An Interesting Dilema. Please read and add your comments!

Please read this blog posted by one of newer blogging buddies. http://jamesnored.blogspot.com/2008/02/how-to-engage-seekers-who-are-living.html

It is about how Christians are having the difficulty of how to deal with those who are struggling or choosing to live a homosexual lifestyle. Please read and leave your comments on his blog. If you don't mind please leave your comments here as well. I am interested to see how my fellow bloggers would have dealt with this situation.

Where Will You Choose to Meet God?

This question was asked during the lesson our minister gave last Sunday at our church. The lesson focused on the lives of the three young men in Daniel who choose to go to the firery furnace rather than bow down to the golden statue. (For a similar blog click here)

Our minister put the question to us to see if we fully trusted in our God as being a God who is in control at all times, not just the good times. Many Christians want to and choose to meet God. The problem is we choose to meet God in a place of our choosing. We want to meet God in a place where we don't have to suffer, or a place that makes us feel uncomfortable, or a place in which we don't have to sacrifice anything to get there. In effect we want God to come to us!

Our problem lies in the fact that God chooses where we are suppossed to meet Him. For Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, God wanted them to meet Him in the furnace. God could have rescued them from the furnace but He did not. He wanted them to meet Him in the furnace itself. These three young men, chose to have faith in their God and they choose to go into the furnace to meet their God. As a result God blessed their decision and he saved from the furnace after all.

God has the ability to save us from pain, suffering, death, disaster, disease, poverty, divorce, addictions, etc...but sometimes He chooses not to. Is it because He is mean and cruel? No, sometimes it is because of these painful times in our lives, that we learn the most valuable lessons of all. God sometimes uses the firery furnace to mold and shape us into what He wants us to be. He wants us to choose to meet Him in the fire. Only there will we then open to His power and will for us.

Many of the most powerful and faithful men and women in the Bible suffered because of circumstances allowed to happen to them by God. Moses learned of his true purpose while in exile in the desert. Joseph learned of his true purpose while as a prisoner in Egypt, after being sold by his own brothers. Abraham learned of his true purpose after being asked to move to a foreign land. Paul begged God to remove his "thorn in the flesh" but was told by God, "No" because only by suffering with his "thorn" could Paul truely appreciate his need for God in his life. Jesus himself begged God not to be crucified but instead He fullfilled His purpose by suffering and dying.

To be perfectly honest I have not yet chosen to meet God in the fire. I have "suffered" some because of choosing to follow God, but not to the point of putting it ALL on the line. As God continues to call me to meet with Him, where will I choose to meet Him? Will I again ask God to come to me, or will I become one of the "Furnace People" and choose to meet God in the furnace?

Happy Valentine's Day to My Ladybug and the Kids

Happy Valentine's Day!!! To the Woman I Love More Than Anyone Else on Earth! (I hope you get to feeling better.) -- She has been sick.

Also Happy Valentine's to my son and my daughter as well. I love you guys too!

Updated on Feb. 18 -- My wife was sick on Valentine's Day so we didn't get to celebrate like we wanted. I did buy her a Starbucks mug with some hot chocolate and a little box of candy, so that was ok, but I still felt bad we didn't get to do anything special. This past Saturday (Feb. 16) my Parents took me out for my birthday a few days early. (my birthday is on Feb. 26th) They gave me a $140 for my birthday! (Apparently my Dad had a little luck at the Casinos in Shreveport, LA a few days earlier and he decided to share the wealth.) I plan to use this money not just for myself, but instead I plan to taking my wife to a Bed & Breakfast during our Spring Break. It is a little late for Valentine's Day but I hope we enjoy the time together just the same. I will let you know where we stayed and all about our trip later.

Abbott & Costello Meet Technology

This parody of Abbott & Costello's "Who's On First?" routine was e-mailed to me today...
I thought it was worth passing on.

You have to be old enough to remember Abbott and Costello, and too old toREALLY understand computers, to fully appreciate this. For those of us who sometimes get flustered by our computers, please read on.. If Bud Abbott and Lou Costello were alive today, their famous sketch, "Who's on First?" might have turned out something like this:

COSTELLO CALLS TO BUY A COMPUTER FROM ABBOTT
ABBOTT: Super Duper computer store. Can I help you?
COSTELLO: Thanks. I'm setting up an office in my den and I'm thinking about buying a computer.
ABBOTT: Mac?
COSTELLO: No, the name's Lou.
ABBOTT: Your computer?
COSTELLO: I don't own a computer. I want to buy one.
ABBOTT: Mac?
COSTELLO: I told you, my name's Lou.
ABBOTT: What about Windows?
COSTELLO: Why? Will it get stuffy in here?
ABBOTT: Do you want a computer with Windows?
COSTELLO: I don't know. What will I see when I look at the windows?
ABBOTT: Wallpaper.
COSTELLO: Never mind the windows. I need a computer and software.
ABBOTT: Software for Windows?
COSTELLO: No. On the computer! I need something I can use to write proposals, track expenses and run my business. What do you have?
ABBOTT: Office.
COSTELLO: Yeah, for my office. Can you recommend anything?
ABBOTT: I just did.
COSTELLO: You just did what?
ABBOTT: Recommend something.
COSTELLO: You recommended something?
ABBOTT: Yes.
COSTELLO: For my office?
ABBOTT: Yes.
COSTELLO: OK, what did you recommend for my office?
ABBOTT: Office.
COSTELLO: Yes, for my office!
ABBOTT: I recommend Office with Windows
COSTELLO: I already have an office with windows! OK, let's just say I'm sitting at my computer and I want to type a proposal. What do I need?
ABBOTT: Word.
COSTELLO: What word?
ABBOTT: Word in Office.
COSTELLO: The only word in office is office.
ABBOTT: The Word in Office for Windows.
COSTELLO: Which word in office for windows?
ABBOTT: The Word you get when you click the blue 'W'.
COSTELLO: I'm going to click your blue 'w' if you don't start with some straight answers. What about financial bookkeeping? You have anything I can track my money with?
ABBOTT: Money.
COSTELLO: That's right. What do you have?
ABBOTT: Money.
COSTELLO: I need money to track my money?
ABBOTT: It comes bundled with your computer.
COSTELLO: What's bundled with my computer?
ABBOTT: Money.
COSTELLO: Money comes with my computer?
ABBOTT: Yes. No extra charge.
COSTELLO: I get a bundle of money with my computer? How much?
ABBOTT: One copy.
COSTELLO: Isn't it illegal to copy money?
ABBOTT: Microsoft gave us a license to copy Money.
COSTELLO: They can give you a license to copy money?
ABBOTT: Why not? THEY OWN IT!
(A few days later)
ABBOTT: Super Duper computer store. Can I help you?
COSTELLO: How do I turn my computer off?
ABBOTT: Click on 'START'.............

Finally the Voters are Showing Their Power!

Six Little Indians still running for Prez.
The Power of Math eliminates two,
That leaves 4 wanna-be chiefs,
Who will you choose?

Democratic candidate Mike Gravel refuses to give up his bid for the Democratic nomination, despite not having won a single delegate. Mathmatically there is no possible way for him to win the nomination, so I'm cutting him from my list of little Indians.

Ron Paul on the other hand, is still carrying on his campaign for the Republican nomination. He has won delegates in several states, but alas Math is also against Rep. Paul. Even Ron Paul seems to have recognized the facts and has recently announced that he is cutting back spending on his Presidential bid to focus on his re-election campaign for the House of Representatives in Texas. Therefore; I am also cutting him from my list of little Indians.

The remaining little Indians are making this election year one of the most exciting times for nominating a President that I have ever seen.

Just in case you live in hole and do not know who the remaining 4 Indians are:
For the Democrats, there are former First Lady and current New York Senator, Hillary Clinton, and current Illinois Senator, Barack Obama. For the Republicans, there are current Arizona Senator, John McCain, and former Arkansas Governor, Mike Huckabee.

I strongly encourage anyone who has not yet voted (Especially my fellow bloggers who live in Indiana) to read up on these guys, and gal, and make an educated vote. At least for the Democrats, your vote will still be very important. It may be a little late for the Republicans, but as I type, I hear the news behind me telling me that Virginia's Republican Primary is still to close to call between McCain and Huckabee.

I am really liking this election year. The voters for both parties are finally feeling the power of their votes for the first time in years. It would really be a shame for the "Super-Delegates" to ruin that feeling if they are the ones who decide who wins the Democratic nomination.

I hope you are enjoying my Tale of the Little Indians...and Vote, Vote, Vote!!

Are You A Dummy? (A Lesson Learned From Charlie and the Chocolate Factory)

By now I am sure everyone has seen the latest version of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory staring Johnny Depp as Willy Wonka. My family and I watch this movie again on television last night and something in the movie just hit me very hard. It made me do a lot of thinking.

The premise of the show, is that Willy Wonka has hidden 5 Golden Tickets among his millions of Wonka Bars around the world. 5 "Lucky" children who find these tickets get prizes, including one prize "beyond their wildest dreams." The first four children who find these tickets are not the best examples of children (or parents for that matter) as far as their character is concerned. The last ticket is found by a young boy named Charlie Bucket.

This young man has character beyond his years. After he finds the ticket he is torn between selling the ticket to people who have offered him money or keeping the ticket and visting the Chocolate Factory of Mr. Wonka. "Our family needs the money for than chocolate," he explains to his family. At this point one of his grandfathers calls Charlie over to his bedside. This grandfather gives Charlie some very wise and sound advice.

He says, "There's plenty of money out there, they print more every day. But this ticket; there are only 5 of them in the whole world. That's all there is ever going to be. Only a dummy would give that up for something as common as money. Are you a dummy?"

God offers us something much more valuable than a Golden Ticket. He offers us Salvation. The Bible tells us there is only ONE way to reach the Father. This is found only through Jesus Christ. The Bible also tells us there is ONE God, Body, ONE Faith, ONE Spirit, ONE true word of God and we have only ONE Soul. Many of us sell this precious and rare gift for worldly things every day. We trade in our eternal life for such common things as money, fame or other things. We must be "Dummies."

Willy Wonka has 5 Golden Tickets, GOD offers us a ONE time gift of LOVE and GRACE, He offered up his ONE Son, JESUS, in order to offer this gift to us. We really would be fools to trade in a chance at eternal life with our FATHER, for something as common as what Satan offers in return.