Rules for Home, but also Rules for Life

This interesting sign has hung on my mother's refrigerator for almost a year now and most of the time we just open it up without even looking at it. However, most of these little sayings on here are not just rules for home but rules for life as well. These are the qualities that I want to embody not just as a future pastor but also as a person period. Unfortunately, like everyone else I blow it every day. But we have many good role models in the Bible, including Christ Jesus himself.

The Atheist and the Chief from Fiji

K.P. Yohannan, in his book Revolution in World Missions, relates an interesting story about the Island of Fiji when it was just opened up for trade with the local tribespeople some time ago. A merchant who was a hardened atheist and skeptic came through one day and was talking to one of the local tribal chiefs and was in his hut. Noticing that the chief had a bible and some other religious materials around his house he commented that "it's a shame that these missionaries are over here preaching all of this nonsense. I feel bad for you." The chief looked at him and pointed to a large rock outside. "Do you see that rock?" he said. "We used to use that rock to smash people's heads in to get at their brains." Gesturing to the stove, he said, "We used to use that stove to bake the bodies of people and then feast on them...so, if it weren't for the 'nonsense' of these missionaries as you call it, I can assure you that right about now your head would be smashed in and you would be baking in that stove for our feast." Such is the wonder of God that even a hardened Fijan tribal chief can go from being a murderer and cannibal to a man of peace!

Quote of the Week #9

If you could summarize your life goal in one sentence, what would it be? -K.P Yohannan

During the last couple of months that I have been maintaining this blog, I have literally looked at thousands of other blogs. There literally are blog started by people for everything under the sun, from blogs about sports teams to blogs about popular culture to countless blogs about people's families. Each blog that I come across appears to have a specific purpose in mind: some are to entertain, some, to show off the art work that people do, and still some are simply showing off what people are proud of---their families. Just like blogs have a specific purpose, your life should have a specific purpose. The originator of the above quote, K.P. Yohannan, has had a very interesting life. Beginning with very humble beginnings in a remote village in India, he has literally went all over the world preaching the Gospel of Jesus Christ to people. He has been very successful at it in part because he summed up in one sentence what he wanted his life mission to be: to preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Now, your life mission may not be that noble, and that's okay. But I have some followers who are doing very interesting things that could be summed up in their life missions. Ivan, who is one of my followers, likes to help people through giving them advice on the stock market. It doesn't matter what it is, as long as it helps people, provides a community service, or is useful in some fashion!

God Story #6

Although I don't normally post about the Catholic believers in our Christian religion, St. Isaac Jogues was truly an individual who was dedicated to serving and helping others for the cause of Christianity. Trained as a Jesuit Priest in the early 1600's, St. Isaac was sent to New France in 1636 in what is now Michigan and Minnesota in the United States to minister to the Native Americans there. Unfortunately, Jogues faced many setbacks, trials, and tribulations in his brief ministry to these Indians. In 1642, while on his way by canoe to the country of the Hurons, Jogues was captured by a war party of Mohawk Iroquois, in the company of Guillaume Couture, René Goupil, and several Huron Christians. They were taken back to the Mohawk village where they were gruesomely tortured. It was during this torture that several of Jogues' fingers were cut off by this captors. Jogues survived this torment and went on to live as a slave among the Mohawks for some time, and what is even more admirable about him is that he even attempted to teach his captors the basics of Christianity. Eventually, with the help of some Dutch merchants passing through, he was able to make it to Manhattan and then back to France in 1644. As a "living martyr," Jogues was given a special permission by Pope Urban VIII to say Holy Mass with his mutilated hands, as the Eucharist could not be touched with any fingers but the thumb and forefinger. Yet the missionary of this great man was not dimmed by the unfortunate treatment he received from the Mohawks. Within a few months, he was on his way back to Canada in 1645 to resume ministering to them. After arriving there, a tentative peace was reached, and his ministry continued even he was finally martyred a year later in late 1646. Would to God that there would be more dedicated men and women that even after having their fingers cut off would still have a heart for helping foreign people in a foreign land! There is a statue in Auriesville, NY showing this man teaching two young children, shown here:

Rare Book (joke)

I came across this joke and I thought it was priceless! So I'll share with you all on here!



A collector of rare books ran into an acquaintance who told him he had just thrown away an old Bible that he found in a dusty, old box. He happened to mention that Guten-somebody-or-other had printed it.

"Not Gutenberg?" Gasped the collector.

"Yes, that was it!""You idiot! You've thrown away one of the first books ever printed. A copy recently sold at an auction for half a million dollars!"

"Oh, I don't think this book would have been worth anything close to that much," replied the man. "It was scribbled all over in the margins by some guy named Martin Luther."

A selective mute child at the Orlando Magic game...

Sometimes miracles can happen in the most unusual places. An NBA basketball game in April is not the first place a person would think of for something really important and significant to happen, but in this case it did. By all accounts Ryan Rodriguez is now your average 4 year-old child, chattering away and playing, but that wasn't always the case. You see, young Ryan was diagnosed with an anxiety disorder called Selective Mutism, and for the great majority of his first four years of life he would only say maybe one or two words at a time, even while all of the other preschoolers would chat away. Thankfully, that all changed one day while he and his father Izzy were watching an Orlando Magic game. "He sat there and kept going, 'Me, me, play, play," Izzy Rodriguez told "Good Morning America. "So I turn around and I do crazy things." Those crazy things were spending the 641.00 for two tickets to the next Orlando Magic game. Although it was either that or pay the mortgage, he knew that his son was more important and they usually "don't yell at you until after 30 days anyway." So this man, who with his meager auto mechanic salary has supported expensive speech therapy for his son, decided to go the next Orlando Magic game. When they got there and began getting settled in, something remarkable happened. "When we get there, he says, 'Me, play basketball, here?'" Rodriguez said. "So I look down and dropped to my knees and said 'What did you say?' He said, 'Me play basketball here?' I said, Yeah." After that little exchange between father and son that many take for so granted, the floodgates were opened and the little boy who before would only say one word at a time and NEVER say anything to his peers was talking almost non-stop through the whole game. "I'm thinking, OK, I'm dreaming. Or something happened, or maybe this is what he needed. [He] talked to me all the way home," Rodriguez said. "I talked to Karen on the cell phone crying all the way home." After the game, Izzy sent an email to the Orlando Magic staff telling them about his son. They were so impressed that they decided to buy him and his family tickets for the rest of the season and the one after that. Thanks be to God, The Orlando Magic, and this wonderful parent for helping this young boy come out of his shell and start communicating!

Interview with an Ex-Satanist

This is a pretty interesting youtube video...this man was a former satanist who is now discussing what it was like for him to live in that worldview. He is now a born-again Christian.

I'm 29 today...

Happy birthday to me!

Gospel Music - The Rising Of The Son

This is some excellent Gospel music!

Atheism Cartoon

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

Ted Britain
------------------------

Ted Britain is not a world-renowned speaker or pastor, but he is a pastor with a very important message to share: that of the power of forgiveness. He is the head of Ted Britain ministries, and he has written several books that everyone, Christian or non-Christian, should read. In one of his books, entitled "Healing the Wounds of Life" He discusses the importance of forgiveness on our health, spiritual walk, and other areas of our lives. He often uses the example of Jesus in his teachings as well. When Christ was asked how often one should forgive another, He said "not just 7times, but seventy times seven." Now He didn't mean that we should just stop at 490 times, he meant we must continually forgive others, just like we must "love our enemies, and bless those that persecute you." This is the message of hope that Pastor Ted gives to those churches that he visits. For more information on this exceptional Christian leader and his ministry, you can visit http://www.tedbritainministries.com/Ted_Britain_Ministries.html

Quote of the Week #8

He who is devoid of the power to forgive is devoid of the power to love.

---Martin Luther King

This next QotW touches on something that is very hard for a lot of people to be able to do. However, the act of forgiveness, in many aspects, is one of the most important things that you can do for not only other people but for yourself. Forgiveness is not only important, but it is also much healthier than unforgiveness, and it is scientifically proven fact that holding unforgiveness and bitterness in your heart is not healthy for you and can possibly lead to any number of ailments. It is also dangerous. Unforgiveness can lead to bitterness; bitterness to contempt; and contempt to hate; and hate can lead someone to take another's life. So, even though it is hard for someone to do, and it is even hard for myself to do at times, we must forgive others for us to be completely whole individuals.

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

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

New joke for y'all....

Not sure how theologically correct this is, but it gave me a laugh so I'll post it anyway...

A dedicated Christian man, who had reached the age of 105, suddenly stopped going to church.
Alarmed by the old fellow's absence after so many years of faithful attendance, the Pastor went to see him. He found him in excellent health, so the Preacher asked, "How come after all these years we don't see you at services anymore?"
The old man lowered his voice. "I'll tell you, Pastor," he whispered. "When I got to be 90, I expected God to take me any day. But then I got to be 95, then 100, then 105. So, I figured that God is very busy and must've forgotten about me, and I don't want to remind Him!"

Religious people less anxious....

I recently read a really interesting article at http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,506004,00.html that touched on how people who are Christians or even otherwise religious have less anxiety in their lives. The study, which was conducted by Professor Michael Inzlicht of Toronto University, involved hooking people up to electrodes to measure their brain activity. The study indicated that these who even just professed a belief in God had different reactions to a potentially stressful activity than those who did not profess a belief in God. Pretty interesting study!

God Story #2

For the second God story I am going to focus on an what can happen when the power of God gets ahold of an individual who is not living life right. An individual named Richard Schlotter, who is now an Assembly of God pastor in Iowa, is an example of how powerful God is when an individual yields to Him. Although this man has been in the ministry for the past three years (2 as a youth pastor and 1 as a senior pastor) he lived a life of drug addiction and incarceration before becoming the Man of God he is today.

"I knew my life had to change."

When Schlotter was 23, he found himself in the county jail facing a drug manufacturing charge, facing the possibility of ten years in prison for the offense. To make matters worse, his wife was planning on divorcing him. The ministry team from the very church that he pastors today came to his cell and told him about the Gospel. Richard Schlotter cried out to God to forgive him of his sins. He became a new person that day and decided to change his lifestyle and become a better husband to his wife Kelly if given the chance.

"I didn't deserve my wife because of the bad choices I had made"

Mr. Schlotter began fervently praying that his wife's heart would be softened toward him. He knew that it would be a long, difficult road ahead of him because of how he had treated her. The guilt he felt was particularly strong for an incident where he was in a drug-induced state and threatened to kill his wife and two children and held them hostage. After three months however, his prayers were answered and his wife sent him a letter saying she wanted to visit. God helped to restore the relationship when she visited and later his wife and two boys became believers as well. After serving 18 months of his sentence, he began a Sunday School class for former inmates such as himself which eventually grew to 50 members. He would later become the youth pastor and then senior pastor at the very church that visited him when he was an unbeliever.

While this isn't necessarily an example like the last entry, this is still important because it demonstrates what God can do when a life is yielded to Him, as Mr. Schlotter did. There is a 4 Him song that touches on the issue a lot better than I can:

Lay it all on the Line

So don't go wastin' your time
Holding on to your life
There are treasures that I have possessed
Meant the world to me

But they never filled the emptiness
I needed something more than these
In the middle of my wilderness
God reached down to me
When I let go to His tenderness
I found this life was more than I ever dreamed

CHORUS

So don't go wastin' your time
Holding on to your life
Just lay it all on the line
Gotta make up your mind
There can be no more compromise
Just lay it all on the line

It's a matter of surrendering
Every hidden fear
And by letting go of everything
Jesus will meet you there

In the heart of every one of us
There's a call to faith
Even though we'll never measure up
That's why the Savior, that's why the Savior came

Gone are the days of holding on
This is the time to surrender
Now is the moment you've got to let it go
Just let it go (repeat)

Don't go wastin' your time
Gotta make up your mind
There can be no more compromise
Just lay it all on the line


You see, I am also a lot like Pastor Schlotter and this has a lot to do with my motivations for starting this blog. Just like him, God met me in my wilderness as well and when I finally did relinquish what I was holding on to, God did meet me there!

*For more information on Pastor Schlotter and his family go to: http://www.fpagoi.org/?TargetPage=541345FF-993D-4829-B134-C8FB1C9FB169

Quote of the Week #3

The third quote of the week is a paraphrase of a Bible verse and is also something that I am still learning how to do myself. I went to a church service not too long ago and the message was about being thankful, and was based on 1 Thessalonians 5:18: "In everything give thanks, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus that you do this." (KJV) The speaker mentioned a litany of things that we all take for granted, but that we are not thankful for. He said, "how about your nose? Are you thankful for your nose? Or your eyebrows? How about the belt that you have that holds up your pants? Or how about your pants? Anyhow, after about the 20th thing that he rattled off I began to get the idea...so this week's quote is simply Thank You God. Because if we think about it, whether we are Baptist, Pentecostal, Lutheran, Catholic or whatever we all have a lot of good things to be thankful for.

This Picture is just too funny.....

I just had to post this...it made me crack up. Enjoy!




I'm going to have to come out as a Duran Duran fan also I guess!

God Story #1

I'm thinking about adding another segment on here that I thought would be pretty neat. Even though I really only got one reader so far (I appreciate you, abstractscientist) it's my goal that anyone who comes across the blog will either be encouraged, get a little chuckle, or get some inspiration of some sort; at the same time I also desire to glorify God. So, that being said, these stories are just examples of people who have been affected in some positive way by this higher power we call God. Miracles or Divine Intervention by another term. Here's the first one:

God is raising up a new kind of workplace believer who is experiencing the power of God in their daily work life. My friend, Emeka Nywankpa, was a barrister (lawyer) in Nigeria. Emeka spoke at a conference a few years ago on the subject of how the spiritual impacts the physical.

Emeka shared a story about arguing an important Supreme Court case in his country. There were five points to argue in the case. The morning the trial began, he prayed with his wife and junior lawyers in his chambers. During his prayer time, he sensed that the Holy Spirit was telling him, "Do not argue points one through four. Only argue point five." Imagine making such a change just before you are to argue a case before the Supreme Court!

In the courtroom, Emeka announced that he wished to drop points one through four and only wished to argue point five. The judge was shocked, but gave him permission to proceed. He argued point five and sat down. The other attorney got up, and then for twelve minutes stumbled around trying to defend his position, unable to get a coherent word out.

Finally, he approached the bench and said, "Your Lordship, it is unfortunate that my learned friend has dropped the first four points. I wish to yield the case." The other attorney had only prepared for the first four points. Emeka won the case. God had given him a strategy to win his case supernaturally. It made no sense to him, but he obeyed and God gave him victory in a very unusual way.

Another funny Christian joke....

Jack was in front of me coming out of church one day, and the preacher was standing at the door as he always is to shake hands.

The preacher grabbed Jack by the hand and pulled him aside. The pastor said to him, "You need to join the Army of the Lord!"Jack replied, "I'm already in the Army of the Lord, Pastor."

Pastor questioned, "How come I almost never see you except at Christmas and Easter?"

Jack whispered back, "I'm in the secret service."

Chargoggagoggmanchaugg- agoggchaubunagungamaugg

Jibberish you say? Not necessarily. This is the name of a lake in Massachusetts that according to some is misspelled (!) Apparently (or not so apparently, as it looks from the name of the lake), the name had an "o" at letter 20 where a "u" should have been, and an "h" at letter 38 where an "n" should go. Boy, I'm glad they cleared this up!


Here's the link:

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/30312971/?GT1=43001

She still said yes

As we have now passed the 10th anniversary of the terrible massacre at Columbine High School in Littleton, Colorado, we need to remember the story of Cassie Bernall. Even though there is now doubt whether she actually was questioned by the gunman as to her belief in the existence of God, she still said yes by her choices in life.* She is an example of how people can change when the power of God is behind it. Did she actually say yes verbally? Probably not. But the most important thing is that she very easily could have started down the path that those two young men started down had she not accepted Him.







*There is evidence to indicate that this exchange actually occurred between the gunman and a girl named Valeen Schnurr, who survived the massacre.

Quote of the Week #2

Yes, yes I know that a week has not went by yet but I will probably have more QotW's than weeks on this blog...here's my next one, and this lesson is one that I have had to learn the hard way: 90% of your life is how you react to the other 10%, or the events in your life. This means that you choose how to deal with different situations that are frustrating to you. No one is holding a gun to your head and telling you to abuse drugs or alcohol, be verbally abusive, be in a bad mood, or beat yourself up and have poor self esteem...yes, being positive is a learned behavior, but it is also a CHOICE. Stay positive, and don't do anything to harm yourself or others. Talk to someone about it and get it off your chest.


There is a new song out by Country Music Artist Darryl Worley that I really like and here are the lyrics:

Got a call last night from an old friends wife, said, I hate to bother you
But Johnny Ray fell off the wagon, hed been gone all afternoon
Well, I know my buddy, so I drove to Scullys and found him at the bar
Said, Hey Man, whats goin on, He said, I dont know where to start
Sarah's old car startin to fall apart and the washer quit last week
We had to put Mama in the nursing home and the baby's cuttin teeth

Sounds Like Life To Me
I didnt get much work this week and I got bills to pay
I said, I know this aint what you wanna hear but its what Im gonna say
Sounds like life to me, it aint no fantasy
It just a common case of everyday reality
Man, I know its tough but you gotta suck it up
To hear you talk youre caught up in some tragedy
It sounds like life to me

Well, his face turned red and he shook his head
He said, you dont understand, three kids and a wife depend on me
And Im just one man, top it off we just found out that Sarahs two months late
I said, Hey, bartender, set us up a round, we gotta celebrate
Sounds like life to me, aint no destiny
Yeah, the only thing for certain is uncertainty
You gotta hold on tight, just enjoy the ride
Get used to all this unpredictability, sounds like life
Man, I know its tough but you gotta suck it up
To hear you talk youre caught up in some tragedy
Sounds like life to me (sounds like life to me)
Sounds like life

Bad Bible Jokes

Some more levity would be good right now...

Q: What was the secret of Delilah getting into Samson’s house?
A: She picked his locks.

Q: Why didn’t Pharaoh let the Israelites go into the wilderness after the first six plagues?
A: He was in de Nile.

Q: Why did Samson try to avoid arguing with Delilah?
A: He didn’t want to split hairs.

Quote of the Week #1

I've been thinking about getting about a "quote of the week" section started on this blog. I'm not really sure about it, but just like everything else here goes nothing. The first quote of the week is people don't care how much you know until they know how much you care. That is precisely the reason why those in Christian ministry SHOULD, in my humble opinion, take care of the physical, material, and social needs of people first (when possible, of course) and then these people will be more likely to receptive to you tending to their spiritual needs.

"He must have been living in his own private hell for years."

William Sinkford, president of the Unitarian Universalist Association, when asked whether he thought Jim Adkisson would go to hell. Adkisson shot and killed two people during Sunday services at the Tennessee Valley Unitarian Universalist Church in Knoxville, Tennessee on July 27, 2008. *Originally appeared in Signs magazine, November 2008.

The Name of the Game...

The Name of the Game right now (at least for me, after the year that I have had) is encouragement. Encouraging other people and being there for them can not only be a catharsis, but it is also biblical: 1 Thessalonians 5:11 (NIV): Therefore encourage one another and build one another up." So this week, this month, whatever, why don't we all go out of our way to help one another and encourage them? Even just giving someone an ear to listen can be helpful!