10-22-2008 Coming Soon : Page redesign and, "The difference between 'Christians' (real) and 'Christ-stains' (sic)" 1-5-2006 Attention Pat Robertson Please do all us Christians, the real ones anyway, a favor. SHUT UP. (Note that there is a green light for you to do so.) Seriously. You make all of us look incredibly BAD and give all of us a reputation we don't need. Yes, while the words are true from the Bible, the heart's intent of what they are, truly are NOT specifically "Christian" at their core values. What you should have done was wait. Wait, Wait, Wait! Think! Think think think. Ask yourself "How will my words lead others to Christ?" (or push them farther away?) Seriously, sir.. it's hard enough to witness to people as it is without idiots like you and Jerry Falwell making things bad for the rest of us. 2-22-2005 Church Illegalism pt 2 First I want to forward you to a darkly kept secret of the Christian church. Lonnie Frisbee. Lonnie was a gentle soul and a founder of the Jesus movement, which led to the Calvary Chapel and Vineyard movements. Without him, it's doubtful I would be here today. I'd encourage you to find out and help with the Lonnie Frisbee project. 11-29-2005 Church Illegalism pt 1 (below) I recently had a spat with an online friend of mine, who insisted that there is nothing wrong, eternally, with all the laws and bylaws that member or elders of the church have established. First off, I highly disagree. As one who has suffered under these laws (read, living in my car on a church parking lot for 6 months; hypocritical churchgoers and elders; seeing the spirit of the Pharisees of Old in our church today is not a happy sight... these are just a FEW of the thousands of sufferings I have endured in my young 32 years in the church, by churchmembers and family members alike. No wonder my own cousin as well has turned basic athiest!) ...I hope to make my case against such bylaws known in a number of ways. First off, our own "church laws" can have a very negative impact. They separate us and the sinner from the Lord, because they are not meant to replace communion with himself. Too many times I have seen people turned AWAY from the Lord because of Church laws that were imposed on them by other, well meaning, but severely misguided, Christians. These church laws can be as harmless as "You have to be dressed up or you're not worshipping the Lord" to "If you marry a black woman you're not saved anymore" (some have taken that to the extreme and murdered over it) to "Speaking in tongues is not for today!...or worse, blasphemy!"; or the other extreme, "If you DON'T speak in tongues, you're NOT Saved!" In response to my friend, who I've kept nameless on purpose... She asked me to consider whether it is from the Spirit or from self. Lets look at the fruits of this spirit, after all, Jesus himself told us to test the spirits, and I am now testing this one. We have : Division, which would include arguing and all components with it; Apostasy (Falling away from the Lord) as just two spirits. Division obviously from those who either choose willfully not to agree or are not mature or wise enough to ask the Lord or know better what is Spiritually right and wrong. Some doctrines push us away from God, although that was probably not the original heart's intent, the misguided effort leads some (whom I know personally) down a dismal, eternal road, angering and offending them into Hell itself, because they cannot bear the harsh witness of those who were supposed to gently lead them into the Loving arms of Christ. Instead they turn to a religion that is more accepting or more pleasant to their ears, such as Buddhism or get angry with the Church and God, and turn Athiest. The Pharisees added over SIX HUNDRED laws to the original ten, nearly all of them designed "in heart" to keep on obeying The Lord, but what it did was condemn all men by their own laws. How faithful can WE be to the Spirit by following the same example that leads to condemnation and death? NO! We must follow the example of Jesus, who showed us all the measure of the Grace that he has for all men. This includes NOT making further difficulties to our spiritual walks. Consider what JESUS said in response to what he added. HE said he simply had two commands. Love the Lord your God with all your heart, mind and soul. Then love your neighbor as yourself. He DIDN'T say "You have to dress up on Sunday" or "You're only saved if you allow the Holy Spirit to let you speak in tongues or flail on the floor," or "if you flail on the floor or speak of tongues you're not saved" Am I saying we should ignore rules? By no means! Some are good and acceptable and in good reason, but others, which need to be searched with true humility and obeyance to the REAL Holy Spirit, not the whims of our own desires and knowledge, MUST take precedence!!! We must obey the Lord, and those HE has put in charge, but ultimately, obey The Lord first. Can we change this? Is it too late to get on our face and repent of these spirits of religion, renounce these false humilities of our flesh, and turn to God, and redeem ourselves and our fellow men? God I hope it is not too late! 11-10-2004 Palestinian Terrorist Leader finally dies Well, Arafart (sic) has finally died. Peace to his family, but good riddance. Fox News article Don't get your hackles raised yet... 11-16-2004 Marine kills Insurgent (read, TERRORIST) In another twisted and sick display of the liberal left media, a US Marine is being accused of -gasp- doing his JOB! The straight and simple and excusable reason for this killing is simple: as noted, these are TERRORISTS, not civilians. They are armed with weapons and bombs, and are not afraid to murder others by suicide for their "peaceful" religion. They are also beyond reproach in dishonorable combat and tactics, so I bear no grudge against any Marine who kills a TERRORIST (read "Insurgent") for any reason. 11-4-2004 Bin Laden's party fails Well, November 2nd came and went and thankfully, no terrorist attack other than the usual rhetoric from the Liberal LEft side of our political spectrum. I have moved my post about a possible attack down to it's normal place in the timeline. So why do I call them Bin Laden's Party? Because they are not just Democrats, they are DEMONCrats. Here's a nice little article that explains how I feel and why. I read today in the Oregonian, that some people in Massachusetts feel discriminated against "because their statesman lost" (for the 4th time since the 70's) and that their values are in conflict with the rest of America. Hello? Ring ring! Get a clue! Over half of America does NOT agree with your values, so perhaps you should do a self reflect, see what happened, cause I guarantee - it's NOT going to just go away. That happened in the early 90's with political correctness run amok, but we're wise to that scheme (so I guess you'll have to pull another scheme out of Satan's pocket). Yassar Arafat is in a coma. Earlier today, Luxembourg reported that Arafat had died, and immediately Reuters jumped on that and broadcast he had officially died, but then Paris announced they are still working on him. Speaking from experience grieving a lost loved one, he's been on incubation (tubes down his throat) for several days, and that is actually VERY hard on the body - he's most likely, according to reports, brain dead, which is why they announced he had died. If so, he will likely be taken off life support soon. All this to say, that so much better not only for Israel, but for the Palestinians themselves. Now pick someone that is not a terrorist, and someone that can viably lead you. --Matt	place banner ad(s) here just kidding!
10-29-2004 Bin Laden's "Policy" warning I want to start off with the following passage from the New Testament, then get to my point.... The Sheep and the Goats (Matthew 25...) (Jesus teaching about the Endtimes and Future events...) 31"When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his throne in heavenly glory. 32All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. 33He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left. 34"Then the King will say to those on his right, 'Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. 35For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, 36I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.' 37"Then the righteous will answer him, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? 38When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? 39When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?' 40"The King will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.' 41"Then he will say to those on his left, 'Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. 42For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, 43I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.' 44"They also will answer, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?' 45"He will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.' 46"Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life." OK, so now my point... this passage refers to how believers (note that Jesus is talking to His DISCIPLES,.. His FOLLOWERS, not to the World) have treated others in the world, particularly His people, the nation and people of Israel. Special language is noted in how Jesus uses a shepherd to describe the scene : "32All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. " Sheep are meek and docile. Goats push and shove each other and other creatures around. In the same way people, whether believers or not, are one of two types,... either you are kind and help others (even prayer if you are penniless to help a beggar is helping!), or you shove people out of your way (by action or inaction) and are selfish. So Bin Laden urges us to abandon our Israeli policy ties and leave the Arab world alone? Big deal, you say? What's the connection? Has it occurred to you that the only reason God may be withholding Judgdement on the sinful United States of America BECAUSE she supports Israel? I have said it before and will say it again, HOW can God bless America when she is steeped up to her eyebrows and shaking our fists in open defiance and in blatant sin AGAINST whom we are asking a blessing? And why should God not remove his protection over us should we abandon our Israeli friends? America, I beg you, Do Not Abandon Israel. Do not listen to a madman (Bin Laden). --Matt 9-29-2004 Future Mark of the Beast The Beast out of the Earth (Revelation 13: 11 - 18) My notes in (( )) brackets Then I saw another beast, ((this is the False Prophet of the Antichrist )) coming out of the earth. He had two horns like a lamb, but he spoke like a dragon. He exercised all the authority of the first beast on his behalf, and made the earth and its inhabitants worship the first beast ((the antichrist)), whose fatal wound had been healed ((in the middle of the 7 year tribulation someone, whether for religious reasons or political, tries to kill him and it totally backfires)). And he performed great and miraculous signs, even causing fire to come down from heaven to earth in full view of men. Because of the signs he was given power to do on behalf of the first beast, he deceived the inhabitants of the earth. He ordered them to set up an image in honor of the beast who was wounded by the sword and yet lived. He was given power to give breath to the image of the first beast, so that it could speak and cause all who refused to worship the image to be killed. He also forced everyone, small and great, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on his right hand or on his forehead, ((maybe replace that word SO with OR)) so that no one could buy or sell unless he had the mark, which is the name of the beast or the number of his name. This calls for wisdom. If anyone has insight, let him calculate the number of the beast, for it is man's number. His number is 666. It's been known for a long time that the numbers 666 are already in every bar code on every product as it already is - a 6 in the beggining, a 6 in the middle and a 6 at the end. so what happens to those who HAVE the mark of the beast? this next part is Revelation 14: 6-13, The Three Angels Then I saw another angel flying in midair, and he had the eternal gospel to proclaim to those who live on the earth--to every nation, tribe, language and people. He said in a loud voice, "Fear God and give him glory, because the hour of his judgment has come. Worship him who made the heavens, the earth, the sea and the springs of water." A second angel followed and said, "Fallen! Fallen is Babylon the Great, which made all the nations drink the maddening wine of her adulteries." A third angel followed them and said in a loud voice: "If anyone worships the beast and his image and receives his mark on the forehead or on the hand, he, too, will drink of the wine of God's fury, which has been poured full strength into the cup of his wrath. He will be tormented with burning sulfur in the presence of the holy angels and of the Lamb. And the smoke of their torment rises for ever and ever. There is no rest day or night for those who worship the beast and his image, or for anyone who receives the mark of his name." This calls for patient endurance on the part of the saints who obey God's commandments and remain faithful to Jesus. Then I heard a voice from heaven say, "Write: Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on." "Yes," says the Spirit, "they will rest from their labor, for their deeds will follow them." so is this mark that they get (Verichip's) the mark of the beast? Probably not YET..(because this is not the Tribulation yet) but it looks like it will be. But would I like to play with something like that? "Hell" no. 9-15-2004 The Roadmap is folded up,... Today, Israel's honorable Prime Minister Ariel Sharon said that Israel would not follow the so called "Road Map To Peace" that was offerred from the United States last year and tacitly applied. http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ap/20040915/ap_on_re_mi_ea/israel_palestinians_1 Really it's about time they woke up and smelled the carbombs on that.. there IS no peace, specifically, there is no peace as long as 1: Yasser Arafat remains alive, in Israel or 2: Yasser Arafat remains in power in ANY position, in Israel. He needs to be removed one way or the other, and seeing that he is a terrorist, I wouldn't care if he "made himself a martyr" as he himself has quoted. Regardless, there has not been a working peace plan in four years, since Arafat was offered choice cuts of Israel, and instead started a major uprising (murder campaign) against Israel.. and this is a man who won the Noble Peace prize? Incidentally, the Nobel comission recently apologized for giving it to him! Arafat has been sitting on all peace deals since then, waiting for Israel to make all the moves for him, refusing to lift any finger towards REAL peace. Then he cries (crocodile tears) foul when Israel comes after him for ordering more terror strikes against Israel. Mindboggling just how STUPID he and his hate is! 8-2-2004 The Next 9/11? Now, I want to make a special note that the following is simply my own THEORY, not any factual information. However, be that as it may, I would like to urge attentiveness to the upcoming Fall season. I'm gonna sound like a crackpot here, I know, but I think I know when the Al Qaeda terrorists are planning their next major assault against America. Now hold on for this ride, it gets a little bumpy. I was wondering the other day, in regards to how Al Qaeda disrupted the Spanish voting process, how many days it will be until the 9/11 annivarsary. I calculated 1095 days. Hmm.. but wait, this year's a leap year, add 1, 1096. Still no significance. Then I went back to the thought of Al Qaeda wanting to interrupt our elections, had to find out when our voting day is.. November 2nd. Ok, that's 1147 days since the original 9/11. Ok, now there's a significance... we know Al Qaeda wants to interrupt our elections. What better way than a day or two beforehand? What's two days before the elections? Halloween. October 31st. 1145 days since 9/11. Now, hold on.. if you separate the numbers, you have 11, a 4 and a 5. Simple math here, 4+5 = 9, and 11 by itself adds up to a European style dating of 11/9 (9/11). We also know terrorists have been testing airline security. In one recent example, men of arab descent have repeatedly made attempts to disrupt flights by standing during the entire flight, passing bags in sequence to each other and sequentially heading to the restrooms, and one even tried to break through the restroom wall, on which the other side was the cockpit! If there's ever been a time to pray for our nation, it's now, and repent for the sins of our fathers. --Matt
(8-28-2004) Just Blame Bush,... Yesterday I ran into - or she ran into me - a far left liberal chicken, I call her that, because she was clucking around where I work like a chicken screaming that the sky is falling. "There's no snow on Mt St Helens, and it's ALL George Bush's fault!" She REALLY said that, that is not an exaggeration. I stood there dumbfounded for a moment. "You mean Bush controls the weather? You mean the past twenty - twenty five years of environmental issues is all our CURRENT presidents fault? "Absolutely! Because when ..[some recent environmental report] came out he IGNORED it!" ((update - this citizen of Moronica owes Bush and me an apology for insulting our intelligence, since due to the recent activity on Mt St Helens, a active volcano, THAT'S why there's hardly any snow on Mt St Helens!)) I sometimes wonder at the absolute hatred, and sometimes downright insanity of these people that "hate what is good and love what is evil". I cannot fathom how they cannot understand that, even though the mass WMD were not found in Iraq, QUITE a bunch of good has come forth from it : Mainly, that dictator is out of power and thousands of Iraqi's now have freedoms that they have never had; Libya, a blatantly obvious terrorist regime country, was so scared out of their wits at the success of the 2nd Gulf War that they VOLUNTEERED their nuclear weapons up, and surrendered to the United States and to the IAEA. That's horrendously GOOD news! There's more, sooo much more but the Liberal Left doesn't want to hear it. How can the Liberal Left be so absolutely blinded to these truths, and instead believe in all their hatred so much, that they hate what a good Christian man stands for? Can you see the love of many growing cold, or even colder, by the day? Mindboggling!
4-17-2004 Wow I pay a lot of attention to what's going on in Israel, looking forward to the fulfillment of Ezekiel 38,39, in which the arab nations gather around Israel from the north to attempt to utterly destroy her. With the assassination of Hamas' *spiritual* (the only thing that was spiritual here was that of death and hatred perhaps?) leader Sheik Yassin in March, and today, the assassination of Hamas' leader Abdel Aziz Rantisi I cannot help but wonder how far off this future attack is? I look forward to it, because I already know the outcome! GOD wins on Israel's behalf. It's not because Israel has been holy or acknowledged God or his Glory, but God defends his name. God promised that if the people of Israel failed to exist that He is a liar. God as a holy God has no deceit in Him! It also is the last major event (in theory) prior to the Rapture and the Tribulation. It would certainly usher in a "Whoa, we gotta get this conflict resolved NOW!" attitude towards resolution between all the arab nations, nations and Israel. I know this is gonna be a heavy thing to accept for a lot of "christians" (if you really are that is if you dobt God's Word) that say that God is not really what he says he is or does what he says he does [cough Episcopalians] but God's WORD is True!
2-29-2004 The Passion of the Christ I went to this movie knowing it was going to be a wrenching experience. The fact had been, that I had been wishing someone would have the guts to do a movie that was true to the Bible, not the glossed over versions we've seen in the past. I loved the beginning where Jesus is in the garden of Gethsamane, praying to God; Satan (played expertly by Rosalinda Celentano --it was so well done in the editing that I did not know she was a woman until I looked up the information on IMDB.com!) Satan attempts to talk down Jesus, saying he'll never be able to go through with it all. Jesus ignores Satan, praying more fervently to God. Satan attempts to attack Jesus with a snake, and Jesus kills the snake with his heel with a sudden thrust, showing what He did in the defeat of Satan : Genesis 3:15 "He will crush your head and you will bruise his heel." This movie is definetly not for the faint of heart (as one truly weakhearted woman discovered!) as it does not gloss over the details of the torture and murder of Jesus. There's two things I will point out that they embellished a bit; on the whipping... Jesus took 39 stripes, not the 100 plus (I lost count after 39) which 39 is the 40 minus one listed in the Bible. It's recorded to be the most the Romans were allowed to give, and according to minsters I have heard sermons from, seven usually was too much to begin with! Although I believe they were going on the basis that they thought the whippings were all with the cat of 9 tails, the whip with the shards of glass in it. An interesting and extremely noteworthy fact to point out here though, is of that the ROOTS of ALL diseases, there are 39! Again, Jesus fulfills the prophecy that "by His stripes we are healed"! The other thing I wish to point out is in the approximately 12 second ending (Which really, Mr Gibson, I love the movie, but WITHOUT the resurrection, the death is pointless, and so is our faith! Some more time should have been given to that scene) is the burial shroud.. according to John 20:7 "(Peter saw..) the burial cloth that had been around Jesus' head. The cloth was folded up by itself, separate from the linen" ...According to Jewish custom, if you are invited to someone's house for a dinner, when you are done, if you were pleased, then you throw the napkin/cloth on the floor or wherever. But if you are offended by anything at the place you are invited to, you would fold it up and leave it on the chair. It indicates to the persons inviting that the guest took no pleasure and actually took great offense, and would not be returning. So this indicates Jesus folded up the cloth neatly and placed it where his head was, and saying in Jewish custom "I took no pleasure in this, I am never coming here [or doing this] again!" What an AWESOME testimony of our Lord! I definetly recommend seeing this movie. If you are a Christian it will strengthen you, and hopefully embolden you. If you are not a christian, I would challenge you to ask yourself, Why on earth for ANY reason would someone go through this for someone? Could you do the same thing for a person you loved? And finally, to seek the answers to more questions, read the book of John in the New Testament and then the book of Romans. God bless you as you seek Him!
September 2003 CHRISTIAN : CHRIST-LIKE; Little Jesus Many people think that just by going to church, doing the due, paying the tithe, sitting on pews, singing the songs, they are SAVED, and that they are going to HEAVEN. BUT! Unless you have MADE the transition, you have ASKED JESUS to FORGIVE YOUR SINS and place your TRUST in HIM ALONE to save you, you may as well be preparing your place in HELL because that's where you're going! "GASP! CHRISTIANS going to HELL?!" Why certainly! You see, the Holy Spirit knows whose are His, and enters and CHANGES those lives who have placed their trust in Him. I think the church in America is doomed if we don't realize that WE NEED TO BE CHRISTLIKE ONCE AGAIN! We can't be the ones that sit in our church pews while the homeless beg for money and work on the streetcorner, or when they ask for a place to sleep, we say "you can sleep in the parking lot". WHERE'S the COMPASSION?? If you're REALLY a TRUE Christian, there shouldn't be a need to ASK you, it should be SHOWING and OBVIOUS. Obviously the new Episocopal Bishop is NOT.   8/28/2003 GREAT new artist out in the Christian music world now, his name is Warren Barfield. I'm absolutely certain he's never heard of me, but you can go to his website at WarrenBarfield.com
5/25/2003 My theories on the Middle East "Road Map" I believe that this will ultimately fail, but it may be successful at first... I believe that there is a strong possibility that OUT of this AS it fails could come the Antichrist, that lawless one from a Revived Roman Empire mentioned in Daniel, to come out and get "REAL" peace between Israel and the world. Followers of End Times Pre-Trib theology know that that will be the beginning of the end. For me, it gives me great HOPE, that our redemption draws near.
10/13/2002 Followup to Muhammad from last week Well you knew something like this would happen... People just love to hate, know what I mean? In this article we see people saying "OH! They said our spiritual father is a terrorist.... Blasphemy!! ... KILL them!!" Wait a minute...IF  Islam is  a peace loving religion, I would expect the OPPOSITE reaction, or a reaction similar to the reporters last week, "Well, everyone's free to their bigoted opinion"...but in fact, by their ACTIONS, they prove their hearts intents. A LOVING reaction would be to quietly disagree and want to have a dialogue, and if a Christian, would pray for them to understand --- not beat them into submission or understanding with a wooden stick!   10/04/2002 In this coming Sunday's broadcast of 60 Minutes, Jerry Falwell is interviewed on his position regarding the Evangelical Christian support of the nation of Israel. He is also quoted, Yahoo News story as saying Mohammed was a terrorist. I wholeheartedly agree, he certainly was! It is certainly evidenced in modern day news, in Israel, in the 9/11 attacks, etc., etc.  If Islam was truly a religion of peace, why are thousands of Muslims suffering due to their own persecution of women, christians, and having suicide bombers attack Israel and now the US? It is time to wake up, America, and get out of the spiritual slump. Islam is not our friend, their is only one way to God, and that is not through Mohammed, but through God's SON, Jesus.
Older Rant Blogs...Still relevant, from 2002
This just in, also from Yahoo News (World section) that the European Union (originally 10 revived Roman Empire states) will accept 8 MORE countries to their ranks in the EU, in 2004, with Romania and Bulgaria as 2 additional countries for a total of 10, joining in 2007. Just a few steps closer to a unified world goverment...which as any good Christian should know (as a watcher on the wall) the Antichrist will eventually be in control of. Speaking of which... A friend of mine has insisted to me that he has no need to read the Left Behind books or have any part of prophecy of End Times discussion. How folly that advice is! First, we are to be wise as serpents and innocent as doves. Second, we are to be watchers of the wall, to alert the people when someone or something is coming. In this instance, we are to be watching the leaders of the world, and looking for Christ's coming, looking for the signs! God chastised the foolish virgins who did not keep their lamps filled with oil to see his coming, let's not be like those! Not only so, but 30% of the Bible is devoted to the Last Days and Prophecy. Are we just to throw it all away and ignore it? Apparently so, according to many pastors nowadays... 09/28/2002    In my last rant, I discussed that I had run out of time to make personal comments, as it affected my working conditions. This is no longer the case, so I am free to say what I want..in a way.    I have been reminded that we are not our own, that we were bought with a price. Jesus instructed that if something in our bodies causes us to sin, that we should "cut it off, and throw it away" as the Jesus said. I think about this, Christ was speaking metaphorically, and possibly about our church bodies as well. I will be the first to tell you I am NOT a trained theologian, nor have I attended cemetery school (seminary). However, I have grown up in the Christian church, in which mine, I feel more damage was done than if I had grown up in the secular schools. My point is, I have gone through the most Phariseeical churches this land must offer from the Pacific Northwest to the land of Georgia and I have watched countless shows on TBN and other channels that have no business proclaiming they are christian or that their ministry is "God's ministry" when in fact it is their business. They really are Christian Themed, as in Disneyland is a theme park, some even retreat centers I have worked at I realize are simply a Christian Themed retreat center. Somehow I managed to still find the REAL Christ, not the tv Christ, and did not end up "Twice the son of Satan" as Jesus said of the Pharisees. I love Jesus with all my heart. He is my Lord and Savior, and I want to be with him constantly. However I believe he has set it upon my heart to counter the Pharisee spirit that is in the world today, and worstly -- the Christian Church.   One thing I have been gently reprimanded by the Lord is by judging a little too harshly. I will not say I am perfect -- far from it! however I was judging a little too harshly, instead of saying good things about people for a more balanced report I was reporting only the negative, and for this I truly apologize. I pledge from now on to be more fair-minded in my reporting. I read the other day, from a past issue of Our Daily Bread from July 24th, 2002. If you have this copy, you can turn to that page and read what it says, I will paraphrase it for you now (so as hopefully not to anger the copyright guardians). "A Powerful Lesson" (paraphrased) Ephesians 1:15-21 In 1892, John Hyde went from New York to India, with his goal to proclaim the Gospel to the Indians and people who had never heard of Jesus. He earned the nickname "praying Hyde" during the next 20 years for his many hours of prayer for the salvation of others and for revival in Christians there. Once, praying Hyde was upset about the cold heart of a pastor, so he began to pray "Oh Father, you know how cold --" but he could not say the man's name! Hyde was horrified when he realized he had judged him too harshly, and confessed his critical sin. Later, after his confession, Hyde learned that this man was later revitalized at this same time. Let's follow Paul's example of focusing on God and what he has done, and especially what he can do in the lives of others! I know I am trying my best to. I will say, it's not easy being human and being christian! Let's pray FOR our people, not against them! That said, there are still many many things in our country that need to be changed and or fixed. Let me start with Amazon.com Please boycott this service until they remove all material related to endorsing pedophile behavior and that it is "misunderstood" and that it can be "a good relationship and good for the children". That is SO sick and perverted they should immediately be burned at a stake and thrown into Hell. Mark 9 vs 42 NKJV says, "But Whoever causes one of these little ones who Believes in Me to stumble, it would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck and he were thrown into the sea." I can tell you, as a formerly abused child, that is a light sentence indeed! This is not a time for religious "tolerance", this is a time for swift and appropriate action against these terrorists of the mind, body and soul. And also, Romans 12:2 says "Do not be conformed to this world, but be TRANSFORMED by the renewing of your mind." Let us pray for our nation, but not only pray. Take action! DO something! The old phrase, "Don't just stand there, DO SOMETHING!" SCREAMS out at us as Christians, NOT to stand idly by! Until next time, God bless and see you in the air if Christ comes first! --Matt