Growing up -- many years ago -- Christmas was my favorite time of the year.
But looking back on those years now, I realize I was cheated out of the real joy of the Christmas season.
Those years were spent attending the Church of Christ, and hearing the teaching that we really didn't know whether Jesus Christ was born in December or not, and that although it was okay to enjoy the season as one of merriment and gift giving, there should be no religious significance placed on it.
In fact, to connect the birth of Jesus Christ to the Christmas season bordered on sin.
Christmas cards were exchanged among church members, but we were carefull to select cards that contained a generic holiday message without mentioning Jesus.
Much like we see in the news media and department stores, schools and malls today. Can't offend someone you know.
But I am offended -- offended big time because I have been deprived all these years of the knowledge that Jesus is the only reason for the Christmas season.
For whatever reason, this is the time of year we have chosen to celebrate His birth. And without that birth there could have been no death on Calvary -- and look where that would have left me today.
I really can't blame anyone but myself though.
If I had taken the time to turn to God's word and seen what the Lord said I would have known better.
In Luke 2:11 we hear the Angel of the Lord saying these words:
"For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savoir, who is Christ the Lord."
Did you get that?
Born a Savior who is Christ the Lord.
Not the baby Jesus who would grow up and be a Savior but the Savior himself.
That babe, wrapped in swaddling clothes and laying in that manger in Bethlehem, was just as much my Savior as that Jesus Christ who hung on Calvary's cross, dying for my sins.
This is why Christmas is a time of joy because it celebrates a holy event -- the day God became man.
And I resent any company, any newspaper, any television station or network, any court and any school system who tries to negate that joy in the event someone might deem it offensive.
May the sheer enormity of the fact that this Baby Jesus is a Savior, engulf you throughout this Christmas season.
Monday, December 20, 2004
Friday, December 17, 2004
STUPID IS AS STUPID DOES
One thing I would really like to know...
Why do sports figures - especially managers and coaches who have compiled a long and successful career -- come to the Dallas area and go completely crazy?
Case in point No. 1.
Bill Parcel is hired to coach the Cowboys, bringing in a legacy of championship teams and Super Bowl trophies he has won. His first year he takes a team nobody in this world believes will have a winning season and gets into the playoffs with them.
Now this year, with all the fans expecting an even better performance, the Cowboys are the laughing stock of pro football.
The starting quarterback is 41 year old Vinny Testaverde who has a tremendous completion record when he is throwing to guys in the other color uniform -- and this is happening quite frequently.
The Cowboys are now out of it with no chance to have a winning season and Parcel is still doggedly holding onto Testaverde as his No. 1 quarterback.
Sitting on the bench is Drew Henson, whom the Cowboys mortgaged the farm to sign. He has started one game, was pulled at halftime and the Cowboys will go into summer camp next year without even the foggiest idea as to whether he will ever be able to be the quarterback.
Parcel says it could ruin his career to put him in the lineup and see his confidence destroyed.
Back when Troy Aikman was a rookie his confidence really took a beating -- the Cowboys won one game and lost 15.
Aikman retired as one of the best in the game.
Case in Point No. 2
John Hart comes to Texas with a reputation of being an outstanding general manager who has build several successful major league baseball teams.
Despite the Chan Ho Park disaster the Texas Rangers build a promising young team and last season were in the middle of a pennant chase until the last hand full of games.
The Rangers need a right fielder -- hurt Brad Fullmer who played that position last year had a very anemic batting average and a slim home run total.
At first base is Mark Texiera, who can play any position including right field. Waiting in the wings is Adrain Gonzales a promising first baseman who in a brief trial last year hit major league pitching better and with more power than he did AAA pitching.
So why not move Tex to right and bring up Gonzales?
Too simple -- instead lets spend $5 million on Richard Hidalgo whose record indicates he is Juan Gonzales incarnate.
The Rangers still need a DH and who is Hart going after but John Valentin who hit a whopping .216 last season and was cut by the Chicago Whtie Sox.
Duh!
Since you have already blown 5 mil on Hidalgo how about making him the DH and making the above mentioned moves with Tex and Adrian?
Maybe we can workout a package deal -- make up a package of Hart and Parcel and ship them to the University of Texas in exchange for Mack Brown and two assistants?
Why do sports figures - especially managers and coaches who have compiled a long and successful career -- come to the Dallas area and go completely crazy?
Case in point No. 1.
Bill Parcel is hired to coach the Cowboys, bringing in a legacy of championship teams and Super Bowl trophies he has won. His first year he takes a team nobody in this world believes will have a winning season and gets into the playoffs with them.
Now this year, with all the fans expecting an even better performance, the Cowboys are the laughing stock of pro football.
The starting quarterback is 41 year old Vinny Testaverde who has a tremendous completion record when he is throwing to guys in the other color uniform -- and this is happening quite frequently.
The Cowboys are now out of it with no chance to have a winning season and Parcel is still doggedly holding onto Testaverde as his No. 1 quarterback.
Sitting on the bench is Drew Henson, whom the Cowboys mortgaged the farm to sign. He has started one game, was pulled at halftime and the Cowboys will go into summer camp next year without even the foggiest idea as to whether he will ever be able to be the quarterback.
Parcel says it could ruin his career to put him in the lineup and see his confidence destroyed.
Back when Troy Aikman was a rookie his confidence really took a beating -- the Cowboys won one game and lost 15.
Aikman retired as one of the best in the game.
Case in Point No. 2
John Hart comes to Texas with a reputation of being an outstanding general manager who has build several successful major league baseball teams.
Despite the Chan Ho Park disaster the Texas Rangers build a promising young team and last season were in the middle of a pennant chase until the last hand full of games.
The Rangers need a right fielder -- hurt Brad Fullmer who played that position last year had a very anemic batting average and a slim home run total.
At first base is Mark Texiera, who can play any position including right field. Waiting in the wings is Adrain Gonzales a promising first baseman who in a brief trial last year hit major league pitching better and with more power than he did AAA pitching.
So why not move Tex to right and bring up Gonzales?
Too simple -- instead lets spend $5 million on Richard Hidalgo whose record indicates he is Juan Gonzales incarnate.
The Rangers still need a DH and who is Hart going after but John Valentin who hit a whopping .216 last season and was cut by the Chicago Whtie Sox.
Duh!
Since you have already blown 5 mil on Hidalgo how about making him the DH and making the above mentioned moves with Tex and Adrian?
Maybe we can workout a package deal -- make up a package of Hart and Parcel and ship them to the University of Texas in exchange for Mack Brown and two assistants?
Tuesday, December 14, 2004
THE TWO FACES OF TARGET
Like many people and corporations Target stores have an image which they want portrayed to the public...And a more accurate image which can be seen in the mirror.
In Target's case that reflection is kind of slimey.
Target, as everyone by now knows, has banned Salvation Army kettles on its property during this Christmas season...spinning the ban that it is a violation of company policy to allow any part of its property for solicitaion purposes.
But...
Go the Target website (www.target.com) and you will see the merchandiser soliciting a $5 donation from its customers on behalf of St. Jude's Childrens Research Hospital. The plan is that you purchase a "special" $30 gift card and the recipient will get $25 credit in shopping at Target.
The other $5 goes to the hospital and is matched by an equal amount from Target.
This still leaves the greedy merchandisers with a windfall profit of $20 per card.
How two faced can you get?
I agree with Jerry Falwell -- there is a concerted effort to get Christ out of Christmas underway in America today.
No where on the Target website will you find the word Christmas -- neither does it appear in any of their print ads or television commercials.
Rev. Falwell had an excellent two part newsletter this effort to deChristianize Christmas. If you nave not read it email me and I will send you a copy.
I don't condemn St. Jude's, just Target for lying and being two faced and generally being part of the movement to do away with Christmas.
My suggestion is to eliminate the middle man.
If you are buying a gift certificate for someone, get it at Wal-Mart or Sam's Club or some store that is not so sleazy as Target, then send a $$5.00 donation direct to either the Salvation Army or St. Judes.
Or better yet -- a donation to each of them.
In Target's case that reflection is kind of slimey.
Target, as everyone by now knows, has banned Salvation Army kettles on its property during this Christmas season...spinning the ban that it is a violation of company policy to allow any part of its property for solicitaion purposes.
But...
Go the Target website (www.target.com) and you will see the merchandiser soliciting a $5 donation from its customers on behalf of St. Jude's Childrens Research Hospital. The plan is that you purchase a "special" $30 gift card and the recipient will get $25 credit in shopping at Target.
The other $5 goes to the hospital and is matched by an equal amount from Target.
This still leaves the greedy merchandisers with a windfall profit of $20 per card.
How two faced can you get?
I agree with Jerry Falwell -- there is a concerted effort to get Christ out of Christmas underway in America today.
No where on the Target website will you find the word Christmas -- neither does it appear in any of their print ads or television commercials.
Rev. Falwell had an excellent two part newsletter this effort to deChristianize Christmas. If you nave not read it email me and I will send you a copy.
I don't condemn St. Jude's, just Target for lying and being two faced and generally being part of the movement to do away with Christmas.
My suggestion is to eliminate the middle man.
If you are buying a gift certificate for someone, get it at Wal-Mart or Sam's Club or some store that is not so sleazy as Target, then send a $$5.00 donation direct to either the Salvation Army or St. Judes.
Or better yet -- a donation to each of them.
Monday, December 13, 2004
LET HIM GO
In a casual conversation this morning a friend of mine remarked...
"I have Jesus hidden in my heart and He is always with me.
To which I replied...
"Let Him out."
If we belong to Jesus He is with us always -- no need whatsoever to keep Him locked away in our hearts.
But plenty of reason to let Him out and share Him with everyone with whom we come in contact.
"I have Jesus hidden in my heart and He is always with me.
To which I replied...
"Let Him out."
If we belong to Jesus He is with us always -- no need whatsoever to keep Him locked away in our hearts.
But plenty of reason to let Him out and share Him with everyone with whom we come in contact.
Saturday, December 11, 2004
ACTIVIST JUDGES
Do judges legislate instead of judge?
That is a deep and pondering question of today and I don't know why it should be. Look at the records of any court today and you will learn that judges are legislating their opinions into law.
The latest obscene account was in Washington state where the state supreme court ruled that Carmen Dixon, a 47 year old mother of a problem teenage girl, violated her minor daughter's Constitutional rights by eavesdropping on one of her telephone conversations.
Mrs. Dixon, of Port Friday WA, answered her phone one day and it was her daughter's boyfriend. The daughter took the cordless phone upstairs to talk to him and Mrs Dixon activated the speaker phone button on the base so she could listen.
The young punk confessed to the daughter that he had just been part of a mugging and purse snatching from an elderly woman and realized the police were after him.
Mrs. Dixon turned him in and he was tried and convicted.
The conviction was upheld on the appeals level but then reversed by the state supreme court.
The Seattle Post-Intelligencer bannered the story on the front page:
SEATTLE -- In a victory for rebellious teenagers, the state Supreme Court has ruled that a mother violated Washington's privacy act by eavesdropping on her daughter's phone conversation.
When I was growing up my right to privacy hinged exclusively on the whim of my parents.
As far as privacy on the phone -- well we had one telephone in the entire house, it was located in the living room and for a good part of my growing up years it was on what was called a party line -- a telephone line shared by up to three other families.
Today's Washington state supreme court would have had a field day into the invasion of my right to privacy.
That is a deep and pondering question of today and I don't know why it should be. Look at the records of any court today and you will learn that judges are legislating their opinions into law.
The latest obscene account was in Washington state where the state supreme court ruled that Carmen Dixon, a 47 year old mother of a problem teenage girl, violated her minor daughter's Constitutional rights by eavesdropping on one of her telephone conversations.
Mrs. Dixon, of Port Friday WA, answered her phone one day and it was her daughter's boyfriend. The daughter took the cordless phone upstairs to talk to him and Mrs Dixon activated the speaker phone button on the base so she could listen.
The young punk confessed to the daughter that he had just been part of a mugging and purse snatching from an elderly woman and realized the police were after him.
Mrs. Dixon turned him in and he was tried and convicted.
The conviction was upheld on the appeals level but then reversed by the state supreme court.
The Seattle Post-Intelligencer bannered the story on the front page:
SEATTLE -- In a victory for rebellious teenagers, the state Supreme Court has ruled that a mother violated Washington's privacy act by eavesdropping on her daughter's phone conversation.
When I was growing up my right to privacy hinged exclusively on the whim of my parents.
As far as privacy on the phone -- well we had one telephone in the entire house, it was located in the living room and for a good part of my growing up years it was on what was called a party line -- a telephone line shared by up to three other families.
Today's Washington state supreme court would have had a field day into the invasion of my right to privacy.
Thursday, December 09, 2004
TARGET - BAH! HUMBUG!
The closest I have come to a Target store this Christmas season is to drive by the front entrance of a couple of them.
And that is as close as I care to come.
No Salvation Army kettles at the front door to a Target store, thanks to the company's sudden decision to enforce a no solicitation policy that has existed for years.
Does Target have the right to do this?
Absolutely!
But by the same token I have the right not to buy any thing from Target and I am now exercising that right.
Evidently a lot of Americans are doing the same thing.
Google provides interested people with news updates on any subject they want. I have one currently on any news items mentioning the Salvation Army and Target in the same article.
There are a bunch of them each day for cities all over the country where citizens have gotten together in a organized boycott of Target stores.
It is going to be interesting to see how this affects Target's bottom line this Christmas shopping season.
As for me, that bottom line will not have any contribution from me -- after all if I did go into one of their stores they would solicit money from me -- a direct violatioin of their non solicitation policy.
Besides -- I can't think of a single piece of merchandise that Target offers for sale that I cannot find at Wal-Mart a lot cheaper.
It's just that at any Wal-Mart I have to face that Salvation Army bell ringer.
And that is as close as I care to come.
No Salvation Army kettles at the front door to a Target store, thanks to the company's sudden decision to enforce a no solicitation policy that has existed for years.
Does Target have the right to do this?
Absolutely!
But by the same token I have the right not to buy any thing from Target and I am now exercising that right.
Evidently a lot of Americans are doing the same thing.
Google provides interested people with news updates on any subject they want. I have one currently on any news items mentioning the Salvation Army and Target in the same article.
There are a bunch of them each day for cities all over the country where citizens have gotten together in a organized boycott of Target stores.
It is going to be interesting to see how this affects Target's bottom line this Christmas shopping season.
As for me, that bottom line will not have any contribution from me -- after all if I did go into one of their stores they would solicit money from me -- a direct violatioin of their non solicitation policy.
Besides -- I can't think of a single piece of merchandise that Target offers for sale that I cannot find at Wal-Mart a lot cheaper.
It's just that at any Wal-Mart I have to face that Salvation Army bell ringer.
Monday, December 06, 2004
A DIFFERENT KIND OF PRAYER
The Best Prayer I Have Heard In A Long Time --
Heavenly Father,
Help us remember that the jerk who cut us off in traffic last night is a single mother who worked nine hours that day and is rushing home to cook dinner, help with homework, do the laundry and spend a few precious moments with her children.
Help us to remember that the pierced, tattooed, disinterested young man who can't make change correctly is a worried 19-year-old college student, balancing his apprehension over final exams with his fear of not getting his student loans for next semester.
Remind us, Lord, that the scary looking bum, begging for money in the same spot every day (who really ought to get a job!) is a slave to addictions that we can only imagine in our worst nightmares.
Help us to remember that the old couple walking annoyingly slow through the store aisles and blocking our shopping progress are savoring this moment, knowing that, based on the biopsy report she got back last week, this will be the last year that they go shopping together.
Heavenly Father, remind us each day that, of all the gifts you give us, the greatest gift is love. It is not enough to share that love with those we hold dear.
Open our hearts not to just those who are close to us, but to all humanity. Let us be slow to judge and quick to forgive, show patience, empathy and love.
Heavenly Father,
Help us remember that the jerk who cut us off in traffic last night is a single mother who worked nine hours that day and is rushing home to cook dinner, help with homework, do the laundry and spend a few precious moments with her children.
Help us to remember that the pierced, tattooed, disinterested young man who can't make change correctly is a worried 19-year-old college student, balancing his apprehension over final exams with his fear of not getting his student loans for next semester.
Remind us, Lord, that the scary looking bum, begging for money in the same spot every day (who really ought to get a job!) is a slave to addictions that we can only imagine in our worst nightmares.
Help us to remember that the old couple walking annoyingly slow through the store aisles and blocking our shopping progress are savoring this moment, knowing that, based on the biopsy report she got back last week, this will be the last year that they go shopping together.
Heavenly Father, remind us each day that, of all the gifts you give us, the greatest gift is love. It is not enough to share that love with those we hold dear.
Open our hearts not to just those who are close to us, but to all humanity. Let us be slow to judge and quick to forgive, show patience, empathy and love.
Thursday, December 02, 2004
WHEN THINGS ARE MISSING
Mark Jennings wasn't a close friend -- but he was a friend.
He was the type of guy you enjoyed talking to. He was a Christian and it showed.
Sometime back our church had a telephone campaign where for a four week period we called families in our area and invited them to church on a special Sunday.
Aside from the callers we asked some members to come one night a week and pray for those who were calling.
Mark came not for one night a week but every night and he did so for all four weeks of the campaign, getting there early and not leaving until the last phone call was finished.
Mark Jennings was a big man -- weighing about 500 pounds -- and it was hard for him to get around so he was limited in what he could do.
On Wednesday nights Mark would park just outside the kitchen door at church and come in through the patio door. He had to stop in the middle of the kitchen to catch his breath enough to walk out into the dining room.
We used this time to talk -- about anything and everything -- sometimes about the wood carvings he made and how he was trying to sell some of them on eBay. And sometimes we simply talked about the Men's Breakfast or some other event that was upcoming at church.
This past Wednesday night Mark did not show up.
Thanksgiving night he died from a massive heart attack in his father's home and was buried this past Tuesday in Lawton OK.
For a moment I missed Mark, then stopped and realized where he was.
He certainly wasn't missing me.
I keep hearing the rumor that the chicken fried steak they serve in heaven contains 0 calories, 0 cholesterol and o triglycirides.
And I'll bet Mark ate a platter full of them.
He was the type of guy you enjoyed talking to. He was a Christian and it showed.
Sometime back our church had a telephone campaign where for a four week period we called families in our area and invited them to church on a special Sunday.
Aside from the callers we asked some members to come one night a week and pray for those who were calling.
Mark came not for one night a week but every night and he did so for all four weeks of the campaign, getting there early and not leaving until the last phone call was finished.
Mark Jennings was a big man -- weighing about 500 pounds -- and it was hard for him to get around so he was limited in what he could do.
On Wednesday nights Mark would park just outside the kitchen door at church and come in through the patio door. He had to stop in the middle of the kitchen to catch his breath enough to walk out into the dining room.
We used this time to talk -- about anything and everything -- sometimes about the wood carvings he made and how he was trying to sell some of them on eBay. And sometimes we simply talked about the Men's Breakfast or some other event that was upcoming at church.
This past Wednesday night Mark did not show up.
Thanksgiving night he died from a massive heart attack in his father's home and was buried this past Tuesday in Lawton OK.
For a moment I missed Mark, then stopped and realized where he was.
He certainly wasn't missing me.
I keep hearing the rumor that the chicken fried steak they serve in heaven contains 0 calories, 0 cholesterol and o triglycirides.
And I'll bet Mark ate a platter full of them.
Tuesday, November 30, 2004
Jesse Jackson -- I refuse to use the title reverend on this joker -- is off trying to drum up voter fraud in Ohio and having the presidential elections overturned. And the news media is giving it prominent display -- along with various other Democrats saying President Bush lied to us about Iraq.
This is the same news media that has reported these tidbits, but now allows the people who made them completely ignore them.
For example:
"One way or the other, we are determined to deny Iraq the capacity to develop weapons of mass destruction and the missiles to deliver them. That is our bottom line." - President Clinton, Feb. 4, 1998
"If Saddam rejects peace and we have to use force, our purpose is clear. We want to seriously diminish the threat posed by Iraq's weapons of mass destruction program." - President Clinton, Feb. 17, 1998
"Iraq is a long way from [here], but what happens there matters a great deal here. For the risks that the leaders of a rogue state will use nuclear, chemical or biological weapons against us or our allies is the greatest security threat we face." - Madeline Albright, Feb 18, 1998
"He will use those weapons of mass destruction again, as he has ten times since 1983." - Sandy Berger, Clinton National Security Adviser, Feb,18, 1998
"[W]e urge you, after consulting with Congress, and consistent with the U.S. Constitution and laws, to take necessary actions (including, if appropriate, air and missile strikes on suspect Iraqi sites) to respond effectively to the threat posed by Iraq's refusal to end its weapons of mass destruction programs." - Letter to President Clinton, signed by Sen.. Carl Levin (D-MI), Tom Daschle (D-SD), John Kerry( D - MA), and others Oct.9, 1998
"Saddam Hussein has been engaged in the development of weapons of mass destruction technology which is a threat to countries in the region and he has made a mockery of the weapons inspection process." - Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D, CA), Dec. 16, 1998
"Hussein has .. chosen to spend his money on building weapons of mass destruction and palaces for his cronies." - Madeline Albright, Clinton's Secretary of State, Nov. 10, 1999
"There is no doubt that ... Saddam Hussein has invigorated his weapons programs. Reports indicate that biological, chemical and nuclear programs continue apace and may be back to pre-Gulf War status. In addition, Saddam continues to redefine delivery systems and is doubtless using the cover of a licit missile program to develop longer-range missiles that will threaten the United States and our allies." - Letter to President Bush, Signed by Sen. Bob Graham (D, FL,) and others, December 5, 2001
"We begin with the common belief that Saddam Hussein is a tyrant and threat to the peace and stability of the region. He has ignored the mandate of the United Nations and is building weapons of mass destruction and the means of delivering them." - Sen. Carl Levin (D, MI), Sept. 19, 2002
"We know that he has stored secret supplies of biological and chemical weapons throughout his country." - Al Gore, Sept. 23, 2002
"Iraq's search for weapons of mass destruction has proven impossible to deter and we should assume that it will continue for as long as Saddam is in power." - Al Gore, Sept. 23, 2002
"We have known for many years that Saddam Hussein is seeking and developing weapons of mass destruction." - Sen. Ted Kennedy (D, MA), Sept. 27, 2002
"The last UN weapons inspectors left Iraq in October of 1998. We are confident that Saddam Hussein retains some stockpiles of chemical and biological weapons, and that he has since embarked on a crash course to build up his chemical and biological warfare capabilities. Intelligence reports indicate that he is seeking nuclear weapons..." - Sen. Robert Byrd (D, WV), Oct. 3, 2002
"I will be voting to give the President of the United States the authority to use force-- if necessary-- to disarm Saddam Hussein because I believe that a deadly arsenal of weapons of mass destruction in his hands is a real and grave threat to our security." - Sen. John F. Kerry (D, MA), Oct. 9, 2002
"There is unmistakable evidence that Saddam Hussein is working aggressively to develop nuclear weapons and will likely have nuclear weapons within the next five years ... We also should remember we have always underestimated the progress Saddam has made in development of weapons of mass destruction." - Sen. Jay Rockefeller (D, WV), Oct 10, 2002
"He has systematically violated, over the course of the past 11 years, every significant UN resolution that has demanded that he disarm and destroy his chemical and biological weapons, and any nuclear capacity. This he has refused to do" - Rep. Henry Waxman (D, CA), Oct. 10, 2002
"In the four years since the inspectors left, intelligence reports show that Saddam Hussein has worked to rebuild his chemical and biological weapons stock, his missile delivery capability, and his nuclear program. He has also given aid, comfort, and sanctuary to terrorists, including al Qaeda members.. It is clear, however, that if left unchecked, Saddam Hussein will continue to increase his capacity to wage biological and chemical warfare, and will keep trying to develop nuclear weapons." - Sen.Hillary Clinton (D, NY), Oct 10, 2002
"We are in possession of what I think to be compelling evidence that Saddam Hussein has, and has had for a number of years, a developing capacity for the production and storage of weapons of mass destruction." - Sen. Bob Graham (D, FL), Dec. 8, 2002
"Without question, we need to disarm Saddam Hussein. He is a brutal, murderous dictator, leading an oppressive regime ... He presents a particularly grievous threat because he is so consistently prone to miscalculation ... And now he is miscalculating America's response to his continued deceit and his consistent grasp for weapons of mass destruction.... So the threat of Saddam Hussein with weapons of mass destruction is real." - Sen. John F. Kerry (D, MA), Jan. 23. 2003
That's right -- Senator John Kerry, less than a year before the presidential election, says the threat of weapons of mass destruction was real.
If President Bush lied, so did Senator Kerry and a whole passel of other Democrats, including Queen Hillary.
But this bunch is equally capable of lying without any help from anyone -- and the "news" media dispute do one thing about it
This is the same news media that has reported these tidbits, but now allows the people who made them completely ignore them.
For example:
"One way or the other, we are determined to deny Iraq the capacity to develop weapons of mass destruction and the missiles to deliver them. That is our bottom line." - President Clinton, Feb. 4, 1998
"If Saddam rejects peace and we have to use force, our purpose is clear. We want to seriously diminish the threat posed by Iraq's weapons of mass destruction program." - President Clinton, Feb. 17, 1998
"Iraq is a long way from [here], but what happens there matters a great deal here. For the risks that the leaders of a rogue state will use nuclear, chemical or biological weapons against us or our allies is the greatest security threat we face." - Madeline Albright, Feb 18, 1998
"He will use those weapons of mass destruction again, as he has ten times since 1983." - Sandy Berger, Clinton National Security Adviser, Feb,18, 1998
"[W]e urge you, after consulting with Congress, and consistent with the U.S. Constitution and laws, to take necessary actions (including, if appropriate, air and missile strikes on suspect Iraqi sites) to respond effectively to the threat posed by Iraq's refusal to end its weapons of mass destruction programs." - Letter to President Clinton, signed by Sen.. Carl Levin (D-MI), Tom Daschle (D-SD), John Kerry( D - MA), and others Oct.9, 1998
"Saddam Hussein has been engaged in the development of weapons of mass destruction technology which is a threat to countries in the region and he has made a mockery of the weapons inspection process." - Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D, CA), Dec. 16, 1998
"Hussein has .. chosen to spend his money on building weapons of mass destruction and palaces for his cronies." - Madeline Albright, Clinton's Secretary of State, Nov. 10, 1999
"There is no doubt that ... Saddam Hussein has invigorated his weapons programs. Reports indicate that biological, chemical and nuclear programs continue apace and may be back to pre-Gulf War status. In addition, Saddam continues to redefine delivery systems and is doubtless using the cover of a licit missile program to develop longer-range missiles that will threaten the United States and our allies." - Letter to President Bush, Signed by Sen. Bob Graham (D, FL,) and others, December 5, 2001
"We begin with the common belief that Saddam Hussein is a tyrant and threat to the peace and stability of the region. He has ignored the mandate of the United Nations and is building weapons of mass destruction and the means of delivering them." - Sen. Carl Levin (D, MI), Sept. 19, 2002
"We know that he has stored secret supplies of biological and chemical weapons throughout his country." - Al Gore, Sept. 23, 2002
"Iraq's search for weapons of mass destruction has proven impossible to deter and we should assume that it will continue for as long as Saddam is in power." - Al Gore, Sept. 23, 2002
"We have known for many years that Saddam Hussein is seeking and developing weapons of mass destruction." - Sen. Ted Kennedy (D, MA), Sept. 27, 2002
"The last UN weapons inspectors left Iraq in October of 1998. We are confident that Saddam Hussein retains some stockpiles of chemical and biological weapons, and that he has since embarked on a crash course to build up his chemical and biological warfare capabilities. Intelligence reports indicate that he is seeking nuclear weapons..." - Sen. Robert Byrd (D, WV), Oct. 3, 2002
"I will be voting to give the President of the United States the authority to use force-- if necessary-- to disarm Saddam Hussein because I believe that a deadly arsenal of weapons of mass destruction in his hands is a real and grave threat to our security." - Sen. John F. Kerry (D, MA), Oct. 9, 2002
"There is unmistakable evidence that Saddam Hussein is working aggressively to develop nuclear weapons and will likely have nuclear weapons within the next five years ... We also should remember we have always underestimated the progress Saddam has made in development of weapons of mass destruction." - Sen. Jay Rockefeller (D, WV), Oct 10, 2002
"He has systematically violated, over the course of the past 11 years, every significant UN resolution that has demanded that he disarm and destroy his chemical and biological weapons, and any nuclear capacity. This he has refused to do" - Rep. Henry Waxman (D, CA), Oct. 10, 2002
"In the four years since the inspectors left, intelligence reports show that Saddam Hussein has worked to rebuild his chemical and biological weapons stock, his missile delivery capability, and his nuclear program. He has also given aid, comfort, and sanctuary to terrorists, including al Qaeda members.. It is clear, however, that if left unchecked, Saddam Hussein will continue to increase his capacity to wage biological and chemical warfare, and will keep trying to develop nuclear weapons." - Sen.Hillary Clinton (D, NY), Oct 10, 2002
"We are in possession of what I think to be compelling evidence that Saddam Hussein has, and has had for a number of years, a developing capacity for the production and storage of weapons of mass destruction." - Sen. Bob Graham (D, FL), Dec. 8, 2002
"Without question, we need to disarm Saddam Hussein. He is a brutal, murderous dictator, leading an oppressive regime ... He presents a particularly grievous threat because he is so consistently prone to miscalculation ... And now he is miscalculating America's response to his continued deceit and his consistent grasp for weapons of mass destruction.... So the threat of Saddam Hussein with weapons of mass destruction is real." - Sen. John F. Kerry (D, MA), Jan. 23. 2003
That's right -- Senator John Kerry, less than a year before the presidential election, says the threat of weapons of mass destruction was real.
If President Bush lied, so did Senator Kerry and a whole passel of other Democrats, including Queen Hillary.
But this bunch is equally capable of lying without any help from anyone -- and the "news" media dispute do one thing about it
Monday, November 29, 2004
BRAND NEW -- EVERY DAY
Late summer, 1958, and I was about to start my senior year at Texas Christian University.
I was on the move and the 1956 Chevy Bel Air 2-door hardtop I was driving (tri-tone green and white) just couldn't do the job anymore.
Single, working full time as a sports writer for the Fort Worth Press as well as being a senior in college -- I had to have a car more fitting to my lofty stature.
End result: I bought a bright red Austin Healy roadster -- a sports car with four speed transmission and a rag top, which immediately came off and was stored in my mother's garage for safe keeping.
The car was a dream and the envy of just about everyone I knew.
Two years later, after dealing with a leaky top every time it rained, a temperamental British import that required constant tinkering to be in good running order, I was ready to junk the piece of trash and get a new car -- an American car.
Two years and the luster had gone from this once coveted prize.
We've all had new things in our lives that met the same fate -- we just can't wait to get them but as time goes on they lose their gleam, only to be put in the corner of some closet and forgotten.
How thankful I am that Jesus Christ did not look on me this way when I became His new possession.
Where would I be today if Christ had looked at me one morning and said "he's just not that good any more" and stuck me on a shelf in the back of His closet.
But, such is not the case.
"The Lord's many kindnesses never cease, for His great compassion never comes to an end. They are renewed every morning; Your faithfulness is abundant." -- Lamentations 3:22-23.
In other words when I became His child I was God's new possession.
Unlike me though, through the passage of time the writer tells us that God's love for us never dims -- it is renewed every day.
Each morning the Creator of the universe looks at me with a love and passion just like I am brand new in His sight.
Praise His holy name -- He is not like me!
I was on the move and the 1956 Chevy Bel Air 2-door hardtop I was driving (tri-tone green and white) just couldn't do the job anymore.
Single, working full time as a sports writer for the Fort Worth Press as well as being a senior in college -- I had to have a car more fitting to my lofty stature.
End result: I bought a bright red Austin Healy roadster -- a sports car with four speed transmission and a rag top, which immediately came off and was stored in my mother's garage for safe keeping.
The car was a dream and the envy of just about everyone I knew.
Two years later, after dealing with a leaky top every time it rained, a temperamental British import that required constant tinkering to be in good running order, I was ready to junk the piece of trash and get a new car -- an American car.
Two years and the luster had gone from this once coveted prize.
We've all had new things in our lives that met the same fate -- we just can't wait to get them but as time goes on they lose their gleam, only to be put in the corner of some closet and forgotten.
How thankful I am that Jesus Christ did not look on me this way when I became His new possession.
Where would I be today if Christ had looked at me one morning and said "he's just not that good any more" and stuck me on a shelf in the back of His closet.
But, such is not the case.
"The Lord's many kindnesses never cease, for His great compassion never comes to an end. They are renewed every morning; Your faithfulness is abundant." -- Lamentations 3:22-23.
In other words when I became His child I was God's new possession.
Unlike me though, through the passage of time the writer tells us that God's love for us never dims -- it is renewed every day.
Each morning the Creator of the universe looks at me with a love and passion just like I am brand new in His sight.
Praise His holy name -- He is not like me!
Tuesday, November 23, 2004
OUR LADY OF THE TOAST
The GoldenPalace.com -- an online internet gambling casino, paid $28,000 today for a half of a grilled cheese sandwich with one bite taken out of it.
Unreal, you say.
Even more unreal is that it is 10 years old and was sold on E-Bay this morning to the highest bidder.
The half sandwich reportedly has the image of the Virgin Mary on it.
I saw a closeup of it on Fox News Channel this morning and frankly the image looked more like Tallulah Bankhead to me -- but that is just one man's opinion.
The Bible teaches us that in times past God spoke to us through the prophets and through signs and miracles -- but today speaks to us through His completed word.
I often get ridiculed for believing in the Bible and placing my faith in Jesus Christ, that He is the son of God who died for my sins, was raised from the dead three days later and is now on His throne in Heaven, just waiting to come back and get me at the appropriated time.
A fairy tale I am told.
And one of those enlightened souls who would tell me that just spent $28,000 on a 10-year-old half of a grilled cheese sandwich with a bite missing from it, just because they believe God put an image of the Virgin Mary on it to speak to us.
If they had read the Bible they could have learned that only Jesus speaks to us today -- he does not do it by sending images but by speaking to the heards of those who truly seek Him -- and they would have saved $28,000.
Pardon me while I go chuckle.
Unreal, you say.
Even more unreal is that it is 10 years old and was sold on E-Bay this morning to the highest bidder.
The half sandwich reportedly has the image of the Virgin Mary on it.
I saw a closeup of it on Fox News Channel this morning and frankly the image looked more like Tallulah Bankhead to me -- but that is just one man's opinion.
The Bible teaches us that in times past God spoke to us through the prophets and through signs and miracles -- but today speaks to us through His completed word.
I often get ridiculed for believing in the Bible and placing my faith in Jesus Christ, that He is the son of God who died for my sins, was raised from the dead three days later and is now on His throne in Heaven, just waiting to come back and get me at the appropriated time.
A fairy tale I am told.
And one of those enlightened souls who would tell me that just spent $28,000 on a 10-year-old half of a grilled cheese sandwich with a bite missing from it, just because they believe God put an image of the Virgin Mary on it to speak to us.
If they had read the Bible they could have learned that only Jesus speaks to us today -- he does not do it by sending images but by speaking to the heards of those who truly seek Him -- and they would have saved $28,000.
Pardon me while I go chuckle.
Friday, November 19, 2004
VIVE LE FRANCE
Since their opposition to the U.S. emancipation of Iraq, France has been the butt of a lot of jokes -- here is a compilation of some of the more famous American sayings:
"France has neither winter nor summer nor morals. Apart from these drawbacks it is a fine country. France has usually been
governed by prostitutes." ---Mark Twain
"I would rather have a German division in front of me than a French one behind me."
--- General George S. Patton
"Going to war without France is like going deer hunting without your accordion."
--Norman Schwartzkopf
"We can stand here like the French, or we can do something about it."
---- Marge Simpson
"As far as I'm concerned, war always means failure"
---Jacques Chirac, President of France
"As far as France is concerned, you're right."
---Rush Limbaugh
"The only time France wants us to go to war is when the German Army is sitting in Paris sipping coffee."
--- Regis Philbin
"You know, the French remind me a little bit of an aging actress of the 1940s who was still trying to dine out on her looks but doesn't have the face for it."
---John McCain, U.S. Senator from Arizona
"You know why the French don't want to bomb Saddam Hussein? Because he hates America, he loves mistresses and wears a beret. He is French, people."
--Conan O'Brien
"I don't know why people are surprised that France won't help us get Saddam out of Iraq. After all, France wouldn't help us get the Germans out of France!"
---Jay Leno
"The last time the French asked for 'more proof' it came
marching into Paris under a German flag."
--David Letterman
And finally -- let's start a contest to declare a new national anthem for France. Here is a list of nominees for the new anthem -- vote on which one you think it should be and let me know.
The nominees are:
"Runaway" by Del Shannon,
"Walk Right In" by the Rooftop Singers,
"Everybody's Somebody's Fool" by Connie Francis,
"Running Scared" by Roy Orbison,
"I Really Don't Want to Know" by Tommy Edwards,
"Surrender" by Elvis Presley,
"Raise Your Hands" by Jon Bon Jovi
"France has neither winter nor summer nor morals. Apart from these drawbacks it is a fine country. France has usually been
governed by prostitutes." ---Mark Twain
"I would rather have a German division in front of me than a French one behind me."
--- General George S. Patton
"Going to war without France is like going deer hunting without your accordion."
--Norman Schwartzkopf
"We can stand here like the French, or we can do something about it."
---- Marge Simpson
"As far as I'm concerned, war always means failure"
---Jacques Chirac, President of France
"As far as France is concerned, you're right."
---Rush Limbaugh
"The only time France wants us to go to war is when the German Army is sitting in Paris sipping coffee."
--- Regis Philbin
"You know, the French remind me a little bit of an aging actress of the 1940s who was still trying to dine out on her looks but doesn't have the face for it."
---John McCain, U.S. Senator from Arizona
"You know why the French don't want to bomb Saddam Hussein? Because he hates America, he loves mistresses and wears a beret. He is French, people."
--Conan O'Brien
"I don't know why people are surprised that France won't help us get Saddam out of Iraq. After all, France wouldn't help us get the Germans out of France!"
---Jay Leno
"The last time the French asked for 'more proof' it came
marching into Paris under a German flag."
--David Letterman
And finally -- let's start a contest to declare a new national anthem for France. Here is a list of nominees for the new anthem -- vote on which one you think it should be and let me know.
The nominees are:
"Runaway" by Del Shannon,
"Walk Right In" by the Rooftop Singers,
"Everybody's Somebody's Fool" by Connie Francis,
"Running Scared" by Roy Orbison,
"I Really Don't Want to Know" by Tommy Edwards,
"Surrender" by Elvis Presley,
"Raise Your Hands" by Jon Bon Jovi
Thursday, November 18, 2004
MR CLEAN
Time to start a new award show
The Mr. Clean award -- named after that popular household cleaner of the same name.
And the winner would be the individual who most exemplifies family and wholesome, clean values.
My nomination for the first such award is Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver Terrell Owens.
He's the guy who on this week's Monday Night Football telecast paused between touchdowns to let a scantily clad Nicole Sheridan jump his bones and try to talk him into skipping the game do dally with her.
"I thought the skit was clean" Terrell told the national news media today. "and my organization (the Philadelphia Eagles) thought it was clean to.
Sure they did -- and Michael Eisner,; the head of the Disney-ABC ad nauseaum concoction -- was just trying to brighten the day of all those youngsters who were watching Monday Night Football.
Eisner is about to retire.
Maybe they'll name him head of the new Clinton Presidential Library in Little Rock.
Or at least put him over the Monica Lewinsky wing of the library.
The Mr. Clean award -- named after that popular household cleaner of the same name.
And the winner would be the individual who most exemplifies family and wholesome, clean values.
My nomination for the first such award is Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver Terrell Owens.
He's the guy who on this week's Monday Night Football telecast paused between touchdowns to let a scantily clad Nicole Sheridan jump his bones and try to talk him into skipping the game do dally with her.
"I thought the skit was clean" Terrell told the national news media today. "and my organization (the Philadelphia Eagles) thought it was clean to.
Sure they did -- and Michael Eisner,; the head of the Disney-ABC ad nauseaum concoction -- was just trying to brighten the day of all those youngsters who were watching Monday Night Football.
Eisner is about to retire.
Maybe they'll name him head of the new Clinton Presidential Library in Little Rock.
Or at least put him over the Monica Lewinsky wing of the library.
Wednesday, November 17, 2004
FED UP
I don't know about you, but I have just about had a belly full of our national news media.
The incident with the Marine who killed a terrorist in Iraq is the straw that broke the camel's back.
We are not hunting down and arresting criminals in Iraq, we are waging a war against terrorists.
Now the media is upset about a violation of human rights -- the Marine killed this guy inside a mosque, where young Arabs are taught it is perfectly alright to kill Christian infidels.
And the news media -- every major network -- is repeatedly showing the film clip of a Marine shooting a terrorist who may or may not have been armed.
Yet this same media refuses to show the film clips of American citizens having their heads cut off by Arabs while they are screaming and gurgling for breath.
This same national news media refused to show an Arab shooting the latest kidnap victim -- a British woman -- in the back of her head.
Too graphic, our media tells us, yet they continue to show a U.S. Marine, in combat against terrorists, shooting an enemy soldier -- over and over again.
Various locations on the internet have made films of these beheadings of Americans available to anyone who will search it out.
I have the copy of one of these beheadings saved on my computer -- and everytime I hear how we are mistreating the enemy I pull it up and play it.
Have you ever watched a fellow countryman being held by terrorists while another takes a knife and cuts his head off? Not chop it off but carve it off like you would a Thanksgiving turkey.
Fnally you can hear them gurgling as the terrorists makes the final cut and lifts the head from the body.
And I can still remember the videos of 911 -- people jumping from the top of the World Trade Center, knowing they were leaping to their death but having to escape the holocaust of flames inside the building.
This Marine was wounded in combat the day before this killing -- shot in the face by a terrorist. ABC News refers to it as him being "slightly injured."
If somebody pointed a gun at you and shot you in the face would you consider it a "slight injury."
To be sure this Marine was jumpy -- I would have been too. The only thing that would have been going on in my mind is if I saw movement pull the trigger and sort things out afterward.
What should we do with this United States Marine?
I vote to give him the Distinguished Service Cross, and bring him home for a 30 day paid for leave to Disney Land -- and invite him to bring along as many family members and friends as he can round up.
The incident with the Marine who killed a terrorist in Iraq is the straw that broke the camel's back.
We are not hunting down and arresting criminals in Iraq, we are waging a war against terrorists.
Now the media is upset about a violation of human rights -- the Marine killed this guy inside a mosque, where young Arabs are taught it is perfectly alright to kill Christian infidels.
And the news media -- every major network -- is repeatedly showing the film clip of a Marine shooting a terrorist who may or may not have been armed.
Yet this same media refuses to show the film clips of American citizens having their heads cut off by Arabs while they are screaming and gurgling for breath.
This same national news media refused to show an Arab shooting the latest kidnap victim -- a British woman -- in the back of her head.
Too graphic, our media tells us, yet they continue to show a U.S. Marine, in combat against terrorists, shooting an enemy soldier -- over and over again.
Various locations on the internet have made films of these beheadings of Americans available to anyone who will search it out.
I have the copy of one of these beheadings saved on my computer -- and everytime I hear how we are mistreating the enemy I pull it up and play it.
Have you ever watched a fellow countryman being held by terrorists while another takes a knife and cuts his head off? Not chop it off but carve it off like you would a Thanksgiving turkey.
Fnally you can hear them gurgling as the terrorists makes the final cut and lifts the head from the body.
And I can still remember the videos of 911 -- people jumping from the top of the World Trade Center, knowing they were leaping to their death but having to escape the holocaust of flames inside the building.
This Marine was wounded in combat the day before this killing -- shot in the face by a terrorist. ABC News refers to it as him being "slightly injured."
If somebody pointed a gun at you and shot you in the face would you consider it a "slight injury."
To be sure this Marine was jumpy -- I would have been too. The only thing that would have been going on in my mind is if I saw movement pull the trigger and sort things out afterward.
What should we do with this United States Marine?
I vote to give him the Distinguished Service Cross, and bring him home for a 30 day paid for leave to Disney Land -- and invite him to bring along as many family members and friends as he can round up.
Tuesday, November 16, 2004
DOWN FOR THE COUNT
Know the difference between the HMS Titanic and the Dallas Cowboys?
The Titanic had a band on board -- all the Cowboys have is cheerleaders.
Philadelphia 49 Dallas 21 -- and on the flight back to the City of Brotherly Love Tyrell Owens had to be laughing himself sick.
He caught the ball and moved at will anytime he thought about it last night.
By his own admission this past week Cowboys owner Jerry Jones emphasized that HE provided the players and Bill Parcell coached them and made decisions regarding the team.
It must be quite a task to coach a bunch of players whose sole goal is to improve their individual celebrations after they make a tackle or gain a couple of yards.
The news media is now clamoring for Vincent Testaverde to be benched and Drew Henson -- a promising third baseman in the Yankee organization -- be given a shot at quarterback.
I don't know what Jones penchant for drafting baseball players is, but you would think he would have learned his lesson with the Chad Hutchison fiasco -- you remember -- the Cardinals pitcher who signed a multi year multi million dollar contract on the basis of what he did in the St. Louis minor league operation.
It's about time for Parcell to resign and save face...
Let Jerry Jones coach this mess...
And don't forget about obtaining a court order that once the Cowboys move to Arlington they can't come back to Dallas County.
The Titanic had a band on board -- all the Cowboys have is cheerleaders.
Philadelphia 49 Dallas 21 -- and on the flight back to the City of Brotherly Love Tyrell Owens had to be laughing himself sick.
He caught the ball and moved at will anytime he thought about it last night.
By his own admission this past week Cowboys owner Jerry Jones emphasized that HE provided the players and Bill Parcell coached them and made decisions regarding the team.
It must be quite a task to coach a bunch of players whose sole goal is to improve their individual celebrations after they make a tackle or gain a couple of yards.
The news media is now clamoring for Vincent Testaverde to be benched and Drew Henson -- a promising third baseman in the Yankee organization -- be given a shot at quarterback.
I don't know what Jones penchant for drafting baseball players is, but you would think he would have learned his lesson with the Chad Hutchison fiasco -- you remember -- the Cardinals pitcher who signed a multi year multi million dollar contract on the basis of what he did in the St. Louis minor league operation.
It's about time for Parcell to resign and save face...
Let Jerry Jones coach this mess...
And don't forget about obtaining a court order that once the Cowboys move to Arlington they can't come back to Dallas County.
Monday, November 15, 2004
THREE THINGS GOD SIMPLY CANNOT DO
We have all heard the argumentative questions...
Can God make a rock so heavy he cannot lift it?
Can God make a river so wide he cannot cross it?
Who cares?
The answer to these questions are redundant anyway.
Why would God want to lift a rock since he is all encompassing -- he is above it, below it and all around it at the same time.
And why would God possibly want to cross a river since He is everywhere at all times? Including the other side of the river.
Realistically though I have come across at least three legitimate things God simply cannot do.
1. He cannot love me anymore than He does at this very moment. Or at the precise moment back before the universe was framed when He wrote my name in the Lamb's Book of Life. There is not one thing I can do to cause Him to love me more -- and by the same token none of my sins cause Him to love me any less.
2. God cannot do any more for me than He has already done.
He allowed His only begotten Son to be sacrificed at Calvary to pay for my sins. If the blood of the Son of God cannot wash away my sins then there are no other sacrifices to be made. But none need to be made because Jesus did it all on Calvary's cross.
3. God cannot make it any easier for me than He already has.
All I have to do is realize that I am a sinner in need of a Savior, recognize the fact that He died for my sins, and acknowledge Him as my Lord and Savior. It can't get any simpler than that.
Do you know Jesus Christ today as your Lord and Savior? Does He play an active part in your every day life?
If not take time today to investigate The Christ.
He's the difference between life and death.
Can God make a rock so heavy he cannot lift it?
Can God make a river so wide he cannot cross it?
Who cares?
The answer to these questions are redundant anyway.
Why would God want to lift a rock since he is all encompassing -- he is above it, below it and all around it at the same time.
And why would God possibly want to cross a river since He is everywhere at all times? Including the other side of the river.
Realistically though I have come across at least three legitimate things God simply cannot do.
1. He cannot love me anymore than He does at this very moment. Or at the precise moment back before the universe was framed when He wrote my name in the Lamb's Book of Life. There is not one thing I can do to cause Him to love me more -- and by the same token none of my sins cause Him to love me any less.
2. God cannot do any more for me than He has already done.
He allowed His only begotten Son to be sacrificed at Calvary to pay for my sins. If the blood of the Son of God cannot wash away my sins then there are no other sacrifices to be made. But none need to be made because Jesus did it all on Calvary's cross.
3. God cannot make it any easier for me than He already has.
All I have to do is realize that I am a sinner in need of a Savior, recognize the fact that He died for my sins, and acknowledge Him as my Lord and Savior. It can't get any simpler than that.
Do you know Jesus Christ today as your Lord and Savior? Does He play an active part in your every day life?
If not take time today to investigate The Christ.
He's the difference between life and death.
Thursday, November 11, 2004
IT'S VETERANS DAY
We should pause today and thank all veterans.
And we should give a special thanks to those "fast boat veterans" of the Viet Nam war who in a large part saved us from a horrible fate in addition to their service in the far east.
Without veterans this nation would never have gained its independence..
Without veterns this nation would still be under the rule of the Kaiser, or worse yet, Hitler and Tojo.
Without veterans Communist China would not only have overrun Korea but the rest of the free world as well.
All of us know at least one veteran -- make it a point today to pray for them and give thanks that they were willing to serve their country.
one veteran I know, perhaps better than any other, is a fellow named Bill Dawson.
In retrospect Bill is what this country is all about.
Married to w wife he adores, a family he adores, friends he is true to, a church he loves and a Savior he adores above all else.
Bill is a combat veteran of the Korean War, a war whose horrors were at least on a par with those of Viet Nam.
Yet today he is a husband, father, friend and child of God.
Solely through Bill's prodding, our church erected three flagpoles -- one each for the American, State of Texas and Christian Flag, which fly proudly each Sunday.
I guess Bill's most fervent love is for the American Flag. He honors it, cherishes it and actively tries to educate all he comes in contact with about the heritage of our flag.
The veterans I know are nothing like those John Kerry tried to convince Congress about during the Viet Nam war.
Before you go to sleep tonight, pause and pray.
Thank God for the Veterans He made -- and for the price they were willing to pay for our freedom.
And we should give a special thanks to those "fast boat veterans" of the Viet Nam war who in a large part saved us from a horrible fate in addition to their service in the far east.
Without veterans this nation would never have gained its independence..
Without veterns this nation would still be under the rule of the Kaiser, or worse yet, Hitler and Tojo.
Without veterans Communist China would not only have overrun Korea but the rest of the free world as well.
All of us know at least one veteran -- make it a point today to pray for them and give thanks that they were willing to serve their country.
one veteran I know, perhaps better than any other, is a fellow named Bill Dawson.
In retrospect Bill is what this country is all about.
Married to w wife he adores, a family he adores, friends he is true to, a church he loves and a Savior he adores above all else.
Bill is a combat veteran of the Korean War, a war whose horrors were at least on a par with those of Viet Nam.
Yet today he is a husband, father, friend and child of God.
Solely through Bill's prodding, our church erected three flagpoles -- one each for the American, State of Texas and Christian Flag, which fly proudly each Sunday.
I guess Bill's most fervent love is for the American Flag. He honors it, cherishes it and actively tries to educate all he comes in contact with about the heritage of our flag.
The veterans I know are nothing like those John Kerry tried to convince Congress about during the Viet Nam war.
Before you go to sleep tonight, pause and pray.
Thank God for the Veterans He made -- and for the price they were willing to pay for our freedom.
Wednesday, November 10, 2004
QUESTION FOR THE DAY
How can a born again Christian not be happy?
God has literally opened the storehouse of Heaven and flooded us with His blessings.
How can we, as Christians who profess to believe this, not be happy -- all the time?
I am not an insignificant person by any stretch of the imagination.
Jesus knows exactly how many hairs I have on the top of my head (although this is not a big task these days) -- He has bought me with a price I cannot comprehend -- He loves me with a love so strong and complete I cannot even imagine it.
I am His and nothing in this world can change that.
I go to church with a couple who were good friends as well and after missing three Sundays in September while working at the State Fair of Texas, I missed them in Sunday services.
Periodically I would get email from them but no hint as to why they were not in church. So I emailed them and asked why.
I got back a terse reply "because of a staff infection" they thought it best not to come back. Since the medical infection of this sort is spelled staph, I presumed they had run afoul of one of the church staff members, things were not being done like they thought they should be done so it is out the door.
Plenty of things my Pastor does are not to my way of thinking -- and most of these are in the area of extending mercy -- he is much more forgiving than I am.
If the truth were known I am certain there are a large number of church pastors who don't get everything their way either.
When it comes to church there is only one way and that is Jesus Christ. He is the final authority and when he said he was the way, he meant it.
If something happens in church I do not like, then I need to adjust my way of thinking -- and my feelings -- to be in tune with Jesus.
When you do, that makes for a happy camper -- and a happy Christian.
All of us know brothers and sisters in Christ who are not happy and we have one major duty -- pray for them -- pray that God will open their eyes to the beauty of His truth.
For when you are in His truth -- there has to be a smile on your face.
God has literally opened the storehouse of Heaven and flooded us with His blessings.
How can we, as Christians who profess to believe this, not be happy -- all the time?
I am not an insignificant person by any stretch of the imagination.
Jesus knows exactly how many hairs I have on the top of my head (although this is not a big task these days) -- He has bought me with a price I cannot comprehend -- He loves me with a love so strong and complete I cannot even imagine it.
I am His and nothing in this world can change that.
I go to church with a couple who were good friends as well and after missing three Sundays in September while working at the State Fair of Texas, I missed them in Sunday services.
Periodically I would get email from them but no hint as to why they were not in church. So I emailed them and asked why.
I got back a terse reply "because of a staff infection" they thought it best not to come back. Since the medical infection of this sort is spelled staph, I presumed they had run afoul of one of the church staff members, things were not being done like they thought they should be done so it is out the door.
Plenty of things my Pastor does are not to my way of thinking -- and most of these are in the area of extending mercy -- he is much more forgiving than I am.
If the truth were known I am certain there are a large number of church pastors who don't get everything their way either.
When it comes to church there is only one way and that is Jesus Christ. He is the final authority and when he said he was the way, he meant it.
If something happens in church I do not like, then I need to adjust my way of thinking -- and my feelings -- to be in tune with Jesus.
When you do, that makes for a happy camper -- and a happy Christian.
All of us know brothers and sisters in Christ who are not happy and we have one major duty -- pray for them -- pray that God will open their eyes to the beauty of His truth.
For when you are in His truth -- there has to be a smile on your face.
Tuesday, November 09, 2004
ARE YOU A CRESTOR MAN?
Not too many years ago, cigarette advertisements dominated the television airways extolling the joys of smoking, how it was the "in" thing to do but completely ignoring the fact that smoking these things would eventually give you lung cancer and cause you to cough your lungs out.
Congress stepped in, placed a ban on cigarette advertising on television and now our airways are smoke free.
I am hesitant to suggest this since I do not condone government intervention into our private lives, but it is time for Congress to step in and put a quietus on prescription drug advertising.
Now think about it a moment -- if you watch television at all, how many prescription drug ads do you see on a daily basis?
Plenty of them! You cannot watch TV for an hour without being saturated with advertising for prescription drugs.
Now think for a moment -- which one of us can respond to these ads, go to a drug store and buy the product of our own initiative?
Not a one of us, unless we have a medical degree and are licensed to write prescriptions.
Yet each of these commercials - particularly the ones in prime time -- cost hundreds of thousands of dollars.
The ads can't be targeted to physicians who can authorize their purchase so drug companies employ salesmen for that.
I went to my doctor's office yesterday for labwork and could hardly get in the door for the drug salesmen (all female) waiting to see the doctors.
So evidently the drug companies are using sex to try and peddle their wares. Each saleswoman was dressed in the latest chic -- tailored pant suits that looked like a man's business suit -- pulling their bags on wheels full of samples and gushing to one another from beneath hairdos that looked like they had been styled by Martha Stewart with a hand mixer.
So you know the cost of this was nearly as high as the television advertising.
And who is paying for this? Those who use the prescription drugs and largely this consists of senior citizens who cannot really afford them.
The worst offender today is Crestor -- a cholesterol lowering pill -- and it is undoubtedly the most stupid commercial I have ever heard.
"Tell your doctor you want to try Crestor," the shill says, "and be sure to let him know what prescription drugs you are taking?"
What?
If you are taking prescription drugs your doctor does not know about you need to be dodging the DEA because they undoubtedly have a warrent for your arrest for drug trafficking.
So lets stop the insanity -- call or write or email your state and federal legislators today and urge them to immediately begin work on stopping this madness in the same way they stopped cigarette advertising years ago.
Congress stepped in, placed a ban on cigarette advertising on television and now our airways are smoke free.
I am hesitant to suggest this since I do not condone government intervention into our private lives, but it is time for Congress to step in and put a quietus on prescription drug advertising.
Now think about it a moment -- if you watch television at all, how many prescription drug ads do you see on a daily basis?
Plenty of them! You cannot watch TV for an hour without being saturated with advertising for prescription drugs.
Now think for a moment -- which one of us can respond to these ads, go to a drug store and buy the product of our own initiative?
Not a one of us, unless we have a medical degree and are licensed to write prescriptions.
Yet each of these commercials - particularly the ones in prime time -- cost hundreds of thousands of dollars.
The ads can't be targeted to physicians who can authorize their purchase so drug companies employ salesmen for that.
I went to my doctor's office yesterday for labwork and could hardly get in the door for the drug salesmen (all female) waiting to see the doctors.
So evidently the drug companies are using sex to try and peddle their wares. Each saleswoman was dressed in the latest chic -- tailored pant suits that looked like a man's business suit -- pulling their bags on wheels full of samples and gushing to one another from beneath hairdos that looked like they had been styled by Martha Stewart with a hand mixer.
So you know the cost of this was nearly as high as the television advertising.
And who is paying for this? Those who use the prescription drugs and largely this consists of senior citizens who cannot really afford them.
The worst offender today is Crestor -- a cholesterol lowering pill -- and it is undoubtedly the most stupid commercial I have ever heard.
"Tell your doctor you want to try Crestor," the shill says, "and be sure to let him know what prescription drugs you are taking?"
What?
If you are taking prescription drugs your doctor does not know about you need to be dodging the DEA because they undoubtedly have a warrent for your arrest for drug trafficking.
So lets stop the insanity -- call or write or email your state and federal legislators today and urge them to immediately begin work on stopping this madness in the same way they stopped cigarette advertising years ago.
Monday, November 08, 2004
NEVER ON SUNDAY
Remember the Blue Law?
It was a Texas statue of some years back which prohibited businesses from being open on Sunday.
We need to revive that law -- if for no other reason than to apply it to the Dallas Cowboys. If ever a business needed to be prohibited from doing business on Sunday it is the Cowboys.
Cincinnati 26, Dallas 3 -- the final score board.
It is sad to see a football coach like Bill Parcel have to admit "we play stupid football."
It's true but it is still sad to hear him have to admit it.
Surely this will convince fans once and for all that Jerry Jones is incapable and inept at building and running a professional football franchise.
"We're a better team than this," one unidentified Cowboy said after yesterday's game.
No, they are not. Simply because Jerry Jones and Son do not have the foggiest idea of what it takes to build a football team.
It has to be evident now to everyone -- beyond any doubt -- that the success the Cowboys enjoyed during the early years was solely because of the talent of former head coach Jimmy Johnson.
Johnson knew how to build a football team -- and he knew what to do with it when it was built.
But after five years of dealing with Jones and Son he turned tail and ran -- proving he was a pretty smart guy afterall.
Bill Parcel, in his own right, is a good football coach.
Unfortunately good football coaches cannot function under the Jones regime.
Three things should happen now.
1. The Cowboys are definitely headed to a new stadium in Arlington (Tarrant County). Dallas fans need to seek a federal court injunction that will prohibit them from ever returning to Dallas County, then buy Laura Miller a new car in appreciation for her running the team off in the first place.
2. Fans in Arlington need to investigate the possibility of a recall election on the Nov. 2 referendum where they approved millions for a new stadium for this inept team.
3. Jerry Jones should investigate the possibility of sending Parcel to the University of Texas in exchange for Mack Brown. This should provide the Cowboys with new and more creative ways to lose.
It was a Texas statue of some years back which prohibited businesses from being open on Sunday.
We need to revive that law -- if for no other reason than to apply it to the Dallas Cowboys. If ever a business needed to be prohibited from doing business on Sunday it is the Cowboys.
Cincinnati 26, Dallas 3 -- the final score board.
It is sad to see a football coach like Bill Parcel have to admit "we play stupid football."
It's true but it is still sad to hear him have to admit it.
Surely this will convince fans once and for all that Jerry Jones is incapable and inept at building and running a professional football franchise.
"We're a better team than this," one unidentified Cowboy said after yesterday's game.
No, they are not. Simply because Jerry Jones and Son do not have the foggiest idea of what it takes to build a football team.
It has to be evident now to everyone -- beyond any doubt -- that the success the Cowboys enjoyed during the early years was solely because of the talent of former head coach Jimmy Johnson.
Johnson knew how to build a football team -- and he knew what to do with it when it was built.
But after five years of dealing with Jones and Son he turned tail and ran -- proving he was a pretty smart guy afterall.
Bill Parcel, in his own right, is a good football coach.
Unfortunately good football coaches cannot function under the Jones regime.
Three things should happen now.
1. The Cowboys are definitely headed to a new stadium in Arlington (Tarrant County). Dallas fans need to seek a federal court injunction that will prohibit them from ever returning to Dallas County, then buy Laura Miller a new car in appreciation for her running the team off in the first place.
2. Fans in Arlington need to investigate the possibility of a recall election on the Nov. 2 referendum where they approved millions for a new stadium for this inept team.
3. Jerry Jones should investigate the possibility of sending Parcel to the University of Texas in exchange for Mack Brown. This should provide the Cowboys with new and more creative ways to lose.
Friday, November 05, 2004
CODE RED
I'm late today.
I got up this morning, turned on the TV and went into a state of shock.
Yesterday was the 35th birthday of that noted American Sean (P Diddy) Combs, and I missed his celebration bash on wall street.
Of course I had been invited -- along with the rest of the "beautiful people" but I assumed it would be called off because of the loss in the presidential election by John Kerry.
P Diddy -- the former Puff Daddy -- was a big backer of Kerry and I figured he would be joining Al Sharpston, Whoopie Goldberg,; Babs Streisand and the Baldwin Boys in moving out of the country.
Much to my chagrin the shindig was not cancelled and I missed it.
I even went to the trouble and expense of having formal clothes designed b y the noted designer David of Arkansas. It was a three piece formal outfit made of blue denim and trimmed with burlap.
Maybe its a good thing I did miss the party -- I don't think the world was quite ready for designer clothes like that.
On a serious note --
Good things are happening in the United States of America -- things are happening that a lot of us had been praying would happen.
So it is no accident it is happening -- God's hand is directing it all.
Don't forget to thank Him for all He has done.
It doesn't have to be an elaborate prayer -- just a simple "Thank you Lord" to let Him know that we realize He is doing it all and we appreciate it.
Have a good day Saturday and Sunday -- get up, go to Sunday School and Church and really tell God thanks.
I got up this morning, turned on the TV and went into a state of shock.
Yesterday was the 35th birthday of that noted American Sean (P Diddy) Combs, and I missed his celebration bash on wall street.
Of course I had been invited -- along with the rest of the "beautiful people" but I assumed it would be called off because of the loss in the presidential election by John Kerry.
P Diddy -- the former Puff Daddy -- was a big backer of Kerry and I figured he would be joining Al Sharpston, Whoopie Goldberg,; Babs Streisand and the Baldwin Boys in moving out of the country.
Much to my chagrin the shindig was not cancelled and I missed it.
I even went to the trouble and expense of having formal clothes designed b y the noted designer David of Arkansas. It was a three piece formal outfit made of blue denim and trimmed with burlap.
Maybe its a good thing I did miss the party -- I don't think the world was quite ready for designer clothes like that.
On a serious note --
Good things are happening in the United States of America -- things are happening that a lot of us had been praying would happen.
So it is no accident it is happening -- God's hand is directing it all.
Don't forget to thank Him for all He has done.
It doesn't have to be an elaborate prayer -- just a simple "Thank you Lord" to let Him know that we realize He is doing it all and we appreciate it.
Have a good day Saturday and Sunday -- get up, go to Sunday School and Church and really tell God thanks.
Thursday, November 04, 2004
IN RETROSPECT
I couldn't get anything right yesterday.
My granddad used to say "I may not always be right but I ain't never been wrong."
Not me -- I was wrong twice in one day.
First, in getting ready to prepare the Wednesday night meal at church, I looked at the bulletin and found - much to my surprise - that I was supposed to fix filet gumbo instead of file gumbo, a Cajun soup.
Naturally I blamed Pam Sandlin the church secretary at Calvary Hill because things usually are her fault.
But she refused to accept blame, instead showing me the original menu and sure enough -- I had made a typo and told her it was to be "filet" gumbo.
When you have to eat crow in front of Pam, it is not a simple task.
Then I turned right around yesterday morning and told everyone I talked with that John Kerry would not concede the election -- that he would carry America through the same turmoil it went through four years ago.
Just look at the guy's track record and his flip flops. No way was he going to give in until the bitter end.
Then I turned on the radio and was greeted by the announcement that he would make his concession speech from Boston at 1 p.m. eastern time.
A postponement of one hour gave me a brief flicker of hope - but when that deadline arrived there was Kerry at center stage, admitting his defeat at the polls.
Two wrongs in one day are a brutal blow to my ego.
Just goes to show the truth in the statement that it is hard to be humble.
But being wrong makes it a lot easier.
My granddad used to say "I may not always be right but I ain't never been wrong."
Not me -- I was wrong twice in one day.
First, in getting ready to prepare the Wednesday night meal at church, I looked at the bulletin and found - much to my surprise - that I was supposed to fix filet gumbo instead of file gumbo, a Cajun soup.
Naturally I blamed Pam Sandlin the church secretary at Calvary Hill because things usually are her fault.
But she refused to accept blame, instead showing me the original menu and sure enough -- I had made a typo and told her it was to be "filet" gumbo.
When you have to eat crow in front of Pam, it is not a simple task.
Then I turned right around yesterday morning and told everyone I talked with that John Kerry would not concede the election -- that he would carry America through the same turmoil it went through four years ago.
Just look at the guy's track record and his flip flops. No way was he going to give in until the bitter end.
Then I turned on the radio and was greeted by the announcement that he would make his concession speech from Boston at 1 p.m. eastern time.
A postponement of one hour gave me a brief flicker of hope - but when that deadline arrived there was Kerry at center stage, admitting his defeat at the polls.
Two wrongs in one day are a brutal blow to my ego.
Just goes to show the truth in the statement that it is hard to be humble.
But being wrong makes it a lot easier.
Wednesday, November 03, 2004
TOO CLOSE TO CALL
The buttons have been pushed, the numbers crunched, the ballots shaken up to reduce the number of hanging chads -- we hear the drum roll and the President is...
Too Close To Call.
Get serious.
George W. Bush will be in the White House for four more years. Ohio is his!
John Kerry has two choices. He can accept the inevitable before the day is over, or he and his lawyers can challange everything in site in Florida, Ohio and other selected states.
Which route will he take?
Unless I miss my guess he will put the nation through a turmoil like it went through in Florida in 2000.
Keep in mind, this guy has flip flopped on every issue there is, he aided and abetted the government of North Vietnam and the Viet Cong, to the detrement of American Prisoners of War and has been caught in numerous lies.
So what do you think -- which route will he take?
Regardless, the result will be the same -- George W. Bush will have four more years.
Hopefully the Democrats will learn one thing from this election -- Don't Mess With Texas.
Personally I have learned several things from all this electoral process.
Thanks to rock singer Bruce Springstein I now am sure that smoking dope on a daily basis over an extended period of years will cause irreversible brain damage.
Thanks to Little Stevie Wonder I now know that blind people have no more insight into human nature than anyone else -- so much for that extra sense.
P Diddy, the former Puff Daddy, who is a singer or rapper or something like that, is ultra delusional. Why would he possibly think anyone would care about his thoughts on politics. After all, a guy who dumped J-Lo can't be operating on all cylinders.
And finally -- and on a serious note -- the election totals clearly indicate there are a lot of people in this nation who do not know Jesus Christ as their personal savior and do not believe His teachings.
It is up to us -- the redeemed of Jesus -- to bring His light into their presence.
And today is a good time to start.
Too Close To Call.
Get serious.
George W. Bush will be in the White House for four more years. Ohio is his!
John Kerry has two choices. He can accept the inevitable before the day is over, or he and his lawyers can challange everything in site in Florida, Ohio and other selected states.
Which route will he take?
Unless I miss my guess he will put the nation through a turmoil like it went through in Florida in 2000.
Keep in mind, this guy has flip flopped on every issue there is, he aided and abetted the government of North Vietnam and the Viet Cong, to the detrement of American Prisoners of War and has been caught in numerous lies.
So what do you think -- which route will he take?
Regardless, the result will be the same -- George W. Bush will have four more years.
Hopefully the Democrats will learn one thing from this election -- Don't Mess With Texas.
Personally I have learned several things from all this electoral process.
Thanks to rock singer Bruce Springstein I now am sure that smoking dope on a daily basis over an extended period of years will cause irreversible brain damage.
Thanks to Little Stevie Wonder I now know that blind people have no more insight into human nature than anyone else -- so much for that extra sense.
P Diddy, the former Puff Daddy, who is a singer or rapper or something like that, is ultra delusional. Why would he possibly think anyone would care about his thoughts on politics. After all, a guy who dumped J-Lo can't be operating on all cylinders.
And finally -- and on a serious note -- the election totals clearly indicate there are a lot of people in this nation who do not know Jesus Christ as their personal savior and do not believe His teachings.
It is up to us -- the redeemed of Jesus -- to bring His light into their presence.
And today is a good time to start.
Tuesday, November 02, 2004
HAPPY ELECTION DAY
All over with but the shouting.
Lots of people are all worried and upset about what the outcome will be tonight, but I promise you, this election was decided a long long time ago
If you have not voted yet, go do so.
If you have, how about getting down on your knees and telling God you admit He as determined the outcome of this election -- that you know He will only do what is in your best interest and that you trust Him completely to do so.
Then sit back and relax -- and be secure in the knowledge that Jesus is running the show and we truly are in His hands.
Then you can be as happy as I am.
Lots of people are all worried and upset about what the outcome will be tonight, but I promise you, this election was decided a long long time ago
If you have not voted yet, go do so.
If you have, how about getting down on your knees and telling God you admit He as determined the outcome of this election -- that you know He will only do what is in your best interest and that you trust Him completely to do so.
Then sit back and relax -- and be secure in the knowledge that Jesus is running the show and we truly are in His hands.
Then you can be as happy as I am.
Monday, November 01, 2004
THE TIMES THEY ARE A CHANGIN'
Back in the 1960s, Bob Dylan, the noted folk singer and songwriter, came out with a song by this name which has proven to be one of the most prophetic songs ever written.
Witness what happened in the halls of federal government in the not too distant past:
By the President of the United States of America.
A Proclamation.
Whereas, the Senate of the United States, devoutly recognizing the Supreme Authority and just Government of Almighty God, in all the affairs of men and of nations, has, by a resolution, requested the President to designate and set apart a day for National prayer and humiliation.
And whereas it is the duty of nations as well as of men, to own their dependence upon the overruling power of God, to confess their sins and transgressions, in humble sorrow, yet with assured hope that genuine repentance will lead to mercy and pardon; and to recognize the sublime truth, announced in the Holy Scriptures and proven by all history, that those nations only are blessed whose God is the Lord.
And, insomuch as we know that, by His divine law, nations like individuals are subjected to punishments and chastisements in this world, may we not justly fear that the awful calamity of civil war, which now desolates the land, may be but a punishment, inflicted upon us, for our presumptuous sins, to the needful end of our national reformation as a whole People? We have been the recipients of the choicest bounties of Heaven. We have been preserved, these many years, in peace and prosperity. We have grown in numbers, wealth and power, as no other nation has ever grown. But we have forgotten God. We have forgotten the gracious hand which preserved us in peace, and multiplied and enriched and strengthened us; and we have vainly imagined, in the deceitfulness of our hearts, that all these blessings were produced by some superior wisdom and virtue of our own. Intoxicated with unbroken success, we have become too self-sufficient to feel the necessity of redeeming and preserving grace, too proud to pray to the God that made us!
It behooves us then, to humble ourselves before the offended Power, to confess our national sins, and to pray for clemency and forgiveness.
Now, therefore, in compliance with the request, and fully concurring in the views of the Senate, I do, by this my proclamation, designate and set apart Thursday, the 30th. day of April, 1863, as a day of national humiliation, fasting and prayer. And I do hereby request all the People to abstain, on that day, from their ordinary secular pursuits, and to unite, at their several places of public worship and their respective homes, in keeping the day holy to the Lord, and devoted to the humble discharge of the religious duties proper to that solemn occasion.
All this being done, in sincerity and truth, let us then rest humbly in the hope authorized by the Divine teachings, that the united cry of the Nation will be heard on high, and answered with blessings, no less than the pardon of our national sins, and the restoration of our now divided and suffering Country, to its former happy condition of unity and peace.
In witness whereof, I have hereunto set my hand and caused the seal of the United States to be affixed.
Done at the City of Washington, this thirtieth day of March, in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and sixty-three, and of the Independence of the United States the eighty seventh.
By the President: Abraham Lincoln
William H. Seward, Secretary of State.
Can you imagine John Kerry's signature on such a document?
Witness what happened in the halls of federal government in the not too distant past:
By the President of the United States of America.
A Proclamation.
Whereas, the Senate of the United States, devoutly recognizing the Supreme Authority and just Government of Almighty God, in all the affairs of men and of nations, has, by a resolution, requested the President to designate and set apart a day for National prayer and humiliation.
And whereas it is the duty of nations as well as of men, to own their dependence upon the overruling power of God, to confess their sins and transgressions, in humble sorrow, yet with assured hope that genuine repentance will lead to mercy and pardon; and to recognize the sublime truth, announced in the Holy Scriptures and proven by all history, that those nations only are blessed whose God is the Lord.
And, insomuch as we know that, by His divine law, nations like individuals are subjected to punishments and chastisements in this world, may we not justly fear that the awful calamity of civil war, which now desolates the land, may be but a punishment, inflicted upon us, for our presumptuous sins, to the needful end of our national reformation as a whole People? We have been the recipients of the choicest bounties of Heaven. We have been preserved, these many years, in peace and prosperity. We have grown in numbers, wealth and power, as no other nation has ever grown. But we have forgotten God. We have forgotten the gracious hand which preserved us in peace, and multiplied and enriched and strengthened us; and we have vainly imagined, in the deceitfulness of our hearts, that all these blessings were produced by some superior wisdom and virtue of our own. Intoxicated with unbroken success, we have become too self-sufficient to feel the necessity of redeeming and preserving grace, too proud to pray to the God that made us!
It behooves us then, to humble ourselves before the offended Power, to confess our national sins, and to pray for clemency and forgiveness.
Now, therefore, in compliance with the request, and fully concurring in the views of the Senate, I do, by this my proclamation, designate and set apart Thursday, the 30th. day of April, 1863, as a day of national humiliation, fasting and prayer. And I do hereby request all the People to abstain, on that day, from their ordinary secular pursuits, and to unite, at their several places of public worship and their respective homes, in keeping the day holy to the Lord, and devoted to the humble discharge of the religious duties proper to that solemn occasion.
All this being done, in sincerity and truth, let us then rest humbly in the hope authorized by the Divine teachings, that the united cry of the Nation will be heard on high, and answered with blessings, no less than the pardon of our national sins, and the restoration of our now divided and suffering Country, to its former happy condition of unity and peace.
In witness whereof, I have hereunto set my hand and caused the seal of the United States to be affixed.
Done at the City of Washington, this thirtieth day of March, in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and sixty-three, and of the Independence of the United States the eighty seventh.
By the President: Abraham Lincoln
William H. Seward, Secretary of State.
Can you imagine John Kerry's signature on such a document?
Friday, October 29, 2004
DENYING THE CHRIST
On the night before Jesus' crucifixation, the Son of God told Peter -- who had been selected to be one of the leaders of the new Church -- that before the sun rose, Peter would deny Jesus three times.
Absolutely not, Peter said. He knew Jesus -- his faith in Him was unshakable.
Yet as Peter denied Christ for the third time he heard the rooster crow.
Now lets step ahead in time.
Its Tuesday, November 2, 2004 -- election day in America.
Jesus is talking to one of His disciples -- lets call him Joe Everyman for the sake of clarity.
Joe proclaims to be a Christian -- works actively in his Church, and is involved in many worthwhile projects.
"Joe," Jesus says, "before the polls close tonight you will deny me."
Wait a minute, you say. Does this mean if I do not vote for George Bush for president that I will be denying Jesus?
No.
But if you vote for John Kerry -- y ou will deny Jesus and His word and teachings.
Forget my personal opinion that Kerry is a piece of sleaze and scum who has devoted a big part of his life trying to undermine our nation.
There are two main points of contention in this election, Biblically speaking.
One is the abortion issue and the other is homosexual marriage agenda.
The Word of God is plain and outspoken on both of these issues.
1. Life is sacred -- given by God as a gift.
2. Homosexuality, according to the Apostle Paul, is an abomination to God.
Doesn't matter what I think -- this is what God says.
Yet John Kerry supports both agendas.
And a vote for this piece of scum is a statement that either
1. God didn't really mean what He said; or
2. God has changed His mind.
Nothing could be further from the truth.
And a vote for John Kerry will be a denial of the authority of Jesus Christ -- just as Peter denied him the night before the crucifixation.
Absolutely not, Peter said. He knew Jesus -- his faith in Him was unshakable.
Yet as Peter denied Christ for the third time he heard the rooster crow.
Now lets step ahead in time.
Its Tuesday, November 2, 2004 -- election day in America.
Jesus is talking to one of His disciples -- lets call him Joe Everyman for the sake of clarity.
Joe proclaims to be a Christian -- works actively in his Church, and is involved in many worthwhile projects.
"Joe," Jesus says, "before the polls close tonight you will deny me."
Wait a minute, you say. Does this mean if I do not vote for George Bush for president that I will be denying Jesus?
No.
But if you vote for John Kerry -- y ou will deny Jesus and His word and teachings.
Forget my personal opinion that Kerry is a piece of sleaze and scum who has devoted a big part of his life trying to undermine our nation.
There are two main points of contention in this election, Biblically speaking.
One is the abortion issue and the other is homosexual marriage agenda.
The Word of God is plain and outspoken on both of these issues.
1. Life is sacred -- given by God as a gift.
2. Homosexuality, according to the Apostle Paul, is an abomination to God.
Doesn't matter what I think -- this is what God says.
Yet John Kerry supports both agendas.
And a vote for this piece of scum is a statement that either
1. God didn't really mean what He said; or
2. God has changed His mind.
Nothing could be further from the truth.
And a vote for John Kerry will be a denial of the authority of Jesus Christ -- just as Peter denied him the night before the crucifixation.
Thursday, October 28, 2004
A CATCHY TITLE
Baptist by choice.
Some years back, after becoming a member of Calvary Hill Baptist Church in Mesquite TX I woke up one morning and it dawned on me -- I was a Baptist.
Quite a revelation to someone who was raised in the Church of Christ before the truth of God's word was revealed to me.
I am a Baptist by choice -- or at least a Calvary Hill Baptist by choice, for this is the first church I have ever found that teaches the Word of God in all its purity.
More about that at future dates -- but Saved By The Grace Of God.
Now that I had no choice in.
Eons before the universe was ever framed Jesus told God that He had selected me -- He wanted me and I would be His.
He bought me on Calvary and now I am His.
Nothing can ever change that -- Jesus did not pay the price I cost just so I would "have a chance to be saved" -- He paid the price so I would be His, totally and completely.
It is a wonderful thing to be able to awaken each morning and have my first thought to be that I can hardly wait to see what God has in store for me today.
For every job I am given -- every task I am asked to perform -- is simply God opening a doorway and allowing me to have a part in what He is getting ready to accomplish.
Does God need my help?
Not on your life.
But through His magnificent Grace he allows me to take part in some of the things He accomplishes.
And that makes life really worthwhile.
Some years back, after becoming a member of Calvary Hill Baptist Church in Mesquite TX I woke up one morning and it dawned on me -- I was a Baptist.
Quite a revelation to someone who was raised in the Church of Christ before the truth of God's word was revealed to me.
I am a Baptist by choice -- or at least a Calvary Hill Baptist by choice, for this is the first church I have ever found that teaches the Word of God in all its purity.
More about that at future dates -- but Saved By The Grace Of God.
Now that I had no choice in.
Eons before the universe was ever framed Jesus told God that He had selected me -- He wanted me and I would be His.
He bought me on Calvary and now I am His.
Nothing can ever change that -- Jesus did not pay the price I cost just so I would "have a chance to be saved" -- He paid the price so I would be His, totally and completely.
It is a wonderful thing to be able to awaken each morning and have my first thought to be that I can hardly wait to see what God has in store for me today.
For every job I am given -- every task I am asked to perform -- is simply God opening a doorway and allowing me to have a part in what He is getting ready to accomplish.
Does God need my help?
Not on your life.
But through His magnificent Grace he allows me to take part in some of the things He accomplishes.
And that makes life really worthwhile.
Thursday, October 07, 2004
THE JOHN BOYS
What a dynamic duo!
John Kerry-Heinz and his good buddy and running mate, John Edwards, should henceforth and forevermore be known as "The John Boys".
Can you -- in your wildest dreams -- imagine an America with these two at the helm of the Ship of State?
Dick Cheney handled John Boy Edwards easily -- even though the media did get upset when it was discovered that Cheney had met Edwards before Oct. 5.
But the national media missed the point -- the Vice President was simply referring to the fact that this is the first time he had met Edwards "on the job."
The good senator's attendance record is just about as shaky as John Boy Kerry's military career.
There were some brief times in Tuesday's debate that the cameraman caught stunned expressions on Edwards face when Cheney slammed him.
John Boy ignored a lot of Cheney's comments like they had never been made.
I hope Bush will follow Cheney's lead in Friday night's debate and really nail Kerry to the wall.
Kerry says he has a plan to end the war in Iraq -- but what is it?
And most importantly, what will his plan be tomorrow when he decides to vote against today's plan.
John Kerry-Heinz and his good buddy and running mate, John Edwards, should henceforth and forevermore be known as "The John Boys".
Can you -- in your wildest dreams -- imagine an America with these two at the helm of the Ship of State?
Dick Cheney handled John Boy Edwards easily -- even though the media did get upset when it was discovered that Cheney had met Edwards before Oct. 5.
But the national media missed the point -- the Vice President was simply referring to the fact that this is the first time he had met Edwards "on the job."
The good senator's attendance record is just about as shaky as John Boy Kerry's military career.
There were some brief times in Tuesday's debate that the cameraman caught stunned expressions on Edwards face when Cheney slammed him.
John Boy ignored a lot of Cheney's comments like they had never been made.
I hope Bush will follow Cheney's lead in Friday night's debate and really nail Kerry to the wall.
Kerry says he has a plan to end the war in Iraq -- but what is it?
And most importantly, what will his plan be tomorrow when he decides to vote against today's plan.
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