Gentle Ministries - Devotionals, Sermons, Humor and Forums - Be - Do - Have (Life's Secrets)
No one can make you feel inferior without your consent.
.....Eleanor Roosevelt.....
Intersting quote.. the whole article gets me thinking

Yahoo! News - City of Brotherly Love Kicks Off Gay Ad Campaign
I guess it really is the city of Brotherly Love. I do sincerely hope that no taxpayer funds were used to pay for this. I hate to think that they were supportive of one lifestyle over another...

Ind. Man Survives 69,000-Volt Shock - NWCN.com | News
Darwin was obviously wrong. I thought the most intelligent were supposed to survive.

The fence Grisham climbed is 7 feet tall and has three strands of barbed wire on top of it, and there are "clearly visible signs" saying "Danger/High Voltage," Protogere said.

Proof that the guy could not read!

Mother of Military (MOM) for President Bush :: Main Page
To the author of these cartoons THANK YOU!. Take a look, and no matter how you feel about the war in Iraq, have a laugh.

Notes from Radio Broadcast for week

Joyce Myers Ministries - Enjoying Every Day Life

NOTE: Though Mrs. Myers uses the Amplified Bible, all translations quoted here are the King James version. All notes are based on what I heard not necessarily what she preached. You may listen to the broadcast at Her web site for up to 20 days after broadcast.
Weary, Worn Out, and Overworked
May 24
If you do not have balance you will have burnout. Doing the same thing over and over is not good, we were made to have a variety in life. Some people work so hard for God that they do not have time for God.

1Pe 5:8 Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:

When you get out of balance, you open yourself to the devil. We are a society driven by society, but we are to be led by the Holy Spirit. Just as a plant needs to be pruned or cut back so that it can grow, we need to prune parts of our lives.

May 25
It is impossible to make everyone happy. You have to have boundaries and the boundary word that you need to use is 'NO'.

Mat 11:28 Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.

Jesus would go off and be alone some times. He set boundaries. You need to 'come apart' before you come apart. And really, some of us need a good nights sleep.

Exo 20:1 And God spake all these words, saying,
Exo 20:2 I am the LORD thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.
Exo 20:3 Thou shalt have no other gods before me.
Exo 20:4 Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth:
Exo 20:7 Thou shalt not take the name of the LORD thy God in vain; for the LORD will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain.
Exo 20:8 Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy.
Exo 20:9 Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work:
Exo 20:10 But the seventh day is the sabbath of the LORD thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates:
Exo 20:11 For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the LORD blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it.

While the Sabbath may be under the law, it is the principle that needs to be followed here. (By the way, we do not throw out the other commandments cause they are under the law). You are breaking the Spiritual law of rest. What ever work is to you, you need to knock it off for one day out of the week. Part of that time spend time in worship to God, maybe also spend time with the family.

May 26
Be careful that you do not give yourself over to worldly things. People do not put time into relationships any more. How can you be a friend if you are to busy. As your body ages you change. You can not keep the pace you did at an ealier age. So do not try to. Change your habits. Your body will brake down if you try to. Even God rested. During creation He stepped back and enjoyed His creation. You stifle creativity if you are tired all the time.

May 27
When you have excess in one are you will pay for it in another area. When you get stressed out you most certainly will not want to do the things of God. BUSY is a four letter word. We need to take time to enjoy what God has given us.

May 28

1Ki 19:1 And Ahab told Jezebel all that Elijah had done, and withal how he had slain all the prophets with the sword.
1Ki 19:2 Then Jezebel sent a messenger unto Elijah, saying, So let the gods do to me, and more also, if I make not thy life as the life of one of them by to morrow about this time.
1Ki 19:3 And when he saw that, he arose, and went for his life, and came to Beersheba, which belongeth to Judah, and left his servant there.
1Ki 19:4 But he himself went a day's journey into the wilderness, and came and sat down under a juniper tree: and he requested for himself that he might die; and said, It is enough; now, O LORD, take away my life; for I am not better than my fathers.

How do you go from being a mighty man of God to scared man wanting to die another day. He let himself get worn out, he needed a good night sleep. When you get over tired this will happen. How do we know he needed sleep?

1Ki 19:5 And as he lay and slept under a juniper tree, behold, then an angel touched him, and said unto him, Arise and eat.
1Ki 19:6 And he looked, and, behold, there was a cake baken on the coals, and a cruse of water at his head. And he did eat and drink, and laid him down again.
1Ki 19:7 And the angel of the LORD came again the second time, and touched him, and said, Arise and eat; because the journey is too great for thee.
1Ki 19:8 And he arose, and did eat and drink, and went in the strength of that meat forty days and forty nights unto Horeb the mount of God.

He was sleeping and eating for several days so that he could build himself up. He was over worked and spiritual dull.

Pro 24:30 I went by the field of the slothful, and by the vineyard of the man void of understanding;
Pro 24:31 And, lo, it was all grown over with thorns, and nettles had covered the face thereof, and the stone wall thereof was broken down.
Pro 24:32 Then I saw, and considered it well: I looked upon it, and received instruction.
Pro 24:33 Yet a little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to sleep:
Pro 24:34 So shall thy poverty come as one that travelleth; and thy want as an armed man.

Now on the other hand, do not go the other way and get lazy. God wants us to do things. He puts into our hearts the desire to do things. Do not be lazy.

May 23, 2004 AM Service Sermon Notes

Bob Yandian

Grace Fellowship.

Ecc 11:9 Rejoice, O young man, in thy youth; and let thy heart cheer thee in the days of thy youth, and walk in the ways of thine heart, and in the sight of thine eyes: but know thou, that for all these things God will bring thee into judgment.

Though you can chase after other things, remember that you will stand before God in the end.

Ecc 11:10 Therefore remove sorrow from thy heart, and put away evil from thy flesh: for childhood and youth are vanity.

Youth is a passing thing. Without God, youth is nothing. Do not forget God to pursue worldly things when you are young.

Ecc 12:1 Remember now thy Creator in the days of thy youth, while the evil days come not, nor the years draw nigh, when thou shalt say, I have no pleasure in them;

Stay with the Lord or when you reach old age you will say you have no pleasure in life. Things in life cannot substitute for a walk with God. This does not say do not have things, just do not let them get in the way of your walk with God.

This shows Solomon turning his back on God and walking after the things of the world. In the end he says it was not good. Verse 12:1 says basically, 'been there, done that, it does not satisfy, stay with God'. Solomon pursues five things in an attempt to seek the worldly things. Again, none of them are wrong in themselves, unless they cause you to put them before God.

1. Earthly Wisdom

Ecc 1:18 For in much wisdom is much grief: and he that increaseth knowledge increaseth sorrow.
When you acquire more knowledge, it generally will not satisfy, as you find no matter how much you learn, there is still more to learn when you are done. To live to just acquire knowledge is a sad thing.

2. Pleasure
Ecc 2:10 And whatsoever mine eyes desired I kept not from them, I withheld not my heart from any joy; for my heart rejoiced in all my labour: and this was my portion of all my labour.
Ecc 2:11 Then I looked on all the works that my hands had wrought, and on the labour that I had laboured to do: and, behold, all was vanity and vexation of spirit, and there was no profit under the sun.

He got what ever he wanted to get so he would be satisfied. In the end he was not. In fact, the more stuff you get the more responsibility you have to take care of it.

3. Possesions
Ecc 2:15 Then said I in my heart, As it happeneth to the fool, so it happeneth even to me; and why was I then more wise? Then I said in my heart, that this also is vanity.
Ecc 2:16 For there is no remembrance of the wise more than of the fool for ever; seeing that which now is in the days to come shall all be forgotten. And how dieth the wise man? as the fool.

After you die, you will not be remembered of any more than the fool. You will both be in the ground. Pastor Bob tells the story of a preacher who God let him see his death, and they buried him, and the people there to mourn go back to the church for a dinner. Afterwards he sees some one say 'pass the potato salad.' After his death, the food was more important then he was.

Ecc 2:18 Yea, I hated all my labour which I had taken under the sun: because I should leave it unto the man that shall be after me.
Ecc 2:19 And who knoweth whether he shall be a wise man or a fool? yet shall he have rule over all my labour wherein I have laboured, and wherein I have shewed myself wise under the sun. This is also vanity.

It is suggested he talks of suicide here. But what it does say is the he did not know who would gain his possessions, might that person be a fool (and it was, his son Rehoboum was a fool).

4. Heritage
Ecc 2:23 For all his days are sorrows, and his travail grief; yea, his heart taketh not rest in the night. This is also vanity.

He could not sleep at night knowing that his kids could wind up being fools and getting all of his things.

Ecc 2:26 For God giveth to a man that is good in his sight wisdom, and knowledge, and joy: but to the sinner he giveth travail, to gather and to heap up, that he may give to him that is good before God. This also is vanity and vexation of spirit.

Train kids in God's way. They will not have to worry about things, for God will make money come to them from the hands of the fools.

5. Philosophy he tried the philoshies of the day -

a. Person who belives in a time for everything.

Ecc 3:1 To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven:
Ecc 3:2 A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted;
Ecc 3:3 A time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up;
Ecc 3:4 A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance;
Ecc 3:5 A time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing;
Ecc 3:6 A time to get, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away;
Ecc 3:7 A time to rend, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak;
Ecc 3:8 A time to love, and a time to hate; a time of war, and a time of peace.

b. Evolutionist
Ecc 3:18 I said in mine heart concerning the estate of the sons of men, that God might manifest them, and that they might see that they themselves are beasts.
Ecc 3:19 For that which befalleth the sons of men befalleth beasts; even one thing befalleth them: as the one dieth, so dieth the other; yea, they have all one breath; so that a man hath no preeminence above a beast: for all is vanity.

c. Universalism - no heaven or hell to go to
Ecc 3:20 All go unto one place; all are of the dust, and all turn to dust again.

d. Agnostic
Ecc 3:21 Who knoweth the spirit of man that goeth upward, and the spirit of the beast that goeth downward to the earth?

d. Humanist
Ecc 3:22 Wherefore I perceive that there is nothing better, than that a man should rejoice in his own works; for that is his portion: for who shall bring him to see what shall be after him?


He found no pleasure in any of these things. In the end he says, 'Been there, done that, it does not work. '

The Off By One Web Browser
Need a browser that will fit on a floppy... may be interesting to play with.

Yahoo! News - Bible Argument Spurs Boiling-Oil Charge
Would have been interesting to know what verse they were fighting over.

Yahoo! News - Virtual Devils Curse Internet Church
If they had only asked me I could have told them this would happne. I do not know what it is about Internet resources that are focused for use by Christians that attracks people who are not Christians to be unruly around people who are, but it is predictable based on my expereince in IRC. Well I like the attitude of the person who is running it:

"In a way, we are facing the same problems faced by the first preachers who met resistance when they moved into new communities," said Goddard.

"But the church has always expanded into new communities and some of those are to be found in cyberspace now, so we are determined to carry on."

Grace Fellowship Sunday Morning 11:15 Service May 16, 2005
Pastor Bob Yandian

(Ecc 12:1) Remember now thy Creator in the days of thy youth, while the evil days come not, nor the years draw nigh, when thou shalt say, I have no pleasure in them;

Solomon wrote Ecclesiastes as a sort of opposite to the Proverbs. He tried to go and do the worldly things and see if there was satisfaction there. What he is saying in this verse is do not let your enjoyment be in things all around you, they will soon be gone.

The key to enjoying life can be found in Hebrews 2:15

(Heb 2:15) And deliver them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage.

Jesus came to deliver us from fear of death. We are not to fear it. Fear comes from ignorance.

Biblical views of death:

1. Gospel can be spread in your death as well as your life:
Phi 1:20 According to my earnest expectation and my hope, that in nothing I shall be ashamed, but that with all boldness, as always, so now also Christ shall be magnified in my body, whether it be by life, or by death.
Phi 1:21 For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.
Phi 1:22 But if I live in the flesh, this is the fruit of my labour: yet what I shall choose I wot not.
Phi 1:23 For I am in a strait betwixt two, having a desire to depart, and to be with Christ; which is far better:
Phi 1:24 Nevertheless to abide in the flesh is more needful for you.

2. It is alright to look forward to being with God in heaven.
2Co 5:8 We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord.

3. Spiritual strength replaces natural strength as you get older.
2Co 4:16 For which cause we faint not; but though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day.

4. Old age is the time to pass on blessings.
Heb 11:21 By faith Jacob, when he was a dying, blessed both the sons of Joseph; and worshipped, leaning upon the top of his staff.

Two things that you need to remember in your Christian life.
1. Quit living in the past.
2. Live your life to be a blessing to others.


Application to my life today: Since I am approaching the later time of my life this is appropriate. Death is a focus of life as one gets older. I never have feared death; at times I thought I would welcome it. But here it is quite clear that I can be effective in life. On the other hand, do not fear it, others can still come to know Jesus through my passing.

Note: All notes are my interpretation of what the speaker said and not necessarily what they said. All verses are King James version.

Sermon note - from CD
The Ultimate Question - Mike Fehlauer

Ephesians 5:
15 See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise, 16 Redeeming the time, because the days are evil. 17 Wherefore be ye not unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is.

We all have times of regrets. They are in all parts of our lives. If we could rewrite them we would. We want to limit them in our lives. Verse 15 leads to this (NIV says: Be careful how you live). There are two types of people, careful and careless people. And the careless people are divided into two groups, they realize what they do and want to fix it and those who could not care about the problems.
The ultimate question is: Is it wise? There are a lot of choices we face that are not addressed in the scriptures, and we need to ask ourselves this question. All other question will not give us an answer that leads up to what the will of God will be. This is a Biblical principal, and keeps us from self deception. We become submissive to God.
Because the time we are living in is evil (v. 16), we need to tap into the will of God. It looks like Paul is commanding us to understand things in verse 17, but that is not possible, you can not command or force anyone to understand things. What Paul is saying is 'face up to the fact of God's will.' Many decisions we make and then regret we have been pointed what we should do and we rejected it. Do not follow your heart; your heart can deceive (Jeremiah). Face up to the facts that you already know.
Three areas to apply the ultimate question:
1 Is it wise in light of my past experiences?
Based on what you have experienced is it wise to do what you have done before. Are there things that are in your life that predispose you to certain temptations? You do not want to get near the edge so that you can fall off.
2 Is it wise in light of my current circumstances?
Am I in the best place to make a life changing decision? It may be a great deal but it might be the wrong time to do it.
3 Is it wise in light of my future dreams and hopes?
Is this where I want me, my family, etc to be in ten years. You need to understand the time of life that you are in and what the demands are at this time. What guidelines are necessary for the time of life that you are in? Though they may seem small, each choice that you make is life altering. They will affect you in time and the series of them can cause you problem. We create a path of destruction with many of our decisions and they do not seem so bad at the time.

An attribute of wisdom: Proverbs 8:22 - 30

22 The LORD possessed me in the beginning of his way, before his works of old. 23 I was set up from everlasting, from the beginning, or ever the earth was. 24 When there were no depths, I was brought forth; when there were no fountains abounding with water. 25 Before the mountains were settled, before the hills was I brought forth: 26 While as yet he had not made the earth, nor the fields, nor the highest part of the dust of the world. 27 When he prepared the heavens, I was there: when he set a compass upon the face of the depth: 28 When he established the clouds above: when he strengthened the fountains of the deep: 29 When he gave to the sea his decree, that the waters should not pass his commandment: when he appointed the foundations of the earth: 30 Then I was by him, as one brought up with him: and I was daily his delight, rejoicing always before him; 31 Rejoicing in the habitable part of his earth; and my delights were with the sons of men.

Wisdom is saying that he was with God in creation; I was beside Him (like a master craftsman). Wisdom, God's wisdom will create the things we need to have. (Marriages, life, etc.).

Notes are my interpertation of what the speaker said. All scriptures are King James Version.

RSU interns focus on community service projects - Claremore Progress - Local News
A nice story about today's youth that you do not get to see much of. Story is made better because it is where I am going to school.

Tech support form I would like to see.
*I.T Department Computer Problem Self-Report Form*

*I.T Department Computer Problem Self-Report Form*

1. Describe your problem: ______________________________

2. Now, describe your problem accurately: _________________

3. Speculate wildly about the cause of the problem: __________

4. Problem Severity:
A. Minor__ B. Minor__ C. Minor__ D. Trivial__

5. Nature of the problem:
A. Locked Up__ B. Frozen__ C. Hung__ D. Shot__

6. Is your computer plugged in? Yes__ No__

7. Is it turned on? Yes__ No__

8. Have you tried to fix it yourself? Yes__ No__

9. Have you made it worse? Yes__

10. Have you read the manual? Yes__ No__

11. Are you sure you've read the manual? Yes__ No__

12. Are you absolutely certain you've read the manual? No__

13. Do you think you understood it? Yes__ No__

14. If `Yes,' then why can't you fix the problem yourself?____________

15. How tall are you? Are you above this line? ___________________

16. What were you doing with your computer at the time the problem
occurred?
________________________________

17. If 'nothing,' explain why you were logged in: ___________________

18. Are you sure you aren't imagining the problem? Yes__ No__

19. How does this problem make you feel? _______________________

20. Tell me about your childhood: _______________________________

21. Do you have any independent witnesses of the problem? Yes__ No__

22. Can't you do something else, instead of bothering me? Yes__

BBC NEWS | Entertainment | White House 'tried to block film':

"Film studio Disney had backed out of a deal to distribute the film in the US for political reasons, Moore says.
He has given no evidence to substantiate his allegations, but said 'someone connected to the White House' and a 'top Republican' had put pressure on film companies not to release the film."

If Bush had made statements like this about Moore, then he could be held to slander laws. But Moore can make statements like this with out proof and we are supposed to believe him. I was born during the day, not yesterday!

Gentle Ministries - A Missed Opportunity?
Some thoughts about The Passion movie by Mel Gisbson.

BLACKFIVE: Taking Chance Home
Just read it, no other comments are needed by me.

The New York Times > Sports > Baseball > Schilling's Interlocking Letters Are More Than They Seem
to obad they do not show the image, but the article says that instead of a NY on the hat, it says YH standing for Yankees hater. Thanks Curt, got to love anything that digs at the Yankees.

BBC NEWS | UK | Magazine | Glimpse inside the virtual church
Can't tear yourself away form the computer to go to church, no problem, it will come to you.....

Yahoo! News - HIV scare hits LA porn stars
It goes to show you, you do not want to get AIDS or HIV, do not have sex outside of marrige. When will they get it straight.

8-year-old escapes cupcake-tossing charge; Mother agrees driver had cause to be upset | The Patriot Ledger at SouthofBoston.com
Oh the humanity, this poor boy will be scared for the rest of his life. Being punished for throwing a cupcake at pick-up truck. You know what, I AGREE WITH IT. Ground the kid for life!