Sat, Jun 30th - 11:05AM
Truth Team
Truth Team
Doyle --
I'd love to take a moment to savor yesterday's Supreme Court decision, but we don't have time.
Already, Mitt Romney and Republicans are out with outright falsehoods about Obamacare -- their favorite distortion being that this is somehow a broad tax on the middle class. In reality, this is all about personal responsibility -- and the "tax" they are trying to scare everyone about is actually a penalty for the 1 percent of people who can afford insurance but still choose not to buy it, leaving the rest of us to pay for their health care when they head to the emergency room.
Just like they did when the bill was before Congress, Republicans are playing fast and loose with the truth, making up scary consequences to keep you from knowing all the good things Obamacare does. They're not telling the truth about what this reform means for millions of middle-class Americans, so I need you to help get the facts out there.
Let's break it down.
#1 Republican distortion: "The President promised he wouldn't raise taxes on the middle class by a penny with this health care law. Well, that's been proven false now."
The facts: President Obama has cut taxes by $3,600 for the average middle-class family over the last three and a half years, and the Republicans fought him nearly every step of the way. From cutting taxes for every working American through the Making Work Pay and payroll tax cuts, to the American Opportunity Tax Credit which gives up to a $10,000 tax credit to help families pay for four years of college, the President has put more money in the pockets of middle-class Americans.
Here's another fact: Obamacare includes the largest middle-class tax cut for health care in history. According to the independent Congressional Budget Office, 19 million people will receive tax credits -- worth an average of about $4,800 each -- to help afford health care. These tax credits will finally put health insurance within reach for millions of American families. In short, Obamacare cuts taxes for middle-class families. Period.
Around 1 percent of people -- those who can afford to buy coverage but instead choose to opt out, shifting their costs to the rest of us -- will pay a penalty. The Supreme Court acknowledged yesterday that this penalty will be charged through the tax code -- but that doesn't change its purpose (to ensure everyone who can afford insurance buys it) or its effect (to lower costs for everyone). It's also the same policy Mitt Romney implemented when he signed health reform in Massachusetts. For many folks in Massachusetts, the penalties under Romney's reform were even bigger. In fact, here's a video of him extolling the virtues of his penalty.
#2 Romney distortion: Romney said Obamacare meant "a larger and larger government, more and more intrusive in your life -- separating you and your doctor."
The facts: Totally dishonest. In fact, this is one of the most dishonest claims in American politics. First, this isn't about government. Obamacare builds on and improves the nation's private health care system.
Second, here's what it fixes. Before Obamacare, insurance companies had free rein to arbitrarily cap and cancel coverage, and they could waste our premiums on overheads and big CEO bonuses. With Obamacare, there will now be clear rules of the road to give patients and doctors more control over their health care. These rules will make sure that you and your doctor -- not your insurance company, and certainly not a Washington bureaucrat -- have control over your health.
#3 Romney distortion: "Obamacare also means that for up to 20 million Americans, they will lose the insurance they currently have."
The facts: Outright false. If you like the insurance you have, you can keep it. The only thing that's changed is that your coverage is stronger. Here's how:
-- If you had a lifetime limit (and about 60 percent of employer-based plans did), it's been lifted.
-- If you have a child under the age of 26, they can stay on your plan.
-- Insurance companies can no longer discriminate against children with preexisting conditions.
-- Starting in 2014, insurance companies will no longer be able to deny anyone insurance based on preexisting conditions, helping up to 129 million Americans get the care they need.
-- Insurance companies will no longer be able to charge women more than men for the exact same coverage.
-- 54 million Americans already have access to better preventive services, free of charge.
-- And if you get sick, your insurance company can't drop your coverage, and if they deny you a treatment, the law makes sure you have a chance to appeal.
Republicans who tell you Obamacare won't let you keep your plan if you like it are lying to you -- and it is shameful.
#4 Republican distortion: "Costs are going up."
The facts: Health care costs have been going up for decades -- that's one of the reasons President Obama fought to pass the Affordable Care Act. Obamacare makes targeted changes to hold costs down. The President started by taking on the insurance companies. As he said yesterday, the law ensures that insurance companies spend 80% of your premium dollars on your health care, not administrative costs or CEO bonuses. If they don't follow that rule, they have to send you a rebate. This month, more than 12 million Americans will receive over $1 billion in rebate checks, and we're all seeing lower premiums because of it.
The law also takes on waste in our health care system. Let's take just one example. We spend billions of dollars every year treating people for infections they get while they are in the hospital. The health care law helps hospitals take simple but necessary steps to prevent infections. These types of reforms will save up to $35 billion and 60,000 lives.
#5 Romney distortion: "Obamacare adds trillions to our deficits and to our national debt."
The facts: Wrong again. The Affordable Care Act cuts the deficit by over $100 billion during the first ten years. In the following decade, it cuts the deficit by another $1 trillion. Not only is the Romney campaign misleading people about the President's deficit plan, they won't tell the truth about their own. Romney would grow the deficit by as much as $5 trillion by giving tax cuts that favor millionaires and billionaires while taking away health care benefits that people rely on. We can't let them get away with it.
I'm going to be perfectly clear: Mitt Romney has promised that if elected our next president, he will repeal Obamacare on Day One in office. Immediately after the Supreme Court ruled to uphold health care reform yesterday, Romney reminded his supporters: "When I'm President...Obamacare will be over."
If Romney gets his way, 105 million Americans could see their lifetime caps reinstated, and more than 3.1 young Americans could be booted off their parent's plan and could again be without insurance. Up to 17 million children with preexisting conditions could, once again, be at risk of being denied coverage, and insurance companies could once again drop you if you get sick.
That's why the Truth Team's work to spread the truth on Obamacare is so critically important.
Luckily, we have the facts to stop Romney, and the progress I just laid out to back us up.
Please spread the word, and forward this email to your friends and family.
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Sat, Jun 30th - 8:50AM
THE TIMES AND THE SEASONS!
The Times and the Seasons
Acts 1:6-8 (NRSV)
6So when they had come together, they asked him, “Lord, is this the time when you will restore the kingdom to Israel?” 7He replied, “It is not for you to know the times or periods that the Father has set by his own authority. 8But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”
Acts 1:6-8 (KJV)
6When they therefore were come together, they asked of him, saying, Lord, wilt thou at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel? 7And he said unto them, It is not for you to know the times or the seasons, which the Father hath put in his own power. 8But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.
The Disciples asked Jesus as He was about to ascend to the Father’s right hand, “...is this the time when you will restore the kingdom to Israel?” In spite of Jesus’ answer Christians today continue to ask “...is this the time when you will restore the kingdom to Israel?”
Look at Jesus’ answer to the Disciples: “It is not for you to know the times or periods that the Father has set by his own authority.” If Jesus told us, “It is not for us to know the times and the seasons (KJV), and only the Father knows, not even Jesus knows the times and the seasons, then why do so many Christians keep on searching for the times and seasons? Why do Christians study things that are not for them to know? Is curiosity justification for trespassing on a field of knowledge that is not for us to know? Or is it pride, so that if Jesus does come back in our generation we can say, “I told you so.” What an honor to be able to reveal something that only God knows. Not only do many keep on searching for the times and the seasons, but also they have the boldness to say, “This generation is the time of Jesus’ Second Coming.“ Of course, it is equally audacious to say, “This is not the generation that Jesus is coming.” Jesus said it was not our business to know the times and seasons.
Evangelicals reject the time and date setting of the Millerites and other sects. But it has always concerned me with even such great Evangelists as Billy Graham make statements to the effect that ‘this’ is the generation for the Second Coming of Jesus Christ. No one knows the day or the generation in which Jesus will return and it is un-Scriptural to suggest that we know that this is the generation that Jesus is returning. It is a waste of time, not to mention audacious, as well as disobedience to Christ to seek to know what is not for us to know.
Of course, this does not mean that we cannot study what the Scriptures do tell us about the past, present, and future. The Bible records many things God has revealed to us from Genesis to Revelation. And what God has revealed is not off limits to our study. But what the Bible has specifically said that it is not for us to know, is off limits to obedient Christians.
After Jesus told his disciples that it was not for them to know the times and the seasons, He repeated the Great Commission and promised them the ability to do it: 8But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth. We should be about our business of witnessing at home, the area, and around the world instead of being about that which is not our business, knowing and announcing the times and the season. How presumptive to state that we know what only the Father knows, the times and the seasons!
There are some things that must happen before Jesus comes. One is that the Man of Sin must be revealed (unveiled). 2 Thessalonians 2:1-4 (NRSV)
1As to the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered together to him, we beg you, brothers and sisters, 2not to be quickly shaken in mind or alarmed, either by spirit or by word or by letter, as though from us, to the effect that the day of the Lord is already here. 3Let no one deceive you in any way; for that day will not come unless the rebellion comes first and the lawless one is revealed, the one destined for destruction. 4He opposes and exalts himself above every so-called god or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God, declaring himself to be God.
Our generation is not the only one that needs this warning not to be quickly shaken in mind that the generation of Christ return is already here. That day or generation cannot come “...unless the rebellion comes first and the lawless one is revealed.” Now that can happen quickly, but it has not happened yet. The message of the New Testament is not that Jesus is coming today or this generation, but simply be ready at all times.
We need to remind ourselves that the rebellion that must come before the generation of Christ return is not defined. Many have tried to define it as their generation, but generation after generation has passed and we still don’t have a definitive description of the rebellion to come. It appears to belong to the times and seasons that are not given us to know.
How many infamous persons have been identified as the Man of Sin or predicted to be the Man of Sin? The Pope...Mussolini, Hitler, Stalin, and others. Many have and are seeking to know what only God the Father knows. And they also have the audacity to say, “Lo, here” or “Lo there is the Man of Sin.” when obviously he has not been revealed yet.
The New Testament clearly forbids us to seek to know the times and seasons that are known only to the Father. The message of the Scriptures is simply “Be ready!” Matthew 24:42-44 (NRSV) 42Keep awake therefore, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming. 43But understand this: if the owner of the house had known in what part of the night the thief was coming, he would have stayed awake and would not have let his house be broken into. 44Therefore you also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an unexpected hour. It is right to say to this generation, “Be ready”, but it is wrong to say, “This is the generation the Lord will return.” We are to be ready because of the unexpectedness of the hour, not because we know the hour, day, or generation of the Lord’s return. We are not to be ready because we know the hour or generation of Jesus’ return, but precisely because we do not know!
So many preachers talk about the signs of the end. The disciples wanted to know the signs to. Read Matt 24:3-8 (NRSV:
Signs of the End of the Age (Notice that Jesus doesn’t call them signs of the end but the beginning of sorrows.)
3When he was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately, saying, “Tell us, when will this be, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?” 4Jesus answered them, “Beware that no one leads you astray. 5For many will come in my name, saying, ‘I am the Messiah!’ and they will lead many astray. 6And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars; see that you are not alarmed; for this must take place, but the end is not yet. 7For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be famines and earthquakes in various places: 8all this is but the beginning of the birth pangs.
Yet, “...wars and rumors of wars; see that you are not alarmed; for this must take place, but the end is not yet. 7For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be famines and earthquakes....” are all used today as signs of the end, not the beginning as Jesus said.
Why can’t we as Jesus and Paul simply say, “Be ready because you do not know the times and the seasons.” instead of saying, “This is the generation of His return thus contributing to the unbelief of many who have heard these mistaken predictions before. Let’s have the integrity to say, “I don’t know the times and the seasons of Christ return and that is why we must be ready. Remember Jesus words in Mark 13:32-37”
“But about that day or hour no one knows, neither the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. 33Beware, keep alert; for you do not know when the time will come. 34It is like a man going on a journey, when he leaves home and puts his slaves in charge, each with his work, and commands the doorkeeper to be on the watch. 35Therefore, keep awake—for you do not know when the master of the house will come, in the evening, or at midnight, or at cockcrow, or at dawn, 36or else he may find you asleep when he comes suddenly. 37And what I say to you I say to all: Keep awake.”
The reason for so much confusion among Evangelical Christians about the Day of the Lord is because of J. N. Darby and C. I. Schofield. J. N. Darby invented the Dispensational System of Scripture interpretation. C. I. Schofield popularized the System through his Schofield Bible with his notes. Some people do not distinguish between his notes and the Scriptures themselves.
In the 1917 edition of the Schofield Bible, Schofield states in a comment in Matthew that the Kingdom of God is to be distinguished from the Kingdom of Heaven in five respects.
1 The kingdom of God is to be distinguished from the kingdom of heaven (Mt. 3. 2, note) in five respects: (1) The kingdom of God is universal, including all moral intelligences willingly subject to the will of God, whether angels, the Church, or saints of past or future dispensations (Lk. 13. 28, 29; Heb. 12. 22, 23); while the kingdom of heaven is Messianic, mediatorial, and Davidic, and has for its object the establishment of the kingdom of God in the earth (Mt, 3. 2, note; 1 Cor. 15. 24, 25). (2) The kingdom of God is entered only by the new birth (John 3. 3, 5-7); the kingdom of heaven, during this age, is the sphere of a profession which may be real or false (Mt. 13. 3, note; 25. 1, 11, 12). (3) Since the kingdom of heaven is the earthly sphere of the universal kingdom of God, the two have almost all things in common. For this reason many parables and other teachings are spoken of the kingdom of heaven in Matthew, and of the kingdom of God in Mark and Luke. It is the omissions which are significant. The parables of the wheat and tares, and of the net (Mt. 13. 24-50, 36-43, 47-50) are not spoken of the kingdom of God. In that kingdom there are neither tares nor bad fish. But the parable of the leaven (Mt. 13. 33) is spoken of the kingdom of God also, for, alas, even the true doctrines of the kingdom are leavened with the errors of which the Pharisees, Sadducees, and the Herodians were the representatives. (See Mt. 13. 33, note.) (4) The kingdom of God "comes not with outward show" (Lk. 17. 20), but is chiefly that which is inward and spiritual (Rom. 14. 17); while the kingdom of heaven is organic, and is to be manifested in glory on the earth. (See "Kingdom (O.T.)," Zech. 12. 8, note; (N.T.), Lk. 1. 31-33; 1 Cor. 15. 24, note; Mt. 17. 2, note.) (5) The kingdom of heaven merges into the kingdom of God when Christ, having "put all enemies under His feet," "shall have delivered up the kingdom to God, even the Father" (1 Cor. 15. 24-28). Cf. Mt. 3. 2, note.
(Note on Matt 6:33 The Schofield Reference Bible edited by Rev. C. I. Schofield, D. D. Oxford University Press New York 1917 New and Improved Edition page 1003)
Of course, unbiased scholars saw right away that the Kingdom of God and the Kingdom of Heaven are used synonymously and interchangeably in the Four Gospels, therefore, there is no distinction. The New Schofield Reference Bible attempts to discount this. But it is not possible. A simple recognition of the error would have been the honest thing to do. C. I. Schofield stated categorically: The Kingdom of God and the Kingdom of Heaven are to be distinguished in five respects.
The New Schofield Reference Bible reads:
Kingdom: The expression, “the kingdom of God” ("Matt 12:28"), although used in many cases as synonymous with the kingdom of heaven, is to be distinguished from it in some instances (see "Matt 3:2 note",) (1) The kingdom of God is at times viewed as everlasting and universal, i.e. the rule of the sovereign God over all creatures and things ("Psalms 103:19"; "Daniel 4:3"). In this sense the kingdom of God includes the kingdom of heaven. (2) The kingdom of God is also used to designate the sphere of salvation entered only by the new birth ("John 3:5-7") in contrast with the kingdom of heaven as the sphere of profession which may be real or false (see "see Matt 13:3 note", Matt 25:1, Matt 25:11-12"). And (3) since the kingdom of heaven is in the earthly sphere of the universal kingdom of God, the two have many things in common and in some contexts the terms are interchangeable.
Like the kingdom of heaven, the kingdom of God is realized in the rule of God in the present age and will also be fulfilled in the future millennial kingdom. It continues forever in the eternal state (cp Dan 4:3)
I have written before:
Stop Full Preterists and Premillennialists Including Dispensationalists Dead In Their Tracts
Full Preterists teach that in 70AD there was a literal 'parousia' (popularly known as the Second Coming), and a literal resurrection i.e., Jesus came in the air with all those who died in Christ before the rapture, , i.e. Christians who remained alive at the 'parousia' were caught up to meet Christ and those He brought with Him in the air. They further teach a general judgment in 70AD. If there were a literal parousia, rapture, resurrection, and judgment in 70AD it would mean:
First: Those who had died in Christ before 70AD would be raised from the dead and brought with Christ in the air.
1 Thessalonians 4:15-17 (NRSV)
"For this we declare to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will by no means precede those who have died. 16For the Lord himself, with a cry of command, with the archangel’s call and with the sound of God’s trumpet, will descend from heaven, and the dead in Christ will rise first. 17Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up in the clouds together with them to meet the Lord in the air; and so we will be with the Lord forever."
Second: Those living in Christ would be caught up in the air to meet Christ and those He brought with Him and so they would ever be with the Lord. No living Saints would be left on earth to propagate the gospel or give birth to children to replenish the earth after 70AD. Yet here you and I are carrying on this conversation.
1 Thessalonians 4:15-17 (NRSV) Quoted above.
Third: All unbelievers would be destroyed in flaming fire and separated from God and all good so there would be no unbelievers left on earth to replenish the earth.
2 Thessalonians 1:5-10 (NRSV)
This is evidence of the righteous judgment of God, and is intended to make you worthy of the kingdom of God, for which you are also suffering. 6For it is indeed just of God to repay with affliction those who afflict you, 7and to give relief to the afflicted as well as to us, when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with his mighty angels 8in flaming fire, inflicting vengeance on those who do not know God and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. 9These will suffer the punishment of eternal destruction, separated from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his might, 10when he comes to be glorified by his saints and to be marveled at on that day among all who have believed, because our testimony to you was believed.
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Sat, Jun 30th - 8:38AM
LAUGHTER DOES GOOD LIKE A MEDICINE! ESTATE PLANNING
Joe was a single guy living at home with his father and working in the family business. When he found out he was going to inherit a fortune when his sick father died, he decided he needed a wife with whom to share his fortune.
One evening at an investment seminar he spotted the most beautiful woman he had ever seen. Her beauty took his breath away. “I may look like just an ordinary man,” he said to her, “but in just a few years, my father will pass, and I’ll inherit his large fortune.”
Impress, the woman took his business card and three months later, she became Joe’s stepmother.
Women are so much better at estate planning than men!!
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Sat, Jun 30th - 8:31AM
THOUGHT FOR TODAY!
God doesn’t just work along side us. He works in us. Christianity in an inside job. Christians are all wrapped up in Christ.*
*"To them God chose to make known how great among the Gentiles are the riches of the glory of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. Colossians 1:27 (NRSV)
"and it is no longer I who live, but it is Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. Galatians 2:20 (NRSV)"
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Fri, Jun 29th - 8:02AM
LAUGHTER DOES GOOD LIKE A MEDICINE! DIG ALL HE WANTS TO!
This old man was feared by all his neighbors because they believe he practiced black magic and was responsible for missing cats and dogs and strange sounds at all hours. Every time he had a confrontation with his wife, screams and yelling could be heard deep into the night along with the same statement. “When I die I will dig my way up and out of the grave to come back and haunt you for the rest of your life!” Well he died abruptly under strange circumstances and the funeral had a closed casket. After the burial, the wife went straight to the local bar and began to party as if there was no tomorrow. The cheerfulness of her actions was becoming extreme while her neighbors approached in a group to ask these questions: are you not afraid? Worried? Concerned? That this man who practiced black magic and stated when he died he would dig his way up and out of the grave to come back and haunt you for the rest of your life? The wife put down her drink and said, “Let the jerk dig. I had him buried upside down.
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Fri, Jun 29th - 7:53AM
THOUGHT FOR TODAY!
To the natural man, death appears to terminate his hopes, dreams, expectations, and visions, but to the man in Christ, death has been transformed to the fulfillment of all of these things.*
*55 “Where, O death, is your victory?
Where, O death, is your sting?”
56The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. 57But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. 1 Cor. 15:55
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Thu, Jun 28th - 8:44PM
SOUNDS LIBERAL AND LIKE UNIVERSAL HEALTH CARE
Genesis 4:9 (NRSV) Then the LORD said to Cain, "Where is your brother Abel?" He said, "I do not know; am I my brother's keeper?" Yes, we are our brother's keeper. Sounds liberal to me!
Luke 10:25-37 (NRSV)
25 Just then a lawyer stood up to test Jesus. "Teacher," he said, "what must I do to inherit eternal life?"
26 He said to him, "What is written in the law? What do you read there?"
27 He answered, "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind; and your neighbor as yourself."
28 And he said to him, "You have given the right answer; do this, and you will live."
29 But wanting to justify himself, he asked Jesus, "And who is my neighbor?"
30 Jesus replied, "A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell into the hands of robbers, who stripped him, beat him, and went away, leaving him half dead.
31 Now by chance a priest was going down that road; and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side.
32 So likewise a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side.
33 But a Samaritan while traveling came near him; and when he saw him, he was moved with pity.
34 He went to him and bandaged his wounds, having poured oil and wine on them. Then he put him on his own animal, brought him to an inn, and took care of him.
35 The next day he took out two denarii, gave them to the innkeeper, and said, 'Take care of him; and when I come back, I will repay you whatever more you spend.'
36 Which of these three, do you think, was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of the robbers?"
37 He said, "The one who showed him mercy." Jesus said to him, "Go and do likewise." Sounds liberal and like universal health care to me.
Matthew 4:24 (NRSV)
24 So his fame spread throughout all Syria, and they brought to him all the sick, those who were afflicted with various diseases and pains, demoniacs, epileptics, and paralytics, and he cured them. Sounds liberal and like universal health care to me.
Matthew 8:16 (NRSV)
16 That evening they brought to him many who were possessed with demons; and he cast out the spirits with a word, and cured all who were sick. Sounds liberal and like universal health care to me.
Matthew 9:35 (NRSV)
35 Then Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, and proclaiming the good news of the kingdom, and curing every disease and every sickness. Sounds liberal and like universal health care to me.
Luke 4:40 (NRSV)
40 As the sun was setting, all those who had any who were sick with various kinds of diseases brought them to him; and he laid his hands on each of them and cured them. Sounds liberal and like universal health care to me.
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Thu, Jun 28th - 8:12AM
LAUGHTER DOES GOOD LIKE A MEDICINE! THE DIFFERENCE
Little Johnny returns from school and says he got an "F" in arithmetic.
"Why?" asks the father.
"The teacher asked 'How much is 2x3?' I said '6.'"
"But that's right!" The father replied.
"Then she asked me 'How much is 3x2?'"
"What the heck's the stupid difference?" asked the father.
"That's what I said!"
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Thu, Jun 28th - 8:00AM
THOUGHT FOR TODAY!
Christ lives in us here to prepare for us to live with Him THERE!*
Colossians 1:27 (NRSV) 27To them God chose to make known how great among the Gentiles are the riches of the glory of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.
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Wed, Jun 27th - 10:32AM
LAUGHTER DOES GOOD LIKE A MEDICINE!
THINKING ABOUT MARRIAGE! "Honey," said this husband to his wife, "I invited a friend home for supper."
"What? Are you crazy? The house is a mess, I didn't go shopping, all the dishes are dirty, and I don't feel like cooking a fancy meal!"
"I know all that."
"Then, why did you invite a friend for supper?"
"Because the poor guy is thinking about getting married."
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Wed, Jun 27th - 10:22AM
THOUGHT FOR TODAY!
With him (GOD), where you came from is not nearly as important as where you're going.* Jim Denison
*26 For what will it profit them if they gain the whole world but forfeit their life? Or what will they give in return for their life? Matthew 16:26 (NRSV)
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Tue, Jun 26th - 7:54AM
LAUGHTER DOES GOOD LIKE A MEDICINE! SIMPLE OPERATION
A man was seen fleeing down the hall of the hospital just before his operation. "What's the matter?" he was asked.
He said, "I heard the nurse say, 'It's a very simple operation, don't worry, I'm sure it will be all right.'"
"She was just trying to comfort you, what's so frightening about that?"
"She wasn't talking to me. She was talking to the doctor!"
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Tue, Jun 26th - 7:48AM
THOUGHT FOR TODAY!
"God's best and highest will is for us to love (value) Him with all our hearts, and to love (value) others as ourselves. Do you realize you have everything you need to fulfill God's will and experience His best in your life?"*
*"He said to him, “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ 38This is the greatest and first commandment. 39And a second is like it:
You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’" Matthew 22:37-39
(NRSV)
"And my God will fully satisfy every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus." Philippians 4:19 (NRSV)
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Mon, Jun 25th - 8:08AM
LAUGHTER DOES GOOD LIKE A MEDICINE! AIRLINE BAGGAGE
A man at the airline counter tells the rep. “I’d like this bag to go to Berlin, this one to California, and this one to London.
The rep says, “I’m sorry sir. We can’t do that.”
The man replied: Nonsense. That is what you did last time I flew with you.
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Mon, Jun 25th - 8:01AM
THOUGHT FOR TODAY!
It is easy enough to be friendly to one's friends. But to befriend the one who regards himself as your enemy is the quintessence of true religion. The other is mere business*. -Mohandas K. Gandhi (1869-1948)
*"And if you greet only your brothers and sisters, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same?" Matthew 5:47 (NRSV)
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Sat, Jun 23rd - 8:23AM
THOUGHT FOR TODAY!
In all of us, even in good men, there is a lawless wild-beast nature, which peers out in sleep.* -Socrates, philosopher (469?-399 BCE)
*"For we know that the law is spiritual; but I am of the flesh, sold into slavery under sin. I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate. Now if I do what I do not want, I agree that the law is good. But in fact it is no longer I that do it, but sin that dwells within me. For I know that nothing good dwells within me, that is, in my flesh. I can will what is right, but I cannot do it. For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I do. Now if I do what I do not want, it is no longer I that do it, but sin that dwells within me. So I find it to be a law that when I want to do what is good, evil lies close at hand. For I delight in the law of God in my inmost self, but I see in my members another law at war with the law of my mind, making me captive to the law of sin that dwells in my members. Wretched man that I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death? Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, with my mind I am a slave to the law of God, but with my flesh I am a slave to the law of sin." Romans 7:14-25 (NRSV)
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Sat, Jun 23rd - 8:13AM
LAUGHTER DOES GOOD LIKE A MEDICINE! Eulogy
The old man had died. A wonderful funeral was in progress and the country preacher talked at length of the good traits of the deceased, what an honest man he was, and what a loving husband and kind father he was.
Finally, the widow leaned over and whispered to one of her children,
"Go up there and take a look in the coffin and see if that's your pa in there."
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Fri, Jun 22nd - 7:58AM
LAUGHTER DOES GOOD LIKE A MEDICINE! YOU KNOW HOW FORMEN ARE!
Peter was telling a friend that he had just lost his job. “
Why did the foreman fire you?” the friend asked in surprise.
“Oh,” Peter said, “you know how foreman are. They stand around with their hands in their pockets watching everybody else work.”
“We all know that,” replied his friend. “But why did he let you go?”
“Jealousy,” answered Pete. “All the other workers thought I was the foreman.”
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Fri, Jun 22nd - 7:48AM
THOUGHT FOR TODAY!
"There is always enough time for the things that really matter to us."* Jim Pleitz
*"For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." Matthew 6:21 (NRSV)
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Thu, Jun 21st - 6:59AM
LAUGHTER DOES GOOD LIKE A MEDICINE!
To celebrate their fiftieth wedding anniversary, a couple returned to their honeymoon hotel. After retiring to bed, the wife said, “Darling, do you remember how you stroked my hair?” and so he stroked her hair. She reminded him of the way they had cuddled, and so they did. Then, with a sigh, she whispered, “Won’t you nibble my ear again?”
With that, the husband got out of bed and left the room. “Where are you going?” cried the wife.
“To get my teeth,” he said.
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Thu, Jun 21st - 6:50AM
THOUGHT FOR TODAY!
"I try to avoid looking forward or backward, and try to keep looking upward."* -- Charlotte Bronte
*Colossians 3:1 - 2 (NRSV) 1So if you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. 2Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth,
"Beloved, I do not consider that I have made it my own; but this one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead,"
"looking to Jesus the pioneer and perfecter of our faith, who for the sake of the joy that was set before him endured the cross, disregarding its shame, and has taken his seat at the right hand of the throne of God." Hebrews 12:2 (NRSV)
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Wed, Jun 20th - 7:29AM
THOUGHT FOR TODAY!
"Someone's opinion of you does not have to become your reality."* -- Les Brown
"Beloved, we are God’s children now; what we will be has not yet been revealed. What we do know is this: when he is revealed, we will be like him, for we will see him as he is." 1 John 3:2 (NRSV)
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Wed, Jun 20th - 7:28AM
LAUGHTER DOES GOOD LIKE A MEDICINE! FASTEST DAD!
Three boys were heading home from school one day when one started the time-honored game of paternal one-upmanship. He said, "My dad's way faster than any of yours, he can throw a 90-mph fast ball from the pitcher's mound and run and catch it just after it crosses the plate!"
One of the other boys said, "Oh yeah? Well, my dad can shoot an arrow from his bow and run to the target and hold it up to make sure the arrow hits the bulls eye!"
The last boy said, "Your dads don't even come close to being faster than mine. My dad works for the government, and even though he works every day until 4:00 he gets home at 3:30!"
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Tue, Jun 19th - 8:54AM
LAUGHTER DOES GOOD LIKE A MEDICINE! DOES THAT HURT?!
We live in a small town where we have a volunteer Ambulance Corp. We are blessed with many dedicated and fully qualified attendants, who staff our ambulances and give freely of themselves. I was chatting with one of the EMS responders one day and she could hardly stifle a chuckle, so I asked her what was so funny and she told me this story...
It seems that she had gone to an automobile accident and was checking a patient who was lying on the road for injuries. As she knelt beside him and probed him, she asked, "Does this hurt or does that hurt?" After each probe, he replied, "No." When she had nearly completed her examination, she shifted to a better spot from which to finish the examination when after one of her probing questions, he exclaimed very loudly, "That hurts!"
When she asked where, he looked up at her with a look of real pain on his face and said, "Your kneeling on my fingers!"
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Tue, Jun 19th - 8:43AM
THOUGHT FOR TODAY!
The cross bears those who bear the cross.”* Sundar Singh, one of India's most famous Christians
*24Then Jesus told his disciples, “If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. Matthew 16:24 (NRSV)
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Mon, Jun 18th - 6:59AM
LAUGHTER DOES GOOD LIKE A MEDICINE! DAD'S PAYCHECK
Three boys are in the schoolyard bragging about their fathers.
The first boy says, "My Dad scribbles a few words on a piece of paper, he calls it a poem, they give him $50."
The second boy says, "That's nothing. My Dad scribbles a few words on a piece of paper, he calls it a song, they give him $100."
The third boy says, "I got you both beat. My Dad scribbles a few words on a piece of paper, he calls it a sermon. And it takes eight people to collect all the money!"
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Mon, Jun 18th - 6:51AM
THOUGHT FOR TODAY!
"Nothing great was ever achieved without enthusiasm."* -Ralph Waldo Emerson
*"Whatever your hand finds to do, do with your might; for there is no work or thought or knowledge or wisdom in Sheol, to which you are going." Ecclesiastes 9:10 (NRSV)
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Sun, Jun 17th - 7:42AM
LAUGHTER DOES GOOD LIKE A MEDICINE! COST OF SNORING
A woman was having a medical problem - her husband snoring.
So she called the doctor one morning, and asked him if there was anything he could do to relieve her "suffering."
"Well, there is one operation I can perform that will cure your husband, but it is really rather expensive. It will cost $1000 down, and payments of $450 for 24 months, plus payments for extras."
"Wow!" the woman exclaimed, "sounds like leasing a new sports car!"
"Humm," the doctor murmured, "too obvious, huh?"
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Sun, Jun 17th - 7:33AM
THOUGHT FOR TODAY!
There are as many mansions in my Father's estate as there are children of God.* (Doyle Purifoy)
*"Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you." John 14:1-2
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Sat, Jun 16th - 8:35AM
LAUGHTER DOES GOOD LIKE A MEDICINE! DIETING!
"Diets are hard - today I had cupcakes without sprinkles."
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Sat, Jun 16th - 8:27AM
THOUGHT FOR TODAY!
"There's no way to overcome our weaknesses without knowing our strengths. Why? Almost without exception, our weaknesses are a reflection of our strengths being pushed to an extreme."*
*"I can do anything God wants me to do through Christ Who is my Strength.! (Phil. 4;13 Paraphrase by Doyle Purifoy)
9And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. 10Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ’s sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong. 2 Corinthians 12:9 - 10 (KJV)
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Fri, Jun 15th - 8:34AM
LAUGHTER DOES GOOD LIKE A MEDICINE! HOT MAMMA
Maurice an 82 year-old man went to the doctor for his physical.
A few days later the doctor saw Maurice walking down the street with a gorgeous young lady on his arm.
A couple of days later do doctor spoke to Maurice and said, “You’re really dong great, aren’t you?”
Maurice replied, “Just doing what you said, Doc: “Get a hot mamma and be cheerful.”
The doctor said, “I did not say that. I said, “You got a heart murmur. Be careful.”
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Fri, Jun 15th - 8:24AM
THOUGHT FOR TODAY!
"God only gives us what we can handle."* Robin Roberts diagnosed with myelodysplastic syndrome (MDA) QUOTED BY JIM DENISON 6/12/12 IN DENISON FORUM
*13 No testing has overtaken you that is not common to everyone. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tested beyond your strength, but with the testing he will also provide the way out so that you may be able to endure it. 1 Cor 10:13
25 Thy shoes shall be iron and brass; and as thy days, so shall thy strength be. Deuteronomy 33:25 (KJV)
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Thu, Jun 14th - 8:35AM
LAUGHTER DOES GOOD LIKE A MEDICINE! COST OF FARMING
Cost of Farming: A farmer wins the ten million dollar lottery and is being interviewed. He is asked what he is going to do with all the money.
"Oh, I guess the first thing I'll do is go and pay a few bills"
"And what about the rest?", the reporter asks.
Farmer shrugs. "Well, I guess they'll just have to wait."
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Thu, Jun 14th - 8:19AM
THOUGHT FOR TODAY!
TGIF: Thank God! I’m forgiven!* (Church Sign: 2nd Ave Baptist Church Corsicana)
*6to the praise of his glorious grace that he freely bestowed on us in the Beloved. 7In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace Ephesians 1:6 - 7 (NRSV)
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Wed, Jun 13th - 9:20AM
LAUGHTER DOES GOOD LIKE A MEDICINE! FATHER'S ASHES
A guy goes to a girl's house for the first time, and she shows him into the living room. She excuses herself to go to the kitchen to make them a few drinks, and as he's standing there alone, he notices a cute little vase on the mantel.
He picks it up, and as he's looking at it, she walks back in. He says "What's this?"
She says, "Oh, my father's ashes are in there."
He goes, "Geez...oooh....I..."
She says, "Yeah, he's too lazy to go to the kitchen to get an ashtray."
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Wed, Jun 13th - 9:05AM
THOUGHT FOR TODAY
Learn to write your hurts in the sand and to carve your blessings in stone.*
* "Beloved, I do not consider that I have made it my own; but this one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead," Philippians 3:13
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Tue, Jun 12th - 9:05AM
LAUGHTER DOES GOOD LIKE A MEDICINE! HAIRCUT
A new business was opening, and one of the owner’s friends sent flowers for the occasion. But when the owner read the card with the flowers, it said. “Rest in Peace”
The owner was little upset and called the florist to complain. After he had told the florist about the obvious mistake, the florist said, “Sir, I’m really sorry for the mistake, but rater than getting angry, you should imagine this: Somewhere there is a funeral taking place today, and they have flowers with a note saying, “Congratulations on you new location.”
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Tue, Jun 12th - 8:51AM
THOUGHT FOR TODAY
THOUGHT FOR TODAY: “....Christ's Death—though they know neither how nor why—has done more than either His teaching or His life to constrain and enable them to trust in the mercy of God for the pardon of sin; and because Christ is the Propitiation for the sins of the world, God has responded to their trust, and they are eternally saved. For it is not the doctrine of the Death of Christ that atones for human sin, but the Death itself;”* R. W. Dale
17“Indeed, God did not send the Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. 18Those who believe in him are not condemned; but those who do not believe are condemned already, because they have not believed in the name of the only Son of God. John 3:17 - 18 (NRSV)
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Mon, Jun 11th - 12:47PM
LAUGHTER DOES GOOD LIKE A MEDICINE! HAIRCUT
As a young preacher, my small church had limited facilities, so we held baptisms in a creek. With alligators in the area, however, that was less than ideal.
Then a minister friend suggested I bring my next group of baptismal candidates to his church for a joint baptismal service. Naturally, I accepted.
The baptismal pool had a clear front so the congregationcould see everything. When the baptisms were finished, curtains were drawn, and I was left alone in the pool for a moment. The building had no air conditioning, and it wasquite hot. I thought how nice it would feel to take a little dip. I glided to one end, turned, and backstroked to the other end.
Hearing a riotous uproar in the church, I looked toward the
congregation.
The curtain was down only to the top of the glass! An astonished and amused congregation had been watching my every move.
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Mon, Jun 11th - 12:29PM
THOUGHT FOR TODAY
THOUGHT FOR TODAY: "Probably the most important thing that negative emotions reveal is our own self-centeredness. We need to admit our level of self-centeredness, because out of such an admission comes the freedom to refocus our expectations away from God's creation and onto God Himself."* - From "It Takes Two to Tango" by Gary and Norma Smalley
*"Let each of you look not to your own interests, but to the interests of others." Philippians 2:4 (NRSV)
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Sat, Jun 9th - 7:43AM
LAUGHTER DOES GOOD LIKE A MEDICINE! HOUSE POINTS
"This house," said the real estate salesman, "has both its good points and its bad points. To show you I'm honest, I'm going to tell you about both.
The disadvantages are that there is a chemical plant one block south and a slaughterhouse a block north."
"What are the advantages?" inquired the prospective buyer.
"The advantage is that you can always tell which way the wind is blowing."
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Sat, Jun 9th - 7:37AM
THOUGHT FOR TODAY!
When God turned us from sin, He did not leave us with nothing to do; empty, bored, to wait out our time; but we are left the privilege and responsibility of being co-laborers with God, ambassadors for Christ, participators in God’s redemptive program, plan, and purpose with His power, His enabling grace.* W. T. Conner
*14how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without blemish to God, purify our conscience from dead works to worship the living God! Hebrews 9:14 (NRSV)
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Fri, Jun 8th - 9:45AM
LAUGHTER DOES GOOD LIKE A MEDICINE! LUNITICS
Three lunatics approach their Asylum doctor with a request for a weekend pass to the local city. "That's impossible says the doctor. You're all nuts. You'll get lost and never come back." But, the lunatics wouldn't relent until finally, exasperated, the doctor says "OK! If you can answer a simple question I'll sign the pass." He turns to the first lunatic and says "What's three times three?" The lunatic starts counting on his fingers "3, 7, 19, 38?. Is it 128?" The doctor shakes his head and turns to the next lunatic: "What's three times three?" The lunatic immediately shouts "WEDNESDAY!" The doctor, beginning to get disgusted turns to the last lunatic: What's three times three?" The lunatic thinks for a moment and then asks for a pencil and a piece of paper. That provided, she writes for some time furiously, and finally looks up and says "Nine." The doctor is amazed, but true to his word he begins filling out the pass. As he's writing he says "This is incredible, you've always been thoroughly insane. How'd you do it?" The lunatic responds, "Oh, it was easy I divided 128 by Wednesday!"
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Fri, Jun 8th - 9:38AM
THOUGHT FOR TODAY!
Compassion is difficult to give away because it keeps coming back.*
*"Send out your bread upon the waters, for after many days you will get it back." Ecclesiastes 11:1 (NRSV)
"give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap; for the measure you give will be the measure you get back.” Luke 6:38 (NRSV)
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Thu, Jun 7th - 8:06AM
LAUGHTER DOES GOOD LIKE A MEDICINE!
It was a stormy night. A guy was driving in some mountains and his car broke down. He stopped it by a tree and walked down the highway looking for help. A headlight started to approach him from behind. He turned back and noticed a car coming forth very slowly. He walked up to it, opened the door, and sat on the passenger's seat. Then he suddenly notices that there was no driver, but the car was moving!
Before the guy could decide what to do, a sharp turn appeared a few meters before the car and it seemed that the car was going to go off the cliff. The guy trembled in fright, but a pale hand came in from the open window and turned the steering wheel! When the car finished turning around the curve, the hand withdrew. Every time there was a turn, the same hand would come in and guide the wheels of the car to safety.
The guy could not believe all this. As soon as he saw the lights of some rest stop by the road he jumped off the car and ran into a bar, pale, wet, trembling, and telling everybody that he had a most creepy, supernatural experience.
Then two young men dripping in mud came into the bar. One saw the guy and said, "Hey, that's the stupid fellow that got in our car while were pushing."
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Thu, Jun 7th - 7:55AM
THOUGHT FOR TODAY!
No one understands the Bible until they are willing to do what it says.*
* Anyone who resolves to do the will of God will know whether the teaching is from God or whether I am speaking on my own. John 7:17 (NRSV)
"Why do you call me 'Lord, Lord,' and do not do what I tell you? Luke 6:46 (NRSV)
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Wed, Jun 6th - 7:40AM
LAUGHTER DOES GOOD LIKE A MEDICINE! HAIRCUT
A guy walks in to the Barbershop. Barber says, "What will it be today?" Guy says, "well I want it going with my waves on top, faded on one side, plug the other, and just make it all out of shape and messed up." Barber says, "Now why in the world do you want your hair cut like that."
Guy says, "That’s how you cut it last time"
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Wed, Jun 6th - 7:15AM
THOUGHT FOR TODAY
The enabling grace of God not only forgave me of my sin, but Jesus paid the debt and set me free. The new birth not only results in forgiveness of sins, but Jesus paid the debt and set me free.*
*17So if anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation: everything old has passed away; see, everything has become new! 2 Corinthians 5:17 (NRSV)
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Tue, Jun 5th - 7:50AM
LAUGHTER DOES GOOD LIKE A MEDICINE!
HOUSEWORK CHALLENGED: One day my housework-challenged husband decided to wash his sweatshirt.
Seconds after he stepped into the laundry room, he shouted to me, "What setting do I use on the washing machine?"
"It depends," I replied. "What does it say on your shirt?"
He yelled back, "University of Auburn."
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Tue, Jun 5th - 7:42AM
THOUGHT FOR TODAY!
The cross bears those who bear the cross.”* Sundar Singh, one of India's most famous Christians
*24Then Jesus told his disciples, “If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. Matthew 16:24 (NRSV)
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Mon, Jun 4th - 3:00PM
LAUGHTER DOES GOOD LIKE A MEDICINE! KISS A STRANGER
A couple walking in the park noticed a young man and woman sitting on a bench, passionately kissing.
"Why don't you do that?" said the wife.
"Honey," replied her husband, "I don't even know that woman!"
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Mon, Jun 4th - 7:30AM
THOUGHT FOR TODAY!
"It is not length of life, but depth of life."* -Ralph Waldo Emerson
*"The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly." John 10:10 (NRSV)
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Sun, Jun 3rd - 7:48AM
LAUGHTER DOES GOOD LIKE A MEDICINE! WATER IN THE CARBORATOR
Wife: “There’s trouble with the car. It has water in the carburetor.”
Husband: “Water in the carburetor? That’s ridiculous.”
Wife: “I tell you the car has water in the carburetor.”
Husband: “You don’t even know what a carburetor is. Where’s the car?”
Wife: “In the swimming pool.”
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Sun, Jun 3rd - 7:38AM
THOUGHT FOR TODAY!
"When I hear somebody sigh, "Life is hard," I am always tempted to ask, "Compared to what?"* -- Sydney Harris
*29Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” Matthew 11:29 - 30 (NRSV)
"I call heaven and earth to witness against you today that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Choose life so that you and your descendants may live," Deuteronomy 30:19 (NRSV)
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Sat, Jun 2nd - 3:25PM
Gi'me That Old Time Religion
Over the years our culture has led Christians to weaken the old time religion. Many Christians have so mingled with our culture that one can not tell the difference between a Christian and an American citizen. Jude 1:3 (KJV)
Beloved, when I gave all diligence to write unto you of the common salvation, it was needful for me to write unto you, and exhort you that ye should earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints.
My prayer is that God will pour out His Spirit in us and create a genuine passion to earnestly contend for the faith which was delivered unto the saints. Now I believe Jude used the word 'faith' in the inclusive sense, that is He was talking about the whole Scriptural revelation of God recorded in the Bible.
We write here of the word Salvation in is inclusive sense, salvation from the beginning to the end and all in between.
Some people say they got saved, and maybe they did. But they never understood what salvation encompasses. Like Zig Ziglar said, “They squatted to rise and got baked in the squat!” That's what happened to a lot of Christians.
Salvation encompasses a beginning called conversion or new birth, an ongoing process called sanctification, and an end called glorification.
We begin with the beginning: conversion (new birth; regeneration). Conversion is when a person puts their faith in Jesus Christ as Lord with the willingness to do what he says. Faith in Jesus Christ without a willingness to do what He says is not saving faith.
There is a lot of fuzzy preaching about the relationship of works and salvation. This fuzzy preaching has caused many new born babes in Christ to stagger in their Christian growth.
An experience that illustrates what I am trying to say happen while I was in the Seminary. I preached for the Texas Alcohol and Narcotic Education. Each week about five preachers would pile into a car and travel to various churches throughout the state. We would let a person out at a church. The last one drove to his assignment an then picked up each one of us after preaching. We often drove long distances and sometimes required overnight stays at a motel on the way. During this time of riding with each other we tried to solve all of the theological problems in the world. I was driving and not participating, except to listen, in a debate going on between the other preachers. Of all things, they were debating if a Christian had to accept Jesus Christ as Lord to be saved. Some argued that one accepts Christ as Savior and then later accepts Him has Lord. I could not believe that these Seminary students could believe that a person could be saved without accepting Jesus Christ as Lord.
This is the result of the fuzzy preaching I mentioned concerning the relationship of works and salvation. As long as it is preached that works have no relationship with salvation, young converts will stagger in their effort of growing in Christ. We are not saved by works; we are saved to work. Salvation necessarily results in works. James 2:18 “But someone will say, 'You have faith and I have works.' Show me your faith apart from your works, and I by my works will show you my faith.” Salvation is to works as is cause is to effect. Salvation causes good works. We do not work to earn or deserve salvation. We work because we are saved and love Him above all.
Why does a Christian work? It is not to earn salvation. We work because we love Him:
John 14:15 (NRSV)
15 "If you love me, you will keep my commandments.
John 14:21 (NRSV)
21 They who have my commandments and keep them are those who love me; and those who love me will be loved by my Father, and I will love them and reveal myself to them."
John 15:10 (NRSV)
10 If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father's commandments and abide in his love.
The love of God is shed abroad in our heart when we are saved. Romans 5:5 (NRSV) “...and hope does not disappoint us, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit that has been given to us.”
It is true that Christians are not under the law of the Old Testament but they are under the Royal Law of Love.
James 2:8 (NRSV)
8 You do well if you really fulfill the royal law according to the scripture, "You shall love your neighbor as yourself."
Romans 13:8-10 (NRSV)
8 Owe no one anything, except to love one another; for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law. 9 The commandments, "You shall not commit adultery; You shall not murder; You shall not steal; You shall not covet"; and any other commandment, are summed up in this word, "Love your neighbor as yourself." 10 Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore, love is the fulfilling of the law.
Jesus said: 29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. Matthew 11:29 (KJV)
If we worked for our salvation or out of duty because we had to we would have a heavy yoke to bear. But because we work out of love that the Holy Spirit has spread abroad in our hear, indeed our yoke is easy and our burden light.
You have heard the story of the boy carrying his handicapped brother on his back. A man asked the boy, “Isn't he heavy?” The boy replied, “No, he's my brother.”
The love of Christ takes the burden of working to earn our salvation or working from a sense of duty away and replaces it with the light burden of Christ's love.
The beginning of salvation is described as a new birth. Now, when a baby is born into our family, the baby has to literally learn everything. They learn these things at different rates of speed. This is called growing up or maturing. The same is true of a new born babe in Christ. They are not born fully mature. They must grow in Christ, in knowledge, and in love. It doesn't all come at once. We must be patient with ourselves and with others in the growing process.
This growing process is called sanctification. Sanctification begins the moment one is saved and will continue throughout the Christian life until we are glorified with Christ in heaven.
Hebrews 10:10 (NRSV)
10 And it is by God's will that we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.
Hebrews 10:14 (NRSV)
14 For by a single offering he has perfected for all time those who are sanctified.
To be sanctified is to be set apart for God's use. Every Christian is set apart for God's use and is being sanctified as they grow in Christ.
Running parallel to Conversion and the New Birth is sanctification and justification. Some people erroneously teach that each of these, conversion, new birth, justification, sanctification are separate experiences. However, the moment one is born again, converted, regenerated, he or she is sanctified, that is, set apart for God's use, justified, that is, given right standing before God. All of this is working toward a Christian becoming like Christ and finally glorified when we see Jesus.
2 Beloved, we are God's children now; what we will be has not yet been revealed. What we do know is this: when he is revealed, we will be like him, for we will see him as he is. 1 John 3:2 (NRSV) Just like a new born infant bears some resemblance of his or her parents, just so a born again child of God bears some resemblance to his or her Father, God. But the resemblance doesn't stop there. Through sanctification the Christians grows into the image of Christ as we quoted about in 1 John 3:2.
We like God's promises when they are light and blessed. But what about this one?: 33 I have said this to you, so that in me you may have peace. In the world you face persecution. But take courage; I have conquered the world!" John 16:33 (NRSV) The KJV puts it this way: 33 These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world. John 16:33 (KJV)
As a child of God we must accept persecution and tribulation as a promise of God. Persecution and tribulation is a part of our growing up, maturing in Christ, our sanctification. The Bible teaches a progression of growth through persecution and tribulation. James says: My brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of any kind, consider it nothing but joy, because you know that the testing of your faith produces endurance; and let endurance have its full effect, so that you may be mature and complete, lacking in nothing. James 1:2-4 (NRSV) Paul says: And not only that, but we also boast in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, 4 and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, Romans 5:3-4 (NRSV)
By the love spread abroad in our hearts by the Holy Spirit we rejoice in the testing of our faith because it brings experience, endurance, character, and hope. Thus, it is true as Jesus said, “Take my yoke upon you and learn of me for I am meek, humble, lowly at heart and my burden is light.”
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Sat, Jun 2nd - 8:08AM
LAUGHTER DOES GOOD LIKE A MEDICINE! DRINKING AND DRIVING!
I would like to share an experience with you all about drinking and driving. As you well know, some of us have been known to have had brushes with the authorities on our way home from the odd social session over the years. A couple of nights ago, I was out for a few drinks with some friends and had a few too many. Knowing full well I may have been slightly over the limit, I did something I've never done before -- I took a bus home.
Sure enough, I passed a police roadblock. But since it was a bus, they waved it past. I arrived home safely without incident, which was a real surprise, as I have never driven a bus before and I am not sure where I got it!
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Sat, Jun 2nd - 7:55AM
THOUGHT FOR TODAY!
"Nothing great was ever achieved without enthusiasm."* -Ralph Waldo Emerson
*"Whatever your hand finds to do, do with your might; for there is no work or thought or knowledge or wisdom in Sheol, to which you are going." Ecclesiastes 9:10 (NRSV)
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Fri, Jun 1st - 8:36AM
RESPECT FOR AUTHORITY
JIM DENISON DAILY CHRISTIAN FORUM: How should Christians speak of political leaders with whom they disagree? Our Lord set the example by refusing to malign the high priest or the Roman governor as they condemned him to be crucified. Apostles who would eventually be executed by the government taught us to submit to our leaders (Romans 13:1 (NRSV) 1 Let every person be subject to the governing authorities; for there is no authority except from God, and those authorities that exist have been instituted by God. and "show proper respect to everyone" (1 Peter 2:17 (NRSV) 17 Honor everyone. Love the family of believers. Fear God. Honor the emperor.
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Fri, Jun 1st - 8:17AM
LAUGHTER DOES GOOD LIKE A MEDICINE! SMILE FOR THE DMV
When I went to get my driver's license renewed, our local motor-vehicle bureau was packed.
The line inched along for almost an hour until the man ahead of me finally got his license.
He inspected his photo for a moment and commented to the clerk, "I was standing in line so long, I ended up looking pretty grouchy in this picture."
The clerk looked at his picture closely.
"It's okay," he reassured the man, "That's how you're going to look when the cops pull you over anyway."
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Fri, Jun 1st - 8:03AM
THOUGHT FOR TODAY!
Have we hated sin like God hates Sin? God's hatred for sin is God's love for man and His creation!*
*16 "For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life.
17 "Indeed, God did not send the Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. John 3:16-17 (NRSV)
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Name: Doyle Purifoy
