Monday, September 5, 2011

RETIRE OR RETREAD?

When you reach that magic age, are you going to retire or just retread and keep on rolling?  I think retirement is the time when you stop going to work and start working to go. Working to go  on to new vistas, new challenges, new activities that are not controlled by the constants of time and untouched by the strangling tentacles of stress.
Someone has said, “Life begins at retirement”…I believe that. The question is, “What kind of life?”.. A life of trying to top your past achievements, or a life being satisfied with your past achievements?   I think retirement is a time when we have to accept our past and be willing to accept it for what it is.. “The Past!”  The only purpose for a Past is to provide experience, from which we draw, in order to create a new fulfilling present.  And don’t forget, today will be tomorrow’s past.

Even though my profession was that of an educator, all my life has been filled with photography.  Now that I have retired from the school business,  I find it fun to fill my new leisure time with creating photographic art.
 And you know what? I still have time to loaf and rest without being plagued by guilt. 

I think it is true that when we retire we should just retread and get back on the road.  But a “road less traveled.”  A road that has a maximum speed limit of 25 MPH and a rest area every 25 miles.                        

J.  Lubbock has written: “Rest is not idleness, and to lie sometimes on the grass under trees on a summer's day, listening to the murmur of the water, or watching the clouds float across the sky, is by no means a waste of time.
Doug Larson has said: “If people concentrated on the really important things in life, there'd be a shortage of fishing poles.”

Hartman Jule writes: “Retirement has been a discovery of beauty for me. I never had the time before to notice the beauty of my grandkids, my wife, the tree outside my very own front door. And, the beauty of time itself.
Don’t you think this would be a great time of life to use some of our newly unencumbered time for personal ministry.  Maybe volunteering in order to “Do it unto the least of these,” and in doing so, know that we have done unto Christ Himself.

 Let’s not just retire….Let’s retread and fill our days with a mixture of labor, rest, fun, and ministry, with labor being the lesser of the four…….
Writing this just wore me out!   I have got to go take a nap…zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

Friday, August 5, 2011

JESUS WAS NOT A CHRISTIAN

 Jesus is not a Christian…Jesus has never been a Christian…
Jesus will never be a Christian.
One of my reasons for writing a blog is to create some provocative thinking on the part of those who read it.  I hope the title of this issue starts the old cogs turning until rust flies out your ears.  If you don't agree with me, I don't blame you..Write me a comment and tell me why...

Definition…Christian = A follower of Jesus Christ.

Consider the following lifted from Wikipedia:   The first recorded use of the term is in the New Testament, in Acts 11:26, which states "...in Antioch the disciples were first called Christians." The second mention of the term follows in Acts 26:28, where Herod Agrippa II replies to Paul the Apostle, "Do you think that in such a short time you can persuade me to be a Christian?" The third and final New Testament reference to the term is in 1 Peter 4:16, which exhorts believers, "...if you suffer as a Christian, do not be ashamed, but praise God that you bear that name.

This tells us that the followers were not called Christians until after Jesus ascended unto the Father.

Anyway you slice it, to be a Christian, you must be a follower of Christ…So Jesus could not have been a Christian and a follower of Christ because HE WAS THE CHRIST.

ONE SOLITARY LIFE
Adapted from a sermon by Dr James Allan Francis
Jesus was born in an obscure village, the child of a peasant woman. He grew up in another village. He worked in a carpenter shop until He was thirty. Then for three years He was an itinerant preacher.

He never owned a home. He never wrote a book. He never held an office. He never had a family. He never went to college. He never put His foot inside a big city. He never traveled two hundred miles from the place He was born. He never did one of the things that usually accompany greatness. He had no credentials but Himself..

While still a young man, the tide of popular opinion turned against him. His friends ran away. One of them denied Him. He was turned over to His enemies. He went through the mockery of a trial. He was nailed upon a cross between two thieves. While He was dying His executioners gambled for the only piece of property He had on earth – His coat. When He was dead, He was laid in a borrowed grave through the pity of a friend.

Nineteen long centuries have come and gone, and today He is a centerpiece of the human race and leader of the column of progress.

I am far within the mark when I say that all the armies that ever marched, all the navies that were ever built; all the parliaments that ever sat and all the kings that ever reigned, put together, have not affected the life of man upon this earth as powerfully as has that one solitary life.
 No, Jesus is not A Christian….He is THE Christian.
Jesus  Said in John 14:6… I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.

Monday, July 25, 2011

Tax Ramblings

  The government collects taxes on everything including my patience.
In the 21st chapter of Matthew there is an exchange between Jesus and a bunch of, “Holier Than Thou”, political/religous hypocrites.  17Master, we know that thou art true, and teachest the way of God in truth, tell us therefore, what thinkest thou?  Is it lawful to give tribute unto Caesar, or not?  But Jesus perceived their wickedness, and said, Why tempt ye me, ye hypocrites?   Then saith he unto them, Render therefore unto Caesar the things which are Caesar's; and unto God the things that are God's.

Don’t hypocrites live a long time?   Those guys are still around to day, and an awful lot of them live in Washington DC.  It is because of that kind of repression that caused the Colonial Americans in Boston to throw a big tea party, and it is the same reason that Contemporary Americans have  given birth to the current day Tea Party.
I don’t mind paying my “Fair Share” to Uncle Sam, but just how much is my fair share?   Didn’t I hear just the other day that 35% of Americans don’t even pay any tax?  How does that work?    And how do some gigantic corporations use the loop holes and dodge paying  any tax at all? 


Wonder what my “Fair Share” would be if all those folks were added back to the tax rolls and then we divided the amount necessary to run the government between ALL OF US.  I think that is what they are calling the “Fair Tax” that is currently being promoted by Gov. Huckabee and others.
I kinda like that idea, but if that were to pass we would all be paying about 23-25% of our income in taxes.  Even that doesn’t seem right.  God only asks for 10%.   If 10% is enough for God to run a world wide ministry, shouldn’t our government be able to run our country on 10%?
Well, they say the only sure things in life are death and taxes and even though I am spiritually ready to go to heaven, I don’t want to take the next plane headed that direction.  So I guess I will just quit complaining and pay my taxes……

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Wednesday, June 15, 2011

COCKROACHES

When I was fourteen years old I started working for my uncle Kenneth in the darkroom of his portrait studio. 

That started an interest, hobby, and eventually a part time profession that I have enjoyed for more than 60 years.  I think it is safe to say that by the time I was twenty five years old I had spent half of my life in the dark with nothing to illuminate my world but one small red light bulb. 

But I loved that world…It was just me, the darkness, my trays of chemicals, the little red light bulb, and my friends, the cockroaches.   Yes, the cockroaches! Hundreds of them!  
You see, a photographic dark room is a very moist, dark environment and cockroaches love the darkness.   

Every day when I would come to work and turn on the main light, the floor of the darkroom would look like a miniature Indianapolis 500.

Cockroaches would be running ever which direction trying to find some nook or cranny in which to hide, because they knew the light would expose them for the nasty little creatures they really were.
Everyone hates cockroaches.  They are nasty.  They spread disease. They deposit “Little black specks” everywhere they go, and they chew on thinks we don’t want chewed on.  They are evil and I will never know why Noah let them on the Ark.

But some people are like cockroaches.  If they have evil in their hearts, they don’t want anyone to turn on the “Light of Truth.”
  
Listen to what Jesus said in John 20:3..  For every one that doeth evil hates the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved.”   What light is He talking about?

Listen to what He says in John 18:12,  “ I am the light of the world: he that follows me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.”

In John 12:46 Jesus declares,  “I am come a light into the world, that whosoever believeth on me should not abide in darkness.”
  Does that remind you of another, “Whosoever”?  How about John 3:16?  For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”

But here is the best promise of all.  1 John 1:7  “But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.”

Will Rogers once said, “Live in such a way that you won’t be afraid to sell the family parrot to the town gossip.” 
Is that another way of saying, “Live in such a way that you will never be afraid to stand in the light of God?”
  If you are struggling in darkness, accept the promise of John 3:16 and remember…….

"God will keep the light on for you!"

Thursday, May 26, 2011

DO YOU HAVE A GPS?

Magellan Blazer12 GPS Receiver. 
Do you own a GPS?.....I do and I love that little piece of electronic wizardry...Jo Anne won't trust it though. She still sits in the right seat with her Walmart atlas and tells "Myrtle" when she is wrong. (But at least, she is not yelling at me.)  And I have to admit that sometimes Myrtle is wrong....Like the time we were in Canyon Texas and ask it to take us to Walmart...We ended up at a cul-de-sac in a residential section of town...There was a man working in his yard and he yelled, "Are you looking for Walmart? You are the third one this week!"  It turned out that Walmart was clear on the other side of town.

And once, due to road construction and a new overpass, Myrtle and I both got so lost neither of us knew where we were.  She got so tired of saying, “Recalculating”, and, “Make a U turn” that she finally yelled out, “Dummy, Find your own way!” (Did she really say that, or was that Jo Anne?)

Oh well, I just got a new one and I think I will like it better.  With the new one I can give Myrtle a different voice, so she now speaks with an English accent and even if she is wrong, I love her English brogue.  Who knows, maybe she will take me to Buckingham Palace.

Do you know what GPS stands for?   It stands for Global Positioning System….It is our responsibility to input the destination and the GPS takes the responsibility of getting us there….It knows what lies ahead and plots out our journey.  It warns us about taking the wrong road and guides us onto the path that is best for us.  It can even lead us around troubled traffic areas and take us to places of rest and refreshment. Ultimately when we put our faith in Myrtle she will make the final turn and bring us to the end of our journey.  Then we will hear her say, “You have reached your destination.”  And I will say,  ”Thank goodness.”

But hey, if you are a Christian, you have a GPS that is a lot more dependable than Myrtle.  Your GPS is God’s Positioning System.  He doesn’t need a map, He is the map.  He says that “No one makes the journey to the Father except through Me.” As our guide He reminds that, “There is a way that seems right  unto man but the end there of leads to death.”  Aren’t you glad that He doesn’t take us down those roads but instead, “Leads us in paths of righteousness.”

He knows every rest stop and just when we need them.  Doesn’t it feel good when you don’t think you can go any further that He comes along side and says, “Come unto me all that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give your rest.”

If we make a mistake or miss a turn, thank God for His grace that steps in and  says, “Repositioning, Repositioning.”  “ Don’t worry, just trust Me, and I will lead you back.”
“And a highway will be there;
it will be called the Way of Holiness;
it will be for those who walk on that Way.
The unclean will not journey on it;
wicked fools will not go about on it.
No lion will be there,
nor any ravenous beast;
they will not be found there.
But only the redeemed will walk there,
and those the LORD has rescued will return.
They will enter Zion with singing;
everlasting joy will crown their heads.
Gladness and joy will overtake them,
and sorrow and sighing will flee away.” Isaiah 35:8
 

I think the best part of the journey will be when God’s GPS says, “You have reached your destination”, and I can say,  "Thank God, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith: Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing."
God's GPS - Don't leave home without it!!
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Saturday, April 30, 2011

WALKING AND HEARTBURN

Did you hear about the little man who was told by his doctor that he needed to walk at least one mile a day and call him back in two weeks so he could see how he was doing?  Well, in two weeks his phone rang and the little man said, “Doctor, I have followed your directions exactly as you prescribed.  I walked one mile a day for two weeks.”  “Great, The doctor said.  How are you feeling?” To this the man replied, “Oh, I feel wonderful, but I have no idea where I am.”
That could have been me!   Every morning I hear those dreaded words when Jo Anne says, “Come on Dale, it is time to go to the mall and walk.”  Ugh!  But hey, I’m just glad I am able to walk, so I’m really not complaining. (I don’t think) I just wish the stores would change their displays more often. 

But you know, the most important walk all of us take is the walk through life!   What we see as we go along depends on our attitude as we walk.  Or as some might say, “The color of our glasses.”
This week following Easter reminds me of two men who took a seven mile walk from Jerusalem to Emmaus.   They had just heard that Jesus’ tomb was empty and that He had risen from the grave. I bet they were not talking about the weather or the political climate of the day. 

I would like to point out four things that stand out to me about their walk and how they relate to us today.
1.       As they walked, they were more interested in the things of God than they were in the things of the world.  And because of that, Jesus Himself appeared and walked along beside them.  As we walk down our journey of life, if we are more interested in the things of God than we are the things of the world, Jesus will be our traveling companion as well.

2.       After walking with them for the entire day, Jesus, “Opened their eyes” so they could recognize Him and gave them a new vision of who He was and what He could mean to them along their journey.  In that same way, He wants to remove the “Spiritual Cataracts” from our eyes so that we can see things through His eyes of love and compassion. He wants us to be able to see His will for our lives.

3.       After Jesus left them they said, “Did not our hearts burn within us?”  How long has it been since you’ve had “Spiritual Heartburn?”  I find that the closer I walk with Him, the more often I experience the heartburn of His spirit. And don’t give me a Zantac!  Let er burn!

Why not read the story for yourself from Luke 24:13-35 and see what He says to you.

Thursday, March 31, 2011

SECOND FIDDLE

I read where a great orchestra leader was once asked which instrument he thought was the most difficult to play. Without any hesitation, he quickly replied, “The second fiddle. Without it there would be no harmony.”


I think the greatest second fiddle player in the Bible is John the Baptist. He never auditioned for first chair. He is a reminder to us that our position in life is to be in harmony with the One whose shoes we are not worthy to unloose.

Think about how vital those second fiddle positions are in our church or home or at the workplace. They are filled with unsung heroes who quietly maintain the harmony and make sure the “first position” looks and sounds good.
 
I have no doubt but what you know several of these folks.  As a matter of fact you are probably thinking of one or more of them right now. People who are the, " If they don't make it to heaven, I don't have a chance," kinda of people.
 
Let's make it a point this week to tell them how much we appreciate the invisible yet vital roles they play in our lives. 

I think Jesus might have had the second fiddle in mind when He said in the thirteenth chapter of John, “Verily, verily, I say unto you. The servant is not greater than his master.”
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John 1:27
”He it is, who coming after me is preferred before me, whose shoe's latchet I am not worthy to unloose.”

Monday, March 28, 2011

GET RICH QUICK

I AM SO EXCITED!
I just watched a 30 minute program on television telling me how to become independently wealthy and have anything I ask for.
AND IT IS SO EASY!

I know it is a legitimate plan because the man presenting the program was a preacher. You could tell it was working for him because he had on a tailored suit that must have cost $1,500.00, and a ring on his microphone hand with a diamond that would choke a mule. He had a $100.00 hair style and a pair of alligator shoes that cost more than the whole alligator.

AT FIRST I DOUBTED!

But then when he showed a picture of a new Cadillac that he had received from his seed, and he started quoting from the Bible, I knew it was the real thing. After all, if it's in the Bible and a preacher says it, far be it from me to doubt.
I'M GETTING IN ON THIS DEAL!

I didn't understand every detail of the program, but I think it has to do with investing in a farm. He kept talking about sending him “Seed Money”. I guess he must buy the seed for you and at harvest time someone will just send you a check for 500 to 1000 percent increase on your money. Boy that beats 401K's or CDs. I thought at first that he must own the stock market, but the stock market never pays off that well. I guess he just owns a very very big farm.

IF IT WORKS FOR HIM IT WILL WORK FOR YOU AND ME!

So I'm starting my own farm and I want you to have the blessing of being one of my first “Seed Sowing Partners”. You don't need to have any worries because I bought me an Preachers license off of the internet, and wrote down all of the scripture verses from the TV program. But my program is going to better than his because I am going to donate all of the surplus money to a needy family. ( I already have one in mind)

JOINING IS EASY!

All you have to do is send me your “Seed Money” check (cash would be better) and you don't even have to call me about your money. I will call you as soon as harvest is in and we “Hit it Big”.

JUST SEND YOUR MONEY TO :

“Needy Family Ministries”
% of The Very Rev. Dale Paul
P.O. Box M.O.N.E.Y.
Del Rio Tx. 66666
REMEMBER, THE MORE YOU SEND THE MORE BLESSING YOU WILL RECEIVE!

P.S. If you send in a $1000 seed or more, I will send you a anointed handkerchief that has been dipped in the Holy Water from Jacob's Well right here on the “Farm”.



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Thursday, March 24, 2011

LEARN TO LAUGH, By Bill Burch

LaughImage via Wikipedia
Learn to Laugh
(I borrowed this one from my friend, Bill Burch.)

Do you know that people who laugh live longer? It's true. Proverbs 13:30 says,

"A relaxed attitude lengthens a man's life." (TBL)

Humor is an amazing thing. It's a tension dissolver. It's an antidote to anxiety. It's just like a tranquilizer, but without any troublesome side effects. And it's free! You don't even need a prescription.

Laughter is life's shock absorber. If you want to have less stress in your life, learn to laugh at your circumstances. Somehow, you must find the fun in the frustrating.

Someone once ask President Lincoln how he handled all the stresses of the Civil War. He said, "If it hadn't been for laughter, I could not have made it." Many famous comedians grew up in poor neightborhoods with lots of problems. They coped with their troubles by learning to laugh and making other laugh.

So learn to laugh. If you can laugh at it, you can live with it. And besides, if you learn to laugh at your troubles, you'll never run out of anything to laugh at! Life is full of funny situations. Will Rogers once said, "I don't know any jokes. I just watch the government and report the facts." Proverbs 17:22 says, "Being cheerful keeps you healthy." (GNB) We all need to develop a sense of humor.

One of my favorite verses in the Bible is Psalms 2:4,

"The One enthroned in heaven laughs." Isn't that a great verse. God has a sense of humor. God laughs!

Have you even seen the face of an orangutan? God thought that one up. That proves he has a sense of humor. Do you want to be more like God. Learn to laugh. A sense of humor can preserve your sanity.

So take my advice: acquire a sense of humor. Learn to laugh. It's relaxing and healing and a buffer to all the stress the world throws your way.

You are Blessed. . .Be a Blessing!
Great Days Ahead!

Bill Burch
Thanks Bill for letting me pass this on.
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Tuesday, March 22, 2011

HOME IS WHERE YOU PARK IT?

Bumper sticker car parked in Santa Cruz, Calif...Image via Wikipedia
Do you like bumper stickers
While traveling in our R.V. I passed a motor home with a bumper sticker which read, “Home is where you park it.”


That is a clever saying and I've thought a lot about it, but I just can't buy it. There is a lot more to home than just “parking.”

A young boy was standing on the side walk watching his house burn when a bystander said to him, “Well son, I guess you don't have a home now.” To this the lad quickly replied, “Oh, yes we still have our home , we just don't have a house to put it in.”

Houses are made of sticks and stones held together by nails and mud, but homes are made of hearts and souls held together by love and care.

Strengthen your home today. Take time to give someone you live with a hug, and tell them how much you love them. If it happened to be the last time you see them alive, you will be glad you did.

It doesn't matter if your house is a shack, mansion, or an RV. It can be a wonderful home if those who live there are bound together with a strong love for each other and a strong love for God.

Above all else, follow the admonition Joshua 24:15 that reads “….as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.”
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Wednesday, March 16, 2011

WHERE DID ALL THE MEN GO?

The other day someone asked me, “Hey Dale, watcha' know?” My answer was, “I know more and more about less and less, and someday I will know everything about nothing.”
In this blog I will probably prove that point.

I am going to just “ramble around” making some observations about stuff I don't understand and asking some questions about things that I don't have answers for.

The title of this blog asks the question, “Where did all of the men go?”

Most of you are not as old as I am, but I remember when it would have been the exception to find a woman realtor. Now it is the exception if you find a man realtor.

I remember when it was difficult to find a woman in a management position in a bank, and now it is difficult to go into a bank and find a man.

I remember when it would have been a novelty to see a lady commentator on television, and now they out number men at lest two to one. (And there are no ugly ones).

I saw a construction company the other day named “Two girls and a hammer.” Really? Yes, really!

More and more CEO's of major corporations are women.

Remember when most politicians were fat old cigar smoking men? How does that compare to today when more and more women are filling up the halls of congress and even running for president?

It is not unusual at all to see a women climb out of the drivers seat of a big eighteen wheeler at the truck stop. (though I doubt seriously that they loaded the truck.)

Have you noticed that more and more of the “Managers Badges” are pinned on females at the fast food restaurants?

I recently heard a woman speak who was a jet fighter pilot. And there is an increasingly large number of females being placed in combat positions as foot soldiers.

I even saw a lady, with my last name, who is a fire fighter. She was featured on the cover of a magazine. Yep, her last name was Paul, and naturally, she was very pretty.

I'm concerned about some things that are happening in our world today and I wonder if any of the next ten statements relate to what I have already written.
  1. Unemployment is very high and men can't find jobs.
  2. The traditional home is breaking down.
  3. One out of every two marriages ends in divorce.
  4. Student achievement scores continue to go down.
  5. Great numbers of children go to a “Latch Key” program after school, or go home to an empty house.
  6. Preschoolers are being raised by day care centers.
  7. In the absence of moms and homemakers, children are being taught and molded by television.
  8. Most children have unrestricted use of computers and cell phones.
  9. The lack of “tough love” discipline and boundaries, by parents that are too busy or absent, is psychologically crippling our young people.
  10. As fewer and fewer families attend church, the moral fiber of our nation is beginning to unravel.
I offer the following scripture with fear and trembling, because I really don't know how well it relates. But I do know it won't be seen favorably in today's American culture.

Ephesians 5:21-24, 28
22 Wives, submit yourselves to your own husbands as you do to the Lord. 23 For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church, his body, of which he is the Savior. 24 Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit to their husbands in everything.......28 In this same way, husbands ought to love their wives as their own bodies.

As I said when I started to write, I am throwing out controversial concepts and asking complicated questions that I can't answer.....But whether you agree or not I've given you something to think about.




Monday, March 7, 2011

ODE TO A CAT?

We have a gorgeous cat at our house.
I think she is a Persian/Siamese mix 
 I have never been a cat lover, however this cat is perfect in every way.  

She never gets on the furniture or scratches the drapes. She is perfectly house broken even without a sandbox. She is so self reliant that we don't have to feed her. She will let us pet her any time and is so quiet you never know she's around. She just sits on the hearth by the hour and is a model cat.

You would think there would be a real love affair between us and a cat like that, but there isn't. She is cold, indifferent, and acts like we don't exist. She could leave tomorrow and we wouldn't shed a tear.

You see, our cat is ceramic. She has the form of a cat but is void of the life and power of a cat.

Paul Warns us in II Timothy 3:5 about being that kind of Christian. He says that there are Christians who, “Have the form of godliness, but deny the power thereof”. From such, he says, “turn away”.

He says it is easy to be the “great pretender.” To know all the right words and sing all the right songs. To look like a Christian but be void of any real spiritual power. And believe me, the world around us knows a phoney when they see one. Without the love of Christ being shared thourgh our lives, we aren't fooling any one.
**************************************
 “Lord, breathe your spirit into me anew today. Make me a dynamic, active Christian so that all who see me will see the power of Christ at work in the world.”

Wednesday, March 2, 2011

WHERE IS HOME?

When I was in high school, my dad and mom owned a small hotel on main street in Ada Oklahoma. It was one of those small, upstairs rooming houses on the wrong end of town. However, they worked very hard to make it a clean, respectable place. It was one block from the railroad crossing (and whistles), so if the main street traffic didn't keep you awake the train would. 

Our clientele was made up, primarily, of traveling salesmen and a few local “Regular renters”. The rooms cost $1.00 a night (Bath at the end of the hall), or $1.50 for a room with a private bath. So you can probably understand why paying $75.00 to $100.00 a night for a motel room is like pulling teeth for me. 

I have a lot of fun, strange, and exciting memories of those years. One of the things that stand out in my memory is the little business cards my dad handed out to the renters. They had the usual information on them and then at the bottom they read, “This is your home away from home”.

The memory of that little card lit up in my mind recently when I heard a minister say, “This world is not our home. It is just our home away from home”.  

I know all of those salesmen who stayed with us at the Brown Hotel only had one goal in mind. Get back home! So let's not get too comfortable in this world. We are just in this “Over night stop” until we can get back home. 

The scriptures in John 14:2-3 reads, “ In My Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also.

Now let me ask you a question....Are you ready for your heavenly home? If you are,WONDERFUL! But if you aren't why not read the words of this old hymn as a heartfelt prayer to your Heavenly Father and start packing you bags...

I’ve wandered far away from God,
Now I’m coming home;
The paths of sin too long I’ve trod,
Lord, I’m coming home.


Coming home, coming home,
Nevermore to roam,
Open wide Your arms of love,
Lord, I’m coming home.


I’ve wasted many precious years,
Now I’m coming home;
I now repent with bitter tears,
Lord, I’m coming home.


Coming home, coming home,
Nevermore to roam,
Open wide Your arms of love,
Lord, I’m coming home.


I’m tired of sin and straying, Lord,
Now I’m coming home;
I’ll trust Thy love, believe Thy Word,
Lord, I’m coming home.


Coming home, coming home,
Nevermore to roam,
Open wide Your arms of love,
Lord, I’m coming home.


My soul is sick, my heart is sore,
Now I’m coming home;
My strength renew, my hope restore,
Lord, I’m coming home.



Coming home, coming home,
Nevermore to roam,
Open wide Your arms of love,
Lord, I’m coming home.


My only hope, my only plea,
Now I’m coming home;
That Jesus died, and died for me.
Lord, I’m coming home.


Coming home, coming home,
Nevermore to roam,
Open wide Your arms of love,
Lord, I’m coming home.


I need His cleansing blood, I know,
Now I’m coming home;
O wash me whiter than the snow,
Lord, I’m coming home.


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Monday, February 21, 2011

WHEN DOES A CARROT SEED BECOME A CARROT?

Original caption from the USDA: "ARS rese... 
The carrot seed is a “potential” carrot, but will never be a carrot until it is implanted into a fertile environment that is designed to “trigger” the the miracle of the life cycle and growth.

However, once that seed is implanted and RESPONDS to the fertilization, IT IS A CARROT! It is no longer just a dormant seed. It is not a blob. It is a baby carrot! It doesn't have to be an eighth of an inch long to be called a carrot. It is a carrot from conception.

WHEN DOES A MALE SPERM BECOME A BABY?

The sperm is a “potential” baby, but will never be a baby until it is implanted into a fertile environment that is designed to “trigger” the the miracle of the life cycle and growth.

However, once that sperm is implanted and RESPONDS to the fertilization, IT IS A BABY! It is no longer just a dormant sperm. It is not a blob. It is a baby human! It doesn't have to be an eighth of an inch long to be called a baby. It is a baby from conception.

In Jeremiah 1:5, God spoke to Jeremiah and said, “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you;”
Baby at 8 weeks

In my early years I swallowed the idea that a fetus was not living until the 12th week ...Our nation was sold that bill of goods back then, and that is one of the reasons this abortion thing got to where it is today.

I am not writing this to put a guilt trip on any one who has been touched by the act of abortion...Many of us have been.  Ignorance is always the devil's workshop, But God understands and forgives. We don't have to wallow in guilt and unforgiveness.

I also know there are reasons, "of life and death," that requires prematuraly removing a baby.

BUT IT IS TIME TO FACE THE FACTS!

"IF IT IS NOT A BABY, YOU ARE NOT PREGNENT"

We are murdering almost 4000 babies a day in our country!
We have got to stop this heathen practice of sacrificing our babies to the gods of pleasure on the alters of self.  If we continue to murder our own children, The true and living God will finally say, "Enough Is Enough" to our nation. Not only will God hold us accountable, but our children and grandchildren will pay a very high price for our rebellion.
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Galatians 6:7
Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap.





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Saturday, February 12, 2011

RICH OR POOR?

Outhouse cm01Image via Wikipedia
As a young child, I have memories of outhouses, wood cook stoves, and baths taken in a galvanized wash tub in the middle of the kitchen floor.. I've eaten lots of red beans with baking soda biscuits and water gravy. A lot of my clothes were made by my mom from the missionary box or feed sacks.


And you talk about early American furniture. In one house we had cabinets made out of orange crates and a couch created by my mother from an old army cot.

But you know what? If we were poor I didn't know it.

I had a mother and father who trusted in a God that also became poor so that we might be rich. Not rich in houses and land or in the abundance of things. You can have all of that and still not be rich.

True riches are the things that can't be taken from us, such as peace, contentment, joy, faith, wisdom, humility, and love. All of these things come from God, not the world.

We don't enjoy life because of the things God gives us. We enjoy the things God gives us because of His life.

Philippians 4:19
“But my God shall supply all your needs according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.”
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Tuesday, February 8, 2011

WHAT IS TRUTH?

“The truth of the matter is....” “To tell you the truth....” “Truthfully speaking....” “Just to be truthful....” I'm sure you hear one of these phrases or something similar from time to time. But the truth is, do we really know what truth is?

How would you define truth?
One definition found in Webster's New World Dictionary says that “Truth is conforming to fact”. Great! Now all we have to know is the meaning of “Fact” and we will know what truth is.

I had one college professor who told us that a fact is simply a theory that has never been disproven.
I guess that is why 2+2=4 is a fact. Because it has never been disproven. The law of gravity is a fact because it has never been disproven. It is a fact that two cars can't occupy the same space at the same time, because it has never been disproved. If it is ever disproved, our car insurance will go down.

Because of the reliability of these laws that govern our universe, we can establish truth as something that can be defined, observed, and and applied to the physical, and scientific world around us. As a “matter of fact”, we have no control over truth in the scientific disciplines.

Truth is truth whether we like it or not. You will never fall up a mountain, and I will never walk home from an airplane in flight. God established the truth of these laws and if we want to have a good, safe, and long life, we will have to abide by them.

If we brake them, they will break us...And that is the truth because it has never been disproved!

If we have to live by a set of physical laws based on truth in our physical world, shouldn't we have to live by a set of spiritual laws based on truth in our spiritual world?   If we want to be happy we will!

There is a set of truths taken from a book of spiritual laws that we must observe it we expect to have the inner peace, happiness, and hope that God intended for us to have.

Yes, that book of truth is the Bible. And the laws of truth are called the Ten Commandments, You can find them recorded in the Bible, in the 20th chapter of the book of Exodus.

The Bible is a book of truth because it is the inspired word of God and has never been disproven. It passes the “Fact Test” and will stand as the standard of truth as long as mankind exists.

And just as in the physical world, if we break them, they will break us...And that is the truth because it has never been disproved!

In John 14:6
“Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.”

And again in John 8:32 we read;
“And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”
Torah inside of the former Glockengasse synago... 

If you are bound by anything that is destroying your life today, why not trust in the Truth of the Bible and experience the joy of total freedom in Christ Jesus who is all truth.





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