Sunday Praise

Creator of all that has been created, let your creation sound forth your praises. In unison, let us join in, so that the universe and all that is in it sound forth a cacophany of praise.

Sun, moon, stars, quasars, and even black holes point to the unimaginable imagination of our Creator.

Let the power of the wind, and the majesty of the clouds, the birds of the morning and the soft lights of night give witness to your greatness.

Mighty rivers, flowing streams, rippling creeks and babbling brooks cry out in joyful praise to you, O King of Kings.

Light of the World, hear the fires that You have given us to warm us and to light our path as they crackle the percussive praise of your worth.

As we live and breathe, in humbleness and contriteness of heart, ever mindful of the great gift you have provided for us, may we sing your hallelujahs.

Whether by voice, upon tight strings, with brass or wood, whether by stick, hammer or steel, whether by the manipulation of electrons or great pipes, may our praise rise as sweet incense to the heavens.

We praise you our Creator, and bless your Name. We worship You and You alone. We praise You, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit as one.

Receive our praise in Jesus' name.

Amen.

All Creatures of Our god and King
by St. Francis of Assisi

All creatures of our God and King,
Lift up your voice and with us sing
Alleluia!
Thou burning sun with golden beam,
Thou silver moon with softer gleam
O Praise Him! O praise Him!
Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia!

Thou rushing wind that art so strong,
Ye clouds that sail in heav'n along,
O praise Him! Alleluia!
Thou rising morn, in praise rejoice;
Ye lights of evening, find a voice.
O praise Him! O praise Him!
Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia!

Thou flowing water, pure and clear,
Make music for Thy Lord to hear,
Alleluia! Alleluia!
Thou fire so masterful and bright,
Thou givest man both warmth and light,
O praise Him! O prasie Him!
Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia!

Let all things their Creator bless,
And worship Him in humbleness,
O praise Him! Alleluia!
Praise, praise the Father, praise the Son,
And praise the Spirit, Three in One,
O praise Him! O praise Him!
Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia!

Gator Bait

There is a great story that goes with this picture.

I used to be the Administrator of Frontier Christian Academy in a little Florida town called Immokalee (that's Im MAH kah lee).

The ride there was about 25 minutes from my home in Lehigh Acres (that's LEE hi A kers).

One day, as I was headed to Immokalee from Lehigh Acres, I saw a man walking beside the road. He looked a bit disoriented and was not paying much attention to where he was going. More importantly, he was not paying much attention to what was going on around him.

He did not see what I saw...a large alligator about to attack him and probably eat him on the spot.

Not wanting to see that much blood (being eaten by an alligator is a very messy proposition), I slammed on my brakes, jumped from my car and lept onto the back of the gator and struggled to hold him still.

As it happened, I had a roll of duct tape hooked to my belt.

An alligator has very powerful closing strength in his jaws. He could bite your arm right off. His mouth opening strength, however, is not all that strong. A grown man can, with some small effort, hold closed the mouth of a very large gator.

I reached back, grabbed the duct tape, tore loose a piece with my mouth and quickly wrapped it around the jaws of the offending reptile.

You can see the tape in the photo.

For the next several days I carried the gator around with me, telling my story to anyone who would listen. Here you see me showing off at the meeting of The Christian Chamber of Southwest Florida.

Now for the "Bait" part mentioned in the title of this blog.

Almost none of the above narrative is true.

I did serve as Administrator of Frontier Christian Academy in Immokalee, and that is me holding a real Florida alligator, and the gator is alive.

However, he was a part of a Christian wildlife program at the Christian Chamber meeting, and everybody there got to hold the gator and have their picture taken with him.

But I did tell the truth about it being a great story, and it did go with the picture.

If I wanted to, I could moralize about all of this. I could say that sometimes we experience or see certain things, somebody tells us something about it that SEEMS to fit the experience or what we see, and we adopt it as truth, even though it isn't.

I could say that.

But I'll resist the urge.

Friday Week in Review

Well.

We made it to Friday.

That's a relief for most people, but I'm still at work and will be here another couple of hours.

Not only that, I have to work Saturday, too!

Don't you feel sorry for me?

Well, why not?

Anyway, I thought I would take this opportunity to introdutce you to a few of my new friends in the blogosphere. Take some time to go see them. You'll be glad you did.

These are in no particular order, just fairly new.

Pilot Mom writes some fancifull things some funny things and some touching spiritual things. Plus, anybody who whould have a picture of an airplane on her sight has to be OK. As some of you know, I fly almost every day (on my Microsoft Flight Simulator...it's safer that way).

For a close up and personal look at Katrina and her devastation, pay a visit to Just So You'll Know . There's lots more there, too.

There is a great look at Christian servanthood at Journey of the Heart . Highly recommended.

Check out Better Bibles Blog for some in depth look at some critical Bible information. And some lighter things, too.

Over at Better Bibles Blog , John goes into things that are fun, things that are spiritual and things that are fun and spiritual. I love his sense of humor. You will, too.

Homeschooler Zoanna tells us about Katrina Kits at A Penchant for Pens .

Well, there you have it.

Some great sites to visit.

Have fun!!

I Nominate

I have been watching the John Roberts confirmation hearings, and I have a couple of observations.

1. The Democrats on the committee look and sound like raving idiots. And that's the nicest thing I can think of to say about them.

They are shrill, unnecessarily impolite, and they show exceedingly clearly, leaving no mistake, making it impossible to think otherwise, that they do not understand the very laws and proceedures about which they ask.

They are asking questions that they know VERY well are unanswerable by the nominee. If he answered them, he would immediately have to be disqualified, because they are not supposed to be asked, let alone answered.

No supreme court nominee has ever been allowed to speculate how he/she might rule on a specific issue because that would be prejudicial in the case.

Pre judging would mean that fair and impartial judging would be impossible.

2. The Republicans are, for the most part, low key. They seem to be sticking to re-wording and repeating what John Roberts has said. They have avoided putting themselves in a position where their knowledge, or lack thereof, of the law could be challenged.

3. If you are a Democrat, and your Senator is on the confirmation committee, you need to email your Senator and tell him/her to stop squeaking and squawking and start asking real questions that are appropriate for a hearing of this importance and dignity.

Tell him/her that it's OK to disagree with the nomination. If you don't like John Roberts, don't vote for him.
But for goodness sake stop making yourselves look like mindless maniacs. That's not good for you.

The overriding question seems to be about Roe vs Wade and whether it will be overturned.

Maybe he will vote to keep it. Maybe he will vote to overturn it. But to speak about which way he would vote before hearing the case would be wrong.

I know, dear reader, that you are intelligent enough to understand that. Am I right? Can you understand that?

John Roberts should have no problem being confirmed. That should not be considered a victory for the Republicans nor should it be seen as a defeat for the Democrats.

That should be seen as a victory for the process.

After all, The Constitution of the United States of America gives the Senate the responsibility of giving consent to the nomination which the President is required to make.

It's what we call "Advise and Consent," not "Advise and Descent."

Reflections

Yesterday I watched several programs remembering 9/11. I also visited many blog sites with both pictures and commentary about the tumbling of the Twin Towers.

As I watched and read, I felt the savage hurt and rage well up within me once again. To think that we were attacked on our own soil by people who have no regard for human life, who have no connection with the concept of freedom and who have not the courage to stand up and face their adversaries, but must sneak up on them, terrorize them and wantonly kill them is more than I can stomach.

I was just a baby during World War I. During Viet Nam I was a teenager and young adult.

When Pearl Harbor was attacked, we knew who the perps were. We could see them. We could hear them. We could fight back on terms that we could understand.

We took a heavy loss at Pearl Harbor, but we won the war, even though we were fighting what amounted to two wars at once, the war in Europe and the war against Japan.

In Viet Nam, we had a different issue. Viet Nam did not attack us, but they attacked a way of life. They sought to impose a political system (on people in general and us indirectly) that was the antithesis of all that we stood for.

We ultimately gave up on that war, largely because it was "unpopular" and the political powers of the day could not deal with that which was unpopular. They hadn't the guts for it.

We have once again been attacked by stealth. The aggressors, like those at Pearl Harbor, chose surprise.

Unlike Pearl Harbor, though, those in the World Trade Center were not military personnel. They were accountants, secretaries, insurance agents, lawyers, financiers, and other day-to-day working people. In their own way, they were contributors to and enjoyers of the American Dream.

What was a dream for them was a nightmare to those who attacked them. To those who commandeered those airplanes, the American Dream represented something they hated.

As Christians, how should we react to them? Jesus told us to love our enemies and do good to them who despitefully use us and persecute us for His sake.

Well, those snakes did not hate us for His sake. They hated us for the sake of a "God" whom they saw as vengeful and full of murderous vitriol for those who do not follow "him."

There is no Biblical responsibility on us to roll over and "play dead" for those who would kill us over an ideology that serves such a "god."

They are known as terrorists. They are dispersed around the globe in order to make it harder for any entity to hunt them down as a group. Their animosity toward us has not diminished one whit. They will seek other opportunities to terrorize us whenever and wherever they can.

If we relent, they will summarily snuff us out. They will not cease to kill and maim every American they can for as long as they can get away with it.

We must not forget the legacy of 9/11. We must not let down our guard. We must strive with everything that is in us to stop this foe in Iraq, in Afganistan, in the Phillipines, in Africa, in South America and anywhere else we find them.

My country has many faults. There are attitudes and actions that are dispicable. But make no mistake, this is the best country on earth.

I live here. I don't want terrorists to win this insufferable conflict. I don't want them to tell me where to live, how to live, when to live or why to live. I cherish the freedoms we have in this land.

Woe to us if we give up the fight to rid the world of these terrorists.

Forget the Alamo if you must. Put Viet Nam behind you and pretend it never happened. Let the memory of World War II fade from you mind and learn not its lessons, for it is history past.

But never, never forget the day when the World Trade Center came down.

Remember 9/11.

Sunday Praise

Majestic and mighty Lamb of God we exalt your name today. With Isaiah we see you high and lifted up.

With a chorus of heavenly bodies, we sing your praises. Our songs of praise and shouts of worship overcome everything else. We sing of the one who gave His very life for us. We sing of the one who has paid the sin debt that was ours.

There is none like you, O Lord Jesus. You kingdom will be from everlasting to everlasting.

You who poured your love out on us as evidenced by the nail scars in your hands and the wound in your precious side that can be seen now and evermore, reign in our lives and in eternity. May your beauty overwhelm us.

We bow before you in humility and joy because you have given yourself for each of us individually. Let us praise you beyond the end of time.

You who are the Lord of all things, living and dead, whose resurrection put the seal of God on your life and your finished work at Calvary, we crown you Lord of our lives and yield ourselves to your will and your way today. You who have risen, though once dead, that we might have life eternal, we give you the throne of our heart.

King of kings and Lord of lords, One with God and One with the Holy Spirit, receive our praise as having no end.

We adore you and magnify you, O Lord, both now and forever.

CROWN HIM WITH MANY CROWNS
by Matthew Bridges and George J. Elvey

1. Crown him with many crowns, the Lamb upon his throne,
Hark! how the heavenly anthem drowns all music but its own.
Awake, my soul, and sing of him who died for thee,
And hail him as thy matchless King through all eternity.

2. Crown Him the Lord of love, Behold His hands and side -
Rich wounds yet visible above In beauty glorified.
All hail, Redeemer, hail! For Thou hast died for me:
Thy praise and glory shall not fail Throughout eternity.

3. Crown Him the Lord of life! Who triumphed o'er the grave;
Who rose victorious in the strife For those He came to save.
His glories now we sing, Who died and rose on high,
Who died eternal life to bring And lives that death may die.


4. Crown him the Lord of heav'n, One with the Father known
One with the Spirit thro' Him giv'n From yonder glorious throne.
To Thee be endless praise, For Thou for us hast died.
Be Thou, O Lord, thro' endless days Adored and magnified.

Wow!

This post is a vulgar (meaning common) attempt to make you feel sorry for me.

During this past three weeks the following things have happened:

AT WORK:

We had an on-air computer hard drive crash at the Christian radio station where I serve as production/operationas manager. (Hear us online at www.kingdom.fm. Click on "listen live" both times it appears and be certain to disable "pop-up blocking." I'm on weekdays from 9:00 am until 4:00 pm EST)

With the installation of the new hard drive came the corruption of some 4,400 audio files, each of which had to be examined and corrected, many of which still need to be done.

We had a new software program installed which did not work. It took a week to get it up and running, then yesterday it decided to skip an hour. Don't know why.

My co-worker, Parker, has gone back to school at Florida Gulf Coast University, and thus has gone back to being part-timer at the station.

Last night we were to air a live football game featuring local Christian High School, Evangelical Christian School, but the connection from the stadium to the studio refused to work. We finally got it up and running by half-time by cell phone. Poor announcers! I don't mean they did a bad job, I mean they really had it rough! One cell phone, two announcers.

A corrupted file slipped by and made it to air and sounded, well, corrupted (like a New Orleans politician).

AT HOME:

My wife has gotten this bee in her bonnet about re-grouting the bathrooms, so we have my son and his boss come over to do the job. They do a nice job, but for the next few days I have to take a shower in that foreign bathroom down the hall.

How many of you were about to express surprise that I even TAKE showers? Come on...can you really tell from there?

My mother was admitted to the hospital (OK, that's not technically at home, but I am - at least 9 hours per day). She is some better, and may go home Monday, though intially she was not expected to make it through the first night. A real blessing. Thanks for your prayers.

My friend, Jeff Graham, is still in the hospital with the broken ankle, courtesy of the VA doctor who put the metal insert in a little too aggressively. You can see his picture at Eighteen Wheels (Jeff G) .

IN THE BLOGOSPHERE

I have not been as prolific in my writing for the last week because so much of my time has been spent taking care of things at the station and at home, but I have visited every one of you as often as I could. I look forward to that every day. I really, really enjoy your sites and your comments, and follow your links frequently.

Maybe next week I can get back on schedule. I have two posts I am working on that I consider to be significant, one called "Voodoo Christianity," and the other about The Constitution of the United States of America as it relates to the government's job of insuring domestic tranquility.

In the mean time, I will continue to read and enjoy your sites and ask you to keep my mother, my wife, my job and me in your prayers.

And, as I sign off each day on the radio, "Have a beautiful day today. Make it a Christ filled day. Find a place to worship this weekend and I'll see you here tomorrow. But if I don't see you here, I'll see you over there."

Back by Popular Demand

What would think of an organization that is feeding over 300,000 meals per day to victims of hurricane Katrina? What if they had plans to ramp up their efforts to 500,000 meals per day by the end of this week?

What if they had been on the scenes (other places than New Orleans were hit, you know) the very next day aftert he disaster?

What would you think of an organization that provided mobile shower facitlities to the victims? What if they also provided mobile laundry facilities as well?

What if this organization began the clean-up process in Mississippi and Louisiana immediately after the storm passed.

Who is this organization?

Well, it is not the federal government. It is not the Mississippi or Louisiana state government. It is not county and parish governments.

It is not the United Athiests of America, or the International Organization of Agnostics, or NAMBA or PETA. It is not The Church of Scientology. It is not the American Association of Ghouls and Witches.

As far as I know, neither NASA nor any other "scientific" organization has mounted any such drive.

I'll bet you have not heard one single solitary word at any time from any mainstream media about this work being done.

The North American Missions Board of the Southern Baptist Convention is doing it.

That's not all!

Yes! There's more!

More than 150,000 Katrina refugees are receiving shelter, food and water at Salvation Army facilities from Texas to North Carolina. The mobile kitchens are capable of serving more than 500,000 meals per day.

Add the work of the North American Mission Board and the Salvation Army and that's 1,000,000 meals per day distributed in the name of Christ!

Hundreds of shelters are being provided as well, in the name of Christ.

"In as much as ye have done it unto one of the least of one of these, my bretheren, ye have done it unto me."

Random Ramblings II

I am writing this post for the benefit of those who like to disagree with me.

I went to my psychiatrist the other day.

He said to me, "Joe, you are a kind of a wishy-washy sort of fellow."

I said, "Maybe I am....maybe I'm Not."

He told me I was apathetic. I told him I didn't care.

He said I wouldn't be as mean as I am if only I were a little kinder.

He asked whether I had ever had thoughts of suicide. I said, "Yeah. Yesterday I was so depressed that I wanted to jump in front of a parked car."

Trying to get to the bottom of the issue, he said, "You are a very stubborn guy." To which I replied, "I adamantly refuse to admit to having a stubborn bone in my body."

"Doc," I said, "What has twenty-two legs, a big head and is irridescent green?" He said, "I don't know." I said, "I don't know either, but one is crawling up your sleeve right now."

I asked, "Say, Doctor, would you rather have a dollar or a damatta?" "What's 'damatta?'" he asked.

"Nothing's damatta with me, Doc. What's damatta with you?"

He said, "You're histerical!"

"Yeah," I said, "I know a lot about histery."

"For instance, I know that in 1492 Columbus sailed for America. That's an easy date to remember because it rhymes with 'ocean blue,' which was the color of the Atlantic in those days. If he had sailed in 1493, it would still be easy to remember, because it would rhyme with 'boundless sea.' He sailed because of a persecution by Ferdinand and Isabella, who refused to believe the world was round, even when Columbus showed them an egg.

"Ferdinand later became famous because he objected to bullfights. Said he would rather smell flowers, if he had to smell anything. He was stung, in the end, by a bee."

Ferdinand, Ferdinand, the bull with the delicate ego
Ferdinand, Ferdinand, the ladies all called him amigo.....never mind.

(with apologies to Richard Armour)

As I was leaving the psychiatrist's office, I saw two guys getting into an argument. They were about to come to blows when a police officer stepped in. I don't know what he stepped in, but he broke up the fight. That was a good thing.

I got home. My wife had on a hat I had never seen before. "Where did you get that?" "I was down in the dumps today, so I got a new hat." "I always wondered where you got those things," I said.

The dog house is not all that bad.

You might ask, "Joe, why do you write such things?"

So go ahead, ask.

I'm glad you asked.

Here's the thing. I take nothing too seriously. I don't take life too seriously. ( I am unreservedly pro-life, I just realize that none of us gets out of it alive. The stats are perfect. Death gets to 100% of us.) I don't take you too seriously. I certainly don't take myself too seriously.

The only thing I take seriously is Jesus. He is the in all, of all, by all, and through all of everything I am or ever will be.

So, except when I write about Jesus, you would do well to read what I write with an awareness that my tongue is firmly implanted in my cheek. Which may explain why my cheeks are always so sore.

There you go, then. Whatever you find in this post with which you disagree, go ahead and comment on it. I'll just crawl into my little corner and have a good cry. But I'll be alright. Don't worry. Relax. Get a life. Get over it. Whatever!

I cannot resist taking this one last parting shot......

BANG!

bu-dump-dum.

THE FINAL WORD

Unless and until I decide otherwise, this will be my last post referencing hurricane Katrina.

There some points I want to reiterate (having iterated them before), and some additional observations I would like to make.

I also want to explain some things about this blogsite.

THE HURRICANE:

There is a difference between "sympathy" and "compassion."

"Sympathy" is an emotional response to another's plight. It is based solely on feeling and accomplishes absolutely nothing. "Compassion" is a behavior toward another's plight.

I have no sympathy for those who stayed in New Orleans by their own choice. Some of them died. I am sorry that they made the wrong choice, but I had no control over that choice.

Some of them had to stay because their government (their Mayor and their Governor) did not act to get them out, even though they had both the resources and the warnings. They should be angry, as I am, with their Governor and their Mayor.

I have great compassion for those who are in need of food, shelter and clothing. Being old, fat and having a heart problem, I cannot go to New Orleans. However, I have helped to send a very large contingent of leaders and volunteers who are providing hot meals, clothing and transportation for many to places of shelter.

The federal government is a large cumbersome entity. It is about as maneuverable as an ocean liner, compared to a small motor boat. It would not have mattered who was President, whether Reagan, Carter, Bush, Clinton or G.W., it would have still taken time for the feds to respond to this disaster.

The primary responsibility for first response lies with local and state authorities, neither of which did their jobs in Louisiana. By contrast, Mayors and the Governor in Mississippi acted quickly and with great effeciency.

There is much devastation in Mississippi, but it is getting FAR less attention from the press than is New Orleans. Its successes go virtually unreported.

If you go to the National Guard website you will see that each state has the authority to call up the Guard for emergency situations. It has been done in the past and will be done in the future. It should have been done in Louisiana. It was not done. There were plenty of National Guard troops available, as evidenced by the fact that when they WERE called in they were there.

We had a town virtually wiped out here in Southwest Florida when hurricane Charley came through. Many people from all over showed their compassion by helping provide for the needs of those displaced by the storm.

There will be other disasters. There will be wars. There will be rumors of war. There will be earthquakes. There will be tsunamis. There will be tornadoes and there will be hurricanes. We must respond to them all with our resources and our compassion and prayers.

MY BLOG:

Let there be no mistake: this is MY blog. I decide what is allowed here and I decide what is not allowed here. Period. If you don't like that, go away or be deleted.

I am grateful for the many friends I have in Blogland, and enjoy reading their posts and enjoy their comments.

I also have some "not so friends" who occasionally come by. You are welcome. Your opinions are valued. Your comments are, too, as long as they are gentlemanly and in good taste.

You may express any opinion about me you want to express. Even if it is snotty. I can easily out-snide, out-deride and out-snotty any of you, so be forewarned. There will be NO foul language on this site. Period.

If you are not man or woman enough to control your language, you are not man or woman enough to be heard here.

You will not speak unkindly or disrespectfully about ANY other commenter on my blog. If, in my opinion (the only one that counts on this issue), your comment is designed to hurt, or deride one of my honored guests, directly or by implication, you will be deleted. Speak to each other if you like, but be respectful.

Not only will I delete you, I will write a comment that tells who you are and why I deleted you, unless you do not give your name or bloglink, in which case you will be deleted anyway.

Again, thanks to all of you who have been so kind, so forthcoming and so honest in your comments on this blog. In spite of my strongheadedness and opinionation, you have been good friends. I have been awed by your response.

May God continue to bless you, friends and foe. I really appreciated you.

Random Ramblings

First: Thank you for your prayers for my mother. She is better, due for a couple of more tests to find out why she is doing better (they did not ask me) and may go home tomorrow.

She did have a heart attack and they did not expect her to make it through Saturday night. But she did.

Second: I am going to stop recognizing days, because every day I am more perplexed by the stupidity of some folks with regard to the victims of hurricane Katrina.

A. Nobody should have been in New Orleans when the storm hit. They were warned, and the Governor (not the President...it's not his job) should have made state resources available to move the poor out ahead of the storm. Many just refused to go, and now they're mad about it. Sorry...I have compassion for them and think they should be helped, but I have absolutely no sympathy whatsoever...period.

B. How's cumb Mississippi is doing so much better of a job of dealing with it's part of the disaster, with much
less help from the Feds? Maybe they have a smarter Governor?

C. I have heard six different politicians of the opposite persuasion place blame for the current state of
affairs on "the administration," each one for a different reason in keeping with his or her pet agenda.

Third: If you have not read Think Sink lately, you need to do so. Jeff brings to the fore some of our leader's" foolishness. You'll want to be there when he gets punched.

Finally: I am so glad I have Jesus as my Lord. He is everything I need to make it through each day and more.
He did so much for me at the cross, that if He never did anything else, that would be enough. But praise His name, He just keeps on providing love, mercy, grace, and stability.

Prayer Request

Please pray for my mother.

As I write this, she has been taken to the hospital by ambulance with suspected acute pneumonia.

She is 87 years old and was told in 1957 that she only had 5 years to live, max.

Every day since then has been a blessing and a gift.

We want God's will to be done. We want adequate care, but no heroic measures if they will only result in her lingering.

Thank you.

Disaster Relief

Southern Baptist Disaster Relief volunteers prepare meals for distribution at a North Carolina Baptist mobile feeding unit operating from First Baptist Church. The volunteers are part of Southern Baptist disaster relief volunteers assisting Mississippi and Louisiana in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina with services that include mass feeding, cleanup and recovery, shower trailers, child care, laundry, and communication. Photograph by John Swain (jswain@namb.net). For more information, please visit www.namb.net/drphotos or call 800-462-8657, ext. 6445. 8/30/05


Here is an example of some of the disaster relief that is already in place to help feed those in need and provide necessities.

Yesterday WAYJ FM, a local Christian radio station issued a call for help, with the intent of sending a truck loaded with necessities.

What they ended up sending was one simi and two box trucks full of diapers, baby wipes, non-perishables and much more.

There is much being done in the name of Jesus. It just does not get reported on in the "unbiased" secular media.

Praise God for the work that is being done!

Of course we do not do these things for recognition, but isn't it an encouragement to us all to see the evidence that Christians ARE doing what Christ commanded us to do?

UPDATE: CONVOY OF HOPE PROVIDES DISASTER RELIEF IN THE NAME OF CHRIST AROUND THE WORLD. PARTNERED WITH THE ASSEMBLIES OF GOD.

Convoy of Hope responds to Katrina, offers help from Picayune, Mississippi

Convoy of Hope Disaster Response Teams have established a distribution point in Picayune, Miss. and are traveling further into the affected areas to establish additional locations.
Cars --often filled with five or six people who are now homeless --were lined up two miles in either direction at the Picayune distribution point.
Volunteers had served 300 families by 9 a.m. this morning. "The need for ice and water is huge," said Jeff Nene, Convoy of Hope Communications director. "The people we are serving are often in tears, thankful to receive something so small as bottled water and a couple of bags of ice. These are the simple things that we often take for granted."
More than 30 truckloads of ice, water and food are already in the region or en route. Convoy of Hope is preparing for a response that could require hundreds of loads in the weeks ahead.

MORE UPDATE:

The Christian and Missionary Alliance

Hope Amid the Ruins
[Fri, 2 Sep 2005 16:32:58 -0600]

Being Jesus feet and hands is the only way to get the gospel to these people, says Rev. Don Young, pastor of Genesis Church (Alliance) in Foley, Alabama, near Mobile. The Gulf Coast town was spared the ravages of Hurricane Katrina, and area churches have banned together with Genesis to provide humanitarian aid to their Mississippi neighbors.

The people of Genesis Church are adopting the community of Waveland, Mississippi, near the Louisiana border. The town’s 7,000 residents lost 75 percent of the town. The church has sent a truckload of food, and fuel for the local hospital generator will arrive shortly. The church is committing the next six months to this needy community.


UPDATE:

DID YOU KNOW THAT THE SALVATION ARMY IS A CHURCH, not "just" a large non-profit charity?

They are a denomination. They hold worship services every week. They sing, pray and share the Gospel

And they provide relief during disasters.

The Salvation Army continues to feed and shelter refugees of Hurricane Katrina. We will continue to work diligently while there is need to meet that need in whatever ways we can. We thank you for your partnership with us.A $100 donation to The Salvation Army will feed a family of four for two days, provide two cases of drinking water and one household clean-up kit, containing brooms, mops, buckets, and cleaning supplies. Donate now...

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A newscaster said today that "...many believe President Bush is moving too slowly. The mercy ship, for instance, won't be there for two weeks."

Well la-dee-dah!

What does this stupid, ignorant, self-serving reporter suggest the President, or anybody else, do about that? Ships move slowly. He can't change that. Neither can his opponents in Congress. Neither can that news reporter.

Then I saw some guy who had lost it all. My heart went out to him. Yet he said, "Bush can send hellicopters to Iraq but he cant send one here. Come on, Mr. Bush..."

Again we have a man who is, understandably, upset. But his "upsetness" is wrongly directed. There already ARE hellicopters at the disaster area. They just haven't gotten to this man yet. He so absorbed in his own grief, again, understandably, that he cannot realize the enormity of this disaster.

But the real fault lies, again, witht the reporting.

I have not heard one single interview with someone who is grateful that he or she was plucked from their roof-top to safety. Not one report on someone who has had a "happy" experience with government rescuers.

Yet I know they are there, else everybody would be dead.

So why don't we hear about them? Hmmm? Go ahead...figure that one out.

ARRRRRRRGH!

I am a kinda laid back type in most situations. Just look at my picture, sitting back and enjoying a glass of iced tea.

But today I am angrier than I have been in a long, long time.

"Why are you so angry?" I hear you asking.

Thanks for asking. I am going to tell you.

I was in the car, searching for a gas station with gas (I can't believe we're having a shortage in our area). I heard an interview with a government official of some kind by an info-idiot looking for answers about the government's role in the hurricane disaster in which the following question was asked:

"Is it fair to say that the government may not have done enough to prevent this disaster from happening and was ill prepared to respond when it did?"

S A Y W H A T? (Make that the loudest most incredulous shout possible.)

There is only one possible motive for a question like that (aside from rank ignoramousness).

So right here and now I call on that info-moron to say exactly what could have been done to prevent a hurricane from going wherever it goes and doing whatever it does. Now, you imbicile! Tell us NOW!

What? You can't tell us?

Then I have this advice for you and anyone who has ever thought, mused or otherwise raised a question like that:

SHUT YOUR STUPID, HALF-WITTED, NUMB-SKULLED, HAIRBRAINED, SPREAD-POSTERIORED, IDIOTIC, MORONIC, PIG-HEADED, TWISTED, FOOLISH, MOUTH UNTIL YOU CAN COME UP WITH, AND HEAD UP A DELEGATION TO PUT INTO EFFECT, A VIABLE SOLUTION TO THE NEEDS OF THE VICTIMS AND THE RESTORATION OF THEIR PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS!

Being a Christian, I say that, of course, in love.

For the life of me I can find no explanation for the insufferable comments made by politicians for their own political gain in this issue.

This is a time to stop worrying about who is in power and start doing whatever it takes to help those who are suffering from the effects of Katrina.

They need water, food, clothing, diapers, baby wipes, shelter, medicine and other life requirements.

Politicians, stop blubbering philosphically and politically and start doing something to help, not tomorrow, not next week, not when you are back in session, NOW.

Ted Kennedy...go down there and DO something. Dianne Feinstein, go down there and DO something. President Bush, go down there and DO something.

Take your secret service people with you, if you must. If you do, don't let them spend their time protecting you...make them DO something. Clean something. Pick up something. Pick up a hammer and build something.

Carry buckets of water over to the levies and pour some water back into the Gulf of Mexico.

Join the 30,000 Southern Baptist volunteers and the thousands of volunteers from the Assemblies of God, and the folks from the Christian and Missionary Alliance and the uncountable others who will be there with aid.

Help the Salvation Army, the Americn Red Cross and other non-profit agencies that will be there in numbers far exceeding the number of federal and local military and para-military people there.

Come on! Show us leadership by example!

Get off of your fat, pompous, economy-sucking posteriors and be a part of the solution.

Give up the pork in your favorite piece of legislation and give the money to one or more of the agencies involved in search and rescue. Buy some boats and GIVE them to people who need to get around and who then can help others.

Fire up a grill and cook some of those steaks, and delicacies wasting away in your pantries and feed someone who has not eaten in three or four days.

Be a REAL part of the human race and show the compassion of action.

By this time next month we will know what you are really made of.

What a scary thought.

Well, well, well.

What a week!

Those of you who are exceedingly bright and regular readers will remember that I told you of the crash of the hard drive of our main on-air computer at the Christian radio station at which I work.

After that, there were 4,400+ audio and place-hold files that needed to be rebuilt.

I finally got that job completed Tuesday at about 9:00 am. Tuesday at 10:00 am, a dump truck got tangled up in the guy wires of a power pole and, instead of stopping or backing up or whatever would have remdied the situation, he kept on truckin' and snapped the pole.

3,500 people were without power for six hours, including the radio station.

During that time, the battery back-ups (called UPSes, but which I call DHLs - sort of a poor radio announcer's joke-or a radio announcer's poor joke, I don't know which) failed and all of the computers quit. While quited, they also mixed up data and dropped some.

So I have been busily trying to rebuild almost the whole thing all over again.

That's radio! Two 16 hour days in a row! And two more to go this week.

Someday its actually going to be as fun as it should!

If I survive, I will be back to regularly blogging.

If I don't survive, I'll see you over there.

Sunday Praise

Lord Jesus, your name is above every name. Your name is Creator. Your name is Power. Even the hosts of Heaven fall at your feet. You are worthy of being crowned King of Kings and Lord of Lords.

Let those of us who know you, who love you, who are called according to your purpose, who have been bought and paid for with a King's ransom make you absolute Lord of our lives. Come sit on our heart's throne in the seat of honor in our lives.

We praise you for your mercy. We praise you for your grace. We thank you for your unending mercy. We thank you for your saving grace.

Let those of every race, color, and nation on earth bow down before you and give you the honor you deserve. May we treat you better than we would treat any earthly royalty, any President, any head of state.

Precious Lord, we long to join the heavenly of heavenlies at your very feet. We long to sing your praises forever and forever. Throughout eternity we will sing the New Song you have prepared for us.

We yield ourselves to your will today and ask you to guide us away from our focus on our own troubles, our own desires, our own health, our own wealth, our own wants and to rather focus on you and only you.

May you reign in power and majesty in our hearts.

All Hail the Power of Jesus' Name
by Edward Perronet


All hail the power of Jesus' name!
Let angels prostrate fall;
Bring forth the royal diadem,
And crown him Lord of all.
Bring forth the royal diadem,
And crown him Lord of all.

Ye chosen seed of Israel's race,
Ye ransomed from the fall,
Hail him who saves you by his grace,
And crown him Lord of all.
Hail him who saves you by his grace,
And crown him Lord of all.

Let every kindred, every tribe
On this terrestrial ball,
To him all majesty ascribe,
And crown him Lord of all.
To him all majesty ascribe,
And crown him Lord of all.

O that with yonder sacred throng
We at His feet may fall!
We'll join the everlasting song,
And crown Him Lord of all.
We'll join the everlasting song,
And crown Him Lord of all.

Rebekah

In place of my regular Saturday blog, I just want to ask everybody to be much in prayer for Rebekah. For the latest, you can go here: Rebekah's Page

Just Justice

We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.

To establish:
to institute (as a law) permanently by enactment or agreement
a : to make firm or stable
b : to introduce and cause to grow and multiply

Justice:
a : the maintenance or administration of what is just especially by the impartial adjustment of conflicting claims or the assignment of merited rewards or punishments
b : JUDGE
c : the administration of law; especially : the establishment or determination of rights according to the rules of law or equity

After uniting the country, the next function of our government, according to The Constitution of the United States of America, is to establish justice.

Basically, to establish justice means to put into place a system whereby every citizen is afforded an opportunity to be treated equally under the law.

That means no matter who you are, no matter where you're from, no matter what your economic status, no matter what your skin color, no matter what your political or religious affiliation, you are entitled to equal treatment by the courts.

Often, though, it seems as though those who have plenty of money get plenty of justice, while those whose financial resources are slim get the short end of the judicial stick.

This is why it matters who is on the Supreme Court. The Supreme Court is charged with the responsibility of making certain that laws made and laws implemented are in keeping with the rule book, The Constitution of the United States of America.

They can't change the rules (can they?), they can only ensure that the rule book is followed.

In the last 60 years, though, the Supreme Court has taken on the role of "moral activist."

Back in my college days we had a thing called "Bull Sessions." They were get togethers at which we discussed with great fervor the major issues of the day. (The fact that the initials of the term "Bull Sessions" stand for a less than complimentary phrase was not lost on participants.)

At these think-a-thons, we often came to the question, "Who gets to decide?" (I always volunteered that if they were really having trouble deciding they could come to me and I'd make the decision, but they never took me up on the offer.)

In our country, on matters that have not been previously decided by the "rule book," the various states are given the responsibility of deciding for themselves.

Certain people, however, believe that more and more power should be given to the federal government to decide.

This was the question of "states rights" that led to the Civil War, after which more and more power began to be relegated to the "centralized" government.

Over time, the Supreme Court has become more and more involved in the decision making process, until today is has become a proxy maker of law by decree.

Proponents of this approach seem fond of stating the the founders gave us a living, breathing document in The Constitution, that is subject to the whim of the Supreme Court's perception of the direction the society as a whole is moving.

The Constitution of the United States of America is a living, breathing document, but it breathes very slowly. If we play by the rules it lays out, it is very hard to change. It requires an amendment process that involves both lawmakers and the states, the latter of which must ratify any changes.

By speeding up the process, The Supreme Court has succeeded in setting itself up as a nine person dictatorship which gets to impose its will upon the rest of us.

That is FAR from what the establishers of this great nation intended.

The effect is that more attention is given to manipulating society than to making certain that the rule book is followed.

Thus the government has moved away from establishing justice and toward making injustice the law of the land.

Until we decide to speak up, get involved, and shout, "Enough is enough!," we will continue the downward judicial spiral that will ultimately lead to a police state, in which all of our freedoms will be confiscated. At that time, we will become a people of the government, by the government and for the government.

Personally, I think "...with liberty and justice for all." is a better course.

Addendum: Please continue to pray for little Rebekah. Go to Darlene's site at What Would Jesus Blog? , or Jeff's site at Think Sink , or one of the many others listed at the right for regular updates.

It Must Be the Season

Recently I told you about my hard drive crash on my home computer.

Monday night, the hard drive on our main on-air computer crashed.

There must be something going around.

Fortunately, we will have a new hard-drive installed by this afternoon (Wednesday), and no data was lost (we think).

Yesterday and today, I have had to run the station the old fashioned way: pick the music, play each song individually, talk live on the air, etc. Just like 20 years ago when I first broke into the radio station....I mean first broke into radio.

Well, back then we used these things called "records." You know, vinyls. The big things with the little hole in the middle.

We couldn't play those today if we wanted to. We don't even have a turn table!

I had to do two shifts, because Parker is back in school and no one else around here knows how to do a live program! That strikes me as so odd.

Anyway, it is very time consuming, intenst and requires great focus.

I'm tired, and will be glad when today is over and things are back to normal.

Maybe I will be, too (as if I have ever been normal).

God is in control!

Yesterday's Bible Study Class

Let me begin by saying, "God is big. God is BIG. God is really, really B I G.

How big is God?

Isaiah 40:12 "Who hath measured the waters in the hollow of his hand, and meted out heaven with the span (of His hand), and comprehended the dust of the earth in a measure, and weighed the mountains in scales, and the hills in a balance?"

With His "bigness" comes power. How much power?

We dropped an atomic bomb on Hiroshima, Japan. The devastation was phenominal! All of that and it took the splitting of only one atom.

Everything is made of molecules. They are too small to see. Many molecules require an electron microscope to be seen. Each of those molecules is made up of one or more, sometimes dozens or even hundreds of atoms.

Think how small an atom must be. And all of the power of that atomic bomb from just one atom.
Now imagine how many atoms there are in the entire universe. Ten billion to the ten billionth power would not be enough.

Imagine that they all exploded at once. How much power would that be?

God is more powerful than that.

God is all knowing. All of the knowledge that ever has been, is now, or ever will be all put together would not fill one of God's brain cells (if He had brain cells).

God is everywhere at once, not limited by time or space. That's how my boss wants me to be, but I have not mastered it yet.

Yesterday, in our church's Bible Study for Median Adults (I get to be in there because my wife is so young), our teacher asked for prayer requests. So we went around the room, each person naming someone who "needed prayer" (which I take to mean a request for God's intervention). This prompted me to ask some questions in my own mind, in view of the above descriptions of God.

If God is onipotent, omnicient and omnipresent, why, after naming each person who has need, do we THEN bow our heads and pray for them, usually repeating what had already been said?

Jesus, in the Sermon on the Mount, said, "7 But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking. 8 Be not ye therefore like unto them: for your Father knoweth what things ye have need of, before ye ask him. " Matt 6:7 & 8.

My question is not about why we pray, it is about the form our prayers usually take.

Would it be a better idea to begin praying and open the "floor" for people to express the needs of which they have knowledge while we are praying?

I'm just asking, because I grew up doing it the other way, and have been doing it that way for 46 years.

I would be very interested in your brief answers (a few paragraphs, no doctoral theses, please) in the coment section.

You have an opinion about it, I'm sure, and if I have read y'all right you're not overly bashful about expressing your opinions. So have at it (remember: short and on topic).

My inquiring mind wants to know.

SPECIAL PRAYER EDITION

My good friend, who was Best Man at my wedding, is back in the hospital.

Jeff, of Eighteen Wheels (Jeff G) broke his leg in a motocycle accident few years ago. He has been in and out of the hospital since. The last thing they did was remove the artificial implant and put in an antibiotic impregnated cement replacement.

The plan was to remove the cement implant and put the original one back in, after ridding it of its infection.

When the doctor put the original implant back in, he pushed it a little too far and cracked a bone in Jeff's ankle.

Please pray for Jeff's complete recovery.

Personally, I hope he emerges from this a wealthy man, but I just talked with him on the phone and he doesn't seem too enthusiastic about that.

Spambots Untied! Sub-title: Eat Spam!

Well, the "Evil Spambots" are out in force, according to Nettie at Mistress Tootie Belle (great poem, by the way).

I have been hit, as have many of you. I know, I've seen the stupid automated "sales" comments on many of your comment sites.

Thank you, thank you, thank you to Becky, of The Faith Expedition for this tidbit of information: You can place a little gizmo on your comment site that requires commenters to simply type in a set of letters that are displayed right in front of their noses (nose?).

Go to SETTINGS, the click on the tab that says COMMENTS, then scroll down until you see SHOW WORD VERIFICATION ON COMMENTS and click YES. It's that easy!

Darlene has a picture of what it looks like at her site: What Would Jesus Blog? .

But you see, the spambots can't see the letters. They're automated. They ain't got no eyes!

This feature has been there all along, I just didn't know what it was for.

I have added the feature to my site. I reccomend that you do, too.

It only takes a half-second more to post a comment. Just type the letters you see into the little box provided and it will let you right in.

By the way, my buddy, Parker, did a little search on the latest round of Spambotters. It seems there are several different companies, all seemingly using the same company to send their spam for them. There's a guy who wants you to invest in trees, a fellow with a photo shop a couple of pretty vile ones and others.

Are there really people who repond positively to these things, saying, "I just gotta buy me some o' dat stock in trees?" (A few years ago, that would have been Woodstock---Ooo, sorry).

Hey! Have a nice Saturday and DOWN WITH SPAMBOTS!

Week in Review

One of my favorite things to do is to go to your blog and click on one of the links to another blog. Then I click on one of the links on that blog to yet another blog, etc., until I am several layers deep.

This activity exposes me to many new bloggers, some good, some---well let's just say they try. But I enjoy them all just for the experience of it.

I also find some I like well enough to want to visit regularly, so I put a link to them on my site.

Such was the case with The Cutting Edge. John is a new student at seminary. I looked over his past posts, and they were worth the reading.

Having lived in Washington State at one time, and having taught back packing and general outdoorsmanship to kids, I enjoy Mark's blog over at Washington Backpacker . And the picture of the angel grabs my attention over at Mike's, Ex Scientia, Veritas .

At Following God's Will , Steve reminds us to pray for little Rebekah. Several others did as well, and I found a link to "her site" where you can post your prayer if you like. HERE! Darlene, at What Would Jesus Blog? is concerned about her, too.

Jayleigh's hair may never be the same, but her heart's in the right place, as she, too, is concerned about Rebekah. Jayleigh's Grand Adventures

That' a BEEG saw, and a BEEG log of Eucalyptus. pl... At Sugarloaf Mountain, and at Sweeter than Ever , Live, Love, Laugh is itching to share with you as much as she can.

Danny and Akinola have both been writing about chips, but with a difference. Danny is at The Danny Sims Blog and Akinola can be found at Unveil .

I don't know how Jeff does it, but he actually got a personal response from Cindy Sheehan apologizing for her unseemly actions...NOT. See it all at Think Sink .

On Jeff Wright's Blog , you can read a real email from a good friend in Iraq.

Have you noticed the stupid comment spam that has been infusing itself on our blogs? Well, Becky over at The Faith Expedition has done something about it! Yea, Becky! Mistress Tootie Belle wonders about them, too.

Some blogs have those clocks, you know? Ron, of True Servants , wants to know who you are spending time with. Oh! don't forget, our resident time traveler, "Whaaaat" is still missing from Things That Make You Go Hmmm !

Scientology takes a hit! Read all about it at The Christian Viewpoint .

Steel Cowboy doesn't get to bike over to Mom's, and Carla does some serious reflecting at Reflections of the Times .

If you've been wondering about Martyn Lloyd-Jones' views on Faith and Politics (and who of us hasn't?), Random Responses has your answer, and, as usual, the Pyromaniac is all fired up, while the burning question: "Who are those Baptist and what have they been doing?" is expounded upon by Pastor Steve at Pastor Steve Weaver's Blog .

Love poetry? John writes some great stuff on his blog, Passion to Write , where he writes about "Lord of the Persecuted." He also has one of those clocks I talked about earlier. If good fast food is your pleasure you need to see Pass the Salt Please, where Kris tells you about his work.

"For every one demon that is tormenting you, there are two angels watching over you." Whoa! Find out about that when you read Not 1 Jot , and for sheer beauty, it is hard to beat Pia's blog, My Blog 2002 .

In the Mind of Marlar, Darren pokes fun at my state's level of intelligence, but the Lady of Grace, Suzii, is as gracious as ever. Good rain pic, too.

Denise, of Just Thinkin' , has trouble with her Ggggggs, while Jeremy minds his "Ps" and "Qs" of theology at Jeremy Weaver's Blog .

"From having ovarian cancer before we ever met and wondering if we would ever have children...", read about his miracle and love of his children in In His Image .

There's nothing fishy at His Footprints, My Heart, but at my sweet wonderful wife's blog, God's Most Wanted there certainly is. (Now, Dear, we'll have nun of that!)

Go say, "Hi," to Jimmy via God Even Loves Idiots Like Me, and read a warm hearted post at Faith In Florida , plus learn about tolerance and more at Eklektikos: A Contemporary Christian Blog .

My buddy, Jeff, recovering from leg surgery has a good post at Eighteen Wheels , and my other buddy and working cohort, Parker, who is moving as I write (and probably as you read), conducts a survey. Take part by going to Diary of an Insanityfarmer .

At Confirm the Work of Our Hands , Shelley tells about moon flowers.

We start Galations 5 with Jeremy's Comments on the Bible , and get some good movie reviews and previews through John at Anvil and Fire .

Well, here's proof positive that I read every one of your blogs. I don't always comment, but I'm always there. So be careful what you write about me.

God bless you all and have a GREAT weekend!

Of the United States

In last Thursday's post we examined "We, the people..." This week we will look at "...of the United States.

There are six functions of the federal government revealed in the preamble to The Constitution of the United States of America. The first of those is "...to form a more perfect union,..."

There are fifty states. At first there were only thirteen.

There have been nations that have accused The United States of America of being an imperialist nation. By any historical definition we are not, of course. To become a state, a political entity must ask to be let in. Then we must decide whether or not to let them in.

I suspect that it is much easier to get thirteen states to move together in one direction than it is fifty. The addition of more states is not something to be taken lightly.

On most other continents, the political entities are grouped into countries. Those countries may or may not be organized into states. Canada, for instance, divides itself into Provinces. So do some European countries.

If you are a country, you are sovereign. That means other countries cannot tell you how to run your affairs. Germany, for example, cannot tell France what to do. With the so-called European Union, things get a little blurred. France has refused to ratify the necessary EU documents, mostly because they want to keep their four day work week (as well as a few less important issues.)

In our country, we divide into states. Each state is, according to The Constitution of the United States of America, sovereign, except for a "few" functions left to the federal government.

Now, there is a strong tendency for those in power to seek more power. Thus the federal government has usurped more and more authority from the states. As they have done so, there has been a sort of "collective resentment" on the part of the states over losing their sovereignty. The result has been a rising DISUNITY.

Our very name tells us that we are to be a UNITED country. The first task of government revealed in the preamble is "...to form a more perfect union.

We should be becoming MORE united with time if, and only if, the federal government is doing its job.

Sadly, the opposite seems to be the case. We have conservatives vs. liberals; abortionist vs. right-to-lifers; for the war in Iraq vs. against the war in Iraq; and on and on it goes.

Why is this the case, and what can be done about it?

The real reason this came to be is that we became a nation of self-servers, the majority of whom had become disillusioned with their Christian heritage, and a nation of "new-comers" whose roots did not include the values of the majority of the people of the country to which they moved.

It is true that we have always been "a nation of immigrants." In the past, however, people who wanted to become citizens of the United states had to assimilate. They had to learn the language, they had to learn our ways (the old "When in Rome do as the Romans do"), and they brought with them a willingness to give to their new country.

Added to this issue is the problem of illegal aliens. As people illegally enter the country, they bring with them the old ways. Because they often fail to assimilate, they do not understand the mores and customs of this nation. In addition, our own attitudes toward them is inconsistent.

To their credit, illegal aliens also often bring with them, in many cases, a remarkable work ethic. Many of them are willing to do any kind of work to earn money to send or take back to their own country.

Two things we need to do about this issue: 1. Stop the influx of illegals entering the country (kudos to the Minute Men helping at the southern borders); 2. Teach the ones who are here how to go back to their countries and fill out the necessary documents to enter the country legally. They will go farther, faster if they do.

As to the issue of having become self-servers, this one is more insidious and dangerous.

As we moved away from the values of our founders, we began to elect presidents, senators and congressmen who had also moved away from those values. More and more the good of the country took a back seat to good of the individual.

Elected leaders "discovered" that they could pander to large groups of people in their areas of representation and thus ensure their re-election, which became the primary concern.

The solution to this problem is more difficult. Someone, somewhere must begin to elect men and women to office who have a servant's attitude, if not heart. Men and women who are committed to doing what is right, instead of what is expedient.

We must elect people who will lead, without being dictatorial, who will speak clearly, without parsing their words, who will understand the yearning for freedom that beats within the heart of every living soul.

We must find leaders who will lead us back to the principles laid out by the founders without taking us backward in achievement.

Most of all, we must find leaders who will dedicate themselves to uniting the country, no easy task!

Unity does not mean thinking alike. It means setting a common course. It means seeing each other as equals and learning how to behave thusly. Unity requires work, occasionally a yielding attitude and a desire to make this great experiment as a democratic republic work.

Lord, give us a government that will make it its goal to verify the words: The UNITED States of America.

Who Is that Masked Woman?

I am a War Baby.

My father served thirty-one and a half years in the United States Air Force. He was not in combat, but was the Director of Communications for the South Atlantic corridor during World War II. We had many conversations about the war.

That war was waged on two fronts, the Western or European and the Eastern or Japanese. The stupid, but charismatic little dictator in Germany wanted to rid the world of Jews and ultimately of anyone who was not a white Arian. The Emperor of Japan wanted to destroy the United States, assimilate our economy and to reign over the whole world.

Hitler murdered people, majoring on Jews. He gassed them, used them in medical experiments and executed them in public. Hitler NEVER attacked the United States. He did attack our allies.

Under no little protest in our country, we entered the war against Germany and its allies.

The Japanese DID attack us directly. They bombed our men, women, ships and facilities at Pearle Harbor. When they captured Americans and held them as prisoners, they tortured them, used them in medical experiments and otherwise desecrated their humanity.

My father lost many friends who were in combat. He also lost brothers and a brother-in-law. Every one of them had a mother. Those mothers who were alive at the time mourned their deaths. But almost NONE of them assailed the United States government. If they did, the media did not report it, let alone focus on it.

There are remarkable similarities between our involvement in World War II and our involvement in Afganistan and Iraq.

Saddam did not attack us. He did attack our vital interests in Quait and he trained many who then did attack us, under the leadership of Osama.

We are now at war with the radical Muslims in Iraq who would like to be a part of another attack on the United States of America. We have kept them off balance enough that they have, so far, been unable to mount that attack.

The best they could do is to have bombed transportation interests in Great Brittain. That's bad enough, but we have not had to bear the brunt of those insidious atrocities ourselves, thanks to the resolve of President Bush and the dedication of the young men and women of our military.

In addition, we have enabled the Iraqi people to have a hope of establishing a country in which they can experience the freedom that is in the bosom of every living soul.

Now steps forward this protestor, Cindy Sheehan, who "wants an audience with President Bush." Actually, she wants ANOTHER audience with him. Her justification is supposedly that she lost a son in a war she does not support.

Well, la-dee-dah!

I am sorry for any parent who loses a family member in war. I am sorry that she lost a son in the war. He was very special. He loved this country and thought it fitting to engage in an activity that put his life on the line. He paid the "ultimate sacrifice."

But she is NOT special.

Along with criticizing the Bush Administration and the War in Iraq, Sheehan has been vocal in her attacks on foreign policy. In a letter, written on March 15, 2005, Sheehan claims that her son died, "for a PNAC Neo-Con agenda to benefit Israel." Sheehan further comments that her son joined the armed forces to "protect America, not Israel." Where did that come from? Sheehan has also said that in order to stop terrorism, "You get America out of Iraq and Israel out of Palestine and you'll stop the terrorism." (Taken from Wikipedia.com)

WRONG, Ms. Sheehan. They are not interested in stopping for any reason. Their own avowed agenda is to wipe out the West and its "infidels."

The media treats her like she is a patriot on the order of Patrick Henry or Paul Revere. In fact, she is a traitor.

Look at her history. Look at the organizations to which she belongs. Look at her behavior. Listen to her words.

If she is to be believed, she hates this country and what it has historically stood for. If she does not hate this country, then she is not to be believed. Either way, she is a BAD ACT! She hides behind a mask of concern, but she is really a kind of insurgent.

The willing media loves her. They focus on her. They give her air time. They "explain her postition, so we'll better understand her."

Why? Because they are poured out of the same mold.

I call on the media of this country to leave her alone! Stop glorifying her. You want to give credit to someone, give credit to her son.

By giving her so much press, you are demoralizing our troops and are participating in traitorous activity.

(As I sit here posting, I am watching yet ANOTHER report on this reprobate. And they are trying to make HER look good. They gave her and her "cause" almost two minutes of focus, while giving her detractors only about 31 seconds. In media that is a HUGE difference.)

I have yet to see you focus on the THOUSANDS AND THOUSANDS of relatives who have lost sons and daughters in this war and are PROUD of the sacrifice they made for their country.

Since there are more of them than there are of Cindy Sheehan's ilk, why can't you give them MORE air time than you give her? That would be fair.

Maybe I just answered my own question.

Oooops!

I wrote a post for today.

Then I read it.

I have deleted it.

I did not like it.

You would not have liked it.

My mother would not have liked it.

It did not get my real point across.

I will edit it.

I will probably re-post it later.

I promise to probably re-post it later.

Really.

OK?

The Blessings

Every good and precious gift comes from you. O Lord.

Help me today to focus on You and Your goodness. Help me focus on Your grace. Help me recognize Your great mercy. As I meditate on Your Word, let me break forth in songs prompted by Your Spirit. May I focus on Christ and His gift of redemption.

I Samuel 7:12 - Then Samuel took a stone, and set it between Mizpeh and Shen, and called the name of it Ebenezer, saying, Hitherto hath the LORD helped us.

May this be a day of the celebration of Your victory for us! Lord, in whom is my hope, by Your love, mercy and grace we eagerly anticipate our arrival on Your Kingdom's shores. May we celebrate the one who saw fit to descend to our level when we were lost and who paid the awful cost of our salvation with His precious blood.

We are eternally indebted to your everlasting kindness. May we remember it every day. Wrap our wayward hearts in the fetters of Your love.

Take our hearts, and bind them to you so that we will stand in Your presence and praise Your name forever!

Come, Thou Fount of Every Blessing
Words by: Robert Robinson

Come, Thou Fount of every blessing, Tune my heart to sing Thy grace;
Streams of mercy, never ceasing, Call for songs of loudest praise.
Teach me some melodious sonnet, Sung by flaming tongues above.
Praise the mount! I’m fixed upon it,Mount of Thy redeeming love.

Here I raise my Ebenezer; Here by Thy great help I’ve come;
And I hope, by Thy good pleasure, Safely to arrive at home.
Jesus sought me when a stranger, Wandering from the fold of God;
He, to rescue me from danger, Interposed His precious blood.

O to grace how great a debtor Daily I’m constrained to be!
Let Thy goodness, like a fetter, Bind my wandering heart to Thee.
Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it, Prone to leave the God I love;
Here’s my heart, O take and seal it, Seal it for Thy courts above.

I've Got You Under My Skin

My wife, whose blog you can see at "God's Most Wanted ," and I live in the same house. It is a convenient arrangement, for us, anyway.

Now the funny thing is, we both have computers and we both are bloggers.

Sometimes we are both blogging at the same time, she in the bedroom and I in "the office."

Although we are close enough to talk to each other, we often communicate through the comments in our respective or irrespective blogs.

"Did you read my comment?" she calls out from the bedroom.

"No," I speak loudly so she can hear me. "I’ll check it out."

So I do.

She has written, "Do you want to go to lunch?" "OK," I type. "We’ll meet in the living room."

And we do.

You know blogging has gotten under your skin, keeping company with a fungus I developed a few years ago, when you choose to type, rather than just speak.

There must be something "official" about blogging that makes it some kind of superior communication.

Hey, Babydoll, Do you want to go to the Mall?

I forgot to include the Pyromaniac in yesterday's post of significant blogs. Phil has become a labelite, so check it out.

And if you like the outdoors AND good writing, check out Washington Backpacker.

Just Blogging in the Rain

Every afternoon in Southwest Florida it rains. It is raining now. I'm blogging now. So, I'm blogging in the rain. Not to be confuse with Fred Astair's song.

This being Friday and all, I though I would catch you up on what's going on in Bloggerville.

If you like Bible study, click on Jeremy Weaver's link (Comments on the Bible (Jeremy Weaver ) . You'll get a good study in Galations.

Confirm the Work of Our Hands is busy writing about writing, while Faith In Florida has to deal with both the Sub Nazi and the Jewelry Nazi.

Have you ever met a song thief? You can at Following God's Will . Trust me, Steve's still following God's Will.

Then there's Joe B. at God Even Loves Idiots Like Me . He seems to have crammed a little kid in a mail box. At about the same time, His Footprints, My Heart almost got Googlewhacked!

Jayleigh shows us a flying tractor at Jayleigh's Grand Adventures and Jeff exhorts us to make disciples for the Lord. That would be at Jeff Wright's Blog .

Jeremy is not satisfied with one blog, he needs two. He must have a lot to say, and a lot of time to say it. He says it all at Jeremy Weaver's Blog . Meanwhile, Denise is stormin' at Just Thinkin' .

Lady of Grace lost her post. Did she check at the Post Office? Marlar shares his mind relative to aging gracefully at Mind of Marlar . The Prophet can be found at Passion to Write (John) .

There's a good book recommendation over at Pastor Steve Weaver's Blog and Carla, who can be read at Reflections of the Times is overthinking.

If you are not a cat fan, mosey on over to the Steel Cowboy , and you will love the post about our protectors at Sweeter than Ever .

Danny Simms finally figures out who he is at The Danny Sims Blog, and Things That Make You Go Hmmm travels into the future.

Jeff H. continues to make his mark on the world of music, obviously competing with Steve, at Think Sink as Two Polished Pennys puts Frist first.

Darlene is back into swinging at What Would Jesus Blog? and last, but not least, my sweet wife wishes everybody a blessed day at God's Most Wanted .

As do I.

"We" the People

We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.

Of course you recognize that. If you live in the United States of America, you memorized the preamble to The Constitution of the United States of America when you were in elementary school.

What? You didn't memorize it? Why not? Could it be there is something contained therein that "they" (whoever "they" are) did not want you to know or remember? Perhaps it was just not considered very important.

The Constitution of the United States of America is the "rule book" by which we "play the game" of being citizens of this country. The preamble introduces the rest of the document. It actually explains why the Constitution was created. It defines the six areas of life in which the federal government is to be involved.

The words "We the People..." were carefully chosen by the band of men who drafted this magnificent instrument. Notice that the word "People" is capitalized. That was not an accident.
Those men "cussed and discussed" that word at length.

Ultimately it was decided that the principle of the peoples' involvement in the government was so important that it needed to be emphasized.

This new government was not to be run by a magistrate, or a group of lawmakers, or a group of lawyers, it was to be run by and its leaders responsible to the people. The writers knew that in order for this great governmental experiment to work, the citizens would have to be involved. They knew that if the people were NOT involved, the government would not work. (Therefore, if YOU are not involved, you are helping to ensure that the process will not work.)

In his speech at Gettysburg, known as the Gettysburg Address, Abraham Lincoln said, "...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 that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth."

Lincoln recognized the importance of citizen involvement in this nation. (Did you also notice that he used the phrase "under God?" I guess he did not recognize the so-called "secular" nature of the government.)

Obviously, not all of the people of this fledgling country were present when The Constitution was being drafted. Instead, these men worked meticulously on the details, literally word-by-word. Then they presented it to the people (See? The people) for “ratification,” a process by which the people said, “Yes. This is good. We accept it.”

No other government in the history of mankind has ever been constructed like ours. There have been democracies, there have been republics and there have been variations thereon, but none has ever been quite like ours. We are unique.

It was a sunny day in Philadelphia in 1787, and the Constitutional convention had just finished its work. A woman, watching the esteemed gentlemen congratulate themselves, approached one of the young nation's leading statesmen, Ben Franklin. "Mr. Franklin, what kind of government have you given us?" she asked. "A Republic, madam," Franklin quickly answered. "If you can keep it."

Notice that he did not say, “If we can keep it.” Nor did he say, “If those in office can keep it.” He said, “…if you can keep it.”

The ball has been, is now and always will be in our court.

I think we should keep it.

Almighty King

To you, O Lord, do we ascribe greatness, power, glory, majesty and splendor for all of the works of your hands.

It is you and you alone, O Lord, who reigns over the Kingdom, who is the Exalted Head over all and from whom all wealth and honor come.

It is from your hands, your strength and your power that we receive power.

To you, Incarnate Word, we bring our petitions and our prayers.

Holy Comforter, give witness in every heart to the One who gave Himself a ransom for us.

Make us ever aware of your sovereignty, O Lord. In all of eternity may we love and adore only you.

Come, Though Almighty King
Anonymous

Come, Thou almighty King,
Help us Thy Name to sing, help us to praise!
Father all glorious, o’er all victorious,
Come and reign over us, Ancient of Days!

Come, Thou incarnate Word,
Gird on Thy mighty sword, our prayer attend!
Come, and Thy people bless, and give Thy Word success,
Spirit of holiness, on us descend!

Come, holy Comforter,
Thy sacred witness bear in this glad hour;
Thou Who almighty art, now rule in every heart,
And ne’er from us depart, Spirit of pow’r!

To Thee, great One in Three,
Eternal praises be, hence, evermore;
Thy sov’reign majesty may we in glory see,
And to eternity love and adore!

If You Want to Know

I have some favorite blogs. They are at the right. In the"blogroll."

If I did not think they had something significant to offer, they would not be there. In fact, I have removed some for various reasons, and may remove some others.

This week I particularly recommend Parker's post for today on "Freedom and Slavery..." (Diary of an Insanity Farmer). I also suggest that you read "Jeremy Weaver's Blog" daily. "What Would Jesus Blog" is always a good read...very talented lady. Don't leave out "Think Sink." What a trip!

See. I knew if I started listing them I would be in trouble. Bloggers, rest asured...if you blog is at the right you are read every day. I love your blog. Really I do! Actually, I just like all of them. I even read the "Progressive Christian" blog, 'cause he makes me think and re-evaluate what I believe...not change it, just re-think it.

Any way, read away and increase your enjoyment for the day!

Awesome

Mighty God, you are more powerful than the sum total of all of the atoms that make up all of the planets, moons, stars, comets, quasars, and unknown elements of the universe.

Your right hand spans the very universe itself.

That universe shouts forth your Holy Name.

Yet, Lord God, you are merciful, loving and knowable. We sing your praises now and forever.

The prince of this world tries to hide you from us. The great sin of mankind finds your glory too dazzling to look upon.

All the members of Heaven proclaim your worthiness, your perfection, your power, your righteousness, your purity.

Triune God, we love you for your grace. We honor and revere your holy name.

Teach us how to praise you here on this earth, while we await the time when we will perfectly praise you in the unknowable eternity that is to come.


Holy, Holy, Holy!
Lyric by Reginald Heber

Holy, holy, holy! Lord God Almighty!
Early in the morning our song shall rise to Thee;
Holy, holy, holy, merciful and mighty!
God in three Persons, blessed Trinity!

Holy, holy, holy! All the saints adore Thee,
Casting down their golden crowns around the glassy sea;
Cherubim and seraphim falling down before Thee,
Who wert, and art, and evermore shall be.

Holy, holy, holy! Though the darkness hide Thee,
Though the eye of sinful man Thy glory may not see;
Only Thou art holy; there is none beside Thee,
Perfect in pow’r, in love, and purity.

Holy, holy, holy! Lord God Almighty!
All Thy works shall praise Thy Name, in earth, and sky, and sea;
Holy, holy, holy; merciful and mighty!
God in three Persons, blessed Trinity!

Amen!

Open Line Friday 08/08/05

New feature! Open line Friday!

What does it mean?

It means that I will pose and/or answer questions I have been asked, am being asked or will be asked. You may ask a question in the comments section as well. I will be sure to answer them in the comments section...or not.

Some of the questions will be things I have wondered about and you can answer in the comments section.

Questions are subject to examination and deletion by me, the Grand Control Freak of this blog.

Questions might be deleted if they are: obscene; unclear; too long; too bad; too good; I don't like them; I like them but am too lazy to answer them and any other arbitrary reason I choose. But I will probably answer some or all of them...maybe.

Was that clear? Good. Here we go with OPEN LINE FRIDAY!

QUESTIONS I WANT ANSWERS TO:

1. How many people did God use to lead His people out of Egypt?
2. How many people does God use to lead His people today?
3. To how many people did God speak audibly in the Old Testament and why?
4. To how many people did God speak audibly in the New Testament and why?
5. To how many people does God speak audibly today and why?
6. How should we react to people who hear the voice of God today?
7. When Jesus healed people, did He heal them immediately and completely or little-bylittle
over time?
8. Does this have any relevance to our expectations of healing today?
9. Does Jesus have the option of not healing people who comes to Him in faith believing that He
will heal them?
10. If He can choose not to heal, could it affect our faith in Him?
11. What Biblical model are there for a person standing in front of great crowds and invoking healing from God?
12. Is faith in Jesus and His finished work at the cross of Calvary and our belief in His Resurrection enough to effect our salvation, or is there something more necessary?

WOW! You didn't expect that, did you?

Hint: I have an answer of my own for each of those questions, but I'd like for you to answer them in your own mind (or in the comments section...but please be BRIEF). I'll give you my answers in upcoming posts.

Hey! I can hardly wait for another edition of OPEN LINE FRIDAY! Can you?

The Rule Book - Part 1

It was the third quarter. The Dolphins (Hey! Give me a break! I'm from Miami!) were behind by six points. Dan Marino called the third down play in the huddle.

They lined up. It looked like a pass formation. The center snapped the ball. Marino dropped back.

Suddenly the whistle blew the play dead. From the sidelines ran in the Commissioner of Football him very self. "Stop the play!" he shouted. "Hold it! HOLD it! Nobody move! Freeze right where you are! New rule! New rule! As of now there will be no more forward passes allowed. Now when the whistle blows you must begin the play right where you left off...no new huddle, no nothing."

"But Paul," protested Marino, "The rules were made years ago and are outlined in the rule book. Forward passes are clearly allowed!"

"No matter! No matter! I am taking on the authority of changing the rules according to my own personal whim. Besides, the rule book is not static. It is a living, breathing document. That's what makes the game so great!"

"You can't just decide to take that authority for yourself." Dan was trying to contain his frustration. "You are supposed to oversee the league and see that the rules are properly applied. You can't just arbitrarily make changes in the middle of the game."

"Marino, the changes are made. Now get on with the play or you'll be singing 'Jailhouse Rock'."

The game was re-started with the team down-field, anticipating a pass. With the new rule, Dan had to try to run with the football.

The Dolphins lost the game.

Dan's ribs are expected to heal.

Author's note: The above vignette never happened in the game of football. But if you will substitute The Supreme Court for the Commissioner, The Constitution of the United States of America for the Rule Book, the Legislature for Dan Marino, and the people of the United States of America for the team, you will understand that this is exactly what has happened.

"We the people...." indeed.

Baggage

Some years ago I served on our denominations State Board of Missions.

On a flight from Jacksonville to (I thought) Ft. Myers, we stopped in Orlando. There we droped off two bottles of milk. (They called these flights with frequent stops "the milk truck run.) Then we went on to Sarasota.

As we drew up to the gate at Sarasota, the stewardess (we did not have "flight attendants" in those days), got on the intercom and announced that those going on to Ft. Myers should deplane and get on flight 411 to finish our journey.

Four of us got off, went to the counter and asked which gate was for flight 411. "We have no flight 411," said the man behind the counter as our former plane taxied a way. "You should have stayed on the plane."

Oh-oh.

"The good news is I do have another flight to Ft. Myers leaving in about 15 minutes. There are three seats on it."

I think that was the bad news. There were four of us, remember?

We drew straws to see who would get to go to Ft. Myers. I lost.

I stayed in a motel paid for by the airline, but since my luggage did not deplane when I did, I had none of the things I would have like to have: no change of clothes, no shampoo, no shaving supplies, etc.

My luggage made it to Ft. Myers just fine.

We were reunited the next day.

Many people carry a lot of baggage, guilt baggage, moral baggage, addictive baggage, emotional baggage, spiritual baggage. When one invites them to come to Christ, they often want to dump the baggage first.

But if we are to come to salvation, we must come, baggage and all. We must come, especially, with the baggage of guilt, for you see, we ARE guilty.

The only way to rid ourselves of the baggage of guilt, is to have a good "lawyer" who can plead our case before God, that we might be found "not guilty."

1 John 2:1
"My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous:"

When we come as we are, baggage and all, God receives us upon the testimony of Christ that at Calvary, He paid the debt we owe.

Just as I am without one plea but that Thy blood was shed for me, and that Thou bidst me come to thee, O Lamb of God, I come. I come.

Just as I am and waiting not to rid my soul of one dark blot. To Thee, whose blood can cleanse each spot, O Lamb of God, I come. I come.

Just as I am, though tossed about with many a conflict, many a doubt. Fightings and fears within, without, O Lamb of God, I come, I come.

Just as I am, Thy love unknown hath broken every barrier down. Now to be Thine, yea Thine alone, O Lamb of God, I come. I come.

Come to Him. Come just as you are. Come without delay. Come today. Right now.

Crash!

I sat at my computer, which had been turned off because of severe thunderstorms in the area. I pushed the "ON" button.

Nothing.

Then the message

"Windows has detected an iminent crash of your hard disk. Back up your data and replace the disk."

"Back up my data? How can I do that? My computer won't boot up, you SOG (Son of Gates)!"

There are three guys I would like to punch out:

1. The guy who invented shrink-wrap for CDs.

2. The guy who wrote those cryptic Microsoft messages (Warning! This program has performed an illegal operation!). They make me think the police will be knocking down my door any moment. (This program has encountered a fatal error and will be shut down!). A fatal error? Oh no! Something or someone is going to die!

3. Bill gates and all the people who make their living producing the bane of all OSs, Windows!

Repairs were going to cost $350.00 for a new HD, backing up and restoring data, installing data on the new HD and the service call. Plus another $200.00 for Windows XP. Total $550.00

The old computer (4 years old) had an 80 Gig HD and 256 RAM and a Celeron(sp) processor.. For $100 more I could get a brand new computer with 200 Gig/500 RAM with an Athlon processor.

We opted for the new one.

So as soon as it all gets set up, I'll be back on "schedule!"