tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-437964542052755799.post7989767642376545578..comments2024-02-13T08:49:07.287-04:00Comments on 'Thought & Humor!': A Handy Pocket-Size Excuse List! Professor Howdyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12189934292678757335noreply@blogger.comBlogger9125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-437964542052755799.post-9844265832396109782008-08-26T12:16:00.000-03:002008-08-26T12:16:00.000-03:00Recently, a rash of fundamentalist atheists has be...Recently, a rash of fundamentalist atheists has become a publishing<BR/>phenomenon. Touting that God is a delusion destructive to human life and<BR/>civilization, and heralding the end of faith, these authors see only<BR/>positive results at the end of atheism. Reason and rationality will<BR/>conquer any "zealous" adherence or devotion to a transcendent God. <BR/><BR/>It's fairly easy to identify with the concerns that motivate these authors<BR/>towards atheism. Like them, I grieve over the violence perpetrated in the<BR/>world in the name of God and religion. I can understand how Mother Teresa<BR/>would poignantly wonder about God's presence with her in the suffering<BR/>wasteland of Calcutta. And certainly, I, like many others, have had life<BR/>experiences that raise questions concerning God's involvement in my life,<BR/>and God's love toward me. I can understand the despair-filled temptation<BR/>towards agnosticism, or even atheism. <BR/><BR/>Yet, the world many atheists envision without God or faith is overly<BR/>optimistic, and ultimately unrealistic. Their beautiful portraits of what<BR/>the world could look like if we only jettison our faith are painted with<BR/>glowing brushstrokes of romantic imagery and language:<BR/><BR/>"This universe is shot through with mystery. The very fact of<BR/>its being, and of our own, is a mystery absolute, and the only miracle<BR/>worthy of the name. The consciousness that animates us is itself central<BR/>to this mystery and the ground for any experience we might wish to call<BR/>'spiritual....' No personal God need be worshiped for us to live in awe at<BR/>the beauty and immensity of creation....love our neighbors, and [know that]<BR/>our interdependence demands that people everywhere be given the opportunity<BR/>to flourish."(1) <BR/>I find this vision completely out of step with a world in which innocent<BR/>civilians, even as I write this essay today, are being silenced and<BR/>slaughtered by the thousands. Indeed, in light of the state of our world,<BR/>an optimistic ending for atheism is as out-of-touch with reality as belief<BR/>that the world is flat. <BR/><BR/>In fact, this vision of a godless world being a better world is shattered<BR/>by the writings of the prescient prophet and atheist, Friedrich Nietzsche.<BR/> Nietzsche, the German philosopher who wrote in the nineteenth century,<BR/>predicted what an atheistic society would look like. And unlike the<BR/>pseudo-optimism of our popular atheists today, Nietzsche's vision is<BR/>harrowing and disturbing. "The story I have to tell," he wrote, "is the<BR/>history of the next two centuries.... For a long time now our whole<BR/>civilization has been driving, with a tortured intensity growing from<BR/>decade to decade, as if towards a catastrophe: restlessly, violently,<BR/>tempestuously, like a mighty river desiring the end of its journey,<BR/>without pausing to reflect, indeed fearful of reflection." He claimed<BR/>that the world was entering an "era of monstrous wars, upheavals,<BR/>explosions and that there will be wars such as have never been waged on<BR/>the earth."(2)<BR/><BR/>Why such pessimism about the future of the world? Nietzsche argued that<BR/>the actions of human beings had rendered God superfluous. In The Gay<BR/>Science his madman yells, "'Where is God?' Well, I will tell you. We<BR/>have killed him, you and I." He goes on to doubt if even reason and the<BR/>advance of theoretical knowledge, as our modern-day atheists posit, could<BR/>heal the "wound of our existence." Indeed, science, reason, and history<BR/>could not overcome the reality that human beings "can rise or sink to no<BR/>other reality than the reality of our drives." One of those drives,<BR/>Nietzsche argued, is the will to power, ultimately fulfilled by rogue<BR/>regimes in World War I, and in World War II by the Nazi regime and the<BR/>Communist regime led by Joseph Stalin. <BR/><BR/>Thus, Nietzsche's utter suspicion of reason calls the entire optimistic<BR/>program advocated by popular atheists into question. God's absence would<BR/>not make for a better world, according to Nietzsche. Indeed, his picture<BR/>of a world without God, without a divine Creator intimately involved in<BR/>re-creation, is a very grim place filled with darkness, amorality, and<BR/>despair. <BR/><BR/>In contrast to the godless future predicted by Nietzsche or our current<BR/>atheistic prophets, the prophet Isaiah, even in the midst of warnings of<BR/>exile, destruction, and suffering had a hope-filled vision of a world<BR/>permeated with the presence of God: "The wolf will dwell with the lamb,<BR/>and the leopard will lie down with the kid, the calf and the young lion<BR/>and the fatling together; and a little child will lead them... they will<BR/>not hurt or destroy in all my holy mountain, for the earth will be full of<BR/>the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea" (Isaiah 11:6, 9). <BR/>This vision of a God-filled future is what Christians should hope for and<BR/>work towards, even as we wrestle with the challenges and the difficulties<BR/>of a God-famished world.<BR/><BR/>Margaret Manning is associate writer at Ravi Zacharias International<BR/>Ministries in Atlanta, Georgia.Professor Howdyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12189934292678757335noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-437964542052755799.post-59772691671502186962008-08-26T12:08:00.000-03:002008-08-26T12:08:00.000-03:00My outreach trips to South Africa have been with s...My outreach trips to South Africa have been with some wonderful ministry <BR/>experiences. We saw African young people coming to Christ. We had the <BR/>privilege of training South African youth workers to reach lost young <BR/>people. And we're even training people to reach the lost and the young <BR/>through radio. One afternoon we were able to sneak away long enough to visit <BR/>one of the gold mines that helped make South Africa the richest country on <BR/>that continent. Years ago this was the largest and richest gold mine in the <BR/>world. Today, an old miner take guys like me, puts a helmet on them, gives <BR/>them a light, and takes them on tours. It was fascinating to hear him <BR/>describe how gold was uncovered and then extracted from deep inside the <BR/>earth. At one point, he asked us to shine our light on one wall of the mine, <BR/>and it sparkled with this bright, yellow gold! It was amazing - beautiful! <BR/>The old miner told us, "Don't get too excited." He said, "Real gold is <BR/>black. It doesn't even look like gold. That stuff that glitters, well, <BR/>that's just fool's gold.<BR/><BR/>It's "values clarification time," with the help of our word for today from <BR/>the Word of God. 1 Timothy 6:8, "If we have food and clothing, we will be <BR/>content with that. People who want to get rich (that's the people who go <BR/>after the stuff that glitters) fall into temptation and a trap and into many <BR/>foolish and harmful desires that plunge men into ruin and destruction. For <BR/>the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for <BR/>money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many <BR/>griefs."<BR/><BR/>It's so easy to buy the values of a world that measures worth by success, by <BR/>how much of the glittery stuff you have - to spend major life-energy going <BR/>after more house, more car, more wardrobe, more position, more prestige. <BR/>It's gold - but it's fool's gold. Notice the words God uses to describe the <BR/>pursuit of more: a trap, foolish desires, harmful desires, ruin and <BR/>destruction, wandering from the faith, grief. The foolishness of all this is <BR/>summed up in two words God uses to describe security that is based on <BR/>earth-stuff "so uncertain." That's what He calls it in 1 Timothy 6:17.<BR/><BR/>So God reveals the scam - what looks so valuable is so worthless, and the <BR/>spiritual riches that may look so worthless are so valuable. Like fool's <BR/>gold and real gold. The chapter goes on to describe the real gold. "But you, <BR/>man of God, flee from all this, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, <BR/>love, endurance and gentleness." Don't look for those on the Dow-Jones, but <BR/>they are so much more precious than anything you'll find there and certainly <BR/>a lot more lasting.<BR/><BR/>God says when you live your life to give instead of get, you will be one of <BR/>those who "lay up treasures for themselves as a firm foundation for the <BR/>coming age, so that they may take hold of the life that is truly life" (1 <BR/>Timothy 6:19) or the gold that is really gold.<BR/><BR/>Take a moment for a priority check - not about what you believe, but about <BR/>how you're spending your life. Honestly now, is most of the best of your <BR/>life tied up in going after fool's gold? Do you even have much energy, much <BR/>time, much resource left to pursue the gold of what will last for eternity <BR/>like getting to know Jesus better, getting people to heaven with you, <BR/>showing Jesus' love to people who really need it, absorbing God's Word? <BR/>It's time to live for what will last.<BR/><BR/>With whatever years you have left, go where the real gold is. The stuff that <BR/>glitters is what most of the people around you are going for. But remember, <BR/>it's just fool's gold.<BR/><BR/><BR/> To find out how you can begin a personal relationship with Jesus <BR/>Christ, please visit:<BR/><BR/> Yours for Life or call 1-888-966-7325<BR/><BR/><BR/><BR/><A HREF="http://www.yoursforlife.net/alpha/" REL="nofollow"><B>Click Here</B></A><BR/><A HREF="http://www.needhim.org/" REL="nofollow"><B>Click Here</B></A><BR/> <BR/> <BR/>Wist u dat de God van u houdt?<BR/>Avez-vous su que Dieu vous aime ?<BR/>Wußten Sie, daß Gott Sie liebt?<BR/>Avete saputo che il dio li ama?<BR/>Você soube que o deus o ama?<BR/>¿Usted sabía que el dios le ama?<BR/><BR/>http://everystudent.com/menus/intl.html<BR/><BR/><A HREF="http://everystudent.com/menus/intl.html" REL="nofollow"><B>Click Here</B></A><BR/><A HREF="http://www.everystudent.com/videoroom.php" REL="nofollow"><B>Click Here</B></A><BR/> <BR/><B><BR/>Beautiful Music With Pictures: </B><BR/> <BR/><A HREF="http://BeautifulMusicPics.notlong.com" REL="nofollow"><B>Click Here</B></A><BR/> <BR/><I>Last More than an hour!!!<BR/> <BR/></I>Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-437964542052755799.post-88228827746512420572007-02-20T10:51:00.000-04:002007-02-20T10:51:00.000-04:00*Letters From The Past*If you would like to write ...*Letters From The Past*<BR/><BR/><BR/>If you would like to write Howdy (he reads all of them), <BR/>send an amicable, meticulous, penurious or factious e-mail to:<BR/><BR/><BR/><BR/><BR/><BR/><BR/><BR/>Please tell us your general location (State, School, Country).<BR/>All letters sent to Howdy might be printed unless you <BR/>request otherwise. Letters marked "anonymous" may be <BR/>printed but without the name. Your e-mail address will not <BR/>be shown. Tell us what's happening in your locale!!!<BR/> <BR/> <BR/> <BR/><BR/><BR/><BR/>Dear Howdy, <BR/> <BR/>I don't know how my email address got on your list, but I have <BR/>immensly enjoyed every email I have received from you since. <BR/>The riddles are fun, the humor is great, and the controversial <BR/>topics are enlightening. My friends all enjoy reading these <BR/>emails with me. Thank you so much for all your hard work <BR/>in making "Thoughts and Humor" the one email I look forward <BR/>to receiving every day.<BR/> <BR/>Anonymous,<BR/>University of Missouri - Rolla <BR/><BR/>+++<BR/> <BR/>Dear Howdy, <BR/> <BR/>Check this out BEFORE election Day!!! <BR/> <BR/> http://kerrylied.com/otherdocs/flash.htm<BR/> <BR/>Sincerely, <BR/>Brenda S.<BR/> <BR/>+++<BR/><BR/>Howdy, <BR/> <BR/>I have to admit how much I love your humorous and challenging <BR/>newsletter. At first I did not believe "Thoughts and Humor" would <BR/>be of any interest to me, but I do enjoy the links to the politically <BR/>concerned web sites, which voice their sometimes useless opinions. ;-) <BR/><BR/>I also find the riddles and jokes to witty and comical. Hey at least <BR/>you're are not making a mockery of Florida State University. Thanks <BR/>for giving me something to look forward to during my time of tanning <BR/>and partying. XOXO<BR/><BR/>Elizabeth<BR/>Florida State University<BR/><BR/>+++<BR/><BR/>Dear Howdy, <BR/> <BR/>Your are the Masked Mystery Person....Who are you, <BR/>where do you come from, and why are you so silly?<BR/>Love your articles, keep em' coming!<BR/><BR/> xo Anita xo <BR/> <BR/><BR/> <BR/>+++<BR/> <BR/>Dear Howdy, <BR/> <BR/>Whenever someone is doing a good work, there will be opposition. <BR/>There was opposition to Jesus' message when he walked the earth. <BR/>In fact, his ministry started with the Devil personally taking an interest. <BR/>He tried to tempt Him to sin. Satan failed but he also never gave up. He<BR/>thought he had won when Christ was crucified but that death was our<BR/>victory. Keep up the good work as long as God leads you to continue. <BR/>Following God's will for your life is the important thing you can do;<BR/>not what other people say about you or to you. In Him, you can be<BR/>strong.<BR/> <BR/>Inalie Painter<BR/> <BR/>+++<BR/> <BR/>Hi Howdy, <BR/> <BR/>I learned it as<BR/>"Little Miss Etticoat,<BR/>In her white petticoat --<BR/>Shorter and shorter she grows!<BR/>Oh how she suffers<BR/>While we with our snuffers<BR/>Are nipping her little red nose."<BR/> <BR/>We sang it in first grade in 1939 -- 1940, and I didn't have <BR/>a clue about what it meant. Years later I learned that it <BR/>referred to a candle. But in 1939, nobody used candles<BR/>except on birthdays, and I'd never heard of snuffers. <BR/>The "Etticoat" part is still a mystery. <BR/>Harry Akers<BR/><BR/><BR/><BR/>+++<BR/> <BR/>Dear Howdy, <BR/> <BR/>One of your subscribers recommended your list on the our-kids<BR/>(a forum for families with children with disabilities) listserv. <BR/>I am in Island County, WA.<BR/><BR/>M.D.<BR/><BR/>+++<BR/> <BR/>Dear Howdy, <BR/> <BR/>Want to see a video of "girlie men"? <BR/> http://xrl.us/dkcs<BR/> <BR/>A.S.<BR/> <BR/><BR/><BR/><BR/>+++<BR/> <BR/>Dear Howdy, <BR/> <BR/>In a stunning October surprise, the Kerry-Edwards campaign has given<BR/>Dan Rather some documents signed by Noah, which prove that Ezekial<BR/>Bush, an ancestor of George W. Bush (who has friends in the oil industry),<BR/>was responsible for the 40 days and nights of rain which resulted in the<BR/>Great Flood. The documents also show that Ararat Arks, a subsidiary of<BR/>Halliburton, made excessive profits by building Noah's Ark on a no-bid<BR/>contract. Because of these excess profits, the ark was built too small so<BR/>the last two dragons, unicorns, and patriotic liberals, were left behind to<BR/>drown.<BR/><BR/>Dan Rather admitted that while the documents may be forgeries the facts<BR/>aren't as important as the intent. Enraged environmentalists across the<BR/>country have parked their Volvos and gone on hunger strikes, vowing to eat<BR/>only Camembert cheese and tofu until John F. Kerry (who was awarded three<BR/>Purple Hearts in Viet Nam) is elected President.<BR/><BR/>CNN (the Clinton News Network) also ran a story showing that the Titanic<BR/>and the Hindenburg had both been manufactured by subsidiaries of Halliburton.<BR/>John Edwards immediately took time off from the campaign trail to file a<BR/>class-action lawsuit against Halliburton, Dick Cheney, the city of Elmhurst,<BR/>and all icebergs in the North Atlantic. Jesse Jackson was heard to react by<BR/>saying "Their boat didn't float, and their blimp went limp."<BR/><BR/>Michael Moore is producing a mockumentary showing that because of close<BR/>family ties to Emperor Hirohito, George H. W. Bush had been personally<BR/>informed in advance that Pearl Harbor was going to be attacked, t! hus<BR/>giving him time to get the family yacht, named "Obscene Oil Profits", out of<BR/>the harbor before the bombing began. Howard Dean's voice is being used<BR/>to dub in the screams during the attack scenes in the movie.<BR/><BR/>The Ninth Circus Court in California has just ruled that since citizenship<BR/>status is not a constitutionally valid criteria for eligibility to vote,<BR/>illegal aliens are to be allowed to vote one time for each different Social<BR/>Security card that they have, provided that the addresses are different.<BR/>They excepted families in which the parents and children all have the same<BR/>last name as being too Americanized to be allowed this special non-citizen<BR/>privilege. Senator Hillary Clinton immediately clarified that the ruling<BR/>only applies to illegal aliens who are on welfare, and who vote for John F.<BR/>Kerry (who was awarded three Purple Hearts in Viet Nam).<BR/><BR/>Jimmy Carter announced that since only fraudulent voting practices could<BR/>possibly elect George Bush (who has friends in the oil industry), he will<BR/>invite France, North Korea, and Iran to oversee the nationwide vote re-count<BR/>if John F. Kerry (who was awarded three Purple Hearts in Viet Nam) is not<BR/>elected.<BR/><BR/>Ralph Nader was allegedly seen last night wandering the streets of downtown<BR/>Biloxi muttering "What about me? What about me? What about me?"<BR/><BR/>Peter Jennings announced today that he has DNA evidence that Pontius<BR/>Pilate was a direct ancestor of George W. Bush (who has friends in the<BR/>oil industry). He also has papers showing that Dick Cheney still receives<BR/>an annuity from the company that manufactured the nails used in the<BR/>Crucifixion. John Kerry told a cheering crowd of morons that he had<BR/>a plan to prevent future crucifixions of saviors, but that his plan was a secret.<BR/>The anti-business wing of the democratic party praised his secret plan in<BR/>the hopes that he would increase taxes on nail companies until th! ey move<BR/>to China.<BR/><BR/>And last but not least, MoveOn.org has a story on its website which claims<BR/>that the Republican Party, guided over the centuries by ancestors of Barry<BR/>Goldwater and Ronald Reagan, is in reality a secret society which has been<BR/>working to undermine world equality by planning and creating the Great<BR/>Plague, World War One, the Depression, the Holocaust, World War Two,<BR/>the Korean War, the Vietnam War (in case you didn't know, John F. Kerry<BR/>was awarded three Purple Hearts in Viet Nam), 9-11, the death of Lacy Peterson,<BR/>Michael Jackson's face, AIDS, and the pending implosion of Social Security.<BR/>Spontaneous demonstrations are planned for the weekend preceding the<BR/>election. Charles Rangel and Nancy Pelosi have called for an independent<BR/>investigation to be completed by Al Gore as soon as he gets back on his<BR/>medications. <BR/> <BR/>Sincerely, <BR/>Robert B. & Pattie P.<BR/> <BR/><BR/> <BR/>+++<BR/><BR/>Howdy, <BR/> <BR/>I was wondering if you could send me some of your <BR/>"though and humor." My mom gets it and I always read <BR/>it and crack up. So, if you wouldn't mind sending it to me, <BR/>that would be great!<BR/><BR/>~gina~ <BR/> <BR/>P.S. I'm a sophomore (15) and I live in the boonies of MAINE!!<BR/>yeah, it's great:) <BR/> <BR/>+++<BR/><BR/>Dear Howdy, <BR/> <BR/>Yes, I am still receiving the issues and still love the content. It<BR/>would be really helpful if you would put the answers to the questions<BR/>closer (as in the riddles). By the time I finally make it to the end to<BR/>see if I have the right answers, I forgot the question (old age I<BR/>guess-past 40). Keep on keeping on and may God bless you and your<BR/>work!!! <BR/> <BR/>Beverly L. <BR/>Senior Accountant<BR/> <BR/><BR/><BR/>+++<BR/><BR/>Dear Howdy, <BR/> <BR/>I just renewed my subscription - somehow my old <BR/>one was interrupted. Your new format makes great <BR/>reading and the cartoons are forwarded to those in <BR/>need of a smile. <BR/> <BR/>Ghislaine Miller<BR/><BR/>+++<BR/><BR/>Dear Howdy, <BR/> <BR/>I used to read your jokes, etc on my work email, <BR/>but had to unsubsribe due to leaving the company. <BR/>I now have a new email address and would be <BR/>honoured if you place me on your mailing list.<BR/> <BR/>Cheers<BR/>Mark (Australia)<BR/><BR/><BR/><BR/>+++<BR/> <BR/>Dear Howdy, <BR/> <BR/>Can you imagine standing beside the banks of the Jordan River? This is <BR/>one of the most dramatic moments in the whole of Scripture. For a brief <BR/>moment observers behold the three Persons of the Trinity. Jesus was <BR/>baptized; God the Father speaks; the Holy Spirit descends. The Trinity <BR/>is not a doctrine invented in some abstract mind in a far-away monastery. <BR/>The doctrine of the Trinity is formed, among other reasons, because events<BR/>like this happen in the Scripture. In the earthy Jordon River, the<BR/>forever righteous God reveals himself as God in Three Persons, <BR/>Blessed Trinity. <BR/> <BR/>Dale Fincher<BR/> <BR/>+++<BR/><BR/>Hello Howdy, <BR/>I work at a mental health institute as a Recreation Specialist, (basically<BR/>an activities director) and I find laughter is the best medicine with our<BR/>clients! Will you please subscribe me to your free newsletter to share <BR/>with our older folks? Often they do not have the means/opportunity to <BR/>find or seek out humorous material to lighten their selves up. This would <BR/>help me to help them. Of course I’m not implying that I won’t use it for <BR/>personal use as well!!<BR/><BR/>Thank you,<BR/>Andrea S. BA, Rec. Spec.<BR/>Nova Southeastern University Geriatric Institute<BR/>Lauderdale Lakes, FL.<BR/><BR/> <BR/><BR/> <BR/><BR/>Please note that our policy allows for us to receive threats <BR/>on alternate Tuesdays when the Moon is waning only...<BR/><BR/> <BR/>===============<BR/> <BR/> <BR/> <BR/> <BR/> <BR/> <BR/>The world's oldest continuously incorporated company is Canada's<BR/>Hudson's Bay Company, which was founded in 1670. The company also<BR/>became the largest corporate landowner with holdings that at one time<BR/>included about one third of present-day Canada.<BR/><BR/>During its first two centuries of existence, the Hudson's Bay Company<BR/>mainly pursued the fur trade, exploration, and settlement of Canada's<BR/>northern reaches. One of its greatest exploration projects was the<BR/>unsuccessful attempt to find the fabled "northwest passage" to eastern Asia.<BR/><BR/>Today, Hudson's Bay Company operates the largest chain of department<BR/>stores in Canada. It was split into several companies in 1930, so<BR/>today's Hudson Bay Company is considerably smaller than its<BR/>illustrious ancestor.Professor Howdyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12189934292678757335noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-437964542052755799.post-56695985489345126642007-02-20T10:49:00.000-04:002007-02-20T10:49:00.000-04:00Recommended by Howdy for improving your worldview:...Recommended by Howdy for improving your worldview:<BR/><BR/><A HREF="http://groups.yahoo.com/group/evangelical_viewpoint/" REL="nofollow"><B>Click Here</B></A><BR/> <BR/> http://groups.yahoo.com/group/evangelical_viewpoint/Professor Howdyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12189934292678757335noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-437964542052755799.post-46247612247032543192007-02-20T10:47:00.000-04:002007-02-20T10:47:00.000-04:00The opening of a new store in town usually creates...The opening of a new store in town usually creates a buzz. Something <BR/>like one of those major discount stores, for example, or that mecca<BR/>do-it-yourself place, Home Depot - which stirred things up when it opened<BR/>in our community for sure. This is not a commercial for them, just an<BR/>observation. Some observers say that Home Depot's comprehensive inventory<BR/>and competitive prices have actually helped interest a whole new wave of<BR/>people in doing their own home improvements. It's meant to be sort of<BR/>one-stop shopping for everything you need to build your home.<BR/><BR/> If only building or improving a home was just a matter of plywood,<BR/>sheet rock, and tile. That will take care of a place called home, but not<BR/>necessarily the people who are really what home is. Building a marriage,<BR/>building your children - that's far more challenging. And you can't just go<BR/>to a store to pick up the materials you need to be the right kind of mom or<BR/>dad, to be what your wife need, what your husband needs.<BR/><BR/> And there's nothing like trying to make a family work to make you<BR/>face the things that need work inside you; inside your personality, your<BR/>heart, your soul. Living in the intensity of a family really exposes the<BR/>baggage that you're carrying from your past, your weaknesses, your<BR/>selfishness, your dark side. There's this person we want to be that our<BR/>family really needs for us to be. Then there's this person we really are,<BR/>and we just don't know how to get from who we are to who we need to be.<BR/>The ugly stuff in us is now marking another generation and hurting the very<BR/>people we love the most. If we could change, we would have changed by now.<BR/><BR/> But there is a place you can go to find everything you need to build<BR/>your home; to someone whose spiritual resources have transformed millions<BR/>of people for thousands of years. Our word for today from the Word of God<BR/>spells out concisely but clearly the secret of a home that works. In Psalm<BR/>127:1, the inventor of the family says: "Unless the Lord builds the house,<BR/>its builders labor in vain." The simple truth is: you need the Lord to make<BR/>you what your family needs you to be. Because the darkness inside us is a<BR/>cancer we can't cure; the "disease of me" that no one on earth can cure.<BR/>God calls it "sin," and the Bible makes it clear that the cancer is incurable.<BR/>It's terminal. It says, "Sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death"<BR/>(James 1:15). That death has included the death of many marriages<BR/>and parent relationships over the years.<BR/><BR/> We're like a drowning person or a person trapped in the rubble of an<BR/>earthquake. Our only hope is a rescue. And because God loves you so much,<BR/>He launched a rescue mission for you and for me on a skull-shaped hill outside<BR/>Jerusalem called Golgotha. The Bible says, "He loves us and has freed us<BR/>from our sins by His blood" (Revelation 1:6). Your new beginning starts when<BR/>you, in your heart, find your way to the cross of Jesus to claim His<BR/>forgiveness for every wrong thing, every hurting thing you've ever done. He<BR/>died to forgive you, and then He rose from the dead to prove He has the<BR/>power to conquer anything including the darkness inside you. In the Bible's<BR/>words, "If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation"! (2 Corinthians 5:17)<BR/><BR/> You begin this transforming relationship with Jesus Christ the<BR/>moment you claim what He did on the cross for yourself personally - when <BR/>you tell Him with all your heart, "I'm totally yours, Jesus, from this moment<BR/>on." That new beginning could be today for you. If you're ready to belong to<BR/>this one who has more love for you, more power to help you change than<BR/>anyone there is, I hope you'll let me send you my booklet about beginning<BR/>with Jesus called Yours For Life. Just let me know you want it.<BR/><BR/> The greatest gift you can give the people you love is for you to<BR/>give yourself to Jesus. He alone can give you everything you need to build<BR/>your home. Ron Hutchcraft<BR/> <BR/><BR/><BR/>If you're not sure you belong to Jesus, <BR/>and you would like to make sure<BR/>today, click here: http://www.yoursforlife.net/ <BR/><BR/><BR/><BR/>Listen with RealAudio!<BR/> http://xrl.us/djxu<BR/><BR/>To subscribe to "A Word With You," send a blank email to:<BR/>awordwithyou-subscribe@hutchcraft.com<BR/><BR/>---------------------------------------------------------------------<BR/><BR/>To find out how you can begin a personal relationship <BR/>with Jesus Christ, please call:<BR/><BR/>1-888-NEED HIM.Professor Howdyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12189934292678757335noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-437964542052755799.post-48561272584278242412007-02-20T10:46:00.000-04:002007-02-20T10:46:00.000-04:00The Hayloft Through all the pleasant meadow-side T...The Hayloft <BR/><BR/><BR/>Through all the pleasant meadow-side <BR/>The grass grew shoulder-high, <BR/>Till the shining scythes went far and wide <BR/>And cut it down to dry. <BR/><BR/>Those green and sweetly smelling crops <BR/>They led the wagons home; <BR/>And they piled them here in mountain tops <BR/>For mountaineers to roam. <BR/><BR/>Here is Mount Clear, Mount Rusty-Nail, <BR/>Mount Eagle and Mount High;-- <BR/>The mice that in these mountains dwell, <BR/>No happier are than I! <BR/><BR/>Oh, what a joy to clamber there, <BR/>Oh, what a place for play, <BR/>With the sweet, the dim, the dusty air, <BR/>The happy hills of hay! <BR/><BR/>~Robert Louis StevensonProfessor Howdyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12189934292678757335noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-437964542052755799.post-7527530813790426022007-02-20T10:28:00.000-04:002007-02-20T10:28:00.000-04:00NEW DEFINITIONS:*Arbitrator \ar'-bi-tray'-ter\ : A...NEW DEFINITIONS:<BR/><BR/>*Arbitrator \ar'-bi-tray'-ter\ : A cook that leaves Arby's to work at McDonald's<BR/>*Avoidable \uh-voy'-duh-buhl' \ : What a bullfighter tries to do<BR/>*Baloney \buh-lo'-nee' \ : Where some hemlines fall<BR/>*Bernadette \burn'-a-det' \ : The act of torching a mortgage<BR/>*Burglarize \bur'-gler-ize' \ : What a crook sees with<BR/>*Control \kon'-trol\ : A short, ugly inmate<BR/>*Counterfeiters \kown'-ter-fit'-ers\ : Workers who put together kitchen cabinets<BR/>*Eclipse \ee-klips' \ : What a Cockney barber does for a living<BR/>*Eyedropper \i'-drop-ur\ : A clumsy ophthalmologist<BR/>*Heroes \hee-rhos' \ : What a guy in a boat does<BR/>*Left Bank \left' bangk' \ : What the robber did when his bag was full of loot<BR/>*Misty \mis-tee' \ : How golfers create divots<BR/>*Paradox \par'-u-doks' \ : Two physicians<BR/>*Parasites \par'-ih-sites' \: What you see from the top of the EiffelTower<BR/>*Pharmacist \farm'-uh-sist \ : A helper on the farm<BR/>*Polarize \po'-lur-ize' \ : What penguins see with<BR/>*Primate \pri'-mate' \ : Removing your spouse from in front of the TV<BR/>*Relief \ree-leef' \ : What trees do in the spring<BR/>*Selfish \sel'-fish' \ : What the owner of a seafood store does<BR/>*Subdued \sub-dood' \ : Like, a guy who, like, works on one of those, like, submarines, man<BR/>*Sudafed \sood'-a-fed' \ : Brought litigation against a government official<BR/> <BR/> <BR/> <BR/> <BR/> <BR/> <BR/><BR/><BR/> <BR/><BR/>===============<BR/> <BR/> <BR/> <BR/><BR/><BR/><BR/>As you do not know the path of the wind, or how the body is<BR/>formed in a mother's womb, so you cannot understand the <BR/>work of God, the Maker of all things. --Ecclesiastes 11Professor Howdyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12189934292678757335noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-437964542052755799.post-22991024181885621662007-02-20T10:25:00.000-04:002007-02-20T10:25:00.000-04:00Q: Why couldn't the pony talk???A: Because he was ...Q: Why couldn't the pony talk???<BR/>A: Because he was a little horse!!!Professor Howdyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12189934292678757335noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-437964542052755799.post-10072824531422575792007-02-20T10:22:00.000-04:002007-02-20T10:22:00.000-04:00OBSCURE AND UNUSUAL WORDS ****...OBSCURE AND UNUSUAL WORDS <BR/> ************************* <BR/><BR/>1) high-muck-a-muck hii muk a muk (noun) <BR/> : somebody in a position of importance and authority who <BR/> behaves in an overbearing way <BR/><BR/> Mid-19th century. Origin uncertain: probably by folk <BR/> etymology from Chinook jargon hiyu muck-amuck, literally <BR/> "ten portions of choice whalemeat," by association with <BR/> high. <BR/><BR/> Nobody liked the boss because he acted like such a high- <BR/> muck-a-muck. <BR/><BR/>2) gramarye grammeree (noun) <BR/> : magic and enchantment (archaic) <BR/><BR/> Fourteenth century. From Anglo-Norman gramarie "Latin <BR/> grammar," a variant of Old French gramaire. <BR/><BR/> The children were amazed by the gramarye of the circus.Professor Howdyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12189934292678757335noreply@blogger.com