February 13th, 2010 | 
Author: A while back I did a quick blurb called “When Guns Are Outlawed“. Well, since then I also read about a new knife for sale in the UK that is “stab proof”. Haven’t seen any pics yet, but I suspect it will have something like a large flat thing welded or forged on the tip. As shown by the pics in the article above, such measures will never defeat anyone who wants a weapon capable of stabbing someone. Read the rest of this entry »
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People. We are weird creatures. Given the ability to choose, too often we choose unwisely. Most seem to prefer to be told what to think rather than to reason through issues themselves. Over the years I’ve participated in various internet forums and e-mail lists, acting as moderator on a few. In that time it has been my privilege to observe humans interacting with each other. I was reminded today about something my friend Jim Taylor said years ago. “The internet is a great place to talk and a poor place to communicate.“ That pretty much sums it up right there.
And it is interesting to hear folks talk on the ‘net. Over the years it has been my pleasure to visit various internet friends in person. And getting to talk with someone over a cup of coffee or a meal is a great way to get to know them a bit better. Sometimes one forms an opinion about folks because of the way they “talk” on the internet. But once you get to know them personally you see a different face entirely. And then there’s the voice. Am I the only one who forms an “image” of what someone’s voice must sound like by reading what they write? The first time I talked with various people was an experience – because they didn’t sound like I’d thought they would. And what about SEEING them? That reminds me of my dad and a story he told about someone he used to talk with on the phone all the time. He built up an image of the person based on their name and their voice. But when he met that person in person he was in for a surprise. From physical stature to race – everything was different. Read the rest of this entry »
Here are a couple of videos off of YouTube – the repository of all kinds of video stuff on the ‘net. I’m no sports fan, but even so I could not ignore the the scandals the rocked Tiger Woods’ world. It made the news clear down here. What did not make it down here was the criticism of Brit Hume for sending a message to Woods via some kind of sports commentary in which he inserted his opinion that Woods should turn to the Christian faith in which he would find forgiveness and redemption. Hume then did a follow up on O’Reilly’s show. Here’s the clips. Read the rest of this entry »
I do believe that we are but pilgrims and strangers on this earth. We are on a journey, hopefully along The WAY, and therefore our stay here is but temporary. But part of that journey is learning to serve God by serving others and it behooves us to do the best we can where God places us or where He leads us.
We know that God lead us to our current place of residence and ministry. We sought His face and His wisdom and His guidance – and He brought us here and has kept us here in the face of many trials and problems. We also know that our enemy does not wish for us to be here. Read the rest of this entry »
In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was without form and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters. And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. And God saw that the light was good. And God separated the light from the darkness. God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And there was evening and there was morning, the first day.
And God said, “Let there be an expanse in the midst of the waters, and let it separate the waters from the waters.” And God made the expanse and separated the waters that were under the expanse from the waters that were above the expanse. And it was so. And God called the expanse Heaven. And there was evening and there was morning, the second day. Read the rest of this entry »
They set up kings without my consent; they choose princes without my approval. With their silver and gold they make idols for themselves to their own destruction. I wrote for them the many things of my law, but they regarded them as something alien. Hosea 8:4,12
As I was reading through Hosea recently, I came upon the verses above. To say that they gave me food for thought is an understatement indeed. The traditional way of thinking in our nation is that if we have a governor, president, congressman, senator or other public figure that it’s “God’s fault”. After all, He is the One Who sets up kings and rulers, is He not? Interestingly enough, at the time the words above were written, kings normally received their kingship by inheritance – there was little chance for public opinion to be expressed under normal circumstances. And yet, although there was no “democratic process” such as we enjoy in modern times, they DID choose men to rule over them – and men who were not according to God’s plan or design. Today we are ruled by a constitution. Within that constitution the means of selecting rulers is spelled out clearly and the responsibility and power of government is both spelled out and limited. How much more responsible are we today for the rulers we choose than those who lived thousands of years ago! Read the rest of this entry »
Jesus said, “For by your words you shall be justified, and by your words you shalt be condemned” (Matt. 12:37). Swearing and bad language have become extremely pervasive among all ages of people today. Young people in our public schools, of both genders, take the name of God in vain in their ordinary conversations. When their attention is called to it they do not even understand what they have done. They simply dismiss any attempted explanation and continue doing it. They are doing what they hear adults doing in their homes and almost everywhere else. Read the rest of this entry »
Of all the sins that beset mankind, hubris is the hardest to self detect. It is one of the logs that blots out our vision and does not allow us to effectively restore site to those blinded by specks in their own eyes because of the way it pokes and jabs at the one we are attempting to help.
Recently (over the past three months or so) I’ve been preaching through the Gospels. Not in a systematic way, much less chronological. Rather I am browsing around, sampling here, cogitating there, looking at the teachings of Yeshua, the Anointed One – the Holy Son of God Almighty. He came down and lived amongst men, humbling Himself to the point of arriving as a squalling newborn in a smelly stable, laid down to sleep in a feed trough by his young mother. Indeed, as if that ignominy were not enough, his mother bore the shadow of scandal on her young shoulders and in the months preceding His birth many murmured about her growing belly and scoffed at her unlikely story of having been visited by an angel of the Almighty. The first to hear of His coming were a band of lowly shepherds who were watching over their flocks in the nearby hills. They trooped into town to see the sight that had been announced to them and witnessed the veracity of the angelic messenger’s words. But who would take the word of a bunch of ignorant men from the hills? Read the rest of this entry »
“The Center Of God’s Grace” – thus reads the “location” description for my profile on an internet forum I infest. It was chosen because that is where I strive to live. Right smack dab in the middle of His will for my life. Unfortunately at times I stray for a bit, but as soon as I realize it back to home I run.
It has been stated that “the center of God’s will is the safest place to be.” and I wholeheartedly agree with this statement – with a couple of observations. “Safe” is a relative term. And the context of this statement indicates that if we are in the center of God’s will we will be safe – but His will is different from our own and His perspective is VASTLY different from our own. To many, “safe” implies good health, comfortable housing, plenty to eat and the ability to wander around to one’s heart’s content free from concerns of physical harm befalling one’s self. This view, however, is different from God’s view.
This year a friend gave me an IZH Baikal 46M target pistol. It is a 4.5mm (.177 caliber) Russian built pistol. It’s made of blue steel and wood – the way God intended pistols to be made. 
And I am tickled pink with it – now. At first I was a bit underwhelmed. Accuracy, even from a rest, left a lot to be desired. It’s designed for 10 meter competition and I was unable to get decent groups at that range. Well, I’ve never been one to worry about design limits in my pellet guns. The Gamo CFX had the scope rail removed, the front sight base replaced, the rear sight removed and a Mendoza rear sight fitted to it. A pin sight was fitted to the new aluminum block front sight base and a Charlie Da Tuna trigger replaced the stamped steel factory one. And then it got pressed into service for a 50 meter rifle. So it was natural for me to want to press the 46M into service at 25 meters – but it wouldn’t group right at 10.