The LORD My Dad

God's Grace Favors Hearts Set On Seeking Him

2007-08-27T12:19:00.001-07:00

Looking back to those days when I roamed this earth lost and denying there is a God, I can see clearly what I kept brushing aside then. God was always nearby. There was always somebody or something that kept reminding me that God is real and that He loves me so.

Patiently, God did His work until I was at the eve of asking Jesus Christ into my life as my personal Savior and God. What kept me from following through completely was not unbelief. It was more of disbelief. I could not comprehend, knowing how rotten I was, how a holy and perfect God could possibly want to forgive me and welcome me into His family.

A Christian friend introduced me to God's love and grace. She advised me never to underestimate the power of these attributes in God's character. She showed me verses in the Bible regarding grace such as Romans 3:22-24 :

This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.

And verses regarding God's love such as John 3:16 :

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.

And many more such verses that set my heart at ease and pointed it towards a course that eagerly sought after Him. I asked Christ into my life to be my Savior and God. And God poured His love and grace upon me, forgiving me of all my sins, and adopting me into His family as a son.

Baby Christian toddles expectedly produced scraped knees and bruises. But in time my steps steadied and here I am, still enjoying this great adventure I have walking with my Father in heaven, the one true God of all Creation.

Scripture:
"Since many in the crowd had not consecrated themselves, the Levites had to kill the Passover lambs for all those who were not ceremonially clean and could not consecrate their lambs to the LORD. Although most of the many people who came from Ephraim, Manasseh, Issachar and Zebulun had not purified themselves, yet they ate the Passover, contrary to what was written. But Hezekiah prayed for them, saying, 'May the LORD, who is good, pardon everyone who sets his heart on seeking God—the LORD, the God of his fathers—even if he is not clean according to the rules of the sanctuary.' And the LORD heard Hezekiah and healed the people." (2 Chronicles 30:17-20)

Observation:
Once a people is estranged from God in unfaithfulness and disobedience, they are diseased of spirit and well on their way to dying. Yet, God's grace so defines His character that in spite of being in the thick of ceremonies dictated by the Law, God pardons and heals even those that break the rules so long as they desire more to return to Him with hearts set on seeking Him. Oh, and when a righteous person prays for them, it certainly never hurts. (James 5:16)

Application:
I will incline my heart towards God at all times. I will strive to be obedient and faithful. Christ's blood makes me righteous. Still, I will seek to be found righteous yet in what I do. In this, I hope that God will hear when I pray for others.

Prayer:
God, thank You for Your grace and mercy. Holy Spirit, please fill me. Enable me to be faithful and obedient, ever seeking my Father in heaven. Use me so that glory abounds in Christ alone. In Jesus' Name I pray. Amen.

July 20, 2007 entry to the personal handwritten journal I use in my quiet time with God.

Artwork from Morning Star.

Thank You. God Bless You.

2007-08-26T14:45:00.000-07:00

I was discharged from the hospital yesterday after lunch. I just went through a procedure that may seem so routine I needed only to stay overnight in the hospital. Yet it was serious enough it could have meant the end of my life if I did not go through it.

All throughout my short stay in the hospital and through today when I caught up with some of my closest friends, I have received nothing but the most touching expressions of love and caring.

My nurses kept checking to see if I was alright even in the dead of night. It can be argued that it was their job to do so. But these people went about it with such a personal touch that, had I not gotten into this serious situation, I would never have found out truly existed.

Hospital staff that I knew personally sent me flowers with a message that in order to maximize my rest time, they were resisting the urge to come and visit.

When my Bible study group mates first saw me when I got back from the hospital, I found them praying for me. They have been doing so ever since I broke out the news to them last Tuesday regarding my health situation. They fell in line, some of them crying, to each give me a tight hug. With my wife and kids, they puttered about me, anticipating my needs, never allowing me to lift anything.

And I know, those of you that visited here and read my Thursday post prayed for me. I know so because I could sense the prayer support all throughout. I was not without anxiety, I confess, but I was not fearful and completely without distress. I was mostly comfortable.

God promised me, as He has promised you, that He will never leave me nor forsake me. He is faithful. But with you petitioning Him in my regard while He walks with me through this valley of trial, that is special!

Thank you! God bless you!

God be praised for you!

Jesus commanded in John 13:34 that we love one another. And in the next verse, He explained why:

"By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another." (John 13:35)

I have absolutely no doubt that we have accomplished and will continue to accomplish what the Lord has commanded.

Again, thank you! God bless you!

God be praised for you!

Jesus is King of kings and Lord of lords.

Artwork from Angel Verses. Please support the ministry of Angel Verses.

Joy In The Midst Of Trials

2007-08-24T00:01:00.000-07:00

I was in a bus accident several years back. My wife and daughter were with me as our bus cruised southbound in a freeway in the Philippines.

Suddenly, a truck carrying sand from the northbound side veered off toward us, it's driver apparently having fallen asleep. It crossed the grassy median strip, climbed up the embankment supporting our lane and slammed against the left-side of our bus.

Our bus fell off the opposite embankment and rolled three times. When everything came to a stop, and as my wife and I were taking stock of the injuries we sustained (our daughter miraculously came out of it without a scratch), a lady from the back of our bus stood up, began waving her Bible and started saying, "Praise the Lord, hallelujah, praise the Lord!"

We did not pay attention to her. We were on survival mode. We just recall vaguely thinking, "What 'praise the Lord', lady? We just nearly got killed."

Looking back now, the lady had the right attitude. My wife and I were baby Christians at the time and could barely understand. But the Bible says God inhabits the praises of His people. (Psalm 22:3)

In the midst of trials, a steadfast heart that remains joyfully grateful and worshipful to God breaks down any stronghold the enemy may have erected. It declares to the world that God is in charge here. Jesus is King of kings and Lord of lords.

Scripture:
"Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything...Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God promised to those who love him." (James 1:2-4, 12)

Observation:
The author, known as James the Just, encourages his readers to continue in faith to strive in spite of adversities. His admonition to consider facing trials pure joy does not come from a sentimentalist motivation. James points to the crown of life that Jesus Christ promises to give to those that stand the test. James takes his readers from the folly of romanticism to a conscious moral choice to regard maturity and persevering more important than avoiding the difficulties of trials. In this sense, the believer joins Christ in a very special fellowship, the brotherhood of those who have suffered for their faith in God. That is where the joy lies in spite of trials.

Application:
I want the crown of life. I want the loving intimacy that Jesus Christ offers as He invites to His unique fellowship. I want His loving grace that allows me to go through trials so I may gain an ever-deepening knowledge of God's character. I want that joy that anticipates in trials a strengthening in my character. That makes for untold riches in Christ's glory!

Prayer:
Holy Spirit please fill me. Empower me to be joyful in the midst of trial. Enable me to be useful in Christ's glory. In Jesus' Name I pray. Amen.

July 17, 2007 entry to the personal handwritten journal I use in my quiet time with God.

Please Pray For Me

2007-08-23T15:51:00.000-07:00

At six o'clock tomorrow morning, I am checking in to a hospital for a procedure.

As with all procedures, it can run routine but it is not without risks. I covet your prayers. I do not want to miss posting here on time so I would like to be back by evening tomorrow to do so. Or, at least within the weekend.

The benefit to me is certain. Nevertheless, I would like for you, also, to not miss out on the opportunity to bless the Lord in obedience to what Scripture prescribes:

"Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up." (Luke 18:1)

"Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer." (Romans 12:12)

"And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints." (Ephesians 6:18)

"Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful." (Colossians 4:2)

"pray continually;" (1 Thessalonians 5:17)

See you back here soon.

God bless you.

The Lord Is My Helper

2007-08-23T00:01:00.000-07:00

I felt so bad for my wife when someone she loved and has been witnessing to for a long time flatly told her once that he is not believing because he has not seen anyone serving in church ever get rich.

To her eternal credit, my wife continued to just lovingly testify to the greatness of her Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. She said, "It may not seem apparent to you right now but I am already very rich in Christ."

How true! To have a relationship alone with the God that owns all creation is wealth beyond all imagination. Not to mention God's promise to believers to meet all needs according to His glorious riches in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:19)

Don't get me started. In my life, God has always met my need at the exact time that I needed it.

With such a faithul God, I can be content with what I have. I need not love money. I can truly say that my help comes from God.

Scripture:
"Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said,
'Never will I leave you;
never will I forsake you.' So we say with confidence,
'The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid.
What can man do to me?'"

Observation:
God promised never to leave nor forget those that believe and put their trust in Him. With God always present, He is to be the focus of the believer's heart. We are to love God, not money. God is the believer's helper. He is greater than any fear, so much greater than any man.

Application:
I will seek first God's Kingdom and all His righteousness. God said do this and He will give me everything I need. (Matthew 6:33; in context, Matthew 6:25-34)

Prayer:
Praise be to God! Praise You, Father! Praise be to the Son! Praise be to the Holy Spirit! You are my everything. You are all I need. Great and mighty, You are faithful. What You have promised is forever settled. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Praise be to Your Name. In Jesus' Name I pray. Amen.

July 16, 2007 entry to the personal handwritten journal I use in my quiet time with God.

"My Righteous One Will Live By Faith"

2007-08-22T00:01:00.000-07:00

One must simply stop and at least consider the way Christ's disciples suffered for their faith. Often in danger, they were imprisoned, beaten up, chained, persecuted. They continued to proclaim their faith even in the face of cruel death.

History is replete with accounts of early Christians being socially outcast, their properties confiscated. Some were forced into slavery. Some died on their knees worshiping God after being thrown to the lions for entertainment.

Today, faithful Christians hold secret worship services in their homes, in the woods, in caves in places like China, Vietnam, the Middle East. Pastors get arrested, tortured, thrown into prisons.

Yet, in spite of centuries of cruelty and mistreatment, Christ's followers continue to grow in number.

We may attribute that to any number of reasons. But to me, the number one reason is that God said, "But my righteous ones will live by faith." (Hebrews 10:38) The faithful understand that they do not belong among those who shrink back and are destroyed. They belong among those who believe and are saved. (Hebrews 10:39)

Persecution, beatings, even death do not destroy those whose faith is in Christ. Their salvation is forever.

Scripture:
"Remember those earlier days after you had received the light, when you stood your ground in a great contest in the face of suffering. Sometimes you were publicly exposed to insult and persecution; at other times you stood side by side with those who were so treated. You sympathized with those in prison and joyfully accepted the confiscation of your property, because you knew that you yourselves had better and lasting possessions.

"So do not throw away your confidence; it will be richly rewarded. You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised. For in just a very little while,
'He who is coming will come and will not delay.
But my righteous one will live by faith.
And if he shrinks back,
I will not be pleased with him.' But we are not of those who shrink back and are destroyed, but of those who believe and are saved."
(Hebrews 10:32-39)

Observation:
The believer's confidence in Christ is such that they hold loosely even to their properties. They know they have better and lasting possessions. Believers need only persevere. We are not of those who shrink back and are destroyed. We are of those who believe and are saved.

Application:
All belong to God. What appear to be my possessions are merely heavenly resources that God is entrusting to me to manage for the increase of His Kingdom. I believe. I am saved. I will not shrink back. I will persevere. Christ is coming without delay. I want to be found faithful.

Prayer:
Dear God, You give and take away. My heart will surely say, "Lord, blessed by Your Name." I have Your promise and I know You are faithful. Praise be to Your Name! In Jesus' Name I pray. Amen.

July 13, 2007 entry to the personal handwritten journal I use in my quiet time with God.

My Permanent Priest

2007-08-21T00:01:00.001-07:00

Growing up, I was attracted to priests. I thought, what a high and noble calling. They were respected. They championed what is right and what is God-ly. Most of my peers went to them for relief whenever something bothered their conscience.

They seemed to be my friends' go-between to God. I thought that I wanted to be like one of them someday.

I happened to be the son, however, of someone who grew up serving priests. My dad was the first to call my attention to the imperfection of human priests.

I will spare you the ghastly details of my father's observations. Suffice it to say that recent headlines corroborate my father's testimony.

Then, as I moved on in my topsy-turvy past, I met Jesus Christ. I began to study His Word, the Bible. That there is only one God was not new information to me, given my religious background. What astounded me in 1 Timothy 2:5 was a truth that I did not know until then: There is only one mediator between God and man. That mediator is Jesus Christ.

I said to myself, how cool is that? Not only is Jesus Christ my personal Lord and Savior, He is also my permanent priest. He is perfect. And He lives forever. I can count on him to mediate in my behalf to the Father forever!

Jesus Christ is the ultimate priest. He will never disappoint.

Scripture:
"Now there have been many of these priests, since death prevented them from continuing in office; but because Jesus lives forever, he has a permanent priesthood. Therefore he is able to save completely those who come to God through him, because he always lives to intercede for them." (Hebrews 7:23-25)

Observation:
Jesus lives forever. His priesthood is permanent. He is not like human priests who die and could not continue in their work. Those who come to God through Jesus are saved completely. Only Jesus is able to do this because He always lives to intercede for them.

Application:
I will keep on trusting Jesus. I need not look far for someone to take my case up to the Father. Jesus is already there seated on the Father's right hand side. He intercedes forever in my behalf. Because He lives, I will live forever!

Prayer:
Praise and all glory be to You, sweet Jesus! You offered Your sinless, unblemished self on the cruel cross of Calvary as the perfect sacrifice that washed away my sins through the precious blood that flowed from your broken body. What a stunning, complete work of salvation! You deserve my thanks. You deserve my worship. You deserve my adoration, my complete devotion. Thank You for being my perfect priest. In Your sweet Name I pray. Amen.

July 10, 2007 entry to the personal handwritten journal I use in my quiet time with God.

It's Only Death And That Is All. No Need To Fear.

2007-08-20T00:01:00.000-07:00

A pastor friend of mine who now serves in Troy, Michigan, told me once about how, as a minister, he has been a close observer to the last dying moments of quite a few people he has been requested to administer final rites to.

He said that he could not help but notice how those whom he knew for certain did not have God in their lives struggled hard in their exit. He told of one who fearfully pointed to menacing figures unseen by the others in the room but the dying person swore were outside the windows looking in. The dying man said they have come to get him. He kept saying, "Please, don't let them get me."

In stark contrast, those whom he knew have received Jesus Christ as their personal Savior and God, went away as though only easing into a deep sleep. Peacefully, comfortably they went, some even with almost a hint of a smile in their face.

I have another pastor friend who actually suffered a heart attack and nearly died. When he was revived, he said, "Dying is painless."

Still another Christian friend who recently died spoke in her last moments of seeing angels coming to pick her up. She was hearing angels from far away singing.

The devil enslaves men by their fear of death. Jesus, by his sinless death on the cross and by his resurrection has destroyed him who holds the power of death, the devil, and freed men from their fear of death.

Scripture:
"...he too shared in their humanity so that by his death he might destroy him who holds the power of death—that is, the devil—and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death. For surely it is not angels he helps, but Abraham's descendants. For this reason he had to be made like his brothers in every way, in order that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in service to God, and that he might make atonement for the sins of the people. Because he himself suffered when he was tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted." (Hebrews 2:14-18)

Observation:
Jesus was not helping angels but humanity when He left heaven and became a man. God was not leaving one stone unturned in ensuring that Jesus would be a merciful and faithful high priest, and that He might make atonement for the sins of the people He is to call brothers. Having been tempted while in the form of man, He is able to help man who, being flesh, is subject to temptation. Christ successfully fought off temptation and died without sin. He rose again from the dead and utterly obliterated the devil whose only hold on man is their slavery to the fear of death.

Application:
I am not a slave to sin and its wages which is death. Christ is my merciful and faithful high priest. Dying without sin on the cruel cross, and rising again on the third day, Christ paid for my sin debt and moved me from this earthly life to eternal life. I may die a physical death, as everyone would, but it will only usher me into the eternal life that Christ's victory has bought for me.

Prayer:
Praise and glory be to the Son! Praise and glory be to the Father, to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit! In Jesus' Name I pray. Amen.

July 5, 2007 entry to the personal handwritten journal I use in my quiet time with God.

He Heard My Cry For Mercy

2007-08-19T00:01:00.000-07:00

Some find God in a foxhole in the midst of war. My pastor received Jesus Christ as his personal Savior and God in a bunker in Vietnam as death whizzed by during a full-blown rocket assault.

I wish my salvation were as dramatic. But my decisive encounter with the Lord---He absolutely crushed me---happened in the midst of inexplicable despair so deep one night I just knew I would not have been found alive in the morning.

I was not seeing bombs and bullets coming to an inch of my life. But you can make the point that the barrage of darts and arrows hell was sending my way was every bit as real. And lethal.

That night, I came to conclude that there was everything to lose in not believing. And everything to gain in believing. I told God, "If You are real, I ask for Your forgiveness. I surrender my life to You."

For the first time in years, I slept like a baby. A huge weight, it seemed, was lifted off my shoulders. And what took its place was this peace that is in every way beyond my understanding as my previous despair. A peace that has stayed with me to this day.

God heard my cry for mercy. And He delivered me.

Scripture:

1 I love the LORD, for he heard my voice;
he heard my cry for mercy.

2 Because he turned his ear to me,
I will call on him as long as I live.

...

6 The LORD protects the simplehearted;
when I was in great need, he saved me.

7 Be at rest once more, O my soul,
for the LORD has been good to you.

8 For you, O LORD, have delivered my soul from death,
my eyes from tears,
my feet from stumbling,

9 that I may walk before the LORD
in the land of the living.

...

12 How can I repay the LORD
for all his goodness to me?

13 I will lift up the cup of salvation
and call on the name of the LORD.

14 I will fulfill my vows to the LORD
in the presence of all his people.

...

16 O LORD, truly I am your servant;
I am your servant, the son of your maidservant;
you have freed me from my chains.

(Psalm 116:1-2, 6-9, 12-14, 16)

Observation:
He who cries for mercy is broken. A broken spirit are the sacrifices of God; He does not despise a broken and repentant heart. (Psalm 51:17) God is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit. (Psalm 34:18) God saves the lost in their brokenness. He wants them to walk before Him in eternity. He keeps them from death, tears, and error. We that believe could never repay the debt of love we owe God. But because He has given our soul rest and He has been so good to us, we will lift up the cup of salvation, call on His name, and fulfill our vows to the LORD in the presence of all His people. He has freed us from our chains; we are His servants.

Application:
God calls to a fresh start. He is cutting off the chains that are keeping me from running hard after Him. God is calling to evangelism, worship, and pastoral servanthood. I will fulfill my vows to the LORD in the presence of all His people.

Prayer:
Holy Spirit, please fill me. Empower me, enable me. Let me fulfill my vows to the LORD in the presence of all His people. I surrender all to You, my God. I submit my heart, my soul, my spirit, my life to You. Take full control of me. Glorify my Savior, Jesus Christ, through Your work in me. In Jesus' Name I pray. Amen.

July 2, 2007 entry to the personal handwritten journal I use in my quiet time with God.

Righteous Person: Effective Prayer

2007-08-18T00:01:00.000-07:00

I am a friend to an American couple who are two of the most steadfast believers in prayer. They served in key leadership roles in missionary Bible translation work in the Philippines.

In one of their e-newsletters, they requested prayer as they had to travel by sea to one of the Philippines' numerous islands at a time when a typhoon was forecast to pass by their route.

The couple has a worldwide team of prayer supporters. They asked their team to petition the Lord for safe passage to their destination and for good weather for the strategic gathering that they were leading there.

When they e-mailed their next update, what do you know? The typhoon actually veered off its course and completely left their area in balmy weather!

The Bible tells of the effectiveness of the prayer of even but one righteous man in interceding in behalf of even an entire nation. This couple, whose righteousness is evidenced by their faithful work, presumably prayed for good weather on their own. Add to them the worldwide symphony of numerous righteous men and women praying for them. How could the heart of a loving and righteous God not be moved?

Scripture:
"Remember your servants Abraham, Isaac and Israel, to whom you swore by your own self: 'I will make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and I will give your descendants all this land I promised them, and it will be their inheritance forever.' " Then the LORD relented and did not bring on his people the disaster he had threatened. (Exodus 32:13-14)

Observation:
Moses interceded for his fellow Israelites. He spoke to God recalling His covenant with Abraham and the promises this entailed to Isaac and Israel. Moses passed a crucial test of his character here, revealing a shepherd's heart for his people. In doing so, he was speaking to the very heart of God with regards to Israel. So, God relented.

Application:
I should be mindful that God retains sovereignty over delivery or denial of His promises or warnings depending on how man responds to Him. I must prove myself true. I should strive to pass God's tests. Still, in Christ, I have eternal life. He is my righteousness. I can be confident that when I approach God, if I ask anything according to his will, he hears me. And if I know that he hears me—whatever I ask—I know that I have what I asked of Him. (1 John 5:14-15)

Prayer:
Dear God, thank You for providing prayer as an ever ready means of access to You. Thank You for answering prayers. I am very grateful for the opportunity to partner with You through prayer in ministering to the needs of those that You have placed in my care. Thank You for the freedom in Christ that You have granted so that I may freely approach You in Your throne room with my requests and petitions. Thank You for Your faithfulness. In Jesus' Name I pray. Amen.

February 1, 2007 entry to the personal handwritten journal I use in my quiet time with God.

Even Greater Things Than These

2007-08-17T00:01:00.000-07:00

At East Hill Church in Gresham, Oregon, we are going through a changing of the guards. Our Pastor Ted Roberts is passing the baton on to a young and very capable pastor, Jason Albelo.

Outside observers may wonder, how come, when Ted is at the very peak of his pastoral ministry at East Hill?

Long story short, Pastor Ted is heeding God's call to launch a worldwide ministry he is calling "Pure Desire" in order to address the plague of pornography and sexual immorality that has become such a world epidemic that it is ruining lives even among ministers of the church itself.

But that's for a whole 'nother posting. Yesterday, at mid-week service, I was witness to a spectacle that all the more affirmed in me what God has said in His Word.

The service was utilized to begin to finalize the transition which was already known to the church and has been an ongoing process for nearly a couple of years. Clips of approving well wishes from pastors all over the U.S. and overseas were shown on the big sanctuary screens. Those coming from East Hill churchgoers were so numerous that only a fraction could also be shown.

When Pastor Ted and his wife Diane were called to the stage, a fitting climax to the service ensued. The entire throng of easily a thousand who were present in the packed sanctuary spontaneously stood on their feet and issued a long drawn out ovation with shouts of approval for the couple's excellent tenure as leaders of this respected and well-recognized church family.

What a sight! A decidedly well-loved and effective pastor moving on to greater challenges in God's field of harvest. Ever eager to please his Master, Pastor Ted did as God would have him do. And now he is moving on to do even greater things than these that God said he will also do.

Scripture:
"I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing. He will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father." (John 14:12)

Observation:
Jesus said that those who believe in Him will do the works He has done and even greater.

Application:
I am taking God up on His word that since I believe in Him, I will do the works He has done. In Him, I will also be able to do even greater works.

Prayer:
Father God, please let me claim my Savior's promise. Holy Spirit, enable me to boldly believe, speak and act by the authority of the word of Jesus Christ. He who made the promise is faithful. In Jesus' Name, I pray. Amen.

December 22, 2006 entry to the personal handwritten journal I use in my quiet time with God.

Smart, Not Wise

2007-08-16T00:01:00.000-07:00

My son described to me a classmate of his whom he admires much for his consistent high grades. But my son said in spite of his classmate's brains, he struggles to give him full recognition because he tends to be reckless.

Rather self-centered, he turns everything into a competition that he must always win. And he gets himself into trouble often with spur-of-the-moment decisions which he follows through with apparently not very well thought-out actions.

I thought my son described his classmate aptly when he said of him, "He is smart but not wise."

There seems to be no lack of such characters in life. Who knows but anyone might well be subject every now and then to occasional spells of lack in wisdom in spite of our abundance in intelligence.

Whether it be character or occasional lack, the Bible has a neat little term for it: foolish.

The foolish can sometimes just be funny strange. Or they can be outright dangerous. It is the "smart but not wise" that especially requires caution. They can be so glib in deceiving that they manage to deceive themselves.

It's not so much that they become doubly harmed by their own deception. It is that they believe their own lies so much that they become believable to the not so discerning.

The Bible says nothing gets settled when we make the mistake of getting into a contest with them. It does not matter if the fool finds our challenge laughable or a grievous outrage. There is simply no rest in engaging them.

Scripture:
"If a wise man contends with a foolish man, whether he rages or laughs, there is no rest." (Proverbs 29:9 MKJV)

"If a wise man goes to court with a fool, the fool rages and scoffs, and there is no peace." (Proverbs 29:9 NIV)

Observation:
Seeking relief against a foolish person is futile.

Application:
At all cost, I will avoid getting into a conflict with a foolish person.

Prayer:
Dear God, please grant me discernment through Your Holy Spirit so that I may distinguish between a wise and a foolish person. Fill me, Holy Spirit. Enable me to be at peace with everyone. In Jesus' Name I pray. Amen.

June 4, 2007 entry to the personal handwritten journal I use in my quiet time with God.

Loving The Pain-In-The-Neck Neighbor

2007-08-15T00:01:00.000-07:00

Among my neighbors, there is one that just gets on everybody's nerves. He particularly dislikes barking dogs. He would knock on a neighbor's door even in the dead of dawn to complain about their dog. He is quick to call the cops on them.

Yet, he has no qualms about his loud jamming sessions with his band of ragtag rocker friends. Or his blaring stereo. He seems unable to control his rowdy sons from their roughhousing play that sometimes does damage to neighbors' properties.

Through it all, the other neighbors do their best to be tolerant towards him. They have never raised a complaint against him to the authorities. The most I've seen them do is compare notes with each other about his offenses.

It is all I could do, too, to be gracious towards him. But, I am thankful to God I have him for a neighbor.

I know that sounds strange. But you know how God's ways are radically different than man's ways. God's ways are so not like ours that it sometimes takes painstaking practice to get to a place where you more readily apply them with grace.

Now, I'm sure you've heard, God says "Love your neighbor." Don't you think I'm blessed I have this guy to practice that with?

Scripture:
"The way of the Lord is a refuge for the righteous but it is the ruin of those who do evil." (Proverbs 10:29)

"As the Scripture says, 'Anyone who trusts in him will never be put to shame.'" (Romans 10:11; Isaiah 28:16)

Observation:
The righteous runs to the ways of the Lord in times of despair, distress, or oppression. Comfort is found in the ways of the Lord. God assures that those who trust in Him will never suffer humiliation.

Application:
In the face of an oppressive neighbor, for example, one finds solace in the Word of God which instructs to "Love your neighbor." It is not submission to the wickedness of the neighbor that keeps a righteous person humble, gracious, and peaceable. It is submission to God! The Lord teaches, after all: "Do not take revenge, my friends, but leave room for God's wrath, for it is written: 'It is mine to avenge; I will repay,' says the Lord. On the contrary: 'If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head.' Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good." (Romans 12:19-21) There is no embarassment in pursuing hard after the ways of the Lord.

Prayer:
God, thank You for reminding me of Your ways. Thank You for shining light on the correct path. Fill me, Holy Spirit. Convict me of unrighteousness. Enable me in the path that honors Jesus Christ. For it is in the sweet name of Jesus that I pray. Amen.

June 29, 2007 entry to the personal handwritten journal I use in my quiet time with God.

"Artwork by John Bell copyright 1998-2007 (http://www.jrbell.com/index.html) used with permission".

The Flesh Wars Against The Good And God-ly

2007-08-14T00:01:00.000-07:00

I wince when I read in the Old Testament how the Israelites built for themselves a golden image of a calf to worship in the wilderness. (Exodus 32:1-29)

Gone from their memory were God's tempestuous miracles in Egypt culminating but a few months back in the parting of the Red Sea and its annihilation of Egypt's pursuing army, freeing them once for all from enslavement in the land of Pharaoh. (Exodus 7-15)

How could anyone be so forgetful?

Fast forward to the New Testament, over a thousand years later, and we find an Apostle Paul still warning his young disciple Timothy about a coming time when people, "to suit their own desires, will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear." (2 Timothy 4:3) A time when "They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths." (2 Timothy 4:4)

Alas, we speak of flesh that runs counter to what is of the Spirit and what is truth.

Today is no different. The world only worsens in its fallen state. Flesh wars against the good and God-ly. Even when God is clear that truth is absolute, flesh insists that truth is only what you make of it. Even when God is clear that Jesus is the only way to the Father, flesh insists that all beliefs and religions lead to God.

Believers would do well to heed Paul and receive the same charge he gave to Timothy.

Scripture:
"In the presence of God and of Jesus Christ, who will judge the living and the dead, and in view of his appearing and his kingdom, I give you this charge: Preach the Word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage---with great patience and careful instruction. For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths. But you, keep your head in all situations, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, discharge all the duties of your ministry." (2 Timothy 4:1-5)

Observation:
In Jesus Christ, Paul charges Timothy to preach the Word, always ready with it, correcting, rebuking and encouraging with great patience and careful instruction. These last two are very important because deception in this fallen world will only get worse, the deceivers themselves being deceived! (2 Timothy 3:13) In all this, he that preaches the Word is to keep his head in all situations, enduring adversities, continually evengelizing, faithfully fulfilling all the duties in his ministry.

Applicaton:
I, as a believer, am to preach the Word. God calls believers to constant readiness, applying His Word to correct, rebuke and encourage. He cautions Christians, myself included, to be patient and careful in instruction as decepton in the world grows worse. I am to keep my thoughts clear in all situations, to persevere inspite of hardship, to share the gospel, and to be faithful to all the responsibilities of the ministry He has called me to.

Prayer:
Holy Spirit please fill me. Cause my heart to submit all to God. Empower me so I may discharge all the duties of the ministry God has entrusted to me. Enable me through Your work to glorify my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. In Jesus' Name I pray. Amen.

June 28, 2007 entry to the personal handwritten journal I use in my quiet time with God.

Yes, The Divine Heart Breaks Too

2007-08-13T00:01:00.000-07:00

I was on a train ride to work one morning when I ran into a rude passenger who would not allow anyone to sit beside him, insisting on keeping his backpack on the seat next to him.

The other passengers reported him to the train operator who told him to take his backpack off the seat.

Everyone did their best to be tolerant of him until he defiantly called a friend on his cell phone and started loudly speaking profanely through the phone, interspersing every other word he used with expletives.

The operator threw him out of the train at the next stop to the approving chatter of the other passengers.

Looking back now, I think of how God said in Genesis 1:26 that man is made in His likeness. Just like God is very patient, the train passengers were bearing with the rude one's misbehavior. But when all his bitterness spilled out further in profanity, the collective heart of everyone in the train grieved over the offense and decided discipline needed to be meted out.

How so like the heart of the Holy Spirit!

Scripture:
"Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen. And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you." (Ephesians 4:29-32)

Observation:
The Christian is not to be foul-mouthed. Instead, he is to be sensitive to people's needs, allowing God to use his mouth to provide grace as needs require and as appropriate. In this, the Holy Spirit is pleased. Otherwise, along with bitterness, wrath, anger, tumult, evil speaking and all malice, the Holy Spirit is grieved. The Holy Spirit is a seal to the Christian until the day of redemption. Believers are to be like Christ to one another: kind, tenderhearted, forgiving one another as Christ has.

Application:
I am to be mindful of what comes out of my mouth. For out of the overflow of the heart, the mouth speaks. (Matthew 12:34b) My task is to allow the Holy Spirit to use my mouth to speak grace into people's needs. Especially among believers, I must submit to the gracious workings of the Holy Spirit. I must remember, Christ forgave me. I must be forgiving.

Prayer:
Dear God, please help my ungraciousness. Holy Spirit, please fill me. Fully control me. Let Christ's grace be the abundance of my heart that overflows through my mouth. Let me glorify Christ in this manner. In Jesus' Name I pray. Amen.

June 8, 2007 entry to the personal handwritten journal I use in my quiet time with God.

God Guards The Course Of The Just

2007-08-12T00:01:00.000-07:00

Every now and then, you come across verses in the Bible that turn a switch on in your soul and suddenly, you understand a mystery.

Not that other verses in Scripture do not hold the same potential given the right situation and time. The Bible is THE book of wisdom for all time.

But there are wonders in this life that we know we can only explain if we put God in the mix and still not fully understand how such things happen.

Take for instance people living wrecked lives suddenly turning around. We have plenty of those in our time: drug addicts, hardened criminals, people lost in perversion. When Jesus Christ breaks into their consciousness, they invariably leave their troubled lives behind and turn out to be some of the nicest persons that ever walked. The Apostle Paul was a murderer of Christ's followers. He met Christ one day and immediately after became one of Jesus' greatest spokesmen.

And that's not even the wonder yet that really gets me befuddled. It's that after their lives take a turn towards a good direction, they stay on course. I don't question that God is more than able to do all that. I just want to understand how.

That's where the Bible passage we feature here today comes in.

Scripture:
"My son, if you accept my words and store up my commands within you, turning you ear to wisdom and applying your heart to understanding, and if you call out for insight and cry aloud for understanding, and if you look for it as for silver and search for it as for hidden treasure, then you will understand the fear of the Lord and find the knowledge of God. For the Lord gives wisdom, and from his mouth come knowledge and understanding. He holds victory in store for the upright, he is a shield to those whose walk is blameless, for he guards the course of the just and protects the way of his faithful ones.

"Then you will understand what is right and just and fair---every good path. For wisdom will enter your heart, and knowledge will be pleasant to your soul. Discretion will protect you, and understanding will guard you.

"Wisdom will save you from the ways of the wicked men, ..." (Proverbs 2:1-12)

Observation:
God causes all sorts of divine benefits to come to the person that accepts His words and stores up His commands. He guards the course of the just and protects the way of His faithful ones. He provides the way to understanding that in turn leads the way to the benefits.

Application:
I accept God's Word and store His commands within me. I turn my ear to wisdom and apply my heart to understanding. I will call out for insight and cry aloud for understanding. I will look for it like it were silver and search for it as I would for hidden treasure. I will seek to understand the fear of the Lord and find the knowledge of God.

Prayer:
Thank You, God, for providing the way. I accept Your words and store Your commands within me. I call out to You for insight. I cry aloud to You for understanding. Guard my course, protect my way. Lead me to all good paths---let Your wisdom enter my heart. Let knowledge be pleasant to my soul. Save me from the ways of the wicked. In Jesus' Name I pray. Amen.

May 26, 2007 entry to the personal handwritten journal I use in my quiet time with God.

The Spirit Sets Apart The Chosen

2007-08-11T00:01:00.000-07:00

It's a big mystery to me. There are those that readily receive Jesus Christ as their personal Savior and God. Almost like a breeze, they mature and become productive workers in God's harvest field. They become vigorous sowers of the seed of God's Word in others.

Then there are those that take time, friendship, and getting all sorts of their questions answered before they finally make peace with Christ. And even while already walking with the Lord, their steps remain rather gingerly. At the slightest hint of doubt or seeming inconsistency in what they see or hear from fellow believers, they tend to want to go back to living without Christ.

Still, there are those that simply reject the message of Christ no matter how it is presented to them.

I cannot answer such deep mysteries. But I could catch a glimpse of wisdom regarding them in the pages of the Bible.

Scripture:
"But we ought always to thank God for you, brothers loved by the Lord, because from the beginning God chose you to be saved through the sanctifying work of the Spirit and through belief in the truth. He called you to this through our gospel, that you might share in the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ." (2 Thessalonians 2:13-14)

Observation:
God chooses whom He may to save. The Spirit works to set apart those chosen and so that they may believe in the truth. Through the gospel, the chosen are called so that they may share in the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. From the beginning, God made His choice. He is to be thanked always for it.

Application:
I will always carry an attitude of gratitude towards God for those whom He has chosen. I cooperate with the Holy Spirit in His work to distinguish those chosen and by sharing my belief in the truth. My part is to proclaim the gospel to the world so that those chosen may be called to Jesus Christ.

Prayer:
Dear God, Your Word says You do not want anyone to perish. Knowing this, I must share the gospel boldly to everyone and anyone. Only then can I cooperate in ensuring that all whom God has chosen will hear His call. Holy Spirit, please fill me so that I may be bold for the sake of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Thank You for Your elect, those whom You have chosen. In Jesus' Name I pray. Amen.

May 18, 2007 entry to the personal handwritten journal I use in my quiet time with God.

Why The Christian Works, Labors, Endures

2007-08-10T00:01:00.000-07:00

I have probably disappointed some of my pre-Christian friends not a few times when their invitations fell on days of the week that my family and I needed to be in church.

Though they are silent about it, I sense sometimes that they rationalize that we volunteer our time to church groups and activities because it is "what makes us happy."

I think that quietly some feel that we may be sacrificing too much when we give to the church and its various ministries.

I know my experience is not limited to myself and my household but quite common among believers.

My wife, Mila, and I sometimes say to each other that we wish we could just share the joy that we get in doing these things that seem to puzzle our pre-Christian loved ones. In such moments, the verse in Psalm 34:8 that says, "Taste and see that the LORD is good; blessed is the man who takes refuge in him," always comes to mind.

Scripture:
"We continually remember before our God and Father your work produced by faith, your labor produced by love, and your endurance inspired by hope in our Lord Jesus Christ." (1 Thessalonians 1:3)

Observation:
Faith in Jesus Christ produces good work. The love of Jesus Christ causes the believer to labor for His Kingdom's sake and the lost. Hope in Jesus Christ causes the believer to endure.

Application:
In faith, I do the work God has set before me for which He saved me. Because Jesus Christ loved me first, I love those whom He loves---mankind, the lost. Because I hope in Jesus Christ, I endure rejection, pain, the imperfection of this world, and the frailness of this life.

Prayer:
Holy Spirit, please fill me. Take control of my life so that as I do the work God has set aside for me, I may do it well. Make me overflow with love so that I may serve well in God's Kingdom. Give me a heart for the lost. Enable me to reach them and build them up. Be my portion, be my strength. Help me endure the vagaries of this world until the Father sees the time fit to bring me home to be with my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. In Jesus' Name I pray. Amen.

May 12, 2007 entry to the personal handwritten journal I use in my quiet time with God.

Only God Is Trustworthy

2007-08-09T00:58:00.000-07:00

Tight situations. If you are breathing and alive, you know and understand tough times. No one is insulated from those in this life.

Trying times in a Christian's life? You better believe there's plenty. Even with God in your life? You bet.

But why? My guess is as good as yours. Sometimes our own decisions bring dire consequences that we later regret. Sometimes God allows difficult conditions in the believer's life to grow and equip them further for a specific mission He has in mind for them. And God causes all things, even all sorts of trials, to work out for the good to those that love Him and whom He called to His purpose. (Romans 8:28)

This I do know, though: I could always count on God to be there for me whenever I go through seasons of testing. I would fret and worry sometimes because He is never early. But He never shows up late either!

Before God, I have tried everything else: knowledge, philosophy, religion, ideology, systems, politics, people. All held promise. Every one was a disappointment.

Only God has never let me down.

Scripture:
"Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the Lord our God." (Psalm 20:7)

Observation:
Chariots and horses were dependable tools of war during their time because of the power they brought to the army. The name of the Lord our God is more trustworthy than chariots and horses.

Application:
I will not put my trust in tools and implements although they are handy in completing a job---even winning a war. The best tools pale in dependability compared to the name of the Lord our God. I may have the best tools of the trade but without God, I will likely fail---if not outright, eventually.

Prayer:
Father, I praise You because You are trustworthy. In fact, You alone can be trusted to be true and faithful all the time. No one and nothing else comes close. Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit. In Jesus' Name I pray. Amen.

May 5, 2007 entry to the personal handwritten journal I use in my quiet time with God.

God's Currency Is His Love

2007-08-08T00:01:00.000-07:00

In the days before I got saved, I recall falling deeper and deeper into despair. I could not understand it because I thought that at the time I was living my life in complete freedom. I was doing as I pleased and was not worrying about judging anything right or wrong.

Looking back, though, my conscience ---that thingamajig that God has built into every human person--- must have been telling me that a whole lot was not right in my life. Subconsciously, I must have been thinking I was a hopeless case. While I chose vigorously back then not to believe in heaven or hell, something in me kept nagging about the possibility that they may be real. There was no way of finding out except in dying. And I was not getting any younger.

What if heaven and hell were true? At the back of my mind I knew my life would never be assessed as good enough for heaven.

Well, guess what, a Christian friend of mine caught me just when my despair was deepest and told me that no one is so terrible a sinner that God, in His outrageous love, could not forgive!

Oh, yeah. You better believe that constant nagging disappeared and my heart has been dancing in worship of God ever since.

Scripture:
"But he answered one of them, 'Friend, I am not being unfair to you. Didn't you agree to work for a denarius? Take your pay and go. I want to give the man who was hired last the same as I gave you. Don't I have the right to do what I want with my own money? Or are you envious because I am generous?'

"So the last will be first, and the first will be last." (Matthew 20:13-16)

Observation:
The landowner in Jesus' Parable of The Workers in The Vineyard is paying as agreed. The agreement was work in the day for one denarius, not work per hour in the day for one denarius per hour. He is doing as he pleases with currency he owns.

Application:
The landowner in the parable is God. The currency is God's love. God lavishes His love the same to those who have only recently believed and to those who have labored and sacrificed for Him a long time since coming to know Him as Savior and LORD. God's love is abundantly sufficient for all and for all time.

Prayer:
Father I praise You for Your Son, Jesus Christ, who gave You glory by personifying Your love and pouring it out so extravagantly by sacrificing Himself so that we may not need to suffer eternal damnation for our sins. Holy Spirit use me so that the Son may be glorified as He glorifies the Father. In Jesus' mighty Name I pray. Amen.

May 4, 2007 entry to the personal handwritten journal I use in my quiet time with God.

"Artwork by John Bell copyright 1998-2007 (http://www.jrbell.com/index.html) used with permission".

Faith, Humility Move The Heart Of God

2007-08-07T01:25:00.000-07:00

I have had opportunities to serve alongside several of God's ministers. Through the years, I have seen some blaze brightly and glow brighter and brighter to this day. And then there were those that sparkled and rocketed like comets across a dark sky but, just as quickly, faded and disappeared.

I noticed a common sign that seemed to be key to whether these ministers continued to shine or flame out. As soon as even a hint of pride became evident in them, their divinely ordained work immediately staggered.

To be sure, none of them was exempt from the occasional bout with taking themselves too seriously. No believer is, for that matter. But those that seemed able to catch themselves when being prideful, and turn from it, go on to greater heights. Those that succumb to pride invariably crash in shame.

Of course, turning from pride puts any believer's faith in true challenge.

Scripture:
"The woman came and knelt before him. 'Lord, help me!' she said.

"He replied, 'It is not right to take the children's bread and toss it to their dogs.'

" 'Yes, Lord,' she said, 'but even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters' table.'

"Then Jesus answered, 'Woman, you have great faith! Your request is granted.' And her daughter was healed from that very hour." (Matthew 15:25-28)

Observation:
Humility and faith move the heart of God. With such virtues, healing is but a request away. Humble and with faith, the woman made her request known. Tested by Christ, she proved her virtues genuine. Jesus merely said the word and her daughter was immediately healed.

Application:
I will be humble before the frightening power of the Almighty. Power to which I have access in faith through recognition of my powerlessness and total dependence on the grace and mercy of God to grant as I would request. What God wills, it will be. I will therefore humbly but tenaciously seek after God's will. I will trust that He will hear and, having heard, will give what I have asked. (1 John 5:14-15)

Prayer:
Dear God, I come to You humbly, fully trusting in Your wondrous might. From nothing, You speak things into existence. I worship and adore You. Please consider the desires of Your lowly servant. Grant me wisdom and strength so I may be useful in bringing glory to the Name of my LORD and Savior, Jesus Christ. In His sweet Name I pray. Amen.

April 28, 2007 entry to the personal handwritten journal I use in my quiet time with God.

Respect Of Authority Honors God

2007-08-06T22:33:00.001-07:00

I admired David when he had opportunities to take out King Saul but spared his life. It didn't matter that King Saul was hot on his trail wanting to murder him in a fit of unjust, power trip induced rage. To David, God anointed Saul as king so he is not ever going to touch him.

It took me a while to understand David's perspective. In my rebellious youth, no one in authority was safe from my irreverence.

The Bible, though, was quite clear about it. Romans 13 is good reading on this. One verse that helped turn my viewpoint around said that those who rule hold no terror for those who do right but for those who do wrong. (Romans 13:3)

That was really wise! It actually frees the believer from fear of the one who is in authority. Do what is right and he gives you recognition.

But doing right did not seem to save David from King Saul's violence. Correct. But to David, obedience to God was more important than King Saul's character.

Scripture:
"When the people of Jabesh Gilead heard of what the Philistines had done to Saul, all their valiant men journeyed through the night to Beth Shan. They took down the bodies of Saul and his sons from the wall of Beth Shan and went to Jabesh, where they burned them. Then they took their bones and buried them under a tamarisk tree at Jabesh, and they fasted seven days." (1 Samuel 31:11-13)

Observation:
A king has been disrespected in death. His loyal men deemed it worth risking their lives to retrieve him, give him proper burial and grieve over him.

Application:
Respect for authority is fitting for the man of God. The character of the person in authority is immaterial. It is obedience to God that counts the most. This is what God expects of His followers regarding higher authorities on earth.

Prayer:
Holy Spirit, please enable me to be humble before rulers and authorities so I may honor Jesus with my obedience to Him. It is in His Name that I pray. Amen.

April 25, 2007 entry to the personal handwritten journal I use in my quiet time with God.

Very Sorry

2007-08-06T00:45:00.000-07:00

I am so sorry for the lack of postings this weekend.

Had to juggle moving to a new residence and being at a good friend's wedding at the coast. I had hoped that if I could somehow use somebody's computer somewhere I could still manage to post but it was just not to be.

Anyways, I'm back in town and pretty much moved in to my new home. The next post should be coming very soon.

Thanks for hanging in there with me.

God bless you.

"Artwork by John Bell copyright 1998-2007 (http://www.jrbell.com/index.html) used with permission".

Gifted To Be A Gift

2007-08-03T01:21:00.000-07:00

What fabulous creation human beings are! Their ability to create, build, perform, and overcome just amazes me.

I have been around long enough to watch so-called unbeatable records in sports get tied, then broken. I was old enough to witness through TV when man went to the moon. I have seen wonder-working medicines defeat what were once thought to be incurable diseases.

It would seem as though when humans put their minds to it, they can do just about anything.

Still, when it comes to doing things, it is undeniable that not all humans are equally good. Some are just better at some things than others. I have seen genius writers who fail miserably at calculating numbers. A great worker may not necessarily be a great manager.

Guess Who we get to "blame" for that? Uh-huh. God designed gifts in each human person to be specific to His divine plan for that person. Each believer has a special role that fits in God's overall plan.

Scripture:
"Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it. And in the church God has appointed first of all apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then workers of miracles, also those having gifts of healing, those able to help others, those with gifts of administration, and those speaking in different kinds of tongues." (1 Corinthians 12:27-28)

Observation:
God appoints apostles, prophets, teachers, miracle workers, those with gifts of healing, those that help others, administrators, and those that speak in tongues. To each of these is given specific gifts in order to be useful in their role. Each is a part of the whole body of Christ, the church.

Application:
I am to exercise the gifts that God gives me in order to be a useful part in His body. It is important for me to find out what manifestations of the Holy Spirit are given me. Through the Holy Spirit, these gifts are given me for the common good.

Prayer:
Dear God, please enable me through Your Holy Spirit to discern the gifts through which You want to manifest Yourself in me. Holy Spirit please anoint me so that I may be a useful part of Christ's body. In His Name I pray. Amen.

March 27, 2007 entry to the personal handwritten journal I use in my quiet time with God.

Called To Endure Suffering

2007-08-02T00:01:00.000-07:00

Before you hit that mouse button for another website, let me tell you that the most fun I have ever had was living my life as a follower of Christ. I was saved in my middle age so I can tell you my life before and now is like night is to day.

The most peace, the most joy, the most gladness, the most boldness, the most loving relation- ships came to my life when I received Jesus Christ as my personal Savior and God.

In all honesty, though, I'm here to say also that the gospel does not promise heaven nor a bed of roses this side of life.

God is more than able to make our troubles disappear in the blink of an eye. Those of us that have walked with Him through trying times know, though, that God does not operate that way. He does not "magically" make problems go away. He chooses to walk with the believer through the challenges they face.

Scripture:
"For it is commendable if a man bears up under the pain of unjust suffering because he is conscious of God...To this you were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps." (1 Peter 2:19, 21)

Observation:
With God in mind, the believer who endures while being subject to unjust suffering is commended. It is far better for such a person. Every believer is called to this. Christ suffered for us. We follow in Christ's steps the example He left us.

Application:
I will endure hardship, mistreatment, misunderstanding, the oppression of the enemy as the LORD allows such in my life. God finds me commendable in this. It is following the example of Christ, which honors Him and gives Him glory. He called me to this. I am His.

Prayer:
Father God, help me to endure. Jesus, please take up my case and plead my pitiful state. Fill me, O Holy Spirit. Grant me supernatural strength, wisdom and grace. In Jesus' Name I pray. Amen.

March 21, 2007 entry to the personal handwritten journal I use in my quiet time with God.

"Artwork by John Bell copyright 1998-2007 (http://www.jrbell.com/index.html) used with permission".

Sex: God Knows Best

2007-08-01T00:01:00.000-07:00

Sex was not a glitch in God's creative intent. God invented sex.

It is His gift to man. He meant sex for its pure pleasure. He meant it to be enjoyed.

Read the book of Song of Solomon in the Bible if you think my foregoing statements are heretical.

Of course, God, being a God of order, set standards within which sex is to be enjoyed.

In His eternal wisdom, He was also first to prescribe when sex is safe. Long before man ever thought of safe sex, God already gave instructions on how to enjoy sex while staying farthest away from disease and the heartaches and tragedies that come when it is abused.

Scripture:
"Flee from sexual immorality. All other sins a man commits are outside his body, but he who sins sexually sins against his own body. Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body." (1 Corinthians 6:18-20)

Observation:
Escape, run away from sexual sin. It is the best way to remain pure and to fight sexual temptation. Sexual sin is sin against one's own body. It is a desecration of a temple of the Holy Spirit. Indwelt by the Holy Spirit, one's body is no longer one's own. The believer has been bought by the precious blood of Jesus Christ shed from his broken body that was nailed to the cross on Calvary. It behooves the believer to honor God with their body.

Application:
Faced with sexual temptation, God's promised way out for me is flight. In flight I remain pure, honoring with my body God whose Spirit lives in me. I am after all blood-bought and therefore wholly owned by Christ. With respect to the body, what I eat, what I drink, what I allow my senses to perceive, and how I keep healthy and strong all honor God.

Prayer:
Holy Spirit convict me when I wander too closely around sexual temptation. Please give me wisdom, discernment and strength to run away from it. Please enable me to honor my Savior Jesus Christ with my body. For it is in His Name that I pray. Amen.

March 21, 2007 entry to the personal handwritten journal I use in my quiet time with God.

God Is My Share

2007-07-31T00:01:00.000-07:00

Back in 1993, I went with my pastor to Calgary in Alberta, Canada to participate in a conference of Filipino pastors serving in North America.

I was especially drawn to how these faithful men of God would stand up in a snap, almost like soldiers at attention, whenever a hymn was introduced in the program. Standing like that, I was impressed by how many of them were there at the time.

I thought, how could there be so many of these men who all left their homes thousands of miles away to live as complete strangers in a foreign land with nothing but their faith and trust in God's promise to bless those that serve Him.

I said to myself, God must really take care of His servants! What a truly faithful God we serve.

Scripture:
"The Lord said to Aaron, 'You will have no inheritance in their land, nor will you have any share among them; I am your share and your inheritance among the Israelites.'" (Numbers 18:20)

Observation:
God chose Aaron and his family to be His true priests of holy worship. In God's grace, it was a merciful act because it was the people's only hope for deliverance from judgment. It was a huge burden placed upon the shoulders of Aaron and his family. For it, God personally took care of their needs.

Application:
When God calls, He provides the means bountifully to accomplish the calling. What an awesome privilege to have God Himself as one's portion.

Prayer:
Father, I surrender myself to Your call. May everything in my life be just as You would have it. Although it may not seem apparent to people, You have made me unspeakably rich since You have made Yourself my portion. I am humbled by the extravagant privilege! To You alone be all glory! In Jesus' Name, I pray. Amen.

February 25, 2007 entry to the personal handwritten journal I use in my quiet time with God.

Faithfulness To God's Call

2007-07-30T00:01:00.000-07:00

There is this couple that come to the small group I facilitate at East Hill Church. They have always been there since the group was formed. They are not very young anymore but they inspire me with their dedication. They are not in the best state of health yet they are always there at every meeting. They are always involved in projects, contributing not only their presence but in kind and even financially.

They are active in the church's children's ministry. On top of it all, they are always taking in foster kids. They seem to have a knack for ending up taking care of the more challenging kids. You know, the ones who have been through trauma or an abusive set of parents.

And they are so humble that when I acknowledge them before the group, they would take me aside and politely ask me not to "embarrass" them like that anymore.

The Christian church has countless numbers of faithful servants such as these. The ones that bring flowers for the altar, mop the floor, wash dishes in the kitchen, keep the grounds, fix the plumbing, the roof, the electrical and lighting system.

The pastor preaching the message is a most admirable, respected, well-loved and known minister of God.

In God's eyes, the contribution of the person that brings flowers, mops the floor, takes care of the kitchen, the grounds, the plumbing, the roof, or the lights, is no less important than the office of the man He has ordained to preach His message.

Scripture:
"There was also a prophetess, Anna, the daughter of Phanuel of the tribe of Asher. She was very old; she had lived with her husband seven years after her marriage, and then was a widow until she was eighty-four. She never left the temple but worshiped night and day, fasting and praying. Coming up to them at that very moment, she gave thanks to God and spoke about the child to all who were looking forward to the redemption of Jerusalem." (Luke 2:36-38)

Observation:
Anna was called a prophetess, one who hears and speaks of the Lord. Worshiping night and day at the temple after being widowed, fasting and praying, seemed to indicate her great love for the Lord and her single-mindedness about her calling. She was prepared, groomed to testify to the coming of the Redeemer, to the fulfillment of the promise.

Application:
Faithful pursuit of a calling may at times seem tedious and lonely. Its final fulfillment may even seem just a tiny window in time, a fraction of an event in history. Yet in God's perspective, it is a momentous process from beginning till end. I must cling to what is promised to me. I must be faithful to what is required. I must count on the enabling grace and sustaining strength of the Holy Spirit.

Prayer:
Father God, I want to be faithful to my calling. Please fill me with the enabling power of the Holy Spirit and sustain me with the might of Your grace. In Jesus' sweet Name I pray. Amen.

January 2, 2007 entry to the personal handwritten journal I use in my quiet time with God.

"Artwork by John Bell copyright 1998-2007 (http://www.jrbell.com/index.html) used with permission".

This Is Good

2007-07-29T00:01:00.000-07:00

Today's way of thinking makes the meaning of good hard to pin down.

"What is good for you may not be good for me," say those that follow this manner of thought. They believe themselves to be smart to think like this.

Well, there is this thing that is good that is absolutely so, no if's, no but's.

It is good because God's Word says so. And that settles that.

Read on.

Scripture:
"It is good to praise the LORD and make music
to your name, O Most High,
to proclaim your love in the morning
and your faithfulness at night"
(Psalm 92:1-2)

Observation:
This is what is good: To praise God and make music to Him, to rise in the morning declaring His love and to rest at night extolling His faithfulness.

Application:
I will sing to the LORD. I will play music in worship of Him. I will greet Him 'Good morning,' when I rise and thank Him for the day that He has made so I may rejoice and be glad in it (Psalm 118:24). I will praise God for His love and compassions that are new every morning (Lamentations 3:22-24). And at night, His faithfulness will be the last thing on my mind, thanking Him as I say, 'Good night, LORD,' to sleep.

Prayer:
Praise be to the Name of God! Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit. Hallelujah! Holy Spirit fill me. Let my thoughts all day through and even in my dreams at night be only about the exceeding goodness of God to me. In Jesus' Name, I pray. Amen.

July 27, 2007 entry to the personal handwritten journal I use in my quiet time with God.

"Artwork by John Bell copyright 1998-2007 (http://www.jrbell.com/index.html) used with permission".

Faith And Reward In Mistreatment

2007-07-28T00:01:00.000-07:00

Many are the ambitious causes that have spawned staunch but unknown advocates who endured much suffering, even death, in pursuit of an end they deemed worth losing their lives for. Many are the unsung heroes of wars and ideologies that were the true cogs and wheels of victories---and sacrificial retreats---that have gone on to live invisible lives devoid of recognition or acknowledgment.

God alone promises sure commendation to the believer that bears up under the pain of unjust suffering because he is conscious of God. (1 Peter 2:19)

God blesses the man who perseveres under trial. When he has stood the test, God will give him the crown of life He promised to those who love Him. (James 1:2-4, 12)

From long ago, God has ordained that His righteous ones will live by faith. (Habakkuk 2:4, Romans 1:17, Galatians 3:11, Hebrews 10:38)

Truly, it is faith that makes it possible to please God. How far away can blessings be when God is pleased?

Scripture:
"By faith Moses, when he had grown up, refused to be known as the son of Pharaoh's daughter. He chose to be mistreated along with the people of God rather than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a short time. He regarded disgrace for the sake of Christ as of greater value than the treasures of Egypt, because he was looking ahead to his reward." (Hebrews 11:24-26)

Observation:
Great was the faith exemplified by Moses. He refused to live a lie and suffered because he did. He was mistreated but regarded it more important than Egypt's riches because he trusted in God and that it was for Him that he was suffering. He trusted that in the future, God will richly reward him.

Application:
I need to live by faith just as Moses did. Doing so may invite ridicule, misunderstanding, even outright persecution. I can look ahead to my reward, like Moses did, which makes fleshly treasures less valuable than disgrace suffered for the sake of Christ.

Prayer:
Father God, please fill me with Your Holy Spirit. Enable me to endure and to joyfully persevere. I look forward to my reward, not just for my comfort and pride but because I see in it greater glory being attributed to my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. For it is in His Name that I pray. Amen.

December 13, 2006 entry to the personal handwritten journal I use in my quiet time with God.

God's Loving Rebuke And Discipline

2007-07-27T00:01:00.000-07:00

Love and discipline. To the one going through the rigours of the latter, the love part of it seems very hard to see. It's all one can do just to endure the hardship, sometimes even pain. Where does love fit in all that?

Yet, ask people who have been trained by it, and they will tell you that they owe the strength and wisdom that they have from having faced discipline.

Take those that respond to adversities as their calling in life: emergency workers, rescue crews in calamities, firefighters. Like soldiers that go to war, they go through rigorous training where discipline is emphasized. And those that become successful at it---and for that matter, at life---have come to terms with the absolute necessity of discipline in ensuring that they can at least deliver a decent job at it.

Guess who invented all that? God loves us so much He will just never allow us to get spoiled rotten.

Scripture:
"Since you have kept my command to endure patiently, I will keep you from the hour of trial that is going to come upon the whole world to test those who live on earth.

" I counsel you to buy from me gold refined in fire, so you can become rich; and white clothes to wear, so you can cover your shameful nakedness; and salve to put on your eyes so you can see.

"Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline. So be earnest, and repent. Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me." (Revelation 3:10, 18-21)

Observation:
Great rewards await those that endure patiently. God's instruction is to purchase wealth from Him, true riches purified through trial and testing. From Him comes holiness that covers sins, and His truth, the only medication to soothe spiritual blindness. God loves us so much that He disciplines us. When we are earnest and repent, our fellowship with Him is made full.

Application:
In my humble state, I am being still before my Father in heaven. Knowing that He is God, I endure His loving discipline. I expect that He will bring me through the pain and suffering. He will enable me to emerge from it all far richer in everything and far more whole in spirit and in my relationship with Him.

Prayer:
Father God, thank You for Your love. Thank You for Your desire to enrich my relationship with You. Thank You for Your rebuke and discipline. Holy Spirit, please enable me to endure and be steadfast before God. I repent and am being earnest in correcting my heart and my behavior, renewing my mind about sin. Fill me, sweet Holy Spirit. Let all glory be to Jesus. In Christ's Name I pray. Amen.

December 27, 2006 entry to the personal handwritten journal I use in my quiet time with God.

God's Presence Is The Place To Be

2007-07-26T00:01:00.000-07:00

How would you like to be guided in the wilderness by a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night?

It must have been quite a spectacle for the Israelites in those days. God was in the cloud leading them in the daytime. And at night, he was in the fire so that they could see their way. (Exodus 13:21)

Day or night they could travel.

It must have been so comforting!

In our days, the LORD is never far away either. To the believer, He has promised, "...surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age." (Matthew 28:20)

Here's one more outrageous tip: God seeks to have an intimate relationship with those that believe in the Name of His Son, Jesus Christ.

Scripture:
"Whether the cloud stayed over the tabernacle for two days or a month or a year, the Israelites would remain in camp and not set out; but when it lifted, they would set out." (Numbers 9:22)

Observation:
God's chosen people obediently followed His direction through His presence symbolized by the cloud over the tabernacle.

Application:
God's presence in the life of the believer is paramount. As God seeks intimacy in relationship with His children, so must the child of God seek the same in Him. This relationship is never strained so long as the believer is obedient. What father-child relationship after all is troubled when the child is compliant? There is no fear over loss of direction either when God is near. In His presence is the place to be.

Prayer:
Holy Spirit, please guide me in all truth and enable me to be obedient. Fill me and spur me on so I may follow God's direction; whether He stays over me, the one in whom He tabernacles, or lifts. Please help me cultivate intimacy with my Father in heaven. In Jesus' Name I pray. Amen.

February 21, 2007 entry to the personal handwritten journal I use in my quiet time with God.

Walking On Water

2007-07-25T00:01:00.000-07:00

Often, the first image that comes to mind when the Apostle Peter is mentioned is that impetuous disciple who tended to put his shoe in his mouth a lot.

He was the one that asked to walk with Jesus on the water and sank half-way when he took his eyes off Him and became afraid of the wind and the waves.

Bumbling? Perhaps. But not quite infrequently, we miss the fact that among Christ's disciples, Peter was the only one that actually walked on water!

The act was childlike---a quality so endearing to God---as Peter asked to come to the LORD on the water. And the request was bold, an attribute also encouraged by God. So Jesus said, "Come."

Scripture:
"And Peter answered Him and said, LORD, if it is You, tell me to come to You on the water. And He said, Come. And when Peter had come down out of the boat, he walked on the water to go to Jesus." (Matthew 14:28-29)

Observation:
In faith, boldly ask and trust that it will be given.

Application:
Trust in the LORD. What God wills will be done. For as long as I ask what is in his will, I can trust that it will be given. If I ask God for it to happen, it will take place.

Prayer:
God, I know that Peter proved his faith little in this instance when he took his focus off Jesus and was overcome with fear. I do not pretend to be of greater faith although I like to think so. But what I desire more, Father, is to bless my Savior, Jesus Christ. Knowing that the Holy Spirit's will is to honor God the Son, and that He dwells in me, let me ask for the miraculous. Let the supernatural happen, dear LORD, so that I may point to You as the One who caused it. I will be careful to give You all the glory. In Jesus' Name I pray. Amen.

April 27, 2007 entry to the personal handwritten journal I use in my quiet time with God.

Praying God's Way

2007-07-24T01:19:00.000-07:00

I have had wonderful times spent in prayer with some of God's most faithful. I remember many years that we woke up at dawn, when most of the city was still asleep. We gathered together and prayed about the church, the state of the nation, world affairs, our neighborhood, loved ones. We prayed for one another.

We praised God for His blessings. We wept before Him on matters that troubled our hearts. We spent entire dawns on worship and thanksgiving.

There is nothing like soaking in the presence of God. And prayer, offered in worship and praise, is one of those things that God inhabits.

Is there a right or wrong way to pray? I don't know. Is there a right or wrong way to speak to your father?

Scripture:
"And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask Him." (Matthew 6:7-8)

Observation:
Quantity of words in prayer does not matter. God already knows what we need before we even utter one word about them.

Application:
Flowery, fancy, long-winded prayer does not make it any more effective than concise, informed sentences offered sincerely to God. I should speak to God in prayer in brief but honest statements that echo what is truly in my heart. I should speak with respect but intimately, as though to a friend.

Prayer:
Father, please enable me with Your Holy Spirit to focus on You and on connecting my heart to Yours when praying. Let me not cause others to shy away from praying boldly because of the manner that I pray. May my prayer seek instead to bring honor and glory to Your Name. In Jesus, I pray. Amen.

April 19, 2007 entry to the personal handwritten journal I use in my quiet time with God.

"Artwork by John Bell copyright 1998-2007 (http://www.jrbell.com/index.html) used with permission".

The Fateful Lightning Of His Terrible Swift Sword

2007-07-23T00:17:00.001-07:00

"Amazing grace," so goes a very popular Christian song. God is love. God is extremely patient.

God is more than able to forgive. He is mighty to save. He is Father to the fatherless, friend to the friendless.

What wonderful attributes of God! So kindly. So full of mercy.

But a discussion of the character of God would not be complete without speaking of God's justice. Without God's rebuke and discipline. Without the idea that to God, the wages of sin is and will always be death.

Oh, yes, God is slow to anger but He does get angry.

Scripture:
"There he broke the flashing arrows, the shields and the swords, the weapons of war. ...Valiant men lie plundered, they sleep their last sleep; not one of the warriors can lift his hands. At your rebuke, O God of Jacob, both horse and chariot lie still. You alone are to be feared. Who can stand against you when you are angry? From heaven you pronounced judgment, and the land feared and was quiet---when you, O God, rose up to judge, to save all the afflicted of the land. ...Make vows to the LORD your God and fulfill them; let all the neighboring lands bring gifts to the One to be feared. He breaks the spirit of rulers; he is feared by the kings of the earth." (Psalm 76:3, 5-9, 11-12)

Observation:
The troubles of the afflicted trouble the heart of God. His patience is without equal but no one can stand against Him when He gets angry. One angel of His slays an entire army (2 Kings 19:35). He rebukes oppressors and the unjust. Kings of the earth fear God. With a sweep of His mighty hand, He breaks their spirit.

Application:
I fear God with a respectful fear. I trust that He will not forget me in times of oppression and injustice. I trust that He will save me in times of affliction. I will be faithful to fulfill my vows before God. I will not fret when the wicked seem to have their way. I will pray for leaders of homes as well as nations. I will pray that none may fall into the hands of God when His patience runs out.

Prayer:
Yes, Father. Please, extend your grace and mercy to Your servant. Holy Spirit, please enable me to be true to my vows. I pray in behalf of those that lead people, whether in homes or country clubs or nations. I pray that You grant them Your wisdom and salvation. I pray that You honor Your Name through their accomplishments. In Jesus' Name, I pray. Amen.

Yesterday's entry to the personal handwritten journal I use in my quiet time with God.

Eyes That See, Ears That Hear From God

2007-07-22T00:01:00.000-07:00

Neons, lasers, giant video billboards. The world has all sorts of ways of calling attention to the eyes to sell products and ideas. They invade our living rooms through cable, satellite, DVD and HDTV.

Radio talk shows, high- pressure sales people, teachers and preachers of all possible persuasion constantly try to push their stuff into our ears.

It's not hard to be swayed from one point of view, from one direction, to the next.

It is said that if you don't stand up for something, you will fall for anything.

How blessed is the man whose eyes see, and whose ears hear, from God. What he stands for will never be in vain.

Scripture:
"But blessed are your eyes, for they see; and your ears for they hear. For truly I say to you that many prophets and righteous men have desired to see those things which you see, and have not seen them; and to hear what you hear, and have not heard them." (Matthew 13:16-17)

Observation:
Glad is the believer whose eyes see as God would have him see, and whose ears hear as God would have him hear. He is more blessed than prophets and righteous men who did not see nor hear the same.

Application:
I seek eyes that see what God would have me see, and ears that hear what God would have me hear.

Prayer:
Praise You, God! Thank you for these eyes and ears. If You are willing, always have them perceive as You would have them perceive. Holy Spirit, please keep me from being full of myself but of You. Fill me, sweet Holy Spirit, and enable me to share what I see and hear from God. In Jesus' Name, I pray. Amen.

April 26, 2007 entry to the personal handwritten journal I use in my quiet time with God.

Strength Through Prayer

2007-07-21T00:01:00.000-07:00

I have never had need yet to dial 911. But I know that when I need it, it is always there. I could count on help coming within minutes so long as I could call that number.

In the spiritual realm, there is also an emergency line to God that assures immediate connection 24/7/365. It is called prayer.

What's so cool about God is that He is not only available through the prayer line in an emergency. You could talk to Him on just about anything. He is that eager to hear from You.

Here's a radical tip, too. When you've been talking to God long enough, you'll learn to hear him talk to you also.

Scripture:
"On reaching the place, He said to them, 'Pray that you will not fall into temptation.'...When He rose from prayer and went back to the disciples, He found them asleep, exhausted from sorrow. 'Why are you sleeping?' He asked them. 'Get up and pray so that you will not fall into temptation.'" (Luke 22:40, 45-46)

Observation:
Jesus draws strength from communing with the Father through prayer. He sees temptation as a grave threat and prayer a weapon against it. Rather than sleep, which is a natural response to exhaustion, Jesus instructs the disciples to pray.

Application:
I must draw strength from God through prayer. Contending for God's promise, being still before Him knowing He is God, in the midst of trials, can be exhausting. Nevertheless, I may yet be made strong through prayer, to weather testing. In time, when the season is ripe, the promised harvest will come.

Prayer:
God grant me Your supernatural strength that I may not fall into temptation. Let me be proven worthy of Your blessings and to honor Your Name. In Jesus' Name I pray. Amen.

January 22, 2007 entry to the personal handwritten journal I use in my quiet time with God.

Faith That's Alive

2007-07-20T00:01:00.000-07:00

Put your money where your mouth is, we often hear it said. The proof of the pudding is in the eating. The best plans remain only as they are---plans---until they are carried out.

You get the idea.

Top dollars are paid to those whose concepts end up in blueprints. But until the building is built, the blueprints really only amount to nothing more than dust bait.

Faith challenges the common notion of reality. Faith is being sure of things we hope for and being certain of things we do not see (Hebrews 11:1). Even then, only knowing this, even loudly proclaiming this, does not make faith complete. 'Action speaks louder than words' never rang more true.

Scripture:
"Was not our ancestor Abraham considered righteous for what he did when he offered his son Isaac on the altar? You see that his faith and his actions were working together, and his faith was made complete by what he did. And the scripture was fulfilled that says, 'Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness,' and he was called God's friend." (James 2:21-23)

Observation:
God called Abraham friend. He passed God's test. He was obedient and trusting. He proved his faith by what he did, offering his son Isaac on the altar as God told him to do. God demonstrated through Abraham how faith is made complete by proving in action what the mouth declares.

Application:
I will be obedient and trusting in God. My faith will be seen in what I do according to what I say. I want to be proven true when God puts me to the test. I want to be called God's friend.

Prayer:
Holy Spirit, I turn to You for strength. I yield my will to You because on my own I do not know how much I can take. But Your Word promises that "I can do everything through Him who gives me strength." (Philippians 4:13) That is my confidence in knowing that I can become God's friend. Father, please consider Your servant. Enable me to bring glory to my LORD and Savior, Jesus Christ. In His precious Name I pray. Amen.

July 18, 2007 entry to the personal handwritten journal I use in my quiet time with God.

God Is My Healer

2007-07-19T00:02:00.000-07:00

I am the LORD, who heals you, God said in Exodus 15:26.

The same God who spoke all creation to existence is saying it is He who heals those that would believe, trust and obey. The One that says to the storm and the violent waves, "Quiet! Be still!" and the wind dies down and the waters become completely calm. (Mark 4:39)

God needs only say the word, and healing takes place.

Scripture:
"The centurion replied, 'Lord, I do not deserve to have you come under my roof. But just say the word and my servant will be healed.'" (Matthew 8:8)

Observation:
Humility and faith is vital in God's supernatural healing.

Application:
I will humble myself before God and seek in faith His healing touch to rid me of disease and infirmities. He is mighty to heal. He needs but say the word and I am healed.

Prayer:
Father God, I do not deserve Your mercy but Your grace is bountiful. Say the word, Father, and I am whole once more. I will be careful to give You all the glory. In Jesus' Name I pray. Amen.

April 21, 2007 entry to the personal handwritten journal I use in my quiet time with God.

God's Goodness To Me For All To See

2007-07-18T00:21:00.000-07:00

Knowing how I was and where I have been before Christ invaded my life, it would seem as though that former me died and my present me has just been born. God so turned my life around I am just not the same person.

That alone is wealth with no measure. But I bet that people who know me can see the change that has taken place. To those that would believe, God does love to show up and show off!

I have not even begun to speak of the countless blessings He has caused to rain in my life ever since.

Scripture:
"How great is your goodness, which you have stored up for those who fear you, which you bestow in the sight of men on those who take refuge in you." (Psalm 31:19)

Observation:
God prefers to lavish His goodness in plain view of others on those who run to Him to seek shelter and sustenance. His goodness for this occasion has already been set aside for the believer.

Application:
I will be strong and take heart (Psalm 31:24) because "The Lord preserves the faithful but the proud he pays back in full." (Psalm 31:23)

Prayer:
Father, I lift my praises and thanks to You for the abundant goodness that You have set aside for me. I need only look to You and You are ever prepared to shower me with Your supply for others to see. Holy Spirit, please cause me to be faithful to bring glory to my LORD and Savior Jesus Christ. For it is in His Name that I pray. Amen.

April 20, 2007 entry to the personal handwritten journal I use in my quiet time with God.

God's Word Guides And Guards

2007-07-17T00:25:00.000-07:00

I remember taking my pastor and his wife once on a long ride to the coast for a breather. My wife and I took them to a lighthouse built high atop a cliff. The lighthouse was not immediately visible from where we parked. But as soon as we got past the trees and bushes along the trail to it, the view of the sea, the shore below fading into the distance, and the forest beyond so startled them that they gasped. The beauty of even but this slice of God's creation was more than enough to recharge the couple.

Deep within me, though, I was also thinking that the presence of the lighthouse in the face of such overwhelming beauty seemed ironic. And I realized that beneath and around the shining blue waters are strong currents, wicked bars and jagged rocks that in the dark of night lie unseen like deadly snares ready to snap at even the most seasoned sailors and snatch them from life to death.

I thought, what a vivid example of the misleading allure this fallen world has to the unknowing. And how gracious God is to provide His Bible to serve as lighthouse to guide us through the dark into His marvelous light!

Scripture:
"The wicked have set a snare for me, but I have not strayed from your precepts. Your statutes are my heritage forever; they are the joy of my heart. My heart is set on keeping your decrees to the very end." (Psalm 119:110-112)

Observation:
God's Word not only guides us. God's Word guards us.

Application:
I must keep to the ways of God as instructed by His Word. Its discipline actually liberates, rather than limits. Its wisdom really frees me from the many traps of sin. It allows me to see my way through the ambushes set before me by this world and the enemy.

Prayer:
Father God, thank You for Your love. Thank You for caring so much to give us Your wisdom through Your Word. Let me honor You, LORD, by adhering faithfully to Your teachings. Enable me, Holy Spirit, to be so disciplined that I may bring glory to my LORD and Savior, Jesus Christ. For it is in His sweet Name that I ask it. Amen.

December 26, 2006 entry to the personal handwritten journal I use in my quiet time with God.

God Delivers Me From All Troubles

2007-07-16T00:50:00.000-07:00

Just as the gospel does not promise perfection in this life, salvation does not insulate the believer from troubles.

God, however, has a great promise. He said He delivers the righteous from all their troubles.

This is my entry to my handwritten journal last April 18th:

Scripture:
"A righteous man may have many troubles, but the Lord delivers him from them all." (Psalm 34:19)

Observation:
Righteousness, salvation, does not exempt the believer from troubles. However, the Christian has God that delivers him from all of them.

Application:
I will regard troubles as opportunities to watch God assert His Lordship over my life, His loving protection and provisions as One who protects and provides for His own child, and the spectacle of His mighty and wonder-working powers.

Prayer:
Father, I thank and praise You for You are faithful and loving. I thank You that nothing escapes You, even my troubles; that they do not become wasted but instead are turned around into tools that bless me. Thank You for the peace and confidence You bring to my heart because You are my God and Father in heaven. In Jesus' Name, I pray. Amen.

I Am God's Temple

2007-07-14T00:54:00.000-07:00

I still fondly recall the lyrics of a great hymn:

You ask me how I know He lives?
He lives within my heart!

How much more clearly can that be stated?

The believer knows this not only from singing the hymn or similar Christian songs. The Holy Spirit's indwelling presence is a daily experience to those that follow Christ.

That rush of freshness and energy in times of dryness and fatigue, that burst of wisdom in critical times that were never rehearsed nor scripted, that knot in the tummy when tempted to succumb to wrongdoing, that boldness when the natural inclination would be to fear, that stark contrast as though day from night in the transformation of character from crooked to good---and many more that the believer knows only too intimately but often is unable to adequately put into words---are but a few of the manifestations of the Holy Spirit living in the heart of those that believe in Jesus Christ as their personal Savior and God.

From my handwritten journal, my entry for March 27th of this year titled I Am God's Temple:

Scripture:
"Don't you know that you yourselves are God's temple and that God's Spirit lives in you? If anyone destroys God's temple, God will destroy him; for God's temple is sacred, and you are that temple." (1 Corinthians 3:16, 17)

Observation:
God's Spirit lives in the believer. The believer is God's temple. When the believer is careless about his body and his testimony, or when another person is harmful to him, God's wrath is stirred.

Application:
I am to walk and maintain a wholeness that honors God in my body and my lifestyle. Others may try to harm me. I can be confident of God's justice as my Defender and Avenger.

Prayer:
Dear God, please enable me with Your Holy Spirit to walk a blameless life. Convict me when I drift from You and Your teachings. Steady me when I stumble. Catch me when I fall. Restore me to the sweetness of Your fellowship. Strengthen my will to resist and flee from temptation. Let me honor You with my thoughts, my words, my decisions, my behavior. Make of my existence an offering that brings honor and glory to my LORD and Savior Jesus Christ. In His Name I pray. Amen.

The Cleansing Power Of The Blood Of The Lamb

2007-07-13T00:42:00.000-07:00

I was witnessing to a friend who was arguing that no one has seen heaven and described it so he does not believe in it. He was stunned when I told him that the Bible gives a very good description of heaven.

Last December 28, 2006, the passage that struck me the most in my journal's reading plan was from the book of Revelation. The central idea was about the power of the blood of Jesus Christ to wash away the sins of mankind. Still, one catches a pretty good glimpse of heaven in the verses:

Scripture:
"I answered, 'Sir, you know.'
"And he said, 'These are they who has come out of the great tribulation; they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. Therefore, they are before the throne of God and serve him day and night in his temple; and he who sits on the throne will spread his tent over them. Never again will they hunger; never again will they thirst. The sun will not beat upon them, nor any scorching heat. For the Lamb at the center of the throne will be their shepherd; he will lead them to springs of living water. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.'" (Revelation 7:14-17)

Observation:
A future under the personal care of Jesus Christ in heaven awaits those who believe and persevere in the power of the blood of God's sacrificial Lamb to atone for the sins of mankind once for all.

Application:
I believe and will hold fast to the finished work of my Savior, Jesus Christ, on the cross of Calvary where His body was broken and His blood spilled to pay for the sins of the world and save all who would believe. The precious blood of Jesus covers me. He will lead me home to be with Him in heaven when I leave this fallen world.

Prayer:
Holy Spirit fill me and enable me to be faithful even unto death so that I may be useful to the glory of my personal LORD and Savior, Jesus Christ. For it is in His mighty Name that I pray. Amen.

Streams Of Living Water

2007-07-11T00:48:00.000-07:00

As our body thirsts for water, our spirit also needs refreshing by the Holy Spirit of God. As our physical thirst is quenched by drinking water, our spiritual being is recharged by the filling of the Holy Spirit.

Here's one more post looking back at an earlier entry in my quiet-time journal. I wrote this one in on December 20, 2006 and titled it Streams of Living Water:

Scripture:
"...If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from him." (John 7:37b-38)

Observation:
Jesus invites anyone who is spiritually thirsty to come to Him and drink. Those that believe in Him "drinks" in Him His Spirit. They will be filled to overflowing.

Application:
When this world wearies me, I may come anytime to Jesus and ask for the Living Water of the Holy Spirit to soothe me, restore me, and enable me to keep on going. I will have more than enough for my needs. He will enable me to share Him in the Spirit.

Prayer:
Father God, please help me to remember to come to be filled by the Holy Spirit every time my leaky earthen vessel, my body and its spirit, drains empty. Thank You that You are able to forgive sins so that the Holy Spirit is not hindered from filling me. Enable me, God, to freely confess my sins and, please, do forgive me. Holy Spirit please fill me again. In Jesus' Name I pray. Amen.

God Lifts Me Up

2007-07-10T01:18:00.000-07:00

Here's another post that looks back at an earlier entry in my quiet-time journal. This one was written in on December 15, 2006 and titled, In My Humble State, God Lifts Me Up.

What always astounds me about the passage that caught my eye that day is that it declares that it is in the believer to cause the devil to flee. And it is an act of submission---to God---that makes the believer's act of resistance to the devil effective:

Scripture:
"But he gives us more grace. That is why Scripture says: 'God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.' Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. Grieve, mourn and wail. Change your laughter to mourning and your joy to gloom. Humble yourselves before the LORD, and he will lift you up." (James 4:6-10)

Observation:
God is against the proud. He is very generous to the humble. In humility, we submit ourselves to God. Submitted to God, we resist the devil and the devil flees. When we draw near to God, He draws near to us. In grief, in humility before God, He lifts us up.

Application:
I will humble myself before the LORD. I will allow myself to grieve the errors of my ways, mistreatment by those who misunderstand the hope that I place in God, and the malice and insidious oppression of the enemy. I choose to come near to God. I expect that my Father in heaven will lift me up.

Prayer:
Father God, consider my humble state. I surrender completely at your mercy. Dear Jesus, intercede in my behalf. Redeem Your servant's honor that he may not disgrace Your Name. Holy Spirit fill me, war in my behalf against all evil. Guide my path that I may be useful in Your ministry to glorify my personal LORD and Savior, Jesus Christ. For it is in His precious Name that I pray. Amen.

Father God Trains Us As Sons

2007-07-09T00:15:00.000-07:00

It's fun to leaf through past entries in the quiet-time journal. It is said that faith is always 20-20 at hindsight. Journaling provides a record which allows me to peer into what my Father in heaven has been up to in my life.

My journal entry for December 14, 2006 titled Father God Trains Us As Sons Through Discipline In Hardship is one among many that help me find perspective in adversities that I face:

Scripture:
"Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as sons. For what son is not disciplined by his father?...Our fathers disciplined us for a little while as they thought best; but God disciplines us for our good, that we may share in his holiness. No discipline seems pleasant at the time but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it." (Hebrews 12:7, 10-11)

Observation:
In hardship, we find God disciplining us as His children. This is so that we may share in His holiness. Discipline is unpleasant, painful, while under it. But when trained by it, it produces later in the saint the benefits of peace and righteousness.

Application:
In this present time, when the light at the end of the tunnel seems but the size of a pin hole, I must keep moving forward, prodded by the loving discipline of my Father in heaven. Previous episodes of hardship and discipline have already produced today an uncanny peace and assurance within and a familiarity with righteous steps as the only means to most quickly advance to the light and emerge at the other end. What pleasure, joy, increased steadfastness, and fresh righteous ways await there! Oh, what harvest of authority for the glory of Jesus Christ!

Prayer:
Holy Spirit, fill me. Encourage me. Enable me every step of the way. Because I desire the anointing. I so want to bless my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. It is in His precious Name that I pray. Amen.

God Fights---And Wins---For The Believer

2007-07-05T00:52:00.000-07:00

With the fireworks displays and loud firecracker pops of yesterday's Independence Day celebration still very fresh in my memory, I thought that this post might just be appropriate today.

I wrote this entry in my personal journal last March 26th. In that handwritten quiet-time tool, I titled it, God Is My Champion.

It brings to mind the song, The Battle Belongs To The Lord by Jamie Owens-Collins. It is true. God champions the righteous cause of Christ's followers. And He always wins:

Scripture:
"You are my King and my God, who decrees victories for Jacob. Through you we push back our enemies; through your name we trample our foes. I do not trust in my bow, my sword does not bring me victory; but you give us victory over our enemies, you put our adversaries to shame. In God we make our boast all day long, and we will praise your name forever." (Psalm 44:4-8)

Observation:
It is God that fights the believer's battle and it is God that wins it. Man's best weapons of warfare will not matter if God is not for him. The believer ought to put all his confidence in God and praise His Name continually.

Application:
I am to welcome God's invitation to partner with Him in His projects. Foremost among His concerns is the condition of my heart. So, the battles I face may seem inexplicable or undeserved but they are either ordained or used by God to grow me. I may seem like I am in the midst of a thick fight but what I do is according only as God instructs. I am his armor-bearer, if you will. God is my champion.

Prayer:
God, please enable me with Your Holy Spirit to be steadfast. Anoint me, LORD, so that I may be still and know that You are God. Then let all glory be to my LORD and Savior, Jesus Christ. For it is in His Name that I pray. Amen.

A Full Understanding Of Every Good Thing In Christ

2007-07-03T01:54:00.000-07:00

I want to share this time the entry I made today in my handwritten journal, an extremely beneficial tool that I use in my quiet time with the LORD.

I learned today just how valuable witnessing is in the believer's continual quest to know God more and more. You would think that witnessing is to the benefit only of the person on the receiving end of it. Not so. It is actually also to the advantage of the Christian doing the witnessing:

Scripture:
"I always thank my God as I remember you in my prayers, because I hear about your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints. I pray that you may be active in sharing your faith, so that you will have a full understanding of every good thing we have in Christ." (Philemon 1:4-6) [Emphasis added.]

Observation:
The apostle Paul is already thankful to God for Philemon and the members of the church that meets in his house for their faith in Jesus Christ and their love for all the saints. Still, Paul mentions praying that they may be active in sharing their faith as they may yet have a full understanding of every good thing believers have in Christ!

Application:
I must upgrade my witness to Christ and the gospel. I will testify even more to His goodness to me. I want to have a full understanding of every good thing we have in Jesus Christ.

Prayer:
Holy Spirit, please fill me. Empower me to witness boldly in the Name of my personal Savior and God, Jesus Christ. For it is in His sweet name that I pray. Amen.

Jesus, The Eternal High Priest

2007-07-02T23:01:00.000-07:00

These posts are lifted from entries I've made in my personal handwritten journal (a tool that I use in my quiet time with God). I am sharing them here as time allows.

I invite you to find out more about this quiet time tool. It is one of the ways that I hear my Father in heaven speak directly to the issues He allows into my life daily.

It is all I can do to contain my excitement about this quiet time journal! It has allowed me to come full circle back to the original intent of this blog, which is to chronicle my adventure with my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

I want to post today my very first stab at this amazing tool that enables me to peer into the heart of the Father. This was my journal entry for December 12, 2006 and I gave it the title, Jesus, The Eternal High Priest:

Scripture:
"Therefore he is able to save completely those who come to God through him, because he always lives to intercede for them." (Hebrews 7:25)

Observation:
Jesus is unlike human high priests who are prevented by death from continuing in office. Jesus lives forever and has a permanent priesthood.

Application:
I am assured of my salvation because Jesus is my hight priest. I am free to resist sin because Christ has paid for all my sins once and for all. He has broken its hold on me. With Jesus eternally advocating in my behalf to the Father, I am free to come to God's throne room and bring my requests. I am free to enjoy the delight of knowing God intimately and serving Him.

Prayer:
God, let me enjoy every minute, every hour of each day by seeing how You unravel the tangled issues of my life and make a straight path for me to walk with You. Release the provisions I pray to You about that I desire to manage better, at Your appointed time. Enable me to bring glory, not shame, to your Name. In Jesus' Name, I pray. Amen.

Persecution Is Par-For-The-Course To The Follower Of Christ

2007-06-30T00:31:00.000-07:00

We continue with postings which I'm lifting from my personal handwritten journal (a tool that I use in my quiet time with God). As I've mentioned in my most recent posts, this blog has come full circle. I have returned to the original intent of this blog, which is to journal my walk with my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

I invite you to find out more about this quiet time tool. It is one of the ways that I hear my Father in heaven speak directly to the issues He allows into my life daily.

Today, I am sharing the entry I made in the journal for June 27, 2007. It reminds me that it is naive to hope in this fallen world being able to better itself without God. On its own, after all, the righteous acts of humanity put together are nothing more than filthy rags compared to the holiness of God. (Isaiah 64:6)

Sad, yes, but true. And truth sets those captive to sin free. (John 8:32)

In this thought I hope today's post blesses you:

Scripture:
"In fact, everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted, while evil men and impostors will go from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived. But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have become convinced of, because you know those from whom you learned it, and how from infancy you have known the holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work." (2 Timothy 3:12-17)

Observation:
Persecution is par-for-the-course to the follower of Jesus Christ that desires to live God-ly. Evil people and deceivers will only get worse, even being deceived themselves. God's faithful should only continue in what they have learned. All that is written in the Bible is from God. It equips God's servant in every way for the good work for which God had saved him.

Application:
I must partake of the grace that God so generously provides so I could stand up to the tide of evil that characterizes the last days of this fallen world. I am blessed that I could hang on to every Word that God provides in the Bible. In the din of violence and deception, I have the truth and am guided by the truth. It will continually provide the spiritual tools and instruments I need to do what God wants me to do.

Prayer:
Holy Spirit, please fill me. Enable me with the grace of God to withstand all that evil throws at me because I want to live a God-ly life in Jesus Christ. Thank You that as You promised, He who began a good work in me will be faithful to complete it! (Philippians 1:6) In Jesus' Name, I pray. Amen!

God Grants Repentance

2007-06-29T00:10:00.000-07:00

Here's a follow up post which I'm lifting from my personal handwritten journal (a tool that I use in my quiet time with God). This is really a return to the original intent of this blog, which is to journal my walk with my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

I invite you to find out more about this journal. It is one of the ways that I hear my Father in heaven speak directly to the issues that I face every day.

In today's posting, I am using the entry I made in the journal for June 26, 2007. I was stunned to realize that, as important as repentance is to salvation, it is also God that grants it. (2 Timothy 2:25-26)

Here's how the journal entry went:

Scripture:
"Flee the evil desires of youth, and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, along with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart. Don't have anything to do with foolish and stupid arguments, because you know they produce quarrels. And the Lord's servant must not quarrel; instead he must be kind to everyone, able to teach, not resentful. Those who oppose him he must gently instruct, in the hope that God will grant them repentance leading them to a knowledge of the truth, and that they will come to their senses and escape from the trap of the devil, who has taken them captive to do his will." (2 Timothy 2:22-26) [Emphasis added]

Observation:
Impetuousness marks youth. It also makes for partiality to evil. Once old, but even more so in youth, the man of God must turn his ways toward righteousness, faith, love and peace. He must surround himself with God-ly people. Kindly in disposition and not quarrelsome, he must gently teach even those that oppose him. This is the role of God's servant, in partnership with God. With the servant's part fulfilled, God may grant repentance that may lead to salvation.

Application:
I must realize the age I am at now. Righteousness, faith, love and peace should now be most important to me. I must be deliberate in building friendship with God-ly people. I must do away with my temper that renders me irrational. I should be patient and loving in sharing my faith. I must acknowledge the grave responsibility that is in my role as servant and as one who has responded to God's invitation to partner with Him in the salvation process.

Prayer:
God, please help my unrighteousness. Fill me with Your Holy Spirit so I could be a useful servant and partner to You. In Jesus' Name I pray. Amen.

God Gave Me A Spirit of Power, Love, and A Sound Mind

2007-06-25T00:06:00.000-07:00

East Hill Church Family in Gresham, Oregon, the church I attend, has this great tool that I use in my quiet time with the LORD. The church calls it a journal. It starts with a reading plan that covers one entire year. So, any given day, there is prescribed reading.

This is so neat because it not only cuts down on search time for material to read, it also places you exactly in the same passages in the Bible that the rest of the church is any date of the year.

The journal has a simple but extremely useful structure that guides the user in their quiet time. It follows the acronym S.O.A.P. To quote from the journal's instruction page:

When you have chosen your Reading Plan, begin your reading time with prayer, asking the Holy Spirit to speak to you from His Word today. Then, prayerfully and thoughtfully read today's passage from the Old Testament or New Testament.

SCRIPTURE - Write down a verse or verses that seem to stand out to you from the day's reading.

OBSERVATION - Write an observation of how these verses affected you or how God seemed to be speaking to you from His Word as you were reading.

APPLICATION - Write one or more points describing how this Scripture applies to you and your situation. You may want to write some action points of how you intend to apply this to your life.

PRAYER - Write a brief prayer to God that expresses how you are feeling about the Scripture you've read and how it applies to your life.

For me, the streamlined discipline of this structure brings my daily reading to a very personal level. I keep finding that the very issues I am dealing with at the time of my reading are directly addressed by God's Word in a very intimate and personal way. In Christianese, I hear the LORD speak to me through this journal.

Here's an example from today's reading:

SCRIPTURE - "Therefore I remind you to inflame anew the gift of God, which is in you by the putting on of my hands. For God has not given us the spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind. Therefore you should not be ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me His prisoner. But be a partaker of the afflictions of the gospel according to the power of God, who has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace given us in Christ Jesus before the eternal times." (2 Timothy 1:6-9)

OBSERVATION - Paul reminds Timothy of the gift of God which is in him by the putting on of Paul's hands. The gift is the Spirit of power, love, and a sound mind---not the spirit of fear. Of this, the believer is not to be ashamed. It is the testimony of God. Instead, by the power of God, we are to share in the sufferings of the gospel. Before time was created, the believer has been called to this holy calling, not by our own works, but by God's own purpose and grace given us in Jesus Christ.

APPLICATION - I am not to fear the Goliath that comes between me and God's promise. God's Spirit lives in me, and He is powerful. He is of love, causing me to love; and He is of a sound mind, causing me to think clearly and arrive at sound decisions in spite of the conflicting noise of spiritual war around me. In God's power, I can take the hits that come because I testify according to the gospel of Jesus Christ.

PRAYER - Thank you, God. I may, indeed cast my cares on You (Psalm 55:22). You will never let those whom You made righteous by Your blood to fall. In Jesus' Name I pray. Amen.

To tell you exactly what current issues of my life this reading addresses is a whole 'nother posting. Suffice it to say that the reading is just spot on. It made my day!

Funny that this blog actually began as an attempt to publicly journal my walk with my LORD and Savior Jesus Christ. Yet, in time, it became more like a roundabout walk in the wilderness. I believe this is due to my lack of a structure to follow for consistency.

To the LORD's praise, He has provided for this lack. Perhaps, now, I may be able to proceed with this blog more frequently. I'm still unable to promise daily publications but it will no longer take me months before each posting.

(UPDATE on the paragraphs below: I guess I underestimated the enthusiasm journaling has given me. I seem to be posting almost on a daily basis after this. I have even revealed my real name. God bless you all,---Victor Antonio, July 21, 2007)

I have been so humbled by my failure to sustain this blog on a regular basis. A more realistic estimate of how frequently I could come out is probably once a week or two, occasionally more often.

I know I want to share my journaling experience so you will find me writing more about it. For those that would find that to be a blessing, check this site often and enjoy.

To God be all the glory!

Software Should Be Free

2007-03-27T23:00:00.000-07:00

Man, that's music to my ears! Software should be free. The sound is so beautiful it jolted me out of hibernation. And my first thought was to blog.

Hey, The LORD My Dad may be a minuscule speck in cyberspace but it is also potentially the farthest and most that I could reach others with news I consider important. With computer and software costs perpetually shooting through the roof, news of an operating system and applications for free or next-to-nothing rocks!

Especially when my computer has just suffered its third meltdown, no thanks to the instability of the ubiquitous Windows operating system it depends on to run. I would not mind it so much if I were free to do tweaks as I see fit but somehow you get the sense that Microsoft is looking over your shoulder all the time, watching what you are doing with their(?) software. Then, when you do run into problems and you turn to “big brother”, you mostly find yourself having to shell out big dollars to keep up with the rapidly developing internet and computing technology. Like I’m just a tenant in my own computer space paying rent to Microsoft so I could use Windows to enjoy existence in that space.

This infuriating sense of dependence has driven me to seriously look into other operating systems. Linux seems to be coming very close to a user-friendliness I could be comfortable with. There is just this “threshold” I am waiting for them to cross and I am determined to switch. Oh, the freedom of the open source environment!

In any case, this “Software should be free” stuff I’m talking about, check it out at informationweek.com’s March 2, 2007 article by Thomas Claburn titled Xcerion’s Internet Cloud Forms Over Google and Microsoft.

Here’s a quote:

In the third quarter of 2007, an all-but-unknown Swedish software company plans to release a new, free operating system that has the potential to radically alter the economics of software development. If successful, it may be able to further erode the power Microsoft derives from control of the desktop, to beat Google at its software-as-a-service play, and to make commodity Linux boxes more viable as a computing platform for the masses.

A phrase, “OS in the cloud”, is coined to describe it. Microsoft itself seems to be involved in a skunk-works project with it.

But the startup Xcerion, which has been in “stealth mode” since 2001, is bidding to beat Microsoft to it.

For me, it just makes for meaningful competition that might just wake Microsoft up from it’s self-serving ways. I don’t know what they are doing in their skunk-works but I have had some experience with “Web 2.0” offerings from Google and Netvibes and I was able to completely dissociate myself from Microsoft’s Office Suite without missing a beat. This “OS in the cloud” thing will be extremely disruptive to ensconced powers-that-be in cyberspace.

Poke around Xcerion’s website here to find out more.

Watch out!

Oh, and good to hear from you all again. I hope to blog about this thing more frequently.

God bless you!

Human Drum Set

2006-05-14T00:30:00.000-07:00

I kid you not. This guy's a real human beat machine. Give it a go for a weekend laugh. Click on the image below to start video. Turn your speakers up. It starts a little slow but once it gets going, hang on to your seat!

From YouTube:

Runtime: 01:59

Avian Flu---Time's A-Tickin'...Part 9

2006-05-13T23:16:00.000-07:00

This is our 9th posting in a series to help share information about Avian flu. The next few weeks will provide an overview of how a hospital might plan for Patient Surge. All information provided is only draft information and may vary depending on the particular situation an individual hospital might find itself in.

A Patient Surge Plan may be lengthy. Here is a brief overview of some of the possible elements.

Level One Patient Surge: Warning Level

When the first patient that has a suspected case of the pandemic flu is admitted, a hospital may initiate its Level One Patient Surge Plan. It should expect that one patient will lead to many more very rapidly. To be ready for the influx, each department will have specific things to do.

For example, critical care units will assess all their patients for pending transfers and patients that are appropriate will get orders. Those orders for transfer will be identified with a Code Surge identification stamp for priority handling. Acute care units will have a similar process, but with an eye for patients that can be discharged. If a patient meets certain criteria for discharge, they may be asked to wait in a unit waiting room until their discharge process is completed. The plan should have specific criteria to define who may give up their patient room during the discharge process.

Another key element may describe the flow of patients from the Emergency Departments (ED) to the nursing units. It makes sense to anticipate that the EDs will be the first areas impacted by the increase in patients. ED surge should then be part of the overall plan and is partially dependent on moving patients from the ED to the nursing units quickly. The rapid transfer from ED to the acute care units may include the arrival of the patient from ED some 15 minutes after ED report. Patients may have to be moved from the ED into patient rooms that have been given rapid "emergency cleaning measures". Worst case scenario: the patient may have to be moved in even if patient room is not "clean". In this case, the patient on the stretcher will be placed in the empty room. The nursing staff will disinfect wipe the call light and the phone and make them available for the patient. The bed may be placed in hall for housekeeping to clean if necessary.

Next Week: Overview Level Two Patient Surge

Fishy Thoughts

2006-05-11T01:55:00.000-07:00

Been seeing political ads a lot again lately. They used to capture my attention. They used to stir this strong urge within me to jump into the fray and get involved. To me it's not so much the personalities but the issues that get twisted and warped to suit someone's campaign. It just drives me nuts when I know something is being pounded deliberately out of whack to make someone look good or bad depending on whose side you're on. I just want to go out and, like adjusting a skewed picture frame on a wall, just set the record straight.

I'm old enough to know, though, that that's like wishing that the Niagara would flow upwards.

So now, knowing that it's an election year and the airwaves will be filled with political stupidity again for the next several months, I am bracing myself for a whole stretch of boredom until it's all over and done with---at least until the next election comes around. Talk about a cycle being vicious.

That's why on days like this, my mind just tunes out and drifts to thoughts of fishing. Out there by my favorite lake, seated on rocks in the warm sun, pole in hand and line in the water, no political ad can reach me.

Not exciting enough for you? Well, have you ever heard of bounty fishing?

Try this quote on for size:

Caldwell has been bounty fishing since the program started in 1991, full-time since he sold his gas station and tackle shop three years ago. His best day was 141 fish…

''For some people this gets pretty competitive,'' he said. ''There's been problems with people where they want to fight over spots to fish. I mean bad enough to get the police involved. I've actually had my life threatened.''

Out in Oregon, it's a federally funded program that pays sports fishermen to catch pikeminnows, a voracious fish that preys on baby salmon trying to swim their way out of the river to the sea.

It can be good living. There are people who really work at it, 12 to 18 hours a day and seven days a week, and they can gross $20,000 during the May-to-October season. Last year, two of the 1,800 people who collected bounties got paid close to $40,000 each.

Read all about it.

Singing Flowers

2006-05-11T01:12:00.000-07:00

And just to cap the day, click on the flower image to play video of singing flowers. Honest, flowers that sing! From YouTube. I promise you'll enjoy it.

Make sure your computer speakers are turned up for best results.

Click away:

Runtime: 00:29

Today I Didn't Do It

2006-05-11T00:48:00.000-07:00

Got this today in the e-mail. Thought I'd share it to put a light twist to Mommy Day week:

One afternoon a man came home from work to find total mayhem in his house.

His three children were outside, still in their pajamas, playing in the mud, with empty food boxes and wrappers strewn all around the front yard. The door of his wife's car was open, as was the front door to the house.

Proceeding into the entry, he found an even bigger mess. A lamp had been knocked over, and the throw rug was wadded against one wall. In the front room the TV was loudly blaring a cartoon channel, and the family room was strewn with toys and various items of clothing. In the kitchen, dishes filled the sink, breakfast food was spilled on the counter, dog food was spilled on the floor, a broken glass lay under the table, and a small pile of sand was spread by the back door.

He quickly headed up the stairs, stepping over toys and more piles of clothes, looking for his wife. He was worried she may be ill, or that something serious had happened.

He found her lounging in the bedroom, still curled in the bed in her pajamas, reading a novel. She looked up at him, smiled, and asked how his day went.

He looked at her bewildered and asked, "What happened here today?"

She again smiled and answered, "You know every day when you come home from work and ask me what in the world I did today?"

"Yes" was his incredulous reply.

She answered, "Well, today I didn't do it."

[forwarded by Ralph West]

From: MIKEY'S FUNNIES
www.mikeysFunnies.com

Like A Breath Of Fresh Air Long In Coming

2006-05-11T00:14:00.000-07:00

New White House Press Secretary Tony Snow is issuing detailed rebuttals to what he considers unfair coverage of Bush.

Cool! Snow started only Monday and has yet to give his first public press briefing. But boy, is he giving notice of how he intends to operate.

Bill Sammon in the Examiner.com National/Top News page posted today a story titled, Snow issues detailed rebuttals to media coverage of the president.

A couple of quotes:

“The New York Times continues to ignore America’s economic progress,” blared the headline of an e-mail sent to reporters Wednesday by the White House press office.

And,

“CBS News misleadingly reports that only 8 million seniors have signed up for Medicare prescription drug coverage,” Wednesday’s missive said. “But 37 million seniors have coverage.” On Tuesday, the White House railed against “USA Today’s misleading Medicare story.”

Read the whole thing.

Avian Flu---Time's A-Tickin'...Part 8

2006-05-06T00:21:00.000-07:00

I've written here a lot about flu---the Avian kind, that is---I just have not given much thought about what if I came down with a flu bug myself. True enough, I did. The variety I came down with, though, was the stomach flu. Got me flat on my back, just too sick to do any sort of blogging.

There was an unexpected but pleasant upside to it. I rediscovered some photos I've taken in the past and thought they might just be useful to visually express what a bad dream it is like to be sick. Might just work as a segue to our 8th installment on the Avian flu.

Click on the cat's picture to play video. From YouTube:

Runtime: 01:38

This is our 8th posting in a series to help share information about Avian flu. The next few weeks will provide an overview of how a hospital might plan for Patient Surge. All information provided is only draft information and may vary depending on the particular situation an individual hospital might find itself in.

Surge Planning

A hospital may put together several groups to work on a strategy to enable itself to care for a rapid influx of patients with an infectious respiratory condition. This Surge Plan should address the individual employee’s role in continuing to provide care to the community.

ALL hospital employees have an essential role in the plan implementation.

DEFINITION: Patient Surge is when the patient census at the hospital has increased to levels that staff and resources have been maximized or when a local condition occurs in which it is anticipated that patient admissions will exceed the usual staff and supply resources.

The plan identifies actions dependent on the number of patients and the impact they will have on resources. There could be three levels identified that will initiate specific action.

Level I: Admission of a suspect index case. Warning stage for potential surge.

Level II: Health department notification of the presence of a pandemic/epidemic infectious respiratory outbreak in the community or multiple index case admissions.

Level III: Patient volume exceeds staffing and patient care supplies availability.

Next Week:
Level 1 Patient Surge overview

Video: A Sunday Laugh

2006-04-30T00:21:00.000-07:00

Hey, it's a Sunday. A little laugh never hurt. Click on the image below to watch funny cats video. Via YouTube:

Runtime: 01:38

Avian Flu---Time's A-Tickin'...Part 7

2006-04-29T00:00:00.000-07:00

This is our 7th posting in a series to help share information about Avian flu. Information provided is taken from international and national experts from the World Health Organization, the Center for Disease Control and US Department of Health and Human Services. Some information may be concern provoking.

Vaccine Status Updates

March 2006 Reports

The World Health Organization (WHO) 3/06:

"Influenza vaccines are an integral part of a global response to an influenza pandemic. Considerable efforts are ongoing to develop and evaluate candidate pandemic vaccines based on existing and licensed technologies. However, it would be desirable to have processes that can provide pandemic vaccines in large quantities and more quickly than current approaches."

Because the rate of vaccine manufacturing is limited in the current process, WHO is sponsoring meetings in April and May with representatives from national regulatory agencies for both human and veterinary influenza vaccines and the producers to discuss and review issues on the technical feasibility of using veterinary facilities to produce human influenza pandemic vaccines.

National Institutes of Health-NIH 3/23/06 news release:

Fast-track recruitment has begun for a trial to investigate the safety of a vaccine against H5N1 avian influenza, the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), announced today.
This Phase I trial will test the vaccine's safety and ability to generate an immune response in 450 healthy adults aged 18 to 64. If the vaccine is shown to be safe in adults, there are plans to test it in other populations, such as the elderly and children.

Next Week: How a Hospital Might Plan for an Increase in Patients-- Surge Planning

Angelina Jolie For ‘No Child Left Behind’ to the Whole World

2006-04-27T00:58:00.000-07:00

When Angelina Jolie explains public policy the way she did on this one, I don’t mind eating crow on celebrity and Hollywood.

Good read.

Gas Price Relief: The Art Of Looking Like You’re Doing Something

2006-04-27T00:24:00.000-07:00

John Hinderaker over at Power Line blog, razor sharp as usual, goes through the components of Senate Republicans’ “Gas Price Relief and Rebate Act of 2006” one by one. Not a pretty sight.

He gives this humdinger of a close to the posting titled Wasn’t There A Time When Republicans Knew Something About Economics?:

Look at it this way: if the oil companies agreed among themselves not to drill for oil in new locations like ANWR, and not to build new refineries, …to limit the supply of oil and thereby drive prices higher, it would be illegal; indeed, it would be the greatest price-fixing conspiracy in American history. But it isn't the oil companies that have conspired to limit supply and thereby drive prices higher. It is our government...

Read the whole thing.

Hinderaker makes a very good point commenting that the Republican Senators’ proposal does nothing. Other than the ANWR drilling, it does not acknowledge supply and demand rules that govern prices. It is pretty much just crude pandering that we have gotten used to expect from Democrats, not Republicans.

Take That! ...Uh-Oh

2006-04-26T00:57:00.000-07:00

Showdown in Guinea Bissau.

Mission Network News’ mnnonline.org posted this neat bit of news on April 24, 2006. It opens:

Guinea Bissau (MNN) -- Guinea Bissau is a place of intense spiritual battles. Where Christian work expands, the enemy tries to oppose.

Recently, more than 50 shaman (religious leaders in animism) placed a curse on Bible translation and Christian work there. The shaman's plan backfired, and instead of the believers getting sick and dying, the shaman began to get sick and die.

Wycliffe Associates' Bruce Smith says the power of Truth has made people much more responsive to the Gospel.

Read the whole story. It's titled, Bible translation by nationals is moving forward dramatically.

Nothing like an Old Testament-style showdown to buoy the efforts of Wycliffe Bible Translators in Guinea Bissau.

6th US Circuit Court of Appeals to ACLU: Nice Try

2006-04-26T00:08:00.000-07:00

Last Monday, by a 19-5 vote by the full court, the 6th US Circuit Court of Appeals judges refused to rehear the case of ACLU v Mercer County, Kentucky. The appeals court rejected arguments by the American Civil Liberties Union (sic) that the Mercer County Courthouse's display of the Ten Commandments violated the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.

The decision upholds a prior ruling of a three-judge panel allowing the Ten Commandments to remain on display at Kentucky’s Mercer County Courthouse.

You will remember that last December, the Sixth Circuit panel unanimously ruled that the Mercer County Ten Commandments display is constitutional. According to the court, the county’s purpose for the display is historical rather than religious. The Sixth Circuit’s jurisdiction covers Kentucky, Ohio, Tennessee, and Michigan.

In a story posted at the Agape Press.org’s Headlines page by Jenni Parker dated April 25, 2006 titled, Ten Commandments Ruling Hailed as Evidence of Tide Turning Against ACLU, an Associated Press report was cited pointing out that the December 2005 ruling made mention of the fact that the courthouse’s biblical laws are displayed alongside replicas of nine other historic documents, including the Bill of Rights and the Declaration of Independence. Even the size of the fonts being the same for all the documents was referred to, saying further that no attempt was made to put the religious document at a higher level.

Some excerpts from the Agape Press report:

(AgapePress) - Pro-family attorneys are hailing the decision of the Sixth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals to uphold a three-judge panel's prior ruling allowing the Ten Commandments to remain on display at Kentucky's Mercer County Courthouse.

And in reference to Mathew D. Staver, Liberty Counsel's president and general counsel, who hails the Sixth Circuit's decision as a great victory that has begun to "turn the tide against the ACLU":

The Liberty Counsel spokesman believes federal courts are beginning to reject extreme notions of the so-called separation of church and state. After all, he notes, the Sixth Circuit expressly rejected the ACLU's "repeated reference" to the Establishment Clause, saying that this "extra-constitutional construct has grown tiresome" and noting, "The First Amendment does not demand a wall of separation between church and state."

Read the whole report.

Give God praise and thanks. The victory is His. Continue to pray for and support Jay Sekulow and the American Center for Law and Justice and Matt Staver of Liberty Counsel.

Still Winning Salutes

2006-04-25T00:47:00.000-07:00

Flag-saving moment still winning salutes, is USA Today writer Bob Nightengale's story posted today at USA Today.com, in the Sports section’s Baseball page. It tells of Rick Monday, playing outfielder for the Chicago Cubs at the Dodger Stadium in L.A. in April 25, 1976, when two people jumped over the railing in left field and tried to burn the American flag on the turf. Running from center field, Monday grabbed the flag and carried it to safety.

Nightengale begins his account:

The hand was trembling, the voice was quivering…tears were running down his face.

The World War II soldier, who survived the Pearl Harbor attack, looked Rick Monday in the eyes, slowly raised his right arm, and saluted him.

"Thank you," Monday recalls the soldier telling him last year. "And thank you from all of my shipmates."

Thirty years ago today, Monday became an American hero.

It was the day he saved the American flag.

Read the whole story.

Monday’s act was voted recently by the Hall of Fame as one of the 100 classic moments in the history of the game.

Burning But Not Consumed

2006-04-24T20:57:00.000-07:00

Natan Sharansky authors today's featured article in the Editorial Page of the Wall Street Journal's OpinionJournal.com website. Titled, Dissident President George W. Bush has the courage to speak out for freedom, (italics supplied) Mr. Sharansky writes:

Political leaders make the rarest of dissidents. In a democracy, a leader's lifeline is the electorate's pulse. Failure to be in tune with public sentiment can cripple any administration and undermine any political agenda...

That is why President George W. Bush is such an exception. He is a man fired by a deep belief in the universal appeal of freedom, its transformative power, and its critical connection to international peace and stability...

Used with permission from OpinionJournal.com, a web site from Dow Jones & Company, Inc.

Read the whole article.

In the scurrilous heat of the mainstream media's relentless assault on this president's character, it is refreshing to read from someone who has been through fire himself and is able to see clearly inspite of the billowing, odious smoke of lies and distortions.

Natan Sharansky was a political prisoner in the Soviet gulag for nine years.

Orcar's Gone To The Dogs, So Why Shouldn't The Pulitzer?

2006-04-24T00:25:00.000-07:00

An opinion piece today at the New York Post's Online Edition titled No Oscar For Claudia opens this way:

The Pulitzer Prizes, the Academy Awards of journalism, were announced last week; The Washington Post and The New York Times scored heavily, as always.

What a bore.

What a joke, actually.

Because any journalism award committee that didn't automatically hand top honors to Claudia Rosett, a journalist-in-residence for the Foundation for Defense of Democracies and the columnist who has explained to the world the appalling United Nations' Oil-for-Food scandal, is trafficking in hollow honors.

Very rich. Read the whole thing.

LA Times Gets It Right On This One

2006-04-23T22:37:00.000-07:00

Who says the LA Times can't get the story straight every now and then?

Watch this really good news from Iraq posted today at the LATimes.com World News page titled, Iraq Breaks Impasse on Government, by Times staff writers Borzou Daragahi and Bruce Wallace. Some quotes:

BAGHDAD — With a hint of hope and more than a bit of relief, Iraq's parliament finally met Saturday to endorse a deal among rival factions to name a prime minister and get the first permanent government of the post-Saddam Hussein era off the ground.

…266 legislators who met in a sweltering Baghdad convention center ended a four-month wait that followed national elections in December. …distributed top political jobs, … among Shiite, Sunni and Kurdish parties.

Kinda makes one think, what happened to the MSM's pronouncements just weeks ago that Iraq was "on the brink" of a civil war? Really makes one wary whenever the MSM uses terms like "on the brink". Doesn't it grab you more like the MSM's wishful thinking rather than news?

Of course, no one is discounting Iraq's hundreds of years of sectarian and religious culture compounded by distortion and exploitation. No one is dreaming that Iraq will suddenly emerge as the glowing bastion of democracy in the Middle East when the sun rises tomorrow.

Still, when one considers what these democratically elected leaders have done, thankless as it is, they do appear to be participating more as statesmen rather than opportunistic politicians.

Go to Iraq The Model blog for a step-by-step account of the history-making parliamentary session.

Let's hope the Iraqi leaders give the Iraqi people, who long for freeedom, the government that they need. The brave---and voting---Iraqi people deserve no less.

Far too long has Iraq lived in an insane obsession with death. It's time to look ahead at life.

As to the LA Times, kudos on a well-written piece.

One At A Time Does It

2006-04-22T23:57:00.000-07:00

Foxnews.com's World page posted today an Associated Press story titled, Militant Slain in Pakistan ID'd as Senior Al Qaeda Operative. Some quotes:

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan — A suspect slain in a shootout with Pakistani agents this week was a senior Al Qaeda operative from Syria behind militant attacks in Pakistan's tribal regions and against U.S. forces in eastern Afghanistan, …

Interior Minister Aftab Khan Sherpao identified the suspect as Marwan Hadid al-Suri,... He died in a gunbattle Thursday after agents acting on tip-off stopped him at a roadblock at Khar, a town near the northwestern tribal region of Bajur.

Read the whole story.

The words, "agents acting on tip-off" say a lot.

We're getting there.

Technical Difficulties

2006-04-22T23:49:00.000-07:00

We apologize for our lack of a post for most of the day. We've been offline for a number of hours due to connectivity issues with our internet service provider. And when we were finally back online, only the background of this website could be accessed. The rest seems to have disappeared. We have resolved the issues and should be able to resume blogging as usual.

Thank you for bearing with us.

Avian Flu---Time's A-Tickin'...Part 6

2006-04-21T23:35:00.000-07:00

This is our sixth posting in a series to help share information about Avian flu. Information provided is taken from international and national experts from the World Health Organization, the Center for Disease Control and US Department of Health and Human Services. Some information may be concern provoking.

In a pandemic, healthcare organizations and hospitals may be overwhelmed by the sudden surge in demand for their resources and services.

The ability to deliver quality health care depends on adequate staffing and optimum health of that staff. Healthcare staff themselves may be concerned about coming to work if---or when---a pandemic flu or a different disaster occurs. Healthcare organizations and hospitals may organize mechanisms to protect staff at work in the event of a pandemic flu.

A pandemic flu plan may include:

Refresher education on infection control practices, N95 masks (respiratory protective devices with a filter efficiency of 95%) and PAPR (Purified Air Personal Respirator) use. Computer presentations and DVDs are ideal media to develop for wide dissemination.

Building an emergency stock of personal protective equipment (PPE). Thousands of N95 masks may be needed, extra PAPRs, and face shields. It will be good to review new technology for emergency use.

Development of a plan for all employees to be screened for flu symptoms prior to coming into buildings or hospitals.

A staff designated entrance to a hospital and a different single entrance point for patients will be good so staff is not exposed to ill patients when they enter the work place.

Education for staff and employees on how to protect their family from secondary occupational exposure when they go home from work.

How a designated department/clinic will provide mass vaccinations when the flu vaccine is available and is recommended by the state health department. Recommendations for use of antivirals should be monitored and mass dispensation clinics should be provided if indicated.

If staff/employees stay for multiple shifts, how are they provided areas for rest? Food?

Help for staff/employees to prepare at home. Purchasing, Safety and Employee Health are examples of departments that may work together to provide opportunity for staff/employees to purchase the majority of disaster supplies through their organization or hospital at organization/hospital cost. Supply Fairs are good vehicles for this.

Teams of people and millions of dollars are committed to continue to plan at the federal, state, regional, local and system levels.

Hundreds of issues are being addressed and the search continues for additional mechanisms to ensure healthcare workers’ health and safety.

Next Week:

Vaccine Status Update

Signs of The Times

2006-04-20T00:26:00.000-07:00

Chart from TimesWatch.org

Growing up, I’ve always believed that the news I read in the papers was just that: an account of what happened. The facts were carefully gathered and written together into a story that’s printed in the papers as a report. They called the people that did this “reporters”, didn’t they? My teachers taught me this. My parents told me the same.

I’ve always understood that if I wanted the paper’s view on the news, I could always go to the “Editorials” or the “Opinion” page.

In this arrangement, my own ability to decide for myself how I want to look at the news is respected. This way, I am free to think for myself.

Mess with this arrangement and my freedom to think for myself is gone. Someone else is deciding for me how I should look at the “news”. My ability to form my own views is insulted.

Call it propaganda, slant, bias, call it anything but it isn’t news.

Take for example the New York Times’ coverage of NY (D) Sen. Hillary Clinton. To quote the TimesWatch:

The American Conservative Union, which tracks the voting records of all congressmen and rates them on their faithfulness to conservative principles, awards Sen. Hillary Clinton a lifetime rating of 9 out of a possible 100.

Yet far from accurately terming Clinton a liberal, the Times has actually insisted that she is in some respects a conservative.

Clay Waters, in his posting today at humaneventsonline.com titled, Hillary: At Home With New York Times, finds:

Since Election Day 2004, the Times has assisted Clinton by falsely positioning her as a political centrist, sliming her Senate opponents, and downplaying her most controversial anti-Republican comments.

...a Nexis search of 641 news stories in the Times from November 2004 through March 2006 found a mere three direct labels of Clinton as liberal by the Times.

In fact, the paper spent as much time specifically dismissing accusations of Clinton's liberalism as "caricature,"

Let's grant, for the sake of discussion, that the Times has a right to conduct their reporting the way they want it. Is it good business policy?

The New York Times published yesterday a story by Katharine Q. Seelye titled, 28% of Votes Are Withheld at Times Company Meeting (You may be asked to register first to access the page). Here are some excerpts:

Investors holding more than a quarter of the shares of The New York Times Company withheld their votes for directors at the annual meeting yesterday, registering their dissatisfaction with how the company is performing.

Since January 2004, the company shares have fallen 47 percent; an index of industry stocks has fallen 35.8 percent. In the same period, stocks in the Standard & Poor's 500 index have climbed more than 17 percent.

Read the whole story.

Now, there's a saying that what goes around comes around. But I need to be objective so I should say that perhaps news like the one posted today by the Binghamton News Channel 34 website titled, NY Times Website Crashes for Four Hours, is probably purely coincidental.

Or could it just be one of the signs of the Times?

If It Quacks...It Probably Lays An Egg Too

2006-04-19T00:40:00.000-07:00

Seems like ducks struck it rich these days they have developed a taste for high end hotels to make their nests at. At least, that's what it seems to two mama ducks hatching their eggs at the Ritz-Carlton hotels at Georgetown and St. Louis.

I kid you not. These classy hotels known for attracting celebrities and VIP's have been hosting Very Important Ducks.

They're so important the chef at the Fahrenheit Restaurant in the Georgetown site has removed the duck breast entree from the menu.

And the hotel isn't missing a beat promoting its feathered guest:

Bartenders at Degrees, the hotel's bar, have created a special cocktail called the "Duck Duck Goose" with Grey Goose L'Orange vodka, pineapple juice, a splash of Grenadine and a splash of Sprite.

Hotel guests now get a small Ritz-Carlton rubber ducky at evening turn down, and the hotel has set up an "Everything's Just Ducky" package… available until April 30. …deal includes a room, Duck Duck Goose cocktails…traditional butler-drawn bubble bath with a rubber ducky.

And chocolate milk and homemade cookies for all guests.

Read the whole thing.

Hat tip:
Mama Duck returns to do the Ritz
By Michael Hunsberger
THE WASHINGTON TIMES
April 18, 2006

Facts Only, Please

2006-04-18T20:13:00.000-07:00

Many have read the book, "The Da Vinci Code", enjoyed the story side of it and then became curious later, to say the least, to find that what initially presents itself as a murder mystery novel claims to be based on facts. Christians especially perceive that the so-called facts assault the core of Christianity itself.

This is the subject today of a posting at the WorldNetDaily.com website titled, "Experts to fact check the 'Da Vinci Code'":

Author and television pastor Dr. D. James Kennedy announced yesterday he will host a one-hour TV documentary next month meant to "fact check" the popular book "The Da Vinci Code" just before release of the movie version of the story.

According to a statement from Kennedy's Coral Ridge Ministries, the show, entitled "The Da Vinci Delusion," "enlists a band of scholars, theologians, and authors to fact check" the book's assertions "against evidence from history and the Bible."

"The Da Vinci Delusion" will air on May 13 and 14 on "The coral Ridge Hour". For local times and stations, go to davincidelusion.org.

Meanwhile, Grizzly Adams Productions, a major documentary maker, has released a two-hour DVD critique of "The Da Vinci Code" ahead of the Hollywood movie's release. Called "Breaking the Da Vinci Code", the new documentary was created for an anticipated television airing later this spring by Grizzly Adams Productions.

Marketed exclusively through ShopNetDaily, the documentary explodes myths perpetuated by the novel and the upcoming movie. Included are interviews with authors and leading world experts in archaelogy, theology, art history, philosophy and science.

The Rising Asian Giant

2006-04-17T22:02:00.000-07:00

What's China got to do with your life? Where it hits close to home, try gas prices. The ascending power of the Chinese economy demands Gargantuan resources for energy. Their draw on the world's oil resources has a correlation to higher prices at our local pumps.

The US-Chinese trade relationship continues to deepen but the prospects of a rising China, along with its authoritarian communist government, raise concern among ordinary Americans. China continues to score poorly in the yearly State Department human rights assessments around the globe. And while there seems to be no immediate threat to its security, China is building up its military, buying arms at a large and expansive scale.

From a report today from CNSNews.com titled, US-China Differences Go Way Beyond Protocol for Hu's Visit, by Patrick Goodenough, posted at the Crosswalk.com website, the following excerpts:

Eager to expand sources of energy supplies to feed its galloping economy, Beijing is pursuing ever closer ties with countries in the Middle East, Latin America and Africa, some of which - such as Sudan and Venezuela - have problematic relations with the U.S.

"Chinese policies are endangering U.S. goals by supporting African dictatorships, hindering economic development, and exacerbating conflicts and human rights abuses in troubled countries such as Sudan and Zimbabwe,"

Read the whole report.

Blogs Confounding The MSM? They Haven't Seen VBlogging Yet

2006-04-16T20:52:00.000-07:00

Granted, this is old news if you're an avid follower of rapid developments in the web. But just in case you missed this February 22, 2006 article in the TCSDAILY.com website, we're featuring it here. Titled, Will Video Kill The Blogosphere Star?, Silicon Valley writer and fellow blogger Ed Driscoll (see his bio here) describes one more powerful tool "new media mavens of the Blogosphere" might add to their amazing kits that just continue to tear apart the traditional way we interact with media, news and opinion.

Driscoll calls the new tool, videoblogging, or vblogging for short. In its most developed form, he compares it to a "one-man TV network."

Here are some of the ways vblogging has already made an impact and what it could become:

In some cases...you'd simply like to spice-up an otherwise static blog with a few clips....At a meeting of bloggers and US senators in November of 2005, blogger Justin Hart used his cell phone's video camera to record video of Senator Majority Leader Bill Frist, and upload it instantly to his Weblog.

...just as numerous text-oriented bloggers have made the jump to op-eds and articles, a professional-appearing vblog could be a powerful "audition reel"

Factors fueling the gathering momentum of vblogging are the "skyrocketing efforts to bring TV to the web", as Driscoll puts it, the affordable prices today of DV cameras and the "near-ubiquitous bandwidth availability", according to documentarian and blogger Evan Coyne Maloney.

Read the whole article.

I confess. I'm excited. And it's because here's one more force that strikes deep into how we look at news and how truth is disseminated. To quote Driscoll:

But just as newspapers learned after 9/11, TV networks are discovering that the Web allows anyone to end-run mass media.

I Serve A Risen Savior

2006-04-15T23:47:00.000-07:00

Jesus Christ rose from the dead.

Need I say more?

Have a joyous easter!

Avian Flu---Time's A-Tickin'...Part 5

2006-04-14T00:52:00.000-07:00

This is our fifth posting in a series to help share information about Avian flu. Information provided is taken from international and national experts from the World Health Organization, the Center for Disease Control and US Department of Health and Human Services. Some information may be concern provoking.

How Does Seasonal Flu Differ From Pandemic Flu?

Seasonal Flu: Outbreaks follow predictable seasonal patterns; occurs annually, usually in winter, in temperate climates.
Pandemic Flu: Occurs rarely (three times in 20th century - last in 1968).

Seasonal Flu: Usually some immunity built up from previous exposure.
Pandemic Flu: No previous exposure; little or no pre-existing immunity.

Seasonal Flu: Healthy adults usually not at risk for serious complications; the very young, the elderly and those with certain underlying health conditions at increased risk for serious complications.
Pandemic Flu: Healthy people may be at increased risk for serious complications.

Seasonal Flu: Health systems can usually meet public and patient needs.
Pandemic Flu: Health systems may be overwhelmed.

Seasonal Flu: Vaccine developed based on known flu strains and available for annual flu season.
Pandemic Flu: Vaccine probably would not be available in the early stages of a pandemic.

Seasonal Flu: Adequate supplies of antivirals are usually available.
Pandemic Flu: Effective antivirals may be in limited supply.

Seasonal Flu: Average U.S. deaths approximately 36,000 per year.
Pandemic Flu: Number of deaths would be quite high (e.g., U.S. 1918 death toll approximately 500,000).

Seasonal Flu: Symptoms: fever, cough, runny nose, muscle pain. Deaths often caused by complications, such as pneumonia.
Pandemic Flu: Symptoms may be more severe and complications more frequent.

Seasonal Flu: Generally causes modest impact on society (e.g., some school closing, encouragement of people who are sick to stay home).
Pandemic Flu: May cause major impact on society (e.g., widespread restrictions on travel, closings of schools and businesses, cancellation of large public gatherings).

Seasonal Flu: Manageable impact on domestic and world economy.
Pandemic Flu: Potential for severe impact on domestic and world economy.

Taken from website: pandemicflu.gov

Be informed. Be prepared.

Next week: How a healthcare organization or hospital might prepare for pandemic flu.

Top Cat

2006-04-13T00:21:00.000-07:00

"Narnia" video roars to No. 1 on DVD sales chart.

That's Thomas K. Arnold's Entertainment News report for Reuters featured today at Entertainment Weekly's EW.com website.

Here's an excerpt:

"The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe" easily topped the national DVD sales chart for the week ending April 9, while the previous week's top seller, "King Kong," notched a second round atop the rental chart.
"Brokeback Mountain" finished a distant second…"Brokeback" distributor Universal said the gay cowboy romance sold 1.4 million DVDs its first day in stores, while first-day sales for Disney's "Narnia" were pegged at 4 million units.

Read the whole report.

Hollyweird could split hair all year long about niche movies and audience size not necessarily being a good gauge of the success of a movie. And that if a low budget movie makes money, no matter how small by today's going rate, it's a good movie.

I wonder if Hollyweird denizens could spell C-L-U-E-L-E-S-S?

Top Down

2006-04-13T00:07:00.000-07:00

Top Al-Qaeda Operative in Iraq Killed Near Baquba, U.S. Says, that's Caroline Alexander's story today in the Top Worldwide page of the Bloomberg.com website.

Some excerpts:

A senior al-Qaeda operative in Iraq was killed by U.S. forces near Baquba, a city northeast of Baghdad, the U.S. military said today. Rafid Ibrahim Fattah, also known as Abu Umar al-Kurdi, visited Pakistan, Afghanistan, Iran, and Iran during the past 15 years…

“The…al-Qaeda Ambassador…established liason between terrorist networks.”

More than 115 top leaders of the al-Qaeda network, including Abu Umar,''have been taken out over the past several months''

Read the whole story.

One at a time is fine. We’re getting the job done. That’s not to guarantee that there will not be setbacks (good news for the MSM and their liberal cohorts). Hey, that’s life. But let’s not lose sight of the goal. And the brave men and women of the US military who are in harm’s way so we won’t have to be.

(Tee-Hee) Nothing Like Laughter To Keep The Sanity

2006-04-12T23:11:00.000-07:00

Can't help it. You gotta ask, "Has the world finally gone to the dogs?" I mean, in the Cold War, for all the nuclear firepower East versus West packed, what everything went down to was a game of chicken. All that posturing turned out to be just that: posturing. Today, in the War on Terror, with an Iran defiantly brandishing its nukes, and the proven propensity of its ilk to rush beyond posturing to their "Gardens of Felicity", and liberals among us willing to bet their chips, in their psychotic quest to regain power, on a chance that savages might behave rationally, one cannot help but think that maybe this time the world's finally bought it.

Oh, well, if it's time to say bye-bye world, might as well say it with a guffaw. So how about a little satire on the Iran deal? You'll find it right here.

Now, how about those immigrant demo's? Sheez. Only in America. Illegal alien rights? Since when did violating the law become a right? Oh, well, don't we call murder the right to choose? Don't we call perversion an alternative lifestyle? Don't we say the Ten Commandments is dangerous? Don't we say Merry Christmas is offensive?

Don't we say right is wrong and good is bad?

I could really use a chill pill. Care for some? Here's one on the illegal immigrant protests (!?).

Hat Tip: Scrappleface.

Among The Noblest Things We Have Ever Done As A Country

2006-04-11T00:53:00.000-07:00

That’s how Maj. Kevin Kelly of Philadelphia, an F-16 fighter pilot with the New Jersey Air National Guard deployed in Iraq, puts what the USA has done in Iraq and what we are doing there now.

In a commentary titled, In Iraq, brave troops and a noble cause, posted today at the Philadelphia Inquirer website, philly.com, Maj. Kelly states:

The vast majority of Iraqi people are incredibly grateful to the United States for saving them from a bloody and brutal dictatorship. There are, granted, those who do not share this same gratitude, namely the former regime and those who benefited from it, as well as foreign militant Islamists who see Iraq as the battleground for their extremism. That's who we're fighting, not the majority of the people of Iraq.

He contradicts what US media plays up as “civil war”, saying there is no such thing as he flies over every inch of Iraq both day and night. Read the whole article.

Contrast that with this story yesterday from the Washington Post by staff writer Thomas E. Ricks. The headline reads, "Military Plays Up Role of Zarqawi -- Jordanian Painted As Foreign Threat to Iraq's Stability."

It is so galling I don’t even want to dignify it by quoting what it says here. You could follow the link above at your own peril (barf alert).

Sample how Powerline blog’s Paul Mirengoff dismantles the WaPo on its not-so-veiled infatuation with America’s wartime enemies:

This is the Post at its worst, trying to portray perfectly legitimate action by our government in a bad light. The U.S. should be emphasizing Zarqawi's role in Iraq by "painting" him for what he is -- a "foreign threat to Iraq's stability."...As the Post grudgingly acknowledges, some tribal insurgents have attacked Zarqawi loyalists. Every time Iraqis attack Zarqawi loyalists or provide information about their whereabouts, our troops become safer.

Mirengoff correctly points out that it would be scandalous for the US military not to highlight Zarqawi’s role and status as a foreigner. Read the whole thing.

So when we hear it said that Americans deeply resent the main stream media’s (MSM) negative---even traitorous---slant on news about Iraq, can the MSM help it if we find reason to believe it to be true?

Wish Some Will Just Do The Math

2006-04-10T00:47:00.000-07:00

Sure, Iraq and everything that the mainstream media (MSM) could find wrong with it, and the immigration rallies tend to be 'spectacular' and probably sell paper, apart from being useful and easy to spin as fodder against the MSM's favorite conservative political leaders. (Yawn)

But this is why I am so grateful for the internet where I am free to find refreshing positive news which otherwise is denied me by merely relying on antique media stuck on business-as-usual self-glory, deciding still, they think, for America and the world what should be "news" and what is not.

Sample a quote from a post in The Christian Science Monitor website, csmonitor.com, by Mark Trumbull, titled US economy's latest output: better jobs:

The US economy isn't just producing jobs these days, it's also producing good jobs.

The story defines "good jobs" as:

...the kinds that can keep American living standards rising.

Here's one example of numbers Trumbull cites in his report:

The economy added 211,000 jobs in March, according to a Labor Department report Friday - a solid showing about on par with expectations. The unemployment rate fell a notch, to 4.7 percent.

Or take this quote from a story today in the Dallas Morning News site, dallasnews.com, by Kim Horner, titled Homeless numbers fall 3.3% (You might be asked to register first to access the page):

The number of people sleeping in homeless shelters and on the streets in Dallas County decreased 3.3 percent from a year ago, to 5,704, according to a new count being released today.
The drop was much sharper for longtime homeless people with mental or physical disabilities, who are considered chronically homeless. That number fell 26 percent, to 733, according to the annual count by the Metro Dallas Homeless Alliance and the city of Dallas

There is much good going on out there that the MSM will simply not report, or will report but bury in some obscure place in their papers, or will feature prominently but with their leftist bias spinning it beyond recognition.

It is said that numbers do not lie. It does make one wish that some people will just do the math so the MSM's editorializing can be seen for what it really is---just their warped view on things.

Still, the MSM has a way to spin numbers, too, by using surveys with cleverly constructed questions that heavily favor answers they want to get in the first place.

So, go figure.

Never Thought ‘Hacker’ Could Be A Good Word

2006-04-10T00:05:00.000-07:00

Apparently, if there is “friendly” fire as opposed to enemy fire, we could also say that there are good hackers and bad hackers.

Over at ynetnews.com today, Dudi Goldman posts a story titled ‘Haredi sex commando’ targets porn sites:

A group of ultra-orthodox hackers, shocked by the obscenity of some porn sites, has launched an internet campaign in a bid to cause such sites to crash. The hackers, already named at some internet forums the "ultra-orthodox sex commando," or the "ultra-orthodox electronic underground," focus their efforts at this point on Hebrew sites.

I could already hear the “freedom of speech” purists crying ‘foul’. Hey, no one’s infringing on anyone’s freedom to express what they want, even if it is offensive to some. All the “ultra-orthodox electronic underground” is doing is also exercising their own freedom to oppose what their conscience also deems as foul. Now if governments and enforcement agencies are too shy to do it for them, I say they’ve been left with not too many options.

We can’t be free to go one way and then not free to go the other. If our actions reap a storm of backlashes, part of freedom is the responsibility to own up to the consequences. If you offend, there will be consequences. Hiding behind self-serving extensions of well-intentioned concepts like “freedom of speech” notwithstanding.

Hackers may have been monsters lurking in the shadows of cyberspace bent on lunging at every opportunity to do damage. But if such skills can be put to at least exerting some “push back” at destructive content in what is otherwise a very useful tool as the internet, I say more power to them.

Rough Stretch

2006-04-07T22:14:00.000-07:00

I just hit a turbulent stretch in my schedule. Been extremely busy with meetings the past couple nights. And looking forward to three all day long and well into the night tomorrow. I'm just forced to blog very lightly.

But, hey, why let meetings get in the way of fun?

Here's my must reading for you this week. Call it the undressing of the Democrats' scheme to slander and then cut down Bush's presidency (in a rabid pursuit to get even on the Clinton impeachment). I tell you, is David Limbaugh sharp or what? With people like him (and John Hinderaker and Hugh Hewitt and Michelle Malkin and Michael Yon, etc.) and websites like Lucianne.com, America just could not be duped anymore by the left and their parroting mouthpiece, the mainstream media (MSM).

Speaking of the MSM, here are two pieces, although a day old now, that make fine examples of why the dinosaur media just don't get any respect any more:

Michelle Malkin on NBC's news-staging (are they getting desperate to create their kind of news) at a NASCAR event, baiting fans to respond negatively to NBC-paid Muslim poseurs.

Mark Tapscott piques our interest on this wonderful post by Amy Ridenour in her National Center Blog. Tapscott opens:

Amy Ridenour administers a devastating left-right-left combination to the glass jaw of Baldemar Velasquez, head of the AFL-CIO's Farm Labor Organizing Committee, who told Time magazine that the cause of illegal aliens in this country has become a civil rights issue.

He also claimed Mexicans - not Americans - named Los Angeles, San Antonio and San Francisco and that "the whole West was part of Mexico" before 170 years ago.

Velasquez is...totally wrong.

And for some fun weekend reading, here's a fine Israeli invention that's about to give humans the ability to breathe like fish.

Have a blessed weekend.

Avian Flu---Time's A-Tickin'...Part 4

2006-04-05T21:42:00.000-07:00

This is our fourth posting in a series to help share information about Avian flu. Information provided is taken from international and national experts from the World Health Organization, the Center for Disease Control and US Department of Health and Human Services. Some information may be concern provoking.

Excerpts from:

Pandemic Influenza Planning

A Guide for Individuals and Families
US Department of Health and Human Services
January 2006

As you plan, it is important to think about the challenges that you might face, particularly if a pandemic is severe. It may take time to find the answers to these challenges. Below are some situations that could be caused by a severe pandemic and possible ways to address them.

Schools May Be Closed for an Extended Period of Time
If you have children at home, plan home learning activities and exercises. Have materials, such as books, on hand. Also plan recreational activities that your children can do at home.

During a Pandemic You May Not Be Able to Get to a Store.
Stock a supply of water and food. Even if you can get to a store, it may be out of supplies. Public waterworks services may also be interrupted. Stocking supplies can be useful in other types of emergencies, such as power outages and disasters.

Store foods that:

Are nonperishable (will keep for a long time) and don't require refrigeration. Most canned/boxed grocery items have an expiration date on the container. Look for this date and purchase those things that have the longest shelf life. Plan to rotate those supplies into your everyday grocery use as the expiration date nears. But, remember to resupply your emergency stock.

Are easy to prepare in case you are unable to cook

Require little or no water, so you can conserve water for drinking

You can prepare for an influenza pandemic now.
You should know both the magnitude of what can happen during a pandemic outbreak and what actions you can take to help lessen the impact of an influenza pandemic on you and your family. This checklist will help you gather the information and resources you may need in case of a flu pandemic.

To plan for a pandemic:

Store a supply of water and food. During a pandemic, if you cannot get to a store, or if stores are out of supplies, it will be important for you to have extra supplies on hand. This can be useful in other types of emergencies, such as power outages and disasters.

Ask your doctor and insurance company if you can get an extra supply of your regular prescription drugs.

Have any nonprescription drugs and other health supplies on hand, including pain relievers, stomach remedies, cough and cold medicines, fluids with electrolytes, and vitamins.

Talk with family members and loved ones about how they would be cared for if they got sick, or what will be needed to care for them in your home.

Volunteer with local groups to prepare and assist with emergency response.

Get involved in your community as it works to prepare for influenza pandemic.

To limit the spread of germs and prevent infection:

Teach your children to wash hands frequently with soap and water, and model the correct behavior.

Teach your children to cover coughs and sneezes with tissues, and be sure to model that behavior.

Teach your children to stay away from others as much as possible if they are sick. Stay home from work and school if sick.

Items to have on hand for an extended stay at home:

Examples of food and non-perishables

Ready-to-eat canned meats, fruits, vegetables, and soups
Protein or fruit bars
Dry cereal or granola
Peanut butter or nuts
Dried fruit
Crackers
Canned juices
Bottled water
Canned or jarred baby food and formula
Pet food

Examples of medical, health, and emergency supplies

Prescribed medical supplies such as glucose and blood-pressure monitoring equipment
Soap and water, or alcohol-based hand wash
Medicines for fever, such as acetaminophen or ibuprofen
Thermometer
Anti-diarrheal medication
Vitamins
Fluids with electrolytes
Cleansing agent/soap
Flashlight
Batteries
Portable radio
Manual can opener
Garbage bags
Tissues, toilet paper, disposable diapers

Next week: How Does Seasonal Flu Differ From Pandemic Flu?

Be Informed. Be Prepared.

Bye-Bye, Miss American Pie (Wake Up, My Beloved, Or Die)

2006-04-04T01:32:00.000-07:00

"This is who we are. …today, Western Civilization is under siege. …under attack from Radical Islam – that’s the War on Terrorism. We are under attack from those within the US itself who seek to destroy our traditional culture and our moral values – from those who believe the State is more important than the family or the individual. And we ourselves are acting in a way that will leave our children with a bleak economic future."

That's a quote from the website of Herb Meyer's fast taking off DVD, The Siege of Western Civilization.

If you are like me, you follow with concern what is going on in our country, the threats to its security from outside and inside, its economy, the crassness of Hollywood, the duplicity of mainstream media, the ACLU's opposition to anything that is good, God-ly and American, the shocking infantility of liberalism, the lameness and stupidity of public education.

If you are like me, you are nauseated by TV talking heads in yelling matches and media bias and would like to be addressed with some respect and expectation of arriving at solutions.

If so, as you will find its website promising, this 42-minute international bestseller of a documentary is for you.

Vasko Kohlmayer of the American Thinker says in his review of the DVD today:

Isolating three currents that are undercutting the foundation of our civilization, Mr. Meyer traces their origins and explains their insidiousness. You may be surprised to learn…only one of them is external…the other two have their roots within. Each one has the potential to bring us down on its own, but their combined force can only have one result. Mr. Meyer’s explanation of how this would happen is as cogent as it is sobering.

Back in 1982, while serving as Special Assistant to the Director of Central Intelligence and Vice Chairman of the National Intelligence Council, Herb Meyer was first on record predicting the demise of the Soviet Union. Most high-level US officials shied away from such pronouncements given the seeming formidability of the “Iron Curtain” at the time. Needless to say, Herb Meyer’s assessment was treated with unbelief and criticism.

History showed he was right.

Someone who has worked hands on with information that carried influence in directions that nations take, and who has proven himself to be keen in tying this knowledge together to make vitally relevant observations, deserves our utmost consideration.

Ignore Herb Meyer at your own risk.

Liberalism, A Mental Disorder

2006-04-03T23:58:00.000-07:00

I wish I could have come up with the title myself but no, it's not my original. It is the title of today's post, Liberalism As A Mental Disorder by Klaus Rohrich at the canadafreepress.com website.

Rohrich is responding to a thinly-populated (some 100 subjects) study by Jack Block, professor emeritus at the University of California at Berkeley (aha!), entitled "Nursery school personality and political orientation two decades later" recently published in the Journal of Research in Personality.

Observing how those who have taken on a liberal ideology do not miss every chance to present themselves as being, as he puts it, "the chosen," and explaining the difficulty that---as Block finds---"indecisive, vacillating, shy, fearful, easily victimized and anxious" conservatives have in taking them, Rohric points to inherent contradictions in liberalism :

…liberals tend to ask people to do as they say not as they do. Barbra Streisand is really concerned about the environment, but that doesn’t stop her from taking a gas-guzzling, fume-spewing private jet anywhere she may want to... Bill Clinton proclaims that the Dubai Ports World deal would threaten the security of the United States, but doesn’t tell anyone that Dubai Ports World has hired him as a lobbyist to make the deal work.

There's plenty more of these nuggets where they came from...

Enjoy!

Homeschooling Growing In Popularity---Wouldn't You Know It

2006-04-02T21:16:00.000-07:00

This doesn't surprise me. My kids are homeschooled.

The sun-herald.com website has a great write up on it today.

It tells of some of the surprises homeschoolers find such as how much their children support each other. "They all get excited when one of them gets a difficult concept or does something spectacular," was one comment.

Sample some of the goodies you'll find:

" I (felt) that the guidance counselors favored the bullies more than the ones being bullied," McKay said. Instead, the North Porter opted for homeschooling.
Leslie Valeska said she first started homeschooling when she found her son, now 14, was not being challenged enough in public schools.
"He was bored and the classes were not intense enough for him," she said. "Now I've been homeschooling him for four years, along with my three other children."

Read here about the increased quality time homeschooling families enjoy. And how the standard criticism of "professional" teachers that kids do not get enough socialization skills through homeschooling is really unfounded. In my opinion, these so-called teachers are merely trying to preserve the status quo as they find that education itself is in flux and business-as-usual simply isn't acceptable anymore.

For far too long, education has grown more and more absurd in this country, teaching children to discount the authority of their parents, moving them away from any knowledge of, or relationship with, their Creator, and brainwashing them towards an immoral heart- and mind-set.

To the educational elites and the teachers' union: No More!

Avian Flu---Time's A-Tickin'...Part 3

2006-04-01T23:11:00.000-08:00

On March 9, 2006, you may have seen the national news with reports that the Avian Flu will be brought to the US via the migratory bird paths. This has been the speculation for several months and the federal government has increased surveillance of the migratory birds to monitor for bird deaths and the presence of the H5N1 virus in live birds. The top UN health official speculates that the virus will reach the US in the next 6 to 12 months, but he cautions that his speculations have been in error before. It could be sooner-

Scientists already had been watching for the strain in wild birds in Alaska and North American migratory flyways. But the effort is being dramatically stepped up this year.

Begin To Prepare

The Avian Flu virus will be food borne, air borne and spread by contact. What can you do now to prepare for each of these types of transmission?

Contact transmission:

Just as the seasonal flu is extremely easy to catch by breathing in droplets (created by coughing, sneezing, speaking, etc.), or by touching the droplets after they land on surfaces so will the avian-human flu. When you touch items such as furniture, doorknobs, hand rails, telephones, skin, clothes, soiled tissues, etc. and then touch your mouth, nose or eyes, you could be exposed to the virus. So, a primary prevention is WASHING YOUR HANDS. Don't touch your mouth, nose or eyes unless you have just washed your hands. Keep alcohol based hand sanitizer in your car, purse, backpack. You get the idea. Be able to wash your hands in any enviornment you find yourself.

Reduce possible airborne exposure: Avoid close contact with people who have the flu or show symptoms of respiratory illness. Avoid crowds and remain several feet away from individuals who are coughing. Wear procedure masks when in crowds or when caring for person with a cough or flu symptoms.

If you don't feel well, prevent others from getting ill by using strict respiratory etiquette: Individuals with a fever and respiratory symptoms should 1) cough or sneeze into a tissue, 2) dispose of soiled tissue and 3) immediately wash hands or use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer. To prevent the spread of potentially infectious aerosolized droplets, wear a mask when it is necessary to be near other people.

Food borne Prevention

Food preparation:

Poultry. There is no evidence that properly cooked poultry (170 F°; 77 C°) can be a source for infection. Eggs should be cooked thoroughly. However, it is very important to properly clean surfaces and wash hands after handling uncooked poultry and prior to preparing any food that will not be subsequently cooked to the target temperature. Fortunately, disinfection with most common disinfectants is very effective in killing the influenza virus. See the list under the section on Cleaning and Disinfection.

Pork. Avian flu has been isolated in infected pigs in other countries. It is not known at this time whether food preparation activities of infected pork can spread the infection. Because the heat required to cook pork adequately kills flu virus, there should be no possibility of the survival of infective influenza virus - avian or otherwise. The same attention to hand washing and surface cleaning applies to pork as it does to poultry, and should be followed in the preparation of any meat, fish or poultry products at any time regardless of the threat of infection.

Cleaning and surface disinfection:
* Detergents
* 70% alcohol
* Sodium hypochlorite: dilute household bleach, which is 5% hypochlorite, by adding 1 part bleach into 4 parts clean water.

Based on these recommendations, start your preparedness plan for home,
purchase:
* Bleach
* Alcohol based hand cleaner
* 70% alcohol
* Masks
* Extra facial tissue

Next: More family preparedness tips from the US Department of Health and Human Services

How To Close Down The Neighborhood Strip Club

2006-03-31T22:04:00.000-08:00

Central Florida's Local6.com news page posted today a local story about a strip club in Flagler County whose owners are proposing to tear down the club if the town allows condominiums on the property.

Why the change of heart? Apparently, protesters persisted outside the adult dance club rain or shine. And they were hi-tech protesters! They have been taking photos of patrons and posting them on the internet.

An excerpt:

"Persistence wears out resistance, or at least that's what protesters say," Local 6 News reporter Tarik Minor said.

You can read the whole story here.

Hat tip: Drudge Report

Spring Forward!

2006-03-30T01:30:00.000-08:00

Uh-huh, it's THAT time.

I know there are several ways you deal with it. My favorite way is moving my watch and clocks one hour forward at midnight of the Saturday just before it changes over to the Sunday when Daylight Saving Time begins.

That Sunday this year is April 2nd. So on the midnight of April 1st, I adjust my time pieces.

You will lose one hour of sleep.

Don't be late for church.

Yay, David Limbaugh!

2006-03-29T06:50:00.000-08:00

What did I tell you about David Limbaugh? The guy is simply good reading.

Try a sampling of his most recent post at David Limbaugh.com:

Aren't we witnessing a glaring double standard here? When the Clintons brandish the Bible, where is Maureen Dowd to warn of an impending theocracy? Why doesn't the Washington Post's E.J. Dionne vilify Hillary for "the exploitation of strong religious feelings" and using "religion as a wedge issue" like he did George W. Bush after the 2004 election?

Incisive. Just incisive.

Read the whole post...

Catch you all later.

God bless you.

How About Them "Values" Voters, Huh?

2006-03-28T23:30:00.000-08:00

Here's one event the MSM will not mention to you or, if they ever do, will bury somewhere in the back pages of their fishwrap, er, papers.

There's a nice story about it posted today at the website of The Washington Times titled 'Values voters' call for congressional action by Julia Duin. It reports about the "War on Christians and the Values Voters in 2006" conference held yesterday at the Omni Shoreham Hotel. In this summit of evangelical Christians and conservative Catholic and Jewish activists, a "Values Voters' Contract with Congress" was produced. It outlines what the religious minded expect of their elected representatives.

It brings to mind the Republican Party's 1994 "Contract with America." The "Values Voters' Contract" enumerated ten aims, from legislation to keep the words "under God" in the Pledge of Allegiance to laws that guarantee greater religious freedoms in the workplace.

Here's a quote:

…Jeff Ballabon of the New York-based Center for Jewish Values said today's culture wars "aren't just a war on Christians."
"This is a war on America, a war on God and a war on all believers," he said.
"Our battle," said Rabbi Aryeh Spero, president of Caucus for America, "is the battle of the ages, and that's of great import. We are aligned with Elijah, with Jesus and with Moses."

Read the whole story...

Hat tip: Lucianne.com

Avian Flu---Time's A-Tickin'...Part 2

2006-03-27T23:25:00.000-08:00

Today we discuss the current world status of the bird flu.

In the meantime, there is reason to hope. Apparently, at present, most of the strains of the H5N1 avian influenza virus are unable to reside in human upper respiratory tracts. This makes human-to-human transmission through sneezing and coughing unlikely so far.

Read the account in Scientific American: Bird Flu Resides Deep in Lungs, Preventing Human-to-Human Transmission

Only one H5N1 strain, the A/Hong Kong/213/03, has shown the ability to latch onto receptors on cells in the upper respiratory tract as well as deep in the lungs. Most strains attach only to receptors in the deepest regions of the lungs, not a good condition for efficient transmission.

However, experts continue to monitor H5N1. Strains with the ability to recognize human receptors could bring us one step closer to a pandemic.

The current status....

Health experts have been watching this influenza for almost eight years. The H5N1 strain first infected humans in Hong Kong in 1997, causing 18 cases, including six deaths. Since mid-2003, this virus has caused the largest and most severe outbreaks in poultry on record. In December 2003, infections in people exposed to sick birds were identified.

Since then, over 100 human cases have been laboratory confirmed in four Asian countries (Cambodia, Indonesia, Thailand, and Viet Nam), and more than half of these people have died. Most cases have occurred in previously healthy children and young adults.

Fortunately, at the current time, the virus does not jump easily from birds to humans or spread readily and sustainably among humans. Should H5N1 evolve to a form as contagious as normal influenza, a pandemic could begin. (World Heath Organization, October 2005)

Since the October report from WHO, the H5N1 virus has moved along what are thought to be migratory bird paths to Turkey, Romania, China, Croatia, Ukraine, Kuwait, Iraq, Nigeria, Azerbaijan, Bulgaria, Greece, Italy, Slovenia, Russia, Iran, Austria, Germany, Egypt, India, France, Hungary, Malaysia, Slovakia, Bosnia, Georgia, Niger, Sweden, Switzerland, and Serbia. Extensive efforts are being made across the world to stop the spread of this virus.

The World Health Organization has developed an alert system to communicate the current situation in the evolution of this virus.

The present situation is categorized as phase 3: a virus new to humans is causing infections, but does not spread easily from one person to another.

We do not know when the H5N1 virus will infect birds in the US. We do not know when the virus will change to be able to infect humans on a greater scale.

Scientists say it will happen.

Are you prepared?

Next:
What you can do to prepare now.

For more information on the history and current status go to: http://www.cdc.gov/flu/pandemic/keyfacts.htm

For The Sake Of Our National Security

2006-03-24T21:17:00.000-08:00

I'm off with my son to a weekend church retreat. Was so busy with the preps, I'm just compelled to blog very lightly.

Here's one though that should be good reading. Over at David Limbaugh.com, as usual, a great post titled, Bush Fighting Back.

A notable quote:

In his appearances the president has been providing a substantive refutation of the critics' charges, including their lies about his "lies" on WMD and the NSA surveillance program.

That's important, but it is even more critical that the people have an opportunity to observe his demeanor. They can assess by the tone of his voice and the expression on his face whether he is a man of integrity.

Read the rest of the column...

I like David Limbaugh. There is an easy flow to his column. And I like that he takes his time. You may not see him posting everyday but whenever he does, it is almost always must reading.

Catch you all later.

God bless you.

Avian Flu---Time's A-Tickin'...

2006-03-22T23:47:00.000-08:00

Avian Flu. What is it? Why is it in the news every week? Why should I care?

Do you know the answers to these questions?

Over the next few postings, we will be sharing brief information with you to help answer these questions and more. We will also post links to important internet sites to expand your knowledge and help you prepare.

What is Avian Flu?

Avian flu refers to a group of different flu viruses that primarily affect birds. On rare occasions, these bird viruses can infect other species, including pigs and humans. The majority of avian flu viruses do not infect humans. A flu pandemic happens when a new virus emerges that has not previously infected humans. The H5N1 avian virus that is spreading across continents has not circulated in humans before. For this reason, avian H5N1 is a strain with pandemic potential. It is thought by scientists that this strain will ultimately adapt into a strain that is contagious among humans. Once this adaptation occurs, it will no longer be a bird virus--it will be a human flu virus.

Pandemic: An epidemic of disease with a worldwide scope. The "black death" (bubonic plague) in the middle ages and the influenza strain that killed millions across the world in 1917-20 are examples.

For more in-depth information from the World Health Organization go to:

WHO Avian Influenza Frequently Asked Questions

Next: Current world status of the Avian Flu.