Ever download some free software?
And end up with a new homepage, search engine and toolbar?
Accepting God's free gift of Eternal Life is like downloading a free app.
You should have a new home, search differently, and have a Helper.
If it doesn't alter your operating system, it probably didn't install properly.
Jesus Inside.
Saturday, June 29, 2013
Thursday, June 27, 2013
The Problem
A woman I know only on Facebook, whom I friended because of her constant postings of conservative oriented material posted that she didn't know what to make of the SCOTUS decision on DOMA.
In a comment, I referred to the issue of "weird marriage".
She asked me not to use such language.
She has gay friends she doesn't want to offend.
I chose the term carefully, not saying queer, which has a similar meaning without the baggage.
If we can't call a spade a spade, we've lost the use of the language.
She works for a college, and I can understand not wanting to jeapordize her employment, but that is part of the problem, also.
The last part is that she may actually have no problem with weird marriage.
Democrats, I should say liberals, may disagree among themselves over issues, but they will vote Democrat.
They won't sit it out, or splinter their vote over social issues.
Conservatives will.
Often over social issues.
In a comment, I referred to the issue of "weird marriage".
She asked me not to use such language.
She has gay friends she doesn't want to offend.
I chose the term carefully, not saying queer, which has a similar meaning without the baggage.
If we can't call a spade a spade, we've lost the use of the language.
She works for a college, and I can understand not wanting to jeapordize her employment, but that is part of the problem, also.
The last part is that she may actually have no problem with weird marriage.
Democrats, I should say liberals, may disagree among themselves over issues, but they will vote Democrat.
They won't sit it out, or splinter their vote over social issues.
Conservatives will.
Often over social issues.
Sunday, June 23, 2013
Keeping Things in Perspective
I teach the bible at my church.
I'm not a scholar, but every now and then I believe I get some light shed on some passages that I like to share.
My pastor was speaking this morning about Luke 14:25,
26 If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple.
This verse has always caused me some problem, trying to explain it to non-believers.
Ours is not a religion of hate as it is accused of being by some.
I always felt that "hate" here meant "love less", but when reading the Strong's definition of the greek, it's clear that it means "hate" or "to despise".
Then I got it.
My pastor's focus was primarily on "counting the cost" and he used the example of a brand new pickup costing around $40,000, so if you buy it, expect to pay over the next ten years (if you could get a ten year term) $4,000 a year, or $333.33 a month (not including interest and full coverage for the term of the loan, tires, oil, etc).
In other words "count the cost", evaluate what your getting vs what you'll pay.
I spoke to him after the service and told him that I once had a 1994 F-150 that as beat up as it was, I liked and was satisfied with. But if I was given a brand new F-150, I might come to despise the older.
After driving the new, and then being denied it, I'd hate driving the old.
So.
If I was shown the world to come that is offered by Jesus to those that sign up, would I not come to despise this world and all that was in it, relative to the glory revealed to me?
And if my parents, brothers, sisters, children and friends didn't want to sign up for it, should I let them hold me back?
Sometimes we have to make hard choices in our own self-interest.
I'm not a scholar, but every now and then I believe I get some light shed on some passages that I like to share.
My pastor was speaking this morning about Luke 14:25,
26 If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple.
This verse has always caused me some problem, trying to explain it to non-believers.
Ours is not a religion of hate as it is accused of being by some.
I always felt that "hate" here meant "love less", but when reading the Strong's definition of the greek, it's clear that it means "hate" or "to despise".
Then I got it.
My pastor's focus was primarily on "counting the cost" and he used the example of a brand new pickup costing around $40,000, so if you buy it, expect to pay over the next ten years (if you could get a ten year term) $4,000 a year, or $333.33 a month (not including interest and full coverage for the term of the loan, tires, oil, etc).
In other words "count the cost", evaluate what your getting vs what you'll pay.
I spoke to him after the service and told him that I once had a 1994 F-150 that as beat up as it was, I liked and was satisfied with. But if I was given a brand new F-150, I might come to despise the older.
After driving the new, and then being denied it, I'd hate driving the old.
So.
If I was shown the world to come that is offered by Jesus to those that sign up, would I not come to despise this world and all that was in it, relative to the glory revealed to me?
And if my parents, brothers, sisters, children and friends didn't want to sign up for it, should I let them hold me back?
Sometimes we have to make hard choices in our own self-interest.
Shell Game
You and I both know about misdirection.
Look over here!
And the switch happens over there.
We try to be on the alert for it.
Look over here!
Obama climate plan faces early resistance ahead of rollout
Scandals? What scandals?
We've got to stop his climate change agenda!
Oh look!
Video of Snowden getting off a plane in Russia!
I'm sorry, what was I talking about?
Look over here!
And the switch happens over there.
We try to be on the alert for it.
Look over here!
Obama climate plan faces early resistance ahead of rollout
Scandals? What scandals?
We've got to stop his climate change agenda!
Oh look!
Video of Snowden getting off a plane in Russia!
I'm sorry, what was I talking about?
Monday, June 17, 2013
Sunday, June 16, 2013
Dad
My dad grew up in the previous Depression.
He mined coal in Pennsylvania.
My dad landed at Normandy, and was at Bastogne during the Bulge.
He came home.
He married mom and became a dad.
He provided a home and an education for me and my brothers.
He led at Boy Scouts. Took us camping and on long vacations.
He taught me right from wrong and to stand up for myself and others.
And how to work on cars.
There are people who have looked at this picture and asked when I owned an old car like that since when I was younger I looked just like my dad in that picture.
A number of years ago, my dad came down with congestive heart disease and was told he only had about 6 months to live.
At the urging of his wife and Scherie, I started taking him out to breakfast on Saturday mornings.
We prayed for God to heal him and extend his life.
We did the Saturday morning (and afternoon) thing for six years.
I would occasionally attempt to get him to accept God's offer of salvation and was rebuffed.
A short while before he died, he was out in his shop getting a tool and his wife asked me if I was okay with the thought of my dad passing.
I told her that my only concern was for his soul.
She told me to ask him about that again, and I told her I didn't want to upset him.
He came in the house and she told him that I had a concern about his approaching departure (geez, the guy was still walking and talking and working in his shop) so he asked me and I told him.
That's when he told me that he had asked Jesus to forgive him of his sins and accept him into heaven, did I have any more questions?
I pressed a bit to assure myself I understood him right and then the three of us prayed.
A couple months later, he went to the hospital and they brought him home to die.
My brother and I held him (attempting to sit him up in his favorite chair) as he passed, quietly, peacefully surrounded by family that had assembled.
I miss him.
But I see him in his grandson.
Happy Father's Day.
PS.
2 Samuel 12:23 KJV
King James Version
But now he is dead , wherefore should I fast ? can I bring him back again ? I shall go to him, but he shall not return to me.
He mined coal in Pennsylvania.
My dad landed at Normandy, and was at Bastogne during the Bulge.
He came home.
He married mom and became a dad.
He provided a home and an education for me and my brothers.
He led at Boy Scouts. Took us camping and on long vacations.
He taught me right from wrong and to stand up for myself and others.
And how to work on cars.
There are people who have looked at this picture and asked when I owned an old car like that since when I was younger I looked just like my dad in that picture.
A number of years ago, my dad came down with congestive heart disease and was told he only had about 6 months to live.
At the urging of his wife and Scherie, I started taking him out to breakfast on Saturday mornings.
We prayed for God to heal him and extend his life.
We did the Saturday morning (and afternoon) thing for six years.
I would occasionally attempt to get him to accept God's offer of salvation and was rebuffed.
A short while before he died, he was out in his shop getting a tool and his wife asked me if I was okay with the thought of my dad passing.
I told her that my only concern was for his soul.
She told me to ask him about that again, and I told her I didn't want to upset him.
He came in the house and she told him that I had a concern about his approaching departure (geez, the guy was still walking and talking and working in his shop) so he asked me and I told him.
That's when he told me that he had asked Jesus to forgive him of his sins and accept him into heaven, did I have any more questions?
I pressed a bit to assure myself I understood him right and then the three of us prayed.
A couple months later, he went to the hospital and they brought him home to die.
My brother and I held him (attempting to sit him up in his favorite chair) as he passed, quietly, peacefully surrounded by family that had assembled.
I miss him.
But I see him in his grandson.
Happy Father's Day.
PS.
2 Samuel 12:23 KJV
King James Version
But now he is dead , wherefore should I fast ? can I bring him back again ? I shall go to him, but he shall not return to me.
Saturday, June 15, 2013
Snowden
There are those congresscritters who said that Snowden should have come to them.
What would they have done, even if they agreed with him (as Sensenbrenner indicates).
Snowden going to ANYONE (even congress) violated the rules.
And if a sympathetic congresscritter agreed with him, the only route left would still be exposure to the public, because the oversight committees had already approved the activity.
Making the oversight committees a shadow government.
If the Patriot Act is more limited than the oversight committees approved activity as Sensenbrenner (the author) believes, then the real authority is the oversight committee, and who in their ranks would expose it?
There are people who think that what the NSA was doing was OK.
This begs the question, "OK by the law, OK by the Constitution (may God bless and protect it), or OK by their own wishes.
I had this conversation on the Bill Bennett show yesterday.
https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/41339180/NSA.mp3
What would they have done, even if they agreed with him (as Sensenbrenner indicates).
Snowden going to ANYONE (even congress) violated the rules.
And if a sympathetic congresscritter agreed with him, the only route left would still be exposure to the public, because the oversight committees had already approved the activity.
Making the oversight committees a shadow government.
If the Patriot Act is more limited than the oversight committees approved activity as Sensenbrenner (the author) believes, then the real authority is the oversight committee, and who in their ranks would expose it?
There are people who think that what the NSA was doing was OK.
This begs the question, "OK by the law, OK by the Constitution (may God bless and protect it), or OK by their own wishes.
https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/41339180/NSA.mp3
Monday, June 10, 2013
Data Mining
On the radio this morning (Bennett) the NSA issue was raised.
I was struck that we are not allowed to profile in airports, at immigration, etc.
So how do we filter through all the phone records to look for patterns.
I asked on air about this, if we're looking at names of phone records, are we looking at people named Awqueeri from Dearborn calling another Arabic sounding name, or are we looking at someone named Bachmann calling someone named Rand?
It seemed to go over their head and I did not get an opportunity to press the point.
Which domestic terrorists are the government going after, Al-Quaeda or Tea Party?
I was struck that we are not allowed to profile in airports, at immigration, etc.
So how do we filter through all the phone records to look for patterns.
I asked on air about this, if we're looking at names of phone records, are we looking at people named Awqueeri from Dearborn calling another Arabic sounding name, or are we looking at someone named Bachmann calling someone named Rand?
It seemed to go over their head and I did not get an opportunity to press the point.
Which domestic terrorists are the government going after, Al-Quaeda or Tea Party?
Sunday, June 9, 2013
Friday, June 7, 2013
To Harass Our People
Remember this phrase from the Declaration Of Independence:
"He has erected a multitude of New Offices, and sent hither swarms of Officers to harass our people and eat out their substance." ?
In the 70's a representative from Congress,George V. Hansen, wrote a book called :
To Harass Our People.
I urge you to read the short Wiki bio on George V. Hansen.
I mention it on the air with Bill Bennett.
I also tell the story of a friend of mine who quit the IRS out of conscience, because he could not reconcile being an auditor with being a Christian.
Audio Blogging.
The IRS has been out of control far longer than has recently been exposed.
"He has erected a multitude of New Offices, and sent hither swarms of Officers to harass our people and eat out their substance." ?
In the 70's a representative from Congress,George V. Hansen, wrote a book called :
To Harass Our People.
I urge you to read the short Wiki bio on George V. Hansen.
I mention it on the air with Bill Bennett.
I also tell the story of a friend of mine who quit the IRS out of conscience, because he could not reconcile being an auditor with being a Christian.
Audio Blogging.
The IRS has been out of control far longer than has recently been exposed.
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