Right now, there are bubbles and steam --in my pool room --where 4 young people from my church are having a New Year's Party. It was a last minute invitation and many we invited already had plans, were out of town, obligated to family gatherings -which didn't disappoint me. I almost was too tired to open my home! Big day of last minute tax work to do before the P.O. closed today. But my husband helped me when we found that at least 4 kids were coming! They started off with a new game while waiting on Pizza. And after frothy green sherbet punch and pizza, they headed for the pool.
Our church youth group was decimated when about 70 people or more left our church with their big home school families because we ordain women in our denomination--albeit infrequently. They scattered to different churches. A wave of Calvinists had left before these and landed in one church. We had been more of a community church with a lot of diversity --and it was fine for awhile. WE were bursting at the seams and had to build a new worship center. Many good friends were lost from our church after the split. We really felt abandoned --and left with the bills! But we've all maintained these old friendships, nevertheless. Lots of very charismatic/personable people but some had discovered the Bill Gothard home school movement, which was admirable in many ways, but there was a tendency on the part of participants to think they had discovered a new way for how families and churches should be run and it was a little strange as an emphasis to some of us--and it was very male chauvenistic, father as king. I actually think we need MORE of that --more respect by wives for husbands --and more men feeling really responsible for their families.
WE ran our church with male headship largely--and we still do. Though the women are "administrating" all but one Christian Education department--because we have time and the interest. I keep a low profile in my job. And a woman leads worship ministries now --and we actually have had more harmony in that department since --in more ways than one -the harmony, I mean. It's probably because she really knows what she wants musically and knows how to pursue it diplomatically --and there aren't any temperamental male musicians bristling because she's a woman.
In fact, I think our church is at its lowest level of tensions and squabbles that it's ever been, though there was a little stress over new flooring. I think because we are more homogenous --not so much diversity in doctrine and lifestyles. Moreover, our pastor has really preached the themes of love, forgiveness, humility.
We had 21 in our children's Jr. Church Choir for the cantata, 11 middle-school (plus and minus a couple grades)who did our angel/shepherds/Irish dance numbers. I think they probably bonded! We had only a couple of teens singing in the adult choir this year and were glad for their talents and willingness to sing with us old folks.
CLC is booming with about 60 kids in attendance Wed. nights, by busing kids in from Spencer Twp. --counting teachers' babies in nursery, pre-schoolers thru 6th. I have 20 in my Trailblazers' group.
Youth group is small but potentially mighty with neat kids. And the QUIZ TEAM is a really cohesive group of about 10? who get together every Sunday evening to study the Bible and travel to a Michigan church one Saturday a month to quiz other church teams. Our young intellectual coaches are experienced quizzers --and that's been an on-going tradition at our church. We've always had top-notch quiz coaches --like "measureayear" and her fiance.
I have 2 boys and 2 girls in the pool now, ages grade 5 through 9 --3 are siblings.
It's my desire to see our youth build fellowship --where they enjoy being together --as a nucleous for really healthy future youth group. We have 7 in my middle school S.S. class and they memorized verses of the Love chapter and recited them in order for the Sunday School Christmas Program --which was excellent --the best ever in recent years with a signed (for the deaf) Silent Night performance by all the kids who are beginning to sound good --and 5 instrumental solos and one vocal of very good quality --and a wonderful rendition of the Nativity story by grades K-2 (the shepherds, on their own, got in a huddle to decide to go to Bethlehem to see this wonderful thing) And Mary was cute as a button as she "pondered all these things in her heart." And Joseph was a reluctant spouse making many faces. The angels were lovely. Grades 3-5 memorized pieces.
WE are a wonderful small church for children's ministries, I think --and for music. And for really good sermons by our pastor. And we'd love to gain a bass player and more trained-quality soloists --another guitar.
And we don't want to steal from other congregations --except Cedar Creek who says they try to talk their people into joining congregations like ours --as they want to have room for the "seekers." Instead, I think they are just getting the disenchanted from other churches who may just want to observe, rather than participate.
The Bible says they will know we are Christians by our love for each other! as well as all the other loves Jesus taught us. This is the challenge of the church. Each group will think it's right about its different doctrines, etc., but we must maintain our love through all differences. "In honor preferring one another." "Not thinking more highly of ourselves than we ought."
I'm no less challenged than anyone else. But I do remember a wonderful experience in the Lord when I was 18 --when the ability to be joyful and loving was indeed new and fresh --like a baptism of the Spirit. I still have it --I'm just tired! Physically that is. Nevertheless, I feel the Lord has opened opportunities to me with kids --and in ministries.
Well, I better go make sure no one has drowned!
"God is not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance and have eternal life."--the Bible
Wednesday, December 31, 2008
Thursday, December 25, 2008
From Human Events --on the Pending Demise of the West
from Human Events email:
It's hard to imagine such sobering reality being written as "laugh-out-loud funny!"
But Steyn evidently has hope that America will pull itself together!
"God is not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance and have eternal life."--the Bible
Dear Fellow Conservative:
Someday soon, you might wake up to the call to prayer from a Muslim muezzin. Millions of Europeans already do.
And liberals will still tell you that "diversity is our strength" -- while Talibanic enforcers cruise our cities burning books and barber shops... the Supreme Court decides sharia law doesn't violate the "separation of church and state" ... and the Hollywood Left gives up gay rights in favor of the much safer charms of polygamy.
If you think this can't happen, you haven't been paying attention, as the hilarious and brilliant Mark Steyn -- the most popular conservative columnist in the English-speaking world -- shows to devastating effect in his New York Times bestseller, America Alone: The End of the World As We Know It.
Now, for a limited time, Human Events is making Mark Steyn's America Alone available to you ABSOLUTELY FREE.
As Steyn puts it, "The future belongs to the fecund and the confident. And the Islamists are both, while the West -- wedded to a multiculturalism that undercuts its own confidence, a welfare state that nudges it toward sloth and self-indulgence, and a childlessness that consigns it to oblivion -- is looking ever more like the ruins of a civilization."
Europe, laments Steyn, is almost certainly a goner. The future, if the West has one, belongs to America alone-with maybe its cousins in brave Australia. But America can still survive, prosper, and defend its freedom only if it continues to believe in itself, in the sturdier virtues of self-reliance (not government), in the centrality of family, and in the conviction that our country really is the world's last best hope.
Mark Steyn's America Alone is laugh-out-loud funny -- but it will also change the way you look at the world. And it is already the most talked-about conservative book of the year.
It's hard to imagine such sobering reality being written as "laugh-out-loud funny!"
But Steyn evidently has hope that America will pull itself together!
"God is not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance and have eternal life."--the Bible
MERRY CHRISTMAS, BLOG FAMILY, ET AL!
MERRY CHRISTMAS, DEAR BLOGGERS!
He is the Messiah --Annointed One.
He is the King --whose kingdom is not of this world.
He is the Shepherd --to the sheep in His fold.
He is the Sacrificial Lamb of God --who takes away the sin of the world.
He is the Prince of Peace --who taught us to love, forgive, share and be compassionate.
He is the Rose of Sharon--and I don't know exactly what that signifies!
He is the Mighty God, Everlasting Father --"I and the Father are one --you have seen me, you have seen the Father."
He is the WORD incarnate -- "And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us."
He is the Savior --"...that whosoever believes in Him will not perish but have everlasting life."
"Hal-lelujah! Halle-lujah! hal-le-lu-jah! for the Lord God Omnipotent Reigneth..."
"Behold, I go to prepare a place for you --that where I am, you may be also."
"O Death, where is thy sting? Grave, where is thy victory?"
The dead in Christ shall all rise to everlasting life! We are eternal beings with an eternal destiny that need not be feared, because of this Christmas Babe.
No wonder Christmas is the happiest time of the year for the redeemed who put their trust in Him.
We are all condemned to die --and so we do --but we have a 2nd chance at immortality in a happy state --because Jesus Christ died to justify us with a holy God and rose from the grave --and promised the same for all who trust in Him. He did not come to tell us our sins were not sinful --He brought clarity to the Creator's definitions of sin and righteousness; He did not declare any sins to be pleasing to God. He died for those sins; that we might have life and have it more abundantly, starting in the here and now and continuing through eternity. That's why Christians should be the happiest people in the world! We are not under a heavy yoke of meaningless legalism --but Jesus said His yoke is easy; His burden is light. It's not always EASY to resist temptation and take the high road --the narrow road that leads to life. But once on that path, it is a joyful journey--a hopeful journey --a comfort through all the sorrows and difficulties of life. The broad road that many follow, however, will lead to destruction --and the misery does start in the here and now. We have a great choice to make --to follow the Lord Jesus Christ or to follow the enemy of God who wants to deceive and destroy.
"God is not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance and have eternal life."--the Bible
He is the Messiah --Annointed One.
He is the King --whose kingdom is not of this world.
He is the Shepherd --to the sheep in His fold.
He is the Sacrificial Lamb of God --who takes away the sin of the world.
He is the Prince of Peace --who taught us to love, forgive, share and be compassionate.
He is the Rose of Sharon--and I don't know exactly what that signifies!
He is the Mighty God, Everlasting Father --"I and the Father are one --you have seen me, you have seen the Father."
He is the WORD incarnate -- "And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us."
He is the Savior --"...that whosoever believes in Him will not perish but have everlasting life."
"Hal-lelujah! Halle-lujah! hal-le-lu-jah! for the Lord God Omnipotent Reigneth..."
"Behold, I go to prepare a place for you --that where I am, you may be also."
"O Death, where is thy sting? Grave, where is thy victory?"
The dead in Christ shall all rise to everlasting life! We are eternal beings with an eternal destiny that need not be feared, because of this Christmas Babe.
No wonder Christmas is the happiest time of the year for the redeemed who put their trust in Him.
John3: 14Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the desert, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, 15that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life.[a]
16"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son,[b] that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. 17For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. 18Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God's one and only Son.[c]
We are all condemned to die --and so we do --but we have a 2nd chance at immortality in a happy state --because Jesus Christ died to justify us with a holy God and rose from the grave --and promised the same for all who trust in Him. He did not come to tell us our sins were not sinful --He brought clarity to the Creator's definitions of sin and righteousness; He did not declare any sins to be pleasing to God. He died for those sins; that we might have life and have it more abundantly, starting in the here and now and continuing through eternity. That's why Christians should be the happiest people in the world! We are not under a heavy yoke of meaningless legalism --but Jesus said His yoke is easy; His burden is light. It's not always EASY to resist temptation and take the high road --the narrow road that leads to life. But once on that path, it is a joyful journey--a hopeful journey --a comfort through all the sorrows and difficulties of life. The broad road that many follow, however, will lead to destruction --and the misery does start in the here and now. We have a great choice to make --to follow the Lord Jesus Christ or to follow the enemy of God who wants to deceive and destroy.
"God is not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance and have eternal life."--the Bible
Saturday, December 20, 2008
MIRACLE 34 --JOY, JOY, JOY -- ONE MORE CHANCE TO SEE IT --Here is a Review from the Stage
ONE MORE CHANCE TO SEE THIS DELIGHTFUL CHRISTMAS ENTERTAINMENT AND WORSHIPFUL PROGRAM --SUNDAY NIGHT AT 7 PM
I had some complaints and concerns after the final dress rehearsal--felt anxious as though I were the director and aware that lots of things could go wrong. The annual church musical was always like delivering a baby when I used to direct it myself--a labor of love with a lot of anxiety and pain mixed in --I was usually sort of useless domestically during this period and my husband was understanding/long-suffering. It never failed that one or more of my major appliances would fail in December. We figured it was the Devil's oppression and attempt to hinder. This year, the clothes washer is making threatening noises and buzzes --like something is caught in the works. Every aspect of the show except costume and decor used to be mine to administrate --and I was an amateur asking for a level of commitment from other inexperienced people, that they didn't always think was necessary-- but then everything would come together, as though blessed by the Lord, miraculously.
And so tonight, good friend of family Inga said, "Well, we had another miracle! Last night I didn't think things were going so well. I couldn't believe how well the children performed and behaved and how beautiful it was." Inga helps with the children because she values the tradition we have and wants it for her 5 kids. Paul French, music director at a big church near Indiana Weslyan, grew up loving our tradition and this is the first year he's had to miss singing with us. Jon Flory is pianist at the Church on Strayer and we miss him and his family; Lyn Bryant the music director at Heritage Church of God always beautified our soprano section; Sharon Brillhart, music director at West Unity FM --opera singer Amanda Shultz Johnson who moved --they and many others share with us in the memory of musicals at HFM.
We are pleased that Dean Bell of Elmwood music fame sang with us again this year --and Gene Gelsone, a Waterville Playshop veteran, husband of the director at AW, and 2 Sweet Adeline gals Carole Polanski and Shelley Davis, joined us from other churches.
The dream of such annual productions was mine in the early 70's because I had discovered musical theater at the Wagon Wheel Playhouse in Winona Lake, excellent regional theater. I had a friend in the orchestra who got me in free to the dress rehearsals. I LOVED music theater. It was the first I'd seen. And so we try to bring a little of that pizzazz to the greatest story ever told --at our little local church. I also loved the college choir and was never in it. I had a 5 note alto range in those days --but I admired the singers and knew them well. I was a lowly instrumentalist.
When Jon was in med school, I was the main musician for our little FM church plant in St. Louis, headed by a college friend of ours. And I ventured forth to have a Christmas choir there --and since then, we've never missed a year of Christmas choir. It was a good thing that my husband loved to sing and was good at it. WE had no idea how musically fortuitous our union would be --when we gave birth to a soprano, alto, tenor and bass. In that order. Chrissy and Rob can sing high, also. To cultivate their ear and love of music, I rocked and sang to my babies every night, giving the best performances I could muster --including O holy Night--always at least a few lullabyes for bedtime. And the girls, especially, had a repertoire of children's church songs by the time they were 2. They all loved the mic; Rob liked to blow in it for the guaranteed laughs.
TONIGHT ~ The children and the young dancers from grades 4-9 came through beautifully. I was wondering if some weren't cursed with 2 left feet and no sense of artistic grace as they so often stumbled heavy-footed, lumbering on the stage, giggling over errors--and I began to think that what was asked of them was just too hard for the young ages of some of them --but they put their growing pains and everlasting fidgets and giggles aside and did us proud! Grace from the Giver of Grace came out tonight!
And we had a good audience, nearly filling the main floor. 200 of us in the building counting the 27 in the choir, the couple dozen youth and another 8 for the nativity --counting live Baby Jesus --who never rehearsed --not once. Nor did Joseph. Just as in the Bible, his role was supportive and after the fact! And both did fine.
This show was one of the most demanding for the children and the adults --transitions, transitions, transitions --had to be worked over and over -so we would know where to go next, who moves what mic --and so on. It's easier when we just sit in the choir loft and let select people do the moving --but Steph had us working --so that each song is more than just people singing. A few of us have stools --for variety in the staging --and for need. I get to sit. A bench was needed for one of the scenes, so my husband gets to sit in that one. But everyone else is standing throughout --without complaint.
She worked every Wednesday for over 2 months for an hour with these young shepherds, angels and Irish dancers and met the adult choir on thursdays --then Chrissy or I met with whoever could practice Sundays instead of Thursdays. On the Saturday before Thanksgiving, we started having 3 rehearsals a week (except for Thanksgiving Day, of course) Chris choreographed one of the 2 children's numbers and both women met with the Jr. church kids on sundays --which rehearsals were fun to behold. I observed once. Steph planned the lighting and coordinated the people to do it --something we've never had any expertise for and she wouldn't say she's had training in it but that went well. We would still welcome an experienced light tech to use our state of the art equipment and take the burden off the director.
Sound issues are always iffy. We have dedicated people but the sound on stage is different from the house --and we deal with multiple mics and monitors and a sound track. OUr resident expert in sound tech (did music production for a living for awhile) doesn't have time to do it for the church; we asked his opinion --and he noted that we aren't bringing the orchestra up loud enough in places --especially some solos needed more backup. But we are so afraid to tell Tom to change anything now --lest a smidgeon of change overwhelm the singing. Sound techs are typically more prone to drown the singers and Tom isn't doing that. He's been faithful--even bringing a grandbaby to rehearsal when he had to babysit --who sat for hours in a little play chair (whaddaya call 'em?) and didn't let out a peep --2 Saturday mornings.
The directors got their start with Amy Gelsone and her excellent program at AWHS and Sandy Kellogg as their private piano teacher starting in grade school and occasional voice coach. From there to Wheaton College Conservatory of Music in Illinois --where they tested in the top 5% in music theory (yes, Mom is boasting)and were honor choral directors of school choirs-and then Chrissy did her masters in choral performance (direction) at BGSU. Stephanie taught and directed children's musicals and one park theater for 7 or so years in Chicago suburban public school --Streamwood--a school with a history of 6th gr. Jr Broadway musicals with parents and teachers going all out. They made a professional sounding CD of School House Rock which I cherish.
Chrissy taught 4 years in inner city Toledo when she graduated and 3 years at Libbey H.S. and also in some of the roughest elementaries. Then did her masters and has been at Elmwood now in her 7th year, directing 5-12, including the Show Choir, the spring musicals for jr. high and h.s., a madrigal banquet, seasonal concerts and solo-ensemble and choir competitions. She's coordinated 2 department trips to NYC and Chicago. Add to that lots of community musical theater experience for both --including the Rep's Young Rep Road Show as teens.
All that gives our church two free professionals. Stephanie especially is the only one we have now who could run our worship ministries. Chrissy would not have time, nor want to be the pianist. Others who did and could have done it in the past are attending and leading music elsewhere. Our former WMD had to move. Steph is very faithful and organized about it --and for a high-strung person (I think, as her mother), she has demonstrated remarkable sanctification in her temperament, working respectfully with all. If she's made anybody mad, I haven't heard of it. The girls are both way more disciplined, skilled, knowledgeable musically and organized than their mother. And probably more diplomatic.
The Annual Church Cantata/Musical has been a family and church tradition since the year we moved here --when Steph was 2 and stood in the pew by her grandma singing with the choir, "Love Transcending, Love Transcending...." Chrissy was then 6 months old when we did our first cantata at Holland Free Methodist Church. I couldn't have imagined then that they would be running the program today.
The Rohrs Kids' Quartet will hopefully sing their acapella "O Little Town of Bethlehem" Sunday morning at the 10:40 service.
Christmas Eve SErvice 6:00 PM -- We will do the traditional favorite, the Gaither's
"Cherish" --but probably without John, as marriage takes him other directions --where his wife's family is also involved in their church music --so we have to share him. You don't hear that song very often in other churches --because the piano part is a bear with 5 sharps. Once I learned it, I've hung on to it. We've been doing it since the girls were teens.
Now that I'm 62, I'm resting on small-church laurels and waxing nostalgic in reminiscences. If you were my or Steph's friend on Facebook, you could see a lot of photos of cantatas gone by.
The amazing creative costuming and set design by Sue Conklin are also a gift to our church that has made these programs and memories much more special than they would otherwise be.
I know, it's small peanuts in the grand scheme of church ministries --but we are making a memory and celebrating and teaching to children this wonderful story of God's love given in a manger, in a stable --the Living Word Incarnate! Jesus Christ --who came as a baby, fully human--and fully Divine. For our salvation. JOY TO THE WORLD! THE LORD HAS COME!
"God is not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance and have eternal life."--the Bible
I had some complaints and concerns after the final dress rehearsal--felt anxious as though I were the director and aware that lots of things could go wrong. The annual church musical was always like delivering a baby when I used to direct it myself--a labor of love with a lot of anxiety and pain mixed in --I was usually sort of useless domestically during this period and my husband was understanding/long-suffering. It never failed that one or more of my major appliances would fail in December. We figured it was the Devil's oppression and attempt to hinder. This year, the clothes washer is making threatening noises and buzzes --like something is caught in the works. Every aspect of the show except costume and decor used to be mine to administrate --and I was an amateur asking for a level of commitment from other inexperienced people, that they didn't always think was necessary-- but then everything would come together, as though blessed by the Lord, miraculously.
And so tonight, good friend of family Inga said, "Well, we had another miracle! Last night I didn't think things were going so well. I couldn't believe how well the children performed and behaved and how beautiful it was." Inga helps with the children because she values the tradition we have and wants it for her 5 kids. Paul French, music director at a big church near Indiana Weslyan, grew up loving our tradition and this is the first year he's had to miss singing with us. Jon Flory is pianist at the Church on Strayer and we miss him and his family; Lyn Bryant the music director at Heritage Church of God always beautified our soprano section; Sharon Brillhart, music director at West Unity FM --opera singer Amanda Shultz Johnson who moved --they and many others share with us in the memory of musicals at HFM.
We are pleased that Dean Bell of Elmwood music fame sang with us again this year --and Gene Gelsone, a Waterville Playshop veteran, husband of the director at AW, and 2 Sweet Adeline gals Carole Polanski and Shelley Davis, joined us from other churches.
The dream of such annual productions was mine in the early 70's because I had discovered musical theater at the Wagon Wheel Playhouse in Winona Lake, excellent regional theater. I had a friend in the orchestra who got me in free to the dress rehearsals. I LOVED music theater. It was the first I'd seen. And so we try to bring a little of that pizzazz to the greatest story ever told --at our little local church. I also loved the college choir and was never in it. I had a 5 note alto range in those days --but I admired the singers and knew them well. I was a lowly instrumentalist.
When Jon was in med school, I was the main musician for our little FM church plant in St. Louis, headed by a college friend of ours. And I ventured forth to have a Christmas choir there --and since then, we've never missed a year of Christmas choir. It was a good thing that my husband loved to sing and was good at it. WE had no idea how musically fortuitous our union would be --when we gave birth to a soprano, alto, tenor and bass. In that order. Chrissy and Rob can sing high, also. To cultivate their ear and love of music, I rocked and sang to my babies every night, giving the best performances I could muster --including O holy Night--always at least a few lullabyes for bedtime. And the girls, especially, had a repertoire of children's church songs by the time they were 2. They all loved the mic; Rob liked to blow in it for the guaranteed laughs.
TONIGHT ~ The children and the young dancers from grades 4-9 came through beautifully. I was wondering if some weren't cursed with 2 left feet and no sense of artistic grace as they so often stumbled heavy-footed, lumbering on the stage, giggling over errors--and I began to think that what was asked of them was just too hard for the young ages of some of them --but they put their growing pains and everlasting fidgets and giggles aside and did us proud! Grace from the Giver of Grace came out tonight!
And we had a good audience, nearly filling the main floor. 200 of us in the building counting the 27 in the choir, the couple dozen youth and another 8 for the nativity --counting live Baby Jesus --who never rehearsed --not once. Nor did Joseph. Just as in the Bible, his role was supportive and after the fact! And both did fine.
This show was one of the most demanding for the children and the adults --transitions, transitions, transitions --had to be worked over and over -so we would know where to go next, who moves what mic --and so on. It's easier when we just sit in the choir loft and let select people do the moving --but Steph had us working --so that each song is more than just people singing. A few of us have stools --for variety in the staging --and for need. I get to sit. A bench was needed for one of the scenes, so my husband gets to sit in that one. But everyone else is standing throughout --without complaint.
She worked every Wednesday for over 2 months for an hour with these young shepherds, angels and Irish dancers and met the adult choir on thursdays --then Chrissy or I met with whoever could practice Sundays instead of Thursdays. On the Saturday before Thanksgiving, we started having 3 rehearsals a week (except for Thanksgiving Day, of course) Chris choreographed one of the 2 children's numbers and both women met with the Jr. church kids on sundays --which rehearsals were fun to behold. I observed once. Steph planned the lighting and coordinated the people to do it --something we've never had any expertise for and she wouldn't say she's had training in it but that went well. We would still welcome an experienced light tech to use our state of the art equipment and take the burden off the director.
Sound issues are always iffy. We have dedicated people but the sound on stage is different from the house --and we deal with multiple mics and monitors and a sound track. OUr resident expert in sound tech (did music production for a living for awhile) doesn't have time to do it for the church; we asked his opinion --and he noted that we aren't bringing the orchestra up loud enough in places --especially some solos needed more backup. But we are so afraid to tell Tom to change anything now --lest a smidgeon of change overwhelm the singing. Sound techs are typically more prone to drown the singers and Tom isn't doing that. He's been faithful--even bringing a grandbaby to rehearsal when he had to babysit --who sat for hours in a little play chair (whaddaya call 'em?) and didn't let out a peep --2 Saturday mornings.
The directors got their start with Amy Gelsone and her excellent program at AWHS and Sandy Kellogg as their private piano teacher starting in grade school and occasional voice coach. From there to Wheaton College Conservatory of Music in Illinois --where they tested in the top 5% in music theory (yes, Mom is boasting)and were honor choral directors of school choirs-and then Chrissy did her masters in choral performance (direction) at BGSU. Stephanie taught and directed children's musicals and one park theater for 7 or so years in Chicago suburban public school --Streamwood--a school with a history of 6th gr. Jr Broadway musicals with parents and teachers going all out. They made a professional sounding CD of School House Rock which I cherish.
Chrissy taught 4 years in inner city Toledo when she graduated and 3 years at Libbey H.S. and also in some of the roughest elementaries. Then did her masters and has been at Elmwood now in her 7th year, directing 5-12, including the Show Choir, the spring musicals for jr. high and h.s., a madrigal banquet, seasonal concerts and solo-ensemble and choir competitions. She's coordinated 2 department trips to NYC and Chicago. Add to that lots of community musical theater experience for both --including the Rep's Young Rep Road Show as teens.
All that gives our church two free professionals. Stephanie especially is the only one we have now who could run our worship ministries. Chrissy would not have time, nor want to be the pianist. Others who did and could have done it in the past are attending and leading music elsewhere. Our former WMD had to move. Steph is very faithful and organized about it --and for a high-strung person (I think, as her mother), she has demonstrated remarkable sanctification in her temperament, working respectfully with all. If she's made anybody mad, I haven't heard of it. The girls are both way more disciplined, skilled, knowledgeable musically and organized than their mother. And probably more diplomatic.
The Annual Church Cantata/Musical has been a family and church tradition since the year we moved here --when Steph was 2 and stood in the pew by her grandma singing with the choir, "Love Transcending, Love Transcending...." Chrissy was then 6 months old when we did our first cantata at Holland Free Methodist Church. I couldn't have imagined then that they would be running the program today.
The Rohrs Kids' Quartet will hopefully sing their acapella "O Little Town of Bethlehem" Sunday morning at the 10:40 service.
Christmas Eve SErvice 6:00 PM -- We will do the traditional favorite, the Gaither's
"Cherish" --but probably without John, as marriage takes him other directions --where his wife's family is also involved in their church music --so we have to share him. You don't hear that song very often in other churches --because the piano part is a bear with 5 sharps. Once I learned it, I've hung on to it. We've been doing it since the girls were teens.
Now that I'm 62, I'm resting on small-church laurels and waxing nostalgic in reminiscences. If you were my or Steph's friend on Facebook, you could see a lot of photos of cantatas gone by.
The amazing creative costuming and set design by Sue Conklin are also a gift to our church that has made these programs and memories much more special than they would otherwise be.
I know, it's small peanuts in the grand scheme of church ministries --but we are making a memory and celebrating and teaching to children this wonderful story of God's love given in a manger, in a stable --the Living Word Incarnate! Jesus Christ --who came as a baby, fully human--and fully Divine. For our salvation. JOY TO THE WORLD! THE LORD HAS COME!
"God is not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance and have eternal life."--the Bible
Thursday, December 18, 2008
Obama Demonstrates a Tolerance that Liberal Bloggers Don't Seem to Grasp
Obama has chosen Rick Warren to deliver the invocation at his inauguration. This has been a sour note for many in the homosexual rights movement given Rick Warren's opposition to the homosexual movement.
"On Thursday, Obama defended his decision to tap Warren. "And I would note that a couple of years ago, I was invited to Rick Warren's church to speak, despite his awareness that I held views that were entirely contrary to his when it came to gay and lesbian rights, when it came to issues like abortion. ...
"And that dialogue, I think, is part of what my campaign's been all about: That we're not going to agree on every single issue, but what we have to do is to be able to create an atmosphere ... where we can disagree without being disagreeable and then focus on those things that we hold in common as Americans."
Source:
www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/12/18/rick.warren/index.html
Methinks Obama isn't committed to the notion that anyone who disagrees with the homosexual movement is unscientific and a hatemonger. Of course he could still change his mind and back down cowtowing to the tolerance fascists who want to continue the dialogue with only one side!
"On Thursday, Obama defended his decision to tap Warren. "And I would note that a couple of years ago, I was invited to Rick Warren's church to speak, despite his awareness that I held views that were entirely contrary to his when it came to gay and lesbian rights, when it came to issues like abortion. ...
"And that dialogue, I think, is part of what my campaign's been all about: That we're not going to agree on every single issue, but what we have to do is to be able to create an atmosphere ... where we can disagree without being disagreeable and then focus on those things that we hold in common as Americans."
Source:
www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/12/18/rick.warren/index.html
Methinks Obama isn't committed to the notion that anyone who disagrees with the homosexual movement is unscientific and a hatemonger. Of course he could still change his mind and back down cowtowing to the tolerance fascists who want to continue the dialogue with only one side!
CLC PARTY --Christian Life Club --the Trail Blazers
Eighteen children, 3rd and 4th graders, with 3 teachers and my husband as a driver, came to the CLC party last night --in a 90-minute window before we had to get the van back to the church. We had 2 vans and went to the Ridgewood Manor Nursing Home where they said we could carol briefly into hallways--which we did a couple of hallways --and then raced to our house for refreshments. Daughter-in-law Charlotte had prepared rice krispie treats with Christmas sprinkles on them, red cupcakes, frosted cookies --all so delicious --and provided several munchies to choose from and cheese cubes. The kids just oohed and aahed about the decorations and the house --which has taken several days and helpers to pull together for the holidays--and they scarfed down the food.
They said, "You're RICH! Miss Barb!" I said, "Well, if you think so, let me tell you --my husband out there [who was serving the green sherbet punch to them] has worked VERY HARD since 7th grade when he decided that God wanted him to be a doctor. He worked very hard in school and has been working very hard ever since then. He works most all the time. And that's why we have a big house."
One of the girls said, "That's what my Mom tells me --go to college first and then get married."
My house is not unusual but big (5 bedrooms, full walk-out basement), (One realtor called it "toledo colonial"-- no grand foyers or great rooms so popular and grand today, not the most elaborate and grand in Toledo Suburbs by any means, and the decor is fading, over 20 years old the carpet and wall paper, and we own so much stuff --clutter -- music and magazines and mail and catalogues, staitionary, knick knacks --and Christmas decorations galore. We do tidy and fix up for a party and maximize the assets with lighting, candles, colorful accenting, etc.
Most of these children are from new and lovely, though comparatively smaller, Habitat for Humanity homes.
One little girl said, "I feel like a lady here!"
Shivinder said of the lime sherbet punch, "It was this green foamy punch with ice cream in it and 7-up and they served it from a bowl!!!!" (We've done that at church; I don't know how he missed it --it was better this time, for some reason. Maybe it's only ladies' showers, though, when we've had it.)
We did light the candles, played christmas music, and my husband has these white Christmas trees on our porch with neon blue lights --I mean BRIGHT! And I think it clashes with our colonial yellow house lights/window candles/reds and greens --but I quit protesting and he put up three of them and they sure do light up the neighborhood!! I did clean and brighten up the old-fashioned crystal chandelier from the 60's when our house was built. And I showed them the indoor 10x18 pool (which is our exceptional luxury feature for our health --and a conversation piece) and they do want to come back. Some said they wanted to live here. We may try a swim party for half the group at a time later in the year.
They all took more food than they could eat, so I gave them baggies for their leftovers. For gifts they got a Bible Trivia booklet and a CD of Christmas carols by Third Day --and Jon provided big Snicker bars for all. Inga shopped for me.
Jon's van was a little late to the church, and the bus kids were supposed to all stay in the van --but they all piled out and into the church, making their ride home a few minutes later still.
but finally, I assume everyone was returned home. My husband thought it was great to have them in and out as fast as it happened, but it felt too rushed --there were a few crushed M&M's here and there. If I had it to do over, I would've had them keep their shoes on --to save time --as they weren't going to be walking around all that much --but everybody automatically took them off when they entered --as we customarily do. Some little boys were inching up the stairs wanting to see the upstairs which was off limits.
It wasn't a party for much spiritual Christmasey reflection--but they sang some carols and received those on CD --and I hope those lyrics will become as meaningful to them in their lives as they are to me.
Their behavior at the nursing home was excellent --and at my house, also --except for a couple of guys rudeness to each other (2 of our regulars who've grown up in church.) My husband said the van ride was loud and that somebody behind him was asking the various kids if they were gay or lesbian. I tell you, the topic is nationally omnipresent when even the children are aware. We hadn't planned to discuss that in Trail Blazers.
"God is not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance and have eternal life."--the Bible
They said, "You're RICH! Miss Barb!" I said, "Well, if you think so, let me tell you --my husband out there [who was serving the green sherbet punch to them] has worked VERY HARD since 7th grade when he decided that God wanted him to be a doctor. He worked very hard in school and has been working very hard ever since then. He works most all the time. And that's why we have a big house."
One of the girls said, "That's what my Mom tells me --go to college first and then get married."
My house is not unusual but big (5 bedrooms, full walk-out basement), (One realtor called it "toledo colonial"-- no grand foyers or great rooms so popular and grand today, not the most elaborate and grand in Toledo Suburbs by any means, and the decor is fading, over 20 years old the carpet and wall paper, and we own so much stuff --clutter -- music and magazines and mail and catalogues, staitionary, knick knacks --and Christmas decorations galore. We do tidy and fix up for a party and maximize the assets with lighting, candles, colorful accenting, etc.
Most of these children are from new and lovely, though comparatively smaller, Habitat for Humanity homes.
One little girl said, "I feel like a lady here!"
Shivinder said of the lime sherbet punch, "It was this green foamy punch with ice cream in it and 7-up and they served it from a bowl!!!!" (We've done that at church; I don't know how he missed it --it was better this time, for some reason. Maybe it's only ladies' showers, though, when we've had it.)
We did light the candles, played christmas music, and my husband has these white Christmas trees on our porch with neon blue lights --I mean BRIGHT! And I think it clashes with our colonial yellow house lights/window candles/reds and greens --but I quit protesting and he put up three of them and they sure do light up the neighborhood!! I did clean and brighten up the old-fashioned crystal chandelier from the 60's when our house was built. And I showed them the indoor 10x18 pool (which is our exceptional luxury feature for our health --and a conversation piece) and they do want to come back. Some said they wanted to live here. We may try a swim party for half the group at a time later in the year.
They all took more food than they could eat, so I gave them baggies for their leftovers. For gifts they got a Bible Trivia booklet and a CD of Christmas carols by Third Day --and Jon provided big Snicker bars for all. Inga shopped for me.
Jon's van was a little late to the church, and the bus kids were supposed to all stay in the van --but they all piled out and into the church, making their ride home a few minutes later still.
but finally, I assume everyone was returned home. My husband thought it was great to have them in and out as fast as it happened, but it felt too rushed --there were a few crushed M&M's here and there. If I had it to do over, I would've had them keep their shoes on --to save time --as they weren't going to be walking around all that much --but everybody automatically took them off when they entered --as we customarily do. Some little boys were inching up the stairs wanting to see the upstairs which was off limits.
It wasn't a party for much spiritual Christmasey reflection--but they sang some carols and received those on CD --and I hope those lyrics will become as meaningful to them in their lives as they are to me.
Their behavior at the nursing home was excellent --and at my house, also --except for a couple of guys rudeness to each other (2 of our regulars who've grown up in church.) My husband said the van ride was loud and that somebody behind him was asking the various kids if they were gay or lesbian. I tell you, the topic is nationally omnipresent when even the children are aware. We hadn't planned to discuss that in Trail Blazers.
"God is not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance and have eternal life."--the Bible
Tuesday, December 16, 2008
Ben Stein on Christmas
Rob, your uncle sent me this for the blog:
Supposedly by Ben Stein:
"God is not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance and have eternal life."--the Bible
Supposedly by Ben Stein:
The following was written by Ben Stein and recited by him on CBS Sunday Morning.
My confession:
I am a Jew, and every single one of my ancestors was Jewish. And it does not bother me even a little bit when people call those beautiful lit-up, bejeweled trees, Christmas trees...I don't feel threatened. I don't feel discriminated against
That's what they are: Christmas trees.
It doesn't bother me a bit when people say, 'Merry Christmas' to me. I don't think they are slighting me or getting ready to put me in a ghetto. In fact, I kind of like it It shows that we are all brothers and sisters celebrating this happy time of year. It doesn't bother me at all that there is a manger scene on display at a key intersection near my beach house in Malibu. If people want a crèche, it's just as fine with me as is the Menorah a few hundred yards away.
I don't like getting pushed around for being a Jew, and I don't think Christians like getting pushed around for being Christians. I think people who believe in God are sick and tired of getting pushed around, period. I have no idea where the concept came from that America is an explicitly atheist country. I can't find it in the Constitution and I don't like it being shoved down my throat.
Or maybe I can put it another way: where did the idea come from that we should worship celebrities and we aren't allowed to worship God as we understand Him? I guess that's a sign that I'm getting old, too. But there are a lot of us who are wondering where these celebrities came from and where the America we knew went to.
In light of the many jokes we send to one another for a laugh, this is a little different: This is not intended to be a joke; it's not funny, it's intended to get
you thinking.
Billy Graham's daughter was interviewed on the Early Show and Jane Clayson asked her
'How could God let something like this happen?' (regarding Katrina) Anne Graham gave an extremely profound and insightful response. She said, 'I believe God is deeply saddened by this, just as we are, but for years we've been telling God to get out of our schools, to get out of our government and to get out of our lives. And being the
gentleman He is, I believe He has calmly backed out. How can we expect God to give us His blessing and His protection if we demand Heleave us alone?'
In light of recent events... terrorists' attacks, school shootings, etc. I think
it started when Madeleine Murray O'Hare (she was murdered, her body found a few years ago) complained she didn't want prayer in our schools, and we said OK. Then someone said you better not read the Bible in school. The Bible says thou shalt not kill, thou shalt not steal, and love your neighbor as yourself. And we said OK.
Then Dr. Benjamin Spock said we shouldn't spank our children when they misbehave because their little personalities would be warped and we might damage their self-esteem (Dr Spock's son committed suicide). We said an expert should know what
he's talking about. And we said OK.
Now we're asking ourselves why our children have no consciences, why they don't
know right from wrong, and why it doesn't bother them to kill strangers, their classmates, and themselves.
Probably, if we think about it long and hard enough, we can figure it out. I think
it has a great deal to do with 'WE REAP WHAT WE SOW.'
Funny how simple it is for people to trash God and then wonder why the world's going to hell. Funny how we believe what the newspapers say, but question what the Bible says. Funny how you can send 'jokes' through e-mail and they spread like wildfire but when you start sending messages regarding the Lord, people think twice about sharing. Funny how lewd, crude, vulgar and obscene articles pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion of God is suppressed in the school and workplace.
Are you laughing yet?
Funny how when you forward this message, you will not send it to many on your address list because you're not sure what they believe, or what they will think of you for sending it.
Funny how we can be more worried more about what other people think of us than what God thinks of us.
Pass it on if you think it has merit. If not then just discard it... no one will
know you did. But, if you discard this thought process, don't sit back and complain about what bad shape the world is in.
My best regards, honestly and respectfully,
Ben Stein
"God is not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance and have eternal life."--the Bible
Monday, December 15, 2008
JOY JOY JOY! IS COMING!! 34th Annual Musical
This is a delightrul, uplifting musical --this Friday and Sunday at 7 PM at the Holland Free Methodist Church, 6605 Angola Rd, Holland, OH --north of Spring Meadows Mall -east of the intersection of McCord and Angola.
The children and grades 4-9 have a lot of action and singing to coordinate with the adults --so it's been a LOT OF WORK!!! And fun, too. We all had pizza lunch Sunday during rehearsal --and birthday cake for Stephanie our director.
Sue C. has done it again--with nativity costumes, banners, children's colorful accessories, church decor.
And they tell me the choir is sounding good. (Six guests from other churches have favored us with their voices.) I'm one of 2 or 3 using the books on the opening numbers --just to help the one or two others feel better because they are using books, too! (heh heh) We have one pro-guest-tenor assisting us who will need his book, and I am an un-pro alto whose daughter-directors are indulging her because they need that alto part and I probably wouldn't accomplish memorizing both words and part. So Dean Bell and I, at least, will be on book.
We have a few sweet adelines in the group and some really fine soloists/ensemblists who are from our church--some people who are comfortable and experienced on stage with the little theatrics we are attempting as part of the show.
This is a great way to jumpstart your "Christmas spirit," --also entertaining to children --we open singing of Christmas angels all around us --and then Christmas celebrations, family, shopping, parking --the NOISE of Christmas!!! and move from there to the coming of the Child, the joyous announcement to shepherds, the gifts of the magi --and the quiet worship of the Christ child--the traditional story depicted with a real baby, if all goes well. Babies don't always cooperate.
You'll enjoy it. NOt quite an hour --cookies and punch afterwards. Admission free; nursery provided.
Children's S.S. Christmas Program is this Sunday at 9:30 AM! For this, my middle-school class has memorized the verses from I Corinthians 13 --the Love Chapter.
_____________________
THIS past week, I got one awful case of gastroenteritis --so sick to my stomach --blcch! Had to miss Sat. practice. Jon had had a milder case about 5 days earlier --but it was enough to make him miss half a day of work --which he NEVER does. Anyway, Sunday was Stephanie's birthday and a rehearsal after church until 3 --so she played for church, worked with the children during the sermon, worked with the adults and the children after church; JOn forgot to pick up the birthday cake I ordered even though he made a run to the store for salad bowls and greens --so he had to make another trip. Others sat up the tables and picked up the pizza and subs for the choir rehearsal lunch--then we all rehearsed until 3 --and then 9 of us left at 4 to see the Madrigal Dinner at our other daughter's school where she directs the choral program --excellent solo and choir work --exquisite.
After much merry old England foolishness about men in tights and chastity belt commercials, beggars begging, and so on, the members did the traditional recitation of verses from Luke between sacred choir numbers, including a challenging piece from Catholic Church tradition --"magesterium" something or other --and other traditional carols. They departed singing Silent Night acapella --and the hall erupted in appreciative applause for the exquisite sound in the quiet beauty of the night --and the excellent achievement of the students. Tonight we had the school's show choir (the banquet's royal court) for a party here --and Wednesday we have the CLC group of 3rd and 4th graders. And Friday, the church musical and sunday the S.S. program.
I'm bushed! and Christmas is always like this --and I wouldn't have it any other way --except for the illnesses. I thank God for Stephanie and our friend Camille who helped spruce up the house --as we weren't ready after a week like last week. Pray for Chrissy as she's afraid she's getting a sore throat --and she has such a beautiful solo to sing this week --and we need her voice. Choir is about 30 singers this year and we can't afford to lose anybody --but she's one of our directors, too.
The whole family is in it --as we have done for many many years. We did the first one when Chrissy was a baby --when we moved here. I did not have a choral or vocal background in music, just piano and trumpet and exposure to choirs and I accompanied voice class and voice lessons and learned a little there. But we were all amateurs trying to do a big production every year with about 10 people at most showing up for the first rehearsals --but then we'd pick up steam --and the Lord would give us a production that would tell the story faithfully and make a teaching memory for children --and a family memory for all--and Sue C. and I have enjoyed the partnership. I have people taking my place, but she is still going stronga doing decor and costumes herself. I give advice now and am told, "Got it covered, Mom."
I do have to edit and finish the typed program tomorrow, however. I volunteered. But Steph has taken over all the details --and her sister is doing a lot of directing and working choreographing children, too --while doing her own program for her job.
I love to see them all make music.
ROB R., by the way, has a most beautiful voice --smooth as chocolate. A wide range and a pure sense of pitch, vibrato --the works. a warm high baritone. But no solo this year as he doesn't aspire to perform and his sisters are less apt to twist his arm than his mother is.
Singing is something Rob was more or less forced to do when we let him quit band --and ever since. Because we found out he had talent and we needed him and we don't ask all that much of him in life. And he always gets into the spirit of the thing and has a good time in spite of himself --for the most part. Right, Rob? He studied, too, had a voice scholarship, soloed with the college choir --so while reluctant, he has nevertheless developed his gift and I hope he'll always make it available.
There's just something about music about and for the Lord --it's just beautiful --speaks to the soul like nothing else.
"God is not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance and have eternal life."--the Bible
The children and grades 4-9 have a lot of action and singing to coordinate with the adults --so it's been a LOT OF WORK!!! And fun, too. We all had pizza lunch Sunday during rehearsal --and birthday cake for Stephanie our director.
Sue C. has done it again--with nativity costumes, banners, children's colorful accessories, church decor.
And they tell me the choir is sounding good. (Six guests from other churches have favored us with their voices.) I'm one of 2 or 3 using the books on the opening numbers --just to help the one or two others feel better because they are using books, too! (heh heh) We have one pro-guest-tenor assisting us who will need his book, and I am an un-pro alto whose daughter-directors are indulging her because they need that alto part and I probably wouldn't accomplish memorizing both words and part. So Dean Bell and I, at least, will be on book.
We have a few sweet adelines in the group and some really fine soloists/ensemblists who are from our church--some people who are comfortable and experienced on stage with the little theatrics we are attempting as part of the show.
This is a great way to jumpstart your "Christmas spirit," --also entertaining to children --we open singing of Christmas angels all around us --and then Christmas celebrations, family, shopping, parking --the NOISE of Christmas!!! and move from there to the coming of the Child, the joyous announcement to shepherds, the gifts of the magi --and the quiet worship of the Christ child--the traditional story depicted with a real baby, if all goes well. Babies don't always cooperate.
You'll enjoy it. NOt quite an hour --cookies and punch afterwards. Admission free; nursery provided.
Children's S.S. Christmas Program is this Sunday at 9:30 AM! For this, my middle-school class has memorized the verses from I Corinthians 13 --the Love Chapter.
CANDELIGHT CHRISTMAS EVE SERVICE IS 6 PM.
_____________________
THIS past week, I got one awful case of gastroenteritis --so sick to my stomach --blcch! Had to miss Sat. practice. Jon had had a milder case about 5 days earlier --but it was enough to make him miss half a day of work --which he NEVER does. Anyway, Sunday was Stephanie's birthday and a rehearsal after church until 3 --so she played for church, worked with the children during the sermon, worked with the adults and the children after church; JOn forgot to pick up the birthday cake I ordered even though he made a run to the store for salad bowls and greens --so he had to make another trip. Others sat up the tables and picked up the pizza and subs for the choir rehearsal lunch--then we all rehearsed until 3 --and then 9 of us left at 4 to see the Madrigal Dinner at our other daughter's school where she directs the choral program --excellent solo and choir work --exquisite.
After much merry old England foolishness about men in tights and chastity belt commercials, beggars begging, and so on, the members did the traditional recitation of verses from Luke between sacred choir numbers, including a challenging piece from Catholic Church tradition --"magesterium" something or other --and other traditional carols. They departed singing Silent Night acapella --and the hall erupted in appreciative applause for the exquisite sound in the quiet beauty of the night --and the excellent achievement of the students. Tonight we had the school's show choir (the banquet's royal court) for a party here --and Wednesday we have the CLC group of 3rd and 4th graders. And Friday, the church musical and sunday the S.S. program.
I'm bushed! and Christmas is always like this --and I wouldn't have it any other way --except for the illnesses. I thank God for Stephanie and our friend Camille who helped spruce up the house --as we weren't ready after a week like last week. Pray for Chrissy as she's afraid she's getting a sore throat --and she has such a beautiful solo to sing this week --and we need her voice. Choir is about 30 singers this year and we can't afford to lose anybody --but she's one of our directors, too.
The whole family is in it --as we have done for many many years. We did the first one when Chrissy was a baby --when we moved here. I did not have a choral or vocal background in music, just piano and trumpet and exposure to choirs and I accompanied voice class and voice lessons and learned a little there. But we were all amateurs trying to do a big production every year with about 10 people at most showing up for the first rehearsals --but then we'd pick up steam --and the Lord would give us a production that would tell the story faithfully and make a teaching memory for children --and a family memory for all--and Sue C. and I have enjoyed the partnership. I have people taking my place, but she is still going stronga doing decor and costumes herself. I give advice now and am told, "Got it covered, Mom."
I do have to edit and finish the typed program tomorrow, however. I volunteered. But Steph has taken over all the details --and her sister is doing a lot of directing and working choreographing children, too --while doing her own program for her job.
I love to see them all make music.
ROB R., by the way, has a most beautiful voice --smooth as chocolate. A wide range and a pure sense of pitch, vibrato --the works. a warm high baritone. But no solo this year as he doesn't aspire to perform and his sisters are less apt to twist his arm than his mother is.
Singing is something Rob was more or less forced to do when we let him quit band --and ever since. Because we found out he had talent and we needed him and we don't ask all that much of him in life. And he always gets into the spirit of the thing and has a good time in spite of himself --for the most part. Right, Rob? He studied, too, had a voice scholarship, soloed with the college choir --so while reluctant, he has nevertheless developed his gift and I hope he'll always make it available.
There's just something about music about and for the Lord --it's just beautiful --speaks to the soul like nothing else.
"God is not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance and have eternal life."--the Bible
Wednesday, December 10, 2008
Where is Waldo? Look On Site Meter!
Because a fellow blogger thought Valerie from Paris might feel I was harrassing her by posting the supposed location of her ISP, I have removed it --unless someone wants to make more of it than they should with wild accusations of what the post really says. In that case, I'd have to re-post it. The post itself was benign, not unfriendly and not intended to frighten Valerie --as was the case when my actual address was posted in the past.
Site Meter is amazing and does take us all over the world with our blogging.
"God is not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance and have eternal life."--the Bible
Site Meter is amazing and does take us all over the world with our blogging.
"God is not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance and have eternal life."--the Bible
Monday, December 8, 2008
You Could Have Heard a Pin Drop --in Europe!
Received this from a church friend today and cannot attest to the truth of these items, but they are surely interesting --food for thought. Do not use them for your termpaper, nor The Barb Wire as a research source. I chat here --and discuss the news, events, views and emails of the day.
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~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"God is not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance and have eternal life."--the Bible
When in Switzerland, at a fairly large conference, Colin Powell was asked by the former Archbishop of Canterbury if our plans for Iraq were just an example of empire building' by George Bush. He answered by saying, 'Over the years, the United States has sent many of its fine young men and women into great peril to fight for freedom beyond our borders. The only amount of land we have ever asked for in return is enough to bury those that did not return.'
You could have heard a pin drop.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
There was a conference in France where a number of international engineers were taking part, including French and American. During a break one of the
French engineers came back into the room saying 'Have you heard the latest dumb stunt Bush has done? He has sent an aircraft carrier to Indonesia to help the tsunami victims. What does he intended to do, bomb them?'
A Boeing engineer stood up and replied quietly: 'Our carriers have three hospitals on board that can treat several hundred people; they are nuclear powered and can supply emergency electrical power to shore facilities; they have three cafeterias with the capacity to feed 3,000 people three meals a day, they can produce several thousand gallons of fresh water from sea water each day, and they carry half a dozen helicopters for use in transporting victims and injured to and from their flight deck. We have eleven such ships; how many does France have?'
You could have heard a pin drop.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A U.S. Navy Admiral was attending a naval conference that included Admirals from the U.S., English, Canadian, Australian and French Navies. At a
cocktail reception, he found himself standing with a large group of Officers that included personnel from most of those countries.
Everyone was chatting away in English as they sipped their drinks but a French admiral suddenly complained that, 'whereas Europeans learn many languages, Americans learn only English.' He then asked, 'Why is it that we always have to speak English in these conferences rather than speaking French?'
Without hesitating, the American Admiral replied 'Maybe it's because the Brits, Canadians, Aussies and Americans arranged it so you wouldn't have to speak German.'
You could have heard a pin drop.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
AND THIS STORY FITS RIGHT IN WITH THE ABOVE...
Robert Whiting, an elderly gentleman of 83, arrived in Paris by plane. At French Customs, he took a few minutes to locate his passport in his carry on.
'You have been to France before, monsieur?' the customs officer asked sarcastically.
Mr. Whiting admitted that he had been to France previously.
'Then you should know enough to have your passport ready.'
The American said, 'The last time I was here, I didn't have to show it.' 'Impossible. Americans always have to show your passports on arrival in France!'
The American senior gave the Frenchman a long hard look. Then he quietly explained. 'Well, when I came ashore at Omaha Beach on D-Day in '44 to help liberate this country, I couldn't find a single Frenchmen to show a passport to.'
You could have heard a pin drop.
"God is not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance and have eternal life."--the Bible
Sunday, December 7, 2008
COURT VICTORIES ON THE RIGHT WHICH ARE RIGHT!
FROM THE ALLIANCE DEFENSE FUND 2008 REPORT:
dropped all complaints abainst a Christian pharmacist who declined to dispense contraceptives, including the ...morning after pill...because of his...religious beliefs.
"God is not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance and have eternal life."--the Bible
Montana Bd. of Pharmacy
dropped all complaints abainst a Christian pharmacist who declined to dispense contraceptives, including the ...morning after pill...because of his...religious beliefs.
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit>ruled that Washington state pharmacists' rights of conscience will be protected while an appeal by state officials who oppose their rights moves forward.
The State of Arizona enacted "Jesse's Law"--inspired by the ordeal of Jesse Ramirez...; it protects patients who are physically unable to communicate their wishes regarding medical care. His life was saved by ADF legal intervention. He walked out of a rehab facility in (Oct. 07) and continues to recover at home.
So. Dakota's informed consent abortion lawrequires abortionists to inform women about the nature of abortion and the risks involved before the procedure is done. The US Court of Appeals for the 8th Circuit lifted an injunction against that law.
A federal court ruled that "choose Life">could be used as a slogan on specialty license plates in Missouri. The state tried to have a statute against the plates, but the court ruled it unconstitutional.
A state statute in Florida prohibited members of the Gideons, Int'l from distributing Bibles on public sidewalks. A federal court ruled the statute violated the 14th Amendment.
The Deer Valley Unified School Disrict in AZprohibited a Christian student club's flyers and PA announcements --because their announcement contained the word, "prayer." The school settled with the club and dropped their ban on the group's equal access to publicity.
US Court of Appeals for the 7th Circuitreversed a lower court's ruling against an illinois student who wore a T-shirt that read "Be Happy, Not Gay" --while allowing gay students to advocate their choice openly. This student still has a case pending, but the court ruled that the school had to suspend its ban on the t-shirt for now.
School officials in Wisconsin removed their banon religious expression in class assignements and artwork. A student had received a "zero" for a scripture reference in his artwork prior to lifting the ban on depictions of "blood, violence, sexual connotations, or religious beliefs." Yet, students who portrayed demon-like creatures in art were not censored.
At Savannah State U., a Christian groupcalled "Commissioned II Love" was forbidden to exist because they shared the Gospel (called harrassment) and practiced "foot washing" of new members (called "hazing.") So ADF and another group sued and reached an agreement with the school, allowing the group to return.
CA STATE U. system officials restricted speechat their 23 schools but settled with ADF to restore constitutional freedom of speech to these schools.
After a 10-year battle, a federal judge dismissed an ACLU suitagainst a Ky. Baptist home (Sunrise Childrens's Services) that provided social services for at-risk children. The lawsuit claimed the home should not receive partial expense reimbursements from the gov't for its needy youth programs because the home had a religious affiliation.
Thank God, for the Alliance Defense Fund and the attorneys they support.
"God is not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance and have eternal life."--the Bible
FROM MY BLOG BAG
Hillary is 7.5 million in debt for her campaign expenses. They want her supporters to bail her out. They are having a fund-raiser with seats from $50 to $1000 to retire the debt --and selling a children's book, about her candidacy. If I were worth the millions Hillary is worth, I'd be ashamed to ask people of much more modest means to send me their hard earned dollars. Just send Bill out to make 7 speeches and they'll be almost there --old Bill was worth $700,000 from GM for a speech! Which explains some of GM's problem. If a company's leadership is that stupid to spend that kind of money on ANY speech, much less to hear an old reprobate dispense his wisdom, does that company deserve to be bailed out? Good grief!
I'm not saying I am against the loans to these companies, but they surely need to cut out the wasteful, self-indulgent ways of both management and labor.
In the local Mirror newspaper recently, there was a letter from a 4th generation GM employee who rose to lower level management--and she was horrified by union behavior --and how management seemed helpless. She said they worked 5 hours in their 8 hour days, and one fellow went to the bar and when written up for excessive absenteeism, the union saved him his job --with pay for the time he skipped out on work. She told of labor bringing a woman in at noon for sexual favors. I understand that a Jeep employee wrote about similar abuses when she worked for Chrysler. We know that unions tend to be headed by thugs who are just as self-serving as any manager could be.
Do you ever hear of public education teaching a good work ethic? How employers should not have to pay people for their socializing time when they have work to do. I found a young lady in a dark doctor's office with her feet on the desk and having a personal phone conversation--while she was trying to accrue over-time; she had not clocked out. She was later caught forging doctors' signatures and is no longer wasting any doctors' time and money that I know of.
RELIGIOUS PEOPLE HAVE BETTER HEALTH; i.e. live longer
This is the finding of a recent study reported in the Blade. However, this is not news, really. The reason cited in former studies had to do with religiously observant people often not smoking and drinking and having high risk behaviors. Mormons, e.g., were said to be healthy for those reasons. Certain protestant and Muslim groups also avoid alcohol and/or nicotine.
Another recently reported study suggested that people who were around happy people enjoy more happiness, less depression. Church people in a healthy fellowship have a lot of good times and cameraderie --like our Christmas Choir. We have some very funny people with merry hearts.
"God is not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance and have eternal life."--the Bible
CORRECTION: I tried to find on google a reference to $700,000 for a Clinton speech at GM --I found 700,000 paid to Clinton for a total of 4 speeches to Citigroup. Does anyone know if GM also paid him exorbitant speaking fees? I was sure I heard it or read it somewhere. One reference said he asked up to $350,000 for speaking fees.
I'm not saying I am against the loans to these companies, but they surely need to cut out the wasteful, self-indulgent ways of both management and labor.
In the local Mirror newspaper recently, there was a letter from a 4th generation GM employee who rose to lower level management--and she was horrified by union behavior --and how management seemed helpless. She said they worked 5 hours in their 8 hour days, and one fellow went to the bar and when written up for excessive absenteeism, the union saved him his job --with pay for the time he skipped out on work. She told of labor bringing a woman in at noon for sexual favors. I understand that a Jeep employee wrote about similar abuses when she worked for Chrysler. We know that unions tend to be headed by thugs who are just as self-serving as any manager could be.
Do you ever hear of public education teaching a good work ethic? How employers should not have to pay people for their socializing time when they have work to do. I found a young lady in a dark doctor's office with her feet on the desk and having a personal phone conversation--while she was trying to accrue over-time; she had not clocked out. She was later caught forging doctors' signatures and is no longer wasting any doctors' time and money that I know of.
RELIGIOUS PEOPLE HAVE BETTER HEALTH; i.e. live longer
This is the finding of a recent study reported in the Blade. However, this is not news, really. The reason cited in former studies had to do with religiously observant people often not smoking and drinking and having high risk behaviors. Mormons, e.g., were said to be healthy for those reasons. Certain protestant and Muslim groups also avoid alcohol and/or nicotine.
Another recently reported study suggested that people who were around happy people enjoy more happiness, less depression. Church people in a healthy fellowship have a lot of good times and cameraderie --like our Christmas Choir. We have some very funny people with merry hearts.
"God is not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance and have eternal life."--the Bible
Thursday, December 4, 2008
Homosexuality not Proven to be Biologically Determined
Rob posted this as a comment on Masoni's blog:
Though it may be widely acknowledged that homosexuality may have precursors in biological inclinations, that is, biological influences, it is most certainly not the scientific consensus that homosexual orientation is biologically determined.
Francis Collins, the former head of the human genome project, denies that homosexuality is primarily biological in origin.
In reviewing the heritability (influence of genetic factors) of personality traits, Dr. Collins referenced the estimates of the percentage of various human personality traits that can be ascribed to heredity from the Bochard and McGue research.
The heritability estimates for personality traits were varied: General Cognitive Ability (50%), Extroversion (54%), Agreeableness (42%), Conscientiousness (49%), Neuroticism (48%), Openness (57%), Aggression (38%) and Traditionalism (54%).
Kirk et al. (2000) in their research using a community-based cohort of Australian twins reported a heritability estimate of 30% for homosexuality. Whitehead (1999, 2006) in his extensive review of the research cites 30% as the estimate of heritability for homosexuality as well, though he views the estimate as a maximum.
As for outliers, do former presidents of the APA count as outliers? Yes they do here because they are complaining of the lack of scientific integrity present within the APA citing the homosexual activism and claims about homosexuality.
And this year, the the APA has released a pamphlet that admits that the attempt to find a biological determinant of homosexuality has thus far failed:
The claim that Homosexuality is of a natural, deterministic origin and an essential and irrevocable aspect of an individual has the epistemic qualities of dogma rather than something established by science. Science has not reduced the epistemic risk of this dogma.
04 December, 2008 20:07
"God is not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance and have eternal life."--the Bible
Edit by Rob:
Mom thought she would make work for me by copying this and posting it without the original format thus losing the hyperlinks to the articles from whence I got these quotes. Also, I had the articles outlined with "bold" text so you knew where a source began and ended.
I ain't no Microdot as I don't plagiarize so the original post is here with the links to the sources from where I got the info.
Though it may be widely acknowledged that homosexuality may have precursors in biological inclinations, that is, biological influences, it is most certainly not the scientific consensus that homosexual orientation is biologically determined.
Francis Collins, the former head of the human genome project, denies that homosexuality is primarily biological in origin.
In reviewing the heritability (influence of genetic factors) of personality traits, Dr. Collins referenced the estimates of the percentage of various human personality traits that can be ascribed to heredity from the Bochard and McGue research.
The heritability estimates for personality traits were varied: General Cognitive Ability (50%), Extroversion (54%), Agreeableness (42%), Conscientiousness (49%), Neuroticism (48%), Openness (57%), Aggression (38%) and Traditionalism (54%).
Kirk et al. (2000) in their research using a community-based cohort of Australian twins reported a heritability estimate of 30% for homosexuality. Whitehead (1999, 2006) in his extensive review of the research cites 30% as the estimate of heritability for homosexuality as well, though he views the estimate as a maximum.
As for outliers, do former presidents of the APA count as outliers? Yes they do here because they are complaining of the lack of scientific integrity present within the APA citing the homosexual activism and claims about homosexuality.
And this year, the the APA has released a pamphlet that admits that the attempt to find a biological determinant of homosexuality has thus far failed:
"There is no consensus among scientists about the exact reasons that an individual develops a heterosexual, bisexual, gay or lesbian orientation. Although much research has examined the possible genetic, hormonal, developmental, social, and cultural influences on sexual orientation, no findings have emerged that permit scientists to conclude that sexual orientation is determined by any particular factor or factors. Many think that nature and nurture both play complex roles..."
The claim that Homosexuality is of a natural, deterministic origin and an essential and irrevocable aspect of an individual has the epistemic qualities of dogma rather than something established by science. Science has not reduced the epistemic risk of this dogma.
04 December, 2008 20:07
"God is not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance and have eternal life."--the Bible
Edit by Rob:
Mom thought she would make work for me by copying this and posting it without the original format thus losing the hyperlinks to the articles from whence I got these quotes. Also, I had the articles outlined with "bold" text so you knew where a source began and ended.
I ain't no Microdot as I don't plagiarize so the original post is here with the links to the sources from where I got the info.
Tuesday, December 2, 2008
The Shepherd/Shephard Murders
http://www.onenewsnow.com/Culture/Default.aspx?id=338038
Here is a story about a 2006 murder of a college student by a homosexual. I didn't hear about it except through the above link. It hasn't been on national news that I know of. Yet, who didn't hear about the murder of a homosexual named Matt Shepard --whose death inspired the "hate crimes bill," suggesting that penalties should be more severe if the crimes were motivated by bigotry toward a particular group, particularly homosexuals? Murder is murder and the same penalties should apply for all murderers. Both boys' deaths were equally tragic.
"God is not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance and have eternal life."--the Bible
Here is a story about a 2006 murder of a college student by a homosexual. I didn't hear about it except through the above link. It hasn't been on national news that I know of. Yet, who didn't hear about the murder of a homosexual named Matt Shepard --whose death inspired the "hate crimes bill," suggesting that penalties should be more severe if the crimes were motivated by bigotry toward a particular group, particularly homosexuals? Murder is murder and the same penalties should apply for all murderers. Both boys' deaths were equally tragic.
"God is not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance and have eternal life."--the Bible
Monday, December 1, 2008
The Gel of our Joints
This is a non-scientific faith article. I had a bump, a perfectly round, tight, growing blister on my middle finger --near the nail. My husband called it I don't remember what. Said it has to do with arthritis and joints. He said they aren't really fixable but he could relieve the pressure as it was getting tighter, bigger and painful. He numbed my finger first and then pierced the blister --as I closed my eyes and looked away. But the numbing spray hurt/burned worse than the "surgery."
He pierced the blister and then told me to look and see the gel that is the lubricant of our joints.
The gel was perfectly clear and sparkly - no pus, no blood --like a fine clear lubricant we might get from a tube. I thought how amazing --part of our design, this clear lubricant for our joints. Mine must be leaking into this blister-like container --(part of the curse of the fall --illness/malfunction--I had injured this finger with a knife a few years back and it affected nerves and all) --but the idea that such a lubricant exists is remarkable to me. We are designed --wonderfully, marvelously made.
"God is not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance and have eternal life."--the Bible
He pierced the blister and then told me to look and see the gel that is the lubricant of our joints.
The gel was perfectly clear and sparkly - no pus, no blood --like a fine clear lubricant we might get from a tube. I thought how amazing --part of our design, this clear lubricant for our joints. Mine must be leaking into this blister-like container --(part of the curse of the fall --illness/malfunction--I had injured this finger with a knife a few years back and it affected nerves and all) --but the idea that such a lubricant exists is remarkable to me. We are designed --wonderfully, marvelously made.
"God is not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance and have eternal life."--the Bible
Friday, November 28, 2008
MARK YOUR CALENDARS! JOY, JOY, JOY! Dec. 19 & 21, 7 PM
A DELIGHTFUL AND BEAUTIFUL CHRISTMAS MUSICAL:
Joy, Joy, Joy!
will be presented at 7:00 PM on December 19 and 21 at the Holland Free Methodist Church at 6605 Angola Road in Holland, Ohio, north of the Spring Meadows Mall.
The cantata celebrates three kinds of Christmas joy: the joy of the season, the joy of the story, and the joy of the Savior. This is a Deborah Craig-Claar and David T. Clydesdale production (as were our previous favorites, Four Tickets to Christmas and Repeat the Sounding Joy.
Soloists include Patty Bersinger, Andrea Conklin, Jenni King, Bob Sutton, and members of the Perez and Rohrs families. Bob Dematteo will be playing the role of Isaiah the prophet. Rebecca Hand and Corbin Ortiz will portray Mary and Joseph. HFM’s 4th - 9th grade students will be the dancing angels and shepherds. The children are also featured delightfully in two numbers with the adult choir. Wise men will be Dave Simpson, Tom Wood, and Steve Bersinger. Shepherds include Joe Zitzman and others.
Stephanie Hulbert is the director, assisted by Christine Rohrs. Sue Conklin again will be costumer and Tom Hughes will be the sound tech.
"God is not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance and have eternal life."--the Bible
Joy, Joy, Joy!
will be presented at 7:00 PM on December 19 and 21 at the Holland Free Methodist Church at 6605 Angola Road in Holland, Ohio, north of the Spring Meadows Mall.
The cantata celebrates three kinds of Christmas joy: the joy of the season, the joy of the story, and the joy of the Savior. This is a Deborah Craig-Claar and David T. Clydesdale production (as were our previous favorites, Four Tickets to Christmas and Repeat the Sounding Joy.
Soloists include Patty Bersinger, Andrea Conklin, Jenni King, Bob Sutton, and members of the Perez and Rohrs families. Bob Dematteo will be playing the role of Isaiah the prophet. Rebecca Hand and Corbin Ortiz will portray Mary and Joseph. HFM’s 4th - 9th grade students will be the dancing angels and shepherds. The children are also featured delightfully in two numbers with the adult choir. Wise men will be Dave Simpson, Tom Wood, and Steve Bersinger. Shepherds include Joe Zitzman and others.
Stephanie Hulbert is the director, assisted by Christine Rohrs. Sue Conklin again will be costumer and Tom Hughes will be the sound tech.
"God is not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance and have eternal life."--the Bible
DEMISE OF MUCKRAKE'S BLOG? WE CAN HOPE!
Due to guilty conscience and the possibility of a civil suit leading to discovery and a possible criminal suit for menancing and harrassment, Mudrake or Man with the Muckrake, Liberal Democrat of Politics in Mudville, Limedrop of Toledo Talk has at least temporarily dismantled his blog and made his profile unavailable --as predicted.
Kateb's attorneys explained that we especially have a case re: menacing when someone's clear intention is to make someone feel unsafe in her own home. That was clearly his intention when he posted my house photo, map to my home and my full name and address --while calling me a racist online (libel) and trying to stir up the feelings of others against me. It's that implied threat in "I know where you live and I'm telling all the people where a bigot/racist lives!"
Of course, I was happy to finally say I knew where he lived, too! --with a promise that he did not have anything worse to fear with me knowing HIS address than church lit, etc. --which he sorely needs. I was jesting. I have not posted his name and address though I have them. I know him --i.e. I've seen him, probably spoke to him in a parent-teacher conference, always knew who he was when he wrote his liberal diatribes to the Blade. I wrote him privately (Mudrake's blog email) and told him I had no desire to spend money on an attorney --but he keeps posting under our names --and this must stop.
I hope he doesn't let me know the address of his new blog --as he did previously by commenting on mine.
I am not good for him--I clearly drive him insane, to extreme levels of obsessive vitriol. However, even if I stay away from his dishonest, libelous, hateful blog, and he from my more honest, pleasant-natured blog, he will still have his problem --an obsessive hatred for conservative, Bible-believing Christians --mainly because of their desire to maintain the former status quo on abortion and marriage. And he will be stuck in his agnosticism.
I hope this means he has learned his lesson. Don't mess with the Christian ladies! The intentional impersonations using our screen names can ruin another's blog and blog reputation-- and Blogger should not allow it when the evidence is so clear as in this case. They know who he is and they should ban him from blogging as Toledo Talk did if he continues to impersonate other bloggers, misappropriating their screen names.
The irony is his hypocrisy --complaining about deletions --when he does it all the time. And his complaints that right-wingers are so hateful and intolerant --when that characterizes him much more than it does us. We don't try to keep him from sharing his views; it is Mudrake who can't tolerate difference of opinion. He calls us dangerous to constitutional liberties--while threatening that we should be locked up and followed by the FBI---and certainly be denied our right to free speech and freedom of religion as regards influence on public policy.
Laughable is the call by many democrats, including him, for a better attitude in D.C. --now that they are in power, they want us to be more civil, tolerant and loving than they ever were when they couldn't have their way.
Another irony --he was quoted in the blade as no longer writing Blade letters because he had been harrassed by the same fellow who harrassed Dr. Hussain, the Blade columnist. This is an exact example of St. Paul's "Judge not, lest ye be judged, for you do the very same things." He complains of a harrasser for his written views --and then does it himself. Maybe the blade would like such a story!
Hopefully, he will disappear from our scene before he gets notice of a suit. It appears that may be the case.
I'm really sorry it came to this--I would have rather had a friendly relationship --while disagreeing with him and explaining how evangelicals REALLY think--but his hatred of the Bible,Christians and the GOP interfered with honest discussion. He brought no objectivity to the table and no possibility of friendship --just his father's prejudices.
It's been a disappointing blog experience, to say the least.
"God is not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance and have eternal life."--the Bible
Kateb's attorneys explained that we especially have a case re: menacing when someone's clear intention is to make someone feel unsafe in her own home. That was clearly his intention when he posted my house photo, map to my home and my full name and address --while calling me a racist online (libel) and trying to stir up the feelings of others against me. It's that implied threat in "I know where you live and I'm telling all the people where a bigot/racist lives!"
Of course, I was happy to finally say I knew where he lived, too! --with a promise that he did not have anything worse to fear with me knowing HIS address than church lit, etc. --which he sorely needs. I was jesting. I have not posted his name and address though I have them. I know him --i.e. I've seen him, probably spoke to him in a parent-teacher conference, always knew who he was when he wrote his liberal diatribes to the Blade. I wrote him privately (Mudrake's blog email) and told him I had no desire to spend money on an attorney --but he keeps posting under our names --and this must stop.
I hope he doesn't let me know the address of his new blog --as he did previously by commenting on mine.
I am not good for him--I clearly drive him insane, to extreme levels of obsessive vitriol. However, even if I stay away from his dishonest, libelous, hateful blog, and he from my more honest, pleasant-natured blog, he will still have his problem --an obsessive hatred for conservative, Bible-believing Christians --mainly because of their desire to maintain the former status quo on abortion and marriage. And he will be stuck in his agnosticism.
I hope this means he has learned his lesson. Don't mess with the Christian ladies! The intentional impersonations using our screen names can ruin another's blog and blog reputation-- and Blogger should not allow it when the evidence is so clear as in this case. They know who he is and they should ban him from blogging as Toledo Talk did if he continues to impersonate other bloggers, misappropriating their screen names.
The irony is his hypocrisy --complaining about deletions --when he does it all the time. And his complaints that right-wingers are so hateful and intolerant --when that characterizes him much more than it does us. We don't try to keep him from sharing his views; it is Mudrake who can't tolerate difference of opinion. He calls us dangerous to constitutional liberties--while threatening that we should be locked up and followed by the FBI---and certainly be denied our right to free speech and freedom of religion as regards influence on public policy.
Laughable is the call by many democrats, including him, for a better attitude in D.C. --now that they are in power, they want us to be more civil, tolerant and loving than they ever were when they couldn't have their way.
Another irony --he was quoted in the blade as no longer writing Blade letters because he had been harrassed by the same fellow who harrassed Dr. Hussain, the Blade columnist. This is an exact example of St. Paul's "Judge not, lest ye be judged, for you do the very same things." He complains of a harrasser for his written views --and then does it himself. Maybe the blade would like such a story!
Hopefully, he will disappear from our scene before he gets notice of a suit. It appears that may be the case.
I'm really sorry it came to this--I would have rather had a friendly relationship --while disagreeing with him and explaining how evangelicals REALLY think--but his hatred of the Bible,Christians and the GOP interfered with honest discussion. He brought no objectivity to the table and no possibility of friendship --just his father's prejudices.
It's been a disappointing blog experience, to say the least.
"God is not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance and have eternal life."--the Bible
Wednesday, November 26, 2008
GITMO Prosthetic Patient Released to Cause More Trouble
As usual, Ann Coulter wrote a zinger here --about a Taliban terrorist whom we patched up at great tax payers' expense --and released to kidnap 2 Chinese workers in Pakistan--such that all the Chinese who were building a much needed Pakistani bridge --left without finishing the project.
http://www.humanevents.com/article.php?id=29680
"God is not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance and have eternal life."--the Bible
http://www.humanevents.com/article.php?id=29680
"God is not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance and have eternal life."--the Bible
Tuesday, November 25, 2008
More Thoughts on GOP Loss
McCain was old and familiar--Obama was young and black and a novelty --white guilt did help him win --McCain did not articulate conservative values clearly and well --GOP tried to move left in rhetoric in order to distance from Bush and advocate changes people wanted (namely in gas prices, economy, Iraq and D.C. dysfunction) saying little about other issues important to the base. They should have defended our middle east policies --and explained GOP to the mushy middle.
We of the base were excited about Palin, knowing she had the right values --but she couldn't save McCain --and the liberal branch of media crucified her with their dishonesty. I see now that the whole Africa debate thing was a hoax against her?? And I understand that the wardrobe for her to choose from was brought to their hotel? I'd choose everything they put in front of me, too, if it looked good and fit --if someone else said it was all windowdressing at campaign expense. She probably didn't even look at price tags. They were surely in a hurry all the time --and buying for 6 people or so?
Another goof --the whole "spreading the wealth" thing --the democrat base likes that phrase. and the GOP didn't make their case for what was wrong with socialism, i.e. "spreading the wealth." Socialism means "spreading the poverty" in actuality. It kills incentive and opportunity. We didn't make that case as well as we could've. We let black mamas think that Obama was going to pay for their cars, gas and mortgages. (See video at Uncommon Squalor --link on my blogroll.)
So that's why we lost --and not because a majority doesn't agree with GOP on most everything --when it's explained well. After all, we are the party of objective common sense. But when you have people getting their info from Democrats blinded by their prejudices and hate, democrats in news media and mostly from entertainers, they have no idea for what they voted. One lady telephoning for the dems was sure that Obama was against abortion. And he's the most pro-abortion legislator of all time --even voting against BAIPA (Born alive infant protection act)--it takes a real heartless person to vote against that.
I see Obama is listening to the right wing and he may get it, after all --on the economic issues. Says he may delay any tax increases. He's paying attention to history; he's listening to both sides --good for him. He wants to succeed --that's better than being blinded by any agenda and futile socialist dogma.
As for those rapacious corp. execs whom we're bailing out, I bet they are all social liberals --as they've all given money to gay pride parades, and most to the democrats.
The Democratic party has a serious integrity issue --now we hear how Bill Clinton received 700,000 for speaking fees from one of those auto companies. CEO must be a democrat to ask Bill to speak --at that price. Since when was Clinton worth that much in any job? much less one speech. That was a charity to pay him like that! Why???
Good for Congress for quizzing the CEOs about their private jets. Now, how about Pelosi's big jet? Remember how she couldn't stand to have to fuel up half-way? They had to give her a plane as big as the president's so she could fly non-stop to California. BIG gas guzzling, air polluting jets! flown by the speaker of the housse.
I think she can fly commercial first class with the common folks. Being a democrat, she should find that idea appealing.
"God is not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance and have eternal life."--the Bible
We of the base were excited about Palin, knowing she had the right values --but she couldn't save McCain --and the liberal branch of media crucified her with their dishonesty. I see now that the whole Africa debate thing was a hoax against her?? And I understand that the wardrobe for her to choose from was brought to their hotel? I'd choose everything they put in front of me, too, if it looked good and fit --if someone else said it was all windowdressing at campaign expense. She probably didn't even look at price tags. They were surely in a hurry all the time --and buying for 6 people or so?
Another goof --the whole "spreading the wealth" thing --the democrat base likes that phrase. and the GOP didn't make their case for what was wrong with socialism, i.e. "spreading the wealth." Socialism means "spreading the poverty" in actuality. It kills incentive and opportunity. We didn't make that case as well as we could've. We let black mamas think that Obama was going to pay for their cars, gas and mortgages. (See video at Uncommon Squalor --link on my blogroll.)
So that's why we lost --and not because a majority doesn't agree with GOP on most everything --when it's explained well. After all, we are the party of objective common sense. But when you have people getting their info from Democrats blinded by their prejudices and hate, democrats in news media and mostly from entertainers, they have no idea for what they voted. One lady telephoning for the dems was sure that Obama was against abortion. And he's the most pro-abortion legislator of all time --even voting against BAIPA (Born alive infant protection act)--it takes a real heartless person to vote against that.
I see Obama is listening to the right wing and he may get it, after all --on the economic issues. Says he may delay any tax increases. He's paying attention to history; he's listening to both sides --good for him. He wants to succeed --that's better than being blinded by any agenda and futile socialist dogma.
As for those rapacious corp. execs whom we're bailing out, I bet they are all social liberals --as they've all given money to gay pride parades, and most to the democrats.
The Democratic party has a serious integrity issue --now we hear how Bill Clinton received 700,000 for speaking fees from one of those auto companies. CEO must be a democrat to ask Bill to speak --at that price. Since when was Clinton worth that much in any job? much less one speech. That was a charity to pay him like that! Why???
Good for Congress for quizzing the CEOs about their private jets. Now, how about Pelosi's big jet? Remember how she couldn't stand to have to fuel up half-way? They had to give her a plane as big as the president's so she could fly non-stop to California. BIG gas guzzling, air polluting jets! flown by the speaker of the housse.
I think she can fly commercial first class with the common folks. Being a democrat, she should find that idea appealing.
"God is not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance and have eternal life."--the Bible
Monday, November 24, 2008
The New Fascism --Tell us what you REALLY think, Mudrake!
Perhaps we ought to duplicate the prisoner stockades from WWII and find and transport these anti-democracy zealots to these holding pens until the FBI interrogates, fingerprints, photographs them and assign a guardian to monitor their activities.
There it is --the evidence of Mudrake's "luv" and tolerance. He's talking here about people he thinks are like me --"theocrats" in this case.
Don't tempt me, Mudly. I may post this above with your name on it--and your address. I think it would behoove you to change your style now that I know who you are. Though you have nothing to fear from Christians knowing who you are and where YOU live. We'll just show up to Christmas carol --or send you church announcements --or literature --or come to call and counsel. NOthing to fear!
"God is not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance and have eternal life."--the Bible
There it is --the evidence of Mudrake's "luv" and tolerance. He's talking here about people he thinks are like me --"theocrats" in this case.
Don't tempt me, Mudly. I may post this above with your name on it--and your address. I think it would behoove you to change your style now that I know who you are. Though you have nothing to fear from Christians knowing who you are and where YOU live. We'll just show up to Christmas carol --or send you church announcements --or literature --or come to call and counsel. NOthing to fear!
"God is not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance and have eternal life."--the Bible
Two Californians Speak on Prop 8
Thanks to the Bayly blog linked by Matthew at Mudrake's for this interesting article.
http://www.baylyblog.com/2008/11/two-famous-californians-on-homosexuality.html
Two famous people speak about homosexuality here. On behalf of Rick Warren, I believe the church has no other option than to approach the issue as he does in this snippet from a tv show. If he were to speak longer on the subject, I'm sure he would agree that the other speaker is accurate in God's opinion of this lifestyle.
The church is not to preach hatred and foment violence toward groups; the punishment will come from God in His timing. Meanwhile, we are to preach the love of God, His moral standards, and invite all to respond to God's grace. At the same time, the church needs to stand firm on the Creator's intention for our sexuality--and the meaning of marriage, as Warren did.
"God is not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance and have eternal life."--the Bible
http://www.baylyblog.com/2008/11/two-famous-californians-on-homosexuality.html
Two famous people speak about homosexuality here. On behalf of Rick Warren, I believe the church has no other option than to approach the issue as he does in this snippet from a tv show. If he were to speak longer on the subject, I'm sure he would agree that the other speaker is accurate in God's opinion of this lifestyle.
The church is not to preach hatred and foment violence toward groups; the punishment will come from God in His timing. Meanwhile, we are to preach the love of God, His moral standards, and invite all to respond to God's grace. At the same time, the church needs to stand firm on the Creator's intention for our sexuality--and the meaning of marriage, as Warren did.
"God is not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance and have eternal life."--the Bible
Friday, November 21, 2008
SEE THE CRUCIBLE AT THE REP THIS WEEKEND
The last performances of this famous Arthur Miller play are at 8:00 PM Saturday and 2:00 pm Sunday at the Toledo Repertoire Theater on Tenth St. in downtown Toledo. There is a guarded parking lot. This is really excellent community theater, and very educational.
This play about the Salem withcraft trials is a powerful story. Whenever I heard about Salem and "witch-hunts," I assumed that the religious people were going to come off looking really bad, killing people who were irreligious, "odd" or slightly "occultic."
In fact, it is the genuine Christian people who are martyred for their faith because they will not lie and say they are witches. They are accused by teen girls who pretend to be influenced by these so-called witches. The young girls wanted to avoid punishment for their occultic activities of dancing nude in the woods around a pot of some bubbling brew (not in the play), and trying to conjure up the spirits of the dead with the help of the minister's voodoo-savvy slave from Barbados. The minister's daughter and niece are involved. The minister catches them and one of the girl's quickly inspires mass hysteria among her friends --and they all pretend to be possessed because of the good women in the town whom they name as witches. (or maybe they really WERE possessed because of their own occultic activity! A couple of them did seem to faint or be in a deep sleep and their body temp would cool. Why would that be? We assume there is a motivation to play-act and carry on their mystical experience from the woods --and also protect themselves from charges of witchcraft by blaming others.
The leader of the girls "called out" the wife of a farmer as a witch (the farmer, John Proctor, is the lead character, played well by Heath Huber) She does this because she had a brief affair with the farmer and wants him for herself.
IN the end, the Christians will not lie to save their skins by saying they have served the devil. Death is their sentence.
The judge is the devil personified and played extremely well by a Mr. Byrd. Ultimately, the ministers in the story come around and regret that the teens were believed and responsible for death warrants for so many people. They and the judge want the prisoners to admit their alliances with the devil so they can reverse the death sentences and be justified in the minds of the public --but the Christians will not confess to the lie.
It is sinful girls involved in witchy activities who accuse the good women of the town; it is hypocrites in power who are willing to believe the teens; it is genuine Christians who die, falsely accused.
John Proctor is a man wracked by guilt for his short-lived adultery --and his wife comes to realize that she hadn't believed in his love for her because she was a plain woman, by her self-evaluation. It's sad that her revelation had not come sooner. They come to a place of mutual forgiveness and John Proctor feels worthy of martyrdom in the end.
"God is not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance and have eternal life."--the Bible
This play about the Salem withcraft trials is a powerful story. Whenever I heard about Salem and "witch-hunts," I assumed that the religious people were going to come off looking really bad, killing people who were irreligious, "odd" or slightly "occultic."
In fact, it is the genuine Christian people who are martyred for their faith because they will not lie and say they are witches. They are accused by teen girls who pretend to be influenced by these so-called witches. The young girls wanted to avoid punishment for their occultic activities of dancing nude in the woods around a pot of some bubbling brew (not in the play), and trying to conjure up the spirits of the dead with the help of the minister's voodoo-savvy slave from Barbados. The minister's daughter and niece are involved. The minister catches them and one of the girl's quickly inspires mass hysteria among her friends --and they all pretend to be possessed because of the good women in the town whom they name as witches. (or maybe they really WERE possessed because of their own occultic activity! A couple of them did seem to faint or be in a deep sleep and their body temp would cool. Why would that be? We assume there is a motivation to play-act and carry on their mystical experience from the woods --and also protect themselves from charges of witchcraft by blaming others.
The leader of the girls "called out" the wife of a farmer as a witch (the farmer, John Proctor, is the lead character, played well by Heath Huber) She does this because she had a brief affair with the farmer and wants him for herself.
IN the end, the Christians will not lie to save their skins by saying they have served the devil. Death is their sentence.
The judge is the devil personified and played extremely well by a Mr. Byrd. Ultimately, the ministers in the story come around and regret that the teens were believed and responsible for death warrants for so many people. They and the judge want the prisoners to admit their alliances with the devil so they can reverse the death sentences and be justified in the minds of the public --but the Christians will not confess to the lie.
It is sinful girls involved in witchy activities who accuse the good women of the town; it is hypocrites in power who are willing to believe the teens; it is genuine Christians who die, falsely accused.
John Proctor is a man wracked by guilt for his short-lived adultery --and his wife comes to realize that she hadn't believed in his love for her because she was a plain woman, by her self-evaluation. It's sad that her revelation had not come sooner. They come to a place of mutual forgiveness and John Proctor feels worthy of martyrdom in the end.
"God is not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance and have eternal life."--the Bible
GEORGE BUSH WANTED TO UNITE, NOT DIVIDE -- JUST LIKE OBAMA
For those who don't remember --George Bush had been a bi-partisan success as the governor of Texas and he went to D.C. wanting to "change the tone of Washington." He reached out as Obama is doing now. Democrats would have us believe Obama is the first one to reach across party lines. I'm glad he's doing it --but if the GOP responds to him as the Democrats did to Bush, he will also fail. The difference is that the GOP really are nicer people than democrats --and they will work with him better than the democrats did with Bush. But he will get resistance on the social issues --and we will be called the divisive ones --even though we are not the party seeking radical, ungodly social change.
But the Democrats couldn't stand too much unity--because it would make Bush and his policies popular. They had to resist with all their might and call Bush the divisive one. Not true, boys and girls. Know your history. All the hate rhetoric of the last 8 years has been Democrats' ridicule, disrespect,and mockery of George Bush. The comedians did him in --as that's where the mushy middle, the masses, and the college students get their news briefs.
Bush failed at changing the tone in D.C. because the democrats just wanted to get Bush out of there. They are like Mudrake. He doesn't want to make peace or get along. I do; he doesn't. He would just as soon silence all opposition, rather than debate it. But that may be an ability problem. When you don't have good reasons for your positions, you just get mad, insult, and delete your opponents. (I can be ornery, I confess!)
The following is by Ann Coulter and it is an excellent factual reminder, easy to read, not too long --of Bush's history as a uniter, not a divider. You may be astounded at all the good he attempted with the Democrats.
http://www.humanevents.com/article.php?id=29572
"God is not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance and have eternal life."--the Bible
But the Democrats couldn't stand too much unity--because it would make Bush and his policies popular. They had to resist with all their might and call Bush the divisive one. Not true, boys and girls. Know your history. All the hate rhetoric of the last 8 years has been Democrats' ridicule, disrespect,and mockery of George Bush. The comedians did him in --as that's where the mushy middle, the masses, and the college students get their news briefs.
Bush failed at changing the tone in D.C. because the democrats just wanted to get Bush out of there. They are like Mudrake. He doesn't want to make peace or get along. I do; he doesn't. He would just as soon silence all opposition, rather than debate it. But that may be an ability problem. When you don't have good reasons for your positions, you just get mad, insult, and delete your opponents. (I can be ornery, I confess!)
The following is by Ann Coulter and it is an excellent factual reminder, easy to read, not too long --of Bush's history as a uniter, not a divider. You may be astounded at all the good he attempted with the Democrats.
http://www.humanevents.com/article.php?id=29572
"God is not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance and have eternal life."--the Bible
Thursday, November 20, 2008
MALKIN ON SORE LOSERS --the GOP vs. GAYS on Prop 8
Michelle Malkin wrote the following --see the whole article at:
http://www.onenewsnow.com/Perspectives/Default.aspx?id=327508
Now, read the rest of the article to see what these sore losers have done and threatened to do.
As I've always said, "The RIGHT is RIGHT. The Left champions Wrong." The evidence is abundant. The Right values fetal life over adult selfishness. The Right values sacrifice for the sake of others. The Right values religious faith and family and doesn't want public policy to weaken either. The Right values personal initiative and personal responsibility over gov't dependence and sloth. The Right values justice of all kinds --balanced with mercy. The Right values a wholesome culture where children don't learn about sodomy nor get taken to gay weddings by their teachers. The Right doesn't call unrestrained porn and libel rights of free speech.
"God is not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance and have eternal life."--the Bible
http://www.onenewsnow.com/Perspectives/Default.aspx?id=327508
Before Election Day, national media handwringers forged a wildly popular narrative: The right was, in the words of New York Times columnist Paul Krugman, gripped by "insane rage." Outbreaks of incivility (some real, but mostly imagined) were proof positive of the extremist takeover of the Republican Party. The cluck-cluckers and tut-tutters shook with fear.
But when the GOP took a beating on Nov. 4, no mass protests ensued; no nationwide boycotts erupted. Conservatives took their lumps and began the peaceful post-defeat process of self-flagellation, self-analysis and self-autopsy.
In fact, in the wake of campaign 2008 there's only one angry mob gripped by "insane rage": left-wing same-sex marriage activists incensed at their defeat in California. Voters there approved Proposition 8, a traditional marriage initiative, by 52 percent to 48 percent.
Instead of introspection and self-criticism, however, the sore losers who opposed Prop. 8 responded with threats, fists and blacklists.
Now, read the rest of the article to see what these sore losers have done and threatened to do.
As I've always said, "The RIGHT is RIGHT. The Left champions Wrong." The evidence is abundant. The Right values fetal life over adult selfishness. The Right values sacrifice for the sake of others. The Right values religious faith and family and doesn't want public policy to weaken either. The Right values personal initiative and personal responsibility over gov't dependence and sloth. The Right values justice of all kinds --balanced with mercy. The Right values a wholesome culture where children don't learn about sodomy nor get taken to gay weddings by their teachers. The Right doesn't call unrestrained porn and libel rights of free speech.
"God is not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance and have eternal life."--the Bible
Newt Gingerich on Homosexual Agenda and the Orthodox Religions
THE 3RD COMMENT ON THIS BLOG TOPIC IS NOT BY ME --SOMEONE SINISTER HAS CREATED A NEW BARB TO IMPERSONATE ME WITH WILDLY DISTORTED VIEWS. NOW WHO WOULD DO SUCH A THING, DO YOU SUPPOSE??? E.G. I never said Newt was a Christian --but the new Barb wants him to be president and thinks he will fix everything in the country--just what some people think of Obama. I hope they are right about Obama.
I heard Newt say this on Fox the other day (thanks, Mudrake, for a copy):
GINGRICH:
I believe he spoke truth. They are going to emulate the public demonstrations of civil rights and pro-life movements and see if they can't get sympathy for sodomy. But they will be more militant, like the paradoxically violent peace demonstrators. It's been wild enough to see their conduct in their Gay Pride Parades.
The civil rights and pro-life demonstrators have typically chosen pacifism as their method --seeking approval and sympathy for their causes. (The violent fringe of pro-life movement did justify shooting abortionists as murderers, which "vigilante justice" didn't win friends for their cause.) Champions of evil tend to use violence or at least the brat behavior we saw in the Lansing church and the recent California demonstrations.
We are asked to overlook the reality of homosexual behaviors and see homosexuality as inborn, like race. If it is inborn, it is a genetic flaw, like other conditions which we would normally and rightfully try to cure--UNLIKE race.
Tom Foley told recently how he didn't feel terribly perverse/wrong for writing seductive emails to 17 year old male pages in D.C. After all, they were almost 18 and didn't object. He does tell that he got into homosexuality via a priest who molested him for some length of time. He verifies all my statements on that condition --that some are seduced/molested into it --and that homosexual adults prey on adolescents --our kids.
We need to protect children and youth from such influence. Instead we have embarked on a publicity campaign, propaganda, to convince youth that some of them are "born gay," and that being gay is as fine as being straight --nevermind the high rate of promiscuity, STD's and the public health hazard that homosexuality has proven to be in the USA.
I believe the condition is preventable, and that's where our education, parenting, and policy efforts should focus --on helping kids be normal. No bashing allowed. Affirmation of their normalness would help kids with self-image issues. Diversity is a positive emphasis when it says our body type (muscular or not), our interests in the arts or sports, our non-stereotypical features --do not predict abnormal sexual orientation. Boys are boys to become husbands and fathers; girls are girls with the potential to be wives and mothers. That's what our sexual differences are for. End of story in the sex ed class.
"God is not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance and have eternal life."--the Bible
I heard Newt say this on Fox the other day (thanks, Mudrake, for a copy):
GINGRICH:
Look, I think there is a gay and secular fascism in this country that wants to impose its will on the rest of us, is prepared to use violence, to use harassment. I think it is prepared to use the government if it can get control of it. I think that it is a very dangerous threat to anybody who believes in traditional religion. And I think if you believe in historic Christianity, you have to confront the fact. And, frankly -- for that matter, if you believe in the historic version of Islam or the historic version of Judaism, you have to confront the reality that these secular extremists are determined to impose on you acceptance of a series of values that are antithetical, they're the opposite, of what you're taught in Sunday school.
I believe he spoke truth. They are going to emulate the public demonstrations of civil rights and pro-life movements and see if they can't get sympathy for sodomy. But they will be more militant, like the paradoxically violent peace demonstrators. It's been wild enough to see their conduct in their Gay Pride Parades.
The civil rights and pro-life demonstrators have typically chosen pacifism as their method --seeking approval and sympathy for their causes. (The violent fringe of pro-life movement did justify shooting abortionists as murderers, which "vigilante justice" didn't win friends for their cause.) Champions of evil tend to use violence or at least the brat behavior we saw in the Lansing church and the recent California demonstrations.
We are asked to overlook the reality of homosexual behaviors and see homosexuality as inborn, like race. If it is inborn, it is a genetic flaw, like other conditions which we would normally and rightfully try to cure--UNLIKE race.
Tom Foley told recently how he didn't feel terribly perverse/wrong for writing seductive emails to 17 year old male pages in D.C. After all, they were almost 18 and didn't object. He does tell that he got into homosexuality via a priest who molested him for some length of time. He verifies all my statements on that condition --that some are seduced/molested into it --and that homosexual adults prey on adolescents --our kids.
We need to protect children and youth from such influence. Instead we have embarked on a publicity campaign, propaganda, to convince youth that some of them are "born gay," and that being gay is as fine as being straight --nevermind the high rate of promiscuity, STD's and the public health hazard that homosexuality has proven to be in the USA.
I believe the condition is preventable, and that's where our education, parenting, and policy efforts should focus --on helping kids be normal. No bashing allowed. Affirmation of their normalness would help kids with self-image issues. Diversity is a positive emphasis when it says our body type (muscular or not), our interests in the arts or sports, our non-stereotypical features --do not predict abnormal sexual orientation. Boys are boys to become husbands and fathers; girls are girls with the potential to be wives and mothers. That's what our sexual differences are for. End of story in the sex ed class.
"God is not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance and have eternal life."--the Bible
Tuesday, November 18, 2008
THANK YOU, LORD! for safety on the highways (It's good to have babies!) (revised post)
Chrissy called this morning. She had slid a long way in her car -- though going only 30 mph on her way to her teaching job at school. She tried to just steer without braking, but it got worse, so she put the brakes on and then fishtailed wildly, landing in a corn field on the opposite side of the road, going the opposite direction. She said she felt numb in her hands and feet and ears at first and wondered what that meant. Wondered if it was shock. Her father said a neck x-ray might be good. The numbness didn't stay with her --so far. She called while still on her way to school. There was only one Jeep anywhere in sight --and it resumed driving when it saw she was back on the road. So, thankfully, no cars to hit.
She said she called out to the Lord, "Jesus, help me, help me, Jesus!"
I'm so glad she knows Him by faith to call upon Him.
Maybe she needs better tires. She slid into a car a year or two ago on those country roads.
Thank you, Father, for protecting and sparing our girl. We can imagine and share the sorrow and feel the devastation of any who lose their children, through accidents or war.
How can anyone abort these precious ones, missing the joy of knowing their own children? They have no idea what they've missed, whom they've terminated.
When Chrissy was coming, we wondered if we could possibly love no.2 as much as we loved Baby No. 1. When no. 1 was coming, I was in disbelief as I hadn't been around pregnant people much and couldn't imagine it for myself. I wasn't opposed to it; I just couldn't imagine it. I felt I had a condition, more than a baby. It wasn't something I was dying to have happen to me!
Way too many young people today are thinking that way--that other people's children look like a pain to raise--and a lot of work --and who would want to raise those howling, whiney kids? and who would elect pregnancy? But they have no idea what it will be like for them. It's amazing what parenting does to stretch the heart and soul (never mind our bodies!) We shouldn't recommend abortion to anybody --nor even allow it --1.6 million American babies per year--the biggest holocaust in the world.
When those babies came to our house, we knew in a new way what it was to be a family. We were now parents together, bonded forever through these children. It enriched our marriage and enlarged our hearts and our social world. We will have 11 people (at least --maybe more if my brother would come up and bring my mother-she usually celebrates with his in-laws) at the dinner table for Thanksgiving --8 are there because we married, had kids, and they married. Our own social niche and support network --interesting, enjoyable people who enjoy getting together.
I'm sorry for those whose marriages fail. God hates divorce and the damage it wreaks upon the abandoned ones. Family is both strong and fragile --it takes a commitment to Christ to help cement the bonds --and the ability to forgive and practice Golden Rule living in the home. Jesus shows the way--the light to the home. And He is the comforter to those with broken pieces, the mender of the heart, who can take sadness and replace it with joy.
Happy Thanksgiving to you all.
"God is not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance and have eternal life."--the Bible
She said she called out to the Lord, "Jesus, help me, help me, Jesus!"
I'm so glad she knows Him by faith to call upon Him.
Maybe she needs better tires. She slid into a car a year or two ago on those country roads.
Thank you, Father, for protecting and sparing our girl. We can imagine and share the sorrow and feel the devastation of any who lose their children, through accidents or war.
How can anyone abort these precious ones, missing the joy of knowing their own children? They have no idea what they've missed, whom they've terminated.
When Chrissy was coming, we wondered if we could possibly love no.2 as much as we loved Baby No. 1. When no. 1 was coming, I was in disbelief as I hadn't been around pregnant people much and couldn't imagine it for myself. I wasn't opposed to it; I just couldn't imagine it. I felt I had a condition, more than a baby. It wasn't something I was dying to have happen to me!
Way too many young people today are thinking that way--that other people's children look like a pain to raise--and a lot of work --and who would want to raise those howling, whiney kids? and who would elect pregnancy? But they have no idea what it will be like for them. It's amazing what parenting does to stretch the heart and soul (never mind our bodies!) We shouldn't recommend abortion to anybody --nor even allow it --1.6 million American babies per year--the biggest holocaust in the world.
When those babies came to our house, we knew in a new way what it was to be a family. We were now parents together, bonded forever through these children. It enriched our marriage and enlarged our hearts and our social world. We will have 11 people (at least --maybe more if my brother would come up and bring my mother-she usually celebrates with his in-laws) at the dinner table for Thanksgiving --8 are there because we married, had kids, and they married. Our own social niche and support network --interesting, enjoyable people who enjoy getting together.
I'm sorry for those whose marriages fail. God hates divorce and the damage it wreaks upon the abandoned ones. Family is both strong and fragile --it takes a commitment to Christ to help cement the bonds --and the ability to forgive and practice Golden Rule living in the home. Jesus shows the way--the light to the home. And He is the comforter to those with broken pieces, the mender of the heart, who can take sadness and replace it with joy.
Happy Thanksgiving to you all.
"God is not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance and have eternal life."--the Bible
I LOVE HUCKABEE! Probably a Good Parent
The ex-governor of Arkansas, ex-presidential candidate (unknown and underfunded), was on Hannity and Colmes recently. He is just so consistently gentlemanly and good-natured, so eloquent and quick-thinking on his feet --and packs a lot of wisdom into few words. E.G., he explained to Colmes how abortion and fetal experimentation really are about the value of human life --in such a way that you'd feel foolish, boorish and dense to disagree.
He reminded us how strong marriages headed by a mother and father are the backbone of society. He pointed out how so much government expense is due to family breakdown, the never-married and the divorced. He talked about the huge expenses to gov't of just removing graffiti and providing jail beds --products of juvenile delinquency and family dysfunction. We could add (and he may have mentioned) poverty, drug addiction, unwed teen sex activity with diseases, unwed pregnancies and abortions.
We know that prisoners most often are products of single-parent and divorced homes. We know that children fare best with both their mother and father to raise them in the same household --especially when those parents prioritize getting along for the sake of the children.
We also need parents who are WISE at parenting, and if they don't learn it from their own parents, they need help. Dr. Dobson at Focus on the Family has done the most to teach parents how permissiveness produces bratty kids, who are forever a problem to themselves and others. He can be heard daily on WPOSFM Christian radio, 102.3FM. His books are available in Christian and other bookstores and online.
You see what may be evidence of poor parenting here in the blogsphere, when some bloggers indulge in vulgarity and insults without conscience or self-monitoring. Hopefully, that's the mildest result of being poorly parented to the point of having defective character. Granted, some people rebel against good parents to be prodigals --but hopefully they return to the teachings of their parents in old age. When I see someone getting worse with age in their disposition or lifestyle choices and beliefs, instead of better and stronger in faith, it makes me sad.
Forgiveness and love will be the first-fruits of such faith. Obedience to God's Word and agreeing with Him about sin and righteousness are also evidences. We must come with the humility and trust like a child's. Jesus said so.
What a beautiful blue and white sunny day here in Toledo --with our first significant snowfall.
"God is not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance and have eternal life."--the Bible
He reminded us how strong marriages headed by a mother and father are the backbone of society. He pointed out how so much government expense is due to family breakdown, the never-married and the divorced. He talked about the huge expenses to gov't of just removing graffiti and providing jail beds --products of juvenile delinquency and family dysfunction. We could add (and he may have mentioned) poverty, drug addiction, unwed teen sex activity with diseases, unwed pregnancies and abortions.
We know that prisoners most often are products of single-parent and divorced homes. We know that children fare best with both their mother and father to raise them in the same household --especially when those parents prioritize getting along for the sake of the children.
He said that's why we ought not be tampering with a definition of marriage that has no possibility of making children and that permanently removes a parent of one sex or the other from the child's life.
We also need parents who are WISE at parenting, and if they don't learn it from their own parents, they need help. Dr. Dobson at Focus on the Family has done the most to teach parents how permissiveness produces bratty kids, who are forever a problem to themselves and others. He can be heard daily on WPOSFM Christian radio, 102.3FM. His books are available in Christian and other bookstores and online.
You see what may be evidence of poor parenting here in the blogsphere, when some bloggers indulge in vulgarity and insults without conscience or self-monitoring. Hopefully, that's the mildest result of being poorly parented to the point of having defective character. Granted, some people rebel against good parents to be prodigals --but hopefully they return to the teachings of their parents in old age. When I see someone getting worse with age in their disposition or lifestyle choices and beliefs, instead of better and stronger in faith, it makes me sad.
John 3:16"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son,[f] that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. 17For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. 18Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God's one and only Son.[g] 19This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but men loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. 20Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that his deeds will be exposed. 21But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what he has done has been done through God."[h]
Forgiveness and love will be the first-fruits of such faith. Obedience to God's Word and agreeing with Him about sin and righteousness are also evidences. We must come with the humility and trust like a child's. Jesus said so.
What a beautiful blue and white sunny day here in Toledo --with our first significant snowfall.
"God is not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance and have eternal life."--the Bible
Monday, November 17, 2008
DID SAUDI ARABIA AND OPEC HELP OBAMA?
The soaring gas prices really hurt many people and businesses --at the same time we discovered we "needed" bail-outs for Wall Street, Fanny Mae and Freddy Mac --and the stock market fell.
Yet, Iraq's conditions were improving, which the Democrats didn't want.
Enter Barack and his calm promises of change --while the gas prices climbed higher and higher.
And now he's elected and gas is under $2 a gallon!
Well, thank you, Barrack! Good job already!
Change we needed, that's for sure.
"God is not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance and have eternal life."--the Bible
Yet, Iraq's conditions were improving, which the Democrats didn't want.
Enter Barack and his calm promises of change --while the gas prices climbed higher and higher.
And now he's elected and gas is under $2 a gallon!
Well, thank you, Barrack! Good job already!
Change we needed, that's for sure.
"God is not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance and have eternal life."--the Bible
THOSE WHO CARE ABOUT ABORTION MADE A BIG MISTAKE IF THEY SUPPORTED OBAMA
Bush kept a lot of babies safe by being pro-life, by not encouraging the FOCA (Freedom of Choice Act) legislators --they knew he would veto FOCA. If the GOP had not dropped the ball, by not pointing out how radically pro-abortion Obama was, we might have ended the abortion holocaust with a GOP president in the next term. Bush gave us two good judges on the court. We needed one more, but Obama will give us activist judges who legislate from the bench like the judges in California. He described the liberal judges on the court to Rick Warren as the ones he admired.
The Bible says a lot about "unjust judges." We'll be getting more.
Though Obama SAID out of one side of his mouth that he wasn't for gay marriage or abortion, he told his party that he will not support DOMA (Defense of Marriage Act which defines marriage as between one man and one woman) --and said he WILL sign FOCA right away--Freedom of choice Act, striking down all state and other restrictions on abortion. I hope I'm wrong!
The Christians who supported Obama or 3rd party candidates made a disastrous mistake.
Too many listened to the devil's lies (he is a liar and the father of lies) --still being put forth by the likes of bloggers Engineer and Mudrake --the lie that the GOP lost because they didn't move far enough left. No, they listened to that lie and didn't go all out to find out and tell the public what Obama's stands really were --considering that HE LIED and people believed him. He IS for abortion and gay marriage to a radical degree --as he demonstrated when he opposed 4 times the "born alive infant protection act" to favor the "mother's choice" to have a dead child.
Would he dare to oppose DOMA before a 2nd term? considering that 30 out of 30 states have voted for DOMA in their constitutions? I think he will wait --unless his Congress stupidly pushes it in his first term.
He lied about his association with Ayres --saying something like, "he didn't give me a fund-raiser to kick off my campaign," in his debate (meaning Ayres didn't kick off his Presidential campaign; it was an earlier one. It was a deliberate deception, and McCain should've followed up on it.) Ayres is typical of our university faculties --ex hippie radical terrorist demonstrator --who is unrepentant about his youthful misbehavior. Obama knew this and knew him well.
And now he says we need a new national security force in the states. Why? More money and personnel for police and national guard, fine. But that's not what he said. Who would head his new force? No one coming up through the usual military ranks. The Commander in Chief in our country does not rule the military promotions --that's done from within the military. But who would run this new national security force? Someone hand-picked by Obama??? Why do we need this instead of just beefing up what we have? We have the Homeland Security Division which was to coordinate the various home security branches and efforts which were already in existance.
Why did the democrats sit there and blindly applaud this July, '08, suggestion for a new national army larger than the other 3 put together? Shades of history repeating itself? Hitler had his own private army --in case the national army would turn against him. They rounded up, not only the Jews, but any Hitler critics, and took them away.
Both political parties had stealth candidates --seeming to move to the center in their ideology with their rhetoric --avoiding the hot button issues and waffling on them.
When the LEFT moves to the center, they are both deceptive and more acceptable. When the RIGHT moves to the center, they lose their reason for existance.
They'll wake up. Too bad it will be too late for many unborn children and for the culture's decency when we have more men kissing each other and playing affectionate games with their hands like a man and wife sitting on their bed --as I glimpsed last night on network TV. Ycchh. SO AGAINST NATURE! Perversion was role-modeled as normal for the majority of young people who are allowed to see any TV they wish --who even have TVs in their rooms.
For the fatherless kids, they may not see how ridiculous gay coupling is because they haven't seen normal relationships --or perhaps the normal couples they knew were dysfunctional. We have a generaion of youth coming up (the few that are being born) who will not know that sex with your own sex is verboten and unnatural --who will not know that it is sinful, if the church is muzzled by Obama's support for a liberal "hate crimes bill," which will eventually attempt to curtail free speech and hiring discrimination by churches. The Constitution will be dead at that point--as it is already dying when we don't recognize the "right to life." Unconstitutional denial of religious liberty is next with respect to the gay agenda.
Gay hostilities are definitely directed at churches, as seen since the election. On the Huckabee program on Fox News last night, we heard that an elderly couple was beat up by demonstrators because they had a poster or bumper sticker or something supporting Proposition 8. Another was knocked down and their head was injured. We saw on national news how the gay demonstrators knocked a cross out of an old woman's hands and trampled on it --as she tried to counter-demonstrate in favor of traditional marriage and the church's stance. We heard about the gay demonstration in a Lansing church. Is this the future of the gay movement? In response to this childish and dangerous behavior, will the gov't see the radicalness of gays?? NO, they will muzzle the church.
"God is not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance and have eternal life."--the Bible
The Bible says a lot about "unjust judges." We'll be getting more.
Though Obama SAID out of one side of his mouth that he wasn't for gay marriage or abortion, he told his party that he will not support DOMA (Defense of Marriage Act which defines marriage as between one man and one woman) --and said he WILL sign FOCA right away--Freedom of choice Act, striking down all state and other restrictions on abortion. I hope I'm wrong!
The Christians who supported Obama or 3rd party candidates made a disastrous mistake.
Too many listened to the devil's lies (he is a liar and the father of lies) --still being put forth by the likes of bloggers Engineer and Mudrake --the lie that the GOP lost because they didn't move far enough left. No, they listened to that lie and didn't go all out to find out and tell the public what Obama's stands really were --considering that HE LIED and people believed him. He IS for abortion and gay marriage to a radical degree --as he demonstrated when he opposed 4 times the "born alive infant protection act" to favor the "mother's choice" to have a dead child.
Would he dare to oppose DOMA before a 2nd term? considering that 30 out of 30 states have voted for DOMA in their constitutions? I think he will wait --unless his Congress stupidly pushes it in his first term.
He lied about his association with Ayres --saying something like, "he didn't give me a fund-raiser to kick off my campaign," in his debate (meaning Ayres didn't kick off his Presidential campaign; it was an earlier one. It was a deliberate deception, and McCain should've followed up on it.) Ayres is typical of our university faculties --ex hippie radical terrorist demonstrator --who is unrepentant about his youthful misbehavior. Obama knew this and knew him well.
And now he says we need a new national security force in the states. Why? More money and personnel for police and national guard, fine. But that's not what he said. Who would head his new force? No one coming up through the usual military ranks. The Commander in Chief in our country does not rule the military promotions --that's done from within the military. But who would run this new national security force? Someone hand-picked by Obama??? Why do we need this instead of just beefing up what we have? We have the Homeland Security Division which was to coordinate the various home security branches and efforts which were already in existance.
Why did the democrats sit there and blindly applaud this July, '08, suggestion for a new national army larger than the other 3 put together? Shades of history repeating itself? Hitler had his own private army --in case the national army would turn against him. They rounded up, not only the Jews, but any Hitler critics, and took them away.
Both political parties had stealth candidates --seeming to move to the center in their ideology with their rhetoric --avoiding the hot button issues and waffling on them.
When the LEFT moves to the center, they are both deceptive and more acceptable. When the RIGHT moves to the center, they lose their reason for existance.
They'll wake up. Too bad it will be too late for many unborn children and for the culture's decency when we have more men kissing each other and playing affectionate games with their hands like a man and wife sitting on their bed --as I glimpsed last night on network TV. Ycchh. SO AGAINST NATURE! Perversion was role-modeled as normal for the majority of young people who are allowed to see any TV they wish --who even have TVs in their rooms.
For the fatherless kids, they may not see how ridiculous gay coupling is because they haven't seen normal relationships --or perhaps the normal couples they knew were dysfunctional. We have a generaion of youth coming up (the few that are being born) who will not know that sex with your own sex is verboten and unnatural --who will not know that it is sinful, if the church is muzzled by Obama's support for a liberal "hate crimes bill," which will eventually attempt to curtail free speech and hiring discrimination by churches. The Constitution will be dead at that point--as it is already dying when we don't recognize the "right to life." Unconstitutional denial of religious liberty is next with respect to the gay agenda.
Gay hostilities are definitely directed at churches, as seen since the election. On the Huckabee program on Fox News last night, we heard that an elderly couple was beat up by demonstrators because they had a poster or bumper sticker or something supporting Proposition 8. Another was knocked down and their head was injured. We saw on national news how the gay demonstrators knocked a cross out of an old woman's hands and trampled on it --as she tried to counter-demonstrate in favor of traditional marriage and the church's stance. We heard about the gay demonstration in a Lansing church. Is this the future of the gay movement? In response to this childish and dangerous behavior, will the gov't see the radicalness of gays?? NO, they will muzzle the church.
"God is not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance and have eternal life."--the Bible
TWENTY-ONE CENTURIES NOT SO LONG AGO! The Holy Spirit Still Comes!
You know, fellow bloggers, Jesus lived just 20-plus short centuries ago! I suspect there has been at least one man, somewhere in the world, born on the first day of each of these centuries who lived for 100 years. There would be only 20 such men in history--demonstrating that the 1st century isn't really that long ago!
Does it seem unreasonable that such sensational events of the first century-- Christ's birth, life, death and resurrection--could be accurately recorded and preserved during the lifetimes of just 20 such men--through 20 centuries of meticulous record-keepers in the church?
The first Christians were inspired first by the MIRACLES more than the teachings. The MIRACLES gave credence to the teachings of the MIRACLE WORKER. Especially His resurrection.
When you meet a resurrected miracle-worker, you are sure He is from God --especially when He lived a perfect life and tells you He and the Father are one. Especially when He gives you something like a Damascus Road experience and you just know, in your soul, that "He touched me! And now I am no longer the same!" Like St. Paul. Like Chuck Colson. Like George W. Bush whose closest observers say the Christianity is genuine. He said, "Jesus Christ changed my heart." When Christ's Holy Spirit bears witness with YOUR Spirit, you just know.
I think the problem with the church today is that too many lack "an experience." They are trying to follow Christ in the flesh --and they need to ask for The Holy Spirit and be willing to experience Him in fullness. Jesus said, "If an earthly father knows how to give good gifts to his children, how much more will your heavenly father be willing to give the Holy Spirit to those who ask."
Are we willing to be changed? Do we want this power in our lives? If it means we will forgive and love? that HE will be on the throne of our lives --instead of us? The thing is, when God gives the experience, the love is almost automatic --it floods the soul --like "springs of living water." The Psalmist David said, "Restore to me, O God, the joy of my salvation."
"Amazing grace; how sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me.
I once was lost, but now am found, was blind, but now I see."
"God is not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance and have eternal life."--the Bible
Does it seem unreasonable that such sensational events of the first century-- Christ's birth, life, death and resurrection--could be accurately recorded and preserved during the lifetimes of just 20 such men--through 20 centuries of meticulous record-keepers in the church?
The first Christians were inspired first by the MIRACLES more than the teachings. The MIRACLES gave credence to the teachings of the MIRACLE WORKER. Especially His resurrection.
When you meet a resurrected miracle-worker, you are sure He is from God --especially when He lived a perfect life and tells you He and the Father are one. Especially when He gives you something like a Damascus Road experience and you just know, in your soul, that "He touched me! And now I am no longer the same!" Like St. Paul. Like Chuck Colson. Like George W. Bush whose closest observers say the Christianity is genuine. He said, "Jesus Christ changed my heart." When Christ's Holy Spirit bears witness with YOUR Spirit, you just know.
I think the problem with the church today is that too many lack "an experience." They are trying to follow Christ in the flesh --and they need to ask for The Holy Spirit and be willing to experience Him in fullness. Jesus said, "If an earthly father knows how to give good gifts to his children, how much more will your heavenly father be willing to give the Holy Spirit to those who ask."
Are we willing to be changed? Do we want this power in our lives? If it means we will forgive and love? that HE will be on the throne of our lives --instead of us? The thing is, when God gives the experience, the love is almost automatic --it floods the soul --like "springs of living water." The Psalmist David said, "Restore to me, O God, the joy of my salvation."
"Amazing grace; how sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me.
I once was lost, but now am found, was blind, but now I see."
"God is not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance and have eternal life."--the Bible
Tuesday, November 11, 2008
Three Groups of People In the News This Week
1000 Somalian Muslims packed a stadium to watch a 13 year old rape victim be stoned to death by a couple dozen Muslim Militia members, last Monday. I noticed that Dr Hussain, my neighbor, recently wrote in the Blade that any anti-Islamic sentiment was shameful. He was disappointed that McCain said to the woman who thought Obama was Arab, "No, he's not Arab, not a Muslim" therefore, the implication was, "don't worry." I saw the flaw in McCain's response, too. He was supposed to say, "There is nothing wrong with being ARabic, Ma'am, or Muslim, but Obama is neither."
History: In addition to 9/11 and Palestinians dancing in the streets afterward, we have heard the Iranian president threaten death to Israel. We saw how Palestianians lobbed bombs over the new border after Israelis vacated Gaza in Palestine's favor. We witnessed the horrific beheadings by Islamic extremists and Al Quaeda as they shouted their praises to Allah. And now we have this nice little story about Somalian Muslims, not to mention what they are doing in Darfur. We hear of the chronic civil wars to the death among Middle-eastern Muslims, Shia and Sunni. There are the Taliban, the Iranian extremists, the Wahabi school grads who feed Al Quaeda(Saudi Arabia), the Wahabi school racist curricula even in Wash. D.C. school for Muslims --and we're supposed to understand that this religion doesn't really spawn all these crazy, blood-thirsty groups! True Islam is peace-loving. Really???!!! Then why are SO MANY DEVOUT worshippers so violent in the name of Allah??
We had our Ku Klux Klan, our ignorant bigots who never read the Christian Bible, but any such groups can't point to Jesus and find any justification for hatred and murder. I understand that the Muslims can cite Mohammad's instructions to be violent, to be deceitful, to befriend someone before you stab him in the back.
I'd recommend that people read the Caner brothers' books. They were raised to be Muslims and converted to Christianity. They tell it like it is. Both are American professors now.
Now another group of 1000 people met together in prayer support, called together by the COUNTY COMMISSIONERS! in a southern suburb of Nashville, to defend a school with a small band of praying parents accused by one parent of wrongfully praying in a public school. These accused parents joined the lawsuit when the ACLU sued the school. The Alliance Defense Fund defended the parents and the school and won on all 5 points.
The ACLU wanted the school to: 1. stop the National Day of Prayer observance before school on school property one day in the spring; 2. stop the See You at the Pole prayer observance in the fall; 3. stop any mention of gratitude to God when teaching about Thanksgiving; 4. remove all sacred music from Christmas concerts in schools, and 5. stop the monthly prayer meeting of The Praying Parents, who prayed for school requests in the school cafeteria, not in front of students --but quietly in a corner during class time. This school and the County Commissioners supported the parents; the ADF defended them and beat the ACLU on every count. It's all about Religious Freedom --free exercise of one's faith on public property without being coercive or denying religious liberty to others.
The 3rd group in the news this week: homosexuals stormed a Lansing church a few hours from here--lesbians started kissing in the pulpit--they tried to hang a banner --they were obscene, disruptive, yelling "Jesus was gay." http://www.rightmichigan.com/story/2008/11/10/13335
The pastor concluded the service, after the police intervened, with a prayer that these disrupters would come to know the peace of God.
I think there is good and evil in the world and the news stories illustrate clearly the contrast between the two.
"God is not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance and have eternal life."--the Bible
History: In addition to 9/11 and Palestinians dancing in the streets afterward, we have heard the Iranian president threaten death to Israel. We saw how Palestianians lobbed bombs over the new border after Israelis vacated Gaza in Palestine's favor. We witnessed the horrific beheadings by Islamic extremists and Al Quaeda as they shouted their praises to Allah. And now we have this nice little story about Somalian Muslims, not to mention what they are doing in Darfur. We hear of the chronic civil wars to the death among Middle-eastern Muslims, Shia and Sunni. There are the Taliban, the Iranian extremists, the Wahabi school grads who feed Al Quaeda(Saudi Arabia), the Wahabi school racist curricula even in Wash. D.C. school for Muslims --and we're supposed to understand that this religion doesn't really spawn all these crazy, blood-thirsty groups! True Islam is peace-loving. Really???!!! Then why are SO MANY DEVOUT worshippers so violent in the name of Allah??
We had our Ku Klux Klan, our ignorant bigots who never read the Christian Bible, but any such groups can't point to Jesus and find any justification for hatred and murder. I understand that the Muslims can cite Mohammad's instructions to be violent, to be deceitful, to befriend someone before you stab him in the back.
I'd recommend that people read the Caner brothers' books. They were raised to be Muslims and converted to Christianity. They tell it like it is. Both are American professors now.
Now another group of 1000 people met together in prayer support, called together by the COUNTY COMMISSIONERS! in a southern suburb of Nashville, to defend a school with a small band of praying parents accused by one parent of wrongfully praying in a public school. These accused parents joined the lawsuit when the ACLU sued the school. The Alliance Defense Fund defended the parents and the school and won on all 5 points.
The ACLU wanted the school to: 1. stop the National Day of Prayer observance before school on school property one day in the spring; 2. stop the See You at the Pole prayer observance in the fall; 3. stop any mention of gratitude to God when teaching about Thanksgiving; 4. remove all sacred music from Christmas concerts in schools, and 5. stop the monthly prayer meeting of The Praying Parents, who prayed for school requests in the school cafeteria, not in front of students --but quietly in a corner during class time. This school and the County Commissioners supported the parents; the ADF defended them and beat the ACLU on every count. It's all about Religious Freedom --free exercise of one's faith on public property without being coercive or denying religious liberty to others.
The 3rd group in the news this week: homosexuals stormed a Lansing church a few hours from here--lesbians started kissing in the pulpit--they tried to hang a banner --they were obscene, disruptive, yelling "Jesus was gay." http://www.rightmichigan.com/story/2008/11/10/13335
The pastor concluded the service, after the police intervened, with a prayer that these disrupters would come to know the peace of God.
I think there is good and evil in the world and the news stories illustrate clearly the contrast between the two.
"God is not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance and have eternal life."--the Bible
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