I was accepted into Liberty!

I am now a non-degree seeking Master of Divinity student with Liberty University Online in Virginia. I don't usually mention things about myself like this on this blog but I am very excited about the doors that God has opened for me so far!

I am Napoleon! (joke)

Late one night at the insane asylum, one inmate shouted, "I am Napoleon!"

Another patient asked, "How do you know?"

The first inmate said, "Because God told me!"

Just then, a voice from another room shouted, "I did NOT!"

The Woman at the Denver Bus Terminal

I met an interesting woman when I was at the Denver Bus Terminal taking a bus back to my hometown last April. She was a very excitable elderly woman, namely because she couldn't figure out why her boyfriend hadn't made it to pick her up. She wanted to borrow my cell phone, which I let her do several times. While I was doing this, I couldn't help but look at some of the other customers in the bus terminal. They were looking at her like some would look at someone in a mental health hospital, but I wasn't there to pass judgment on her, I was there to help since I had a five-hour layover anyway. She was there for almost the whole entire time that I was there. Finally, at about 11:00, 3 hours after I had first encountered her, her boyfriend finally came to pick her up. After I helped her with her luggage, I thought she wouldn't even tell me so much as a thank you, but she said in her thick Boston accent, "God bless you, sir! God bless you! I should get you some coffee or something!" I tell you, the feeling I had was like a million dollars! And that, my friends, would be part of the reason why I would go into the ministry. Other than the most important reason, which is to spread the Gospel of Jesus Christ and to help people in their spiritual walk, I also want to model for others how we are to treat other people. For it was Jesus who said, "even if you do unto the least of them, you have done it unto me." (Matthew 25:40)

MC Hammer - Pray

This has always been one of my favorite MC Hammer songs...a good message to about how necessary prayer is as well!

Christian Appalachian Project

The Christian Appalachian Project is another excellent organization that exists to serve the needs of others. This organization, located deep in the Appalachian area of the United States, they are "committed to serving people in need in Appalachia by providing physical, spiritual and emotional support through a wide variety of programs and services." Among the wonderful good works they provide for people include providing low income parents with clothes, food, and/or school supplies; hosting summer camps; offering transportation, companionship, and socialization to the elderly; and providing respite services for caregivers of elderly and disabled people. For more information on this excellent organization, go to http://www.christianapp.org/index.shtml!

If There is no God...

If there is no God then it makes every child born retarded, every person who dies before their time, everyone murdered, and every miscarriage less important, because it is all just chance. It makes the Enron folks, Bernard Madoff, Charles Manson, The BTK Killer, Adolf Hitler, and others seem to be justified in their actions. It makes the humanitarian and dedicated actions of Martin Luther King, Mother Teresa, Billy Graham, Nate Saint, Gandhi and many others seem pointless.

God Story #5

William J. Murray is the current leader of the Religious Freedom Coalition, a socially conservative organization in Washington D.C. Although he is also noted for being very supportive and helpful in his activism for aiding Christians in Islamic and Communist countries, he is perhaps most well-known for being the son of Madalyn Murray O'Hair, who was known as the "most hated woman in America" because of her controversial personality and atheism. In his book "My Life Without God", Mr. Murray mentions that his mother very much despised her father, and has propagated the theory that many atheists have a defective relationship with their own human fathers. Mr. Murray is definitely an example of the power of God to influence and convict!

We Could Learn a Lot From......

Edith Auello
----------------------------------
There was an interesting story which appeared in Today's Pentecostal Evangel about a woman named Edith Auello. Ms. Auello, who attends Glad Tidings Assembly of God Church in New Jersey, had a son who had a rare form of cancer in his chest. The cancer progressed rapidly, and unfortunately her son, who was named Michael, did not survive. Edith, like any other mother, was devastated. She gave away most of Michael's possessions except for a coat that she had gotten for him that past Christmas, which she just simply couldn't part with. Oh, how he had loved that coat! However, this is not the end of this story. Ms. Auello's church was planning a missions trip that fall to Belarus and one of her friends recounted a very interesting story to her. A relative of hers who lived in that country had been praying very intently for a coat, and God had even given this individual a dream as to what the coat looked like. This person drew a picture of the coat and gave to her friend who then showed it to Edith. The picture looked exactly look her son's coat! Ms. Auello knew what she needed to do. She gave her son's coat to her friend to give to her relative in Belarus. Later on, during the missions trip to that same country, she had the unlikely encounter of meeting the man that she gave her son's coat to. Although she had struggled with the loss of her son, seeing how someone was being blessed with her generosity and God's provision spoke to her heart and greatly aided her in the healing process!

Quote of the Week #7

"The preaching that this world needs most is sermons in shoes that are walking with the Lord Jesus Christ." -D.L. Moody

Last weekend we had a very interesting speaker at a church service that I attended. His name was Shawn Harper, an ex-NFL player for the Indianapolis Colts. He drove home a point very similar to the quote above. He said that "the world is tired of hearing about Jesus. We have books, we have Christian radio, we even have Christian television...what the world wants is to see Jesus." You see, the best way to sum it up in the book of James: "faith without action is dead." Whether we are Baptist, Pentecostal, Church of Christ, Lutheran, or Catholic we need to demonstrate Christ by serving others. Delivering meals to shut-ins, helping out where needed, volunteering at your Salvation Army or soup kitchen, and any other number of things that provide for the common good is all a good place to start. Like I said many posts prior, even giving an ear to listen can be beneficial.

Another oldie but a goodie (Joke)

Three pastors were having lunch in a diner.

One said, "You know, since summer started I've been having trouble with bats in my loft and attic at church. I’ve tried everything--noise, spray, cats--nothing seems to scare them away."Another said, "Me too. I've got hundreds living in my belfry and in the attic. I've even had the place fumigated, and they won't go away."

The third said, "I baptized all mine, and made them members of the church. Haven't seen one back since!"

Minstering to people with AIDS

Joseph "Jody" Grieb is the director of a rich ministry to those who are afflicted with HIV and the AIDS virus. He coordinates this ministry through the Disciples Home Missions, which is in itself a ministry of the Central Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in the Terre Haute, IN and Indianapolis areas. This very useful ministry is very creative, providing AIDS testing and other support from an unassuming ordinary-looking van, called the DEBI van, pictured here:



This ministry often travels to provide their free HIV testing services as well. You can read more about Mr. Grieb's ministry on his blog at http://amndhm.blogspot.com/

A lot of mixed emotions right now...

Well, I got what I needed from my pastor. He signed his name to a recommendation form so that I could be a non-degree seeking M.Div student at Liberty University in their online format. I could tell he was a little ambivalent about the format of the form (he thought it was a little vague) but he went ahead and checked the "I can fully recommend..." and signed his name. I'm very happy that I can at least explore this to see where it leads (becoming a pastor is not a decision that should be made overnight) but at the same time there is a part of me that has a sense of wistfulness and yes, sadness, for the fact of what I more than likely must do: leaving the way that I was, my old dreams, even my old fears, as well as the fact that I identified myself as a person who taught school. I will miss my teaching career. Does that make me selfish? I'm not sure, but I have to also explore that it may not be God's will for me to be a teacher in the sole sense of the word. I did believe at one time that I was called to be a pastor, and if it's God's will (which I am exploring right now) then I believe that He doesn't change his mind. I need to lean on Him and do the best I can for Him in the pastorate when the time comes.

We Could Learn a Lot From......

GEORGE WASHINGTON CARVER
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Although Mr. Carver was a very successful inventor and pioneer in the uses of the peanut, he was also very much a class act. The man had to overcome many great and personal obstacles to reach success. Growing up in a one-room at the close of the American Civil War, he along with his mother was originally a slave owned by a man named Moses Carver. Unfortunately, he and his mother were later abducted by the Ku Klux Klan. Although he would eventually be returned to his original owner, his mother was never seen from again. But Mr. Carver was also a man of great prayer, always asking God how he could be used of Him for the greatest good and success. He began work on the uses of the peanut and sweet potato and recommended that farmers plant that instead of cotton. This would also lead to another great trial in his life in that farmers lost a lot of money due to his recommendation that they plant peanuts and sweet potatoes instead of cotton. Did George Washington Carver get bitter? No he didn't...instead he cried out to God to show Him the proper direction and God led him back to his lab and he would go on to discover hundreds of practical uses for the peanut and sweet potato. So, he is a good example of not giving up and staying the course!

A Funny Joke for all you college professors out there...

Why God Never Received Tenure at Any University
1. He only had one major publication.
2. It was in Hebrew.
3. It had no references.
4. It wasn't published in a referred journal.
5. Some even doubt He wrote it Himself.
6. It may be true that He created the world, but what has He done since then?
7. His cooperative efforts have been quite limited.
8. The scientific community has had a hard time replicating His results.9. He never applied to the Ethics Board for permission to use human subjects.
10. When one experiment went awry, He tried to cover it up by drowning the subjects.
11. When subjects didn't behave as predicted, He deleted them from the sample.
12. He rarely came to class, just told students to read the book.
13. Some say He had His son teach the class.
14. He expelled His first two students for learning.
15. Although there were only ten requirements, most students failed His tests.
16. His office hours were infrequent and usually held on a mountaintop.

Quote of the Week #6

Perseverance!



"I have fought the good fight, I have stayed the course." ---The Apostle Paul

Just like the persistent and stubborn flower growing in the middle of the sidewalk, we all need to persist in what our dreams might be. Whatever your goal might be, perseverance is the goal. If on the road of life you come across a roadblock such as I have faced many times in my life, simply go a different route. But whatever you do, if you want something bad enough, stay the course and fight until the bitter end.

Interesting Quote from President Obama

April and I don't always agree with this man's politics, but President Obama gave a very interesting quote during the newly-delivered commencement address at Arizona State tonight that I will share with you all.

"You may have set-backs, and you may have failures, but you're not done - not by a longshot.


Just look to history. Thomas Paine was a failed corset maker, a failed teacher, and a failed tax collector before he made his mark on history with a little book called Common Sense that helped ignite a revolution. Julia Child didn't publish her first cookbook until she was almost fifty, and Colonel Sanders didn't open up his first Kentucky Fried Chicken until he was in his sixties. Winston Churchill was dismissed as little more than a has-been, who enjoyed scotch just a bit too much, before he took over as Prime Minister and saw Great Britain through its finest hour. And no one thought a former football player stocking shelves at the local supermarket would return to the game he loved, become a Super Bowl MVP, and then come here to Arizona and lead your Cardinals to their first Super Bowl.


Each of them, at one point in their life, didn't have any title or much status to speak of. But they had a passion, a commitment to following that passion wherever it would lead, and to working hard every step along the way."



This really spoke to me because just like the jury was still out on those individuals the jury is still out on others, including myself, and if I do become a minister that will be my belief, which is not to ever give up on people. As long as you are breathing, you have a chance! Never give up on people.

God Story #4

The power of prayer to our God is so powerful that people can even be raised from the dead. What? What did I just say? Yes, I said that people can be raised from the dead! A man by the name of Randy, who is a brother to the missionary in the lepers post, had the unfortunate incident where he drowned in a camp swimming pool. He had already been pronounced dead and was prayed for one last time by his Pastor. Here's the story:

His second oldest brother, Randy, had drowned at a church youth camp swimming pool and was pronounced dead by the medical doctor who was there. The doctor had already called to secure a place for Randy at the morgue of the local hospital so his parents could come and identify their son’s body. The pastor of their church was there that day and felt the Lord was directing him to pray for Randy one last time before they took his body away. Pastor Floyd Lawhon stopped the doctor and paramedics from moving the stretcher, and asked everyone to help him pray again.

The power of God gripped more than one hundred people as they all watched Randy’s lifeless body, his face already a dark blue, begin shaking and changing back to a normal color! He threw up quarts of pool water, and then started to cry and ask everyone to tell him what had happened. The doctor beside him could only say, “Son, all I know is that you were dead when I got here to the pool. You had already drowned. But that preacher just prayed for you and now you’re alive!”

Swallow Hill and Rap to Roots

*Michael Schenkelberg looks on as Jamaica Hines, 11, raps for an audience on an academic subject...


Although this is not what I normally post about there is a pilot program being attempted in the Denver Public Schools that is quite interesting. This program, which is called Rap to Roots, is an idea that is long, long overdue. Instead of the original version of rap music, which has difficulties in being degrading to women and promoting violence, in this program elementary students rap about certain school subjects in order to help them learn. For example, the young boy in this picture might be rapping about Shakespeare (think Shakespeare was a mellow fellow who wrote Othello!), Abraham Lincoln, or he might be memorizing his multiplication tables-all through the use of rap songs! This very useful program, of course, depends on funding and on whether a grant for next year can come through. You can voice your support by going onto Swallow Hill Records, which Mr. Schenkelberg is the director of, and sending them an email (http://www.swallowhillmusic.org) To read the article, go to http://www.denverpost.com/ci_12340733.

Interesting Want Ad, Circa 1796

View of the City and Harbour of New York, 1796, by Charles-Balthazar-Julien Févret de Saint-Mémin.

I came across this advertisement, circa 1796, in one of my old Christian books.

Wanted for a sober family,
a man of Light weight, who
fears the Lord and can drive
a pair of horses. He must
occassionally wait at table,
join in household prayer, look after
horses and read a chapter in the
Bible. He must, God willing, rise at
7 in the morning, and obey his
master and mistress in all lawful
commands; if he can dress hair, sing psalms
and play cribbage, the more agreeable.
N.B. he must not be familiar with the maid
servants, lest the flesh should rebel
against the spirit and he should be induced
to walk in the thorny paths of the wicked.
Wages 15 Guineas a month (about $7 a month)

It's interesting how times have changed since then, sometimes not for the better.

Ministering to lepers

*Kelvin McDaniel and his wife Anita are missionaries to those with Hansen's disease (leprosy) and other people groups around the world. This is going to be part of a larger segment in which we talk about missionaries and their work in ministering to certain people groups. Kelvin's brother, Randy, will be the subject of a God Story on this blog in the near future.


This individual to the right of Mr. McDaniel is definitely not very pleasing to the eyes. However, this individual suffers from an anomaly called Hansen's disease, better known as leprosy. This individual comes from a culture that is very deeply rooted in the Hindu religion. Lepers in Hindu communities, much like lepers in Christ's day, are sadly deemed as outcasts and are banished from their families. The reason is that it is thought in Hindu belief that there leprosy is evidence of a wicked and sinful previous life and thus they are then thrown out of their homes after the disease is discovered. But the fantastic thing about the Gospel of Jesus Christ is that He will accept everyone, including those that society has forgot, like this man with leprosy. Once someone comes to Jesus and asks for his forgiveness, they will immediately realize that God is not a respecter of persons and does not discriminate. We are just as important to God as a leper or former child molester is to God and vice versa! If you are a committed Christian and come across this blog, please pray for the work that is being done to help those afflicted with Hansen's disease both spirtually and physically.

Happy Mothers' Day Mom!

Mom is at the far right in this photo (circa 2003 with Aunt Donna and Aunt Teresa) and.......



she is in the middle in this 1986 photo!

Quote of the Week #5

To forgive is to set a prisoner free and discover that the prisoner was you.

-Lewis B. Smedes

The fifth quote is very important because if a person fails to forgive a person, then it can lead to bitterness. Bitterness in turn can lead to hate, and hate can lead to the taking of someone else's life. As Christians, we are called to be people of peace, so forgiveness is one of the most important things we can do. It's not about getting even; it's about forgiving that person and then their power on you is taken away. Although I am definitely getting there, there is still much work to be done. I am still learning this.

God Story # 3

This next God Story is more along the lines of divine intervention once more. God is extremely powerful, and these stories are a testament to that fact. God and His angels protect people from becoming hurt or injured in many instances, and in many cases the methods that He uses are unexplainable in any other way!


Mother’s Prayer

Mrs. Goodyear looked at the clock for the twentieth time that evening. "Eleven-thirty, and such a stormy night, too! Where can the boy be? I hope he is not in trouble. He is getting so difficult and wayward."

Very worried, she knelt beside the kitchen table, and with her hands clasped on her Bible, prayed that God would protect her dear Tom, bring him home safely, and turn his heart to the Lord.

At last, well past midnight, there were sounds in the yard. Evidently Tom had returned and was putting his bicycle away.

A few minutes later the boy entered, looking very pale and weary.

“Hello, Mother," he said. “Still up? I think I'll go straight to bed. A bit tired tonight"

"You're very late," said Mother. "Has anything happened?"

"I'll tell you all about it in the morning," he said, and with that he went upstairs to bed.

Mother, worried and anxious, followed. "Tom,” she said, “what has happened?”

"Well," said Tom, "Will and I had a strange experience about an hour ago. We were cycling home through the storm, when we felt ourselves moving rapidly downhill. It was pitch dark, and since we had no lights on our bikes it was almost impossible to see where we were going.

Suddenly I felt a hand on my shoulder, pulling me back. I thought it must be Will, and called to him. He called back to me that he had just felt a hand on his shoulder, and thought it was mine.
So we both stopped and got off our bikes, wondering what it all meant. Will said that he thought he would walk to the bottom of the hill, and I agreed to go with him. When we got there, we found a rock slide right across the roadway. If we had run into it, we would most likely have been killed."

“Thank God," murmured Mother, stroking Tom's hair. "I am so thankful that He cared for you."

"But, Mother, how could God have had anything to do with it?"

"Tom, when was it you said you felt that hand on your shoulder?"

"I should say about an hour ago. I suppose it must have been about half past eleven."

"I was praying for you then," said Mother. "That's why I am sure God had something to do with it. He sent His angel to protect you tonight, Tom."

"Do you think so?" asked Tom.

"I'm sure He did," said Mother, "because He wants you to give your heart to Him. I hope you will someday."

So saying, Mother kissed him good night and tiptoed out of the room. When she had gone, Tom lay thinking for a little while. Somehow he still felt that hand on his shoulder. Was Mother right after all? If so, was he not a most ungrateful boy? At least, should he not say Thank You to God for looking after him? He thought he should. By and by he got out of bed and knelt in prayer-for the first time in many months.

Mother, listening, heard the movement, guessed what it meant, and felt so happy.

That was the turning point in Tom's life. Beside his bed he gave his heart to God. From that hour he was a different boy.

Time for another Joke

***the original Patch Adams***

This joke will also address the atheism/theism debate that I blogged about a few posts ago, and here it is:



One day a group of scientists got together and decided that man had come a long way and no longer needed God. They picked one scientist to go and tell Him that they were done with Him. The scientist walked up to God and said, "God, we've decided that we no longer need you. We're to the point that we can clone people and do many miraculous things, so why don't you just go on and get lost."
God listened patiently to the man and after the scientist was done talking, God said, "Very well! How about this? Let's have a man-making contest."
The man replied, "Okay, great!"
But God added, "Now we're going to do this just like I did back in the old days with Adam."
The scientist said, "Sure, no problem." He bent down and grabbed himself a handful of dirt.
God just looked at him and said, "No, no, no. Go get your own dirt!"

Still looking for discernment...

*****Read on and I will explain the Dr. Pepper bottle here in just a little bit*****

When I started this blog, I purposefully decided that I would not include too much about myself in here because I believe that the purpose of this blog beyond all the mishmash of jokes, stories, song lyrics, funny pictures, and other things was to glorify God and to help people. However, I would like to say that I am still looking for discernment on why I feel the need to eventually become a pastor. (see the calling or catharsis post much earlier for more on this) If you have come across this blog and come from an evangelical Christian perspective, and have went through this process or know someone who has went through this process, I would greatly appreciate your prayers for this time in my life. I had a very interesting conversation with my current pastor tonight. We discussed a lot of things, but we mostly discussed we were at right now and how close I could have came this year to having a failed marriage, destroying myself, and/or generally ruining my life. If you have read the earlier introductory post on this you would know that I have had a year so difficult that would peel paint off of the walls. Here is basically what is on my heart right now: I have had an EXTREMELY difficult past 2-3 years...I have been through depression, car accidents, panic attacks, alcoholism, bitterness, rejection from all kinds of people in my previous career, and many other potentially fatal and poisonous things to the spirit of serving the Lord Jesus Christ. In other words, yes, I have been through the ringer. That being said, I still believe in my eventual call to be a pastor. This is a conviction I have that is not going to go away. I believe that I can, at some point, be of assistance to people that have had these struggles because of my life experiences. However, there was some very important things that my pastor told me that I think would be beneficial to me not just as a future pastor, but as a person and as a husband. I think that the best thing that I can do at this moment is to continue to serve Him and like the Dr. Pepper can at the top of this post, to "let it settle". In other words, this very painful year has shook my can up, and I need to not open it right away. I do think that I have a lot to be thankful for. April has been a wonderful, wonderful partner to me and has stuck with through a lot of things blowing up in my face. I think that I will focus on being a good husband and will play it by ear with all of the other things. I do know that as a part of my dicernment process I will be a non-degree seeking student at one of these online Bible Colleges, but the most important thing right now is taking care of the little things and remembering that "he who has began in good work in you will continue it until the day of Jesus Christ." (Paraphrase of Phillippians 1:6) When and if the day comes that I will be a pastor leading a church somewhere, I can be confident that God will have molded me into an individual worthy of this awesome responsibility and calling. For now, however, the best thing to do is to look after the little things. If you come across this blog, I would appreciate your prayers for me in this area.

Quote of the Week #4

*****proof that God has a sense of humor!*****



My fourth quote will address the evolutionism/creationism debate. Yes, I am a Creationist, because when you take God out of the equation things can get rather rocky rather fast. The reason? Well, when you look at the societal ethics that we have that regulate our world and hold it into place, such as what is against the law and what is not, what is considered a felony (Murder) and what is considered a misdemeanor (DUI, etc.), and other areas of jurisprudence, the whole system of right and wrong would be difficult to explain and to justify if God did not exist. Who is to say that it is not acceptable practice for one to murder another if God did not exist. We all might as well live fast and die young if God was make-believe! The quote is this: All the ills from which America suffers can be traced to the teaching of Evolution by American politician William Jennings Bryan