I received this as an email from my old boss. I thought it was very interesting.
The following was written by Ben Stein and recited by him on CBS Sunday Morning Commentary.
My confession:I am a Jew, and every single one of my ancestors was Jewish. And it does not bother me even a little bit when people call those beautiful lit up, bejeweled trees Christmas trees I don't feel threatened. I don't feel discriminated against. That's what they are: Christmas trees.It doesn't bother me a bit when people say, "Merry Christmas" to me. I don't think they are slighting me or getting ready to put me in a ghetto. In fact, I kind of like it. It shows that we are all brothers and sisters celebrating this happy time of year. It doesn't bother me at all that there is a manger scene on display at a key intersection near my beach house in Malibu. If people want a crche, it's just as fine with me as is the Menorah a few hundred yards away.
I don't like getting pushed around for being a Jew, and I don't think Christians like getting pushed around for being Christians. I think people who believe in God are sick and tired of getting pushed around, period. I have no idea where the concept came from that America is an explicitly atheist country. I can't find it in the Constitution and I don't like it being shoved down my throat. Or maybe I can put it another way: where did the idea come from that we should worship Nick and Jessica and we aren't allowed to worship God as we understand Him? I guess that's a sign that I'm getting old, too. But there are a lot of us who are wondering where Nick and Jessica came from and where the America we knew went to.
In light of the many jokes we send to one another for a laugh, this is a little different: This is not intended to be a joke; it's not funny, it's intended to get you thinking. Billy Graham's daughter was interviewed on the Early Show and Jane Clayson asked her "How could God let something like this happen?" (regarding Katrina) Anne Graham gave an extremely profound and insightful response. She said, "I believe God is deeply saddened by this, just as we are, but for years we've been telling God to get out of our schools, to get out of our government and to get out of our lives. And being the gentleman He is, I believe He has calmly backed out. How can we expect God to give us His blessing and His protection if we demand He leave us alone?"
In light of recent events...terrorists attack, school shootings, etc. I think it started when Madeleine Murray O'Hare (she was murdered, her body found recently) complained she didn't want prayer in our schools, and we said OK.
Then someone said you better not read the Bible in school. The Bible says thou shalt not kill, thou shalt not steal, and love your neighbor as yourself. And we said OK.
Then Dr. Benjamin Spock said we shouldn't spank our children when they misbehave because their little personalities would be warped and we might damage their self-esteem (Dr. Spock's son committed suicide). We said an expert should know what he's talking about. And we said OK.Now we're asking ourselves why our children have no conscience, why they don't know right from wrong, and why it doesn't bother them to kill strangers, their classmates, and themselves.Probably, if we think about it long and hard enough, we can figure it out. I think it has a great deal to do with "WE REAP WHAT WE SOW."
Funny how simple it is for people to trash God and then wonder why the world's going to hell. Funny how we believe what the newspapers say, but question what the Bible says. Funny how you can send 'jokes' through e-mail and they spread like wildfire but when you start sending messages regarding the Lord, people think twice about sharing. Funny how lewd, crude, vulgar and obscene articles pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion of God is suppressed in the school and workplace. Are you laughing? Funny how when you forward this message, you will not send it to many on your address list because you're not sure what they believe, or what they will think of you for sending it. Funny how we can be more worried about what other people think of us than what God thinks of us. Pass it on if you think it has merit. If not then just discard it... no one will know you did. But, if you discard this thought process, don't sit back and complain about what bad shape the world is in.
My Best Regards. Honestly and respectfully,
Ben Stein
Finally...HORRAY FOR FRIDAY :)
Have a good weekend,
Michelle
Friday, November 9, 2007
Saturday, November 3, 2007
The Amazing Race...YOUTH ALMIGHTY style
Tonight I had the great opportunity to chaufer 6 teenagers around in our youth groups version of "The Amazing Race" and it was so fun. We started at the church with pumpkin bowling. After each task completion the kids received another clue and we as drivers were not allowed to help them figure them out. That was so hard because I usually knew the answer except to one of them. They even had to tell me were to drive and how to get there. I couldn't just take them to the next spot. After the pumpkin bowling it was off to a local high school to either run around the track or kick a 10 yard field goal. From there we had to go to the pastors house and one of the kids had to either eat candy or smoked fish. The girl in my van ended up getting the smoked fish. She did awesome though and ate it in like 2 minutes. Next it was off to another person from our church to either rake a bag of leaves or find a hidden pumpkin. The kids split up and half did one and the other half did the other and we left when the first group got done.
Then we got lost because the kids misunderstood the clue, and so did I. We thought it meant a race track because the clue said that you were towed and got to the starting line. It was talking about the ski hill in the area because you are towed to the top of the hill to get to the starting line. We probably lost about 20 minutes trying to figure that one out. From there it was to another person house from our church. There the kids had to make up a rap about YOUTH ALMIGHTY and the guy at the house had to say if it was ok or not. He did so the kids got the next clue. For that one we had to go to a gas station. There the kids could either pump gas for 3 customers or eat some beef jerky looking things. They chose to eat and ate them really fast. The last place we had to go was to another house of a person from the church and the kids had to first find the clue in the dark, which was hard enough on its own, and then they had to honk the horn of the persons 18 wheeler. Then it was back to the church to the finish line. We did not come in first, but we also did not come in last. I have never done anything like that before, so I didn't know what to expect. I had so much fun, though, and would totally do it again.
Then we got lost because the kids misunderstood the clue, and so did I. We thought it meant a race track because the clue said that you were towed and got to the starting line. It was talking about the ski hill in the area because you are towed to the top of the hill to get to the starting line. We probably lost about 20 minutes trying to figure that one out. From there it was to another person house from our church. There the kids had to make up a rap about YOUTH ALMIGHTY and the guy at the house had to say if it was ok or not. He did so the kids got the next clue. For that one we had to go to a gas station. There the kids could either pump gas for 3 customers or eat some beef jerky looking things. They chose to eat and ate them really fast. The last place we had to go was to another house of a person from the church and the kids had to first find the clue in the dark, which was hard enough on its own, and then they had to honk the horn of the persons 18 wheeler. Then it was back to the church to the finish line. We did not come in first, but we also did not come in last. I have never done anything like that before, so I didn't know what to expect. I had so much fun, though, and would totally do it again.
Sunday, October 28, 2007
Don't Delay...Do It Now
That is what our pastor preached on today and he was talking about salvation and making your life right with God. Lets just say that it was an amazing sermon and between the 3 services that we have at our church 19 people got saved today. AWESOME. Having a relationship with Christ and then sharing that relationship with others is what we were created for. Sometimes the sharing part is hard. Especially for me. I am shy and don't always know how to do it, but I think God is helping me and I am trying not to be scared.
Matt and I do have a couple that need prayer. He works with a girl named Amy and she is married to a guy named Kevin. Matt has been inviting her and Kevin to come to church and they finally came last Sunday and they came today. Matt was hoping they would go forward today, but they have never really been to church before and are so new to what is going on. Our Pastor did give them new bibles last sunday and they were using them today, so that is good. We are just going to keep praying that they keep coming and will want to have a relationship with Christ.
God Bless and have a great week.
Matt and I do have a couple that need prayer. He works with a girl named Amy and she is married to a guy named Kevin. Matt has been inviting her and Kevin to come to church and they finally came last Sunday and they came today. Matt was hoping they would go forward today, but they have never really been to church before and are so new to what is going on. Our Pastor did give them new bibles last sunday and they were using them today, so that is good. We are just going to keep praying that they keep coming and will want to have a relationship with Christ.
God Bless and have a great week.
Monday, October 22, 2007
Remodeling, sort of
This has been a busy few days for my husband and I. It started on Saturday when we started to put a new front door on our house. We discovered that the threshold and frame were starting to rot, and the previous owners kind of cobbled together part of it. We got that straightened out and then discovered that the new door was too big to fit in the opening. Thank goodness for my father in law. He is very smart when it comes to figureing out how to fix problems like this on houses. What we decided to do is look under the carpet to see if we could go down and what did we discover? Hardwood flooring. So our new door project turned into ripping up part of the carpet and sanding the floor. We are not done yet and the dust is getting on my nerves, but when we are done it will be good. By the way, the new door looks awesome and we painted it to match the color of our shutters.
Besides all this that is going on in our lives, my husband has decided to go back to school to become a youth pastor. He is very excited about it, but is not looking forward to all the school work. He is going to take online classes so it will be very intense. Each class is only 6 weeks long, but the material that is covered is what would normally be covered in a regular semester. It is going to be stessful, but the end result will be what he has wanted to do since he was young.
I have decided not to rake anymore until all the leaves have fallen, because otherwise, it is just pointless. Our redneck rakes still work just fine though. The colors of the leaves are so amazing this fall. The reds and yellows are almost blinding when the sun hits them just right. I don't know how anyone could deny that there is a God when they see the colors. There is no way that they could just happen by chance.
Besides all this that is going on in our lives, my husband has decided to go back to school to become a youth pastor. He is very excited about it, but is not looking forward to all the school work. He is going to take online classes so it will be very intense. Each class is only 6 weeks long, but the material that is covered is what would normally be covered in a regular semester. It is going to be stessful, but the end result will be what he has wanted to do since he was young.
I have decided not to rake anymore until all the leaves have fallen, because otherwise, it is just pointless. Our redneck rakes still work just fine though. The colors of the leaves are so amazing this fall. The reds and yellows are almost blinding when the sun hits them just right. I don't know how anyone could deny that there is a God when they see the colors. There is no way that they could just happen by chance.
Tuesday, October 16, 2007
Cooking Class
I had my second cooking class with the teens tonight. It was fun, but the kids were on a sugar high so they were very hyper. We made no bake cookies that the teens did a wonderful job on. They tasted really yummy. I think I ate too many :) Oh well.
Tonight was also good because I got to talk to my mom, dad, and mother-in-law. My parents live 5 hours away so it is good to talk to them because I don't get to see them very often. My in-laws live close, but I still don't talk to them very often. It is nice living close to my husbands parents so we have family close, but I do get homesick sometimes.
I'm watching a show on PBS called Frontline and tonight it is about crossword puzzles. A full hour show devoted to crosswords! Wow. It is kind of interesting, but I am not good at crosswords. If I get 10 words right I am feeling pretty good. It seems like for some of them you have to be a genious. That is something I am not.
It is getting close to bedtime and I still have to take the dog out so he doesn't start barking at 2 in the morning like he did one night a couple weeks ago. I don't know what his deal was, but like 3 nights in a row he would start barking in the middle of the night. We would take him out to use the bathroom and he wouldn't go. Then he would come inside and 2 minutes later he would start barking again. So we would go out to where he sleeps in our breezeway between our house and the garage and make sure there weren't any critters in there, because we have a bat infestation sometimes and sometimes they get in the breezeway. No critters. There was nothing in the yard either. And we live in town and our neighbors aren't to keen to dags barking in the middle of the night, but then again, who is. So all that to say that it is bedtime.
God Bless and have a great day!
Tonight was also good because I got to talk to my mom, dad, and mother-in-law. My parents live 5 hours away so it is good to talk to them because I don't get to see them very often. My in-laws live close, but I still don't talk to them very often. It is nice living close to my husbands parents so we have family close, but I do get homesick sometimes.
I'm watching a show on PBS called Frontline and tonight it is about crossword puzzles. A full hour show devoted to crosswords! Wow. It is kind of interesting, but I am not good at crosswords. If I get 10 words right I am feeling pretty good. It seems like for some of them you have to be a genious. That is something I am not.
It is getting close to bedtime and I still have to take the dog out so he doesn't start barking at 2 in the morning like he did one night a couple weeks ago. I don't know what his deal was, but like 3 nights in a row he would start barking in the middle of the night. We would take him out to use the bathroom and he wouldn't go. Then he would come inside and 2 minutes later he would start barking again. So we would go out to where he sleeps in our breezeway between our house and the garage and make sure there weren't any critters in there, because we have a bat infestation sometimes and sometimes they get in the breezeway. No critters. There was nothing in the yard either. And we live in town and our neighbors aren't to keen to dags barking in the middle of the night, but then again, who is. So all that to say that it is bedtime.
God Bless and have a great day!
Saturday, October 13, 2007
My first blog
Wow, this is my first blog. I really don't know what I am doing with all this, but here we go. As I am writing I am watching "Antiques Roadshow". I wish I could find things like some of the se people find at resale stores. A lady on the show today bought a 2 foot ceramic parrot for $50 and it ended up being worth $2,000. How crazy is that. I guess I don't have the eye for something like that.
The joy of fall is watching the leaves change color. The not so much joy of fall is raking the leaves when they fall off the tree. Thats what I did today. In the process I broke our rake. So I went to the local hardware and bought a new rake. What did I do you may wonder? Not even 5 minutes into raking some more I broke the new one. So what did my husband and I do? We took some pieces of wood and screwed them onto the rakes so they would go back together. If thats not redneck, I don't know what is. At least they work.
One thing I want to accomplish with this blog is to first tell people about Christ. Another thing is to tell people about organizations that are deserving of some of the money that God has blessed us with. Today I want to tell you about an awesome place called Youth Haven Ranch. There are 2 locations. One in Rives Junction, MI and the other in Picacho, AZ. Youth Haven has been around for almost 40 years. It is a place where underprivilaged kids can go (FOR FREE!!!) to get away from their home life for a bit. I had the privilage of working there for a summer in the kitchen. The kids that go there will break your heart. All they want is love and they get that there and so much more. They get the opportunity to learn about the God that loves them and wants them just the way they are. If you want more information about Youth Haven, you can check out their web site at www.youthhaven.org.
The joy of fall is watching the leaves change color. The not so much joy of fall is raking the leaves when they fall off the tree. Thats what I did today. In the process I broke our rake. So I went to the local hardware and bought a new rake. What did I do you may wonder? Not even 5 minutes into raking some more I broke the new one. So what did my husband and I do? We took some pieces of wood and screwed them onto the rakes so they would go back together. If thats not redneck, I don't know what is. At least they work.
One thing I want to accomplish with this blog is to first tell people about Christ. Another thing is to tell people about organizations that are deserving of some of the money that God has blessed us with. Today I want to tell you about an awesome place called Youth Haven Ranch. There are 2 locations. One in Rives Junction, MI and the other in Picacho, AZ. Youth Haven has been around for almost 40 years. It is a place where underprivilaged kids can go (FOR FREE!!!) to get away from their home life for a bit. I had the privilage of working there for a summer in the kitchen. The kids that go there will break your heart. All they want is love and they get that there and so much more. They get the opportunity to learn about the God that loves them and wants them just the way they are. If you want more information about Youth Haven, you can check out their web site at www.youthhaven.org.
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