Wedding Rings

I have been giving this a lot of thought. A lot of thought.

I think what we need to do is go back to Scripture. My opinion, your opinion, is not what matters. What matters is what the Word says.

So, here is what it says:

1 Peter 3

1Likewise, ye wives, be in subjection to your own husbands; that, if any obey not the word, they also may without the word be won by the conversation of the wives;

2While they behold your chaste conversation coupled with fear.

3Whose adorning let it not be that outward adorning of plaiting the hair, and of wearing of gold, or of putting on of apparel;

4But let it be the hidden man of the heart, in that which is not corruptible, even the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit, which is in the sight of God of great price.

5For after this manner in the old time the holy women also, who trusted in God, adorned themselves...

Let's look at the two key verses here. Verse 3, and verse 4.

Think of it it this way, Paul was telling us that there are two options, verse three, OR verse 4.

In other words, not this: outward adorning of plaiting the hair, and of wearing of gold, or of putting on of apparel...

But rather, this: But let it be the hidden man of the heart, in that which is not corruptible, even the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit, which is in the sight of God of great price.

It is an either/or proposition. Not both, but one or the other.

The only way that this makes sense is to take it literally. If the Bible says that our adornment should not be the wearing of gold, how then do we make an exception for a wedding ring? Is it not made of gold?

Now, an argument could be made that God allowed the folks in the Old Testament to wear jewelry, and there was no negative connotation connected with it. And, that would be correct.

I do not see that as a contradiction to my view on 1 Peter 3 in any way. How? What I see in chapter 3 is God showing us a new, better way.

There were things that God allowed in the OT that we would consider sin today. We all have a good idea as to what those were. But, in the New Testament, we find those things forbidden.

So, God allowed some things in the OT, but forbids them in the NT, and this is not in any way contradictory, or hypocritical. Among these things are the wearing of jewelry.

This is not an argument of culture. It is not an argument of being looked at as weird by the society we live in. If that is the case, then we should all just assimilate now, look like, dress like, talk like, walk like everyone around us.


A ring is not an antidote to infidelity. Many people have cheated while wearing a wedding ring.

It is not an antidote to being hit on by the opposite gender. Just because you might be wearing a wedding ring will NOT keep some members of the opposite gender from seeing you as a conquest. Some actually see it as a challenge.

I do not need a ring to have an outward symbol of an inward commitment. That is foolishness. I show in many other ways that I am committed to Monica. Anyone observing us for even a few minutes, if they paid attention, would see this. And, for that matter, I have never seen anyone with a ring on and had the thought flit through my brain that, "well, they sure are committed to each other." The sad fact is that with the divorce rate as high as it is, the ring no longer means anything of the sort, if it ever did.

Now, even IF all of these were true, even if you could prevent infidelity by wearing a ring, even if you could prohibit someone hitting on you by the wearing of it, even if it makes us more acceptable in our culture, even if it would prove that we are committed to one another, that does not make it OK to violate scripture.

So, can you justify the wearing of a wedding ring using to any of these arguments? In a word, no.

Someone made an important observation to me today. In this country, as this so called "gay marriage" become more prominent, the wedding ring is going to become less and less an indicator of anything. Think that one through.

Facebook

It seems as if the newest, greatest, most exciting thing for everyone at the moment is Facebook. Every one, it seems, is now networking through FB.

I have really enjoyed it. I have reconnected with people that we met while singing that I may never have had the chance to meet again. Pretty cool.

I have been scrolling through hundreds of pictures. Litteraly. I love seeing what everyone's kids look like, who has lost weight, who has gained, who got married to who, and what everyone says in their status updates. Very interesting.

Now, to what bothers me.

It seems, if you can take the pics on FB as evidence, that there is a mass exodus from things conservative. I see people that have grown up in the CHM, people that I have gone to church with, people that I have seen at IHC, people that until VERY recently were a part of the CHM, who have very evidently left our ranks. I will not name names.

Why this? Why now? What is the catylist for this?

Why are we as a CHM losing some of our best and brightest?

Are there CHMers that still believe what we have always believed?

Here is what I have seen:

Wedding rings by the score.

Girls and guys that attend CHM churches in public in shorts.

Young and old alike in bathing suits and shorts on the beach.

More short hair for the ladies than I thought possible.

Tattoos.

People that profess, hoisting a glass.

And, there are hints of other activities that I could not, would not mentioon on this forum.

So, what is happening? Is the CHM through?

Is there anyone that believes that there are still biblical precepts that constrain us from doing these things?

Can we, should we, stem the tide?

I know that there are folks who read this blog who were once a part of the CHM, and they may take offense at what I have posted. Please believe me when I say that there is no offense intended. I am troubled by what I am seeing, and would like others input, yes, especially those from the CHM .

Santa Baby!

The cutest kid in the world, along with some guy in a funny suit.

We have never seen such freezing heat!

If you believe all this nonsense about "Global Warming," read this:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/opinion/main.jhtml?xml=/opinion/2008/11/16/do1610.xml&posted=true&_requestid=64500

A surreal scientific blunder last week raised a huge question mark about the temperature records that underpin the worldwide alarm over global warming. On Monday, Nasa's Goddard Institute for Space Studies (GISS), which is run by Al Gore's chief scientific ally, Dr James Hansen, and is one of four bodies responsible for monitoring global temperatures, announced that last month was the hottest October on record.

This was startling. Across the world there were reports of unseasonal snow and plummeting temperatures last month, from the American Great Plains to China, and from the Alps to New Zealand. China's official news agency reported that Tibet had suffered its "worst snowstorm ever". In the US, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration registered 63 local snowfall records and 115 lowest-ever temperatures for the month, and ranked it as only the 70th-warmest October in 114 years.

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So what explained the anomaly? GISS's computerised temperature maps seemed to show readings across a large part of Russia had been up to 10 degrees higher than normal. But when expert readers of the two leading warming-sceptic blogs, Watts Up With That and Climate Audit, began detailed analysis of the GISS data they made an astonishing discovery. The reason for the freak figures was that scores of temperature records from Russia and elsewhere were not based on October readings at all. Figures from the previous month had simply been carried over and repeated two months running.

The error was so glaring that when it was reported on the two blogs - run by the US meteorologist Anthony Watts and Steve McIntyre, the Canadian computer analyst who won fame for his expert debunking of the notorious "hockey stick" graph - GISS began hastily revising its figures. This only made the confusion worse because, to compensate for the lowered temperatures in Russia, GISS claimed to have discovered a new "hotspot" in the Arctic - in a month when satellite images were showing Arctic sea-ice recovering so fast from its summer melt that three weeks ago it was 30 per cent more extensive than at the same time last year.

A GISS spokesman lamely explained that the reason for the error in the Russian figures was that they were obtained from another body, and that GISS did not have resources to exercise proper quality control over the data it was supplied with. This is an astonishing admission: the figures published by Dr Hansen's institute are not only one of the four data sets that the UN's Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) relies on to promote its case for global warming, but they are the most widely quoted, since they consistently show higher temperatures than the others.

If there is one scientist more responsible than any other for the alarm over global warming it is Dr Hansen, who set the whole scare in train back in 1988 with his testimony to a US Senate committee chaired by Al Gore. Again and again, Dr Hansen has been to the fore in making extreme claims over the dangers of climate change. (He was recently in the news here for supporting the Greenpeace activists acquitted of criminally damaging a coal-fired power station in Kent, on the grounds that the harm done to the planet by a new power station would far outweigh any damage they had done themselves.)

Yet last week's latest episode is far from the first time Dr Hansen's methodology has been called in question. In 2007 he was forced by Mr Watts and Mr McIntyre to revise his published figures for US surface temperatures, to show that the hottest decade of the 20th century was not the 1990s, as he had claimed, but the 1930s.

Another of his close allies is Dr Rajendra Pachauri, chairman of the IPCC, who recently startled a university audience in Australia by claiming that global temperatures have recently been rising "very much faster" than ever, in front of a graph showing them rising sharply in the past decade. In fact, as many of his audience were aware, they have not been rising in recent years and since 2007 have dropped.

Dr Pachauri, a former railway engineer with no qualifications in climate science, may believe what Dr Hansen tells him. But whether, on the basis of such evidence, it is wise for the world's governments to embark on some of the most costly economic measures ever proposed, to remedy a problem which may actually not exist, is a question which should give us all pause for thought.

President Bob the Builder

The other day, Janae was watching Bob the Builder. As any parent of a 4 year old knows, the constant theme through the video's is this mantra of "yes we can!"

As the video played, I thought, "Wow, that sounds familiar."

I probed the deep recesses of my pea brain, and sure enough, I now know why that sounded strangely familiar.

"Yes we can" was the mantra chanted at so many Obama campaign stops. Even at his big bash in Chicago election night. "Yes we can!"

So, we elected Bob the Builder for President. A cartoon character.

"Yes we can('t)!"

My, how far we've come...

GVB Reunion Clip!

Oh yeah!

The Best Movie One Liner Ever!

Was Bob Hope a Republican?

God bless his memory.

Hat tip, AB. Thanks.

Bill Ayers Calls Obama a "family friend"

65 Americans were duped when Barack Obama said that Ayers was "just some guy that lives in my neighborhood." Really?

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/politics/obama/chi-bill-ayers-barack-obama-book,0,1806710.story
For you that voted for the man, how does it feel to be duped?

I have to admit that this makes me very angry. Where in the world was the media during the election? Why weren't they doing their job? Why only release this now????

For you that voted for this man, God help you.

Be Afraid, Be Very Afraid...

http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3620833,00.html

Read this and weep.

Our soon to be new President sent his surrogates to meet with known terrorists during the run up to November 4th. At least, according to the terrorists.

If this is true, we are sunk.

God help us!

Websites I view every day

There are several sites I visit everyday, sometimes multiple times a day. Some of you may not be aware of these sites, so I thought I would try to help every one be informed.

1. Drudge Report.
I am sure all of you are aware of this one, but it is the best. Period.

2. www.powerlineblog.com
Power Line is a blog of three conservative men who have a very keen grasp on what is going on in the world today. Well worth your time.

3. Lucianne.com
A web portal that has links to HUNDREDS of news stories you will not find anywhere else. A must see.

4. Patriot Posts.
This is actually an e-mail update I get three times a week. Google "patriotposts" and sign up. Every patriotic citizen needs to read this.

5. Politico.com
Now, this one is not a conservative site. No where near. But, I believe that it is important to keep up on what the left is espousing, and this is the place to do that.

I hope this helps you keep informed. We are going to need to be informed. All of us.

Some thoughts...

Since the election did not turn out the way I'd hoped, here are some random thoughts:

For me personally, I am not one that is "running for the hills." I was given a peace about this election 2 weeks before it happened. That peace came with a pretty good idea that Obama would be elected. I was hoping against all hope that he would be defeated, but did not believe it to be so.

The emotions that I have felt have been ones of disgust with my fellow Americans that they would be so easily duped. Good grief.

Also, I lost a little bit of my faith in my country. That is not a feeling that I am comfortable with. Now, by this I am talking about my belief that most of my fellow countrymen are reasonable, thinking humans. Not some herd that votes for an empty suit. That idea took a huge hit in this election.

Yes, God is still in control. He has a plan. I was just hoping that this was not the time for that plan.

I do not plan to set back and be silent. I do not plan to let the left destroy our country if I can do anything about it. With that in mind, you will possibly be hearing more about what I hope to be involved in within the coming months. All I will say at this point is, just wait for 2010! (No, I do not plan to run for public office!)

Correction

In one of my posts, I tried to take Rush Limabugh to task over Operation Chaos.

Wow, do I know how to get things screwed up or what?

I had that thing totally backwards. At my age, the memory is starting to slip, and I remembered that one all wrong.

Forgive me? Please?

Hat tip to AB for pointing this out to me.

I'm confused...

A friend of mine posted this in the comments section two posts down:

I do believe Jesus will return. I just don't believe in the Rapture, the Tribulation, or the Antichrist. I'm an amillenial preterist, which, incidentally, has a long history in the church. It's just that virtually everyone in the modern church believes some version of premillenial dispensationalism so I look like a weirdo. :)

I still believe Jesus' return could be at any minute though. Maybe moreso than dispensationalists, since they believe the tribulation has to happen first.

Nivil, if Jesus returns, and you don't call it the Rapture, what do you call it?

Does not the Bible teach that there will be an Antichrist? Or a Tribulation?

Scriptures please. I am baffled.

My, How Far We've Come...

First, I would like to be the first to say thanks to Rush Limbaugh. Yes, Rush, your plan backfired. Instead of the known entity of Hillary, as undesirable as that would be, we now have the unknown quantity of Obama. Operation Chaos will go down as a failure. Glad I did not participate.

Second, I will remind everyone that voted for "Change" that you will not like the change that is coming. It is going to stink.

Third, in the how far we've come department, the state of MN is very close to electing Al Stinking Franken as a senator. God help us. I cannot imagine having Obama in the White House and Al Stinking Franken as a senator. Run for the hills, people.

Last, our reformation is complete. The citizenry has found a way to vote for themselves large amounts of $$$$ from the treasury, and from this a person can never be weaned. Give a man a fish, and he will want another fish, and more fish, and then all of the fish. He will never work for the fish.

The fall of the empire is well on it's way to completion.

May God have mercy on us.

God Help Us All

We're going to need it.

I cannot believe what I am seeing. God help us.

America, God will judge you. He is doing that now.

This man who you call "The One" will one day bow his knee to the ONLY ONE to whom that title belongs.

America, your days are numbered. We will now no longer be a friend of Israel. We WILL be attacked. A large city will likely be taken out. One of the cities that voted for this man. No, I do not want that to happen, but I am afraid it will.

Jesus is coming. Be ready.

Win One for the Gipper

In regards to the tax increase Obama is planning for businesses, I present this, from Ronaldus Maximus:

“The most dangerous myth is the demagoguery that business can be made to pay a larger share, thus relieving the individual. Politicians preaching this are either deliberately dishonest, or economically illiterate, and either one should scare us. Business doesn’t pay taxes, and who better than business to make this message known? Only people pay taxes, and people pay as consumers every tax that is assessed against a business. Begin with the food and fiber raised in the farm, to the ore drilled in a mine, to the oil and gas from out of the ground, whatever it may be—through the processing, through the manufacturing, on out to the retailer’s license. If the tax cannot be included in the price of the product, no one along that line can stay in business.”

—Ronald Reagan

Obama Says Constitution "Flawed"

Here is the October Surprise:

I'm back...

For the moment, at least.

I have been so very busy latley. Doing what? you ask.

For one, praying. Praying that God will intervene on behalf of our nation.

Praying that God will defeat the forces of darkness.

And, praying that God will see fit to keep Obama as far from 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue as possible.

Now, I am not, never have been, never will be a John McCain fan. But considering the alternative, I will gladly cast my vote for McCain/Palin.

Right now, I would take Hillary Clinton over Obama. I would rather have the known quantity of the Hildabeast than the unknow X factor of Obama.

God be merciful.

Debbie Fike

Here is a note from my cousin, Deb:

"My eyesight is getting worse. As you know, I am already blind in my left eye. I purchased bifocals for my right eye a few months ago and they were perfect. I had great vision. Now, my vision is growing worse and I am trying to get an appointment with the New York State Commission for the Blind and Visually Handicapped. A person has to be 51 years of age to get in to an eye doctor that specializes in legal blindness, etc. I need to see such an eye doctor, and ,hopefully, after talking to the NYS Commission I can get in for free. Otherwise, like I said, you have to be 51 years of age. My current eye doctor is the one who gave me their phone number.

"I would appreciate if you all would pray for me right now. I've always said if I lost anything, I would rather lose my hearing than my eyesight. I have always been a complete 'bookworm'; the thought of not being about to read God's Word, my devotional books, and additional reading (Karen Kingsbury,the Thoenes)is hard. I know God does all things well; there is a 'purpose for everything under the sun'. I don't want to be insensitive to what He is doing in my life; I just want to be clay in His hands so I can be completely molded into what He wants me to be. He has been so, so good to me. He has given me a wonderful family, a wonderful husband and son, and He has been there every single step of the way. I have no complaints!! He's a wonderful Saviour to me! :) There's not much I can do for Him, but one thing I know . . . He has ALL of me! Thank you for your prayers! You all are tops, in my book!"

If you would care to, go to her site and leave a note in the guestbook: http://www.caringbridge.org/ny/debbiestalkerfike/

Interesting Column I found Today

http://www.onenewsnow.com/Perspectives/Default.aspx?id=264844

Sandy Rios - Guest Columnist

It was the annual "Summerfest" in a community about 60 miles west of Chicago. We were expecting rides and cotton candy, but were greeted instead by tractors and a pork chop dinner. The crowd was populated by just plain folks — old and young, enjoying the easy camaraderie of small town life. One family stood out. It was a mom and dad with a boy about eight I'll call "Johnny."

We had come to see a Chicago band, awkwardly positioned on a flatbed truck, who didn't disappoint. They delivered great Chicago-style blues and rock, but as great as they were, they were promptly upstaged by Johnny. As the band started, he bolted to the grassy area before the stage and began to dance deliciously. He didn't just have one "move," he had lots of them with finger strategically pointed, and attitude enough for the whole band. As the singer jumped off the stage, Johnny would follow, imitating him playing harmonica and clutching his cordless mic as he serenaded a select few. When he finished a set and took a bow, Johnny took his, too...deeply, like a shadow on the lawn. The crowd roared and I was especially delighted when he came to serenade me with his imaginary microphone. I wanted to grab and hug him, but he would have none of it.

I looked down the row to see his parents standing silently, not with wild cheering but with wonder, amazement and...pride. You see, Johnny has Down syndrome. It was a moment parents of special needs kids seldom get to enjoy.

It struck me in that moment that nearly 90 percent of babies born with Down syndrome are now aborted. Most Johnnys never get the chance to delight a crowd or bring deep, abiding joy to their parents — because they never get a chance to live.

It was a Down syndrome baby that nurse Jill Stanek cradled until death at Christ Hospital in Oak Lawn, Illinois, denied of food or medical treatment. Another imperfect baby, unwanted by its parents, starved out of existence.

When legislation to prevent such callousness and neglect sprang to life as a result of Stanek's story, Barack Obama spoke out against the Born Alive Infant Protection Act. He argued that it was unfair to the mothers to let these babies live — that it would turn back abortion rights (as though infanticide and abortion were in the same legal ballpark). He voted against the legislation and tried to persuade others in the Illinois legislature to follow his lead. On the issue of abortion, he later publicly declared that he wouldn't want his daughters "punished with a baby," should they find themselves pregnant and unmarried. With that perspective Obama would surely find a Down syndrome baby beyond punishment.

It's not the only time in human history when something like this has happened.

In attempt to breed the Aryan race, the Nazis began a systematic extermination of "useless eaters." Videos were produced to illustrate the horrors of the disabled and thousands were led to their death with the approval of the German citizenry. One notable exception was Dietrich Bohhoeffer, a pastor later hanged to death with a piano wire for opposing the Nazis. In the face of the Aryan tide he penned these words: "Not only do the weak need the strong, but the strong need the weak."

One has only to be the parent of a child like Johnny to grasp the truth of Bonhoeffer's words. The Johnnys of the world teach us to endure with perseverance, build character and allow for a love that wells up from a place too deep for words to describe.

Sarah Palin gets it. That's why she and husband Todd chose not to abort baby Trig in spite of his alleged imperfections. To some, he is a "useless eater." He will never win the snow machine race his father is famous for or be mayor or governor of anything, but Sarah and Todd know the value of his life in ways that can never be explained to a man like Barack Obama. A baby like Trig is a precious life. And the baby carried by his sister is not punishment.

In his book The Power of the Powerless, Christopher De Vinck tells the story of his severely disabled brother, Oliver. As Christopher grew older and began dating, he brought his girlfriend to the family farmhouse and eventually asked if she would like to meet Oliver. Since Oliver lived on the top floor and had to be fed and diapered by family members, the first girl said a polite "no." The next girl, however, said, "Yes!"...climbed the stairs, crawled up on the bed with Oliver and proceeded to patiently spoon feed him.

"Which girl would you have married?" asked De Vinck. The power of the powerless; the ability of the helpless or infirm to reveal not their infirmity, but the character of those around them.

We have two candidates, one for president and the other for vice president, with very different views on the value of life. What does their attitude toward the Johnnys of this world — or the tiny lives who have come inconveniently — tell us about them? And by the way, which girl would you have chosen?

Aunt Marge

A lot of you know my old maid Aunt Marge. If you do that will make this story all the more funny.

The phone rang at my parent's house this afternoon. Marge answered.

Marge: "Hello."

"Hey pretty girl, how are ya?"

Marge: "Well, I'm fine, but, who is this? This is the Myers residence."

"Ooooohhhhhh (with a groaning sound) I've got the wrong number..."

Click.

I am SICK of hearing about this!!

And now, Clay Aiken, to no ones surprise, has outed himself. As if...

Last night, I was cruising around the net, and I found this:
http://www.sherwoodopendoor.org/specialmessages.html

If you will scroll down a ways, you will find a face that you are familiar with. None other than Kirk Talley. Now, we all know what we found out about Kirk back in 2004. Yes, it really has been that long.

But, I would say that most of us have held out hope that Kirk was on the straight and narrow, pardon the pun. Not so, I am sad to say.

Open Door Community Church is a homosexual congregation. They make no secret of that fact. What I find to be so disgusting is the names of some of those that have sang or spoken there:

Kirk
Joyce Martin - The Martins
Cynthia Clawson - CCM Artist, and sometime Gaither Artist
Kenny Bishop - Formerly of the Bishops
Tony Compolo
Jay Baker - Son of Jim and Tammy Fay
Lulu Roman - Hee Haw alum, and frequent Gaither video artist
And, the openly lesbian author of the song, "For those Tears I Died."

Now, what stinks about this is that Kirk has led most of us to believe that he is no longer involved in the "gay lifestyle." I had hope that that was true. I now very seriously doubt it.

Kirk shares to this congregation that he outed himself to his family in 1986. 22 years ago. When he was traveling with Roger and Debra as the Talley's.

Kirk also shares that his first concert after all of this news came out was at The Potter's House, another openly homosexual church. This does not lead one to believe that he has renounced the lifestyle as he has led us to believe.

Due to the circumstances of Kirks family not demanding that he leave the lifestyle, his sister has not spoken to the family since that year. How sad for everyone involved.

But, this begs the question: Did Roger and Debra know? And, if they did, why did they continue to sing with him?

My brother reminded me this afternoon that in or around 1986, the Talley's traveled for a while with out Kirk, citing some unknown "illness." Could it have been over this?

I know that that is merely speculation, but it does seem to be quite the coincidence.

Last night, I prayed for Kirk. God can deliver him. Kirk has to want to be delivered for this to happen.

Sadly, the "gay" agenda has infiltrated the church. Some are saying that their sin is no different than mine.

To that I say, "Mine ARE different. Mine are forgiven, and I am no longer living in them."

It is a sad day.

Shocked, I tell you, SHOCKED!!!!

And, no, I am not being sarcastic.

According to this article, http://www.washingtonblade.com/2008/9-12/arts/feature/13258.cfm , Ray Boltz has come out of the closet.

Yes, as in THAT Ray Boltz, and yes, as in THAT closet. After 33 years of marriage, he has left his wife and embraced the homosexual lifestyle. Even more strange, his former WIFE has become a gay advocate. Huh???

God help us!

Janae and Mark

Janae loves Mark Lowry. Monica says it has to have something to do with the fact that Janae identifies with him. I'll leave you to decide what that means. :)

This past Saturday night, Mark was in concert about 45 minutes from here. So, we got tickets, and Monica, Janae, Monica's sister Melissa, Todd, and I went to see Mark. It was worth the price of admissioin to see Janae react when Mark hit the stage.

A few observations:

1. Mark's voice was not at it's best. Towards the end of the program, he was straining just to hit some his "normal" notes. And, on his last song, "Mary, Did You Know?", his voice cracked, big time. He did not even attempt the high notes.

2. He is still very funny. Very.

3. Mark seems to be a pretty nice guy. After the concert was over, he sat down on a stool at the back of the venue, and signed autographs. We were 2nd or 3rd in line, when something out of the ordinary happened. Three people who were obviously mentally disabled spied Mark and made striaght for him. They cut in line on front of roughly 100 people.

I thought, "Hmm, wonder how Mark is going to handle this?"

He treated them like they were the President of the US. Really, he did. I was immpressed.

4. Mark has a wicked sense of humor, even with himself as the audience. As we were waiting in line, someone reached out and touched Mark from behind him. To no one in particular, and without looking at anyone, he said in a sing-song voice, "thank you for touching me!" I about fell apart. Hilarious.

So, Janae got her pic taken with Mark Lowry, but was too afraid of him to sit on his lap. Monica had to hold her.

All in all, a great night.

What!?!?!?!?

In the "What were they thinking?!?!?!?" category.

Monica, Janae, and myself cam home from Columbus Ohio just a little bit ago. My mother in law had a heart catherization done today. (One artery was 95% blocked. They put in a stent, and she will be released tomorrow morning, Lord willing.)

On the way home, we stopped at McDonald's in Celina, Ohio, for supper. Yeah, I know, really healthy.

In the back of the McDonald's, on the back wall, was something I have never seen before. There were two Kidzplace video game machines. One was situated for the bigger kids, being about 3 feet off the floor.

The other was obviously set up for the smaller kids. This one was about 2 feet off the floor, with a stool in front of it so the kids could sit as they played the games it offered.

As we were getting ready to leave, I glanced over at the one Janae had been playing, the one that was lower. She had punched enough buttons, by accident, that the game was set to a quiz mode. I guess it would ask questions, and you would gain point by getting correct answers.

I was absolutely flabbergasted at the question I saw on the screen: "WHAT WAS SERIAL KILLER RICHARD RAMAREZ' NICKNAME?"

SAY WHAT?!?!?!?!?!?!?

What kind of question is that on a KIDS oriented game?????

Thank God Janae cannot read yet!

A CD I cannot wait to hear...

...but not for the reasons you might imagine.

In the new Singing News, there is a note that the Talley Trio has a new CD coming out. I like the group, and think they have a good sound.

On this new CD, I see that there is a song entitled, "Hallelujah, Praise the Lamb." I am assuming that this is the same song the Talley's recorded many years ago.

I am very interested in hearing this version, for a specific reason.

I loved the original version of this song off of a Talley's cd in the mid 90's. Great singing.

But, better than that was the version that was recorded live with the Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir in the late 90's. If you have heard this version, you would know what I am talking about. If you have never heard it, you really need to find someone who has it and borrow it. It will give you goose bumps and make your hair tingle all at the same time. All while the tears flow. It is truly amazing.

So, with how I feel about the first two versions of this song, I am wondering how they have changed or updated the arrangement. Obviously, with the third part being Lauren as opposed to Kirk, the song is going to have a bit of a different dynamic to it. Not better or worse, just different. I also wonder if there is a "Choir" element to the new recording. If there are only three voices, I think it would pale in comparison to being backed up by a 200+ member choir.

I really do not think they will be able to top the version with BTC. I mean, you have the Talley's backed up by the most awesome choir on earth. What more could you ask for?

Reading the Bible, Part 2

Two posts ago, I asked how long one could go with out reading their Bible and still be a Christian. The few responses that were posted all said basically the same thing. You MUST be in the Word to be a Christian.

I agree, of course. I am in the Word more now than at any time in my life. I fully realize how much I need it.

In regards to the person in question, the one who does not read the Bible at all, I have some observations.

1. The fact that this person does not read the Bible reveals it's self in that person's daily life. The person is almost always irritable. Sometimes hard to get along with. Makes poor decisions in other area's of life.

2. If their Bible reading is lacking, most likely their prayer life is lacking as well.

3. This person's relationship with their spouse is no better than their relationship with the Lord.

4. There is very little joy in this person's life.

And the list could continue.

Sad.

I wonder how many people that sit in any given church on any given Sunday morning would be guilty of not reading the Word.

What You Learn in a Trip to the Playground

We are visiting my in-laws in Zanesville. We leave for home tomorrow, Lord willing.

Today, I took Janae to a playground/park in a town near here. Janae was playing as any four year old would do. There were a few other kids in the park.

After a while, all but Janae, myself, and three boys had left the park.

I decided to strike up a conversation with the three boys. I thought I might be able to witness to them. I found out that the boys were 7 "and a half", 8, and I think the other one was 9. The 7 and a half year old and the 8 year old did not have shirts on.

The youngest one was Donnie. I gathered this simply by listening, as the other boys said his name quite a few times. I asked the boys if they attended church. "No, not anymore."

As I watched, I slowly became aware of something. I am slow to notice things, and this took me a while.

Donnie had at least 8, maybe more, straight, red, 10 inch scars across his back. In series of two, about an inch apart. It took a while for me to realize what I was seeing. After a while, what I learned in our recent Foster Care classes kicked in.

These were belt marks. Harsh, mean looking, red, angry belt marks.

Someone has been abusing Donnie.

I looked at the other boy, and he had two large scars on his chest where someone had extinguished their cigarettes. Donnie had one of these marks on his back.

The 8 year old also had what looked to be knife wounds in his lower right side. These were about 6 inches long, and very jagged. They were not scrapes, they were large cuts, and very recent. No signs of stitches.

The two oldest boys left, and that gave me the opportunity to talk to Donnie.

"Donnie, do you mind if I ask you a question?"

"No, go ahead."

"Donnie, what are those marks on your back?"

"Aww, nothin'"

"Donnie, I can see those marks. Has someone whipped you with a belt?"

"No, sometimes my sister hits me with her hand."

"Donnie, those marks do not come from someones hand. Did someone whip you with a belt?"

"No, it's just dirt. Sometimes I play in the dirt."

"Donnie, I want you to know something. No one should EVER beat you on the back with a belt. No one."

"Parents are allowed." Uh, oh, now I KNEW what to this point I was only guessing. Donnie's parents were abusing him.

"No, Donnie, no one, not even your parents should ever do this to you. Donnie, I know that those are belt marks. I want you to do something. If any one ever does this to you again, I want you to call the cops."

"I don't know the number."

"Donnie, yes you do. It's 911."

"Oh, yeah."

Donnie started to walk away at this point. As he left, I said, "Donnie, I am a preacher, a pastor, and I am going to be praying for you."

At this point, Donnie took off running. I left the park crying.

I will never see him again.

But, I WILL pray for Donnie tonight, and for many nights to come.

Bible Reading

A question:

How long can someone go without reading their Bible and still be a Christian?

I know of a professing Christian, an adult, who never reads the Bible.

I have some other thoughts on this issue, but will save them until after I get some responses on my question.

Singing Friends Memories, Part 3

Long story here. Get a cup of something and join me on a trip.

Close to ten years ago, we were scheduled to sing at a Presbyterian church. The one and only time we ever sang in one of those. The way that all came about was that the church had decided to have a concert, and not knowing who to call, called the local SG music association, and they called us and set everything up.

This was one of the largest churches we ever sang in. Beautiful church, Cambridge, OH.

About ten minutes before the concert was to start, the pastor walked up to me, big smile on his face, and thanked me profusely for being there. Then, he said, "I am sorry, but I am not going to be here tonight. My family and I are going out to eat. Have a good time." He walked out the front door.

That was on Saturday evening. By Sunday morning, we were to sing in Princeton, WV. Somewhere around 300 miles. Now, to get from Cambridge to Princeton, there is only one route. Only one. Interstate 77. Until you get to Charleston, WV, it is not a bad stretch of road. Then, it all goes down hill. And up hill, and around the hills. All at the same time.

I 77 south of Charleston has been named one of the most dangerous highways in the US. I agree. It is nasty. I know of people that will drive a few hundred miles out of their way just to avoid it. Count me among that crowd.

That night, as we drove south out of Charleston, it started to mist. And sleet, and snow a little. And then it got foggy. Really foggy, all while it snowed, misted, and sleeted. (Is "sleeted" a word?????)I'll be honest, I was scared to death. 45 MPH, and I had a death grip on the steering wheel of that bus.

I 77 is a toll road south of Charleston. At the first toll booth, I paid my toll, and the guy in the toll booth asked me if I saw the straight truck pulled to the side of the road about 50 feet in front of us. I did, of course. I am driving, therefore I better not be blind.

"Pull up behind that straight truck. He wants to give you some doughnuts."

"He wants to WHAT!?!?!?"

"He wants to give you some doughnuts."

"Am I safe?"

"Do you mean is he an ax murderer or something?"

"Yeah, something like that!"

"No, he's fine. He just wants to give you some doughnuts."

So, I pull up behind said straight truck. As I parked the bus, the driver of the truck was rummaging around in the back. I jumped out the door of the bus, and asked the guy, "Can I help you?"

"You're a Southern Gospel group, aren't you?"

Well, let's see, did the old bus give us away?

"Yes, we are."

"Well, I want to give you some doughnuts."

"If you don't mind me asking, why?"

"Oh, I do this for a lot of SG groups. The McKammeys, the Isaacs, the Easter's. Lot's of 'em."

At this point, he handed me 3 FLATS of doughnuts. Large flats. Very Large.

I told him, "Man, there are only four of us on the bus."

That was fine, he just wanted to help us out.

Seems he drove this route seven nights a week, delivering doughnuts. He said that most of these doughnuts had come out of the oven at 11:00 that evening. It is now 1:00 am, Sunday morning. Fresh doughnuts. Sticky buns, honey buns, glazed, filled, chocolate, chocolate covered. Every kind imaginable.

He asked me where we were headed. Exit 9, Princeton. "That's my exit, follow me."

So we did, in the sleet, and the snow, and the fog, and the mist. At 70 MPH. At times I could just barely make out his tail lights. So, with a honey bun in one hand, the steering wheel in the other, and a lot of prayer, we made it to Exit 9.

We both pulled off the side of the interstate, and we gave him one of every cd we had with us.

We ended up getting to the church at about 3 am. We slept in the bus. The last time we had been to this church, they had had the best meal we had ever been served at a church carry-in. Very good. I figured that they would do that again.

There were about 200 in attendance that morning. 5 minutes after the final Amen, there was only one person left. He was to lock up, and even he was in a hurry. I assume that they all were trying to beat the Baptists to the local Golden Corral.

So, here we are, 400 miles from home. No Sunday dinner. Just 500 or so fresh doughnuts. However, if I were to eat only doughnuts, I would get very sick.

So, we stopped at Brother King's house to eat. Do you know him? His first name is Burger.

That night, we sang in the Portsmouth, Ohio, area. The only thing memorable about that church was the sign on the doors in the church that led to the sanctuary. It said, "Women in pants not ALLOWED!"

One man from the church proudly told me how many women the pastor had sent home because of the pants they had on.

My thought was, "And God cried."

Last, but not least, we hired and fired a bass guitar player. All in one weekend.

And you all thought that singing was glamorous.

My Wife Thinks I'm Nuts...

...but then so do most people that know me.

If you know me well, you know I LOVE chocolate. Love it, love it, love it.

My favorite? Milky Way.

Now, not just any old Milky Way. Oh, no. There is a better Milky Way.

King sized Milky Way? Yep, very good.

But, a regular sized Milky Way is better than a King size.

And, the fun sized is better than the regular sized Milky Way.

But, the best Milky Way?

The mini sized.

Why? Because the caramel to chocolate ratio gets better the smaller the candy bar gets.

Don't believe me? Try it. Go buy one of each. Or 20 of each. See if I am wrong.

Now, I know, y'all are thinking, "Ok, Myers takes this waaaayyyyy too seriously."

Nope, there is no way to take chocolate too seriously. :)

The Cup Nazis

My family and I happen to like McDonald's. Well, I do up to a certain point. One, they are somewhat cheaper than most of the other fast food joints, and two, they have the best french fries.

We eat at our local Mickey D's often enough, I hate to admit, that at least two of the employees recognize us when we go in. On average, about once a week.

Always, we order our food, fill our drink cups, and by then, they normally have our order ready.

But, oh, no, not today.

Today, we ran into the Cup Nazis.

As soon as we paid for our order, i asked for our cups. The cashier said, "I can't give you your cups until your food comes."

Say what?!?!?!

The guy behind me in line said, "Wow, they sure are enforcing that new cup rule."

So, I asked the cashier, "Why the cup rule?"

Answer: "Too many people would get their drinks and not come back for their food, or grab the wrong tray."

Cup Nazis.

So, we waited for our cups as we waited for our food. And as we filled our cups, our french fries got cold.

Just hand me my stupid cup, please.

I'm Tired

Wow, here we are, the second Friday night of camp. Time has really flown by this week.

I have been busier than I have ever been at any camp. Ever.

7:30 each morning, my alarm goes off. I shower, shave, brush my teeth, get dressed and am out the door by 8:05. I grab two cups of sugar laced coffee, and then at 8:30, I am off to Ministry and Oversight, the main governing body of our denomination.

This year, someone had the "wisdom" to name me as time chairman for Ministry and Oversight. This means that I have to open the meeting, and have a devotional for the day.

This meeting can last all the way to 10:00 A.M. when our open body business meeting begins. I have to be there for all of the business meeting as I am the sound tech.

This meeting can last until noon, of course at which time we eat lunch.

After lunch, I have had to have several committee meetings, some lasting almost all the way to the afternoon service at 2:30.

Between lunch and supper, we try to have the snack shack open for a good part of the time. Supper is at five, and then the pre service is at 7:00.

As soon as service is over, we run to the snack shack, and cook hot dogs, hamburgers, nachos with cheese, or with chili, or with chili and cheese. And we run through about 3 and a half of the BIG bags of french fries a night.

We normally do not get out of the snack shack until roughly 11:00 or after. Sometimes way after. Waaaayyyyy.

And I drop into bed to do it all over again the next day.

And packed into that I have had no less than about a dozen (Maybe more) committee meetings.

I love camp.

Church Camp

Last night, Central Friends Camp started. So, for nine more days, we will be at church camp!

As you all know, I love church camp. What I do hate, is going into camp tired before I even arrive. I always try to prevent that from happening, but, this year, as with any other year, it is the second day of camp, and I am exhausted.

But, I still love camp.

Our evangelist is Robert Thornton, from PA, and our singers are the Daniel Edwards Family.

It looks as if the weather is going to cooperate.

If you think of it, pray for us. And, if you want to be here without being here, there is live audio and video every evening at 7:30. Check it out @ www.centralyearlymeetingoffriends.org .

Booking Photo

Every Friday, as I have noted before, I check out the weekly mug shot round up on www.thesmokinggun.com .

I found this gem tonight.

Spring break, circa 1910???

Singing Friends Memories, Part 2

Karen Walden mentioned that I could write a book about the things we Singing Friends had happen to us over the years.


We once had a lead singer named Jonathan Walden. And a baritone named Travis Johnson. What one would not think up, the other one would.

Both of them had this habit of switching the first letters of two words around. Such as, Mohn Jyers, instead of John Myers.

Travis, without thinking, one time tried that with "fire truck." It came out really bad.

They would do this in practice as we would rehearse our songs. I always told them that one day, in front of a lot of people, this would come back to bite them. But, noooooo, they wouldn't listen.

Around 1993-94, we were singing in Wichita, KS. Smaller church, but it was PACKED. Standing room only, with many people standing for the entire concert.

Back then, we sang a song entitled, "Shine on for Jesus." It is an old Cathedrals song.

Jonathan sang the lead. Verse was supposed to say, "Now, if your heart's been bolted shut, and needs to be set free, Jesus will unlock it, He holds the master key."

That's what Jonathan was supposed to sing. What he sang was:

"Now, if your heart's been sholted butt, and needs to be set free..."

Someone later gave us a video tape of that concert. The look on James Cassady's face was something you would just have to see. It was a mixture of shock, horror, and of being on the verge of erupting in laughter.

Which all of us ended up doing.

Not one person in that audience caught what happened. No one knew why the song came to a screeching halt as four idiots on stage fell apart laughing.

The last half of that concert was rather unique, to say the least.

Singing Friends Memories

We had Penn View's Quartet as overnight guests Wednesday night. We stayed up way too late talking, laughing, and having a good time.

We ended up talking some about the wild and crazy things that the Singing Friends got themselves into over the years.

Probably the strangest service we were ever in was in Columbus, OH.

A Southern Gospel promoter from Eastern Ohio called us and had two churches that wanted us to sing for them, one on a Sunday morning, one on Sunday evening. The Sunday A.M. concert has long since slipped from memory. Except for one thing. The promoter was in attendance at that concert, and apologized in advance for getting us into the church that we were to sing at Sunday evening. That should have been our first clue.

We pulled up in front of the church that Sunday evening. Store front church. "Old Sons of Thunder Church of God" was the name on the front of the church. "Old Sons of Thunder"???? I never have figured out what that name meant.

This church happened to be in the worst part of town. Really bad part of town. Really bad.

Have you ever seen those comics/cartoons in the paper that have a big hooked nosed, really ugly, big boned caricature of the "bad guy?" You know, the one that you just know by looking at him that he is going to be the one doing the crime and the time? The one who has a short little side kick that does what the big guy says to do?

Those guys had been hired by the church to guard the parking lot during the service because of all the break-ins and thefts that had taken place. That night they were also to guard our bus, since the only place to park it was at the curb in front of the church.

Now, some of you have figured out by now that this was not a Conservative Holiness church. Oh, no. Not by a long shot.

These folks put the charismatic in the name. Pentecostal, tongues, what ever you want to call them, they were it. To the extreme.

Several interesting things happened that night:

1. Their own people sang for better than an hour and a half before we were allowed up to sing.

2. There were lots of manifestations of "tongues" that night.

3. The pastor's wife had a "new Divine revelation" that week. She said that the Lord had shown her that even though God was displeased with the people that were building the Tower of Babel for trying to get to heaven that way, God WAS pleased with their unity, so He gave them the gift of tongues. (!?!?!??)

4. Several people tried to leave during the service, but the church members literally pulled their coats off of them, and dragged them to the altar.

5. We left the service and went to the bus because it got so wild and crazy. While sitting on the bus, we prayed that the Lord would bind the ones that were speaking in tongues while we were singing. The Lord answered that prayer. I will never forget one woman sitting to our right as we sang that looked as if she was bound by invisible ropes.

6. While we were loading or unloading our equipment, (I can't remember which) a drunk stumbled down the side walk between the bus and the church. I do mean stumbled. He could barley remain vertical. The city of Columbus had had the foresight to plant tree's in the middle of the sidewalk just to be a nuisance to drunks.

This poor fellow had gone all the way past our bus when one of those tree's jumped right out in front of him. His face missed it by about an inch. Something about that jarred this inebriated man enough that his brain said, "hey, dude, you just missed something!" So he turned around, looked at me, and slurred, "Hey, nice VAN!"

We lost it.

Last, after we had finally sang, the pastor walked up to me, handed me a $100 check, and said, "You have, (here he paused for a second) a unique sound."

Then, he turned around, and those were the last words he ever said to me.

We never were invited back. And would have declined if they had asked.

Sometimes the Craziest Ideas Pop into My Brain

I have ADHD, or at least Monica says so. I choose to enjoy it, rather than fight it.

Sometimes, the craziest things pop into my brain, and sometimes come out my mouth.

Last Friday, I was on the phone with a guy from North Carolina. I was ordering a bus part for a friend of mine. The fellow on the other end of the line was having a bit of a time looking up the part I needed. In the process of trying to find it, he said to me, "Bear with me a moment."

I ALMOST said, "I prefer to keep my clothes on, thank you very much."

But, at the last nanosecond, something kept that from coming out my mouth.


My former pastor always said the same thing right before he dismissed in prayer. "Does anyone have anything on your heart."

I have always wanted to stand and say, "I have heartburn really bad!"

But my wife won't let me.


Care to share any of yours?

The Olive Garden Visit from the Dark Side

I love Olive Garden. My entire (small) family does. So tonight, to celebrate my wife's birthday (July 3rd), we drove to Muncie to eat.

Long before we got to our seats, I heard them. Him, actually. HE was the loudest.

"I wanna sit by mommy. iwannasitbymommy. I-WANT-TO-SIT-BY-MOMMY! IWANNASITBYMOMMY!!!!!!!!!!!!"

And, the hostess sat us at the table, you guessed it, right next to them.

4 adults, 6 kids. Only one adult seemed to care, and he (the only adult male in the group) was a wimp of a parent.

After a while of "IWANNASITBYMOMMY", and lots of crying, Mr Wimp finally let the kid sit by mommy. I promise, this is a fact with my hand up: That kid's butt had no sooner hit the seat beside mommy, than I heard "I WANNA SIT BY DADDY!!!!!!!"

Dad: "What's going on here?"

Kid: "I wanna sit by daddy!"

Dad: "Be quiet!"

Kid: "I wanna sit by Daddy!"

Dad: "Knock it off!!!"

Kid: (Do I really need to tell you what the kid said???)

Dad: "Oh, come on, Nicholas."

And, on it went, for another ten minutes, until the dad took that kid to the table right behind me, where the other five kids were sitting.

Well, now we have Dad and Nicholas and five other pre-teen kids sitting right behind me. As in 18 inches behind me. (We need to talk to Olive Garden about how close they put those tables!)

I was hoping that with Dad moving to the "kids table" that it would get a bit quieter. Yeah, right.

At one point, I asked my wife if the part of the room behind me was destroyed. As soon as the words started leaving my mouth, one kid body slammed another one into the wall behind me. Literally.

Twice, one kid or another bumped the back of my chair so hard I almost swallowed my fork. Dad: "Hey, be careful. You hit that guy!"

And then I heard Dad say to one kid or another, "No, your mom was tested, she's going to be fine!"

While all of this was going on, the three adult women never made one move or said one thing to try and quiet this motley crew. Not until we were almost ready to leave did any one of them say a word to the kids about their "activity."

Most of OUR conversation consisted of "Huh?" and "I'm sorry, but I can't HEAR YOU!"

I wanted to ask the server to seat us elsewhere, but my wife did not want to "cause a scene." I wanted to cause a big scene. BIG SCENE!!! One other couple who had been seated after we were asked to be seated elsewhere, and they quickly left our area.

Since they had been seated when we arrived, I was hoping they would leave before we did so that we could have at least some semblance of a nice quiet dinner. Nope, as we stood to leave, so did they, and they followed us, loudly, out the front door of the restaurant.

And as we pulled out the drive, Dad was chasing 6 kids all over the parking lot, a worried look on his face. The ladies stood on the front sidewalk and talked.

Oh, the things I wanted to say...

"Praying Through"

I want to wade into what may be a deep theological discussion here. Someone please alert Travis Johnson. :)

Let me say up front that I am thinking out loud here. I have come to no definite conclusions about what I am going to say, and realize that for some these remarks may seem a bit controversial.

All my life I have heard it said that it is very important that we "pray clear through." Implied in this is that we get a witness in our spirit that the Lord has done the work in us that we are seeking.

In that, I agree. In matters that concern our lives, we must KNOW what God wants of us. Yes, I do believe that we can KNOW what God desires of us.

But, I have been thinking about something. Let me start it like this:

In many camp meetings and revivals over the years, I have seen some lay across the altar for hours, literally, seeking forgiveness, and/or seeking to be saved.

What I have to ask is this: What are they seeking? Forgiveness? A witness? A feeling? An emotion?

I am asking because it seems that we place the responsibility for forgiveness on OUR shoulders, not on God's, where it rightly belongs. See, it seems as if we believe that if we cry and weep over an altar long enough, that God will finally see that we mean business, and will finally deign to forgive us.

The Bible says that if we confess our sins, God is faithful to forgive us of our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

ALL the Bible says we are to do is confess. Not weep and cry and moan and wear out the ones who are praying for us at the altar.

Now, I am not saying that we should never pray, or even cry and weep, at an altar. I have done a little of that myself. But, have we misplaced the emphasis? Have we made our efforts at the altar more important than just accepting God's forgiveness?

If a person with an honest and sincere heart prays one time, "Oh, Lord, forgive me" does not God, in that very instant, forgive us?

Whew boy, there, I said it.

Thoughts?

My Favorite Southern Gospel Memory

As any one who knows me knows, I am and always will be the biggest Cathedral Quartet fan. Especially the group in the 80's: Glen, George, Mark, Danny, and Roger. None better. Ever.

So, in the mid 90's, long after Danny and Mark had left the group, my brother Todd and I found ourselves at a concert in Fort Wayne, IN at the Memorial Coliseum. The Cathedrals were the only group on the program. Was looking forward to it, but it just would not be the same without my favorite tenor and favorite baritone.

Concert time, the lights dim. (We were literally in the very last row of seats, nose bleed city!) We noticed that when they introduced the group, only four guys walked out on the stage.

Before they sing a note, George walks to the mic, and says something like this: "Ladies, and gentlemen, our tenor, Ernie Haase could not be here tonight. He has had to stay home for surgery on his hand due to a basketball injury.

"We looked high and low for someone to sing tenor for us this weekend. Ernie suggested that we call a particular tenor, but we figured he would be too busy to come. (Ed.: Yeah, right!)But we called him, and would you make welcome...

MR DANNY FUNDERBURK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

The place went crazy. Todd and I were beside our selves. What a dream come true. Danny with the Cathedrals for one last concert. Pinch me, please.

I have seen the Cathedrals many times over the years. I have never heard them as energized as they were that night. It was magical. On the last note of "We Shall See Jesus" Glen and Danny were nailing it so hard, they blew a fuse in the sound system, and it died. And all the way in the nose bleed section, we could still hear those two holding the note, after the system had already died.

We talked with Danny after the concert. He knew us somewhat from some phone conversations that I had had with him when the record label he was working for at the time released a song for us.

We asked him where else he was going to be that weekend, and found out that the Cathedrals were going to be in Grand Rapids, MI, on a Sunday afternoon, for a FREE concert.

Well, you already know where Todd and I ended up on Sunday afternoon. Large church, seated about 5000, they said. Less than 15 minutes after the doors opened, all of the seats on the main floor of the sanctuary were filled, all but the back row. Which is where I was headed.

Todd was more observant than I, and he noticed about 100 chairs that had been placed on the stage around where the group was to sing. Yep, front row for us, on the stage. Oh, and on the side that Danny would be singing.

Emcee introduces the group, again four guys. Again, George gives the same speech as he had in Fort Wayne.

And, to great applause, Danny makes his way on stage.

And walked straight to us and asked "What are you guys doing all the way up here????"

In front of 5000+ people.

And through the course of the concert, Danny would make his way to me and Todd and converse with us.

Wow.


As soon as the concert was over, the pastor of this very large church almost knocked people over to get to me and Todd to shake our hands and tell us how glad he was that we were there. I have always assumed that he thought we were great friends of the Cathedrals.

Nope. Just a couple of nobodies.

Who had just lived out a dream.

Danny Vs. Ernie

For many years, I heard a great debate about who was the better tenor, Ernie Hasse, or Danny Funderburk. As I am sure you know, there was never any doubt for me. Danny is THE tenor. Need proof?


Someone posted this on YouTube.

Beer, Fireworks, and Rednecks!

Boy, I bet that title got your attention!

For many years, my family has gone to Portland, IN for fireworks. Small town, good atmosphere, GREAT fireworks.

For the past several years, we have parked beside a group of people that have made a day out of the festivities. They bring canopies, gas grills, food, and a few games. For the last two years, they have invited us to join in the games, such as "corn hole."

We laugh together, cheer each other on, and have a good time. Nice people.

They always are parked on our right as we face the fireworks.

The problem this year was to our left.

About 6 twentysomething certified redneck males, and two certified redneck twentysomething girls parked 3 spaces down from us. 15 feet or so.

Beer flowed freely. A lot too freely.

And, there were lots of fireworks. Lots.

I have never seen an idiot light bottle rockets straight out of his hand until last night. They are called "bottle" rockets for a reason! These dimwitted drunks were evidently oblivious to this fact.

I learned last night that when you light a bottle rocket in your hand, (1) you have a tendency to get burned, and (B)you have very little control over where said bottle rocket goes.

And, (d)I learned that drunk rednecks with bottle rockets have no apparent concern for children in the vicinity.

One bottle rocket hit the ground about 20 feet in front of these goons, and ricocheted right back at them. I must say that they made quite a scene ducking and running. Another rocket landed no more than 20 feet from some pre-teen girls.

And this was all before they brought out the cannon type fireworks-the ones that go KAAAWAUUMMPPPFFFF when you light them.

Thankfully, they only had three of them.

So, with beer in hand, they tried unsuccessfully to decapitate themselves.

After a while, all of that beer seemed to lull them into sleep, and thankfully, we heard precious little out of them while the actual fireworks show was going on.

We will park somewhere else next year.

I'm Proud to be an American...

...where at least I know I'm free.

And you know the rest.

I am proud that we still have the freedom to:

Worship freely.

Own guns (Thank you Supreme Court!).

Think freely.

Vote.

Say what I want.

Own Property.

Attend whatever Church I believe God wants me to.

Love.

Work in what ever profession I choose.

Freely associate with whom ever I choose.

Be a conservative.

Protect my family.

And the list goes on...

You know what? On this Fourth of July, I am still proud to be called an American. I still love this nation. I am proud of the President we currently have. (YES I AM!!!)

I am glad that President Bush has been a man who has not governed by polls, who has governed by the dictates of his heart, his intellect, his faith.

I am glad for the men and women who are serving in the military. They fight in OUR name. Are you a Republican? They fight in our name. Are you a Democrat? They fight in your name. Liberal? Conservative? Libertarian? Green Party? They fight in your name.

Last week, they buried a 21 year old Marine in the cemetery at the end of our road. I went to the graveside later that night, and just stood with my family there for a few minutes. I had tears in my eyes. I do now.

Lance Corporal Whitacre fought and died for us. He was killed in Iraq by an IED. Only 21.

So, today, July the 4th, 2008, I live my life, freely, because of countless soldiers who fought and died like Lance Corporal Whitacre.

And tonight, as I sit and watch the fireworks with my family, I will remember that it was men and women like Whitacre that have given us a reason to celebrate.

Thanks to them, we are free.

Ode to Coffee

I noticed something at Youth Camp this year. Teens, and lots of them, are turning into coffee drinkers.

When I was younger, drinking coffee was not cool, and only the old fogeys drank it. Now, thanks to Starbucks, coffee is cool for the younger set.

During breakfast at CFYC, the cooks could not keep up with the demand for the stuff. The kids were drinking more than the adults were.

To be fair, the kids were filling the cup about half full of coffee, and the rest with flavored creamer and sugar.

Which, by the way, is how I prefer mine. That's right, I am now a coffee drinker. And that is truly my wife's fault. See, I never used to be able to even stand the SMELL of the stuff, let alone putting it to my lips.

And then, after we were married, my wife would occasionally get a Cafe Vanilla Frap at Barstucks. And, I would take a sip now and then just to be able to tell her how bad it tasted.

As Paul Harvey would say, you know the rest of the story. After a while, it did not taste so bad.

I started ordering my own Frap. And I have tweaked it to make it even better. Venti Cafe Vanilla Frap, with an extra scoop of vanilla, and add carmel to the frap itself. YuMmY!!!

And then, two weeks ago, David Fulton was our guest for a week as he was the evangelist at the Adams County Camp. Of course, we made coffee for him. And, I hated to see all that "expensive" coffee go to waste. So, within two weeks, I became hooked.

The fella that always said the stuff even smelled awful, is now a two-cup-a-day coffee junkie.

Thanks, David Fulton.

Ouch!!

I love dumb crook stories. Here is a great one from Chuck Shepherd's News of the Weird:

Police in Mesa, Ariz., chased driver Christopher Psomas, 38, in May after his companion, Ashley Strahan, 20, allegedly tried to pass a forged check at a business. The pair's car ran red lights at high speeds to get out of town, then left the road near the Salt River Reservation, and when the car became disabled, kept going on foot. However, they ran smack into a bed of chola cactus, becoming virtual pin cushions. At Banner Desert Medical Center, as nurses plucked the needles from his body, Psomas, in pain and in tears, said, "I am so stupid. This is what I get for trying to run from the police."

Central Friends Youth Camp

I love youth camp. And, I love the fact that at 38 years old, I still get to go to youth camp. How cool is that?

I love to see teens grow spiritually. And that happens a lot as a result of Youth Camp.

This year, we had around 70 teens. That is quite a lot for a staff of 11. Beyond the 70 or so, we also had a dozen or so Bible College students that were absolutely invaluable.

Let me say something about those students. I was and am impressed. Very impressed.

No griping about doing dishes.

No complaints about the rooms.

Not a slacker in the bunch.

Prayed with our kids.

Gave good advice to our kids.

Were great all around examples to our kids.

And, yes, I have already sent one e-mail to a Bible College President, and am going to send more. I think that they should know when their students do them proud, not just when one of them happens to mess up.

And then, there was our evangelist, Rev Mark Avery. He is from Overland Park, KS. Bro Mark spoke to our kids on some very serious subjects, and got into those subjects very deeply. He did it in such a way that any kid who wanted to, understood it.

In the last service of our camp, Bro Mark spoke as clearly and correctly about Holiness as I have ever heard it preached. After the message, kids flooded to the altar. Several testified to being sanctified.

And this 38 year old who still gets to go to Youth Camp stood on the platform with tears in his eyes as one young person after another put down spiritual roots.

I love Youth Camp.

Can't wait till next year.

I Love Our New Washer and Dryer!

Strange way to start a post, right?

We finally got home from youth camp last night (Sunday). Wow, I am tired.

We were at youth camp for 5 days. Well, I was. Monica and Janae left on Thursday for Zanesville for Monica's cousin's wedding. I stayed until YC was over, then left for Zanesville, otherwise known as the armpit of Ohio.

I left YC at 10 minutes after 10:00 Friday evening. My friends Don Bates and Dan Plemmons kept me awake via cell phone for most of the trip. (Thanks!) I arrived in Zville at 10 minutes till two (AM).

Wedding festivities for me started at 11:00 am and lasted until 8:30 pm. Tired, tired, tired.

Then Sunday, Monica had to work, so I drove all Sunday afternoon to get Monica close to Muncie, where she is an RN at Ball Hospital.

We stopped at the CYM Campgrounds, she went on to work in the car, and Janae and I drove Dad's motor home to our house.

And, this morning, I have unloaded all of the laundry from the week.

How many loads do you think we have?

Well, with our old washer and dryer, it would be at least 9 loads. At least.

Last fall, our old washer blew up, so we splurged and bought the best set made. It is a Whirlpool Duet front loading system.

Total loads from YC?

3. Three. Trey. Just 3 loads.

They tell you in the manual for the washer that you get the best results when you fill the washer almost to capacity. Each load in the new washer is about 3 in the old washer. And, even at that, you use less than half the detergent that you would have used in the old washer.

Now, someone reading this is asking, "John does the laundry?" Yes, I do. Almost all of it. I am very OCD about how it gets done, so I do it.

I love our new washer and dryer.

Brandon Miller Sleeps with a Teddy Bear!!!!!!

Brandon Miller is at my house all week helping me with the duties of the camp. So, in the best way I know how, I will express my thanks to him by posting this picture I took this morning. Do ya think I should let the folks on MyHoliness know about this?!?!?!?

Trying to Get to Camp

As reported earlier, we are in the middle of Adams County Holiness Camp. It was to start Monday night, but...

Monday evening, at about 5:40, we left to get to camp. As we were getting into the car, a storm was rolling in from the southwest. Nothing to worry about, I thought, so we quickly left to "beat the storm."

We had gotten about 4 miles down the road, when all of a sudden, the storm hit. With a vengeance. I thought we were in the middle of a tornado, something with which I have had too much experience. A semi headed the other way was leaning mightily, and the back end of the trailer was skidding off the road.

We turned left onto US 27, and the storm got stronger. Much stronger. A motorcycle was blown off the road, and crashed. I stopped to try to help, but could not back up to get to him for fear of someone rear ending us.

I called 911 (What's the number for 911!?!?!??) and reported the crash. We got disconnected. So I hung up. I had to immediately call back because some very large power line poles were snapping off at the ground, and were dangling by the wires over our heads.

We decided to try a country road to get away from the power lines, but had to turn back due to a tree that had fallen across the road.

Mom called to say that their road, our only other way to try to get to camp on time, was blocked in three spots by trees. One of those trees was a pine tree in my parents front yard that was blocking the road.

I decided to drive to mom and dad's, knowing my mother can, well, exaggerate the story at times. Not this time. She was right.

As we came to my parents house, we saw that the wind had pushed a 2 ton fertilizer spreader from behind my dad's barn clear out into the road.

My parents had 6 trees either totally gone or severely damaged.

In the midst of all of this, Tim Cole, our song evangelist, called from the campground, saying that the storm was hitting there, and as they were surrounded by tall trees, they were leaving!

So, I called everyone I could think of, and we cancelled the first night of camp.

David Fulton, myself, my older brother Tim, my dad, my uncle David, Brandon Miller, and one of dad's neighbors then spent the next two and a half hours cleaning up tree branches, and cutting up fallen logs, and raking, and... well, you get the picture.

And, no one got hurt.

Ain't God good?

God Knows What He's Doing

Last November, I was sitting in an Olive Garden in Lafayette, IN. Around the table were Steve and Kim Waggoner, my brother Todd, my wife's sister Melissa, and my family.

We had just gotten our food when my cell rang. The caller ID said it was my father in law. Nothing unusual about that, we talk frequently.

This time, it was unusual. "John, Alfred Newman is gone" "Gone? Waddaya mean, gone?"

At the young age of 76, my wife's grandpa had passed away very unexpectedly. Very. We all thought he was in great health. Sudden massive heart attack, they said.

I would like to say that a great revival broke out at his funeral. I would like to say that many of his relatives that need the Lord got saved as a result of his death.

But, I cannot say that. So far, that has not happened.

Then, more recently, Sharon Cassady slipped away, aged 57. Too young, in my book. Too much more was needed from her in this life, IMO. There are grandkids that are now too young for them to be able to remember Sharon after they are grown. Sad.

And then, this past Sunday morning, sitting in church, Jonathan Walden calls me to tell me about the mess in Columbus, IN, with all the flooding. And, he passes along the info that Gene Davis's brother was killed in a wreck.

I do not know Gene and Angie all that well. I only have met them on occasion. But, my heart breaks for them. I cannot imagine what they are going through.

I asked Jonathan on the phone if Gene's brother was saved. Jonathan said he did not think so.

And, then, I read with sheer delight Angie's Blog. 1 hour before he left this world, Gene's brother told his mother that "if any thing should happen to me, I am ready for heaven."

Wow.

I do not know why God chose to take these people when he did. Is there some grand cosmic reason? Will we know all about it when we get to heaven? Will these instances be the impetuous for souls getting saved?

You know what? I don't know. Could be, but we don't know.

But, I rest in this: God does ALL things well. All things.

God knows what He's doing.

And, as much as I would like to know what God is doing, I have come to the realization that I don't NEED to know what He is doing.

I just NEED to trust.

The Worlds Most Amazing Dog

BRITAIN GOT TALENT 2008 GIN THE DOG - The best bloopers are a click away

I Find Myself in a Unique Postition, Take 2

This time, I find myself agreeing with the ACLU!


WASHINGTON (AP) - Stung by an outbreak of violence, including eight killings last weekend alone, police are taking the unusual step of establishing vehicle checkpoints in a crime-ridden neighborhood in the nation's capital.

Starting Saturday night, officers will check drivers' ID and turn away any who don't have a "legitimate purpose" in the area - a plan that has drawn swift criticism from civil liberties groups.

"The Constitution and the Bill of Rights should not become the next victim of the street violence," said Johnny Barnes, executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union for the National Capital Area. "This plan will treat every resident of that area the way criminals are treated."

So, do you like to eat out?

If so, go read this from Singing News editor Danny Jones.

Do you think he had to pay for that meal?

Obama Wants to "Block" the religious Right

We need to take faith seriously not simply to block the religious right but to engage all persons of faith in the larger project of American renewal.

- Barack Obama; The Audacity of Hope; p. 216


Do you want this man for President?

Church Camps

I love going to church camp. I love the atmosphere, I like the idea of shutting out the world for a few days. I like almost every thing about church camp.

My first camp of the summer starts this coming Monday. Adams County Holiness Association's annual camp meeting. For the past several years, I have been the President of this camp.

Our speaker this year will be Rev David Fulton. Our singers will be the Tim Cole Family. Looking forward to this.

That camp ends on Fathers Day, (Hint, hint ladies!) June, 15th.

The very next day, on Monday the 16th, our Youth Camp starts at Central Friends Campground near Muncie, IN. The speaker for this camp will be Mark Avery, the Editor at Harold and Banner Press in Overland Park, KS. Mark also happens to be my wife's uncle.

I am on the Youth Camp Committee, so even at the ripe old age of 38, I still get to go to Youth Camp.

Youth Camp ends on Friday that week, and the very next night, my wife's cousin gets married in Zanesville.

Then, July 25th, Central Friends Camp starts.

Whew, I am tired just thinking about all of that!

Please share what camps you all will be attending.

Obama

As I have said in a previous post, Barack Obama scares the daylights out of me. The people that have surrounded him in the past, and the comments of his wife convince me that he is not fit for the office that he seeks.

Check out this video:

Warning: This "preacher" uses one swear word in his "sermon."

Something about this clip really bothers me. The people in the congregation stand and shout somewhat like the CHM does. And, yet, their shouting and hand waving are in response to politics, not salvation, or any thing at all to do with Christianity. We saw this also in the clip from this church from former Pastor Wright.

It seems that liberal politics became this church's religion.

And the reason this is important is because Obama sat in this mess for 20 years. His protestations of late about this, and even his recent pulling of his membership from this "church" seem to be much too little, much too late.

Now, this Pfleger is yet another preacher that Obama has listed as a "mentor." This guy, along with Jerry Wright.

The Dems who are in favor of this guy love to point out that he is a professing Christian. But, do some research into the Church of Christ, and see what they promote. They promote most of what we conservative Christians stand against.

Why are the Dems falling at this guys feet? I just do not get it.

I Am a Promise

I thought I might need to post something for the gentler gender amongst us. Here it is:

The other day, for lunch, it was just Janae and I. Monica had worked all night the night before, and she was sleeping. For those of you who do not know, Janae is our three year old.

As I was in the kitchen getting things ready, I heard Janae say, "DADDY!!!!!!"

Well, the latest catastrophe in the life of dear daughter was that she had spilled a small cup of water. When I walked into the dining room, there was water running off the table onto the floor. After one quick look at the mess, my response was, "Oh, Janae....!"

To which she responded, "But, Daddy, it wasn't my fault." I said, "Janae, you were the only one in here, I would say it was your fault."

To which she again responded, "But, but, but DAAAADDDYYYY, I am a promise, I am a possibility, I am a promise, with a capital P..." and she proceeded to sing the rest of the song.

Now, I ask you, what would you have done? Me? I laughed my fool head off. :)

Snopes.com

Snopes. It's a good thing.

Ever heard of it?

Snopes is an urban legends reference encyclopedia. They verify or prove false most urban legends.

"Yeah, great, so what does this have to do with me?" you may ask.

Glad you asked.

Ever send forwards on to all 387 of your nearest and dearest friends and relatives? Ever wonder if those forwards were true, or did you just take them at face value?

That is where Snopes comes in. Save that address in your favorites, and check out that newest Citgo boycott before you send it on.

Forwards are a big pet peeve of mine. Mainly because only about 1 in every 1000 actually turn out to be true. Ever get the one about Dr Dobson pleading with people to call the FCC to tell Madalyn Murray O'Hair that we Christians will NOT STAND for her trying to take the word "God" off of Touched By and Angel?

Yeah, so did Dr Dobson. And so did the FCC. So much so that Dobson had to go on his national radio show and tell people that there was no truth to it. And please stop using his name to make it sound valid!

See, the idiots that sent those e-mails on forgot a few things. Number one, Touched by an Angel was no longer in production. The show was canceled when the star, Della Reese, quit.

Number two, there is this little thing call the First Amendment that would prohibit this from happening in the first place.

Number three, and maybe most importantly, Madelyn Murray O'Hair is pushing up daisies. That's right, she's DEAD. The authorities found her bones out in the desert some where a few years back. With forensics, they proved the bones were hers.

And, still, even recently, I get those silly e-mails, and scratch my head.

We make us Christians look really silly when we do these things.

Snopes. Snopes. http://www.snopes.com/. It really is a good thing.

In the words of my political hero, Ronald Wilson Reagan, "Trust, but verify."

The Smoking Gun

There are several sites on the web that I check religiously. I read Dear Abby everyday. Yes, Dear Abby is a 7 day a week column, at least on the web.

But one of my favorites is a site called The Smoking Gun. Every Friday, TSG has a weekly roundup of unusual booking photos of criminals from various police departments across the country.

Now, far be it from me to make light of another persons calamity. But, some of these you just cannot help laughing at.

The link that I have provided offers pics of some rather interesting people. Such as the guy in the first photo dressed like Fred Flintstone. Or the guy with the spiky mohawk. Or the guy with the UPC code tattooed on his neck. (I wonder how much he would ring up for at his local Wal Mart.) But, watch out for the guy who's eyes you should not stare into for very long!

Any way, for your enjoyment, I present to you yet another way to waste time on a computer.

Gas Prices

Several years ago, we sang for a week in the Cayman Islands. That in and of it's self is an entire post, but I will save it for a later date.


While we were in Grand Cayman, I was astonished at what the Caymanians were paying for gas. At that time, they were paying, *gasp*, over $2.50 a gallon.


At that time, here in the US, we were paying around a dollar.


I remember thinking, "Wow, I do not think I can make it if we ever have to pay that much."


Yesterday afternoon, I became "friends" on Facebook with Adam Profitt, a GBS alum who lives in Cayman. I asked him what the current gas price was there, and his reply was that for diesel, they are paying $5 a gallon, and for gas, $4.70 a gallon.


Now the first thing I noticed is how much closer we are to them in what we are paying. In my area, we are paying $3.999.


But then, Adam threw in a fact that I was not aware of. They are paying $4.70 for an imperial gallon.


Now, why does that matter? Because an imperial gallon of gas is 5 quarts. Not 4.


So, for a quart of gas in Cayman, they are paying 94 cents. At $3.999 per gallon, we are paying a dollar for a quart of gas. So we now pay more for gas than what they are paying on the little island of Grand Cayman.


And, on top of that, our dollar is worth 22 cents less than their dollar. So we are paying significantly more for gas than they are.


The reason they gave for the high gas prices in Cayman when we were there was that it cost so much more to transport it in by boat than what it did for us here in the US.


So, what changed?

Forum Moderation

I have been a member of quite a few forums. Those were the things that were so popular before Blogs came along.

I have loved the forums format. I liked the idea of "community" that the forums provide(d). There is something about bouncing ideas off of one another, and just to be honest, I love a good debate.

Almost all of the forums that I have been a member of have had one recurring problem: over moderation.

For the uninitiated, moderators on any given forum have the ability/responsibility to delete posts they deem objectionable. Yes, I have had posts deleted, and even had an entire thread deleted. And, you know what? I am fine with that.

The problem comes in when the moderators of a forum begin taking the job too seriously. Like a web site Barney Fife, they over moderate a forum.

For instance, one forum I am a member of has a very strict rule about "bumping." Bumping is posting on a thread just to bring it back to life, or to bring it back to the top of the thread list.

Now, that rule is fine by me. There are threads that have long since died that need to be left, well, dead. But, if you happen to be a new member on that forum, and go find an old thread and post on it, the moderators will nail your hide to the wall. And two infractions will get you banned from the site.

One site that I am a member of, sogospelnews.com/forums , has moderated it's self almost clear out of existence. They at one time had literally thousands of posts per day, and now, due to, IMO, over moderation, they can go for a few days and no one posts. Period.

On that site, they recently shut down entirely the Religion portion of the site. Had the moderators not interfered, I think that everything would have resolved it's self. But, they "had" to step in, the problem escalated, and, viola, that section is now closed.

Why do moderators do this? Well, of course, I have an opinion. It could be a power trip. It could be that bad choices were made in who was named moderator. Or, as I stated earlier, they could just be taking the job too seriously.

Now, what does that have to do with my little home on the web? Well, should this little site take off, I will let any one say what they want to in my comments section, except for profanity, and only if the will give their name and thereby take responsibility for what they say.

I am new to this, so one person was able to make a comment anonymously. That one will be the last.

So, join me for a discussion. Grab of cup of your favorite hot beverage, and let's talk.

And remember, I love a good dabate!