God In Schools …

Someone should put this to music,

     Red

A teenager in Arizona wrote this:

(He got an A+)

The Pledge of Allegiance
And The Lord's Prayer
Are not allowed in most
Public schools anymore
Because the word 'God' is mentioned..... 

"New Pledge Of Allegiance"

Now I sit me down in school
Where praying is against the rule
For this great nation under God
Finds mention of Him very odd. 

If scripture now the class recites,
It violates the Bill of Rights.
And anytime my head I bow
Becomes a Federal matter now.

Our hair can be purple, orange or green,
That's no offense; it's a freedom scene..
The law is specific, the law is precise.
Prayers spoken aloud are a serious vice. 

For praying in a public hall
Might offend someone with no faith at all..
In silence alone we must meditate,
God's name is prohibited by the state. 

We're allowed to cuss and dress like freaks,
And pierce our noses, tongues and cheeks...
They've outlawed guns, but FIRST the Bible.
To quote the Good Book makes me liable.

We can elect a pregnant Senior Queen,
And the 'unwed daddy,' our Senior King.
It's 'inappropriate' to teach right from wrong,
We're taught that such 'judgments' do not belong..

We can get our condoms and birth controls, 
Study witchcraft, vampires and totem poles..
But the Ten Commandments are not allowed, 
No word of God must reach this crowd. 

It's scary here I must confess,
When chaos reigns the school's a mess.
So, Lord, this silent plea I make:
Should I be shot; My soul please take!
          Amen

St. Luke 12:9
”But he that shall deny me before men shall be denied before the angels of God.”

9/11 … WHAT A WAY TO START YOUR BIRTHDAY !!!

Our oldest son Michael will never be able to forget September 11^th, it’s his birthday.

He was born September 11, 1971.  September 11, 2001 was his 30^th birthday!

He was working at the construction site of the co-gen plant next to the Boston Airport.  Boston Airport is where some of the hyjacked flights originated.  His boss had given him the day off to celebrate his birthday.  He slept a little late.

When he got up he turned on the TV and, at first, thought he had tuned in to another “disaster” movie.  It didn’t take long to realize he was watching breaking news.  He immediately called his mother who had just gotten up and turned on our TV, since it was three hours earlier here on the west coast.  She immediately woke me up and at first I thought she was kidding.

What a way to start a day.

What a way for the families of the victims to start their day.

What a way to start your birthday.

This morning we are watching all the programs about the 10^th anniversary of September 11^th and Michael is trying to celebrate the 40^th anniversary of his birthday.  Talk about conflicting emotions and déjà vu !

I’m not quite sure how to feel about all this, but, I AM sure Michael has VERY mixed emotions.  Bonnie has tried to reach him, in New Mexico, on the phone.  No luck, yet.

Our prayers go out to all the families of victims of the September 11^th attack.

Our prayers go out to everyone affected by this horrendous event.

Our prayers go out to all Americans.

GOD BLESS AMERICA

Thanks to all those who read this.

Thanks to all those who pass it on.

Copy and Paste as much as you like.

1 Peter 4:12 Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you.

1 Peter 5:10  And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you.

Don’t You Just Love Children …

3-year-old Reese:

“Our father, who does art in heaven, Harold is His name … Amen.”

A little boy was overheard praying:

“Lord, if you can’t make me a better boy, don’t worry about it.  I’m having a real good time like I am.”

After the christening of his baby brother in church:

Jason sobbed all the way home in the back seat of the car.  His father asked him three times what was wrong. 

Finally the boy replied, “That preacher said he wanted us brought up in a Christian home and I wanted to stay with you guys.”

One particular four-year-old prayed:

“And forgive us our trash baskets, as we forgive those who put trash in our baskets.”

A Sunday School teacher asked her children, as they were on their way to church service:

“Why is it necessary to be quiet in church?”

One bright little girl replied, “Because people are sleeping.”

A mother was preparing pancakes for her sons, Kevin 5, and Ryan 3:

The boys started to argue about who would get the first pancake.

Their mother say the opportunity for a moral lesson, “If Jesus were sitting here, He would say, ‘Let my brother have the first pancake, I can wait.’

Kevin turned to his younger brother and said, “Ryan, you be Jesus.”

A father was at the beach with his children:

His four-year-old son ran up to him, grabbed his hand and led him to the shore where a seagull lay dead in the sand.

“Daddy, what happened to him?” The son asked.

He died and went to heaven.” The dad replied.

The boy thought a moment and then said, “Did God throw him back down?”

A wife invited some people to dinner:

At the table she turned to their six-year-old daughter and said, “Would you like to say the blessing?”

“I wouldn’t know what to say!” the girl replied.

“Just say what you hear mommy say.” The wife answered.

The daughter bowed her head and said, “Lord, why on earth did I invite all these people to dinner?”

Don’t you just love children.

Peace, Love, and Happiness.

What Does Love Mean? …

YOU HAVE TO LOVE THIS,

RED.

WHAT LOVE MEANS TO A 4-8 YEAR OLD...

Slow down for three minutes to read this. It is so worth it.
Touching words from the mouths of babes..

A group of professional people posed this question to a group of 4 to 8
year-olds.     'What does love mean?'

The answers they got were broader and deeper than anyone could have
imagined.
See what you think:

'When my grandmother got arthritis , she couldn't bend over and paint
her toenails anymore.. So my grandfather does it for her all the time ,
even when his hands got arthritis too. That's love.'
Rebecca- age 8

'When someone loves you , the way they say your name is different.
You just know that your name is safe in their mouth.'
Billy - age 4

'Love is when a girl puts on perfume and a boy puts on shaving cologne
and they go out and smell each other.'
Karl - age 5

'Love is when you go out to eat and give somebody most of your French
fries without making them give you any of theirs.'
Chrissy - age 6

'Love is what makes you smile when you're tired.'
Terri - age 4

'Love is when my mommy makes coffee for my daddy and she takes a sip
before giving it to him , to make sure the taste is OK.'
Danny - age 7

'Love is when you kiss all the time. Then when you get tired of kissing
, you still want to be together and you talk more. My Mommy and Daddy
are like that.  They look gross when they kiss'
Emily - age 8

'Love is what's in the room with you at Christmas if you stop opening
presents and listen.'
Bobby - age 7 (Wow!)

'If you want to learn to love better , you should start with a friend
who you hate , '
Nikka - age 6

(we need a few million more Nikka's on this planet)

'Love is when you tell a guy you like his shirt , then he wears it
everyday.'
Noelle - age 7

'Love is like a little old woman and a little old man who are still
friends even after they know each other so well.'
Tommy - age 6

'During my piano recital , I was on a stage and I was scared. I looked
at all the people watching me and saw my daddy waving and smiling.
He was the only one doing that. I wasn't scared anymore.'
Cindy - age 8

'My mommy loves me more than anybody
You don't see anyone else kissing me to sleep at night.'
Clare - age 6

'Love is when Mommy gives Daddy the best piece of chicken.'
Elaine-age 5

'Love is when Mommy sees Daddy smelly and sweaty and still says he is
handsomer than Robert Redford .'
Chris - age 7

'Love is when your puppy licks your face even after you left him alone
all day.'
Mary Ann - age 4

'I know my older sister loves me because she gives me all her old
clothes and has to go out and buy new ones.'
Lauren - age 4

'When you love somebody , your eyelashes go up and down and little
stars come out of you.' (what an image)
Karen - age 7

'You really shouldn't say 'I love you' unless you mean it. But if you
mean it , you should say it a lot. People forget.'
Jessica - age 8

The best was a four year old child whose next door neighbor was an
elderly gentleman who had recently lost his wife.
Upon seeing the man cry , the little boy went into the old gentleman's
yard , climbed onto his lap , and just sat there.
When his Mother asked what he had said to the neighbor , the little boy
said ,

”Nothing , I just helped him cry”

When there is nothing left but God , that is when you find out that God
is all you need. Take a few seconds and simply say the following small prayer:

Heavenly Father , please bless all my friends in whatever it is that
You know they may be needing this day! And may each of their lives be full of
Your peace , prosperity and power as they seek to have a closer
relationship with You. Amen .

Suggest this to five friends and ask them to suggest it to five friends.

Within hours you helped a multitude of people to pray for other people.
Now watch the power of God at work.

God Bless You All !

Help Me Get Through The Days …

Why do some people we know seem to be intent on making everyone around them miserable?  Like a human “black hole” , they seem intent on sucking all the beauty and joy out of life.

*          This individual is the neighborhood gossip, never has anything good to say about anyone and spreads around all the dirt she can dig up or make up.  “He said or did this”, “She said or did that”, etc, etc.

*          This individual is always saying: “They can’t do that … it’s illegal!”.  Whether it is or not.  Unless, of course, it’s convenient for her or puts money in her pocket.

*          This individual constantly rails against “Government Entitlement Programs”, then complains that the government is supposed to send her more work because: “This is a woman-owned business!”

*          You can’t say anything to, or in front of, this individual because; “years ago” she, a member of her family, or someone she knew did it better, faster and/or cheaper.  Conversations stop when she enters a room.

*          This individual has had, or knows someone who has had, every disease known to humankind and some completely unknown.  “The doctors are still trying to figure it out.”

*          This individual has to have the best of everything and then constantly whines about the price.

*          This individual has to be right all the time.  She’s done everything, been everywhere and is an expert on EVERY subject.

*          This individual personifies:  “Better to remain silent and thought a fool, than to open ones mouth and remove all doubt.”

*          This individual will, if you have the audacity to disagree with her on any subject, tell you:  “If you don’t like it, you can go home” and then whisper trash about you to everyone else for the rest of the day.

*          This individual is so paranoid, she has to have bars on all the windows and an iron fence around the property.  At the end of the day, everyone has to stand around outside until she mounts her broom(gets in her car) and leaves.  She then drives home, next door, to MORE window bars.

*          This individual has never found a restaurant she likes.  She eats the food, complains about it and/or the service, then tries to get the meal free.  It’s gotten so bad even her family is finding excuses not to join her.

*          This individual is totally incapable of processing the shame of making a mistake, so she finds some way to blame all of her mistakes on others.  She makes decisions, but always attributes them to some one else, just in case one of them is a mistake.

I just, partially, described an individual I have to be around most of the day.

I feel kind of like Ralph Macchio in The Karate Kid:  “I’ll never find balance, this way.”

No, this person is NOT a member of my immediate family nor related to me in any way, though she acts like she’s everyone’s mother/doctor/benefactor/etc.

Just as anti-matter is the opposite or counter-part of matter, this individual seems to be anti-human.  I believe this is a mental aberation called Narcissism.  I’m sure there’s some of the narcissist in all of us, me included, but, constantly being around someone who is completely narcissistic is physically and mentally demanding and continually stresses ones soul.

There is an excellent book on the subject entitled:  Why Is It Always About You?:  The Seven Deadly Sins of Narcissism  by Sandy Hotchkiss.

Insights from that book, thinking about going home in the evening and prayer helps get me through the days.