A Sheep in Wolf's Clothing...(Don't let the Devil punk you out. Kick his teeth in.)

Back in the Day

2011-10-04T09:01:00.001-04:00

Blueberry Festival 2010

2010-08-23T09:24:00.001-04:00

The Fountain

2010-06-14T09:19:00.001-04:00

Map to NAHA competiton in Massillon on Jun 19th

2010-06-11T08:32:00.003-04:00

White Feather Meats Highland Games

2010-06-08T12:49:00.002-04:00

Sesame Street was brought to you today by the number...

2010-06-07T09:38:00.001-04:00

Idiot

2010-06-03T12:42:00.001-04:00

2010-06-03T08:35:00.001-04:00

2010-05-28T07:55:00.002-04:00

2010-05-26T07:58:00.000-04:00

2010-05-26T07:56:00.000-04:00

2010-05-21T16:30:00.000-04:00

2010-05-03T13:40:00.000-04:00

2010-04-07T12:31:00.000-04:00

2010-03-16T08:21:00.001-04:00

The Devil made you do it? Don't think so...

2009-10-27T13:34:00.001-04:00

I have no basis in fact, fiction, or scripture for what I am about to say:

I don't think that God knew what was going to happen pre-launch of his creations but only their potential. However, once time/creation began, it became a thing that an eternal could hold like a book (again my own thoughts). Not something an immortal could hold but an eternal. Everything beyond God had a beginning whether it is mortal or immortal. If God were to completely alter some element in people, after seeing all of history played out poorly by said people, then He would not have the creation that was originally made. The creation that He wanted.

The particulars of why He wanted us? I have no idea. I can only guess that being the only eternal would have to suck and be quite lonely. But that's coming from my mind and not the mind of God so I don't know. Just a guess.

Yes He runs interference in our lives but I have to believe that any and all interferences have already happened past/present/future without destroying free will and that this reality is the best we can get under that premise. It's not, to me, "why aren't you doing anything God???" it's "man do we suck if this is the best reality we are permitting God to be involved in". This would include your decisions and mine. If it ends up that we go to hell it will not be because we haven't been called away from it. It will be our decision to call ourselves gods. Satan doesn't care if he's worshipped. He hates his followers. All he cares about is hurting God as much as he can and the best way he can do that is steal God's unwilling children from Him for eternity. Satan knows he is going down and the closest thing to pleasure for him is that misery loves to have the company it hates.

There will be no Satan within reach to blame on judgment day. There will only be you. There will only be me.

Scary isn't it?

2009-09-04T12:57:00.000-04:00

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God's Creation vs. Man's

2009-08-24T12:51:00.002-04:00

It's hard to see it but if you look closely you will see a couple of railroad ties. This is a rail spur that was abandoned about 20 years ago. It used to go into the plant where I work. The rails were removed but the ties were left behind just as they were laid. There's an abundance of critters, young trees, wild grape vines, etc. throughout the 1/4 mile of old track. It got me thinking about how concerned we are about the footprint that we leave behind us. While I think we should be mindful of what we do we should not think too much of what we have done. In about another 10 years from now none of this will be visible and most likely it will rot away for the new trees. A chipmunk lives in one of the ties right now.

Done.

2009-06-02T13:12:00.001-04:00

Your book needs to be shared.

2009-04-17T07:15:00.000-04:00

God’s writing the contents of our lives like books. The author of a book doesn’t write the book to read for Himself as he already knows the story. Books aren’t written to sit on shelves. They are written to be read by others. Every life, and every story, written by Him has value or it wouldn’t be written. All the joy and all of the pain in your life needs to be shared.

Some people out there are probably going through something they feel they can’t make it through. Things that you have survived and defeated in some past chapter in your book. That encouragement that it can be done might just be what someone needs. In fact I am sure it is. I am as sure of that as I am sure that someone else’s book is just what you need.

Shared pain is lessened. Shared joy is magnified. Don’t dismiss your life’s challenges, sufferings, and victories. Your book isn’t finished if you are reading this but the chapters that are there right now are valid in and of themselves!Someone you know needs to hear your story. It just might save their lives.
God bless you!

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

2009-03-17T08:51:00.001-04:00

Try JibJab Sendables® eCards today!

Mark 9:42 A Cold Fury

2009-03-16T12:52:00.007-04:00

And whosoever shall offend one of these little ones that believe in me, it is better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and he were cast into the sea. Mark 9:42

I just can't get this out of my mind. In light of the decisions to further fund abortion, the sweeping change to the government's position on funding stem cell research, and the moves to take away the rights of medical professionals to stay true to their faith and convictions...this verse takes on new meanings to me. Possibly I am taking this out of context but I don't think so. These precious souls and beings created by God...murdered in the longest continuing assault on God's image...I am sick to death of it. And now we only see this butchery expanding and consuming even more little ones. This genocide that shows no end...

I look at Jeremiah 1:5>>> 5Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations. and I know that God is raging. I look at his love for the kids created and frozen in labs...children dismissed as bio material that our government is going to allow "scientists" to murder.

In the name of cures, conveniences, and improvements to lifestyle this world is sacrificing millions of children to Baal. Cancer, Parkinson's, Altheimers, and more are all tragedies. All most saddening things in this fallen world that I don't make light of even remotely. But how will the benefactors of the new "cures" feel knowing that their missing ailments were swept away in an ocean of the innocent blood of children? If Abel's blood cried out to God what is the sound of millions of babies like to God?

How long will God tolerate this? How long will His cold fury remain distant before it heats white hot and judgement falls?

Golden Road Rez Band

2009-03-09T07:15:00.002-04:00

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1El3_kQmeAk&feature=related

They told me about a golden road paved with dreams and fame
I though I'd try to walk it-get down and play the game
The treasures of the world kept comin'...
all my dreams came true
But I didn't realize the price I'd paid for the changes I'd gone through,
Changes I'd gone through

Clinging to the shape of a fantasy,
rolling down the slope of desire
Most of the time spent pulling it out of the fire
I turned away from God and His love,
and I worshipped myself
The idols that I'd built,
all crumbled on my shelf,
They all crumbled on my shelf

But all along I realized
That if I had toIf I had to choose
Between love an' my own sweet lies
Love was bound to lose,
yeah, love was bound to lose

They told me about a broken road
paved with death and shame
I though I'd try to find it...
get away from playing the game
I finally realized the price He paid for changes I've gone
though I finally realized the price He paid for Changes I've gone though
Changes I've gone though

a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people

2009-02-28T17:16:00.004-05:00

1 Peter 2:9
But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should show forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light:

See, if you aren't careful you can take verses out of context. Even a word...happens all the time...

The Struggle-Rez Band. Music link at the bottom

2009-02-22T11:50:00.002-05:00

The Struggle

Sometimes You scare me by what You cause me to see
And I'm afraid of knowing who I am
Although You've changed me there's still a whole lot of old wineskin
And to open up would destroy the me I'm afraid to show
One part of me doesn't want to grow
But I'm tired of this lingering winter
Tired of ground so hard and cold
Plow Your way through, I'm asking You to, Jesus
Lord, You're my only hope

Without You . . . I can't face myself

My pride wants me to hide inside myself
But I love You an' I don't want our love put on the shelf
I'm tired of fighting to be who I am
Jesus, make me what You want me to be
Because of You I desire reality
A love for You is what I'm dying to receive
Though I hate what I am I understand what You've promised me
You've promised me freedom in the truth
But I can only face myself when I've faced You
An' I'll be ready to face myself when I face You

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rtad-kbzgiI

.

Columbus: Spurs good memories from childhood.

2009-02-08T19:23:00.005-05:00

Back in the precious time when neighborhood grocery stores were the norm, this was a place that I loved as a kid. I still love grocery stores. Real ones. Not the WalMarts. A real grocery store has a very distinctive scent. Another fond one:

These places routinely made the coolest things in their bakeries. Things like this:

I have a great affection for locally run businesses. Grocery stores, Real barber shops, lumber yards, and hardware stores in particular.

Angel of light...

2009-02-06T08:44:00.000-05:00

"there is no God who condones taking the life of an innocent human being,"-Obama 2/5/09

http://www.cnn.com/2009/POLITICS/01/23/obama.abortion/. a couple of weeks earlier

Hope or Real Hope? Choose this day whom you will serve...

2009-01-31T09:20:00.001-05:00

Israel: The UN punching bag?

2009-01-09T10:39:00.000-05:00

Who the hell are we, I should say the UN, to tell Israel that there must be a cease fire? This country has been living 9/11's on a daily baisis for years and yet the UN has the audacity to look down their noses???
http://news.aol.com/article/israel-gaza-conflict/232890
Israelis have been getting shelled for what seems like forever and yet they are the ones getting bashed for protecting their families!

Plug for Atomic Opera

2008-12-21T23:52:00.003-05:00

www.atomicopera.com
sample: http://www.atomicopera.com/mp3/gc/Malediction.mp3

Malediction
The judges sat outside the law
And in their pride no evil saw
In setting teeth to Satan's jaw
And feeding him our children.
When viewed in terms of cost and ease
An unborn child is a disease
A holocaust seen fit to please
Our own convience.
A curse A curse the law it cries.
A curse a curse on mankind's pride.
A curse on him who would deny
God's image in mankind.
Torn from out their mother's womb
Denied the sky - denied a tomb
Conceived in lust to their own ruin
A sacrifice to pleasure.
The doctors with their blood red hands
Who love their money more than man,
With greed their god they lay their plans
The butchers of mankind.
A curse a curse the blood cries out
A curse a curse the heavens shout
A curse a curse on he who flouts
God's image in mankind.
O rid us of this evil, Lord
And turn our hearts by cross or sword.
Our nation cannot long afford
To live beneath your judgements.
A curse a curse upon their heads
O save them Lord or slay them dead
And fill our country with your dread
And turn away Your anger.

Insanity is not so bad.

2008-12-21T23:00:00.004-05:00

As long as you tether your ankle to reality it's not a bad thing to go a little bonkers every now and then. I thought my son was going to fall of his chair when I took this on my cell phone!

No reason, I just like the sign.

2008-12-15T12:46:00.002-05:00

Merry Christmas Rittman Ohio style!!!

2008-12-15T12:43:00.004-05:00

No such thing as excess!!! The kids love this and we need some fun this year desperately!!! You have to give these people credit for boldness!!!

Goodwill Rocks!

2008-12-15T12:41:00.001-05:00

Where else will a quarter get you something cool like these things?

He sees you when you're sleeping...he's making a list...and he carries an axe!?!?

2008-12-06T22:11:00.002-05:00

Some of where it comes from...

2008-11-30T00:38:00.004-05:00

An explanation will come soon. I'm tired right now.

This is Stanley Ryan. Sometime around 1910. I wish that I could have met him.

The Gospel of John Chapter 15. Heavy words.

2008-11-15T21:04:00.006-05:00

I have heard so much soft doctrine over the years that there have been times I've actually believed it. Lately it has hit me in a very strong way that Jesus is not a genie in a bottle. There are still far too many people selling God in a way that sooths itching ears. I have read/heard this chapter at least ten times in the last month or so. The message here is very clear: Stick close to Jesus and He will stick close to you. Do your own thing and expect Him to be with you and it doesn't look like you are going to make it. It's been hitting me like a hammer.

John 15
1I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman.
2Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit.
3Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you.
4Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me.
5I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.
6If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned.
7If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you.
8Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples.
9As the Father hath loved me, so have I loved you: continue ye in my love.
10If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father's commandments, and abide in his love.
11These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full.
12This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you.
13Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.
14Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you.
15Henceforth I call you not servants; for the servant knoweth not what his lord doeth: but I have called you friends; for all things that I have heard of my Father I have made known unto you.
16Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you.
17These things I command you, that ye love one another.
18If the world hate you, ye know that it hated me before it hated you.
19If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you.
20Remember the word that I said unto you, The servant is not greater than his lord. If they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you; if they have kept my saying, they will keep yours also.
21But all these things will they do unto you for my name's sake, because they know not him that sent me.
22If I had not come and spoken unto them, they had not had sin: but now they have no cloak for their sin.
23He that hateth me hateth my Father also.
24If I had not done among them the works which none other man did, they had not had sin: but now have they both seen and hated both me and my Father.
25But this cometh to pass, that the word might be fulfilled that is written in their law, They hated me without a cause.
26But when the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the Father, he shall testify of me:
27And ye also shall bear witness, because ye have been with me from the beginning.

Blessings...

2008-11-10T19:36:00.005-05:00

I put this picture up in advance of Thanksgiving day with the full intent of making comment prior to, or on, T-day. I'm not into the traditional "horn of plenty" but for me this is the real horn of plenty: A 50's fridge stuffed with processed food and pop!

Just kidding...It is a reflection of the state our fridge has been in ever since a large struggle began for me and my family. Through it all God has provided! We have not missed a house payment nor have we gone hungry. Truly the Lord is good even though His methods confuse the living crap out of me at times.

Due to the nature of cyberspace I don't feel like spilling this particular set of my guts out. Should you be at a point of confusion and struggle..and you feel like the voice of God is as quiet as a mouse breathing...don't be afraid to post a comment and we'll figure a way for me to contact you and I will try to encourage you with a little more detail. My situation may not line up with yours but a shared burden is indeed much lighter. The way I look at it is there is no point in going through rough times if you can't use that experience to help someone else either avoid it or bear a similar thing.

I'll never be able to eat bread again...

2008-11-10T19:33:00.002-05:00

What happens when you get married too young...

2008-11-10T18:45:00.008-05:00

Can you believe this handsome devil...

Turned into this in just a couple of decades???

Some thoughts on the Virgin Birth

2008-10-26T20:04:00.003-04:00

A lot of things I write about are spinoffs of incidents in my life or conversations I have had with other people. The following is a variant of a conversation I have had recently with a great friend over coffee.

We were discussing various things in the Bible and one thing that popped up was the virgin birth. I have no doubt that someone else has said some variant of what's below and maybe a multiple of folks. For whatever reason it was the first time that I had thought of it.

There had to be a virgin birth. There wasn't any other way around it. While God could do anything he wants there are some things that he cannot do as they are contrary to his nature.

For one thing sex is for the marriage bed so for the Father to have sex with a daughter would not only be incredibly creepy it would be a violation of the ten commandments. So there's that.

For another thing, a soul is created at the point of conception so you cannot have a situation where a human soul is occupying Mary's womb and have God's spirit in the baby at the same time. This would be the equivilant of demon posession and God doesn't work that way.

When we become Christians God does indeed come into us but it is only through our willingness that he takes up cohabitation. If Jesus had an earthly father then a human soul would be there thus making it impossible for him to be God. If that had been acceptable then any of us could have been born God via posession and would have made the birth of Jesus arbitrary and trivial.

Going further, accepting the divine conception as truth, if Jesus had to ask God into his heart the way we do then he would have been born without a spirit and that doesn't work either. From the point of God's unique creation of the Christ child God stayed right there through the whole pregnancy.

I don't know how to describe it beyond this. Christ as an avatar doesn't sound quite right. What I do know is that there's no way around a virgin birth.

Matthew 10:29-31 NKJV

2008-10-23T19:13:00.005-04:00

This little one got herself trapped in a house that I am remodeling/painting/breaking/fixing. We have the floor torn out of a kitchen and several contractors are working on multiple aspects of the estate. I was working in the basement at the time. I went upstairs to use the bathroom and I saw this sparrow flying all over the place banging her head into the windows over and over again in all of the rooms (I couldn't open the windows because it was too cold and other guys were painting in another area of the house and that's not good for paint at all). She was looking for release everywhere. From her perspective every window promised to reward her chosen direction. Each window lied to her. Many of the same windows lied to her several times. I tried catching her over and over again and she kept flying away from me. Obviously she didn't trust me to release her from her prison so I kept my moves slow and deliberate so as not to speed her on her way to an early demise. Eventually she flew down into the floor of the kitchen and hid. I backed off and went back to my work for a while to give her space. A little later I went back up and there she was again trying desperately for freedom. I started directing her by closing doors to the larger areas as I could steer her flight. After closing off four rooms I had her down to a room with a bathroom. She tried each of the windows again and then went into the bathroom and I followed. I just stood there for a little bit watching her fly around in a very finite space until she finally landed on the floor and just surrendered herself to whatever I had planned for her. I reached down and gently cupped her into my hand and took her outside taking just long enough to tell her that I really was watching out for her. Then I released her to where she really needed to be. Her life would have ended if I hadn't guided her through her false assumptions and move her back to the path that would sustain her.

"Are not two sparrows sold for a copper coin? And not one of them falls to the ground apart from your Father’s will. But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Do not fear therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows."-God

Toolbox

2008-10-22T00:05:00.006-04:00

I have a lot of old tools in my toolbox. I pick up a lot of stuff at yard sales or auctions. I was looking through them and noticing how battered they were and how many I have rigged together with duct tape and other crutches. It got me thinking about things on a larger scale and this post may sound sappy but I really don't care as it's the first time I have written anything in a while....
Whoops! Sorry, I saw something shiny...Anyway...

All those tools were things that nobody else wanted. Some of them I acquired for free. Pieces of steel and wood that others found no value in I managed to see something a little bigger than the initial appearance.

Like I said it got me thinking about things on a larger scale. Did you ever think about the tools that God uses? He doesn't have a single brand new screwdriver in the drawer. All of us just chunks of wood and steel born broken and tarnished and only getting moreso over time. {like we were manufactured in China ;)}

What the world has discarded in it's global yard sale God has been able to say of all of us "you know, I could use that" and even though he has an abundance of 12mm sockets he still picks up another one when it comes to him and puts it to use.

I like that idea. He can take the worst of us and turn us into "Craftsman's" and no matter how bad those might look they are guaranteed for life to the Owner.

(This one might have been a strech but I liked it.)

Appropriate

2008-07-14T00:32:00.001-04:00

Lexington Blueberry Festival

2008-06-10T00:01:00.003-04:00

http://www.lexingtonblueberryfestival.com/

This is a no charge family oriented festival. If you can make it you can watch all kinds of things including this:

Now this one was right!

2008-03-21T00:07:00.001-04:00

what braveheart character would you be (scotland)
created with QuizFarm.com

You scored as Mad Stephen

You are mad Stephen. You are Irish and claim to own Ireland. You also claim to talk to God personally. You're a bit of a loony.

Mad Stephen

81%

William Wallace

75%

Edward the Longshanks

63%

Hamish Campbell

63%

Robert the Bruce

56%

Murin

38%

Princess Isabella

13%

Edward II

Family

2008-03-10T12:46:00.002-04:00

You Don't Have To Be What You Were Born

2008-02-22T13:25:00.010-05:00

Phillipians 3:7-11

But whatever was to my profit I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ—the righteousness that comes from God and is by faith. I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead

....and...

Ephesians 6:10-12

Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.

We are all born destined for evil. It's a fact. All we have to do is look at our track record and see where we have fallen short in at least one area of life. Prior to our acceptance of Christ all was lost. After our acceptance and yielding to Christ in our lives as ruler we are still left to contend with the things that we were born to be.

We hear it on the news all the time: "I am like this because this happened to me or this person did this to me".

I do not look down my nose at anyone's past. I don't look down my nose at my own past. I will not, however, let it determine who I am this minute, the next minute, or the next day.

Truly many of us have been scarred, manipulated, abused, molested, and/or assaulted at some point or points in our lives. For some people the points of these crimes occurred every day for years of their lives.

And if there is any exception to what I have just stated I can say this for the remainder and for all of us as a whole: we have all been deceived.

We have been told by psychology that we are the products of our environment. We have been sold the lie that we are bound to our cultural and genetic inheritence. These lies becomes the truth when we accept it as such.

When we become self aware, and I mean truly self aware, we break the bonds of our history and truly embrace potential. The truth of the matter is this self awareness can only reach it's full disclosure in the continued seeking out of God and who He is as well has what has been given up for us. We absolutely must come to the clarity that I/you were individually and collectively of such tremendous value that God would take our place in the penalty for our own past crimes. Make no mistake crime is sin and sin is crime. And none of us, whether victim or perpetrator can escape a measure of guilt.

But where am I going after all of this? Let's see...oh yeah "We do not have to be what we are born." We may have the tendency to go that route as it is what we are most familiar with, what's the easiest, what is most deeply known, or in many cases what we want.

When we accept Christ we start to see the evil thing that we have been and the things that evil person has done. Don't get me wrong, we are still destined for demonhood left on our own. The only difference between a Christian and a non Christian is the acceptance of the gift that God has given by the Christian. With that acceptance we also an inherit a revulsion for ourselves every time that we lean the old way or fall the old way. That revulsion is a good thing. A very good thing. That means the Holy Spirit's poking at us.

What the devil does with that revulsion, however, is a perversion. He will tell you that you cannot win, that you cannot change, that you are too bad to be of any use to God, and that you might as well just go back to the old path and enjoy what you can of it. After all, what's the use? We aren't perfect right?

This is by no means meant to be a cause and effect formula but often times the closer that we get to where God want's us the more troubles people get into.

And the devil's smart. He doesn't have to get you to go 180 degrees from God he just has to bump you off course enough that you forget about where you were going. Satan and his boys will tug and tug and throw crap in the path of the faithful. If nothing else take it as flattery. Personally, if my life was going 100 percent smooth I'd be nervous.

Don't feel bad brother or sister as you are not alone. Paul, arguably the greatest of the apostles, battled it all the time. The book of Romans details a great deal of flesh vs. spirit for control of our life. I'm going to mention only a spot:

Romans 5:19-6:2

19For just as through the disobedience of the one man the many were made sinners, so also through the obedience of the one man the many will be made righteous.
20The law was added so that the trespass might increase. But where sin increased, grace increased all the more,

1 What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? 2 By no means! We died to sin; how can we live in it any longer?

It's a war friends. A war around us and a war within us. But we don't have to lose. But we do have to fight. God will make up the difference from our weakness but we must fight. And the more we fight the better we will get at it. The battles will be swifter and don't be suprised if they are spaced out a little further from each other. Just don't expect them to disappear because they won't. Don't get complacent and don't be fearful. Just stay ready and remember Who's got your back.

For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your forefathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect.
1 Peter 1:18-19 (New International Version)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FXySJAqcnak

Praise You in this Storm

2008-02-22T12:17:00.007-05:00

I was sure by now

That You would have reached down

And wiped our tears away

Stepped in and saved the day

But once again,

I say "Amen",

and it's still raining

As the thunder rolls

I barely hear

You whisper through the rain

"I'm with you"

And as Your mercy falls

I raise my hands and praise the God who gives

And takes away

I'll praise You in this storm

And i will lift my hands

For You are who You are

No matter where I am

Every tear I've cried

You hold in Your hand

You never left my side

And though my heart is torn

I will praise You in this storm

I remember when

I stumbled in the wind

You heard my cry

You raised me up again

My strength is almost gone

How can I carry on

If I can't find You?

I lift my eyes unto the hills

Where does my help come from?

My help comes from the Lord

The maker of heaven and earth...

-Casting Crowns

Lexington Blueberry Festival in Lexington Ohio

2008-01-29T00:01:00.001-05:00

Here's the link: http://www.lexingtonblueberryfestival.com/

One of the items will be Highland Games and you will see some larger than average guys wearing kilts with shirts that have something like this on them:

Once Again A Child Holds A Clue That I Lost

2008-01-24T23:25:00.000-05:00

I have had a couple of the toughest months in my recent years of life. I attend a couple of churches and was at one tonight. It is a practice within my faith for people to pray for each other while "laying hands on them". I'm not talking about a Benny Hinn punch to a forehead kind of a thing.

Anyway, I have a need in my life that most of the congregation knows about and the pastor insisted that I, along with others in need, go to the front during a prayer meeting.

We prayed, and the statement of my need is not required for this post, and we prayed for a little while. I felt something press lightly at my side and looked down to see a little girl no more than four years old standing there beside me praying for me with her one hand outstretched to me and the other hand to another person that was being prayed for.

If anyone needs a blessing in their life get a kid to pray for you. The act alone is a blessing to you but going beyond that I firmly believe that kids have a much clearer set of ears to hear God talking. She knew what she could do to help someone in need. The one thing that many of us, me especially, forget to do or leave till the last minute. The thing that we should be doing in the first minute of a challenge.

Tonight was a great night for me and one that was overdue although if you were to ask God I'm sure He would say it was just at the right time...

Some Science For a Belief in God

2008-01-22T22:38:00.000-05:00

The Scientific Reasons for Why I believe. (At least a couple of them anyway.)
I will admit up front that the numeric values I will list in the course of the following are not numbers that I intuitively know. I did look into them though. There are two schools of science at play for me really when it comes to support of the belief of a creator God. Considering that you already know I am a professed Christian it's not going to be hard to figure out that I have an angle to my argument. Considering that my degree is in English you also know that I am not a scientist. In fact my grammar is slipping down the drain from a lack of use. But I did get an A in Mechanical Physics...
Biology:
Starting out with biology it's really a matter of the knowns that we have in conjunction with probabilities. In the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy an infinite number of monkeys want to discuss a script that they had made for Hamlet. It's a joke that is based on the notion that if you have an infinite number of monkeys banging on an infinite number of typewriters you will eventually have copies of everything that has ever been written.
Here's some of what we do know about Biology (or at least what I am pretty sure I know). The numeric values may float a little bit depending on the scientist that you talk to but this will be fairly close. Close enough for horseshoes anyway and close enough for evolution in my discussion.

-Species. A species, per the American Heritage Dictionary, is "a fundamental category of taxonomic classification, ranking below a genus or subgenus and consisting of related organisms capable of interbreeding". This definition is in fact incomplete. There are members of different species that can definitely mate but they do not produce fertile offspring (mule). The true definition of species is a group of organisms that can mate AND produce fertile offspring. This is indeed key. The only way for a new species to be created is through mutation on a genetic level.
-Variation. This is not to be confused with species. There are 35,000 genes in humans that allow for over 3 million variations inside the genetic code. These variations all work inside of the single species of humans. I do not know the number of genes for any other animal or plantlife on Earth and I don't know if they will ever map out the codes of 2 million to 100 species but I will say that they are not the same as a human and will not be able to interbreed successfully no matter how much fun they have trying. (http://www.ernestrossi.com/what_is_life.htm )

-Mutations. Mutations do happen in the genetics of all living things on earth. The vast majority of these mutations however are not favorable. Evolution relies on favorable mutation occurring over time and in a surviving relationship to the environments of the organisms at hand. So far I'm cognitively following this. Where evolution takes two steps to the right outside of my head, however, is in the sheer number of species changing and thriving over billions of years. Keep in mind that the untold millions, if not billions, of multicelled organisms over billions of years must be able to find a minimum of one other mate having THE SAME mutation and they have to get along well enough to make more of them. The odds of surviving, finding food, not getting eaten, and finding each other are maddeningly slim to me. I will not go the direction of talking about the ill effects of inbreeding within a population other than to say that it is not a good thing for one species or 100 million species.

-How many species? It is estimated, sloppily, that there are between 5 and 100 million species of animal life on Earth today (http://www.livescience.com/strangenews/070803_gm_numberspecies.html ). There are indeed 2 million existing species that scientists have identified to date. This is a tremendous number. In relative terms it is the equivilant of filling between 20 Ohio Stadiums and 1000 Ohio stadiums with unique representatives that cannot get together at the game and make new babies. The implication is that, at minimum, there are at least an equal number of stadiums housing a single fertile mate for the others.

-Where am I going with this? Consider that the number of species listed above only accounts for organisms on earth today. Consider the claims of evolution that our our planet is billions of years old. Remember that each of these organisms must find it's counterpart somewhere in their environment just to produce one offspring. The odds are intensely against one common mutation thriving over any length of time beyond a single generation of that mutation. 2 million to 100 million however, and that's just a current snapshot of nature, thriving? Changing? Changing hundreds and thousands of times and finding each other?

Let's make it worse and step backwards from the organism. This could be exhaustive and I really don't want to belabor the biology side at this point. Life is to have found it's beginnings in chemicals and lightning. Michael Behe wrote a book called Darwin's Black Box. Mr. Behe is a Professor at Lehigh University in Bethlehem Pa. He is not well liked in the Biology department. I have not read the book but this is an excerpt:
page 39 of Darwin's Black Box : "By irreducibly complex I mean a single system composed of several well-matched, interacting parts that contribute to the basic function, wherein the removal of any one of the parts causes the system to effectively cease functioning."

What's Behe saying here? Actually he says a great deal when you are talking about a single celled organism. Per evolution we came from the single celled life. But if you equate a single celled organism to a car then equate the engine, radiator, tires etc. to the elements of the animal. What he is saying is that the whole justifies the parts but there is no reason for the parts independent of the whole. For that matter there's even less of a reason for the subcomponents of the parts and that is even more important (an engine without sparkplugs) In other words, I think, the goo would not contain the core elements/parts to produce the whole.
"A prime example of Michael Behe's "irreducible complexity" is the bacteria flagellum. With over 40 essential parts, the flagellum is a rotary motor used to propel a bacteria in liquid. Spinning at 17,000 rpms, the motor is acid driven, liquid cooled and self-replicating." http://www.reviewevolution.com/irreducibleComplexity.php

To see a really cool diagram of this element of the animal go to: http://www.theplan.ofgphoto.com/example.html

and feel free to ignore what's written below the picture as the diagram is cool enough on it's own. Search the terms Michael Behe and Irreducable Complexity for much more depth both pro and con.

Ok I am done with Biology now....I'm moving on to Physics now and I promise it will be shorter.
Physics
I've found that a lot of folks in the realm of Biology get really pissed off at Physicists. Not all of them mind you but I think that some Bio's hate the fact that all of the physical reality that we know is governed by the rules of Physics. This includes Biology and Biologists. The science of Biology is governed by the science of Physics. You can't cheat Physics. You can copy and alter Biology but you just can't whip Physics. (Can you tell I like Physics?)
Anyway, I promised a shorter argument from Physics and here it is:
The Second Law of Thermodynamics: In a nutshell the natural world moves towards a natural state of maximum dis-order or a kind of equilibrium of all things. In a far larger explanation of Entropy please look at the following two paragraphs from

http://www.entropylaw.com/

"Entropy and the Second Law of Thermodynamics
The second law of thermodynamics (the entropy law or law of entropy) was formulated in the middle of the last century by Clausius and Thomson following Carnot's earlier observation that, like the fall or flow of a stream that turns a mill wheel, it is the "fall" or flow of heat from higher to lower temperatures that motivates a steam engine. The key insight was that the world is inherently active, and that whenever an energy distribution is out of equilibrium a potential or thermodynamic "force" (the gradient of a potential) exists that the world acts spontaneously to dissipate or minimize. All real-world change or dynamics is seen to follow, or be motivated, by this law. So whereas the first law expresses that which remains the same, or is time-symmetric, in all real-world processes the second law expresses that which changes and motivates the change, the fundamental time-asymmetry, in all real-world process. Clausius coined the term "entropy" to refer to the dissipated potential and the second law, in its most general form, states that the world acts spontaneously to minimize potentials (or equivalently maximize entropy), and with this, active end-directedness or time-asymmetry was, for the first time, given a universal physical basis. The balance equation of the second law, expressed as S > 0, says that in all natural processes the entropy of the world always increases, and thus whereas with the first law there is no time, and the past, present, and future are indistinguishable, the second law, with its one-way flow, introduces the basis for telling the difference. The active nature of the second law is intuitively easy to grasp and empirically demonstrate. If a glass of hot liquid, for example, as shown in Figure 3, is placed in a colder room a potential exists and a flow of heat is spontaneously produced from the cup to the room until it is minimized (or the entropy is maximized) at which point the temperatures are the same and all flows stop.
Boltzmann's View of the Second Law as a Law of Disorder
The active macroscopic nature of the second law posed a direct challenge to the "dead" mechanical world view which Boltzmann tried to meet in the latter part of the last century by reducing the second law to a law of probability following from the random collisions of mechanical particles (efficient cause (see Swenson (1990)). Following the lead of Maxwell who had modeled gas molecules as colliding billiard balls, Boltzmann argued that the second law was simply a consequence of the fact that since with each collision nonequilibrium distributions would become increasingly disordered leading to a final state of macroscopic uniformity and microscopic disorder. Because there are so many more possible disordered states than ordered ones, he concluded, a system will almost always be found either in the state of maximum disorder or moving towards it. As a consequence, a dynamically ordered state, one with molecules moving "at the same speed and in the same direction," Boltzmann (1974/1886, p. 20) asserted, is thus "the most improbable case conceivable...an infinitely improbable configuration of energy." Because this idea works for certain near equilibrium systems such as gases in boxes, and because science until recently was dominated by near equilibrium thinking, Boltzmann's attempted reduction of the second law to a law of disorder became widely accepted as the second law rather than simply an hypothesis about the second law, and one that we now know fails. It became the apparent justification from physics for solidifying Cartesian incommensurability and establishing the view of the two incommensurable rivers-the "river" of biology, psychology, and culture, or the epistemic dimension of the world characterized by intentional dynamics and flowing up to increasingly higher states of order, versus the "river" of physics flowing down to disorder. Such a view is entirely inimical to a science of ecological relations, since, as noted above, it is precisely through the interface of these two rivers that these relations occur, and if the interface is incommensurable then the relations are effectively prohibited, or at best, incomprehensible."

The second law of thermodynamics would have destroyed the primordial ooze before it even got oozey.

Done for now.

How a Midwestern Viking Spent his day on Friday January 11, 2008. 100% true.

2008-01-11T14:49:00.000-05:00

The following is a true story. Anyone who knows me knows that I am capable and willing of doing what was done today.

I knew they were coming. What I was unsure of was their number this time. It hasn't been a year since I met upwith around six similar characters in a woods. Those were not alone and in fact were surrounded by a ring of folk common to them all with arms, hands, and fingers raised in support of those who faced me. But I beat each and every one of them and left their fans in silence.

This time would be different. There was equally twice the number. I knew this day was coming inside I just didn't know the date. As I said above I have met similar groups in my past. Sometimes I had the aid of others. No matter the occasion the occasion had one thing in common: Victory for me and those supporting me.

Today it was cold. The cold that amplifies itsself between fits of rain and balls of ice bouncing off the ground. There was a harmony of wind to add to the percussion provided by the sleet. These are the cold days that invite themselves into your marrow. How fitting...

So...it turned out that today was the day of a similar calling experienced less than one passing of the Sun. I looked outside of my barn door and there they were. Just sitting there. Easily a dozen but I was not taking the time for an official counting. I just knew what task lay before me. I took a deep breath, sat down my Busch beer that I had only just started. I grabbed my axe and asked them "how shall it be today?"

There was no answer from my opponents. There never has been with these types. Such is their way.

And so it began.
My opponents all easily weighed as much as me. Some weighing a great deal no more. They were of various ages and sizes all grouped together.

What of it?

I sized up one of their number, raised my axe in silence and struck my nemesis down. But with me it is never enough to just strike once. I have to make a point.I hacked, dismemembered, and cracked my axe against the first. I took this monster to task removing finger, limb, and disecting and redisecting torso till there was nothing left worth hacking at. Then I looked at the others and they just sat there saying nothing. Not even a word.

I moved on to the next and ignored the sheer number as they seemed content to sacrifice their comrades and simply wear me down to death.

The next fell faster.

The next, being much more stout, took many more strokes. At least eight blows beneath my seasoned axe before this beast was added to the pile of parts as well.

And on it went. They were a mixed group in terms of age and stature but I will say that not a one of them ran. I hacked and hacked, echoes falling on some blows from the sides of farms distant and adjacent to my own sacred barn.

After two hours I asked those who were left if they would mind if I took a break. Still no response from those left to the challenge. So, I picked up the Busch in one hand, never dropping the axe from the other, and finished my drink while the remainder waited in suprizing patience. If it had been me I would have taken advantage of the moment. But they were not me. They were something different.

By this time I had moved through half of the lot and the remainder were less of a challenge. The toughest of opponents had come first this time. So I dispensed with the remainder in half the time as those from the beginning with parts flying all about me. Bits of entrails sticking to my face and body as if they were glued there. Eventually their kin will come again. Eventually I will be defeated and I know that I will most likely die in the heat of such a conflict. But not today.

Epilogue: Today I won again. Admittedly I am not as young as I once was and in fact these types of fights are wearing me down. Not being one to gloat too much I only took ten minutes this time drinking down yet another beer at the end of the fray. I sat there perched upon top of of body parts contemplating my longevity. I know that at some point I will not win. There will come a day when one will fall upon me from behind and that will be that.

Out of respect to the group I began the arduous task of moving them into a part of my barn that I have converted into a morgue. But not too much respect mind you. I did not sort fingers from bellies for each who came to me. I did put them all together though so that...as they came to me in opposition...they'd meet their end...together.

Now I have been in these fights for years but I will tell you that while there is a tremendous joy in the hacking there is absolutely no pleasure in disposing of the remains. There's actually a brief feeling of sadness at the end of such fights.

But that's the way it is. If you are going to split wood for the wood burner you have to stack it somewhere....:)

Taking a Stand

2007-08-30T22:34:00.000-04:00

Whatever you do, If you believe something stand for it. This is particularly true if you are a Christian having your faith dashed against the rocks by detractors. Don't stand for it. Christ died for you and me and for those in opposition to your witness. The worst thing you could do for the soul of a detractor is back off and hide in a corner. That doesn't mean being nasty or condemning. What it does mean is that person needs Christ as desperately as you and I ever did and Christ shed an equal amount of blood for them as you and I. Souls are on the line. Time to forget about what people might think of you. We are all running out of time but for the lost this is a matter of great peril. Take your role as a believer seriously and take a stand for those who would rather you didn't.

Love notes from the Father.

2007-08-27T20:00:00.000-04:00

I've been away from this for a while but I haven't forgotten it! People who know me know that I have been having lots of struggles in my personal life but I want to say that God is incredible! Things are improving and I am maturing as a result of the battles. There's a reason God doesn't let us see the whole war we have been placed here to fight for Him. If we saw it as a whole we might not charge in. But instead he takes us through it one battle at a time. Victories interspersed to keep us motivated. It's like taking someone who can deadlift 200# and then throwing them onto 600# and asking them to pull it. It's overwhelming and we can't do it because we haven't been through enough to carry that kind of a load. So we train, we gain experience and strength from the exposure to carry us on through similar situations and even tougher ones.The past few days I have gotten several love notes from the King that have got me kind of cranked up! Improvements in my marriage, affirmations about a new direct to take for church life, opportunities to share God, and so on. And every now and then God even spoils us:Today God even gave me a piece of candy. What do I mean by this? We have a gym at work that I use during lunch. For months I have been battling and stuck at 485 on deadlift and every time that weight came with extreme effort, pain, and almost passing out from head rushes. Today, with absolutely no exploding feeling from the neck up I nailed 500# without a hickup in the pull. I haven't done that much weight since I was 19! There was no world record in this and no fanfare. God could care less if I deadlifted a cockroach but He knew I've been wanting to hit this for a while and there is no doubt in my mind it was a gift. Before anyone says I am attaching too much to this being from God I need to say that I was listening to Casting Crown's "The Voice of Truth" as I was prepping for the lift. I wasn't really paying attention to the timing of the pull but as I approached the bar this is what was playing:"The giant keeps on telling me time and time again'Boy you'll never win, you'll never win.'and just as I locked out this is what I heard:"But the voice of truth tells me a different storythe voice of truth says "do not be afraid!"and the voice of truth says "this is for my glory"Out of all the voices calling out to meI will choose to listen and believe the voice of truth"Coincidence? I don't think so. No such thing and definitely no such thing for God's kids.I yelled so loud I expected people to run into the gym from the assembly floor but noone came in and that was good. All was well.What choice did I have but to raise my hands right then and there and thank my King for the sweets?

Dad

2007-07-11T12:57:00.001-04:00

Why Should I Cry For You?-Sting
Under the dog star sail
Over the reefs of moonshine
Under the skies of fall North,
north west, the stones of farve

Under the arctic fire
Over the seas of silence
Hauling on frozen ropes
For all my days remaining
But would north be true?

All colours bleed to red
Asleep on the oceans bed
Drifting on empty seas
For all my days remaining
But would north be true?

Why should i?
Why should I cry for you?

Dark angels follow me
Over a godless sea
Mountains of endless falling,
For all my days remaining,
What would be true?

Sometimes I see your face,
The stars seem to lose their place
Why must I think of you?
Why must i?
Why should i?
Why should I cry for you?
Why would you want me to?

And what would it mean to say,
That, i loved you in my fashion?
What would be true?
Why should i?
Why should I cry for you?

2007-06-04T23:26:00.000-04:00

February development and visual experiment

2007-02-21T06:26:00.000-05:00

This is for me again. Sorry. Avert your eyes before it's too late!!!

Development Tracking

2007-01-03T09:51:00.000-05:00

This is here for my sake and not to scare anybody. The picture was taken 11/27/06 and since the pic I have added another 12 pounds on. Once 6 months have passed I will take comperable pics to see if anything gets better. This is posted to annoy myself and keep me motivated to lift.

Tundra games approacheth!

2006-12-29T11:58:00.000-05:00

Hard to believe the first contest is less than a week away. This weekend me, and 20 other nuts will compete in the Ohio Tundra games. We are the only Winter games in the North. Absolutely goofy and a lot of fun! Thanks to Clayton for hosting everyone!

I just want to be "home for Christmas"

2006-12-25T15:52:00.000-05:00

Not going to get too deep or whiny here. I really just want to be "home" for Christmas. Problem is that what I define as "home", generally speaking, is not just a place but a time. Complicating matters is that "home" can get romanticized by slips of darker things in memory and a magnification of the happier moments. I suppose that this is better than being haunted by the bad stuff that some poor souls seem doomed to dwell in (regardless of the decades between now and the point of occurrence). So right now with, my troubled wife asleep on the couch, my daughter taking a nap, my son playing video games, and rain on a Christmas afternoon instead of snow I find myself reaching back. Not only reaching back but reaching back to moments in time that are now long lost and, most likely, bathed in the mythology of the "best times" by many years past. Of the few pictures of past times this picture represents that legendary aspect of my life that most likely will only make sense to my siblings. I post it none-the-less and will most likely elaborate at an unspecified point in the future.

2006-12-19T11:24:00.000-05:00

USSF Committee

2006-12-05T09:10:00.000-05:00

Find us at www.ussfstrong.com

From the shadows and into the Master's class in 2007

2006-11-12T23:05:00.000-05:00

Not too bad for an old guy.

Kemper Crabb

2006-11-12T20:52:00.000-05:00

This is a shameless plug for an excellent musician and teacher. I first saw him, and only saw him for that matter, about 25 years ago. His record "The Vigil" is a treasure for anyone who likes medieval styled music and who wants to hear something truly alternative. Nothing like it! If you don't believe me here's his site.
www.kempercrabb.net

Here is an couple of mp3's you are allowed to download as well as a video and other links. This will give you an idea. The CD's not expensive either. I think he's asking $12 for the Vigil. It's worth 4x's that amount:

http://www.feverdreamrecords.com/mp3/Kemper/wessex.mp3

http://www.feverdreamrecords.com/mp3/Kemper/downinyon.mp3

http://www.atomicopera.com/kemper-concert.mov

www.kempercrabb.net

This is the one you will want to buy first though>>> The Vigil

What is the right denomination?

2006-10-31T22:41:00.000-05:00

This subject has probably been beaten to death by many ministers and many denominations. People parody each other's denominations. People flat out condemn other denominations. I have some bad news for some and incredibly liberating news for others. News that is as old as the New Testament. There is no denomination that is the "right one". BUT There are denominations that are flat out wrong and are not a denomination at all but a cult.

How can you tell?

Simple in answer and tough in carrying it out: READ THE BIBLE. Test what is presented to you in church apologetics. Look for deviations from what you read in the bible compared to the denomination.

Some denominations are stronger in some areas of the christian faith than others and each definitely has weak spots. This is not the same thing as a cult.

The false denomination:
If there is a statement of faith or church politics that is in direct conflict with the Bible then you know you have a false doctrine. An example would be a denomination that sponsors a lifestyle in direct conflict with biblical teaching. Like a denomination that says it is ok to have a gay minister. That's probably the most extreme example on record but it is easily identified as a denomination with a false doctrine in their peripheral writings (writings other than New and Old Testament).

The "known for" denomination:
Many denominations are known for being very strong in an area of biblical teaching. Mennonites, for example, are very strong in helping others with physical needs: food, shelter etc. But they absolutely have a weak spot when it comes to evangelism. BUT, evangelism is not dismissed from the faith, it is just a weak area. This denomination is valid and has a definitive role in the body of Christ.

The other end of the "known for" spectrum would be the Pentecostal denomination. This denomination focuses largely on evangelism and the gifts of the Holy Spirit. They are weaker on supplying the physical needs of the people around them outside of the church. They are every bit as valid as the Mennonites but very different in terms of church focus.

In between these two there are varying degrees of effectivity in both areas of the faith and other areas not mentioned here for lack of time and space.

Bottom line 1: STUDY THE BIBLE and be careful of judging one denomination as having a more important role than another. The one that seems more important to you is likely the part of the body that you are most closely identified with in terms of your desires to serve God. The one that has a church acceptance of a clea and biblically unacceptable principal as an official part of their church is a cult and not a Christian denomination at all. The devil will disguise himself as a number of things. It's really not that hard to figure out as long as you keep reading. Things will become clearer and clearer the more that you read and pray for guidance.

Bottom line 2: We are all, as Christians, the body of Christ. We all should have a yearning to serve God in a manner that we are best equipped to serve or desire to serve. Be careful not to condemn the hand if you are the foot etc... Be very careful not to blaspheme the Holy Spirit. But also don't be suckered by liars. There are "churches" that are anything but churches. Keep your eyes open to lies and your heart open to God.

Why do I assume to write as one with authority on this? I am both Pentecostal and Mennonite...and neither. I belong to the majority of both denominations' stated principals but cannot bring myself to saying one has a greater role than the other. Only different roles. I have a desire to support the roles of both. Fortunately I can say with great certainty that I am a member of the body of Christ and that both of these extremely different denominations are parts of that body as well. Some would argue that these extremes are not compatible but most of those people have never actually been significantly involved in both. Either that or they put pride in their denominations in front of their faith in Christ.

Here's something to watch out for: Be wary of any church that talks about their pedigreed name MORE than they talk about Jesus. Be wary of a church that raises their specific passion/burden above the passion/burden of another church. That's pride and has little to do with Christ. There is nothing wrong with being positive about the role of a denomination but if it becomes a bragging point or a "historical" discussion that comes up more often than actually getting to people who need to meet Christ...or if a main driver of the the denomination is full of committees and councils and social affairs...then I will run the risk of saying that church is in danger of being full of crap and really ticking God off. Summed up, if souls aren't getting saved where you are going to church you are either in the wrong church or you are there to change that fact. Odds are you are there to change that fact whether you are comfortable with that or not. If you don't think the rest of that church's body, that you are in, can handle new christians and help them in their walk then you are definitely in the wrong church and need to leave.

Happy Halloween

2006-10-27T12:25:00.000-04:00

Which do you think is scarier

2006-10-19T23:54:00.000-04:00

The Purging of the GOP and the Second Disillusionment for Christians

2006-10-17T12:04:00.000-04:00

The first purging of "Popular Christianity" in America was back during the Jimmy Swaggart, Jim & Tammy, and others era. Amy Grant left her husband so she could screw Vince Gill. Lots of people lost their faith because they placed it in preachers, images, and leaders instead of going to Christ first. God will not be mocked and so a lot of folks were exposed for their evils done in/under his Name.

And now the second purging comes to our political base more than to preachers.

Purge #1...
Foley. A known pedophile that was hidden from view by the GOP. Enough said here. It's already old news in the world of sound bytes.

Purge #2 In process. Thank God for it if what the man says is true. Truth hurts but remains the truth.

Kuo's largely hyped book: Tempting Faith: An Inside Story of Political Seduction comes out today regarding the fleecing of the body of Christ. I don't know of a good reason to write this book other than for the man to expose a lie in earnest fashion. There is no doubt that this book will kill him politically with the GOP so the profit off of this book better be pretty high for him as he is essentially out of a job and all other political jobs. So the risk he takes lends me to believe, at least at this point, that the guy is telling the truth.

I read in one spot on the book that he says something to the effect that Christians should take a sabbatical from politics for a couple of years. I agree with him. We have been led around, or at least I have been, with a bridle of half filled promises.

The voice has been very dim if present at all for issues like fetal stem cell research, abortion, freedom of speech for Christians, and a host of other issues that truly conservative Christians have been listening for. I'm not just talking about Bush. Let's face it, most presidents are little more than figure heads for a much larger machine. They are the fall guy or the hero but ultimately they are a buffer for the much larger political machines of the democrats and republicans.

But let's look at the conservative machine I have voted for at every election and what they have/have not done for my issues:
-They stopped partial birth abortions. What I voted for Bush based on solely. But this is not a secured iron clad "it will never happen" vote/law. In fact it is very weak. In fact it only addresses the most horrific and arguably the least potentially used form of abortion. This was a shitty bragging right. You want to impress me? Make the "day after" pill illegal. Stop all abortions other than medical emergency. Heck I'll even concede pregnancy by rape instances even though I don't like that either. The bottom line here is that it isn't and won't be enough.
-They have not gone any further on abortion. (see above)
-They have not stopped the FDA from approving RFID tags for human insertion. Don't roll your eyes at this. It is more monstrous than you can imagine in implications.
-They have not stopped fetal stem cell research.
-They have not stopped pornography from becoming an industry with stock options.
-They have not stopped the harrassment of Christians in schools or even clipped the progressive elimination of the Christian voice in schools.
-They have let gays continue to come into elementary schools and preach alternative lifestyles.
-They have not stopped the court marshaling of military chaplians for using the name of Jesus.
-They have not stopped the ACLU from eliminating historically Christian symbols on local and national currencies, logos, etc.
-They did not stop the removal of the 10 Commandments from buildings.
And there is a ton of other "did nots" that reach much further out than the "dids" that a Christian would expect from a party that has held both the Whitehouse and the Congress for at least six years simultaneously.

So, what do we do as Christians? Who do we vote for? We must vote our conscience and not any particular party if we vote at all. It is your right as an American not to vote for that matter. I used to believe that if you didn't vote you didn't have a right to complain. Look where my voting got me though. Go ahead and complain. Vote or don't vote the way I feel right now is that it doesn't matter either way. Find your king in Christ. He's the only real king anyway. Everyone else has a false agenda it would seem.

But should you choose to vote, take enough time to read the positions of each candidate before you hit the donkey or elephant button. Otherwise hit no button at all.

That's what communion's all about Charlie Brown...

2006-10-08T21:56:00.000-04:00

I wrote this down and sent it to friends back when it happened. I'm putting it here because I still get a charge out of what my son did and said:

This is too important to me not to write down. Yesterday was the first day of passover, April 12th 2006, and it was a Wednesday night when this happened. I went to church for a dinner and communion service with the family. Usually kids don't take communion as it is a serious ceremony when taken the way it is meant to be taken. As a matter of fact my son was out playing with kids and drawing pictures outside of the sanctuary until just before we actually took communion.

He came in and sat next to me, My wife and daughter were in the nursery, just as they were passing out the bread representing Christ's body. He said "I want some" and so I had to explain to him that the bread was part of something special and that it was a symbol of Jesus as would be the wine/grape juice for his blood. My son doesn't understand the word symbol so I had to use the word "expression" which is one he does understand. I told him that Jesus sat with his best friends and did this just before he was killed for us.

I asked him if he understood and he said that he did. I asked him to explain it back and he he gave me a pretty good account of what it meant. So I let him take part in the communion. I have to say that I was a little nervous about doing this but I didn't need to be. I figured it out that he had honored God when he told me right after taking the drink, in a whisper, "Dad, if I was alive when Jesus was here I would give him a hug. And when they killed him I would cry. A lot of people would cry." I just sat there and the only reply I could give was "You would?" and he said "Yeah".

I seriously couldn't think of a response. Here my six year old son, God bless him forever, got it. He really got it. What has taken me decades to get, he had gotten at the age of six.

I had to share this. It was too important for me to let fade with just another daily memory.

Wonderful Mr. Tolkein...thanks for this....

2006-10-04T23:34:00.000-04:00

When Spring unfolds the beechen leaf, and
sap is in the bough;
When light is on the wild-wood stream,
and wind is on the brow;
When stride is long, and breath is deep,
and keen the mountain-air,
Come back to me! Come back to me,
and say my land is fair!
When Spring is come to garth and field,
and corn is in the blade;
When blossom like a shining snow
is on the orchard laid;
When shower and Sun upon the Earth
with fragrance fill the air,
I'll linger here, and will not come,
because my land is fair.
When Summer lies upon the world,
and in a noon of gold.
Beneath the roof of sleeping leaves
the dreams of trees unfold;
When woodland halls are green and cool,
and wind is in the West,
Come back to me! Come back to me,
and say my land is best!
When Summer warms the hanging fruit
and burns the berry brown;
When straw is gold, and ear is white,
and harvest comes to town;
When honey spills, and apple swells,
though wind be in the West,
I'll linger here beneath the Sun,
Because my land is best!
When Winter comes, the winter wild
that hill and wood shall slay;
When trees shall fall and starless night
devour the sunless day;
When wind is in the deadly East,
then in the bitter rain
I'll look for thee, and call to thee;
I'll come to thee again!
When Winter comes, and singing ends;
when darkness falls at last;
When broken is the barren bough,
and light and labour past;
I'll look for thee, and wait for thee,
until we meet again;
Together we will take the road
beneath the bitter rain!
Together we will take the road
that leads into the West,
And far away will find a land
where both our hearts may rest.

Interesting site on Free Masonry (the picture is there for no reason).

2006-09-29T12:41:00.000-04:00

http://www.ephesians5-11.org/

2006-09-13T13:01:00.000-04:00

Boutros Boutros-Ghali

2006-09-13T12:41:00.000-04:00

Witnessing for Christ: Yank 'em by the collar, in love, if you have to. But just do it!

2006-09-12T21:20:00.000-04:00

To my fellow aggressive Christians: When you witness to someone make sure you give respect to who you are witnessing to. Remember that this person is loved by Christ. These folks are our lost brothers and sisters and they are not our prey. This is not a score card thing to hand in to God. These folks have within them souls that are just as valuable to Christ as our own. A lot of these folks are our dear friends and family.

To my insecure brothers and sisters who say...."Witnessing is just not my gift."
News flash: Witnessing isn't a spiritual "gift". It's a command from God! Yes, some of us have an easier time witnessing than others but make no mistake it is a mandate from God for all of us and for good reason. "I'm shy"...well poor "you" if this is "you". I hope it isn't but if it is...You just go ahead and be shy while your mom or dad die and don't make themselves right with God. Visualize your wife or husband on their descent into the pit because you didn't DIRECTLY tell them what they need to know and do...... I'm sure Jesus will pat you on the back and say "that's ok those whip marks, the spit in the face, the beating, the sword in the side, and the nails didn't really hurt that much for nothing I guess...just go feel good about your own salvation and play some more Amy Grant music while you sooth your conscience" (man, I hope this paragraph doesn't apply to you mr/ms reader because we are accountable to God for what we know). What's the worst thing that's going to happen? They reject what you tell them. If they reject, it is in their ballcourt. If they accept then you just helped rock the kingdom of heaven with another precious soul saved. Keep trying even if they do reject unless it becomes outright opposition to what you are saying. At this point there is a verse that speaks of not casting pearls before swine. Me personally, I've not met that pig yet. I'll find more pearls until the opportunity is completely gone. But I'm like that.

There are so many people needing His love out there and there are too few of us and we are not doing enough. Over 200,000 people per day die. How many of them are saved? How many of them are we personally missing the opportunity to share with? Want to put it in perspective? Check this page out if not the rest of the website: http://www.biblehelp.org/mortality.htm
I can't vouch for the whole site at this point and I only peeked at this page but it's a heavy visual to me.
Why not be direct? Why not love them enough? Someone loved you enough to tell you didn't they!!!??? Better to have them in heaven forever with you instead of just a few decades isn't it??? Imagine if they end up in hell and all we can say is "Witnessing is just not my gift".

Enough for now...

Highland Gamers. See a connection here???

2006-08-31T21:54:00.000-04:00

Silly Monkies

2006-08-31T07:09:00.000-04:00

These kind of guys are a WHOLE LOT of the reason I do highland games. I consider them brothers. You are hard pressed to find such good company in the world today!

Is the Prize for the Truth Worth the Cost of the Trophy?

2006-08-28T22:12:00.000-04:00

I would say yes. Some of the time anyway. There should never be an apology for the truth. However, as I am finding out quite painfully, the truth on everything around you does not need to be blurted out.

The position of taking a stand is a noble one. But when there is little gain for the greater good of yourself or those around you I don't think it is necessarily a bad thing to just shut up. Wish I could have told myself this last week before I laid some heavy truth on someone who couldn't handle the weight. The fanfare was over so quick that there was no echo in my mind and in fact it ended up hurting me in the process.

If someone, or some people, has/have all of the following mental traits: weak, pathetic, soft, deceptive, weasely, evil, scummy, akin to racoon bile, akin to buzzard saliva, passive aggressive, self centered, self promoting, sociopathic, schmoozy, gossips, lies, cheats, steals credit for your work, steals credit for your ideas, would kill their own mother if it meant a promotion, etc. etc. etc................... Guess what I found out about them? Letting them know that they are these things and more will not change them. They will be all of these things for as long as they lack a conscience. They will be all of these things as long as they are the only person in the universe. You cannot change them.

There is only one thing you can do. Be better in spirit and mind than they are. Excercise grace with them even if it means putting a shock collar on and zapping yourself when you get the urge to enlighten them on how much better they could be if they would just start walking upright. Grace in the face of some of the slime around you is the toughest thing to practice. It is also tough sometimes to remember that Jesus died and rose for them too. It is VERY tough when you look back at some of your own past actions and catch just a hint of one or two of those traits being put in play at the time. But "that was different"....right?

If this doesn't make sense I'm sorry. I may delete this entry later I just wanted to write it out to get it out of my skull for a while.

Corrections to my Zodiac information

2006-08-25T08:32:00.000-04:00

The blogger site has my information incorrect but I can't change it. This is what it should be:
Zodiac sign: Crest Toothpaste

Zodiac year: Year of the kazoo

Zodiac symbol:

Probably my favorite painting of my King

2006-08-25T07:27:00.000-04:00

Was the Amazing Mumford Muted by the Bosses of Sesame Street???

2006-08-24T23:19:00.000-04:00

Ever since the latest troubles in the Middle East have you heard him say A la peanut butter sandwiches??? Has anyone actually seen him on Sesame Street lately? Perhaps he was kidnapped????

Yeah Mumford...sure you did. Sell out politically correct sissy #@$%# muppet ticks me off!!!

Papau New Guinea?

2006-08-24T22:45:00.000-04:00

No man can make you a victim and no man can make you a hero

2006-08-24T13:15:00.000-04:00

Influences can be both positive and negative. I don't mean in how they make you act but rather how you react to them. I don't believe anything makes you act. I think the core of who you are remains almost a constant even if the whole core isn't known to you yet. The best way to find out that core is to throw stuff at it. See what bounces off, what sticks to the outside, and what actually manages to permeate to that core.
Some things can change the core but they have to be very very very powerful influences.

Ty Phillips of USSF www.ussfstrong.com

2006-08-22T10:18:00.000-04:00

Not only could Ty squeeze a man into jelly he could recite the first act of Othello to that man while he's doing it! Fortunately Ty is a Rennaisance man and saves violence for those special occasions when nothing says "you are a bad boy, stop it!" like a fist through to the back of the cranium. In all seriousness Ty is a great guy and a tremendous re-source for people who want a field to throw and/or lift on. Check out his site: www.ussfstrong.com
The dork with the train hat on backwards is me. The other guy is Ty (also in the second pic).

What's a Caber???

2006-08-22T09:45:00.000-04:00

This is a caber. This is what you do with it. God made trees to be thrown! :)

More of what I do for fun: A new wrinkle>Strongman

2006-08-22T09:24:00.000-04:00

Want to throw stuff in the Highland Games? Go to these places.

2006-08-21T23:03:00.000-04:00

If you are in Ohio or the tri-state area and you want to get in with some decent throwers and decent people in general go to www.ussfstrong.com for a great place to get started. Register for free and introduce yourself on the forum. A virtual guarantee that you will get all of the help you want here.

The place where almost all Highland Gamers go to find out about the games going on nationwide is www.nasgaweb.com . There is so much traffic on this page that you can get lost in the shuffle a bit.

How God Combined my Physical/Mental to make the base of who I am today.

2006-08-21T12:48:00.000-04:00

So, how did my King put my physical/spiritual/mental inclinations and outside influences together? The ways are amazing (at least to me).

The neighborhood:
My neighborhood was rough and alienating a lot of the time when I was growing up and really stayed somewhat alienating in high school. I don’t think that this is unique to me as growing up anywhere can be cruel depending on the personalities making up the neighborhood. Don’t get me wrong though, there were a core group of friends who never stopped being my friends regardless of the politics/family opinions/pressures of the times. But I did spend a lot of time in my own little world, within a world, and I read a great deal. The more I read the more I wanted to know. So that cycle went on for many years. My King took this time to educate me in relationship dynamics with people of other skin tones as well as steering my education through my natural curiosity and desire to learn. Had it not been for where I grew up I might actually believe what the media and some “black leaders” say about black folks. Had it not been for my curiosity I would have never made it through school as a lot of my teachers were terrible. My cultural shock never really came until I was bussed into a wealthy white school.

I had friends in both arenas of life but never “belonged” to either socio-economic class. I didn’t have money and I wasn’t black. This taught me that friendship must be defined by something else. I came to the conclusion that friendship had to happen for friendship’s sake. Anything else that bonded people as a unit was artifice and largely based on things that they had no direct influence over in the first place. Melanin and wealth, or the lack of either, came from parents. Friendship was a matter of choice. I had a lot of friends with a lot of melanin and a lot of friends with money. I also was rejected by some people for having neither. The fact that no class or creed was an indicator of a friend or enemy taught me to take every human being one human being at a time. Make no assumptions about anyone.

My Grandma’s farm:
You could not find a more diametrically opposed environment from the neighborhood I actually lived in. This was a place of wild animals, uncut forests, stars at night with no city light, and silence a lot of the time. This was a place where I could see God’s hand without the influence of man. This was a place where I could talk without interruption with the Lord. It was in this environment when my earthly father most acted like my DAD. I don’t know if this was because this area of Ohio was his home turf, if it was because he wasn’t coming home from work, or if it was our mutual appreciation for the natural world but I do know that when we were here things went much better between us than any other time/place of the year.

My Family:
Their interests and life stories were wonderful training tools. The things they did that were good and the things they did that were not so good. I did my best to read all of what they did and the outcomes of their actions. I did my best to emulate the positives things I saw from them and avoid the less than positive things. I am of the firm belief that you do not have to be a carbon copy of your parents. I am also a firm believer that you can learn a tremendous amount from them and your siblings. But, needless to say, no matter how good these teachers can be and no matter how hard they try to help you, you make mistakes. I made a lot. Some mistakes were duplicate of mistakes my family members made and some mistakes were uniquely my own. Some good things they did/do I have yet to come close to emulating. I observed what lives lived apart from God’s direction look like. I have learned what lives lived with the heart’s desire to serve God look like. I have chosen the pursuit of Christ. I will, for as long as I live on this Earth, continue to strive to improve who and what I am. I will try to be a better servant both to God and to my fellow man. I know I will fall again and again but I hope to stay upright for longer periods of time between falls.

My Inclinations:
God took curiosity and turned it into enough knowledge that it allowed me to make it to college. As alluded to earlier, if I had only my teachers as a mechanism for education I would have failed my entrance tests, ACT etc.

God took my stubbornness and kept me from giving up in times of great stress like my father’s death. He also developed stubbornness into determination as I matured. (stubbornness=pride determination=perseverance).

God took my poverty/near poverty and allowed me to join the military. The irony is that I thought I was doing it for the G.I. Bill, which I never ended up using, but God was teaching me about my mortality. He was teaching me about the preciousness of life and the terribly cheap way in which it can be destroyed if we are not careful. He used this to teach me ever more deeply that the needs of my fellow man are much greater than my own.

God took my spitefulness for doubter’s statements and allowed me to gain a fair amount of physical strength for sports. Without this I would have never been looked at for football in college. Without the help of colleges, who wanted me for football, in finding financial aid I would have never known that college was possible for me. I always thought I was too poor. (I think I alluded to this in another post) Without the physical inclination there would have been no college. Had I not gone to Bluffton College to play football I would not have met my wife. Had I not met my wife I would have probably drifted further from the church. Had I not met my wife I would not have my son or my daughter. Had I not had my children, and my son in particular since I am male, I would not have healed from the unresolved issues with my father. In trying to raise my son better than my father raised his sons I have found a very strange balm. In the raising of my son with love I learned how to raise a daughter with love.

Ultimately out of all of this cycle God allowed me to know him early in life, to fall away from Him so that I knew how empty this life was without Him, and to find Him again. I believe he has done this for two reasons: 1. Because He loves me. 2. So that I can help others find their way to the fullness of life with Christ. I’m sure there is a bunch of other reasons too but these two things really stick out for me.

ABILITIES AND INCLINATIONS OF THE BODY

2006-08-21T12:41:00.000-04:00

-At a very early age I liked to try to pick up heavy things. I think that was inspired in part by the song “Big Bad John”. I thought the song’s story was cool, still do, and that might be part of it. I used to pick up rocks the size of my head or bigger. I would get frustrated when I couldn’t and kept on trying. Weird.
-In elementary school, middle, high, and a little while in college I had asthma. I think what triggered it was the dirty environment I grew up in but I am not completely sure. Fortunately it was never officially diagnosed as such but I knew I had it and the doctor prescribed drugs for it even though it was never written down as such. Asthmatic is a label that can hurt you in areas where you are athletic and in some types of employment.
-When I was a kid I climbed trees. Lots of trees and not like other kids climb. I climbed to the tops to the point where the trees sway and are significantly taller that the two story house we lived in. I did it in part because it was there but I also did it because I was the only one there and wanted to see things a different way. At the time I didn’t know it though. I just did it. Looking back at the hours I spent this way I understand it. I didn’t realize I was exercising.
-I walked as a kid. A lot! I could spend 4-5 hours on the 100 acres and not know it. It was the pursuit of new things to see that kept me distracted. I would walk, look up at the trees, look down at the streams, turn over logs to see what was living there, play with random bugs, watch deer and other animals, but little did I realize I was exercising.
-I was skinnier than most kids my age and was laughed at when I went out for football and wrestling in high school. I never was in a competitive sport growing up until then. I ended up playing three years in high school and two years in college. Many of those laughing at the time are now in jail or hooked on drugs or dead. In my sophomore year of high school I started out at 160# and by the end of the year I weighed 210. At the beginning of my sophomore year I benched 150# and at the beginning of my senior year I benched 390#. I did realize I was exercising. Weights became a component of my living. You could always do more with it.
-Something key happened to my strength and sports development when I was a junior. I lost my dad the day after Thanksgiving that year. To say I was devastated would be an understatement. He died with unresolved issues between us and those issues stayed with me for well over a decade afterwards. In the newness of that pain my coping mechanism became weight training and anger and in my senior year of football I played far better than I probably would have.
-In the late Fall and early Spring of my Senior year several small colleges called me to consider playing for them. I ended up playing for Bluffton College. I actually had not considered college prior to the invitation as our counselors stunk and I was poor. Bluffton’s counselors were much better and showed me the well of grants and loans. The embarrassing thing is that I picked that school because it had several acres of woods on the campus. I gave no consideration to academic credentials and trivialized the capabilities of teachers my whole life. Why should college be any different? Fortunately it was for my sake. I learned more in college than 1st-12th combined.
-I have never taken well to anyone telling me I cannot do something. Consequently when I was younger I took a lot of stupid dares until I realized I was being manipulated. Other dares proved to be challenges that formed a great deal of who I am and how my life has turned out.

ABILITIES AND INCLINATIONS OF THE MIND AND SOUL.

2006-08-21T12:40:00.000-04:00

-I learned to read when I was four.
-Read the Hobbit at the age of 9.
-Drew my first picture, of a bug, when I was 2. You could tell what it was. In college I only took one art class, in my last quarter, and my work ended up in a show. I wish now I had taken classes in high school and done art as a major in college.
-Had read through the New Testament a couple of times, and some parts dozens of times, before I was 14 and by my own choice.
-The first time I saw Monty Python and the Holy Grail I was 8. Not the best thing for an eight year old but I still love it.
-I never went through the “hating girls” stage as a kid. I first kissed a girl when I was three. Chased them ever since…till I got married.
-Watched PBS by choice as a kid and not just Mr. Rogers and Sesame Street. Favorite shows: Anything about nature, science, folklore, and mythology. I learned far more this way than I did in school (including 80% of my college).
-Walked in fields with bulls and horses before I was in kindergarten. They were my friends though and they knew it and I knew it. I was never in danger.
-Often got lost on purpose on the land outside of Athens just to see if I could figure out how to get back.
-Read over a dozen collection of Peanuts comic strips and still love A Charlie Brown Christmas more than any tv show or movie ever made. Charles Schulz work and Spiderman comics were key teachers for me in terms of human relationships, systems of honor and sacrifice, heroism, perseverance, true glory, and love. While they are just comics I found them to be illustrations of Biblical principles that I didn’t find shown, as often as I should have, at home or in the church.
-Types of pets past and present: Dogs, cats, rats, mice, spiders, skunk, pigeon, doves, pirhanna and other fish.
-My IQ has tested several times and lands between 137 and 139 without fail. I don’t take stock in these tests but the redundancy of the results is interesting.
-I was in the 91st percentile on my military entrance tests.
-I am, beyond a shadow of a doubt, ADHD.
-I have been told on many occasions by people who don’t know each other that I am supposed to become a preacher. I don’t know how I will ever teach as I am always the student.

THE MAJOR INFLUENCES OUTSIDE OF ME

2006-08-21T12:38:00.000-04:00

1. PARENTS and GRANDPARENTS:
-Parents from Southern Ohio. Both born in 1929 and grew up through the depression.
-Grandparents from Southern Ohio and West Virginia. Both grandpa's worked on railroads. Both Grandpa's and grandma's farmed. Both grandma's teachers. Only one grandparent alive when I was born. Mom's Dad could deadlift a barrel of tar and did so on a bet (he liked to fight I guess too).
-Father liked Classical, Truckstop country, some rock, and loved Bluegrass. Electrical engineer. Artist. Carpenter (built small house single handedly outside of Athens and Mom lives there now). Mechanic. Road rally driver. WW2 vet. Dad didn't go to church. Dad believed in the wee people and talking to trees. Dad never used the word love to anybody but sometimes in his limited way he showed it. His Dad died when my Dad was only 12. Nature freak. He died when I was 16. I didn’t really heal from this until my son was born. Even after that every now and then the wound still opens and I miss him with deep sadness.
-Mother likes gospel music and Big Band. Mom is Pentacostal. Mom is a story teller and a gossip. Animal freak (especially dogs). Mom forced Jesus down my throat from birth. Lots of fire and brimstone. Misguided but a huge heart. Crazy as a loon. I will miss her when she goes more than I ever missed my Dad and that scares me.

2. SIBLINGS:
-Oldest sibling is 54 (I think). Closest to my age is 7 years older. Hippie music-disco-80's pop-Christian rock. All 5 children artistically inclined. A formally trained artist/hippie/pseudo wiccan (and much more), a historian (and much more), a business woman and great thinker (and much more), a singer (and much more), and me. All of us draw. Some of us sculpt/carve. Some of us paint. All of us write. All nature freaks. All readers. Only one formal athlete (guess who).

3. ENVIRONMENT
-My neighborhood growing up was all white until I was 4-5yrs old. The neighborhood shifted to me being the only white boy in my sixth grade class. In middle school and highschool Columbus had “desegregation”. I was bussed from my poor black neighborhood, in middle school, to a poor white school. In high school I was bussed from my poor black neighborhood into a rich white neighborhood. Between weekends and Summers, until I was 16, I spent about 33% of my life in the country with 100 acres of woods and former farmland at my disposal.

This Is My King

2006-08-21T08:40:00.000-04:00