navigation system had become distorted by the extraordinary news I got from Rabbi Al bar Levi. After bouncing off a building wall my brain was jolted back on track and I began to try to sort out events up to now.
About a year ago I felt compelled to get deeper into the scriptures and to find a rabbi/teacher to help me in my search for spiritual meaning and to reinvest the ancient scriptures with the joy, promise and hope God intended. I hate to admit it but my faith had become sterile; a matter of form and following the rules that the priests had heaped over and above the Ten Commandments. In addition to the common folk's everyday struggle just to survive they also had to obey psuedo-commandments governing the smallest details of their lives. The religious hierarchy obeyed the laws if they found it convenient to do so.and if a show of obedience promoted their public image of righteousness.
Of course there were, and are, truly devout and sincere religious leaders who do their best to be trustworthy shepherds of an often confused flock waiting to be led to the truth. But sadly, most of the so-called 'leaders' are in business for themselves and a very profitable business it is. The money- changers who make a profit on exchanging Temple coins for unacceptable Roman money are required to pay a fee to the priests. It's sort of a franchise. Only Temple money can be used for paying Temple tax, tithes, and special gifts.
Worshippers bringing animals for sacrifice must bring only those "without spot or blemish." Such sacrifices were later recognized as a symbol of the ultimate sacrifice of the Messiah who was without spot or blemish. Not surprisingly the priests reject the animals, brought by the worshippers, as being blemished or spotted no matter what their condition. In order to offer a 'proper' sacrifice, the worshipper has to buy, at an exorbitant price, an approved animal from the priests. What a racket.
When religion becomes institutionalized, perpetuating the institution and the leadership become the only reasons for its being. Blasphemy and worldly reasoning are acceptable if that will protect the institution and thus the leaders' bird nest on the ground.. No wonder Jesus lost his cool and took a whip to the money changers. They're fortunate He didn't send them to their reward immediately.
What with the rattling of coins and the all the animal noises it was hard for me to hear in this place where only praises and and the voice of God should prevail. But, I didn't really know what I was looking or listening for in my search for a mentor so the noise wasn't much of a bother.
I noticed two elegantly dressed Pharisees gossiping through their perfumed beards ( their mouths were moving; a sure sign that they were gossiping. ) They seemed to have positioned themselves beside a building column as though to be remote from the peasantry. I flew onto the turban of one of the men in time to hear him say the name "Al bar Levi."
"I'd heard Al bar Levi was in line for a seat on the Great Sanhedrin," said Amos. "That was until a rumor started that he thinks the Messiah has already come and is in our midst at this very moment in the person of Jesus. If the rumor is true, it would ruin any chance he might have had.about the possibility of being on the Sanhedrin."
"How foolish," Abijah, his companion responded. "Even if he really believed that nonsense he should have kept quiet about it. Once on the Sanhedrin he would have been set for life."
"Remember not to say anything about this to anyone," Amos said in a low voice. This is just a rumor, you understand. Personally I like bar Levi. There's something charming about his eccentricity but I just don't think he's fit for the Great Sanhedrin. Obviously. he is completely wrong about the Messiah since this Jesus fellow is from Nazareth. Why,---- everyone knows nothing good ever came from Nazareth. Besides, the scriptures are very clear that Bethlehem will be the birthplace of the Messiah."
"You're right as usual, Amos," Abijah said. " Well, I must be going, I am to continue instructing a class of converts this afternoon." He sighed. "Gentiles are so stupid. One of them actually asked if his conversion will impact his spiritual life in some way. I set him straight right then. I told him to follow the rules, do as he was told and he would eventually become as spiritual as me."
"Well done old friend," Amos said. "By the way you must tell me where you got that beautiful turban. Say,---isn't that Al bar Levi over there?"
"Where?"
"Over there by the Laver; talking to a priest."
"Yes it is. Oh no; ---I think he's seen us," Abijah said in a panicky voice. He tugged on his friend's arm. "Come on; we can't afford to be seen talking to him." They pulled up the fringed hems of their fancy robes and scurried off to escape Al bar Levi.
Left in their wake I detected an unexpected but familiar odor. The odor of Death.

2011-05-31T07:00:00.000-07:00

I could tell I was not the only one in the room who was unsure of what Jesus was talking about. The twelve men present also appeared puzzled by his remarks and they conversed with each other in low tones, gesturing for emphasis. My own questions bubbled out into my consciousness almost faster then I could consider them. Was Jesus setting himself up as leader of a revolution against the Romans and these men were the nucleus of his army? No insult intended but although he had a definite air of authority about him, this gentle little guy hardly looked the military type. Besides, according to the rumors I'd heard the conflict was between Jesus and the Jewish power structure; not the Romans. So; maybe Jesus intended to lead a popular uprising to get rid of the Jewish rulers and install a new, Godly and spiritually pure priestly class. Lordy; there certainly was need for change. The Pharisees utterly despised the peasants and didn't hesitate to take away their property in the courts or steal it outright. Together with wealthy landowners and the religious leaders,the Pharisees--snakes dressed in robes of gold threads-- preyed on widows, orphans and the desperately poor, without mercy. And they had the nerve to say flies are nasty
I hopped up on the cushion close to Jesus to listen in on the conversation he was having with the fellow next to him. (Jesus call him John.) Jesus looked down at me and stopped in mid-sentence. His brown eyes were so soft I felt I could float in them. He smiled and gently picked me up by the wings. "Greetings, Brother Noah," he said. "Make haste; visit Al bar Levi and then return quickly." He let go of me and my wings revved up, lifting me toward an open window, my mind whirling as fast as my wings were beating. How did Jesus know my name? And how did he know that Rabbi Al bar Levi and I were friends? This was getting more and more exciting and mystifying. But why was I being sent to visit my rabbi? I didn't want to leave. The action was here in the upper room and I was afraid I would miss something important. But I had felt the touch of Jesus and the irresistible persuasion of his words moved me to do as he said.
I was in Rabbi Al bar Levi's study in just a few minutes. "Master," I said, a little out of breath, "I have been celebrating the Passover with a group of men at an inn a few blocks from here. The leader of the group, a man named Jesus, told me to come see you and then return quickly."
Bar Levi looked up from the scroll of Isaiah spread before him. "Jesus, you say?" Bar Levi stroked his beard and appeared thoughtful. "Why did he send you to me?"
"I--I don't have the foggiest," I stuttered.
"I believe I do," bar Levi said, still fingering his beard.
"Is he a rabbi?"
"The Rabbi of rabbis."
"A prophet?"
"The Prophet of all prophets. But neither of these is the purpose of his being."
"What, then?"
Bar Levi placed his hand on the scroll. "It's all right here. Isaiah gives you a complete description of Jesus the Messiah. Everything but his name."
The rabbi's words reverberated and crashed like thunder in my brain. "The Messiah? That unimposing little man?"
"That unimposing little man and his twelve companions are about to turn the world upside down. Now; up with you. Fly, Noah, fly. Return and see the unveiling of what was prepared before the world began."

More of Noah's adventure in the next blog.

2011-05-02T07:00:00.000-07:00

Hello; I'm a fly. That's right; a fly,...with wings and everything. Wait a minute; don't hit 'delete.' I know that I and my kind can be very, very annoying. We show up, uninvited, at your picnics, barbeque's etc and walk all over your food. Yeah, we're universally hated and reviled and the word 'fly'is usually preceded with the word 'damn.' But, hey, flies have to make a living too, you know? Nothing personal; it's the way we're made. I guess we're not all that bad 'cause how many times have you said, "I wish I could be a fly on the wall" so you could eavesdrop on your friends, family and neighbors? Gotcha.
Well, I can be a fly on the wall and boy, the stories I could tell. All of which brings me to a story I can tell you, passed down from my great-grandfather 7 or 8 thousand times removed: Noah Fly lll. Ol' Noah III was the great grandson of one of the two flies taken on the Ark and he lived a long time. (All the male animals and insects brought on the Ark took the name Noah. I bet you didn't know that.) Anyway, here's his story as he told it.
"In the year 33 A.D. I had taken up residence in the second story of an inn. My wings were getting heavy and my wandering days were over. This upper room was comfortable and food was plentiful. I didn't have to share it with any other flies because they stayed away out of respect for my great age and my vicious left hook.
"This particular day was the time for the Feast of Passover and, being a good Jewish fly, I looked forward to sharing it with whoever rented the room. The servant girls came early and arranged couches in a circle and placed small low tables close to them. Later, a group of men filed in and reclined on the couches; the humans customary way of dining. The men seemed to defer to one member of the company. There was nothing in his appearance to distinguish him from the rest. It was plain that he was of peasant stock but there was an air of charisma about him that even I could detect. The servant girls brought the Passover food and wine and left. As I listened to bits of conversation going on I began to get the feeling that this was not going to be your usual Passover celebration. For once in my life I forgot all about eating and pestering the diners.
"Suddenly, a hush fell over the crowd as the Leader began to speak. 'I can't begin to tell you how much I wanted to eat the Passover with you before I suffer. I won't eat it again until the Kingdom of God comes.' Whoa. This really got my attention. What did he mean about suffering? And, if he's not going to eat the passover again I suppose he knows he's going to die. Wait a minute; I'll bet this the fellow the servants have been talking about. They said the Pharisees have been harassing someone named Jesus because he's been making things uncomfortable for them and the Sanhedrin. Don't those people have anything better to do? I turned off my buzzer and flew right below him on the floor.
Jesus held up a whole loaf of unleavened bread, broke it, gave thanks and said, 'This is my body broken for you; do this in remembrance of me.' Crumbs fell and I ate one.
Next, Jesus picked up a goblet of wine and said, "Each one of you take a drink of this and pass it around 'til it's all gone.' A drop appeared on the floor beside one of the fellows and I slurped it up. 'This is my blood of the new covenant which is shed for you,' Jesus said.
Like all Jews I had memorized the scriptures and Jesus' words reminded me of some passages in Isaiah. I felt certain I was on to something; but what?

Follow Noah's search in my next blog.

2011-04-01T07:00:00.000-07:00

The existence of God, or the divinity of Jesus, cannot be proved or disproved using intellectual argument. C.S. Lewis asserts that we have an "incurably abstract intellect."
This intellect, along with the five senses, forms a barrier against letting total reality get through to us. If we cannot see, smell, touch, hear or taste God then our mind, our intellect, tells us God does not exist. But our senses equip us only to experience the physical world around us; to tell us what is real and what is not.    If one comes into contact with something foreign to one's experience, memory, assumptions or preconceived ideas and if at least one of the senses doesn't transmit positive information to the brain, then one is likely to dismiss whatever it is as an aberration.  We would also consider ourselves as being "sensible" for recognizing such supposed aberrations and rejecting them.
It is no wonder then that Paul wrote to the church at Corinth. "But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him, nor can he know them because they are spiritually discerned." 1Cor.2:14.
No where is that more true than in the realm of science. Science rejects spirituality because it cannot be measured or proved in the laboratory. Richard Dawkins, British evolutionary biologist said, "Many of us (scientists) saw religion as harmless nonsense. Beliefs might lack all supporting evidence but, we thought, if people need a crutch for consolation, where's the harm?" Dawkins also said with unbridled condescension, "(Religious) Faith is the great cop-out, the great excuse to evade the need to think and evaluate evidence. Faith is belief in spite of, or even perhaps because of, the lack of evidence."
He is snared by his own words because scientists have great faith in the unproved theory known as the "Big Bang." Where is the evidence?  Until the 1920's scientists believed that the universe consisted entirely of the Milky Way galaxy though it is now known there are billions of galaxies. And, until the early 1900's it was thought the universe was static although later investigation showed the universe is actually expanding. Then, later, astronomers thought the expansion was slowing until they proved it was actually accelerating. What is the universe expanding into? Is there Super-Space beyond the space containing the universe? Science cannot answer the question of what existed before the Big Bang and how the whole thing started. Dr.Dawkins, in a rare moment of humility, admitted, "I don't know how (it all started), nor does anyone else."
   I am one of those you look down on, Dr. Dawkins, but may I offer a possibility? Isn't it possible that the Bible has been right all along? I believe that, in the future, when all investigations have been completed, that will be the only and final conclusion. In the meantime, I have all the convincing evidence of God's creative power that I need. Whether God used evolution or the Big Bang or anything else you come up with I believe that you, Dr. Dawkins, and your fellow scientists, will arrive at the same truth.
   I don't mean to mock science. Far from it. I am fascinated by all the discoveries being made. My point is that science is constantly changing whereas the Word of God is forever. The Bible is not a scientific book and is not in competition with science; it deals with spiritual and practical matters.  Christians are not stupid because they are not scientists or because they choose to believe as they do. There is one point of contention: Scientists claim to know what happened a millisecond after the Big Bang; Christians know what happened before it ocurred and scientists do not.

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   In spite of common sense to the contrary, our congress and president have involved our country in another war. What unmitigated nonsense. Has our government not been spending fast enough to send us into bankruptcy? Is this another attempt to make the world safe for oil companies? Libya is no threat to the our country. Is this part of some secret stragety to isolate Iran? If our involvement is, as the U.S.propagandists say, a humanitarian neccessity then why has the U.S. all but ignored the horrific genocide in Darfur? How do funds magically appear for these foolhardy military adventures and yet are not available for feeding the millions of children in our own country who do not have enough to eat? Would you walk by and ignore hungry children on your way to deliver tons of food to Afghanistan and other countries? That is what's happening with our government.
   "The U.S. has not just misplaced its priorities. When the most powerful country ever to inhabit the earth finds it so easy to plunge into the horrors of warfare but almost imossible to find adequate work for its people or to properly educate its young, it has lost its way entirely." Bob Herbert, NY Times columnist.
The Arab League was quite happy for the U.S. and other non-Arab countries to risk their pilots to provide a no-fly zone. Then that same League complained that the Allies took the mandate too far. Although Arab countries have planes made in America and pilots trained here, only two (French) planes from the tiny Arab country of Qatar are in combat. These mid-East countries are made up of various tribes, Shiites and Sunnis, all of whom have their own ideas about freedom and government which don't coincide with Western democracy. The Muslim Brotherhood and the Al Queda are supporting the rebels and the U.S.in the position of fighting for these organizations in Libya and against them in Afghanistan.. What irony. You can be sure the rebels, if they are successful, will do what they feel is best for them and that doesn't include being beholden to the U.S.  They will continue to regard us as the Great Satan. They don't hesitate to work with who they consider to be the devil to pull their fat out of the fire.
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Jeffrey Sachs, professor of economics at Columbia University, recently had this to say, "Washington is unrealistic. They are not talking about real things like military spending and entitlement programs. Instead, Congress and President Obama seem set on cutting civilian discretionary spending, including education, that directly impacts mainstream America."
"There is such a disconnect between what American people say, and what Washington does, you wonder if this is a democracy. The American people say, 'get out of Afghanistan, stop wasting money on the military, raise taxes on the rich and (opt for a) public option on health care. Of course, the interests, the powers that be oppose all of that."
"I think we are in a decline because our political class is so dishonest right now and so disconnected from American values that we are not finding a way forward. In the long term America will continue in decline as long as we play these games." Amen, brother.
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   General Electric made a profit of $14 billion in 2010; $5 billion of that was earned in the U.S. GE did not have to pay any U.S. taxes. Not a single penny. Nothing. Jeffrey Immelt, chief executive of GE, is also leader of President Obama's Council on Jobs and Competitiveness. Imagine that. What a cozy little coincidence.
The Time's David Kocieniewski reported, "Its (GE's) extraordinary success is based on an aggresive strategy that mixes fierce lobbying for tax breaks and innovative accounting that enables it to concentrate its profits off-shore."
This kind of skullduggery will go on whether there are Repubs, Democrats or chimpanzees in Congress;
Wall Street, the Military, Corporations and Unions control the government.
God help us.

2011-03-09T07:00:00.000-08:00

My number one source for Headlines Subject to Unintended Interpretation is our own Lufkin Daily News. The latest: "Duo Found Guilty of Animal Cruelty for Fighting Chickens." Why didn't these men pick on someone their own size? As we can see from the abundant carcasses in supermarkets, chickens are virtually defenseless. To even the odds, I say tie down these men, cover them with chicken feed and turn a flock of their feathered opponents loose on them.

Article below is from the Houston Chronicle (From my files. Date unknown but something like this plays out every day)

"Sammilu Williamson Evans was the graceful and elegant beauty queen with girl-next-door charm, but somewhere within her sculpted beauty she grappled with private demons. The 46-year-old woman who won a string of beauty contests in the 1960s and 1970s, stepped off the balcony of her posh Galleria-area condominium Wednesday. Police said she had been drinking before the fall from the 23rd floor of the Bristol condominium. Family and friends were left wondering why the woman who had it all would end her life."

(Italics mine)
All? All what? Beauty. riches, fame; the popular notion of what constitutes "having it all." But these could not protect Ms. Evans from "private demons" because she apparently had few, if any, spiritual defenses. When there was no more adulation, and applause and beauty had faded, riches were very cold comfort for loneliness and loss of identity. She no longer knew who she was. Life and beauty queen had become synonymous to her. When she was no longer beauty queen, life lost its meaning. Why go on?

If having an abundance of the pleasure and treasure that the World offers is the ultimate key to happiness then celebrities and the rich and famous should be the happiest people on earth. There is ample evidence that they are not.

Jesus said "What profit is there if you gain the whole world and lose eternal life? What can be compared to eternal life?" What indeed? Yet, many are gambling that there is nothing after this life. They want what they want and they want it Now!

It's popular to (figuratively) beat up on Hollywood, the media, liberals, humanists, politicians, etc. for what's spiritually wrong with our country. Sure; some of them are part of the problem but perhaps we need to look closer to home for who is really to blame. According to statistics more than 75% of Americans maintain that they are Christians. Based on that, the U.S. is generally portrayed as a Christian nation. I disagree with that idea. I've given my reasons and said my piece about that in earlier blogs.

Is there a noticeable gap between what Christians profess and how they act? There are those inside and outside the faith that will answer with a resounding Yes. We are supposed to be imitators of Christ, sharing the good news of salvation, visiting the sick and prisoners in jail, clothing and feeding those in need, turning the other cheek, being humble before God, allowing ourselves to be moved by the Holy Spirit into the will of God, serving others in the spirit of true agape love, etc. OK; I admit I don't measure up. Of course there are those who quietly go about God's work under the radar of recognition and personal glory. But,religious writers and critics say, these are in the minority. The majority are biblicaly illiterate and have not been discipled. This results in producing lukewarm evangelism, "silent Christians" and "Diet Christianity" guaranteed to limit spiritual growth. Some television preachers have substituted "positive thinking" for faith.

The 13th chapter of 1Corinthians, the "Love Chapter," has been used so many times at weddings some think it applies only to marriage and that Paul wrote it for that purpose. Not so. It is Christ as LOVE; a personification of the kind of love Christians should have for each other and to demonstrate to all those they come into contact with. Apparently some of us Christians have failed to read the memo. Pat Robertson has portrayed God as vengeful; saying God caused disasterous hurricanes to punish America because of homosexuals. There were hurricanes for thousands of years before America existed. Was God just practicing?

We don't have to go around in an animal skin, carrying a staff and calling down the wrath of God to show we are serious about our faith. Consider this example: Following hurricane Katrina, an avowed atheist wrote to the British left-wing Guardian Weekly asking , "why Christians are the people most likely to take the risks and make the sacrifices involved in helping others. It ought to be possible to live the Christian life without being a Christian or, better still, to take Christianity a la carte. Yet, it is impossible to doubt that faith and charity go hand in hand." All kinds of organizations were involved helping in the aftermath of the hurricane but it was the actions of Christians that were recognized by the atheist. Even the New York Times described how the church groups were doing a better job than government agencies and didn't object (!) that when those "doing temporary repairs and cleaning up debris give homeowners a signed Bible and pray with them."
Jesus, with 12 ordinary men, "turned the world upside down." (Acts 17:6) with a message of salvation, peace and love. We can't all go to sites of devastation to put our Christianity into action but we can all continue the work of turning the world upside down where ever we are and whoever we are. We don't need a seminary degree to demonstrate agape love or to do simple acts of kindness and courtesy inspired by the spirit of Jesus.
We can't leave evangelism entirely to the clergy or wrap our cloaks of righteousness about us and take refuge in church services and expect the Good News to flow into the world by osmosis. It won't happen.
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Many, perhaps most, Americans are cheering for those people in the mideast rebelling against dictators and for democracy, envisioning that if they attain it, it will be just like the democracy we enjoy. Consider that a poll in Egypt found that 84% of Egyptians favored the death penalty for anyone who leaves the Muslim faith.
What kind of democracy will that be? Shiites and Sunnis may have a common enemy now but they have been at odds for hundreds of years and are not likely to suddenly come together after the shooting stops. .
Nature abhors a vacuum and if the rebellions are successful, the leadership positions must be quickly filled or chaos will result. The turmoil is a long way from being over in Egypt.
The rebels in Libya are asking for American air raids against troops loyal to the Libyan dictator. Mr. President, don't do it. It would put the U.S.in an absolute no-win position. Send humanitarian aid but do not risk anymore of our military as is being done in Afghan and Iraq. (Since I wrote the above comments, Britain sent a small mission group of diplomats and commandos who secretly parachuted into Libya to talk with the rebel leaders. They were arrested and temporarily detained on suspicion of being enemy mercenaries. Baffled by their unfriendly reception, they are now back in Britain with perhaps a little better understanding of who and what the West will be dealing with if they foolishly get involved

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" The (Arkansas) Secretary of State's race pits a Democratic candidate who says he has detailed ideas for the office and a Republican candidate who says he has few plans and that's the way it should be." Arkansas Democrat-Gazette 9/19/2010
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"M. B., 82, has been given a ticket and fined $1,103 after an Oregon state trooper clocked her driving 110 mph in a 55mph zone." You Go Granny. NASCAR is calling.
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A news article says that Jennifer Aniston has changed her hair style. Who is this woman and why is the world being kept up-to-date on her coiffures? I know she's an actress but the question remains.

2011-01-25T07:00:00.000-08:00

"We need too have a vote on it (Obamacare repeal) because we promised the people we would," Senator John McCain, R-AZ, said Sunday on "Face the Nation" on CBS. "We have to have a vote on repeal so that everybody is on record whether they want repeal" (Lufkin Daily News, 1/24/11)
If you are hoping that Obamacare will survive the recent turnover in Congress, relax; all is well. But, if you are hoping the Repubs will force repeal of Obamacare you're out of luck. They won't succeed in their bogus attempt to repeal it because insurance and pharma companies, huge donors to the Repub party, don't want it repealed. House Repubs will make a great smoke and mirrors show of fulfilling their campaign promise of voting to repeal the law knowing full well that it won't get by the Democratically controlled Senate. If it should, Mr. Obama will veto it. Then the elephants can say, "See? We tried but those stubborn ol' donkeys wouldn't cooperate." Business as usual.

If we put our ultimate trust in anyone or anything other than God we are sure to be disappointed.

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I noticed in an NFL ad that the play-off games were being seen by our armed forces in 175 countries.

a.) I didn't know there are 175 countries

b.) What business do we have putting our troops in those countries? Who made us the
world's police force?

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The Pope recently said he was shocked to hear that Christians have been killed in Egypt and other Muslim countries. With all due respect to your exalted position, sir, you should know this is not something new. It has been going on for centuries and will continue until.......?

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A small Christian group has been persuaded by Harold Camping, who heads up evangelistic Family Radio, that the world is coming to an end on May 21, 2011. (Time mag Jan. 4, 2011) Mr. Camping made a similar prediction that was to take place on Sept. 6, 1994. Did that happen and I missed it?

The group under Mr. Camping's wing is distributing flyers about the "coming" event and feverishly trying to inform the public before it's too late. Evangelism is good but I don't think this is the way to go about it.

Jesus said that no one knows the date when the world will end; not even Jesus. Yet, people will continue to believe they have found secret codes in the Bible that enable them to figure out the date. Even Isaac Newton, the great English scientist, spent years poring over the scriptures and eventually thought he had determined a date for the end of the world. God had something to say about this in Isaiah 44:25. "I am the one who shows what liars all false prophets are, by causing something else to happen than the things they say. I make wise men give opposite advice to what they should, and make them into fools." No matter how devoted and sincere decoders and self-appointed prophets are, no one can know the mind of God except the Spirit of God.

We are to be spiritually ready for whatever happens, not frightened or worried about the apocalypse. "Be not afraid; only believe" Mark 5:36
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According to recent news articles, cursive writing will soon be as unintelligible as Elizabethan English is to most of us. Cursive is sooo twentieth century. Just think; people over thirty will be able to write messages in cursive that will be a mystery to the youngsters now in school. And if the cursive document includes correct grammar it will be a double mystery. On the other hand, I confess that twitter (tweet? twert? twizzle?) language might as well be Chinese to me.
lol, bff. There; did I just say something nice or gross?**********************************************
Cleaning out our house after Nita's death, I threw or gave away hundreds (literally) of things that had been accumulated over the 60 years of our marriage. Included were plaques representing awards of various kinds. After my departure from this vale of tears no one would remember (even my memory was a little hazy about some of them) or care what they were for. I was not the least bit sentimental about them so into the dust bin they went. This led me to wonder: what, if anything, of worth and endurance would I leave behind?

My name? The Marsellos family name will disappear with the passing of my son. Not always succesfully because of all my multitude of weaknesses, I have tried to uphold the name without stain and I know he is doing, and will continue, to do the same. In the areas of father, husband, grandfather, etc., architect, poet, novelist, artist, Christian, etc., I can say without false modesty and with complete honesty that I have never felt I was more than average. ( One definition of average: The best of the worst and the worst of the best. Ugh.) Paul said we are not to think better of ourselves than we ought.

Does life have a point or is it only a collection of random events? Do we have a reason for being or are we like a weather vane, doing our job as we and others see it but being moved only by the vagarious winds? I firmly believe we have free will but is there some Grand Scheme in which, under the right conditions, my free will ultimately blends with God's will for His purposes?

It can occur at any age but middle age seems the time when many examine their progress in life. I know I did. I found that I was, so to speak, "Weighed in the balances and found wanting." (Daniel 5:27) I had no spiritual weight at all. For me, life was bleak and without real satisfaction. There are numerous ways to temporarily cover up spiritual hunger and deficiencies: appearing religious (talking the talk. I was very good at that), church attendance in body but not in spirit, denial that anything is missing, alcohol, illicit sex, drugs, work, pride (remember the Pharisees? Nothing wrong with us. We're sons of Abraham), gathering possessions, etc., but only one way to level the balances.

Jesus said to Nicodemus (and us), "You MUST be born again." There is no wiggle room in this statement; it is absolute. Take it or leave it; there's no middle ground. It will do no good to stand before God and say,"I was an Eagle Scout" or "I attended every church service all my life" or "My grandfather was a preacher" or "Our family is very prominent. We have always been good people and contributed millions to good causes." Fine. Wonderful. Congratulations. But, none of that matters unless you have been born again.

All of the above leads to a dream I had recently. In the dream I was conversing with a group of people; none that I recognized. I don't know if there were 2 people or 20. But I distinctly and clearly remember that I declared,

"I know why I was born! It was so I could lead (---?---) to Christ!"

The name of the person was a blur. Was it someone I had the privilege to influence for Jesus in the past or someone in the near future? I don't know. But I do know the joy I felt to have the confirmation of the reason for my existence. Everything else in my life has only been background.

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"Now the God of hope give you all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope through the power of the Holy Spirit" Romans 15:13

2010-12-20T07:00:00.000-08:00

Every time I smell the odor of Vicks it immediately takes me back to my childhood and memories of my stepmother spreading the salve on my chest and throat when I had a cold. On occasion she made me swallow a spoonful of the stuff for a sore throat. I don't know if the Vicks did any good but the touch of my stepmother's hand was always soothing when I was ill. What is more comforting than a mother's touch? When that is no longer available we still enjoy the warm touch of a spouse, friend, child, etc. It is good to remember to share that with others when the opportunity is available..

LaNell and I have the privilege of serving communion, once a month, to residents of a local retirement home. Most of the residents are widows or widowers, in their 70's to 90's; some without any living relatives. We make it a practice to touch the hands or shoulders of the women and men when they receive the elements. It reinforces our efforts to show that we care. LaNell has been led to kiss the forehead of some of the women and the recipients responded with tears. It's something they have not experienced in years.

God's spirit is present there in abundance. When we leave we feel we have gained more than those we came to minister to.

"Pure and undefiled religion before God and the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their trouble and to keep oneself unspotted from the world." James 1:27

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Jesus said, "But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you; and you shall be my witnesses in Jerusalem, Judea and Samaria and to the uttermost parts of the earth."

A preacher who has spoken in countries around the world said he has been to many remote and isolated places. Some were accessible only by riverboat, horseback or airplane. But every where he went he saw Coca Cola signs. So, he thought, the uttermost part of the earth must be somewhere beyond the ubiquitous Coca Cola signs.

In 1996 he preached in a Russian city 1600 miles northeast of Moscow, deep in Siberia. He looked around the city and not one Coca Cola sign was to be found. This indeed must be the uttermost part of the earth. Yet, at each home he visited, the host would proudly show him a Gideon bible printed in Russian; distributed by Russian Gideons. (Note: The Bible distributed by the Gideons is the Holy Bible, not an interpretation by the Gideons. Gideons are Christian laymen and members of evangelical churches throughout the world.)

It is estimated that, out of the 6 billion people on earth, 1.5 billion have never read the bible or heard the gospel. Among those are people in the U.S. and in your city wherever you are; maybe your next door neighbor.

When our church proposed a building to house a separate contemporary service it met with stout resistance from some longtime members who still refer to it as "that other church." Yet, in spite of the selfish objections, the service has prospered and there are now some young men and women members who previously had not set foot in a church or read the bible. My own voiced opinion about the service before it was implemented was, "If just one person receives Christ in that service, it is worth any amount of difficulty or expense." Luke 15:8 "I say to you that likewise there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine just persons who need no repentance."

The Gideons organization has distributed millions of bibles in countries around the world, even beyond the Coca Cola signs, resulting in many decisions for Christ. 1.5 billion persons seems an insurmountable number to witness to. But Jesus knew it would be possible if those who have received the Holy Spirit will use the power He has given them. Otherwise He would not have commanded it to happen. (Acts 1:8) And who has received the Holy Spirit? Everyone who has confessed Christ as their Savior. The most effective method of witnessing is one on one.
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Before embarking on a long road trip we ask God to send angels to protect us as we travel and to keep us from inadvertently doing harm to anyone. I don't pray to angels. They are ministering spirits; created by God. They only obey God. Neither do I pray to saints, the Apostles or Mary. For any of them to answer prayer they would have to be equal with God. They're not.
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In Las Vegas it is unlawful to pawn false teeth.
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When Mr. Obama was elected I wrote in a blog that Americans would not like the "changes" he would promote. Bingo. I also wrote that beneath his shining armor we would find a Chicago politician, Double bingo. Thirdly, I said he would be unable to keep his promise to change Washington and that change would only happen when Jesus returns. Triple bingo. Shortly thereafter I stated that the Democrats seemed determined to self-destruct. For the sake of our country I take no pleasure that I happened to be right on these issues. Who is going to right our ship of state and keep it from sinking further?
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Add to the former list of celebrities: alligator hunters, pawn brokers, pastry bakers, loggers, motorcycle builders, wrestlers and ballroom dancers. If you don't find yourself among these I counsel patience because new categories are opening every day. Who knows? Someday there may even be one for dippy old men who write blogs.

A Holy and Merry Christmas to all.

save

2010-11-22T07:00:00.000-08:00

Have you noticed how many celebrity categories there are now? In addition to the usual high society, sports and Hollywood types we now have celebrities in new categories: Gamblers, (Poker Stars,) Cooks, (Paula Dean et al), Chefs (as distinguished from mere cooks), Miners (Ecuador), Political Malefactors (former governor of Illinois; former N. Y. D.A.), Mothers of Large Broods (minimum of eight, please), GlenBeckers et al, Passengers on Interrupted Cruise Voyages, Real (?) Housewives (outfitted in ensembles that cost thousands and make Beaver's mother look like a bag lady), etc.. Artist Andy Warhol, himself a celebrity, said "Everyone will have their fifteen minutes of fame." Have you had yours? Be patient.

Charles Rangel (D, NY, very popular in Harlem) is a prime example of why there needs to be term limits for members of Congress. A member of the House for 40 years he is finally being brought before a House Ethics Committee on charges of misconduct. ("House Ethics;" Isn't that an oxymoron?) Failure to pay income taxes on property he owns is only one of the charges. Rangel claims he is innocent and will not resign. Shame is a concept un known in Congress.

Mickey Rooney is 90 years old! Rooney, 50% egotist; 50% imp and 100% talent, was born to a vaudeville couple and began his show business career at the tender age of 17 months. Married 8 times he said, "Always get married early in the morning. That way, if it doesn't work out, you haven't wasted a whole day."

His other pastime was gambling. He confessed, "I lost $3 on a horse and spent a million dollars trying to get it back."

Benjamin Franklin asked an intriguing question, "If all your friends were blind, what would your house look like?" Many Americans take their design cues from "the mansion on the hill." Big is good; lavish is better. It's a sure sign that you have "arrived." On the frontier, settlers lived in one room log cabins or, on the plains, in dugouts. As soon as they could afford better they built something like they had back east. Moving up-scale has been a national ambition.
That upward movement has crested and the latest economic melt-down may change buying habits as the Great Depression did when people discovered they could do with less, --- a lot less and delayed gratification was not a form of torture. The lay-away plan was born. Thrift and frugality were seen, not as being "cheap" but as real virtues. My children learned an old New England saying, "Use it up; Wear it out; Make it do or Do without." Of course they never did without any of the necessities of life.
Except for the wealthy, the average new house will soon be 1800 square feet or less. Separate, rarely used formal dining rooms, family rooms, powder rooms, huge bathrooms, butler pantries, etc. will go by the wayside. Combining kitchen, dining and living room is becoming more in vogue. Smaller space means smaller utility bills and conservation of natural resources. If one cannot be happy and content in a 1800 s.f. house they will very likely not be happy in a 5000 s.f. house. Besides, real satisfaction and contentment arise from a spiritual relationship: building our "house" on the solid Rock of Jesus.
Fashion Forecast
For men: Look for the appearance of shoes in colors beyond black and brown. Red, blue and purple shoes will soon become more popular. And why not? Years ago (before the Elvis Presley era) I had a pair of blue suede shoes. I'm still looking for another pair. Red would be OK.
For women: Lower hemlines; mid-calf or to the ankles. Hats are coming back; some modeled after the 'cloche' hat, so popular in the 20's and the Depression. Appropriate for the present economic situation.
Oooookay; the Repubs are back in power,--well, sort of. After slathering their constituents with the whipped cream of promises soon forgotten after election, they appear to be gazing at each other with that, "Now what?" look. In their slash and burn drive to make the world safe for big banks and corporations they seem to have overlooked something essential: A comprehensive, clear-cut plan to help bring the country (the USA) out of the economic Sargasso Sea we are drifting in. Can any of them say "bi-partisan?"

2010-10-29T07:00:00.000-07:00

Recently I was reminded of some home remedies I was subjected to as a child. My step-mother was a great believer in the efficacious properties of various folk potions to cure whatever might ail me and my brother. One such potion that I remember, with a shudder, was supposed to alleviate colds and coughing. It consisted of sliced onions, covered with sugar, allowed to age on the back of the wood-burning range until a thick malodorous syrup formed. A teaspoon of it was administered every time I coughed. I nearly suffocated trying to suppress coughs.

One cannot imagine the uniquely horrible taste of this concoction. It must be experienced to fully appreciate the sulfurous aroma and the reaction of the gag reflex. No amount of resistance, crying or protest spared me from what was adamantly stated as,"good for you." Ingesting that stuff may be why I'm so goofy today.

Another form of torture, left over from the Spanish Inquisition no doubt, was the infamous mustard plaster. This was applied to my bare chest for a "deep chest cold." The plaster consisted of dry mustard and burning embers (at least that's what it felt like) mixed together and covered with a cloth. It stuck to the skin like searing glue and when finally removed it took the top layer of skin with it.

Perhaps those remedies were not as bad as a Spring tonic forced on a friend of mine as a child. His grandmother would fill a mason jar with rusty nails and then pour vinegar over them. After the rust (iron) had time to mix with the vinegar it was considered ready as a tonic to "cleanse the blood."

Of the two, I think I would prefer the onion cocktail.

People then, as now, were doing the best they could with what they knew and what they had. I'm still alive in my 80's so perhaps the folk remedies really were, " good for me."

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In the news recently were the results of a poll taken to see how much Americans know about their particular religion. Result? Not much. In fact, atheists seem best informed.

Jesus commanded us to make disciples of all people. That's pretty difficult if we can't share with others why we believe as we do.

Philosopher Ludwig Wittgenstein said, "Whereof one cannot speak, thereof one must be silent.". He was saying that there are some philosophical things that cannot possibly be expressed because of the limits of language, so don't even try. Unknowingly, too many Christians have adopted Wittgenstein's words out of context and feel it best to be silent about their faith. Have you shared your faith with your children? In our flawed and imperfect way we must live out the faith as well or where is the profit?

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From a Chinese calendar:

"Lucky stars will help your development and career to achieve positive returns. Be aware to be haughty and high profile to stimulate those envied enemies who are waiting to chasten your glee. Keep soberly mind to scrutinize unexpected matters or problems. Take action, stop chattering and seek help from others."

I say again I don't believe in fortune telling (the Bible expressly forbids it) and I include this only for the delightful English grammar. Also, this person's English far surpasses my Chinese.

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I suggest you add the following to your morning prayer:

Holy and Righteous Father, I ask that today people see nothing in me but Jesus and are drawn to Him.

2010-10-12T07:00:00.000-07:00

Miscellany

Since 2009, thousands of employees have been added to the Fed's ( taxpayer's) payroll. Read that again. Thousands added to the already bloated government bureaucracy. If you have ever tried to maneuver through the mine field of red tape and road blocks, set up by bureaucrats to obscure access to dependable information, you can only imagine the higher level of frustration in store to be brought about by this new surge of bureaucratic troops.

Outrageous!

Molly Norris, Seattle cartoonist who started "Everybody Draw Mohammed Day" in support of free speech has been advised by the FBI to go into hiding. A Muslim mufti (Islam scholar/jurist) has issued a "fatwah", or death sentence against her. Molly Norris is being denied her right of free speech in her own country and even the FBI cannot protect her. Few fatwahs are death sentences and a fatwah is not necessarily binding on all Muslims to carry out. But the FBI apparently thinks this situation is dangerous enough that Molly should abandon her home, friends and livelyhood. Using threats of violence and fear are the kind of tactics we can expect from some, but not all, adherents of this religion.
Mohammed means nothing to me but I don't disparage him or moderate Muslims even though the Qur'an (Koran) denies the divinity of Jesus and that he is the Son of God. Any restrictions repecting the depiction of Mohammed are for Muslims and do not apply to non-Muslims just as restrictions of other religions apply only to the adherents of those religions. Fundamentalist Muslims insist that everyone, including non-Muslims, must obey their restrictions.

Still on the subject of religion, a Clayton, NC freshman was sent home from school because of metal objects piercing her face, a practice against school rules. She is claiming religious persecution because she and her mother belong to the "Church of Body Modifications." From what I can find, there really is such a church. It appears to have no spiritual base but does, -- surprise!, ---have a tax-free status with the IRS. Kind of reminds me of comedian Flip Wilson's "The Church of What's Happening Now." I always thought that would be a great name for a church and even suggested it during a church committee brainstorming session. All it did was reinforce my reputation as an eccentric.

In a remarkable change, Belgium has gone from a predominantly Catholic country to a predominantly secular country in one generation. There is outrage among its citizens concerning child molestation by some current and former priests and the arrogant (their word) way the Vatican is handling the situation. Christ has been crucified again and buried in Belgium. But God has declared He will always have a witness and Jesus will rise again in that country.

For the first time, according to a news article in the Lufkin Daily News, whites entering the Univ. of Texas are in the minority. They are outnumbered by a combination of incoming students who are black, oriental and hispanic. My prediction of 2040 as the tipping point in our country, from white to tan, is looking more realistic.

A dear friend of mine died recently of a combination of ailments with emphysema as the main cause. Addiction to tobacco in the form of cigarettes was his undoing. Emphysema also caused the deaths of my brother-in-law and and sister-in-law (not in the same family.) It is an insidious disease and a terrible way to die. Yet, in the U.S., 1 in 5 Americans continue to smoke and tobacco is the cause of death for an average of 1000 people each day.
If you are a smoker: QUIT!!!

Well, Republicans are positively giddy over the prospect of taking control of the House of Reps. I humbly suggest attention of the voters be turned back to those recent years when the Repubs had control of all 3 branches of government. As they grew fat and sassy with power, they abandoned basic Repub principles. Instead, they increased central government, fostered corruption, let the hounds of Wall Street loose on an vulnerable unsuspecting public, launched 2 disasterous wars and ran the national debt into the stratosphere. But, hey; to the victor belongs the spoils, right? They finally had the keys to the candy store and they cleaned it out. The Dems came in and took the paint off the walls; all that was left.
Not to be outdone, the Dems cranked up their Magic Money Machine which is powered by thin air and a cord that reaches all the way to China. It has spewed out a bushels of greenbacks promptly delivered to the UAW, GM, banks, favored unions, favored states, favored organizations that get out the Dem voters, the corrupt Afghanistan and Iraqi governments and only the good Lord knows where else.
I know I appear cynical but having witnessed the revolving door to Congress and the White house spin so many times as the parties passed each other going in and coming out I confess I don't expect any wonderful changes. Same thing; only the names will be different.

Take heed to King Solomon in Proverbs, chapter 29:

Vs. 2 "When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice; but when the wicked rule, the people groan."
Vs. 4 "By justice a king gives stability to the land, but one who makes heavy exactions (taxes) ruins it."
Vs. 18 "When the wicked are in authority, transgression increases, but the righteous will look upon their downfall."

2010-09-08T07:00:00.000-07:00

One morning recently I opened the kitchen outside door to go get the paper. Imagine my shock and surprise to see a snake stretched out on the threshold! To me, "harmless snake' is an oxymoron. All snakes are Cobras until otherwise identified by someone with a Doctorate of Herpetology. By the time the expert arrived all he would see would be raw snakeburger. The slimy creature and I looked at each other for what seemed an hour but it was only a nano second. I don't know which of us was the most frightened. I quickly slammed the door and searched for something to use as a weapon. I grabbed an umbrella, the only thing at hand. What I thought I could do with an umbrella I don't know but I was gripped by desperation. Fortunately for the snake (and me) he had slithered off by the time I opened the door again. I told wife LaNell she would have to be the first person out that door in the morning from now on.

New York City Mosque

President Obama got his hand slapped when he reached into the brouhaha concerning the location of the mosque. I think he now wishes he had said that the location of the mosque is something the citizens of N.Y. should work out with imam Fasail Abdul Rauf. But the President has every right to comment on the situation as do all of us. The 9/11 destruction of the Twin Towers and resulting massacre of civilians was an Islamist attack on America, not just New York City. It is a wound that has not healed and will not disappear anytime in the near future in spite of Americans' notoriously short attention span.

As with other situations of like importance, we don't know, and probably never will, what is going on behind the scenes, in secret, under the table, behind closed doors, etc. It appears to me that if Mr. Rauf is as peace-loving as he advertises he would have long ago abandoned his plan for a mosque two blocks from Ground Zero. State and local NYC authorities have offered alternative sites but Mr Rauf stubbornly insists on having his way. Is this an attempt to see if authorities will bend to his will? Is this a play for sympathy from the American public or is he playing to Muslims around the world and does he cling to this site because it might have great significance to Muslims? There are 100 mosques in NY City so the claim that the objection to a mosque being built on this site is a rejection and persecution of the Isalmist religion is patently false. Yet, this deliberate misunderstanding is the rallying cry of foreign radical Islamists used to recruit jihadists worldwide, including America, to protect their religion and to vent their rage in acts of terrorism. Muslims are extremely sensitive about their religion and expect others to respect it. Conversely, Mr. Rauf is either disrespectful of the sensitivities of New Yorkers about the area around Ground Zero or he doesn't consider their feelings worthy of consideration.

Americans are woefully ignorant about Islam, the fastest growing religion in the world. (Islam is the religion; Muslims are the followers) Again, I urge you to get a copy of the booklet, "The Facts On Islam" by John Ankerberg, John Weldon and Dillon Burroughs available at amazon.com. for around $6. You will get a fair overview of this important subject. I'm not like Chicken Little running around claiming the sky is falling. The sky is firmly fixed in place. I simply believe Americans in general and Christians in particular cannot afford to remain unaware of the influence of Islam and dangers of radical Islamists on America's future.
The pastor of a Christian church in Florida has announced that he and members of his congregation will burn copies of the Koran, the Islamic bible. This is inexcusable and un-American not to mention un-Christian. It will be a gross insult to moderate American Muslims who should not be castigated because of the inhuman acts of terrorism done by those who use their religion as an excuse to commit those acts. Book burning would play directly into the hands of radicals who will use it as propaganda to show the rest of the world supposed American intolerance and persecution of Islam.
The goal of radicals is to impose Shari'a (Islamic) law on every nation and they will not be dissuaded until every nation capitulates. I don't believe this nation will. I know for certain this citizen will not. Enough said for now.

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Our resident chef served a simple but delicious side dish for lunch today.
Go to Ruhlman.com/2010/09/baked-buttered-corn-2.html for the recipe.

Follow recipe for preparation of corn. Our chef used the kernels from 5 ears of corn

Changes and addition of bacon to recipe:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Heat cast iron skillet in oven

Place 4 bacon slices in a cast iron skillet; return to oven til bacon is done

Remove skillet; set bacon aside. Do not remove bacon grease

After corn is placed in skillet, spread cooked bacon over corn; return skillet to oven. Cook as directed in recipe.
Enjoy!

Makes 4 side dish servings

2010-08-16T14:38:00.000-07:00

I appreciate the thoughtful comments of 'Mark' who responded to last week's blog. I had read in a national news mag about the Black Panthers intimidating white voters at a polling site but I must have missed the date it occured or the editors of the mag were remiss in checking their source. Also, in further conversation with 'Mark' I found that Rosie is very generous in funding certain charities. A good reminder that most people have an altruistic part of their life we are not aware of. Thanks 'Mark.'

My blog will be coming out at random times instead of regularly. It does take time and I have a lot of other interests; too many, probably.

Fancifulfloyd's Fearless Forecast, continued

After reading today that many incoming college freshmen do not wear watches, have never used a phone with a cord attached, do not write in cursive or use email, I realized how far behind the times I am. Some of my "Fearless Forecasts" now appear quaint and, though only guesses, way off the mark. Changes in technology and its effects on society are accelerating at a dizzying pace. Young people readily accept tech change but it can strike fear in the hearts of the middle-aged and elderly or at the least make them very uncomfortable. They may feel the world is racing ahead without them and whatever significance they had is disappearing. But there are others in the older age groups who may not fully embrace rapid change but who jump on for the ride and reserve their opinions 'til they see where it takes them.

Aldous Huxley, in his book "Brave New world," was remarkably prescient. Written in novel form around 1930, many of his predictions have come to pass. One in particular has remained with me even though I read it some 40 years ago. In the future Huxley saw the nuclear family as we know it, father, mother and children, has disappeared except for one family that is exhibited ------in a zoo.

Could it be that our nation is moving in that direction? Not long ago having a baby out of wedlock stigmatized both mother and baby. Today, there is slight, if any, such stigma attached to unwed mothers or their offspring. The divorce rate hovers around 50% of all marriages. It is interesting to note that the divorce rate is slightly higher for couples in which one or both individuals are Christians. In the future there will be far fewer divorces because marriage itself is being progressively viewed as archaic and unnecessary. Sex is regarded as recreational and considered an integral part of dating. This is another indication of the fading influence of the church which was once the arbitor of morals in a community.

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Please read Matthew 20:1-16

This Jesus' parable of the landowner who hires day laborers at different times of a day, promising to pay them "what is right" for their services. At the end of the day the landowner directs his farm manager to pay the workers beginning with the last hired and then going to the first. Work for a full day was from 6:00 in the morning to 6:00 in the evening and was worth one denarius. Imagine the astonishment and resentment of those who had worked all 12 hours when they saw that those who had worked only one hour and the others who had worked less than a full day got paid a whole denarius. When it became their turn, the full-day laborers expected to be given more than one denarius. When it didn't happen they let the landowner hear about it. Their attitude was: We worked longer; we deserve more pay than these others, it's only fair.

"Not fair? " the landowner said. "I didn't deceive you. You got the going rate of one denarius for a day of work. I choose to be generous and I can do as I wish with my money. Take your denarius and go home."

The landowner represents God. Those who were first hired may be seen as the Pharisees and other leaders who saw themselves as having labored since the time of Abraham. They and their ancestors had been following what they understood to be God's directions for a long time and felt they were entitled to a greater reward. Note that that the landowner was not compelled by law, need or custom to hire any of these men. He could have gone on and found others who might be looking for a day's pay. It was the landowner's choice.

Many Jews in Jesus' day believed wealth was a sign of God's favor and a person's righteousness. But God is no respecter of persons (Acts 10:34) and he is free to dispense his grace as he sees fit. God's generosity is shown in the landowner's hiring of every laborer available and paying the last as much as the first. Jesus says we can trust God to be fair and the last who come into the Kingdom will be treated as well as those who entered first. Note also: the early hires were content with the usual denarius for their work until they saw that the latecomers were getting the same. Instead of being grateful that they had what was promised them and they could now feed their families another day, they began to concentrate on what they didn't get. This is one of the chief causes of discontent and misery personally, nationally and internationally.

I recently watched a tv program of an interview with a man born without arms or legs. It would seem he had cause to berate God for letting him be born with that condition. Instead of complaining, he took what he had been given and became an evangelist for Christ. Wherever he goes people are drawn to him, amazed at his joyful spirit and that he glorifies God who, in opinion of many, dealt the man a really bad hand.

We should thank God for what we have. No matter what condition we are in there are millions of people in the world who would gladly change places with us. "Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I say, rejoice!" Philippians 4:4

Next blog: The mosque in New York City

2010-08-16T08:00:00.000-07:00

Fancifulfloyd's Fearless Forecasts (continued from last week) What do you think will happen in the future? Will I be close or way off in my guesses? Make up your own mind about whether these changes, if they come to pass, will be for the better or the worse.

Next 25 years: 2010-2035

Medical (Addendum to last week's predictions) Assumptions were made based on Obamacare becoming law. If Supreme Court finds it unconstitutional that people must buy the insurance or pay a fine, then the whole thing will come down like a house of cards. The Court may also, and should, find it totally unreasonable to use Interstate Commerce as the boat to float the requirement.

Society

Gay Marriage

Slam dunk by or before by 2011 in California; in the rest of the nation by or before 2025. There is growing public support and tide is turning in favor of gay marriage. Objections are generally being regarded as religious only. Supporters say religion should not stand in the way of, nor should Christians impose their views on, what supporters feel is a strictly civil matter . Many young people have a much more liberal attitude about this matter than their elders so the next generation will provide the final push.

Race Relations.

Anglos are usually singled out as the main source of racism and all other ethnic groups as the victims and objects of their disdain. Any honest observer can see that is not true. Racism is a two-way street. It is passed on from generation to generation and deeply embedded in all ethnic groups.

A possible solution would be for all 220 million people, who label themselves as 'Christian' to actually live out the Golden Rule as stated by Jesus. The situation is as complicated and defying of resolution as trying to get members of the Aryan Nation and the Black Panthers to peacefully co-exist. It does not help that the current attorney general of the U.S. did nothing when Black Panthers threatened white voters at a polling place. Did our president know of this and have a part in the decision to look the other way? Hmm.

Politicians and demagogues have a vested interest in maintaining the status quo. To discredit them, some office seekers find it effective to brand opponents as racists. It doesn't have to be true; there will be plenty of people ready to believe it even without proof. Hucksters found they could make a very good living keeping the racial stew stirred up and served hot. The elite of our nation, who fancy themselves as the all-knowing intelligentsia, do their part in invoking history to create a sense of guilt for events none of us had anything to do with.

I think a possible remedy for racial antagonism is already underway. It lies in the inexorable movement of our nation away from being predominately white to predominately 'tan.' Interracial marriages are on the increase. They seem to have found acceptance and interracial marriage will be the vehicle which will carry the nation to 'tan-hood' and perhaps an end to the senseless strife of racism.

On the hand, racism may be so set in concrete that it won't be abolished until Jesus returns. Nevertheless, nation-wide tipping point of white to tan: around 2040.

More next week.

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Rosie O'Donnell recently said, "Fundamental Christianity is as dangerous as fundamental Islam." Really? Where did she get her information? I'd bet she doesn't know much about either one and it's my opinion she is more dangerous than either of them because of her lack of knowledge and she will soon have a talk show where she can spread this blather. Part of the reason for her astonishing statement is to call attention to the new talk show. Another part is she may actually believe what she said.

Far too many critics of Christianity see it as a hammer pounding on two nails: abortion and gay marriage. "Christians hate gays and women who have abortions." That is the message critics say they are getting and the one I think may be behind Rosie's statement and also being drilled into the mind of unbelievers. As if to reinforce that message, a misguided man claiming to be a Christian shot and killed an abortionist doctor.

What's happened to Jesus' message of love, peace, compassion and forgiveness? It is much more attractive and winsome than constantly harping on the negative.

As for Rosie: She has a right to say whatever she wants and I am a firm believer in the right of free speech. Pray that God will soften her heart and increase her spiritual wisdom. I don't feel any animosity toward her. Instead, I feel she is an unhappy and lonely person who needs Jesus in her life.

But, what do I know? My first wife answered that with, "Not much."

2010-08-07T07:00:00.000-07:00

Fancifulfloyd's Bold Predictions.
(Not prophecies; only guesses based on trends, history and experience.)

The next 25 years: 2010-2035

Marijuana

Legal in California by or before 2015

Legal in other states (a few holdouts; Idaho, Utah, etc.) by or before 2020

Taxed like cigarettes creating a black market run by drug lords (dl)

In the meantime, violence escalates along the U.S.-Mex. border. U.S. border guards and ranchers and other citizens killed/kidnapped by dl, forcing our president to finally take military action. Bush is blamed. (Only kidding)
Drug gangs unite; they assassinate Mexican president in plan to take over Mexico.

Drug use will continue in the U.S. Stupidity cannot be wiped out. Besides, too many powerful and not so powerful people have financial interests in the continued flow of drugs.

TV and Movies

No limit on obscene language and full frontal nudity on TV (10 p.m. and later) and on R-rated movies to occur before 2025. Explicit sex acts will be allowed to be portrayed by 2035 on "premium" channels.
If you are thinking it could never happen you may not have noticed how those responsible for tv shows are constantly pushing back the borders of decency. If you're over 70 just think back to when toilet paper was advertised as 'bathroom tissue" because the word "toilet" was not allowed on tv. Jack Paar, host of the "Tonight Show" quit the show temporarily because he was not allowed to use the word "commode" in a skit. Young people, used to the coarse language of today, would not believe these restrictions ever existed. More recently, comedian George Carlin made a list of obscene words that he said could not be used on tv. He didn't live to see he was mistaken.
When I was a youngster I went to see "Gone With the Wind" when it first came to our little town. I can still remember the collective horrified gasp that came from the audience when Clark Gable said, "Frankly my dear, I don't give a damn." Damn was not to be said in public.

Medical

30 million (or the real number) people who will receive med insurance under Obamacare will get care equal to Medicaid. There are not enough MD's now, nor will there be, to provide a higher level of care. There will be a dramatic increase in the number of Nurse Practioners (NP) in a ratio of at least 3 NPs for each physician. Patients will be seen by NPs; physicians will limit themselves to the more acute cases. Only very sick or injured patients will be allowed hospitalization. Cuts in Medicare, increases in premiums, will be made to help finance Obamacare, so Medicare patients will fare only slightly better. Patients will pay full cost of elective surgery.

More predictions next week.
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A recently ordained minister was scheduled to perform his first wedding. He consulted an older minister for advice. After going over the mechanics the older minister offered a word of warning. "Sometimes it happens that even the most seasoned minister will suddenly go completely blank during the service and forget what goes next. It helps to say a passage of scripture to get your mind get back on track."
Sure enough, it happened. While trying to reassemble his thoughts, the young minister spoke the first scripture passage that came to him, "Forgive them Father, for they know not what they do."
I don't know about others, but those words applied to me at my first wedding. I didn't know what I was doing. Still in the Navy, pitifully small savings, 20 years old, etc. My plans were to go to college and become an architect when I left the Navy. I had never even met an architect and had no realistic idea about what an architect did. Talk about clueless. I liked to draw so I felt that was all I needed to know. (After we know it all, what we learn becomes our real education.) Nothing prepared me for the reality of architectural practice: dealing with clients, budgets, contractors, deadlines, building committees, codes and government regulations, etc.
There are other areas of life where we comfortably believe we know what we need to know. I recently listened as a friend gave her testimony as part of the Sunday school lesson she was teaching. She had been raised in a Christian home, faithfully attended ss, church services and youth activities. When she became an adult she felt, she said, that she knew what it meant to be a Christian and was comfortable with her beliefs.
But then, still quoting her, she and her husband attended a Life in the Spirit seminar in our home and met the real Jesus. She gave me credit but I can't change anyone. I credit it completely to the work of the Holy Spirit who caused the spiritual life of she and her husband to change.
The reach of the Spirit is not limited. He can work anyplace to deliver an epiphany to us. Church, Sunday school, living room, at the kitchen sink (as happened to a friend of mine,) at a bar, while driving, reading, walking, etc.
God knows I don't mean to challenge anyone's Christianity. If you've confessed Christ as your savior and believe it in your heart, you are, according to scripture, a Christian. What ever is the state of your relationship with God is your business. I'm saying some people bop along thinking they have this Christian thing nailed and then, because they are prompted by the Spirit to know more of Jesus, their spiritual eyes are opened. There is always more of Jesus for us to know. All we need is the desire.
"Delight yourself in the Lord, and He shall give you the desires of your heart." Psalm 37:4

2010-07-13T09:37:00.000-07:00

Psalm 91:10, 11

"No evil shall befall you, nor shall any plague come near your dwelling. For He shall give His angels charge over you, to keep you in all your ways."
Some years ago a home security salesman called to see if I might have an interest in having a security system installed at my house. I told him I already had such a system; that there was an angel with a flaming sword standing guard at every door and window of my house.
There was a pause and then he said, "Oh?" Another pause, he thanked me and hung up.

What he thought of the angel bit I have no way of knowing. Obviously he was not expecting such an answer. But I wasn't kidding or just trying to brush him off. I meant it. Is it practical to rely on God to provide guardian angels? No; electronic security systems are practical. Would I advise anyone to do as I have done? No. Everyone must make their own decision. However, I believe it is not, as a dear friend of mine would say, "a heaven or hell" proposition.

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I recently celebrated my 85th birthday with most of my family. They came from Hot Springs, Dallas, Lubbock and Tyler for the day. What a great treat for me to have 2 of my 3 children, my grandchildren and all 6 of my great-grand children (all under 5 yrs) plus in-laws. All of the adults are Christians. God has blessed me without measure. My son and his wife live in Colorado and could not attend..

If anyone were to ask me what it feels like to be old, I would tell them they would have to ask someone else, because I don't know.

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If it were announced that the method of executing criminals would henceforth be changed to drilling a hole in the back of the person's head and then vacuuming out their brain, what do you think would be the public reaction? Outrage, surely. It won't happen of course. The law protects criminals from "cruel and unusual punishment." But it is not all that unusual because
approximately 3000 times a year this is the method used for partial-birth abortion. After emerging from the mother and with its head still in the birth canal, the baby is killed by the doctor by inserting a sharp instrument into its skull and the brain is vacuumed out. A living being with a beating heart and every right to live is killed. Apparently if the baby was fully delivered and then killed it would be murder. But, as long as the baby remains partially in the mother it is called a fetus and when killed it is only considered abortion. Those in favor of abortion maintain that a fetus has no rights until it is fully delivered.
Even unwanted animals receive better and more humane treatment from veterinarians.
Barbara Boxer, California congresswoman with San Francisco in her district, says that a fetus can only be considered a baby when it leaves the hospital.
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Mark 11;22-24
"So Jesus answered and said to them, "Have faith in God. For assuredly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, 'Be removed and be cast in the sea,' and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that those things he says will come to pass he will have whatever he says. Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe you receive them and you will have them."
What a magnificent promise! Often overlooked or skipped because it sounds too good to be true.
Is this just pie in the sky? Does Jesus really mean this or is he just teasing us? No empty words ever issued from the lips of Jesus. Not a single one. His words are truth and life. and completely reliable. Believe this and you will live.
He begins the promise with an absolute requirement for its fulfillment: Have complete, unwavering trust in God. Believe without doubt that God can do what to us seems impossible.
One of the best descriptions of faith is this, "Walking to the edge of all the light you have and taking one more step." If we don't believe that God is omnipotent, gracious and responds to our prayers with unbounded love there's no use going any further because our words will only bounce off the ceiling. So, let us take our mustard seed of faith and go to the Throne of Grace.
What ever 'mountain' we saw before us, whatever obstacle or decision, etc. we now view from the perspective of faith. We see the 'mountain' reduced by the power of God to the point that it disappears and in its place is the clear answer to our prayer. Spiritually we have already received our request. Faith accepts the answer as already accomplished even though the manifestation may take place in the future. As an evangelist said, "That should make an Egyptian mummy shout halleluja!"
After we have prayed in faith and accepted that our prayer has been answered we should keep our spiritual eyes open for signs that our answer is being unveiled.
When we are confronted with troubles or difficult decisions our first reaction is to worry. I say again: Since the dawn of time, worry has not solved a single problem. What it does do is paralyze us with indecision.
Jesus had much to say about worry. The main thing he said about it is: "Don't!" Instead trust in the omnipotence of God even though this is counter to our sense of self-reliance and, some would say, common sense.

2010-06-24T07:00:00.000-07:00

Dear Readers; No blog this week and maybe for the next few weeks. I will be concentrating on my paintings for a while.
Fancifulfloyd

2010-06-17T07:00:00.000-07:00

As I plod my 2 mile walk at our church's Christian Life Center track, every other walker passes me. I joke that once I was in a race where I was the only contestant but I'm so slow I still came in second. Hey; I'm grateful I can still walk. I also use the time to think about subjects for upcoming blogs.

I thought this morning that if you live long enough you're going to see most things at least twice. Fashions, for example, and other areas of design and art which seem to cycle every decade or so. Some things my take longer. Colors of the 70's, once so popular (turquoise, chartreuse, etc.) and now considered to be just this side of hideous, will reappear someday as the must-have NEW COLORS! All it would take is for some celebrity like Martha to make the declaration and her countless devoted followers would fall in line. I hope that someday ladies will again wear hats and white gloves. My wife greeted that idea with thumbs down. LaNell said if men had to wear hats and white gloves I wouldn't think it would be so charming.
Past political solutions proposed to solve national problems is another area that gets recycled. Our president, who is a rank amateur at governing and who has proved the adage told to children for many years, that anyone can grow up to be president, seems to have looked to FDR for guidance in solving some of our current problems. Although FDR was a seasoned politician and former governor of New York, very little of what he did made any improvement during the Depression. His Progressive advisers offered many noble proposals for the betterment of society. Some became law but most simply made the central government bigger and more bureaucratic as will Obamacare. Progressives find the Constitution a nuisance and are constantly trying to get around it or undermine it in order to further their agenda.
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In connection with last week's blog on security I offer this poem I wrote years ago:

Security

Some souls float on the surface of life,
Content to drift with the tide.
Others, afraid of venturing too far,
Find secluded coves and hide

They shall come down to the evening of life
Wishing they had been more bold.
Fearful of getting too close to the fire,
They end being out in the cold.

Don't worry what others are thinking,
Be your very own woman or man,
Cast off your line from safe harbor;
Live to the fullest you can.

Don't waste the gold of hours;
Too soon our sky is the sod.
Don't trade freedom for safety,
There's security only in God.

"Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit." Romans 15:13 New King James

2010-06-10T07:00:00.000-07:00

Fame and fortune are just not what they're cracked up to be. Exhibits: Al and Tipper Gore, Sandra Bullock and former husband Jesse James, etc. No amount of money or acclaim can assure anyone protection from disappointment, sorrow, illness and, ultimately, death which the Greek poet Euripides said is, "The debt we all must pay."

For some the inevitability of death, and the mistaken notion that this life is all there is, urges them to cram as many pleasures as possible into their lives; experiences that may be moral or , if that doesn't do the trick, immoral. Hey; What ever it takes. They must be constantly involved and in motion. To slow down, to think about where they are going and why they exist might cause them to face the fact that they are mortal like everyone else and they will have to "pay the price." This activity, this never-ending search for pleasure erroneously referred to as "living life to the fullest," can be compared to a duck gliding smoothly on the surface of the water but out of sight beneath the water his feet are churning furiously. How often that could be applied to men and women, of all ages, who seem to have it all together on the outside but inside are frightened children, dismayed and disappointed in their fruitless search for meaning, love, peace and satisfaction. They desperately struggle to find them in drugs and/or at the bottom of a bottle; looking for love and security in all the wrong places. One of the descriptions of Ernest Hemingway, the famous author, included that he knew how to "live life to the fullest." Yet, he was plagued by self-doubt and spiritual bankruptcy and so finally committed suicide.

No one has to have my permission to live however they wish. I haven't done the best job with my own life. But I would suggest that no life can truly be full if the fear of death is constantly lurking nearby. Hiding that fear in the shadows doesn't erase the reality of death. Wouldn't it be immeasurably better to be free from fear? To have a real sense of security in whatever situation that comes against us? To know that whether in life or death we belong to Christ?
Of course.

Real security is formed neither in our physical nor in our emotional being; it was formed in our spiritual being when we accepted the free gift of God in Christ's sacrifice at the Cross. Unfortunately, after we have accepted this precious gift we may not have known what to do next. Too often we are cast adrift without true biblical teaching, directions for study, fellowship with mature Christians or an understanding of the spiritual gifts that came with our salvation. We may not have been told, taught or found for ourselves in the Scriptures that we have been set free in Christ. "If the Son sets you free you are free indeed." Part of that promise is the freedom from fear. "God has not given us a spirit of fear but of power and of love and of a sound mind." Time after time Jesus said, "Fear not." ("Don't be afraid.")

Listen to St. Paul, "Since we, God's children, are human beings--made of flesh and blood--he became flesh and blood too by being born in human form; for only as a human being could he die and in dying break the power of the devil who had the power of death. Only in that way could he deliver those who through fear of death have been living lives as slaves to constant dread." Hebrews 2:14, 15 LB

Read Romans:8:31-39. Here are verses 35-39 LB:
"Who then can ever keep Christ's love from us? When we have trouble or calamity, when we are hunted down and destroyed, is it because he doesn't love us anymore? And if we are hungry, or penniless, or in danger, or threatened with death, has God deserted us?
"No, for the Scriptures tell us that for his sake we must be ready to face death every moment of the day----we are like sheep awaiting slaughter; but despite all this, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ who loved us enough to die for us. For I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from his love. Death can't, and life can't. The angels won't and all the powers of hell itself cannot keep God's love away. Our fears for today, our worries about tomorrow, or where we are---high above the sky, or in the deepest ocean---nothing will ever be able to separate us from the love of God demonstrated by our Lord Jesus Christ when he died for us."

Freedom and security; Christ died so you and I could have them. We must not drive more spikes into Christ by refusing what his blood has bought. Freedom and security; they're a package deal. Please; don't be timid of spirit. Grab the package and run! It's yours. Embrace it in your spirit as the ancient Rabbis would dance with the Torah! To God be the glory.

2010-06-03T07:00:00.000-07:00

Following the death of Nita, my first wife, I was a bachelor for two years. It was interesting how quickly I went from domesticated to caveman which is the default state of men. (If you are a neatnik you may want to skip this blog.) Previously neatness reigned in our household due to Nita's efforts and weekly visits by Charlotte our cleaning lady. "Cleaning lady" doesn't do her justice. She was part angel; part Mrs. Fix-it; part of our family and an absolute cleaning, washing, dusting and ironing whiz. She was energy and enthusiasm personified.
Fortunately, she stayed on as I entered bachelorhood otherwise my bed would never again have been made up; (What's the point? I'd just mess it up again,) and dust would have turned all the furniture grey. Vacuuming? Windows? All Charlotte's territory where I didn't tread.
As for cooking, I was on my own. By the way, my hearty blessings on the inventors of the microwave and the dishwasher. Meals generally were based on convenience rather than any thought to nutritional concerns. If it was frozen, packaged, canned or pre-cooked it had priority on the menu. Hot dogs, cold cuts, tv dinners, cereal, soup and chocolate were the main food groups no matter what the government pyramid says. If Martha Stewart wanted to come to my house in person to cook and set the table, fine. Otherwise I was not even remotely interested in her ideas of gracious living. In fact, I didn't really need a table for dining. Meals were consumed while I stood at the sink. That way, dirty utensils were very close to the dishwasher. Soup was eaten directly from the pot it was heated in; why mess up a bowl? To cool the soup I blew on it loudly and slurped with gusto and to my heart's content, habits that were later quickly corrected by LaNell, my present wonderful wife. (I've been blessed beyond measure to have had two beautiful, loving wives. Far more than I deserve. People who know me heartily agree.))
My painting gear spilled over from my studio to the living room and to the kitchen table. Brushes, paints etc. stayed where I left them at the end of the day. Very convenient.
Each time I gave Charlotte a raise she resisted and I insisted. It was the same with her Christmas bonus. She accepted it and invariably would buy me (and Nita and later LaNell) ) a present that amounted to more than her bonus. This remarkable lady had her own style of dress and it was--um--unique. It fit her outgoing personality perfectly as did her glowing red hair. Always upbeat, smiling and laughing Charlotte blew into our home and hearts each Wednesday morning for 19 years like a refreshing breeze. In addition to her housecleaning five days a week she also drove a school bus and there was usually a story or two about the school kids or the cranky bus that broke down far from mechanics at the bus barn. But there was never any gossip about her other house cleaning clients.
One day she called and said she had a doctor's appointment and would be late the next Wednesday. When she arrived I could see she in her expression she had received bad news. Pancreatic cancer. Very low survival rate. Would I pray for her? Of course. I laid hands on her and asked God for his healing power to be in her. In the ensuing weeks she continued her cleaning until it was physically impossible for her to move a vacuum cleaner. Staying active as long as possible was what she wanted to do.
The final time we saw Charlotte alive was at a small gathering of friends, she requested, in her home with her husband.
Thin and quiet but her spirit strong as ever, she sat with obvious effort as we recalled the good times. Then she said she was tired and needed rest. It seemed strange to hear this red-haired, former dynamo admit she was tired.
Charlotte loved Jesus and she saw him just before she died.
"Well done good and faithful servant; you were faithful over a few things. I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord." Matt. 25:21

2010-05-27T07:00:00.000-07:00

To Lindsay Lohan, if she ever thinks about such things, it may seem she has wandered into this life by mistake. It must appear to her to be a cubist existence. I realize most of her outrageous behavior is standard Hollywood fare done solely for publicity. But beneath it all is a young woman without direction; completely in the dark about who she is and why she exists; flitting from one unsatisfying experience to another; desperately in need of, and searching for, what only Jesus can provide: "the Peace that passes understanding."
So, what's in store for Miss Lohan? I pray for a Spirit-filled Christian man or woman to counsel with her and lead her into a relationship with Christ. Otherwise, if she continues in her current lifestyle it will likely lead to an emotional and physical breakdown. Suicide? Possible. Especially as she ages, her beauty fades and her career winds down. Currently, she has managed to avoid jail time for her latest escapade which only reinforces her sense of entitlement. A series of judges have been exceptionally lenient with her which has not changed her behavior.
Why should I care about Lindsay Lohan? If someone were to ask that question they wouldn't understand the answer.

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Following is a quotation of Theodore Roosevelt, President of the United States from 1901-1907

"In the first place, we should insist that if the immigrant who comes here in good faith becomes an American and assimilates himself to us, he shall be treated on an exact equality with everyone else, for it is an outrage to discriminate against such man because of creed, or birthplace,or origin. But this is predicated on the the person's becoming in every facet an American, and nothing but an American. There can be no divided allegiance here. Any man who says he is an American, but something else also, isn't an American at all . We have room for one flag, the American flag.

We have room for one language here and that is the English language. And we have room for but one sole loyalty and that is the loyalty to the American people."

I'm indebted to my brother, Dick, for alerting me to this quotation. He and I are fervent on the subject of allegiance to our country. If that makes us old-school and out of fashion we readily plead guilty. Our father emigrated to the U.S. from Greece and served in the U.S. army in the Mexican Border Campaign and WWl. He never referred to himself as Greek-American; only as an American. My brother and I do the same. The hyphenating of Americans is divisive. Either we are Americans or we are not. Will there ever come a time when we will all refer to ourselves simply as Americans? Probably not. Politicians like it as it is; they can pit one hyphenated group against another and the groups use their hyphenated identification to push for political power.

To those acquainted with the history of our country it seems President Obama has fashioned his presidency in the mold of Franklin D. Roosevelt. I think he chose a damaged model. Teddy Roosevelt would have been a better choice.

Mr. Obama appears to believe if he talks nice to Islamists and treats terrorists softly that somehow that will appease them and they will quit their horrific activities. NOT. "Get ready for all Muslims to join the holy war against you," the jihad leader Abd el-Kader warned his western enemies. In 2010? No; the year was 1859. This is the firm mindset of radical Islamists and it will not change. The avowed purpose of Islam is to overcome the U.S. from the inside and convert it into a Muslim country. Far-fetched, you say? It couldn't possibly happen? Sleep on. They are already preparing to use our Constitutional freedom of religion and separation of church and state to further their ends. And they're in no big hurry. As one jihadist said in Afghanistan, "You have the watches; we have the time." By the way, has anyone heard anything about Major Husan lately? You may remember he slaughtered a group of Americans at Fort Hood. His mentor, an Islamist preacher in Yemeni, proudly claimed Husan as one of his students and praised him for killing Americans. He urged "all Muslims to kill Americans." Husan is still living and having all his needs provided for by---you guessed it; Americans!

The only one I hate is the Devil. I do not hate Muslims. Hate corrodes the spirit of the hater and is a road that has no end. But I do not have respect for anyone who comes to this country and has no intention of assimilating into what it means to be an American. I am no fear-monger nor alarmist. The evidence for what I have said has been relayed on tv and in the newspapers and-----in the history books. It is in plain sight for those who are paying attention.

2010-05-20T07:00:00.000-07:00

"You don't want penance; if you did, how gladly I would do it. You aren't interested in offerings burnt before you on the altar. It is a broken spirit you want--remorse and penitence. A broken and a contrite heart, O God, you will not ignore." Ps 51:16, 17 LB

"The high and lofty one who inhabits eternity, the Holy One, says this: I live in that high and holy place where those with contrite, humble spirits dwell; and I refresh the humble and give new courage to those with repentant hearts." Isa. 57:15 LB

Contrite: having or showing deep sorrow for having done something wrong; repentant.

Humble: having or showing a consciousness of one's shortcomings; modest; unpretentious.

Many people want to know that they have significance and that they are noticed by others but, for whatever reason, they find themselves on the fringe of society. These are the kind of people who flocked to Jesus. They were the poor, mostly with a minimum of education, without hope, utterly despised by the rich, the Pharisees and the rulers. Some of the despisers eventually accepted Jesus as savior but because of their sense of self-sufficiency and worldliness they had a more difficult time becoming humble and contrite, to be broken in spirit before God. The same kinds of obstacles that today some allow to block their way to Jesus.

What does it mean to be broken in spirit? To me it means I had to humbly admit that I had reached the point of spiritual bankruptcy. At a time when I should have been comfortable with my life and when, externally, it appeared as though I had the world by the tail and was dragging it toward Utopia, I was miserable. I had a fine loving family, doing well in my profession, financially stable, personally healthy. What was not to like? What else could I possibly need or want to make my life complete? Yet, spiritually, my inner being was full of discontent and loneliness. Strangely, though surrounded by friends and family, I felt alone.
God knows our hearts. He arranged for situations and used willing Christians to bring me face to face, so to speak, with Jesus. God has proved to be everything, and more, that he claims to be.
My outlook on this life changed radically. In a very real sense responsibility shifted from me to Jesus; he has the perfect plan for my life. (Not a plan for a life that will be free of difficulties.)
Perhaps someone is reading this and is in a position of doubt and a sense of separation from God as I was. Maybe you are struggling with a deep sense of hopelessness, a serious medical problem or facing death or any problem you admit you can't handle. If you know in your heart you do not have the spiritual strength to overcome your difficulties; that your only hope is in God, then you have reached brokenness of spirit. God is not remote; he is as close to you as your own heart. He is the answer. Confess your need for God, confess that you have sinned and that you need Jesus to take away those sins. "All who call on the name of the Lord will be saved."

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Miscellaneous

In the Emirates Palace Hotel in Abu Dhabi there is a vending machine that dispenses gold bars.

Just in case you left home without enough gold bars?

2010-05-13T07:00:00.000-07:00

Several years ago I took part in distributing a film about Jesus in our community. In the training before distribution we were told we should be able to give our testimony within 2 minutes in case the opportunity presented itself. We practiced and found we could deliver the salient points effectively within that time restraint.

Christians suddenly get tongue-tied when it comes to sharing their faith. We will blab about some of the most intimate things, and our inner feelings to others but we stoutly resist talking about "religion and politics." We don't want to come on as a fanatic, somehow spiritually superior or "interfering in someone else's life."
Here's the outline for a 2 minute testimony:

In your own words simply tell

What my life (I) was like before I met Jesus

How I met Jesus

How my life (I) changed after I accepted Christ

Some will protest that their testimony is "not very interesting or dramatic." Yes, Damascus Road type experiences are part of what has happened in some people's conversion but they are not requirements or what has happened in every Christian's life. The main point and emphasis is how JESUS works in YOUR life and how he made a difference. Here is a secret: People are hungering for what Jesus can supply and they are waiting for we Christians to point them in his direction so they can know the love, peace and certainty of eternal life they're seeking and that we already enjoy.

Besides, I can't think of anything more interesting and dramatic than entering into eternal life through Jesus Christ. Some also hesitate to share their witness because they fear rejection. Personally you will not be rejected; if rejection occurs it is Jesus who is being rejected. We're not talking about stopping people on the street and confronting them with the Good News nor making a formal, uptight presentation to a friend or neighbor. Opportunities come in the normal course of everyday life. We only have to be willing to share, pray earnestly that the Holy Spirit will put seekers in our path, be spiritually alert to recognize them and be certain in our own heart of our commitment to Christ.
"'When the Holy Spirit has come upon you, you will receive power to testify about me with great effect, to the people of Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth about my death and resurrection." Acts 1:8
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Winston Churchill was asked to speak at a boy's school in England. As he stood to begin, the audience waited in hushed anticipation for the great man's oration.
"Never; never; never give up," he said and sat back down.
Recently, a 100 years old college student got his degree. He died the next day.
In Mississippi a 74 years old woman received her nursing degree.
"Everyone shall hate you because because you belong to me. But all who endure to the end shall be saved." Matthew 10:22
Never; never; never give up.

2010-05-06T07:00:00.000-07:00

Stephen Prothero, a professor of religion, Boston University, has weighed the world's religions in the balance and has pronounced Islam as the greatest. In his book, "God Is Not One", he makes this statement: "Islam is the greatest of the great religions. In terms of adherents, this tradition of justice and mercy and forgiveness and submission is growing far faster than Christianity."(1)
He goes on to assert: "To presume that the conversation about a great religion starts with Christianity is to show your parochialism and your age. The 19th and 20th centuries may have belonged to Christianity. The 21st century belongs to Islam." That's his opinion.
Parochial? If that means adhering to Christ as "the Way, the Truth and the Life," then I am parochial and will go on rejoicing. Mr. Prothero has made his choice and I have made mine.
To Muslims, the will of Allah is revealed in the Shariah, the Islamic law, which takes precedence over all other laws.(2) The avowed purpose of Islam is to bring all nations under Shariah. That includes the United States. Wishful thinking, political correctness and negotiation will not change that.
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Franklin D. Roosevelt made some decisions based on whim. One day the Treasury Secretary consulted with FDR to set the price of gold. FDR gave him a figure that mystified the Secretary.
"Why that price?" he asked. "Because it's a combination of 3's and 7's and those are lucky numbers," the President replied.
Numbers in the Bible do have significance. For example:
Three: Spiritual completeness, e.g.: Father, Son, Holy Spirit; Jesus rose on the third day.
Six: Man's number. Man was made on the sixth day.
Seven: Spiritual Perfection. e.g.: God created the world in seven days.
Eight: Regeneration. e.g.: Noah and his family, a total of eight persons, were saved on the ark and regenerated the earth.
Twelve: Governmental perfection: e.g.: 12 tribes, 12 Apostles
Forty: Time of testing: e.g.: It rained 40 days and 4o nights to cause the Flood; the Israelites were in the desert for 40 years, Jesus was tested in the desert for 40 days
There are no magic or mystic or secret messages attached to Bible numbers or text no matter what Dan Brown says.
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(1) Prothero book review in Lufkin Daily News 4/24/10
(2) From "The Facts On Islam" by John Ankerberg, John Weldon and Dillon Burroughss
available from amazon.com $6.00. I highly recommend it.

2010-04-29T07:00:00.000-07:00

Would you contribute to a $200,000/ year salary to pay a man to watch pornography 8 hrs a day? Absolutely not, you say? Well, like it or not, if you're a taxpayer you have been doing just that. It seems that a Securities and Exchange Commission lawyer making 2oo G's has been spending his valuable time that way while wasting your money. And he is not the only SEC employee who managed to bypass the porn barrier on govt. provided internet. A few lesser employees have been fired; at least one higher on the ladder has been banished for two whole weeks. Now he can go home and watch porn on his own time. When he returns to the duties he has been neglecting he will no doubt have learned his lesson and will be a model citizen and honest employee.
There might be a hearing so congressmen /women can rise up in righteous indignation to show the folks back home that they will not put up with such outrageous behavior. There would be much huffing and puffing, finger-wagging and scolding. The head of the commission will say that he/she had not the least inkling that pornography viewing was so rampant during their watch. That in itself would be an admission of dereliction of duty. And so it goes in the Circus on the Potomac.
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Saturday, LaNell and I went to a book sale at our local library. We each went to a different area. LaNell later told me of an interesting encounter she had with a young black man. He witnessed to her about his faith in Jesus and invited her to visit his church. His witnessing he said," was the least he could do for Jesus his saviour." Yes, indeed. The young man was not deterred by skin color or the setting. His eyes were focused on Jesus.
Witnessing opportunities are available all around us. One day I got a call from a telemarketer. I told the young woman I would listen to her sales talk if she would listen to me first. She agreed. I quickly found she rarely attended church and did not know about the saving power of Christ. After a short discussion I asked her if she would like to have Jesus in her heart. She said yes and repeated a sinner's prayer after me. It is amazing how the Holy Spirit put hunger for Christ in her heart and prompted me to witness to her.
Glory to God. Amen

2010-04-22T07:00:00.000-07:00

The Securities and Exchange Commission, ever alert except when it is mired in unbelievable incompetence, has come galloping into Dodge with pop guns popping to show Goldman Sachs who's boss.

This is the same commission that snoozed while Bernie Madoff and R. Allen Stanford performed their magic shows; you know, making wealth appear out of thin air, also called Ponzi schemes.

Authorities estimate Madoff charmed investors out of some $18 billion. Madoff said the SEC should have caught him in 2003 but instead, he sarcastically said, the commission acted like a bumbling detective.

The SEC was warned as early as 1997 that Stanford was up to some skullduggery but it was not until 2005 that an investigation began. By that time the money from investors had grown from from $250 million to $1.5 billion. Allegedly, a former SEC enforcement officer quashed earlier attempts to investigate. When he retired he went on to represent Stanford's bank. In other parts of the country this might be called "conflict of interest"; in Washington it's "business as usual."

Goldman Sachs, "too big to fail," will let the SEC show who's boss and it won't be the SEC. The commission's attempt to punish GS will be a dog and pony show; "sound and fury signifying nothing" because their case is weak and higher-ups do not want the stream of cash going into their campaigns to be interrupted. GS's latest caper was originating and selling synthetic ('does not exist') collateralized debt obligations. This was a betting set-up with one set of "investors" betting the housing boom would continue and the other set betting the bubble would burst. Wall Street: a casino without the free drinks.

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In case you had a few billion left over after paying your income taxes, you might want to consider some purchases like these:

Roman Abramovich, Russian billionaire, has built a yacht costing $1.2 billion. That's billion in case you missed it. One room on the yacht has walls covered in stingray skins.

A television set covered in gold and set with diamonds was sold by a Swiss company for $2.3 million.

A twenty story residence has been built by a billionaire in India at a cost of $1 billion. Each floor has a garden and the 6th floor has parking space for 168 cars. 600 servants are required to staff the house. At least it provided lots of jobs.

Such stories may excite some envy in us but great wealth does not bring lasting peace and or satisfaction. The Russian will eventually tire of his yacht; the gold plated tv set is just a tv set no matter how expensive; and in time the Indian may wish he had built his tower bigger or smaller. Shouldn't the famous, the rich and celebrities be satisfied to have reached what they consider the "top?" Read the recent stories of celebrities who have "reached the top" and cheat on their spouses or who died from over use of drugs and alcohol or are constantly in out of rehab of some sort. They have everything including a hollow existence. When one has experienced all the pleasure that this world affords, perversion follows.

Yet, the celebrity life style is glamorized by those who stand to profit from promoting the celebrity and many ordinary people try to emulate what they think is a meaningful life of excitement and notoriety. It would be well for celebrities and would-be's (and us) to read Psalm 73, Living Bible translation and to heed Jesus' words (Matthew 6:24) "You cannot serve two masters; God and money. For you will hate one and love the other, or else the other way around."

Paul advised Timothy to, "Tell those who are rich in this world not to be proud and not to trust in their money, which will soon be gone. But their trust should be in the living God , who richly gives us all we need for our enjoyment." 1 Timothy 6;17.

Can you imagine the reception these scriptures would receive if recited in the corporate boardrooms on Wall Street? But wait. The very rich are easy targets. Before we level criticism at them we should examine our own hearts and also be sure there are no planks blurring our eyes so we can more clearly see our attitudes and emotions about, and use of, money.

I suggest a book that does not specifically address the lifestyles of fame, notoriety and/or riches but brings examples of how those who experienced them met their ends: "They Went That-A-Way" by Malcolm Forbes. Interesting book.

2010-04-15T07:00:00.000-07:00

The riches of the scriptures are inexhaustible. No matter how many times we read them, occasionally some new truth or understanding is revealed or noticed for the first time. For example: John 10:1-6

"Most assuredly I tell you, he who does not enter the sheepfold by the door, but climbs up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber. But he who enters by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. To him the door opens, and the sheep hear his voice; and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. And when he brings out his own sheep, he goes before them; and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice. Yet, they will by no means follow a stranger, but will flee from him, for they do not know the voice of strangers. Jesus used this illustration, but they did not understand the things which he spoke to them." (New KJV version.)

Picture a walled enclosure with a single door which is guarded by a watchman. Some one who climbs over the wall is a thief intent on stealing one or more sheep. But the shepherd who has a herd in the sheepfold has the authority to enter the gate. There is more than one herd of sheep in the enclosure so the shepherd calls out his sheep by name and they come to him because they recognize his voice.

This sheep/shepherd relationship was certainly familiar to the people Jesus was speaking to. What they failed to understand is that Jesus was referring to himself as the shepherd and he was calling out people who would recognize him as the Messiah and who would follow him and respond to his voice.

What brought me to Christ 40 years ago was the revelation that he knows his followers by name. Some one must have told me that. But it is only recently that I discovered the scripture to back it up. Have you ever come upon a scripture that you felt must have been slipped into the Bible because you never noticed it before?

The nugget I found is verse 10:3. Previously I had passed right over this as something sheep and shepherds had going on. But as Jesus used it in the parable it has nothing to do with sheep and everything to do with how well God knows and cares about us.

We are not just a part, a speck, of a faceless mass of humanity. Our God, creator and ruler of the universe, knows us individually and specifically to the extent that the very hairs on our head are numbered. That's more info than the government has in their file on you. Yes; I was about as dense as the crowd listening to Jesus. However, the Holy Spirit has a way of gently smacking us on the head and opening our spiritual eyes.

A story that illustrates this: A farmer named Kline lived in Kansas. Although elderly he still worked the land and continued to prosper. Because he felt he had no needs, spiritual or otherwise, he rejected any attempts to introduce him to Christ. Mr. Kline's house was situated next to the farm to market road and directly across the road was a small country church. One summer evening Kline sat in a rocking chair on his porch while the church choir was practicing. The church windows were open and the choir was singing, "Jesus Died For All Mankind."

Mr. Kline's hearing was poor and he thought he heard, "Jesus Died For Old Man Kline." As though jabbed with a cattle prod, Kline leaped from his chair and ran across the street to find out about this Jesus who had died for him.

What a difference it makes when it finally seeps into our soul that Jesus died for each of us individually. And also it helps immensely to know that no matter what hardship, difficulty or disappointment we go through through or endure, Jesus knows exactly what it feels like because he's already been there. Sadness? Terror? Loneliness? Temptation? Cancer? Rejection? Death? Jesus has been through it all. He had to. And he chose to do it.

Hebrews 2:14-18 (LB) "Since we, God's children, are human beings--made of flesh and blood--he became flesh and blood too by being born in human form; for only as a human being could he die and in dying break the power of the devil who had the power of death. Only in that way could he deliver those who through fear of death have been living all their lives as slaves to constant dread.

"We all know he did not come as an angel but as a human being--yes, a Jew. And it was necessary for Jesus to be like us, his brothers, so he could be our merciful and faithful High Priest before God, a Priest who would be both merciful to us and faithful to God in dealing with the sins of the people. For since he himself has now been through suffering and temptation, he knows what it is like when we suffer and are tempted, and he is wonderfully able to help us."

Matthew 8:16, 17; "When evening had come, they brought to Him many who were demon-possessed. And he cast out the spirits with a word, and healed all who were sick, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Isaiah the prophet, saying, 'He himself took our infirmities and bore our sicknesses.'" (New KJV)

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"Weather forecast for tonight: dark. Continued dark overnight with widely scattered light by morning."

"May the force of evil become confused on the way to your house."

George Carlin

2010-04-08T07:00:00.000-07:00

Mary went to to the tomb and found it empty. Contemporary records estimate the stone over the tomb entrance, which was rolled away, weighed between 11/2 and 2 tons. The religious leaders of the day spread the rumor that followers of Jesus had taken his body from the tomb and had hidden it. How the followers managed to roll the massive stone back up the incline that it came down and why they took time to unwrap Jesus from his grave clothes and stack them neatly on the floor of the tomb was not explained. Also, how the followers of Jesus could have done all of this with 16 elite Roman soldiers guarding the tomb against just such activity also has never been explained.

Doubters and unbelievers may find comfort in these baseless theories. Even though these and similar theories have persisted through the centuries, they have not prevented the growth to over 1 billion of those who believe Christ rose from the dead.

If I find myself engaged in conversation with doubters and they persist in projecting their doubts, I don't argue with them. I tell them if they are happy with their beliefs, then so be it.

As for me and other believers, we have received the most powerful witness possible: From Someone who was actually present when Jesus arose: The Holy Spirit of God.
Doubters can't match that.

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For quite a while I was curious about one event that occurred after the resurrection. Why did Mary not recognize Jesus after he arose? Some offer the explanation that her eyes were blinded by her tears. Possible. Others say perhaps she was so overcome with grief that she was in shock. Also possible. Maybe, since she was not expecting to see Jesus alive and supposing him to be the gardener, she did not concentrate on his facial features. Or, she had her back to him. Again; possible. Yet, when he spoke her name she instantly recognized his voice.

My humble opinion? She didn't recognize Jesus because he was in his resurrection body. Subsequent events proved he was no longer confined by time or space. Later, he suddenly appeared to two disciples on the road to Emmaus. He accepted their offer of a meal and as he broke bread to share with them their eyes were opened and Jesus disappeared. Later still, Jesus appeared to the disciples who were in a room with the door locked. Finally, on the road to Bethany the disciples watched as Jesus was drawn up to heaven. Why do you think Mary didn't recognize Jesus?

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"It is stupid to occupy a land of rocks, sand, deserts, ice and snow." A comment concerning Afghanistan. A left-wing rant in 2010? No. The opinion of the Duke of Wellington circa 1839 as the British prepared to embark on what would prove to be a disastrous military campaign to put Prince Shah Shuja on the Afghan throne. The Duke was too intelligent to have anything to do with the campaign. In spite of Wellington's warning, British politicians and businessmen pushed approval of the project through Parliament. When the Grand Army of the Indus set out on its mission it numbered over 20,000 men and 30,000 camp followers. When the last wisp of gunpowder smoke drifted away after the battles and ambushes, one British soldier survived to tell the tragic story of what happened to the rest.
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Well, the truth concerning the Health Care Reform Bill is slowly emerging from the fog of misinformation, smoke and mirrors. Now that the bill has been passed, some Democratic politicians apparently feel it's safe to reveal the real purpose of the bill.

Here is what Senator Max Baucus (D. Montana) had to say about Health Reform: "It is an income shift." Also, "It is a shift, a leveling, to help lower income, middle income Americans."
Uh, excuse me, Senator. Please explain how raising taxes on middle income Americans to pay for this bill is going to help us.

Let's hear from Howard Dean, former DNC chair and Democratic presidential candidate. Maybe he can explain. "The question is, (who asked this question?) in a democracy, what is the right balance between those at the top (economically) and those at the bottom? When it gets out of whack as it did in the 1920's and it has now, you need to do some redistribution (of wealth). This (health bill) is a form of redistribution." Hmm. Mr. Dean, I thought this bill was about health, not wealth. After all, Mr. Obama stood in front of God and everybody and said the purpose of this bill was to provide health care for an additional 32 million Americans and it would also keep the country from going bankrupt. Would he deceive us?

Also, Mr. Dean and Sen. Baucas; I think, if not mistaken, redistribution of wealth is a socialist tenet and is not required, nor even suggested, by our Constitution.

"Any government big enough to give you what ever you want is big enough to take away everything you have." Thomas Jefferson

(Please be advised: When I refer to Democrats or Republicans I'm talking about politicians, not rank and file members of those parties.)

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My favorite scripture: "I through the law have died to the law that I might live to serve God. I am crucified with Christ, nevertheless I live. Yet, not I, but Christ lives in me; and the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God who loved me and gave himself for me."

Galatians 2:19,20

2010-04-01T07:00:00.000-07:00

As we left church yesterday we saw a young child carrying a Batman Easter basket; another small sign of the gradual secularization of a Christian holiday (holy day). Sometimes lost in the mix of colored eggs, new clothes, ham, marshmallow peeps and chocolate bunnies is that the day marks the incredible fact of the Resurrection of Jesus Christ.

That Jesus could rise from the dead is so far from our experience that it is impossible to grasp with the human mind. There is only one way to believe it is a fact ; accept it by faith. Once that is done the wonder of what God has sacrificed to reconcile us to himself becomes reality.

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I believe in the providence of God. I see his hand at work in my life and in the lives of others. This relieves me from the burden of any concerns about the future. Instead, I can relax in his care and trust his perfect plan for my life. It would be dishonest to pretend or project the image that Christians experience only what is pleasant and comfortable in life. It is simply not so. As long as we continue in our mortal bodies we are subject to all the ills of being mortal. But, no matter what happens we are assured by his Word that God is at work in all the circumstances of life, whether those circumstances are good or bad. Please read Matthew 6:25-34.
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The media are reporting about a terrorist group that has labeled itself as "Christian." The group had planned to murder policemen and hoped to incite a general insurrection. Beside the obvious there are several things amiss here.
First of all, no matter what they call themselves the people in this group are not "Christian" in any sense of the word. However, the many reports of the media never fail to include the title.
On the other hand, Muslim terrorist activities in our country are usually reported without reference to the terrorists' religion. This conspicuous and elaborate respect is considered to be politically correct and had its beginnings at the top level of our government. Paul said in Romans 12:18, "If it is possible, as much as it depends on you, live peaceably with all men." That I intend to do. I don't need government help in how to treat or co-exist with, people of other religions.

Christianity seems to be fair game with an unlimited hunting season for the media. Christians are accused of whining whenever things like this are pointed out. Christ and his followers are regularly mocked by comedians but any objections are greeted with replies like," Aw, it's all in fun. Don't be such a spoil-sport. Go chew on your bible."
Jesus prophesied such things would happen. And, he is big enough to take care of himself. He didn't ask nor does he need his followers to kill anyone who mocked him. Instead, he called on us to pray for our enemies.

Jesus is the Prince of Peace and he is risen!

2010-03-25T07:00:00.000-07:00

Nancy Pelosi said of the Healthcare Reform Bill, "We need to pass this thing so we can see what's in it." What's in it will be a number of revelations that may or may not please Mr. and Mrs. Taxpayer. If, sometime in the near future, you hear a collective angry roar, that will be the nation's seniors finally discovering the cuts made to Medicare. Of this you can be certain: taxes will go up, for those who pay taxes, and there will be more layers of federal bureaucracy thus increasing the government payroll. The IRS will hire 16,000 new employees and the Dept of Health and Human Services will be been given a $1 billion advance for administering the provisions of the bill. What we will probably never know are the backroom deals and earmarks it took to make the deal palatable to the number of Congressmen/women required for passage of the bill. Are there things buried in the bill that have absolutely nothing to do with healthcare? Count on it. And, there is precious little in the bill that qualifies as "reform." The excessive cost of malpractice insurance that physicians must carry is not addressed. Docs order extra tests for patients so they can protect themselves against claims of negligence. Who can fault them for taking precautions against lawsuits? But this adds to the overall costs of healthcare.

The projected savings, as trumpeted from the Whitehouse, are Pollyanna guesses at best and sheer fantasy at worst. How 30 million people can be added and the cost of health care reduced is a mystery. The most skilled mathematician cannot add and subtract at the same time. Only politicians can do that. Of course you know that members of Congress are not subject to this bill; they maintain their own separate cushy health care. In America we are all created equal but some regard themselves as being more equal than others. A few other groups that deliver block votes have cut themselves a deal, viz. unions, etc. It is ever thus in Washington.

The stock market is telling us of others who will make out really big because of this bill. The stocks of pharma companies and health insurance companies are on the rise. Also rising are health insurance premiums and drug costs.
In the end, when the dust settles, it will be you dear reader, who will be forced to pick up the check for this party.
On the plus side, and the most important part of the bill, the poor will have access to better care and that is how it should be and has been a tragically long time coming.
I look out my window and everything looks the same. No mobs in the street headed to Washington with pitchforks, tar and feathers. The earth will continue to spin, the sun will rise tomorrow, the seasons will continue there appointed rounds, etc. and who knows? This bill may be the best thing since the invention of the chocolate peanut butter bar (which I hope will be in heaven). Pray that this bill will be for the good of our nation.
In the meantime, no matter what changes are in store, rest in the comfort and the sure knowledge that God never changes and He is sufficient for all our needs. So be it.

After thoughts:

In my opinion, the bill's requirement that everyone must have insurance or pay a penalty will not hold up against the scrutiny of the Supreme Court.

News Report, April 1, 2025

The Coast Guard announced today that, following a tip, it had intercepted an Australian freighter off the coast of California and found it to be carrying 200,000 frozen hamburgers complete with tomatoes, onions and buns made with white flour. The Coast guard claimed it was the largest forbidden-food bust in history. The National Forbidden-Food Coalition (NFFC) hailed the bust as a victory in the continuing battle with Columbian drug lords who, the NFFC said "are perverting our children with their vicious victuals."

They went on to say, "Since marijuana cigarettes have been made legal and after the precipitous drop in the use of other drugs that followed the great spiritual revival in Hollywood last year, (lead by Sean Penn and Madonna,) the drug lords have been forced to seek other profit centers. Expect to see a rise in the smuggling of Twinkies and real meat hot dogs into our country since both are going for $10 an ounce on the street. And that's without mustard or chili. Parents," the NFFC warned, "talk to your children about the dangers of forbidden-foods and be on the lookout for telltale mustard stains and Twinkies wrappers."

Elsewhere, a bidding war has developed between Dallas ISD and Houston ISD for the services of star science teacher, F.G. Newton. "We want Mr. newton on our team," Dallas superintendent J.B.Murky said. "We're not content with our second place showing in last year's Academic Olympics. We're prepared to offer him $25 million over five years and a Ferrari.

Houston ISD immediately countered with a firm offer of $25 million and a Roll Royce convertible. Mr. Newton's agent said his client will consider both offers when he returns from his summer home in Switzerland. The agent added that the offers were in line with what other top tier teachers are demanding.

Meanwhile, the upcoming Academic Olympics are shaping up as one of the most exciting in years. Yesterday, tickets went on sale at the venue for the Olympics, Tom Landry Stadium in Dallas, and all 90,000 tickets sold in 8 hours. An additional 20,000 disappointed fans were turned away and were unable to buy tickets at any price.

Locally, the event has been marred by ugly rumors that some local alumni have been secretly paying for books and special foreign tutors for Lufkin student Olympians.

Shawnee Prairie rancher O.U. "Sooner" Wilkins, e-mailed the local newspaper earlier today to report that he had observed a gaggle of pigs flying low over his south pasture.

The "Yes! of God

2010-03-13T05:51:00.000-08:00

"Fear not for I am with you, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, yes, I will help you, yes, I will uphold you with the right hand of my righteousness." Isaiah 41:10

When we exercise our 'faith muscles' the truth is revealed in us and to those around us.
Is God real? Yes!
Is God faithful to his word? Yes!
Does he answer prayer? Yes!
Is Christ the Way, the Truth and the Life? Yes!
Does God care for his children? Yes!
Can we trust him completely? Yes!
Is Jesus our Redeemer? Yes!
Is Christ the same yesterday, today and tomorrow? Yes!
Believers need to live and spread the Yes! of God "If you've been redeemed by the Lord, then say so." Ps 107:2
No matter what our circumstances , if we keep our spiritual eyes focused on God in Christ we have nothing to fear. "God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and love and a sound mind." 2Tim 1:7 When negative thoughts come against us we should refuse to believe them. Believe the fact that God is big enough to take care of us. Our faith is not in reports, opinions, arguments, situations, positions, politicians or tv demagogues. Our faith is in Almighty God who upholds us with the right hand of his righteousness. So be it.
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I've known a small number of atheists and have taken the opportunity to witness to them about Christ. Two in particular come to mind, one the director of a city library and the other a college librarian. I don't think their profession influenced their religious beliefs although I had an architecture professor who claimed architecture was his religion.

My conversations with the two librarians always seemed amicable and I never came on as "pushy." I had learned the hard way long ago that being aggressive was not the way to promote Christian life.

As far as I could tell, neither of the librarians ever budged from their positions. Both had keen minds and their intellects barred them from believing in God. ("That man is a fool who says to himself, "Their is no God." Ps, 14:1 LB) When the city librarian died I was asked to speak at his funeral which was conducted by a Christian minister. ( Both I and the minister were friends of the departed librarian so our part in his funeral does not necessarily indicate that he had changed his mind.) On the other hand, I hope the Holy Spirit was able to finally convince him.

The other librarian, I'll call him Ed, is still physically alive and I've heard through a third party that he resents my efforts. He had ample opportunity to say so at the time and I don't understand why he didn't.
Could I have done a better job of witnessing? Probably. Did I make mistakes? Probably. Did I fail? Ed rejected Christ, not me. I'm sad it didn't work out for these two men but I don't regret being the messenger. I was not trying to change these men. God has not called us to change anyone; not even ourselves. That work belongs to Christ. "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new." 2Corin. 5:17
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Recently I wrote about expressing gratitude to those who have influenced our lives in a positive way and to worthy individuals or groups in general. I took my own suggestion and wrote a letter to our mayor and city council thanking them for their efforts. Being an artist, I can't seem to stop myself from doing things a little differently. I drew a medal of commendation of my own design on heavy watercolor paper, colored it, cut it out and included it in my letter to the mayor. He later promised to pin it on his lapel at the next commission meeting. Mmmm. Maybe.
My next letter of gratitude went to our preacher, truly God's man sent to our congregation.
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"Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit."Romans 15:13

2010-03-11T07:00:00.000-08:00

It's reported that the circuitry of a person's brain is not complete until around age 20. That may partly explain the actions of the atheist college students' exchanging porn magazines for religious literature in San Antonio (see last week's blog). They are, as is the way of teenagers, also in the process of separating themselves from their parents and trying to find their own way. They rebel against traditions and lifestyles they consider old-fashioned and outmoded. Each new generation, full of admirable ideals, wants to be part of the avant garde who will usher in a "brave new world." For some, attacking Christianity ( at least what they consider to be Christianity ) is part of that rebellion, especially if their parents have declared themselves to be Christian but do not live out the Christian life before their children by backing up the talk by walking the walk. Even if parents are model Christians it's not always enough to overcome their children's doubts and incomplete brain circuitry.
Chances are very good that, in spite of parents' lifestyles and students' atheist leanings, some of the young people's search for meaning in life will eventually lead them to find the real value of Christianity. In the meantime our responsibility is clear: Patiently, without condemnation, but with love, demonstrate to all in word and deed that Christ is the source of Life and following Him is the only way to peace and satisfaction.
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Caffeine, alcohol and nicotine all have the potential to be addictive and to cause harm emotionally, mentally and physically. Yet, they are legal. Tobacco smoking is declining, becoming more and more unacceptable socially and its dangers realized, even by those who cannot stop smoking. I fore see that within the next ten years ( or sooner ) marijuana will legally take the place of tobacco as it used to be. The build-up of political pressure for legalization will overcome objections and common sense. Watch the news and notice the trend.
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I'm not a fan of Fox News but I don't have to be to recognize that it has spoken and reported incidents that the New York Times and the Washington Post didn't think the public needed to know about. For example Fox News reported that Anita Dunn, communications director for the Obama White House, spoke to the graduates at St. Andrews Episcopal school in Potomac, Md. and revealed her admiration for Mao Zedong, Communist China leader and one of the 20th Century's most heinous mass murderers. Later she said she spoke in jest. Right. The Times and Post reporters, who swoon whenever Mr. Obama speaks, ignored Dunn's remarks.
It was Fox that informed the public that Van Jones, a former "czar" appointed by Mr. Obama, is a self-declared Marxist. Fox also exposed the ACORN scandal. Ever since, Mr. Obama has tried to distance himself from this fraudulent organization that he was at one time closely associated with. ACORN is currently being investigated for stuffing ballot boxes for the D's.
In the meantime, the Republicans are doing no better even though they seem to be doing nothing. In one sub-committee meeting of the Republican National Committee it was debated whether or not Abraham Lincoln was a real Republican. I think Abe made the cut. The R's are also keen to gut Medicare and Medicaid thereby leaving more room for tax breaks for their big campaign contributors. Politics; God help us.
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MISC.
The term "powder room" originated in England and referred to a room set aside for powdering wigs or the natural hair of men and women.

The Spirit Moves Where He Will

2010-03-04T07:00:00.000-08:00

During the seventies there was a noticeable move of the Spirit: the so-called Charismatic (gifts)Movement. There was a genuine awakening and deepening commitment of many Christians during this period. However, Satan was prepared with his counterfeit spirituality that he used to cause divisions and problems in some churches.

Most of the gifts of the Spirit are accepted, or at least are not objected to or are greeted with a shrug by those in many congregations. For those gifts Paul lists in 1Corin. 12, who would object to the gifts of wisdom, knowledge and faith? All are highly desirable. Gifts of healing and the working of miracles may raise some eyebrows and doubts. (Occasional healing services were held in our church for a while; attendance was sparse and there were soon complaints about what was going on.) Discerning of spirits; apostles, prophets and teachers? No real objection there. But, when it comes to different kinds of tongues and interpretation, this is where a small number in the Charismatic movement did not even use ordinary common sense. It was Satan's opportunity to cause trouble; the same kind he caused in the Corinthian church. His weapon? Pride.

As in Corinth, a small percentage of charismatics who received the gift of tongues considered themselves spiritually superior, more holy, than those who did not have the gift. A pastor friend told me that while attending seminary she carpooled with 3 other female students. One day they asked my friend if she had received the gift of tongues. When she replied that she had not, the others said they had and she couldn't ride with them anymore. There are few things more objectionable or insidious than spiritual (it is actually religious) pride. It can separate us from God. Pride was the principal sin of the Pharisees. It blinded them to their faults and their ignorance of the scriptures that foretold the coming of Jesus. ( Jn.5:45-47.) Today it blinds those who have set themselves on a pinnacle above their fellow believers. Humility was one of the main characteristics of Jesus (e.g. Jn 8:50, Jn 13:2-15) and one that seems to be most lacking in his followers (e.g. myself.)

Lest you think I am opposed to the gift of tongues; I'm not. For every sad story like that of my pastor friend I can tell many that have been positive in building the kingdom. Every spiritual gift, properly used as God intends, to serve Jesus and his body, the church, has the power of God within it. Except for love, no gift should be emphasized above another.

The sum? No matter what gifts we have been given or how far along we think we are in our spiritual walk with Christ, we have absolutely nothing to brag about. (1Corin.1:26-31.) No personal horn-tooting. (1Peter4:10)

Love is superior to all gifts. (1 Corin. 13) "They (the World) will know we are Christians by our love." (Jn 13:34) The World will not know we are motivated by love if we try to legislate morals. Christ understood that people are changed from the inside out. He did not seek the cooperation of the Roman government to accomplish his mission nor did he urge his followers to go that route.

Seek the gifts but remember, the Holy Spirit distributes them as he sees fit. We shouldn't make the mistake of telling the HS that we will not accept certain, or any, gifts. He doesn't go where he is not welcome. Our loss. He'll simply give the blessing to someone else.

There is much more to be said on the subject. Perhaps I will be led to share some of my experiences in later blogs. In the meantime, I recommend personal study.

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At the University of Texas at San Antonio an atheist organization exchanged pornography for religious literature. The news report stated that the event drew a crowd including protesters, the curious and those who took part in the exchange. On many campuses religious groups are barred from distributing their literature. Atheism meets the definition of religion: "Belief in, and worship of God or gods." Atheists believe each person is his own god. And, although they would not admit it, they worship themselves.
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Note to "Sunshine"
Thank you for your comments. It's admirable that your group is involved in intensive study of the Word and that you're standing strong for Jesus. Romans 15:13

The Holy Spirit continued

2010-02-25T09:00:00.000-08:00

A church, any church, that ignores the Holy Spirit, is a corpse. The Spirit is Life. As Jesus said, "But the hour is coming and now is when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and in truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him. God is Spirit and they that worship Him must worship in spirit and in truth." Jn.4:23-2. God is Spirit; not a spirit (not one among many.) He the Holy Spirit: God's Presence With Us, unbound by time or space. He is The Comforter Jesus promised: Our Teacher and Guide. He is the One who testifies to our spirit that Jesus is the Christ. "...and no one can say that Jesus is Lord except by the Holy Spirit." 1 Corin. 3b.

Some people have become discouraged trying to live the Christian life. Here's the skinny: Trying to live the life without the Spirit just won't work. He is the Enabler. Yes; it's possible to grimly slog along, grinding out the gloomy days, thinking that this is the lot of the Christian. But that's not what Jesus promised. Neither did he promise smooth sailing nor encourage a Pollyanna existence, skipping merrily along flinging rose petals. John 15:9-11, "As the Father loved Me, I also have loved you; abide in my love. If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love, just as I have kept My Father's commandments and abide in His love. These things I have spoken to you that My joy may remain in you and that your joy may be full." Jesus and the disciples were about to face the most difficult and stressful part of their lives, yet Jesus talked of love and joy in spite of the hardship that would come.

To worship God is to move into the realm of the supernatural; the realm of the 'God Spirit', on the wings of the Truth that Jesus is the Son of God, our Savior. The natural man/woman cannot get into that realm any other way. Although some people will try. A recent poll of members of a mainline denomination (beginning with the letter "P") revealed that about 39% believed there were other ways to get to heaven other than through Christ. As a friend said many years go,"Believing there is no Hell will not lower its temperature even one degree." So even if 100% of that or any other denomination denies Christ it will not budge Him one inch from His seat on the right hand of the Father.

Think about this: If every person in this country who claims to be a Christian brought just one other person to Christ there would not be enough churches to hold all the converts. But first, every one who claims to be Christian should pray to be filled with the Holy Spirit so they can effectively live the Christian life and to witness to the truth. Legalism, a fierce countenance, a judgmental attitude and finger shaking under the nose of an unbeliever will not win one soul. Declaring that this sin or that sin will surely send someone to Hell is not the way to point them to Christ. Being edgy, brittle, acting spiritually superior and smug, scowling and scolding does nothing to woo the unsaved. When others see the love and joy of Christ in you and me then they will wonder where is the source.

People are not frightened or browbeaten into the kingdom. God is love, not revenge.

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Recently while I was walking on our Christian Life Center track, a friend, much younger than I (seems like everyone is younger), passed me. Jokingly I told her I had been in a race in which I was the only contestant but I was so slow I still came in second. She answered, "At least you were in the race!"

I wouldn't mind as an epitaph, "He didn't do much but at least he was in the race." It would say that in spite of my sins, shortcomings and inadequacies I was not content to sit on the sidelines. Once you find the "pearl of great price" you cannot help but want to share it with others.

Father; Please fill me with your Holy Spirit, your love and joy. Please let it overflow into into everyone I come in contact with. Put people in my path who are searching for the Pearl of Great Price but don't know where to look or don't even realize their need. Give me spiritual awareness to recognize them. All for your glory, in Jesus name. So be it.

The Holy Spirit Gifts

2010-02-18T07:00:00.000-08:00

Continuing with subject of the gifts of the Spirit begun last week:

(Disclaimer: I do not "know it all" (or even very much) and, heaven forbid, I certainly do not want to come across as a "know it all.") The following is some of what I have gathered from the Word, my own experience and the experience of people I trust.

In the natural world, nearly everyone is happy to receive a gift. Rarely is a gift refused. But, strange as it seems, when gifts of the Spirit are involved, not every Christian views them as something desirable.

Here are only some of the attitudes and expressions I've heard, or discerned, concerning the Holy Spirit:

"That's spooky. I'm afraid of the Holy Spirit.' (A class member in Sunday school)

"Third person of the Trinity; that's all I know."

"Who needs it?"

"Why go there? I'm happy where I am."

From a friend who commented on one of the gifts, her face twisted like she was smelling something really bad, "Speaking in tongues is..." (she shivered and did not complete her sentence.)

" Oh, not that Holy Roller stuff. That's not a part of our church doctrine."

"That sort of thing is too far out. Kind of creepy."

"The gifts were no longer available or necessary after the last Apostle died."

"If it was important we would have heard more about it in church."

"Paul was only talking to the Corinthians."

"That's O.K. for you , I guess, but not for me."
"Not my cup of tea."

"Come now, and let us reason together, Says the Lord,"'' (Isa.1:18) Think for a moment; does it make any sense to suppose God would offer something that would be harmful for us? Of course not. Nevertheless, our gracious, loving God has given us free will and we are free to refuse whatever gift he offers us. Whether we accept or reject the gifts does not affect our salvation which was assured when we accepted Christ as our Savior.
The purpose of the gifts:
To glorify God (Not the individual believer)
To benefit the Body of Christ, that is the Church, the Body of Believers. (Not for self-satisfaction)
To be ministered in love. (Not as a sign of spiritual superiority which was the basis of discord in the Corinthian church)
More next week.
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When I finished my walk at the church track today and came down the stairs into the main room of our Christian Life Center, I saw a mixed group of 2 years old children sitting on sofas very quietly and attentively watching a Dora the Explorer cartoon on TV. I was so struck by the children's beauty and innocence I stood for some time drinking in the scene, trying to absorb it into my memory. A powerful reminder of the words of Jesus: "Assuredly I say to you, unless you are converted and become as little children, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven."

This and That

2010-02-11T07:00:00.000-08:00

My wife's Aunt "Punk" (Mary) makes the best fruit cake in the universe. Saturday she blessed us with one of them. Approximately 6'' in diameter by 3" high, this is a fruity, nutty, dense, al dente delight. Eat your heart out Collins Street bakery! Along with the cake Aunt Punk gave us 2 jars of pepper jelly. The jelly on cream cheese on a cracker: Magnifico!

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Sunday, as on every first Sunday, LaNell and I were privileged to serve communion to residents of The Meadows retirement home. (For new reader's info, the elements are blessed by our clergy.) It was also my turn, in the teacher rotation, to teach. Some of the women and men residents have been Sunday school teachers, most are long-time Christians and all are survivors; an audience I can relate to and identify with. And, in regard to spiritual matters, we agree that we don't know much and are all still learning. As I wrote to a friend recently, the scope of God's word is so vast that I feel after 40 years of study and instruction that I'm still only nibbling around the edges.

At the end of the lesson Sunday I visited the subject of spiritual gifts. We agreed that Jesus is still alive and that, "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever." And God has said,"For I am the Lord, I do not change:" Further, we agreed with 1 Corinthians, "But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to each one for the profit of all:"1 Corinthians 12:7. The sum is that God does not change and his word does not change. Jesus, the Giver of Gifts, does not change. The Holy Spirit, also changeless, dispenses those gifts as he sees fit to each believer for the benefit of the Church, the body of believers. That's as far as we got with the time available.

Although Paul writes in Corinthians 12:1 "Now concerning spiritual gifts, brethren, I do not want you to be ignorant:" it seems that is how we remain. The subject is avoided, passed over lightly, denied, misused, delicately touched on, or seen as a jumping off place for "fanaticism." Certainly there is the possibility of error by emphasising one area of the scriptures over all else and to neglect Micah 6:8 "What does the Lord require of you but to love mercy, to do justly and to walk humbly with your God?"

I was a substitute teacher for one Sunday for a class of adults. A friend in the class told me later that one member said that my lesson "was over the top." Translation: He was annoyed that I (a perceived "fanatic") had pierced his comfort bubble. Everything in the lesson was scripturaly based and I thought it was quite mild so it was the Spirit and not me that had stirred him. Nevertheless, I was not invited back. Let's talk some more next week about Corinthians chapter 12. I invite you to read chapters 12, 13 and 14 of Corinthians and chapter 4 of Ephesians.
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Vincent Van Gogh, one of my favorite artists, produced about 1600 paintings and drawings before he died. He sold just one painting. He gave many away and bartered with others. He traded one painting for rent payment but the landlady thought so little of it she used it to patch a hole in the wall of her chicken coop. Early in his life as a lay preacher, he ministered to and lived among the poorest peasants. He suffered with severe depression most of his adult life and finally, at age 37, decided he could stand it no longer. In a cornfield , he shot himself in the side but managed to stagger back to his room in the home of one of his benefactors. "I missed myself," he murmured.
He died the next day whispering his last words," There is no end to sorrow."

2010-02-04T07:00:00.000-08:00

Since publication of last week's blog the suggestion has arisen that maybe Jesus' words were symbolism wrapped in hyperbole. Maybe, the argument goes, He didn't really mean God would answer our prayers as Jesus stated; it was all a pep talk for the benefit of the disciples. Oh, gag. That reasoning is really limp. Such reasoning may satisfy those who regard miracles as myths and may relieve them of exercising their self-limited faith or abandoning their intellectual doubts.

Followers of Christ know they are in the natural world but not of it. The natural man regards reality as that which he can experience with his five senses. If he is faced with something that defies those senses then, to him, that 'something' is not real. God, for example. God is in the realm of the supernatural and the gateway to that reality is faith.

"But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is , and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him." Hebrews 11:6

That is why the person who tries to find God through intellectual reasoning and human efforts will ultimately fail. As Jesus said to Nicodemus, "That which is born of flesh is flesh, and that which is born of spirit is spirit. do not marvel that I said to you 'You must be born again.'"

The Holy Spirit is witnessing to the spirit of every person on earth that God is real and that Jesus is His Son and our Redeemer. We receive that in our spirit when we accept it with child-like faith.

When I was a small child and my father told me a certain tree was an apple tree, I had no reason whatever to doubt him even if I could see there were no apples on the tree. I had absolute faith in my father to tell me the truth. But, as time moved on, that kind of simple faith was overcome by the pressures and battering of everyday living and it did not surface again until I had entered middle age. It was then I opened my heart in desperation and the Holy spirit revealed to me that Jesus is real; that he knows me by name and where I live. He knows all His brothers and sisters by name.

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I have been blessed on two occasions to relieve Believers of the mistaken idea that they had committed the unpardonable sin. In both cases they had carried the burden for many years.

"Therefore I say to you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven men, but blasphemy against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven men." Matt. 12:31

This passage was Jesus' response to the Pharisee's claim that Jesus was casting out demons in cooperation with Satan when actually it was by the power of the Holy Spirit. In other words, the Pharisees were saying the Holy Spirit is evil. The Pharisee's ignorance of the true meaning of the scriptures and their hatred of Jesus so blinded them that they could not see the Holy Spirit at work.
Today, blasphemy against the Spirit occurs when someone totally rejects the Spirit's witness that Jesus is the Christ. This is the same as saying the Spirit is a liar.
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For study purposes I suggest for your library: Strong's Concordance, The Bible Knowledge Commentary (available separately for Old and New Testaments) and of course the Bible in the version of your choice. I use the New King James but also refer to other versions in modern language.

Jesus Said It; That Settles It

2010-01-28T07:00:00.000-08:00

I am delighted and humbled to find that this blog has several new readers. I welcome you and encourage your comments.

This set of scriptures below presents a number of interpretive difficulties. I do not claim to know or have the answers or solutions. I've found I am not alone after reading many commentaries and theological opinions. Some commentaries skip these verses entirely; some are brief and shed little light. This morning, I read on the internet, a skeptic's opinion of these verses. His conclusion: It is obvious Jesus lied and prayer is nothing but a practice of superstition. He based his opinion on "scientific studies" in which people prayed for the sick and none got well. It would be useless to debate with such a person because as is said in 1Corinthians 2:14, " But the natural man does not receive the things of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned." What follows are my thoughts for what they are worth:

Mark 11:22-26 "So Jesus said to them,"Have faith in God. For assuredly, (I tell you the truth) I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, 'Be removed and cast in the sea,' and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that those things he says, will come to pass, he will have whatever he says.

"Therefore I say to you, what ever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them.

"And whenever you stand praying, if you have anything against anyone, forgive him, that your Father in heaven may also forgive your trespasses.

"But if you do not forgive, neither will your Father in heaven forgive your trespasses."

Have you pondered these verses in the past? Have you said to yourself, "It would be great if it could really happen like that when I pray." Or," Who could possibly have that much faith?" Jesus would not have spoken these words unless they were true and possible. He would not place before us something wonderful knowing all along that we would find it unattainable. That would be capricious and completely against the nature of God.

Have faith in God Not faith in your faith, or in the church, or other people, or your pastor or doctrines. Have total faith in God.

"Whover says......." Some believe this promise was limited to the Apostles and their time . However it seems clear 'whoever"embraces all who have faith in God. Nor was any limited time period stated. "Jesus is the same yesterday, today and forever." It is as valid today as the day Jesus spoke the words. In Jesus' day prayers were usually said aloud. I don't believe that is necessary for this promise but it certainly wouldn't hurt to pray aloud and with someone who agrees with you in prayer and faith.

There are provisions to be met. Obviously, and already established, our prayer must be in line with God's will. Next, our faith cannot be a reed swaying in the wind. The amount of faith is not in question. Only as much as a mustard seed is needed. The key is the persistent, constant, immovable, unwavering, rock-solid application of that faith in belief that God will fulfill His promise. And it is at this point where we usually fail. If results do not happen as quickly as we would like, doubts begin to creep in. The world, the flesh, and the Devil will continually apply pressure to try to influence us to give up.

"Believe it will come to pass." Visualize the result. See it. Imagine it has already happened. This is not just positive thinking. It is believing God will do what He says He will.

Forgive. Our sins are forgiven in Jesus. The meaning here may be that those who cannot forgive are also incapable of receiving forgiveness.

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I think anyone paying attention can see the need for health care reform. But, the public has said the proposed Obamacare bulldozing, pork-laden, monstrosity is not the answer. The president mis-judged the magnitude of his magic powers and will, if he's as smart as I think he is, move to center-right where the majority of Americans are.

He could begin by allowing Medicare to negotiate lower prices with pharma companies, (as the VA already has) a sensible action forbidden by the previous (Republican) congress who were not about to bite the hand that fed them.

The law enforcement part of Medicare needs exponential enlargement to crack down on the $50 billion a year in fraud and outright stealing taking place. At present there are a comparative handful of investigative agents and like most govt bureaucracies Medicare does not seem motivated to go after the crooks. Even when unlawful activities are reported, Medicare officials are very slow to act.

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I strongly recommend the book "Lost Shepherd" by Agnes Sanford. It is out of print but used copies are available on Amazon.com.

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Another unintended funny headline from our local paper. I do not make these up.

"TWO ARRESTED FOR FIGHTING CHICKENS"

The article that followed did not say what caused the fight. Maybe the two men involved tried to pick up some "chicks" and roosters objected. The men arrested told police they didn't know that fighting chickens was against the law.
(As you may have guessed the headline and article were actually about roosters being made to fight each other for bloodthirsty people who find this 'sport' entertaining. That is not funny.)

Gratitude, etc.

2010-01-21T07:00:00.000-08:00

True service in Christ is offered without any thought of reward. Yet, even God and the most selfless of saints appreciates an expression of gratitude for a good deed. In the 17th chapter of Luke, Jesus heals 10 lepers but only one returns to acknowledge what God has done for him.

"Then said Jesus, "Were not ten cleansed? Where are the nine? Was no one found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner?" Where's the gratitude? Jesus asks. God does not demand gratitude but from this excerpt we can see that it pleases Him.

What happened to the nine? Did it ever occur to them to offer thanks to God for their healing? Do we offer thanks to God for all He does for us? For His love, mercy, forgiveness? For the miracle of our salvation and eternal life?

The Samaritan realized that Jesus was more than a prophet and he fell on his face in worship; an act reserved for God. The Jews in general were more than happy to take the healings and food Jesus provided but they would not believe he was the promised Messiah. The 9 had faith that Jesus could heal them. Healing of their bodies was all they were interested in. The Samaritan may or may not have realized that Jesus was the Messiah but it was his faith in Jesus as God that made him well, not only in body, but more importantly it made his soul well. This story is also a lesson on the need for gratitude as an aspect of faith.

Gratitude should be an integral part of our worship of God and also a response to those who have been a positive influence in our lives. They're not sitting by the phone or standing at the mailbox waiting or expecting to hear from you but they will appreciate a simple, "thank you." If you show gratitude you will be rewarded in spirit.

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Many Christians are missing out on blessings. How so? you ask. If you have confessed Christ as your Savior, do you understand you are a child of God and a joint heir with Jesus? As such we are entitled to everything Jesus is heir to. We are not claiming our inheritance in all its fullness. We have subsisted on cheese and crackers when there is a sumptuous feast of spiritual benefits spread before us. "Eye has not seen nor ear heard; neither has it entered into the heart of man the things God has prepared for those who love Him."

Jesus invites us to enter into the heart of God and experience the joy He spoke of so often.

Mark Twain said, "Everybody talks about the weather but nobody does anything about it."

Christians do a lot of talking about spiritual matters but but don't always follow it with action.

Rivers of life-changing spiritual energy flow from the Throne of God. But if we don't jump in the river, it will flow right by us leaving us to wonder why some of our Christian brothers and sisters seem to have an indefinable "something." (More in next week's blog)

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Remember "Cash for Clunkers?"

The publishers of Kelly's Blue Book, who know more about car values than the government does, stated that the real cost to the taxpayers for each new car purchased under the Clunkers program was not $4500 as claimed. Kelly's simply divided the number of cars purchased into the total amount spent on the program and came up with-----$24,000 for each car.

Are those in charge of security for our country, beginning with President Obama, seriously concerned for our safety or does political correctness still reign over common sense?

Terrorists have been released from Gitmo with only a stern warning that they must not return to their former bad habits. They are sent back to the Middle East and guess what? They fail to see the error of their ways and take up where they left off. What's the term for this method of keeping our country safe? Idiocy?

If you were to catch a fox who has been threatening your chickens would you pen him up for a while, then turn him loose with a copy of Emily Post's book of manners tied to his tail? Of course not. Foxes do not give up their taste for chicken and terrorists do not give up their taste for murder.

Recently, an Israeli security official testified before a congressional committee and offered to give suggestions on how to improve airport security in the U.S. 'Thanks but no thanks' was the apparent response he got in a letter from security officials. "They didn't tell me to go to hell," he said. "They were polite."

The foul-ups in the case of the Underwear Terrorist is a clear example of government bureaucracy in which the left hand does not know what the right hand is doing. It's also an indication that congress should have listened to the Israeli security expert.

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I wear a ring with the words, "Trust God" on it. I wear it to honor God. I found out long ago that trusting God takes care of most fear and worry.

Elvis, etc.

2010-01-14T07:00:00.000-08:00

Had he made it this far, Elvis would be 75 today (Jan. 8). (I tried to conjure up a mental image of a 75 year old Elvis in his trade mark leather suit but failed.) The momentous event of his birth is being remembered with an exhibition: "One Life; Echoes of Elvis" in the National Portrait Gallery, D.C.

The curator said, "Everybody should have a moment with Elvis." Perhaps. But, like so many other blanket statements, it reflects the sentiments of the speaker. Millions; probably hundreds of millions, will agree with the curator, but not "everybody." Me for example.

Although I like some of Elvis' music, I will not pine over my missed chance to have a moment with him. Our paths never crossed and we had little in common; he didn't practice architecture and I can't sing or wiggle like he did so well; he was fabulously wealthly and I'm not; he was handsome and----oh well, you get the idea.

Overall, I think that under the grease paint, hair gel and leather suit that Elvis had a kind heart. Anyway, if you should have a "moment with Elvis," tell him I said hello and happy birthday.

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On occasion someone will remark that I look younger than my age. I have no reason to be flattered since this is the way God made me. Sometimes I reply that I take vitamins G-O-D. The reactions I get are always interesting; from slack-jawed confusion to big smiles. Or, I could say that I spent a lot of time interviewing prospective parents and finally chose the most improbable couple: a 32 year-old Greek immigrant as my father and a 17 year-old Amercan cabaret singer for my mother. I never measured him but I believe my Dad was about 5'-5" tall and never weighed more that 140 lbs. In any case, My brother Dick and I towered over him heightwise and inherited the longevity gene not from, him but from some other ancestor. We're aiming to be the oldest ever in our clan, God willing.

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Another headline from our local paper:

"BROTHER AND SISTER REUNITE AFTER 30 YEARS IN EMERGENCY ROOM"

If you've ever had to endure the endless waiting in a hospital emergency room you will certainly sympathize with this couple. 30 years surely qualifies as the record and one wonders why it took so long for them to recognize each other if they were in the same room for that long.

I guess that's not so strange when you consider this:

In 2004 a university dormitory was torn down. In the basement, behind the furnace, workers found a skelton wearing a tattered Tshirt. The lettering on the shirt was still clear. It read: "1925 Texas A&M Hide and Seek Champion."

The story was told to me by a UT grad so I cannot vouch that it actually happened.

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'Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him and He with me." Rev. 3:20

This verse is usually considered to be an invitation to non-believers. It is, but it is also (and I believe primarily) directed to Christian believers to come into a deeper relationship with Christ. He will not break down the door or push his way into our lives but, if we invite him in, He will come in and we will feast together on spiritual nourishment.

"Listen diligently to Me, and eat what is good,

And let your soul delight itself in abundance. (Portion of Isaiah 55:2)

"Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit." Romans 15:13

2010-01-07T07:00:00.000-08:00

Bill Maher, professional comedian, said in effect: "Christians only care about saving themselves." Of course comedians use irreverence, mockery, coarse language, and anything else to shock and amuse their audiences. In this case, however, Mr. Maher was being interviewed and not on stage.
It makes one wonder about the Christians he has come in contact with. Or has he formed this opinion based on hearsay and without any investigation? I would like very much to have a private conversation with him; to let him know there are Christians who deeply and earnestly desire for him to know the salvation, peace and joy that Christ offers him.
There are Christians in show business. Please pray with me right now that one of them will be led by God's Spirit to reveal the Truth to Mr. Maher.
A grain of truth abides in Mr. Maher's statement. Once they are saved, some Christians feel no obligation to spread the Good News to others. Not even to their children. Or their friends. "Don't discuss religion or politics" is the mantra. Too personal. Let the professionals take care of it; the minister, priest, youth worker, etc. That's their job. Actually, it's the job (privilege) of everyone who professes to follow Christ.
"But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you; and you shall be My witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria and to the end of the earth." Acts 1:8. NKJV
These words of Jesus may be received by us thusly:
Jerusalem: Where we live; our family
Judea: People we are in contact with, neighbors, fellow workers, classmates. etc.
Samaria: People we are not comfortable with
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I received a call yesterday from an architect that used to work in our office about 30 years ago. He was an only child; willful, talented but difficult to work with. Nevertheless, with the Holy Spirit's guidance and power I was able to lead him to Christ. His call was to tell me that he had retired from the practice of architecture and would soon be ordained a minister and already had a small church. He said, "I just wanted you to know what you started long ago." I told him that it was not my doing but that credit should go to the Holy Spirit. I was merely His instrument.
Praise God.
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Headline in the sports section of our local paper:

"NFL ASKS PLAYERS TO DONATE THEIR BRAINS"

Hmm. If players comply would this make any difference in the way they perform? Would this affect their off-field behavior? It would certainly solve the problem of players ' concussions. Provided that players become willing donors, are there people lined up for brain transplants from NFL players? Some candidates may be those fans, warmed with alcoholic anti-freeze, who in 20 degree weather are in the stands with out any clothing on their upper bodies and/or have painted themselves all over with team colors.
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We were gifted with a colorful calendar from our local favorite Chinese restaurant. In delightful Chinese English, "Prospects for the Year" are provided for each month. (I don't subscribe to fortune-telling, zodiac signs, etc. but include this for the amusement of English majors, etc.)
For January:
"Be vigorous to take intiative and always well prepared to face your works and problems. Leave adequate leeway to people; never procrastinate things that need to be done. Learn who is faithful and who is mendacious; who is your friend and who is your enemy. With tiger's sapience, success is not that intractable."

Certainly the Chinese interpreter's English is vastly better than my Chinese.

2009-12-24T07:00:00.000-08:00

Come close. I have a quiet confession to make. I like fruitcake. There; I've said it. I realize I'm in the minority but count me among those who actually eat the stuff. Sure, most of the fruit-filled delight probably ends ingloriously as door stops or anchors or boat ballast, but, whenever possible, I rescue it before those fates befall it. You may find it easier to understand my appetite for this much maligned delicacy when I tell you I also like........brussel sprouts.

The myth that there is really only one fruitcake in the world that is passed around continuously, year after year; that myth, I say, is no longer true because I intercepted that cake long ago. So, if you received an unwelcome fruitcake this Christmas ( or last), send it on to me and I will see to it that it is not wasted but waisted.

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Let me tell you about my friend, Mac, a good 'ol country boy; 6 feet, 1 inch tall and 225 lbs of good nature. He is one of those rare people with no pretense about him; what you see is what you get. If you don't want a truthful opinion, then don't ask him because he will deliver exactly what he thinks. You will not have to guess about or interpret what he says. He is ordinarily kind, tender-hearted, polite and generous but, as we say in Texas, he's not to be messed with.

Most Wednesdays at 5:00 p.m., I am privileged to gather together with Mac and Charles, another friend, at my home for prayer. I love to listen to Mac and Charles pray. Mac's prayers are lifted up in true east Texas english. He claims he doesn't speak well but in his own way his words are more eloquent than any high church petitions I've ever heard. I don't want to leave the impression that he is some kind of country bumpkin. Far from it. He is college educated, intelligent and before retiring had a successful business he built from scratch. Above all he seeks to be a man of God.

As children of God we are all unique; it just happens that Mac is a little uniquer.

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What are your thoughts this Christmas? Do you ever wonder what Jesus would make of the way we generally celebrate his birthday? What gift can we give to Him in exchange for the priceless gift of salvation?

"You don't want sacrifice; if you did, how gladly I would do it! You aren't interested in offerings burned before you on the altar. It is a broken spirit you want--remorse and penitence. A broken and a contrite heart, O God, you will not ignore." Psalm 51:17 LB

God bless you and yours. Happy birthday Jesus.

Polls and Things

2009-12-17T07:00:00.000-08:00

A recent poll showed that 76% of Americans claim they are Christians. Hm. I wonder what criterion the respondents used as the basis for their answers? I was reminded of a similar poll taken some years ago in which a movie producer said he was a Christian because he was born in America which is, he said, a Christian nation. No; neither does being "good" or belonging to and/or attending church, automatically qualify someone to call themselves Christian.
"For I am crucified with Christ; nevertheless I live. Yet, not I but Christ liveth in me, for the life I now live I live by faith in the Son of God who loved me and gave Himself for me." Galatians 2:20. This is Paul's confession of his bond with Christ. The very Spirit of Christ inhabits his innermost being. And, if we have accepted Christ as our savior, He lives in our innermost being also.

In the poll some respondents who claim to be Christian also said they believe in ghosts, some have had conversations with ghosts and others are mistakenly trying to blend New Age beliefs with their Christianity. Following are some of those beliefs:

That astrology is a method of foretelling the future

That crystals are a source of healing or energizing power

That tarot cards are a reliable base for life decisions

That God is "a state of higher consciousness that a person may reach"

That each person is God

That God can be defined as "the total realization of personal, human potential"

In these New Age beliefs, emphasis is on the creature rather than the Creator. All these beliefs are contradicted by God's word and most are expressly forbidden. The attempt to add them to Christianity may be a matter of "just in case" and "covering all the bases." Instead it only denies the power and person of God. King Saul did not get the answer he wanted from God so he consulted the Witch of Endor and suffered the disasterous results.

If a person is involved in authentic Christianity they know, as the old hymn states: "On Christ the Solid Rock I stand, All other ground is sinking sand." Christ is The Source for Christians and is sufficient for all our needs. Nothing else is needed for us to be complete. And we clearly identify with Paul's confession of Galatians 2:20, sometimes referred to as the "220 hook-up."

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According to a recent newspaper article, Johnny Depp, temporarily a movie idol, stated he 'admired' John Dillinger, a gangster of the 1930's. (The fact that Dillinger was a a cold-blooded killer was not mentioned.) Depp said that Dillinger was "brave and charasmatic." Mr. Depp may be wallowing in that slop because he intends to make a movie about brave Mr. Dillinger.

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Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, orchestrator of the September 11th attacks, has remained alive for 8 years since being jailed. Need I point out that the victims of those Islam-fueled, murderous attacks have now been dead for those same 8 years? The victims have been denied those years while Mr. Mohammed has been fed, clothed, housed and had his medical needs attended to by the U.S. which includes, by extension and ironically, the victims families and survivors of September 11. I'm not clamoring for Mr. Mohammed's blood; I just would like to know why it is taking so long for justice to be served. More political correctness by an administration that doesn't seem to know what to do? Don't expect a speedy trial once it begins. The trial and appeals can add many more years to this travesty.
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President Obama apparently has taken his administrative cue from President Roosevelt's example. However there are differences both in conditions and style. Roosevelt had the full cooperation of Wall Street and Main Street and (almost dictatorial) war time powers. In 1933, oil prices hovered around 4 cents a barrel; No bank was considered too big to fail. Roosevelt also cut government salaries by $100 million; government and veteran pensions were reduced. Congress and the vice-president had their salaries cut by 15%. They may say they feel our pain but this current congress will not have their salaries reduced. The federal government is not only hiring many new workers but it is also increasing government salaries.

2009-12-14T07:00:00.000-08:00

Much against his will Tiger Woods has been dragged into the glaring spotlight of scandal. History shows that scandal's glare is just one sidestep from the light of popularity. There is a price to be paid for fame and it can be very heavy as Mr. Woods is now discovering. If you are a celebrity the public feels that you belong to them and that includes your private life. Americans are as equally enthusiastic in tearing down their idols as they are in building them up. Those who find golf a necessary and an important part of their lives will support Mr. Woods no matter what he does or doesn't do. Those who find it odd that so much money and attention are directed to sports figures could care less that another one has tripped over his sense of entitlement.
To some degree celebrity entitlement is real. Mr. Woods refused 3 times to grant an interview with the police. (Warning; Do Not Try This At Home!) The authorities humbly backed off.

Lest you think I'm passing judgment, I quickly confess that much in my life would not pass God's scrutiny. My entire hope is in Jesus. For all I know Mr. Woods may have done countless good deeds and will be nominated for sainthood. In any case, some other noted figure will soon provide a new scandal and the jackals of the media will leave the famed golfer alone to work out his problems.

In the meantime in Appalachia, a man you've probably never heard of is building up a name. No; it's not his name. He's not striving to be a celebrity. He's a former coal miner who received a copy of the New Testament on the job. He was so struck with the reality of Jesus' words that he immediately decided to follow Christ. Soon after he was called to minister full time to the miner's in his county and to proclaim the name of Jesus.

His first wife, now deceased, had a dream that one day they would have a facility that would stand as a symbol of Christian compassion and truth among the poor and needy. Eventually, with the help of a major coal company and bible literature from the American Bible Society, an aptly named Appalachia Dream Center came into being.

The stories of lives changed as a result of God's word and the Center are stirring to any believer.

Earl Harless was injured severely in a car accident and his internal bleeding could not be stopped by the doctors. He and his wife turned to Ezekiel 16:6 (KJV) and claimed the living words:

"And when I passed by thee, and saw thee polluted in thine own blood, I said unto thee when thou wast in thy blood, Live; yea, I said unto thee when thou wast in thy blood, Live."

Much to the amazement of the doctors, the bleeding stopped. Instantly. "I never bled another drop," Earl said.

Debbie, a single mother, came to the Center broken and defeated. Now, transformed by Jesus into a new creature, (2Corinthians 5:17) she spends most of her time witnessing to the saving power of Christ to the hundreds of prostitutes in and around Logan County. She first offers food, clean water and shelter to generate a trusting relationship before giving a bible. Her efforts are not appreciated by everyone She has been the target of beer bottles. gunshots and had the headlights of her car broken out with a baseball bat. None of this has stopped her efforts to reach women for Christ.

Logan County, covered in coal dust, is not a tourist destination. Its poverty bound inhabitants activities are of little or no interest to others. The faith of Earl and his wife to believe God's word without doubt; the transformed life of Debbie who, without fear, goes into the most dangerous areas in the county driven by God's love, these are not the stories that capture the nation's attention.
Yet, which story has the most eternal merit? Is it the one about the man whose God-given talent has made him rich beyond imagination and now indulges his physical appetites? Or is it the one about humble people in an out of the way county? Which one warms your heart?
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W.C. Fields

"I've been asked if I ever get the DT's. I don't know. It's hard to tell where Hollywood ends and the DT's begin."

This and That

2009-12-03T07:00:00.000-08:00

Have you noticed? There appear to be at least four levels of justice in our country:
1. Federal and State Government level.
2. Celebrity and Wealthy level.
3. Middle Class level.
4. Street level where the poor and the disenfranchised live.

Authorities discovered that Congressman Barney Frank's live-in partner has been growing pot in the back yard of Frank's home. Frank maintains he knew nothing about it. Hello? What's that funny odor in the house? Coincidentally, Frank has since submitted a bill in Congress which would permit homegown pot in his state.
Numerous Federal and State officials have overlooked their past-due income tax statements until it was called to their attention in the press. This is not allowed in levels 3 and 4. In levels 1 and 2 deals are available.
Strangely, in levels 1 and 2 the law, if regarded at all, seems to be very flexible and subject to broad interpretation; in levels 3 and 4 it becomes quite rigid. The drug user in the first two levels is not treated harshly like his/her counterpart in level 4.
Political correctness has assumed much more importance than it is due. In some cases in the legal process it has overcome common sense and sound judgment. Major Hussan was pushed up the ladder of rank and permitted to lecture to his superiors at length about Islam. Why? To do otherwise might make the Army look like they were politically incorrect. The United States Army, the most powerful in the world, did not have the leadership to do what needed to be done in the case of one Muslim officer who was obviously up to no good. After the events at Fort Hood and questions arose the Army and the Government were quick to come up with excuses for the tragedy and the Major's actions. Fortunately a police officer, who did not take orders from the military, was on hand during the shooting and took down Major Husan. Military police, for some unfathomable reason, are not allowed to carry firearms. Go figure.
Well, that's old news. Center stage is now occupied by the "Party Crashers." This is really serious stuff. About as serious as the party itself. Does it serve a good purpose that benefits our country? I'm waiting for some president to say, "While so many of my fellow citizens are in dire need, I don't think it is appropriate for me to sit down to a sumptious meal in a lavish setting paid for by those citizens barely eking out a living."
"All men are created equal;" but as said in the book "Animal Farm," some are more equal than others. Let 'em eat cake.

Al Gore who 'invented' the internet may also have 'invented' global warming. In e-mails hacked from Climate Research Unit, one of the centers of the man-made global warming universe, there is evidence that data may have gone unreported or may have been intentionally rigged to hide the DECLINE in global temperatures. (Lufkin Daily News, "An Inconvenient Truth") Dr. Trenberth, a man-made global warming advocate wrote scientists at Climate Research Unit at the University of East Anglia in England, "The fact is we can't account for the lack of warming at the moment and it is a travesty that we can't." This scientist is piqued because he cannot adjust data to suit his purpose. He is upset because the world is not going to melt. Is global warming a reality? Stay tuned.
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Statements Gleaned From College and University Student Tests and Papers:

Hitler's instrument of terror was the Gespacho.
Plato invented reality. He was teacher to Harris Tottle who wrote The Republicans. Lust was a must for the Epicureans. Others were the Vegetarians and the Synthetics.
The Boston Tea Party was held at Pearl Harbor.
Moses was told by Jesus to lead the people out of Egypt into the Sahaira Desert. The Book of Exodus describes this trip, including the Ten Commandments, various special effects and the building of the Suez Canal.
Zorroastrologism was founded by Zorro. This was a duelist religion.
During the Dark Ages it was mainly dark.

Just think; the men and women who wrote these gems have graduated and are now probably in positions of leadership and responsibility.

2009-11-26T07:00:00.000-08:00

My wife and I have just returned from a month stay in Hot Springs Village in Arkansas. The house we rented is situated on a lake and sunrises and sunsets were glorious explosions of color reflected on the still water. In the late evening when the surface of the lake was like a mirror the words,"He leads me beside the still waters" came to mind.
We walked for exercize which was no small feat since the village is built on the sides of steep hills. My technique for overcoming the slopes was to "creep", i.e., to take small slow steps. Each day we were able to press on for longer distances. Later, I mused on my stamina and decided I might be able to walk several miles in that area if a hospital emergency room was at the finish line.

One day while walking and enjoying the fall foliage I was reminded of Paul's conviction that nature itself proclaims the existence of God. Those whose faith is centered on science will disagree saying that no supernatural hand was involved; only time, the laws of physics and evolution were the reasons for our physical world. Okay, I say God created time, the laws of physics and evolution.
Do you ever marvel that God created the world in 'living color?" He could have chosen to make everything in shades of gray or brown. Instead he presented us richness and variety that not only delight the eye but nourish our souls. Paul was right.
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Afterwords

Samuel B., 24, was booked in Solano County, Calif. on suspicion that he stole a car to make a court appearance on a previous auto-theft charge. ( A candidate for the tv program, "Dumbest Criminals.")

I feel somehow that this next blurb is in the same category as the above:
We, that is the taxpayers, have committed more than 4 trillion public dollars to Wall Street.
To put that astounding sum in perspective, consider that the cost of WWII in inflation-adjusted dollars was---you guessed it---$4 trillion. And the entire GDP, the entire wealth generated in the U.S. this year, is $14.1 trillion.
These are mind-numbing figures and they are hard to grasp. But, for an amount we can more easily understand, one doctor said, "For $200 million dollars we can take a walk in the footsteps of Jesus Christ himself, curing millions of leprosy." Or, we can give it to Wall Street for the bonus pool.

Truth and Freedom

2009-11-12T07:00:00.000-08:00

John 1:17 "For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ."

John 8:32 " And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free."

Isn't it ironic that the words of Jesus recorded in John 8:32 are displayed on a wall of the CIA building in Washington? I doubt that Jesus is credited as the author. Although lies and deception are some of their main tools, the CIA has appropriated this quotation to lend dignity to their work which is to use whatever means necessary to spy out the 'truth' of what the enemies of our country are really up to. Somehow I can't bring myself to believe this is what Jesus had in mind. The CIA should remove this scriptural quotation and install these words instead: "We operate on the principle that the end excuses the means." That would be closer to the truth.

That the public is supplied with "misinformation" from every level of government is all too often the case. Raw truth is sweetened to make it palliative to the masses and served up cooked to the benefit of the party in power. One can only assume that ordinary people (as distinguished from the elite who alone know what is best for us) are considered to not have the intelligence to handle real truth.

Mr. Lincoln disagrees: "I am a firm believer in the people. If given the truth, they can be depended upon to meet any national crisis. The great point is to bring them the real facts." Are you listening Mr. Obama and members of Congress on both sides of the aisle? We don't need a nanny!
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Little facts of life

If you accidentally drop a prescription pill to the floor, as it falls it gains energy that allows it to run and hide in some dark cranny where you can't find it. After you get up, puffing from searching on your hands and knees, the pill comes out of hiding unnoticed. The more expensive the pill, the more certainty there is that you will step on it or that the dog will eat it..

You Can Take it With You

2009-11-05T07:00:00.000-08:00

After my first wife died I had every expectation that I would live out my life as bachelor and began to clean the house of things I wouldn't need. I was amazed at the amount of stuff we had gathered over 60 years of marriage and 52 years of living in the same house. A small part of it had sentimental value and was retained. The rest of it had very little material value as was confirmed in an auction.

I know of a wealthy widow who, according to her relatives, could no longer safely live at home and needed to be in an assisted living facility. She resisted the move until she had no choice The reason for her resistance? She had many fine and valuable possessions and she could not take every single one of them to the facility.

When it comes to the accumulation of wealth and possessions I have observed that there is a point reached of too much but not a point of enough. An outsider might say of the super rich that they have wealth for several lifetimes (too much) but that will not stop the wealthy from seeking to add to their fortunes (not enough).

In the 10th Chapter of Mark Jesus encounters a man who "ran up to him and knelt before him."
Luke says he was a ruler and Matthew that he was young but all 3 writers agree he was rich.
This is the 4th of 4 people so far in Mark who have run up to Jesus seeking something only he could provide; wholeness for a leper, healing for a woman, restoration for a demoniac and now for this rich man, the key to eternal life. The fact that each ran to Jesus portrays their desperation and their belief that, at last, they had found the one who could supply the solution to their problem.

Jesus gives the rich man a short quiz of which Jesus already knew the answers. Jesus was satisfied that the man was devout and sincere. Perhaps the man expected Jesus' blessing,
approval or a few easy to follow instructions and then he could be on his way. It didn't happen.
Jesus did say that in order for the man to achieve his goal there was one obstacle standing in his way, the thing he loved more than God; his wealth.

A sad story and not a popular part of scripture. That may be because we sense that it is not only addressed to the wealthy but to everyone who has erected an idol in place of God. Idols? Who, me? Yes, me.
Consider Matthew 10:37,38: "If you love father and mother more than you love me, you are not worthy of being mine; or if love your son or daughter more than me you are not worthy of being mine. If you refuse to take up your cross and follow me, you are not worthy of being mine."

Of course Jesus is not saying we shouldn't have other loves and allegiances. He is saying that every love, allegiance, relationship, ambition, goal or desire we have is secondary to loving and trusting him. He will not accept anything but first place in our lives. Considering what he has done for us, that is a perfectly reasonable position and you can't beat the rewards.

Matthew 10:29-30 "I tell you the truth," Jesus replied, "No on who has left home or brothers or sisters or father or children or fields for me and the gospel will fail to receive a hundred times as much in this present age (homes, brothers, sisters,mothers, children and fields- and with them , persecutions) and in the age to come, eternal life."

1 Corinthians 2:9 "Eye has not seen nor ear heard, neither has it entered into the heart of man the things which God has prepared for those who love him."

1 Corinthians 13:13 "There are three things that remain, faith, hope and love, and the greatest of these is love."

When we go to heaven we will no longer need faith because we will see Jesus. We will no longer need hope because are hope will be realized. What we will take with us and keep, is Love.

This and That

2009-10-29T07:00:00.000-07:00

Rummaging around in the dusty attic of my mind I believe my first new car was a 1956 four door Chevrolet. Price: $1800. I bought it off the lot and it came with several options: heater (an option !), radio, vinyl seat upholstery, two-tone green paint. It had manual steering, manual 3 speed shift, one speed windshield wipers, no air conditioning, no power anything. Air conditioning was described as being "460" which meant 4 windows open and driving 60 miles an hour.

At the time of purchase my wife and I thought the two-tone green paint was unique to our little town. In a few days we began to see cars with the same color scheme everywhere. But to us it was a treasure. No subsequent car purchase brought with it the same level of excitement we felt with the first one.

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I see that "whatever" has been voted the current most annoying expression in the English language. I would have voted for the ubiquitous "you know" without which, you know, some people would be unable to converse. You know?

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Another member of Congress has been caught in a scandal that may have far-reaching and negative effects on the Democratic party. Charles Rangel, (Dem.), N.Y. failed to pay some of his income taxes and to report all sources of income. What is it with members of Congress that makes them think they don't have to pay taxes? The IRS, without mercy or second thoughts, would put a widow out on the street if she did something similar but the rich and the powerful escape punishment.

Five will get you ten that Rangel will get out of this with a mild slap on the wrist. The "Ethics"
Commitee" is "investigating." The facts are known so what's to be investigated? They will stretch out their "investigation" because they depend on the American public's shamefully short attention span. That may not work this time.

The danger to the Democratic Party is that the Public's smoldering wrath may finally get fully vented at election time because of Rangel's blatant disregard of integrity and other Democratic mis-steps.

In the meantime, few if any Republican Congresspersons have halos to polish or unblemished records to crow about.

Pray, pray, pray for our country!
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Our President and First Lady recently made a fruitless trip to Copenhagen. Their intention was to charm the socks off the Olympic Committee and secure the Olympics for the city of Chicago. Alas, the OC proved to be immune to the radiant charm of the First Couple and the prize was handed to Rio. Reading the transcripts of the Obama 'I/Me' speeches it seems they were inviting the world the wonderful opportunity to come visit the Obamas.

The "City of the Broad Shoulders" (Walt Whitman's description of Chicago) may now have sagging shoulders but it will survive. My brother suggests it may all be for the best. If 'Chi' had won, it would have been necessary to add a new Olympic event : "Dodging bullets and 2x4's to the head."

I honestly take no satisfaction from the President's failure. He did what he thought best. And I believe that no matter what he did the OC was determined to grant the Olympics to a country other than the USA.

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Miscellany

Josef Stalin: "The death of one person is a tragedy. The death of a million is a statistic." Stalin should know. He was responsible for the deaths of millions of his own people.

Leo Tolstoy: "Love hinders death. Love is life. Anything at all that I understand, I understand only because I love. All is bound up in love alone. Love is God, and to die means that I, a tiny particle of love, shall return to the universal and eternal source."

The Good Old Days

2009-10-15T07:00:00.000-07:00

Sometime around 1935, at the age of 10, I contracted hepatitis (called "yellow jaundice") and was confined to my bed for awhile. My parents called Dr. Heath and he made a house call.

(This is not to be confused with a telephone call; he actually came to our house). Doctors making house calls was not at all unusual. For some reason the amount of his fee, $3.00, has stuck in my memory.

I was often the one sent to the A & P grocery store 2 1/2 blocks from our home with a list of items to be purchased. I presented the list to a clerk, behind the counter, who then went about the store to retrieve the items. If self-service existed it hadn't made its way to our little town at the end of Long Island, N.Y. The clerk tallied the prices in pencil on one of the paper bags that he loaded the groceries in. The question, "paper or plastic?" never came up since there were no plastic sacks.

At the time:

Bread was 9 cents a loaf

Eggs, 18 cents a dozen

Hamburger meat, 12 cents a pound

A hamburger (bun, meat, ketchup) at the diner was 5 cents as was a cup of coffee or a coke

Gas, 10 cents a gal.

A new Pontiac, $745

Average new home, $3845

Man's broadcloth shirt, $1.00

Woman's wool sweater, $1.00

Washing machine,$23.95

Gas stove, $19.95

Before you think that we were lucky to live in a time when prices were so low consider this:

Worker's wages were 9 cents an hour, ---if you could get a job. Skilled labor managed to get slightly higher wages. To date, inflation has moved prices and wages to their present levels so, everything is relative.

The history of the Federal Government's handling, (mishandling, really) of the depression crisis is both fascinating and depressing (no pun intended). President Herbet Hoover seemed incapable of understanding economics and spent a lot of his time organizing commitees and conferences. The country verged on socialism with both Big Business and Big Labor briefly advocating collectivism based on their individual agendas. For example, Big Labor would have had a Government agency appointed to force businesses to hire the number of workers the agency determined the businesses should have. Big Business leaders had equally unpalatable ideas. A radical left-wing newspaper was lavish with praise for the fascist inclinations.

To say our country during the 1930's was on an extremely slippery slope is no exaggeration. Only the advent of WWll pulled us back from the abyss.

Once again our nation is on a slippery slope; perhaps not as steep as the Great Depression but still dangerous.

I may well be mistaken in my belief that in many ways we are not the nation of my earlier years. After all, greed and corruption in high places is still with us except it is more overt. We still do not have lobbyists for the mass of average citizens. We are a country divided. Often I have the feeling that nobody is in charge.

This is not the nation of my earlier years. Our liberties are slowly being chipped away but each succeeding generation does not realize it, thinking the way things are is the way it's always been.

If you've never had something how would you know if it's gone?

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Miscellany

Charles Dickens slept facing north. He believed it improved his writing (Did I hear one of you saying I ought to try it?)

The house where Thomas Jefferson wrote much of the Declaration of Independence was torn down to make room for a hamburger stand.

The above 2 facts are from "The Best of Uncle John's Bathroom Reader"

Lincoln: "A man is about as happy as he makes up his mind to be." (It's our choice)

Check Your Ammo

2009-10-01T07:00:00.000-07:00

In part of my 3 years in the US Navy Air Corps during WWll, I was a top turret gunner on a torpedo bomber. I was no danger to the enemy but I did almost shoot down one of our own nearby planes accidentally and almost cause the death of its 3 man crew. Although entirely unintentional, had I succeeded I would have no doubt spent many years in prison. Memory of the incident pops up ocassionally and even 65 years later it still causes me some distress. I will tell you it was a matter of 1/32 of an inch between incarceration and my life since then. I am firmly convinced that God was involved in the outcome ; there is no other possible explanation.

Those bombers were relatively slow; so slow in flight that birds sometimes rested on the wings. Actually, not so; it just seemed that way. When I was not flying, my other duties involved my training as an aircraft mechanic. I worked on 1700 horsepower radial air-cooled engines. I am mechanically inept around car engines, BUT if they ever start putting 1700 hp air cooled engines in cars I'll be ready.

In my first story above, I was operating with the mistaken belief that there were no more bullets left in my machine gun. Over the target range I had pulled the trigger in bursts until the weapon quit firing. On the way back to base I swung the turret around, pointed my weapon at planes in our formation and pulled the trigger. The closest plane was about 50 feet away. When we got back to base and I got out of the turret and removed the can of spent shell casings I looked up and saw to my horror that there were still 5 fifty caliber live bullets hanging in the belt. I scrambled back up into the turret, opened the lid to the firing chamber and could see that the mechanism that pulled bullets into the chamber had scratched the next bullet in an attempt to pull it into firing position. If that bullet had been somehow moved 1/32 of an inch more it would have fired and carried the next 4 with it.

Operating with insufficient, mistaken, false or unverified beliefs is as dangerous to our spiritual lives as was my similar dangerous actions with live bullets. It is up to each of us individually to do the study required to build on solid scriptural ground; to seek, recognize, listen to and abide by, the teachings of the Holy Spirit delivered through whatever source He may choose.

My second story illustrates that if we are going to stay prepared, we cannot stand still in our learning. To live the abundant life Christ promised us it is not enough to sit on our salvation. My knowledge of the 1700 hp radial engine is useless to me now and it did not prepare me for dealing with the complexities of modern car engines. Too many Christians say to themselves, "I know all I need to know." They stop growing and then resist the gentle prodding of the Spirit to move on to greater and greater joys in Jesus.

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A little boy asked his mother, "Mommy, where do people come from?"
Thinking the boy was too young for the birds and bees story she said, "Well, the Bible says we come from dust and we return to dust.'
That seemed to satisfy him and he went to his room to play.
A short time later he came back to his mother and said, "Mommy, I looked under my bed and someone is either coming or going."

Friends

2009-09-30T16:18:00.000-07:00

Note: This post was supposed to be for 10/8/09 but I pushed the wrong button.

Friend: (dictionary definition) A person whom one knows well and is fond of. An ally, supporter and sympathizer.

Acquaintance: A person whom one knows slightly.

Proverbs 18:24: A man who has friends must himself be friendly, but there is a friend that sticks closer than a brother.

Proverbs 17:17: A friend loves at all times.

The word 'friend', like 'love', many times is misused or very loosely applied in a relationship. The term 'friend' is often used when actually we are referring to someone who is an acquaintance. A person may have many acquaintances but few real friends.

Aside from my wife, who is my best friend, and my children and other family who already meet the following, to me a friend is someone I can call at 2 or 3 in the morning; tell him I'm in need and he will come to my aid without even asking for details. He would be someone who, if I got in trouble, would not desert me and would be among the first to be at my side. I would do the same for him. We might get angry with each other but we don't let the anger linger. We have a deep respect for each other, overlook the defects in each other and build each other up. We pray together and for each other. A friends keeps me accountable.

These are not all the requirements of real friendship, and you may have different definitions of what constitutes true friendship , but when I apply these scenarios to those I know it quickly becomes apparent who is a friend sand who is an aquaintance.

Aristotle maintained that there are 3 categories, or tiers, of friends: 1. Business partners 2. People you enjoy being with socially 3. People with whom you pursue virtue or arete. The Christian form of arete is a self-sufficient life of contemplation and wisdom.

During one of our recent wars, (as I remember the story) two army buddies, Jim and Larry, came under enemy fire and ran toward a friendly bunker. Jim made it but didn't realize that Larry had been wounded and had fallen until he heard Larry call for help. Jim immediately started to his aid but the sergeant in charge grabbed Jim and commanded him to remain in the bunker; the enemy fire was so heavy and accurate that Jim would certainly be wounded or killed once he left the safety of the bunker. Jim wrested himself from the sergeant's grip and crawled to his friend. Larry managed a weak smile, grasped his friend's hand and said, "Jim; I knew you would come."

John 15:9, Jesus said to his disciples, "As the Father loved me, I also have loved you; abide in my love"

John 15:13,14: "Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one's life for one's friends. You are My friends if you do whatever I command you."

John 15:15: "No longer do I call you servants, for a servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that I heard from the Father I have made known to you."

With these words Jesus drew the disciples into a more intimate relationship with Him. At that point in their spiritual understanding they probably did not realize the importance of what he had said. He would die for them. He loved them with the most complete and deepest possible love: the love of God Himself. He had disclosed His Father's revelation to them of Jesus' identity and His mission: knowledge no one else had. That information could only be shared with friends; not with servants or acquaintances.

Now, by the grace of God, we are more than friends with Jesus. We are children of God and joint heirs with Jesus.

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File this under Strange Wills and Last Requests:

Heinrich Heine left all his wordly goods to his wife but with this provision: She must re-marry.

He said he wanted at least one man to be sorry Heinrich died.

Change

2009-09-24T07:00:00.000-07:00

Change. The word strikes fear in some, hope in others and some say: So what? It seems our country is averse to change and we cringe when ever change is proposed. Certainly we are suspicious when the federal government attempts to adjust the status quo. Exhibit A is the current brouhaha over Mr. Obama's health care proposals. Thousands of citizens have marched on Washington in protests partly staged and supported financially by special interests and partly made up of citizens paying there own expenses and genuinely opposed to the proposed changes in health care. This is not the first time change has caused discord in our nation.

There are a number of instances in U.S. history involving change that have led to protests that produced armed conflict, bloodshed and, in some cases, enduring bitterness.

To mention a few:

The Whiskey Rebellion of 1794. A tariff imposed by the government eliminated any profit farmers might make on their sales of grain. The farmers greeted the change with violence against tax collectors.

The Civil War. Slavery states would not embace the changes required under the Emancipation Proclamation. You know what happened after that.

The Bonus Army. In 1932 some 43000 WWl veterans came to Washington, DC. They had been promised a bonus for their service but it was to be paid in 1945. They wanted that date to be changed to 1932. Economic conditions in the country had deteriorated so much that the veterans and their families were in desparate financial straits. They set up a shanty town and prepared to wait for Congress to act in their favor. It didn't happen. President Herbet Hoover ordered federal troops, headed by Douglas McArthur, to drive out the veterans which they did. The troops also set fire to the shanty town. A number of people were killed including two babies.

Change brings uncertainty.

A man had next door neighbors he never visited or spoke to. Yet, when they moved he found that the event made him very uncomfortable. Who would be his new neighbors? Would they be noisy? Would they keep up their property? Would they be black, white, tan, yellow or brown?

From the day we are born we constantly change in one way or another; physically, mentally or morally. We can each recount changes that have taken place in our lives; some minor some momentous; some positive and some negative. Graduations, marriage, having children, careers, financial ups and downs, death of a spouse or parent, illnesess, aging, confronting our own demise and many, many others.

Accelerating changes in technology can be disorienting. They may make us feel we are being left behind and adrift with nothing static that we can hold on to.

An elderly lady made her first airplane trip. Her granddaughter met her at the terminal and asked, "How was the trip, Granny?"

"It was alright I guess, but I didn't let my weight all the way down on the seat."

On what can we confidently let all our weight down? What is there that is permanent in an ever-changing world? What is there that merits our complete trust? What is there that we can hook our anchor to and know that it will never be cut loose?

It's not our bank account, stocks or bonds; it's not our position in society, confidence in other people or our own abilities; most of which can be wiped out or nullified in a moment. Thousands of Americans found that out just recently.

"For I am the Lord, I do not change." Malachi 6:8

"Therefore, whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock: and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it did not fall for it was founded on the rock." (Jesus) Matthew 7:24, 25

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Recipes

From time to time I will bring you personally tested recipes from our chef's kitchen. This first one is for the more adventuresome who are looking for new taste sensations.

Potato Chip Sandwich. That's right; potato chips.

2 slices bread of your choice

Real Pimento cheese. (As opposed to fake cheese)

Barbeque flavored potato chips (I use Lay's)

Thin sliced ham or turkey

Spread one slice of bread liberally with cheese

Place 2 layers of chips over cheese

Place meat over chips and cover with remaining slice of bread; press to crush chips

Bon Apetit!

Eat your heart out Julia Child

Joe Wilson and Acorn

2009-09-17T06:00:00.000-07:00

Joe Wilson's outburst against President Obama was disrespectful at best and indefensible at worst. It is more evidence that the culture in our country continues its march to the coarse and base. Okay, I'm old-fashioned, but I feel that regardless of party affiliation, no one should approve Mr. wilson's behavior toward the President. However, his fit of pique delighted his supporters so much they sent him $1 million for his campaign fund. It's been said that the state he represents, South Carolina, is "too small to be a country and too big to be an insane asylum.(*)"

Former president Jimmy Carter has waded into this controversy shooting from the hip as usual. Nobody invited his comments but that didn't stop him. Apparently he was able to read Mr. Wilson's mind and found that Mr. Wilson's remark was inspired by racism. Wilson's son gives a much more favorable view of his father's attitude toward race.

But, thank you, Mr. Carter for pouring gasoline on the fire and giving the demagogues more ammunition. His statement also helps to perpetuate the myth that all white people and only white people are racists. I think Mr. Carter is still trying to somehow make up for his disasterous presidency. This is not the best way.

To his credit, Mr. Wilson apologized saying, in effect, that stress caused him to lose control of his emotions. Really? The only member of Congress under stress?

I'll admit I don't know if Mr. Obama's health plan bill is good. bad or somewhere in between. To really be knowledgable, one would have to read the entire massive document. With all the usual fraud associated with any government program, earmarks and other special interest considerations it contains, the bill might be found to not be about health care at all! It might just be about shoveling money out of the treasury willy nilly. That would be a good joke, wouldn't it?

I understand that ridding Medicare of fraud and waste is supposed to help pay for the new program. My questions are: Why has that not been done already? If the goverment has known all along that fraud and waste are in the program, why has that been allowed to continue?

What do you think?

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You may know by now that a man and a woman, pretending to be interested in establishing a brothel, went to the Brooklyn ACORN office for help. A hidden camera recorded the interview and revealed that the workers were more than happy to oblige. They took them thru the process and also advised the pretenders how they could avoid paying income taxes on their brothel business. Is this the first time supported ACORN workers have advised someone how to circumvent laws and avoid taxes? ACORN's president says this episode does not represent the org's activities and purpose and that the staff members involved have been terminated. She says Fox news was behind the scam for the Republican party. Does that imply that what the ACORN staff members did would be OK otherwise?

This is not the first or most notorious scandal involving ACORN. Go to "Scandals at ACORN" on the internet to see how your tax dollars are loosely handed out. There are too many incidents to list here. Nevertheless, they continue to operate with impunity. Could it be that it is to the advantage of one political party?

It's interesting to note that this organization, with offices around the nation, has recieved millions of taxpayer money. The White House spokesman said he "assumed" that how such monies were spent was monitored by the federal agencies that granted them. Baloney. This is pork barrel money. ACORN claims to work for the empowerment of the poor, for immigrants and low to medium income working families of blacks and Latinos. And they get out the vote. For whom, they don't say. But, it doesn't take a genius IQ to figure it out. One only has to see which members of Congress support and protect ACORN. Start with Barney Frank.

Of course, working for the benefit of the poor, etc., for their voting rights, decent housing and health care is a worthwhile cause. I certainly don't resent public monies being spent on helping the helpless and disenfranchised if it is done properly and honestly.

Jesus' deep concern for the poor is very clear in the scriptures and some might see his purposes as being aligned with such orgs as ACORN. However, before that truly happens, ACORN will have to adjust their methods, tactics and agenda to be at a much higher moral and spiritual level. Their current mottos seems to be "The end justifies the means." and "It's none of your business how we spend your money." They don't cut it.
The GOP is trying to cut off funding to ACORN.

Locally, the Christian Information and Service Center and other volunteer aid organizations are ministering to anyone in need regardless of race, creed or color and without government help, political bias or scandal.

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(*) Kathleen Parker's column

2009-09-04T14:53:00.000-07:00

I re-read Lincoln's Gettysburg address recently. I freely admit my admiration for Mr. Lincoln and I often quote him. It is interesting that his address was only one of five delivered that day and was the shortest. He was not even the main speaker. That honor went to scholar Edward Everett, considered the greatest orator of his time. He delivered the longest speech. It lasted two hours.

The President's remarks received polite applause but very few in attendance or those who read an account later in the newspapers had the least idea his short, concise speech would one day be considered the masterpiece it is while the other four speeches would soon be forgotten. As for Lincoln, he thought his address had been a failure and lamented so to an aide.

Consider the last part of the address in light of today's events in our nation:

----"that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain; that this nation , under God, shall have a new birth of freedom; and the government of the people, by the people and for the people shall not perish from the earth."

Of, by, and for, the people. Hmm. I wonder what Mr. Lincoln would think of our government today? It's beginning to look more like government of, by, and for, the government.

Mr. Lincoln also had this to say: "America will never be destroyed from the outside. If we falter and lose our freedoms it will be because we destroyed ourselves."

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From: Sun Tzu "Art of War"

"If you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles. If you know yourself but do not know the enemy, for every victory you gain you will lose a battle."

"There is no instance of a country benefiting from prolonged warfare."

The day it was announced that the U.S. had invaded Iraq after 9/11, I said that it would prove to be a terrible mistake. I was put down as unpatriotic and out of touch with the realties of the dangers our country faced. I am no prophet but just from the history of Iraq with its hundreds of years of religious and tribal divisions, it should have been apparent to anyone that democracy and/or occupation by a foreign power were not going to be accepted. The Shiites and the Sunnis have been at odds ever since Muhammad died (about 632 AD) and will continue their division for hundreds of more years. The first rule of war is: Know your enemy. Apparently this sensible rule was either not considered or was brushed aside.

So far this gross error in judgment has cost 4327 American dead, 31,483 wounded, untold numbers of veterans returning home with psychological problems, families suffering from the loss of sons, daughters, husbands and wives and billions of dollars for which the public will never get a full accounting. Billions that could have been used at home and abroad for schools, food, infrastructure and hundreds of other worthwhile projects. Add the loss of stature for The U.S. around the world and the bill is staggering. That's some but not all on the debit side.

So, for the suffering and misery,waste and human loss what has been gained?

If you know of anything, please let me know. But, for my part, I can't see a single positive thing has been accomplished.

Afghanistan? More of the same. In addition, military power has been trumped by tenacity and terrain.

Again the first rule of war was ignored and so far the results prove it.

In 1919, after 3 Anglo-Afghan wars, Afghanistan won its independence from England. In one of those wars an entire British army group, except for one survivor, was slaughtered by the Afghans. Ask the Russians what it's like to fight in that country.

It may be politically naive of me to suggest it but I believe the U.S. should immediately withdraw from Iraq and Afghanistan unless Mr. Obama can lay out in simple, honest terms exactly why it is absolutely necessary for our troops to remain. So far, in two administrations, we have been fed nothing but pap.

My security does not depend on wordly might. Zechariah 4:6: "Not by might, nor by power but by my Spirit says the Lord Almighty."

This and That

2009-09-03T09:00:00.000-07:00

A

When he was a child, a friend of mine attended a country church. He said whenever someone joined the church on profession of faith a member, a little old lady, would literally dance down the aisle. I wish I could have been there.

Jesus said, "There is more joy in heaven over one lost sinner which repents than in 99 just persons which need no repentance." The dear lady in the small church was reflecting the joy resounding in heaven. Joy in the Lord is not often expressed so exuberantly as in dancing but it is nothing new.

See 2Samuel 6:16, in part: "---Michal, Saul's daughter, watched from a window and saw King David leaping and dancing before the Lord---") Michal was filled with contempt for David, not because he was leaping and dancing but because she did not share his love of God.

Personally, I have no objection if church members hang from the rafters, run, leap, dance, shout or do hand springs, if their actions are truly motivated by joy in the Lord. That's a big if. How would I evaluate? Spiritual things are spiritually discerned.

I've been present at a many joyful worship services in various places. They take place every Sunday in our contemporary service. Others have been in prisons where I was sometimes privileged to speak. Another was in a barn with 50 or so other believers, singing in the Spirit. Some were during lay-led weekend programs; others were in homes, halls, churches, hotel ballrooms, stadiums, etc. and not limited to Sunday. The setting doesn't matter either. "Where two or three are gathered in My name there I am in the midst of them."

B

In 2007 a pastor was invited to speak to a group of war veterans in an east coast city. During his sermon he noticed a man standing in the back of the room, leaning against the wall with his arms folded. The attitude of his posture seemed to say, "Convince me if you think you can!"

After the service the pastor approached the man who said, "OK, preacher. You got me."

"What does that mean?" the pastor asked

"It means I'm tired of hating and I want Jesus in my life." Then the man said, "Hold out your hand."

The pastor did as he was requested and the man dropped a crudely-made bracelet in his hand. It appeared to be bits of ivory strung together. "What's this?"asked the pastor.

"Teeth," the man answered. "The teeth of men I killed in Vietnam. They killed my buddies and I killed them."

The Vietnam war had been over for nearly 40 years and for all that time this man had been carrying a burden of intense hatred. Now, under the prompting of the Holy Spirit, he was ready to surrender it to Jesus. He was finally convinced that there was only one cure for the corrosive effects of hate.

"Come to me all of you who labor and are carrying a heavy load of stuff and I'll give you rest."

Jesus is the garbage man. "Give me the garbage in your life in your life and I'll give you peace and rest for your soul."

P.S. From the sublime to the ridiculous:

In 1916, then President Howard Taft, et al, eased the income tax into law. Not to worry, soothed the Prez; the tax would be applied only to those who earned the stratospheric incomes of the Rich. At that, the tax would be only 1% for those earning $250,000 (sound familiar?) in today's dollars and topping out at 7% for the fortunate few making $6 million.

In 2006 there were 136 million tax returns. Out of that figure 43.4 million returns had no tax liability. Add to that 15 million households and individuals who did not file tax returns. None. Zip. Nada. So, 41%, or about 121 million, of U.S. citizens don't have to worry about taxes. That leaves 59% of us to pay the bills
This is not a rant against those who don't pay taxes. It's about the unreliability of government promises and leads to the question of how the programs proposed by Mr. Obama are going to be paid for. As resourceful as he may appear, he cannot repeal or override the laws of economics. His promise that there would be no new taxes is pure fairy dust.

One of these days our banker, China, may cash in all their chips (U.S. government bonds) and the American dollar will be worth less than toilet paper.

PPS I am indebted to Walter Williams column for the figures quoted above. He in turn credited a Washington firm: Tax Foundation

Sock It To Me

2009-08-26T14:08:00.000-07:00

A church in a small town near here discovered a family that had one pair of socks for their three children. The children took turns wearing the socks to school. The church immediately remedied the situation with a plentiful supply of new socks and then began a program to insure that all school children in their town also have adequate socks.

This will not make the front page, nor should it. Jesus said, "When you do your good works, do not let your right hand know what your left hand is doing. Your Father, who sees in secret will reward you openly."

Like most of Jesus' teaching this is contrary to human nature. We want the acclaim of others. Even if we should do some good work in secret, don't we secretly hope we will be found out? But Jesus knew that our pride in being recognized by our fellows cannot begin to compare to the joy of God's reward. Man's recognition brings ego inflation but like some drugs the effects are short-lived whereas God's commendation brings lasting and satisfying joy.

If you have plenty of socks, give thanks to God. And be reminded that there are those of our brothers and sisters who lack most of the things we take for granted. In our community more than 75% of children are on the school lunch plan. For some this is the only decent daily meal they get.

Isn't there something askew in the scheme of things? Hundreds of billions of tax payer dollars have been used to bail out the financial industry while also allowing a small segment of our population to continue to enjoy their lavish life style. In the meantime, children are going hungry and families are going without the basic necessities. I know: I know. The bail-out was necessary to keep the economy from going into the tank. It was necessary even if all of the money can't be accounted for due to lax oversight, waste, fraud and corruption.

The poor are trundled out onstage when they serve a political purpose and quickly abandoned
until the next time they can be useful. Unfortunately we cannot depend on government 'one size fits all' programs to completely solve the poverty situation, no matter how well intended. It's not a matter of cynicism to point out that Congress and bureaucrats are disconnected from the street-level realities of life.

So; what? Do I just moan and complain? Do I only point out the obvious difficulties, go on about my business and tell the poor to suck it up and do the best they can? Not if I claim to be a follower of Christ. His concern for the poor is obvious in what he said and in his ministry to them. I believe Jesus has called on us to live modestly and to share out of what has been given to us.

Think about it when you pull your socks on in the morning.

84 and Still Learning

2009-08-19T07:00:00.000-07:00

Another birthday has rolled around and I am now 84. If you would like to know how it feels to be old----you'll have to ask some one else. Of course I realize I'm not 18 anymore. I don't pretend to be nor would I like to be. If I were, I wouldn't make the same mistakes but I'm sure I'd make all new ones. Once around is enough.

I am not in denial about my age, I just don't concentrate on it. I take the days as they come and decide what is ,and is not, important. We all have just so much energy and it shouldn't be wasted on things like anger and regrets, envy and worry. All of these are useful to Satan to mess up our lives. Jesus spoke about how we can overcome these negative emotions and reactions by completely relying on Him.

Anger consumes huge amounts of energy and adversely affects our health. There are few things in life worth our anger. There is a difference between anger and irritation. I aadmit there are people whose habits grate on my nerves. I try not to be one of them. But when I am with a person who I find irritating I try to remember how irritating I must be to God because of my many faults. It makes it much easier to abide the other person's company.
When confronted with the temptation of becoming angry, think: Is this worth what it is going to cost me in terms of my health? Will I escalate danger to myself or others? Will I alienate some person or group?

Actually, these and myriad other questions should already have been answered long before situations arise so we only have to ask ourselves, "Is it worth it?" The answer is usually a resounding NO. Yes, Jesus got angry on ocassion but study the situations and see what brought on his righteous anger

The aftermath of anger is mostly taken up with regrets about our actions. Regrets are useful only if we learn from them, repent of our mistakes and then move on. If we set up camp among regrets we will find they are distasteful companions and it will turn out to be a miserable existence. Unfortunately, too many hold onto and mourn over regrets for a lifetime

Worry is a killer. It kills joy, wastes time and inhibits positive production in our lives. Worry conjures up worst case scenarios. The more we worry the worse become the scenarios until it seems screenwriters for Hokeywood horror films must worry a lot. When I am tempted to worry, I think, "Is there something I can do to remedy this situation right now?" If the answer is Yes, I do what needs to be done. If the answer is No, I put it out of my mind. If it later turns out to be something I can still do nothing about, I give it to God. If someone tells me they are worrying about something I ask, "If it helps, please tell me." It never has because worrying has never changed any situation.

Our first defense is faith in Christ; faith that says, "No matter what happens, Christ will be with us." We put our faith in action with prayer. Very useful is a positive attitude which includes a sense of humor. It keeps us from taking ourselves too seriously.

Although Christ has laid out all of this in his Word, it has taken me many years to realize its practicality and to absorb what I've written above. I would like to say I've followed and enjoyed the benefits of these principles 100%. I have not because of my own faults (stupidity). However, I can say when I have followed these principles I find they work 100% of the time and usually in unexpected ways.

Try them for a day and really put them in practice. Then a few more days. Then a week, then: always. Don't wait til you're 84, although that's not too late to start.

Futurama

2009-08-13T07:53:00.000-07:00

One of the current rumors circulating about the Health Care Bill centers around a supposed provision of so-called "death panels," made up of medical and (maybe) ethical experts who would decide if a person who they deem too old, ill or injured should continue to receive health services. Such a provision does not exist.

Among aborgines this practice, in some form, has existed for centuries as practical and necessary. When members of a tribe could no longer provide for themselves they were sent off into the jungle, desert or into the frozen wasteland to die. There was simply no back-up plan.
Will we someday come full circle?

In my opinion our country is still 25 to 50 years away from from government-paid voluntary euthanasia followed in a few years by mandatory euthanasia. It may happen sooner. Far-fetched?
In countries like England, Canada, Sweden, etc. where some health care is rationed, people die waiting for the treatment they need. It's not called euthanasia but the effect is the same.

The U.S. has a chronic shortage of general practice doctors and nurses. Med school grads are opting for high-paying specialties. Those who do enter GP shun rural areas for monetary reasons. In order to get more GPs in rural areas the govt. will have to supplement their income.

We have before us a health bill put together by a sausage-making Congress, the AMA, pharma companies, medical equipt. manufacturers, unions and who knows who else, none of whom wants their ox to be gored. A bill was introduced that would would have required all members of the House to sign a statement that they had read the entire health bill. Are you surprised to learn that this bill was soundly defeated ?

Another bill would have required all members of Congress to sign up for their health insurance under the new health bill. Again, soundly defeated. Not good enough for Congress but O.K. for Mr. And Mrs. Tax Payer! Is this not the epitome of arrogance and disregard for their constituents?

I correctly predicted the implosion of the Republicans in the last election. I'm not ready to count the Democrats out but they are hell-bent on the same path. They seem to have no regard for the people they are sworn to represent. They have their agenda and bygod nobody is going to change it. This is not the "change" the electorate so passionately yearned for.

Are you listening, Mr. President?

Be Prepared

2009-08-05T15:12:00.000-07:00

Long ago I read of a land where the inhabitants made pancakes so thin they only had one side. That's skinny. It would be like a picture of a pancake projected on a cloud with the appearance of a pancake but without the substance. When a strong wind came along it would be revealed for what it is.

So it is with life. To some degree, all of us are hiding behind a facade. Maybe, when things are going well, we project an image of strength; of "having it all together." Regardless of our image, crises will ultimately reveal who we really are. What has been, or will be, our reaction to bad news; to emergency situations; to temptation; to our doctor's determination that our death is imminent? Will our relationship to Christ prove to be real? Will the "peace that passes understanding" well up or will panic and dispair overwhelm us? Can we say with Paul,"To live is Christ; to die is gain" and mean it?

If we knew that a violent storm was headed toward us and certain to strike us there is little doubt that we would prepare to withstand it. It would be foolish to say,"I'm too busy now. I'll deal with it later." We shall all certainly face spiritual storms. There is no escape. Doesn't it make sense to prepare ourselves spiritually now instead of when the storm is at our doorstep?

In Spirit and in Truth

2009-07-29T09:00:00.000-07:00

"Pilate said to him (Jesus), What is truth?" John 8:38 New KJV

Jesus said to him (Thomas), "I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." John 14:6 New KJV

"God is Spirit and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and in truth." John 4:24 New KJV

"But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him." Hebrews 11:6 New KJV

Weren't the Jews worshipping God properly? They were dutifully following the Mosaic law with all its rituals and sacrifices. The Temple and the law were central to their daily lives. The Sabbath was kept holy and anyone caught doing something on that day that could be interpreted as work was severely punished. The Pharisees were tithing right down to 10% of the produce in their herb gardens. A non-Jewish observer would surely be impressed with the Jews religiosity and dedication.

Yet Jesus saw their worship as hollow. The Jews failed to recognize him as the messiah they claim they were expecting. They didn't realize that it was necessary for them to accept Jesus as the Christ before they would be acceptable to God. Only then would their worship be real.

Jesus knew that there was far more interest among the Jews in following rules and in tradition and ritualistic displays than in things of the spirit. Could there be a message in that for us? Of course. Jesus' words are eternal. Taking part in the familiar rituals and order of worship; being in church at a certain hour; sitting in the same pew year after year; all may be comforting and enable us to leave the service feeling we have done our duty and filled with the warm fuzzies.

A church service is not to be measured by what we got out of it but rather by what we have given. In other words, it is not about us. It is about God. Unless our worship is based on the truth of who Christ is (as related to Thomas), and the help of the Holy Spirit we might as well be at a lecture on how to be good. Our worship is to be spiritual and real. Is it? Everyone must answer that question for themselves.

What's the Motivation?

2009-07-23T09:00:00.000-07:00

Have you ever heard the expression,"No good deed goes unpunished?" It's attributed to Oscar Wilde. It seems like a contradiction in terms until you factor in human nature.

A young woman was asked who she thought originated the expression. She replied,"I don't know but I know it's true. Every time I do a good deed for someone I get a parking ticket. I finally figured out I can't afford to do good deeds."

My wife, LaNell, (who never met a volunteer job she didn't like) was asked by our associate pastor to raise funds for, and to help administer, a prayer pager ministry in our church. People who are in the hospital or ill at home, upon request, are provided a prayer pager that alerts them that someone is praying for them. The ministry has been a source of comfort to many, knowing that they are being remembered in prayer.

A worthwhile, meaningful and spiritually-rewarding ministry. The 'punishment', (to complete Wilde's aphorism) has come in the form of some undeserved criticism and complaints. This has not dissuaded LaNell in the least and she has no intention of giving up her part of the ministry.

With the best of intentions, a young and inexperienced minister decided to publish, in the church newsletter, the names of all members of his congregation who helped in the church vacation bible school. Alas, the name of one woman had been mistakenly omitted. The woman wrote the minister and let him know she was severely offended because she had supplied Kool Aid for the bible school and her name was not included in the newsletter.

Mother Teresa is known world-wide for her charity. She and her nuns worked with the disenfranchised, those in the deepest poverty and at the extreme edges of society; the sick, the dying and the dead whom they gathered up off the streets of Calcutta; those that no other group or individual would touch. Yet her motives were sometimes questioned and she and her organization had to endure much critisism from individuals and government entities. Her response? "No matter who says what, you should accept it with a smile and do your own work."

If we are going to do a good deed for others it best to do it out of heart-felt desire to serve God and without thought of reward or recognition. Otherwise, there will be nothing but hurt feelings and disappointment. Are we willing to be overlooked when we "furnish Kool Aid" and not expect to see our name in print or get a round of applause?

If the "parking fines" begin to add up will we press on?

If we are hit with undeserved criticism and complaints are we willing to "accept, smile and do our own work?"

Jesus said,"Take heed that you do not do your charitable deeds before men, to be seen by them. Otherwise, you have no reward from your Father in heaven. Therefore, when you do a charitable deed, do not sound a trumpet before you as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory of men. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward.

But, when you do a charitable deed, do not not let your left hand know what you right hand is doing, that your charitable deed may be done in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will Himself reward you openly." Matthew 6:1-4 New KJV

Determination

2009-07-16T08:05:00.000-07:00

"But this I am resolved on: to run when I can, to walk when I cannot run, to crawl when I cannot walk. My mind is beyond the river where there is no bridge." Pilgrim's Progress, Sixth Stage

"I walk slowly, but I do not walk back." Abraham Lincoln concerning his resolve to uphold the Emancipation Proclamati0n.

As the time drew near for his return to heaven, he (Jesus) moved steadily onward toward Jerusalem with an iron will. Luke 9:51 Life Application Bible

These are stirring words. Contrast them with this story:

Before retiring one evening, a man told his wife he planned to start walking for exercise the next morning before dawn. When the wife awoke after sunrise, her husband was still asleep.

She shook him awake and asked,"Why aren't you walking?"

He replied,"I wanted to but my toes voted against me ten to one."

The Pilgrim; Lincoln; Jesus. They had different goals but they had one essential thing in common: Rock-solid Determination to reach their goal. Their destination was always before them and, no matter what, they refused to let obstacles deter them. They would not settle for half a loaf. Jesus was Son of Man as well as Son of God and the temptations to quit the journey or take the easy way must have presented themselves to him. But he knew that whatever hardships he might go through, the reward would make it all worthwhile.
".....looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame and has set down at the right hand of the throne of God." Hebrews 12:2, The New KJV

Occasionally my wife will tell me I am a 'godly man' or a 'good man.' Each time the compliments literally make me cringe and I firmly tell her I am neither godly nor good. I remind her that Jesus said, "There is none good but God." I am much more like the man who let his toes tell him what he could do.

The truth is, I struggle every day to keep my eyes on Jesus. My faith is weak. But I have learned not to have faith in my faith but to have faith in Christ's faith. I believe my struggles are in common with all who have set their foot on the path to follow Jesus. It is a sign both that we are never going to quit and of our unchanging confidence that Jesus is our Savior.

In our determined walk with Jesus we may walk slowly, but we do not walk back.

Where Some Seeds Fell

2009-07-09T08:36:00.000-07:00

"....some fell by the wayside.....some fell on rock...some fell among thorns...others fell on good ground." Lk 8:4-15

Thirty years ago or so, I'd heard that a fellow architect from a distant town had joyfully accepted Christ about a year previously. When I saw him at a meeting I asked, "How are you and Jesus getting along?" Very gruffly he replied, "I don't have time for that Mickey Mouse stuff!" I was taken aback by his reply but I said, "Someday you will have time." He turned his back on me and walked away.

What had happened? Had someone mocked his new found faith? Did he have second thoughts after the initial enthusiasm wore off? In any case the seed had fallen on a rock. It sprang up and it withered away.

A young man in our Sunday school class usually voiced a number of questions in each session. I invited him to lunch so we could talk one on one. He met each of the answers to his questions with, "Yes; but..." Throughout our conversation he resisted the gospel message with the same retort. In his profession and in his thinking only what he regarded as scientific facts were believeable. 1Cor. 2:14 "But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him. nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned."
This young man trampled down the seed. The Spirit could not overcome his intellectual defenses.

Our office was housed in the corporate headquarters building of a chain of discount stores. I knew the president of the corporation (I'll call him 'Bob') only because we attended the same church. One evening we were leaving the building at the same time and I was impressed to invite Bob to a Bible study in my home. He thanked me and said he would ask his wife. (As I write this I am filled again with awe at the workings of the Holy Spirit) His wife (I'll call her 'Ann') said later, "I don't know why I agreed to go to the Bible study. At the time, I was interested only in golf, bridge and cocktails at the country club."

Bob and Ann decided to attend the study. Their knowledge of the bible was sketchy at best but they absorbed the Word quickly. When they heard the message of salvation they eagerly accepted Christ. Their lives changed completely. Eventually Bob was ordained and led hundreds to Christ through a prison ministry.

The seed fell on good ground "and yielded a crop a hundredfold."

All praise, glory and honor to our Father, God and his only Son, Jesus

Idols

2009-06-30T07:01:00.000-07:00

It's interesting to see what events can occupy the attention of the general public for more than a few days

Currently, that attention is riveted on the death of Michael Jackson. The cup of the news media is filled to overflowing with copy concerning every detail of his life and death that can be uncovered and then churned endlessly on tv. Farrah Fawcett Majors had the misfortune to die at about the same time as Mr. Jackson and lost any chance of being front page news. Not that she cares.

I'm not qualified to either praise or or decry the life of Mr. Jackson. He may have been a kind, generous and decent man who only wanted to do good for others. I hope so. I know very little about him except that he was a mortal just like the rest of us. No amount of fame, money, power or influence can make any of us immune to physical death and, as often happens, at a very inconvenient time. No sermon necessary here. If one subscribes to the "Eat, drink and be merry, for tomorrow we die" philosophy the sermon would be ignored. If one is "in Christ," the matter is already settled.

What prompts the huge outpouring of grief at the passing of celebrities? What motivates Elvis fans to make annual 'pilgrimages' to Graceland where they burn candles and offer flower tributes to the "King?" Similar pilgrimages to Neverland are a certainty as soon as they can be arranged. I'm not criticizing the fans of Jackson or Elvis. It's none of my business what people decide to do with their time, money, energy and emotions. Apparently, adoration of these celebrities fills some need in the lives of their admirers. Any character defects in their idols are completely overlooked and/or forgiven. Considered larger than life they are not constrained by ordinary standards that apply to the rest of us. They are called 'idols' for a reason. For many, they will be remembered and looked upon with reverence usually reserved for Saints.

The exploitation of Elvis' name and fame is a clear indication of what lies ahead for the fame and name of Mr. Jackson. Already the vultures are circling. Some have landed. Various individuals and groups will vy for the spoils. Hangers-on will scramble for the crumbs. Publicity-lusting 'reverends' have worked the situation for all they can get. (The latest news is that a will has been located and all of M.J.'s assets are to go into a foundation. Bravo!) Previously, an estate attorney said that establishing who will control Jackson's estate will be "very messy." Wills can be contested. But it's obvious that whoever ends up with control will be operating a money machine.

R.I.P., Michael.

Afterthoughts:

In an interview, John Lennon of the Beatles, flush with new-found fame, declared, " Christianity will go. It will vanish and shrink. We're more popular than Jesus now." He went on to say that Jesus was all right but his disciples were 'thick' and they ruined it (Christianity) for him. He wasn't sure whether rock and roll or Christianity would go first. As it turned out, Lennon went first.

His remarks were off the cuff and he probably didn't mean to insult Christianity. There is a word of caution in what Lennon said in that as current disciples of Jesus we must be very careful not to "ruin" Christianity for others.

Curiosities:

Even 'idols' have idols. Elvis' idol was WWll General Douglas McArthur

Elvis volunteered to be an FBI agent

What Does the Bible Say?

2009-06-20T10:16:00.000-07:00

Some Christians, from the lofty seats of (self-assumed) perfection, will point out that the Bible says that certain sinners are doomed to go to hell. Perhaps the accusers even get a bit of satisfaction from the prospect. Yes, it's true; the Bible does have abundant warnings about the consequences of sin, but it has much more to say about the grace of God.

Adultery is a sin. Yet, though David committed adultery and then schemed the death of the unfortunate husband, David was said to be a man after God's own heart. Jesus did not condemn the woman caught in the act of adultery. Killing is a sin. But Paul, before his encounter with Jesus, caused the death of many Christians. Stealing is a sin. Yet, on the cross Jesus promised a thief he would join Jesus in Paradise that very day.

What's going on here? This can be very perplexing. Do these events imply that God allows sin if it's for a good cause? No way. God does not gloss over sin nor does he excuse it. David repented, was forgiven but he suffered the effects of his sin. In the Old Testament days faith in God was counted as righteousness. In spite of his faults, David was a man of faith.

In the crowds that Jesus preached to and the individuals he healed, were there not those who were sinners of every stripe? Of course there were. Yet, he did not call out individuals or groups and say to them, "You go home. My message of salvation is not for you. I don't approve of your lifestyle so get out of my sight. Salvation is only for certain people and you're not among them." No, thank God, he didn't say that. Instead he said,"For the Son of Man did not come to destroy men's lives, but to save them." (Luke 9:56)

Paul had much to say about sexual sin: Romans 1:26-27; 1Cor. 6:9, 1Tim. 1:10. Does this mean the church should wage war against homosexuals? Does it mean that these men and women are forever outside the grace and love of God? That is not the kind of God revealed to me in Christ. Without dismissing God's word or giving approval to their lifestyle we are called to love our neighbors.
During an argument early in our marriage, my first wife told me," I love you but I don't like you." I was baffled by her statement. How was it possible to love someone without liking them? It was not until I became a Christian years later that I fully understood what she was saying.
It's been said that Jesus came to save the least, the lost and the losers. I believe that at the time Jesus saved me I fit into each of those categories. Remembering how much God has forgiven in my life I am not willing that the joy of salvation be denied to anyone.

This is an emotionally-charged subject. I have been present when the subject of homosexuality was brought up and Christian friends all but frothed at the mouth in anger. I don't expect my viewpoint to be popular and I may lose some of the few readers of this blog. So be it. There is a saying,"Beware when all men think well of you."

Suggested reading: "20 Hot Potatoes Christians Are Afraid To Touch" by Tony Campolo

Curiosities
Ghandi used what he learned in Chapters 5-7 of Matthew for his non-violent response to the oppressive British rule of India.

Prince Charles of England has a valet to squeeze toothpaste on the prince's toothbrush.

Congress is not supposed to be involved in the management of GM (Government Motors ?). GM had scheduled one of their parts plants to shut down. This plant is in Congessman Barney Frank's state. He personally countermanded GM's order and the plant is to remain open for another 14 months. GM could become like Amtrak which Congress apparently treats like their personal toy train set. Now they have a car company to meddle with.

Congress recently (and very quietly) voted itself additional money for staff and office expenses.

What Does the Bible Say?

2009-06-15T12:21:00.000-07:00

It is interesting to see what brings out indignation and /or "righteous anger" in some Christians. I don't doubt their sincerity or devotion to God. It just seems that the same energy and enthusiasm would be better used to demonstrate the love of God.

Every now and then, we read that the Ten Commandments, carved in stone, cast in metal or otherwise displayed, are removed from some courthouse or other government building. Inevitably a hue and cry of objection is raised by a preacher or group of Christians who noisily gather at the site and grimly predict that the action will surely be the ruination of our country. Not.

For one thing, I would wager that most people of the community were not aware the Commandments were in the courthouse until they found that they were to be removed. Secondly, how many children or unbelievers or others do you suppose were actually influenced by the displayed silent scriptures?

More importantly, the government at any level is not and should not be engaged in the promotion of any religion. That is constitutionally decreed (First Amendment). It is unwise for Christians to rise against that in protest. They mistakenly assume that, if the amendment is abolished, the government would favor Christianity. But, adherents to other religions: Muslims, Bhuddists, Hindus, etc., would demand their rights to promote their beliefs.

What does the Bible say about where the Ten Commandments are to be placed?
"But this is the covenant I will make with the house of Israel: After those days , says the Lord, I will put My law in their in their minds, and I will write it on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they will be My people." Christians are included.

Next on the list (not necessarily in order of importance) of hackle-raising complaints is the subject of prayer in school. I've heard that the downward spiral of morals in our country began, "when God ( i.e. prayer) was taken out of our schools." Prayer in school is not expressly forbidden by the constitution. Mandatory prayers provided by the school administration or teachers are forbidden because that is viewed by the courts as being contrary to the first amendment. Various groups of Catholics, Mormons, Baptists, people of other faiths and athiests have all objected to prayer in school.
Within limitations, students may pray aloud in school. Nothing can prevent them from praying silently. God cannot be taken out of the schools or anyplace else. He is omnipresent and soveriegn.

My Journey to the Son Part 7

2009-06-11T09:00:00.000-07:00

NOTE: I have not included all the events and details in "My Journey" and will not in the remaining segments because I want to get on to other subjects. If you would like a free copy of the complete account please request one at: alexos78@suddenlink.net

I have no doubt who saved me. It was Jesus. Church membership couldn't; the preacher couldn't; the denomination couldn't; my parents couldn't; my bloodline couldn't; my good works couldn't and my (futile) attempts to obey the Ten Commandments couldn't. Only Jesus could and did. The idea that church membership and/or being a good person makes one a Christian is a deception of the Devil. "I am the way, the truth and the life," Jesus said, " no man comes unto the Father, but by me." John 14:6. That's it. Period. And it is plain enough. There's no back door; no wiggle room; no substitute; no detour around it and no alternate route. There is no other way to God.

It sounds nobly tolerant to say there are many ways to get to God and that one faith is as valid as another. But people who say such things are actually saying they don't believe in anything. Peter said, "And there is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men by which we must be saved" Acts 4:12. Nothing else and no one else but Jesus and only Jesus can make us right with God. If anyone disagrees, I would say to them: tell Jesus. Tell God. Tell the Holy Spirit. Just don't bother telling me because I will never change my mind. This n0t how I verbally witness to non-believers. Standing on this Rock is done inwardly in my spirit. My unshakable faith in Christ is not an excuse for me to back someone in a corner, get nose to nose and bludgeon them with scripture and threats of damnation. Nor do -I have the right to believe or to act like I am spiritually superior to anyone or to have a "holier than thou" attitude. One of the major characteristics of Jesus was his humility. Shouldn't it be one of ours?
It took me awhile to understand that if I was to witness effectively, my own enthusiasm and powers of persuasion were not enough; that people are not argued or frightened into the Kingdom; that there must be evidence of the fruit of the Spirit in my life and that the Holy Spirit is the one who convicts and convinces people of their need for Christ.

It was the Spirit's revelation of God's love for me that caused the Sonrise in my soul.
"The Lord came to us from far away, saying "I have loved you with a love that lasts forever. So I have helped you come to me with loving-kindness." Jeremaiah 31:3

My wife and I didn't know all this when we resumed our daily routines on the Monday morning after the Lay Witness weekend. We only knew we had been changed. Now it was time to show it in our lives, beginning with our three children all of whom were still at home. Before they left for school I said, "I want to pray for you." Their expressions seem to say, What happened to you, Dad?

My Journey to the Son Part 6

2009-06-02T15:18:00.000-07:00

Following the testimonies, the crowd divided into small groups. The 8 or 9 people in my group adjourned to a classroom and sat in a circle with a discussion leader. Even though, with the exception of the leader, the others present were people I knew, I felt out of place,...an outsider. In contrast to my discomfort the others were smiling and apparently at ease. The leader opened with prayer and a sense of panic crept over me. Here's something I hadn't considered. Suppose, I wondered, I'm called on to pray? What will I say? It would be hard to explain but maybe it would be less embarrassing if I left right now. I stayed, seemingly glued to the cold metal chair, my stomach muscles rigid in anticipation of disaster. I felt trapped and paralyzed. The leader explained how the session would proceed. No one would be singled out to pray or to answer any question proposed. Inwardly, I sighed with relief.

The rest of what transpired in that classroom is mostly a blur in my memory. Except for the end of the session. The leader said , "Let's stand for prayer." We stood. "Now," she said, "Hold hands with the persons next to you." Yech! I was standing between two men. At the time, the thought of holding hands with men made me very uneasy. But, if that's what it took to finally get out of the situation I'd do it. Reluctantly, I did as instructed and survived the hand-holding. Our group dispersed and I left with a whirlwind of emotions and thoughts roaring in my mind.

One night, a few months before the mission weekend, after all my family had retired, I went outdoors and looked up into the night sky. "God," I implored, "if you are real, where are you?" I listened. No answer. Hmm. Maybe God only talked to people good enough to talk to him. Maybe there was some churchy thing I had to do first; some ritual to perform. Maybe I needed to get my act cleaned up. Just wanting to talk to him didn't seem to be enough. I continued to listen but only the crickets answered. Or so I thought. Dejected, I trudged back into the house and to a night of fitful sleep.

We cannot begin to comprehend how much God loves us; how much he wants to "gather us under his wings like a hen gathers her chicks." I knew nothing about his grace. At that moment I had no inkling that God had already set events in motion that would bring me and my wife under his wings. "Whoever calls on the name of the Lord will be saved."

During the night something stirred and awakened in me. The next morning I no longer felt threatened by anything that might happen in the rest of the meetings. With each of the remaining meetings I felt peace expanding in me. It looks like this could be what I've been searching for. These laymen have simplified things and concepts that I've puzzled over for years. They said that Christ loves me just the way I am. He knows my name; knows where I live and that he died for me.

On Sunday morning my wife and I walked the aisle and knelt at the altar rail. I had not cried since I was a little boy but, as I knelt, tears of joy began to wash away years of pent up anger, resentment and doubts. Whom the Son sets free is free indeed.

Next week: Life changes

Agape to all,
Floyd

My Journey to the Son Part 5

2009-05-28T08:48:00.000-07:00

My wife and I had arrived at our commitment to Christ through the work of the Holy Spirit even though we knew very little about Him. We had read the name of the Holy Spirit many times in the Communion service and said many times in reciting the Apostle's Creed that we believed in Him. But we hadn't a clue about who the Holy Spirit is. Third Person of the Trinity....right? Or something like that. That was the sum of our knowledge.

We were like the disciples Paul encountered at Ephesus. When he asked them, "Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?" They answered, "No. We don't know what you mean. We haven't even heard there is a Holy Spirit." (Remember that incident. I'll refer to it again in later blogs.) There are many in the church today who might respond to Paul's question in a similar way.

Our ignorance did not prevent the Spirit from operating in the team of lay people who came to our church the fateful weekend that would totally change our lives. I had no intention of attending that weekend event. But something happened that some might consider coincidence. My brother, Dick, called to say he and his wife Delia, would be coming from Houston as members of the team. As a matter of courtesy, I invited them to stay in our home. When they arrived I agreed to go to the first session on Friday night and then planned to find some excuse to skip the rest of the meetings.

On Friday night my brother and his wife had to go early for a team meeting and Nita and I rode along with them. There were three or four people present when we entered the fellowship hall but my gaze was drawn to one person, a stranger, seated at the far end of the hall. When he saw us, he grinned, leaped from his chair and quickly walked.....almost ran....to where I stood. He grabbed my hand, pumped it vigorously and, with great enthusiasm, said, "God loves you and I love you too!"
I was shocked and repulsed.. What could make a supposedly sane person act in such a bizarre way? How weird, I thought. He loves me? Ridiculous. He doesn't even know me. After he released his his grip my first reaction was to go back to the safety of my home before this 'fanatic' had a chance to hug me or do something equally repugnant and embarrassing. But, I didn't leave. Thank God.

After the crowd arrived the session began with dinner. Following dinner visiting team members were called on to each bring a short testimony. One of those was my brother. Coincidence again? I thought I knew all about my brother but as he spoke I could see something new in him as he related how Christ had changed his life. Those that followed my brother also testified about the difference Christ had made in them. Although still a bit skeptical, how could I disagree with them? I didn't have a spiritual leg to stand on. In spite of lingering resistance, I found myself becoming more and more interested in what they had to say.

Hmm, I thought. Maybe there's something to this after all. Think I'll stick around.

My Journey to the Son Part 4

2009-05-18T16:18:00.000-07:00

ERRATA NOTE
(I had a visit last week with a friend who had been in the couple's class I taught years ago. In going over times and dates with him I realized I had made an error. It was actually 12 years between our arrival in Lufkin and my invitation to start the new class.; not a year or 18 months.)

PART 4

"I am like a pelican in the wilderness: I am like an owl in the desert. I watch, and am as sparrow alone upon the housetop." Psalm 102:6

The psalmist's description of feeling lost and alone could have been my lament in 1969. In the 12 years before I started teaching, I and my family attended Sunday school and church regularly but the best I can say for my spiritual growth is that it was minimal. However, I gave a very good impression of looking and walking like a Christian and could, when pressed, talk like a Christian. But I was a grade A phony; a cardboard Christian. I was a pew potato; a pew warmer.

I was like the psalmist's pelican: spiritually distant from where I should have been; an owl in the desert, nesting in the ruins of my existence. I was sitting beside the lonely sparrow, watching but not seeing, listening but not hearing.

Recently, one Sunday in church, My wife and I sat behind a young couple and their two children. They were in my direct line of sight to the pulpit so I couldn't miss what happened. During the sermon the wife slowly turned her head in her husband's direction just enough so she could see him from the corner of her eye. A slight movement of her arm and his reaction indicated a jab to his ribs. He gave her a sour look and straightened up. Had he nodded off? Probably, but I don't know. This all took place within a few seconds. I thought, "I know where he's coming from because I've been there. Be in church to set a good example for the kids. Show up; do my duty."

At age 44 I was trudging through life, painfully aware something was definitely missing. On the surface it appeared to others that everything was going well. But, as a father and a husband I was not what I should have been. I tried, unsuccessfully, to use my profession to cover the growing dissatisfaction that stuck pins in my heart. I can understand why some people turn to drugs, alcohol or illicit sex. I didn't but the temptation was there. Increasingly I recognized the reason for my unrest. I tried to avoid it but the truth had been seeping into my consciousness for years: I was not right with God. In spite of attending church for many years I didn't know what to do about it; where to find the handle on Jesus....how to grab hold of Him.

One Sunday, in desperation, I stopped a friend in the narthex of our church and blurted out, "How are you saved?" She laughed because, as she told me later, she thought I was joking. She also told me she didn't answer because, at the time, she didn't know the answer either!

Looking back I wonder how many church members I would have had to ask before I got a true answer. Also, why it never occurred to me to talk to our pastor about salvation. One reason may have been embarrassment. I thought I was the one black sheep; the only one in the church who was not saved. Little did I know. As things turned out, I discovered how very little I knew.

God knows the desire of the heart even when the desire is buried deep in our spirit, covered with a mountain of sin and doubt. When our desire is for Him, when we "hunger and thirst for righteousness," he will arrange our circumstances so we can find Him. Oswald Chambers said, "When we deliberately choose to obey Him, He will reach to the remotest star and the ends of the earth to assist us with all His mighty power."

For us , God arranged for a group of Christians to come to our church for a weekend called a Lay Witness Mission. My wife and I heard testimonies and attended small group meetings from Friday evening to Sunday morning. By then we understood that God loved us and knew us by name. On Sunday, my wife and I walked the aisle and gave our lives to Jesus and to gratefully accept what he had done for us at the cross. At the time the theological details were hazy to us. But our commitment to Jesus was clear and real.

Blessings to all

My Journey to the Son Part 3

2009-05-14T09:00:00.000-07:00

After settling in our rented home we joined Lufkin's First Methodist church. This enabled us to meet people in a town where we only knew my employer and his family. I joined a men's Sunday school class and Nita joined a women's class. Over time I became quite impressed with the class teacher, Ward Burke, who seemed to have the respect of everyone. With my wordly mind I eventually reasoned that to have the same status as Mr. Burke it would be helpful for me to have a class to teach. It didn't occur to me that, spiritually, I was probably the least prepared person in Texas to take on such a responsibility. But, combine ambition with stupidity and common sense doesn't stand a chance.

About 18 months later I was approached by the Minister of Education. He aked if I would be willing to be the teacher of a new class of young couples. Now; some would call this event the mysterious work of God; others might see it as coincidence. Me? I saw it as plain good luck.
In any case I quickly agreed and the class was organized with about a half dozen couples.
For reasons I don't remember or never knew, the class prospered and membership expanded until there were about 40 members. Apparently I was the only one who read the lesson book and I had learned enough churchy lingo to put on a pretty good show. I know I said some things that I later had to ask God to forgive. I was a perfect example of everything a Sunday school teacher should not be and why teachers should be examined to evaluate their spiritual depth.

At that point in my life I should have been happy. I wasn't. I suppose many men would have liked to have been in my position. I had a loving wife, 3 fine healthy children, a good job and a new house. The future looked good. But something like a fog of discontent seemed to have enveloped me. Something was missing from this rosy picture but I couldn't imagine what it could possibly be. After all, hadn't I realized the American Dream?

God bless you.
Romans 15:13

My Journey to the Son Part 2

2009-04-30T15:04:00.000-07:00

My thanks to all who have commented on previous blogs.

My brother says I have blocked out most of my childhood memories. He must be right because I've had to ask him about many things I couldn't remember. Lots of people have had unhappy experiences while growing up but apparently I didn't handle mine very well. In my high school senior year, 1943, I joined the Navy and reported for duty after graduation. I served for 3 yrs. and 3 months as an aircraft mechanic and gunner on a torpedo bomber.

While in the service, I skipped church until I married in September of 1945. Neither of us had made a commitment to Christ but Nita, my wife, did influence me to resume church attendance. I confess that "religion" and the bible were, and continued to be, mysteries to me for a long time. All that, what I considered "stuff," about blood and lambs, etc., simply didn't register with me.

Nita was from Oklahoma and wanted to be closer to her family than my home in a small town on Long Island, N.Y. I enrolled in Southwestern Tech in 1946 and tranferred to the OU school of architecture the next year.

Our first few years of married life were quite stormy mainly because of my immaturity. I had seen 5 divorces while growing up and Nita and I had agreed before marrying that, no matter what else happened, we would never divorce. That agreement was sorely tested and I give her all the credit for the ultimate success of our marriage. After graduation in 1951 we moved to Houston. By now, we had 2 children and one year in the big city convinced us to move to a smaller town, Lufkin, 120 miles north of Houston.

We had no idea what momentous changes were ahead for us. If someone had asked what had brought us to where we were in 1952, we probably would have shrugged and said it was the result of a series of choices and decisions we had made. On the surface that appeared to be the case. It hadn't occured to us that God might have had something to say about it.

"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." Jeremiah 29:11

God bless you

My Journey to the Son Part l

2009-04-30T09:05:00.000-07:00

My Journey to the Son Part l

My mother and father were divorced when I was 2 yrs. old and my brother was 1. My father gained custody of us and, because his business demanded so much of his time, he had to find someone to care for us. He located a lady, a hotel maid, who was divorced and had 5 children. The agreement as I understood it much later, was: She would move in with her brood and take care of my brother and me and in return my dad would support the whole group. Instantly the reader may assume all sorts of scandal, but I have reason to believe the arrangement was platonic. In any case I grew up believing she was my mother and her children my brothers (4) and sister (1). I refer to her now as my step-mother or "Mom Hulse".

Although practical and necessary, the arangement was not ideal. Two families under one roof inevitably bring friction. With the coming of the Great Depression and the loss of my dad's business, the shortage of money was a constant worry to him. Arguments were often and loud.

Eventually. some of my step-mother's children (the youngest was about 8 yrs. older than I) married, divorced and moved back home bringing bitterness with them. All together I can say my childhood was not a happy time and the adverse effects were deep and long-lasting. My 'parents' took me to Sunday school and at age 12 I went through the conformand course and joined the church. There was no spiritual impetus to go through the exercise; I did it because my friends did. Our Sunday school teacher remains in my memory. A white-hair saint who stayed calm in spite of the energetic antics of twelve year old boys. Seventy-one years later I can still picture her and her beatific smile. I am convinced that Mrs. Preston was well aquainted with the Holy Spirit.

I will end the first stage of my spiritual journey by saying that there was no sign of spiritual awakening up to this point. Did God have a plan and have his hand on me? Of course; just as he has a plan and guiding hand for everyone. But for me, it took a long time to recognize it.

God bless you and your spiritual journey.

Odd fact: In 1899 the British scientist William Thomson declared: "Radio has no future. Heavier-than-air flying machines are impossible. X-rays will prove to be a hoax." (Hope he was a better scientist than prophet.)

The Great Depression of 1920-1941 and the Current Sinking Spell

2009-04-17T15:55:00.000-07:00

Notice: A NEW BLOG EVERY THURSDAY.

The Great Depression of 1929-1941 and the Current Sinking Spell.

The beginning of the Great Depression is generally believed to have begun with the stock market crash of 1929 but the seeds of that tragedy had already been sown in the early 1920's. The U.S. economy boomed after World War l but not everyone shared in the wealth that was generated. Farmers and workers incomes were low and remained low until 1941. The rich, as usually happens, got richer. Other events of the 20's that lead to the crash are very interesting but not pertinent to this blog.

The stock market began to rise dramatically in the late 20's until the value of some company stock was more than that company's gross worth. It looked like stocks would keep going up forever. People's good sense and judgment dissolved in a speculative frenzy. Greed took control of the stock market and the inevitable happened. Sound familiar?

In the aftermath, banks failed, scores of busnesses and factories closed and many farmers lost their land. Exactly how many millions were unemployed, how many families were evicted from their homes, the number who literally starved to death and the number of suicides will probably never be known. But the estimated statistics are horrendous enough.

Herbert Hoover (or Hoobert Heever as one befuddled radio announcer introduced him) was the then president. An honorable and capable man under ordinary circumstances he was not equipped to handle the disaster unfolding on his watch. Franklin Delano Roosevelt, popularly known as FDR, won the next election in a landslide. People wanted a change. Anybody except Hoover!

FDR, in the first of the "100 days," made popular by succeeding presidents, inundated the predominantly Democractic Congress with a blizzard of legistative requests leading to 42 new government agencies, many that are still with us: FDIC, TVA, SEC, Social Security and NLRB among others. FDR also included a 10% reduction in the salaries of government employees.

Here's an idea: As a gesture of solidaritywith the electorate, goodwill and sincerity, Congress voluntarily should take a 10% reduction in their salaries. None of them have lost their home(s), health insurance, pensions or other perks. Realistically, this gesture is not forthcoming; It is much too comfortable on Mt. Olympus. In fact, members of Congress got a PAY RAISE in January 2009.

FDR is credited by some as bringing the country out of the Depression. Not so. The Depression lasted until 1941 when the U.S. entered WWll. He did however, help to hold the country together with his optimism and some of the programs he instituted. He was an icon of hope and was revered by the masses. My step-mother thought of him as being next to God and all Republicans as heartless.

In 1929 I was 4 yrs. old. We lived in a small town and I remember we moved to another house but don't recall hearing anyone give the reason. Probably because my dad lost a restaurant and hotel he owned But by and large we were more fortunate than many. My brother and I never went hungry. My dad always had a job of some kind but even so, ocassionally it was necessary for him to supplement that with food from the welfare center. It was a matter of pride with him to provide for his family and he felt ashamed that he had to ask for help. We were poor but so was just about everyone I knew. I only became aware of our situation as I grew into my teens.

Some, but not all, lessons I learned from those days; (1) Stay out of debt. If I can't pay cash for something (other than a house), I don't need it. Delayed gratification. (2) Save money for emergencies, retirement and to be able to help others in time of need. I would rather live under a bridge than to impose on my children in my old age. (3) Recognize that there are things I might want but will never be able to afford. I tell myself, "Don't be stupid. Get over it." See (1) above. (4) Learn early what is really important in life and that it usually doesn't include "things." To paraphrase Carlyle Marney, Baptist minister and author, " There are few experiences more painful in life than those moments of lucidity when we realize we have paid too much. We look at all the 'things' we have accumulated and think of all the time, energy and resources we expended to get them and a keen sense of disappointment and regret settles over us."

The Current Sinking Spell

Obama ("anybody than Bush!") came into Washington riding on the Democratic donkey. Some saw more meaning in this than it deserves. In his campaign, like those before him, he had sprinkled the electorate with fairy dust; that is, with promises he could not keep. He would, he promised, "change Washington." Hello? Does he really think he can get rid of the corruption in Congress? Nobody will change Washington in a positive way until Jesus returns. Since I am remarking about politics you should know I am a registered Democrat, but I think and vote INDEPENDENTLY. Frankly, I'm not devoted to either party. And yes, one can be both a Democrat and a Christian. Back to Mr. Obama. For the sake of our country I sincerely hope he will be the best president we ever had. If Mr. McCain had been elected I would feel the same about him. My concern is for the good of our country. Obama seems to be trying to emulate Lincoln and/or FDR. Worthy goals and I hope he succeeds but he will have to try a lot harder.

Obama is a product of Chicago politics. He did not come into office without strings on him. Gaps have shown up in his shining armor and revealed that, surprise!, ---he is a politician and does what ordinary politicians do! But to his credit, he talks in complete sentences.

He has surrounded himself with the usual Washington/Wall Street suspects, many of whom were involved in the present financial fiasco up to their baby blues. An Axis of Evil joins Washington and WallStreet. The grease that lubricates the axis is pure unadulterated GREED and is driven by uncncontrolled lust for money and power. What has been revealed to the American public is only a whiff of the rot and slime hidden from view. I am not blaming Obama for getting our country into the mess we're in. He inherited the problem but it is his to solve.

Will the current situation in our country deteriorate into a full-blown depression a la 1929? For many of our citizens it already has. But for those who concocted the phony financial instruments that have played a major role in the problem, what would happen to others was never a consideration. They are happily enjoying the bountiful fruit of their deceptions and, it would not be a surprise to me, that somewhere at this moment, a group of them is working on the next "big thing."

A cynic once remarked, "The world is not round, it is not flat. It's crooked."

Come, Lord Jesus; please come soon. God bless you. Please pray for our country.

vil

It's been said that, " The one thing we learn from history is that we don't learn anything from history."

Principles for the Overcoming Life

2009-04-16T15:18:00.000-07:00

Here are four principles I gathered from the scriptures below and which have been especially meaningful and helpful in my life.

Luke 12:22-31

And he said to his disciples, "Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat; nor about the body what you will put on. Life is more than food, and the body is more than clothing. Consider the ravens, for they neither sow nor reap, which have neither storehouse or barns; and God feeds them. Of how much more value are you than the birds?

"And which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature? If you are not able to do the least, why are you anxious for the rest? Consider the lilies, how they grow; they neither toil nor spin; and yet I say to you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these

"If then God so clothes the grass, which today is in the field and tomorrow is thrown in the oven, how much more will he cloth you, O you of little faith?

"And do not seek what you should eat or what you should drink, nor have an anxious mind. For all these things the nations of the world seek after, and your Father knows you need these things.

"But seek the kingdom of God, and all these things shall be added to you."

Our natural self says, "Oh come on. Get real. This not the way the real world works. These are only warm, churchy thoughts that fly in the face of common sense." That's right. Jesus never said anything based on common sense.

Trust God Jn 4:7-11

"A woman of Samaria came to draw water. Jesus said to her, "Give me a drink."Then the woman of Samaria said to him, "How is it that you, a Jew, ask a drink of me, a Samaritan woman?" For Jews have no dealings with Samaritans.Jesus answered and said to her, "If you knew the gift God, and who it is who says to you, 'Give me a drink,' you would have asked him and he would have given you living water."

The Samaritan woman might have been thinking, Jesus, I don’t see how can you help me. I have a practical problem and you don’t have a rope of solution. Even if you had a rope it would be too short to get to the bottom of my problem.
The world views Christ as unrealistic; a dreamer detached from reality and whose instructions for obtaining the abundant life he promised would only work in an ideal world.

Jn 14:27: "My peace I leave with you, not as the world giveth give I unto you." Worldly peace tries to escape and dodge problems, refuses to face difficulties. Worldly peace is all about me. Troubles steal this kind of peace. Satan comes along and says our problem is way too big for God. He tries and is often successful in convincing us that God can’t help us, we’ve got to worry our way out of it. Jesus peace is about keeping our eyes on Him. Each time we trust God and find Him faithful, just as He promised, our own faith grows.

Don’t Worry

My stepmother was chronic worrier. Like so many she seemed inclined to worry rather than ask God to help and then believe that he would. We get so focused on the problem we can become spiritually paralyzed. Worry crowds God out of our lives. It takes away time we should be using to pray and to worship Him. Worry conjures up worst case scenarios and magnifies the problem. Worry is like chewing dried beef; the more it’s chewed the bigger it gets. Worry adversely affects the immune system. We can literally get "worried sick." Excess worry can also lead us into depression. I know that only too well because it happened to me.

Worry is the twin of fear; they support, reinforce and feed on each other. We get false and perverse comfort from worrying by convincing ourselves we are at least doing something to solve the problem. Not to worry might be interpreted as being uncaring. People expect us to worry. They may feel it’s our duty to worry. If you are doing what's right, no matter what the situation, don't be concerned what others think of you.

It’s an indisputable fact that worrying never solved any problem. Worrying is natural; God’s help is supernatural and therein lies the difficulty for the natural man. Learn from past mistakes and move on. We can’t change the past and we don't own the future. Leave the past and the future to God. Live in the Now, confident of God's love and protection.

Don’t Be Afraid

Jn 14:1: "Let not your heart be troubled."

This is not a call for stoicism or a matter of being brave or ratcheting up our courage in difficult times. It's not whistling in a graveyard pretending that nothing is wrong. We will grieve and go through times of sadness. We will be wounded; most likely more than once.Jesus’ peace conquers fear and nothing can take His peace from us. What is it that we fear? Death? Terminal illness? Loss of a loved one? What? One of these will certainly happen and we are vulnerable to many others. We can prepare to meet, with confidence, anything that comes our way. How? If we settle in our hearts that God is our source we can face any difficulty with assurance of His presence.
2Tim 7: "God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power, love and a sound mind."

God Will Provide

Cor 2:9: "Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, neither has it entered into the heart of man the things God has prepared for those who love him." Those "things" have already been prepared and God is waiting for us to ask for them. Lk 11:9: "Ask and it shall be given to you, Seek and you shall find , Knock and it will be opened. to you." Loving God is key. In Hosea 6:6: God says, "I want your love, not your sacrifices."
The very notion that God will provide for his children has long been ridiculed by non-believers. This is not "pie in the sky." Nor is it manna on the ground. Jesus promised us abundant life; not a problem-free life.

Where ever we are in our walk with Jesus He always has more for us. Ask for the more. Search for the more. Learn what it is. Pray; Study the Word. Ask the Holy Spirit to open your spiritual eyes.

Welcome To My Blog

2009-04-09T11:04:00.000-07:00

In spite of the blog name "Fanciful Floyd" there is nothing about me that could be interpreted as fancy. Mark, my tech advisor and I simply wanted a name with alliteration. I am 83 years old and still have most of my mental faculties. I am a retired architect, a painter and novelist with three novels published: "Alexander’s Ruby," "A Gathering of Stones," (Sequel "Alexander’s Ruby," and "Two Days to Redemption." All available at Amazon.com if you’re interested. I recommend "Alexander’s Ruby." I also published 3 books of poetry. I enjoy reading history; especially military history and just about anything to do with classic and contemporary cars and art and architecture.

I’m a veteran of WWll and grew up during the Great Depression both of which, as you might imagine, were influential in my life. I am a first generation American, a product of a Greek-Romanian father and an American mother. More about all that in future blogs.

The greatest influence on my life started when I was 44 years old. It was at that time that I surrendered my life to Christ. I will give a full account of how it happened and some of my spiritual adventures in later blogs.

I began this blog to present some of my views on Christianity and the Christian life. And the views will be mine; I’m not the least bit interested in debating or arguing theology with anyone. Please don’t take offense but if arguing is what you like to do, get your own blog.
I will also give my take on politics and other areas of interest in our nation. If you choose to reply to any of my blogs, please stay on subject and use Christian courtesy.

Advanced age does not automatically confer wisdom on a person but I do have a longer perspective that might help to bring you some things to think about. I hope you will discover I have a sense of humor and that I do not take myself seriously.

Today I refer you to an article in Newsweek magazine entitled "The End of Christian America" by John Meacham with Eliza Gray. Well written and worth reading. From my reading of history I believe America is not and has never been a ‘Christian nation.’ At some time our country may have been largely made up by those labeling themselves as Christian and certainly Christian principles have greatly influenced our Constitution and laws but we have never even come close to being a theocracy. Start with the Pilgrims. They came here for religious freedom-------for the Pilgrims. Those who did not subscribe to their particular religious beliefs were not welcome. Not a very good start for Christian nation.

Cal Thomas got it right: "No country can be truly Christian. Only people can." Because the Moral Majority ignored that or didn’t believe it or thought they could change it they set themselves up for disappointment. Christianity and worldly politics simply will not mesh. Jesus did not try to change the Roman government. Nor did he encourage his followers to get into politics. Politics involves compromise. That is the price to be paid to be elected. You scratch my back; I’ll scratch yours.

Jesus made it clear that his kingdom is not of this world and he knew that politics or the use of military force would not accomplish his goals.

Our present age is being referred to as ‘Post Christian" intimating that Christianity has had its day, its opportunity, to make a difference and it couldn’t cut it. So it is being set aside to make room for the ‘New Religions’ and multiple gods. Professing Christians are fading away along with their quaint old-fashioned belief system which doesn’t fit into the new intellectual and cultural changes taking place in our country. One day soon we will be as relevant as the dinosaurs.
Don’t bet on it. God is not mocked. He said he would never leave himself without a witness.

Christianity has not been advanced or helped by the legalists who know all the religious rules but little of the love of Christ, the "aginners" who are quick to notice the faults in others and then hammer them with the "thou shall nots" and the tv evangelists with their popular but deceiving "prosperity gospel." These examples eventually drive people away and are not the true face of the Gospel. It’s been said that, "The trouble with Christianity is Christians." Yes, God please forgive us, we do not always display what we profess but that does not change the truth that
we worship a perfect God and that people today need, and generations to come will need, what God is offering in Christ: Love, Acceptance, True Freedom, Joy, A True Sense of Worth, Forgiveness, Salvation.

This is not the first time that the end of Christianity and/or its influence has been predicted ... I don’t believe it will happen and I wouldn’t exchange my relationship with Christ for anything this world has to offer.