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Neglecting Ike and Gustov Victims; the Shame of America

2008-10-01T10:03:00.001-05:00

Some have told me to "let it go". Others have told me "it's a lost cause". Still others have accused me of being "crazy" and through it all, NO ONE has told me "keep it up". What is this all about?

One month ago today a major hurricane hit the Louisiana coast near Grand Isle. Hurricane Gustov continued inland and hurricane force winds battered places as far away as Baton Rouge relentlessly. Meanwhile, down the road in New Orleans all the reporters from all the major news outlets were focused on watching a few waves overtop a few levees. With every ounce of their being they were hoping to see the levees break and their cameras provide live footage of the greatest flood of all time.

All the willing of all the media could not force the levees to break. After a day of anticipation, they were bitterly disappointed that there was no huge story coming out of New Orleans. With heavy heart they trudged to either St. Paul to cover the Republican convention they never wanted to attend, or to South Carolina on the off chance Tropical Storm Hanna might turn into a real newsworthy storm.

While Hanna was huffing and puffing and not really doing much of anything, Hurricane Ike was ripping the Bahamas and then Cuba apart like an angry monster let loose on the city. Of course no reporters are allowed in Cuba and no one in their right mind would have stayed in the Bahamas. Thus, the real story of Ike was neglected, just as the real story of Gustov.

For days, the headlines regarding Ike were directed towards Florida. Where and how this became the focus of attention is baffling. Ike was never headed that way. Still, whenever the folks on Key West are told to evacuate, that becomes the almighty big story of any storm. Why do people live there anyway?

Consider these facts. In the twelve days between Hurricane Gustov and Hurricane Ike, there was basically NO media coverage of Gustov's damage except in the immediate New Orleans/Baton Rouge areas. Even the television outlets in coastal Mississippi did not cover the story. There were far bigger fish to fry than spending resources on covering a little ole storm that hit a section of Louisiana no one in the United States knows or cares about.

FEMA, the Red Cross, Salvation Army and a few other charities were on the scene providing a little help; but the response after Gustov was minimal and a disgrace to the heart of disaster relief in this country. If we are going to selectively pick and choose who receives aid, media coverage and prayers; our country has slid down the slope to extinction.

As Ike grew into the sprawling monster he became, of course every news outlet rushed crews to Galveston and Houston in anticipation of a huge story. Dreams of Katrina like footage flooded the minds of reporters looking for the story that would catapult them to the "big time". As dire warnings were issued for those refusing to evacuate circulated, the army of reporters spread out to find safe areas to weather the storm at, yet be close enough to provide graphic shots of the impending carnage.

Images of reporters being swept off their feet in the rising storm surge made the rounds on the internet along with pictures of fools hanging sideways on light poles as the rising winds came ashore. Stupid interviews with people bragging about not evacuating but staying in their beachfront houses drinking beer and partying were still filling television screens the afternoon before the storm hit.

When the media went to bed that Friday night Ike came ashore, they were like children on Christmas Eve. Surely the next morning would provide days of coverage of a totally wiped out Galveston and a severely crippled Houston. Awards and high ratings danced through their heads as they endured a night of wind and storms.

But, alas, once again the weather gods did not cooperate. With bitter disappointment these loyal foot soldiers of the media giants went out to battle on Saturday only to find huge sections of Galveston still standing and worse yet, Houston was barely touched. With clenched fists they cursed the weather gods for not sending the 20 foot storm surge that would have leveled Galveston and crippled the oil and gas industries in Houston for years. Instead, all they got was a little category 2 hurricane with a storm surge that only destroyed places too far to film and that no one cared about.

As a result of Ike not killing 100,000 people, totally destroying the city of Galveston or flooding half of Houston; the media stayed long enough to give a few reports for a few days and then started the mass exodus to find the next big story that America craved to see. Within a week to ten days after Ike, most of the national media were long gone and by two weeks after the storm, there were no longer ANY stories about Ike, Galveston, Houston, the Texas coast or Louisiana.

What have we come to in this country? Do we simply cast off those who suffer the loss of their homes, jobs and families simply because the carnage was not great enough to warrant continued coverage? The media stayed in New Orleans and to a lesser degree the Mississippi coast for months after Katrina. Through their constant coverage of the devastation came the impetus for America to give of their goods, money and time to help those in need.

Since the media has chosen to forsake those affected by Gustov and Ike, there is but a trickle of help heading their way. The response by America to these hurricanes has been tepid at best and non-existent most of the time. America has quickly forgotten about Ike because of the soap opera playing out in Washington over the "bail out". While debate continues on giving 700 billion to bail out banks, an obscure bill was passed giving a few billion dollars to help those affected by Gustov and Ike.

I know times are tough and everyone is uptight about money, but that does not give an excuse to forget about those who have lost everything and are only starting on the long journey to normalcy. Even the incredible story out of Atlanta regarding gasoline shortages has only in the past two days made the headlines (near the bottom). Either America does not care anymore about helping her fellow citizens in time of need or they do not know what the need is due to the arrogance and ratings driven media who have shirked their duty by failing to cover Gustov and stick with the Ike stories. Shame on you.

Epitaph For Fools

2008-09-14T19:41:00.001-05:00

My heart is screaming within me. My stomach is tied in knots so thick they will never come undone. Everything within me wants to grab America by the neck and shake her to wake her up. This is a night unlike no others in the history of our nation. Never before will so many people lose their lives as will happen over the next 12-18 hours. If fatalities were really counted, the toll from Ike would number in the tens of thousands. When has America ever lost tens of thousands of its citizens in one night?

Estimates of well over 100,000 defying mandatory evacuation orders and willingly and many times proudly saying they would never leave their home are dead men and women walking. When the National Weather Service says "certain death" they mean it. Yet, thousands will party until they die while others will stubbornly be praying for God's protection even as they drown. Others will perish because they never heard a storm was coming and still others will die in the line of duty trying to protect and serve others.

My soul cries out and I want to shake my fists in anger at the stupidity of fools. We tried to warn them not to trust in models and past experiences. No one who lived through the 1900 hurricane was there to tell them what would happen if they stayed. I cannot stand to think of what the dawn will bring and worse yet, Sunday morning's dawn. The smell of death will line the coast from Galveston to Morgan City as those too stubborn, foolish or stupid to listen to wisdom will perish.

God uses the analogy of what is happening tonight in Texas and Louisiana to emphasize the need to listen to and take heed to wisdom in Proverbs chapter one. Before viewing the extent of the devastation, find a Bible and read the second half of the first chapter of Proverbs and then look at the images that will flood our television sets for weeks to come. Think of Proverbs chapter one when you pay 5 dollars for gas because the heart and soul of the American petroleum center has been ripped out.

Think about Proverbs one when you see the body bags of those who refused to listen to wisdom and paid the price. Think about Proverbs one when you see neighborhoods under water in Houston and people clinging to rooftops hoping against hope to be rescued. Think about Proverbs one when you see skyscrapers with all their windows blown out and flooded streets coated with oil and water contaminated with chemicals of every sort and kind.

Think about Proverbs one when you see places such as Port Arthur totally inundated and the many oil refineries shut down and flooded. Think about Proverbs one when the politicians and talking heads descend on Texas like a batch of locusts to show everyone how much they care. Where were they before the storm? Where were the words of encouragement and promises of help after the storm?

Think about Proverbs one when images of what used to be small coastal communities are now just foundations sitting barren in the sand. Think about Proverbs one when those who trusted in seawalls are inundated with water that laughed at the walls. Think about Proverbs one when the final price tag of Ike is ever figured out, and when the insurance premiums of everyone go up.

Yes, my soul weeps for I know many people will needlessly die this night because they refused to listen to wisdom. They thought they could withstand the forces of a hurricane which is more powerful than any to hit the United States. They thought they could have the time of their life having a hurricane party as their life ends in a giant wave of water. They thought they were smarter than wisdom and they will pay the ultimate price for their folly.

Millions will see all the horror in the next few days and shake their heads and say "what a waste". Many who live along the coasts of America will then proceed to move on with their lives and never learn a lesson from Ike. Many will one day face the same end result as those facing it tonight as the folly of their stubbornness finally catches up with them.

God help those who through no fault of their own got caught in this storm. God have mercy on those who thought they were bigger than You. God, please forgive those who cry out to you in their final minutes as they finally realize how stupid and sinful they were. All any of us can do now is give those in harm's way to God for the protection of their souls.

What a truly sad night this is in America.

Ike Will Be Far Worse Than Katrina

2008-09-13T06:47:00.001-05:00

Do not expect any documentable real news from Ike's strike until later today or probably tomorrow. As in any disaster, initial reports will be too rosy or too dire. It will take days for the full scope of this disaster to be known. No one has a clue how many people ignored the mandatory evacuation orders, so those involved with search and rescue do not know how many people they are looking for. Estimates of close to 150,000 people in the counties affected make this a daunting task for sure.

Due to the size of Ike, hurricane conditions will continue to buffet the entire area most of today. Do not expect to see anything but the barest of live of coverage from the worst areas. It is simply not safe for anyone to go out until the water recedes and the winds die down. Houston must endure many hours of relentless high tides and winds. No definitive details of its fate will be known today.

High tide in Galveston matched pretty much when Ike came ashore. Only time will tell what has become of the estimated 15,000 people who stayed and refused to leave the island. The honest fear is that from Galveston all the way to the western suburbs of New Orleans when the water recedes what will be found is carnage due to the high numbers of people who failed to leave the areas.

The time has come in America for mandatory evacuations to mean just that. If people refuse to leave, they should either be arrested and hauled to some secure facility or sign a paper acknowledging NO emergency services are available and no lawsuits can be filed. Images of emergency personnel risking their lives to save those who at the very last minute "chickened out" and wanted to escape the storm make me very upset.

What good does a "mandatory evacuation" order mean if 20% of the people ignore it? The entire evacuation process in this country is a joke. Evacuations are ordered when not needed and not ordered when they are. People pick and choose which "mandatory" evacuation orders they want to abide by and then expect to be rescued when they ignore such orders.

For the next few days, just like after a major earthquake, the emphasis is on search and rescue. Those trained in this field are called "first responders" and their mission is to find, treat and rescue anyone still alive after this disaster. Only after those in critical situations are rescued will the search for those who died start in earnest. Only after that will the emphasis switch to helping those NOT in life threatening situations.

This tragedy will far surpass Katrina simply due to the amount of people involved and the size of the area covered. Just as in Katrina's case, there will be hundreds of thousands of people with no power, no jobs and pretty much no house for weeks if not months. Sure, in a few days look for every spare electric truck in the country to head toward this area to help get the power on. But, along the coast there will be no power and no help for a very long time.

Keep this in mind; there are still thousands of people in Louisiana and Mississippi and Alabama who have never gotten repairs made to their homes after Katrina three years ago. There is simply not enough crews, money and charities around to get to everyone. Now this disaster will be added into the mix. Everyone knows those with the most money will get repairs first, for they can afford to pay cash. Those who must hassle with insurance companies many times go months and years before receiving the funds needed to get roofs fixed and other repairs.

Just as in Katrina and Rita's cases, there will be thousands of people who had no insurance and who must depend on FEMA or charities to provide assistance. Again, due to the size of this disaster, every governmental and charitable organization in existence will be taxed to the max over the next few months and years.

Make no mistake about it. We will be dealing with various effects of Ike for years. There are NO quick fixes after a major hurricane hit. Everything will go in slow motion for quite some time due to a multitude of issues from contaminated water to broken glass to electric wires down to hundreds of thousands of buildings which must be gutted before the mold makes them uninhabitable to …

As this drama turns the page to what comes next, please continue to pray for those whose lives have been turned upside down and inside out by this storm. Honestly, we will not know much of anything about the scope of this disaster for days. In the meantime I pray America realizes that like it or not; we have Katrina #2 on our hands—only worse.

Tornadoes, Katrina and Current Hurricanes

2008-09-04T13:45:00.001-05:00

The images are indelibly etched into my mind's eye. I could live another hundred years and never forget what I witnessed in first New Orleans, then Mississippi and finally Cameron, Louisiana. The devastation hurricanes Katrina and Rita brought to these locations was beyond the scope of my ability to grasp. Nothing I could have done ahead of time could have prepared me for what I saw and the stories of those whom I met.

I had seen the destruction tornadoes can cause first hand many times. I have lived through a few tornadoes and know full well what nature is capable of doing in a matter of 60 seconds. Twisted metal, broken glass and splintered wood are the earmarks of a tornado passing through. One house can be a pile of rubble while the one next to it is intact. That is the way a tornado chooses its victims.

A tornado, even a major one, is at the most a mile wide. Most tornadoes are a few hundred feet wide and travel on the ground a few miles. Monster F-5 tornadoes such as the one which destroyed Greensburg, Kansas are exceptions and thankfully only occur rarely. The vast majority of tornadoes are capable of quickly destroying a house or barn and then return to the cloud from which they came.

The destruction a large tornado causes is nothing to dismiss. When one of these storms hits a populated area the effects are devastating as far as loss of life and property. But, the losses are localized and limited to a particular part of town or along a line stretching from one location to the next. Tornadoes are not capable of inflicting damage on a huge geographical area for they are too small.

That which will always set Katrina apart from most storms was the sheer size of the hurricane. At one time Katrina took up almost the entire Gulf of Mexico. Its hurricane force winds stretched hundreds of miles in all directions and brought death and destruction far from its eye. Most hurricanes, even monster category 4 or 5 ones are compact and bring catastrophic devastation to a particular location, but only minor damage to region.

Katrina not only caused the catastrophic damage locally, it managed to cause major damage to an area roughly the size of the state of Montana. When comparing hurricanes, we must always keep in mind the size of Katrina and not just wind speeds. Due to its size and strength, Katrina was able to force a wall of water called the storm surge against the Mississippi coast every bit as terrifying as the tsunami that hit southeast Asia.

Those images which I will never forget were of piles of rubble stretching for miles and gutted out buildings which once were apartment complexes, hospitals and shopping centers. As long as I live, I will never forget driving through southeast New Orleans (not the 9^th ward area) which had been a nice middle class section of town. The buildings and houses were still there, but every single one of them had been gutted.

No words can describe the eeriness of an empty town. The most stirring memory I have is of a huge medical center totally gutted and void of any life whatsoever. The whole scene reminded me of how a city would look after a nuclear war. I cannot imagine what the area looked like immediately after the storm, for it was nearly nine months after Katrina hit that I was able to get down there and see its impact.

There are localized areas of heavy loss from Gustov, but to compare this storm to Katrina is silly. I am thankful the area was evacuated for that was the wise thing to do, but some of the statements made about this being "the storm of the century" and the prospects for "catastrophic damage" were a bit overblown. Unfortunately politics entered the equation as well as using fear tactics to motivate stubborn people to evacuate.

I am extremely thankful to our Heavenly Father for His protection and blessing on this situation. Gustov could have been a very bad storm if it had ramped up to a category 4 and moved 50 miles to the east. But, since it did neither, it will go down in history as just another Louisiana borderline category 3 hurricane that mainly afflicted a part of the state sparsely populated.

Hanna is a different story. By the hour the threat from this storm is growing. As it quickly strengthens and grows in the coming few days while moving north, it poses a grave threat to very populated and popular areas such as Myrtle Beach, South Carolina and coastal North Carolina. It has been a few years since this part of the country has suffered a major hurricane, but they are in line for one this coming weekend.

Some independent forecasters think Hanna may end up as big and dangerous as Katrina was. Certainly anyone living near the coast of South and North Carolina needs to be very alert and watchful concerning Hanna. Ike, which will probably be a hurricane today could follow Hanna to the Carolinas or head west into the Gulf of Mexico to follow Gustov.

Josephine will become a tropical storm today and probably be a hurricane within a few days. It too is heading west toward the United States. Next in line will be Kyle who is a few days away from forming. No doubt, the next few weeks will test everyone's patience as one storm after another threatens the United States mainland.

Please pray for those who will be returning home after Gustov. Please pray they do not turn bitter and resentful for having to evacuate for nothing. People tend to forget there are times when it is right to play it safe, especially with hurricanes. Please pray for the millions of people living in coastal South and North Carolina who will be having to go through this week what those in Louisiana and Mississippi just went through.

No one likes having to evacuate, especially to shelters which tend to be hot, noisy and smelly. No one likes having to pack up whatever they can fit in their car and leave, not knowing if they will have a home when they return. No one likes the expense and aggravation involved with an evacuation. But, considering the alternative is possible injury or death, it is a necessary evil to living near the ocean.

I am sure there will be much more to write about as this week unfolds, but for now I want to thank you for allowing me to share this with you. There are millions of our brothers and sisters in need of GREAT amounts of prayer right now. Thank you for taking the time to lift them up in prayer.

Fay may Spell Trouble for Gulf Coast

2008-08-20T08:17:00.001-05:00

There is little, if any historical data to compare what Tropical Storm Fay is doing to. Thus, logic dictates there is even less data to look at as to what it COULD do. This little storm has managed to cause even the most skilled forecasters to scratch their heads in utter bewilderment. If the scenario should happen to play out over the next few days this storm would make history.

Weather events do not happen by luck, chance or coincidence. There are meteorological reasons for why a storm does what it does. Storms do not have a mind of their own which enables them to deliberately do things to aggravate forecasters. Storms end up doing what the various aspects of weather governing it tell it to do.

One of the most distressing possible ways the whole Fay saga could end is if the storm makes history by hitting near Jacksonville, Florida as category 1 hurricane and moves west back across Florida and emerges in the Gulf of Mexico intact. If, and the probabilities of this taking place are very slim, this were to happen the end results from Fay could be worse than Katrina three years ago.

Winds blow counterclockwise around a hurricane. Katrina came up from the south and because of this, the storm surge ended up being over twenty feet along the Mississippi coast. The initial damage in New Orleans from Katrina was minimal because it sat on the western side of the hurricane moving north. The New Orleans catastrophe came about when Katrina moved ashore and the winds switched to the north and blew the waters from Lake Pontchartrain into the city which sits below sea level.

If Fay were to move west from Florida towards New Orleans, the potential disaster would dwarf Katrina. Why? Because the westward movement of the storm would produce a prolonged period of NORTH winds ahead of the approaching storm. Instead of a storm surge preceding the hurricane like Katrina, the storm surge would follow the storm and be minimal. The greater danger would be the north winds over a prolonged time blowing the waters of Lake Pontchartrain into the city of New Orleans.

Due to the lay of the land and where the city of New Orleans sits, there is actually very little danger of a storm surge inundating the city. The potential problems have always laid in the scenario of a storm moving in from the southeast or east and generating a prolonged period of hurricane force winds over Lake Pontchartrain. Unless a person has been to the area it is difficult to picture how a lake could cause more problems than an ocean; but such is the case in New Orleans.

No one knows at this time what Fay will end up doing. It may come ashore again and more or less just fizzle out. It may come ashore and move to the northwest into Georgia and help break the longstanding drought there. It may emerge on the west side of Florida, move south and make a loop following the same path it just took. It may emerge into the warm waters of the Gulf, become a hurricane and move west directly toward New Orleans.

This storm has a history of NOT doing what the computer models think it should do. Because of this, it would be highly advantageous for anyone from the panhandle of Florida to New Orleans to be acutely aware of the movements of Fay over the next few days. Some models and some hurricane experts think the greatest danger is that Fay emerges off the west coast of Florida, immediately intensifies and follows Ivan's 1994 path which would put Mobile, Alabama and Pensacola, Florida at high risk.

Needless to say, the next three to seven days could end up being at the very least, interesting and at the worst, a disaster which would equal or exceed Katrina in some respects. And as if this were not enough to be concerned about, out in the Atlantic is the next storm which is slowly taking shape and could be buffeting some portion of the United States coastline by this time next week.

I would highly recommend anyone with interests on the Gulf Coast to monitor what Fay is doing very closely along with the next storm. The remainder of this hurricane season could end up being very active and one that presents forecasters with storms such as Fay which are nearly impossible to forecast. As in any hurricane season, the next 2 months are the most dangerous and especially so this year. Vigilance is the key word for the day and for the days to come.

Edouard: Prepare for the Worst and Pray for the Best

2008-08-04T05:29:00.001-05:00

The developing situation along the Gulf coast bears witness to the fact that anyone living near the Atlantic Ocean or Gulf of Mexico must stay ever vigilant. Only last year we had the situation with Hurricane Humberto developing quickly into a small but potent storm and now we have Edouard seemingly coming out of nowhere to pose problems for not only the coastal areas but offshore oil drilling platforms.

No one expects Edouard to become much more than a strong tropical storm, but some computer models are expecting it to strengthen to a hurricane before coming ashore near Houston. The problem with this whole scenario is that only three days ago, no one expected there to even be a tropical depression, let alone a storm.

The question that begs to be answered is how with all the computers and all the forecasting tools available to meteorologists does a storm form so close to the shore of the United States without warning? The answer is that there are private companies which were speaking of the possibility of a storm days ago. It was only the official government agency which did not.

The formation of these storms so close to land and their rapid intensification is new phenomena. For too long, the standard forecasting tools did not take into account the ability of storms to form and ramp up as quickly as they are now doing. Until the "official" tools catch up with the reality of what is happening, these "surprise" storms will keep popping up.

What if sometime down the road one of these storms springs to life within 24 hours and stalls. While hovering offshore it strengthens and keeps growing. What if one of these little storms suddenly turns into a storm like Wilma in 2005 or Charley in 2004 and explodes as it reaches shore. What if one of these storms does this right over Houston or New Orleans?

If the people have ho advance warning than there is no safe way to evacuate them from harm's way. If there is not at least 36 hours or more to prepare for a hurricane, the result will be confusion, pandemonium and a disaster almost as bad as the actual storm. Hurricane Dolly last month proved that a little storm can cause much damage if aimed at the right spot.

Even if Edouard only ends up bringing much needed rain to Texas and little else; it needs to be viewed as a wakeup call to those who live and have business interests along the Gulf Coast as well as the Atlantic coast. Preparation is the key to survival as well as minimizing the impact of such storms. Since the forecasting agencies are somewhat playing "catch up" with these kinds of storms, it places an even greater degree of urgency that preparations for storms are in place even when no storm is there.

Anyone living within 100 miles of the Gulf Coast or Atlantic Ocean should have a plan in place for what to do if a storm pays a surprise visit. If planning to stay put, then provisions MUST be in place well in advance of a storm, for once it is upon you, there is no way to find food, fuel, wood, etc. It is one thing to have days of advance warning of an impending storm; it is quite another to have 24 hours or less.

In our "get it done at the last minute" society, it is very hard to slow down long enough to think through what is needed and what to do if one of these surprise storms forms near you. But, it is no longer something that is optional, the time needs to be made to make plans and get provisions in place NOW. Even if not needed this year, then at least the worry is gone for next year's hurricane season.

Think about the worst case scenario even with Edouard; it suddenly strengthens today off the coast of Louisiana and stalls long enough to become a strong category 3 hurricane and then takes aim on Houston. It was absolute mayhem three years ago when Houston had days of advance warning for Rita. What if there were only hours of advance warning instead of days? That is why plans and provisions must be made in advance. I strongly urge anyone reading this to "prepare for the worst and keep praying for the best", not only with the current storm, but in all matters of natural disasters.

Hurricane Dolly’s Devastation You Will Never See

2008-07-23T11:08:00.001-05:00

Images of devastation are appearing on television screens around the world out of Brownsville, Texas and surrounding areas. Please keep in mind that no one will ever see the images of those whose lives will be wiped out from this storm. That is because those who will be most harshly dealt with are not living in Texas, but across the Rio Grande in Mexico.

There are, no doubt, pockets of extreme poverty all along the Rio Grande valley in Texas. That is not the issue here. The real issue deals with the lack of understanding regarding just how bad conditions are on the Mexican side of the valley. One must keep in mind that few Americans ever venture into the horrible neighborhoods of most Mexican cities where people live in cardboard houses (at best) and survive on nearly nothing. Welcome to the "Third World".

One does not have to go to countries in Africa or Asia to find living conditions so brutal that no one in this country could imagine. Poverty so deep that there are no solutions and political systems so rife with corruption that there is no hope are the norm in most third world countries. Too many times Americans picture Mexico as a resort country due to visits to Cancun or Acapulco. Also, too many times Americans associate Mexico only with the huge and sprawling capital of Mexico City.

Outside of these areas, there is a huge country locked in poverty with few governmental services available and areas run more by drug lords than any official government. The people live in utter squalor and have for many generations. From these dire straits comes the yearning to come to America where there are jobs (which most Americans refuse to do) and money to be legitimately made. Most of what is made by Mexicans in America goes back to Mexico to support their families.

As fewer and fewer Americans are willing to make a living doing physical work, somebody must to it or it won't get done. If it were not for the Mexicans who went to New Orleans and the Mississippi coast after Katrina, hardly any roofs would have been repaired or replaced. Americans are simply not willing to climb up on scalding hot roofs and do the hard work needed to make the repairs.

We all know that we would starve to death if not for the migrant workers who make their living picking the fruits and vegetables we enjoy so much. These people spend all their lives doing a job very few Americans would do even if paid $30 an hour. Americans are simply not willing to get down on their hands and knees to do what is needed no matter how difficult or physically taxing.

Yet, in spite of all the good things most of our neighbors from the south have done for us, they are hated and despised and huge numbers of Americans want to deport anyone who snuck into this country. Giant fences are being put up to keep people who are trying to survive out of our pristine land. Since when is this country so damn righteous that we shut our doors to those who are only trying to literally live? Since when are we so high and mighty that we say NO to those who are gladly willing to do the jobs we refuse to do.

Nothing has changed since the days of slavery. Just because official slavery was banned by the Constitution doesn't mean it does not still exist. What else do you call the importation of legal and illegal aliens to do jobs no one else will do? Slaves were imported to work in the cotton fields and to take care of children and make meals. Slaves were imported to do all the dirty work so that the wealthy land owners could busy themselves with making more money, socializing and traveling.

Those wealthy enough to hire "household servants" usually don't get them from the local labor pool. No, they scarf them up from Guatemala or El Salvador or Mexico. Why? So they don't have to pay them what an American would demand in wages. This exact same thing goes on with migrant workers and other menial jobs Americans will not lower themselves to do unless they receive a king's ransom for doing them.

As Dolly plows up the Rio Grande River valley, it will literally wipe out hundreds of thousands of cardboard homes and probably end of killing thousands of poor people the world will never hear about. Every major hurricane has seen far more casualties than are officially recorded. Eyewitnesses swore under oath that they saw trucks loaded with bodies in body bags leaving the devastation after Hurricane Andrew. The same can be said after Katrina.

Officials refuse to accurately give statistics for fatalities due to fears that they will be held responsible financially or in the court of public opinion. Instead, they downplay the numbers of people killed, especially when they are peasants, homeless, illegal aliens or ultra poor. These tactics are employed in the United States, Mexico Miramar, China, Russia and just about every other country in the world. Ruling governments do not want the world to know just how badly they screwed up by not preparing for a major storm or helping them quickly afterwards.

Please keep all this in mind as you see the handpicked images of particular destruction that will grace our televisions over the next few days. Rest assured that a week or so from now, Dolly will be forgotten except for those directly impacted. The rest of the country will be far more concerned about politics and sports than how "forgotten" people will figure out how to move on when they have lost literally everything they had in this life.

In any major disaster there are those who we see on the news who somehow manage to get all the help they need both economically as well as volunteers. The people we never see are the ones who either fall through the cracks and somehow miss out on all the help provided by social safety nets or worse yet; as far as the government was concerned—they never were there to begin with. God help the invisible forgotten masses whose only means for survival comes from our prayers and the willingness on the part of a few true heroes who look for them and help them exclusively.

I thank God for the small independent relief agencies whose mission is to find those people neglected by everyone else. I thank God for those who are willing to avoid the headlines and the photo ops to search out the one lost sheep no one else cares about. In my books, those who are worthy of being called "relief workers" are those who go where no one else is willing to go to help those no one else will help.

Fires, Floods and Fears of Hurricanes; Disaster Update 7/1/08

2008-07-01T03:56:00.001-05:00

FIRES

As of early this morning, over 1,400 fires were burning in California with no relief in sight. Many of these fires have been burning for over a week with new ones starting daily. With the weather forecast calling for a chance of more dry lightning, there is a crisis of epic proportions brewing in paradise. Even now, there are air quality warnings in effect for much of the Bay area as the smoke from fires settles over the area. The fire near Big Sur may prove to be especially devastating due to the loss of tourism during the normally busy summer.

Every tanker used to fight wildfires in the United States is currently in use in California. This is very troubling since the fire season usually doesn't peak until the end of July and first of August. This summer could end up being one of the most physically and financially taxing in many years. President Bush has already declared California a disaster area and thus eligible for federal help.

FLOODS

Now that the levee has broken at Winfield, Missouri, the flood of '08 will be hard pressed to keep its position at the top of the headlines. As the rivers slowly fall and the extent of the devastation in Iowa, Indiana and Illinois (along with Missouri) begins to be apparent; the full scope of this disaster will shock anyone with eyes to see. Unlike tornadoes, hurricanes and earthquakes; flooding generally does not physically destroy buildings. Floods creep in, do their dirty work and sneak out. The damage done by floods is not seen looking at a dwelling from the outside. The damage is internal.

Not only does furniture and other personal effects need to be replaced after a flood; of much greater importance is the replacing of ruined carpet and drywall. If said items are not replaced, there is almost a dead certainty of black mold growing. One of the problems with a major flood along a river a wide as the Mississippi is how long it takes for the flood waters to recede. In flash flooding, the water comes up and goes down quickly. In major river flooding it take a long time for both the water to rise above flood stage as well as to drop below it.

FEARS OF HURRICANES

The hurricane season has completed its first month with only one very minor named storm. Is this unusual? Not at all would be the correct answer. Although not unheard of to have a hurricane in June, it is very rare. The components needed to develop and grow a storm into hurricane strength are usually not there in June. July is when the various pieces of the hurricane development puzzle start coming together and August through September is usually when the greatest threat of hurricanes striking the United States exists.

Those entrusted with trying to see what the next few months hold are very concerned about the potential for at least one major hurricane hitting the East Coast of the United States. Most experts are expecting at least one direct hit and possibly two or three by the time the season winds down in October. Areas from Texas to Florida should be ready to deal with potential development by mid-July and North Carolina and points north by August. This is NOT a year to take the hurricane threat lightly.

CONCLUSION

This has been an exceptionally difficult year for states such as Missouri, Iowa, Wisconsin, Illinois and Indiana. Many of these states have been hit with repeated disasters starting with ice in December and continuing to the present flooding and violent storm damage. Missouri saw horrific flooding in the southern part of the state this spring and now has seen disastrous flooding along the Mississippi River in the northeast part of the state. So far, the only silver lining has been that the Missouri River has not reached levels anywhere near the floods of 1993 and 1995.

Iowa was buried with record snows this past winter and then inundated with incredible storms this spring and early summer. It is no wonder that when areas were hit with a half foot of rain a few weeks ago, the inevitable result would be massive flooding. Earlier this year Arkansas was hit repeatedly with deadly tornadoes which claimed many lives and caused extraordinary damage. Also this spring the major rivers in Arkansas reached historic levels and caused extensive damage.

HOW YOU CAN HELP

It has been a rough year for middle America and the year is only half over. Although the emphasis now switches to the western fires and potential hurricanes in the southern and eastern United States; I pray all remember the all those who will still be suffering in middle America when the rest of country sits down to Thanksgiving dinner. It takes time to recover from tornadoes and floods even when on a small scale. It takes "forever" to recover from repeated disasters impacting thousands upon thousands of people covering almost one third of this country.

I am sure those who have lost everything to storms and floods would greatly appreciate your prayers and any help that you could send via your favorite charity. Many groups are working as hard as they can to help as many as possible. They are all spread very thin and have pretty much exhausted their resources. If you want to help, please contact the American Red Cross, Salvation Army or numerous small independent charities working I disaster areas.

When Things Appear Too Good To Be True—They Are

2008-06-18T07:00:00.001-05:00

I watched in horror as it rained relentlessly this spring throughout the upper Midwest and Ohio River valley. This came after a winter with record breaking snows in some of the same areas. When snow melts, it produces water. The rivers had been running high since March. Now they are at record levels. I honestly feel badly for those whose lives are being turned upside down by floods, tornadoes and other natural disasters. Everything within me wanted to help, but the funds were not there to personally do much of anything.

A week ago, while on the road delivering supplies to needy groups, I received an unsolicited e-mail from a person overseas who knew of me and what I was doing and wanted to help. This person said she was dying of cancer and the doctors had put her in hospice. She was trying to hide her assets from greedy step-children and honor the wishes of her deceased husband which was to open a huge charity/foundation for disadvantaged people with an emphasis on medical care and vocational training.

This person offered a huge amount of money to start this foundation with the stipulation it had to be used for charity except for 5% to cover my trouble in setting it all up. The money was to come to me by way of an inheritance upon her soon decease. I of course was very skeptical of the message and responded with short messages explaining I was on the road. I checked the person out from every angle available to me. There was absolutely nothing amiss.

Of course I was susceptible to this at the current time. Right when I was thinking I could do nothing to help other groups directly helping those hurt by the storms and floods I have an offer of millions of dollars dropped in my lap. I allowed myself to think it was "God" supplying a need and once I did, my ability to objectively look at the situation vanished.

Monday morning I received a message from a bank in Liverpool, UK with instructions for handling the inheritance. I checked everything out, and it all appeared legit. I called a lawyer friend to confirm that the requests were genuine when dealing with an overseas inheritance. He said everything was being done exactly correct.

Everything within me wanted this to completely genuine. Everything within me simply wanted there to be the means to provide much needed funding to various small groups trying to help others. I knew the risks and weighed the pros and cons of following through with the instructions and decided it was worth the risk just in case this whole thing was God's way providing for His people. With little trepidation I sent a copy of my driver's license and an account number to a bank account.

Almost immediately after sending this information I felt that feeling deep inside one feels when they have just done the stupidest thing they ever did in life. I wanted so badly to press the key on the keyboard that is not there; the "I want to take it back" key. I knew within a minute of sending the information I had screwed up even though I had no verifiable proof.

As soon as this happened I prayed and did another search on the internet and buried deep on page 5 of a search I found a troubling thing. On a page dealing with scams, someone was writing about the exact same thing I had just been through earlier this year. Obviously no one listened nor did anyone do anything about it for I had just fallen prey to the same scam.

Once I took off my rose colored glasses and honestly looked at the e-mails I had received, I began to see small discrepancies I had not noticed before. I raced to the bank and closed the account which I had sent the number to. The bank manager, who I know quite well, just shook his head when he looked at some of the documents and said they were 100% the work of scammers. Thankfully they had not yet withdrawn the funds we were sure they were about to do.

Upon leaving the bank I was left with the depressing realization that I had voluntarily sent a copy of my driver's license to people who were about to use the information on it to either steal my identity or destroy me financially. I felt like I had taken all my clothes off and was standing in the middle of the highway.

I called the State Attorney General's office and explained the situation. They suggested I bring all the correspondence to their office (100 miles away). Yesterday morning I went there and to various other offices and found out there was nothing they could do since the scammers were obviously out of the country. Even though my social security number is not on my driver's license, I was told all the horrible things that will probably happen as my license is duplicated and sold to criminal interests.

My cell phone and land lines received about 50 calls from these people starting at noon yesterday. They relentlessly called every few minutes, obviously upset about the account being closed. My cell phone has been turned off since yesterday afternoon and the land line disconnected. Even though I sent these crooks an e-mail telling them I was onto to their scam and that I had turned the case over to the Attorney General's Office; I have no idea what will come next.

As upset with myself as I am over this, I know I did the right thing to close the account and take the situation to the state's highest legal authorities. I can do nothing but pray about the driver's license situation and the release of personal contact information to unscrupulous people. Through this ongoing ordeal I am left with one overwhelming question: How could I be so stupid?

Why am I sharing this with you? Because I do not want anyone to have to go through what I have the past two days. I don't want anyone to have to worry about identity theft and losing their assets and their good name. I don't want anyone else to fall for something that looks 100% legitimate on the outside, only to find out it was all a lie.

Listen, I am 55 years old and have lectured groups on protecting themselves from scams. I had never fallen for one in my life. I feel like the biggest creep on this planet that I would allow my personal desire to help others to blind me to an attempt to totally ruin me. I cannot believe I could be so stupid to not see what was happening. All I know is that I so wanted it to be true, I made it true in my own mind. This ladies and gentlemen is called DECEPTION.

Please remember what has been said countless times; "if it sounds too good to be true, it probably isn't". In my case I have had to learn this the hard way.

The Six Woes of Isaiah Chapter 5; Very Timely

2008-05-21T21:31:00.002-05:00

In Isaiah 5:8-23, a series of six woes are pronounced followed by three judgment sections. Jesus had read Isaiah innumerable times in his life. He knew this record better than anyone who ever lived. Although he did not quote it in Matthew 23, it helped form the foundation upon which its “woes” are built. These six woes from Isaiah also provide a scathing commentary of current attitudes toward God and His Word. Starting in verse 8 of Isaiah we read from the NIV:

“Woe to you who add house to house and join field to field till no space is left and you live alone in the land.”

Parcels of land in Israel were to be leased and not sold. The land had been assigned to families and was to stay in the family’s possession for ever according to Numbers27:7-11. In Isaiah 5:9 and 10, judgment is passed regarding verse 8. The judgment is for all practical purposes the “woe”. In verses 11 and 12 we have the second woe:

“Woe to those who rise early in the morning to run after their drinks, and stay up late at night till they are inflamed with wine.
They have harps and lyres at their banquets, tambourines and flutes and wine, but they have no regard for the deeds of the Lord, no respect for the work of His hands.”

This woe is addressing a lifestyle of drunkenness and wild parties. Somehow, just as today, this “Epicurean” manner of living life (eat, drink and be merry for tomorrow we may die) became the norm. It was no longer looked upon as wrong and instead was viewed as “having fun”. Just as today, these people condemned Isaiah as being “old fashioned” or “out of touch” with current culture. Just because culture says something is fine, does not make it fine with God.

Verses 13 through 15 pronounce judgment for this blatant disregard for God’s law. Verse 15 is very important to understand:

“So man will be brought low and mankind humbled, the eyes of the arrogant humbled.”

The purpose of God’s judgment is to humble arrogant man. As long as man thinks he can do as he pleases without fear of judgment, he does it and does it more and keeps doing it until he becomes arrogant and boastful in his ability to defy God’s Word. The Bible is full of accounts where this same pattern is followed. It is the very nature of man to rebel and if he can “get away with it”, rebel again only more so. This is why children must be disciplined. If their error is not confronted, reproved and corrected; they will only become more and more obstinate and self confident in their arrogant disobedience.

Verses 18 and 19 of Isaiah 5 bring up the third woe:

“Woe to those who draw sin along with cords of deceit, and wickedness as with cart ropes,
To those who say, “Let God hurry, let Him hasten His work so we may see it. Let it approach, let the plan of the Holy One of Israel come, so we may know it.”

These verses are referring to the people mocking God and His prophets. They were basically expressing their total disbelief that God would ever carry out any of His judgments the prophets had been screaming about. They literally were daring God to do what He said He would do, never believing for an instant God would actually do it. This is dangerous footing to be on and millions of people are doing the same thing today. They are mocking God by their lifestyles of sin and arrogant unbelief. They do not believe for an instant that God will ever judge them for they do not believe in the God of the Bible.

I wish verse 20 could be plastered upon every billboard in America. This one verse absolutely defines what has become of our culture and country. Its application to today is amazing, for it is as if this verse was written yesterday instead of thousands of years ago.

“Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter.”

What better way to describe “things” in not only America, but the entire world, than this verse? Everywhere and in almost all things, that which is evil is now called good and vice a versa. The lie has become the truth and the truth is looked upon as the lie. People’s consciences have become so hardened and their minds so deceived that what they believe in their hearts is the truth; is nothing but a lie from hell. Just as the serpent deceived Eve in the garden, and ultimately got her to believe “the lie” of “you shall not surely die”, so he has deceived multitudes of Christians into believing his lies to the point many Christians mock God just as the people in Isaiah’s time.

This “turn of events” is nothing more than darkness being called light and light being called darkness. The “Christian right” has been so viciously attacked by moral degenerates that it is now scorned and looked upon as rotten fruit by “progressives”. Satan himself transformed himself into an angel of light and in so doing, he has succeeded in deceiving the vast majority of Christians into believing his dark lies are the truth and the truth are nothing but fables and myths not to believed.

Verse 21 follows upon the previous verses to list the fifth woe:

“Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes, and clever in their own sight.”

I wish people would just read the Bible! How much clearer can God make things? Man’s wisdom has crowded out the true knowledge of God to the point that those of us who still believe the Bible is the God Breathed Word and Will of God are looked upon as fools, mentally unstable and dangerous enemies. Worldly wisdom rules in every school district in America and every secular university we push our kids to attend. Is it any wonder that by the time most people graduate from college, they are lukewarm Christians at best?

Oh how unbelievers think they are so clever in their own eyes. They sit around patting themselves on the back for their latest victory over those “stupid” Christians. They think they have outsmarted their god. They think just like their father thinks, Satan. Even though Satan was thrust out of God’s presence because of his rebellion, he daily persuades countless people to believe he really won and that his systems of greed, lust and power are genuine and the other “god’s” are inferior and wrong. And people believe him.

Verses 22 and 23 bring up the sixth woe, which again, could have been written this morning:

“Woe to those who are heroes at drinking wine and champions at mixing drinks,
Who acquit the guilty for a bribe, but deny justice to the innocent.”

O.K., I can’t stand it anymore. How can people who rip apart the Bible and say it is not applicable to our current day and time not see how it addresses issues that fill news shows and provide fodder for worthless television episodes every evening? Good grief, how many stupid television shows have innocently portrayed a bunch of 20 something year olds having a huge party with beer guzzling contests and other horrid activities. Somehow, those who are best at drinking huge amounts of beer and other drinks are cheered as heroes and champions by the adoring crowd of drunk revelers. All this is portrayed as “innocent fun”. Tell this to the parents who lose a child to a drunk driver.

Our political and justice systems are rife with worthless lawyers and judges who gladly accept bribes to acquit the guilty. These same people will deny justice to the innocent. Friends, the Bible is as applicable today as when it was first written. The very same things that were happening in Israel thousands of years ago are still happening in the western world today. Nothing has changed except things are far worse now than ever. All because people have believed Satan’s lies and have bought into his line that God is dead and He will never really judge this earth. These people have a day of reckoning awaiting them that I wouldn’t wish upon my worst enemy (and I have some bad ones).

Earlier in Isaiah, two other “woes” were brought up in chapter 3 in verses 9 and 11:

“The look on their faces testifies against them; they parade their sin like Sodom; they do not hide it. Woe to them! They have brought disaster upon themselves.
Woe to the wicked! Disaster is upon them! They will be paid back for what their hands have done.”

What more can I say that God hasn’t said in a way anyone can understand if they want to. Those who have made a mockery of God and His Word WILL BE PAID BACK for what they have said and done. In Isaiah’s time, that “pay back” came suddenly in the form of Israel being conquered and sent into exile. For those who defy God today and proudly display their “sin of Sodom” in parades, who don’t even bother to “hide it” anymore; Woe to them. They have brought disaster upon themselves.

Verses 24 and 25 describe the judgment of God on this sordid unbelief:

“Therefore, as tongues of fire lick up straw and as dry grass sinks down in the flames, so their roots will decay and their flowers blow away like dust; for they have rejected the law of the Lord Almighty and spurned the word of the Holy One of Israel.
Therefore the Lord’s anger burns against HIS PEOPLE; His hand is raised and He strikes them down. The mountains shake, and the dead bodies are like refuse in the streets. Yet for all this, His anger is not turned away, His hand is still upraised.”

God is a God of justice as well as love and mercy. Revelation tells us that the day is coming when all those on this earth who blatantly live in wickedness, defying and mocking God, and denying His existence until the bitter end; will receive the biggest “pay back” in history. When the wrath of God, which has been building for thousands of years, is finally released in all its fury in Revelation, those arrogant mockers of God will find out what the word “WOE” really means. I say they deserve all they have coming to them.

Who Cares About Myanmar?

2008-05-06T07:41:00.001-05:00

Just as in the case of the tsunami in Indonesia, the horrible facts regarding the destruction from the cyclone in Burma will take time to come to light. This much is known for sure; the initial estimates of 400 casualties were just the tip of the iceberg. If and when the true magnitude and scope of this disaster ever is known, the death toll could reach well into the tens of thousands and the number of homeless could be in the millions.

It would be very easy for those of us in the "civilized world" to brush aside this tragedy as something reserved for a backwards country, run by a repressive regime and that they more or less "had it coming" to them. After all, if a similar hurricane hit the United States, the damage would be great but the loss of life would be small. "These people should have taken care of themselves" is the temptation to justify a lack of compassion.

It is the government's responsibility to warn the population of an impending weather related disaster. The problem in a country such as Burma is the extreme poverty in which the population lives and thus the lack of modern conveniences such as radios and televisions. How do you warn millions of people of an approaching storm with no means to broadcast instructions to them? How do you move millions of people to safety who don't own vehicles to get to safety in?

Stories surfaced immediately after this storm struck of people spending their last resources just to buy a candle at a highly inflated price to have any light. It is truly beyond the ability of our "civilized" minds to grasp the idea of spending the last money you own to buy a candle. Of course, it is beyond our ability to conceive that people live in "houses" made of cardboard and survive on a daily diet of perhaps 1000 calories (on a good day).

The United States of America has less than one twentieth of the world's population but controls the vast majority of the world's wealth. The standard of living enjoyed by those in the United States and other "civilized" countries is impossible to compare to how the majority of this world lives. Whereas many people in this world barely make enough to stay alive another day, those privileged few who were blessed to be born into and live in the "civilized world" make more in a day than many make in a year.

We can read accounts in the Bible of severe famines caused by droughts and wars. We can read of times when mothers were forced to eat their own children due to lack of any other food. History is full of accounts of pioneers and explorers who died of starvation as they found themselves in hostile environments with no source of food. A fairly current movie chronicled such an account of a troubled young man in Alaska who faced running out of food.

As most of us lug around twenty to one hundred pounds of excess fat, there are literally billions of other humans living on this earth who don't have one ounce of fat on their bodies. Starvation is one of the cruelest forms of slow death possible. Unless one has seen the people who have turned into literal skin and bones; no one has the right to say when they are hungry "I'm starving to death". Most of us do not have a clue what it means to really be "starving".

Unless and until those who have lived the pampered and sheltered lives common to the "civilized world" go to places of extreme poverty and suffering and see for themselves how people are forced to live who have no way to make a living; there is no way a truly compassionate response to a disaster such as the one in Burma will ever be mounted. Sure, there will be the typical few hundred millions of humanitarian relief offered, but it will be offered with no genuine sincerity.

I lay out a challenge to any and all who might read this that grew up in middle class America and have never actually seen up close the throes of abject poverty. Next time you have some of your weeks of stored up vacation time come up; instead of using it to go sailing, on a nice cruise, visiting some exotic country full of palm trees and over priced drinks or playing golf everyday; why not volunteer to go to one of the multitude of places just in this country struggling to recover from floods, tornadoes and even the lingering effects of Katrina.

Nothing changes your life, your perspective and your ability to manifest true compassion quicker than having to live with and find ways to help people who had nothing, or have lost everything. When one is forced to look into the eyes of a person who has nothing in this life of any value, then you can finally see the reason Jesus came to this earth to begin with. See, He didn't come to heal the whole, feed the full or befriend the popular.

Jesus Christ came to heal the brokenhearted, to set the captives free and to bind up the wounds of the broken. Those who glory in their own self-sufficiency do not need a Savior. But those who have nothing and mean nothing to this world desperately need the love and compassion only our Savior can bring. When one reads the account at the end of Matthew 25 there is no question as to what the proper response SHOULD be by a Christian when confronted by human suffering. Please Respond with Love.

CRITICAL SITUATION: Fuel Costs Killing Charities

2008-04-21T05:34:00.002-05:00

Welcome to the Real World.

As the vast majority of Americans continue to sit back pretending nothing to terribly wrong is going on with the country, the lower echelons of society are feeling the first huge waves of the coming economic storm. There are hundreds of thousands of upper middle class Americans who honestly can’t say it makes a bit of difference what gasoline is selling for since they never look at the bill; they have enough money to not be bothered.

On the other end of the spectrum are hundreds of thousands of lower income people, many trying to survive working minimum wage jobs, who are daily having to make choices between food and gas or medicine or electricity. With more and more of their income being devoured by ever escalating prices for food staples and gasoline; there is no disposable income left for any emergency.

In many of the bigger cities as well as along the Gulf coast, many food pantries and shelters have already closed and what few are left cannot find supplies. As more and more of the last elements of the social safety net are withdrawn it leads to desperate people doing more and more desperate things. Crime is dramatically rising in areas which only a few months ago had little or no crime. Petty thefts as well as armed robberies are increasing at an alarming rate.

If the shelters, community outreach programs, food pantries and other services designed to help people get through the tough times until they can stand on their feet again collapse; who is left to cover the needs? Fewer and fewer churches play an active role in helping the poor. Fewer and fewer charities have the resources to offer more than a referral service to other agencies. State and local governments are strapped for resources and do not have the means to step in and help.

If within a few days a mid-sized community has several bank robberies, numerous dollar stores held up and even the school cafeteria broken into to find food; is this not a pretty clear indication something is wrong? The numbers of hurting people are climbing each day. The numbers of homeless are increasing daily. The numbers of frustrated people who are at their wits end and ready to snap is dramatically increasing every day.

Fuel Costs Make Transporting Food Difficult

One of the most frustrating situations to have arisen is that there is still food in the warehouses of major charities who send tons of food every year overseas and to outreach centers in this country. The problem at the moment is finding the money to pay the sky high fuel costs to transport food from the warehouse to the destination it is needed. With diesel prices well over $4.00 per gallon, even the truckers who want to help cannot afford to run an empty semi to a warehouse, pick up a load of food, take it to the outreach center needing it and then run an empty truck back home—all for free.

There used to be many truckers willing to pick up a load if it were on their way and their truck was empty. It is even getting difficult to find those able to do this anymore. Independent truckers are just barely making enough to stay in business running full loads all the time. As much as they want to help, the cost of diesel is making it extremely difficult to provide “free hauls”.

A case in point is Tri Coastal Community Outreach in Grand Bay, Alabama. They have a full semi of food available to them if they can pick it up in Nashville on April 24th. It is a one time and one day shot. All attempts to find anyone to help have failed. The best offer from a trucking company was close to $1,500 to transport the load less than 500 miles from Nashville to Mobile. Where on earth does a small community outreach center find $1,500?

For lack of any better way to do it. Members of the group will drive to Nashville, rent two 26 foot trucks and one car tow bar, load the two trucks, and then drive them (with one towing the car) back to Alabama. The estimated cost for all this will be $700-800. But, being good stewards, this is the only way to get the food. Or is it?

The Need for Fuel Sponsors

There is an urgent need for sponsors to step up and help with fuel costs to transport food and other supplies to destinations in need. I see no reason why groups of professionals could not pool their charitable gifts together and make them available to groups such as Tri Coastal to provide for proper transportation of goods instead of the kind of arrangement they must do this week. Even doing it as they are, the cost is still staggering. Transportation costs are quickly becoming a huge issue for not only non-profits but many charities doing construction and other services.

If you are a professional and desire to really see your charitable giving do the most good, consider making a special fund that is to be used strictly for the transportation costs of getting resources from supply houses to outreach centers. Any group doing full scale community outreach is in desperate need of food and other supplies that many times are located all over the United States. Any of these groups who are 501 (c) 3 charities should be able to develop a program where donations can be received specifically designated for transportation costs.

The Need for Consistent Resources

The directors of most community outreach/homeless shelters/food pantries and other service charities spend most of their time trying to locate money or resources. Instead of being able to oversee case work or develop plans and programs to better serve the people in need; too much of their time has to be spent tracking down the means to meet the needs. They all need consistent and reliable sources for food, clothing, furniture, building supplies and other vital resources.

Church groups, service organizations, clubs and societies as well as schools and businesses can all do drives on a regular basis for some of these groups. Many of these groups have programs in place for organizations or individuals to systematically give on a regular and set basis. To stick around for the long haul, these groups need to know where supplies are coming from next.

The Need Will Only Get Worse

As the economic situation is this country continues to go downhill, the needs among the poor will only skyrocket, and this is due to a dramatic increase in numbers of people in need in addition to greater and greater need. The first round of failures among care givers is staggering and quite discouraging. Those left are handling far more case loads than they were expecting. Budgets and resources are being stretched to the absolute limit.

Before the situation gets much worse, please consider providing assistance where you can to those still involved with trying to help those in the lowest socio-economic levels. If there is anyone who deserves a helping hand and someone to aid them in their times of intense personal and financial turmoil it is those who through no fault of their own have “fallen through the cracks” of our social welfare system.

A Disturbing Dream; Impending Darkness on the Land

2008-04-15T03:55:00.000-05:00

There is an uneasiness that is creeping over my soul. I feel a curtain is being pulled shut. What was left of the light is being blocked by something thick and oppressive. I see swarms of what appear to huge flying insects, each carrying something that looks like a case under their arm. They are flying in formation and the closer they get the louder the buzz becomes.

As they approach the shore, they split and go different directions. Some to the north and some to the south. Yet, in spite of splitting, they are as numerous as before. As they cover the sky, the day becomes dark as night. They literally block the light of the sun.

Screams are heard as the first of these demons lands and disrupts the entire landscape of a town. All goes haywire and nothing works as it was designed. People panic for there is no day. A massive cloud hovers over the town and then moves on. This process is repeated over and over again around the country. One town after another is thrust into darkness and then seemingly loses its ability to function.

There is a numbness spreading over the land. A type of resolution that there is nothing that can be done to hinder or stop this plague. At the back of the swarm there is the faint light of dawn but the light is distorted and things are not as they appear. There is no longer the sharp lines of demarcation between black and white. Gray is the predominant color and haziness is the predominant view.

No one knows what has just happened, although everyone knows something of profound importance just did. Confidence has been replaced by doubt and boldness with fear. The mighty have been brought back to earth and the poor have been squashed beyond recognition. The land is barren and the shelves are bare. The markets are empty and the roads are untraveled. There is a hush that lies over the land that is missing all sounds of industry and traffic. Commerce has ceased and all stay huddled in their abodes.

What has happened, a few dare ask, as they tenderly walk outside in the murky twilight. Where are the lights, the roar of big trucks, and planes taking off and trains roaring down the tracks? Where are the kids normally yelling and screaming? Where are the sirens of police and ambulances and fire trucks going about to save people’s lives?

What has gone here and what is to happen. There is no electricity, no radio and no television or computers. Even the dogs have ceased to bark and nowhere is found the sound of life. People are still there for the hushed sounds of whispers can be heard coming from dark houses and even darker buildings. No one wants to move lest they be discovered by a foe they do not know. No one can call for help. No one is injured or trapped in demolished buildings or heaps of rubble.

Finally a baby’s cry breaks the silence. Then there is another and another. Cries can now be heard erupting from all over the town. Wailing and moaning as if people were crushed and in intense pain. Yet, there is no physical trauma and nothing to account for the cries filled with pain and sorrow.

People are awakening to the stark reality that life as they knew it was over. Whatever had blown through was so devastating it demolished all that everyone had built their lives upon. Nothing worked, no running water, no air conditioner, no vehicles, no computers, to telephones and no light. As the sun starts to set, the reality of the impending total darkness starts to settle in. The wails turn to screams as countless people must confront their worst nightmare; a night with no light.

Into the town ride messengers of the most High God delivering a message directly from Him. The message is not what anyone wants to hear. The message is one of repentance and turning to the truth and not that all will be well. The people riot and rip the messengers off their horses and kill them. They wanted a message that the lights would be turned back on shortly and heard just the opposite.

Screams pierce the night air as helpless women are raped in their homes with no one to protect them. Houses across the town are pillaged by robbers who take everything of value with no one to stop them. Fights erupt as people trip over others, unable to see them lying in the streets. There is no reason and no comfort to be found. Only gloom and dismay hangs over the town.

After what seemed like thirty hours of night, the sun did come up, but not as they expected. It lacked the brilliance they were used to. It was not cloudy, but the sun looked like it was shrouded in clouds. There was not the heat that usually came with the sunrise. Everyone was cold, tired and scared.

There was no news for there was no media. There was no way to find out what had happened or if it were going to get better or worse. Lack of knowledge aroused even greater frustration and fear. Panic set in as people literally went insane.

The sick soon died for lack of medicine. The weak soon died for lack of food. The infirm soon went crazy unable to cope. The ruthless soon went on rampages fulfilling every evil desire they ever imagined. There was no order and there was no compassion. Every man was for himself and every man sought to destroy his neighbor before he was destroyed.

The Passion of the Global Warming Religion

2008-03-30T15:01:00.002-05:00

I have posted close to 100 times on a secular site since last summer. I have posted on Biblical topics economic issues, disasters, politics, ethical dilemmas and even sports. Although viewed by close to 10,000 people, there have only been two posts which have ever generated attacks on me personally and my beliefs.

The first was when I dared write on a bill signed into law last fall in California virtually eliminating the usage of “mom and dad” in schools lest it upset same-sex couples. I was ripped by every group possible for my non-progressive views and intolerance for complaining about the bill. Not one conservative Christian ever came to my defense. Every comment was punishing and extremely personal as to its vindictiveness. These types of people do not take kindly to someone saying their devilish lifestyle is sin.

The other day I wrote a post daring to expose the “Global Warming/Climate Change” hoax for what it is and possibly linking the movement and its grand guru Mr. Gore to Revelation 13. I have evidently hit the hottest button of them all. Within minutes of the post, I was flooded with comment requests from mainly Christians vehemently upset that I dared state there was a rapture of the church coming and after the thousand year reign of Christ, God would destroy this earth and create a new one. Oh my, this evidently is pure blasphemy.

Within a few hours I have been called every imaginable name in the books for daring to say that “Global warming/climate change” might be now considered a religion due to the fervent behavior of it adherents and that there might be a rapture. No one is complaining that I hint that the movement might be the worldwide religion of the Book of Revelation. No one is complaining that I hint that Al Gore could qualify for the false prophet job. No one cares about anything important. They only care to trash a fundamentalist belief (the rapture) and a perceived destroyer of the environment.

A recent comment railed on me for being lazy and that I was the reason the environmental revolutionaries will rise up and squash people like me for being the source of the problem. In other words, since I dare to disagree I am now guiltier than the corporations that dump tons of pollutants into the air and rivers? I am guiltier than the countries with NO environmental policies? I guess I am a much more important fellow than I thought I was.

I could honestly care less about a lot of this stuff, but I do care deeply about Christian issues and especially the venom being displayed by those who do not believe in the rapture toward those of us who do. Somehow, we are the villains for wanting to not spend the rest of our lives saving this planet from all the evil man has done to it. It all sounds good, just as many religions do; but at the root of it is worship of earth vs worship of God.

God expects us to be good stewards of this earth. That is not the issue. The issue is a carefully crafted lie that is now universally considered by most people to be true—global warming. Thus, since this is now the perceived truth, anyone not on its bandwagon or fighting against it is a heretic and should be punished. This is real stuff, folks and not just me venting steam. There are people out there who would gladly hunt down and kill people like me for speaking out against their “religion”.

I am simply stating the truth from God’s Word that saving this planet is not our reason for being here. Saving this earth’s inhabitants from suffering an eternity in hell might be, but not saving this planet. I am not going to start hugging trees or participating in any of the ever increasing religious rituals tied into the new “global warming/climate change” religion. I am not shutting my lights off for an hour nor am I going to spend all my time worrying about how many feet the ocean might rise a hundred years from now.

Global warming is a myth and a man-made hoax. All current scientific data states conclusively that we have been in a period of global cooling for ten years. Most scientists not sold out to the myth are far more afraid of global cooling than warming. An ice sheet over New York or Chicago might be more difficult to handle than a 3 inch rise of the oceans.

Green Police can come to my door today and demand I recant my blasphemous words against their religion, but I never will. A multitude of angry “Christian” soldiers can come and demand I recant my statements about the rapture, but I never will. Truth is truth and unless you are willing to stand up for the truth and speak it, then you are part of the lie. I refuse to bow to those who shortly will rule this planet during the Great Tribulation. I refuse to yield to those so called Christians who have compromised THE faith to promote THE lie.

Reluctantly I deleted the post that prompted all this. I simply do not have the time or desire to engage in relentless arguments with people totally unwilling to listen. The issues confronting us all are far bigger and more important than the temperature of our atmosphere.

The Day is Fast Approaching: A Word to the Church

2008-03-27T08:23:00.000-05:00

There are numerous indications that there may be an attack on Israel before the 60th anniversary of her formation on May 14th. There are numerous “soft” versions of this story floating around news outlets this morning, but please read the following from a reputable source:

“Military sources disclose that Hizballah has built up its rocket arsenal to three and-a-half times its pre-2006 Lebanon War stocks. Some of the 40,000 rockets of Syrian and Iranian manufacture can hit Israel targets as far south as Beersheba, 350 km. away from the Shiite terror group’s launching pads north of Lebanon’s Litani River.

Not only has Tel Aviv come within range, but Hizballah and the Palestinian Hamas in Gaza can between them cover most of Israel except for its southernmost tip at Eilat. Using these two surrogates, Tehran can therefore make war on Israel and keep its hands clean ... military sources report the lion’s share of rockets smuggled to Hizballah in recent months are Syrian-made. Damascus has also shipped to Hizballah quantities of anti-air weapons, including shoulder-borne rockets and scores of Russian-made anti-aircraft ZSU-100 automatic 14.4 mm caliber cannon, which are most effective against low-flying aircraft, helicopters and drones."

The prophetic clock is not any way linked to events taking place in the United States of America. From God’s point of view, the only place to look to see where that clock is at is ISRAEL. News such as that written above has little to do with 99.9999999% of the world’s population for they do not live in Israel. But, from God’s point of view, what happens in that little country has a direct impact on 100% of every living person in the world.

God’s prophets in the Old Testament spoke clearly of the approaching “Day of the Lord”. The things spoken of obviously did not take place when Christ came to this earth 2,000 years ago. All things prophetic relating to “The Day of the Lord” refer to events leading up to His second coming when Jesus Christ comes as Lord of Lords and King of Kings to establish His Kingdom on earth from Jerusalem.

The book of Revelation gives graphic details as to the events leading up to this glorious day. Daniel’s prophecy speaks of a final week of seven years immediately preceding the return of Christ. Mid-way in that seven years Revelation speaks of the Antichrist rising to power and becoming the supreme world ruler. Starting in Revelation 13, the final three and one half years before the coming of Christ are chronicled in graphic detail.

When combining the events recorded in Revelation together with all the prophecies in the Old Testament, it is very obvious there are extremely troubling times in store for Israel before Christ returns. That is why news stories such as the one above are important to not only those who live in Israel, but to all who wait patiently for the rapture of the church which happens some time before the wrath of God is poured out in Revelation 16. The book of Romans assures us that we have been saved from the wrath which is to come.

No man knows when Christ is coming back to either gather His bride or to establish His reign on earth in Jerusalem. But, we know from Matthew 24 general things to look for to know if the end is near. We know from reading Old Testament prophecies in the books of the Prophets what will comes directly before that great and notable Day of the Lord. He who has eyes to see and ears to hear should be able to see clearly that the end is fast approaching.

As Christians we need to take heed to the warnings in sections of scripture such as Romans 13 where it says:

“Knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep; for now our salvation is nearer than when we first believed.
The night if far spent, the day is at hand. Therefore let us cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armor of light.
Let us walk properly, as in the day, not in revelry and drunkenness, not in lewdness and lust, not in strife and envy.
But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to fulfill its lusts.”
Romans 13:11-14 NKJV

When Jesus was here on earth he spoke of “The Kingdom of Heaven was AT HAND”. Romans 13 tells us “THE DAY” is at hand. The Day is the day of Christ’s return. What are we to do before then? We are to cast off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light. We are to walk properly and ethically as in the day, and not in drunkenness, revelry, lewdness, lust, envy and strife which are done by those in the night. In all matters we are to put on the Lord Jesus Christ in our minds and make NO provisions for the flesh to fulfill its lusts.

I leave you with the Lord’s Word to His church in these critical hours before His imminent return:

“For you yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so comes as a thief in the night.
For when they say, “Peace and safety” then sudden destruction comes upon them, as labor pains upon a pregnant woman. And they shall not escape.
But you, brethren, are not in darkness, so that this Day should overtake you as a thief.
You are all sons of light and sons of he day. We are not of the night nor of the darkness.
Threfore let us not sleep, as others do, but let us watch and be sober.
For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk are drunk at night.
But let us who are of the day be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love, and as a helmet the hope of salvation.
For God did not appoint us to wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ.
Who died for us, that whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with Him.
Therefore comfort each other and edify one another, just as you also are doing.”
1 Thessalonians 5:2-11 NKJV

Too Proud to Help? Who Will Help You?

2008-03-15T09:05:00.001-05:00

Here is the question; why should I help some poor bum who sits at home all day drinking cheap wine or shooting himself up with crack and gets monthly benefits from various government programs? Next question: Why should I share of my resources with someone who was stupid enough to live next to a river, over a fault line, on the coast or in a part of the country prone to tornadoes? Final question: Why should I feel it is my responsibility to act as a social worker, psychologist, lawyer, nurse or chauffeur for someone I don’t know, am not related to or have nothing in common with?

These three questions form the basis of why we are seeing a crisis in the care-giving community. More and more people are taking the “hands off” approach to sharing as a direct result of problems in their own lives. The sad reality of this quiz is that if there is no good reason to do any of the above; other than if private citizens don’t do these things, the responsibility will be transferred to various levels of government which will entail raising taxes to pay for more services.

Let there be no mistake about this; the vast majority of Americans would rather walk naked down main street eating cockroaches than personally get involved helping someone they don’t know or are related to. Yet, these same people will without hesitation write a check to a major charity to provide help for these people. What is the deal here? Why is it so repulsive to think of personally helping another yet it is so fulfilling to “write a check”?

Look at this way, if a bum approached you on the street; which would you rather him say: “Got a dollar you can spare” or “Can I come work for you in return for a hot meal”? Of course 99% of all people would prefer the request for the dollar. No one wants to say no to a person trying to do the right thing, but no one wants a stranger coming to his house and stealing him blind, killing his kids and burning his house down either. As much as no one really wants to give a dollar to a stranger, it is much easier to do than face the possible scenarios of dragging a bum home.

My wife and I watched an old episode of “Leave It To Beaver” the other night. The storyline was simply one of a lost cat who kept being fed by Beaver and even after being taken home to its owner, would escape and come right back. The moral of the story was that if you put food out for a cat, it will keep coming back to get fed. The same moral would be true of helping those who are downtrodden and downcast.

Far too many programs are set up to simply provide a bowl of food for people. Of course it is appreciated, but what is really being accomplished? Pavlov proved many years ago that dogs and people are conditioned to respond a certain way. Put the bowl of food out at the same place at the same time every day and the dog or cat will become a permanent guest within a few days. The unfortunate reality of many charity and most government programs is that it amounts to setting a bowl of food on the porch daily.

Simply writing a check to the Red Cross or having money payroll deducted for the United Way sounds good, but does the person have a clue where the money is going or whether it is helping anyone? Yet, by “giving” this way, the personal responsibility is removed from having to actually get involved with other’s lives. Refusing to help “the bums” who won’t work sounds noble, but if taxes are being paid, the person is “helping” anyway through massive governmental welfare programs.

Studies indicate there is a huge number of very angry people in this country who detest the idea of providing any help to the downtrodden. Most of these angry people are white men who can’t stand the idea of any of their money helping some lazy black or Mexican man. I appreciate this sentiment, but it does not make it right. First of all it is extremely prejudicial and racial in tone. Second of all it is incredibly short-sighted and narrow minded in scope. And finally it flies in the face of the attitude of charity this country was built on and which has allowed it to survive and prosper through the years.

These same people who self-righteously proclaim their resistance to helping others because of the color of their skin or nationality will gladly offer help to one of their “good buddies” or their families. They will go to church and offer to fix the roof on the building or donate lumber for a Sunday School room addition. In their minds, this giving is allowable for it is helping the church. But, the idea of giving to help a poor person is “anathema” to them.

Here is the truth in all this. If the church would crawl out of its hallowed walled chambers and get involved helping people in their community; there would be no need for expensive government programs and no need for all the humanitarian charities to be begging for money all the time. If the church started offering programs to help the disadvantaged learn skills and receive tutoring in basic elements of surviving then these people could learn to stand on their own feet and not need others to help them all the time.

But no, the church is too busy buying new pews and putting new carpet down to worry about helping the bum down the street. The church is too busy hosting wedding receptions, baby showers, 50th anniversary celebrations, funerals and teas to spend a lousy dime to keep the kids down the street from dying of malnutrition. The church is too busy locking its doors all but a few hours a week rather than have someone there to counsel and help a person facing a life changing crisis.

Somehow many churches think all they are there for is to provide a place for people to show up to on Sunday mornings. These types of churches have totally missed the point of their very existence. The church is there to help people. Sure, part of that help is spiritual feeding through services and programs, but help is much more than a sermon once a week. Genuine help involves getting involved with a person’s life to the point needs can be established and then met.
For those who are far too angry to help anyone get out of the mess their life has become; I ask you to pause and think about who is going to help YOU when the world caves in around you? I know you say it never will, but sooner or later everyone will have to face the day in their lives when the music ends and friends depart, when death of a loved one causes pain too hard to bear and disease saps the once strong body of all life and energy. Sooner or later everyone faces the day of reckoning in their lives when all they once took pride in fades and all that once made them so arrogant melts before their eyes.

Who is going to help you then I ask of you who are too proud to help another now? When you are old and crippled and can’t even clean yourself up after soiling your diaper, who is going to want to care for that “nasty old codger” who would never give a dime to help all those “lazy bums”. What goes around, comes around and that is a fact. For those too proud, arrogant of selfish to reach out to help others now, don’t be expecting anyone to help you later when you need it.

Servants of Jesus Christ Serving Each Other

2008-03-01T00:30:00.002-06:00

Jesus Christ is to be our MASTER. Jesus, himself, said “no man can serve two masters.” In the same section Jesus also talks about “the eye being single”. This is referring to the single minded attention a servant must have toward his master. We only have two eyes and they cannot be focused on two things at once.

When we carried out God’s instructions in Romans 10:9 and 10; we SAID (confessed) that Jesus is LORD. We said (confessed) that Jesus is the Master and that we wanted Him to be OUR MASTER. If Jesus is indeed our MASTER, then we cannot serve both HIM and ourselves at the same time. If Jesus is our Lord and Master, then we are under obligation to DO as He says and to obey His voice. If we are going to be able to really serve Him, we must make Him the object of our devotion and attention.

The New Testament is full of references to us “serving each other”. Not only are we servants of our Lord Jesus Christ; we are to serve each other in love. The great and simple key to understanding is that we are SERVANTS of Jesus Christ as we SERVE one another in love. We look to Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith to know how to best serve each other within the body of Christ.

We cannot serve Christ, for He is not here to place a blanket around or bring a cup of hot tea. We are His servants, but the ones we are to serve are His people. The last night he was with his disciples, he gave them an example of service which was to carry them through the upcoming years. He got on the floor and cleaned their feet. He lovingly cleansed the dirt and the grime off the most disgusting part of the human body. In Oriental culture, there was no greater way of showing humility towards another than to wash their feet.

Service takes humility. There is NO room for pride, arrogance or haughtiness in service. Christian service demands placing one’s own needs and desires in complete subjection to the desires of the master. The Master’s desire is to see his people blessed, fed, healed and comforted. To do this takes getting down on the floor and washing their feet.

It has taken me my whole life to learn this lesson I am sharing with you now. When we got born again, we made a commitment to make Jesus Christ Lord in our lives. To do this demands subjection of our will and desires to HIS. We have to become His servants and not servants to ourselves, our jobs or SIN. Learning to obey is learning how to be His servant. Learning to look at HIM and not at the world, or at people or ourselves is HOW we learn the heart of a servant.

Once we learn HOW to live our lives looking at Him, then we can serve others as He would if He were here. We are His servants in the sense that we are His hands, and feet. We are to be to others, exactly what He would be if He were here. That is the meaning of being an “ambassador for Christ” and this is what Christian service is to be all about. We are to be the ones on the floor gently cleaning the filth of this world off the feet of those who want to be made clean.

We cannot “save” anyone, for that is God’s job. We cannot “heal” anyone, for only God can do that. We can only do what our Lord left for us as an example, and that is to be broken bread for those who are hungry and examples of our Lord’s life and love. Helping others is not always a matter of “beating them over the head with the Gospel”. Many times it is simply manifesting the sincere love of God through lending a hand or offering help when needed.

A voice from the fourteenth century, St. Teresa of Avila, reminds us that WE are God's hands.

"God has no hands but our hands to do his work today; God has no feet but our feet to lead others in his way; God has no voice but our voice to tell others how he died; and, God has no help but our help to lead them to his side."

A gentleman once took the liberty of refining St. Teresa’s prayer as follows:

"God has no hands but our handswith which to give His people bread.God has no feet but our feetwith which to walk among the almost dead.We say that we are His, and He is ours.Deeds are the proof of this, not words,And these are the proving hours."

Oswald Chambers asks the question, "Are we willing to be broken bread and poured out wine in Jesus Christ's hands for others?" I pray our answer is YES on all counts.

Have the Faith of God

2008-02-18T06:34:00.001-06:00

Faith is one of those words which has many different definitions. Biblically, one must determine by the context whether faith is referring to "the faith of Jesus Christ", the "family of faith" or "firm belief". There is no greater verse in the Bible dealing with faith as an act of utter and complete belief than Hebrews 11:1 where it says:

"Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen."

The word translated "substance" is the Greek word "hupostasis". The word basically means "essence, substance, reality; that which is the basis of something; hence, guarantee or confidence." In other words, the word means "documentable proof, thus providing a guarantee". I believe it was James Moulton who first started using the term "title deed" as the appropriate translation of this word.

A title deed provides proof of ownership. If you can produce the title deed to a property, then you can prove you own that property. When making the dreaded trip to the DMV to get tags for a new vehicle; you must have the title for the vehicle or it will never become yours. A title is the legal proof you own something, even if it is a thousand miles away. If you have the title, the property is yours.

When a person buys a car and finances it through a bank or other facility; the title goes to the bank and stays there until the car is paid off. Although you have the car, drive the car, pay taxes on the car, etc; you do not own the car until there is no longer a lien against it. As long as money is owed on the car, it never really is yours. The same thing happens with mortgages on homes. Until the home is paid off, the mortgage holder is the real owner of the house.

Hebrews 11:1 states that faith is the title deed of things "hoped for". This hope is really nothing more than what we are praying for. When we pray, we have faith that what we are praying about comes to pass. That faith is our title deed to what we are praying for. It is also the "evidence" of things not seen. The word translated "evidence" is an obscure Greek word only used one other place in the New Testament. The word literally means "to convict, or conviction". It is a legal word that is used as a figure of speech here in Hebrews. It would be better translated "certain persuasion" although many versions translate it "conviction".

Faith, that mysterious word with a truckload of different meanings, is the title deed and certain persuasion of things prayed for and not yet seen. Every great person of faith who ever lived knew by experience what this verse was talking about. In fact, the entire eleventh chapter of Hebrews is devoted to those who from God's perspective were men and women of faith. Everyone mentioned or mentioned by name in Hebrews 11 practiced verse 1 and that is what enabled them to make into the "Faith Hall of Fame".

Think of dearly beloved Peter. Out in their boat at night, the disciples think they see a ghost standing on the water. Peter thinks it might be Jesus, but isn't quite sure. He calls out to this ghost and demands that if he is really Jesus, then tell him to walk on the water to him. Ah, Peter knew that only Jesus would really tell him to do it. I am quite sure Peter was not expecting any reply. Much to his surprise, the Master told him ONE WORD; "COME". The word of God doesn't always have to be 2000 words. Sometimes it is only ONE word.

Once Peter had the Word Of God, he either needed to believe it or reject it. Without so much as even thinking about the consequences, Peter climbed out of the boat and started walking on the water to Jesus. Even as he was climbing out, the voices of the other disciples were ringing through his mind. "Don't do it Pete", "You are going to sink", "Think of your Mom, Peter"; everywhere and from all directions he was being bombarded with all the good reasons NOT to walk out on faith to Jesus.

Once you receive the Word of God in your life, start walking. Don't wait around for detailed instructions as to how to get out of the boat and how to handle walking on waves. Just DO IT!! Peter got out of the boat and immediately started walking on the water. When he took that first step of faith, he literally believed what Jesus had said to him was true. In his case, Peter did not need a title deed, but rather a plank, and he got one. Peter's faith in the word of God given to him by Jesus was the guarantee he would not sink when he tried to walk on the water.

Peter did begin to sink only when he "lost the faith" by getting distracted and looking at the waves instead of the Lord Jesus. When we glue our eyes upon the Lord and fasten ourselves to the word He gives us; we can walk on water. We can do whatever it is that God sets before us to do if we have complete faith it came from God and is directed to us.

Nowhere is faith more completely taught, than by Jesus after he has cursed the fig tree and it died overnight. In Mark 11:22 it says:

"And Jesus answering said unto them, Have faith in God."

Some manuscripts omit this verse, some have it as it is recorded in the KJV and still others would have it read; "Have the faith of God". Wow, what a concept that is! To have the faith of God is certainly beyond our mortal mind's ability to comprehend. How much faith does God have? Hebrews 11:3 says:

"Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed (prepared) by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear."

God had to literally create everything as He prepared the ages and fashioned the universe. God spoke, and things that were not there came into being. That is faith! As Genesis 1 repeatedly says; "and God said…" and it came to pass. God spoke His Word and it came to pass because of His faith. Oh how glorious life would be for us all if we could "have the faith of God"! If we could, then back in Mark 11 it goes on to say in verses 23 and 24:

"For verily I say unto you, That whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he says shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he says.

Therefore I say unto you, What things soever you desire, when you pray, believe that you receive and you shall have them."

Faith is powerful. Prayer without faith is like a boat without an oar. When we pray, we need to manifest the "faith of God" in order to see the mountains moved and the things prayed for come to pass. I think we all know that faith is vital to seeing results when we pray. But, did you ever notice what the next two verses in Mark say, immediately after these verses on prayer? Look at verses 25 and 26 squarely in the context of having the faith of God:

"And when you stand praying, forgive, if you have anything against any; that your Father also which is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses.

But if you do not forgive, neither will your Father which is in heaven forgive your trespasses."

Holy something or other; it takes the "faith of God" to forgive others for those things they have done against you and to believe the Father has forgiven you. Do we need to forgive others? We do if we want our Father to forgive us. Honestly, it takes just as much faith to conquer bitterness and resentment and forgive as it does to move a mountain or expect results in prayer.

All these things are humanly impossible, but with God, they are possible. It takes faith to forgive for it goes against our very nature. It takes faith to believe, for the senses say it is impossible. It takes faith to conquer the doubts that keep us from seeing God's Word come to pass in our lives for they gnaw away at us like gnats in the summer. Have the faith of God!

FEMA & FORMALDEHYDE= FIASCO

2008-02-15T09:58:00.001-06:00

In June of 2006 I first started hearing about the possibility of formaldehyde in FEMA travel trailers housing hundreds of thousands of Katrina victims in Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama. When the initial reports started surfacing, they were of course totally rejected by FEMA as well as all agencies charged with the oversight of these deathtraps people were living in.

During the long and hot summer of 2006, more and more people who were exposed to various chemicals in the Katrina flood waters began suffering horrible skin problems. People who had continued living in water damaged homes began to suffer from mysterious breathing problems. People who had been confined to FEMA travel trailers were complaining of headaches and other strange symptoms. All these physical complaints were basically ignored and the people suffering them were more or less told they were "hypochondriacs".

By the summer of 2007, the initial symptoms reported by many had progressed to the point of death or hospital confinement. Indeed, it was revealed that toxic chemicals had been in Katrina's flood waters and anyone exposed to them who had not received a special "bath" soon afterwards was seeing their skin pretty much disintegrate. Those who had initially torn into flood damaged dwellings without proper protection, were being diagnosed with black mold related illnesses. There is no "cure" for this, only treatment of symptoms.

Last summer, more and more of the unfortunate people still confined to FEMA travel trailers were getting sick. A movement was launched to get Congress to deal with the problem. Many people had their trailers independently tested for formaldehyde and the results were staggering. Readings five to ten times above "safe" levels were common and readings far higher were found also. Still, nothing was being done to solve the problem except denying it existed.

Just yesterday, the following article was filed by an Associated Press writer dealing with FEMA's sudden reversal of policy regarding these trailers. Here is the link to the story:

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080215/ap_on_re_us/toxic_trailers

The people of the United States of America want the Federal Government to take care of them from the time they are born until the day they die. They want Federal assistance for everything from health insurance to house repairs after a storm. Because the people want the government to provide help, they are going to receive it, even if it kills them.

Katrina was an unprecedented disaster. The sheer numbers of people who lost their homes was beyond the scope of anybody's ability to plan for such a thing. FEMA should have been prepared and they were not. The states involved should have been prepared and they were not. The large charities should have been prepared and they were not. Due to lack of preparation, confusion ruled and where there is confusion there is every form of evil taking advantage of it.

In the two and one years since the Katrina/Rita/Wilma disasters in 2005, much has been done on all levels to better prepare for future disasters. Most of what has been hammered out is now in a document nobody has ever heard of unless they are involved in disaster relief work. There is now a National Disaster Response Plan in place that pretty much spells out exactly what is to take place when a huge disaster strikes. Obviously, if another Katrina hit, there would not be the confusion and tardiness in action started as there was in 2005.

Still, considering that this plan is squarely in the hands of FEMA, one has to wonder how well it would work and whether situations such as formaldehyde in trailers would be ignored for years. FEMA did not make a lot of friends in Katrina devastated areas. Constantly changing policy, mismanagement, fraud and confusion of all kinds turned a huge disaster into a catastrophic nightmare. Perhaps never in the history of this great land was a more shortsighted and irresponsible plan ever hatched than to order travel trailer manufacturers to cut corners and build trailers as fast as possible disregarding health risks, electric and plumbing codes and even structural guidelines.

The trailers were built in record time. Thousands of people were herded out of motels and cruise ships into these trailers which ended up many times in FEMA trailer parks. That was just about it as far as the government was concerned. Due to labor and material shortages, the repair and rebuilding of homes took well over a year to really begin to make a dent in the numbers of families living in trailers. All the while, as it turns out, these poor people were daily being exposed to chemicals that were destroying their health. So what that they had survived the storm, their lives were a living hell in every possible category.

I personally know many sick people who until recently were doomed to living in these deathtraps. Their only other option was to move back into a mold infested house that was probably unsafe to live in. Let me very clear here; there are health concerns raging all along the Gulf Coast that no one in the country knows about. The upturn in heart and lung issues is beyond the point of being alarming. The mental health issues are so huge that the system to treat them is overwhelmed.

Some physical issues take time to show their symptoms, while others appear quickly. The horrific symptoms of mold take quite awhile to become manifested. Once there, the road to recovery is long and painful. Ask anyone who has had to deal with mold in their lungs how pleasant the situation is. There are thousands upon thousands of very sick people in Katrina damaged areas. The vast majority of these people do not know what is making them sick, nor do they have the means to get treatment.

Those who have been exposed to formaldehyde poisoning should receive complete treatment and a dwelling free from toxic chemicals, at the very least. But, just as those exposed to "agent orange" found out; the government is not very quick to clean up after its messes. Due to the sheer numbers of people involved, those who claim to have medical conditions related to formaldehyde in FEMA trailers will probably end up waiting in long lines, then arguing with insensitive agents and put on a list that will take months if not years to bring to full resolution. Meanwhile, they will be miserable, dejected and many will simply give in and give up. Is that what the authorities really are wanting?

If any major investigative reporting agency ever really took the time to dig under the surface of supposed progress in the states affected by Katrina; they would quickly find issues that should be at the forefront of political campaigns instead of the meaningless ones that get all the headlines. There never was much love for the Federal Government down in Katrina land, but after this FEMA travel trailer fiasco, Montana might have another area of the country barking at its heels as far as extreme dislike for the "Feds".

My earnest prayer is that those in the legal and medical fields will respond to the needs in Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama and provide free help to thousands of hurting people. I pray that those trained in mental health will continue to volunteer to deal with the effects of a disaster that lingers on and on for many. I pray that as a nation, we never forget that although much has been done to repair and rebuild homes and businesses; the rebuilding of people's lives lags far behind.

For more information on the current state of things down "on the coast", please go my website at:

www.heart2heartshare.com and go to the "Sharing Partners" tab and follow the link to "Tri Coastal Community Outreach". Please get in touch with this wonderful group and they have ways to get you in touch with whomever you would need to talk to.

Please America, do not forget that the area which provided the nation with its most horrific natural disaster is even now reeling from an even bigger disaster; dealing with yet more fallout from poor decisions made after the storm. I pray we do all we can to help those who are at this very moment sick, depressed and feeling forsaken.

You CAN Help!

2008-02-10T09:01:00.001-06:00

People all the time ask me how they can help those who are suffering. There are many ways anyone can help, even if funds are low. Today I went to JC Penney store which was having a huge clearance sale. In the middle of an aisle, there was a big rack with many disaster readiness products. There were flashlight/radio which you crank up instead of using batteries, combination grill/coolers, combination cooler/radios and emergency preparation kits.

All these items at one time had a price tag of $40 on them. There were of course mark down stickers as the store was trying to get rid of last year's products to make room for the coming year. Today the sale was supposed to be 75% off. There were 36 of the crank flashlight/radios alone. I spoke to the store manager and we worked out a deal that if I bought all the stuff, he would cut the clearance price in half again.

I was able to get essential items that will save lives in hurricane prone areas for 10% of their original cost. In other words, I got 10 items for what only 1 cost not too long ago. Of course I now have all these boxes out in the barn awaiting my next journey down to the Gulf Coast. The point is; if a person is willing to spend a little time bargain shopping, there are incredible deals out there that could greatly help either yourself or someone else.

I was thinking today that if everybody went to their local JC Penny store on Monday, they could get the same items I did at the same price I did today; for that is their next mark down. Anyway, if people with a heart to help others did this, then we could have enough of these products scattered around to then figure out how to get to where they are needed before they are needed. If anyone follows through on this idea, and ends up with a large amount of these products; please go to my Heart2Heart SHARE site and contact me.

In previous posts I mentioned the need for food. This need has grown greatly with the recent tornadoes. We are not to the point we were after Katrina when we needed to have huge city-wide food drives; but someone needs to start putting some kind of drive together and start collecting canned and boxed goods to be shipped to various locations when needed in a few weeks.

Some of you do eBay. Did you know that eBay allows you to specify a certain amount of a transaction go to the charity of your choice? Many charities have people doing nothing but selling things on eBay. Individuals can also allot a certain percentage of certain products to go to charity.

Starting in April and running all summer, every Saturday you could get your car washed ten times if you wanted by various youth groups raising money for trips. Car washes, bake sales, yard sales and auctions are all great ways to show support for a group. They are also wonderful ways to generate excitement and get more people involved.

I cannot begin to communicate the urgency of need in certain areas. I know from my travels last year that the areas hit hardest by the tornadoes earlier this week are currently being well taken care of by FEMA and the big charities such as the Red Cross and Salvation Army. But, in the not too distant future these groups will all pull out and leave everything in the hands of what is known as "long term care committees". These groups are made up of representatives from various charities, churches and civic groups in the local community. Their purpose is to identify needs and work together to find ways to meet them.

This is all well and good, but what these groups will need soon are resources. It takes money, supplies and volunteers to rebuild a community and restore families to some degree of normalcy in their lives. Usually about two months after the disaster, that is when the needs start really piling up and the avenues for giving and service do so also.

No one needs to feel they cannot help their neighbor in need because of lack of finances. There are many ways to help. When I got back from my first journey to Katrina devastated Mississippi back in 2006, numerous people took it upon themselves to go door to door asking people if they had anything laying around the house not needed any longer to donate to the cause. Within a week, I had a huge truck full of everything from clothing, to furniture, to food, to building supplies and books.

At any given time, if one person gets it in their heart to share, and the fire starts burning brightly; their enthusiasm becomes contagious. Before long, others want to get involved because it is so much fun to quit worrying about yourself and become totally concerned about others. If anyone wants to do this and manages to round up some supplies; please contact me and I will arrange to pick them up wherever you are.

My Dentist and his wife left on a trip last Wednesday night. Every year they take 10 days in early February and go to a small clinic in Haiti to donate their services. When asked why they do this every year, the answer is "it is rewarding". Giving of yourself to another in need is indeed rewarding. It makes us feel good to know we are helping someone else. That is the way God set it up to work. Our greatest rewards in this life are not the ones we earned, but the ones we receive in service to others.

Please, there are more people in need now than ever before. Anything and everything you can imagine is desperately needed by someone, somewhere. There are numerous areas still devastated by Katrina. There are many communities still reeling from floods and tornadoes last summer. There are plenty of localized situations we see advertised on bulletin boards every week. There is plenty of need to go around. I pray there is plenty of help to supply those needs.

Food Crisis: Urgent Appeal for Help

2008-02-04T10:03:00.001-06:00

As more and more "extra" personal funds are being diverted to pay for mortgages, gasoline, food and entertainment; there is less and less available for charity. This is the report I am receiving from numerous places scattered around the country. This alarming trend must be abated for the sake of those suffering in situations they cannot deal with. A difficult as times may get, economically; we must never lose the fervor which has sparked charities in this country for decades.

Even if the economic stimulus package ever gets through Congress, it will be May at the earliest before anyone receives any money. What is worse, this package is not geared for those in dire financial straits; it is geared toward those who would use the money to buy more "things". It is an absolute travesty of justice for the House of Representatives to have passed this measure with NO checks going to senior citizens only living on Social Security.

Perhaps the Senate can add this to the measure, but there is strong resistance from politicians who for some reason don't want seniors to spend money on prescription drugs, rent or utilities. The same thing is being rammed though in relation to the poorest of the poor. Little or no money is available for them. But, in an equally shortsighted and stupid move, the Senate wants to give people making hundreds of thousands of dollars a check. It makes absolutely no sense to give people making $500 thousand a check and not give some poor senior citizen trying to live on $800 per month a check.

Obviously all the politicians want is to get free money into the hands of people who will re-elect them next fall. Pity the common folks who need an economic jolt; they are not important. I hate politics and politicians with a passion. How shortsighted, stupid and ignorant can they be to put this country deeply in debt to hand people a few hundred dollars with the stipulation it is to be used for plasma televisions, new furniture or a down payment on a new car. It makes my blood boil that this is all going on when the nation's attention is fixed on Super Bowl and Super Tuesday.

At the bottom of the economic ladder are many suffering families. The needs piling up among those who are trying to scrape by making minimum wage or attempting to live off of Social Security alone are staggering. In the ultra poor areas, disease, heart attacks, strokes and stress related disorders of all types are exploding. The corresponding medical bills are staggering. Crime is dramatically increasing as desperate people are resorting to desperate measures to find the money to feed their families.

I am very aware of the problems with drugs and other addictions that run rampant in poor areas, for I have written about them here. But, I am also aware of the desperate condition many families are getting into. They have no hope, no way out and no one to help them. Countless small charities have shut their doors in the past few months. They cannot find supplies and in some cases volunteers to help. Food banks have little food and that which they have has to purchased at very high prices.

If a community outreach center tries to provide a box of food per week for a family to help bridge the gap and keep them from resorting to crime or eating trash out of bins; the cost of the food in that box would conservatively be at least $50. If the center tries to help 100 families per week on average; that means they need $5,000 of food supplies per week to fill the boxes. This translates into over $20,000 of food per month. Where on God's green earth are these charities going to find this kind of money?

Food banks have "stood in the gap" for years making available canned goods and even frozen foods to charities at a dramatically reduced price. They were able to do this because of arrangements with many huge suppliers of grocery products that would donate as "gift in kind" excess, soon to be expired or discontinued products. Food banks would have to pay to get the products shipped in and stored. They, in turn would charge the individual charities a small price per pound to buy the product.

After a huge disaster, such as hurricane Katrina, vast amounts of food would be donated to the Food Banks, and shipping would be donated also. As a result, local charities could receive emergency food supplies free of charge for a season. In the case of Katrina, this went on for well over a year. Sooner or later the supplies run out and things go back to the old "price per pound" method.

Currently, most food banks are charging local charities around 18 cents per pound for food. That doesn't seem like much until you stop and realize how heavy a can of any kind of food is. A can of corn weighs just under a pound. That means a can costs a charity 18 cents. If the charity wants to put a can of corn in each of the 100 food boxes; that amounts to $18 just to purchase the corn. Now start adding in other vegetables, fruit, pasta products, and canned meat and the price starts skyrocketing. Just ten different canned products push the food bank bill up to $180 per week. Add in some frozen meat and other products to fill the box up and one can see how the total bill can end up far past the charity's means to pay for it.

Here you have the crux of the current problem. The need is great in poor areas and getting greater by the day. Local charities are closing due to lack of supplies and/or financial means to purchase them. The charities which remain, must now handle a marked increase in numbers of clients. Even if they had budgeted for the year and done fundraisers to get the money to stay afloat; with the increase in volume, they quickly are overwhelmed and find themselves in the same situation as the smaller charities. It is exactly like dominoes hitting each other and they all end up falling down.

Somewhere along the line, there has to be a domino strong enough to stand. Somewhere the collapsing charity train must be kept from totally derailing. Somewhere, someone must receive the wherewithal to keep receiving supplies and/or funds to purchase them so they can take care of the people. We must continue to fight for the "little guy" in the realm of community outreach, or people will end up literally starving to death.

Here is a dirty little secret no one knows; the government social agencies when confronted with a starving family can do nothing more than refer them to a PRIVATE charity to find help. So, for those who insist it is the government's problem, go tell exasperated social workers that. Well, if not the government, it should be the big charities. Bless their hearts, they are doing the best they can, but are slowly but surely having the same noose tightened around their necks when it comes to food.

Then surely the local churches will help the people. The truth is, very few churches have any money available in their budgets for local mission work. What few churches that do have the funds, usually can't help more than a handful of people and then run out of supplies. They quickly refer the people to the local community outreach centers; and they cycle starts anew.

We are truly facing a crisis in a realm no one believes exists. Very few Americans really believe there are people in this country starving. Don't just take my word that there are, go find out for yourself. Sure, some of these people brought it on themselves and need to go get a job. But, there are countless tens of thousands who through no fault of their own, find themselves without shelter, heat and worst of all food. Many of these people are over 70 years old with no family to help them. Many are single mothers or families being raised by the eldest child because the parents are strung out on dope.

There are many reasons why people end up at the end of road with nowhere to go. There are many reasons why people end up homeless, penniless and hungry. There are many reasons people cannot afford medical care or insurance. To lump all these people together and say it is "their fault" and refuse to offer aid to them is paramount to abuse. To dump all these people on governmental agencies, big charities, churches or community outreach programs; and NOT SUPPORT THEM is nothing but hypocritical arrogance.

Please, any of you reading this, if there is any way you can help; there are thousands of innocent victims suffering out there. These are not people in Africa or Asia, although there are millions suffering in those places also, they are in this country. These are people who may have at one time been your neighbor or co-worker. They may have checked you out at the store for years. They may have had children who went to school with yours. They may have gone to school with you. The people in greatest need just might be someone you know but don't know it.

How can you help? The food banks need major donations from suppliers, retailers, distributors and wholesalers. Mid-level charities need supplies such as truckloads of boxes of food, baby products and senior items such as meal-drinks and adult diapers. Smaller community outreach programs need FUNDS to purchase food from the food banks to keep providing a little help to those who are most desperate. Individual families need SPONSORS who will develop relationships with them and honestly find out what they need both short term and long term. Individuals need someone to work with them and direct them to a path that leads to self-sufficiency.

Please, America, don't become so self-absorbed you forget to "love thy neighbor as thyself". Please remember the golden rule of "doing unto others as you want done unto you". Instead of smugly criticizing those who have fallen on the hardest of times, why not try sympathizing with their situation. Who knows, you might be in the same boat they are in sooner than you think. If America rolls up its collective sleeves NOW, we can head this crisis off at the pass. If America turns up its collective noses now, then it is only going to get worse and more painful to deal with in the future.

If you want more information on various groups desperately in need of help; please go to my Heart2Heart SHARE website and click on SHARING PARTNERS. Here is the link to that website:

www.heart2heartshare.com

Thank you for your prayerful consideration in this matter. It really is a matter of life and death for many people. God bless you.

Standing Against the Flood of the Enemy

2008-01-30T20:46:00.001-06:00

I went out to feed the horses early yesterday because I knew incredible weather phenomena was coming through. When I left to make the 1/8^th mile trek up to the horse barn the temperature was 70 degrees with no wind. By the time I got back about twenty minutes later; the temperature was 50 degrees and the wind was blowing around 50 mph. Some twenty minutes later, the temp was down to 35 degrees and the wind was still blowing about 40 mph. In fact, I think every leaf in Kansas has blown across the state of Missouri to where we live.

Although, thankfully, there are no storms at the moment (quite unusual), this experience with an extremely strong cold front brought back memories of many pictures and videos I have seen of the storm surge that wiped out the coast of Mississippi during Katrina. Amazing video was shot from the Air Force base at Biloxi of the surge engulfing the parking lot and in a matter of minutes totally covering cars and buildings.

The Bible speaks of the enemy "coming in like a flood." When he decides to "invade", he holds nothing back. He aligns his forces to smother an area just like in a storm surge, or like the winds we are currently experiencing. He holds nothing back when he decides to put a person, place, church or city under "siege". In the Old Testament, you can see plenty of examples of physical enemies putting a city under siege. Jerusalem certainly was in this category more than once.

There is little that can be done once a full scale attack commences. The work must be done ahead of time. As the scouts motto states; "be prepared" is the only way to withstand the rushing winds or rising floods of the enemy. Ephesians 6 tells us to put on the whole armor of God, leaving nothing uncovered where a dart might get through. Once the armor is in place, the preparation stage is complete, then it says to STAND.

The hardest thing to do is STAND when facing hurricane force winds. Yet, that is one of the great keys to victory in spiritual warfare. There are certainly times to back off and there are times to retreat. But, in the heat of the battle, the need is to STAND. The victor is determined by who is left standing at the end of the battle.

The principalities and powers in high places that we war against are not to be shrugged off or treated lightly. These high ranking officers in the devil's army are powerful and crafty beyond description. They seek only the destruction of those who they feel are a threat to the devil's aims and goals. All they do is ultimately directed at those who are STANDING for God. That is where the battle rages. Between those who are attempting to be "faithful in Christ Jesus" and those who are high ranking officials in the devil's chain of command. "We wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities…" Ephesians 6 tells us.

I believe God lets prayer warriors know ahead of time of an impending spiritual invasion. The heaviness and oppression we feel is the way God has set up to alert His warriors as to what is COMING. Once the sign has been given, the warriors must go into battle mode and pray as never before, and they must alert others to the upcoming event so they may prepare.

Last August I was attending a conference. After the key speaker spoke one night, there was the typical prayer service common to Assemblies denomination (where the conference was taking place). Not being of that persuasion, I didn't know what was coming. The speaker requested any and all those engaged in Christian service to come forward. I did as I was told and waited for the men to make their way down the line to me.

When they started praying over me, they were praying that whoever and whatever was seeking to destroy what I was doing for God would cease. Specifics were giving as to the particular person who was spreading deceitful lies and the prayer was made to make him stop. This was all news to me. I didn't know anyone was attempting to do such a thing.

Afterwards, I met up with the gentleman and asked for further details. He told me exactly what God showed him, complete with a "tattoo" on the arm. We prayed again and as much as I would like to say I found the person and stopped him, I never did. But, whoever it was succeeded in causing me no end of trouble. I must confess it was my own fault for not investigating further as to whom this mysterious person could be, but I got distracted and never did.

The enemy can be strong and powerful as well as crafty and extremely deceitful. Either way, we need each other's prayers to help us be strong enough to spot and withstand his attacks. "Be strong in the Lord and in the Power of His might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil." Ephesians 6:10 and 11 says.

The word "wiles" can be translated as "strategies". The devil and his gang operate off of strategy. They don't do what they do on a whim. They study their target, find the weak points and then arrange a strategy to attack those weak points. Wicked spirits from on high are sent in to wage spiritual warfare against a saint, a fellowship of saints, a city, a state or even a nation. The book of Daniel speaks of Michael returning from battling the enemy in a certain geographical area.

Our mission, if we decide to accept it, is to PUT ON the whole armor of God and to STAND. We listen to the prayer warriors, we put on the whole armor of God, we pray and having done all, WE STAND. That is our mission and that is our calling in times of intense spiritual warfare.

The Price of Commitment

2008-01-29T20:24:00.002-06:00

I deplore religion. I deplore those who use religion to promote 100% secular causes. I deplore religious people who don't have one ounce of Christian blood inside them. I am a Christian and I am proud of it. My citizenship is not of this world and I do not pledge my allegiance to any nation or government of man. My king is Jesus Christ and to Him and Him alone I am committed. No institution of man, no religious ruling authority, no principality or power has any right to my heart or dominion over my soul.

Those who wish to cower in the shadows and hide from the stomping boots of agents bent on the destruction of "Christians" should be the first ones shot. They are a disgrace to those who gave their lives as martyrs for Christ. Cowards run for cover when the enemy approaches. Cowards should be the first ones fed to the hungry lions.

I am very tired of "playing religious games" with people who never have or ever will know and love Jesus Christ as a true Christian does. "Religious" people are not Christians simply because they practice some religion. Christianity is not a religion; it is a way of life. Christianity is a FAITH, not a system of rules or traditions of men.

I pray the next time some crazed madman aims his automatic weapon at people that he would first dare any Christians to be first in line to be shot. I would pray that there would be some who value their King more than their physical lives. I would pray there would be some willing to make the ultimate sacrifice for God. Oh how I pray there will always be a few true Christians around to show the enemy he cannot intimidate everyone.

I thank God for those who have served in the military. I understand the concept of fighting for freedom. I also understand that in spiritual warfare, there is only one thing the enemy understands and that is boldness. Peter speaks of our foe as a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour. A lion's roar freezes its prey in their tracks. Out of fear they stop and the lion has an easy lunch. When the lion roars, roar back at him. Don't just stand there shaking in your boots. Take out the sword of the spirit and cut off his tail as a souvenir of your encounter!

Fear freezes people and renders them easy prey for the enemy. Animal experts say that if a wild animal senses fear in its victim, it will immediately attack them. So what if the enemy snarls and growls madly. Snarl and growl right back at him. No fear has to be a true Christian's ironclad rule of combat. If the enemy senses fear, he will immediately go for the jugular.

I am not the least bit afraid of dying. I especially look forward to the day when I am hauled before the authorities and given the choice of renouncing my faith or being killed. I would count it my greatest honor in life to give my life on behalf of my king. There is nothing in this life worth compromising my faith for. My life is not my own, for I have been bought with a price. If the greatest thing I can do with this life is give it as a sacrifice to my King; so be it.

In the past 8 months there has been a rash of shooting sprees. First there was Virginia Tech, and then there was Finland, then Minnesota,then Colorado,then Chicago and now Kirkwood. Out of nowhere a wild person suddenly opens fire on innocent bystanders. Is this a bad thing? Of course it is, and the latest incident bears out where this is heading. The gunman in the Colorado shootings stated on his pre-killing internet post that he was going out to kill as many Christians as he could. He hated Christians and his hate bred murder. This started with Cain and continues unto the present.

Cain hated his brother Abel and his intense hatred motivated Cain to kill Abel. The devil hated Christ and the devil hates true Christians for they represent Christ now. Anyone who is daring to walk as He walked and talk as He talked is at the top of the devil's hit list. John 10:10 states that the devil's purpose is to steal, kill and destroy. He lives and breathes to disrupt and destroy true Christian's lives. He plots and plans circumstances to hinder, distract and burden those on his "list". He maneuvers people and situations around to present roadblocks, diversions and other things all for the purpose of thwarting God's plans. The devil is the ultimate orchestrator and manager.

Those who do not like battle, quickly make deals with the devil to leave them alone. They agree to do nothing that would threaten him in exchange for "immunity". They willingly shut up or water down the truth so as to not rile up the enemy. They find other "worthy" things to do with this life so as to not do anything worthy of getting the enemy mad. They are the ultimate pacifists and World War II proved conclusively what happens when you try and pacify the enemy. He steamrolls right over you.

Those who do not have the "heart" to fight the enemy want comfortable "desk jobs" far removed from the front lines of battle. These lukewarm Christians don't want anything to do with the actual "fight". They want to be spectators who get to sit in the stands and watch their Christian heroes do battle with the enemy like watching football on a Sunday afternoon.

Fighting the devil is difficult and entails putting on the whole armor of God found in Ephesians chapter 6. This section of Scripture specifically states that we wrestle not against flesh and blood but against principalities, and powers and wicked spirits from on high. The battle is spiritual and it is not pretty. The devil and his gang are ruthless thugs when it comes to their hatred of Christians. They will stop at nothing to destroy anyone attempting to expose them and their father the devil. Thank God He gave us weapons to fight with. Thank God He has promised us He will never leave nor forsake us. Thank God for the victory, if not in this life, then eternally!

Christians need to stand up and be counted, not retreat into their fancy churches and hide. If Christianity is nothing more than a means to financial prosperity; it is nothing but a man-made religion. If Christianity is a means to become famous; then it is nothing but a man-made fraud. If Christianity is a fuzzy blanket to snuggle up in and hide from all the woes of the world; it is a counterfeit religion. True Christianity entails sacrifice and suffering. True Christianity demands separation from everything this world holds dear. True Christianity adamantly refuses to compromise with the enemy no matter how attractive his offers sound.

Christians need to have some "guts" or they will become fodder for the devil and his hungry legions of lions. Weak Christians breed a weak religion void of power and any real conviction. Christians need to understand that Christianity is not a religion but the rock solid faith of those totally committed to their Master. Christianity is simply that which describes and defines Christians. Christians are those who deliberately seek to become just like the Christ who lives within them.

I direct this post at no one in particular except the enemy. Jesus Christ needs warriors to rise up. He needs people not afraid of dying. He needs people more committed to Him than the world. He needs people unfazed by the screams of those demanding Christians shut up. He needs an army of men and women who count not this life dear to them. He needs people who would rather fight than compromise the truth. He needs people who are willing to burn rather than bow. He needs people unafraid of being cast into the lion's den or the fiery furnace heated 7 times more than normal.

Throughout this world, movements are arising that have one thing in common; their hatred for Christians. The day will come very soon when those who refuse to compromise the faith will suffer the consequences. Lord, I want to be in that number. I want to be one of those you can count on to fight and not run. I want to put on the whole armor of God so having done all; I can stand for God and withstand all the fiery darts thrown by the wicked one. I don't want the enemy to win and thus I feel compelled to fight for that which is true, honest, just and right; no matter the consequence and no matter the cost. Lord, please grant me the desire of my heart; to stand for you, no matter what.

Sobering Words From Proverbs Chapter One

2008-01-27T07:36:00.001-06:00

As we approach the end of this first month of the new year, I thought it very appropriate to look at Proverbs chapter one. I can think of no other chapter to better lay out the basic outline for all of 2008 than this chapter. My heart cries out for God's people to stop and listen to what God in His everlasting wisdom has to say about life and living it His way.

The very purpose of the proverbs is laid out in the opening verses. Reading from the NIV, let's look at verses 1-7 of chapter one:

"The proverbs of Solomon, son of David, king of Israel:

For attaining wisdom and discipline; for understanding words of insight;

For acquiring a disciplined and prudent life, doing what is right and just and fair;

For giving prudence to the simple (those who lack judgment and are immature), knowledge and discretion to the young—

Let the wise listen and add to their learning, and let the discerning get guidance—

For understanding proverbs and parables, the sayings and riddles of the wise.

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and discipline."

More than anything else, the book of Proverbs is in the Bible to give knowledge and discretion to the young. Older people get stuck in their ways of thinking and living and have a difficult time changing. But, younger people are more capable of learning and changing quicker and with less difficulty.

The book of Proverbs is for wisdom, discipline, understanding words of insight, for acquiring a disciplined life and for doing what is right, just and fair. Think about this for a moment; do we not all want these things? Is it not the innermost heart's desire in all of us to want not only wisdom and understanding, but discipline to do what is right, just and fair in this life? If so, then the wise person must listen and receive their guidance from the wisdom of Proverbs.

Many times in Proverbs, Solomon presents things using a grand analogy. He compares instruction and wisdom to a father and mother giving guidance to their son who is coming of age and getting ready to head out on his own into life. If Proverbs is looked upon from the perspective of imparting parental wisdom, it makes the book much easier to understand.

Verses 10 through 19 present the first of many warnings in Proverbs against various things. Here, the warning is against "enticement" which in today's world would be very similar to "peer pressure". It is very difficult to break away from the crowd and not give into the pressure to conform. Strength of character demands standing alone at times. Wisdom dictates doing what is right not what is popular.

"My son, if sinners entice you, do not give in to them.

If they say, "Come along with us; let's lie in wait for someone's blood, let's waylay some harmless soul;

Let's swallow them alive, like the grave, and whole, like those who go down to the pit;

We will get all sorts of valuable things and fill our houses with plunder;

Throw in your lot with us, and will share a common purse—

My son, do not go along with them, do not set foot on their paths;

For their feet rush into sin, they are swift to shed blood.

How useless to spread a net in full view of all the birds!

These men lie in wait for their own blood; they waylay only themselves!

Such is the end of all who go after ill-gotten gain; it takes away the lives of those who get it."

Those who use physical force to steal from others are committing spiritual suicide. The gang mentality that runs rampant in our cities and even suburbs is perfectly described in these verses. As unbelievably difficult as it is, a wise person HAS to SAY NO and NEVER yields to the pressure to conform.

The remaining verses in this chapter all reflect a general warning against rejecting wisdom. If 13 verses could be placed on television screens today instead of 13 hours of football; Proverbs 1:20-33 would be the verses I would choose out of the entire Bible to lay before people on this day. They are that important and essential to our future well-being, safety and freedom from fear:

"Wisdom calls aloud in the street, she raises her voice in the public squares;

At the head of the noisy streets she cries out, in the gateways of the city she makes her speech:

"How long will you simple ones love your simple ways? How long will mockers delight in mockery and fools hate knowledge?

If you had responded to my rebuke, I would have poured out my heart to you and made my thoughts known to you.

But since you rejected me when I called and no one gave heed when I stretched out my hand,

Since you ignored all my advice and would not accept my rebuke,

I in turn will laugh at your disaster; I will mock when calamity overtakes you—

When calamity overtakes you like a storm, when disaster sweeps over you like a whirlwind, when distress and trouble overwhelm you.

"Then they will call to me but I will not answer; they will look for me but will not find me.

Since they would not accept my advice and spurned my rebuke,

They will eat the fruit of their ways and be filled with the fruit of their schemes.

For the waywardness of the simple will kill them, and the complacency of fools will destroy them;

But whoever listens to me will live in safety and be at ease, without fear of harm."

I have studied and worked these verses inside out and upside down for a couple of years now. They are extremely important verses when dealing with "disaster relief". When people through either their pride or arrogance disregard wisdom's call in any matter, they are going to suffer the consequences. People who build a beautiful mansion directly on the beach are going to someday face the consequences of their foolishness when a hurricane shows mere mortals who is boss! If have no pity for fools who reject wisdom and defy nature. In my humble opinion; they deserve all the horrible consequences that sweep in with the next calamity.

Wisdom, indeed, does "laugh" at people's disaster and mocks them when a calamity overtakes them through their foolishness and stubborn refusal to listen to wisdom's advice. Verse 27 bears repeating for I fear this verse will become the mantra of millions of people very soon. Reading from the Amplified Bible verse 27 again says:

"When your panic comes as a storm and desolation and your calamity comes on as a whirlwind, when distress and anguish come upon you."

A whirlwind is a tornado. I have heard the horror stories of people who lived through hurricane Katrina. Huddled in a corner of a house being blown apart defines panic, distress and anguish. I have personally lived through tornadoes passing directly overhead and felt the change in pressure in my ears, and heard the nails being pulled out of boards and sheets of plywood being ripped off the roof and discarded like cardboard. There is nothing that better describes "panic, distress and anguish" than living through a category 4 hurricane or tornado.

The rejection of wisdom is a very big deal to God. So big, in fact, that He chooses to equate the consequences of rejecting it to the panic and anguish one feels when living through a gigantic storm. Unfortunately, those who have arrogantly refused to listen to God's warnings dealing with what is coming to this world, will have to endure the consequences of having to live through a time too terrible to describe.

The day of God's wrath is quickly approaching. God has issued "Wrath Warnings" since the days of the Old Testament prophets. The last thing God wanted in His written Word was the "Wrath Warning" in the book of Revelation. Those who take heed to the warnings and repent will be "saved from the wrath which is to come". Those who reject the warnings and continue living in sin will certainly be sorry they did.

Well before a severe storm, the National Weather Service issues a "watch". The purpose of a "watch" is to allow people enough time to prepare for a coming calamity. "Watches" are issued in advance of blizzards, ice storms, dry winds that fan fires, severe thunderstorms, tornadoes, tropical storms, hurricanes and even tsunamis. Wisdom dictates taking precautionary measures before an approaching storm. Wise people prepare for a coming weather event and usually survive. Fools disregard the "watches" and usually end up the victims in a disaster.

When a storm is guaranteed to be a reality a "WARNING" is issued. Warnings are not given unless the situation has reached a crisis point. Warnings of all kinds are there for a reason. Only fools disregard warnings out of their arrogance and pride. It is truly amazing to look back on a situation such as Katrina and realize there was ample time for evacuations if people had heeded the "Watch" which was posted well in advance of the event. There was even time to escape once the "WARNING" was issued. For whatever the reason, those who deliberately decided to "ride out the storm" were the causalities of it. Those who properly prepared were the ones who endured the storm and had to deal with only physical damage instead of physical death.

The message of Proverbs chapter one is very sobering. Remember it says that when the horrible calamity strikes THEN those who arrogantly defied wisdom's call will cry for help. The Bible says that wisdom will not answer. It can't answer for it is too late. Wisdom cannot help AFTER THE FACT. Wisdom can only provide answers BEFORE hand. When it is rejected and arrogantly discarded when it could have helped; it is of no use after the calamity strikes.

I do not envy what those who hate the true knowledge of God and choose to NOT fear the Lord have to look forward to in 2008 and beyond. Those who will not accept God's advice written in His Word and those who spurn and flat out reject His rebuke; WILL eat of their own fruit and that fruit will not be good. The waywardness (turning away, backsliding) of the simple (the fools) will kill them. The complacency of fools will destroy them.

In Isaiah 32:6-8 it says:

"For the fool speaks folly, his mind is busy with evil; He practices ungodliness and spreads error concerning the Lord: the hungry he leaves empty and from the thirsty he withholds water.

The scoundrel's methods are wicked, he makes up evil schemes to destroy the poor with lies, even when the plea of the needy is just.

But the noble man makes noble plans, and by noble deeds he stands."

In due time everyone will eat the fruit of their decisions in this life, whether good or bad. The fools and scoundrels will eventually receive the reward they are due for their wickedness, folly and selfishness. In due time, he who is noble and listens to the voice of wisdom and does what is right in the sight of the Lord will receive the reward due to them.

Allow me to close with repeating verse 33 from Proverbs chapter One from the Amplified Bible:

"But whoso hearkens to me [wisdom] shall dwell securely and in confident trust and shall be quiet, without fear or dread of evil."

No matter what the rest of this year brings, it is available to dwell securely and peacefully with no fear or dread of evil. PLEASE allow wisdom to guide and direct you to safety in this upcoming year of potential upheaval especially in the financial realm. God Bless You.

Disasters 2007: More Than Ever in This Country

2008-01-20T21:08:00.001-06:00

Having witnessed the devastating effects of numerous kinds of natural disasters, I can say that regardless of the way in which nature vents her fury, man's edifices don't fare well. In a matter of a few weeks last spring, I surveyed the damage done by tornadoes in three separate places. The only thing different with each situation was the location. In each case, the physical damage and mental anguish was identical regardless of the community.

A tornado, more than any other meteorological event, is unique in its compact yet incredibly destructive character. Even the largest tornadoes on record rarely are greater than one mile in width. From that perspective, a tornado is an exceedingly small force. Although a tornado is compact, it is ferocious and tenacious. A tornado doesn't come close to impacting as many people as a hurricane; but those it does impact suffer more violent damage than most people who endure hurricanes ever have to deal with.

It is interesting to note that next to sustained winds over 100 mph and the storm surge; the thing most to be feared with a hurricane coming ashore are the tornadoes that many times erupt near the eye wall of major hurricanes. No one can definitively say for sure, but it was estimated that there could have been 50 or more tornadoes accompanying both hurricanes Katrina and Rita ashore back in 2005. Local people who lived through both of those hurricanes claim there were hundreds of tornadoes but the weather experts deny that is possible.

Regardless of how many actual tornadoes happened; the damage on the ground would indicate there were multiple tornadoes touching down for short periods of time in multiple locations. Even after a hurricane hits, the damage caused by a tornado will still be unique. Talking to people who were huddled in their homes or in shelters while those storms roared by, many of them described sounds and sensations tornado victims always speak about. Personally, I believe there is much not understood in the realm of tornadoes associated with land falling hurricanes.

This past week as I was driving up I-44 toward St. Louis from Springfield, I happened to look out the window and saw where a small tornado had hit a two weeks ago. There were the always present blue tarps hiding roof damage on numerous homes. There were piles of rubble where barns stood previously. Somewhere in the path of damage was a family suffering with the unexpected loss of a loved one who was killed by the tornado.

Just a couple of weeks ago we basked in 70 degree warmth for a few days here in Missouri. Sure enough, when a strong cold front came roaring through, the first tornado watches of 2008 were posted and Missouri had the distinction of having watch number one for the year. January tornadoes are very rare anywhere in the United States, but extremely rare in Missouri. Even so, when the watches and warnings started flying, I knew we would be in for a long evening.

A wise person can decide not to build a home near the Gulf or Atlantic coastlines; thus eliminating the possibility of a hurricane destroying the home. A wise person can decide not to live on top of a fault line and thus avoid earthquake damage. A wise person can decide not to live on the side of a mountain thus avoiding forest fires and mudslides. A wise person can decide not to live on the banks of a river or stream, so as to avoid the inevitable flooding all moving bodies of water experience.

Yes, a wise person can decide to live in a location immune from many natural disasters, but not tornadoes. Just about anywhere is a prime location for a tornado to hit. Certainly "tornado alley" in Texas, Oklahoma and Kansas are more prone to twisters than say Idaho; but other than living on top of Pike's Peak, nowhere is immune from the possibility of a tornado happening. Where exactly is one supposed to live if they are sincerely desirous of escaping nature's wrath? About the only place might be Vermont, but even that state has its share of wild winter weather events.

Far too many times, the attitude shown toward those whose lives were uprooted by a tornado is that they did something wrong by living where they chose to live. Nowhere is this ridiculous attitude more prevalent than towards those living in the middle of the country. "Who wants to live in Kansas" was the refrain I heard for years when people heard I grew up in the state. All Kansas used to be known for was tornadoes, Indians, Dorothy and Toto, wheat and endless treeless flat land. Now at least it is also known for basketball and football teams.

When the unprecedented tornado wiped the town of Greensburg, Kansas off the map last spring, there was an outpouring of concern in this country that was unique and inspiring. For the first time, people wanted to help after a Kansas tornado tragedy instead of criticizing the victims for living in the wrong state. For the first time, the United States of America really got behind the cause of rebuilding a tornado devastated city in Kansas. For the first time, America proved what it could do when it sets its preconceived prejudices aside and rallies to help a city in Kansas.

Unfortunately, what happened in Greensburg was not duplicated in numerous other areas severely impacted by last spring's disastrous tornado season. Many more populated places than normal were devastated by major tornadoes or tornado outbreaks last year. Florida, Alabama, Georgia, Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, Nebraska, South Dakota, North Dakota, Wisconsin, Michigan, Ohio, New Mexico, Indiana and Kentucky are just some of the states which suffered catastrophic tornado damage last year. Americans have extremely short memories. Most have long forgotten the horrible tornadoes that plowed through Alabama and Georgia last March, including the one that killed numerous high school students in Enterprise, Alabama.

Last year, in addition to the outrageous tornado outbreaks, there were abnormally high numbers of both flash floods as well as regular floods reported. Historic flooding took place in Texas, Oklahoma and Kansas. Major flooding took place in Missouri, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Wisconsin, Minnesota, North Dakota, Kentucky and many New England states. The cost to repair flood damage was enormous. Yet, floods never capture the public's attention because they are not as dramatic as piles of rubble after a huge tornado or hurricane.

While parts of the country were enduring record floods, other parts were suffering through unprecedented drought. The states of Georgia, Alabama, Florida, South Carolina, Tennessee, North Carolina, Kentucky and Virginia all experienced record breaking drought that in many locales still is going on. Last spring, before the summer rains helped, Lake Okeechobee in southern Florida had reached record low levels. Last spring, fires raged in the swamps of southern Georgia sending dense smoke through much of the northern half of Florida.

Last summer, horrific forest fires raced down the dry canyons outside San Diego and Los Angeles, California destroying thousands of homes in the process. Again, in October a second fire almost burned Malibu off the map. Also last summer, huge fires burned unchecked for months in Idaho, Montana, Oregon and Washington. Although summer fires happen almost every year in the western states; the decade long drought has made them worse than they used to be.

Early this winter a series of storms pounded the coastline of Washington and Oregon with winds normally associated with a category 2 hurricane. The damage was also roughly equivalent to a hurricane. Millions of people were without power for long periods of time between Portland, Oregon and Seattle, Washington. Within a week, the entire middle part of the country was paralyzed with an ice storm never seen before. Oklahoma was especially devastated by so much ice, it took the power companies weeks to get everyone's electricity back on.

Although it turned out to be another very quiet hurricane season (as far as the United States coastline), there was still one small hurricane that made land fall in almost the exact same place as Hurricane Rita did in 2005. The area was still recovering from Rita, so the damage was worse than would normally be expected with a category 1 hurricane. Even twenty-four hours before land fall, there were no warnings and no one expected the storm to blow up as it did immediately before hitting land.

2007 was a very active year weather-wise in this country. If the average American were asked if the weather was "wild" the past year, most would shrug their shoulders and say they didn't know. This is because there was little wild weather in the populated northeast part of the country. Even though there was a tornado that hopped through New York City; most people there would no longer remember it unless their house was damaged. In the absence of a huge hurricane, blizzard, ice storm or terrorist attack; the people in the Northeast cannot relate to the suffering experienced elsewhere in this country.

Images of demolished buildings in Kansas, ice on broken trees in Oklahoma, rivers swallowing up whole cities in Texas, entire towns blown away by a tornado in North Dakota, blackened hills and charred ruins where houses once stood in California and dried up lakes in Florida mean little to millions of people whose only daily concern is fighting traffic and seeing if their sports team won or lost. I hate to say it, but until a major natural disaster strikes the populated areas of the East Coast again; most people there will have little compassion for those suffering elsewhere in this country.

Whatever wonderful things come out of the Greensburg, Kansas tornado tragedy, I hope and pray they do not end there. I pray that anytime a community in this country is devastated by a force of nature, images will emerge quickly and be plastered on the Internet. I pray the major news organizations devote at least some of their precious newscasts to the plight of people whose entire lives were just turned upside down by earthquakes, wind storms and forest fires. I pray the major charitable organizations respond as quickly and in force as they did in Greensburg. I pray the average American is aroused by the images of destruction and suffering and finds within himself the motivation to help those in need either financially or by volunteering to help clean up or rebuild.

It is hard for someone to understand what a person goes through when they lose everything they have worked a lifetime to gain. It is hard for others to grasp the unbelievable suffering that is associated with the loss of one's home, its contents and especially a loved one. It is hard to comprehend the scope of a disaster that may affect upwards of a million people or more. It is hard to capture the hardships people must endure who have no electricity or water. It is hard to experience all these things unless you have seen, heard and been through it yourself.

This past year more Americans than ever before got a taste of disaster relief, for they found themselves in the middle of one. I sincerely pray that as nature once again starts unleashing her fury in the coming months that we remember to help and pray for those who through no fault of their own, found themselves in a natural disaster's path. After all, that is what America is supposed to be all about; neighbor helping neighbor and everyone helping anyone who needs it.

The True Heroes of our Time

2008-01-12T20:38:00.001-06:00

Those who suffer in chronic poverty may seem to be solely responsible for their plight, but that is no more an honest statement than to say every woman who is raped "asked for it". There are some who chose to live in a state of abject poverty because of poor decisions made by themselves or ancestors. Others are thrust into that state because of circumstances over which they had little control. Still others are poor due to the general environment around them (i.e. inner city) or the lack of any way to prosper due to overall conditions surrounding them.

It is grossly unfair to label all those barely making enough to make ends meet as "lazy" or "munches" or any of the other terms bantered about by people who simply do not want to get involved with finding solutions. It is far easier to simply blame the person for the predicament they are in than to look for solutions to help them find a way out.

Politicians are always touting some new program that is supposedly going to eliminate poverty. This is certainly a brilliant way to gather votes among the poor, if nothing else. Starting with various programs instituted during the Great Depression and continuing through the Great Society; the federal government as attempted to solve the poverty problem through playing "Robin Hood". Take from the rich and give to the poor always sounds reasonable and noble, but rarely works in application.

Socialism by its very design is built upon the idea of "redistributing wealth". If those who have too much, in the eyes of the government, are taxed far more than those who have little; somehow this creates "fairness". What it does create is resentment and anger among those who make the most, and that which is collected from them ends up being squandered by selfish politicians who see a chance to bring home more and more pork to their districts.

By robbing from the wealthy through higher and higher taxes, under the pretense of redistributing this wealth to the poor; the government is trying to dictate to individual people how much money they should be allowed to make. Government's role is not supposed to be that of almighty judge and guardian of all. Government is to provide basic services for one and all; provide for a military to protect the country from enemies and pretty much stay out of people's lives.

When government attempts to solve the poverty problem it can be pretty well assumed that it will only make matters worse; and it has done just that. Jesus Christ himself said "the poor you will always have with you", and we will. There have been poor people around as long as there have been people. There have also been wealthy people around either taking advantage of the poor or helping them. The idea that the government is supposed to "eliminate poverty" through some program is utter foolishness. If a government could do such a thing, the Roman Empire should have succeeded if not other powerful dominions.

In a Theocracy, such as Old Testament Israel or Judah; the government and the religious sector were one and the same. Is such cases the role of the government is entirely different than when there is the strict separation of church and state such as in the United States. When a king, such as Solomon had the ability to both dictate as governing official as well as draw upon the resources of the vast number of religious citizens; he could do incredible things to confront the poverty issue. We do not live in a situation even remotely similar to King Solomon's.

Just as today, there were corrupt kings and other governmental officials mentioned in the Bible. These evil men would constantly oppress and fraudulently steal from the lowest members of society. If a person happened to come upon a few coins; someone from the government would be there immediately to demand payment for some obscure imaginary tax or debt from the ancient past. There was no way for the poor to ever get out of their state due to the corruption of governmental officials. Some things never change.

Even today, when someone who has lived their whole life below the poverty line obtains an inheritance or is given a large amount of money; by the time taxes are paid, they are still poor. Of all the evil schemes ever invented by greedy men who have no heart and compassion whatsoever; the IRS tops the list. Nothing is more grossly unfair to especially the working poor than the IRS code. Not just Federal withholding, but special taxes such as inheritance and other "one time" taxes. Any politician advocating the elimination of the current IRS tax code would win my vote any day of the week.

The burden of caring for those who have "fallen on hard times", been devastated by a disaster or disease, have lost everything they owned to a crook or thief, been victimized by governmental policies or other administrative snafus; should fall on first the family, second the church, third the community and finally the government. Do you know what? This is exactly the way it worked until everything changed during the Great Depression.

My mom grew up in true abject poverty. Her entire family was "dirt poor". This included parents, aunts and uncles, grandparents and cousins. Her mother grew up in a large family with little way to provide for themselves. What is interesting is that as tough as times were, it was accepted and "lived with" and no one yelled and screamed for the government to bail everyone out. The vast majority of people were either poor or very poor. As the saying goes; "misery loves company", and back in the old days there was plenty of company to go around.

Because everyone was so poor, they took care of each other. When disaster struck, everyone pitched in and helped either a devastated family or even a community get back on their feet. Families took care of themselves as much as they could, and when they couldn't, the church and neighbors stepped in to help. Only as a last resort did any government agency get involved. Perhaps people need to read or watch again the "Little House on the Prairie" series. Times were different back in those days.

The human spirit is amazingly resilient. Humans learn quickly how to adjust to their surroundings. If in a cave, the body quickly adjusts to the cool temperature so it can live longer. If mentally challenged by stress and pressure; the mind naturally blows off steam so it doesn't go into overload shock mode. During major wars, humans are able to live in impossible circumstances normally never encountered. After a huge disaster, humans band together naturally and help each other (except in New Orleans). Humans are not as fragile as they think they are.

No one wants to live without air conditioning in the summer. But, not that many years ago, EVERYONE did just that; for it had not been invented yet. No one likes washing dishes or clothes by hand; but not too many years ago, EVERYONE had to do it that way since automatic washers had not been invented yet. No one likes having to send a letter through the Postal Service anymore. But, only thirty years ago EVERYONE had to send everything through the mail, for computers and e-mail had not been mass produced and distributed yet.

A person now who has no air conditioner, no automatic washer and no computer would be considered very poor. The same person 100 years ago could have had a million dollars in the bank and been looked up to as one of the wealthiest people in town, yet still not have any of those items. Poverty is in the eyes of the beholder and the criteria for defining it changes with each new generation.

It is very interesting to note that the two groups of people who do not seem to object to "doing without" are newlyweds and the elderly. Everyone in between wants what they want when they want it, and they will go however far in debt they must go to get it. The stubborn refusal to live within one's means has bred a nation of people who appear to be "well off", but in reality, are far poorer than those who have learned to "do without" and still be happy.

As the current financial situation spirals downhill in this country, more and more of those who have hidden behind their paper wealth and used plastic to make ends meet will fall into a state of poverty. There will be much wailing and gnashing of teeth as those who refused to learn how to "make do" with a 24" regular television will have their 82" plasma television hauled off to pay debts. There will be howling and crying as people who defiantly refused to live within their means and drive a late model Chevrolet, watch as their Hummers are towed away due to not making payments.

There is a whole new class of poor people getting ready to appear in America. They are not those who live in inner cities or in the mountains of West Virginia. They are the millions who live in suburbs all across America whose houses, vehicles and "toys" are being taken from them due to their inability to make all the payments needed to keep them. Suddenly homeless, without a vehicle and living out of suitcases and boxes; these newly crowned "poor people" will struggle to find help and someone to care for them the same way their Great Grandparents had to.

Ironically, many of the new "poor" are the very same people who scolded the "old poor" for being lazy and just wanting handouts. These newly impoverished people are the same ones who took pride in NOT helping the disadvantaged, the homeless or the unemployed. "Let them help themselves" used to be their mantra, but now that the shoe is on the other foot; they will cry out for someone to help them. Arrogant fools are the worst kind of fools on earth. But, arrogant fools are the first ones to be proven foolish and suffer the consequences of their foolishness.

No government hand out program will be big enough to help all the people getting ready to need assistance. No one group will be able to handle all the needs that will soon arise in this country. It will take a cooperative effort between families, churches, neighbors, communities and various levels of government to keep this country from settling into a state of riotous hell when the millions of "whiners" suddenly can't even find a bed to sleep on or a meal to eat.

This is the very reason I wholeheartedly support the efforts of those serving their communities through outreach programs. Whether providing meals or transportation or free medical clinics or job training or counseling or prayer; these not for profit groups are an invaluable asset to our communities and are worthy of our support, prayer and help.

Never forget those who labor in the shadows helping those lost in the night to find their way home again. Never forget those who serve without pay and give of their lives daily to love their neighbors as themselves. Never forget those who devote all they have or ever hope to have in this life to the betterment of people they do not even know. Never forget those who are on the front lines of compassion, who share their very lives fully with strangers and vagabonds. These are the true heroes of our time and will be even greater heroes in the days ahead. Please never forget them, support them and pray for them.

Expecting Error From Experts

2008-01-07T05:38:00.001-06:00

"Hello, my name is Dr. So and So and I am here because you know nothing about … and I do. I am the expert, for I went to the University of such and such for 15 years. I am thus your master for I know more than you could ever hope to know on this subject. So, just sit back and listen to me bore you with my grand knowledge and you will know all you need to know."

The preceding paragraph pretty well sums up the attitude of most so-called experts in any field from medicine to sports to religion. I love the weather but I can't stand television weather broadcasters who feel they are everyone's parent when it comes to weather situations. I can't stand condescending experts in any field and just about everyone on television thinks that because they are there, it entitles them to be bowed down to as a god of whatever they are covering.

I have met my fair share of media personalities. Of those whom I have met, I can think of ONE I could stand being around for more than a few minutes. I vividly recall just a few years ago seeing a Cardiologist in downtown St. Louis at a brand new clinic. On the way out, I was approached by a guy and asked if I would mind doing a quick interview for the local television channel regarding my experience at the new clinic. Making a big mistake, I said fine.

A few minutes later, the woman who does all the medical related stories for the station arrived with loud "clickity clack" high heels and with such pomp I thought the Queen of England had shown up. She started barking out orders to her legion of drones that scurried about like ants getting everything just right for her 2 minute segment. It took someone 5 minutes just to get her hair perfect.

After all this time waiting and watching, she was finally told that I was the appointed patient to be interviewed. She looked at me and said; "Not him, get me someone who looks good on camera." That was it, my chance to be a celebrity went down the drain. I didn't make the cut because the "expert" didn't like how I looked. It didn't matter that the reason I didn't "look good" was because I was sick and thus I was visiting the clinic AS A PATIENT which was being highlighted for the news.

Eight years ago I spent many weeks cooped up in a motel room in Rochester, Minnesota while subjecting myself to the varied "experts" at Mayo Clinic. The end result of my nearly two month stay was a laundry list of wrong diagnosis and no help for what had brought me there. All I had to show for the huge investment of money and time was error. I vowed then and I still vow to never again throw myself at the mercy of a legion of experts in the medical field.

I, like I am sure many of you also, have had the unfortunate experience of taking my vehicle to an "expert" mechanic. Sometimes they really are experts, but usually the job is delegated to some guy with some initials after his name who took a class to become an "expert". Isn't it interesting how an "expert" can make the vehicle run WORSE after "fixing it?" My favorites are "tech experts" that handle computer problems over the phone. Some are really good and fix the problem. I have had others who succeeded in so trashing my computer I had to drag it to an electronics store to get what the "tech support" experts did--UNDONE.

Thank you for indulging me as I threw my little tantrum on "experts". Hey, I am an expert too. I am expert on what NOT to do if you want to do things right. I am an "expert" on failure, for I have failed more often than I have succeeded. I am an expert on who not to believe for I have fallen for the lies of more people than I care to admit. I am an expert on many matters that produce nothing of any merit.

I do take pride in the one diploma I would gladly hang on my wall, and it is NOT a worthless "Associate of Theology" one from a now defunct school. No, the one diploma I take pride in owning is the one indicating I have attended the "School of Hard Knocks". This school is open for anyone who has had to learn the hard way what life is all about. This school specializes in those who have been hoodwinked, taken for all they had, sweet-talked, abused and deceived. There are no graduates, for the curriculum never ends. But, there is pride in being able to say you have attended.

Initials before or after a name mean little to me. In fact, most of the people who have hurt me the most in this life, in every realm, had plenty of those letters either preceding or following their hallowed name. No, I prefer to look at the humility of the person who claims to have all the answers and see if they are humble enough to consider all the facts before making a decision, diagnosis or judgment on a matter. I would rather entrust certain matters in my life to someone who has failed and LEARNED from their mistakes than someone who projects the aura that they NEVER make a mistake.

I absolutely cannot stand arrogant and condescending people in any field. Those who look down their noses and make no attempt to hide their feelings of superiority can have someone else's business. I would rather sit with a guy in his "office" out under a tree than sit in a million dollar ornate palace of an office of the foremost "expert" in the world. All I care is that the person is real and treats me as a real person and not a "subject". Unfortunately, most experts only know how to approach others as someone who needs to be "subjected" to their expertise.

It certainly appears that the more one attends various schools and the more initials one gathers to flaunt all the knowledge one has obtained; the more ignorant one becomes of what is real and genuine in this life. All the degrees in the world do not guarantee truth. All the initials in the alphabet following one's name do not guarantee the person knows a single thing about what is real and genuine. All the degrees and initials imply is that a person has subjected themselves to a multitude of hours of propaganda on a particular subject. Such propaganda is only as true as the people presenting it. If they are right, then that which they teach is right. If they are wrong, and only passing on error to the next "generation", then all those degrees and initials stand for is error.

The millions of naïve people in this world who entrust their physical, mental, emotional, financial and spiritual well being to "experts" with 5 degrees and 15 initials following their name usually end up in no better shape than the wise people who listen to a multitude of counselors, but entrust their life to no one but God. Life is a fragile thing and should not be thrown at the altar of arrogant fools whose only interest is vain-glory or financial gain. Woe unto those who abuse helpless souls to further their own ends and serve their own interests.

If I have learned anything from my experiences in this life, it is to be extremely leery of anyone who hides behind their titles. The vast majority of those who "demand" to be called Dr. or Rev. or Sen. or Professor, or "Most highly esteemed", or any other prefix are to be consulted, but never entrusted with one's life or heart. Anyone so arrogant or insecure as to demand their title be publicized and known to all, is someone I can do without in this life. Arrogance and elitism make the skin crawl right off my bones.

I appreciate the sacrifices made by those who attend extra years of college to get a "Masters" degree or the ultimate goal—"Doctorate" of anything. I understand there should be something done to honor the extra effort made to reach such an esteemed level of knowledge. But, to use that title as leverage for wealth or fame is terribly wrong. A title does not make a person any better person than the rest of us. A title does not guarantee a person is right. It only means they have attended school a long time and have received extensive training in a particular field.

If the average person was wrong even half as much as the "experts", he would have no credibility, no friends and no respect. Somehow the "experts" can be dead wrong most of the time, and they are still considered experts. This makes no sense to me and since I can't figure it out because I don't have enough degrees and initials; I will leave be content to be who I am and let others pretend to be who they think they are.

Be Not Overcome With Evil, But Overcome Evil With Good

2008-01-05T09:21:00.001-06:00

If one were to take a survey with the sole purpose of determining what people think is their reason for existing; the results would be as varied as the people asked. Many people would say their reason for being is to make money, others would say it is to raise a family, still others would say it is to be a leader in a particular field. Religious people would say it is to attend church and follow the rules set forth. Angry people would say it is to change the world. Beaten down people would say it is to support someone else.

Perhaps there might be an element of truth in many of these answers, but in reality there are only a few reasons for living. The first and foremost reason is to worship and give praise to our Creator who put us here. Without His very life within us, we would not have a life to begin with. Praise and thanksgiving to our God for allowing us to live is the foundation for understanding our purpose in living.

The other predominant reason for being here is to help others. Compassionate care for those in need defines love. Jesus said to love God and love your neighbor as yourself. Moses said the same thing. Paul said the same thing. John said the same thing. Peter said the same thing. David said the same thing. Woven throughout the Bible is the underlying concept that the very purpose we have in being alive is to love and worship God and to love everyone we come in contact with.

During Jesus "Sermon on the Mount", he laid out some basic principles to being "blessed" known as the Beatitudes, and then spent a very long time describing the details of how to live righteously before God and how to manifest love to each other. Many of the things Jesus brought up were already found in the Old Testament, but many things he taught were new and extremely revolutionary for his time.

Little of what Jesus ever taught was easy to do. Everything he taught was simple, but not easy to carry out. A simple command would be; "Go to the store and get a gallon of milk". At first glance this is a very simple statement that should not be too difficult to carry out. But, what if there is a huge blizzard going on and instead of driving, you have to walk through 3 foot snow to get to the store? What if the store was 10 miles away? What if it was the middle of the night? Simple statements may be easy to say but very hard to do.

A classic example of this is found in those of us attempting to lose weight. It is a very simple thing for a Doctor to tell us; "You need to lose 50 pounds." That is a easy sentence to say but a very difficult one to carry out. The same thing holds true with any addiction, whether smoking or drugs or alcohol. It is very easy to say; "Just say NO." or "Just quit doing it." But addictions are far too involved and complex of issues to be resolved by simply saying "NO". Chemical dependency necessitates professional help to overcome usually.

Another classic example is found in "housebreaking" a puppy. It is simple to say; "Stop peeing on the carpet." But the dog is unable to understand words and thus not capable of doing what it is told. The dog must be taught and through repetition it learns to go outside to do its "thing". It is truly amazing how quickly a dog can learn new habits and thus obedience to new commands if they are taught how to do them. People are the same way.

People cannot simply be yelled at and told to "Stop sinning". Whatever the sin is that they are doing has probably been there for many years and consists of strong habit patterns that must be broken and replaced with new ones before they can obey the command. Too many times, religious leaders lose patience with people thinking they don't want to change, when in reality they don't know how to change. The development of new habit patterns takes instruction, practice and repetition to ever take place.

Jesus was the expert at both stating profoundly simple statements, but also laying out the practical application of how to do them. He did not simply tell people "Stop it"; he showed them how. Time and again in Matthew chapter 5, Jesus introduces a profound and revolutionary new way of thinking and living with the phrase; "You have heard" or "It has been written" or "It has been said." After introducing the subject, he then presents a whole new way of approaching it. One of the more difficult ones was when Jesus said in verses 43 and 44 the following:

"Ye have heard that it hath been said, "Thou shalt love thy neighbor, and hate thine enemy".

But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you and persecute you."

It is easy to love your friends, but Jesus said to love your enemies. It is easy to bless them that bless you, but Jesus said to bless them that curse you. It is easy to do good to them that love you, but Jesus said to do good to them that hate you. It is easy to pray for them who take care of you and build you up, but Jesus said to pray for them who despitefully use you and persecute you.

We live in a culture that demands justice and restitution for every bad thing said and done. We live in a culture that dictates "an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth". Go back some time and read verses 38 through 42 and see what Jesus had to say about this subject. In a nutshell, he said to resist not evil, but whoever smites you on the right cheek, turn and let him smite you on the left one also.

We have spent billions upon billions of dollars resisting evil, hating our enemies, cursing them which curse us, doing evil to those who hate us and never praying for any of those people and nations responsible for the attack on September 11, 2001. This supposedly "Christian" nation has violated every one of Christ's rules he introduced in Matthew 5. In our zeal to render evil for evil and to "pay back" those who dared smite us on the cheek; we have dug our nation into a hole from which there is no way out.

We have sacrificed thousands of our very best young men and women to the gods of revenge, hate and greed. We have spent enough money to totally eliminate poverty and hunger on military missions that amounted to dropping atomic bombs on someone who spit in our face. No lessons were learned from the Viet Nam fiasco, for the same fiasco has now taken place in Iraq and Afghanistan. In our quest to prove to the world how big, bad and mean we are; we have shown how small, weak and vindictive we really are.

If the Gallup poll stating this country is 80% Christian is right, then this country is made up of more hypocrites than all the other countries in the world combined. The Christian response to being provoked is to turn the other cheek, love, bless, do good and pray for those who seek to harm us. How can our enemies think anything but evil of us when all we want to do is destroy them? How can non-Christians think anything good about us when we behave in the same manner as them?

It is high time for the so-called Christian majority in this country to stand up and speak the truth in love. The answers to the world's terrorist problem are not found in the might of the United States Military machine. The answers to the world's financial woes are not found in the strength of the United States dollar. The answers to the world's poverty problems are not found in the greed of United States capitalistic corporations. No, the answers to any of the world's problems are found in Christians doing what their supposed Lord and Master taught them to do.

Our purpose in living is not to overcome the world. Jesus did that 2,000 years ago. Our purpose in living is to show the world the love and compassion of Jesus Christ. Somewhere along the line we as a nation got off track and instead of reaching out to help our enemies, we now feel obligated to crush them. Instead of praying for those who want to destroy us, we pray for might to destroy them. Instead of "heaping coals of fire" on the heads of those who hate us to warm them with love; we heap bombs of fire on them to burn them up.

There is no New Testament justification for war. Peter thought there was on the night Jesus was apprehended. He took out his sword and cut off the ear of one of the guards. Jesus immediately healed the guard and rebuked Peter. Jesus said; "He who lives by the sword will also die by the sword."

I pray daily for the safety of our troops. I pray daily God allows them to return home as quickly as possible. I pray daily for those who make decisions that they realize the error of their ways and stop living by the sword. That is all I can do. That, and write things like this in hopes it stirs a few to stop and think about the hypocrisy of our militaristic response to evil.

Spiritual Extorsion

2007-12-31T07:33:00.000-06:00

Just when I was getting ready to send out invitations to my reflections on the year 2007 “Pity Party”, I was led to read the Apostle Paul’s list of the woes he suffered in 2 Corinthians 11. Before my invitations made it to the printer, I canceled the order because my “party” was definitely not worth attending. Reflecting upon the year now ending in light of what Paul endured on a regular basis makes my year look like a vacation in Tahiti. I have quickly revised my opinion of 2007 and instead of it being one of the most difficult years of my life; it is now classified as one of the most “interesting” years I have lived.

When Paul was breathing out threatening to the believers, he would have had ample reason to be hated and hunted like an animal. But, many years after his conversion, he was now a pillar of the church and in charge of world-wide outreach. He spent most of his time traveling to new locations where he shared the Gospel and worked to establish new churches. The rest of his time was spent going back to previously visited areas to strengthen the disciples. This was all in addition to his journeys to Jerusalem to attend Feasts and meet with the heads of the Church occasionally.

Because Paul had turned on his Jewish friends and upbringing, he was despised and rejected by the unbelieving Jews wherever he went. Their hatred was not limited to scathing criticisms of his doctrine, but also outlandish lies regarding his personal life and character. When all else failed, they acted as common thugs and beat him senseless. Hatred spurs people to do horrific things to other people. Hatred , envy and jealousy are the biggest motives behind assassinations, “mob hits” and gang violence. The Jews hated Paul more than any other Christian on earth.

In 2 Corinthians 11:23-28 Paul lays out a sampling of what he had endured for the Gospel’s sake:

“Are they ministers of Christ? (I speak as a fool), I am more; in labors more abundant, in stripes above measure, in prisons more frequent, in deaths oft.
Of the Jews five times received I forty stripes save one.
Thrice was I beaten with rods, once was I stoned, thrice I suffered shipwreck, a night and a day I have been in the deep;
In journeying often, in perils of waters, in perils of robbers, in perils by mine own countrymen, in perils by the heathen, in perils in the city, in perils in the wilderness, in perils in the sea, in perils among false brethren;
In weariness and painfulness, in watchings often, in hunger and thirst, in fastings often, in cold and nakedness.
Besides those things that are without, that which cometh upon me daily, the care of all the churches.”

Paul lived most of his life in a constant state of danger, which is what the word “peril” means in verse 26. Keep in mind that Paul wrote this epistle around A.D. 54 or 55 and the final epistle he wrote, 2 Timothy, wasn’t written until A.D. 66 directly before his death. In those 11 or 12 years he endured even worse dangers than what he wrote about to the Corinthians. All the things written in Acts after chapter 19 came after this discourse.

Some have said this section in 2 Corinthians shows Paul to be a cranky old man who was complaining to others about all his woes. Perhaps this is correct, but until another person can honestly say they have endured all the things Paul had to go through, they have no right to criticize or condemn Paul for trumpeting his ordeals. Besides, God allowed this section to be in His Word for a reason, and that is to show what someone who really takes a stand for God and His Word must expect.

Paul never won any popularity contests nor did he want to. He was perhaps one of the boldest men who ever lived and when he shared the Gospel and when he shared his heart it was done holding nothing back and with every ounce of honesty in his soul. His enemies did not like hearing the truth and being the cowards that they were; they sought constantly to silence him and his message. Does this sound familiar? It is the exact same thing these people’s parents did with Jesus Christ. They hated his message and plotted and schemed to silence him forever.

In the Old Testament God gave ample promises of physical prosperity and financial success. That is all His people had available to them for the Messiah had not yet come. With the coming of Jesus Christ, the Old Testament physical promises were replaced with the exceeding great and precious promises we have in Christ Jesus. The New Testament is full of SPIRITUAL promises NOT physical ones. God no longer needs His people to be financially rich for they are now blessed with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus.

I know I am going to catch all sorts of criticism for saying this; but the time has come for me to tell the truth concerning what is destroying the Church in not only America but the entire Western world. Whoever invented the “prosperity gospel” certainly did not get such revelation from God. Nothing has done more damage to the truth than the blatant lie that Christians are supposed to be wealthy and be making millions of dollars so they and their families can live in the lap of luxury. This is a lie straight from the heart of the devil and it is destroying the true church.

Paul tried to confront this error in 1Timothy 6 and again in 2 Timothy 2. Jesus confronted the whole subject of covetousness and tried to show by his example how God wanted His people to live. This false gospel that teaches believers to consciously seek to become rich under the guise of then having more to give to the church is insane. All this amounts to is a doctrine intended to put more money via tithes and offerings into the pockets of corrupt religious leaders who need a bigger house or to put kids through college.

READ THE New Testament and find any references to the kind of financial prosperity found in the Old Testament. They are not there, and it is because of the finished work of Jesus Christ. The top heavy ecclesiastical and hierarchal manner in which many churches are administered has opened the door to those in positions of leadership to exercise spiritual extortion over their congregations by threatening them with eternal punishment if they do not give more to the church. WOE unto those who lay this fear of Godly condemnation on the backs of innocent people who only want to do what is right before God.

I am sick and tired of seeing “ministers” steal from their congregations. I have grown weary of mega-churches taking in millions of dollars per week and spending millions of dollars per week on their own needs and salaries. I am very tired of watching the endless parade of people in long flowing robes tell the poor and downtrodden masses that they are not giving enough to the church when the people are already giving more than they have to give.

Where was the church after Katrina ruined the United States Gulf Coast? Many churches rushed to help and are still there helping. JUST AS MANY churches never sent a dime or one volunteer to help out. No way were they going to sacrifice any of the money needed for local church functions and clergy salaries to help an area devastated beyond comprehension. I personally saw hundreds of destroyed churches in Mississippi, Alabama and Louisiana. In most cases, the pastor waited many months, and in some cases is still waiting, for someone to come and help them rebuild.

I have grown weary of the hypocrisy that runs rampant in so many American churches. I am tired of seeing believers sit back and watch unbelievers manifest more love than they do. I am so very tired of hearing all the rationalizations as to why individual believers and churches cannot reach out to help anyone besides themselves. I am so tired of seeing most church budgets reflect on average maybe 2% of their income going to Missions and other benevolent programs.

Yes, I am full of righteous indignation over the subject of where and how the church spends its money. I am mad at the lies being palmed off as truth in the realm of where the offerings are spent. I am angry at fellow-clergymen who see no problem in stealing the offerings of their congregations for personal luxuries and to support sins of the flesh. My heart is full of disgust whenever I read of yet another ministry going down the tubes because of the outlandish abuse of either money or people within the organization.

The Lord needs His Church to be honest and upright not to be as corrupt as the world. God needs His people to rise up as a mighty army and demand accountability on the part of “holier than thou” religious leaders who get away with crimes under the pretense of religious privilege. Woe to those who hide behind their robes and titles while committing unspeakable offences that even the world blushes at.

Yes, when I publish my reflections of the year now ending, I will not complain about any of the things that befell me this year. I count it all joy to suffer the consequences of daring to speak the truth in love. I have been censored before and I am sure I will be again. I have been threatened before and I expect to be threatened again. My life is not my own, I have been bought with a price. Anything I can do or give in this life for others reflects the very reason my Savior died for me. He gave His life so I can give mine.

HE GAVE HIS LIFE SO I CAN GIVE MINE. HE GAVE HIS LIFE SO I CAN GIVE MINE. There, I said what was on my mind. Let there be no question and no doubt as to how I feel about certain matters. I judge no man, but I do hold men and women accountable for their words and actions when they are injurious to God’s people and are for selfish gain. Please, before picking up stones to cast at me for writing this, stop and realize that it would not have been inspired to be written if it were not needed to be said.

HE GAVE HIS LIFE SO I CAN GIVE MINE. That is the message that needs to be shouted in this new year. No more of the “what’s in it for me” attitudes that have ruined Christianity. Jesus did not give his life so believers can be wealthy, live in mansions and sit around the pool all day getting a nice tan. He did not give his life so believers can look at their bank accounts and glory in the millions of dollars being stockpiled for a future life of ease. Jesus did not give his life so that those who supposedly represent Him as ministers could lie, cheat and steal from their congregations. Jesus gave his life so believers can have the joy and the ability to GIVE THEIR LIVES ALSO.

Paul suffered dearly for telling the truth; yet it did not stop him from telling it some more. Unless someone stands up and holds the current crop of religious leaders accountable for their words and actions as Jesus did with the Pharisees and scribes; the church will continue to sink into a state of being a meaningless factor in our society and a horrible failure regarding its very purpose. Let the truth ring loud and clear in 2008.

2007-12-27T10:58:00.000-06:00

I fear that we in this glorious country take for granted far too many things. As much as we all despise the endless election process, at least we do not have to face either the intimidation to vote a certain way as in Russia and other “hard-line” countries, or the assassination of opposing candidates as just happened today in Pakistan. We have our own problems to deal with, but at least we still have the liberty to choose whomever we feel best qualified to lead us.

Freedom of choice is not a matter to be taken lightly. Without the freedom to make our own decisions, we must live in a state of subjection to the agenda and personal preferences of the dictator who is in control. I fear that because of the great schism that divides this country, we all fail to understand how privileged we are to live in a place that promotes freedom of choice instead of just “talking about it”.

Biblically, a generation was generally thought to be about 40 years. If we were to apply that rule today, it would mean that the previous generation ended in 1968. In an eerie coincidence, the previous generation DID END in 1968. Just as the stock market crash of 1929 totally changed the course of this country for almost 40 years; so the events of 1968 set in motion the changes that defined this country’s politics and society for the last 40 years.

On January 1st, 1968 Lyndon Johnson was the sitting President and the upcoming election in November 1968 was generating little interest due to Johnson being “unbeatable”. The country was at war in Viet Nam, but it was still viewed in a “patriotic” manner and the anti-war activists were not well organized as of yet. United States planes bombed North Viet Nam on a regular basis and the ground war was being fought in the jungles by an “invisible enemy”.

The first Presidential primary was not until March 12 in New Hampshire. Unlike now, many potential candidates were still mulling over the prospects of running. There was no two year run-up to the election process in 1968. It started in New Hampshire in March and ended in California in June. Then the candidates were selected at the nominating conventions in August to run in the general election in November. The entire process took 8 months and cost a fraction of what it costs today.

The biggest situation brewing in the country dealt with civil rights. Dr. Martin Luther King had become the spokesman for this cause and was uniting millions of people with the common dream of racial equality. President Johnson had launched his “Great Society” approach to dealing with poverty in 1964, and now there was genuine support building to once and forever eliminate the racial walls that prevented blacks from being on equal ground with whites economically.

Between January and August of 1968, the entire history of America was changed through a series of events that rocked this nation and sent it reeling like a boxer on the verge of being knocked out. One huge event after another completely changed the landscape of American politics as well as its social structure. By the time Americans voted in November of 1968, nothing was as it had been in January. The results of the election in 1968 could not have been foreseen by anyone eleven months earlier. What took place in America 40 years ago was earth shattering and historic.

On January 23rd, 1968, the United States Navy vessel named the Pueblo was captured off the coast of North Korea and the entire crew was captured along with the vessel. The Pueblo was a sophisticated spy vessel and the whole incident was a PR nightmare for both the State and Defense Departments. The crew was not released until December of 1968, so the eleven month ordeal caused major damage to the Johnson Administration both initially and throughout the whole ordeal.

On January 31st, the entire course of the war in Viet Nam changed. On this date, the North Vietnamese launched what became known as the “Tet Offensive” because it corresponded with the start of their New Year (Tet). This huge offensive lasted for many weeks and succeeded in turning the tide of public opinion in America against the war. The “Tet Offensive” took the battle out of the jungles and into the cities in South Viet Nam. Both the South Vietnamese and the United States forces were severely stung by this surprise attack and quickly went from being on the offensive to being on the defensive.

The “Tet Offensive” galvanized the anti-war groups in America and suddenly instead of being a fragmented group of social outcasts and students; they became a huge force united in the common goal of not only ending the war but getting rid of President Johnson. Their biggest political ally was Democratic Senator, Eugene McCarthy, who had long been against the war.
On March 12th, New Hampshire held the nation’s first primary. In a stunning turn of events, the various anti-war groups became united in their support for Sen. McCarthy and he came within 240 votes of winning the primary against a sitting President. On the Republican side, former Vice President Richard Nixon beat Nelson Rockefeller and Ronald Reagan.

The combination of the Pueblo incident, the relentless negative press being given to the “Tet Offensive” and the stunning near defeat in New Hampshire rocked the Johnson Administration to its core. On March 31st, President Johnson appeared on national television to announce he was NOT seeking re-election. This announcement was totally outside the realm of possibility only three months earlier.

Before the nation had a chance to digest the announcement by President Johnson, an event shocked the nation and set in motion one of the most troubling 5 month periods in our nation’s history. On April 4th, of 1968 outside a motel in Memphis, Tennessee; a single shot was fired that totally changed history. One shot from a high powered deer hunting rifle killed Dr. Martin Luther King. In one moment of time, the country was launched into the same disorder currently happening in Pakistan.

Almost immediately, riots broke out all across America. From Baltimore to Los Angeles, downtrodden blacks rushed into the streets to take out their frustration at losing their leader to a white man’s bullet. The race riots would flare on and off for years, but the catalyst was no doubt the horrible and cowardly assassination of Dr. King. The man with “The Dream” was eliminated from being an influence in America in one moment of time. No man since has come close to rallying the hearts and causes of so many people as Dr. King. His sudden loss totally changed the social landscape in America.

After the assassination of Dr. King, the political climate changed in America. Suddenly the candidacy of Robert F. Kennedy took off. Instead of simply being JFK’s younger brother, his views and stands on racial equality and social issues filled the void left by Dr. King’s death. On June 4th, in a stunning victory, Robert Kennedy won the California primary. The Democratic Party was now in total disarray with the Kennedy, McCarthy and Humphrey camps dividing the base. To make matters worse, George Wallace was mounting a third party run capitalizing on his popular segregation views in the South.

Before anyone could take in the significance of Kennedy’s victory in California he was shot. After giving his victory speech at a hotel in California he was shot in the chest as he was leaving the hotel by a Jordanian man who supposedly was upset with his backing of Israel. On June 6th, Mr. Kennedy died from the wounds inflicted upon him by either a deranged madman or someone paid to eliminate the competition.

For the second time in five years, the country went into deep mourning over the tragic sudden loss of a Kennedy. For the second time in two months, the country had to search its heart and soul as an assassin’s bullet silenced a champion of the common people. Once again, Americans had to attempt to make sense of senseless violence. Once again, this country had to prove it could rebound and move on after a bullet defeated a candidate instead of an election.

Four United States Presidents have been assassinated and died in office: Lincoln in 1865, Garfield in 1881, and McKinley in 1901 and of course Kennedy in 1963. Six other United States Presidents had assassination attempts made on their lives: Andrew Jackson in 1835, Theodore Roosevelt in 1912, Franklin Roosevelt in 1933, Harry Truman in 1950, Gerald Ford in (twice) in 1975 and Ronald Reagan in 1981.

The summer of 1968 was one full of riots, frustration and anger throughout the United States. By the time the Democrats held their convention in Chicago in late August, their fragmented party had reached the boiling point. The convention was marred by constant protests inside and out. Finally on August 28th, the Chicago police took matters into their own hands and brutally broke up the demonstrations going on outside the convention. Hundreds were injured and hundreds more were arrested. Controversy quickly swirled as accusations of unprovoked police brutality were made and basically substantiated.

When the fateful election was finally held in November and the votes were counted, the United States had a new President, but not the one anyone expected at the beginning of the year. Historians agree that if Robert Kennedy would not have been assassinated, his momentum would have led to him being the Democratic candidate, or at least the Vice-Presidential candidate. Due to his untimely death, the nomination went to Hubert Humphrey by default. Mr. Humphrey would no doubt have won the general election except for the all the votes George Wallace siphoned off.

In a situation eerily similar to what happened in 1992 with the Ross Perot candidacy, a President was elected who did not even receive 45% of the popular vote. The final results show Nixon with 43.4%, Humphrey with 42.7% and Wallace with 13.5% of the popular vote. Since Mr. Wallace was a Democrat, it is to be assumed he succeeded in getting Nixon elected much as Perot succeeded in getting Mr. Clinton elected in 1992. In January of 1969, Richard Nixon was inaugurated President of these United States and of course the rest is history.

I pray that the election tranquility we have enjoyed in this country for many years can continue. Our secret service personnel protect every candidate and the odds of what took place in 1968 happening now are very slim. But, there is always the chance someone or some group will resort to the bullet instead of the vote to gain or keep power. I pray the events unfolding in Pakistan serve as a wakeup call to Americans to never take for granted the freedom and peace we have in this country when it comes to electing who serves us. I also pray for Pakistan that it does not sink into a civil war and terrorists get their hands on the nuclear weapons stockpiled there.

Much can change in this country before the November 2008 elections. We have no clue at present who will be the candidates. If history is as good a teacher as we know it is; then we need to learn from the election year one generation ago and see how quickly and dramatically everything can change in a matter of months. Please America, never take your rights and responsibilities for granted.

Is America Really 80% Christian? Not Around Christmas.

2007-12-26T12:18:00.001-06:00

Here are a few thoughts which sum up my personal opinion of the "season" which either ended yesterday or revolved around yesterday. The Gallup organization just put out the results of its yearly survey on faith, and to no one's surprise, supposedly 80% of this country considers itself Christian. Just about every year the statistics are the same. 80% of the people call themselves Christian, 10% have no faith and 10% are some other religious faith besides Christian.

If, indeed, this country is 80% Christian, why are there so many attacks on the Christian ideals this country was founded upon? Why has prayer been taken out of schools and the Ten Commandments banished from the courtrooms? Why does the issue of "Christmas" come up every year? Why has the word "Christ" been pretty well obliterated from the vocabulary of politicians, actors, lawyers and even many pastors? Why, if this country really is overwhelmingly "Christian", have these things happened?

The first problem lies in the definition of "Christian". Just because a person says "I am a Christian" does not make him one. I could say that I am a "horse", but that does not mean I really am one. If the Gallup organization was more specific and defined "Christian" as one who has fulfilled the Romans 10:9 requirements of confession and belief; then the number of so-called "Christians" in this country would drop dramatically.

Jesus said "By your fruit you will be known", and this is the ultimate way to determine who is a Christian. You cannot grow apples on a tomato plant. People say a lot of things, but actions speak louder than words ever do. Those who exhibit the love, patience, peace, joy, self-control, goodness and gentleness of Christ in their lives are probably Christians. Those who live by the Ten Commandments may live righteously, but there is no guarantee they are a Christian.

I think it is a joke how this country claims to be Christian but turns around and both lives like the devil most of the time and condemns Christians for being intolerant and dogmatic the rest of the time. The "Christian Right" has been condemned, ridiculed and pushed into a corner of irrelevance. I am not sure what the title "Evangelical" really means politically, but it is not a title the vast majority of people in this country want to be placed on them. The only title worse than "Evangelical" is the dreaded "Fundamentalist" title placed on those who adamantly believe the Bible is the inerrant Word of God.

Now, if this country is really 80% Christian, why would people rather be led naked through the streets and made to eat manure than be tagged with the horrible title of being an "Evangelical Fundamentalist". Take your own survey. Go out on the street and ask people the first thing that comes to their mind when you use the term "Evangelical Fundamentalist". If you get more than 20% remotely positive responses I would be amazed. Few people have anything good to say about those "Bible thumping religious wackos" who preach about a God who hates sin and threatens sinners with hell.

If we grabbed 100 people from the local mall and in the presence of each other asked them if they were Christian, the results would depend entirely upon the initial responses from the first few people. If the first 5 people said they were Christian, then the sheep would follow the leader and there could very well be 80% or more in the crowd who claimed to be Christian. But, if the first 5 were jerks and said they were atheists or devil worshippers; then the rest of the people would feel very uneasy being singled out as Christians. In this scenario, I would guess there would be fewer than 30% willing to subject themselves to the scorn of others by claiming to be Christian.

My point in all this is very simply that what a person says to an interviewer in the privacy of their own home on the telephone is far different than what most would say in public to a real person with a microphone. The apostle Peter bears this out perfectly. As long as he was with Jesus he said over and over again that he would never deny him or forsake him. Once Jesus was apprehended and hauled before the religious leaders to judge and condemn him of crimes worthy of death, when different people confronted Peter and accused him of being a follower of Jesus, he vehemently denied it three separate times.

I do not believe a true Christian denies his faith when confronted by an unbeliever. A true Christian wears his faith as a badge of courage and honor. Anyone ashamed of being a Christian probably isn't one to begin with. "Closet Christians" are a dime a dozen. Look around your workplace and see how many fellow workers are not ashamed of their faith. Anyone ashamed of being a Christian is ashamed of Christ. Anyone ashamed of Christ has some major problems according to the Word of God.

In Egypt, before God led his people out of the land of bondage to the freedom of the desert; God demanded a public display of their faith. Every door which had the blood of the sacrifice upon it was "passed over" by the destroyer. Every door which did not have the blood, was visited by the destroyer and the oldest son was slain. God demanded His people obey His Word and not be afraid to publically display their faith in that Word which had been given to them.

If the United States of America is really 80% Christian, then the United States of America is worthy of all the wrath of God mentioned in the Old Testament and the book of Revelation. Why? Because it is a country full of hypocritical people who claim to be one thing and live just the opposite. The things done and said in the name of "Christianity" are more horrible than those done by unbelievers many times. People need to "put up or shut up" when it comes to their faith. Either you are a true Christian or you are not.

I would rather associate with a rank unbeliever than a so-called Christian who is so ashamed of their faith no one knows their faith. I would rather go to Mississippi or Alabama and give all I have to the so-called "scum of the earth" than to keep giving my money to religious groups who are so self-centered they never give a dime to help anyone but themselves. I would rather face the anger and indignation from "religious" people for telling the truth than to cozy up to hypocrites that smile while they stab you in the back.

This so-called holiday season has really gotten me in a foul mood. Not because of anything done by the world, for their unbelief is to be expected. What has really bothered me is the apathetic and lukewarm attitude on the part of those who claim to be "Christian". I know a little about the Bible and I know what the Bible says to do with your heart, time, money and abilities. Nowhere does the Bible say that God "blessed" you with a good mind and body to make millions of dollars to spend on yourself and your family and never share a penny with someone in need.

Giving over-priced secular presents to unthankful people under the guise of "giving" is not what this season was supposed to be about. Back before television and its non-stop commercials promoting yet another gadget everyone just "has to have" was around, people enjoyed the Christmas holiday as a time for warm fellowship and the joy of being together. If you can even find the movie anymore, the old black and white version of Dickens' "A Christmas Carol" is worth watching any time of the year. I love the movie because of the simplicity of the times. A big goose for dinner was the only present a family needed to have a wonderful holiday.

In the absolute height of hypocrisy; Americans have given Christmas over to the world and other faiths and have willingly removed Christ from the day set aside to honor his birth. One city government after another has "caved into" the demands of a handful of unbelievers to get rid of any trace of Christ in Christmas. University and other choirs have removed all references to Christ in their holiday programs. Schools have even done away with trees. All that is left of a once beautiful holiday is all that the world holds near and dear. Unbridled greed, lust and selfishness are honestly all Christmas is about anymore.

Closet Christians have no one to blame for the demise of their cherished holiday but themselves. Christians have allowed the Grinch to steal the real meaning of Christmas and replace it with this catch- all holiday celebrating every faith's tradition except of course Christianity, since that offends people. I honestly pity the poor Christians who still think Christmas is a Christian holiday because they go to church on Christmas Eve or they have a Nativity scene in the pile of decorations in the living room.

The so-called 80% Christians in this country can have what is left of Christmas. I don't want anything to do with this soon to be 100% secular holiday. I have decided to have "Christmas" in September next year. I will write on Christ's birth and give anything I want to give others at that time. This time next year I plan to be relaxed and unfazed by the lights, camera and action of what should be called "World Marketing Day" instead of something so blatantly hypocritical as "Christmas". I'd like to think many people would miss me not celebrating Christmas next year, but I really don't think anyone would notice.

America: Please Remember What Made You Great

2007-12-16T18:08:00.001-06:00

Very rarely do I feel strongly enough about a subject to risk the consequences of telling the truth concerning it. Most times wisdom dictates taking the side door instead of the front. There are times the back door is the only way to tell a little bit about something without causing too much commotion. I have wrestled with the spirit of God over this and He has won. I cannot but speak the things I have seen and heard.

America, the land of the free and home of the brave, is on the verge of falling from its perch it has prominently sat upon for well over 200 years. That which has kept America strong and prosperous through World Wars, terrorism and economic upheaval has been the overwhelming generosity in the hearts of Americans to reach out to those in desperate need domestically as well as overseas. The consistent giving to help others has allowed Almighty God to prosper and bless America and those honored to be called its citizens.

Americans have always been willing to "give the shirt off their own backs" if their neighbor genuinely needed it. Americans have raced to disasters to offer assistance no matter where on earth they have occurred. Americans have given millions upon millions of dollars in aid to help those deprived of the necessities of life wherever they live in this world. Americans have generously supported charities and the work they do for the disadvantaged. Americans have opened their checkbooks time and again to help, restore and rebuild communities and neighborhoods devastated by natural disasters.

Americans have rushed to the Red Cross when they hear the blood supply is low. Americans have given millions of dollars every year to the Salvation Army and their holiday season red kettles. Americans have supported research into finding cures for diseases once thought incurable. Americans have faithfully shared of their tithes and offerings to support not only their local church, but the social services many of them provide to their communities. Americans have always been ready, willing and able to help the guy on the street who hasn't a dime to his name.

Americans have always been willing to give, even if no one knew they did it. Americans have seen needs and sought to supply them, seen hurt and sought to heal, seen pain and sought to comfort, seen suffering and sought to relieve it. Americans have always had what amounted to a ministry of mercy when it came to putting the welfare of others ahead of their own. Americans have always been the leaders in compassionate care for those who have suffered loss.

America used to take great pride in its ability and willingness to share of its resources regardless of whether they were appreciated or even asked for. America used stand alone at times in its compassionate response to starvation, torture and genocide in the world. America used to shine as a beacon of light, providing a refuge for those who barely survived elsewhere in the world. America used to be the land everyone wished to immigrate to and it was immigrants who made America who she is.

God has truly blessed America. This country has never been invaded by a foreign nation. This country has never suffered a truly catastrophic natural disaster which would render the entire nation crippled. This country has always enjoyed freedom to speak and serve God as one sees fit. This country has always encouraged its citizens to go and serve wherever and however they felt God wanted them to. Except for wartime, this country has not forced its young men to serve in the military and has not demanded a certain number of years of service to be a citizen.

America has a problem. For many reasons she has cut back on her giving. This is not a good thing for the country or its inhabitants. For America to stay strong and be the leader she has always been, Americans must never forsake the willingness to give to those who are in need. I beg you, America, please do not quit doing what made you who you are. It was not your intellect or brawn which brought about your rise to glory, it was your humility and compassionate giving which enabled God to make you great.

Too many times recently, resources that once were designated for those in need have been diverted to meet the needs of the givers. Too many times excuses have been offered instead of offerings when needs have been made known. Too many times personal lack has been magnified at the expense of looking at what could be given without incurring hardship. Too many times the attitude of "I can't" has replaced the previous "can do" attitude which previously opened doors when none were there.

I fear people have allowed the economic negatives which bombard them daily to influence their decisions to give. A "hunker down" mentality appears to be what is needed in difficult times, but in reality the old cliché of "when the pressure is on—give" would be a far better one to live by. When people stop giving they clam up and cease to be of any benefit to others. Cessation of giving spells doom for any person or group. Giving is the lifeline to receiving God's abundant promises of blessings.

I have heard recently from numerous groups encompassing the whole spectrum of care-giving that donations are way down this holiday season. Food pantries have had to close their doors and facilities that disperse not only food but other vital necessities of life have had to go on "hiatus". Many organizations seeking to provide toys for disadvantaged children this holiday season have seen a drop of over 50% in donations due to all the recalls. Many groups which have in the past provided holiday meals have had to cut back or even eliminate them this year.

Beyond all these distressing things, there is a dramatic downturn in end-of-the-year giving. Many charities depend on the late December flood of donations to pull them through until late spring. Due to economic problems, faithful donors have cut back or even ceased giving. However understandable this is, it leads to a cessation of services among organizations essential to many communities.

I pray that as we enter the final days before the day set aside to honor our Savior's birth; that we remember what charity is all about. Charity is simply the Love of God in manifestation. Charity is loving thy neighbor as thyself. Charity is doing unto others as you want done unto you. Charity is faith in action. Charity is actively working to help another by giving of yourself and your resources. Charity is reaching out to help another, realizing their need is far greater than your own.

The true heart of America will always be found in its benevolent giving and sharing of resources. Please, America, don't give up on those who need you. Not now, not ever. Keep opening your heart, your home and your wallet to help those who need what you have to share far more than you. Please remember that Christmas is to be a time of sharing and giving more than anything else. I ask you to please remember those in need and reach out in some way to help them be able to enjoy this beloved season.

What Exactly IS the Purpose of the Church?

2007-12-15T20:23:00.001-06:00

I was speaking recently with an associate who was telling me about the problems being encountered attempting to hold a silent auction for a local charity. Although the person in charge was very experienced and skilled in auctions, he was not acquainted with the local area enough to understand how and why people think as they do. He was attempting to get the people to place bids on brand new donated merchandise. The people wanted to start the "bids" at a penny and work up to a dollar. The problem was that the donated items sold for over $20 new in the stores.

Unfortunately, the people involved had a "yard sale" mentality and not a "fundraising" one. In their minds, they were looking for a "bargain" not a means to donate to a cause. The auction was a miserable failure due to the lack of understanding on the part of the audience as to auction's purpose. This whole situation brings up some interesting points to ponder.

Charities and organizations of all types have been doing silent auctions for years. Groups that range from PBS to politicians to the local church, set aside an evening to have a dinner or banquet for the sole purpose of raising funds for their group, cause or the next year's budget. A key part of these events is the silent or active auctions. It is understood (usually) that the purpose of the auction is to raise funds for the cause, group or event. Most of the time, the winning bid on these items is many times more than the actual value of the article.

Recently Rush Limbaugh put a letter up for auction on eBay written by the leader of the Senate. The letter, which had no actual value, fetched a couple million dollars for charity. The purpose of an auction, when being conducted by a charity or service organization is to solicit donations to the cause. It is that plain and simple. If a $25 gift card is auctioned at a fundraiser, the STARTING price would usually be at least $40 or more. That may seem unfair to some, but remember the purpose of the auction is to show support for the cause and not to get a "bargain".

The reason there was a problem in this situation is found in the attitude of the people toward "giving". The people involved were from a black church in southern Mississippi. These were faithful members of their local church who attend services every week, volunteer for various activities and make up the very backbone of the congregation. They give on a regular basis to the church.

Generally speaking; the poorer the people, the greater the chance they attend a church where they have been taught that all giving is to be done to the church. Sure, it is fine to drop a nickel in the red pot at Christmas time, but "giving" is to be limited to the tithes and offerings the minister is to receive and disperse at his or her discretion. It is drilled into people's minds that any giving that interferes with what they are supposed to give to the church is wrong and that any tithes have to be given to the church.

Now, if the church has an active outreach ministry that is helping the poor, the widows, the homeless, the elderly and disabled; then people should simply give to the church and be done. But, if the church is limited to a couple of services on Sunday and possibly a prayer meeting on Wednesday; where are all the gifts and offerings being used? Interesting how many of the "ministers" of these kinds of churches have closets full of designer suits, drive new Cadillac's and eat out a fine restaurants on a regular basis. All the while, the people doing the giving live in poverty, have one beat up old car and eat beans and rice.

When God designed the concept of "giving", was it to provide wealth and excess for the "minister" in charge? When God urges people to give throughout the Bible, is it to pad the bank accounts of "ministers" whose only duties are to preach a couple of sermons a week and perform a wedding or funeral occasionally? Was the idea of giving only to support the priests, or was there a bigger purpose?

Any government or governing agency needs resources to carry out its responsibilities. The purpose of paying taxes was to provide income for the government to defend the country and provide for the general welfare of the citizens. The purpose of tithes and offerings in a church are to provide the means to fund programs that benefit the congregation and facilitate outreach to others. They also provide the means to maintain the building and the pastor's residence.

Between 1976 and 1985 I worked "full time" as a minister for a non-denominational church group. My "salary" ranged from $100 to $250 per month. That's right, PER MONTH. Of course I was given a car to drive, a home to live in, utilities and gasoline paid for, clothing allowance, and a fund that covered most expenses that came up including medical expenses. My "salary" was to pay for food and personal items, and for the most part it did.

When I see ministers receiving salaries in excess of $100,000 per year; I cringe. When I see large churches paying salaries to several ministers that add up to over a million dollars per year; I really cringe. When I see ministries taking in hundreds of millions of dollars per year and NOT being actively involved with missions and other outreach programs; I applaud the United States Senate for conducting an investigation. Honestly, is the reason for ministering God's love and Word supposed to be to make money or help people?

Far too many times a church will start accumulating a lot of money and instead of using it to help needy people; they inevitably use it to build a bigger and better church building. Millions of dollars are then spent on designing and building a "mega church", complete with basketball courts, coffeehouses and other facilities that look like good outreach ideas, but rarely do anything but provide entertainment for church members. So the building is built and the new facility is in place. The bank account is empty but for the moment the church has "bragging rights" to being the newest and biggest church in town. Then the next church builds a bigger and better building, and so on.

If a fraction of the money that is spent on new church buildings were spent on helping the poor, the elderly, widows and orphans, drug addicts and the homeless; then there would be no need for community outreach programs to do the job the church should be doing. Reading, studying and talking about the Bible is all well and good, but without active works of charity; it is all vanity. A church needs to reach out and help the poor and needy in their community, not sit in their plush pews once a week and pat themselves on the back for having the nicest building in town.

What is the purpose of having a church if it is not to provide a place of help, rest, resources and hope for those who are hurting, suffering, addicted and at their wits end? In a recent disgusting phenomenon; far too many churches in America have turned into huge social clubs with no desire to drag into their pristine structures the lowly, dirty, homeless and suffering people off the street. If a church is going to build a huge structure, then at least provide facilities for cooking meals for the hungry and not just to host fancy receptions for weddings.

In the book "Money Matters: Personal Giving in American Churches" by Dean R. Hoge, the entire subject of personal giving as well as church giving was studied thoroughly. Among the many findings was that since the 1950's,most Protestant churches have given less and less every year on missions and instead diverted more and more to local church matters. This is plainly apparent when one looks at the structures, programs and salaries needed to keep a local church "in business". The sad reality of seeing where all the money goes is that most of it stays "in house" to support the house.

On average, most churches give less than 3% of their income to "missions". It is a truly a sad and disheartening fact to know that all the various projects, programs and people who care for the sick, poor, needy and dying are only worth 3 cents of every dollar given. Obviously the "worth" of those who minister far exceeds the value of those being ministered to in many cases. No doubt the "worth" of the structure is far greater than the people who might be helped by anything going on in that structure.

It has been estimated that if every church would give 10% of its income to missions, the world as we know it would never be the same. If this were done, there would literally not be ONE SINGLE starving child left in the world. Every single child could receive enough food daily to be healthy. If all the churches did this, every country in the world could enjoy missionaries whose efforts were directed at helping and ministering to the needs of the people instead of constantly looking for funding. If the churches all gave 10% to missions, there would be NO NEED for most not for profit charities. The need would be met by the churches, where it is supposed to be.

Even in the most conservative of all denominations, the average amount given by those in the congregation is under 10%. Despite all the sermons on tithing and endless appeals for more money for this project and that; most people still only give what they genuinely don't need to their church. If the church led the way and started giving 10% of its income to missions, then the people in the church would be inspired to give more themselves. As it stands, amazingly, the percentage of giving by those in the church to the church is roughly equal to that which the church gives to those in need—3%.

If those who attend church on a regular basis only give about 3% of their income to the church, and these same people claim they have nothing left to give to other groups providing charity services; where exactly are these groups supposed to gain funding to do what the churches should have been doing to begin with? If the church is not going to help those who cannot help themselves, and private groups cannot help due to lack of funding; that leaves the government to pick up the slack.

In a crazy case of extreme irony; the very people who will not take care of the poor end up paying to take care of them anyway through higher taxes. So, which is it going to be? Pay more and more money to the government to do yet another thing the church was supposed to do, or release more from church coffers to fund programs that genuinely help the disadvantaged. Those are the choices and the way things are going, we can expect the government to pretty well take over all aspects of "charity" because the Christian churches are too busy building structures and hosting basketball games to go out and help a homeless person get back on his feet.

I pray the gentleman finds success in his next silent auction. But I doubt if he will. The funds that should go to charity inevitably end up in offering plates which pay to keep the church open for business. It is truly sad that the "business" of the church cannot and many times does not include one of the very reasons for having a church to begin with.

Living Through An Ice Storm

2007-12-11T09:57:00.001-06:00

Unless one has lived through a major ice event, there is no way to describe the impact that would begin to communicate how bad things get. It is not so much the icy roads, although they certainly cause accidents and at times prohibit travel at all. It is not the cold, for the temperatures are hovering right around the 32 degree mark. The problems being faced by all of us directly in the path of this event is power outages and tree damage.

This past Sunday morning we were awakened at about 4:00 a.m. by a violent thunderstorm. This would not be unusual except that the temperature at the time was 26 degrees. All the heavy rain quickly turned to ice, especially on tree branches. By 6:00 a.m., huge tree limbs began crashing down and we lost power about 6:30 a.m. Why do ice storms cause power outages? The answer is quite simple. As ice accumulates on tree branches and limbs, the weight of the ice increases to the point the branch or limb snaps and comes crashing to the ground. If there happened to be a power line near, it goes to the ground also. In a matter of a few seconds, power goes out to all those "down line" from where the incident occurred. When this same scenario starts being repeated over and over again, the outages start multiplying rapidly to the point whole neighborhoods and cities lose power.

If the roads are covered with ice, then the power company trucks cannot get out to fix the problems. They must wait for the road crews to put chemicals or sand on the roads. This all takes times. Once the crews make it to the site or sites of the problem, it many times is a maze of broken tree limbs and wires all tangled together. The situation must be dealt with great caution due to the power of electricity. There can be no "quick fixes" allowed.

We were without power (the first time) from 6:30 a.m. Sunday until around 9:00 p.m. that evening. 15 hours is a long time to go without power. We, thankfully, have a generator but since I had been remiss and had not started it for well over a year, it took me many hours to finally get it going. By late morning we had enough power to run the pump for our well, the sump pump and a few outlets. Later in the day I got my small generator running I used to take in my van when I travelled. It provided just enough power to run two low wattage space heaters. As difficult as our situation was, we were in heaven compared to hundreds of thousands of people who have no generator and are still without power.

If you live in an area prone to hurricanes, tornadoes, severe thunderstorms, ice storms or earthquakes; I highly recommend you "INVEST" (and it is an investment) in a generator and have it professional hooked up to your home's circuit breaker. That way, if the power goes out for any length of time, all you have to do is start the generator and then flip a few switches near your "breaker box", and you have enough power to run things such as a well (if you have one), a sump pump (very important) and outlets for the refrigerator, lights, computer and possibly a small space heater. For a substantial investment, generators can be installed that run on propane and automatically go on whenever the power goes out. These generators allow hospitals and other emergency facilities to keep limited power during "blackouts".

If you don't have the $2,500-3,000 do get a big gasoline generator wired to the circuit breaker; please at least get a generator that can have heavy duty extension cords hooked to it and can at least run the refrigerator and few outlets. These kinds of generators can be purchased for $500-800. I do not sell generators nor do I promote any brand. I am simply trying to get people to understand how to keep from becoming a victim when massive power outages occur.

People always say they will fire up the oil lamps, use flashlights, build a fire in the fireplace and put on warm clothes. The trouble is that most people never buy enough oil to last more than one night, don't have enough batteries to run the flashlights for more than a few hours and have no wood to burn in the fireplace. Thus, most people immediately find themselves in a crisis situation when the power goes out for any length of time, especially during the winter months.

When the National Weather Service issues an Ice Storm, Winter Storm, Hurricane or Flood warning; they always provide details as to what should be done ahead of time to prepare for what is coming. Most people just run to the grocery store to get bread, milk and other "necessities". Very few people realize the first thing they run out of is water, and then prescription medicines. Things such as food that does not need heat to prepare, gasoline for the generator, candles and spare batteries are all items usually forgotten in the mad dash to get "bread and milk" before a storm. Everyone from FEMA to the Red Cross have detailed lists available for emergency provisions to have on hand. Numerous places on line sell pre-packaged backpacks full of everything needed to endure 3-5 days without power and access to stores.

In all my attempts to "be prepared", I forgot one vital thing; a battery powered radio. Before I got the generator going, we wanted to know what was going on but had no way to do so. I had also forgotten to run the dishwasher the night before the storm as well as getting all the laundry done. No portable generator is strong enough to run appliances. No portable generator can run an electric hot water heater, furnace or stove. No portable generator is strong enough to do anything but provide emergency power.

Although we had land line phone service Sunday, we lost phone service most of the next day. That puts a premium on the cell phone. It is the only means of communication many times during a power outage. Again, if you do not have a generator, a cell phone battery will go dead in no time. The only way to recharge it would be to go to the car and do it there.

At least because this is a winter storm, we do not have to deal with spoiling food in refrigerators and freezers. During severe summer storms this is one of the biggest problems people must deal with. Again, a portable generator, along with spare gasoline to run it, can easily provide enough power to run all the refrigerators and freezers in the house. What takes power is any device that generates heat. That is why generators cannot be used to run heaters, microwaves and other items that produce heat.

Last night, at 11:00 p.m. our power went out again. Not because we were having any severe weather, only because somewhere "up line" a tree limb broke the lines. I am so thankful all I had to do was step outside and yank on the cord to fire up the generator. Then I went downstairs, flipped a few switches and lo and behold we had enough power to not "suffer". I went out on another porch, fired up the small generator and was able to run the two small heaters. My wife was able to work on her computer doing eBay business, and I was able to get some sleep. We did not get cold and this morning I had my normal few cups of coffee and listened to my worship music as usual. About 7:30 a.m., the power came back on and I simply had to turn off the generators and flip some switches.

A few years ago, we purchased this home and had it remodeled so my elderly mother could spend her remaining years living with my wife and I. She insisted I get the generator and have it wired into the house circuit before she moved in. She had lived many years in Kansas and had suffered through many nights without power due to storms. She did not want to worry about such things in her old age. I did not want her to worry either. Thus, we did as she requested. In fact, we had a 250 gallon tank full of unleaded gasoline delivered just so we would never run out of gas for the generators. In the time she lived here I had to use that generator quite a few times, once for almost a full day. My mother was greatly stressed that day, but nothing like she would have been if we had no power.

PLEASE, if you live in a disaster prone area, figure out a way to get a generator and have it professionally wired into your home's circuits. Like any "insurance", it will probably not be used for long stretches of time; but also like "insurance", when it is needed it will be worth its weight in gold. Trust me, I know this by personal experience.

Jesus Christ; The Antitype of “Success”

2007-12-10T07:13:00.001-06:00

What did Jesus do from the time he was old enough to read, write and talk intelligently? The Bible does not tell us much. We do know of one incident when he was forgotten by his parents in Jerusalem after celebrating Passover. Somehow Joseph and Mary didn't realize their twelve year old son was missing for a day. They went back to Jerusalem and went to all their friends and relatives homes looking for him. After three days they finally found him in the temple. Luke 2:46b-49 says:

"Sitting in the midst of the doctors, both hearing them and asking them questions.

And all that heard him were astonished at his understanding and answers.

And when they (Joseph and Mary) saw him they were amazed; and his mother said unto him, Son, why hast thou thus dealt with us? Behold , thy father and I have sought thee sorrowing.

And he (Jesus) said unto them, How is it that ye sought me? Wist (knew) ye not that I must be about my Father's business?

And they understood not this saying which he spake unto them."

The phrase "about my Father's business" could perhaps better be translated "in my Father's house". That is where Jesus logically should have been considering who he was and what his destiny involved. After this, they went to Nazareth and verse 51 says that Jesus was "subject unto them" as an obedient and dutiful child. Mary kept these sayings in her heart, pondering them for what turned out to be 18 years. All we know about Jesus from the time he was 12 until when he was 30 years old is recorded in one verse. Luke 2:52 summarizes 18 years of Jesus life:

"And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and man."

For 18 years Jesus grew in both soul and body becoming the perfect "man". Biblically, a male was not considered a "man" until he was 30 years old. Unlike today, a 28 year old was not considered an adult in Biblical culture. A person was looked upon as a child until they were 12, and then for the next 18 years they were to grow up physically and mentally. Finally, when they became 30, they were granted all the privileges of adulthood. Thus, Jesus could not start his "ministry" until he was 30 years old. He, along with everyone else, had to first "grow up" before being allowed the responsibility of teaching and serving others.

Not only did Jesus grow up physically and mentally during those 18 years, but he grew in favor with God and man. He carried out his duties, whatever they were, perfectly during all those years. He was godly, benevolent, kind, humble, obedient and diligent. Both God and man regarded him with increasing favor. We can only assume that Jesus spent hours upon hours reading the scrolls of the Old Testament. He spent hours and hours at the feet of the elders learning the meaning of the words he read. He had to have spent hours and hours meditating upon what he had read and heard.

We also know that Jesus had to have spent hours and hours in prayer, for that was the culture of the time. We know that Jesus worked as a carpenter in his physical father's business. He was the "good kid" all the other parents wished their kid was like. He did as he was told by both his Heavenly Father as well as his earthly parents. He grew and became more mature each year until he was finally old enough to accept the responsibility of leading others.

So many of the problems we encounter in our society are brought on by kids being in a rush to "grow up". Somehow we now consider someone who is 18, old enough to be granted almost every privilege of adulthood (except drinking hard liquor). By the time a person is 21 they are considered an adult and expected to be married, have children, work at a profession etc. I am quite aware that the biggest difference between the Biblical culture and the current one is education. In Bible times, there was no public education that kids went to for 12 years. There were "colleges" for the privileged, but not for the vast majority of people.

Kids were taught by their parents, grandparents and religious leaders. They became apprentices at their family business and worked and learned about life for many years. Biblically, most kids got married when teenagers and continued to live with their parents long after getting married. Biblical culture was centered on what was practical not what was fun, wild and crazy and could generate the latest "high".

Jesus led, by today's standards, the most boring and lonely life of anyone on earth. He lived with his parents until he was 30. He never married nor had kids. He worked as a carpenter most of his life. His main interest was in studying the scrolls of the Torah and learning from his elders what it all meant. His "free time" was spent in prayer, study and meditation. He probably went to bed soon after sunset and awoke before sunrise to go pray.

If teenagers were subject to this kind of lifestyle today they would scream "child abuse". If twenty-something young adults were expected to live this kind of disciplined quiet lifestyle, they would revolt and flat out refuse. If newly married couples lived with their parents for years after they were married today; the parents would rebel and leave. If unmarried children lived at home until they were 30; they would be looked upon as "freeloaders".

What was then was for then and what is now will not be changed. Cultures have changed, and what the western culture has become cannot be reversed. But in our rush to educate and then force young people on to the fast track for financial prosperity before they have matured; we have, as a society, created a generation of leaders who are too immature to really lead. We have pushed countless young people into levels of management, and the related stress, that their lack of experience and maturity cannot handle.

Throw into this mix the drive to be number one in everything, and the total devotion to business success that motivates many under 30 and what you end up with are people "burned out" before they hit 40. So much of life's energy is spent receiving education for 16-20 years and then running the first few years after graduation like a 100 yard dash, that when people realize it is a marathon; they do not have the stamina to stay in the race. Because of these things, the phenomena of people wanting to "retire" when they are 50 years old or less have evolved.

Jesus spent 30 years preparing for a 3 ½ year ministry. He never went to "seminary" to learn how to be the world's greatest teacher, counselor, evangelist, prophet or leader. He never attended a day of "school" in his life. There is no record of Jesus making a fortune in his years as a carpenter apprentice. He was content to spend years learning and growing so as to be ready when his ministry began.

When Jesus "graduated" at his 30^th birthday, he immediately left home and began a lifestyle that by everyone's standards was considered impoverished. He never bought a home, or even had a home for that matter. He never worked a job, started a company or lived off of Joseph's inheritance. Jesus himself said that foxes had holes and birds had nests, but the Son of man had nowhere to lay his head.

Jesus Christ, the son of God, was by today's standards—HOMELESS AND UNEMPLOYED. There is no other way to put it. Thus, Jesus spent 30 years preparing to live the rest of his life in the most deplorable state men judge other men to ever end up in—the state of having no home, no job and no wife or children. By the world's standards, Jesus was the perfect example of FAILURE.

An associate of mine is a medical doctor. Years ago, he closed his practice and devoted his life to taking medical teams of Christians to the remotest parts of Siberia in Russia to provide free medical care and to preach the Gospel. Every year he takes a team, by dog sled, to small villages in the Arctic to administer medical care and share the good news of Jesus Christ. This man is the happiest, most fulfilled and satisfied person I have ever known. He lives off his Social Security and demands nothing more. He is truly content to look at his life and all his training as a gift to others as opposed to a stepping stone to untold riches and fame.

Another associate of mine recently stepped aside from an executive position making hundreds of thousands of dollars per year to run a non-profit community outreach program for NOTHING. Asked if they felt bad for "squandering" all their years of education and training, they said; "Absolutely not; all those years were preparation for their life's true calling." This person is happy, blessed and totally at peace with himself.

Life is more than making money and establishing a name for yourself. All the wealth and honor in this world cannot bring true happiness or contentment. Those things come only with fulfilling one's life's destiny through giving of oneself in service to others.

Jesus ended up being the most contented man who ever lived even though he did absolutely nothing, by the world's standards, to ever distinguish himself as a success. Through his complete failure to live up to the world's standards of success, he established himself as the greatest person who ever walked on this earth. That is why I want to be like Jesus and find my greatest joy in following His example.

Spotlight Group: Tri Coastal Community Outreach

2007-12-03T07:08:00.001-06:00

Deep in the bayou of southern Alabama, thousands of people live in a state of poverty unmatched anywhere in this country. Unlike more publicized areas which receive constant media attention and help from many large charities; this predominantly rural area is both unknown and uncared for. There are pockets of prosperity down there as there are everywhere in this country. But there are also scores of people of all types of ethnic origin that have "fallen through the cracks" and do not receive much if any assistance from the government or charities working in the area.

When hurricane Katrina roared ashore in western Mississippi, its effects were felt as far east as southern Alabama. Unfortunately, little if any media coverage extended past the central Mississippi coast. It is not as though agencies such as the American Red Cross did not arrive to help, for they did; the problem was the smaller relief groups were stretched too thin to provide any assistance. Once FEMA and the other large groups left the area, a void quickly was created that festered long term needs.

Directly on the Gulf of Mexico coastline are thousands of "boat people" (meaning they came over on boats) mainly of Vietnamese origin. Due to longstanding prejudices going back to the Viet Nam war, these poor people live meager lives with very little outside help. They do have major advocates working on their behalf out of Washington, but until very recently most available resources were directed to New Orleans and very little aid actually trickled down to southern Alabama.

Scattered throughout the bayou are families who have lived in the area for many years. Many of these people are fishermen whose entire income is derived from what they can catch out of the Gulf of Mexico. Everything they own in life is wrapped up in their boat and humble abode. They stay there because they love to fish and because their ancestors have been doing the same thing for centuries.

The average annual income of a Gulf fisherman is under $15,000 per year. The only reason these people are able to survive is because most of them live in an older home that had long been paid for. Their income provides just enough to live on. There is no margin for error, sickness, bad fishing conditions or a hurricane. As long as everything goes as planned, these people are happy to live a simple life without the frills of modern America. But once an unexpected situation arises, these are among the hardest hit people in the bayou.

As in most of the South, there are individual African American families living in houses that have been passed down from generation to generation scattered throughout the bayou. In some cases the people living there do nothing but live off of the government. There are these types of people everywhere and of all colors and ethnic origin. To single these few out and stereotype them as the norm is both unfair and repulsive. Yet, this has been done not only in the Alabama bayou, but in just about every inner city in America as well as much of the rural South.

What northern white people do not understand is that the rural black people in the South are people of dignity. They take unbelievable pride in their ability to NOT accept charity, to NOT live off the handouts of condescending white people and to NOT be a burden to anyone. These are proud people who absolutely DO NOT fit the horrible stereotyped perception the majority of northern white people have of rural southern black people.

Many of these people are quite elderly. They live in a home that most people would immediately place a "condemned" sign on. Their furniture is simple and functional. Their vehicles are nothing but a means to get from point A to point B. Their clothing reflects their simple attitude toward life instead of a designer's logo. Their meals are full of carbohydrates but also full of homemade flavor. These are truly "salt of the earth" people if ever there were any on earth.

The economic hub for this entire area is a small town called Bayou Le Batre. Until recently, its claim to fame was Forest Gump. Around 2800 people live in Bayou Le Batre and the economy revolves around the fishing industry. Over one third of the residents are Southeast Asian and just three years ago there were more than 300 fishing vessels docked there. This area is no stranger to major hurricanes and suffered extensive damage from Camille in 1969, Carmon in 1974 and Frederick in 1979. In each case the city clawed back and reassembled its fishing industry enough to survive.

Bayou Le Batre is not a wealthy town but far more prosperous than Coden which lies on the coast to its south. Coden is not a pleasant area for it is deeply impoverished. In fact, the majority of southern Mobile County would be considered the same. The area lives and dies off the fishing business. Like any area in this country which has a one dimensional economy, there is great risk of economic collapse if the one industry in town fails.

Sitting like a horizontal toothpick out in the Gulf of Mexico is Dauphin Island. This barrier island is roughly three miles from the mouth of Mobile Bay and is accessible only by bridge or ferry. Almost 1500 people live on the island permanently and during the spring and summer months the island is flooded with tourists. Due to its location, it has been in the bull's eye of many hurricanes. Yet, it has persevered due to the tourist industry. The western part of the island is strictly private residences and is not commercially developed. Many senior citizens live on this part of the island and have most of their lives.

When hurricane Katrina came ashore it brought with it a storm surge of monumental dimensions. Directly east of the center, this surge was estimated at over 25 feet and wiped large areas of Hancock County, Mississippi literally off the map. The farther east of the center, the surge diminished until it was only a few feet. A few feet is all it takes to cause massive damage in coastal communities, especially ones with river outlets or small bays.

Although southern Mobile County sits almost 100 miles to the east of Katrina's landfall, there was enough power left in the storm surge to flood Bayou Le Batre, western Dauphin Island, Coden and many rural areas of the bayou. Bayou Le Batre perhaps suffered more than any other place due to its geography. Well over two thirds of the houses and businesses in town were either destroyed or heavily damaged. Almost all of the fishing vessels were destroyed or swept up onto dry land. Low lying areas all around Bayou Le Batre were flooded with 3-6 feet of water.

Katrina's winds were strong enough to rip shingles off roofs and in many cases rip the actual roofs off. Once a roof has been compromised, rain water is given free access to the dwelling. Water is drywall's mortal enemy. Nothing destroys drywall quicker than water; whether coming up from a flood or going down from a hole in the roof. Not only do walls suffer, but also ceilings, floors, electrical wiring, carpeting and furniture. As if all this were not enough; if the problem is not immediately corrected black mold quickly grows and becomes not only a destroyer of all it grows on, but the people who touch it and breathe it.

What few people understand is that Katrina's winds caused roof damage to thousands upon thousands of homes in Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Florida and even in Tennessee and Georgia. Winds from any kind of storm in any part of the country can rip off shingles on a roof. Once the shingles are damaged, water gains entrance to the wood roof and in due time to the house itself. In a severe storm that hits a city, the local contractors usually manage to fix the majority of roofs soon enough to prevent major structural damage. In Katrina's case, there were so many thousands of heavily damaged roofs, all that could be done was hope the blue tarps put on the roofs immediately after the storm would hold far longer than they are designed for.

Due to the double impact of Katrina and Rita happening within a month of each other; the entire Gulf Coast from east of Houston, Texas all the way to Pensacola, Florida was a sea of blue tarps by late September of 2005. Thousands upon thousands of homes, businesses, schools and churches had a thin layer of blue plastic protecting the building from nature's elements. The biggest enemy blue tarps have, besides the sun, is wind. Anyone who has covered a trailer or a car with a tarp knows what becomes of that tarp after exposure to wind, rain and sun. Blue tarps provide excellent immediate protection but were never intended to still be protecting a roof two or more years later.

Compounding the problem is the unfortunate fact that many buildings didn't get a blue tarp for days or weeks after the storms. That means moisture was allowed free access during that time. Then, that moisture was trapped with no way to evaporate once the tarp was placed on the roof. This became a breeding ground for black mold. Black mold is literally like a cancer. It grows and spreads and destroys all in its path. Given enough time, mold can totally destroy the wood frame of a house along with everything else that is not metal or cement.

Countless thousands of people filed disaster claims with FEMA immediately after Katrina. Inspectors were dispatched and an initial damage estimate was given. This estimate was for the actual damage inflicted by the storm. Over and over again the same scenario has played out. Homes suffered minor to moderate wind damage to the roof. Damage assessments were made reflecting this damage. Blue tarps were placed on the roof. Money was given to the homeowner to help repair the damage. All went according to plan up to this point, but then the problems set in.

Due to the staggering number of buildings needing roof repairs and replacement along with the more important need to "gut" buildings which had been flooded; there was no one available to fix the vast majority of roofs that had incurred damage. Even wealthy homeowners could not find anyone to fix their roofs. There are homes in Florida which still have blue tarps on their roofs from hurricane Charley. There are homes in Pensacola, Florida which still have blue tarps on their roofs from hurricane Ivan. This is not a problem limited to Katrina; it is a problem that comes up with every major hurricane.

All during this time (which drug on for well over a year or more in many cases), rain, winds and the sun slowly destroyed the tarps and more and more water entered the "protected" buildings. Water damage, mildew and mold started appearing in homes that were only marginally damaged by the actual storm. Homes that perhaps had a few thousand dollars of storm damage (and this is how much the homeowner received from insurance and/or FEMA), now had damage estimates of $50,000 or more due to "damage after the fact". Insurance doesn't cover these losses, FEMA certainly doesn't cover them and most people didn't have the money to cover them. What are these people supposed to do?

In southern Mobile County, Alabama, the city of Bayou Le Batre succeeded in receiving a fair amount of both government as well as private charity aid. Teams of volunteer groups started coming in earnest in the spring of 2006, six months after the storm. During the summer of 2006 a lot of progress was made to clean up, repair and rebuild the city of Bayou Le Batre. This same thing happened in many areas devastated by Katrina. But in rural and isolated areas the work progressed far slower.

Unless one has had to deal with the mountains of problems that arise after a catastrophic storm, there is no possible way to comprehend the frustration and stress these problems cause. For many, they have no idea who to call for what. They are bombarded with enough telephone numbers to fill a phone book. Even when they do call for help, they do not understand the rules and procedures they must abide by. To make matters worse, those rules and procedures many times change in mid-stream, leaving both the victim and the administrators of various programs confused and bitter. People who have lost their jobs, their homes and at times their loved ones are ripe for innumerable psychological disorders as well as scammers.

Soon after Katrina hit, thousands of unsuspecting people were inundated with unscrupulous scam artists who took their FEMA and insurance money as deposits for work that ended up never being done. The initial relief of finding someone in a hurry to fix their roofs and other damage was soon replaced with the anger, frustration, bitterness and desperation of knowing they had lost any chance of ever getting their homes repaired. If there was one common emotion felt by all these unfortunate people, it was despair. Feeling lost, forsaken, abused and left to be fed to ravenous wolves' intent on destroying them; these victims of our nation's worst natural disaster also became victims of what should be considered a national disgrace.

Through a combination of factors, millions of people were thrust into situations they never expected to encounter as a result of Katrina. The bayou area of southern Mobile County provides an ideal microcosm of the far reaching effects of Katrina. Where New Orleans and Biloxi received the vast majority of media attention; places such as Bayou Le Batre and the surrounding rural areas were just as devastated. Because there were no big news stories in Alabama, the area never received the level of national assistance that other more publicized areas did.

The region has started to rebound from the devastating blow Katrina dealt it. Bayou Le Batre has been greatly helped by some very generous grants. Of course there are still many hurting families, but much has been done to repair and rebuild the city and its fishing industry. In the rural areas, the situation is far different. Individual homes still sit in various states of disrepair. Individual people and families run the gamut from being well taken care of to one step from total devastation.

Sitting on a small plot of land south of Theodore, in rural Mobile County, is Pilgrim Rest AME Zion Church. Actually there are two churches, one small old one and one big partially built new one. Immediately after Katrina hit, the daughter of the Pastor of the church, Carolyn Thompson, started a disaster relief and recovery center utilizing the partially built, but damaged new church building. For many months she provided hot meals to those who were hungry and slowly became a distribution center for clothing and canned goods.

Contrary to the prevailing trend of such centers arising after a disaster and then quickly shutting down when the resources ran out; Carolyn stuck with her dream of seeing a true community outreach program develop. When things would get tight and supplies would start to run out, she would manifest the faith of Abraham and persevere instead of giving up. God blessed her and has allowed her small disaster relief and recovery center to grow first into a fully recognized 501(c)3 charity and now a full service community outreach program known as Tri Coastal Community Outreach, operating out of nice rented warehouse near Grand Bay, Alabama.

Not only has Tri Coastal not quit helping people, it has picked up the slack from other groups disbanding or leaving the area. It serves more people now than ever before. Due to the ongoing need among Katrina victims, many of the resources of Tri Coastal still go to families unable to make ends meet due to structural damage, illness or job loss. Senior citizens attempting to live on Social Security alone, families with a member suffering from mold exposure or other disabilities, single parent families, unemployed, homeless and many other hurting people look to Tri Coastal as a beacon of light in the dark Alabama night.

Tri Coastal has helped hundreds if not thousands of families in a variety of ways. It has been a constant source of essential food and other supplies for well over two years. It has been a place to find "case management" so as to receive benefits available from the government and other charities for storm victims. It has provided assistance in repairing homes and supplying materials for restoring and even rebuilding homes. It has provided resources for those with disabilities, physical ailments and psychological trauma. It has been a refuge for people to find the comfort of others enduring the same problems. It has been a place to pray and be prayed for, a place to love and be loved. It has provided an avenue of giving through volunteering for many people who needed that outlet to receive healing.

Tri Coastal has been and still is all these things and many more. Tri Coastal has made the leap from a disaster relief service to a permanent fixture in the community. Tri Coastal is not going anywhere except where it can help supply more needs. The commitment found in the heart of not only Carolyn Thompson, but the entire volunteer staff of Tri Coastal is amazing and astounding. They have succeeded in enduring a bitter separation from their original location, constant attempts by others to hinder and obstruct what they are doing, and staggering health problems endured by most of their volunteers.

Through it all, the foundation of Tri Coastal stands firm; for it is built on the faith that they are doing God's will. Tri Coastal IS indeed doing God's will or they would have closed long ago. Tri Coastal fills a vacuum created by the departure of other groups. They provide services no one else provides. They help people who have "fallen through the cracks" of the social safety nets. And they do all this on a 100% volunteer basis. They accept no government money and, though applied for, very little grant money. Their ability to keep doing what they are doing is totally dependent upon the giving of those who choose to be "Partners Who Care".

The reputation of Tri Coastal is growing every day. More and more people around the Mobile area, the state of Alabama and throughout the country are becoming acquainted with what Tri Coastal does and wishes to do. In November, Carolyn Thompson was the recipient of the first "Edward Parker Award" given by the Salvation Army in Mobile, Alabama for her work in starting directing Tri Coastal. Recently, Tri Coastal was able to host its first "Benefit Banquet" to help raise funds for the coming year.

Tri Coastal Community Outreach is a success story in a field of miserable failures. For every group that hangs in and makes it over the hump, so to speak, there are five which must fold due to lack of resources, lack of volunteers or lack of administrative skills. A group such as Tri Coastal is entirely made up of volunteers. No one ever receives a penny for what they do. At their recent Banquet, the handful of people making up the core of the group spent hundreds of hours and hundreds of dollars of their own money preparing for and "pulling off" the event.

Every week, in addition to the two distribution days, someone must keep up with inventory, drive trucks to get supplies, unload trucks, keep up with the mountains of paperwork, do "case work" with clients, make and answer endless phone calls, plan for future events and numerous other duties. All these things are done by volunteers who in some cases, put in 25 or more hours per week of work. The director, Carolyn, easily donates a minimum of 40 hours per week of her time to the group. An organization run totally by volunteers is difficult to organize initially and nigh unto impossible to keep going for any length of time. Tri Coastal has defied the odds and is still going and growing.

Next time an occasion arises to perhaps share resources with a group "doing it right"; I pray you would consider Tri Coastal in Alabama. I do not work for them, I simply respect what they do and lend my support to what they are doing. My prayer is that others could do the same. For more information onTri Coastal, please visit their website at: http://www.tricoastalcommunity.org/, or contact Carolyn Thompson at: carollynnla@bellsouth.net . God Bless you.

Wind, Fires and Water

2007-11-28T15:12:00.001-06:00

Numerous stories have bombarded all news media recently dealing with weather. Funny how such a huge subject is rarely featured in the news unless there is either a hidden agenda or something profound takes place in a major television market. I am sorry to be cynical, but I have studied weather and enjoyed making amateur forecasts for years. Weather is not something that fills the gap between news and sports for some of us.

There ARE some absolutely huge weather related situations going on and I feel it necessary to balance the hype with some sobering truths. If "global warming" or "climate change" were taken out of all the stories floating around, and just the facts regarding the situations were presented; there would still be plenty of news to get good ratings. But, the current trend is to somehow tie every single weird weather event into the global warming debate. This is not fair nor can the facts sustain doing this.

Many years ago I lived in California for two years. The first year (1976-77) there was "the worst drought in the history of the state". The news featured stories of dried up reservoirs and mountains with no snow. Restaurants could only serve water if requested and all the lush green lawns were brown due to watering restrictions. This was not last week, this was thirty years ago.

The second year (1977-78) ended up being one of the wettest and snowiest on record. I shall never forget driving down to California from Oregon and seeing a huge reservoir that was woefully low one year earlier filled to capacity because of all the precipitation. One year the ski resorts were crying they were about to go out of business, and the next year they had so much snow people couldn't drive up to ski. The winter of 1977-78 nationwide was one of the worst winters in history. The headlines everywhere warned of the coming "ice age".

I do not wish to belittle the horrible tragedy that happened in San Diego and other southern California locations with the wildfires. But, there have been Santa Ana winds for ages. After dry winters, there have been major fires when there were intense Santa Ana winds. Certain things are just to be expected if one chooses to live in the California "paradise"; fires, earthquakes, mudslides, droughts, floods and an occasional Santa Ana windstorm.

In 1970 the population of San Diego was 696,769 and for the county it was 1,357,854. In just 30 years, by the year 2000; the city of San Diego's population had doubled to 1,256,951 and the county had more than doubled to 2,813,833. When an area undergoes this kind of rapid population growth, there are bound to be environmental problems. Without a doubt, the biggest problem comes in moving more and more people farther and farther out into areas that had been "wilderness" previously. When asphalt and cement replace dirt and vegetation, there is bound to be some problems come up.

In an average year, the coastal portion of San Diego receives about 10 inches of rain. The coastal mountains to the east of the city usually receive substantially more rain in an average year. Last year (2006-2007), San Diego received 3.85 inches of rain which was only 36% of normal. What is worse, the mountains did not receive much more than the city.

The additional factor causing the fire situation to be so critical was the humidity levels at or below 10%. When there is no humidity, vegetation is dried out, winds barrel in approaching 100 miles per hour; all it takes is one smoldering cigarette butt or a careless spark from a welder and the inferno begins. There is no stopping, or even slowing down, a fire with plenty of dry fuel and winds of hurricane velocity.

Earlier this summer fires burned out of control in Idaho and Montana for weeks. The same scenario resulted in the same results. The big difference was the lack of population and the corresponding lack of property damage. The fires in southern California will end up costing hundreds of millions of dollars. Amazingly, this is about the same amount as if a category 2 hurricane hit the area. Seeing images of burned homes is heartbreaking, but it is no different than seeing images of homes destroyed by tornados, hurricanes or earthquakes. A destroyed home is a disaster no matter how it happened.

People who insist upon living in areas prone to natural disasters MUST accept the responsibility of potential loss. Anyone living next to the ocean cannot expect someone else to pay to rebuild their home after a huge storm or tsunami. Anyone living on a fault line cannot expect someone else to pay to rebuild their destroyed home when it is finally ruined by the "big one". People who want to live in high risk areas need to have insurance to cover potential losses; no matter how much it costs. It is not fair to expect the government or private charities to always rebuild after a major disaster.

Southern California is a high risk area, especially parts near what's left of the forested mountains. People who want to live in areas prone to fires (and later mudslides) should have to use materials in building that are fire retardant and do things to set up natural firebreaks around their homes. Our society is not very good at taking personal responsibility for much of anything, especially where homes are built and how they are built.

The frightening part of this whole discussion lies in the potential for identical fires in the future. Many of the areas hit hardest this week in the Malibu area were just devastated by major fires a few weeks ago. Many areas that were burned a few weeks ago were just starting to recover from serious fires only a few years ago. Unfortunately, these same areas will continue to face fire dangers every year after a dry winter. It just goes with the territory, literally.

The bigger issue in all this lies in the upcoming water crisis. That subject is far too involved to get into at this time, but I will address it soon. I think if people understood how serious the water situation is, they would quit being so afraid of many other doomsday scenarios. There is only so much fresh water available and when it is gone, it is gone until the next big rainstorm. Water has been squandered more than any other natural resource, and very soon humanity will pay dearly for wasting one of the two things needed for life. Without air and water people cannot live. Both of these things have been polluted and squandered mercilessly.

I sincerely hope and pray that people who know little about the weather don't get distracted from the real issues environmentally, which are pollution and inexcusable wasting of natural resources. Whether the climate is changing as radically as many are saying now, cannot be proven conclusively by anyone. What can be proven is that there has been a rash of strange weather events in the past year. Something is causing the weather to "misbehave", and that much is for certain. Whether the root cause is global warming, natural earth cycles or solar issues; something is causing the weather to change in a radical fashion.

Rather than make weather a political toy, people should be seeking answers on how to preserve and steward what we have left. This is the issue that needs to be debated and publicized, not just scaring people with wild projections which are based on computer models and speculation. Instead of worrying about melting icecaps, why not figure out how to capture the water and store it for the future. Instead of pointing fingers at everyone else concerning emissions and other minor things; why not be working feverishly to harness the sun's power, desalt the oceans and figure out how to fit the billions of people on this earth into the parts of this planet capable of sustaining life. We can help this earth if we will not turn the entire subject into just another political football.

Financial Ethics

2007-11-04T10:42:00.001-06:00

There was a time when honesty ruled financial matters. Evidently that time has long since disappeared. Not a day goes by where there is not a story decrying the obnoxious and repulsive greediness that rules the western world. I am left with one overriding question; when is enough ever going to be enough? At every turn the rules of sanity have been turned upside down to where what is totally absurd is considered normal and what should be the norm is looked upon as crazy.

A bike has handlebars. Can we all agree on that? It does not have a steering wheel, it has handle bars. A brand new bike has handle bars that are squarely in alignment with the bike. If a person sits on the seat of the bike, the handle bars form a U or a V directly in front of the rider. This is the correct (and logical) way to position handle bars on a bike. If a person rode the bike with handle bars in this position, they would have no problems steering.

But, take that bike and turn the handle bars to one side and tighten them. Now the U or the V of the bars is pointed to one side or the other. If an experienced bike rider got on the bike and tried to ride, he would immediately wreck the bike. It would not be possible to drive with handle bars turned sideways. But, if a person who never rode a bike before was taught how to ride using the sideways bars, guess what? They could learn to ride and steer with no problem.

Now, put the person who learned to ride with sideways bars on a normal bike. The result would be an immediate crash. That person would have the same problems adjusting to what is "normal" as the previous rider would have adjusting to the abnormal. The question then becomes; what are we going to establish as normal and what is going to be askew? Once the norm is set up, then everyone should abide by the norm. Everyone should have handle bars that face forward and not to the side.

In England cars are driven on the opposite side of the road than in the United States. Is one country right and the other wrong? Of course not, it is a matter of the established norm. People from the United States must conform to the English norm when driving in England and vice a versa. No one takes offence at this agreement. In fact, St. Ambrose is credited with stating: "When in Rome, do as the Romans". Whether dealing with situational conduct or driving etiquette, few wiser words have ever been spoken.

The age old conundrum in all this is; what if Rome is wrong? Is one to still "do as the Romans" even if doing it is not ethically right? Let us say I visit someone's home and they have a household rule that everyone in the house must slap the person next to them every hour on the hour. As a guest, not wanting to offend the host, am I to start slapping people on the hour? If I refuse, I will be escorted out and miss the fellowship. If I "do as the Romans", I compromise my own principles and betray myself.

We live in an age where laws are made to be broken and many people deliberately strive to "push the envelope" as far as possible, to get away with as much as possible. Is the longstanding defense of; "everyone else does it" grounds to do whatever one wants to do whenever wanted? Is it allowable to do whatever one feels like doing regardless of the harm it may cause others? These questions define ethics and ethical questions hold few definitive answers.

People become very defensive when ethics are brought up in the context of financial compensation. Capitalism is a very controversial subject when ethics are brought into the equation. Just how much profit should one person be allowed to make off a transaction with another person? Capitalism, or free market theory, would suggest the answer is; "as much as the other person allows him to make". This idea sounds legitimate except that it breeds dishonesty and opens the door wide to those whose character is shady and whose "sales skills" are slick and well sharpened.

I used to sell used cars many years ago. I hated every minute it. The whole business is built on lying to people. The determination of the value of a trade-in is one of the most devious tactics ever devised by anyone to "rip people off". So what if a blue or yellow or black book says a vehicle is worth so much in such and such condition. It is all objective. It is impossible to be subjective in this situation. There are a few truly honest vehicle dealers, but there are far more dishonest ones lurking as vultures waiting to pounce on a gullible naïve person who doesn't know or forgot how to "play the game".

I recently had a van break down while away from home. There had been many problems before, so I decided to see if I could find a replacement vehicle instead of trying to fix the broken one again. I succeeded in negotiating what I thought was a fair deal on a five year old Dodge pickup that had less than 100,000 miles on it. I had told the salesperson I was willing to let the dealership make $500 if they would just be fair with me. He came back beaming for the manager agreed to the arrangement. After a long day I drove home thinking I had made a fair and honest deal.

The next morning I started the truck and the "check engine light" came on. Driving to the nearest auto shop, I found out the truck needed $1,500 of work just to get the light to go out! I was furious and called the manager where I had purchased the vehicle. He proceeded to yell at me over the phone saying: "You bought the vehicle AS IS so it is your problem". When I threatened legal action I was cussed at and hung up on. This was coming from the used car manager at the biggest Chevrolet dealership in all of central Missouri.

Ethically who was right and who was wrong in this situation. Was I wrong because I trusted a car dealer to tell me the truth? You bet I was wrong, and I paid dearly for my stupidity. Was the used car manager at the dealership wrong for lying to me and yelling at me and refusing to fix a problem he knew existed prior to the sale? In his mind he was not at fault, for in his business, lying is allowable and acceptable because "everyone does it".

I took the truck to a Dodge dealer where it was established that a "quick fix" had caused the "check engine light" to not be lit up when I first drove the truck, but came back on after a day. In other words, the dealership knew there were problems, covered them up, stuck an "As Is" sticker on the window and placed the truck on the lot. I don't know if this is legal, but I do know it is NOT ethical.

I traded the truck in the next day to a "Five Star" dealership who upon hearing what had happened wanted to do things right. They showed me the paperwork for the van I wanted. They brought in the used vehicle broker who showed me exactly what the truck I had purchased was really worth to a dealership. They were willing to make a deal if they could make a profit of $250 with no tricks. I agreed and have been happy with the van ever since. Oh, by the way, they figured the previous dealership made around $2,500 profit on the transaction I was told was a $500 deal.

When dealing with those who smile and tell you "trust me" but all the while are lying through their teeth, what can you do? If the adage of doing what they do in Rome holds true, then I guess you should lie right back at them. When I first was taught how to sell cars back in 1986, I was told it was allowable to lie to the customers because they always lied to the salesperson. How is that for a new slant on; "when in Rome…"?

Is it possible to be an honest salesperson? Of course it is and there are plenty of them out there. But, in our greed driven society there is no profession more prone to dishonesty than sales where deals must be negotiated, especially with "trade ins". Is it right to "rip someone's head off" if they allow you too? Is it right for me to make a huge profit at your expense if I lied to you? These are ethical questions that need to be addressed in our selfish, "it's all about me" culture. There is still a need for defining what is right and what is wrong, especially when your hard earned money is at stake.

To Err May be Human, but…

2007-10-30T15:54:00.001-05:00

The 18th century English poet Alexander Pope is credited with having said "to err is human, to forgive divine." As humans, we cannot help but err. There are no perfect humans who never make a mistake. To the contrary, we all make errors in judgment on a daily basis. Most accidents, whether small or large, are caused by mistakes in judgment. Most failures of any kind are rooted in mistakes caused by poor judgment.

Whenever we make a mistake we are quick to recite the first part of Alexander Pope's quote. The defense for our mistake is to say "to err is human", and that is understandable. But, what happens when we are on the other end of the equation and someone has made a mistake that hurt us or a loved one. Are we just as willing to recite the second part of the quotation as the first? It is far more difficult to forgive than to confess "to err is human". That is why the poet ascribed forgiveness to the divine.

In the space of 43 days back in the autumn of 1970, two events took place that forever changed countless people's lives. On October 2, 1970 a plane carrying half of the Wichita State football team along with the head coach, administrators and boosters crashed outside Denver, Colorado on its way to a game in Utah. 31 people were killed including 14 football players and the head coach. After an investigation, it was determined that pilot error caused the crash. The pilot had deliberately diverted from the flight plan in order to show the people on the plane the Rocky Mountains at close range. He succeeded in doing that.

Just 43 days later, in an incredible coincidence, a plane carrying the Marshal University football team back from a game in North Carolina crashed into a hillside outside Huntington, West Virginia killing all 75 people on board, including 37 football players. Again, it was determined that pilot error caused the crash. This time it was the pilot attempting to land at an unfamiliar airport in poor weather conditions. The odds of two airplane crashes involving two college football teams happening within 43 days of each other are astronomical.

Before 1970 there had only been one crash involving a college sports team.
In 1960, the Cal Poly San Luis Obispo football team was decimated when 16 of its team members were killed (along with six others) when their Arctic Pacific airplane crashed shortly after taking off from a Toledo, Ohio airport. The cause of the crash was excess weight causing engine failure. In other words, the cause was human error.

Since 1970 there has only been one airplane crash involving a college sports team. In 1977, the entire University of Evansville basketball team was killed when their DC-3 crashed on takeoff from an Indiana airport. The National Transportation Safety Board determined the cause was improper weight balance and the failure of the crew to remove external safety locks. In other words, the cause was human error.

In the course of 17 years, four aircraft carrying four college sports teams crashed. In every case, the cause of the accident was human or pilot error. Should such tragedies be brushed aside by using the excuse; "to err is human"? But, should forgiveness be denied because the people involved were athletic celebrities?

I was a 17 year old senior in High School when the Wichita State plane crashed. I didn't know anyone on that plane, but I felt unbelievable sorrow for days after the tragedy; simply because it was our city's sports heroes who had died. I believe this is called empathetic identification in the counseling arena. Just when the impact of the Wichita State accident started to wear off, the Marshall accident took place. That accident flushed all the emotions to the surface again. As difficult as this was for me, I cannot imagine the pain and suffering those directly involved must have felt.

There is no public information available to document whether lawsuits were ever filed relating to any of the four crashes mentioned in this post. There ARE many reports of great outpouring of support from grieving friends, alumni and total strangers united in a common feeling of loss. The common threads in all four tragedies are: The cause of the crash was human error, they all involved college sports teams, and there was great sorrow, compassion and forgiveness manifested afterwards by huge numbers of people who had never known each other previously.

Fast forward 30 to 35 years to our current society. Every time there is an accident of any kind, vultures descend almost immediately to start lawsuits worth thousands if not millions of dollars. Pain and suffering along with wrongful death lawsuits are filed within days of accidents. There seems, at times, to be no time for grieving, reflecting or forgiving. It's all about the money in our materialistic society.

When disasters such as airplane crashes occur today, there seems to be an immediate outcry to pin the blame someone. Somehow we think if we can find the villain who "erred" that will make things better. Even if the "villain" is found, tried and punished; does that bring his victims back? Is it right to deny a "villain" forgiveness, if his villainous act was "human error"?

I cannot defend the foolish decision of a pilot to fly into a canyon so steep there was no way out. But, I can most certainly relate. Perhaps others have never made a poor decision in their lives, but I have made plenty. The pilot never intended to kill anybody. He probably never gave the possibility of crashing a moment's thought. He did what he felt was acceptable in the circumstances based on his skill as pilot. Unfortunately he was dead wrong.

Should a person who causes pain, suffering and even death be sued for millions of dollars because they made a mistake? This is a question that needs to be addressed in our lawsuit crazy society. Is human error justifiable ground for destroying a person's life, livelihood and reputation? Have we become so hungry for "closure" and "payment" when wronged that the concept of forgiveness is totally foreign? There are many times a person should be sued due to incompetence or deceit.

If a chartered plane crashed today carrying a major college football team; before the memorial services were finished, the courts would be clogged with lawsuits "on behalf" of the victims. First in line would be the Universities themselves, for we all know they would go bankrupt if not for the huge sums of money brought in by their football teams. "Back in the day", college sports were simply part of attending college. They were fun and helped build campus unity and camaraderie. Now they are huge money makers for Universities throughout the country.

God forbid we ever have another plane crash involving a college (or Professional) sports team. Not only would the pain and sorrow be unbearable, but the financial cost would be staggering. In our current day and time, no one but a fool would cite Alexander Pope's poem. Not only has the forgiveness been eliminated as an option for the most part, but the excuse of "human error" has been discarded as rationalization or belittling the disaster. Because of this, it is ridiculous to think that what the great poet said centuries ago could ever be pertinent again; and that, to me, is a tragedy far bigger than any other.

Disaster Discrimination

2007-10-27T11:53:00.001-05:00

January 16, 1965 was a typical Saturday morning in Wichita, Kansas. It was very cold outside. My dad had left early to give a Civil Service Exam at Wichita State University in northeast Wichita. My grandmother went about her business as a housemother at the Institute of Logopedics in northeast Wichita. I was at home with my mom eagerly awaiting my 12th birthday celebration later in the day. Suddenly, an event took place that literally shook the city of Wichita. Here is the official account from the Wichita, Kansas fire department government archives:

“On January 16, the most tragic fire incident in the history of the City occurred, when a loaded jet fuel tanker crashed in northeast Wichita. The aircraft had just taken off from McConnell Air Force Base in the southeast part of the City. Due to engine failure, the huge plane plummeted to earth in a gigantic fire and explosion that rocked the City and sprayed the adjacent homes with burning fuel. The first company to arrive at the scene immediately radioed for a second alarm. Additional calls for assistance brought off-duty personnel, units from the Sedgwick County, McConnell Air Force Base, and reserve firefighters. The toll in this disaster numbered thirty lives, including seven crew members of the aircraft. Ten homes were lost and others were damaged. Although this type of accident had been feared for years, this crash was the only one involving a large aircraft to occur despite thousands of flights over the City.”

Personally, it was the worst birthday I ever had. My mother was asleep after working all night as a nurse at the VA hospital. I had to wake my mom up and tell her a plane had crashed in Wichita. She proceeded to panic when she heard where the plane went down. She was sure her husband and mother both had been killed. She did contact her mother and found out she was fine, but my dad never did call, he just showed up at home later with “stories” about the crash. As it turned out, the plane crashed less than a mile from where my grandmother and dad were at the time. A horrible day in Wichita for sure, but my family escaped the pain of losing loved ones by the slimmest of margins.

This event, needless to say, was a huge story in Wichita at the time. But, due to the crash taking place on a Saturday, it did not receive the national media attention such a catastrophe would normally have gained. The plane crashed in the heart of the Wichita “ghetto”. Because of this, it took many years of crying and pleading for a memorial to be put up where the crash occurred. If the crash had occurred in an affluent part of town, the memorial would probably have been erected within a year. Here is a link to a slide show with pictures of the crash: http://www.kansas.com/static/slides/071507tankercrash/

There is a billboard on the Interstate near our home in Missouri that reads: “Tornadoes are equal opportunity destroyers”. How true that statement is, not only concerning tornadoes but any natural disaster. What I would like to add to that billboard is: “Disaster relief is not always an equal opportunity restorer”. The inconvenient truth concerning disasters is that media coverage and the influx of relief services are very much dependent on the location of the disaster and the type of people impacted. Too many times, the potential for publicity and ratings are the determining factors for coverage instead of need. I am sorry to be so cynical, but I know by experience this is true.

Last March I saw firsthand the devastation caused by the tornado that ripped through Enterprise, Alabama. Most people remember the story of the wall collapsing at the High School killing many students. This was truly tragic and was a legitimate national news story. NO ONE remembers that before the tornado hit the school, it had plowed directly through the “black” depressed part of town. No one remembers for it NEVER made the news. I was there; I toured the part of town the local authorities did not want the nation to see. They did not want people to see for they did not want that part of town rebuilt, for it was “the bad part of town”. After being threatened with some jail time, I left that city repulsed by the 2007 version of the same old racial discrimination and bias that has plagued the South for years.

Last April I saw firsthand what happens when a tornado strikes a “politically incorrect” location. Sitting on the Rio Grande River in southern Texas is Eagle Pass. It was hit by a tornado in April of this year. That same evening, Piedras Negras, Mexico (which is across the river from Eagle Pass) was hit even harder. The Eagle Pass part of the story made national news for one day and then was forgotten. The immense damage in Piedras Negras was never reported. Eagle Pass received a fair amount of assistance from charities and the government. Piedras Negras received NO HELP, for it was on the wrong side of the river.

People in Eagle Pass, Texas live in houses. Many are not that nice, but they are buildings none the less. Houses can be repaired and moved back into after a disaster. Most, if not all the victims in Eagle Pass received assistance from charities and FEMA. There is no FEMA in Mexico and the major charities did not go there. The people in Piedras Negras who were impacted by the tornado lived in “houses” made of cardboard boxes and tarps. The local government’s response was to bulldoze the area and leave the people to find new “boxes” to live in.

Also in April, a tornado ripped through the small town of Cactus, Texas. This little town, located in the Texas Panhandle, is dirt poor and has a population that includes many migrant workers. The damage in Cactus was extensive and on par with that of Piedras Negras. The extent of assistance was about the same also. The town was denied FEMA benefits due to not getting paperwork done on time. No major charity ever went there to my knowledge. The little town was forsaken due to its location, economic condition and ethnic makeup. Should disaster response be dictated by these factors or by the need in the area destroyed?

In early May, I visited Greensburg, Kansas where a few days earlier, an F-5 tornado had wiped the town off the map. Greensburg was a nice western Kansas farming community with very few minorities, a stable tax base and an “all American” image. It even had a malt shop still in operation. Why did Greensburg receive unbelievable national attention and Cactus NONE? Why was Greensburg flooded with every major national disaster relief charity almost immediately, but only a handful ever ventured to Enterprise, Alabama? I will let you determine the answers to those questions.

A few miles east of Greensburg is a little town called Haviland, Kansas. This tiny place housed all the relief workers and agencies helping the people. Parked prominently for all to see was a huge multi-million dollar motor coach from Samaritan’s Purse disaster relief in North Carolina. It was there because the Director was in town to preach at a service. The Director is Franklin Graham, Billy’s son. His yearly salary is $345,293. I contacted Samaritan’s Purse about helping in Piedras Negras, Mexico and the request was rejected outright. I am thankful for any assistance any agency gives in times of disaster, but I tire of seeing decisions made based on reasons other than need first and foremost.

I went to Enterprise. I went to Eagle Pass, and yes, I went to Greensburg. In fact I went to Pratt, Kansas also. Why, because there was a warehouse set up there to handle all the food, water and clothing being sent from all over the country to a place THAT DID NOT NEED IT!! That’s right; the people of Greensburg were being housed by relatives and friends and had no need for supplies, for they had nowhere to put them. Yet, due to national media attention, people were sending tons of supplies for a need that did not exist. Could those supplies have been used in Enterprise, Eagle Pass, Piedras Negras and Cactus? OF COURSE they could have been used and greatly appreciated. They never made to those locations because no one knew of the need.

It truly pains me to see where so much of the money goes that people give to charities. Why the director of a disaster relief charity needs to make more than the President of the United States is beyond me. I just wish I could do a better job of relaying the need to help the small independent groups instead of dumping more and more money into the huge charities with huge overhead.

I feel badly for the fire victims in California, the disaster there is huge. But, for the most part the people there will be fine. All the major news anchors have been out there soliciting help for the people. Insurance will pay for new homes for most of those who lost theirs in the infernos. Meanwhile, people are still trying to get back into their homes in Mississippi, Alabama and Louisiana more than two years after Katrina. We still deal daily with situations where long ago people “fell through the cracks” and their needs have multiplied ever since the original disaster. It takes time to rebuild and restore after a disaster. It takes people and groups willing to stay put and work with people from ground zero until all is resolved.

Please, never forget the people who suffer through disasters who had the unfortunate distinction of living in the wrong part of town, not having much wealth or God-forbid are Hispanic or African-American. Disaster relief is not just for the middle class, celebrities or whites. Disaster relief should be for anyone impacted by a disaster. Think about this the next time you see an obscure little story buried at the bottom of the news about a place no one ever heard of with people most would reject due to economic or ethnic prejudices.

In response to the comment below, I have re-written this post and have taken out as much of my "bias" and sarcasm as possible. What's left are my opinions posted on my website. I can only write about what I have experienced, seen and heard. I cannot change the facts. I know what did and didn't happen in the places mentioned in this post. Nobody who has ever tried to be an "advocate" for those on the short end of the stick wins too many popularity contests. I do not expect to win any either.

My little charity, Heart2Heart SHARE is still there, albeit on a more limited scale than before. My commitment is still the same; that if there is a need and I can figure out how to get there, I will do whatever I can to help. Please keep the “little guys” in your prayers and help when and where you can. The large charities will always have plenty of support and resources to do what they do. It is the small independent groups with UNPAID volunteers who need support to keep doing what they are doing. Heart2Heart SHARE will continue to search out and help find assistance for unaffiliated independent groups whose very survival depends on individual donors willing to help. God bless you.

1957 versus 2007 Income/Expenses

2007-10-21T11:00:00.001-05:00

It is time for me to post some more sobering statistics. This time around I want to compare what it costs to live in America today verses fifty years ago in 1957. To put this in perspective, 1957 is considered to be the height of the baby boomer generation. Dwight D. Eisenhower was the United States President and Richard Nixon was the Vice President. There were around 170 million people living in this country (compared to 300 million today). The 1957 Best Picture of the Year (The Bridge on the River Kwai) grossed $27,200. So far in 2007 the movie "The Departed" grossed $125 million. No one owned a computer fifty years ago. The only games were "board games" and make believe games. Girls still wore dresses and guys still dressed up to take a girl on a date. Mothers stayed at home to raise the kids and fathers were happy to be the breadwinner of the family.

A lot has changed in fifty short years. The United States of America bears little resemblance to the country bearing its name not even two generations ago. States that were mainly deserted deserts fifty years ago are now the fastest growing states in the country (Arizona, Nevada and Utah). Areas that were farms fifty years ago are now cities with hundreds of thousands of people. There was only one Interstate Highway fifty years ago and that was I-70. Now people can travel all over the country on multi-lane super highways going pretty much as fast as they want.

In 1957, the average income of America's 44 million families (according to the United States Commerce Department) was $5,000. There were actually 4 million families whose income was over $10,000. There were also 6.5 million families whose annual income was under $2,000. The vast majority of American families, 33 ½ million of them, had annual income between $2,000 and $10,000.

In 2006, the average income for an American family was $48,000. In fifty years the average income had increased tenfold. The main difference between 1957 and 2006 is that most families need two incomes to reach the $48,000 figure whereas fifty years ago only the father usually worked. Logic dictates that if annual income has risen tenfold in fifty years, then the cost of most items has probably risen about the same. This logic is correct in many categories, but horribly flawed in one huge area.

In 1957 the average price for a gallon of milk was $1.00. Today, that gallon of milk averages around $3.00. It really is quite amazing that something as vital as milk has only tripled in price in 50 years. The price of most other things has definitely gone up much more rapidly and dramatically.

In 1957 gasoline averaged around .30 per gallon. This should not be surprising since only a few years ago it was still under a dollar. But, even if you took the high average today of $3.00, that is only a tenfold increase in 50 years in one of the most volatile commodities on the market. Of course at the rate of increase gasoline has gone up, that would put a gallon of milk at $10. Thank God the rate of inflation for milk has not kept up with oil.

Fifty years ago, the postage stamp was 3 cents. Now it is 41 cents (at least this week). Calculating the difference in the cost of a loaf of bread is a little more difficult. There are so many kinds of bread out there today that it is very hard to compare apples and apples, but in 1957 a loaf of bread cost 19 cents and today the range is from $1.90 to 3.90. A dozen eggs cost .28 fifty years ago and many times they cost barely over a dollar today.

Most things that are still bought and sold today are about 10 times more expensive than they were fifty years ago. Even "big ticket" items follow this same rule of thumb. The average cost of a new car in 1957 was $2,100. Today, the average price for a new vehicle is $27,958. Although vehicle prices have gone up more than 10 times, the average for today's vehicles includes SUVs and luxury cars. It also takes into account the incredible advances in technology found in today's vehicles.

It is very interesting to note that in all the years my dad bought and sold vehicles (1932 through 1989), he always paid cash for the new vehicle. "Back in the day", no one ever financed a car except possibly through a credit union or a family loan. Today, the average new vehicle loan works out to $378 per month for 63 months! Considering that a new vehicle loses 70% of its value in just 48 months, what exactly do people have to show for the $4,536 per year, or the $18, 144 they pay in four years of vehicle payments? A used vehicle worth 30% of what they paid for it.

Here comes the statistic I have been leading up to all this time. In 1957, the average price for a house in the United States was $2,330. Can you believe that! A house and a car cost roughly the same thing! I know "normal" people who pay $2,330 per month to rent an apartment. Just 50 years ago, this figure represented the average price for a house in this country.

Now consider what the average price is today (not taking into account the current depressed prices due to the sub-mortgage crises); which is $212,800. The average price of a house fifty years ago represented 50% of the annual income for the average family. The median price today is four times MORE than the average family makes in a year. This statistic explains why Americans today are saddled with a debt load that destroys marriages and causes the current unheard of foreclosure rates. Families simply cannot afford the home they live in. This is NOT a good thing.

In 1958 my parents purchased a modest home in a nice residential neighborhood in Wichita, Kansas. The house cost about $8,000 and their monthly mortgage payment was a little over $100 per month. Today, the average family in this country has a house payment of around $1,250 per month. All things being equal, if nothing else had changed between 1957 and today; then the amount paid each month for the house payment would not be much different than fifty years ago (the rule of things increasing tenfold), but all things are not equal.

Most people fifty years ago bought a house and lived in it for most, if not all of the 30 years of the mortgage. Today, people want to move into bigger and fancier houses after a few years. They never get to an equity position. If they do, they get home equity loans for toys, vacations, and other "things" and suddenly have not only a house note, but also a home equity loan note. Add in a couple of car loans, college loans and medical expenses. Once again, people cannot afford the home they live in.

Our country has always taken pride in home ownership. It is "The American Dream" after all. But, if the current trends continue, no one will be able to afford the home they live in. Instead of moving up, they will be forced to move down to housing they can afford. This is not the American way of thinking. People are not used to having less and less. That flies in the face of the "bigger, better, more and more" mentality that has fueled so many of the problems now being encountered.

There was a time in this country, not too many years ago, when people simply "made do" with what they had and could afford. With the advent of credit cards and cheap credit lines, people have been conditioned to get whatever they want, when they want it. There is no financial discipline or maturity to speak of. This ugly mentality is now being passed on the next generation who has been conditioned to have everything they want without working for it, saving for it or waiting for it.

The old values learned by those who suffered through the Great Depression have died off with that generation. The baby boom generation ushered in the greatest spending spree in American history. With it has come utter incompetence in financial matters at home, within businesses and inside the government. Perhaps a good recession or even a depression would not be all bad for this country. At the very least it would provide a wakeup call to millions of people. People might begin to understand that you can't keep spending what you do not have without someday suffering the consequences for it.

Dealing With Days of Infamy

2007-10-18T11:12:00.001-05:00

We never know for sure what a day will bring. Odds favor it being just another in a long line of similar days; but, we don't know if the circumstances that arise in that day will be minor and forgotten the next or be earth shattering and remembered a lifetime. Most people over 70 years old recall where they were and what they were doing on December 7, 1941. That was truly a day that lives in infamy. Most people over 50 remember where they were and what they were doing on November 22, 1963. News of the assassination of President Kennedy shook the world and the day became another which lives in infamy. There is really nothing to say about September 11, 2001, except it is a day of infamy we all lived through and remember vividly.

These three dates rocked the world because genuine earth shattering events took place on those days that affected millions if not billions of people. January 10, 1998 is a date that holds far more personal significance to me and my parents than even September 11, 2001, for it rocked our world. Events took place on that day which changed our lives forever. We all have personal days of infamy that are every bit as important as birthdays and anniversaries and more important than the world's "days of infamy".

My dad was born in 1914 in rural Minnesota. My mom was born in 1918 in rural Kansas. They had their fair share of physical, marital and financial problems, but they worked through them and were married for almost 60 years. They lived in the same house in Wichita, Kansas for over 40 years and never seriously considered moving out of that house.

In the early 1990's, as my dad neared his 80^th birthday, his health declined rapidly. By the time he was 80, he was suffering from numerous serious heart and lung ailments, brought on by 60 years of drinking and smoking. The local hospital jokingly talked of dedicating a wing to him or giving him a permanent room there due to his constant hospital stays for various ailments. In spite of his physical problems, he took pride in needing no one's help to live independently.

My mom began suffering the crippling effects of arthritis when she was in her early 70's. By 1998 she was walking with a cane most of the time and was living with unbearable pain all of the time. She was a very short but heavy woman, and her size compounded her physical problems. She had horrible sleep apnea which was amplified by her body's inability to sleep at the correct times due to working the night shift as a nurse at the VA Hospital for many years. Yet, in spite of her physical problems, she was able to care for herself, go to the store and keep up with household responsibilities.

I was 45 years old and living near St. Louis, Missouri in 1998. In June of 1997 I went to the Doctor because I had pain in my chest. The next day I was in a hospital having the first of what have been 17 heart catheterizations. In December of 1997 a Doctor placed three more stents in my right coronary artery bringing the total number of stents to 6. In fact, I was in a hospital in St. Louis suffering from chest pain and other problems when I received the call that my dad was also in the hospital in Wichita having suffered a stroke.

The reason I tell you my immediate family's history is to make a point. For my dad, my mom and myself, January 10, 1998 changed everything. For my dad the change was immediate, for my mom it evolved over the ensuing year, and for me it unfolded over many years. What started out as just another cold winter's day, turned into a day that lives in infamy for my family.

Although the stroke my dad suffered on January 10, 1998 was fairly minor, it turned out to be the first of many small strokes that caused his condition to deteriorate rapidly. On August 2, 1998 my dad passed away after spending the final 7 months of his life being bounced from one hospital and nursing home to another trying to play by Medicare's rules to receive their benefits. Except for a short time when he received excellent physical therapy, he became more and more depressed as his ability to communicate, walk and care for himself disintegrated before his eyes.

My mom, perhaps because she was a retired nurse, always wanted to stay with my dad in his room when he was in the hospital. Her rationale was if he had a problem, she didn't want him to die alone. However noble this idea was, in her condition it quickly wore her out. Coupled with daily trips to wherever he was and the long walks to go see him; my mom's physical condition deteriorated almost as quickly as my dad's during the course of the 7 month ordeal.

My older sister was a school teacher at the time and could help only on weekends. My older brother lived far away in Chicago and was a top executive at a major company and could fly out to offer moral support only on an occasional basis. The only other child in the family was me and my condition at the time was almost as bad as my dad's.

In light of these facts, can you see why and how one day could change everything? Suddenly my mom had to deal with situations at the house she had never dealt with before; dad always paid the bills, kept up the cars, took out the trash, and multiple other things. Suddenly instead of a husband, my mother had another child as far as care giving. However sudden the events of January 10 were, they were inevitable due to my dad's physical condition.

It took me a couple of weeks to get medical clearance to drive to Kansas to visit my dad. At the time he was in a rehabilitation hospital being put through a program that reminded him of army boot camp. The first time I saw him he called me over to his bedside and grabbed my arm and pulled me to him with all his strength. I thought he was going to say some kind and loving words expressing his gratitude in my coming. To the contrary, all he said was "get me out of here or let me die". I cried because I could not do either of the things he wanted.

I spent the next two months going back and forth between Missouri and Kansas helping my mom, visiting my dad and arranging to get him in and out of various nursing homes. By mid March of that year I was in horrible shape and finally on March 18, 1998 I suffered a fairly major heart attack as the 6 stents failed to keep my artery open. I was slumped on the floor in my mom's kitchen and she stubbornly refused to call an ambulance. She had to be the "good mom" and personally take me to the hospital as she had my dad so many times.

Two days later on March 20, 1998 my personal day of infamy occurred. I went through the ordeal of double heart by-pass surgery. Through the unbelievable benevolence of some people in Missouri, my wife managed to find people to watch all our dogs (5 at the time), get a plane ticket, get to the airport, contend with a freak snowstorm and make it to the hospital an hour before my surgery. The sum and total of those in the waiting room during my surgery were my mom and wife. The sum and total of visitors my dad had to help him deal with the stress of knowing his son was in major surgery was zero.

It was probably inevitable that I was going to need that surgery, but the stress of trying to care for my dad and mom for two months sped up the timing greatly. I was finally given clearance to fly home many weeks after the surgery. Little did I know that when I went to visit my dad before I left that it would be the last time I would see him alive.

The operation that was to have solved all my problems only made my condition worse. Infections, rhythm problems, fluid around the heart and even pneumonia all necessitated me spending between one and seven days in the hospital seven times between April and August of 1998. I was in no way physically able to go back to Wichita and help my mom. She wept daily thinking she was going to lose her husband and son at the same time.

When Medicare benefits ran out, my mom moved my dad home in late July of that year. Within a few days he fell and broke his hip. He died a few days later in the hospital. Physically and financially it was nearly impossible for me, but I made it to the funeral where I was informed by my siblings that I was appointed caretaker of my mom from then on. That is another post for another day.

My point in telling you this morbid story is to stimulate you to prepare for situations that are coming. The reason January 10, 1998 is a date that lives in infamy for my family is because my parents never prepared for their getting older and because their 3 kids never did either. No one ever expects to grow old, have strokes, become disabled by arthritis or have heart attacks. Yet, these things happen to thousands upon thousands of people every day of the week. Those who were prepared survive and keep moving; those caught off guard are thrown into situations which have few if any positive outcomes.

As our parents age, we as their children, must take more and more responsibility for them. Denial runs rampant in families with aging parents. The kids don't want to lose their lifelong friends and the parents don't want to live out their days in a nursing home. Assisted living facilities and retirement communities are not bad things, but in due time, if a person lives long enough, they will end up helpless and needing someone to care for them 24 hours a day.

If a family would sit down and honestly make plans for dealing with potential "days of infamy", then when such a day happens, it need not mark the end of the world. If aging parents and their working children, many times living thousands of miles away, would set aside one weekend and honestly talk about these things; then what happened to me and my family would not need to happen to yours.

To make a long story short; I did become my mom's caregiver for the final 6 years of her life. She was able to live the last 18 months of her life in a special room we built for her in the home she helped us purchase. When the end looked imminent, she and I talked endlessly about "things", and especially what she wanted and didn't want when "the end" was near. When that time did come, there was no unnecessary stress and she bowed out of this life gracefully. Her pre-planned and pre-paid funeral went smoothly and her final wishes were carried out without a will even being needed.

This all happened due to the willingness to honestly talk about what no one ever wants to talk about; the end times. Please, families invest the time to honestly talk about and plan for the inevitable "days of infamy" that we all know are coming. Pretending they will never happen is nothing but denial and only makes the day of reckoning even harder to deal with. Honesty in these matters is truly the best policy. Trust me, for I lived through it.

Dad and Mom are NOT Evil Words

2007-10-16T10:30:00.000-05:00

The Governor of California signed a bill yesterday that effectively eliminates the usage of the words “mom and dad” as well as “husband and wife” from California public schools. The law is not a list of banned words, such as "mom" and "dad", but the requirement is that the law bans discriminatory bias. The terms 'mom and dad' or 'husband and wife' could promote discrimination against homosexuals if a same-sex couple is not also featured.

It also creates the circumstances where a parent who says marriage is only for a man and a woman in the presence of a lesbian teacher could be convicted of "harassment," and a student who believes people are born either male or female could be reported as a "harasser" by a male teacher who wears women's clothes. It is no secret that this bill was pushed through the legislature by gay and lesbian activist groups.

Just because a lesbian couple objects to the word “dad”, should all the other family units that have a “dad” feel like they are doing something wrong by using this word in their families? If you don’t use “dad”, what word is to be used? If the baby’s first words aren’t “mama or dada”, what are they going to be? I called my earthly father “dad” or “daddy” from the moment I could speak. I called my earthly mother “mom” until she took her last breath. No one is going to prohibit me from speaking or writing about my dearly beloved “mom and dad”.

I understand “same-sex” marriage is an extremely controversial and hot topic. I understand how “same-sex” partners would object to the terms “husband and wife”. So as to not offend anyone, must we eliminate the pronouncement at the end of the ceremony that proclaims; “I now pronounce you husband and wife”? If some couple wants to be called “man and man” or “woman and woman”, that is their business and theirs alone. Why do we have to penalize the huge majority of people to “protect the rights” of the few when those rights plainly flow against God’s written Word?

The devilish phrase, “same-sex marriage”, never appeared in our society until just a few years ago. It is truly amazing how a concept the vast majority of people despise has taken off and drawn so much attention in such a short amount of time. State after state has rejected the idea of “same-sex marriage” in elections, yet it never goes away. The whole subject seems to thrive on public disapproval.

Some things just make me want to pack up find some other planet to move to. Outlawing “dad and mom” along with “husband and wife” from schools is one of those things. Next to be outlawed will be “father and mother” and then “man and woman”. Soon, all we will have left is “human” to describe all of us in every way. The people behind these moves will not rest until the notion of being born a boy or girl is destroyed once and for all.

The Gay-Straight Alliance Network and the Transgender Law Center is lobbying for special treatment in the school system. "If you want to use a restroom that matches your gender identity … you should be allowed to do so," it advises. "Whenever students are divided up into boys and girls, you should be allowed to join the group or participate in the program that matches your gender identity as much as possible." These people go as far as favoring allowing girls to use boys’ locker rooms and vice-a-versa in order to respect “gender identity” (not gender). The prevailing opinion is that these views will be the next law passed in California.

Why even bother to separate boys and girls? I know that many of the more liberal colleges did away with men’s and women’s dorms years ago. Now they have done away with even men’s and women’s floors and of course rest rooms. “Unisex” is the goal in all these decisions. Do these people never consider how offended the old fashioned straight people are by these moves?

“As California goes, so goes the nation” is a well known saying. God Forbid it goes that way this time. I believe it would take threats of military action to enforce a law, such as the one being considered next in California, in much of the United States. I cannot picture parents in the Deep South allowing their children to go to school and share restrooms with members of the opposite sex. I cannot fathom good wholesome Midwestern parents allowing their kids to go to a school in which boys and girls share the same locker room and showers.

Give me a break, only in a state which has gone off the deep end socially would such absurd and ludicrous behavior not only be allowed, but written into law. If I lived in the state of California I would sell my house (for a loss) as quickly as I could and move to a part of the country where God is still respected and is not going to be buried under brimstone soon.

If you read these posts, you know that I am a Bible believing Christian. I am not ashamed of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. I am not ashamed to be a man, a husband and if I had children, a dad. Being such things, I cannot sit by and let an incident such as the one that took place yesterday in California go by without commenting on it. If you allow the enemy to take an inch, he will go for a foot. If you allow him a toehold, he will squeeze open the door, burst in and devour you.

I am neither a Republican nor a Democrat. I am a concerned child of God who is sick and tired of watching elected officials take the Bible I love and rip it to shreds. Those who try and make a mockery of the God I love and the Word of God I stand for make me angry, just as the unbelief of the Pharisees and Sadducees made Jesus angry. Some issues you just can’t sit back and watch go by. Some issues you have to take a stand on. Some issues you have to be outspoken about.

I understand the risk in a post such as this. I understand it offends some people. What else is new, the Gospel has been offending people for 2,000 years. Truth is truth and all the lies on earth are not going to change the truth. God made man and He made woman. He made man and woman for each other. He made man and woman to become husband and wife. He made man and woman to be daddy and mommy to their children.

This is the truth whether people want to acknowledge it or not. The very integrity of God and His Word is being attacked in this whole issue. As a soldier of the Almighty, I must stand up for the God I love and serve. I must speak the truth in love, no matter what the cost. God is my “DAD” and no one will ever take that away from me.

The Power of God is NOT For Sale

2007-10-14T10:44:00.000-05:00

For many years in my life, I was led to believe that God and the Bible were like a magic wand. I remember using this analogy numerous times as I “witnessed” to them. “If I had a magic wand and could wave it and get you anything you wanted, would you pay me $$$ for the wand”. Very good sales techniques used there. Appeal to the greed or need of the person you are talking to. Ask them a question they have to answer in such a way as to open the door for you to “close the sale”. Perhaps sales techniques are fine when you are a professional salesperson selling a car, but are the things of God to be “sold”?

In Acts chapter 8 there is a record of a man who wanted to purchase the power of God. Philip had gone to Samaria and preached Christ unto them. The people with one accord gave heed to what he preached and the result was an explosion of the power of God as recorded in verses 6-8. Before Philip came and turned the area upside down, a man named Simon had the city under his control through sorcery. He had tricked the people into believing that he was “the great one”. All the people, it says in verse 10 “gave heed from the least to the greatest, saying, ‘this man is the great power of God’.”

When Peter and John heard about all the great things going on in Samaria, they left Jerusalem and went to Samaria to help. The first thing they did was pray that the people might receive the Holy Spirit, for they had only been water baptized and not baptized in the Holy Spirit. They laid their hands on the new believers and they received the Holy Spirit.

Watching all this happen was Simon the sorcerer. He had actually believed also and had been water baptized. In fact, it says back in verse 13 that he continued with Philip and stood in awe as he beheld the miracles and signs which were being done. Now, these two men come down from Jerusalem, lay hands on the people and they receive the Holy Spirit into manifestation. Not trying to sound Pentecostal, but there is no other explanation for what Simon saw other than the people spoke in tongues just as the apostles had on the Day of Pentecost.

Remember that Simon had for quite some time tricked the people into believing HE was the great power of God. Now he sees the true power of God in operation and he figures if he can just purchase it, he can get back to being Top Dog in Samaria. In Acts 8:18, 19 it says:

“And when Simon saw that through laying on of the apostles’ hands the Holy Ghost was given, he offered them money,
Saying, Give me also this power, that on whomsoever I lay hands, he may receive (into manifestation) the Holy Ghost.”

What Simon requested of Peter and John was quite logical. It may have been logical but it was dead wrong. You cannot purchase the power of God, and Peter makes that point loud and clear in verses 20 through 23, where it reads:

“But Peter said unto him, Thy money perish (rot) with thee, because thou hast thought that the gift of God may be purchased with money.
Thou hast neither part nor lot in this matter; for thy heart in not right in the sight of God.
Repent therefore of this thy wickedness, and pray god, if perhaps the thought of thine heart may be forgiven thee.
For I perceive that thou art in the gall of bitterness, and in the bond of iniquity.”

I do not believe there is any doubt as to what Peter was telling Simon. Simon asked Peter “How much to buy this power of God?”. Peter proceeds to basically tell Simon, “Go to the grave with your rotten money”. To be “in the gall of bitterness and the bond of iniquity” means he was full of bitterness because he lost his authority over the people and he was held captive, as if chained in a prison, by sin.

If you cannot purchase the power of God; it is not for sale. God’s power is only available through grace. It is far too expensive for anyone to afford, which is why it has to be a gift. Since the power of God is not for sale; anyone trying to buy or sell it is as guilty as Simon. Oh the thin ice many ministers and ministries are treading on.

Peter’s direct confrontation of Simon’s sin brought immediate results. We read in verse 24 that Simon said to Peter: “Pray ye to the Lord for me, that none of these things which ye have spoken come upon me”. Simon was smarter than he may have looked. He could tell that Peter meant business and he better do what Peter said or he was in for an awful lot of trouble. The Bible never tells us if Simon truly repented. It never tells us how Peter responded to Simon’s request. I would assume Peter prayed, but whether Simon escaped the things mentioned is something only God and Simon know for sure.

Let me be brutally honest here; I do not think it is right to peddle the Word of God, Christian music and books as just more merchandise at the market. I quit buying most “Christian” music years ago because the artists and record companies were obviously in it for the money and fame. I refuse to pick up every book someone writes on some religious subject to make a few bucks at the Christian book store. I’ve been to countless meetings and conventions where the hallways are choked with tables full of books, classes and CDs being sold at prices a king would balk at.

There is a fine line between “selling the gospel” and paying the costs to produce a product. I do not believe people should be paid to preach and teach the Bible. I do not believe a person should have to pay through the nose to receive instruction on spiritual matters, listen to Christian music or read a good Christian book. I believe we are to simply announce the glad tidings of Jesus Christ and those who want to hear will stop and listen. Those who don’t want to hear will leave.

I certainly pray that those who are becoming very wealthy by “preaching the gospel” (too many names to list) would stop and look at the record in Acts chapter 8 to make sure they have not turned into a "Simon in Peter's clothing".

Why Are We Here?

2007-10-13T09:43:00.000-05:00

The oldest question asked by man is “why am I here”. During the thousands of years of man’s existence on this planet, enough answers to that question have been proposed to fill a library. The entire field of philosophy is basically devoted to providing possible answers to man’s ultimate question of purpose in life. People have spent their entire lives searching all over the world in vain attempts to find their individual reason for being. It doesn’t have to be so difficult, for the answer to this question is simply laid out by God in His Word.

Like many other things that baffle and confuse mortal man; the question of purpose in life is neither hard to find in God’s Word nor is it difficult to understand. In fact, the entire answer is provided in one verse in the Bible. Isn’t it just like man to so complicate a subject that libraries are needed to provide space for all his theories? God sums the whole issue up in one short verse in His Word.

One night soon after Solomon became king; he went to the brazen altar before YAHWEH and offered a thousand burnt offerings. Later that night Elohim appeared to Solomon and said to him; “Ask what I should give you!” Books have been written and movies made about the fictitious genie that comes out of the bottle and grants the person three wishes. Almighty God is not a genie and He certainly doesn’t live in a bottle. What happened that night with Solomon was extraordinary and it was real.

Many years ago I took up a “dare” (or perhaps a double dog dare) from a friend and stood out on a street corner for many hours stopping people and asking them one question. The question was: “If you could have ONE thing given to you TODAY, what would it be”? Years have clouded the specifics, but I do remember that almost everyone who seriously answered the question wanted either MONEY for themselves or physical healing for themselves or a loved one. These are the answers one would expect to receive from mortals living in this world.

Solomon’s answer to this question and Elohim’s response to Solomon is a little different from my experience on the street corner. I will quote this section in 2 Chronicles 1:8-12 from the New Living Translation:

“Solomon replied to God, ‘You showed faithful love to David my father, and now you have made me king in his place.
O Lord God (YAHWEH Elohim), please continue to keep your promise to David my father, for you have made me king over a people as numerous as the dust of the earth! Give me the wisdom and knowledge to lead them properly, for who could possibly govern this great people of yours?’
God (Elohim) said to Solomon, ‘Because your greatest desire is to help your people, and you did not ask for wealth, riches, fame, or even the death of your enemies or a long life, but rather you asked for wisdom and knowledge to properly govern my people---
I will certainly give you the wisdom and knowledge you requested. But I will also give you wealth, riches, and fame such as no other king has had before you or will ever have in the future’!"

Solomon’s greatest desire was to help his people, not personal fame and fortune. I wish the leaders of many “mega-ministries” would have Solomon’s desire. Then, perhaps, there would not be the constant parade of scandal such as the one currently being handled at Oral Roberts University.

Solomon asked for knowledge and wisdom to be able to help people. Elohim not only gave him his request, He blessed him with more fame and fortune than any king who ever lived. In his prime, Elohim allowed Solomon to write what we know as the book of Proverbs. No book ever written has more wisdom than Proverbs. As long as Solomon stayed faithful, Elohim continued to bless him with wisdom as well as fame and fortune.

Solomon had a bad habit of adding more and more wives and concubines to his harem. With each wife he brought in, he added another strange god to the hodgepodge of gods in the royal palace. In time, his wives and their gods turned his heart away from YAHWEH Elohim. When Sampson compromised “his faith”, he lost the source of his strength and he failed. When Solomon compromised “his faith”, and began worshipping and serving other gods, his kingdom fell apart as well as his ability to rule with Godly wisdom. He no longer was blessed by Elohim, and suffered the consequences of his vain sin.

At the end of Solomon’s life, after (we assume) he came to grips with his failure and repented of his horrible sins; he was allowed to write what we know as the book of Ecclesiastes or The Preacher. The book begins and ends on the same basic note. Vanity of vanities, all is vanity. At the end of the book, Solomon lays out the conclusion of the whole matter of life and its meaning. Quoting from the New Century Version, Ecclesiastes 12:9-14 states:

“The Teacher was very wise and taught the people what he knew. He very carefully thought about, studied, and set in order many wise teachings. The Teacher looked for just the right words to write what is dependable and true.

Words from wise people are like sharp sticks used to guide animals. They are like nails that have been driven in firmly. Altogether they are wise teachings that come from one Shepherd. So be careful, my son, about other teachings. People are always writing books, and too much study will make you tired.

Now, everything has been heard, so I give my final advice; Honor God and obey his commands, because this is all people must do.

God will judge everything, even what is done in secret, the good and the evil.”

There you have it. In one verse the entire purpose of man is laid out. Honor (fear) Elohim and obey His commands (or guard His commands); because this is all people MUST do. The New Living Translation says; “for this is everyone’s duty”. I leave you with how the Amplified Bible handled Ecclesiastes 12:13:

“All has been heard; the end of the matter is: Fear God [revere and worship Him, knowing that He is] and keep His commandments, for this is the whole of man [the full, original purpose of His creation, the object of God’s providence, the root of character, the foundation of all happiness, the adjustment to all inharmonious circumstances and conditions under the sun] and the whole [duty] for every man.”

The purpose in our being here is to love, honor and worship God and to keep, guard and obey His commands. Love God and obey His Word; this is the reason we were born into this life. As we live to love God and do what He says, we please Him and He blesses our lives with meaning and fulfillment.

The Name and Nature of God: Part Two

2007-10-12T17:21:00.000-05:00

When looking at the character of “God”, we must focus our attention on those qualities which, when placed together, describe His very nature. The simplest way I know to accomplish this is to look at what the Bible says “God is”. If I were to describe my earthly father in such a way as to paint a picture of his nature; I would describe who he is (or in his case, was). I can tell you that Leslie was extremely meek, humble and hungry to learn. He was very kind and gentle in his later years. Being of Swedish heritage, he was blond haired and for most of his life very lean. When he was younger he had a lightning quick temper and a strong competitive drive. If you put all these qualities together, you could envision what kind of person my dad was.

In doing a simple phrase search of “God is”, it is very interesting that the first thing mentioned in the Bible that “God is”, is found in Deuteronomy 4:24 where it states:

“For the Lord (YAHWEH) thy God (Elohim) is a consuming fire, even a jealous God (El).”

Right off the bat, YAHWEH our Elohim says that He is jealous God who will devour and consume something. What is He going to consume? Verse 24 does not tell us, so we must go back and find the context. In the preceding verse 23 it says:

“Take heed unto yourselves, lest ye forget the covenant of the Lord your God, which he made with you, and make you a graven image, or the likeness of anything, which the Lord thy God hath forbidden thee.”

Moses was exhorting the people to be careful, watch out and guard themselves so as to not forget the covenant of YAHWEH their Elohim which He had made with them. To understand what this covenant was and why it was so very important we must go back in the context to verses 9 and 10. For the remainder of this article I will be quoting from “The Scriptures” Translation published by Institute For Scriptural Research in South Africa.

“Only, guard yourself, and guard your life diligently, lest you forget the Words your eyes have seen, and lest they turn aside from your heart all the days of your life. And you shall make them known to your children and your grandchildren.
The day when you stood before YAHWEH your Elohim in Horeb, YAHWEH said to me, ‘Assemble the people to Me and I make them hear My Words, so that they learn to fear Me all the days they live on the earth and teach them to their children.”

This day spoken of by Moses is when God gave the “10 Commandments” along with numerous other laws as recorded in Exodus chapters 19-24. I do want to call your attention to Exodus 19:16-20 which helps us understand the record in Deuteronomy better:

“And it came to be, on the third day in the morning, that there were thunders and lightnings, and a thick cloud on the mountain. And the sound of the ram’s horn was very loud, and all the people who were in the camp trembled.
And Mosheh (Moses) brought the people out of the camp to meet with Elohim, and they stood at the foot of the mountain.
And Mount Sinai was in smoke, all of it, because YAHWEH descended upon it in fire. And its smoke went up like the smoke of a furnace, and all the mountain trembled exceedingly.
And when the blast of the ram’s horn sounded long and became louder and louder, Mosheh spoke, and Elohim answered him by voice.
And YAHWEH came down upon Mount Sinai, on the top of the mountain. And YAHWEH called Mosheh to the top of the mountain, and Mosheh went up.”

What an incredible experience for those who were there! Without veering too far off the path, can you imagine what it will be like when Jesus Christ returns and sets foot on the Mount of Olivet! Revelation 19:11-16 gives you a good idea if you wanted to read it some time.

In Deuteronomy 4, Moses is exhorting the people to never forget the whole experience of when God Himself came down on the mountain and called Moses up to receive His covenant. Verse 13 explains what this covenant was:

“And He made known to you His covenant which He commanded you to do, the Ten Words, and He wrote them on two tablets of stone. “

The covenant which Moses exhorted the people to NEVER FORGET was what people call the 10 Commandments. When you look at those commandments, the first two deal with the same subject which is; NO IDOLATRY ALLOWED! In Exodus 20: 2-5 we see:

“I am YAHWEH your Elohim, who brought you out of the land of Mitsrayim (Egypt), out of the house of slavery.
You have no other mighty ones (elohim) against My face.
You do not make for yourself a carved image, or any likeness of that which is in the heavens above, or which is in the earth beneath, or which is in the waters under the earth.
You do not bow down to them nor serve them. For I, YAHWEH your Elohim am a jealous El…”

Obviously, when you combine the record in Exodus with the one in Deuteronomy you see that what God will consume are any idols His people put up against His face, bow down to and serve.
Never forget what YAHWEH our Elohim has done for you through His son Jesus Christ. Guard your heart so as to never forget the glorious new covenant which He has made with us through the finished redemptive work of Jesus Christ His Son. Cast your idols down and let the consuming fire of YAHWEH our Elohim devour them once and for all.

God Bless you and keep you safe until next time.

World Population Explosion and America's Response

2007-10-11T14:59:00.000-05:00

The year 2007 marks the fiftieth anniversary of the height of the “baby boom”. In 1957 there were around 170 million people in this country. In 2007 there are an estimated 300 million people living in America. An increase of 130 million people in fifty years seems pretty impressive until it is compared to what has happened worldwide since 1957.

It is estimated (of course no one knows for sure), that there were approximately 300 million people living in the world at the time of Christ. By the year 1500, the world’s population had grown to just under 500 million. In just 400 years the number of people living on earth had increased by over 1 billion to 1.6 billion in 1900. In a mere 50 years (with two world wars involved), the population jumped by almost another billion to 2.5 billion in 1950.

Fast forward 57 years to our current year. There are now 2.5 billion people living in China and India alone! That means everyone who was alive on the entire earth in 1950 would now have to fit in just two countries. Over 37% of the world’s population live in two countries which together account for less than 9 % of the world’s land area.

Over 6.6 billion people live on this planet in 2007. In the year 2000 the population on earth was 6.1 billion. That means 500 million MORE people are alive now than just 7 years ago. In light of these staggering statistics, the 130 million population increase in the United States over 50 years is pretty paltry to say the least.

Over 30% of the land area of this world is found in 4 countries: Russia, Canada, United States and Australia. Currently about 500 million people live in these 4 countries (over 300 million in the United States alone). That means less than 8 % of the world’s population lives on 30% of the land and 37% of the population lives on 9% of the land. What importance do all these figures hold? What could possibly be the profit in knowing all these statistics?

The reason for understanding these things lies in the gross ignorance the vast majority of people have toward anything outside of their family or town. How many people know that 6.6 billion people live on earth? How many people know that well over one third of them live in two countries? How many people have a clue the world’s population has doubled in just 50 years? How many people have any idea the impact that so many humans has on the climate, food production and water consumption? How many people even care to know any of these things?

When a tsunami strikes Asia and kills 500,000 people that should be the biggest news story of the century. But, because that figure means nothing to most people, the scope of the catastrophe becomes very limited. The entire continent of Australia could drop into the ocean and most people wouldn’t notice. Just so long as their backyard doesn’t slide down the hill, they are happy.

I imagine very few people know that there are almost as many people living in the city of Tokyo as live in the state of California. Even fewer people know that far more people live in the state of California than in the country of Canada. All most people know about Canada is that it is cold up there and they play hockey.

We live in a huge world blessed by Almighty God with plenty of natural resources. But, as the population continues to grow in certain parts of the world, the ability of those countries to provide for their own invariably gets outstripped. Think of a country such as Bangladesh where over 150 million people are crammed like sardines into a tiny country the size of Illinois. There is no way to produce enough food and find enough water for everyone. The inevitable result is political and cultural upheaval.

The country of Sudan in Africa and the state of California in the United States both have a population of about 38 million. The similarities stop there. In every conceivable category, there is absolutely no comparison between the two places. One is so wealthy people can afford to live in small houses costing half a million dollars while the other is so poor, people have no houses to live in at all. Do too many people in California care about those in the Sudan? Very few would have a clue where on earth the country is even located.

For those who think this world can keep on going as it has for thousands of years, I think you need a good dose of reality medicine. At the current growth rate, the world could easily hit 10 billion population within the next few years. Sooner or later there will not be room, food or water for everyone. Then the tough choices start, like who is allowed to live and who is deemed a burden to society and not allowed to survive. Even today these choices have to be made in many impoverished and overpopulated countries.

I can say with full certainty that the poorest soul in the United States would be considered quite wealthy by millions if not billions of people elsewhere in the world. There are hundreds of thousands of people living on the other side of the border in Mexico who would gladly take the big box your latest plasma television came in off your hands. They would turn it into a bedroom in their home made of other cardboard boxes. There are millions of people who would (and do) sell their very body and souls for the opportunity to live in America as a street person begging for daily food. Why? Because it would be a better lot than what they now have where they live.

Yes, this long post is nothing more than a biting criticism of the stupidity and selfishness of the immigration debate. Oh selfish and complacent Americans, your arrogance will be your downfall. Your greed and lust will sooner or later destroy your beauty and benevolence that made you great. Who gave you the right to tell those who only want to eat the crumbs that fell off your table of plenty to “Go Home”. Please, America, wake up and see what you are doing before it is too late. God HAS blessed America for the purpose of America blessing the world. When America stops blessing those in need, and when America stops helping the tired and huddled masses; then America will cease to be blessed by God Almighty.

Amen.

Entertainment Tonight: The Cost of Entertaining America

2007-10-08T07:23:00.000-05:00

The amount of money Americans spend to be entertained is staggering, to say the least. Tonight my wife and I watched a recorded episode of one of our favorite television shows; “Are you smarter than a 5th Grader”. In this episode, a gentleman won $500,000 for correctly answering 10 elementary school questions. It warms my heart to see a “certified genius” win half a million dollars answering questions asked of kids in first through fifth grade. The problem I have is that $500,000 represents more money than my father and mother made together in all the years they worked.

Jeff Foxworthy, who is the host of the Fifth Graders show, receives a “salary” of $150,000 for each one hour episode. William Peterson makes $500,000 for each “CSI” episode. Are these guys really so talented that they should make this much money just to entertain us? Is it right that Jeff Foxworthy makes more in two episodes of a game show than the President of the United States makes in a year?

Judge Judy makes 30 million dollars a year to pass judgment on cases no different than those heard daily in small claims court. Simon Cowell makes 45 million dollars a year to be a judge and critic on “American Idol”. Poor Katie Couric makes “only” 15 million dollars a year to give the news a few nights per week. Oprah Winfrey makes around 260 million dollars per year from her broadcasting and publishing empires.

The average salary for an NFL player is 1.4 million dollars per year. That is quite a bit of money to pay a 300 pound guy to dress up in a uniform and play once a week. The average salary for an NHL (hockey) player is 1.8 million dollars per year. That is a huge amount of money to pay a guy to “skate”. The average salary for a Major League Baseball player is 2.7 million dollars. At least these guys have to “work” every day for 8 months to earn their money. The average salary for an NBA (basketball) player is 4.9 million dollars. That is an incredible amount of money to pay a guy to “dribble”.

A few weeks ago Tiger Woods received 10 million dollars for winning a golf tournament. That’s right, 10 million dollars to hit a little white ball into a hole. Since when did hitting, catching and throwing balls become so lucrative? It became lucrative when Americans with far too much money and time on their hands started wasting it on worthless entertainment. Athletes make this money because Americans are willing to pay a king’s ransom to watch their “heroes” play for a few hours.

Let us assume Brad Pitt makes 20 million dollars per year (he probably makes far more than that). For the average American, a $275,000 house would be a huge investment that would entail obtaining a 30 year mortgage at over $2,000 per month. For Brad, that same house would seem to cost only $412.50. The new car that costs all of us $20,000 would seem to cost $30 to Brad. That new $2,000 computer would seem like $3 to Brad. A nice meal at a decent restaurant that costs us $40 would seem like 6 cents to Brad and the average $10 meal like 2 cents.

Entertainers are allowed to make what they make because Americans are more than willing to pay their “salaries”. America’s love affair with celebrity status along with its unquenchable thirst for sports of all kinds has led to a leak of monumental proportions when it comes to the reality and honesty of compensation. Those who contribute the least are paid the most, and those who should be paid the most are paid the least.

The base salary for a new nurse is $39,000 per year on average. After 3 years it “climbs” to $47,000. How important are nurses compared to basketball players? Should a basketball player really make 100 times what a nurse makes per year? How many lives have basketball players saved or helped make comfortable?

The average pay for a police officer is $45,000 per year. Should a an actor who portrays a police officer on television make 10 times more for a one hour show than a real police officer makes in a year of daily putting his life on line? Should a television judge make 700 times more per year than the average police officer on the street? Something is terribly wrong with this picture.

The average pay for a school teacher is $47,600 per year. Granted, a teacher works only 9 months per year, but their job is perhaps the toughest one on earth. Is it right that the teacher who slaves away in a rundown inner city “hellhole” school should make only 1/ 5460th of what Oprah pulls in per year?

Is Oprah 5460 times more important than your average teacher? Is Judge Judy 700 times more important than your average police officer? Is an NBA player 100 times more important than your average nurse? Isn’t it interesting that the vast majority of teachers, police officers and nurses rarely complain about their salaries? They do what they do for the love of what they are doing and knowing they are “making a difference” in our world. Athletes and entertainers are notorious for complaining about not making enough for what they do.

The next time you turn on your television, go to the movies or attend a professional sporting event; think about how much money is being thrown away to provide you with a few minutes or hours of entertainment. While numerous small charities dry up on the vine for lack of funding, people seem to have no shortage of extra money to throw in the trash can of “Entertainment Tonight”.

God Bless you and keep you safe.

Parents; These are YOUR Children!!

2007-10-07T08:56:00.000-05:00

The other day I was at a garage sale where there were tons of toys and other children’s articles. A very young boy who was old enough to walk but not put words together was wrestling with some type of inflatable toy attempting to do who knows what with it. He was obviously getting very frustrated, for the utterances coming out of his mouth were becoming more and more guttural and animated.

Suddenly the boy screamed at the top of his lungs, threw the toy on the driveway and proceeded to start jumping up and down on it in an attempt to break it. At the same time he was yelling incoherent words and noises at the object he was so frustrated with. Amazingly there was no parent around to intercede; they were too busy and too uninterested to notice what was happening.

In due time, the boy go tired of that object and moved on to another. I watched in utter disbelief as the exact same thing happened, only this time the boy won. When he threw the toy on the driveway it broke. Immediately the mother ran over and scolded the boy, not for the tantrum, but for breaking the toy. Of course the boy was not happy and he proceeded to start slapping the mother while yelling and screaming. In his mind, the mother was no different than the toy. If he had been big enough, he would have picked her up and threw her down just like the two toys.

Since the time I was forced to witness this incident, I have tried to understand what exactly happened. Many questions have arisen in my mind concerning all parties involved. How can a two year old develop so much anger so quickly in their life? How can a mother allow their child to slap her and yell at her? How can society allow parents to be so apathetic that they do not provide training to their children?

Earlier in the week I had to go the Emergency Room at the Hospital to have something checked out. While waiting for test results in my little cubicle, a mother and child were brought into the room next to mine. The child had a bad ear infection that had gotten worse over the weekend.

From the time they arrived until the time I was allowed to leave 90 minutes later, the child screamed at the top of his lungs non-stop. I have never heard such blood curdling cries in my life. It literally sounded as if someone was cutting off the child’s fingers and toes one by one. During this 90 minutes nothing was done by the parent or hospital staff to try and quiet the child. No soothing words, no sucker, no medication; nothing. Instead, one unhappy and sick child was allowed to make 18 sick and miserable adults also in the ER sicker and more miserable.

Why are children allowed to run the show? Why are adults petrified at the idea of instructing, correcting and if need be, punishing their children? Do parents not understand that their children’s behavior affects other people? Do they not see how when they allow their kids to run up and down the aisles of Wal Mart screaming and running into people right and left; that this could be a little disconcerting to others, especially the elderly and disabled?

I used to take my elderly mother to the store once a week. This allowed her to get out of the house and do something. We had to stop this activity because the screaming and running kids got her so worked up she would go into a panic attack. We live in a selfish society where many people could care less about the feelings and welfare of anyone but themselves.

Ever notice how many times in a store a child will run and run and finally come back to the mother with a toy or candy and demand they be allowed to get it. Sometimes the parent will say no, but many times they yield because they know what will happen if they refuse. The kid goes into a full scale tantrum in the store complete with yelling and screaming and hitting. Why are kids allowed to run the show? Why can’t parents take control of their kids and be parents?

Our culture has turned kids into pampered and spoiled brats. They get everything they want when they want it, and when they don’t, they let the whole world know how unhappy they are. Isn’t it interesting how this also defines the attitude and behavior of many adults? Children raised without discipline turn into adults with no bounds on their behavior and in turn provide many new patients to Doctors and clients for defense and divorce attorneys.

Parents do not need to beat their children into submission. Parents do not need to “reason” with them either. Parents need to instruct, teach, train and provide what parents were put on earth to do; parental guidance. But, due to job schedules and other activities, parents dump the training of their children on the school, church and television. The end result is a society full of undisciplined and spoiled children who turn into selfish and apathetic adults.

I wish this sign would be posted in every store and along every highway in the country; “Parents, please take responsibility for your children”. Parents, these are YOUR children, thus they are YOUR responsibility to love, protect, provide for, train and teach. You are the parent and this is YOUR job. I had better stop or next we will be talking about what foster care has done to our society. Thank you for allowing me to get this “burning subject” off my chest. Next post I will return to the regularly scheduled subjects.

God bless you and keep you safe.

Character/Hypocrisy---Part One

2007-10-04T10:38:00.000-05:00

Character is defined as the aggregate of features and traits that form the individual nature of a person. A person’s reputation is established by their character. Character refers to the moral qualities and ethical standards that make up the inner nature of a person. Hypocrisy would thus be when the outward appearance in a person’s life does not accurately reflect their true inner nature. Character actors are experts at hypocrisy. Their very livelihood depends on their ability to portray a person so accurately so as to make people believe the character is real.

Character is who you are when no one else is around. Character reflects the true identity of a person. Character can either be good or bad, pleasing or repulsive, sterling or fake. Ultimately, only God knows the true identity of people for He looks on the heart and not on the outward appearance. People fool other people all the time by putting up facades, wearing masks and speaking and doing things only to win other’s approval or respect. Politicians are experts at this. They spend their entire lives being someone they are not, just to get elected and re-elected.

A person should be judged by their character not their outward appearance. Clothing, make up, plastic surgery and other “props” can alter the outward appearance of a person so as to fool just about everybody. Masters of disguise can hide their true identity from everyone but themselves and God. People who live dual lives truly are some of the best actors in the world and should be given prominent roles in upcoming movies and television shows. It is beyond me how people can project one image and live an entirely different one.

If you know in your heart that you are rotten, vile, disgusting and repulsive, yet portray to all around you that you are kind, gentle, pure and attractive; you are a hypocrite. If you know in your heart that you have hurt people, abused people’s trust and flat out lied to those who love you, yet “appear” to be the most honest, upright and loving person on earth; you are worse than a hypocrite, you are a rotten, vile, disgusting and repulsive phony and fraud. Anyone who can smile and tell you how wonderful you are while stabbing you in the back to steal the $5 in your wallet is the ultimate hypocrite

Near the end of Jesus ministry while in Jerusalem, he confronted the Scribes and Pharisees regarding their hypocrisy. Among the many incredible things Jesus said, a couple really stand out. In Matthew 23:27 and 28 it says in the New Living Translation:

“What sorrow awaits you teachers of religious law and you Pharisees, Hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs—beautiful on the outside but filled on the inside with dead people’s bones and all sorts of impurity.

Outwardly you look like righteous people, but inwardly your hearts are filled with hypocrisy and lawlessness.”

Jesus pretty well sums it all up in verse 33:

“Snakes! Sons of vipers! How will you escape the judgment of hell?”

Obviously God and His Son Jesus Christ do not think too highly of hypocrisy, especially in the religious arena. To err is human it has been said, but to deliberately deceive people for the sole purpose of stealing from them, killing them and destroying them is behavior straight from the pit of hell, and that is where those guilty of such abhorrent things will be spending eternity. There is no excuse for deliberate deception in any realm, but especially in the ‘religious’ sphere.

The next time you see a political, religious or other intellectual leader exhibiting “holier than thou” characteristics; rest assured that more than likely they are guilty of hypocrisy and fraud. People who “demand” respect because of their positions and titles rarely deserve it. Respect is a privilege to be won not a right bestowed because of position or rank. People should earn our respect through their sterling character and faithful service, not be blindly handed it because of the initials before or after their name.

Always be on guard for wolves in sheep clothing and for other great pretenders. Be aware of those who through sleight of hand and other trickery appear to something they are not. Never fall prey to things that appear too good to be true, for they are never are. Jesus told his disciples to be “wise as serpents, yet gentle as doves”. I believe these words are still quite applicable today. Watch out for hypocrites, magicians and other experts of illusion. Look on people’s hearts and not their outward appearances. God does, and if it is good enough for Him, it should be for us also.
God bless you and keep you safe.

Are We a Josiah or a Jehoiakim?

2007-10-02T10:39:00.000-05:00

In Jeremiah 22 the prophet Jeremiah speaks of judgment against the evil kings of Judah that followed after the “good” king Josiah. In verses 13-19, a scathing denunciation of King Jehoiakim is recorded.

“Woe to him who builds his palace by unrighteousness, his upper rooms by injustice, making his countrymen work for nothing, not paying them for their labor.
He says, ‘I will build myself a great palace with spacious upper rooms. So he makes l large windows in it, panels it with cedar and decorates it in red.
Jeremiah 22:13, 14 NIV

Obviously God does not think highly of “slave labor” which is what making people work for nothing and not paying them for their labor amounts to. God lays out in His Word in numerous places the principle that a laborer is worthy of his hire. God does not expect people to work for someone else and never receive any compensation. Tyrants and despots force their people to work for only bread and water. Tyrants and despots do not know or love God.

“Does it make you a king to have more and more cedar? Did not your father (Josiah) have food and drink? He did what was right and just, so all went well with him.
He defended the cause of the poor and needy, and so all went well. Is that not what it means to know me? Declares the Lord.”
Jeremiah 22:15, 16 NIV

What a brilliant commentary of our current times! Does it make you “special”, or a “VIP”, or someone who is to be bowed down to and worshipped just because you have a bigger, better, more and more house, vehicle or yacht? Is your church better because it has a bigger and newer building? Josiah was a humble king who refused to put up with evil. He enjoyed life because he did what was right and just, just like his ancestor David. He did not seek to impress others with palaces and such. He simply did what was right and just and all went well with him.

What specifically allowed Josiah to enjoy life and have things go well for him was that he had his priorities in the right order. Instead of devoting all his energy to pleasing himself by using others to build him elaborate palaces and throne rooms; he defended the cause of the poor and needy. Any King, President, Prime Minister etc. who’s first and foremost concern is not the welfare of the poor and needy is automatically a hypocrite, egotistical fool and a tyrant. Time and again in the Old Testament there are records where God makes it perfectly clear that the primary function of those in authority is to care for the needs of those who are poor and needy.

Do you want to know the Lord? Verse 16 states that to know the Lord is to defend the cause of the poor and needy. It is to advocate, do justice, treat equitably and otherwise HELP those who cannot help themselves. Anyone who wants to know the Lord HAS to be involved helping those who are sick, homeless, old, disabled and broken. Read about the fast of the Lord in 58 and what Jesus said about the subject in Matthew 25:31-46. You cannot know, understand or love the Lord unless you have a heart of compassion willing to “stand in the gap” and advocate for those who are not able to help themselves.

“But your eyes and your heart are set only on dishonest gain, on shedding innocent blood and on oppression and extortion.””
Jeremiah 22:17 NIV

There you have the stark comparison between Josiah and Jehoiakim. Josiah knew, feared and loved the Lord because he took care of those who were afflicted and downtrodden. Jehoiakim used the people for self-gain for his only concern was to make himself the most powerful and wealthy man on earth. When power and wealth are the most important things to a person, they will stop at nothing to get them, even if it means murder, blackmail, extortion and fraud.

People in high places whose only desire is for bigger, better, more and more will do whatever it takes to achieve their plans. People are nothing but means to an end for these evil people. They will kill and destroy anyone standing in their way. From their unbridled love of money and lust for power comes the intense motivation to do whatever it takes to achieve their goals. These people are especially adept at gaining their power and wealth at the expense of and on the backs of the poor and huddled masses. Truly their eyes and hearts are set only on dishonest gain through whatever means necessary to get it.

What did Jehoiakim have to look forward to in life? Did Jeremiah tell him he would end up being richer and more powerful than Solomon? Was the end result of all his disgusting evil going to be the title of “King of the Universe For Ever and Ever”? Look at what the Lord says about Jehoiakim son of Josiah king of Judah:

“He will have the burial of a donkey—dragged away and thrown outside the gates of Jerusalem.”
Jeremiah 22:19 NIV

Instead of the eternal glory Jehoiakim thought he was gaining through his wealth and power on earth, he ended up being given the burial of a donkey. Isn’t it interesting how some of the most evil people who ever lived, ended up dying some of the most horrible deaths. People will all ultimately “reap what they sow” in this life. If they sow evil, then in due time evil will befall them, no matter important they thought they were.

I pray that we all could have the heart of Josiah. I pray that we all are willing to give with love and compassion, our lives and resources to those who are “poor and needy”. I pray we never are found guilty of the lust for power and wealth that doomed people like Jehoiakim and countless others who have lived and died on this earth. I pray we understand that our purpose in living is not to become rich and famous but to lovingly serve others in the shadows of obscurity and in the light of the glory of God.
God Bless you and keep you safe