I Don't Want To Be A Burden

Maybe you don't want to trouble God with your hurts, you have already asked Him for so much and you think that you are taking up to much of His time.

He's got wars, famines, hurricanes, sickness, and violence to handle all over the world every day. He won't have time for me. Wrong. Why don't you let Him be the judge to that.

He cared enough about you that He gave His own Son for our sins. You can be rest assured that He wants to hear from you. He wants your burdens so He can work supernaturally. Don't carry them yourselves.

You Have Him

When Jesus left the earth, He gave us the Comforter, the very presence of God. When the Holy Spirit fills you, it is as if Jesus Himself takes the helm of your life and navigates the course. And please trust me, He can do it much better then we can with our sense knowledge.

When you elect the guidance system called the Holy Spirit, your life moves in the right direction. You are filled with a powerful sense of being deeply loved, since everything about Jesus is about love. You know you have enormous worth as a human being. God made you to have fellowship with you.

Still Tight But Better

THE FEDERAL RESERVE released its quarterly Senior Loan Officer Opinion Survey on Bank Lending Practices. On balance, the number of banks reporting tighter lending standards and weaker demand both declined relative to July's survey. While these trends are encouraging, both measures remain elevated relative to historical levels, suggesting loan growth will remain challenging into 2010.

The number of respondents citing capital concerns as a reason for restricting credit continues to decline (19% in October versus 37% in July and 34% in April), likely reflective of recent equity raises, while the number of banks reporting increased.

It looks like we are slowly inching our way back up the mountain. Praise God and hang in there. I see so many vacant store fronts and hear of massive layoffs. Certainly hope for better things for people everywhere.

Luxury Homes Shrinking In Size in U.S.

For the first time in four decades in the luxury-home business, executives at John Wieland builders are thinking the unthinkable: Maybe houses in the South don't really need a fireplace.

They're also wondering whether new homes require 4,700 square feet of living space. Or private theaters with 100-inch screens. Or super-size-me foyers.

"You have to keep taking things out until you hit a critical point where people reject your product," said Jeff Kingsfield, senior vice president of sales at Smyrna-based John Wieland Homes & Neighborhoods.As they draw up blueprints for the house of the post-recession future, builders are struggling to distinguish among what home buyers need, what they want and what they can live without -- Jacuzzi by Jacuzzi, butler's pantry by butler's pantry.

It's an experiment brought on by necessity. Two years ago, closely held Wieland was building 1,800 houses a year in posh subdivisions in Georgia, Tennessee and the Carolinas, selling for an average of $650,000 apiece. Today, the company is closing on just 600 homes annually, according to Wieland. It has slashed staff to 330 employees from 1,100.

The American housing market continues to drag, with the Mortgage Bankers Association reporting Thursday that applications for home-purchase loans have hit a nine-year low, plunging a seasonally adjusted 11.7% in the week ending Nov. 6 from the previous week. U.S. sales of newly built homes have fallen sharply as well, from 1.3 million in 2005 to 485,000 last year. The latest Census Bureau data suggest that this year's sales will be even lower. Just 294,000 new homes sold through the first nine months of this year.

Guantanamo Detainees to be Tried in New York? Good or Bad?

Self-proclaimed Sept. 11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and four other Guantanamo Bay detainees will be sent to New York to face trial in a civilian federal court, an Obama administration official said Friday.

U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder plans to announce the decision later in the morning. The fate of Canadian Omar Khadr, the only westerner left in Guantanamo, may also figure in the announcement. Mr. Khadr currently faces trial by military tribunal. In a separate, Canadian case, to be argued today before the Supreme Court in Ottawa, the government is fighting a lower court ruling ordering it to try and repatriate Mr. Khadr.

Mr. Holder's decision is expected later this morning.

Without confirming details of the decision, President Barack Obama said it was a legal and national security matter. “I am absolutely convinced that Khalid Sheikh Mohammed will be subjected to the most exacting demands of justice,” Mr. Obama said at a joint news conference in Tokyo with Japanese Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama.

Bringing such notorious suspects to U.S. soil to face trial is a key step in Mr. Obama's plan to close the terror suspect detention centre at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. Mr. Obama initially planned to close the detention centre by Jan. 22, but the administration is no longer expected to meet that deadline.

It is also a major legal and political test of Mr. Obama's overall approach to terrorism. If the case suffers legal setbacks, the administration will face second-guessing from those who never wanted it in a civilian courtroom. And if lawmakers get upset about notorious terrorists being brought to their home regions, they may fight back against other parts of Mr. Obama's agenda.

Let's all pray that justice is served.

CNN Is Feeling Better Now

Lou Dobbs who was not afraid to say what he thought or felt,  and many times made the boys club at CNN very nervous with such questions as where was Obama really born, or the illegal immigration issue.

Lou started with CNN in 1980 as a business anchor and quickly became the top revenue producer for the network. He certainly has been compensated well and no longer is able to stomach the weak knee CNN. "Let's call like we see it."

Hope they replace him with a man who has the same character and courage. But probably not. Bye Lou.

The Two Kinds of Knowledge---Which Is Right?

There are two kinds of knowledge. The knowledge that is learned in schools comes to us through the five senses. It is safe to say that there is no knowledge of subjects like english, chemistry, biology, or math that didn't come to us through the senses of seeing-tasting-hearing-smelling and feeling.

Our bodies have really been the laboratory in which the research in which the research work has steadily gone on through the ages.

That knowledge is limited. It can't find the human spirit.

It can't discover how the mind functions in the brain.

It can not find God, nor discover the origin of matter, life, force or Creation.

All it can discover is things that it can see, hear, taste, smell, andfeel. It is called sense knowledge.
There is another kind of knowledge that has come to us through the Revelation called the Bible. This is Revelation Knowledge. It brings us in contact with the Creator, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

It explains the Why of Creation, the Reason for Man, the Nature of Man, and the ultimate Goal of Man. It deals with things that the senses can not discover or know without assistance from Revelation Knowledge. And the sad but true fact is that sense knowledge has gained supremacy in the Church.

The Church is a Spiritual Body to be governed through the spirit instead of through the senses. When Chruch knowledge gained power in the Church, and the root of the Church became the theological school, the Church ceased to be a spiritual body and simply became a body of men governed by sense knowledge.

Sense knowledge which cannot understand spiritual things will deny miracles, will deny answers to prayers, and will deny the deity of Jesus, discrediting his Atonement, Resurrection, and Miracles. Change your course oh precious Church.

Sense knowledge  will deny the miraculous cause they can not explain it or understand it. Sense knowledge has sent forth men called philosophers, searching after reality.

It is a fact that the man who knows Jesus will not turn to philosophy. Jesus said, "I am the way, the truth, and the life." Jesus is the answer to true philosophy. Amen

Is Obama Doing the Job You Expected

Is the president living up to your expectations? Is he everything you hoped he would be?

For me, he has been more of the same; making big promises, talking change and fresh new approaches, and failing to complete the tasks he promised during the campaign.

What about health care?
What about adding jobs instead of losing them?
What about Irag, Iran, and Afghanistan?
What about the huge debt we Americans have just undertaken?
What about the rampant greed of corporate America?
What about our huge debt to China?
What about our support for Israel?
What about us God fearing Americans having to pay for abortions of the deceived?

No question the president has more challenges since Truman. I pray that he is up to the task and am reserving judgement for a bit.

The End Could Be Near!

It can be very humiliating  to admit we are powerless, especially if we are powerful in the world. We may be powerful in some areas of our lives but out of control in other areas and on the sure road to destruction.
If we deny we are powerless, we may loose everything including our lives and families. Everything we have worked for.

The experiences of a man named Naaman illustrates how this is true (2 Kings 5:1-15). He was powerful and a leader in politics, a man of wealth, position and power. He also had leprosy which promised to bring about the loss of everything he valued. Lepers were made outcasts from their families and society. Ultimately they faced a slow painful death.

Naaman heard that there was a prophet in Israel who could heal him. He found the prophet and was told that in order to be healed he needed to dip himself in the Jordan River seven times. He went away outraged that his power did him so little good. In the end, however he did heed the instructions and admitted he was powerless. He recovered completely.

Our life controlling issue could be everybit as dangerous as Naaman's. It slowly separates from our families and leads toward the destruction of everything dear to us. The answer is to let go and let Jesus. Admit that we are powerless on our own and get the supernatural healing that only He can provide.

I Hurt, Do You?

It's impossible to go through life without experiencing hurt, especially in the invisible world of our thoughts and emotions. We all respond differently to these hurts. Some of us try to avoid the pain by turning to harmful behaviors or addictive substances-----hoping to numb the pain. Others try to distance ourselves by throwing ourselves into causes; hoping to stay busy enough to silence the painful memories.

The first step is to admit that we are powerless over our dependancies and that our lives have become unmanageable. Honestly, that life just sucks in it's present form.

For many of memories of childhood are memories of the terrors associated with being powerless. If we were raised in families that were out of control, the thought of being powerless might be extremely threatening.

But Jesus tells us the first step into the Kingdom of God is to become like a little child and this involves being powerless. He said, "I tell you the truth, anyone who doesn't receive the Kingdom of God like a child will never enter it." Mark 10:15

In any society, children are dependent members, the most dependent. They have no power. They are reliant on the love, care, and nurturing of others. They must trust their lives to someone who is more powerful than they. We must trust our lives to Jesus Christ.

This is an honest appraisal and the first step in eliminating the hurts of the past and getting faith for the future. Admit you need Jesus in your life and you are already on your way to recovery.

The United States is Here

Billy Graham said this prayer and boy did he hit the nail on the head.

'Heavenly Father, we come before you today to ask your forgiveness and to seek your direction and guidance.  We know Your Word says, 'Woe to those who call evil good,' but that is exactly what we have done.  We have lost our spiritual equilibrium and reversed our values. We have exploited the poor and called it the lottery. We have rewarded laziness and called it welfare..  We have killed our unborn and called it choice. We have shot abortionists and called it justifiable.  We have neglected to discipline our children and called it building self esteem.  We have abused power and called it politics.. We have coveted our neighbor's possessions and called it ambition.  We have polluted the air with profanity and pornography and called it freedom of expression.  We have ridiculed the time-honored values of our forefathers and called it enlightenment.  Search us, Oh God, and know our hearts today; cleanse us from every sin and Set us free. Amen!' 

Hey, Buy My Book and I Will Send You the DVD Free

First of all there ain't no free lunch. The books must not be selling very well if you got to throw in the DVD's.


How would we like to hear that kind of hawking going on at our regular church every Sunday. "Sow your seed and get your miracle," according to Richard Roberts and the off track prosperity crew. "God has got a mansion for everyone of you." Yeah, but it ain't here, it's in heaven. Why would we need a mansion anyway? And really what have we done to earn it? I know, I know; God operates on Grace but He wants us to get it. GET IT!!!


I say this and would say it on national TV, watch out for the money scams of the TV preachers and watch out for the false teaching that accompanies most of their preaching. 


Not all are bad, just most. There are some like James and Betty Robison who are doing great work. This is not an endorsement. The way to decide whether you support a ministry is to pray on it and see what God says. 


Why does Copeland need armed guards around his elaborate Eagle Mountain compound? Why would any church need armed guards? To keep the sinners out? Isn't that who Jesus preached to.


Why did these guys have such a problem complying with Senator Grassley's request on finances. My church's books are always open. No transparency, no trust. Why should they be any different?

Mega Political Mis Feats

Mayor Bloomberg of New York spent $100,000,000 to get reelected to a third term which he lobbied the council to even allow from the traditional two terms. It was said that it worked out to $170 a vote, that's a pretty price to pay for a vote. What makes me wonder is why some guy would pay a $100,000,000 for a job that it would appear would no way return anything close to that. It really makes me wonder what is going on? It makes me think there is something funny -----something we don't know about. Who knows?

If you know please let me know.

Then Candy Crowley talked about Obama and his campaign promises versus his accomplishments as we get ready to reach the one year mark. The consensus so far is that he has not lived up to any of his promises from televising the health care reform, to having lobbyists on staff, to Gitmo closing, and on and on. Granted it's a little early, but people think he's spending his political capital at a rapid pace and not necessarily in what the public deems in their best interest. Time will tell---unfortunately it takes time whether the end result be good or bad.

My thought is let's just have a king and do away with these nutso elections. The politicians just tell you what you want to hear anyway and then they do what they want and don't care what it cost us. I am tired of the lies and I don't mean just the presidential boys and girls but all through the political system. Changing it a little bit will yield no benefits.

The Perfect Weight Loss System

In today's times, so many people suffer from obesity. We are the number one most out of shape country in the world. Our youth are suffering a diabetes onslaught which is usually reserved for adults. It's not only a threat to our security but putting a severe strain on our healthcare system. Heart attacks at younger ages are becoming more prevalent as well. It affects our life quality.

In the old days, when I was a kid, we played outside or had duties to perform around the homestead. We were always active and weight was not much of an issue. Kids who were obese were the minority, not the majority as they are today.  Now kids are stuck at their computer games or the TV and eating junk food and doing absolutely nothing physical. It's a serious problem.

What's the answer? The answer is the same as it is for any other life controlling issue. Jesus Christ. If you are tempted to stop reading; then you really don't want to put a halt to out of control eating and weight gain.

The answer lies in who is in charge; your flesh or God. When we become saved, we get God through the Holy Spirit who comes and dwells in us. But we remain in charge and really don't possess any power to defeat life controlling issues. We start reading the Word and begin to obey God, but we are still running the show.

As we grow (in some cases in can happen instantaneously), we seek more of Him. As our heart turns to Him in it's fullest capacity, we have another step available to us. The Baptism of the Holy Spirit is ours and all we need to do is ask for it with all our hearts. We get saved, we get God. We get baptized in the Holy Spirit and God gets us. Or instead of us leading the way and making all the plans; we become led by the Holy Spirit who knows everything about us.

He knows what is good for us, what is bad for us. He doesn't condemn us, He gently leads. He knows when we are eating for emotional reasons instead of eating for fuel. Eating for fuel is the only legitimate reason to eat. Otherwise it's gluttony.

The reality is that He is gently leading us to become more Christ like. Believe me, Jesus wasn't fat. He didn't over eat. He was totally led by the father. He never sinned, but He was tempted and He knows what we go through.

Put your life and your eating in His hands and the problem will be solved like you never imagined. Weight will just fall off and health will be yours. You will be able to control your food intake and quality by His leading. You will desire to be more active.

Do you think God wants us fat, do you think God wants us healthy? Do you think God knows what He is doing? You bet He does.

Diets are of this world. They are by design geared to fail.

This is the supernatural power of God going to work in your life through the Holy Spirit. Now which one sounds more powerful? God or South Beach?

Have you ever eaten something and you weren't even hungry? And then suffered a tremendous surge of guilt. That's not God, that's our fleshly bad habits. Go with God and win. Blessings.

Generosity

In these times, it would be wise to remind yourself of God's promises regarding generosity. God promises that if you sow bountifully, you will harvest the same. You don't have to give money, especially those of you who are going through rough times. You can give of your time, give away things you don't need, help people who are in need. Give your time and of yourself with a happy heart.

For those of you who have plenty of money, you can pick up the slack and help out those in need with money to food pantries, to charity, and your time. Jesus said, "If you don't help someone in need it's as though you are doing it to me. And if you do help someone in need, it's also as if you are doing it to me."

I have never known anyone who went wrong because he was to generous. Have you? Start giving today. Read Proverbs 22:9

He who has a generous eye will be blessed, for he gives of his bread to the poor.

Jobs Aren't Coming Back

The recession has played into the hands of corporate America. First, it allowed them to weed out employees that they would not have been able to disenfranchise without a lot of public out cry. Second, it has given them the opportunity to make big money because they are all lean and mean.

The banks have cut jobs, the manufacturing sector has cut jobs. Everybody has cut jobs and the unions can't say a thing. What are they going to do strike? The unions have been busted whether they know it or not. And it's not going to change.

So how many of the seven million jobs that have been eliminated are coming back? I don't know. I am sure though that it's going to be much less than everyone thinks. Corporate America is lean and mean and plans to stay that way.

Ford cut 53,000 jobs and closed 12 plants. Catepillar cut 35,000 jobs and feels good about their chances for great financial prosperity. They will only add jobs if they find it impossible not to. Share holders are loving it.

Who is going to pay for all those displaced workers. You and I, of course. After all we can't have an extra seven million not working. You talk about an opportunity for civil unrest. This is it.

China is going to gain a bigger foothold then it ever dreamed possible. As if we didn't owe them enough already, what is it----north of three trillion dollars.

I hate writing these words but I felt led to speak my thoughts. For you that believe in Jesus as your Lord and Savior, He will take care of you. Why, because He promises to meet your needs. Just do your part and trust Him. Who else can you trust? The government, corporate America-----oh please.

God bless all of you. Start thinking about getting retrained in industries that are actually looking for good solid well qualified people. Do your research. The medical field will be gobbling people left and right. IT will be adding jobs.

Just believe.