Christmas 06

Praise God. We had a white Christmas for once. Not too much snow, but the grass stayed covered while the roads cleared. I have some pictures up on the photoblog. Take a look at dlwilley.photoblog.com. With funds a bit tight, this year I missed the family shopping trips. It’s always fun to pair-up with someone you’re NOT shopping for, and then help each other shop for the rest of them. I enjoy the hiding gifts… wrapping things… trying to guess what you’ve been given and such. That and the wonderfully lit houses, the fun, happy music and such, all come together to make this time of year so special (in spite of the gloomy weather and gray overcast days). Sure, we know that the Christ was probably born in April or May… but celebrating His birth at this time of year makes good sense. This year, however, I missed out on most of what I enjoy about Christmas. I did want to see the family assemble and have a good time together. We are getting to be such a large group that deciding on where to meet is becoming a problem. Hosting a party for this motley crew is also a lot of work, and fairly expensive. So I made what I thought to be some practical suggestions. First have someone host who has a large enough room. (A couple of the newer homes are larger and fairly spacious.) Second, the host shouldn’t be expected to cook everything. We have so many who can afford to contribute, and it is easy to cook one or two dishes. We represent some five or six married couples, who all have homes and kitchens and can cook. Then when we come together we can all enjoy a wide variety of foods and probably in great quantities. It seemed like a good idea. But I was disappointed because not everyone showed up. I had started talking to the family about Christmas right after Thanksgiving. I did not want to host the dinner here, because our house just isn’t quite large enough for everybody. But other options were shot down and our house was chosen in the end. Then it was suggested that we do something more informal, and just have finger foods. That meant that less space was needed, as no huge table setting would be needed. Since we were not setting up tables and chairs, we went ahead and made some deserts and drinks. My cousin John showed, as did my parents and my sister, Tina. Or I should say; Tina, Randy and the twins, but her boys and their wives and children all were no-shows… so we ended up with more than twice the amount of food than we needed. (The boys were either not told about the party at all or figured that since their mom would be hosting a big dinner the very next night… Christmas Eve was their night to spend with their wives families… and not with us). Hence my disappointment! So in part, my plan to put our family party together as a co-operative effort ended up being a sham! The real family party ended up at Tina’s (as always) and we were not even invited. But I have to curb my disappointment with this somewhat, because those who did show up here on Christmas Eve all had a great time! No one went away hungry. We all sat around the table and played games. Mom even stayed after everyone else left and played cards till after midnight. No one was trapped in the kitchen trying to put everything together. No one was stressed out by the daunting task of making sure everything is prepared. So all-in-all the concept I’d proposed seemed to work. I guess these family traditions are harder to change than I’d figured. Well, perhaps next year a few more of the family will see the sense in this and we can get more people involved in planning and preparing the family Christmas dinner. I know it’s a huge a job, but it is far easier to put it all together if everyone takes part, and the work load is delegated out. It is also more rewarding (for me at least) if I know I have added something to everyone’s enjoyment of the holiday. When I’m just invited to attend a party hosted and pre-paired by them, I feel like an unwelcome guest at what should be my family get-together. As it turned out, we were able to take the ample leftovers to a friend’s house. They were struggling a bit under the load of preparing food for a rather large group and when we came along with Turkey Soup, Steak, Shrimp, Salad, Pie, Cheese Cake, Brownies, Fresh Fruit, Wine and more… it just kind of made their day! We ate, played games and had a great time! So this year I opened not a gift. Nope, not so much as one wrapped gift. But I lacked nothing. I was surrounded by the love of family and friends, and that means more to me than all gifts in the world. If they only knew how much it means to me to be able to spend time with them, perhaps a few more of them would want to show up!

Life's too short

<<< Deep Thought >>> Life is just too short. I ask you. You spend you early years just learning about life, then you have to learn howoake a living, and then about the time your getting all this figured out, someone pulls out the "RIP" imbossed ballons! PLEASE! I think man ought to live to be about 150 or 200. That way you can learn all the things you ought to know and have enough time to enjoy it too. Maybe then we'd want to build things like they used to.. buildings and such that were ment to stand for a few hundred years instead of this trash that'll be lucky to stand for longer than the morgage payments will last. I suppose that is a bit harsh. Funny though. how life is. I've lived clean & never did nobody no harm. But life has never cut me a break nor done me any favors. Yes I have travled. Canada to Florida, Mexico, Korea, Spain and England too. I have seen life from more vistas than most men ever do. In spite of all that, there are many more places I have never seen. Hawii, Rio, Venice, Scottland, Ireland, Sweeden. Life is just too short.

Quick Notes

As it has been rather a long time since I've written, I thought I'd just make some quick notes about the major events.

Although we had him for only a few months, Tiggy, our big yellow cat has passed away. The only thing we can figure is that he must have gotten into something toxic, because he stoped eating and litterly just waisted away. I've never know an animal or person that seemed not to have an evil bone in their body, not one, like this cat did. His eyes reflected a light emerald green, rather than red, his manner was gentile and un-impossing. If I can find just one person like that before I die, and make that person my friend, I'd die a wealthy man, and I wouldn't need money to do it. The cat will be missed.

David, our friend and neighbour from the old house, stuck the front of his car under a truck. It did little to the truck, but his Geo Metro sustained a good deal of modification. I helped him bang out the worst of the dents, a replace a busted headlight. It could be fixed, but a car like that isn't worth a lot to start with, and as it is holding togeather, drivable, and still street leagel, he is content to drive it as is.

Our sea-food night appears to have been a success. Our Real-Life Group came over last tuesday for fish, salmon, shrimp, fettachinni, salad and a movie. We watched, "The God's Must Be Crazy" an older film, but still a fun one, and soo, so funny! Everyone eat a lot, laughed a lot, and had a good time.

Amanda has been in marching band. The band at Nampa High School has held a great deal of respect in the community for several years, and has proven itself again this year. They swept the local compitition, and took almost every award in the District as well, so they went to Seattle for a state wide compition, where they had placed 8'th the year before, and took 4'th place this year! We are all proud of her, and the NHS Marching Band. After all, it is hard enough for some people to walk and chew bublegum at the same time, while these kids are marching in formation and playing music at the same time! Great Job Dawwgs!

Pilar continues to excel in her carrer. She took the Discharge Planner possition a few months back, and she may not have to wait long before she is asked to take over that office. Her current supervisor is making elementry level mistakes that there are no excuses for.

Nadya is now a Junior in Highschool, and for the first time in her life she is having to work at keeping her grades up. But then, she is already taking college level courses. Through a program offered by the school, in cooperation with NNU, the local University, she can earn college credits from her classes at the Highschool this year, because some of the classes she is taking now, are equivalent to the class offerings at NNU. The program is called "concurrent credits" and requires us to pay a fee (a fraction of the price that college credits nomally cost). Her success at this level could mean that she will have most of her College freshman courses completed on graduation from H.S.

I'm just glad that I've been back in school and learning all this advanced math and stuff. Otherwise, dear old dad would have been clueless about how to help her with her homework lately. As it is I've managed to stay one or two steps ahead of her, but my lead is wanning. She got into a physics class this year, and I have to wait until the spring to get into physics. I'm required to have Calculus I under my belt before I can get into that class. I should be able to must it this time though. I got an 'A' on the frist exam, a 'C' on the second. Our thrid exam will come about the middle of next week, so there isn't much new matterial to put on an exam. I'm confident that I'll pass the class with good marks. I have been retaking the Pre-Calculus corse (for the grade) at the same time. This has enable me to re-inforce my algebra skills, and to plug a few holes. Ultamatly it should prove worth the time when it props up my GPA. I've had some trouble with all this math... at this point I'd not recomend to anyone older, looking to get a BS degree, that they go back full time. Instead, I'd recomend that they start with a series of night classes, and concentrate on the math. Get through Calculus I and then go after it full time! In any case, look to your weaknesses, and deal with them first. I always liked math, so I did not suspect that I'd have any trouble with it, but I have been having some trouble, too much trouble, with these math classes.

They are falling like flies! My Uncle passed away, our friend & Nephew to my sister passed awaw, our pet cat... and now... Mom called me saturday and told me that Terry Rock was found dead in his home. Terry was one of the few relitives that I grew up with. I think he is only a second cousin, but he and older sister Melinda were very close to the same age as Tina and I and while we lived in Eureka, we saw a lot of each other. Terry taught me how to ride a mini-bike, walk on stilts, shoot pool, and play war with rubber-band guns or stinging neddel 'gernades'. I don't think my parents ever realised how much of a bad influence he was on me. (he he)! Fortunatly for me, we had moved away before he found drugs... something that may have played a roll in his early departure. He can't be but about 45 yers of age... too young to be dying!

Well, see how much you miss when you don't keep, er, well, when I don't keep the journal upto date. ( grin ) Life is just too short and way too fast passed! -Dan.

NEW OR USED

There are only two things I know of that will keep a diesel engine from starting, short of total mechanical failure that is.  One is a fuel problem such as a plugged fuel filter or a leaking fuel line which lets air get into the fuel pump.  The other is glow-plugs.  These little plugs are a lot like gas engine spark plugs, but they are only needed to get things warmed up enough to start the engine, and then they are turned off.

 

I went out to the car on Monday to go to class and found it had been smitten by a bad glow plug.  It would not start.  The last time this happened, I messed around with it most of an afternoon and into the evening.  Dad finally came over and gave me some tips, and a replacement (used) glow plug to swap out with the bad one.  This system is not the best design either.  Five glow plugs are wired one after the other so when just one goes bad the circuit is broken and none of them work!  But this time I was ready for it!  I had been mindful of the fact that I was depending on a miss-matched group of aged plugs, but also of the fact that I did not know how to work on them.  When I was searching for some small diesel fuel line, I was directed to a foreign auto parts store that has a lot more that I'd like to buy! Trust me on that one.  While there, I picked up a repair manual and five brand new glow plus.  I just hadn't had the time or maybe the incentive to install them.

 

Here in Idaho, I think the mentality of most people is to spend as little as possible on repairs.  For example, find which one went bad, get a good one (used if possible, they cost less) and just replace the one that went bad.  This saves you a lot of money on repairs, right?  But does it?  Sure the cost of the parts is less out of pocket, but isn't there a lot more to consider?  In my case, if I just replaced the one, how long would it last?  Winter is approaching and the glow plugged are working harder in the mornings than they have all summer.  More heat is needed to start a freezing cold engine than is needed when it's about 70 degrees out.  By changing out all five, I should avoid having to do this again anytime soon, especially in the bite of winters weather.  But I was talking about costs here.  It took me about three hours to swap them all out.  If it had been done in a shop, the final bill might have come to about 4 or 5 hundred dollars.  In addition I lost a day of classes... I paid for those too!  If all I had accomplished was to replace one that was blown with a plug that is just as likely to fail soon anyhow, how many more times this winter would I be missing classes and spending several hours under the hood searching for a bad glow plug?

 

With some things, it doesn't make sense to buy new when used parts are available.  With some things that wear out or burn out over time, it just doesn't make sense to buy used when new parts are available.  Obvious examples are tiers, brake pads, clutch plates, ignition parts, starters, alternators and such.  These things fail eventually and replacing them with another used part is perhaps a stop gad measure, at best. It ensures that at some near future date, it will have to be fixed all over again.  So the cost out of pocket is soon exceeded by the "down-time" and by the "shop-time".  By that I mean the cost of not having a working vehicle (in my case it was the loss of classes that I pay to attend) and the cost of labor to make repairs, which in a shop is above 100 dollars an hour now?  So the cost of new plugs over used is cheaper if I don't have to put it in the shop just one extra time.

 

Still I thank God for his grace.  If this car had not started one time earlier... things would have been quite different.  You see, at home here, I had the parts and tools and manual.  Everything I needed to make the repairs.  The last time I started this car was Thursday, leaving school.  (I stayed home sick Friday (flu) didn't go anywhere Saturday, and Sunday we used the wife's car to go to church.) So if the car had failed to start just one use earlier it would have left me stranded at school, in Boise (25 miles away from home) mid-day, ill with the flu, no tools, no parts, no one to call for a couple hours...  that would have been the Murphy's Law moment! You know, the guy who says that things always go wrong at the worst possible moment.  Well, in my case it didn't.  That is something to be grateful for!

 

2 UP & 1 BACK

All week, my mom and I debated about what to do for labor day.  My sister had made plans for the family to go camping, but those fell through because the camp grounds closed.  (Wildland fires were in the area, and they were shut down.)  A few other ideas were bounced around, but in the end it looked like everyone would be going in different directions.

 

Friday came and we still were not decided, but mom had gotten news that her brother (my uncle) was in the hospital, and not doing well.  They were going to try him on dialysis, if it went well, he might live to see the new year, if not, well, they gave him up to two weeks.  With that in mind, I told mom we should use this opportunity to get out of town and go see him while he is still among the living.  It would mean more to him and I to actually talk a bit than to pay respects at  a funeral.  Dad has been working near there, and had hoped we would all get to come se him, so she finally agreed to the idea and we all packed for a short trip to Yuba City California on Friday night.

 

Saturday morning we left early.  Two hours into the trip, mom got a call.  Dad had drove down from Eureka and was in the hospital with uncle Doyle already.  Dialysis that morning had gone okay, Doyle was looking a bit better.  Then we got another call.  Doyle had taken a turn for the worst, he might live long enough for us to see him.  Then another call Doyle had passed away.  The trip suddenly changed from one where we were going to visit Doyle, to one where we needed to take his sister  (mom) down, and we all needed to be with the family.  Then she got another call.  My sisters nephew, Carl, had been hurt in an accident.  No details.  Latter we got more.  Carl had passed away.  The young man had been out riding motorcycles with some friends, two of them had gotten tangled up, Carl was injured and died soon after, the other man was still in a critical condition.

 

We arrived late Saturday in Yuba City.  We were able to connect with Sterly, Brandon, Steven and their families... we also paid a visit to Bert, Doyle's wife.  I was glad we had made the effort and taken the time, in spite of the sad circumstances.  Monday came and it was time for us to head back to Idaho.  I had promised my daughters something of a camping trip, so we took in a short detour off the main roads and climbed around a mountain for a couple of hours before continuing on home.

 

Out on HWY 395, Nadya started asking for a pit-stop.  We skated through the small town of "Likely" without seeing any place we wanted to stop, so we pushed on another 20 miles and pulled into a Rite Aid parking lot.  Upon getting out I looked down and saw that the front tire was almost down to the rim.  It was FLAT!  We had everything onboard that we needed to change it except a lug wrench!  And while there were a surprising number of small businesses open on the labor day in the small town of Alturas, not one of them sold anything like a lug wrench.  I found a station with air, and got the rim off the ground, but the tire's side wall was already damaged and the tire a complete loss.  Then I found an engine shop with one door cracked open.  The mechanic was there on personal business, but he helped me swap out the flat for the spare.  I thanked him with a 20.  Least I could do for saving us from being stuck overnight in Alturas!

 

So we lost two on the way up.  We lost one on the way back.  The loss on the trip back pales in comparison to the promise of young life taken by tragedy.  It pales in comparison to the loss of a good man, though elderly, in failing health, Doyle was one of the good guys, and this old world just doesn't seem to have as many of those as it used too.  We grieve the loss of one more.  Our grief is tempered by the sincere hope and faith that both these men, young and old though they were, had both found the saving grace of our Lord Jesus, and that today they are both in a better place.  Our prayers go out to their families and friends.  May God's peace be with you all. 

To Judge or Not to Judge

The following response to an earlier post caught my attention, and I wanted to address it fully.  This line of reasoning has been around for some time and I just can not abide by it.  I’ll explain why.  But first a look at the posted response.

 

 

“Anonymous said…

This was in my mailbox as part of my Bible verse of the day and I thought of you.  Romans 14:1-13.  (See passage)

<snipped for brevity>

I pray that you consider that you risk losing someone by judging them.”

 

 

The key verse in this passage is Romans 14:4, “Who art thou that judgest another man’s servant? to his own master he standeth or falleth. Yea, he shall be holden up: for God is able to make him stand.”

 

Thus the idea is promoted that the Christian should not judge.

 

There are two fundamental differences between what I promote and what this passage condemns.

 

First:  The passage is clearly written about Christians passing judgment upon other Christians.  I agree with the passage, that such a practice is wrong.  From time to time you will hear a minister condemn the activities of another minister.  That is a bad business.  As we grow in the Lord it is important to learn that God calls each of us to unique avenues of ministry.  My favorite example is to compare Noah with Moses, both had the problem of getting a large group over a body of water.  Noah was instructed by God to build a boat, and the fact that he did so makes him a great man of the faith.  But if Moses had followed Noah’s example at the red sea… it would have been a sin.  Moses was given different instructions, as were fitting to the situation.  This is confusing to the new converts.  But what it means is that we should not criticize OTHER CHRISTIANS just because they do things differently than we would.  This is normal, expected and even part of God’s overall plan. 

 

Second:  The activity in question is not something that is clearly contrary to the Laws of God.  Neither the parting of the Red Sea or the building of a boat is a violation of any of the ten commandments.  Please note that there is a huge difference between violating the laws of God and violating the traditions of various denominations.  Mankind is always writing rules.  The Scribes and Pharases turned God’s basic laws into several volumes of man-made rules.  Any Law Library is another example of this fact.  Every denomination has it’s version of the Doctrine and Covenants, whether or not they have stopped and wrote them down.  Men like rules!  BUT the only rules that we will be held to at the great judgment, are those which are given to us by God.  Those are the only ones that really count.

          Also note that there is a huge difference between expounding on the Law of God and passing judgment.  How can anyone keep God’s laws if they do not know what they are?  And how can they know what the Laws are, if no one teaches them?  But teaching the Law is not pointing our finger at someone and calling them a sinner.  It is the act of expounding or promoting the Laws of God.  Nor is admonishing people not to lie or steal a judgment of any particular individual.  It is educating them that the act itself is a sin.  In other words, I maintain that exposing sin is not the same thing as exposing the sinner.

 

Now that I have defined the differences between what I believe we should be doing, from what we should not be doing.  I’d like to explain WHY we should be doing this.  Okay?

 

The biblical cautions against being judgmental are clear and oft quoted. But these assertions have been so overstated that they impress me like the difference between being open minded and being so open minded that have become mindless.  Are Christians really supposed to be so judgment free that they become the epitome of indiscretion?  I think not!  The act of discerning right from wrong is a fundamental exercise in judgment.  Learning right from wrong is a lifelong process and a fundamental part of Christianity!  But that isn’t all.  It isn’t enough to pursue this for yourself only.  The “Live and let Live” philosophy of life.  I think God calls us to do more than that.

 

A part of being a Christian is being salt and light to the world.  Salt is a preservative.  We are supposed to help preserve the nations.  The scripture asks the provocative question, that if salt looses its flavor, how will you season it?  Then it points out that flavorless salt is good for nothing.  My take on that?  Simple, if the Christians look like, act like, sound like the world… well if it looks like a duck, sounds like a duck and acts like a duck, it is a duck.  Christians who blend in too well with the world, so that you can’t tell the difference between them and the lost, are not being salt or light.

 

To make the point a little sharper, we need only consider God’s word to Ezekiel.  See Ezekiel 3:17-21.

 

“17.  Son of man, I have made thee a watchman unto the house of Israel: therefore hear the word at my mouth, and give them warning from me.

 18.  When I say unto the wicked, Thou shalt surely die; and thou givest him not warning, nor speakest to warn the wicked from his wicked way, to save his life; the same wicked man shall die in his iniquity; but his blood will I require at thine hand.

 19.  Yet if thou warn the wicked, and he turn not from his wickedness, nor from his wicked way, he shall die in his iniquity; but thou hast delivered thy soul.

 20.  Again, When a righteous man doth turn from his righteousness, and commit iniquity, and I lay a stumblingblock before him, he shall die: because thou hast not given him warning, he shall die in his sin, and his righteousness which he hath done shall not be remembered; but his blood will I require at thine hand.

 21.  Nevertheless if thou warn the righteous man, that the righteous sin not, and he doth not sin, he shall surely live, because he is warned; also thou hast delivered thy soul.”

 

As I understand this, if we are not warning the lost of the consequences of sin, then their blood is on our hands.  We are accountable.

 

Haven’t we all been commissioned to spread the gospel message?  Are not we all given that task?  Then I ask you this; how can you tell people about the saving grace of Jesus, if and when the lost know nothing about God, God’s Law or their sin?  You might as well be telling them that Santa Cause threw himself on a live grenade to save them from the bogeyman under the bed.  It is all a bunch of silly nonsense to them.  You have to start, like the book of Genesis starts, with the existence of God, that God created everything, and that means it all belongs to Him, and that because he owns it, he has the right to make the rules.  Then I need to know what his rules are, forsaking all the man-made tripe, and then I need to figure out whether I’m guilty or innocent by those rules.  Then and only then will the gospel message become meaningful. 

 

What they do with that message, is between them and God.  But if we fail to warn the world about the whole “the wages of sin is death,” thing, then we are the ones who sin before God.

 

-Pastor Torch.

Endurance 05

The pitfall of false apostles. During his travels Paul ran into this cleaver little scam. Think of the guy who is riding a donkey and gets it to move by dangling a carrot in front of its nose. In like manner a false apostle is someone who uses what motivates you to get you to do his work. They see that you want to grow in the Lord and that you’re striving to learn the things of God. So they tell you all sorts of great stories and stuff on one hand, but with the other they make certain requests known. They need money, they need food, they need you to serve them in some manner. Hold the phone. So do all pastors, teachers and priests. So what is the difference? Ah… good question. The difference is when they sell you on the idea, somehow, that what they offer is special and you will only receive it, if you get it from them. Remember that God is no respecter of persons. What he will do for others, he will do for you. So no man has anything special and unique from God. Neither can any church, organization or group make that claim. The only unique name in the Bible is the name of our Lord and Savior, Jesus the Christ. The word says that there is no other name under heaven whereby men can be saved. Therefore the one thing you need from God, Salvation, is given to you directly by Jesus. No man, no organization, no group, no not even a church or a prayer room full of ordained ministers can do anything to affect that. So when you find that the teachings of this one or that one is starting to bring you under bondage to them, rather than closer to Jesus, well, you are being lead astray by a false apostle. These critters can be hard to discern from the real thing, and a mite hard to deal with. But here is something I learned the hard way. The false apostle will eventually reveal their true heart. You know that where your treasure is, you heart will be also? If their heart is with anything other than God, that is your queue! Common maladies are the love of money, power, prestige, and/or fame. Hints of such maladies may be discerned when for example a pastor declines an opportunity to minister to the lost because: ‘it costs too much’, ‘they would not become members of this church so it isn’t expedient for us to do so’, ‘our mission is elsewhere right now and that would just put an unnecessary burden on everyone’, or ‘if we did that, the press would have a field day at our expense!’. If you have heard any of these lines, or anything like it, you have been given a clue that the person does not have his heart in the right place. Pray for that person and be on guard. Do not allow them to ensnare you and burden you. If you do, you’ll eventually become aware that you have been made an (er) donkey … out of.

Endurance 04

The pitfall of self. Did you know that the Bible is full of time-tested advice about how to deal with life’s problems? It motivates the faithful toward self-awareness, self improvement, and it leads them to success. Did you know that the faithful tend to live longer and with a greater quality of health? But the Christian faith is neither a self-improvement program, nor a path to success and it is not a health plan. The fundamental difference between self-improvement programs, get rich scams and health enhancement programs lies in your motivation. If you are motivated by self-interest, self-promotion, self-enhancement… if what drives you is what you can get out of it, then you have missed the boat entirely. You are self-centered, maybe even proud. Christianity is not something that is self-motivated, but in fact it is self-sacrificing. It is just the opposite from what the world sells. Romans chapter 12 talks to us about being a “living sacrifice” for God. Jesus demonstrated this by washing the feet of his disciples, a task normally given to the lowest servant. He taught that those who desire to be first, come in last, but those who prefer to put others first, will be elevated to the seat of honor. When Jesus began his ministry, he started with a forty day fast. He was very hungry when he was done with this, and that is when He was tempted. The first thing he was tempted with, was to prove Himself the Son of God by turning stones into bread. Why would that have been wrong? You know, turning stone into bread is no more a sin by the law than was turning water into wine. But Jesus wouldn’t do it! Why? Could it be, because it would mean that he was using his power and authority, given to him by God, for selfish motives? He was the one who was hungry. He was the one who was being challenged. And no matter whether he did it to show his power, or to appease his hunger, to act as Satan suggested would have meant that He was doing it for himself, doing it selfishly. That would have been a sin. There is a message going around, that has missed this point. It is know as the “prosperity gospel” and it advises it’s followers to claim wealth and prosperity for themselves though the power of Jesus name. There is truth behind the message, but the fundamental point that they miss is that Jesus didn’t die on the cross to become your personal genie and wish fulfiller! In fact, God’s program is more like this: Jesus did the job you couldn’t do, he fulfilled the Law, so that we could do for him the thing that He could not do, populate the Kingdom of Heaven. It is accomplished through an exchange of lives. I give him my life and in return he gives me his. When you consider that my life is wretched, miserable and bound for eternal damnation, and that his is good, honorable, and bound for eternal glory, well this deal is a wonderful opportunity for me! But the key is, again, I have to lay down my life, my self-interest, my self-centeredness, and take up the cross that Jesus has for me to carry. If I never give up being the center of my life, I can never realize the life that Jesus has for me. The Christian has a lot of great and wonderful blessings to look forward to, but if your interest in the Christian Life because of what you will gain from it, you have already sabotaged yourself, and you will become disappointed and bitter. The Christian is not the center of his own world. He does not worship himself.

Homosexual Part 2 (My Responce)

Homosexuality Part 2 Wow, at this point I’ve had three responses to my ‘dilemma’. I used the homosexual group as an example of an audience that needs to be reached… and that has prompted some reaction. Anonymous reactions, but hey! Since I can’t address their assertions individually (I have no address to which to send a response) I’ll take a moment here to address them. The first and most basic question is the question of whether or not homosexuality is a ‘sin.’ But what is sin? Sin is a violation of God’s law, in the simplest of terms. In the broadest sense, the Bible says that for a man to know what is the right thing to do, and fail to do it, for him it is sin. That casts a very wide net. But if we just stick to the idea that sin is sin if it violates God’s Law, as it is written in the Bible, well, we can still show that this thing we call homosexuality is a sin. Leviticus 18:22 “Thou shalt not lie with mankind, as with womankind: it is abomination.” Leviticus 20:13 “And if a man also lie with mankind, as he lieth with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination; they shall surely be put to death; their blood shall be upon them.” And for those of you who think the Old Testament is of no consequence, here it is in the New Testament. 1 Corinthians 6:9-10 “Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? (that means you don’t go to heaven) Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God,” As Jack Sparrow would say, “there is what a man can’t do, and there is what a man can do.” According to the Bible, those are things a man can’t do, but what of the things that a man can do? Did you know that we are commanded to love one another? Let me see, how did that go again? I think it is in Romans 12:9 “Don’t just pretend that you love others. Really love them. Hate what is wrong(evil). Stand on the side of the good. Love each other with genuine affection, and take delight in honoring each other.” Now I have a question for all of you. If you were in a position to see that the path I am on will soon end in certain death, what would you do? If you love me, really love me, you would not want to see me die, you would warn me and hope I’d listen and get off the path, change direction or something to avoid the impending doom. Right? Right! So, is it difficult for any to believe then, that the –most- loving thing I can do is to inform the homosexual that his chosen path leads to death? It is not out of hate, nor ignorance nor fear, that I say this. I have to tell him that, I am compelled to tell him that out of LOVE! Anything less would be empty words of blessing while we stand idly by and wait to watch them die. That would be hateful and unloving… saying nothing is hate. Informing them, that is love.

Endurance 03

Endurance 03 Before attempting to plot out the path of the new Christian, I think it would be good to point out a few common pitfalls. This would be things that one should avoid doing. By doing this we can trim off some of the numerous possibilities, and then we will be able to deal more handily with what is left over. I think the first pitfall comes to us from several directions. It can be said that Christ died for sin, past, present and future. This is true. But to then assume that a Christian can no longer do any wrong, and to further suggest that any effort on our part to avoid sin, is just a waist; well, that is pure nonsense! Now there are other ways in which this idea is presented, one approach has been dubbed “Greasy Grace”, and another is “Predestination.” Both of these lead to the same ultimate result. “Back-sliders” are what we call people who have gone back to living the same life they had before they were saved. This is the pitfall. It comes from becoming indifferent about your faith. Indifferent, apathetic, cold, or lazy can all be said of the person who is back-sliding. So is the person who is living this apathetic Christian life saved or lost? On one hand they have been forgiven, but on the other hand, ‘faith without works is dead.’ Since salvation is ‘by faith’, are they still saved when that faith is dead? Ultimately the question is not ours to determine. But we can look into the Word for a clue. I feel I have found the clue I need in Revelation 3:15-19. In the letter to the church (Christians) at Laodicea, God says, “I know all the things you do, that you are neither hot nor cold. I wish you were one or the other! But since you are like lukewarm water, I will spit you out of my mouth!” (I don’t think that is a good thing. It doesn’t sound very saved to me.) “You say, ‘I am rich. I have everything I want. I don’t need a thing!’ And you don’t realize that you are wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked. I advise you to buy gold from me – gold that has been purified by fire. Then you will be rich. And also buy white garments so you will not be shamed by your nakedness. And buy ointment for your eyes so you will be able to see. I am the one who corrects and disciplines everyone I love. Be diligent and turn from your indifference.” Clearly then indifference is a bad thing, and diligence is a good thing. You can reserve your thoughts on the salvation question for a future time if you like, but at the very least this passage gives us a heading. Anything that would move us into an inactive, indifferent, or apathetic Christianity, is moving us in the wrong direction. Those things then, that move us to be active, diligent and watchful, those things are moving us in the right direction. Being a Christian is more than putting on a costume and pretending to be something that your not. It is more than signing up for a club and paying the dues. It is more than the observance of a new diet plan. We don’t start by counting the number of times we transgress God’s law and then slowly deprive of ourselves of those transgressions until we reach some desired level of righteousness! Christianity is a fundamental shift of the core beliefs. Jesus Christ becomes the foundation on which we build a completely new home, and a completely new lifestyle. Anything that remains of the old ways are probably nothing more than a pile of trash that is hindering you from enjoying the fullness of your new life. (more to come)

Endurance 02

Endurance 02 To be honest, I did not know, nor am I totally sure right now where I am headed with this discussion. I had a number of questions that I needed to work out the answer to, but God is faithful. In church last Sunday, I saw the guiding hand of God take the pastors sermon, which was based largely around baseball, and use it to put me on the right track. His sermon? “Hitting Your Way Out of a Slump.” Mr. and Mrs. American, I have news for you. You have lost your first love and you need to get it back. That passage in Revelation 2:2-5, that may as well have been written to us. “I know all the things you do. I have seen your hard work and your patient endurance. I know you don’t tolerate evil people. You have examined the claims of those who say they are apostles for me without quitting. But I have this complaint against you. You don’t love me or each other as you did at first.” (NLT). I think most of are aware of this on some level, but I want to point out just how far it has gone. The other day an employee of a large retail corporation was telling me that they were forbidden to say “God bless you” when a customer sneezed. They were told instead to just say, “Bless you”. Last night I channel surfed across one of these extreme video programs. A pickup truck had evaded the police and crashed. It spun around about thee times before coming to rest in the middle of the road, ejecting the passenger who was left lying on the street. The camera approached this man on the ground and caught his words which were both audible and sub titled for the audience. He called out, and they beeped over what was presumably a profanity forbidden by the FCC. TV and Radio broadcasters have a list of things they can not put or say on the air. But in the subtitles it read “J-----“ and I thought to myself, what cuss word starts with the letter ‘J’? Then it hit me. The man was calling out to Jesus! And that is what they cut out, bleeped over and considered too profane for the audience to hear! In contrast, right now I’m listening to a Top 40 radio station located in Spain. This is a secular station that plays only the songs that are on that nations top 40 list. And guess what I hear? I hear some songs that are all about God or Jesus. Some of which are more readily identified as ‘Christian music’ than a lot of what our local Christian music station plays everyday. The only such music to cross over from the ‘Christian’ stations to the popular stations here in America are those that DO NOT speak of God or of Jesus. Songs like ‘Butterfly Kisses’ which was nice, but had nothing to do with God. See the contrast? It is no longer a question of ‘Separation of Church and STATE’, we have progressed to the point where the things of God are considered socially unacceptable by PRIVATE parties that deal with the public. Private parties forbid the use of these words for FEAR of OFFENDING people. Think about that! How sad is that in a nation that was founded by and for the purpose of evading religious persecution? The FREE EXERCISE of religion is written into our laws as a guarantee of religious freedom, but our society has renounced the very faith that brought us this nation and this freedom! We have lost our first love! So what should we do? Take up arms and revolt? Build more churches? Invest in more outreach programs? Get a PR company to Christianity a total make-over? Who can hope to beat the advanced weaponry of our own government? America has more churches per capita than any other nation doesn’t it? We already have radio and TV dedicated to the ministry 24/7, what more could we ask for? Who would take charge of the PR corp? Few denominations agree enough with what message the Bible was written to express, imagine if they had to agree with what image we should all be identified with! Clearly we did not loose our first love because of these things, and attempting any of the above would be silly, or worse, even disastrous.

Homosexuals

There is some debate out there about homosexuals and ‘gay marriage’.  I have even been conversing with a friend of mine through e-mail about this.  It all leaves with an unresolved dilemma.  The problem is multi tined.  On one hand, people need to know that homosexuality is wrong, bad, even unhealthy would do, and not acceptable, normal or cute.  In the simplest terms, it destroys lives.  That is the FIRST message that people need to come to grips with.

 

The second message that people need to hear is that God loves you and can rescue you from a life of depravity, no matter whether it comes from, be it drugs, alcohol or sexual addiction, even homosexuality.  God wants to restore you.  All you need to do is give Him and yourself a chance.

 

The first problem with this is that people who are caught-up in the homo-sexual-addiction, do not hear the second message because they feel personally attacked by the first message.  They don’t want to be told that what they are doing is wrong, and they shut you off, so the conversation is over before you get to the good news.

 

As a result my friend figures that message number two is the place to start.  Tell them about God’s love first.  The trouble there is that they figure such a loving and caring God could not possibly be upset with his creatures practicing love one with another, and therefore never come to understand message number one.

 

So how do we get BOTH messages through to them?

 

That is my dilemma.  Any suggestions?

 

-Dan, AKA Pastor Torch.

 

 

 

 

 

Pirats of the Caribbean

Dead man’s Chest.

 

I took the wife and kids to the premier showing here in our town.  Midnight of Thursday the sixth.  J  We all enjoyed the show very much.  It had everything you’d expect, great action, plot twists, comic bits which hale from the first movie and so forth.  But A vast me hardies, after nearly three hours at watch the whole plot near come to completion!  That’s right.  They leave you hanging, dry docked till they make movie number three!  But now that you know, the movie you’ll watch is incomplete… ya gotta see it to know what’s happening.  Otherwise when the next one comes, you won’t have a clue how we came to where that movie will have to start! They leave so many loose ends!  Is Davy Jones done?  Will they defeat the Flying Dutchman?  What of the East India Trading Company?  And what of Jack?  I don’t want to spoil it for you… but this I will say; I loved the scene with the water wheel!  WOW!

 

 

 

Christian One Liners

Subject: Fw: Christian One Liners

Some one-liners that I got in my e-mail. I did a bit of editing. Hope you like them. >  >Christian One Liners > >*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+* > >Don't let your worries get the >Best of you;  remember, Moses started >Out as a basket case. > >*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+* > >Some people are kind, polite, and sweet-spirited >Until you sit in their pew. > >*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+* > >Many folks want to serve God, but only as advisors. > >*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+* > >It is easier to preach ten sermons than it is to live one. > >*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+* > >The good Lord didn't create anything >Without a purpose, but squirrels' come close. > >*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+* > >When you get to your wit's end,  you'll find God lives there. > >*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+* > >People are funny;  they want to be in the >Front of the bus, the middle of the road, and the back of the church. > >*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+* > >Opportunity may knock once, but temptation >Bangs on your doors and windows constantly. > >*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+* > >Quit griping about your church;  if it was perfect,  you wouldn't be comfortable there. > >*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+* > >If your church needs a better pastor, you only need to pray for the one it has. > >*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+* > >Some minds are like concrete >Thoroughly mixed up and permanently set. > >*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+* > >Peace starts with a smile. > >*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+* > >I don't know why some people >Change churches;  what difference does >It make which one you stay home from?! > >*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+* > >A lot of church members who >Are singing "Standing on the Promises" are just sitting on the premises. > >*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+* > >Be ye fishers of men.  You catch them - He'll clean them. > >*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+* > >Coincidence is when God chooses to remain anonymous. > >*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+* > >Don't put a question mark where God put a period. > >*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+* > >Don't wait for 6 strong men to take you to church. > >*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+* > >Forbidden fruits create many jams. > >*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+* > >God doesn't call the qualified, He qualifies the called. > >*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+* > >God grades on the cross, not the curve. > >*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+* > >God loves everyone, but probably prefers >"fruits of the spirit" over "religious nuts!" > >*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+* > >God promises a safe landing, not a calm passage. > >*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+* > >He who angers you, controls you! > >*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+* > >If God is your Co-pilot - swap >seats! > >*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+* > >Prayer: > >Don't give God instructions -- just report for duty! > >*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+* > >The task ahead of us is never as >Great as the Power behind us. > >*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+* > >The Will of God never takes you to >Where the Grace of God will not protect you. > >*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+* > >We don't change the message, the message changes us. > >*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+* > >You can tell how big a person >Is by what it takes to..........discourage him. > >*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+* > >The best mathematical equation I have ever seen: >1 cross + 3 nails= 4 given. > >*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*

Caller ID

The following was forwarded to me. Author Unknown.

>> >> On a Saturday night several weeks ago, this pastor was working >>late, and decided to call his wife before he left for home. It was about >>10:00 PM , but his wife didn't answer the phone. >> >> >> >> >> >> The pastor let the phone ring many times. He thought it was odd >>that she didn't answer, but decided to wrap up a few things and try again >>in a few minutes. When he tried again she answered right away. He asked >>her why she hadn't answered before, and she said that it hadn't rung at >>their house. They brushed it off as a fluke and went on their merry ways. >> >> >> The following Monday, the pastor received a call at the church >>office, which was the phone that he'd used that Saturday night. The man >>that he spoke with wanted to know why he'd called on Saturday night. >> >> The pastor couldn't figure out what the man was talking about. Then

>>the man said, "It rang and rang, but I didn't answer." The pastor >>remembered the mishap and apologized for disturbing him, explaining that >>he'd intended to call his wife. >> >> The man said, "That's, OK. Let me tell you my story. >> >> >> You see, I was planning to commit suicide on Saturday night, but >>before I did, I prayed, 'God if you're there, and you don't want me to do >>this, give me a sign now.' At that point my phone started to ring. I >>looked at the caller ID, and it said, 'Almighty God'. I was afraid to >>answer!" >> >> >> The reason why it showed on the man's caller ID that the call came >>from "Almighty God" is because the church that the pastor attends is >>called Almighty God Tabernacle!! >> >> >> >> If you believe that God answers prayers then pass this on. God >>bless! >>

Fast Pace

Why is life always running at full speed?

 

Is your life too fast paced?  I know mine is.

 

This last week has seen my wife go in for an out-patient surgical procedure, which has left her mostly bed-ridden so far.  I have had a midterm exam in Calculus, I have another coming up in Chemistry.  I ran sound for the church last weekend and this weekend I installed a new sound system in the car.  And this is all in addition to the everyday cooking, cleaning, running around and shopping that we always do.

 

Life can become so hectic at times.  I think we manage to get through these things by putting our brains in auto-pilot and numbly just walking it out.

 

That of course is not a good idea.

 

We need time to think.  We need time to sort things out, to just feel and let the emotions play out. 

 

 I have often been critical of Eastern Religions.  Meditation to me was kind of a Yoga thing.  Bah! Humbug! was my knee-jerk reaction to that idea!  But did you ever notice that the Bible does support the idea of meditation?  King David often mentions meditation such as Ps 49:3  “ My mouth shall speak wisdom, and the meditation of my heart shall give understanding.”  Ps 63:6 “When I remember You(God) on my bed, I meditate on You(God) in the night watches.” 

 

Meditation is not just for people with an Eastern Religion.  1’st Timothy 4:12-15 says, “Let no one despise your youth, but be an example to the believers in word, in conduct, in love, in spirit, in faith, in purity.  … give attention to reading, to exhortation, to doctrine. … do not neglect the gift (of the Holy Spirit)… Meditate on these things; give yourself entirely to them, that your progress may be evident to all.”

 

The pace of this “modern life” seems to rule out any opportunity to just sit and meditate on God and the things He has for us.  But I want to encourage you to give this practice some room in your life.  I know that the problems of life loom large on the horizon and it is hard to see a way around the many obsicles, but I also know that everything is relative.  Our problems are often huge in relation to our abilities, but these same problems are small in relation to God’s abilities.  So when I take some time out and just focus on God… my problems tend to shrink back down in size.  I have a solid rock with which to compare them.  A rock that never changes and always gives me a firm foot-hold. 

 

I believe meditation is a vital, and often over-looked part of prayer.  To me it isn’t enough to recite a laundry list of to-do items that we want God to give attention to… I think we need to be open to Him, and to His laundry list of to-do items that we need to give attention to, too!

 

 Maybe that is the part that scares us most… we all know what that could mean.

 

But if we are not meditating, if we are not getting quite with God and allowing Him to talk to us… are we treating our Lord as King or servant?

 

What are we doing here?

I have grown-up, for the most part, with computers.  I was first introduced to them by our Air Force back in 1983!  I have been an avid computer user ever since.  <> If your reading this you probably found the link in here from TryFast… if not you may want to go to www.tryfast.com and check out their services. <>    <> WHAT ARE WE DOING HERE?<>    <>

 

What we are doing here is pursuing a new form of Christian ministry.  Since the creation of the internet, there has been a potential to reach the masses through the unlimited connectivity of the internet.  The porn industry has tapped this potential.  The Christians have not.

 

When the Lord told us to “go into all the world and preach the gospel to every living creature”  I think he meant the internet as well, or would include it.  The net is perfectly suited to for large scale ministry!  But the fundamentals can not be abandoned in the face of new technology.  The key is to find the right way to apply the fundamentals with the new technology.

 

This is why I’ve selected an internet cam-chat room as the flag-ship location for ministry, because a fundamental in ministry is that, like Jesus, we are called to work one on one with people.  We need face to face contact… we must be real to them, in order to reach them.

 

Secondly, the chat sight is connected to a static web page where quick answers can be found to the most common questions.  This is because people have come to expect quick answers, and access to information.  That page is linked to this, a Blog.

 

The Blog serves as a bulletin.. where everyone can connect and get the latest information no matter what time of day they are online.  The internet never sleeps but we do… so no one person can be there to moderate the room 24/7!  That is where the blog comes in.  I can post important updates or thoughts here, and everyone can read them and stay current on any news or information.

 

Plus the blog is your way to reach me, no matter whether I’m online or not.  Every message posted here is e-mailed to my private e-mail address.  So I wont miss it!

 

-Pastor Torch.

 

Look for the Christian Fellowship on TryFast… members rooms section, under Fellowship Tabernacle.

Prayer Requests.

If you have any prayer requests, please post a comment and leave the vital information so that everyone can be praying for you.  When you have some extra time, drop back by and see who else needs prayer… you can pray for them too!

 

Private messages can be e-mailed to me directly.  Be cautious about including too much personal information here.

 

-Pastor Torch

 

Classes Start & New projects.

Dear Reader,

 

Today is Monday… MLK day and a holiday, otherwise classes would be starting today.  As it is, I start my new Spring/06 semester classes tomorrow.  Won’t that be nice?  

 

You would think that would be enough for someone my age.  I am re-taking Calculus 1 since I did not pass it the first time. < I have not gotten used to the way these college professors fail to actually teach you anything.  You’re expected to figure out about half or more of it on your own. >  I am also forging ahead with Chemistry.  I will have had a full year of chemistry with a lab when I’m done.  That is not required by BSU for my degree, but it is required by other Universities, and I want to have that block filled in incase I ever get the chance to transfer (move).  These are two heavy classes, and you’d think that would be enough…

 

My parents have given me a project in the form of a 1976 light blue Mercedes Benz.  It has been in their garage for about twelve years.  Dad was playing around with various engine/transmission options.  He finally was convinced that he should just return it to the original OEM spec’s.  So it now has a rebuilt 5 cylinder diesel engine and the 4 speed automatic transmission like when it was new.  But it has sat around for so long, almost nothing else worked.  Only two of four power windows move when you hit the buttons.  The automatic door locks keep it unlocked at all times.  The trunk lock had to be repaired, the ignition switch was falling apart.  The defroster did not work because the system is locked into A/C mode.  The turn signals didn’t work, the dash lights still won’t.  The fuel filter plugged from all the years of accumulated Idaho dust before the first 1/8’th of a tank had been used (I can only guess how many of those I’ll burn through to start with.)  So this is a work in progress to be sure.  It has some paint issues, some body work (a lot of little dents from being used like a work bench/storage shelf for so many moons,) and some upholstery issues too.

 

It may be worth the time and effort however.  New, the 300D sold for twelve grand.  Right now the car might be worth about 2 grand (as is).  But restored, they go for about 6 grand.  I’ve been told that on E-bay they can pull twice that… but as far as I can tell, that is only a rumor.  The only way to afford these repairs, however, is to sell my Tracker.  Then I’ll be stuck if the MB breaks down on me.  And going 50 miles round trip to school is a top priority right now.  ?? Which car to trust & keep; which car to sell??  That is a puzzle.  The Tracker is far newer, but has 136 k-miles on it and is also in need of some garage/mechanic time.  I’d have to sell the MB to afford it’s repairs, such as a new timing belt, and some ignition work (it isn’t idling well.) 

 

So you’d think that is enough to put on my plate right now, but…

 

My wife has decided that we need to build our own dinning room table.  This is an honor!  To be trusted to build what is probably the most important furnishing in the entire house!  Wow!  When you think about it, the dinning room table is where you have most of your family time.  It is where you entertain guests.  It is where you go to work on a project, do some art or craft, or work on some food prep.  It is very visible and very functional.  Your choice of table says a great deal about your living style.  If the table is too fancy; it says your life is all a show, a mask you wear for people to see.  If the table is cluttered, dusty, or miss-used, it says that your life is lived else-where, outside your home, on the go, on the road, or at the office; that you’re not at home, at home.  If it is small, you are probably lonely.  If it is huge, you either have a lot of family or a lot of friends.  I think this table, more than anything, reflects our attitudes and ideas about how life is lived.  –Just a side bar thought here.

 

My wife wants a table, built in the traditional Castilian style.  These are thick rugged tables, a bit rustic and not very ornate.  Had she wanted anything too fine, I’d have had to decline building it.  But rugged and rustic are good!  We bought about $150 worth of redwood for it, and spent another $350 on tools and equipment that I’ll need for this.  So far I’ve gotten a router, a table saw, some 4 ft. clamps, and two roller stands out of the deal.

 

Perhaps that is enough to put on my plate for awhile.  Yet, somehow, I’ll bet someone finds room for more… I might even find some time to post on my blog!

 

Smile! Life is good!

 

One parting idea, on a completely different topic, ---  “If being black is all that, why haven’t they opened an African Food restaurant?”

 

Grins and giggles!

 

 

Today in Spain.

Dear reader, There are things about life in America that bothers me. We have it good here, as far as material wealth is concerned, but where living is concerned, we are dirt poor. For example, as I type this, I am watching a live broadcast (via the net) out of Valencia, Spain. The fact that I can see live TV from half way around the earth, while sitting in my study here at home is evidence of our material wealth. What I am seeing on that station proves that we have forgotten how to live! Today is the day of the three kings in Spain. You know the three kings that came to visit the Christ child? We often call them the three wise men. Well, today in Spain, as they do every year, they celebrate the day of the kings. They had a parade for the kings as they entered the city square. The streets were lit up like any great Christmas décor should be. There was pageantry as the kings were welcomed to the city. There was joy as the kings delivered gifts to all the children. There was music and fire works.. this thing was bigger and better then the ball dropping in New York City at midnight. And the final act? The three kings present themselves to the Joseph and Mary and the baby Jesus! This is a beautiful tradition! It is glorious, glamorous, and edifying! It was great to see, and I’m very happy that I found it. But could you imagine such a thing happening here in the US? If we proposed such a display, the only thing I think we would see on TV is the protestors and the lawyers for the ACLU decrying the violation of civil rights or separation of church and state or some such nonsense as that. Why do they always do that? What is wrong with celebrating? What is wrong with bringing gifts to children? What is wrong with parades and lights, and music and such? Nothing! We do it for stupid reasons. We hold parades for the city to honor the city leaders. We have lights and music and such to mark the annual roll over of the clock. So why not celebrate an event that impacted history and is still the core reason behind so much of our customs and traditions? Why can’t we live and let live? But most of all, why have we allowed those who don’t know how to live, to beat us down and prevent us from living?