Sermon Notes

A Community of Faith
Grace Church
Bob Yandian
1/24/2007

There is a a community of faith but there can also be a community of unbelief. A community is the environment or the influence that you hang around.

Mat 13:54
(54) And when he was come into his own country, he taught them in their synagogue, insomuch that they were astonished, and said, Whence hath this man this wisdom, and these mighty works?

Why where they astonished? They knew Jesus and they could not understand how He had grown up to be what He was. They had a disdain for Him.

Mat 13:55-58
(55) Is not this the carpenter's son? is not his mother called Mary? and his brethren, James, and Joses, and Simon, and Judas?
(56) And his sisters, are they not all with us? Whence then hath this man all these things?
(57) And they were offended in him. But Jesus said unto them, A prophet is not without honor, save in his own country, and in his own house.
(58) And he did not many mighty works there because of their unbelief.

They were surrounded by a community of unbelief. They were so familiar with Him that Jesus could do no mighty miracles there. There were times when Jesus healed that they were told not to tell what had been done, others they were told to. Why? How strong is their faith? Those who needed time to let it sink in would be told to not to because others could talk them out of their healing.

It is possible to overcome a community of unbelief but it is hard. Unbelief will not keep you from receiving but makes it harder for you to make your way through it. Unbelief comes from listening to the community instead of listening to God. The power to heal is always there, unbelief makes it harder to receive it.

Mar 7:13
(13) Making the word of God of none effect through your tradition, which ye have delivered: and many such like things do ye.

Religious traditions can often keep you from believing in the things of God. Traditions are not on the same level of the Word of God. Some traditions:

• Healings died with the last apostle
• Jesus only healed when he willed it to happen, if it is not His will, you will not be healed
• Sickness is God's will to teach you a lesson... would you do that you your own kid, be a child abuser

Jam 5:14-16
(14) Is any sick among you? let him call for the elders of the church; and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord:
(15) And the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him.
(16) Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.

Is any sick? Not just some, any! Not just some specific disease, any! Call the elders and they can pray. The prayer of faith will heal them. There can be a community of belief as well. This is instruction on healing for the Church age. Go to church and expect to be healed. Church is a community of faith. You are out in the unbelief every day, this should be a time to live in belief. Listening to sermons and CDs are not the same as being in the corporate anointing that is present when it is live.


Psa 133:1-2
(1) A Song of degrees of David. Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity!
(2) It is like the precious ointment upon the head, that ran down upon the beard, even Aaron's beard: that went down to the skirts of his garments;

Oil represents power of the Holy Spirit. There is Holy Spirit power when believers gather together in a corporate gathering. You cannot replace being in a meeting. If being alone is what God wants for you, why is there a heaven? Books, CDs and the like are supplements. Would you take vitamins but not real food?

Mar 16:17-18, 20
(17) And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues;
(18) They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover.

(20) And they went forth, and preached every where, the Lord working with them, and confirming the word with signs following. Amen.

The signs follow them, a group, that believe. Jesus heals one at a time, but the greatest healings came in group settings.

Act 2:1-2
(1) And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place.
(2) And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting.

Act 4:31-32 KJVR
(31) And when they had prayed, the place was shaken where they were assembled together; and they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and they spake the word of God with boldness.
(32) And the multitude of them that believed were of one heart and of one soul: neither said any of them that aught of the things which he possessed was his own; but they had all things common.

Persecution should draw you to a community of faith, not away from it.

Unless otherwise noted, all scriptures are King James version.

Being right but for the wrong reason

Conservatives oppose MoveOn's petition for PBS (OneNewsNow.com):

"AFA, a conservative pro-family organization, says hundreds of millions of tax dollars are spent each year on PBS and NPR for coverage of a liberal perspective on the news and culture."

I have usually supported the AFA in many of its endeavors but this time I can not. While PBS and NPR have their liberal leanings they are not the evil left-wing conspiracy that many have tried to make them. Too many see that anything that does not agree with them must be coming from the other side so the whole organization is suspect. A different example would be because Fox has Bill Riley on the whole organization is Conservative. If you listen to the news parts of Fox you would see that they are "fair and balanced." I find the same true with PBS/NPR. While they have their liberal moments they are for the most part 'fair and balanced'. On the other hand...

AFA objects to the tax funding, saying PBS should have to raise its own voluntary public support, like any other non-profit broadcaster -- and AFA has initiated an alternate petition in hopes of getting equal support to send to Congress for opposing the funding.

I am in 100% agreement on this. Any other non-profit organization in the country has to support itself. PBS was created so that we could get away from Public Funding to some degree. Now it has turned in to a taxpayer funded boondogle. It is time to put it on its feet and let it go. My $.02 worth at least.

Where did this combonation come from

NASCAR.COM - MWR moves on, puts all three cars into 500 - Feb 15, 2007:

"Jeff Gordon points out that the 100-point deduction will continue to cost Waltrip long after Speedweeks is over. And even he admits to being hooked on the saga. 'Between that and Anna Nicole Smith,' he said, 'I haven't been able to tear myself away from the TV.'"

Jeff Gordon, how can you compare Mikey and Anna? One was a star for being a star, the other is a NASCAR driver that is a star!! Personally I am getting tired of the media blitz on either of these two stories, but I do not think either is going away soon.

Another interesting quote from the article:

But, as has been the case throughout these Speedweeks, everything comes back to the beleaguered Waltrip. The Toyota driver said that once he slipped into his car Thursday afternoon, his focus was on the race and not the controversy surrounding him. Tony Stewart, for one, believed him.

"When it came time and he made the decision and got in the car today, he showed like he always does. You make it sound like he's one step away fro the psych ward. That's not what we're dealing with here. We're dealing with a guy who was extremely embarrassed," said Stewart, who won the first 150-miler.

"I'll bet he feels like he's been here a month, whereas I feel like I've been here three days. I'm sure it's been a real long week for him. I'm sure even when Sunday's over, it's not totally going to be over for him. He's a great person, he's great for NASCAR, and nobody wants him to go away by any means. He'll rebound from all this."

Tony I could not have said it better. Mike, go for the win Sunday, I believe in you...

Maybe, just maybe, Waltrip is not at fault

Waltrip 'very disappointed' over team's infractions:

"'You can't hurt me any worse than I am right now,' he said. 'My beautiful 9-year-old asked her mom on Monday why daddy cheated the rules and that will hurt you pretty bad, and [my wife] Buffy said, 'He didn't, honey, we'll figure it out.' It's more than just a job to me and more than just a sport to me. I know NASCAR and Mr. Helton, Brian France, Mr. France and they're my friends, and you never want to disappoint your friends, and I know they are disappointed now in our organization. We continue to aggressively try to pinpoint what happened.

'There's no reason to ever explain why it happened because anybody that would be silly enough to mess with something to do with the fuel, I don't understand how anybody could have done that and why it happened.'"

I have watched the press and the blogsphere tear this man apart over the last few days like he did this and he was responsible. Ultimately, he is the one responsible as it is his organization, but Mike has been around a ling time and I do not think he would have done this. He has said that it was someone in the organization that did it with out his knowledge. I would like to suggest something that I know people will say impossible but they are the ones that say Mike knew about it and have no proof. How about, since the NASCAR garages are so open where competitors freely move about each others cars, or fans move around the cars as well, the thought that someone from outside the organization did this in an attempt to discredit Mike and/or Toyota. To think that Mike would do something this stupid and know that it would be found is stupid in itself. I can not prove my accusations, but remember Jack Rouch said a few weeks ago, 'this is war' in refrence to Toyota entering the market. Could this be a possible firing salvo.

Did I really need the gallblader out?

FOXNews.com - Health Officials Say Salmonella Outbreak Linked to 2 Brands of Tainted Peanut Butter - Health News | Current Health News | Medical News:

"Symptoms of salmonella can include diarrhea, fever, dehydration, abdominal pain and vomiting."

When I had to go to the hospital last month I had three of the four symptoms mentioned above. Upon checking the Peter Pan Peanut Butter in my house guess what I found. You got it, all the jars in the house have the 7111 code that they say is the problem. So maybe I did not need it out right away, but it sounds like it needed to come out anyway. I am not one who likes surgery so I would have put it off as long as possible, now I wonder if I needed it at all.

If I Was a Superhero.....

This just cannot be correct. Actually a three way tie for me. Am I more like Superman, Batman, or the Hulk? Better not ask my wife!

Your results:
You are Superman

Superman 55% Hulk 55% Batman 55% Green Lantern 50% Supergirl 48% Spider-Man 45% The Flash 30% Robin 25% Iron Man 20% Catwoman 20% Wonder Woman 13%

You are mild-mannered, good, strong and you love to help others.

Click here to take the Superhero Personality Test

Daily Devotional

God has impressed on me that I should write a daily devotional. I kept asking Him why and never really got an answer. Then, in reading in a magazine about the life of Gideon that Gideon did not see himself the way God did.

It does not matter how I see myself. God seem to want me to do this and I will. I learned a long time ago, so what if you miss God on it. It is better to do something good and miss God than to not do anything and miss God entirely.

So welcome, if you wish to Daily Devotion.

Ignorance gone to seed again

FOXNews.com - Cops: Mom Left Kids in Freezing Car While She Went Tanning - Local News | News Articles | National News | US News: "

SHEBOYGAN, Wis. — Sheboygan police arrested a woman after she allegedly left her two children in a freezing car for 20 minutes while she went tanning.
The 27-year-old woman was arrested after two people spotted the children, ages 23 months and 10 years, in the car, the police department said in a news release. The vehicle was locked but not running."
Officers responding to the scene Wednesday evening were approached by the children's parents. The father met the mother at the tanning salon and was arguing with her about why the children were in the car, police said.
The children were dressed warmly, but they had "goose bumps" from the cold, the release said. They did not require medical attention.
The temperature at the time was 12 degrees, with a wind chill index of about minus 2 degrees.
The woman could be charged Friday with two counts of misdemeanor child neglect, police said.

"She said she was going on vacation and felt that the tanning was a priority," Lt. Jeff Johnston said Friday.

The last line says it all. Why are people like this?!

Does anyone watch commercials and not see something bad anymore?

GM sticking with robot suicide ad criticized by group - Feb. 8, 2007:

"A suicide prevention group is calling on General Motors to pull an ad which shows an assembly line robot throwing itself off a bridge after making a mistake, but the automaker is sticking with the spot.

The American Foundation for Suicide Prevention issued a statement saying that the ad sends dangerous and insensitive messages, and it asked members of the public to write to the automaker and ask that the ad be pulled.

I predict, if this trend continues, that in the near future everyone will be offended by something in an ad and advertising will stop all together. First the snickers ad and now this. We are in a politically correct world gone mad.

If you were arrested for being a Christian, would there be enough evidence to convict you?

WorldNetDaily: Men jailed for being on public sidewalk:

"Two men who are members of Gideons International, the Christian organization that is famous for, among other ministries, placing Bibles in motels and giving them to children, have been arrested after trying to hand out Bibles on a public sidewalk in Florida, according to a law firm."

While the article goes on to state they were doing it outside a school, I know the Gideons well enough to know that they will not force it on anyone, that has never been that way. They were on a public sidewalk and were walking away when it happened. And when they chose to leave peacefully when asked, they were arrested. Seems like ignorance has gone to seed when it comes to law lately.

Nature

One of the neat things about working from the house is that I get to sit by the sliding glass door while I work and see nature in all its glory outside. Yesterday and today a squirrel wandered up to the glass and peered in at things. I grabbed the camera too late yesterday, and when he saw me today he wandered away real quick, but not before I got a cool shot of him... Not sure of what to name him, any suggestions?

My House

For those who wonder where I live, this map may help...

Christians are Pigs??? So say the Muslims

BBC NEWS | UK | Education | School edits controversial books:

"A Saudi-funded Islamic school says it is removing from text books controversial passages which allegedly brand other faiths as 'worthless'.

The head of the King Fahad Academy in west London said pupils had never been taught from the chapters in question but that they would be removed.

An ex-teacher claims pupils were taught from books which describe Jews as 'repugnant' and Christians as 'pigs'."

King Fahad Academy director Dr Sumaya Aluyusuf said the academy promoted "inter-culturalism and inter-faith awareness".

She admitted the textbooks - translated for BBC Two's Newsnight programme by two independent scholars - were kept at the school.

But the translations were "taken out of context" and had "lost some of their meaning", she said.

So a book that translates that other religions are worthless and calls Jews apes and Christians pigs (and we know that pigs are forbidden in Muslim society so it is an ultimate insult) was mistranslated. Now I do not claim to speak their language, but how many ways can you put together the words for 'Christian' 'are' and 'pigs' and not have it be an insult.

In these days the cry is for tolerance of the Muslim people as they are misunderstood. Seems like they are not helping their plea for tolerance when they call me a pig!

Good News

Son has reported in from Jakarta. He lives in western Jakarta and most of the flooding was in the eastern part. All is well, but it is slowing some of his movements.

PC v. MAC

This is the way the PC/MAC commercials should really be:



Sorry all you Mac folks who may be reading this.... if you can dish it out you have to take it as well.

What was she watching??

Super Bowl Ads of Cartoonish Violence, Perhaps Reflecting Toll of War - New York Times:

"No commercial that appeared last night during Super Bowl XLI directly addressed Iraq, unlike a patriotic spot for Budweiser beer that ran during the game two years ago. But the ongoing war seemed to linger just below the surface of many of this year’s commercials."

I am not sure if I was watching the same game that this watcher was. Seems like some people will drag the war into anything. It is articles like this that mix things that do not belong together that really need to be stopped by the press if they want to maintain their objectivity.

Google Reader Users pay attention

Hack Attack: Getting good with Google Reader - Lifehacker

If you use Google reader a lot (and I do) here are a collection of shortcuts that can be done from the keyboard. Quite a few I knew about already, but there are some great nuggets in there. Enjoy.

Aquateen Revisited

FOXNews.com - Defendant Charged in Boston Marketing Stunt Scare Videotaped Police Response - Local News | News Articles | National News | US News:

"One of the men criminally charged after placing blinking cartoon advertisements around the city and causing a terrorism scare videotaped a police bomb squad removing one of the devices, but did not tell the officers the object was harmless.

Surveillance cameras caught 27-year-old Peter Berdovsky videotaping officers removing what they thought was a possible bomb last week."

I had been willing to cut the guys a little slack that they did not realize what they were doing was wrong. Unfortunately, if the facts are that he videotaped the police man disarming what he thought was a bomb and did nothing about it then throw the book at him (and maybe one of those light boards so he will have something to play with)!

Five Second Rule

ReverendFun.com's daily Christian cartoons brought to you by Gospelcom.net

So this is how we got the five second rule. I always wondered.

For Those Who Do Not Beleve In ... God

River Church of the Mall of America Podcast
These are my notes from the Podcast. All scriptures are King James Version.

For Those Who Do Not Believe in... God (1st of 5 part series)
Chris Reinertson
March 12, 2006

God cannot be proved. He can not be put in a test tube and given a litmus test. There are evidences beyond a shadow of a doubt that He does exist. We will be like a jury and decide the evidence.

1. Who created the big bang? This is called the cosmological argument. What is the reason for the world? Any thing that has a beginning has to be caused by something. Something caused the world to be made, what was it? Many scientist believed that the universe was eternal. That is not the theory now. They believe now that there was a shower of photons causing and explosion. Photons are light.
   Gen 1:3
   (3) And God said, Let there be light: and there was light.
   
2. BF engine evidence. BF = bacterial flagella. Bacteria have a motor, flagella, that can produce huge speeds at such an incredibly small size. Look at that, it seems that something intelligent created. This is tealogical evidence. If there is a design, there is something that created that design. Another example is the DNA that creates us. Such complicated design had to be created by an intelligent designer. This is not the way that nature produces things. Statistically this is a near impossibility.
   Psa 19:1-4
   (1) To the chief Musician, A Psalm of David. The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament showeth his handiwork.
   (2) Day unto day uttereth speech, and night unto night showeth knowledge.
   (3) There is no speech nor language, where their voice is not heard.
   (4) Their line is gone out through all the earth, and their words to the end of the world. In them hath he set a tabernacle for the sun,
   
3. That is not fair argument. We all have a moral compass in us that tells us right from wrong. If God does not exist we have social Darwinism. The rules get thrown out and anyone does what he or she wants. Survival of the ones that have the greater power. Why do we have that moral compass in us? This goes back through many civilizations.
   Gen 1:27 (27) So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.
   
4. Humaness of Humans. Where does your personality come from? What makes us unique?
   Psa 139:13-14 (13) For thou hast possessed my reins: thou hast covered me in my mother's womb. (14) I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvelous are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well.
   We human beings have a deep down need to know there is a spiritual being out there. We seek God like hunger drives us to seek food. Who put that there?
   Ecc 3:11 (11) He hath made every thing beautiful in his time: also he hath set the world in their heart, so that no man can find out the work that God maketh from the beginning to the end.
5. True human forgiveness. Have you ever watched a person be hurt and be angry and then lovingly forgive them. This is the testimonial argument. When they seek God, they find Him in the person of Jesus Christ. There is a loving God who exist that forgives us. He changes peoples lives in a real way.

Your destiny depends on how you decide as a juror.
Psa 34:8 (8) O taste and see that the LORD is good: blessed is the man that trusteth in him.

Close Up on the Moon

Google Moon - Lunar Landing Sites

Ever wonder what the moon looks like close up. In playing with gUtil I found Google Moon. Pick one of the landing sites and then zoom down on it. It is fascinating what the moon looks like close up.

Prayer Request

BBC NEWS | Asia-Pacific | Jakarta floods death toll rises:

"At least 20 people have been killed and 340,000 made homeless by massive floods that have swept through the Indonesian capital, Jakarta.

Three days of torrential rain have caused rivers to burst their banks, sending muddy water up to 3m (10ft) deep into homes and businesses."

My son Gabe is in Indonesia. I have just heard about this and have not heard from him in a few days. Keep him, his wife and two sons in your prayers please. I will advise when I hear from him.

Another Tragity for a NASCAR family

FOX Sports - NASCAR - Gibbs praying for his grandson:

"On this Saturday, he wasn't Coach Gibbs, the man who led the Washington Redskins to three Super Bowl titles. He wasn't the NASCAR owner who celebrated Cup championships with Bobby Labonte and Tony Stewart. He was simply Pat's husband, J.D.'s dad and grandfather to Jackson, Miller, Jason and Taylor.

And on this Saturday, on the eve before the biggest game in football, the Super Bowl couldn't be farther from his mind. Gibbs and his family are facing a different kind of battle. Four weeks ago, his grandson Taylor, 2, was diagnosed with leukemia. Taylor, who recently started a three-year treatment plan, is the youngest son of Melissa and J.D., Gibbs' oldest son, who oversees Joe Gibbs Racing."

NASCAR has lost Benny Parsons and Bobby Hamilton Sr. to cancer in the last month. Now this from the owner of the cars that Tony Stewart and Denny Hamilton drive. Take time to pray for this young child. The link has some specific prayers for him.

Ever wonder what happens to the t-shirts that were made for the loosers of the Superbowl?

Far Away, Super Bowl’s Losers Will Be Champs - New York Times:

"The Super Bowl will end about 10 p.m. Sunday, and by 10:01 every player on the winning team — along with coaches, executives, family members and ball boys — could be outfitted in colorful T-shirts and caps proclaiming them champions.

The other set of championship gear — the 288 T-shirts and caps made for the team that did not win — will be hidden behind a locked door at Dolphin Stadium. By order of the National Football League, those items are never to appear on television or on eBay. They are never even to be seen on American soil.

They will be shipped Monday morning to a warehouse in Sewickley, Pa., near Pittsburgh, where they will become property of World Vision, a relief organization that will package the clothing in wooden boxes and send it to a developing nation, usually in Africa."

This is cool that they would do this. It would be just as easy to destroy them, but instead, someone has a shirt and cap to wear that needs them. Thanks for thinking of the other half of the world NFL.

February 2007 at the Home Depot

From Feb 2007 Home...

This month the Home Depot had left overs from all the projects they had done so far. Here is Israel making a holder for the Declaration of Independence, which they did not provide a copy of, so he will be using it for a tray for his toys. Annie is making the project for last December that she did not get a chance to make in December because of the snow storm we had. Click on the link to go to Picassa and view the rest of the pictures from our outing.

Finally an article that lays the Boston Mistake where it should be

"The whole atmosphere is charged with stupidity," said Lou Colasuonno, senior vive president at Financial Dynamics, a business communications and PR firm. "There is enough to go around between whoever conceived the promotion and Boston's reaction to it.

"On one hand, "who in today's world would dream of leaving unattended packages lying around as part of a promotion?" he asked. Then again, "Boston shut down half the town, while other cities didn't even notice or saw them for what they were. That seems to indicate they were over the top."For Clarke Caywood, a professor of public relations at Northwestern University, "anyone with a sense of recent history and any peripheral vision would have said, 'We are in level orange or whatever, and these are kind of mysterious looking things.' I can't imagine there was enough oversight on this project."For their part, the authorities "were doing the typical overreaction to make themselves look tough," he said. "There were two mistakes here rather than one, and there are going to be two good case studies out of it on law enforcement's error and the Cartoon Network's error."

PR blunders abound in Boston promo stunt - MarketWatch

To be honest there is enough guilt and stupidity to go around on this incident. Turner, its companies, and marketing firms are to blame to put something like this all over not only Boston but several citties. Boston did over-react to some degree. Someone should have been able to look at it real quick on a bomb squad and tell it was not a bomb. It really should have been a footnote in a slow news day. Instead, it bacame the news. It went on all day. While I work days and do not have a TV close by that I can scan the news on I can tell you there were lots of news stories coming from various news sources in my RSS feeds. The story really took on a life of its own.

KOTV.com - The News On 6

KOTV.com - The News On 6:

For those who want to sing along with my previous post:

"'Snow-klahoma, where the cold fronts sweepin' down the plain; And the piles of sleet beneath your feet Follow right behind the freezing rain.

Snow-klahoma, Ev'ry night my honey lamb and I Travel home from work and hope some jerk Doesn't wreck our car in passing by.

We know we belong to the land But it could use more salt and more sand!

And when we say Yeeow! Ayipioeeay! We're only sayin' you're slick as snot, Snow-klahoma! Snow-klahoma, Oy Vey!'"

Snow-klahoma

KOTV.com - The News On 6

Watch this video. One of our own news people making fun of us and our weather.

KOTV.com - The News On 6

"An 18-year-old Chickasha woman is charged with child endangerment after police found what they say appears to be beer in her baby's bottle."
Proof once again that the gene pool is not to deep in some places. Problem is she will probably get the kid back in the future and do something stupid again. I pray that she does not.

Another Change to the Sidebar

I decided to put a link to Amazon.com with the book that I am currently reading. I have not gone commercial as I am pretty sure that I will not make much money off of it, but if it interest you, then link and buy. Also through a banner ad at the bottom of the page. If I make a few cents a month, it will be worth the time and effort that I put in. I may even consider putting in a link or two to them in my posts if I think appropriate for the topic. Anyway, just letting my few readers that read regularly about the change.

Should the Super Bowl be a U.S. holiday? You make the call - MarketWatch

Should the Super Bowl be a U.S. holiday? You make the call - MarketWatch:

"Potato chip and beer sales skyrocket. Big-screen televisions suddenly go from being mere objects of desire to absolute necessities. Parties are plentiful. And there's also that little matter of crowning the best football team in all of creation.
Sure, the Super Bowl is widely treated as a de facto holiday. But is America's obsession with the pigskin worthy of parlaying the National Football League's championship game into an official American celebration and three-day weekend?"

So what is next? World Series Weekend. Why should we be celebrating a sport as a holiday? People are weirding me out lately.

Miami Plans Castro Death Party in Orange Bowl - Local News | News Articles | National News | US News

FOXNews.com - Miami Plans Castro Death Party in Orange Bowl - Local News | News Articles | National News | US News:

"MIAMI — With Fidel Castro seriously ill, the city of Miami is making plans to throw a party at the Orange Bowl when the Cuban president dies."

So we as citizens are planning a big part when a foreign head of state dies... I guess we are now no better than the people all around the world who partied when 9/11 happened. We as Americans should be ashamed of what we have allowed ourselves to become.

Home Again

I am home now, tests were good, got out earlier today but have been very weak most of the day.

MRI Report

It is done, report tomorrow. Can not wait at this point.

State of the confusion

This is not an article on the State of the Union Address that I have on the TV now. It is more a statement on health care. I realize that hospitals need to cut costs but this is ridiculous. This morning I was woke by my doctor at 6AM and told they were going to do an MRI on me to make sure that the Gall Bladder did not leave anything behind when it came out. It is now almost 8:30 PM and I sit in the hospital. I do not understand this at all. Even the Doctor got upset. But even him raising hell with the MRI people did not get them up here to take care of me. Now, I realize I am not there and do not know what the people are going through but there is a thing called communications. The is none. I understand that this is the normal state of things at this hospital, and they bill themselves as one of the 'premier' hospitals in Tulsa. I am not sure what that means. If it sounds like I am angry, I am not. Anger will do no good in this situation and only make me feel sicker. I do need answers soon and it looks like I will not get them.

Ignorance gone to seed

From FoxNews. com

An American GI assigned to one of the harshest posts in Iraq had a simple request last week for a Wisconsin mattress company: send some floor mats to help ease the hardship of sleeping on the cold, bug-infested ground.

What he got, instead, was a swift kick from the company's Web site, which not only refused the request but added insult to injury with the admonition, "If you were sensible, you and your troops would pull out of Iraq."

I guess I know which store I will not want to mail order mattress from!

Still in the hospital

Surgery was last night but had a long delay time before I could do it. Seems no one had calculated the time since I last ate. I was sent back to my room and had a nice visit with mother-in-law and boyfriend. After they left, I tried to sleep but kept getting interrupted, so I gave up, got out the laptop and did notes for one of the Podcast sermons I keep meaning to get to. Finally about 9 or so they took me down for the surgery. Was back in the room by 11:00.

Josh came in and we talked about stuff till 2 AM. All sorts of stuff. It was a nice visit even thought I had a little pain. Conversations just went all over the place. Have not had a visit with Josh like that for a long time.

This morning, the want to do an MRI. Seems the procedure can leave some stones behind and they want to make sure that they get them out. Dr. said the gall bladder I had was in bad shape and was ganerous. Guess it was time to get it done. I am a little sore this morning but I can not take an aspirin because of the MRI. No food or drink. It was kind of funny last night as I got back to the room at 11 PM and could not have drink after 12. I was given some ice chips and a Popsicle, but had to quit an hour later. My throat is extremely dry right now. Would love some fluids but will have to wait.

River Church Podcast - For those who do not believe in... the Bible

River Church of the Mall of America Podcast
These are my notes from the Podcast. All scriptures are King James Version.

For Those Who Do Not Believe in... The Bible (2ND of 5 part series)
March 19, 2006

What do you think about the Bible? Ask that of people sometimes.

Do you believe in literal interpretation of the Bible. Well, we are not going to mount up with Eagle Wings and soar away. But otherwise, yes, it is true.

Objections to the Bible that People have.

1. Bible is historically inaccurate. A lot of things are not historically correct they say. The archaeological evidence shows that it is good history. In many cases, archaeologist are finding things to back them up now. No discovery has ever contradicted what the Bible says.

2. It is not the same as the original. This is true to some degree. We translate. But the original documents can be calculated based on the amount of originals that exist from that era. Bible transcripts are in a larger set of originals of Plato, Aristotle, etc.Them we have 40 or so at best. We have 24,000 copies of Bible originals. Of those that are compared, 99.9% are duplicates.

3. It is full of crazy stories, myths and fairy tales. This is questioning God, not the Bible. God being who He is can do miraculous things. There were eye witnesses of these things.

4. It contains bad psychology. What is taught in the Bible, does it teach us to live healthy or unhealthy lifestyles. Reading the Bible helps you understand more of who you are. It teaches healthy ways of living. Many people say that.

2Ti 3:16-17
(16) All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:
(17) That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works.

Still Waiting

I was supposed to be in surgery now but someone had not calculated when I last ate, so I am in my room waiting now. I hope they will take me soon but I do not know.
Annie has been worried about me, she even wore her neckless that I got her for Christmas so she would have a connection to me.
Israel on the other hand is like, you are going to be OK dad, what does a gall bladder do anyway? W
They are home now. Waiting in a waiting room with two kids would be no fun I know.
Waiting for a surgery is no fun either.
I thank God that he has touched me and given me a peace through all this. I have no fear, anxiety on the other hand!

Hello from the hospital

I am currently in the hospital awaiting information on when I will have surgery. Saturday night, Sunday morning I was in sever pain for over 3 hours before I woke up my wife to see what she could recommend. I was in so much pain that she called an ambulance since the roads were not real good.

While at the emergency room I got no sleep at all and even with morphine being shot in me I was in pain. They finally admitted me and put me in a room as they were not sure what was going on. I finally slept, through both the AFC and NFC championships.

I had an ultra sound this morning. The doctor came in a while ago and explained that the surgeon may do things tomorrow or not depending on his schedule. The pain has definitely gone down but it lets me know it is there every now and then.

Will let you all know more later.

New Face for an Old Blog

Well, I have not changed the colors of the blog for so long that I thought it was a good idea to give it a different format. Also, I have added a new widget on the side that will allow you to subscribe to the RSS feed with the tool of your choice. Check it out. The Widget is from Widget Box and they have a large selection to choose from. I will be experiment with some of them as I get the chance.

What brought on the change? Well, it is a dreary rainy day here in Tulsa area. But that is not a complaint, all the rain we are getting should have been snow and/or ice. So, I decided to make my Blog a little less dreary.

KOTV.com - The News On 6

KOTV.com - The News On 6: "

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) -- State Representative Paul Wesselhoft wants to restrict Internet access by children at Oklahoma libraries.

Wesselhoft says the goal is to protect children from being contacted by online sexual predators. He says a child might have an easier time getting into computer chat rooms at a library because a parent isn't in the area."

I understand what he wants to do, I do not think this is the best way to do it. Parents need to get the computers out of the kids bedrooms and in the open where they can monitor what the kids do. I do not think may of the kids that get in trouble are using the library for getting on line.

KOTV.com - The News On 6

KOTV.com - The News On 6

I do not know how long the video will be up, but check this rescue of a deer stuck on a frozen lake in the OKC area. The TV news chopper literally blew the deer across the lake. It was done On Jan. 17 and called rescuing animals.

David Schuttler's Winter 2007 Tulsa slideshow on Flickr

David Schuttler's Winter 2007 Tulsa slideshow on Flickr

Not mine but some interesting photos from the area.

Robert is being deployed

My stepson Robert Acree will be deployed to the Persian Gulf with the ship that he is on. I would ask prayers for him for all that would. His mother and I are proud of him and know that he is in God's good hands.

Podcast Sermon Notes

Snapshots of the Savior - The Miracle Worker
River Church of the Mall of America
Podcast from April 30, 2006

This series is a series of snapshots of Jesus like from a photo album so that we can get to know Him better.
First Snapshot of Jesus the Miracle Worker
The spiritual high that the Apostles must have been on when they served all those people they fed on the mountain when Jesus told them to feed the people with 3 loves of bread and 2 fishes. Can you imagine it? Then Jesus tells them to go across to the other side of the lake. He wants them to stop the high-five type of worship. And Jesus goes back and dismisses the people. He goes and prays to God, doing a debriefing of what went on. Most likely going over the day that started with John the Baptist being beheaded. Asking God why? So he tries to get away and the crowd follows Him and He ministers to them and then feeds them all. While spiritual talk with God is going on, Jesus does not see the weather. The apostles trying to survive for 9 hours on the water while Jesus gets his strength back from God and they have to ask themselves, "where is God?" Do we ask ourselves the same questions, where is God in the problems that we are going through? Are we in the boat with them?

And they look and see a ghostly figure but with a familiar voice. And the fear leaves them. When God is in the midst of things with us we seem to be OK. Jesus said to them I AM, the personal name of God. He puts Himself on an equal status with God. Peter tries to focus in on this and walks over to Him, even in the problem he is facing. He focuses on the miracle worker but then he focuses on the problem. And Jesus walks with Peter through the problem.

So what can we learn from this portrait. Burn this portrait of Jesus into ourselves. The God of the Bible wants to walk with us through the problems we are going through. It will change our depression and relational loneliness.

2nd Snapshot of Jesus the Miracle Worker
Big shot in the church comes to Jesus and asks Jesus to come heal his daughter. Jesus is like a rock star in the crowds that he draws. And He says let's go, and the disciples act as His body guards to get Him through the crowds. And there is this woman, poor, hungry, and sick. She hears the stories about this Jesus going though her town. She says if I can just touch his garments I can be healed. She was risking making that crowd unclean and unholy. She was desperate for God. Have you even been desperate for God? Needing a miracle. Asking God for a miracle. She wants to touch something so He will not notice. She reaches for and touches just a piece of the fringe of a tassel. And she experiences power and knows she is healed. Jesus puts the breaks on this entourage and asked who touched me? She says she was. He goes to her and she tells Him her whole story. She delays the big shot in the churches with his daughter's problems. She not only got a physical healing but an emotional healing as well. God was there and listening to her.

A couple of shots to show you the nice weather we had over the weekend. On the left, a bowl that got left out on the deck. It is full of ice and snow and the spoon in it will not come out. On the right, Annie and Israel take turns with pulling their sled on the ice covered surface that is our back yard. While this might not be much for people up north (like I am from), the people around here do not have things to deal with it. Already, Annie and Izzy have tomorrow off from school.
More shots available at

Winter Blast 2007

Sermon Notes

All scripture King James Version. These notes are what I got from sermon, not necessarily what was preached. Sermons are available to view/listen to at Grace Church website for approximately 1 month from time sermon preached.

01/03/07 Pastor Bob Yandian
Why Does Healing Take so Long?

We know salvation is true but when we do not see people saved is it still true? Why do we look at healing differently. We get our salvation by making the faith a part of us.

Mar 16:17-18
(17) And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues;
(18) They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover.

Part of the Great Commission is for salvation. Also, part of the Commission is to get people healed. So many scriptures after that show that healings and tounges happened after the word was preached. All of the things mentioned here happen during the book of Acts.

They lay hands on the sick and they shall recover. But it does not always happen instantly. It is instant for God, but it may take time for it to manifest itself in us. Just like salvation did not manifest itself in your life immediately, healing is the same way.

Gal 6:9
(9) And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.

Healing manifestation has a due season. We are not to be weary in well doing. You can do something right and get tired of it. That is in the flesh, in the spirit you will not grow weary. When you plant something it comes up in "due season."

Due season could be said in different way as right time. Different crops take different times to grow. And it takes different times in different soils (heart conditions). It will come up at the time that it is supposed to come up, when it is the right time, not when we want it to. Healing is the same, it will come at the right time.

Lev 26:4
(4) Then I will give you rain in due season, and the land shall yield her increase, and the trees of the field shall yield their fruit.
Deu 11:14
(14) That I will give you the rain of your land in his due season, the first rain and the latter rain, that thou mayest gather in thy corn, and thy wine, and thine oil.

Two more scriptures with 'due season' in them. This is not like clockwork. There is a season that it will happen.

Psa 104:27
(27) These wait all upon thee; that thou mayest give them their meat in due season.
Psa 145:15
(15) The eyes of all wait upon thee; and thou givest them their meat in due season.

He gives food to us in 'due season.'

Pro 15:23
(23) A man hath joy by the answer of his mouth: and a word spoken in due season, how good is it!
There is a right thing to say at the time.

Ecc 10:17
(17) Blessed art thou, O land, when thy king is the son of nobles, and thy princes eat in due season, for strength, and not for drunkenness!
There is a proper time to eat, when you are hungry.

Heb 10:35
(35) Cast not away therefore your confidence, which hath great recompense of reward.
Confidence means trust, do not cast away your trust. If you hang on you will get a reward.

Heb 10:36
(36) For ye have need of patience, that, after ye have done the will of God, ye might receive the promise.
You will receive the promise. You need patience.

Patience is not a gift that you can get. It comes in the fiery circumstances that will come in life.

Heb 10:37
(37) For yet, a little while, and he that shall come will come, and will not tarry.
God's little while is not the same as our little while. Here it talks about the rapture. If we believe that it is going to happen, why cannot we fight for healing the same way. God keeps all His promises.

If it has not manifest yet, it could be that you need to increase the patience in yourself. The manifestation of the healing in your life is not an indicator that you are healed. You are not healed because you believe and you are not 'not healed' because you do not believe. God says you are healed, now believe. If you believe there are men in the earth or do not believe there are men in the earth, does that change the fact that there are men in the earth?

Healing came from God and He is unchanging, how come you do not believe it happened? Do not blame God because you are not healed.

Do not judge others on how their healing appears. How they appear does not change if they are healed. Jesus spoke the Word that the fig tree would not be eaten of forever. It did not look like it was different immediately, but the tree died to it roots shortly thereafter.

My body which is changeable will have to settle in with the fact that I am healed. God is more interested in your character growth than your healing growth.

Rom 5:3
(3) And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience;
What you know is what lets you give glory in a tribulation.

Rom 8:25
(25) But if we hope for that we see not, then do we with patience wait for it.

Heb 6:12
(12) That ye be not slothful, but followers of them who through faith and patience inherit the promises.
Find people who through faith and Patience have made it through what you are going through.

Heb 12:1
(1) Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us,

Every weight is the excuses, sin that besets us is giving up, the race is the manifestation of the healing. Yes, it talks about heaven but healing can easily be put in its place.

Heb 12:2-3
(2) 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 is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.
(3) For consider him that endured such contradiction of sinners against himself, lest ye be wearied and faint in your minds.
Jesus looked forward to the joy that is to come of people being saved. We can work our way though the manifestation of our healing as well.

Jam 1:3-5
(3) Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience.
(4) But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing.
(5) If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.
James says when you seek wisdom in the healing, God will provide it for you.

Jam 5:7-8
(7) Be patient therefore, brethren, unto the coming of the Lord. Behold, the husbandman waiteth for the precious fruit of the earth, and hath long patience for it, until he receive the early and latter rain.
(8) Be ye also patient; establish your hearts: for the coming of the Lord draweth nigh.
A farmer waits for the crops. You can learn to wait for what you need. Stabilize your heart with the Word.

Weather Report

Ice in Tulsa

Well we have made it through the storms so far. There is more on the way supposedly. We seem to have had the best of the bad weather. To our south in Muskogee, whole trees have been uprooted roots and all. I saw one on TV, the whole root ball out of the ground while the top of the tree was ice coated.

No power out here yet. It has affected the local Fox channel knocking the signal around in the middle of the 1st half of the NFC game. The station explained that the icy sleet was so thick that the signal could not get through from the satellite though the station stayed on. CBS station will have the Patriots on in a while. Am hoping that the station stays on that long.

Almost every Church canceled services this morning here in Tulsa including Grace, the one that I go to. I think the only one that stayed open was Victory and they have there services live on the Internet so you have to wonder how many they really had live. Gabe, my oldest son in Indonesia tried to get into his home church through their on line service, but so many people were on he could not get a log on that would stay on.

Kids are out of their school for the MLK holiday so they will not be missing a day, but not sure how much longer they will be home because we will not get above freezing for several days. Because of that the roads might not melt enough to get them cleared off and the kids would have to stay home from school. Might be time, as one TV commentator said, to break out a deck of cards and a box of cheerios for chips and teach the kids to play poker. Maybe the kids would have to teach me as I do not know how to. Wife's school is still on as of this moment. I will not get off work. One of the benefits/curses of working from home is that you do not get to have a weather day off.

FOXNews.com - Freezing Weather Hits Middle America; 2 Deaths Blamed on Storm - Local News | News Articles | National News | US News

FOXNews.com - Freezing Weather Hits Middle America; 2 Deaths Blamed on Storm - Local News | News Articles | National News | US News:

"TULSA, Okla. — Freezing rain fell in the nation's midsection Friday, and temperatures plunged from Minnesota to Las Vegas as a storm rolled in that could leave several states coated in ice."

Well, Tulsa makes the news. Unfortunately it is weather related. Roads were icy, but Since yours truly is from the Boston area I know how to drive on this stuff. Still a trip that takes 5 min. normally took about 1/2 hour today. Everyone was going to the same place, the grocery store. Return trip, 5 min.

Of course at the store the lines were 2 hrs long. I needed a prescription filled so I took the few things we were buying and paid for them there. Out in 10 min.

Still we are supposed to have this through Sunday. Some churches are already closing Sunday services and this is Friday night. Well, I got chocolate, food and prescription. Got candles in the lights go out. About only thing I do not have is Internet connection if lights go out. Laptop has battery but the internet connection will not be there... still could watch TV with the USB TV stick.

Wish us all luck this weekend.

24 Hours Against Internet Censorship / RSF

24 Hours Against Internet Censorship / RSF

Not that I think that your vote will make a difference, but vote to stop Internet Censorship

Indescribable

CHRIS TOMLIN lyrics

Annie loves this song. The words are so wonderful when it comes to describing how God is.

GUtil! | Firefox Add-ons | Mozilla Corporation

GUtil! | Firefox Add-ons | Mozilla Corporation

If you use Firefox and you are a heavy user of Google's various tools, this is the closest to a Google OS that I have seen. All the various Google tools on one menu.. SWEET

Latest Hi Tech News - The Latest Tech Breaking News Blog.

Latest Hi Tech News - The Latest Tech Breaking News Blog.

This is more for me to remember to look at it again, but if you use Google Talk then you may want to take a look at this way to skin your IM program.

FOXNews.com - Florida Woman Puts Baby in Heated Oven - Local News | News Articles | National News | US News

FOXNews.com - Florida Woman Puts Baby in Heated Oven - Local News | News Articles | National News | US News: "ORLANDO, Fla. —

An Orlando woman was charged with turning on an oven and putting her baby in it.
Sharlyn Singh faces aggravated child abuse charges.
Authorities said a man helping the woman's boyfriend move out of their apartment after the couple broke up heard the baby crying and found it in the oven. Singh had left the apartment by that time.
The oven wasn't hot enough to burn the child.
Officers said the child's hands and clothes had oven grease on them.
Singh is in the Orange County jail."

Once again, we show that some people should have a permit to procreate. The gene pool is really shallow down this end.

Church Notes - Grace Church Tulsa

All scripture King James Version. These notes are what I got from sermon, not necessarily what was preached. Sermons are available to view/listen to at Grace Church website for approximately 1 month from time sermon preached.

2006 – 12-31 Pastor Bob Yandian - Wisdom Before Riches

A resolution, by definition is a promise that you will keep. Why do we not keep these promises to ourselves? It is the symptom of a deeper root.

Ecc 7:11-12

(11) Wisdom is good with an inheritance: and by it there is profit to them that see the sun.

(12) For wisdom is a defense, and money is a defense: but the excellency of knowledge is, that wisdom giveth life to them that have it.

(13) Consider the work of God: for who can make that straight, which he hath made crooked?

(14) In the day of prosperity be joyful, but in the day of adversity consider: God also hath set the one over against the other, to the end that man should find nothing after him.

Wisdom is good to have before prosperity comes. So often we give our birthright for something that is temporary. Do not look for quick riches. If you have wisdom what you inherit can be multiplied by what you do with it. God cannot bless us with more things until we learn how to handle it. He gives seed to sowers but not to keepers.

Pro 4:7-8

(7) Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom: and with all thy getting get understanding.

(8) Exalt her, and she shall promote thee: she shall bring thee to honor, when thou dost embrace her.

Seek after wisdom, not after blessings, prosperity, etc.

Ecc 7:12 show that money or wisdom is good but wisdom is better to have because it gives life to those that have it. Wisdom can extend your life but money cannot.

Pro 11:4

(4) Riches profit not in the day of wrath: but righteousness delivereth from death.

Pro 18:10-11

(10) The name of the LORD is a strong tower: the righteous runneth into it, and is safe.

(11) The rich man's wealth is his strong city, and as a high wall in his own conceit.

Do you want the fear of the Lord to be your protection or do you want your own conceit to be your protection?

Ecc 7:13-14

(13) Consider the work of God: for who can make that straight, which he hath made crooked?

(14) In the day of prosperity be joyful, but in the day of adversity consider: God also hath set the one over against the other, to the end that man should find nothing after him.

V.13- Money and other things can not take that which is crooked and make it straight. Satan makes it crooked but God straightens them. We need to know what we can and cannot change. We cannot get wisdom by osmosis. We need to pass it on to our children. We need to study to show our selves approved. Children are a blank slate that needs to be written to.

V. 14 says be joyful when you can, but be prepared for your times of adversity. Both are given to us side by side. We are not to know the future. Get wisdom to try to see that you can get through it or God can help. God can bring you through it as will wisdom. Wisdom comes with honor. Adversity comes to see where we will put our trust. Israel did not wipe out all the lands when they were instructed to. Tribes were left over.

Jdg 3:1-2

(1) Now these are the nations which the LORD left, to prove Israel by them, even as many of Israel as had not known all the wars of Canaan;

(2) Only that the generations of the children of Israel might know, to teach them war, at the least such as before knew nothing thereof;

Adversity is necessary for us to learn. It will be there for us to learn. We cannot conquer every problem of life. We cannot give our children a problem free life. They need to have the adversity so that they can grow.

Job 22:21-24

(21) Acquaint now thyself with him, and be at peace: thereby good shall come unto thee.

(22) Receive, I pray thee, the law from his mouth, and lay up his words in thine heart.

(23) If thou return to the Almighty, thou shalt be built up, thou shalt put away iniquity far from thy tabernacles.

(24) Then shalt thou lay up gold as dust, and the gold of Ophir as the stones of the brooks.

(25) Yea, the Almighty shall be thy defense, and thou shalt have plenty of silver.

Again, do not seek the gold or riches. Seek God first.

So what about resolutions?

Make a resolution to come back to the Word. You will have wisdom to handle the increase you will receive.

Ecc 11:1-2

(1) Cast thy bread upon the waters: for thou shalt find it after many days.

(2) Give a portion to seven, and also to eight; for thou knowest not what evil shall be upon the earth.

Water represents people - bread represents finances. Give to those who need it. We do not know the future, give to the kingdom of God; He will protect you in the days to come. We can not give a better world to our children, but we can give better children to the world.

1Ti 6:17-19

(17) Charge them that are rich in this world, that they be not highminded; nor trust in uncertain riches, but in the living God, who giveth us richly all things to enjoy;

(18) That they do good, that they be rich in good works, ready to distribute, willing to communicate;

(19) Laying up in store for themselves a good foundation against the time to come, that they may lay hold on eternal life.

Again we do not know what is to come but by giving to the works of God we can get blessed, we need to seek wisdom.

What we need as a church for 2007; A year for gaining more wisdom.

Make commitment to LORD in four areas. You need to increase these:

1. More Prayer

2. More Worship

3. Witness and share faith with others.

4. Study of the word

Make a fresh Commitment to the Church.

1. Attendance

2. Giving increase

3. Join church

4. Listen to the word. It is a decision

5. Get involved in areas in the church

Make a fresh commitment to applying wisdom.

1. Spouse

2. Family

3. Job and attitude on job

4. Finances

Home Depot

You can do it... Josh can Help?

Homedepot January 2007

I did not get to take the kids to the Depo this weekend since I had to work. Josh took my place when I asked him to and he and the kids both had fun... Thanks Josh. Click on link above to check out the photo album