It was on that day that I cried a thousand tears all because of You and what You did.

You took away my one and only excuse…

I was made to die along with everything inside of me that I might be allowed to live alongside you.

Whisper to me now that it is for real…

Tell me once again that I am forgiven, loved and free… I need to hear that you are always with me.

Cause now in my silence I must admit… all this righteousness has lost its appeal.

You see, I have bought the lie…

I have been trouble since the day I got here… and I’ll be trouble till the day I disappear.

All my dirty deeds have done me in… along with all the broken promises and broken hearts.

Standing here I find myself wrestling with my fear… wondering why exactly I am here.

My world is turned upside down… it is times like now when I’m all dried out.

All my joy has been on holiday… and my peace has passed away.

I feel as if I’m lost forever… I am broken and so empty.

I should just give in… It’s more than I can bear.

I’m crying out for and seeking You now.
Listen to my cry and tell me what I’m meant to hear…

“Why are you crying child and striving to earn grace?..”

“Why are you looking for love, and pretend as if I’m not enough?..”

“To where will you go child, to where will your run?..”

“You are not alone for I am always with you… I will always be by your side in the darkness of night…”

“I died to rectify your hopeless situation… Let me lift up your face…”

“Don’t fight these hands that are holding you… You will find that there is no condemnation in Me.”

Enough! Now it’s time for me to be a man… to follow my heart as far as I can.

To put my trust in You and your promise somehow.

I’ve seen enough to know I’m not here for nothing… I believe it is You that has brought me to this place.

You won’t forget all the plans You’ve made for me…

Your ways are not my own and there is hope for me yet.

All I’ve got to do is hold on tight… You are not done with me yet.

So even though I’m walking through the valley of the shadow… And find myself wounded in the battle.

There is a light at the end of the tunnel… You are all the strength that I will ever need.

I will hold onto the hand of Him… the only One that can mend this heart of mine.

Here it is I can feel it, giving mercy as You heal… Your blood commands my guilt to leave.

Let the blessings You’ve poured out on me not be spent on me in vain… Let this life be used for change.

Take everything I am, I’m clay within your hands…

On Calvary I stand with empty pockets and open hands.

I’ve been reading an interesting book titled, “How to Be Like Walt,” by Pat Williams. It’s the story of how Walt Disney impacted the culture and world.

Today, we take a place like Disneyland for granted, but Disney made the place a reality against all odds.

He started in animation, constantly adapting the latest technologies to reach a wider and wider audience. And in the process, he always managed to prove his critics wrong. Bringing sound and color to animation, he literally redefined the genre, introducing the first full-length animated motion picture, “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.”

Disney moved on to live-action films, registering success after success. He then began to envision a place where families could come into a clean, safe environment and visit the world of yesterday and tomorrow. The result was Disneyland and later Disney World. 

It was said that Walt Disney had “One foot in the past and the other in the future.” He loved nostalgia, patriotism, hard work, values, and the idea of living a life of integrity and honor. He also loved to dream of what could be, and, unlike many, most of his dreams became reality.

Walt was constantly told it could not be done, and that only spurred him on. He had, according to this book, a “stick-to-it-ivity.”

There is a lot the church can learn from Disney

The odds are against us. We have our marching orders from Jesus to “go into all the world and preach the Gospel.” And we live in such a dark world today that we wonder if we can really make a difference.

Consider this: The church of the first century had it really hard, too. Their world in that day, as with our world today, was messed up, big time! We think conditions are bad in the 21st century (and indeed they are), but the world of the first century wasn’t a walk in the park, either. In fact, it was a most difficult time and place to bring the Gospel.

Believers in those days lived under the iron fist of the godless and powerful Roman Empire. Immorality was rampant, divorce widespread, slavery the order of the day and infanticide a regular practice. In city after city, prostitutes walked the streets and plied their trade openly.

The religious establishment of the day was corrupt to the core. Thousands of people openly practiced idolatry, spiritism and outright demon worship. Temples erected to false gods stood on seemingly every corner.

What’s more, everywhere the believers went bringing the Gospel message, they were harassed, ridiculed, physically assaulted, imprisoned, or – in some cases – put to death.

Yet within three decades, those original 120 disciples had multiplied and changed the world. They had a call to fulfill, a task to complete, and they “stuck to it.” Despite the fact that the odds were against them, the believers in the first-century church pressed on. And they succeeded magnificently.

About 200 years after the birth of the church, an early church father named Tertullian made this statement about the impact of the Gospel: “We have filled every place among you, cities, islands, fortresses, towns, marketplaces, the very camp, tribes, companies, palaces, the senate, the forum. We have left nothing to you but the temples of your gods.”

Don’t you love that? Tertullian is saying, “There is no stone that has been left unturned. There isn’t one little crevice or corner where the Gospel has not gone. We have invaded your culture.”

And as you look back, you see that the Roman Empire eventually crumbled, while the message of Christ spread across the world.

We have that same task before us today. We need that “stick-to-it-ivity” of the early church.

Walt Disney was an optimist. He loved to bring fairy tales and children’s stories to life, like “Pinocchio,” “Cinderella,” “Sleeping Beauty,” “Mary Poppins” and many others. These stories resonate with us because, deep down inside, we all want to “live happily ever after.”

Here is the good news: Jesus Christ will one day return to earth and establish His Kingdom. It won’t be a fantasy drawn from a world of make-believe; it will be a wondrous reality, blossoming under the righteous reign of the King of Kings. Then, and only then, will we really “live happily ever after.” Until that day, however, we are to preach the Gospel and try to impact our culture.

Walt Disney left us the Magic Kingdom in Disneyland, and it has entertained millions. Walt was driven to reach his goals, but as wonderful as many of them were, they pale in comparison to what the church is called to do.

Jesus has left us with the task of preaching the gospel of His Kingdom. There is no more important thing than that. Far too often, however, we listen to the naysayers who predict failure, and don’t see how we could succeed at such a task.

Look at what Disney accomplished. Can we not do even more? He was a master of imagination, artistic skill and technology, but we represent a supernatural Kingdom with the potential to transform millions of human lives for all eternity.

Yes, the odds are against us, but remember that God is for us! And if God is for us, who can be against us?

For me, the path that I am now on all started during the 2008 Republican National Convention when I heard Gov. Mike Huckabee’s speech. Of course I had heard him at the debates and he had piqued my interest when he gave his straight forward and passionate answer to the question of evolution vs. God.

When Gov. Huckabee gave his speech at the convention I found him to be a gracious, witty, intelligent and articulate human being. He spoke of civil rights and growing up in the south when segregation was still going on and witnessing firsthand the ignorance of it all. I know from reading about him later on that he integrated the church he was Pastor of. Some of his congregation was not happy about it, but, he stood his ground and stood on his principals. I admire that in him. When he said “I’m not a Republican because I grew up rich, I’m a Republican because I didn’t want to spend the rest of my life being poor, waiting for the government to rescue me”, he spoke with such truthfulness and sincerity that I knew right then and there that I had to learn more about this man and I did.

What I have found is an honest, caring, hard working southern gentleman who happens to be a politician.

After the election in November I knew it was time to get off the couch, get myself in gear and get involved or I was going to lose the Country that I had grown up in (I am 46). I know the way to make sure we don’t lose our Country is to help Huck PAC get conservatives elected and re-elected and also get Mike Huckabee in the White House where he belongs as President of the United States!

Something seemed to be pushing me into action and into an unlikely direction from where I had been. I have come to realize it is not something, but, someone, and that someone is God. I feel like he has had his eye on me for a while and now he has his hand on me and leading me down a pathway that I am only to happy to follow. You see it’s not only that I want to do this; it’s that I have to do this.

In early January I read Gov. Huckabee’s book “Do the Right Thing”. On January 31, I volunteered to be a State Coordinator for Huck PAC. I am also becoming a Precinct Committeemen for the Republican Party in my Legislative District. Who knows where this will all lead? On a personal note, In February I read Gov. Huckabee’s “Quit Digging Your Grave with a Knife and Fork” and on March 14, 2009 I started a weight loss program/cure (with the help of the best weight loss Dr. in the world!) and as of today (May 4, 2009) I have lost an amazing 54lbs in 52 days. Still about 100 to go!

I have never had (except for parents) a single person be more of an inspiration and influence on my life than Gov. Mike Huckabee has. That is why I am a volunteer for Huck PAC.

Week one’s message is titled “What is Truth”. It’s archived on the site already go watch it today!

I encourage you to join me live on Sunday mornings at the Internet Campus or watch the archived messages on the website.

In all seriousness though, it was a great wedding and I was priviliged enough to be one of the groomsmen. This is even more awesome because I got a gift out of the deal! So what was this awesome gift!? A beer mug with my initials on it. Quite possibly the best gift I’ve ever received. Anyways here’s a picture from the funeral.. I mean wedding.

Me, Josh, Darrin, Paul and Jason

So ultimately it comes down to faith. That’s what I am trying to foster for all of you in my posts. Not blind faith mind you. As I said I can provide counter arguments on all aspects of this discussion. You have to be willing to analyze the information and do what you want with it. Ultimately it’s going to come down to whether you’re willing to have faith.

With that, here is a post about Dinosaurs living much more recently than expected.

Messages on stone

First published:
Creation 19(2):20–23
March 1997

by Dennis L. Swift

Mammoths and mastodons

It was once held that mammoths and mastodons became extinct 30,000 to 40,000 years ago. When flint spear points attributed to the ‘Clovis’ culture were found in mammoth bones,¹ the evolutionist scientific community had to concede reluctantly that these colossal beasts were being hunted in America some 10,000 years ago by their reckoning. However, there is evidence which suggests that these huge pachyderms were in existence at a much more recent date.

The Anasazi Indians lived in the south-west of the United States from roughly 150 BC to AD 1200. They had first-hand knowledge of these massive beasts. Near Moab, Utah, is a pictograph of a mammoth showing many of its characteristic features.² There are also other examples in Shay Canyon on the Colorado Plateau³ and near Thousand Lake Mountain in central Utah.⁴

An authority in Indian rock art writes that ‘no rock art known to be older than about 1,000 years resembles the sophistication of design and technique that was used in making these mammoths.’⁵ The preponderance of evidence indicates these figures were made during the period of the Anasazis.

Nor is that all. Two carved stone slabs found in Indian ruins at Flora Vista, New Mexico, show meticulously chiselled elephantine figures, surrounded by numerous symbols and pictures. Earl H. Morris, a noted authority on south-western Indian artifacts, says the ruins date at about ad1200, so the ancient artist could not have seen his elephant in a circus, zoo or a book. An excavated mammoth skeleton would not show that it had a trunk, so the artist obviously saw a live elephantid of some sort still alive in the region only hundreds of years ago.

All this is no surprise, since the Bible indicates that there have been only a few thousand years since the Great Flood of Noah’s day. The extinction of mammoths (and dinosaurs) must have occurred sometime in the last 4,000 or so years.

Dinosaurs and flying reptiles

However, evolutionists and other long-agers believe dinosaurs became extinct more than 60 million years before the first man appeared, so they cannot admit that any ancient rock art depicts dinosaurs.

When I was in Peru recently, Dr Javier Cabrera Darquea, a research professor at Ica National University, gave me a stone which he said had been found on the Nazca desert plains. This has a startlingly accurate depiction of two dinosaurs, Triceratops and a therapod dinosaur somewhat similar to Tyrannosaurus rex or Allosaurus. Because Triceratops and T. rex are both ‘favorites’ in popular dinosaur lore (often depicted as sparring partners), it raises the question of a modern forgery. However, the stone, of high density, smooth andesite (a volcanic rock), has several areas deeply encrusted with desert sand, especially covering some of the engraved areas showing leaves. It has a film of oxidation over it, and the segment of T. rex’s lower leg and foot are well worn. The fact that the therapod is not a good representation of T. rex (the front legs are too long) is further evidence against a modern forgery. The frill-like treatment along the back suggests the artist may have been drawing something like Spinosaurus.

There are examples which are impossible to dismiss as anything other than the work of ancient artists. Fran Barnes, a recognized authority on rock art of the American South-West, writes, ‘In the San Rafael Swell, there is a pictograph that looks very much like a pterosaur, a Cretaceous flying reptile.’⁵

While some say it may be a bird, the presence of a prominent head crest and what appears to be a long tail suggests otherwise. It is intriguing to note that not far away from this site, the University of Ohio quarried a fossil pterosaur.⁶

Sioux Indians have long featured the ‘Thunder Bird’ in their mythology, and always draw it as unmistakably similar to the pterosaur Pteranodon.⁷

A petroglyph in Arizona’s Havasupai Canyon shows a creature with the unmistakable upright stance and balancing tail of some of the known dinosaurs, but unlike any other creature.⁸

Barnes writes,⁵ ‘There is a petroglyph in Natural Bridges National Monument that bears a startling resemblance to a dinosaur, specifically a Brontosaurus,⁹ with a long tail and neck, small head and all.’ Note that Barnes, who despises creationists, knows that this work shows every sign of age, such as pitting and weathering, etc. If there was an ‘orthodox’ way to explain these sorts of finds away, he would have tried to do so.

Such messages left by ancient artists (and we have only shown a small sample here of the many reported from around the world) testify to the reliability of the biblical record, and the bankruptcy of the idea of evolution and long ages of ‘prehistory’.

Rock art dating

Although it is not possible to assign absolute dates to rock art, it is possible to narrow the time span in which a particular figure might fall. There are many methods of dating rock art that give us a clue to its relative age. At times it is suggested that rock art of extinct animals is the work of clever hoaxers. Several dating methods dismiss this possibility.

Desert varnish is an accumulation of minerals that build up in glyphs and on canyon walls. This dark coating, or varnish, takes a considerable amount of time to accumulate. It can be generalized that if the varnish on a glyph is as dark as its surrounding, undisturbed surface, then the glyph is significantly old. One could easily tell if a glyph was recent because it would clearly stand out as very light against a dark background.

Weathering. Erosion of exposed rock by wind and water wears the surface of the drawing and gives it a pockmarked appearance. A newer glyph has a bright, fresh appearance. The degree of weathering provides a clue to the age, and the weathering factor is considered impossible to fake.

Lichens. Studying lichens (common plants consisting of an alga and a fungus living together), which form a scaly adherence on rock surfaces, helps us to date rock art. Lichenometry, the study of lichen cover patterns, colonization and growth, is based on the slow growth rate of lichens on exposed surfaces and the long life expectancy of their colonies. In certain habitats lichens may reach their final size only after several thousand years. Lichenometry can help tell us if a particular piece of rock art is hundreds of years old. A modern hoaxed glyph would have no lichen growth.

Dennis L. Swift, B.A. M.A, M. Div, Th.D. has been actively engaged in ancient Indian archaeological research and Biblical archeology. His articles on dinosaurs and man have been published in Russia, where he has engaged in lectures and TV appearances. He is currently pastor of Beaverton Nazarene Church in Oregon, USA.

References and notes

1. Hal Bowser, When Elephants Roamed the Range, Science Digest, p. 63, June 1983.
2. Grant Campbell, Rock Art of the American Indian, Outbooks, Golden (Colorado), p. 117, 1981. The Moab Mammoth Pictograph, Scientific Monthly, pp. 378–379, 1935.
3. Larry Agenbroad, Quaternary Geochronology and Distribution of Mammuthus on the Colorado Plateau, Geology, 17(9):861–866, September 1989.
4. William M. Stokes and William L. Stokes, Messages on Stone: Selections of Native Western Rock Art, Starstone Publishing Co, Salt Lake City, (Utah), p. 30, 1980.
5. F. Barnes, in Barnes and Pendleton, Canyon Country Prehistoric Indians—Their Culture, Ruins, Artifacts and Rock Art, Wasatch Publishers, Salt Lake City, Utah, 1995.
6. Owen McClenahan, Utah’s Scenic San Rafael, Castle Dale Publishers, Utah, 1986.
7. The Great Dinosaur Mystery and the Bible (Films for Christ), video and 16 millimetre film. The thunder bird motif associated with Sioux jewelry, etc. is common knowledge.
8. This type of dinosaur reconstruction is a little out of fashion since it was realized (from bone structure and the absence of drag marks on dinosaur trackways) that most dinosaurs held their tail horizontally while walking. However, the tripod stance is still the obvious one for a creature with this anatomy while it is standing, or in particular reaching up, when the tail would be used for extra balance.
9. Brontosaurus is of course a misnomer, since it was the result of the wrong head being placed on the wrong body. However, this is undoubtedly a representation of the body of a large sauropod, such as Apatosaurus.

Article taken from Answers in Genesis

January 12th, 2009
Total Body Weight: 201.6
Pounds of Muscle: 151.6
Pounds of Body Fat: 50.0
Body Fat Percentage: 24.8%
Waist Size: 36 Inches

“Lord, remind me how brief my time on earth will be. Remind me that my days are numbered, and that my life is fleeing away. My life is no longer than the width of my hand. An entire lifetime is just a moment to you; human existence is but a breath.
” Psalms 39:4-5 NLTToday I’m inviting you all to ask yourselves the following question; What if I had only 30 days to live? What would you do? How would your life be different?http://www.lifechurch.tv/message-archive/watch/30-days-to-live

 

My life has been filled with many tragedies, from friends who’s lives have been cut short, to war, to losing my father when I was 10 years old in a very tragic way. I know first hand how short this life can be. I would ask from the very bottom of my heart you take the time to watch the following video.

I want you to go to the following website. Watch the message from week 2! It contains an interview with Larry. Larry died on September 8th, 2007 at the age of 42.

 

Once you’ve finished watching the video it runs about 35 minutes long ask yourself these questions.
LifeChurch. tv.
www. lifechurch. tv.
It was one of the most impactful messages I’ve watched yet.

What can you do to simplify your life so that you spend your time on things that truly matter?

-Spouse and family
-Key relationships
-Things that give you true pleasure

Ask yourself whether or not you’re spending your time accordingly?.

-Make a list
-Have someone hold you accountable
-Have a family/personal vision

Ask yourself whether your actions line up with your words.

-Have friends tell you what they see as your priorities
-Take a bold stand and reach out to those around you that don’t know Christ:
-Your co-workers
-Your family
-Your classmates

Once you’ve asked yourself these questions, ask yourself if you need to first of all… accept Christ into your life. If you want to share your answers to these questions with me, I would love to hear them or help you through something you might be struggling with.

You can reach me on MSN Messenger michael_orielly@hotmail.com or via e-mail at the same address.

God bless,
Michael O’Rielly

This series 30 Days to live is over a year old.
It was created by my church,

I’m actually pretty floored by the pictures. I can see the “V” in my upper body starting to take shape. No huge gut overhang and the “Man-Boobs” are going away. Now I’ve been integrating strenght resistance in, instead of just running. Things should “take-shape” pretty quickly over the next few months.

Getting back to the point of this post however. One of the main reasons I supported Gov. Huckabee was because of his support of the Fair Tax. Below I’ve included an e-mail from Governor Huckabee today that talks more in depth about the Fair Tax. Be sure to watch the video, that the Gov. talks about in the first couple sentences.

Yesterday, I emailed you about the Fair Tax to explain why I think the Fair Tax is an important piece to America’s economic future.

I also included a link to an eight minute video where I discuss my support of the Fair Tax.

sign up for email updates from the Vertical Politics Institute here. If you are a blogger, you have my permission to reprint both emails on your blog. Encourage your readers to spread the word and sign up for email updates at www.verticalpoliticsinstitute.com.

Today, I would like to explain in greater detail what the Fair Tax is and offer you three ways you can help the Vertical Politics Institute (VPI) start a broader discussion about tax reform in this country. A discussion which I believe will lead America to conclude the Fair Tax is the best path forward.

First, what is the Fair Tax?

The Fair Tax Plan is a thoroughly researched national tax system carefully designed to replace all income and payroll taxes with a simple, transparent and fair national retail sales tax. The Fair Tax will eliminate all federal income and payroll taxes. It will do away with all personal federal, corporate federal, gift, estate, capital gains, alternative minimum, Social Security, Medicare, self-employment taxes.

The Fair Tax will replace the Internal Revenue Code with a progressive consumption tax. When consumption is taxed instead of citizen’s earnings, savings and investments, the economy functions much better because taxes are levied on what we take out of the economy as consumers instead of what we put into the economy as producers.

The Fair Tax eliminates all federal taxes on the poor and gives the middle class a dramatic tax break. Each American citizen will receive a monthly prebate that will reimburse us for taxes on purchases up to the poverty line, so that we’re not taxed on basic goods and necessities. Instead, Americans will only be taxed on what we decide to buy, not what we happen to earn. We won’t be taxed on what we choose to save or the interest those savings earn. And, the tax will apply only to new goods, so we can reduce our taxes further by buying a used car or computer.

The Fair Tax also isn’t intended to raise any more or less money for the federal government to spend – it is revenue neutral. However, it doe broaden the taxpayer base by taxing the $1.5 trillion a year annual underground economy, eliminating unfair tax loopholes for the wealthy and by making taxpayers of 12 million illegals as consumers. Under the Fair Tax nothing is withheld by the government from paychecks, the IRS is abolished and April 15th becomes just another spring day!

The Fair Tax is progressive, but it doesn’t punish the American people for their success as does the current system. Nor does it punish the old fashioned virtues of hard work and thrift. Instead it rewards and encourages them. Expert analysis of the Fair Tax have shown that it lowers the lifetime tax burden of all of us-single or married; working or retired; rich, poor, or middle class.

Furthermore, many experts believe the Fair Tax can help solve the current financial meltdown by:

1. Increasing take home pay which will allow distressed homeowners to stay in their homes and satisfy mortgage obligations.

2. Attracting an estimated $12-15 trillion of foreign investment into our economy and

3. Greatly benefiting “Made in America” products resulting in rapid job growth.

And just as importantly, all of these effects do not require huge taxpayer investments.

In the coming months we will read about the Obama administration’s massive expansion of government. An expansion fueled by deficit spending and more than likely higher tax burdens on American families. That is exactly the wrong reaction to the problems we face.

To counter this, I hope you will join me in promoting the Fair Tax. Here are three ways to help today:

1. Forward this email and yesterday’s email to your friends and family. If they are interested in what they read, encourage them to

2. If you can afford to, please become a sponsoring or sustaining member of the Vertical Politics Institute with your contribution of $25 or $100 today. You can learn more about the benefits of membership here.

3. Check back next week at www.verticalpoliticsinstitute.com  to sign up as a volunteer in our efforts to promote the Fair Tax.

I hope you are finding these emails informative. Next week I plan on switching gears completely to discuss the environment and why it is important for conservatives.

With deep gratitude,

Mike Huckabee

P.S. You can help support the Fair Tax by promoting the Fair Tax to friends and family, contributing financially to the Vertical Politics Institute (learn about our membership opportunities here) and by signing up to be a volunteer very soon.