About ME

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Grand Prairie, Texas, United States
Mr. E is a Christian, Husband, Father of 2, former Army Officer and Texas Rangers Baseball fan.

Saturday, November 3, 2007

In A Funk

The past few days or so I have been in a "funk"! At least that what my wife calls it. I am still feeling distracted, non-focused, and just mildly depressed. Maybe it's a "Winter Depression?" I have heard that sometimes people feel more depressed in the Fall and Winter than they do in the Spring & Summer. Whatever it is I hope it goes away soon!

At this very moment I am sitting in a computer lab at a local community college waiting to start a training/in-service. I have been to this training before when I taught in the public schools; unless they have something new to add, this will be a boring 3 1/2 hours. After this training, I am going out to the woods, to do a little hunting. It may do me some good to get out in a stand and spend some quiet alone time with God. Maybe He will reward me by letting me see or possible kill a deer. Don't worry all you animal lovers; I do eat what I kill. My family is planning another one of our "family camp outs" this evening as well. It might also do me some good to spend some quality time with the family. I just want to feel better soon!

Thursday, November 1, 2007

Thursday Thirteen -- 13 Facts About Satan

Once again I am shamelessly promoting my book, Messengers From Heaven: A Biblical Look at Angels. Last Thursday I posted a blog called 13 Facts About Angels, but since I am new to the Thursday Thirteen idea, I didn't know how to post it correctly and it didn't get posted. Oops!

This week I am following up with a post about Satan! Here are 13 Facts about the ultimate evil dude!

1. Satan is a created being -- The Bible clearly states that "all things" were created by God & the Word. (John 1:1-3 & Colossians 1:16) This includes Satan himself.

2. Satan is not omniscient (all knowing) -- If this were true then he would have known from the beginning, that his plan to kill Jesus, and his attempts to overthrow God would fail.

3. Satan is not Omnipresent (able to be everywhere at once) -- Revelation 12:9 & Luke 10:18, tells us that Satan was "cast out" of Heaven & Jesus himself tells us that there is a place of eternal fire prepared for Satan. (Matthew 25:41)

4. Satan is not Omnipotent (all powerful) -- If this were true then he would have succeeded in his attempts to overthrow God and kill Jesus and he could have stopped himself from being cast out of Heaven.

5. Satan will be punished by God for his evil deeds -- Once again in Matthew 25:41, Jesus tells us there is a place of eternal fire for Satan and his angels.

6. Proven names for Satan used in the Bible -- Satan, the Devil, the Serpent, the Great Dragon, Foe & Avenger, Tempter, Murderer, Liar & the Father of Lies, the Evil One, the Enemy, God of this Age, Ruler of the Kingdom of the Air, Prince of this World, and the Accuser.

7. Other possible names for Satan used in the Bible -- Lucifer, Beelzebub, Abaddon, Apollyon, and Leviathan.

8. Satan is a master of disguise -- 2 Corinthians 11:14 tells us Satan can masquerade himself as "an angel of light." Some people believe this because, it is possible that Satan was once an angel himself. * See # 10.

9. Satan seeks to destroy all of God's creation and His chosen people -- 1 Peter 5:8 describes Satan as a "roaring lion looking for someone to devour." However if you resist Satan, he will flee from you.

10. Some people believe Satan was once an angel before being removed from Heaven. * Although believed by many this opinion has never been directly stated in the Bible. Verses of the Bible found in Isaiah 14:11-15 and Ezekiel 28:11-19, have been used to support this opinion. However there are arguments for and against this idea. Therefore I do not feel comfortable stating this as an actual fact.

Please read my previous blog about angels as well. Sorry I did not get it posted correctly.

Monday, October 29, 2007

100 Things About Me: My "100th" Blog

Ok, this is really my 104th post so forgive me! I like what my wife said about her post of 100 Things About Her in honor of her 100th Blog. So I am going to copy her. Here goes.


1. I was born in Texarkana, Arkansas. My sister was born in the same city but on the Texas side of the border. (It's just so not fair!)

2. My earliest memory was getting a big fire truck for Christmas. It was so big you could sit on it. My parents tell me I got this truck when I was 10 months old.

3. My earliest memories of pets were, a Beagle named Pokey, a black cat named Blackie, and a horse named Dixie.

4. I am very afraid of heights and being swarmed by small insects.

5. I love listening to the musical scores of movies (my favorites are Superman, Pirates of the Caribbean & Battlestar Galactica)

6. I am a big fan of VeggieTales.

7. I got my first real kiss at age 21.

8. I am a sucker when it comes to buying stuffed animals.

9. I have written the lyrics to 14 songs. All are copyrighted but none have been recorded with music.

10. I have published a book -- "Messengers From Heaven: A Biblical Look at Angles".

11. My high school mascot was Buckeyes! We are still only one of two schools in the nation to have this as a mascot. The other is Ohio State University.

12. I played trombone in the band. I played it for 9 years.

13. While played trombone in the band for Tyler Jr. College, I actually was part of recording a song for a major motion picture's musical score, but ultimately the song was edited from the movie. (Dang it!)

14. I marched in a parade in Disney World, Florida as part of my High School Band.

15. I marched in two Cotton Bowl parades as part of the Tyler Jr. College Apache Band.

16. I marched as part of the half-time show in three different professional football games as part of the Tyler Jr. College Apache Band.

17. I have a Bachelor's Degree in History from Abilene Christian University.

18. The first words my wife ever said to me were, "Are you a real cowboy, or do you just dress like one?"

19. I have never used any illegal drugs...EVER!

20. I have never been drunk! EVER!

21. Foghorn Leghorn is my favorite Looney Tunes character.

22. When I was a child I used to pretend I was a super-hero named The Cheetah. Later my son told me he wanted to be a super-hero called The Cheetah, before he even knew I used to pretend the same thing.

23. I was reading a copy of John Grisham's book, The Chamber, when my wife was in labor. I would just hide it, when she woke up and went into contractions.

24. I like to hunt deer and fish.

25. My favorite movie is To Kill a Mockingbird. It is also my favorite book.

26. My favorite food is Tacos.

27. I used to cook chicken-fried venison for dates in college.

28. I took three different girls to watch the movie, The Little Mermaid in college.

29. I also took three different girls to watch the movie, Ghost as well.

30. I once had a girl pretend to like me, just so I would buy tickets and take her to a George Strait concert.

31. I would really like to see Jimmy Buffett live in concert.

32. I once met and shook the hand of George W. Bush, before he was President of the United States.

33. I also performed in a half-time show for the Dallas Mavericks as part of the Tyler Jr. College Apache Band. (They were playing the L.A. Lakers.)

34. I currently teach G.E.D. classes at Kilgore College-Longview.

35. Before that I taught 11 years in the public schools.

36. I love cats and have owned several black cats throughout my life.

37. I once owned a cat who could climb trees, even though he was declawed.

38. I have had my appendix removed.

39. I have also had my tonsils removed.

40. I had braces "twice."

41. I have only broken one bone in my life. It was my left collar bone.

42. I once lived in a house with a street number of 666.

43. I have owned 3 pet rabbits in my life.

44. I once owned a bird called Bonkers. He was "murdered" by one of our cats.

45. I want to set foot on all seven continents before I die. (Two down, 5 to go!)

46. My favorite childhood book is, Alexander and the Magic Mouse.

47. I was a member of the U.S. Army Reserves for 10 years.

48. I achieved the rank of 2nd Lieutenant before I left the service.

49. I am a huge fan of the original Star Trek TV show.

50. I know the first, middle and last names of all 43 Presidents of the United States.

51. I can say and sing the alphabet backwards as easily as I can forwards.

52. My favorite baseball team is the Texas Rangers.

53. I like to cook.

54. I know how to sew.

55. I have published articles for Encyclopedia USA.

56. I cannot spell the word mispelled...darn it...misspelled.

57. I once went to the store to buy some marshmellows only to call my wife and tell her I could not find them. All I could find were marshmallows. (Blush with embarrassment!)

58. I have been to Germany.

59. I got bifocals my junior year in college.

60. I like reading Junie B. Jones books.

61. I own the entire orginal series collection of "The Three Investigators" Mystery Series.

62. My Halloween costume for this year (2207) is Jack Sparrow from the movies Pirates of the Caribbean.

63. I can find any country on the planet (on a globe) in less than 5 seconds.

64. I almost won $1,000,000 in a McDonald's Monopoly game. I had Park Place, and a student of mine had Boardwalk. His father would not let us split the money, because he wanted his son to learn to earn his own money, not win it through a contest. By the time I convinced him to change his mind, the contest had ended.

65. My worst nightmare is one in which I fall and "bounce" only to fall even further than I did before.

66. Once while fishing with my father, a professional fisherman paid me money and gave me some free lures and bait to use a large bass, that I had caught, so he could "catch" it, over and over a gain, for his show.

67. I have had 4 cavities during my lifetime.

68. My first car was a used 1977 Buick Limited. It was an ugly lime green color, with a faded roof. "I nicknamed it, The Big Green Algae Machine."

69. I secretly like cartoons like "Spongebob Squarepants" & "Pokemon"!

70. I hate the sound of Styrofoam rubbing together.

71. I am allergic to penicillin.

72. I currently own a dog named Schnitzel.

73. The only High School sport I ever played was golf. (I played one year as a junior.)

74. I once pretended to be a rape victim, to help a local Rape Crisis Center to train police officers how to interview and be sensitive to victims of sex crimes.

75. I once played a donkey in an Elementary school play about Aesop's Fables.

76. I was bullied when I was in school.

77. I was a member of the Future Farmers of America as a freshman in High School.

78. I am an alumni member of the Nu Zeta chapter of Alpha Phi Omega (a National Service Fraternity.)

79. I had to go to Mexico in order to pass my 2nd year of Spanish in college. By being forced to speak the language, I finally learned it well enough to pass.

80. While in Mexico I saw the movie, "Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves" starring Kevin Costner, in Spanish.

81. While in Mexico I visited the ancient city of Teotihuacan. It was here I climbed the Pyramid of the Sun.

82. My favorite ice-cream flavor is "Vanilla!"

83. My daughter says, "I am a the best daddy ever!"

84. I like doing the laundry and the dishes.

85. I would like to watch a live baseball game at every Major League Baseball ballpark.

86. I like to watch certain blockbuster movies on opening night.

87. I secretly wish to run for public office. (I want to be a U.S. Senator!)

88. I do not like spinning rides at amusement parks or fairs.

89. I wish they would bring back the comic strips, Calvin & Hobbes, The Far Side, and Bloom County.

90. I cast my first vote for President in 1988 for George H.W. Bush.

91. I played little league baseball and youth soccer.

92. I like to watch the T.V. show Ghost Hunters.

93. I think I have seen a ghost! Really! When I was younger, shortly after my Grand-pa died.

94. I was once slapped by a wet noodle.

95. I like looking for the hidden needles in Country and Country Extra magazines.

96. If I had to eat one color in a box of crayons, I would eat the color called, Macaroni and Cheese.

97. I have downloaded close to 300 80's songs from Limewire. Now I am just waiting for me to get an I-Pod to put them on.

98. I still think the sound of someone farting is funny. (not the smell though)

99. I was almost stabbed by my college roommate once as I was sleepwalking through our house at night. He thought I was an intruder.

100. I once snuck into a Texas Rangers baseball game so I would not have my ticket ripped in half. The ticket was signed by Rickey Henderson before the game. We were both eating at The Black Eyed Pea.

Today's Prayer to God

Heavenly Father,

I am so glad you love me despite the fact that I keep "getting lost" while on Earth. I apologize for not spending time with You last week. I both intentionally and unintentionally "forgot" to do my morning Bible study and devotional time with You. It took its toll on me. All last week I had trouble concentrating, and focusing. I was unfocused at work and I was unfocused in prayer. I couldn't seem to say what I wanted to say when I tried to pray. I became even more of a grouch that I normally am, and I exasperated my children and frustrated my wife. I do not like acting this way and I ask for Your forgiveness. Please help me to refocus myself and get back on the right path. Thank You for patiently waiting for me to come back to You.

Please bless my wife and my efforts to be more responsible with our finances, by following Financial Peace University. We desperately wish to honor You with our money as much as we try to honor You with the rest of our daily lives. Please send an angel to give me a good thump on the head whenever I wish eat "fast food" for lunches rather than eat what we already have at home.

Help me in my continued efforts to become a better teacher at my work. Help me to stay focused and be assertive when it comes to correcting the few instances of misbehavior I have with my adult students. Keep me healthy so I do not miss days at work as well.

Bless my children at home and at school. Help me to be a coach not a dictator when it comes to discipline or helping them solve problems. Help me to work with their Bible Class curriculum to improve their relationships with You. Bless their teachers to teach my children what they need to know.

You, O Lord, are such a Wonderful and Mighty God. You alone make sense in this crazy world. You alone are consistent in Your ways. You alone speak truth in our culture full of lies. Your word alone truly sustains me from day to day. You alone can save me from myself. Thank you Jesus for your sacrifice so that I may live! I am so glad I am Your child. Through your Spirit I pray, Amen

Sunday, October 28, 2007

The Armor of God

During our Family Devotional today, our family read about the Armor of God as described in Ephesians. Reading about this reminded me when our children used to own a plastic set of the "Armor of God!" they used to put the Armor and run around battling Satan and the bad guys. Occasionally they would forget about being godly and attack each other instead. Now that they are older, I'm glad they are learning what it means to put on the true Armor of God. All of us in our Family realize that the world, controlled by Satan, is constantly attacking us and our faith. It is only with the Belt of Truth, the Shield of Faith, The Breastplate of Righteousness, the Shoes of Peace, The Helmet of Salvation and the Sword of the Spirit of the Word of God, that we stand a chance in our battle against the evil one.

I also may be a little premature but it looks like congratulations are in order for the Boston Red Sox. They are beating the Colorado Rockies three games to zero in the World Series. Baring another baseball miracle, it looks like the Red Sox will be the Champions of the 2007 season.