Joe's Jots

A Faith Of Substance

2009-05-15T22:22:00.000-07:00

Heb. 11:1 “Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen." (KJV)

What does it mean that faith is the substance of things hoped for anyway? How can it possibly be the evidence of things not seen? What is the Hebrew writer trying to say here?

Faith is the evidence, the proof, the very reality of the things hoped for which are not seen. True spiritual faith shows the reality and the full realization of the thing promised and hoped for. Mere belief can do neither.

Rightly dividing the word of God is of vital necessity to a true understanding of biblical truth. And nowhere is this more crucial than right here in our study of faith. Faith can only result from believing that Word of God given for our faith's obedience (Rom. 16:26). Oh, how important it is that we know what truth is - that truth of God intended for our hearing - truth that can produce a true Living Faith -truth spoken of God for our faith's obedience.

We must study all of the word of God which has been preserved through the divine work of the Holy Spirit. We cannot pick and choose what we like and throw out what we do not like. It all fits together to present a complete message which is God’s scheme of redemption for mankind.
Wrong division of God's Word is one of the devil's most devastating devices. He cannot erase God's words, so he simply beguiles men into misusing and misapplying God’s Word. Satan first did this in the garden of Eden and he continues to use this tactic this very day. He convinced Eve that God didn’t mean what He plainly said. Look again at the first record of wrongly dividing God’s Word.

Gen.3:1-5
1 Now the serpent was more cunning than any beast of the field which Jehovah God had made. And he said to the woman, Is it so that God has said, You shall not eat of every tree of the garden?2 And the woman said to the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden.3 But of the fruit of the tree which is in the middle of the garden, God has said, You shall not eat of it, neither shall you touch it, lest you die.4 And the serpent said to the woman, You shall not surely die,5 for God knows that in the day you eat of it, then your eyes shall be opened, and you shall be as God, knowing good and evil.

Please notice how Satan first twists what God actually said when he speaks to Eve in verse one. Eve does correct him, but then what does Satan do? In verse four he tells her that she shall not surely die. This is completely opposite of the plain instruction that God provided. Satan reasons with her that God was afraid of them becoming equal to Him in knowledge. Isn’t Satan still using these same tactics today? Yes he is and we see it all around us. People do not believe the plain teaching of God regarding salvation. The false doctrine of once saved, always saved is so similar to Satan telling Eve that she would not die if she ate of the fruit, it should be easily seen as a doctrine of Satan’s.

"By faith Noah, being warned of GOD of things not seen as yet, moved with fear prepared an ark to the saving of his house..." (Heb. 11:7 ). Noah's faith secured for himself and those in his house the reality of the promise contained in that Word of God given to him. Would he and his family have escaped the physical death of the world-wide flood if he had not acted on God’s instructions? Of course not! Saving faith can only come by hearing, believing, and trusting in the Word of God. Until one fully trusts in the Word of God enough to act on their belief, there is no substance to their faith and it will not save them. It will remain unseen especially to God. God wants to see that we love Him and trust Him. He always has wanted that from us. Nothing we do can earn our salvation, but until we act in obedience of faith, we do not have salvation. God requires an appeal from us for a clean conscience according to the apostle Peter.

I Pet.3:18-22
18 For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive in the spirit,19 in which he went and proclaimed to the spirits in prison,20 because they formerly did not obey, when God's patience waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was being prepared, in which a few, that is, eight persons, were brought safely through water.21 Baptism, which corresponds to this, now saves you, not as a removal of dirt from the body but as an appeal to God for a good conscience, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ,22 who has gone into heaven and is at the right hand of God, with angels, authorities, and powers having been subjected to him.

I believe with all that I am that my sins were washed away in water baptism by Christ’s blood. I believe that because that is the plain teaching of the New Testament. I pray that everyone will learn the plain truth of God’s Word and be saved because I do not want any to perish and neither does God. Yet, few will find the way that leads to eternal life according to Jesus (Matt.7:13,14). Will you be counted among the few?

God's Grace And Our Faith (Part 3)

2007-11-27T07:25:00.000-08:00

We have looked at the many characteristics of God's grace and our faith and now let us investigate how the two work together in God's salvation. I would like to begin by studying the passage we used at the very beginning.

Eph.2:8,9
8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:9 Not of works, lest any man should boast.

It is my opinion that this passage has been among the most abused passages in the Bible. It would really help if people would study the entire chapter and book of Ephesians before they make decisions as to what it teaches. Yet, we can learn some important things just in analyzing these two verses.

It first states that we are saved by grace, through faith. I completely believe this is true and no one can deny it unless they do not believe the Bible is the inerrant word of God. What is it that some fail to understand? It is that God’s grace and our faith are working together. God does His part and we do our part. Paul clearly states that salvation is the gift of God. Many assume that since we are not saved by anything we do; God does not require anything from us. This is just not the case. Having faith is definitely something we do. James helps us understand that faith is more than just mental ascent (Jas.2:19). Faith should be defined as acting upon belief. Our belief alone will not save us; nor will just doing what God commands save us either. It is only when our faith is combined with God's grace, salvation is possible. We still do not earn it, but we must respond to the free gift and meet God's grace halfway.

Some will continue to protest because of verse 9. Yet, it should be obvious that there are works of man (works that God did not command) and works of God (works of righteousness). In all I presented on faith, it should have been easily seen that faith is dead without works (James 2). Students of God's Word need to remember that God is not the author of confusion (I Cor.14:33); and that being true, should realize as well that God does not contradict himself.

When we read, salvation is a gift and it is not of works of man in Ephesians, and then read from James that faith without works is dead; there must be a way to reconcile what appears on the surface to be a contradiction. The only logical explanation is that there are two different kinds of works under consideration. Paul was speaking against works of the Law of Moses and James was speaking of works of righteousness.

Look again at Ephesians chapter two with me and you will see that Paul spoke of the Law of Moses.

Eph.2:11-16
11 Wherefore remember, that ye being in time past Gentiles in the flesh, who are called Uncircumcision by that which is called the Circumcision in the flesh made by hands;12 That at that time ye were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world:13 But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ.14 For he is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us;15 Having abolished in his flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in ordinances; for to make in himself of twain one new man, so making peace;16 And that he might reconcile both unto God in one body by the cross, having slain the enmity thereby:17 And came and preached peace to you which were afar off, and to them that were nigh.18 For through him we both have access by one Spirit unto the Father.

It should be clear that Paul was speaking of works of the Law of Moses even in verses 8 and 9. Paul’s main point is that both Jews and Gentiles are one in Christ. Paul also compares the partition in the Jewish Temple to a spiritual partition that separates all sinners from God. From the moment Adam and Eve sinned in the garden, they died spiritually. They were separated from God. Death is a separation and sin separates us from God. Yet, Christ’s blood broke down this separation.

Now consider verse 17. The gospel was preached to both Jews and Gentiles. Verse 18 continues by explaining it is through Jesus, we both (Jews and Gentiles) have access by one spirit to God. This is very significant information. We have access to God. In the Old Testament times, the Jews had priests who were their representatives before God. Only the high priest could enter the Holy of Hollies. The spiritual partition which separated man from God is represented in the literal partition that separated the Holy of Hollies from the rest of the sanctuary. But now Christ has taken this spiritual partition away and we can approach God’s throne in prayer as never before. Jesus is our high priest and our advocate (Heb.10:19-27 I Jn.2:1).

Consider these verses as well.

Heb 10:36-39
36 For ye have need of patience, that, after ye have done the will of God, ye might receive the promise.37 For yet, a little while, and he that shall come will come, and will not tarry.38 Now the just shall live by faith: but if any man draw back, my soul shall have no pleasure in him.39 But we are not of them who draw back unto perdition; but of them that believe to the saving of the soul.

The writer of Hebrews is clearly showing that living by faith is much more than mental ascent and if we revert to living a life full of sin, our souls will not be saved. Yes, it is true that we do not earn our salvation by anything we do, but we are to live in a covenant relationship with God in order to receive His free gift of eternal life. Will we make mistakes and will we occasionally sin? Yes. The difference is that sin is not ruling our lives. We seek to live a life that pleases our Father in Heaven. This is how we show our love and thankfulness for all that He has done for us. It is also how we show our trust in Him. We believe that He will have a place for us in Heaven if we willfully choose to live under this New Covenant. The gift is not given to anyone regardless of whether or not they believe the gospel. It is not even for those who only give lip service regarding their belief. It is to those who trust Him and show their trust in obedience.

Heb.5:8-10
8 Though he were a Son, yet learned he obedience by the things which he suffered; 9 And being made perfect, he became the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey him;10 Called of God a high priest after the order of Melchizedek.

Do not be fooled. Satan is still attempting to make mankind believe his lies are the truth of God’s Word. He told Eve that she would not surely die if she ate of the fruit of good and evil in the Garden of Eden. He tries to tell many today that there is nothing required of us to be saved. The New Testament clearly says otherwise. Study all of it and do not let anyone mislead you. I pray this series is beneficial to all who read it. I also expect everyone to study the scriptures daily to see if what is presented by me or anyone else, is so.

God's Grace and Our Faith (Part 2)

2007-11-20T00:46:00.000-08:00

In our first section, we looked and what the Bible reveals about God’s grace. Now let us see what the Bible reveals about our faith. I am hoping that this will help us all to understand exactly what faith is so that we can then learn how God’s grace and our faith work together in saving us.

The first thing we see about faith is that we can have different amounts of it (Matt.6:30 and 8:10). This next characteristic might surprise some people, but faith can be seen (Matt.9:2). We also learn that faith involves confidence and that doubt enters when we have little faith (Matt.14:31). Yet, even a small amount of faith can make us able to do great things (Matt.17:20 and 21:21). Faith was an important part of the Law of Moses as well (Matt.23:23).

We can be full of faith (Acts 6:5). We can also be obedient to faith (Acts 6:7, Rom.1:5, 16:26). Paul and Barnabas exhorted Christians to continue in the faith, explaining that we must, through much tribulation, enter into the kingdom of God (Acts 14:22). We learn that there is also a door of faith that can be opened to those who have not yet heard the gospel message (Acts 14:27). God purifies our hearts by faith as well (Acts 15:9).

Local churches are to be established in the faith (Acts 16:5). Faith in Jesus Christ is to be testified to all (Acts 20:21). It sanctifies us (Acts 26:18), and we live by it (Rom.1:17). Next, we learn that we can only obtain the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ which is to all who believe (Rom.3:22). This verse indicates that there is a difference between saving faith and mere belief (mental ascent).

We also learn that our redemption is in Jesus Christ and He is our propitiation through our faith in His blood (Rom.3:25). Let me pause here to share the definition of the word “propitiation”. It means atonement or render favorable. As the word is used in Romans, what Paul is saying is that Jesus was our atoning victim. He took our place when He died on the cross. Why? It is simply because the wages of sin is death. Yet, as Paul explains, He is only propitiation toward those who have faith in His blood.

In our next passage, we learn that there is a law of faith (Rom.3:27) and we should boast only in this law of faith. We are justified by faith as well (Rom.3:28) and through faith we make void the law [of Moses](v.28). There are also footsteps of faith that we are told to walk in (Rom.4:12). It is also possible to make faith void (Rom.4:14). As we continue to read Romans chapter 4, we also learn that being an heir of God’s promise [eternal life] depends on our faith and rests on grace (Rom.4:16).

Next, in chapter 4, we see that Abraham’s faith was seen in his trust that God could still give him a son in his old age (vss.18-22). And chapter 4 concludes by explaining that our faith will be counted as righteousness for us as well (vss.23-25). As Paul continues, we learn that through Jesus Christ, we gain access to the grace in which we stand (Rom.5:2).

Paul sheds some light as to why the nation of Israel did not attain righteousness through the law [of Moses]. In Romans chapter 9, he explains that it was because they did not pursue righteousness by faith. (Rom.9:30-33) The stumbling block set before them was Jesus Christ and His sacrifice on the cross (v.33).

We next learn that there is a word of faith to be proclaimed (Rom.10:8) and that faith comes through hearing and hearing, through the word of Christ (v.17). In chapter 11, we see that the Jews who did not believe were broken off from God’s family tree and non-Jews who believe are grafted in because we stand fast in our faith. But Paul also warns us not to become proud, but fear (v.20). Why? It is because there is a real possibility that we can be broken off as well if we do not continue in our faith, which puts us in God’s kindness (v.22). Those who were broken off can still be grafted back in as well if they do not continue in their disbelief. And in Romans chapter 14, we learn that whatever is not done by faith is sin (Rom.14:23).

Another important aspect of faith is explained in 2nd Corinthians chapter 5. We walk by faith (II Cor.5:7) and we labor in it as well (vss.8-10). This is actually a little redundant because walking by faith is basically saying all we do is to be done by faith(Gal.2:20). Paul also exhorts us to examine ourselves to determine whether we are in the faith and also to prove ourselves (II Cor.13:5). Another word for “prove” is “test”. Paul then asks if we are aware that Jesus is in us and then states – “unless indeed you fail to meet the test” (ESV). I encourage you to study this entire chapter very carefully. It is an important one regarding saving faith.

In Galatians chapter 3, we learn that we receive the spirit by the hearing of faith (Gal.3:2) and miracles were also done by the hearing of faith (v.5). We also see that we receive the “promise” of the Spirit through faith. Now we need to understand what the promise of the Spirit is exactly. If you carefully read the rest of chapter 3, Paul answers that question as well. The promise is our eternal inheritance. We all become God’s children in Jesus Christ, by faith (v.26).

In chapter 5, we learn that faith must work through love to matter to God (v.6). Next, Paul compares the works of the flesh with the fruits of the Spirit (vss.17-27) and faith is among the fruits of the Spirit. Our faith in Christ Jesus is what allows us to have access to God in confidence (Eph.3:12). We next learn that Christ is in our hearts by faith (v.17). There is also only one faith (Eph.4:5), and this means there is a unity of the faith as well (v.13). Paul also compares our faith as a shield that is able to quench the fiery darts of the wicked (Eph.6:16) and a breastplate (I Thess.5:8).

Philippians chapter one has Paul exhorting them to strive together for the faith of the gospel. Colossians 1:21-23 shows us the importance of continuing in the faith. Paul then states that those who are baptized are raised with Christ through the faith of the operation of God (Eph.2:12). We learn in I Timothy that it is possible for us to “shipwreck” our faith (I Tim.1:19); it can be denied (I Tim.5:8), cast off or abandoned (v.12), and wandered or erred from as well (I Tim.6:10). It can even be overthrown (II Tim.2:18). Paul even predicted that some will depart from the faith in the latter times (I Tim.4:1) and teach doctrines of demons.

If anyone thinks that there is no effort on our part in faith or gaining eternal life has either not read this passage, or has ignored it.

1 Tim.6:1

Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, whereunto thou art also called, and hast professed a good profession before many witnesses.

There is clearly effort on the part of man in God’s plan of salvation. So it should also be clear that there must be a difference between works of man or of merit, and works of righteousness or of God. 2^nd Timothy 4:7 is similar in proving that there is definitely effort on the part of man. In Hebrews we learn that the word of the gospel will not be beneficial to anyone unless it is mixed with faith (Heb.4:2).

The verse that is most often turned to when someone seeks Bible definition of faith is Hebrews 11:1, which is presented below:

Heb.11:1 Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.

But it really would help one’s understanding of faith to study the entire chapter. There is example after example of true faith in that chapter and each involves acting upon what is believed. In the beginning of the next chapter, we learn that Jesus is the author and finisher of our faith. Chapter 2 of James also sheds light on faith. Study the whole chapter carefully. Faith is made complete through works (Jas.2:22) and man is not justified by faith alone, but works mingled with faith (v.24).

Faith is our response to God and we will learn in part three how God’s grace and our faith work together in God’s plan of salvation. I pray that as we continue through this three part lesson, we will all have a deeper and more accurate understanding of how we are saved by grace, through faith.

God's Grace And Our Faith (part 1)

2007-11-19T21:47:00.000-08:00

Ephesians 2:8, 9
8 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God,9 not a result of works, so that no one may boast.

My goal is to present an in depth study on both God's grace and our faith as well as how the two work together in our salvation. Many people do not truly understand either one, nor how they work together, so it will be very beneficial for all of us to better understand how a Christian is saved by grace, through faith. This will be a three part lesson due to the amount of information I have accumulated.

First, I will present a detailed look at what the New Testament reveals about God's saving grace. The second part will be an in depth look at faith as well. Then in the third part, we will study how the two work together in our salvation. Now let us begin with a look at grace.

What is God's grace after all? The very best definition of the word that I have seen is "unmerited favor". It is God's undeserved or unmerited favor. But is that all it is? I did a search on the word grace in my Bible program and it revealed some aspects of God's grace that I am not sure many have realized before. God's grace has certain characteristics. Grace can fill a person (Acts 6:8), it can be seen (Acts 11.23), received, (Rom.1:5), and continued in (Acts 13.43).

We are justified by God's grace (Rom.3:24). We obtain access into grace by faith (Rom.5:2). Grace can reign as well (Rom.5:21). We know it is given (Rom.12:3) but it can also influence how we behave (II Cor.1:12) as well as increase our thanksgiving (II Cor.4:15). It can also be known (II Cor.8:9).

Most importantly, it is possible to fall from grace (Gal.5:4) and we are saved by grace as we already know (Eph.2:8, 9). Grace can also strengthen us (I Tim.2:1). We can find grace to help in our time of need (Heb.4 :16). The Spirit of grace can be spurned or outraged (Heb.10:29). It is also possible for a person to fail to obtain grace (Heb.12:15).

Peter pleas for Christians to stand firm in God's grace (I Pet.5:12). It's logical to conclude that if we are told to stand firm in God's grace, it is possible to do the opposite as well. Peter also affirms that both grace and peace are increased through the knowledge of both God and Jesus ( I Pet.1:2) and we are to be good stewards of the grace of God as well (I Pet.4:10). Peter also tells us to grow in both grace and the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ (II Pet.3:18). Grace can also be perverted into something it is not (Jude 1:4).

I encourage you to study each verse that was presented and the surrounding verses as well to gain an understanding of the context in which the verse were written. I also hope that you have learned some things already about God's grace that you might not have known before. Hold on to what you learn and carry it with you into the next two parts of my lesson series as well. God bless our study together.

Open Our Eyes That We May See

2007-11-13T20:03:00.000-08:00

In the ninth century BC, Elisha was one of God’s most influential spokesmen and one of the greatest of God’s prophets. His influence was great both on those of his own generation and on men down through the centuries. He shared a very close and personal relationship with God and this

affected everything that he said and did.

A very revealing story is told in II Kings. Now the king of Syria was making war against Israel; and he consulted with his servants, saying, “My camp will be in such and such a place.” And the man of God sent to the king of Israel, saying, “Beware that you do not pass this place, for the Syrians are coming down there. Then the king of Israel sent someone to the place of which the man of God had told him. Thus he warned him, and he was watchful there, not just once or twice (meaning many times). Therefore the heart of the king of Syria was greatly troubled by this thing; and he called his servants and said to them, “Will you not show me which of us is for the king of Israel?” And one of his servants said, “None, my lord, O king; but Elisha, the prophet who is in Israel, tells the king of Israel the words that you speak in your bedroom.” So he said, “Go and see where he is, that I may send and get him.” And it was told him, saying, “Surely he is in Dothan.”

Therefore he sent horses and chariots and a great army there, and they came by night and surrounded the city. And when the servant of the man of God arose early and went out, there was an army, surrounding the city with horses and chariots. And his servant said to him, “Alas, my master! What shall we do?” So he answered, “Do not fear, for those who are with us are more than those who are with them.” And Elisha prayed, and said, “LORD, I pray, open his eyes that he may see.” Then the LORD opened the eyes of the young man, and he saw. And behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha. So when the Syrians came down to him, Elisha prayed to the LORD, and said, “Strike this people, I pray, with blindness.” And He struck them with blindness according to the word of Elisha….So the bands of Syrian raiders came no more into the land of Israel.(II Kings 6:8-18, 23 NKJV).

In this reading there are two sentences that stand out and become our text: “Do not fear, for those who are with us are more than those who are with them.” “LORD, I pray, open his eyes that he may see.” These sentences were needed by the servant of Elisha on that day; they are needed by all of God’s children today. Let us explore them and see just what meaning they may hold for us.

More Than the Eye Can See

Even today, we often feel that we face fearful odds in the world about us. Evil is very rich, very powerful, and deeply entrenched. First of all, irreligion is very strong in the world. Godless Communism has under its control the majority of the people on earth. They seek to destroy every trace of religion. Muslum extremists seek to kill all who are not Muslim extremists as well. Atheism and Evolution are gaining strength as are many other false religions. Faith in God and Christ are seen by many as silly superstitions. More and more political leaders and those in charge of major Universities seek to downgrade religion. Then, think of the millions who wear the name of Christ but who do not know him nor his church in the pure New Testament way. Another of the great discouraging influences in our world is the moral weakness of mankind. Even good people, well informed people, often sink in their behavior to the level of animals. Lust, hate, greed, envy and strife are common even in the enlightened twenty-first century. We are faced with fearful odds and sometimes when we compare our visible strength--limited numbers, wealth and influence--with these vast forces that are against us, we become discouraged and feel that the battle is hopeless.

But--The Early Christians

It is at this point that we need to turn our eyes back to the first century and visualize the situation faced by those with whom Christianity began. Discouragement seems obvious and overwhelming when we realize that even the divine Son of God was not accepted by his own people, but rather was crucified. When the twelve apostles were left to establish the church and to launch the Christian era, even one of their own number had to be written off as a traitor. They were immediately met by Jewish antagonisms and persecutions. They also faced the strong negative influence of an absolute Roman dictatorship. The emperor claimed to be divine and demanded the allegiance of every subject throughout the empire. What a negative climate for the establishment of the Christian religion! Also, paganism was universal and triumphant. The mystery religions were known everywhere. Their temples were large, magnificent buildings in every major city. All across the Roman world these mystery religions had blinded the people’s eyes to the true God and his worship. What chance did Christianity have?

On the surface, measured with the eye of human reason rather than with the eye of faith, the establishment and spread of Christianity was hopeless. However, there were forces at work that could not be seen with the natural eye and these forces entirely changed the picture. Imagine the apostle Paul coming into Athens. So far as the record goes, he was alone. As he walked through the streets he observed the hundreds of idols and altars to the various gods and goddesses. When he lifted his eyes to Athens’ crowning-hill, the Acropolis, he observed the magnificent Parthenon, which, with the other temples that surrounded it, was built for the worship of a pagan deity. What chance had he to change all of this? Remember, too, that his gospel was a strange sounding story in itself. How convincing would it be to tell the

people that the only living God had sent his only begotten Son into the world and that he had lived in lowly Palestine for a third of a century. How convincing would it be to tell them that this Messiah had been a carpenter in the small city of Nazareth, that he had no wealth, and no illustrious following? What would the pagans think when told that his own people, led by their religious leaders had called for his crucifixion and that the Roman soldier had nailed him to a cross? Yet, amazingly, some did believe. Dionysius, the Areopagite, a woman named Damaris, and others.

A little later Paul entered the equally pagan city of Corinth. On its crowning hill was another great temple served by many priests and also using a thousand priestesses, or harlots, in the practice of its religion. What chance had Christianity in this setting? Yet, just a little later on, the apostle Paul wrote these inspiring words to the church that had been established in the shadow of this pagan temple, “Therefore let no one boast in men. For all things are yours: whether Paul or Apollos or Cephas, or the world or life or death, or things present or things to come—all are yours. And you are Christ’s, and Christ is God’s” (I Cor. 3:21-23). In some strange way the future belonged not to paganism, nor to the Roman dictatorship, nor to the strongly entrenched Jewish religion, but to the lowly Nazarene and his humble followers. Again, “those who are with us are more than those who are with them.”

Our tendency today is to look at the world about us through the eye of human reason, and to forget the realm of the spirit. David made this mistake by trusting in his own strength rather than in the strength of God. In his own human pride, he called for the numbering of Israel. Later he discovered that his strength lay not in numbers, but in the power of God and said; “I have sinned greatly in what I have done; but now, I pray, O LORD, take away the iniquity of Your servant, for I have done very foolishly” (II Samuel 24:10). In contrast to David, Gideon trusted in the strength of Jehovah. With an army of 32,000 he was ready to march to battle against the Midianites. God told him that the army was too large, so 22,000 were allowed to go home, but even the 10,000 that remained were too many. The army was further reduced to 300 men. These men then conquered the hosts of Midian; the power was clearly God’s power. (Judges 7).

When we contemplate the forces about us that are hurtful to the religion of our Lord, we need to look beyond our own strength and remember that there is an unseen power that makes all the difference. Like Elisha’s servant, we need to remember, “those who are with us are more than those who are with them.”

Spiritual Blindness

Some people go through life blind to the beauties of nature. The hills, the valleys the streams, the trees and the flowers that beautify our world are hardly seen by them. They are so preoccupied that the beauty of the world about them is wasted. There are others who see and appreciate the beauties of nature, but are blind to the God who created and sustains nature. They marvel at the intricate delicacy of a flower, but fail to appreciate the God who created that beauty. Similarly, there are those who are blind to spiritual matters. These are many in our day for whom prayer, Bible reading, and worship have little meaning. The reality of Christ, of God, and of heaven has somehow passed them by. They would consider the “fruit of the spirit”, listed by the apostle Paul in Gal. 5:22-23, of little importance. “Love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, meekness, self-control,” are qualities of weakness rather than strength in their eyes. Those who are blind to spiritual values consider themselves the strong men of our world. They build highways and bridges, dig tunnels under our rivers and even under the English Channel. They walk the steel girders of our skyscrapers. They sail the great dreadnaughts of the sea and march men into battle. They are the strong men of the world in contrast to the weak who believe and trust in spiritual forces. But it is they who are blind, and we need to pray that their eyes may be opened that they may see that the eternal values and the lasting strength are not of physical might, but the invisible strength of the spirit. Everything material gets old, worn out and/or obsolete.

Unfortunately there are Christians who, like Elisha’s servant, are blind to the reality of spiritual things. Even preachers and teachers and

elders sometimes make decisions upon the basis of sight rather than the basis of faith. The spiritual forces cannot be seen and measured by our human eyes and minds. In the days of Moses, God led His people to the southern boundary of the Promised Land and they sent

twelve spies to report on the condition of Canaan Ten brought back the report that the people were giants and their cities well fortified. They concluded that the unarmed host of Israel was no match for the inhabitants of the land. (Num. 13-14). God turned this faithless host of Israelites back to wander in the wilderness for forty years. Their mistake was simply that they trusted the eye of human reason rather than the eye of faith. The two spies (Caleb and Joshua) who saw with eyes of faith were the only ones still living when they finally entered the Promised Land.

Occasionally we read or hear, “God has no hands, but our hands, no feet but our feet, no eyes but our eyes, no ears but our ears, no tongues but our tongues.” Don’t you believe it. God has infinite power beyond any power that we may possess. We can understand why these words might be written in trying to encourage people to do their best for the Lord, but in a deeper sense we need to realize that God’s power is infinite and that it is not limited to our weak service. He has a power that we know not of. We need to pray the prayer of Elisha “O, Jehovah, open our eyes that we may see.

Conclusion

As we live our lives, we must come to realize that the things of the spirit are more important and more lasting than the things of the flesh. We come to realize this best when we stand face to face with death by the side of an open grave. When we have laid to rest a beloved companion, a father or mother, or a child, we realize with a clarity impossible at other times the meaninglessness of the material things about us. Houses and lands no longer seem very important at a time like this. Earthly ambitions and achievements seem equally meaningless. Only the things of the spirit matter.

For those who have had eyes to see it, there has always been hope for the triumph of right. God’s infinite spiritual power has changed the blackness of night to the brilliance of day. Ask Moses, ask Daniel, ask Paul, and the host of God’s servants who have triumphed through faith. Let us pray, O Jehovah, open our eyes that we may see “... that “those who are with us are more than those who are with them.”

Guilt and Repentance

2007-11-04T15:14:00.000-08:00

One area I believe that many Christians struggle is the area of guilt and repentance. It is one of the most difficult things for us is to forgive ourselves when we sin. Sometimes it is because some sins have great consequences and in our eyes are worse than others. Other times, we do not really understand what repentance is and falsely assume we have repented when we have not.

Guilt can be a good thing that helps lead us to change our behavior and do the right thing. This is what happened on the day of Pentecost. Once the crowd became aware that they crucified the promised Messiah, they were "cut to the heart". (Acts 2:37) Their guilt caused them to realize there was something they should do to obtain forgiveness from God.

Guilt can also be destructive. The only other time I believe the phrase "cut to the heart" or "picked in the heart" is used in the New Testament is found in Acts chapter 7. I want to look more closely at this passage.

Acts 7:54-58
Now when they heard these things, they were cut to the heart, and they gnashed on him with their teeth. But he, being full of the Holy Spirit, looked up steadfastly into heaven, and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing on the right hand of God, and said, Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of Man standing on the right hand of God. But they cried out with a loud voice, and stopped their ears, and rushed upon him with one accord; and they cast him out of the city, and stoned him: and the witnesses laid down their garments at the feet of a young man named Saul.

Notice that in this instance, their guilt caused them to become angry. They even became childlike at one point by crying out with a loud voice and stopping their ears. Have you ever been confronted with a trespass and reacted like this? I know you have not ever stoned anyone, but you probably got angry and didn't want to hear it. I know that I have responded like this at one time or another. We don't like it when someone points out our errors or sins. Unfortunately, the truth does hurt sometimes.

Satan can use this newly discovered sense of guilt to destructively work against the new Christian's life and his/her freedom in forgiveness. Unless this new Christian grows and develops in his/her understanding of what God did and is doing for him/her in Jesus Christ's death, guilt can potentially be a destructive factor.

The conscience does not come to life in a Christian to destroy the Christian! It is a protective device, not a destruction device. Its purpose is to guard the Christian against evil and to declare the need for the Christian to repent [acknowledge his sin and redirect his life] when the need for repentance exists. Consider this passage from the book of Hebrews:

Hebrews 9:13,14
For if the blood of goats and bulls, and the ashes of a heifer sprinkling them that have been defiled, sanctify unto the cleanness of the flesh: how much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without blemish unto God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?

This whole book's main goal is to point out the superiority of the New Covenant and Christ's sacrifice over the Old Covenant system. This shows the superiority of Christ's cleansing blood compared to the blood of bulls and goats. We must remember that Christ's blood cleanses our consciences "from dead works to serve the living God." We have this cleansing as long as we continue to do our best to serve the living God. Our redemption should be all the motivation we need to keep living our lives for God.

The writer of Hebrews knew the peace of a cleansed conscience. Consider Hebrews 13:18. The focus of the message of Hebrews is not on "what a good man the author is." The focus of the message is on what a good, wonderful, and absolutely complete Savior God provided us in Jesus Christ. The author is a man of good conscience because he understood what God did and does in Jesus Christ.

I look at Paul as a prime example of someone who understood just how much he was forgiven and how it motivated him to dedicate the rest of his life to spreading the gospel. He endured many difficult situations and never lost his faith and drive to serve God. He wrote the majority of the New Testament as well. He called himself the chief of sinners. Does this mean that he never forgave himself for persecuting the church prior to his conversion? No, but he pointed it out to make people aware that if God forgave him, He would forgive them as well.

I know some people that are not Christian think that they can never be forgiven because their sins are so great. They know they need forgiveness, but they just can't imagine a God who can and will forgive them and accept them into His family.

The goal of being a Christian IS NOT to "earn" or "deserve" salvation. Romans 7:18-25 reveals the futility of that approach. This is not an affirmation that Christians do not need to be obedient to God. It is the affirmation that obedience must be based on the proper motive. The motive is not the self-deception produced by the false conviction that "I" earn or deserve "my" salvation because of "my" obedient acts. The motive is a declaration of appreciation for what God did and does for "me" through the death of Jesus Christ. The hopeless despair of Romans 7:18-24 suddenly became the hope of assurance of Romans 7:25 and 8:1!

I do not trust "my" accomplishments of obedience for "my" salvation. "I" trust God's accomplishments in Jesus Christ's death! Trusting "me" is the magnification of personal guilt! Trusting God is the peace of forgiveness based on His love for "me." "My" faith must never be in "me" but always be in God. Faith in God produces peace because a cleansed conscience rests. Faith in "me" produces the unending guilt of a distressed conscience agonizing over the person's unworthiness and failures.

So here is another problem to forgiving ourselves. Sometimes we think that we are earning our salvation. We begin to constantly do an internal check list. Okay, I have done this and that and I do not do this and that, so I am a good Christian today. But when we dwell on our actions or lack of actions, this can cause us to feel guilt. Have I prayed enough? Have I read my Bible enough? Did I lust in my heart? Did I gossip?

God's grace is not dependent on us being perfect in every way. We can only be MADE perfect IN Christ. His blood perfects us continually. John tells us that if we confess our sins, God will cleanse us from ALL unrighteousness.

1 John 1:9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. He said just prior to that, some other things important for us to remember regarding cleansing.

Just prior to verse 9, John wrote some other important factors regarding the cleansing of Christ's blood.

1 John 1:6-8
If we say that we have fellowship with him and walk in the darkness, we lie, and do not the truth: but if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin. If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.

We must WALK in the light and NOT in the dark. Can we walk that walk
perfectly? No. Yet if our hearts are focused on pleasing God and doing our best to walk in the light, Christ will make us perfect and complete. Our confidence is not in ourselves, but in the promises of God. Jesus' blood will continue to cleanse us from ALL sin. There are many times when we might not even be aware of some sins we commit. We cannot ask forgiveness or confess a sin that we are not aware of, but Christ will cleanse us of them as long as we are walking in the light. We need not worry about whether or not we are going to go to heaven when we die. Our confidence MUST be in Christ and not ourselves.

So now I want to ask, what do you think is involved in repentance? Is repentance just feeling sorry for a sin and asking God's forgiveness? It is much more than just being sorry and asking for forgiveness.

Acts 3:19
Repent ye therefore, and turn again, that your sins may be blotted out, that so there may come seasons of refreshing from the presence of the Lord;

In the above verse, it is clear that repentance involves a turning FROM something and TOWARD something. We are to turn from a sin and toward God. If you lied to someone, you need to change your mindset and seek to stop lying and live by Christian standards. If you slandered, or were involved in gossip, or envy, or any sin, your goal is to turn from the practice of that sin and back to Christian standards. If you are struggling with a guilty conscience and never feel "saved" or "forgiven" it is most likely because you have not yet truly repented of the practice of a sin. It is either that, or you do
not truly understand God's grace and trust more in yourself than in God.

Here is another excellent verse on repentance.

Acts 26:20
but declared both to them of Damascus first and at Jerusalem, and throughout all the country of Judaea, and also to the Gentiles, that they should repent and turn to God, doing works worthy of repentance.

This was Paul's testimony of his first efforts to preach the gospel message after he was converted in Damascus. He told those to whom he preached, to turn to God and do works "worthy of repentance." So when you have repented, your focus should be to do works worthy of repentance. Does this mean we must earn our forgiveness? Not at all. If our heart's desire is to truly repent, we must show that we want to stop doing evil and do things that please God. It shows our love for Him and the forgiveness that comes from God's grace. I pray this helps many and to God be the glory!

Immersed Into Christ, Joe Norman

Problems Again

2007-07-15T00:51:00.000-07:00

Hi to all,

I am so sorry that it has been so long since I posted here. I will really try to keep this more regularly done. Anyway, my son wants to move in with me this Fall. He mentioned it just after I moved into this new apartment here in north Dallas. I was obviously very happy about it, but was not sure how my ex would respond. Now that she has responded, I realize I did have some idea how she would respond and she was true to form.

My son told her he wanted to move in with me in the Fall about two weeks ago. In spite of this, she did not contact me at all and did not even mention it the next time she saw me face to face. So I contacted her and it turns out that she claims she was not sure how to approach me with her list of concerns about him living with me. The truth was more likely that she was not wanting to deal with it and was probably hoping to avoid a confrontation with me until it was too late to get him set up for school here.

So I asked her what concerns she has and she tells me for one thing, she is concerned about my depression. I told her that I have felt much better since moving to the Dallas area. Then she says she is worried about whether or not I can keep my job and not have to move suddenly. I told her that the main reason I chose to move here instead of Waco is because I knew I could get a better paying job here and get employment fast. If I had tried to move to Waco again, I doubt I would have a job even now. I was unemployed for almost 3 months in Waco the last time I found myself looking for work there.

I also said I have family nearby and friends here already and really love the congregation that I worship with as well. She then said she is afraid that I will talk to our son about things I shouldn't regarding my feelings about her and all. She said that I wrote something in my step-daughter's graduation card that made her very uncomfortable. I told her that because my relationship with my step-daughter has been almost non-existent, I just wanted to express to her that in spite of the fact that her mom and I split up, I love her like a daughter and really want to be there for her as much as I can. I wrote that I missed her and hoped she knew she could always call me or come visit anytime. Is that inappropriate? I told her that I don't talk to our son about the fact that his mom and I will never get back together again, because he is smart and already knows that. He expects her to marry her current boyfriend soon and so there is no need to talk about it. Although, I did ask him if he would be okay with his mom marrying her new boyfriend once...but she did the same thing. She talked with him about the possibility that she would marry this guy. So I am not sure what concerns her about what I talk with our son about.

She was on her way to her second job and so she said she would try to talk with me more about all this later. She wanted to know if our son found he was not liking school up here and living with me, could he move back in with her? What a stupid question! I would not force him to stay here if he wanted to move back in with her. She makes me very upset to say the least. It is not like I don't have concerns of my own. In fact, I think my concerns about him living with her are much bigger than her concerns about me.

She has pretty much stopped attending church altogether and the man she will most likely marry is not a Christian. He claims to be, but he is Pentecostal and doesn't really attend regularly. In fact, I don't think he attends at all anymore either. Also, according to our son, his mom and his half-sister use curse words on a regular basis now around the house. That was not at all acceptable when I was there. She also has no problem with letting my step-daughter drink alcoholic beverages, stay out all night with her non-Christian boyfriend...and other guys and girls she is friends with from school. It seems to me that there is no moral compass in that home anymore and I don't like the idea of my son living in that environment. He needs to attend church regularly and have Christian influences in the home environment. I do not curse, nor do I watch inappropriate shows on TV. I also provide my son a good example in my daily practice of reading my Bible and studying to prepare Bible lessons, etc.

My ex has a real talent for making me feel worthless as a person and re-opens wounds from the divorce easily too. Yet, when I stop and think, I have much more important and valid concerns about her than she does about me. I am doing fine here in Dallas and really believe that this is only the beginning of bigger and better things in my life. To have my son with me most of the time is an added bonus as well. Well, I had better stop this rambling post and get going for now, but I will write again very soon I promise.

Is It Wrong To Judge Others?

2007-05-11T11:47:00.000-07:00

I have been told many times that it is wrong to judge others. The funny thing about it is that the people who tell me not to judge others are very judgmental of those they think are being judgmental. So where do they get this idea that we should not judge others? What does the Bible reveal about judging others?

Matt.7:1-6
1 "Judge not, that you be not judged.2 For with the judgment you pronounce you will be judged, and with the measure you use it will be measured to you.3 Why do you see the speck that is in your brother's eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye?4 Or how can you say to your brother, 'Let me take the speck out of your eye,' when there is the log in your own eye?5 You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother's eye.6 "Do not give dogs what is holy, and do not throw your pearls before pigs, lest they trample them underfoot and turn to attack you.

In this passage above, it is Jesus who is speaking. Most people who say you should not judge others get this idea from the very first verse of Matthew chapter 7. But they really should read the rest of the passage to fully understand what Jesus was actually teaching. What is important is the standard you use when judging others. Jesus is teaching against poor judgment and being hypocritical in our judgment of others. He says that we will be judged by the same measure we use in judging others. He also says to take the log out of our own eye so that we can see clearly enough to remove the speck out of our brother's eye. Now let's see what else the Scriptures teach regarding judging others.

John 7:24 Do not judge by appearances, but judge with right judgment."

Here is another quote from Jesus. He had just healed a man on the Sabbath Day and the Jewish crowd was condemning Him for healing a man on the Sabbath. Jesus was explaining to them that their judgment was not good, but they should judge with right judgment. Clearly it is possible to judge others with right judgment. Here is another passage to consider.

I Cor. 5:9-13
9 I wrote to you in my letter not to associate with sexually immoral people10 not at all meaning the sexually immoral of this world, or the greedy and swindlers, or idolaters, since then you would need to go out of the world.11 But now I am writing to you not to associate with anyone who bears the name of brother if he is guilty of sexual immorality or greed, or is an idolater, reviler, drunkard, or swindler--not even to eat with such a one. 12 For what have I to do with judging outsiders? Is it not those inside the church whom you are to judge?13 God judges those outside. "Purge the evil person from among you."

Paul was writing to the church in Corinth. He clearly states in verse twelve that it is those inside the church we must judge and that we must "purge the evil person" from among us. God judges those who are outside. Here is one final verse to leave with you.

Rom. 16:17 I appeal to you, brothers, to watch out for those who cause divisions and create obstacles contrary to the doctrine that you have been taught; avoid them.

Paul was writing to the church in Rome and he instructs them to watch out for those who cause divisions and create obstacles contrary to the doctrine they were taught and to avoid them. We are not able to see the heart of man as God and Jesus are able to do. We can only judge others by observing what they say and do. It is because of this fact that we must be careful when we are judging others, but we cannot avoid judging others altogether. We have to determine who is lost and who is a fellow Christian so that we can know who needs to be taught the Gospel. We have to determine who is a wolf in sheep's clothing among us as well. When someone is teaching or preaching, we must search the scriptures to determine if what they are teaching is really the truth.

Satan wants us to think it is wrong to judge others at all. This is just another sneaky way that he can pervert the Lord's church and lead many astray. Be watchful and be careful how you judge others. The measure to be used is the Word of God. We cannot know for sure who will go to heaven or hell, but we can know who needs to know about Jesus and how to be a true Christian. May God bless us as we strive to live our lives in a manner pleasing to Him.

American Idol 6 Top 6 - Jordin Sparks

2007-04-26T01:19:00.001-07:00

Another goose bump performance by Jordin Sparks. I think she has a real shot of winning this season and I will probably purchase her albums. Amazing at only 17 years old.

Mario Lanza Because

2007-04-18T20:20:00.001-07:00

Here is a clip of my favorite tenor of all time. I have wanted to sing like him since I first heard him sing. I think I was 9 years old the first time I heard him. My dad loved his singing too and was the one who introduced him to me. Mario Lanza was his stage name and he was truly brilliant.

What Lies Ahead

2007-04-14T17:59:00.000-07:00

I have been thinking often about my life recently and what path I have been on. It seems that things rarely go the way we plan them. I have wanted to obtain a degree in Music since I was young. Things occurred that I never expected and here I am 42 years old, divorced with a 13 year old son that sees me every other weekend and still working toward a degree in Music Education. I went to a community college when I was still married and did very well. Then I had to stop attending college due to our financial situation. It was in that period of time that my marriage problems began to really surface. I decided to return to pursuing my degree in Music Education last year and moved here to attend Stephen F. Austin State University.

If I were to stay here and continue my education, it would be another year and a half at least before I would be able to graduate (maybe longer). Now I have been talking to a psychiatrist trying to deal with many things that seem to have me unable to perform well in school. After much consideration, I have decided to at least temporarily end my pursuit of a degree and will move to North Dallas and seek employment. After I get into a more stable situation, I plan attend night classes and obtain a Liberal Arts degree. I am not sure what the future holds for me and each day is a blessing from God. I know that if it is God's will, things will get better and my plans for the future will only come to fruition if they are in His plans for me.

I have wanted to return to the Dallas area for quite a while and so although I am again ending my pursuit for a college degree, I believe this is a necessary change. I pray that it will be best for me and my son as well. Yet, all this has caused me to recall certain passages of scripture that I think we all should remember as we make plans for our future.

Pro 4:25-27
25 Let your eyes look directly forward, and your gaze be straight before you.26 Ponder the path of your feet; then all your ways will be sure.27 Do not swerve to the right or to the left; turn your foot away from evil.

Pro 15:22 Without counsel plans fail, but with many advisers they succeed.

Pro 16:3 Commit your work to the LORD, and your plans will be established.

Pro 16:9 The heart of man plans his way, but the LORD establishes his steps.

Pro 19:21 Many are the plans in the mind of a man, but it is the purpose of the LORD that will stand.

Pro 21:5 The plans of the diligent lead surely to abundance, but everyone who is hasty comes only to poverty.

Philippians 3:13-16
13 Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead,14 I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.15 Let those of us who are mature think this way, and if in anything you think otherwise, God will reveal that also to you.16 Only let us hold true to what we have attained.

God's holy word is always so important to look to for wisdom in this life. All these that I have shared are extremely important for me in this moment of my life and I hope it will benefit you all as well.

2007-03-29T00:05:00.000-07:00

The 26th was the anniversary of the day that Beethoven died way back in the year 1827. Ludwig Van Beethoven was one of the most influential and brilliant composers who has ever lived. He was just over 56 years old when he died and recent evidence has been discovered that indicates he most likely died of lead poisoning. Most thought that he died of pneumonia after walking in the rain, which he had done many times. Beethoven loved nature and enjoyed walking along the Rhine river in Bonn, Germany. He enjoyed walks in all weather conditions. He was reported to have never been sick a day in his life.

It is believed that he began to lose his hearing at about the year 1796 and suffered from a severe form of tinnitus. The lead poisoning would explain his loss of hearing...but some have attributed it to beatings by his father, or syphilis, or typhus. He was totally deaf for the last ten years of his life and yet continued to produce some of his most amazing compositions. His deafness did eventually make it near impossible to perform in concert which was a major source of income for him. He did manage to conduct his 9th Symphony while totally deaf. There is a well-sustained story that when he was done with the concert, he heard no applause and began to weep. Then the first chair violinist turned him around toward the audience to show him that he had been given a standing ovation.

I had intended to write something on the 26th of March to honor my most favorite Composer of Music, but school and other things weighing heavy on my mind have delayed me. I was not able to really focus enough to write much of anything. I know that most of you will understand my situation. I encourage you all to do some research on the life of Beethoven. He was a very complicated and interesting man. He lived an amazing life and claimed to have gained inspiration from nature. He was religious and loved the idea of democracy. He longed for Germany to have the kind of government that had been born in the United States of America which was at that time still a very young country.

American Idol 6 - Top 11 - Jordin Sparks Performance!

2007-03-22T21:39:00.001-07:00

This was one of the best performances I have seen on American Idol. She gave me goose bumps!

What Accent Do You Have?

2007-03-05T15:00:00.001-08:00

I took this test to see what kind of accent I have and it is not all that accurate in my opinion. Most people who hear me talk don't think I am from Chicago or somewhere in Wisconsin. The generally do think I sound more like I am from Virginia or that I don't have an accent at all. Oh well, it was a fun quiz to take anyway.

What American accent do you have? Your Result: The Inland North You may think you speak "Standard English straight out of the dictionary" but when you step away from the Great Lakes you get asked annoying questions like "Are you from Wisconsin?" or "Are you from Chicago?" Chances are you call carbonated drinks "pop."
Philadelphia
The Northeast
The Midland
The South
Boston
The West
North Central
What American accent do you have? Quiz Created on GoToQuiz

Back To Music Education!

2007-01-17T22:27:00.000-08:00

Well, today the Spring Semester 2007 started at SFASU and I am now a Music Education Major once again. I am excited about this semester and really am going to enjoy taking music classes once again. I am taking Music History I, Astronomy (because I can take it instead of Biology), French Diction, private Voice lessons, Interpersonal Communications, and choir. The toughest class by far will be the Music History class, but I am already hard at work.

I also will be required to sing three classical songs, two in foreign languages and one in English for all the voice teachers at the end of the Semester. This is to get approval to move up in the difficulty level of voice lessons. No pressure right? I don't have any doubt in my abilities in singing though and really like my voice teacher. It makes all the difference in the world when a vocal teacher tells you how to do a certain technique and you can really understand him/her and do exactly what they ask you to do.

Rocky Balboa

2007-01-01T18:46:00.000-08:00

I went to see the newest and last movie in the Rocky series this last Saturday and I have to tell you that I was really surprised and thankful that I went to see it. I wasn't sure what to expect. I thought that Sly was really too old to do another Rocky movie. Yet, he pulled it off and actually achieved more than I ever expected he would in this last one.

I grew up loving these movies. I really enjoyed the first three especially. Even the fourth movie had some great stuff in it. But then, the 5th movie came out and I have to tell you, I hated it. It was by far one of the worst movies I have ever seen. Even Sylvester Stallone was sorry that he made that one. I wish that Stallone would permanently removed from the series. So, the fact that the fifth movie was so terrible and that Stallone waited so long to make this sixth and final Rocky movie, really had me afraid to go see it. But boy, was I ever glad that I did.

Rocky is an iconic character. He is the ultimate underdog. He defies the odds that are against him. All of the first four movies had inspiring messages and deep important life-lessons one could take home. The fifth one lacked any real purpose. Yet, in this sixth one, he really got it right. This movie really says that as long as you believe in yourself, you can achieve your dreams.

I want to share my most favorite part of the movie with you. In this scene, Rocky is talking to his son. His son has been trying to get out from under Rocky's shadow and is upset with his dad because his dad is once again getting lots of attention. He accepted an invitation from the Heavyweight Champion to box in an exhibition match. His son thinks that Rocky is going to make a fool of himself and make life harder for him as well. His son is really concerned about what other people are going to think. So here is what Rocky says to his son:

"Let me tell you something you already know. The world ain't all sunshine and rainbows. It's a very mean, and nasty place an' no matter how tough you think you are, it'll always beat you if you let it. It ain't about how hard you hit, it's about how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward, how much you can take and keep moving forward. That’s how winning is done! If you know what you're worth, then go out and get what you're worth. But you gotta be willing to take the hits and not pointin' fingers saying you ain’t where you wanna be because of him, or her, or anybody! Cowards do that, and that ain’t you! You’re better than that!"

I was truly inspired by this movie and I highly recommend it to all.

Merry Christmas!!

2006-12-25T18:54:00.001-08:00

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!
I just want to wish everyone in my community of readers a very Merry Christmas and hope that there is much love and laughter this holiday season.

What do you do more than others?

2006-12-08T09:28:00.000-08:00

Mat 5:43-48
43 You have heard that it was said, "You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy."44 But I say to you, Love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who despitefully use you and persecute you,45 so that you may become sons of your Father in Heaven. For He makes His sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.
46 For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax-collectors do the same?47 And if you greet your brothers only, what do you do more than others? Do not even the tax-collectors do so? 48 Therefore be perfect, even as your Father in Heaven is perfect.

In the above passage, Jesus asks one of the greatest questions ever; "what do you do more than others?" It is clear that Christians are supposed to live by a higher standard than others. Christ is telling us that we must love our enemies. Is this easy to do? Not at all, but it is not impossible and is expected of us as Christians. I come across many who claim to be Christian and yet, they do not seem to be living by the high standards of Christianity. Being a Christian is more than just being part of some social club. It requires more than just lip service too.

There is a standard by which most people live today and that standard is built upon selfishness. I like to call this standard "the average standard." God tells us through Paul to look not to our own things, but to the things others (Phil.2:4).

The writer of this "average standard" that most people live by is fictional, but I call him "General Average." He is very influencial in this world. The Christian is constantly in danger of being dragged down by the average standard. Let's consider some things about Christ's standard in comparsion to General Average's standard.

"Thou shalt not kill" meets the demands of the average, but Jesus demands more. He condemns hate, the seed of murder. "Whoever hates his brother is a murderer: and you know that no murderer has eternal life abbiding in him" (I John 3:15).

The average is in sympathy with this standard: "An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth"-average law. But Christ demands more, non-resistance to evil: "But I say to you, That you resist not evil: but whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn to him the other also." (Matt.5:39).

"General Average" says that man must obey this law: "Thou shalt not steal," but he has no objection to your defrauding just so long as you stay "within the law." He calls that good business. But Jesus gave a higher standard. He says "Defraud not" (Mark 10:19).

The demands of the average prohibit a man's getting drunk and disturbing the peace, but to get almost that way is no violation of the average demand. Yet again, the Master demands more from us Christians. Paul said, "Abstain from all appearances of evil" (I Thess.5:22).

General Average says that one religion is as good as another, but Jesus taught otherwise. He taught that worship may be in vain and that other plants will be rooted up (Matt.15:9,13)

These contrasts of popular standards with Scripture are sufficient to prove that Christ demands that we exceed the average standard. Jesus Christ is our standard if we claim to be Christian and so we MUST live to that standard. Christ is the way that leads home to the Father. He said, "I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man comes to the Father, but by Me" (John 14:6).

These are just thoughts that have been on my mind lately. To tell you the truth, it is a message that I need reminding of every so often. I chose to live my life to glorify God when I chose to submit to water baptism and from that moment on, I was raised to live a new life...by Christ's standard. Who's standard are you living by, Christ's, or General Average's.

My Dad's Paintings

2006-11-30T21:10:00.000-08:00

These are just some of the paintings that my dad has done. Most are famous impressionist paintings that he did by looking at a small photo of the paintings. He amazes me at how he can draw and paint anything he can see. He did most of these paintings fairly recently. The painting with the bluebonnet field and a red barn was from a photograph my mom took. He liked the photo so much he decided to paint it. The whole painting was done with painting knives. The oldest painting he did here is the one with a gondola. It was done all with a painting knife as well. They are also all oil paintings. These paintings will probably look freshly painted for over 200 years or more because he used the techniques of the masters to make the paints last.

My Mom's Dolls

2006-11-28T20:02:00.000-08:00

This is a collection of my mom's dolls that she has made. I am always amazed at her talent and ability to make things like these. She has entered some in contests has also sold some in the past. She just enjoys making things. I think my favorite is the inside-out bear that she made. She even pinned a heart on it since it is inside out. Isn't she smart?

Is There Life After Divorce?

2006-11-20T23:48:00.000-08:00

I know there is life after divorce, but I tell you what, it is not so easy in the first few years especially. I look back at the past two years and can really see that I have learned much and made some real improvement. Of course, it doesn't take much of anything to happen that might make me feel like I have not really made any progress at all.

Divorce seems similar to the death of a spouse with the only major difference (and it is major) is that in divorce the person in the pain and loss of divorce must still interact with the ex-spouse. The wounds that might have mostly healed get ripped open again and are fresh.

I am learning that when my mind starts to dwell on my ex-wife, it is best to try thinking on other things and avoid any thought of her. I wish I felt nothing but anger toward her sometimes, but I know that is not healthy. Other times I wish I just never had to see her or talk to her ever again. But that will not happen unless she died and I really don't want to wish that on anyone. There is not any regret about my ever marrying my ex-wife. I wish we had worked out the problems we had and had avoided any unfaithfulness and saved the marriage.

Yet, one thing I know is that I cannot change the past and the only thing I can really control is myself and how I let things affect me. My son's well-being is my top priority...second only to living a Christian life to please God. I am so very thankful that I was at least married to my ex for a while and that our love for each other produced the son of whom I am most proud. I miss him every day we are not together. Of all the pain and unfairness of divorce, I believe the worst part is that it destroys the complete family unit. No longer is it possible for the child or children to have two loving parents who love each other and the kids and work together to raise their kids as God desires us to raise them.

I have been robbed of being in my son's life every single day as he grows up and that is a crime against me and a crime against my son. Yet, this is again something beyond my control to changeand was not avoidable either.

So, although the answer to my title question is YES, it is a major rebuilding process. It is lonely as well. Yet, as bad as I would like to find someone to marry to ease my lonliness, I refuse to just settle for the first person who might be willing to marry me. I want to avoid a repeat of divorce at all costs. I want to be married to the woman who will always be my best friend and lover and help meet in this life until death parts us. I want to grow old taking care of each other. I am praying that God will help me to find this one special person.

Thirteen Favorite Artists

2006-11-16T01:10:00.000-08:00

1. N.C. Wyeth

2. Andrew Wyeth

3. Claude Monet

4. Vincent Van Gogh

5. Leonardo DaVinci

6. Michelangelo

7. GEORGES PIERRE SEURAT

8. Edgar Degas

9. Pierre-Auguste Renoir,

10.Norman Rockwell

11.Rembrandt

12.Georgia O'Keeffe

13.Wyland

Decisions

2006-11-13T21:49:00.001-08:00

Click on the pic of the comic and you will be able to read it and see it better. I love Calvin and Hobbes. This particular strip was one of my favorites. It is funny and has an important life-lesson in it as well.

Life is full of decisions. We make them every day. Most are not very important, but others can affect our lives in major ways both positive and negative. I look back at my life and see many poor decisions and I regret many of them. But in many ways, all my life experiences have helped to make me who I am today. I am at another point in my life faced with some difficult decisions I need to make in the next month. The decisions I make can have a major effect on my future career and will in turn effect my family. If I make good decisions, the results will be very positive to those closest to me. If my decisions are not good, it can make things much worse for me and those closest to me.

I am praying often to God about these choices before me. This post is mostly to help me really take this moment in my life seriously. The most important decision in life is the decision as to who we will serve. Will we serve God or Sin? In the end, nothing in this world matters in comparrison to that. So I will do my best to make good decisions in regards to my career, and my personal life, but am comforted to know that I live ultimately for God and will be alright in the end. We do not really even know if we have another day and each day is a gift from God. I hope that you all will be blessed as well with these thoughts I am sharing.

Thirteen Favorite Big Band Songs

2006-11-08T22:17:00.000-08:00

These are just 13 of so many great songs that came from the 1930's,40's and 50's. I just love the music and lyrics are just not nearly as cleverly written as they were then. Sometimes I think I was born in the wrong generation. Don't get me wrong. I love music from today as well, but there is just something special about the music from back then. I hope you all are familiar with these great songs and if you are not, please try to give them a listen...you won't be sorry.

1. I Love You For Sentimental Reasons

2. Moonlight Becomes You

3. It Could Happen To You

4. I Never Knew

5. Smile

6. Mona Lisa

7. Answer Me

8. Mean To Me

9. My Funny Valentine

10.Someone To Watch Over Me

11. What'll I Do

12. When I Fall In Love

13. Too Young

What I Miss

2006-10-19T18:48:00.000-07:00

I miss being married and having someone that I know is always going to be by my side. I miss that feeling of knowing I am not alone in this world. I know that God is with me, but even He said after He created Adam that it is not good for man to be alone. I am not nearly as alone as Adam was because there are a few billion people in this world now, but I really believe that a woman completes a man. I know that there are many who might disagree with me, but I believe that is the reason He created woman. We can learn so much about what our relationship with God should be like by comparing a marriage relationship to it. We can also learn better how we should treat each other in a marriage by looking at how Jesus loved us. If a husband is not loving his wife the way that Jesus loves the church, there is no real reason for her to love and submit to him as the head of the house. Looking back at my failed marriage, I think there were times when I did not show the love for my wife that Jesus shows for the church. Maybe that was my biggest mistake.

I miss that close friendship and love that I once had. I miss being in my son's life every day and I miss being there for my step-daughter too. Divorce causes more trouble than it fixes most of the time and yet, it is sometimes unavoidable too. As a Christian, I know that I did all I could think of to save my marriage and I also know I made mistakes. I also know that I will never again have the chance to try again with her. So although I miss that relationship, I must learn to not look back. I must move on and search for someone new. Do I miss my ex-wife? I think I miss her to some degree, but I do not think she is the same person I was in love with. I just need to look ahead and do my best to improve myself every day. I will take one day at a time and stay faithful to God.

Illegal Aliens?

2006-10-03T20:06:00.000-07:00

I was in my class on social welfare tonight and the subject of illegal aliens came up in class. My teacher said she though the term alien was a very derogatory term to use. She said that these people are not from another planet. Most all of my classmates agreed with her. I just shook my head thinking; "Are all these people serious?" The term "alien" is not an exclusive term referring to beings from another planet. It is a perfectly fine term to use for these people who are here illegally. They do not belong in this country and are therefore aliens to this country.

I stated that my biggest problem with these people is that they are ILLEGAL! I do not think that my taxes should go toward helping these people through any governmental social welfare program. They are not legal citizens. I also do not think that they should be arrested and taken care of in our prisons either. They need to be returned to their homeland in the most inexpensive way possible.

It is becoming a regular thing for me to butt heads with my teachers and classmates because I am so much more conservative politically than nearly all of them. I do not intend to be a trouble maker, but I also can only listen to liberal rants for so long in silence. Anyway, these people are illegal and alien to our land so this term should not be avoided or changed when discussing them. I hate political correctness.

All Things New

2006-09-15T21:11:00.000-07:00

I will be turning 42 years old on Monday and as I look back at my life, I feel like I have wasted so much of my life thus far. But all things considered, I have had major life-changing events in my life in the last two or three years. I experienced the pain and heartache of a divorce that I never wanted. It did cause me to take a deep look inside myself for the first time though. This was important. I wish I could have done so without my divorce, but I like to think that everything happens for a reason.

The fact remains that it takes two people to make a marriage work and regardless of the fact that I never lost hope in fixing my marriage, my wife did lose that hope. Some of my family members think she is completely untrustworthy and I should not be so nice to her. Perspective is everything. I was married to her for eleven years and was mostly happy for at least ten of those years. I helped her raise her daughter from her first husband in that time. She and I also had a boy who is a son I could not be more proud of. Our love helped to create that boy. When I look at him, I remember the love that I had for his mother. I do not know why she lost hope in saving our marriage or why she believes it will never again be possible for us to be happy together. Yet, I can't be cruel to her ever. I can't force her to love me either.

I returned to college in January and I plan to obtain a Master's in Social Work if it is God's will. I have learned so much about myself and if I ever marry again, I know that I will be a much better husband than I was in my first marriage. I learned that I can survive without my ex-wife and there is a bright future possible. I have an opportunity for a "do-over" in a sense. So now I am building a new me inside and out and look ahead with excitement and believe that God will use me to comfort many others who suffer the evils of divorce. God loves us and He can heal our wounds. I pray now for the opportunity to help many others survive the destruction of divorce or even better, maybe I can help them to avoid it all together. May God watch over me and my loved ones. To Him be the glory forever.

"I will pour out my Spirit upon all flesh"

2006-08-26T15:33:00.000-07:00

It appears that many people today seem to think that a person becomes a Christian by being "baptized in the Holy Spirit." The title I used is from the book of Joel. It is an Old Testament book of prophecy. Peter quoted from it on the Day of Pentecost in AD 33. Let us examine the scripture to see if this is the case.

Acts 2:16-21
16“But this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel:
17 ‘And it shall come to pass in the last days, says God, That I will pour out of My Spirit on all flesh; Your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, Your young men shall see visions, Your old men shall dream dreams. 18 And on My menservants and on My maidservants I will pour out My Spirit in those days; And they shall prophesy.
19 I will show wonders in heaven above And signs in the earth beneath: Blood and fire and vapor of smoke.20 The sun shall be turned into darkness, And the moon into blood,
Before the coming of the great and awesome day of the Lord. 21 And it shall come to pass That whoever calls on the name of the Lord Shall be saved.’

I first want to draw your attention to verse 17. Near the end of it, Joel is quoting God. God says "I will pour out My Spirit upon all flesh. He again says this in verse 18.Joel continues by saying that your sons and daughters shall prophesy, your young men shall see visions, your old men shall dream dreams and they shall prophesy. God says "I will show wonders in heaven above and signs in the earth beneath. He is speaking of miracles occuring. Now let's look at what Peter says shortly after he quotes this lengthy passage from the book of Joel.

Acts 2:33
33“Therefore being exalted to the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, He poured out this which you now see and hear

In verse 33, Peter explains that Christ received the promise of the Holy Spirit and that Christ "poured out this which you now see and hear." My point is that the pouring out of the Holy Spirit is NOT what people think of as the baptism of the Holy Spirit. The baptism of the Holy Spirit was a promise that was only bestowed on the apostles (including Paul). If you read Acts chapter 1 it is clear that Jesus was only speaking to the apostles and tells them to wait there in Jerusalem until they are baptized with the Holy Spirit.

Acts 1:4,5
4And being assembled together with them, He commanded them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the Promise of the Father, “which,” He said, “you have heard from Me; 5“for John truly baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.”

Also, in chapter 2, the people hearing the apostles speaking in tongues say in verse 7 "Look, are not all these who speak, Galaleans?" All the apostles on the day of Pentecost were Galaleans.

In conclusion, the pouring out of the Spirit is what was seen and heard and not an expression of all people being baptized by the Holy Spirit. In verse 38, Peter tells them to repent and be baptized every one of them in the name of Jesus Christ FOR the remission of their sins and then they would receive the "gift" of the Holy Spirit...which is not the baptism of the Holy Spirit, but rather the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. This is NOT a miraculous measure of the Spirit which makes it possible to perform miracles. No one today is able to do the things that were done in the first century.

Embryonic Stem Cell Research

2006-08-18T16:05:00.000-07:00

Recently, I got involved in a heated debate over this issue of ESCR. I fully believe that I handled myself very well over all and never showed disrespect toward those who disagreed with me nor did I make any personal attacks. Sadly, this can not be said of everyone who disagreed with me. I am okay with people not agreeing with me and sticking to their position so long as they have honestly investigated the subject being debated. Many (but not all) of those who disagreed were not aware of all the facts. I was seeking to educate those and still show respect. I firmly believe that I did this. One person in particular lashed out at me personally. She accused me of being brainwashed. I demanded an apology and got one, but the nasty attitude toward me from this individual was still very evident.

Later, I even got criticized for demanding an apology without even considering that anything I said might require one from me. This was flat out false. One person suggested that I threw some mean shots as well and I responded immediately that although I was not aware of any "mean shots", I apologized and stated that I did not intend to offend anyone and respected everyone there. Even early into this debate I stated how I was not intending to offend anyone and welcomed their point of view.

Anyway, life is sacred to me. I do not think it is right to destroy a fertilized egg either by throwing the unused harvested embyos or by stem cell research. I do not even support the harvesting of these by invitro-fertilization clinics. These fertilized embyos do not have a voice and this is the main reason I jumped into the debate in the first place. A good friend of mine asked me why I couldn't just state my position and ignore the posts of those who disagreed. The reason is because I think it is vitally important to stand up for the preservation of life. This is a moral issue for me and I believe it is important to persuade others to place a high value on life.
Here is a link that I believe really explains why Bush did the right thing in the veto of providing government funding for ESCR. I will show respect to those who disagree with me if they are at least willing to listen to my point of view and consider it and respect me as well. It really bothers me when some people think it is a bad thing for me to be a "white conservative Christian male". I am still quite angry with this person who attacked me and am not sure if I will return to that discussion forum at this point.

Update on School progress

2006-08-09T23:59:00.000-07:00

I took a test today on Microsoft Excel and got a 93!!! I was really happy! I also got a 95 on my last Government test. My finals are on Friday and I am pretty sure I will end up with an A in my computer class and if I get a 93 on my final in Government, I'll end up with an A for my final grade too. I am proud of myself for doing this well in Summer classes. I think even if I end up with a B in Government class, I have much to be proud of. God willing, I will continue to do well in college.

My Mother

2006-07-31T13:30:00.000-07:00

I found out that my mother went to the hospital on Saturday. They found that she had a large tumor in her abdomen. Originally, I was told it was nearly 7 pounds, but then was told it was more like 9 pounds. Either way that is HUGE! At first they thought it was probably not cancer, but after doing a biopsy, they founf that it is cancer...Ovarian cancer. The doctor removed 99% if it, I am told, but they were afraid to get the last bit because they thought it would be fatal to do so. Anyway, she is naturally in much pain, but is improving. The doctor feels confident that they can get rid of the remaining cancer with treatment. I really hope so. She is 73 yrs old, but looks like she is in her late 50's. I wish I could go see her, but am in Summer college classes and can't afford to miss even one day. She is in my thoughts and prayers.

Thirteen Things I have learned in college so far

2006-07-26T19:21:00.000-07:00

Thirteen Things about YOUR NAME

1…. I learned the different types of speeches and how to prepare for and present
each.
2 . I learned how the human brain develops and the psychology behind teaching
methods.
3 . I have learned in great detail the history of western music for the past 2000 yrs
4 . I learned some new techniques in singing exercises.
5 . I have learned much about using Wordperfect.
6 . I have learned more about using xhtml.
7 . I have learned more about American Government.
8 . I have also learned more about Texas Government.
9 . I learned to sing a song in French.
10. I learned much more about music theory.
11. I learned German and Italian Diction for singing.
12. I learned that I can perform in an Opera.
13. I learned that I can succeed in college even at my age.

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Thirteen Favorite Places I Have Been

2006-07-20T18:39:00.000-07:00

Thirteen Things about Joe Norman

1…. The Smithsonian ~ I was in 2nd grade the last time I visited there, but it was
one of my favorite places and remember it quite well.

2 . Yosimte National Park ~ One of the most beautiful places I have ever been.

3 . The Alamo ~ It is great to tour! Of coarse, I am a Texan.

4 . White Sands, New Mexico ~ It was tons of fun! We could sled down the white sand
dunes.
5 . Carls Bad Caverns ~ This was really a cool cave to tour. Deep inside, there is a
giant room where they have lots of tables and you can eat a
meal there.

6 . South Padre Island ~ Had a blast there! I love a good beach!

7 . Santa Fe, New Mexico ~ It is a really great city to visit and has lots of
museums.

8 . Six Flags Fiesta Texas ~ This is the best Six Flags park in Texas! I love
rollercoasters!

9 . DisneyWorld/Epcot Center ~ One word...AWSOME!! I hope to go again someday soon.

10. Dallas Museum of Art ~ Really a great museum. My favorite thing was the Wyeth
Exhibit.

11. West End Marketplace ~ In downtown Dallas...lots of fun! Great restraunts!

12. Cape May, Maryland ~ Spent a week there as a kid in a beach house and it was
lots of fun!

13. Lincoln Memorial ~ It was very inspirational! Lincoln is my favorite President!

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Movies I Have Seen

2006-07-18T21:36:00.000-07:00

I go this from my friend, Titanium who got it from another blogger she visits regularly. Supposedly if you've seen over 84 movies on this list, you have no life. There are 164 movies total. Mark each you have seen and then repost with how many you've seen as the subject:

(x) Rocky Horror Picture Show
(x) Grease
(x) Pirates of the Caribbean
(x) Boondock Saints
( ) Fight Club
(x) Starsky and Hutch
(x) Neverending Story
(x) Blazing Saddles
(x) Airplane

Total: 8

(x) The Princess Bride
( ) AnchorMan: The Legend of Ron Burgandy
(x) Napoleon Dynamite
(x) Labyrinth
(x) Saw
( ) Saw II
( ) White Noise
( ) White Oleander
( ) Anger Management
( ) 50 First Dates
(x) The Princess Diaries
(x) The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement

Total: 6

(x) Scream
(x) Scream 2
(x) Scream 3
( ) Scary Movie
( ) Scary Movie 2
( ) Scary Movie 3
( ) Scary Movie 4
( ) American Pie
( ) American Pie 2
( ) American Wedding
( ) American Pie Band Camp

Total: 3

(x) Harry Potter
(x) Harry Potter 2
(x) Harry Potter 3
(x) Harry Potter 4
(x) Resident Evil I
(x) Resident Evil 2
(x) The Wedding Singer
( ) Little Black Book
(x) The Village
(x) Lilo & Stitch
( ) Leroy & Stitch

Total: 9

( ) Finding Nemo
( ) Finding Neverland
(x) Signs
(x) The Grinch
( ) Texas Chainsaw Massacre
( ) White Chicks
(x) Butterfly Effect
(x) 13 Going on 30
(x) I, Robot
(x) Robots

Total: 6

(x) Universal Soldier
(x) Lemony Snicket: A Series Of Unfortunate Events
(x) Along Came Polly
( ) Deep Impact
( ) KingPin
(x) Never Been Kissed
(x) Meet The Parents
(x) Meet the Fockers
( ) Eight Crazy Nights
( ) Joe Dirt
(x) KING KONG

Total: 7

(x) A Cinderella Story
( ) The Terminal
( ) The Lizzie McGuire Movie
( ) Passport to Paris
(x) Dumb & Dumber
( ) Dumber & Dumberer
(x) Final Destination
( ) Final Destination 2
( ) Final Destination 3
(x) Halloween
( ) The Ring
( ) The Ring 2
( ) Surviving Christmas
(x) Flubber

Total: 5

( ) Harold & Kumar Go To White Castle
(x) Practical Magic
(x) Chicago
( ) Ghost Ship
( ) From Hell
( ) Hellboy
( ) Secret Window
( ) I Am Sam
(x) The Whole Nine Yards

Total: 3

(x) The Day After Tomorrow
(x) Child's Play
( ) Seed of Chucky
( ) Bride of Chucky
( ) Ten Things I Hate About You
( ) Just Married
(x) Gothika
(x) Nightmare on Elm Street
(x) Sixteen Candles
( ) Remember the Titans
( ) Coach Carter
(x) The Grudge
(x) The Mask
( ) Son of the Mask

total: 7

(x) Bad Boys
( ) Bad Boys 2
( ) Joy Ride
( ) Lucky Number Sleven
(x) Ocean's Eleven
(x) Ocean's Twelve
(x) Bourne Identity
(x) Bourne Surpremacy
( ) Lone Star
(x) Bedazzled
(x) Predator I
(x) Predator II
( ) The Fog
(x) Ice Age
( ) Ice Age 2: The Meltdown

Total: 9

(x) Independence Day
(x) Cujo
( ) A Bronx Tale
( ) Darkness Falls
(x) Christine
(x) ET
(x) Children of the Corn
( ) My Boss' Daughter
(x) Maid in Manhattan
( ) Frailty
(x) War of the Worlds
(x) Rush Hour
(x) Rush Hour 2

Total: 9

( ) Best Bet
( ) How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days
(x) She's All That
( ) Calendar Girls
(x) Sideways
(x) Mars Attacks
( ) Event Horizon
(x) Ever After
(x) Forrest Gump
(x) Big Trouble in Little China
(x) The Terminator
(x) The Terminator 2
(x) The Terminator 3

Total: 9

(x) X-Men
(x) X2
(x) X3
(x) Spider-Man
(x) Spider-Man 2
(x) Sky High
(x) Jeepers Creepers
(x) Jeepers Creepers 2
( ) Catch Me If You Can
( ) The Others
(x) Freaky Friday
(x) Reign of fire
( ) Cruel Intentions
( ) Cruel Intentions 2
( ) The Hot Chick
(x) Shrek
(x) Shrek 2

Total: 12

(x) Swimfan
( ) Miracle
( ) Old School
(x) The Notebook
( ) K-Pax
(x) Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring
(x) Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers
(x) Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
( ) A Walk to Remember
( ) Boogeyman
( ) The 40-year-old-virgin

total: 5

Grand total: 98

According to this, I have no life. I think many who know me would agree but not because of the amount of movies I have seen. Movie watching happens to be one of my most favorite things to do. Of coarse, maybe I do watch too many movies...something to consider. Many of the movies I have seen, I wish I hadn't.

A list of things I have ever done in my life.

2006-07-16T12:41:00.000-07:00

I got this list from a friend. I placed an X by all the ones that I have ever done in my life. I thought it was a way to help my readers learn more about me.

( X ) Drank an alcoholic beverage

( ) Smoked a cigarette

( ) Drank so much you threw up

( ) Crashed a friend's car - It wasn't my fault!!

( ) Stolen a car

( X ) Been in love

( ) In love now

( X ) Been dumped

( X ) Been laid off/fired

( X ) Quit your job

( X ) Been in a fist fight

( X ) Snuck out of your parent's house

( X ) Had feelings for someone who didn't have them back

( ) Been arrested

( ) Gone on a blind date

( X ) Lied to a friend

( X ) Skipped school

( ) Seen someone die

( ) Been to Canada

( X ) Been to Mexico

( X ) Been on a plane

( X ) Been lost

( X ) Been on the opposite side of the country

( X ) Gone to Washington, DC

( X ) Swam in the ocean

( X ) Felt like dying

( X ) Cried yourself to sleep

( X ) Played cops and robbers

( ) Recently colored with crayons

( X ) Sang karaoke

( X ) Paid for a meal with only coins

( X ) Done something you told yourself you wouldn't

( ) Made prank phone calls...

( X ) Laughed until some kind of beverage came out of your nose

( X ) Caught a snowflake on your tongue

( X ) Danced or played in the rain

( X ) Written a letter to Santa Claus

( ) Been kissed under the mistletoe

( X ) Watched the sun rise with someone you care about

( X ) Blown bubbles

( ) Made a bonfire on the beach

( ) Crashed a party

( X ) Gone roller-skating

( X ) Ice-skating

Condescending

2006-07-06T23:34:00.000-07:00

I was recently accused of being condescending to someone on a yahoo group I am actively involved in. This one person has accused me of such more than once. Now, I re-read all of my posts that were addressing him and saw nothing that really seemed condescending to me. Most anyone who has ever met me never gets that impression from me. I work hard at maintaining a humble attitude and honestly do not think I am better than anyone. I also think I am fairly good at writing in a way that those who read what I write will understand not only what I write, but also a sense for the feelings behind my words.

I will admit that I get irritated when I am discussing religeous differences with someone and they do not present a logical response with scripture to support their statements. I do not think I know all there is to know about the Bible, but I study it much more often than the average person and expect those who disagree with me to present well thought out responses with scripture. This person who accused me of being condescending toward him, has not been clear as to what he believes and what he disagrees with me on. When I request clarification, he gets his feathers ruffled. I never called him a name, but did tell him that a response he made was silly. I told him that I thought it was silly because it was completely vague, the comment really seemed not to apply to what I had presented at all, and had no scripture to support anything.

His last post ended with calling me names though. He said something about me being a self-centered, self-important, know-it-all. I really went out of my way to explain that I was having trouble understanding what his point is and just needed clarification. I apologized twice for offending him and explained that I did not intend to have a condescending attitude with anyone...but that apparently matter not at all to him. It seems that no matter how hard I try, there are some people who are determined to be offended. I think it might be that they know what I present to them is completely logical and is supported by scripture and they are frustrated because they can't refute my position and resort to accusations and personal attacks. So, I think I must shake the dust off my feet and ignore this man.

I want very much to understand the thinking behind why someone believes what they do...especially if it is different from what I believe. I want to understand for two reasons. One reason is because if their reasons are sound and do not conflict with God's Word, then I can adopt that view. Another reason is that if their belief is not supported by God's Word and is not at all sound, it is my duty as a Christian to refute a false doctrine and correct that person out of love. This is our sacred duty. May God bless all who read my posts and may we help each other to know the truth of God's Word more accurately.

Thirteen favorite classical composers

2006-07-05T23:07:00.001-07:00

Thirteen Things about Joe Norman

1…. Ludwig Van Beethoven ~ I know he is the favorite of many people, but there is something about him and his music that I really connect with. I have read 4 biographies on his life and of all the music I have played on the piano, I enjoy playing his the most. I only wish I were good enough to play all of his great piano music.

2 . Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart ~ His music is also very enjoyable and he is possibly the greatest musical genius who ever lived. All his melodies were so memorable. He was not a very good person, but his music was divine.

3 . Franz Joseph Haydn ~ He was also one of the greatest and most creative composers ever. He is known as the father of the symphony and most of the music community of his day called him papa Hayden. Mozart and Beethoven both admired him and Beethoven even studied composition from him.

4 . Franz Shubert ~ This guy was probably the biggest fan of Beethoven ever. He had similar genius ability to Mozart and was a child prodigy. He died young in his late 30's and was buried next to Beethoven. His music was similar in many ways, but he wrote very lyrical melodies rather than motive themes.

5 . George Frederich Handel ~ He is best known for his Oratorio "The Messiah", but I have played some of his music for keyboard and heard many other great works of his. I have also learned and performed some great songs from Messiah and another Oratorio. His music is very lovely and lyrical and energetic as well. I like him more than Bach because it is not as busy...not sure if that makes sense to you, but that is why.

6 . Johannes Brahms ~ He was also a great composer. He wrote some of the most moving melodies I have ever heard and the complexity of his music is astounding. His piano concerto was written in the late 1800's and is still considered to be one of the most difficult pieces to play on the piano. He was also a child prodigy who began to study the piano at the age of three.

7 . Frederic Chopin ~ He is called the piano poet. His compositions were mainly for the piano. His mother was Polish and his father was French. Although his music is among the most technically demanding, it emphasized the expression of deep emotions and was extemely poetic in nature. Even today, people who want to create an atmosphere of romance, play recordings of his music...usually a Nocturne (defined as night music)

8 . Franz Liszt ~ This is another child prodigy and his music was some of the most complex and expressive ever written. It is said that he had such long fingers that he had a two octive range with one hand. He also was amazing at taking a great work written for orchestra and transposing it for piano. Transposing like that is not easy and his were so good that some of them are better known than the original work.

9 . Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky ~ He is most known for the music he wrote for the ballet The Nutcracker. He was one of the greats from Russia. His main instrument was the violin. An amazing thing is that he wrote a piano concerto that was much too difficult for him to play. It is still among the most difficult.

10. Sergei Rachmaninoff ~ He is probably my very favorite Russian composer. His music was so full of power. I had a close friend who studied piano from the same teacher I did and he could play Sergei's music extremely well. My friend's name was Brian Stalcup and Sergei was his favorite composer. Brian died at 17 yrs old and I didn't learn of it until a year after he died. Every time I hear Rachmaninoff's music, I think of my dear friend.

11. Giacomo Puccini ~ He wrote some of the most amazing Operas ever. His two most popular are Mademe Butterfly and La Boheme. I believe that Andrew Lloyd Webber mimics Puccini's style when he writes his musicals.

12. Samuel Barber ~ One of the greatest American composers in music history. He is best known for his Agagio for Strings. It was used in the movie Platoon and other movies as well.

13. Igor Stravinsky ~ Another great Russian composer. He is best known for a work called The Rite of Spring. I played a piano work of his that I fell in love with and that caused me to explore his other works as well. He was truly amazing.

There are many other great composers I could list. One that I really wanted to put on the list was Felix Mendelssohn. He was another child prodigy and one of my very favorites. Anyway, there are so many wonderful classical composers that it is not easy to narrow down thirteen favorites. If there are some you are not familiar with on my list, please check them out. I think you will learn to love their music too.

Links to other Thursday Thirteens!

Fourth of July ~ 1776

2006-07-04T18:22:00.000-07:00

Every year, I watch a musical called 1776 as part of my celebration of this great nation's birth. If you have never seen it, it is a wonderful musical. Not all the voices are all that good, but overall, the acting and performance is just wonderful. It moves me to tears in a couple of places. Maybe I am oversensitive for a man, but I do cry some.

In this musical, there is a phrase that I just love. Benjamin Franklin says, "Anyone willing to give up some of their freedom for temporary safety deserves neither freedom, nor safety". Another one is: There are two men of worth in this world...those with commitment and those who require commitment. It is a powerful musical and also has good humor in it as well. I highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys musicals. I hope that all of you enjoyed the holiday and I pray for the soldiers and their families. May they be protected while serving to preserve our freedom and liberate other nations as well. I hope that one day soon, they can return home to be with their families.

Back on board

2006-07-03T22:41:00.000-07:00

I am happy to say that I am back on board with my original blog site. This makes me extremely happy and I want to apologize for my silence to those of you who like to read my posts. I will try to be much more active in posting than I have been in the past. Please expect a fresh post tomorrow for the Fourth of July.

Absolute Truth?

2006-05-29T23:56:00.000-07:00

It seems that many people today seem to think that there is no absolute truth and it is all subjective. I keep hearing people tell me that this is especially the case in regards to religion. They tell me that no one can really tell someone else that what they believe is wrong and I especially cannot tell someone that if they do not change, they will go to Hell.
My first thought is that anyone who tells me what I can or cannot do in regards to MY beliefs is being just as "judgemental" toward me as I am toward any I disagree with. So apparently, it is only okay for me to believe whatever I want to believe as long as I keep it to myself. Is that what a true Christian should do? Should a true Christian only be concerned about himself and his kids and no one else?
I firmly believe that a person CAN know which religion is the TRUE religion and that it is not at all subjective. I have absolutely no doubt at all that the Bible is the ONLY Word of God and Christianity is the only way for a person to go to Heaven. I do not believe this blindly...or due to some warm feeling inside. I have examined the evidence. I have researched how we got the Bible that we have and there is not any ancient written work that has even a fraction of the copies that the Bible has. There are literally THOUSANDS of copies. I have researched historical evidence that shows the accuracy and reliability of the Bible.
I have even looked at the scientific aspecs of the Bible. There is not one thing that is a proven LAW of Science that the Bible contradicts. For instance, there are passages that indicate that the earth is round. No other ancient religious writing indicated this scientific fact. Many religions thought that the earth was flat and rested on the back of a giant elephant or turtle.
I am not one to be led by unreliable feelings. I require logical rational evidence to convince me of anything. I am not a Christian at this point in my life just because I was raised in it. I started out that way, but as I became an adult, I needed to investigate thoroughly what I was raised with and make it my own. My faith is unshakable and I am not afraid of any silly book or movie that tries to prove Christianity is false. I am not at all unwilling to study other world religions and their teachings, but of the ones I have studied thus far, NONE have held a candle to the Bible. This book is far beyond any book ever written.

Thirteen favorite books (other than the Bible)

2006-05-24T23:29:00.000-07:00

Thirteen Things about Joe Norman

1…. Seven Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen Covey

2 . Red Badge of Courage by Stephen Crane

3 . The Alienist by Caleb Carr

4 . Four Past Midnight by Stephen King

5 . Pattern Crimes by William Bayer

6 . One For The Money by Janet Evanovich

7 . The complete Adventures of Sherlock Holmes by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

8 . Ten Little Indians by Agatha Christie

9 . I Believe Because... by Batsell Barrett Baxter

10 . Is The Holy Spirit For Me? by Harvey Floyd

11 . Wallflower by William Bayer

12 . Self Matters by Dr. Phil

13 . Misery by Stephen King

These might seem like a bizarre mix of books, but I am fascinated with the way some minds work much differently than my own. Stephen King books are well written and really seem to expose how a twisted mind works. I am fascinated with mystery books too. I like to read self-help books that I think might provide tools I can use to improve myself. Of coarse I am always wanting to study and learn more in regards to Christianity and God's Word, so I like to read books by men I respect as scholars and learn from them.

Links to other Thursday Thirteens!

My visit to Wichita Falls, TX

2006-05-23T20:53:00.000-07:00

I was visiting my parents last week and had a very good time. One day, I took my mom to the main city park so I could see the falls. I was under the impression that I would be seeing the original and natural water falls that were part of the name for this city. To my surprize, the natural falls no longer exist. I am not sure why. This is a picture of the falls that they now have. One neat thing about them is that these were created by people who took care of Niagra Falls in New York. These falls are pretty, but I was a little disappointed. The great thing about my visit was having my mom with me and enjoying the beauty of the day together.

Thirteen favorite Board/Card/Games

2006-05-17T20:19:00.000-07:00

Thirteen Things about Joe Norman

1…. Chess...I am above average, but barely. It teaches life lessons as well.
(I know I'm a geek)
2 . Pente...Simple and yet requires strategy.
3 . Stratego...Fun and not too complicated.
4 . Yatzee...I just love it and don't know why.
5 . Life...played many times with my wife and kids when I was married.
6 . Scrable...love word play games.
7 . Trivial Pursuit...not great, but love it anyway.
8 . 42...my parents taught me.
9 . Spades...learned in college.
10 . Hearts...learned in college too.
11 . Risk...played with older brothers.
12 . Clue...played with my wife and kids as well, but my wife always won.
13 . Uno and Skip-Bo were both played often when my family was in tact.

Links to other Thursday Thirteens!

Thirteen Of My Favorite Bible Verses ~ And Why

2006-05-11T02:01:00.000-07:00

Thirteen Things about Joe Norman

1…. Proverbs 4:11,12~I have taught you in the way of wisdom;I have led you in right paths.When you walk, your steps will not be hindered, And when you run, you will not stumble.

(This is a favorite because it reminds me who guides my steps.)

2 . Isaiah 40:28-31~Have you not known?Have you not heard?The everlasting God, the Lord,The Creator of the ends of the earth,Neither faints nor is weary.His understanding is unsearchable.He gives power to the weak,And to those who have no might He increases strength.Even the youths shall faint and be weary,And the young men shall utterly fall,But those who wait on the Lord Shall renew their strength;They shall mount up with wings like eagles,They shall run and not be weary,They shall walk and not faint.

(I was a long distance runner when I was young and I could relate to this very well.)

3 . I Corinthians 9:24-27~24Do you not know that those who run in a race all run,but one receives the prize?Run in such a way that you may obtain it.And everyone who competes for the prize is temperate in all things.Now they do it to obtain a perishable crown,but we for an imperishable crown.Therefore I run thus:not with uncertainty.Thus I fight:not as one who beats the air.But I discipline my body and bring it into subjection,lest,when I have preached to others,I myself should become disqualified.

(Another running scripture. It is a source for renewing my determination.)

4 . Hebrews 12:1,2~Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

(This scripture also reminds me not to give up in this life I live FOR God.)

5 . Philippians 4:13~ 13I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.

(This is probably my favorite because it reminds me my strength comes from Christ.)

6 . Psalm 23~The Lord is my shepherd;I shall not want.He makes me to lie down in green pastures;He leads me beside the still waters.He restores my soul;He leads me in the paths of righteousness for His name’s sake.Yea,though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,I will fear no evil;For You are with me;Your rod and Your staff,they comfort me.You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies;You anoint my head with oil;my cup runs over.Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life;and I will dwell in the house of the Lord Forever.

(Isn't this a favorite of nearly everyone? It is beautiful and powerful)

7 . Joshua 24:15~But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.

(It is most important to me to see my children grow to be faithful Christians)

8 . John 14:21~21“He who has My commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves Me. And he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and manifest Myself to him.”

(A reminder that keeping His commandments shows my Love for Christ)

9 . I Corinthians 13:4-8~Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails.

(Reminds me of what REAL love IS)

10 . Hebrews 4:12~For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.

(This reminds me of the power of God's Word...The Holy Bible)

11 . I John 2:15-17~Do not love the world or the things in the world.If anyone loves the world,the love of the Father is not in him.For all that is in the world —the lust of the flesh,the lust of the eyes,and the pride of life—is not of the Father but is of the world.And the world is passing away, and the lust of it;but he who does the will of God abides forever.

(A reminder of what really matters in this life)

12 . III John vs.4~I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth.

(A favorite of any Christian parent and it is my parents' as well)

13 . Eph.4:26,27~Be angry, and do not sin:do not let the sun go down on your wrath, nor give place to the devil.

(This one helps remind me not to let anger build inside until it causes me to sin.)

Links to other Thursday Thirteens!
1. (leave your link in comments, I’ll add you here!)

Update

2006-05-06T09:28:00.000-07:00

I do apologize for my not writing so much in this blog. I am preparing for my final exams and so that is where much of my focus is right now. My last exam is late Wednesday. After that, I am not in school until Summer I begins on June 1st. I do have some things on my mind that I want to share with all who read my blog. Some will require more time to post though and will likely need to wait until after my finals.

I have enjoyed my experience for the most part here at Stephen F Austin State University and am happy with my decision to attend coolege here. I believe that the training I will receive here will help me greatly to be an effective Music teacher and capable in any endevor in the future. I will try to write again soon.

Thirteen favorite songs on the radio

2006-05-04T01:10:00.000-07:00

Thirteen Things about Joe Norman

1…. What Am I To You? by Nora Jones

2 . Somewhere Only We Know by Keane

3 . You're Beautiful by James Blount

4 . Speed of Sound by Coldplay

5 . Lonely No More by Rob Thomas

6 . Move Along by All-American Rejects

7 . Afterglow by INXS

8 . Some Hearts by Carrie Underwood

9 . Like We Never Loved At All by Faith Hill

10 . Just Feel Better by Stephen Tyler and Santana

11 . You'll Think Of Me by Keith Urban

12 . How Far by Martina McBride

13 . 100 years by Five For Fighting

Links to other Thursday Thirteens!
1. (leave your link in comments, I’ll add you here!)

Tired of Today's Fashion Trend

2006-04-28T22:14:00.000-07:00

I don't know about you, but I am really tired of seeing people who look like their clothes were shrunk in the wash. Well actually, it is mostly the women who's clothes look shrunk. The trend with the guys is wearing clothes that are too big. I can't stand seeing guys with their pants falling down and seeing the top of their boxers. I am tired of sloppy over-sized clothes on guys. Did you know that the "style" of guys letting their butts hang out of their pants was started in prison? It was to signal to other inmates that you were willing to let them have sex with you.

Now the women...the pants don't come up high enough and the tops are real clingy and don't go down all the way to cover their midsection. This is ridiculous. It is even worse when a woman is fat and flabby and rolls of fat are revealed that I NEVER wanted to see. TACKY!!!! When will these terrible fashion trends end? It is all so nausiating.

Thirteen Favorite Comedy Movies Vol. 2

2006-04-26T17:12:00.000-07:00

Thirteen Things about Joe Norman

This list is not in order of how much I like them. I have trouble deciding that.

1…. Gross Point Blank (Starring John Cusak & Minni Driver granted a Dark comedy)
2 . A Night At The Opera (Marx Brothers)
3 . The Wedding Singer (Adam Sandler, Drew Barrymore)
4 . Airplane (Too many stars to name)
5 . Ferris Bueler's Day Off
6 . Home Alone
7 . The Three Amigos (Chevy Chase, Martin Short, Steve Martin)
8 . Uncle Buck (John Candy)
9 . BIG (Tom Hanks)
10 . A Fish Called Wanda (John Cleese, Michael Palin, Jamie Lee Curtis, Kevin Kline)
11 . So I Married An Axe Murderer (The first Mike Meyers movie)
12 . Foul Play (Chevy Chase and Goldie Hawn)
13 . Adventures In Babysitting (Elizabeth Shue)

Links to other Thursday Thirteens!
1. (leave your link in comments, I’ll add you here!)

MeMe Time

2006-04-25T19:33:00.000-07:00

Meme time
stolen from Jackie:

[A is for age:] 41

[B is for booze of choice:]I'll put Coca~Cola as Beverage of choice. No Booze for me.

[C is for career:] student for now, Music Education someday soon.

[D is for your dog’s name:] Fudge was my 1st, Samson was my 2nd...both are dead now.

[E is for essential item you use everyday:] computer

[F is for favorite music/song at the moment:] Switchfoot's latest CD

[G is for favorite games:] Chess, Pente, Paper Toss (Thanks Kelly)

[H is for Home town:] Dallas, Texas
[I is for instruments you play:] Piano

[J is for jeans] Wrangler relaxed fit(mainly for the price.

[K is for kids?:] 1 Step-Daughter, 1 Son

[L is for last hug?:] a friend at school here...Heather

[M is for marriage:] recently divorced after 11 yrs of Marriage

[N is for name of your crush:] Jennifer Garner

[O is for overnight hospital stays:] Mumps at 17 yrs old; dehydrated, fever was 105

[P is for phobias:] just a little claustrophobia, hand-shaking

[Q is for quote:] "Whether you think you can or you think you can't, you're right."
~ Henry Ford
[R is for biggest regret:] My part in the failure of my marriage.

[S is for singing (couldn't think of what to put for STATUS, so I changed it):] Everywhere I go. It is my favorite thing to do and I always have music in my head.

[T is for time you wake up:] When my alarm goes off...at least most of the time.

[U is for underwear:] Yes, I wear underwear...Hanes brand...that is all I am sharing.

[V is for vegetables you love:] bell peppers, cucumbers, Carrots, Brocholi, Celery, fresh baby spinach, Jalepino peppers(but they don't like me), most veggies.

[W is for worst habit:] procrastinating

[X is for x-rays you’ve had:] teeth, neck, back, knees, shoulders, chest.

[Y is for yummy food you make:] Steak, and Chicken Fajitas

[Z is for zodiac sign:] Do not believe in that...although I THINK I am a Virgo.

Pressing On

2006-04-23T16:56:00.000-07:00

Today I want to share some verses that I look to when I am feeling like I can't go on and life is too hard. The first passage I want to share is among my very favorite. I used to be a long distance runner and this was something that I could reall identify with. It was used in one of my all-time favorite movies, "Chariots of Fire" The main character in the movie reads this passage and asks; "So where does the strength come from to keep going when you feel like you can't go on? From within." The Lord gives us inner strength when we have His Word written on our hearts.

Isiaih 40:28-31 ~ Have you not known? Have you not heard? The everlasting God, the Lord, The Creator of the ends of the earth, Neither faints nor is weary. His understanding is unsearchable.29 He gives power to the weak, And to those who have no might He increases strength.30 Even the youths shall faint and be weary, And the young men shall utterly fall,31 But those who wait on the Lord Shall renew their strength; They shall mount up with wings like eagles, They shall run and not be weary, They shall walk and not faint.

Of coarse these verses in I Corinthians also speak well to me because of my background in running long distance. Paul says he "disciplines" his body and brings it into "subjection". He makes sure he is physically prepared. Exercise is not easy. It is painful. It is necessary for the body to undergo stress and pressure in order to increase in strength. God made our bodies to be active. He also made our spirits to be active. We must learn to discipline ourselves so that when trials come, we will endure.

I Cor.9:24-27 ~ 24Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may obtain it. 25And everyone who competes for the prize is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a perishable crown, but we for an imperishable crown. 26Therefore I run thus: not with uncertainty. Thus I fight: not as one who beats the air. 27But I discipline my body and bring it into subjection, lest, when I have preached to others, I myself should become disqualified.

Here in II Thessalonians, I am reminded that the Lord is faithful. This is important for me to remember. Many times in my darkest hour, I have felt alone...but I am not alone. As long as I am faithful, I can depend on God to be faithful to me as well.

II Thes.3:3-5 ~ 3But the Lord is faithful, who will establish you and guard you from the evil one. 4And we have confidence in the Lord concerning you, both that you do and will do the things we command you. 5Now may the Lord direct your hearts into the love of God and into the patience of Christ.

Here in Hebrews I am reminded that I must look to Jesus as I run with endurance. Jesus is my prime example of how I need to live my life.

Heb.12:1,2 ~ 1Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, 2looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

Here, Paul was feeling weak. He was struggling with a "thorn in the flesh", but he realized that it was to strengthen him and also to keep him humble that the glory would be God's. We too can find stength when we are weak. Every difficult time or situation will help us to grow that much stronger in Christ.

II Cor.12:9,10 ~ 9And He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. 10Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ’s sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

Paul tells us here in Philippians that he presses on; he forgets the past and reaches forward, pressing toward the goal. We must not dwell on past mistakes or failures, but continue to look ahead toward one day being in Heaven with God.

Phil.3:12-16 ~ 12Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me. 13Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, 14I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. 15Therefore let us, as many as are mature, have this mind; and if in anything you think otherwise, God will reveal even this to you. 16Nevertheless, to the degree that we have already attained, let us walk by the same rule, let us be of the same mind.

I pray that this post will encourage those who read it. God's word is a powerful resource for us and we need to remember to study it daily. Until we feed on the Word of Life regularly, we will be weak and mal-nourished. Seek to please God in all you say and do.

Thirteen Places I Have Lived While Growing Up

2006-04-20T00:12:00.000-07:00

Thirteen Things about Joe Norman

1…. Farmer's Branch, Texas (I was born at Baylor
9. Medical Center in Dallas. My family
lived in Farmer's Branch at that time. It is a suburb in North Dallas.)
2 . Milwaukie, Wisconson ~ VERY young
3 . Somewhere in Kansas...I can't remember where exactly...give me a break...I was a
toddler at the time.
4 . Springfield, Virginia (I think I was 2 yrs old when we moved here. We stayed
until I got out of kindergarden.)
5 . Denison, Texas (I repeated kindergarden.)
6 . McLean, Virginia (I was in 1st and 2nd grade.)
7 . Grand Prarie, Texas (suburb in between Dallas and Ft.Worth. I was in 3rd grade.)
8 . Lubbock, Texas (I was required to repeat 3rd grade)
9 . El Paso, Texas (I was in 4th grade here)
10 . Garland, Texas (A suburb in North Dallas.I was in 5th grade and half of 6th
grade here)
11 . DeSoto (A suburb in far south Dallas area. Finished second half of 6th grade and
one half of 7th grade)
12 . Richardson, Texas (Another suburb in North Dallas area. I lived here from the
2nd half of 7th grade until I graduated from Highschool.)
13 . Plano, Texas.(A suburb even farther North Dallas area. I lived there for three
years.)

If you want a reason for all the moving, my dad was a preacher for most of those years. I think I got them in the right order and all, but it is pretty confusing.

Links to other Thursday Thirteens!
1. Bona Fide Bunkum
2. Ginger
3. treasure of jewels
4. daddy's roses
5. a blog 4 chilady
6. carmen
7. integrated ambiguity
8. amy
9. Cozy Reader
10. sonja
11. Feathers

What Music means to me

2006-04-17T21:17:00.000-07:00

How important is music to you? Here I am in college and I am trying to finish my degree in Music Education. I recently did a speech for my beginning speech class on the problem of many public schools cutting the music classes out of their curriculum. Many with the power to cut music out of public schools seem to think that music is expendable. Have you ever known a nation or tribe that did not have music? Why do you think that is? Music was considered vitally important in the education of ancient Greece. There have been many publicized studies that have shown that students who are involved in some kind of music education do better in school. They are not sure if the music training helps these students get better grades or if students who get better grades tend to want music training.

But then the experts who conduct these studies have not talked to me or others like me. I struggled with school especially when I was young. I had to take kindergarden twice and third grade twice. Was I not as smart as other kids? No. It seems that the problem was that my brain had to go through an extra step to translate the abstract. In other words, it took me longer than most students to read anything, numbers, letters, anything. Once this was identified as the problem, the teachers would give me extra time to finish tests. That made a huge difference.

I did not start taking any music lessons until I was 12 yrs old. I was very shy and introverted. I was VERY afraid to get in front of people. At 12, I started studying piano from a private teacher. I took to it like a fish to water. But when I had to play in a recital, I was petrified. My teacher encouraged me to take every opportunity to play in front of anyone. I forced myself to go to the nursing homes and play the piano. If I visited any friend who had a piano in their house, I would ask to play. This helped me very much.

I also joined Orchestra in 8th grade. I was amazed that they offered it at my public school. Again, I was learning to play cello very fast. I also joined the school choir in 8th grade. My choir director was super impressed with me and made me a part of her small group, the Madrigals. There were 8 guys and 8 girls. At that time, I was singing, tenor, bass, and sometimes alto. Because of my piano and cello lessons, my sight-singing was very strong. I have also always had a good ear.

I continued to do well in piano, choir, and Orchestra My reading ability in general got much better. I was still slower than average, but I was getting faster. My piano teacher taught music theory and music history for all grade levels. We took tests on both at SMU that were given by the Texas Music Educators Association. I always got straight A's in music theory and music history. My confidence was improving all the time. My school grades were getting better too.

In the late 80's, I started doing things I never dreamed I'd have the nerve to even try. I started leading the singing at church. By the 90's, I started teaching Bible classes. When I returned to college in 2000, I went to a community college. I maintained a 3.86 GPA while going to school there. I was on the Dean's list and a member of Phi Theta Kappa National Honor Society. Now I am comfortable getting in front of people and talking or performing. This would have never happened if I had not studied music. Music has helped me in so many ways. I love it so very much.

How Old Is The Earth and Is the Bible reliable?

2006-04-14T03:43:00.000-07:00

First I want to address the question of how old the earth is. No one can really establish how old the earth really is…not scientists, nor Bible scholars, nor anyone else. There are several modern methods scientists use to estimate the Earth’s Age. Of all the methods used, C-14 and potassium-argon are the two methods considered to be the most reliable according to most scientists. Yet, these methods are completely dependant on the assumption the production rate of C-14 in the outer atmosphere had not changed at all in all of history and the decay rate was the same in the past as it is today. They also depend on the assumption that there were never any major cosmic events at least in the past 45,000 years that could possibly change the C-14 production rate or decay rate. This causes much doubt as to the reliability of these methods.

What we know for sure is that the historical period of man goes back only to about 5,000 to 7,000 B.C. as scientists accept it. Most scientists believe that intelligent man has been on the earth for about 1,750,000 years. If this is true, what has he been doing all that time? Man’s historical record only goes back about half of one percent of the alleged time scientists think man-like creatures have been on the earth.

For many years, archaeologists did not believe that the Hittite nation, which is mentioned in the Old Testament, really existed. Then, not long ago, they uncovered ruins and found the Hittite nation did in fact exist. Archaeology continues to do nothing but find more evidence to support the accuracy of the Bible in History.

Now as for the legitimacy of the Bible, let’s first point out that there are 66 books of the Bible and was written by approximately 40 men over a period of nearly 1,600 years. The 1st books of the Old Testament were written by Moses, about 1,500 B.C., and the last book of the Bible was written by the apostle John, approximately A.D. 100. The writers used different languages primarily, Hebrew and Greek, with small portions in Aramaic. In many instances the writers had no access to the other books of the Bible dealing with events of their own time, yet they wrote in perfect unity, each complementing that which the others had written.

The unity of the scriptures could not have been achieved except that God guided the various writers. In other “sacred” books of the world, there is nothing that can be properly called history. They are for the most part jumbles of heterogeneous material, loosely placed together, without order, continuity, or unity of any kind. The Bible on the other hand, is a history with a beginning, a middle, and an end. There is nothing like this, nothing even approaching it, in any other collection of sacred books in the world. It is filled with prophecies in the Old Testament that were fulfilled in the New Testament. Many were not possible to be forced to happen. Example; Psalms 22:18 predicts that the Christ’s garments would be divided. It was fulfilled by the Roman soldiers in John 19: 23-24. No bones of the Savior would be broken; Psalms 34: 20. This was fulfilled in John 19: 33-36.

What are the chance possibilities of making over 85 prophecies concerning Christ hundreds of years before His birth and having them all fulfilled in the life, death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus?

Hebrews 11:1;
1Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.

Faith is the "substance" of things we hope for...substance tells me it is NOT subjective, nor is it blind. the "evidence" of things not seen...tells me that faith is built on solid proofs. A comment someone made to me was wrong. I told someone that I KNOW what God's view on homosexuality, sex outside of marriage, and many other worldly practices are because the Bible tells me. This person's response to me was, "You only 'think' you know...you believe you know, but you don't really know." The problem I have with that statement is that I really do know...I would not believe if I did not know. I do not believe the Bible is the Word of God and it is without error just because I was raised to believe it and "blindly" believe it. I looked for EVIDENCE to support the claims the Bible itself makes about being inspired by the Holy Spirit and without error.

What puzzles me is that we only have a handful of ancient copies of the writings of Socrates...no originals...and yet, no one doubts the acurracy of the copies. There are more ancient copies of every single book of the Bible than any other ancient written work ever discovered. The consistency of all these copies is nothing short of absolutely amazing. Yet, many doubt the accuracy and reliability of the Bible. Many who claim to be Christian even doubt the accuracy. One thing I can guarantee though, most of the people who doubt the accuracy of the Bible are not avid readers of it and may not have ever read more than a handful of verses in their entire lives.

Thirteen of my fears

2006-04-06T18:51:00.000-07:00

Thirteen Things about Joe Norman

1…. God...the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.
2 . I fear a home invasion...I know I shouldn't, but I do.
3 . I fear seeing my kids die before I do...I'm working on overcoming all but the
first one.
4 . I am a bit clostraphobic.
5 . I am a bit of a germ-a-phob
6 . I fear sky-diving, but I am not really afraid of heights.
7 . I am stage-fright...but have mostly overcome it.
8 . I am afraid of any animal that can kill me...and/or eat me(mostly predators).
9 . I am afraid of drowning...even though I am a great swimmer.
10 . I am afraid of burning to death...here, or eternally in Hell.
11 . I am afraid of airplanes...but do okay when I fly anyway.
12 . I am afraid of becoming a human vegitable and having to live like that.
13 . I am afraid of most anything that is real painful...needles are not real painful
so they are not included.
I am trying real hard to overcome all my fears, but the first one like I said; that one is necessary...and good for me.
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What is the love that makes a marriage great?

2006-04-03T21:44:00.000-07:00

I just watched the movie "The Wedding Date" and although I liked parts of it, I did not like all the sex outside of marriage. I know that is the way most of this world does things and it is no big deal to many, but it bothers me. One thing I really did like was near the end of the movie. One character said, "I'd much rather fight with you than make love to any woman in the world". That was the guy that was hired to be the lead girl's wedding date. He was a male escort or "prostitute."
Earlier, he was talking to a guy who found out minutes before his wedding that his fiance` was having sex with his best friend. She had ended it with the best friend and told her soon to be husband because she realized that she did not want to trick him into marrying her. She wanted to confess and know that if he married her, it was because he loved her in spite of stupid mistakes in the past. The soon to be husband was not sure what he should do. The male prostitute said something about how hard it is to love someone else completely and let them love you back. He also said that you will know if she is the right one for you if you know all her faults and love her anyway.
The couple did get married and the lead girl that hired the wedding date, made a toast to the newlyweds. She said to the husband..."No one can love her better than you. You two be good to each other."
Then I was very teary eyed. But I wonder how true these things I heard in the movie really are. Marriages are falling apart at an all time high in this country and nearly every other country as well. No one really seems to be able to love someone else even when they make mistakes and/or have certain faults. No one seems good enough to the majority of people to grow old with. As I see it, selfishness is at an all-time high.
My marriage was not all I thought it was, and definitely was not all it should have been. We both made mistakes. But the difference was, I never stopped trying to make it work...until, I was forced to give up. I hope that I make less mistakes if and when I get married again. I am sure I will make less mistakes...but more importantly, I hope that the woman I choose to marry, will love me no matter what and realize that anything worth having is worth fighting for. Marriage that lasts and is happy, takes 100% effort from both people in the marriage...working as a team. My wife should be my best friend, my lover, and willing to face the world together.

My thirteen Heroes In My Life

2006-03-30T22:41:00.000-08:00

Thirteen Things about Joe Norman

(First, let me stress that these are people in my life and of coarse Jesus is my ultimate hero.

1…. My Mom and Dad are together here because they are equal in their influence on me.
They taught me more by the way they lived and live their lives. They have also
always believed in me. They knew I had unusual talent in Music and did all they
could to help me develop my skills. They also believe in me in all areas I
pursue and are proud of me. I am more proud of them and feel truly blessed to
have such great Christian parents. Did they make mistakes? Don't we all?
2 . My sister, Carol. She has taught me so much and always been there for me. Of all
my siblings...other than my twin, Jim, she is the most loving and closest to me.
3 . My brothers Tim and Jim especially and John too.(Once again all together due to
equal influence on me. I will always share a bond with my twin, Jim. He has such
a good heart. My oldest brother, Tex, was influential in my youth. I wish he were
still a part of my life...but sadly, he is not anymore. I pray for him often.
4 . My foster brother Tom. I have learned many life lessons from him as well.
5 . My dear brother in Christ, Kevin Farley. He is such a fine example of a true
friend and Christian.
6 . A woman named Natalie that I met online. She has been one of the truest friends
in this difficult season of my life and I have learned so much from her. She is
also my sister in Christ.
7 . Pat Smithson is another brother in Christ of whom I have learned so much.
8 . Both of my grandmothers taught me so much as well. They were truly the most
loving and tender hearted women...and faithful Christians to the end. I learned
much about benevolence from them. Pansy Crawford and Louise Norman. My
grandmother Crawford was probably my biggest fan. She always wanted to hear me
play the piano and would sit and listen for hours. She also loved to hear me
sing. I carry her with me to this day.
9 . My uncle Charles Crawford was an inspriation to me all my life. He had a period
in his life when he was unfaithful to God. Yet, when his first child, Charlotte,
was born with a hole in her heart...and died at the age of three, He and his wife
turned to God and were faithful again. My uncle was dramatically changed for the
better. He lived his life in total servanthood to Christ every day. Yes, he had
faults, but he did so much good and always tried to help anyone in need. Many
times his good deeds were not known to anyone. He never bragged about what he did
to help anyone. He said he knew Charlotte was with God and he wanted to be there
with her when he died. My uncle died of cancer from asbestos...(he was surounded
by it when he was a boiler tech on an aircraft carrier in the Korean War)in 1996.
He was only in his 60's. I know he is with his child and God now.
10 . My voice teacher Lise Uhl...because she believes in me and encouraged me to
press on and get my degree in Music Ed.
11 . My new friend Marvin. He is a preacher for the church of Christ and has MS. He
can no longer get out of his house and has run an online preaching ministry for
over three years. He refuses to let his disabilities keep him from spreading the
Good News.
12 . My piano teacher in Waco. Dr. Pitts. She only has three fingers on one hand and
two fingers on the other hand...only one foot with no toes(some of her fingers
started out as toes)...and one leg only goes to the knee. She has prosthetics.
In spite of this, she has a PHD in Music and teaches piano and voice. She is
always happy and full of life...always positive and encouraging.(like Polyanna)
13 . My first piano teacher, Mrs Carolyn Jones Campbell. She always believed in me.
She had much more confidence in my musical talent and ability than I ever did.
She pushed me to be the best I could be. I was not always trying my best, but
I loved her for all she did to help me and all I learned from her.
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What I have Learned

2006-03-26T23:26:00.000-08:00

I have learned that I still have much more living to do and divorce is not the end of the world. I have learned that I need to have a better self image and like who I am. If I don't like who I am, I need to change those things that cause me not to like myself. I have a much deeper understanding of who I am deep in my core and I need to build on that. I remember thinking about something I was told the great artist and sculptor Michelangelo said. Someone asked him how he sculpted such amazing statues. He said that he looks at the stone and removes everything that is not a part of the statue...releasing the image that was hidden inside the stone. I am not sure if he said that in those exact words or even if he said that at all; but when I look at who I want to be and who I am now, I am striving to remove all those things I see in me that are not a part of who I am or who I want to become.

Obviously, because I am a Christian, I want most to be like Jesus. The term Christian actually means "Christ-like". I am a perfectionist in many areas of my life and that is good and bad. I am also way too concerned about what others think about me and whether or not they like me. I have made strides in changing that. I am sure that there are other things that need to be changed, but most of all, I learned that we are all a work in progress and no one other than Jesus will ever be perfect in this life. I want the best for my son and most of all, I want him to live his whole life as a faithful servant of Our Lord and Savior. I also strive to reach out to those I come in contact with and help them find their way to Heaven as well.

Jesus said in Matthew 7:13-14 that the gate is narrow and the way is difficult that leads to eternal life and few will find it. It is sobering to understand that very few will be saved. The road map is the New Testament. The most amazing thing happens when people study God's Word and strive to live by the principles they find there. People become better husbands, better wives, better children...and they produce a better community. The Lord's way is truly the best way to live. Why not give it a try?

Thirteen things that are important to me

2006-03-23T11:40:00.000-08:00

Thirteen Things that are important to Joe Norman

1…. My Christian relationship with my Lord and Master

2 . Spreading the Gospel and helping to save the lost in this world.

3 . My family (includes parents, siblings, kids, and yes, even my ex-wife)

4 . Music

5 . My friends

6 . Finishing my education

7 . Obtaining a job that I love to go to and am passionate about.

8 . Understanding myself better and learning to love myself so that I can properly
love others.

9 . Helping anyone I see in need...if I am able to help

10 . My freedoms that I have and this country that allows me to have such freedom

11 . The environment is important to me, but I am not a tree hugger. I do not think
this world is fragile. Yet we do need to be responsible caretakers.

12 . All the arts are important to me because they are good over all and help us to
enjoy this life and the beauty of it.

13 . Fighting injustice where ever I find it...protecting and defending those who are
weaker and unable to defend themselves. (maybe that is why I like Super Heroes
so much...especially Superman!)
Links to other Thursday Thirteens!
1. bonafide bunkum
2. purple giraffe

Is God's Grace conditional?

2006-03-20T02:02:00.000-08:00

I have heard it said many times that God's love is unconditional and so is His grace. Some seem to think that because we cannot earn our salvation, there is nothing required of us at all to "be saved". Although we know God's love is unconditional...John 3:16 comes to mind...it should be obvious that His grace IS conditional.

Why do I believe this? To the honest person looking for the truth of God's Word, that is what the New Testament teaches. Before I get into the scripture, please think about something. Jesus compared the christian "relationship" with God to marriage. He did that for a reason. We all understand what a marriage ceremony is all about and that it shows our intention to live in a sanctified relationship for the rest of our lives. God has always wanted a close and faithful relationship with mankind. Just as a marriage is conditional both in the requirement of a ceremony, and in a lifelong commitment...the same is true of a Christian relationship. The fact that conditions are required does not mean we are earning our salvation and don't need Jesus. The ONLY way that a person can EARN salvation is by living a sinless life. We all know that this is not possible. The conditions are required because faith is more than just belief...it is believing something so strongly that it causes one to act on that belief.

Please consider James 2:19 to the end of the chapter. Especially in verse 19, James says that even the demons believe there is a God and tremble. Many who claim that we are saved by grace only or faith only think that the entire book of James is not refering to the faith that justifies, but the faith that sanctifies. As if there were more than one kind of faith. But anyone who reads Ephesians 4:5 knows that there is only one faith. That faith is what justifies and sanctifies and is what James explains as needing works. Works and faith are intertwined.

The word sactify mearly means "set apart" and this is what the Greek expresses as well. All Christians are "set apart" from the rest of the world by making that commitment to God. We die to our old selves and live a new life for God desiring to be Christ-like (which is what christian means.

Water baptism that final step in our spiritual wedding ceremony and after baptism we are to remain faithful to our Jesus. Just as the woman takes the name of her husband to show who she belongs to, we take the name of Christ and are known as christians. We belong to Jesus. 1 Peter 3:21 shows us that water baptism saves us and it is the anti-type to the way Noah was saved through water. Anyone who will let the Bible interpret itself will come to the conclusion that water baptism is "for" the remission of sins and not because of.

After Paul(then known as Saul) was confronted by Jesus on his way to Damascus, he was instructed to go into the city and wait until a prophet of Jesus came to him to tell him what he MUST do. Paul waited there for three days. He was still blind and he fasted and prayed for those three days. When Anonias came to Paul, he healed Paul's eyes and then said, What are you waiting for? Arise and be baptised and wash away your sins. (ACTS 22:12-16) My question is...if Paul had fasted and prayed for three days, what sins did he have to wash away in baptism?

Now those who profess faith only also think that the baptism that saves is baptism of the Holy Spirit. Holy Spirit baptism was never a teaching God commanded anyone to do. God did it himself(Acts 2:15-18)and it was for specific purposes. To fulfill prophecy(Joel 2:28-29)and to show God's approval. (Acts 10:44-48) Holy Spirit baptism was visable and is only found in Acts chapter 2 and Acts chapter 10. It means to receive miraculous gifts. The reason Cornelius and his family received the Holy Spirit baptism was to show that God accepts non-jews to be christians as well. If this "sign" had not occurred, the jewish converts would have denied any gentile the right to be baptized christians. The purpose of Holy Spirit baptism on the Apostles in Acts 2 was to show that these men were God's prophets. We know it was only the 12 apostles because the comment recorded in Acts 2 says...are not all these men Gallalians? All the Apostles were from Gallalie. The 120 that some think were included were not all from Gallalie.

Also, in Acts 10:34-35, Peter says that God shows no partiality, but in every nation, he who fears God and works rightiousness is accepted by Him. It should be more than clear that there is only one baptism that saves.(Eph.4:5)Water baptism is that one baptism and the faith that saves does have conditions. These conditions, though technically, they are "works", they cannot possibly earn the gift of God...salvation. It is necessary to be in a right relationship with God to be saved and stay saved. I do hope that if you have never understood how one becomes "saved", this has helped you. God wants all to be saved and that is why Christ has not reurned yet. But we also know that the gate to eternal life is narrow and the path is difficult... few will find it.(Matt.7:13-14)

What it takes to sing Opera

2006-03-15T22:45:00.000-08:00

Just to let people know who might not be aware, I want to share what it takes to sing Opera. An opera singer must be able to sing over an orchestra and chorus without a microphone and be heard. Most operas are anywhere from 2-3 hours long. Everything in an opera is sung. There is no spoken dialogue at all. So the training that an opera singer gets, teaches him/her to be able to sing very loud and for as long as needed without straining the voice at all.

How is this possible? The most important technique to master is proper breath control. You might have heard people say, "Use your diaphram". Well that is actually not correct. The proper way to support the voice is by using your entire midsection and creating air pressure...not in the upper chest and the neck should be completely relaxed. An opera singer is trained to expand his ribs by working the costal muscles. These muscles are in between the ribs. Also, when you take in the air, the back of your mouth should feel like it does when you yawn. The amazing thing about once you begin to master this technique is that you can take in an enormous amount of air in an instant and it is silent. No one will hear the breathing in. I was told to expand the costal muscles at the same time I open my mouth and not to suck the air in. If I just create the space for the air and open my airway, the air will instantly come in.

It is not easy to do, but when you do it right, it is a strange feeling at first. The next thing you learn to do is to release the air properly while you sing. Your entire midsection should be working very hard at maintaining this expansion even when the air is leaving. This keeps the air pressure more constant. Then all you need to learn (lol...as if) is how to form good consistant vowel sounds and not to let consonents squeeze off the air and sound. The air will utilize your sinus passages to some degree, but you want to avoid a strong nasal sound. The sound that comes out might seem too bright or almost sharp to your ears, but to anyone listening, it does not sound sharp. The sound should feel like it is in the front of your mouth, just behind the lips. Another interesting thing is that you learn to make different vowel sounds without moving the jaw much if at all. The jaw should be dropped most all the time and even the lips are not used much. There are many more aspects to singing opera, but this should give anyone who is unfamiliar a better idea of what is involved and I hope it will help you to have a better appreciation and respect for opera singers.

One last thing I wanted to mention. When I sing, I am using most of the muscles in my body and usually I am very emotionally tied to the expression of the music as well. There is also much concentration involved in trying to use all these techniques correctly and still be expressive. So by the time I am done singing in a recital or a choir concert, or opera...I am just completely exhausted and drained emotionally, physically, and mentally. It takes all I am to perform and I love it so very much.

Thirteen favorite Bible Characters (other than Jesus)

2006-03-09T21:00:00.000-08:00

Thirteen Things about Joe Norman

1…. David (he was a man after God's own heart)
2 . Solomon (the Wisest man to ever live)
3 . Samson (strongest man who ever lived)
4 . Moses (Reluctant leader)
5 . Joseph (dreamer and amazing provider)
6 . Noah (faithful and determined to obey God)
7 . Elijah (greatest prophet in the OT)
8 . Peter (zealous in faith)
9 . Stephen (died trying to save)
10 . Paul (Apostle to the non-jews)
11 . John (the disciple who Jesus loved)
12 . Timothy (faithful at a young age)
13 . John the Baptist (leading the way for Christ)

These are just thirteen of my favorites and there are deeper reasons why they are my favorites, but it would take too long to write all that. I have many more favorites but these are the thirteen that came to my mind first.

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When to date again?

2006-03-06T22:29:00.000-08:00

I have just been wondering when I will be ready to date again. I do not think I am ready yet, but I am wondering how long it will take for me to be ready and will I know when I am ready? I have been told that on average, it takes half as long as your marriage was to recover from the divorce. I was technically married for eleven years, so based on that, I will not fully recover from my divorce until at least 5 1/2 yrs have passed. It has been one year and two months at this point since the divorce was final. I may not be ready to move on and try again right now, but I do not think it will take me four more years before I will be ready....(at least I hope not). I really do not want to rush into anything and make the serious commitment to a woman that is not right for me either. Can you tell I am confused? I thought I lived in the state of Texas, but apparently, I live in the state of Confusion.

churches of one race

2006-03-05T23:18:00.000-08:00

I am still looking for a new church home here in Nacogdoches, TX and this morning I visited a small church of Christ that happened to be an all black congregation. I was not aware of that until after I arrived for class. But I decided to attend anyway and see how I liked it. I had never been a part of an all black worship service and was interested in what it would be like.

I was amazed at how welcome everyone there made me feel. Everyone was introducing themselves to me and thanking me for visiting. In fact, I was the only male there in Bible class at first...the men who were to teach the class were running late. The ladies asked me to lead them in a song. I asked them to choose the song and they picked one. After I led the song, they asked if I would lead them in a prayer, so I did.

By the time I finished the prayer, the men showed up and led one more song and started the Bible Study. The study was really good and many members had good comments to add to the study. I also made comments and they were pleased with my willingness to participate and liked my comments.

Before the worship service started, more people showed up. In total, I think there was about fifty people there. I was asked to go into a room with all the men that were going to help with the worship service and I did. When I got back there, they asked if I would like to lead the first prayer after two hymns and a scripture reading. I was happy to help. The majority of the songs were hymns I knew, but they put a spiritual touch to all the hymns....I really liked it and nothing was too extravagant and no one drew attention to themselves.
The man who preached had just placed his membership last week and apparently was a former preacher. He filled in for the regular preacher who was a guest speaker at another church out of town. The sermon was really great and the message was true to God's Word. I really appreciated the message. When service was over, everyone again wanted to thank me for visiting and for helping where needed. They encouraged me to come back any time.
I have visited many congregations throughout the years and can honestly say that I have never felt more welcome as a visitor than I did at this small, African American church. If all local churches were as good at making visitors feel welcome, they would grow by leaps and bounds. I learned a lesson myself about how I should meet and greet visitors.
Now this experience really got me thinking though. Segregation is not enforced by the governments anymore and yet, we have local churches that are either all white, all black, or all hispanic. This should not be. Now I know that it is just human nature to gravitate toward those who are like us. We feel more comfortable when we are around people that look, talk, and act similar to us. But we are all Christians and should not separate based on race. I am not sure if it is possible to get people together and mixed racially, but I long for that. One great thing about Heaven is that we will all be the same...we'll have spiritual bodies and there will be no race, culture, or language difference anymore. I have been a part of some congregations that were well balanced with different races...even asian. Those churches were much better to me because we all really were a family in spite of our differences. I pray that people will work toward mixing up better and not separating based on the color of our skin, culture, and language.

2006-03-04T18:16:00.000-08:00

Here is a pic of my new pet fish. His name is Mr. Limpet. I thought that would be my little way of honoring the late Don Knotts...one of the most gifted commedic actors America ever had. He looks much brighter blue in real life than in this pic. His fins are royal blue. I think he likes his new home already.

Thriteen of Joe's favorite comedy movies

2006-03-02T13:52:00.000-08:00

This is by no means a complete list, nor is it in any particular order. I hope you like my list. Happy TT everyone!

Thirteen Things about Joe Norman

1…. The Sure Thing
2 . Duck Soup (Marx Brothers)
3 . O Brother Where Art Thou
4 . Raising Arizona
5 . All the Road Show movies with Bing Crosby and Bob Hope (I cheated and added a
bunch in one spot.
6 . Better Off Dead
7 . Princess Bride
8 . Young Frankenstein
9 . Gross Point Blank
10 . The Lemon Drop Kid (Bob Hope)
11 . All the Lt. Cluessou movies staring Peter Sellers (Sorry...I cheated again. this
is so hard.)
12 . Down With Love
13 . Prince of Theives (sorry...techincally not intended to be a comedy, but it is.)

I'll add another to make up for that. "The gods Must Be Crazy" oh...and Monty
Python's " The Holy Grail"...I'll stop. Maybe in a future TT I will share more.
Links to other Thursday Thirteens!
1. (leave your link in comments, I’ll add you here!)

Lonliness

2006-03-01T22:59:00.000-08:00

I have been feeling very lonely these days. I am sure that the main reason is not having any friends locally to spend time with. It is not easy to move to a new place where you don't know anyone and try to make friends. Time needs to be invested. But so many people have moments at least when they feel lonely. I know that many adult singles struggle off and on with these feelings. Sometimes we are aware that we are not really ready to be in a romantic relationship and especially not marriage, but that feeling is still there. I believe that the reason we all feel that way at times is because God designed us to be social beings and we thrive on interaction with others and we need to feel loved and wanted by others. If a child gets all the necessities of life except no affection or interaction with a human, they do not do well mentally, physically, or emotionally. I know that as long as I do what I can to meet new people and socialize, eventually I will make friends. As far as meeting the woman I will one day marry, I think that usually happens when we are not looking for it and usually when we are ready emotionally and mentally(at least I hope). What do you think?

Why do people do things they know are wrong or bad for them?

2006-02-27T22:46:00.000-08:00

I recently have been wondering about what makes people do things that they should and probably do know is a mistake. Everyday, someone chooses to smoke tobacco products even though they have been taught from an early age how unhealthy it is. People decide to drive drunk, have unprotected sex with someone they have no intention of ever marrying. This list of choices people make can go on for miles. I have never even been tempted to drink alcohol, do drugs, or use any tobacco products in my whole life. Even if I did not have a problem with these things from a moral or religious standpoint, I don't think I would have ever chosen to do any of those things. I have a sensitive nose and do not like the smell of tobacco products or alcohol.
I am by no means perfect and have made really bad choices in my life. I goofed off my first time to go to college back in the 80's and lost my financial aid and was put on academic suspension. HUGE MISTAKE. I have let friends talk me into doing some things that I have regretted...minor vandalism...(I was in Jr High) and looking at Playboys...that started when I was 12 yrs old. I had a friend who's dad was a subscriber and had stacks of them in the house. We would go over there after school when his parents were not home and look at them. This was something I struggled to overcome for years. I played with matches with a friend and we were very lucky we did not burn the house down with us in it...(I was 7 yrs old).
We have choices to make every single day and we all make bad choices from time to time. Not all bad choices are bad because they are immoral or a sin either. They can just be unhealthy, or they can get us into a bad situation that negatively impacts us and those around us. I think that the main reason people make these bad choices is mainly because they look no further than today at this moment. If we can learn to look ahead and see some small glimpse of where this decision will ultimately lead us, we might become better at avoiding costly decisions. What do you all think?

Thirteen things that I don't like

2006-02-22T22:36:00.000-08:00

Thirteen Things about Joe Norman

I had to put out my list early because I am going to be out of town all day Thursday. Happy Thursday Thirteen Everyone!

1…. self-centered people
2 . grid-loc...are people not aware that it can be avoided with little effort?
3 . Tailgaters...the ones driving, not the ones in spoting arena parking lots.
4 . I have no patience for people who have no patience. (Weird huh)
5 . Smacking and or popping gum (especially the popping)
6 . Rap and Hip-Hop Music (it just tenses me up from the small of my back all the way
to the back of my neck.)
7 . hipocrites (this is probably on everyone's list...except the hipocrites)
8 . liers
9 . the smell of Nail Polish and the remover too.
10 . Arrogance
11 . tobacco products...the smells especially
12 . The smell of alcohol...especially when it is on the breathe and coming out of
the pores of someone.
13 . a messy and nasty, dirty house.
Links to other Thursday Thirteens!
1. (leave your link in comments, I’ll add you here!)

Superman Where are You?

2006-02-19T00:22:00.000-08:00

I recently opened a new checking account and I was trying to save money by ordering checks online. I also thought it might be easy to find checks I wanted. My nimber one preference would be to order checks with Superman on them I am a HUGE fan of Superman and a HUGE fan of the TV show, SMALLVILLE on the WB channel.
Would you believe that there is not one company that has a Superman series by himself? I founf two different collections of DC Super Heroes. They included Batman, The Flash, Green Lantern, Wonder Woman, as well as Superman. I am not interested in the other heroes. I just want Superman checks. I can't understand why that is not available. I'd be happy if all the checks were the same and just had the Superman S with no full pic of Superman.
**SIGH** I suppose I am forced to order checks I will only sort of like now. Well I need to go for now. Up....Up....and AWAY!!!!!!

Thirteen things that make me a unique MAN

2006-02-16T12:14:00.000-08:00

Thirteen Things about Joe Norman

1…. I am not real interested in cars and know almosst nothing about the proper care and maintenance required.
2 . I am not at all a "handy man" around the house.(I try, but if it is a major thing I hire someone)
3 . I love musicals and classical music and all the arts. (Not usually a manly thing)
4 . I enjoy a good movie even if it is a "chick flick"...and I'll at least get watery eyes if it is sad or touching.
5 . I hate to get my hands dirty with things that don't come off easily(greese, oil, etc)
6 . I like to cook, but am still trying to expand the variety of what I can cook.
7 . I am not a sports finatic at all. I try not to miss a Dallas Cowboy football game, but I am not real into knowing all there is to know about any sport and stats. I will not die if I miss a game either.
8 . I do not like to have long hair. I also want to be well groomed if I amgoing to be out in public.
9 . I ALWAYS change out the toiletpaper roll and put the new one on the dispenser correctly.
10 . I ALWAYS wash my hands after I go to the bathroom....ALWAYS.
11 . I never leave the seat up on the toilet.
12 . I am not at all into hunting...period. (I am not comfortable with firearms although I am completely against gun control.)
13 . I love the outdoors, but I will not go "camping" without a cabin or RV and access to a clean bathroom and shower facilities. (I do not like to rough it)

Links to other Thursday Thirteens!
1. Divalasvegas
2.BonafideBunkum
3.ginger
4. chickadee

Apology to Readers

2006-02-15T20:52:00.000-08:00

Hello to all. I want to apologize for my lack of posting. I have had a stressful week and Valentine's was not a good day for me. It brought back bad memories and pain from my marriage falling apart. The divorce was only final two years ago and after 11 yrs of marriage, it will just take me a while to heal completely. I also was either in school or at work from 8am to 7pm yesterday. Then I was up until 1am working on my speech outline. I will have my TT list up early tomorrow because I have no classes for the next two day. All the music teachers went to San Antonio to attend the Texas Music Educators Association. Yippee!!!

Thirteen Favorite Songs from Musicals

2006-02-09T16:39:00.000-08:00

Thirteen Things about Joe Norman

1…. Somewhere Over the Rainbow - Wizard of Oz
2 . I'm a lonesome hound dog -Seven Brides For Seven Brothers
3 . On the Street Where You Live - My Fair Lady
4 . Where Is Love? - Oliver
5 . Singin' In The Rain - from Singin' In The Rain ~ duh
6 . Doe a Deer - Sound Of Music
7 . O What A Beautiful Mornin' - Oklahoma
8 . Younger Than Spingtime - South Pacific
9 . As Long As He Needs Me - Oliver
10 . Sound Of Music - from Sound Of Music ~ duh
11 . Tupins A Bag - Mary Poppins
12 . Memory - CATS
13 . Bless Your Beautiful Hide - Seven Bride's For Seven Brothers

Links to other Thursday Thirteens!

1. Bona fide bunkum

American Idol

2006-02-08T20:37:00.000-08:00

I have been hooked on watching this show for the past two years. I missed the first two seasons, but really enjoy this show. I do not always agree with who they choose to be the winner. I thought Clay was much better than that other guy that won (What was his name?). Now last year, I did agree with the choice they made. Carrie Underwood was more versatile vocally than Bo Bice. I really like Bo and he still got a recording contract, but Carrie was the better choice.
I watch these people audition and am amazed at how many have no talent what so ever and are still convinced that they are geat singers. How does anyone become that dillusional? I heard a guy attempt the song "You Lift Me Up" by Josh Groban and he was not good. There were much worse, but he was not good.
I also get irritated by seeing people like Josh Groban being so successful in the Music industry when I know I can sing much better that him. Those soft ballads are perfect for my voice. Of coarse, my voice is much higher than Josh's. Josh is a baritone and I am a 1st Tenor. I do not have a voice for most pop music partly because of my Operatic training, but there are many songs I can sing quite well. One problem I have right now is that I am not nearly as handsome as Josh Groban and I am also 41 yrs old.
For grins, I have been considering trying out for American Idol. I just want to see how far I could get. I know I can get past the first audition. Yet, my heart really belongs to Opera and American Musicals. We'll see if I gather the courage to try out for American Idol next year. I might wait until I graduate...if at all.

Synapses

2006-02-08T20:25:00.000-08:00

I am taking a class that I really enjoy. It is called Music With Children. We are learning how to introduce Music to young children. Right now we are working with First Graders. I really like this age group. They are quite fun and many of these kids are very bright.
Anyway, my instructor was explaining to us how the brain develops in children. He said that we have these neural highway connections called synapses and we start out with very few even before we are born. Gradually, we develop more and more. By the age of Three, we have the maximum number of synapses that we can possibly get. By four yrs of age, we begin to lose the ones we don't use. He said that this is why it is vitally important for kids to be exposed to music and learn to sing and make some kind of music by the age of Three. The synapses we don't use will be lost forever. It is just like any organ in the body or appendage...use it or lose it. If you keep an eye covered long enough, eventually, that eye will no longer work. If you never use one arm at all, it will atrophy and become useless. So the brain needs as many mental stimuli as it can get at a very young age.
I was fascinated by all this. I am sure that I have over simplified this topic, but I hope you get the main idea in spite of my poor ability to explain what I learned in school. So to all you parents who have newborn babies, start singing little songs to them right away and playing instruments or recordings of music for them....please!

Unity Through Restoration

2006-02-06T22:18:00.000-08:00

I long for all true Christians to unite. I believe though that the only way for us to be united like Christ designed the church to be, is for us to put away all manner of man-made doctrines and creeds and use the Bible as our only guide in how to organize the church and how to worship God acceptably. As we know from Ephesians 4:4-6, there is only one Body, one Spirit, one Hope of our calling, one Lord, one Faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all. Denominationalism is not what God had in mind and is wrong. Unity in diversity is not the unity that is described in the New Testament either.
It is easy to denounce division as wrong, but it is not easy to propose a means of achieving unity. This road to religious unity is only possible by returning to the patterns of New Testament Christianity.The essentials of Christianity are clearly revealed in the NT and everyone should accept them. The bottom line is that the NT is the divine constitution of the Church and a return to the faith and practice of the NT would end the differences among denominations and restore the essential oneness of Christ's church.
I firmly believe that this is possible, but I also know that not many of us will find the way that leads to eternal life. Jesus said in Matt.7:13-14; "Enter by the narrow gate: for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go by it. Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it." There is only ONE way to life eternal, not many ways. It is narrow and difficult and FEW will find it. What about you? Will you find it? Have you? Are you positive? I pray for those lost in the confusion of modern day religion and want desperately to help anyone to learn the Lord's Way. Please feel free to study with me. I am more than willing to do so with anyone.

Super Bowl comments

2006-02-05T22:32:00.000-08:00

I congratulate the Steelers for the win. They really deserved it. I have not liked the Steelers my entire life...being that I have been a Dallas Cowboy fan since I was about four yrs old. I hated the Steelers in the 70's. I still think the times the Cowboys and the Steelers played in the Super Bowl back in the 1970's were the most intense and exciting Super Bowls ever played.
This was a good match up going against the Seahawks. I do think that the Seahawks would win more than the Steelers if they met and played three games in a series. But today, the Steelers made less mistakes. There were some bad calls by the officials, but the Steelers would have won if all the calls were taken out. The Seahawks missed two field goals and had a TD taken away that they deserved to have. The Seahawks would have won with those scores. I think they need a new kicker at least. I'd say maybe next year, but I am hoping it will be the Cowboys' turn to go to the Super Bowl next year.

How and why I did not complete my college education 20 yrs ago

2006-02-05T01:30:00.000-08:00

This was suggested to me by one of my readers. She thought it might be helpful to any readers who might be raising kids. So this is my story. I graduated from High School in 1984 at the age of 19. I wanted to take one year off and then go to college, so I got a job in the mall. I was working for Sears in their snack shop. It was not enough hours, so I got a full-time job at Kinney Shoes. I was working 12 hrs a day averaging 56 hrs a week.

I was not careful with my money at all. I worked there and then for J.C.Penney. When it came to Fall of 1985, I decided I wanted to go to Lubbock Christian College in Lubbock, Texas. I was not sure what I wanted to major in because I had given up on classical piano when I was a Junior in Highschool. I just signed up for general studies. I went to LCC all that year and returned in Fall 86'. I had goofed off way too much and was put on academic probation when I returned that Fall. What I did not know, was that I was supposed to have talked to the Financial Aid Committee as well before school started. Because I did not do that, I was put on Financial Aid Suspension. The bad thing was that they did not decide to do this, nor did they inform me of it, until after the last day to withdraw and get any amount of refund. I was stuck with owing the college almost 4,000 dollars directly. I appealed to them to reconsider, explaining that I did not get a letter from them telling me to meet with them before classes started. they said they wanted to make an example out of me.

I was devastated. I returned to my parents ashamed and unsure what to do. My dad wanted me to live there and attend a community college for two years. I signed up for classes and went part-time to college and worked full-time. I did okay in school, but decided I needed to just try to build a career. I quit the community college in 1987 and just worked retail full-time.

I went from one job I hated to the next until 1989. That year was when my dad temporarily lost his mind and left my mom and lived with a woman for three years. I was sharing an apartment with my twin brother and we were barely getting by. When my dad left my mom, she moved in with us and we all pooled our money together to survive. By 1992, my mom was able to live on her own and so I decided to join the Navy. I wanted to be a physical therapist and the Navy recruiter convinced me that I could easily become one if I joined the Navy and worked as a Hospital Corpsman. When I got in, I found that a majority of Corpsmen wanted to do that and the competition made my chances slim to none.

I was stationed in Long Beach, CA. I soon got married to a woman I had known for 6 yrs as a friend. I was married on April 3rd, 1993. She already had a daughter from her first marriage and when we got married, her daughter was almost four years old. Shortly after my marriage, my dad returned to my mom, went to counseling, repented and they reconciled. My mom had never divorced him because she never had the money to do it. He was a better husband to her than ever when he came back. They are still married and in fact, my dad was able to return to preaching and is still preaching at 76 yrs old.

Anyway, my wife got pregnant with my son the third week into out marriage. He was born in late January 1994. I was given a medical discharge in July 1994 due to chronic back and neck pain. We moved to central Texas and I got one job after another that I hated, just trying to support my family. I worked and supported my family while my wife went to a Technical College and got her Associate's in Computer Networking. When she got out and started working, I wanted to go to college and get my degree in Music Ed. I finally was able to go to a community college in Waco, Tx in Fall 2000. I went for two straight years and was in Phi Theta Kappa National Honor Society and was on the Dean's List.

I got a vocal scholarship to attend Baylor University and started in the Fall of 2002. I was informed by mail that my G.I. Bill had run out and because of that, I was forced to withdraw from Baylor in November. The Dean allowed me to withdraw without penalty. I then had to work again. I eventually got a job driving a Schwan's Food truck. I was back to working 12-13 hrs a day 5-6 days a week.

Soon after I started this job, my wife began what she calls an "emotional Affair" with a married man she worked(still works) with. This was the beginning of the end of my marriage. Eleven years-gone. I tried for six months to save my marriage and finally gave up and moved out in August 2004. I was living in an apartment. I lost my Schwan's job mainly because I was too much of an emotional basket-case to do my work. Then I went through several more jobs I hated.

I found out that I qualified for a thing called the Hazelwood Act. This was for Texas Veterans whose G.I. Bill had run out. It would pay my tuition if I went to a state university. I decided that I wanted to attend SFASU because I was familiar with their strong Music Department.

I have just given you a basic overview of how I spent the past twenty years. Although I left out many details, I covered the most important highlights. Please feel free to ask me any questions that might have crossed your mind while reading this long story.

happy to be alive

2006-02-03T21:22:00.000-08:00

I just wanted to share that I am so very happy to be alive. I am finally in college at a University that I really enjoy and I am loving all that I am learning here. I sometimes can't believe I am really here. I am struggling quite a bit financially, but that is not affecting my determination to stay and endure whatever I need to in order to complete my education.
I am happy that I have such a great relationship with my son and I am happy that I have family and friends who support me emotionally. This is not easy at all and I see nothing to indicate that it will get any easier, but the payoff when I get my degree and teacher certification will be well worth whatever I have to struggle with.
If any kind hearted strangers would like to donate money to help me complete my education, I would be very thankful.(lol) I am hoping that I can get into the A'Cappella Choir next Fall. They are touring Europe this Summer and I would do almost anything to do that. Unfortunately, I am not in that choir, so I don't have that opportunity. Everyone that goes has to come up with 2,500 dollars just to go. Plus they need money to eat on while they are there and if they want to buy anything. If they do that next year, I doubt I'd be able to raise that kind of money.
No matter what the financial struggle, I know I will finish my education and I'll be happy with my new career. I pray that it is god's will that I reach these goals and am more able to provide for my son.

Thirteen Things I Love To Do

2006-02-02T15:26:00.000-08:00

Thirteen Things about YOUR NAME

1…. I love to sing
2 . I love to play the piano
3 . I love to study the Bible
4 . I love to help anyone with anything
5 . I love to run (although I need to get back in the habit)
6 . I love to play chess
7 . I love to travel (I have never been anywhere outside of North America and want to some day)
8 . I love to play video games with my son
9 . I love to swim ( or anything involving water really)
10 . I love to read mystery books
11 . I love to go to museums
12 . I love to hear live music concerts of any kind(musicals and Opera too)
13 . I love to listen to rain(and occassionally walk in the rain)

Links to other Thursday Thirteens!
1. Diary of Nello
2. Bona fide Bumkun
3. Daddy's Roses
4. Collecting My Thoughts
5. WendysWhimsies
6. snickerdoodles

"Christian" pop music

2006-02-01T21:52:00.000-08:00

First let me say that I know there are many people who like contemporary "Christian" music and they are free to ignore what I have to say here. I do not intend to offend anyone or upset anyone. This is just how I see it and what I think of it. It is my opinion that too many of these "artists" are using God to make money. Another thing that bothers me is how they blur the line between worship and entertainment.

I am from a traditional church of Christ background and if you are not familiar with us, we do not use instruments in worship and have no choir or soloists. We have a male song leader that chooses the songs from our hymn book and leads the whole congregation in them. I am uncomfortable with any songs of praise being sung with instruments myself and that is just the way I am. I am not condemning people for liking it. Yet, I don't want other people to push it on me either.

Worship is not about entertaining ourselves and to turn church worship into a pop concert is wrong no matter what lyrics the pop band is singing. Christ is our focus in worship and doing what pleases God should be more important than pleasing ourselves. Many of the songs are not sound scripturally either and that is a HUGE problem to me. Also, if they are not unscriptural, they seem to be pretty shallow in thoughts. I know there are exceptions, but in general this is pretty accurate. So many of these "artists" are not very knowledgeable in God's Word.

One last thing to think about. If these people really wanted to reach out and help people who are NOT "Christian", they ought not be classified as Christian artists and should sing secular songs that are clean and wholesome and have messages about good morals. This is just my opinion, but I would rather people know I am a Christian by the way I live my life and the way I treat my fellow man than by the religious shirts I wear, the jewelry, or the Music I play and sing. I think I can use my musical abilities to glorify God without saying..."HEY LOOK AT ME... I AM A CHRISTIAN MUSICIAN!!!" Just a thought.

Feeling Better

2006-01-30T16:12:00.000-08:00

Hi to all. I am feeling much better today about my decision to return to college. I have determined that it speaks volumes that I am so concerned about my son. After the visit I had with him this weekend, he seemed to appreciate the fact that I was doing this. I did not ask him specific questions...he just made comments every now and then that seemed to indicate that he was proud of me for going back to school.

I also think that the quality of the time I spend with him is what matters most. We talk about important things all the time. He tells me about his experiences at school. We also discuss religious topics at times. He tells me why he thinks everyone should believe there is a God. Even a 12 yr old child can see the complex design in nature. He tells me that there is no way this could have all happened by accident. His favorite subject is Science and yet he is well aware of how silly the Theory of Evolution really is. I am very proud of him.

So here I am at college and I am more determined than ever to get through my classes and achieve my degree and teacher certification. I know I can do this work and I can succeed. I also know that my son will always love and support me...just as I will love and support him. I thank God for each day He blesses me with. If it is His will, I am going to complete my education and reach my goals.

What am I doing?

2006-01-28T22:19:00.000-08:00

My son came to spend the weekend with me for the first time since I settled in here at SFASU and I suppose it makes me think and question if I really should be here. This is my dream to finish my Music Ed degree and I hope to complete it in two years, if the Lord wills it; but is this where I should be?

This is not the first time I have doubted myself in considering this path. I have had my older brother tell me all about how bad an idea he thinks this is for me. He doesn't believe I'll be able to get a job in the Music Education field as I have mentioned before in a previous blog. I met my ex half way last night. By the time I got to my apt with my son it was almost 9:30pm. We stayed up too late playing video games and watching TV together. We got up at 8am and had a pretty good day together today. But I will not have that much time with him tomorrow. After we eat lunch, I am supposed to call and arrange the time to meet half way for him to return with her. After that, I won't see him again until the week-end after next.

I think that the visit seems so short and then he's gone again. The absolute worst part of divorce as I see it...is not to be in each and every day of your kids lives anymore. I expect that when they go off to college, but not before. I wish I could put the broken family back together.

I know I can't do anything but move on and do the best I can...be the best dad I can be in spite of everything. For some reason, I keep asking myself if this is right for my son. I am telling myself that it is only two years and I'll be much more able to provide for my son and I'll teach him to follow his dreams and not let anything get in his way. I think this is right for me and for my son. Could I be wrong?

Thirsday Thirteen

2006-01-27T11:37:00.000-08:00

Thirteen Things about YOUR NAME

1…. I love to play Racquetball
2 . I'm an identical Twin
3 . My favorite band of all time is The Beatles. (U2 is my faavorite band still together)
4 . I love doing anything involving water.
5 . My favorite fruit is Strawberries.
6 . I also love to play basketball(Ican't jump, but I can hit the long outside shots)
7 . I was born in Dallas (1964)
8 . My favorite pie is pecan
9 . My favorite Superhero: SUPERMAN
10 . My favorite authors are: Patricia Cornwell, William Bayer, Robert Ludlum, Stephen King, and Janet Evonavich
11 . I enjoy nautical paintings and figurines. (lighthouses, wooden sailing ships,etc)
12 . I have German, Cherokee, Irish, and Scottish blood in me.
13 . I love to go to museums
Links to other Thursday Thirteens!
1. (leave your link in comments, I’ll add you here!)

THIS IS WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE:
Thursday Thirteen

Thirteen Things about YOUR NAME

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Get the Thursday Thirteen code here!

The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others comments. It’s easy, and fun! Be sure to update your Thirteen with links that are left for you, as well! I will link to everyone who participates and leaves a link to their 13 things. Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!
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THE FOLLOWING CODE IS FOR A PINK STYLED THURSDAY THIRTEEN:

Thirteen Things about YOUR NAME

1…. Start your list here!

Links to other Thursday Thirteens!
1. (leave your link in comments, I’ll add you here!)

In Faith?

2006-01-24T08:05:00.000-08:00

I have had more than one person say to me that "In Faith, there is no right or wrong...it's all about the individual". The people who tell me this think it is wrong of me or anyone to try to convert people to MY religion. We should not force our views on others. They also believe that no one can judge another's belief because it is right for them.

I really disagree with this line of thinking. First of all, I believe what I believe not because it works for me, not because I was raised in it; but because I find no evidence that shows me what I believe is false. In order to be a true Christian you must first have faith that the Bible is the innerrant Word of God. I believe Christianity to be the one true religion because the Bible is unlike any other religious book or any book for that matter. There were over 40 different authors writing over a period of over 2000 years. Yet, it reads like there was one author. There are so many prophecies in the Old Testament that came true either 100's of years later or in the New testament. Many of these prophecies required things to be done by non-believers and they still came true.

There are things that can be found in the Bible that support what Science now knows to be true. In the OT there is a passage that says God sits on the circle of the Earth. Even though many so-called christians believed the Earth to be flat, the Bible shows that it was round. It was never taught that the Earth was flat and sat on the back of a giant Turtle, or Elephant. Nothing can be found that is so obviously contrary to Science. I can provide an in depth study of "Christian Evidences" as to how one can know without a doubt that the Bible IS the Word of God and that Christianity IS the one true religion. I plan on working on a series of lessons on this very thing in my Bible Study web-site and will begin very soon.

http://s14.invisionfree.com/The_Narrow_Way/

This is my link to my Bible Study web-site. One last thought to leave you with. The New Testament says that faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God. Faith is not some random thoughts and feelings one has about God and Spirituality. The faith that saves is very specific. It can be firmly grounded in the New Testament and agreed upon. What causes all these "denominations" is people wanting to do what pleases them more than they want to do what pleases God. The Bible is our only hope to really unite as ONE faith which is the way Christ designed the church to be.

good weekend

2006-01-22T18:40:00.000-08:00

I had a really good weekend and I am really looking forward to this week in college. I have been practicing and preparing for our section rehearsal in choir tomorrow. We are working on a bach song and I am assisting in leading the rehersal for the Tenor section. I also got quite a bit accomplished this weekend. I have also been asked to help with leading devotional songs on Thursday nights for the college devotionals.

Today, I spent time studying for classes and practicing the piano. I will be extra busy this week because almost every night there is a recital I am required to attend. I have a certain amount of recitals I am required to attend each semester for a grade. My personal opinion is that they only require this to ensure these students will have an audience to perform in front of...which is fine because I want an audience when I perform too.

This friend of mine is going to have a vocal recital tomorrow night and he'll be singing at least two songs that I sang in my final recital at the community college. It is funny (strange) that he will be doing those songs because he has just about finished his Master's in Vocal Performance. I thought he'd have to do more advanced songs...but apparently they are real advanced and that was just how advanced I was in the community college. Oh well...I look forward to seeing what kind of songs I will be asked to learn this semester.

2006-01-20T20:24:00.000-08:00

There was a man who said, "I've got walking shoes to go power walking, running shoes to go jogging, cross-training shoes for working out...(sigh), now if I only had motivation shoes."

I wonder if we, as Christians don't have a similar problem. We have everything we need to grow strong and healthy spiritual lives, but it seems we sometimes lack the motivation to do the things that help us grow strong in the Lord. Paul admonished the Ephesians to "be strong in the Lord and the power of His might" (Eph.6:10).

We know that God's Word gives us strength, (Heb.4:12), prayer helps us relieve the stress in our lives, (Rom.8:26,27), and having fellowship and worshiping with our fellow Christians uplifts our spirit (I Thess.5:11); yet, we avoid studying God's Word and neglect prayer and forsake the assembly. So how do we motivate ourselves to continue in doing the things that will cause us to grow to be strong Christians? I think it is a matter of your heart.

If we are able to remember the sacrifice Christ made in order to save us, our love for Him will motivate us (John 3:16,17) Let us "hunger and thirst after rightiousness" abd we will grow strong and healthy (Matt.5:6 and I Tim.4:8-16).

a surreal experience

2006-01-19T19:45:00.000-08:00

Tonight, I was required to attend a vocal recital. This was a Senior recital of this friend, Stephen. I went to a community college with him in 2001-2002 and he was a year behind me. Now he is soon to be a graduate student and teaching voice part time. He has improved dramatically over the past few years and it was strange for me to be in the audience.

The surreal part is that because the school is short on vocal faculty, I was informed that Stephen will be my voice teacher for this semester. He is still in his early twenties and working toward his Master's in vocal performance. Now he will be teaching me.hmmmmm.....I will also sing in a vocal studio class once a month and get some insight from Dr Berry who is the Department Chair for Fine Arts. I'll write more tomorrow.

Starting College again

2006-01-18T18:32:00.000-08:00

Well I am finally able to blog again. I just got back to the internet last night. I am now settled in at college and my first week is almost over. I moved into a dorm on Sunday night and after complaining to the housing office Monday morning, they said I could transfer to a furnished apartment. So I spent most of Monday moving out of the dorm I was in and into this apartment.

I am a Music Ed major at Stephen F Austin State University. So far I really enjoy my classes and my teachers. I have things spread out well so that I have plenty of time to study in the afternoon and I can also do work study. I hope to have an on campus job very soon. I am taking piano, voice, choir, Music and children, Educational Psychology, and Speech. The Music and Children class is very fun and at different points in the semester, we will actually work with different age groups of kids. One week it will be toddlers, then Kindergardners, then 1st thru 4th graders. I really like the instructor and I know I will learn much from him.

It really feels good to be back in college. Although it also seems like I am on some alien planet at times. Most of these students seem not much older than my step-daughter. Another new thing for me is that at the community college I attended, I was more of a big fish in a little pond. Now I am a little fish in a Big Pond. this is actually good for me though. I'll try to write every day if it is possible.

2006-01-12T20:49:00.000-08:00

Thirteen Things about Joe

1…. I have a son age 12, and a step-daughter age 16

2 . I have been divorced for a year

3 . I have lived in Wisconson, Kansas, Virginia, all over Texas, California, and Illinois.

4 . My favorite animal is dogs

5 . My favorite band is U2

6 . I am the last of six kids (one sister)

7 . I am an identical twin

8 . I am 41 yrs old

9 . My favorite drink is Coca~Cola

10 . My favorite food is Chicken Enchilada

11 . My favorite game is Chess

12 . I have studied piano and Cello in my youth (piano recently too)

13 . I am returning to college to complete my degree in Music Ed.

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1. http://joesjots.blogspot.com
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'Pluralist Society': Getting to the truth by Richard Norman

2006-01-09T23:01:00.000-08:00

This is an article that my dad wrote for the religion section of his local paper a few years ago. I think that it is important enough to share with everyone I know. Let me know what you think of this article.

In an address to the nation soon after the terrorist attack of
Sept.11, 2001; President Bush made the statement that we Americans live in a pluralist society. On the television program, "Law and Order" one of the principals once remarked that "Our constitution guarantees
pluralism of religion." Every day in America we are hearing more and
more about pluralism. America was once declared to be a Christian
nation, but no more. When did this change occur and how did it happen? What is pluralism?

Pluralism is the belief that not only is one church as good as
another, one religion is as good as another religion, and one God is
as good as any other god. It is pluralism that forbids trying to
convert people from one religion to another or from one church to
another. Leave Muslims, Buddhists, Hindus and Shinto’s alone, just as we leave various sects of Christianity alone. The "I'm OK, you're OK"
position dominates American thinking today in mainstream churches and especially in the media. Pluralism was born in the old slogan of my
early childhood, "Go to the church of your choice," as though God has
neither church nor choice. With the passing of time, people began to
believe that religion is subjective in nature, not objective: There is
no objective truth that applies to everyone any time any place-it
matters not what one believes so long as he is sincere. It is this
subjectivism that has swept America into the pluralist era.

The core of the issue is whether religious truth is subjective or
objective. A man once told me, "If religion is not subjective, then I
don't want any part of it." Why would a man say such a thing? It must be because he did not want to think. A friend of mine once said, “Americans would
rather die than think.” I think he was right. Most people today do not
want to study religion and think about the issues in religion. But, if
religious truth is objective, we must think and study to find objective truth. Subjective truth rejects the very idea that religious truth is objective and that it can be identified, distinguished from religious error, believed, obeyed, taught and lived.

Subjectivism is contrary to biblical teaching. Jesus said, "Ye shall
know the truth"(John 8:32 KJV). Furthermore, Jesus set the standard of measure for "the truth" that must be "known" in John 8:31 when he
said, "If (and this is a big if) ye abide in my word, then (and only
then) are ye my disciples; and (then) ye shall know the truth, and the
truth shall make you free." Jesus was not talking about general truth,
but religious truth. Jesus was not talking about political, social or
cultural freedom, but freedom from sin (John 8:34-36).

Objective truth comes from continuing in the word of Christ,
including his word revealed by the Holy Spirit through the Apostles
and prophets of the New Testament times, who penned those words in the New Testament. To know the religious truth Jesus spoke about, we must know the New Testament. It is only through a study of that word that we can distinguish religious truth from religious error. In John 2:3, the apostle uses essentially the same principle: "And hereby we do
know that we know him, if we keep his commandments." Outside the
teachings of the New Testament, no truth will free one from sin. Jesus
said we could know it (JOHN 8:34), and John said we could know that we don't know it (I John 2:3) "If we keep his commandments".

Adding to our problem is the idea that the average person can't read
and understand the Bible, but only those with advanced degrees have
the expertise. But the New Testament was written in the most common
street language of the day (koine' Greek). Jesus had no formal
education (John7:15), and the apostles were branded "ignorant and
unlearned men" (Acts 2:7). Only Luke and Paul were highly educated
among the writers of the New Testament. I do not disparage higher
education, but higher education is not the ultimate answer. After all,
followers of every religion on earth, even atheist, hold doctorates.

Every Christian must get back to the Bible. I know the Bible is
daunting. It is a big book. Few will read it, and fewer still will
study it. Too many Americans today are functionally illiterate. They
can read but don't and won't. Why learn to read if you won't and
don't? You are no better off than those who can't read.

The roadblocks of Satan go on and on. He has been trying to confuse
people from the beginning of time about what God has and has not said (Genesis 3:1). We are told the Bible is not reliable for countless
reasons: the original documents are lost, the copies in Greek do not
agree with each other, errors are in every translation, and the Bible
is an old book and out of date with modern culture. Yet, God wants
every Christian to be confident that he can read it, "understanding
what the will of the Lord is" (Eph.5:17).

If God wrote a book, and he did, nothing on earth is more important
than knowing that book. It must become the very center of our life
lest we "believe a lie" and be damned (II Thessalonians 2:11).

Letterman vs O'Reilly

2006-01-07T19:10:00.000-08:00

Letterman and O'Reilly squared off on the Late Show. I read another blog where the writer thought Letterman had good things to say and O'Reilly was just avoiding and redirecting instead of answering the Questions posed by Letterman. I saw the interview and I totally disagree. It is interesting to me how people can see things so differently in the same interview. This person that did not like O'Reilly even said that O'Reilly "rubs him the wrong way". It was obvious to me that this blog-writer already decided that O'Reilly was wrong and an idiot. Having a preconceived idea about someone can really skew a person's perspective.

Letterman had already decided that "at least 60 % of everything O'Reilly says is crap" and he admits that he never watches the O'Reilly Factor. The Blog-writer that doesn't like O'Reilly accused him of making "blanket statements", but I heard none(except from Dave). Dave got his perception of O'Reilly from things he read in papers and heard from others. Forming a negative opinion about someone based on what others tell you rather than really listening to that person and then forming an opinion based on the facts is childish and irresponsible.

I have always liked Dave and thought his was the best nightly talk show since he first began with Late Night. I don't want to dislike Dave. It was hard for me to watch because Dave disappointed me. Bill said that his heart goes out to Cindy Shehan, but thinks she is being used. No one should call these extremists that are blowing up our soldiers freedom fighters though. Not even if that person is Cindy Shehan.

My older brother got to spend a few days on the John F Kennedy Aircraft Carrier during the Christmas break and he was real impressed with those men and women serving on the carrier. He asked them if they thought civilians could support the soldiers and not the war in Iraq and they all said "No". They have done very amazing things to serve our country without complaining, but they need to know that their country is behind them in the War.

Another Serious Question

2006-01-06T00:25:00.000-08:00

My brother-in-law just told me that when he was in California for the Christmas holidays, he found out about a niece he has that is suffering with Graves Disease. He said his dad told him that every time he thinks about it, he gets angry with "the man upstairs" for allowing this to happen. He asked me how I would respond to this if I were him.

I haven't answered him yet. I really don't know how to convince someone who blames God for the bad things in their life that they are wrong to blame God. All the bad things in this world are a result of sin being in the world. This is my belief due to what I have learned about God and the Bible and life. I am a Christian, so I am sure non-christians will differ with me.

What I know is that after Adam and Eve sinned in the Garden of Eden, Satan was let loose on the earth. He is the one that causes bad things to happen. He has this power because we humans let him have it. My son(almost 12 yrs old) was listening to our preacher talk about all the bad things that happened with Hurricane Katrina and how it affected christians and non-christians alike. The preacher asked why bad things happen and hurt the innocent? My son leaned toward me and said; "If everything was perfect on Earth and there were no suffering, there would be no desire to go to Heaven." He is pretty smart.

My thought was that if life on earth were fair, Jesus would not have needed to come to earth, live a human life and be tortured and crucified to save us from our sins. I can post scripture and go more into a detailed answer, but this is really the bottom line.

TURDUCKEN

2006-01-01T20:02:00.000-08:00

I went to Dallas and spent the weekend with my older brother and his wife for New Year's. My brother, John really loves to cook and is really goos at it too. He bought a Turducken for us to eat on New's Year's Eve. If you have never had one and don't know what it is, it is a Turkey, a duck, and a chicken Layered together and it has dirty rice that is cajun spiced in between the layers. It looked like it had four drumsticks and was one big bird, but the drumsticks had no bones in them...there were no bones at all. the legs even had all three types of meat and the dirty rice inside. It was extremely delicious. My brother also made some fresh green beans. I am not sure how he flavored them, but they were the best tasting beans I have ever eaten. What a way to bring in the New Year!

Serious Question

2005-12-30T22:29:00.000-08:00

I was asked a serious question and although I have already thought of this myself, I wanted to share this question with others. I was told that I was born into a christian American family by pure chance. This, I agree with. He said that there are over 4 billion chinese in the world and they are mostly buddist and communist. He said that there are many people on this planet who may be born and raised in a certain religion and culture that is not christian. Many will never even hear the name of Jesus. So he asked me; "Do you believe in a God that will send people to Hell for all eternity just because they happened to live in a part of the world that was not christian and never heard the Gospel?

I know what my answer to this question is, but before I share my answer, I want to ask some questions of my own. Is there no absolute truth? If you think there isn't, are you absolutely sure? Is one religion really as good as another? Is everyone really going to Heaven?

Here is my short answer to the first question that is no where near detailed enough to persuade anyone that I am right. I am just wanting to share what my answer is. First of all, I will say that I am not God and do not have the ability to know who He will or will not save. I do believe that the final authority for all religious topics is the Bible. I do not think that one religion is as good as another. I have read other religions' "Holy Word" and none come anywhere close to the Bible in uniqueness and in the clarity. The Bible never contradicts itself. Other writings contradict themselves. The Bible has never contradicted Archiolgy or any other Scientific fact.

I suppose my answer is not very short after all. I do know that God no longer thinks of ignorance as an excuse. I read that in the Bible. I also know that Jesus says "Narrow is the gate and difficult is the Way the leads to life and few will find it". (Matt.7:14) In fact I have started my own Bible Study Message board and I will eventually have lessons that will teach things like How we got our Bible, How we can know that it is the Word of God, and many more very helpful studies. It is titled The Narrow Way. I am just starting to work on it, but if anyone wants to join and be a part of the group, I will welcome you. As long as you are honestly wanting to learn and not just wanting to cause trouble, you will be more than welcome. If you are just curious, the information can be read by non-members as well, but only members can post questions or messages. Here is the link. s14.invisionfree.com/The_Narrow_Way/

New Year's resolutions

2005-12-29T00:34:00.000-08:00

A friend of mine also posted a blog on this topic. I thought it was a good topic to share my thoughts so here it goes. I like the idea of making a New Year's resolution because we are creatures of time and view so many things as having a beginning and an end. Each morning is the start of a new day; each week and each month has a first day; and each year has a first day.

I have made resolutions many times. Only a few have I stayed with I am embarrassed to admit. Some were not started at New Year's. What I like most about a New Year's resolution is that you can look at this new year as a chance to improve from the year before. We all make so many bad choices and we all have difficult situations arise that we did not expect nor have any control over. We need to have hope for a better tomorrow. This is what I see a New Year's resolution as at least helping us to do.

Without hope, we fall apart. If you dwell on the mistakes of the past, you cannot move forward. Looking to the future...keeping our eyes toward where we are going, is vitally important. Yet, the most important thing we need to know is that as soon as we are aware of the need to change our direction, we need to make that change right away. The most important decisions can't wait until January 1st because we have no guarantee that we will even have one more day.

I do have a New Year's resolution this year, but in reality it is the same one I have at the beginning of every day. My resolution is to be a better christian, a better person, and a better father than I was the day before. When I get married again, I will strive each day to be the best husband I can be each and every day as well.

Drawings to Share

2005-12-24T23:15:00.000-08:00

The drawing of Steve Dallas was originally done in Bloom County with different words. I did this for my older brother because I knew how much he hated Rick Astley. The drawing I did with Binkley and the girl talking was for a girl I had a huge crush on in college. The girl was in the style of Bloom County, but is an original creation of mine. I looked at a different girl in overalls in the Bloom County comic and it helped guide me in drawing these overalls. The girl I drew is shorter and slightly more curvy. What they say to each other was my own idea as well. I also pieced together the background. The last pic of Opus watching a sunset was also done for the same girl I had a crush on. My drawing is the same as the one I saw in my Bloom County book except for what he is thinking. The words are all my idea as well. I have also made my own greeting cards using Bloom County characters or my own in the same style. I just wanted to share these.

Christmas Tomorrow

2005-12-24T19:36:00.000-08:00

Tomorrow is Christmas. I left this past Thursday with my son and visited my parents until today. I told my ex-wife that I'd have our son back to her by supper-time on Christmas Eve. She was willing to let me stay for supper and then watch the kids open one present tonight. It was fun. After the kids opened one present, we all watched "How The Grinch Stole Christmas". I got home by 7:30 pm.

Tomorrow, I plan to go to church and then after church, I'm going to the ex's to see the kids open the rest of their presents and what Santa left them. I hope that all goes well tomorrow. I am always a little uncomfortable when I spend time with my ex. She seems to have this inate ability to say something that rubs me the wrong way. My plan is to do my best not to talk to her any more than I absolutely have to. I also hope that I can take Andrew back with me after we are done with opening presents. We shall see.

Is Foul Language Necessary?

2005-12-21T23:12:00.000-08:00

It seems that more and more people are using cuss words in everyday speach. I suppose it shouldn't be surprising to me. Bad words are regularly used on television, radio, movies, books, magazines, you name it. There are words allowed on TV now that never would have even been considered even when I was in high school back in the 1980's.

Are these words really necessary? Can no one today express themselves verbally without these words? If this is the case, I am saddened by the unintelligence of the majority of America. I am more involved than I have ever been with the Internet community and I constantly see poor grammer and bad language used where ever I go.

I really believe that America is doomed if we continue to let our population become so poorly educated and unable to really communicate well. I am a big fan of our current President. I'm a Texan and I am a conservative Republican. But President Bush is embarrassing sometimes in his poor use of the English language. I know that it seems to be off subject because I am not talking about all the foul language our President uses...but the use of foul language is an indication of poor command of the English language. Most people even mis-spell cuss words. They usually only have four letters...why can't they even spell them?

In conclusion, something needs to be done to improve the education of our children or pretty soon, we might end up being conquered by a better educated country. I think that if people learn better ways to communicate than the use of foul words, there might be some hope for us.

Family Matters and an uncertain future

2005-12-20T23:44:00.000-08:00

I am forty-one years old and I still feel like I have no clue how to be a grown-up. I need two more years of college to complete a degree in Music Ed. I have wanted a career in music all my life. Now that I am divorced, I want to complete this degree more than ever. I have been accepted at Stephen F Austin State University. I am getting ready to make the move there and start school this January.

Then I call and talk to my older brother about my plans. He then tells me that he really thinks I need to give up on my dream and forget about college. He says my first priority is to my son. My son is almost twelve years old. My brother thinks that I will not be able to pay child support while I am in school, nor will I be able to survive financially while in school. He says I just need to focus on trying to get vocational rehab and forget about a Music Degree. He says I won't be able to make a living in music.

Here I am now, 41 yrs old and currently unemployed. I do have musical talent and skills. I can sing better than the average person. I have a very high tenor voice that is strong and beautiful. Everyone that hears me sing is blown away by the mix of power and beauty in my voice. I have a feeling for music and know how to express the emotion of the music. Yet, I have gone from one job I hate to the next. I have also never been able to make much money. I have struggled financially all my adult life. I was the most financially stable I had ever been just before I found out my wife was cheating on me. Things really took a turn for the worst after that.

I have chronic pain in my neck and around my left shoulder blade due to a service connected injury while I was in the Navy. I am rated at 30% disabled by the VA. All of my job history has been in either sales or manual labor. I am no longer able to do physically demanding work. I have tried to find work that I can live on here in Waco and had no success. I want to get out of Waco real bad.

But my son is the most important person to me in this life. I want to be there for him. He wants to move in with me this Summer and just visit his mom. As much as I would love that, I don't know if that is financially possible for me to even do. If it is possible, I will make it happen. But now I wonder if I am being selfish and stupid for pursuing this Music Ed degree. I am now confused. I wish I could find someone rich that would be willing to support me and my son while I finish school but I know how unrealistic that is.

I have not made good decisions about an education or career my whole life. I am tired of being unable to take care of myself or anyone else for that matter. I no longer feel like I am able to make good choices in regards to this. I feel so lost. Am I being selfish and stupid? Is my brother right about giving up on a music career and looking to get vocational rehab? I wish I knew what the smart thing is to do. If I get my degree, I'll be about 43 or 44 yrs old. Will anyone hire a man that age with a music degree and no experience?

What has happened to Melodies?

2005-12-19T22:47:00.000-08:00

I listen to music these days and although I really like most pop music and rock, it seems like most melodies are poorly put together. They don't flow. I know that part of this is because the main driving force in popular modern music is the beat. I am a big fan of the Beatles. One thing that set them apart from most bands was their great melodies. The melodies were flowing and pretty easy to sing. They also had really well put together harmony. I have studied music theory on the college level. I have studied and played classical music since I was twelve. What I have learned is that there are certain leaps from note to note that are actually expected by most ears. There are some that can make a person cringe. It seems like there are very few people who really know how to come up with a melody that makes sense to the average ear. I believe this is what makes most pop music almost impossible to sing A'Capella.
So now I wonder what has happened to cause the modern music writers to leave these patterns that most ears think of as logical? In the churches of Christ, we only sing a'capella and I see this same problem in new hymns. I think that most of the new hymns are written in the "pop" style and it just doesn't work when done without musical instruments. After I graduate with my degree in Music Ed, I plan to write new hymns for the church that are easily sung, beautiful, and scripturally sound in their message.