What is up with the people that send you chain e-mails?  Sometimes it is an actually beautiful poem or sentiment or encouragement, then at the end it’s, "Send this to 10 people in 10 minutes or your computer will turn upside-down and become infested with packrats but if you send this to 10 people within 5 minutes money will fall from the sky."  Can’t you just send the sentiment and say, "Wasn’t this nice" or "I was thinking you might enjoy this piece" or "I was thinking about you today and wanted to send you something nice?"  You know, you could get in big trouble if you did that with the mail.  If you must forward stuff at least try to match it the person that is getting it.

Since I have gotten on this e-mail tangent, let me say something else.  Why can’t people be bothered to check even the simplest facts, or apply common sense to the most absurd statements.  Some of the e-mails people send around can give the Weekly World News, that bastion of journalism, a run for its money.  Well, okay, sorry.  I guess it could happen that Kentucky Fried Chicken was really growing genetically altered, four-legged headless chickens and that the FDA made them change their name to KFC since their product wasn’t really a chicken.  Yep.  Could have happened that way.  Like Bill Gates and AOL teaming up and tracking a particular e-mail which, if forwarded, will cause Mr. Gates to send you to Disneyland?

I think people who claim to be Christians should be particularly careful about the e-mails they send out.  After all, we are not supposed to spread rumors or tell lies or threaten people with curses, are we?  Made-up stories, unless people know you are a fiction author are lies, as are half-truths.  Many of the e-mails, especially one with a picture of John Kerry with Hanoi Jane, which was obviously doctored up by Photoshop, that went around before the election make us look like we have to stoop to their level.  Our man won on his integrity, not by lying about his opponent like others did.

When you get an e-mail that sounds too good to be true, or is some sort of breaking news that the mainstream media hasn’t reported, like a giant killer white shark in the San Francisco Bay that leaps out of the water and attacks helicopters flying over, think about it.  Well, I am sure, as the Weekly World News reported a few years back, that space aliens did meet with Rush Limbaugh and begged him to run for president.  There was a picture on the front page.  And what about the Yeti hooker that Bill Clinton and Ted Kennedy spent time with.  There are photos!

Why in the world would you not think the same thing about e-mail as you do the checkout-line tabloids?  What possesses a person to think, "Oh, it’s in an e-mail, it must be true?"  That’s like saying, "They couldn’t publish it in print on the newsstand if it weren’t true."  We already know there is a bias in much of the mainstream media that takes every word that some dumb idol from Hollyweird says as the gospel truth but never investigates the truth.  Some of us even know there are outlets for a right-wing bias also.  Talk Radio is still entertainment, boys and girls and just like every other news story or ideology you should get as much information for yourself before believing it either.

As some of you have already learned, I have a method for dealing with Urban Legends that are sent to me in the e-mail.  I have a couple of websites that I use to determine the veracity of your story.  They are http://urbanlegends.about.com/ and http://truthorfiction.com/, which deal with urban legends.  These folks deserve for you to bookmark them.  The one on the About network is a little more cynical and politically left, in my opinion, but he tells the truth!  The second one is by a Christian who believes it is wrong for Christians to spread lies as though they were true.  I encourage everyone to check them out, not only for reference but also because they are entertaining.  You will find yourself going, "Oh brother.  Who would believe that?"  Anyway, when I have found out your story is wrong, I do a "Reply All", then go into the body of the e-mail, and get every other address that I can find and send it back with a scathing note and links to the truth.

Take a few minutes to bookmark a couple of reliable sites that will tell you whether this is the truth or not.  http://urbanlegends.about.com/ or http://truthorfiction.com/ are only two of a multitude of sites you can find.

In the meantime, on the humor blog, http://herbshumor.blogdrive.com/ I have posted an e-mail I received in 1999 that is called, "The Last E-Mail You Will Ever Need."

Take a moment to think before you hit that "send" button and remember, as the Good Book says, "All liars can go to hell."

Some of the new things I can do with a paid subscription here is put up a photo gallery, a hit counter and create polls.  This is going to be fun.  I think the first question I will do is whether Carter ought to have a ‘blog or not.

Carter and I have been friends for longer than many of my readers have been alive, 26+ long, grueling, tedious, er, um, ah, joyous, wonderful, years.  If he blogs it would definitely be interesting.  You could learn a lot about the Second Amendment, Military History and Tactics, his wife and kids and of course flatulence and hardened, dried, nasal mucous.  Oh, come on now.  Don’t get your nose out of joint.  It’s not like that is all he has to talk about.  He is also very knowledgeable about stinky feet and is possibly the world’s foremost expert on beer and ketchup.  Well, not together.  At least I don’t think so.  He might also introduce you to Gronk.  (Carter, Gronk could actually have his own blog that you could link to from yours if you use these guys.  I would also try to make it appealing to the widest audience possible so Christians will want to read it and not be afraid, but that’s only a suggestion.)

Anyway, I will be experimenting with some of these new toys.

Thanks Margaret.

Remember, the Good Book says, "Whiskey is about the only enemy man has succeeded in loving."

I cannot believe that the ACLU has nothing better to do than to pick on the Boy Scouts.  They are quick to sue not only the Boy Scouts of America (BSA) but any person that wants to remind us the principles that our God-fearing founders espoused.  Revisionists are trying to belittle and outright belie our heritage, but that does not bother the lawyers for an organization that claims to espouse freedom for everyone, the ACLU.  Why do they not fight for the rights of the Boy Scouts?  Oh, no!  To think that someone would support such a vile, evil, reprehensible group as the BSA is unbelievable.  And what sort of evil doctrines do the Boy Scouts teach?  I will expose this evil here and now!

I have a reprinted copy of the original "Boy Scouts of America Handbook for Boys" from 1910 and decided to compare it with a modern version of the same book.  There is a lot less need for harnessing horses properly nowadays but there are some things that these villains taught way back then that they are still teaching to boys nowadays.  They apparently are one of those organizations that think they are right and will not change.  They hand these teachings down from generation to generation, unchanged for ninety-four years.  Much of what I am going to tell you is directly from their books and teachings and, well, I must confess to you.  I was a Boy Scout leader and was trained to teach these things to children.

They have a motto, BE PREPARED.  The boy is expected to learn all he can and keep himself healthy and strong.  Oh, horrors!

Then, they also have a slogan to live by, DO A GOOD TURN DAILY.  They expect boys to do a helpful act of kindness every single day without pay or even boasting.

They also have a set of laws they are expected to live by.  They expect boys to be:

TRUSTWORTHY - They are expected to tell the truth and keep his promises.  (The original book says that if a boy lies he can have his Scout Badge taken away!)

LOYAL - True to family, friends, leaders, etc.

HELPFUL - Willingly volunteering to help others without expecting payment or reward.

FRIENDLY - He respects those with ideas and customs that are different from his own and seeks to understand others.

COURTEOUS - Polite to everyone regardless of age or position knowing that good manners help people get along.

KIND - He treats others as he would want to be treated and is not cruel.

OBEDIENT - They are taught to follow rules and obey laws and if they think the rules or laws are unfair they try to change them in an orderly fashion.

CHEERFUL - Cheerfully doing tasks that he is assigned and trying to make others happy.

THRIFTY - They are expected to work to pay their way and help others.

BRAVE - He faces danger even if he is afraid and has the courage to stand up for what he thinks is right even if he is laughed at or threatened.

CLEAN - He keeps his body and mind clean.

REVERENT - we will get to this, the crux of this evil, in a moment, but he is supposed to be reverent to God, faithful in his religious duties and respect the beliefs of others.

And how do they enforce this law?  They expect that they will do their best to keep it on their honor and integrity.  They make a promise and are expected to keep it.  Their promise involves all of their heinous, criminal ideologies and says:

On my honor I will do my best
To do my duty to God and my country
and to obey the Scout Law;
To help other people at all times;
To keep myself physically strong,
mentally awake, and morally straight.

You can see it all right there.  Moreover, if the Department of Defense or other government agency gives any money at all to them or, according to a recent lawsuit, helps them or even lets them use government property, they are helping to establish a government religion because the Boy Scouts will not let just anybody join.  You cannot be an atheist and be in the Boy Scouts.  And what does the BSA teach about religion?  They teach and their leaders are trained that the best place to learn about religion is your family and your own church or religious organization.  They believe that if you are, for example, Catholic, the best place to learn about Catholicism is your priest and your family, not your scout leader, although all twelve points of their law support what Catholicism teaches.  The Boy Scouts are taught to respect God according to the way their family and church teaches and to respect the way others believe.  Boy Scouts can receive medals for the religious training they get.  These medals include, but are not limited to, Roman Catholic, Protestant, Jewish, Islamic, Baptist, I think the Pentecostals have developed one, Unitarian Universalist, Buddhist, Latter Day Saints (who use the Boy Scout program as their youth program), Baha’i and a bunch of others I don’t have handy.

So there you have it, folks.  A bunch of hooligans running around do good deeds for people (the book from 1910 shows a Scout helping an old lady across the street) without remuneration and respecting God and other people.

Visit http://www.bsalegal.org to see what’s going on.

After reading Susan B’s blog entry at http://www.xanga.com/home.aspx?user=sbalak from November 1, 2004 (I think it’s on the second or third page by now), where she says, “…I do not tuck my tail and run at the first mention of an opposing thought or idea. Which brings me to a whole other subject and I'll elaborate in the next paragraph.

What is the deal with men who are intimidated by women capable of thinking for themselves? The fact that these women are capable does NOT mean that they are going to have an issue with submission. It does not mean that they are stubborn and pig-headed. It simply means that it will take a person whose ideas and critical thinking skills are a little 'above average' for the woman to WANT to follow him. I believe the innermost part of every woman has a yearning and desire to submit and to follow a male figure, but a woman MUST have confidence that the man they are following is bright enough to lead (and I am talking husbands here...not pastors, although that is something to think about also). No one, man or woman, wants to follow a leader who they feel are less equipped than they are to do the job.”  (reprinted by permission of the author)

I was inspired to write the following.

Men sometimes do not really understand what a wonderful creature a woman that knows her own mind is.  In this day and age when so many people appear to live by the old saw, “If it feels good, do it,” and have little or no conscience and what conscience they do have is skewed by Hollyweird and Mad avenue, you would think that a man would be happy to meet a woman who can think for herself.  Once she has made up her mind, unlike the majority of T.V., movie, music industry and fashion idols that so many Americans follow, she can stick to it and follow her own path.  While this can, in some instances and circumstances equate with stubbornness or bullheadedness, what it really means is that if this woman decides that she loves you, you do not have to worry that her mind will suddenly change with the latest opinion poll of her friends or for any other reason.  You can put confidence in her.

Where would the country be, especially the West, if there were not women who could fight Indians alongside their husbands, work hard at the tasks best suited to them and leaving their husbands to do the work they had to do?  Pioneer women were strong women with minds and opinions of their own who followed by choice their equally strong husbands into equal danger.  When you have had a chance to meet some of these 100+ year old women and talk to them, you learn that life was a partnership and though vilified by some for “only” making babies and keeping house, they were, please excuse the ungallant expression I use to make a point, some tough old gals.

And where are the men that have enough manliness that they can lead such a woman?  Where are the men full of strength that inspire confidence and security?  Where are the mighty manly men who have convictions and beliefs that will not be shaken with every wind that blows and can articulately defend them to even the most crass and vulgar?  The gentleman, who will open a door for a woman or suggest to his fellows that they relinquish the volleyball court in favor of the women, or offer his seat on the bus to a woman now seems passé.

I almost said lady there, but where are the ladies?  Women, whose conversation nowadays, in public no less, could embarrass even the saltiest of sailors, are not exhibiting behavior that says they want to be respected and honored.  The conversation and behavior of the opposite sex has gone from being respectable to something wholly other.  They are “the Weaker Sex” no more.  In some ways that is okay, but to me the term always meant that men should be protective and diligent and respectful in their behavior, not that they were literally physically weaker so much as they should be treated with the little every day niceties that used to be a trademark of American society.

This untoward behavior by some women does not mean that a man cannot be gentle and strong and behave thoughtfully, like a gentleman.  Gentlemanliness is always fashionable and honorable.  I realize it could be readily pointed out that when it comes to gentlemanly behavior I often fall dreadfully short, but I try.  I often slip up but that does not mean my point is wrong.

Now, don’t misunderstand what I am saying.  There is a time and a place for almost everything, and men, when they get together as a group, must be able in some way to contribute to such a gathering.  Men in groups since the earliest days have always behaved in a predictable way.  All men have something to add to, say, a campfire for example.  Whether it be by the slaying of the vile Colorado Barking Tree Toad or killing a colony of Fire-Breathing Kentucky Barking Gorilla Ants, or by telling of or performing some manly exploit(s).  Or older gents telling how much better and more superior the campfires were years ago or how much mightier the football players of old were.  Remember the old saying men will be boys.  This is natural and should not be a place where women would even want to think about going.  Men resent the presence of women at such gatherings but must always take the most extreme caution to leave the caveman/hunter mentality in its rightful place.

When women are present, however, men must always try to be on their best behavior and not purposefully embarrass their wives or girlfriends and probably not their sisters either, depending on the situation.  Mixed company is the time to dust off the manners and treat all of the women present like ladies.  (Grammar Checker Note:  Our society’s use of polite terms such as gentleman or lady is frowned upon by Grammar Checker which suggests woman or person instead of lady.)

Now, in mixed company, a man and woman ought to be able to carry on a conversation without any trifling vulgarities.  If they talk enough they will at some point, disagree.  This is where life becomes interesting.  A strong woman with an intelligently articulated position can be interesting whereas anyone, woman or man, that argues just to hear themselves talk should be avoided.  An intelligent argument can be, in some cases, more interesting than wrestling a six foot two Army Sergeant with stinky feet.  A man should not fear an intelligent, articulate woman, but should try to show himself, if not able to be more articulate or intelligent, at least well-mannered and respectable.

Remember, the Good Book says, “If you find a wife it’s a good thing as long as she don’t smack you around too much.”

Thanks to Nicole for letting me say these things.

Nicole’s remarks in the little sidebar chat thingy on this blog, which may have disappeared by this time, where she says "The jokes are daddy’s, well I guess they are mine now." Got me to thinking about and remembering D.W. Hollingsworth.  He had a terrific sense of humor and published a daily joke e-mail called "Colorado Comments" that was full of old and new jokes that all had one thing in common; they were clean and they were funny.  Nicole has her dad’s quick wit and sense of humor among the many other things he put in her, and she is going to be sharing some of her favorite jokes and stories from "Colorado Comments" from time to time as she feels like it in my joke blog, http://herbshumor.blogdrive.com/.  In fact, it was his daily dose of humor that made me want to do it.

Not knowing who may read this entry I guess it is safe to say that you may not ever have heard of him, which is too bad for you because he was a really great guy.  He was always jovial and friendly, even after being diagnosed with terminal cancer.  He would be so weak and in so much pain toward the end, but he never quit putting out his newsletter and he never missed coming to church whenever the doors were open.  This was always his way, driving 35 - 40 miles in all manner of weather to make sure his family made it every service, even special revival services.  The times that they missed in the 16 years my family has gone to the First Pentecostal Church of Colorado Springs you could count on one hand.  In the end he could no longer drive and had to let his wife drive, but he loved God and he loved the Church so much that he had to go where he belonged.

Respected and liked by the other men in the church, toward the end they had to carry a recliner into the service since the regular pews were not made for the comfort of a cancer patient.  He could have stayed at home and listened to sermons on tape, of course, but it was important for him to be at church.  He could have possibly gone to church closer to home, but he was a loyal man.  Loyal to God and church and pastor.  When I was a scout leader one of the laws we tried to teach the boys was being loyal.  Here was a living, breathing example.  His body would be so exhausted and wracked with pain sometimes that he would occasionally doze off, but not too often because he didn’t want to miss anything.  Without disclosing his personal business I will tell you that he was a devoted family man and every thing he did, his reason for being, was his wife and kids.  He was quick to laugh, to smile, to forgive.

A heroic man to the very end.  When you watch someone who is genuinely sick, not just a sniffly cold; when you see a man make church attendance mandatory for himself; when you see a man who will sacrifice his personal comfort for the betterment and future care of his family; you see a hero.  Such a man was Brother David Hollingsworth.  The Scripture talks about different kinds of men, righteous men and good men, here was both a righteous man and a good man.  A good man that loved God, Church, Family and Country.

I had considered trying to write about the question of why such a good man would be taken and many lesser men, starting at myself, would be left, but it is something I don’t understand.  The Bible book of Ecclesiastes has the answer, but you have to read the whole book through as a sermon.  It is not exactly like the Proverbs, where you can pick out a verse or two and get wisdom, but rather you have to read it as a complete book, a complete sermon from beginning to end to really "get" Ecclesiastes.  Anyway, the answer is in there and far more eloquent and articulately written than I could ever hope to be.  Read what the Good Book says for yourself.

I found this floating around a couple of places and do not know who the author is.  I wish I had written it, but I didn’t.  If it belongs to you, I will give you either credit or take it down, whichever you request.  I found it on a humor page initially, but I thought it was a little too much for http://herbshumor.blogdrive.com/

Remember, as the Good Book says, Anger is a weapon only to one's opponent and get in the first shot!  Or was that Ti Kwan Leep?  Anyway, give 'em a boot to the head.

Profiling
To insure we Americans never offend anyone, particularly fanatics intent on killing us, airport screeners will not be allowed to profile people. They will continue random searches of 80-year-old women, little kids, airline pilots with proper identification, Secret Service agents who are members of the President's security detail, 85-year old Congressmen with metal hips, and Medal of Honor winning former governors.

Let's pause a moment and take the following test.

In 1972 at the Munich Olympics, athletes were kidnapped and massacred by:

a. Olga Korbut
b. Sitting Bull
c. Arnold Schwartzenegger
d. Male Muslim extremists mostly between the ages of 17 and 40

In 1979, the U.S. embassy in Iran was taken over by:

a. Lost Norwegians
b. Elvis
c. A tour bus full of 80-year-old women
d. Male Muslim extremists mostly between the ages of 17 and 40

During the 1980's a number of Americans were kidnapped in Lebanon by:

a. John Dillinger
b. The King of Sweden
c. The Boy Scouts
d. Male Muslim extremists mostly between the ages of 17 and 40

In 1983, the U.S. Marine barracks in Beirut was blown up by:

a. A pizza delivery boy
b. Pee Wee Herman
c. Geraldo Rivera making up for a slow news day
d. Male Muslim extremists mostly between the ages of 17 and 40.

In 1985 the cruise ship Achille Lauro was hijacked and a 70 year old American passenger was murdered in his wheelchair and thrown overboard by:

a. The Smurfs
b. Davy Jones
c. The Little Mermaid
d. Male Muslim extremists mostly between the ages of 17 and 40

In 1985 TWA flight 847 was hijacked at Athens, and a U.S. Navy diver was murdered by:

a. Captain Kidd
b. Charles Lindberg
c. Mother Teresa
d. Male Muslim extremists mostly between the ages of 17 and 40

In 1988, Pan Am Flight 103 was bombed by:

a. Scooby Doo
b. The Tooth Fairy
c. Butch Cassidy and The Sundance Kid who had a few sticks of dynamite left over from the train job
d. Male Muslim extremists mostly between the ages of 17 and 40

In 1993 the World Trade Center was bombed the first time by:

a. Richard Simmons
b. Grandma Moses
c. Michael Jordan
d. Male Muslim extremists mostly between the ages of 17 and 40

In 1998, the U.S. embassies in Kenya and Tanzania were bombed by:

a. Mr. Rogers
b. AFOTEC action officers headed to a conference
c. The World Wrestling Federation to promote its next villain: "Mustapha the Merciless"
d. Muslim male extremists mostly between the ages of 17 and 40

On 9/11/01, four airliners were hijacked and destroyed and thousands of people were murdered by:

a. Bugs Bunny, Wiley E. Coyote, Daffy Duck and Elmer Fudd
b. The Supreme Court of Florida
c. Mr. Bean
d. Male Muslim extremists mostly between the ages of 17 and 40

In 2002 the United States fought a war in Afghanistan against:

a. Enron
b. The Lutheran Church
c. The NFL
d. Male Muslim extremists mostly between the ages of 17 and 40

In 2002 reporter Daniel Pearl was kidnapped and murdered by:

a. Bonny and Clyde
b. Captain Kangaroo
c. Billy Graham
d. Male Muslim extremists mostly between the ages of 17 and 40

Nope, no patterns anywhere to justify profiling!

Well, Tabitha, who's nickname is "Tab The Bad Cat," made it home after her adventure.  She and Sis. G. got to the airport and made it to Denver before they had any problems.  While they were in the air, with 4 dollars apiece, on the way to Colorado Springs the captain announced that they might be detoured to Grand Junction because of the weather!  They were pretty upset, but then it was decided they could come on, so they were just a half hour late here.  She learned the age-old truth, it’s nice to go away but it’s nice to come home again.

They had a less-than-favorable impression of the city of Fresno, but otherwise had a good time.  Overpriced hotel food, sleeping in a strange place, staying up late and getting up early, all make for a good convention time.  ;-)  My daughter and her other accomplices, (a bunch of young gals led by the notorious Ashley herself) who went to this conference to learn to be better Christians, broke curfew the last night and while they didn’t actually fib to the hall monitors, they did, er, misrepresent themselves a bit.  Apparently the chap asked their group as they were wandering the halls after the approved time, if they were all over 18 and one of them just answered him in a vague sort of affirmative for the whole group.  Of course, Tabitha’s idea of being bad and taking advantage of the situation was to stay up and talk until 3:30 in the morning with a bunch of girls, woo-hoo.  Naughty Kitty!

Where have I been?  Hmmm

Wednesday Tabitha and Sister G.’s plane was scheduled to take off from Colorado Springs airport at around 7 o’clock.  Getting there 2 hours ahead of time meant being there around 5.  Well, we decided that 5:30 might be okay.  This meant that to get to Sis. G.’s house  by 5 and allowing half an hour drive time, we had to leave our house at 4:30.  This meant getting Tabitha up at 4:00.  Since Margaret had client’s immediately after we dropped them off, she had to get up to go with.  Since she must have at least a few sips of coffee to even function, she had to get up around 3:30.  I, being the household alarm clock and coffee maker, had to get up at 3:00.  I am probably the only person in the world that this does not bother too much, but it was the beginning of a longer day than anybody expected.

The deal Sis G got was from a well-known, heartily advertised travel website.  Not the one advertised by William Shatner, though.  I may give out the name if they give us problems, but for now i won’t unless you e-mail me asking for it.  Anyway, it included roundtrip airfare, hotel and rental car and therein lies the tale.

They went from the Springs to Denver and had an expected layover for about 4 hrs waiting for a flight into Fresno.  Somehow they missed their connection.  That part of the story is still a mystery, but by missing the flight they then had to wait another 4 hrs and it started snowing and the flight was delayed in Denver and they finally left Denver around 8 that evening.  Needless to say, each time they called us they were more and more exhausted and frustrated and upset.  Fortunately they had borrowed a cell phone for the trip.  Sleeping in airports and bus depots is a skill that is not developed well by the casual traveler.  Ah, but at least they are on their way to Fresno now.

When they arrived at Fresno, the rental car clerk had dutifully and courteously waited for them to arrive.  The paperwork that they had said the car was to be picked up on Wednesday and returned on Saturday.  In the fine print of the agreement, however, only 2 of those days were pre-paid, and so they had to fork over money for 2 more days rental in order to effect their escape from the airport.  At least they had a hotel room reserved.

Oh, yes.  A hotel room in the slummiest part of the city.  Many disreputable types lounging about made them feel uncomfortable, but when a drunken brawl broke out in front of their door, they decided this was not a good place.  Sis G made the commendable (very reasonable) decision to move out of that hotel and find a different place to stay.  They moved to a room that one of the preachers had reserved for a party that had never showed up.  Well, that was nice.  But they still have 2 more nights in Fresno, Bro G is having a fun time trying to get a refund form the inexorable .com that sold them this deal and if they use the little cash they have left they will not have any food money.

Margaret calls the hotel and tries to pay for the remaining nights with her visa, only to discover that they cannot accept payment over the phone, does she have a fax?  Fortunately we do, so they fax us a form (this is a standard operating procedure with many hotel chains), we fill it out and fax it back, they lose it, we get a different number to fax it to, and Margaret calls again to make sure it really is taken care of, which it is.  Finally.  Hopefully.  This was all done in between Margaret’s clients!

By the way, the staff at the Radisson was very professional and helpful.

I have no idea what they have learned about God or the Bible or anything, but I know they have had a couple of small lessons from the school of hard knocks!

More news as it comes available, folks, so stay tuned.

And remember, as the Good Book says, "Life's hard, then ya die, so enjoy life while you can."

Well, fans, friends, fiends and foes, I have not been keeping up with this too consistently, which I do apologize for.  Sometimes life gets away and things distract you.  Anyway, I will try to do better and give you a good quality read more often.

Yesterday was Sunday, so of course I have Sunday School to talk about.  I love it and I love teaching the young folks for many different reasons, but one of the things I love is when you see that they "get" it.  Their little eyes light up and sparkle and you can almost see the little light bulb go on above their heads.

We talked about Acts 3:1 - 16, which is the story of the lame man who they carried daily to the temple and laid at the gate, called Beautiful.  I used Nicholas, who is one of our most energetic children and had him lay down at the front of the room.  Then I would pick him up, carry him over to the corner of the room, and ask him how much he had made in alms that day and how many people had kicked him out of the way.  I would carry him back, all the while explaining that since the man was over forty and had been born that way, he would have to always beg for whatever little scraps or whatever pence he could get.  I did contrast him with modern beggars who are often little more than charlatans with a piece of cardboard who prevent the people who really need help from getting any.  This also helped explain why people were mean to beggars, etc.  No, I don’t dwell on such things, but the distinction between the truly needy and the faker is an important one to make since 6 & 7 year olds are beginning to understand what compassion is.

Well, as Peter and John were going to the temple one day shortly after the initial outpouring of the spirit on Pentecost they saw this man.  This was Zach and Micah, a couple more of my energetic bunch.  They have grown up around the church and Bible stories and church kids can come in handy to use for illustrations like this.  Their peers watch closely to make sure the story goes right or to see what is going to happen next.  Well, Peter and John told the man to look at them and he expected to receive some kind of alms, or assistance.  Peter (Zach) said, I don’t have any money, but I have something else and he took him by the hand and said "In the name of Jesus, get up and walk!"  Well, Nicholas jumped up just like the man in the Bible and skipped around the room, using up a small portion of his energy stores.

Then I went on to tell them that Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever and the way he healed people when he physically walked the earth and how he healed the man at the gate Beautiful through his disciples he can heal them.  I told them a story of my own.  I will tell it to you in full, here, but when I told them, I abbreviated it because I did not want them to get confused.  It is actually a story my Aunt Gertie used to tell because she wanted me to always know what had happened.

When I was born I had something wrong with my legs.  My mom can’t recall the details any more but does remember that it made me me very difficult to change.  I would scream when they did it, and my Aunt Gertie would help my mom a lot.  One day she was watching Oral Roberts on T.V. and listening to him preach about faith and healing.  When he finished he said that if anyone on the audience at home needed healing   they should touch their T.V. set and pray along with him.  My aunt did this and whenever she told this her eyes would well up with tears, she said that when she got to the end of the prayer and said, "In Jesus name, amen" that as she was saying "Jesus" the leg straightened right out in her hand while she stood there.  I would make her tell it over and over again because it gave me goose bumps every time she told it.  So, contrary to what anyone may say, supernatural healing does exist in our day and age and is available to anyone who believes God.  When will God heal someone?  It can happen instantly, but sometimes there is a purpose that God has in waiting.  It seems likely to me that the man in the story had to have been at the temple the many times that Jesus had gone in, why hadn’t Jesus himself healed the man?  Perhaps because there was a greater glory to be had or perhaps the man would not have been ready for such a miracle to happen to him.

When I tell it to kids I just tell them that when she heard the preacher telling her that God can do anything and that when she prayed along with the preacher it was at the name of Jesus that the leg straightened out.  This fits in with the frame of reference that most of my kids have and is true.  I use that example because they can see me standing there when the doctor told my mom I would not be.  I could tell many other stories of modern healing and protection.  One example would be when Margaret was healed of Epilepsy as a child and did not need medication anymore.  Or Tabitha, who had major hearing loss problems and was never going to be able to hear or speak properly or Sister Johnson, who had been diagnosed with cancer and has a letter from a doctor saying that, (actual quote) a notable miracle has occurred.  The easiest example for kids to understand sometimes, however, is the one they can see.

Anyway, if you are looking for some exciting reading, the book of Acts is full of the exploits of the apostles, all of which are examples of what God will do if humans will let him.

As the good book says, "Who is like unto God?"

Greetings blogophiles,

Sorry i haven’t been keeping you as up-to-date as i should.  It has been busy around here these last few days.  Thanks to God for helping President Bush and thanks to the American people for getting out and voting in record numbers.  Carter e-mailed me the county-by-county map from this year from www.newsmax.com and it is even more red than last time.

Well, there was some sadness at our house.  Abby’s birds died.  First, Blue Sky, who was around 8 (which is old for a parakeet) developed what appeared to be a tumor and died.  When they took him out of the cage, Rainbow started freaking out and screeching going nuts.  Tabitha took Rainbow out, held him, and tried to calm him down, but he just kept trying to bite her.  When he stopped it was because he had died too.  Abby was sad.  Even though she had been through this before, and she knew the old one was sick, it was still a loss.

So, off we went to PetSmart and looked at birds, but none really had an outstanding personality or coloring so we went to Pet City at Citadel Mall and this one pretty white one just kept looking at Abby and would follow Tabitha’s finger on the glass and there was another one that was really feisty as well.  So now we have Professor Clear Water, who is mostly white with a bright blue patch on his back and one whose tentative name is Majestic Mountain, but I am calling the old curmudgeon.  He has more of a grayish color and while the white one wants to sit on your finger or walk around on your shoulder, he wants to bite at you and doesn’t seem as playful.  He likes to sing, though.

We had just returned from going with Ben and Isabel to pick out a crib. They picked out one that can be changed into a toddler bed then a regular bed as time goes by.  Grandma bought them a nice bedroom set for the baby with Baby Snoopy, and his sister Belle and a couple of his other brothers.  She is due February 11 so she is getting stuff ready now.  She is hoping for January 28 as that is her mom and dad’s anniversary but i am (secretly, don’t tell them, even though they read this once in a while) hoping for February 6, which is my birthday.

Sorry I haven’t kept up with this, but just so you guys all know, I am working on a couple of projects and a couple of pieces for posting on here, i just haven’t gotten to finishing anything yet.