Driving & Thinking

More than One Issue...Upcoming election

2012-02-09T23:53:00.000-06:00

This election is about more than one or two issues...and it's about more than just me and you. This election is about an immediate recovery, as well as a long term fix for our country on many levels. Unfortunately many of these issues tie together, but let's consider: (yes this is very long)
Social/Moral Issues- There are numerous things in this category...and I agree that government shouldn't be involved in these issues, but if you haven't noticed...it's too late.
1. Traditional Marriage vs Homosexual Marriage...this is a huge issue because it will have a great affect on our kids as they grow up (Biblical guidelines vs worldly ways). This has come into play with our military as well...which will also have an effect on our national security.
2. Abortion...children should not pay the price for their parents' sin. Whether its promiscuity or rape, this is a result of sin. There is no doubt I do not agree with this...but I definitely do not agree with the government taking my money in the form of taxes, and paying for this (that's what's happening).
3. Legalized Drugs...what good come truly come from this? One of my representatives here in Memphis is a huge advocate for this...I have seen how old friends of mine have gotten caught up in this cycle and there is nothing productive about it for our society...money is not worth a declining society.

The Economy-This comes down to ideology...I realize that. But lets look at a few facts:
1. In 2008 (When Obama was elected) gas was $1.85...it is anticipated to go up to $5 per gallon this summer. That is unacceptable...and it is sad that paying $3.25 right now sounds good considering it's double what it was when this man took office.
2. Joblessness...WE NEED JOBS. So this is where you have to make the decision...do you think more job creation is needed for our economy to recover, or do you believe that like Pelosi who literally believe that food stamps and unemployment help our economy (By the way, those were intended to be temporary and to help people survive for a short period of time...not to live off of indefinitely)
3. Government jobs (taxpayer money) vs Private/Capitalistic jobs...this Administration has completely relied on creating jobs from our tax dollars. There have been minimal private sector jobs created under this administration.
4. Taxes...higher or lower. You only have about 1/2 of Americans paying income taxes...and that 1/2 paying them is paying for the other 1/2 who are not contributing to our country's finances, but yet who are the very ones taking handouts from our country. I don't care about tax rates per se...let's just say you make $100,000 per year and have a 10% tax rate=you pay $10,000 in taxes. So if you make a million ($1,000,000) and have a 5% tax rate=you pay $50,000 if I am not mistaken. Who cares about tax rate...the wealthy are still paying more money into the system. It isn't like they are paying less money because they are pulling their weight and then some.

Energy- In an economy such as ours, we need cheap energy because people are barely surviving right now...yes, it would be great to not have to rely on certain parts of the world for our energy, but at this point in time...it is too costly.
1. I will repeat the gas prices above...oil and gas mean energy. We depend on it...and the cost is going up tremendously and has gone up alot over the last 4 years. The reality is, this administration has had opportunities to do something about it (like the Keystone Pipeline from Canada that Obama rejected...
not only did this decision affect energy, but it affected job creation as well...or the lack there of)
2. Green energy...why do you think everyone doesn't drive electric cars? Because they are not efficient from an energy standpoint or money standpoint...atleast not at this point in time due to our economy. You could not mass produce this to make is sufficient. So, why wouldn't we use our country's own resources for things we need in abundance vs our government shoving these costly things down our throat at this time?

National Security- There are so many differing opinions on this one...
1. Isreal and our allies...The United States has always had a key ally in the Middle East in Isreal. Did you know that our President has not visited there one time during this term in office? In fact, he has undercut Isreal several times...there are several parts to this, but this also goes back to God's promises in the Bible regarding Isreal.
2. War...No one wants war. BUT, is it necessary sometimes? I believe so...there has always been war, but you have to have an ultimate threat. It amazes me how people forget 9-11 so easily...we didn't cause that war, we responded to it. Any President in their right mind would have done the same thing at that time...and besides that, Congress is the only one that can declare war...and that's exactly what happened under President Bush. He didn't declare war, Congress did as a result of 9-11.
3. The Middle East...This is a ideology issue, and at the route of it...it's a dangerous ideology of Islam vs freedom of the free world.
4. Immigration...you may not consider this a national security issue, but it is a big one. We have people in our country that we don't even know about...terrorism is real, the drug trade is real, crime is real...
not to mention, it is a federal law.

Big Government vs Small Government-I truly believe that most people don't realize why this ideology is so important...it is huge, because freedom is at stake. Do you think government should solve all of our problems, or do you think God ordained us to care for eachother...he gave us as individuals that order...not the government.
1. Handouts (food stamps, welfare, etc)...yes, some people couldn't survive without this. BUT, the majority take advantage of this. This disincentives people to work, to struggle, and to fight for their families. It has created a lazy, excuse ridden society...and to be honest with you, it creates a society dependent on the government rather than their own families and abilities. And, it literally buys votes. The government knows that the more people who grow dependent on it, will vote whatever means necessary to keep their handout.
2. Obamacare...there are soooo many consequences to this legislation. It violates our freedom because the government is not allowed to mandate we purchase something. It's a religous freedom issue as well...mandating the birth control, the Plan B (morning after abortion pill) be paid for by everyone and given for free to women...that's crazy, especially when it comes to churches, hospitals, charities, non-profit organizations that are convicted on these issues...you can't FORCE people to pay for something like this...but that is exactly what is going on.

LAWS- There are numerous federal laws that this administration has not upheld (which ironically, is against the law)
1. Voter bullying/intimdation...remember during the last election and in Pennsylvania there was video of the black panthers standing outside voting precents threatening and intimidating voters...that is illegal. And our administration under Obama and Attorney General Holder did NOTHING about this.
2. DOMA...Defense of Marriage Act. This is a federal law...and our justice system has refused to uphold this law. Kind of scary that they can determine what laws they chose to uphold or not. It's a law!
3. Immigration...Coming into our country illegally is the issue. No one complains about legal immigration. There are people in my family that have done this the proper way...but there are laws being broken daily and instead of our government reinforcing the laws, the have sued our very own states over this issue. Amazing how our states are the ones being punished by this administration when they try to enforce federal law huh.
4. Activist Judges (more of a local/state issue)...California is a prime example. The people of California voted to ban gay marriage in their state. So if the people voted against it, that should have been it. Instead, 1 of 2 judges overturned the very law that millions of citizens voted for. Just because they are a judge doesn't mean they trump the voice of millions. That's unacceptable and wrong.
5. Obamacare...once again, this is wrong on a federal level. This is unconstitutional which is the key thing. This was rammed down the throat of Americans whether they liked it or not...
6. Supreme Court Justices...this is one of the most important things about Presidential elections that people often overlook. A President's ideology is what will determine how they pick a Supreme Court Justice to appoint for life. More than likely the next President will appoint 2 people to this position. If you recognize the moral decline of our society and the push of boundaries, you will also recognize the importance of these Justices to have conservative values. They are the ultimate authority of our country...and this is one of the biggest deals considering most major controversial cases end up here.

Religions Freedom-This is a real issue...this administration is forcing its ideology down our throat and expects the Religious Right to sit back and take it.
1. Forcing people to go against their religious principles and beliefs is wrong...the contraception and Plan B pill are prime examples of this administration taking away religious freedom. It's illegal in this country and wrong.
2. This administration has also threatened chaplains in the military...so now that homosexuality is allowed in the military, how are Christians who stand with the Biblical view of this expected to uphold their moral convictions as Chaplains in the military? Will they be punished for upholding their beliefs?
3. Preachers of God's word...don't think for a second that preachers and outspoken pastors have not been threatened by this administration. It has 100% happened...ask David Jeremiah if you don't believe me. He was called by the White House because of his awareness and preaching...a little bit of bullying by our White House perhaps?

Get my point...although it may be very long? This election, and every election, is important. This isn't just about the hot button topics to today, but it is about an overall society pulling its on weight and being responsible in it's actions to better the country. That requires enforcing God's laws which have been the standard throughout time, enforcing the laws in our Constitution, etc. Healthy laws prevent chaos and give order...that's why they need to be enforced and why they are important. Get informed this election season...and by all means, VOTE. Don't vote for selfish gain, but vote based off of what will be best for our country and our next generation.

culture war = spiritual war

2012-02-09T22:07:00.000-06:00

Are you aware that there is a culture war going on? That being said, I truly believe this culture war is primarily a battle of souls. Think about this...the Bible is clear of the battle of good and evil. If you aren't living for Christ and allowing him to guide your life, you are living for evil. You may think you have not made the choice to live for evil per se, but if you haven't made the decision to live for good (Christ) then you have chosen the only other option. Afterall, there are only 2 options...it's either or.

So I guess that is my plea to you...be aware that there is a battle for YOU, and for all of us. So first and foremost, you have to figure our what side you are working for...I pray and hope you chose to battle for Christ and His teachings found in the Bible. Most of those teachings are very clear, regardless of what society tells you. The truth is, the Bible is unchanging...God's word is unchanging and everlasting.

Our society and culture wants to rewrite history...they want to change what has always been. Black has now become white...right has now become wrong...and what was once shameful has become the accepted lifestyle. If we don't have a revival in our nation soon, this nation will truly keep sliding by the wayside...and you don't have to look far to see how God has handled nations that go against His ways...it's in the Bible. Remember Sodom and Gomorrah?

Supreme Court Justice...

2012-02-08T22:24:00.000-06:00

Ruth Bader Ginsburg...she was appointed by Bill Clinton to the Supreme Court. So why in the world would I blog about this lady? Well, to prove the point of how important Presidential elections are on a long term scale. This woman was appointed in 1993. She has a lifetime appointment, as do all of these appointed officials. The reason I am bringing her up...because of her remarks she made recently on Egyptian television:

She trashed our US constitution (which by the way she has sworn an oath to uphold). She pretty much said that our consitution has not been a success and that she would look to other countries when forming a new consitution (Egypt is looking to do this). She said that countries like South Africa have a good modern day consitution....hmmm, do people from all over the world literally jump at the chance to move to South Africa? Are people literally dying to get into that country and make their family and possibility of hope better?
Or, has the United States been the most freedom oriented country ever known to man...has the United States been the most dominant country created because freedom has flourished over the years, because it's citizens have had the opportunity here to create a better life where the sky is the limit...

It is a disgrace that this woman holds the highest legal position in our country...and she is appointed for life. If you don't believe me...CLICK HERE and read it for yourself.

Economy getting better?

2012-02-08T22:12:00.000-06:00

As you can tell...the lack of blogging for me has been building up! The recent unemployment report of 8% really ruffled my feathers...who honestly thinks the economy is getting better? Anyone who is actually in the work force, or who has been looking to get into the work force, knows that 8% number is inaccurate. Think through this with me...companies are not expanding, which means jobs are NOT being created. In fact, big companies are laying people off...

-American Airlines announced they are laying off 13,000 people (a huge portion of them are in the Dallas area)...tell them the economy is getting better when they are about to be out of work.
-3 major pharmaceutical companies are laying off (one of them are laying off 60% of their sales force):
Novartis, Takeda, AstraZeneca...and think about what the lack of pharmaceutical reps mean.
(It means there are obviously fewer jobs, and then the other risidual companies that will be effected like restaurants who depend on these drug companies during lunch hours, the companies who depend on drug companies to use their printing services for marketing materials, for packaging services when it comes to supplying samples, etc....It isn't just drug companies who will lose out, it will be all of the businesses that depend on them too)
-Smaller drug companies that have closed their doors over the last year...and there are many of them. Those jobs are not coming back...

Obviously I know people personally affected by the downsizing of these Pharmaceutical companies...
Some initially had to work at a movie theater at night to bring money in, while they were looking for another career job. Some of these people have never found that career job in almost a year...so that 8% unemployment rate doesn't include these people who are struggling to survive...
That rate doesn't include another friend who was laid off years ago, who has been able to find another stable job since...and for almost 3 years has been in and out of the work force. There aren't many jobs out there that pay well, that provide benefits, and that are hiring.

Here's my point...the Washington number crunchers can say whatever they want about unemployment rate. The reality is we need jobs in this country. We need our government to facilitate a job creating agenda...and I mean private sector jobs, not jobs that are government based that will rely on our tax dollars that we don't have to spend...
This current administration has not created jobs...they have over regulated certain industries that have made it harder to survive and compete...they have literally had the opportunity to create jobs with the stroke of a pen and have chosen not to (The Keystone Pipeline from Canada to Texas would have created thousands of temporary and permanent jobs...Obama said no because of environmental issues. So our environment is more important than the people trying to survive in the worst economy since the Great Depression...I think not)

This economy sucks...and people need and want to get back to work. The only way for this to happen is to get business minded people into office, to get people who believe in the FREE market capitalism that has made this country successful, and to get less regulations on industries/companies that will allow companies to be successful and be able to turn a profit in this down economy. Can we say, we need a new administration???

Religious freedom under attack...

2012-02-08T21:56:00.000-06:00

One thing I have realized by listening to conservative radio, is that we do not get important information from the main stream media. One important topic of note is how religious freedom (imparticular the religious freedom of Christians) are increasingly under attack from a legal perspective. Let me give you a few examples:

*The CDC (Center for Disease Control) recently FIRED an employee, Marsha Walden, for her Christian beliefs. The issue, she was a counselor for that organization....a homosexual came for relationship counseling, and because this lady new she could not give this couple proper counseling due to her moral/Christian convictions, she referred them to another counselor that could help them. (This is common practice if an issue is not in the best interest of the counselor). So what happened next...she was FIRED. She broke no rules and didn't turn the couple away, but simply gave them to a different counselor. She was FIRED for her religious beliefs.
*The Freedom FROM Religion organization...this organization is at the fore front of attacking Christianity. They have pushed law suits on towns/cities that have crosses in public places...like in Whiteville, TN where they had a cross on top of a water tower. RIDICULOUS. But what's so ironic is that it is "freedom OF religion" and not "freedom FROM religion"...that one different word is where their name is messed up according to our federal laws. This organization is on the prowl and is attacking Christianity.
* OBAMACARE...I get that some of you reading this will roll your eyes on this part, but hear me out. This healthcare legislation is MANDATING that religious organizations keep contraception, reproductive services, etc in their healthcare policy. (Remember, part of Obamacare states that birth control must be "free" to women...so if you are a single man and will never have a need for birth control, you still must pay for it-that's stupid) Thankfully, catholic organizations and churches are yelling the loudest on this issue...here you have a denomination/belief system that does not agree with birth control, but yet our current administration is going to force them to compromise their beliefs for a federally mandated law. THAT IS WRONG! If these organizations choose to pay the federal penalty because they refuse to follow this law, then most of these organizations will go out of business because they will not be able to afford the penalty and stay in business.
*Similar to the counseling story above, there was a student at a university in Georgia that had a similar situation. She was in school to become a counselor, when a homosexual couple came for counseling. She referred them to another counselor, but since she wouldn't be tolerant of them although it was against her religious beliefs...the school kicked her out. The only way she would be allowed to stay in school was if she underwent "diversity training" which included attending Gay Pride parades, etc. That one has obviously been going through the courts too.
*Out west there was a photographer that turned down the business of a homosexual couple because of her beliefs...and what do you think happened next, she was sued because she was unwilling to photograph them. Do you see the repition here?

Christians are accused of being intolerant all of the time...when in reality, there is a huge anti-Christian movement in our country. Others are attempting to force Christians to conform to their lifestyle or beliefs...homosexual activist are doing this, our own government is doing this, and atheist organizations are doing this. So you tell me, who are the intolerant ones?

Vote your conscience or vote electability?

2012-02-08T21:30:00.000-06:00

From listening to the radio and from numerous conversations lately, there is no doubt that many Americans are in desperation for a new President. I am obviously in that same camp...any one but Obama! That being said, how do people choose who to vote for in this primary period? What it seems to come down to is this...people vote their conscience-or for who they line up with the most on moral issues, etc OR people are voting on the "electabillity" of a candidate-or for who they think has the best chance of being elected in the Presidential election.
Hands down, I am not saying there is a wrong or right way...but it is important that people (ESPECIALLY CHRISTIANS) vote. This election will truly be the biggest election of my life time thus far. This current Administration is helping our country spiral out of control...they have truly picked a fight with Christians and religion (they are intentionally making decisions that go against our freedom OF religion and our religious rights.
This election is crucial...and I truly mean it when I say, ANY of these candidates would be better than Obama. But, I do think there are various things to be considered with each candidate...after all, there are no perfect candidates because Jesus is not a candidate. There will be a flawed human being in office...so who will it be:

Santorum---He is who my vote will be for when the primary election comes to Tennessee. Why you might ask...because I hands down know where he stands on big issues. Santorum is 100% for family...he is for traditional marriage, he understands how the break down of traditional households have lead to our country's welfare state and more, he values life (and has written and promoted some of the most important anti-abortion legislation). These principles are Biblical...traditional marriage, the value of life from the womb, the consequences of broken families and consequences of sin...
He also knows Congress...has been there and knows what it would take to work with others. AND, there is no doubt in my mind he would appoint conservatives to the Supreme Court as President.

Paul---I will say this...his supporters are fanatics. There are a lot of good things about Ron Paul, but he is too extreme for me. I love the idea of getting government out of our everyday lives...but when that goes too far and things like illegal drugs and prostitution would not be enforced under his authority...I can't go for that. His other down fall in my opinion...his foreign policy. We have to respect the threat of the Middle East and stand firm.

Newt--- I truly believe this man is the smartest on the stage...but smart doesn't mean the best candidate. His knowledge is unbelievable...and he would EAT OBAMA ALIVE in a debate. I would literally pay to watch it. But my concerns...he was for the CAP & TAX bill that Congress voted down last year. It was a bad idea and was luckily voted down. He has made commercial appearances with Nancy Pelosi...horrible mistake. And the obvious, his adulterous past...this is a legit issue. (and to tell you the truth, I think this is what made Bill Clinton sorry...I will not give Newt a pass on this just because he is Republican...and if he can do that to his most sacred vows...can you trust him with running our country?)

Romney--- He is the most 'middle of the road' candidate we have...and I am far right of the middle. I get his "electability" factor because a lot of middle of the road voters would be willing to vote for him. BUT, Obamacare was modled after Romnicare in Massachusetts...Massachusetts was the first state to pass homosexual marriage...he has flip flopped on a lot of issues (like John Kerry did years ago). I don't trust this man much at all...but, from a business standpoint...he knows business and has a great track record...which our economy needs for sure.

THE MORAL OF THE STORY....VOTE...VOTE...VOTE...but, please know what you are voting for. Do not simply take a candidates' word for it (that goes for Republicans and Democrats)...but look at their policies, their voting record, what they have done in the past...that is the truest proof we have to base our vote off of.

Other Religions...

2012-01-23T00:15:00.000-06:00

This past week while at lunch, a hindu started telling me about where he is from in India...about Pakistan as a neighbor, and the rivalry between Islam and Hinduism.It was fascinating to hear this man talk and to try to understand his beliefs. His wife became involved in the conversation...and it went fairly deep into philosophy and theology (atleast for what I'm capable of). I would have the opportuniy to say things like, "...well according to my beliefs as a Christian...". It was a very good conversation, and I realized that on the surface...many of the things they said sounded so good...they sounded like some of the characteristics of Christianity. BUT...what I realized is that it doesn't take much faith at all to be Hindu. Literally anything, everyone, and everything can be a god (not THE GOD). All roads lead to god in their eyes, and as you probably know...what you do in this life brings about karma...which leads to how good you will have it in the next life here on earth.

Think about that...you never get away from earth, which we know is corrput and sinful (but in their eyes you don't leave this place, you simply start over). If all roads lead to the same place, we have no accountability or reason to have faith in the first place...you can't be wrong or really pay an ultimate price. Not to mention, one doesn't have to literally submit to our Lord and Savior...their Hindu version is completely dependant upon their personal beliefs and their works...in Christianity, our life is completely dependent on Christ living within us (if you are filled with the Holy Spirit). Our actions are not our own...and our focus is on things above, not on earthly things...not to mention, we have repentance and faith in our Christ...which gives us the great privilege of one day leaving this earth and going to heaven. (obviously if you have not given your life to Christ then we also know the other choice, which is Hell)

Please pray over this family of Hindus...they are so kind in demeanor. I pray that somehow someway, God is planting seeds in their life. I pray over them and ultimately pray for their salvation. While you are at it...pray over the Pakistani man and woman I had lunch with the day before too. I know there is a new Christian that works for them, so I pray she can be a beacon of light in that office...as hopefully myself when I go there from time to time.

Based on my knowledge in both instances, these people need Jesus...pray over them!

$5 gas here we come

2012-01-19T23:17:00.000-06:00

So have you heard the predicitons...that by Memorial Day/this summer, we here in the US will have an average of $5/gallon gas??? Did you know that when Obama was elected, the national average for gas was $1.85/gallon...

So, think about this:
The Keystone Pipeline....Obama blocked this recently. In case you haven't heard about it, this pipeline was intended to be a deal between us and Canada. It would bring oil from Canada through a pipeline that literally would run north to south through the USA. This pipeline would end in Texas where it would then have to be refined.
Think about this...the approval of this pipeline would create thousands of jobs. It would create temporary jobs throughout several states because it would have to be built...then it would create permament jobs in Texas because the refinery would need employees. So, if our current administration was in the business of creating jobs...this would be a giant step in the right direction. If this current administration was truly worried for the less fortunate and common people, they would do all they could to keep the cost of resources like gas down.
Off Shore Drilling...once again, it is a known fact that we have oil off the shores of our own country. However, this current administration will not allow for certain types of drilling in our country. This woud create jobs and once again, provide us energy from our own country.

Here's the deal...Obama is making decisions that hurt our country and the people who are trying to survive during the worst economy since the Great Depression. $5/gallon gas will destroy this country...because not only can everyday people not afford this, the cost of everything will go up too. Think about it, as the cost of gas rises...so will the cost of everything else. If you don't understand what I am saying...as the cost of gas goes up, businesses and companies that use transportation to ship their goods and services will have to pass that higher cost along to consumers...which means we will not only be paying more for gas, but we will be paying more for everything else.

This administration is killing the economy...unemployment is way too high, businesses are continuing to file for bankruptcy or go out of business, and companies are continuing to lay people off (Literally I know of 3 pharmaceutical companies that are in the middle of lay offs; one company is laying off 60% of its sales force). So, open your eyes and took an honest look at what is going on. Obama has made his own decisions on the economy...4 years later, this economy is on his shoulders. Don't be nieve about this...if he really wanted to make a quick step in the right direction...he would move forward with the pipeline, allow drilling here in our own country, and stop some of the crazy regulations on our companies. Please get informed before this election...

NATIONAL CHAMPIONS....ROLL TIDE!!!

2012-01-09T22:50:00.000-06:00

NATIONAL CHAMPIONS.....ROLL TIDE ROLL!!!

I am so thankful that Alabama was allowed to play for the BCS National Championship after losing to LSU in the regular season. To everyone out there who didn't want to see a repeat game...

oh well, it was worth it (especially if you are an Alabama fan)!!!

ROLL TIDE ROLL!!!

New Presidential candidate pick?

2011-12-17T22:20:00.000-06:00

If you've read this at all...then you know that I was a Herman Cain supporter. Obviously he is out of the race now, which means I have to vote for someone else when the time comes. I am not sure where my vote will land at this point...but I know who I don't want to vote for in the primaries-Romney or Gingrich. I am conservative...they are not. (Yes, they are more conservative than our current President...
but not conservative enough for me) The primary elections are an opportunity to vote for who you truly want to vote for...I've realized, there will always be compromising...but you get to vote FOR someone and not just against someone.

I am NOT a Romney fan...he appears to just want the title, President. He has been on every side of every issue over the years...and that's a red flag for me. There is no doubt he is a smart business man, but I don't believe our values line up. Romney-care (although I agree that a state has a right to do it versus our federal government, Obama-care) was a terrible idea. What was one of the first states to legalize gay marriage...Massachusetts, which is where Romney is from. Catch my drift...not a fan.

Gingrich...is a very smart man. That is what caught my eye during the debates...the man is on point, and very convincing. BUT, the man has a lot of history...and it's not all so good. Obviously, most know about his 3 marriages (and the last 2 were with the woman he was having an affair with during the previous marriage) This is a huge deal to me, because our marriage vows are literally the most sacred commitment we can make. He apparently was for the Cap and Tax legislation that our President wanted passed in recent years...It was a bad idea, and he was for it. He appeared in commercials with Nancy Pelosi for crying out loud in support of bad environmental policies...He has a history with the corrupt companies of Fannie and Freddie...catch my drift. Don't get me wrong, he would be better than Obama...and would eat Obama's lunch in a debate...but he isn't my 1st choice.

Perry...I love his outspoken faith. I do think he has done a good job in Texas, but he isn't flawless either. His immigration policies in Texas haven't been up to par in my opinion. That is one of his biggest down falls...and unfortunately the man has had many slip ups during the campaign period. But I will say this...actions speak louder than words. I would take his lack of debating skills, for positive action any day (versus Obama who is a great communicator/speaker...but his actions flat out stink.

Ron Paul...I just can't do it. His followers are finatics, but I am not one of them. Don't get me wrong, he has some very strong points and knows what he stands for and believes. But he is also too extreme for me...and, although I agree our government should not be involved in social issues...that isn't the case at this point. Our government is involoved, so you can't just make that go away. Not only that, but "no war" sounds ideal, but we don't live in Heaven...there will always be talks of war and America is the strongest nation in the world...we shouldn't be ashamed for that.

Bauchman...unfortunately for her she got Palinized from the start (made out to be and look crazy). Being a female, I just don't know if she can truly handle the role of Presidency. Maybe that isn't fair to her, but I would personally rather a male be in the role. On the other hand, she is hands down one of the most conservative of the candidates. I love her story of foster parenting, of her husband counseling homosexuals out of that lifestyle, and her fiscal responsibility.

Santorum...I've listened to him in debates, and have researched the man a little more. I LOVE some of the things he has stated about the break down of families in our nation...he is spot on. He is an advocate for family and life values, which you know I love. He has passed anti-abortion legislation, has been outspoken on traditional marriage, and spoken out against the breakdown of family and how that leads to a moral and fiscal decline in our country. He is actually talking about the root of our country's problems...and he is absolutely correct. I am slowly becoming a fan of his...I don't know the dirt or negatives with Santorum yet...but until I hear them, he may be my next person of choice for President. I guess we will see if he can hang in the race after the Iowa vote in early January.

Let me know who you like...and why. If you don't want to comment on here, then email me. I am curious to see what others think. The great thing with my job, I get to have some amazing conversations with some very intelligent people (alot of these conversations are about the candidates and the upcoming election...and as you can imagine, I love it)

Tebow...does God care about football?

2011-12-17T21:46:00.000-06:00

Let's face it...if you follow sports at all, then you know of Tim Tebow (former outstanding Florida quarterback, who wasn't supposed to get drafted to the NFL early because of his lack of fundatmental quarterback skills) But now, the Denver Broncos...with the help of Tebow...have had some amazing wins lately. Everywhere you look in regards to NFL games...Tebow's name is being brought up. I know people get sick of him, but the kid is amazing in many ways (Yes, I am and have been a huge fan).

Here's the deal...Tebow is UNASHAMED of his Christianity. He literally mentions his faith and God everytime he gets the chance. He admits, he uses his celebrity as a platform to profess his beliefs which are the most important to him. People can hate on him all they want, but the kid doesn't budge. He has been consistent for years...and he backs his talk up with action. He is using part of his earnings to build a hospital in the Phillipines where he grew up, and where his parents were missionaries.

So, does God care about the outcome in football games? I highly doubt he cares who wins and loses, BUT God will use any means necessary to further his kingdom. If you don't think that is happening right now you are crazy...for example, one of my husband's co-workers is an atheist. This man came up to my husband recently and asked him about this Tebow and God thing. Someone who has denounced God's very existence is asking about God. And let's be honest, many men in America worship football on Sundays...instead of worshipping God. There is no doubt that God is working on men throughout this football season...and he is using Tim Tebow, his Denver Broncos, and their amazing wins to get people's attention. God will use whatever means necessary to lead people to himself...God may not care about football, but he cares about winning souls of men...and he will use football and its football players to do it!!!

GOP fighting back over Obama's LGBT agenda

2011-12-09T00:39:00.000-06:00

“This administration’s war on traditional American values must stop.
“I have proposed a foreign aid budget that starts at zero. From that zero baseline, we will consider aid requests based solely on America’s national security interests.
“But there is a troubling trend here beyond the national security nonsense inherent in this silly idea. This is just the most recent example of an administration at war with people of faith in this country. Investing tax dollars promoting a lifestyle many Americas of faith find so deeply objectionable is wrong.
“President Obama has again mistaken America’s tolerance for different lifestyles with an endorsement of those lifestyles. I will not make that mistake.”

The above statement is from Presidential hopeful, Rick Perry.
You know what...I obviously agree with him!!! Now that Cain has dropped out of the race, I am not sure who I am pulling for. I am NOT a Romney fan at all...I feel that he just wants the name of President so badly that he will flip and flop any which way to obtain it...he is not trustworthy in more ways than one (but I will give him credit of being a smart business man)
Gingrich has a ton of baggage as well...and for crying out loud, he did an environmental advertisement with Pelosi. Smart man for sure...but has never had a solid foundation.
Although he isn't electible and is very extreme, Ron Paul has some good ideas. There is no doubt where that man stands on issues.
Bachman has fallen victim to similar issues that Sarah Palin had...the media has spun her to be crazy, and most people believe it. But...she has an admirable family life and mission in my opinion. I'm not endorsing her in anyway, but the woman is solid and her foundation is Biblical for the most part.
So, of the bigger names from the Republican side...that leaves Perry. I do not agree with all of his standpoints (his immigration position would have to change)...but there is no doubt where this man's foundation stands. He is a Christian conservative which our nation desperately needs. He held a very public day of prayer in Houston where people from all over the country attended-to pray for our nation. He has led our largest state, Texas, through these tough economic times...and has done a good job of that. There is no doubt, he is not a good debater. But I will say this, actions speak louder than words. Obama is smooth as silk with words...but his actions are not Biblical, are not moving our country in the right direction, etc. Perry can be a screw up with words, but if he makes good decisions as President...that is worth the media out-takes and bloopers that he would receive. Who knows for sure where my vote will swing in the primary at this point...but based on foundational, Biblical beliefs...there aren't many who are even in the running based on those principles.

MORE homosexual promotion by our government...Clinton

2011-12-09T00:22:00.000-06:00

http://www.scribd.com/fullscreen/74942691

The above link is the official transcript of Hillary Clinton's speech this week in Geneva, Switzerland.
On a national stage to the entire world, she spoke on world wide equality and recognition of the homosexual (LGBT) lifestyle.
HILLARY CLINTON & BARACK OBAMA DO NOT REPRESENT WHAT THE MAJORITY OF AMERICANS BELIEVE...

The current leaders of our country are misleading people worldwide...and they are leading them into sin. This will be on the hands of those who promote a sinful lifestyle, who promote an agenda based on behavior and action, and who literally force this down our throats.

I am calling on those of you who read this...to get involved some way, to inform others of what is really going on in our society and government. If you don't want to do it face to face, then pass this blog along to others...use me, I don't care.

I know a lot of people who voted for this man...and I know alot of them would not stand for his actions if they really knew what was going on. The ACLU, this President, and many others can attempt to take Christianity and religious principles away from the United States...and they can attempt to rewrite history to look as if our founders were religious...the reality is, these people will keep winning...will keep using their power unless we do something.

So, if you consider yourself a Christian...I challenge you to go back to the Bible. The Bible is clear on this issue...and many others like abortion. It is NOT RIGHT for our government to be involved in these issues at all, let alone throw our hard earned tax payer money at it. Take action my friends...

One last thing...please read the transcript of Clinton's speech. She basically said to put religion to the back burner and accept homosexuality. That this lifestyle should be put about religious beliefs. On that note, it isn't as if Christianity is the only religion to acknowledge this distructive lifestyle is wrong...Islam and others do too.

an Agnostic point of view

2011-12-06T20:45:00.000-06:00

Everytime I visit this place (a place I went today for work)...a conversation of religion comes up. It is a conversation that I am thankful for, but always very disturbed by. You see, what I have realized about atheist and agnostics, is they are always talking about a God they either don't believe in...or about a God that they have zero faith in because they choose not to believe in what happens after death; they are unsure about it.

HELLO...THAT'S WHERE FAITH COMES IN.

This gentleman always releases a barrage of attacks on my faith...on religion in general...and especially Christianity. His mode of attack...how smart he is, how educated he is, the things he has studied and read, etc. He literally takes these articles as TRUTH and fact. Let be clear...the ONLY TRUTH that is unwavering and solid is the BIBLE. People can try to spin it, can try to dismiss it, but it has never changed. God's word doesn't change.

The other thing this man said is how religion is violent. That is bull crap. I attempted to clarify before I was cut off...CHRISTIANITY is not violent. When practiced as God intended, it is not violent here on Earth. CHRISTIANS are not the ones attacking and killing others...
That's where this man is wrong...ISLAM is the violent religion. These people are killing Christians in Egypt, are burning their places of worship, etc. This religion will not even allow people to convert to Christianity without literally killing them. That is violent and non tolerant.

This man said the only religion he would consider would be Buddhism. Hmmm, I studied this a little in college. So, getting rid of desires to reach a state of Nirvana...that is our purpose in life. (Nirvana = a state of nothingness...sounds exciting right) That's crazy, boring, and purposeless...

Here is the difference between Christianity and all the other religions of the world. Christianity does require faith...it requires us to rely of a saving God, a Savior in Christ Jesus...who took the penalty for our sins by dying on a cross! No other religion of the world does that...they all rely on "works" to obtain their superior state...Islam-->so you can kill others in the name of Allah and that gives you virgins in your afterlife...woo hoo. Buddhism-->rid yourself of desire and you reach nothingness. Hinduism--> your works and life here on Earth determine your next life, once again here on Earth. Sorry folks, but I only want to live on this sinful Earth once.

Do you see my point...every other religion is based on what you do, based on works. Christianity is the ONLY ONE that is based on what Jesus did for all of us. It is the most tolerant religion in the world, because anybody from any background can make the choice to follow Christ. The 'works' aspect of Christianity is not to earn salvation, but to literally represent Christ and lead others to Him.

Please pray for this man that this post was initiated because of...
Please pray for those who have yet to give their life to Christ and rely on faith in him...
Please pray for revival in our nation...

More Obama Push of Homosexuality & Declining our country

2011-12-06T20:27:00.000-06:00

Hey taxpayer...do you want your hard earned tax payer dollars going to help promote the homosexual lifestyle around the world in the form of "foreign aide"? ME NEITHER.

I am ALL for giving and helping others...but to promote a sinful agenda so you can pacify and get votes from the homosexual population with my money...is RIDICULOUS Mr Obama.

This man is a homosexual activist...he is not a President and I make no appologies for saying that. This man has shown ZERO leadership during his time in office. The common reaction from loyal Democrats is to blame Republicans...
there is no doubt Republicans, as a whole, have made a lot of mistakes and contributed to the crappy economy and crappy society that we are faced with. BUT, there has never never never been a President to spiral this country out of control like this man.

THE CULTURAL WAR--> This man (Obama) has done more to lead people away from a Biblical Christian culture than any other leader...SO IF YOU ARE A CHRISTIAN, DIG YOUR HEAD OUT OF THE GROUND AND WAKE UP TO WHAT THIS MAN IS DOING! As I've stated on here before, he is the first and only President to hold a LGBT (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgendered) party at the Whitehouse. He has overturned DOMA (Defense of Marriage Act)...he has broken our FEDERAL laws in allowing homosexuals to serve openly in the military.
What happened to MATTHEW 6:33..."Seek FIRST his kingdom and his righteousness..." It doesn't say, Oh just seek it when it's convenient...seek his kingdom when you get around to it...seek it when the time is right....SEEK FIRST.

THE ECONOMY-->WAKE UP...unemployment is the highest it has been since our grandparents went through the Great Depression. The economy is in shambles...and as a business person, this man has NO CLUE how business operates. And let's face it, most of our jobs are created in the private, business world. You have a man that is so set on getting votes from the "Green Energy and Environmental People"...that he passed on creating thousands of jobs on an oil pipeline from Canada to Texas. Oh, my bad...creating thousands of jobs, bringing oil to our own land without being that much more dependent on the Middle East...that sounds like a terrible idea...NOT!

Our economy is in the dumps...and our society is declining. Those are 2 of the most imporant things in this country. This man is declining both at a rapid rate...
Not to mention the debt continuing to rise, his un-constitutional overhaul of healthcare (that if not overturned, will lead to a single payer government healthcare system-this isn't a good thing, will cause more businesses to go under because they won't be able to afford healthcare to their employees)

WE NEED SOMEONE WHO CAN LEAD OUR COUNTRY FROM THIS MESS...It isn't all Obama's fault and that is not what I am saying. BUT what I am saying is Obama has done ALOT of things that HE is responsible for...promoting universal government healthcare, promoting the GAY agenda both here in the US and Overseas, giving the US the largest DEBT it has ever been in, etc.

I beg you to comment...I don't see how anyone can defend this man.

urgency...you never know when your time is up

2011-11-29T22:49:00.002-06:00

There isn't any great way of writing this post...so I'll just cut to it. Our preacher spoke on the "rapture" and "end times" this week at church. If you believe the Bible and believe it is God-breached like scripture says, then you know this life on Earth will come to an end...which means that while here on Earth, we have a choice to make. Literally the most important choice anyone could make...Do you choose eternal life by allowing Christ Jesus to become your savior, or do you not? There are no other options.

Although we all know we are going to pass away, this became a huge reality for me recently...
I lost a highschool classmate on Sunday. I grew up playing ball with this girl, saw her the last time at my high school reunion...and then was told last Sunday that she had been in a horrible car wreck. 2 of her 4 children died (twins), and she was in critical condition following the accident. She only made it a week after the accident...HEARTBREAKING.
Literally tonight I was reading her obituary in my home town newspaper, when I came across yet another classmate. This guy undoubtedly was walking to a nearby gas station where he lived, was struck by a car...he was taken to the hospital, but his wife and parents had no idea the accident had ever happened because he wasn't identified until hours later.

No matter the age, I always truly wonder about the eternal life of those who pass away. I hate wondering where these people end up...it's a touchy subject for sure. That being said, I want to give no shadow of a doubt where I will end up...HEAVEN. I know where my salvation lies; I know that Jesus is not only my Savior, but also my Lord; He rules over me which means I will be with him eternally one day...I hope and pray the same for you reading this...if you have to question your eternity...then you have the most important decision to make. Don't take it for granted...I lost 2 people I graduated with this week (in their early 30's).

New President Please....

2011-11-22T22:30:00.002-06:00

Can anyone reading this give me ANY reason why Obama should be re-elected? I am serious.

Here's the deal...our economy is the worst it has been since I've been alive. I have friends who lost their job in FEBRUARY, and literally have not been able to find a legit job since. I have a friend I spoke with tonight, who has been laid off yet again...and is now on the search for a career job. Unfortunately with this CRAPPY economy, she will probably just have a to find a job that will pay her bills...while waiting on more job opportunities where she lives.

Our current President has ZERO business sense, and that's where we NEED jobs created...in the private, working world-->NOT jobs created by our tax dollars, because our country is in the largest debt ever! Common sense would tell you...if you don't have money to spend, like in this circumstance, then you can't create government jobs that are paid by tax payer money.

Here's where the divide of ideology comes in: Obama comes from a world of academia. He has never been around business, and obviously doesn't understand that businesses is what makes our economy. There are other factors that he either doesn't seem to understand, OR he is doing intentionally.

GAS PRICES...they are predicting with all of the turmoil in the Middle East, that the price of oil is going to rise dramatically (I'm talking $5-6/gallon gas prices). I believe I heard that Obama made a comment regarding this situation to the affect of..."just walk or take public transportation." Has he ever lived in the suburbs, in the country, etc? NO...heck even in Memphis, you can't just walk to where you need to go. He has no clue what the real world is like.
Not only that, remember this gas line from Canada to Texas that literally would have brought oil to the refineries right here in our own country??? Your President put a stop to it...does that make sense considering the projected gas prices in the future? NO NO NO...he does not get it.

HEALTH CARE REFORM...you better hope and pray that our elected officials or supreme court over turn this thing. If not, it will be a huge nail in the coffin. Businesses can not afford to increase their health care expense in an economy that is in the pits. When you aren't bringing money in like you used to, how can you afford to increase your cost? YOU CAN'T. While this whole Obamacare agenda may sound like music to some people's ears...it is a nightmare to our economy.

TAXES...once again, when businesses aren't making profits and money like they are used too and you want them to increase their payrolls and hire new people...yet you take the very money from their hands that could go toward these things...DOESN'T MAKE SENSE, YET AGAIN.

I will end with this...this upcoming Presidential election is the most important one of my lifetime. Obama ran on a platform of Hope & Change..he brought change for sure...bad, wrong, change and obviously forgot the Hope part. This man is an amazing campaigner, so please don't let him fool you twice. But keep this in mind, we need a leader for President. One that understands economics and business...I beg you to get informed this election season!

What's the deal..GUYS

2011-11-20T23:00:00.002-06:00

This isn't going to be my post popular post, but yet I feel it necessary to call out MEN. Before I continue, let me make it clear that us women definitely have our faults...so this isn't a male-bashing type of thing, but a legit issue:
For some reason lately, I really see men "dropping the ball". Has our society raised a bunch of pansy men for this generation? Look back at history and we see men literally laying their life on the line for our country, for their families, for glory, for pride...and these days, with the exception of a few cases, it's like men have no discipline, no fight in them at all. If you are one of the few, then please keep it up!
If you are wondering where I am coming from...here's a brief run down: (the following are just scenarios that have burdened me lately from real life events I know of)

Example 1--> a husband quits working, becomes addicted to pain meds, therefore stops being a productive father and husband...therefore the wife feels forced to leave him. (How can a man feel right about this?)
Example 2--> instead of being disciplined and turning from sin, a husband and new father turns to a life of porn...gets busted and no doubt hurts a lot of people...not to mention Jesus. (How does this man destroy his life and the life of his family?)
Example 3--> a wife gives birth to a 2nd child, only to have the husband leave her and the children...which forces her to leave her residence, move to a new town, and start life all over as a single mother of 2. (Who leaves their wife right after she gives birth?)
Example 4--> a wife gives birth to her first child...but her husband moves out during her difficult pregnancy and has rarely seen this bright eyed bundle of joy. (Who leaves their pregnant wife?)

These are just 4 very real examples, but believe me I could continue but felt it wasn't wise to do so. Here's my point...MEN are supposed to be spiritual leaders in the house. In order to be a leader, you must be aware of the Devil's competitive nature to destroy the things that God created for good. MARRIAGE, although difficult, is a blessing and is created for good...MEN are to be leaders of their household, not be pansies and leave the woman with literally all of the responsibility. I will say this...MEN want to be respected. Respect is earned not handed out...

Step to the plate guys!

God of the Bible...or god?

2011-11-10T19:19:00.004-06:00

After a brief conversation with a dear friend today...I wanted to blog on the topic of our foundation? If you know me at all...my foundation for my beliefs, moral compass, ideology, etc is the God of the Bible. Why did I describe it as...'God of the Bible' you might ask???

Here's the deal...our Bible is the Word of God. Either you believe that, or you don't. You have a choice to make...but that is the beginning. Either you believe as 2 Timothy 3:16 says (ALL scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training in righteousness...) or you don't. It doesn't just say, the words in red where Jesus speaks...but this verse literally says ALL SCRIPTURE. Why is this important...because this is the book that gives us God's word. (The God who created us, the God who gave us guidance on how to live life, the God who also practices tough love with us when we get out of line, and most importantly...the God who sent his only Son to die on the cross for our sins!)

In the world we live in today, knowing your foundational beliefs if HUGE. Our morally decaying world is always trying to accommodate the latest sin, trying to accommodate the feelings of people who have a lifestyle that is damaging to themselves or people around them, and trying to accommodate principles that aren't Biblical. Society is trying to rewrite history...which means there is no foundation to their beliefs, other than their feelings and what they want society to accommodate. Unfortunately...most of these accommodations aren't founded on Biblical beliefs, but rather on human nature beliefs (human nature being sin, and what we need freedom from...
that only Christ can bring.)

So which is it...the God of the Bible who is clear on how we are to live our life or the other god? The God that not only established the world, but also established a set of laws that we are to abide by. The same God who gives us freedom of choice...He doesn't force us to believe Him, or anything He has stated. However, there are real consequences to not believing the God of the Bible or the laws he has written. There are eternal consequences which are obviously the most important, and there are consequences here on Earth too. It is a choice that all of us must make, whether we realize it or not. I will end with this...the God of the Bible has been around since the very beginning...He hasn't changed and His word is firm. Only the devil manipulates, distorts, and accommodates sin. Only the devil deceives us and attempts to twist the Word of God. So know which you are trusting...deception and lies, or TRUTH. Whichever you put your trust in, that's the foundation for your ideology, your way of thinking, and your way of looking at the world. It's a big choice to make...so you better have a firm and stable foundation!!!

For now, still on the Cain band-wagon

2011-11-09T22:52:00.002-06:00

All of this sexual harrassment talk is interesting...and my disclaimer up front (I could obviously be incorrect about the following information, but this blog is based off of current information-or lack there of)
Sexual harrassment...honestly, who in the working world could not file a law suit or accuse someone of doing this? I'm not saying it isn't a serious issue, but in order to actually follow through with something like this...it's got to be a major deal, you would assume. I would guess the majority of females out there could accuse and file suit on a yearly basis, but most don't.

It's kind of like the little boy who cried wolf...when it actually does happen, people don't believe it due to the fact that these things happen all of the time and women win money all of the time. Without going into details, I knew of a successful businessman in his small hometown a few years back that was slapped with these allegations...this tormented his family, and made them question all sorts of things...when the woman making the accusations was literally just after the money. Even if innocent in these situations, the water is still muddied and it creates doubt.

So back to Herman Cain...after following this man for a long time, I have honestly never heard of him being dishonest. There's always a first, but my gut tells me that this isn't the issue. You have women looking to gain from coming out publicly...and truly, I think Herman Cain terrifies the Democratic party. I truly, truly believe that if given the chance...he would wipe the floors with Obama. The race card has been played so much regarding Obama...and ironically enough, these are stereotypical accusations about a black man...and a powerful one at that. We'll have to wait and see what happens...but don't think Cain is gonna roll over. This man has survived and won a lot of issues in his life...maybe he is what we need in the White House.
We need a fighter, a speaker of truth, a smart businessman, a conservative, a Christian, and a confident man as our commander in chief. Ironically enough, those characteristics are almost the opposite of what we have in charge currently. Let's see...Obama has told lie after lie throughout his candidacy and presidency, he is ignorant in regard to business (which shows in this job creation bill that is only about infrastructure, teachers, and other GOVERNMENT jobs), and he is the most LIBERAL President our great nation has ever had...
sad to say, even IF the allegations about Cain are true...he would still wipe the floor with Obama, and I hope he has the opportunity too.

I'm just saying...

2011-11-02T22:52:00.002-05:00

I usually try to make these short and sweet, but if you've read these at all...it usually doesn't happen that way. So, let's cut to the chase...HERMAN CAIN.
What do you think about these sexual harassment accusations?
Before I go on...I am giving my opinion, which obviously could turn out to be wrong...but, at this time here are my beliefs.
My listening and support for Cain goes back further than the bandwagon of the GOP nomination. I listened to him daily on the radio, and know that the organization that he was associated with (or that allowed him to have a radio program on their network) would have never allowed him to do that radio show had these sexual harassment charges been legit. Like I said, I will eat my words if proven wrong...but at this time, I am convinced that these issues the lovely LIBERAL media are latching on to have more to do with his conservative beliefs, then the accusations at hand.
It is AMAZING to me to watch the liberal media swarm all over conservative candidates, while turning a blind eye to people like your current President while he was on the campaign trail. And yes, there is garbage out there on this President that hasn't been plastered all over the main stream media (black panther associations, radical extremist associations, etc...not to mention the fact that we have NEVER seen a transcript, etc)
You may think the above remarks are caddy, but think through this...our current President RARELY EVER had attacks on him like these GOP candidates have. For crying out loud, Rick Perry got raked through the coal over a rock with a terrible word on it...that was on land they hunted on, but didn't even own. It wasn't their property...although the word was terrible.
So back to Herman Cain...so now, after 20 years and $35,000 later...now the woman wants to speak out. I'm gonna be honest...this kind of harassment is in the eyes of the woman. EVERY woman, probably every man, could press charges on someone if they wanted. My husband teaches school, and he could definitely file charges if needed. Ironically enough, when this conservative man started taking the lead in the polls...now these women feel the need to come out. Ironic huh? It's also ridiculous...oh wait, what else is ridiculous that a 3rd lady has come out and said she "thought" about it. Seriously...if you truly feel you are sexually harassed, you don't just "think" about it.
I am eager to see where this thing goes...but I will say this...if Cain can withstand this battle, he may just be strong enough to win the whole thing. He or Perry...I would vomit to see Romney come through. Sadly enough for him...everyone knows he isn't really conservative, so no one expects more out of him.

the name of Christ on the line

2011-10-31T23:39:00.003-05:00

This is a sad post...because it tells of the spiritual war fare that is going on, and how the Devil wins some of these battles. I am competitive and hate to lose...and so does God, let's just be honest. The cool thing is this (before I continue)...is that we KNOW God wins the war, but we all have battles along the way.
This weekend my husband received a phone call from a close friend of his...someone we all knew and knew of, had stumbled BIG TIME. This person was a preacher, a Christ-follower, and one who had dedicated his life to traveling around spreading the gospel of Christ. This same person's sin caught up with him this past week...and made the news.
I will say this...everyone sins. But look at it this way...there is an ongoing battle for our souls, for the way we live our life, and for the name of Christ to be glorified. Not only has this person's actions caught up with them...they were busted for this sin, will probably lose/and should lose their job as a traveling evangelical leader, no doubt will damage their family, will damage their friends...will have possible jail time...but more importantly, destroyed the very name that they had dedicated their life too...CHRIST.
We all sin and fall short of the glory of God...but struggling with a sin, and giving into that sin are different issues. This person was way in over their head...the Devil won this battle, and Christ's name is the one that gets raked through the mud because of it. How can someone preach and teach the word of God and his redemption, but yet live a hidden life??? It is because the Devil is persistent...it is a battle. DO NOT GIVE IN TO TEMPTATION MY FRIENDS...it is a slippery slope that can be overpowering, like in this case.
BUT, the good news will always be there...Christ forgives. People will not forget what this person has done, but he will be forgiven by the God Almighty if asked for forgiveness. None of our sins are above God's forgiveness...just always remember this: If we profess to be a follower of Christ (Christian)...it is the name of Christ that is on the line.

Hollywood & the race card

2011-10-17T23:54:00.003-05:00

This will hopefully be short and sweet (but after writing it, it isn't...sorry)...
Hey Hollywood celebrities, keep your LIBERAL agendas and thoughts to yourself!!! Here's the funny thing...going off of the things I do know about Hollywood and California, most of these millionaires took advantage of a God-given talent. Most worked hard to get to where they are, with little education in their upbringing. So, when you stop and think about it...they took advantage of a free-market society where they could make movies about anything and everything...promote those movies with the help of the media, and make a lot of money. Right?
That being said...we see their lives play out in front of our eyes: we see the adultery, the addictions, the non-Biblical ways, the crazy lifestyles, the narcissistic thoughts, etc...they can have all of the money they want, but as a whole...these celebrities do not represent the common person at all.

So, to Sean Penn...you have NO IDEA what you are talking about.
Also, to Morgan Freeman...you have NO IDEA what you are talking about.

I point these 2 men out because of their immature comments made in the media lately. Their comments regarding the Tea Party and racism. I've got news for these guys, and anyone else who fails to see the real issues at hand...it isn't about race you morons, it's about our government taking on the responsibilities that we as Christians and citizens of this great nation are supposed to be doing. The government was never intended to be our Daddy...and that's basically what we have the government doing...being the very thing that the Church and our own families were designed to be.

Our government is too big...our government runs on tax payer money. They don't have a service that makes money, therefore they use various forms of taxes to generate money. I would invite these Hollywood celebrities to Memphis...let them come see a corrupt system...let them come see an overwhelming population of people living off the government...let them see a society in moral decline and through a series of bad decisions, almost forces them to live off of government assistance.

The TEA PARTY is not about racism...it is about responsibility (and that goes for the human race, not a particular color of skin). The funny thing is that with the TEA PARTY, the biggest issue is irresponsible government spending...and as much as certain people would like to deny it, Obama has been the biggest spending President we have EVER had. (That isn't to say that Republicans haven't contributed tremendously to this issue, because they have). Quit playing the race card...undoubtedly it is the only argument these people can think of...because if they look at logic and the facts, they don't have a case at all.

And one last thing...who is one of the biggest speakers of the TEA PARTY...Herman Cain!!!
Herman Cain isn't defined by his skin color, but he is BLACK and he is running for President.
Yes, I donated money to his campaign...Yes, if the elections were tomorrow I would vote for him...Does that mean I would be voting for a black man...YES, because of his conservative views!

It's about the politics and policies of this current President...not his skin color. Get over it!!!

The MAIN question...

2011-10-16T22:51:00.003-05:00

We've often heard the question, "Do you know Jesus?" As much as some may not like to hear it, a lot of people answer quickly with a yes...

Look at it this way...I went to a conference several months ago and heard some amazing people speak: Colin Powell, Terry Bradshaw, Laura Bush, Rudy Guiliani, Lou Holtz, etc...
I heard their words, know who they are, could even pick them out of a crowd...I know them right?

Well, I know OF them...

The real question is this..."Does Jesus know you?" You better hope so...I believe the worst thing you could hear Jesus say (Matthew 7:23) "Then I will tell them plainly, 'I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers."

Think of all the people who KNOW you...think of your old highschool friend (who knew you more years ago, but you just don't keep up like you used too), think of your siblings (who know you better than most, but that depends on how much you talk and confide in eachother), think of your spouse (who should KNOW you better than anyone else), etc...catch my drift?

Alot of people can KNOW us; but different people KNOW us in different ways, or to different degrees. So once again, does Jesus know you? If not, I promise knowing HIM will be the best decision you ever made. Once you allow him to KNOW you, He will be the best thing that ever happened to you. Remember, HE transforms lives from the inside out!!!!

Living Water...

2011-10-16T22:23:00.004-05:00

So it hit me today in church (which for the record, my family and I have started attending a different church lately...and God has really been speaking through the pastor) I will truly say this...
when you feel God's presence, see people joyfully worshiping and singing to our God, see people loving and serving the city of Memphis...it's awesome. Yes, I realize this happens at many churches (as it should), but I feel like God has placed us at this church for a reason.

Today, the description/name "Living Water" was used (which come from the gospels in the Bible)...and for some reason I just kept thinking about this. What first came to mind was the old statistic that says our bodies are made up of 2/3 water...If we ask Jesus to come into our heart, catch my drift...we are asking the God of Living Water to enter us. I would rather have purified water to come in, than dirty water. We need water in order for our bodies to function.
Water, as we know, is cleansing...God cleanses us and transforms us, which makes sense to use this Living Water description again.
Water also quenches thirst...therefore, Jesus quenches our thirst and keeps us from seeking non-purifying things in this world.

To those of you who read this...please know that the ONE true God, desires to know you. He can make us clean, can purify the dirt/sin in our lives, can quench our thirst and keep us from falling into the evil desires of this world. He is enough for us, truly!

Getting it off my chest...PART 3

2011-10-06T22:42:00.002-05:00

To my fellow Memphians...where were you at the voting polls? For those that did show up and vote, what were you thinking?

I love that my district re-elected a total idiot to our city council...the one and only, Janis Fullilove. Yes, the lady who was passed out/drunk in her car in Tunica...that had pictures taken of her passed out behind the wheel...who then had her license removed...who then BROKE THE LAW and reapplied for her license by LYING about it and saying she lost it...WHICH IS ILLEGAL. http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2009/jul/08/janis-fullilove-indicted-three-misdemeanor-charges/

I love that Memphians willing elect officials who have broken the law, and continue to re-elect them. It's absolutely amazing...can you tell I am so glad she represents me?
Thank goodness our mayor, AC Wharton, won re-election...that's a positive.

Getting it off my chest...PART 2

2011-10-06T22:23:00.002-05:00

The $5 banking fee that is all over the news...

Why do you think banks are starting a new $5 charge? Could it possibly be due to...government interference and regulations??? Is that possible???

Think about it...our government has put its fingers into almost every thing. Banking isn't any different. If you want someone to point fingers at regarding your new $5 monthly banking fee, try pointing them at the former Democratic Senator from Connecticut, Chris Dodd AND the grotesque Barney Frank...both elected officials at the time. Here's whats to blame, and this comes from Wikipedia:

The Dodd–Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act (Pub. L. No. 111-203, H.R. 4173) is a federal statute in the United States that was signed into law by President Barack Obama on July 21, 2010.^[1] The Act implements financial regulatory reform sponsored by the Democratically controlled 111th United States Congress and the Obama administration. Passed as a response to the late-2000s recession, the Act was touted as the most sweeping change to financial regulation in the United States since the Great Depression,^[2]^[3]^[4] purportedly representing a significant change in the American financial regulatory environment affecting all Federal financial regulatory agencies and almost every aspect of the nation's financial services industry.^[5]^[6]

The law was initially proposed on December 2, 2009, in the House of Representatives by Barney Frank, and in the Senate Banking Committee by Chairman Chris Dodd. Due to their involvement with the bill, the conference committee that reported on June 29, 2010,^[1] voted to name the bill after the two members of Congress.^[7]

I heard an interview from the past that was of Chris Dodd, where he was asked if banks would start making additional fees as a result of the bill he persuaded and brought to be passed by our government...his answer was WRONG. He said this bill was needed and that he didn't think banks would have additional fees. THANKS, you were and are WRONG. So, as always...when government starts dipping its fingers into the business world...businesses and corporations have to adjust and find other ways to make money...this is another prime example of that. Banks are charging new fees because they have to profit in order to exist, as any other business does. Although I don't like it either...these fees are a result of the lovely bill given to you by Dodd and Frank...known as the Dodd-Frank Bill. Look it up if you don't believe me...
Just do me this favor...when businesses initiate new fees and ways to make money...do your research, there is usually more to the story. Now you know some of this one!

Getting it off my chest...PART 1

2011-10-06T21:58:00.002-05:00

SERIOUSLY....have you paid attention to this "occupy wall street"? I will admit this (so correct me if I am wrong) I have not watched much tv at all lately, so I get most of my information from the radio or internet. I have attempted to look up the demands and ideology of this "occupy wall street" movement going on...please tell me if I am missing something:

First-From what I gather, this is about corporate greed and the 1% of the rich. People are coming together to stop corporate greed and the Federal Reserve. So now, greed is a bigger deal than ENVY/JEALOUSY. That may sound harsh...but I am tired of people playing the VICTIM card and blaming others. For whatever reason, there is no such thing as personal responsibility anymore.

Second-Is there greed in corporations? Of course...but here's the deal. Any business, any corporation for that matter...has to profit. They have to make money, or else they can't exist as a business. I'm not an Economics major, but that is common sense. Ever since I have graduated college almost 10 years ago, I have worked in the business world. Prime example of this second point, the company I worked for over the last 9 years...quit profiting, therefore they are no longer in business. It's as simple as that.

Third-The demands that I have seen regarding this "occupy wallstreet" group are as follows:
1. to have a living income regardless of employment...seriously. Move to a communist/socialist country if you want that. That is IMPOSSIBLE. I don't care what type of work you do, you make money and live within the means of the money you make.
2. free college education for everyone...seriously. NOTHING IS FREE, so how is this possible. Not only that, but if everyone had a college education then that education wouldn't be as valuable. Think about it...
3. to abolish the Federal Reserve-there are definitely problems with this. First problem is Chairman Ben Bernanke. People/politicians have asked him step down and resign, and he has refused. This guy makes the decisions when it comes to the value of our money...and he sucks at his job. He is making decisions that are devaluing our dollar...maybe we should get rid of him.
4. People are mad at the banks-I am not going to say there isn't some fault, but let's not look past those regulating the banks...your politicians. Yes, there were some famous political leaders (Clinton) that required banks to make questionable loans to citizens who were risky...so when the banks did as they were told, and then the citizens got in over their head on loans they should have never been granted...the banks take the blame. People do not realize the rules and regulations these businesses live under...blame the government!

That's all I have on this particular movement for now, except for this last point...the TEA PARTY movement is legit. The ironic thing, because the TEA PARTY movement has conservative grass roots, it got minimal recognition in the beginning. This current "occupy wall street" movement is far fetched...with less people in attendance and less gatherings across the nation, it has already received more recognition than the TEA PARTY in the beginning. And you think the media isn't biased? It's easy to see how they back the liberal views...and this is case in point!

About Herman Cain...his background/resume

2011-09-29T22:38:00.003-05:00

The following comes from www.hermancain.com/about
If you don't know much about him, just read this...I copied it from his website. He has a rags to riches story...shows you where education, hard work, and determination can take you. He really is an impressive man...

HERMAN CAIN BIOGRAPHY
Herman Cain grew up in Atlanta, Georgia with loving parents and little else. His father worked three jobs—as a janitor, a barber and a chauffeur—and his mother was a domestic worker. Even though these jobs required hard work and little glamour, his parents knew this life was better than the dirt farms upon which they grew up. They also knew that this hard work was the key to achieving their American Dreams.
Herman’s parents had two dreams. First, they wanted to own their own house. Secondly, they wanted both of their children to graduate from college. During the segregation era in the Deep South, these aspirations might have seemed lofty, but they knew that if they kept their faith in God, faith in themselves and faith in the greatest country on the Earth, they could achieve.
The first dream was realized in a modest brick house on Albert Street in Atlanta, Georgia. After years of saving from his many jobs, Herman’s father surprised the whole family, even his wife, by purchasing a home for their family. The second dream was realized when Herman graduated from Morehouse College with a degree in mathematics in 1967. His brother, Thurman, would go on to graduate from Morris Brown College.
Inspired by the work ethic and character of his parents, Herman continued his education by earning his Master’s degree in computer science from Purdue University while working full-time developing fire control systems for ships and fighter planes for the Department of the Navy. Though Herman enjoyed using his talents as a civilian employee for the Navy, he gravitated towards the culture of business.
Herman returned to his home of Atlanta to begin working as a computer systems analyst for the Coca-Cola Company. After considerable success at Coca-Cola, he moved to the Pillsbury Company. Within a short period of time, Herman rose to position of Vice President. Although the comforts of a corner office on the 31st floor of a majestic corporate building seemed satisfying, Herman knew that he needed a challenge.
He became the regional vice president of Pillsbury’s Burger King division. This meant starting from the “ground up,” dodging grease fires and broiling hamburgers. Herman was assigned to lead a low performing region of 450 of their restaurants. Within three years, it became the best performing region in the company.
Energized by overcoming the many obstacles of his job at Burger King, Herman took on the biggest challenge of his career. He accepted the call to become the President and CEO of Godfather’s Pizza, a company that was teetering on the edge of bankruptcy. In just 14 months, Herman returned Godfather’s to profitability and he led his management team to a buyout of the company.
His professional successes garnered the respect and admiration of industry peers who named him the President of the National Restaurant Association. Under Herman’s administration, the group grew significantly and began to lobby for the interests of America’s restaurateurs and small business owners.
In 1994, as head of the National Restaurant Association, he had the opportunity to speak with President Clinton during a nationally televised town hall meeting. Here, Herman challenged the President regarding the impact on businesses if his health care overhaul proposal were passed. President Clinton attempted to assure him and the millions of viewers watching at home that his legislation would not harm American business owners and their employees.
Herman was skeptical. “Quite honestly Mr. President, your calculations are incorrect,” he said. “In the competitive marketplace, it simply doesn’t work that way.” His words echoed across America, and Newsweek named Herman Cain the primary saboteur of Hillarycare.
Through these and other appearances on behalf of the National Restaurant Association, Herman began working with business leaders across all sectors of the American economy. This led to his acceptance of a position on the Board of Directors of the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City, and he was subsequently elected their chairman. In this role, he analyzed economic conditions in the region and notified the Federal Reserve of how their policies should respond.
Most recently, he hosted a radio talk show, “The Herman Cain Show,” on Atlanta’s WSB 750 AM/ 95.5 FM. He serves as a regular contributor on several broadcast networks and as a keynote speaker at conferences and events around the nation.
Despite the many professional commitments of his life, Herman continues to enjoy most the time spent with family and friends. As his children got married and had their own children, he knew that he had an extraordinary obligation to do what he could to make this a safe and prosperous nation for them. The paramount joys in his life are his wife, Gloria, his children and his grandchildren.

Herman Cain...

2011-09-29T22:08:00.002-05:00

I'm watching the local news here in Memphis...and what's making the headlines? Herman Cain's comments he made yesterday regarding African-Americans. He stated that African Americans are brainwashed and conditioned to voting democrat, and are not open minded to conservatives.

Hmmmm....this has created some controversy, and as you can imagine...the black population is offended by this statement. Why is this population of people offended? There are always exceptions to the rule, and Herman Cain is obviously an exception. Funny enough, every single black person they interviewed regarding this issue were democrats. Ironic huh?

Here's the deal...I can give you specific conversations with African Americans within the healthcare industry, that will admit they agree with conservative values and as one lady told me, "I probably agree more with the moral values of the Republicans, but I've always voted Democrat."

People may not like what Herman Cain said, but he is correct as a general statement. Heck, you can go vote with us and see the response we get when we asked to vote Republican (the majority of the people that vote where we do are African American). Heck, my husband works with conservative valued African Americans...who vote Democrat. Regardless of this population being offended, Herman Cain was stating the truth...like it or not.

Here's the deal with Herman Cain...the man is sharp, very sharp. I would pay money to see him and Obama debate. Cain would eat him alive...and I hope they get the opportunity to do so one day. Let's be honest...Obama sucks when it comes to the economy. Our economy has not rebounded since he's been in office (3 years). With Herman Cain, he knows business and the economy. All you have to do is look at his resume to see his sucess and knowledge when it comes to business, economics, taxes, etc. Not only that, he is a Christian. I used to listen to him on the radio and know parts of his testimony. Don't get me wrong...I will admit that he doesn't have government experience, which has its pros and cons. The man is sharp...and I admire him.

A First For Me...

2011-09-26T00:18:00.002-05:00

Today I witnessed something that I've never seen...

Before I tell you what it was, I need to tell more of the story. My family and I have started attending another church. The more we go to this church, the more we see God's hand all over it. Just this morning they showed a testimony (get ready for chills) of a black woman who needed a kidney. This lady's sister was in a life group at this church, and that life group had been praying for a donor...that's when the good Lord prompted this white woman. She told her husband she felt led to give her kidney. Turns out, she was a match ...living in a city like Memphis, and seeing how God can bridge the racial gap is amazing. Not only that, what an amazing story. These women didn't know each other prior to this...can you imagine just giving your kidney to someone you don't know?

In the above, I wanted you to see how Jesus is at work in this church. The preacher literally preaches from the Word...oddly enough, he has spine and backbone...which means he isn't scared to actually preach on controversial topics (just in the short time we have been there, he has spoke out about abortion, homosexuality, and government in small ways). Last Sunday, he told us about the homosexual agenda going on in the Memphis area...one area of concern is the push for a law to force Christian business owners to hire homosexuals, even if it is against their beliefs. Therefore, our preacher gave us information to a website to see who this homosexual activist group was endorsing...he did not tell us how to vote, but simply said to vote your conscious. (atleast we would know who the homosexual activist would want their supporters to vote for since there are elections going on right now)

That leads us to a couple of things...the media got wind of what was said at church last week, along with homosexual interest groups. And you think the persecution of Christians isn't going on? Then, as I was leaving church today and driving off with my family...

homosexual activist were protesting on the sidewalk of the church...as families and people who just got through worshiping the One True God are leaving, there were signs about being gay, etc. I was caught off guard at first...and then realized this...our world is morally declining. It's as our preacher said last week...we don't condemn the person, but we don't condone the sin. That's simply it...these people need help, like any other sin. Those caught up in a sinful lifestyle need help. Although they were there for the wrong reasons, they were at the precise place they needed to be...at church. Now if they will only come inside! Jesus says, knock and the door will open!

Sad but true...D vs R

2011-09-17T23:45:00.003-05:00

Over the last few days, I have been fortunate to talk to businessmen from the healthcare profession...we also heard/saw Obama's "pass this jobs bill today" speech...and then I literally just saw how Obama is going to tax millionaires even more than they already are. What's my point, as if you don't already know...
THIS MAN HAS NO CLUE HOW TO FIX OUR ECONOMY...HE HAS NO CLUE HOW BUSINESS AND ECONOMICS WORK...AND YES, HE IS OUR PRESIDENT.

This isn't meant to come across as beating him up...but simply the truth. He doesn't know how to do anything without stimulating union jobs, taking more of people's money, creating infrastructure/construction jobs (paid for by the government), etc. Maybe you will recall his comment about reducing payroll taxes for business owners...but from what I'm told, that doesn't really add up to enough to make a difference.

As for Obama's comments...taxing those that make over $250K. Someone this week made the comment to the effect of, "I will just see fewer patients and not hire anyone else...I'll make sure I stay just beneath that amount so I won't get taxed even more than I already do." Now, this guy is a speacialist...and no telling how much debt this man has from school...he deserves any money he makes. I honestly have no idea what this guy makes, but I will tell you this...Obama's plan to do this de-incentivizes people to work. They will work less, not as hard, or not hire people to do more work in order to stay under this amount. Once again...why does our government de-incentivize people to work?

The more I learn about government and economics, the more I realize these general comments (and they are not 100%, but I assume to be the majority):

Democrats generally do not understand business...what it takes to take a risk, to employee people, to have loans to pay back, what taxes can do to a business and its owner, and so much more. They don't understand how government regulations hurt business, which makes it harder to compete and employee people. Generally speaking (atleast the Democrats that I know and talk to)...have been paid by the government, including teachers...have been a part of a union, which unions all vote and fund the Democratic party, have government affiliated jobs, or are on a government hand-out (disability, food stamps, etc)

Republicans on the other hand...tend to understand business, the value of competition, perhaps and hopefully the moral and social issues affecting our society, understand incentives to work hard, compete, and goals to succeed. They see how too much government involvement (regulations, higher taxes, etc) can hurt the economy.

I hope this makes sense...but this is definitely the reality between friends of mine that are like minded and Conservative, versus friends/family that vote Democrat. I just encourage you this, talk to people...in the terrible economy, talk to business owners who are successful. Talk to several of them...and see what they say. Why aren't they hiring more people? Why are they having to shut their doors? Ask about taxes, Obamacare, the de-valuing of the US dollar, etc...

Yes, this is a complex issue...the economy that is, but something has to change.

#2-the Jobs Bill

2011-09-08T21:22:00.002-05:00

I'm not gonna lie...I didn't watch ALL of the President's speech. However, I did see enough of it...
and as you could have guessed, I DO NOT AGREE with him. Heck, you can look at the headlines on www.msn.com and see this ("approve a nearly half-trillion-dollar plan to help the economy.") Did you catch it??? HALF TRILLION DOLLAR PLAN = SPENDING MONEY...that we don't have! Need I remind that man...AGAIN...that we are in debt above our eye balls. Seriously, please think about this. If you went to a financial adviser...you were already in a world of debt that was almost too much to overcome...and instead of helping you find ways to "cut back" and pay off your debt...he suggested you just keep spending more. Hmmm...point made.

Don't get me wrong...Obama speaks with such confidence that he is believable. Heck, that's what sales is half the time & he was selling tonight. BUT, if you listened to him...listened to the words he was saying...this is literally what I heard at one point from Obama, "We need to provide more jobs to construction workers by fixing infrastructure (government work contracted out to these workers), invest in more teachers (government affiliated paid by tax payer money), work for our veterans (once again, veterans are affiliated with government obviously), and honestly there was one more that I can't remember right now.

Then, he did talk about cutting taxes for businesses in order to initiate job creation. That sounds good and I hope he's right...BUT, let's look at this...in the above paragraph he has talked about spending more money in several different ways, but yet he also wants to cut taxes which provide the money to spend on the government jobs mentioned above that he wants to create. See where I'm coming from...MORE DEBT! This man does not get it...seriously he doesn't.

Oh yeah, he also mentioned looking at all of the regulations the government has that are holding job creation back...talk is cheap Mr. President. Just looking doesn't do anything...ACTIONS do something. I work in an overly-regulated industry...the government watches your every move and literally determines the words you can and can't say. I've seen several businesses, including the one I used to work for, go out of business...in part due to regulations our government made that made it impossible to succeed in.

I could obviously go on forever...but don't buy this President's smooth talking and confidence for proof and actions. ACTIONS SPEAK LOUDER THAN WORDS...and this economy hasn't recovered since you went into office...it has gotten worse. Look at the facts...worse!

#1-One Million Moms

2011-09-08T21:14:00.002-05:00

If you are a mom, please go to onemillionmoms.com

This organization is a group of mom's who care about the issues being portrayed in the media, etc that can have negative impact on our children. I've heard about them for a while now, but they recently made national news when they spoke out about the casting of Chaz Bono on Dancing With the Stars. I had already made a decision not to watch this anymore once I saw the casting...you may think that is ridiculous of me to say, but what gives our national media the right to try to normalize something that is obviously wrong. (Just if you were wondering their stance on the casting of this show, they believe...as do I...that this casting will confuse children. Here you have a female, who made a decision to attempt to become a man, who will be dancing with a woman, but is a biological female...do you get the point)
God made HER as a female...everything about her is female, but she decided to surgically become a male. That doesn't make her one...and I don't say that in help, but in hurt. I hurt for Chaz Bono because she is hurting and needs help...actually, needs Jesus. I truly believe that. That statement isn't made out of hate, but out of love...a love that knows how Jesus transforms lives.
So back to the message at hand...if you sign up, they will send you action alerts about various things going on that we may not notice or realize. We can all see how this world is on a moral decline...and this is one way you can take action. I encourage you mothers, sign up.

Competition is GOOD

2011-09-07T23:01:00.002-05:00

I had a conversation with someone earlier in the week that made the following statement in regards to my job..."I wouldn't like the competing aspect."
WHAT? All business is competition...every single industry, business period is competing for something and against someone.
Why is competition good you might ask...it holds people, businesses, and companies accountable and forces them to provide quality services/products...or they lose business.

It really is that simple...competition is good, regardless of the industry.
Now you know me...tie this into politics!

There is a reason that Healthcare Reform (Obamacare) will be bad for our country. If it continues as is written, it will ultimately force a single payer system (which is possibly the plan from the beginning since Obama was quoted saying he preferred a single-payer system, which means the government).

So, as the political debates heat up...don't be misguided. Competition is good, the free-market is good AND people with money (and the companies they work for) are not bad. The more I hear it, the more it drives me crazy...people with more money are not the enemy.
Look at it this way..."to much is given, much is expected." as paraphrased from the Bible. Those who are fortunate to make more income...God expects more out of them. Not only that, but they have competed at some level in order to set themselves up to have the ability to make that money. (whether that be in education, hard work, etc)

Let's quit playing this political game they want us to play...let's look at the facts as this political season starts to heat up.

Indoctrination on TV...

2011-09-02T22:05:00.002-05:00

I remember taking a communication class in college...which obviously talked about media content and various topics related to it. Over the last year, I've thought about the power of the media...

There is no doubt that most major television/media outlets are liberal...they put their money toward the 'Left' and they are constantly pushing limits and boundaries. Although some might just say this is no big deal, it is when you actually think about what this accomplishes.

TV has gotten so out of hand...and I won't lie, I watch shows that I know are not pure (are any of those shows even on tv anymore?) If you still aren't sure what I am talking about or what really inspired this post...we will go with how the media are trying to normalize the sexually immoral lifestyle in more ways than one.

You have shows that I used to really like, ex Grey's Anatomy, that has had frequent homosexual kissing on tv in the past...almost every series has homosexual relationships on tv, which leads the viewing audience to believe that these actions are normal and are everywhere. Don't believe this lie...this is not the case.
Then, possibly the icing on the cake and what inspired this post...the casting of "Chaz Bono" on Dancing With the Stars. RIDICULOUS. Here you have Cher's daughter...whose had major issues in the past, decide for herself that she was supposed to be a man (not a female like God created her)...so as if homosexuals aren't thrown in our face on television in order to normalize this, now we are having transgender people thrown in our face in order to sympathize and normalize.
There are only a couple of things I have boycotted...and this will be one of them. The only thing you can do with issues like this is hurt them in their pocket...by losing viewers, they will lose advertising and funding...so would you join me in this boycott! If you aren't up for that, atleast be aware of what is going on and do not let this fool you...those lifestyles are not normal.

Desire for politics

2011-08-15T22:34:00.003-05:00

So I have this hidden, well somewhat hidden, desire to enter into politics. Now is not the time, but it is a thought in the back of my mind. Subjecting my family to that life, or myself to a life that seems so "ugly" in so many ways...yet, there is a huge need for unwaivering people in our government. People who are not persuaded by the sinful world around them, that aren't persuaded by the latest trend, etc. The more I see unstable, corrupt people entering their name to lead our cities, states, and nation...the more I desire to do this one day. Where does this come from???
-->Tonight on the local news, an old neighbor was on there and has stepped into the role of an interim city council member. Super nice, well spoken, friendly to everyone, nicely dressed man...that is what you see up front. Dig a little deeper and you realize that he has had a billion jobs during the years I've known him...he is shady. I won't even go into the details that really bother me. Here you have this professed businessman, but there is so much more there.
-->Presidential candidates...I am soooo curious to see who comes away with the Republican nominee. I don't really have a legit favorite...if you truly want who has the best record and has a "titanium backbone"...that's Bachman. Being a female myself...I'm just leary of a female running the whole show in Washington. That's unfair to her, but it's true...we need a male LEADER, and there aren't many out there. I really like Herman Cain from a business standpoint, but after Obama...Cain doesn't stand a chance (not fair to him either)
-->funny enough, as I type this Letterman is on the air making fun of Michelle Bachman. Here he is making fun of a Christian woman because of her stance...think about this...she is a loving wife, mother, has foster-parented numerous kids, her husband has helped homosexuals turn from that lifestyle...all of these things are biblical based. Yet, you have a man on tv who admitted to having an affair, having a child out of wedlock, making fun of this Christian woman who has more backbone and self-discipline than he could even think about.
I don't know if I am on the Bachman for President bandwagon yet, but I LOVE what she stands for, how she has lived her life, how she has sacrificed for the sake of Christ, how she has taken in children whose own families turned their back on them, and so much more. It will never happen, but maybe my dream team is a Bachman/Cain ticket...you have 2 professed Christians with business background, Constitutional bases, a hunger to change Washington and the waste that's there. Looks like I just sold myself on this idea...
Wait...are you thinking, but neither of these have foreign policy experience and we are in a war? True to a point...but they do have enough common sense to know that the Muslim ideology of the Middle East doesn't make friends. We have to quit catering to these countries who want to harm us, deceive us, etc. Obama still hasn't figured that out...nor has he figured out economics...
nor has he figured out healthcare.
No one ever comments on here...but please just play my little game. REPLY...tell me I'm crazy or how Obama truly cares for people and that's why he continues to enable with entitlements and bigger government that gets less efficient by the minute. Amuse me for a minute please.

Intellectual bully...

2011-07-19T22:21:00.003-05:00

Today was interesting...I ate lunch with someone new (business related), and I quickly found out this person's hot button/passionate topic was religion. You might think, oh that is right up your alley....not this time. This person was a self-claimed agnostic (and if you don't know...agnostics are skeptical. Nothing is proven in their opinion). This person bashed Christianity, and every other religion...made extreme comments about religion, Christianity...and the more I've thought about it, mocked Jesus, the Trinity, and many other aspects of my Savior.
Here's the kicker...he made the statement that at one point he almost became a preacher. How does one go from choosing a career/passion that leads people to Christ and salvation...and then become agnostic and literally persuade people to question their values, beliefs, hearts, and ultimate Lord? As I told a friend on the phone...I am so thankful that I have a solid foundation, because this guy was an intellectual bully. He knew or talked about sooo much religion, history, some intertwined with politics...there are few people I've ever encountered that could hold their ground and actually challenge someone like this.
My take aways: 1. Pray for this guy...I won't name names, but his heart NEEDS JESUS. Pray for his soul seriously 2. I need to step up my learning and knowledge...I was not prepared for this guy. 3. Knowledge can be detrimental...it was in this case, and it was in the Garden of Eden (I wish I would have said that) 4. It's called FAITH...Hebrews defines it and obviously hits the nail on the head. 5. He said that religion is ultimately based out of fear of death...I have a problem with that. I hope it doesn't happen anytime soon for my family's sake, but I don't fear death itself because I truly know where I will spend eternity. I fear what it will do to my loved ones, but I actually have PEACE in the process of what's to come...not fear.

It's been waaaayyyy too long...government

2011-07-18T21:08:00.002-05:00

So it's been months since I have been able to post...for those who don't personally know me, I just changed jobs. (It's a big deal). Through some of that, I haven't been able to keep up as much as I like...so consider this a come back, or atleast the start of a comeback.

Throughout my 3 full weeks of being in my new job, the interference of government in the health care industry has come up ALOT. I could go on and on and on about these two intertwined issues, but I'm gonna leave health care behind for now...and go into how government plays a role (or too much of a role) in our education system.

I heard this within the last couple of weeks, and literally got FIRED UP in my car. Possible coming to a public school near you...MANDATED HOMOSEXUALITY BEING TAUGHT TO YOUR CHILDREN!!! Seriously...Seriously. As my blood pressure goes up from thinking about this, let this serve as a warning and reason to take action or atleast be informed. The State of California and their Governor has mandated that the history of homosexuality be taught in every subject within their public schools. So, let's say your child is in English class...yep, along with grammar and writing...must come how a homosexual played an important role in English. Hmmm, is this math class you might add? Oh wait, this homosexual mathematician could add and liked the same gender...does this not sound RIDICULOUS to you?

Here's the deal...we would all agree that California is a huge state, in size and population right? Why is that important...because when text books are made for a state like California (or Texas), that is what books other states are offered to buy. So, your kids in North Carolina for instance...could be using the same books that the state of California is using...which includes homosexual references. Can we say absolutely insane. How is this happening?

Get involved people...I guarantee many parents have no idea of this, and would be irate if they knew. If I wanted to teach my kids about that lifestyle...I would be responsible for it, not the PUBLIC education system. I used to think private school was for the super wealthy...I now realize why parents choose to home school or put their kids in private school. It's because our government is corrupting our kids from an early age...they have NO BUSINESS teaching this to young kids. There is always hidden agendas...you better start paying attention.

For those of you who think this post is a bit extreme...my spouse is a public educator who will be teaching history this upcoming year. Yes, he was told to teach on homosexuality in his class (in regards to bullying...but no one wants or approves of their kid getting bullied; not just homosexuals) Catch my drift here...the homosexual ideology and lifestyle is infiltrating itself into a classroom near you...beware!

SAVED,,,and the end of times

2011-05-22T22:06:00.002-05:00

With all of the news headlines regarding the end of times...it got me thinking. (church this morning definitely contributed too). The news had been filled with predictions of the world coming to an end yesterday, May 21. That obviously did not happen...and on a side note for future reference, only God knows when He will choose for this Earth to no longer exist. That being said, we should always be ready for Judgment Day and our opportunity to meet our Lord and Savior.

Are you SAVED? As our pastor was preaching this morning, an analogy popped in my head. There are so many people in my life that would say they are "saved". While I don't know the validity of their salvation, there are some that may offer God "lip service"...but have never shown "heart service". For instance, Friend #1 simply says they are saved...and may say this several times, but yet their life does not reflect the living God at all. Perhaps they truly asked God into their heart at one point, repented, and prayed...but that appears to be the end of it. In their mind, they are saved because did those things once and they know they are forgiven from here on out.
The above paragraph is not the complete story of salvation...being a Christian is a process and lifestyle. It doesn't simply stop at the moment you accept Christ. Christianity takes work...let's be honest, the Devil doesn't stop working...and neither should our focus on God. There will always be struggles, difficulties, slip ups, sin, and so on...the difference is that we continue to ask for forgiveness, continue to fight for Kingdom work, continue to communicate to God, continue, continue, continue...

The analogy that came to mind is marriage. Yes, on your wedding day you officially entered into your marriage vows and partnership. However, that didn't stop the process of marriage did it? You don't simply have a successful marriage because you made it to the alter. Catch my drift? Marriage takes a lot of work...marriage goes through a lot of ups and downs...marriage takes communication...but marriage is more than worth it. Similar to marriage, is the idea of being "saved". Salvation is definitely a free gift from God, but it doesn't simply end there. I encourage you to continue on...I pray you come to know the living God. It is a fight worth fighting for!

More mother nature...flooding

2011-04-28T21:08:00.002-05:00

As if the tornadoes and severe weather were not enough, the next big thing around the Mid-South area is FLOODING. As storms have continued to hit up north, that brings rain and flooding along the Mississippi River (which runs super close to my house). Therefore, the Mississippi River is expected to be the highest it has been in something like 500 years. We aren't in danger yet, BUT there is a chance we will have to evacuate this weekend.

Along those same lines...
Below are images from Missouri...both of these are from parts of my territory.
Keep these people in your prayers too...

Doniphan, MO

Right outside of Poplar Bluff, MO

Tornadoes...Alabama on my mind

2011-04-28T20:43:00.004-05:00

My heart breaks for all of those effected by the storms this past week. Obviously, Alabama wasn't the only state hit...but it did get the worse beating by far. Words can't describe what's happened. I grew up in Walker County, Alabama...which was in the middle of all the chaos. Look at the map of Alabama above (Walker County is has the #31 in red, with Jefferson County-Birmingham to the bottom right with #63, Tuscaloosa to the left side of that with #39, Cullman to the top right with #50, Phil Campbell in Franklin County #13 top left, Athens in Limestone County at the top of the state)
I have so many ties to these areas...Tuscaloosa, where the U of Alabama is. I grew up going to games there, camps there, it's where my Dad was in the VA before he died. Hackelburg got wiped away (I contacted an old basketball teammate who grew up in this 1 blinking light town...her family was safe, but the town is completely gone). Cullman is an hour from where I grew up, Phil Campbell an hour from home, Arab is a little over an hour from home, Athens where one of my highschool friends live, the Birmingham area (Pleasant Grove and Pratt City) is less than an hour away, Ringold Georgia is outside Chattanooga where I went to college, I have a college friend from Rome Georgia where another one hit, and the list goes on and on.

Above is a map of all the severe weather...crazy day by far.

One image of the Tuscaloosa tornado

I believe this is Pratt City, Alabama

Image from Cullman, Alabama

more destruction

**PLEASE keep these people and families in your prayers...people have lost lives, homes, property, businesses, jobs, and so much more.

Who decides the value of LIFE?

2011-04-19T20:24:00.002-05:00

We were outside this evening with the kids, when our neighbor came home. He and his wife are in their late 20's...he has served our country in the military, she is in residency to become a specialty doctor. Somehow, he starts talking about government...which if you've read anything on here, I love getting into those conversations. I like figuring out the way people think and why. So, our neighbor makes the comment, "You would think conservatives would like the idea of the "death panels" so they could figure out where to spend and save money." I paraphrased a little bit, but that was the gist of it. He didn't like the label 'death panels'...but in a sense, that is exactly what it could be in certain circumstances.
As I told him, the government doesn't do anything well...so why would you want them to decide whose life is more valuable. Truly think about that...that is a scary thought. I think back to when my father was dying of dementia, and we had to make some tough choices. I remember the phone calls regarding the DNR (do not resuscitate) and whether we wanted to pursue a feeding tube...or, let him die a natural death (which we chose to do). Here's the deal...my family and I realized that dementia has no cure and we could not turn back the clock. BUT, my family made that decision...NOT THE GOVERNMENT.
It is such a scary thought to see how the government chooses whose life is important...we already see how they value life in the unborn. You should know how I feel about that too. Our life is God-given...it is valuable. Please don't fall into the illogical thinking as I feel like my neighbor is toying with. One day we will be old, or fragile...and I don't want the government choosing if they think I am worth it.

God's AMAZING work...

2011-04-15T20:30:00.002-05:00

God is amazing...as if we don't know that, but we often don't think about how HE truly knows our needs, even before we know we have a need. I hope that makes sense, but if not you will see what I mean by the end of this. So, the following is a true story that took place this week...(before I get into this, this is not to pat me on the back in any way what-so-ever...but this is completely meant to glorify our Creator God.) So, I have a friend who is in need...through a series of events, this family has a financial need. God put the thoughts of giving to this family on my heart and mind. My husband agreed and actually named the exact amount of money I was already thinking about...which those exact thoughts had to be God's plan too from the very beginning! Anyway, I sent the money out earlier in the week...only to receive a phone call later this afternoon.

It took a little while to get into the reason for this person's phone call, but it was for a "thank you & what were you thinking" kind of a comment. I explained this..."Our money is God's money. What good does it do us to have it in the bank when I know of Christian brothers and sisters in Christ who truly need it at this very moment." I meant that from the very bottom of my heart. Anything that God has allowed my family to have has all came from Him anyway. God gave my husband and I talents and skills, which have allowed us to make money over the years. All of my possessions belong to God...so in knowing that, we passed God's money along to one of His followers/believers.

Here's where the coolest part comes in...this very same person went in their garage today, only to see fluid on the floor (which had come from their vehicle). Upon checking things out, realized this wasn't a small thing and had to get it checked out by a mechanic. The price from the mechanic...the exact same amount we sent to them! Now if that doesn't rock your world, I don't know what will. God knows our needs before we even know that we have them...God is amazing and deserves our very best. Anything we have is because of Him!

France...Muslim head covering

2011-04-11T19:44:00.002-05:00

Sorry for the hiatus, but I'm back...have you heard about France's decision/new law that states the face can not be covered up in public? Obviously, this is a law geared toward extreme Muslims who still cover their face and only show their eyes. Not all Islamic women do this, but some do. I saw part of the story on television tonight, and of course some of the Islamic community is up in arms...
why are they upset?...because of the lack of religious freedom.

Here's the crazy part for me...they (the Muslim community) gets bent out of shape here in the US when people protest the construction of their Mosque (and we do have religious freedom here in the US, so I understand) However, I find it ironic that the Muslim faith complains of religious issues when they don't allow other religions in the majority of Arabic countries. You aren't allowed to have Bibles in much of the Middle East...if you convert to Christianity, you can be killed or your family will disown you. This sounds crazy to us here in America...but there is ZERO tolerance in much of the Middle East where Islam is the mandated religion.

What I've come to realize is this...Christians and the US are considered to be non-tolerant to some, but if these groups would just look in the mirror...maybe they are the ones who aren't tolerant and want things their way too!

JOKE

2011-04-02T21:22:00.002-05:00

For the record...the last statement on the previous 'April Fool's Day' blog was a joke.
No, I'm not really pregnant! I just figured it was fitting considering the topic of discussion.

April Fool's

2011-04-02T10:15:00.002-05:00

Do you like the pranks of all things April Fool's? I like them, I just figure everybody knows it is April Fool's Day so everyone is on high alert...HOWEVER, I was able to be apart of a few good ones in round about ways.

1. WORK- I attended a "Get Motivated" conference earlier in the week...amazing speakers like Lou Holts, Steve Forbes, Rudy Giuliani, Terry Bradshaw, Laura Bush, General Colin Powell, and more. 5 of us from work went, 4 of us took notes. So, the guy who didn't take notes got a voicemail (under the impression that this voicemail went to all 5 of us) telling him to fax his notes in...which let me make it clear that he didn't take any. He's pretty new...so I can only imagine him freaking out, writing down notes he didn't take, and actually faxing them in.

2.TELEPHONE-My cousin sent me a text message...upon opening it the message said "Deleting Contacts" and showed movement...pretty believable. Even though I doubted it, I'm not gonna lie...I thought, if this is real then I am screwed. Luckily it wasn't, so I sent it out to my peeps and could only imagine the anxiety of this phone virus!

3.THE BEST OF ALL-THE EX...
part 1...while talking with my brother in law yesterday morning, we thought about getting our spouses with a prank regarding exes. The original plan was that he was going to change my name in his phone to his ex-girlfriend...therefore, when I started texting him, his wife (my sister-in-law) would see it and get ticked off. He didn't have the heart to do it, but I didn't know that and proceeded with the plan anyway.

part 2...when the above happened and they called to tell me it didn't actually work because he chickened out, we thought of ways we could get my husband. Somehow, my brother in law knew of a way to send text messages (by using the computer) from an anonymous phone number. So, he sent a message to my husband "I really need to talk to you about something -Marsha". He also did this to one of his best friends...and of course signed the text message with his ex named Rachel.

Funny enough...his friend did start texting back and freaking out...my husband, never texted back. We were caught when my husband came home late lastnight after a track meet...and I was still on the phone with my brother in law...he didn't know how we did it, but you could see the relief on his face when he realized it was a prank.

Oh, but it didn't stop there...we used the same prank on my husband's uncle. Things progressed and his wife started texting back...then she called the phone number. We all started laughing via the telephone...finally, my brother in law called the uncle and aunt to let them know what was going on...PRICELESS. They were cracking up and are luckily good sports!

*Too bad I couldn't use the "I'm pregnant" joke from years past...because I really am*

NO MORE BUMS...

2011-03-23T20:40:00.002-05:00

Let me preface the following by a warning...this blog post may offend some. BUT, if you don't live in the city of Memphis (or a large city) then you probably can't relate. So, let's get into it...
I AM TIRED OF BUMS...there is a huge panhandling (begging for money) issue in Memphis. I hate it, because I love giving to people in need. However, I hate being taken advantage of. Honestly, I don't carry cash in Memphis for this reason. When I'm asked for money, I can honestly say I don't have cash.
Today, I was leaving a quick stop in a Walgreens. Then I'm approached by an older, African-American looking grandma. "Miss, Miss...Lord help for asking this. I have a prescription for $9.00 that I don't have the money for...Lord, I really hate to say this and am embarrassed...but mam, do you have any change I can have?" My response, "Is the prescription inside?" The answer, "No, I was gonna see about getting it transferred." My reply, "Well I don't carry cash...but if it would have been here I would just go pay it for you." So, I dug up a little change to be nice...literally around 30 cents worth and told her it was all I had in my wallet (which was the truth). As I turn to get in my car I hear the same woman shout the following, "Hey, do you have a light?" As you can imagine, my temper starts to boil a little...as I drive off, sure enough...this poor woman who told me she was on food stamps and couldn't afford her medicine...was SMOKING a cigarette. ENOUGH SAID.
One of my most memorable begger experience came Christmas Eve...no joke. My family had just left Christmas Eve service and were getting gas at a gas station. This nice looking man said he was in need of gas (not typical...nicely dressed, decent vehicle, pretty well spoken) I gave him a few dollars, he thanked me and walked off toward the building as if he was going to pay. However, when he walked inside he literally turned around and walked back out. He had also given a wink to whomever was still in the car, after I had given him money. He didn't gas, and we watched him drive off...
SO, REAL HONEST PEOPLE IN NEED OF MONEY IN MEMPHIS...NO MORE GIVING CASH TO PEOPLE WHO ASK. IF YOU WANT MY MONEY...GET IT FROM THE HOMELESS SHELTER THAT I HAVE VOLUNTEERED AT FOR OVER 6 YEARS! There is only one way to get people to stop taking advantage of others in this situation...quit giving them easy money and get them to support them-self with a JOB. Work for your money like the rest of us!

PEACE...of God

2011-03-20T16:23:00.003-05:00

There is nothing like having God's peace...even when things can be or seem unstable. One thing I've learned is this...nothing catches God by surprise. Trusting in him can often times be the hardest, because we are used to making it happen. This applies to so many different situations in life. Along with trusting God, comes patience. This is what I often have the most difficult time with...
I have faith in God and what he is doing...but it is hard for me to wait on Him to actually do it.
This is where history comes in. Every good thing that has happened in my life has required patience of some sorts. You have the fuddy-dudd guys from my past...only for me to let God bring me to Memphis, and a few years into my Memphis stay meet a guy that would become a loving husband and great father of my kids.
Where did all of this come from you might be wondering...a few things. However, today in church I truly felt God's peace. One thing was about the hope of adoption one day...that's been laid on our hearts for sure, but I don't think God's timing is now. Once again...patience and letting God work things out in His time. On that note, let's be honest...if God works it out then you know his ways are "straight" and perfect. I don't want to screw up the great plans he has for me and my family! Let this encourage you too...God's peace often comes when we are trusting Him!

Vistaprint

2011-03-16T23:33:00.002-05:00

Here's a little FYI information...one of my kids is turning 3 soon. 2 out of 3 birthdays, I have ordered invitations from www.vistaprint.com
The main reason I tell you this...if you can find something you like, you can adjust the colors and things like that. Not only that, but they are uber inexpensive...which is good this day in age. This website does other things too, but I've had really good experience with them and for the price, wanted to pass it along!

premarital sex & BYU basketball

2011-03-03T23:12:00.003-06:00

So have you heard this story...the BYU Men's basketball player that got dismissed for having premarital sex with his girlfriend? Here's the basics...
Check out the story HERE
Most people can't relate to the school's lengthy honor code — which doesn't allow for the consumption of coffee or alcohol, forbids swearing and also prohibits premarital sex.

"If you want to do those things, then you can go to any other university in the country and do them," said BYU legend Danny Ainge, who led the Cougars to the Elite Eight in 1981 while earning National Player of the Year honors.

The above section in green is a quote from the related and highlighted article on this issue. There are codes when going to BYU, a Mormon university, and this basketball player broke them. On a moral level, I think this is a great story. This team has been a top contender this year and is a great team...and this decision goes deeper than basketball, because it jeopardizes their chances at a National Title in some ways. So, I respect this issue so much and honestly...we need more conservative values expressed. My only issue is this...Mormons are willing to take a stand, but Christians should be willing to do the same. Christians have the hope of Christ and a reason to celebrate...Mormons do not have the same potential. However, back to the reason I wrote all of this...what do you think? To harsh? Ridiculous? Right decision? Good call?

Regulations & Healthcare...FDA

2011-03-03T21:46:00.003-06:00

To my blog friends...sorry I've been MIA. I can't really figure out how to start this, so I'm just gonna jump right in. The health-care industry is being regulated and changed out the wazoo. Let me explain...first, the cost of medicine gets a bad reputation here in the US. Here's what most people don't realize...a huge part of that cost is due to the FDA (Food & Drug Administration-an arm of our government) and their regulations and requirements to bring new drugs to market.
http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/02_37/b3799028.htm

So many people out there want to blame doctors, pharmacies, pharmaceutical companies, and insurance companies...but no one outside of the health-care industry seems to think or know about the FDA and how much our government requires to bring a medicine to market. So let's put it this way, the safety profile and efficacy profile that the FDA requires and the public has come to rely on...comes at a cost. Even with that, we've all seen the advertisements on television by lawyers attempting to sue companies and doctors over certain medications. Obviously this is one reason the FDA has to do their job.
www.fda.gov

The above is only one part of this equation...here's another way to think how too much regulation hurts health-care. Just this week the FDA announced that they would be removing all unapproved cough and cold products from the market. This day was evident, but no one knew when the FDA would make this ruling...although there are some legit reasons for the FDA to take this action...there are also some negative implications for doing so. One, when you are a family member gets sick in the form of a cough and/or cold...your doctor won't have many options to treat your symptoms, atleast that are prescription only. That is going to stink from the patient's perspective. Another huge implication to this move by the FDA, it is going to increase unemployment. No doubt, there are several companies who have sold these products that will not be able to survive this. Not only those companies who market these products, but think further down the line than that. What about the companies that manufacture these products, and the other companies that are involved in bringing these products to market. There are a lot of pieces to this health-care puzzle.

The government has also requested the medical offices move away from old fashioned patient charts and files...and move to electronic records. Yeah, maybe there are parts of that that sound good...but what that also means is...cost of health-care goes up.

So, think about all of those aspects next time you go to visit your doctor. There is a reason that the majority of health care professionals are not in favor of the government interfering with health-care (Obamacare). Health-care is one thing that I know a little bit about...
think of the other aspects of our country that the government has its hand in...
energy (we all use energy in the form of electricity, oil, gas, etc...luckily I have a friend who is an expert in this area and am able to see how the government regulating and interfering in this area is a bad thing too)...truthfully, I don't even have to continue.

Case in point...smaller government with less interference in our everyday lives is a better solution!

Obama's homosexual agenda...DOMA

2011-02-24T20:15:00.002-06:00

The homosexual agenda has been a long time coming...obviously I have talked about it on here a lot. In my small amount of television viewing since yesterday, I haven't seen much of what Obama's decision on DOMA really means. (Defense Of Marriage Act)
In 1996, Pres Bill Clinton signed this bill into federal law...this bill meant that the federal government defines marriage as a union between one man and one woman. The Senate voted that year, 85-14 in favor of traditional marriage AND the House voted 342-67...these are major votes from both sides of the isle (democrats and republicans). Those votes were no where close!

The following statement I copied and pasted from another website:
Thirty-seven states currently have statutory Defense of Marriage Acts. Three of those states have statutory language that pre-dates DOMA (enacted before 1996) defining marriage as between a man and a woman. Thirty states have defined marriage in their constitutions. Arizona is the only state that has ever defeated a constitutional amendment defining marriage between a man and a woman (2006), but subsequently passed the measure in 2008.
Listen/read what the above statement actually says...DOMA was passed in 1996, and since then over 30 states have taken the initiative to define marriage as being between one man and one woman. Do you know what that means? It means that this isn't an outdated issue and perspective (which our lovely administration tries to say)...

so once again...here's the recap:
*Feb 2011...Obama says that the Federal Government will ignore a Federal LAW-DOMA
*Dec 2010...Obama gets his wish of repealing Don't Ask Don't Tell
*May 2010...Obama nominated Elena Kagan to the Supreme Court. Rumor has it she is homosexual, but even if not...she is a proven homosexual activist who will be making the most crucial decisions in our country for as long as she wants.
*By the end of 2010...gay activists say that Obama has appointed more homosexuals to his administration than any other President...approximately 150.
*Kevin Jennings, Assistant Deputy Secretary for Safe and Drug-Free Schools...this man has a crucial role in the Department of Education (what a man to influence our young children). In 1990 this man founded GLSEN...Gay, Lesbian, Straight Education Network=homosexual activist

Here's the point...no doubt I don't agree with this lifestyle and I will teach my kids based on the Biblical principles of traditional marriage! That is how it should be....parents teaching their children about sex, marriage, etc...not our government. President Obama is making it hard for Bible loving Christians like myself to teach our children right and wrong. No doubt, President Obama inherited a bunch of crap...but this issue is one that is on his hands. There is absolutely no doubt this is against God's teachings in the Bible...and if you are a Christian, you profess to be a follower of Christ. As a follower of Christ and his teachings, you agree that the Word (the Bible) is a reflection of Christ...which means homosexuality is a sin. Yes, a sin like any other...but this sin is being crammed down our throats and has legislative power behind it.

King Barack...read for yourself

2011-02-23T23:00:00.002-06:00

The following is a blog entry written by Dr. Buster Wilson...please do not mistaken his tone, he is passionate about so many things....traditional family values, government, our legal system, Christianity, religion, and so much more. If you could hear this man speak, you would see how brilliant he really is. None the less, I saw this blog entry he wrote and wanted to pass it on. Regardless of how you vote, this has to raise eyebrows...our US government is on a slippery slope...and if our governing officials and federal legal system do not obey the laws of the land, then we may be in for some more chaos! Please read the following:

Whatever happened to the Constitution?

I was taught that I grew up in a nation that was a Constitutional, Representative, Republic. Meaning of course, that this nation was governed by the people, that this was a nation of the people, for the people and by the people (a republic); that we had a Constitution of laws that governed how we as a people would rule ourselves (Constitutional); executed by our representatives that worked within the government’s framework of policies (Representatives are those who who have similar needs, beliefs, objectives; shared interests).

But now days, I wonder.

The President today ordered that the Attorney General of the United States, Eric Holder, should not, on behalf of the United States, any longer defend the DOMA law – Defense of Marriage Act. This law was passed and signed into effect in 1996 by President Clinton. The Congress at that time OVERWHELMINGLY passed this law into being. The Defense of Marriage Act basically declares that the Federal Government recognizes that the only legal status of marriage is that marriage that is between one man and one woman. Of course, this law has been anathema for the gay community.

With the repeal of the Don’t Ask Don’t Tell regulations in the United States Military, all that’s left for us to legally protect in the public arena on behalf of the family is DOMA and ENDA (the Employment Non-Discrimination Act). Now, with this declaration of the President that his administration will no longer defend DOMA, we see ourselves well on the way of possibly losing the battle on all fronts.

What “battle” you ask? The battle for the family. Yes, that’s what the pro-homosexual lobby is fighting against, the family in all of it’s historical, moral and Biblical glory! I could take the time to recount HOW and WHY homosexuality is just plain wrong (such as direct Biblical injunctions against; the physical incongruity of a man with a man or a woman with a woman; must I go on?), but I won’t tackle that here.

Because what I want to bring to your attention here is an awareness of the utter lawlessness of this administration! Let’s simply look at a few examples of how this administration tends to see themselves as more of a monarchy than the executive of a representative republic.

The health care law was recently declared unconstitutional and null and void by a federal judge. Now I understand that everyone thinks that decision will be eventually dealt with by the Supreme Court, and I’m sure it indeed will be. And maybe there is the sense that until it is decided by the highest court of the land, we should go on about the business of setting this law into motion as planned. BUT, that’s kind of thinking is exactly what the Judge said “NO!” to! He did not pass an injunction to the health care law, but specifically said his decision was in effect an injunction within itself! He also specifically said that he expected the federal government to follow his decision and put on hold all execution of the law. BUT ALAS, King Barack and his Merry Men of bureaucratic hooligans continue on with various preparations for the full implementation of the Affordable Health Care Act! Even though such actions are in direct violation of the judge’s orders; even though this is in possible felonious violation of certain federal statutes that speak to the spending of tax money on legislation that the courts have deemed unconstitutional, the administration of King Barack goes on AS IF nothing has even been said to the contrary!

I’m sure you remember the first incident where the Justice department made a decision to not conduct a prosecution of a serious violation of the voter laws. Remember the Black Panther party members that stood dressed in their military uniform garb, pounding a night stick and thrusting their fists, and literally intimidating the daylights out of potential voters as they tried to enter a polling place during the 2008 Presidential election? Though all of it was actually caught on video tape and clearly demonstrated the guilt of their intimidation, intimidation like we’ve not seen in this country since before the passage of the Civil Rights voter’s act in the 60′s, even then the justice Department still chose to back down and NOT prosecute those members of the Black Panther party. And since the Justice Department works under the direct supervision of the President of the United States, we can all assume that President Obama, err, King Barack that is, was in on that lawless choice.

Another example: King Barack issued a Presidential edict (“executive” order) to stop all drilling for oil off the coastline of America for the next seven years. Never mind that such an action would seriously cripple the petroleum industry in this country; never mind the fact that it will cause massive unemployment among the coastal oil company employees; never mind that such a distraction of America’s involvement in the oil industry would cause the price of a gallon of gas to rise to unsustainable heights for most Americans. No sir, never mind all of that! King Barack went ahead and issued his Executive Order to halt drilling for seven years and to this day demands the enforcement of that order. This whole affair was taken to court by coastal residents and again, a Federal Judge said that this Executive Order was wrong headed and thus void. So, what has King Barack and his administration done? They continue to stand on the moratorium on drilling AS IF a judge has said nothing.

And now, this. King Barack issues the edict to his Justice Department to ignore the law that was signed into effect in 1996 by anther Democratic President, Bill Clinton. Ignore it. He has chosen to take the side of an all out, full on revolt of the 1.5-2% of the population that identifies themselves as voting homosexuals.

Lawlessness. It has become the definitive characteristic of this President and his administration.

God help us. We are on the verge of sheer anarchy! We are on the precipice of no longer being the Constitutionally protected nation of laws that we were born to be. I hate pessimistic conclusions such as this, but what else is one to surmise?

For when men choose, based solely on their own personal ideological agendas rather than the constitutionally passed laws of the land, and they choose which laws they will and will not follow, and further use the power of their democratically earned positions to impose upon men the lawlessness they have chosen, then where is our hope? We’ve NO HOPE apart of the deliverance of Jesus. He alone provides the ONLY hope of a future where lawless men will be no more. He ALONE can steer us toward the light of rightness that we once found as a nation in our own self governance.

That kind of self governance for which we have already spilled far too much precious blood to obtain!

Chaos & Perspective

2011-02-23T22:38:00.002-06:00

I can not describe the craziness this world is in right now...all of the chaos in the Middle East (Egypt, Libya, and more-take your pick). Then you look to the chaos here in the US (economics, government, unions/teachers/pensions, etc). Then if you are like me you have loved ones who either themselves, their families, or their careers are in chaos. Moral of the story, chaos is every where and the Devil is darn good at creating it.

BUT, this is where perspective comes in...although all of the things mentioned above are terrible and difficult and complicated...we KNOW the outcome, we KNOW that God wins, we KNOW that we do not live for life in this world only. I take comfort in knowing that despite the chaos this world brings, my GOD and SAVIOR wins!

In a conversation with a dear loved one today, a lot of these depressing and negative things came up. For a lot of people it is hard to not get overwhelmed by the hardships and difficulties of life...
although I may have my moments of pitty, I am always able to come back to the conclusion and final chapter of the story. I live my life on Earth to glorify God, plain and simple. What ever form or fashion my life takes...God is to be glorified and He deserves it!

Life on Earth is not meant to be heaven on Earth...through loving God and living our lives to point back to Him, we know our ultimate peace and comfort will come in Heaven. That is the sweetest and best promise of all. Earth is temporary, our treasure is Heaven. Regardless of what comes your way here on Earth, please keep that in the forefront of your mind...God wins, and our trophy is Heaven and all of its promises!

FAVORITE VERSE

2011-02-21T23:19:00.002-06:00

Do you have a life verse? Years ago, I decided my life verse (yes I realize it is technically 2 verses) would be Proverbs 3:5-6. These two verses speak SO much truth for me and seem to be applicable in almost any situation. Let's put it this way, these verses have helped me get through several things in life.

PROVERBS 3:5-6..."Trust in the Lord with all of your heart, lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight."

Trust can be hard...but what other choice do we have? There are so many unknowns in life; there are so many worries, anxieties, and fears that can take over our mind. So, I always resort back to these verses. We don't always understand WHY things happen, or don't happen...but what we do know is God is there! That encourages me so much...and trusting in Him provides so much peace and comfort. Trusting in God is crucial, because let's face it...I don't have all of the answers and I may get caught off guard with certain events...but when these things happen in life, God is in control. Remember this verse and meditate on it. Proverbs 3:5-6 gives powerful ammunition against the enemy...

One of THOSE days & weeks...

2011-02-17T20:28:00.002-06:00

Without going in to details, this week has brought a lot of bad news. I hate the reality of the hurts and hardships of life...I hate when others let you down and lose your respect. Life is tough, there is no doubt about that. My heart is severely aching for some people I cherish...3 of them have lost their jobs today. Not just any job, but jobs that they have poured their heart and soul in to...pray for them and their families, and honestly pray for the ones who made the decision to let them go.

Next up, one of my dear friends had a husband who apparently walked out on her this week. Pray for her, her daughter, and newborn son...and honestly pray for him too. Once again, an unimaginable situation...

Among all of the world chaos in the Middle East, the chaos here in the US, the chaos within families, chaos within companies, etc... ONE THING STANDS FIRM...our Lord and Savior Jesus. The ONE who started and created us all, who loves us unconditionally, and knows our hurts and concerns. Jesus ALONE saves lives, heals hurts, heals burdens, and gives us hope! Regardless of what this life throws our way, we have a hope of things eternal and not of this world. This temporary life on Earth is guaranteed to give us hurt, pain, uncertainty, hardship, etc...but our focus has to be on how we glorify God on Earth, and know we will rejoice and have everlasting goodness in heaven. I hope this comforts those of you reading this...and keeps things in perspective for you. LIFE ON EARTH IS HARD AND IS THANKFULLY TEMPORARY...LIFE WITH CHRIST IN HEAVEN IS WHAT IT IS ALL ABOUT. I hate to say this, but as this world is seemingly spiraling downward, PLEASE make sure you truly have your relationship with Christ secure. Give your life to Christ today if you haven't truly done that already. He forgives us, comforts us, and thankfully saves us.

WOW...standing up to Obamacare

2011-02-08T22:51:00.002-06:00

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703652104576122172835584158.html?KEYWORDS=governor+daniels\\

The above link is to an article in the Wall Street Journal written by Governor Mitch Daniels of Indiana. WOW...what is great is to see the details that he includes about Obamacare, its cost, and what it means to the states. Please check it out...especially if you still think Obamacare is a good idea. Once again let me reiterate, yes there are a few good parts addressed in the health care bill (pre-existing illnesses being addressed & raising the age of kids on parent's insurance)...but those 2 things alone aren't all there is...health care overhaul is a 2,600 page bill. Although a Federal Judge has voided the bill for now, this issue is sure to go to the Supreme Court. Luckily with my job, I am around all aspects of the healthcare industry. I have learned so much about health care and the business aspect of it. Doctors, pharmacies, and others in the healthcare industry must profit to exist...but not merely exist to profit.

That being said...here's something that I find super interesting. I was in a doctor's office today working, when I overheard a new patient go to give her insurance cards. (She had Blue Cross Blue Shield primarily, but had medicare as secondary). This office told her they were no longer accepting medicare patients...hmmmm. Medicare is government insurance. So, I asked one of the workers why they turned her away. Their response, "I hate to say this, but we don't get reimbursed for the time it takes. Medicare doesn't pay us enough, so we have to turn them away." Do you see my point? The government doesn't pay doctors and pharmacies enough to see the patients who use the government's existing plans...so please realize that Obamacare would have the same issues. Here's the ironic twist...these people voted for Obama. That makes no sense to me...well it does for one reason only. You can read between the lines, but I dare not say anymore!

Commercial that didn't air during the Super Bowl

2011-02-07T19:59:00.002-06:00

Before I begin...I want to make sure I tell you that the website this blog post is about is found at the bottom. Just in case, I'm going to post it HERE too...www.lookup316.com

Remember last year Tim Tebow was in a "controversial" commercial...which really wasn't that controversial. His commercial was from Focus on the Family, and regarded abortion (but you didn't know that from the commercial itself). Fast forward to this year...I read on another blog about a commercial that FOX chose not to air this time. Assuming this is true, it is sad what is considered appropriate and normal these days...read the following that I copied and pasted from the other blog:

What was the ad that FOX didn’t want to touch with a ten foot pole? An innocuous ad that refers to the scripture John 3:16 and directs viewers to a website LookUp316.com.

The ad shows a group of fans watching a football game who notice that one of the players is wearing John 3:16 written in his eye-black. (A verse, by the way, that is as standard at American sporting events as the giant foam finger.) In the ad, one of fans says, “Hey, I’ve seen that before. What does it mean?” And another guy says, “I don’t know. Hey, I’ll look it up.” Cut to the site address on the screen for LookUp316.com.

That’s the so-called “controversial” ad FOX refused to air. They’ll gladly take the $3 million per 30 second commercial to air truly offensive ads, but won’t take the money from a group promoting a truly inspirational message.

www.lookup316.com

Intentional Life for God...work, home, parenting, etc

2011-02-04T22:00:00.004-06:00

Do you live your life intentionally? As life gets busy, we often resort to just trying to get by...I assume we have all been there at some point or another. However, the older I get the more I realize that our life shouldn't be that way. We should live an intentional life...and because our Savior and God in heaven created us and expects to be glorified, we should be intentional about living our lives in worship of God. I truly mean that...God created everything in intricate detail, and deserves for us to not only recognize Him as our Lord...but He deserves for us to live a life that exemplifies God. We should live our life in such a way that others can't help but know we are Christians...
That being said, Christianity isn't a religion per se...but a lifestyle. Christ transforms minds and lives, and that is carried out into our daily lives here on Earth.
Everyone has different ways of being intentional...some examples: listening to radio that glorifies God (music and/or talk radio). For me personally, as much time as I spend in the car...it truly helps me to focus on the most important thing in our life...God. It keeps things in perspective for me and I love learning about God in the car. So, if your mind and thoughts seem to be getting the best of you...try Christian radio or media. Another example, be intentional about showing God's love through service...this can obviously come in so many different forms, but for us...we have been serving at a local homeless shelter for around 6 years now. (And those men bless us beyond measure...it is amazing to see how God has transformed some of those men). Another huge place we are being intentional, is in our home...we want to show Christ, His love and expectations to our children. We want to cultivate an environment that leads them to their Creator, Lord, and Savior. We truly believe that children need to be raised knowing that a Church to worship God in is crucial...God calls us to live in community with others. We are intentional with the language we use, especially around our kids...and we are intentional in making our marriage successful and life-long. I truly believe that God is glorified when we live our life for Him. Last but not least, I intentionally work for a company who has values like no other...in almost 8 years, I have never had to jeopardize my morals and values. This company is hitting a bit of a rough spot during this economy (along with everyone else)...but I truly believe that those who live according to God's laws will be blessed. That doesn't mean that we won't see hardship, but it does promise that we will be blessed and taken care of.

Planned Parenthood...tax payer $, abortions, sex-trafficing

2011-02-03T22:05:00.004-06:00

The more I learn about Planned Parenthood, the more I despise this organization...you may think this is harsh, but let me explain:

As an organization, Planned Parenthood performed 324,008 abortions in 2008. Yes, that is 324,008 babies that were killed...just because they can't speak, doesn't mean they aren't a human life. If you are considered dead when your heart stops beating, then you should be considered alive when your heart starts beating...which is between 5-6 weeks of pregnancy.

For the sake of argument, even IF you believe that abortion is a choice (which obviously I believe the opposite...pro-life) then our government should NOT be funding a corrupt organization that leads our nation in abortions. Oh yes, your tax payer dollars helps to kill babies and fund Planned Parenthood. How many dollars do you give them...in 2008, $363 MILLION.

Another side note, did you know that Planned Parenthood was started to control the African-American population? Oh yes, population control of the black community was the original intent of the founder of Planned Parenthood, Margaret Sanger...if you want something that will blow your mind, click below:
http://www.blackgenocide.org/planned.html

Planned Parenthood's Govt Funding Rose to $363.2 Million in FY 2008-2009, Aborted 324,008 Unborn Children in 2008...article below:
http://www.cnsnews.com/news/article/planned-parenthood-annual-report-shows-3

Last but not least, the latest news story of Planned Parenthood. There are videos out showing how one of these places helped to hide/cover up a pimp trying to have his prostitutes seen.
Below is an article detailing how Planned Parenthood helps aid in sex-trafficking/prostitution:
http://www.christianpost.com/article/20110203/pro-life-groups-to-speak-out-on-videos-exposing-planned-parenthoods-criminal-activities/

CORRUPT, IMMORAL, AND DOESN'T NEED TO BE FUNDED BY OUR GOVERNMENT!

Why we should care about EGYPT...

2011-02-01T21:33:00.002-06:00

I've always wanted to travel to Egypt to see the history and pyramids...so from a selfish and personal standpoint, I hope those parts of Egypt make it safe through all of the chaos.
Egypt-Hosni Mubarak has been President for 30 years (they don't have term limits over there)
obviously this was the case before the revolt and chaos...but he has been an US ally over
the years, which has been important in the Middle East.
Libya-(to the left of Egypt on the map) Muammar al-Gaddafi has been the leader there since
1969...97% Islam according to Wikipedia with some Christianity
Saudi Arabia-King has been in reign since 2005. Is dominated by Islam...Christians and Jews are
forbidden to enter Mecca.
I was going to go through most of the surrounding countries...but let's just name them for the sake of time. Sudan, Somalia, Yemen, Iran, Syria, Tunisia...correct me if I'm wrong, but all of these countries seem to be involved with chaos or negative people, beliefs, etc. Here's the deal with this part of the world...Islam dominates. Regardless of how the media wants to spin it, this religion is dangerous. Although Egypt has had a dictator for 30 years, he was an ally in that part of the world. Now the world has to see who takes over, and let's hope it isn't the Muslim Brotherhood...who is a large political opposition group in many Arab nations. This group does have terrorist ties...let's just put it this way, Americans should care what goes in the Middle East. After all, we need support of those not looking to harm us and take us over. We need allies that don't want to aid the terrorist of that region.

Positive Judicial Action...

2011-02-01T20:59:00.002-06:00

In case you missed it (although I don't watch much tv, I haven't seen any news stories reporting this issue), a federal judge in Florida ruled that Obamacare is unconstitutional...great news!
That brings the running total of judges' rulings on this health care bill to 4. 2 ruled that the bill IS constitutional, the other 2 obviously ruled that the bill IS NOT constitutional. Therefore, look for this to go to the Supreme Court in the future...and on that note, you wonder why Presidential elections are important. As stated in previous posts, the President picks the Supreme Court Justices.
By no means am I a constitutional law extraordinaire, but my understanding of it is this. The Constitution gave our Federal government LIMITED power. They can NOT mandate all citizens to purchase something, not even under the commerce clause that they try to justify their actions with. However, State governments are able to do such measures...for example, auto insurance.
Here's the other analogy that I think proves the point...take broccoli for instance. Everyone knows that vegetables are good for us. Because broccoli is healthy for us to eat, the government could force Americans to buy broccoli and eat it. That sounds ridiculous, but health care works the same way....the whole point is that we have freedom to pick and choose what to spend our hard earned money on.

Activist Judges & Obama

2011-01-28T18:37:00.002-06:00

http://specials.msn.com/A-List/Lifestyle/Obama-nominates-openly-gay-lawyer-as-U.S.-Judge.aspx?cp-documentid=27452582

I clicked on the link above from my internet home page...the title of the link 'Fed Judge Nominee Openly Gay'. According the story, Obama has nominated an openly gay judge to the sit on the federal bench of the United States. Let me state this before I go on in order to get a good foundation...if you believe the Bible to be true, then you know that God is clear about the sin of homosexuality. Once we've established that foundational truth, then we move to the next part...
It is a fact that Obama has appointed more homosexuals to key positions than any other previous administration. (Click Here for more information regarding that statement.)
It makes me sick at my stomach to think we have a professing Christian as President, whose actions continue to go against what the Bible says. (Before you get mad about that comment, you have to look at the facts...) I do take issue with these homosexual appointees...especially from the judge role. We have already seen what homosexual activist judges can do...think back to the Proposition 8 issue in California...a gay judge overturned the people's vote in California and allowed homosexual marriage, although the citizens of California voted against it. If you are homosexual, then you will let that factor play into your decision making when ruling on cases regarding homosexuality...and let's face it, there is going to be more and more issues regarding this in the future. Heck, Obama alone has furthered this agenda in more ways than one...
Don't ask Don't tell (although the commanders of the different military divisions asked him not to overturn this), the Department of Education leader Kevin Jennings (who if you will remember, helped found GLSEN...Gay, Lesbian, Straight Education Network.

Whether you agree or disagree with Obama's economic policies, military policies, etc...his social and cultural policies are wrong (that's according to God's word, not my own). As I have stated before, elections have consequences...these decisions are all on Obama, and he needs to be held responsible for them. Obama and his appointees are homosexual activist...and honestly, I am tired of it.

New energy???

2011-01-27T20:48:00.002-06:00

I didn't watch Obama's State of the Union speech...and to be fair, I have never really watched those things. Why...they are simply words. Let's face it...actions speak louder than words. From parts that I have heard, Obama once again mentioned how oil is bad and how clean energy, like windmills and solar energy are good. He also keeps referring to these as new energy...but there is nothing new about them. In fact, the first patent on a solar panel was in 1888. Windmills were patented in the 1800's also. Do you consider anything that has been around over 100 hundred years new?
We, Americans, use massive amounts of energy...therefore we have to get it in bulk, and get it cheap. Think about this...over the last 100 years or more...solar panels and windmills have never made mass amounts of energy to divert our dependence on oil. This just seems so idealistic. Here's the other thing...if these "new" energy types were so efficient and productive, there wouldn't be a need for the government to subsidize them. If it were that good of a deal, the private sector would take the idea and run with it for business. So, my advice...sift through what's going on. What's the goal of our current administration when it comes to energy? Sounds fishy...

At the root of it...

2011-01-26T20:47:00.003-06:00

I challenge you...think deeper, think through the layers upon layers. What am I talking about? Although the government is a HUGE part of our economic situation, let's think further through the process...and think of WHY government over the years has felt like it has had to play a god-like roll and come to the rescue. My goal here, to show you how our religious beliefs, self-control, sin, economy, and government are all intertwined. Let's start with what you see on the surface: medicaid, welfare, WIC, SNAP (food stamps), etc...are there legitimate people on these programs, yes. Are there people working, struggling, and need help in order to make it...yes. Although there are in tact families using these programs, there are a lot of broken families relying on these entitlement programs. A lot of those who rely on these programs are single mothers, along with their children. I see it all of the time with my job...but here's the deal. Where's the male figure in these households?
In a recent conversation, I was told how years ago there was shame associated with pregnancy out of wed-lock. Back then the pregnant females either married the male responsible for getting them pregnant or they were sent off to have the baby and give it up for adoption. Although shame can be hard and difficult, it often held people accountable. Fast-forward to today...having children out of wed-lock has become the norm, and doesn't have the stigma like it used to. Instead of having a male figure (which should be the husband) provide and work for the family, he isn't in the picture anymore. So who provides for these women and children...the government. The government is doing the man's job. Here's my point...sex outside of marriage is sin. God calls us to have self-control...in fact, it is one of the fruits of the spirit the Bible mentions in Galatians. Basically in summary...people have sex outside of marriage (which means there isn't the commitment to each other, let alone a family), the girl gets pregnant as a result of having sex, the girl has to raise the child alone and needs support, so who does she turn to...the government, whose money comes from taxpayers who have to have jobs in order to have income...to pay taxes with. The Bible is clear on sex outside of marriage...although children are blessings, there are still consequences of going against the will of God. Our economy and financial crisis and struggle are prime example. Hope this makes sense. While this lack of self-control is not the only example of how religion (atleast in Christianity sex outside of marriage is considered sin) and politics are intertwined...this issue is a huge part of what's going on in America.

Sanctity of Life Sunday

2011-01-23T21:18:00.003-06:00

http://www.nrlc.org/...this is the website for the National Right to Life
There is all kinds of information on LIFE issues...especially abortion in regards to what the procedures do to babies, abortion in legislation and government, and so on...check it out.

My heart was heavy in church this morning...and before I go on, how cleansing it was to sing to our Lord and Savior. Literally, I was in tears and it was refreshing. That being said, so many thoughts are still filling my head. As an update and for starters, I attended the funeral of my friend's 4-5 day old baby. I had never seen a baby in an open casket viewing...heartbreaking and difficult. Keep them in your prayers as they have been through a sad whirlwind over the last week.

In church this morning it was mentioned that today is the Sanctity of Life Sunday...which takes on many aspects. However, it hit me again...the urge to adopt. We (my husband and I) are luckily on the same page...that we would love to adopt locally from Memphis one day. With two kids in daycare...we truly couldn't afford it now. But I am truly hopeful that God will continue to bless us, so we can in turn bless another/others. There are so many reasons we want to adopt from around here in Memphis: being able to take a child from an environment of sheer dysfunction and brokenness...and being able to show them that love doesn't look like the norm around here. Not only that (and this was also mentioned in church too)...the national media attention given to the local highschool where 20% of the girls are becoming mothers. Let's be honest, what kind of life do you think those children are going to have? Not only those issues, but I am growing to despise abortion more and more. Yes, I know people who've had them or been associated with them...I can't help but think those people still think about their unborn baby from time to time. Even in this circumstance, God heals and forgives. The map below shows the 3 abortion clinics that came up when I googled Memphis...the fact that Memphis would need 3 abortion clinics a few miles from one another is terrible...and backs up the need for Christians to prayerfully consider adoption.

Vulnerable...and I don't like it

2011-01-19T23:46:00.002-06:00

I have too much on my mind to go to sleep right now, so as always...this is my outlet. I came to a reality about myself today...I am a control freak and I hate being vulnerable (aka...not in control).
There are so many things in this life that we can control, but it's the things that you can't control that have gotten to me these past couple of days. Sometimes I want to play God of my little universe, but could you really imagine getting things your way all of the time? We wouldn't have anything to learn and grow from and more importantly, we wouldn't see how small we really are and how big God really is. We wouldn't be dependent on him, and a lot of times we don't see that until we are vulnerable.
So, a few things that got me to this thought process...my friend and her husband are grieving over the loss of their first baby. Their little girl passed away this evening, and it truly breaks my heart. I know this similar story is all too common these days, but it is one situation that if I could play God it would never happen. Unfortunately from the outside looking in, it scares you too death to think how you aren't able to protect your children all of the time.
Secondly, work has put me in a frizzy this week. Once again, it's the things that I nor my company can control that has pushed me into this frustrating state of mind. Without boring you there, not being able to control outcomes stinks...I'm used to working my tail off and seeing results. I can control the work ethic part...so I will keep on keeping on.

I will end with this...thank the good Lord for his promise of eternity to those of us who have a relationship with him. We may not be able to control our earthly circumstances, but we can control where we spend eternity. We also know that when we are vulnerable, our true character and dependence on God shows. I pray that God is molding me and shaping me into a better person through this process, and I pray He does the same for you when you are vulnerable and fearful. There are a lot of unknowns in our world and it isn't perfect...but perfection is heaven and spending eternity with our Lord and Savior.

Print your own money...

2011-01-19T21:37:00.002-06:00

The crappy economy is hitting home...a dear friend made a comment to me yesterday about how much debt he was in and because of that fact, he was having to leave a job he loves for a better paying job. Obviously I don't blame him, but the thought that came to mind..."don't ya wish you could just print extra money for when you need it?" Then today I was in a conversation with a business person...the summary of that conversation was money, or the lack there of. Once again, the same thought came to mind.
Here you have individuals, families, and businesses struggling to survive...cutting back where they can, but still currently struggling. Now for the transition into government talk...if American families have to answer for their finances and cut back, if solid businesses have to cut back, then why does parts of our government think they aren't required to do the same? A business or company wouldn't be able to survive if it were in the financial debt that our federally owned operations are in. It's gonna take major guts to cut back on government costs...but it has to be done.

Life is fragile...prayers needed

2011-01-18T22:20:00.004-06:00

We all know it, but LIFE IS FRAGILE...I have been heart broken all day for one of my friends and her husband. Over the weekend, doctors had to preform an emergency c-section at 31 weeks. The little girl was breathing okay and her lungs looked good, but they soon realized that there was no kidney function for this baby. Tough decisions had to be made, and although this baby girl is currently living...she will not make it much longer without her kidneys. PLEASE pray over this family...it has been a nightmare for them.
I know life is not perfect, but there are so many stories like this lately...I don't write this to scare you, but our circumstances can literally change in the blink of an eye. I could go on and on, but I am emotionally drained on their behalf. I hate seeing what this does to family and friends...I had a cousin who went through a similar situation over a year ago, and I hate to think about the pain involved. For the children we do have, please love on them. I will say this, all of these situations puts things in perspective...we have to cherish and soak up every moment we have with our loved ones! The only good news in all of this is that all of our lives are temporary...and for those of us who profess Christ as our Savior, eternity with Him will be painless, peaceful, and full of God's glory! I have to hang my hat on that one fact alone...as one of my favorite songs says, "Better is one day in His court than a thousands else where"...that is soooo true.

My Confession...

2011-01-17T21:21:00.003-06:00

Confession time...what's the most important book to us Christians? Assuming your answer is correct...the Bible. That being said...I've never read the whole thing. That's my confession. I've read different parts of it, listened to numerous sermons on it, but never read the entire thing for myself. So, that has been my New Year's resolution this year...to read the entire thing. There doesn't have to be a certain way necessarily. I started reading in Genesis, then after a recent sermon went ahead and knocked out Titus and Philemon. So, that's my plan...to read the entire Bible. My plan so far has been to put a dot literally beside each chapter that I finish, and to read a minimum of one chapter...but when given the time and focus, to read until I feel I'm through.
So, I want to encourage you in doing the same with me. As Christians, we should be a student of God's word...how else are we able to learn about Him and His teachings.

I will close with this analogy: I am fortunate to know a lot of people. However, that does not mean I have a personal friendship/relationship with them. Even at my church, there are good people I see every Sunday...but I've never gone out of my way to talk with them and get to know them. That's essentially what I've been doing to my God and Savior...I know He's good, I know He's there, and I know if push came to shove He would be there for me...but I haven't given God the opportunity to speak to me through His word and His teachings. The cool thing, I've really enjoyed reading the Old Testament so far (I would have never said that years ago). Just because you know God exists, doesn't mean you know Him. Get to know Him...you will be mesmerized by what you find out! Take this challenge with me and take your relationship and knowledge of God deeper!

Texas vs Illinois (R vs D)

2011-01-16T18:36:00.002-06:00

Which way is better? Which state will have better results?
If you don't know what I am referring to, then let me fill you in...both the Texas and Illinois state budgets are in the whole. Governors of both states have announced their way to address the deficit issue...and truthfully, both are prime examples of their party affiliations.
Illinois has a Democratic Governor...they plan to INCREASE income taxes by 66% (that isn't a misprint either). Not only that, but the corporate tax rate is set to go up by 46% too. It will be interesting to see what happens in Illinois...neighboring states have already welcomed businesses from Illinois to venture over state lines for less taxes. Let's just be honest, it doesn't seem like good business to increase taxes on the very corporations that employee your citizens.
As for Texas, the Governor there has announced SPENDING CUTS in order to avoid increasing taxes.

In summary...Texas (Republican)=CUT SPENDING
Illinois (Democrat)=INCREASE TAXES

I've attached a couple of links if you want to see more or want to read for yourself:
Texas part...click HERE (from businessweek.com)
Illinois part...click HERE (from NYtimes.com)

I truly am curious to see what happens with these 2 very different economic approaches.

20% of females pregnant in ONE highschool

2011-01-15T21:02:00.004-06:00

http://www.wmctv.com/Global/story.asp?S=13833438

Click on the link above to see the local Memphis news coverage on this story...sad enough, word spread pretty quickly on this story. I actually got the link emailed to me from a great friend in Austin, TX...not exactly the way you want Memphis represented. However, let me continue...

Frayser High-school in Memphis has approximately 90 females who have either already had babies this school year, or are currently pregnant. This school has about 800 students...so assume about 1/2 of the students are female =400...which means almost 20% of the girls in that school are pregnant (not to mention that some guy had to cause this too...so perhaps 20% of all students in this school are becoming parents?)

Is this not crazy? I had my first child at 28...I CAN NOT imagine being in their shoes! There are so many different aspects to this. If you watch the video, the girl interviewed makes a statement basically saying that the school should educate students about sex, protection, etc... IT IS A PARENT'S RESPONSIBILITY to PRIMARILY educate your child, not the schools. Because these KIDS were out having sex, which they aren't old enough to understand all that goes along with these actions, they are having babies. Although I am truly glad they are choosing to deliver these babies, how do they plan to financially take care of them? (Because of the area/neighborhood...my guess, Tenncare...WIC...Foodstamps...etc.) This is such a hard issue...
my heart goes out to these kids having kids...but honestly, there is a need for abstinence to be taught. Let's be honest...if you are willing to have sex, you are willing to get pregnant. Yes, there are precautions...but nothing is 100%. We all know someone who got pregnant in highschool, but 20% reached a whole new realm....it's crazy!

Kudos to God's word...

2011-01-13T18:41:00.000-06:00

I'm sitting here on my couch, watching the memorial service to those killed in Arizona:
honestly, it is ALWAYS a good thing when God's word is spoken...even under sad circumstances. I will give Obama, Attorney General Holder, and Homeland Security Secretary credit. Thanks for reading the great word of God on national television! They could have said a number of things, but they read from the Bible.
I wanna say a little extra on this topic...if it is okay for our President to read from God's word on national television, it should be okay for valedictorians to read from God's word at graduation events, or for students to read from God's word during speeches, for banks to display God's word in their buildings, for government buildings to display the 10 commandments, etc. I was comforted at the President's words from our Lord...and that is how he and the others commented after reading their selected scripture..."and this is the word of our Lord." Let us not forget that, and not only return to it when tragedy strikes...God and His word is always relevant!

Submit to authorities

2011-01-10T21:51:00.003-06:00

Church yesterday focused on Titus...and spoke loud and clear to me in regards to submitting to our authorities (government). If you read this blog at all, there is no doubt I can be super critical of what is going on in Washington DC. In the past, I never really paid attention to legislation and didn't realize what that meant to me, how it would effect us, and so forth. That being said, let me be clear...as Christians, I personally feel we are to submit to our government, bosses, authorities, etc...except when it goes against God's word. Our alliance is with God and his teachings first and foremost...so, I truly feel we can advocate for biblical principles while submitting to authority. Yes, there has to be balance there...at the end of the day, we are to exemplify Christ in every aspect of our life. So, my apologies when I have failed to exemplify Christ on here and when I have gotten too harsh or critical. That being said, please try to look through the emotion used, and to the facts stated (especially when the blogs are political).
On a last note, we need to keep our government officials in our prayers...we have seen in the last few days how regardless of D or R, they are all human. They are public servants who subject their life into the spotlight, and often in harms way because of that spotlight. Pray for Congresswoman Giffords of Arizona and her recovery...

Adios Nancy!!!!!!!

2011-01-05T21:59:00.002-06:00

The following makes me want to throw up...I know that is a harsh statement, but here's the deal. How can someone that makes laws in our country be allowed to flat out LIE like that? I'm not being sarcastic...I'm being serious. Pelosi's final remarks when handing over the gavel as Speaker of the House was a lie...if you don't want to call it a lie, then call her delusional. It truly has to be one of the two AND the facts back it up.

Nancy Pelosi stated, "We have no regrets. This House has sent, over and over again, sent to the Senate legislation for job creation which the Republicans in the Senate held up. "Deficit reduction has been a high priority for us. It is our mantra, pay-as-you-go. Unfortunately, that will be changed now. ah, This administration and this Congress, inherited a near depression and so the initiatives that we took were positive for the American people."

SEE THE NUMBERS FOR YOURSELF:
When the Pelosi Democrats took control of Congress on January 4, 2007, the national debt stood at $8,670,596,242,973.04. The last day of the 111th Congress and Pelosi’s Speakership on December 22, 2010 the national debt was $13,858,529,371,601.09 – a roughly $5.2 trillion increase in just four years. Furthermore, the year over year federal deficit has roughly quadrupled during Pelosi’s four years as speaker, from $342 billion in fiscal year 2007 to an estimated $1.6 trillion at the end of fiscal year 2010.

Here's my closing remarks...first let's take the "No regrets" comment-no regrets means she is proud of her leadership and proud of all of the crazy legislation that she helped push through. I wonder if all of the Democrats that took the beat down on election day have No regrets. She doesn't care that she has helped the moral, social, economic, and financial decline of our Country. What a great leader!
"Deficit reduction has been a high priority"...bull crap. Check the numbers...they have gone up 5.2 trillion dollars since she took her position as Speaker. To have the largest increase in debt ever under her watch and make a statement like that...ridiculous.
"our mantra...pay as you go"...bull crap. Pay as you go mean no additional debt. What planet is she living on? Pay as you go is like paying cash, and not racking up debt. This is completely the opposite of what Congress has done under her watch. Your debt doesn't increase 5.2 trillion dollars if you pay as you go.

Please let this be a lesson for the future...and this applies to Democrats and Republicans. Hold them accountable. Politicians in general make generalized statements, hoping us ordinary citizens won't follow up on them and that we will just take them at their word. Let this be a huge lesson learned...ADIOS NANCY...AMERICA WILL NOT MISS YOU AND WILL BE BETTER OFF WITHOUT YOU, atleast in the position of Speaker!

Government Shouldn't Do It All (Even If It Could)

2011-01-04T23:32:00.002-06:00

I just saw this article that one of my super good friends wrote...to say the least, I value this friend's opinion on government and politics in the highest regards. To simply put it...I want him to run for President! That being said, I wanted to pass this article he wrote along to you...

http://www.ocpathink.org/research-ideas/taxes-and-spending/?module=news&id=2499

Government Shouldn’t Do It All (Even If It Could)

December 16, 2010

By Drew Thornley

These days, government is everywhere. Big. Burdensome. Pervasive. Lines for standing, regulations for following, taxes for paying. Though this is our reality, it wasn’t what our country’s forefathers had in mind. In fact, they wanted something entirely different.

Having fled England to escape tyranny, our country’s founders set out to craft a government whose purposes and reach were limited. As stated in the U.S. Declaration of Independence, each person possesses a natural right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. The purpose of government, then, is to secure these inalienable rights -- and nothing more. Indeed, each of the goals listed in the Preamble to the Constitution is meant to serve the purpose of securing these basic rights.

The Founders sought to create a nation of limited government, a nation of personal liberty and personal responsibility. They did not intend to create a behemoth, a nanny state, another government of tyranny. To do this, they fashioned the government around the concept of federalism: limited, central authority, with specific (a.k.a. enumerated) powers. Everything else was left to the states (i.e., the people).

Fast forward to the present day: We have central authority, but it’s anything but limited. I wonder if our founders imagined their circumscribed government would someday be made up of almost 2.15 million full-time federal employees. (That’s full time and federal, folks. It doesn’t count the military or the roughly 600,000 employees of the United States Postal Service.) Did they think that the government would become the largest national employer? Did they imagine a cabinet with 15 executive departments or that there would be so many federal agencies that most of them were unheard of by the average citizen? What would they think of the fact that federal employees (i.e., civil servants) earned an average of $123,000 in 2009, more than double the private average of $61,000?

Regardless of whether any of our founders imagined a government this expansive, is today’s government justifiable? In other words, just because the government can do something, does that mean it should do something? Shouldn’t the private sector handle all of the jobs that are not the ones that serve the most basic purposes of government? (Even some of those might be better suited for the private sector.)

One could highlight the immensity of government from a number of angles, such as focusing on the number and amount of taxes collected, the number and demands of myriad government regulations (local, state, and national), or the amount of government spending. For my purposes, however, a focus on the range of jobs that the government performs is instructive. The alphabet soup of (taxpayer-funded) government agencies is dizzying, but a look at a few is illustrative of our overgrown public sector.

Do we really need the Taxpayer Advocacy Panel (a group of volunteers that “listens to taxpayers, identifies taxpayers’ issues, and makes suggestions for improving IRS service and customer satisfaction”)? Seems like the best advocacy for taxpayers is just to tax them less, but that’s for another day. Or if taxpayers need help, there are plentiful private options: accountants, tax lawyers, the internet, consumer-advocacy groups, and non-profits. Or just call American Tax Relief, and “tell them Pat Summerall sent you.” Don’t miss the irony: Our tax dollars (just under $3.5 million per year) fund a group that helps us work through problems we have with the tax-collecting arm of our government. Go figure.

We also fund the Commission on Fine Arts, “a permanent body to advise the government on matters pertaining to the arts,” to the tune of $10 million per year, and we dole out $167.5 million annually for the National Endowment for the Arts “to support artistic excellence, creativity, and innovation for the benefit of individuals and communities.” Isn’t that what artists, galleries, and museums do? Likewise, $167.5 million per year to the National Endowment for the Humanities, which “serves and strengthens our Republic by promoting excellence in the humanities and conveying the lessons of history to all Americans.” Don’t teachers (public and private), historians, and writers have that covered?

One of my personal favorites: the Federal Consulting Group, an operation of the Department of the Interior, “made up of career (emphasis added) federal executives who have extensive experience in managing major programs and working with senior agency leaders in areas such as process improvement, strategic planning, creative approaches to problem solving, executive coaching, leadership development, and customer and employee satisfaction.” Last I checked, consulting is a pretty popular private-sector occupation that is not suffering from a lack of supply. And private consultants must produce results, or they’ll no longer be consulted (i.e., paid). My guess is that FCG employees keep earning their taxpayer-funded paychecks, regardless of how their advisees fare.

Would there be a vacuum of people willing to serve in other countries without the federally funded Peace Corps? Philanthropists, church mission trips, and alternative spring breaks serve causes overseas, with no government funding, so why do twentysomethings need $400 million each year to lend a hand?

Should the government be in the business of providing international broadcasting services? Should we be doling out almost $770 million per year to the Broadcasting Board of Governors, which oversees the international news outlets Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, Voice of America, Radio Free Asia, Alhurra, Radio Sawa, and Radio Marti? Putting aside the question of whether our government should be in this business, do we really need to hand over three-quarters of a billion dollars each year to fund it? Surely private media, social media, non-profits, and non-governmental organizations -- or even just people with internet connections -- could fill at least some of this niche, without feeding from the government trough.

And last but not least, our U.S. Postal Service. The USPS traces its roots to the Postal Clause of the U.S. Constitution, so there is no doubt the U.S. can be in the postal business, but should they be? They lost $3.8 billion last year and, according to United Press International, “could lose $238 billion over the next decade.” If UPS, FedEx, or DHL saw those numbers, we would, unlike the USPS, no longer see those companies. If their customers had to endure snail-pace lines, those customers would eventually stop getting in those lines. Private employees might take their 15-minute breaks when the lines died down, instead of at the appointed time, no matter what. Taxpayers would no longer be paying the tab for cushy government retirements and offices in the communities throughout the country that can’t justify them, financially. In big cities and unincorporated towns alike, private mail carriers would compete for customers, and the race would help everyone’s bottom line.

Though the private sector could perform some jobs currently handled by the government, many will ask what’s the harm of having the government perform them? Plenty. What is lost by government’s handling what could be handled in the private marketplace? All of the things the private sector seeks, in order to turn a profit: cost savings, innovation, and efficiency, to name a few. The government is not accountable to the market, never needing to turn a profit to survive. Business decisions are not determined by supply and demand, and competition is not there to breed success.

If a private employer isn’t profitable, his days are numbered. Again, results matter. If the government doesn’t turn a profit, taxpayers are their safety net. Built-in pay raises, more programs, more initiatives, annual appropriations. The nature of private enterprise is to economize, to streamline, to maximize efficiency; while the nature of government is to expand, to drum up business. On its current course, government will continue to aggrandize.

The legitimate government functions and many dedicated, talented government workers notwithstanding, today’s government in no way resembles the government our Founding Fathers intended for us. They laid the foundation for a government to serve minimally, to protect our natural rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. The government should stick to the basics, and leave the rest to the people. We the People deserve no less.

A graduate of the Harvard Law School, Drew Thornley is an independent public-policy analyst, adjunct and part-time university lecturer, and licensed attorney.

Marriage is a priority

2011-01-04T22:46:00.002-06:00

Happy New Year...hard to believe it is 2011.

I know my title sounds obvious, but how often is it true? How often do those of us in serious relationships, in marriages make it a priority?
What spurred this blog on today was a phone conversation with a friend...a friend whose marriage has been a rollercoaster for different reasons and whose marriage is fragile.
I hate this, because in every marriage...the devil is at work. He is at work to destroy something that God ordains, that God considers a priority, and that God is in favor of. Let's face it, our own selfishness and personal desires get in the way...and when you are in a marriage, you HAVE to be selfless. Then, you add kids in the mix...and marriage takes on a different focus and different dynamic.
I truly do understand how these adjustments rock marriages. But that being said, marriage and family are the foundation...reading Genesis 1 and 2 today proves it. God created Adam and Eve for eachother to work together and have help. He ordained marriage between man and woman in the first two chapters of the Bible. That's powerful stuff!
So, make your marriage a priority. To the couple's credit mentioned above...they are in counseling, for which I am ever so proud of. If you have the privilege of being in a marriage, cherish it, value it, and know that we have to be selfless...which is the opposite of selfish.

You knew it was coming...DADT

2010-12-22T21:34:00.002-06:00

Disappointed...that's the way I feel, especially after reading one of my best friend's blogs who has a completely opposite viewpoint than myself. Yes, Don't Ask Don't Tell was overturned today after Obama signed it into law. Congratulations Obama on passing several legislative bills recently...I will give you credit on that. BUT, what you will also get credit on is literally ruining our nation. Just because you pass legislation does not mean that it is good legislation. I don't apologize for saying it...you are ruining our country in more ways than one and you will be held accountable for that.
Before I ramble on, here is what I don't get. There was the biggest landslide politically that this nation has ever seen (Nov 2). America spoke that the track we WERE on was not what was wanted...so why on God's green Earth has this lame duck session of Congress rammed through legislation that is unpopular? (Obviously because they could...and they know none of this garbage would go through come January when other people take over)

First, the military has NEVER recognized homosexuality...Don't Ask Don't Tell was put into place 17 years ago and just said not to speak of it. For as long as the US has had a military, homosexuality has not been recognized...there is a reason for that.
Second, our US military leaders spoke out against this...but as our government tends to do, they DO NOT listen to others. The military is a family, is a team...as one who played college basketball and played with a homosexual...there is friction there. We didn't want to undress around this person, we didn't want to shower around this person, this person was outspoken sexually in some regards and hit on some of our teammates. It's uncomfortable...not because I'm a homophobe, but because it is unnatural.
*Before I go further...yes I have people pretty close to me that live this lifestyle...I don't treat them differently, I just don't approve of their attraction to the same sex.
Third, our military is there to protect our country...it isn't there for a social experiment when we are in the middle of a war.
Fourth, for us Christians out there...the government is making it harder for us to raise our kids based on Biblical values. Think through this with me...this repeal is a step toward making homosexuality "normal"...that is their goal and agenda. The push for gay marriage is still on the agenda, and this is one step too many in that direction.
Fifth, this will seem extreme...but so did homosexuality years ago. So what our government says is that this behavior is okay. So when the person whose behavior is to express love toward animals (beastiality) comes along wanting recognition, what will be next? Marriage between man and animals...sounds crazy, but that's a sexual perversion too. We may not be able to help who we are attracted to, but we can help our behavior.
Sixth, this sin of homosexuality can be beat...I know someone who lived that lifestyle and turned from it. He is a huge encouragement to me because it gives me hope. I heard on the radio this week-a woman called in who lived this lifestyle for 30 years...still had guilt, went to church leaders for help (unfortunately some of those leaders were not based on the Bible), so she turned to the Bible herself because she knew God's word was unchanging. She was transformed by God's word and His power.

Here's the deal...homosexuality will NEVER be recognized and accepted by God. Yes, He still loves the sinner, but he hates sin. My heart truly breaks for those in this lifestyle...I can't imagine what they go through. But I do know this, God is more powerful than the Devil's foothold on behavior...this may a battle lost to us Christians whose viewpoint and foundation are based on the Bible...but the greatest news ever, we know who WINS overall...the Bible is clear on that too!

Intrusion

2010-12-21T21:23:00.002-06:00

Intrusion...that is what our government does, often subtly. I was talking with a lady today on the topic of government, shared this next story with her...and she had not heard or seen anything about it on tv. Go figure! It is amazing what you don't see on tv news these days. So, I thought I would share a little story from Oklahoma!

A few days ago the Federal Reserve went to visit a bank in Oklahoma...Payne County Bank to be exact. Instead of going there and checking "bank" stuff...the Feds started harassing the bank over its Christian symbolism. There were Thomas Kinkade paintings on the walls, Bible verses displayed, Christmas buttons worn by employees...these things were the focus of the Federal Reserve. The Feds demanded all of these items removed, or ELSE...or ELSE they would call the Justice Department and seek legal action. Is that not crazy? Do we not live America anymore. Since when did it become a crime to be a Christian? What is it about Christianity that threatens our government?
One more detail of importance...this bank is private. The employees own the bank...so imagine the government coming into your personal business and telling you what you can and cannot do.

The good news...the Feds backed down after word got out about this crap. Thank goodness word got out...but it is battles like this that we Americans, we Christian Americans are going to have to fight. Unfortunately, our government is siding with things that are anti-Biblical. We are continuing to slide into immorality...yes this trend has been going on for years, not just with this current administration. The difference, this administration is condoning immorality...things that have been considered socially and morally wrong. I just wanted to make you aware!

presents...unwrapped

2010-12-19T22:27:00.004-06:00

We humans are kind of like presents...let's think actual presents for a minute since Christmas is less than a week away. I love wrapping presents. Let's face it, presents come in all forms and fashions. The outward appearance, or presentation, can set the tone for the gift. Have you ever been to a group gift exchange, or white elephant party? At the ones we have been a part of in the past, you had to be careful of the really pretty, well wrapped gifts. Usually they had the bad gifts on the inside.
My point, we are like presents. We can be all glammed up on the outside, but have junk on the inside. Heck, we could literally be empty on the inside...which would equate to an empty box with a pretty wrapping. Then there's the gift that looks terrible to the eye (think brown paper bag or big brown box), but it's the best present ever!
People are the same way...I know it's cliche, but it truly is what's on the inside that counts. We tear all of the wrapping paper off to get to the inside...At the end of the day, it doesn't matter what our appearance is. We could be a 10, or we could be a -5 on someone's scale of beauty...thank goodness our Lord in heaven looks past our outer wrapping and goes straight to the gift inside. That being said, self-reflect what your inside is like...hopefully your foundation and significance lies with our Savior, Jesus...that's the best gift a person can have! Did I mention that the eternal gift of Jesus is FREE!

50/50..not 100%

2010-12-18T21:06:00.002-06:00

What a "lame duck" session of Congress...nothing like having liberals who are on their way out of Washington (remember they got voted out in November, but that doesn't take effect until Jan) vote for crazy legislation.
Let's start with the good news...the DREAM ACT did NOT pass. This would have granted amnesty to a large portion of illegal immigrants. I do understand that many illegals were brought here against their will...but there is still a legal process to go through. Become a legal US citizen...don't just wait for the government to bail you out once again. Anyway, this was the legislation with the proper outcome...thank goodness it did not pass. We have to keep fighting because illegal immigrants are going to continue pushing...nonetheless, this was a battle won.

For the bad news...Don't Ask Don't Tell got overturned. There are so many different aspects regarding this issue. First things first, this moral issue is black and white in the Bible...it is wrong. That's the first and main reason it shouldn't have been overturned. Not only that, but it will cause issues among comrades...here are possibilities (and at some point these things will happen): you will have a homosexual that doesn't get promoted and will blame it on his open homosexuality, you will have a homosexual that gets promoted simply out of fear of not promoting a homosexual, you will have uneasiness in barracks due to the outspoken homosexuals, you will have distractions by our troops when their focus should be on the war and task at hand. Here's the deal...the military is a job. There shouldn't be any room for sexual promiscuity and sexual flamboyance of any kind, whether heterosexual or homosexual. Homosexuals were allowed to serve before this was overturned...this was not about a job, or about our national security...this was about a minority group of individuals who will use this as a stepping stone.

Go back to the previous blogs...we are in a moral, culture, spiritual battle...we have to have a foundation for our beliefs; we can't just change with the wind. That's why my beliefs follow that of the Bible...the Bible is unchanging, it never has it never will. Once again, this is why electing officials with Biblical principles is needed...if not, you never know what will happen! Prime example happened today...

Culture WAR

2010-12-16T22:19:00.003-06:00

http://technolog.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2010/12/16/5659718-steve-jobs-targeted-in-anti-gay-iphone-app-war

Click on the above link...this is why Christians with traditional values have to be active. We, Americans, are in a huge cultural war. Unfortunately that mean, that Christianity and its values are being attacked left and right. The above website is a story I heard about last week, and this article was posted on my home internet page today. In summary, there was an I-phone app that thousands of Christians had because it was in favor of traditional (male-female) marriage. However, many raised concern and apple took it away although they had already approved it. Basically, it is okay to have apps for gay marriage, for homosexuals...but it isn't okay to have one for traditional marriage. That's bull! Why is traditional marriage offensive these days? When did the Bible and its morals become the wrong?

The Manhattan Declaration...click HERE
A CALL OF CHRISTIAN CONSCIENCE
Christians, when they have lived up to the highest ideals of their faith, have defended the weak and vulnerable and worked tirelessly to protect and strengthen vital institutions of civil society, beginning with the family. It was in this tradition that a group of prominent Christian clergy, ministry leaders, and scholars released the Manhattan Declaration on November 20, 2009 at a press conference in Washington, DC. The 4,700-word declaration speaks in defense of the sanctity of life, traditional marriage, and religious liberty. It issues a clarion call to Christians to adhere firmly to their convictions in these three areas.

I copied the above from the home page of the Manhattan Declaration...I encourage you to sign it. Here's the bottom line...we as Christians, have to be willing to stand up to this culture battle. It is just that...a battle. Non-believers of biblical values are fighting like crazy to take our Christian voices away, under the battle of it being offensive. Here's another example of a group willing to stand up and fight for their beliefs, and who are not willing to back down. You can go sign this declaration too!

Spreading Christmas Cheer

2010-12-16T21:49:00.003-06:00

I think this is the coolest thing, or maybe the most encouraging thing to me personally. The radio station ministry I listen too ALL of the time...American Family Radio...has a big button campaign this time of year. They, along with the Family Research Council, are two of the biggest activist/advocates on behalf of traditional biblical values that I am aware of. I have learned sooo much from them in so many different aspects: scripture, Christianity vs other religions, definitely politics and economics, and how all of these things relate to our Christian worldview. All of that being said, let's go back to the button campaign. The buttons say "Merry Christmas, God with us. " The goal is for believers to wear them, and share them. So, if someone says, "Hey I like your button, " then you give it to them knowing you have more where that came from.

My encouragement...all 4 days this week I have seen someone wearing these buttons. On Monday I was excited: (Jonesboro, AR) a lady in a surgery center I went in for work had one on.
Tuesday: (Olive Branch, MS) it wasn't a button, but the same image on a sticker which was on the back windshield of a car.
Wednesday: (Oxford, MS) a nurse practitioner was wearing one
Thursday: (Hernando, MS) this one rocked my socks off because I couldn't believe it had happened 4 days now...by a Walgreens employee had one on.

I LOVE INTENTIONAL PEOPLE...We have to be intentional about our beliefs!

In an email...

2010-12-14T21:13:00.002-06:00

*I received the following in an email today...thought the message was good and wanted to pass it along. After all, we all have things thrown in our direction...but it is up to us how we respond during those times. *

A young woman went to her mother and told her about her life and how things were so hard for her. She did not know how she was going to make it and wanted to give up She was tired of fighting and struggling. It seemed as one problem was solved, a new one arose.

Her mother took her to the kitchen. She filled three pots with water and placed each on a high fire. Soon the pots came to boil. In the first she placed carrots, in the second she placed eggs, and in the last she placed ground coffee beans. She let them sit and boil; without saying A word.

In about twenty minutes she turned off the burners. She fished the carrots out and placed them in a bowl. She pulled the eggs out and placed them in a bowl.

Then she ladled the coffee out and placed it in a bowl. Turning to her daughter, she asked, "Tell me what you see." "Carrots, eggs, and coffee," she replied.

Her mother brought her closer and asked her to feel the carrots. She did and noted that they were soft. The mother then asked the daughter to take an egg and break it. After pulling off the shell, she observed the hard-boiled egg.

Finally, the mother asked the daughter to sip the coffee. The daughter smiled, as she tasted its rich aroma the daughter then asked, "What does it mean, mother?"

Her mother explained that each of these objects had faced the same adversity: boiling water. Each reacted differently. The carrot went in strong, hard, and unrelenting. However, after being subjected to the boiling water, it softened and became weak. The egg had been fragile. Its thin outer shell had protected its liquid interior, but after sitting through the boiling water, its insides became hardened. The ground coffee beans were unique, however. After they were in the boiling water, they had changed the water.

"Which are you?" she asked her daughter. "When adversity knocks on your door, how do you respond? Are you a carrot, an egg or a coffee bean?

Think of this: Which am I? Am I the carrot that seems strong, but with pain and adversity do I wilt and become soft and lose my strength?

Am I the egg that starts with a malleable heart, but changes with the heat? Did I have a fluid spirit, but after a death, a breakup, a financial hardship or some other trial, have I become hardened and stiff? Does my shell look the same, but on the inside am I bitter and tough with a stiff spirit and hardened heart?

Or am I like the coffee bean? The bean actually changes the hot water, the very circumstance that brings the pain. When the water gets hot, it releases the fragrance and flavor. If you are like the bean, when things are at their worst, you get better and change the situation around you. When the hour is the darkest and trials are their greatest, do you elevate yourself to another level? How do you handle adversity? Are you a carrot, an egg or a coffee bean?

May you have enough happiness to make you sweet, enough trials to make you strong, enough sorrow to keep you human and enough hope to make you happy.

The happiest of people don't necessarily have the best of everything; they just make the most of everything that comes along their way. The brightest future will always be based on a forgotten past; you can't go forward in life until you let go of your past failures and heartaches.

When you were born, you were crying and everyone around you was smiling.

Live your life so at the end, you're the one who is smiling and everyone around you is crying.

COMPROMISE

2010-12-09T17:39:00.004-06:00

I'm irked (however you spell that word) to say the least....what is becoming more and more obvious is that the "left" wants tolerance and compromise, but yet they aren't willing to do it them-self. The rhetoric is everywhere these days...Republicans are only for the wealthy, Republicans were called the party of "NO" for a while, Christians aren't tolerant and are offensive...yet time and time again what is so obvious is that the "other" side isn't willing to compromise or be tolerant.
Case in point...the stupid negotiations made by both Democrats and Republicans over the tax rate and unemployment. Let's face it, neither side got what they truly want...but there was a compromise between Obama and Republicans. To some extent, I give both sides credit (unfortunately the credit stops there). THEN, the Democrats come out with a bang...they didn't want to compromise tax increases for the "wealthy". They think the wealthy should still give more of their hard earned money to Uncle Sam so our government can get their overspending paws on it. Can you tell I'm frustrated...who's the party of NO now? I truly don't get it...these bozo's want to take money that isn't theirs in the first place from people who earned it, just so they can spread the wealth around. It isn't like Republicans wanted to extend unemployment for ANOTHER YEAR, but they were willing to! That's really going to motivate people to get out and look for a job...no, let's just enable a majority of these people to mooch off of taxpayer money for even longer! (To those who are legit on unemployment, this doesn't apply to you) At the end of the day, it was initially compromise. Not saying it was my ideal situation, but it was both parties coming together to find compromise...congratulations Democrats for being HYPOCRITES!
The next compromise, which isn't a good one...deals with Belmont University. I just heard this for the first time today...but Belmont has compromised on an issue that is crystal clear in the Bible. (Belmont has been considered a Christian college in the past). A lesbian soccer coach got fired there (no one knows the real reason, but assumptions are being made because of her sexuality and her partner getting pregnant). So, everyone is up in arms about the homosexual discrimination garbage again...unfortunately, even some Christians are willing to compromise God's holy word on this issue. This isn't good. God's word is UNCHANGING...His word DOESN'T change with the times. So, at the end of the day...it kind of goes back to the above paragraph. Christians are considered bigots, idiots, intolerant...but that is exactly what the other side of this debate is doing. They believe THEIR opinions are right and are intolerable to us Christians who actually have a foundation for our beliefs that have been set in stone since man-kind was created. Like it or not, our God is predictable...He doesn't compromise and as followers of His, we shouldn't either.

FREEDOM: why other countries hate the US & Christianity

2010-12-08T21:07:00.003-06:00

This is definitely not going to be new to some of you, but this thought kind of hit me today...The United States and Christianity go hand in hand. Both are based around freedom in a lot of ways. This is why the US has always been referred to as a Christian nation. The US gives citizens the opportunity to live with freedom of life, unless a crime is committed and their rights are taken away. Christianity is similar...we are able to live with free choice in our lives within God's established guidelines, just like we are able to do as US citizens.
What I've realized...that's what other nations hate us for. Think about it...with freedom comes great responsibility, but the reward is amazing. Other countries do not have this, as a country or religion. In some Asian countries like China and North Korea, communism prevails. The government controls pretty much everything: what is available on tv, what the government agenda is on tv, how many children you can have, etc. Catch my drift here...they control almost everything, and try to "brainwash" their citizens into thinking one way...like the government wants them to. Next up, Islamic countries like Saudi Arabia and Iran...their Muslim religion and sharia law have strict, strict control. In these countries, you are either Muslim...or you are not welcome. Did you know that no Jew or Christian can enter in Saudi Arabia? or isn't supposed to. People here have NO choice...One last point about all of the countries mentioned thus far...Bibles are forbidden there. Yes, there are underground churches in these nations (which we should be praying for by the way)...these people risk everything just to get their hands on a Bible.

With the above being said, isn't it crazy how people criticize the US? Like the Bible, the US has laws which are guidelines...things operate better when we live within the rules. (if we didn't have rules we would have chaos, which isn't good) We have amazing freedom here in the US...we can watch too much of nothing on tv, we have alternative media to find out the other side of the story compared to what's presented on basic tv, we can choose to be Christian, Jew, Muslim, atheist, etc...we aren't forced into anything. That's why the US is such a threat...we are free to worship the ONE, TRUE GOD of our universe...we aren't forced into it, it is our choice (and one I hope and pray you will make if you haven't already). The ironic thing...
Christianity is taking heat here too, especially in Christmas season. The battle for even using the term Christmas is everywhere. Not only is Christianity taking heat, but so are a majority of our freedoms...you have politicians wanting to regulate our airwaves and tv more than they already are (by this I mean forcing conservative media out), you have a government that has taken on the responsibility of our healthcare industry to such a degree that people are forced into depending on it, they are trying to regulate our energy sources by feeding us the global warming crap that hasn't been proven, you currently have an administration that has pushed class warfare (which is obvious they would prefer a classless society where everyone is given the same, it wouldn't be based on hard work and what is earned)...the list could go on. Here's the bottom line to this very long blog...
CHRISTIANITY AND THE UNITED STATES ARE THE 2 GREATEST THINGS IN THE WORLD. BOTTOM LINE...FREEDOM IS THE COMMON DENOMINATOR TO BOTH OUR COUNTRY AND THE CHRISTIAN LIFESTYLE/RELIGION. The more freedom that is taken away, the more we become like the nations that tell their citizens what to do, how to behave, and what to believe. Christianity is totally different and so is the US...let's keep it that way!

tax cuts or increases?

2010-12-06T19:30:00.003-06:00

Seriously...I am frustrated and bothered that this "Bush tax cut" thing is even an issue. These "tax cuts", which have been the going rate for 10 years...10 years, let me repeat that...is what we are used to. Increasing taxes on anyone right now in this economy is a bad idea. Just because you make a lot of money and are able to pay six figures in taxes, doesn't mean you should be punished by not having your taxes kept at the same rate. Not only that, who is capable of creating jobs right now? Not those struggling just to make ends meet, not those who are cutting back in order to make it, not those who are having to dip into their savings, not those losing their homes, etc...catch my drift?
Here's the difference between Democrats and Republicans...you make up your mind which ideology you fall behind? There are 2 OPPOSITE schools of thought:

The Democrats want to increase taxes (by letting the tax cuts expire it will raise taxes), which will generate more federal dollars. By letting the tax rate increase, it has a negative impact on business owners expanding their business...which means they will lose incentive to actually take a risk on hiring new employees. Not only that, with the uneasiness of Obamacare...business owners are afraid and not willing to take the risk because they don't know how much they are going to pay for healthcare. Thus, the unemployment rate borders at just below 10%...and we Americans have to continue paying unemployment because no one is creating jobs...for the above reasons. You see how this is all connected? At the end of the day...if you are okay with the federal government making more decisions for you, if you want everything "handed" to you, then this philosophy is right for you.

The Conservative Republicans (and I clarified conservative...not all of them are) want to leave the tax rate as it's been for the last 10 years. Why might you ask...because jobs need to be created. Business owners, including wealthy Americans, need to keep their own money...in hopes of investing it to create more jobs. Let' just be honest...poor people aren't likely to hire people and start jobs. Not only that, but the answer to unemployment...CREATE JOBS. Bush got criticized for an unemployment rate of 5.4...in case you've already forgot...Obama's unemployment rate is nearly double that. So, here's the fundamental difference...Republicans aren't for the wealthy like so many Democrats think. Republicans are for allowing people to keep the money that they, or their family members, have earned...if that means you are wealthy, then so be it.

At the end of the day...our economic situation is about SPENDING. We have to get that under control...while letting Americans keep the money they work so hard for! Don't let the media persuade you into falling for the crap being said out there...increasing taxes on anyone in a deep recession is not good for anyone.

class warfare...

2010-12-03T22:01:00.002-06:00

This concept of class warfare doesn't make sense to me...why do people "hate" the wealthy and want them to be punished (when it comes to taxes)? My mind goes back to LUKE 12:48, "...From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked."

Plain and simple, we are all given plenty...and God expects much of us and expects much of our response to what He gives us. The more we are given, the more he expects.
So what if people have/and make more money than I do. For the income my family brings in, we adjust our living to that income. For people/families that make less, then they do the same thing. No doubt in my mind...not everyone is going to live in a house. My father lived in a mobile home, I lived in a basement apartment until my senior year of highschool...while at the same time some of my closest friends lived in some super nice homes/their families were super educated and made good money because of their talents. Who cares? Good for them.

I'm sick and tired of our politicians enhancing class envy...if you are envious of those "wealthier" than you, then do something about it. Actually work, work harder, work smarter...we all have to work to make money. Here's the deal, regardless of how much money you make...you still have to be smart with that money. Just because someone makes a lot, doesn't necessarily mean they have a lot. A lot here in Memphis, isn't a lot in New York or LA...but, the taxing of our wealthy will be a burden regardless of where you live and especially if you live in one of these high dollar areas. It isn't right for people who have earned their money and happen to be in the upper class, to get taxed more just because they make more. They work for that money...to get taxed more would be a dis-incentive and actually be punishment. Does that make sense? We punish positive behavior?

The fact is, these wealthy people create jobs for the rest of us. We want them to have their hard earned money so they can create more jobs and hire more people. However, our government is actually hurting our economy by wanting to tax the rich. By taxing the richest, they are taking money away that could be used to create more jobs...more jobs means more money going out for the business owner. It cost money to hire and pay someone...if our government does not extend our current tax structure, I predict our unemployment rate will go above 10%. As of this month, we are at 9.8%. (FYI, when Obama took office unemployment was at 7.6%)

This should also negate the "Republicans are for the wealthy, while Democrats are for the poor." Most of Republicans are wanting to extend the tax cuts, so that the wealthy can create more jobs, which will help the middle class and poor get jobs, which in turn will make them more money too. It seems like that is actually helping and supporting the lower and middle class too, not harming them. If we truly want to help the people hurting (which a lot of those people are unemployed) then I understand why certain government officials want to end unemployment checks. No doubt this will hurt a lot of people up front because they have become dependent on these government handouts...BUT, what it will also do is not spend that money, put that same money back into the economy if used properly, stimulate the economy and allow that money to create jobs. So, by ending unemployment...it may actually encourage job creation. After all, those drawing unemployment are supposed to be looking for jobs right?

These are just things to think about...we are to be content with the talents and results of those talents. God created us equal, but he gave us different abilities and talents...it takes all of us to make this world work and function, regardless of lower, middle, and upper class.

Government playing God...school lunches

2010-12-01T22:23:00.003-06:00

Our government (both D's and R's of the past/and some present)...love to make the American people dependent on government plans. So, why not start this early in a person's life...like school age children. That's the deal with FREE school lunches...okay, it's not the only deal regarding this issue. Congratulations Obama and the current (but soon to be old Congress)...instead of cutting cost like we are supposed to be doing, our administration has put a $4.5 BILLION dollar child nutrition bill in the works. Now yes, on paper this sounds great...let's feed hungry kids. BUT...that's bull when you actually think through this thing.

1. Where's the money going to come from when our country is in debt? There is NO $ to cover this.
2. This new initiative requires the new food to be FDA approved...which means the cost of all of this food will go up and now the government will determine what kids eat. Yeah, more government control.
3. SNAP...the food stamps program. I heard this today (sad to say had never thought about it myself) most of these households with children on the free lunch program already receive food stamps. Technically, are they not double-dipping? We are already giving them food that they are to use to feed their family, including children.
4. PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY...If you are willing to have sex, then you are willing to have children. If you are willing to have children, then you have to be responsible for them...which means food, shelter, clothing. Need I say more...part of being a parent is providing for your child, even if that means sacrificing yourself. It IS NOT the responsibility of the government to feed our kids...
5. My spouse teaches in an inner city school system...about 95% of the school is on the free lunch program. (This includes illegal immigrants who take advantage of this too)...BUT YET, these kids have cell phones, all types of games/gaming devices...etc. That's what's wrong with this whole issue...people will pay for what they want to pay for...if a parent will spend money on cell phones, cell phone bills, all types of video games...then I'm pretty sure they can afford school lunch.
6. It starts dependence on the government at an early age...this issue does one thing for sure, it gets these young children in the mindset that the government will take care of them. And think about this...the government (which uses our taxes that we are required to pay) provides subsidized housing, healthcare, prescription benefits, food stamps, free lunches, cell phones in some cases, and much more. Why would someone work when all of this is given to them?

I rest my case...the government knows exactly what it is doing. Both parties have been guilty of this dependence on government. It's just funny that they don't seem to get it.

No money in heaven...

2010-11-30T22:38:00.003-06:00

Kind of ironic writing about money in a tough economy...trust me, I work straight commission in sales and am feeling it right now too. BUT, money really isn't the answer. I was reminded of this again tonight, when I received a phone call about someone from my hometown dying. This man was a self-made millionaire, along with his brothers. He was a good friend to my father over the years...and in fact, the first airplane I ever flew on as a child was this man's private plane.
My point...it doesn't matter how much or little money we have in the bank...we are going to die sometime. This isn't meant to be depressing or to sound morbid...my point...this life is short. Our life here on Earth is temporary.
Therefore, our MAIN objective here on Earth is to glorify God. God knew this (obviously) when he wrote the Bible...he constantly talked of money and warned for us humans not to store up riches on Earth where they can and will decay, but to store up our treasures in heaven. So, regardless of your financial situation...I ask you to self reflect. Realize that ALL of the money you have or are worth, is God's money. He gave each of us the ability to make money...and I truly feel that it belongs to him. After all, we won't be able to take it with us. So, yes we are okay enjoying the money that we earn...but let's also be smart with it. Don't squander it away...and I challenge you...find a way to glorify God with it!

the voice of a few...

2010-11-22T20:46:00.002-06:00

When you think about it...if you want something done, then you have to be willing to speak up. Before I go into any details, I will go ahead and make my plea. WE CHRISTIANS NEED TO RAISE OUR VOICES...WE NEED TO BE THE ONES SPEAKING UP AND DEFENDING OUR BIBLICAL VALUES! Okay, now that is said...here's my point, it only takes a few to take a stand and make a difference. This applies to any situation really...

Example, this week the FDA (Food & Drug Administration) removed a common, mild to moderate, pain medicine from the market. From some of the stats I've seen, Propoxyphene was the 38th-most-prescribed generic drug in 2009, with 17.5 million prescriptions nationwide. Not only that, but it has been on the market since the 1950's. My point: you have a medicine that has been used by millions for various reasons, has been prescribed by doctors for decades...and because some advocacy groups spoke out on this product...the ultimate result is that it got pulled from the market. (yes, after studies were done and certain results were found) Never-mind the patients that faithfully found relief from it, the doctors who saw it as an alternative to hydrocodone, the pharmacies who have dispensed it for decades, and many others. Back to my point, the minority spoke up...and action occured.

(And I truly hate to "pick on" the gay community) but this is another good example of a group making the most noise. When looking at various sources, it is believed that only 3-5% of the population in America is homosexual. However, we have a culture (both government and media) that cater to this lifestyle. Not that these people as individuals are not important, but you have all of this debate for 3-5% of the population. Our nation is willing to re-write its laws for 3-5% of the population.

From various sources, I've seen the statistic that 75% of Americans identify as Christian. So why are Christians blasted for speaking up? If Christians don't get involved in culture and politics, then who is left to make the decisions...atheists, Muslims, etc? If we want change, and are called to be the "light" in a dark world, then why would we sit back and be silenced. And let me clarify, I'm not saying be disrespectful or "judging"...but the truth is, as Christians...we have the Word of God in our corner. We aren't the ones "judging"...God is. His word is bold, clear, true, and never changing. It hasn't changed since it was written. Let that be encouragement to you...take God's word and apply it...Christianity is a lifestyle, not simply a belief in Jesus. It's time for us to take a stand and get involved. Don't be afraid as long as Christ is in your corner.

Why it is "un-natural"...FACTS

2010-11-16T20:42:00.002-06:00

Due to a conversation today about San Francisco & because of a story I heard about a teacher kicking a student out of the classroom, because they stated they didn't agree with homosexuality...I decided to look up FACTS about homosexuality. The main reason I wanted to share this, is because the media and our government has been doing its best to make us believe both heterosexuality and homosexuality are the same. The FACTS say something different. Yes, any promiscuity can be dangerous...but, the homosexual lifestyle and behavior have increased risks that aren't being shared. Another reason this is important, there are organizations like GLSEN who are "indoctrinating" American students into believing this behavior is natural. This organizations advocates teachers to share this lifestyle/behavior message...and on this point, teachers and schools should remain neutral on this issue. Students should not be influenced or brainwashed into thinking that sex of any sort is okay. Yes, I realize the a lot of students will partake in this behavior anyway...but it shouldn't be encouraged. And to think...that's how your tax payer dollars are being used. So to the core of this message:

-->check out the CDC (center for disease control) facts on homosexuality HERE
summary: Gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men (MSM)¹ represent approximately 2% of the US population, yet are the population most severely affected by HIV and are the only risk group in which new HIV infections have been increasing steadily since the early 1990s. In 2006, MSM accounted for more than half (53%) of all new HIV infections in the United States, and MSM with a history of injection drug use (MSM-IDU) accounted for an additional 4% of new infections. At the end of 2006, more than half (53%) of all people living with HIV in the United States were MSM or MSM-IDU. Since the beginning of the US epidemic, MSM have consistently represented the largest percentage of persons diagnosed with AIDS and persons with an AIDS diagnosis who have died. There are also other facts and statistics on this page linked above.

-->I also found this paper written by a doctor for the Corporate Research...click HERE
Council...media/government doesn't share how our bodies were/are made for sex & why it isn't made for homosexual sex. Yes it can be detailed, but this tells how God intended sex between man and woman.

I think that these two links above are proof by facts alone...not to mention what the Bible says about this behavior. This post isn't to bash the homosexual lifestyle, but to merely educate. It IS NOT right to mislead our youth in schools and okay a lifestyle that has so many consequences to it. It isn't above "love" like our government/media wants us to believe...they are more facts about this behavior than meets the eye.

California in the news...

2010-11-15T21:32:00.004-06:00

Oh Cali...every time I hear some crazy story in the political/culture world, it seems to come out of California. Sad to say, but nothing really surprises me anymore...if it's going to happen, it seems to take place there. So let's get to it:

1. The Denair Middle School situation...13 year old, Cody Alicea, is told he can not have the American flag on his bike when on school property (it may cause racial tension...hello, we live in America. Last I checked America represents people from all over the world, but as you can imagine this was an issue with the Mexico situation). Good news here, those in authority overturned their decision and allowed this young boy to continue riding with the flag on his bike. Thank goodness the media made a big deal out of this...let the flag fly!

2.In-state tuition ALLOWED for illegal immigrants...what do you say to this ruling? Hmmm, in order to receive in state tuition, it seems as if you would have to be a citizen of the state wouldn't it? Not in California...when it ruled that illegal immigrants are entitled to the same tuition breaks offered to in-state high school students to attend public colleges and universities. So what you're telling me is...you won't receive these tax breaks if you are a US citizen who lives in neighboring Oregon, BUT if you aren't a citizen of the US & aren't a citizen of California...then you can get these breaks. Does that make sense?

3.Next up...the ban on Happy Meals (in San Francisco). Sorry kids, no toys allowed because it tempts you to want happy meals. So what about it being UP TO THE PARENTS to provide and choose what your kids have. I'm all for healthier choices...but that's my choice for my children, not the government. Keep in mind, San Francisco is a sanctuary city who breaks the law by enabling illegal immigrants to hide out there...is one of the MOST LIBERAL cities in the country...and yet puts its foot down on Happy Meals. Interesting!

These are literally just the more recent news stories...gotta love Cali!

Planting seeds...

2010-11-14T20:29:00.003-06:00

One of the hardest things for me is realizing that I'm not God...I know that is obvious, but why do I want/wish to control outcomes? It is hard for me, and I assume us, to sit back and have to actually rely on God to deliver. It shouldn't be right...after all, His ways ARE perfect. Nevertheless, it is a hard pill to swallow at times.
However, days like today are encouraging. I received a phone call from someone who told me they went to church today! This someone is a person that I have been praying, and praying, and praying for...so I was somewhat surprised, yet pumped that this person made an attempt to go to church.
That being said, sometimes we are just meant to plant the seeds...we may never see the outcomes, the rewards, the decisions, etc. but we are still called to plant seeds. It is up to God to nurture and grow what was planted...

Kids these days...

2010-11-10T22:02:00.002-06:00

I can't help but wonder what kids will be like when my 2 children get to be older. It is crazy to see and hear about kids these days. Today while working, I found out about a 14 year old pregnant girl that was nearby. Seriously....14. How is this girl supposed to provide for a child, teach a child responsibility, get an education, and so on? A nurse in this same office was talking about a situation and her daughter's school...5 girls made a pack to all have sex with and get pregnant by the same boy...and according to this lady, all 5 girls succeeded in getting pregnant. Congratulations son, you now have 5 children on the way by 5 different girls...can't wait to hear how that one is explained when they get older. Then yesterday while driving up the interstate outside Memphis, I spotted 3 teenage boys DANCING in one of the interstate lanes...I honked my horn as a warning, but seriously what are they thinking?

So, what are parents to do? Well, be parents...sounds simple, but somewhere our society is failing our children. Yes, kids do things their parents don't approve of...we can't be everywhere at every time. What we can do is set examples for our kids, correct our kids when needed, guide our kids into becoming responsible humans. Yes, it is definitely easier said than done...but the hard work will pay off. Kids need structure and discipline...that's what keeps our society from becoming utter chaos.

I will say this to all parents out there...God is the ultimate example of parenting. Think about it, God is a God of love AND justice. While He loves us, he still has to correct us and straighten us up. We may not like it and there may be consequences involved, but it is for our own good.

"You can't handle the truth!"

2010-11-09T22:30:00.002-06:00

"YOU CAN'T HANDLE THE TRUTH!" stated by Jack Nicholson
Remember that classic line in the movie "A Few Good Men"?

Through a variety of different events today, this is what the take away is...
Do we really want to know the truth? It's kind of like the old scenario where the woman asks, "Do these jeans make my butt look big?" Do we want the truth?

I will say this...my job is sales. Therefore, in order for me to do my job effectively, I need the truth. I don't want doctors to tell me what they think I want to hear, I want the truth...regardless if it is what I want to hear or not. Think about it, how do we move forward if we don't have perspective on things?

This applies not only in my job, but in life too. Let's face it, no one wants to be told of faults or places that need improvement. Our natural instincts put us in defense mode...we all get that way. But, maybe it's good to do a self-check when these instances arise. In a lot of instances, there isn't a clear cut right and wrong...but a difference of opinion. So for example, if you ask someone if the jeans make your butt look big...realize who is giving you their opinion. You never know, maybe they like big butts and that isn't a bad thing :) At the end of the day, maybe we as humans really can't handle the truth. Sometimes the truth isn't that pleasant, but we have to put things in perspective in order to know what to do next, or what adjustments need to be made.

Born Again? How do we know?

2010-11-03T21:58:00.002-05:00

For those of us born again...we have an inheritance awaiting us. That's so encouraging and freeing to know! At church this past Sunday, our teaching pastor gave us 4 "signs" of being born again (I believe these originated with Jonathan Edwards):

1. We have a LOVE for Jesus-->others may respect & admire Him and know about Him, but they don't worship Him and actually know Him. The Bible states that even the demons know there is a God...it isn't just knowing God exist, but actually worshiping and loving the one who sacrificed everything and gave us the ultimate gift...salvation and freedom from sin!

2. We have a hatred for sin-->we know longer make excuses or justify sin...but we do acknowledge sin and try to get rid of the sin. To be honest, I HATE sin...I hate what it does to individuals, to families, to society, and how it literally hurts God.

3. LOVE of the word-->we go to it for truth and clarity

4. LOVE for others-->this love goes beyond differences in income, appearance, race, politics, borders, and every other thing you can think of. We are called to love everyone...that doesn't mean excuse wrong though.

I pass this information along as a self check...it should be a joy to obey God! This doesn't guarantee a life free of heart ache, hardship, and difficulty. With God all things are possible...if He is for us then truly, who can be against us. I invite you to get to know the ONLY Lord and Savior Jesus! This isn't simply believing He exist, but being a Christian is a lifestyle.

5 Election Night Keys...

2010-11-02T22:57:00.002-05:00

Here is my summary from tonight so far (it isn't over yet) & you probably won't here things put this way on your news tomorrow:

1. IT'S NOT ABOUT RACISM BUT IDEOLOGY...even today on the radio I heard a caller who stated that the tea-party movement was racist. Hmmm, explain the following:
~Indian-American female elected Governor of SC (Nikki Haley). She is the 2nd Indian-American Governor along with Bobby Jindal out of Louisiana
~First Hispanic Female Governor elected out of New Mexico (Susana Martinez)
...yes, she is ANTI ILLEGAL-immigration
~in SC, Tim Scott...a black tea-party candidate wins and is the first black GOP elected to Congress in years. Oh wait, Alan West out of Florida also fits this too...he is a black tea partier too! There is one more black tea partier whose contest is yet to be decided at this time.
(my point being...it isn't about skin color, but ideology...unfortunately the black tea party GOP candidate I voted for in my district got defeated tonight)

2. ACORN filed for bankruptcy today...ironic I would say. Obama and his community organizing background crossed paths with this organization, they were caught doing illegal activity, lost their federal funding, and are now bankrupt!

3. What the swap from D to R's in the House means...not only will Pelosi be gone as Speaker, but the chairmen of the various committees will swap too. Republicans will win the chairman's gavel on nearly 2 dozen committees with oversight power. Oh yeah, hand over your gavel too Pelosi!

4. 3 Supreme Court Justices in Iowa look like they will lose. Why is this important in case you haven't heard? The people of Iowa voted a while back to keep marriage between a man & woman, obviously voting against same-sex marriage. These 3 judges decided to overturn what the people voted for, and backed a ruling for same sex marriage. So, these 3 judges were up for a retention vote to keep their positions, and it appears they will lose. This is important because it is the people's decision, not judicial activist.

5. Conservatism is alive and kicking...that is the theme of the night (overall). People want responsibility and change. Not only has their been a huge swing to conservatives, but also in other areas. The Proposition to legalize marijuana in CA was defeated too. The only conservative value shot down that I am aware of was in Colorado...they had an initiative on the abortion issue and were trying to pass a fetal personhood amendment that got defeated.

gonna be gridlock...

2010-11-02T21:59:00.002-05:00

All of the election races are not final yet but it is already obvious, that Americans have been unhappy with Congress and this current Administration...that being said, as expected...Republicans are going to take over the House, which means BYE BYE PELOSI! My main point of this is to say, Obama will no longer to simply state what he wants and expect Speaker Pelosi to make it happen. From now on, there will be a gridlock....and it will be based on ideology, not simply R vs D. That is what the media is going to say...R, the party of no. But it goes soooo much deeper than that. You have someone like liberal Pelosi who has been pro-choice, bigger government, for "non-traditional" marriage, for Obamacare...and now you will have a conservative Speaker (John Boehner more than likely) who is pro-family, pro-life Catholic, hard working, fiscally responsible...at the end of the day, Pelosi and Boehner are 2 completely different people with 2 completely different ideologies. That being said, Obama thinks like Pelosi...so, how can Boehner truly compromise with Obama and vice versa? If it were me (and I think more like Boehner)...those ideologies are unwavering for me. Pro-life, pro-family, pro-responsibility, traditional marriage...there isn't room for negotiation on those issues. So expect a gridlock from now on!