Each New Day
Did you take the time this morning to look at the new day? Was it exciting as the sun began to break over the horizon? The first light of the day truly shatters the darkness, but in a calm yet penetrating way. Every new day begins with the same power and intensity. But how important is this day should be the question on your mind. God gave it to you for a purpose and it was for you to chose how to find purpose in it.
"A New Day"
This is the beginning of a new day. God has given me this day to use as I will. I can waste it or use it for good, but what I do today is important, because I am exchanging a day of my life for it! When tomorrow comes, this day will be gone forever, leaving in its place something that I have traded for it. It want it to be gain, and not loss; good, and not evil; success, and not failure; in order that I shall not regret the price that I have paid for it."
Dr. Heartsill Wilson
The poem tells me the cost of making a decision to use the day wisely, but it does not tell me that the day itself has a cost to it. You see the beauty of God's love is not that the day carries a cost of creation, but that the day shows forth the desire of God to give you the best of every day of life - freely and consistently.
Treasure this day because God created it just as carefully as He created you.
Loving Father, how wonderful it is to see Your creative power in our world. Let us be a faithful witness to the dream of life that You created in us this day. In the blessed name of Jesus Christ. Amen.
This has been Rev. Jim Massey. Join me next week when we will try and find where we are.
Monday, July 24, 2006
What kind of Shoes Are you?
| You are Barefoot! |
 You're a total free spirit, go with the flow girl You can't be restricted by shoes for very long And unsuprisingly, the same goes for men Your match is out there - and he's as carefree as you are |
Wednesday, July 19, 2006
Bush Finally Uses the Veto
I have an auto-immune disorder. I have had it since I was 4 years old. My mom died of an auto-immune disorder in the same family when i was 22 and she was 41. My nephew and my youngest daughter both too suffer from auto-immune disorders. My daughters one of the exact diseases I have. I suffer from 3 auto-immune problems. Hastimodo's Disease is a thyroid condition. I have a type of Rheamatoid arthritis where my body attack's itself as foriegn. I had childhood onset, diagnosed at 4. And i have a type of anemia very commen in people who have auto-immune disorders. Iron does not "fix" it. it happens bc of an imbalance between the white and red cells. My mom had lupus. I also am a carrier for the anti-phosolipid antibody. It can clause blood clots.
I am glad Bush finally is using the veto. We must never make human life so small...that human beings can be used as lab rats.
Thank you President Bush for doing what is moral, above people's selfish wants.
I am glad Bush finally is using the veto. We must never make human life so small...that human beings can be used as lab rats.
Thank you President Bush for doing what is moral, above people's selfish wants.
Bush Vetoes Embryonic Stem Cell Research Bill
Wednesday, July 19, 2006
WASHINGTON — President Bush vetoed the first bill of his five-and-a-half year administration Wednesday by rejecting a measure that would provide more federal funding for embryonic stem-cell research.
"In this new era, our challenge is to harness the power of science to ease human suffering without sanctioning the practices that violate the dignity of human life," Bush said in the East Room of the White House after vetoing the measure.
Bush announced his veto standing before 18 families with "snowflake babies," children born after frozen embryos that were not used were adopted by other couples.
"Each of these children was still adopted while still an embryo and has been blessed with a chance to grow, to grow up in a loving family. These boys and girls are not spare parts," Bush said after several interruptions of applause from supporters. "They remind us of what is lost when embryos are destroyed in the name of research."
Bush's first veto follows the Senate passage of the legislation on Tuesday with a 63-37 vote. That vote is four votes short of the two-thirds margin needed to override the veto.
In August 2001, Bush permitted existing federal research to continue, but has advocated against further government funding for that specific type of lab work. He and others argue that stem cells that come from human embryos — unlike stem cells derived from adults — can only be harvested through the loss of a human life.
Opponents of Bush's veto quickly responded to his decision.
Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, R-Tenn., a surgeon who pushed for expanding federal funding for embryonic stem cell research, immediately issued a statement opposing the president’s decision to veto the measure.
"I am pro-life, but I disagree with the president's decision to veto the Stem Cell Research Enhancement Act. Given the potential of this research and the limitations of the existing lines eligible for federally funded research, I think additional lines should be made available,” Frist said.
Stem cells are considered by a number of scientists to be a possible key to unlocking the secrets of, and developing cures for, many difficult diseases and medical problems such as Alzheimer's, paralysis and other brain-function disorders.
Many scientists say the embryonic stem cells hold more hope than their adult-derived counterparts because they are the cells that multiply into the many types of cells that build the human body. Adult stem cells do not act the same way.
"Those lives will not begin, but many other lives will end if we do not use all the scientific resources available," said Sen. Arlen Specter, R-Pa., referring to the multitude of discarded embryos sitting in fertility clinics that could be plied for the favored embryonic stem cells.
Several high-ranking and conservative celebrities — including former first lady Nancy Reagan — have said they believe the science could eventually save millions of lives.
While both the GOP-run House and Senate defied Bush in passing the measure to expand federally funded embryonic stem research, supporters do not appear to have the two-thirds vote margin needed to override such a veto.
However, lawmakers planned to try override it as soon as Bush issues the veto.
"I expect that the House will sustain the president's veto," said House Majority Leader John Boehner, R-Ohio.
The Senate vote Wednesday was preceded by two days of debate, which also involved a number of personal stories to highlight the possible impacts of the research.
Majorities in the House and Senate voted in line with what polling shows is the thoughts of the public. A May Gallup poll showed that 61 percent of respondents found research of human embryo stem cells morally acceptable. The same poll, however, showed that only 43 percent believed abortion was morally acceptable.
Proponents said the bill lifting that restriction also puts strong ethical guidelines in place, requiring donors to give their informed consent for using embryos that would otherwise be discarded.
"The unfortunate part is, if the president does veto the bill, then it sets us back a year or so until we can finally pass a bill that will have the requisite supermajority to be able to become law," said Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah. "And that sets back embryonic stem cell research another year or so."
The Senate voted 63-37 on Tuesday, four votes short of the two-thirds majority that would be needed to override a veto. The House last year fell 50 votes short of a veto-proof margin when it passed the same bill in May 2005, 238-194.
Bush has made 141 veto threats during his time in office, and the Republicans controlling Congress typically respond by changing bills to his liking.
Bush's stand against stem cells is popular among conservative Republicans that the party will rely on in the congressional elections this fall. Those opponents are the same voters who have felt alienated by Bush's actions to increase legal immigration, and the veto could bring them back into the fold.
"The president believes strongly that for the purpose of research, it's inappropriate for the federal government to finance something that many people consider murder. He's one of them," said White House spokesman Tony Snow.
One conservative group, Focus on the Family Action, in Colorado Springs, Colo., praised Bush's "uncommon character and courage in his defense of preborn," while blasting senators who voted against Bush. "Some members of the Senate who should know better voted to destroy human lives — and that goes beyond cowardice."
Although many in the religious right are passionately opposed to stem cell research, most Americans support it, and Bush risks alienating that majority in the critical midterm year.
Democrats said two other bills under debate Tuesday were designed to appease voters angry that the GOP-led government had not opened more doors to research.
"Their opposition to stem cell research is outside the American mainstream, so they want to give themselves political cover by voting for two meaningless bills," said Senate Democratic leader Harry Reid, D-Nev. "It's a playbook straight from the Republican Orwellian world of politics."
One bill, which passed the Senate but failed in the House, would encourage stem cell research using cells from sources other than embryos in an effort to cure diseases and treat injuries. The other, passed unanimously in the House and Senate, would ban "fetal farming," the growing and aborting of fetuses for research.
Friday, July 14, 2006
Is Bush up to the level He needs to Be?
whether we like it or not...every major world conflict in the last 100+years the world has looked to the US for solutions. And while much of the world may be upset that the "big dog" is not doing things just the way they want....i think they still expect we as a nation to come up with a solution that no one feels like they have any answers for, nor do they even want to make a statement towards solving for fear of doing the wrong thing.
Much of this is why I ask if Bush was up to the task of rising to the level of greatness this will require. Very few Presidents(if any) have had to rise to this level. And he does not have an easy task ahead of him. I have always said, I think the future will favor bush (in history). This very well could be the reason why. He may step out above the fray and be the solution to this problem.
While people call him a "cowboy" over the last 6+ years...for his take charge policies, my way or the highway....I think we need to think about what it means too to be an American Cowboy. Cowboys are dependable. They are there when you need them. and although they talk slowly, they think quickly.
and the last 6 years have shown that Bush probably is a "real cowboy" because You can't tell how good a man or a watermelon is 'til they get thumped. (Character shows up best when tested.)
Much of this is why I ask if Bush was up to the task of rising to the level of greatness this will require. Very few Presidents(if any) have had to rise to this level. And he does not have an easy task ahead of him. I have always said, I think the future will favor bush (in history). This very well could be the reason why. He may step out above the fray and be the solution to this problem.
While people call him a "cowboy" over the last 6+ years...for his take charge policies, my way or the highway....I think we need to think about what it means too to be an American Cowboy. Cowboys are dependable. They are there when you need them. and although they talk slowly, they think quickly.
and the last 6 years have shown that Bush probably is a "real cowboy" because You can't tell how good a man or a watermelon is 'til they get thumped. (Character shows up best when tested.)
Thursday, July 13, 2006
Saving Myself a Call to Johnna
Why do I still let it hurt me after all these years? At what point am I going to say it does not matter? I cry myself to sleep and it is not even worth it. If he never cared before, why would he suddenly start now? I know this and still this little kid in me keeps hoping something would change...
I Love You This Much Lyrics
by Jimmy Wayne
He can't remember
The times that he thought
Does my daddy love me?
Probably not
That didn't stop him
From wishing that he did
Didn't keep him from wanting
Or worshipping him
He guesses he saw him
About once a year
He could still feel the way he felt
Standing in tears
Stretching his arms out
As far as they'd go
Whispering dad
I want you to know
[Chorus:]
I love you this much
And i'm waiting on you
To make up your mind
Do you love me too?
How ever long it takes
I'm never giving up no matter what
I love you this much
He grew to hate him for what he had done
'cause what kind of father
Could do that to his son?
He said 'damn you daddy'
The day that he died
The man didn't blink
But the little boy cried
[Chorus:]
I love you this much
And i'm waiting on you
To make up your mind
Do you love me too?
How ever long it takes
I'm never giving up no matter what
I love you this much
Half way through the service
While the choir sang a hymn
He looked up above the preacher
And he sat and stared at him
He said
'forgive me father'
When he realized
That he hadn't been unloved
Or alone all his life
His arms were stretched out
As far as they'd go
Nailed to the cross
For the whole world to know
[Chorus:]
I love you this much
And i'm waiting on you
To make up your mind
Do you love me too?
How ever long it takes
I'm never giving up no matter what
I love you this much
Wednesday, July 12, 2006
In God We still Trust
Click here to see the music video.
In God We Still Trust
Lyrics
Performed by Diamond Rio
You place your hand on His bible, when you swear to tell the truth.
His name is on our greatest monuments an' all our money too.
An' when we pledge allegiance, there's no doubt where we stand:
There's no separation, we're one nation under Him.
In God, we still trust here in America,
He's the one we turn to every time the going gets tough.
He is the source of all our strength, the one who watches over us.
Here in America, in God, we still trust.
Instrumental break.
Now there are those among us,
Who want to push Him out.
And erase his name from everything,
This country's all about.
From the schoolhouse to the courthouse,
They're silencing His word,
And now it's time for all believers,
To make our voices heard.
In God, we still trust here in America,
He's the one we turn to every time the going gets tough.
He is the source of all our strength, the one who watches over us.
Here in America, in God, we still trust.
Here in America, in God, we still trust.
Here in America,
Here in America, in God, we still trust.
Here in America, in God, we still trust.
Here in America
Mid Week Epistole -- How Important is Worship by Rev. Massey
How important is Worship?
Many times I have been asked by individuals, "Do I have to go to worship?" Well, let me share this story with you and you decide.
There was a middle age couple once that was spending a quiet day at home. She was sitting in the den when suddenly a small snake crawled across the floor and under the couch. Deathly afraid of snakes, she ran to the bathroom to get her husband who was taking a shower. The man came running with only a towel around his waist. Taking a broom he began poking under the couch to get the snake.
At this point the family dog, which had been sleeping, was awakened by all the excitement. In the dog's frenzy over the actions of the husband, the little terrier touched his cold nose to the man's heel. The man surmised that the snake had out maneuvered him and bitten him on the heel. He fainted dead away.
The wife concluded that her husband, because of the physical exertion over trying to kill the snake, had a heart attack. She ran from the house to the hospital emergency room a block away.
The ambulance drivers arrived promptly and placed the man on the stretcher. They were carrying him out of the den when the snake crawled from beneath the couch. Seeing the snake, one of the ambulance drivers became so excited that he dropped his end of the stretcher and broke the husband's leg.
Now the moral of this story is that it happened at 11:00 AM on Sunday morning -- when the family should have been in church. Now I'm not saying it wouldn't have happened, but being in church sure wouldn't have hurt.
Come and join us and I promise there will be no snakes at Wesley or at your favorite church.
Almighty God, come and inspire us to be in Your presence today and spend a special time with our brother and sisters in Christ. There your presence will grace us with love eternally. In the blessed name of Jesus Christ. Amen.
This has been Rev. Jim Massey. Next week we will share a New Day together.
Many times I have been asked by individuals, "Do I have to go to worship?" Well, let me share this story with you and you decide.
There was a middle age couple once that was spending a quiet day at home. She was sitting in the den when suddenly a small snake crawled across the floor and under the couch. Deathly afraid of snakes, she ran to the bathroom to get her husband who was taking a shower. The man came running with only a towel around his waist. Taking a broom he began poking under the couch to get the snake.
At this point the family dog, which had been sleeping, was awakened by all the excitement. In the dog's frenzy over the actions of the husband, the little terrier touched his cold nose to the man's heel. The man surmised that the snake had out maneuvered him and bitten him on the heel. He fainted dead away.
The wife concluded that her husband, because of the physical exertion over trying to kill the snake, had a heart attack. She ran from the house to the hospital emergency room a block away.
The ambulance drivers arrived promptly and placed the man on the stretcher. They were carrying him out of the den when the snake crawled from beneath the couch. Seeing the snake, one of the ambulance drivers became so excited that he dropped his end of the stretcher and broke the husband's leg.
Now the moral of this story is that it happened at 11:00 AM on Sunday morning -- when the family should have been in church. Now I'm not saying it wouldn't have happened, but being in church sure wouldn't have hurt.
Come and join us and I promise there will be no snakes at Wesley or at your favorite church.
Almighty God, come and inspire us to be in Your presence today and spend a special time with our brother and sisters in Christ. There your presence will grace us with love eternally. In the blessed name of Jesus Christ. Amen.
This has been Rev. Jim Massey. Next week we will share a New Day together.
Monday, July 10, 2006
We Reap What We Sow
WOW, WHAT A WAKEUP!
Dear God:
Why didn't you save the school children at ?.
Moses Lake, Washington 2/2/96
Bethel, Alaska 2/19/97
Pearl, Mississippi 10/1/97
West Paducah, Kentucky 12/1/97
Stamp, Arkansas 12/15/97
Jonesboro, Arkansas 3/24/98
Edinboro, Pennsylvan ia 4/24/98
Fayetteville, Tennessee 5/19/98
Springfield, Oregon 5/21/98
Richmond, Virginia 6/15/98
L ittleton, Colorado 4/20/99
Taber, Alberta, Canada 5/28/99
Conyers, Georgia 5/20/99
Deming, New Mexico 11/19/99
Fort Gibson, Oklahoma 12/6/99
Santee, California 3/ 5/01 and
El Cajon, California 3/22/01?
Sincerely,
Concerned Student
-----------------------------------------------------
Reply:
Dear Concerned Student:
I am not allowed in schools.
Sincerely,
God
----------------------------------------------------------
How did this get started?...
-----------------
Let's see,
I think it started when Madeline Murray O'Hare complained< /SPAN>
she didn't want any prayer in our schools.
And we said, OK..
------------------
Then,
someone said you better not read the Bible in school,
the Bible that says
"thou shalt not kill,
thou shalt not steal,
and love your neighbors as yourself,"
And we said, OK...
-----------------
Dr. Benjamin Spock said
we shouldn't spank our children
when they misbehaved
because their little personalities
would be warped and we might damage their self-esteem.
And we said,
an expert should know what he's talking about
so we won't spank them anymore..
------------------
Then someone said
teachers and principals better not
discipline our children when they misbehave.
And the school administrators said
no faculty member in this school
better touch a student when they misbehave
because we don't want any bad publicity,
and we surely don't want to be sued.
And we accepted their reasoning...
------------------
Then someone said,
let's let our daughters have abortions if they want,
and they won't even have to tell their parents.
And we said, that's a grand idea...
------------------
Then some wise school board member said,
since boys will be boys
and they're going to do it anyway,
let's give our sons all the condoms they want,
so they can have all the fun they desire,
and we won't have to tell their parents they got them at school.
And we said, that's another great idea...
------------------
Then some of our top elected officials said
it doesn't matter what we do in private as long as we do our jobs.
And we said,
it doesn't matter what anybody,
including the President,
does in private as long as we have jobs and the economy is good....
------------------
And someone else took that appreciation a step further
and published pictures of nude children
and then stepped further still by
making them available on the Internet.
And we said, everyone's entitled to free speech....
------------------
And the entertainment industry said,
let's make TV shows and movies that promote
profanity, violence and illicit sex...
And let's record music that encourages
rape, drugs, murder, suicide, and satanic themes...
And we said,
it's just entertainment
and it has no adverse effect
and nobody takes it seriously anyway,
so go right ahead.
------------------
Now we're asking ourselves
why our children have no conscience,
why they don't know right from wrong,
and why it doesn't bother them to
kill strangers, classmates or even themselves.
Undoubtedly,if we thought about it long and hard enough,
we could figure it out.
I'm sure it has a great deal to do with...
"WE REAP WHAT WE SOW,"
Dear God:
Why didn't you save the school children at ?.
Moses Lake, Washington 2/2/96
Bethel, Alaska 2/19/97
Pearl, Mississippi 10/1/97
West Paducah, Kentucky 12/1/97
Stamp, Arkansas 12/15/97
Jonesboro, Arkansas 3/24/98
Edinboro, Pennsylvan ia 4/24/98
Fayetteville, Tennessee 5/19/98
Springfield, Oregon 5/21/98
Richmond, Virginia 6/15/98
L ittleton, Colorado 4/20/99
Taber, Alberta, Canada 5/28/99
Conyers, Georgia 5/20/99
Deming, New Mexico 11/19/99
Fort Gibson, Oklahoma 12/6/99
Santee, California 3/ 5/01 and
El Cajon, California 3/22/01?
Sincerely,
Concerned Student
-----------------------------------------------------
Reply:
Dear Concerned Student:
I am not allowed in schools.
Sincerely,
God
----------------------------------------------------------
How did this get started?...
-----------------
Let's see,
I think it started when Madeline Murray O'Hare complained< /SPAN>
she didn't want any prayer in our schools.
And we said, OK..
------------------
Then,
someone said you better not read the Bible in school,
the Bible that says
"thou shalt not kill,
thou shalt not steal,
and love your neighbors as yourself,"
And we said, OK...
-----------------
Dr. Benjamin Spock said
we shouldn't spank our children
when they misbehaved
because their little personalities
would be warped and we might damage their self-esteem.
And we said,
an expert should know what he's talking about
so we won't spank them anymore..
------------------
Then someone said
teachers and principals better not
discipline our children when they misbehave.
And the school administrators said
no faculty member in this school
better touch a student when they misbehave
because we don't want any bad publicity,
and we surely don't want to be sued.
And we accepted their reasoning...
------------------
Then someone said,
let's let our daughters have abortions if they want,
and they won't even have to tell their parents.
And we said, that's a grand idea...
------------------
Then some wise school board member said,
since boys will be boys
and they're going to do it anyway,
let's give our sons all the condoms they want,
so they can have all the fun they desire,
and we won't have to tell their parents they got them at school.
And we said, that's another great idea...
------------------
Then some of our top elected officials said
it doesn't matter what we do in private as long as we do our jobs.
And we said,
it doesn't matter what anybody,
including the President,
does in private as long as we have jobs and the economy is good....
------------------
And someone else took that appreciation a step further
and published pictures of nude children
and then stepped further still by
making them available on the Internet.
And we said, everyone's entitled to free speech....
------------------
And the entertainment industry said,
let's make TV shows and movies that promote
profanity, violence and illicit sex...
And let's record music that encourages
rape, drugs, murder, suicide, and satanic themes...
And we said,
it's just entertainment
and it has no adverse effect
and nobody takes it seriously anyway,
so go right ahead.
------------------
Now we're asking ourselves
why our children have no conscience,
why they don't know right from wrong,
and why it doesn't bother them to
kill strangers, classmates or even themselves.
Undoubtedly,if we thought about it long and hard enough,
we could figure it out.
I'm sure it has a great deal to do with...
"WE REAP WHAT WE SOW,"
Another mouse!
ARGh...the other night Jake said he saw a mouse in the kitchen. We thought he was sleep walking..well...because I think he was still. But he must of woke up when he got to the kitchen and saw it.
Then today...i am talking to Jake and kate trying to get them to get dressed...its summer mom..why cant we stay in our bed clothes all day? And the mouse runs right behind them. not a foot behind them. argh..right into my bedroom. GREAT.
Pulling out all the mouse traps from the mouse epidemic of last winter. Need to go buy some more. Please please please do not let this be the 8 month adventure it was last time.
I feel like sometimes, I can just not catch a break. Brianna's birth certificate came. Not Jake's though. argh. And I still have not got her immunization records from the dr. I can not believe all I misplaced all those important papers. Every one of them. so much for putting them where I would think they were safe. I have looked for over a month and still not found them. Can I just cry now?
Then today...i am talking to Jake and kate trying to get them to get dressed...its summer mom..why cant we stay in our bed clothes all day? And the mouse runs right behind them. not a foot behind them. argh..right into my bedroom. GREAT.
Pulling out all the mouse traps from the mouse epidemic of last winter. Need to go buy some more. Please please please do not let this be the 8 month adventure it was last time.
I feel like sometimes, I can just not catch a break. Brianna's birth certificate came. Not Jake's though. argh. And I still have not got her immunization records from the dr. I can not believe all I misplaced all those important papers. Every one of them. so much for putting them where I would think they were safe. I have looked for over a month and still not found them. Can I just cry now?
Friday, July 07, 2006
Prayer
What should we pray for?
Right now we should pray for our nation, if not here in the USA...pray for the USA to seek God first. Seek God's guidance before they proceed. Always let go, and let God. Ask for God's hand to guide our leaders, our nation, and our people. Pray for President Bush, all of our Senators, Congressmen, and Governors. From the person who fixes the toilets, to the man who ask for declaration of war.
Pray for those in Iraq, for our soldiers and for the civilians living in a war zone. Pray for God's guidance to bring comfort to those with loved one's so far away, and pray for those there to know God's love and grace in thier own lives. Let His guidance bring them home safetly when thier job is done. Pray for the civilians who did not ask to live in a war zone. Pray for those who will die today, and those who years from now will look back and remember.
Pray for those that are hungry in our nation and around the world.
Pray for the situation in korea. Pray that God will guide all the world leaders in this difficult time and situation.
Pray for your neighbors. Pray that they will Know God's love...and that they see God in You. Pray that all you do, is for thier good. Those who are sick, having surgery, depressed, going through hard times, hurting. Pray for those who need prayers.
Pray for those who do God's work around you and in your life. For teachers, Doctors, Firemen, Policemen, and all those who use thier gifts to serve others.
Pray for yourself. Pray that God uses you as His vessel. Someone who can do His work. Pray for His guidance to lead you to what work He would have you do. Pray that He will make you the perfect servent to Him.
Right now we should pray for our nation, if not here in the USA...pray for the USA to seek God first. Seek God's guidance before they proceed. Always let go, and let God. Ask for God's hand to guide our leaders, our nation, and our people. Pray for President Bush, all of our Senators, Congressmen, and Governors. From the person who fixes the toilets, to the man who ask for declaration of war.
Pray for those in Iraq, for our soldiers and for the civilians living in a war zone. Pray for God's guidance to bring comfort to those with loved one's so far away, and pray for those there to know God's love and grace in thier own lives. Let His guidance bring them home safetly when thier job is done. Pray for the civilians who did not ask to live in a war zone. Pray for those who will die today, and those who years from now will look back and remember.
Pray for those that are hungry in our nation and around the world.
Pray for the situation in korea. Pray that God will guide all the world leaders in this difficult time and situation.
Pray for your neighbors. Pray that they will Know God's love...and that they see God in You. Pray that all you do, is for thier good. Those who are sick, having surgery, depressed, going through hard times, hurting. Pray for those who need prayers.
Pray for those who do God's work around you and in your life. For teachers, Doctors, Firemen, Policemen, and all those who use thier gifts to serve others.
Pray for yourself. Pray that God uses you as His vessel. Someone who can do His work. Pray for His guidance to lead you to what work He would have you do. Pray that He will make you the perfect servent to Him.
Wednesday, July 05, 2006
Mid Week Epistole-- God is missing! by Jim Massey
GOD IS MISSING
A friend of mine recently sent me the most wonderful story. I hope it is a spirit-lifter for your day:
"A couple had two little boys, ages 8 and 10, who were excessively mischievous. The two were always getting into trouble and their parents could be assured that if any mischief occurred in their town their two young sons were in some way involved. The parents were at their wits end as to what to do about their sons' behavior. The mother had heard that a clergyman in town had been successful in disciplining children in the past, so she asked her husband if he thought they should send the boys to speak with the clergyman. The husband said, "We might as well. We need to do something before I lose my temper."
The clergyman agreed to speak with the boys, but asked to see them individually. The 8-year-old went to meet with him first. The clergyman sat the boy down and asked him sternly, "Where is God?" The boy made no response, so the clergyman repeated the question in an even sterner tone, "Where is God?" Again the boy made no attempt to answer, so the clergyman raised his voice even more and shook his finger in the boy's face, "WHERE IS GOD?" At that the boy bolted from the room and ran directly home hiding himself in his closet. His older brother followed him into the closet and said, "What happened?" The younger brother replied, "We are in BIG trouble this time. God is missing and they think we did it!"
Have you ever felt like the little boy - you are in big trouble because God is missing? Well, let me ease your mind, God is not missing. He is holding you right now sharing this story and touching your heart just as your presence touches His. Can you feel Him near?
Almighty God, today help us to keep our eyes focus on You. Never let us lose ourselves in fear and anxiety, but let us walk in faith and love - forever. In Christ's loving name we pray. AMEN!
This has been Rev. Jim Massey – next week we will discuss the importance of worship for living a full life.
A friend of mine recently sent me the most wonderful story. I hope it is a spirit-lifter for your day:
"A couple had two little boys, ages 8 and 10, who were excessively mischievous. The two were always getting into trouble and their parents could be assured that if any mischief occurred in their town their two young sons were in some way involved. The parents were at their wits end as to what to do about their sons' behavior. The mother had heard that a clergyman in town had been successful in disciplining children in the past, so she asked her husband if he thought they should send the boys to speak with the clergyman. The husband said, "We might as well. We need to do something before I lose my temper."
The clergyman agreed to speak with the boys, but asked to see them individually. The 8-year-old went to meet with him first. The clergyman sat the boy down and asked him sternly, "Where is God?" The boy made no response, so the clergyman repeated the question in an even sterner tone, "Where is God?" Again the boy made no attempt to answer, so the clergyman raised his voice even more and shook his finger in the boy's face, "WHERE IS GOD?" At that the boy bolted from the room and ran directly home hiding himself in his closet. His older brother followed him into the closet and said, "What happened?" The younger brother replied, "We are in BIG trouble this time. God is missing and they think we did it!"
Have you ever felt like the little boy - you are in big trouble because God is missing? Well, let me ease your mind, God is not missing. He is holding you right now sharing this story and touching your heart just as your presence touches His. Can you feel Him near?
Almighty God, today help us to keep our eyes focus on You. Never let us lose ourselves in fear and anxiety, but let us walk in faith and love - forever. In Christ's loving name we pray. AMEN!
This has been Rev. Jim Massey – next week we will discuss the importance of worship for living a full life.
Tuesday, July 04, 2006
Video's of Iraq
I am not sure if this will work or not. I hope it does.
Click here to see Videos from Iraq by soldiers who were there to fight the war.
this is just a play list of 5 videos (i hope all 5 are there). Some are funny, some are serious. All are set to music. Turn it up and jam out with them.
Click here to see Videos from Iraq by soldiers who were there to fight the war.
this is just a play list of 5 videos (i hope all 5 are there). Some are funny, some are serious. All are set to music. Turn it up and jam out with them.
Declaration of Independence
The Declaration of Independence of the Thirteen Colonies
In CONGRESS, July 4, 1776
The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen united States of America,
When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.
We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. --That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, --That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn, that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security. —Such has been the patient sufferance of these Colonies; and such is now the necessity which constrains them to alter their former Systems of Government. The history of the present King of Great Britain [George III] is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations, all having in direct object the establishment of an absolute Tyranny over these States. To prove this, let Facts be submitted to a candid world.
He has refused his Assent to Laws, the most wholesome and necessary for the public good.
He has forbidden his Governors to pass Laws of immediate and pressing importance, unless suspended in their operation till his Assent should be obtained; and when so suspended, he has utterly neglected to attend to them.
He has refused to pass other Laws for the accommodation of large districts of people, unless those people would relinquish the right of Representation in the Legislature, a right inestimable to them and formidable to tyrants only.
He has called together legislative bodies at places unusual, uncomfortable, and distant from the depository of their public Records, for the sole purpose of fatiguing them into compliance with his measures.
He has dissolved Representative Houses repeatedly, for opposing with manly firmness his invasions on the rights of the people.
He has refused for a long time, after such dissolutions, to cause others to be elected; whereby the Legislative powers, incapable of Annihilation, have returned to the People at large for their exercise; the State remaining in the mean time exposed to all the dangers of invasion from without, and convulsions within.
He has endeavoured to prevent the population of these States; for that purpose obstructing the Laws for Naturalization of Foreigners; refusing to pass others to encourage their migrations hither, and raising the conditions of new Appropriations of Lands.
He has obstructed the Administration of Justice, by refusing his Assent to Laws for establishing Judiciary powers.
He has made Judges dependent on his Will alone, for the tenure of their offices, and the amount and payment of their salaries.
He has erected a multitude of New Offices, and sent hither swarms of Officers to harass our people, and eat out their substance.
He has kept among us, in times of peace, Standing Armies without the consent of our legislatures.
He has affected to render the Military independent of and superior to the Civil power.
He has combined with others to subject us to a jurisdiction foreign to our constitution and unacknowledged by our laws; giving his Assent to their Acts of pretended Legislation:
For Quartering large bodies of armed troops among us:
For protecting them, by a mock Trial, from punishment for any Murders which they should commit on the Inhabitants of these States:
For cutting off our Trade with all parts of the world:
For imposing Taxes on us without our Consent:
For depriving us, in many cases, of the benefits of Trial by Jury:
For transporting us beyond Seas to be tried for pretended offences:
For abolishing the free System of English Laws in a neighbouring Province, establishing therein an Arbitrary government, and enlarging its Boundaries so as to render it at once an example and fit instrument for introducing the same absolute rule into these Colonies:
For taking away our Charters, abolishing our most valuable Laws, and altering fundamentally the Forms of our Governments:
For suspending our own Legislatures, and declaring themselves invested with power to legislate for us in all cases whatsoever.
He has abdicated Government here, by declaring us out of his Protection and waging War against us.
He has plundered our seas, ravaged our Coasts, burnt our towns, and destroyed the lives of our people.
He is at this time transporting large Armies of foreign Mercenaries to compleat the works of death, desolation and tyranny, already begun with circumstances of Cruelty and perfidy scarcely paralleled in the most barbarous ages, and totally unworthy the Head of a civilized nation.
He has constrained our fellow Citizens taken Captive on the high Seas to bear Arms against their Country, to become the executioners of their friends and Brethren, or to fall themselves by their Hands.
He has excited domestic insurrections amongst us, and has endeavoured to bring on the inhabitants of our frontiers, the merciless Indian Savages, whose known rule of warfare, is an undistinguished destruction of all ages, sexes and conditions.
In every stage of these Oppressions We have Petitioned for Redress in the most humble terms: Our repeated Petitions have been answered only by repeated injury. A Prince whose character is thus marked by every act which may define a Tyrant, is unfit to be the ruler of a free people.
Nor have We been wanting in attentions to our British brethren. We have warned them from time to time of attempts by their legislature to extend an unwarrantable jurisdiction over us. We have reminded them of the circumstances of our emigration and settlement here. We have appealed to their native justice and magnanimity, and we have conjured them by the ties of our common kindred to disavow these usurpations, which, would inevitably interrupt our connections and correspondence. They too have been deaf to the voice of justice and of consanguinity. We must, therefore, acquiesce in the necessity, which denounces our Separation, and hold them, as we hold the rest of mankind, Enemies in War, in Peace Friends.
We, therefore, the Representatives of the united States of America, in General Congress, Assembled, appealing to the Supreme Judge of the world for the rectitude of our intentions, do, in the Name, and by the Authority of the good People of these Colonies, solemnly publish and declare, That these United Colonies are, and of Right ought to be Free and Independent States; that they are Absolved from all Allegiance to the British Crown, and that all political connection between them and the State of Great Britain, is and ought to be totally dissolved; and that as Free and Independent States, they have full Power to levy War, conclude Peace, contract Alliances, establish Commerce, and to do all other Acts and Things which Independent States may of right do. And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor.
The signers of the Declaration represented the new states as follows:
New Hampshire
Josiah Bartlett, William Whipple, Matthew Thornton
Massachusetts
John Hancock, Samuel Adams, John Adams, Robert Treat Paine, Elbridge Gerry
Rhode Island
Stephen Hopkins, William Ellery
Connecticut
Roger Sherman, Samuel Huntington, William Williams, Oliver Wolcott
New York
William Floyd, Philip Livingston, Francis Lewis, Lewis Morris
New Jersey
Richard Stockton, John Witherspoon, Francis Hopkinson, John Hart, Abraham Clark
Pennsylvania
Robert Morris, Benjamin Rush, Benjamin Franklin, John Morton, George Clymer, James Smith, George Taylor, James Wilson, George Ross
Delaware
Caesar Rodney, George Read, Thomas McKean
Maryland
Samuel Chase, William Paca, Thomas Stone, Charles Carroll of Carrollton
Virginia
George Wythe, Richard Henry Lee, Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Harrison, Thomas Nelson, Jr., Francis Lightfoot Lee, Carter Braxton
North Carolina
William Hooper, Joseph Hewes, John Penn
South Carolina
Edward Rutledge, Thomas Heyward, Jr., Thomas Lynch, Jr., Arthur Middleton
Georgia
Button Gwinnett, Lyman Hall, George Walton
In CONGRESS, July 4, 1776
The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen united States of America,
When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.
We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. --That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, --That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn, that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security. —Such has been the patient sufferance of these Colonies; and such is now the necessity which constrains them to alter their former Systems of Government. The history of the present King of Great Britain [George III] is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations, all having in direct object the establishment of an absolute Tyranny over these States. To prove this, let Facts be submitted to a candid world.
He has refused his Assent to Laws, the most wholesome and necessary for the public good.
He has forbidden his Governors to pass Laws of immediate and pressing importance, unless suspended in their operation till his Assent should be obtained; and when so suspended, he has utterly neglected to attend to them.
He has refused to pass other Laws for the accommodation of large districts of people, unless those people would relinquish the right of Representation in the Legislature, a right inestimable to them and formidable to tyrants only.
He has called together legislative bodies at places unusual, uncomfortable, and distant from the depository of their public Records, for the sole purpose of fatiguing them into compliance with his measures.
He has dissolved Representative Houses repeatedly, for opposing with manly firmness his invasions on the rights of the people.
He has refused for a long time, after such dissolutions, to cause others to be elected; whereby the Legislative powers, incapable of Annihilation, have returned to the People at large for their exercise; the State remaining in the mean time exposed to all the dangers of invasion from without, and convulsions within.
He has endeavoured to prevent the population of these States; for that purpose obstructing the Laws for Naturalization of Foreigners; refusing to pass others to encourage their migrations hither, and raising the conditions of new Appropriations of Lands.
He has obstructed the Administration of Justice, by refusing his Assent to Laws for establishing Judiciary powers.
He has made Judges dependent on his Will alone, for the tenure of their offices, and the amount and payment of their salaries.
He has erected a multitude of New Offices, and sent hither swarms of Officers to harass our people, and eat out their substance.
He has kept among us, in times of peace, Standing Armies without the consent of our legislatures.
He has affected to render the Military independent of and superior to the Civil power.
He has combined with others to subject us to a jurisdiction foreign to our constitution and unacknowledged by our laws; giving his Assent to their Acts of pretended Legislation:
For Quartering large bodies of armed troops among us:
For protecting them, by a mock Trial, from punishment for any Murders which they should commit on the Inhabitants of these States:
For cutting off our Trade with all parts of the world:
For imposing Taxes on us without our Consent:
For depriving us, in many cases, of the benefits of Trial by Jury:
For transporting us beyond Seas to be tried for pretended offences:
For abolishing the free System of English Laws in a neighbouring Province, establishing therein an Arbitrary government, and enlarging its Boundaries so as to render it at once an example and fit instrument for introducing the same absolute rule into these Colonies:
For taking away our Charters, abolishing our most valuable Laws, and altering fundamentally the Forms of our Governments:
For suspending our own Legislatures, and declaring themselves invested with power to legislate for us in all cases whatsoever.
He has abdicated Government here, by declaring us out of his Protection and waging War against us.
He has plundered our seas, ravaged our Coasts, burnt our towns, and destroyed the lives of our people.
He is at this time transporting large Armies of foreign Mercenaries to compleat the works of death, desolation and tyranny, already begun with circumstances of Cruelty and perfidy scarcely paralleled in the most barbarous ages, and totally unworthy the Head of a civilized nation.
He has constrained our fellow Citizens taken Captive on the high Seas to bear Arms against their Country, to become the executioners of their friends and Brethren, or to fall themselves by their Hands.
He has excited domestic insurrections amongst us, and has endeavoured to bring on the inhabitants of our frontiers, the merciless Indian Savages, whose known rule of warfare, is an undistinguished destruction of all ages, sexes and conditions.
In every stage of these Oppressions We have Petitioned for Redress in the most humble terms: Our repeated Petitions have been answered only by repeated injury. A Prince whose character is thus marked by every act which may define a Tyrant, is unfit to be the ruler of a free people.
Nor have We been wanting in attentions to our British brethren. We have warned them from time to time of attempts by their legislature to extend an unwarrantable jurisdiction over us. We have reminded them of the circumstances of our emigration and settlement here. We have appealed to their native justice and magnanimity, and we have conjured them by the ties of our common kindred to disavow these usurpations, which, would inevitably interrupt our connections and correspondence. They too have been deaf to the voice of justice and of consanguinity. We must, therefore, acquiesce in the necessity, which denounces our Separation, and hold them, as we hold the rest of mankind, Enemies in War, in Peace Friends.
We, therefore, the Representatives of the united States of America, in General Congress, Assembled, appealing to the Supreme Judge of the world for the rectitude of our intentions, do, in the Name, and by the Authority of the good People of these Colonies, solemnly publish and declare, That these United Colonies are, and of Right ought to be Free and Independent States; that they are Absolved from all Allegiance to the British Crown, and that all political connection between them and the State of Great Britain, is and ought to be totally dissolved; and that as Free and Independent States, they have full Power to levy War, conclude Peace, contract Alliances, establish Commerce, and to do all other Acts and Things which Independent States may of right do. And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor.
The signers of the Declaration represented the new states as follows:
New Hampshire
Josiah Bartlett, William Whipple, Matthew Thornton
Massachusetts
John Hancock, Samuel Adams, John Adams, Robert Treat Paine, Elbridge Gerry
Rhode Island
Stephen Hopkins, William Ellery
Connecticut
Roger Sherman, Samuel Huntington, William Williams, Oliver Wolcott
New York
William Floyd, Philip Livingston, Francis Lewis, Lewis Morris
New Jersey
Richard Stockton, John Witherspoon, Francis Hopkinson, John Hart, Abraham Clark
Pennsylvania
Robert Morris, Benjamin Rush, Benjamin Franklin, John Morton, George Clymer, James Smith, George Taylor, James Wilson, George Ross
Delaware
Caesar Rodney, George Read, Thomas McKean
Maryland
Samuel Chase, William Paca, Thomas Stone, Charles Carroll of Carrollton
Virginia
George Wythe, Richard Henry Lee, Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Harrison, Thomas Nelson, Jr., Francis Lightfoot Lee, Carter Braxton
North Carolina
William Hooper, Joseph Hewes, John Penn
South Carolina
Edward Rutledge, Thomas Heyward, Jr., Thomas Lynch, Jr., Arthur Middleton
Georgia
Button Gwinnett, Lyman Hall, George Walton
Saturday, July 01, 2006
The Peace Prayer
The Peace Prayer by St Francis of Assisi
Lord, make me an instrument of Thy peace;
Where there is hatred, let me sow love;
Where there is injury, pardon;
Where there is error, the truth;
Where there is doubt, the faith;
Where there is despair, hope;
Where there is darkness, light;
And where there is sadness, joy.
O Divine Master,
Grant that I may not so much seek
To be consoled, as to console;
To be understood, as to understand;
To be loved as to love.
For it is in giving that we receive;
It is in pardoning that we are pardoned;
And it is in dying that we are born to eternal life. Amen.
Lord, make me an instrument of Thy peace;
Where there is hatred, let me sow love;
Where there is injury, pardon;
Where there is error, the truth;
Where there is doubt, the faith;
Where there is despair, hope;
Where there is darkness, light;
And where there is sadness, joy.
O Divine Master,
Grant that I may not so much seek
To be consoled, as to console;
To be understood, as to understand;
To be loved as to love.
For it is in giving that we receive;
It is in pardoning that we are pardoned;
And it is in dying that we are born to eternal life. Amen.
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