Brad's Life

Broken

2007-10-09T09:53:00.000-04:00

The broken clock is a comfort, it helps me sleep tonight
Maybe it can stop tomorrow from stealing all my time
I am here still waiting though I still have my doubts
I am damaged at best, like you've already figured out

I'm falling apart, I'm barely breathing
With a broken heart that's still beating
In the pain there is healing
In your name I find meaning
So I'm holdin' on, I'm holdin' on, I'm holdin' on
I'm barely holdin' on to you

The broken locks were a warning you got inside my head
I tried my best to be guarded, I'm an open book instead
I still see your reflection inside of my eyes
That are looking for purpose, they're still looking for life

I'm falling apart, I'm barely breathing
With a broken heart that's still beating
In the pain is there healing
In your name I find meaning
So I'm holdin' on, I'm holdin' on, I'm holdin' on
I'm barely holdin' on to you

I'm hanging on another day just to see what you will throw my way
And I'm hanging on to the words you say
You said that I will be ok

The broken lights on the freeway left me here alone
I may have lost my way now, haven't forgotten my way home

I'm falling apart, I'm barely breathing
With a broken heart that's still beating
In the pain there is healing
In your name I find meaning
So I'm holdin' on, I'm holdin' on, I'm holdin' on
I'm barely holdin' on to you

I'm holdin' on
I'm holdin' on
I'm barely holdin' on to you

A Nice Problem To Have

2007-09-07T09:45:00.000-04:00

As I was listening to the radio today on my way to school, a song came on and it really made me think. How often have I came upon a problem in my life and treated it as a annoyance or hindrance to my life? That flat tire the other day, forgetting my keys or my phone. All of these events caused me to take a unplanned break in my day, and gave me a chance to think. It brought to mind Psalm 46:10 "Be still, and know that I am God."

Instead of being frustrated at these little inconveniences in my life, I believe that God wants me to take time each day to slow down, and be at peace with him. However novel this idea may sound, it works. That's kinda the whole point of this post, its the little things in life that matter more than we think.

Had his back to the wall
Sittin on a corner
Beggin' for mercy in the shape of a quarter
He said man it sure is a cold harsh city
I'd appreciate anything you can give me

I'd said I'd like to help you but I can't today
Got a wife, a kid, and one on the way
A car loan, a mortgage and taxes to file
He said to me with a toothless smile

What a nice problem to have
Someday you'll figure out
It's the sweetest of worries
You worry about
Man I used to be right where you're at
And what a nice problem to have

Well I reached for my wallet and pulled out a twenty
Might've seemed like a lot but I got back plenty
That long road home seemed shorter this time
She met me at the door with tears in her eyes and said
The faucets leaking in the kitchen again
Billy's got a fever and the washer won't spin
I put my hand on our unborn child
Kissed her on the cheek and I just smiled

What a nice problem to have
Baby I figured out
It's the sweetest of worries I worry about
Baby I like my life right where it's at
And what a nice problem to have

What a nice problem to have
Baby I figured out
It's the sweetest of worries we worry about
Baby I like our life right where it's at
And what a nice problem
Oh such a nice problem
Yeah what a nice problem to have

Finally, be sure to be thankful to have those problems, because that means you're alive:)

Update.

2005-03-17T17:42:00.000-05:00

Okay....I'm back:)

I've decided to just post some humor to lighten up all of our lives because I know we all can use some comic relief.

The letter from the Air Force colonel in charge of safety said
that rocket boosters weighing more than 300,000 pounds "have
an explosive force upon surface impact that is sufficient to
exceed the accepted overpressure threshhold of physiological
damage for exposed personnel."

In other words, if a 300,000-pound booster rocket falls on
someone, he or she will die.

Unfortunately we humans don't come equipped with delete buttons for our mouths. My friend and his rock band were playing a concert at the psychiatric hospital where he worked as a musical therapist. The audience was a little too quiet for his taste so the guitarist decided to do something about it. He grabbed the microphone, pointed at the group and yelled, "are you ready to get a little crazy?"

The BEST one yet is:

I had just pulled over someone for driving under the influence when another car pulled up behind us. I stopped what I was doing and ventured back to see if the driver needed assistance.
"No I dont need any help" he said reeking of booze. Then pointed to the flashing light on the roof of my cruiser, he continued, "I just stopped for the red light"

Song of the post: Trip Around the Sun by Jimmy Buffett and Martina McBride.
Since I had a birthday last week, I decided this would be a good song:)

Posting...

2005-02-17T17:22:00.000-05:00

As my sister commented in my last post, blogging is really not real high on my priorities list. To further exemplify this, I am including part of my profile on Dr. Rich Ganz which I turned in today to Mr. Pulliam.

Dr. Ganz was pointed towards Christ by a man he had never met, in a cabin 5,000 miles from where he was supposed to be. A student from Harvard was bicycling through Europe and during a storm ended up stopping at the same cabin Ganz was in. When presented with the Gospel, Ganz said “This is all very interesting, but I need a great deal of time to think about these things” he replied “Time, you’ve got time, just remember, you don’t have forever.”

Think about that quote, is what you are doing REALLY going to matter later in life?
If you were to die today, how much would you have helped to change the world?
To go along with that last quote, I am including Keith Urbans song "Days Go By" as my song of the post.

Humor: I was looking over some computer hardware at an electronics store when I overheard a customer ask the salesclerk, "I'd like a mouse pad please." "We have loads to choose from sir" answered the clerk. "Great" said the customer. Will they all be compatible with my computer?

Been a while...

2005-02-01T21:14:00.000-05:00

I know I havent updated for a while....so I shall. I really enjoyed all of Dr. Ganz's teaching this past week. Even though I was kept busy during most of it, I picked up a set of tapes, and plan to listen to them again:) Dr. Ganz's seminar has been the most notable thing I have done since I last updated.

Some good quotes:
Friendship is the hardest thing in the world to explain. It's not something you learn in school. But if you haven't learned the meaning of friendship, you really haven't learned anything."
-Muhammad Ali

"All the president is, is a glorified public relations man who spends his time flattering, kissing, and kicking people to get them to do what they are supposed to do anyway."-Harry S Truman

"Be true to your work, your word, and your friend."-Henry David Thoreau

"You can't build a reputation on what you're going to do."
-Henry Ford

"Obstacles are those frightful things you see when you take your eyes off your goal."
-Henry Ford

Song of the post: Magnificent Seven
Recognize it?
If so, tell me where you heard it last:)

Dead?

2005-01-14T13:26:00.000-05:00

No I'm not dead. Just busy living my life.

The Olympic High Diver

2004-12-20T18:08:00.000-05:00

An Olympic gold-medalist high-diving champion was once plagued qith insomnia.
As he tossed and turned upon his bed, he began thinking deeply about the success he had attained in his field. He meditated on the gold medals he had won. To his dismay he realized that his success had not achieved what he had hoped. The excitement of winning, the photographers, the medals, and the fame had given him some sense of pleasure, but the fact of death awaiting him left him with a complete sense of futility.
He rose from the bed and made his way to his diving pool. Because of a full moon, he didn't even bother to turn the lights on. As he climbed the high diving board, he watched his shadow cast by the moonlight on the far wall. The routine had become so commonplace to him that he could confidently walk that board in the semi-darkness.
At the end of the diving board, he prepared for the dive. He placed his feet together, then pulled his arms up to a horizontal position. As he did so, his eyes caught a glimpse of his shadow on the far wall. All he could see was a perfect cross. His mind immediately raced back to his Sunday school days: "God commends his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us" (Romans 5:8). All of a sudden he felt unclean as he considered the Commandments he had broken. THe sinless Son of God had come to pay the penalty for his sins. With tears in his eyes, the great athlete turned around, slowly made his way down to the bottom of the diving board, fell to his knees, and yielded his life to Jesus Christ. He was able to go back to bed and sleep peacefully.
In the morning he arose with a new sense of forgiveness of his sins. He made his way back to the pool, but to his utter astonishment, it was completely empty! The previous evening, the caretaker had emptied it and was just beginning the process of refilling.

Quote of the post: "The only thing achieved without effort is failure"
Song of the post: That's My Job by Conway Twitty

2004-12-13T15:34:00.000-05:00

An atheist professor was teaching a college class when he told the class that he was going to prove that there is no God.

He said, "God, if you are real, then I want you to knock me off this platform. I'll give you 15 minutes!" Ten minutes went by. He kept taunting God, saying, "Here I am, God. I'm still waiting."He got down to the last couple of minutes when a Marine, just released aftera year of combat duty in Iraq, and newly registered in the class,walked up to the professor, hit him full force in the face, and sent him flying from his platform.

The professor struggled up, obviously shaken and yelled, "What's the matter with you? Why did you do that?"The Marine replied, "God's a little busy watching over my buddies in Iraq;He sent me with His reply

The New Convert

2004-12-01T14:54:00.000-05:00

A new convert was reading his Bible when he called out, WOW! Praise the Lord! A liberal minister heard him, and asked him what the noise was about. The young Christian replied with great enthusiasm, This is incredible. It says here that God performed a miracle of deliverance by opening up the Red Sea for the Jews to march through! The minister replied, Owing to tidal patterns around that time of year, the Red sea was a swamp that was only three inches deep.
Somewhat subdued, the young man continued reading, but soon exclaimed, WOW! Praise the Lord! Whats the matter now asked the minister. To which the Christian replied, "God has just drowned the whole Egyptian army in three inches of water!"

I found that little story in my Bible and thought I should share it with you all.

Quote of the post: "Failure is not necessarily missing the target, but aiming too low."
Song of the post: "Three Wooden Crosses" by Randy Travis"

LEAF RAKE!!!!!!

2004-11-13T22:34:00.000-05:00

Ahh yes...it's that time of year again. Today was our annual leaf rake, we raked the entire church property. Trent and I raked the top of the hill by the drive by ourselves. Moving on we went down and helped Alyssa, Jacob,Philip,Kathryn, Laurie, Beth, and later Ana set the record for most leaves moved on one tarp. Once that side was done, we went to the other side and raked up all those leaves. ...

Mrs. Thompsons

2004-11-13T22:33:00.000-05:00

...After finishing up at church, Carrie, Angie, Laurie,Ana, Alyssa, Trenton,Greg,Beth and myself drove up to Mrs. Thompsons to rake her leaves. It only took the nine of us about an hour to rake AND bag the leaves. Once the leaves were bagged, we built a pyramid out of the 20 (yellow) trash bags full of leaves, and then Alyssa drew a smiley face on it:) we all signed our names to the trash bags.
Greg, Alyssa, Trenton and I climbed onto Mrs. Thompsons roof to clean the leaves off of her gutters and roof. Once we had all the leaves collected up there...Trent, Alyssa, and myself jumped off her house:) since going down the shaky ladder wasn't as an exciting idea.

Update?

2004-11-12T22:19:00.000-05:00

Not really, just pointing you to a few places:)
Trentons blog:
http://flashingsquid.blogspot.com
Alyssa's blog:
http://raindropsandbutterflies.blogspot.com

Song of the post: Travis Tritt-Where Corn Don't Grow

Listen to the song, then comment on your thoughts about it.

2004-11-03T02:40:00.000-05:00

GEORGE W. BUSH!!!!! Re-elected for his second term.!!!!!

Song of the post: We Wont Get Fooled Again

2004-11-03T02:35:00.000-05:00

MITCH DANIELS INDIANA'S NEW GOVERNOR!!!!!!!!

Talk about a AWESOME Day!!!!!!!!
I got up early and went to the Johnson County Republican headquarters in Franklin to make phone calls to get people out to vote. So, after 7 hours on a phone we had called every registered Republican in Johnson county that hadn't voted yet.
Next stop: American Legion in Greenwood.
We stopped by the American Legion building for Brent Waltz' celebration.
Final leg of the night: HINKLE FIELDHOUSE!!!!!
Parking at Hinkle was crowded, nonetheless we walked to Hinkle in about 5 minutes.
Mike Pence and his family pulled up in their limo as we were walking in. We talked to Erin, Mr. Cutter and Daniel, and Mr. Long and Jacob before we even got inside.
Inside they had TV's setup on all sides of the room, and the stage at the front. TV cameras were everywhere. I spent a hour outside waiting for RV-1 to bring Mitch up for his victory speech.
While waiting, I got pictures of Steve Carter and Mike Pence.
Adam drove RV-1 in (Finally!) and Mitch got out and waved and went inside to wait for Governor Kernans concession speech.
After Kernan's speech Mitch took the stage and spoke for about 20 minutes, and then was swarmed by supporters.
I got Mitch to sign my "Final Mile Road Team" shirt (to go along with my signed "My Man Mitch" shirt) and managed to appear on two television stations.
We stayed in Hinkle and talked with Ben Ledo and Adam (Mitch's Roadies) and watched the latest numbers coming in from the presidential race.
It was 12:00 before we left Hinkle, and we went home and watched more updates until 2.
Just being at Hinkle when Mitch was announced the winner was SOO AWESOME!!!!

Interesting quote

2004-10-29T08:37:00.000-05:00

"If the automobile had followed the same development cycle as the computer, a Rolls-Royce would today cost $100, get one million miles to the gallon, and explode once a year, killing everyone inside." - Robert X Cringely

An UPDATE!!!!!!!

2004-10-28T14:29:00.000-05:00

Sadly I haven't updated in almost a month.
Monday after algebra, we drove down to Franklin to be with Mitch Daniels at a small little restaurant in downtown Franklin. We were some of the first ones there, and talked to Adam (one of Mitch’s roadies) for a little bit. RV-1 was quite an impressive sight in front of this little restaurant. RTV 6 interviewed mom, and the cameraman filmed me taping Mitch for a bit. After he signed numerous hats and shirts for people, he went inside to give a little speech. After the speech, FOX 59 interviewed mom and Beth individually.
It was a cool morning

See some clips of his speech that never made it on TV HERE

Song of the post: Let Your Love Shine Bright.

Quote of the post: "Even if you're on the right track, you'll get run over if you just sit there."

2004-10-28T14:28:00.000-05:00

RTV6 interviewing

2004-10-28T14:27:00.001-05:00

RV-1

2004-10-28T14:27:00.000-05:00

RV-1 in front of the little diner

2004-10-28T14:26:00.001-05:00

Mitch signing shirts

2004-10-28T14:26:00.000-05:00

RV-1 pulling into Franklin

WORKDAY!!!!

2004-10-09T19:46:00.000-05:00

Wow!
What a day. Went to bed late...got up early and headed to church for workday. I helped Joel, Greg, and Mark removing air conditioners from the third floor. Next I went to moving the stage up to the third floor (hard one...those stage sections weigh a TON!) which took a while.
After all that was done, I went to Lowe's with Mark to get $400 of supplies, got stuck in the store when Mr. Reinhardt kept calling my cell to have us get more stuff. Now for the dirty work:D Carrie wanted 4 pine trees moved from the top of the hill to the bottom because they weren't getting enough sun. Phillip, Sean, Carrie, Laurie, Alyssa, Ana Marie, Alissa, Valerie, Trenton, Nathan, Jacob, and Caleb all helped in digging up and moving the trees.
Cleaned out the shed, ate, and played some soccer:)

Song of the post: Unconditional Surrender

NEW HURRICANE!!!!!

2004-09-30T23:40:00.000-05:00

******The National Weather Service has issued a warning for yet another catastrophic hurricane following on the heels of Charley, Frances, Ivan and Jeanne. The path of this hurricane zigs and zags, and is therefore highly unpredictable. Experts predict that this one will cause the most damage to the United States that we have experienced in four years. They are naming this one Hurricane Kerry. Be advised, the only way for citizens to protect themselves is by hiding behind a Bush.*****

2004-09-24T12:52:00.001-05:00

Mitch speaking

2004-09-24T12:52:00.000-05:00

Andy Horning getting interviewed by WIBC

2004-09-24T12:51:00.001-05:00

Jim Shella from WISH-8 introducing Mitch Daniels

2004-09-24T12:51:00.000-05:00

That's Cindy Burres:)

2004-09-24T12:50:00.000-05:00

Daniels getting interviewed by 1070 WIBC

Hobnob

2004-09-23T13:55:00.000-05:00

Tonight I attended the Hobnob at the Indiana Historical Society. For those of you wondering what on earth it was, it was a evening with the political candidates for all parties to let the public come and meet with them. There was plenty of free food and drinks to be enjoyed. It started at 5 and didn't get over until after 8.
Among those that spoke, I enjoyed Mitch Daniels the best. He didn't speak until about 7:30, so those that had been drinking...were a bit tipsy. Here is a short clip of how he started his speech. It is only about a megabyte for those of you on dialup.
In all, it was pretty fun (especially the free food)

An email I got.

2004-09-21T13:47:00.000-05:00

IRAQ - VERY INTERESTING - DID YOU KNOW?

1. The garden of Eden was in Iraq.

2. Mesopotamia, which is now Iraq, was the cradle of civilization!

3. Noah built the ark in Iraq.

4. The Tower of Babel was in Iraq.

5. Abraham was from Ur, which is in Southern Iraq!

6. Isaac's wife Rebekah is from Nahor, which is in Iraq.

7. Jacob met Rachel in Iraq.

8. Jonah preached in Nineveh - which is in Iraq.

9. Assyria, which is in Iraq, conquered the ten tribes of Israel.

10. Amos cried out in Iraq!

11. Babylon, which is in Iraq, destroyed Jerusalem.

12. Daniel was in the lion's den in Iraq!

13. The three Hebrew children were in the fire in Iraq (Jesus had been
in Iraq also as the fourth person in the fiery furnace!)

14. Belshazzar, the King of Babylon saw the "writing on the wall" in
Iraq.

15. Nebuchadnezzar, King of Babylon, carried the Jews captive into
Iraq.

16. Ezekiel preached in Iraq.

17. The wise men were from Iraq.

18. Peter preached in Iraq.

19. The "Empire of Man" described in Revelation is called
Babylon, which was a city in Iraq!

And you have probably seen this one. Israel is the nation most often
mentioned in the Bible. But do you know which nation is second? It is
Iraq! However, that is not the name that is used in the Bible. The
names used in the Bible are Baby lon, Land of Shinar, and Mesopotamia.
The word Mesopotamia means between the two rivers, more exactly between the
Tigris and Euphrates Rivers. The name Iraq, means country with deep roots.

Indeed Iraq is a country with deep roots and is a very significant
country in the Bible.

No other nation, except Israel, has more history and prophecy
associated it than Iraq.

And also... This is something to think about! Since America is
typically represented by an eagle. Saddam should have read up on his
Muslim passages...

The following verse is from the Koran, (the Islamic Bible)

Koran (9:11) - For it is written that a son of Arabia would awaken a
fearsome Eagle. The wrath of the Eagle would be felt throughout the
lands of Allah and lo, while some of the people trembled in despair still
more rejoiced; for the wrath of the Eagle cleansed the lands of Allah;
and there was peace.

(Note the verse number!) Hmmmmmmm?!

THE REPUBLICAN AND THE DEMOCRAT

2004-09-15T22:25:00.000-05:00

A woman in a hot air balloon realized she was lost. She lowered altitude and spotted a man in a boat below. She shouted to him, "Excuse me, can you help me? I promised a friend I would meet him an hour ago, but I don't know where I am."The man consulted his portable GPS and said, "You're in a hot air balloon, approximately 30 feet above a ground elevation of 2,345 feet above sea level. You are 31-degrees, 14 minutes north latitude and 100 degrees, 49 minutes west longitude." She rolled her eyes and said, "You must be a Republican.""I am," replied the man. "How did you know?" "Well," answered the balloonist, "everything you told me is technically correct, but I have no idea what to make of your information and I'm still lost. Frankly, you've not been much help to me."The man smiled and responded, "You must be a Democrat.""I am," replied the balloonist. "How did you know?" "Well," said the man, "you don't know where you are or where you're going. You've risen to where you are due to a large quantity of hot air. You made a promise that you have no idea how to keep, and you expect ME to solve your problem. You're in EXACTLY the same position you were in before we met, but somehow now it's MY fault."

Somehow terribly true.
I get to work for Mitch Daniels again on Saturday!

2004-09-07T12:07:00.001-05:00

Chatting with folks.

2004-09-07T12:07:00.000-05:00

"Working the crowd"

2004-09-07T12:06:00.000-05:00

Mitch on top of RV1.

Labor Day.

2004-09-07T11:53:00.000-05:00

Over Labor Day weekend, it has been a long-lasting tradition to go up to Plymouth, Indiana to my Grandparents house for the Blueberry Festival and Labor Day parade. This year was REALLY cool because we got to walk in the parade with Mitch Daniels. The original idea was to ride with Mitch on TOP of RV1, but for saftey reasons, we couldnt:( we ended up walking the parade route which was about 2 1/2 miles long (Not counting the runs to and from the RV to get more stickers/papers).
We got to walk along and hand out papers and stickers while Mitch greeted the parade-goers. The Star was also onhand to interview him before the parade. I have included several pictures from the parade.

Quote's from the man of the day...

2004-08-30T13:47:00.000-05:00

"If you tell the truth, you don't have to remember anything."
"The man who does not read good books has no advantage over the man who cannot read them."
"It is better to be thought a fool, than to open your mouth and remove all doubt."
-Mark Twain

Some fun:)

2004-08-11T20:11:00.000-05:00

101 of the World's Funniest One Liners

1. Ninety-nine percent of lawyers give the rest a bad name.
2. Borrow money from a pessimist -- they don't expect it back.
3. Time is what keeps things from happening all at once.
4. Lottery: A tax on people who are bad at math.
5. I didn't fight my way to the top of the food chain to be a vegetarian.
6. Never answer an anonymous letter.
7. It's lonely at the top; but you do eat better.
8. I don't suffer from insanity; I enjoy every minute of it.
9. Always go to other people’s funerals, or they won’t go to yours.
10. Few women admit their age; few men act it.
11. If we aren't supposed to eat animals, why are they made with meat?
12. No one is listening until you make a mistake.
13. Give me ambiguity or give me something else.
14. We have enough youth. How about a fountain of "Smart"?
15. He who laughs last thinks slowest.
16. Campers: Nature’s way of feeding mosquitoes.
17. Always remember that you are unique; just like everyone else.
18. Consciousness: That annoying time between naps.
19. There are three kinds of people: Those who can count and those who can't.
20. Why is "abbreviation" such a long word?
21. Nuke the Whales.
22. I started out with nothing and I still have most of it.
23. Change is inevitable, except from a vending machine.
24. Out of my mind. Back in five minutes.
25. A clear conscience is usually the sign of a bad memory.
26. As long as there are tests, there will be prayer in public schools.
27. Laugh alone and the world thinks you're an idiot.
28. Sometimes I wake up grumpy; other times I let her sleep.
29. The severity of the itch is inversely proportional to the ability to reach it.
30. You can't have everything; where would you put it?
31. I took an IQ test and the results were negative.
32. Okay, who stopped the payment on my reality check?
33. We are born naked, wet and hungry. Then things get worse.
34. Be nice to your kids. They'll choose your nursing home.
35. DNA: National Dyslexic Association.
36. If at first you don't succeed, destroy all evidence that you tried.
37. I wonder how much deeper the ocean would be without sponges.
38. Eat right. Stay fit. Die anyway.
39. DARE to keep cops off donuts.
40. Nothing is fool proof to a sufficiently talented fool.
41. On the other hand, you have different fingers.
42. Dyslexics of the world, untie!
43. God made mankind. Sin made him evil.
44. I don't find it hard to meet expenses. They're everywhere.
45. I just let my mind wander, and it didn't come back.
46. Don't steal. The government hates competition.
47. Humpty Dumpty was pushed.
48. National Atheist's Day April 1st.
49. All generalizations are false.
50. The more people I meet, the more I like my dog.
51. Work is for people who don't know how to fish.
52. If you don't like the news, go out and make some.
53. For every action there is an equal and opposite criticism.
54. IRS: We've got what it takes to take what you have got.
55. I'm out of bed and dressed. What more do you want?
56. I used to think I was indecisive, but now I'm not too sure.
57. I can handle pain until it hurts.
58. No matter where you go, you're there.
59. If everything is coming your way, then you're in the wrong lane.
60. It's been Monday all week.
61. Gravity always gets me down.
62. This statement is false.
63. Eschew obfuscation.
64. They told me I was gullible...and I believed them.
65. It's bad luck to be superstitious.
66. According to my best recollection, I don't remember.
67. The word “gullible” isn’t in the dictionary.
68. Honk if you like peace and quiet.
69. The Big Bang Theory: God Spoke and BANG! it happened.
70. Atheism is a non-prophet organization.
71. Despite the cost of living, have you noticed how it remains so popular?
72. Save the whales. Collect the whole set.
73. A day without sunshine is like, night.
74. The early bird gets the worm, but the second mouse gets the cheese.
75. Corduroy pillows: They're making headlines!
76. Gravity- It's not just a good idea, it's the LAW!
77. Life is too complicated in the morning.
78. We are all part of the ultimate statistic—ten out of ten die.
79. Nobody's perfect. I'm a Nobody.
80. Ask me about my vow of silence.
81. The hardness of butter is directly proportional to the softness of the bread.
82. The last thing on earth you want to do will be the last thing you do.
83. Diplomacy is the art of letting someone else get your way.
84. If ignorance is bliss, then tourists are in a constant state of euphoria.
85. If at first you don’t succeed, don’t try skydiving.
86. If Barbie is so popular, why do you have to buy her friends?
87. Stop repeat offenders. Don't re-elect them!
88. I intend to live forever. So far so good.
89. Who is "General Failure" and why is he reading my hard disk?
90. What happens if you get scared half to death twice?
91. I used to have an open mind but my brains kept falling out.
92. Energizer Bunny arrested; charged with battery.
93. I didn’t use to finish sentences, but now I
94. I’ve had amnesia as long as I can remember.
95. Bills travel through the mail at twice the speed of checks.
96. Vacation begins when Dad says, "I know a short cut."
97. Evolution: True science fiction.
98. What's another word for Thesaurus?
99. Everywhere is walking distance if you have the time.
100. A flashlight is a case for holding dead batteries.
101. I went to the fights, and a hockey game broke out.

Be ye a witness...

2004-08-10T19:49:00.000-05:00

I have decided to share some of Ray Comforts evangelisim materials.

I heard him speak last wednesday night on "How to use creativity to conquer the fear of sharing your faith". He pointed out the fact that most Christians today when witnessing, only share the grace of God, and not the law of God.
Ray likes to start off his conversations like this: "Have you ever told a lie?" a question all would answer yes to, he would then proceed to ask a few more of the ten commandments (i.e. stealing, lust). The person he was witnessing to would usually answer yes to which he would respond: "By your own admission you are a lying, theiving, adulterer. In danger of hell fire."
Using this approach, sinners "convict" themselves, and see their need for Christ. After seeing their need for Christ, Ray would ask them if they knew what Jesus Christ did on the cross for them. He then told them of Christ's grace, and love for them and what they had to do to be saved.

The following are excerpts from Way Of the Master (Kirk Cameron, and Ray Comfort's site)

"How To Botch Up An Altar Call"
(A few keys for those who don't want people saved in their altar calls)

1.Present an unbalanced message. Only let them see the heart-warming part of God's character. Preach God's love but leave out His holiness and justice. That way they'll think He'll let them into heaven no matter what.

2.Don't mention repentance until they're repeating a "sinner's prayer." Just get them to say, "I repent of all my sins" while they're echoing you. They won't know what they're saying and they won't count the cost.

3.Above all else, be dignified. Don't get heart to heart with the people. They would get something out of what you said.

4.Skim over the gospel and push the prayer. Pretend the lost naturally understand what Christ has done for them.

5.Preach Jesus as a life enhancer not a life rescuer. Tell them how Jesus can improve their life but don’t show them Jesus as the only One who can save them from Hell. People will think if they reject Him they’re only losing out on a spiritual high.

6.Try to please the people instead of convert them. Tell them what they want to hear instead of what they need to hear.

7.Compromise the message to speed up the process. The Christians who have heard it a hundred times before will be pleased with that. The quicker they get out the quicker they can get to the restaurant.

8.Give them the impression that God is so good He won’t send anyone to hell. Don’t present the whole counsel of God or they might realize He is so good that He’ll see to it that justice is served and that all unrepentant sinners will be punished in the fire that is not quenched.

9.Speak to sinners as though they were saints. They’ll think they’re God’s children instead of the enemies of God they’ve made themselves into because of their sin. You’ll give them false assurance and mislead them.

10.Don’t mention sin or man’s guilt. Resist the urge to explain what Christ came to deliver us from. Don’t show them their need for the Savior. Otherwise it may all make sense.

11.Don’t look to the Bible for the substance of your altar call. Only mimic other preachers with large congregations.

12.Tell the lost not to feel bad about their sins. That way you will work against the Holy Spirit who’s convicting them

13.Whatever you do, never mention Judgment Day. Your audience might take spiritual matters seriously.

14.Tell them Jesus is the only way to heaven but don’t explain why. They may think it’s nothing more than fear tactics and leave offended instead of enlightened.

15.Confuse the call. This is a great way to botch up an altar call. Don’t let people know you’re asking them to commit their life to Christ. Be vague and general in what you’re saying. Neglect to mention following Christ in your evangelistic altar calls and say things like, “If you don’t feel you’re as close to God as possible raise your hand,” “If you feel lonely come to the front for prayer,” “If you want more of God this is your time,” and, “If you have struggles and need the answer come down.” Just get them to raise a hand. That way no one will be able to count the cost and you’ll even get saints to respond to salvation altar calls, making the results look more successful.

16.Only give them half the story. Tell them Jesus died to forgive everyone but overlook the fact that they must personally receive Him to partake of that forgiveness.

17.Present the truth as though it isn’t. Be so funny when you share Christ that you belittle the seriousness of the matter.

18.Preach forgiveness without repentance. That way no one will know how to be forgiven.

19.Be unbiblical. Present repentance and faith as an offer instead of how God does as a command (Acts 17:30).

20.Let them think next Sunday is the day of salvation. Don’t make them feel it’s urgent to respond today.

21.Never warn of hell. Dangle heaven in front of their nose but rarely mention hell, certainly not as much as Jesus did.

22.Only do altar calls inside the church. Never take the gospel where sinners congregate. The lost might get saved.

23.Use churchy terms. Use words like, “saved,” “repent,” and “born again,” without any explanation. That way your hearers won’t comprehend what you’re saying. If they can’t understand it, it’s probable they won’t be changed by it.

24.Give false assurance of salvation to unsaved Christians. Assure church folk that they are saved even if they bear no fruit. So that you don’t offend the unsaved pew warmers never quote 2 Corinthians 13:5: “Examine yourselves as to whether you are in the faith.” You could lose some financial supporters and have to depend on God.

25.Never mention the wrath of God. If you mention it, people might be awakened to flee to Jesus who “saves us from the wrath to come.” ( 1 Thess. 1:10)

26.Study how the apostles preached and witnessed and do the opposite. Don’t explain Jesus’ suffering death on the cross. Otherwise they may think of running to Him for forgiveness. Don’t speak of His burial or resurrection or they might realize He is God. Refrain from commenting about the hundreds of eyewitnesses who saw Jesus after He rose from the dead. That way they can go on thinking He’s a fairy tale. Overlook talk of the messianic prophecies Jesus fulfilled or they might realize that the Bible is true. If they see it’s the truth they may see that following Christ is the logical decision. And whatever you do, avoid what the apostles did when it came time to call people to obey the gospel. Don’t tell them to trust Christ and live for Him. That is too accurate. If they know how to get saved your altar call will be a success.

27.Put more emphasis on the “sinner’s prayer” then on repentance and faith. Satan will smile over your departure from Biblical instruction. We are never taught to use a ‘sinner’s prayer’ throughout the entire Bible. If you decide to use it and put more emphasis on the technique than on what we’re commanded to preach: faith and repentance you’ll certainly botch things up. A ‘sinner’s prayer’ doesn’t equal salvation, only faith in Christ and repentance toward God do.

28.Let Christians think you’re the only one who can do it right. Always leave the impression that they should only invite friends to church and never actually witness themselves. It will keep you in business and the lost unsaved.

29.Don’t let the lost know they are. Disregard subjects like Judgment Day, God’s holiness, man’s sinfulness and justice. That way the lost can continue to think they’re “good enough” to get into heaven.

30.Rely upon psychological techniques to manipulate people into responding to the altar call. Don’t rely upon the Holy Spirit or they may actually get saved.

31.Make sure you’re the main attraction. Remember the goal in botching up an altar call is for people to leave and say, “What a wonderful preacher,” instead of, “What a wonderful Savior.” Draw all possible attention to how great a speaker and person you are. Otherwise people might see Christ in your preaching and get saved.

32.Don’t focus upon Jesus. Finally, the best way to botch up an altar call is not to preach the gospel. Just get people to lift up a hand and pray a prayer with you. Resist the urge to speak of the only One who could save them.

Sometimes the best way to get a point across is to put it in a different light. You now know a few ways to botch up an altar call. Please do not employ them. Do the opposite. You may already do some of them. Don’t let pride keep you from changing and doing things in a Biblical fashion. The bottom line is how true we are to Christ and His word. Effectively reaching the lost is our purpose. Let nothing hold you back from that agenda. May God bless you as you seek to win people to Christ in Bible clubs, churches, conferences, on the street witnessing encounters, at your school, and at your workplace.

Please check out Living Waters as well as Way Of the Master

Home for sale!

2004-08-02T22:41:00.000-05:00

http://wandascountryhomespiritual.com/forsale/index.html

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2004-08-02T22:33:00.000-05:00

Due to the constant promptings of a sister...I am updating:) SBC finally got our DSL fixed!
Not really a lot going on... maybe I'll upload some more pictures.

AARGH

2004-07-19T19:48:00.000-05:00

Life gets dull without the internet..... SBC is taking their time fixing our DSL line:(
My next post will be when we have DSL..
Rant: SBC needs to put their customers first when it comes to customer service:P It's been 10 days....

2004-07-05T10:19:00.000-05:00

Reagan's Memorial site

2004-07-05T10:17:00.000-05:00

Memorial Coliseum

2004-07-05T10:15:00.000-05:00

Inside view

2004-07-05T10:14:00.000-05:00

The Rose Bowl

July 03-04, 2004

2004-07-05T00:52:00.000-05:00

Yesterday we drove to parts of LA including, the Dodger's stadium, the Rose Bowl stadium, and the Staples Center. After that we went on to Simi Valley, to see President Reagan's library and museum. Reagan's museum was really neat.
After that we drove through Hollywood and Beverly Hills. Then took highway one up past Malibu beach (and getting caught in a HUGE traffic Jam)finally making it to our hotel at 11:00.
Today we drove up towards San Francisco stopping by several places to take pictures and for food. We arrived at our hotel at around 8:00 and are just hanging out until bedtime. I did miss going to Church today:(

Rant: Dodge should make more confortable minivans, or Thrifty should rent Chevy Express'=P

2004-07-02T20:38:00.000-05:00

CALIFORNIA

2004-07-02T20:37:00.000-05:00

Route 66

Friday July 2nd, 2004

2004-07-02T20:36:00.000-05:00

Today was full of driving. We drove from Williams, Arizona to Ontario, California.
We are planning to drive to LA tommorrow and some other parts of southern California.
Not much to say today... except that I'm missing our DSL connection at home=P

Thursday July 1st, 2004

2004-07-02T00:55:00.000-05:00

Today we hiked part of the Bright Angel trail (the one that goes all the way to the bottom of the canyon. We hiked 1 1/2 miles down to the first rest stop in 100 degree heat. It took us a hour and a half to get to the bottom. The park ranger at the rest station told us to expect to double our time going up--not on our watch. Greg, Nathan, and I hiked back up the 1 1/2 miles to the top in...get this, UNDER a hour. It took the others around 2 hours to get back to the top. After the hike, we finished our south rim bus tour and headed to the hotel. Ok...it's like 1:00 a.m. EST time...and a dog is barking down the hall, and I'm typing in the dark. I don't think I'll be uploading pics tonight, and might not have internet access tommorrow night in LA.

2004-07-01T00:09:00.000-05:00

One of hundreds of Grand Canyon shots.

2004-07-01T00:07:00.000-05:00

They'd be some dead gunslingers.

2004-07-01T00:05:00.000-05:00

World famous gunslinger:)

2004-07-01T00:04:00.000-05:00

Yelling and hollerin.

Wednesday June 30th, 2004

2004-06-30T23:55:00.000-05:00

Today we walked..walked-around the rim trail of the Grand Canyon. All in all it was around 7 miles in blistering 100+ degree heat. I managed to get a deeper tan/sunburn.
When we got back to the hotel...there was a gunfight going on in the street!

More to come.

2004-06-30T08:35:00.000-05:00

This is all I had time to put up. I'll upload more later:)

2004-06-30T08:33:00.000-05:00

Some wildlife at the Grand Canyon.

2004-06-30T08:32:00.000-05:00

The 8 generators on the Nevada side (there is 9 on the Arizona side)

2004-06-30T08:30:00.000-05:00

This dam is so big my wide angle couldn't even get it all.

2004-06-30T08:28:00.000-05:00

Hoover Dam

2004-06-30T08:27:00.000-05:00

Yeah...bring some water.

Tuesday June 29th 2004

2004-06-30T08:26:00.000-05:00

Today we got up at 7:30 to head to the Hoover dam. After touring the dam we headed to the Grand Canyon.

2004-06-30T08:24:00.000-05:00

When you enter the airport in Las Vegas....

2004-06-30T08:21:00.000-05:00

This is the plane we flew to DFW on.

Monday June 28th 2004

2004-06-30T07:59:00.000-05:00

My uncle picked us up at 2:00 p.m. to go to the airport. After arriving and checking in we discovered that our flight to Dallas/Fort Worth had been delayed 2 hours (as well as all outbound DFW flights. Finally after a LONG wait we flew out at 5:50. Our cruising altitude on the first flight was 28,000 feet. We landed at DFW approximately 8:00.
We checked in there and found that our DFW to Las Vegas flight was delayed another 2 hours:( That plane took off at 10:31 and its maximum altitude was 45,000 feet.
By the time we got to bed that night it was 3:30AM.

Vacation!!!

2004-06-27T13:45:00.000-05:00

We leave tommorrow for our trip out west:) We will be visiting Arizona, California, and Nevada within 10 days.
I'm going to try to upload some pictures when I can. I highly doubt I'll have internet access every day, but when I do, I will update.
My "Hello" username is B89M4

Yes...

2004-06-22T00:46:00.000-05:00

At long last, I am here, not really, but in a weird streched=across-the-internet-to-your-computer-monitor way I am:)