Caffeine and Capsaicin

A new job for a heavenly servant.

2010-05-11T11:00:00.006-04:00

When GOD creates it is Wonderful! -
When GOD creates in His image, it is beyond expression.

Yesterday, under the auspicious nomenclature of 5-10-10, My second born received from his first father his second born. - Beyond expression!

During the explosion of unbridled praise in heaven, Micah and Emily quietly and humbly accepted the heavenly charge of raising God's 6lb 11oz creation on earth, and submitting to His wise nurture and admonition, committed themselves to teaching her all that The King has revealed. I am assured she has been thoroughly inspected and certified to have all the requisite digits and appendages; in other words, perfect in every way. She is without an official name at this point, but God has a name for her that no one knows except Himself. For now, I am calling her what her mother intimated to me "Kalos koritsaki", beautiful baby girl.

In the eighteenth chapter of the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus is teaching his disciples the meaning of greatness and uses as his lesson's object, a little child. We may not immediately think of a tiny baby as a symbolic representation of "greatness"; until you hold one that is, and an overwhelming sense of greatness fills every nook of your inner-being. I have not yet touched her greatness; my rough old hands have yet to cradle her pristine head. Even though I have not felt the excited beating of her perfect new little heart against my own chest, I sense her God-given life deep within me and our hearts are knit together with heavenly thread. I know we shall be great friends in play, co-comforters in pain, intimate dreamers of possibilities, and joint heirs in eternity. I can hardly wait.

In the same teaching on the meaning of greatness, Jesus reminds his disciples to not think lightly of these great ones just because they happen to be the smallest members of the human race. Their greatness is secured in the fact that for each there is an Angelic sponsor who stands in the presence of the Holy GOD Creator of heaven and earth by whom they have been personally commissioned. He speaks to his mighty angelic warriors by saying something like "You have a new job. Your responsibility is to stand before me, look into my face, and advocate for a newly formed creature in whom I have placed the reflection of My own image". Pretty great!.

We truly appreciate all who stood with Micah and Emily through their pregnancy and rejoice with you as they receive the reward of your laboring in prayer.

Welcome my sweet granddaughter. My Father has GREAT plans for you.

PaPa

Patronizing the Saint

2010-02-04T10:23:00.003-05:00

Often I am in a situation with someone who knows I'm a Christian, but doesn't know exactly how to converse with me, as if I require some special vocabulary for communication. Believe me, I don't. Recently I was having my hair cut and the barber and I were having a normal discussion. I'm sure He was trying to make pertinent conversation with me, his customer, as the discussion turned to disaster relief in Haiti. He said "I don't think there is much we can really do. You know, it's like the Bible says, 'You can give a man a fish, but if you teach him to fish, well there you go'" I'm still trying to find that reference in my New King James.

2009-09-01T11:33:00.009-04:00

Wealth:

Our Creator has made available to us immeasurable wealth. From His manifold offering we choose which commodities we will make our own; which we will cherish, and which we will disdain. We each possess our wealth in a unique combination of these various commodities. The least valuable is "material", the most valuable is "Truth".

“Ho! Everyone who thirsts,
Come to the waters;
And you who have no money,
Come, buy and eat.
Yes, come, buy wine and milk
Without money and without price.
Why do you spend money for what is not bread,
And your wages for what does not satisfy?
Listen carefully to Me, and eat what is good,
And let your soul delight itself in abundance.
Incline your ear, and come to Me.
Hear, and your soul shall live;
And I will make an everlasting covenant with you—
The sure mercies of David.

Isaiah 55:1

Behold, is it not of the LORD of hosts
That the peoples labor to feed the fire,
And nations weary themselves in vain?

Habak. 2:13

Considerations for Social Networking sites

2009-02-24T16:29:00.008-05:00

Do you use, or are you considering using an on-line Social Networking site like Facebook or Myspace?
If not, you need read no further; if so, read on.

I understand how the world is rapidly changing and new on-line opportunities are constantly developing. Among the new developments are many on-line Social Networking sites like Facebook, MySpace, Bebo, and many others ( there are estimated to be 140-Wikipedia to 850- USAToday active social networking sites). Many find these interactive sites to be fun, personally satisfying, and useful in their need to communicate with a broad community. As a Library Network Administrator, I would like to offer just a couple of safety tips and general good practices while participating in on-line communities.

#1 First, remember that these Social Networking sites are all for-profit ventures and are not providing this service out of the benevolence of their heart.

http://www.usatoday.com/tech/techinvestor/industry/2008-05-11-social-networking_N.htm

http://topics.nytimes.com/top/news/business/companies/facebook_inc/index.html?inline=nyt-org

While having fun communicating with your friends and family, sharing thoughts, ideas, and your favorite things, it is easy to forget that you are providing these site owners with the means to make money. The unabashed purpose of these sites is to entice users to relinquish personal information that they can then turn into valuable demographic information which is offered for sale to the highest bidder. Every application that you add to your on-line profile, every gadget, every personal list of your favorite this-or-that you fill out are all designed to extrapolate information about you that can be turned into cash for them. This does not make them “bad” or “evil” or even unethical. We all regularly use many for-profit services throughout the day without complaint, knowing we are paying for a service or product, and generally know what we are getting for the cost. In Social Networking sites you are paying for the service they provide by providing them with personal information. You are the raw material provider for this rapidly growing industry. It’s OK if you want to do this, but you must be aware of what you are doing.

That brings me to Rule #1:
Never post any information in any Social Networking site that you are unwilling to give away to the world.

As unbelievable as it may sound, every word you post is demographically tracked. As an example of how a Social Networking site tracks information, here is a graph showing how many times the word “Arthritis” has been mentioned in Facebook over the last 16 months. (http://www.facebook.com/lexicon/index.php?q=arthritis).
As a side note: (Seeing that "arthritis" is being mentioned more often in recent months, one might conclude more older folks are using the service. Wouldn't you? )

This is same tracking is done on every word you type into these types of sites. Using the lexicon in the above link, you can try it for yourself.

There has been much discussion in recent months debating who actually “owns” the information you post on one of these sites. Here is a link to one problem that surfaced last summer.

http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2328092,00.asp

Most Social Networking sites will boldly state in their “Terms of Service” (TOS) that “you maintain ownership of your personal information”, and “you can withdraw it at anytime”. This sounds great, but is practically impossible. Even if the owners of the site stop using your information, once you release the information into the public arena, you no longer control it. It can be read, copied, archived, saved, and re-posted all without your permission. Even if you “disable” your account or withdraw from a service, the information you posted does not just disappear any more than throwing things in your trash at home make it disappear. It doesn’t really go away, it just changes location. In the case of your trash you hope it makes it to the landfill and eventually decomposes; in the case of your information you can only hope it eventually works its way out of the collective internet memory.

#2 The second thing to be aware of is that Social Networking sites are more and more becoming the venue of choice for scams, identity theft, phishing, and other unethical information gathering.

Rule #2 The FIRST thing you MUST do after you sign up for a Social Networking site is to adjust the privacy settings of your profile.

All the major sites allow you to make these privacy adjustments. If you don’t understand one of the settings, set it to the most restrictive setting until you do understand it. Most sites have on-line help to assist you. Don’t rely on the “default” settings; that is, the way they are set before you touch them. They always need adjusting. Next, go back to your profile, to the place where you entered information about yourself and remove any personal information that you may use in some other security oriented way. When you create an account for other types of interactive web sites, like on-line banking or credit card companies, they ask personal questions to verify your identity (name of your High school, name of your pet, favorite color, maiden name, etc) . The answers to many of these questions can be quickly obtained by scam artists from unsecured and easily accessible on-line profiles. If you are really only going to be communicating with your “friends” you need not post any information about yourself that they already know anyway. To be safe, be conservative with your on-line information.

#3 The third safety consideration concerns children using Social Network sites.

Most sites claim that they restrict membership to people over the age of 13 or so. No sites verify a person’s age, so of course this rule is often ignored. There is good reason for not allowing children unsupervised access to these Social Networking sites, they are becoming a tool used by on-line predators.

Rule #3 Parents, know who your children are communicating with on-line.

I can not stress this enough; Safe kids have involved parents. At the very least, parents must insist that they know the child’s log on name and password so on-line activities can be periodically checked. In addition, many parents insist that their children make them a “friend” on the site so they can monitor their Child's activity from their parental account. As a parent, I know your kids will not like this intrusion into their privacy, but privacy issues have to be weighed against health and safety, and safety should always win. All your efforts will not prevent a child from making a second secret account, so be aware that this is also possible. If they are on-line a lot but you don't see much activity on their site, beware. Here are some on-line child safety tips from some other sources.

PC Magazine: http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2340380,00.asp

Federal Trade Commission: http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/edu/pubs/consumer/tech/tec14.shtm

Get Net wise: http://kids.getnetwise.org/

For more information, Google: social networking safety

Like many other advances in technology, on-line communities have found their way into the lives of many Americans and can be safely used with proper care and understanding. What I've presented here are only a few considerations. Use good common sense and ask questions if you don't know. Don't forget, your Public Library is a great place to get more information.

Here are a few more links of interest on this topic.

Facebook Safety statements:
http://www.facebook.com/safety/
http://blog.facebook.com/blog.php?post=6598927130

Social Networking is not just for Kids anymore:
http://www.usatoday.com/tech/hotsites/2009-01-14-social-networking_N.htm

http://www.pewinternet.org/PPF/r/272/report_display.asp

the "You Reap What you Sew" awards

2009-01-22T11:49:00.004-05:00

My sister sent this article to me, and being keenly aware that forwarding unsolicited mass e-mail to all my "friends" and contacts is sort of like giving them Amish Sour Dough starter, I thought I'd just put them here and let you help yourself.

These very familiar awards are aptly named the "Darwin Awards", because they are awarded to people who looked at the obvious facts they had in front of them and like Mr. Darwin, also came to very erroneous conclusions. (OK, don't correct me, I know why they are really called this).

The 2008 Darwin Awards, -or- the "You Reap What you Sew" awards:

Here are the glorious top 10 winners:

1. When his 38-caliber revolver failed to fire at his intended victim during a hold-up in Long Beach , California , would-be robber James Elliot did something that can only inspire wonder. He peered down the barrel and tried the trigger again. This time it worked. And now, the honorable mentions:

2. The chef at a hotel in Switzerland lost a finger in a meat-cutting machine and, after a little shopping around, submitted a claim to his insurance company. The company expecting negligence sent out one of its men to have a look for himself. He tried the machine and he also lost a finger. The chef's claim was approved.

3. A man who shoveled snow for an hour to clear a space for his car during a blizzard in Chicago returned with his vehicle to find a woman had taken the space. Understandably, he shot her.

4. After stopping for drinks at an illegal bar, a Zimbabwean bus driver found that the 20 mental patients he was supposed to be transporting from Harare to Bulawayo had escaped. Not wanting to admit his incompetence, the driver went to a nearby bus stop and offered everyone waiting there a free ride. He then delivered the passengers to the mental hospital, telling the staff that the patients were very excitable and prone to bizarre fantasies. The deception wasn't discovered for 3 days.

5. An American teenager was in the hospital recovering from serious head wounds received from an oncoming train. When asked how he received the injuries, the lad told police that he was simply trying to see how close he could get his head to a moving train before he was hit.

6. A man walked into a Louisiana Circle-K, put a $20 bill on the counter, and asked for change. When the clerk opened the cash drawer, the man pulled a gun and asked for all the cash in the register, which the clerk promptly provided. The man took the cash from the clerk and fled, leaving the $20 bill on the counter. The total amount of cash he got from the drawer... $15. [If someone points a gun at you and gives you money, is a crime committed?]

7. Seems an Arkansas guy wanted some beer pretty badly. He decided that he'd just throw a cinder block through a liquor store window, grab some booze, and run. So he lifted the cinder block and heaved it over his head at the window. The cinder block bounced back and hit the would-be thief on the head, knocking him unconscious. The liquor store window was made of Plexiglas. The whole event was caught on videotape.

8. As a female shopper exited a New York convenience store, a man grabbed her purse and ran. The clerk called 911 immediately, and the woman was able to give them a detailed description of the snatcher. Within minutes, the police apprehended the snatcher. They put him in the car and drove back to the store. The thief was then taken out of the car and told to stand there for a positive ID. To which he replied, 'Yes, officer, that's her. That's the lady I stole the purse from.'

9. The Ann Arbor News crime column reported that a man walked into a Burger King in Ypsilanti , Michigan , at 5 A.M., flashed a gun, and demanded cash. The clerk turned him down because he said he couldn't open the cash register without a food order. When the man ordered onion rings, the clerk said they weren't available for breakfast.. The man, frustrated, walked away.

10. When a man attempted to siphon gasoline from a motor home parked on a Seattle street, he got much more than he bargained for. Police arrived at the scene to find a very sick man curled up next to a motor home near spilled sewage. A police spokesman said that the man admitted to trying to steal gasoline and plugged his siphon hose into the motor home's sewage tank by mistake. The owner of the vehicle declined to press charges saying that it was the best laugh he'd ever had.

*** Remember... They walk among us!!! ***

January 18th, 2009; 2 days before the inauguration of the 44th President of the United States.

2009-01-18T09:31:00.011-05:00

As a believer in, and follower of The Lord Jesus Christ I take Biblical admonitions very seriously. I find my guide and path for living within the pages of the Holy Scriptures, especially as those pages illuminate the life and Character of Jesus, the God-Man from Heaven-Nazareth.

Even in His darkest hour, forsaken by His own creation and forsaken by His Heavenly Father, the divine character of Jesus shines through the darkness. Standing before the highest governing authority in the region, Jesus remained respectful and subject to that authority. In all four gospels, and amplified in the gospel of John (Chapters 18 & 19), Jesus remains submissive, and respectfully answers the questions of His unethical and unjust inquisitor. Why? As Pontius Pilate's creator(John 1:1-3), Jesus was by far the higher authority, and as Supreme Judge of the world (John 5:26), by far the more righteous judge. Why did Jesus submit to Pilate? Should not have Pilate submitted to Him? The answer can be found in Jesus's own words in John 19:10-11.

Then Pilate said to Him, “Are You not speaking to me? Do You not know that I have power to crucify You, and power to release You?” Jesus answered, “You could have no power at all against Me unless it had been given you from above. Therefore the one who delivered Me to you has the greater sin.”

Jesus was actually submitting to His Father, recognizing that all power and authority comes "from above". He had no need or inclination to resist, denigrate, or veto the judgment of Pontius Pilate. Jesus rested in the understanding that Pilate’s power and authority comes from above and it is to the One who is above all that Pilate will ultimately answer. I believe that Jesus could have paid for my sins by is own death even if he never appeared before Pilate in the process. I'm not suggesting I know a better way, or God should have consulted me when He devised this perfect process, but I'm only saying I think Jesus appeared before the governing authorities for some reasons that are not essential to our salvation, but are instructive for our life in Christ. This jurisdictional part of the Holy Passion process can, and should have a profound impact on how we live our lives today. I can ask myself the question "Am I following Jesus in my attitudes and respect for the authorities God has placed over me?"

The idea of a "disciple" means a follower, imitator, student of a “master”. There can not be one without the other. As disciples, we take Christ into ourselves; we adopt His values, we obey his commandments, we imitate His life, we follow His lead. "He who says he abides in Him ought himself also to walk just as He walked." (1 John 2:6). Through the years great disciples of Christ have also encouraged us and taught us how to follow The Master in a practical way. Two places we have been taught the same lesson that Jesus modeled before Pilate are here:

Let every soul be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and the authorities that exist are appointed by God. Therefore whoever resists the authority resists the ordinance of God, and those who resist will bring judgment on themselves. (Romans 13:1)
Therefore I exhort first of all that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men, for kings and all who are in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence. For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. (1 Timothy 2:1)

Therefore, I urge all Christians to follow The Master and to obey God in this same way. If you can do this, then you are serving God. If you can not do this, you are not following The Master, but actually resisting the ordinance of God. Let's trust God by living and acting like Jesus, not resisting, not disrespecting our God ordained authority, but praying and giving thanks for them, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence for the next four years.

Shopping in the Kingdom (a dream)

2009-01-10T10:31:00.025-05:00

I had a dream......

On another planet, there is a kingdom; a glorious kingdom in which all the citizens live forever in peace. All who apply and are accepted for citizenship in this kingdom must first acquire some things. All of these things can be acquired from the only kingdom store which has been provided through great personal sacrifice of The Kings son. This store has some very unique features.

First, the unheard of value. There is no cost for any item in the store; there are checkout stations, but there is no charge for anything. Second, the unusual shopping. The King has decreed that every customer must select one of every item in the store; no one can checkout if their cart is not complete with one of each item. Third, the exuberant greeter. Every customer coming into the store gets uniquely greeted by a personal assistant; a guide who knows that specific customer perfectly, even better than the customer knows himself. That guide stays with that customer through the whole shopping experience and helps select items to put into the cart.

Generally, each person pushes his own cart thorough the entire store, but sometimes the guide helps by giving the cart a nudge in the right direction. Also it is considered courteous in all The Kings realm for customers to offer a helping hand to fellow customers when they are in need. Above this, The King has appointed certain special customers to have brightly colored shopping carts that let them be more easily observed by other customers in the store. Their special job while in the store is simply to be good examples; visibly submitting to their personal guide, allowing their guide to direct their shopping. They correctly demonstrate leadership in other small ways too, like pointing out hard-to-find items, or stretching for top-shelf items that are too high for shorter customers to reach on their own, or helping to get a cart moving again if someone gets stuck. The other customers that observe this modeled behavior are encouraged to do the same things and everyone in the store is blessed by it. This is The King's design. I have heard that even the security personnel who observe everything through the ceiling mounted cameras rejoice when they see this happening. You gotta’ love our thoughtful King.

The store is thoughtfully laid out, like one might expect, in such a way to be most efficient for most customers. the usual way upon entering the store is to start to the left, in aisle 1, where you find the sturdy, rigid, more durable items that can tolerate the load of all the other things being piled on top in the cart. Going through the store in the normal way makes shopping the most efficient, since some things work together in such a way as so you need to have a certain item in your cart just to be able to pick up a different item in another part of the store. The guide is an invaluable helper for these circumstances. Most folks take this route it seems, working their way sequentially through the store, aisle by aisle, and end up at the check-out on the far right side of the store. Even though the guide knows that the customer is going to eventually get one of everything in the store, he helps select items to be put into the cart in a specific order; one that properly loads the cart and is in the best interest of the customer. Sometimes the guide knows a person will benefit by starting in a different aisle and going through the store in an unconventional way. It is not uncommon to observe the guide directing his customer by an unusual route, however. I watched one customer being pushed very quickly down aisles 1 & 2, but then pulled over to go very slowly down aisles 6, 7, and 8, returning to aisles 3, 4, &5 later just because that was better for that person. They still got one of everything in the store, but in a different order than expected. It has been told of some starting on the far-right side of the store picking up items from aisle 10 first before selecting anything from any other aisle. This is very unusual, but the guide really knows what he is doing; He has never been wrong.

All this The King has provided and arranged in His wisdom; the store, the items in it, the guides, and the leaders with the brightly colored shopping carts, and the security personnel just because he loves his subjects. Because this whole arrangement has all been very well thought through in advance by The King, the best way to get through the store is to leave your own ideas outside, relax, and just trust the King’s guide to walk you through it. If we are willing, He even offers us his own personal cart, which is very easy to push and the load always seems very light in it. All this free help is very hard for some folks to accept and too often they insist on using their own carts and bringing some of their old ways of doing things into the store with them. This only makes shopping more difficult. When the guide suggests a certain item, some say to the guide “I really don’t want that right now, thank you. I know I’ll eventually have to get one, but I think I’ll just come back and get it later. There is so much here that I do want, I really want to get those items first, if you don’t mind.” The guide is very gracious, and even though it grieves him to hear it, and causes him extra work, and he often has to make changes to the original plan to accommodate the willfulness of the customer, knowing that every customer will only check-out when the cart has one of everything in it, the guide remains unshaken by the customer’s obstinacy. He just keeps leading in the best possible way for his customer.

Even though all the customers get the same information coming into the store; all know that everyone gets one of every item in the store, all realize that each customer has an individual guide who really knows the best way to load the cart, and many (if not most) have even learned the hard way of the added difficulties that come when the guide is not trusted, still I have noticed something going on in the store that seems unwise. Some customers still want to look into other customers shopping carts and compare the contents of their own cart against the other persons. It is really hard to say why they (we) do this. Very rarely would there be the exact same items in any two carts at any given moment; no one would expect there to be. What is the sense in comparing then?

One might rationalize that by comparing carts, one could determine if they have the right stuff in their own cart. Of course this makes no sense since many are guided through the store by different routes and there is no way of knowing who is being led by what route so there is no way of knowing exactly what should be in someone's cart.
Another might rationalize that by comparing carts I can see if the other customer is lacking anything and I can help them find it. This seems to forget that the other person has a perfect guide who knows them even better than they know themselves. On their best day, no one could know what a person's cart is lacking better than that persons guide.
Some might think that the more information we can collect on the contents of customers carts, we can actually improve the layout of the store and help future customers through it more easily. But since the store layout is a design of The King, I doubt it can be improved upon.
One might rationalize that because The King gave them a brightly colored cart, inspecting carts is part of the obligation. But that's really not the job of those with brightly colored carts, is it?. Aren't bright cart customers supposed to be leading the other customers by modeling the very things that everyone is supposed to be doing. Remedial cart inspecting is not one of those things, right? It is the guides responsibility to lead the customer in filling the cart properly and in the right order because only the guide knows what is supposed to be in there at the time.

In fact, I can’t really see any good reason for “cart inspecting”, even though I admit I have done it and possibly we all do it or have done it from time to time. It seems to be just one of those ideas we should have left outside the store, but thought it might come in handy if we brought it with us. Imagine how dishonoring and disrespectful this must be to the King and to His guide.

Oh great and wonderful King. Thank you so much for accepting us into your Kingdom. Thank you for the store, for all the items you have made for us to put into our carts, and for your Son who provided it for us. Thank you for the personal guide who leads us through our shopping in a perfect way. And thank you for those you have appointed to push the brightly colored carts and to show us by example the best way to shop under the direction of your personal guide. Thank you.

I wake

Living by Grace

2009-01-03T17:16:00.002-05:00

I am reminding myself of the following statements written by Miles J. Stanford in his Green Letters. Each statement is worthy of meditation.

"To believe, and to consent to be loved while unworthy, is the great secret."
"To refuse to make 'resolutions' and 'vows'; for that is to trust in the flesh."
"To expect to be blessed, though realizing more and more lack of worth."
"To rely on God's chastening (child training) hand as a mark of His kindness."
"To 'hope to be better' (hence acceptable) is to fail to see yourself in Christ only."
"To be disappointed with yourself is to have believed in yourself."
"To be discouraged is unbelief -- as to God's purpose and plan of blessing for you."
"To be proud, is to be blind! For we have no standing before God in ourselves."
"The lack of divine blessing, therefore, comes from unbelief and not from failure of devotion.

"To preach devotion first and blessing second, is to reverse God's order, and preach law, not grace. The law made man's blessing dependent on devotion; grace confers undeserved, unconditional blessing: our devotion may follow, but does not always do so -- in proper measure."

Miles J. Stanford. The Green Letters - Acceptance

Fighting the FOCA

2008-12-11T13:22:00.009-05:00

Today I signed the on-line petition to help fight the Freedom of Choice Act at:
http://www.FightFOCA.com.

Signing a petition is not something heroic nor do I console myself that I did "my part" in this ongoing battle. The FOCA is just really bad legislation and signing the petition is only ONE small thing that works in the right direction. You should not take my word for it however, you should read the proposed bill(s) for yourself.

To encourage good folks to be personally informed:

This bill was introduced to the House on January 21, 2004 and in the Senate on January 22, 2004. It was read twice in the Senate and both houses referred it to committee. Nothing has been done since then. Here's the actual bill from the Library of Congress.

108th Congress,
House of Representatives: H.R. 3719
Senate: S 2020 IS

The wording of this bill is so disturbing and heartbreaking. I wish someone would introduce an amendment to this bill using the exact same wording but including the lives of any human being who is in the custody or guardianship of another. Passage of the bill in this form, with this amendment would basically legalize the murder of anyone under 18, anyone in permanent or temporary custody, any older person under the care of another and anyone who signs a power of attorney. It would sound so ridiculous to most if it were applied to lives other than the most innocent and helpless that action would be taken to insure a bill like this could never be introduced again.

Now: Regarding inconsistent and simultaneously opposing philosophies:

The sponsor of the bill H.R.3719, Representative Jerrold Nadler (NY) also sponsored House Resolution H.Con.Res.300 (10/8/2003) expressing congressional disapproval and action to prevent “honor killing” of women in foreign countries suspected of adultery.

In that resolution Rep. Nadler writes:
“Whereas the right to exist is the most fundamental of all rights and must be guaranteed to every individual without discrimination, and the perpetuation of `honor killings' and dowry deaths is a deliberate violation of women's human rights that should be universally condemned:"

Hmmm, I don't see how Representative Nadler can square this statement with H.R.3719.

The Sponsor of the Senate version S.2020, Senator Barbara Boxer (CA), also introduced bill S.130 (1/9/2003) to strengthen by amendment the “Dolphin Protection Consumer Information Act” (16 U.S.C.1385).

In that bill she states in findings #4
“On December 31, 2002, the Secretary of Commerce decided to permit tuna caught using these destructive practices to be labeled `dolphin safe', a decision that will blatantly mislead the American public. The Secretary's decision will result in an estimated 20,000 to 40,000 dolphin deaths each year.”

It seems Senator Boxer will go to bat for 40,000 dolphins killed accidentally but not for 1,300,000 children who were intentionally killed by abortion in 2003, a number which is now near the 50,000,000 mark.

Ms Boxer, how do you justify your concern for dolphins against your apathy toward innocent children as stated in your bill S.2020?

The above information was not copied from some web site with an ax to grind or a political agenda to advance. This is my own research found in just a few minutes from information provided by the Library of Congress.

Christians, let's get involved in a way that only we can. In Christ, we are citizens of the most powerful and influential Kingdom which rules over all the kingdoms of earth. Our enemies are not flesh and blood; they are not men and women who are simply victims of a horrible deception. Likewise, our weapons are not fleshly, but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God. This fight will not be won by cunning men in the courts of law or the politically active at the poling place. We must take our appeal to the Almighty Judge of All Creation. Let's petition the King of Kings to intervene, to protect the innocent, to heal the broken, to forgive the guilty, and to bring His peace to this land.

In His Holy name and for His Glory alone.

KP

2008-12-09T15:47:00.001-05:00

"Twenty-two astronauts are from Ohio,
what is it about that state that makes people want to flee the earth?"

Stephen Colbert

Charismas Tree

2008-11-29T16:46:00.002-05:00

Bearing the yoke

2008-11-28T10:18:00.006-05:00

I have been having to remind myself often that if I am feeling excessively burdened,
I'm wearing the wrong yoke:

Jesus said:
"Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden,
and I will give you rest.
Take My yoke upon you
and learn from Me,
for I am gentle and lowly in heart,
and you will find rest for your souls.
For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”
(Matt 11:28)

Every time I except the yoke Jesus has offered me, I find I somehow inadvertently slip the old yoke of self-importance and excessive responsibility back over my head. Then I get frustrated that I'm so burdened. I'm switching yokes (AGAIN), and accepting the one My Savior has prepared for me. I'm sorry I'm such a stubborn Ox.

KP

What to do with all that SPAM.

2008-11-24T15:49:00.005-05:00

I no longer mind getting so much SPAM in my e-mail inbox. I decided to make a good thing out of a bad, so I learned to cook it. It's wonderful, you should try it. Here's a recipe.

======================  SPAM FAJITAS  ====================================

Recipe By : Kevin Puffer

Serving Size : 8

Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method

-------- ------------ --------------------------------

Vegetable cooking spray

1 Green bell pepper, cut into strips

1/2 Onion, cut into 1/4″ slices

1 pile SPAM, cut into strips (12 oz)

3/4 c Salsa

8 Flour tortillas, warmed (8")

2 c Shredded lettuce

1/2 c Shredded hot pepper cheese

1/2 c Nonfat plain yogurt

Extra salsa, if desired

Spray large non-stick skillet with cooking spray.
Heat skillet over medium-high heat.
Saute green pepper and onion 2 minutes.
Add SPAM, as much as you want.
Saute 2 minutes.
Stir in salsa and heat thoroughly.
Spoon about 1/2 cup SPAM mixture into each tortilla.
Top each with:

1/2 cup shredded lettuce,
1 tablespoon shredded cheese,
1 tablespoon yogurt,
and extra salsa, if desired.

MMMMMMMMMmmmmmmmmm That's good eatin'!

Post Election Truths To Remember

2008-11-05T08:08:00.002-05:00

We Remember...

Do not let your heart be troubled: We did not vote for King, only president; a president who serves at the pleasure of the King.
Fear not: The Living God does not win or loose elections; He did not win or loose this one either.
Peace be with you: While we may have strong emotions over the results of this election, If we are in Christ, we do so as foreigners. This is not our home, we do not even claim dual citizenship. We are naturalized citizens of an eternal kingdom; fully redeemed subjects of the Living Eternal King.(Phil 3:20)
Find rest for your soul: While we may anticipate change; changes in our earthly situation, our physical comfort, our temporal security, even as servants of the heavenly kingdom our mission field may be changing, we rest assured our mission has not changed. Some things change, Our King does not! (Malachi 3:6)

SAY These truths back to Your King!

Our God is in heaven;
He does whatever He pleases. Psa. 115:3

With Him are strength and prudence.
The deceived and the deceiver are His. - Job 12:16

He does great things which we cannot comprehend. - Job 37:5

Oh come, let us sing to the LORD!
Let us shout joyfully to the Rock of our salvation.
Let us come before His presence with thanksgiving;
Let us shout joyfully to Him with psalms.
For the LORD is the great God,
And the great King above all gods.
In His hand are the deep places of the earth;
The heights of the hills are His also.
The sea is His, for He made it;
And His hands formed the dry land.
Oh come, let us worship and bow down;
Let us kneel before the LORD our Maker.
For He is our God,
And we are the people of His pasture,
And the sheep of His hand. - Psa. 95:1-7

For exaltation comes neither from the east
Nor from the west nor from the south.
But God is the Judge:
He puts down one,
And exalts another. - Psa. 75:6-7

He breaks in pieces mighty men without inquiry,
And sets others in their place. - Job 34:24

He is king over all the children of pride. - Job 41:34

The king’s heart is in the hand of the LORD,
Like the rivers of water;
He turns it wherever He wishes. - Prov. 21:1

He rules by His power forever;
His eyes observe the nations;

Do not let the rebellious exalt themselves. - Psa. 66:7

For You, LORD, are most high above all the earth;
You are exalted far above all gods. - Psa. 97:9

That they may know that You, whose name alone is the LORD,
Are the Most High over all the earth. - Psa. 83:18

The LORD has established His throne in heaven,
And His kingdom rules over all. Psa. 103:19

Saints, we do not lose heart.
All our circumstances are is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory, while we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal.

Blessings
Serving the Living one with You
KP

Old mesage is still current

2008-11-04T15:28:00.010-05:00

A friend recently sent me a copy of this prayer, offered by Pastor Joe Wright to the opening session of the Kansas House of Representatives on January 23rd, 1996. The Kansas Legislature journals no longer go back to 1996 (http://www.kslegislature.org/journals/) so the original transcript is not readily available, but I have a recording of pastor Wright and his prayer for your listening edification. The words may be twelve years old, but the message is still very current. Please listen:

Here's a transcription of the audio:

Heavenly Father, we come before you to ask your forgiveness. We seek your direction and your guidance. We know your word says, "Woe to those who call evil good." But that's exactly what we've done.

We have lost our spiritual equilibrium and inverted our values.
We confess that we have ridiculed the absolute truth of your word and called it moral pluralism.
We have worshiped other gods and called it multiculturalism.
We have endorsed perversion and called it an alternative lifestyle.
We have exploited the poor and called it the lottery.
We have neglected the needy and called it self-preservation.
We have rewarded laziness and called it welfare.
We have killed our unborn and called it choice.
We have shot abortionists and called it justifiable.
We have neglected to discipline our children and called it building esteem.
We have abused power and called it political savvy.
We have coveted our neighbor's possessions and called it ambition.
We have polluted the air with profanity and pornography and called it freedom of expression.
We have ridiculed the time-honored values of our forefathers and called it enlightenment.

Search us, oh, God, and know our hearts today. Try us and see if there be some wicked way in us. Cleanse us from every sin and set us free. Guide and bless these men and women who have been sent here by the people of Kansas, and who have been ordained by you to govern this great state.
Grant them your wisdom to rule.
And may their decisions direct us to the center of your will.
I ask it in the name of your son, the Living Savior, Jesus Christ.
Amen.

Archived at:
http://web.archive.org/web/20070407061139/http://www.centralcc.org/NewsNow/JoeArticles/JoeRepentancePrayer.html

The Wonder of Creation

2008-08-22T09:58:00.000-04:00

When GOD creates it is Wonderful!
When GOD creates in His image, it is beyond expression.

This morning my second son Micah received from The Lord the most honorable title of Father (you need not address him as Father Micah however) and placed an inaugural arrow into his heavenly appointed quiver. (Ps 127:4-5)

At almost 7:00 am earth time this morning, the magistrates of the Kingdom of Heaven duly appointed an angel to look into the face of God on behalf of this sweet earthly arrival (Matt 18:10). With much triumphant fanfare in heaven, but unceremoniously on earth, Micah and Emily humbly accepted the heavenly charge of raising God's 5lb 5oz creation in His wise nurture and admonition, and committed themselves to teaching her all that The King has commanded. She is without an official name at this point, but God has a name for her that no one knows except Himself. I call her G2.

You see, 28 years ago, to the day, Linda and I delivered our first child through many tears and much agony; a daughter who was subjected to this cursed world for only six minutes before preceding us to heavenly rest. The arrival of this special one auspiciously born today on 8/22/08 forges a special bond between her and her new PaPa and GiGi who never got to hold our little girl born on 8/22/80. We named our daughter Grace and that is why I call this new perfect little girl G2.

I held this precious little peanut in one hand this morning and reminisced how almost 24 years ago (8/28/84) I held her father in the very same way. Mom and Dad are doing great; Emily is simply radiant and does not look like she just survived the longest night of her life, and Micah, well, if he had tail feathers, they would be in full display. The doctors carefully inspected G2 for any flaws or failings and came up empty handed; she is simply without blemish in every way.

We truly appreciate all who stood with Micah and Emily through their very challenging pregnancy and rejoice with you as they receive the reward of your laboring in prayer.

Thank you!
For all eternity we will Praise Him from whom all blessings flow.

Be careful what you tell your grandkids.

2008-08-21T00:00:00.000-04:00

A few days ago I sat my three year old grandson, Levi, on the kitchen counter and said “I’m going to tell you a joke”. This is what I told him.

“On the first day of school, little Johnny was asked by the teacher what his father did for a living. Johnny said, ‘My dad is a Magician’. The teacher said ‘Oh that’s wonderful. Does he have any good tricks?’ and Johnny said “Oh yes, he saws people in half’. The teacher said, ‘Wow how fun. Do you have any brothers or sisters?’ Johnny said ‘Yes! One half brother and two half sisters’.

Then I told Levi, “I want you to tell your dad that joke when you get home”.Later, the phone rang and it was my son Isaac, Levi’s dad. He said “Levi just told me a joke”. I said “Yeah, I just told him to tell you one. What did he say?” Isaac said, “He said a man asked his son if he knew any good tricks. The son said ‘Yeah, I cut my sister in half with a chain saw!”

2008-07-01T19:55:00.001-04:00

80 signs that you might be from Haskins:

When trying to describe where you live, you end up telling people you live south of Toledo and/or north of Bowling Green.
When trying to describe where you live, people invariably say, "Oh is that by Lucky?" because their only exposure to Haskins is having seen the SR 582 exit sing on I-75 that says "Haskins - Luckey". (Notice it doesn't say Lucky Haskins)
When trying to describe where you live, the other person says, "Oh yeah, I know where that is, I got a ticket there once".
When trying to describe where you live, the other person says, "Oh yeah, I know where that is, there used to be a biker bar there".
You park more often in your yard than you do in your drive way and never in your garage; probably because it's easier to dodge the dog droppings in your yard than the mud holes in your driveway.
Your address starts with PO Box...
UPS and Fedex have trouble finding you.
The coolest part of the day is when the shadow from the grain elevator crosses over your house.
Your front porch swing is really the bench seat from a 83 Ford F150 hanging from three scrap pieces of chain that your Rottweiler broke and a broken V-belt from your truck.
You can tell who's winning the Pee-Wee baseball game without leaving your house.
You yell at the stray dogs by name.
Your dog had a litter of puppies in the living room and you didn't notice for three weeks.
You see your neighbors on Jerry Springer and you're jealous.
You were asked to take the toothpick out of your mouth for your wedding pictures.
Your house has no curtains but your truck does.
The planter in your yard was once a bathroom fixture.
The Halloween pumpkin on your front porch has more teeth than your wife.
You have a neon sign in your front window.
You own a homemade fur coat.
Your wife has had to say on more than one occasion, "Come move this transmission so I can take a bath."
Your parents met at a family reunion.
Your good furniture is made from used Telephone company cable spools.
You think the year before you're a junior, you're a "Southmore".
You say "For all intensive purposes" when you start a sentence.
You say "seen" when you should say "saw". Seriously!
Parts of your car are painted with house paint.
You own more cars that don't run than ones that do.
There are no people in your neighborhood when there is a home game at Otsego.
You leave your Christmas lights up all year.
You drive the truck to church that has the Yosemite Sam mudflaps, and not the truck with the naked lady silhouette mudflaps.
Both your house and your car have some parts held together with duct tape.
You mow around at least one thing in your yard that has wheels on it.
You don't know what curbs are.
You are related to at least one town official.
You have a house with wheels and a vehicle without any.
You judge how much it rained recently by looking at how full the ditch is.
Your truck has a NASCAR number on it somewhere.
You haven't seen the keys to your house for many years.
You think "garage" is a french word that means "a place to sit in your lawn chair and watch folks go down the street".
Your house has at least three different colors or three kinds of siding on it.
Your dog howls every day at noon, when the fire whistle blows.
You hear a noise in your garage and you don't care because you know it's just your neighbor rummaging through your tools.
You come home and someone took your laundry off the line, folded it, and put it in your house.
You greet the police by their nickname.
You know how to get to Rouche de Beouf St.
You fill your swimming pool from the fire hydrant.
You buy your gas and pizza at the same place.
You have at least three old tires being used as something in your yard.
The four seasons are Summer, Duck, Deer, and Squirrel.
You have a 10ft living room and a 5 ft TV
Three things standing in your front yard are a flamingo and two dish antennas.
You have pelts and/or bones of some sort nailed to the side of your shed.
You wave to everyone, even if you have no idea who they are.
Sunday evening is a village-wide free exchange because Monday morning is trash pickup.
Your kids are named after NASCAR drivers.
Only one person in town has wireless Internet but everyone uses it.
You get your newspaper delivered but not your mail.
You hear the train whistle and still have time to get to your car, start it up, and get across the tracks before the gates come down.
You get a haircut just to catch-up on local gossip.
All the trees and phone poles around your house lean to the east.
You feed some cats, but you aren't sure who's they are.
You wonder if indoor plumbing will actually improve the value of your house.
The local police will only allow you to have a fire if you hold a hot-dog at the same time.
You made the village police 10 most wanted list several times last year because you forgot your hot-dog.
You leave your keys in the ignition of your car, even when you are away on vacation.
You will vote "yes" on any tax Levy where the Otsego football program is at stake.
The flag on your flag pole still has only 48 stars on it.
Your inflatable above ground pool is larger in square feet than your house.
You know where the horse track used to be.
You think Otsego High School IS higher education.
You think Rottweiler's and Pit Bulls make good pets for the kids.
You walk around the village for exercise but drive to the post office for your mail.
Paying the highest sewer rates in the country makes you consider cleaning out and recommissioning the shed which was once an outhouse.

You call anyone who lives east of the town hall "Dold people"

You secretly talk bad about the high-falutin people who live on Greenwood because they have Mail Boxes and curbs.
The "Dold People" secretly talk bad about everyone else because everyone else can have clothes lines.
The postmistress knows the names of all your family members, even those who live in other states.
Mapquest.com can't find your address.
You still think you can't drive north out of town 'on-account-a' the big hole in the road.
Your kids pants stop above where their socks begin.