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A Memorial Day Attitude of Gratitude

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Psalm 135:13 ~  Thy name, O Lord, endureth for ever; and thy memorial, O Lord, throughout all generations.

The older I get the deeper meaning Memorial Day has. I don’t know how it is that people go through life without a concern for eternity but Memorial Day is a reminder that others have gone on before and unless Jesus returns in Glory before, we’ll go the same way. Memorial Day is not a day of sadness for me, although there are many that I miss, but it’s a day of gratitude. I’m so thankful that God’s Word is truth and that His plan is still unfolding. I’m thankful for…

The Saints

Hallelujah for the saints of God who have carried the Bible, the blood and the blessed hope throughout the ages and refused to fall into line with the modernists and liberals who continually try to water down the gospel by preaching a feel good religion. Many have laid down their lives, faced persecution and put their all on the line by walking and talking what the Bible says in the face of strong adversity. It takes gumption to stand for the Bible. I thank God for the memories of my Father sitting with his Bible across his knees day after day. Following his own salvation he read his King James Bible and taught it for 50 years and it never grew old. It is so relevant today that it reads like a Sunday morning newspaper! Praise God for Saints who carry on!

The Soldiers

Thank you Jesus for the soldiers. The men and women of America who have fought for the freedom so many take for granted and treat with utter disrespect. When my Dad returned home from World War II, he came back to a country that rejoiced in his return and saluted his service. Service men and women fly in and out of our country every day without fanfare or recognition for their contribution of keeping us safe and defending the rights of those who use that right to mock the freedom they’re given here. It makes little sense to me. But I am so thankful and humbled that there are still those who fight for the freedom I hold dear.  Praise God for the Soldiers who carry on!

Most of All the Savior

Memorial Day is important to God too. He instituted Memorial Day long before it became a commercialized day on the calendar with family cookouts and celebrations. God taught the saints of old how important it was to mark the events of deliverance; he knew they’d need to draw upon that strength. It’s like a bank account for hope when we lose it all. A time that we can reflect upon what God has brought His people through and that He’s still on the throne ready to do it again for us! Memorial Day is a great day to visit the gravesite of Jesus and look at Victory in the empty tomb. It’s a day of celebrating that great hope we have in seeing our loved ones again and joining them in a place where there will be no more war, persecution and death! Praise God Who carries on!

I pray your weekend is filled with an attitude of gratitude in memorial for all the Lord has done, for the Saints who have carried the gospel to us through the years, and for the Soldiers who defend our freedom. Amen!

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Caution! God at Work

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Heartache and sorrow are never in short supply. Turn on the news or scroll through a few Facebook posts and you’ll see every shape and kind from local, national to world levels. Some of them created by nature, others self-inflicted, many just happenstances of life, but all with purpose. Romans 8:28 says “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.”

All things work…

Life is a process. It is seldom seen until afterwards the intricate details that God worked into and through a circumstance in life to bring a specific event to pass. But it’s always amazing! Words that I gleaned from Psalm 46:1 this morning is “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.” God is always present, but in times of trouble He is “very present!” That’ll put a shout in your soul! He is as close as a breath away waiting for you to run into His arms (our refuge) and allow Him to carry the burden (our strength). It is not by accident that we turn to God in times of duress. The Bible is full of examples of both times when God used struggles to turn a wayward soul back to Him or allow a discouraged soul to see His power.

Our lives are much like a construction site, but rather than seeing the sign “men at work” you’ll see the sign “God at work.” He makes His presence known. He’ll place barriers to prevent you from going over a cliff (or making a bad decision). He’ll create a mudslide of events that will have you on a fast slope that seemingly leads to nowhere, only to have you end up standing somewhere thinking, “Wow, that’s my God!” That invisible hardhat you’re wearing is the helmet of salvation. You see, God takes care of His own…

 “To them that love God” there is a purpose in all things.

What if you don’t know God? Then you need a hardhat!

  1. ~ Admit you’re a sinner and you have a debt to pay. – Romans 3:23
  2. ~ Believe that Jesus paid that debt, once and for “all”. – Romans 6:23
  3. ~ Confess (meaning to agree) that Jesus was crucified for your sin, arose the third day and now is at the right hand of the Father making intercession for you. – Romans 10:9-10
  4. ~ Decide. Heaven or Hell. It’s that simple.

God did not promise there would be no heartache in the lives of those who serve Him. But He did promise He’d be a very present help! Woohoo! It’s great having a friend in a high place. Do you know Him?

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A Pearl Positioned by Appointment

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pearl-01

Matthew 13:44-46 ~  Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a merchant man, seeking goodly pearls: Who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had, and bought it.

It is estimated that out of three tons of pearl oysters, only about three of them will have a perfectly-formed pearl. Given everything that is required in order for a pearl to develop, it’s not surprising that so few are produced. An oyster’s shell is made from an organ called the mantle. Using minerals from the oyster’s food as an energy source, the mantle expands, which leads to the shell’s growth. The interior of the shell is lined with a material called nacre, which is also produced by the mantle. In order for a pearl to develop, an irritant–typically a parasite of some sort–must situate itself between the oyster’s shell and mantle. When this particle sets in, it irritates the oyster and, in an effort to protect itself, the mantle begins to cover the foreign object with layers of nacre. As time passes, these layers eventually form a pearl. Typically, this takes about three to five years. (This according to ehow.com)

 Is it any wonder real pearls are so costly! A jewel in the house of the Lord is much the same.  Out of the congregation of the Lord it is said that only 10% are doing the actual work of the ministry, for which I tend to agree from my travels. They are rare and priceless. It is not to say that many others are not beautiful people making great contribution, but the pearls are those hand selected by God out of an ocean of possibilities.

 They’ve gotten there through great irritation!

 Be successful in leadership and you’ll understand completely how that pearl gets formed. Every struggle in the ministry, attack of Satan, complaint from the people, personal struggle, sickness and distraction is an irritant that has to be covered. There’s work to be done. So sometimes you wear a “slimy” smile that feels icky but it covers up the pain in your core. And before long that problem is smoothed over and you can rest a while until another issue arises and another layer of kindness or understanding is needed to get through. And much like that iridescent shine created on the pearl as layer after layer of nacre are made, a successful leader begins to shine too.

 Successful leaders are not people who have their world completely in hand and under control. Oh contraire! Many, if not most that I know, are exactly the opposite. They have the same issues as everyone else if not worse but they choose to put them aside for the greater cause; which is the people of God and service to the Lord.

 They’ve gotten there through many intervals

 True leadership is not appointed by position, it’s positioned by appointment. It takes experience to be a leader, and most of those experiences have been a divine appointment from the Creator to train His leaders. Often times because of the politics of the day people are appointed into positions they are not qualified to have, and it inevitably wreaks havoc on an organization.  It takes time to become a great leader.

 They’re not imitations

 Man can create a pearl that looks almost as lovely as the real deal, but the real pearls are rare, priceless, heavily sought and have gotten to that point by years of heartache and struggle. Successful leaders are those who use the irritants of life as a polish their personalities. They identify with and understand the struggles of those they lead because they’ve been there. Just as our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ does.

Are you a pearl of great price? Perhaps you’re still in the formation stage. Use those irritants of life to polish yourself into a leader that can be used for the Kingdom’s glory. Amen!

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The Potter’s Shed

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Jeremiah 18:11 ~ Now therefore go to, speak to the men of Judah, and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, saying, Thus saith the Lord; Behold, I frame evil against you, and devise a device against you: return ye now every one from his evil way, and make your ways and your doings good.

The Word of God preceding this verse are those of the clay on the Potter’s wheel. (see Jer. 18:1-6) I love that story! As an artist I love the creation process of a piece of art. It breaks my heart though when I invest a good amount of time into a project and then goof it up. From that point forward my heart has left the project and my “*mango” personality has already started envisioning my next project.

That is not God’s way.

When God puts a piece of clay on the Potter’s wheel he begins shaping it and pulling away the unnecessary portions of clay and sculpting it into a one of a kind art piece ready to be fired in the kiln. If an abnormality appears in the vessel, He removes it and begins again to form that piece of art. Goodness gracious how many time has God had to reshape me into that abstract form and begin turning me again into the vessel you see today. Which quite frankly is always one step from having to be returned to that wheel and begun again.

But in verse 11, God is passed the Potter’s wheel. I think Israel has gotten on His last nerve again and He says to them “I frame evil against you.” Perhaps it’s the Potter’s shed. When you frame up a building it means you’re putting down roots, you plan on staying a while. It was a final warning from God saying, (to Shari quote it) “I’ve laid the framework to box you in. If you continue to stay on this path, it will not end well and you’ll be there a while. But if you choose to turn back I’ll stop the construction.”

Every day I see evil, but every day I see good. I believe it is “that goodness” (and only in the sense of spiritual goodness) that God has not finished the Potter’s shed. He sees our work. He sees a remnant of believers that are willing to stay on the wheel and conform for Him. But… if things continue going in the direction they’re going; if Americans continue to keep their mouths shut while our government makes a mockery out of the constitution and the men and women who have died for it, I fear construction on the shed will begin again soon.

I am an optimist, I am a visionary. I want to see the good and I believe in my heart that our nation could turn back. But as a child of God I have to be real.  I have write what is on my heart this morning and it is the same warning that Jeremiah gave the children of Israel is due to us. Hop on the Potter’s wheel this morning and shout “I’m here Lord! Mold me.”

Are you an optimist or a pessimist? When I speak of my *Mango personality it refers to a seminar that I do to help churches and businesses work more cohesively as a team. If everyone were optimist and there were no pessimist, there would not be balance. So, how about it? Are you lookin’ for the good, or focused on the evil? Either way, hop on the wheel!

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A Heart Like That

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God's own heartI Kings 3:12

Behold, I have done according to thy words: lo, I have given thee a wise and an understanding heart;

A Heart Like That…

That’s my desire. To be able to look at a situation and discern God’s desire. Too often (way too often!) I am self-centered and so Shari focused that I fail to see what it is around me that God could bless and use for His glory. Solomon was so humbled that God had used his family, that he was second generation to the throne, the son of the mighty David, and possibly, (and I really hadn’t caught this until now) a little insecure! Wow! Maybe Solomon and I have something in common after all.

Solomon had surely seen the wins and losses of his father. He knew that it wasn’t going to be easy to follow in the footsteps of a man so loved by his people and favored by the Lord. I have to wonder what an evening might have been like in the home of King David, where the conversations may have gone… I wonder if Solomon had watched or perhaps knelt beside his dad and listened as he prayed those prayers that caused God to say “he was a man after My own heart.” I wonder if he had watched his father embrace a selfish desire only to weep in earnest repentance later. His parents’ affair had caused him to have an older brother he would not know until Heaven, he’d seen and heard of God’s judgment first hand. No wonder as he prepared his heart to sit on the throne his desire was to be able discern right from wrong, he’d certainly seen his father’s struggle with it!

A heart like that… what would it look like on any given day? It’s not always easy. Sometimes it requires going against the status quo or stepping outside your comfort zone. Solomon’s first decision after this was to determine the truth between two harlot women on the matter of who’s child had died and who’s had lived. And how did he decide? The same way God does, he tested their hearts. He knew the true mother would never allow harm to come to her child.

Today, God may test your heart. Will you pass? When it comes to making a decision will you decide with godly wisdom or selfish desire? Owch… stepped on my own toe there. I have to wonder, and pray that I am a child after God’s own heart…

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Hey Superwoman…. let’s be honest.

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superwoman

It’s the superwoman syndrome that has gotten me in trouble on more than one occasion I assure you. And I’ve been that way since childhood. I have the mentality that for every cause I can surely come up with an effect that will make it “all better.” What this syndrome has often lead to is me being out of the will of God. There was a time in my life that if anyone invited me to be on their committee I accepted and was their “go to gal.” If it needed done I’d do it! I didn’t care how hard or long I had to work, it would get done. I was a dream member for “most” everyone. For control freaks I was nightmare. My get it done attitude often times put the cart before horse, or left out key components for success. What I have discovered through much intensive therapy with the Lord is there must be a method to my madness, or it is but chaos.

Proverbs 3 1My son, forget not my law; but let thine heart keep my commandments: 2For length of days, and long life, and peace, shall they add to thee.

 Through much trial and error I’ve learned before any decision is made, and I mean any decision, I need to discuss it with God. I am not a clinical psychologist or physician, but I don’t think you have to be to determine that one of the top disease makers in the world is stress. And stress is almost always derived from poor decision making on someone’s part and most likely the breaking of a commandment!

Commandments aren’t tricky. They’re pretty much cut and dry: “thou shalt not.” If thou shall, you can expect trouble. The flip side of that is verse two, long life (health) and peace (which is great wealth, non-monetarily speaking of course). Are you now asking what this has to do with the Superwoman syndrome? Commandment number 1: Have no other gods before Me. A god is anything that we put before God.

Taking on any task in life without the guidance of God is saying that you don’t need His advice. Ouch! The cause and effect that I thought I could have was true; but the effect was not always good. Case in point: As a young mother I was involved in everything in the community. And this is not to discourage volunteerism, which is needful in every community, but I took volunteerism to a new level. Finding a balance in life is necessary. God intended us to help others outside our homes, after all, Christ gave another commandment, “Love thy neighbor.” But we’re not to love our neighbor at the expense of our family or our health. There are boundaries that we need to set as a family, and in prayer seeking His guidance. I fully believe that our lives are a ministry. I’m not a pastor or a preacher, but I’m a minister to every life I touch.

3Let not mercy and truth forsake thee: bind them about thy neck; write them upon the table of thine heart: 4So shalt thou find favour and good understanding in the sight of God and man

Mercy and Truth should begin within you. If you’re honest with yourself, you know when you’re pushing yourself too hard. If you’re like me, a worn out you is a grouchy you and serves no one well. God said to bind mercy and truth upon your neck and write them on your heart. They’re like your cape and crest across your chest! With mercy and truth for all concerned in our lives, we can become super women! We find favor and good understanding with both God and those in our lives. How wonderful is that! And what peace it will assuredly bring into our lives.

5Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. 6In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths. 7Be not wise in thine own eyes: fear the LORD, and depart from evil.

Being superwoman doesn’t mean you have to save the world. The world is not ours to save, Christ did that on Calvary for those who come to His cross and accept it.  Being superwoman is being all that God desires you to be; not the rest of the world. What I learned in my superwoman years is that the end result was letting everyone down. It’s just too much. So… this Mother’s day, whether you have children or not, take off your cape. Put on truth and mercy. Start by being honest with yourself. We take on too much. Have mercy…

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Another Spirit… and it’s excited!

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Numbers 14:24 ~ But my servant Caleb, because he had another spirit with him, and hath followed me fully, him will I bring into the land whereinto he went; and his seed shall possess it.

To set the stage for my message today, the children of Israel had just come upon the Promised Land. Two groups of men went out to spy upon the land and bring a report to Moses and the people. Joshua and Caleb returned full of excitement for they’d seen a land flowing with milk and honey, with food in abundance and all the provisions they would need. But the other men who went brought an evil report, seeing only impossibility and trials. Guess which report was received by the congregation of the Lord?

Why is it that within our churches an evil report is so much easier to believe and spreads like wildfire? It is that report which will be accepted and embraced for absolute truth while a spirit of revival in the soul of the saint, a good report, will be looked upon as a fleeting notion that surely will pass and takes far too much effort for everyone else to get on board that train.

One of my greater frustrations in the ministry is trying to drag people to the party; after all, it will surely end. Can you hear them? “Yes there’s joy in the camp, but we all know that when you go camping you’re not planning on staying, it’s just a vacation that will surely end with the reality of a world full of giants.” For fresh drinking water, make sure to bring the right type of water jugs. Well, me and my cockeyed optimism or my “Caleb-ism” believe that the reason those giants are in my world is help me carry the fruit God’s going to provide. Caleb had “another spirit.”

Their’s was a spirit of discouragement and defeat. They’d given up on the idea of the Promised Land before they even sat foot in it themselves. Neal A. Maxwell was quoted saying “Discouragement is not the absence of adequacy but the absence of courage.” Caleb wasn’t worried about the size of the giant, he was excited about the size of the fruit! He knew God would take care of the giant. He had courage!

What about you? Do you have “another spirit?” The children of Israel were living in a camp, and I’m sure the conditions were not the best. The comforts of home were gone, and the menu of life had limitations. But here they stood on brink of happiness and contentment like they’d never known and they believed the evil report over the good. That’s not good enough for me. I refuse to allow the evil report of the day, that I see on the morning and evening news, to discourage me and plant a seed of despair in my mind. I know the obstacles that are before us are big, but I serve a bigger God.

I want revival in my soul; the “other spirit.” I spoke over the weekend at a ladies retreat with a goal to stir them up, and I hope I did. But what happens when you stir the pot is that the aroma comes wafting up and into your nostrils, and that thing that you’re cookin’ smells good, and excites your soul with the joy of what’s to come. My friend Loretta, who also spoke, read this scripture about Caleb and the other spirit. It added to seasoning to my soul this weekend and I could feel that spirit of revival stirring again in my soul. I know what’s to come!

This world is temporary– we are in tents. But that other land, that Promised Land is coming. Don’t spend your time in the tents discouraged, enjoy the journey. When adversity and opposition come against you, think of it as a strength building exercise to carry the fruit God’s going to provide. We’ll have battles, there can be no victory without it. When the naysayers come and tell you that it’s no use to get excited about what the Lord is doing, tell them you have “another Spirit.” The Holy Spirit! The naysayers among the children of Israel died without receiving their reward. Don’t do it.

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He Knows!

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1 Samuel 2:1-3 ~ And Hannah prayed, and said, My heart rejoiceth in the Lord, mine horn is exalted in the Lord: my mouth is enlarged over mine enemies; because I rejoice in thy salvation.There is none holy as the Lord: for there is none beside thee: neither is there any rock like our God. Talk no more so exceeding proudly; let not arrogancy come out of your mouth: for the Lord is a God of knowledge, and by him actions are weighed.

In the context of this scripture Hannah had just given her son back to the Lord. The child that she prayed for, and as a young mother would have adored the opportunity to raise him and spend that time with him, and yet her promise to the Lord would be kept. She delivered Samuel to the Priest and prayed these words.

She acknowledge Him with Rejoicing

Every prayer we pray should have praise to God for what He has done; acknowledging Him for His provision. How often I get so caught up in what I want that I forget just what He gave. Hannah was grateful for the child she’d been given, but she was most grateful that He was the God of Salvation. Is that not what life hinges on? Our life is so fleeting here, but to understand that the God of Salvation has saved us that we can spend an eternity unseparated from those we love. Oh my goodness! How Hannah understood. Yes, it was likely painful to leave her child in the temple to serve God, but she knew that the God she served would allow her to spend forever with him. I’m ready to shout!

She acknowledged Him as the Rock

There is “no Rock like our God.” Oh my goodness. What words those are. People will let us down, we’ll let ourselves down, but God is there every second of every hour. He knows every heartache, every thought, every fear, every need… our God knows and provides. It was Hannah’s prayer of faith that allowed her to have Samuel. What is it you stand in need of today? Have faith that God will provide!

She acknowledged His Reasoning

Matthew Henry said “Every stream should lead us to the fountain.” What wisdom there is in that! Hannah reminds us that there is nothing within ourselves that we can boast of. We’d have nothing were it not for Him and His goodness, and whatever it is that happens in life He knows why and as Romans 8:28 says “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.”

When His actions are weighed, they are weighed with perfect measure, just what we need, at just the right hour. When my actions are weighed… I’m found short of it all.

Rejoice in the Rock today, He is so faithful! We all wonder “why” sometimes, but not God. Did it ever occur to you that nothing ever occurred to God? He knows!!!

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Sunday Morning Blues

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bluesLet this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.  ~ Philippians 2:5-8

The Sunday Morning blues… why that thought has been on my mind from the time I got out of bed I do not know. But it got me wondering today why some folks lack the motivation on Sunday to go to church.

Possibly the first reason is because they’re not in their right mind…

Paul said “Let this mind be in you.” And what mind was that? The same one that was in Christ Jesus. The mind that causes us to want to be like God. Wanting to be like God is okay when it’s in the biblical aspect. It really hit me this morning as I read this verse that people who say “So and so think they’re God,” Implying that a person thinks more of themselves than they should, may not be getting who God is either. In reality if one “thinks they are God,” arrogance is nowhere in the picture! God made Himself of no reputation but took the form of a servant. Being in “that mind” is polar opposite of arrogance.

What must Christ have thought when He went from being God to being God fashioned as a man? Paul said that He humbled himself and became obedient unto death, even the death of cross.

If on Sunday morning you have no desire to be in the house of the Lord (I speak to you as though you were saved) you’re not in your right mind. You should want to be where God wants you, and that’s in His house with His people, those that He gave His life for.  If you’re not saved there is still that desire to want to be where God is. God said in John 12:32 ~  And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me.  There is a desire inside of you to know God, and to know God is to desire being with His people.

Sunday morning blues can sneak up on anyone. But when your mind is on Him…

He brings joy.

1 Peter 1:8 ~ Whom having not seen, ye love; in whom, though now ye see him not, yet believing, ye rejoices with joy unpeakable and full of glory:

He makes the heart glad!

Acts 2:46 ~ And they, continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, did eat their meat with gladness and singleness of heart,

So… where is your mind this morning? There’s no room for the Blues in serving Christ! He deserves so much more and He wants so much more for you. He died that you might have life and that it would be abundant! So head on out to church and get ready to praise Him! He’ll meet you there!

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And you’re upset about noodles… really?

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A recent scroll on Facebook had me following a line of comments from “concerned” mothers. If it wasn’t so ridiculous I’d get upset. A posted picture of pasta dyed in food coloring sent parents on a tirade of comments about poor parental food choices, high risk eating and a pleather of insults toward a few moms who just wanted to make lunch a little more fun for their children. And yet…

We’ll let Planned Parenthood into our schools and call it a “choice” that children are old enough and mature enough to make, and yet noodles are worthy of a nationwide uprising. Really?

We’ll let government waste billions of dollars on funding like (If you can believe it!) $175,587 “to determine if cocaine makes Japanese quail engage in sexually risky behavior”. Really? True story!

We’ll allow terrorist into our country and pay them welfare benefits and give them housing, and yet a family is now homeless because they’re unemployment benefits are now exhausted after having paid taxes in America for 30 years. And you’re worried about noodles?

We’ll allow educated people to tell our children that premarital sex is okay, that their opinions matter (so long as it’s not biased by religion) and call porn “artistic expression” and then wonder why marriages fail when it doesn’t live up to the lies Hollyweird has convinced America is truth with their “new normal.”

Oh, I know… I’m on a rant this morning. By the way, God thinks it’s just as ridiculous…

Matthew 23:24 – Ye blind guides, which strain at a gnat, and swallow a camel.