English Please-

Texas Poll...

The latest telephone poll taken by the Texas Governor's office
asked whether people who live in Texas think illegal immigration
is a serious problem:

29 % of respondents answered: "Yes, it is a serious problem."

71% of respondents answered: "No es una problema seriosa."

Everybody's a Photographer-

The first SLR Digital Camera circa 1991 cost around $30,000 and was used by news organizations. It was a Nikon modified by Kodak. Now that digital photography has come of age and costs of cameras has considerably diminished, everybody is a photographer or at least thinks they are! I wonder if the woman in the photo above ever figured it out.

The greatest compliment a photographer can get is 'You have an eye for it.' That is priceless! Thank you Jeana.

900 Boxes of Viagra-Laced Coffee Confiscated!

In "I can't believe it's true" news, Malaysian authorities have recently confiscated 900 boxes of Viagra-laced coffee from a company in Gombak. The tainted coffee boxes contained 9,000 packets worth over $20,000 USD! But, the raid may have happened too late; according to a Health Ministry official, some of the spiked java has already been distributed nationwide.

Apparently, the company marketed the mixture as an energy booster with health benefits for men... talk about a euphemism! The Viagra-laced java was sold at a price between five and ten times higher than that of regular coffee. It remains unclear how much of the tainted brew has been consumed, but I've got a feeling more than a few packets have made their way into Malaysian kitchens.

In lieu of making inappropriate jokes, I think I'll just bow out and say adieu. Be sure to check that morning brew before consuming too much!

from Whole Latte Love

Majorly Big Dead Snake!

Well, maybe not the biggest!

A Second Chance- New Covenant Blessing!

The New Covenant is based on second chances! (Listen Saints, we live under the New covenant not the Old- the old is obsolete- Heb 8.13!)

Heb 8. 8-10, 12 "The day is coming, says the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the people of Israel and Judah. This covenant will not be like the one I made with their ancestors when I took them by the hand and led them out of the land of Egypt. They did not remain faithful to my covenant, so I turned my back on them, says the Lord. But this is the new covenant I will make...I will forgive their sins…

In spite of the fact that His people were not faithful to the old covenant, He has promised to make a new covenant, a better covenant, one that His people can keep.

Our God is the God of the second chance. And the third chance and the fourth chance. And the four hundredth chance and five thousandth chance. Is it true? Do we really get that many chances? Yes, because we need them. In the Old Testament we see how God's people turned away from him again and again … and every time they turned back to him, He restored them. He's a God of mercy. He's a God of forgiveness. He's the God of another chance.

When you make the decision to follow Christ, you inevitably discover that you sin more than you want to. You can become so frustrated with your own limitations that it will lead you to despair. At this point you need to remember the basis of God's New Covenant: It's based on second chances.

If your image of God has Him staring you down with stern disapproval, arms folded, shaking His head and saying, "You again?" Then you're not approaching God on the basis of the New Covenant. The New Covenant says, "My people failed in the past, but I will not give up on them. I'll give them another chance."

This New Covenant is about living in the security of His love and acceptance. When you fall down, He wants you to try again. When you wander away, He wants you to come back.

God is not a hater, He is a healer and restorer. I am making a decision not to be a hater either! I am going to be a healer and give people a second chance (and more if they need it!)

How Are You Living Your Life?

The length of our days is seventy years--or eighty, if we have the strength; yet their span is but trouble and sorrow, for they quickly pass, and we fly away. Ps. 90.10 NIV

In an average 70-78 year lifespan, we spend:
3 years on education,
8 years enjoying amusements (watching TV, movies, sports, etc),
6 years sitting at the dinner table (eating; some of you more),
5 years in transportation,
4 years in housework,
2 years shopping,
2 years cooking
4 years in conversation (some of you a lot more),
3 years either sick or getting well,
7 years at work,
24 years sleeping,
2 weeks kissing (for you lovebirds out there, more please),

...and if you attend a 90 min church service every Sunday and pray for 10 min every day- you spend less than 1 year for God!

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This is a very graphic video of the birth to death experience. It can be disturbing to some. Please view with this in mind. If you can't see this on Facebook, then go to my blog to view it. This is not meant to offend!

Loyalty on the Decline- Bad News for All!

This post is an addendum to my post on The ME Society.

Bad news was given recently that will affect Product Producers, Politicians, and Pastors!

It is the decline of loyalty!

We as pastors have always dealt with people coming and going. People leaving the church. You know, 'The hate me now or hate me later' syndrome. Or the ever popular 'Blow in, blow up, and blow out' experience. I am amazed at people being in a church for 10 or 15 years suddenly deciding to leave and move on.

The decline of loyalty has been ever increasing in the church over the years. But now it is entering into the business world, politics, academia, marriages, and so forth.

'Thanks to the Internet, proliferating consumer choices and a dramatic shift in American culture, voters and consumers are more impatient — and more fickle — than ever before. They’re less beholden to old attachments and more willing to make dramatic changes in lifestyle and preferences — whether that’s for a cell phone provider, a spouse or even a religious preference.'

'The decline of loyalty — at least the kind of loyalty that once kept consumers bound to products and voters bound to political parties — is rapidly becoming a thing of the past. '

'Polling shows that Americans over 65 are more willing to get a divorce today than ever before, even after a near lifetime of being married to the same person. College students are more willing to transfer to a new school. And, more than 40 percent of Americans will change their religion at least once in their life — throwing off generations of core beliefs for something new and appealing. '

The major reason is summed up in this quote:

“We’re becoming a little bit of a ‘me first’ society. It’s becoming difficult to really understand what people want because it’s what they want right now. But tomorrow, they might want something else.”

Read the entire article here.

Pastors, there is added stress ahead in trying to keep up with 'The ME Society.'

Will Revival Come?

If all the sleeping folk will wake up,

And all the lukewarm fork will fire up,

And all the dishonest folk will confess up,

And all the disgruntled folk will sweeten up,

And all the discouraged folk will cheer up,

And all the depressed folk will look up,

And all the estranged folk will make up,

And all the gossipers will shut up,

And all the dry bones will shake up,

And all the true soldiers will stand up,

And all the church members will pray up,

Then you can have revival!

Did I miss anyone?

Coffee Art-

A team of young art nuts has taken a less commercial approach to beverage-based art, faithfully reconstructing the Mona Lisa out of 3,604 coffee cups. The 20-foot-long, 13-foot-wide work was created by the Sydney Harbour Foreshore Authority, for the Rocks Aroma festival, a gathering for java lovers in Sydney, Australia. First came the idea to make an art piece from coffee cups, and the Mona Lisa was the logical choice for its iconic status. With the help of 564 pints of milk, the team was able to create the proper shades for each piece of the mosaic. Most impressive of all? It only took three hours with a team of eight people.

The ME Society!

This Bizarro comic speaks all to well to the major illness of our society- that of self-absorption; the preoccupation with ourselves, our needs, our wants, and our rights!

The church is even now excelling at this! It's all about me! Used to be about reaching and serving the perishing world.

Instead of 'fishers of men' we have become keepers of the aquarium. Keep the temperature right, the environment safe, the food handy, and clean the messes!

Because it is all about them!

Facebook Friends--

If you have been on Facebook for any length of time, you can identify with this grouping of friends and how they might breakdown by category!

Can you think of any other designations?