Texas Tech has been all over the news lately; not just for football, and I am loving it!!! Check it out:
http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/basketball/news?slug=ap-texastech-167points&prov=ap&type=lgns
Friday, November 21, 2008
What a Knight!
Texas Tech has been all over the news lately; not just for football, and I am loving it!!! Check it out:
http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/basketball/news?slug=ap-texastech-167points&prov=ap&type=lgns
Insight for Today
My Pastor sends out emails periodically with just some insight on what we as Christians, specifically Lutherans, ought to feel and believe on a given topic. They are very inspiring and have always conveniently come at just the right time when I may need them the most. I thought this would be a great outlet for me to share some of his words. I hope you enjoy them as much as I do.
Here is one for today:
Here is one for today:
God's Response to "Why Believe in a god?" Campaign
During the 2008 holiday season The American Humanist Association is running a provocative ad campaign to assure unbelievers that they are not alone and to challenge believers to question their faith. Messages such as, "Why believe in a god?" will be seen on buses as part of the $40,000 ad campaign in the Washington, D.C. area.
How are believers to respond?
Believers can never compel others to believe in God. Nor can we argue someone into having faith in God. Misguided Christians attempted this forced approach during the crusades of the middle ages and other points in history. Yet mistakes in history or warped expressions today do not negate the veracity of Christianity.
Bill Maher highlights in his recent movie Religulous that Christianity and other religions are filled with hypocrites, extremists, and assorted wackos. In Christianity we admit that Maher is accurate. Our expressions of faith are often feeble, flawed and inflexible. This is why those of us who are Christian admit our faults daily and humbly depend upon God's forgiveness for our imperfections (aka "sin").
Thank God (ironically) that in America atheists, agnostics and humanists have every right to question matters of faith, religion and even the very existence of God. In many nations believers are persecuted for expressing their faith. In many others, unbelievers would be arrested and punished for daring to doubt the official religion.
When I first heard about this ad campaign's latest attempt to question matters of faith, my reaction was one of outrage and defensiveness. But before I and other believers become all hyped up about every attack on faith, we must remember that such unbelief is recycled history. The Bible points out "there is nothing new under the sun" (Ecclesiastes 1:9b).
God began a public relations campaign thousands of years ago in response to those who say there is no God. God's response is not found on bus placards. It is recorded in Psalm 14:1, "The fool says in his heart, 'There is no God.'" And in case a person misses it in Psalm 14, the same message is duplicated in Psalm 53. Apparently Scripture wants us to be sure not to miss the folly of unbelief.
In the current American Humanist ad campaign, the alternative to believing in a god is stated in what amounts to an unbelievers' mini-creed: "Just be good for goodness' sake." Being a good person is the suggested alternative to believing in God. This, too, has been tried before.
During the Reformation Martin Luther attempted to practice the "be a good person" version of religion. Trying to be good led Luther to despair, because he could never be good enough to satisfy himself, much less satisfy a perfect God. He eventually discovered that knowing God, having peace and being saved do not hinge on human insight or efforts. These things are matters of grace (Ephesians 2:8-9).
Christians distinguish between faith and religion. Religion is a human system. Faith is a Divine gift. Faith has nothing to do with our attempts to act religious or to be "good for goodness' sake." Faith receives and believes what our five senses cannot prove, but what our hearts know is true. Faith is a Divine gift that recognizes and receives all that God has to offer-gifts like hope, peace, love, forgiveness and salvation.
The basic fact that we are here shows that a Power out there first began reality as we know it. Something cannot come from nothing. But even such general, philosophical speculation about the existence of God can only take a person so far. We finally need to wrestle with the specific truth claims of the Bible and of Jesus.
To those who question if God exists, I encourage them the read or re-read one of the Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke or John). Go on a journey with Jesus from Bethlehem to Jerusalem. Ponder the cross and the empty tomb and discover anew there is a God (capital "G") out there who loves you-even if you don't believe it yet.
Rev. Scott Schmieding
Tuesday, November 18, 2008
"The Farmers Ass"
One day a farmer's donkey fell down into a well. The animal cried piteously for hours as the farmer tried to figure out what to do. Finally, he decided the animal was old, and the well needed to be covered up anyway, it just wasn't worth it to retrieve the donkey.
He invited all his neighbors to come over and help him. They all grabbed a shovel and began to shovel dirt into the well. At first, the donkey realized what was happening and cried horribly. Then, to everyone's amazement he quietened down.
A few shovel loads later, the farmer finally looked down the well. He was astonished at what he saw. With each shovel of dirt that hit his back, the donkey was doing something amazing. He would shake it off and take a step up.
As the farmer's neighbors continued to shovel dirt on top of the animal, he would shake it off and take a step up Pretty soon, everyone was amazed as the donkey stepped up over the edge of the well and happily trotted off!
Life is going to shovel dirt on you, all kinds of dirt. The trick to getting out of the well is to shake it off and take a step up. Each of our troubles is a steppingstone. We can get out of the deepest wells just by not stopping, never giving up! Shake it off and take a step up.
Remember the five simple rules to be happy:
1. Free your heart from hatred - Forgive.
2. Free your mind from worries - Most never happen.
3. Live simply and appreciate what you have.
4. Give more.
5. Expect less
LATER --------
The donkey later came back and bit the farmer who had tried to bury him. The gash from the bite got infected, and the farmer eventually died in agony from septic shock.
MORAL FROM TODAY'S LESSON
When you do something wrong and try to cover your ass, it always comes back to bite you.
He invited all his neighbors to come over and help him. They all grabbed a shovel and began to shovel dirt into the well. At first, the donkey realized what was happening and cried horribly. Then, to everyone's amazement he quietened down.
A few shovel loads later, the farmer finally looked down the well. He was astonished at what he saw. With each shovel of dirt that hit his back, the donkey was doing something amazing. He would shake it off and take a step up.
As the farmer's neighbors continued to shovel dirt on top of the animal, he would shake it off and take a step up Pretty soon, everyone was amazed as the donkey stepped up over the edge of the well and happily trotted off!
Life is going to shovel dirt on you, all kinds of dirt. The trick to getting out of the well is to shake it off and take a step up. Each of our troubles is a steppingstone. We can get out of the deepest wells just by not stopping, never giving up! Shake it off and take a step up.
Remember the five simple rules to be happy:
1. Free your heart from hatred - Forgive.
2. Free your mind from worries - Most never happen.
3. Live simply and appreciate what you have.
4. Give more.
5. Expect less
LATER --------
The donkey later came back and bit the farmer who had tried to bury him. The gash from the bite got infected, and the farmer eventually died in agony from septic shock.
MORAL FROM TODAY'S LESSON
When you do something wrong and try to cover your ass, it always comes back to bite you.
The big 2-5!!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY LEAH! Sorry I am a day late. At least your card was sent yesterday! I Love you!
Monday, November 17, 2008
Why??!!
Sometimes it is really hard to see what God has planned when He takes someone out of our lives...
I got an email today from my Mother-in-Law, Barbara, letting us know that Ethen, Jeff's cousin Matt's 18 month old son, had fallen down the stairs at his mom's apartment complex and suffered a head injury. At the time she rushed him to the ER but the doctors did not want to do a CAT scan in fear that Ethen was too young. She then began to see signs that things were not ok. He was life flighted to Memorial Herman in Houston last night and was thought to be brain dead. They had him on monitors to keep a watch on him.
At 2:30 this afternoon I got a call from Barbara letting me know that Ethen had passed away. Apparently they found Meningitis. At this point we dont know if he died from the fall, the Meningitis, or if he fell due to the Meningitis.
I do not know much besides this, but I hope to learn more...
God blesses us with little babies in our lives. They bring us such joy and happiness. It is really hard to understand why they are taken at such a young age. All we can do is have faith that this is all part of God's plan and pray for comfort in our pain.
I hope to get some pictures of him up. I do not have any so I will have to get some from some family. These are the times when I wish we lived closer to family so that we could get to know them better. Fortunately, I have the memory of holding and playing with him at the Bulls Christmas gathering last year. He was such an angel!
Please pray for his mom, dad, brothers and sisters, and the rest of us as we say goodye...
I got an email today from my Mother-in-Law, Barbara, letting us know that Ethen, Jeff's cousin Matt's 18 month old son, had fallen down the stairs at his mom's apartment complex and suffered a head injury. At the time she rushed him to the ER but the doctors did not want to do a CAT scan in fear that Ethen was too young. She then began to see signs that things were not ok. He was life flighted to Memorial Herman in Houston last night and was thought to be brain dead. They had him on monitors to keep a watch on him.
At 2:30 this afternoon I got a call from Barbara letting me know that Ethen had passed away. Apparently they found Meningitis. At this point we dont know if he died from the fall, the Meningitis, or if he fell due to the Meningitis.
I do not know much besides this, but I hope to learn more...
God blesses us with little babies in our lives. They bring us such joy and happiness. It is really hard to understand why they are taken at such a young age. All we can do is have faith that this is all part of God's plan and pray for comfort in our pain.
I hope to get some pictures of him up. I do not have any so I will have to get some from some family. These are the times when I wish we lived closer to family so that we could get to know them better. Fortunately, I have the memory of holding and playing with him at the Bulls Christmas gathering last year. He was such an angel!
Please pray for his mom, dad, brothers and sisters, and the rest of us as we say goodye...
Friday, November 14, 2008
Thursday, November 13, 2008
Celebrity Collage by MyHeritage
Cut off the edge again... here is the link:
http://www.myheritage.com/FP/Company/face-recognition-results.php?temp=06f7c194ezwpen21&server=Server25&database=2&startYear=1800&endYear=2005&collage=1&loadMethod=myFiles
http://www.myheritage.com/FP/Company/face-recognition-results.php?temp=06f7c194ezwpen21&server=Server25&database=2&startYear=1800&endYear=2005&collage=1&loadMethod=myFiles
MyHeritage: Family tree - Genealogy - Celebrity - Collage - Morph
Celebrity Collage by MyHeritage
It seems to cut off the right side, so if you want to see the whole thing go here:
http://www.myheritage.com/photo-145711992_1_1/title
http://www.myheritage.com/photo-145711992_1_1/title
MyHeritage: Family tree - Genealogy - Celeb - Collage - Morph
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