NASCAR.COM - Economic difficulties felt in garage, seen in the stands - May 2, 2008

RICHMOND, Va. -- Morgan Shepherd's goal for Friday night's Nationwide Series race at Richmond International Raceway was easy -- run the entire event. Sounds simple enough, modest at best. But for Shepherd, that tops any goal he's had this season.

Richmond was Shepherd's ninth start in 11 Nationwide events this season. He retired early in the first seven events for the same reason -- handling. Only at Phoenix did he run more than 50 laps.

But at Talladega last weekend, Shepherd finished 13th in the race, completing all 117 laps. It was the first time he had finished a race since a 2004 Cup event at Daytona, and it was his first Nationwide Series finish since 2003.

The reason he was able to finish the race -- he only had to change tires once.

Running his team from his own pocket, from his own garage in Conover, N.C., racing isn't the most economic-friendly business for Shepherd. His Web site lists 10 employees, if you include his dog, Charger.

So this week, the initial plan was much the same: Qualify for the race, start the race, run until the tires went out, then go home. But that plan changed.

"A good friend of mine, Tony Stewart, decided to buy our tires so we plan to run the whole race," Shepherd said before he qualified Friday night. "I hate going out and running and having to retire because of handling, because when your tires go out you don't have handling.

"Stewart hated to see it, too.

"Just felt like doing it," Stewart said. "Morgan is a great guy. There are a lot of people in the stands that don't realize who Morgan Shepherd is. They think he's just some guy who drives a green racecar that says 'Racing with Jesus' every week. They don't understand that years ago he used to be one of the top guys in the Cup Series.

"Shepherd's heyday in Cup was during the 1980s and '90s, when single-car teams could succeed and did. Shepherd won four races in his Cup career all while driving for single-car teams. Now as a single-car operator himself, he's trying to overcome the failing economic crunch that has a firm grip on a vast majority of the nation.

NASCAR.COM - Economic difficulties felt in garage, seen in the stands - May 2, 2008



Thanks Tony.  I was so glad to see him finish the race last week and tonight.

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Fenway Park Like you have never seen it....

One Day At Fenway - Letus Extreme Film - Time Lapse - HDTV from Tom Guilmette on Vimeo.

Facinating piece of footage. And not just because I am a Red Sox fan.

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You can do it, Tony can help

NASCAR Silly Season is officially underway.  It gets earlier and earlier each year.  I guess we could say that this is just a lot of smoke!

(For you non-NASCAR fans, Tony's nickname is Smoke)

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Michael Moore endorses Obama, chides Clinton (AP)

AP - Michael Moore wants voters in Pennsylvania to cast their ballots for Barack Obama.

View Original Article

Now I know that I could NEVER votes for Obama.

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Congress To Probe Bowl Championship Series, Bipartisan Trifecta Wants To Examine College Football's Championship Series Constitutes A Racket - CBS News

Reps. Neil Abercrombie, D-Hawaii, Lynn Westmoreland, R-Ga., and Mike Simpson, R-Idaho, are introducing a resolution rejecting the oft-criticized bowl system as an illegal restriction on trade because only the largest universities compete in most of the major bowl games. The resolution would require Justice's antitrust division to investigate whether the system violates federal law.

You know, I think that the Government has a lot better things to do with their time and my tax money than to investigate the NCAA.  I wonder what brought this on....

Abercrombie said the matter is worthy of federal review because college football is big business with hundreds of millions of dollars at stake.

"It's money. That's what this is all about," he said.

But it's no coincidence that all three lawmakers have home-state schools with recent beefs against the bowl system.

The University of Hawaii and Boise State University in Idaho each had an undefeated season in recent years, but were denied a shot at the championship. And Westmoreland said he is still smarting about his University of Georgia Bulldogs being passed over for the national championship game last year.

Ahhhhh.... it all becomes so much clearer now.  It is money that bothers the Reps.  Gee.  Can you spend less of mine while you are at it?

Congress To Probe Bowl Championship Series, Bipartisan Trifecta Wants To Examine College Football's Championship Series Constitutes A Racket - CBS News

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American Idol and Christian Music

I do not watch American Idol, I work evenings, if I did not then I would be at church when it is on. That being said, on the way home from work one night I heard on the local Christian music station a song identified as American Idol Contestants that clearly was a praise and worship song that I heard many times before. I could swear that night the the name of Jesus was in the song. I did not think much of it till I came across this video at ThinkChristian.net



If this is from the show, and I have no reason to believe it is not, why did I hear one version from the radio and another from the show. I am shocked that they took Jesus out and put the word Shepard in. Yes, the Lord is my Shepard, but by taking the name of Jesus out they just watered it down so as to say, the Lord is who you want it to be.

I am happy that a great song made it to a secular show like that, but I wonder of the motives, especially when they changed the words.

EDIT AFTER ORIGINAL POST

Ok so on further inspection they did the song again the next night:


At least they got the words right this time, and that may be what I heard on the radio. It is hard to say. It still feels weird a show trying to glorify some new talent singing about the only one that should be glorified.

Facebook test

Testing a new aplication in my Facebook account called Blog it. If you are looking for me on facebook my profile is at http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=542691486

Understanding the Anointing

From my pastor, Bob Yandian, a sermon on understanding the two types of anointing and why we need them

Man jailed for fake Viagra sales | Oddly Enough | Reuters

SHANGHAI (Reuters) - The general manager of a Shanghai chemical company was jailed for two years on Thursday for selling fake tablets of the male impotence drug Viagra on the Internet, the official Xinhua news agency reported.Yu Bohuai made a profit of over 60,000 yuan ($8,585) in 2006 and 2007 by selling 14,030 fake tablets to clients abroad and in Shanghai. He was arrested last July.

Man jailed for fake Viagra sales | Oddly Enough | Reuters


One down, 9,999,999 left to go......

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Boston Red Sox

Boston Red Sox

NEW YORK -- A construction worker's bid to curse the New York Yankees by planting a Boston Red Sox jersey in their new stadium was foiled Sunday when the home team removed the offending shirt from its burial spot.

After locating the shirt in a service corridor behind what will be a restaurant in the new Yankee Stadium, construction workers jackhammered through the concrete Sunday and pulled it out.

We really did not need the curse to beat those Yankee's anyway.  The article goes on to say the shirt and a Yankee's shirt will be sent to the Jimmy Fund, an organization to fight cancer in children so they can auction them off.  Congratulations Yankee's staff, you did well. 

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Sermon notes - Suffering

New sermon on the sermon notes page on suffering. Mike Goolsbay, who used to be the Youth Pastor at Grace spoke one night in January. I distilled the essence of the sermon from what he said because a lot of it was personal experiences that would be known to the people of Grace Church and him.
Suffering comes in four basic types and Mike focuses on suffering for a promotion.

ESPN - Report: Worker tries to jinx Yanks with buried Red Sox shirt - MLB

Boston Red Sox fans know more than a little about superstitions -- and one apparently decided to share the anxiety with Boston's biggest rival.

A construction worker and Boston fan working on the concrete crew at
the $1.3 billion new Yankee Stadium buried a Red Sox shirt in with the
concrete foundation under what will become the visitors' clubhouse, in
the hopes of jinxing the New York Yankees' new home, the New York Post reported.

Two construction workers told the newspaper about the stunt on conditon of anonymity.

"In
August, a Red Sox T-shirt was poured in a slab in the visitor's
clubhouse. It's the curse of the Yankees," one worker told the Post.
"Nobody knows about it. It's in the floors, it's buried."

ESPN - Report: Worker tries to jinx Yanks with buried Red Sox shirt - MLB

While I love the story, do you really think it is going to make a difference to the Red Sox.  I mean, they are just going to trounce the Yankees this year anyway....

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Sermon Notes - Discernment

Another set of notes up on my sermon notes page. Discernment, or knowledge, is not something that we are born with, it has to be taught. Many Christians think it comes just be hanging around the Church. Check out my sermon notes on this sermon by my Pastor, Bob Yandian.

Walking In the Light

A new sermon notes is posted at my sermon notes blog. It is about how God wants us to walk in the light and not sin. But we can only walk in the light that we have, not that we do not have.

If you need an explnation of what goes into a web page creation....

Thanks Dale

What a class act for a classy racer. Thanks Dale for the wonderful racing you have done over the years. Have enjoyed your work part time at ESPN, glad you can now do it full time.

My vote for the stupidest new law in Oklahoma (or anywhere else)

OKLAHOMA CITY -- A lawmaker's plan to redistribute municipal sales tax collections could cost the state's two largest cities a combined nearly $30 million.A bill by Rep. Steve Martin, R-Bartlesville, would take 1 percent of each city's municipal sales tax revenue to benefit smaller cities, many of which have lost independent businesses and stores.Generally, smaller cities would gain money while larger cities would lose money.Oklahoma City would lose $13.4 million in annual sales tax collections and Tulsa would lose $16.1 million a year.The bill narrowly passed the House Rules Committee, and House Majority Floor Leader Greg Piatt, R-Ardmore, won't say if the bill will be scheduled for a vote on the House floor.

Tulsa World: Lawmaker wants to redistribute OKC, Tulsa sales tax revenue


I realize that the little cities are getting hurt by the big ones drawing in their people to spend money at the big stores, but there has to be a better way. 

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The Mind that went into making this.....

Get the details about it at  the person who made it web site.

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Being Led By The Lord

Sermon notes from Grace Church Pastor Bob Yandian on how God leads us and how it is often not the same way twice.

'Where's the patient?' 'I am the patient,' Jeff Gordon says - Sprint Cup Series - Scenedaily.com

AVONDALE, Ariz. – While talking about his massive crash Sunday at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Jeff Gordon recalled a somewhat-humorous visit to a hospital after a big wreck at Pocono Raceway in 2006.
Gordon lost the brakes in his No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet heading into Turn 1 at Pocono and slammed the outside wall. He was fine, though he was sent to a New York hospital for a CAT scan.
“This part of the hospital, I don’t think many of their patients walk in,” Gordon said.
“I’m here for my CAT scan,” Gordon told hospital personnel.
“Well, where’s the patient?”
“Well, I am the patient.”
“They told us there was a car accident.”
“Yeah.”
“How fast were you traveling?”
“About 200 when the brakes went out. I think I hit about 150, 160 mph.”
“No, seriously. Where’s the patient?"

'Where's the patient?' 'I am the patient,' Jeff Gordon says - Sprint Cup Series - Scenedaily.com


Thanks Scenedaily, that is funny.  I can picture this almost like an Abbot and Costello 'Whose on First' routine.

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One In A Million - Bob Yandian

As I had a few (not many cause not many read this) complaints about heavy sermon notes, I have held off for a while. I still check why people come to the site and a lot of it has to do with people looking for stuff that they find in my sermon notes. So I have established a new blog for just my sermon notes and will post a link here when I type them up (which I never seem to have time for anymore).

This link is to a pair of age old questions. How does God hear all our prayers when we all pray at once? How do we know that God will hear and answer our prayers.

Why does this game scare me....?

And, though I do not drink, I can imagine a bunch of drunks trying to play it....

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Again, someone with too much time on their hands....

I wish I had the time to waste like this.  Instead I waste time finding stuff like this.  A hat tip to Country Keepers by Gary Peterson for pointing this out to me.

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So where does your city rank?

America's Most Sinful Cities

We have unveiled the American city that has fallen the farthest from grace in each of the seven deadly sins ( lust, gluttony, avarice, sloth, wrath, envy and pride). For each sin we stretched our imagination to find a workable proxy--murder rates for wrath, per capita billionaires for avarice--then culled the available data sources to rank the cities. Some of the results were surprising: Salt Lake City as America's Vainest City. Some were not: Detroit as America's Most Murderous.

Lucky my nearest city is not on any of them...

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Another Nascar moment for you to enjoy

Who is on the front row on the Daytona 500

Congrats Mikey, I knew you had it in you.

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If you can not wait for Daytona to start

Number 9 of top 10 Daytona Races(ESPN):

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Mayors bet food on Super Bowl - Yahoo! News

BOSTON (Reuters) - When the New England Patriots and New York Giants face off in Sunday's Super Bowl American football championship, the mayors of their home towns will have an edible wager on the line.
Enormous amounts of food are at stake in the traditional bet this year, and Boston Mayor Thomas Menino and New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg have pledged to donate their winnings to homeless shelters and other charities.
A win by the Patriots, giving the team a record-setting 19-0 season, will bring Menino a hefty smorgasbord of New York delicacies, including pastrami sandwiches from the Carnegie Deli, pizzas from Staten Island and Caribbean-style beef patties from the Bronx.
If the underdog Giants win, Bloomberg will be sent a package including 42 pounds of Dunkin' Donuts coffee, 100 cups of clam chowder and 144 Boston cream pies

Mayors bet food on Super Bowl - Yahoo! News

What a nice thing to do.  It is great that while we are wolfing down all our food this Sunday, that some people who really need it will get some food.  I think that both of them should give it no matter who wins. 

Still I hope the Dunkin' Donuts etc. get the distribution

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Gee, I think someone wanted some national attention

ESPN - Senator wants to know why NFL destroyed Patriots spy tapes - NFL:

"WASHINGTON -- With the Super Bowl fast approaching, a senior Republican senator says he wants the NFL to explain why it destroyed evidence of the New England Patriots cheating scandal.

'I am very concerned about the underlying facts on the taping, the reasons for the judgment on the limited penalties and, most of all, on the inexplicable destruction of the tapes,' said Sen. Arlen Specter, R-Pa., in a Thursday letter to NFL commissioner Roger Goodell."

Mr. Specter, why are you releasing this information now. Why not a month from now or a month ago. Your timing make it look to me like you are trying to get your name in the news, not to look for the truth.

Facts are, others did it, Pats get caught and punished, end of story. Why are you making a big deal of it.

One of the most stupid ideas that I have ever seen.

Flo and Friends was funny today

At least I thought it was.




You can catch it at Flo and Friends

Someone needs anger management

FOXNews.com - Man Sets Radio Station on Fire Over Playlist Change - Local News | News Articles | National News | US News:

"Paul Webster Feinstein, 24, has been charged with second-degree felony arson for the Jan. 5 fire that caused $300,000 damage to the studios of 91.7 FM KOOP. He faces from two to 20 years in prison and a $10,000 fine if convicted.

Feinstein told investigators that he was 'very unhappy' about the changes to his playlist, said Austin Fire Department Battalion Chief Greg Nye. The songs were intended for an Internet broadcast that occurs when the station is off the air."

The article says he acted normal most of the time. Guess people can hide a lot of stuff...

They said it was a media circus at the Superbowl

I really did not believe them though....

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So that you do not have enough to worry about.

` NEW YORK - For rabid fans of the New York Giants and New England Patriots, this Sunday's Super Bowl won't be just a game. It may be a health hazard. Heart attacks and other cardiac emergencies doubled in Munich, Germany, when that nation's soccer team played in World Cup matches, a new study reports. While history suggests European soccer fans can get a bit more worked up than the average American football fan, doctors think there are some valid warnings to be shared.

Super Bowl could be heart health hazard - Yahoo! News

You know, drinking too much water could kill you but we do not have health warnings on it.  Yes a person with a sedentary lifestyle could have a heart attack but so could I walking down a stairs.  Get over it people, When your time has come, it has come.  If you do not take care of yourself, expect a death when you least expect it.

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Can you say OOOOPPPPSSS!!!!!

FOXNews.com - Angry Employee Deletes All of Company's Data - Science News | Science & Technology | Technology News:

"When Marie Lupe Cooley, 41, of Jacksonville, Fla., saw a help-wanted ad in the newspaper for a position that looked suspiciously like her current job — and with her boss's phone number listed — she assumed she was about to be fired.

So, police say, she went to the architectural office where she works late Sunday night and erased 7 years' worth of drawings and blueprints, estimated to be worth $2.5 million.

'She decided to mess up everything for everybody,' Jacksonville Sheriff's Office spokesman Ken Jefferson told reporters. 'She just sabotaged the entire business, thinking she was going to get axed.'

It didn't take Steven Hutchins, owner of the architectural firm that bears his name, much time to figure out who'd done it — Cooley was the only other person who had full access to the files.

Police arrested Cooley Monday evening and charged her with causing greater than $1,000 damage to computer files, a felony. She was bailed out the following afternoon."

Hutchins told one TV station he'd managed to recover all the files using an expensive data-recovery service.

As for the job, Cooley originally wasn't in danger of losing it. The ad was for Hutchins' wife's company.

The firm told FOXNews.com that Cooley no longer is employed there.

WOW. The last firm that I worked for we had a guy do that with a Intranet that we had for my fellow techs. We had backups of the data cause we suspected that when he knew he was on the way out he might try something like this.

This woman was not even going to loose her job, till she tried this stunt. Rule of thumb: always ask before you do any damage. The job you save may be your own.

Bill gets some shut-eye at MLK day event - BostonHerald.com

Bill gets some shut-eye at MLK day event - BostonHerald.com

According to the New York Post, Clinton took a snooze in the middle of a service to honor the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. at the Convent Avenue Baptist Church in Harlem on Sunday.The Post provided a snapshot of the presidential nod-off, in a picture that made its way onto the Internet - and was perched high atop the Drudge Report - showing Clinton napping as King’s son, Martin Luther King III, spoke, and during the remarks of lawyer William Wachtel.

I wonder how much he snoozed when he was in office.  Could be why we are in the trouble we are in.

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So, who do I root for....

Looking for signs of rebound? The Super Bowl Indicator awaits us - MarketWatch:

"According to the Super Bowl Indicator, a victory by a team from the original NFL heralds an up year for stocks, while a win by an old AFL team means stocks will fall.
Before you try to excommunicate me from the high priesthood of economics, let me point out that this Indicator has correctly predicted the direction of the Dow Jones Industrial Averagein 33 of the 41 years this game has been played. That works out to a success rate of better than 80%."

OK, so do I cheer for the Giants for the economy or the Patriots because they are my team? Well, guess the stocks are going to be going down this year

GO PATS!

Am I glad I do not have this problem!

NPR : VIP Fans of Patriots Dither over Game Guests: "The undefeated New England Patriots play for a chance to go to the Super Bowl this weekend, and for an unprecedented 18-0 record. It's the hottest ticket in the Boston area. For bigwigs with corporate suites at Gillette Stadium, deciding who gets to go to the game is a delicate art."

Wow, I have to decide how much of the tree limbs I want to take out to the curb this weekend (still working on the ice storm clean up from before Christmas). I would hate to have problems like who is going to sit in my suite (if I could afford one that is).

An interesting quote that I read today:

An interesting quote that I read today:

Holly Lisle

1/13/2008 6:00 PM|rss@quotationspage.com (Quotes of the Day)

"If you don't accept responsibility for your own actions, then you are forever chained to a position of defense."

How so true that has been in my own life.

I laughed so much I cried....

Then I realized just how true this whole thing is...

From 's this a Grown Man?' Department

Mikey, I love you as a racecar driver... but your taste in hats leaves a whole lot to be desired. Good luch to you and Toyota this year...

Michael Waltrip Racing Headline News

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This man has way too much time on his hands...

Embedded Video

Wish I did too!

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Suppose they gave a birthday party...

And no one came. A little late but we do not know his exact birthday anyway....

End of an Era

BBC NEWS | Technology | Web icon set to be discontinued: "Netscape Navigator, now owned by AOL, will no longer be supported after 1 February 2008, the company has said."

We will miss you, the pioneer of web browsers....

Can you say hypocritical... I knew you could

From the BBC web site

Gillian Gibbons, 54, from Liverpool, has been sentenced to 15 days in prison after a day-long court hearing.



Mrs Gibbons had been accused on three counts of insulting religion, inciting hatred and showing contempt for religious beliefs.



She will be deported after serving her sentence in Sudan's capital Khartoum.




In September, Mrs Gibbons allowed her class of primary school pupils to name the teddy bea(sic) Muhammad.



The court heard that she was arrested on Sunday after another member of staff at Unity High School complained.



Sudan's top clerics had called for the full measure of
the law to be used against Mrs Gibbbons(sic) and lablled(sic) her actions part of
a Western plot against Islam.



She could have faced up to 40 lashes.

This is from a people who have killed in the name of their God innocent people by running airplanes into buildings. This from a people who claim they have no hate for Christians or Christianity. This is madness. I have a teddy bear in my office that I have not given a name yet. Hmmmmmmm.........

gOS

Not sure how many of you have heard of or even looked at the gOS but it might be worth taking a look at especially for older machines.

At work yesterday I took an older machine, about 2000/2001 in age, and installed it on it. It installed clean without any problems. It has just enough tinkering ability to make me happy, but installed as it is is good for a machine for a new user. In fact if you want to you can run it off the CD to kick the tires on it. It is basically an Ubuntu install with a set of special icons, most of which go to Google related tools, hence the name gOS.

I am writing this right now after I hit the Blogger button and firefox opened up to the Blogger site. Clean and easy.

Check it out.

Time to vote

Speed Performance Awards

If you are in to racing in any way shape or form it is time to go to Speed channel and vote for the Speed Performance awards. Check out the Biggest Hits award. It was a tough decision for me but even though I am not into drag racing, the hit that John Force took deserves the award. That the man is still alive is a miracle in itself.

From the 'shut up' department

'Shut Up' Is Hit Ringtone in Spain | World Latest | Guardian Unlimited:

"MADRID, Spain (AP) - The King of Spain's bad-tempered intervention at a summit last week, in which he told Venezuelan leader Hugo Chavez to shut up, has become a smash hit across Spain, news reports said on Monday. Around half a million people have downloaded a mobile phone ringtone featuring the words ``Why don't you shut up?'', the Madrid leading daily El Pais said on its website. The spat began at a summit in Chile on Saturday when Chavez accused former Spanish Prime Minister Jose Maria Aznar of backing a coup that briefly removed him from power and repeatedly called Aznar ``fascist.''"

I bloged on the original event last week but I think that this even funnier. Can you imagine everyones phone saying `Why don't you shut up?' And to know where it came from.....

An Interesting Week

NOTE: this was written about 24 hours ago but would not upload to Blogger, hope it is all OK now.

This has been an interesting week. Friday was the 100th anniversary of the state of Oklahoma so at the college that I work at we had a number of free events. While the bar-b-que on Tuesday was nice, Wednesday was the high point of the week. Any one who lived in Oklahoma for 30 years or more will remember a weather man named Don Woods. Well as part of the Oklahoma Centenial he came to the college and was drawing his trademark Gusty cartoons (for free). He would always close his forecasts with Dusty reacting to the weather forecast he just gave. Gusty it seems is the official cartoon of Oklahoma so that was the tie to the centennial celebration. While he drew a lot of the same ones for most people, I stopped and talked to him for a moment since it was a slow time. He had been an adjunct at another campus of our college teaching weather, and he and I traded our experiences as teachers. When it came time for him to draw mine, he asked me what I wanted Gusty to be doing. Well, I work with computers, so I asked him to do one at a computer. I am now the proud owner of a Gusty typing at a computer. If I get a chance I will scan it in and post it some time soon. For now check out Gusty and Don's web site. On the artwork pages there is one of Gusty at a computer. Mine is like that but not in color.

Of course, being that Friday was the anniversary, all state institutions were closed. Guess who had a day off. As you can tell I had a lot of time to look at news stories and post my comments about them. I will make up for it cause at 8AM I have to be there for the Saturday classes.

Anyway. More later. I do have a new blog to talk about but it will wait till I get some sleep.

L8R all

November Pictures from the Home Depot

Home Depot Pirate Ship November 07

Pirate ship time at the Home Depot.  We had a good time making the ships.  Have not tried to float them yet.

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Crime in a children's virtual world

Children's Virtual World Destroyed By Hackers - News Story - WSMV Nashville:

"Webkinz is a virtual world for children where gamers spend hours accumulating virtual money and then spend it on furnishing an online home.

Jesse Shafer spent a year putting together a fantasy world and then all of a sudden it was gone after his account was hacked.

'I had a pool table, clocks. I had a couch, some plants. I had movies,” said Shafer. 'About $30,000 worth of stuff went down the drain.'

Word started spreading at Shafer's school that everyone was getting their Webkinz world hacked and robbed."

I know my own children have Webkinz accounts and I know how much time it takes to earn the Webkinz cash. It has caused some problems when it comes to doing cores around the house. But like real life nothing comes easy. That someone would steal these accounts from them is just plain wrong! Unfortunately it does teach the children about the real world in a bad way.

Time to investigate?

MINEOLA, N.Y. - The estranged wife of a pastor claims her husband blended his professional and personal finances so thoroughly that his church should be counted as an asset in their divorce.

A judge agreed in a decision published this week to hear arguments on the claim, and he ordered a financial appraisal of the church. Lawyers said it could represent the first time anyone in New York state has tried to treat a religious institution as a marital asset.

The wife argues that her husband of 31 years used his Brooklyn church as a "personal piggy bank," setting his own income, spending the congregation's tithes as he pleased and running a catering business from the building, according to the decision by state Supreme Court Judge Arthur M. Diamond. The couple's names were redacted from the decision.

Pastor's wife: Church is a divorce asset - Yahoo! News


Will the senator that is investigating people who abuse their ministerial credentials take a look at this one also.  I mean, it would appear that if his finances are so closely intertwined with the church that this would be pale in comparison to what the televangelist are doing!

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From the 'which is the most stupid thing to do?' department

FOXNews.com - Michigan Boy, 13, Driving for Drunk Dad Charged With DWI - Local News | News Articles | National News | US News:

"CLIO, Mich. — A police officer checking on a truck that got stuck in the mud at a city park was startled to find a 13-year-old boy behind the wheel.
The officer also was surprised that the boy appeared to be drunk.
So did the teen's father, who was riding in the front seat. He told police that he had turned over the driving duties to his son because he'd had too much to drink.
Open containers of beer and liquor were found in the vehicle, said Clio Police Chief James McLellan.
'[The boy] even said he didn't want to drive because he was too drunk,' McLellan told The Flint Journal for a story published Thursday."

I am not sure which is more stupid here. The fact that the father gave a 13 year old kid the keys to drive him home because he was drunk, or that the father would let the kid get drunk in the first place. It may be a tie.

NASCARGOT - A NASCAR Parody

Sometimes watching NASCAR races this year had seemed like this....

From the "what was he thinking" department....

SOUTHWORTH, Wash. - A man trying to loosen a stubborn lug nut blasted the wheel with a 12-gauge shotgun, injuring himself badly in both legs, sheriff's deputies said.

The 66-year-old man had been repairing a Lincoln Continental for two weeks at his home northwest of Southworth, about 10 miles southwest of Seattle, and had gotten all but one of the lug nuts off the right rear wheel by Saturday afternoon, Kitsap County Deputy Scott Wilson said.

Best to use tools when loosening lug nut - Yahoo! News

Kind of makes you wonder if we need a little more chlorine at the shallow end of the gene pool...

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Someone told him off finnaly

From the BBC

Mr Chavez called Mr Aznar, a close ally of US President George W Bush, a fascist, adding "fascists are not human.
A snake is more human."

Mr Zapatero said: "Former President Aznar was democratically elected by the Spanish people and was a legitimate representative of the Spanish people."

Mr Chavez repeatedly tried to interrupt, despite his microphone being turned off. The king leaned forward and said: "Why don't you shut up?"

According to reports, the king used a familiar term normally used only for close acquaintances - or children.

Love it. This man has been bloviating for a long time. Finnaly someone told him to put a cork in it. I know it will be said that he was a pupet of the US. Any one want to take bets on it.

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Let him who is without the first stone.....

An Embarrassment Of Riches:

"When Congress gets involved, however, beware of slippery slopes. These ministries should comply with tax laws. But Senate investigations could go beyond requiring accountability under current law and lead to new IRS regulations monitoring the internal affairs of churches and other religious groups. And that would have far-reaching consequences for the autonomy and freedom of religious communities. Today Kenneth Copeland Ministries, tomorrow your church."

I am not saying that the churches under question have done wrong, or that they are squaeky clean either. Then again, what ministry has not got some misuse under its hat. Mr. Haynes has hit the nail square on the head here. Let the IRS do its job, then step in if and when you have to. Otherwise you are going to open up a can of worms that will not go back in the can easily.

Is it safe to buy books for Christmas presents this year?

BBC NEWS | Asia-Pacific | GHB fears for Chinese-made toys:

"Millions of Chinese-made toys have been recalled in the US and Australia after they were found to contain a substance linked to the date-rape drug GHB. A total of five children were taken to hospital after swallowing tiny beads known as Bindeez in Australia and Aqua Dots in the US. The beads were coated in chemicals which transformed into the banned drug when swallowed."

Well I guess if it says 'made in China' you better not buy it. Cribs are being recalled now also. Crazy

You might want to remember to shut off that cell phone at church...

YouGetSignal.com - Open Ports Tool

Interesting web site with some handy tools to check things out. See what ports are being blocked and the approximate location of web address including your own.

Comming soon to a Wal-Mart near you

$200 Ubuntu Linux PC Now Available at Wal-Mart | Gadget Lab from Wired.com:

"'It's almost like a Google PC,' Liu says, pointing to the desktop's rack of pre-configured links to all of Google's online applications. It is, he says, the mass-market Linux PC we've all been waiting for. 'That's our dream. ... we go the final step to make it work out the box, to go the whole nine yards.'"

If I had the extra bucks I would like to buy one. It would be for the kids, right...... sure it would..... well maybe........

Mark your territory game

The bold, meaty satisfaction of Meaty Bone®

Living proof of the fact that man has gone to the dogs.

Good, they hit them where it hurts...

FOXNews.com - Jury Awards Father Nearly $11 Million in Funeral Protesters Case - Local News | News Articles | National News | US News:

"The jury first awarded $2.9 million in compensatory damages. It returned later in the afternoon with its decision to award $6 million in punitive damages for invasion of privacy and $2 million for causing emotional distress to the Marine's father, Albert Snyder of York, Pa."

I only hope that the man will be able to collect as much as he can and bankrupt this group.

United Viruses

United Viruses

Took a while to download, but in the end, kind of funny.....

Looks like a great time was had by all....

A-Rod, your timming stinks

NEW YORK --

Major League Baseball had this message for Alex Rodriguez and agent Scott Boras: shame on you.

Boras announced during Game 4 of the World Series on Sunday night that A-Rod was opting out of the final three seasons of his contract with the New York Yankees. The timing left baseball officials livid.

"We were very disappointed that Scott Boras would try to upstage our premier baseball event of the season with his announcement," Bob DuPuy, baseball's chief operating officer, said Monday in an e-mail to The Associated Press.

You know, I was wondering about the timing of that myself. Glad to see that MLB was not happy with it either. Must have had some Yankee blood in him still to time that the way he did.

Plastic Jesus

The Local - Church plans Lego sculpture of Jesus:

"A church in Västerås is asking parishioners to donate enough pieces of white Lego to create a life-size statue of Jesus. A local priest is leading the drive to construct a white plastic Jesus in the central Swedish town. Per Wilder estimates that 20,000 Lego blocks will be needed to complete the project."

When I was in my early teen years I remember a song about 'Plastic Jesus' riding on the dashboard of my car. Guess He just got bigger.

Why does this offend me?

Still possibe to win the title

Well, one of my favorite NASCAR drivers won his first race in the Bush Series

How much more stupid can things get

Hunters Told Not To Give To The Needy

Rick's Custom Processing in Collinsville is part of a statewide
program called "Hunters Against Hunger." Hunters, who kill more than
they plan to eat, can bring the deer here. For a small donation, Rick
will process the deer and give the meat to the hungry.


"They was all real happy and real thankful. Some of ‘em don't get to
eat much meat. This way, it's right at Christmas time or Thanksgiving
and it helps them. This way they can get a decent meal,” said Rick Hall
of Rick’s Custom Processing.


But, Hall says the good deed may have to end.


"The Tulsa County Health Department says it's against the law
because it's not USDA inspected meat. So, therefore, that means that
I'm not supposed to give to nobody in the public,” said Rick Hall of
Rick’s Custom Processing.

Here are people trying to do good. It is not costing the state anything, they feed the poor and pay for it themselves. Why does the state want to stop it. The man's shop is inspected, it just is not USDA. And only Tulsa County Health department is stopping it.

It just makes no sense. Especially since my brother-in-law slaughters his pigs sometimes and I get some of the meat from them. That is just good eating. And it is well taken care of by the slaughterhouse.

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The clowns are getting sued, finally

BALTIMORE, Oct. 25 —

Before the March 2006 funeral for Lance Cpl.
Matthew A. Snyder, a marine who was killed in Iraq, protesters from the
Westboro Baptist Church, a tiny fundamentalist splinter group, picketed
the service with signs that read “God Hates You” and “Thank God for
Dead Soldiers.”

Albert Snyder, Corporal Snyder’s father, sued the church in
United States District Court here, claiming invasion of privacy and
intentional infliction of emotional distress.

Judge Richard D. Bennett, who is hearing the case, told the nine jurors
that there are limits on free speech protection, listing categories
that include vulgar, offensive and shocking statements, and instructed
jurors to decide “whether the defendant’s actions would be
highly offensive to a reasonable person, whether they were extreme and
outrageous, and whether these actions were so offensive and shocking as
to not be entitled to First Amendment protection,” according to
The A.P.

I think I am a reasonable person, and I am offended by this clowns. They do not represent Christ in any way shame or form that I know of. They have picketed the church that I go to because we have a ministry that reaches out to homosexuals that want to leave that lifestyle. All they want is a audience to play to. It is sad that they do what they do and inflict pain. I do not expect a court case to stop them, but maybe enough legal action will stop them. Maybe

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You really have to wonder how a smark kid came from this mother!

FOXNews.com - Mom Charged With Drunken Driving After 8-Year-Old Son Calls 911 - Local News | News Articles | National News | US News:

"VANCOUVER, Wash. — A woman has been arrested for investigation of drunken driving and other charges following repeated calls to 911 from her 8-year-old son, who was in the car, Clark County sheriff's deputies said."

Smart Kid... Dumb mom!

Something to think about.

AH... For the good old days,

When Men were men and computer games were fun.....

Class Act by a great group of people

Playoff money going to coach's family - FOX23 News:

"The Drillers are one of the Rockies' minor league teams. Before the playoffs started, the Rockies players voted to give the Coolbaugh family a full share of their playoff winnings, and now that they're in the World Series that could be as much as nearly $400,000.
It's a tragedy Tulsa Drillers Clubhouse Manager Greg Criser will remember for the rest of his life. “I've never come close to dealing with something like that."
Drillers Coach Mike Coolbaugh was killed when he was hit by a line drive. Three months later Greg still has two of Mike's jerseys. “I'm going to get them framed and we're going to hang them in the clubhouse forever for the guys."
But as tough as Mike's death has been on Greg, he can't imagine what its been like for Mike's family. “My heart goes out to them because they have the two little ones and the baby on the way, which should be due anytime now."
The word of the tragedy quickly spread throughout the Rockies organization, all the way to the big league team in Colorado. "

While I am a Red Sox fan though and through, if the Sox make it to the Series, it may be hard to root for them. This is a class thing to do for this family that lost their father through a freak accident as he coached First Base for the Tulsa Drillers. May they be blessed for what they are doing.

On the other hand....

This is COOL!

This is so wrong....

So VERY wrong....

Some Adults just make me angry!!!!!

MyFox New York | Fox 5 Exclusive: Child Thief in Seaside Heights:

"This Fox 5 exclusive is incredible not because of the crime itself but because of who the thief is -- a little girl not old enough to go to kindergarten, but what she's learning is frightening. And it raises serious questions about the adult who is with her."

Watch the video, it is just sick!!

Someone forgot to take his meds.....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sE76LQwT6qA

Maybe it was cause he mentioned the Skull and Bones secret society that they took him out? Could be.....

A less in focus version

Top 12 reasons I like racing

Prayer requested for my son.

The Associated Press: Powerful Earthquake Kills 5 in Indonesia:

"The quake could be felt in the Indonesian capital, Jakarta, 375 miles away, where office workers streamed down the stairwells of tall, swaying buildings. It also caused tall buildings to sway in neighboring Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand.
The undersea quake hit at about 6:10 p.m. (7:10 a.m. EDT), the U.S. Geological Survey said. It was centered 80 miles southwest of Sumatra island at a depth of 18.6 miles."

My son Gabe is in Jakarta and I did get an email from him that all is well with his wife and my two grand-sons. Please be in prayer for them as this is the 2nd quake they have been through in about 1 month.

Kind of wonder what God was thinking sometime???

ReverendFun.com : Cartoon for Sep 7, 2007: "God's Kitchen"

Check it out, I thought it was funny

From the Starting then young aren't they department

Tulsa World:

"ENID, Okla. (AP) -- Detectives arrested a 12-year-old girl and her 10-year-old sister on a kidnapping complaint on Thursday after they allegedly abducted their neighbor's 1-year-old son and held him for $200,000 ransom.

I am not sure what I can say to add to this. A 12 year old and a 10 year old. How much you want to bet mom makes excuses for them....

Thor in Oklahoma

CAPTAIN COMICS: Mighty Thor returns | TheNewsTribune.com | Tacoma, WA: "

And with 'Thor' No. 1 shipping July 5, he's back -- in Oklahoma. How? Why? I asked editor Warren Simons, who answered obliquely, 'There is a great line in the first issue that addresses Ragnarok and its role in Norse mythology: 'The cycle of Ragnarok was what happened to you, it's not who you are.''"
As to the location, there are those who argue the Vikings made it as far as Oklahoma, and left rune stones there (Google it, if you don't believe me). Which is one key difference from the old series, that the Norse Gods will be hanging out a hammer's throw from Muskogee, and interacting with "flyover land" mortals on a regular basis.

As a fan of comics when I was a kid and in teens and 20's I can not believe that we are actually getting a comic book star here in Oklahoma. I wonder where the guy will hang out. Maybe he can strike the Belvidere with his hammer and bring it back to its original state (just joking guys).

One exception: Thor's outfit has been altered a bit, thanks to writer J. Michael Straczynski and artist Olivier Coipel. Simons describes the new look as "warrior's garb -- something that a warrior might wear into battle."

Wow, JMS as a writer. 'Loved Babylon 5' so I am sure it will be good. May have to go find the issue someplace.

But the thunder will still be there. And it's about time -- comics fans have missed our favorite Thunder God, and the Oklahoma farmers can use the rain!

Well, the author of the article should look into the current situation. We need the Thunder God to stop the rain. I am about ready to build an ark in my back yard. Statistics in OK have been kept since the 1890s, and they say that this past June was the coolest on record. That is because we had like 29 days of rain.

What is work? What is Ministry

The Corner: A Moratorium on the M Word ?:

"A friend in our rag-tag group shared an anecdote that underscores some of the perverse irony of the categorical use of the word ministry. Their faith community supports, in a small financial fashion, a person who works with special needs kids. A person who also is a member of their faith community works for an NGO that works with the exact same kids. Another member processes the governmental paperwork that allows those kids & their families to receive aid that they live on. Recently, a new member joined their community who is a teacher for these exact same kids.

Formally, this wonderful faith community recognizes one of these 4 people as 'ministry' - the other 3 do work. The fellow who told the story was grounded to say simply 'this is stupid, right ?'."

An interesting article. It suggests that the word ministry needs to be removed as aren't we all supposed to do ministry? If on my job, I give a person some advice on how to fix a computer, even if I do not give them scripture, do I minister to them. I am to do my job as it were doing it for the Lord.

Give it a read.

And I thought that my van was ugly!

FOX Sports on MSN - NASCAR - Edwards' ride gets Red Sox makeover:

"Edwards' No. 99 car has been repainted white, with the traditional red stitches of a baseball, to celebrate his first visit to the land of the Boston Red Sox since the ballclub's owners invested in his race team. The car will also sport the Red Sox name and logo on the hood and sides, and even Edwards' helmet has been painted white with red seams."

Now, I am a Red Sox fan, and I am a NASCAR fan, but follow the link and see of you do not agree that this is the ugliest looking car that you have ever seen. They could have done Red Sox, they could have done Lumber Liquidators, or any of the smaller companies, but to have them all on the car with a baseball stiching design....AGGGGGGHHHHH

A NASCAR Ministry

ESPN - Ashenfelter: Shepherd racing on a shoestring and a cause - Nascar:

"'Our main goal is to be here and to serve the Lord -- that's what we're about with the [Racing with] Jesus logo on the car,' Shepherd said. 'But we're serious about our racing, too. It [just] takes dollars to do it.'"

The car wrecked at Kentucky was purchased from Robert Yates Racing, after it had been involved in a wreck. Shepherd and his all-volunteer team worked on the chassis, and the car was converted to a Dodge.

The motor was used in Shepherd's Nextel Cup car, and the team made the alterations necessary for it to be legal in the Busch Series.

"We just took parts and pieces ... [building it] one piece at a time," Shepherd said.

65 years old and racing for the Lord. Living off a shoestring budget is not the way it should be, but I am impressed with this man and cheer for him when I see him on the races on TV. Here is hoping that he makes the NH race.

NASCAR does not fine things logically

NASCAR suspends Musgrave for one race - NASCAR - Yahoo! Sports:

"DAYTONA BEACH, FLORIDA (TICKER) -- NASCAR on Wednesday suspended Ted Musgrave from competition until July 3 for an on-track altercation during last week's Craftsman Truck Series race in Milwaukee.

Musgrave, the driver of the No. 9 Toyota Tundra, appeared to intentionally ram the nose of his truck into the driver's-side door of rookie Kelly Bires' truck after the two were involved in a crash Friday in the Toyota Tundra Milwaukee 200.

NASCAR officials black-flagged Musgrave immediately following the incident.

In addition to missing this weekend's race at Memphis Motorsports Park, Musgrave was docked 50 points, fined $10,000 and placed on probation until December 31."

So why, when Kyle Bush, in the premier series, runs into Tony Steward's car on pit row and endangers a pit crew member, gets a slap on the hand and told not to do this any more. If Musgrave does not get to race for one race, why did Bush get to continue?

NASCAR needs to get there act together.

When will they ever learn?

FOXNews.com - Michigan Woman Claims Starburst Candies Are Dangerously Chewy in Lawsuit

"Starburst Fruit Chews are exactly as their name would indicate: chewy. But one Boston-area woman says the candies are so chewy, they should come with a warning label."Victoria McArthur, of Romero, Mich., is suing Starbursts' parent company, Mars Inc., for more than $25,000 for "permanent personal injuries" she claims she sustained after biting into one of their yellow candy in 2005.

"I don't know, maybe about 3 chews and it literally locked my jaw … and it just literally pulled my jaw out of joint," she told MyFoxDetroit.com.

Has everyone gone suing happy? This is ridiculous. Should I sue because I lost a filling when I ate one? When will people stop thinking about what they can get from everyone else and start to do for themselves?

Who owns NASCAR numbers?

FOX Sports on MSN - NASCAR - Report: DEI can't sell No. 8 to Hendrick:

"Hendrick Motorsports may have Dale Earnhardt in their stable, but they won't be able to buy his trademark No. 8.

Dale Earnhardt Inc. will not be allowed to sell the No. 8 to Hendrick or any other team, according to a report on the Charlotte Observer Web site.

According to the report, spokesman Ramsey Poston reiterated that NASCAR owns and assigns all car numbers and said a team cannot sell numbers on their own accord.

'NASCAR owns the numbers and licenses them to teams on an annual basis,' Poston said in the report. 'A team may allow another team to use the number for that year pending NASCAR's approval.'

Poston said in the report that each year a team submits the numbers it wants to use. Numbers a team has previously been using are usually reissued. If a team gives up a number, it returns to NASCAR for reassignment. Selling the numbers is not an option."

Seems Michael Waltrip said this last week on 'Inside Nextel Cup' on Speed Channel. I was waiting for the attempt at money to change hands for the number to see if it would happen. I wonder if NASCAR was wanting their piece of the pie. Maybe they will need it to fund the ATT suite they are doing?

From the 'Life is funnier than movies' department

FOXNews.com - World Hot Dog-Eating Champion Crippled by Jaw Injury

"TOKYO — A Japanese man who set a world record by wolfing down dozens of hot dogs within minutes has suffered a severe jaw injury due to his rigorous training, making his next title uncertain.

Takeru 'Tsunami'' Kobayashi said he can only open his mouth to make a gap the size of a fingertip after being diagnosed with jaw arthritis."

This is just really to funny. I feel sad for the guy, but if you wrote this in a movie or TV show, no one would really believe it.

The Car has an owner - sort of

When the car was buried in 1957, more than 800 people submitted guesses on what Tulsa's population — which was around 250,000 in 1957 — would be in 2007. Guesses ranged from zero to 2 billion, but Raymond E. Humbertson's guess of 384,743 was only slightly off the official U.S. Census count of 382,457.

Winner of buried Belvedere died in 1979 - Yahoo! News

Seems like the winner died in 1979.  Some how, the fact that he and his wife pased away with no children seems appropriate concsidering the shape of the car. 

The Car unvailed

KOTV.com - The News On 6

Well, the car has been uncovered. Ms. Belvedere has been opened. Water seeped in and rusted the car out. The case of beer in 'tin cans' got rusted also. The time capsule came through unharmed and a beautiful 48 star American flag came out of it. Warning, go to the link and the video is 43 minutes long and when I started to watch it there was a lot of stopping for buffering. There are links to other stories that the local station did as well. It was even on ABC national news tonight. I guess we got attention for something neat.

It really is a shame the car and a lot of the interior got wrecked. It would have been nice to see it in good condition.

The Car is out

KOTV.com - The News On 6

A 50 year old new car has been removed from its time capsule. They had a little water in the nuclear war proof vault but it is up and will be unveiled tonight.

FOXNews.com - Oklahoma Convenience Stores Terrorized by Diaper Flasher - Local News | News Articles | National News | US News

FOXNews.com - Oklahoma Convenience Stores Terrorized by Diaper Flasher - Local News | News Articles | National News | US News:

"TULSA, Okla. — A man who's flashed several Tulsa, Okla., convenience store clerks wearing only a diaper has struck again.
Authorities said the man made his fourth appearance last week striking a Broken Arrow, Okla., gas station, FOX affiliate, KOKI-TV reports.
“You can't help but laugh about a man wearing a diaper in public, but the key part is he's exposing himself,” Corp. Mark Mears of the Tulsa Police Department told KOKI-TV.
Store clerk Kyle Holdman told the station that his friend was working the night of the flasher's latest appearance.
'He was just kind of like creeped out by it,' Holdman told KOKI-TV. 'The guy went into the bathroom and came back in a diaper. He told him he needed to go find somewhere else to do that.”"

Why do we always make the headlines for stupid stuff. I mean, Tulsa is digging up a huge time capsule this weekend and do you hear about that on the news. A 1957 Belvedere is a better story than a man in a diaper I would think!

Mr, Wizzard had gone home

FOXNews.com - Don Herbert, 'Mr. Wizard,' Dies at 89 - Celebrity Gossip | Entertainment News | Arts And Entertainment:

"In 'Watch Mr. Wizard,' which was produced from 1951 to 1964 and received a Peabody Award in 1954, Herbert turned TV into an entertaining classroom. On a simple, workshop-like set, he demonstrated experiments using household items.

'He modeled how to predict and measure and analyze. ... The show today might seem slow but it was in-depth and forced you to think along,' Jacobs said. 'You were learning about the forces of nature.'"

We will miss you Mr. Wizzard. My love of science came from you.

Sermon Notes - Grace Church - How You Give is Important

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.

Grace Church

03/11/2007

Pastor Bob Yandian

God's Financial Plan 2

How You Give is Important

There are two sides to giving. Spiritual and natural are what they are. God does not mean for us to live continually on the edge.

Tithing is not under the law:

Gen 14:20 KJV

(20) And blessed be the most high God, which hath delivered thine enemies into thy hand. And he gave him tithes of all.

Tithing is a free will gift that we give to God. It is a choice. It came 430 years before the law was given. Tithing was not introduced in the law, it was reinforced in the law. Three things that were there before the law were sacrifices (they started with Adam and Eve and went through Jacob at least), the Sabbath (we are instructed to remember it), and the tithe.

God gives seed to sowers, not keepers.

Gen 15:1 KJV

(1) After these things the word of the LORD came unto Abram in a vision, saying, Fear not, Abram: I am thy shield, and thy exceeding great reward.

God rewarded Abram for the tithe that he gave. God had to tell him not to be in fear, that He would reward Abram. Money often becomes our shield, we feel that if we have enough that we can survive any problem. God is our 'exceeding great reward'. Exceeding, Hebrew is meod, means speedily increasing or ever increasing. Great is ratah in Hebrew and means abundance. Reward sakar in Hebrew and means salary or supply of money. God is saying He will be an ever increasing abundance of money. Stop looking to what you have to be your increasing reward.

Abraham is a type of us. Melchisedec is a type of Jesus (no beginning or end, and from Salem (Jerusalem, peace).

Heb 7:4-8 KJV

(4) Now consider how great this man was, unto whom even the patriarch Abraham gave the tenth of the spoils.

(5) And verily they that are of the sons of Levi, who receive the office of the priesthood, have a commandment to take tithes of the people according to the law, that is, of their brethren, though they come out of the loins of Abraham:

(6) But he whose descent is not counted from them received tithes of Abraham, and blessed him that had the promises.

(7) And without all contradiction the less is blessed of the better.

(8) And here men that die receive tithes; but there he receiveth them, of whom it is witnessed that he liveth.

Melchisedec is mentioned in verse 6. Verse 8 shows us that now people receive tithes but as they do Jesus receives them also in heaven.

Abraham gave the tenth. Melchisedec received. Priests take the tithe (it was required under the law), bun now men (ministers of God) receive your offering (not take it). Under law, tithing was taxation. When you give here on earth, a man who will die will receive it. Jesus receives it also, but He has no use of money. He receives the attitude that we give it with. Just as we choose to walk in love to Jesus, we walk in tithe as well.

Tithing was mentioned many place in the law and was always free will.

Gen 28:19-22 KJV

(19) And he called the name of that place Bethel: but the name of that city was called Luz at the first.

(20) And Jacob vowed a vow, saying, If God will be with me, and will keep me in this way that I go, and will give me bread to eat, and raiment to put on,

(21) So that I come again to my father's house in peace; then shall the LORD be my God:

(22) And this stone, which I have set for a pillar, shall be God's house: and of all that thou shalt give me I will surely give the tenth unto thee.

Gen 32:10 KJV

(10) I am not worthy of the least of all the mercies, and of all the truth, which thou hast shewed unto thy servant; for with my staff I passed over this Jordan; and now I am become two bands.

Jacob left poor and returned prosperous.

2 Chronicles 30 tells the story of Hezekiah who wanted the people to start to celebrate the passover and to start the tithe again. It had not been done for centuries and they became prosperous when they did. This is show in Nehemiah 10: 34 - 39 as well. They were told to reinstate the tithe and they became wealthy again.

1Co 13:3 KJV

(3) And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing.

Giving is designed to profit us. If you give with out love it does not profit us at all.

Luk 6:35-38 KJV

(35) But love ye your enemies, and do good, and lend, hoping for nothing again; and your reward shall be great, and ye shall be the children of the Highest: for he is kind unto the unthankful and to the evil.

(36) Be ye therefore merciful, as your Father also is merciful.

(37) Judge not, and ye shall not be judged: condemn not, and ye shall not be condemned: forgive, and ye shall be forgiven:

(38) Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again.

There are many other things to do. But they all reflect your attitude towards God and His people.