Surrendering sex, introduction

**Disclaimer: This is not going to be an x-rated blog post, but it is going to be about sex...... which some people are uncomfortable about being discussed. I get that. I believe we need to talk more about it than we do.... in church, in Sunday School (adults), in our homes....it should not be a taboo subject. But you have been warned. Read on, if you dare.......and this could get long, so this will be the introduction and I will continue it in another post:

  One of my Facebook friends messaged me yesterday about an idea to blog about. He had thought about asking his wife to blog about it, but thought maybe it would be better coming from a male.... so I hope I can give this idea of his justice. He said it might be a controversial subject, but if you know me very well at all, you know I don't shy from controversial....... probably to the dismay of many people who know me.

  I have said it before, and I completely include myself in this statement: too many of us modern day American Christians don't do such a great job on one of Jesus' commands to His followers: take up your cross, deny yourself, and follow me. We tend to do what we want, and interpret the Bible so living the Christian life isn't difficult or inconvenient in any way. That is not truly following Jesus, but too many of us do exactly that.

 There is an old hymn we still sing in church occasionally:

All to Jesus, I surrender;
All to Him I freely give;
I will ever love and trust Him,
In His presence daily live.

Refrain

I surrender all, I surrender all,
All to Thee, my blessed Savior,
I surrender all.

All to Jesus I surrender;
Humbly at His feet I bow,
Worldly pleasures all forsaken;
Take me, Jesus, take me now.

Refrain

All to Jesus, I surrender;
Make me, Savior, wholly Thine;
Let me feel the Holy Spirit,
Truly know that Thou art mine.

Refrain

All to Jesus, I surrender;
Lord, I give myself to Thee;
Fill me with Thy love and power;
Let Thy blessing fall on me.

Refrain

All to Jesus I surrender;
Now I feel the sacred flame.
O the joy of full salvation!
Glory, glory, to His Name!

Refrain

  Have we surrendered ALL to Jesus? Everything, all areas of out lives..... even, gasp! - sex?!

  Here is what my friend messaged me, and what I will try to address in a separate blog post:

I have a controversial idea for a post. It occurred to me and I wonder if my mindset is biblical or just an idea. Here it is... As a married man, there are long droughts without sex. That's reality. Sometimes that is harder than it was when single because of expectations. In between children it could go months...in between because of medical, timing, cycle...it can go weeks. This is reality. If you look through Christian literature or blogs...especially the likes of Driscoll, you'll find many suggestions or explanations which are centered around self...centered around satisfying longing desires but nothing about prayer and no sex. Nothing about selflessness...and reality....which puts pressure on the marriage...which creates a vision of the female of a vessel that satisfies the flesh instead of oneness...the purpose for sex becoming mostly a vehicle of satisfying desires or the flesh instead of desiring a relationship...a bond...closeness with the other person, i.e. a picture of the bridegroom of Christ...respect and love for the other person..selfless, sacrifice...working as help-meets..As Christians, our goal should be different....and I think this is partly the reason for a dependency by Christian males on porn. Imagine the justification...not getting needs met...well, those aren't needs...that's your flesh winning...your desire for your wife should be different....it should be a relationship...a closeness....a draw towards oneness. You get what I mean? I think it messes up married men's views of women...I also think it messes up...puts a barrier between men and God. I think a post like this could be a controversial, but needed element for the church...for men and women frankly. Someone in your shoes who chooses the bridegroom of Christ in singleness...who understands putting Christ above self...who truly gets it...could put the scripture in line and write a dazzling post on this topic. I thought about having my wife write it, but I think it would have better traction as a male writer.

Defending indecency. part 2

  **It is very unpopular to criticize Donald Trump and to not support him. I get backlash when I post things like this.  I had a "friend" say some questions I raised about him were dumb and that I was a troublemaker.... so I have been keeping silent..... and this may be my last post about him for a while. I think I'd get less backlash if I denied there was a God...... but I have been disgusted and nauseated by Christians and conservatives defending this man's immorality, vulgarity, and the way he treats and talks about women. (part 1 can be found here)

From day one, I have been disgusted by the support Donald Trump has had from conservatives and Christians. Things they would never, ever accept in a Democratic candidate, are OK in Trump. He says what he thinks, he is a political outsider (no he's not), and Hillary is so bad, we have to overlook everything he says and does to stop her.

  Donald Trump said a few months back that he could shoot people on the street in Manhattan and not lose any voters. That should offend Trump supporters.....your candidate says you are so committed to him, you'd still vote for him if he murdered people.

 So I guess it should be no surprise his supporters are defending him in this latest scandal.

It doesn't matter that DT owns strip clubs.

It doesn't matter that he committed adultery on both wives and bragged about it.

It doesn't matter that he supported Hillary and Bill, defended them - even defended Bill's sexcapades - and helped elect the same liberals who are destroying our country. He in fact trashed the women who came out against Bill.

It doesn't matter that he is vulgar

It doesn't matter that his wife was in lesbian porn

It doesn't matter that HE was in porn

It doesn't matter that the way he treats women and what he says about them.

  I shouldn't have been surprised or shocked at what I have seen from Christians and conservatives after the release of this damning tape of Trump saying some very nasty things about women. Were this a Democrat instead of a Democrat pretending to be a Republican, these same people would be decrying it and demanding his party hold him accountable.

 But since it is DT, it doesn't matter. We must beat Hillary at any cost, even if it means accepting in DT what we have fought and condemned in liberal candidates for years. Even if it means holding a yuuge double standard, throwing out integrity and principles out the window, and defending what anyone with decency would call a pig and sleazeball.

 I'm not surprised by this tape. I have watched Trump and saw what kind of man he is. I am convinced there is more coming. It is no accident this was not released during the primaries. The liberals wanted DT to run against Hillary. They knew she'd lose to a true conservative.... and now that he is in, they are going after him. I wouldn't be surprised if they have some really damaging stuff to release about him even closer to the election when it is too late to do anything.

 The defenses of this behavior are ridiculous, some bordering on just plain stupid:

1) All men talk like this. Uh, no we don't. Teenage boys may talk like this, but decent mature men do not. Do not drag all of us down to his level.

2) Women are complaining about Trump's words, but yet who bought 80 million copies of 50 Shades of Grey? Really? Who says the same women have issue with this who bought that book? Do these people have a secret file that lists who bought them to compare to who is criticizing DT?

3) At least Trump didn't do what he talked about, while Bill Clinton actually did. Ah, so since Billy boy did worse, that makes what Trump said all OK..... I see.

4) We have all sinned. Yes, we have...... but we aren't all running for president, and the man only apologized when he was caught..... and he has yet to apologize and repent for his adultery and strip clubs. (oddly, the past of the Clintons is OK to bring up.....double standard anyone?)

5) It was 11 years ago, so what. So there is a statute of limitations on what DT has done and said, but there is no such statute of limitations on what Hillary and Bill have done?

  And the idea has been put forth in so many words that we must criticize the Clintons before we say anything against DT....... uh, Hillary is not supposed to be representing my party, and no one on my social networks is telling me I have to vote for her. It is a given that she is bad news.

 If I was still supporting this man and voting for him, I'd take my sign down and be quiet about it. The Republican party/Christians/conservatives already look bad for supporting him and defending everything else he has said and done, to defend this just makes them look worse. We can no longer say character matters. We no longer can claim the high ground when it comes to voting. We have hit bottom when we excuse and defend the stuff we have defended and excused in DT. And I say "we" because I am still unfortunately a Republican, not because I defended or excused anything about him.

 Trump supporters owe some people an apology:
Bill Clinton
Gary Hart
Anthony Weiner
and more,

 We have long decried immorality in liberals and have called them out, opposed them, and demanded they step down.

 Until we decided to bypass Christian and true conservative men and nominate a man who supported and defended the Clintons for years, a man whose autobiography should be rated "X", or at least "R", a man no person in their right mind would trust their daughter around...... but yet he is supposedly the answer to our problems and is so much better than the people he supported and defended for years.

His political affiliations./past should have been enough to disqualify him for any true conservative.

His lack of character, honor, integrity, and  moral values and the immoral life he has led and bragged about should have been enough to disqualify him to any true follower of Jesus.

  But it wasn't. Why? Have we become just like the Democratic party? Does character and morals no longer matter to us? Is defeating the Democrat so important to us that we refuse to acknowledge that possibly as Christians we should not vote for said candidate?

 Have politics, freedom, guns, the Supreme Court, and our country become more important than doing the right thing, than doing what God might want us to do..... or not doing what He may not want us to do?

 And maybe the biggest question of all: are we trusting God in all of this, or have we made Hillary Clinton into such a monster that we have made her bigger than God and don't believe He can bring us through her presidency?

  People in the Bible stood for the right things, and we applaud them. Daniel still prayed, though he got thrown to the lions for doing so. The 3 Hebrew boys got thrown into a furnace for now bowing to a gold statue. Paul and Silas still preached even though they were told not to. Stephen was stoned because he dared preach to the religious leaders and call them out.

 I wonder what Trump supporters would do in those cases.
"just pray where no one can see you, Daniel.... don't make a scene"
"just bow, guys... you don't need to actually worship the statue"
"do what the religious leaders tell you...... don't stir up trouble"

  I am not equating myself with these heroes of the faith. I am far from being a perfect Christian, though as a song says, thank God I am not what I was. I have been angry during this election, have not always had the right attitude, been pretty hard on people I still view as doing the wrong thing...... but I am still convinced of a few things:

1) As a Christian, I cannot vote for DT. I would rather see a Hillary presidency than to align myself with the likes of DT.

2) I am still convinced DT cannot win against Hillary. I predict a landslide in her favor. If I voted for him against my conscience and against common sense, I'd regret it and my vote would be wasted anyway. I may as well waste it on someone I can vote for in good conscience.

3) No matter what happens, God will still be in control. The church will survive. Will all of our freedoms? Maybe not, but it is time we all remembered we aren't living for this world.

  Vote for DT if you must, but please do not defend indecency......even in him.

The Bible tells me so

  There is an alarming trend among Christians of moving away from the Bible. The internet is full of articles by Christians on why "'The Bible says' is not enough anymore." Others point out that the Bible was not written by God, but inspired by God.... it was written by men. I have even seen articles saying we are in danger of worshiping the Bible and making it into an idol.

  These are  written by liberal/progressive Christians who do not want the Bible to be the final authority on anything. They typically are pro-gay theology, view the Bible as patriarchal, and believe everything in the Bible is open to interpretation and nothing is in black and white. This group of thinking believes that the Bible should change to fit culture, not the other way around. They also say the Bible is not the only way God speaks to us, which is true, but they believe it is OK if what they think God is saying contradicts the Bible. We who still view the Bible as inerrant believe what God says to us will never contradict the Bible.

 The dangers of this kind of thinking, is we decide what is relevant in the Bible and what we must observe/obey. We become like Israel in the book of Judges where it says everyone did what was right in their own eyes. As culture changes and accepts what was taboo for even non-Christians, the Bible also changes on issues and they aren't wrong anymore.

 I think it short-changes God and diminishes His power and omniscience to have the idea that the Bible isn't 100% His Word, and that the men who wrote what He inspired somehow got their own views and words in the Bible. The same can be said for the thinking that the Bible doesn't apply to today. God knew before time began what our issues would be today in 2016, and His Word didn't expire before we faced what we are facing today.

 I believe whatever the issue or problem we have today, we can find the answer in the Bible. There are principles in there to guide and direct us in anything, if we truly want God's will and input. The problem is, too many people do not. The popular trend in our America churches is that we are not under law, but under grace.... therefore, we can basically do whatever we want. The list of things Christians should not do has gotten so short, it would fit on a post-it note with plenty of room left. It is our right to do whatever we want.

 There was a day when a chapter and verse was demanded for anything suggested was wrong for a Christian. That ship has sailed. Now you can provide several verses to show something is wrong, and Christians will argue with you til they are blue in the face that the Bible doesn't really mean that.

 The ironic thing, or maybe you could even say hypocritical - is there are verses these progressives use that they do not believe are open to interpretation. "Judge not that you be not judged"... they will never argue that one. And any others that can be uses to further their liberal and progressive ideology and agenda are not open to interpretation. It just the ones they don't like or find inconvenient, or that disagree with modern day culture and thinking,

 The crux of the matter is, we either believe the Bible is the inspired Word of God, or we do not. If we are serious about serving God, we are not going to come to the Bible with our preconceived beliefs and wants and make the Bible say what we want it to say. We won't try to reason around verses we find difficult and inconvenient, but will surrender our will to God and do what His Word says.

  Some day everyone who has ever lived will stand before God and be judged. One of the things we will be judged on is what we did with His Word. Did we live by it and obey what God says in His Word, or did we interpret it to fit our wants and desires.

A bachelor looks at women's parties

**Disclaimer: this post was done in fun, and I did exaggerate on some things. My opinions of these parties are for real, and are also the opinions of this blog site owner.....which would be me, by the way.....


One of the advantages of being a guy, is you never get invited to parties where you are expected to buy stuff. It is one of the awesome perks of being a guy.

  And ladies, let me clue you in on something you all seem a little clueless about - no offense intended - these parties are not a good deal. I am going to break something to you that maybe you'd better sit down for:

You see the company needs to make money

The dealer needs to make money

The party hostess needs to make money or points so they can get free stuff

You are not getting a good deal......there are too many people in between you and the manufacturer who gets a piece of  the pie.

And the more pieces of pie being dealt out, the more expensive the pie gets.

  So they invite their unsuspecting friends. Wake up ladies, you are being used. You think you got invited because you're a good friend of the party giver. Wrong. When they look at you through the lens of their party, they don't see a friend. They don't even see a person. They see dollar signs and/or points.

 Me being the nice guy at least some people think I am, I am going to help you unsuspecting females out, so you can save some money.

Tupperware

  Pretty pricey plastic containers to keep food in. By the time the company gets their cut, the dealer gets her cut, the hostess gets her cut...... you are paying way more than you need for something to put leftovers in.

 Now I have a great way for you to save money here: Whipped topping containers. They come in a couple of different sizes...... and they are cheap.

 And get this: They aren't empty when you buy them! They are filled with delicious whipped topping. You get more for your money than when you buy an empty expensive plastic container from Tupperware.

 Oh, and your friend is just having the party so she can get free plastic containers.......just give her a few whipped topping containers instead of going to the party. You save money, and she gets what she wanted all along - free plastic containers to put her leftovers in!

31

  OK, this one really boggles my mind. Women go all to pieces over these purses/bags that all look like a diaper bag. Seriously, they do.

Below, are 31 bags - well, there are actually only 12, but the brand is 31. Look them over carefully.

Now look at the picture below. It is an actual diaper bag....... see how closely they resemble each other?

  Now let me be bluntly honest. If you are constantly carrying around a diaper bag - or what looks like a diaper bag - people are going to assume something about you.

1) They will assume you have a baby. They may wonder where the baby is........ but they will assume you have a baby

or

2) They will assume you are going to have a baby, and that you getting in practice carrying a diaper bag around.

  If you are single and looking, you do not want prospective boyfriends to assume you are pregnant.... they may run for it.

 If you are married, people are going to assume you just had another baby....... and they will think you are an irresponsible mother who forgot the baby at home.

  So just go buy an actual purse.... they can run a lot cheaper than the 31 bags. By your friend one and maybe she won't invite you to more parties.....

Trim healthy mama

  THM is new to me, and I was surprised to find they have parties. I can't imagine what they would eat there....... forget having good snacks. It would be something small, tasteless, and guaranteed to leave you hungry, but trim.

 My advice: this being a party is going to make the product more expensive anyway, so come up with your own diet. It is cheaper, and you won't have to go to a party where they have no good snacks. Besides, it is so discriminatory. What if you have no kids and are not a mamma? What if you aren't trim? And what if you're not health...... and horrors, what if you're none of the three?!

 The grocery store doesn't discriminate. Go there and save money.... and buy your friend a stalk of celery. She just wants stuff to make her healthy and trim, and celery is cheaper than what you'd spend at the party.

Scentsy

  This place doesn't have dealers. They have "consultants".....sounds more expensive to me than a dealer......

  They have candles and other similar products that can be bought much cheaper at other places. You can get good deals at Yankee Candle, and Wal-mart even has a good selection of scented candles and warmers, etc. 

 Check out the Dollar Tree, Dollar General, and Family Dollar.....very cheap, especially the dollar tree. 

 Skip the party and save lots of money. So your friend doesn't feel bad, go to the Dollar Tree and buy her a few candles at $1 each....... that is all she wants anyway.....free candles. 

Essential oils

  I can't help it... I find the idea of essential oils a bit hooey. OK, a lot hooey. It brings to mind stories of snake oil salesmen of the Old West. I like to joke that my essential oils are Valvoline and Crisco..... but they seriously are.

 As with any party, you are just helping the hostess get free stuff, and the people above her make money. Skip the hooey and buy your friend some Crisco, and maybe some Valvoline also. You'll get off cheaper, and she will get what she wanted - free essential oils.

Origami Owl

  When I first heard of this company, I thought it was what it sounded like....origami. To my surprise, I eventually found out there is no origami, nor does it have anything to do with an owl.

 It is jewelry. Well, you lost me right there since I don't wear jewelry..... unless ring around the collar counts.....

  I see stores running 70% off jewelry often..... buy your bling there, and buy one for the party giver. You'll save money, and she'll have bling to wear.

Pampered Chef

 This one surely could have been named better. It makes me think of an adult male wearing pampers while he cooks....... uh, no thanks.

 In reality, it is just expensive cooking utensils, pans, and other things you could buy much cheaper at Walmart, or the Dollar General.

 Take out the middle man - or women in this case - and go to Walmart or a Dollar General. Buy a cookie sheet for a few bucks for your friend, and you'll all be happy and you will save money.

Book party

 To my disappointment, a book party is also nothing like it sounds. I would think a place where you could meet and order books and talk about books. Nope! A book party is where the lady wanting free stuff is too cheap or lazy to have a party at her house..... or maybe she is a terrible housekeeper..... so she passes out books to all of her victims...... I mean friends......so they can order out of the book. It is a win-win situation. They can pay more for something they didn't really want in the first place, and it helps make the company and dealer (or consultant) richer.

 Oh well, a real book party would probably make me pay more for the books than I would from where I usually buy them.

 Though there may be food.........

  

Homophobia in the church, part 2

   In June of 2014, I had the privilege of attending the Hope for Wholeness Conference in North Carolina. Hope for Wholeness is a Christian ministry for people that are dealing with unwanted same-sex attractions. I can't put into words what it was like to be around so many people who were either dealing with the same thing as me, or was with someone who was. There was no shame, no need to hide, no masks, and fellowship on a level I had never experienced.

  It was a far cry from what I had experienced growing up in the church. In the church, I had to hide in the shadows. In the church, there was never any deep level of fellowship as I had to hide the real me. I'd hear people request prayer and longed to ask for prayer for my struggle, but was terrified of people knowing. I'd hear testimonies of how God helped people in certain areas, and wished I could stand and say what God had helped me with, but instead I just settled further back into the shadows.

    People dealing with SSA need love and understanding more than the average person in the church. We tend to be more vulnerable than other people. It is common to have a hard time believing God loves us. We tend to feel we don't belong anywhere, and feel like we are on the outside looking in. I often looked around and felt I was the most messed up person in church, and no one there could possibly relate to what I was dealing with. Then you get remarks like I mentioned in my previous post, and you retreat more into the shadows. Many never come out of the shadows, but spend their lives hiding their hurt and struggles, wishing they could get help. Many others walk away from the church and live the gay lifestyle, never again to darken the church door. Others live a double life - good Christian guy where everyone sees him, but meeting other guys for sex on the side.

  We are your brothers, your sisters, your spouses, your best friend, your pastor, your children, your parents.....And we are watching you. We hear how you talk and joke about gay people, we see your blatant homophobia and your lack of Christian love and caring...so we continue to hide. Yes, I realize many Christians don't understand this issue, nor do they understand we who deal with it..... but that just shows that the church needs to learn about it.

  Homosexuality is not a special sin. Yes, it has ramifications and consequences that other sins don't have. Yes, there is a segment of the gay population who has an agenda that would destroy all religious freedoms and silence Christians..... but those are not  the ones in the pew beside you. The ones in your church and family are lonely, hurting, confused, and in need of love and friends. We aren't child molesters, you can't catch it from us, we aren't going to attack you.

 This is an issue that is not going to go away. Somewhere, some day, someone you love may admit they deal with this issue. What will you say? What will your reactions be?

  In the last couple of years, I have ceased worrying what people think of me. I have discovered that my true friends are going to love me and be my friend knowing the worst about me. If anyone in my church fears or dislikes me because of my same-sex attractions, I don't know of it.

  And the result? The truth does indeed set you free. As I have, for lack of better term, "come out of the closet", I have become freer and have a better relationship with God. My self esteem has gotten better, I have come to like myself better, and I don't feel like I am hiding in the shadows anymore.

 We are doing people no favors if we make any issue so big and bad that they fear getting help in the very place they should be able to find it: in the church and Christian community.

Chatting with Shirley

   For the last 5 weeks or so, I have spend my afternoons outside in the Emergency Department parking lot. They are putting in a new helipad, and had to make most of the ED parking lot a temporary helipad. That means most people have to park elsewhere for now. I have to stand out there and tell people where to park, and where not to park - the ambulance bay is a popular place for people to try to park.

    As I stood out there Saturday afternoon, a lady who works in the ED came walking out to leave for the day. Shirley is a lady in her late 50's or early 60's, and is a unit clerk/secretary. She is also a cancer survivor. I walked over to her and chatted with her as she walked. She got to the concrete bench I stand by and where I set my drink and also my hat when I am not wearing it. Stating she had to take a break before she walked the rest of the way, she sat on the bench. I sat down by here and we continued to chat.

   I told her about buying a house - she lives in the same town. She told me about a good place around there to buy wings, a place that uses her recipe she gave them. And then I asked her how she is doing. She has been in remission for a year, and recently some test showed something that the doctor was concerned about. It turned out to be nothing, thankfully. She said she hopes that her kids never have to deal with this cancer stuff, and told me a little more about what it is like to go through it and the treatments.

   She has never walked well, but the chemo not only took her hair, but it also did damage to her hip, and she now has even more trouble walking... hence the break on the bench. Eventually she stood up, we exchanged good-byes and "have a good day", and she walked off to her car.

    After she left, I sat there and thought. People that go through cancer have to be tough. Even if they get rid of it all, there are side effects and the person has to live with the knowledge that it could come back at any time, and the next time it might not go away.

    I don't know how anyone without Christ in their heart and life could live that way. I don't know if Shirley knows my Jesus, but as I sat there and thought about her and other people who have gone through cancer, I said a silent prayer for her, and thanked God for the people he has put in my life.

October random musings

  I can't believe it is October already, but the cooler days are proof that Fall is indeed in the air. I decided I'd start a new month out with a blog post. It is one of my posts of random things since I am having writer's block.

1) I have said it before, but I would enjoy the season of Fall if it wasn't followed by winter.

2) I am currently struggling with the difference in leaving something in God's hands to work out, and trying to work it out on my own,

3) No matter what candidate you support and vote for in an election, you should have the decency to call them out on things they do or say that are completely inappropriate and wrong...especially if you're calling out the other political party for similar things, or if you have in the past.

4) There for a while, I had a fear that buying my house was going to fall through for one reason or another, and debated whether to even tell many people I was buying it...then I realized what a lack of faith that was on my part when I believe this is the house God wants me to have and I have been praying for Him to work it out.

5) Also showing a lack of faith on my part, I feared planning how I was going to arrange things in my room and decorate, for fear it wouldn't go through. I am past that now, and am planning. And to be honest, I am the most excited about my library room. For a long time, I have dreamed and wished for a room that I could just have for my books. That dream is going to happen. I plan on putting all of my books and bookcases in the one room, a recliner, and decorate the room with both a Narnia and book related decor.


6) I currently have 7601 songs on my iPod....and that isn't every song on every CD I own.

22.44% of those songs are Christmas

49.23% are Southern Gospel

And the rest are a mix of instrumental, CCM. P&W, and country.

7) Best ever version of Mary Did You Know? in my humble opinion: Kenny Rogers & Wynonna Judd

8) I grew up thinking no one likes me. Now I know some people don't, but there seems to be a lot more people who do like me or they are good actors.... :)

9) All time favorite Christmas album: the Family Christmas, 1988 release by the original Talleys.

10) I was in a Dollar General store this past week, and they had Christmas and Halloween decor in the same aisle...

11) I wanted to buy a thermos, but two different stores don't have them now. They said it is a seasonal item. Do people only use those in the summer?

12) I am currently reading a book by Tim Tebow. He is the only sports figure I am remotely interested in, and that is only because of his faith.....though at least he isn't playing the sport I hate now.

13) There is a growing move away from the Bible in Christianity. It is common to have God speak to you in other ways that contradict the Bible.

14) To me, if a Calvinist believes God chooses who He will offer salvation to, then that means He also chooses who He will send to hell without ever giving them an opportunity to be saved. That also means He will judge people for what they had no choice in doing. That isn't the God I serve.

15) It is truly easier to fool people than to convince them that they have been fooled

16) Outside of my family, it seems the people who most want to spend time with me live too far away to see very often.

17) Instead of legalizing marijuana, they need to crack down more on it and other drugs. Former drug addicts admit it is a gateway drug, something the pro-marijuana crowd would never admit to.

18) I'd be in favor of waterboarding politicians.

19) Is it possible that we Christians get too obsessed and worried about politics, our country, our freedoms, and patriotism, and forget we aren't living for this world?

20) If anyone feels it on their heart to do so, they can buy me a revolver :)

21) Never think your ideas are dumb or a failure. The man who invented the adhesive that is on the back of post-it notes thought he had failed when it didn't work for what he had intended it, but it works great for post-it notes.

22) Since I am buying my own house, this will be the first time in 8 years that I will be able to put up my own Christmas tree..... a pre-lit one with colored lights.... none of those boring every day lights :)

23) I meet with the loan officer Monday to sign some papers. After that, it will be 35 days until closing....... and I still have one hurdle to get over before then, but I am believing God will work it out.

24) I read at least one 365-day devotional every year. I just got a free one that is on worship that I plan on using for 2017. I don't know how anyone could write a whole year's devotions on worship, but it is an area I feel I need help in.

25) Political debates are a waste of time. Each candidate's supporters declare them the winner, no matter how badly they did. The conservative media always declares the Republican the winner, and the liberal media declares the Democrat the winner.

26) The list of things Christians should not do has become pathetically short, and for most Christians there are only a couple of things on that list.

27) It is a great feeling to have your life on track, unless there is a train coming........

28) It is possible that we often make our own giants, or at least make them bigger than they really are.

29) Many people seem to be anti-pumpkin stuff. I personally love pumpkin flavored everything.... except pumpkin Pop-tarts. Those are a disaster.

30) I have let fear and worry stop me from too much in life. Hopefully, I am improving in that area.

31) Ever notice restaurants give warnings about under-cooked meats, but no warnings about getting it well done? That should tell  you something.