Proposed Budget Supports VA Programs
March 02, 2009
Department of Veterans Affairs
Funding Plan Improves Access, Modernizes Technology
WASHINGTON – President Obama's first proposed budget for the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) expands eligibility for health care to an additional 500,000 deserving Veterans over the next five years, meets the need for continued growth in programs for the combat Veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan, and provides the resources to deliver quality health care for the Nation’s 5.5 million Veteran patients.
The 2010 budget request is a significant step toward realizing a vision shared by the President and Secretary of Veterans Affairs Eric K. Shinseki to transform VA into an organization that is people-centric, results-driven and forward-looking.
“Our success must encompass cost-effectiveness,” Shinseki said. “We are stewards of taxpayer dollars, and we will include appropriate metrics to accurately gauge the quality of our care and the effectiveness of our management processes.”
If accepted by Congress, the President’s budget proposal would increase VA’s budget from $98 billion this fiscal year to $113 billion for the fiscal year beginning Oct. 1, 2009. This is in addition to the $1.4 billion provided for VA projects in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009.
The 2010 budget represents the first step toward increasing funding for VA efforts by $25 billion over baseline during the next five years. The gradual expansion in health care enrollment that this would support will open hospital and clinic doors to more than 500,000 Veterans by 2013 who have been regrettably excluded from VA medical care benefits since 2003. The 2010 budget request provides the resources to achieve this level of service while maintaining high quality and timely care for lower-income and service-disabled Veterans who currently rely on VA medical care.
The new budget provides greater benefits for Veterans who are medically retired from active duty, allowing for the first time disabled military retirees to keep their full VA disability compensation along with their retired pay. The President’s budget request also provides the resources for effective implementation of the post-9/11 GI Bill -- providing unprecedented levels of educational support to the men and women who have served our country through active military duty.
The new budget will support additional specialty care in such areas as prosthetics, vision and spinal cord injury, aging, and women's health. New VA Centers of Excellence will focus on improving these critical services.
The proposed fiscal year 2010 budget also addresses the tragic fact of homelessness among Veterans. It expands VA's current services through a collaborative pilot program with non-profit organizations that is aimed at maintaining stable housing for vulnerable Veterans at risk of homelessness, while providing them with supportive services to help them get back on their feet through job training, preventive care, and other critical services.
Finally, the President’s budget request provides the necessary investments to carry VA services to rural communities that are too often unable to access VA care. The President's budget expands VA mental health screening and treatment with a focus on reaching Veterans in rural areas in part through an increase in Vet Centers and mobile health clinics. New outreach funding will help rural Veterans and their families stay informed of these resources and encourage them to pursue needed care.
© Copyright 2009 Department of Veterans Affairs.
________________________________________
I am glad that caring for the Veterans of this nation is more than just "lip-service" to President Obama...and I'm glad that he is keeping his word to care for the people who have given all for this great country.
Only in Chicago...
Will someone get on the bus, stand in the middle of the aisle, when there are plenty of empty seats...and then refuse to sit in one of them. This person would rather clog the aisles, and be a general nuisance to the rest of the commuting public...while talking on their cell phone, and having their iPod so loud the rest of us can hear it.
Can someone go into a local grocery/department store, ask an employee for some "information" about a certain item, and that employee say (three times at least), "Well, I don't know." Let's save both of us some oxygen and trouble: Tell me what you do know.
Can a parishioner be on their way to Sunday morning worship, and have at least 6 people approach him/her asking for food--and when they are offered food, they refuse it. Maybe they weren't that hungry after all. These same people will follow you into the worship building, if you aren't careful.
Can someone get a "Chicago-style hotdog" and there is no ketchup anywhere on the "entree." (Chicago-style hotdogs are normally mustard, onions, hot peppers, tomato, and a slice of pickle).
Will someone walk into City Hall, wondering who was "indicted" (in that same building) today?
Will some "self-absorbed" woman (in her 50s, 60s, or somewhere) get on the bus, have a bag on wheels, ask two men to let her have their seat (she paid for one, and takes up the space of three--so she's a thief too), and then proceed to call "city hall" complaining about the snow on her sidewalk. LADY, we ALL have snow on our sidewalks. Get a grip...and if you are that worried about the snow, a shovel might be a worthwhile purchase for you.
Can an otherwise "calm" gentleman go to a free concert in Millenium Park--home of the Grant Park Symphony Orchestra--sit in some great seats, and COMPLAIN because his seats are not better...Sir, just stay at home, and we don't have to hear your whining about your FREE seats. Or better yet, pay the Chicago Symphony Orchestra prices and let the rest of us enjoy the free seats.
Can someone go into a local grocery/department store, ask an employee for some "information" about a certain item, and that employee say (three times at least), "Well, I don't know." Let's save both of us some oxygen and trouble: Tell me what you do know.
Can a parishioner be on their way to Sunday morning worship, and have at least 6 people approach him/her asking for food--and when they are offered food, they refuse it. Maybe they weren't that hungry after all. These same people will follow you into the worship building, if you aren't careful.
Can someone get a "Chicago-style hotdog" and there is no ketchup anywhere on the "entree." (Chicago-style hotdogs are normally mustard, onions, hot peppers, tomato, and a slice of pickle).
Will someone walk into City Hall, wondering who was "indicted" (in that same building) today?
Will some "self-absorbed" woman (in her 50s, 60s, or somewhere) get on the bus, have a bag on wheels, ask two men to let her have their seat (she paid for one, and takes up the space of three--so she's a thief too), and then proceed to call "city hall" complaining about the snow on her sidewalk. LADY, we ALL have snow on our sidewalks. Get a grip...and if you are that worried about the snow, a shovel might be a worthwhile purchase for you.
Can an otherwise "calm" gentleman go to a free concert in Millenium Park--home of the Grant Park Symphony Orchestra--sit in some great seats, and COMPLAIN because his seats are not better...Sir, just stay at home, and we don't have to hear your whining about your FREE seats. Or better yet, pay the Chicago Symphony Orchestra prices and let the rest of us enjoy the free seats.
It's more than just
"the money." We have been lied to, over and over and over again. We've bought into lies, individually, as family units, and as a nation:
1) You can have it all.
2) You can buy it on credit--at low interest, no less.
3) You deserve to have it now.
4) Why deprive yourself?
5) Your life will never be the same without this?
And now, we are paying for it.
I talked with someone recently whose marriage is in trouble--due to a mountain of debt that has been "assumed" in the not-so-distant past. This person isn't sure what to do...and their spouse is in denial.
So it's really more than must "money"--it's integrity and fidelity and accountability.
1) You can have it all.
2) You can buy it on credit--at low interest, no less.
3) You deserve to have it now.
4) Why deprive yourself?
5) Your life will never be the same without this?
And now, we are paying for it.
I talked with someone recently whose marriage is in trouble--due to a mountain of debt that has been "assumed" in the not-so-distant past. This person isn't sure what to do...and their spouse is in denial.
So it's really more than must "money"--it's integrity and fidelity and accountability.
Rush Limbaugh: SHUT UP!
We have heard (endured) your rantings/ravings/blatherings for years, ad nauseum. You have brought NOTHING of significance (not to speak of intelligence) to the "national conversation." You are an embarrassment to most of us thinking Americans.
Your desire to see President Obama "fail" testifies to your insanity. Of course some points, i.e., your insanity, needs no further proof than your loudmouthing off on the airwaves every day.
If you don't like the duly-elected leaders of this country, then by all means immigrate! I'm sure there are plenty of other "FREE" countries who would tolerate your insipid stupidity without blinking an eye.
Just shut up! Stop popping your pain pills, and get a real job for a change!
Your desire to see President Obama "fail" testifies to your insanity. Of course some points, i.e., your insanity, needs no further proof than your loudmouthing off on the airwaves every day.
If you don't like the duly-elected leaders of this country, then by all means immigrate! I'm sure there are plenty of other "FREE" countries who would tolerate your insipid stupidity without blinking an eye.
Just shut up! Stop popping your pain pills, and get a real job for a change!
Calvary Answers for Me!
I heard this for the first time yesterday...and it made me weep tears of rejoicing!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h6G1Xf-xnhU
Satan just cowers to think of the power
He lost when the cross had its day
Gone are the mornings when fear without warning
Would win and again have its way
Now when Satan reminds me of things I regret
I bring up Calvary lest he forgets…
Chorus:
High on the mountain of sorrow and shame
Grace signed my pardon as Christ took the blame
When I'm called to answer for my history
Calvary answers for me
Calvary answers for me.
I am now under the beautiful wonder of Grace
That erased all my past.
I feel the heartbeat of Mercy inside me
And now I have found Joy at last.
I live in freedom that chains cannot bind
And I won't look back at what I've left behind.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h6G1Xf-xnhU
Satan just cowers to think of the power
He lost when the cross had its day
Gone are the mornings when fear without warning
Would win and again have its way
Now when Satan reminds me of things I regret
I bring up Calvary lest he forgets…
Chorus:
High on the mountain of sorrow and shame
Grace signed my pardon as Christ took the blame
When I'm called to answer for my history
Calvary answers for me
Calvary answers for me.
I am now under the beautiful wonder of Grace
That erased all my past.
I feel the heartbeat of Mercy inside me
And now I have found Joy at last.
I live in freedom that chains cannot bind
And I won't look back at what I've left behind.
Remembering a truly GREAT MAN...
CHICAGO – Paul Harvey, the news commentator and talk-radio pioneer whose staccato style made him one of the nation's most familiar voices, died Saturday in Arizona, according to ABC Radio Networks. He was 90.
Harvey died surrounded by family at a hospital in Phoenix, where he had a winter home, said Louis Adams, a spokesman for ABC Radio Networks, where Harvey worked for more than 50 years. No cause of death was immediately available.
Harvey had been forced off the air for several months in 2001 because of a virus that weakened a vocal cord. But he returned to work in Chicago and was still active as he passed his 90th birthday. His death comes less than a year after that of his wife and longtime producer, Lynne.
"My father and mother created from thin air what one day became radio and television news," Paul Harvey Jr. said in a statement. "So in the past year, an industry has lost its godparents and today millions have lost a friend."
Known for his resonant voice and trademark delivery of "The Rest of the Story," Harvey had been heard nationally since 1951, when he began his "News and Comment" for ABC Radio Networks.
He became a heartland icon, delivering news and commentary with a distinctive Midwestern flavor. "Stand by for news!" he told his listeners. He was credited with inventing or popularizing terms such as "skyjacker," "Reaganomics" and "guesstimate."
"Paul Harvey was one of the most gifted and beloved broadcasters in our nation's history," ABC Radio Networks President Jim Robinson said in a statement. "We will miss our dear friend tremendously and are grateful for the many years we were so fortunate to have known him."
In 2005, Harvey was one of 14 notables chosen as recipients of the presidential Medal of Freedom. He also was an inductee in the Radio Hall of Fame, as was Lynne.
Former President George W. Bush remembered Harvey as a "friendly and familiar voice in the lives of millions of Americans." His commentary entertained, enlightened, and informed," Bush said in a statement. "Laura and I are pleased to have known this fine man, and our thoughts and prayers are with his family."
Harvey composed his twice-daily news commentaries from a downtown Chicago office near Lake Michigan.
Rising at 3:30 each morning, he ate a bowl of oatmeal, then combed the news wires and spoke with editors across the country in search of succinct tales of American life for his program.
At the peak of his career, Harvey reached more than 24 million listeners on more than 1,200 radio stations and charged $30,000 to give a speech. His syndicated column was carried by 300 newspapers.
His fans identified with his plainspoken political commentary, but critics called him an out-of-touch conservative. He was an early supporter of the late Sen. Joseph McCarthy and a longtime backer of the Vietnam War.
Perhaps Harvey's most famous broadcast came in 1970, when he abandoned that stance, announcing his opposition to President Nixon's expansion of the war and urging him to get out completely. "Mr. President, I love you ... but you're wrong," Harvey said, shocking his faithful listeners and drawing a barrage of letters and phone calls, including one from the White House.
In 1976, Harvey began broadcasting his anecdotal descriptions of the lives of famous people. "The Rest of the Story" started chronologically, with the person's identity revealed at the end. The stories were an attempt to capture "the heartbeats behind the headlines." Much of the research and writing was done by his son, Paul Jr.
Harvey also blended news with advertising, a line he said he crossed only for products he trusted.
In 2000, at age 82, he signed a new 10-year contract with ABC Radio Networks.
Harvey was born Paul Harvey Aurandt in Tulsa, Okla. His father, a police officer, was killed when he was a toddler. A high school teacher took note of his distinctive voice and launched him on a broadcast career.
While working at St. Louis radio station KXOK, he met Washington University graduate student Lynne Cooper. He proposed on their first date (she said "no") and always called her "Angel." They were married in 1940 and had a son, Paul Jr.
They worked closely together on his shows, and he often credited his success to her influence. She was inducted into the Radio Hall of Fame in 1997, seven years after her husband was. She died in May 2008.
_____________________________
Paul Harvey's "news and commentary" was a "spiritual moment" in the household where I grew up. My Grandmother Hoover listened to Mr Harvey with a faithfulness that mirrored zealotry. She was always entertained, and loved his "Rest of the Story" broadcasts as well.
I learned to love Paul Harvey as a child, then as a teenager, and certainly as a college student. My first pastor in college, J E Brisson, often encouraged his congregation to listen to "Paul Harvey every chance you get. You will always learn something."
When I was active duty in the United States Air Force, (stationed in Oslo, Norway) Mr Harvey's "news and commentary" came on the Armed Forces European Broadcasting System (AFEBS) station. We listened to him faithfully. My Norwegian friends all loved him as well.
One of the very few things that I had wanted to do was to meet Paul Harvey. One of my friends at church works for his organization, and she promised me a chance to meet him. Alas, that never happened.
Of course, since he was a committed Christian, I can plan to meet him on the other side.
That, my friends, is the rest of the story.
Harvey died surrounded by family at a hospital in Phoenix, where he had a winter home, said Louis Adams, a spokesman for ABC Radio Networks, where Harvey worked for more than 50 years. No cause of death was immediately available.
Harvey had been forced off the air for several months in 2001 because of a virus that weakened a vocal cord. But he returned to work in Chicago and was still active as he passed his 90th birthday. His death comes less than a year after that of his wife and longtime producer, Lynne.
"My father and mother created from thin air what one day became radio and television news," Paul Harvey Jr. said in a statement. "So in the past year, an industry has lost its godparents and today millions have lost a friend."
Known for his resonant voice and trademark delivery of "The Rest of the Story," Harvey had been heard nationally since 1951, when he began his "News and Comment" for ABC Radio Networks.
He became a heartland icon, delivering news and commentary with a distinctive Midwestern flavor. "Stand by for news!" he told his listeners. He was credited with inventing or popularizing terms such as "skyjacker," "Reaganomics" and "guesstimate."
"Paul Harvey was one of the most gifted and beloved broadcasters in our nation's history," ABC Radio Networks President Jim Robinson said in a statement. "We will miss our dear friend tremendously and are grateful for the many years we were so fortunate to have known him."
In 2005, Harvey was one of 14 notables chosen as recipients of the presidential Medal of Freedom. He also was an inductee in the Radio Hall of Fame, as was Lynne.
Former President George W. Bush remembered Harvey as a "friendly and familiar voice in the lives of millions of Americans." His commentary entertained, enlightened, and informed," Bush said in a statement. "Laura and I are pleased to have known this fine man, and our thoughts and prayers are with his family."
Harvey composed his twice-daily news commentaries from a downtown Chicago office near Lake Michigan.
Rising at 3:30 each morning, he ate a bowl of oatmeal, then combed the news wires and spoke with editors across the country in search of succinct tales of American life for his program.
At the peak of his career, Harvey reached more than 24 million listeners on more than 1,200 radio stations and charged $30,000 to give a speech. His syndicated column was carried by 300 newspapers.
His fans identified with his plainspoken political commentary, but critics called him an out-of-touch conservative. He was an early supporter of the late Sen. Joseph McCarthy and a longtime backer of the Vietnam War.
Perhaps Harvey's most famous broadcast came in 1970, when he abandoned that stance, announcing his opposition to President Nixon's expansion of the war and urging him to get out completely. "Mr. President, I love you ... but you're wrong," Harvey said, shocking his faithful listeners and drawing a barrage of letters and phone calls, including one from the White House.
In 1976, Harvey began broadcasting his anecdotal descriptions of the lives of famous people. "The Rest of the Story" started chronologically, with the person's identity revealed at the end. The stories were an attempt to capture "the heartbeats behind the headlines." Much of the research and writing was done by his son, Paul Jr.
Harvey also blended news with advertising, a line he said he crossed only for products he trusted.
In 2000, at age 82, he signed a new 10-year contract with ABC Radio Networks.
Harvey was born Paul Harvey Aurandt in Tulsa, Okla. His father, a police officer, was killed when he was a toddler. A high school teacher took note of his distinctive voice and launched him on a broadcast career.
While working at St. Louis radio station KXOK, he met Washington University graduate student Lynne Cooper. He proposed on their first date (she said "no") and always called her "Angel." They were married in 1940 and had a son, Paul Jr.
They worked closely together on his shows, and he often credited his success to her influence. She was inducted into the Radio Hall of Fame in 1997, seven years after her husband was. She died in May 2008.
_____________________________
Paul Harvey's "news and commentary" was a "spiritual moment" in the household where I grew up. My Grandmother Hoover listened to Mr Harvey with a faithfulness that mirrored zealotry. She was always entertained, and loved his "Rest of the Story" broadcasts as well.
I learned to love Paul Harvey as a child, then as a teenager, and certainly as a college student. My first pastor in college, J E Brisson, often encouraged his congregation to listen to "Paul Harvey every chance you get. You will always learn something."
When I was active duty in the United States Air Force, (stationed in Oslo, Norway) Mr Harvey's "news and commentary" came on the Armed Forces European Broadcasting System (AFEBS) station. We listened to him faithfully. My Norwegian friends all loved him as well.
One of the very few things that I had wanted to do was to meet Paul Harvey. One of my friends at church works for his organization, and she promised me a chance to meet him. Alas, that never happened.
Of course, since he was a committed Christian, I can plan to meet him on the other side.
That, my friends, is the rest of the story.
Tim Elston...HAPPY BIRTHDAY!
You are getting old!
Well, so am I....
We've been friends for years...twenty nine to be exact. We've followed each other around the world...and have shared some great laughs, a few tears, some delicious meals, and we still are friends.
Even though you now live in Alaska...and I'm still in Chicago....
Happy Birthday, Tim!
Well, so am I....
We've been friends for years...twenty nine to be exact. We've followed each other around the world...and have shared some great laughs, a few tears, some delicious meals, and we still are friends.
Even though you now live in Alaska...and I'm still in Chicago....
Happy Birthday, Tim!
Someone sent these to me...
And I think some of them are actually pretty ______....
_____________________________________
1. If you're too open-minded, your brains will fall out.
2. Don't worry about what people think; they don't do it very often.
3. It ain't the jeans that make your back end look fat.
4. Artificial intelligence is no match for natural stupidity.
5. My idea of housework is to sweep the room with a glance.
6. Not one shred of evidence supports the notion that life is serious.
7. It is easier to get forgiveness than permission.
8. For every action, there is an equal and opposite government program.
9. If you look like your passport picture, you will probably need the trip.
10.Bills travel through the mail at twice the speed of payment.
11.A conscience is what hurts when all of your other parts feel so good.
12.Eat well, stay fit, die anyway.
13.Men are from earth. Women are from earth. Deal with it.
14.No man has ever been shot for doing the dishes.
15.A balanced diet is a cookie in each hand.
16.Middle age is when broadness of the mind and narrowness of the waist change places.
17.Opportunities always look bigger going than coming.
18.Junk is something you've kept for years and throw away three weeks before you need it.
19.There is always one more imbecile than you counted on.
20.Experience is a wonderful thing. It enables you to recognize a mistake when you make it again.
21.By the time you can make ends meet, they move the ends.
22.Thou shall not weigh more than thy refrigerator.
23.Someone who thinks logically provides a nice contrast to the real world.
_____________________________________
1. If you're too open-minded, your brains will fall out.
2. Don't worry about what people think; they don't do it very often.
3. It ain't the jeans that make your back end look fat.
4. Artificial intelligence is no match for natural stupidity.
5. My idea of housework is to sweep the room with a glance.
6. Not one shred of evidence supports the notion that life is serious.
7. It is easier to get forgiveness than permission.
8. For every action, there is an equal and opposite government program.
9. If you look like your passport picture, you will probably need the trip.
10.Bills travel through the mail at twice the speed of payment.
11.A conscience is what hurts when all of your other parts feel so good.
12.Eat well, stay fit, die anyway.
13.Men are from earth. Women are from earth. Deal with it.
14.No man has ever been shot for doing the dishes.
15.A balanced diet is a cookie in each hand.
16.Middle age is when broadness of the mind and narrowness of the waist change places.
17.Opportunities always look bigger going than coming.
18.Junk is something you've kept for years and throw away three weeks before you need it.
19.There is always one more imbecile than you counted on.
20.Experience is a wonderful thing. It enables you to recognize a mistake when you make it again.
21.By the time you can make ends meet, they move the ends.
22.Thou shall not weigh more than thy refrigerator.
23.Someone who thinks logically provides a nice contrast to the real world.
This brings tears to my eyes...
This song keeps bringing tears to my eyes....when I think of all the precious people who once filled my life with such grace and love--and now they are rejoicing in that place Whose Builder and Maker is God.
The late Rusty Goodman penned these words more than thirty years ago--not knowing they would be sung at his own funeral some 20 years ago. The title is "Look for Me"...
When you finally make your entrance to that city
Of jasper walls and bright golden avenues
As you behold all its beauty and its splendor
Remember there’s just one request I make of you,
Look for me for I will be there too
I realize when you arrive there will be so much to view
After you’ve been there ten thousand years
A million, maybe two
Look for me, for I will be there too.
As you go down your list of firsts there’s no question
You will want to see your loved ones waiting there for you..
And when you feel you’ve shared your story with the last one
Who wants to hear just how Jesus brought you through,
Look for me for I want to hear it too!
I realize when you arrive there will be so much to view
After you’ve been there ten thousand years
A million, maybe two
Look for me for I will be there too.
__________________________________________
And the more I think about it, the more I long to see that beautiful place called Heaven. I have a grandmother already there...and scores of people whom I've loved, and who loved me all of my life. These saints of God have already safely landed on the "other side"--and I'm waiting for "His grace to lead me home."
Look for me, I will be there too!
The late Rusty Goodman penned these words more than thirty years ago--not knowing they would be sung at his own funeral some 20 years ago. The title is "Look for Me"...
When you finally make your entrance to that city
Of jasper walls and bright golden avenues
As you behold all its beauty and its splendor
Remember there’s just one request I make of you,
Look for me for I will be there too
I realize when you arrive there will be so much to view
After you’ve been there ten thousand years
A million, maybe two
Look for me, for I will be there too.
As you go down your list of firsts there’s no question
You will want to see your loved ones waiting there for you..
And when you feel you’ve shared your story with the last one
Who wants to hear just how Jesus brought you through,
Look for me for I want to hear it too!
I realize when you arrive there will be so much to view
After you’ve been there ten thousand years
A million, maybe two
Look for me for I will be there too.
__________________________________________
And the more I think about it, the more I long to see that beautiful place called Heaven. I have a grandmother already there...and scores of people whom I've loved, and who loved me all of my life. These saints of God have already safely landed on the "other side"--and I'm waiting for "His grace to lead me home."
Look for me, I will be there too!
Now this really does take the cake....
This guy must REALLY be a Chicago Bears fan...
____________________________________
On November 2, Wayne Burdick (not pictured) was aboard a cruise ship in Miami waiting to depart on a Caribbean cruise. While still docked at the port, he set up his laptop and wireless card and accessed his Slingbox device which allowed him to watch a Chicago Bears game via an Internet connection. When the game was over, Burdick closed his computer, embarked on the cruise and returned home to find a bill from AT&T charging him over $27,000 for the three hours of Internet usage.
Apparently, AT&T had charged Brudick the international rate for the access. At two cents per kilobyte, the total charge was $27,788.93 for the time spent watching the game, which breaks down to about $6,500 per Rex Grossman interception.
Burdick pled his case to AT&T, saying he was still at the port and not in roaming territory. After speaking with nearly a half-dozen people at the company, he managed to get the bill down to $6,000, even though he provided documentation that he was still technically in Miami at the time he used his wireless card.
Eventually, the whole matter was settled after Burdick contacted Team Fixer at the Chicago Sun-Times and they contacted the phone company. AT&T acknowledged its mistake, saying that Burdick's device was picking up a signal it shouldn't have been.
At least Burdick's efforts were worth it. The Bears beat the Lions that afternoon, 27-23.
(Thanks to The Gadget Hound via Engadget HD for the tip.)
________________________________________________
If I am on a cruise, why on earth would I need my LAPTOP with me? I thought the reason for taking a vacation, and a cruise in particular, was to get away from all of this stuff?
____________________________________
On November 2, Wayne Burdick (not pictured) was aboard a cruise ship in Miami waiting to depart on a Caribbean cruise. While still docked at the port, he set up his laptop and wireless card and accessed his Slingbox device which allowed him to watch a Chicago Bears game via an Internet connection. When the game was over, Burdick closed his computer, embarked on the cruise and returned home to find a bill from AT&T charging him over $27,000 for the three hours of Internet usage.
Apparently, AT&T had charged Brudick the international rate for the access. At two cents per kilobyte, the total charge was $27,788.93 for the time spent watching the game, which breaks down to about $6,500 per Rex Grossman interception.
Burdick pled his case to AT&T, saying he was still at the port and not in roaming territory. After speaking with nearly a half-dozen people at the company, he managed to get the bill down to $6,000, even though he provided documentation that he was still technically in Miami at the time he used his wireless card.
Eventually, the whole matter was settled after Burdick contacted Team Fixer at the Chicago Sun-Times and they contacted the phone company. AT&T acknowledged its mistake, saying that Burdick's device was picking up a signal it shouldn't have been.
At least Burdick's efforts were worth it. The Bears beat the Lions that afternoon, 27-23.
(Thanks to The Gadget Hound via Engadget HD for the tip.)
________________________________________________
If I am on a cruise, why on earth would I need my LAPTOP with me? I thought the reason for taking a vacation, and a cruise in particular, was to get away from all of this stuff?
Okay, I'll confess....
I am a Spirit-filled Christ follower. I have loved Jesus Christ ever since I was a small child. I have been filled with the Holy Spirit (the promise of the Father), the Third Person of the Trinity since I was barely ten years old. This is known, in many circles, as "Holy Spirit Baptism." Yes, I spoke in "other tongues"--in a language I had never learned, and had never heard before that time. It was an experience that I will never forget...and it is still as fresh in my mind as it was almost 37 years ago when it first happened to me, on a Saturday evening at the Goosepond Church of God in rural north Alabama.
I believe the Scriptures teach such an experience. I firmly believe the Scriptures teach such an experience--and that it is available for all who desire to be filled with God's Holy Spirit. I believe the "spiritual language" experience is very much a part of being "filled with the Spirit"--but it is not the only experience--gift, sign, phenomena--associated with being filled with the Holy Ghost.
I grew up in the Pentecostal movement (even though I came to saving faith in the Church of Christ), and one of the inalienable doctrines of the movement was/is the belief that "speaking in tongues" is the initial evidence of Spirit Baptism. For me, it was the initial evidence. I was not seeking Spirit baptism (when it happened), but I'm certainly glad that God filled me with His Spirit all those many years ago...and that I've needed filling and refilling, and more refilling ever since then.
In the Book of Acts, we find several instances where people were "filled with the Spirit"--and in most of those instances, the Scriptures tell us those same people began to "speak with other tongues" and magnify the Lord. In one instance (and right now, I cannot remember the exact reference), we are told the believers were "filled with the Spirit"...but no mention of the "evidence"....doesn't mean it didn't happen (or that it did happen), but Dr Luke didn't reference the "speaking in other tongues" for that particular instance.
Here's my take on it (and I know that some of you are just DYING to know where I'm going with this...):
I know and believe and have experienced the "initial evidence" of being filled with the Holy Spirit. It happened to me...I was there...I remember it as though it were yesterday. HOWEVER (and this is the clincher), I believe that many believers are filled with the Spirit, when "speaking in other tongues" may not have been their "initial evidence" or the first experience of "Spirit-fullness."
While I would never make the "exceptions" (in the case of the Scriptures, the "one incident") the "rule" for doctrinal clarity and experience, I am also firmly against "ruling out the exceptions."
Dr Jack W Hayford, former senior pastor of The Church on the Way, and now the President, International Church of the Foursquare Gospel, wrote a powerful, powerful volume about twenty years ago, The Beauty of Spiritual Language. In this volume, Pastor Jack expresses, far more clearly than I ever could, his convictions and experience with the issues of Spirit-baptism and "tongues-speaking." I have recommend (and have given) this volume to many, many believers who have questions about both Spirit Baptism and the "classical" evidences accompanying this most blessed experience.
So yes, there you have it: I speak in tongues. It was very much the "initial evidence" of Holy Spirit Baptism for me...many, many years ago.
Is it the only evidence? That's the real question...
I believe the Scriptures teach such an experience. I firmly believe the Scriptures teach such an experience--and that it is available for all who desire to be filled with God's Holy Spirit. I believe the "spiritual language" experience is very much a part of being "filled with the Spirit"--but it is not the only experience--gift, sign, phenomena--associated with being filled with the Holy Ghost.
I grew up in the Pentecostal movement (even though I came to saving faith in the Church of Christ), and one of the inalienable doctrines of the movement was/is the belief that "speaking in tongues" is the initial evidence of Spirit Baptism. For me, it was the initial evidence. I was not seeking Spirit baptism (when it happened), but I'm certainly glad that God filled me with His Spirit all those many years ago...and that I've needed filling and refilling, and more refilling ever since then.
In the Book of Acts, we find several instances where people were "filled with the Spirit"--and in most of those instances, the Scriptures tell us those same people began to "speak with other tongues" and magnify the Lord. In one instance (and right now, I cannot remember the exact reference), we are told the believers were "filled with the Spirit"...but no mention of the "evidence"....doesn't mean it didn't happen (or that it did happen), but Dr Luke didn't reference the "speaking in other tongues" for that particular instance.
Here's my take on it (and I know that some of you are just DYING to know where I'm going with this...):
I know and believe and have experienced the "initial evidence" of being filled with the Holy Spirit. It happened to me...I was there...I remember it as though it were yesterday. HOWEVER (and this is the clincher), I believe that many believers are filled with the Spirit, when "speaking in other tongues" may not have been their "initial evidence" or the first experience of "Spirit-fullness."
While I would never make the "exceptions" (in the case of the Scriptures, the "one incident") the "rule" for doctrinal clarity and experience, I am also firmly against "ruling out the exceptions."
Dr Jack W Hayford, former senior pastor of The Church on the Way, and now the President, International Church of the Foursquare Gospel, wrote a powerful, powerful volume about twenty years ago, The Beauty of Spiritual Language. In this volume, Pastor Jack expresses, far more clearly than I ever could, his convictions and experience with the issues of Spirit-baptism and "tongues-speaking." I have recommend (and have given) this volume to many, many believers who have questions about both Spirit Baptism and the "classical" evidences accompanying this most blessed experience.
So yes, there you have it: I speak in tongues. It was very much the "initial evidence" of Holy Spirit Baptism for me...many, many years ago.
Is it the only evidence? That's the real question...
Someone finally got it right...Thank you, President Obama
From his speech last night,
"...there is no program or policy that can substitute for a mother or father who will attend those parent/teacher conferences, or help with homework after dinner, or turn off the TV, put away the video games, and read to their child. I speak to you not just as a President, but as a fther when I say that responsibility for our children's education must begin at home."
This father-of-two has just uttered a mouthful. I am continually in shock by the lack of basic skills that I see from adults who never learned "basic skills."
I work in adult vocational/career education, and sometimes it is downright frightening.
President Obama got it exactly right...and he should be continually and heartily applauded.
"...there is no program or policy that can substitute for a mother or father who will attend those parent/teacher conferences, or help with homework after dinner, or turn off the TV, put away the video games, and read to their child. I speak to you not just as a President, but as a fther when I say that responsibility for our children's education must begin at home."
This father-of-two has just uttered a mouthful. I am continually in shock by the lack of basic skills that I see from adults who never learned "basic skills."
I work in adult vocational/career education, and sometimes it is downright frightening.
President Obama got it exactly right...and he should be continually and heartily applauded.
My Grandmother used to sing this....
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SA_Kw8A96Ps&feature=related
"I hold a clear title to a mansion
That Jesus has gone to prepare..
Fire cannot burn it, thieves cannot touch,
And it never will need a repair.."
I just wonder how many of us are really looking for our Lord to return? In the "everyday-ness" of every day...are we looking, watching, longing, and praying for our Lord Jesus to break through the clouds of glory, and take His children out of this place?
Maybe, I need to do some more "gazing" upward....
"I hold a clear title to a mansion
That Jesus has gone to prepare..
Fire cannot burn it, thieves cannot touch,
And it never will need a repair.."
I just wonder how many of us are really looking for our Lord to return? In the "everyday-ness" of every day...are we looking, watching, longing, and praying for our Lord Jesus to break through the clouds of glory, and take His children out of this place?
Maybe, I need to do some more "gazing" upward....
Sometimes, life is....
just confusing. I got the strangest "text message" this morning...and it didn't "end" well either...but the Lord knows what the situation is, and I'll leave it to Him.
just disappointing. A good friend of mine has been diagnosed with inoperable cancer of the liver...and he's a precious saint of God. He is always so encouraging, and I thrive on seeing he and his wife in God's house every week. My heart is broken over the suffering of this good man.
just frustrating. I work in Adult Career/Vocational Education. Sometimes, I honestly believe these adults have much shorter and far less comprehensive attention spans do they teenagers they often "spawn." I can explain, and explain, and explain again...but these grown folk seem to only "hear what they want to hear." Even if it's something I never said...or worse yet, never would say.
But life is also....
very exhilirating. I am continually thankful that my health is reasonably good...that I can walk (not as quickly as I once did--much to my chagrin), and enjoy fresh air, the smell of bakeries, and all the "sights" of the Windy City.
very rewarding. When I see the lights go "on" in someone's mind, realizing they can be much better than what they are...and be in a better place than their current location...whether it's here at the office, or in my neighborhood...or even in our local church congregation.
very satisfying. I am so thankful for every good night's sleep I have. My "brother" (even though we aren't blood-related) has had trouble getting a good eight hours of sleep for a long, long time now. He's basically exhausted. He's wondering if there is something physically wrong with him. He needs good rest. I'm thankful for every sound night of sleep that I enjoy.
just disappointing. A good friend of mine has been diagnosed with inoperable cancer of the liver...and he's a precious saint of God. He is always so encouraging, and I thrive on seeing he and his wife in God's house every week. My heart is broken over the suffering of this good man.
just frustrating. I work in Adult Career/Vocational Education. Sometimes, I honestly believe these adults have much shorter and far less comprehensive attention spans do they teenagers they often "spawn." I can explain, and explain, and explain again...but these grown folk seem to only "hear what they want to hear." Even if it's something I never said...or worse yet, never would say.
But life is also....
very exhilirating. I am continually thankful that my health is reasonably good...that I can walk (not as quickly as I once did--much to my chagrin), and enjoy fresh air, the smell of bakeries, and all the "sights" of the Windy City.
very rewarding. When I see the lights go "on" in someone's mind, realizing they can be much better than what they are...and be in a better place than their current location...whether it's here at the office, or in my neighborhood...or even in our local church congregation.
very satisfying. I am so thankful for every good night's sleep I have. My "brother" (even though we aren't blood-related) has had trouble getting a good eight hours of sleep for a long, long time now. He's basically exhausted. He's wondering if there is something physically wrong with him. He needs good rest. I'm thankful for every sound night of sleep that I enjoy.
A wonderful lady sent these to me....
and since I think that she is "grander than grand" I won't give her name here....but I'm groaning over some of these....
____________________
Can you cry under water?
How important does a person have to be before they are considered assassinated instead of just murdered?
Why do you have to "put your two cents in"...
but it's only a "penny for your thoughts"?
Where's that extra penny going to?
Once you're in heaven, do you get stuck wearing the clothes you were buried in for eternity?
Why does a round pizza come in a square box ?
What disease did cured ham actually have?
How is it that we put man on the moon before we figured out it would be a good idea to put wheels on luggage?
Why is it that people say they "slept like a baby",
when babies wake up like every two hours?
If a deaf person has to go to court,
is it still called a hearing?
Why are you IN a movie, but you're ON TV?
Why do people pay to go up tall buildings and then put money in binoculars to look at things on the ground?
Why do doctors leave the room while you change?
They're going to see you naked anyway.
Why is "bra" singular and "panties" plural?
Why do toasters always have a setting that burns the toast to a horrible crisp, which no decent human being would eat ?
If Jimmy cracks corn and no one cares, why is there a stupid song about him?
Can a hearse carrying a corpse drive in the carpool lane ?
If the professor on Gilligan's Island can make a radio out of a coconut, why can't he fix a hole in a boat?
Why does Goofy stand erect while Pluto remains on all fours?
They're both dogs!
If Wile E. Coyote had enough money to buy all that ACME crap, why didn't he just buy dinner?
If corn oil is made from corn,
and vegetable oil is made from vegetables,
what is baby oil made from?
If electricity comes from electrons,
does morality come from morons?
Do the Alphabet song and Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star have the same tune?
Why did you just try singing the two songs above?
Did you ever notice that when you blow in a dog's face, he gets mad at you, but when you take him for a car ride, he sticks his head out the window?
Do you ever wonder why you gave me
your e-mail address in the first place?
____________________
Can you cry under water?
How important does a person have to be before they are considered assassinated instead of just murdered?
Why do you have to "put your two cents in"...
but it's only a "penny for your thoughts"?
Where's that extra penny going to?
Once you're in heaven, do you get stuck wearing the clothes you were buried in for eternity?
Why does a round pizza come in a square box ?
What disease did cured ham actually have?
How is it that we put man on the moon before we figured out it would be a good idea to put wheels on luggage?
Why is it that people say they "slept like a baby",
when babies wake up like every two hours?
If a deaf person has to go to court,
is it still called a hearing?
Why are you IN a movie, but you're ON TV?
Why do people pay to go up tall buildings and then put money in binoculars to look at things on the ground?
Why do doctors leave the room while you change?
They're going to see you naked anyway.
Why is "bra" singular and "panties" plural?
Why do toasters always have a setting that burns the toast to a horrible crisp, which no decent human being would eat ?
If Jimmy cracks corn and no one cares, why is there a stupid song about him?
Can a hearse carrying a corpse drive in the carpool lane ?
If the professor on Gilligan's Island can make a radio out of a coconut, why can't he fix a hole in a boat?
Why does Goofy stand erect while Pluto remains on all fours?
They're both dogs!
If Wile E. Coyote had enough money to buy all that ACME crap, why didn't he just buy dinner?
If corn oil is made from corn,
and vegetable oil is made from vegetables,
what is baby oil made from?
If electricity comes from electrons,
does morality come from morons?
Do the Alphabet song and Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star have the same tune?
Why did you just try singing the two songs above?
Did you ever notice that when you blow in a dog's face, he gets mad at you, but when you take him for a car ride, he sticks his head out the window?
Do you ever wonder why you gave me
your e-mail address in the first place?
Why we can't 'relate' anymore...
"Never before in the history of mankind have we human had more ways/means/methods of communicating than we have today. Never before in the history of mankind have we humans been more disconnected, unrelated, and relationally-challenged than we are today."
It sad, but I encounter people who have no idea how to carry on an intelligent, engaging conversation....but they can sure TEXT MESSAGE until the "cows come home." What's up with that?
Some folks would rather "text" and "email" ad nauseaum, instead of having to see someone face to face, and carry on a conversation with them. One of my friends is so addicted to his 'text messaging' abilities, that he has completely forgotten how to 'call someone.'
Needless to say, he and I have a "strained" relationship over the last few years....I want to hear his voice, not just read and respond to his 'text.'
Is our society really coming to this? We have no idea how to communicate anymore....is it really that bad?
I'm needing clear and convincing evidence that it's not as bad as it seems.
It sad, but I encounter people who have no idea how to carry on an intelligent, engaging conversation....but they can sure TEXT MESSAGE until the "cows come home." What's up with that?
Some folks would rather "text" and "email" ad nauseaum, instead of having to see someone face to face, and carry on a conversation with them. One of my friends is so addicted to his 'text messaging' abilities, that he has completely forgotten how to 'call someone.'
Needless to say, he and I have a "strained" relationship over the last few years....I want to hear his voice, not just read and respond to his 'text.'
Is our society really coming to this? We have no idea how to communicate anymore....is it really that bad?
I'm needing clear and convincing evidence that it's not as bad as it seems.
Saying Goodbye is HARD...
I just found out that my great friend, Pastor Tim Stearman, has retired from active daily ministry.(Denver First Church of the Nazarene was my "spiritual home" while I was stationed with the United States Air Force, in the Denver area back in 1987. I have cassette tapes and CDs from all of those services for the last twenty years--I really do! This church remains in a very special place in my heart.) He was the Senior Pastor at Denver First Church of the Nazarene. Here's the synopsis from the Rocky Mountain News:
__________________________________
How do you sum it all up? On Sunday, his last day at Denver First Church of the Nazarene, Pastor Tim Stearman summed up 15 years with a riff of memories that began with "laughter in the walls and moments nicked in time . . . eating hot dogs on the lawn . . . indoor fireworks on the Fourth of July . . . "
The crowd, remembering along with him, answered back with a standing ovation or two. Longtime member Janice Smith whispered, "I used to come for the music. But with Pastor Tim, I come for the preaching."
When Stearman arrived at First Church he was in his mid-40s, never owned a house (he and the family always lived in a parsonage). Now, he and his wife, Jane - they met in the high school marching band in Wichita, Kan. - are retiring from daily ministry. The future includes staying in Denver for the short term, travel, substitute preaching and enjoying their daughters' families and three grandkids (another due any day).
As for the ovations, it's not the first time a ruckus has been raised in the auditorium-style sanctuary. Throughout the '90s, the handsome church at 3800 E. Hampden Ave. was a go-to place for citywide concerts and celebrity evenings (singer Glenn Campbell was a favorite guest), thanks to a collaboration with a local radio station. Eventually, the partnership with the station dissolved and the economy - well, we all know. All around, change was in the air.
At the holidays, following a six-week sabbatical, Stearman announced his retirement. It was a big surprise.
"I've done this 38 years and I'm tired," he told me in a phone interview a few weeks ago. He said he had some issues related to his weight (not for nothing, people liken him to a teddy bear) and some anxiety issues he wanted to solve.
"It's stressful being a pastor these days," he said then. "You have people walking into churches with guns, and there's so many more legal ramifications. You can't share things about a member's prayer requests - you could get sued for saying what ails 'em! You're just cautious about everything."
There was the tension of several staff layoffs. Stearman had hoped to persuade the church to buy land for an expansion, but the idea was nixed. He told me, "I don't think I would have stayed anyway, but it was an effort on my part to secure their future." Instead, he came to see that the church "needed a new vision, and I needed a new challenge."
So, on Sunday, he prayed: "Father, all that's past is past. Our future - we don't have a clue about that, but we believe you know, and you're going to walk into that future with us."
A future without Pastor Tim? Wilma Fleshman isn't quite ready: "We'll never have another as good," she sighed.
____________________________
What a great legacy this fine servant of God has left! I remember his two immediate predecessors at Denver First Church: (General Superintendent) Jim Diehl--who is such a wonderful blessing to me in so many ways; and the late W Donald Wellman--the first Nazarene pastor I ever called "my pastor"--when I was stationed in Denver in the United States Air Force.
Tim Stearman is not only a great preacher, but a prince of a man. I don't know him very intimately, but our relationship has been warm and encouraging over the last sixteen years. When he became the senior pastor at DFC, I wrote him a letter, telling him all that his new "family" had meant to me over the years.
I later heard, from someone in the congregation, that Pastor Stearman had read that letter to the congregation one Sunday evening....I'm flattered, shocked, and humbled.
My great friend Kevin Moses, (who was also my roommate for almost 3 years, and probably my closest friend alive today) was flying through Denver ten years ago (this May) on his way to California with me. (I was going to a wedding, and Kevin was just going to California, since he had never been before). We were on separate flights. He would have a layover in Denver. I called my friend, Pastor Tim, and asked him to give Kevin a tour of Denver First Church.
On the appointed day, Kevin shows up, and Pastor Stearman gave him the royal treatment. I was thrilled beyond thrilled, and my eternal thanks are due to this great shepherd.
So, now Denver First is looking for a new senior pastor....May the Lord bring HIS shepherd to these great saints of God.
__________________________________
How do you sum it all up? On Sunday, his last day at Denver First Church of the Nazarene, Pastor Tim Stearman summed up 15 years with a riff of memories that began with "laughter in the walls and moments nicked in time . . . eating hot dogs on the lawn . . . indoor fireworks on the Fourth of July . . . "
The crowd, remembering along with him, answered back with a standing ovation or two. Longtime member Janice Smith whispered, "I used to come for the music. But with Pastor Tim, I come for the preaching."
When Stearman arrived at First Church he was in his mid-40s, never owned a house (he and the family always lived in a parsonage). Now, he and his wife, Jane - they met in the high school marching band in Wichita, Kan. - are retiring from daily ministry. The future includes staying in Denver for the short term, travel, substitute preaching and enjoying their daughters' families and three grandkids (another due any day).
As for the ovations, it's not the first time a ruckus has been raised in the auditorium-style sanctuary. Throughout the '90s, the handsome church at 3800 E. Hampden Ave. was a go-to place for citywide concerts and celebrity evenings (singer Glenn Campbell was a favorite guest), thanks to a collaboration with a local radio station. Eventually, the partnership with the station dissolved and the economy - well, we all know. All around, change was in the air.
At the holidays, following a six-week sabbatical, Stearman announced his retirement. It was a big surprise.
"I've done this 38 years and I'm tired," he told me in a phone interview a few weeks ago. He said he had some issues related to his weight (not for nothing, people liken him to a teddy bear) and some anxiety issues he wanted to solve.
"It's stressful being a pastor these days," he said then. "You have people walking into churches with guns, and there's so many more legal ramifications. You can't share things about a member's prayer requests - you could get sued for saying what ails 'em! You're just cautious about everything."
There was the tension of several staff layoffs. Stearman had hoped to persuade the church to buy land for an expansion, but the idea was nixed. He told me, "I don't think I would have stayed anyway, but it was an effort on my part to secure their future." Instead, he came to see that the church "needed a new vision, and I needed a new challenge."
So, on Sunday, he prayed: "Father, all that's past is past. Our future - we don't have a clue about that, but we believe you know, and you're going to walk into that future with us."
A future without Pastor Tim? Wilma Fleshman isn't quite ready: "We'll never have another as good," she sighed.
____________________________
What a great legacy this fine servant of God has left! I remember his two immediate predecessors at Denver First Church: (General Superintendent) Jim Diehl--who is such a wonderful blessing to me in so many ways; and the late W Donald Wellman--the first Nazarene pastor I ever called "my pastor"--when I was stationed in Denver in the United States Air Force.
Tim Stearman is not only a great preacher, but a prince of a man. I don't know him very intimately, but our relationship has been warm and encouraging over the last sixteen years. When he became the senior pastor at DFC, I wrote him a letter, telling him all that his new "family" had meant to me over the years.
I later heard, from someone in the congregation, that Pastor Stearman had read that letter to the congregation one Sunday evening....I'm flattered, shocked, and humbled.
My great friend Kevin Moses, (who was also my roommate for almost 3 years, and probably my closest friend alive today) was flying through Denver ten years ago (this May) on his way to California with me. (I was going to a wedding, and Kevin was just going to California, since he had never been before). We were on separate flights. He would have a layover in Denver. I called my friend, Pastor Tim, and asked him to give Kevin a tour of Denver First Church.
On the appointed day, Kevin shows up, and Pastor Stearman gave him the royal treatment. I was thrilled beyond thrilled, and my eternal thanks are due to this great shepherd.
So, now Denver First is looking for a new senior pastor....May the Lord bring HIS shepherd to these great saints of God.
Happy Valentine's Day...
From Wikipedia:
_________________
Saint Valentine (in Latin, Valentinus) is the name of several martyred saints of ancient Rome. The name "Valentine", derived from valens (worthy), was popular in late antiquity.[2] Of the Saint Valentine whose feast is on February 14, nothing is known except his name and that he was buried at the Via Flaminia north of Rome on February 14. It is even uncertain whether the feast of that day celebrates only one saint or more saints of the same name. For this reason this liturgical commemoration was not kept in the Catholic calendar of saints for universal liturgical veneration as revised in 1969.[3] But "Martyr Valentinus the Presbyter and those with him at Rome" remains in the list of saints proposed for veneration by all Catholics.[4]
In the Eastern Orthodox Church, Saint Valentine the Presbyter, is celebrated on July 6,[5] and Hieromartyr Saint Valentine (Bishop of Interamna, Terni in Italy) is celebrated on July 30.[6]
The name "Valentine" does not occur in the earliest list of Roman martyrs, compiled by the Chronographer of 354. The feast of St. Valentine was first established in 496 by Pope Gelasius I, who included Valentine among those "... whose names are justly reverenced among men, but whose acts are known only to God." As Gelasius implied, nothing was known, even then, about the lives of any of these martyrs. The Saint Valentine that appears in various martyrologies in connection with February 14 is described either as:
A priest in Rome
A bishop of Interamna (modern Terni)
A martyr in the Roman province of Africa.[7]
The first representation of Saint Valentine appeared in the Nuremberg Chronicle, (1493); alongside the woodcut portrait of Valentine the text states that he was a Roman priest martyred during the reign of Claudius II, known as Claudius Gothicus. He was arrested and imprisoned upon being caught marrying Christian couples and otherwise aiding Christians who were at the time being persecuted by Claudius in Rome. Helping Christians at this time was considered a crime. Claudius took a liking to this prisoner -- until Valentinus tried to convert the Emperor -- whereupon this priest was condemned to death. He was beaten with clubs and stoned; when that didn't finish him, he was beheaded outside the Flaminian Gate. Various dates are given for the martyrdom or martyrdoms: 269, 270, or 273.[8]
The official Roman Martyrology for February 14 mentions only one Saint Valentine.
English eighteenth-century antiquarians Alban Butler and Francis Douce, noting the obscurity of Saint Valentine's identity, suggested that Valentine's Day was created as an attempt to supersede the pagan holiday of Lupercalia. This idea has lately been contested by Professor Jack Oruch of the University of Kansas. Many of the current legends that characterise Saint Valentine were invented in the fourteenth century in England, notably by Geoffrey Chaucer and his circle, when the feast day of February 14 first became associated with romantic love.[9]
While a website of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia and other sources give different lists of Saint Valentines, the Catholic Church's official list of recognized saints, the Roman Martyrology lists seven: a martyr (Roman priest or Terni bishop?) buried on the Via Flaminia (February 14); a priest from Viterbo (November 3); a bishop from Raetia who died in about 450 (January 7); a fifth-century priest and hermit (July 4); a Spanish hermit who died in about 715 (October 25); Valentine Berrio Ochoa, martyred in 1861 (November 24); and Valentine Jaunzarás Gómez, martyred in 1936 (September 18).[10]
_________________
Saint Valentine (in Latin, Valentinus) is the name of several martyred saints of ancient Rome. The name "Valentine", derived from valens (worthy), was popular in late antiquity.[2] Of the Saint Valentine whose feast is on February 14, nothing is known except his name and that he was buried at the Via Flaminia north of Rome on February 14. It is even uncertain whether the feast of that day celebrates only one saint or more saints of the same name. For this reason this liturgical commemoration was not kept in the Catholic calendar of saints for universal liturgical veneration as revised in 1969.[3] But "Martyr Valentinus the Presbyter and those with him at Rome" remains in the list of saints proposed for veneration by all Catholics.[4]
In the Eastern Orthodox Church, Saint Valentine the Presbyter, is celebrated on July 6,[5] and Hieromartyr Saint Valentine (Bishop of Interamna, Terni in Italy) is celebrated on July 30.[6]
The name "Valentine" does not occur in the earliest list of Roman martyrs, compiled by the Chronographer of 354. The feast of St. Valentine was first established in 496 by Pope Gelasius I, who included Valentine among those "... whose names are justly reverenced among men, but whose acts are known only to God." As Gelasius implied, nothing was known, even then, about the lives of any of these martyrs. The Saint Valentine that appears in various martyrologies in connection with February 14 is described either as:
A priest in Rome
A bishop of Interamna (modern Terni)
A martyr in the Roman province of Africa.[7]
The first representation of Saint Valentine appeared in the Nuremberg Chronicle, (1493); alongside the woodcut portrait of Valentine the text states that he was a Roman priest martyred during the reign of Claudius II, known as Claudius Gothicus. He was arrested and imprisoned upon being caught marrying Christian couples and otherwise aiding Christians who were at the time being persecuted by Claudius in Rome. Helping Christians at this time was considered a crime. Claudius took a liking to this prisoner -- until Valentinus tried to convert the Emperor -- whereupon this priest was condemned to death. He was beaten with clubs and stoned; when that didn't finish him, he was beheaded outside the Flaminian Gate. Various dates are given for the martyrdom or martyrdoms: 269, 270, or 273.[8]
The official Roman Martyrology for February 14 mentions only one Saint Valentine.
English eighteenth-century antiquarians Alban Butler and Francis Douce, noting the obscurity of Saint Valentine's identity, suggested that Valentine's Day was created as an attempt to supersede the pagan holiday of Lupercalia. This idea has lately been contested by Professor Jack Oruch of the University of Kansas. Many of the current legends that characterise Saint Valentine were invented in the fourteenth century in England, notably by Geoffrey Chaucer and his circle, when the feast day of February 14 first became associated with romantic love.[9]
While a website of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia and other sources give different lists of Saint Valentines, the Catholic Church's official list of recognized saints, the Roman Martyrology lists seven: a martyr (Roman priest or Terni bishop?) buried on the Via Flaminia (February 14); a priest from Viterbo (November 3); a bishop from Raetia who died in about 450 (January 7); a fifth-century priest and hermit (July 4); a Spanish hermit who died in about 715 (October 25); Valentine Berrio Ochoa, martyred in 1861 (November 24); and Valentine Jaunzarás Gómez, martyred in 1936 (September 18).[10]
"No Easy Outs"
For Wall Street or Main Street. That's what President Obama told Terry Moran on 'Nightline' this week.
He's right. The messes that we have created over the last 40+ years must now be cleaned up...or at least we must start the process of "cleaning" them up. That's the current challenge before these United States of America.
It's a paradox really: People have been encouraged/cajoled/bullied/warned to "save"...and now that people are "saving"...the so-called 'economy' of the nation, yea, the world seems to be taking a "tank-dive."
The "investors" on Wall Street have been playing fast and loose with the nation's investors/investments (that would be YOU and ME)...and they gambled...and gambled...and gambled...
and LOST!
All the "stuff" that seems to keep America's "heart" (misplaced though it has been) beating is now nothing more than that: "stuff." The average 'consumer' realizes that he/she/they can live on much less than what Wall Street, Madison Avenue, Michigan Avenue, and the Malls tells we can/should live on. We have discovered that the "latest and greatest" gizmo will not self-destruct in five seconds unless we buy it. Really, it won't. It hasn't. It's still on the shelf of that same store.
The phrase "spending like drunken sailors" has always evoked a laugh, or at least a courtesy chuckle. But the truth is, "those sailors" only have so much to spend, and then they must face the music. What we, here in America, are discovering is that the "hangovers" are hellish!
What lessons are we learning in these "lean" times? Or are we learning? If and when the "economy" starts to recover, will we be up to our same old selfish ways once again?
I wonder.
He's right. The messes that we have created over the last 40+ years must now be cleaned up...or at least we must start the process of "cleaning" them up. That's the current challenge before these United States of America.
It's a paradox really: People have been encouraged/cajoled/bullied/warned to "save"...and now that people are "saving"...the so-called 'economy' of the nation, yea, the world seems to be taking a "tank-dive."
The "investors" on Wall Street have been playing fast and loose with the nation's investors/investments (that would be YOU and ME)...and they gambled...and gambled...and gambled...
and LOST!
All the "stuff" that seems to keep America's "heart" (misplaced though it has been) beating is now nothing more than that: "stuff." The average 'consumer' realizes that he/she/they can live on much less than what Wall Street, Madison Avenue, Michigan Avenue, and the Malls tells we can/should live on. We have discovered that the "latest and greatest" gizmo will not self-destruct in five seconds unless we buy it. Really, it won't. It hasn't. It's still on the shelf of that same store.
The phrase "spending like drunken sailors" has always evoked a laugh, or at least a courtesy chuckle. But the truth is, "those sailors" only have so much to spend, and then they must face the music. What we, here in America, are discovering is that the "hangovers" are hellish!
What lessons are we learning in these "lean" times? Or are we learning? If and when the "economy" starts to recover, will we be up to our same old selfish ways once again?
I wonder.
What really matters?
Regardless of who is in the Oval Office--and how competent he/she may be--there are going to be people in this nation who have nothing better to do than complain.
I'm glad that Barack H Obama is the President of the United States. I'm glad for several reasons:
1) Our nation needed to finally cross the "bridge" of the caucasian male occupying the most important office at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. Granted, President Obama is 50% caucasian, and he's not ashamed of that. Nor should he be. He has a great heritage, from Kansas to Kenya...with a little Hawaii and Chicago thrown in for good measure.
2) We need(ed) a fresh voice to represent these United States of America. We need(ed) a family man with small children, who can relate to all the "families" out there with younger children..and what it takes to properly raise those children into productive, contributing adults to their world and society at large. Barack and Michelle Obama are great examples of parents to other parents.
3) We need(ed) someone of "color" to show the Black, Latino, and other "minorities" in the United States that "success" is within reach of everyone--not just the Anglo-Saxon Caucasian male. For too long, the blacks and hispanics have blamed the "caucasians" for their lack of "power" "success" and whatever else they want to blame on the white male. Now that the President of the United States is at least 50% black (and 50% white), the "vocal minorities" have NO excuse and NO REASON to blame everyone else for their "hard places" in life. President Obama has lived through those "hard places." He has succeeded. It IS possible.
4) My generation is finally represented in the White House. The President is only a year older than myself....he knows what the "teenagers in the 70s" went through...He is aware of the turbulent 80s, and how contemporary culture has been largely influenced by the last two decades of greed, graft, and gall. He is no stranger to what has most shaped our country and the world.
5) The "Religious right" which is so often "very wrong" must now lean on the Lord for His power and wisdom in the nation. I believe our President to be a Christian, and a brother in the Lord. He has a different worldview than many in the "conservative evangelical" wing of the Church...but then again, I'm not so sure that Christ is a "conservative evangelical" Himself!
6) What really matters in this nation? I believe that we must return to the place where GREED is no longer good...where "neighbors" are in vogue again, and where God's people are known as the most trustworthy, compassionate, and dependable people in contemporary society.
So what really matters?
I'm glad that Barack H Obama is the President of the United States. I'm glad for several reasons:
1) Our nation needed to finally cross the "bridge" of the caucasian male occupying the most important office at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. Granted, President Obama is 50% caucasian, and he's not ashamed of that. Nor should he be. He has a great heritage, from Kansas to Kenya...with a little Hawaii and Chicago thrown in for good measure.
2) We need(ed) a fresh voice to represent these United States of America. We need(ed) a family man with small children, who can relate to all the "families" out there with younger children..and what it takes to properly raise those children into productive, contributing adults to their world and society at large. Barack and Michelle Obama are great examples of parents to other parents.
3) We need(ed) someone of "color" to show the Black, Latino, and other "minorities" in the United States that "success" is within reach of everyone--not just the Anglo-Saxon Caucasian male. For too long, the blacks and hispanics have blamed the "caucasians" for their lack of "power" "success" and whatever else they want to blame on the white male. Now that the President of the United States is at least 50% black (and 50% white), the "vocal minorities" have NO excuse and NO REASON to blame everyone else for their "hard places" in life. President Obama has lived through those "hard places." He has succeeded. It IS possible.
4) My generation is finally represented in the White House. The President is only a year older than myself....he knows what the "teenagers in the 70s" went through...He is aware of the turbulent 80s, and how contemporary culture has been largely influenced by the last two decades of greed, graft, and gall. He is no stranger to what has most shaped our country and the world.
5) The "Religious right" which is so often "very wrong" must now lean on the Lord for His power and wisdom in the nation. I believe our President to be a Christian, and a brother in the Lord. He has a different worldview than many in the "conservative evangelical" wing of the Church...but then again, I'm not so sure that Christ is a "conservative evangelical" Himself!
6) What really matters in this nation? I believe that we must return to the place where GREED is no longer good...where "neighbors" are in vogue again, and where God's people are known as the most trustworthy, compassionate, and dependable people in contemporary society.
So what really matters?
Mr President, You did great...
Mr President,
You did a superb job in your very first "prime time" press conference!
You were articulate, passionate, well-prepared, and to-the-point.
You were not an embarrassment to me, nor to any of our fellow countrymen. You addressed the issues that were raised, and you elaborated to the place where anyone (and everyone) could understand your positions on the questions asked.
I deeply appreciate your candor, sir, and your resolve to see these United States find "better days"...
After the last eight years, Mr President, you are a breath of fresh air. You bring a sense of urgency and immediacy to a nation that is still reeling from all the "free fall" of the last twelve months. Thank you for reminding us that the "economic policies" of the last 8 years have brought us to the threshold of the current mess we are having to "smell."
While I didn't vote for you back in November, I am certainly proud to call you "Mr President." You are exactly right about the economy, the inherited deficits, our diplomacy (and sometimes lack thereof), and what it will take to "recover."
Thank you, Mr President.
Thank you.
You did a superb job in your very first "prime time" press conference!
You were articulate, passionate, well-prepared, and to-the-point.
You were not an embarrassment to me, nor to any of our fellow countrymen. You addressed the issues that were raised, and you elaborated to the place where anyone (and everyone) could understand your positions on the questions asked.
I deeply appreciate your candor, sir, and your resolve to see these United States find "better days"...
After the last eight years, Mr President, you are a breath of fresh air. You bring a sense of urgency and immediacy to a nation that is still reeling from all the "free fall" of the last twelve months. Thank you for reminding us that the "economic policies" of the last 8 years have brought us to the threshold of the current mess we are having to "smell."
While I didn't vote for you back in November, I am certainly proud to call you "Mr President." You are exactly right about the economy, the inherited deficits, our diplomacy (and sometimes lack thereof), and what it will take to "recover."
Thank you, Mr President.
Thank you.
To the Republicans in Washington and elsewhere...
First, I want to state very candidly and clearly: I am a declared, forever-sworn Independent...
Second, the general election in November 2008 clearly enunciated the nation's choice for "change." The Republicans were voted out of office, and their numbers diminished in both the House of Representatives and the United States Senate. As a matter of fact, the "most liberal member of the Senate" (as he was oft labeled) became the President of the United States: Barack H Obama.
Third, the failed economic policies of the last eight years are exactly that: a failure. The outrageous tax cuts for people not needing them; the wide-open door for "big business" and Wall Street to pretty much do anything they please; and the "trickle-down" economics---all of these have failed the citizenry of these United States. President Obama has vowed to take a different approach.
Finally, the GOP doesn't stand for "God's Own Party." The GOP lost the general election in so many ways, and on so many levels. It's time to "work with the current administration" and help find some solutions to this nation's most immediate woes. The Bush-Cheney Administration left a mess that it will take YEARS to clean up.
Ladies and Gentlemen of the House and the U S Senate, you were elected to do the nation's work, and take care of the national interest. It's time to step up and do it. Follow the President's lead...and if you have better ideas, by all means present them to him. He has invited you to do so.
Take him at his word. Bring your "better ideas" to the Oval Office. You will get an audience, I'm sure.
But it's time to step up, and work.
Like the rest of us.
Second, the general election in November 2008 clearly enunciated the nation's choice for "change." The Republicans were voted out of office, and their numbers diminished in both the House of Representatives and the United States Senate. As a matter of fact, the "most liberal member of the Senate" (as he was oft labeled) became the President of the United States: Barack H Obama.
Third, the failed economic policies of the last eight years are exactly that: a failure. The outrageous tax cuts for people not needing them; the wide-open door for "big business" and Wall Street to pretty much do anything they please; and the "trickle-down" economics---all of these have failed the citizenry of these United States. President Obama has vowed to take a different approach.
Finally, the GOP doesn't stand for "God's Own Party." The GOP lost the general election in so many ways, and on so many levels. It's time to "work with the current administration" and help find some solutions to this nation's most immediate woes. The Bush-Cheney Administration left a mess that it will take YEARS to clean up.
Ladies and Gentlemen of the House and the U S Senate, you were elected to do the nation's work, and take care of the national interest. It's time to step up and do it. Follow the President's lead...and if you have better ideas, by all means present them to him. He has invited you to do so.
Take him at his word. Bring your "better ideas" to the Oval Office. You will get an audience, I'm sure.
But it's time to step up, and work.
Like the rest of us.
Be like Jesus...
Many thanks to John Smulo for this:
1. Get baptized by the craziest guy in town.
2. Say and do things that are guaranteed to make religious people want to kill you. Repeat again, and again, and again, and again, and again and don't stop unless forced.
3. Do amazing things for people and ask them to not tell anyone.
4. Hang out with the most despised, marginalized, looked down upon, and shunned people you can find.
5. When possible, forgive and restore people, even if they betrayed you.
6. Live in a way that provokes gossip.
7. Win the most grace competition.
8. Keep the party going.
9. Serve people (note: nose plugs may be required).
10. If you're sad cry.
11. Empower people to do the extraordinary.
12. Act like a rock star in a hotel temple.
13. Radically simplify theology.
14.Break human-made religious laws. Repeat consistently.
15.Prioritize the most important over the important.
16. Let women with questionable backgrounds pay your bills.
If you would like to copy this and put it anywhere feel free.
1. Get baptized by the craziest guy in town.
2. Say and do things that are guaranteed to make religious people want to kill you. Repeat again, and again, and again, and again, and again and don't stop unless forced.
3. Do amazing things for people and ask them to not tell anyone.
4. Hang out with the most despised, marginalized, looked down upon, and shunned people you can find.
5. When possible, forgive and restore people, even if they betrayed you.
6. Live in a way that provokes gossip.
7. Win the most grace competition.
8. Keep the party going.
9. Serve people (note: nose plugs may be required).
10. If you're sad cry.
11. Empower people to do the extraordinary.
12. Act like a rock star in a hotel temple.
13. Radically simplify theology.
14.Break human-made religious laws. Repeat consistently.
15.Prioritize the most important over the important.
16. Let women with questionable backgrounds pay your bills.
If you would like to copy this and put it anywhere feel free.
Some people sound GREAT anywhere...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OYbqeZvsWws&feature=related
Some people sound great...even singing in the shower...
Some people sound great...even singing in the shower...
Political Hypocrisy: So What else is new?
President Obama has it exactly right: the "Stimulus bill" is meant to spend money....that's the reason it is called a "stimulus"....and the Republican blow-hards (Boehner, McConnell et al) didn't say one blessed word about the "stimulus" while George W Bush and Company were spending the country into oblivion with their tax cuts, rebates, ad nauseaum.
At least, President Obama wants to invest some of this 'stimulus' money into the infrastructures of this country---a far cry from the Bush-Cheney spending habits. Obama wants to see money invested in healthcare, schools, roads, bridges, and public transportation....
I applaud him. Senator McConnell needs to do one of two things:
1) Retire from the Senate, and go back to Kentucky and do nothing on someone else's dime...OR
2) Get with the program of getting some Republican support for the Stimulus Bill and suggest MEANINGFUL, longlasting, effective additions/changes to it.
The days of OBSTRUCTION are over! McConnell and clan squandered their many years as the Majority and the power in the White House.
All the ballyhooing the Senator and his cronies want to do is nothing short of hypocrisy. While McConnell and his wife were in Washington DC basically doing nothing (Former Labor Secretary Chao is his wife), the job situation in this country has deteriorated. Secretary Chao is no longer on the public dole....
Maybe it's time for McConnell to follow his wife's lead...if he can't do his work.
At least, President Obama wants to invest some of this 'stimulus' money into the infrastructures of this country---a far cry from the Bush-Cheney spending habits. Obama wants to see money invested in healthcare, schools, roads, bridges, and public transportation....
I applaud him. Senator McConnell needs to do one of two things:
1) Retire from the Senate, and go back to Kentucky and do nothing on someone else's dime...OR
2) Get with the program of getting some Republican support for the Stimulus Bill and suggest MEANINGFUL, longlasting, effective additions/changes to it.
The days of OBSTRUCTION are over! McConnell and clan squandered their many years as the Majority and the power in the White House.
All the ballyhooing the Senator and his cronies want to do is nothing short of hypocrisy. While McConnell and his wife were in Washington DC basically doing nothing (Former Labor Secretary Chao is his wife), the job situation in this country has deteriorated. Secretary Chao is no longer on the public dole....
Maybe it's time for McConnell to follow his wife's lead...if he can't do his work.
We were warned...yet we did not listen...
The Apostle Paul warned us almost two thousand years ago:
Now godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain[c] we can carry nothing out. And having food and clothing, with these we shall be content.
But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and harmful lusts which drown men in destruction and perdition. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, for which some have strayed from the faith in their greediness, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.
____________________________________________
Greed is not good! It never has been, and it never will be.
Of course, to all the "die-hard capitalists" out there, this isn't necessarily good news. I remember my wonderful friend/mentor Dr Jackie Johns (who often reads and posts here) once saying that "the Lord does hate godless communism. But He also hates godless capitalism...especially when it is "godless."
The Scriptures tells us about the destructive effects of "greed." We have vivid and sobering examples throughout the New Testament (and the Old Testament as well, I might add), and more than a plethora in recent human history.
I applaud President Obama's Executive Order putting a cap on "executive pay" for those institutions who have "begged the taxpayer" for financial bailouts in recent months...and in the future.
But the 'rich' aren't the only ones guilty of "greed." I know plenty of poor folks who are 'greedy" as well....I was raised in such an environment. We never seemed to have enough...and always wanted more..more...more.
Now, I've learned (after all these years) to be thankful for everything I do have...it comes from the hand of God, and to count my blessings. I am far too busy counting what I do have to fret over what I don't have....
And I often look at it this way, what I "don't have" doesn't need dusting!
Now godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain[c] we can carry nothing out. And having food and clothing, with these we shall be content.
But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and harmful lusts which drown men in destruction and perdition. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, for which some have strayed from the faith in their greediness, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.
____________________________________________
Greed is not good! It never has been, and it never will be.
Of course, to all the "die-hard capitalists" out there, this isn't necessarily good news. I remember my wonderful friend/mentor Dr Jackie Johns (who often reads and posts here) once saying that "the Lord does hate godless communism. But He also hates godless capitalism...especially when it is "godless."
The Scriptures tells us about the destructive effects of "greed." We have vivid and sobering examples throughout the New Testament (and the Old Testament as well, I might add), and more than a plethora in recent human history.
I applaud President Obama's Executive Order putting a cap on "executive pay" for those institutions who have "begged the taxpayer" for financial bailouts in recent months...and in the future.
But the 'rich' aren't the only ones guilty of "greed." I know plenty of poor folks who are 'greedy" as well....I was raised in such an environment. We never seemed to have enough...and always wanted more..more...more.
Now, I've learned (after all these years) to be thankful for everything I do have...it comes from the hand of God, and to count my blessings. I am far too busy counting what I do have to fret over what I don't have....
And I often look at it this way, what I "don't have" doesn't need dusting!
What someone said about me....
My good friend...make that "GREAT FRIEND" Joe Misek, had this to say about me:
http://www.joemisek.blogspot.com/
Go check him out.
Disclaimer here: Don't believe EVERYTHING you read....well, um, mmm..um, you can believe MOST of it...
Thanks Joe.
http://www.joemisek.blogspot.com/
Go check him out.
Disclaimer here: Don't believe EVERYTHING you read....well, um, mmm..um, you can believe MOST of it...
Thanks Joe.
Thank you, Mr President (for your honesty)
It seems that some of the nominees for high-level jobs in Washington DC have had some "issues" with either paying their taxes on time, or paying their taxes at all. This has already derailed at least two potential government servants in the Obama Administration.
In his interview with ABC's Charlie Gibson, President Barack Obama said, "I screwed up." He expressed disappointment with himself, and with his "team."
He admitted that he had made some mistakes in the "vetting" process.
It is so refreshing to hear the President of the United States admit to the nation that he 'screwed up.' That he has feet of clay, and has made some errors.
After eight years of the "Cowboy from Crawford" never admitting any mistakes--and many of them being DEADLY mistakes (i.e. insufficient troop levels in Iraq and Afghanistan)--it refreshes my heart to know that we finally have a President who can say, unequivocally, "I was wrong...it's my fault."
No blame on anyone else. Not blaming the "right wing" whatever, or the "left wing" whatevers either....
Thank you, President Obama. Thank you.
In his interview with ABC's Charlie Gibson, President Barack Obama said, "I screwed up." He expressed disappointment with himself, and with his "team."
He admitted that he had made some mistakes in the "vetting" process.
It is so refreshing to hear the President of the United States admit to the nation that he 'screwed up.' That he has feet of clay, and has made some errors.
After eight years of the "Cowboy from Crawford" never admitting any mistakes--and many of them being DEADLY mistakes (i.e. insufficient troop levels in Iraq and Afghanistan)--it refreshes my heart to know that we finally have a President who can say, unequivocally, "I was wrong...it's my fault."
No blame on anyone else. Not blaming the "right wing" whatever, or the "left wing" whatevers either....
Thank you, President Obama. Thank you.
For those who serve this nation...
http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&videoid=16462447
This video made me cry....it really did....
It says everything that I want to say to those wonderful people who wear the military uniform and serve this nation so bravely and fearlessly.
This video made me cry....it really did....
It says everything that I want to say to those wonderful people who wear the military uniform and serve this nation so bravely and fearlessly.
Christian Nass, Welcome Home!
Just talked with my great friend, First Lieutenant Christian Nass, United States Army--who finished his 15-month tour of duty in northern Iraq. I couldn't keep the tears from rolling down my cheeks. It was so wonderful to hear his voice...to know that he has returned safely to these United States.
Christian and I became close friends while he was still an undergraduate student the Moody Bible Institute here in Chicago. I can honestly say that our relationship has been one of tremendous strength, encouragement, edification, and joy. Christian really does represent his name well: "Christian." He is so much like Christ, and has been the "face of Jesus" in my life more than once.
I wrote one of the letters of recommendation for him, when he decided he wanted to attend Officer's Candidate School several years ago. He is now preparing to enter Denver Seminary, and I also wrote a letter of recommendation for his Admissions process there.
Christian and his wonderful wife, Sarah, will be a blessing and asset to any place they are located.
I'm glad he is home. Those prayers were answered in the affirmative...
Christian and I became close friends while he was still an undergraduate student the Moody Bible Institute here in Chicago. I can honestly say that our relationship has been one of tremendous strength, encouragement, edification, and joy. Christian really does represent his name well: "Christian." He is so much like Christ, and has been the "face of Jesus" in my life more than once.
I wrote one of the letters of recommendation for him, when he decided he wanted to attend Officer's Candidate School several years ago. He is now preparing to enter Denver Seminary, and I also wrote a letter of recommendation for his Admissions process there.
Christian and his wonderful wife, Sarah, will be a blessing and asset to any place they are located.
I'm glad he is home. Those prayers were answered in the affirmative...
For some crazy reason...
I found this a long time ago...and it's about "colonoscopies"---yes...let all the "butt jokes" begin....
I will always remember the first time I had one...1993....yes, that day lingers in infamy in the analogs of my memory....it was that "memorable." I watched the whole thing actually. Here is another guy's experience:
_____________________
I called my friend Andy Sable, a gastroenteritis, to make an appointment for a colonoscopy. A few days later, in his office, Andy showed me a color diagram of the colon, a lengthy organ that appears to go all over the place, at one point passing briefly through Toronto . Then Andy explained the colonoscopy procedure to me in a thorough, reassuring and patient manner. I nodded thoughtfully, but I didn't really hear anything he said, because my brain was shrieking, quote, 'HE'S GOING TO STICK A TUBE 17,000 FEET UP YOUR BEHIND!'
I left Andy's office with some written instructions, and a prescription for a product called 'MoviPrep,' which comes in a box large enough to hold a microwave oven. I will discuss MoviPrep in detail later; for now suffice it to say that we must never allow it to fall into the hands of America 's enemies.
I spent the next several days productively sitting around being nervous. Then, on the day before my colonoscopy, I began my preparation. In accordance with my instructions, I didn't eat any solid food that day; all I had was chicken broth, which is basically water, only with less flavor.
Then, in the evening, I took the MoviPrep. You mix two packets of powder together in a one-liter plastic jug, then you fill it with lukewarm water. (For those unfamiliar with the metric system, a liter is about 32 gallons.) Then you have to drink the whole jug. This takes about an hour, because MoviPrep tastes - and here I am being kind - like a mixture of goat spit and urinal cleanser, with just a hint of lemon.
The instructions for MoviPrep, clearly written by somebody with a great sense of humor, state that after you drink it, 'a loose watery bowel movement may result.' This is kind of like saying that after you jump off your roof, you may experience contact with the ground. MoviPrep is a nuclear laxative. I don't want to be too graphic, here, but: Have you ever seen a space-shuttle launch? This is pretty much the MoviPrep experience, with you as the shuttle. There are times when you wish the commode had a seat belt.
You spend several hours pretty much confined to the bathroom, spurting violently. You eliminate everything. And then, when you figure you must be totally empty, you have to drink another liter of MoviPrep, at which point, as far as I can tell, your bowels travel into the future and start eliminating food that you have not even eaten yet.
After an action-packed evening, I finally got to sleep.
The next morning my wife drove me to the clinic. I was very nervous. Not only was I worried about the procedure, but I had been experiencing occasional return bouts of MoviPrep spurtage.
I was thinking, 'What if I spurt on Andy?' How do you apologize to a friend for something like that? Flowers would not be enough.
At the clinic I had to sign many forms acknowledging that I understood and totally agreed with whatever the heck the forms said. Then they led me to a room full of other colonoscopy people, where I went inside a little curtained space and took off my clothes and put on one of those hospital garments designed by sadist perverts, the kind that, when you put it on, makes you feel even more naked than when you are actually naked.
Then a nurse named Eddie put a little needle in a vein in my left hand. Ordinarily I would have fainted, but Eddie was very good, and I was already lying down. Eddie also told me that some people put vodka in their MoviPrep. At first I was ticked off that I hadn't thought of this, but then I pondered what would happen if you got yourself too tipsy to make it to the bathroom, so you were staggering around in full Fire Hose Mode. You would have no choice but to burn your house.
When everything was ready, Eddie wheeled me into the procedure room, where Andy was waiting with a nurse and an anesthesiologist. I did not see the 17,000-foot tube, but I knew Andy had it hidden around there somewhere. I was seriously nervous at this point.
Andy had me roll over on my left side, and the anesthesiologist began hooking something up to the needle in my hand. There was music playing in the room, and I realized that the song was 'Dancing Queen' by ABBA. I remarked to Andy that, of all the songs that could be playing during this particular procedure, 'Dancing Queen' has to be the least appropriate. 'You want me to turn it up?' said Andy, from somewhere behind me. 'Ha ha,' I said.
And then it was time, the moment I had been dreading for more than a decade. If you are squeamish, prepare yourself, because I am going to tell you, in explicit detail, exactly what it was like.
I have no idea. Really. I slept through it.
One moment, ABBA was yelling 'Dancing Queen, Feel the beat of the tambourine,' and the next moment, I was back in the other room, waking up in a very mellow mood. Andy was looking down at me and asking me how I felt. I felt excellent. I felt even more excellent when Andy told me that It was all over, and that my colon had passed with flying colors.
I have never been prouder of an internal organ.
________________________
And the sad, alarming, and awful truth is that I'm due another "colonoscopy" some time this year...yep, in 2009. I've managed to avoid the "inevitable" long enough. It's really not that bad...just more annoying than anything else. The 'preparation' is far worse than the actual procedure...
I will always remember the first time I had one...1993....yes, that day lingers in infamy in the analogs of my memory....it was that "memorable." I watched the whole thing actually. Here is another guy's experience:
_____________________
I called my friend Andy Sable, a gastroenteritis, to make an appointment for a colonoscopy. A few days later, in his office, Andy showed me a color diagram of the colon, a lengthy organ that appears to go all over the place, at one point passing briefly through Toronto . Then Andy explained the colonoscopy procedure to me in a thorough, reassuring and patient manner. I nodded thoughtfully, but I didn't really hear anything he said, because my brain was shrieking, quote, 'HE'S GOING TO STICK A TUBE 17,000 FEET UP YOUR BEHIND!'
I left Andy's office with some written instructions, and a prescription for a product called 'MoviPrep,' which comes in a box large enough to hold a microwave oven. I will discuss MoviPrep in detail later; for now suffice it to say that we must never allow it to fall into the hands of America 's enemies.
I spent the next several days productively sitting around being nervous. Then, on the day before my colonoscopy, I began my preparation. In accordance with my instructions, I didn't eat any solid food that day; all I had was chicken broth, which is basically water, only with less flavor.
Then, in the evening, I took the MoviPrep. You mix two packets of powder together in a one-liter plastic jug, then you fill it with lukewarm water. (For those unfamiliar with the metric system, a liter is about 32 gallons.) Then you have to drink the whole jug. This takes about an hour, because MoviPrep tastes - and here I am being kind - like a mixture of goat spit and urinal cleanser, with just a hint of lemon.
The instructions for MoviPrep, clearly written by somebody with a great sense of humor, state that after you drink it, 'a loose watery bowel movement may result.' This is kind of like saying that after you jump off your roof, you may experience contact with the ground. MoviPrep is a nuclear laxative. I don't want to be too graphic, here, but: Have you ever seen a space-shuttle launch? This is pretty much the MoviPrep experience, with you as the shuttle. There are times when you wish the commode had a seat belt.
You spend several hours pretty much confined to the bathroom, spurting violently. You eliminate everything. And then, when you figure you must be totally empty, you have to drink another liter of MoviPrep, at which point, as far as I can tell, your bowels travel into the future and start eliminating food that you have not even eaten yet.
After an action-packed evening, I finally got to sleep.
The next morning my wife drove me to the clinic. I was very nervous. Not only was I worried about the procedure, but I had been experiencing occasional return bouts of MoviPrep spurtage.
I was thinking, 'What if I spurt on Andy?' How do you apologize to a friend for something like that? Flowers would not be enough.
At the clinic I had to sign many forms acknowledging that I understood and totally agreed with whatever the heck the forms said. Then they led me to a room full of other colonoscopy people, where I went inside a little curtained space and took off my clothes and put on one of those hospital garments designed by sadist perverts, the kind that, when you put it on, makes you feel even more naked than when you are actually naked.
Then a nurse named Eddie put a little needle in a vein in my left hand. Ordinarily I would have fainted, but Eddie was very good, and I was already lying down. Eddie also told me that some people put vodka in their MoviPrep. At first I was ticked off that I hadn't thought of this, but then I pondered what would happen if you got yourself too tipsy to make it to the bathroom, so you were staggering around in full Fire Hose Mode. You would have no choice but to burn your house.
When everything was ready, Eddie wheeled me into the procedure room, where Andy was waiting with a nurse and an anesthesiologist. I did not see the 17,000-foot tube, but I knew Andy had it hidden around there somewhere. I was seriously nervous at this point.
Andy had me roll over on my left side, and the anesthesiologist began hooking something up to the needle in my hand. There was music playing in the room, and I realized that the song was 'Dancing Queen' by ABBA. I remarked to Andy that, of all the songs that could be playing during this particular procedure, 'Dancing Queen' has to be the least appropriate. 'You want me to turn it up?' said Andy, from somewhere behind me. 'Ha ha,' I said.
And then it was time, the moment I had been dreading for more than a decade. If you are squeamish, prepare yourself, because I am going to tell you, in explicit detail, exactly what it was like.
I have no idea. Really. I slept through it.
One moment, ABBA was yelling 'Dancing Queen, Feel the beat of the tambourine,' and the next moment, I was back in the other room, waking up in a very mellow mood. Andy was looking down at me and asking me how I felt. I felt excellent. I felt even more excellent when Andy told me that It was all over, and that my colon had passed with flying colors.
I have never been prouder of an internal organ.
________________________
And the sad, alarming, and awful truth is that I'm due another "colonoscopy" some time this year...yep, in 2009. I've managed to avoid the "inevitable" long enough. It's really not that bad...just more annoying than anything else. The 'preparation' is far worse than the actual procedure...
I can't remember the exact phrase....
I think it may have been the "paradox of frugality"--mentioned on one of the Sunday morning "news/talk" shows yesterday--and "This Week with George Stephanopolous" in particular. The "Round Table" was discussing the current economic situation(s) here in the United States, and actually around the world.
One of the commentators mentioned something about people learning and living by the "paradox of frugality"--where the consuming public has actually learned (the hard way) the value of saving, and not buying everything in sight, just because they could afford to do so.
The paradox: When people "save their money" and don't spend willy-nilly, then the "economy" tends to take a downturn. Retailers depend on the "consuming public" to do just that: consume.
Maybe, just maybe we have come to a place in our national life that "greed is no longer good." Maybe we have reached that stage in our existence when we actually don't have to own the "latest and greatest" of all the gadgets and gizmoes that are currently "the trend."
Maybe, just maybe the "latest trend" in our "American way of life" is to enjoy living with what we currently have, and even giving some of it away.
Which reminds me of a song (and MOST things remind me of a song) that Bill and Gloria Gaither birthed a few years ago. Here are some of the poignant lines to "Give It Away":
If you want less lonely and a lot more fun
and deep satisfaction when the day is done,
throw your heart wide open and give it away.
If you want more happy than your heart can hold,
if you want to stand taller, if the truth were told,
take whatever you have and give it away."
I remember an illustration from many, many years ago. When you hold a "tightly-clinched fist", no one can take anything out of that fist...and no one can put anything IN it either...
Living life with an open hand, an open heart, and an open mind really does work.
All the "stuff" we have is just that: stuff. Clutter. One more thing to dust, repair, or replace the batteries in ...
So yes, the "paradox of frugality" really is a blessing, when we stop and think about it. There really are two kinds of people in life: givers and takers. I want to be a giver...
God is a giver...
One of the commentators mentioned something about people learning and living by the "paradox of frugality"--where the consuming public has actually learned (the hard way) the value of saving, and not buying everything in sight, just because they could afford to do so.
The paradox: When people "save their money" and don't spend willy-nilly, then the "economy" tends to take a downturn. Retailers depend on the "consuming public" to do just that: consume.
Maybe, just maybe we have come to a place in our national life that "greed is no longer good." Maybe we have reached that stage in our existence when we actually don't have to own the "latest and greatest" of all the gadgets and gizmoes that are currently "the trend."
Maybe, just maybe the "latest trend" in our "American way of life" is to enjoy living with what we currently have, and even giving some of it away.
Which reminds me of a song (and MOST things remind me of a song) that Bill and Gloria Gaither birthed a few years ago. Here are some of the poignant lines to "Give It Away":
If you want less lonely and a lot more fun
and deep satisfaction when the day is done,
throw your heart wide open and give it away.
If you want more happy than your heart can hold,
if you want to stand taller, if the truth were told,
take whatever you have and give it away."
I remember an illustration from many, many years ago. When you hold a "tightly-clinched fist", no one can take anything out of that fist...and no one can put anything IN it either...
Living life with an open hand, an open heart, and an open mind really does work.
All the "stuff" we have is just that: stuff. Clutter. One more thing to dust, repair, or replace the batteries in ...
So yes, the "paradox of frugality" really is a blessing, when we stop and think about it. There really are two kinds of people in life: givers and takers. I want to be a giver...
God is a giver...
I'm going wild with all these songs...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HpLjfcGords
The Booth Brothers sing one of my very favorite songs by the late (and great) Albert E Brumley...
"Where the charming roses bloom forever
and where separation comes no more...
If we never meet again this side of Heaven
I will meet you on that beautiful shore."
The Booth Brothers sing one of my very favorite songs by the late (and great) Albert E Brumley...
"Where the charming roses bloom forever
and where separation comes no more...
If we never meet again this side of Heaven
I will meet you on that beautiful shore."
Yes, I still love this song.....
Best I can remember, "Well Done, My Child" was #70 in the redback "Church Hymnal"...or the green hymnal, or the blue hymnal...depending on which one the congregation used.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ET4zGaRu1Yw
Well Done, My child
My Lord will say...
A Crown of Life you've won...
I look forward to that day....
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ET4zGaRu1Yw
Well Done, My child
My Lord will say...
A Crown of Life you've won...
I look forward to that day....
Yes, we will....
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TgLHCT_pats&feature=related
This song really says it all...."He'll guide us with His eye...and we'll follow till we die."
This song really says it all...."He'll guide us with His eye...and we'll follow till we die."
My Uncle Albert...
used to sing this great classic when he was in a a "southern gospel quartet" in the early 1970s...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gdeYEaKQ9Mk&feature=related
"Swing down, sweet chariot, stop and let me ride..."
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gdeYEaKQ9Mk&feature=related
"Swing down, sweet chariot, stop and let me ride..."
Just downright GREAT singing....
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CjJYd-sYRbo&feature=related
"Though hope may be gone
He'll cause you to sing..."
How many years has it been since you've heard "On the Jericho Road"?
Each burden He'll bear
Each sorrow He'll share...
Yes, it is still true.
"Though hope may be gone
He'll cause you to sing..."
How many years has it been since you've heard "On the Jericho Road"?
Each burden He'll bear
Each sorrow He'll share...
Yes, it is still true.
Another Song about heaven...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S_EN9d4ZDhs&feature=related
And the prettiest flowers will be blooming
By the prettiest streets our eyes will ever behold
Where the beautiful streams of life for us is waiting
by the prettiest mansions made of purest gold.
And the prettiest robes and crowns we'll all be wearing
In that city foursquare beyond this world of strife.
And the prettiest songs with the angels we'll be singing,
On that beautiful morning by the river of life...
___________________
I remember hearing the wonderful saints of God sing this song of faith and testimony when I was growing up. Precious Sister Brewer (who was my spiritual mother in many ways) would often sing this and tears would pour down her face...as she worshipped and magnified God. That dear saint of God is now rejoicing on the streets of glory...and I miss her so much. Sister Brewer believed in me, loved me, and cared for me in a very, very special way. She came to our house to pray for me when I was 16 years old, and almost died from double pneumonia--and couldn't afford health care (in the mid 1970s). God touched me...and I have lived to testify of His great Healing power!
Yes, Sister Brewer is rejoicing on the avenues of "that city Foursquare"....I look forward to the day when I see her again.
And the prettiest flowers will be blooming
By the prettiest streets our eyes will ever behold
Where the beautiful streams of life for us is waiting
by the prettiest mansions made of purest gold.
And the prettiest robes and crowns we'll all be wearing
In that city foursquare beyond this world of strife.
And the prettiest songs with the angels we'll be singing,
On that beautiful morning by the river of life...
___________________
I remember hearing the wonderful saints of God sing this song of faith and testimony when I was growing up. Precious Sister Brewer (who was my spiritual mother in many ways) would often sing this and tears would pour down her face...as she worshipped and magnified God. That dear saint of God is now rejoicing on the streets of glory...and I miss her so much. Sister Brewer believed in me, loved me, and cared for me in a very, very special way. She came to our house to pray for me when I was 16 years old, and almost died from double pneumonia--and couldn't afford health care (in the mid 1970s). God touched me...and I have lived to testify of His great Healing power!
Yes, Sister Brewer is rejoicing on the avenues of "that city Foursquare"....I look forward to the day when I see her again.
One of those great songs with a message...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Y2tY7O_NjA
This was filmed in the Citadel of David in Jerusalem...The Gaither Homecoming Friends did a great concert there. Bill insisted the Isaacs sing this great song they had written...and it will make you cry...almost every time.
Think about the "Heroes."
This was filmed in the Citadel of David in Jerusalem...The Gaither Homecoming Friends did a great concert there. Bill insisted the Isaacs sing this great song they had written...and it will make you cry...almost every time.
Think about the "Heroes."
You gotta love this....
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uVGf4xAwGY8
I would love to sing in an all-male ensemble like this...one of those great songs..."I remember the day when the Lord saved me...."
I still believe the greatest instrument on this earth is the human voice...and these guys are using theirs wonderfully well.
I would love to sing in an all-male ensemble like this...one of those great songs..."I remember the day when the Lord saved me...."
I still believe the greatest instrument on this earth is the human voice...and these guys are using theirs wonderfully well.
The Greatest Song in the English Language...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ejg7haph29w&feature=related
I wrote a paper in my graduate studies, analyzing "When I Survey The Wondrous Cross"--and I can still remember how God profound spoke to me during the research for that paper.
I agree with the theologians and scholars who say this great anthem, written by Isaac Watts more than 200 years ago, is probably the greatest piece of poetry set to music in the English Language....These words grip my heart:
"Were the whole realm of nature mine,
That were a present far too small!
Love, so amazing, so divine,
Demands my life, my soul, my all!"
I wrote a paper in my graduate studies, analyzing "When I Survey The Wondrous Cross"--and I can still remember how God profound spoke to me during the research for that paper.
I agree with the theologians and scholars who say this great anthem, written by Isaac Watts more than 200 years ago, is probably the greatest piece of poetry set to music in the English Language....These words grip my heart:
"Were the whole realm of nature mine,
That were a present far too small!
Love, so amazing, so divine,
Demands my life, my soul, my all!"
The first song I can remember singing..about heaven...
I was probably 11 or 12 years old...I sang this great Dottie Rambo classic
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gYMC03-Bo4A
"I see loved ones over yonder
Tears are gone, their hearts are free
And from the Throne, the Savior beckons
and the hills of home keep calling me..."
Like so many of you, I have great investments in that wonderful City Whose Builder and Maker is God. "And I'll take my flight like the mighty eagle, when the hills of home start calling me."
Dottie Rambo took that one-way trip on Mother's Day, 2008. She was on her bus, on the way to a concert in Texas, and the Lord decided that she need to "take a flight" instead...
The longer I live here on this earth, the more my heart yearns to city the New Jerusalem. That City not made with hands...where God's Lamb is the Light...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gYMC03-Bo4A
"I see loved ones over yonder
Tears are gone, their hearts are free
And from the Throne, the Savior beckons
and the hills of home keep calling me..."
Like so many of you, I have great investments in that wonderful City Whose Builder and Maker is God. "And I'll take my flight like the mighty eagle, when the hills of home start calling me."
Dottie Rambo took that one-way trip on Mother's Day, 2008. She was on her bus, on the way to a concert in Texas, and the Lord decided that she need to "take a flight" instead...
The longer I live here on this earth, the more my heart yearns to city the New Jerusalem. That City not made with hands...where God's Lamb is the Light...
I'm looking forward to Heaven.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4CUxDmJApKs&feature=related
I remember my Granny Hoover's home church, Shipps Baptist Church in Gurley, Alabama. I had a lot of paternal family members who were part of that congregation. I remember their "monthly Singing" every 4th Saturday night of the month. It was always great!
I also remember when the Summer Revival started on the 4th Sunday of August--with all-day singing, and dinner on the ground....which really was just "all-day dinner" and rightly so.
But one of the great songs from that country church was "When They Ring the Bells of Heaven"...oh how I would love to hear those people sing that wonderful anthem of testimony again!
"That will be a glad homecoming, won't it be grand...
When they ring the bells of heaven on that day!"
Yes, it will be grand. Gloriously, eternally grand!
I remember my Granny Hoover's home church, Shipps Baptist Church in Gurley, Alabama. I had a lot of paternal family members who were part of that congregation. I remember their "monthly Singing" every 4th Saturday night of the month. It was always great!
I also remember when the Summer Revival started on the 4th Sunday of August--with all-day singing, and dinner on the ground....which really was just "all-day dinner" and rightly so.
But one of the great songs from that country church was "When They Ring the Bells of Heaven"...oh how I would love to hear those people sing that wonderful anthem of testimony again!
"That will be a glad homecoming, won't it be grand...
When they ring the bells of heaven on that day!"
Yes, it will be grand. Gloriously, eternally grand!
Whatever happened to these songs?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eNQ4RbfF4jM
The Crimson River Quartet sings some of the great "revival songs" of the American church, in a special concert at Pasadena First Church of the Nazarene. Here a medley of these great classics:
In My Heart There Rings A Melody
He Keeps Me Singing
Standing on the Promises
Leaning on the Everlasting Arms
Victory in Jesus!
Maybe we need to "teach these great truths" to the "contemporary generation"...
As Bill Gaither has said, "these songs should survive--not because they are old--but because they are GREAT...and deserve to live."
Amen, Bill, Amen.
The Crimson River Quartet sings some of the great "revival songs" of the American church, in a special concert at Pasadena First Church of the Nazarene. Here a medley of these great classics:
In My Heart There Rings A Melody
He Keeps Me Singing
Standing on the Promises
Leaning on the Everlasting Arms
Victory in Jesus!
Maybe we need to "teach these great truths" to the "contemporary generation"...
As Bill Gaither has said, "these songs should survive--not because they are old--but because they are GREAT...and deserve to live."
Amen, Bill, Amen.
Songs we used to sing...and need to sing again....
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TKS5MgytW54&feature=related
One of the great songs by Haldor Lillenas...
I need to be reminded of this "wonderful grace of Jesus..."
One of the great songs by Haldor Lillenas...
I need to be reminded of this "wonderful grace of Jesus..."
A Song I would love to sing again...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V4FHIIIeBqc
The late Dottie Rambo could write the most wonderful songs about heaven, eternity, and the hope that every child of God has for the future.
I remember learning this song when I was a young teenager...and it's still true.
"I'm going there to live
When life is over....
On the sunny banks of my home, sweet home."
The late Dottie Rambo could write the most wonderful songs about heaven, eternity, and the hope that every child of God has for the future.
I remember learning this song when I was a young teenager...and it's still true.
"I'm going there to live
When life is over....
On the sunny banks of my home, sweet home."
"The Sweetest Song I Know"
One of those grand old songs of testimony and faith that I learned in my "growing up years."
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hSPjNVpk1HU
Yes, "Amazing Grace" is still the sweetest song I know! Russ Taff, Ben Speer, Mike Allen , Pastor Johnny Minnick, and others really bring this great "standard" back to life...
I've always loved the "southern convention style singing" anyway..and this song brilliantly demonstrates how joyful THAT kind of singing can be...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hSPjNVpk1HU
Yes, "Amazing Grace" is still the sweetest song I know! Russ Taff, Ben Speer, Mike Allen , Pastor Johnny Minnick, and others really bring this great "standard" back to life...
I've always loved the "southern convention style singing" anyway..and this song brilliantly demonstrates how joyful THAT kind of singing can be...
The Inaugural Prayer...
Here it is:
Almighty God, our Father:
Everything we see, and everything we can’t see, exists because of You alone.
It all comes from You, it all belongs to Y0u, it all exists for Your glory.
History is Your story.
The Scripture tells us, "Hear, O Israel, the LORD is our God, the LORD is one." And You are the compassionate and merciful One. And You are loving to everyone You have made.
Now today we rejoice not only in America’s peaceful transfer of power for the 44th time, we celebrate a hinge point of history with the inauguration of our first African American president of the United States.
We are so grateful to live in this land, a land of unequaled possibility, where a son of an African immigrant can rise to the highest level of our leadership. And we know today that Dr. King and a great cloud of witnesses are shouting in heaven.
Give to our new president, Barack Obama,
the wisdom to lead us with humility,
the courage to lead us with integrity,
the compassion to lead us with generosity.
Bless and protect him, his family, Vice President Biden, the Cabinet, and every one of our freely elected leaders.
Help us, O God, to remember that we are Americans--united not by race or religion or blood, but to our commitment to freedom and justice for all.
When we focus on ourselves, when we fight each other, when we forget You--forgive us.
When we presume that our greatness and our prosperity is ours alone--forgive us.
When we fail to treat our fellow human beings and all the earth with the respect that they deserve--forgive us.
And as we face these difficult days ahead, may we have a new birth of clarity in our aims, responsibility in our actions, humility in our approaches, and civility in our attitudes—even when we differ.
Help us to share, to serve, and to seek the common good of all.
May all people of good will today join together to work for a more just, a more healthy, and a more prosperous nation and a peaceful planet.
And may we never forget that one day, all nations--and all people--will stand accountable before You.
We now commit our new president and his wife, Michelle, and his daughters, Malia and Sasha, into Your loving care.
I humbly ask this in the name of the one who changed my life—Yeshua, 'Isa, Jesus [Spanish pronunciation], Jesus—who taught us to pray:
Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name.
Thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us.
And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil,
for Thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever.
Amen.
_______________________
Many thanks to Justin Taylor (Wheaton, Illinois) for posting this on his blog.
May the God of Heaven and Earth hear and answer this humble prayer.
Almighty God, our Father:
Everything we see, and everything we can’t see, exists because of You alone.
It all comes from You, it all belongs to Y0u, it all exists for Your glory.
History is Your story.
The Scripture tells us, "Hear, O Israel, the LORD is our God, the LORD is one." And You are the compassionate and merciful One. And You are loving to everyone You have made.
Now today we rejoice not only in America’s peaceful transfer of power for the 44th time, we celebrate a hinge point of history with the inauguration of our first African American president of the United States.
We are so grateful to live in this land, a land of unequaled possibility, where a son of an African immigrant can rise to the highest level of our leadership. And we know today that Dr. King and a great cloud of witnesses are shouting in heaven.
Give to our new president, Barack Obama,
the wisdom to lead us with humility,
the courage to lead us with integrity,
the compassion to lead us with generosity.
Bless and protect him, his family, Vice President Biden, the Cabinet, and every one of our freely elected leaders.
Help us, O God, to remember that we are Americans--united not by race or religion or blood, but to our commitment to freedom and justice for all.
When we focus on ourselves, when we fight each other, when we forget You--forgive us.
When we presume that our greatness and our prosperity is ours alone--forgive us.
When we fail to treat our fellow human beings and all the earth with the respect that they deserve--forgive us.
And as we face these difficult days ahead, may we have a new birth of clarity in our aims, responsibility in our actions, humility in our approaches, and civility in our attitudes—even when we differ.
Help us to share, to serve, and to seek the common good of all.
May all people of good will today join together to work for a more just, a more healthy, and a more prosperous nation and a peaceful planet.
And may we never forget that one day, all nations--and all people--will stand accountable before You.
We now commit our new president and his wife, Michelle, and his daughters, Malia and Sasha, into Your loving care.
I humbly ask this in the name of the one who changed my life—Yeshua, 'Isa, Jesus [Spanish pronunciation], Jesus—who taught us to pray:
Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name.
Thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us.
And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil,
for Thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever.
Amen.
_______________________
Many thanks to Justin Taylor (Wheaton, Illinois) for posting this on his blog.
May the God of Heaven and Earth hear and answer this humble prayer.
President Obama, Congratulations!
Dear Mr President,
Today, the history of the United States was forever changed--and for the better! The world is watching at this great democracy engages in the peaceful transition of governmental leaders and the accompanying powers.
Even though I did not vote for you, I will be praying for you. I will be asking God to keep His might hand, and His strong love around you all the time. You will need His help. And you have already acknowledged as much.
You have promised "Change we can believe in..." and now it's "show time" for you! You have nominated a great Cabinet, and you will now have the dreams, hopes, fears, burdens, and aspirations of this great nation upon your shoulders.
Just as your friend, Pastor Rick Warren, said in his prayer, " Almighty God, Everything we see and everything we can't see comes from You....You are the compassionate and merciful One.....we are so grateful to live in this land where the son of an African immigrant can rise to the highest level of power in this nation....Give our president the courage to lead us with integrity, and the compassion to lead us with generosity....when we forget You, forgive us....as we face these difficult days ahead...help us to share, to serve, and to seek the common good of all..."
Mr President, that was a powerful prayer. I am confident the Lord God heard it.
You are bringing hope and encouragement to this great nation. We honor you.
God bless you!
Today, the history of the United States was forever changed--and for the better! The world is watching at this great democracy engages in the peaceful transition of governmental leaders and the accompanying powers.
Even though I did not vote for you, I will be praying for you. I will be asking God to keep His might hand, and His strong love around you all the time. You will need His help. And you have already acknowledged as much.
You have promised "Change we can believe in..." and now it's "show time" for you! You have nominated a great Cabinet, and you will now have the dreams, hopes, fears, burdens, and aspirations of this great nation upon your shoulders.
Just as your friend, Pastor Rick Warren, said in his prayer, " Almighty God, Everything we see and everything we can't see comes from You....You are the compassionate and merciful One.....we are so grateful to live in this land where the son of an African immigrant can rise to the highest level of power in this nation....Give our president the courage to lead us with integrity, and the compassion to lead us with generosity....when we forget You, forgive us....as we face these difficult days ahead...help us to share, to serve, and to seek the common good of all..."
Mr President, that was a powerful prayer. I am confident the Lord God heard it.
You are bringing hope and encouragement to this great nation. We honor you.
God bless you!
Sitting here, at my desk, wiping tears from my eyes...
I grew up with very little--actually none--of this world's material goods...but I was RICH in the great treasures that really matter: knowing about heaven, knowing that Jesus made the way for me to go there.
This song just says it all for me:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YYsqUEfmS-o&feature=related
We truly are "pilgrims and strangers here" and yes we are "seeking a City to come." I have many, many loved ones in that wonderful City Whose Builder and Maker is God.
One of my readers, Dr Jackie Johns, knows what a precious promise this is to those who love and know Christ. Both of his earthly parents are now in the presence of his Heavenly Father, rejoicing on the streets of glory.
So "cheer, my brother cheer, our trials will soon be o'er."
These "light afflictions" are just that...light...and they will wither in the presence of the Eternal Light...God's Only Son.
This song just says it all for me:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YYsqUEfmS-o&feature=related
We truly are "pilgrims and strangers here" and yes we are "seeking a City to come." I have many, many loved ones in that wonderful City Whose Builder and Maker is God.
One of my readers, Dr Jackie Johns, knows what a precious promise this is to those who love and know Christ. Both of his earthly parents are now in the presence of his Heavenly Father, rejoicing on the streets of glory.
So "cheer, my brother cheer, our trials will soon be o'er."
These "light afflictions" are just that...light...and they will wither in the presence of the Eternal Light...God's Only Son.
One of those great songs...
that I learned "later in life" (well, in my late 20s at least). Listen to the Ball Brothers sing this marvelous classic written by Isaac Watts:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y7nTnY61Sdo&feature=related
The last verse is particularly wonderful:
"There's not a plant nor flower below
But makes Thy Glories known!
...while all that borrows life from Thee is ever in Thy care!
And everywhere that man may be, Thou God art present there!"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y7nTnY61Sdo&feature=related
The last verse is particularly wonderful:
"There's not a plant nor flower below
But makes Thy Glories known!
...while all that borrows life from Thee is ever in Thy care!
And everywhere that man may be, Thou God art present there!"
A great blast from the past...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_emzCWLS9B4&NR=1
I remember the Virginia Boulevard Church of God Men's Trio singing this great, great song of hope, and testimony. No one could sing this great song like Keith, Claudie, and Brother "whatshisname..." (I honestly can't remember...it's been almost 35 years ago).
"I can see the Lights of Home
I can see Him on His throne.
I'm too near to turn back now...
O Praise the Lord, I'm heaven bound!
When my journey here shall end!
I'll say goodbye to this world of sin.
In that fair land, I'll take my stand..
It's good to be on this road to glory land."
Yes, it is! As much as I (and others) may complain about how "tough life really is.." I'm thrilled, deep, deep in my soul to know that I'm on the road to Glory.
Anthony Burger, who is playing the piano in the clip, is now rejoicing on the streets of Heaven! He was the principal pianist with the Gaither Homecoming Concerts, and suddenly sailed away to glory a few short years ago---while he was playing the piano during a Gaither Homecoming Concert on a Cruise ship in the Bahamas.
I remember the Virginia Boulevard Church of God Men's Trio singing this great, great song of hope, and testimony. No one could sing this great song like Keith, Claudie, and Brother "whatshisname..." (I honestly can't remember...it's been almost 35 years ago).
"I can see the Lights of Home
I can see Him on His throne.
I'm too near to turn back now...
O Praise the Lord, I'm heaven bound!
When my journey here shall end!
I'll say goodbye to this world of sin.
In that fair land, I'll take my stand..
It's good to be on this road to glory land."
Yes, it is! As much as I (and others) may complain about how "tough life really is.." I'm thrilled, deep, deep in my soul to know that I'm on the road to Glory.
Anthony Burger, who is playing the piano in the clip, is now rejoicing on the streets of Heaven! He was the principal pianist with the Gaither Homecoming Concerts, and suddenly sailed away to glory a few short years ago---while he was playing the piano during a Gaither Homecoming Concert on a Cruise ship in the Bahamas.
Dear President George Bush
Mr President,
In less than one week, you will again be "private citizen" George W Bush. As you have stated many times (in recent weeks), you are looking forward to this "drastic" change of pace in your life.
Let me say that we Americans appreciate your willingness to serve your country--both as Governor of Texas, and then as President of the United States. Thank you for serving.
While I have disagreed with most of your actions since you moved into 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, I do respect you as a person, and as a man. You have demonstrated what a good husband, good son, and good father should look like--and this nation has paid attention to your example.
My only regret is that you won't have the opportunity to "correct" many of the mistakes that were made on your watch. I'm sure you would like to "re-do" many of these...but alas, time and history doesn't allow for that to take place.
Your wife, Laura, has been nothing short of superb in her role as First Lady, and as a champion for literacy and reading in this nation. Even though you have been unpopular (understated, of course), Laura continues to be a favorite among all Americans. You "married up..." and you did quite well, when you secured her hand, her heart and her love to you.
Be a good private citizen. Join your parents in all of their great charitable endeavors. Make yourself, and this nation proud of you once again. You can do it.
Now you will have that opportunity.
In less than one week, you will again be "private citizen" George W Bush. As you have stated many times (in recent weeks), you are looking forward to this "drastic" change of pace in your life.
Let me say that we Americans appreciate your willingness to serve your country--both as Governor of Texas, and then as President of the United States. Thank you for serving.
While I have disagreed with most of your actions since you moved into 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, I do respect you as a person, and as a man. You have demonstrated what a good husband, good son, and good father should look like--and this nation has paid attention to your example.
My only regret is that you won't have the opportunity to "correct" many of the mistakes that were made on your watch. I'm sure you would like to "re-do" many of these...but alas, time and history doesn't allow for that to take place.
Your wife, Laura, has been nothing short of superb in her role as First Lady, and as a champion for literacy and reading in this nation. Even though you have been unpopular (understated, of course), Laura continues to be a favorite among all Americans. You "married up..." and you did quite well, when you secured her hand, her heart and her love to you.
Be a good private citizen. Join your parents in all of their great charitable endeavors. Make yourself, and this nation proud of you once again. You can do it.
Now you will have that opportunity.
This song makes me give thanks...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hq6OOXizSXY
The late (and certainly great) Ira Forest Stanphill gave birth to many wonderful, wonderful songs--now standards in congregations around the world. Not only was he a gifted troubador, but also a pastor of many years in the Assemblies of God.
Some of these words bring tears to my eyes, and rejoicing to my heart:
"He washed my eyes with tears
that I might see
the broken heart I had
was good for me..."
Scripture reminds us that God is indeed "near to the broken-hearted." He is a friend of the broken-heart.
I am continually reminded that my "eyes" need to be washed with tears on a regular basis. Only then can I see the love and face of Christ clearly...as He means for me to see it.
The late (and certainly great) Ira Forest Stanphill gave birth to many wonderful, wonderful songs--now standards in congregations around the world. Not only was he a gifted troubador, but also a pastor of many years in the Assemblies of God.
Some of these words bring tears to my eyes, and rejoicing to my heart:
"He washed my eyes with tears
that I might see
the broken heart I had
was good for me..."
Scripture reminds us that God is indeed "near to the broken-hearted." He is a friend of the broken-heart.
I am continually reminded that my "eyes" need to be washed with tears on a regular basis. Only then can I see the love and face of Christ clearly...as He means for me to see it.
Heaven's Jubilee--our great hope!
One of my very favorite songs is linked here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y_mUSBKM3gs
This great "standard" of the "southern" Church (mostly Baptists and Pentecostals) was also written by G T (Dad) Speer. He wrote songs that caused us to look forward to Heaven--knowing that what we have "here on this earth" is temporary at best, and will pass away quickly.
O What singing!
O what shouting!
On that happy morning, when we all shall rise!
O What glory!
Glory, Hallelujah!
When we meet our blessed Saviour in the skies!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y_mUSBKM3gs
This great "standard" of the "southern" Church (mostly Baptists and Pentecostals) was also written by G T (Dad) Speer. He wrote songs that caused us to look forward to Heaven--knowing that what we have "here on this earth" is temporary at best, and will pass away quickly.
O What singing!
O what shouting!
On that happy morning, when we all shall rise!
O What glory!
Glory, Hallelujah!
When we meet our blessed Saviour in the skies!
Who is the Holy Spirit?
I owe much gratitude to Dr Mark Hardgrove for this...but it answers the "lead question" so very well: "Who is the Holy Spirit?"
_______________________
The Person and Work of the Holy Spirit
I. The Holy Spirit as a Person
A person is characterized by consciousness, rationality, moral and ethical qualities.
A. (Lk. 12:12) He is a teacher
B. (Ac. 8:29) He speaks
C. (Ac. 5:32) He is a witness
D. (Rom. 8:26) He is a helper and intercessor
E. (Ac. 15:28) He determines the value of decisions
F. (1 Cor. 2:11) He is constantly in touch with the mind of God
G. (Ac. 20:28) He chooses church leaders
H. (Ac. 5:3) He can be lied to
I. (Ac. 7:51)
II. Symbols/Figures of Speech used of the Holy Spirit
A. Clothing (clothed with power) Lk. 24:49
B. Dove Matt. 3:16; Mk. 1:10; Lk. 3:22; Jn. 1:32
C. Fire Ex. 3:2; Lev. 9:24; 1 Kgs. 18:38; 2 Chron. 7:1; Zech. 2:5; Mal. 3:3; Ac. 2:3; Heb. 12:29; 1Pet. 1:7; Rev. 1:4
D. Oil Matt. 25:3-8; cf. Ps. 45:7 with Heb. 1:9
E. Seal 2 Cor. 1:22; Eph. 1:13; 4:30
F. Water Jn. 4:14; 7:37-39
G. Wind Jn. 3:8; Ac. 2:1-2; 2 Pet. 1:21
H. Mouth/Word of God Isa. 34:16; Ezek. 1:3
I. Breath of God Gen. 2:7; Job 27:3; 33:4; 34:14-15; Ps. 33:6; Jn. 20:22
J. Finger of God Lk. 11:20, cf. with Matt. 12:28
K. Hand of God Ezek. 1:3
L. Earnest 2 Cor. 1:22; 5:5; Eph. 1:14
M. Seven Eyes Rev. 5:6
III. The Deity of the Holy Spirit
A. Divine Attributes:
1. Omnipresence Ps. 139:7
2. Omniscience Isa. 40:13-14; 1 Cor. 2:10
3. Omnipotence Isa. 11:2; Jn. 3:6
4. Eternality Heb. 9:14
5. Holiness Rom. 1:4
6. Transcendence Ps. 51:12
7. Agent of Salvation Heb. 10:29: Zech. 12:10
8. Perfection Rev. 1:4; 3:1
9. Unity of Spirit Eph. 4:4
10. Divinity of Spirit 2 Cor. 3:3
B. Various references to the Holy Spirit are interchangeable with references to God:
1. Ac. 5:3-4 2. 1 Cor. 3:16-17, see also 6:19-20
C. Holy Spirit performs certain works which are commonly ascribed to God:
1. Creation Gen. 1:1, 3; Job 26:13; Ps. 104:30
2. His work with humans
a. Regeneration Jn. 3:5-8; Titus 3:5
b. Resurrection Rom. 8:11
D. The Holy Spirit’s association with the Father and the Son: ( Mat. 28:19; 1 Cor. 12:4-6; 2 Cor. 13:14; 1 Pet. 1:2)
1. He is called both the Spirit of Yahweh (Isa. 61:1) and the Spirit of Christ (Rom. 8:9; 1 Pet. 1:11)
2. Jesus ascribes the working of the Holy Spirit to both the Father and Himself (Jn. 14:16; 15:26) 3. The Holy Spirit is sent by both the Father (Jn. 14:16, 26) and Christ (Jn. 16:7).
4. The Son is the revealer of the Father by incarnation (Jn. 14:7-10), while the Holy Spirit is the revealer of the Father by inspiration (Eph. 1:17, NIV).
IV. Titles Attached to the Holy Spirit
1. Spirit of God Gen. 1:2; Mat. 3:16
2. Spirit of the Lord Lk. 4:18
3. Spirit of our God 1 Cor. 6:11
4. His Spirit Num. 11:29
5. Spirit of Yahweh Judges 3:10
6. Thy Spirit Ps. 139:7
7. Spirit of the Lord Isa. 61:1
8. Spirit of your Father Mat. 10:20
9. Spirit of the Living God 2 Cor. 3:3
10. My Spirit Gen. 6:3
11. Spirit of Him Rom. 8:11
12. Spirit of Christ Rom. 8:9; 1 Pet. 1:11
13. Spirit of Jesus Christ Phil. 1:19
14. Spirit of Jesus Ac. 16:7
15. Spirit of His Son Gal. 4:6
16. Spirit of the Lord Ac. 5:9; 8:39
17. One Spirit Eph. 4:4
18. Seven Spirits Rev. 1:4; 3:1
19. The Lord the Spirit 2 Cor. 3:18
20. Eternal Spirit Heb. 9:14
21. Spirit of Glory 1 Pet. 4:14
22. Spirit of Life Rom. 8:2
23. Spirit of Holiness Rom. 1:4
24. Holy Spirit Ps. 51:11; Mat. 1:20; Lk. 11:13; Jn. 14:26
25. Holy One 1 Jn. 2:20
26. Spirit of Wisdom Ex. 28:13; Eph. 1:17
27. Spirit of Wisdom and Understanding Isa. 11:2
28. Spirit of Counsel and Might Isa. 11:2
29. Spirit of Knowledge and Fear of the Lord Isa. 11:2
30. Spirit of Truth Jn. 14:17
31. Free Spirit Ps. 51:12
32. Spirit of Grace Heb. 10:29
33. Spirit of Grace and Supplication Zech. 12:10
34. Spirit of Faith 2 Cor. 4:13
35. Spirit of Adoption Rom. 8:15
36. Paracletos Jn. 14:16, 26; 15:26; 16:7
37. Spirit of Judgment Isa. 4:4; 28:6
38. Spirit of Burning Isa. 4:4
39. Holy Spirit of Promise Eph. 1:13
40. Power of the Almighty Lk. 1:35
41. Promise of my Father Lk. 24:49
42. Promise of the Father Ac. 1:4
V. Works Attributed to the Holy Spirit
1. Perfecting of the Saints 1 Pet. 4:14
2. Agent of Regeneration Rom. 8:2; Jn. 3:5-8
3. Sanctifier Rom. 1:4
4. Gives Wisdom Jn. 2:20; Eph. 1:7
5. Agent of Application of Grace Heb. 10:29
6. Reveals our Adoption Rom. 8:15
7. Helper Jn. 14:16, 26; 15:26; 16:7
8. Executes Judgment Isa. 63:10; Ac. 5:3-9
9. Ordains Ac. 13:2-4
10. Directs Christian Witness Ac. 10:19; 16:6
11. Guides the Church in Decisions Ac. 15:28
12. Distributes Spiritual Gifts 1 Cor. 12:11
13. Reveals the Lordship of Christ 1 Cor. 12:3
14. Provides Gifts of Ministry 1 Cor. 12:27-29
15. Provides Access to the Father Eph. 2:18
16. Agent of Incarnation Mat. 1:18-20; Lk. 1:35
17. Agent of Inscripturation 2 Tim. 3:16
18. Teaches Jn. 14:26
19. Intercedes Rom 8:26
20. Bears Witness Jn. 15:26
21. Convicts Jn. 16:7-8
22. Strives/Judges Gen. 6:3
23. Anointed the Anointed One Lk. 3:21-22; Ac. 10:38
24. Has a Role in the Resurrection 1 Pet. 3:18-19
25. Agent for Justification 1 Cor. 6:11
26. Enlightens the Believer Jn. 16:12-13
27. Glorifies Jesus Jn. 16:14-15
28. Enables/Empowers the Believer Ac. 1:8
29. Baptizes the Believer into the Body 1 Cor. 12:13
_______________________
The Person and Work of the Holy Spirit
I. The Holy Spirit as a Person
A person is characterized by consciousness, rationality, moral and ethical qualities.
A. (Lk. 12:12) He is a teacher
B. (Ac. 8:29) He speaks
C. (Ac. 5:32) He is a witness
D. (Rom. 8:26) He is a helper and intercessor
E. (Ac. 15:28) He determines the value of decisions
F. (1 Cor. 2:11) He is constantly in touch with the mind of God
G. (Ac. 20:28) He chooses church leaders
H. (Ac. 5:3) He can be lied to
I. (Ac. 7:51)
II. Symbols/Figures of Speech used of the Holy Spirit
A. Clothing (clothed with power) Lk. 24:49
B. Dove Matt. 3:16; Mk. 1:10; Lk. 3:22; Jn. 1:32
C. Fire Ex. 3:2; Lev. 9:24; 1 Kgs. 18:38; 2 Chron. 7:1; Zech. 2:5; Mal. 3:3; Ac. 2:3; Heb. 12:29; 1Pet. 1:7; Rev. 1:4
D. Oil Matt. 25:3-8; cf. Ps. 45:7 with Heb. 1:9
E. Seal 2 Cor. 1:22; Eph. 1:13; 4:30
F. Water Jn. 4:14; 7:37-39
G. Wind Jn. 3:8; Ac. 2:1-2; 2 Pet. 1:21
H. Mouth/Word of God Isa. 34:16; Ezek. 1:3
I. Breath of God Gen. 2:7; Job 27:3; 33:4; 34:14-15; Ps. 33:6; Jn. 20:22
J. Finger of God Lk. 11:20, cf. with Matt. 12:28
K. Hand of God Ezek. 1:3
L. Earnest 2 Cor. 1:22; 5:5; Eph. 1:14
M. Seven Eyes Rev. 5:6
III. The Deity of the Holy Spirit
A. Divine Attributes:
1. Omnipresence Ps. 139:7
2. Omniscience Isa. 40:13-14; 1 Cor. 2:10
3. Omnipotence Isa. 11:2; Jn. 3:6
4. Eternality Heb. 9:14
5. Holiness Rom. 1:4
6. Transcendence Ps. 51:12
7. Agent of Salvation Heb. 10:29: Zech. 12:10
8. Perfection Rev. 1:4; 3:1
9. Unity of Spirit Eph. 4:4
10. Divinity of Spirit 2 Cor. 3:3
B. Various references to the Holy Spirit are interchangeable with references to God:
1. Ac. 5:3-4 2. 1 Cor. 3:16-17, see also 6:19-20
C. Holy Spirit performs certain works which are commonly ascribed to God:
1. Creation Gen. 1:1, 3; Job 26:13; Ps. 104:30
2. His work with humans
a. Regeneration Jn. 3:5-8; Titus 3:5
b. Resurrection Rom. 8:11
D. The Holy Spirit’s association with the Father and the Son: ( Mat. 28:19; 1 Cor. 12:4-6; 2 Cor. 13:14; 1 Pet. 1:2)
1. He is called both the Spirit of Yahweh (Isa. 61:1) and the Spirit of Christ (Rom. 8:9; 1 Pet. 1:11)
2. Jesus ascribes the working of the Holy Spirit to both the Father and Himself (Jn. 14:16; 15:26) 3. The Holy Spirit is sent by both the Father (Jn. 14:16, 26) and Christ (Jn. 16:7).
4. The Son is the revealer of the Father by incarnation (Jn. 14:7-10), while the Holy Spirit is the revealer of the Father by inspiration (Eph. 1:17, NIV).
IV. Titles Attached to the Holy Spirit
1. Spirit of God Gen. 1:2; Mat. 3:16
2. Spirit of the Lord Lk. 4:18
3. Spirit of our God 1 Cor. 6:11
4. His Spirit Num. 11:29
5. Spirit of Yahweh Judges 3:10
6. Thy Spirit Ps. 139:7
7. Spirit of the Lord Isa. 61:1
8. Spirit of your Father Mat. 10:20
9. Spirit of the Living God 2 Cor. 3:3
10. My Spirit Gen. 6:3
11. Spirit of Him Rom. 8:11
12. Spirit of Christ Rom. 8:9; 1 Pet. 1:11
13. Spirit of Jesus Christ Phil. 1:19
14. Spirit of Jesus Ac. 16:7
15. Spirit of His Son Gal. 4:6
16. Spirit of the Lord Ac. 5:9; 8:39
17. One Spirit Eph. 4:4
18. Seven Spirits Rev. 1:4; 3:1
19. The Lord the Spirit 2 Cor. 3:18
20. Eternal Spirit Heb. 9:14
21. Spirit of Glory 1 Pet. 4:14
22. Spirit of Life Rom. 8:2
23. Spirit of Holiness Rom. 1:4
24. Holy Spirit Ps. 51:11; Mat. 1:20; Lk. 11:13; Jn. 14:26
25. Holy One 1 Jn. 2:20
26. Spirit of Wisdom Ex. 28:13; Eph. 1:17
27. Spirit of Wisdom and Understanding Isa. 11:2
28. Spirit of Counsel and Might Isa. 11:2
29. Spirit of Knowledge and Fear of the Lord Isa. 11:2
30. Spirit of Truth Jn. 14:17
31. Free Spirit Ps. 51:12
32. Spirit of Grace Heb. 10:29
33. Spirit of Grace and Supplication Zech. 12:10
34. Spirit of Faith 2 Cor. 4:13
35. Spirit of Adoption Rom. 8:15
36. Paracletos Jn. 14:16, 26; 15:26; 16:7
37. Spirit of Judgment Isa. 4:4; 28:6
38. Spirit of Burning Isa. 4:4
39. Holy Spirit of Promise Eph. 1:13
40. Power of the Almighty Lk. 1:35
41. Promise of my Father Lk. 24:49
42. Promise of the Father Ac. 1:4
V. Works Attributed to the Holy Spirit
1. Perfecting of the Saints 1 Pet. 4:14
2. Agent of Regeneration Rom. 8:2; Jn. 3:5-8
3. Sanctifier Rom. 1:4
4. Gives Wisdom Jn. 2:20; Eph. 1:7
5. Agent of Application of Grace Heb. 10:29
6. Reveals our Adoption Rom. 8:15
7. Helper Jn. 14:16, 26; 15:26; 16:7
8. Executes Judgment Isa. 63:10; Ac. 5:3-9
9. Ordains Ac. 13:2-4
10. Directs Christian Witness Ac. 10:19; 16:6
11. Guides the Church in Decisions Ac. 15:28
12. Distributes Spiritual Gifts 1 Cor. 12:11
13. Reveals the Lordship of Christ 1 Cor. 12:3
14. Provides Gifts of Ministry 1 Cor. 12:27-29
15. Provides Access to the Father Eph. 2:18
16. Agent of Incarnation Mat. 1:18-20; Lk. 1:35
17. Agent of Inscripturation 2 Tim. 3:16
18. Teaches Jn. 14:26
19. Intercedes Rom 8:26
20. Bears Witness Jn. 15:26
21. Convicts Jn. 16:7-8
22. Strives/Judges Gen. 6:3
23. Anointed the Anointed One Lk. 3:21-22; Ac. 10:38
24. Has a Role in the Resurrection 1 Pet. 3:18-19
25. Agent for Justification 1 Cor. 6:11
26. Enlightens the Believer Jn. 16:12-13
27. Glorifies Jesus Jn. 16:14-15
28. Enables/Empowers the Believer Ac. 1:8
29. Baptizes the Believer into the Body 1 Cor. 12:13
This precious song brings tears to my eyes...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JN3ua3CgWWU&feature=related
My Grandmother Fields loves to tell me how she took me to my very first Gospel concert when I was less than 3 years old. The event was held in the National Guard Armory in Huntsville, Alabama...and the Speer Family were the guest singers for the evening. Mom and Dad Speer were still alive back then...
Even though I was much too young to remember this occasion, I have always had a great affinity for the Speers, their ministry and their music. This video shows "Dad" Speer, "Mom" Speer, Brock, and his youngest sibling, Ben Speer. The chorus of this great song still gladdens my heart:
"Standing by the river
Waiting for the boatman
Listening to the music on the other shore!
I can hear the angels
Singing out a welcome
With my friends and loved ones who have gone before!
I have a great inheritance in that glory land! So very many whom I have loved (but more importantly, loved me) are rejoicing in the presence of the Lord this very day...in a land where there is no night!
I have two grandparents there. I have a vast number of other "family"--people who loved and served the Lord--in that land.
Here I am..."standing by the river...listening to the music on the other shore."
Heaven is sounding sweeter all the time!
My Grandmother Fields loves to tell me how she took me to my very first Gospel concert when I was less than 3 years old. The event was held in the National Guard Armory in Huntsville, Alabama...and the Speer Family were the guest singers for the evening. Mom and Dad Speer were still alive back then...
Even though I was much too young to remember this occasion, I have always had a great affinity for the Speers, their ministry and their music. This video shows "Dad" Speer, "Mom" Speer, Brock, and his youngest sibling, Ben Speer. The chorus of this great song still gladdens my heart:
"Standing by the river
Waiting for the boatman
Listening to the music on the other shore!
I can hear the angels
Singing out a welcome
With my friends and loved ones who have gone before!
I have a great inheritance in that glory land! So very many whom I have loved (but more importantly, loved me) are rejoicing in the presence of the Lord this very day...in a land where there is no night!
I have two grandparents there. I have a vast number of other "family"--people who loved and served the Lord--in that land.
Here I am..."standing by the river...listening to the music on the other shore."
Heaven is sounding sweeter all the time!
No one could sing this song like....
the Virginia Boulevard Church of God in Huntsville, Alabama...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ILysMzTKVGA
Of course that congregation hasn't been the "Virginia Boulevard Church of God" for more than 33 years now...
If I'm not mistaken what became the Pulaski Pike Church of God (when Virginia Boulevard moved to a new location) is now Life Church International...or something to that effect.
This great congregation could sing, "Living in Canaan Now."
In the above clip, my friend Allison-Durham Speer and her colleagues do a marvelous rendition of this great song of hope and testimony.
Enjoy!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ILysMzTKVGA
Of course that congregation hasn't been the "Virginia Boulevard Church of God" for more than 33 years now...
If I'm not mistaken what became the Pulaski Pike Church of God (when Virginia Boulevard moved to a new location) is now Life Church International...or something to that effect.
This great congregation could sing, "Living in Canaan Now."
In the above clip, my friend Allison-Durham Speer and her colleagues do a marvelous rendition of this great song of hope and testimony.
Enjoy!
I first heard this when I was about 8 years old...
Both of my precious grandmothers loved music. My late Granny Hoover watched the "Gospel Singing Jubilee" every Sunday morning from 6:30 a.m. until 7:30 a.m. without fail. I remember hearing one of the featured groups sing this terrific song:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ev5tqgvYlEA&feature=PlayList&p=E1CDF6A4EF3E2751&index=25
"O Rock of Ages, Hide thou me!" Amen, Amen, and Amen!
And the Gaither Vocal Band (at least this assemblage of that great group) sings it so very well.
enjoy!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ev5tqgvYlEA&feature=PlayList&p=E1CDF6A4EF3E2751&index=25
"O Rock of Ages, Hide thou me!" Amen, Amen, and Amen!
And the Gaither Vocal Band (at least this assemblage of that great group) sings it so very well.
enjoy!
Life in the Penalty Box
My pastor, Dr Erwin W Lutzer (The Moody Church, Chicago), preached a powerful message two Sundays ago: "Life in the Penalty Box"--about the life of Moses...
It's a penetrating reminder of how life can really be...sometimes...
http://lightsource.com/ministry/running_to_win/20081228/
It's a penetrating reminder of how life can really be...sometimes...
http://lightsource.com/ministry/running_to_win/20081228/
One of the finest songs ever written...or sung
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vbE_xlmF38I&feature=related
The last verse always brings me to tears:
Could we with ink the ocean fill
Or were the skies of parchment made
Were every stalk on earth a quill
and every man, a scribe by trade.
To write the Love of God above
Would drain the oceans dry!
Nor could the scroll, contain the whole
Though stretched from sky to sky!
The last verse always brings me to tears:
Could we with ink the ocean fill
Or were the skies of parchment made
Were every stalk on earth a quill
and every man, a scribe by trade.
To write the Love of God above
Would drain the oceans dry!
Nor could the scroll, contain the whole
Though stretched from sky to sky!
One of those fun songs....
I can remember my Granny Hoover's little Southern Baptist Church singing this old song so very well...."Legacy Five" does a decent job of it...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wemrzJ15hYM
Shipps Baptist Church, (in Gurley, Alabama) had some of the best singing to be found anywhere...Most of those people didn't have more than a high school education, but they could sing like canaries....and it was always good.
"I'm Winging My Way Back Home" was one of my very favorites to hear these precious people sing....and boy, could they sing it!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wemrzJ15hYM
Shipps Baptist Church, (in Gurley, Alabama) had some of the best singing to be found anywhere...Most of those people didn't have more than a high school education, but they could sing like canaries....and it was always good.
"I'm Winging My Way Back Home" was one of my very favorites to hear these precious people sing....and boy, could they sing it!
"O the Glory Did Roll!"
One of G.T (Dad) Speer's signature song is linked here: O The Glory Did Roll!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MmLPxpCsqVA
"Dad" Speer knew how to write those wonderful songs of testimony and victory. He was a very simple music teacher from Double Springs, Alabama. He met a wonderful lady, who was also a music teacher, Lena Brock ("Mom" Speer), and they began a marvelous love story.
Four Children, and more than 80 years later, this family group sang their last concert.
I grew up singing all of Dad Speer's wonderful songs...this being one of them. This great "standard" gives us a vibrant, joyous record of the power of God's forgiveness, and the victory accomplished in our redemption.
How I would LOVE to hear my "country church" sing this song once again!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MmLPxpCsqVA
"Dad" Speer knew how to write those wonderful songs of testimony and victory. He was a very simple music teacher from Double Springs, Alabama. He met a wonderful lady, who was also a music teacher, Lena Brock ("Mom" Speer), and they began a marvelous love story.
Four Children, and more than 80 years later, this family group sang their last concert.
I grew up singing all of Dad Speer's wonderful songs...this being one of them. This great "standard" gives us a vibrant, joyous record of the power of God's forgiveness, and the victory accomplished in our redemption.
How I would LOVE to hear my "country church" sing this song once again!
"What a Lovely name.."
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FeldPXqXPF8&feature=related
One of the great songs from the past, "What a Lovely Name..."
The last verse brings tears to my eyes:
"He'll return in clouds of glory
Saints of every race shall behold His face!
With Him, enter Heaven's city
Ever to acclaim, "What a lovely name!"
What a lovely name, the name of Jesus!
Reaching higher far, than the brightest star!
Sweeter than the songs they sing in Heaven!
Let the world proclaim, "What a lovely name!"
_____________________
Yes, that name of Jesus still has power--because Jesus still has the power!
One of the great songs from the past, "What a Lovely Name..."
The last verse brings tears to my eyes:
"He'll return in clouds of glory
Saints of every race shall behold His face!
With Him, enter Heaven's city
Ever to acclaim, "What a lovely name!"
What a lovely name, the name of Jesus!
Reaching higher far, than the brightest star!
Sweeter than the songs they sing in Heaven!
Let the world proclaim, "What a lovely name!"
_____________________
Yes, that name of Jesus still has power--because Jesus still has the power!
Songs from the past....
I grew up in north Alabama (back in the "sticks") loving Southern Gospel music. I will be posting several links (over the next few days) of songs that still bless my soul, comfort my heart, and encourage my spirit. Here's one from the "original" Hinsons:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7cS31UVCAYk&feature=related
I'm thinking this was recorded about 1975--more than 33 years ago.
And the message of the song is still true: He will calm the troubled waters of your soul.
He really will. He has has calmed mine many, many times.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7cS31UVCAYk&feature=related
I'm thinking this was recorded about 1975--more than 33 years ago.
And the message of the song is still true: He will calm the troubled waters of your soul.
He really will. He has has calmed mine many, many times.
New Year's Resolutions for 2009
1) I want to read more...and better. ( I want to expand my "reading interests, instead of just reading history, politics, and theological stuff. I want to learn about things of which I know nothing--and that will be a lot of reading...
2) I want to exercise my physical body more: I was doing very good for a while...and then...well, let's just say that I plan to exercise more...
3) I want to speak less, and hear more...two ears, one mouth...maybe God designed it that way for a specific reason.
4) I want to honor God with my finances, my time, and my talents....
2) I want to exercise my physical body more: I was doing very good for a while...and then...well, let's just say that I plan to exercise more...
3) I want to speak less, and hear more...two ears, one mouth...maybe God designed it that way for a specific reason.
4) I want to honor God with my finances, my time, and my talents....
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