Brevia Notes

MEDICARE: Why it is going broke

2009-07-04T13:27:00.015-05:00

I just emerged from the hospital. I came in with two primary complaints: atrial fibrillation and stomach pain, both of which came about after a vomiting session of about an hour. For nearly 3 days, I struggled to get the old body back on even keel, but it kept wobbling. Finally, I went into the emergency room. By this time, I was dehydrated. In a few hours, they'd stabilized me, then admitted me.

I was then subjected to the usual stream of vampires who came at odd times, pushing their little cart filled with tools of torture, ranging from long slivers of rubber that could strangle a gorilla, to sharp instruments of torture that causes one to remember with shame the lies you told your child when those things were being shoved into their little limbs. And, of course there is the special tape that they put on with a smile, knowing at some point it will have to be torn off, ripping all the hair from the arms.

Little do these creatures care, though. They are designed only to suck blood.

What became fascinating to me during my nearly 6 days of being wrapped in multiple IV-tubes, was the parade of "specialists" that dropped by to see me. It was almost comedic. First, a strange face would appear in the door. Then, he'd step into the room and announce he was Dr. So and So, and ask, "How's your stomach?" Or, "Having any breathing difficulties?" Or, they inquire about something related to my physical condition.

Once I'd mumbled the "I'm all right," then he'd trust his stethoscope against my chest, move it around a few times, make me lean forward with the attendant "Breathe deep" command. Then, without more, would leave.

This went on for days. One doctor never even touched me. He just asked how my stomach was, then dropped his card on the stand and said to come see him in three days after I got out. One of them did identify himself afterwards by his speciality (it happened to be "internal medicine"), but mostly, they were a great mystery. (Frankly, I really didn't care who they were.)

And then came the epiphany. Suddenly, an image came into my mind. I can't get it out.

Imagine it with me, and I'll need not say any more:

Picture a scrawny old man (well, maybe not so scrawny), lying in a bed in a special gown labeled MEDICARE, and with lots of pockets. Poking from those pockets are lots of hundred dollar bills. There are half dozen doctors standing around the patient. Each them are doing things that are so ritual, they are almost religious. One doctor touches the patient's forehead with his right hand and with his left, removes some of those hundred dollar bills. Another takes a stethoscope, touches it to the chest of the patient, then removes several hundred dollars. They are even reaching over each other to get nearer the pockets, and two are massaging the patient's foot in order to complete the ritual.

Get the picture?

This is a bad system. Really bad.

Now, in fairness to my cardiologist and my personal physician, they're not in this caricature. They belonged in the picture. Indeed, it was my personal physician, not the specialists, who diagnosed my problem after reading the CT scan. More tests were made, including an MRI, which merely confirmed my doctor. I never heard a word from the specialists. Nothing. No analysis. No advice. They just floated into my room and out, ghosts in white.

I did notice that my gown's pockets were a bit light.

Mind Control in America

2009-06-14T09:23:00.007-05:00

An interesting mind control war is going on in America, mostly in the deep South. Florida and Texas have been havens for the notorious fire-ants, vicious little creatures that have flooded the states and caused havoc and chaos to the natural environments they have invaded. Originally from South America, they have been steadily growing in numbers. Recently, scientists discovered a natural predator to the ant: parasitic phorid flies.

This particular fly seeks out the fire-ant to lay its larvae. It actually implants the larvae into the head of the fire-ant. Mysteriously, once injected, the fire-ant becomes a zombie and wanders from its home and seeks out locations that are moist and populated with leaves, a home suitable for the fly. Eventually, the fire-ant loses its head, as the larvae eats the contents. The head literally falls off the body. Researchers have been importing these natural predators into these hard-hit states, and doing controlled releases. It’s apparently working.

Mind control has long been a sought-after goal by government agencies like the CIA, governments around the world, dictators and even individuals. Mostly, what has been wanted was a way to control the mind of an individual such that this person would obey every command given to him or her by a controller. Movies have depicted this control as coming from a radio beam to a device implanted in the mind of the controlled individual, or some kind of telepathic communications. There have been books and movies made where the controlled individual was, in essence, a “sleeper” waiting to be awakened in order to do the job his mind was previously programmed to do.

Actually, it has been achieved, but not like most have envisioned.

Mind control comes in different forms.

Today, the reading skills of our youth have plummeted. Our children don’t read books any more because they’re too busy playing games. Ignorant parents ignore this obsession kids have with their game toys, arguing that it really does develop their minds, blah, blah, blah. It develops their minds all right. It trains them to think in the strange, reality-warped ways a particular game is programed. In short, our kids are programed to think like...well, like a program has taught them to think.

This isn’t a scholastic program. It’s a program designed to take a program’s surreal fiction and turn it into a kid’s reality. Sadly, when the child grows up, he’s still hooked into the games, still programmed in ways he cannot even begin to understand.

America has been “dumbed down.” America’s mental prowess is being undermined and our national intellect is shrinking. Our children, and millions of our entire population are being dominated by games, by movies, and by an array of television “reality shows” that are as unreal a depiction of life as Roy Rogers was to the Old West.

We’ve had some parasitic flies (translate: entrepreneurs) plant their larvae into the brains of our populace. The implantation has done something to the brains of our children and ourselves. We find our children seeking out places that are alien to being a good, productive, and intelligent citizen. We find them no longer feeding their minds with the kind of information designed to help our species grow and prosper. Instead, they’re finding paths that are destructive and contra to their well being. They’ve become intellectual zombies, their minds controlled by clever contraptions that cause them, among other things, to shut out the rest of the world, to deny their mind the food it needs to grow, and to go in paths that ultimately lead to their destruction.

Corporately, we’ve lost a lot of heads. Every day, a child shuts his or her mind off from the rest of the world and plugs it into a game, or into a stream of endless peckings of abbreviated messages that no one will ever remember, and no one will ever see again.Endless hours are being poured into the manipulation of devices in order to achieve one of two goals: a programmers design, i.e., kill the monster, find the gold, etc.; or, text someone some gibberish that the recipient will forget by the next morning, and no other human on the planet will ever benefit from.

If we don’t correct the course, we will lose far more than millions of heads.

We will become controlled subjects of a nation far superior to us, intellectually, that did not lose its head to games, television and movies.

And that will be another, far worse, kind of mind control.

The Life of a Pastor Can Be Tough

2009-06-11T20:36:00.005-05:00

I've been thinking, lately, about the life of a pastor. It can be a hectic one, very stressful, full of surprises, and full of dangers. It is not uncommon for pastors to suffer "burnout," where they are so stressed out and emotionally drained, that something within just shuts down, and they become listless, their energy declines, and sometimes, they are transformed from an energetic, zealous man of God, into a zombie-like robot, without feelings.

I'm about to give a lecture to some professionals and students, and one of the things that I intend to mention is something that I became acutely aware of some years ago, to wit, the demands on a pastor, and the roles he must play. Today's pastor must be multi-talented, be a multi-tasker, and must have skill sets that are beyond his calling and training. It used to be that a pastor needed only to have a heart for the people, be a good preacher, and that was sufficient. Today, he's got to wear the hat of a counselor, be a psychologist, a part-time gad-fly, going about to this function and that party, a politician, and, gasp! a lawyer. These are in addition to being a theologian, a full time student, and a speech maker.

I was reminded of these things today when I read an excellent article by a friend, Dan Burrell. Dan has worn all those hats, and more. He's a professional, having seen life from behind the pulpit and in front of it. He's still in ministry, serving the Lord and doing a good job. And, he's a fabulous writer, one of the best I know.

You would gain much by reading his articles on this subject. It's entitled What Your Pastor Wishes You Knew About Him. Here's the first paragraph. Do click below and read the entire set.

"In the last week, I’ve spent time talking with three pastors who are about ready to throw in the proverbial towel. Each case is different and no two pastors, churches, boards or any other “part” of church leadership is exactly the same, but what is common among them is a sense of deep despair. Sadly, in the last week, I’ve also heard of two colleagues in the ministry who ended their ministry with a catastrophic failure — one of them a rising evangelical leader who admitted to an affair. Not in every case, but in some cases, I’ve noticed a correlation to the thought processes between those who burnout in ministry and those who “flame out” due to sin. But whether you burnout, flame out, drop out or rust out — out is still out." -- Read all of: What Your Pastor Wishes You Knew About Him.

Interview: Adam Blumer's Fatal Illusions

2009-05-06T21:17:00.011-05:00

I’m interviewing Adam Blumer, who lives in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula with his wife, Kim, and his daughters, Laura and Julia. Adam works full-time as a freelance writer and editor. A print journalism graduate of Bob Jones University (Greenville, SC), he served in editorial roles for fourteen years at Northland Baptist Bible College (Dunbar, WI) and Awana Clubs International Headquarters (Streamwood, IL). He has published numerous short stories and articles. Kregel Publications (Grand Rapids, MI) plans to release his first novel, Fatal Illusions, on March 31, 2009.

Adam, This is your debut novel. Congratulations! What gave you the inspiration for this story?

Frank Peretti’s earliest supernatural thrillers taught me that Christian novels can do more than entertain. I wanted to write something not only suspenseful but also meaningful. My prayer is that the message will resonate with readers and maybe even challenge their spiritual thinking a little bit.

The novels of Mary Higgins Clark also inspired me. I studied the organization and plot lines of her novels and wondering if I could write something as good. I also like her shifting points of view and her short, numerous chapters. (Readers might notice a resemblance.) Her novel You Belong to Me especially inspired me to try my own hand at a serial killer, “female in jeopardy” suspense tale. Because most Christian readers are women, I decided to make my main protagonist female—in fact, a pastor’s wife, a protagonist you don’t read about very often. Add to that my love of true crime and forensic science, and I was on my way.

A past experience also provided a creative springboard. A church voted to remove from membership a believer who was sincerely repentant of immorality. I began to play the “what if” game in my mind. What if the person who was disciplined got really ticked? What if he or she became mad enough to kill? I thought a church discipline scenario created an unusual motive for murder—hence one of the subplots in Fatal Illusions. I also read Ruth Brandon’s The Life and Many Deaths of Harry Houdini. This biography of the famous illusionist fascinated me and helped me develop the characterization of my serial killer. In fact, readers will discover an important plot clue connected to Houdini.

I remember getting my first contract on a western fiction story I wrote, and how elated I was at getting it. If they'd have only known, they could have gotten it for free! There must have been a giant sigh of relief from you to see that "accepted" from the publisher. How long did it take you to get your first book contract?

A long time. I spent about twenty years pursuing novel writing seriously (and experiencing some ups but mostly downs) before my book proposal for Fatal Illusions caught the eye of a literary agent. I completed five unpublished novels, mostly for youth, before I began Fatal Illusions, which I was calling Now You See Him, in the spring of 2002 in conjunction with a Writer’s Digest correspondence course on novel writing. I finished the first draft in the fall of 2005 and began contacting literary agents.

In January of 2006, literary agent Steve Laube, a well-known and respected voice in Christian fiction, responded enthusiastically to my book proposal and asked to see the entire manuscript. Of course, I was on cloud nine; the hard work and sacrifice were finally paying off. Though he ultimately declined to represent me, he didn’t merely send me a form letter so typical in the publishing industry. He sent me a two-page letter, pointing out how few manuscripts reach the stage that mine did, and gave me eight pointers on how to make the novel publishable. Energized, I followed his advice and got to work, but I still couldn’t find an agent or publisher. A year later, I contacted Kregel Publications, not about my novel but about opportunities to edit books from home. The managing editor noticed on my resume that I had written several unpublished novels and asked to see my latest project. In short, Kregel liked what they saw in Fatal Illusions and accepted it for publication in August 2007. God opened a door I never could have opened for myself.

How much of your own experiences influenced your characters? What aspects became traits that were theirs and theirs alone?

To some degree, my life experiences are always going to factor into how I create my characters. I made a special effort not to make the main protagonists just like me, though there are a few similarities. My female lead, Gillian Thayer, for example, works a part-time job as a calligrapher. In high school, I dabbled in calligraphy and won a few small awards. Gillian also loves solo piano music and Earl Grey tea—two of my favorite things. I’m also melancholy like Gillian. On the other hand, Gillian’s pastor husband, Marc, isn’t at all like me. He’s an aggressive extrovert and natural speaker who played professional basketball for the Chicago Bulls before God used a car accident to save his soul and change his life. I don’t play a lick of basketball and know next to nothing about professional basketball, so I had some research to do.

Several traits belong only to my characters. Gillian has a habit of tracing imaginary calligraphy letters with her finger when she’s tense. Marc struggles with a basketball addiction, but refrains from playing the sport due to anger issues. His daughter, Crystal, has been taking voice lessons since she was six and gets the lead role in a small-town musical. My serial killer, who enjoys listening to Broadway musical soundtracks, drives his fingernails into his palms when he’s enraged. Chuck Riley, the retired homicide detective who helps the Thayers catch the killer, is addicted to Juicy Fruit gum.

Adam, every book has a theme of some sort. What themes exist in Fatal Illusions that you hope the reader sees? Are there any themes that weren't overt but developed as the story progressed?

Mainly I probe the themes of secrets and deception (or “illusions” as my title suggests, though on a secondary level). As believers, how do we lie to ourselves and to others? Do we try to hide who we really are inside? What happens if we try to live a lie? Should spouses ever keep secrets from one another? What can happen if they do? I also encourage readers to think about how they would protect their families if they faced the same type of evil the Thayer family must confront. (My serial killer cyber-stalks his victims weeks before he makes his move.) Many of the novel’s themes are areas I’ve had to work through in my own thinking. When life doesn’t make sense, how do I respond? Do I trust God, even when His ways are difficult to understand?

One minor character, Stacey James, developed in unexpected ways during revisions. She’s obsessed with Marc Thayer, a married man, and can’t seem to let him go. At one point in the story, she recalls that her own father, a pastor, abandoned his family and the ministry for another woman. God opens her eyes to the fact that by pursuing Marc she is essentially repeating the past and taking on the role of this “other woman.” But with God’s help she can break the cycle and walk away. In many ways, all of us have past experiences that can lead us down the wrong path if we let them. This theme naturally emerged as the novel evolved toward its final form.

I did a western fiction novel a few years ago, and there was a part where it became very difficult for me because the character wanted to take the story in a different direction. I suspect every writer has some difficult parts in the writing of his or her story. What were your most difficult parts to write? And what’s your favorite?

Like a Mary Higgins Clark novel, I chose a female protagonist. I believe this was the right choice, but it created challenges in making Gillian a three-dimensional character who doesn’t think like me. Among several issues, she struggles with private grief and needs a godly female mentor in her life. Describing her struggles as a woman with unique emotional needs and insecurities was often challenging. Entering the killer’s head was also sometimes difficult because of the darkness he had welcomed into his soul. Hands down, my favorite parts to write were the creepy cat-and-mouse scenes at Whistler’s Point, a historic lighthouse where the Thayers live. When a snow storm cuts off the power, Gillian find herself being hunted by the killer in the dark without a weapon and miles from help. I loved writing that part.

Adam, I am a great believer in the use of fiction to reach out to others who may not share the Christian faith. Indeed, I'm currently working on a Christian sci-fi novel that is designed, in part, to develop an interest by young people in the Bible, particularly the Revelation. What are your thoughts about fiction as a medium to reach those who either reject Christianity and thus, Christ, or who are just not really interested in it? Do you see, for example, your book perhaps one day falling into the hands of a person who is not particularly enamored of Christianity, and becoming interested as a result of reading your book?

I personally believe that Christian authors can use fiction to reach the lost. The Left Behind novels are a good example. I’ve read reports that some readers made lasting changes for Christ as a result of reading those novels. I guess the strongest evidence I have to support this argument is the example of Jesus Christ and His use of parables. He frequently used stories to illustrate biblical truths; I don’t see any reason why a Christian author can’t do the same thing. At the same time, I believe Christian authors need to be cautious when they are conveying a message, since fiction is intrinsically entertainment. The story needs to be the main thing, but I personally believe Christian novelists have a responsibility to say something redemptive in their fiction. That doesn’t mean the message needs to be overt in every book. For example, conveying the overt gospel message would be difficult in the context of a fantasy or allegory. My aim in writing my novel was to encourage believers, but I would be delighted if God used the novel to open the eyes of someone who doesn’t know Christ.

What kind of research did you need to do, if any, for the book?

I did quite a bit of research. Calligraphy didn’t require much research because I had dabbled in it in high school and won a few awards. Information about magicians wasn’t tough to find either because I had already been researching Houdini on the Internet after reading a biography about him. For serial killers, I watched a lot of Forensic Files and Body of Evidence on TV and read Mary Higgins Clark and other crime/suspense authors. One big area I had to research was police procedure since a retired homicide detective helps the Thayers catch the Magician Murderer. I researched crime scene investigation, forensic science, computer crimes (since my villain is a cyber-stalker), and other related areas. But these have always been areas of interest, so I hardly thought of the research as work. Because Gillian is a professional calligrapher of famous quotations, Bible verses, and love poems, I also had to research her literary side since that’s her lens for viewing the world.

Do you think an author has an obligation to express his or her personal theological perspective in a book, or is it permissible to allow the protagonist to be a member of a church that you, personally, would not belong?

In my opinion, this depends on the book. In a fantasy novel, for example, I probably wouldn’t convey any overt theological perspective, though I may convey some general message about God through allegory. I could see myself creating a protagonist who is an unbeliever, but by the end of the novel I would want him to see the light and experience change somehow. (I strongly believe that Christian fiction should be redemptive fiction. It should be meaningful just as our lives should be meaningful. God has clearly given believers a message; therefore, I do believe that Christian novelists are remiss not to convey some type of redemptive truth.) If the protagonist is a believer, I probably wouldn’t place the character in a church that holds to beliefs that are contrary to Scripture unless the character realized the error of his way and changed. Usually the protagonist would be confined to certain churches simply because some churches, sad to say, do not teach Bible truth.

When is your next book coming out and what is the story?

I work on the sequel, tentatively called Plagues, after my day job as a freelance editor. I can’t say for sure when the novel will be coming out. I’ll just work on it as the Lord leads and leave the rest in His hands. Readers may not realize that publication of a second novel often depends on how well the first novel does first.

In Plagues, the main characters from Fatal Illusions are reunited, this time at a Christian conference center in Michigan’s north woods, which is where all novels in my hoped-for series will be set. Marc and Gillian Thayer think they are getting away for some much-needed R&R, but protestors with placards and bullhorns shatter the otherwise-peaceful surroundings. A Bible translation committee is holding its regional meeting, and a mob is protesting the committee’s efforts to create a new and controversial parallel Bible. Was God displeased with the committee? Are the protestors somehow to blame? When a committee member turns up dead in a pile of frogs, Marc and Gillian put their vacation on hold, enlist the help of retired homicide detective Chuck Riley, and take a closer look at the bizarre plagues as they escalate in intensity.

I’m having fun planning and writing the sequel’s twists and turns, and I hope readers will enjoy reading it, too.

Thanks, Voyle, for the interview. I enjoyed chatting with you.

Thanks for the excellent book, Adam. I am looking forward to reading it and reviewing it.

For those interested, here’s a link to Adam's web site, a brief blurb from the book, and a link to where you can buy the book on Amazon.

Book excerpt:

Gillian Thayer’s calligraphy business helps to keep her mind off two small headstones in the cemetery. Still healing from the death of her twins during birth, Gillian absorbs another emotional blow when she finds a love letter addressed to her husband Marc, a pastor and counselor. But before Gillian can confront him, a gunshot shatters her already fragile world. Gillian’s family is forced to leave Chicago to escape the eye of the media. Together they seek refuge in Whistler’s Point, a historic lighthouse on Lake Superior near the tiny town of Newberry, Michigan. But they are not the only new arrivals looking for a place to lay low. Haydon Owens, an amateur magician and accomplished killer, has also come to Newberry hoping to start a new life, but he isn’t there long before he spots another potential victim.

Publisher: Kregel Publications

Web site: http://www.adamblumerbooks.com/

ISBN-10: 0825420989

Link to Adam's Book at Amazon.com (Click here)

Copyright 2009 Voyle A. Glover

Internet Business: Making Money on the Web

2009-04-18T14:43:00.008-05:00

Make money on the internet is a fascinating subject. Millions have leaped into the internet, putting up websites and waiting for the money to start rolling in...but it never does. They wonder why. Frankly, I never gave it much thought until a few years ago when I happened to represent a client who was making millions selling some very high-dollar products. I recall being stunned at the hundreds of phone calls that came into the office when I was there, all of them wanting to buy product. I even watched as one salesman sold $50,000.00 worth of product in a single day!

There are now many thousands of web profiteers making tons of money on the internet. But, it's not so simple as merely putting up a web site and waiting for the money to come rolling into one's bank account. It can be a rather sophisticated process. There's a lot of learning to the whole process.

I began to investigate the matter when I decided to revive my publishing company that had lain dormant for many years. It became clear to me that internet marketing skills were of absolute importance. So, I began a quest which consisted of subscribing to virtually every guru and web profiteer out there. Some of them were pretty high rollers. They were selling their services for a LOT of money, too steep for the average Jane or Joe. I'm not saying that a high-priced program that teaches you how to set up a successful internet business is wrong. Value is not necessarily in the complexity or the depth of a product, but rather in whether or not it succeeds in its purpose, and the value it brings to the customer. As a lawyer, I've saved clients a lot of money with just a few simple legal techniques. The charges I made to them were insignificant when compared to the savings. So, even though some of those guru's are charging a lot of money, I cannot say they are "overpriced," or outrageous. I can say that I have found some that are cheaper, and very, very good. One is the course by Derek Gehl (see the ad below). I have to say, it's the best I've found on the internet. Some may be better, but I've not seen one yet. If you've an interest in learning how to market on the internet, I highly recommend this course.

Pork and Paylean - Dangerous mix

2009-03-19T09:18:00.004-05:00

Tuesday, March 17, 2009 by: Barbara Minton, Natural Health Editor

(NaturalNews) Up until recently, U.S. pork producers were worried about tightening profit margins across their industry. Now many of them are smiling, and it's all because of Paylean, a drug that is netting them more cash for each hog they sell. Consumers of pork products may not be too happy though, since most of the pork products they buy at conventional grocery stores and restaurants are chocked full of Paylean, a chemical that has been shown to have the potential for causing cancer and cardiovascular disease.

Paylean is a conventional hog farmer's dream product

Paylean is a product of Elanco technology, a company owned by Eli Lilly. It was approved in 1999 for use on finishing swine, pigs that are being fed for market. Paylean directs nutrients away from the production of fat deposition toward the production of lean meat. According to Elanco's website, years of university and private research have shown that Paylean produces an increased rate of weight gain, improved efficiency, and increased carcass leanness in hogs ready for market.

Conventional hog producers love Paylean because it improves feed efficiency by 13 percent, and increases average daily gain in hogs by 10 percent. It reduces average daily feed intake by 6 percent, and increases lean gain by 25 to 37 percent according to research results. Use of Paylean can net a pork producer an additional $5 to10 per hog. A producer who runs a fairly large operation can increase profits by $320,000 a year or more by using Paylean.

No Paylean clearance period is required prior to slaughter

Pigs can be dining on Paylean laced feed right up until the time they enter the slaughtering process. There is no clearance period required. Other drugs used by producers require a clearance time of two weeks before the animal can be turned into food for the dinner table. Not so with Paylean, even though industry research has shown that it takes a full seven days for 97% of Paylean to be excreted following a one-time typical dose in pigs. This means that whether you are eating a hot dog at the ball park or your Christmas ham, you are consuming Paylean.

[entire article here]

America's Future: Are we doomed?

2009-02-15T15:50:00.013-06:00

The future of America is an oft discussed topic. The prophets and prognosticators came out in full force in the wake of the terrorist attack on America on September 11, 2001. And, perhaps it is good they've come out with their predictions, because they've caused Americans, many for the first time, to begin to ask questions about the future of America. Uncertainty mingled with a very real and present danger has a way of giving us intellectual, if not spiritual, hiccups.

Those whose Christianity is a nominal visit to the church on special holidays have now begun showing up in services with a little more regularity. They clutch their songbooks with a firmer grip and instead of glancing down at their watch or fiddling with the treasure trove in a purse, their full attention is on the message. They seek to glean seeds of hope, anything that suggests that "everything is going to be all right."

Some of the pulpiteers well versed in the politics of congregational growth and unity know there's a time for balms and a time for the stinging salve that brings the proverbial wince to the face. John Hagee, a Texas pulpiteer of no small renown was quoted by Christianity Today as saying that he believes "WWIII actually began on September 11, 2001." (1)

Still others see opportunity to almost literally rivet the pants of those new faces to their seats, insuring they never again leave the church. Their messages of doom and gloom predict horrid ends for America but always manage to weave into their rhetoric that there is "safety" in the church. There are, of course, some who are more clever and manage to gloss their message with the "true safety being found in Christ," a truth of course, even if preached by some with ulterior motives, to wit, to make their church a foxhole and of course, to gain more "foxhole converts" all of which has the effect of boosting attendance. The longevity as a church member of these "foxhole converts" remains to be seen.

Some prognosticators began their drum roll of "the end" in the nineties, predicting that the year 2000 of course was such a monumental event that it would no doubt usher in "the end," that phrase holding various meanings depending on what "tribe" was holding forth on the issue. In 1998, Daniel Wojcik, author of the book, "The End of the World As We Know It," said he was "shocked" to find 20% of Christians believe Christ will return somewhere around the year 2000. (2)

David Bay, Director of Old Paths Ministries, a ministry of Grace Baptist Church, wrote: "Also remember that the #1 objective of the New Age is to successfully stage the appearance of Anti-Christ. When the anti-christ stages his appearance, he will claim to be an ascended master from another dimension, i.e., an alien being. He is just as friendly as those aliens you have been seeing on tv and movies. He just has our best interests at heart and wants to lead the world into a new, peaceful existence." (3) (It is not clear from Scripture that the anti-christ will claim alien status and the Bible does not indicate that he will be an alien.)

Another writer, Chuck Loefke, who began predicting the "end of the world" some time ago, has a theory that suggests that America is the "seventh" great empire of history and is the last empire prior to the eighth one set up by Satan. (4) Loefke suggests through his article that the American system has become corrupt and has corrupted the entire world with its worldliness and materialism. He says, of the end, though, that it will not come from Russia or China or anyone else, but directly from the Lord. As Loefke put it: "Personally, I believe the Lord will destroy America without the help of mankind. When it happens, it will be quick, complete, and without a doubt, the world will know who allowed it." He suggests it will come from a huge natural reservoir of gas located under the states of Texas, Oklahoma, Colorado and Kansas called the Hugoton-Panhandle Natural Gas Reserve. He then describes an extra-biblical "vision" of America's destruction as seen by a man by the name of Vince Diehl of Albuquerque, New Mexico. Mr. Diehl said he saw a huge comet or asteroid hit the earth precisely over this reservoir of gas which destroyed America.

Prophets of the "end times" have existed almost from day one. The heretic Montanus(2nd Century AD), claimed to have some special insight as to when Christ would return. Of course, he didn't and he knows that now. And we know it, too. And so do all those who followed him into his error.

Tertullian, who was a supporter and follower of Montanus, writing of the nearness of the return of Christ, said: "What terrible wars, both foreign and domestic! What pestilences, famines . . . and quakings of the earth has history recorded!" (5) Each century following had their "predictors" of the return of Christ. Novation was one in the third century, Donatus in the fourth, and in the sixth century Pope Gregory predicted the end was near. He wrote of this imminent return of Christ the following words:

Of all the signs described by our Lord as presaging the end of the world, some we see already accomplished.... For we now see that nation arises against nation and that they press and weigh upon the land in our own times as never before in the annals of the past. Earthquakes overwhelm countless cities as we often hear from other parts of the world. Pestilence we endure without interruption. It is true that we do not behold signs in the sun and moon and stars but that these are not far off we may infer from the changes of the atmosphere. (6)

History's trail is littered with the shards of broken promises made by "prophets" of the end times. Popes and monks, laymen, preachers, women and even kings have made their mark on the pages of history, putting themselves down as somehow having special understanding of the "end times." Far too often, their error has caused many problems in Christianity. Joachim (AD 1135-1202), a Calabrian monk whose writings would later heavily influence the Catholic Franciscan order, planted seeds which would later cause scores who followed after him to enlarge his prophetic errors ranging from believing Frederick II would usher in the new Millenium, (7) to belief by one group, the Taborites, that they were to assist in the return of Christ by forced conversion and murder of those who were "enemies" of the Cross. In their words: "Accursed be the man who withholds his sword from shedding the blood of the enemies of Christ." (8)

In the 14th Century during the Black Plague, predictions of "the end" were rampant. Estimates of the numbers of dead range widely, with most scholars agreeing that up to a third of the population of the planet may have died during the cyclical plague years. There is little doubt that millions perished. Victims died within four to six days from the onset of symptoms (unlike Anthrax which can take a week or more) . (9)

In Asia, the disease was seen as a foreign disease brought to them by merchants. In what is believed to be the first germ warfare military action, the Asians attacked the Genoese city of Caffa and during the course of the campaign, put the rotting corpses, victims of the plague found amongst themselves and along the way, and catapulted them into the city. (10) The result was catastrophic in more ways than the spread of the disease into the city. Some of the merchants who escaped, brought the deadly disease with them and thus spread the disease ever further into Europe.

It would strike periodically, over the next three centuries, perhaps the most devastating being the bubonic plague that struck the London area in 1665-66 where over 100,000 perished. Imagine if such a number of humans were to begin dying in one of America's largest cities. Imagine the book sales! Prophets would come forth to tell us all the great mystery of "why" this occurred.

The invisible death angel that came upon London then was seen as "the end" by scores during that time. (The fact that it was 1666, and the "number of the beast" coincided, didn't help.) Bodies were stacked like cordwood. London and other towns, villages and cities had regular carts come around picking up bodies, though this became problematic when those who were hired to pick up the bodies, themselves became scheduled for "pick up."

In the June 24, 1997 issue of Sun Magazine, (11) they reported that in 1961 the then Pope John XXIII predicted that Doomsday will begin with the detonation of an atomic bomb in a major European city by a Libyan terrorist group. Of course, we recall the prognosticators' dire predictions as to what was going to happen with the "Y2K" event. Many Christian leaders (who ought to have known better) were making "gloom and doom" predictions about the event ushering in calamity that would precipitate "the end." Some of them no doubt made a lot of money with their message.

In the December 21, 1999 issue of Weekly World News (12), Nick Mann reported that thousands of Christians have reported sightings of angels swarming to the Holy Land. He predicted that Jesus Christ "is coming home...within a few months." Gary North, a Christian Reconstructionist predicted doomsday - a collapse of civilization on or before January 3, 2000. It would appear to those of us still reading this material, we missed the bus. And it is probable that somewhere buried in a maze of writings, Mr. North and Mr. Mann has put some "loopholes" in their End Time Contracts with God which permit them to "explain" away their predictions.

A Mormon splinter group called The Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, (13) allegedly predicted the end of the world would occur somewhere around mid September of the year 2000. Scores of members pulled their children out of school and began home schooling them. Presumably, the kids are back in school. Hopefully, they're learning that not all the leadership tells them is true.

The Terrorist Attacks

Henry Kissinger, former Secretary of State under President Richard Nixon said, in remarks about the September 11, 2001 terrorists attacks on America: "The USA may be at the height of its powers, but we need to define our national purposes. We used to be confident of our place in the world. Now there's no consensus about what the danger is." (14) Even the politicians are unsure of the future. Kissinger's view matches former President Bush's view, to wit, extermination of the enemy. But clearly he and the rest of the nation are unsure of the future, and even more uncertain as to how to accomplish that task. Talk abounds on the networks about nuclear threats from the terrorists and of biological weapons unleashed that have the potential of decimating the American population. It is clear we are fighting an asymmetrical war.

D.A. Henderson, Director of the Johns Hopkins Center for Civilian Bio-defense Studies feels it isn't a matter of "if" America is hit with a biological attach, but when. In his opinion, "We're likely to see an attack within the next five to 10 years," (15) It is believed that those that hate America will surely bring it here. The fact that unleashing deadly organisms may destroy others of "like faith" doesn't seem to bother the suicide-oriented terrorists.

We don't understand that. We don't comprehend suicide bombers. In the modern era, it's a phenomenon rarely seen. America first saw real, mission-oriented suicide attacks with the Japanese Kamikaze fighters. Israel saw it in the 1980's with the advent of the Palestinian suicide bombers. But its origins go far back in history.

The principle of suicide as a means of killing one's enemy reaches all the way to the 12th century, with the assassins of Alamut who horrified the leadership and the populace living under the Persian caliphate. The Crusaders called them "assassins" and believed that the madness that caused their foe to commit suicide was the result of hashish. They didn't know about, nor did they understand the tenants of Islam that gave promises of lovely virgins and endless sexual pleasures to those who murder by suicide. It's only been in recent days that America has learned what Israel has understood for many years.

One man, Dr Rohan Gunaratna, a specialist on insurgency, predicted long ago suicide terrorism would reach America. According to him, there are at least 10 religious and secular terrorist groups wiling to use suicide as a weapon against their own governments and/or foreign governments. (16) He indicates that besides Osama Bin Laden's network, known as Al-Qaeda, "they include Palestinian groups and organizations in Lebanon, Egypt, Algeria, India, Sri Lanka and Turkey." Such words lend themselves to our fears. We see terrorists everywhere, surrounding us.

Rhetoric like that is bombarding us on a daily basis, coming from the politicians, the news media, Hollywood and of course, the "prophets." Unfortunately, unless we take steps to guard out mind, such deluges of "horror information" makes us vulnerable to the prophets of doom.

America in the Bible?

Many of the modern prognosticators have placed America into the Scriptures as Babylon, a place mentioned 260 times in the Bible, second only to Jerusalem. Scholars differ as to the interpretations of who and/or what Babylon means. Some feel it is a religious/political system. (17) Others feel it is a specific city (New York is a favorite choice of the writers), while others have argued it is a nation, with many holding that it is Rome. But, some have selected America.

A typical conservative interpretation is the one given by author Larry Fox: "In Isaiah 18 there are two identical descriptions of an unidentified nation. In verses 2 and 7, it describes 'a people tall and smooth- skinned, . . . a people feared far and wide, an aggressive nation of strange speech, whose land is divided by rivers.' That is a pretty good description of today's America." (18)

While Fox does not commit to America being found in Scripture, his position is that regardless, in the "end times," America will not play a significant role. This seems to be the consensus of many of the conservative biblical scholars. Others hold to the view that America will be destroyed and is not mentioned in the Bible because our nation does not exist or is so reduced in power and influence as to be akin to a third world status. Many of them hold to the view that New York is the Babylon of the Bible and will be destroyed by a nuclear bomb. Some hold that the "second beast" of Revelation 13:11, rising up out of the "earth," is America. Lately, there's been a number of programs on television about the year 2012 being the "end" of the world. Even The History Channel has gotten into the market with The Lost Book of Nostradamus.

Take a healthy mix of pulpiteers, the political prophets with their hidden agendas, and the "profiteers" (prophets who churn out the various End of The World books for lots of profit), mix it all up with a healthy dose of some brutally stark, catastrophic events, and you have a recipe guaranteed to make the most lethargic of us pay close attention to the doom and gloom prophets, and everyone else included. We're all looking for answers. We're looking for security. We're looking for hope.

Some of us find hope in the warriors' rhetoric and in their deeds of valor. We see something being done. And that helps. It gives us a sense of security. The concept of "payback" as a deterrent has always been a part of mankind's psyche and though flawed, it does have something of a calming effect on us. We hope that now that we've bloodied them, they'll go away. But deep down inside we've got that funny feeling they will come back-them or their sons or cousins, blood and spiritual and ideological relations.

And, some of us wrap ourselves in a blanket of doom and gloom rhetoric, going from book to book, prophet to prophet, looking to see who has the answers. We listen closely, hanging on every word and highlighting morsels of "truth" gleaned in scouring the writings of the learned. A few, perhaps a rare few, go about their business with little change. These folk see the danger of the prophet's rhetoric as well as it value and have learned to hear but not react-not accept as a declaration by God, the "prophet's" declaration of the "end" time. They've learned to take the truths they hear about the end times for what they were intended by God: biblical truths given to make us wise in our lives and to give us confidence, not fear.

They've also learned from history. (19) As was once said by Hank Hanegraaff of Christian Research Institute: "People who are obsessed with end times have never learned from history. They've been 100 percent wrong, 100 percent of the time." (20)

What Can We Know?

America's future cannot be known by anyone but God. We can make educated guesses about a large number of things about her future. We know, for example that, absent the intervention of God, the probability of America being hurt again by terrorism is fairly high. But, there isn't a whole lot we can do about it. The matter is in the hand of God, not us. We like to think of control as something we have but in reality, if a terrorist with a nuclear device comes into our land, only God is going to stop him.

God can stop him in more ways than we can count. The terrorist will not be stopped by our vigilance, though we ought to be vigilant. He will not be stopped by our superior technology, though we ought to employ it and use it. No, in the end, he will be stopped, if he is to be stopped, by God. Now, God may use us. And, God will certainly raise up some to intervene in prayer. But the future is absolutely, unequivocally in the hands of God.

That may not sound soothing to some of you but consider this: (Nahum 1:7) "The LORD is good, a strong hold in the day of trouble; and he knoweth them that trust in him." It would be better to be at ground zero with the Lord, trusting Him, than a thousand miles away without Him.

Is the end near? I like to think it is. Like Paul, I believe the time is short. But we are told to look expectantly for our Savior's appearance. (21) We are to trust in the Lord and not lean unto our own understanding. (22) We can make our present circumstances look bleak and unpromising as did countless Christians, pagans and citizens of our history before us did. Did they have cause to think the end was near? Absolutely. World War II was a cataclysmic event. If a Christian were in those times, it certainly would be a time of wars and rumors of wars. There was famine. There was disease. There were signs in the heavens with missiles and bombs raining down on London. And across Europe, the raining death that came from Allied bombers must have brought conviction to many Christians there that the end had come upon them.

But the end was not yet come.

America faces some serious days ahead. None of us know the path that God will lead America down. It is possible that the reason America does not seem to be mentioned in Scriptures related to the end times is because God spares America. Perhaps America has true revival and God, willing to show His power, refuses to permit America to engage in the end time wars in order to show His power. Perhaps God wants Israel to know the power of God to deliver and not the technological weaponry of America. Is that not a possibility?

Speculation does us no good on this issue. Jesus said specifically: "But of that day and that hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels which are in heaven, neither the Son, but the Father. 33/ Take ye heed, watch and pray: for ye know not when the time is." (Mark 13:32-33). Note that Jesus said twice, emphasizing, that we do not know the time.

He gave us an assignment, though. He said to (1) take heed; and (2) watch; and (3) pray. That is all we can do. And if you wonder what it is that we are to "take heed" about and to "watch" for and to "pray" about, well if you read the rest of that passage, Jesus says: "For the Son of man is as a man taking a far journey, who left his house, and gave authority to his servants, and to every man his work, and commanded the porter to watch. 35/ Watch ye therefore: for ye know not when the master of the house cometh, at even, or at midnight, or at the cock crowing, or in the morning: 36/ Lest coming suddenly he find you sleeping. 37/ And what I say unto you I say unto all, Watch." (Mark 13:34-37).

It's pretty clear that we're not to fall asleep, that is, we're not to be inattentive to the work of God and our duties. We're to go about with a watchful eye towards heaven, realizing the time is short and the harvest is ripe. We're to pay attention to our lives. We are to be on guard against the enemies of Christianity. We're to hold up the work of God in prayer. We are to watch for His coming as well as for the enemy's coming. The Lord's time in the Garden of Gethsemane is instructive in this whole area.

Ladies, raise your kids. Cook those delicious, nutritious meals, wash their clothes, love your husband, attend to your chores, work your work...whatever God has placed in your hand to do. Husbands, fathers, care for your family. Do your best for your family. Be a good and godly example for them. Exercise yourself in a godly fashion before them and before all.

Quit yourselves like men.

And to all, go about your lives as though Christ were not returning for a thousand years, but be watchful and expectant and eager for His return, hoping that it will be today. Ignore the prognosticators of doom. Satan uses many vehicles to plant fear in the minds and hearts of God's people, knowing that fear displaces faith.

God has not given us a spirit of fear. (23)

But Satan will...if you let him.

Copyright 2001

END NOTES

1. Christianity Today, Week of Sept. 24, 2001: http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2001/139/32.0.html

2. Barton, David, "2000: All eyes on the millennium," The Sacramento Bee," 1/1/98

3. Bay, David, Radio broadcast, "The Cutting Edge,"

4. Chuck Loefke, "The End Times Information Center," Internet file

5. Gary DeMar, Last Days Madness (Brentwood, Tenn.: Wolgemuth & Hyatt, 1991), p. 7.

6. Gary DeMar, Last Days Madness (Brentwood, Tenn.: Wolgemuth & Hyatt, 1991), p. 7.

7. When he died without that happening, major revisions were made by the "prophets" of the day which had him returning from the dead to fulfill Joachim's prophetic words

8. Paul Boyer, When Time Shall Be No More: Prophecy Belief in Modern American Culture (Cambridge, Mass.: The Belknap Press, Harvard University, 1992), p. 55.

9. Discovery, "Black Death, http://www.discovery.com/stories/history/blackdeath/pestilence.html

10. Id.," http://www.discovery.com/stories/history/blackdeath/caffa.html

11. Sun Magazine makes a comfortable income making these outlandish predictions. In 1997 it also reported Noah's Ark had been found and inside were some scrolls. On the third scroll the "end" was predicted to be January 31, 2001. Scroll two predicted the melting of the ice caps resulting in world-wide flooding (contrary to the biblical promise of God as found in Gen. 9:11.

12. This publication has put out so many bogus predictions that one has to wonder how they still have a subscription list. One of the latest issues is an article about "how to act when you meet Jesus." Unfortunately, these kind of publications are read (and believed) by thousands of people.

13. Formed in 1929 and ex-communicated by the Mormon Church.

14. Baxter, Sarah, "Kissinger Flies With the Hawks," The Sunday Times, Ltd., http://www.sunday-times.co.uk/news/pages/sti/2001/09/16/stiusausa01009.html?

15. Williams, Michell, "US Biological Attack Said Inevitable," Associated Press, Feb 5, 2000: http://www.newsday.com/ap/rnmpnt0s.htm

16. Colvin, Marie, "Suicide terrorists find a new way to marry into death," The Sunday Times, Ltd., Sept. 16, 2001: http://www.sunday-times.co.uk/news/pages/sti/2001/09/16/stiusausa01013.html?

17. See a very interesting and fascinating study on Babylon and Revelations 17 & 18 at http://www.bible.org/docs/nt/books/rev/jhk3/rev-27

18. Fox, Larry, "The Supernatural Natural," excerpt at http://www.foxven.com/vcmr.html

19. While I do not vouch for some of the conclusions & positions advanced by the author, for an interesting look at some of history's predictions of the end times, see: http://users.iafrica.com/l/ll/lloyd/6-EndTimeIssues/Predictions.htm & http://www.sullivan-county.com/nf0/y2k/bible_ca.htm

20. AP- Herald Courier, 10/6/2001

21. Titus 2:13

22. Proverbs 3:5

23. "For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind." (2 Timothy 1:7)

Cancer Cure: There really is a cure

2009-01-10T13:17:00.024-06:00

A cure for cancer does exist.

No, it isn't found in a pill, and I don't know where the "too late" point is in one's cancer (as in "too late to cure").

There are studies showing the prevention of cancer, and the complete reversal of some cancers. These are professional, scientific, peer-reviewed studies funded (for over 27 years) in part, by the American Cancer Society and The American Institute for Cancer Research, that were done by medical and research scientists. The results were published in many of the top scientific journals.

The reality is that these results have been deliberately downplayed, and in some cases, deliberately ignored. These studies have certainly not been touted by Big Pharma and the medical world. But, that is understandable. It boils down to dollars and cents, actually. When you consider that the sale of drugs by Big Pharma for the treatment of cancer is into the billions, there is a lot of incentive to not make a big splash as to any "cures" for cancer. The doctors are making millions. The drug companies are making billions. Are we, as a society, that naive to conclude these people really want a cure for cancer?

I watched a brief portion of an interview with Patrick Swayze who is undergoing some pretty trying times right now in his life, battling cancer. At one point, he said ''One thing I'm not gonna do is chase staying alive. You spend so much time chasing staying alive, you won't live.'' He then declared the door closed on the subject of "diet" and "cures" for cancer, indicating that if there was a cure, it would be front page headlines. Well, in a world where everyone has his neighbor's best interests at heart, that would probably be true. In a world of greed and corruption, where there is far more money to be made (as opposed to "saved") by having millions of people with cancer, not so true.

If I could sit down with Mr. Swayze, I'd direct him to read the most fascinating book I've ever read on the subject. It's a book I read after I learned my daughter had breast cancer. It's entitled The China Study and was written by T. Colin Campbell and Thomas M. Campbell, II. Many very well known doctors and scientists have heralded the book. Dr. Neal Barnard, President of the Physician's Committee for Responsible Medicine said, "The China Study is the account of a ground-breaking research study that provides the answers long sought by physicians, scientists and health conscious readers. Based on painstaking investigations over many years, it unearths surprising answers to the most important nutritional questions of our times: What really causes cancer?..."

Dr. Dean Ornish, Founder and President of the Preventative Medicine Research Institute Clinical Professor of Medicine, Univ. of California, said of the book and the author, Colin Campbell, "Everyone in the field of nutrition science stands on the shoulders of T. Colin Campbell, who is one of the giants in the field. This is one of the most important books about nutrition every written. Reading it may save your life."

The former Executive Director of the U.S. Academy of Sciences' Food and Nutrition Board said this of the book: "The China Study is a well-documented analysis of the fallacies of the modern diet, lifestyle and medicine, and the quick-fix approach that often fails."

Nobel Prize winner Robert C. Richardson calls the conclusions in the book "startling," and stated, "The China Study is a story that needs to be heard." And from Jeff Nelson, President of VegSource.com (the most visited food web site in the world), called Campbell the "Einstein of nutrition," and said this: "The China Study is based on hardcore scientific research, not the rank speculation of a Zone, Atkins, Sugarbusters or any other current fad."

I read this book with the mindset of a lawyer. I was impressed with the evidence. It was the kind of evidence that would stand the scrutiny of any court room. Better, it has withstood the scrutiny of science. The principles used in the research were unimpeachable.

I'm sad that Mr. Swayze and others like him will not hear this evidence. I'm sad because they have absorbed the corruptions of truth handed out by so many (not just Big Pharma and many in the medical world), which includes many of the peddlers of the "latest, greatest cure-everything" diets which have had the effect of making so many people, like Mr. Swayze, justifiably skeptical. And, I'm sad because so many like him will pay the ultimate price for their skepticism.

Here's an interesting conclusion the researchers made in their studies that was surprising even to them:

They conducted tests on a group of rats. First, they gave all the rats an injection of a powerful carcinogen (Aflatoxin) so they would be predisposed to cancer. Then, they divided the rats into two groups. One group had a certain diet, the other another diet. The one group developed cancer and within 2 years, all of them died. The other group went on to live normal lives, with no cancer. The researchers repeated the experiment, only this time, when the one group developed cancerous tumors, they switched their diet to the other group, the ones that never got cancer even though they were predisposed to develop cancer. Amazingly, the tumors began shrinking, eventually went away, and the rats that would otherwise have died from cancer, went on to live normal, healthy lives. (see Chapter 3, Turning Off Cancer, page 61). But, the real surprise was that they discovered the "trigger" for the cancer that developed in the rats. I was more than surprised. What they discovered was stunning, and it has implications that are staggering.

If you know anyone you love who has or has had cancer, you absolute owe it to them to get The China Study in their hands. You may save their life.

The End of Days

2008-12-25T20:46:00.010-06:00

Wish I knew the future like some seem to know it. They have predicted so many things of late. Prognosticators have abounded over the centuries and no doubt will continue unabated until the end of days.

Speaking of the end of days, I’m tempted to wonder out loud at times, about that. Indeed, I’m so tempted, I’m going to succumb and unload my mind on the subject. It should be quick and relatively painless. I’ve only three points to make.

1. I believe there will be an “end of days” at some point in time. When that time arrives, there will no longer be time. I base my belief in this on the following words derived from ancient writings, particularly, a segment found in a small portion of two books. First, in that ancient book called Daniel, he is told the following: “But go thou thy way till the end be: for thou shalt rest, and stand in thy lot at the end of the days.” Daniel 12:13, The Bible. And secondly, from the book called Revelation: “5/ And the angel which I saw stand upon the sea and upon the earth lifted up his hand to heaven, 6/ And sware by him that liveth for ever and ever, who created heaven, and the things that therein are, and the earth, and the things that therein are, and the sea, and the things which are therein, that there should be time no longer: 7/ But in the days of the voice of the seventh angel, when he shall begin to sound, the mystery of God should be finished, as he hath declared to his servants the prophets.” Revelation 10:5-7, The Bible

2. The actual day and hour for the “end of days” is not something that any mortal can know, but we can make some surmises as to its proximity. I derive this belief from those writings made thousands of years ago, wherein a conversation held between Jesus and his disciples was recorded, where Jesus was telling them about some things that would occur in the end. They wanted to know when.

He said: “For false Christs and false prophets shall rise, and shall shew signs and wonders, to seduce, if it were possible, even the elect. (23) But take ye heed: behold, I have foretold you all things. (24) But in those days, after that tribulation, the sun shall be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, (25) And the stars of heaven shall fall, and the powers that are in heaven shall be shaken. (26) And then shall they see the Son of man coming in the clouds with great power and glory. (27) And then shall he send his angels, and shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from the uttermost part of the earth to the uttermost part of heaven. (28) Now learn a parable of the fig tree; When her branch is yet tender, and putteth forth leaves, ye know that summer is near: (29) So ye in like manner, when ye shall see these things come to pass, know that it is nigh, even at the doors. (30) Verily I say unto you, that this generation shall not pass, till all these things be done. (31) Heaven and earth shall pass away: but my words shall not pass away. (32) But of that day and that hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels which are in heaven, neither the Son, but the Father. (33) Take ye heed, watch and pray: for ye know not when the time is.” Mark 13:22-33, The Bible.

3. Christians win in the end. I make that conclusion from many segments of those ancient writings collectively called The Bible, but one stands out in my mind as saying it most succinctly:

“And I saw an angel come down from heaven, having the key of the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand. (2) And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years, (3) And cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal upon him, that he should deceive the nations no more, till the thousand years should be fulfilled: and after that he must be loosed a little season. (4) And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years. (5) But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection. (6) Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years. (7) And when the thousand years are expired, Satan shall be loosed out of his prison, (8) And shall go out to deceive the nations which are in the four quarters of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together to battle: the number of whom is as the sand of the sea. (9) And they went up on the breadth of the earth, and compassed the camp of the saints about, and the beloved city: and fire came down from God out of heaven, and devoured them. (10) And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever. (11) And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them. (12) And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works. (13) And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works. (14) And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. (15) And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.” Revelation 20:1-15 , The Bible

How to Set Priorities in Life & Stay Alive

2008-09-13T21:56:00.005-05:00

It can be difficult to be faithful to blogging. I wish I had more commitment to it, but when there are so many competing duties, it becomes a matter of prioritizing one’s life. There are absolute duties, some less than absolute, and some things that fall into the category of desires and wishes.

I’ve had to arrange my duties in the past year and am committed to doing those that are absolute duties, first. Other things move down in the meter of importance. I found there was a host of things that I really, really want to do. And, they are all good things. Then, there are things I really should do...but don’t have to do. If they never get done, well, no big deal, I suppose.
I’ve discovered it is not easy making these judgments.

Here’s a sampling of things that I’ve had to evaluate and prioritize, which includes some things that will “go away,” but are likely to be replaced with a duplicate (listed in no particular order):

research for a couple of books I want to write
write certain articles for publication
get all my medical records (got resistance and only got partial) to evaluate potential claim
research some health products
plan my withdrawal from “rat poison” (Coumadin)
legal research in 3 particular areas (for upcoming cases)
update blogs
web site maintenance
research subscription-only web sites
work on long-term study for teaching series at church
prepare for trial
write brief
prepare motion
answer discovery
answer letters
misc “honey-do” jobs in house
web research on project
get fan belt replaced
do book reviews (2)
read certain books
work on 2 fiction projects started a few years ago
visit sick/ailing friends

Now, there are at least another dozen things I could put here, but some are more personal, having to do with family, and some are pretty mundane, and a few are strictly private.

Here’s the order in which I’ve arranged these "duties":

prepare for trial
prepare motion
prepare Trust Amendment
answer discovery
answer letters
visit sick/ailing friends
work on long-term study for teaching series at church
write brief
research some health products
plan my withdrawal from “rat poison” (Coumadin)
misc “honey-do” jobs in house
get fan belt replaced
legal research in 3 particular areas (for upcoming cases)
update blogs
web site maintenance
web research on project
research for a couple of books I want to write
write certain articles for publication
work on 2 fiction projects started a few years ago
read certain books
do book reviews (2)
get all my medical records (got resistance and only got partial) to evaluate potential claim (I have another year on this, so it can wait)

All of life is like this for each of us. We all have things we have to do, things we need to do, and things we would like to do. We get into trouble when we get these things out of order and do not learn to prioritize. Some things in life, we simply cannot afford to put off, or minimize in terms of importance. We have to analyze those things for ourselves. No one is going to do it for us.

However, there will be many folks who will try and arrange your schedule for you. They will seek to intrude into your schedule, and sometimes will be successful. Most of us have had people or events that intruded into an otherwise filled schedule.

It’s when that schedule is so full and we’re not able to get to the important and vital things that the stress levels begin to rise. And stress is not good. At this point, we will begin to suffer physically. Many of us can echo the “been there, done that” sentiment on this.

No one else is really able to evaluate your list of “to do” things in terms of importance. Some will try, but they really have no place in making such an evaluation. It’s all right for a friend to make suggestions, and it’s not wrong to sit down with a friend or mentor or someone you trust to help you sort it all out. But, ultimately, you are the one making the decisions.

Here’s a little suggestion:

Since most of us fly this plane called “To Do” by the seat of our pants, at times making decisions at the last minute, it is sometimes helpful to start calendaring your weeks. Seriously consider getting a calendar and writing down the things you must do. List them on a sheet of paper first, then order them in importance. Use a number beside the duties to rank them. Then, use Outlook, or any other calendar program on your computer, or use a regular calendar, and put those items into that calendar in the order of importance. Make sure you look at the calendar. If you're on the web a lot and you use Firefox, try using a little add-on that I've come to appreciate. It's ReminderFox. Use it to remind you of your duties. And then, have a place where you can make a little check-mark when you’ve completed that chore. It will surprise you at the amount of things you actually get done in a week or so. And, it will give you a feeling of accomplishment. There’s nothing like seeing it in black and white (or highlighted yellow, if that’s your thing).

Above all, don’t stress. And don’t sweat the small stuff. Learn to determine what is important. Sometimes, I look at some things and ask myself this question: “What if I never get around to doing it? What are the consequences?”

It really will motivate you to move some things right smack dab to the top of your list.

And some things will fall by the wayside, or drift down to the bottom, waiting for that golden moment of silence in your world, when you have some downtime and are in the mood, and willing to do whatever it is that you’ve put off doing for so long.

copyright 2008 Voyle A. Glover

Whole Foods and Immigration

2008-08-09T12:20:00.004-05:00

Recently, I was browsing the Whole Foods web site, looking for a nearby store. I became fascinated by the place. It is a rich source of information and there's even a blog that is very interesting and eclectic. Apparently, there are a variety of posters. I especially loved the posting made by Alex Crane entitled "Grameen Guatemala – A Glimpse into the Life of a Borrower." It is a great story. Whole Foods Foundation has established a program in Guatemala (and other places) where financial assistance is made available to poor women to start businesses. The blog details a visit by Alex to interview one of the women who obtained a loan for her business in Guatemala. In the blog, Alex said something that is, in a real sense, rather extraordinary, for he gave an excellent (partial) solution to the immigration issue. He said: "I think about the cement wall that some believe is the solution to curbing Latin American immigration to the U.S and feel it wouldn’t do any good. We need to build bridges, not walls. Bridges to span the gaps in opportunity. Education bridges. Economic bridges. Community bridges. Bridges leading to the fulfillment of dreams. These bridges need not cross borders; they span cultures, communities, families, hearts and minds."

There is a lot of truth in what he said. If we would follow the Whole Foods Foundation model as a nation (and we do, in some things), if other large corporations would make the same kinds of investments via foundations as Whole Foods has done, I'm convinced that we'd not have the hordes of Latin American citizens wanting to come to America. No one would have to leave home. While not a perfect solution, it would make a dent.

Currently, the only dent being made is in our collective heads as we beat them against the walls.

Also, whilst browsing the site, I came across a most unusual place: The CEO's blog. This is a blog for comments made by and/or about John Mackey, the founder and CEO of Whole Foods. He is a very interesting, and unusual CEO. I like his candor. I liked the fact that, in spite of some recent problems and attacks (that from my research seems to be unfounded) that in one of his blogs, he actually posted the comments of his critics. Some were very caustic. As someone who has had invective hurled at him unjustly and been hated a time or two without merit, my sympathies were with him, but my esteem for the man rose the more I read about him and the company he founded. He shows character. It's reflected in the company itself. I like that.

I'm definitely a fan of Mr. Mackey and his company.

Copyright 2008 Voyle A. Glover

Food Riots. Possible in America?

2008-06-13T21:53:00.006-05:00

The strains in our nation are evident to all by now. We’re hearing the collective groans of the millions of us who are digging into our pockets to pay gas prices that keep quivering with efforts to rise to $5.00 a gallon. Many are whimpering in disbelief at the many weather related disasters of late, with flooding and tornadoes and fires. And crime has become almost numbing to the conscience. We’re stunned at the violence that surrounds us. Horror stories keep leaping to the front pages and shock our conscience to the point that we’re almost immune.

Our population has grown now to over 300 million people–a staggering number when you stop and think about all the demands that 300 million people place upon an environment. We must have food, so we consume over 200 lbs of meat (red meat, poultry, fish) per person, per year. We grow and also import millions of tons of fruits and vegetables annually for consumption. Fish and poultry are now produced in massive quantities in the effort to stay up with the demands of so many people. Every day, 300 million people must eat two or three meals. That comes to millions of tons of food consumed on a daily basis in America alone.

What if it all stopped one day? Suppose catastrophic weather conditions hit America and the grains and fruits and vegetables become a scarce commodity? What happens? Well, the first thing is that imports would drastically increase. So would our prices. But, suppose weather conditions hit other producers, such as Mexico (which supplies America with millions of tons of fruits and vegetables)? What then?

What happens the day America can’t feed most, or a substantial portion of its 300 million citizens adequately?

The day that happens, we will begin to see a breakdown in our society that already has roots. It’s roots are in our lower income citizens. Currently, they are able to subsist on government assistance. They are able to eat. But, many of the lower income citizens have grown up on the mean streets of poverty, and there is an element there which is used to taking what they want. There are gangs of young men and women who will beat, rob and even kill to survive. If the day ever comes when food is a precious commodity, they will go looking for food. When they find it, they will take it by force. They’ll take first from their neighbors. But, eventually, they will come searching for food from wherever they can find it. There will be food riots–grocery stores emptied and trashed. There will be anarchy.

It will not be like it was in the Great Depression. There were no massive uprisings of anarchy and food riots, though there was hunger throughout the land. During that time, there was a shortage of food, money, jobs and even shelter. But, America put on its brave face, became stoic and endured the worst economic times of our history.

It will not be the same this time. There are too many criminal elements in our midst. Those elements will not be stopped by laws or locks or alarms. They will hunt much like the hunters of history did when they sought food on the open plains or in the woods. Danger will be everywhere because hungry people will be everywhere. We know that humans who are addicted to Meth or Cocaine will rob and become violent in order to feed their habit. But, their numbers are relatively few in comparison to the whole population. We have been able to contain them, more or less.

Imagine what would happen if the number of drug addicts was doubled and then doubled again, and then again. We’d be overwhelmed. That’s the kind of numbers of hungry souls that we will be dealing with if ever true famine hits America. And, far too many of them will do whatever they need to do in order to eat.

They are addicted to eating.

They are addicted to living.

We’d better plan for the lean years, lest we have a society that completely falls apart under the weight of massive anarchy.

We also might do well to pay attention to the wisdom found in an ancient writing which told about crop failures. It reads like this:

"When heaven is shut up, and there is no rain, because they have sinned against thee; if they pray toward this place, and confess thy name, and turn from their sin, when thou afflictest them: Then hear thou in heaven, and forgive the sin of thy servants, and of thy people Israel, that thou teach them the good way wherein they should walk, and give rain upon thy land, which thou hast given to thy people for an inheritance. If there be in the land famine, if there be pestilence, blasting, mildew, locust, or if there be caterpiller; if their enemy besiege them in the land of their cities; whatsoever plague, whatsoever sickness there be; What prayer and supplication soever be made by any man, or by all thy people Israel, which shall know every man the plague of his own heart, and spread forth his hands toward this house: Then hear thou in heaven thy dwelling place, and forgive, and do, and give to every man according to his ways, whose heart thou knowest; (for thou, even thou only, knowest the hearts of all the children of men;) That they may fear thee all the days that they live in the land which thou gavest unto our fathers. (The Book of First Kings, chapter 8:35-40).

God gave us America.

It remains to be seen whether or not we’ll acknowledge our need for Him.

The Evolution of Life - A Glob to a Blog

2008-05-16T07:13:00.014-05:00

What is life? What does it mean to say "I live." What are we?

We call ourselves "humans." We've explored our bodies and our minds, and we've searched our "souls" trying to make sense out of our existence. Over the thousands of years we've populated Earth, we've come to a wide array of conclusions as to many of these questions. Darwin concluded we were but an offshoot of an original organism that thrived in some primeval "soup" which enabled life to grow into its millions of shapes, forms and species, including plants and even bacterium. Of course, his conclusions can no longer stand up under the scrutiny of real scientists who practice real science.

But philosophers have also wrestled with those questions. Most of them got no closer to the truth than Darwin. Indeed, most of the philosophers spent their time and energy speculating about the existence of life from a perspective that was not based on origins, but based on existence itself. Summed up by Rene Descartes, "I am. I exist." (In an earlier work, he expressed it differently, to wit, "I think, therefore I exist.") Descartes found his solace in numbers where he felt there was some certainty. He set out in his quest to make sense out of the questions about life by forcing himself to doubt everything he learned. Descartes decided to suspend belief about everything "which I allowed myself in youth to be persuaded without having inquired into their truth." Thus, he begins by seeking to establish truth by working towards conclusions about life that will lend themselves to understanding life.

One can find hundreds of answers rendered to the questions raised, by tens of thousands of humans. Everyone, it seems, has an opinion. Everyone feels he or she has a pretty fair grasp as to what "life" means. Some are rather simplistic in their approach, like Descartes. They live, and for them, life is being alive, nothing more. While that may sound somewhat circular, nonetheless, it works for many. They are no that concerned as to the deep meanings of what "life" means. They live. They have life. That's enough for them. They don't want to know how the heart works. They're not interested in the physiology of the human body, nor do they have an interest in the inner workings of the brain, nor do they care whether the body has something called a soul or a spirit. Life for them, is something they have and something they enjoy. Their thinking carries them no further than that.

Others are more speculative. They have conjured up some rather fascinating conclusions as to what "life" means. One group, for example, has concluded that life is a never ending circle of lives in which we live again and again and again, as different humans at different times. Others have opined that life is what you see, to wit, humans of varying shapes, colors and sizes, who eventually die. That's it. Once they're dead, there is no more life for them. It is finis.

Religion has, of course, placed its indelible stamp of authoritative approval on a wide array of conclusions about life. Some hold that gods of one sort or another, have populated the earth with humans and rule unseen from the heavens.

Others, such as the Jews and Christians, hold that a single being called God-as opposed to "a" God-created life in a single moment of time, and hold that this life will continue on a different plane of existence, a spiritual one, when the body dies. In other words, their view is that life goes on.

If one truly examines the question, "What is life?" it becomes rather critical to come to some kind of conclusion as to the beginnings of that life. The simplistic solution of Darwin is, of course, unacceptable. Life is too complex. There are simply too many variations of life. There are animal species of countless variations and kinds. There are plants and bugs and trees and bacterium and cells that are so widely different that it becomes impossible to believe all life evolved from a single source. We must ask this question as well: How did life begin? We know life exists. We see evidence of our existence. We see evidence of the existence of other forms of life, ranging from tens of thousands of species of plants, animals, and insects, to strange species that live deep within our oceans.

How did all of these come into existence?

The complexity of the human brain is but one example of the staggering complexity of the human systems and argues against an evolutionary process. Judson Herrick, Professor of Neurology at the University of Chicago, states that: "If a million cortical nerve cells were connected one with another in groups of only two neurons each in all possible combinations, the number of different patterns of interneuronic connection thus provided would be expressed by 10 to the 2,783,000th. This, of course, is not the actual structure, as we shall see; but the illustration may serve to impress upon us the inconceivable complexity of the interconnections of the ninety-two hundred million [9,200,000,000] nerve cells known to exist in the cerebral cortex."

Michael Denton, a Senior Research Fellow in the Department of Biochemistry at the University of Otago in New Zealand, has written two significant books dealing with the complexities of life, entitled Evolution: A Theory in Crisis and Nature's Destiny. In his book Evolution: A Theory in Crisis, Denton writes "In crude terms, the human brain is a natural computer composed of 10 to 100 billion neurons, each of which connects to about 10,000 others, and all of which function in parallel. Neuronal systems take about 100 processing steps to perform a complex task of vision or speech which would take an electronic computer billions of processing steps."

We must ask another question. How finely-tuned is life? How precise are the parts and the whole of humans, and of other life? What are the odds of this complexity evolving naturally, on its own? What are the mathematical probabilities of this highly intricate web of systems of life somehow creating itself into perfectly nuanced systems? Those are questions being answered by scientists like Denton and Herrick and many other very learned scientists.

Once we begin looking at the precision with which the parts of life fit, we begin to realize that "life" is far more than mere existence. Life begins to take on a different meaning. The precision with which life on our world is put together and the incredible complexities involved in the capable functioning of life, whether it be plant or animal or human, begs a new question to be answered. How can this be?

Michael J. Behe, a professor of biochemistry at Lehigh University and author of the book Darwin's Black Box (Behe 1996), speaks of the complexities of blood-clotting and compares it to a mouse-trap, opining that if you take away any one piece of the trap, such as the spring or baseboard, or the metal piece that traps the mouse, the trap ceases to function so as to catch a mouse. In like fashion, take away one component from our blood and it ceases to give life.

Behe notes that if any one of the more than 20 proteins involved in blood clotting is missing or deficient, as happens in hemophilia, for instance, clots will not form properly. This is but one single example, out of tens of thousands, of phenomenally complex and intricate elements in the human make-up and the plant and animal make-up that defy the conclusion that such intricacies somehow "evolved."

Those critical of Behe and other like-minded scientists fail to grasp the essence of his and scientists like Behe's findings. They also fail to realize that the debate is not about Behe, nor is it about evolution. The real debate is about life and how it came to exist. The real debate is about the quest for truth. In order to understand the issue, those who profess to be scientists must one day put aside their pre-conceived notions and biases and ask themselves this question: How can it be that tens of thousands of intricate systems have come to exist and work within humans and animals and plants? They have never asked that question. Instead, their question has always been on the heels of Darwin, to wit, "How did evolution evolve?" The simplistic approach has put them into an intellectual straight-jacket in which they now struggle.

Many scientists, some former skeptics, are turning away from the shaky platform of evolution. In 2006, three University of Michigan professors added their names to a list of scientists who have concluded that evolution cannot explain the complexities that exist in life. Ronald Larson, chairman of chemical engineering, Phillip Savage, a professor of chemical engineering, and Kenneth Ludema, an emeritus professor of mechanical engineering, are among about 500 scientists worldwide who have signed "A Scientific Dissent From Darwinism.''

The petition was signed by 514 people, with nearly a fourth of them biologists. The other signers include 76 chemists, 75 engineers, 63 physicists and 24 professors of medicine. The signers include some nationally prominent scientists such as James M. Tour, a professor of chemistry at Rice University; Rosalind W. Picard, director of the affective computing research group at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology; and Philip S. Skell, an emeritus professor of chemistry at Penn State who is also a member of the National Academy of Sciences.

The petition reads, in part: "We are skeptical of claims for the ability of random mutation and natural selection to account for the complexity of life. Careful examination of the evidence for Darwinian theory should be encouraged.'' Citing his extensive training in chemistry and physics, Larson noted "that evidence for natural spontaneous formation of living cells from undirected chemical reactions is virtually nonexistent.'' While Ludema refused to go so far as to say he supported the creationist's views on evolution, he remarked that the mathematical probability that the elaborate structures existing in life could emerge from random processes was minute.

Professor Savage said he signed the petition because of those (evolutionists) who have asserted that the origin of life has been fully established scientifically, when in fact the evidence does not support that. Tour echoes Larson, saying his experience in chemistry and nano-technology showed him how hard it was to maneuver atoms and molecules. He found it hard to believe that nature was able to produce the machinery of cells through random processes. He concludes that the explanations offered by evolution are incomplete.

How can such precision, such incredible variety, and such marvelous intricacy exist within all of the forms upon the earth that have life? Clearly, life could not have simply sprung into existence on its own. And no one who has the ability to reason can conclude that life "just happened" by chance. The chance of life "just happening" by some fluke or lucky break is incalculable. It simply could not happen by chance. And, if life did not happen by chance, then we must conclude life happened on purpose. If life happened on purpose, then that suggests intelligence behind the existence of life. Once you reach this conclusion, as one must, if he or she is a true intellectual, then you must make a conclusion called "Intelligent Design." There is simply no other explanation for the existence of life-all life.

Here's a very excellent video on the subject entitled The Miracle of the Cell

If you have not seen the Ben Stein movie, Expelled: No Intelligence Required, you must see it. This is such an excellent movie dealing with this subject. It will make you think, and if you're an evolutionist, it will make you blink.

Richard Dawkins blinked.

What are your needs?

2008-05-10T19:09:00.012-05:00

Ever consider your real needs in life?

God says He will provide all our needs. But, suppose I get real sick? Is that something I need?

Perhaps.

I know at least one man who takes that position.

Our view of life is very different from God's view. He sees our lives as completed already. We've already been placed in His hands, indeed, in His kingdom. We have a presence with God that is very real. Our vision, our perception is too limited, too earth-bound to grasp that vision.

When it comes to knowing what we need, though, we usually err. We simply cannot grasp the concept of something "bad" being good for us. But, consider the Apostle Paul. Read his report about suffering with a "thorn in the flesh," which was something physical that he felt was causing to be less effective in his ministry. Jesus rejected Paul's request for healing and told him, in simple, but profound words: "And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me." 2 Corinthians 12:9

But, Paul suffered far more than that. Would you say that the "needed" the to be beaten? Or robbed? Or to suffer hunger and privation? All these things, and more, he suffered. Eventually, he went to prison and was executed.

Sometimes, we need to be sick. Sometimes, we need to hunger. Sometimes, we need to suffer. Sometimes, we need poverty. Wealth and health are often hindrances to spiritual growth and retard the desire to seek God. For example, if I have a bank account that is pretty good and a home that is secure, and a pantry that is full of groceries; and if I'm in good health, enjoying life to the fullest, how apt am I to fall on my face before God and utter the following words: "Lord, give me today my daily bread?" Or, how probable is it that I'll be on my knees asking God to bless me and give me what I need? Ah, but give me a sickness that draws me nigh unto death, and I'll be like Hezekiah, crying out to God to spare me. Or, let the pantry be bare and let the bank account be empty, with a family sitting at the table hungry, and you'd be more apt to find me on my knees before God.

This is not to suggest that all the pain or grief you have suffered or will suffer in life is a "good" thing. It is to strongly suggest that for a child of God, this verse is still applicable, and God has not abandoned you.

Child Molesters in the Church

2008-04-16T16:37:00.017-05:00

Most Protestant churches do not have a “church policy” regarding child protection.

That’s unfortunate, because it can have serious consequences. The irony is that if you asked the pastor of most churches whether they had such a policy, they’d indicate they do have such a policy. Sadly, they don’t even recognize what is meant by that term. The position of some, radical though it may seem, is that since everyone is against child molesting, then it can be said that it goes without saying that the church is against such things, thus, there is a “policy.”

Others are a bit more sophisticated.

One church I know held a view that sounds something like this: Every church member is against child molesting and for child protection. We take steps to watch out for this kind of thing. It’s a heinous thing and we don’t want any child harmed. Our church has certain standards with respect to the lives of our workers. If a worker is found to be living in sin, we will dismiss that worker immediately. We make sure a worker meets our standards even before they are accepted as workers. We will handle these kinds of issues ourselves. We know what to do. [and blah, blah, blah...]

Still other churches hold to the view that they watch out for such things and are very aware about the need to beware of sexual predators who might victimize a child under their care. They have security monitoring the premises. They warn the workers to be careful. Workers are instructed to never be alone with a child. All events are chaperoned by at least two adults.

But, they still don’t have a church policy. They think they do, but in reality, they don’t.

A church policy must have, at a minimum, the following features:

1. It must be in writing.
2. It must be designed so as to reasonably protect the children in the care and custody of the church.
3. It must be disseminated.
4. It must be implemented.
5. It must be followed.
6. It must be comprehensive, that is, it must cover all the bases.
7. It must be understood and understandable.

Many, if not most, church leaders assume they have a “handle” on the issue. They presume to understand what it is that the church must do in order to protect both the child and itself. But, far too many do not. Some do. But, many are ignorant of their ignorance.

For example, I recall a conversation with a pastor who was one of those who assumed he had things under control. One piece of the conversation went something like this:

VG: So, if you’re called to the stand, you’d testify that everyone in your congregation knew about your policy?

Pastor: Well, maybe not everyone. But, we did talk about it with the deacons and everyone in that meeting got a handout, plus every Sunday School teacher got one.

VG: So, if you had a worker who wasn’t in that meeting, would he or she have gotten that handout?

Pastor: I, uh, well, I don’t know. I suppose. I’m assuming that the leaders would have made sure of that.

VG: But, you realize that you would be the one on the stand answering questions like that? And you do understand that the old proverb, “the buck stops here” is very much applicable?

Pastor: Sure. I will make sure every worker gets a copy.

VG: Suppose a child comes to the church for the first time with her parent and mom leaves her off in the Sunday School. Now, suppose further that on this particular day, a man comes to the Sunday School class looking for this child. And, suppose that on this particular day, there is a new worker there who didn’t get her copy of the “rules” you handed out. Or, perhaps she didn’t read them if she got them. She hands the child over, but it turns out the man is not her father, nor even a relation. He disappears with the child. Is there any liability on the part of the church?

Pastor: I suppose so, yes.

VG: I can tell you that for certain there would be. But, let me ask you this: Do you have any proof that you gave a copy of the policy to these workers? And if you do, is there any proof they read it? And, that they understood it? And, that they will comply with it?

Pastor: No.

As we talked further, it became clear that the “policy” they had was completely inadequate. There were so many potential problem areas not addressed that any jury would have found against the church because their efforts to protect the children in their care was not “reasonable.” Indeed, they took more security precautions to safeguard their cars and the premises than they did the children. It wasn’t because they were a bad church. They were just ignorant of the large number of areas that must be addressed, some of which are complex, in the undertaking of formulating a valid church policy. For example, they had no policy or even an awareness of the problem dealing with who is able to take a child out of his or her Sunday School class. It was kind of understood that if someone showed up for the child and knew the child by name, and the child went with them, that was all right.

If a church does not have a written church policy that is published to the congregation and followed regularly, then some day, a child will be harmed and the church will be harmed. The harm to the child will be permanent. They harm to the church may prove to be “fatal” in economic terms, and even if not, the reputation damages may have consequences lasting for decades.

Predators are cunning, devious, and able to spot vulnerabilities in a church system. Sometimes, there’s almost nothing you can do to protect against them. A dedicated molester will find a way. But, if a church makes it difficult, and places obstacles in the way, he’s usually going to look for an easier target. He’s got a virtual banquet of churches to choose from, ranging from those who are arrogantly ignorant, to those who are just ignorant. He’s not going to choose the churches that are aggressively establishing guidelines and policies designed to thwart his evil.

There is a book I highly recommend on the subject. It is designed to not merely inform, but to educate and motivate. The book contains some useful forms, but most of all, it contains all the reasons why your church, if it is to survive in the coming days as an outreach to the community, must address the issue of what to do about protecting the children and the church. The book is entitled “Protecting Your Church Against Sexual Predators.”

I may be a bit biased, but frankly, I think it is a “must read” for every church member, not just the leaders. An informed church is a church on guard.

An ignorant church is a "candy store" for a child molester.

Some day, one will visit your church.

It's almost a statistical guarantee.

copyright 2008 Voyle A. Glover

Parents are Creating Monsters

2008-03-30T17:48:00.016-05:00

We all sit in astonishment as predators come and snatch our children from us, wondering why, wondering why no one can stop them, wondering where they come from, wondering if anyone cares, wondering if God cares, wondering if they're truly of the human race.

They come in the garb of humanity, perhaps draped in the robes of clergy, or suits of respect or wrapped in rough working clothing or the attire of a youth. But all of them have the same desire: they want to kidnap, to rape, to murder, to torture, to kill and to hurt. They are destroyers. They are humans doing inhuman things.

They're doing it to our children and to us.

Some of them are mere children.

And all of them used to be.

I'm astonished at the absolute ignorance of the vast majority of Americans. I guess I shouldn't be, but I am. We read the news accounts and creep back into our wall- papered existence, pretending the evil doesn't exist. And, we debate endlessly, pontificating to anyone who will hear our shouts of outrage and anger and frustrations. Opinions bounce around the e-world like ping-pong balls, never accomplishing anything other than to draw the attention of others who may bounce their word-balls against our screen.

We listen endlessly to the babblings of shared ignorance as fools debate one another and display their stupidity naively to the world of Springer-Lativa gluttons. And we wonder why no one can understand the problem?

It is said that sheep are the dumbest animals under the sun. They can get lost in sight of the flock. They really are stupid. Is it any wonder that Christ likened us to sheep? It was an apt characterization. Americans are being shorn whilst they bleat their cries of bewilderment to one another, too ignorant to see that they have bought the shears and trained the shearer.

Our children are trained from birth to laugh at violence, to see violence as entertainment, or as something done to achieve success, or perhaps as something to do to another in order to win. One only needs to watch the cartoons to understand this. As they get older, the violence gets more graphic. Today, the children no longer participate passively in the panorama of death flowing into their minds from the television, or the movies. No more are they merely engaged with their minds, but now their body, hands, emotions, and mind, are engaged in "killing" someone, or something, or destroying someone, or something. The games provided to our children today mesmerize them, and their little fingers are a blur of movement as they "kill" in the games they play.

In their teens, the psyche imprinting moves to another level. Now, they see movies that are far more powerful than the most effective thirty-second advertising spot could ever achieve. Instead of a thirty-second ad, their minds are pulled into a maelstrom of violence that is equal to hundreds of powerful advertisement strung together.

These "ads" are working even better than the commercial multi-million dollar ads work for the giant corporations imprinting us with their messages. Our kids are hooked on violence, desensitized to it, and see life through a screen of interactive impulses they find difficult, and sometimes impossible, to control in real-life.

American parents want the fiddler to play us to the grave. So, we pay our children to go out and purchase music that will sear their minds, that will hypnotize them into syncopates who indeed "march to a different drummer." The Pied Piper appears in garish costume designed to shock and draw attention, designed to excite the "rebel" and invite the devil. And, with a swagger and John Waynesque demeanor, our children leap into the darkness we've helped finance.

We are shocked and confused, and can't understand when they don garish costumes and do goulish deeds. We express disbelief at their deeds. We wonder how such a "good boy" could go so bad and do such horrible things.

Stupidity's sister is Ignorance and we've dated her too long.

We'd best come to understand that our children are being programmed. We're helping finance that programming. A growing number of our kids aren't able to cope with the programming. Stresses come into every child's life, especially as they reach the teen years. Years ago, most all of America's kids were able to deal with the usual stresses, and even to emerge at the other end stronger. Now, they're cracking. And, instead of working through it, they're dealing with the stresses the way they've been trained. The thousands of hours at the "death games" and the "death videos" taught them how to solve a problem.

We've taught them well. And we financed it.

Will the sheep ever awaken and realize that once they quit paying the producers of "scare movies" and "death games" and "hate rap" and music that glorifies evil and glamorizes death, the predators amongst us will diminish? These producers operate under the banner of "free speech," but their "free speech" is costing us all dearly. You see, once we take away the program, we, the parents, become the programmers. And, once we take over the role of parenting and emerge from our stupidity, shedding our ignorance, we will begin to see children growing up into healthy adults instead of bizarre beings we hardly recognize.

It really is your choice.

It is your choice to give that child the money to attend the latest "gore" movie or "horror" movie. Go ahead and give money for the music that rips the soul from your child and gives it to a man with a painted face who is placing words of hate and evil into his or her head. But, don't weep for that child when his mind is bent by that powerful force. Don't wonder why. Don't blame him. Don't look at her and say "How could you?" Don't look at the dead bodies and become angry at him, wondering how he could shame you with such a despicable act. He was just doing what your education taught him to do.

Don't wonder why your child is an addict when hundreds of hours of music glorifying drug use was pumped into that child's mind–music you paid for, maybe even purchased.

Look to yourself.

You are the blame.
You were ignorant.
And you chose to be ignorant.
You chose to ignore the danger.

A bad date can be dumped, you know.

For a look at a related topic, see the book "Protecting Your Church Against Sexual Predators"

Heparin: The Road to China has Potholes

2008-03-15T10:58:00.006-05:00

On November 2, 2007, I underwent open heart surgery. During the surgery, I was administered the drug Heparin. I had an "allergic" reaction to it. Subsequently, my recovery was pretty dicey. I had days in ICU where I suffered from extreme bouts of heat, so much so I had to have a fan blowing directly on me. That diminished, but a week later, I still had periods of time when I'd go through several hours of extreme heat.

Also, I had difficulty breathing. For days, especially in the night, I'd gasp for breath. I recall one night curled up in a fetal position, so weary, tired of the constant gasping for breath and wondering if I was going to make it.

Now, I've learned that there's been a massive recall of the drug Heparin. It seems the product, made in China, had a bacterial agent in it, or the drug was in fact, a counterfeit! Incredible. I'd certainly like to know whether I've gotten something that, in a dozen years is going to do me in, or turn my skin purple, or cross my eyes. One thing is for certain: the reaction I got from Heparin came close to putting me on the other side of life.

All that to say this: In our society, we routinely expect the roads upon which we motor to be hazard-free. We expect that when we top the rise of a road, that it will continue. And, when we are given a drug, we expect it to be free of contaminants. But, that's a "road" that is becoming increasingly filled with potholes, and roads that suddenly end, with no warning signs posted.

Unfortunately, in the world of "Big Pharm," we are at their mercy. They make a HUGE profit off the drugs they sell to us. If drugs were gasoline, we'd be paying $20.00 a gallon. Lots of money in drugs, legal or otherwise. The Drug Industry is a powerful lobbying group, and it's no wonder that they seem to be able to get away with stuff that makes the tobacco manufacturers look like sellers of cotton candy.

Speaking of "legal," one certainly has to wonder how it is that a drug manufacturer can license a company in a foreign country (like China) to produce any drug that will be consumed in America, where there is absolutely no ability on the part of the U.S. Government to monitor the manufacturer for cleanliness, for quality control, or any of the normal demands made by our government on U.S. companies who manufacture products which we consume, including drugs.

Maybe it's time we begin to put some pressure on that cabal of legislators who cater to these companies who are willing to put us at risk. I say it's time to put the careers of those legislators at risk, be they Republican, Democrat or whatever.

Copyright 2008 - Voyle A. Glover

Grits 'n Eggs 'n Bacon: A Meal to Die For

2008-03-07T21:12:00.008-06:00

I love grits.

Mix it with 2 golden eggs over easy, some thick sliced bacon fried crisp, a couple of golden brown biscuits dripping with butter, and it’s a meal fit for a king.

My Grandma used to fix grits for us when we were kids. She’d fix the grits, pile it on a plate, dip a spoon in the center of the pile to make a little crater, then she’d fill that crater with bacon grease. Next, she’d close the crater, then she’d lay on top of the pile of grits, two eggs cooked medium so the yoke was still runny. Then, she’d take a knife and fork and cut up those eggs into the grits and mix it all together, flavored by the bacon grease she’d put in earlier. Finally, she’d take a piece of crisp bacon, break it up into little pieces and sprinkle it across the pile of grits and eggs. Gran would shove the plate over and I’d grab a biscuit, butter it, spread some jam on it, break a piece of bacon in half and make a sandwich.

I’ve eaten hundreds of such meals as a kid and many more as an adult.

Now, my dear Grandma loved us kids and would never have done anything to hurt us. But, she didn’t realize she was laying a foundation that would one day send her oldest grandson to the hospital on the brink of death.

In November of 2007, I nearly died. I was rushed to the hospital after I came into the Emergency Room complaining of extreme discomfort. I was on the edge of a major heart attack. They discovered I had two arteries with a 98% blockage and two more with over 80% blockage. I underwent immediate open heart surgery.

Lots of mothers and grandmothers and wives who sincerely love their children, grandchildren and husbands are killing them, slowly, one plate at a time. They cook these delicious meals without comprehending the health hazards of those meals. My dear grandmother had no idea how bad that bacon grease was for me. Further, she did not realize that creating an appetite in a child for greasy, salty, butter-laden foods would train me to eat in the manner in which I grew up eating. I ate all manner of fried food, breads, butter and tons of bacon throughout my life.

I paid a heavy price for it.

In America, we’re paying a heavy price for our out-of-control eating habits. (Compounding the problem is the manufacturers who have infused our food with so many preservatives and dyes and foreign ingredients that the affects on the health of the nation are incalculable.) We are an obese nation plagued with heart disease. Every 20 seconds, a person in America has a heart attack, and 250,000 of them die before they reach a hospital. In approximately 33 seconds from now, someone in America will die from cardiovascular disease. Currently, over 6 million Americans are hospitalized with cardiovascular disease, which has been the number one killer of Americans since 1900 (excepting the year 1918).

We are a rich nation and have been for many long years. We’ve had bountiful tables, laden with food. There isn’t a nation on the face of the earth that has the abundance we have. But that abundance is killing us. We’re getting fatter by the day. It is a medically established fact that obesity contributes to heart disease. And, eating to satisfy appetites that have been trained to enjoy all the wrong kinds of foods, contributes to obesity.

We’re committing suicide, one bite at a time.

Copyright 2008 -- Voyle A. Glover

Barney Fife - A Real Life Encounter with One

2008-03-02T16:34:00.010-06:00

Ever known a real life Barney Fife?

Barney was, of course, the bungling, inept deputy on the Andy Griffith show. He was played so perfectly by Don Knotts and kept millions laughing at his inane attempts to catch crooks, or his exaggerated sense of importance.

But, I really knew a Barney Fife once. He was as close to the caricature of Barney Fife as anyone could come.

I met him in the U.S. Navy. We served on the same ship together and even went through boot camp together. While in boot camp, we were all standing at attention for inspection one morning when “Barney” suddenly grunted after a loud noise came from his position in the lineup. We were all supposed to be looking straight ahead, but some of us sneaked a quick peek his way. The inspecting officer had whacked what appeared to be a kind of night stick against “Barney’s” stomach. But, the sound wasn’t one of wood striking flesh. It had struck something else.

Turned out, “Barney” had hidden a notebook of some sort in the front of his pants and covered it with his jumper. He suffered for that screw-up for a week scrubbing latrines and floors on his hands and knees.

He had several other mishaps during boot camp, but they paled into insignificance against the ones he had once he got aboard ship. I got to be a witness to the first big one. The ship was in port in Seattle, Washington, for repairs and overhaul. Fire drills were held periodically. During these drills, the team assigned to a particular area would grab a fire hose and rush to the site, prepared to put out a fire.

Now, we had a Commander who’d come up through the ranks and was tough as nails. He was built like a pro wrestler, always had a short cigar jutting from one side of his mouth, and had glassy black eyes. His voice was gravely and he could make a sailor lose all desire to go ashore on liberty if the Commander happened to be standing near the gangway.

On this particular day, I was standing on the Flying Bridge, way up at the top of the ship, drinking a cup of coffee when the fire drill started. I stood looking down and saw the Commander, in dress whites, with white shoes, standing on the deck just to the right side of the ladder (stairway). He was there to observe and critique the performance of the team. The sailors came running up the ladder with the large hose. Leading the team was none other than “Barney.” He rushed up the ladder, cut to the right, and ran, nozzle in hand, towards the assigned location.

He didn’t see what I saw. I watched (with a large grin, I must confess), as “Barney” dragged this large, heavy, and very dirty hose, across the tops of the Commander’s white shoes and against the bottom of his white pants. The Commander immediately looked down and then his face flushed red. He didn’t move his feet but his head whipped to the right and he glared at “Barney” in disbelief. He simply could not believe someone would be so stupid. Frankly, I had trouble believing it, too.

“Barney” paid a heavy price for that one. First, he got a tongue lashing such as no one aboard that ship had ever heard in their life. It was an incredible array of curse words strung together like machine gun bullets erupting from a barrel, coupled with a finger that must have felt like a steel rod that was constantly poking into "Barney's" chest. Poor "Barney" was put on bilge duty, cleaning out the nastiest part of the ship, crawling down below the grates at the bottom of the ship where oil and filthy water and who knows what swirls around.

He did a few other dumb things along the way, but the final blow for him came within a month or two after he’d ruined the Commander’s shoes. He’d been assigned to clean the Foc'sle deck, which is at the bow of the ship. Ships that are at anchor or sitting beside a pier (which is where we were), would periodically blow heavy accumulations of soot out the stack in order to clean the tubes. (This was a day in which there were no environmental concerns, and today, it is not a practice that is done in modern ports.)

The ship decks would accumulate a fine layer of soot from this, so it became necessary to swab the decks with a large mop. “Barney” was assigned this task. He’d worked for several hours when his buckets of water became so dirty from rinsing his mop, that he needed to empty the buckets and get clean water. The unwritten rule aboard ship is that you always dump dirty water off the “fantail” (stern) of the ship. “Barney” decided he didn’t want to walk the long distance all the way back to the fantail of the ship to dump two buckets of black water.

So, he walked to the end of the bow and tossed the dirty water over, then followed it with another.

Unfortunately, directly beneath the bow was where the Captain’s gig (boat) was tied up. There was a landing there for the Captain’s convenience, with a small ladder leading to the pier. Also, most unfortunate for “Barney,” the Captain and another Captain from a sister ship had just tied up and both men were leaving the gig, headed for the Captain's quarters for lunch. (Even the script writers for Barney Fife couldn’t have dreamed this one up.)

The dirty water drenched both men (Yes, they were wearing their dress whites.). The sailor who ran the gig for the Captain was also furious because it turned the white canvas covering for the gig into a speckled mess.

There was such a furor over that incident that “Barney” tried to go into hiding. But, they found him and within 3 days, he had orders cut for an immediate transfer. I saw his orders. His orders said: “Midway Island, duration of duty.” If you don’t know about Midway Island, I can only tell you that it was, in the mind of every sailor, the absolute worst assignment you could draw. There was nothing there. Liberty was taking walks alongside the beach. The best times were when a ship would come in and you could get to see new faces, talk to new people, and if you were lucky, walk around aboard a ship for a few hours.

The really sad thing is that many of us are Barney Fifes, albeit, in a little different fashion.

We stumble through life, making stupid mistakes, and sometimes getting assigned to islands of grief from which we feel we cannot escape. Millions are snared by the consequences of their choices in life. So many are trapped by bands of guilt and remorse. We’ve often slapped our foreheads and uttered, “Duh! How could I have been so stupid!”

But the real tragedy is that so many are convinced there is no escape, that they are where they are for the duration of life. Indeed, unless there are substantial changes, that will be true.

But it doesn’t have to be.

There is a way of escape from the islands of despair and grief.

That escape is found here: “The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.” -John 10:10 (The Bible).

However, you must know the way to have that life–that abundant life.

“Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.” -John 14:6 (The Bible). That is the only way of escape. There is no other way of escape. There is no way to God, but through Jesus Christ.

We don’t have to stumble through this life filled with regrets and feeling abandoned by the human race, or feeling as though we were on an island all by ourselves. We can be part of a family that is more united than any family on earth. We can actually be kin to God. And as kin to God, we can expect far more than a Midway Island kind of existence. We can expect and receive treatment accorded to royalty. For, if we have turned from our own ways and turned to Christ, accepting the sacrifice made at Calvary and surrendered ourselves to God, then we are children of the most high God, the creator of all the universe.

“The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God: (17) And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together. (18) For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.” -Romans 8:16-18 (The Bible).

So, come on aboard.

It beats Midway.

Copyright 2008 Voyle A. Glover

Lose 40 pounds in weeks !! Guaranteed!

2008-02-13T16:40:00.013-06:00

I will tell you here, step by step, how you can lose 40 pounds in a few weeks and keep it off!

My weight loss began with a craving. I had a craving for Jello. I didn’t care if it was red or yellow or green, so long as it was Jello. I devoured nothing but Jello for an entire week. After that, I discovered, to my surprise, that my stomach had shrunk such that I could not eat as much as I could before the Jello rampage. My portions shrank dramatically. I’d eat maybe half of what was put on my plate after that. (But, I still ate all the Jello.)

In a matter of weeks, the pounds had melted away. I discovered that I had lost an amazing 40 pounds.

But there is an additional step you must take in order to make this diet work.

You have to agree to allow someone with a gleam in his eye and a sharp, glistening blade in his hand, rip open your chest and play with your heart, then live in a hospital for nearly a month eating the most tasteless food ever cooked.

Now, let me take my tongue from my cheek a moment. There are tens of thousands of Americans who are going to lose weight exactly like I did. They will take the same steps because they are doing the same things I did to reach that Mandatory Diet Program. They are committing suicide one bite at a time. One bite doesn’t seem like it will hurt, and it doesn’t seem to have any immediate effects. But, over the years, the damage begins to accumulate in the heart and the arteries. And suddenly, you wake up on a gurney rolling down a hall with some guy walking alongside you making small talk you will not remember later.

Pat O'Brien, a host on Inside Edition, was recently in the news because of an addiction to alcohol that brought him into rehab. There are millions of Americans who have an alcohol addition (over 23 million according to the National Association of Addiction Treatment Providers). But, Americans' addiction to bad food is far worse than alcohol. The addiction to sweets, greasy and salty foods and pop, affects most Americans. We begin that battle as children and often, by the time we’re adults, we’ve lost the war. We’re addicted, not to apples and squash and beans, but to bacon and fries and pizza and coffee and a host of other such things.

We’re literally eating ourselves into the hospitals (unfortunately, also into the morgue) by the millions.

Surely there’s a better way to lose weight than letting some guy with a bunch of initials behind his name and a sharp blade in his hand slice open your chest and rummage around there playing with valves and tiny arteries. And the bill you get could buy a life-time supply of healthy meals delivered to your door by a valet who will park the meal on your table and do the dishes afterwards.

Some of us are fortunate. We take the journey into the hospital and undergo the surgery. We even lose weight. But, far too many are losing much more than 40 pounds.

They get down to skin and bones.

Mostly bones.

(Click on the link for a detailed narrative of the author's experience with open heart surgery.)