Pastor Larry's Desk

Liberal OR Conservative?

2012-01-30T07:37:00.000-05:00

I was recently accused of being a liberal by some one who took issue with a post I made. A short time later I was accused of being ultra conservative in person by another friend who should know me better. Labels like liberal and conservative are often placed on us by people who want to put us in a box of their choosing. Some of us chose our own label to reflect where we think we stand in our community.

It is interesting to watch the current political debate where politicians accuse each other of not being conservative enough. The truth is often not considered in the argument. On both side of the spectrum there are people who get angry with others who do not fit their definition of liberal or conservative. Is there a test we all have to pass on this issue? I hope not.

I am an independent mind and the fact is that on some issues I am very conservative and on others I am very liberal. If you are talking money I am very conservative but if you are talking personal rights and freedom I am very liberal. Politics, religion and relationships are all open to reflection and renewal for me. I don’t change my mind easily but I am willing to look at the evidence and seek the truth.

Do You Really Follow Jesus?

2012-01-29T08:57:00.000-05:00

The apostles followed Jesus but sometimes they did not fully comprehend what Jesus said or did. In one breath Peter recognized Jesus as the Messiah and in the next breath rebuked Jesus for saying that he would have to die. Peter actually walked on water to meet Jesus but then lost faith and began to sink. James and John argued about who should sit at the right and left hand when Jesus ascended the throne. What does it all mean?

Jesus spoke in parables and often defied social convention. We can see in hind sight that everything Jesus did led to the establishment of our salvation through faith and the Grace of God. Yet we too like the apostles forget during the busyness of our living that we too said we would follow Jesus. We forget to do the small acts of kindness. We get so intent on waiting for a great revelation that we don’t actually listen for that still small voice of God.

We have the teachings of Jesus and promised at our baptism that we would obey Jesus but we allow the cares of the world to draw us away from them. It is only in being focused on Jesus that we will live our lives in true faithfulness. John 13:7 – look it up.

In a Busy World

2012-01-27T22:06:00.001-05:00

There are days even in retirement that are so busy that I can hit the deck running and forget to take that early morning quiet time with God. Jesus said in Matthew 11:28 “Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens and I will give you rest.”

Every day it is so important to withdraw in silence and peace to open myself to dwell in my relationship with God. I open my bible and my spirit to the indwelling of God’s Holy Spirit and there I find my rest, peace and restoration. What ever the world throws at me to morrow I am ready to face it with my Lord at my side.

Does the Soul Sleep After Death?

2012-01-27T08:44:00.000-05:00

I was once asked a question about the idea of soul sleep and if it is in the bible.

Soul sleep is a minority belief that the soul sleeps unconsciously between the death of the body and its resurrection on Judgment Day. The concept of “soul sleep” is not a biblical doctrine. When the Bible says a person is “sleeping” in relation to death Luke 8:52 and 1 Corinthians 15:6, it does not mean literal sleep. Sleeping is just a euphemism to describe death because a dead body appears to be sleeping. The Bible tells us that the instant we die, we are taken to heaven or hell based on whether we have placed our faith in Christ for salvation. For believers, to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord 2Corinthiasns 5:6-8 and Philippians 1:23. For unbelievers, death means everlasting punishment in hell Luke 16:22-23. The moment we die, we face the judgment of God Hebrews 9:27.

Present-day defenders of soul sleep include the Seventh Day Adventist the Jehovah’s Witness and the Christadelphian churches.

Ecclesiastes 12:7
Then shall the dust return to the earth as it was; and the spirit shall return to God who gave it.
That is, the soul has an existence independent of the body, and returns to God at death, etc.

One of the more confusing passages in this regard is 1 Thessalonians 4:13-17, where Paul speaks of the dead in Christ as being asleep, and as rising only when Christ returns. This may at first give the impression that they are rising from sleep when Christ returns, and that prior to that they are not with him. However, "rise" (from the Greek anistemi) is not the normal word the Bible uses to describe those who cease to sleep -- "awake" is. "Rise" generally refers to the simple act of standing up, but it also refers frequently to the general resurrection when our bodies will rise from the grave (Mark 9:9; 9:10; 12:25; Luke 16:31; 24:46; John 20:9; Acts 10:41; 13:43; 17:3,31). In these cases, the point is not that our souls wake up or rise, but that our bodies do. This being the background of the language of "rising" (anistemi) in the church, the Thessalonian church would have understood "rise" (anistemi) in 1 Thessalonians 4:16 to refer to the bodily resurrection, not to awaking from soul sleep.

There is no explicit teaching in Scripture that outlines any doctrine of "soul sleep," but it is an inference drawn from the metaphor/euphemism of death as "sleep." The Bible does explicitly teach, however, that our souls are immediately present with the Lord upon our deaths. For example, Jesus told the thief on the cross that the thief would be with him that day in paradise (Luke 23:43). Further, Paul explicitly taught that to be absent from the body was to be present with the Lord -- he mentioned no third alternative such as soul sleep (2 Cor. 5:6-9).

Moreover, we have actual examples of people who died but did not experience soul sleep: Moses and Elijah (Matt. 17:3; Mark 9:4; Luke 9:30-31); perhaps Samuel (1 Sam. 28:3-20); and of course Jesus himself (e.g. Luke 23:43). Some would add the debatable example of Abraham, Lazarus and the rich man in the parable of Luke 16:19-3

Long Lost Friends

2012-01-23T08:45:00.000-05:00

Distance and time often puts a strain on a relationship to the point that it dissipates completely. So many old friends have gone by the wayside in that fashion. There is never the intent to break the bond of friendship; they simply slowly fade into distant memory.

It takes a two way effort to keep a friendship vibrant when you do not physically see one another from time to time. It is indeed sad when a good loving bond is severed due to neglect. Life continues to happen and new friends come around even as the hope for the renewal of old friendships linger in the back of our minds and hearts.

The various social media like facebook have provided the possibility of re-connection and I have renewed some contacts that I thought were long lost. Friends from High school have renewed the relationship and brought joy and the reminder of what we once were. Always be open to renewed friendship!

Fundamentalism

2012-01-20T14:25:00.000-05:00

Jewish

Zionism –Goals

1. Unity of all Jews

2. Ingathering of all Jews in Israel.

3. Israel = promise to Moses

4. Strong state of Israel

5. Preservation of Jewish identity through Hebrew education, spiritual and cultural values.

6. Pure actions by Jews

7. Rebuild the Temple

Anger against Jews who do not agree

Islam

1. Islamic State = world

2. Jihad –personal struggle

3. All Muslims obey Koran

4. Resist plural societies

5. Free the holy city of Jerusalem

Anger against Muslims who do not agree

Christian/American

1. Restore right Belief in the Bible

2. Bible = Word of God literally

3. Repeal Separation of church & state

4. Prayer in school

5. Majority of right wing Christians in the congress.

6. World Evangelism

7. Prepare for the Rapture

8. Destroy Liberalism

9. Pro Christian Family

10. Stop Abortions

11. Stop Gays

Anger against so-called-Christians who do not agree

Lucifer ???

2012-01-18T11:43:00.000-05:00

Lucifer is a name frequently given to Satan/devil in Christian belief. This usage stems from a particular interpretation, as a reference to a fallen angel, in Isaiah 14:3-20, that speaks of someone who is given the name of "Day Star" or "Morning Star" the word in Latin for “Day Star” is Lucifer. The same Latin word is used of the morning star in second Peter 1:19 and elsewhere with no relation to Satan. But Satan is called Lucifer in many writings later than the Bible, notably in Milton's “Paradise Lost.” In Latin the word Lucifer means Light Bringer and is a name for the planet Venus in its dawn appearance.

The use of Lucifer as a name for Satan was popularized in Dante’s “Inferno” and Melton’s “Paradise Lost.” The word “Day Star” in Isaiah 14 refers to the King of Babylon and in Ezekiel 28 regarding the king of Tyre.

Most modern English versions of the Bible (including the NRSV, NIV, NASB, NJB, and ESV) render the Hebrew word as "day star", "morning star" or something similar, and never as "Lucifer", a word that in English is now very rarely used in the sense of the original word in Hebrew, though in Latin "Lucifer" was a literal translation.

The Lucifer myth was transferred to Satan already in the pre-Christian century Jewish books of Enoch and the Life of Adam and Eve. In them Lucifer is described as having been one of the archangels. Because he contrived "to make his throne higher than the clouds over the earth and resemble 'My power' on high", Satan was hurled down, with his hosts of angels, and since then he has been flying in the air continually above the abyss.

However, it was among Christian writers that the identification of "Lucifer" with Satan had its greatest fortune. Tertullian ("Contra Marrionem," v. 11, 17), Origen ("Ezekiel Opera," iii. 356), and others, identify Lucifer with Satan, who also is represented as being "cast down from heaven."

The Act of Apologizing

2012-01-17T10:36:00.002-05:00

I like watching the TV show NCIS. I guess it is the US Navy sailor in me that enjoys that show.

On the show Gibbs has a rule that one should never apologize as it is a sign of weakness. I disagree! I think it takes a strong person to apologize. It takes someone who cares about integrity and value in their relationships. Apologizing does not always indicate that you are wrong and the other person is correct. It may indicate that you recognize hurt feelings and perhaps it was the way something was said or done that caused it.

When I see that I have made an error, and I make my share of them, I do not mind apologizing. I see it as a desire to make a relationship right again.

Have you been to these places?

2012-01-16T07:52:00.002-05:00

I have been in many places, but I've never been in Cahoots. Apparently, you can't go alone. You have to be in Cahoots with someone.

I've also never been in Cognito. I hear no one recognizes you there.
I have, however, been in Sane. They don't have an airport; you have to be driven there. I have made several trips there, thanks to my friends, family and work.
...
I would like to go to Conclusions, but you have to jump, and I'm not too much on physical activity anymore.
I have also been in Doubt. That is a sad place to go, and I try not to visit there too often.

I've been in Flexible, but only when it was very important to stand firm.

Sometimes I'm in Capable, and I go there more often as I'm getting older.

One of my favorite places to be is in Suspense! It really gets the adrenalin flowing and pumps up the old heart! At my age I need all the stimuli I can get!

I may have been in Continent, and I don't remember what country I was in.
It's an age thing.

Toothpaste Ads

2012-01-15T14:04:00.002-05:00

Toothpaste????

Last night I was watching TV and during a very long run of ads I watched three toothpaste ads. I contemplated the competing ads and recognized that they had one interesting thing in common. In each one I observed the application of the toothpaste on the brush. The toothpaste over lapped each end of the brush in all three ads. There was an over abundance of product displayed.

I discovered a long time ago that it only takes a little dab of toothpaste on my brush to do the job. I once experimented with the minimum amount that would work for me. It does not take much, not much more than a dot of paste and it is enough.

I think the toothpaste companies are trying to get us to use a lot more of their product than is necessary. Well that is the nature of business to sell as much as possible. All advertizing has that aim. Our aim need to evaluate what we do not based on the ads but on what works for us.

Church Football

2012-01-14T07:55:00.002-05:00

Quarterback Sneak - Church members quietly leaving during the invitation.

Draw Play - What many children do with the bulletin during worship.

Half-time - The period between Sunday chool and worship when many choose to leave.

Benchwarmer - Those who do not sing, pray, work, or apparently do anything but sit.

Backfield-in-Motion - Making a trip to the back (restroom or water fountain) during the service.

Staying in the Pocket – This is what happens to a lot of money that should be given to the Lord's work.

Two-minute Warning - The point at which you realize the sermon is almost over and begin to gather up your children and belongings.

Instant Replay - The preacher loses his notes and falls back on last week's illustrations.

Sudden Death - What happens to the attention span of the congregation if the preacher goes "overtime."

Trap - You're called on to pray and are asleep.

End Run - Getting out of church quick, without speaking to any guest or fellow member.

Flex Defence - The ability to allow absolutely nothing said during the sermon to affect your life.

Halfback Option - The decision of 50% of the congregation not to return for the evening service.

Blitz - The rush for the restaurants following the closing prayer

Ten Verses Added to the New Testament

2012-01-13T09:35:00.000-05:00

Ten Verses Not In the Original New Testament

Taken from Misquoting Jesus by Bart D. Ehrman

These are verses that are not in the earliest copies of these books:

I John 5:7 “There are three that bear witness in heaven, the father, the word, and the Holy Spirit.”

John 8: 7 “Let the one who is without sin among you be the first to cast a stone at her.” Actually that whole story was not originally in the New Testament.

John 8:11 “Neither do I condem you. Go and sin no more.”

Luke 22:44 ”In his anguish Jesus began to pray more earnestly and his sweat became like great drops of blood falling to the ground.”

Mark 16:17 “These signs will accompany those who believe in my name they will cast out demons and they will speak with new tongues.”

Mark 16:18 “And they will take up snakes in their hands, and if they drink any poison it will not har, and they will lay their hand on the sick and they will become well.”

Luke 22:20 “And in the same way after supper Jesus took the cup and said, ‘This cup is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood.”

John 5:4 “For an angel of the Lord went dow at certain times into the pool and disturbed the waters:”

Luke 24:12 “But Peter rose up and ran to the tomb, and stooping down to look in, he saw the lined clothes by themselves. And he went away to his own home, marveling at what had happened.”

10.

Luke 24:51 “And when Jesus blessed them he departed from them and he was taken up into heaven.”

Re-souled

2012-01-12T13:56:00.000-05:00

This man is really interested in a pair of boots and would do anything for them. The Devil offered him the boots with one exception, that he has to give up his soul. The man accepts the offer and goes on his way with the boots.

One morning a year later he looks at his boots and says, "These boots sure have worn down, I'll go talk to the Devil again." He goes up to the Devil and asks to get the boots re-souled.

Strange Church Story

2012-01-11T08:29:00.001-05:00

A church bought three new stainless steel bowls and a set of hand towels for their Lent foot washing ceremony.

They came just in time and were used then carefully stored for the next years use. Lent came again and they went to retrieve the bowls and towels from storage but they were not to be found. The pastor looked every where he could think of but no luck.

Later in the fall the church had a chili supper to raise money. The pastor walked in the fellowship hall for the meal and in shock saw the foot washing bowls in use as salad serving bowls and the towels in use by the crew for wiping the serving counter.

Sadly this is a true story

Seeds of Faith

2012-01-09T08:58:00.000-05:00

Most farmers know that not all the seeds they plant will germinate and provide part of the crop. In the Gospel according to Matthew Jesus taught the parable of the “Sower” alluding to our planting the seeds of the Gospel in others.

We may tell a lot of people about our faith in Jesus as the Son of God and get discouraged by how many do not seem to listen. Jesus encourages us not to despair or give up in doing good and spreading the good news. We know that a portion of the seed we sow will bear fruit. Some of the seed will produce a crop of ten fold, a hundred fold or even a thousand fold.

We like Jonny Appleseed may not ever see the harvest but others that come after us will. I have witnessed this in my own ministry.

Religious Fund Raising?

2012-01-08T08:11:00.002-05:00

An abbey was in financial difficulties, and to increase its income the brothers decide to open a fish and chips business.

One day the abbey door bell rang and one of the brothers went to welcome a customer.

When he opened the door the customer said, "Are you the fish fryer?"

The brother said, "No, I'm the chip monk."

A Little Child Shall Lead The Way

2012-01-06T09:07:00.002-05:00

All of the congregations I have served over the past forty years have participated in Christian Food Pantry programs for the poor. In one church the vacation bible school always had a food collection. On the last day all the children were to bring a can of food as part of their offering.

One little girl brought up a large can with a white label and with a smile placed it in the basket. She was from a very poor family so after the final program was over I discreetly looked for that white can. It was “Commodity food” from a government food surplus program. I realized that her family shared from their meager pantry to help those in the same condition.

It has been over thirty years since that day and I still remember that little girls sacrifice. On top of that she or her family had no way of knowing that we had selected them to be among the families chosen to receive the food. I was inspired to be more generous with my meager possessions and blessings.

Be generous in feeding the poor through your church.

Point of True Beginning

2012-01-02T11:04:00.002-05:00

Everything has a beginning point. I looked at the blueprint for a new church building and on the corner of the lot was a point marked as “The Point of True Beginning.” It was a survey marker from which all other survey points were measured. We see all around us points of true beginnings in our lives, our families, our work, and even in the universe itself.

The bible talks about in the beginning there was God and nothing else, so God is the point of true beginning for everything. As God created the heavens and the earth, God also creates new beginning in each one of us every day. Each new year and yes each new day has a beginning for new experiences that will challenge and shape us for the future.

There are lost of new beginnings and the real question is how we will face them. Will we face them with fear and trembling looking into the unknown? Will we approach our new beginnings with excitement and eagerness with trust in our relationship with God? We can face what ever comes into our lives with confidence and hope in the promise that God is with us all the way.

Enjoy your new beginnings.

2012

2012-01-01T08:11:00.000-05:00

2012 has arrived and holds a lot of promise for all of us, some good and some bad but for the most part some where in between.

I haves some dates already planned for my new calendar and there are some I do not yet know about that will be there. We never know what the new year will hold for us but we hope and pray that it will be better than the last.

Happy New Year to everyone and may God bless you in this coming new year.

Good-by 2011

2011-12-31T11:52:00.000-05:00

Good-by 2011 it has been fun as well as hard. As with every year there have been ups and downs, births and deaths, war and peace.

Personally I have done well in 2011 and have enjoyed living the life of a retired man doing things he loves. I am grateful to have reasonably good health for a man approaching seventy. I am mostly thankful for my lovely wife who daily brings love, light and joy into my life.

Good-by 2011

Changing the Calendar

2011-12-30T09:04:00.002-05:00

One year is about to end and another begin and life goes on and on. The new week will change number on the date in my check book from 2011 to 2012 but not much else will change around here.

The doomsday prophets are making much of the Mayan long count calendar about the same way they did about the year 2000 and it will meet much of the same results. I am sure 2012 will pass into history about the same way 2010 did and 2011 is about to do.

I have never been one to get excited about prophets of the end times because I have faith in Jesus and I know that if the end comes or my personal death should come I am ready to be with God for eternity. That is all that really matters to me. In the mean time as I live and breathe I will live out my life one day at a time striving to live each day as Jesus taught me; loving God, loving others and proclaiming the Gospel.

I welcome 2012 and all that God has in store for me.

My Christmas Books

2011-12-28T13:24:00.000-05:00

My family knows that I love books so I always receive some for Christmas and this year I also received a Barns & Noble gift card.

1. The Hidden Scroll by Avraham Anouchi is a fiction that is an archaeological adventure. I am looking forward to reading it soon.

2.The 50 Funniest American Writers according to Andy Borowitz is an anthology of some very funny stories.

3. The Papyrus Ebers translated by Eliot Smith in 1931

4. The Optimist published by The Nevernod Press of Boone Iowa in 1900 is a delightful and eclectic sample of the turn of the last century writers and poets. I just finished reading this one and love it.

In-Between Week

2011-12-27T08:53:00.000-05:00

We are in the week between Christmas and New Years day both of which are celebrations. It is a week that is kind of a lull in activity. Before I retired it was our tradition was a week of vacation following the intense activity of Advent and Christmas. It was a week that I personally really needed to have some down time to restore a sense of sanity.

Now that I am retired the tradition of down time during the “In-Between” week hangs on even if I do not actually need it. As I no longer take vacations I simply do what ever I choose and enjoy the week of rest and reading the books I received for Christmas. Sitting by a fire and reading is most enjoyable.

Take some time in this In-Between Week to rest, reflect and enjoy your life.

Positive Thoughts

2011-12-26T09:35:00.002-05:00

Monday at home alone and my darling is back to work. Christmas is over and packages unwrapped. I look around the house and see one thing more. Clean-up!!!

I have wrapping to be hauled out to recycle, floors to clean, menus to plan and dinner to cook tonight. Here we are back to some sense of normal.

Right now I can take some time to think about things without interruption. The year 2011 has less than a week to go and it is time to reflect. What has this year accomplished and how do we feel about 2012? I have two calendars before me to help with that process. This year was good for me and I feel that the coming year has many promises’ for my life. I am most aware that God has blessed me in many ways and I am thankful.

This is a week of positive contemplation and prayer.

Does It Really Matter?

2011-12-23T10:11:00.000-05:00

For many years as a Christian Church Pastor I tried in vain to get church people to follow the bible in our practices. Culture keeps chipping away at the meaning and actions of our Christian Celebrations. It started early, very early, when church leaders incorporated two pagan celebrations into Christian celebrations. They moved the birth of Christ from January to the solstice day of December 25^th and there it stayed in the Western Church. They changed the name of Resurrection Sunday to Easter Sunday to move Romans from the pagan goddess to Christ. Then we have the whole X-mas thing which is a misunderstanding of the Greek letter “X” spoken as “chi” for Christ.

After 40 plus years of trying culture has won out. I know that I can never change what is to tightly locked up in people's minds and hearts. I have to ask myself, “Does it really matter?”

If we know what we mean does it matter what it use to mean?

If we actually do celebrate the birth of Jesus does it matter what day we choose?

If we celebrate the Resurrection does it matter what we call it?

The real test is that Christians do what Jesus taught! That is what really matters.

Christmas in the Gospels

2011-12-18T18:43:00.003-05:00

Each of the Gospels portrays the events of Christmas differently.

The Gospel According to Mark ignores it all together. That Gospel starts with the Baptism. Even if this was all the Gospel I had I could be a Christian.

The Gospel According to Matthew has an angel visiting Joseph to inform him what he must do. Joseph is apparently living in Bethlehem. He is told that the child shall be called “Emmanuel” but he names the boy Jesus. After that the “wise men” from the East show up to honor the new king of the Jews. Joseph is warned in a dream to flee to Egypt. Ken Herod has boys under the age of two in Bethlehem killed. After Herod’s death Joseph moves to Nazareth.

The Gospel According to Luke starts with the story of the birth of John the Baptist who is apparently a relative of Jesus. Here in Luke the angel come to Mary to announce the startling news that she will conceive with out the help of a male and bear a son. She goes to visit her relative Elizabeth for three months. Here Mary and Joseph live in Nazareth and go to Bethlehem to register for a Roman tax. That was a rough trip for a pregnant woman. Luke has humble shepherds’ come to visit Jesus. They take Jesus to the temple where to prophets Simon and Anna proclaim him the one. After all that the family returns to Nazareth with no detours.

In the Gospel According to John what we have of the Christmas story is all from the point of view of heaven “The Word” became flesh and dwelt among us.

Since then Christians have combined Matthew and Luke and added many traditions about the story that are not in the bible text.

Fair Weather Lover

2011-12-18T09:22:00.000-05:00

An ardent young man away in collage wrote his sweetheart a letter. In this love letter he said, "I would swim the deepest river for you, I would climb the highest mountain for you. I would dash through fire and fight wild beasts for you.

He closed with a PS : If it doesn't rain I will drive home this week-end to see you.

This reminds me of the way some Christians profess their love of Jesus and nod in agreement when the preacher tells them that Jesus said to love one another and love our enemies and take care of the poor among us, but then do nothing about it.

When we say the words but do not do the actions is that a sign that we do not really believe?

It Was Only A Theory

2011-12-16T07:44:00.000-05:00

A young child psychologist set up his practice and developed a theory and lecture for parents that he called the "Ten Commandments for Parents."

Later he married and had children of his own. He changed the title to "Ten Hints for Parents."

The first child reached the age of two and the title was changed to, "Ten Suggestions for Parent."

His children became teenagers and he stopped lecturing on the subject all together.

Bill of Rights Day 220

2011-12-15T07:15:00.000-05:00

On Dec. 15, 220 years ago, the First Amendment to the United States Constitution was ratified. The First Amendment, is the first of ten known as the Bill of Rights, guarantees our right to worship, speak, petition the government and assemble.

First Amendment – Establishment Clause, Free Exercise Clause; freedom of speech, of the press, and of assembly; right to petition

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.

Second Amendment – Militia (United States), Sovereign state, Right to keep and bear arms.

A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.^[56]

Third Amendment – Protection from quartering of troops.

No Soldier shall, in time of peace be quartered in any house, without the consent of the Owner, nor in time of war, but in a manner to be prescribed by law.

Fourth Amendment – Protection from unreasonable search and seizure.

The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.

Fifth Amendment – due process, double jeopardy, self-incrimination, eminent domain.

No person shall be held to answer for a capital, or otherwise infamous crime, unless on a presentment or indictment of a Grand Jury, except in cases arising in the land or naval forces, or in the Militia, when in actual service in time of War or public danger; nor shall any person be subject for the same offence to be twice put in jeopardy of life or limb; nor shall be compelled in any criminal case to be a witness against himself, nor be deprived of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor shall private property be taken for public use, without just compensation.

Sixth Amendment – Trial by jury and rights of the accused; Confrontation Clause, speedy trial, public trial, right to counsel

In all criminal prosecutions, the accused shall enjoy the right to a speedy and public trial, by an impartial jury of the State and district wherein the crime shall have been committed, which district shall have been previously ascertained by law, and to be informed of the nature and cause of the accusation; to be confronted with the witnesses against him; to have compulsory process for obtaining witnesses in his favor, and to have the Assistance of Counsel for his defence.

Seventh Amendment – Civil trial by jury.

In suits at common law, where the value in controversy shall exceed twenty dollars, the right of trial by jury shall be preserved, and no fact tried by a jury, shall be otherwise re-examined in any court of the United States, than according to the rules of the common law.

Eighth Amendment – Prohibition of excessive bail and cruel and unusual punishment.

Excessive bail shall not be required, nor excessive fines imposed, nor cruel and unusual punishments inflicted.

Ninth Amendment – Protection of rights not specifically enumerated in the Constitution.

The enumeration in the Constitution, of certain rights, shall not be construed to deny or disparage others retained by the people.

Tenth Amendment – Powers of States and people.

The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people.

Celebrate and protect your rights as Americans on this Bill of Rights Day.

Religions Coexisting

2011-12-14T09:57:00.000-05:00

I reposted an item about all different religions to “Coexist” and almost immediately received an email from a clergy friend who took issue with it. He felt that we should be attacking false religions and not coexisting with them.

I disagree! I am reminded by the model set by St. Paul in Acts 17 when he was in Athens with its thousand of idols. Instead of attacking their believers Paul complemented them for being very religious. He then noted that they even had an alter to an unknown god. He used that alter as a point to begin a teaching about God. Paul would accept people where ever they were in life and faith and begin to share Christ from that starting point. I believe that we Christians today should follow that same path.

Paul did not make a lot of converts that day but he planted seeds in their minds. We are reminded that one plants, another waters, another weeds and yet another may harvest. As a Pastor I have done all those things in sharing my faith with others.

Busyness at Christmas Time

2011-12-11T08:47:00.000-05:00

We are all getting very busy getting ready for Christmas. There is the busyness of shopping for gifts and going to parties. In all the giving and receiving of gifts our true Christmas spirit can be shunted aside in the activity generated by the season.

We need to allow some personal time to focus on our spirits and spiritually kneel by the manger. We truly need this time to remember that we are not alone in our spiritual journey. God came to be with us and walk with us. We also have sisters and brothers in the faith who will join with us to walk hand in hand. As Jesus promised we have the ultimate comforter the Holy Spirit along for our life time journey.

In the busyness of our physical Christmas activities let us open our hearts, minds and spirits to God and one another to feel the love that God shared with us in His Son.

Infamy Seventy Years Ago

2011-12-07T07:48:00.000-05:00

December 7^th seventy years ago is a date that still lives in infamy but is fading into history. Some young people may say, “Pearl Harbor what is that?” and only know of it from movies.

For the Japanese it was a great success while for us it was a disaster. The disaster galvanized America and became the cause for the defeat of Japan,

This is a day to pause and remember the more than three thousand that died that day and the millions who died because of it. It is also a day to reflect on the horror of war and pray that some day we will learn to make peace instead. Sadly we are still learning that lesson but some day I hope we will.

Life Is Hard

2011-12-06T08:40:00.003-05:00

“Life is hard, short and then you die!”

These were the words of a man who had lost all hope and I listened to his diatribe every time I went to visit him in the nursing home. He was angry for good cause. His legs had stopped working, he had to be attached to oxygen and took more pills than he thought possible. His question was, “How could God do this to me?”

One day I walked into the nursing home and he was in the lounge area. Sitting beside him in a wheelchair with an oxygen tube attached to her nose was a smiling lady about his age. She was also a member of my congregation so I greeted them both. They had known each other all their lives.

He started his familiar “Life is hard, short and then you die,” bit and she piped up and said, “That is true but God never abandons us.” He turned and looked at his long time friend. She continued, “During my darkest moments on my journey in life I felt the strength and love of God right there with me.” He said, “I never felt that.” She reached out and touched his arm and told him, “You never paid attention.”

Life is hard, short and then you die but God is always with us.

Receiving Christmas Gifts

2011-12-05T07:48:00.000-05:00

I want to call your attention to a part of Christmas that adults often overlook. And this aspect of Christmas is just as important and beneficial as giving. I want you to take a moment to think about…receiving gifts. That may sound strange to think about “getting” instead of giving during Christmas.

Yet during these next few weeks you’ll be receiving so much. You’ll be given gifts, well-wishes, greetings, party ivitations, hugs, smiles, cookies, decorations, etc. The list goes on and on – whether you have small children in your life or not. In fact, you’ll undoubtedly be getting these things whether you actively celebrate Christmas not!

How you receive a gift of any kind reflects how you feel about yourself and about your worth as a human being. Enjoying a gift, relishing in the thoughtfulness and love inherent in its presentation, lets you know that you find yourself deserving of such things. It also honors and exalts the giver; don’t you love it when someone truly enjoys one of your gifts?

So this Christmas don’t play “humble” when you’re given one of the multitude of gifts you’ll receive. Instead thank the abundant love and generosity of both the gift giver and the love of God in the greatest gift of all.

Questioning Faith

2011-12-01T08:32:00.002-05:00

Why do we believe in a particular faith?

It is a question that at some point in our life we must ask of ourselves. For most of us the answer is that it is the faith of the family that raised us. There are several old quotes that remind us of this fact. “As a child is raised so shall he be,” and “Give us a child for seven years and he is ours for life.”

The last quote does not always pan out but it is often true. Young adults often reach a point where they question everything their parents said or believed. They question everything including the existence of God. I went that route myself in my early twenty’s. My path back to the faith I was raised in was one that was full of questions and searching. The circle was completed in a very personal and spiritual experience.

The circle of faith does not always return to one’s original grounding then a conversion takes place. This often happens during a life crisis such as the death of a loved one. I have known Buddhist to become Christian and Christian to become Buddhist. There have been Muslim who become Christian and Christian who become Muslim. This can be true for any two religions. One who converts to another faith is often the most zealot because the process comes out of a deep personal choice and conviction.

Either a return to faith or a change of faith produces a stronger personal faith because the person involved has had to question everything.

Warrning A PUNishment Joke

2011-11-30T16:06:00.002-05:00

An ancient Babylonian general was once involved in a plot to overthrow the king. His plot included a number of followers in the upper ranks of the army. However, his plot was uncovered, and the king threw him in jail. The king sentenced him to death without a trial.

However, from the jail he was able to secretly contact his followers to arrange to escape, meet his followers, and attack the king's palace at night. So the night before his scheduled execution, the general managed to escape from prison. He fled to a ziggurat several kilometers away, where his followers would meet him. However, the ziggurat was one of several in the area, and he wasn't sure if his cohorts would find the right ziggurat. By this time it was twilight, so he lit a small fire and sent smoke signals to indicate in which structure he was hiding.

However, the king's loyal soldiers saw the smoke coming from the ziggurat, and came to arrest him before he could meet his followers. He was executed later that day.

The moral of the story? WARNING: The searching general has determined that smoking ziggurats can be extremely hazardous to your stealth.

Protecting Trust

2011-11-29T08:47:00.000-05:00

1. Trust is paramount and extremely fragile, it should be safeguarded at all cost.

2. Honesty is the path to trust, with out it you cannot build.

3. Complacency WILL eventually kill a relationship. And it is a long slow painful torturous death worse then dying.

4. Words, when said, cannot be taken back, and can be sharper then any knife. The difference, the wounds they leave may last a lifetime, and still never heal. Beware.

Taking Control

2011-11-28T08:48:00.000-05:00

There are things in life we cannot alter. We can try but it only leads to frustration. Mother Nature brings storms and violent actions that damage our living space and we can not stop that from happening. War happens and people we love die and we can not change that. Other people do things that cause us grief and we must deal with the fall out in our lives.

Things have happened in the past that affect us but they are beyond repair. Until we recognize the reality of the past as it was and everyone in it as they were, the past will control us. If we let it all stand as history and simply let it be we can find peace with in us. Then we can create a peaceful now and a peaceful future. If we learn from the past we can keep from repeating the mistakes and grow as a person and as a society.

It is how we live out this day that affects our lives and the lives of those around us. Each choice in the now matters in our future so each point of change is under our control for that moment. So let us live each day to the fullest, loving God and loving others in each action we take.

First Sunday in Advent

2011-11-27T07:42:00.000-05:00

Today we are lighting the first candle on the Advent Wreath.

First Sunday of Advent

Today we light the first candle of the Advent wreath. This is the candle of HOPE.

With Christians around the world, we use this light to help us prepare our hearts and minds for the coming of God’s Son, our Savior, Jesus Christ.

May we receive God’s light as we hear the words of the prophet Isaiah:

"The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who lived in a land of deep darkness -- on them light has shined."
-- Isaiah 9:2

Let us pray:

Lord as we look to the birth of Jesus, grant that the light of your love for us will help us to become lights in the lives of those around us. Prepare our hearts for the joy and gladness of your coming, for Jesus is our hope. Amen.

Anne McCaffrey

2011-11-23T08:37:00.000-05:00

The news of the death of Anne McCaffrey at the age of 85 hit me hard. She was an author of more than 70 books and many short stories and was a wordsmith of great power to move my mind.

I discovered her quite by accident in 1992. I was on a flight home and had a late night layover in the Pittsburgh Airport. By that time I had read every book that I had taken with me on that trip. The airport stores were closed and I had hours to wait before my flight home.

I wondered the concourse and saw a tattered book abandoned on a bench. It was "Dragonquest" by Anne McCaffrey. I do not care for dragon fantasies but I was desperate for something to read. Then I discovered that it was science fiction set on a distant planet called Pern. Within reading three pages I was hooked on Anne McCaffrey. I now have all of her books and I love them all.

She was one of the great story tellers of our time and I will miss the expectation of waiting for her next book.

Rest in peace master story teller Anne McCaffrey!

Thanksgiving Day History

2011-11-21T08:02:00.000-05:00

In 1863, by the way, President Lincoln declared Thanksgiving a national holiday. He decided that Thanksgiving would take place on the last Thursday of November.

In 1939 President Roosevelt proclaimed that Thanksgiving would be held on November
23th (instead of the 30th that year) as a way to spur economic growth and extend the Christmas shopping season during the last years of the Great Depression.

Thanks to that idea we now have "black Friday" with some stores opening just before midnight on Thursday. Good grief!

Happy Thanksgiving

Turkeys

2011-11-20T14:44:00.000-05:00

There are two kinds of "Turkeys" and through they are related they are not much alike.

The Wild Turkey:

Ben Franklin nominated the wild turkey as our national bird because it is smart and majestic.
It is indeed an intelligent bird that knows its territory like a map. It hunts for food both seed and bugs. It can fly and sleeps in the trees. It is wary of predators and is good at hiding.

The Domesticated Turkey:

This is a stupid bird that is known to drown in a rain by looking up and keeping its mouth open. Most of them live their whole lives in a cage being fed and cared for so that they grow fat. Humans have enhanced them so that they develop large breast, so large in fact that they can not reproduce with out human help.

They have the same brains but the wild bird uses its brain while the caged bird has no need to exercise its mind at all. The difference is impressive! Now what does that tell us about ourselves?

Learning To Pray

2011-11-20T08:09:00.000-05:00

There are a variety of prayer formulas that are helpful for people who want to learn to pray. One is the four steps of prayer that I learned a long time ago and it works well for almost any prayer concern.

1. Praise God - Recognize in your mind and heart who you are praying to.

2. Thank God - Have an attitude of gratitude even in your most dire need.

3. Ask God - Request what you need and even what you desire.

4. Listen for God - A quiet time of meditation listening for God before you say amen and close the prayer it vital.

Some people who say that God never answers their prayer never take the time to listen and they miss the answers they are looking for.

May your have a rich prayer life in Praise, Thanksgiving, Asking and Listening.

A funny in my email

2011-11-16T11:11:00.003-05:00

My little brother sent me the following:

An 80-year-old Texas rancher goes to the Mayo clinic in Rochester for a check-up

The doctor is amazed at what good shape the guy is in and asks, 'How do you stay in such great physical condition?'

'I'm from Texas and in my spare time I like to fish says the old guy, 'and that's why I'm in such good shape. I'm up well before daylight riding herd and mending fences and when I'm not doing that,
I'm out fishing. In the evening, I relax and all is well.'

'Well' says the doctor, 'I'm sure that helps, but there's got to be more to it. How old was your father when he died?'

'Who said my father's dead?'

The doctor is amazed. 'You mean you're 80 years old and your father's still alive? How old is he?'

'He's 100 years old,' says the old Texan. 'In fact he worked with and fished with me this morning. '

'Well,' the doctor says, 'that's great, but I'm sure there's more to it than that. How about your father's father? How old was he when he died?'

'Who said my Grandpa's dead?'

Stunned, the doctor asks, 'you mean you're 80 years old and your grandfather's' still alive?'

'He's 118 years old,' says the man.

The doctor is getting frustrated at this point, 'So, I guess he went fishing with you this morning too?'

'No, Grandpa couldn't go this morning because he's getting married today.'

At this point the doctor is close to losing it. 'Getting married!! Why would a 118 year-old guy want to get married?'

'Who said he wanted to?'

Veterans Day

2011-11-10T17:39:00.000-05:00

Veterans Day 11-11-11 at 11:11 AM

Let our Veterans know they’re number 1 on 11/11/11 at 11:11 AM!

On Veteran’s Day, Friday, November 11^th 2011 at 11:11AM, a massing of the Colors and Veterans Day Parade will take place in Louisville on West Main Street from 4^th to 9^thStreets for the first time in many years.

This is a unique coincidence of dates (11/11/11) and a group of people have put together this tribute to veterans, their families, current members of the Armed Services and their families.

It includes 50+ Color Guards, the 113^th Army Band from Ft. Knox, a Medal of Honor recipient as Grand Marshall, members of the Tuskegee Airmen as special guests, and members of veteran’s organizations. Other components include displays of restored military equipment and Kentucky’s 40et8 boxcar on display outside the Frazier History Museum. Attractions along West Main Street have arranged special programs for the day, and many will be offering special discounts.

Voting In Kentucky

2011-11-05T21:57:00.000-04:00

We have some funny Choices for Commissioner of Agriculture in Kentucky.

On the one hand we have a Democrat named Bob Farmer who has zero experience in farming. He is a comedian here in Louisville who ran for a joke.

We also have a man named Jamie Comer a Republican who is a farmer who has received huge sums of money from the government in the form of subsidies. While that is true for many farmers Comer is backed by the Tea Party who are against welfare. Comer also advocates legalizing the growing of hemp.

Comer’s political ads invites us voters to vote for the farmer. Which farmer? Wouldn’t it be technically funny if the experienced farmer lost to a comedian named farmer because he told us to vote for the farmer?

Only in Kentucky

Political Humor

2011-11-04T21:37:00.000-04:00

In 1930 American humorist Will Rogers said, "Everything is changing ... people are taking their comedians seriously and the politicians as a joke."

Well we have gone through some changes since 1930 but we are back to the place where Will Rogers is still correct. Many of the politicians are a joke and the sad thing is the joke is on us.

I am not looking forward to the coming political year with political ads that are out and out lies and paid for by people in the shadows. The issues before us are complex and we need some adults in the federal government who are willing to seek what is best for the country.

I am praying for 2012 and America.

Our Public Language

2011-11-03T08:55:00.000-04:00

I was reading a local public publication that is free so they say what ever they want. In many of the articles and letters to the editor the language being used is fit for the gutter, if you know what I mean. If this language was only found in this rag that lewdly advertises "gentlemen's clubs" I would not be appalled. However crude and foul language is becoming common place in our society. It is almost to the place where we no longer have a polite society that knows what a civil tongue is.

My mother use to teach me that the use of such words showed a lack of vocabulary.

Television is also relaxing its language controls to the point that even the "bleeps" do not cover the crass verbiage being force upon us all the time. Once it was allowed only on late night shows but I find it being used at all hours now. Movies that use only polite language are rare to the point that even childrens m ovies are suggestive. How will our children be affected.

This is a lament that will not be headed but at least I can vent.

Think You Might Live For A Long Time?

2011-11-01T17:35:00.002-04:00

Act Now like You Will Need Your Body for a Hundred Years.

Stay connected to other people.

Make the most of a less-than-ideal job

Friendship is as important as romantic love

Marry someone a lot like you.

Emotional Intelligence trumps other kinds.

PUNishment The Babylonian General

2011-10-31T08:02:00.000-04:00

An ancient Babylonian general was once involved in a plot to overthrow the king. His plot included a number of followers in the upper ranks of the army. However, his plot was uncovered, and the king threw him in jail. The king sentenced him to death without a trial.

However, from the jail he was able to secretly contact his followers to arrange to escape, meet his followers, and attack the king's palace at night. So the night before his scheduled execution, the general managed to escape from prison. He fled to a ziggurat several kilometers away, where his followers would meet him. However, the ziggurat was one of several in the area, and he wasn't sure if his cohorts would find the right ziggurat. By this time it was twilight, so he lit a small fire and sent smoke signals to indicate in which structure he was hiding.

However, the king's loyal soldiers saw the smoke coming from the ziggurat, and came to arrest him before he could meet his followers. He was executed later that day.

The moral of the story? WARNING:
The searching general has determined that smoking ziggurats can be extremely hazardous to your stealth.

The Dough Boy Funeral

2011-10-28T08:16:00.000-04:00

Veteran Pillsbury spokesman Pop N. Fresh died Wednesday of a severe yeast infection. He was 71.

He was buried Friday in one of the biggest funerals in years. Dozens of celebrities turned out including Mrs. Butterworth, the California Raisins, Hungry Jack, Betty Crocker, and the Hostess Twinkies.

The graveside was piled high with flours, as longtime friend Aunt Jemima delivered the eulogy, describing Fresh as a man who "never knew he was kneaded".

Fresh rose quickly in show business, but his later life was filled with turnovers. He was not considered a smart cookie, and wasted much of his dough on half-baked schemes.

Still, even as a crusty old man, he was a roll model to millions. Fresh is survived by his second wife. They had two children, and one in the oven.

The funeral was at 3:50 for 20 minutes.

It Is A Choice - Your Choice

2011-10-26T08:24:00.000-04:00

The sad thing is that we often don’t make a conscious choice. But we become distracted by non-important choice offered up by the world. We don’t see it as a choice between God and this what ever and at that moment the what ever seems like more fun. Yet that is the choice we are making.

A ball game is starting at 10 AM Sunday morning and it is a choice between worshipping God on the Sabbath or having a little fun at the ball game. But we say, “Oh I can go to church next Sunday.” The devil smiles and says, "Yes but you chose not to worship God this Sunday and I have a little piece of you.”

I was on the board of directors of the YMCA in Chillicothe, Missouri and at one meeting the Aquatics Director wanted to schedule a swim meet on Saturday and Sunday. She had to be reminded that the YMCA was a Christian organization and we did not schedule anything that would pull the children out of church on Sunday.

So many organizations see a blank spot on their calendars on Sunday mornings and think that nothing is going on. Then we Christians are faced with a choice between God and some event that we would like to attend.

Yes it is in fact a choice between that event and God.

40 Hour Work Week is 71 TODAY

2011-10-24T07:33:00.000-04:00

I grew up knowing that the work week was 40 hours and that after you worked 40 hours you got overtime pay. Then I joined the Navy and they didn't care about that rule.

Today is the 71st. anniversary of the law that established the 40 hour work week. Sometimes when we harp about the government interfering with business we forget what caused the interfering. In the desire to get every last penny of profit for their company employees were forced to work very long hours six days a week.

In the past seventy one years human life expectancy has doubled. While there are other factors that contribute to that fact I believe that there is a connection to the enforced shorter work week.

With the economy today some people are working for lower wages and working two thirty-two hour jobs just to keep up.

Happy Anniversay

Small Life Changing Events

2011-10-21T22:38:00.002-04:00

Every thing that happens to us affects and changes us in some way. Even little things are possible life altering events. A man is walking along the street and sees a poster in a stor window. Instead of walking past it he stops and reads it. He thinks about that poster for days and discovers that he needs to make a change in the way he relates to women.

Up to that time he was the macho man who flirted all the time and generaly treated women as objects. He went from one girl firend to another with no real relationships. Now tht poster has stuck in his mind and he begins a shift to new thinking. It is not just his relationship with women but his whole demoner and his view the world around him.

He maed a decision to become something he wasn't and all because he stoped to read a poster. He decided that he wanted to be a gentleman. The idea of being a gentleman was new to him. Now he seeks to learn about what a gentleman does and how he acts. It does not happen over night but it begins and in time he makes the changes to become truly a gentleman.

The poster said: “A boy makes is girl jealous of other women. A gentleman make other women jealous of his girl.”

Those Side Effects

2011-10-19T09:09:00.000-04:00

Truth in advertizing is a rare thing so we should always question what we are seeing and hearing from companies and especially political ads. The ones to be very careful about are the drug companies who must tell us about side effects of their products. This usually comes at the end and the volume is turned way down as a soft voice tells us about them. Side effects that often make such a long list that the ailment seems easier to deal with.

One ad I watched on TV last night had a long list of side effect that included “flushing” and that word was almost inaudible. As I take a medicine that causes “flushing” I can say that it is a euphemism that does not accurately describe what that side effect will do to you. Flushing sound so innocuous to hear it in that ad or for that matter from a doctor.

When my doctor prescribed the pills she said, “There will be some flushing and that is normal for this medicine.” That didn’t sound so bad until I discovered that “flushing” really meant “HOT FLASHES” and I found that out in the middle of the night. I thought I was on fire and my whole body was sweating.

I now have a great respect for what menopausal women go through. My darling though it was very funny except that the bed linens need washing more often. Before you take your meds check the “side effects.”

Using other preachers sermons

2011-10-12T09:52:00.001-04:00

My first preaching professor told us that there are no original sermons. Someone somewhere has already preached what you are about to preach. Every idea represented in the scripture has been covered for two thousand years. Today preachers build sermons on the ideas of our predecessors.

A young preacher serving his first congregation began his first two week vacation. His first stop was his parent’s home for the week-end. He proudly attended his home church with his parents. They had a new preacher who was full of surprises. As he began the sermon he said, “I have a difficult confession to make. I spent many years in the loving arms of another man’s wife.” Shock and gasp could be heard around the room. He continued on about how much he enjoyed being snuggled to her breast and hearing her say how much she loved him. He went on and on about their loving relationship.

At the moment when everyone was about to lynch him he said, “And that woman is my mother.” The women of the congregation could be heard to say. “Oh how sweet.” They young preacher later was talking to the pastor and said, “That was great can I use that story?” For the rest of his vacation he thought about that wonderful attention getter and looked forward to using it.

Finally back home he began his sermon with that same story. His congregation also went into shock and he could hear angry cries for the congregation. He got a little rattled and suddenly stopped talking. A blank stare came across his face and he said, “For the life of me I can’t remember who she is.”

Church Member and/or Christian?

2011-10-09T13:36:00.000-04:00

“Just going to church doesn't make you a Christian any more than standing in your garage makes you a car.”
― G.K. Chesterton

My pastor this morning used this Chesterton quote during his sermon this morning. I admit to using it a few times my self. It is a good reminder that being a “Christian” is much more than joining a congregation. To be truly a Christian is to be completely committed to the way of Jesus, word and deed.

The teachings of Jesus call for a radical life style of love, forgiveness, peace and service. Many are they who want to adopt the name but not the life.

Sunday only Christians who worship for what entertainment they can get out of it and then go home and serve evil the rest of the week fool themselves into judgment.

Christian Marriage/Wedding

2011-10-05T09:44:00.002-04:00

My last post was about changing wedding laws around the world. This is a follow up about the religious ceremony and specifically the Christian Wedding. There are many religions in America and they each have their own traditions concerning the wedding ceremony.

In the civil service a couple needs a license and an authorized person to sign the document. The authorized person only has to verify that the two people before them are the ones on the license and ask them if they want to be married. When they answer in the affirmative the license is signed and they are married. All cut and dry and legal.

A Christian Wedding is quite different and in the United States it involves aspects of the civil wedding but also much more. In my state and church a man and a woman come to make vows to each other and God. They come seeking a blessing on their marriage and home. It is the making of vows that makes all the difference.

When a marriage vow is made the man and woman actually make two vows at once. They make vows of commitment and fidelity to one another and they make those same vows to God! It is this act that makes the wedding ceremony sacred. The vows are binding until death do us part. Jesus made only one excuse for divorce and that was adultery.

When a person breaks the marriage vow a double sin is committed. The first sin is against the spouse and the second is against God. I count it a very serious event to make a vow to God. Breaking a vow to God is not something one does lightly and I always stress that to couples about to get married in the church. There is an eternal aspect to a vow made to God and it stays with you that long.

Marriage Laws Changing

2011-10-03T10:03:00.002-04:00

????

There have been many articles in the news about “Marriage Laws” and how they need to be changed. I have served as a pastor all over the country and I know how much they vary from state to state. They also vary a lot from country to country.

An NPR story today was about Mexico City trying to write a law to allow couples to have a termination date on the wedding license. The Bishop is apposed for some reason. I have worked in a country that allows a man to have up to four wives at a time. Some countries allow same sex marriages and so do some states.

The Christian Bible states that a Bishop must have only one wife but leaves an option for a man to have more than one wife if he is not a bishop. The bible tells us of many men both in the old and new testaments that had more than one wife. King Solomon had hundreds of them.

Culture changes over time and our laws lag behind but they also change. There was a time when adultery was the only reason the law allowed for divorce. There was a time when only the husband could sue for divorce.

In Deuteronomy 22, if a bride was found not to be a virgin on her wedding night the law called for her to be stoned to death in front of her fathers house. A lot of women today are glad we don’t do that any more.

Weddings can be both legal contract and religious ceremonies. Some countries require that the couple go to a civil service office and register their marriage and then if they wish to do so they may have a religious ceremony afterwards.

How will our marriage laws change over the next hundred years?

New Phone Scam

2011-09-29T14:28:00.000-04:00

It was an odd sort of phone call that I received this afternoon. I recognized that it was a new scam quickly. The male voice with a thick accent told me that I had been awarded a government grant of seven thousand dollars.

Interesting! I had not applied for a government grant. As a mayor I know all the rules and red tape for getting government a grant. I began to ask questions about what was the grant for and what department it was from and what program. No answers. Then he want to know my name, social security number and bank routing number for sending the grant money to my account.

I said, “What you don’t know my name?”

He hung up.

Available

2011-09-28T09:21:00.001-04:00

Though out the bible we see that men and women who had an awareness of the presence of God. They listened and made themselves available to be used by God for a mission.

Abraham listened to the voice of God and moved to a new land. Moses liste4ned to the voice of God and returned to Egypt to lead the Hebrews back to that same land. Deborah listened to the voice of God and led the Hebrews to victory and a return to faith.

It matters not what our talents might be. What really matters is our availability. All of the spiritual gifts and natural abilities are they are wasted unless we make them available to God. Long ago I resolved be available to God and be content with what ever God called me to do.

Still working it out

2011-09-26T07:57:00.000-04:00

In Philippians 2:12 Paul tells us to “Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.”

This verse has often puzzled me since he also says that salvation if a free gift God though grace. What does it mean for me to work out my own salvation?

Here is the rub, I carry around within me a lot of baggage that hinders my acceptance of this free gift of grace. Things like anger, fear, selfishness, and hatred of those different than me. So working though my salvation means letting go of my anger toward someone and forgiving them even if they do not ask for it. It means letting go of those things that I covet. It means relinquishing control of situations that make me anxious.

God invites me to work out my salvation by letting go of things I want to control and allowing God to do some cleaning in this earthly tent that I call my life.

Taking It With Him

2011-09-19T08:21:00.001-04:00

There was a man who had worked all of his life, had saved all of his money, and was a real miser when it came to his money. Just before he died, he said to his wife,

"When I die, I want you to take all my money and put it in the casket with me. I want to take my money to the afterlife with me."

And so he got his wife to promise him with all of her heart that when he died, she would put all of the money in the casket with him. Well, he died. He was stretched out in the casket, his wife was sitting there in black, and her friend was sitting next to her. When they finished the ceremony, just before the undertakers got ready ! to close the casket, the wife said, "Wait just a minute!"

She had a box with her; she came over with the box and put it in the casket. Then the undertakers locked the casket down, and they rolled it away.So her friend said, "Girl, I know you weren't fool enough to put all that money in there with your husband."

The loyal wife replied, "Listen, I'm a Christian, I can't go back on my word. I promised him that I was going to put that money in that casket with him." "You mean to tell me you put that money in the casket with him!!!!?"

"I sure did," said the wife. "I got it all together, put it into my account and wrote him a check.

If he can cash it, he can spend it!"

Which Table?

2011-09-18T15:41:00.000-04:00

There are times when we are at the tables of strangers and we move with caution. I remember when I first arrived in Louisville, I attended a Toastmasters club meeting but was so new I did not know which political party they belonged to.

I was seated beside a lady and she remarked, "Well the room is evenly divided today. Republicans on one side and Democrats on the other."

As I did not know which was which, I said, "Which side are we on?" To which she replied, "The right side."

A little flustered, I ask, "Where would a Libertarian sit?" She cracked a smile and said, "Outside!"

Preamble US Constitution

2011-09-17T07:23:00.000-04:00

On this Constitution Day I thought it would be a good idea to reflect on the preamble of the US Constitution.

We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.

This statement tells us about the purpose of the Government of the United States.

1. Form a more perfect Union: Not that it will be perfect but more perfect than the Articles of Confederation that was then in effect. We have been perfecting and sometimes defecting our union for over two hundred years. It is an ongoing process as you can see from the number of amendments thus far.

2. Establish Justice: Our rights are protected and we have a system to correct wrongs.

3. Insure Domestic Tranquility: This is keeping the peace between peoples in the country. Law and Order.

4. Provide for the Common Defence: Our Navy, Marines, Army, Air Force and in war time Coast Guard.

5. Promote the General Welfare: A lot of people forget that welfare in in the constitution. Food stamps, Social Security, health care, jobs programs, are all constitutional under this clause.

6. Secure the blessings of liberty: Personal liberty for every US Citizen is perhaps one of the most important elements of our constitution.

I invite you to dwell on these thoughts today and give thanks that we have our wonderful 224 year old Constitution of the United States of America.

Constitution Day

2011-09-16T21:01:00.001-04:00

September 17, is Constitution Day: the anniversary of the agreement on the U.S. Constitution by the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia in 1787.

"The value of a constitution is that it binds government and prevents pure majority rule. Without it, government tends to grow without bounds as political majorities find ways to constrain and take rights from political minorities.

Fortunately, the American Founders were well aware of this problem. They created a Constitution to limit the federal government's powers to just a few narrow its functions.

Over the last 224 years it has been the respect of the constitution that has kept our rights secure and our country safe.

By respecting the Constitution, America's future is bright.

Shame Shame Shame

2011-09-15T06:46:00.000-04:00

Gomer Pile of the Andy Griffith Show would encounter a situation that was not quite on the up and up and he would say, "SHAME!, SHAME!, SHAME!" I remember as a boy how we use to shout, "Shame on you!" when some one did something naughty. Today people see as common place on TV actions that not so long ago were things to be ashamed of.

The uncle of a teen-age girl was watching her friends dance.

"I'll bet that you never saw dancing like that," she said, "back when you were a young man."

"Once," said her uncle, "but the place was raided."

There are people on TV talk shows that brag about doing things that only a few years ago would have been cause for digging a deep hole and crawling in it. And the language they use to do it is even worse. Shame, shame, shame.

There are all kinds of reasons for people to feel shame. Sadly many people today are shameless - they live in a shameful manner and walk about like the famous emperor with no clothes.

Single-Minded ???

2011-09-13T09:20:00.001-04:00

Nehemiah was a man dedicated to a single purpose of rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem. Like Nehemiah I am very single minded but I am also highly distractible. While working on something I am often so focused that I do not pay attention to others around me. But once distracted it may be days or longer before I refocus on that project.

Frustration is often the result of a distraction when I later come across the abandon project waiting to be completed. Try as I may a solution to this problem eludes me. I leave note to myself and long “To-Do” list but reading them is also a part of the condition of my mental organization.

I find that the older I get the more pronounced the effects of this condition. Though I can not blame it on age for I have always been this way. I do get things done eventually.

Ten Years Ago Today

2011-09-11T15:33:00.000-04:00

Ten years ago I remember clearly watching the TV in utter shock as the twin towers were struck and then fell. I still feel the pain.

How could anyone do that? How could young men go against their own religion and kill themselves and so many innocent people? It was beyond belief and understanding and we are still striving to comprehend the enormity of it all. Since then it got us into two wars with many thousands more dead. The memory still carries a lot of pain and will for decades to come. Like the news of Pearl Harbor for my parents I will always remember that moment when the world changed.

So much has happened since then and because of those attacks. We were right to go after those who did the deed in Afghanistan but it was stupid to divert funds and troops from that effort to attack Iraq. Now we are still in both places and spending trillions of much needed dollars over t here.
We need to find ways to quell the anger and seek peace. I Pray for peace in our world every day.

An Invitation

2011-09-09T14:21:00.001-04:00

There are some people who think their religion ought to be mandated for every one on earth. I believe that you can not force or mandate a particular religion. For a faith to be real it must be freely chosen not forced by law or threat. An adherence to a religion based on force or fear has no place in the heart.

I am aware that Jesus did not force faith on others. Jesus was one who gave out invitations.

“Come follow me and I will make you fishers of me.”

“Come with me and I will give you rest.”

It is the nature of invitations that allows one invited to accept or reject it. When one hears an invitation to faith there is a pause in life to think about it and consider the value of faith. Then when there is free acceptance the new believer enters into a relationship with God fully and the faith means something.

If you have faith be invitational with it. If you do not have faith, listen for the invitation and consider its value for you.

Thirty Three Years of Christian Marriage

2011-09-08T07:45:00.002-04:00

Today my darling bride and I have been married for thirty-three wonderful years.

Last night we started a three day celebration of our anniversary with dinner and a play. Over a sea food dinner we remembered events of our wedding as though it happened last week. We are more in love now than we were then and I can feel the touch of her mind on mine at all times. I can hear the beating of her sweet heart and know the power of her love.

Because we are both ministers in the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) our wedding was a little different than most. We wanted to symbolize the full partnership of our lives and our ministries. In the wedding Odom and Groh became Odom-Groh and following the marriage ceremony the Regional Minister of Texas presided over a ceremony of joining our ministries. He blessed our stoles and she placed my stole on me and I place her stole on her. We then presided together over Communion for our wedding guest.

Last night we went to Actors Theater to wee a Jane Austin play “Sense and Sensibility” about two sisters finding love. A most fitting and wonderful play.

Looking forward to tonight

Thoughts on a Changing World

2011-09-06T08:33:00.000-04:00

What is the relationship between Christianity and the New World Order that is slowly evolving all around us? The world is quickly becoming a single economic unit and that could lead to a single political unit. Some people see this as a terrible thing and others see it as a major blessing. As we are attempting to understand the almost incomprehensible essence of what it means to be a human being with an infusion of spirit, mind, and body in all of our relationships what difference will our faith make? There are so many ways of looking at what the characteristics and problems of our relationships both human and divine.

The ideas and concerns which are the foundations of different peoples views of themselves and the world around them can appear decidedly odd to people from a different tradition. What is self evident and proper behavior to some of us is often an anathema to others; and we must understand that we need to open up our thinking to embrace and analyze the concerns of others, rather than simply insist that our ways of thinking and doing are the only reasonable ways.

What is critical in seeking understanding between Christian groups and indeed between Christians and non-Christians in this modern [ugh post-modern] world, with its increasing impetus towards globalization? One of the very real problems we face is the tendency and danger of reducing everything to a form of religious short hand. It is so easy to generalize our faith and then dump all our presuppositions, all of our assumptions, all of our prejudice and characteristics in to one big basket of simple faith.

We say amen when something we see or hear confirms our impression. We also become agitated or furious when something we hear is out of kilter with our personal beliefs. What are the truly basic beliefs of the Christian faith? There is a sense of beauty in the ideals of the total commitment and submission to God, the ideal Christian community, Justice and peace. It is sad that these same ideas are frequently corrupted to justify and legitimize the authoritarian and even brutal actions of people who contend that they are right. We must not confuse the ideal of the Christian faith with its misuse and abuse by people with political or power issues. This problem is not unique to Christianity as other religions are also hurt by mean spirited, power hungry, ego centric people who miss apply the tenets of faith to their own perverted needs.

Human beings often fail to live up to their most important ideals. The failure to realize ideals is often a mixture of apathy, baseness, cynicism, self-interest and ego. Even in our increasingly secular culture there is a conscious desire for people to find a spiritual dimension to their lives. Early Christians were first called the “People of the Way.” Christians are in essence members of a community of faith who follow a definite and certain path of the way of Jesus the Messiah. Church traditions sadly sometimes confuse the issues of the way of Christ.

Then On The Eighth Day

2011-09-05T12:11:00.000-04:00

The book of Genesis tells us that God created the heavens and earth in six days and rested on the seventh.

Now comes the eighth day after creation and we might say what happened next? At that point the book begins to tell about human activity but we also learn that God was still busy overseeing creation perhaps even adjusting things a bit here and there.

Astronomy tells us that new stars are constantly being created so one might conclude that God is still working on creation even now. One would not want to limit God's activity so we can not say that God has stopped creating. This of course brings up the idea that perhaps God has created other beings in other places in God's image like us. They may not look like us but still have the spirit with in them. We have to say we don't know but that it is a possibility.

Entitlements and What?

2011-09-03T15:38:00.000-04:00

Entitlements

“Those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it”. George Santayana

Today there are people who want to eliminate Social Security, Medicare, and all regulations for business. There was a time when that is what we had in this county.

Under President Herbert Hover Business did what ever it wanted to and they polluted the water ways and land. [Love Canal] They called out police against labor unions. People died because of callous profit seeking companies who denied employees a safe place to work.

We may have some over zealous regulations but there are reasons for most of our regulations.

We did not have the Social Security safety net – people were encouraged to invest for them selves in a stock market with NO regulations. Most poor working class people did not save anything.

Then the stock marked crashed and Hover did nothing. The market is self correcting. A recession followed and Hover did nothing. The Depression followed and Hover did nothing.

Health care? There was none for most people and the average life span was 45 at best.

Do we really want to go back to the good old days of Herbert Hover?

A Single Life

2011-08-30T07:38:00.002-04:00

The life of a single human can be compared to a single letter in the alphabet.

Living alone it can feel almost meaningless. A person can feel lost with out direction or a goal. Every one of life’s challenges is a struggle and each defeat spirals down to depression. A life focused inward can be good for spiritual awareness for a time but can also be a source of self criticism.

Like a letter in a word a single human involve with others can be part of a greater meaning. Life’s challenges met with others have greater possibilities for success. Having others with you in support and correction can produce an upward spiral of joy and meaning.

For me having my life joined with my total opposite has completed me. Having my life involved with church, clubs and other groups given me focus beyond anything I could do alone. There are resources in the people around us that open our eyes to new things and a greater life.

Being open to the Holy Spirit of God has empowered me in ways that excel my efforts and fulfill my dreams. Being involved with the Holy other is the essence of meaning, focus and love. Life is good with God.

Taking God's Name in Vain

2011-08-28T09:32:00.000-04:00

In Bible Study I was asked the question,

“What does it mean to take God’s name in vain?”

To begin with it is not a casual curse asking God to bring damnation on someone or something. It is a serious sin and in some cases a serious crime.

It is an act you do on purpose and with understanding that it is wrong. A person takes God’s name in vain when he or she swears an oath in the name of God knowing at the time that it will not be kept.

One example is making a marriage vow in the name of God while planning to commit adultery is taking God’s name in vain. I have known people to do just that.

Another example is swearing in court in the name of God that you are going to tell the truth while you know that you are going to tell a lie. That happens to be serious crime as well as a sin. It is called perjury and you can get jail time for that.

Men Who Chase Skirts

2011-08-26T11:26:00.000-04:00

I know a man who from the time he learned about girls chased every skirt that came his way. I know for a fact that he created many fatherless children over the years. He is now old and in a nursing home and is still chasing skirts. I am not sure he knows what to do with them any more and it may be just a long standing habit.

It is sad that in the process of his endeavors that he broke many hearts and ruined more than one relationship with wives and children. His current wife was dating him while he was still married and for some reason can not understand how he could cheat on her. She went to visit him in the nursing home and found one of his girlfriends there with him. He has run his children off over and over.

He may well die alone in that nursing home with no one to mourn him. It is very sad.

I have known quite a few men like him in forty years of being a Pastor and they miss out on so much real love from wife and family because they have sought after lust instead of love. Yes I have also know some women like that too.

Priest and Sex

2011-08-24T09:27:00.000-04:00

In this mornings paper was an article about a priest accused of having sex with boys. Here is what it said:

"A Roman Catholic priest charged with sexually abusing two boys in the 1970s told the Archdiocese of Louisville in 1985 that he was a sexual addict, but church officials put him in treatment instead of removing him because they believed he was involved with men, not boys, according to court records released Tuesday."

Did they really say that? They defrocked priest for having sex with women. They transfer priest who have sex with boys. BUT they send priest who have sex with men to counseling.

What is wrong with that statement? I know that the Roman church is trying to improve their image on this issue but it seems like this is a world wide problem for them. It is sad that the 90% of priest who are honest God fearing men are tarnished by the perverse members of the priesthood. It is the cover up and "protect our image at all cost" that has really gotten the RC church into trouble over the years.

When Wicked People Repent

2011-08-23T08:39:00.000-04:00

In the book of Jonah we read about the great success of the first foreign missionary that God called and sent to a foreign land. Jonah's Journey for God took some strange twist before it was complete. Jonah could also be called the reluctant missionary and the unhappy missionary. How many servants of the Lord are reluctant or unhappy about the mission God has called them too? Jonah is not alone in his reluctance. Many are the excuses that people give for not serving the Lord.

Jonah had a few misunderstandings about God:

1. Jonah tried to trim God down to size. He wanted God to be only on the side of the Hebrew people and that did not wish to include the people of Nineveh as God's children. How many nations at war have called on God to be on their side and destroy their enemy?

2. Jonah expected God to show mercy only on the people of Israel. The other nations had their gods and Israel had YHWH and that was the way it should be. Let them die was his thought on the matter.

3. Jonah counted God as a citizen of Israel. He believed in the idea of exclusive ownership of God's power, forgiveness and mercy for the Hebrew people.

Jonah discovered to his personal dismay that God is bigger than his idea of God. Jonah like many people had a few deep personal prejudices. Many people have the idea that if God loves me then God can not love my enemies. Prejudice is not logical and often gets in our way.

Like the ten-year-old boy who was ask if he liked spinach. He answered, "No, and I'm glad, I don't like it, because if I liked it, I'd eat it, and I couldn't stand that because I hate it."

Jonah hated Nineveh and when God told him that unless the people of that city repented, he would destroy it like Sodom. Jonah's reply was let them burn. It was not a matter of what was right and wrong, but what would meet Jonah's expectations and desire for revenge. He wanted a powerful neighbor destroyed.

After major coaxing from God Jonah did accept his mission and go to Nineveh.... He preached long and hard about how God was going to destroy them, because of their wickedness.... To Jonah's utter surprise they listened, even the King repented and the most remarkable thing happened. God was merciful and forgave them. This is not often stated in the bible like this in Jonah 3:10,

"When God saw what they did, how they turned from their evil ways, God changed His mind about the calamity that he had said he would bring upon them; and he did not do it." God changed His mind, and the whole city was saved!

Now if I held a city wide revival and the whole city repented, I would be one happy evangelist. Jonah was not! Jonah went out and sulked. The day was his! Success was his and he was mad about it. "God, I told you what would happen, now look."

Consider that some of the most vile, wicked people on earth at that time, heard the word of God and repented. Are there people you know that seem so bad, so sinful, that you believe are beyond reach? Is there some reason that you are holding back and not going to them with the Gospel? Are there sinners so bad that you want them to be punished regardless of their repentance or their value to God?

Are we a little like Jonah? Do we let our own feelings get in the way of doing God's assigned work of reaching out to sinners? Are there people we know that we would just as soon see burn in hell? Is that why we do not go to them with the Love of God? Does the book of Jonah have a lesson for us today?

A Woman Who Reads

2011-08-22T10:37:00.001-04:00

A woman vacationing by a lake wanted some peace and quiet to read her book. She took her husbands fishing boat out into the lake and droped anchor. There in a quiet spot she began to read.

After a while a fish and game warden pulled up along side her boat. “What are you doing, Ma’am,” he said. “Reading a book,” She replied. “Isn’t that obvious?”

“You are in a restricted fishing area.” He informed her. “But I am not fishing.” “Yes but I see you have all the equipment and you might start at any time. So I am going to have to write you a ticket.”

She looked up from her book and smiled. “Then I will have to charge you with sexual assault.” “But I haven’t touched you,” said the exasperated game warden.

She said, “Yes but you have all the equipment and for all I know you may start at any time.”

The game warden tipped his hat and said, “Have a nice day ma’am,” and left.

The moral of this story is to never argue with a woman who reads. It is likely that she can also think.

A Little Child Shall Lead Them

2011-08-21T19:30:00.001-04:00

Something unusual happened today during worship at Hurstbourne Christian Church. It happened during the offering. As usual as the deacons bring to offering forward the children from children’s worship also bring their offering to the table.

That was when a 3 year old girl also went forward and gave her dolly to Jesus. That dolly was the most important thing in her little life and she placed it with the rest of the offerings. Pastor Mike picked up the doll and said, “And a little child shall lead them.” He invited all of us to give our best to Jesus too. He also returned the doll to the girl.

I won’t forget today’s worship.

A Definition of God

2011-08-19T09:55:00.000-04:00

A Definition of God

From the time of Plato there have been many attempts to define the term “god” as a way of understanding faith. In Plato’s “Republic” he seemed to imply by definition one god who was from the beginning creator, source of good and justice on an ideal plane. For the Greeks who believed in a great many gods that revelation started a long philosophical discussion.

“God is that being which there can be no greater than.”

That statement is often called an ontological proof of god. Given that there are beings – some greater than others – then the greatest has to be god. There for god could not be born or created or destroyed by any other. There can be by this definition only one god.

This provides a good start for a discussion on theology. How do we talk about god in the most basic sense no matter what our religion might say.

In These Trying TImes

2011-08-18T09:07:00.000-04:00

In over 40 years of ministry I have noticed that when people’s lives are under stress from work or other uncontrollable events that they look for places where they can have some control and vent their frustrations. Today we are under a lot of economic stress across the strata of our society. Even people who have jobs are worried about loosing them. The rich are getting a lot richer and the poor are growing in number. The gap between rich and poor is widening.

There are two places where people under stress vent their frustrations. The first is often in the family where more abuse of spouse, children and elderly are on the increase. The second is in volunteer organizations like clubs and church. I have often watched as someone disrupts a church board or committee meeting seemingly without cause. It is all about exerting some control some where. Many church pastors have been attacked simply because some one was venting frustrations in the only place they can.

Being a Pastor in these troubled times takes a lot of prayer.

Question Everything

2011-08-16T22:01:00.001-04:00

When ever I start a new Bible Study Class I encourage them to ask questions. I tell them that the only “dumb” question is the one you have and do not ask. We learn best when we ask questions and we should question everything.

I recently finished a book by Karen Armstrong titled “The Great Transformation – The beginning of our religious traditions” and was flooded with questions. She covered religious and political events in four areas during what she calls “The Axial Age” dating from the ninth century BC to the fifth century AD. The areas are China, India, the Middle East and Greece.

One big question she raised is how do we define the term god? This is a real question about a basic definition – of the term not a particular deity. So I ask you what is your definition of god – little g - ??? leave a comment with yours.

The Father of Geology

2011-08-11T22:16:00.002-04:00

Today I finished a book called ""The Map That Changed the World” by Simon Winchester. It is an excellent Story about William Smith and the birth of modern Geoglogy.

William Smith was not of noble birth or well educated but we was brilante when it came to observation and conclusions. He taught himself about rocks and fossiles befor it became popular. He figured out that older rock strata was on the bottom and each strata occurred in the same order through out England and perhaps around the world.

He single handlely conceived and published a hand-painted a geological map of England that was eight feet tall and six fee wide. It was he first of its kind.

Late in life he was recognized as the “Father of Geology” and was given great honors that he rightly deserved.

I highly recommend reading this book – Awesome!

Migration

2011-08-10T08:33:00.000-04:00

My dad always combed his hair straight back. I never thought all that much about it as it was just his style.

During the last decade of my life physical changes have been under way. One of these changes is that hair folicals have been deserting the top of my head where they are needed and moving to other areas of my body where they are not needed. This leaves the top of my head thin and gaining the look of a comb over even though I come it the same was as always.

I say all this because I went to a stylist to change my hair style. You guessed it she combed it straight back. When I looked in the mirror I was in shock. There was my father starring back at me in the mirror. I went back to combing my hair the way I always have.

Going Green in my Email

2011-08-09T07:39:00.000-04:00

This came in my email

In the line at the store, the cashier told an older woman that she should bring her own grocery bags because plastic bags weren't good for the environment.

The woman apologized to him and explained, "We didn't have the green thing back in my day."
The clerk responded, "That's our problem today. Your generation did not care enough to save our environment."

He was right -- our generation didn't have the green thing in its day.

Back then, we returned milk bottles, soda bottles and beer bottles to the store. The store sent them back to the plant to be washed and sterilized and refilled, so it could use the same bottles over and over. So they really were recycled.

But we didn't have the green thing back in our day.

We walked up stairs, because we didn't have an escalator in every store and office building. We walked to the grocery store and didn't climb into a 300-horsepower machine every time we had to go two blocks.

But she was right. We didn't have the green thing in our day.

Back then, we washed the baby's diapers because we didn't have the throw-away kind. We dried clothes on a line, not in an energy gobbling machine burning up 220 volts -- wind and solar power really did dry the clothes.
Kids got hand-me-down clothes from their brothers or sisters, not always brand-new clothing.

But that old lady is right; we didn't have the green thing back in our day.

Back then, we had one TV, or radio, in the house -- not a TV in every room. And the TV had a small screen the size of a handkerchief (remember them?), not a screen the size of the state of Montana .
In the kitchen, we blended and stirred by hand because we didn't have electric machines to do everything for us.
When we packaged a fragile item to send in the mail, we used a wadded up old newspaper to cushion it, not Styrofoam or plastic bubble wrap.
Back then, we didn't fire up an engine and burn gasoline just to cut the lawn. We used a push mower that ran on human power. We exercised by working so we didn't need to go to a health club to run on treadmills that operate on electricity.

But she's right; we didn't have the green thing back then.

We drank from a fountain when we were thirsty instead of using a cup or a plastic bottle every time we had a drink of water. We refilled writing pens with ink instead of buying a new pen, and we replaced the razor blades in a razor instead of throwing away the whole razor just because the blade got dull.

But we didn't have the green thing back then.

Back then, people took the streetcar or a bus and kids rode their bikes to school or walked instead of turning their moms into a 24-hour taxi service.
We had one electrical outlet in a room, not an entire bank of sockets to power a dozen appliances. And we didn't need a computerized gadget to receive a signal beamed from satellites 2,000 miles out in space in order to find the nearest pizza joint.

But isn't it sad the current generation laments how wasteful we old folks were just because we didn't have the green thing back then?

Does God Exist?

2011-08-08T09:02:00.002-04:00

I watched the Discovery Chanel last night dealing with the question “Does God exist” based on Professor Stephen Hawking’s statement that God does not exist. Theoretical physicist, Professor Stephen W. Hawking has stated that based on his considerable knowledge of the laws of physics, time itself did not exist before the “Big Bang.” He then jumps from physics to theology and says that because time did not exist therefore God did not exist and could not have created the universe.

That show was followed by a show called “Curiosity” with other physicist debating the many sides of that question. Some disagreed with Hawking’s theory of time not existing. The question about the existence of God has been a long standing debate in the world of physicist. Was there are creation event caused by God or did it just happen?

Professor Hawking started with the assumption that there is no god and set out to prove it with science. Theologians start with the assumption that there is God and will accept no proof to the contrary. It is a debate between physical understanding that demands cause and effect testable proofs and the spiritual understanding that need no physical proof but relies on the relationship of our spirits with the holy spirit.

In case you haven’t guessed I do not agree with professor Hawking on this issue.

How To Fix Congress

2011-08-06T18:49:00.002-04:00

Congressional Reform Amendment

1. Term Limits.
         12 years only, one of the possible options below:
           A. Two Six-year Senate terms
           B. Six Two-year House terms
           C. One Six-year Senate term and three Two-Year House terms

2. No Tenure / No Pension.
         A Congressman collects a salary while in office and receives no pay when they are out of office.

3. Congress (past, present & future) participates in Social Security.
All funds in the Congressional retirement fund move to the Social Security system immediately. All future funds flow into the Social Security system and Congress participates with the American people.

4. Congress can purchase their own retirement plan - just as all Americans do.

5. Congress will no longer vote themselves a pay raise. Congressional pay will rise by the lower of CPI or 3%.

6. Congress loses their current health care system and participates in the same health care system as the American people.

7. Congress must equally abide by all laws they impose on the American people.

I Love History

2011-08-05T09:31:00.002-04:00

I can not remember a time when history was unimportant to me. I can remember in school that most of my class mates found this exciting subject boring to the nth degree. Remembering names and dates is not exciting to most people and it is not really all that exciting to me. What got me really hooked on History early on was the stories connected with those names and dates.

Behind each event in history is a fascinating tale if you look for it. I would read the short notation in my history textbook and head straight for the library to search for the rest of the story that I knew was there. When history is viewed in this way we are filled with the emotions of people being hurt, or having their hopes fulfilled. We feel the joy of their success and the crush of their failures.

The same holds true for studying the bible. A list of dates is nothing but the stories are powerful. Reading the list of begats will bore you to tears but to ask, “Who were these people?” makes a big difference. Their legacy provides us with an example of how to life a godly life in relationship with God. We become part of God’s history.

What to CUT in the Federal Budget

2011-08-03T07:04:00.000-04:00

Salary of the US President ...................$400,000

Salary of retired US Presidents .............$180,000

Salary of House/Senate .......................$174,000

Salary of Speaker of the House ............$223,500

Salary of Majority/Minority Leaders ...... $193,400

I think we found where the first cuts should be made !

Thoughts on Marriage

2011-08-01T10:08:00.000-04:00

Note how Ephesians chapter five verse twenty-one starts us off; “Be subject to one another out of reverence for Christ.” Be subject to one another is an important concept in the Christian Marriage. For the Apostle Paul to say this in a very male dominated world is astounding. Yet through out this section on Christian marriage that theme predominates.

The introduction of the wedding ceremony that I use states, “Marriage is a relationship of mutual trust and esteem, blessed by God for the security, enjoyment, and growth of a man and a woman.” When any couple chooses to be married in a church or by a Christian Minister their vows are made not only to each other but also to God. A vow made to God is a sacred promise to be taken carefully and fulfilled with all devotion.

Far too many men feel that they have the right to beat their wives to keep them in line. Like the man who was hauled before the Judge for hitting and beating his wife.

The badly bruised wife was telling the judge her story: “Your honor, he gets up every morning and starts knocking me around the bedroom. He hits me in the head with his fist. Sometimes he uses a shoe. If I don’t fix his meals just the way he likes them, he throws the pots and pans at me. If I dare open my mouth, he hits me with a beer bottle.”

Looking at the husband, the judge asks, “What do you have to say about his?”

“You can’t believe a word that woman says, your Honor, she’s punch drunk.”

Men who bring harm to their wives violate their vows to God as well as to their wives and put their own souls in danger. It is therefore a double sin!

No person has the right to beat another. A Christian husband, according to Paul, places himself between his wife and any harm even to the extent of giving his life for her. As Christ gave himself for the church, Paul says this is the example for the Christian husband. The partnership between husband and wife is ideally so complete that they are as one person before the Lord.

A Blind Mind's Eye

2011-07-31T07:57:00.000-04:00

A Blind Mind’s Eye

Growing up I never quite understood the term “Mind’s Eye” although I never really gave it much thought either.

Recently my wife read a report in a Discover magazine that spoke of a man having an operation and afterward his mind’s eye went blind. The report talked about his struggle to adapt to the difference in his ability to remember things. This reminded me of the day when I discovered that most people had a “Mind’s Eye” and it was something I never had.

I was taking a class in Cultural Anthropology at the University of Texas in Austin. The class was all about how ancient cultures developed. A lot of it was hands on, like how to knap flint into arrow heads and hand axes. That was the class that got me hooked on anthropology/archaeology and other earth studies.

During one class session the professor began teaching us about how different people perceived the world around them. During the class we learned that about five percent of people have a mind’s eye that sees in 3D in living color and they are part of the vision. Forty-five percent have a mind’s eye that sees a color movie on a flat screen. Another forty-five percent see the movie in black and white. The professor then told us that the last five percent listens to the radio in their head with no internal visual effects.

I was stunned when I realized that I was in that last group and I now knew the meaning of the Mind’s Eye. My dreams and day dreams are all like listening to an audio book. I close my eyes and it is dark inside. Now I am married to a woman who is in the first five percent and we have had many discussions about our different perceptions. I have trouble remembering people’s names and word association does not help. She can see their face along with a printed bio of their life and relationships in her head. She is so helpful when I say “Who is that?” and she has her vision.

So what percentage of mental vision are you in?

Refuse to Compromise

2011-07-30T13:47:00.000-04:00

In 1952, Armon M. Sweat, Jr., a member of the Texas House of Representatives, was asked about his position on whiskey. What follows is his exact answer (taken from the Political Archives of Texas):

"If you mean whiskey, the devil's brew, the poison scourge, the bloody monster that defiles innocence, dethrones reason, destroys the home, creates misery and poverty, yea, literally takes the bread from the mouths of little children; if you mean that evil drink that topples Christian men and women from the pinnacles of righteous and gracious living into the bottomless pit of degradation, shame, despair, helplessness, and hopelessness, then, my friend, I am opposed to it with every fiber of my being.

However, if by whiskey you mean the lubricant of conversation, the philosophic juice, the elixir of life, the liquid that is consumed when good fellows get together, that puts a song in their hearts and the warm glow of contentment in their eyes; if you mean Christmas cheer, the stimulating sip that puts a little spring in the step of an elderly gentleman on a frosty morning; if you mean that drink that enables man to magnify his joy, and to forget life's great tragedies and heartbreaks and sorrow; if you mean that drink the sale of which pours into Texas treasuries untold millions of dollars each year, that provides tender care for our little crippled children, our blind, our deaf, our dumb, our pitifully aged and infirm, to build the finest highways, hospitals, universities, and community colleges in this nation, then my friend, I am absolutely, unequivocally in favor of it.

This is my position, and as always, I refuse to compromise

A pox on both parties in congress!

2011-07-27T09:21:00.000-04:00

A pox on both parties in congress!

I have been fed up with both Democrats and Republicans for a long time. It is not really the liberal vs conservative issue for me. On some issues I am liberal and on some I am conservative. I am fed up with the corruption and narrowness of mind. Their goal has been to be reelected and to collect as much money as possible to do so.

Both parties try to tell me what the American people want and I don’t think they have a clue. They don’t seem to know what I want.

The conservative in me wants a logical approach to our federal budget. Neither the Republicans nor Democrats know what that is.

I believe that until our debt is paid off we need both spending cuts and revenue increases. Then we must have a balanced budge article in the constitution because clearly future congresses will put us back in the same condition. The article should provide a way to borrow incase of national emergency with a pay off date for the debt.

A cut in the Federal budget needs to start with the salary budget for congress and President and last until the debt is paid off.

I know that the process will be difficult and we will need to spread the pain when we make the hard choices.

Restore the New Testament Church?

2011-07-26T11:05:00.002-04:00

I belong to a church that started in the early 1800’s as a movement to unite all Christians by restoring the “New Testament” church. That was a lofty goal. If only we could restore the forms and governance of the first century Christian Church then everyone would join us. In 1832 it looked like it might be working as two like minded groups united at a meeting in Lexington Kentucky. The “Christians” and the Disciples of Christ formed the Christian Churches (Disciples of Christ).

It was a good beginning but there were developing differences of opinion concerning exactly what the New Testament forms were. How did the first century church do things? Some people saw no organization beyond the local congregation. Some believed that musical instruments were used in worship and some did not. Some believed in mutually supporting missionaries and some thought each congregation should support a missionary. A church group that formed to unite the whole church split twice over differences of opinions.

Today we know that in the first century of the church there was more than one way of doing things. While the Christian faith was illegal in the Roman Empire it was unable to organize but in 325 AD Emperor Constantine made it legal and forced an organization on the church. Those who disagreed – and there were many – left the empire to remain true to what they believed was the “true church.”

Is it any wonder that we can not agree on restoring the New Testament Church?

Equal ? Civil ? Rights ?

2011-07-24T09:09:00.002-04:00

Equal Civil Rights is a phrase that sounds so right on the surface that one would think that everyone would be in favor of it. Experience indicates that this is not always the case.

In practice that lofty ideal gets really messy because it brings about change in our society. Public Radio has been reviewing the “Freedom Riders” of fifty years ago. Then Equal Civil Rights for black people was a big issue that a lot of white people were against.

Around the turn of the 1900’s Equal Civil Rights for women was a big issue that a lot of men were against. You can name almost any group and at some point there was a quest for Equal Civil Rights. Go back to the 1600’s and people were leaving Europe so that they could have their Equal Civil Rights for their religion.

Today people who prefer their own gender are agitating for their Equal Civil Rights to be married. There are a lot of people who are against that idea on religious grounds.

Equal Civil Rights at all levels of society is an issue that we really need to consider carefully and thoughtfully as an ideal apart from a particular form of the issue. How can we insure our own Equal Civil Rights if we strive to deny any other group their Equal Civil Rights?

What do you think?

Role Reversals

2011-07-23T17:59:00.000-04:00

I just heard on the news about another male/female role reversal. It seems that now there are more women cheating on their husbands than men cheating on their wives.

There is really no need to compete on this level of life. Both men and women should respect their vows and remain faithful to their mates.

In so many ways attitudes about male and female relationships and attitudes have merged. I suppose that women simply have a lot more opportunity than they use to have and are taking advantage of it.

What next?

Choose This Day

2011-07-22T08:46:00.000-04:00

People in the Bible like Joshua can teach us about the process of faith as a growing and learning experience. Joshua in fact gives us a basic biblical methodology for growing in faithfulness day by day.

The people Joshua led into the Holy Land had many choices to make as the settled into the land they had just conquered. The people who already lived there worshipped many gods and the land the Hebrews had come from in Egypt had worshipped many gods. Some of the Hebrew people had idols in their possession at the time

It was so tempting to worship like the locals. Do like everyone else and party every Saturday night. But they had been called and chosen by God Almighty, who had said, “Do not worship any other god.” So now they must make a decision.

Joshua was all about making the most important choice we can make. It all started with God saying, “I will be your god and you will be my people.”

Israel

didn’t apply for the job, God choose them and through Jesus has chosen us. Now the chosen are issued a challenge when Joshua said, “Choose this day whom you will serve.”

Being faithful to God is not easy. Acknowledging God is only a matter of recognition but choosing God requires the reordering of everything else in life. It takes real dedication, determination, and devotion. God’s people are severely warned that life with Yahweh is rigorous and demanding.

I say with Joshua: “As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”

No Warnings At ALL

2011-07-21T15:26:00.002-04:00

I really should have known better but I did it any way. In Lowes it looked so simple and easy to do. The kit to convert a single flush toilet into a dual flush displayed a few easy steps that “anyone” could do.

Where were the warning bells and lights that should have gone off in my head by remembering past frustrations with plumbing projects? No soundings at all and I plunged into the task at hand. The “two hour” task is now in its second day.

Next time I promise to call in a plumber.