Sadness to Madness

Speechless.....

My prayers go out to the families, students, professors, police, and friends impacted by the murders this week by Cho Seung-Hui, a student of Virginia Tech. I know the media has mentioned a significant amount of the time that Cho was a South Korean, but he has resided here since he was 8. He attended elementary, junior high, senior high, and now college all here in the U.S. He was, by all standards, a resident like many of his peers. His disability to cope with his many issues resulted in psychopathic explosion unparalleled in American history. I must take odds with those who would attempt to use this tragedy and moment to soapbox and preach their issue "du jour." Do not exploit this criminal and evil situation nor the people involved to advance your cause. Thats exactly what Cho did. He "used" people and a horrible event to advance his cause. This was demonstrated by his mailing of a package of videos and writings to NBC News. Although much of it presented irreverent ramblings, they meant something to him. Mentioned in them were hedonism and Christianity. Why together? Maybe he found that they were frequently intertwined. For this we should take a strong look at what we Christians have demonstrated to those walking lonely, hurt and isolated all around us. Who reached out to Cho? Who failed to love him? Who physically or mentally hurt him? Who simply wasn't a friend to him? We need to make sure we personally do not aid or inspire other Cho's that may be out there. I hope that this is the last time we ever witness such blatent evil taken out on innocents, but I do not believe that will be the case. The world is full of people who are capable of these acts. Let's make sure we reach them first with the love and healing power of Christ. The alternative is that they reach us and our loved ones with the hate and destructive desires of the devil. Let's care for their sadness before it results in madness.

Wasted

The Courage and Decision to not Waste Your Life do not come easily or without cost. Have you yet taken inventory of your life and weighed the cost of both doing so and not? Have you figured out what you stand to lose by standing for Christ? I tell you that you stand to lose everything. Everything you currently hold dear. Everything you find your dependency in. Your job or career; your source of food and shelter; the things you hold value in and your dreams as well. All may be lost. Or, shall I say replaced. Or, re-priced. When you make the decision to not waste your life, you make the decision to remove anything that weighs you down. You will discount or consider of less value or even worthless that which hinders what God would have you do. Like Paul reminds us, even our flesh must be made subject. I am not condoning with the practice of many historical sects to brandish, burn or cut themselves to prove worthy or to visibly demonstrate the “submission” of their flesh to things considered godly. No. I also do not think glory is brought to God by re-enacting the crucifixion yearly by dozens of young men in the Philippines to have themselves thrust upward where all can now consider what your cost was 2000 years ago. So what is required? Death. Death to yourself; Death to self-centered desires; Death to having your own way; Death to ego; Death to always having to be right; Death to wasting your life, time, mind, and strength on things that do not matter or benefit anyone. Counting everything except for what God wants you to do at that moment as lost. Nothing else, including you, matters. Embrace this and you will find purpose; see Gods’ value placed in you; Gods’ power and peace; and the reward of losing everything you could never keep in return for that which you can never lose.

See: http://www.desiringgod.org/DWYL/

Sinn Fein, Ourselves Alone

More correctly translated “Ourselves” the democratic terrorists may be leaning towards true bipartisanship as negotiations with the DUP move them towards a true power-sharing government. Great news! Will the new unity government be referred to as DUPe OURSELVES?

Time magazine (April 2, 2007) has a though-provoking discussion on “Why We Should Teach the Bible in Public Schools.” Read it. I have to strongly agree as not only are we the most ignorant when it comes to math, reading and writing but also to religion and how it impacts everything from politics to current events. We have also become oblivious to our loss of personal freedoms as the ACLU has taken charge of the courts and stripped them away piece by piece under the false premise of protecting the feelings of a random few. Separation of Church and State was never intended to mean freedom from religion or its’ constructive influences or ideas.

So far in 2007, 413,660 people have been arrested for drug law violations. Only 2,833 have ultimately been incarcerated.

World Challenge has posted some great stats which I think serve as a blunt reminder that our priorities are so misplaced that it must make God puke.

6,571,497,332 people now live on Earth
1,200,000,000 people live on 23 cents a day
2,000,000,000 people have no electricity
80% of all people live in substandard housing
1,000,000,000 people are without drinking water
Every 16 seconds someone dies of hunger
57,000,000 people died in 2006
10,500,000 of these were children less than 5 years old
14,000,000 children were orphaned because of HIV/AIDS
2,000,000 children have died in the last decade because of armed conflict
$ 8,000,000,000 were spent on cosmetics in the United States in 2005
$ 11,000,000,000 for ice cream in Europe
$ 17,000,000,000 in the U.S. and Europe on pet food
$105,000,000,000 for alcohol in Europe

What have you spent your time and energy on?

The central problem with mankind today is the concept of self. When we are more concerned with our hair that a child dying from a lack of water; when we want to drive a new and sexy car rather than consider the fact that our gas consumption fuels Islamic militants who in return for our generosity will blow themselves and thousands of innocents up while they pick up food in the market; when we strive ridiculously for that 5 bedroom, 2.5 bath and 3 car garage house while not even genuinely concerned that only 20% of the worlds entire population has decent housing; while the U.S. has to waste roughly $20,000,000,000 on the drug war a year and contributes only about $12,200,000,000 towards pharmaceutical research, Americans will spend approximately $90,000,000,000 on illegal drugs this year; western society dedicates more time listening to news about Britney’s haircut than reaching out to a neighbor in need; when we can engorge ourselves at the local buffet and eat more in 1 night than millions will eat in 2 weeks (remember that every 16 seconds someone dies from hunger); when we are more concerned with what one is wearing than the value of the person themselves; when we choose to sleep late rather than come into God’s presence; when the desires of our flesh outweigh the consequences of our actions, but we don’t care; when more teens will attend spring break in some tropical area than will work on a short-term mission or for a group like Habitat-for-Humanity; when American families throw away more food each year than most families around the world have to eat in a year; when 1 in 4 women in college will report being raped, 1 in 3 face sexual coercion which matches the 1 in 3 women around the world who will be raped in their lifetime; When pornography becomes the largest industry on the web, larger than all others combined; we are all about self.

Did you know that more Christians are presently martyred each year than all years running up until now? One in ten lives in fear of persecution. Barnabus Fund helps support those living in constant fear of jail, beatings or worse. Find out what is happening to our brothers and sisters around the world today.

By the way, are you outraged at the thousands of rapes and millions that have died in the Sudanese war? Millions upon millions of refugees displaced? Is it political? Is it religious? It’s a travesty that the world has allowed these brutal, oil funded regimes to not only take control of the governments but then exact a reign of terror on innocent men, women and children. Many for the sake of their ethnicity; many for their non-Islamic beliefs. Are you unaware of the history? Here the BBC has covered it extensively for years trying to raise awareness. And, if you are a Christian, pray. And then stand! It is expected of us.

O.K. I can understand the grief of losing a favorite pet. We unfortunately had to put our black lab “Babs” down last year. She was 14 and suffering from a number of painful ailments. But committing suicide because your dog died? As Hindu’s, I wonder which is hoping to come back as the dog?

Our pastor’s wife’s mom passed away this past week. I ask that you keep their family in prayer. There is joy, however, in knowing that she found her strength in Christ. It was just a difficult time for it to occur as we were prepping for our annual community egg hunt. For a tiny, new church of roughly 35, we were surprised by the approximately 400-450 kids who came out for the event.

I am filled with peace. No, not because everything in life is going well. It’s not. Not because I am enjoying my job; I am not. I am because I am still on my faith walk. I am encouraged by my wife; and challenged by my kids daily. I do not put my faith in people, but in God. People will disappoint. Even Christians. Especially Christians. I say that because we tend to expect more from brothers and sisters than others. And they will falter. I will too so don’t expect too much from me either. But I am trying and, you can tell me when I have screwed up. I am simply trying to keep the important things in front of me and God’s people. The other stuff: gossip, judgementalism, pettiness, waste, anger, hatred, and self-centeredness can go to… Iran?

Speaking of Iran, what do you think about their gift to the Brits? I say return it. They gave back 7 naval seamen. I say send them back with interest. Send 7 seamen with 7 Aegis Destroyers backed by 70,000 men, backed by 7 supportive nations each with 7 Nuclear Warheads ready to generate 7 glass Petri Dishes in the middle of the desert.

Finally, and most importantly, it is Easter time. I personally want to take this moment to thank God for His willingness to endure the worst of human cruelty to provide redemption for those who cause it. I am as guilty of any, maybe more-so, for making the path He had to walk and endure the only viable means of reaching and saving me.

My daughter and I were involved in a great performance entitled “Y” at the New England Dream Center for the last couple of days. Hundreds returned to Christ or made first time professions of faith in the redemptive solution provided for by Jesus. But not all will accept. Some will never. Some preach a different message. I observed a man leaving before the final message. Dragging 2 children of his by the hands and 1 more following closely behind, he naively and loudly stated “say good-by to the cross kids.” This, as he dragged them from the church and out into the cold, violent, crime-ridden streets of Worcester. What hope did he offer them? None. Many will leave a legacy of non-hope for their children. Many provide only a bitter pill sugar-coated as reality. To these I say “Please, if nothing but for the sake of your family, consider Christ verse the answer you have been giving for life’s’ woes. Consider Christ this Easter. Why? Because He first considered you.

Things Are Hot & Cold In New England & Elsewhere

Hey baby it's cold outside. I can't say that without of thinking about "Elf" the movie. Today was the coldest day in Massachusetts since 1950. I don't think I can take any more of this global warming! It should actually be brutal this year and next thanks to La Niña. No not El Niño. The opposette occurence and opposing results.

Things are looking hot for our Patriots here as we picked up Adalius Thomas from the Ravens. I think this is a great fit and probably to be one of the best pick ups this season, across the league. I'm looking forward to what else transpires through the magic of Kraft for positioning and molding by Bill Belichick. Another championship will be ours this year.

Libby was found guilty. I am pretty certain that the decision and sentence are both correct and appropriate. Can we now change the channel?

I have decided that I am glad I am not in Indonesia this week. Albeit the weather would be more tolerable than the -20 made possible through our 47 mph wind chill factoring. Just today another earthquake struck the island of Sumatra but fortunately, since it was land based, no tsunami would result. However with over 70 killed and hundreds wounded, there will be much need there. Consider making a contribution to efforts made by the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies. You may do so here: http://donate.ifrc.org/ Indonesia is also dealing with an airliner crash in which at least 8 but up to 54 were killed as the plane caught fire and became engulfed in flames upon landing. Thank God many escaped. For the one's who didn't, please pray for their families. It's a hard season in Indonesia.

Well, I'm flying out again tomorrow so a packing I must go. God Belss & Good Night.

Nothing Left To Lose

Many thanks go out to the friends of mine who keep me reminded via "semi-daily" to "weekly" devotionals that I am merely a traveler on a path to eternity. The stepping stone, or should I say scandalon was "nothing is more dangerous than a man with nothing left to lose." I have had many diverse thoughts about this one factoid, so much so that I thought some of you may find it wonder-filled too. This devotional I was sent described a movie where the villain goes after the main characters wife and children. You've seen the movies, usually starring men like Bruce Willis or you. Or at least the "you" you hope would be under such circumstances such as the villain has your family tied to a nuclear warhead in a well-guarded subterranean bunker underneath the city of New York. Of course the police don't believe the story you have shared in trying to enlist their help, say for one cop with great instinct but no friends within the force. And together, you and he, unlikely allies, negotiate the treacherous lair set up for your demise by your well-funded, and tool-enabled foes. It's a likely story resulting in millions in opening day ticket sales and an exhausting, sweat-soaked, dream festered sleep. I want you to consider the man who has had everything taken from him in Jobian fashion and one who has had maybe 1 child taken while the kidnappers insist that whatever action he takes against them will result in his other children or wife being taken or killed. Leverage. They have him considering now what he has to lose by taking a particular action. He must make smaller, safer choices. Nothing visible. Nothing with the mind-set that "If this fails..."

The first guy has lost everything. The thought of "what if I fail..." never enters his mind. As the Bon Jovi song rings "I'm goin' down in a blaze of glory," he relentlessly pummels his adversary in a firefight. He wins because his opponent usually has something to lose, or if not, it's because our hero has only 1 significant goal in mind. There can be only 1 solution. The end of the enemy and his entrapment's and the safe recovery of his family.

I think often about the early settlers in North America. There were no jobs in the filthy, over-populated and violent cities on the eastern seaboard. They took their possessions (usually merely what they had on their backs, some small necessities, a knife, a gun, their wife and kids) and headed bravely into unchartered and should we say, barely charted territory. They faced unpredictable odds, famine, blight, sickness, hunger, blizzards, drought, wild animals, Indians, bears, snakes, accidents, and disease. They didn't have MapQuest or Google; no HMO's or health insurance cards; no spare tires or AAA; no Holiday Inn's or mini-mart gas stations; no Walmarts or McDonalds; no GameBoy or DVD players. They had themselves, their own wisdom and knowledge, God and His word; a gun and their physical strength; prayer and nature. That's it. A very small list. Why did they survive? How was it possible? Like our hero, there was little outside of their tented-wagon that would hold them back or cause them to second guess themselves.

Have we Americans become so burdened with our own "stuff" that we can't move forward any more? Has our focus become so diluted that we cannot muster the effort required to bring down an enemy who threatens us, our family. our country and our faith? We think we make bold steps when we speak against poverty? But what have you actually accomplished? Did you devise a way to defeat it? How about rancid, liberal, anti-God lessons from the classroom? How about the pornographic tentacles that are reaching through your television, radio, or computer and trying to drag your husbands, wives and children into a life of enslavement and addiction? How about the racist groups that spew hatred and entice your sons with a phony power? How about the media telling your daughters that the sexuality that is uniquely theirs can be used for pleasure and power? How about the lies that one-more trip to the spa or one more visit to St. Lucia and you will be eternally at peace? How about the lie that a one-night fling or a simple peak will not affect me or my family negatively? How about, how about, how about? Fill it in.

What real battles have you fought lately? Have your children seen you fight for anything of eternal value? Do they go to bed at night saying "my dad, my hero"? Is the world a better place because you're here and because of what you've done? Do people see purpose and power in your presence? It's time for all of us to consider what is weighing us down and keeping us from depending upon God. You see, we depend on technology, not our ability to think. We rely on mechanisms and not our feet, hands, eyes, and ears. We would rather buy something then learn how to build it. We would rather have welfare take care of us than to develop a new skill-set and take care of our selves. We would rather ask a doctor to fix it than to eat well and exercise. Maybe we need to lose everything before we see it clearly. I hope not. I choose to become effective, purposed and "dangerous" to things coming against me and my family. I hope my life would someday make a great movie. Not just exciting to watch, but exciting to live out personally.

If you've seen "Gladiator" then you've seen evil helplessly defeated by "a man with nothing left to lose." If Americans, men and women alike, would choose to be dangerous to the things that are destroying our society and families, this country could never be brought to ruin until by God himself.

Media Ménage à Trash

In a day where you can watch the death of someone occur on your video cell-phone and post a comment about it's validity or worthwhile-ness, even before the person drops dead to the ground, you would think that the quality of what we have access to would be enhanced by the elimination of the middle men, the editors, the sponsors, the D-Jockeys. But it hasn't. Quite the opposite has occurred. Everyone is now a photojournalist. High School students with a cam-ready, wi-fi caffeinated, and possessing a quick-publishing automat-on-the-web interface have turned the old-fashioned web-bulletin boards into the NY Times of Easy-Bake News. It's called news; but it is opinion. It is not fact; it is viewpoint. It is not objective; it is decidedly sided. The upside, we have access to any piece of information being broadcast from any piece of the planet. It doesn't have to be deemed important by an editor before it is allowed a medium. It doesn't need to be of the highest quality in order to be viewed by millions. The downside, include the same. It doesn't have to be fact-checked, nor source protected. The quality can be poor and so our standards become lax. It doesn't have to be worthwhile for people to invest time reviewing it. It can be an immense waste of society’s time and resources.

We now spend an incredible amount of our salaried time reading useless emails, surfing useless internet sites and blindly following useless links around the web-world. A study involving 10,000 workers cites the random surfing of the web as the leading cause of productivity loss every day. The average hours per day spent? A whopping 2.09 hours. And that’s while on the job. The salaried cost for this unproductive use of FTE's is a mind-boggling $759 Billion a year. For more info you can investigate this (on your own time) at www.salary.com.

My thoughts, and these are merely my opines so you should weight them all in light of eternity, and the possible loss of your jobs, is to leave the surfing to your lunch time and after hours activities. Put your work, family, fitness and faith first. Then putting on your spelunking gear and head into the dark crevices’ of the internet.

Now for some news commentary. If you are interested in Britney Spears, Paris Hilton, or Anna Nicole, Daniel Radcliffe, Beyonce, Jessica, Pitt, Cruise or the rest, find yourself another blog to waste your time on. I have no interest in individuals who's greatest desire is to coin-toss between one bad decision or another. And to do it well aware that a brain-dead population of imbeciles who live vicariously through their escapades vie E or the Enquirer will be waiting to tune in nightly. Have I made myself clear?

Now I start of tonight with a "Bravo" to Michael Flaherty of Walden Media for having the courage to fly in the face of the Media Elite and produce films that are of a good quality and of great value to families with children. His works range from "Holes" to "The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe," to "Because of Winn Dixie," to his latest releases "Amazing Grace" and "Bridge to Terabithia." His desire has been to encourage reading of the classics and writings of the greatest authors such as Thoreau (from whose book Flaherty draws his company's name, Walden) and C.S. Lewis. I thank Mr. Flaherty for using his ability in the Media world to give us something we can safely take or children to; use for moral grounding; and that gives our kids hero's they can proudly emulate.

How many of you have been staying abreast of the discovery of the entombed Ossuaries in Jerusalem labeled with the names Jesus, son of Joseph; Maria (Mary); Yose (Joseph); Mariamne (Mary Magdalene); Matia (Matthew); James, son of Joseph, brother of Jesus; and Judah, son of Jesus. Filmmaker James Cameron is producing a film entitled “The Lost Tomb of Jesus.” If you haven’t thought this one through yet, you need to. Albeit it entirely possible that this is just one of the merely hundreds of possible tombs with a name Yeshua inscribed on at least one of the ossuaries contain within; this one has some unique distinctions. First, the combination of these names together is somewhat obvious. Second, although a family tomb, DNA testing of remains found in the ossuaries indicate family relationships and non-family remains exactly as one would predict. The implications should this be authentic are going to cut deep into Christian belief and theological core. If true, Jesus’ bodily resurrection may not be supportable in spite of Matthew’s insistence in the Gospels. Was it then a spiritual ascension then what Christ foretold? It’s a good time for Christians to refresh their memory as to the text and context of the resurrection and come to an understanding, with the assistance of God’s spirit, as to what we are to know and understand from the history of Christ.

Looks like the race will be heating up. John McCain announced his intent to run for the Presidency on “Late Night with David Letterman.” I personally think he should have first used YouTube.

Here’s a young guy you haven’t heard of but who I think has contributed more in a couple of years towards bettering the world than 90% of the Hollywood Elite will in their lifetime. And, he’s only 15 years old. His name is Zach Hunter and his cause is human slavery. Reported by the International Labor Organization to be a number as high as 12.3 Million people (most are women and children), it is largely invisible to the West. The organization he created is called “Loose Change to Loosen Chains” and can be found at www.lc2lc.org . I encourage you all to become abolitionist in 2007. Like Wilberforce in Flaherty’s “Amazing Grace” we as Christians must be agents for positive change. Whether God has given you a heart for the elderly, the enslaved, the poor, the handicapped, youth, pregnant teens, the suicidal, the environment, animal welfare, or the ability to teach a skill, build or repair a home, bless with musical abilities, fix a car, fix a marriage, or befriend the lonely, you can’t keep putting it off.

That’s the news, now get to work.

James 1:27

Coming Home

To My Male Friends…

I want to start this letter by stating unequivocally that I believe that God is…

Strange way to start a discussion. There is something hanging intentionally. Unfinished. Incomplete. Imperfect. Like short sentences we utter daily never really getting out the flood of words, ideas and thoughts that barrage our minds daily. A million stars twinkling in our heads every hour, yet, we speak short insignificant nothings. To our peers, wives, children, wives. We have become the Windows Blue Screen. It’s recognizable, but hardly detailing the billions of bits of operations that were and are going on behind it. We dare commit to voicing our perceptions, ideas, understandings, revelations from God: Truth. We have become the empty syringe or pill, a placebo. In our own minds effective. In truth however, we fail to get in the face of those we love with serious conviction and probable solutions. We can’t bring ourselves to tell someone that they have a terrible disease or life pattern. We can’t bring ourselves to say that we might have the same issue.

There is no doubt in my mind that God wants…

I have had several friends dealing with issues of infidelity. Infidelity: to their wives and children; to their bodies; to their God given talents; to their work; to their purpose in life.
The guilt is overwhelming. For them, you, and me. Some of you (let’s get honest) may not have gotten involved with the destructive behaviors if someone had intercepted; if someone had spent more time with you asking questions and being present within your’ personal space. I do not pretend that I am better, that I make better choices or understand the greatest mysteries of life, passion, sociology, psychology, God’s creation or how we are driven or impulsed in one area or another. Quite the contrary. I have come to recognize that I am quite capable of making the same mistakes that you have. I have struggled with various temptations over the years and thank God that He continually works on me.

God, for eternity, has been in the business of…

I want to see my friends successful. But really, what does that mean? Does it mean a solid career path in a high paying job? I suppose that it could. But it is not a clear indication. I would rather the evidence bring light to their abilities as a father to their children; as a dedicated lover of their wives; as men who seek God’s wisdom over their own; as friends who truly care for one another and speak truth when necessary. God is in the reconstruction business. Like things in my home of 5 children, they were once constructed but almost everything needs to be reconstructed at some point. I bet you know what I mean. God created. It’s a simple statement. But even more empowering is He is still creating. He’s creating new futures for us all of the time. He is creating beauty from the ashes where we once trespassed.

God has never…

Knowing that we are all prone to foul up, there is no division between us. Whether its’ doing our jobs well; remaining faithful to our wives; developing a dependence on drugs or alcohol; not taking care of the bodies and possessions God has given us; not helping the poor and lonely; stealing or developing a welfare attitude; having hopeless or suicidal thoughts; failing to demonstrate our faith to our children; or forgetting to be real friends, we are all similarly guilty and worthy of the crap we create.

This is why I say to you all today, I care about you and your families. I care that you may have destructive, addictive tendencies that maybe you’ve had for years and don’t know how to beat. I care that you may not be on the path that God has planned for your lives nor are you living that purpose out successfully.

And, I am sorry. I am sorry that I didn’t say it sooner. Or, that I allowed busyness and fear to get in the way of saying things that needed to be said. I am sorry for trying to pretend that I had everything together when a better friend would have said “let’s get through these life situations together.” I will not judge you, only be there to help in any way that I am able.

The good thing to remind yourself of is that God will…

He will restore a heart that has become cold and separated from Him. He will paint a masterpiece depicting a new future for us. He will walk and talk with us when we reach out for Him and seek Him first, above all other things. He will bring the beauty from ashes that we all desperately need. It’s about coming home.

Now go back to the statements unfinished above and complete them in a quiet discussion with God. Because for each one of us, the answer will be a little bit different. And that’s o.k. I just want to hear back from you what He completes each sentence with.

Road Trip

I want to welcome you all back as I am committed to restoring routine blog activities. Well, here we are. It's 2007 and I don't feel a day over, say 40. I am on the road as usual, in NJ and came down with a flu bug. Makes one feel like I had a successful day as a speedbump on the Mass Turnpike.

A good friend of mine is turning 40 and we enjoyed a nice get togethor, wine-tasting, good discussions, good times. The same day, I attended the funeral for a young man who lost his battle with cancer at 40. I have numerous friends and neighbors battling cancer. Many friends whose marriages are in jeopardy; some battling various addictions; and some carreer unstable. My oldest is preparing for college (blows my mind) while I am trying my hardest performance-wise to make sure I do not lose my job. We recently had to put our dog down after 13 years with us. She was 14 which is quite old for a lab. She was the best dog one could ask for. Bye "Babs." I am just getting over pneumonia and my wifes transmission blew for the 4th time since September. Yes. Life is crazy. But you know what, I have much, much, much to be thankful for. I have a wonderful wife and great kids. I have a roof over my head. I can afford to go to the doctor when ill and I can effectively feed my children. I have friends who do care about me. I have started singing again. Many years of playing in bands, performing around the world, and singing or leading worship made me unable to give it up. It is a part of me. A part of what makes me enjoy living. It's a passion. Thank you God for giving me another chance to sing for you. I hope to be able to take it to the next level.

Yeah, life is like a road trip. Sometimes a little bumpy. Sometimes you accidentally swerve into the rumble strip and are not-so-gently reminded to get back on course. Sometimes you need to pull over for gas. Sometimes you find that you are unable to see the road. Sometimes the road is treacherous. and sometimes you get lost. Wherever you find yourself today, remember that there is a God who wants to traverse the road with you. Will offer correction and forgiveness when you find yourself lost and off course. He wants to refresh you when you're out of gas. He is the God who knows where your going and where you should be heading. He sees the road conditions even when it's dark outside. He's the gentle voice saying "turn left" or "turn around. You're heading over a cliff and you don't even know it." What I have come to recognize are the signs. Much better than when I was a teen or in college. There are signs everywhere. Some stay "Yield," some "One Way." Some are those funny curvy ones indicating you're in for a shaking up ahead. Some just say "Stop." Life too is full of signs. Fooling around with drugs and you apt to get addicted, lose your job and destroy your family. "Messin wit yo bro's lady" as my ebonics bible hilariously put it will only ruin the relationships in your life. Laziness will make you lose your job. And avoiding doing what God designed your to do will leave you without satisfaction and joy in life. I am reminded of Jim Carey in "Bruce Almighty" where he is questioning what he is supposed to do and is asking God repeatedly for a sign when in actuality the signs are everywhere he goes. Sometimes they are big and right in front of us. Some take the form of other peoples examples from which we should learn. Remember the old adage: it's good to learn from experience; it's better to learn from other people's experiences.

Yeah, life's a road trip. Often a brutal, difficult one. I'm just happy to be on the road. The right road with the right companion in my car.

Long Awaited, Much Adoo

Over 9 months have passed since my last entry. Mind cluttered with thoughts, angst, fears, confusion, anger, busyness, and... so many more thoughts. In the past 9 months the world has undergone amazing changes and our lives, the lives of me, my wife, and our children has changed more than the entire period of our existance togethor. I now have a daughter who is a senior and beginning to really investigate colleges and leaving us. But that is small. I bought a nice Toshiba Quosmio. A nice digital-enhancement to my life. Still small. I changed jobs. But that really paled in comparison to the biggest life altering event. The most dramatic decision and life-altering choice was to leave our church.

For many of you this seems insignificant. And for many, it would be. But for us, it meant leaving the only church family our children had ever known. It meant yielding my positions in ministries that I had held for many, many years. Some of you had read some of my previous entries and understand some of the difficulties. It meant that my wife would lose her job as teacher and head of the Math Department at the church's K-12 Academy. It meant that sports teams for the church on which we played would no longer allow us to play with them. It meant awkward runnings-in with members in supermarkets, post offices, soccer fields, and coffee shops and trying to explain the reasons without breaking confidence and parlaying disatisfactions that we bore for years. It meant our children not being invited to birthday parties, or us being invited to cookouts as the "out-of-sight / out-of-mind" fact proves reliable. My involvement with youth of over 14 years ended. My college-aged ministry completely folded as it was driven into non-existance after we left. It meant moving into a realm of non-familiarity and an uncomfortableness with where we were heading.

What have the results been. ooooh. Too many to note but here are some. My wife has begun homeschooling our 3 youngest and they are doing very well. My son attends the local public school and joined the football team. He has wanted to play for as long as I can remember. And, he appears to finally be taking on some responsibility for getting his homework done. We'll see how long this lasts. We immediately started attending a small start-up church that meets in my sons high school. It's a school devoted to having an impact on the local Bellingham community.

We took a nice family vacation to Germany, France and Belgium. The kids had a blast and are looking forward to a European-Nite we will have on the 1st to look at our digital photos, tell stories, eat crepes and baguettes and cheese and chocolates and whatever else we can scrounge up. And reminisce. Paris was fun. Brugge was as perfect as usual. But Mont St. Michel was absolutely inspiring. (see picture)

We are trying to finaly get our home more organized, we're enjoying life a little more, each other a little more, being challenged by each other and God to spend time with Him figuring out our purpose for being. Maybe someday I can say for certain 1 good reason why we left. For now, it remains 100 lesser things that amounted to an inability to enjoy the sermons; feel welcome or trusted; feel used by some and forgotten by many; or simply hear from God. I just know that my heart had left there a decade earlier and my addiction to the church and it's activities drove me to remain.

How am I doing? I am still fighting God. I wonder even into my dreams why when He chooses to miraculously work in the lives of some, He chooses to remain silent or actionless in the pains of others. I wonder why God heartens someone for an area of ministry but doors remain closed. I wonder about how He really feels about war, the wars we wage in America and the wars we avoid waging because the nationals there are black. I wonder about our willingness to kill unborn children and our unwillingness to use their pieces to enable research to stave off MS, Parkinsons, and many other diseases. I'm not saying that I know the answers and have understanding of all right and wrong. But can't anyone site rationaly and discuss it. Without emotions bashing the opponent into the ground? Why we just can't discuss immigration, the problems, the possible courses of action, the likely results, and get something accomplished. Why we have so many different types of churches? Why Sunday Christians are Monday-Saturday idiots? Why believers in Creation, Evolution, microevolution and punctuated equilibrium can't sit down and look at the data (food, flies, fish, fossils, and physics) and decide, whether you believe God exists or not, that we don't have to resort to name calling and stereotypes of ignorance. Why ignorance is rampant in America. Why our kids can't read; can't perform the simplest of mathmatical equations; are fat and overweight; committing suicide or killing one another; who think sex-isn't-sex if it has the word oral in front of it; are the most lazy workers I've seen in 20 years; who think that Fast-Food jobs are O.K. for a career; and whose vocabulary is so vulgar that it could make a trucker blush. Why "till-death-do-us-part" are only Hallmark greeting card words void of responsibility or meaning. Why should we be concerned with the earths warming trend when it has happened religiously over periods of millions of years? How much of it is mankinds fault? Does it matter? Why the media wont call someone who hides his face when reading a letter "praising allah" and then viciously beheads his victim with a long knife while on video a terrorist? God forbid they should use the word Muslim to draw association to their cause. We can't report the facts. I guess I have a lot of whys. I am hopeful however. I know that we made the right decision. Of this I am convinced. It was hard. It was painful. It was necessary. Like a tooth canal. But I am happy with the friends we have kept and who have stayed with us during this process. I am happy to be able to get involved with a small, growing church. I am especially excitied about some of the new friends he has put into our paths. And with that, I'll depart tonight. I promise to return and keep this going again. Thanks for coming to visit.

Politics, Politics, Politics

Media Bias? California researcher say that they have compiled the most exhaustive sorting of headlines, news reports, placement, word selection and such and have found that "yes indeed, there is media bias and it is left leaning." I'm sure you're all surprised by this, right? After all, a rediculously high number of reporters and editors vote left of center and view reality with the same shaded spectacles as most of the Hollywood elite. I bet you can guess which papers and which news programs were left, centrist, or right winged. Fox was one of the more right of center but did have a significantly high amount of centrist commentaries.

Are you concerned about the government surveilance of communications? I'm not but then again, I have nothing to hide. But I am disturbed by the media's pounding of the liberal drums that the government is evesdropping on us all and we are at risk. And, It's a Bush thing. It is not a Bush thing.

Bill Clinton Signed Executive Order that allowed Attorney General to do searches without court approval

Clinton, February 9, 1995: "The Attorney General is authorized to approve physical searches, without a court order"

Jimmy Carter Signed Executive Order on May 23, 1979: "Attorney General is authorized to approve electronic surveillance to acquire foreign intelligence information without a court order."

WASH POST, July 15, 1994: Extend not only to searches of the homes of U.S. citizens but also -- in the delicate words of a Justice Department official - to "places where you wouldn't find or would be unlikely to find information involving a U.S. citizen... would allow the government to use classified electronic surveillance techniques, such as infrared sensors to observe people inside their homes, without a court order."Deputy Attorney General Jamie S. Gorelick, the Clinton administration believes the president "has inherent authority to conduct warrantless searches for foreign intelligence purposes."

Attorney General Alberto Gonzales and Gen. Michael Hayden, the principle deputy director of national intelligence, in defense of the National Security Agency's (NSA) program that eavesdrops on Americans' communications: Gonzales said one party to the communication must be outside the United States and linked with al-Qaida or an affiliate organization. "The president has not authorized ... blanket surveillance of communications here in the United States."

Gonzales would not provide the documents laying out the legal arguments for the program, but he didn't rule out releasing more information later. "We're engaged now in a process of educating the American people ... and educating the Congress."

So, since Watergate really opened our eyes to the potential uses and misuses of surveilance, we are now ready to throw out the baby. Even at the risk of our own peril. Welcome to America.

But you know, we'll insist it's because of the inherent check-and-balences that make the American experiment work. If that's so, then they shouldn't be almost fascist against gun in the hands of ordinary civilians. After all, the Right-to-Bear means that the government is controlled by the public and, if it assumes too much control, then the public can forcibly put it in its' place. BTW, did you notice how please Harry Reid seemed to be when the Patriot Act was originally being signed? See the picture of him right next to "W."

I read an interesting, but not surprising, article on Stalin. He actually initiated a program to try to create a type of ultimate warrior by genetically merging humans and apes. They were to be physically stronger, less prone to complain over food and living conditions, and more pain tolerant. As you can guess, their experiments of implanting ape sperm with human eggs failed miserably. The scary thing is that they actually had human "volunteers." I wonder how they were "made into" volunteers.

I am worried that Bolivia may be heading into coca-mass-production as the "only viable way" that they might bring themselves out of poverty. We had better start considering the consequences of how we handle the election of a coca farmer named Evo Morales to the position of president there. Maybe our drug policy should be the cheapest one-way fair for any addict who would like to retire with cheap drugs. Send them via planes down to Bolivia. Great weather, free drugs. If they hate to fly, then just send them a little north to Canada.

Speaking of Canada. I just read that the U.S. operated a nuclear sub, the USS Charlotte, through a part of the Canadian's Northwest Passage on up to the North Pole during its' recent tour. The Canadian government is silent on whether they authorized the U.S. navy to traverse its' territorial waters but I'm sure we'll hear accusations flying onto the front pages of the Canadian Post soon. It's election time up there and it's always considered good politics in Canada to speak down to and play verbal challenge to the United States. It garners support for either party that employs it. It's rampant up there now. I think it would be justified policy that we completely shut off all trade and close the northern borders 6 months prior to Canadian elections. This way, they can win elections by who has the best plan on aiding relations with the United States and restoring their economy. After all, let's be realistic, the Canadian economy survives because we are their southern partner. If Mexico was Canada's southern alliance, it would resemble a large version of the island of Dominica with the DR on one side and Haiti on the other. One side twice as prosperous as the other but both still desperately poor in lieu of the worlds' status. I will assume that the 2 planes that Harper hopes to boost the Canadian Air Force by are made in the U.S. too. Hate to see that price tag in Canadian dollars though. Ouch! BTW, Harper is a nutcase second only to some of those south of us and presiding over places such as Iran and Syria. If you don't believe me, let's talk again in 6 months if he is elected. Check out his plan for trade with the U.S. here.

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Abdullah Khadr, the oldest son of a (you guessed it) Canadian family confessed to American authorities he bought weapons two years earlier for al-Qaida. Khadr admitted his involvement in a plot to kill Americans and the prime minister of Pakistan.

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"During a six-month period in 2003, Khadr bought about $20,000 worth of AK-47 rounds, rocket-propelled grenades, rockets and mortar rounds, Jenkins said in the document supporting Khadr's extradition to the U.S. "In addition, he confessed that he provided explosive components, namely hydrogen peroxide, to make mines for al-Qaida's use," said Jenkins, a member of a national security enforcement unit which investigates criminal extremism in Canada. "These mines were to be used against U.S. and Coalition Forces. Khadr knew of approximately 60 land mines that were completed and some of these contained the hydrogen peroxide he provided."

Let's keep an eye on what happens in this Toronto courtroom. It may be that since it IS election time that Khadr may be raised up as a Canadian hero fighting against the tyranny of the United States.

If all this bad news makes you want to kill yourself, check yourself in to a Swiss hospital named the Vaud. They will allow you an exit strategy with the assistance of the Exit Society. They join the Nederlands and Belgium as European nations that have legalized euthanasia. Obviously Germany and France will not be far behind with maybe Spain beating them to the altar of liberalism.

Some Great Video Postings

So, do you like watching movies, clips and shorts? I do. Here's a mix that I'll hope you enjoy.

Wild Feet - Freestyle
TBN Movies for free download
Invisible Skateboards
Glass Door Humor
Behind the Plane
All Things To All Mankind

Have a Good Night!

"Why Do I Do What I don't Want To Do?"

“Why do I always do what I don’t want to do?” This famous question by Paul still rings true today. Yet I would not forget, “Why don’t I do the things that I want to do?”

I think some of the following translations make it even more personal.

“I don't understand myself at all, for I really want to do what is right, but I don't do it. Instead, I do the very thing I hate. NLT

In fact, I don't understand why I act the way I do. I don't do what I know is right. I do the things I hate. Contemporary English Version

In the immortal words of Pogo, "We have met the enemy and he is us."

It’s true. It has no base in that God is distant or that we are incapable of self-management. It has everything to do with us…and the choices we make. That’s it.

Oh, I know it’s a little oversimplified, maybe. But outside of tragic events or systemic, long-lasting abuse, we should be easily enabled to make wise decisions.

Decisions that are in-line with God’s plans for us.

In-line with His way of thinking.

Who here has ever said “Why do I always do what I don’t want to do?”

Isn’t it true that we all have particular struggles? Areas we wish we could do better?

What are some?

Our temper, over-spending, eating, mood swings, drinking, sexual desires are just a few of the issues that we all deal with.

Here is a list of some of the substances, attitudes, and behaviors that most commonly become addictions (remember that anything can become an addiction):

Work Perfectionism Control
Sex Intellectualization Relationships
Drugs (illegal and legal, including nicotine and caffeine)
Misery (negaholism) Gossip Alcohol
"Rescuing" Others Religious Activity Food
Gambling Criticism Rage
Adrenaline Lust Materialism
Self Hate Thoughts of Death Self Abuse

"Every man is tempted when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed. Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin; and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death. James 1: 14, KJV (Word "lust" is translated "evil desire" in the NIV) or…

“We are tempted by our own desires that drag us off and trap us.” CEV

“A man is tempted to do wrong when he lets himself be led by what his bad thoughts tell him to do.” New Life Version

"The sin that is inside of me, that is stronger that I am makes me do these evil things" Rom 7:17

"Dearly beloved, I beseech you as strangers and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts, which war against the soul." I Peter 2:11 KJV

“Dear friends, your real home is not here on earth. You are strangers here. I ask you to keep away from all the sinful desires of the flesh. These things fight to get hold of your soul. When you are around people who do not know God, be careful how you act. CEV

Peter beseeched us, not even as a new Christian, for he was many years a believer when discussing his own struggles and temptations. He equated our bound-ness to sin as being a “slave to the flesh.”

He said, "Who will deliver me from this body of death?" And we know that that was a way of Roman capital punishment. A man convicted of murder was made to carry the body of the man he killed chained to his back. He would do this as the body was decomposing and decaying. Eventually contaminating and fusing with his own back.

Paul uses that body of death as a metaphor now in regards to his own life of sin.

God has dominion over the chains that bound the old dead guy to your back. They’ve been broken.

The problem is that we’ve grabbed a-hold of the ends of those chains and are holding that dead body to ourselves.

Fearful of the pain it would cause to let go. After all, it’s become one with us. A part of us and a part of who we are.

We have given a birth to a fear of losing the sin nature that we’ve allowed more power than the fear of not letting him go.

The Experience of the Numinous: It's the Real Thing

What we become frustrated with is the way sin acts itself out in our own personal experience, but to understand it fully we must first look at what’s referred to as the experience of the numinous. A Greek work best described by William Shakespeare.

The experience of the Numinous: A profound disturbance in the soul, excited by the presence of One so great that "Under it my genius is rebuked..." (Shakespeare)

Numinous is the awe-debilitating presence of one so great and powerful that we become as nothing. It is caused by nothing of this earth.

It is what I think is missing from the experience and relationship of most Christians.

John the Revelator "fell on his face as one dead" at the feet of Christ in a numinous experience. (See Revelation 1:17)

Even Adam and Eve who had never had a reason to experience fear, his from God when they had entertained sin.

Numinous awe is what Jacob experienced when he awakened from the vision of the ladder to Heaven and sensed the presence of God in that place. (See Genesis 28)

In the numinous experience, all else but the worship of God fades into insignificance. The emotion can be intense as in surges of joy and gratitude mixed with the awe.

Or it can be accompanied by a deep sense of peace.

Either way, sin and self are unable to stand as an affront to God.

It’s a place where we are left speechless.

It’s a place where we are left feeling altogether small but wonderfully loved.

It’s a place where our thoughts are His thoughts.

It’s a place where we can see and recognize the awesome power of a newborn in a manger and of a dead man brutalized upon a cross.

It’s a place where all addictions and lusts are replaced by this one source.

Again, the question. “Why do I always do what I don’t want to do?”

It’s because I haven’t been continually in the numinous experience. Or have left it, or have forgotten it or never experienced it.

And, because of this, our capacity to sin flies in the face of a God who offers us freedom.

We are created for a numinous experience with God. There is a place deep inside us that can only be filled by the presence of God Himself, in what John Eldridge calls "the sacred romance". Deep connection with the Divine is the only thing that can ever satisfy our hearts most profound longing.

Facing the truth about our problems, we must:

"CONFESS your sins to each other and pray for each other so God can heal you" James 5:16 (New Century Version)

DEDICATE: "…Give yourselves completely to God since you have been given new life (Rom 6:12-13 NLT)

Experience the Numinous and the “old man” will be seen for what he is, merely a dead guy we’ve been carrying around of our own strength.

The Earth is a Conflicted Place

Crazy news lately. I was fascinated by the poll of the national media which found that 67% of reporters, pundits and editors believed that the United States mission in Iraq was failing miserably. While 78% of our military personal on the ground in Iraq felt things were going well and as planned. I'm more predisposed to believe the ones who are actually on the front lines doing the work than those sitting at their wall-facing-desks a thousand miles away.

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How about the Supreme Court hearings on the NH Parental Notification Law. The arguments seemed to almost entirely focus on the incredulous chance that a minor might need an immediate emergency abortion and no parent can be found. First of all, the process most referred to today was in cases such as eclampsia. Often an abortion is contraindicated in cases of such. BUT NOT IMMEDIATELY. Usually the individuals blood pressure is so unstable that an abortion SHOULD NOT BE IMMEDIATELY PERFORMED until the pressure, amongst other conditional functionals, are stabilized. Justice Scalia retorted brilliantly that if it's such a time critical emergency that no time for a phone call exists, then for God's sake, the doctor probably doesn't have time to scrub or don gloves. Even in cases where there might be an immediate emergency need to do such an drastic technique, there are already laws and statutes on the books authorizing AND mandating that the medical personnel do such. Hence, no one would be left to die on a table because they NEEDED and emergency abortion because they couldn't reach a parent or guardian. Think of it. The child, and I'll call them children because they still are, could potentially go in for an abortion requiring no notification. But, if something went wrong during the process, the doctor would need to stop and contact a parent or guardian because now the corrective treatment requires that notification occur. My kids can't get an aspirin from the school nurse without her calling me for permission but could get an abortion and potentially suffer major consequences without them feeling the need to inform me? Are they out of their minds? If you get the chance to download the oral arguments today, they speak for themselves. It's about money and power. Nothing else.

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Did you hear about the Caucasian and female suicide bomber? Born and bread in "white-bread" Belgium, this 37 year-old named Murielle Degauque, donned a belt of explosives and tried to kill members of an American Patrol Unit in Iraq. Fortunately, she was the only fatality. She has, however, been referred to as a "typical girl-next-door." But how typical is she really? She had a habit of hanging out with "difficult kids." She explored drugs. I guess that's typical for Europeans at least. She had married and divorced a Turkish man; met and then left an Algerian; and then met a Moroccan....oh wait, I mean a Belgian of Moroccan extraction (named Issam Goris), who then married her, took her to Morocco and helped her convert to Islam. This conversion to Islam is what predicated her sympathy for Osama-Bin-Satan and her desire to commit Jihad. For what, I don't know. The 79 virgins are for the males only. This is what European news says typifies the common girl-next-door. If this is what we can expect as the typical European girl, I'll tell my sons to not only buy American but marry American!

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How about this one from my home state: A mall in Massachusetts issued an apology after a 4-year-old girl was apparently told she was not allowed to sit on Santa's lap unless she purchased a $21 picture of the meeting. "I See Stupid People..."

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How about this scary one: Russian Squirrels bit a stray dog to death which had been barking at them in a Russian park. Them are some tough squirrels my friend!

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And finally, is nothing sacred anymore: Nativity Video Link As if that's the worst they can do.

Spinning On My Stress Ball, The Earth

Do you ever have those days? You know, when you say "God, I'm gonna do my best to try to get it right!" And then, all of a sudden, you put your leg over the side of the bed and dropped your feet to the floor and it's all over from there? Well, that was today. A Thursday much like most Monday mornings except it was all day. Unexpected construction zones and an old lady driving 10 mph under our already ridiculously slow speed limits had me pulling into the train station as the train was pulling away. I then toyed (for 5 seconds) with the crazy idea of racing at the speed of sound to the next station and beating the train. Well, I'm sure you can guess what I did. I knelt in prayer and said "O.K. God, your in control here and I'm not. What would you..." Not. I gunned it and beat the train to the next station. Couldn't find a parking space so I parked illegally in the woods. Figured the squirrels would protect my truck from being towed. I then jumped on board and tried to get some work done. I fell asleep and missed my rail stop. Ooops. Now I had to bus it back to where I supposed to get off. And you know what? That was the good part of my day. How was yours?

In The News Today

Everybody has heard the latest on K-Street politics that hit the press from CA earlier this week. Congressman Randy "Duke" Cunningham tearfully resigned his post after admitting to taking as much as $2.4M in bribes in return for driving business towards particular defense contracts. It is still not yet altogether clear how the co-conspirators, Mitchell J. Wade, president of Washington-based MZM Inc., and Brent Wilkes, head of San Diego area defense contractor ADCS Inc., will respond to the court submitted documents charging them with bribery. This may, as I believe we will find, open up a rusty can of righteous worms and expose the hypocrisy rampant amongst the progressive corporate lobbyist and those elected to conscript laws on our behalf. It is well understood that the lobbyist actually play a huge part in the actual drafting of many laws and bills, but the back-scratching has profited both sides of the Avenue. Just not the voters or our trust of those involved. I do give Rep. Cunningham credit for oweing up to what he has done, admitting it publicly, apologizing for it publicly and willingly taking his punishment like a man. Hear his public announcement here. Whether Democrat, Republican, or Bostonian, actions deemed illegal must be dealt with swiftly and openly. I hope that this starts a fire under the entire Washington Federal bureaucracy encouraging them to make themselves accountable to their constituents for their decisions and actions. Maybe then, we'll see it trickle down to the State levels of government as well.

Have you hear of 15-year-old Ram Bahadur Bamjon, who, people say, has been meditating without food or water under a "pipal" tree for six months? They say he may be the next Buddha incarnate. And this means what for the world today?

I have to admit that I was impressed with his afrontedness by admitting that indeed "we do have a strategy. We do have a plan. I saw a strategy that is being implemented in Iraq." These were bold statements for a Democrat. But then again, Sen. Joseph I. Lieberman has never been politically correct and has usually presented a more honest front when faced when truth and facts. He has asked President Bush to detail to the American public the progress that our servicemen and women have made over in Iraq - "from military triumphs to the proliferation of cellphones and satellite dishes."

Fayetteville, Arkansas abortionist, Dr. William F. Harrison offers a difficult perspective on the abortions he does: New Life through the Death of another. His perspective is that the end justifies the means. But even the simplest lessons from college Psychology 101 such as the Life-Boat quickly reveal that this doesn't always hold much water. No pun intended here. In short, if Christians are to ever win the war on death, we must offer life. Not judgment and condemnation but love, money, personal assistance, a warm shelter, food, clothing, an education, and whatever it will take to persuade a young mother to not kill her child. If we fail to do this, we are as bad or worse than the abortionist who is offering her an albeit painful and guilt-filled second chance at life.

And, on a more interesting note, laser guns will soon not be relegated to the Star Wars Conventions in Las Vegas. The U.S. Air Force has launched into beta testing in real situations the "first man-portable, non-lethal deterrent weapon and is intended for protecting troops and controlling hostile crowds." Check it out and other incredible tools being developed to enable and protect our military personnel.

What Are Our Children Exposed To?

I am and have always been concened as to what people allow children to be exposed to and at what age certain things should and need to be discussed. Having 5 children at an assortment of ages, I have found that there are no set rules by age but by maturity and other social and relational factors. I tend to be conservative, and probably a little over protective, having seen the negative effects on our youth culture over the years of negative exposures that they either report to me or I find out about.

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In general though, children are our future (to quote a passe phrase) but they are even more so becoming a reflection of us and our past mistakes. The obvious demonstration of this fact is that as a whole, children are more inclined to try drugs, to drink, to commit suicide, to kill or beat-up someone, to act disrespectfully, to quit school, to graduate illiterate, to enjoy the spoils of welfare, to insert the F-word into every breath, to have sex or perform sexual acts, to cut themselves, to pierce themselves, to overeat, to have anorexia or bullemia, to hate mariage, to not get involved politically, to never help someone less fortunate, to be self-centered, to worship money, to watch TV more than they read or communicate, to have a poor self esteem or to actually hate themselves, to constantly quit or lose jobs, to elevate friends over family, to not play sports or work out, to not serve in the military, to cheat, to steal and lie, to not know where they live on a map, to judge according to clothes or appearance, or to call "stupid" anything they don't understand.

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What does it sound like? It sounds a lot like the adults I know. Our children mimic what they see and hear. They call it rebellion. But impersonation is the greatest form of flattery. They tell us they want to be treated like adults because they are acting like the irresponsible adults they see around them. They repeat the sins of their mothers and fathers.

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Hey Western World, wake up! Do we have the passion or desire to see them differently? If so, we need to start emmulating the behavious that we want them to demonstrate. If you want them to enjoy reading, then spend time reading to them. If you want them healthy and concerned for their health, then you should play ball or go for bike rides with them. If you want them to understand the power of prayer, then let them see you praying for them. If you want them to remain sexually pure, then show them what clothes are for and teach them the real differences between the sexes that the classroom won't detail correctly. If you want them to not smoke, discuss the dangers of it and do not smoke yourself. If you want them to be hard working, work hard yourself and tell them why it's important to do so. If you want them to act respectfully, demonstrate it to one another in your speach and actions.

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Now, to the "not-so-western-world," you're not off the hook. How about treating your young girls like they are beautiful? How about letting them be equal to boys? Let them learn. Let your children envision a future where people can learn to get along. Let them see that people really do have a lot of the same concerns everywhere on this little blue bulb in space. How about that each and every one of them is precious and that God truly does love them?

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When I turn on MTV, I see video's where rappers praise shooting cops and where angry teens give the middle finger to all authority and adults in their lives. That's sick. But did you know that there is an Iranian music video that depicts a young man as a suicide bomber driving his explosive vehicle to glory instead of home to his new family. That's sick too.

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I saw a cartoon from Iran on www.memri.org that is for children and is meant to convey the glory of blowing ones-self up for Allah's glory. That's sick. I would say that if it came from a "christian," "hindu," "muslim," or an atheist source. It's just plain sick and validates my previous statement that we teach our children to reflect us. The adults.

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If the people would wake up and start making decisions based upon helping fulfill the potential of every child on the planet, then we would all have a future we could be proud of. If we don't, then what are we hangin' on for? The ride?

Healing: Complex Question with a Baffling Answer

Jesus went throughout Galilee, teaching..., proclaiming..., and curing every disease and every sickness among the people. (Matthew 4:23) Note, Jesus healed EVERY-one.

In the New Testament it is also very clear that Jesus healed. When Jesus healed, people were completely healed. "A man with leprosy came and knelt before him and said, "Lord, if you are willing, you can make me clean." Jesus reached out his hand and touched the man. "I am willing," he said. "Be clean!" Immediately he was cured of his leprosy" (Matthew 8:2-3; and Matthew 9:1-8)

Jesus brought back the dead; "As he approached the town gate, a dead person was being carried out, the only son of his mother, and she was a widow. And a large crowd from the town was with her. When the Lord saw her, his heart went out to her and he said, "Don't cry." Then he went up and touched the coffin, and those carrying it stood still. He said, "Young man, I say to you, get up!" The dead man sat up and began to talk, and Jesus gave him back to his mother" (Luke 7:12-15). The man had to do something too. Get up.

Jesus healed all who came to Him; "News about him spread all over Syria, and people brought to him all who were ill with various diseases, those suffering severe pain, the demon-possessed, those having seizures, and the paralyzed, and he healed them.": "When evening came, many who were demon-possessed were brought to him, and he drove out the spirits with a word and healed all the sick" (Matthew 4:24, 8:16).

It is also worth noting that while Jesus said in many cases it was faith in Him that lead to healing, it was not necessary to have faith to be healed. In John chapter 5, we read of the healing of a crippled man who not only didn't have faith in Jesus, he didn't even know who Jesus was.

Does God want everyone healed? Paul had his thorn in the flesh. Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me (2 Corinthians 12:7). So, it is obvious that “no” is often God’s answer. More examples include the following:

Timothy apparently had recurring stomach troubles and the suggested cure wasn't prayer but a little wine, (1 Timothy 5:23).

Trophimus was so sick Paul left him behind, (2 Timothy 4:20) and in Philippians, we hear that Epaphrodites almost died. He was not healed by Paul but by God later. These examples show that healing wasn't lacking because faith was. These were the faith leaders of the church and if God chose not to heal, then what can be said?

We also read of a city visited by Jesus where not much of anything went on. Why? A defined lack of faith in this example. "Jesus did not do many deeds of power there because of their unbelief." (Matthew 13:58) Sure seems like God doesn’t want to be figured out.

So...God didn't heal their sicknesses because of their lack of faith in Him.

So...should we even bother to ask God to heal?

"Whatever we ask according to His will...He will hear us" (1 John 5:14). The key here is though according to HIS will, not ours. God does heal when He knows it is appropriate.

Hence, there are times He is simply waiting for us to ask on behalf of someone. One can safely assume that He would allow sickness or death because we failed to take Him at His word.

James teaches that we are to pray and get medical care. "Is any one of you sick? He should call the elders of the church to pray over him and anoint him with oil in the name of the Lord" (James 5:14).

So, how should we approach healing when we are sick, diseased, or dis-enabled?

Get up, ask for healing, have Faith that God does heal and oft chooses to do so, and believe that He is Lord regardless of His decision. Meaning, He still loves you and will support you even when His answer must be “no.” Will you still trust Him? Or, is your trust entirely dependant on the outcome?

I Owe God An Apology

For my life. For my failures. For my lack of faith and trust. For trying to achieve on my own. For my sinful nature. For my unbelief. For looking at the world simply through my own eyes. For my temper. For my laziness. For my death-grip on hurt and sorrow. For my unforgiveness. For putting myself first. For not considering others as more important than I. For my wastefulness. For my lack of appreciation in the small things. For my impatience. For my not seeing His hand in life. For my not trusting even into death. For my idolatry. For my lack of caring and love towards all people. For my judging nature. For my ignorance of His word and character. For my failure to say "I'm sorry." At least I can start somewhere. "God, I'm Sorry."

The Stem Cell Debate – Slippery Slope or Responsible Hope?

Let me be up front with my readers about the fact that I am still markedly undecided about the use of human embryo or clone derived stem cells. As a scientist, I am piqued at the possibility of any substantial key discovered in the fight against the diseases and bodily disintegrations that plague mankind today. I am awed by the awesome intricacies of the human design and the powerful mind-power we have to investigate and comprehend it in laboratories around the world. I am frightened by the prospect that someone will abuse the capabilities uncovered by science resulting in harm to mankind physically, socially, psychologically, emotionally, culturally, morally, and spiritually. I am equally cognizant of the fact that when you give man an inch, he then blasts off into space before you even discover that he’s no longer on the planet.

They say “there are two sides to every story” but I have found that this debate has many sides. The following are a potpourri of viewpoints that I encounter on a daily basis and that may or may not represent your thoughts on this debate. There are those who would say “let’s throw off the gauntlet of morality for it is nothing more than opinion and run full-force into the yet undiscovered potential of scientific discovery.” Cloning in all its’ majesty should be allowed, even for the creation of “spare part.” Maybe it’s o.k. to clone animals, bacteria and corn but not people. Some would argue that morality is best decided but that which results in the greater good. Many have decided for themselves that since embryos created for In Vitro Fertilization (IVF) are just going to be discarded, then we should not waste the but use them for the betterment of mankind through research. Maybe the creation of an embryo for both IVF and for stem cell research is morally wrong but since it’s going to be done anyway, then we should have proper safeguards in place to prevent abuse. There are some who insist that it’s o.k. to create embryos for IVF but not for destruction for research purposes. Many in the world believe that life begins at conception, that all life is sacred and that it should be protected and not used for research. A lot of people I talk to would like to see some alternatives to the destruction of an embryo in order to avoid the current passionate debate. Many newer techniques for Stem Cell “acquisition” have been developed recently which is beginning to “address” this issue by working around it. There are a lot of undecided individuals floating and bouncing somewhere in-between each of the aforementioned. Have you found where you fall amongst these choices? Have you thought long and hard about it researching the facts or merely repeating media by-lines? What is there to gain? Where would a slippery slope take us? What are the potential downfalls? These all need to be considered, discussed and weighed out.

Maybe the name Dr. Hoo Suk Hwang causes you to shiver. Maybe it causes you to bow in worship. Maybe you haven’t heard of him. He’s the researcher from South Korea who is breaking ground, and possibly even moral laws, through his developments and scientific accomplishments in human and animal cloning. I’m sure you heard about the recently cloned dog and the reports of a successful, living human clone. Are you concerned? I am not surprised that this happened first in a nation in a region where life has historically been disposable. There are less of the moral “restraints” that one would encounter in the west. Oddly though, much of Korean culture considered your age to include time spent in the womb. But who am I to point out that coincidence. I think that the reason that China didn’t beat them to the goal was due to funding issues, slower momentum in China, and a little luck. But it would have been done regardless. Now what? Is he a hero, hypocrite, or human whore? Will he become the Mack-Daddy pimp of stem cells? People thought for the lat dozen years about whether they could do it. Now they need to think about whether they should do it.

What is the next new horizon for mankind? Cloning for body parts? Remember, it was China who historically slaughtered prisoners and immediately surgically removed their body parts. Sounded ethical since lives would be saved, right? Except there was the fact that some of those murdered were in prison for things such as propaganda against the mother-land, for attending a non-state-sanctioned Christian church or for political dissent. And, since testing was not up-to-par, many diseases were transmitted from these transplanted organs. Some even made their way to the U.S. where it is expressly illegal to acquire such trafficked organs.

Now what? Sex selection? Exactly. A funded study at Baylor University will study the effects of sex selection on families. Their goal? It is to ultimately demonstrate that there are no negative effects from selecting the sex of your child. After all, look what it did in countries such as China? They are scrambling now with such an almost completely male society to reverse the trend which caused female infanticide to become commonplace. Where are the feminists and women of NARAL when only females are being killed?

It will be only a matter of time once sex selection is “normalized” that one will be able to select embryos that will yield a particular hair or eye color, weight predisposition, or personality. And so, the great Aryan experiment continues in the bedrooms and Petri dishes of the world today. So, as the debate moves forward, it must do so with full consideration of the results, good and bad, moral and immoral, possible and not yet possible, until we are willing to safeguard ourselves, others and the yet unborn who will ultimately be sacrificed either as cells, or as parts for our benefit.

My Worth

“A diamond is a girl’s best friend” We’ve all heard this before. But is it true? Is it the value we “mistakenly” attribute to the diamond that we feel as inherent or is it that we feel valued when such a rare product is presented to us? A diamond, after all is nothing more than a pressurized rearrangement of standard and commonplace carbon molecules done under immense pressure and heat over long periods of time. It’s a lump of coal.

If people decided that the diamond, beautiful as it may be once precisely cut, is of no value, would the diamond be any different? Would it feel bad? Of course not. Value is something placed upon people and things by people and God. The one that really matters is the latter.

Self-Esteem, your true worth or value is not something derived from your assets, your job title, your bank account your appearance, your skills, or how many wonderful and unique things you have accomplished.

It is not even something you can come up with yourself. Like a diamond, you don’t name your price. The one who made or understands the every facet of a diamonds make-up (no pun intended) sets the value.

But even today in our age of enlightenment we find ourselves hurt and slighted by someone else’s lack of perception of OUR intrinsic value. A lack of recognition for work well done. Undeserved blame. Passed over for promotion in lieu of excellence we find ourselves in limbo. Stapled in place by hurts and angry feelings.

And why? Why are we so in need of the acceptance of others?

I believe it is because we are failing to recognize our own intrinsic value as placed by the one who created us. And, as we move farther out of relationship with Him, we seek to find our value, to replace it, or reassess it through worldly means. Jobs. Successes. Recreational busyness. Appearance. Highly visible activities. You name it. We've seen it in a thousand flavors in people around us and in ourselves.

But like I said earlier, an objects value is determined not by the art but by the artist.

God set your value. Keep in mind that His word says that you were made in His image.

So, what does God say about your inherent value? I’m going to let you do a little research here for yourself. Try the following verses:

Psalm 8: 3-5
Psalm 139: 17-18
Luke 12: 6-7

Do you believe it? Or, do you have lingering doubts?

I think young people today have a big issue with this. An instilled doubt as to their worth. I’ve noticed that this generation has a very hard time looking me or others in the eye. But, as I dig deeper in, I find that most will not even look themselves in the eye. They despise what they see when they look into the mirror. This is so sad. What they are failing to see is the person that God loves so very much in all their uniqueness.

Remember this by the late theologian Helmut Thielicke: “God does not love you because you are valuable; you are valuable because He loves you.”

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Norman Vincent Peale, in Power of the Plus Factor, tells how he came across a tattoo studio in Kowloon in Hong Kong. In the window, among samples of words or images one could have tattooed on one's body, were the words Born to lose.

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Peal says: I entered the shop in astonishment and, pointing to those words, asked the Chinese tattoo artist, "Does anyone really have that terrible phrase, Born to lose, tattooed on his body?"

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He replied, "Yes, sometimes."

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"But," I said, "I just can't believe that anyone in his right mind would do that."

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The Chinese man simply tapped his forehead and said in broken English, "Before tattoo on body, tattoo on mind."

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Do you constantly compare yourself to others? See yourself as less capable, less attractive, or less successful? Why? Consider the following:

Philippians 2: 3
Romans 12: 3

So, thinking yourself, or should I say considering yourself less than others means we will consider other more.

If we are to think about others and the situations of others before our own, what should the results be? We’ll see that we are capable of great things. We’ll see that God can work through us. We’ll see that we are truly important to Him and that He wants to spend eternity with us. We’ll learn through experience that we are truly valuable to Him and that He already paid the ultimate cost to prove it to us.

"Poor" Excuse...

I mentally and spiritually battle within myself about how best to help the poor. We live in a society that has tried many a wonderful and many a devastating things. Some with good results. Some with marginal results. Many with bad after-shocks that trapped people into a variety of classes of poor. A serious discussion needs to happen, starting with people who are truly compassionate, and ending with the politicians.

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Empowerment. A strong word that indicates a partnership. Not with a social program, although it may be driven or funded through such agents, but a person-to-person relationship that speaks truth, challenges, encourages and takes ownership of the upward mobility of another. I was challenged and yet know that the problem is bigger than simply I. It is wider and deeper than even those who are stuck within it can imagine. It does have cultural truths that must be parlayed without fear of retribution. And, it does have grey zones.

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The following monologue is by Doug Pagitt (pastor of Solomon's Porch and prolific author):

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"In our Minneapolis community, I’m really caught up in the complexities of the difference between people who don’t yet have the money that they need and those who are truly poor, meaning they could never get the money that they need. The Hispanic families that we work work with are just poor for a while. They are not going to be poor forever. They have a strong work ethic, and they’ll learn how to work the system. There are other people in our neighborhood, oftentimes poor white families or African-American families stuck in more systemic problems, and there doesn’t seem to be any solution. Now that’s a different conversation from what happens in Guatemala and Jamaica and other places.

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"So it gets really complicated when I see the term “the poor.” It also complicates it for me because I know that most of our "theology of the poor" in North American evangelicalism comes out of work that the Christian Community Development Association (CCDA) has done. If you’re not familiar with that group, it's been very active. Its central concept is to relocate, to redistribute and to reconcile. Those are its three major emphases about how you make a difference in the world.

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"It’s my opinion that the CCDA was developed rightly and properly during a time when global economics was in a period of scarcity, meaning there wasn’t enough. You could've said to someone, “Eat what’s on your plate. There are people starving in China,” and rightly so. It’s also my opinion that we don’t live in a world of economic scarcity anymore; we live in a world of surplus. Our problem is not that we have too little food or too few economic resources; the problem is the poor distribution system that’s funneling food through complicated global mechanisms and multi-national corporations. All of which is to say, we live in an industrialized, global economy that’s no longer made up of simple agricultural societies.

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Christianity has played out the great majority of its history and a great majority of its theology in agrarian societies that don’t exist in this world anymore. We have to be engaged with the question, What does it mean to be a people who are involved in systems of poverty in our world that go beyond any personal involvement that we have?

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"The world has changed in some profound ways that make it a real issue for me to live as a good neighbor. So in my life, I’ve had to reduce all of this down to a question: How do I live as a good neighbor and never remain satisfied with that being enough? I’d love to have a conversation about what it means to truly live as a good neighbor in the world that we all live in — especially to those people who literally live next door to us."

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And with that I say "let's get to work,"

Wettin' my whistle

An ice cold glass of Coke. Or maybe for you it's a giant, icey Mountain Dew. It's that lip restoring, tongue rehydrating, mouth moisturizing, flood of refreshing that can only be met with a certain thing. Something that at any time can be good, but at certain times it's greater than great. Those certain times are usually times of fatigue, thirst, weariness, sadness, loneliness, hunger, desparation, and generalized "down-ness." Now I'll be the first to admid that I wish things never went wrong and that I never got depressed or I never felt overwhelmed. But I do. And I think that we all do to a varying extent. But to each of us, life happens. To some, more than others. But I've always said "life and death, everyone gets their fair share of both." What differentiates people of faith is that they can demonstrate hope in the midst of great sorrow and a joy that surpasses all "human" understanding.

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Like the woman Christ met at Jacob's well, he offered her a water she had never tried. One of which after drinking, she would never thirst again. It was life-giving. It refreshed us like an ice cold Coke would someone crawling out after 3 days in the desert. Life parches us. And sometimes we settle for less. We settle for worldly refreshment. Things to relax us. Things to stimulate us. Things to feed us. And what God is saying is "come to me all who are weary and I will give you rest." The woman drank from what Christ was offering her and she was never the same again.

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Yeah, I know that although I have a relationship with God that bad things will still continue to happen. And that's o.k. I know however, because of the tastes of heaven I have enjoyed thus far, that it will always be better to wet my whistle with the presence of God than the things of this world.

Churchs of Hate

They say we’re evolving. Getting smarter, Living longer. Loving more. I guess I just don’t see it. Do you? I mean we have a Hollywood elite that has completely lost touch with reality. A majority of them cannot comprehend what is required to make a relationship successful so bank on their career exploding after their third or fourth divorce and child out of wedlock. We have a soapish generation of teens vying to emulate what they are told is “reality” by MTV. Shock-Jocks make millions by hurtling all common-sense aside and spreading the gospel of lust and self-centeredness across the airwaves 24x7. We have left-wing people calling for the extermination of the president and demonstrating amid laughter the beating and kicking of a conservative on TV. We have police officers stealing from those they trained to protect after the hurricanes watchful eye had passed on by. We have Nazi’s protesting gay marriage amendments. We have the communist organization now known as the ACLU fighting against your right to pray in school or at work but vocally and financially fighting for your kids right to experiment with homosexuality while still in elementary school. The litmus test for Supreme Court nominee’s now includes that the candidate “must be Pro-Choice” and “cannot profess Christ” and, if we include Teddy Kennedy’s fear “that you might interpret the law too narrowly.” Terrorists who are dissatisfied with their lives think it their “god-given right” to kill innocent men, women and children for a cause that they could never define on paper. We have beautiful young girls and ladies trying desperately to escape the poverty of their former “cinder-block” eastern nations only to be tricked by pimps into a life of “indebted” gratitude from which they cannot escape. Gangs all over the world make sport of randomly killing someone to prove their “worth or manhood.” People are killed for a few dollars of packet change by strangers trying to finance their next fix. Junior High School students consider hooking up and oral sex as just something friends do for one another. Father’s ignite in fury and beat-up coaches at schooling events in which they should be proudly rooting for their children at play and promoting life-skills. Suicide has become all to common. So common in Japan that there are web-sites that you can use to sign up for suicide partners. It’s so nice when someone can share your pain. The rainforest is being deforested at an alarming rate to support industries like lumber and coca farming. Ethnic cleansing still routinely occurs in nations around the world while the U.N. and U.S. plays it politically safe through “engaging dialogue.” Millions of unborn are aborted each year for matters of personal convenience. Female infanticide occurs in many countries where limits have been placed on children and males are preferred. In the aftermath of so many natural disasters of unprecedented number and scale, talk-show pundits stepped up the microphone to complain and point fingers, Hillary passed the plate for her election hopes, and churches stepped up to the plate to feed, shelter and clothe. Even today, in 2005, in numerous Muslim nations, people are put to death for converting to Christianity or for sharing their beliefs with other Muslims. Liberal tenured professors can not only keep their jobs, but make millions writing books for stating the idea that those who perished in 9/11 were like little Heimans deserving of their fate. We have churches proselytizing that homosexuals are fags and that they deserve what comes to them. We have people who will be denied life-saving treatments because their HMO doesn’t cover it or they have been cut back to 38 hours. Children raised in homes of hate are spreading their "gospel" over the airwaves and at concerts. We have millions upon millions of people dying world-wide from preventable diseases, lack of water and hunger.

What to offer? by: Dean P. Remy

I see your sadness

Pain on your face

Pulse I feel through the walls

No words are offered

Random thought like rain they fall

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Wear your wardrobe

Walk your hallways

Concrete bed on which to lay

Freedom's fancy

Loving no one

Never here allowed to stay

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Hand outstretched,

Pretend to notice

I dare not meet eye to glare

An empty cup

I offer you

It's something that we both share

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Possess no answers

Can offer no joy

Cannot give you what I don't have

Smugly dressed

I pass on by

While you model your rags

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What have I

To offer you

Besides my empty life

You're better off

The way you are

Then I pretend to be like

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Feast on the fact

That you are content

With a pair of unmatched shoes

What have I

To offer you

When I am empty too

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What have I to offer you...?

What have I to offer...?

What have I too...?

What have I...?

Farewell Rosa

We lost a great person today. Ms. Rosa Parks, who acted as a catalyst for social and racial reform by refusing to yield her seat to a white passenger. I wish more people had the courage to stand against injustice even when it becomes "uncomfortable." God Bless Rosa Parks.

Live a thousand years? Not if nature has its' way

Hurricane Wilma pounded Mexico leaving lives and the tourism industry shattered in its' wake. It defiled the protectionary breakers designed to protect the seaports of Cuba flooding over half a mile inward. It is now striking Floridians still shell-shocked from over a dozen other storms this year alone.

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In August, a killer tornado (one of hundreds that touch down in the midwestern part of the United States) cleared a swath a half a mile wide extending for 17 miles. Everything in its' path destroyed.

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Earthquake ravaged Pakistan is still decimated by aftershocks that are almost unoticed by the weary area residents. Read here for a first hand account by a young college girl from that region. We're talking almost 80,000 dead.

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Typhoons in the Asia Pacific pummeled the Japanese coastal area killing and destroying like it was one of the Japanese developed video games.

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A Tsunami resulting from an earthquake in the Indian Ocean drowned entire cities, towns and villages. The aftermath, over 180,000 dead or missing. Entire families wiped off of the face of the earth.

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Severe rains caused flooding and landslides throughout central America and up into California. And similarly, rains swelled rivers in eastern and western Europe flooding ancient cities like never before.

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Mount Washington, our areas own high point known for the world worst weather hosted snow fall breaking previous records last weekend. They had 38 inches fall between Saturday and Monday morning. Check out these pictures here.

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Then, there is Aubrey de Grey, a 42-year-old English biogerontologist (that's a biological scientist who studies aging either from a physiological, biological or molecular biological position). Dr. de Grey argues that people today could easily be living 1000 years or longer if we could previent or even reverse the negative effects of the human condition. These "effects" have decimated the human cellular and molecular machinery such that we see death as normative at age 40-80 years. And, assuming that he is correct, we may once again attain the ages witnessed thousands of years ago of 300, 400 or even 900 year for the common man. That is, of course, if he is able to avoid the catastrophic events epiphanied in this past years headlines around the world. Avoiding a cold is one thing. Avoiding hurricanes, tornados, floods, earthquakes, mudslides, and tsunamis is quite another.

It's somewhat biblical though to consider that God once enabled a several hundred year old man named Noah to build an ark to escape the impending world-wide flood that He was going to send upon the face of the earth. What if.....?

Anne Rice finds Christ

Whodathunkit. Anne Rice, author of a lifetime of stories about vampires, witchcraft and S&M has returned to her roots and accepted the forgiveness that only a real God could offer. No doubt that she will face the wrath of her long-allegiant readership and her dependant publisher but she has made the decision that her novels from now on will come from the perspective of one who is now redeemed.

She plans on her next novel being written from the first-person narration of a 7-year old Jesus. As a child he is "aware" of His divine self and this supernatural progession will definitely be enhanced by Annes ability to render a "realistic" satan and his demonic convention. Their first meeting looks to be eye-opening and I look forward to the final product and the end of the first of what looks to be many fresh novels from Anne. I wish her well in her new life and I hope that God is able to use her gifting to reach a wider audience.

Ready, Set, Stop

It's been a wild ride this past week here in the Northeast. We had the sun overcoming a 9-day impass of wetness that helped us wash our basement floor. We were able to enjoy the company of 4 members of the international ballet troupe Ballet Magnificat who stayed with us for 5 days. My wife and son paticipated in a class trip to Phili. We were able to attend and enjoy a Quinceañera which is the Latina coming-of-age celebration on a girl's 15th birthday. And, I realized that we have people over every night for the past 8 days. Never mind the broken braces needing repair, a pending hernia operation for my son, 4 playing travel soccer, 1 playing volleyball, 2 playing basketball, 1 needing eye glasses, vet appointments, vehicle needing a new transmission, downed trees needing slicing-and-dicing, my Top-50 list of pending home repairs, birthday parties, my 3 planned business trips in the next 2 weeks, and more rain slated to start again tonight, life is indeed good.

As I sat this evening with a young man around my dining room table, I realized that in silence, I was enjoying a breather. Craziness and quality are independant of one another. As decidedly unstable and unnerving as life in the Remy household may be, I wouldn't trade it for anyone elses. It's not perfect, but it's all mine. The constant stop and go, like my truck, requires more gas and instills more wear-and-tear on the brakes. It is the fill ups and repair appointments (going to church, fellowship with others, playing a game, reading, prayer time) that remind us of how good we really do have it. O.K. Gotto go again...ciao!

Not As They Appear

They say that “Perception is Reality.” I argue that it isn’t. Largely, it’s that “we don’t see things as they are, but see things as WE are.” Our understanding of cultures, beliefs, politics, ideologies, values, morals, work, diets, love, sex, war, religion, education and many aspects of society are filtered through our personal combination of experiences, upbringing, and education. Why then are we quick to pass judgments on these societal factors that exist in other parts of our world?

We categorize everything as either “right” or “wrong;” “left” or “right;” “religious” or “secular;” and “good” or “evil.” This is especially true for those of us in the “western” world. For us who are exposed to so many different cultural belief systems and so many news sources, it enables us deal with this overwhelming deluge of information and process them according to our world view. Even our media sources attempt to pre-classify these things according to categories through the articles title and the words they use. They also do it through omission. Leaving out information or view-points that would normally be important to help us actually understand the context and truth about a given situation or event. The opposite, being born and raised in a small, enclosed, closely knit society, the minimum of varietals’ (events, cultural variants, moral dilemma’s, and issues that you would need to consider and work through would be small in comparison. You will find it true however, that since a community like this is small and close, that all information becomes known, brought into the light, helping avoid secrecy or bias. Then truth becomes revealed as things can be seen and understood in the light of truth and context. And, I’m sure that to some extent, we “open-minded” and “educationally superior” modern world people elevate ourselves as more culturally and diversely aware than those who do not face these same questions or volume of questions. This is self-delusion. Volume in no way constitutes a monopoly on truth or importance.

I propose that it may be that thoughts, things and actions may not necessarily need to always be classified according to our aforementioned categories. Maybe some things just are. They require not classification into a neat little box nor judgment of any kind. They merely are. To some of us, that may require a little mental gymnastics to coach ourselves into relaxing our judgments and biases. It may enable us to enjoy more aspects of this great big world than we could previously when wearing our “perception spectacles.” It may enable us to more easily love someone who eats bugs, wears nothing, appreciates body odor, lives modestly, pierces their lips and inserts discs, births 22 children, dedicates their life to ministry, chooses to live in the remoteness of a desolate desert, doesn’t shed tears at the loss of a loved one, or never went to school.

So are the above classifiable as “right” or “wrong?” No. 1 Corinthians 6:12 (NASV) tells us "All things are lawful for me, but not all things are profitable (helpful)..." Is it helpful to me? Will this help me to become a better person, a better friend, a better brother or sister? And 1 Corinthians 8:7-13 gives the third guideline for knowing right form wrong. In this passage, the principle is not to do things that will cause someone else to stumble. The apostle Paul had a strong faith; he knew there was only one God. He knew God had given him freedom to eat certain meats, but if it made others fall, he would not eat the meat. This gives us leeway to do a lot of things. Fun things. Enjoyable things. Just not things that will cause others within our sphere of influence to stumble. What this requires is understanding of each others view-point. The circumstances that led up to each persons “being.” And, instead of quickly judging, we should remind ourselves that things are not always as they appear.

For a fictional burlesque through this type of moral tryst, I would highly recommend Amy Tan’s newest novel “Saving Fish From Drowning.” You can find out a little more about this book for yourself here or order it for yourself from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, ABO’s or Penguin books. Enjoy. Live peaceably. Judge less. And love more.

Where Ability Ends, Faith Begins

It's often been misquoted "God helps those who help themselves" as a thermometer for gauging dedication or slotheness. And although the bible is full of indications that endeavor us to work hard, do good works, and to meet needs whenever presented to us, it is somewhat silent on how we are to approach these tasks.

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Unlike when we are considering our options for attending colleges and choosing majors, the job of ministry doesn't have to be something we forever thought of ourselves as doing or enabled. When talking to young adults about career paths (that which many of these folks have only begun to take seriously when being kicked out of their homes at 20 for lack of job or looking), I am usually offered the "well, what I like to do is..." Or, "I really enjoy blankety-blank." Then, when decisions must be made, it usually comes down to a skill set or a specific capability. Hence, we do our jobs relying almost entirely on what we are able to perform.

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What's missing from most peoples day-to-day business decisions is the "what if..."

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In ministry though, we find ourselves again relying on what we are able to do. Then, when faced with the occasions of ministry requiring more than what we can do, we become frustrated at our lack. We look to our own abilities first. Our decisions are based largely on what we perceive our limitations to be. We have ecome trained to look at things in this way.

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What's missing though is the "what if...." The "what can God do in this situation." The "how would God approach this task." The "what if God controlled the day-to-day decisionmaking and guided what this ministry becomes."

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Our greatest joys come when the miraculous happens, in spite of us. When we pull of the "impossible task" because we trusted God. When the money for support just "shows up" in the mailbox when that unexpected bill could wait no longer. When our bodies seem unable to "take another step" yet run the additional "champions mile" after the race has finished.

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A dancer in Ballet Magnificat shared with me the other night that he didn't start dancing until he was 23 years old. He was a successful, careered Mechanical Engineer when God told him that He was going to use him in dance. He laughed, probably in the way Noah did when God instructed him to build an ark in the desert. Or when Abraham was told he would father a son at close to a hundred. We laugh at these improbabilities because we view and interpret them according to our own understanding and abilities. I guess that's the problem we face in describing a star while sitting here on earth. Our vantage point is limited. But God's is not. And since it's not, shouldn't we ask Him what He sees, or how He see's it?

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It's going to require a retraining. We have to apply the breaks now and then as we run from task to task. It's going to demand that we hold to some sort of accountability to make sure that we have consulted God in the things we do. It's probably going to be hard.

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Here's the thing. If your doing ministry and it is stagnant or overly simple, then I suspect that you've been refraining from "thinking out side of your box." dependency on God is how He chooses to strengthen our faith. And Faith begins where your Abilities end. If you are depending soley on your abilities, then I am doubtful that you have any reliance on faith in your ministry. And it's there, in the realm of faith, that the miraculous will occur.

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Don't count on yourself for making miracles happen. God alone performs miracles when we rely on our faith in Him to become demonstrative in our ministry.

Gospel

Gospel looks to be another good movie. The prodigal son story in 2005 hints at a little of what lies within each of us. I hope to catch it in the next couple of weeks. I'll provide a write up summary for review following what I hope will be an enjoyable night at the movies.
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For those looking for what I think is the best musical rendition of the prodigal son story, I would highly suggest Keith Green's "Prodigal Son Suite." No one can play it and sing it like Keith could. Why? Because he was singling about himself. And to that, I can relate.
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However, you may be interested in a version of "The Prodigal" produced by CRISPIN. Some of these guys performed and played with the group I used to years back, "Up With People." Enjoy the clip: [http://www.crispinmusic.org/audio/were_you_there_clip-08b.wax]

"The Chronicles of Narnia"

For those that may be interested, as I most certainly am, the release of The Chronicles of Narnia; The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe is December 9, 2005. The trailer in QuickTime (high res) can be viewed here: [http://bvim-qref.sitestream.com/LionWitchWardrobe/Narnia_LWR_Trailer1_87d2_3000.mov]

BLAME GAME

I was considering the price paid by Christ the other day. If you've seen "The Paasion of the Christ" directed by Mel Gibson, you are forever acutely aware of the immense physical penalty paid by Jesus for our sins. As the "be-all-and-end-all" sacrificial lamb, His body was broken, but freely offered as an atonement for the bad things mankind has ever done or had yet to do.

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The dirty thought you had today? That was why He had to die. The angry clause you issued today towards one of your family members? That was why He had to die. The curse word you spat upong the guy slowing down the line of traffic and making you late for work? That was why He had to die. The unloving way we treated, thought about, or responded to the poor homeless guy looking for spare change today, ...that was why He had to die.

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I hear people say "I'm a good person. Why would God send me to hell?" Or, "if God is indeed a God of love, then why would He allow people to suffer eternally?" And even the commonplace "if God really loved us, He would make Himself clearly known." To these I say "have you never lied? Or thought someone was useless? Or thought of your own pleasures before someone elses well being? Or failed to show God's love through your example to even the most despicable? Or wanted to hurt somebody? Or said anything crude? Or enjoyed a moment of popularity at someone elses expense? Or thought of anything more important than God Himself? Or looked lustfully at another male or female that was not your spouse? Or hung out at inapproapriate websites that "use" and devalue people? Or failed to keep a promise? Or judged anyone unfairly or passed judgement without knowing all of the details? Or failed to do what you knew was right beacuse of a million reasons that popped into your head to justify your inaction?" To these I say "you are guilty." As am I.

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And yes, God did try to make it clear who He was. Even took our humiliating form and spoke our languages so that we might get it straight. Even gave us thousands of years of clues before His coming to ensure that we wouldn't miss identify Him. And yes, even told us up-front what the rules and penalties were for our disobeying of the rules. Rules meant not to limit our enjoyment of life but to protect one another; our posessions; our hearts; our relationships; and our value.

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So, I say "admit it." We are the reason that the world is the way it is. We are the reason why there is so much death and destruction. We are the reason that we consider invaluable the unborn child or aged, degenerated adult. We are the reason why people take their own lives out of loneliness or helplessness. Weare the reason millions upon millions go hungry day after day. We are the reason why so many children die from preventable diseases. We are the reason why stress is the causative agent for over half of the modern worlds illnesses. We are the reason why women suffer rape and abuse. We are the reason for the violent crimes that are committed daily oft for a few dollors of pocket change. We are the reason. We are the reason. We are the reason.

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If Jesus could accept the penalty, the very least you and I could do is to accept the blame.

Unforgettable

I am reminded of the N.K.Cole song "unforgettable." That's what God says about us each and every day. But we're not so inclined to be able to say the same about God. Our actions, and even our inactions oft prove that we have indeed forgotten about God repeatedly throughout the day.

Will we ever be so inclined to be otherwise 100% congnizent of his presence 24/7? I am not even aware of my own presence each and every moment. I am not 100% aware of the people around me or their needs. I am not aware of everything that is occurring around me or even to me many times. I forget to ask Him His opinions on important matters. I forget to ask Him for His strength to help me continue throughout the day. I forget to consider those around me more important than myself. I forget to ask for forgiveness when I have done wrong. I forget to check what I am listening to or viewing against the word of God. I forget to watch what I am saying in light of the damage that it may cause. I forget to always do what is right.

I forget to forgive. God, forgive my forgetfulness.

Rain, Reigns, Reining

Well, due to an overly packed schedule, I have been off for a couple of days and for that I apologize. I hope that things are well in your part of the world.
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I write you from the great Northeastern part of the United States. Where, as many of you have heard, we have enjoyed 3 months worth of rain in a period of a week. Most of have had the opportunity to observe Mother Nature cleaning out our basements in the last couple of days. I am thankful that it is as small and trite as that. With a reported 30 automobiles swept away in Worcester ( a city nearby to us) and the numerous homes, autos and people swept away just north of us in New Hampshire, I am indeed thankful.
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I guess it was fortuitous that I never got the chance to finish off my basement this past summer. Then it would have really been a mess.
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Today in Toledo, Ohio, an anti "Black Crime" protest by a neo-Nazi group was the catalyst for a mob scene resulting in a huge standoff between the Nazi's and area residents. Toledoites (if that's what they're called) were calling an army of relatives, friend and other neighbors to join in the protest against the neo-Nazi group.
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Police brought in over a hundred officers to help quell the outbreak and rained tear-gas down upon them to help tighten the reigns on the demonstration.
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And across this little ocean of ours in Denmark, the birth of a baby boy to Crown Princess Mary and Crown Prince Frederik, the oldest son of Queen Margrethe, brings the small nation relief as he will be the heir to the throne. They follow lineage within Europe's oldest reigning monarchy, back to the Viking king Gorm the Old, who died in 958.

To celebrate, over 350 bonfires were lit one by one yesterday evening in a chain of light that illuminated the skies from Copenhagen to every corner of the small kingdom. This repeats a tradition dating back to the Bronze Age.
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It will however be some time before Denmark's little prince officially holds the reigns.

Good Bye Gerhard

Great news today from unified Germany. Chancellor Gerhard Schröder (Liberal Democrat) tendered his resignation earlier today after suffering a defeat to Angela Merkel of the conservative union. He then stated at a packed meeting in the trade fair center in his home town of Hannover that "I will not belong to the next government, definitely not." There's a winner for ya. That good ol' "I'm outa here" attitute. I guess it never really was about the country. Sad ending, but fitting, for a man who snubbed his nose at the world. Especially the country for which his owes much. If you remember, the wonderfully divided Germany became the greatest social experiment the world has ever seen. On one side, Democracy and Freedom and the other Communism. The results, the free Democratic side became a world power again and an economic powerhouse in under 50 years. The other, possessed nothing.
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I venture to say: "France is next!" Viva la difference.

Considering Miers

Cronyism. There's that word again following Bush like a shadow on a sunny day. Is he guilty of it? Probably. With so many positions to fill when a new President takes office, I would venture to guess that it would take the full 4 years just to fill them all should they use the goverments' typical service hiring methods.

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I would also venture that EVERY President sometimes looks to those who suround them for possible advancement. I try to advance myself in my current "company." And, I hope that my boss is looking at me as a candidate to fill roles of a greater responsibility in our company. So why would we expect the government to be that different? Probably because there is the "impression" that positions are granted to the least qualified as payoff for political support. This was surely the case with our removed FEMA head. Definitely unqualified. But how about Harriet Miers?

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Most feminist's would love the fact that she had broken many a glass ceiling in the legal world. Even headed the Texas Bar Association. Worked hard in positions in the private workplace, city government, State Government, and the Federal Government. She is not an Ivy League lineup candidate. Another mold broken. So why are the feminist's not fawning over Harriet? Could it be merely who she has supported? I think so. As many personal ties as the media can draw up that may exist between the President and Ms. Miers, they shall.

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The liberal communist Teddy Kennedy who could not bring himself to vote for probably the smartest and wisest choice for the recently appointed position, John Roberts, is again batting lefty and swinging wildly for the release of privileged materials protected under lawyer-client confidentiality. He has said that the lawyer-client privileged materials should be produced in the case of a public servant. Funny though, we have yet to see released these same communications and documents between Teddy and his lawyers the day after he drove Mary-Jo Kopechne off that little bridge at Chappaquiddick. I guess like the bridge, it's a one-way street.

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Has she demonstrated immense abilities in the arena of law? Yes. Has she remained out of the tabloidesque Globe and Times for inapproapriate behaviour? Yes. Does she possess the intelligence needed to not only comprehend the massively complex galaxy of constitutional law? Yes. Then this is not idilic cronyism so let's move forward with jurisprudence and expect a vote.

In The Nooze

You know, I love to mix my news sources. Allowing myself to enjoy some of the stupidity that is all around us like a comedy show where tickets are free is the best of all worlds. Well, this one anyway.

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I've got to ask you...If a man trips in the forest and no women are around, is he still a dork?

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Well, I'm not mentioning any names with that one. Here are a few recent headlines that I thought you would enjoy.

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Attention Defecit

Crime Stinks

Maybe he'll die

Good thing this theater isn't in my town

Funny thing, irony...

NO prediction made in 2001

No brains in Texas?

Might be worth a drive

100 years and still driving

I think the punishment is hangin'

Strange Fundraiser

Who's he kidding

Nothing better to fight

That's a lotta pie

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Have to share this one with you...When a man attempted to siphon gasoline from a motor homeparked on a Seattle street, he got much more than hebargained for. Police arrived at the scene to find anill man curled up next to a motor home trying to stealgasoline and plugged his hose into the motor home'ssewage tank by mistake. The owner of the vehicledeclined to press charges, saying that it was the bestlaugh he'd ever had.

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I hope that you enjoyed these as much as I did. ciao4now

Finding My Place In The World...

I've discovered that the Church is both the best and worst place to find a job. I don't mean a job in the literal sense of 9-5, two 15 minute breaks, IRA, and Health Coverage per se.

I am talking about the finding of one's place for ministry. I don't know if you have encountered the same visage as I but I find that people and politics get squarely in the way of trying to be successful in many a ministry.

I find myself today doing things within the church merely because there is a need and to stay involved. The difficulty in that is there is little joy left after years of doing this. Doing for the sake of doing. Looking for some way to fit in. I oft feel like an outsider within my own church family. Have you experienced that? Pretending to enjoy the church family for the opportunity to share in some wonderful worship in the form of music, praise, offerings and word. Don't get me wrong. I enjoy learning the word, giving of my finances to meet the needs of the church's many ministries, and praising God through song and expression. I wouldn't trade those moments for anything in the world. They are like a beautiful piece of art that, even though you yourself paid nothing for it since it was a gift, you couldn't even fathom the idea of selling it.

What I have found is that position and personality, akin to the corporate world, win out in ministry as well. If you have a somewhat rigid travel schedule for work, good luck. If you aren't as popular with a particular age group, good luck. If you are shy and cannot bring yourself to ask to play a part in a given ministry, good luck. If you're too loud or outspoken, even when your right, good luck. If you think the church should be moving or acting faster or slower than the leadership, good luck. If you're too politically minded, good luck.

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I look at it this way, if Jesus could use Peter...

What I've discovered in the last several years is a subculture within the church that doesn't want to make waves. They wear weights of condemnation about their waist that if you rock the church "boat" then you can't be spiritual or correct. So, they say nothing. They come to church. Enjoy the service. Try to maintain a comfortable relationship with everybody. Then they go home. They may involve themselves in supporting church needs at workdays, clean-up days, ect. They'll even show up for the non-confrontational events like church suppers and men's breakfast's so it looks like their plugged in. They put on the church like a fine smoking jacket and then take it off when it' becomes uncomfortable.

We wonder why our churches don't grow much on the norm. Yes, we have mega-churches. You've seen them. Fifteen-Thousand Members plus and it is so easy to hide there that I'm certain that that is where we'll find many of our church-wounded. But the churches on most street corners are stagnant or shrinking. It is of little wonder that you see the Emerging Church phenomenon where political correctness, legalism, and perfection are thrown out with a preference for in-your-face honesty, non-judgementalism, and an appreciation for "just doing it" even though it's not commercial grade. Do they have it all right? No. But there are apects of Christianity that I think that they have either rediscovered or brought into the light for the rest of us to oooh-and-ah at. Maybe even try on for ourselves.

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Can people only plug in when there is a new need that is suddenly thrust upon the church? Or must they create a ministry for something that the church leadership hasn't thought of or placed their family members into? Churches today have many CEO's (Church Executive Officers) where they really should present the church as CEO (Church of Equal Opportunity). I'm not talking a legalistic form of Christian Affirmative Action. No. Just a willingness to allow anyone to plug in doing what they are gifted to do. If God gave them a particular gift, who are we to say whether they should be allowed or enabled to use it or not.

I remember attending a very well endowed church of roughly 750 attending Sunday morning services. It had an incredible sports complex attached to serve as a fantastic tool for reaching the youth of the area. It had a small but thriving K-6 school. It once gave over $250,000 towards foreign and home missions during an annual missions convention. Everybody was involved and finding "their place."

Then, one year, a new pastor started as the Head Pastor. He let go of the 4 Associate Pastors. The Youth Staff was replaced. The office staff were let go and replaced with their own family members. The schools' Principal was replaced by his wife. Several teachers were replaced by his daughters. The worship team was replaced by his musical family. You get the drift. In a couple of years they had to sell off the buildings as attendance couldn't afford the current complex or salaries. It failed in its' purpose. Its' adherents no longer felt needed nor had "their place" any longer.

Where did all these displaced brothers and sisters go? Some left the church. Hurt. Spiteful. Marriages suffered. Their children hated church. Some moved on to find "their place" in other churches. That's what I did. I immediately got involved leading or singing worship. Within a year I was preaching in a newly established youth group and leading worship in a little "less traditional" way. Having been going on and organizing missions trips, my wife and I were asked to coordinate the missions department. It...was...busy. But life was good and I was so in love with seeing what God was doing in our church and youth group that doing less never entered my mind.

Funny though. I now find myself in the same exact situation that I did 14 years ago. No longer doing what my hearts desire is, singing and working with youth. Finding myself at odds with positions taken by others, I seek to work in the background, meeting needs, avoiding confrontation, invisible, keeping too busy to care any longer, thinking that I need to find "my place."

If Only...

Have you ever wondered how many small things in your childhood or teen years would have had to be different for you to have ended up significantly different than you are today?

Think about it? I'm not even considering the obvious life-altering and impacting things like like car accidents, family suicides, cancer or similar occurences. I'm talking about chance meetings with someone who speaks small small truth into your life. Maybe it was the kindness of a particular teacher that never seemed to happen. The last minute invitation to go do something that you ultimately enjoyed more than life itself. Maybe it was a phone call you missed because of that last red light you hit or one you got because you made it through the last several green ones. Maybe it was an article that caught your eye in a magazine at the Jiffy Lube appointment you were hoping you wouldn't need for another 6 months. Maybe it was a random "hello" said in an uncomfortable period of silence that resulted in a lifelong friendship.

You see what I'm saying? The numbers of variables that go into each of us, what we enjoy doing, what we decided to major-in in college, what colleges we decided to apply to, what jobs we applied for, what person we ultimately decided we would go after for ourselves to love.

So back to my question. How many of these variables, if outcomed differently would have resulted in a completely different us? It's kind of a scary thought when you really consider the implications.

If your life is good today, might you have ended up a junky? Depressed? Suicidal? Living homeless upon the streets? Maybe living like some 80's era movie ambivolent party animal?

Or, maybe you are struggling with a pandora-box of issues that may not have been your reality had a few things occured differently when you were younger.

Sure puts a new twist on judging your neighbor whether literally next door or on the other side of the planet. How then are we to judge one anothers situation? What we know for certain is that all of us are a hodgepodge mixture of our combined experiences. Good and bad, we all have both to some extent. Some more than others. Some things that happen to us are accidental. Life happens. If you are currently breathing and can detect a heartbeat when your hand is on your chest, then it will keep on happening. Some things occur because of choices we make. This is a "duh" statement. But must be said because many look squarely in the face of their addictions or "issues" and blindly state "it's not my fault." It's Hans Solo's famous line.

It's not unknown that some of us walking-wounded would not have been so had their mom said "no" to an invitation to attend a particular college party. A one-time decision to disobey a parents advice led to a lifestyle of compromise that never had to be. Hans Solo was constantly trying to keep himself alive from "collectors" for money he owed them from gambling losses.

But ultimately HOW we respond to the difficulties we face is the determining factor in what the outcome will be. How we will end up is OUR choice. I've met people who suffered from some abuse growing up and ended up as spiteful, hateful, abusive people themselves. Then I've met people who endured some of the most horrific beatings and abuse and decided to not end up like their "parent." Seeing this cause-effect relationship, I must decide that regardless of the sum of all of the negligence, accidents, abuse, schooling, and ignorance creating each individual, the decision will still be theirs upon maturation to decide how they will respond to all future incidents and "whom they will serve."

So guess what? None of us escapes the need to make the same decision. Regardless as to whether it might have been different if only...

My Life

So, I understand that some of you don't know me? That's o.k. as I like to drown myself in an everpresent anonymity, be invisibly everywhere. I am clearly destined for excellence in mediocrity, with a simple flamboyance, all the while being somewhat stupidly intelligent.

I used to be a performer. Pretty decent I suppose. Danced a little but mostly used my voice to get me around. I've visited 24 countries and 49 of the states. Hawaii awaits and baits me. I love to travel. But tire quickly of hotels. I would rather rent a place, stay in a hostel, or stay with families. I think I just enjoy the uncertainty that exists with foreign travel. The idea that I must rely more on myself as I am stepping outside of my comfort zone.

I found a link for a guy who used to sing for the same group as I a couple of years after I left the road. Check out his stuff here.

[http://ecards.wordrecords.com/mark_schultz/9_05_email/player.html]

One of my favorite bumper stickers is..."GOD MUST LOVE STUPID PEOPLE, HE MADE SO MANY OF THEM" I think that every single one of them was driving in front of me this a.m.

I LOVE COFFEE, and TEAS, and GOOD FOOD and WINE and CHEESES and SUSHI and MUSIC of ALL SORTS and the THEATER and DRIVING FAST and MY WIFE and KIDS and ALL NATURAL ICE CREAM and COOKING and did I mention COFFEE?

YOU KNOW YOU DRINK TOO MUCH COFFEE WHEN...
You answer the door before people knock.
Juan Valdez named his donkey after you.
You ski uphill.
You grind your coffee beans in your mouth.
You haven't blinked since the last lunar eclipse.
You lick your coffeepot clean.
You're the employee of the month at the local coffeehouse and you don't even work there.
You can take a picture of yourself from ten feet away without using the timer.
The nurse needs a scientific calculator to take your pulse.
Your eyes stay open when you sneeze.
You chew on other people's fingernails.
Your T-shirt says, "Decaffeinated coffee is the devil's blend."
You can type 60 words per minute ... with your feet.
You spend every vacation visiting "Maxwell House."
You get a speeding ticket even when you're parked.
You speed walk in your sleep.
You don't get mad, you get steamed.
You can jump-start your car without cables.
All your kids are named "Joe."
Cocaine is a downer.
You don't need a hammer to pound nails.
Your only source of nutrition comes from "Sweet & Low."
You don't sweat, you percolate.
You buy Half & Half by the barrel.
You've worn out the handle on your favorite mug.
You go to AA meetings just for the free coffee.
You walk twenty miles on your treadmill before you realize it's not plugged in.
You forget to unwrap candy bars before eating them.
You've built a miniature city out of little plastic stirrers.
Charles Manson thinks you need to calm down.
People get dizzy just watching you.
Your life's goal is to amount to a hill of beans.
You name your cats "Cream" and "Sugar."
You've worn the finish off your coffee table.
The Taster's Choice couple wants to adopt you.
You sleep with your eyes open.
You have to watch videos in fast-forward.
Starbucks owns the mortgage on your house.
Your taste buds are so numb you could drink your lava lamp.
Instant coffee takes too long.
When someone says "How are you?" you say, "Good to the last drop."
You want to be cremated just so you can spend the rest of eternity in a coffee can.
Your birthday is a national holiday in Brazil.
Your three favorite things in life are...coffee before, coffee during and coffee after.
Your lover uses soft lights, romantic music, and a glass of iced coffee to get you in the mood. You channel surf faster without a remote.
You're offended when people use the word "brew" to mean beer.
You're so wired, you pick up AM radio.
Your nervous twitch registers on the Richter scale.
You think being called a "drip" is a compliment.
You'd be willing to spend time in a Turkish prison.
You go to sleep just so you can wake up and smell the coffee.
People can test their batteries in your ears.
You have a picture of your coffee mug on your coffee mug.
You can thread a sewing machine, while it's running.
You can outlast the Energizer bunny.
You short out motion detectors.
You don't even wait for the water to boil anymore.
You don't tan, you roast.
You can't even remember your second cup.
You help your dog chase its tail.
You soak your dentures in coffee overnight.
Your coffee mug is insured by Lloyds of London.
You introduce your spouse as your coffeemate.
You get drunk just so you can sober up.
You speak perfect Arabic without ever taking a lesson.
Your Thermos is on wheels.
Your lips are permanently stuck in the sipping position.
You think CPR stands for "Coffee Provides Resuscitation."
Your first-aid kit contains two pints of coffee with an I.V. hookup.

I enjoy CLEAN humor. Bravo to Old Spice for their Clean Humor Campaign. I don't like to be embarrassed taking my children to things inappropriate for their ages. So again thanks OS.

I am racist, against racists. I cannot understand the hatred that some assign to particular people groups. [http://www.searchlightmagazine.com/index.php]

I am also a scientist by schooling. I worked in both a research and clinical capacity for roughly 11 years but now enjoy the freedom and finances possible with a life in Biotechnology Sales.

That's just a little glimpse of "me" and the things I enjoy. See you next time.

N.Y. on Alert Again

Mayor Bloomberg and Senator Schumer along with an assorted host of others representing the NY Transit Authority, OHS, and Emergency Response were holding a press conference several hours ago. The topic? A somewhat credible... but not so credible to be actually be considered credible unidentified or classified source.... who is reported to be an Iraqi insuregent... or would the Times call him a patriot... captured during a recent sweep by U.S. Forces. An entourage assembled to let us in on the latest news, although it was actually provided a couple of days ago to them... in order to show their upfrontedness and to help us be safe... yet they can't agree on what is safe to say and what is classified.
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Is it still considered classified once the press prints the details?
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What we have been informed is that 19 alQ terrorists, as I refer to them, have infiltrated N.Y.C. in order to plant and detonate bombs, like those used in Madrid and London within the N.Y.C. Subway system. They are reportedly Iraqi so I assume that the useless bag screening of 90 year old blind caucasian ladies and overweight, middle-aged businessmen will begin immediately.

Christians and the Environment

I am not really certain when it happened. I mean, I don't think it was any one event in particular or even one generation which started the trend. What I am refering to is the abdication by Christians of their role in protecting wildlife and the environment. After all, I believe that it was our first job. Overseers of all that God created. Trees, grasses, flowering things, animals, the seas, and the air we breath. Somehow, we walked off of the job.

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I have always been disheartened when I observed someone discarding their cigarette butts or McDonald's bag out of their car window. I am disgusted by plumes of black, choking smoke billowing out of commercial stacks or from the behind of old, non-maintained trucks. I deplore the yellowish foam seen at the edges of our streams, brooks, rivers, lakes and oceans. The haphazard, and Illegal I might add, disposal of radioisotopes and toxic chemicals into the sinks of many of our famous research centers' laboratories. Although I must admit that they have improved a thousand-fold in the last several years. I cringe, having been raised in a country-ish small town, when I drink the tap water in neighboring Boston or Providence. My water had no taste or smell to it and I prefer it that way. It makes my tea or coffee taste like it was intended to taste when the Columbian, Jamacan, or Brazillian farmers were so kindly picking the beans for us. When I see pictures or have visited villages living next to a putrid body of water filled with the excrement of every neighbor and a few thousand toxins contributed by some major western industial plant, I want to say "wake up world and see the filth you've created."

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Christians before any other people should be on the forefront of saying "this is NOT how we should treat the world given to us by God." But we cannot only talk it, we must lead by example. Here are a few steps that we can all take and must.

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We must never set bad precedence by improperly disposing of any of our own waste products. Link

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Recycle everything possible. It will also teach your children, or your frinds, or the neighbors the concept of stewardship.

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Create a compost area if possible. Use it to start your own garden. Plant some trees too.

[http://www.compostguide.com/]

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Create you own mulches or purchase rubber mulch. I use this stuff myself and love it.

[http://www.rubberific.com/]

[http://www.rubberificmulch.com/]

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Initiate cleanup days in your city or town or, find already existing ones.

#1

#2

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Purchase a hybrid [http://www.fueleconomy.gov/](if your family can fit in one) or use as a commuter car; rent a ZipCar [http://www.zipcar.com/]; ride your bike take a motorcycle to work; walk; use public transporatation when possible; take the stairs; carpool with colleagues; check out a RideShare Program [http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=RideShare+Program][http://www.ridecheck.com/ridecheck/][http://www.erideshare.com/][http://www.uship.com/people/?r=2304][http://www.carpoolworld.com/]. Who knows, you may meet new friends, lose some weight and save loads of money.

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Begin conversion to solar and/or wind power. [http://www.altenergystore.com/]

[http://www.cat.org.uk/index.tmpl?refer=index&init=1]

[[http://www.knowledgehound.com/topics/altenerg.htm]

[http://alt-e.blogspot.com/]

[http://www.alt-energy.com/]

[http://www.topix.net/tech/alt-energy]

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Take shorter showers (consider installing a timer).

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Replace drafty windows, seal doors, and insulate attic spaces and turn off the heat when no one is home. [http://www.eere.energy.gov/consumer/tips/]

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Perform proper maintenance on your vehicle. Consider the following:

1. Use the grade of motor oil recommended by your car's manufacturer. Using a different motor oil can lower your gasoline mileage by 1%-2%.
2. Keep tires properly inflated and aligned to improve your gasoline mileage by around 3.3%.
3. Get regular engine tune-ups and car maintenance checks to avoid fuel economy problems due to worn spark plugs, dragging brakes, low transmission fluid, or transmission problems.
4. Replace clogged air filters to improve gas mileage by as much as 10% and protect your engine.
5. Combine errands into one trip. Several short trips, each one taken from a cold start, can use twice as much fuel as one trip covering the same distance when the engine is warm.

Insist that your elected leaders act wisely in protecting the environment and in supporting renewable energy methods through tax incentives and legislation.

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Turn off lights as you leave a room.

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Get involved at EarthDay and similar events. Whoa!!! Did I just advise you to get involved with those stereotypically left-leaning, tree-hugging, earth-worshiping people who protest deforestation and industrial blood-letting around the world and refuse to wear deodorant because there may have been some animal injured some where during its' beta testing and clinical trials? Yes I am. We gave up our dominion over this issue and have left it to those who majorly do it without knowing who they are ultimately doing it for. Worshipping God includes loving His creation AND His created. That's what Christians need to be doing in the forefront, visibly, and knowingly that it is for Him that we do thse things. Not because we are in a love worship of the planet earth. But because we love the creation God made for us as part of His expression. It's His art work. And that's how we need to demonstrate our faith in a useful, practical way that the world understands.

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Some of my links on the right hand side are for Christian Environmental Groups. Consider starting your own in your area and be a light for Christ, albeit a green light.

Humor is Good for the Soul

I am a huge fan of Napolean Dynamite. Pretty much every aspect of the movie makes me laugh. If you enjoy N.D.'s dancing then you should check out the following: [http://www.albinoblacksheep.com/flash/napoleon]
[http://www2.foxsearchlight.com/napoleondynamite/epk/index.php]
[http://www.collegehumor.com/news/2005-01-20.napoleon.php]
Who am I?

In the shadow of Napoleans' "Solid-Goldesque" performance during his schools election speeches, I came across a group of guys who need to be awarded for their clever use of "geekness" and for short fun-poking at things like the Matrix in their music video. You have got to see this... [http://www.okgo.net/index.aspx]

"Anyone who takes himself too seriously always runs the risk of looking ridiculous; anyone who can consistently laugh at himself does not." (Vaclav Havel)

"Laughter [is] the joyous, beautiful, universal evergreen of life." (Abraham Lincoln)

In the Book of Ecclesiastes in chapter 3 it states that there is "a time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance;" I hope you enjoyed the chance to try both, laugh and dance as there is aplenty thrown at us daily causing us to do the others. LOL.

Current Events

Well, the Red Sox lost to the Yanks in what was reported to be the beginning of the greatest playoff ever. I think we saw that last year. I am still hopeful for my hometown heroes to draw the wildcard. They can either gain it by a wining it or by Cleveland's losing it. We're hoping for the best.

I read just today on the Drudgereport [www.drudgereport.com] about another example of the U.S. governments inefficiency in responding to the hurricane crisis' over the last couple of weeks. Apparently 182,000,000 lbs of ice was ordered by the government for shipment to meet the needs of LA and MS residents and FEMA programs. The problem resulted when truckers arrived at destinations and, instead of being allowed to unload, were forced to stay put with it (trucks are running of course to keep it frozen) for days on end. Then, without any explaination, they were rerouted from city to city to city. In the end, a majority of it went unused as no one was prepared to receive it where they were instructed to bring it. The cost? Estimates are at $100,000,000 dollars. People were roasting, food was rotting, medicines were spoiling and the ice sat unused in trucks all over the south. That sure puts a chill on progress.

How about this Kate Moss thing? I hear that the London police are looking into whether there is evidence to officially bring Miss Moss up on charges for drug possession and use. Last reports have her having checked herself in to a swank Arizona rehabilitation center (after all, she can afford the over $20,000 per day expense) in hopes of deliverence from her addictive lifestyle. I would advise the following. Collect enough evidence to encourage her to decide in favor of the following offer: No jail, stay until your clean, no photoshoots until you use your celebrity status to promote anti-drug and self-esteem programs for use worldwide. There, we all win and she regains her reputation. Kids will idolize her for her social action and for taking responsibility for admitting her problem and changing her direction. Parents will be able to stomach the posters that are hanging on their kids' bedroom walls. Some ones son or daughter will decide not to try drugs. I'm o.k. with that option.

For the last year I have been arguing with some of my scientist friends that the sun is indeed contributing to the increases in earth temperatures seen over the last 10 years. I've stated, in lieu of their repeated insistence that my GMC Envoy is singularly responsible for causing the weather patterns responsible for Katrina and the other gals, that the sun has been demonstrably more active for some time now. BTW, I own a truck for several personal reasons. I live in New England and work in my vehicle. I cover roadways from Buffalo to Newfoundland. I have 5 kids so my family of 7 doesn't fit into most cars. I carry lots of literature and equipment. I am willing to pay a little more to surround my family in 3.5 tons of reinforced steel. Lastly, I like it. That said, scientists at Duke University report that increased solar activity over the last decade are probably contributing to as much as 30% of the global increases we have experienced over the last 10-20 years. I still suspect that good old green Vermont's cow population is somehow responsible for roughly 50% of the temperature rise.

Godly Success

<-- My Kids -->
Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful. [Joshua 1:8]

Internet Control

Recent announcements by the United Nations that it supported a proposal to move control of the Internet from that of the United States to the U.N. This would include everything from the powerful computer servers that direct the internet traffic to the naming rights currently overseen by ICANN. The internet was developed by the U.S. Military and scientists from universities looking for ways to share information electronically and network peripheral equipment. ICANN is a private corporation with a board set upon by members from many nations. It is overseen and regulated by the Department of Commerce to prevent monopoly practices keeping the "net" fair and open to all.

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Ambassador David Gross, the U.S. coordinator for international communications and information policy at the State Department, said "We will not agree to the U.N. taking over the management of the Internet." In reply to the support of numerous nations he stated "...we think that's unacceptable."

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Considering how well the U.N. has managed deviant nations balking at their resolutions such as Iraq under Saddam Hussein and how they incredibly mismanaged the Oil For Food Program over the past decade, I say that they U.S. decided wisely. To allow the Internet to remain free under what has driven its' success, capitalism, is to ensure it's growth and expansion. I also think that the U.N. is prone to elevate itself and it's military above the Rule of Law or any govorning moret's.

[http://www.whatreallyhappened.com/RANCHO/POLITICS/UN/peace.html]

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Is it perfect? No. Capitalism has led to the need for everything from integrated SPAM filters to FBI agencies responsible for tracking down pedophiles and fraudulent money schemers. But the freedom has made the internet the most powerful tool in the world today, and I might add, the most "united."

Really Honest, Really?

I just got home from having coffee with a good friend of mine. We both seem to have a realness and honesty to our talks that I wish I had with more people. We are both WYSIWYG (What You See Is What You Get) people. Why do people find honesty so difficult. I know I do. It's not that I am dishonest, but that I hide or fail to disclose what I am truly thinking or feeling. The worse thing is that my mind is processing both worlds simultaneously. Can you relate? You are thinking through the thought processes related to the world the person your communicating with is coming from (at least perceived to be from) and the one in which your heart and mind exist in. No wonder we're so tired and mentally strained today. Our beliefs may be those of an alien to the society in which we reside. Or are they? I wish I knew.

We make excuses such as "it's o.k. to compartmentalize areas of our lives" or "I just don't want to make waves so I keep my mouth shut." But by doing so we may be strengthening the others viewpoint which may ultimately cause harm to us or others. Possibly we are allowing truth to be hidden behind lies. We may be weakening our will to stand for anything. Maybe a little bit of all three. Honesty has become a difficult endeavor.

I have found that honesty may be harder to find within the church than even in the workplace. People will go through extraordinary contortions to hide the fact that maybe they enjoyed a cigar at a colleagues bachelor party. Maybe they lose control of their anger and blurt out unkind things that they wish they hadn't said. Maybe they felt that they never quite fit in or felt welcome within the church walls but hey, it's only one day a week so why complain about it. Maybe they really, really, really like sex. OMG. Did someone catch that? Maybe they enjoyed a nice Pinot Grigio with their Escargo last night but someone might assume that they may have a drinking problem. Maybe they went a couple of weeks without reading their bible or feeling like praying. Must be a heathen, right? Maybe it's that crazy serpent tatoo on your lower back that your trying hard to make sure no one sees when you bend over. Or, was it that you have been feeling depressed for no apparent reason for the last couple of months. Maybe it's that your struggling with caring or loving people. Could it be something as common as having doubts about God and His hand in your life. God forbid you should ever consider why you believe what you do and question the realities of life and faith and how they interface.

Wake up everyone. The above differential scenerios exist and can be applied to people everywhere. Black, white, yellow, brown and purple. Both outside and within the church. In the workplace, the ball park, the supermarket, the bank, everywhere. Christians need to get honest with themselves, each other AND with people who are outside of the church with whom they interact.

What does the world have to say about honesty?

Almost any difficulty will move in the face of honesty. When I am honest I never feel stupid. And when I am honest I am automatically humble.--Hugh Prather (I Touch the Earth, The Earth Touches Me)

Be sincere and true to your word, serious and careful in your actions; and you will get along even among barbarians, But if you are not sincere and untrustworthy in your speech, frivolous and careless in your actions, how will you get along even among your own neighbors? When stand, see these principles in front of you; in your carriage see them on the yoke. Then you may be sure to get along.--Confucius (The Analects)

Commend me to sterling honesty though clad in rags.--Sir Walter Scott

Deal honestly and objectively with yourself; intellectual honesty and personal courage are the hallmarks of great character.--Brian Tracey (The Treasury of Quotes)

Don't worry so much about your self-esteem. Worry more about your character. Integrity is its own reward.--Laura Schlessinger

Every man should make up his own mind that if he expect to succeed, he must give an honest return for the other man's dollar.--Edward H. Harriman

Every time we give our word, it counts. For the most part, most people give it entirely too often. Our word is a precious commodity and should be treated as such.--John-Roger and Peter McWilliams (Do It! Let's Get Off our Buts)

He that loseth his honesty hath nothing else to lose.--John Lyly ("Euphues" Eushues: the Anatomy of Wit)

Hold firmly to your word.--Maimonides

An honest answer is the sign of true friendship.--Proverbs 24:26

Honesty is better than any policy.--Immanuel Kant (Appendix to "Perpetual Peace" On Honesty ed. by Beck)

"Honesty" without compassion and understanding is not honesty, but subtle hostility.--Rose N. Franzblau (in New York Post, 1966)

How desperately difficult it is to be honest with oneself. It is much easier to be honest with other people.--Edward White Benson

I have found that being honest is the best technique I can use. Right up front, tell people what you're trying to accomplish and what you're willing to sacrifice to accomplish it.--Lee Iacocca

I hope I shall always possess firmness and virtue enough to maintain what I consider the most enviable of all titles, the character of an "Honest Man."--George Washington (Maxim)

If you have integrity, nothing else matters. If you don't have integrity,nothing else matters.--Alan Simpson

If you stand straight, do not fear a crooked shadow.--Chinese proverb

In the choice between changing ones mind and proving there's no need to do so, most people get busy on the proof.--John K. Galbraith

Integrity has no need of rules.--Albert Camus

Integrity is doing the right thing, even if nobody is watching.--Jim Stovall (You Don't Have to Be Blind to See)

Integrity is telling myself the truth. And honesty is telling the truth to other people.--Spencer Johnson

Integrity without knowledge is weak and useless, and knowledge without integrity is dangerous and dreadful.--Samuel Johnson

It is discouraging how many people are shocked by honesty and how few by deceit.--Noel Coward

Let the world know you as you are, not as you think you should be, because sooner or later, if you are posing, you will forget the pose, and then where are you?--Fanny Brice

Life demands honesty, the ability to face, admit, and express oneself.--Starhawk

Many people today don't want honest answers insofar as honest means unpleasant or disturbing, They want a soft answer that turneth away anxiety.--Louis Kronenberger

Never esteem anything as of advantage to you that will make you break your word or lose your self-respect.--Marcus Aurelius

No legacy is so rich as honesty.--William Shakespeare

No man, for any considerable period, can wear one face to himself and another to the multitude, without finally getting bewildered as to which one is true.--Nathaniel Hawthorne (The Scarlet Letter)

A "No" uttered from the deepest conviction is better than a "Yes" merely uttered to please, or worse, to avoid trouble.--Mohandas Gandhi

Nothing so completely baffles one who is full of tricks and duplicity himself, than straightforward and simple integrity in another.--Charles Caleb Coltron (Lacon)

The one thing that doesn't abide by majority rule is a person's conscience.--Harper Lee

People generally think that it is the world, the environment, external relationships, which stand in one's way, in the way of ones' good fortune... and at bottom it is always man himself that stands in his own way.--Soren Kierkegaard

The test of a government is not how popular it is with the powerful and privileged few but how honestly and fairly it deals with the many who must depend on it.--Jimmy Carter (Inaugural Address as Governor of Georgia, Jan. 12. 1977)

Thefts never enrich; alms never impoverish; murder will speak out of stone walls. The least admixture of a lie--for example, the taint of vanity, the least attempt to make a good impression, a favorable appearance--will instantly vitiate the effect.--Ralph Waldo Emerson

To be prosperous is not to be superior, and should form no barrier between men. Wealth out not to secure the prosperous the slightest consideration. The only distinctions which should be recognized are those of the soul, of strong principle, of incorruptible integrity, of usefulness, of cultivated intellect, of fidelity in seeking the truth.--William Ellery Channing

What's terrible is to pretend that the second-rate is first-rate. To pretend that you don't need love when you do; or you like your work when you know quite well you're capable of better.--Doris Lessing

With integrity you have nothing to fear, since you have nothing to hide. With integrity you will do the right thing, so you will have no guilt. With fear and guilt removed you are free to be and do your best.--Zig Ziglar (Zig Ziglar's Little Book of Big Quotes)

I have to believe that the world cannot fly in the face of honesty. It, as seen in the varied examples above, is considered essential in almost every secular, business, and spiritual discipline. If we are ever going to change our world, we have to start first with ourselves.

I for one am going to try. Will you? Honestly?

A Collage of Thoughts

Craziness again populates the headlines of the media. Tom Delay, officially indicted along with two alleged co-conspirators, of breaking the state's campaign finance laws. Might the headlines a year from report that there was no evidence of criminal intent? Maybe they'll read that Delay has been found guilty of some or all of the charges asthey relate. I do not know and do not care to predict. Although I find I usually vote Republican, I am supportive of ideas and mores rather than parties and individuals. So if they find that the charges are based less on fact than on inference, like the reported number of dead following Katrina, than good. It would be good to find that justice weighed in on the evidence and decided not on party but on proof. If he proves to be guilty, then he needs to pay the penalty and forever remove himself from public office of the stature he previously upheld.

The only 15 letter word that can be spelled without repeating a letter is uncopyrightable.

In bringing up the NOPD sheriff's claims made on national TV such as Oprah, I deride not so much the predictable misjudgment made by individuals living within a "hell-on-earth" situation, but the fact that EVERY MEDIA OUTLET IN AMERICA RAN WITH THESE UNPROVEN STATEMENTS AS FACTS! And there is no way to deny the fact that what is reported affects decisions made at every level. That's why we evidenced the moving in of extra refridgeration convoys to mobi-morgue the anticipated atrocity. We saw the shipping in of 20,000 body bags in preparation. It's great to be prepared. Especially when in every other way WE weren't. I say WE because failure occurred at EVERY level. From the local boondoggled public offices turning away Amtrak's offer to train people out; the delayed activation of the Governor's own National Guard personnel; to the much delayed movement by the Federal Government and the Military in the region to begin what it is they do. Most everyone failed. Churches were the fastest to respond along with the Red Cross and United Way. Each has it's own abilities that they bring to the table, or, should I say, the disaster zone. Churches are reportedly providing the majority of safe housing, food, and support being given to the evacuees of Katrina. Yet, the liberals are decrying the provision of ANY funds to these organizations that are currently meeting needs that the governments' agencies could not. And they are fulfilling a role that you libs would not. We need to make sure that these groups, agencies and ministries that are doing a tough job with amazing compassion are supported as they are doing the supported. We need to do this expediciously and judiciously.

"I am." is the shortest complete sentence in the English language.

I am awestruck and repeatedly dumbfounded at the media's reporting any word, statement, tid-bit, morsel, and thought and reporting it as fact. I was brought up thinking that news should be the unbiased reporting of facts and tabloids were the unsupported publishing of everything else. We have become a nation of tabloid reporting. Not only this but that when faced with contradictory facts, are visibly absent from corrections and apologies. They self regulate so report to no one when they repeatedly bestow their lack of integrity and wisdom upon us. This needs to be brought to an end.

Did you know that the airplane Buddy Holly died in was named the "American Pie." (Thus the
name of the Don McLean song.)

Republicans are for Limited Government, lower taxes, less spending, and "Compassionate Conservatism." Well, if that's true, they have a lot of work to do. Our expansion of government is unprecedented and expected to grow further. Our National Debt is a number that is essentially the sum of the GNP of the rest of the world combined, and we see business compassion. Jobs gifted to friends such as the FEMA heads' at the expense of the rest of society is a crime. Cronyism must end immediately.

The cruise liner, Queen Elizabeth II, moves only six inches for each gallon of diesel that it burns. Disgusting!

Will China be the next Saudi Arabia? Scientist's and Economist's thin so. China's 5-Year bid for becoming a global leader and financially solvent is not only nearing a pinnacle, but they plan on being the worlds leading supplier of the future energy sources. They hope to be the #1 exporter or energy to the rest of the planet. Does anyone besides me see a problem with this? It's time to be decidedly strategic with our energy plan. When the term "Comprehensive" is used, it needs to be entirely comprehensive. It's also going to hurt. All of us. For some time too. We should, as the leading consumer of oil, dictate exactly what we are willing to pay to OPEC. If they don't like $10 per barrel, then we'll take our business elsewhere. We need to keep technologies such as rapid prepared photovoltaic cells manufacturing, water engines, Hydrogen Fuel Cells, wind, ethanols and other H-based compounds under the strictest supervision. Offer tax free development ops for any companies working to develop alternative energy sources and technologies. Start planning for the funding of the rebuilding of our National Grid. Drill when possible. Respect the wildlife, but drill. Entice, or should I say incentivise, the petroleum companies in Texas to use their vast oil fields for their obvious solar and wind opportunities. Tell GM that if they ever want another Hummer order for the military that they WILL get their cars performing to standards of 80 MPG. Open up the competition to everyone to shop around for the lowest cost of energy. Raise standards for home building and reconstruction to improve the energy efficiency of new homes and improve the greening of industrial and commercial buildings. Create Night by lowering costs for companies that turn off the light after hours like in parking lots. We need to do it all. We need to start right away.

Did you know that by the time a cat is 15 years old, he's slept 10 years away...

And, since the world is outpacing us now in everything except waist size, we need to restructure our schooling places to emphasize proper diet and exercise. We need more options for students too. Not all are cross-country runners or football players. Yes there will be cost. But since we're going to kick out the junk food companies placing soda and candy machines in the schools halls, replace them with incentives to companies that make healthy products and sporting goods. Gatoraid can sponsor nationally a week of gym classes. Nike a month. They can promote their juices and jock straps that entire week. I could see PowerOne bars providing a free bar for breakfast with buy-one-get-one coupons and healthy eating information packs. Man, this would be great. For our kids futures.

Did you know that Coca-Cola was originally green? You have to know it's bad for you.

Anyway, sorry for the length of my daily rant. It's been a long week. Exactly 9 days according to the local media, but you can't believe everything you read. Have a great day.

Life in the Fast Lane

Eat faster, drive faster, get the news faster, communicate faster, shop faster, date faster, mate faster.

Life in the fast lane is the aspiration of countless millions, regardless of the career crashes and life-wrecks that litter that lane.

It is said that the problem with living life in the fast lane is, you get to the toll booth quicker

Stress now contributes to 90% of all diseases. Half of all visits to doctors are stress-related'. Anxiety reduction' may now be the largest single business in the Western world. These days more of us will die from a stress-related illness than from infection or old age. The only advantage of living stressfully: you'll get to meet your Lord earlier!

"US workers now work on average nine full weeks more than Europeans do. We have the shortest paid vacations in the world, and in 2002 Americans gave back 175 million days of paid vacation, time they already had coming, but failed to use. {"Where Did Our Time Go?" UU World, September; October 2004 }

It is a known fact that people can become addicted to adrenaline. Know any Type-A's? It's the natural caffeine!

Life will be busy but does it have to be hurried? We need to learn the discipline of being unhurried even though we are busy.

Our hurried busyness makes us tired. The promise to us as Christians is that we will be less burdened, less weary. Christ may carry our yoke for us... but we'd as sure enough pick up another one so we might get twice as much accomplished with two of us carrying yokes!

In Genesis 1 in the account of creation we easily recall that God rested on the 7th day. Yeah, a great analogy for us but remember that He also stopped everything at the end of each day to look at what He had just accomplished. He took a time out and said "Hhhhhmm, that was good!" Daily rest. The human body was designed to require it like it requires food, h2o and air. Are you doing this each night?

In Isaiah 30:15 "In returning and rest is your salvation, in quietness and trust is your strength"

But how do we exist in a world that seems to be moving in fast-forward?

Henri Nouwen said "The great paradox of our time is that many of us are busy and bored at the same time." Which tells us that there is a difference between a life fully devoted to what God has called and equipped you to do, and the mindless preoccupation that is so characteristic of life in our modern world.

Thich Nhat Hanh has said, "If we are too busy, if we are carried away everyday by our projects our uncertainty, our craving how can we have time to stop and look deeply into the situation; our own situation; the situation of our beloved ones; the situation of our family and our community." {Ibid}

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TRUST

Sometimes it's a lack of trust that we refuse to let go of the reigns. In Exodus, the Lord speaks through Moses to hHis people to instruct them: "Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the LORD will bring you today. The Egyptians you see today you will never see again. The LORD will fight for you; you need only to be still." Exodus 14:13-14

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So, they needed to just drop everything, stand, and trust. That can be difficult for a lot of us. But I've come to realize, with a billion people burried as my evidence, that the world will keep on spinning and life will keep on happening without me at the controls. Well, I'm pretty sure that our lack of trust that God can handle things without our input has something to do with our stress levels. But it may not account for all of it.

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PRIORITIZATION
Maybe our inability nowadays to see the forest for the trees has somethink to do with our prioritization. Let me give you an example. Remember the story of Zaccheus? He was the vertically challenged tax collector who tried desperately to see Jesus but could not because of the large crowd awaiting to see Him pass. It was like a parade route. People for a very long distance, many persons thick, standing, cheering, waving and shouting trying to get the attention of Jesus. So Zaccheus spots a tree a little ways down the parade route and makes the brazen decision to climb it. There must have been thousands upon thousands of people to force this guy to go through such extremes to see Jesus. I makes me think ever so fondly of the parade for our conquering Boston Red Sox and the purported Millions who lined the parade route. Anyway, thanks for the momentreflectionrelection there. Back to our story. Zaccheus is sitting up in this tree and is "shock-and-awed" when Jesus stops in the road, see's him up that tree and says "Zaccheus, come on down from there. I'm going to your house for lunch." And off they go. What amazes me the most is that most of us would have thought that the incredible crowd of people was the "Main Event" or the most important thing because of the sheer magnitude of it. But Jesus knew that Zaccheus was ready to change his life around. His heart was ready. And, best of all must have been the shocked throng of people who were expecting this parade of the healer/teacher/savior/master/Son of God to finish. Can you imagine if the Sox had just stopped half-way through, veered off the parade route and went to hang out with ________! (insert here the most hated person you could think of). The media frenzy would have lasted for weeks. But it goes to show that Jesus recognized that value lied not in that which looked the biggest, but in that which, no pun intended, was the smallest.

It is why mentoring one or two people is much more productive than preaching at a large audience focused investment.

Life, Joy, Peace, Contentment, Fulfillment, Happiness, and Pleasure are to be found in the small things. If you're trying to amass stuff, you'll soon enough find that there is more stuff available than any one person can amass. And then what? You know the Jones' family? The ones everyone are trying to keep up with? They are indebted up to their eyeballs and heading for divorce court. They don't know their own children or that they are looking for peace through doing drugs. Their cholesterol is 240 and they will probably succumb to a heart attack when they are only 43 years old.

Hey, Jesus was also tempted to run life in the fast lane. After all, He was only going to be on earth for a limited amount of time. Thirty three years in which to change the world. And the first thirty were spent in a carpenter shop. By every modern standard, He ought to have been rushing at breakneck speed. And yet, Jesus knew how to stop. Remember He was driven by compassion. There were many He wanted to heal, physically & spiritually.

He was constantly taking time away to pray, rest and reflect (often while hanging and having fun with His friends "The Righteous 12.") He set it as an example.

Choice is one of the things God gave us. It's like a key. It can be used to open a door somewhere or it can be used to secure us within something.

There is a way [a direction in life] which seems right to man, but in the end leads only to death. (Proverbs 14:12)

How do we break the cycle of stress and busyness? Well, the first is to choose to do so.

Then I would apply some of the following:

1. Find the tasks that God WANTS you to do. It may mean that you drop some you've been doing "just because."

2. Take regular time off. Jesus said, 'Come apart and rest awhile'. (Besides, if you don't rest awhile, you'll soon come apart!).

3. Get proper exercise and sleep. Accompanying this is the need to eat well and try to do it with your family whenever possible.

4. Relax. The relaxation response is the opposite of the fight/flight response. Just 20 minutes a day when we're free from the tyranny of 'things present' is enough to counteract the harmful effects of stress.

5. Stay involved with a small support group and your church family.

6. Change your thinking. Take a personal audit. Reassess your goals. Do this periodically.

7. Have fun! To belong to the kingdom you have to be like little children. Do this and the Kingdom of God belongs to you! Besides, you'll live longer. Eternally maybe!

A Time For Healing 

Healing to a Wounded World

I found myself needing to stay home today as I battled a combination of cold and allergies which for the last week left me sleepless. Unable to lay down due to the small ocean within my head, I had many nights staring into my laptops LCD. Finding the world awake is comforting in itself. There is always newness. Refreshed automatically every moment, it is a psychotic melee of good, evil, life, death, kindness, bitterness, anger, sadness, joy, hope, war, ecstasy, passion, light, dark, colorful and a million shades of grey all at the same time.

How to choose what we take in is an art in itself requiring much discipline. But moments of haphazard trips to portals around the globe oft prove inspiring, educational and sometimes frightening.

I thought I might share with you a potpourri of news and sites which represent a snapshot of a million minds discussing multiple millions of topics. Some are humorous, some are not. Some portray the best of human nature and some the worst. The spectrum of human emotions in just a few clicks. How fascinating the human mind and heart to be able to juxtapose itself into and sympathize with many variable situations in a matter of minutes.

http://www.csmonitor.com/2005/0923/p07s01-wome.html
http://us.video.aol.com/video.index.adp?mode=2&pmmsid=1399903

http://www.erichorner.com/Soldier/Soldier2.html
http://www.nbc5i.com/news/5010437/detail.html

http://theforgotten.org/site/intro_eng.html
http://www.corsinet.com/braincandy/dying.html
http://www.breitbart.com/news/2005/09/23/D8CPU38G8.html
http://www.csmonitor.com/2005/0222/p01s04-woeu.html?s=spworld
http://www.spynumbers.com/
http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory?id=315976
http://www.csmonitor.com/2005/0922/p01s02-woap.html
http://www.goodnewsindia.com/index.php/Magazine/story/100/
http://www.urbanplanet.org/portal/index.php
http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/wireStory?id=1151784
http://www.wwrf.org/
http://www.lasvegassun.com/sunbin/stories/w-eur/2005/sep/23/092302057.html
http://www.happynews.com/
Another good one...
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/09/23/international/africa/23johannesburg.html
http://www.goodnewsnetwork.org/Pages/gnnglobal.html
http://www.goodnewsbroadcast.com/

So while the likes of Ted Kennedy spout political and maniachal words of doom; and Hurricane Rita moves in for a potentially catastrophic performance near Texas; and while Hamas continues its' purposeless war by now launching missiles into Israel from the newly "gifted" Gaza region; and while China continues it's world acquisition dollar-by-dollar; and as the Red Sox-Yankee rivalry grows better every year... we must remind ourselves that there is much news thrown at us every day and we must be balanced in what we allow our minds to be pelted with. Media will always be there spouting around the clock. Take the time to turn off some of the negative sources and turn on some of your newly discovered positive ones.

My son is dead...and I killed him

It is often said that war brings out the worst in people. The evidence is overwhelming that so too does religion. In a newly released book by Anthony Shadid (pictured at right) entitled "Night Draws Near: Iraq's People in the Shadow of America's War" details life during this ongoing war of everyday and quite ordinary Iraqi's. It doesn't glamorize or demonize but merely details on a personal level some of these lives, these deaths, these struggles.

Hearing an interview earlier today on NPR which can be found here:(http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=4849396) I was impressed upon to revisit one story in particular for myself. Being a dad, I warn you up front, prejudices my reaction to the story. But after much effort to put myself in the shoes of the father in the story, I sympathize with his position. I do not believe, after much thought, that I could bring myself to justify my actions as he did.

In the story, a strong, young man named Sabah acted as an informant to the American forces. He provided information on militants and munitions caches. His data proved critical for a Raid in his home town. Many were arrested and much weaponry confiscated. After the raid , the Iraqi informer walked among detainees, pointing them out to U.S. troops. Despite being disguised with a bag over his head, the informer was recognized by his fellow villagers by his yellow sandals and his amputated thumb. Justice was about to be metted out by the Muslim Cleric and leaders. Kill your son or we will exact vengence on your entire family. The next day, his father and brother, carrying AK-47s, entered his room before dawn and took him behind the house. With trembling hands, the father fired twice... Sabah's brother then fired three times, once at his brother's head, killing him. Sitting with the father later, Shadid found himself unable to ask the question he knew that as a journalist he had to ask: Had he killed his son? "In a moment so tragic, so wretched, there still had to be decency. I didn't want to hear him say yes. I didn't want to humiliate him any further. In the end, I didn't have to." "'I have the heart of a father, and he's my son,' he told me, his eyes cast to the ground. 'Even the prophet Abraham didn't have to kill his son.' He stopped, steadying his voice. 'There was no other choice.'"

I felt such an extreme heartache as I read this synopsis of the events that transpired, far away; in a place I've only dreamt of visiting; in another world. It's not just a political liberation that these people need. How about the freedom from fear. From the same brutality dealt by Hussein and his sons and cronies. From ideals that man can never achieve.

The assassination of our sons and daughters is not the desire of a loving God. These are not His punishments. The use of threats and fear to exact judgement do not coincide with the teachings my muslim friends speak of studying.

I do understand the fathers grief, his fear; his burden. Dad's love their kids. Or should. But the dad was wrong. Dead wrong. There is always another choice. The choice to be made was to forgive and to love.

The Rule of Law

I have been amazed at the presumptions made by liberal politicians that John Roberts, if approved for the Supreme Court position recently opened by the death of Justice Rehnquist, would spell the end of justice in America. They decry that the clocks would be turned back 100 years should he preside over this country's highest court. Women would be enslaved and judicial prudence would be "for sale" to big industry who we all know are supported by Right Wing Extremist who are anti-black, environmental decimators, pro-war, and entirely grateful that they can keep their estates upon their deaths by repeal of Rockafellonian tax laws.

I can easily understand how Roberts personally might change the face of America bringing us back to the dark ages. His record indicates....oh, wait,....his record reveals voting that....uhm...actually, we find that his history is filled with judicial prudence and decisions that are supported by the likes of Souter, Thomas, O'Connor, Rehnquist, Kennedy, Ginsburg...whoa... you mean people who majorly vote left-leaning and people who vote right-leaning support his view points? But how dare he think he should be elevated to the status of impartiality of the Supreme Court when he successfuly held positions supporting Reaganesque ideals and industry. How could he possibly possess the character needed to see "all sides" of any given arguement? Might it be that he possess the exact skill set and character necessary to not only fill a vacancy but to improve upon the court's decisionmaking environment by being able to pose or answer questions from a number of viewpoints?

Being from Massachusetts, and loving both the history of this state and politics, I am reminded of the uniqueness of our own historical precendents. Two-hundred and thirty-five years ago, a massacre occured in our fine capital city. British soldiers fired upon an angry mob of demonstrators. By todays standards, they may have been the Cathy Sheehan type of crowd. They may have been the pro-life crowd. They were definetely anti-tax so I guess they would be Republicans or Independants by todays standards. It doesn't matter. The facts are that soldiers fired upon and killed 6 of our citizens. The early statesmen wanted an immediate lynching but we needed to prove to ourselves and the world that we were a truly different and law-abiding society. And here, the Rule of Law would be displayed on the worlds stage. A young Boston lawyer decided to use his own money to represent the soldiers on trial. He lost business because of his choice to represent the defendants. It was not a popular decision, but the right one. He won the case. And from here, the innocence until proven guilty and the right to an good attourney proved to the world that America was truly different. This man, by representing the soldiers proved his character through this trial and many others that would follow. His ability to see all sides of an issue enabled him above many others and proved beneficial as he entered the supreme of positions. He became the second President of the United States. The man was John Adams.

Might we be repeating history. The angry mob shouting death to the soldiers and pelting the lawyer with stones were proved wrong in the court of law in the case of Adams. I think too that they will be proven wrong in the case of Roberts. He might even prove to be a good President but that we will never know.

Goal !!!

My "little toughie" Nika kicking a goal during her last game. That's my girl!!! Did I mention that today was her 10th birthday?
.
Here is a soccer movie I hope to catch before '05 ends. It's entitled "Goal!"
[http://www.bvimovies.com/uk/goal/goal_trailers/qt_goal_trailer_big.mov]

Childrose

Let me know what comes to mind as you ponder the following...

Childrose
by Dean P. Remy

Rose petal tender
soft as such
along the wind it rides
delicate as
a newborns touch
nursing the sun inside

color partial
vibrant hue
reflect a masters hand
holding onto
morning dew
surviving in the sand

Spirituality vs. Science 

Life, Death, Life?

By Dean P. Remy

The sands of time, a bitter pill
Slow poison bringing death
Thickening blood, loss of mind
Fleeting, useless breath

Know not the landscape, nor the place
that death has yet to show
In absence of a God’s true peace
to death in fear I go

A Smile Forever Yours

The following was a Eulogy I had to write a few years ago. It was for a young lady who tragically lost her life through her involvement with drugs. She was 22 and only a couple of months away from graduation with a double major from UMASS. She will always be a significant part of what drives me to work with the youth and young adults of this generation. To never let another slip away...so much potential, so much we lost...

A Smile Forever Yours
By Dean P. Remy

Thank you all for coming to share the hardness of this period in our lives, the emptiness of a loved one no longer near, the memories of our lives impacted by someone I do hope that you have met.

Jessica… We’ll always know you as the one with the most beautiful smile that, even when you were down, would be as the morning sun breaking the horizon. How many times had we seen that smile of yours bursting at the seams at a youth event, a family cookout or just when “hangin” with friends you cherished. That smile, unbeknownst to you, warmed people of every background and belief to the very nature and loving acceptance of Christ. That smile was not a façade as it is to many in today’s world but a mere extension of your very self to another. I can only imagine that God will greet us in heaven with a smile much like yours.

Jessica… We’ll always remember your intellectual desire to understand God, man and truth. To not be afraid to question yourself and others as to “what” and “why” and “how.” I personally will always remember the “too numerous to count” conversations we had discussing both “faith” and “futures.” The honesty with which you strove to answer these questions is one in which I wish more Christians practiced. I remember our Youth Group “Open Forums” sessions during which teens would dig into the most difficult of topics and study differing viewpoints and then see where scripture would lead. You were never afraid to take the spiritually and emotionally challenging topics for yourself. Many adults today avoid doing what you found so natural to do.

Jessica… We’ll never know, for certain know, until we stand before God in his perfect revelation just how many lives you impacted during your time here with us. I know of at least one young lady today whom you befriended who today is the wife of a pastor of a start-up church, finished her own schooling at a Christian college and, who is today building the children’s-church program at the church they co-founded. This is a life once impacted with drugs and a desire to end it all that was turned around to one impacted by faith and hope. This is a life into which you injected your very being. The impact of this we see today. We see it in the lives of many of those children with whom she now works. They will never have to suffer from the things that once caused her to suffer. This is but one life into which you obeyed God’s call and loved.

Jessica… We’ll never forget sitting atop of “The Wall.” For those who may not remember or have been privy to this, “The Wall” was a very direct play for youth and by youth. It depicted a wall behind a local High School where teens would congregate, for reasons of all types. To fight, …to question, …to cry. You played an important role in both this production and the follow-up one “Tearing Down the Wall.” I think that there was something about this place that epitomized you. You existed with your sword, your head and your heart. And all three were important parts of you.

Jessica… We’ll never know, for certain know how we may have reached out to you more, listened more, advised more, given more. We also know we may not ever receive answers to the questions that remain. Including the most difficult one of…..”why?” We may come to realized that the answer lies somewhere in between. The question of a life cut short and a life set free. The question of understanding or blindly accepting. The question of why you and not me.

Jess… I think the answer can be found in this. We should endeavor to seek God’s truth and not be afraid to admit we don’t know all of the answers. God appreciates our honesty far more than our pride. He’ll meet us where we are. We should strive to lovingly accept those who may be difficult to love and not be afraid to inject ourselves into their lives. God himself alone knows the final chapter and rewards of our investment. We should ourselves be prepared to fight,…to question,…to cry. Fight for the things that God considers worthy of battle. Question the things that don’t line up with God’s word and seek answers when we may not have one. To cry. Cry for the things that break God’s heart. Not be afraid of opening ourselves up to the pain of others.

Jess… And finally…to smile. To make evident the joy of knowing that there is a God in heaven. To demonstrate the unexplainable acceptance of Jesus open arms to all. To break the darkness as the morning sun does the horizon. We should smile. We should smile with the same smile that God the father will be giving us when we join Him in Glory. To smile, with the same smile that was truly yours. The smile we will forever know and hopefully share with others too.

Cold Castles

Cold Castles was a poem I wrote about a young lady I know who finds the demonstration or receipt of love painfully difficult to understand or enjoy. Occasional acts of kindness have become a replacement for a genuine care and concern for people. And that, I find sad. To not be able to experience the joy of loving or being loved.

Forever you’ve resisted my love embrace
And my gentle kiss upon your sweet face
The wisdom to say the wisdom to not
Against all of these you’ve heartily fought

Never once have I seen a long lasting smile
Or joy overwhelming but for a while
To find any pleasure in life’s simple things
You pay them no value; you’ve brought down their kings

You love some by doing; a job never done
It keeps you from loving, or showing them some
Compassion or tenderness from deep inside
Afraid of the risk, in late shadows you hide

Like castles of old, you’ll mimic them all
Their walls, posts and turrets together will fall
Will it be from your own effort fighting within?
To break out of your prison of self doubt to win

Only one stone left standing, corner or grave
In cold, dark He reached down in effort to save
Did you hold on with dear life with what strength remained?
Or rebuild your walls ignoring beams hewn and stained

Circumstances

I wish I knew the teen named Kyle who wrote this but I thought the timing of the life lesson he shared couldn't be better. I was reminded that I need to daily take inventory of my life to enable me to keep focussed on what is truly important lest I be distracted by myself and my "wants."

"I didn't think much about it when the rain first started. Sure, the weatherman had predicted severe thunderstorms and the possibility of flooding, but that was for people who lived close to the river. I thought we were too far away to be bothered. But the rain didn't stop, and some some roads in our area had to be closed.

"This is pretty serious, isn't it?" my little sister, Kelly, asked my dad at breakfast.

"Duh", I answered. Kelly stuck out her tongue at me, and mom shot me "the look". She doesn't like it when I say that. In fact, there were alot of things my parents didn't like lately. My attitude was one thing. My friends were another. My parents said they couldn't understand why I hung out with such a lowly group of guys when I had such "nice" friends at church.

"If your friends aren't Christians, they're not going to act like Christians," my Mom told me time and time again. She was right about that. The fun my friends like to have was definitely not of the Christian variety. I'd been a believer long enough to know that. But instead of doing something about it, I just followed along- even though I couldn't say I felt good about what we had been doing and sometimes wondered if my parents weren't right after all.

My Dad got up from the table. "We don't have anything to worry about," he assured Kelly as he left for work. "We're high and dry." It was amazing how a couple of hours could change all that. The river rose faster than anyone had ever seen, and suddenly our part of town was being threatened. Dad was back home at noon. "They're going to build a flood wall on the east side of town," he told Mom. "The river is really swelling. If we don't do something now, this whole town is going to be under water.

"Can I help?" I asked.

Dad and Mom exchanged looks. I was supposed to be grounded for being out with my friends past curfew the Friday before. I could see the two of them silently debating whether or not they should lift my restriction. "Sure," Dad finally said. "Get into your oldest clothes."

When I went to change, Dad told Mom to start packing. "We'd better be ready for anything."

The rain had turned to drizzle by the time Dad and I arrived at the flood-wall site.

"Look at all the people," I said. Some were shoveling sand into bags while others passed the bags to where the wall was being built.

"If we're going to turn this disaster around, it's going to take teamwork," Dad said. I nodded. "Take a place in line," Dad told me as he picked up a shovel. "I'm going to help fill bags."

The work was back breaking. The lady next to me would toss me a bag, and then I'd toss it to the guy next to me. There's nothing like passing sandbags to give you some perspective on life. I thought about the flood and what a disaster it would be if the water reached our house. I thought too, about the disaster my life had become.

"Bet you could think of some things you'd rather be doing today," the guy next to me said.

"Yeah," I agreed, "about a hundred."

He laughed. "I couldn't agree more." Then he stuck out his hand. "I'm Bill".

We shook hands. "Kyle."

"So, Kyle, why'd you decide to help?" the guy asked.

"Well, it was this or stay grounded," I told him. "I broke curfew last week."

"Not a good move," Bill added with the hint of a smile.

"You're telling me," I said, shaking my head. "You know, I can't remember the last time I made a good move. At least, according to my parents. Why are you here?" I asked.
"Nowhere else to go," he said. "My house is under water."

"And you're here?" I was amazed.

"Seems like the Christian thing to do."

"I guess it is," I said, surprised by his answer.

"The way I figure it," Bill continued, "I could be mad at God for letting all this happen, or I could ask Him to help me through it. Either way, my circumstances won't change. God's in charge and I'm not. The only thing that I can change is my attitude.

I was quiet as I thought about what Bill had said. Who's in charge of my life? I wondered.

I almost laughed. That wasn't such a tough question. The church part was in God's hands, the friends part was in mine, and the punishment part- that was firmly in my parent's grasp. Meanwhile, my life seemed to go from one disaster to another.
What was it my Dad had said earlier? "If we're going to turn this disaster around, it's going to take teamwork." I knew he was right. But just as fighting a raging river was too big a job for any one person to tackle alone, so was turning my life around. I needed help. Lord, I can't do this job by myself, I prayed right there in the midst of the people and sandbags and raindrops. I need your help.

I wish I could tell you that at the moment of my prayer, the sun broke through the clouds and a glorious rainbow appeared as a sign that God had heard me. But that didn't happen. There were still sandbags to pass and a river to fight. And someone said more rain was predicted for that night. But I knew it would be okay. None of us had to fight off disaster alone. It would be a team effort. "

Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. Phillipians 4:6 http://bible.gospelcom.net/passage/?search=phillipians%204:6&version=49

Let me take a moment to introduce myself. My name is Dean Remy and I live in Massachusetts. I am married to a wonderful young lady named Amy whom I met in college and together we have a dog, 2 cats, 2 fish and 5 children. My degree was in Medical Technology and Amy's was in Electrical Engineering. I now do sales of Proteomic and Genomic Analysis Systems and Amy teaches upper level mathematics. Life is funny how it changes directions in what often appears haphazard or random in nature.

I am passionate about several things. My family, travel, good food, cooking, youth and young adult mentoring, politics, music, and God. I decided to start this blog to enable me, or should I say force me, to write down my thoughts and mind-battles as I am encountering the collision of my life, my beliefs, and my faith. I encourage you to help me as move through life by offering your own experiences, wisdom, thoughts, relevant ideas, and challenges to me and others through this blog.

Hopefully, together we will learn, grow and challenge one another to a higher standard of living. The result will be more compassion for people, the environment, and ourselves despite our shortcomings. God Bless.