A Fishing Story

Once upon a time...

There was a lodge located in the middle of some of the best fishing in the world.  The lakes, rivers and streams were teaming with hungry fish.

The wise men of  lodge thought it would be a good idea to go fishing.  One of them stood up and asked, "who knows how to fish?"  They looked and each other and realized nobody had ever gone fishing.  Another wise man stood up and said, "We need to bring someone to the lodge who can teach us about fishing".  They all agreed that it was a good idea.  They collected their resources and hired a professional fisherman to come and teach them about fishing.

They announced the event to all of the staff and guests.  They even gave it a name, "Explore Fishing".  Everybody was anxious to hear about fishing.

When the day arrived the Professional Fisherman taught them everything he knew about fishing.  There were handouts with photos and everything.  He told them about the different types of fish and what they ate.  Next came detailed instructions about the rods, reels, different lines and the proper clothing to look like a fisherman.  He
went over the best times for fishing and the best places on the lakes, rivers and streams where fish could be found.  He even showed them how the primitive people fished 2000 years ago and mentioned some scientific names for various types of fish.  There was a great lesson on the problems of fishing and how to handle them.  Afterward, the guests and staff asked questions.  There was even a time for group
sessions so they could have intellectual discussions about fishing and share their thoughts and, most importantly, their feelings about fishing.

It was a great success.  The staff and guests had learned about fishing.  Everyone was thrilled that they could do it in the comfort and protection of the lodge.

One lady stood up and asked the wise men what the people were going to do with this information.  The chief wise man said, "we'll all know about fishing".  She asked again,  "what are these people going to do with the information?""  The chief wise man answered, "We have all gained insight on fishing.  Didn't you hear the words of the Professional Fisherman?"  She finally walked away and was very disturbed.

The wise men decided to have more events like this.  "We must tell more people about fishing if we want to be a successful lodge".

They brought in more guest speakers.  The lodge was growing and more guests were learning about fishing.  They even had special courses for people that wore red shirts and for those who wore blue shirts.  The wise men were pleased that everybody could find a comfortable place to learn about fishing.

One day, unbeknownst to the lodge or the wise men, the lady that asked too many questions went fishing.  She took her fishing equipment to the lakes, rivers and streams.  The fish were jumping everywhere.  Bravely, she began fishing.  Wouldn't you know it !  She caught a fish.  Then another and another.  She caught a lot of fish.

Excited about what happened, she went to the lodge and showed everybody the fish she'd caught.  "The lakes, rivers and streams are full of hungry fish !", said cried.  Everyone was amazed at what she had done.  She told them how she did it and everything.  The wise men heard about this and were ecstatic about the success of the lady who asked too many questions.  "She took the information, used it and caught fish", they cried with joy.  They gave her the special position of Resident Fisherman.  They made sure that she would be available to tell everybody what she had done.

The lodge opened new lodges.  The young lady was very busy going from lodge to lodge telling everybody about her success in catching a fish.  So busy, in fact, that she never had time to go fishing again.

THE END

Taking a Stand

Have you ever noticed how people will take a stand for trivial matters? Arguments about sports, cars, soda, music, etc... can create some serious adverse reactions. Fights have come about because someone's subjective tastes differed from another's.

Has anybody taken a poll to find out why people become so defensive with these things? Has a college received grant money for such a study?

It's very interesting to watch these discussions. It's disturbing to not see a stand when one should be made.

One would think that a position against the profanity and licentiousness in movies would be made by the religious majority. With 84% of the United States population being Christian it's surprising that nothing has be done.

If the Protestants and Catholics were to stop attending movies for 3 months, and voice their concerns, the movie industry would change. Not because of a sudden revelation of their wrong doings but because of the money. When 84% of the people stop doing something it makes an economical impact.

Why won't they do it?

There are churches that have used portions of movies that are rated R as an introduction to a sermon or announcing an event. Using a vehicle that offends the sensibilities of the teachings of Jesus Christ doesn't make sense.

Christians should think hard about what they're allowing to happen and take a stand for something worthwhile. After all, Christians are not called to be entertained. They are called to be Holy.

Division

If you remember, I wrote a piece about how I think music divides. There are other things that divide. Egos. Opinions. Churches.

Did I say churches? Yes, indeed. Although it isn't a process that's been intentionally thought out, it is a fact that churches divide. Think about this. When you go to church, what happens? The son goes to one part, the daughter to another and, if they're lucky, the mom and dad attend class or worship together. Where are the kids?

In the olden daze, we used to go to church together as family. We sat together in the service. Unfortunately, we'd all be divided for Sunday School.

Why? I have no idea except that maybe the powers that be thought it to be a good idea.

Today the church focuses on specific groups i.e. young, old, black, white, Mexican etc... Why is this.

Today the church is changing the message that Jesus spoke to "come and hear" instead of the incredible "Go and Tell". Why?

Jesus' message is clear, "Go ye therefore unto all nations..." The operative word is "go" not come. The next teaching is this. "And ye shall be witnesses". Not witness that say come and hear but witnesses in Judea, Samaria and the uttermost part of the world. Clearly that isn't a 'come and hear' message.

Where have we gone wrong?

Think about it.

Hey, I Get It !

Today is Ash Wednesday

Today is the beginning of Lent. Lent is the preparation of the believer for the annual celebration of Easter, which is the day which Jesus arose from the dead and left an empty tomb. This period of preparation can be done by prayer, penitence, alms giving and self denial.

The self denial portion is done when the believer gives up something very important during the 40 days of Lent. It can be done in various ways. A favorite food, activity, etc... Each time it comes to mind you're reminded of how Jesus gave up himself for us. He died for our sins. What a small token on our part for such a great sacrifice by our Saviour.

Let's All Pray This Will Be True...

This story has been going around the Internet quite a bit. It's great and I really hope I can go to the White House in 2009 and hear this.

One sunny day in 2009, an old man approached the White House from across Pennsylvania Avenue , where he'd been sitting on a park bench. He spoke to the Marine standing guard and said, "I would like to go in and meet with President Hillary Clinton."

The Marine replied, "Sir, Mrs. Clinton is not the President and doesn't reside here."

The old man said, "Okay," and walked away.

The following day, the same man approached the White House and said to the same Marine, "I would like to go in and meet with President Hillary Clinton".

The Marine again told the man, "Sir, as I said yesterday, Mrs. Clinton is not the President and doesn't reside here." The man thanked him and again walked away .

The third day, the same man approached the White House and spoke to the very same Marine, saying "I would like to go in and meet with President Hillary Clinton."

The Marine, understandably agitated at this point, looked at the man and said, "Sir, this is the third day in a row you have been here asking to speak to Mrs. Clinton. I've told you already several times that Mrs. Clinton is not the President and doesn't reside here. Don't you understand?"

The old man smiled as he replied, "Oh, I understand you fine, I just love hearing your answer!"

The Marine snapped to attention, saluted, and said, "See you tomorrow, Sir."

Names in the News

Welcome the latest link on the side bar. It has the names of people in the news and a list of current and former world leaders.

Political Resumes?

algore Wins Academy Award

How about algore? "An Inconvenient Truth" has won an Academy Award. algore says It’s all about the environment. Can anybody think of anything better for the environment than an event that features 2,000 stretch limousines?

How many scientist don't believe that global warming is man made? Go to the Oregon Institute of Science and Medicine for the answer.

A Trip to the Doctor

Here's a repeat post from long ago. Although it's written hyperbolically it hits home with all of us. There are few things worse than going to a doctor.

I remember a visit to the doctor's office a while back. Something happened to my back during a weekend with Wifewoman that caused me to look like Quasimodo and feel worse. I called the doctor and made an appointment. The appointment writer downer gave orders to arrive 30 minutes early to fill out paperwork.

Upon arrival I approached a window where the beast was housed. She (it looked female) handed over scads of forms to fill out and at least 5,000 questions to answer in the brief span of 30 minutes. Little did I know that it would be plenty of time.

With the help of Wifewoman we completed everything and I returned it to the beast. She told me to sit down and wait and she'd call when the doctor was ready to see me.

See Don. See Don Wait. Wait, wait, wait.

45 minutes elapsed since feeding the beast 35 pounds of paper and the ink from 3 boxes of Bic pens. Unacceptable, I thought. I approached the window that seemingly provided protection for infirmed humans and told her that the appointment was for 10:15 am and it was 11:00 am. I was informed that the doctor was usually this late and it wasn't a problem. I told her I didn't care about what was 'usually' and that it was a problem. We had words... lots of words...

I waited... and waited...

FINALLY my name was called and we were ushered into the examination room. After a few minutes the door opened. In walked this girl dressed incredibly sloppy with a huge lab coat. Why do they dress like that? This nurse, or tech, started asking the same questions I spent all that time answering 30 minutes before the appointment. I reluctantly answered them. She scribbled on a sheet of paper attached to a clipboard in large illegible balloon letters and left. I guessed that I'd be seeing the doctor next.

WRONG!

In walks this guy that could be mistaken for a doctor...

"Who are you?" I asked.
"I'm the PA"
"Huh?"
"The PA. Physicians Assistant."
"Where's the doctor?"

He started playing doctor and proceeded asking the same 5,000 questions...

"I answered those already. They're on the chart".

He kept asking THEN proceeded to poke and prod my body. I couldn't stand it. Lastly, he scribbled on a pad using illegible hieroglyphics only he could interpret and left.

So far over 45 minutes had been spent in the exam room and no doctor had been sighted.

I WANT TO SEE THE DOCTOR!

When the overbooked and time challenged M.D. finally made his glorious appearance he picked up the chart and began asking the same questions the nurse and PA had previously asked.

DOESN'T ANYBODY LOOK AT THE FORMS I SPENT HALF THE MORNING FILLING OUT?

After asking questions He proceeded to poke and prod my body. Occasionally he'd grunt something in Latin (I think) and ask stupid questions like,

"Does that hurt?"
"Of course it hurts. You just poked me."

The doctors examination, writing of the prescription, and asking the if I had any questions took almost 10 minutes. Why was I there for 2 hours if he was only going to spend 10 minutes?

Seriously, I don't know about you but we pay insurance to see a doctor, NOT a P.A. It gripes me to spend money on something and not get what I paid for, i.e. a doctor and not some wannabe play doctor.

From now on I'm making it a point to tell the receptionist that I will not be seen by the pa. If the doctor won't see me I'll go elsewhere. I'm paying for a doctor and I expect to see a doctor.

Great Quotes

Here are some outstanding quotes from people with brains.

Apparently the only people who are supposed to be responsible are the taxpayers — and they are increasingly made responsible for other people's irresponsibility. Thomas Sowell

The government's view of the economy could be summed up in a few short phrases: If it moves, tax it. If it keeps moving, regulate it. And if it stops moving, subsidize it. Ronald Reagan

Idealism is fine, but as it approaches reality the cost becomes prohibitive. Wm F. Buckley

The nine most terrifying words in the English language are, 'I'm from the government and I'm here to help.' Ronald Reagan

The Green Bay Packers are Shocked

Hillary Clinton Analogy - (Mrs. Brett Favre)

Today, a shocking announcement by the Green Bay Packers...

Their starting quarterback this Sunday will be Mrs. Brett Favre. The fans in Green Bay were shocked when this announcement was made, but Mrs. Favre assured the fans that she can do just as good, if not better, than her husband Brett Favre has been doing.

"Hey, I know this game," Mrs. Favre said confidently, "I live with Brett. I have taken several road trips on the team plane. I've gone to the pregame meal. I know a lot of the Packers. I've even played and tossed the football around with them in our back yard. I know what a slot right 60-Prevent-Slot-Hook-And-Go is and I know how to avoid a corner blitz."

The people of Green Bay were polled and 50% of Packers fans are excited, motivated, looking forward to the big game.

All right, you think that's ridiculous? Let me reread this.

In a shocking announcement today, Mrs. Hillary Clinton (wife of the impeached president Bill Clinton) announced that she is running for president of the United States. The reason she believes she is a good candidate is because she knows Bill Clinton, has lived with him and was on a lot of trips to China and around the world. She says she has really cared about kids for 35 years. She's fought and she stood up for kids. She's tried to fix (read socialize) health care and knows that fifty percent of the American people are dumb enough to say, "That's good enough for us."

gag... cough...

America is ready for a strong woman president, but she ain't the one.

Don

Suspend the Constitution once and
elect Margaret Thatcher for President

God's Word

Have you ever thought about how little, if any, of the Bible people memorize ? They memorize about as much as they witness, which is as little as possible.

Here's a good reason to memorize Scripture...

Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his way? By taking heed thereto according to thy word. Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee. Ps 119: 9, 11.

Having 200 verses memorized is a lot yet it isn't even 10% of His Word. Here are some interesting facts about the Bible.

• There are 66 chapters in the Biblical Canon
• 31, 031 verses
• 23,145 are in the OT
• 7,958 are in the NT
• It was writtein over a 1500 year span (from 1400 B.C to A.D. 100)
• It was written by over 40 authors from many walks of life (i.e. - kings, peasants, philosophers, fishermen, poets, statesmen, scholars)
• in different places (i.e. - wilderness, dungeon, palaces)
• at different times (i.e. - war, peace)
• in different moods (i.e. - heights of joy, depths of despair)
• on three continents (Asia, Africa, and Europe)
• in three languages (Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek)

Every verse we know can be used to witness or improve our lives. The best sermons we can learn are by simply knowing God's Word. That means memorizing Scripture. What else do we need? God knows better that us and HIS Word will not return void.

If there's a resolution I'd suggest to somebody it would be to learn a verse or passage from God's Word every month. It's not hard and the rewards will be incredible.

A friend once asked, "Why can't it be Spiritual ?" Knowing God's Word is a great place to start.

Happy New Year !

It's going to be a great year !

Do you make resolutions ? I don't. Not that there's anything wrong with them. It's something I don't do. What resolutions have you made?

Post them on the comments.

Vote for Mike Huckabee?

Here are some reasons not to vote for Mike Huckabee...

• He's on record supporting the Supreme Court's sodomy-is-a-constitutional-right decision. It had been denounced by virtually every conservative and Christian group in America.

• Huckabee opposes school choice, earning him the endorsement of the NEA of New Hampshire. This must be some type of political move. (btw- NEA stands for No Educating Allowed)

• He promoted giving in-state tuition in Arkansas to illegal immigrants from Mexico — but not to U.S. citizens. "I don't believe you punish the children," he said, "for the crime and sins of the parents."

• He also said that illegal immigration gives Americans a chance to make up for slavery.

• In a widely quoted remark, Huckabee denounced a Republican bill that would merely require proof of citizenship to vote and receive government benefits as "un-Christian, un-American, irresponsible and anti-life," according to the Arkansas News Bureau.

• Huckabee wants to get kids involved in music at an early age because he believes it leads to a more balanced and developed brain. (according to Ann Coulter they'd be balanced like the Jackson's while the Osmond's are voting for Romney)

• He supports a nationwide smoking ban anyplace where people work, constitutional protection for sodomy, big government, higher taxes and government benefits for illegal aliens.

Silly Quote

"Models are like baseball players. We make a lot of money quickly, but all of a sudden we're 30 years old, we don't have a college education, we're qualified for nothing, and we're used to a very nice lifestyle. The best thing is to marry a movie star."
Cindy Crawford, Supermodel
It's frightening to think that she's old enough to vote.

Powered by ScribeFire.

Liberal Strategy to Combat Terrorism without Profiling

To be heard over the intercom system:

Will anyone who's plotting to commit acts of terror
please pick up one of the white courtesy phones located throughout the terminal?

This should make everyone feel safer.

Ice Storm Hits Oklahoma

We've been hit with a terrible ice storm. It's similar to the one 5 years ago. Trees have fallen because of the weight of the ice and that's created quite a lot of damage. Also, electricity is out in many parts of the state which means heat is off in many homes. Let's not forget the auto accidents and disrupted phone service.

President Bush declared the state an emergency area and help is on the way.

It's been raining all day and it's going to freeze tonight.

Oy!

The King and King

Chalk another one up for the extreme left. There's a pro homosexual book called "King and King". A king, a man, marries another man which makes him king, too. This brings up a question. Who's in charge of the country? At least with the realistic approach of king and queen the king is the decision is obvious.

Here's the ringer. It's supposed to be read to second graders. Maybe if the book ended with both of them contracting AIDS and dying a miserable death and the moral of the story was not be homosexual then maybe it would be worth reading.

This isn't a popular stand with my homosexual family members and friends. They still love me and I them.

The Carnivores are Starving

I've been going to church for a long time. Except for a few years in the 70's it's been about 50 years. Through those years the main course was always meat. What I mean is the preachers would explain things from the Bible that would challenge the congregation. There would be a moving of the Holy Spirit and tugging at the heart to do the right thing. Revivals would bring many people to Jesus or bring Christians to their knees and they'd get back on track. Rotten people would be convicted and their lives would change. Through the Scriptures we would be taught, reproofed, corrected and grounded in doctrine.

Things have changed, and not for the better. It's rare to go to a church and hear sound preaching. These days the preaching, or lecturing, is lame. Bible is used but it's not allowed to work on it's own. Writers have to be quoted ad nauseum. Shaky theology is taught and nobody stands up against it. The wooing of the Holy Spirit used to be the power of sermons. Now it's seemingly cast to the side.

We're given all this information but not taught how to use it or what to do with it. Evangelism is lost to the winds. Jesus' words of go an tell are substituted for come join our party and feel good. We're given a steady diet of vegetable broth. Not even a chunk of tofu. Just clear vegetable broth.

The carnivores are starving. Hey preachers, throw us some meat.