Weathering the Storm

Matthew 8:24-26 (NIV)

24Without warning, a furious storm came up on the lake, so that the waves swept over the boat. But Jesus was sleeping. 25The disciples went and woke him, saying, "Lord, save us! We're going to drown!" 26He replied, "You of little faith, why are you so afraid?" Then he got up and rebuked the winds and the waves, and it was completely calm.

I love this account of the storm in Matthew. It gives us such a great example of how we should react to the storms that come up in our lives, like this financial crisis we are heading into in America.

Can you imagine the disciples conversation in that boat as the wind whipped up and the waves started growing and Jesus slept calmly and peacefully through it all?

Now, rest assured, Jesus wasn't "sleeping on the job". He slept peacefully because He knew the storm, like all things, were completely under His control and there was nothing to fear because of that. He knew all He had to do was command the storm to stop and it would.

The disciples should have followed Jesus' example and relaxed and, yes, slept and let the storm rage around them because the One who controls everything was with them and would not allow the storm to harm them. Think of this, what good would it do in the spreading of the Gospel had Jesus allowed his disciples to be swept out to sea and drowned? First, there would have been no one to actually spread the Gospel and Jesus would have had to pick more men. Also, we would not have this great example of how we are protected by our great and loving LORD and Savior during the storms of life.

Keep this account in mind when a storm comes up in your life, whether it involves money, family, your job or your marriage or anything that causes the wind and the rain to be whipped up in your life. Instead of worrying about the storm, as a Christ follower, realize you have the One who controls everything right there in the boat with you and He will not allow the storm to harm you. Yes, you might get tossed to and fro by the wind and the rain, but the boat will stay afloat and you'll make it to the other side intact so that you can spread the good news that Jesus is your shield in times of trouble.

Enough is Enough!

OK, is anyone else losing their patience with our representatives in Washington? I know I am.

Who cares about debates when the country is headed down the drain? Who cares what party you belong to when the country is headed down an economic abyss?

These people just don't get it. The country is in trouble and all they can do is play the blame game to try and posture themselves to win an election. I'm sick of it. Are you?

We need an uprising. Not an overthrow of the government, but an uprising of voters or Americans. We need to hold these politicians' feet to the fire until they do something to fix this mess or at least head us down the road to fix it. Enough is enough.

Sure, you can read all kinds of glib comments from all those bloggers out there on one side or the other. They mean nothing at a time like this. We need to fix America and we need to do it now.

This is our economic 9/11. We are being attacked by bad decisions by greedy people. It's an attack on our economic well-being much like Osama Bin Laden's attack on the World Trade Center was. We need to gather up the troops and set off to win this war. Not with guns or missiles, but with sound economic minds coming up with sound approaches to fix this mess.

We don't need Harry Reid or Nancy Pelosi or Obama accusing McCain of this or that. We need cooperation and results. It's time everyone. Enough is enough.

Why isn't there more of an outcry from us? Is anyone out there? We should be screaming at our representatives to GET THIS DONE! They work for US! Use this link to find out who your representatives are in the House and Senate and tell them to fix this mess!

http://www.usa.gov/Contact/Elected.shtml

Let's go America. It's time for us to stand up and be heard!

God bless you and yours and may God bless America!

Where's Barack?

So, the Democratic candidate thinks it's more important to "move forward" than do his job. That's what Barack Obama has told the American people by his reaction to John McCain suspending his campaign to work on the dire financial crisis this country is entering into.

Now, the difference between the two becomes much more evident, doesn't it? One is more interested in becoming President while the other is doing what a real President would do, roll up his sleeves and get to work for the good of the country.

Campaigns don't mean anything when the rubber meets the road and the candidate is nowhere to be found. Also, remember, Barack Obama is still a US Senator (and, hopefully will still be one this time next year) who is "working" for his constituents, supposedly. Being in a political campaign doesn't relieve him of his duties as an elected official. Campaigns can be restarted, debates can be rescheduled.

The country needs the congress to finally do something after being the most do nothing congress in decades. Yes, ladies and gentlemen, it is finally time to get to work!

To quote the great Theodore Roosevelt, "In a moment of decision the best thing you can do is the right thing. The worst thing you can do is nothing."

It's time to do the right thing and stop doing nothing.

Where is Barack? I guess he's busy preparing for his debate in Mississippi. Who will he debate? I'm not sure, but this I do know, while Nero fiddles and Rome is on fire, John McCain will be in Washington D.C. in the midst of flames doing all he can to put the fire out and save our great land.

1 Peter 5:7 Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.

God bless you and may God bless America!

Greed is NOT Good

Putting the Presidential campaign aside for today we all need to know that there are bad, very bad, even bleak economic times coming. Friends, make no mistake that the failure of Freddie, Fannie, Lehman and company is only the beginning of the downturn.

And your government (Democrats and Republicans) is not being totally honest with us. Maybe they don't want to cause a panic, maybe they don't know how to be honest, but we aren't getting the whole story.

All I have seen and read tells me that things will get worse before they get better.

How did we get in this mess? One word, GREED. With all due respect to Gordon Gecko in the movie "Wall Street", greed is NOT good.

It seems to me that someone somewhere started to loosen the requirements to borrow money. Now, why did they do this? GREED. They wanted to make more and more billions of dollars. When other lending institutions saw that these "free lenders" were gaining market share, they didn't want to be left behind, so everyone jumped on the "subprime loan bandwagon". Disaster was just around the corner.

Now, with those who got these loans unable to pay back the loans, you can see how that can be a problem because now the lending institutions that borrowed the money to lend the money cannot pay back their loans and so on and so on it goes.

So, the government in its infinite wisdom will do what? Print more money to the tune of $700B (for now that is) and "bailout" these lending companies. Now when that happens, your dollars lose their value and you cannot buy as much tomorrow as you did today. You can't stretch something that is shrinking.

Many experts say that the bailout will not stop there and the $700B is more like $2.1 Trillion (yes, trillion). That all comes out of your pocket.

Words like recession and, yes, even depression are being bantered about in the economic circles these days. Conditions are very much the same as before the 1929 crash that sent this country reeling into the Great Depression.

You need to call your representatives and ask them what they are doing with your money. Demand information. Get smart on what is happening and prepare. Somehow prepare for the coming dark economic days.

Say what you will about Libertarian Ron Paul, but he got it right. He predicted this mess a long time ago and it's coming to fruition.

If you watch Glenn Beck you must have headache today. He gives it straight without sugarcoating it. How can you sugar coat a big heap of smelly garbage and make it palatable? You can't. That's how bad it is and how much worse it will get.

I think back to when my mother was alive. I miss her so much. I used to talk to her about her experiences during the depression. In some ways I envied her with those experiences because families were tight. Everyone pulled together. She had to quit school and help support the family. Not great, but you did what you had to in those days and I think we're headed that way again.

If you are a Christ follower hold on and stay close to God. He will sustain us through these times.

Remember the words of Isaiah in chapter 43(NIV):

1 "Fear not, for I have redeemed you;
I have summoned you by name; you are mine.

2 When you pass through the waters,
I will be with you;
and when you pass through the rivers,
they will not sweep over you.
When you walk through the fire,
you will not be burned;
the flames will not set you ablaze.

3 For I am the LORD, your God,
the Holy One of Israel, your Savior;

These are promises we should cling to all the time, but especially in the times ahead.

God bless you and yours and may God bless America!

SNL, the Left Proven Out of Touch AGAIN!

Well, looks like our friends at Saturday Night Live have once again proven they are yesterday's news. A failed attempt at lampooning the New York Times has backfired on them and brought more condemnation on them and the left.

Have you heard about this? They thought it was funny to joke about Todd Palin having an incestuous relationship with his daughter Bristol, who is pregnant. HAHA! That's just a laugh riot! Can you hear all those knees being slapped out there?

Instead of bringing a lighter note to an otherwise nasty presidential campaign, these lunkheads have brought up a topic that was all but being put to the side by the economy and that is bashing Sarah Palin and her family. Wow, and they call Republicans insensitive!

Can you imagine the moral outrage if, say, Rush Limbaugh did a parody about Obama being a Muslim and beating his wife? Wow, now that's GOT to be funny! Oh, man, the left would have a collective stroke trying to get that out on the internet, tv, cable, print. Arianna Huffington and her henchmen bloggers would be speechless and wouldn't that be a pleasure?

Look, no one, and I mean no one on the right is doing anything like this to Obama. To say the left is innocent (come on it's satire, they'll say), is like saying Islam is a religion of peace.

Let's take a look at the man "who approved this message" and wonder, is this REALLY the judgment and moral character we want in the highest office in our great country?

God bless you and may God bless America!

Obama - Wrong on So Many Issues

How can someone running for arguably the most powerful political position in the world be so wrong on so many issues? Not only does he lack experience, but Barack Obama lacks judgment and possibly moral character. How else can anyone explain his position on the Born Alive Infants Protection Act that protects babies born alive in an attempted abortion? Plainly put, he voted against legislation with the same wording while he was in the Illinois legislature. He voted AGAINST protecting babies born alive from botched abortions! HELLO is anyone out there?

Here's what was happening in a hospital in Chicago. When babies were born alive after an attempted abortion (apparently abortionists don't get it right 100% of the time, thank God), they were putting the babies in a closet or a room and neglecting them until they died. The hospital staff was going against their oath to save lives and just letting the babies dies with no intervention. Sounds like a warm and fuzzy place, doesn't it? Well, someone wrote legislation to protect these innocent, vulnerable babies from being killed. Mr. Obama voted against protecting live babies from being killed through neglect. HE VOTED AGAINST IT! I guess that was another topic above his pay grade.

Innocent babies left dying and Barack Obama did nothing to protect them. That's the bottom line. How can anyone think that this is the kind of "man" that should be President?

Also, guess who Barack's economic advisors are? Guess. Go ahead, I'll give you a minute. (the theme from Jeopardy is playing right now)

Alright, time is up! And heeeere they arrrrrrrre!

They are three Democrats with close ties to Obama who served as Fannie Mae executives: Franklin Raines, former Clinton administration budget director; James Johnson, former aide to Democratic Vice President Walter Mondale; and Jamie Gorelick, former Clinton administration deputy attorney general.

All three Obama-related executives earned millions in compensation from Fannie Mae.

James Johnson earned $21 million in just his last year at Fannie Mae as CEO. He was there for seven years from 1991 to 1998. Mr. Raines earned $90 million in his five years as Fannie Mae CEO, from 1999 to 2004. Mr.Gorelick earned an about $26 million Vice Chair of Fannie Mae from 1998 to 2003, according to author David Frum, a fellow at the American Enterprise Institute.

All three have been involved in mortgage-related financial scandals.

These people are "advising" Obama. Wow, good judgment Barack!

Check out this article, "Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac execs now offering advice to Obama" on WorldNet Daily that details more about this story.

How can one man be so wrong on so many important issues? He's was wrong about the surge in Iraq. He's wrong on protecting babies. He's wrong about energy. He's wrong on the economy. He's worng on protecting this country. He associates with the wrong people. He's wrong for this country.

God bless you and may God bless America!

What We Get if Barack Wins

OK, it's amazing to me how hard, fast and mean the left is going after Sarah Palin. This tells me that they are so afraid of her that they are not only trying to make sure McCain/Palin don't get elected, but that they are destroyed personally also. Are these the people who we should trust with caring about us? Seems to me the only people they actually care about are those who "think" like they do. Everyone else should just dry up and blow away.

This country is divided. This is very obvious now. The radicals on the left seem bent on taking control of this country to the exclusion of everybody else. If that happens we can be sure that taxes will increase, marriage will be destroyed, the Supreme Court will be ruined, children will be in danger and we won't be safe from Al Qaida attacks. Is this the country we want our children to grow up in? I know it's not what I want for my child.

No candidate is perfect, but we can see this year that one candidate is wrong for this country. Not only does he lack experience, but more importantly, as this campaign winds down to the election, his judgement is more and more suspect. Obama seems to be wrong every time he makes a judgement, whether he points out that McCain is out of touch with technology when McCain is actually chairman of the Technology Committee and the reason he can't send emails is because of how painful it is because of the torture he endured in Viet Nam or whether he tries to convince the Iraqi government to delay the turn over of their country until after the election thus keeping our troops in harm's way longer just for his political gain.

He might have been a good community organizer, but he'll be a lousy President a la Jimmy Carter. Remember interest rates in the teens? Remember the Iran hostages? That's Jimmy's legacy as President. Barack will be worse because of the threat of the Islamic terrorists and the current economic environment in this country. We need McCain/Palin to talk straight to us and straighten us out while keeping us safe from attack. We won't get that with the other guys.

God bless you and may God bless America!

Never Forget

Today marks seven years since we were attacked on our own soil by Islamic terrorists bent on destroying this country. Like those extremely significant events in our lives, I'm sure you remember where you were and what you were doing the moment you learned of this cowardly, evil attack on our freedoms.

Take time to remember those who lost their lives that day. Remember. We must remember this day. It should be ingrained in our consciousness like the attack on Pearl Harbor was on that Greatest Generation. Never forget, lest we become complacent and get attacked again. Seven years, no attacks. That's significant, but we need to remain diligent, so we can have another seven years of no attacks, and another and another. Never forget.

We remember , not only those horrific scenes of the planes hitting those buildings in New York and Washington, D.C. and that field in Pennsylvania, but the scenes of heroism. The firefighters and policemen trudging up those stairs to save people they did not know and mostly never would. Carrying those who could not walk. Evacuating the people while the steel skeleton of the World Trade Center creaked and groaned as the heat from the fire caused by all that jet fuel weakened and melted the core of those buildings. Heroes every one of them. Never forget.

And there are those who would ask, "Where was God that day?" Well, He was there for sure. For all those that escaped those buildings, He was there. For all those who were late to work that day and missed the attacks, He was there. For those heroic souls on United flight 93 who would not allow those Islamic terrorists to accomplish their dastardly plan, He was there. For all those who lost a loved one in the attacks, He was there. For those who ministered to the hurt and frightened, He was there. He's there now wanting everyone to look to Him for peace and comfort. God is there. He was there in the planes as the Islamic terrorists slammed them into the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. You see, God gives us free will to exercise even if it results in something as heinous as these attacks.

Remember this day as long as you live. Remember, another, more significant thing and that is God is in control, He loves you and He has His loving arms stretched out to you inviting you into His family. Will you accept the invitation?

God bless you and God bless America!

No Criticism for Barack

He's an agent for change! Change you can count on!

OK, I'll bite. Can anyone, anyone tell me one thing he worked to change and changed in Illinois as a State Representative? Anyone? Anything? On boy, those crickets are chirping mighty loud today I couldn't hear you!

OK, well, maybe as a Senator. Anyone know of a significant (or insignificant, hey throw me a bone here) piece of legislation that the good Senator from Illinois wrote and got passed that changed anything, even for the worse?

Hmmm, those crickets are getting louder!

I guess you can't criticize someone who does nothing.

He's still the most liberal senator in the most do nothing Democratically-led congress in twenty years.

Agent for change?

Yes, the good Senator has convinced everyone that we need John McCain and Sarah Palin (two people with actual records of positive change), as well as a Republican-led congress to get some things done for this country.

God bless you and God bless America!

Redistribution of Wealth

Barack Obama on "The O'Reilly Factor" last night:

"If I'm sitting pretty and you've got a waitress who is making minimum wage plus tips, and I can afford it and she can't, what's the big deal for me to say I'm going to pay a little more?" Obama said. "That's neighborliness."

No Barack that's Socialism

If she can't afford it, then, why doesn't she find herself a better job? Wow! What a concept. Maybe, oh I don't know, go to school and get trained for a better job? Oh, wow, I guess waitresses can't go to school or get trained to so something different.

Wait, whatever happened to pulling yourself up by your bootstraps? That's what makes this country great because anyone can do that! Let her take a loan like millions of others do and move up the economic ladder. Enough is enough already people. The government should not have to do for you. Do it for yourself!

We are not a weak people. Americans are strong people. We have the guts and the smarts to do great things.

We need less government, not more!

Attack Attack Attack!

I don't know about you, but I'm pretty much tired of all the attacking that goes on in politics. When are politicians going to TALK ABOUT THE ISSUES???

Instead of attacking each other, they should be attacking the problems we have in the country. What about the looming economic problems we are about to embark on? Did anyone notice that the federal government just took over Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae the two mortgage giants? Who do you think is guaranteeing those loans? You and I are to the tune of $14000 per American household. Does that scare anyone? It scares me.

All this attacking of Sarah Palin tells me she is the real deal. It's like what satan does. If he thinks you are not a threat, he'll leave you alone to do your own thing. Once he perceives you are a threat to him, he'll attack you. That's what the left is doing to Sarah Palin. I believe their attacks are proportionate to how strong a candidate she really is. They have to go at her hard because they perceive, and rightly so I think, that she'll propel John McCain into the Whitehouse. It's sad, really. Instead of having a viable candidate that debates the issues, they try to destroy the other side. Both sides are guilty of that, unfortunately. It's a sad statement on what we've become as a society.

I'm hoping and praying that she is the real deal. So far, with all I've heard and seen, she is, but time will tell. Sorry about the skepticism, but I believe anything can happen.

Get out and vote, it's your right and obligation!

God bless you and may God bless America!

Who Does God Want to be President?

That's a great question, isn't it? I haven't the foggiest idea who God wants to be President of the United States. Nobody, but God knows.

What I do know is that we, as Christians, should be praying. Pray that God will lead us to elect the person He wants in there.

Also, look at both candidates. Who most closely represents the values and ideals that would be pleasing to God and that would most closely follow what we are taught by God in the Bible? After all , the Bible is our guideline, so that's what we should be using this election season. Keep reading your Bible and praying! Prayer is important!

I am a Christian. I make no apologies for that and I want to do the things in my life that please God. I want to do that in every aspect of my life. Remember what God tells us in the Bible:

1 Corinthians 10:31 (New International Version)So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.

Whatever means whatever. So, everything we do, we need to do it to God's glory.

So, pray, read your Bible and go vote! It's not only your right, it's your responsibility!

God bless you and God bless America!

John McCain

I went into the speech by John McCain last night not expecting much because, well, most of the commentators kept telling us, "He's not a great orator". They were right. Sarah Paliln's speech was much more moving, sharp and funny, but it was no more compelling.

I have been lukewarm about John McCain. Last night turned up the heat that I feel about John McCain. No, it was not a rousing speech. No, it was not marked with sharp wit or humor. What it had was straight talk, honesty, and humility.

At the end of the speech, you had to believe that John McCain not only loves America, but he gets it. He gets that we're struggling to buy groceries. He gets it that we don't want to pay $4 a gallon for gas. He gets it that some are struggling with their mortgages. He gets it that some will have a hard time heating their homes this winter. He gets it.

He's the guy who has the right ideas. Less government, not more. Less taxes, not more. More security, not less. More energy, not less.

You got a real sense that he's disappointed in how the country is going. The country that saved him from the tortuous sessions in a rat hole in Viet Nam. The country he served with honor for 22 years. The country he fought for. He's disappointed, but he's not discouraged. He loves America so much, he serves its citizens. That's his payback. Service to his country. The ultimate service will be to serve ALL the citizens of this great land as President. He and Sarah Palin will serve us all by turning Washington D.C. on it's ear.

The only special interest group that will have their ear is us, those who call ourselves Americans. You really get that from Mr. McCain and Mrs, Palin. They are servants. We are the reason they are doing what they do. It's heartwarming, refreshing and, unfortunately, rare to see.

Will their message get out with the liberal, elitist media controlling what we all see and hear and wanting Obama to win? Time will tell. I hope so.

God bless you and God bless America!

Sarah Palin - WOW!

OK, whatever you think about Republican or Democrat, you have to give Mrs. Palin, mom of five, Governor of Alaska credit for this one thing, she's got what it takes to go to Washington and get things done. Her record running things in Alaska tells us she'll be a great servant in Washington, D.C. where there is a dearth of servants of the people. She gets it. She's done it.

Her barbs at the opposition notwithstanding, her speech sent us on a journey about who she is and how she got where she is. She's obviously intelligent. She loves her family. She loves her country.

Not only will she make a great Vice President, but I can see her being President. She's got the guts to do it and she's got the goods to do it well.

She hit a homerun last night. I heard a commentator say it was only a homerun in the first inning. True enough, I guess. The good thing is she's got a lot more at bats to come.

Being a Christian, I was lukewarm about John McCain. He's not the perfect candidate, but given the alternative, he's the best choice this time around. I'm more excited today after seeing and hearing Sarah Palin. She's a great choice for VP and I think she'll help catapult the McCain/Palin ticket into the White House as long as the American People are paying attention.

I hope and pray that they, McCain and Palin, will be able to get their message out through a media that obviously does not want them to win.

God bless America!

Welcome to My Blog!

Hi and welcome! I'm new to blogging and trying this out. I hope to write things that are interesting and possibly controversial, but always from my heart.

I look forward to hearing from you and I hope you come back often and let me know what you think. Please be honest and civil. You don't have to agree with me (and may of you probably won't), but you are welcome to let me know what you are thinking about whatever I post here.

Have a great day!