Monday Madness

Due to lack of visitors to my website it will close until after the New Year.


Answer to the Friday quiz: Shade is the only word that will not form a compound word with at least one of the others.

Sunday Praise

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Friday Quiz

Which word does not belong and why?


Ball, Base, Cannon, Room, Shade, Store, Top, Tree

T.G.I.F.

Answers to last Friday's Quiz: Elvis Presley and Hank Williams
The rest of T.G.I.F. will post with this Friday's Quiz tonight.

I enjoyed the day at Lady of the Lakes Renaissance Faire. It felt good to get home where I could sit in comfort. No need to go for a walk after trudging around for four hours!

Quotable and the Not So Quotable Quotes

"Education without values, as useful as it is, seems rather to make man a more clever devil. " ~ C. S. Lewis

"If you're not a liberal when you're 25, you have no heart. If you're not a conservative by the time you're 35, you have no brain." ~ Sir Winston Churchill

Sir Winston Churchill and C. S. Lewis were contemporaries. They could not have helped knowing of one another. I wonder if they ever met, and how they would have related to one another.

Humor

Saint Peter was watching a woman come up to the Pearly Gates. She would take only a few steps, and then look around in amazement. When she came within speaking distance she said, “Everything is so much better than anyone ever said it would be.”

“That’s what everyone says,” Peter said. “‘Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God has prepared for them that love Him.’ Now there is only one question you need to answer correctly and you can go in. How do you spell “love”?

“Oh, that’s easy,” she said. “L.O.V.E. Why do you pick such an easy word?”

“Because some people spell it, ‘J.E.S.U.S.’ and they not only get in, they get to eat at His table. But you can eat with me at my table.”

About three years later, the subject of being too impulsive was being discussed at the dinner table. She admitted that she had been that way in life, but really wanted to change.

“Guarding the gates has really helped me change.” Peter admitted. “I’m long overdue for a vacation. Will you guard the gates for me while I’m gone and practice being less impulsive?”

So she agreed and the next morning, the first person she saw was the husband she had left behind on earth. She smiled and waved, and he returned the greeting. When he was close enough to talk she asked, “What have you been doing these 3 years without me? I used to do everything for you before I got sick.”

“Well, I’ve managed to get by O.K.,” he said. “You remember that cute little nurse that took care of you, right? Well, we got married, and just a few weeks after the funeral, we won the Powerball Lottery. We both quit our jobs, and we have been world travelers ever since. In fact, we were skiing in the Swiss Alps, when I lost my balance, and went flying through the air. I don’t even remember landing. I just woke up and here I was. What do we do next?”

"Just answer two questions correctly and you can go in," she replied. "Did you learn any foreign words or phrases while traveling?"

"No, should I have?" he asked.

"That's O.K." she said. "Now spell 'arrivederci'."

Wacky Wednesday & A Thought Filled Thursday

This morning (Wednesday) I checked out the little icons that can be seen only when a person is preparing to post a blog. How embarrassing! This fool had all the tools needed to post images and links one click away all the time he was struggling with html code. Well, praise the Lord! Now I know two ways of doing it.

Here is something else to praise the Lord for. I have been existing on a very low heart rate for many years. My normal has been 50 to 52 since moving to Florida. About nine months ago it was 44 at my doctor's office, and it has been averaging that until my last check up. The nurse read 38 per minute there in the office, and the doctor sent me to a specialist. His response was that I need a pace maker.

I mentioned this at our men's Bible study Tuesday and they prayed for me. I spent much of that day researching low heart rate and toxins online, because there is a lot more going on besides a low heart rate. My findings are included in today's Wacky Wednesday.

Quotable and the Not So Quotable Quotes

"There is such a thing as food and such a thing as poison. But the damage done by those who pass off poison as food is far less than that done by those who generation after generation convince people that food is poison." ~ Paul Goodman

Yes sir, Mr Goodman, I will try not to do that, especially the latter for I have already convinced myself and need convince no other.

"What is food to one man is bitter poison to others." ~ Lucretius on Taste

'nuff said.

The Week's Best Link

This is my lifetime's best link and healthiest for those who unknowingly have copper toxicity syndrome. Copper takes years to reach the level that triggers many of these symptoms, but in the end it is a killer just as much as acute copper poisoning. I have been trying for years to figure out what is going wrong inside of me and the list of symptoms kept growing. A few matched some of the symptoms of lead, mercury, and aluminum toxicity, but each had symptoms that I did not have. So here is the link to the best on the subject, and if your symptoms match, then it may be your lifetime best link as well.

http://www.drlwilson.com/articles/copper_toxicity_syndrome.htm

A related link is:

http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/002496.htm

More Thoughts to Share

When I was copying information for this article on Wednesday my computer suddenly would not go on line, no mater what I did. Coincidence? I think probably so, but a Big Brother conspiracy theory thought did cross my mind. Why are there no warnings about too much copper on food and supplements containing copper. Nuts, seeds, and grains all have copper in organically usable amounts that require no additional supplementation.

The sea salt that is a novelty addition to some foods contains the biounavailable copper mentioned in the CTS article. It is an inorganic salt of copper with no mineral value, only toxicity. When added to nuts it adds five to six times the copper contained in the nuts. When used to season croutons, it adds twenty times the copper in the wheat flour.

Why has the FDA not banned sea salt in foods? The EPA has banned the use of it in the treatment of effluent prior to releasing it into freshwater lakes. streams, and estuaries. EPA regulations say that only synthetic sea salt without copper may be used in effluent treatment. Save the fish at any expense, but let humans poison themselves. Maybe this will save Social Security if enough older folks die unexplained deaths.

But as soon as enough people begin to realize the risk, sea salt will be off the market without government regulation. The cure for copper buildup is easy, but may take some time. Zinc and exercise. I take it at 25 mg. 4 times a day, plus extra magnesium because they work synergistically in conjunction with each other. Exercise helps work the stored copper out of tissue. Total exhaustion must be ignored but only mild exercise such as walking regularly is needed.

I spent most of Thursday getting my computer repaired so I could get this posted in spite of Big Brother. It is quite late on the East Coast, but it will be there for my Friday readers, which is the biggest readership day each week. Have a good night.

Tuesday

For now this is just Tuesday. Adopt a child month has come to a close. If you considered adoption during October, let me encourage you to pursue it. We who have adopted and found it a good and rewarding experience are often too silent about it. The ones who make all the noise are the ones with the horror stories. I am so glad my first wife and I adopted our son. Ours is an example of an adoption that turned out well.

Quotable and the Not So Quotable Quotes

"Wise men talk because they have something to say; fools talk because they have to say something." ~ Plato

I know there are times when I say too much. May it never be simply because I had to say it, though I am sure there have been times.... I believe most people do both, talk because they have something to say, and because they have to say something. The wisdom comes in knowing which is which and applying it circumspectly.

Humor

Some friends, Letta (rhymes with Rita), Terri, and I were having a chat room discussion on pets when they started telling about their birds.

Terri: "The most we ever had at a time is the 4 cats, 5 dogs....

and then I have a Green Wing Macaw and Cockatoo"

Letta: "I have a Nanday conure. They say they are the loudest of all the conures.

I truly believe that is a fact."

Terri: "Birds are some funny creatures.

"Caesar/ the Cockatoo--- is very loud, but likes to snuggle. When he wants to snuggles he says, 'want to watch TV' (I guess because we snuggle in front of the TV and talk about it or something)

"Vegas/ the Green Wing [Macaw]-- is most amazing, he yells, 'maaawwwmm' when he wants me (think the kids taught him that)....he also tells Caesar to 'shuuuut up' (which he also learned from the kids...lol)"

Ronald *not really having wise words, but feeling like he had to say something*:

"LOL- Watta bird!" [Translation: WOW- What a fool I am].

Terri: "haha.... I love my animals... they are a hoot....

"my dog does a thing we call, raise the roof... she will dance and raise her front paws in the air like she is "raising the roof"....

"the other dog.... if you say, 'High Five' across the room at her, she will run and jump and slap her paw against your hand...

"the cats...well....they are just ornery renegades"

Letta: "Thats funny.

"Bob, tells you 'come here' if you put your hand in his cage, he says 'watcha doin'' and several other things. He mocks the sound of a squeaky door we have, and the sound of my husband cranking the goose-neck trailer up or down.

"He mocks people when they laugh, and he barks like the dogs outside (very convincingly)."

Terri: "haha...

"Have you ever heard an African Grey? I know someone who has one and he sounds exactly like their home phone, their cell ring tones & alarm clock.

"They tell me he plays tricks on them all the time, especially with the alarm clock.
They told me one time, that the husband was out of town and the alarm went off and the bird said, in the husbands voice, '15 more minutes,' (supposedly the husband says that frequently)----and the wife hit the snooze and then remembered her husband was out of town....NOW that would have been freaky..."

That is just about the way my afternoon went with me tossing in a foolish comment every now and then. So now you know the rest of the story, why Plato got top billing two nights in a row in the quotation column. I got an interesting and humorous script for tonight's blog, and they got my promise that I would tell you they won (won what, I will never say). I would say I had the greater win!

This fool will close with a repeat of another quote from last night,

"The fool thinks himself to be wise, but the wise man knows himself to be a fool." ~William Shakespeare

Monday Madness

Today I located the best link I have seen yet. It is for material written June 15, but there was no new post until October 22, so we shall say it is the best October blog link. You may think it is one of the best ever.

October's Best Link

I Believe This is the Tangle website. It would be worth joining to read this post, even if you never returned, or closed the account immediately after.

Quotable and the Not So Quotable Quotes

Why is it that just when I am starting to learn how to use html code they replace it with xhtml code?

"Wise men talk because they have something to say; fools talk because they have to say something." ~ Plato

A wise man can see more from the bottom of a well than a fool can from a mountain top. ~ Unknown — I wish we knew who this quote belongs to; I would like to ask him what the wise man was doing at the bottom of a well.

Only a fool knows everything. A wise man knows how little he knows. ~Unknown. Unknown restated what Shakespeare wrote earlier:

"The fool thinks himself to be wise, but the wise man knows himself to be a fool." ~William Shakespeare

There are two kinds of fools in this world. The one the dictionary defines as a jester, or one who does foolish things. The other the Bible describes as a person who has confirmed in his inner being that there is no God, or if there is, he wants no part of him.

"There are only two kinds of people in the end: those who say to God, 'Thy will be done,' and those to whom God says, in the end, 'Thy will be done.'" ~ C. S. Lewis (1898 - 1963)

Sunday Praise

Since there is an extra hour this morning I have decided to put it to use with a Sunday Sermonette. I have decided that along with the time change I will also change that name to the Sunday Mini Sermon.

Humor

A burglar broke into an electronics store one night, and began filling his bag with MP3's, IPODS, and other small expensive items. Suddenly there was a voice, "Jesus is watching you." He quickly doused his flashlight and froze.

After a few minutes of dead silence, he shone the light all around the room and saw no one. So he went back to putting more high tech stuff in his bag. Then he heard "Jesus is watching you," again.

He shone the light in the direction of the voice and saw a parrot. "Was that you?" he whispered. "Of course," said the bird.

"Who do you think you are?" he asked.

"I'm Moses," the parrot said.

"Who would name their bird Moses?" he asked.

The parrot replied, "The same people that named their pit bull Jesus."

The Sunday Mini Sermon

The First Commandment

Exodus 20:2-3 "I AM JEHOVAH, YOUR GOD who has led you out of Egypt [and] out of [the] place of slavery. There are no other gods for you except Me." Deuteronomy 5:6-7 repeats the first command word for word except that the Greek has pro prosopon emou (before My face, or in My sight) in place of plen mou (other than Me, besides Me,or except Me).

Deut. 6:5 explains what should be the motivating force behind obedience to the command, "And you will love the Lord your God with the whole of your heart, and with the whole of your soul, and with the whole of your might."

Because we love God, we follow Him only. Deut 6:14-15 tells what God means by "no other gods". "You may not turn from God to walk in the way of other gods of the nations all around you because your Lord God is passionate with you. You do not want to provoke Lord your God to become angry with you, and destroy you from the face of the earth."

How it hurts God to have His people turn away from Him. We have been told we must be tolerant of other religious beliefs. Is being tolerant the same as approving others gods for worship? It had better never be. 2 Timothy 4:2 says, "Proclaim the Word publicly. Be ready to do this when the time is right as well as when it is not a good time. Refute, admonish, and invite them to come, teaching [them] with patience and perseverance." This is not approving or tolerating other gods.

We are the people of the true and living God. We must show Him honor by keeping His first command in the way He intended.

Quotable and the Not So Quotable Quotes

"The eyes see what the heart loves. If the heart loves God and is single in this devotion, then the eyes will see God whether others see Him or not." ~ Warren Wiersbe, on A Heart for God

The Saturday Edition

While the little sugar seekers are out I figure is the best time to cloister away in a darkened house and post the Saturday Edition. This will also serve as a good stimulus to post early, which is what I have been trying to accomplish anyway.

The Poet's Corner

As I sit here in my niche
My nose begins to itche.
I cannot tell why,
Or even try
Not to flinche or twitche, for I itche!

(Ha! You thought somehow I would work in a witche, didn't you)?

That's it for tonight.
Good night!

Friday Quiz

Many famous people have met death at an early age. These two singers are no exception. The anagrams of their names are a jumble of their first and last names, mixed.

LESLIE SPLERV         WISHMAN KALLI

T.G.I.F.

On the eve of a day with different meanings to different people, we will take a look at October 31 in tonight's blog.

Answers to Last Week's Friday Quiz

The waterfowl was a wood duck.

The camouflaged bird was a ruffed grouse.

The three types of buffalo pictured were:
American buffalo or bison, water buffalo, and Cape buffalo.
Sorry that the last one was cropped. I need to learn how to size the big ones.

Quotable and the Not So Quotable Quotes

'Tis now the very witching time of night,
When churchyards yawn and hell itself breathes out
Contagion to this world. ~ William Shakespeare

From ghoulies and ghosties
And long-leggedy beasties
And things that go bump in the night,
Good Lord, deliver us! ~ An Old Scottish Saying

Shadows of a thousand years rise again unseen,
Voices whisper in the trees, "Tonight is Halloween!" ~ Dexter Kozen

Those seemingly interminable dark walks between houses, long before street-lit safety became an issue, were more adrenalizing than the mountains of candy filling the sack. Sadly Halloween, with our good-natured attempts to protect the little ones, from the increasingly dangerous traffic and increasingly sick adults, has become an utter bore. ~ Lauren Springer

...And speaking of the dark, there have been some dark things written of history and historians.

Historians are gossips who tease the dead. ~Voltaire, Scribbling Books

History is the sum total of the things that could have been avoided. ~ Konrad Adenauer

The very ink with which all history is written is merely fluid prejudice. ~ Mark Twain, Following the Equator

A history in which every particular incident may be true may on the whole be false. ~ Thomas Babington Macaulay

Perhaps history is a thing that would stop happening if God held His breath, or could be imagined as turning away to think of something else. ~ Herbert Butterfield, Christianity and History

Humor

Tennessee

A Tennessee State trooper pulled over a pickup on I-65. The trooper asked, "Got any ID?" The driver replied, "Bout whut?"

Arkansas

The Sheriff pulled up next to the guy unloading garbage out of his pick-up into the ditch.
The Sheriff asked, "Why are you dumping garbage in the ditch? Don't you see that sign right over your head."
"Yep", he replied. "That's why I dumpin' it here, cause it says: 'Fine For Dumping Garbage'."

A Thought about October 31

Little did Martin Luther realize when he nailed his theses to the church door on this day in history, that the Reformation would lead to the denominations of the protest we call Protestantism. His attempt to reform the church was just that, to bring about change that was much needed. Had he known that this day in history would be marked as the first day of the Reformation, perhaps he would not have chosen such a widely celebrated day.

Rarely, however, does one consider the day on which something as monumental as this is in the works. If anything, Martin Luther would have considered the traffic in and out of the building which would bring people who could read Latin past this door. The laity could not read it, only students and clergy. If the clergy saw it first it may disappear before very many students saw it. The holiday would be the best chance that a lot of students could get to read it before the professors got to it, so that is how Halloween also became Reformation Day.

Thursday's Thoughts

Once again it is getting late, and I have not posted. Why do so many things get put off until the last possible moment? Don't tell me, I think I know.

Quotable and the Not So Quotable Quotes

"You can judge the quality of their faith from the way they behave. Discipline is an index to doctrine." ~ Tertullian (160 - 225)

Ecclesiastes 7:2 It is better to proceed into a funeral home as a mourner, as this will be the end of all men, than traveling to the local tavern to drink — and the living take it to heart. ~ Solomon (RSVP to God)

"Every tomorrow has two handles. We can take hold of it with the handle of anxiety or the handle of faith. We should live for the future, and yet find our life in the fidelities of the present; the last is only the method of the first." ~ Henry Ward Beecher (1813 - 1887)

A Thought to Share

Live a disciplined life with as much as the Lord has given you to accomplish it. I have vacillated from being undisciplined to disciplined and back again. I can say from experience living self-disciplined lives is far better, "for the Lord disciplines those He loves." And "no discipline for the moment seems pleasant."

Tertullian understood this, but using his wisdom to judge others is not how Christians are called to live their lives. Solomon knew the difference, but tried every way that there was to live. In the end, he soured on life itself, because he did not include God in many of his years. "Remember now thy creator in the days of thy youth."

He still retained the ability to give sound advice to the end, without maintaining the ability to follow through in his own life. His wives turned his heart from following God. He looked at his approaching day of death as a thing to be desired more than his birthday. Being around that many women might cause any man to feel the same.

Look forward to tomorrow without trepidation. Take hold of it by both handles. Place the handle of anxiety in the hand of God and live by faith. Look for opportunities to praise Him. Commit your day to Him and the way you live it, and He will direct and order it for you. Our future is, after all, already in His hands.

Humor

North Carolina

NEWS FLASH! - North Carolina's worst air disaster occurred when a small two-seat Cessna 150 plane, piloted by two University of North Carolina students, crashed into a cemetery earlier today. Search and Rescue workers have recovered 300 bodies so far and expect the number to climb as digging continues into the evening.

The pilot and copilot survived and are helping in the recovery efforts.


South Carolina

A man in South Carolina had a flat tire, pulled off on the side of the road, and proceeded to put a bouquet of flowers in front of the car and one behind it. Then he got back in the car to wait. A passerby studied the scene as he drove by and was so curious he turned around and went back. He asked the fellow what the problem was.

The man replied, "I have a flat tayre."

The passerby asked, "But what's with the flowers?"

The man responded, "When you break down they tell you to put flares in the front and flares in the back. I never did understand it neither."

Wacky Wednesday

Since I missed Tuesday's post I will make a noble effort to post tonight before midnight.

Today's Quote

"There is nothing wrong with men possessing riches. The wrong comes when riches possess men." ~ Billy Graham

Humor

Louisiana
A senior at Louisiana U was overheard saying, "When the end of the world comes, I hope to be in Louisiana." When asked why he replied, "I'd rather be in Louisiana because everything happens in Louisiana 20 years later than in the rest of the civilized world."

Mississippi
A young man in Mississippi came running into the store and said to his buddy, "Bubba, somebody just stole your pickup truck from the parking lot!"
Bubba replied, "Did you see who it was?"
The young man answered, "I didn't have time to look, but I got the license number."

A Question for You

Pardon me if I diverge from the normal line of Bible questions to ask something for which I have no answer, nor have I heard anyone address.

Why does the Genesis account not record the creation of sound?
Was it created at all? Does it exist as a created thing, or is God's
creation limited to the things we can see and touch?

If sound was created, when was it created? Was it before God called light into existence? If not, what is the meaning of "And God said..."? If before, what was the medium in which it traveled, since sound cannot exist in a vacuum?

The last question is based on the science of sound, but there is also the philosophy of sound which is spawned by the question, "When a tree falls in a forest with no ear to hear, is there a sound?" Philosophically then to some, the ear would have to come before the sound.

Pardon the digression, it is only an example of my consternation. As important as sound is to the "Thus saith the Lord" of scripture, the question remains, "Why does the Genesis account omit sound?"

Monday Madness

When things fit neatly together we feel good about them. The way words form sentences and sentences fit together to make a paragraph is an accepted format that would make us all cringe if suddenly it were any other way. We all resist change to one degree or another. In any change, things do not seem to fit the way we were accustomed to having them.
"Don't call it change, call it 'progress'", we are told. Does that really make any difference? Today's quotes are on the theme of progress. See how they fit together.

Quotable and the Not So Quotable Quotes

“Progress is impossible without change, and those who cannot change their minds cannot change anything.” ~ George Bernard Shaw

"All progress is precarious, and the solution of one problem brings us face to face with another problem." ~ Martin Luther King, Jr.

“We all want progress, but if you're on the wrong road, progress means doing an about-turn and walking back to the right road; in that case, the man who turns back soonest is the most progressive.” ~ C.S. Lewis

"All progress is experimental." ~ John Jay Chapman

“Progress is man's ability to complicate simplicity.” ~ Thor Heyerdahl

"Is it progress if a cannibal uses a fork?" ~ Stanislaw J. Lec

What level we have progressed to now? It all seems to prove --

"The more things change, the more they remain the same." ~ Alphonse Karr

Humor

This weeks jokes consist of a series poking fun at us Southerners. I can laugh along with the rest of them.

Alabama

A group of Alabama friends went deer hunting and paired off in twos for the day. That night, one of the hunters returned alone, staggering under the weight of an eight-point buck.

"Where's Henry?" the others asked.

"Henry had a stroke of some kind. He's a couple of miles back up the trail," the successful hunter replied.

"You left Henry laying out there and carried the deer back?" they inquired.

"A tough call," nodded the hunter. "But I figured no one is going to steal Henry!"

Sunday Praise

It can be found in abundance in many places, but it is not sold in any store. It is not available in all circumstances, but it is desirable in many. Some people would pay a great deal of money for it, but it cannot be bought at any price. It can be obtained without money and maintained at very little cost. Those that have it in abundance may sometimes tire of it. If broken, it can be restored without charge. What is it? (Answer below)

Quotable and the Not So Quotable Quotes

"In any situation, the best thing you can do is the right thing; the next best thing you can do is the wrong thing; the worst thing you can do is nothing." ~ Theodore Roosevelt

I am not completely sold on the "any situation" of this quotation. It would follow that doing the wrong thing is better than doing nothing at all. This cannot be the case in any situation. While doing nothing when something must be done is definitely wrong, choosing between two good things does not make one of them wrong. Opinion often makes the call rather than results. Even considering only the results does not justify the means we choose to obtain the results. There are so many situations in life that we had better not apply generalizations that merely sound good. Bully!

"Hate the sin and not the sinner is a precept which though easy enough to understand is rarely practiced, and that is why the poison of hatred spreads in the world." ~ Mahatma Gandhi

There is enough truth here to make this seem like a viable cause for hatred, but is it the real reason? The human heart cries out for justice. When the law is violated, law enforcement seeks to punish the violator. Hatred is not involved. The sinner and his sin are inseparable in the eyes of the law. Only the church of Jesus Christ can truly practice this, because only through Jesus comes forgiveness of sins.

The poison of hatred spreads in the world when there is no forgiveness. Injustice reaps vengeance where there is neither forgiveness nor punishment. Hatred flows from hearts that have never heard the gospel of Christ. Gandhi loved to point out inconsistencies in Christianity. That is not such a bad thing if we heed and correct them.

Humorous Quotes

How is it that our memory is good enough to retain the least triviality that happens to us, and yet not good enough to recollect how often we have told it to the same person? ~François Duc de La Rochefoucauld

Why do they put the Gideon Bibles only in the bedrooms, where it's usually too late, and not in the barroom downstairs? ~ Christopher Morley, Contribution to a Contribution

If you wonder where your child left his roller skates, try walking around the house in the dark. ~ Leopold Fechtner

Everything is funny as long as it is happening to somebody else. ~ Will Rogers

A man may be a fool and not know it, but not if he is married. ~ H.L. Mencken

Biblical Quotes - What is Faith?

Hebrews 11:1-6 "Faith is a firm foundation for us to build our hope upon, a conviction that something we cannot see does exist. On this basis our forefathers gained God's approval. Faith is understanding in our inner being that the spoken word of God set up time and eternity so that what we see may shine out of that which has not been made.
It was through faith Abel offered God a more acceptable sacrifice than Cain, through which it testified of him that he was righteous. God bore witness in respect to his gifts and through faith he still speaks, though dead.
It was through faith Enoch was changed so he did not have to experience death, and he was not found because God transferred him; for it was testified before the exchange that he lived to please God. So then without any faith it is entirely impossible to please God; for in coming to Him it is absolutely necessary to believe that He exists, and He is One who rewards those seeking for him." ~ From an unpublished manuscript, RSVP to God.

The Week's Best Link(s)

Tolerance and Religious Freedom

Just a note to explain why this link was selected. The couple spoke out for Jesus and against Mohamed in a way that offended Muslims at a scheduled debate in the couple's hotel. Anyone present was there by their own choice, yet one woman complained she was offended. The British Government then arrested them, imposed sanctions against their business, and released them while awaiting trial on criminal charges for what they said. It is a crucial bit of information concerning the way things are starting to go in another previously free country. We will be seeing more and more of this across Europe and the Americas as Islam strengthens its grip on the western world. Religious persecution will only be leveraged against Christians who name the name of Jesus. Tolerance applies to all others, and those who cry for tolerance the loudest will be the least tolerant of Christians.

ANSWER TO THE LEADING PARAGRAPH QUESTION: When you speak to name it, you break it. It is silence.

The Saturday Edition

Once again it is the weekend. I hope every one had a wonderful week.
I see my images still need some adjustment, but I was glad to be able to post a Friday Quiz this week.

Quotable and the Not So Quotable Quotes

TODAY WE HONOR OGDEN NASH on the topic of the family

Children aren't happy with nothing to ignore,
And that's what parents were created for.

To keep your marriage brimming
With love in the loving cup,
Whenever you're wrong, admit it;
Whenever you're right, shut up.

I have an idea that the phrase 'weaker sex' was coined by some woman to disarm the man she was preparing to overwhelm.

Marriage is the alliance of two people, one of whom never remembers birthdays and anniversaries, and one who never forgets them.

Oh, what a tangled web do parents weave
When they think their children are naive.

A Thought to Share

This also begins with a quote from Ogden Nash:

"Professional men, they have no cares;
Whatever happens, they get theirs..."

To which I would like to add kings and queens, elected and appointed officials, and ex-wives.

While the world teeters on the brink of global depression the haves rush on with little care about the have-nots. Small businesses fail before larger ones which fail before giant corporations. We will not all go down together, which according to some, indicates we are nor entering a depression, merely a severe recession. What is the difference if you lose your job?

Too many people in Government and high paying jobs are out of touch with the little guy who is economically hurting. Some entrepreneurs have tried lowering the cost of goods and services in the areas in which their businesses function, but they are in the minority. The vast majority of business owners and corporations do not want to be first to drop prices. In fact, some have raised them because profits have shrunk due to less sales.

WalMart has been the leader in volume sales for many years, proving profits could be made from low prices. Lately they have forgotten that, since they have dropped the "Always" from their low price strategy. People are returning to more conventional retailers who have had to drop their prices to compete with the giants and their volume sales tactics.

The way things are going, it appears that even though the year 2012 may not bring the end of the world, it may bring the end of global economy as we know it today.



The Poet's Corner

I have a hankering for food;

I want the stuff that is good.

The problem is that

I am already quite fat,

And dieting may do me no good.



The answers to the Friday Quiz will be posted on Thursday.

The Friday Quiz

What is this genera of waterfowl commonly called?



What is this well camouflaged upland game bird called?




There are pictured below three species commonly called "buffalo". What are the complete and proper common names of each?

T.G.I.F.

Is it really Friday so soon?

Humor

Bumper Sticker: "There's nothing wrong with teenagers that reasoning with them won't aggravate."

Quotable and the Not So Quotable Quotes

There is nothing wrong with curiosity unless you are a cat.

"There's nothing wrong with having nothing to say -- unless you insist on saying it." ~Unknown (I guess I had better watch what I write!)

"What's wrong with being a boring kind of guy?" ~ George Bush
(Sounds like he had nothing to say, but said it anyway.)

"There is nothing wrong with making mistakes. Just don't respond with errors." ~ Unknown (This is a time when it might be good to have nothing to say.)

"God isn't what's wrong with the world. It's [He's] just who people blame when there's nowhere to point the finger but at ourselves." ~ James Dye
(I guess people just naturally respond with errors.)

A Thought to Share

A discussion group participant was questioning why so many people want to stretch the creation week into many ages by applying (or misapplying) scripture, such as 2 Peter 3:8? I responded...

There are those who do not want to believe in God except as a nice cozy way to escape eternal damnation. In the mean time, they want to live any way that they chose, not according to His standards as set forth in the Word of God. This kind of a god is not the God of the Bible.

God is a God of complete choice, even to allow people to believe whatever they chose. People are free to put any meaning to scripture that hey chose. We are cautioned, however, to "work out your salvation with fear and trembling." Philippians 2:12. This does not mean we can work our way into heaven. It means we need to be very careful in the way we understand what God is telling us.

Then to answer the question you did not ask, What is God really telling us in 2 Peter 3:8? Is it not teaching us that God existed for so many eons in timeless eternity past that a thousand years is merely as a day as time passes from one millennium to the next? It is not a very old or ancient God we serve, but a timeless God.

Thursday's Thoughts

I got an email that sent a roar of hee-haws out of my mouth that the neighbors 2 doors down might have heard. Since it is fresh on my mind, this may be as good a place to begin as any.

Humor

The joke formerly posted here has been deleted since the humor was derived from belittling the illiterate. I have to admit that it was funny, but I do not wish to spread that type of humor.

A Midweek Guide

Borrowing a question from a discussion group on Facebook, the inquirer wrote,"Why is faith considered a virtue? Is it rude to ask for evidence when someone makes a claim about God?"

There were a lot of good responses. I added my two bits.

I don't consider faith to be a virtue. The Apostle, Paul wrote in Ephesians 2:8 & 9 that faith is a gift from God. Through faith we can believe and be saved, but it is only because of God's grace that we can even find faith at all.

A good definition of faith is found in Hebrews 11:1-3 "Faith is a firm foundation for us to build our hope upon, a conviction that something we cannot see does exist. On this basis our forefathers gained God's approval. Faith is understanding in our inner being that the spoken word of God set up the ages so that what we see may shine out of that which has not appeared on the scene."

God rewards faith with greater faith. But verse 6 says, "...without any faith it is impossible to please God; for in coming to Him it is absolutely necessary to believe that He exists, and that He is One who rewards those seeking Him." So we have the obligation to accept the faith He gives, but if we reject it, He will reject us.

It is just and right for God to reject those who reject the faith He gives. He is not one to force himself on anyone. He is not a tyrant that makes people behave in just one way. A person can choose to believe what he wants, act any way that he chooses, and refuse God for all eternity. That is the freedom of choice God gives.

But for those who will allow, He draws them to seek Him as you may be doing now. If so, you can be sure that He will give the faith that you need. It will also be all the evidence that you need.

Something to Share

Monday I kept my appointment with my Dr.'s nurse since his schedule was full. I had been so exhausted lately, and it was time to be evaluated for the (hopefully) positive response to the drug he placed me on. So she ran the EKG and took the paper out of the room. As it turned out, that was the time my pulse rate dropped to new lows -- 38 b/m,she said. I was given the choice of going to the E.R. or seeing a specialist. I chose the specialist. Then it was back to the VA clinic for a blood draw and heart monitor for 24 hrs. Tuesday saw more time in the waiting room at the clinic to have the monitor removed. Now I wait for the results.

God allows the testing of our faith so our faith can grow stronger. My heart rate had been low, averaging 44-45 b/m during the two months of twice daily blood pressure monitoring. But at the time of my appointment it was at the lowest it had been and I felt ready to pass out. After just a short time it was back up where it had been, and I was able to drive again. God is Good!

Quotable and the Not So Quotable Quotes

"You can judge the quality of their faith from the way they behave. Discipline is an index to doctrine." ~ Tertullian (160 - 225)

"Every tomorrow has two handles. We can take hold of it with the handle of anxiety or the handle of faith. We should live for the future, and yet find our life in the fidelities of the present; the last is only the method of the first."
Henry Ward Beecher (1813 - 1887)

Tuesday's Child

We will just have to see what comes up - like tossing a coin!

Quotable and the Not So Quotable Quotes

"For the first half of your life, people tell you what you should do; for the second half, they tell you what you should have done." ~ Andrew Carnegie

"Destiny is no matter of chance. It is a matter of choice. It is not a thing to be waited for, it is a thing to be achieved." ~ William Jennings Bryan

Humor, if You Can Call it Humor

Courtroom on Record - Actual records of court proceedings

Attorney: How old is your son?

Witness: I can never remember if he is 35 or 38.

Attorney: How many of those years did your son live with you?

Witness: 45 years.


What did the ostrich say to the penguin at the South Pole?
"Whatever you do don't stick your head in this white stuff... It'll freeze your ears off! Oh, I see I'm too late."
(I know, I said I wouldn't post any of my own. Sometimes a person gets desperate.)

Monday Madness

Pardon the technical problems in trying to post the new Friday Quiz. It is in my computer, but will not transfer to my blog. Due to conflicting schedule, Monday and Wednesday issues will be discontinued temporarily.

Quotable and the Not-so-quotable Quotes

"Yes, it was His payment for our sins that bought our peace. We have been completely healed by His [action] taking our blows. Like sheep, we have all wandered off. Every man has traveled his own path and the LORD has given Him up for all our sins." Isaiah 53:5, 6 RSVP to God.

He who is curious about me is indeed a very curious person, himself.

The Friday Puzzle or Quiz

The Friday puzzle will resume Friday but no pictures until My computer is repaired.

T.G.I.F.

Good morning. It is another great day to be alive!


And a good night. The new Friday Quiz will have to wait until tomorrow.

Quotable and the Not-so-quotable Quotes

"Don't let anyone think less of you because you are young, but be an example to them of what a believer is like, in what you say, in the way you live, in your love, faith, and purity." 1 Timothy 4:12 RSVP to God

The Friday Puzzle Hints

Progressing from left to right, select 32 letters to remain in the same order and form a complete seven word sentence. Use the list only one time through.

HOW TO HIT AT IT IS YET OUR UFO COMA NONE AND DO NOT KEEP UNTO FOR ON TRUE CLUE LED TOO MANY TO GET FACTS OF EMU EMBRALS NEEDS
CLUE: No two of the correct letters will be found adjacent to each other below.
CLUE: None of the letters are further than 4 spaces apart.
CLUE: Regularity is better than irregularity.
CLUE: The first two out of three words are what you need.
CLUE: The last three words of the last clue are the words.
CLUE: The first two words are "What you..."
GIVEAWAY CLUE: HOW TO HIT AT IT IS YET OUR UFO COMA NONE AND DO NOT KEEP UNTO FOR ON TRUE CLUE LED TOO MANY TO GET FACTS OF EMU EMBRALS NEEDS

Thursday's Thanksgiving

To all of you who celebrated Thanksgiving in Canada, a belated Happy Thanksgiving!

For the rest of this post, I will post the new clue to Friday's Puzzle at the bottom, then continue to fill in the "Sandwich" in the middle as time permits.

Quotable...

"No temptation has laid hold of you except things common to humanity. But a faithful God will not let you be tempted above what you are able to endure, but will with the temptation also make a way out, that you may be able to bear it." 1Corinthians 10:13 RSVP to God.

A Thought to Share

Life is such a precious commodity. This has been brought to the forefront of my thoughts this past week. My new granddaughter is already four weeks old and battling her first cold. She is on the mend now, praise the Lord, and just as sweet as ever.

Some people are going through hell-on-earth with losses of jobs, failures of marriages, death of a loved one, or other unbearable conditions. Yet one thing holds true through all of life's troubles. God is in control and has a plan for the other side of the problem. He is there to see people through and give us a way to escape so we may be able to bear it.

The Friday Puzzle Hint

Progressing from left to right, select 32 letters to remain in the same order and form a complete seven word sentence. Use the list only one time through.
Giveaway clues in the morning, full solution at noon.

HOW TO HIT AT IT IS YET OUR UFO COMA NONE AND DO NOT KEEP UNTO FOR ON TRUE CLUE LED TOO MANY TO GET FACTS OF EMU EMBRALS NEEDS

CLUE: No two of the correct letters will be found adjacent to each other.

CLUE: None of the letters are further than 4 spaces apart.

CLUE: Regularity is better than irregularity.

CLUE: The first two out of three words are what you need.

Whacky Wednesday

Tuesday's Child

I read somewhere this past week that October is "Adopt a Child Month" so Tuesday's Child does fit for a couple more weeks. Tonight will be another short post. Helping a friend move takes a lot of energy out of me. Of course on the good side I do not have to go for a walk on these days.

Quotable and the Not-so-quotable Quotes

To the One able to keep you blameless and to establish you unblemished in His sight with glorious joy, glory, majesty, authority, and mighty power to God alone, our deliverance through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all time, now, and for all ages. Amen. Jude 1:24, 25 RSVP to God

(Editorial comment on the book of Jude: for the size (24 verses) Jude is a difficult book to translate because the words normally used to complete a thought are often not in the original. These two verses are literal, without paraphrase or the addition of completer words.)

The Friday Puzzle

HOW TO HIT AT IT IS YET OUR UFO COMA NONE AND DO NOT KEEP UNTO FOR ON TRUE CLUE LED TOO MANY TO GET FACTS OF EMU EMBRALS NEEDS

Progressing from left to right, select 32 letters to remain in the same order and form a complete seven word sentence. Use the list only one time through.
CLUE: No two of the correct letters will be found adjacent to each other.
CLUE: None of the letters are further than 5 spaces apart.
CLUE: Regularity is better than irregularity.

Monday Madness

Tonight there is only time to give the new clue, so without further ado...

Progressing from left to right, select 32 letters to remain in the same order and form a complete seven word sentence. Use the list only one time through.
CLUE: No two of the correct letters will be found adjacent to each other below:
CLUE: None of the letters are further than 5 spaces apart.

HOW TO HIT AT IT IS YET OUR UFO COMA NONE AND DO NOT KEEP UNTO FOR ON TRUE CLUE LED TOO MANY TO GET FACTS OF EMU EMBRALS NEEDS

New clue tomorrow.

Super Sunday

When I stop to think about it, every Sunday is "Super" here in the U.S.A.! And for the most part, all around the world.

Tonight there is only time to finish up the quotations after the super Sunday nap I had after dinner.

Quotable and the Not-so-quotable Quotes

"I have never let my schooling interfere with my education." ~Mark Twain

How true! Some of the things we have learned in school are truly an inhibition to further education. Take the age old friction between academia and experience, for instance. How many of our quotations reflect this?

"Experience keeps a mean school; fools will learn in no other!" ~Unknown. (I heard this one a lot while growing up.) Demeaning to say the least.

"Do you know the difference between education and experience? Education is when you read the fine print; experience is what you get when you don't." ~Pete Seeger

I would say if one does not know the difference between education and experience he is quite lacking in one or the other. ~RR

"Experience is the name everyone gives to his mistakes." ~Oscar Wilde, Lady Windemere's Fan, 1896

Our inventors and early scientists were not uneducated men. Yet through experimentation (trial and error and sometimes many failures) experience became the educator.

"Good judgment comes from experience, and often experience comes from bad judgment." ~Rita Mae Brown

There are ups and downs from learning by experience, no one can deny that.

"Experience is what you got by not having it when you needed it." ~Author Unknown

Humorous, but sometimes there was not enough experience to make the right choice. The same could be said of academic study. There are some things that just aren't taught in books, and much of what is does not prepare one for life. The best things taught in the classroom are good methods of problem solving, and where to look for the answer if you cannot find it by any of those methods. Experience is a slow teacher in those areas of learning.

"If experience was so important, we'd never have had anyone walk on the moon." ~Doug Rader

"Nothing is a waste of time if you use the experience wisely." ~Auguste Rodin

"Life can only be understood backward, but it must be lived forward." ~Soren Kierkegaard

My Dutch grandmother told me the Dutch always do things backwards. Fortunately I have only one Dutch grandparent or I might have been named Benjamin Button. Now back to Samuel Clements for a final quote.

"A man who carries a cat by the tail learns something he can learn in no other way." ~Mark Twain

The Friday Puzzle Hint

Progressing from left to right, select 32 letters to remain in the same order and form a complete seven word sentence. Use the list only one time through.
CLUE: No two of the correct letters will be found adjacent to each other below:
Another clue tomorrow. Answer Friday.

HOW TO HIT AT IT IS YET OUR UFO COMA NONE AND DO NOT KEEP UNTO FOR ON TRUE CLUE LED TOO MANY TO GET FACTS OF EMU EMBRALS NEEDS

The Saturday Edition

While the internet is fascinating, combing it for something to pass along is certainly time consuming. I have no link to recommend this week.
--- Well, hey! I did get a good chuckle out of this one:


Mount Dora got some badly needed rain today, and the drooping plants perked right up. The temperature continues to be warm, but not hot like it was.

Quotable and the Not-so-quotable Quotes

"A lot of people mistake a short memory for a clear conscience." ~ Doug Larson
--- Well, either one will work for me.

The more you forget, the more life becomes filled with surprises. ~RR
The more you forget, the easier life becomes; tell the same jokes, quote the same quotations....

The Poet's Corner


The Bear Went Over to China

There are lands so far away
That they have night when we have day,
And they have day when we have night
So they must live a loathsome plight.

The bear went over to China,
The bear went over to China,
The bear went over to China,
To see what he could see.

The people there have an awful fright
To do their shopping in the night,
Perform their work without sight,
And have to sleep in broad daylight

The other side of the world,
The other side of the world,
The other side of the world,
Was all that he could see.

T.G.I.F.

Why is it whether I start on this early (like this afternoon) or late like most other days, that is the time my eyelids droop, my shoulders slump, and my head begins to bob?

I know I love to write and this is better than the nonsense I write for a good portion of the day, but there is something about having to do something. I guess that is why it gets put off until last on most nights. Anyway, Friday is a fun day and I look forward to this post more than any other day. Today I have decided to do this in installments, so if this does not close with a "good night" of some sort, it is not finished yet.

Quotable and the Not-so-quotable Quotes

"A quotation is a set of words people repeat to express a thought someone else came up with first, often with a wish that they had said them first." ~RAR

"Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover." ~Mark Twain

"Before God we are all equally wise - and equally foolish." ~Albert Einstein

The Friday Puzzle

Progressing from left to right, select 32 letters to remain in the same order and form a complete seven word sentence. Use the list only once. CLUE will appear Sunday night.

HOW TO HIT AT IT IS YET OUR UFO COMA NONE AND DO NOT KEEP UNTO FOR ON TRUE CLUE LED TOO MANY TO GET FACTS OF EMU EMBRALS NEEDS

Answer will appear next Friday. Have a good night!

Thursday Praise

Today I discovered there is more to life than posting a blog every day. Two girls opened up about their pains and sorrows today. One has been talking with other friends about her problems and just took me into her confidence today. The other had never been able to talk about her pain before and now has three of four people praying for her. If I get permission from them, I will share more, but as of tonight, please pray for them as yet unidentified or unspoken requests.

God bless you all. Praise God for what he is doing. Good night!

Quotes used on this website

This page is being reworked as the repository for quotations used on this site. It is a double listing under topic and author.

Alphabetical by Author

Bridges, Jerry

"Your worst days are never so bad that you're beyond the reach of God's grace. And your best days are never so good that you're beyond the need of God's grace." ~ Jerry Bridges

Piper, John

"Grace is not simply leniency when we have sinned. Grace is the enabling gift of God not to sin. Grace is power, not just pardon." ~ John Piper

Twain, Mark

"Forgiveness is like the fragrance the violet sheds on the heel that has crushed it." ~ Mark Twain

Alphabetical by Topic

God and Religion

Forgiveness
"Forgiveness is like the fragrance the violet sheds on the heel that has crushed it." ~Mark Twain

Grace

"Grace is not simply leniency when we have sinned. Grace is the enabling gift of God not to sin. Grace is power, not just pardon." ~ John Piper

"Your worst days are never so bad that you're beyond the reach of God's grace. And your best days are never so good that you're beyond the need of God's grace." ~ Jerry Bridges




Life and Living

"There is no pillow as soft as a clear conscience." ~ from an old French Proverb

Proverbs

"There is no pillow as soft as a clear conscience." ~ from an old French Proverb

Tuesday's Child

At one time and in some paces Tuesday's Child meant children available for adoption or in need of foster care. I use it here as merely the product of the work that goes into the blog on Tuesday. It is then the thoughts given birth today.

Quotable and the Not So Quotable Quotes


Take flight if you must! All that you truly need will go with you.

A Thought to Share

There have been many times all through recorded history in which folks have been forced to flee. Sudden urgent relocation has not been common in recent history in the western world, however population shifts have. Current relocation is mainly job related.

I am writing about other reasons for moving, however. Religious persecution began again in many countries in the last century for many reasons. Some initiated the type of flight of which I write. The world under Hitler, the Bolshevik Revolution, the displaced Palestinians, Hungary and Poland to name only two of many overrun countries, genocide against people groups in many parts of the world, and the persecution of Christians worldwide.

I downloaded and filled out my passport application today. I feel it is an important thing to have in these times as situations around the world worsen in some areas and improve in others. I truly do not believe that this is going to be needed in the near future, but I choose to be prepared ahead of time. We should never become so complacent that we would say, "It cannot happen here." May it never be like any of the examples from the last century, but remember, we are not exempt.

This will have to be short tonight. My body can't take another late night like last night. Good night to you all.

Monday Madness

I call it Monday Madness because of the hurry, hurry, hurry generated by the Precepts Bible Study I attend. Prep time occupies all my spare time through the day, then the class in the evening, and finally home to write and post. This crazy schedule lasts for two more weeks!

Quotable and the Not So Quotable Quotes

Are there not twenty-four hours in a day? How is it then that I can only make it through twenty before I drop?

To know God is to know God's will.

A Thought to Share

A friend wrote on knowing God's will, "...However sometimes this can take much longer than we want it to, so you must be patient and wait on the Lord. There are many examples of people from the Bible who waited many years before they knew what God wanted them to do; the same applies to us. We must remember that God's timing is different to ours and our responsibility is to be faithful and trust in Him."

That is reminiscent of how the Lord worked in my life. When I turned 35 I can remember thinking, what is God waiting for? When I turned 40 I thought, surely this must be the time of new beginning, Moses was 40 when God called him.

But that was a time when I was filled with pride and the Lord could not use me until I allowed Him to change me. Slowly He chipped away at me and slowly I began to allow Him control over areas of my life that I had always hung onto.

What a difference! I had been trying to do it all backwards, to find God's will without bothering to get to know Him first.

My friend also said, "To know God's will is to know God." I agree, but I think I would state it the other way, To know God is to know God's will. I didn't get to know Him until I began translating the Scriptures into words I can understand from Greek manuscripts. That was what I found was my gift and God's will for me. (It is always His will for us to get to know Him better!!!)

---

Humor

A MAN was flying from Seattle to San Francisco. Unexpectedly, the plane was diverted to Sacramento along the way. The flight attendant explained that there would be a delay, and if the passengers wanted to get off the aircraft the plane would re-board in 50 minutes.

Everybody got off the plane except one lady who was blind. The man had noticed her as he walked by and could tell the lady was blind because her seeing eye dog lay quietly underneath the seats in front of her throughout the entire flight.

He could also tell she had flown this very flight before because the pilot approached her, and calling her by name, said, "Kathy, we are in Sacramento for almost an hour. Would you like to get off and stretch your legs?" The blind lady replied, "No thanks, but maybe Buddy would like to stretch his legs."

Picture this: All the people in the gate area came to a complete standstill when they looked up and saw the pilot walk off the plane wearing sunglasses, led by a seeing eye dog! People scattered. They not only tried to change planes, but they were trying to change airlines!

True story... Have a great day and remember,

THINGS AREN'T ALWAYS AS THEY APPEAR.

Sunday Sweetness

The family across the street is gone, moved out over night. Brings to mind the phase, "fly-by-night". There is much to be said for those who live cheaply and travel light. The older I get, the more I realize, less is better. Yet change does not come easily. Perhaps some day it will be forced upon us. Until then, my clutter grows.

Quotable and the Not So Quotable Quotes

Grace is not simply leniency when we have sinned. Grace is the enabling gift of God not to sin. Grace is power, not just pardon. ~John Piper

A Thought to Share

To answer why do people misinterpret scripture, such as 2 Peter 3:8? There are those who do not want to believe in God except as a nice cozy way to escape eternal damnation. In the mean time, they want to live any way that they choose, not according to His standards as set forth in the Word of God. This kind of a god is not the God of the Bible.

Our God is a God that speaks to us at the end of the ages and warns us, "Throughout this time God is efficiently at work sending them wandering off to believe a lie so that all [of them] might be judged for not believing the truth, but rather choosing lawlessness willingly. 2 Thessalonians 2:11, 12.

God is a God of complete choice, even to allow people to believe whatever they chose. People are free to put any meaning to Scripture that they choose. We are cautioned, however, to "work out your salvation with fear and trembling." Philippians 2:12. This does not mean we can work our way into heaven. It means we need to be very careful in the way we understand what God is telling us.

Then to formulate another question to meet the intent of "Answers to hard questions", What is God really telling us in 2 Peter 3:8?

Is it not teaching us that God existed for so many eons in timeless eternity past that a thousand years is merely as a day as time passes from one millennium to the next? It is not a very old or ancient God we serve, but a timeless God.

Humor

Courtroom on Record - Actual records of court proceedings

Attorney: Will you tell the court your area of expertise?

Expert Witness: Forensic Medicine.

Attorney: You examine dead bodies?

Expert Witness: That is correct.

Attorney: Did you examine the body of the victim?

Expert Witness: I did.

Attorney: Of course you checked to make sure he was dead before you began?

Expert Witness: I beg your pardon?

Attorney: You checked for a heartbeat, if he was breating, blood pressure, or whatever you do, yes, or no?

Expert Witness: No.

Attorney: Then there is a slight possibility he was still alive before you started the autopsy?

Expert Witness: No, there was not even a slight possibility.

Attorney: How could you be so sure without checking?

Expert Witness: Because his brain was sitting in a jar on my desk.

Attorney: Well, is there any way a person could live without a brain?

Expert Witness: It would seem so if he was an attorney!

---

The Saturday Edition

,

It is good to be back in the groove again. Saturday has been such a restful day. Had a nice long nap this afternoon, and watched "Amazing Grace" on DVD. I hope it was a good day for everyone else as well.

The Friday Quiz ANSWERS

1. Bird = Prairie chicken
    One species of prarie chicken is on the endangered species list.
2. Duck = Mallard
    Common in many states, especially in the West.
3. First animal = Armadillo
    Most often seen around here as road kill.
4. Second animal = Common ferret
    Gaining popularity as a house pet.

Quotable and the Not So Quotable Quotes

"Your worst days are never so bad that you're beyond the reach of God's grace. And your best days are never so good that you're beyond the need of God's grace." ~Jerry Bridges

The Poet's Corner

from my own childhood...

        "Daddy Why..."

"Please tell me why
That I cannot fly
Like a bird, oh so high,
In a cloudless blue sky?"

"I'll tell you why
When you're bigger," said I.

"Oh please, tell me now,
For I feel like the cow
That jumped over the moon."

"I'll tell you quite soon,
Maybe this afternoon
When I finish this tune,
You silly loon."

"Soon it will be June
And if I'm a loon
Then I'll fly to the moon
With your favorite tune
And leave it there!"

Remember to be in the church of your choice tomorrow

Friday Quiz

What game bird is this?


What kind of duck is this?


What kind of animal is this



What kind of animal is this?


Answers in tomorrow's post.

T.G.I.F. Day, Yay and Hooray!

Finally Friday and I can hardly wait to post the Friday Quiz! It has been a perfect day with sun, temperature, breeze and all just right to enjoy. The pumpkins for the AWANA Pumpkin Patch arrived at church yesterday in the cool of the evening, and there was plenty of help unloading an entire truckload. If the weather stays like it has been today, they will keep until Halloween.

Quotable and the Not So Quotable Quotes

"Forgiveness is like the fragrance the violet sheds on the heel that has crushed it." ~Mark Twain

This is quite possibly Samuel Clements' greatest work, certainly a legacy in itself.
"An author, philosopher, or statesman can have no greater tribute than to be quoted while he is still lives, and no greater legacy than to be quoted after his death." Therefore I quote myself.

The Week's Best Link(s)

The problem I am having in getting links to work is that I am such a slow learner. It is the html code that is the hangup and I am not that bright when it comes to writing code. I have one I would love to post. If you haven't seen it, "when the wife don't listen" is an absolute must. Copy and paste will work if you are a friend on facebook:
http://www.facebook.com/ronald.allan.richardson?ref=profile#/posted.php?id=1746422807&share_id=172012840539&comments=1#s172012840539

The Friday Quiz

Deciding how long to make the quiz is one thing I have not set in stone. I want to keep it short, but not too short. Your comments would be appreciated. This week is is entitled, "native North American species". Can you identify them? This week I will try to make each one its own posting, or at least a separate one following this.

The First Day of the Rest Our Lives

Quotable and the Not So Quotable Quotes

What strange dreams we people, then awake and cannot remember.



A Thought to Share

Someone objected that "all the carnivores God created could not mean that there was no death in the days before Adam sinned" in one of the discussion groups.

Since we have no eyewitness record of all the animals that lived before the flood, we cannot look up what the animals were in that era. Genesis only records the lives (and deaths) of humans in those early years. Is it safe to assume just because an animal is alive today it was also alive then?

Fossils of carnivores of the mammalian varieties are not found in early strata. All early reptiles have legs, (no snakes until later). This suggests a later creation of animals as we know them today after the animals Noah released from the ark had a chance to establish themselves without predators.

I cannot recall seeing teeth in the jaws of fossil dinosaurs, except in drawings as the artist's concept. Has anyone reading this seen them? I have heard it said that they only ate plants, but cannot speak to this. One upright reptile yielded possession of its body to the devil to tempt Eve. Can we assume it ate some of the fruit to prove to Eve that she would not die?

Contents in the stomachs of the frozen mammals (from the so called Ice Age) has only turned up plants.

There is so much in the way of missing records, both in the fossil record and in the Bible that we probably should not assume one way or the other. However, predators just perhaps did not exist until after the Flood.

Humor

Courtroom on Record - Actual records of court proceedings

Attorney: And what terminated your marriage?

Witness: Death.

Attorney: Will you please specify whose death?

Witness: The death of my husband.
________________________

Attorney: How many children do you have?

Witness: Nine.

Attorney: How many girls?

Witness: Nine

Attorney: How many boys?

Witness: Huh?

Attorney: I said how many boys do you have?

Witness: I done told you I had nine girls, that don't leave no room for no boys.
________________________

It's News to Me

The EPA is now concerning itself with small quantity chemicals entering the environment, "nanoformulations" such as sunscreen, that may or may not cause problems over the next few hundred years. The zinc oxide is sited as having an unknown effect on the environment. Research on the nanoforms is going to cost millions of dollars per year over the next decade, and already the National Institute of Science says EPA is not doing enough.

Zinc oxide? The Food and Drug Administration approved that ages ago for human consumption in supplements. If it could be harmful to the environment in nano quantities, what am I doing taking it in larger doses? Seems like they should stop checking the water at bathing beaches and start checking the effluent from our sewage treatment plants. Or perhaps supplements should be banned. Better yet, disband the EPA into nano particles.

Something New Has Been Added

In the time that I been on leave from posting I have been giving some thought as to what new format I can establish when I begin posting again. I would like to produce something that has something for everyone, some type of thing for every taste. So tonight I am giving a run-down on every topic I expect to write on a regular basis.

Quotable and the Not So Quotable Quotes

An author, philosopher, or statesman can have no greater tribute than to be quoted while he is still lives, and no greater legacy than to be quoted after his death.

The more you forget, the more life becomes filled with surprises.

A Thought to Share

Usually this will be something I have posted in a discussion group such as this from Tuesday:

In John chapter 3, Jesus addresses a Jewish leader, a member of their highest ruling authority, the Sanhedrin. Nicodemus came to Jesus by night, probably in secret, probably to find out if Jesus was the Messiah. He never got as far as asking his first question. Jesus made a statement about being born again that occupied the rest of their conversation. The rebirth to which Jesus was referring was the rebirth of the spirit.

Unless a person comes to the place of spiritual rebirth he will never enter into the kingdom of heaven. The spirit of a newborn baby is spiritually dead. Like a dead body, a dead spirit can do nothing on its own.

To demonstrate His grace, God, out of His love for us, sent His only son Jesus to die that our dead spirits may live. It is only through accepting God's gift, His Son Jesus, that our spirits receive life, and that life will never end.

Read about the encounter in Jesus own words in John 3.

Humor

A couple times a week I will post something I have read or heard. Rarely will I belabor you with a joke I have written.

A Midweek Guide

On Wednesday or Thursday something to inspire or encourage. This week I have nothing prepared.

The Poet's Corner

Once a week I will find or write a piece of doggerel for those who like poems. I will try to make this a Saturday thing.

The Sunday Sermonettte

I have often wondered what it would be like to preach a sermon. Maybe once a month, if you will allow, I would like to try some short expose`.

It's News to Me

Items that may be of interest in the news. Often I am the last to know, but if I pick up on something that everyone may not have heard, I will pass it on here.

The Week's Best Link(s)

This has to be good. I won't post one every week unless it is.

The Friday Puzzle or Quiz

I won't promise to make it easy, but I'll try not to make it super hard either.

So that ought to be enough to keep me hopping and I'll do my best to hop to it every day. Do come back.

There will be no post tonight. Sorry. 8-)

A Potpourri

STOP Universal Healthcare in the US...

"(2) Look at the DMV. Do you want government-run service in the ER? Your hospital WILL be affected, whether you're on a private or public plan.
"(3) Americans may wait months to receive care. Some patient's conditions will get worse."*

The Veterans Administration is a shining example of how our government handles patients needing healthcare. The VA Hospital I am most familiar is the Malcom Randall Medical Center in Gainesville, Florida. They operate no E.R. --too many people would die. Scheduled appointments are with your own assigned primary care provider once or twice a year, depending on the seriousness of any diagnosed condition. Notice they do not even refer to them as doctors. Many are physicians assistants.

These primary care "physicians" are in clinics scattered throughout the North Florida, South Georgia district, but you cannot get walk-in service if you get sick. You must drive to Gainesville, sign in at the Urgent Care desk and sit down and wait. Sometimes it is a two or three hour wait. If it is something that can be taken care of by prescription you go the the pharmacy and wait another hour or two. You are one of the lucky ones.

If you need to see a specialist, you go home and wait for a letter telling you when your appointment will be. This can be expected to be set for anywhere from two to six months down the road. How long do you suppose will be the wait when all citizens are in the program?

*from http://apps.facebook.com/causes/315632?m=a85d67ed

Stop sexual abuse towards children

While on the subject of righting wrongs and stopping that which should not have started in the first place... Child abuse should top the list. One deterrent is Amber Alert. Did you get an Amber Alert on your cell phone last night about 11PM? I didn't because my cell phone company doesn't offer it to people who do not have the internet on their phone. The larger cell phone companies are in the business of making money, not saving children. A friend of a friend got this message last night, "AMBER ALERT IN OSHAWA, FL - 3 YEAR OLD GIRL TAKEN BY MAN DRIVING NEWER SILVER TRUCK Ontario PLATE # 72B 381." I don't know where Oshawa is, but if I had been in that area I would still have been one of millions of Americans that did not get the message because cell phone companies are to cheap to install the necessary equipment to facilitate the use of Amber Alert for everyone. You can get online notification here: http://toolbar.inbox.com/lp/lp.aspx?tbid=80116&c=News&k=Amber%20Alerts&b=GGL_XT_ppc15_80116_05_02D_00_*GeoUSCA*_-Search-__amber%20alerts&s=awppc15&gclid=CM_cosC9s5wCFZZa2godsGXOnA

While posting links I have another one, since most of my readers come from facebook. This one speaks for itself. I will have to study html codes a little more to get links that work.

The 12 most annoying types of Facebookers

http://www.cnn.com/2009/TECH/08/20/annoying.facebook.updaters/index.html

I found myself in the list in a couple of places. I will take up my causes in my blog not on facebook. I will continue to read all the status, posts, and comments as I have. I am not a "Lurker". People write them to be read, and they can filter who sees what.

Now for Some FUN

What color is a fresh blueberry on the inside?

Why does picking blackberries get a larger amount of stain on the hands than picking blueberries, yet eating blueberry pie will color the tongue more than blackberry pie?

Do you have your answers ready? Okay, lock them in and here we go!

Ripe, juicy blackberries do make a mess of the fingers that pick them. That is because the color that stains the fingers is in the juice. Not so with the blueberry. The blue color is almost entirely in the skin, locked within thick walled cells. In the process of cooking the color is released, staining everything it comes in contact with. This is also when the inside of the berry becomes blue. What color is it before it is cooked? A nondescript shade of light gray tinted slightly blue around the edges turning off white, then a very light beige as it approaches the center. The fresh juice is colorless.