We are finally getting some action from some members of congress about wanting an explanation why our current administration is backing and demanding the 'reinstatement' of a man who wanted to be a dictator, who was officially declared a criminal by his nation's supreme court, and fled as a result.

reuters

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A key U.S. senator asked the Obama administration on Thursday to explain in detail its policy on the Honduran political crisis, warning that otherwise Senate confirmation may be delayed for a U.S. diplomatic nominee for Latin America.

"The complexity of events that led up to the Honduran crisis has given rise to questions regarding U.S. policy," Senator Richard Lugar, one of the Senate's most respected voices on foreign policy, wrote to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.

The United States has refused to recognize the Honduran government led by Roberto Micheletti, which took over the Central American nation after President Manuel Zelaya was ousted by the Honduran military on June 28.

Lugar told Clinton he shared her support for mediation by Costa Rican President Oscar Arias in the month-old dispute over whether Zelaya should be allowed to return to his post.

But he also appealed to the State Department to provide a detailed clarification of U.S. policy to "interested Members" -- an apparent reference to several of his fellow Republicans, who charge Washington is trying to reinstate a left-wing government in Honduras.

Because of U.S. support for Zelaya, conservative Republican Senator Jim DeMint has threatened to delay a Senate vote on the nomination of Arturo Valenzuela to be assistant secretary of state for western hemisphere affairs, the senior diplomat in charge of Latin America at the State Department.

"I request that the Department provide interested Members a detailed clarification of the steps that it has taken, and intends to take, in response to the events that transpired in the run-up to and period after the forced removal of President Manuel Zelaya from Honduras," Lugar wrote to Clinton.

Friday, July 31th. Today's cherished Nugget from guest blogger Pastor Bill.

“Self-chosen authority is an impertinence. Jesus said that the great ones in this world exercise authority but that in his kingdom it is not so; no one exercises authority over another because in his kingdom the king is servant of all. If a saint tries to exercise authority, it is a proof that he is not rightly related to Jesus Christ.”
(Oswald Chambers)

The King of Kings and Lord of Lords thought it not robbery to set aside His position with The Heavenly Father to come to earth in the form of a man to redeem us to The Father.

When Paul wrote the letter to the church at Philippi, he put it this way:

“Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” (Philippians 2:5-11)

"God, May I walk in obedience to You as did Your Son Jesus, with an humility of Your authority on my life.
Amen."

Praise God today as He has so blessed you.

A highlight of a few things learned in this latest Rasmussen Poll

1) Among likely voters Obama is being now perceived as actually seeing and presenting America as unfair and discriminatory.

2) 75% of voters want the Federal Reserve Board audited. (That's big.)

3) A majority of Americans now see BHO leading this nation in the wrong direction... 51% overall. (That's a huge reversal from just a few months ago.)

Rasmussen Poll

Daily Presidential Tracking Poll
Thursday, July 30, 2009

The Rasmussen Reports daily Presidential Tracking Poll for Thursday shows that 28% of the nation's voters now Strongly Approve of the way that Barack Obama is performing his role as President. Forty percent (40%) Strongly Disapprove giving Obama a Presidential Approval Index rating of -12. That’s the lowest rating yet recorded for President Obama (see trends).

Forty-nine percent (49%) now say that America’s best days have come and gone. Just 38% believe they are still to come. Thirty-four percent (34%) say the country is heading in the right direction. Seventy-five percent (75%) want the Federal Reserve to be audited.....

....Overall, 48% of voters say they at least somewhat approve of the President's performance. That is the lowest level of total approval yet recorded for this President. Fifty-one percent (51%) now disapprove. A plurality of voters now believe the President views American society as unfair and discriminatory....

The gentle yet formidable freedom loving America that I know is arising...

I have seen it.

XtnYoda, shalomed

Thursday, July 30th. Today's cherished Nugget from guest blogger Pastor Bill.

People with vision often butt heads with the more practical world. One person often sees in his or her mind’s eye how something could be accomplished, but convincing others is no easy matter. A select few can ignore the nay-saying of others and push to make their vision become a reality.

Henry Ford had the vision for the V-8 motor, but many challenges were in the way. Engineers said it could not be done, but Ford said, "Do it anyway." We all have been blessed that they continued until the challenges were overcome.

No matter what we need or want to do someone wants to squelch our dreams and burst our bubbles. The difficult slows us down somewhat, but the impossible takes a little longer. In his letter to the Hebrews, the Apostle Paul gives us this encouragement:

"Now we want each of you to demonstrate the same diligence for the final realization of your hope, so that you won’t become lazy, but imitators of those who inherit the promises through faith and perseverance."
(Hebrews 6:11-12)

"God, help me daily to press on to keep on keeping on for where You want me to go.
Amen."

Give God glory honor and praise.

The Borg Conspiracy has a fascinating commentary on what is going on down in Honduras.

This report has been on the wires now for over 24 hours. America is backing and supporting the deposed socialist leader of Honduras. Anyone seen the national media picking up on this story? Any coverage on Good Morning America? What about CNN or MSNBC? Or even Fox? Anyone other than me noticing the parallels or the utter absence of comment on any level by main stream American media?

Here we have the deposed socialist leader of Honduras, who was rightfully removed from office after attempting to suspend the country's constitution, so that he could install himself as permanent dictator for life? And what does America have to say about all this? What does the president of the United States think should be the course of America on the issue?....

Go to the Borg Conspiracy to get the full scoop and I'm afraid very accurate picture of what is really going on.

Then go to the referenced news report... reading it through the Borg's perspective. You'll see bits and pieces of the reality in the story... but without the Borg Conspiracy insight you probably wouldn't realize what is actually in the story... and Breitbart.com is certainly one of our most conservative media outlets.

Consider and Ponder this.

XtnYoda, shalomed

Wednesday, July 29th. Today's cherished Nugget from guest blogger Pastor Bill.

Struggle often provides us with our most productive times of growth. The caterpillar gains strength in struggling to tear out of its cocoon. Without the struggle, it does not have the strength to fly. Can we step back while we are in the midst of a struggle and see how that conflict will give us strength and insight for the future?

Struggles, trials, tribulations, contentions are not always fun, but usually such challenges do work for our benefit. The Apostle Paul encourages us with these words:

“We also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; and perseverance, character; and character, hope.”
(Romans 5:3-4)

"God, Thank You for choosing my struggles. Thank You for being there with me through them.
Amen."

Give God glory, honor, and praise.

Tuesday, July 28th. Today's cherished Nugget from guest blogger Pastor Bill.

“Don’t pray just when you feel like it. Have an appointment with The Lord and keep it.”
(Corrie ten Boom)

We tend to give God what is left, or we try to squeeze a minute or two in during the day. What we (and our country) needs is for us to get serious in our meetings with God. The writer of II Chronicles puts it this way:

“If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.”
(II Chronicles 7:14)

"God, we, Your people, need Your touch on our land. Begin in my heart.
Amen."

Give God glory, honor, and praise.

Somehow I've missed this rather glowing report out of the Kurd's area of Iraq?

breitbart news

Competitiveness and participation applauded by all parties and observers

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region, Iraq, July 27 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Iraqi Kurdistan took another step on its road to democracy on July 25, when nearly 80 percent of its population voted for parliamentary and presidential candidates in the most competitive election in the Region's history.

Voter turnout was estimated at 78.5 percent of the nearly 2.5 million eligible voters, according to the Independent Electoral Commission of Iraq (IECI), the national body in charge of overseeing and tabulating the results. Polls were kept open an extra hour in some locations because of high turnout, IECI officials said.

"The electoral process took place in accordance with international standards," the IHEC said in a statement. Ballots were taken to IECI headquarters in Baghdad for processing and counting. Official results are expected in a few days.

The Kurdistan Regional Government expressed its deep appreciation for the thousands of Iraqi and international observers, and many international organizations, for their assistance with preparations and the building of capacity for the election process. The KRG goal was to have an election that met the gold standard for freedom, fairness and transparency, and we are proud that we exceeded those standards.

"This weekend, the people of Iraq's Kurdistan Region went to the polls to elect their new parliament and president. This achievement marked yet another milestone in the Region's development toward a democratic and transparent society. For that, we applaud them," said Congressmen Lincoln Davis (D-Tenn.) and Congressman Joe Wilson (R-S.C.), co-chairs of the Kurdish American Congressional Caucus. "Their journey has not been easy, and errors have been made along the way. However, the Kurds have risen from the ashes of tyranny and are today building a thriving civil society in the heart of the Middle East."....

"Risen from the ashes of tyranny..."

What a great report on the dramatic effect that America has once again had for the liberation of the oppressed in other parts of our world.

God Bless America.

XtnYoda, shalomed

EDIT #2!
Representative McCotter is introducing a house resolution calling for an official apology for the racist remark from our president toward the white police officer.

Washington Times: U.S. Rep. Thaddeus McCotter said Monday he intends to introduce a resolution in Congress calling on President Obama to apologize for saying Boston-area police officers "acted stupidly" in arresting a black Harvard professor, despite not knowing all of the facts and acknowledging the suspect is a friend.

"I view this less as a racial incident than a presidential incident," Mr. McCotter, Michigan Republican, told The Washington Times "American's Morning News" radio show. "What I think is necessary is for the president to apologize to Officer Crowley, retract the statement and let's move forward."

congressman preparing to introduce legislation calling for an apology from the president.

EDIT #1 Now you can go to the following link and hear the actual 9-11 call, you will hear the lady calling in refer over and over the the men that she thinks may be breaking in as "gentlemen".
audio page

Ohhh... there is "racial" profiling going on here alright... but the profiling that is finally being exposed is that of profiling all "whites" as automatically "racist."

This is actually kind of refreshing to see going on because you could talk till you were blue in the face about the educated assumption that all whites are guilty of having been and still promoting racism.

I've even been in the conversations where the educated have taken the position that a person of color does not have the ability of themselves being a racist... you know... because they were all victims....

Cambridge police: Race not mentioned in 911 call (AP)

BOSTON – The 911 caller who reported a possible break-in at the home of black Harvard scholar Henry Louis Gates Jr. did not mention race in the call, according to a statement issued by her attorney and backed up by Cambridge Police Commissioner Robert Haas.

Lucia Whalen placed the 911 call July 16, saying she saw two men on Gates' front porch who appeared to be trying to force open the front door. The call led to the arrest of Gates by Cambridge police on a disorderly conduct charge, and a resulting national debate about racial profiling.

In the statement issued Sunday by attorney Wendy Murphy, Whalen — who has not spoken publicly — said she only saw the backs of the two men and did not know their race when she made the call. Murphy said Whalen, who works nearby, called because she had been aware of recent break-ins in the area and wanted to correct "misinformation" suggesting that she placed the call because the men on the porch were black.

"Contrary to published reports that a 'white woman' called 911 and reported seeing 'two black men' trying to gain entry into Mr. Gates home, the woman, who has olive colored skin and is of Portuguese descent, told the 911 operator that she observed 'two men' at the home," Murphy's statement read.

Murphy said Whalen has been very upset by news reports she believes have unfairly depicted her as a racist.

"She doesn't live in the area. She is by no means the entitled white neighbor ... That has been the theme in the blogs and the implication in some of the mainstream news media," Murphy said in a phone interview Monday.

"She didn't know their race, and it's very clear that she called not because of what they looked like but because of what they were doing."....

yahoo ap

Perhaps... someday... someone will admit that the entire human race had institutionalized slavery for it's entire human history... until finally some white Christian men... because of the teaching of none other than Jesus Christ... set out to abolish the wretched institution.

Started in England about two hundred years ago... spread from there through the western world.

It is good news that is seldom reported or realized.

XtnYoda, shalomed

Monday, July 27th. Today's cherished Nugget from guest blogger Pastor Bill.

"I have held many things in my hands, and I have lost them all; but whatever I have placed in God’s hands, that I still possess."
(Martin Luther)

God is able to keep anything that we give back to Him; therefore, in order to be good stewards of all we have, we are better off to release all we have to Him. The writer of Psalms shares this with us:

“For the word of the LORD is right, and all His work is trustworthy.”
(Psalm 33:4)

"God, let me take my hands off the things of this world to trust You with all I have.
Amen."

Thank You God, for You are trustworthy.

Once again Rick at Brutally Honest has come up with an insightful piece.

This opinion was sent to him via e-mail and he wanted to share it with all of us.

I spoke of this very thing this morning... about the movement to eradicate the elderly over a dollar bill.

Go with the link and read the whole writing.

....Young is cool. Old is lame.

And now, the government -- the ones you can trust -- has finally come up with the answer to the "Old People" problem. Public Option Health Care. Or, for you old people, government-run health care. The New! Improved! Public Option health care will help eliminate these unsightly old lamers from our cool young society. They've outlived their usefulness, and the whole oldness thing is getting tiresome.

We understand that, if you'd actually been raised by these old people that you might have some emotional attachment to them, and feel distressed at the idea of eliminating them but, hopefully, since you were actually raised by us and our schools, and with the years of attitude inoculation you've received from your friends in education and entertainment, these feelings will be minimized.....

Sunday, July 26th. Today's cherished Nugget from guest blogger Pastor Bill.

Activity itself proves nothing: the ant is praised, the mosquito swatted.

May we be found faithful in our service to our Heavenly Father. Let us be found useful instead of irritating. Psalm 69:34 reminds us to, “Let the heaven and earth praise him, the seas, and every thing that moveth therein.”

"God, may I be faithful to you with my actions, my words and my heart.
Amen."

Thank You God, for Your love and mercy endures forever.

I think I would love to officiate at a wedding like this one!

I had seen the video of the couple breaking a lot of moves at their wedding reception, but I hadn't seen this one of the entire wedding party... partying down the isle in the auditorium at the start of the wedding service itself!

XtnYoda, shalomed!

H/T to my dear daughter... Emily

Saturday, July 25th. Today's cherished Nugget from guest blogger Pastor Bill.

Someone once showed an artist a costly handkerchief, on which a blot of ink had been made. “Nothing can be done with it now; it is absolutely worthless.”

The artist made no reply, but carried it away with him. After a time he sent it back, to the great surprise of his friend, who could scarcely recognize it. In a most skillful and artistic way, he had made a fine design in India ink, using the blot as a basis, making the handkerchief more valuable than ever.


Every one of us can look at mistakes in our life and declare ourselves useless. Oh, but do not receive that report from your own mind nor from others. What we have messed up can be made clean by God Who loves us and desires to have fellowship with us in spite of our shortcomings.

A blotted life is not necessarily a useless life. Though it has been marred by sin, Jesus can make a life beautiful.

The Prophet Isaiah reminds us:

“Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow.”
(Isaiah 1:18)

"God, I love You and want Your total cleansing making me into the work of art You want me to be.
Amen."

Thank You God, for Your love and mercy endures forever.

Friday, July 24th. Today's cherished Nugget from guest blogger Pastor Bill.

“The Christian messenger cannot think too highly of his Prince, or too humbly of himself.”
(Charles C. Colton)

We can’t brag enough about our Lord, for He is worthy to be praised. The Apostle John puts it into perspective this way:

“He must increase, but I must decrease.” (John 3:30)

"God, You are my rock and fortress. May I let You shine in and through me.
Amen."

Thank You God, for Your love and mercy endures forever.

As the globe continues to cool Sen. Kerry continues his mantra of deception for gain.

John, we Vietnam vets well remember your spurious and slanderous accusations about us before the US Senate hearings on our abuses in Vietnam. Remember the title you gave us as being "baby killers?"

And you continue your same old MO... spew lies for your egocentric dementia.

boston globe

Kerry panel looks at climate change and national security

WASHINGTON -- Massive crop devastation, melting glaciers, water shortages, millions of displaced people -- all of these will drag the US military into conflict if global climate change goes unchecked, a Senate panel was warned today.

The Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing, convened by Senator John F. Kerry of Massachusetts, focused on what so far has received only modest attention in the climate change debate: the effect it is bound to have on national defense....

"If we fail to connect the dots -- if we fail to take action -- the simple, indisputable reality is that we will find ourselves living not only in a ravaged environment, but also in a much more dangerous world," he said.

Really now John, just who do you think actually listens to you?

Honestly, it is sad, seeing your continued decent into your mental maze of deceptions.

XtnYoda, shalomed

Thursday, July 23rd. Today's cherished Nugget from guest blogger Pastor Bill.

If at first you don’t succeed, so much for skydiving.

When I was a young private in the army, a friend and I desired to become paratroopers. Our unit did not have any jobs for paratroopers. Growing older and higher in rank, we increased in wisdom; consequently, our "burn" to jump from a perfectly good airplane decreased. As a result, in our understanding more fully the natural laws of inertia and gravity, we no longer felt it necessary to "test" either.

The writer of 1 Kings gives us this picture: “And God gave Solomon wisdom and understanding exceeding much, and largeness of heart, even as the sand that is on the sea shore.” (4:29)

"God, Thank You for Your wisdom and my protection even in my own ignorance.
Amen."

Thank You God, for Your mercy endures forever.

Tony Woodlief provides a masterful job of picturing for us via brutally honest the essential of drawing husbands and wives together... with an ache for close communion that really matters above all earthly pursuits.

tony woodlief

We went back to bed and I pulled Wife extra close to me. I need her extra close. We listened to the booming and then the sheets of rain. We talked about hard things. I wished I could pull her into my skin, so that there would never ever again be anything that could come between us. This is why you have to hold your beloved close, so that nothing divides you, and because sometimes it feels like your heart won’t beat right unless the gentle thunder of her heart’s rhythm finds its way through your flesh.....

...And I hope my sons will hold their wives tight when there is no storm, because there is always danger, even on the brightest days, and all we have in the end are our prayers and our lives pressed close. I hope they will know this, that I can teach them this one thing, that you have to lay down everything you were and are and hope to be, because the only things worth having are the things you can make with her, the life you can live with her. The rest of it is just air and glimmer, thunder and lightning. If they can learn this one thing, have it written on their courageous hearts, then maybe everything I have done and been will be worth something after all.

Wednesday, July 22nd. Today's cherished Nugget from guest blogger Pastor Bill.

When Abraham Lincoln was candidate for the presidency, someone asked him what he thought of the prospect of being president. With characteristic humor he answered, “I do not fear Breckinridge, for he is of the South, and the North will not support him; I do not much fear Douglas, for the South is against him. But there is a man named Lincoln I see in the papers of whom I am very much afraid. If I am defeated, it will be by that man.”

It is true we are our own worst enemy. We must rise up with the courage and respond to the challenge of the Prophet Joshua:

“Choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.”
(Joshua 24:15)

Get it right; go with God on your side.

"God, protect me from myself. Let me walk with You obediently in all areas of my life. Amen."

Thank You God, for Your mercy endures forever.

I have a little question. Do you think you understand how much a "Trillion" dollars.... is?

Now for another little question... do you think you comprehend how much 23 Trillion dollars.... is..... ?

politico

Bailouts could cost U.S. $23 trillion

POLITICO 44

A series of bailouts, bank rescues and other economic lifelines could end up costing the federal government as much as $23 trillion, the U.S. government’s watchdog over the effort says – a staggering amount that is nearly double the nation’s entire economic output for a year.

If the feds end up spending that amount, it could be more than the federal government has spent on any single effort in American history....

...In fact, $23 trillion is more than the total cost of all the wars the United States has ever fought, put together. World War II, for example, cost $4.1 trillion in 2008 dollars, according to the Congressional Research Service.

Even the Moon landings and the New Deal didn’t come close to $23 trillion: the Moon shot in 1969 cost an estimated $237 billion in current dollars, and the entire Depression-era Roosevelt relief program came in at $500 billion, according to Jim Bianco of Bianco Research.

The annual gross domestic product of the United States is just over $14 trillion.

Treasury spokesman Andrew Williams downplayed the total amount could ever reach Barofsky’s number.

“The $23.7 trillion estimate generally includes programs at the hypothetical maximum size envisioned when they were established,” Williams said. “It was never likely that all these programs would be ‘maxed out’ at the same time.”

Still, the eye-popping price tag provoked an immediate reaction on Capitol Hill. “The potential financial commitment the American taxpayers could be responsible for is of a size and scope that isn’t even imaginable,” said Rep. Darrell Issa (R-Calif.), the ranking member of the House Oversight Committee. “If you spent a million dollars a day going back to the birth of Christ, that wouldn’t even come close to just one trillion dollars – $23.7 trillion is a staggering figure.”

Congressional Democrats say they will call for Treasury to meet transparency requirements suggested by the inspector general, said a spokeswoman for the Oversight committee. “The American people need to know what’s going on with their money....”

According to my calculator... if we say that there are 300 million Americans, 300,000,000... then it would cost every American, babies and all, something like $76,000 dollars each to repay the debt... and that is not factoring in one cent for any interest on the debt...

So... for a family of four that would amount to something like $304 thousand dollars... provided there is no interest on the debt...

Sleep tight America, we are in good hands.

XtnYoda, shalomed

Whoo Hoooo Hoooo!!!

There is a little bit of tension detected in the last line of the quote below.

For the chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, Charles Rangel (D-N.Y.), to make such a statement reveals a barrier of offense being built up in the leadership of the Democratic party toward president Obama.

Rangel said Obama had called the chairman’s meeting “to show that he’s in charge.”

It is becoming more and more obvious that this politics via thuggery and cajoling is only going to take our president so far... in his own camp... I mean... Obama is expecting congress to trumpet every word from his mouth, and rubber stamp every political desire of his heart.

Well... it's played pretty well for Obama for six months... but now these liberal democrats are realizing that their own futures are being asked to "fall on the sword" of Obama's desires... and some are obviously starting to question whether their political futures are worth sacrificing for Obama to build his legacy and his vision of America... which is obviously different than the majority of Americans.

And he is going to have three and a half more years to languish in this stew that he is brewing.

It isn't going to be pretty... within his own party.

the hill

Obama to lobby Energy and Commerce Dems
By Molly K. Hooper

Democrats on the House Energy and Commerce panel are headed to the White House, not their committee room, on Tuesday.

Instead of continuing their markup, Energy and Commerce Democrats will be lobbied by President Obama at the White House. Tuesday’s continuing markup was canceled, but the panel is scheduled to meet again on Wednesday.

The delays and intense effort by the White House cast more doubt on whether the House will meet its deadline of voting on the landmark bill before the August recess.

Conservative Democrats on the panel have criticized the healthcare reform bill’s costs, and complained it does not do enough to reduce long-term healthcare spending. Freshman Democrats have also been worried about growing fiscal deficits and the risk the healthcare bill could add to them, while members from wealthy districts are upset about a surcharge on the wealthy that would be used to pay for some of the bill’s costs.....

...Rangel said Obama had called the chairman’s meeting “to show that he’s in charge.” ....

It is time for Doctors to rescind the Hippocratic Oath...

....to adopt a more reasonable oath to the value of money/power over humanity...

The Borg Conspiracy

....troubling fact, Dr. Ezekiel Emanuel is a member of the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology board and has been a close advisor to Obama on health care. A bioethicist and the brother of Rahm Emanuel, Obama’s chief of staff, has called for rescinding the Hippocratic Oath which admonishes doctors to do no harm and to do all that is necessary to save the patient. Emmanuel believes that doctors should be oriented to cost factors rather than patient care. How many physicians, who become close to the patient and families they treat, will be willing to practice this cold, cold delivery of health care once the Hippocratic Oath is extinguished. The overwhelming majority of physicians have consciences. Obama and the liberals in Congress apparently do not.....

...this movement is necessary to accomplish the point of The Borg Conspiracy's article... that our liberal government is going to provide "national health care" by refusing to provide care for the weakest of our citizens... the elderly for example.

Wake up.

Tuesday, July 21. Today's cherished Nugget from guest blogger Pastor Bill.

“There are no days when God’s fountain does not flow.”
(Richard Owen Roberts)

God’s blessings flow to his children each day, but many do not see them. Some folks look for divine blessings look for the blessings to be covered with gold or silver, and it could be delivered by a child’s hugs and kisses.

Be careful not to miss the diamond or blessing just because it has a little dirt on it. We are reminded not to forget spiritual blessings when you start counting them

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ.” (Ephesians 1:3)

"God, Thank You for Your love and mercy poured out on me daily. Open my eyes to remember to count all Your blessings toward me.
Amen."

Thank You God, for Your mercy endures forever.

D. Bernanke here explains what is called ‘quantitative easing,’ which is actually a phrase that is describing what we used to call 'wishful thinking.' In the military it was called a 'pipe dream.'

My favorite term for it is actually from my favorite Greek word... 'baloney.'

I'm afraid though that the end result of the pictured quandary will be something worse than mere baloney.

H/T to Allison!

Ashley Herzog is setting at least part of the record straight about the so called "Hate Crimes" legislation.

Bottom line is that it is evidence that the dark minds of our day hate being exposed for what they are... sinful.

townhall
The Truth About Hate Crimes
by Ashley Herzog

I’ll grant supporters of hate crimes legislation one thing: they certainly understand the tactical advantage of being hateful when accusing others of hate.

This weekend, after the Senate passed the Matthew Shepard Hate Crimes Prevention Bill, I posted several articles on Facebook and my blog questioning the claim that Matthew Shepard was murdered solely because he was gay.

Although the media and gay rights activists treat it as conventional wisdom, this claim has always been in dispute. Shepard’s murderers, Aaron McKinney and Russell Henderson, admitted from the start that they were on a drug binge at the time of the killing. In 2004, McKinney told ABC News that Shepard's murder was not a homophobic hate crime, but a robbery gone wrong.

“He was pretty well-dressed, had a wallet full of money,” Aaron McKinney said of meeting Shepard. “All I wanted to do was beat him up and rob him...Seemed like a good idea at the time.”

Later that night, after assaulting Shepard, McKinney violently attacked two straight men. If homophobia was the only thing fueling McKinney’s rage, what was the motive for his second round of assaults?

But don’t raise these points with supporters of hate crimes legislation. After I posted the articles, I was called “stupid” and a “hate monger.” One commenter—after saying she’d like to punch me in the face—claimed that I was “defending his killers who so brutally murdered him.”...

Her whole post is full of important information and observation.

XtnYoda, shalomed

Monday, July 20th. Today's cherished Nugget from guest blogger Pastor Bill.

“You don’t learn to praise in a day, especially since you may have been complaining for years! New habits take time to develop. But you can begin today, and practice tomorrow, and the next day, until it becomes part of you.”
Erwin W. Lutzer

What have you heard more of this past week, complaining or praise? The trouble is that more people are experts in complaining and infants in the art of praise.

We don’t learn to praise from reading the paper, from watching television for the most part, or even from attending our schools. Praise comes from the practice of a daily walk with God giving Him the glory He is due today, tomorrow, and every day. The Psalmist gives us this word:

“Let everything that hath breath praise The Lord. Praise ye The Lord.” (Psalm 150:6)

"God, Let me be found praising Your name so that others may learn the habit, also. Amen."

Thank You God, for Your mercy endures forever.

Sunday, July 19th. Today's cherished Nugget from guest blogger Pastor Bill.

Matthew Henry wrote a famous Bible Commentary. As a poor and unknown young man, he wished to marry a girl whose father was wealthy and who did not approve of the marriage. The father argued that, although Henry was a good scholar and an excellent preacher, “they did not even know where he came from.”

The daughter had a ready answer. “But father,” she said, “we know where he is going, and I want to go with him.” Her father was silenced.

What about us, do our friends and family know where we are going as far as eternity is concerned?

Based on how we act and live would that make them want to spend eternity with us more? Jesus encourages us to

“Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your father which is in heaven.”
(Matthew 5:16)

"God, daily let me be the light in someone else’s world.
Amen."

Don’t hide your light under a bushel....

Saturday, July 18th. Today's cherished Nugget from guest blogger Pastor Bill.

“O come, let us sing unto the LORD: let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation.”
(Psalm 95:1)

All creation sings unto the Lord. Why should I remain silent? I say with Paul, the writer of Philippians:

“Rejoice in the Lord always; and again I say rejoice.” (Philippians 4:4)

We must lift up our voices and sing praises to God. We can make up our own songs of praise, or if we must, we can use someone else’s song. Whatever the source, the challenge is now and forever more: "Sing praises unto the Lord!"

"God, I am so blessed today, for You have given me sunshine after the rain and The Son-shine in the middle of the storms. Thank you!
Amen."

Give God praise, glory, thanks, and your whole heart today.

Forty years ago, on the 20th of July, 1969, our first astronauts landed on the moon.




(Armstrong, Collings, Aldrin)

What took place inside the lunar landing module as Armstrong took the first great step for humanity has been seldom reported, as a matter of fact kept silent for decades as the following account reveals...

liturgy nz blog

First Communion on the Moon
Published by Bosco Peters

On Sunday July 20, 1969 the first people landed on the moon. Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin were in the lunar lander which touched down at 3:17 Eastern Standard Time.

Buzz Aldrin had with him the Reserved Sacrament. He radioed: “Houston, this is Eagle. This is the LM pilot speaking. I would like to request a few moments of silence. I would like to invite each person listening in, whoever or wherever he may be, to contemplate for a moment the events of the last few hours, and to give thanks in his own individual way.”

Later he wrote: “In the radio blackout, I opened the little plastic packages which contained the bread and the wine. I poured the wine into the chalice our church had given me. In the one-sixth gravity of the moon, the wine slowly curled and gracefully came up the side of the cup. Then I read the Scripture, ‘I am the vine, you are the branches. Whosoever abides in me will bring forth much fruit.’ I had intended to read my communion passage back to earth, but at the last minute Deke Slayton had requested that I not do this. NASA was already embroiled in a legal battle with Madelyn Murray O’Hare, the celebrated opponent of religion, over the Apollo 8 crew reading from Genesis while orbiting the moon at Christmas. I agreed reluctantly…Eagle’s metal body creaked. I ate the tiny Host and swallowed the wine. I gave thanks for the intelligence and spirit that had brought two young pilots to the Sea of Tranquility. It was interesting for me to think: the very first liquid ever poured on the moon, and the very first food eaten there, were the communion elements.”

NASA kept this secret for two decades. The memoirs of Buzz Aldrin and the Tom Hanks’s Emmy- winning HBO mini-series, From the Earth to the Moon (1998), made people aware of this act of Christian worship 235,000 miles from Earth....

Father, how gratifying and fitting that the first liquid poured on your moon was that simple unction and picture of the blood of your Dear Son.

The first morsel eaten, a tiny host, filled with the reminders of His broken body... for we... your broken people.

A generation has come and gone... and still we are broken... yes... more broken and divided than even then.

Rain on us light from that drifting orb.
Wash us in the river of life that flowed so gently over the sides of that fragile cup.

Fill us with the sacred hope of heavens compassion.

Kýrie, eléison.

XtnYoda, shalomed

H/T Deke

Friday, July 17th. Today's cherished Nugget from guest blogger Pastor Bill.

“ A Christian should always remember that the value of his good works is not based on their number and excellence, but on the love of God which prompts him to do these things.”
Saint John of the Cross (1542–1591)

The writer of Colossians 2:6 encourages us this way, “As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in Him.” Not because of who you are, but because of Whose we are.

"God, Thank you for letting me serve You and others. Make me obedient to you as you have given me so much.
Amen."

Give God praise, glory, thanks, and your heart today.

This news from today in Iran... the way to treat women if you are a tyrant...

Iranian Women's site

Shadi Sadr violently abducted without headscarf
Date: 2009/07/17

Shadi SadrAround 11:30 a.m. Friday, July 17th Shadi Sadr was arrested in an entirely illegal manner on Keshavarz Blvd when she was en route with her friends to attend the Friday Prayers. One of Shadi’s friends has provided an account of what took place, stating:

We were heading towards Keshavarz Blvd, not even reaching the middle of the boulevard, when someone approached me and said, “You’re coming with me. The others go.” Shadi and I were looking at him with surprise, and one of the motorists said to him, “Not that one, this one.” They were dressed in civilian clothes (probably security forces) and went towards Shadi. Shadi was shaken up and taken by surprise. Suddenly she was then taken away and kept in a Peugeot car. Me and a friend started to yell, “Where are you taking her?!!” That’s also when Shadi tried to struggle and started to cry for help, pounding the car door. My friend then tried to open the door, and we were pulling Shadi out but an official who was inside the car was grabbing onto her. He was pulling onto her in such a way that her manteau (overcoat) was coming off but one of my friends still held onto Shadi’s hand and her blouse and pants that were once intact started to come off when caught in the car. At that time she escaped. The officials in civilian clothing and also me and my friend were running after her. It was then one of the officials from the opposite side attacked her and was pulling onto her scarf. Shadi was resisting his force when the scarf came undone. Shadi again escaped. This time two other people appeared unexpectedly, one of them carrying a spiral baton. They took Shadi and beat her violently while she continued to resist them. We weren’t allowed to go towards her. By force they had taken her and put her in the car. The official manhandled Shadi and it was apparent that for them, her hejab wasn’t even important!! When they brought her to the car, they didn’t even give her the scarf back. The car turned around and sped away. It’s true that no one, other than me and my friend did anything. Maybe if we were more in number, we wouldn’t have let them take her.

Shadi wanted to give her bag to us when the motorist shouted from afar “Keep hold of her bag!” Everyone became shocked that they couldn’t react. We have never seen an official order or identification from these paramilitary forces and we have no idea who they are.

Illegally abducted, beaten, held who knows where...

Ladies... are you paying attention... oh yes, these are the same ones who slaughtered Neda a couple of weeks ago...

This is the idea of leadership in Iran... and apparently coming quickly to the USA.

This article today from the Director of the Federal Budget Office's blog site.

He told congress yesterday that there is no way that our nation can sustain the financial direction that the current administration has led us into.

Do you think that congress will actually listen to facts instead of hyped/hope built on nothing other than whims and dreams as opposed to reality?

cbo blog

The Long-Term Budget Outlook

Today I had the opportunity to testify before the Senate Budget Committee about CBO’s most recent analysis of the long-term budget outlook.

Under current law, the federal budget is on an unsustainable path, because federal debt will continue to grow much faster than the economy over the long run. Although great uncertainty surrounds long-term fiscal projections, rising costs for health care and the aging of the population will cause federal spending to increase rapidly under any plausible scenario for current law. Unless revenues increase just as rapidly, the rise in spending will produce growing budget deficits. Large budget deficits would reduce national saving, leading to more borrowing from abroad and less domestic investment, which in turn would depress economic growth in the United States. Over time, accumulating debt would cause substantial harm to the economy. The following chart shows our projection of federal debt relative to GDP under the two scenarios we modeled.

Federal Debt Held by the Public Under CBO’s Long-Term Budget Scenarios (Percentage of GDP)


Keeping deficits and debt from reaching these levels would require increasing revenues significantly as a share of GDP, decreasing projected spending sharply, or some combination of the two....

Go to the official site for the entire lo-down.

XtnYoda, shalomed

Fair lies the night as death's dawn knocks at the door.

For all who care about events past their next meal or instant prurient pleasure The Borg Conspiracy has a MUST READ position opinion.

Must read... then by every means possible... share... or join the hollow voices that quiver in the dark... "Where go the ships?"

As We Go Quietly Into The Night

I have long understood what the real problems and dangers to this country were, as I have long understood their origins and those responsible for the threats that America faces today. Through the years, I have conversationally and in numerous writings on the matter, explained to people that our demise as a free nation, began when FDR rammed through the New Deal after the great depression.

No real epiphany on my part, but rather a simple understanding of history and what it represented to the future actions of those in this country and globally. And yes, I soon determined that we as a people are condemned to repeat our history.

There have been many comparisons of late concerning FDR's New Deal and Barack Obama's New Socialist Deal. And the two are strikingly similar in design and device IMO, but the reality is that what Obama is presently engaged in doing to this nation, is unprecedented in the history of America. It is safe to say IMO, "same new deal, different day and in spades."....

....Garet Garrett wrote of what FDR and congress had done to America.....on the heels of the great depression.

The powers transferred to the President were such, among others, as these:

1. To control and administer all business and industry in the public interest;
2. To govern production, prices, profits, competition, wages and the hours of labor;
3. To determine the economic policy of the country; that is to say, whether it shall be national or international;
4. To debase money in behalf of the debtor class;
5. To produce inflation in the interest of certain classes;
6. To reapportion private wealth and income throughout the nation, in his own judgement;
7. The power specifically to reduce the gold value of the dollar one-half - or, that is to say, the power, simply by proclamation, to double the price of everything that is priced in dollars, and to halve the value of every obligation payable in dollars, such as debts, bonds and mortgages, insurance policies, bank deposits.

And what we are currently seeing and experiencing today, is the Obama administration furthering the socialist extremes first visited on this country seventy six years ago. In each instance it should be noted, that America was/is at its weakest point and teetering on the edge of complete economic collapse.

These are the times historically, when the people throw caution to the wind and run madly toward the cliffs like the mindless lemmings that they are. Save us! Save us! We will gladly surrender our freedoms for more manna from heaven and the belief that we will be taken care of by an omnipresent and benevolent government!

But salvation and redemption will not come. They are only the empty promises of the socialist huckster. As America watches congress attempt to pass Obama's cap and trade and health care reform packages over the next few weeks, they need to be aware of the old Latin phrase "Caveat Emptor." For we as a nation are being bound with the silk ribbons of deceit and traitorous actions that will soon (but too late) be revealed.

Garet Garrett was right. We as a nation have been facing the ramparts and searching for and enemy on the horizon, when we should have been facing back toward the fifth column in our midst. Kruchev predicted it, but so did Garret and others. And now it has arrived.

Are we ready for a federally funded agent to knock on our door, request entrance... so they can "immunize" our children right in our own homes?

This is simply... alarming... but it is exactly what is being proposed by this administration.

There is ample controversy about the use of immunizations, esp. on children. To think about someone knocking on your door, prepared and asking permission to give your child an immunization shot... right in your own home... is bone chilling to me.

Go read the entire article and ask yourself this question, "What would I do if someone knocks on my door to immunize my child/children... or adults for that matter?

cns news report

Health Care Bill Will Fund State Vaccine Teams to Conduct ‘Interventions’ in Private Homes...

Home visits? What exactly is the state going to do when it sends people to “implement interventions” in private homes designed “to improve immunization coverage of children”?....

The program authorizing home “interventions” to promote immunizations falls under “Subtitle C: Creating Healthier Communities.” This subtitle directs the secretary of health and human services to “establish a demonstration program to award grants to states to improve the provision of recommended immunizations for children, adolescents, and adults through the use of evidence-based, population-based interventions for high-risk populations.”

The bill lists eight specific ways that states may use federal grant money to carry out immunization-promoting “interventions.” Method “E” calls for “home visits” which can include “provision of immunizations.”

Says the draft bill: “Funds received under a grant under this subsection shall be used to implement interventions that are recommended by the Task Force on Community Preventive Services (as established by the secretary, acting through the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) or other evidence-based interventions, including...(E) providing for home visits that promote immunization through education, assessments of need, referrals, provision of immunizations, or other services....

consider and ponder this.

H/T Brian

Thursday, July 16th. Today's cherished Nugget from guest blogger Pastor Bill.

"No horse gets anyone anywhere until he’s harnessed, no steam or gas drives anything until it is confined, no Niagara ever turns anything into light or power until it is tunneled, no life ever does great things it is until focused, dedicated, and disciplined."
(Unknown)

Left to ourselves and our own understanding we can and will do nothing. However by focusing our hearts and minds on God and letting Him direct our path there is no telling here we can go and what we can do. Philippians 4:13 reminds us that, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”

"God, it is my desire and will to allow You to focus and direct my path that I may be powerful through You.
Amen."

Give God praise, glory, thanks, and your heart today.

The man being placed as our new Science Czar in America... are you ready for this?...

Government forced abortions... forced sterilization... federal limits on children...

Just read the info... go to the links for more info if you can stomach the reality of what is happening and being perpetrated on America...

The second real important point with this is... all this revelation was brought about by a "blog" site... even to the point that the White House has felt it necessary to respond... as well as Holdren's office... forced by a little old blog site.

First the forced responses, then the report that forced it.

zombie blog

White House, John Holdren's office both issue statements on Ecoscience controversy
Posted Tue, Jul 14, 2009 at 8:40 pm 6 Comments

The controversy over John Holdren’s co-authored book Ecoscience has reached the White House.

According to this article in the Washington Times, both the White House and John Holdren’s office have issued official statements from Holdren and his co-authors in which he distances himself from the words published in Ecoscience 32 years ago. From the article:

When asked whether Mr. Holdren’s thoughts on population control have changed over the years, his staff gave The Washington Times a statement that said, “This material is from a three-decade-old, three-author college textbook. Dr. Holdren addressed this issue during his confirmation when he said he does not believe that determining optimal population is a proper role of government. Dr. Holdren is not and never has been an advocate for policies of forced sterilization.”

The White House also passed along a statement from the Ehrlichs that said, in part, “anybody who actually wants to know what we and/or Professor Holdren believe and recommend about these matters would presumably read some of the dozens of publications that we and he separately have produced in more recent times, rather than going back a third of a century to find some formulations in an encyclopedic textbook where description can be misrepresented as endorsement.“

Now for the original report that forced the responses...
zobietime

• Women could be forced to abort their pregnancies, whether they wanted to or not;
• The population at large could be sterilized by infertility drugs intentionally put into the nation's drinking water or in food;
• Single mothers and teen mothers should have their babies seized from them against their will and given away to other couples to raise;
• People who "contribute to social deterioration" (i.e. undesirables) "can be required by law to exercise reproductive responsibility" -- in other words, be compelled to have abortions or be sterilized.
• A transnational "Planetary Regime" should assume control of the global economy and also dictate the most intimate details of Americans' lives -- using an armed international police force.

Never doubt again the importance of the blog world in this current information crisis.

Get involved.

XtnYoda, shalomed

XtnYoda was first notified of this not from the MSM but from another blog site called Brutally Honest.

Ask yourself this question... "Where is the MSM on this?

As the scripture informs that a cheerful heart does one good like medicine...

The Pastor's Business Card

A new pastor was visiting in the homes of his parishioners. At one house it seemed obvious that someone was at home, but no answer came to his repeated knocks at the door.

Therefore, he took out a business card and wrote "Revelation 3:20" on the back of it and stuck it in the door.

When the offering was processed the following Sunday, he found that his card had been returned. Added to it was this cryptic message, "Genesis 3:10..."

Reaching for his Bible to check out the citation, he broke up in gales of laughter. Revelation 3:20 begins "Behold, I stand at the door and knock." Genesis 3:10 reads, "I heard your voice in the garden and I was afraid for I was naked."

H/T Jennifer

Wednesday, July 15th. Today's cherished Nugget from guest blogger Pastor Bill.

Former President Ronald Reagan said he learned the need for decision-making early in life.

An aunt had taken him to a cobbler to have a pair of shoes made for him. The shoemaker asked young Ronald Reagan, “Do you want a square toe or a round toe?” Reagan hemmed and hawed. So the cobbler said, “Come back in a day or two and let me know what you want.”

A few days later, the shoemaker saw Reagan on the street and asked what he had decided about the shoes. “I still haven’t made up my mind,” the boy answered. “Very well,” said the cobbler. When Reagan received the shoes, he was shocked to see that one shoe had a square toe and the other a round toe. Years later, Reagan said, "Looking at those shoes every day taught me a lesson. If you don’t make your own decisions, somebody else will make them for you!”

The sovereign God has made us people, not puppets. We have His Word to guide us, His love to redeem us, and His assurance that we are capable of making choices.

This side of eternity, each of us will make many decisions that will affect many areas of our lives. First and foremost is the decision to confess Jesus Christ as our Lord, which determines our eternal destination.

Jesus tells us,

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.”
(John 3:16-18)

Not to make the decision has consequences infinitely more important than the shape of a shoe.

"God, may these words reach some heart(s) for You today.
Amen."

Give God praise, glory, thanks, and your heart today.

This report literally sends shivers up my spine.

For a Christian leader to call "individual salvation" a heresy and idolatry... just remarkable verbiage coming from one with the given mission of handling God's Word.

To the jailer, "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved, and your house." (Acts 16 and many other references...)

one news now

Episcopal Bishop calls individual salvation 'heresy,' 'idolatry'

Associated Press, ANAHEIM, CA - Episcopal Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori says it's "heresy" to believe that an individual can be saved through a sinner's prayer of repentance.

In her opening address to the church's General Conference in California, Jefferts Schori called that "the great Western heresy: that we can be saved as individuals, that any of us alone can be in right relationship with God."

The presiding bishop said that view is "caricatured in some quarters by insisting that salvation depends on reciting a specific verbal formula about Jesus."

According to Schori, it is heresy to believe that an individual's prayer can achieve a saving relationship with God. "That individualist focus is a form of idolatry, for it puts me and my words in the place that only God can occupy."

Here is the quote from her presentation:
Episcopal site quote

The overarching connection in all of these crises has to do with the great Western heresy – that we can be saved as individuals, that any of us alone can be in right relationship with God. It’s caricatured in some quarters by insisting that salvation depends on reciting a specific verbal formula about Jesus. That individualist focus is a form of idolatry, for it puts me and my words in the place that only God can occupy, at the center of existence, as the ground of being.

Shacking up couples are MORE LIKELY to divorce if they marry than those who don't shack up?

This is a shocking and spurious report from Live Science. This kind of reporting should not be allowed in this country! Who do these people think they are? Some red-necked preacher totin' a Bible and a six shooter?!

This just flies in the face of conventional wisdom... I mean if 70% of couples are shacking up before marriage then it must be the right thing to do!

Hate mongers.

live science

Prenuptial Cohabiting Can Spoil Marriage

Couples who shack up before tying the knot are more likely to get divorced than their counterparts who don't move in together until marriage, a new study suggests.

Upwards of 70 percent of U.S. couples are cohabiting these days before marrying, the researchers estimate. The study, published in the February issue of the Journal of Family Psychology, indicates that such move-ins might not be wise.

And it's not because you start to get on one another's nerves. Rather, the researchers figure the shared abode could lead to marriage for all the wrong reasons.....

....."Cohabiting to test a relationship turns out to be associated with the most problems in relationships," Rhoades said. "Perhaps if a person is feeling a need to test the relationship, he or she already knows some important information about how a relationship may go over time."

Building homes for wounded troop... I haven't heard of this great service before.

Thanks to H/T Army Wife and Toddler Mom!

Tuesday, July 14th. Today's cherished Nugget from guest blogger Pastor Bill.

Did you read about the little boy who returned home after his first Sunday school class? His mother asked, “Who was your teacher?" The little boy answered, "I don’t remember her name, but she must have been Jesus’ grandmother because she didn’t talk about anyone else.”

Does our conversation reflect our love of Jesus? Would our words give away our relationship with Him?

Jesus reminds us,

“Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.”
(Matthew 5:16)

"God, let me reflect Your love to others that they might have confirmation of my relationship with You.
Amen."

Give God praise and thanks today.

This written and sung by XtnYoda... A Prayer for America.

Senator John Barrasso from Wyoming, has called for an investigation into the EPA.

We are looking for the promised openness from this administration...

I'll try to follow this to see what comes of the request.

Barrasso's site

“Culture of Intimidation” Rules EPA
Barrasso calls for a Senate Investigation into EPA activities

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Senator John Barrasso (R-Wyo.) has called for a Senate investigation into the silencing of Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) officials and Small Business Administration lawyers by the Administration.

“It is clear that there is a culture of intimidation in the EPA. They have ignored, and willfully blocked warnings from their own scientists, their own economists and their own lawyers,” Barrasso said....

This intimidation and blocking of information concerns the exposing of the lies about human caused "Climate Change."

Here's rooting for you John!

XtnYoda, shalomed

Children are freezing to death in Peru... the culprit...

Climate Change.

I kid you not.


The logic here is... remarkable. Winter arrives three months early because of Climate Change...

bbc report

Children die in harsh Peru winter

Almost 250 children under the age of five have died in a wave of intensely cold weather in Peru.

Children die from pneumonia and other respiratory infections every year during the winter months particularly in Peru's southern Andes.

But this year freezing temperatures arrived almost three months earlier than usual.

Experts blame climate change for the early arrival of intense cold which began in March.....

Remarkable really.

XtnYoda, shalomed

Sunday, July 12th. Today's cherished Nugget from guest blogger Pastor Bill.

“Just in terms of allocation of time resources, religion is not very efficient. There's a lot more I could be doing on a Sunday morning.” (Bill Gates)

The key to this statement is "religion." If, to us, Sunday morning is just about religion, we are missing the point.

The importance of Sunday morning is worship that enhances our relationship with The Lord God Jehovah…not religion and its trappings. In the Book of John, Jesus spoke to our worship of God:

“Our fathers worshiped in this mountain; and ye say, that in Jerusalem is the place where men ought to worship. Jesus saith unto her, Woman, believe me, the hour cometh, when ye shall neither in this mountain, nor yet at Jerusalem, worship the Father. Ye worship ye know not what: we know what we worship: for salvation is of the Jews. But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him. God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.”
(John 4:20-24)

Folks, Now is that time! See you in the pew!

"Lord God Jehovah, cleanse me from all unrighteousness that I might have the right relationship with You.
Amen."

“Thou shalt worship the Lord God and Him only shalt thou serve.” (Matthew 4:10)

In Article #19 of the New Jersey Constitution that was adopted in July of 1776 we find these words...

...all persons, professing a belief in the faith of any Protestant sect. who shall demean themselves peaceably under the government, as hereby established, shall be capable of being elected into any office of profit or trust, or being a member of either branch of the Legislature.

And these words in Article #18 sound refreshing...

That no person shall ever, within this Colony, be deprived of the inestimable privilege of worshipping Almighty God in a manner, agreeable to the dictates of his own conscience.

Saturday, July 11th. Today's cherished Nugget from guest blogger Pastor Bill.

“No man can deliver the goods if his heart is heavier than his load.”
(Frank Irving Fletcher)

I know we have all had situations when our heart was heavy, and we just couldn’t get our mind and body in gear to get the job done. This is true now more than at any time most of us have lived--until now. That is why it is important for us to follow Paul’s advice to the Galatians as he told them to

“Bear ye one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.” (Galatians 6:2)

We need to look around and find someone to whom we can give a smile, speak a kind word, and offer a cup of cool water, because when we have done it the least of these, Jesus says, “Ye have done it unto me.” (Matthew 25:45)

"God, let me be Your hands, feet, and mind to others needing Your touch.
Amen."

May God bless you and those you encourage.