Here's One of Thos Pictures

 
 

Blogoshpere

We have received so many gifts that it hardly seems fair to criticize the gifts that others have gotten through their hard work and skillful application of talents. I'm going to anyway! After all, that's only fair when you consider that this is what they are doing to others.....
The new issue of "Forbes" magazine has a front page that says, "ATTACK OF THE BLOGS." The cover blurps include, "They Destroy Brands And Wreck Lives" and my favorite, "Is There Any Way To Fight Back?" I got my issue yesterday in the mail(out here on the Great American Desert it takes just a little longer to get to us-overnight from here to anywhere further away than a state that touches our borders is two to three days). Intrigued by the fuss and realizing that I had been a victim of a portion of it, I went out across the web and did some research. The article was right on. I'm not certain of how they arrived at the figure '100,000' new blogs each day(like somebody is actually counting-America would run out of 'puters rather quickly I would think). Statistics can be used to prove almost anything if one manipulates the numbers and base long enough. Microsoft watching over the shoulder of its 2,000 blogging employees did not surprise me. Even the fact that they were pressured during one of the "gay rights" bill presentations in Washington State into making a 180 and going from anti to pro in a matter of two weeks should put us in mind of how powerful the blog can be. During that same period of nationwide activity I received a substantial portion of E-mails regarding statements of a purely personal nature out here. Silly me, I was very new to most of this(using a 'puter now for a little over a year)and stuck my address out on the blog. Thank God it was the alternate and not my home address thing! Here I've gone running far afield and lost sight of the rabbit I was chasing though. I actually enjoy blogging and I enjoy other folks blogs. The thought of using them to intentionally cause someone grief has never entered my mind until the article in Forbes. That's where I was with the gifts thing. If someone has great abilities why not use them for something good instead of banging a corporate head into submission. Sure, there are businesses that are not good, but one rarely hears anyone bashing them, instead they go after someone such as the Halperin people who really did not mean anyone any harm, only good! Maybe it rubs raw the feelings of some when success seems to be coming to a particular few. Now we have the allusion to this being some sort of modern "CRUSADE," a call to arms to take someone down. I think it very wise for each of us to check out our facts before we jump into the act of fanning flames that are burning anyone! Think of it like this: We all have gifts that we can use for accomplishing positive things. We all have needs. We all have a right to the freedom in America to do pretty much as we'd like apart from breaking the law, of course. But, do we have the right to do wrong just because we can? It's a moral dilemma and in a world where less and less weight is placed on moral values we have to wonder, "In whose best interest are some of these things being done?" It certainly isn't for me, I like to think that I can make my own decisions and choices. Just a little something to think about the next time you run across one of those negative things out here. My mother always said, "If you can't say something good about somebody it is best not to say anything." She didn't put it exactly like that, but you get the idea. God bless, Preacher.

Food For Thought

I was more than ready to curl up with a pizza and a bowl of popcorn to watch a movie with Cheryl this evening. That was when it began. The little bread guys jumped out of the loaf and as I prepared to place them in the toaster I started laughing. They were little singing bread guys. I'm certain you aren't supposed to toast bread guys unless you're making cinnamon toast or something with jelly on it. Even the popcorn sounded strange and then Cheryl came out and told me that my youngest daughter was on the phone and she sounded really weird. Of all times of the year for things to get hinky this was it, the night before All Hallows Eve!
Jasmine(my youngest daughter, 20)has been in Oklahoma visiting her grandmother. She and a friend drove down from Colorado to say "hi" this weekend. On the way back the two of them encountered a stranger and Jazz was totally beside herself with fear and worry. It seems she has just had her first encounter with a person that is bad to the bone, demonic, evil! She said it made her physically ill to be around the individual and had to call me to find out if something like that was possible, the whole evil personified thing. I confirmed her suspicions and gave her my best pastoral advice along with a few fatherly asides which went in one ear and out the other, I'm sure. The pastoral thing, though, was quite another thing. She listened intently and spoke respectfully to me. She knows. I've told her since she was very young, there is evil in the world and more unseen dangers than we are ever fully aware of in the light of day. I'm not discounting the sickos that roam the earth, either, but what she has described to me tonight is one of those individuals who has given themself over to Satan and seeks only to serve the dark master. I am thankful that she is safe, and I pray for the remainder of her journey home. I guess it might be well to say that I pray for her and each of my children and grands every day along with lots of other folks. It seems I'm on some sort of pilgrimage for a while in the blog. Angels, demons, and all of the other things that accompany the spiritual realm of which we, like it or not, are a part. Life would be a lot simpler if all we ever saw were singing "bread guys" and friendly little half popped kernels of corn. Maybe I just need to concentrate of food as a thought for blogging. That would be safe, wouldn't it? In Christ's Love, Preacher.

Preacher's Peeves

 
I don't know for certain that the word "peeves" is in common useage at this juncture in linguistic history. It probably is of little concern to many but I for one have become tired of people rewriting history to suit the whims(probably another archaic term)of their fancy. Oftimes(maybe I belong in a different century)the rewrites are done on the basis of appeasement for a special interest group. More often than not these days it is done for financial gain. I was recently informed by one publisher that if I really wanted to write something the public would "buy" I needed to be toatally controversial on something\anything. I submitted my thoughts and lo and behold the first one to bite the big one was about angels. People, it seems, do not wish to be told that angels are not cute little cherub people with wings, or beautiful women who dress in wisp thin apparel and do good deeds. I must assume, therefore, that people for the most part are not really interested in the truth, they want something that will titillate their fantasies and allow them to enter into a warm fuzzy relationship with their misconceptions. Whoosh! Is this truly the depth of modern intellect? Having now watched some TV after a 10 month hiatus from that form of entertainment, I discovered that not much has changed. Whatever it is people are trying to sell one another, it sells better with sexual overtones and subliminal messages designed to perk the excitable portions of modern minds. It really isn't such a modern idea. Hence(boy there are a lot of those old words)we have the statue\picture of the angel in a short skirt with naked breasts. This once more proves beyond a shodow of a doubt that if you dress it up right somebody will buy it. (Have you seen the HOG monthly with real life pigs dressed up in sexy costumes as a type of pin-up calender?) Well, there you have it! I've gone off on a tangent and wound up chasing smoke. Angels were guys. Big, scary, and very much the servants of our Creator God. They did get a little sidetracked with the beauty of human females for awhile(lust is no stranger to the dweller in heavenly realms)but we must reconcile that with God's forgiving nature and anticipate that all is well that ends well. Christmas is coming! For God's sake this year avoid supporting those foks that would sell you angels in the guise of hollywood. For that matter, avoid spending your money on any product that is hawked by means of sexual innuendo. Oops, that would mean foregoing purchases of most apparel, hygene products, and virtually everything else out there in the market place. There has to be another answer for tapping into the mindset of modern day America. I'll keep searching, and please let me know if you spot anything out there(exclude visions of Julia Roberts as an angel, please)! In Christ's Love, Preacher. 

Signs Of Continuing Faith

It's amazing what you see on a rainy day when you've got your head down to avoid the drops. I ended up parking at the wrong church on this particular day. 1st B is another block west, but it was raining and I was in a hurry. I parked the car under the first sign and as I stepped out I saw the second. I suppose that is when I realized my error. Jumping back in the car I sat looking at the second sign and realized that I had never seen one of these before. Probably sounds strange to some, but we can go through life thinking that we are "seeing" the signs around us and then, quite suddenly, discover that there is still more to see if we keep on looking.
I found it quite ironic to view the sign of the fish painted on the storm drain cover. I sat there listening to the rain tap on the roof of the car and pondered the sign of the fish. Symbolic for centuries as the "secret" logo that marked gathering places for christian believers. How thankful I am to be in a country in which we do not have to hide our faith. And then, as I thought, it came to me. Here I am in the 21st century living in America, a country founded by believers, that now seeks to irradicate any and all forms of public witness to God and His only Son, my Savior. We seek to legislate when, where and how the emblems of faith may be displayed, and forbid prayer in public places such as schools, while at the same time ordering the ancient sign of the fish to be painted on walkways. "Can it be," I thought, "that all across America cities are painting this symbol on their sidewalks and curbs?" What a blessing this is! If the time ever comes when we have to begin meeting in secret again we already have a system of markings for meeting places provided for us by the same government that would prevent us from displaying this sign in public places. Lol.........Ain't God great? Absolutely awesome! Do you think anybody else knows about this? Is it perhaps a "Christian Conspiracy?" Nope, it's just the way our country works. When a disaster strikes we see the cross everywhere. When we are in the midst of deleting God in one way, He just pops back up in other places. Ya just can't keep a good God down! In Christ's Love, Preacher.

Peace Is Found In Knowing For Certain That We Are Living According To God's Will And Doing The Very Best That We Can At It! 

Time To Spare & Stuff On My Mind

This evening was the first in a few weeks that it seemed as though I might be getting close to ready for the coming winter. So much so that I took a few moments to let my creative side loose on the workbench for a few minutes. what I came up with is a toilet paper tree that allows a variety of users their choice of texture and comfort. It also provides space for "what to do" with that little bitty leftover roll that you hate to be wasteful and throw away. Constructed entirely from plexi round stock and quite well balanced, if I do say so myself, it affords the person making leisurely use of the facilities time to ponder their choices. For the decorator in each of us it gives another opportunity to express oneself in creative ways by mixing and matching the various prints and colors available. Top it all off with the "ever present" spare on top and it should be a winner in every department store. I'm certain you will be seeing something like this soon, if not already, at your favorite discount outlet or possibly even on the TV as a "special" buy one get one free offer. Just $9.95 plus applicable taxes, shipping & handling(of course)and it is yours. Nine color coordinated hues of bathroom background to choose from, including(for an additional $9.95)one that lights up and serves both as night light and dispenser extraordinaire!
Seriously, it was a wonderful break from the tasks that always seem to be at hand. Life is like that, busy with one sort of cleanup\fixup or another. It started as a joke for some of my E-friends, but now as I look across at it on the workbench I see real possibilities. That's what I think God sees in each of us, real possibilities! We are flawed, and quite often without any real purpose in life other than to live out our days eating, sleeping, and working. When the Master takes the time to wield the tools of His Spirit, though, some very amazing things begin to occur. I suppose the first thing that I noticed in my walk was less focus on me(inward)and more focus on others(outward). It can be an awakening from which there is no recovery, only complete, sweet surrender. I won't repeat the catch phrases here, you already know them. What I will add to tonight's creative side is an opportunity to be more each day than you were the previous day. You know where I'm headed with this, Christ! He is the one to take up the reins of our unruly lives and guide us down paths that will truly be a blessing in the lives of everyone around us, and ultimately, to ourselves as well. There I go on that selfish streak again. Have a wonderful day, and know that I am praying for you along with the rest of our world. God bless, Preacher.