Sin is Sin, Including Homosexuality and Lesbianism

In my life, homosexuality and lesbianism seems to be more and more of a regular encounter.  Personally, my uncle lived a homosexual life.  Over the course of my life in recent years I have come across multiple individuals who live in this type of lifestyle.  Many of these individuals are more pleasant to be around than heterosexual friends who struggle with other sinful issues. I love the Ellen Show and she seems to be a wonderful person, so I don’t have homophobia or an angst against humans caught in this sinful web.

Off the bat, I direct you to http://www.biblebb.com/files/macqa/70-18-2.htm to read a detailed, enlightening and informational dialogue by John MacArthur using Scripture as support…and to sum it up, sin is sin.

We have all been born with different challenges, different vices that demand our attention.  Some of us struggle with gluttony, some with alcohol, some with an ego the size of Texas, and some of us are drawn to the same sex.  Sin is sin, no matter what you say, the Truth is the Truth.  To say one is born that way is a futile excuse to condone the act.

I have major sympathy for homosexuals based upon my personal experience with my uncle.  He was the sweetest, kindest, gentlest person I ever knew but he gave himself over to a temptation that ultimately destroyed him and he is no longer with us.  Consequently, his loving partner stole all is wealth on his death bed from my mother which my uncle had promised her, but don’t get me wrong, the money is not important, the end result of his actions is just further evidence of the baseness of this lifestyle and the self-pleasuring arrogance it harbors.  His partner now prowls around town in a new sports car with the plates “2hot4u”, or something like that, and may God have mercy on soul.

Our society is slowly being handed over to this sin as the advocates of it’s legitimacy push for rights as a minority as if they are a race.  Just another thread being unraveled from the moral tapestry our world was based upon.  Just like after the Romans accepted all and any act as okay and eventually was destroyed, our country is on the same path.  Not a surprise, it is all written in the Word and expected, so I sit as a casual observer doing what I can to help those around me and pray they are able to pry the talons of this smothering sin from their lives and find the Truth before God hands them over to their perverse desires.

In conclusion, I find the following an excellent answer to what is life all about by Rick Warren.  I may not be on board with everything Mr. Warren has written, but I love this text and to sum it up, this life on Earth is a dress-rehearsal of our real lives, whether in Hell or Heaven.  I totally respect what he has done with the wealth and success God had granted him.  Do you want to know why you are here and want a good example to follow, than read on what Rick has to say:

People ask me, What is the purpose of life?

And I respond: In a nutshell, life is preparation for eternity. We were not made to last forever, and God wants us to be with Him in Heaven.

One day my heart is going to stop, and that will be the end of my body– but not the end of me.

I may live 60 to
100 years on earth, but I am going to spend trillions of years in eternity. This is the warm-up act – the dress rehearsal. God wants us to practice on earth what we will do forever in eternity.

We were made by God and for God, and until you figure that out, life isn’t going to make sense.

Life is a series of problems: Either you are in one now, you’re just coming out of one, or you’re getting ready to go into another one.

The reason for this is that God is more interested in your character than your comfort; God is more interested in making your life holy than He is in making your life happy.

We can be reasonably happy here on earth, but that’s not the goal of life. The goal is to grow in character, in Christ likeness.

This past year has been the greatest year of my life but also the toughest, with my wife, Kay, getting cancer.

I used to think that life was hills and valleys – you go through a dark time, then you go to the mountaintop, back and forth. I don’t believe that anymore.

Rather than life being hills and valleys, I believe that it’s kind of like two rails on a railroad track, and at all times you have something good and something bad in your life.

No matter how good things are in your life, there is always something bad that needs to be worked on.

And no matter how bad things are in your life, there is always something good you can thank God for.

You can focus on your purposes, or you can focus on your problems:

If you focus on your problems, you’re going into self-centeredness, which is my problem, my issues, my pain.’ But one of the easiest ways to get rid of pain is to get your focus off yourself and onto God and others.

We discovered quickly that in spite of the prayers of hundreds of thousands of people, God was not going to heal Kay or make it easy for her- It has been very difficult for her, and yet God has strengthened her character, given her a ministry of helping other people, given her a testimony, drawn her closer to Him and to people.

You have to learn to deal with both the good and the bad of life.

Actually, sometimes learning to deal with the good is harder. For instance, this past year, all of a sudden, when the book sold 15 million copies, it made me instantly very wealthy.

It also brought a lot of notoriety that I had never had to deal with before. I don’t think God gives you money or notoriety for your own ego or for you to live a life of ease.

So I began to ask God what He wanted me to do with this money, notoriety and influence. He gave me two different passages that helped me decide what to do, II Corinthians 9 and Psalm 72.

First, in spite of all the money coming in, we would not change our lifestyle one bit.. We made no major purchases.

Second, about midway through last year, I stopped taking a salary from the church.

Third, we set up foundations to fund an initiative we call The Peace Plan to plant churches, equip leaders, assist the poor, care for the sick, and educate the next generation.

Fourth, I added up all that the church had paid me in the 24 years since I started the church, and I gave it all back. It was liberating to be able to serve God for free..

We need to ask ourselves: Am I going to live for possessions? Popularity?

Am I going to be driven by pressures? Guilt? Bitterness? Materialism? Or am I going to be driven by God’s purposes (for my life)?

When I get up in the morning, I sit on the side of my bed and say, God, if I don’t get anything else done today, I want to know You more and love You better. God didn’t put me on earth just to fulfill a to-do list. He’s more interested in what I am than what I do.

That’s why we’re called human beings, not human doings.

Happy moments, PRAISE GOD.

Difficult moments, SEEK GOD.

Quiet moments, WORSHIP GOD..

Painful moments, TRUST GOD.

Every moment, THANK
GOD.

Lazy Leaches

For the first time in my life I am faced with collecting unemployment benefits after being laid off.  I am very happy to be collecting the $1,400 or so a month from the State of Missouri.  I have been diligently searching for employment for months, documenting each contact, and without the unemployment income I would be in dire straits.  The unemployment is keeping me afloat and helping me to be able to live and provide something to my children.

Unfortunately through this experience I have learned of other individuals who abuse this lifeline.  One example is an individual who works during the summer but because of the nature of his business is out of work during the winter months.  Instead of finding winter work he sits on his behind collecting unemployment benefits until the next summer.  Another example is a person who has skills as a welder but has been collecting unemployment dollars for almost two years I think.  His benefits expire in September of this year but he has milked the max from the system with no inclination to find work.  The last example is another individual who is in his upper 50s or lower 60s who was laid off and has not actively searched for new employment for months and months now.  Instead, he has taken money from the State coffers for the maximum amount of time allotted and is happy doing nothing and living off the money our tax dollars provide.

I diligently document all the companies I have applied for employment to on a weekly basis.  I go to the unemployment office monthly to check in.  I am following the rules and trying hard to get a new job since being laid off, but it is so discouraging to see these individuals taking advantage of a system put in place for people like me.  Where are the checks and balances to weed out these lazy leaches?  According to the documentation I have read there are apparently random audits against unemployment beneficiaries.  Evidently, that is not enough.

If I know of just three cases of abuse, I can only imagine what is happening with this situation compounded on a national scale.  I have read about prosecutions against individuals committing fraudulent acts against the system by collecting unemployment while actually banking employment checks elsewhere, but what about these slugs who are living off the benefits willingly and doing nothing to find a job?  The Labor Department has only one decent publication addressing this issue and that was published in 1953!  The only check and balance in place today to identify and prosecute these leaches is a random audit that obviously is not random or frequent enough!

Just another example of a government system that is easily abused and the honest man’s  tax dollars are just being handed over to a society of slugs…and the government wants us to trust them to manage a health insurance program.  No thanks.

Brother, Can You Spare A Bedroom?

Feels like an economy lobotomy is being administered to me.  The past four, almost five months now I have searched for a job to no avail.  I’ve never been in this position before and I don’t like how it feels.   What a bummer.  Ironic to say, “What a bummer”, when I’m living kind of like a bum.

I discovered in March that the new-wise-pinhead boss that breezed in from Ohio was laying off all the contractors, despite breaking previous promises made, in terms of contract-to-hire.  I realized this pinhead was actually a boardroom summoned hatchet man, dang the luck!  I immediately went into survival mode and circled the wagons, or wagon in my case.  Kind of dizzy doing circles by myself for months now.  This self preservation included breaking from my apartment lease and shacking up in spare bedrooms of friends and family to save spending money on rent.

It is okay doing this for a month or two, but I am growing weary of the whole situation at this point.  I miss being alone and not having to worry about being a burden to the other person’s home.  I am very fortunate and appreciative that I have many spare bedrooms to stake a tent…I have wonderful friends and family.  Regardless, I’ll be very happy and appreciate getting back into my own digs when that day comes.

I’m very happy that I have lived my life so far as a minimalist.  With all the moving I have done and presently living in limbo, it is good not having to haul a bunch of junk around.  I have one row of earthly goods stowed in my parent’s garage and don’t plan to ever have much more than that, who needs a bunch of stuff, I am in full agreement with George Carlin in that department.

Hopefully things will improve shortly, glad I saved enough money and I don’t have to ask for a dime at this time.  For now, just need a place to lay my head, so brother, can you spare a bedroom?

Swine Flu Ground Zero Caught on Film!

Swine Flu Ground Zero

Amazon Con?

I don’t want to be construed a conspiracy therorist or anything, but knowing how lunatic the enviroMENTAL type folks can get, I can’t help but wonder if this new “uncontacted” tribe that I read about at http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/7426794.stm is actually legit.  Seriously folks, the environMENTAL folks could have easily planted some actors in the jungle to play the part in order to save the foilage from illegal timbering.  Anybody else consider that a possiblilty?  Just a thought.

If they are uncontacted peeps out there in the wild of the Amazon that is actually really cool and I see Hollywood wrapping a story/movie around it easily in the near future to make some dough.  Kind of crazy that we live in 2008 and supposedly have 100 tribes out there in the jungle wungles who have not ever met civilized peeps.  Is that possible with the Internet, satellites, and I-Phones?  Crazy crazy world it is we live in.

Cowards Under Covers

I am incredulous every time a book hits the shelf and the news wires start buzzing about the latest tell-all from former, I emphasize former, administration officials. The latest of a long line of cowards hiding under a book cover is McClellan. Regardless of the administration I find it cowardly and it resembles a two-faced 13-year-old girl who tells “Susie” to her face she is beautiful and cool but later passes a note around that says “Susie” is a geek and ugly as a toad. In this case the note comes in the form of a book and big bucks.

I wish we had more straight-shooters in the upper echelons of D.C. that had some semblance of honor. Leaders who actually make an honorable career of it versus spending their days covering their “carear”. Those individuals who tell it like it is, who are not afraid to call the baby ugly or bell the cat, regardless if speaking the truth brings grief. There are some truly dignified leaders walking the halls, but they are few and far between. I came across some excellent articles addressing McClellan in particular that highlight the contradictions between what he says now versus what he said back then. He must have been a master schmoozer all those years to catch everyone by surprise by coming out of left field lambasting like this.

Once again, a coward under a book cover, I just saw a headline that former Sen. Craig is writing a book about his airport escapade. The sad part is he’ll make a lot of money from being lewd in the loo, but holy commode, where is the dignity? I suppose this will be his soapbox, or toilet, to stand on and cast blame on society for keeping his urges confined to dirty bathrooms and dark parks. He has resigned, even though there are plenty of professed sexual deviants on the Hill, why step down when he could just step out? No, instead, he’ll probably use the book to come out of the stall finally admitting what everyone has suspected for years, he lusts for men and was in Minneapolis hoping for a piss-n-tryst. The book may be followed by a rainbow rally speaking circuit and he’ll become a homohero…all because he was stung in a sting instead of finding a fling.

Lord help us.

Flash Headlights Against Fuzz

I have some good memories of riding in the car with my father on back country roads of Iowa and even Interstates where, after seeing a highway patrol staked under a bridge or behind a billboard, he would flash oncoming drivers in an attempt to warn them of the fuzz.  What happened to that practice?  As an adult now I never see that happening and it is such a simple and productive act to help fellow drivers.

If I see a police car staked out painting the highway for speeders I flash my headlights for the next couple miles trying to warn drivers who are heading for the trap.  I imagine I have saved many drivers a ticket if they paid attention.  It seemed commonplace back in the 70s when my Pa was teaching me driving etiquette.  It is a lost art from what I have witnessed.  We need to begin a new campaign to revive this simple and effective method of countering the fuzz.  I am not the only one thinking this way, see this blog to see that it works: http://forums.motortrend.com/70/6524763/the-drive-in/do-you-ever-flash-your-headlights-to-warn-driver-o/index.html

Anyway peeps, lets work together, this is a method that is better than radar detectors and can do us all some good…so get to flashin against the fuzz!

I Wanna Be Ann’s Man!

I love older women and Ann Coulter fits the bill since she has chalked 10 years more than me. Every time I see her the Oak Ridge Boys break into harmony…“Ann Coulter, would be a beautiful lover, I said Ann Coulter, she’d understand, I’ve been dreamin’ some, that I will discover, that Ann Coulter knows just how to please this man.”

Honestly though, how does a Regular Joe ever have a prayer of dating a hottie with celebrity status? How do I as a regular Joe get into that celeb circle? I don’t wanna have to work as a waiter where they frequent, or clean their pool, or be a Manny. That is servant status and I don’t want to present myself as such. I’m talkin’ us everyday relatively successful regular guys that dwell in cube-a-cells, or behind wheels, or on construction sites, or simply put, those of us who are not seven-figure affluent via inheritance, business, or entertainment. That’s all I see. I see heiress whores “interfacing” with fellow brats of billionaires. We see actor with actress, actress with musician, musician with athlete, athlete with model, model with actor, actor with producer, producer with actress, on and on. I do understand why it is this way. Gold-diggers (think Heather Mills) and nutcases (think Heather Mills) are real threats.  I also realize celeb careers have similar lifestyles; crazy schedules and lots of travel. Johnny Cash is a good example; his first marriage to Vivian Liberto had lots of issues (drugs, infidelity), but one part that played a factor in their demise was her griping about his constant absence from touring. That knot eventually unraveled, but his marriage to June was a much better fit since they were both musicians living similar lives.

I can think of some commoner/celeb relationships but most of them began before the fame and either lasted (think Alan Jackson) and so far so good Chris Daughtry.  Or it ended when the fame destroyed it in some shape or form (think Jim Carrey). Other commoner/celeb relationships really aren’t relationships, but more like hook-ups. The peasant comes in the form of waitress, flight-attendant, or pappafarzzi, but the whole thing is depicted in the media like the celeb went slummin’.

I digress, returning to my original thought, how do I get a date with Ann without coming across as a nutcase or a gold-digger? I’m beginning to think it is almost impossible. I think the only way that has real potential is if you happen to work with or are friends with a celebs relative. For instance, Tyra Banks, her brother is an Air Force officer as I was. If I had been assigned to the same base and got to know him and became friends I could eventually have met Tyra in a normal and safe environment such as his home when she visited. The closest I got was when he was stationed in D.C. and I was in Hampton Roads, VA, so close! Another almost brush with celebrity I had was when I worked with Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio’s sister in Iowa of all places. Mary would rarely come visit her family because they were spread all over the U.S. and she was living in Europe, so she would fly them all to one of her homes in Italy for annual get-togethers. I was friendly with her very nice sister but not close enough to make inroads to Mary’s celeb connections.

I answered my own question; unless I meet some of Ann’s family somehow I can forget it. I guess I must accept I will never be Ann’s man. I will just have to be content reading her books/columns, watching her television spots, and staring at her “I Am A Luce Lady” poster on my wall. Speaking of Luce women, Michelle Malkin is right there with Ann in the looks department and matches her intellect so she is the hottest married woman on Earth. Her poster is on my wall, and I read her books/columns and watch her TV spots, but she is disqualified due to her marital status, so I can’t pine for her like I do Ann.

Ann, as you scour the Internet for material towards your next piece, you may come across my blog and you’re reading this right now; how ’bout dinner at my place?  You can trust me, I won’t lock you down Annie Wilkes style, honest!

Joel Osteen or Jesus?

If Roman Empiresque persecution was knocking on the arena doors of Lakewood Theater, 100% of the members would say,” Jesus who?” and say they’re just there for some inspirational teaching. Gentle congenial Joel is smoking a bowl if he thinks what he is doing pleases God. They appropriately chose theater like seats so the attenders can sit back, relax and enjoy the theatrical, dramatic, and flashy show. He wants us to find the champion in ourselves. LOL, how about we accept the Gift and let Jesus Christ inside of us? If I want to be a champion I’ll go to the gym.

I am on this soap box because I watched his interview on 60 Minutes this week, and BTW, Byron Pitts asked some hard-hitting questions. I’m going to keep an eye on his segments, I like what I see so far. Anyway, Joel says he wants to enlighten the masses about all the good things about God and that everything will be alright, totally ignoring the meat of the Message.

Unholy Joel has squandered his responsibility as a church leader. He professes to be a part of Jesus’ church but what he preaches is the doctrine of devils. He claims he’s making a difficult message simple, like the general population has no ability to do so themselves. While in truth he convoluted a very simple Message that even a child can understand. His message is not even in the same zip code as what Scripture teaches. Plain and simple, he is nothing more than a motivational speaker raking in millions not for His Commission, but his commission. Cajole Joel operates under the guise as a preacher. Is it to avoid taxes? Is it a thirst for power and prestige? Only he and God know his true motives, but I can guarantee it isn’t to cultivate Christians.

To see an example of a true Christian leader, go no further than Dr. John MacArthur (www.gty.org) who preaches the whole Book and not just the fluff. If you go across the pond and back a hundred years, Charles Spurgeon is another good example (www.spurgeon.org). Christ didn’t humbly descend from Heaven to Man’s level and endure the vicious and brutal torture and crucifixion administered by mere mortal Man so that Joel could cajole millions into believing there is no obligation to follow Jesus’ teaching. Joel says to just think happy thoughts and everything will turn out okay. Jesus was hated, not loved, and said the same would happen to His followers. If you claim to be a follower of Christ but cuddle with the carnal world, then you’re fooling yourself for whatever reason and you’re a christian by Man’s false definition alone. That is, basically you’re a good person and believe there is a God and God is a softy who will let you in based upon your merits.

Hate It, don’t believe It, twist It, whatever you want to do to It; but nothing changes It. Just like the wind, you can say it doesn’t exist because you can’t see it, but that doesn’t change the fact that the wind is very real and on the move. Every knee will bow one day and each of us will profess,” Jesus is Lord.” Will your knee bend voluntarily or be forced? Will your lips utter He is Lord willingly or by command. Are you going to follow Joel or Jesus?

For a shining example of what kind of people they are outside the Lakewood Theater, check out this story…

http://www.okctalk.com/faith-values-open-discussion/7297-joel-osteens-wife-assaults-batters-flight-attendant.html

A good piece on this false pastor…http://www.portfolio.com/executives/features/2008/07/16/Megachurch-Preacher-Joel-Osteen

Environmental Cases

Revelation 21:1 “Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth. The former heaven and the former earth had passed away, and the sea was no more.”

There it is folks, there is no saving the environment, God stamped this spinning ball with an expiration date only He knows. Could be today, could be 10,000 years from now, only He will decide when to wrap up the carnal commotion. Thank God for His patience, He should have cleaned the slate ions ago.

Based upon the fact that God is gonna hit the reset button and start over once He cleans up the mess and casts all the sinners and fallen angels into Hell, it is a shame to see billions and billions of dollars funneled to the environment. All those resources should be feeding, clothing, nurturing, treating, housing, comforting the poor/sick of the world. People do not have an expiration date, we all live forever in Heaven or die forever in Hell. Human lives are a much better investment than a soulless plant or animal.

Now I do believe in responsible management of God’s creation, that was our initial purpose in the first place, but sin brought a curse to Earth and our purpose shifted to obtaining redemption with God. Point being, we should still be responsible and manage fishing, hunting, logging, oil drilling, etc. It is silly to hunt or fish something into extinction, it is horrible to see oil companies spilling their crude product into our waters and on our land. That is common sense, but the enviro-mental cases take it too far and create issues that are a waste of time, effort, and money. These nut cases are making a living tooting the global warming/save the environment horn. The love of money is the ultimate issue they’re concerned about versus love of the environment, guarantee it.

Bottom line, it is frustrating to see so much money being used for a dead issue, those resources should be channeled to give life to those who barely have it.