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| is doing the right thing for the wrong reason right? |
| 02.27.04 (7:46 pm) [edit] |
Thought this joke was funny but so true ...
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A young boy came to Sunday School late. His teacher knew that he was usually very prompt and asked him if anything was wrong.
The boy replied no, that he was going fishing but his dad told him that he needed to go to church.
The teacher was very impressed and asked the boy if his dad had explained to him why it was more important to go to church than to go fishing, To which the boy replied, yes he did, dad said he didn't have enough bait for both of us.
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So, is doing the right thing for the wrong reason right? Is what really matters the end result or the means?
Have a blessed day!
Unc Paul
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| Running through the Rain |
| 02.21.04 (8:09 pm) [edit] |
A nice story ....
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She had been shopping with her Mom in Walmart. She must have been 6 years old, this beautiful brown haired, freckle faced image of innocence. It was pouring outside. The kind of rain that gushes over the top of rain gutters, so much in a hurry to hit the Earth it has no time to flow down the spout.
We all stood there under the awning and just inside the door of the Walmart. We waited, some patiently, others irritated because nature messed up their hurried day. I am always mesmerized by rainfall. I get lost in the sound and sight of the heavens washing away the dirt and dust of the world.
Memories of running, splashing so carefree as a child come pouring in as a welcome reprieve from the worries of my day. Her voice was so sweet as it broke the hypnotic trance we were all caught in.
"Mom, let's run through the rain," she said.
"What?" Mom asked.
"Let's run through the rain!" She repeated.
"No, honey. We'll wait until it slows down a bit," Mom replied.
This young child waited about another minute and repeated: "Mom, let's run through the rain."
"We'll get soaked if we do," Mom said.
"No, we won't, Mom. That's not what you said this morning," the young girl said as she tugged at her Mom's arm.
"This morning? When did I say we could run through the rain and not get wet?"
"Don't you remember? When you were talking to Daddy about his cancer, you said, 'If God can get us through this, he can get us through anything!'"
The entire crowd stopped dead silent. I swear you couldn't hear anything but the rain. We all stood silently. No one came or left in the next few minutes.
Mom paused and thought for a moment about what she would say. Now some would laugh it off and scold her for being silly. Some might even ignore what was said. But this was a moment of affirmation in a young child's
life. A time when innocent trust can be nurtured so that it will bloom into faith.
"Honey, you are absolutely right. Let's run through the rain. If God let's us get wet, well maybe we just needed washing," Mom said.
Then off they ran.
We all stood watching, smiling and laughing as they darted past the cars and yes, through the puddles. They held their shopping bags over their heads just in case.
They got soaked.
But they were followed by a few who screamed and laughed like children all the way to their cars.
And yes, I did. I ran. I got wet. I needed washing.
Circumstances or people can take away your material possessions, they can take away your money, and they can take away your health. But no one can ever take away your precious memories... So, don't forget to make time and take the opportunities to make memories every day!
To everything there is a season and a time to every purpose under heaven.
I hope you still take time to run through the rain.
Author Unknown
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Have a blessed day
Unc Paul
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| a nice way to die ... |
| 02.15.04 (11:54 am) [edit] |
The court jester was overcome with grief. His world was at an end! For a long time he had served the Caliph at Baghdad and his court, keeping them amused whenever they called upon him. But in a moment of thoughtlessness he had displeased his ruler who had ordered that he be put to death. "However," said the Caliph, "in consideration of the merry jests you've told me all these years, I will let you choose how you are to die."
"O most generous Caliph," replied the jester, "if it's all the same to you, I choose death by old age!"
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I thought this was witty BUT just a thought ... we all can't choose how we die much less when we die. BUT we can certainly prepare for a good death (which means living a good life)
Have a blessed day
unc Paul
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| THE TOP 15 BIBLICAL WAYS TO ACQUIRE A WIFE |
| 02.13.04 (5:23 pm) [edit] |
[i][b]Stuff taken from Youth Specialities ...[/b][/i]. It's Valentine's Day (at least it is in my time zone)
[u]THE TOP 15 BIBLICAL WAYS TO ACQUIRE A WIFE [/u]
(original author unknown)
* Find an attractive prisoner of war, bring her home, shave her head, trim her nails, and give her new clothes. Then she's yours. (Deuteronomy 21:11-13)
* Find a prostitute and marry her. (Hosea 1:1-3)
* Find a man with seven daughters, and impress him by watering his flock. (Moses--Exodus 2:16-21)
* Purchase a piece of property, and get a woman as part of the deal. (Boaz--Ruth 4:5-10)
* Go to a party and hide. When the women come out to dance, grab one and carry her off to be your wife. (Benjaminites--Judges 21:19-25)
* Have God create a wife for you while you sleep. Note: this will cost
you. (Adam--Genesis 2:19-24)
* Agree to work seven years in exchange for a woman's hand in marriage. Get tricked into marrying the wrong woman. Then work another seven years for the woman you wanted to marry in the first place. That's right. Fourteen years of toil for a wife. (Jacob--Genesis 29:15-30)
* Cut 200 foreskins off of your future father-in-law's enemies and get his daughter for a wife. (David--1 Samuel 18:27)
* Even if no one is out there, just wander around a bit and you'll definitely find someone. (It's all relative, of course.) (Cain--Genesis 4:16-17)
* Become the emperor of a huge nation and hold a beauty contest. (Xerxes or Ahasuerus--Esther 2:3-4)
* When you see someone you like, go home and tell your parents, "I have seen a ... woman; now get her for me." If your parents question your decision, simply say, "Get her for me. She's the one for me." (Samson--Judges 14:1-3)
* Kill any husband and take HIS wife (Prepare to lose four sons, though).
(David--2 Samuel 11)
* Wait for your brother to die. Take his widow. (It's not just a good idea; it's the law.) (Onan and Boaz--Deuteronomy or Leviticus, example in Ruth)
* Don't be so picky. Make up for quality with quantity. (Solomon--1 Kings 11:1-3)
* A wife?...NOT? (Paul--1 Corinthians 7:32-35)
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!
TOP 7 WAYS TO ACQUIRE A HUSBAND
(from J. Duin)
* Have your husband act like a jerk toward a famous warlord while you secretly show up at the warlord's camp with muleloads of tasty provisions, at which point the warlord falls in love with you, after which point you inform your husband of the whole matter, at which point he has a stroke, dies and you marry the warlord.
* Show up at a threshing floor (if you can find one anywhere outside of Kansas) in the dead of night an uncover the feet of the best-looking guy there.
* Go to any old watering hole and start filling the watering jars of the guy with the most camels.
* Have your good-looking sister lure someone to marry here but substitute yourself for her on their wedding night.
* Hang around barren women and offer to be a concubine for their husbands' need.
* Take a bath on your roof preferably in view of some nearby apartment buildings.
* Make like a prostitute around guys who hear from God that they need to marry you to show the country the nature of their idolatrous ways.
(You'll havta figure out the references yourself...)
========================= ======
Have a blessed day! Valentines or otherwise ...
:wink:
Unc Paul
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| The TV dilemma: Janet Jackson and Justin Timberlake |
| 02.10.04 (4:53 pm) [edit] |
BreakPoint with Charles Colson
Commentary #040210 - 02/10/2004
TV Unplugged
Solving the Entertainment Dilemma
All last week the story of Justin Timberlake ripping off part of Janet Jackson's bodice during the Super Bowl halftime show kept the country in an uproar. CBS apologized, but the raging debate continued. Most people had the innate sense that this was a watershed moment in the culture war.
Jackson, of course, was trying to jump-start her sagging career. And Timberlake left his band and is trying to make it on his own. What do entertainers in that position want more than anything else? Publicity. And they got plenty.
But it wasn't just the bodice-ripping. As FCC Chairman Michael Powell told Good Morning America, "I personally was offended by the entire production."
As I thought about Powell's comment, I realized that our concerns go well beyond the Super Bowl fiasco. That's only the tip of the iceberg. I personally am offended by most TV. I realize that it is an entertainment medium, and the nature of entertainment is to push the limits.
But, as Ken Myers wrote in his book All God's Children and Blue Suede Shoes, "Television's role as an entertainment appliance presents at least two problems." First, access to televised entertainment is easy, and we humans have an endless hunger for entertainment—something that will distract us in a fallen world. It pains me to see my own grandkids sitting zombie-like channel-surfing, focusing on nothing but fleeting images.
The second problem, says Myers, is that television is a visual and dramatic medium. "The dramatic images of television have much more power than anything that is said on the air," he writes. "Television doesn't have much power to encourage reflection." Television is a flood of sights and sounds that overwhelms everything else. The flow never stops, and we don't have time to think—at least not until someone's bra gets pulled off.
Yet as Myers notes, "Abstract ideas are … essential to the maintenance of the social order; freedom, justice, and duty, to name a few abstractions, can be illustrated in drama, but understanding the essence of them requires the analytic powers of language." He goes on to apply this to our faith, saying that drama and images can illustrate, but cannot communicate "the essence of what God has revealed in propositions."
Now, I know some Christians who advocate, as the bumper sticker says, "Kill Your TV." Just get rid of it. Well, if you can't control it, that's good advice. But I have a suggestion that allows you to keep it for important things like current events, sports, and movies.
My advice is: Unplug it. That way if you want to watch, you'll have to get down on your hands and knees, reach behind the furniture, and plug it back in. The inconvenience may make you think twice. Plopping down in your favorite chair and flipping the remote will be a thing of the past. And every time you want to watch TV, you'll be forced to make a choice rather than going on auto-pilot.
While we need to protect ourselves and our kids from the overt problems with TV programming—sex, bad language, and violence—we need to be just as careful about the less obvious problems of a visual, image-driven medium. My solution is: Unplug it.
Copyright (c) 2004 Prison Fellowship
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
"BreakPoint with Chuck Colson" is a daily commentary on news and trends from a Christian perspective. Heard on more than 1000 radio outlets nationwide, BreakPoint transcripts are also available on the Internet.
BreakPoint is a production of The Wilberforce Forum, a division of Prison Fellowship: 1856 Old Reston Avenue, Reston, VA 20190.
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Is the solution that obvious? I am not so sure but I do think and hope that something concrete comes out of this bad tasting publicity stunt.
Have a blessed day
Unc Paul
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| what would you do if you saw a man fallen in a pit? |
| 02.09.04 (6:20 pm) [edit] |
A man fell into a pit and couldn't get himself out.
A SUBJECTIVE person came along and said:
"I FEEL for you, down there."
An OBJECTIVE person came along and said:
"It's logical that someone would fall, down there."
A CHRISTIAN SCIENTIST came along:
"You only THINK that you are in a pit."
A PHARISEE said:
"Only BAD people fall into a pit."
A MATHEMATICIAN
calculated HOW he fell into the pit.
A NEWS REPORTER
wanted the exclusive story on his pit.
A FUNDAMENTALIST said:
"You DESERVE your pit."
CONFUCIUS said;
"If you would have listened to me, you would not be in that pit."
BUDDHA said:
"Your pit is only a state of mind."
A REALIST said:
"That's a PIT."
A SCIENTIST
calculated the pressure necessary (lbs./sq.in.) to get him out of the pit.
A GEOLOGIST
told him to appreciate the rock strata in the pit.
AN EVOLUTIONIST said:
"You are a rejected mutant destined to be removed from the evolutionary cycle." In other words, he is going to DIE in the pit, so that he cannot produce any "pit-falling offspring."
The COUNTY INSPECTOR asked
if he had a permit to dig a pit.
A PROFESSOR gave him a lecture on:
"The Elementary Principles of the Pit."
An EVASIVE person
came along and avoided the subject of his pit altogether
A SELF-PITYING person said:
"You haven't seen anything until you've seen MY PIT!!"
A CHARISMATIC said:
"Just CONFESS that you're not in a pit."
An OPTIMIST said:
"Things COULD be worse."
A PESSIMIST said:
"Things WILL get worse!!"
JESUS, seeing the man, took him by the hand and LIFTED HIM OUT of the pit.
See: Psa 40:1-2
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Old piece that has been around some time. Yeah, I know it is a bit stereotypes people! :roll:
But I post it not to "attack" anyone but to ask, what would you do?" As a Christian, I wish I would say immediately that I would do as Jesus would. But ... life seems a lot more complicated nowadays. it's not just simply a question of having compassion but ... stuff like "if i stop to help, is it a trap? i.e will I be mugged by a trickster?"
Life in the modern world is not just complaucted but warped but the fact is that there are more and more people who do would stoop that low - to prey on the compassionate hearts of people.
So, would I stop to help? I dunno ... [b]IT DEPENDS[/b] on the situation.
Have blesed day!
Unc Paul
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| why can't I have it all at once? |
| 02.08.04 (12:17 am) [edit] |
One of Rabbi Ben Jochai's scholars once asked him, "Why did not the Lord furnish enough manna to Israel for a year all at one time?" The teacher said, "I will answer you with a parable. Once there was a king who had a son to whom he gave a yearly allowance, paying him the entire sum on the fixed date. It soon happened that the day on which the allowance was due was the only day of the year when the father ever saw his son. So the king changed his plan and gave his son day by day that which was sufficient for the day; and then the son visited his father every morning. How he needed his father's unbroken love, companionship, wisdom and giving! Thus God dealt with Israel and deals with us."
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"Give us this day our daily bread ..." and help us to be satisfied and grateful
Have a blessed day
Unc Paul
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| Been Thinking About: Who Killed Christ? |
| 02.05.04 (4:57 pm) [edit] |
[u][b]Been Thinking About: Who Killed Christ? [/b][/u]
(an article by RBC Ministries President Mart De Haan)
Could The Passion of the Christ stir up flames of ethnic hatred?
Some of our Jewish neighbors fear that Mel Gibson's film about the last hours of Christ will set the calendar back. Many remember the long history of anti-Semitism that surfaced in the writings of Church fathers, the Crusades, and the Holocaust.
Now as large numbers of people see Christ suffer in a powerful and graphic reenactment, a question surfaces. Will those angered by Christ's horrific abuse feel contempt for those whose ancestors asked for Jesus' death? Not if they listen carefully and take note of everyone who had a hand in His suffering.
The answer to who killed Christ is found not only in The Passion but also in the Gospel records. Even though a crowd of Jesus' countrymen cried out, "His blood be on us and on our children" (Matthew 27:25), Gibson's treatment shows that no group deserves to be singled out as Christ-killers. The whole picture includes a fallen angel, Jewish leaders, Gentiles, and even Jesus.
The record is compelling. First-century witnesses make it clear that Jesus had a leading role in His own death. Critics, however, have used that fact to accuse Him of insanity. In a 19th-century edition of The Freethinker magazine, G. W. Foote wrote, "Who killed Christ? Why himself. His brain gave way. He was demented. His conduct at Jerusalem was that of a maniac. His very language showed a loss of balance. Whipping the dove-sellers and money-changers, not out of the Temple, but out of its unsanctified precincts, was lunatic violence."
Foote goes on to say, "Quite in keeping with these displays of temper was the conduct of Jesus before Pilate. A modicum of common sense would have saved him. He was not required to tell a lie or renounce a conviction. All that was necessary to his release was to plead not guilty and defend himself against the charge of sedition. His death, therefore, was rather a suicide than a martyrdom . . . . As a man Jesus died because he had not the sense to live" (G.W. Foote, The Freethinker).
Jesus wasn't a victim. G. W. Foote says what biblical writers acknowledge--that the rabbi from Nazareth cooperated with those who hated Him. The record of Matthew indicates that Jesus warned His disciples on several occasions that He was going to suffer and die in Jerusalem (Matthew 16:21; 17:22-23; 20:17-19; 20:28). Even though He took action to avoid being killed before His mission was completed (John 7:1; 10:39; 17:1-4), the day came when Jesus refused to resist His accusers.
Interestingly, the accusation that Jesus wanted to die because He had lost His mind is not new. The apostle John quotes religious leaders as saying among themselves, "He has a demon and is mad. Why do you listen to Him?" (John 10:19-20). To that question someone answered, "Can a demon open the eyes of the blind?" (10:21). Just as significantly, does the Sermon on the Mount reflect an unstable mind? Not according to the millions who say they have found sobriety and sanity in the mind and heart of Christ.
Jewish leaders conspired to kill Jesus. Members of the Pharisees, Sadducees, and chief priests regarded Jesus as dangerous. Publicly they accused Him of blasphemy (John 5:18; 10:30-33). Privately they resented that He had won the hearts of so many. Even though they disagreed among themselves about many things, they found a common enemy in "the rabbi from nowhere." Together they were convinced that if they didn't silence Jesus He would disturb the fragile relationship with Rome and bring into question their own leadership. So with the help of one of Jesus' disciples, they hired false witnesses, had Jesus arrested, and petitioned civil authorities for His execution.
A Gentile signed the death order. A Roman bureaucrat named Pilate played a supporting role in Jesus' death. While admitting, "I find no fault in this man" (Luke 23:4), Pilate chose to protect himself rather than the innocent teacher who stood before him. Rather than risking his own political future, Pilate gave the official order to have Jesus executed (Matthew 27:24).
Gentile soldiers treated Jesus like a criminal. Roman executioners went beyond the requirements of their profession in torturing Jesus. They mocked Him with words of scorn, bruised Him with their fists, spit in His face, hit Him on the head, thrashed Him with barbed whips, pressed a crown of thorns into His head, and led Him through the streets like a public enemy (Matthew 27:27-31). At a place of execution, they drove nails through His hands and feet, lifted Him to ridicule and stood back to watch Him die.
We too were there. In one inexpressible moment, heaven and earth crashed head-on at the crossroads of time and eternity. In principle, all of us were there.
Dr. Peter Marshall wrote, "When we are honest with ourselves, we know that we were there too and that we helped to put Christ there. Because every attitude present on that hilltop that day is present with us now. Every emotion that tugged at human hearts then, tugs at human hearts still. Every human being was represented at Calvary, every sin was in a nail, or the spear, or the needle-like thorns, and pardon for them all was in the blood that was shed."
[b]Will The Passion of Christ or the Bible itself renew feelings of ethnic contempt? Only if we refuse to see that we were there, and that love held our Savior to that tree, not the nails[/b].
Will the big screen make our Lord's suffering bigger than life? Only if we forget that even the biggest pictures and most graphic portrayals can only begin to tell the story.
[i]One for all. Father in heaven, forgive us for being so casual and mindless about the inexpressible suffering of Your Son for us. Please help us to live the rest of our lives in grateful praise for the One who said, "I am the good shepherd . . . . And I lay down My life for the sheep . . . . No one takes it from Me, but I lay it down of Myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again"[/i] (John 10:14-18).
Since "Who Killed Christ?" is only one of the questions that will be raised by the release of The Passion of the Christ, we have set up a Web site to provide further information not only on the film but also on the history-changing events that inspired it. You may visit this Web site by clicking http://www.rbc.net/enews/?sit...
No subject deserves more attention and careful thinking than the death of Christ. As you are able, please check out this site. If you find it helpful, pass along the address to friends or acquaintances who you know are taking another look at the historic and heroic suffering that has been inspiring songs, changing lives, and giving undying hope ever since.
Click here mailto:martsarticle@rbc.org to share your thoughts on Mart's article. We value your feedback.
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This guy works for "Our Daily Bread" and "Radio Bible Class" people
Have a blessed day
Unc Paul
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| who's the boss? |
| 02.02.04 (6:24 pm) [edit] |
The wife heard her husband come back into the house not too long after he had left.
She said, "Hon, I thought you were going to your lodge meeting."
"It was postponed," he replied. "The Grand Exalted Invincible Supreme Potentate's wife wouldn't let him attend tonight."
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Thought this was funny but perhaps too close to the truth for many
Have a blessed day
Unc Paul
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| THE FATHER'S EYES |
| 02.01.04 (11:52 pm) [edit] |
THE FATHER'S EYES
Bob Richards, the former pole-vault champion, shares a moving story about a skinny young boy who loved football with all his heart. Practice after practice, he
eagerly gave everything he had. But being half the size of the other boys, he got absolutely nowhere. At all the games, this hopeful athlete sat on the bench and hardly ever played.
This teenager lived alone with his father, and the two of them had a very special relationship. Even though the son was always on the bench, his father was always in the stands cheering. He never missed a game. This young man was still the smallest of the class when he entered high school. But his father continued to encourage him but also made it very clear that he did not have to play football if he didn't want to. But the young man loved football and decided to hang in there. He was determined to try his best at every practice, and perhaps he'd get to play when he became a senior. All
through high school he never missed a practice nor a game but remained a bench- warmer all four years. His faithful father was always in the stands, always with words of encouragement for him. When the young man went to college, he decided to try out for the football team as a "walk-in."
Everyone was sure he could never make the cut, but he did. The coach admitted that he kept him on the roster because he always puts his heart and soul to every practice, and at the same time, provided the other members with the spirit and hustle they badly needed.
The news that he had survived the cut thrilled him so much that he rushed to the nearest phone and called his father. His father shared his excitement and was sent season tickets for all the college games.
This persistent young athlete never missed practice during his four years at college, but he never got to play in a game. It was the end of his senior football season, and as he trotted onto the practice field shortly before
the big playoff game, the coach met him with a telegram. The young man read the telegram and he became deathly silent. Swallowing hard, he mumbled to
the coach, "My father died this morning. Is it all right if I miss practice today?" The coach put his arm gently around his shoulder and said, "Take the rest of the week off, son. And don't even plan to come back to the game on Saturday."
Saturday arrived, and the game was not going well. In the third quarter, when the team was ten points behind, a silent young man quietly slipped into the empty locker room and put on his football gear. As he ran onto the
sidelines, the coach and his players were astounded to see their faithful teammate back so soon. "Coach, please let me play. I've just got to play today," said the young man. The coach pretended not to hear him. There was no way he wanted his worst player in this close playoff game. But the young man persisted, and finally feeling sorry for the kid, the coach gave in.
"All right," he said. "You can go in." Before long, the coach, the players and everyone in the stands could not believe their eyes. This little unknown, who had never played before was doing everything right. The opposing team could not stop him. He ran, he passed, blocked, and tackled like a star.
His team began to triumph. The score was soon tied. In the closing seconds of the game, this kid intercepted a pass and ran all the way for the winning touchdown. The fans broke loose. His teammates hoisted him onto their
shoulders. Such cheering you never heard. Finally, after the stands had emptied and the team had showered and left the locker room, the coach noticed that this young man was sitting quietly in the corner all alone.
The coach came to him and said, "Kid, I can't believe it. You were fantastic! Tell me what got into you? How did you do it?"
He looked at the coach, with tears in his eyes, and said, "Well, you knew my dad died, but did you know that my dad was blind?" The young man swallowed hard and forced a smile, "Dad came to all my games, but today was the first time he could see me play, and I wanted to show him I could do it!"
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have a blessed day
unc Paul
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