The Barna Group - Most American Christians Do Not Believe that Satan or the Holy Spirit Exist

 

The Barna Group - Most American Christians Do Not Believe that Satan or the Holy Spirit Exist

What is terrifying to me is that 1/4 of Americans who describe themselves as Christians, do not believe God is the All Powerful Supreme Being who created the universe. They describe Him as “everyone is god”, “he is the realization of human potential”.

Oh, my goodness, where are we going?

I believe that this new survey by the Barna Group is clearly indicative of why we’ve found ourselves in the gutter covered in filth. Here is why:

Four out of ten Christians (40%) strongly agreed that Satan “is not a living being but is a symbol of evil.” An additional two out of ten Christians (19%) said they “agree somewhat” with that perspective. A minority of Christians indicated that they believe Satan is real by disagreeing with the statement: one-quarter (26%) disagreed strongly and about one-tenth (9%) disagreed somewhat. The remaining 8% were not sure what they believe about the existence of Satan.

I know precisely where this comes from. It comes from mothers not teaching their children, from fathers setting bad examples and from parents not taking their children to church, and from Sunday School teachers not adhering The Word. We Christians are at fault.

We have lost the urgency and love for the lost. We think that because someone professes Jesus, he or she is a full-blood brother or sister. It is not so.

Statistics like this frighten me, yet it will get a lot worse. This earth will never get better because it is ruled by the Father of Lies. What can we do? Oh, Lord God, what can we do?

Father, forgive us. Hear our prayer as you heard Daniel.

O Lord, the great and awesome God, keeping the covenant and mercy to those who love Him, and to those who keep His commandments, we have sinned and have committed iniquity, and have done wickedly, and have rebelled, even by departing from Your commandments and from Your judgments. Neither have we listened to Your servants the prophets, who spoke in Your name to our forefathers, our rulers, and our presidents, and to all the people of the land. O Lord, righteousness belongs to You, but to us the shame of our faces, as it is today to the people of America. and to all who are near and who are afar off, through all the countries where You have driven them because of their sin which they have sinned against You. O Lord, shame of face belongs to us, to our kings, to our rulers, and to our fathers, because we have sinned against You. To the Lord our God belong mercies and forgivenesses, though we have rebelled against Him. We have not obeyed the voice of Jehovah our God, to walk in His Laws which He set before us by His servants the prophets.

Yea, all America has transgressed Your Law, and turned aside, that they might not obey Your voice. Therefore the curse has been poured out on us, and the oath that is written in the Law of Moses the servant of God, because we have sinned against Him. And He has confirmed His Words which He spoke against us and against our judges who judged us. Yet we did not make our prayer before Jehovah our God, that we might turn from our iniquities, and understand Your truth.  For Jehovah our God is righteous in all His works which He does; but we are not obeying His voice. And now, O Lord our God, who brought Your people out from the land of Egypt with a mighty hand, and brought fame to Yourself down through the ages, as it is today, we have sinned, we have done wrong. Lord, I pray You, according to all Your righteousness let Your anger and Your fury be turned away from America, the country built on You as a foundation.

And now, O our God, hear the prayer of Your servant, filled with holy desires, and cause Your face to shine on Your sanctuary that is desolate, for the Lord's sake. O my God, bow down Your ear and hear. Open Your eyes and behold for we do not present our prayers before You on account of our righteousness, but because of Your great mercies.

O Jehovah, hear; O Jehovah, forgive; O Jehovah, listen and do. Do not delay, for Your own sake, O my God; for Your country and Your people are called by Your name.

In Jesus name, for His sake. Amen and Amen. Come Lord Jesus, come quickly.

Meeting the God of America

I need some serious critiquing for this project. I will be submitting this in a few days and I would like your honest critique of it. Where could I make it better? Does it flow well? Are the bridges built well? Etc... Thank you in advance!

A question of faith
Meeting the God of America

When the tank is dry…

The unsatisfied soul is a train wreck waiting to happen… it is the broken tracks that derail an otherwise pretty good life, or so the world may think. Add fear to dissatisfaction and we have a sure fire derailment with a huge casualty list. It creates a life that is completely useless because one who is not satisfied cannot satisfy.

The reasons for dissatisfaction are wide and varied, but it when the water has boiled away, the kernel of truth left is there is a lack of something. It is quite surprising that Americans have this dissatisfaction in their hearts. After all, America is the land of milk and honey. Americans have more pocket change than most of the world has in a week. Why do Americans have such cravings that no amount of new clothes, new cars, new toys, new sex, husband, wife, children, work, hobby or church activity can satisfy? The answer lies in a hole in the soul.

There is a chasm so deep and so wide that all of creation cannot fill it up. Mankind tries to fill it up because it hurts, and it cries to be filled. This abyss is located in man’s soul. It is precisely why, down through the ages, mankind has devised so many different things to fill up this hole. Two things which man tries to use are Fortune and Destiny. These are so primordial that they are mentioned in various ancient texts including the Holy Bible.

For the most part, Americans give evidence that they worship these gods more than any other. The question is why do so many put faith in what has proven very fickle down through the ages? Humans would rather put faith in something seen and that can be touched rather than in the invisible. However, that is not faith. It is worship of the work of man’s hands in the case of Fortune. In the case of the demon Destiny, that god is credited with how things turn out. “It just wasn’t in the cards. It was fate.”

Seeds of discontent germinate when satisfaction is tasted, but not savored and fully digested. Cravings keep driving a person without giving any direction to where it can be satisfied. This causes that circle of despair which has no egress. This is what causes Americans to put faith in what the moth can destroy and hope in what can be gone in a moment. Those things have no eyes to see the despair and troubles, no ears to hear the cry for help and no hand to reach down and comfort. Yet, Americans keep driving down an empty road searching for the elusive prize of satisfaction.

This quest for Satisfaction rules the hearts of most humans. Hungry, we reach for something to eat, thirsty something to drink, cold we turn up the heat, hot we crank up the air conditioner. It seems to be the god of most Americans. Our forefathers are rolling in their graves, so to speak, at what America puts first. Our nation was built on Biblical principles by Christian men and women. Satan’s lie is that it was not. One has only to do a bit of reading of historical speeches and writings of John Hancock, John Adams, Sam Adams, and many others to know that the God of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Matthew, Mark, Paul and John was also the God of our forefathers. Nonetheless, today the battle cry is not Give me liberty or give me death. It is king size it and I’ll have it my way for if it feels good, I’ll just do it, because I deserve a break today. Regardless of lessons from times past, people have not learned how to let history be a teacher.

Shake Well
Anna Nicole, Brittney Spears, Lindsey Lohan. Everybody knows them. They’re famous. One is dead and not even she knew who the father of that precious baby of hers was. No one knew until after she was dead. The other two are traveling a road that is fraught with pitfalls. All because they are searching for something they cannot find. Five years or ten years from now there will be other famous people traveling down this same road, and they keep searching.
Where is their security? Brittney was raised in a Christian home, and at one time in her life knew what Christian living was like -- at least that’s what she said. Who knows about Lindsey? It is so sad what I see in their lives; the choices they have made. For it truly is a choice how we live our lives and how we align our priorities. Our forefathers could recognize Truth when they saw it, but today we are told truth is relative.

Too many people believe a good and loving God would never allow troubles or problems. Some believe that all troubles are the result of sin, when in fact, it is because the one true God is good and loving that there are troubles. One reason for the predicaments we face is that they are common to man. There are many whose problems seem greater and quite a few who we think we should be blessed with their problems, and their money. Give a person a lot of money and unlock all restrictions and there goes a walking time bomb. Too many of the rich and famous have the world on a string: Great job, beautiful home, the things that make life grand. They suck down temporary pleasure, listening to the call of the world becoming mesmerized by the world like some cobra charmed by the charmer. We all know who that charmer is. It would seem that pursuit of satisfaction is their life journey and Personal Pleasure is their god.

But, their trials are really no different than what you and I face day to day. Sure, it boils down to choices, but if you are breathing, you have problems. We all have problems. Some people’s problems seem bigger than other people’s problems. They are not. Centuries ago one man wrote, You have been put to no test but such as is common to man: and God is true, who will not let any test come on you which you are not able to undergo; but he will make with the test the way out of it, so that you may be able to go through it.

Troubles follow every human. They serve a purpose whether we realize it or not. Just as we go to school, take tests and move on to the next lesson, so, too, is life. We show up for class every day. The huge question is whether we learn from our troubles or once having passed through that fire must go through it again and again. Troubles are purposed in the Lord. Yes, even those who are not Believers. Most of the time, it takes bringing an unbeliever to a place so low that the only way to look is up before it finally registers that God is the solution to the problems and cares of this world. However, Americans have rebellious hearts.

From as far back in time as 1689 when our ancestors rebelled against England, troubles abounded so the rebels rebelled. But, they all looked to one God. In 1775, John Adams said, “We recognize no sovereign but God, and no king but Jesus!” Inscribed in the front of Thomas Jefferson’s personal bible, “I am a real Christian, that is to say, a disciple of the doctrines of Jesus. I have little doubt that our whole country will soon be rallied to the unity of our creator.” Patrick Henry quoted both Jeremiah and Matthew in his speech, “It is in vain, sir, to extenuate the matter. Gentlemen may cry, Peace, Peace-- but there is no peace. The war is actually begun! The next gale that sweeps from the north will bring to our ears the clash of resounding arms! Our brethren are already in the field! Why stand we here idle? What is it that gentlemen wish? What would they have? Is life so dear, or peace so sweet, as to be purchased at the price of chains and slavery? Forbid it, Almighty God! I know not what course others may take; but as for me, give me liberty or give me death!” Unfortunately, it is only the last that is usually quoted or remembered. George Washington said, “It is impossible to rightly govern the world without God and the Bible.” Abraham Lincoln said, “I am busily engaged in study of the Bible.”

Our founding fathers knew who to lean on, who to pray to, who would carry them in times of travails so insidious their lives could have been forfeit. Down through the ages, Americans hark back to those first days of an infant nation, recognizing God as the founder. “It is necessary for the welfare of the nation that men's lives be based on the principles of the Bible. No man, educated or uneducated, can afford to be ignorant of the Bible,” so said Theodore Roosevelt. John F. Kennedy said, “The rights of man come not from the state but from the hand of God.” When the astronauts of Apollo 13 faced certain death, President Nixon called for all Americans to pray for them. It wasn’t to pray to Fortune, or to Destiny, or to any other god. After 911, Congress gathered on the steps in the sun and prayed with one heart for God to protect our nation. That is the one true God of America.

Adrian Rogers once said, “A faith that hasn’t been tested is a faith that cannot be trusted.” Troubles put a person, and a nation, to the sun test. In the first century, potters would fire a pot and if it cracked, would put wax in the crack which would conceal the flaw. If the cracked pot was unfortunate enough to find the sun’s rays, the heat of the sun would melt the wax and the flaw would be exposed. That is where the word, sincere comes from. Sun-tested. Flaws exposed. The difference is that we have the power and the choice to bring our flaws to God to be worked on, smoothed out, fixed, or skimmed off so that all the silver left after the firing is pure and reflective of our Lord. However, many see that as weakness, lack of control, or even giving up freedom. So they buy the seeds and sow discontent within their hearts, never leaving the vicious circle of despair by choice. Their gods never satisfy and the cravings never end.

Troubles also serve another purpose: the Thorn-in-the-side. Those troubles are put there for us to recognize whence our grace and strength comes, not to concentrate on the pain of the trial. It is there to reflect God’s glory to the world. Unfortunately, too many do not see past the pain.
Another purpose is to be the witness by the response to the trouble. Do we react like the seed that fell in the brambles? Get all choked with the cares and worries of the world? Or do we put down our roots, confident in the fact that the one true God is much greater than any problem or trouble? The world sees how we react to our travails and that can be a much more powerful witness than any spoken word.

An extremely good teacher once said, “Sometimes God must shake well before using.” This is why bad things happen to good people. Bad choices make for extremely fruitful seeds of discontent, and life is not fair. It never has been, nor ever will be fair. Our sense of justice gets bruised and we rail at what some suppose God is, that invisible ruler with an iron and irascible fist, because blame is the name of the game. Someone is to blame and it can’t be me, it has got to be God.

Fill ‘er up…
So Americans go about grabbing all they can to stuff into the God-sized hole that He created in our soul when our soul was created. They stuff new clothes and shoes into the hole, or more parties, or boats and cars, or change wives like they change shoes to satisfy that hunger and soothe the ache that bruises our insides. The culprit of dissatisfaction draws us down paths in search of Shangri-La, the greener grass, the things hoped for and things as yet unseen. Americans search for the American dream, yet when things like the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, 911 disaster, and all kinds of economic distress hit American hearts and minds, Main Streets and kitchen pantries, that is when the hearts of Americans turn to the God with eyes to see the misery, the grace to forgive sin, the hand to lift the fallen underneath their heavy loads. We go back to the foundation laid by our forefathers, all the way back to a hill called Calvary and a blood stained cross. That is what has given us great comfort, great courage, great peace, and that is what fills the God-sized hole.

We live in a land of great freedom and the land of slavery… addictions… bitterness… rage… unforgiveness… all the seeds of the dissatisfied soul. It would be so much easier to let God carry us than for us to walk on our own two feet. God wants to teach our feet to walk on all types of ground—rocky, grassy, soft dirt, swinging bridges, up hill and down vale. He does not intend to carry us our entire lives. We must walk in order to receive God’s blessings. Our founding fathers knew this and gladly suffered frost, heat, bullets, hunger, thirst, inadequate clothing, treasons, life without limbs, and death to give us this legacy of freedom. They did this while trusting and loving God, and giving Him the glory.

Oh, it is so incredibly easy to be sustained by His wonders… to be lifted up by emotions, and to rely upon those fickle feelings rather than to rely upon His word for sustenance and to be filled to bursting with the Truth and the Light of Jesus breath, His word. It is also much easier to enjoy the blessings rather than becoming the blessing. Without investing our lives and becoming the miracle, we cannot be the salt or the light in a dark world. We effectively become stagnant.

In order to move into the Promised Land, the Israelites had to cross the river, take up their swords and follow God’s lead on who to fight when. Just as Egypt was the place of bondage, Canaan was the place of victory and spiritual maturity. We must participate in His will, His commands, His statutes for our own good. And that takes work mixed with believing God. Our fathers believed Him.

With belief, comes action. With action, comes blessing. With blessing, comes pleasure. With pleasure, comes God’s smile… And that is the prize they claimed, then handed down to us! But, even beyond that, we reap all the fruit of the Spirit: Gal 5:22 But the fruit of the Spirit is: love, joy, peace, long-suffering, kindness, goodness, faith, 23 meekness, self-control. Against such things there is not a law. All those wonderful things are ours just because we belong to Him, yet how many of us actually have tanks completely full, topped off with this fruit? Why don’t we?

So where does the satisfaction come from? Isa 58:11 And Jehovah shall always guide you, and satisfy your soul in dry places, and make strong your bones. And you shall be like a watered garden, and like a spring of water whose waters do not fail.

When we run dry, and we always do, we’ve got a huge God who will fill us up, but we’ve got to go to the right place for a fill up… we’ve got to have the right attitude and we’ve got to make sure we’ve got the right motivation in our hearts, but mainly we must continue to make sure our foundation is securely placed upon the Rock as did our forefathers.

Definition of right wing extremists

Above is the link to the Unclassified/For official use only report sent out by the Dept. of Homeland Security.

Look at the definition of rightwing extremists:

* (U) Rightwing extremism in the United States can be broadly divided into those
groups, movements, and adherents that are primarily hate-oriented (based on
hatred of particular religious, racial or ethnic groups), and those that are
mainly antigovernment, rejecting federal authority in favor of state or
local authority, or rejecting government authority entirely. It may
include groups and individuals that are dedicated to a single issue, such as
opposition to abortion or immigration.

So many of us just stop at the "hate-oriented" adherents definition. Now, I find out that I am a right wing extremist because I believe that state and local authorities do a much better job of governing than the feds do. Although, state and local governments are not immune to the problems that riddle the federal government, at least the focus is local and lawmakers seem to have a greater accountability.

I will not be surprised at how DHS describes churchgoing people. Before we know it, we will be persecuted for worshiping the one true God.

Hate crime legislation is in the news, Demorats lie

People all over the net are talking about the legislation that Congress will be voting on next week--Hate Crime Bill.

Andrea Lafferty of Traditional Values Coalition caught the Democrats (yes, I know I spelled it wrong in the title) lied for the reason the bill was written and has been pushed relentlessly forward through the process. She says that they say homosexuals, transgenders, drag queens and such have been persecuted across state lines, that they have had to move because of the persecution. When in actuality, there have been 1521 hate cases in a country with a population of 300 million. Let's see, that is 5 millionths of a percent. You have better odds winning the lottery.

The Dems also allegate that homosexuals and the like have trouble getting jobs, making purchases. I'm thinking that they should just keep their sexual preferences behind the bedroom doors instead of broadcasting what they do behind bedroom doors.

I am sick and tired of these people bleating their cause and saying that it is normal. It is not. What's more, in the article at the link above, there seems to be growing concern about the very untolerant stance of homosexuals against the ex-homosexuals. What gives with that? They spount platitudes of tolerance, yet do an exact turnabout when it comes to their converted brothers and sisters. Why?

I'm thinking it is because these people have a solid agenda and when something, anything happens to upset that agenda, or tends to refute the agenda they feel obligated to do whatever is necessary to squash the opposing facts/team/God.

I don't even know if it is possible to turn the tide back. There are too many people who hold powerful positions who have been deceived by the Accuser.

This concludes my rant for the day... I think.

Do the right thing or is politically correct, correct?

Miss USA pageant contestant Carrie Prejean, who was first runner-up by the way, looked Perez Hilton in the eye and told him her Christian beliefs: Same sex marriage is not biblical.

Perez Hilton, who is an avid homosexual, was a judge of the pageant and he went ballistic on his blog about her answer. I'm not posting a link because I don't want my blog to show up on his counter (that is being very snobbish, for sure).

I am appalled that a 21 year old young lady who had high moral standards and ethics is lambasted for telling the truth. The Bible most certainly admonishes that homosexuality is verboten. God does not condone it, and He makes no excuses about it being an abomination.

Perez did not rail against Carrie Prejean, a sweet little California blonde from San Diego, he railed against God and God's lifestyle standards.

She believes she lost the pageant because she expounded on Biblical principles. I think she is probably correct.

CASA-PRC, Inc.

I just received the most wonderful news. Our brand new organization, CASA-PRC, Inc. received the new program grant! WE are in business now. God answers prayer and we are so excited! If you'd like to see what CASA is all about, click on the title above and it will take you to our website (that I designed).
gb

Christian student gets the boot

In an article posted on OneNewsNow Christian student refuses remediation gets boot
(Charlie Butts and Marty Cooper - OneNewsNow - 4/9/2009 5:20:00 AM) I find a very distrubing article. My daughter is getting her Master's in psychology and she has recognized the desperate need for more Christian psychologists and counselors. This just takes the cake, so to speak.

On one hand I'm appalled and on the other, I'm thinking this just proves we are getting closer and closer to Jesus' return. Come, Lord Jesus, Come quickly.

Day of Silence

I am so sick and tired of the Gay Rights movement encroaching upon my space, my life, and overrunning my rights! Why must they insist that this is a normal way of life when for years and years it was acknowledged it was a very shameful way of life? Here's what I get in my inbox this week...

Dear Gina,

The Day of Silence, which is sponsored by the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network (GLSEN), fast approaches. This year it will take place in most public schools on April 17. On this day, thousands of public high schools and increasing numbers of middle schools will allow students to remain silent throughout an entire day-even during instructional time-to promote GLSEN's socio-political goals and its controversial, unproven, and destructive theories on the nature and morality of homosexuality.

Parents must actively oppose this hijacking of the classroom for political purposes. Please join the national effort to restore to public education a proper understanding of the role of government-subsidized schools. You can help de-politicize the learning environment by calling your child out of school if your child's school allows students to remain silent during instructional time on the Day of Silence.

Parents should no longer passively countenance the political usurpation of public school classrooms through student silence.

If students will be permitted to remain silent, parents can express their opposition most effectively by calling their children out of school on the Day of Silence and sending letters of explanation to their administrators, their children’s teachers, and all school board members. One reason this is effective is that most school districts lose money for each student absence.
School administrators err when they allow the classroom to be disrupted and politicized by granting students permission to remain silent throughout an entire day.

Visit this website for complete information on opposing the Day of Silence.

I am firmly convinced that the reason this minute minority is getting away with all of this is because they have become the squeaky wheel. We Christians are much bigger majority and we should be several squeaky wheels. What is our problem? Why don't we take a stand and take back America?

gb

How now shall we know God's personal will?

I have been thinking about this for quite some time. Someone in my Sunday School class said she didn't think that God really cared about the mundane in our lives. After all, why would He care what dress we wore or if our shoes were comfortable? He has so many more important things on His mind. Like what He has in mind for the Bride of Christ, World events, things like that. Which is an excellent overview of the kinds of Wills of God. His perfect will, His absolute will, His divine will, His personal will for each of His children. There is a personal will because, by golly, He designed our good works before the foundation of the world.

I believe that He is intensely interested in His people. He cares if you are late for work or if you are hungry or if you are dressed in a manner that is pleasing to Him.

All that said, I read somewhere that George Muller said, "our outward man is not fit for work unless our inward man eats God's Word." I am reminded so much of Jesus sitting by that well in Samaria, hot, tired, thirsty and hungry, but He talked to a woman. When His disciples returned with food pressing Him to eat, He replied that He had "food to eat which you do not know." It's that Spiritual thing which supplies the soul far beyond any kind of satisfaction the body could possibly know - including chocolate brownies hot from the oven.

Fact: We should steep ourselves in God's Word every day. Not this one verse a day with a few paragraphs of devotional (I am not saying that isn't good! It is. It is just that 10 minutes a day is not enough!) Never wait until a problem needs solving or a decision needs to be made to open the Bible, then expect some Holy Oracle to spill forth giving you exact instructions. Your mind won't be prepared to hear exact instructions unless you are prayed up, read up, and revved up, and shored up in Christ. You may get a notion of what to do, but it won't be like as if you were rooted in Scripture.

Fact: There is much to be learned with Context. It is far too easy to get something that isn't entirely Biblical or to skew doctrine when only reading Proof Texts rather than the whole discussion. How does one know truth from fiction if one does not know the whole story? With this same premise, how does one know God's complete will, if one isn't familiar with the Bible? The first place to go to know and understand His will is understanding how He dealth with His people. Abraham was created to be His friend. David was a man after His own heart. Jesus was His only begotten and beloved Son. And there are lessons upon lessons in how Jesus dealt with his followers.

Fact: Confession of sin opens the floodgates of your relationship with God. When temptation rears its ugly head, the mind reels with its heady steam, the body follows the thoughts and pursues a course of action that the soul knows is wrong, this action puts the soul, mind, and body at odds with God. Disobedience is the wall between you and God. Confession is that which tears the wall down. If the wall is up, the ears are closed and there's no hearing God, no matter how much you want to hear Him, you can't. Confess that sin (both of commission and ommission). It is the only way to restoration and revival. Otherwise you are in a Spiritual Coma.

Fact: You probably already know God's will on most things in your life. You know to dress modestly. You know that a job which is morally or legally wrong is against God's 10 commandment teachings. You know if He has given you a propensity toward the mechanical (working with your hands) or the physical (carpentry/construction) or the mental (math acumen or writing ability). Some people are better at certain things than other people. It is what makes the world go round and round.

Taking these facts in consideration, we can then walk a fairly straight path into God's personal will for our life's choices.

Asking yourself a few questions will help to generate some answers that will result in making godly decisions.

Is it a legal, moral, spiritually correct thing to do? Most people would say, "Well, duh!" Then again, perhaps this is why there are so many people becoming Christians in prison. This also includes all those possibilities that could hurt or harm other people. We are to be wise as serpents and harmless as doves.

Did God make a promise in the Bible about this thing you are considering? You may or may not be amazed at how many promises God has made that pertain to our daily Christian living. Hey, that's an excellent topic for another post or column at Live As If.org.

Are all the doors truly locked, or is there something that God is wanting you to do, but you are actually resisting Him? I cannot tell you how many times I have had to do something that I really did not want to do, but I went ahead and did it because I knew it was what God wanted me to do. Then, after doing it I was blessed immensely. So many times, God is testing to see if we really mean it when we sing, "I Surrender All, all to Thee, my Precious Savior, I surrender all."

During consideration of one or another of your choices, do you have peace in your soul? This is something that a lot of Christians will tell you: You can't depend upon your feelings. I think that is a bit of poppycock. The Holy Spirit is alive and well dwelling inside us. When we grieve Him, our soul hurts. When He rejoices, our soul also rejoices. This is because our soul is one with the Holy Spirit. It is He who makes us Spiritually Alive! He lets us know when we are confronted with temptation not to go down that path. He nags us when it is time to confess and get back right with God. It is the Holy Spirit that urges us, prays for us, interprets our deep groanings, and who seals us against all things Satanic or demonic. That is who should be in control of our feelings and when we get that Gut-Feeling of peace, then the decision should be settled. Often times, the decision to do a particular thing is not reasonable or justifiable, but extremely peaceful. Go with the peace path because that is part of the Fruit of the Spirit.

Can you absolutely ask God to enable you to do what ever it is? Because of the first question, it would be ridiculous to ask God to help you rob a gas station... but, there are other things that may not be so obviously unethical or immoral, but just as wrong. Such as asking God to give you a promotion even though you are not qualified for the position. Asking God to bless your course of action without discussing it with Him in the first place is probably the fastest way to failure in a venture. The Acopulco Divers always study the waves before diving off those cliffs, why should any Christian check to see how deep the water is by diving?

The Refreshing

The man gave the bolt a final twist and stepped back from under the hood of the car. He wiped his grimy hands on a rag and then stuffed it in his back pocket. He gave a satisfied sigh as he headed to the office and the coffee pot. The coffee was strong and fresh, just like he liked it. Tossing a grin to Gertrude, his part time office help, he said, “Gertie, call Kent Boudreaux and let him know his car is ready and he can pick it up any time today.”

With only a little regret, he set his cup down and headed to back the car from the bay and bring in another to work on. Thank goodness God was good to provide so much work when the economy was so bad. Just as the back wheels cleared the bay doors, one of them ran over something. He didn’t have a clue what it could have been, since it had only been a couple of hours since he’d driven the car in the bay. Then his heart constricted and he groaned in sudden agony.

Alfie’s job was to meet and greet all customers that came into the shop. His throne was the cushioned chair that was next to the desk. Sure it was grimy, but it was comfortable for a small, snowy white, very fluffy dog. Normally, Alfie rarely ventured into the bay area. He preferred the cool office and comfy cushion to the cool, but mucky shop floor. Alfie was the beloved owner of the man and his family, which was his other job, to give love and happiness to those he loved best.

The man climbed from the car, dreading what he must find. Sure enough, Alfie was laying still and flat under the car. Tears welled up, and his heart wrenched again. Suddenly, the bright day darkened to night. The dog must have scooted out the door when he got coffee. Even though he wasn’t allowed in the shop, the dog had obviously disobeyed the standing command.

He cradled the little dog in his arms, unsure of what to do. The lifeless form just lay there, head lolled back and tiny pink tongue slack instead of happily panting. The shop owner sat down in a grease-smudged chair with the dog across his lap. What should he do? How would he tell his sweet wife and those precious girls what had happened to Alfie? Finally, he decided to put the dog in the dog food bag, and place him in the dumpster. In this concrete garden, there wasn’t anywhere to bury a pet.

The rest of the day, he worried and fretted how to tell the family they had lost one of their own that day. There was no good way, so he blurted it out as soon as he made it home. Rain began to patter against the home’s windows and it seemed God was sharing the family’s grief.
Next morning, what was normally a joy to hop out of bed and head to work became a heavy chore. Sighing heavily, all the way to work, he opened the shop for daily work, sans his beloved, tiny, fluffy employee.

The coffee had just finished brewing when the owner of the neighboring body shop burst into the office. “Are you going to tell me why your dog is in the dumpster?”

“Well, Jeb, I know he’s in the dumpster. I didn’t have any place else to put him. I ran over him yesterday.

“No, you don’t understand. Your dog is barking and jumping and trying to get out of that dumpster!”

“What? Are you kidding me?” With joyful heart, the man ran to the dumpster and grabbed up that fluffy bundle of excitement. That little pink tongue was exploring every inch of his face. That little dog had only been knocked out, and the most refreshing rain, that gift from God, had refreshed and revived him. Alfie wasn’t dead, after all, he just needed reviving.

How many Christians today look dead? How many are asleep at the wheel or get knocked silly by being someplace they are not supposed to be? Disobedience breaks fellowship with the LORD, and we can’t afford that when we need to be ready for that great and glorious day the Father looks at the Son and says, “Go get Your Bride, Son.” Glory!

Paul tells the Ephesians in chapter two verse one and following: 2:1 In the past you were spiritually dead because of your disobedience and sins. 2 At that time you followed the world's evil way; you obeyed the ruler of the spiritual powers in space, the spirit who now controls the people who disobey God. 3 Actually all of us were like them and lived according to our natural desires, doing whatever suited the wishes of our own bodies and minds. In our natural condition we, like everyone else, were destined to suffer God's anger.

Paul was talking about how they acted as unbelievers, but I am thinking it sounds a lot like Believers of today. The Bride of Christ is sick these days, sick with the evil ways of the world. We can be like the Rich Young Ruler and say: These commands I have kept, I have not sinned.

But, how many of us have watched a movie lately in which God’s name was blasphemed? How many of us worry and fret, harbor anger… bitterness… jealousy, seek vengeance, are critical of others, controlling, gossip, pray by rote, fudge the truth, go places we shouldn’t go, do things in secret that we’d die if it were printed on the front page of the newspaper? How many pirate music? How many think if it doesn’t hurt anyone, it’s okay? How many haven’t returned something that was borrowed? How many of us allow work, family, hobbies, play time come first instead of the LORD?

How many of us have given up on a brother or sister in Christ because he looks dead? How often have we thrown a sibling in the dumpster without thought to the prayers of a righteous man and the resuscitation process laid out by Jesus in Matthew 18: 15-17?

Nothing happens in secret that will not be found out, and nothing done in the dark will not be brought to light. But, why would a front page news story matter more than what God thinks of us? How could it matter more than our precious relationship and that refreshing rain from above?

Revive us LORD Jesus, send your refreshing rain of blessings, wash us clean, and awaken us from our dead sleep. Help us watch and be ready… The Bride awaits her Groom. Come LORD Jesus and find Your Bride doing the mighty works prepared before the foundation of the world. AMEN.

This column was inspired by one of my favorite preachers, Dr. Preston Nix. He is an Associate Professor at New Orleans Baptist Seminary, and he is leading us in revival this week.

Between us and the bad guys

Every so often something comes in the inbox that just gives tremendous pause. I have a huge respect for all our military, especially those in the Air Force because my Dad was a Staff Sargeant in the Air Force... I was born into the Air Force.

On 8 June 2005 the following item appeared in the Albuquerque Tribune:

Air Force Capt. Jeremy Fresques, a Farmington native and Farmington High School graduate, joined a growing list of New Mexicans who have died in the war on terrorism, when the surveillance plane in which he flew crashed last week 80 miles northeast of Baghdad. Three of his U.S. colleagues and an Iraqi airman also were killed. Fresques was awarded the Bronze Medal posthumously Friday.

Fresques was 26. He left behind a wife — also an Air Force captain — and his parents. His sacrifice — and theirs — in the name of our nation's security and the cause of democracy was immense. Col. O.G. Mannon, commander of the 16th Special Operations Wing, rightly called Fresques and his comrades "heroes." We regard Fresques and all men and women with New Mexico connections as family and hold them deeply in our hearts.¹

Capt. Fresques was killed in the line of duty on Memorial Day 2005, a month before he was to return home, and news of his death was conveyed that day to Lt. Col. Scott Pleus, commander of the 63rd Fighter Squadron at Luke Air Force Base in Glendale, Arizona, where Capt. Fresques had previously been stationed. Lt. Col. Pleus, along with a chaplain and a medical technician, drove that evening to Yuma, Arizona, to undertake the sad duty of notifying Capt. Fresques' parents of their loss.

About a week later, Lt. Col. Pleus was notified that a memorial service would be held for Capt. Fresques in Sun City, Arizona, on 15 June and that a fly-by from Luke AFB had been requested as part of the service in Capt. Fresques' honor. Lt. Col. Pleus quickly assented:

Of course we would do it. It's a four-ship formation. They fly straight and level over the gravesite and then, directly over the service, the No. 3 plane pulls away while the others fly straight ahead. Symbolically he's headed for heaven. It's the highest form of respect we can pay to a fallen airman.

Everyone involved in such a service considers it an honor. The fliers. The honor guard. The bugler who plays taps. All of us.²

While preparing to head from Glendale to Sun City (a distance of about 6 miles) for the memorial service, four F-16 fighter jets from Luke AFB flew a holding pattern over Glendale's Arrowhead Mall, prompting a local resident unaware of their purpose to send a sarcastic letter of complaint to the editor of The Arizona Republic:

A letter to the Editor;

Question of the day for Luke Air Force Base: Whom do we thank for the morning air show?

Last Wednesday, at precisely 9:11 a.m., a tight formation of four F-16 jets made a low pass over Arrowhead Mall, continuing west over Bell Road at approximately 500 feet. Imagine our good fortune!

Do the Tom Cruise-wannabes feel we need this wake-up call, or were they trying to impress the cashiers at Mervyns' early-bird special?

Any response would be appreciated.

Tom MacRae, Peoria³


The correspondent received a response from Col. Robin Rand, commander of Luke AFB's 56th Fighter Wing, in the pages of that same newspaper the following day:


Luke Air Force Base was asked to respond to a letter writer's question about a "morning air show" he observed recently ("A wake-up call from Luke's jets," Letters, Thursday):

The "wake-up call" witnessed the morning of June 15 was a formation of F-16 jets from Luke Air Force Base lining up for a memorial service in Sun City at the gravesite for Air Force Capt. Jeremy Fresques, an officer assigned to Air Force Special Operations. Fresques gave his life in defense of our country while serving in Iraq.

It is unfortunate that at a time when our nation is at war someone would believe we have less than honorable and professional reasons for such a mission.

The commander of the fighter squadron was given the difficult duty of informing the family of Capt. Fresques on Memorial Day that the officer, a husband, son and Arizonan, had died in Iraq.

On behalf of the men and women at Luke Air Force Base, we continue to keep Jeremy and his family in our thoughts and prayers.

Col. Robin Rand
Luke Air Force Base⁴

Four days later, the newpaper also published a reponse from Lt. Col. Pleus himself:

Regarding "A wake-up call from Luke's jets":

On June 15, at precisely 9:12 a.m., a perfectly timed four-ship of F-16s from the 63rd Fighter Squadron at Luke Air Force Base flew over the grave of Capt Jeremy Fresques.

Capt. Fresques was an Air Force officer who was previously stationed at Luke Air Force Base and was killed in Iraq on May 30, Memorial Day.

At 9 a.m. on June 15, his family and friends gathered at Sunland Memorial Park in Sun City to mourn the loss of a husband, son and friend.

Based on the letter writer's recount of the flyby, and because of the jet noise, I'm sure you didn't hear the 21-gun salute, the playing of taps, or my words to the widow and parents of Capt. Fresques as I gave them their son's flag on behalf of the president of the United States and all those veterans and servicemen and women who understand the sacrifices they have endured.

A four-ship flyby is a display of respect the Air Force pays to those who give their lives in defense of freedom. We are professional aviators and take our jobs seriously, and on June 15 what the letter writer witnessed was four officers lining up to pay their ultimate respects.

The letter writer asks, "Whom do we thank for the morning air show?"

The 56th Fighter Wing will call for you, and forward your thanks to the widow and parents of Capt. Fresques, and thank them for you, for it was in their honor that my pilots flew the most honorable formation of their lives.


Lt. Col. Scott Pleus
Luke Air Force Base⁵


To his credit, the complainant, Mr. MacRae, tendered a written apology which was published in The Republic on 9 July:

Regarding "Flyby honoring fallen comrade" (Letters, June 28):

I read with increasing embarrassment and humility the response to my unfortunate letter to The Republic concerning an Air Force flyby ("A wake-up call from Luke's jets," Letters, June 23).

I had no idea of the significance of the flyby, and would never have insulted such a fine and respectful display had I known.

I have received many calls from the fine airmen who are serving or have served at Luke, and I have attempted to explain my side and apologized for any discomfort my letter has caused.

This was simply an uninformed citizen complaining about noise.

I have been made aware in both written and verbal communications of the four-ship flyby, and my heart goes out to each and every lost serviceman and woman in this war in which we are engaged.

I have been called un-American by an unknown caller and I feel that I must address that. I served in the U.S. Navy and am a Vietnam veteran. I love my country and respect the jobs that the service organizations are doing.

Please accept my heartfelt apologies.

Tom MacRae, Peoria⁶

The URL SNOPES page is http://www.snopes.com/politics/military/wakeup.asp

Sources taken from the SNOPES page.

1. The Albuquerque Tribune. "Editorial: Bouquets & Brickbats."

8 June 2005.

2. Montini, E.J. "Mission of Honor Managed to Fly Under Our Radar."

The Arizona Republic. 26 June 2005.

3. The Arizona Republic. "A Wake-Up Call from Luke's Jets."

Letters to the Editor. 23 June 2005.

4. The Arizona Republic. "'Wake-Up' Flight Was Memorial Service."

Letters to the Editor. 24 June 2005.

5. The Arizona Republic. "Flyby Honored Fallen Comrade." Letters to the Editor. 28 June 2005.

6. The Arizona Republic. "An Apology from the Heart to the Airmen of Luke."

Letters to the Editor. 9 July 2005.

Are you a Democrat, Republican, or Southerner?

Found while trying to recoup some lost data on my crashed computer... Certainly, I did not write it, but saved it for your pleasure today.

Are you a democrat, republican, or a Southerner

Here is a little test that will help you decide. The answer can be found by posing the following question: You're walking down a deserted street with your wife and two small children.

Suddenly, an Islamic Terrorist with a huge knife comes around the corner, locks eyes with you, screams obscenities, praises Allah, raises the knife, and charges at you. You are carrying a Glock cal 40, and you are an expert shot. You have mere seconds before he reaches you and your family. What do you do? ________________________________________________________________

Democrat's Answer:
Well, that's not enough information to answer the question!
Does the man look poor! Or oppressed?
Have I ever done anything to him that would inspire him to attack?
Could we run away?
What does my wife think?
What about the kids?
Could I possibly swing the gun like a club and knock the knife out of his hand?
What does the law say about this situation?
Does the Glock have appropriate safety built into it?
Why am I carrying a loaded gun anyway, and what kind of message does this send to society and to my children?
Is it possible he'd be happy with just killing me?
Does he definitely want to kill me, or would he be content just to wound me?
If I were to grab his knees and hold on, could my family get away while he was stabbing me?Should I call 9-1-1?
Why is this street so deserted?
We need to raise taxes, have a paint and weed day and make this happier, healthier street that would discourage such behavior.
This is all so confusing! I need to debate this with some friends for few days and try to come to a consensus.

_________________________________________________________________

Republican's Answer: BANG!

________________________________________________________________________
Southerner's Answer: BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! click.....(sounds of reloading). BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! click

Daughter: "Nice grouping, Daddy! Were those the Winchester Silver Tips or Hollow Points?

Son: Can I shoot the next one!

Wife: You ain't taking that to the Taxidermist!

Cloaking is see-through technology

Problem: an ugly refinery belching smoke is blocking your bayou sunset view and the noise is pounding in tune to your headache and destroying your peace and quiet.
Solution: cloak the ugly sight and dampen the noise with your handy-dandy cloaking device.

Okay, that solution is still a bit into the future, but it is not as farfetched today as it was back in the 1960s. Listen, hear the StarTrek theme in the background? Scotty bellows from the speaker, “The Klingons just uncloaked, Keptan, I’m giving ‘er all she’s got.”

That was science fiction. This is real technology. The theory is that light would bend around the object being cloaked so that the light behind the object would appear in front of it, making the object invisible. “It’s an artificial mirage,” says David Schurig, a researcher at Duke University. The microwaves aimed at an object, in this case it was a copper cylinder about 5 inches in diameter, just pass over and around the object without detecting its presence, like water flows over and around rocks in a stream.

This cloaking thingy made those copper cylinders invisible to microwaves. But, of course, the cylinders were there and the scientists were watching and the cylinders never left their sight. So, they were invisible but not invisible. It was technology creating a space warp. No kidding, that is exactly how it was described.

Actually, this cloaking device is one of those milestones that we knew would happen way back in the ‘60s (dark ages to you youngun’s), which I wasn’t sure I’d see in my lifetime. Kids have a way of believing things that seem impossible are possible. It was a hoot to get in the closet and pretend to be transported to another planet, holding on to my hair brush as my communicator with my trusty transistor radio as my tricorder. I would conquer what ever particular planet I was transported to and still be home for lunch.

Today we enjoy lots of things that were science fiction back in the dark ages. The communicator is our hand-held device that allows communication between persons that are a world apart, only we call them mobile phones. The tricorder, a device that sees into the body and detects illnesses and cancers, we call an MRI and a PET scan. Oh, and the photon torpedo? We call that laser surgery. We have talking computers and even brainwave activated computers. Automatic sliding doors, once science fiction are now quite common.

Two things, no three, are left to be invented: the transporter, the light saber, and the reconstituter, a device that goes beyond the microwave because it delivers every thing from pot roast to apples to Earl Gray tea.

It is astounding to me that technology is catching up to man’s dreams. It’s true, there really is nothing new under the sun. Man has already thought about it, but the trick is figuring out how to make it work for real.

God's handiwork

Sometimes it is impossible to understand some people do not believe there is a God much less that Jesus saves. When I see things like this, I stand in awesome wonder at the universe created by Him. How great Thou art, oh mighty and wonderous God.

For God gave us a spirit not of fear, but of power and love and of a sound mind. He gave us peace in Him and through Him. How can anyone deny it?

Not only that, but we are His handiwork as well. All I want to do is bring Him glory and if I can, make Him proud of me. Thank goodness I am still under construction.

I was the only person in the entire world that saw this glorious display that morning. Coffee in hand, I glanced out the back door and was stunned at the beauty. I dashed for the camera and just at the exact right moment, took the picture. It was in God's perfect timing I could record His glorious design. This, my dear friends, is too precious to keep to myself.

If God could possibly consider me worthy enough to create this display just for me, how much more He loves you and me... how much more is His desire to protect us and bring us peace, and draw us close to him beneath His wings like a mother hen and her chicks.

Blessed be the name of the LORD!

What is going on in Washington DC?

Have you heard the latest? The Census will now be conducted out of the White House instead on done by the Dept. of Commerce. What makes Obama think he OR his staff OR anyone he can shake out of the bushes is qualified enough to conduct this important tool which almost everything governmental revolves around and is driven by...

Poverty levels determine who gets first crack at numerous grants and subsidies.
Percentages of color determine diversity percentages (and don't let anyone tell you that America is not driven by diversity percentages)
Numbers of people determines how many representatives each state has in Washington. DUH!
Numbers of people also determines amounts of money each state receives automatically from the federal government.
Guesstimates will prevail, rather than actual head count... How is that fair and balanced?

The huge question is this: Doesn't this NEW president without any experience have enough to do getting acclaimated without taking on this huge, monumental task of counting heads?

HooRAY for Rep. Marsha Blackburn R-Tennesee. Someone is paying attention in the House, but is it enough?

In God We Trust...

I am so delighted I live in a state that supports our national motto to the point that every school room in every public school in the state has our motto nicely framed and hung on the wall...

In God We Trust... is how we became this great nation.

I am sick and tired of having homosexuality being shoved in my face as "normal". It is not. But, this column isn't about homosexuality. It is about all kinds of seductive sin that the Great Deceiver seduces us into, weaving a web so tight we cannot move.

I do not believe homosexuality is biological. I strongly believe it is a well-seeded lie by Satan to subvert God in a person's life. The farther away Satan can make God seem the less likely that person will seek His comfort and rest. This lie perpetuates humans unbelief in God's power, and it matters not whether the person is homo-, bi-, or heterosexual.

Anyone who has experienced a seduction by Satan or has believed his lies has lived through hell. Not only have they been sucked into sin by that old Deceiver and Father of Lies, but they usually have willingly walked into the web and got themselves goodly stuck.

It is a classic devil lie, but so cleverly concealed that it appears harmless! So, I'll just have coffee with her/him. What's the harm in that? So I'll drop her off at her house, what's the harm in that? So, I'll just drop in and say hi, what's the harm in that? After justifying and reasoning, the soul becomse immune to the urgent tugging of the Holy Spirit. Soon, the person finds himself in a quagmire of sin. That could be any Christian out there if they are not careful!

Whether a person begins in slavery to sexual desires or falls into it after becoming a Christian, the person can be or actually is redeemed--delievered from that Egypt! However, there will be many walks through the fires of testing which include successes as well as failures, turn that corner with unbelief in God's power within you and you go right back into slavery to sin. That's that vicious cycle any Christian can fall into.But! Begin in slavery to sexual desires then be delivered from slavery, walk through those fires of testing with believing God--not just belief in Him because the Israelites knew Him and His power. They had experienced it first hand. They had no belief in His power within them. They were afraid of those giants and thought they were grasshoppers beside them and so they were because of their prevailing unbelief in God's power within them personally. False evidence appearing real...FEAR.

A Christian must believe God's power to break the bonds of slavery with a prevailing belief...a continuing belief... that God's power within the soul will break that sin stronghold and the slavery cycle is broken. You enter into the Promised Land! Prevailing belief because we all experience doubts at one time or another. This is true of any seductive sin, not just homosexuality.

Don't believe Satan because he's the father of lies. Don't believe the World because that is the road back to slavery. Believe God and His power and His desire for us to conquer sinful habits. Delight in Him and He will give you the desires of your heart! The cross Christians bear is the persecution of the world against us because it sees Jesus in us and hates Jesus. That is the cross. It is being in a place we do not belong and where we do not fit in...we do not conform. That births persecution and that is the cross -- not sinful tendencies which God has the power to break those strongholds.

The Cross that Jesus died upon is not a burden that we bear...it is a brand that we wear! God has not left us powerless!!!

We have the whole armor of God to put on but we must put it on. If a person has the indwelling Holy Spirit but has a sinful past. In Jesus name -- SO WHAT!?! That is precisely why Jesus stayed on the cross. So long as we honor what He did on the cross and work in our Salvation to honor Him. Jesus forgave us, so why can't we forgive each other? We are a pure spotless, wrinkle-free, no pimples or warts Bride of Christ. There is no reason to keep wearing the stigma! Jesus put on those old clothes and wore them to the cross and He nailed them there! Why do we beat each other up with past sins? Why do Christians staple labels onto people and make them wear them because they lived sinfully in the past? And why do Christians allow it? Why do Christians keep putting on those old labels and keep wearing the shame?? Unforgiveness is a habitual way of thinking and we act upon our thoughts!

Put on the whole armor of God and stand firm against Satan and he will flee! Forgiveness releases God's Power within us. Believe God... He's right! He's right!

(From a November Live As If... column)

I am really quite terrified of the things I'm seeing our President do. It's very similar to the first meeting the then new governor of Louisiana (Blanco). She met with some homosexuals who were having a problem with a Louisiana law which said sexual deviants could not work in childcare centers. She gave them the key to open that door WHICH blocked child care center owners from background checks to weed out the pedophiles from working at their centers. It makes me gag. If we Christians do not stand up and fight for our beliefs, we are opening the door to Satan. We'll have to face a disapointed Bridegroom. That is so very sad for us.

God's special ways

I think I've figured out why I lost my job. No, I still have no clue why the executive board decided to let me go... But, I do have some insight into why God allowed it.

I have let so many things go so I could focus on my work. Things like posting here and visiting my friends' blogs, and writing really GOOD columns for Live As If... rather than rehashing other things I've written. I think I've become stagnant. That is the kind of water that gets spewed from the mouth. The only good thing about it, is that it can be poured on seeds and they will sprout and grow. Now, I must open up to Him and let Him pour some of the refreshing living water in and on me so that I will be a pleasing fragrance to the LORD, again.

If you would be blessed, go read this. David Meigs is a Christian Writer friend whom I met on a Christian writing forum. He loves the LORD with all his heart and it shows all over his writing. What an awesome and wonderful God we serve. We can always depend upon Him. His strength, His blessings. Wonderful, Savior, there is no way to out give Him.

perpetual starter

Sometimes I think I am God's starter. He is constantly putting me in places where I am allowed to start so many good things, then He takes me out of that situation seemingly for no reason.

I lost my job on Friday. No reason given except they said they wanted the Chamber to go in a different direction. Let's see... The Chamber has more money in the bank that it had ever had before, it has more members than it ever had before. We had 6 new members within the first two weeks of the year... and they want the Chamber to go in a different direction. I hate to think which direction they want it to go.

Ah well, God will bless me in a different way, I have no doubt. He never takes away something without giving something back of much greater value. I've experienced this many times over. He will provide, not because I deserve it, but because He promised it... not because I believe it, but because God keeps His promises.

What's the matter with me?

I am looking at this beautiful blog that I literally slaved over for several years and I've let it go more than a month without posting anything here. I don't know what the matter is.

I think of something and I'll want to blog about it... but then think, oh I can't say that, it's too personal. Or I can't talk about that because too many people come here and they'll know who I'm talking about. I must lead too public a life, or perhaps I'm becoming to politic.

So, I've spead myself very thin, with not much meat at any one place except Live As If... I don't even know if my computer will hold up much longer.

Perhaps holding back from spilling one's guts is the proper thing to do, but how will anyone learn if the guts are not spilled?

So perhaps the lesson is not in choosing what to say, but in choosing what not to say. Frankly, I wish I had more time. I'd love to do more hand crafts, to read more GOOD books, to write more, study more, go to more classes, to finish my quilt I started 3 years ago... Perhaps, it is all about choices. Choosing how to spend the 24/7 I've been given.