Life in the Fast Lane

It's that sort of busy time of year, and it's been sort of busy around here, but a lot's been accomplished.

I borrowed my dad's pole saw (chainsaw-on-a-stick) and trimmed up our mulberry tree real good. February is the best time to do that so you catch them before they bud and bloom. Besides, we had bulk trash pick up. I'm eyeing other trees in the yard now for the next bulk pick up. Fun. I like chainsaws-on-a-stick. Heck, I just like chainsaws.

I had my wife get our healthcare reimbursement figured out, which in turn helped get our medical expenses figured out for taxes. Then I did our taxes (nice and early) and we already have our Federal and state refunds.

Then last week I got to write up my annual performance appraisal for work. Fun (NOT!).

All this in light of our upcoming vacation plans. My wife has an aunt who lives in Maryland - right smack dab between Washington and Baltimore. Can you say "sightseeing?" I've never been to Washington, but I've always wanted to go there. And we'll see a bit of Baltimore also. It's kind of ironic - I've been to five national capitals in my travels, but never our own. Being the history buff that I am, I am really looking forward to this trip.

False Prophet Identified

"At that time if anyone says to you, 'Look, here is the Christ!' or, 'There he is!' do not believe it. For false Christs and false prophets will appear and perform great signs and miracles to deceive even the elect—if that were possible. See, I have told you ahead of time." -Matthew 24:23-25

Take a good look at the picture on the right - this is exactly what Jesus warned us about. This is a false prophet. This is a false Christ. Sounds crazy?

Meet Jose Luis de Jesus Miranda, a pastor in Miami who claims to be Jesus Christ incarnate. And he has the number 666 tattooed on his arm. Now that's odd. And the scary thing is that a lot of people believe him.

De Jesus preaches that there is no devil and no sin. I don't know what Bible he's preaching from, but the New International Version has a combined 466 specific references to "devil" and "sin," as well as 46 references to "Satan." And that's not including other references to the devil including "serpent," "beast," "evil one," etc. That's a lot of references to something that doesn't exist (did you know that cats are not mentioned in the Bible? yet they exist!).

Satan is the Great Deceiver, and perhaps the biggest lie he perpetrates is that he doesn't exist. Trust me, he does.

But wait, it gets even more twisted. Not only does De Jesus claim to be Christ incarnate, but also the antichrist! How can he be both?

Then there's the matter of the "666" tattooed on his arm. While the number 666 is associated with the devil, De Jesus claims it's all just a misunderstanding. Well, let's see. Revelation 13:18 states: "This calls for wisdom. If anyone has insight, let him calculate the number of the beast [the devil], for it is man's number. His number is 666." Sorry, there's no mistake about this verse; 666 is associated with Satan. Unfortunately, De Jesus' followers do not have the wisdom to discern that. In fact, De Jesus thinks the antichrist is a great guy.

De Jesus also preaches, "The Antichrist is not the devil; he's the being who replaces Jesus on Earth." True. The Antichrist is not the devil. 2 John 1:7 says, "Many deceivers, who do not acknowledge Jesus Christ as coming in the flesh, have gone out into the world. Any such person is the deceiver and the antichrist." But when Jesus ascended into heaven, he was not replaced by deceivers. The work of Christ was placed in the hands, feet, mouths, and hearts of his followers. Nor did Jesus leave us in a spiritual vacuum after he left, for he promised us in John 14:26 : "But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you."

De Jesus - I wonder if that's his real name, or one he concocted to ease his deceit? But one thing is sure - he is an antichrist in the true definition. He shmoozes his congregation along the path of evil. They hear what they want to hear. He exploits their ignorance. By telling them there is no devil and no sin, they have no God to fear. In the end, he will only lead them - and himself - to destruction.

How do they allow this to happen to themselves? How do they allow this inherently evil man to control their very souls? Quite simple. They don't know their Bible. And Jose Luis de Jesus Miranda knows this.

If you wish, check out the full story on CNN.

Meanwhile, I close with this passage: "Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world." - 1 John 4:1

In other words, get into the Word, my friends. The Bible is your best protection against scheisters like Jim Jones, David Koresh, Joseph Smith, and Jose Luis de Jesus Miranda.

Keep watch, my brethren. Be vigilant.

New Additions Coming to the Family

Well, it's Valentine's Day, and he popped the question. Our older daughter, J, has been dating R for about six months now. And tonight they are engaged.

S & I have been commenting on how much we like R and what he's done in J's life. We look forward now to having him as our new son-in-law (the first one was such a disappointment and continues to excel in mediocrity).

This makes for a ready-made granddaughter as well - R has a three-year-old girl. K and our grandson J get along great as well.

Looks like a March wedding next year!

Maxine's Solutions

From an e-mail I received recently:

Everyone concentrates on the problems we're having in this country lately; illegal immigration, hurricane recovery, wild animals attacking humans in Florida. Not me. I concentrate on solutions to problems. The result is a win-win-win situation:

1. Dig a moat the length of the Mexican border

2. Use the dirt to raise the levees in New Orleans

3. Put the Florida alligators in the moat.

Any other problems you would like for me to solve today?

What The...? The Defense of Marriage Initiative

I don't yell at the TV very often, but I did last night. Married couples would be required to have children within three years or their marriage would be annulled. What the...? Excuse me?

According to this news report, "Initiative 957 was filed by the Washington Defense of Marriage Alliance. That group was formed last summer after the state Supreme Court upheld Washington's ban on same-sex marriage."

Here's the details:

• If passed by Washington voters, the Defense of Marriage Initiative would:
  add the phrase, “who are capable of having children with one another” to the legal definition of marriage;


• require that couples married in Washington file proof of procreation within three years of the date of marriage or have their marriage automatically annulled;


• require that couples married out of state file proof of procreation within three years of the date of marriage or have their marriage classed as “unrecognized;”


• establish a process for filing proof of procreation; and


• make it a criminal act for people in an unrecognized marriage to receive marriage benefits.¹

These people have absolutely no clue what a marriage is. And now that the people of the great state of Washington have spoken up and taken a stand in favor of marriage, this bunch of sore losers has taken their fight to a new low. Let's hope this initiative goes down in flames.

---

¹http://www.wa-doma.org/Default.aspx

A Lesson in Rolling Your "R's"

We sing quite a bit of Latin in our church choir, and that entails rolling our R's.

Here's a Super Bowl ad for Taco Bell that demonstrates how that is done:

Super Bowl XLI: Pushing the Envelope?

Once again, the Super Bowl raised some eyebrows this year, both good and bad. And it was more of what happened off the field than on it that grabbed peoples' attention.

The Snickers Commercial
This ad featured two auto mechanics inadvertently kissing while sharing a Snickers bar, then trying to make up for their error by acting more masculine. Gay rights groups are protesting because they think this is gay-bashing. Others would say it promotes the gay lifestyle. Personally I thought it was tasteless and disturbing. M&M Mars has pulled this ad off of the airwaves and it appears it is no longer on their website.

General Motors Robot Contemplates Suicide

I thought this was a cute commercial - until the despondant robot jumps off a bridge. Of course it was all a dream and, of course, robots would never do that. But again, the message that was conveyed was disturbing, implying that suicide was okay. Perhaps it was art imitating life, especially when you consider that GM (and other car makers) are essentially committing suicide with their business practices.

Prince's Halftime Performance [link]
Not since Janet Jackson's wardrobe malfunction have we had a controversy with the halftime show. The controversy here was the point at which the shadow of Prince and his custom-made guitar were projected against a large sheet of fabric which had a phallic connotation.

Now I've never been a fan of Prince, but I thought he performed wonderfully. I can also see - quite clearly - what is implied by the offended masses. But I also see it for what it really is - a man and his guitar. That's really the only way one can properly play a guitar, and I don't believe any other meaning was intended. What I questioned more was: What was up with that thing on his head?

So another Super Bowl passes - and again, the envelope was pushed. We live in a society where the envelope of morality is constantly pushed; it's just expressed more artistically at the Super Bowl.

Next year the Super Bowl will be played just a few miles from my house. At least it won't rain - unless they forget to close the roof and it's raining (now that would be a controversy!).

Nobody's Perfect - But That's Okay

Some convicting words I heard in this morning's sermon:

"Raise your hand if you're perfect." No hands went up. "Raise your hand if you would like to be more Christ-like." Most - if not all - hands went up.

See, here's the thing. If you're not perfect and you want to be more Christ-like, that means you've got some work to do on yourself. I know I do. But that's okay. The Bible is full of instruction on how to be a better person.

...do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God. ♦ Romans 12:2

Saddam's Cat: A Little Sick Humor

Sorry, I couldn't resist sharing this from an email I got.

I Thought It Was A Bit Cold This Afternoon!

You know, it's fun to watch meteorologists in action. When the weather does something unexpected, it's just another reminder that God is in control.

This morning was a prime example. Sunny skies had been forecast. It rained. Then it cleared up. Then it clouded up again about late afternoon. And in some places it snowed. That's a bit unusual here in the desert.

Tonight's forecast is calling for snow down to 2000 feet, with heavy snow possible as far down as 2500 feet. Hmmm.

Yep, It's Still Cold (for Phoenix)

Amazingly the temperature this afternoon has climbed into the lower 50's. This morning before I left for church our thermometer read 28^o. And tonight is supposed to be even colder!

Surprisingly, I didn't have to scrape ice off my car - we just don't have a lot of moisture right now.

The nice thing is that I won't have to rake much more in the backyard. I've seen these hard freezes take the leaves off of a mulberry tree in pretty short order. I was a little dissappointed to see quite a bit of yellow leaves on the tree this morning. But when I got home from church, they were all down! Hallelujah! Now I can get ready to prune that sucker.

Baby, It's Cold Out!

It looks like our temperatures are going to plunge lower than they have been in a long time. The highest I ever saw on our thermometer today was 48⁰F and now it's 38⁰F. The forecast is called for morning lows ranging from 21⁰ to 31⁰, with the airport getting down to 27⁰. Looks like I'm scrapin' ice off my windshield before I go to church!

Is America Getting Too Soft?

I'm wondering now if there will soon come a time when we as nation will say to the terrorists, "Okay, you win." And then what? That will certainly be a dark day for the United States - that is, if we continue to exist.

Border Incursion into Arizona [link to story]

We have had National Guard troops from various states stationed along the border with Mexico. This is meant to discourage illegal immigration and smuggling into the U.S. Early this month, an armed band of gunmen crossed the border into Arizona. No shots were fired, but the National Guard troops did withdraw from the area. Despite having up to 6000 troops on the border, they have authorization to engage anybody.

Excuse me? This is something we should be very concerned about. This act of agression was no less than an armed invasion of U.S. soil, and yet we have rules of engagement that do nothing to protect the integrity of our border, and are probably designed more to appease the ACLU. Even the Palestinians - outgunned and outmaneuvered - fight back whenever the IDF makes an incursion into their territory. These invaders have no honorable intent, and every effort should be made in capturing them or eliminating them if they don't cooperate, even to the point of calling in airstrikes if it comes to that (there are two Air Force bases and a Marine Corps air station in Arizona).

The last time this country had a border incursion was when Pancho Villa raided New Mexico. We dealt with it then; we need to deal with it now.

Iraq

What can I say that I haven't already? It sounds like we're ready to give up in Iraq, just like we did in Vietnam - and look what they've had to endure.

We justified our invasion of Iraq by stating they possessed weapons of mass destruction. Despite the reports from the press who would have you believe we found none, we have found them. No, not stadium-fulls. But caches have been found and documented. You don't need a lot of mustard gas to kill a lot of people. Saddam had plenty. And remember, he was executed for killing a mere fraction of his own people.

Lots of innocent people continue to lose their lives in Iraq, and the people losing those lives typically are civilians - those Iraqis trying to live a decent life - and those who have travelled a long way to help the Iraqis (but not the UN - they bailed out, remember?). How many combatants have been killed? Very few in comparison to those innocent bystanders.

There is no victory in Iraq unless we buckle down. Our enemies are those who don't fight with honor. They target the weak so that we will lose our will to fight. If we abandon Iraq, we are just as dishonorable as those we are fighting. The honorable thing to do is to eliminate that enemy and demand no less than unconditional surrender.

Some History

The Declaration of Independence was not a slam-dunk; the Revolutionary War continued for more than five years after that. The British were the odds-on favorite to win, and they nearly did. There would have been no defeat with honor for the thirteen colonies; the fight for liberty would have been over. And those who had signed the Declaration of Independence would have been signing their own death warrants.

But America did prevail, for the will to fight for liberty was stronger than whatever the mighty British Empire (argueably the greatest nation on the planet at that time) could throw at them.
When the American Civil War broke out, many on both sides believed it would be over quickly. Although outmanned, outgunned, and outmaneuvered by the Union, the Confederacy displayed a tenacity unlike any combatant in all of history, and at times it appeared they could actually win the war. Instead of a brief war with few casualties, the American Civil War was a drawn-out, ferocious ordeal that lasted four years and was one of the most dealy, second only to World War II.

President Lincoln had to deal with generals in the field that, for whatever reason, were not getting the job done. Even by the summer of 1864, the war was not going well for the Union. There was not only a question of whether Lincoln would re-elected - there was even a question of whether we would be re-nominated! Finally by autumn, the Confederacy had been delivered some crushing blows deep in the South. Lincoln was re-elected (his chief oppenent being one of the generals he had fired) and the Union juggernaut by this time could not be stopped. By April the war was over.

Do the Math

Here are some statistics from American history's more deadly moments

Battle of the Bulge

16 Dec 1944 - 25 Jan 1945

19,276 killed
Hurricane of 1900, Galveston TX

8 September 1900

6,000 - 12,000 killed
Battle of Gettysburg

1-3 July 1863

7,863 killed
Guadalcanal Campaign

7 Aug 1942 - 9 Feb 1943

7,099 killed
Earthquake/Fire, San Francisco

18 April 1906

3,000 - 6,000 killed
Battle of Antietam

17 September 1862

3,654 killed
Battle of Shiloh

6-7 April 1862

3,477 killed
Battle of Iwo Jima

19 Feb - 26 Mar 1945

6,140 killed
Iraq War

23 Mar 2003 - 13 Jan 2007

3,019 killed (so far)
Terrorist Attacks - New York/Washington/Pennsylvania

11 September 2001

2,973 killed
Hurricane - Lake Okeechobee FL

16 September 1928

2,500+ killed
Attack on Pearl Harbor

7 December 1941

2,335 killed
Hurricane Katrina

29 August 2005

1,836 killed
Battle of Normandy (first day - D-Day - only)

6 June 1944

1,465 killed

Conclusion

We Americans tend be an impatient bunch. In our fast-moving society, we want results now - and if we can't get the results we want, then to heck with it.

After 9/11, I remember how proudly we Americans flew our flags. I remember how we Americans put yellow ribbons on our cars as our troops set off to make things right. Nowadays our cars are festooned with ribbons of all colors. Don't get me wrong - some of these causes are great - but why do others warrant their own ribbon? And what about the flags? Where have they all gone?

So here we are in America in 2007. We sip our Starbucks coffees, pump cheap gasoline (yeah, it could be much worse!), satisfy our materialistic urges with goods made in China, wait for tech support from a call center in India, and wonder what Britney Spears is up to (as if she were important). Where would we be if all those were gone?

The generation before mine tells stories of the Great Depression and how they sacrificed much just to survive. I often wonder if the generations after mine would even know how to cope with something like a Great Depression or a desperate global war. And I gotta ask you: Is America getting too soft?

Compelled to Receive a Blessing

Today we were at the Mayo Clinic Hospital for my wife's "routine" ERCP. While sitting the waiting room as she was being prepped, I spotted an elderly couple donning sweatshirts bearing the name of another United Methodist Church in the area and emblazoned with the UMC logo; they were obviously there in support of another patient and her spouse. I was intrigued.

After S was prepped for her procedure, I was allowed to go back and visit her before she was wheeled off. When I returned to the waiting room, the other couple was there, too. Although I felt no need for any spiritual healing, I did feel a compulsion that I needed to be witnessed to, and that God had crossed our paths today for a purpose. So I walked over and introduced myself.

Turned out that H and W belonged the Methodist church printed on their shirts (no surprise) and that H was the visitation pastor of that church. We had a delightful conversion for what was probably over an hour. Actually W had done most of the talking for both of them, but her pastor husband did share a synopsis of his ministerial resume. We found that we had mutual acquaintances and shared experiences. They have facilitated several of the Disciple Bible studies, which is interesting since I will be starting the Disciple I study next week.

The time came when the church member they were staying with was to go. We had a delightful time together. We said our good-byes and hugged each other. If for nothing else, I needed the fellowship. I was grateful for our time of sharing. What a blessing!

Done Deal - The Unit Comes Home

Well, it's official. Randy "the Big Unit" Johnson has returned to pitch for the Arizona Diamondbacks. He's seen here sporting his classic #51 on a newly revamped D-back jersey (not sure I'll get used to the new logo and color scheme).

Yeah, some of the fans are moaning and groaning about Johnson's return. Mostly about the money aspect. Listen, if you can understand the high-finance accounting of big league sports contracts, rant and rave all you want. Otherwise keep your big yap shut. Besides, what do really care about how a corporation spends its money, especially when they're entertaining you?

Some are bitching and moaning about the mere 17 wins he got last year. Excuse me, but D-back ace Brandon Webb only won 16 games last year - do the math. Oh, and by the way, Webb won the National League Cy Young Award, despite playing for a mediocre team that gave him little in run support.

Some are concerned about his age and his health. He may be 43 years old, but he's healthier and in considerably better shape than most 20- and 30-somethings I know. Then again, I may be biased since I'm pushing 47. Go, Randy, go!

Perhaps the 2-year stint with the Yankees didn't go as well as Randy had hoped. Nobody knows that better than Randy Johnson. He decided to do something about it when the opportunity arose. People tend to perform better in an enviroment that's friendly to them. Randy has returned home to where he won four of his five Cy Young Awards and a World Series Championship. Personally, I look forward to seeing him on my TV kibbutzing with our other Cy Young Award winner. Welcome back, Randy!

Can Iraq Really Get Tough?

"If the Iraqi government does not follow through on its promises, it will lose the support of the American people — and it will lose the support of the Iraqi people...The Prime Minister understands this" - President George W. Bush, 10 January 2007

Let us hope that the Iraqi Prime Minister understands the situatiion in his country - lest his fate will be similar to that of the late former president, Saddam Hussein.

In tonight's address to the nation [full transcript], President Bush acknowledged his full responsibility for the mistakes made in Iraq. He made it clear that the Iraqi government and the Iraqi people needed to take more responsibility for their own destiny. He also acknowledged it would probably be too difficult without a little extra help from 20,000 additional U.S. troops.

Both Prime Minister Maliki and President Bush have declared that the sectarian and political violence that has been ripping Iraq apart will no longer be tolerated. It's about damned time. Much bloodshed could have been avoided if this had been the official policy all along. Hopefully it's not too little too late.

This has been an unpopular war. But that's not President Bush's fault. He sincerely committed us and other nations to go in and liberate the Iraqi people. With the exception of the U.K. (who's now faltering in their support), our allies have given meager support, both militarily and in helping reconstruct Iraq. Even the so-called-almighty UN bailed out completely after the horrific bombing of their headquarters in Baghdad. Despite all that, Saddam Hussein was forced out of office and was eventually captured - mission accomplished! And Saddam was made to answer for a mere fraction of his crimes against humanity - at the hands of the Iraqi people.

Al-Qaeda and other radical Islamists decided to take advantage of the fog of war and fog it up even more. Add to that mix certain factions within Iraq who took advantage of the absence of the tyrannical Ba'ath regime. These are people who do not follow rules of engagement or abide by the Geneva Convention. They fight dirty. Americans typically do not. And when those few do, they get crucified in the world press for it. If America was truly bloodthirsty and uncaring, we could end this war in a matter of minutes.

I do not like this war, not one bit. But we cannot allow Iraq fall into the hands of an extremist regime - that would put the entire world at risk. Nor can we allow the war to be conducted in the manner that it has. The Iraqis have to get tough. We need to help them. Perhaps just toughening up the rules of engagement would be enough. I personally would even go as far as unconditional surrender.

Yes, this is an unpopular war. And President Bush has just gone double-or-nothing.

A Lesson In Manners: When Can I Do The Happy Dance?

Sometimes it's appropriate to do a happy dance. Other times - while it's understandable why you would do a happy dance - it's inappropriate. Here are some prime examples from the past week:

Happy dance okay...






Happy dance not okay.












Any questions?