Coffee Scare!!!

Decaffeinated????????????????

Explain to me why!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Dangers of Online Viewing!

Love this Pluggers' cartoon! It speaks volumes.

Protect our children!

Meekness is Not Weakness!

Been doing a series on the Beatitudes. Especially enjoyed Sunday's sermon on Meekness. Meekness is not weakness!

I get asked how a former Drill Sergeant can be a Pastor. It has to be God and a good dose of power under control!

This picture is of my Associate Pastor, Stan, veteran of the Gulf War and of no small stature with me in a full nelson head lock. Did I trust him, you bet, had to! This was an example of power under control because he could have easily broken my neck with a little effort. Through meekness his power was under control! Thank God!

Another area of meekness is when our tongues are under control!

James 1:26 Anyone who says he is a Christian but doesn't control his sharp tongue is just fooling himself, and his religion isn't worth much.(TLB)

Whether it is gossip, slander, backbiting, cursing, etc., like Arabella Young's tombstone, don't wait until your dead to control your tongue.

Meekness means having the right amount of anger at the right time. It means being angry at what angers God and not just letting our fleshly anger control and get the best of us.

Pure meekness gets angry when injustices are done to others, when God is dishonored, or sin is accepted or condoned.

The result of meekness is receiving what God has promised!

"Happy Valentine's Day" - God

God taught us how to give the best!

Debi and I celebrated Valentine's Day a little early. I surprised her with a trip to Granbury to stay a night in her favorite Bed and Breakfast, The Arbor House. We left after Sunday service and didn't return until Monday evening. We had a delightful time! It is amazing what getting out of town can do for one's soul.

Have a great day! Show your love to someone--

"Christofascists"??? Note- Updated 2/14/07

"Not only that — count yourselves blessed every time people put you down or throw you out or speak lies about you to discredit me. What it means is that the truth is too close for comfort and they are uncomfortable." Mt 5:11 (from the Message Bible)

I have been called a lot of names in my life: in high school, college, as a Drill Sergeant in the Army and as a Pastor. So it doesn't bother me. But I am amazed at those who call for tolerance, and an end to bigotry and name calling when they coin a new word and think that it is okay for them. It is always a double standard with them.

The current word for conservative Christians is "Christofascists." You can find it on their mean spirited blogs, on the internet, and now in public print. It can also be found among a Presidential candidate's staff.

"Mr. Edwards announced today, after 36 hours of deliberation, that he would keep on his campaign staff two liberal feminist bloggers with long cybertrails of incendiary comments on sex, religion and politics. Deliberations over the fate of the two bloggers, Amanda Marcotte and Melissa McEwan, created a crisis in the nascent Edwards campaign and illuminated the treacherous road ahead as candidates of both parties try to harness the growing power of the online world to their campaigns...In deciding to retain Ms. Marcotte and Ms. McEwan, he extracted public apologies from them for some of their work and a promise from them to maintain a civil tone while in his employ."

"In some of their online writings, Ms. Marcotte and Ms. McEwan used vulgar language to characterize religious conservatives and Roman Catholic teachings on birth control, homosexuality and the virgin birth of Jesus."

"Ms. McEwan referred to conservative Christians as “Christofascists” and Mr. Marcotte said that the Catholic Church’s prohibition on the use of birth control forced women to bear “more tithing Catholics.”

We must be getting to them. For them to coin this word identifies their contempt not only for Christians but also for Christ! These are perilous times and it is not just the attack of Islam we have to deal with but the attack from our own fellow countrymen!

What it means is that the truth is too close for comfort and they are uncomfortable.

Both quit--
Melissa McEwan wrote on her personal blog, Shakespeare's Sister, that she left the campaign because she was becoming increasingly uncomfortable with the level of attention focused on her and her family.

"This was a decision I made, with the campaign's reluctant support, because my remaining the focus of sustained ideological attacks was inevitably making me a liability to the campaign," McEwan said Tuesday night.

Kate Bedingfield, a spokeswoman for the Edwards campaign, said McEwan left the campaign under her own terms. Both Bedingfield and McEwan declined additional comment.

McEwan's resignation came just one day after another blogger, Amanda Marcotte, left the Edwards staff for similar reasons.

Close Encounters?

And you were sittng where?

Congrats to Tony Dungy and the Colts--

I'll tell you what. I'm proud to be representing African-American coaches, to be the first African-American to win this. That means an awful lot to our country. But again, more than anything -- I said it before -- Lovie Smith and I are not only the first two African-Americans, but Christian coaches showing that you can win and doing it the Lord's way. We're more proud of that. Tony Dungy as he was handed the Vince Lombardi Trophy Sunday night.

It was a wet soggy game. A lot of miscues. That football just wouldn't stay tucked where it was supposed to.

But, there was a victor! Peyton Manning, yes; Rhodes, yes; Addai, yes; but my eyes were fixed on Tony Dungy! Class Act! A Christian Coach! A victor at life's struggles! He had weathered yet another storm!

The storms:
1. Dungy lost his first head coaching job with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers after a series of disappointing postseason runs, only to see the man who followed him (Jon Gruden) lead the Bucs to a title the next year.
2. In December 2005, Dungy went through a parent's worst nightmare when he buried his eldest son James after a suicide. Read what I wrote about that here.
3. This 2006 season was tough. Indianapolis was the worst in the league against the run, allowing yards faster than I could say 'Jesus wept."
4. And others I don't know about.

Yet, Tony Dungy kept the same stoic, unwavering strength that has defined him in both good times and the worst that fate had to offer.

"He has always been a high-character guy," linebacker Rob Morris said. "He believes very strongly in what's important to him and, to him, life and life's lessons are bigger than football."

It is more than winning a championship for Dungy. More than becoming the first African-American coach to capture a Super Bowl. It is about a way of life.

"That's one of the reasons I stayed in coaching – to prove you can win with Christian principles," Dungy said.

This is a coach who doesn't drink, doesn't smoke, doesn't curse and doesn't raise his voice. He treats players, coaches and all those who come in contact with him with respect.

After the super Bowl victory, Tony Dungy gave the credit to a fine organization and The Lord!

"The Lord doesn't always take you in a straight line," Dungy said. "He doesn't always take a direct path. I think he tests you sometimes to see if you're going to keep the faith and hang in there and I think we did. We did as an organization and it's just such a great feeling to get, to win this game.

"It's not the biggest thing in the world, but … it feels great."

Isa 43:2
When you're in over your head, I'll be there with you. When you're in rough waters, you will not go down. When you're between a rock and a hard place, it won't be a dead end — from THE MESSAGE

Life is more than football! It is what you make it even in the tough times and how you make it out of them!

Why I attend Church---

There's a wonderful story about Jimmy Durante, one of the truly great entertainers. He was asked to do a show for World War II veterans. He told them he was very busy, but if they wouldn't mind his doing one short monologue and immediately leaving for his next appointment, he'd come. They agreed. But when Jimmy got on stage he went through the short monologue - then stayed, and stayed. Soon he'd been on stage 15, 20, then 30 minutes. Finally he took a last bow and left. Backstage someone stopped him and said "I thought you had to go after a few minutes. What happened?" Jimmy answered, "You can see for yourself if you look on the front row." In the front row were two veterans, each of whom had lost an arm in the war. One had lost his right arm and the other had lost his left. Together, they were able to clap, and that's exactly what they were doing, loudly and cheerfully.

That's a picture of what's supposed to happen in church!

1Co 12:25-27
The way God designed our bodies is a model for understanding our lives together as a church: every part dependent on every other part, the parts we mention and the parts we don't, the parts we see and the parts we don't. If one part hurts, every other part is involved in the hurt, and in the healing. If one part flourishes, every other part enters into the exuberance. You are Christ's body — that's who you are! You must never forget this. Only as you accept your part of that body does your "part" mean anything. THE MESSAGE

We need each other! We can't afford to stay away from church as some do. We can't go it alone and succeed at what God meant to be a shared life with others.

I am concerned for those that started well but don't finish well; or finish at all!

We need each other so that we can accomplish together what God intended for His church. We also need each other to help us become the people God intended us to be.

God help us to understand our importance to one another!

Heard of 'Footprints in the Sand-'

Now there are 'Footprints on the Tummy'

I believe in Life!!! It begins at conception!!!

http://www.snopes.com/photos/arts/footprint.asp

Once there were Republicans--

But no more!

Dick Morris is no fan of Sen. Hillary Clinton, having spent much of the past decade writing and speaking out against her. And he took his always-quotable opinions to the offices of Americans for Tax Reform Wednesday (01/31/07) at a breakfast sponsored by The American Spectator.

He laid out the political future: “Hillary will be the next president, and she’ll be the worst president we’ve ever seen.” No matter what happens, the situation in Iraq will “assure that the GOP gets massacred in 2008 congressional elections.”

In 2010, the Republicans will take back the Congress — “Hillary will give Republicans the same gift she gave them in 1994” — and they’ll win the presidency in 2012, but thanks to demographic shifts favoring Democrats(namely the rising Hispanic and African-American populations), “that will be the last Republican president we’ll ever see.”

No Privacy!

Get that camera out of my face!

Oooops! Great to be a Dad?

A man was packing for a business trip and his three-year-old daughter was having a wonderful time playing on the bed. At one point she said, "Daddy, look at this" and stuck out two of her fingers.

Trying to keep her entertained, he reached out and stuck her tiny fingers in his mouth and said, "Daddy's gonna eat your fingers," pretending to eat them.

He went back to packing, looked up again and his daughter was standing on the bed staring at her fingers with a devastated look on her face.

He said, "What's wrong, honey?"

She replied, "What happened to my booger?"

In training For SuperBowl Sunday! Updated 2/1/07

CUPCAKES, CHEETOS, AND COOKIES, OH MY! By Marsha Jordan

Are you the type of person who eats when you're stressed? I am. I eat when I'm stressed, when I'm sad, when I'm happy, and when I'm tired. I believe there's a food for every mood.
I eat for any reason at any time. I eat when I'm watching television, I eat while riding in the car, and I even eat while sitting at the computer. There are enough crumbs in my keyboard to feed a troupe of boy scouts. Every once in a while, I just shake it over the table and announce to the husband, "Dinner's ready!"

I eat too much, too often. Since I was a kid, I've had a weight problem. I could never weight for the next meal. I began wearing a girdle to school in kindergarten, and I've been on diets for most of my life.

I recently began yet another new eating regimen. Forbidden food groups include appetizers and desserts, anything processed or fried, and anything with meat or dairy products in it. I must also avoid all foods seen on TV commercials or restaurant menus. I cannot eat anything prepared by my grandma, Aunt Hildegard, my third cousin twice removed, or any other member of the family. It's called the Oriental Diet. I can eat all I want from the specified food list (celery, kale, bok choi, and those tiny ears of corn), but I must use only one chopstick.

This week, I've failed miserably at sticking to my eating plan. I've had an insatiable appetite for junk food. In addition to a dumpster load of Hostess Twinkies, I've devoured roughly eleven cases of raspberry Fig Newtons and eight and a half pounds of extra crunchy Cheetos. I can't be sneaky about it either. When the husband asks if I've eaten all the Cheetos, how can I look innocent when my fingers and teeth are orange?

Wouldn't you think that after stuffing myself with junk food all week I'd be satisfied? I'm not. In fact, the more I eat, the more I crave. If I continue this way, I'll need a front end loader to lift my carcass out of the Lazy Boy.

To make matters worse, I don't get enough exercise. But I really can't do much that's physical, because I think I pulled a fat cell. I'm barely able to crawl to the kitchen for six square meals a day.

I really need to lose weight. I want to know how it feels to bend over and tie my shoes without cutting off the blood supply above my waist and feeling as if my intestines are being pushed out my ears. It would be great to zip my jeans without fainting from lack of oxygen. So I must get back on track. I'll paste on my refrigerator door that old proverb uttered by some wise sage: "If it tastes good, spit it out."

From now on, I'll plan my meals around a main dish of parsley. Only nutritional foods will pass my lips, like rutabagas, spinach, and celery -- stuff that takes half an hour to chew. By the time I swallow them, my aching jaws will be too tired to munch extra-crunchy Cheetos or anything else. Now if I could only figure out a way to make veggies taste like turtle cheesecake.

To keep my weight down and my arteries clean, I must eat health-restoring foods. Similarly, keeping my spiritual arteries open and flowing freely requires health food for my soul. Whoever coined the phrase "Garbage in, garbage out" knew what he was talking about. When I dump into my spirit things that I'm better off without, they transform my perceptions, attitude, and actions. The result can be just as shocking as that horror-filled moment when I view my cellulite-riddled body in Wal-mart's dressing room mirror.

So, I've made two resolutions. One is to strengthen my body and fuel it with life-sustaining foods. Also, I'll incorporate into my lifestyle more exercise than just aerobic eating and lifting extra large Hershey bars. I'll start slowly with the goal of working up to three sit ups a day. And instead of walking, I'll jog from my bed to the table.

I also plan to exercise my faith and feast spiritually on the word of God. This will be easier and much more palatable than a physical diet; and it will keep my sin-sick, love-starved soul in tip-top health. Bible study is the meat that gives me strength for handling stress and a clear mind to make good decisions. And, unlike Chinese food, it doesn't leave me feeling empty in an hour.

Jeremiah 15:16 says, "When your words came, I ate them; and they were my joy and my heart's delight." Jesus promised that whoever hungers and thirsts for righteousness will be satisfied, and Psalm 63:5 testifies, "My soul will be satisfied as with the richest of foods."

I feel better already.

---------------------------------
Marsha Jordan is the author of "Hugs, Hope, and Peanut Butter":http://snipurl.com/mJordan (Amazon info)

Visit her official website: http://www.hugsandhope.org/

Copyright 2007 Marsha Jordan. Permission is granted to send this to others, with attribution, but not for commercial purposes.

I'm mad- must read- it'll make you mad!

This could only happen in the age of consumerism and greed! This is a true story and I have it from a man who was involved in an aspect of the happenings. He and his organization will remain anonymous because they are still trying to get a resolution on the building involved.

My friend's organization gave a loan for a church in Ohio to build a 3 million dollar facility. All seemed to be going fine and the church was active in the community and with other churches. The churches were building unity among themselves even having joint meetings together.

What happens next is bizarre. The pastor(1) of the church with the new building decided to sell his congregation to another church. That pastor(1) and the other pastor(2) had worked out a plan to sell pastor(1)'s congregation to pastor(2) for $190,000. So without the knowledge of pastor(1)'s leadership team or his congregation a joint service at pastor(2)'s church was announced.

They met in the joint service and pastor(1) stood up, announced his resignation and the sell of the congregation to the church they are now meeting in. Then he left $190,000 richer.

But that is not the end of the story. Pastor (1) leased the church building to another church and had the lease money sent to a P.O. Box and did not make payments on the loan to my friend's organization. When they went to inquire about nonpayment of the loan, pastor(1) is gone (in hiding) and the new church that is there had no idea about the previous financial agreement. So they too are now in a bind as the organization is going to have to ask them to leave(they can't afford the building payment) and the organization is stuck with a 3 million dollar facility that no one is paying for!

This makes me spitting mad! Mad a both pastors for treating God's people as a commodity to be sold and traded. I know we are sheep in God's Kingdom, but I also know there are unscrupulous pastors who are nothing but hirelings! This proves it!

This is when I thank God there will be a judgment forthcoming!

Which johns?

Not remembering which of John's epistles were the subject of the study the secretary posted the following:

This evening the Pastor will be leading a Bible study in one of the Johns.

Beware of the Affluenza Virus

Are you one of many who think money makes you happy? A recent news article and soon to be published book says that there is a new virus that is affecting many people worldwide. It's name is the Affluenza Virus. It is an epidemic of mindless consumerism that is sweeping the world with the compulsive pursuit of money and possessions making people richer but sadder.

That is the stark warning issued by best-selling British psychologist Oliver James after a "mind tour" of seven countries chronicling how depression envelopes the affluent.

"We have become addicted to having rather than being and confusing our needs with our wants," he told Reuters in an interview to mark publication on Thursday of "Affluenza."

Globe-trotting from New York to Sydney, Singapore and Shanghai via Copenhagen, Moscow and Auckland, he concluded after interviewing 240 people that "selfish capitalism" has run riot. Bigger houses, more cars, larger televisions, younger faces -- these goals are frenetically pursued by middle-class workaholics afflicted by "Affluenza."

"Studies in lots of different nations show that if you place high value on those things, you are more likely to suffer depression, anxiety, addictions and personality disorders," he said. James concluded, "People in English-speaking nations are twice as likely to be mentally ill as people living in mainland western European nations."

Always wanting bigger and better is an emotional cul de sac, argues the 53-year-old psychologist, broadcaster and author.

However, James is optimistic and believes the backlash has begun. "We are at a turning point. My argument dovetails with the ecological argument -- we cannot carry on consuming in this manner and feel confident our great grandchildren have any future. This inevitably leads us to question consumerism."

"People are sick to the back teeth of this stuff. They don't want any more selfish capitalism."

James is just confirming what the Bible has to say about this subject:
1Ti 6:6-10
A devout life does bring wealth, but it's the rich simplicity of being yourself before God.
Since we entered the world penniless and will leave it penniless, if we have bread on the table and shoes on our feet, that's enough.
But if it's only money these leaders are after, they'll self-destruct in no time.
Lust for money brings trouble and nothing but trouble. Going down that path, some lose their footing in the faith completely and live to regret it bitterly ever after. THE MESSAGE

It amazes that we still disregard this scripture. What amazes me more is that the 'Affluenza Virus' is rampant in our churches today just as in society. The church is full of it and consumerism is now the driving force in church competition.

God help us to return to a 'devout life that brings wealth.'

Drink Wilkins Coffee...or Else!

CAUTION- Graphic Violence- view at own risk!

Finished Bathroom Makeover!!

What did I do on 'Blue Monday?' Remember these pics from the post on 'What did I do Over Christmas?'

Click on Pics to enlarge--

Well, Debi and I completed the Master Bathroom Makeover. Over the weekend Debi sanded the walls, textured them (took her 5 hours-what a woman!), painted and then put a faux finish on them. I helped with the last two things. We ended up with a leather look on the walls which is 'manly' as this is primarily my bathroom with all my stuff. So all I have to do is some caulking, hanging a neat cabinet and mirror we bought and this project will be done! We started on Dec. 29th and have patiently worked at it. But now we can enjoy the finished work.

Also, I enjoy working with Debi- she is my heart's delight!

This shows a close up of the texture and faux we put on the walls.

This is a completed view.

Another major home project completed!

Blue Monday?

According to an article in the UK based "Daily Mail", today is Blue Monday -- the unhappiest day of the year. It says, "Unpaid Christmas bills, nasty weather, and failed New Year's resolutions combine to make January 22 the gloomiest in the calendar."

Phillip Hodson, a fellow of the British Association for Counselling, said: "The worst day has got to be a Monday - there is other evidence to show it is the worst day of the week.

"Our bodies work on a 25-hour clock so that - by the time we get to the weekend - we stay up later. That makes it difficult for us to go to sleep on Sunday and we wake up grumpy.

"It's also got to be around this time of year - we are less contented with our body image because we've been bingeing."

Maybe you're feeling it. Every now and then reality has a way of catching up with us, reminding us just how 'not-right' everything is. Bad news hits even harder, goals seem even more unreachable, progress seems even more elusive.

How's your day going? Rough? Good? So so? Remember these scriptures:

Ps 30:5
He gets angry once in a while, but across a lifetime there is only love. The nights of crying your eyes out give way to days of laughter. from THE MESSAGE

2 Co 4:16-17
So we're not giving up. How could we! Even though on the outside it often looks like things are falling apart on us, on the inside, where God is making new life, not a day goes by without his unfolding grace. These hard times are small potatoes compared to the coming good times, the lavish celebration prepared for us. from THE MESSAGE

God turns blue days into bright days!

Political Correctness For Kids

Your bedroom isn't cluttered; it's "passage-restrictive."


Kids don't get in trouble anymore. They merely hit "social speed bumps."


You're not having a bad hair day; you're suffering from "rebellious follicle syndrome."

No one's tall anymore. They're "vertically enhanced."

You're not shy. You're "conversationally selective."

You don't talk a lot. You're just "abundantly verbal."

It's not called gossip anymore. It's "transmission of near-factual information."

The food at the school cafeteria isn't awful. It's "digestively challenged."

Your homework isn't missing; it's just having an "out-of-notebook experience."

You're not sleeping in class; you're "rationing consciousness."

You don't have smelly gym socks; you have "odor-retentive athletic footwear."

You weren't passing notes in class. You were "participating in the discreet exchange of penned meditations."

You're not being sent to the principal's office. You're "going on a mandatory field trip to the administrative building.

It's still tough to be a kid these days!