A lion met a tiger

A Favorite Poem of Mr. R.G. LeToureau

A lion met a tiger
As they drew beside a pool
Said the tiger, “Tell me why
You’re roaring like a fool.”

“That’s not foolish”, said the lion
With a twinkle in his eyes.
“They call me king of all beast
Because I advertise.”

A rabbit heard them talking
And ran home like a streak
He Thought he’d try the lion’s plan
But his roar was just a squeak.

A fox came to investigate -
Had luncheon in the woods,
So when you advertise, my friend,
Be sure you’ve go the goods.

Three Nice Rainbow Trout - Ice Fishing

With Leah and Jesse visiting up from Texas, Jesse our son in law wanted to try his hand at 'ice fishing'. Twas a great day for ice fishing as well, thanks to Bro. Andrew Baduria of Quesnel. We caught some nice trout on Dragon Lake.

Bro. Baduria and Jesse with Jesse's first catch of Rainbow trout.

We are allowed one fish per day, so with the three of us we caught our limit.


I must tell you, that there was the one which got away. His head was to big to fit thru the eight inch hole.

VOICES AT CHRISTMAS

I planned a lavish modern home
Where wealthy friends could call,
But then I heard an orphan say,
“I have no home at all.”


I planned to buy a bedroom suite
So exquisite with charm
But then I heard a mother pray,
“Lord, keep my baby warm.”


I wanted then a freezer
To store my fancy food,
For mine was now old-fashioned
and not the kind that stood.


Just then across the ocean
Came this bitter, plaintive cry:
“But I don’t have a bite of food…
Please help me or I die.”



I bought a car for Christmas
It was for my loved ones dear,
But then I heard an orphan cry,
“I have no loved ones here.”


I spent a lot of money
for friends at Christmastime,
But when it came to missions,
I didn’t give a dime.


When Christmas was all over,
I reckoned what I’d spent.
It was so vast and large a sum
I could not but repent.


For it just seemed I heard that morn
A far-off mother say,
“How long ago was Jesus born
To take our sins away?”


Her words began to haunt my heart
For it had grown so cold
My children had the gospel light
But hers were still untold.


I vowed that day that I would give
And work with all my might
to win a lost and dying world
From sin and heathen night.

copied

HOW TO BE BUSY WITHOUT GOING CRAZY!!!!

Almost everybody agrees that one must be busy to be healthy and happy. But many Christians become frustrated and frantic because they are too busy. I don’t know how many times people have said, “I have so much to do I don’t know where to begin, The pressure is driving me crazy!” The answer is sometimes found in cutting back on responsibilities, but this isn’t always possible. Nor is it always necessary. Many people would accomplish more, with less strain, if they would make some mental and spiritual adjustments.


1. TAKE TIME FOR GOD -- Take time for private devotions. If it means getting up 15 minutes earlier in the morning, do it. As a Christian, you belong to the Lord, and so does your day. So commit yourself and your time to Him.


2. DETERMINE YOUR PRIORITIES -- Sit down and take a look at what you have to do. Ask yourself, “What should come first?” You’ll be more efficient then your ever imagined.


3. PLAN AND TRUST -- Set up a schedule for tackling work duties and consciously trust God’s provision. It will be wise to look well ahead, to set up a timetable, and to work systematically. Don’t worry about tomorrow’s demands. Concentrate upon what you must do today, and leave the future in God’s hands. As you trust Him and as He enables you to fulfill today’s responsibilities, you will gain assurance that He will also be with you tomorrow, next week, next month, and next year. A combination of planning and trust will produce amazing results.


4. DO LITTLE THINGS IMMEDIATELY -- Get right at those small details that need attention - like making an appointment with the doctor, sending someone a card, or dropping clothes off at the cleaners. If you don’t , you’ll have an uneasiness lurking just above your subconscious, and this will tend to sap your energy. When you get the little things behind you, you’ll work better and more efficiently.

The trouble with most of us is not that we have too much to do, but that we aren’t going about our duties the right way, once we put God first, establish a good set of priorities, pan and trust, and quit procrastinating, we’ll begin to get more done. And we won’t drive ourselves or our loved ones crazy in the process!

copied

Christmas on a F.O.B. in Afghanistan

Andy's present from mom and me, I wasn't sure it would make it by Christmas, but Regena believed it would and it did.


Andy had already eaten the moose jerky and Smarties.


We enjoyed the look on Andy's face as he opened his gift.


Merry Christmas Andy and to all our men and women who are fighting the war against terrorism. Thanks.

Support the troops and wear RED on Fridays.

White Lies

Is it ever ok to tell a lie, how about a little white lie?

Santa lives at the north pole.

Yes, your hair looks great.

What about the lies told in the Bible? King David, Rahab, old prophet to young prophet etc...

Is it ok to tell a lie.

NEVER AGAIN!!!

NEVER AGAIN WILL I say “I can’t” for I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me. Phil 4:13


NEVER AGAIN WILL I Admit I Lack, for But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus. Phil 4:19

NEVER AGAIN WILL I Fear, for For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind. 2 Tim. 1:7

NEVER AGAIN WILL I Harbour Doubt And Lack of Faith, for The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? the LORD is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid? Psa. 27:1

NEVER AGAIN WILL I Allow Supremacy Of Satan Over My Life, for Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world. I John 4:4

NEVER AGAIN WILL I Admit Defeat, for God …which always causeth us to triumph in Christ, and maketh manifest the savour of his knowledge by us in every place. 2 Cor. 2:14

NEVER AGAIN WILL I Lack Wisdom, for, If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him. James 1:5

NEVER AGAIN WILL I Be Worried and Frustrated, Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you. 1 Peter 5:7

NEVER AGAIN WILL I Be In Bondage, for Now the Lord is that Spirit: and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. 2 Cor. 3:17

NEVER AGAIN WILL I Feel Condemned, for There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. Rom. 8:1

Author Unknown

Survey: 15 percent of teens get sexual text messages

By John D. Sutter, CNN

December 15, 2009 12:27 p.m. EST

A new survey finds that about 15 percent of teens have sent or received nude or nearly nude photos via text messages.

(CNN) -- Nearly one-sixth of teens who own cell phones have received nude or nearly nude images via text message from someone they know, according to a new survey on "sexting" from the Pew Internet & American Life Project.

The national telephone survey confirms parent and teacher worries that young people are using cell phones to send out and receive sexually explicit images of themselves and of romantic partners.

The 800-person survey, released Tuesday by the nonprofit research group, found 15 percent of cell-phone-owning teens ages 12 to 17 had received nude or nearly nude photos by phone. Four percent of the teens said they had sent out sexually explicit photos or videos of themselves.

Older teens were more likely to send sexual images through text messages than younger teens. Four percent of 12-year-olds reported sending sexually suggestive images by text message, while 8 percent of 17-year-olds reported texting nude or partially nude photos.

The Pew survey suggests teens who pay their own cell phone bills and who have unlimited text messaging plans are more likely to engage in sexting than those who use phones owned by their parents or have restrictions placed on how frequently they can text.

However, teens whose parents searched through their cell phones were no more or less likely to send and receive sexually explicit text messages than those whose phones were kept private, the report says.

Boys and girls surveyed were equally likely to say they engage in sexting.

The survey results were paired with focus-group interviews of 74 teens in three cities to create Tuesday's report, titled "Teens and Sexting." The report is not the first to try to quantify teenage sexting, a practice that is still so new and little understood that it's difficult to say if it is on the rise or decline among teens.

Teenage sexting usually is done as part of a relationship or would-be relationship between teens, the Pew focus groups found.

Some teens send sexts only to people with whom they are in a relationship; but those messages often are forwarded to people outside the relationship, especially after a breakup, according to the interviews.

"It doesn't take that many people creating these images for a lot of people to see them," said Amanda Lenhart, a senior research specialist at the Pew Internet & American Life Project and author of the sexting report.

Lenhart said the focus groups highlighted the fact that teens look at sexting in a range of ways. Some teens interviewed by Pew said sexting was no cause for concern.

"I only do it [sexting] with my girlfriend b/c we have already been sexually active with each other. It's not really a big deal," one high school boy wrote in a Pew focus group.

Others said sexting is part of teenage culture -- partly because it can be more convenient or less intimidating than traditional dating.

"Most people are too shy to have sex," another high school boy told Pew. "Sexting is not as bad."

Still others quoted in the report acknowledge the dangers of sexting -- including the fact that recipients of naked pictures can easily forward them to friends or post them on the Internet to fuel a grudge.

"This girl sent pictures to her boyfriend. Then they broke up and he sent them to his friend, who sent them to like everyone in my school. ... It ruined high school for her," one older high school boy wrote in the survey.

Bill Albert, spokesman for the National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy, said it's that fine line between private and public that's least understood, but should be of the most concern for teens and their parents.

"Things go from private to global in a nanosecond in this world," he said.

Albert's group published a survey in 2008 that found 20 percent of teens age 13 to 19 said they had texted or posted online sexy photos or videos of themselves.

The number of kids who are sexting should concern parents enough to make them talk to their kids about the dangers of sexting, but should not cause them to panic, he said. Any behavior, including sexting, that contributes to a culture of casual sexual encounters should be of concern to parents, he said.

He urged parents not to blame cell phones for the trend.

"To me, blaming the technology is like blaming an automobile for drunk driving," he said. "It is not the product, it is not the technology that is the problem. It is the judgment of the people using the technology."

The prevalence of sexting coincides with greater cell phone use among teens in general. In a 2004 Pew Internet survey, 18 percent of 12-year-olds said they owned a cell phone; in a 2009 follow-up, 58 percent of kids age 12 reported having their own mobile device.

The Pew report on sexting also underscores the complicated legal climate surrounding teenage sexting.

Teens in some states, like Florida and Pennsylvania, have been prosecuted or threatened with prosecution on child pornography laws because they sent out nude images through text messages, the Pew report says. Ohio is considering legislation to criminalize sexting between minors; Vermont and Utah have downgraded penalties for first-time sexters, the report says.

Parents should concentrate on making their kids aware of the potential legal and emotional ramifications of sexting, Albert said.

Avery Murphy, an 18-year-old member of the National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy's youth leadership group, said the increasing popularity of phones with cameras seems to be behind the sexting trend as much as anything.

She suggested parents talk to their teens about appropriate cell phone use when their kids first get cell phones. But don't overdo it, she said, because teens generally understand the dangers of sexting.

"Parents think it's happening more than it actually is," she said. "It's not seen as very normal by teenagers."

THE FISHER OF MEN

In the still of the darkness while others sleep,
again the old man his vigil does keep.

While moonlit clouds drift in the breeze,
the fisher yet toils by the sands of the seas.

His prey is not meat, his catch has no fin.
He labours for souls, this a fisher of men.

He sharpens his tools, studies his net again,
and looks to the sea, the souls of all men.

He ponders the storm, the raging of sin,
and thinks on the sea, the souls of all men.

He prays through the midnight and at dawn
begins casting on the sea for the souls of all men.

Though bitter cold cut or scorching heat singe,
he stays on the sea for the souls of all men.

He’s moved by a flame, a pure burning coal,
it’s fire in his bones and food for his soul.

No glory or honour or praise does he ask,
Only strength for the day and souls for his task.

As night time falls, a burdened tear descend,
for his love is the sea, the souls of all men.

One day when the sea still groans and calls,
behind the old man a tiny shadow falls.

With bright eyes twinkling and toes in the sand,
he sees Daddy work and watches his hand!

He sees no meat nor spiney fin,
only souls and fisher of men.

He touches the tools tugs the net again,
and looks at the sea, the souls of all men.

He weeps through the night, then at dawn
begins his life on the sea, the souls of all men.

His cold heart cut, he bleeds deep within:
he yearns for the sea, the souls of all men.

He’s moved by a flame, a pure burning coal,
it’s fire in his bones and food for his soul.

No glory or honour or praise does he chase,
only strength for the day to take Father’s place.

As night time falls, an old fisher ascends
no more to fish the sea, the souls of all men.

Now in the darkness while others sleep,
a young fisher of men the vigil does keep.


Gregory V. Trull

Are Christian Fundamentalists The Main Enemy?

I got this article from Call for Discernment

This is a news article about a report by US Army Major Brian L. Stuckert on the role of fundamental Christians in America and how pre-millennial eschatology affects US foreign policy. Major Stuckert believes fundamental Christians have been responsible for many of the world's ills and are a barrier to world peace and the New World Order whose symbol he admits is on our national seal. Stuckert believes "a clear differentiation between good, evil, right, and wrong do not always serve us well in foreign relations or security policy".

Though he does not come out and say it the message is clear that literal Bible believing Christians are the enemy of world peace and will have to be dealt with at some future date. Is this one Army man's view or does his view represent general military views?

Stuckert's views echo those of Rick Warren who sees Christian fundamentalism as one of the big enemies of the 21st century. Stuckert and Warren both believe Christian fundamentalism is motivated by fear but they could not be more wrong. It is motivated by the greatest of hope, actually assurance, for true believers. The full report can be downloaded from the article link.

Details
http://johnmcternansinsights.blogspot.com/2009/12/emergency-us-army-view-of.html

ARE YOU A MATURE BELIEVER?

MATURITY - is the ability to control anger and settle differences without violence or destruction.


MATURITY - is patience, the willingness to pass up immediate pleasures in favour of the long term gain.


MATURITY - is perseverance, the ability to sweat out a project or a situation in spite of opposition or discouraging setbacks.


MATURITY - is unselfishness responding to the needs of others, often at the expense of one’s own desires and wishes.


MATURITY - is the capacity of face unpleasantness and frustration, discomfort and defeat without complaint or collapse.


MATURITY - is humility. It is being big enough to say I was wrong. And when right, the mature person need not say I told you so.


MATURITY - is the ability to make a decision and stand by it. The immature spend their lives exploring endless possibilities, then do nothing.


MATURITY - means dependability, keeping one’s word, coming through in the crisis. The immature are masters of the alibi, confused and disorganized. Their lives are a maze of broken promises, former friends, unfinished business and good intentions which never materialize.


MATURITY - is the art of living in peace with that which we cannot change.


copied

Where is this stuff headed???

Crucifixion ruled too violent for Christmas

Posted: December 15, 2009, 7:37 PM by Daniel Kaszor

By Steph Davidson

An eight-year-old Massachusetts boy was suspended from school and ordered to undergo a psychological evaluation after drawing a figure of Jesus Christ nailed to the cross.

The second-grader drew the crucifix after his teacher asked children to sketch something they associated with Christmas. But the boy’s father said he then got a call from the elementary school informing him that his son had created a violent drawing.

“When she told me he needed to be psychologically evaluated, I thought she was playing,” the boy’s father told the Taunton Daily Gazette.

The drawing in question shows Jesus on a cross with Xs in place of his eyes to symbolize death.

The man, who asked for his name not to be published to protect the child, said his son gets specialized reading and speech instruction at school, and has never shown any tendency toward violence.

“He’s never been suspended. He’s eight years old. They overreacted,” he said.

The child drew the picture shortly after taking a family trip to see the Christmas display at the National Shrine of Our Lady of La Salette, a Christian retreat site in Attleboro, Mass.

Toni Saunders, a non-profit educational consultant, said the boy’s father reached out to her for help after trying to have his son moved to another school because “he’s traumatized by everything that has happened.”

“I’ve had kids suspended for idiotic things before, but I’ve never had to deal with anything like this,” said Ms. Saunders.

Ms. Saunders said the boy was kicked out of Lowell L. Maxham School on Dec. 2 and not allowed back until Dec. 7, after he received a psychiatric evaluation. The evaluation found nothing to indicate that he posed a threat to himself or others.

“I didn’t understand why this was so important to them, why it violated the school code of violence in their handbook. It just didn’t make sense,” she said. “It was just the drawing, and I don’t know how that turned into violence.”

The school’s zero-tolerance for violence policy and a general lack of common sense are to to blame, Ms. Saunders said.

“It’s time that we shine a light on what we’re doing to our own children, and stop it, because our children’s imagination is being assaulted. It’s not right. I can’t imagine that this would’ve happened 20 years ago. It wouldn’t have. People would’ve patted him on the back and said, ‘Isn’t that wonderful.’”

Angela Smithson’s son Cullen was suspended from his Taunton school in June 2008 for drawing what his teacher considered to be a violent image. The teacher filed a criminal complaint against the 10-year-old boy over the picture, which shows him, a gun and a figure labelled as the teacher with a bullet wound. The district attorney’s office chose not to pursue the charges.

Ms. Smithson said it was horrible that no one tried to speak with the eight-year-old child and his father before they suspended him. She experienced the same problem when the teacher refused to speak with her regarding Cullen’s drawing.

“I have no idea why they would think that that’s a violent drawing. Even if I didn’t know what it was, and you know, I took a look at it, you can tell it’s Jesus on a crucifix ... there’s nothing wrong with that picture. Nothing should have happened. I really feel bad for this family,” Ms. Smithson said.
Phone calls to the school principal and superintendent were not returned.

National Post

New Taxes from Copenhagen - Merry Christmas

FED: Copenhagen Grifters Plan $3,000 Con

Would you be upset if you knew your government was about to get duped in a con that would cost your family at least $3,000 a year in new taxes? That is exactly what is happening in Copenhagen right now.

VIEW THE WHOLE STORY »

WHAT I COULD DO, IF I WANTED TO!

If I wanted to, I could help make this church the most wade-awake and working church is all the world.

If I wanted to, I could visit members who are sick and possibly find other ways of helping them.

If I wanted to, I could attend Sunday School regularly and encourage others to do the same.

If I wanted to, I could show more devotion in worship services and receive much more good from them myself.

If I wanted to, I could profit much more from the sermons by not resenting the truth when it reveals some of my weaknesses and sin.

If I wanted to, I could use my efforts to help promote the greatest possible harmony in my church.

If I wanted to, I could tell others about Jesus Christ and His church and lead many of them to salvation - at least my actions could always speak for Christ.

If I wanted to, I could give back to the Lord each Lord’s day as I have prospered there by helping to spread the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Of course this all depends on what I want to do about it. I have the ability to be an honourable servant of God, but the question is, “What do I really want to do?”

copy

Parenting our Children Dec 16 09

I found small scrape of paper with these words, not sure where I got it.
No date or name on it.


1. Make a decision to HIGHLY value our children.

2. TOUCH our children - physically - emotionally - spiritually.

3. SPEAK words of affection to our children.

4. LEARN to be a student of our children.

5. Make a COMMITMENT to our children.

IF IT WERE YOU

If your were lost in darkness and night,
With no one to show you the way,
Would you want someone to bring you a light?
And wouldn’t you want it today?

If no one had told you of Jesus at all,
His love His compassion, His death,
Oh, wouldn’t you want the message to come
Before you had drawn your last breath?

If, sinking in evil traditions, you were
Bound by what you believed,
Helpless and hopeless, oh, wouldn’t you want
A chance at least to be freed?

Would you want them to wait while they built new homes,
And paid for a ‘still better’ car,
Or while making the home base an elegant place,
Before sending the message afar?

Would you want them to table the plans that were made,
To expand on missions this year,
Because of conditions around the world,
And the days of uncertainty here?

Would you want them to wait with the message of hope,
While you were dying and lost?
Oh, I know that your answer would ring through the gloom,
“Please, sent it at any cost!”

So, let’s sent it out to the millions in need,
The light that will show them the way,
For if it were you in the darkness and night ,
You’d want it! You’d want it today!


A.H. Mortension
from Western Messager April '90

I TOOK THE BLUNT APPROACH

From Pastor David Harness
Sherwood Park, AB

Pastor’s Pen

I TOOK THE BLUNT APPROACH

When I accepted the pastorate of a mid-western church I checked the past year's attendance. Sunday school had averaged 181; Sunday morning service, 153; Sunday evening, 79; Wednesday fellowship hour, 23.

This last figure shocked me. How could a church prosper with this sort of indiffer­ence existing?

My Sunday pulpit exhortations about the importance of midweek prayer meeting had a little effect, but it wasn't enough. Finally the Lord led me to ask each of the people face to face, "Why don't you attend the Wednesday fellowship hour?"

Within two weeks I visited every home. I soon found that the excuses fell into various categories.

Many times in my former church I had accepted and condoned indifference. Now, with heartfelt Christian love I challenged the people.

What happened? Did people get angry? Did people respond?

I'd like to tell you about how I answered these excuses.

"Why don't you come to Wednesday fel­lowship hour?" I asked a woman.

"I couldn't keep my children out that late."

"Our prayer meeting ends at eight-thirty. Aren't there many occasions when your children stay up past eight-thirty to watch a TV program?"

"Yes," she admitted, and later she con­fessed it was almost every night.

"Certainly what they see on television can't be compared in value to an

hour of Bible study and prayer, can it?" I said.

Another mother threw up her hands. "I have five children. Think of the time it would take to get them ready."

I dared challenge this woman with some­thing I had heard from someone else. "Sup­pose all your children were taken by death, would you be more interested? Surely you don't want to use your children as an ex­cuse for not serving the Lord as fully as possible. "You do get your children ready for school five days a week, don't you? " I went on. "Aren't you willing to make the effort to ready them for Bible study?"

One man, exposing obvious hostility, told me, "Pastor, I'm a busy man. When I come home from work I'm tired." I pointed to a bowling ball near a book­case. "What night do you bowl?"

His face brightened. "Mondays."

"And you're not tired on Mondays?" I asked. "Surely you don't believe bowling is more important than Bible study and prayer!"

Another man responded, "I'm very faith­ful on Sunday morning, and I've always felt that was sufficient."

"Then you think we should close our Sunday evening and our Wednesday eve­ning services?"

"I wouldn't say that."

But, don't you see," I countered, "when you aren't there you vote to close them."

A high school student said, "Aw Pastor, you don't understand. They load you with homework. I couldn't take time off."

"How are your marks?"

"Not too good," he admitted.

"It seems to me you could stand a little prayer," I kidded. "I've never heard of a person failing because he gave God an hour in the middle of the week. You come for three months. If your grades drop, stop coming and I'll buy you the biggest steak dinner in town." He came. I never had to buy the steak dinner. And he's still coming.

A great number of people whom I ques­tioned said prayer meetings were boring. "But you do a lot of boring things," I reminded. "Housework is often boring. Schoolwork is often boring. Secular work is often boring." And I emphasized, "Wednes­day fellowship hour at our church is not boring. You haven't given it a trial."

What were the results?

Some never did respond, but most of them did. Here is the actual record. Within two weeks we hit the 75 mark. A week later we had 101. The following week we hit 126, the week after that 146.

A number of years have passed. I still ap­proach people the same way. And midweek prayer service attendance now runs in the 200s and 300s regularly at our church. And more important than attendance records is the fact that the people have found Wednes­day fellowship hour an inspiration, a source of spiritual strength for the rigors of daily life in a sin-riddled world, and a means of bolstering the ministry of the whole church and Sunday school through united praying that has obtained results in soul winning and in transformed lives.

One busy father recently told me, "I never miss a mid-week service — for several reasons. One, the pastor knows that only interested Christians attend, so he teaches deeper Bible truths on Wednesday nights and I love it. Then too, we have six children and my wife is up to her ears in work every waking minute of the day. She loves to get out of the house on Wednesday nights to have fellowship with other Christians. And our children love to come, for there is a department especially for them, and what they get on Wednesday nights helps off set the hideous stuff the world feeds them."

A housewife admitted, "I never came to prayer meeting until I was challenged, but since my husband and I have attended we've seen our son and our daughter take up Bible study in earnest. Both are dedicated to full-time Christian service. My husband and I are closer to the Lord than we've ever been before. Need I say more?"

A teenager said, "As a senior in high school I have to work for my marks. I get so tired of plugging, plugging, and plugging all the time, and for what? To beat out a competi­tive world to make a living. What a relief to chuck my books on Wednesday nights to join a flock of other kids for Bible study and to share prayer requests. And there's something else. Since I've been going to prayer meeting my marks have gone up. It pays."

Do you attend your church's midweek meeting? Your pastor has a right to chal­lenge your excuses for absence from mid­week prayer services. Please don't force him to do it. Instead take the challenge directly from your own Bible. "Let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works, not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but ex­horting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching." (Heb. 10:24-25)

~Author unknown

Thank God For Freedom

The Old Man...

As I came out of the supermarket that sunny day, pushing my cart of groceries towards my car, I saw an old man with the hood of his car up and a lady sitting inside the car, with the door open.

The old man was looking at the engine. I put my groceries away in my car and continued to watch the old gentleman from about 25 feet away.

I saw a young man in his early twenties with a grocery bag in his arm, walking towards the old man. The old gentleman saw him coming too, and took a few steps towards him. I saw the old gentleman point to his open hood and say something.

The young man put his grocery bag into what looked like a brand new Cadillac Escalade and then turn back to the old man and I heard him yell at the old gentleman saying, 'You shouldn't even be allowed to drive a car at your age.' And then with a wave of his hand, he got in his car and peeled rubber out of the parking lot.

I saw the old gentleman pull out his handkerchief and mop his brow as he went back to his car and again looked at the engine. He then went to his wife and spoke with her and appeared to tell her it would be okay. I had seen enough and I approached the old man. He saw me coming and stood straight and as I got near him I said, 'Looks like you're having a problem.'

He smiled sheepishly and quietly nodded his head. I looked under the hood myself and knew that whatever the problem was, it was beyond me. Looking around I saw a gas station up the road and told the old man that I would be right back. I drove to the station and went inside and saw three attendants working on cars. I approached one of them and related the problem the old man had with his car and offered to pay them if they could follow me back down and help him.

The old man had pushed the heavy car under the shade of a tree and appeared to be comforting his wife. When he saw us, he straightened up and thanked me for my help. As the mechanics diagnosed the problem (overheated engine) I spoke with the old gentleman.

When I shook hands with him earlier, he had noticed my Marine Corps ring and had commented about it, telling me that he had been a Marine too. I nodded and asked the usual question, 'What outfit did you serve with?' He had mentioned that he served with the first Marine Division at Tarawa, Saipan, Iwo Jima and Guadalcanal. He had hit all the big ones and retired from the Corps after the war was over. As we talked we heard the car engine come on and saw the mechanics lower the hood... They came over to us as the old man reached for his wallet, but was stopped by me and I told him I would just put the bill on my AAA card.

He still reached for the wallet and handed me a card that I assumed had his name and address on it and I stuck it in my pocket.. We all shook hands all around again and I said my goodbye's to his wife. I then told the two mechanics that I would follow them back up to the station. Once at the station I told them that they had interrupted their own jobs to come along with me and help the old man. I said I wanted to pay for the help, but they refused to charge me.

One of them pulled out a card from his pocket looking exactly like the card the old man had given to me. Both of the men told me then, that they were Marine Corps Reserves. Once again we shook hands all around and as I was leaving, one of them told me I should look at the card the old man had given to me. I said I would and drove off.

For some reason I had gone about two blocks when I pulled over and took the card out of my pocket and looked at it for a long, long time. The name of the old gentleman was on the card in golden leaf and under his name....... 'Congressional Medal of Honor Society.'

I sat there motionless looking at the card and reading it over and over.

I looked up from the card and smiled to no one but myself and marveled that on this day, four Marines had all come together, because one of us needed help. He was an old man all right, but it felt good to have stood next to greatness and courage and an honor to have been in his presence.

Remember, OLD men like him gave you FREEDOM for America . Thanks to those who served and those who supported them.

America is not at war.

The U.S. Military is at war.

America is at the Mall.

If you don't stand behind our troops, PLEASE feel free to stand in front of them!

Remember, Freedom isn't "Free" -- thousands have paid the price so you can enjoy what you have today!

PLEASE LET'S ALL DO THIS -- JUST 19 WORDS

DEAR GOD OUR FATHER,

WALK THROUGH MY HOUSE AND TAKE AWAY ALL MY WORRIES AND ILLNESSES; AND PLEASE WATCH OVER AND HEAL MY FAMILY AND OUR FRIENDS AND THE MEN AND WOMEN WHO HAVE FOUGHT AND ARE FIGHTING FOR OUR FREEDOM.

IN JESUS ' NAME. AMEN

author UNKNOWN to me, jeff

Why the Baptist Preacher’s Baby was not Sprinkled!

J. B. Jeter’s third wife was a Presbyterian. A baby was born in that home. His wife said something about like this: "Mr. Jeter, you knew I was a Presbyterian, when you married me. As an honest Presbyterian I believe that our baby ought to be baptized." He consented on condition that she would consent to his holding the baby while the ceremony was performed. She thought it would be a feather in her cap to have the most prominent Baptist preacher in Virginia and one of the best known Baptist editors in the South to hold their baby, while a Presbyterian preacher baptized it.

So she consented. J. B. Jeter announced in his church in Richmond, that he would be out of his pulpit to be present at the Presbyterian church and why. That church was jammed and packed. The scholarly and dignified Presbyterian preacher preached and then announced that those who had babies to be baptized would please bring them forward. Bro. Jeter and his wife arose and he took the baby in his arms and they walked to the front. He was careful to get at the end where they were to begin.

Quite a number of other parents had children present for that purpose. Just as the honored pastor of that Presbyterian church raised his hand to say the baptismal formula and baptize Bro. Jeter’s baby, Bro. Jeter said something like this: "My brother, you and I have been good friends for many years. My wife has been a member of your church for years and I have never tried to proselyte her to my faith. But as a Baptist I believe that we ought to be able to give a thus saith the Lord for all that we do. This is my baby as well as my wife’s. Before you sprinkle my child, I want you to take your Bible and read out of the Book your authority for what you are about to do."

The scholarly, old-school Presbyterian preacher slowly raised his hand and pronounced the benediction. Mrs. Jeter soon became a Baptist. She said that her pastor was one of the most scholarly Presbyterian preachers in all the South. If he could not find infant baptism in the Bible, then it must not be there. If infant baptism was not in the Bible, she had never been baptized, for infant baptism was all she had ever had.

With an open Bible she soon was led to the truth and obeyed her Lord in baptism. The Bible was written to make Baptists and it will do the work in every regenerate heart if they will only read it and obey it.

What Alabama & Switzerland have in common- Family guns

PREACH A SERMON, PREACHER

Preach a sermon, Preacher, but don't preach very long;
Just tell a heart-warming story, but don't condemn the wrong.
Say not a thing about specific problems,
Because that's something we don't want to know.
We're just here to feel real good, so don't mess up the show


Preach a sermon, Preacher, but don't preach doctrine plain.
Let others guess at what is meant; don't ever call a name.
We'll sing your praises loud and long, and keep you many a day,
But preach it clear and you will hear, "Brother, be on your way."


Preach a sermon, Preacher, but say nothing of our duty,
Tell us all about God's grace, and picture Heaven's beauty.
Leave out things that we must do, we're busy making money;
Keep it short and off the point, and make it sweet as honey.


Preach a sermon, Preacher, but say nothing of our sins;
Don't speak of hell, repentance, or other stuff that offends.
Tell us about how Jesus loves each and everyone,
And how He'll forgive us, no matter how our lives are run.


Preach a sermon, Preacher, but make sure we're entertained.
With the right technique, there's sure to be new converts to be gained.
Tell us about church youth programs and our gospel band,
With these we're sure to win more souls, and give our Lord a hand.


Preach a sermon, Preacher, and speak of the day we die,
Tell all the folks about our home beyond the starry sky.
Preach a sermon, Preacher, make it strong, preach us straight to Heaven,
Tell us that since we have church membership, we get eternal living.


At the end of the message "Playing Church" by
Dr. W.R. Crews

A CHURCH WILL CALL YOUR PASTOR…

Many churches need Him if he …


1. Preachers the Word of God in boldness and in love…


2. Loves and wins the lost to Christ…


3. Faithful in performing his pastoral duties, visit’s the sick, marries the living, buries the dead, councils the confused and etc…


4. Teaches tithing and giving as a Christian scriptural duty …


5. Urges the church members to be present at all the services including visitation …


6. Lives an upright life, morally and spiritually …


7. Keeps his family under qualified control as it relates to his scriptural duties …


8. Who is missionary, evangelistic and called upon for revivals, conferences in other churches …


9. If he is never satisfied without progress …


10. If he never complains about his work and never quits.


If your pastor passes the foregoing 10 points, then love him, pray for him, and support him as a member should. Because other churches are looking for a pastor with his calibre and will take him off your hands.

Enjoy

Kids Are Quick
____________________________________

TEACHER: Maria, go to the map and find North America .
MARIA: Here it is.
TEACHER: Correct. Now class, who discovered America ?
CLASS: Maria.
____________________________________

TEACHER: John, why are you doing your math multiplication on the floor?
JOHN: You told me to do it without using tables.
__________________________________________

TEACHER: Glenn, how do you spell 'crocodile?'
GLENN: K-R-O-K-O-D-I-A-L'
TEACHER: No, that's wrong
GLENN: Maybe it is wrong, but you asked me how I spell it.
(I Love this kid)
____________________________________________

TEACHER: Donald, what is the chemical formula for water?
DONALD: H I J K L M N O.
TEACHER: What are you talking about?
DONALD: Yesterday you said it's H to O.
__________________________________

TEACHER: Winnie, name one important thing we have today that we didn't have ten years ago.
WINNIE: Me!
__________________________________________

TEACHER: Glen, why do you always get so dirty?
GLEN: Well, I'm a lot closer to the ground than you are.
_______________________________________

TEACHER: Millie, give me a sentence starting with ' I. '
MILLIE: I is..
TEACHER: No, Millie..... Always say, 'I am.'
MILLIE: All right... 'I am the ninth letter of the alphabet.'
________________________________

TEACHER: George Washington not only chopped down his father's cherry tree, but also admitted it. Now, Louie, do you know why his father didn't punish him?
LOUIS: Because George still had the axe in his hand.
______________________________________

TEACHER: Now, Simon, tell me frankly, do you say prayers before eating?
SIMON: No sir, I don't have to, my Mom is a good cook.
______________________________

TEACHER: Clyde , your composition on 'My Dog' is exactly the same as your brother's. Did you copy his?
CLYDE : No, sir. It's the same dog.
___________________________________

TEACHER: Harold, what do you call a person who keeps on talking when people are no longer interested?
HAROLD: A teacher

Men, here is some important information - TAKE NOTE

With Christmas just twenty days away.






BTW, I have spent my time in the doghouse.

Silent Monks Singing Halleluia

A Different Christmas Poem - Support our Troops

The embers glowed softly, and in their dim light,
I gazed round the room and I cherished the sight.
My wife was asleep, her head on my chest,
My daughter beside me, angelic in rest.
Outside the snow fell, a blanket of white,
Transforming the yard to a winter delight.



The sparkling lights in the tree I believe,
Completed the magic that was Christmas Eve.
My eyelids were heavy, my breathing was deep,
Secure and surrounded by love I would sleep.
In perfect contentment, or so it would seem,
So I slumbered, perhaps I started to dream.



The sound wasn't loud, and it wasn't too near,
But I opened my eyes when it tickled my ear.
Perhaps just a cough, I didn't quite know, Then the
sure sound of footsteps outside in the snow.
My soul gave a tremble, I struggled to hear,
And I crept to the door just to see who was near.



Standing out in the cold and the dark of the night,
A lone figure stood, his face weary and tight.
A soldier, I puzzled, some twenty years old,
Perhaps a Marine, huddled here in the cold.
Alone in the dark, he looked up and smiled,
Standing watch over me, and my wife and my child.




"What are you doing?" I asked without fear,
"Come in this moment, it's freezing out here!
Put down your pack, brush the snow from your sleeve,
You should be at home on a cold Christmas Eve!"
For barely a moment I saw his eyes shift,
Away from the cold and the snow blown in drifts…




To the window that danced with a warm fire's light
Then he sighed and he said, "Its really all right,
I'm out here by choice. I'm here every night.
"It's my duty to stand at the front of the line,
That separates you from the darkest of times.




No one had to ask or beg or implore me,
I'm proud to stand here like my father’s before me.
My Gramps died at ' Pearl on a day in December,"
Then he sighed, "That's a Christmas 'Gram always remembers."
My dad stood his watch in the jungles of ' Nam ',
And now it is my turn and so, here I am.



I've not seen my own son in more than a while,
But my wife sends me pictures, he's sure got her smile.”
Then he bent and he carefully pulled from his bag,
The red, white, and blue... an American flag.
“I can live through the cold and the being alone,
Away from my family, my house and my home.



I can stand at my post through the rain and the sleet,
I can sleep in a foxhole with little to eat.
I can carry the weight of killing another,
Or lay down my life with my sister and brother..
Who stand at the front against any and all,
To ensure for all time that this flag will not fall."




"So go back inside," he said, "harbor no fright,
Your family is waiting and I'll be all right."
"But isn't there something I can do, at the least,
"Give you money," I asked, "or prepare you a feast?
It seems all too little for all that you've done,
For being away from your wife and your son."




Then his eye welled a tear that held no regret,
"Just tell us you love us, and never forget.
To fight for our rights back at home while we're gone,
To stand your own watch, no matter how long.
For when we come home, either standing or dead,
To know you remember we fought and we bled.
Is payment enough, and with that we will trust,
That we mattered to you as you mattered to us."


PLEASE, would you do me the kind favor of sending this to as many
people as you can? Christmas will be coming soon and some credit is due to our
U.S service men and women for our being able to celebrate these
festivities. Let's try in this small way to pay a tiny bit of what we owe. Make people
stop and think of our heroes, living and dead, who sacrificed themselves for us.


LCDR Jeff Giles, SC, USN
30th Naval Construction Regiment
OIC, Logistics Cell One
Al Taqqadum, Iraq