36 years

36 Years since one of the largest mistakes this country has ever made in my opinion. That mistake has led to 50 million deaths, 50 million regrets, and yet here we stand still debating an issue that truthfully most Americans claim to be against personally they just don't want to impose their thoughts on others. Clinton's words during his run for office "I would never have one myself" echo the thoughts of most liberals who support it that I have talked to, in fact I have yet to actually talk to one who would. Most agree that it leads to a lot of issues later in life but we wouldn't want to intrude on someone elses space. These same people are the ones who stand by and allow others to suffer, people who beg for help. They claim that its not our place to interfere, that to do so would be imposing our religious beliefs onto those who just don't care. In a society where people seek after their own gratification there are few who hear and the truth and respond, there are few who even reconize the truth at all. There could be no doubt that that little baby was a life, but 36 years ago this country legalized a womans right to murder other children just like my son before they even have a chance to see what life is like outside of the womb. At one point I would say I was Pro-Life, because it is positive and upbeat; but now I am ANTI-ABORTION and I dare anyone to try to convince me that my son wasn't a living breathing being. I dare someone to tell me that he didn't have a right to live, that my wife had a right to terminate him just because it was her body and he was "invasive". I dare someone to try to convince me of any of the pro-abortion filth and propaganda is anything more than lies. I don't need to have a fancy pamplet I can show pictures of a little boy that we delivered, of a little boy with little fingers and toes, of a little boy with a face. Of course no one who believes abortion is ok wants to see those. I wish we had thought and brought in girls thinking of abortions and let them see what they would be killing off, because the old saying "the truth will set you free" would have proven true yet again. Some would say that I am being stubborn and not willing to work with others and that is most likely trueThis quote comes from a book entited "Won by Love"
"I was sitting in O.R.'s offices when I noticed a fetal development poster. The progression was so obvious, the eyes were so sweet. It hurt my heart, just looking at them. I ran outside and finally, it dawned on me. "Norma," I said to myself, "They're right." I had worked with pregnant women for years. I had been through three pregnancies and deliveries myself. I should have known. Yet something in that poster made me lose my breath. I kept seeing the picture of that tiny, 10-week-old embryo, and I said to myself, that's a baby! It's as if blinders just fell off my eyes and I suddenly understood the truth--that's a baby!"
for those who are wondering the author of that book is Norma McCorvey who is the "Roe" of "Roe V Wade" fame. She who was the one it all revolved around is now pro-life, what should that tell you? I will never back down on this, nor can anyone convince me I am wrong. I am willing to get along with others; I will never back down from those things I feel are wrong and this is one of them.

Word to the Wise

I love what this man had to say

http://www.voddiebaucham.org/vbm/Blog/Entries/2009/1/17_Warren_Or_Robinson%3A__Who_Should_Be_Offended.html

Military Response to Civilian Stupidity!

Ok so not all civilians are stupid, but there are a lot that think they could do without the military. A lot know the facts that without the military they would not have the freedom to even think much less to even complain aloud about the many, many things they see as wrong in the U.S.A. or its defenders. This link is about a certain moron civilian who felt the need to show his blatant stupidity and the civil response that a local Officer gave him.

http://www.godtube.com/GodTubeCentral/blog/view/30980

To all of the many civilians who do support the military I thank you and apologize if I in any way made you feel included with the others. I know there are many of you out there who like my sister who proudly wears a shirt that proclaims "if you can't stand behind the soldiers then please stand in front of them". There are lots of you I know!

A Gift of a Bible

After watching this link by Penn(an avowed athiest) of Penn and Teller fame I wanted to post it here because I think every Christian should watch this and ask themselves are they doing what they should be when it comes to witnessing to others about Christ.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7JHS8adO3hM

Sportsmanship vs Christianity?

Last night my daughters schools girls basketball team won a match(first I've actually seen them win), while I should be jumping for joy(which I am... sorta), I am also really disappointed in the overall behavior of some of the adults we have encountered coaching the various teams. There are two things that pop into my mind when I think of a coaches mentality and that is example and leader. It seems that so far(I've not seen every coach) we have had an abundance of really bad attitudes all around. I honestly don't know most of them, so I can't hold them to the "Christ-like" rule, however they should still show a good example of sportsmanship thus leading their young charges in the way things are done. I enjoy a good game and truthfully as my wife says I will heckle anyone in good fun, even the eight year old who is getting all the baskets on the other team. But I am not going to lose my cool over a "game" nor am I going to pitch a fit because the call didn't go my way, make fun of the umpire/referee that may need glasses yes. Maybe I am wrong and I would love for someone to actually prove it me but good natured ribbing is not where things go south to me, in fact if I would hope that if Christ played on my team he would heckle the other team too, I know I would heckle him lol...
Can you imagine what he would say "Hey Jordan you can't touch" this as he jumps from one end of the court to the other doing several summersaults in the air finnally slamdunking the basket from the rafters breaking the backboard only to put it back together again with only his touch as he turns to the speechless Jordan with his tougne hanging further than ever before he sas "In your face son". hmm what a rabbit trail....
There is a point though that heckling can become bad I know this; im referring to the goodnatured kind, now back to the point...
The problem with coaches is the loss of control over their emotions. I remember playing third base one time and the opposing coach was so mad and had lost all control of her mouth, emotions and just about everything else, including her players. She finnaly took her clipboard and slammed it down so hard on the fench it snapped into two peices. Now for the record to the best of my knowledge there was no money on the line here, most of us in fact were actually under the age of 15 I think maybe not even that old. She was supposed to be thier leader in matters of sportsmanship, yet the only example she showed was how to break things when life didn't go right in your eyes. We all lose it at times, I myself more than others I think, however if you choose to coach you have to have a lot more self control than the normal human being. I would never willingly coach girls basketball or boys for that matter. I may eat my words one day when my kids are older and there isn't anyone to do it but for now I'm standing on that. I've seen too many coaches this year lose it over silly things that have no meaning in the long scheme of things. Whats worse is that two coaches this year I know goto church and are heavily imvolved in church, what kind of example do those people set for not only those around them that know they claim christianity but for the kids under them who know the same things? Getting excited and revved up is awesome but when it becomes an issue of atitude then its time to reevaluate why you are here.

Ramblings about my Heritage

I am here at my computer because there is so much running through my mind that I can't sleep. I am so grateful that I was raised by God fearing parents who loved my siblings and I with a love that never gave up on us no matter how far we may have tried to push away. They were of course human, but lived each day for the purpose of showing us the love of God. Sure they made human mistakes(they never claimed perfection), but to this day I hold no grudge against them. I can only hope that I and my wife meet the standard of parenting that they set for us. I disagreed with a lot of their decisions, but never their intent. In fact many of those decisions will never reach an agreement by either party. It has been said that a good parent becomes a good friend when your child reaches adulthood and I have seen my parents and I become friends, don't get me wrong I still go to them as the Godly parents they are but I enjoy their company as a friend. Growing up I never wanted my dad to go shopping with me when shopping was for shoes or clothes. He always seemed to have a knack for picking out the bobo shoes(don't ask me it just meant nerdy lol), which to be honest I don't even think he would have been caught dead in. Now that I am old I enjoy shopping with him(i hate shopping though), of course he still doesn't get to choose my clothes. For the record until I got to college I had only ever owned a name brand pair of shoes once and that is honestly one of my greatest regrets. My mom on the other hand was the shopper who never seemed to pick up the wrong pair for me. She was also forcefully protective of her kids, sometimes to the embarrassment of them lol. I remember when I was nearly 18 there was a girl who had decided to start calling me. I was handling it my way, in the hopes that she would just lose interest soon. However she continued to call.. a lot. Finally she called one day and asked my mom for me and my mom told her she could talk to me when my mom could have a conversation with the girls father, needless to say that was the last time I heard from that girl. Now I was furious that my mom had interfered and to this day think my way was working just fine, but she handled it in her way and to this day she thinks she was right. I can agree with her in one point only, she did it because she loved me and that's all that matters because honestly that girl was nothing to me. As many of you know I am not the family person that most people are, I don't like crowds even if I know them. I get uncomfortable and have to leave rooms when I hear tons of voices all in their own conversations. But I don't think there are many days that I don't call my parents just to talk.. ramble. I recently went to visit them over Thanksgiving break, which was the first holiday in a long time that we were all together. I used to think I got my love of books from my mother, but now I know I got that from my dad after seeing his massive collection of books that have grown a lot since I left home, from my mom I got a love of reading. My mother's library mostly resides next to her tub taking over most of the bathroom. During the visit I got to play drums during the service and she remembered that my favorite song from the Red backed Hymnal was Keep on the Firing line, which to be honest I had almost completely forgotten. My dad ties as many knots as I do when he packs, and has the issues about being in the drivers seat yet he let me drive for some reason. They have both taken my wife into their nest, she loves them as if they were her parents. We were in church regardless of circumstances that might keep some people out of church, like the Superbowl. My dad once set up the camcorder to record the Superbowl because it was starting right in the middle of church. When I look back I am glad for the example they set. In church on Sunday we prayed for the children, the teens, then the parents and finally the people that no longer had kids at home. Each prayer was touching in and of itself, however the last group hit home for me more than any other. Those people have rasied the next generation and passed the mantle of parenthood down, just as my parents have and now they liberally claim gradparental rights to their grandchildren. To mine I say well done and thank you have at your grandkids!

Random Facts that people need to know about Israel

I may be starting something here, but I wanted to post these because I can

BRIEF FACTS ON THE ISRAELI CONFLICT TODAY

This information came to me in the form of an e-mail from a friend at church through another friend that has moved away. How funny is that? These are some fact most people need to know about this conflict. I just did a cut and paste, can you believe I have those computer skills?

Benjamin Netanyahu gave an interview and was asked about Israel 's occupation of Arab lands -- his response was "It's our land." The reporter (CNN or the like) was stunned -- read on.

Here are overlooked facts in the current Middle East situation. These were compiled by a Christian university professor. BRIEF FACTS ON THE ISRAELI CONFLICT TODAY.... (It takes just 1.5 minutes to read!!!!) It makes sense and it's not slanted. Jew and non-Jew--it doesn't matter.

• 1. Nationhood and Jerusalem. Israel became a nation in 1312 B.C.E. Two thousand years before the rise of Islam.
• 2. Arab refugees in Israel began identifying themselves as part of a Palestinian people in 1967, two decades after the establishment of the modern State of Israel .
• 3. Since the Jewish conquest in 1272 B.C.E., the Jews have had dominion over the land for one thousand years with a continuous presence in the land for the past 3,300 years.
• 4. The only Arab dominion since the conquest in 635 C.E. Lasted no more than 22 years.
• 5. For over 3,300 years, Jerusalem has been the Jewish capital. Jerusalem has never been the capital of any Arab or Muslim entity. Even when the Jordanians occupied Jerusalem, they never sought to make it their capital, and Arab leaders did not come to visit.
• 6. Jerusalem is mentioned over 700 times in Tanach, the Jewish Holy Scriptures. Jerusalem is not mentioned once in the Koran.
• 7. King David founded the city of Jerusalem. Mohammed never came to Jerusalem.
• 8. Jews pray facing Jerusalem. Muslims pray with their backs toward Jerusalem.
• 9. Arab and Jewish Refugees: In 1948 the Arab refugees were encouraged to leave Israel by Arab leaders promising to purge the land of Jews. Sixty-ei ght percent left without ever seeing an Israeli soldier.
• 10. The Jewish refugees were forced to flee from Arab lands due to Arab brutality, persecution and pogroms.
• 11. The number of Arab refugees who left Israel in 1948 is estimated to be around 630,000. The number of Jewish refugees from Arab lands is estimated to be the same.
• 12. Arab refugees were INTENTIONALLY not absorbed or integrated into the Arab lands to which they fled, despite the vast Arab territory. Out of the 100,000,000 refugees since World War II, theirs is the only refugee group in the world that has never been absorbed or integrated into their own peoples' lands. Jewish refugees were completely absorbed into Israel, a country no larger than the state of New Jersey.
• 13. The Arab - Israeli Conflict: The Arabs are represented by eight separate nations, not including the Palestinians. There is only one Jewish nation. The Arab nations initiated all five wars and lost. Israel defended itself each time and won.
• 14. The P.L.O.'s Charter still calls for the destruction of the State of Israel. Israel has given the Palestinians most of the West Bank land, autonomy under the Palestinian Authority, and has supplied them.
• 15. Under Jordanian rule, Jewish holy sites were desecrated and the Jews were denied access to pla ces of worship. Under Israeli rule, all Muslim and Christian sites have been preserved and made accessible to people of all faiths.
• 16. The U.N. Record on Israel and the Arabs: of the 175 Security Council resolutions passed before 1990, 97 were directed against Israel.
• 17. Of the 690 General Assembly resolutions voted on before 1990, 429 were directed against Israel.
• 18. The U.N was silent while 58 Jerusalem Synagogues were destroyed by the Jordanians.
• 19. The U.N. Was silent while the Jordanians systematically desecrated the ancient Jewish cemetery on the Mount of Olives.
• 20. The U.N. Was silent while the Jordanians enforced an aparthei d-like a policy of preventing Jews from visiting the Temple Mount and the Western Wall.

What can you do? What will you tell your grandchildren what you did when there was a turning point in Jewish destiny, an opportunity to make a difference?

START NOW- Send this to other people you know and ask them to send it to others, Jew and non-Jew--it doesn't really matter.

The logic of a five year old

A couple of months ago we succumbed and became a DVR family. They are really cool mostly because we can watch our show anytime we want but also because we can skip commercials. As we were sitting there on the couch watching "Could you survive"(yet another fitness show which allows couch potatoes to sit and watch other people exercise lol) my daughter ask why are they showing the same commercials over and over mommy.... then in answer to her own question maybe we should buy that stuff so they won't show us anymore. Man the industry is going to love her when she is old enough to have money of her own lol

Typical

Ok so I've caught a bug from my wife with blog reading and last night I discovered a blog that listed a lot of chaplain/candidate chaplain blogs. Boy was I surprised to read some of them and see that they had went through a lot of the same processes getting to their calling, questions from friends and family, and it all turned out ok lol. I remember when I first told my parents my dad asked me "Son make sure you aren't just going back in because of the money, I know you are called to the ministry and I could see you in this but just make sure" and low and behold I read two other chaplains who had had the same question put to them. At one point I was even asked if Christina being pregnant would change my mind about going in, apparently thats a normal question also. All in all I learned a lot about people by reading these blogs. In a recent conversation with a friend of mine whom I consider a sister, she couldn't grasp that a chaplain is a pastor, once again apparently her confusion is not abnormal but many people wonder about it lol. I guess the biggest reason is that most civilian chaplains aren't in actual pastoral roles maybe, honestly I don't know that either. I do know that one of the biggest hurdles for me to get over was the fact that I knew chaplains while I was in who weren't called to pastor and frankly they sucked! I didn't want to be that person as much as I felt the calling to the role I felt it was wrong because I didn't want to be a pastor. As most of my 10's of readers know(i have a tracker so I know I have 10 readers somewhere lol)I accepted the fact that I was called to that role and since then have actually embraced it and I am looking forward to becoming a full time pastor. These thoughts are once again common in a lot of people called into the chaplaincy from places in life similar to mine. I know there are people who go into pastorates before they are called into the chaplaincy so it works both ways, I only know it from my perspective though. Overall I guess I could say that I was encouraged to hear that I wasn't the only one who had questions, who had questions asked and who didn't have really good answers lol

New Years Resolutions

I don't think I have ever sat down and actually decided on New Years resolutions but this being the year of change I thought it would be cool to do so. These are rough, I am going to type them as I can think of them, honestly a lot of them have been on my mind for a while it just seems a good time to start. These are in no certain order!

1. As a family I want us to read through the Bible completely by next year, I think Chrissy and I have both down it separately but I know we have never done this as a family.

2. I want to run a half marathon in a decent time, decent being above average but maybe not top ten lol.

3. I want to take an APFT and score above 80% in all events.

4. I want to, by the time 2010 rolls around, spend at least an hour a day with God.

5. I would like to lead at least 12 people to Christ, I say 12 because that is one per month but to be honest I would love to be able to do a lot more; its my goal though.

6. I'm sure its obvious without mentioning, however just for the record I want to lose 93 lbs this year, 50 by my August graduation.

7. I want to grow closer to my wife this year, to get to know her better, spiritually connected stronger than ever before.

8. I want to actually have a set aside night with the family, with the kids so young we've never really had to have that but as they are growing I want to set it aside now to establish a habit so that when they are older its ingrained and we won't lose them like I've seen in so many families.

9. I would like to go green lol, more so in the organic foods and such, we have even discussed some sort of coop. This also covers all around just eating healthier.

10. I want to learn Golf, I've never even picked up a club before(except for putt-putt) but I want to learn it.

11. I want to learn a new recipe per week, I may even make that a weekly food blog about our experiences with it.

12. I want to have a decent savings at years end, I don't know any amount so I'll have to add that later based on our analysis of the finances.

So thats my 12 (yes one for each month of the Year)

2009

I really think this year is going to be an awesome year. Both Christina and I are in site of graduation and plan to walk on the 1st of August, the process(beyond the paperwork) for my ministers license in the Church of God starts, and our chaplains board is in March. I am sure that God has a lot more in store for us and we are anxiously watching the horizon of the new year!