Does God determine the time of our death? (from truthortradition.com)

Here are two very significant theological statements that too few Christians understand:

(1) Life is not a giant bakery.
(2) People are not milk cartons.

How many times have you heard people say, when commenting on someone's untimely death (biblically, all death is untimely), “His number was up.” Huh?

My question is: What number?

Yes, the Bible speaks about “the bread of life,” but life is not a giant bakery, as in “Take a number.” In the bakery scenario, people wait with anticipation for their number to be “up,” so they can enjoy the jelly doughnut or whatever. But in life, no one wants to hear his number called and find a speeding bus inches away from him.

Or what about someone saying that that he had a close call with death, but “It wasn't my time to go.” That could give special meaning to the ordinary question, “What time is it?” Your time. nooo!!!

And I ask, “Who sets that time?”

Yes, the Bible speaks of “the milk of the Word,” but people are not milk cartons. That means that no human being comes from the factory with an expiration date stamped on him or her.

I'm not sure what year it was that expiration dates began to be stamped on food products, but when you see something with a date in the next decade, don't eat it. The preservatives in it will not preserve you. What does preserve you, or at least give you the best chance of sticking around this life for a while, is learning the will of God from the Word of God, and doing it. God created mankind with genuine free will, and our choices play a major role in determining the quality, and length, of our lives.

If we hold to the Bible as the only source of truth regarding God, Jesus, and all spiritual matters, we will not find ourselves believing that people are milk cartons in a giant bakery, because those ideas are nowhere in Scripture. The Word of God does not say that He determines the time of a person's death. Legally, that would make Him a murderer.
God makes it clear, for those with eyes to see and ears to hear His Word, that He is love, that death was never part of His original plan, and that He wants all people to live and be blessed by having a personal relationship with Him and His Son, the Lord Jesus. God gave us genuine free will, and our choices in large part determine our quality and quantity of life on this earth.

My EDUCATED opinion on Prop Eight.

Well this has been brought up a lot lately. Although all the votes have been placed, I think I should post my opinion. If you don't know, Proposition 8 will define marriage in California to mean only a union between one man and one woman. It will add exactly 14 words to the California State Constitution:
"Only marriage between a man and a woman is valid or recognized in California."
My personal beliefs and morals force me to go towards a YES on this, making gay marriage illegal. But then I think it through. My personal beliefs are not everyone elses, which makes it my opinion. It is absolutely WRONG to create a law like this that will deny a group of people their rights, based on an OPINION. Why should people who don't believe in what the Bible says, have their rights taken just because other do believe if they don't think it's true? Why should people who don't believe in God have their rights taken because of a book they think is a bunch of lies? Something they think is completely fake is hindering them from being "equal." How fair is that?
On the other side, there are also issues deeper than this. Right now, 96 percent of California public school districts must teach "respect for marriage and committed relationships" without showing any bias regarding sexual orientation. Unless Proposition 8 passes, all of those school districts will be required to teach children in grades K-12 that same-sex marriage is equal in every way to traditional marriage. What if a parent doesn't want their child exposed to this?
Also, churches may have their tax exempt status challenged or revoked if they publicly oppose same-sex marriage or refuse to allow same-sex marriage ceremonies in their religious buildings open to the public. WHY should a church that DOESN'T AGREE WITH GAY MARRIAGE based on Gods word be required to allow it in their church. What happened to separation of church and state? People who always complain about this are now the ones that are intertwining them! Someone who believes what God says to be true shouldn't be getting married in the house of God knowing God doesn't want it anyways.
There are so many more things to think about when voting on this. Churches and religious schools are threatened with lawsuits and government fines just for doing what they think is right.
In the end, everyone will pay. Changing the definition of marriage will generate a flood of lawsuits which will inflict heavy legal costs upon the parties who are sued and upon their business customers, which means you. So do a little thinking and research before you claim to have an opinion that can be backed up!

a wonderful way to explain death

A sick man turned to his doctor as he was preparing to leave the examination room and said, "Doctor, I am afraid to die. Tell me what lies on the other side."
Very quietly the doctor said, "I don't know."
"You don't know? You, a good Christian man, do not know what is on the other side?"
The doctor was holding the handle of the door, on the other side came a sound of scratching and whining. As he opened the door, a dog sprang into the room and leaped on him with an eager show of gladness. Turning to the patient the doctor said, "Did you notice my dog? He's never been in this room before. He didn't know what was inside. He knew nothing except that his master was here and when the door opened he sprang in without fear. I know little of what is on the other side of death, but I do know one thing... I know my Master is there and that is enough."

the left-wing media

The following is from Andrew Wilkow, a wonderful talk radio conservative. I heard it quite a while back, but couldn't find it until now. So please enjoy these examples of hypocrisy that constantly bombard us from the liberal media. But oh no, they're not biased, are they?? Haha...


TWO WAY MEDIA PERCEPTIONS

OK...here it is a list of two way media perceptions. It seems the broadcast liberals have decided when your attributes are assets or drawbacks. So feel free to circulate these........



IF YOU HAVE SPENT TIME IN WASHINGTON:
CONSERVATIVE…YOU ARE PART OF THE PROBLEM [mccain]
LIBERAL…YOU HAVE EXPERIENCE [biden]

IF YOU DON'T HAVE TIME IN WASHINGTON:
CONSERVATIVE….YOU HAVE NO EXPERIENCE [palin]
LIBERAL….YOU REPRESENT CHANGE [obama]

IF YOU HAVE WEALTH:
CONSERVATIVE…YOU ARE GREEDY AND A CHEAT WHO HAD ADVANTAGES IN LIFE
LIBERAL…YOU ARE SUCCESSFUL AND YOUR LIFE STORY IS AN INSPIRATION.

IF YOU DON'T HAVE WEALTH:
CONSERVATIVE…YOU ARE LOW CLASS
LIBERAL…YOU ARE DISADVANTAGED [ha!]

IF YOU WENT TO COLLEGE:
CONSERVATIVE…YOUR ACADEMIC PEDIGREE IS SCRUTINIZED
LIBERAL….YOUR DEGREE SPEAKS FOR ITSELF

IF YOU DIDN'T GO TO COLLEGE:
CONSERVATIVE…YOU ARE UN-EDUCATED
LIBERAL…YOU ARE AN ARTIST/ACTIVIST

IF YOU OWN A BUSINESS:
CONSERVAITVE…YOU ARE A PROFITEER
LIBERAL…YOU PROVIDE JOBS TO THE COMMUNITY

IF YOU ARE WORKING CLASS:
CONSERVATIVE….YOU'RE JUST A (INSERT JOB TITLE OR TRADE).
LIBERAL…YOU ARE A PROLETARIAT WHO FINDS STRENGTH IN NUMBERS.

IF YOU BELIEVE IN THE WISDOM OF THE CONSTITUTION:
CONSERVATIVE…YOU ARE NARROW MINDED.
LIBERAL…YOU ARE A CIVIL LIBERTARIAN.

IF YOU BELIEVE IN INDIVIDUAL FREEDOMS:
CONSERVATIVE….YOU HAVE MADE PEACE WITH INEQUALITY
LIBERAL….YOU ARE FOR CHOICE.

IF YOU TAKE TO THE STREETS TO VOICE YOUR OPINONS:
CONSERVATIVE…YOU ARE A THUG
LIBERAL…YOU ARE A DEMONSTRATOR.

IF YOU ARE RELIGIOUS:
CONSERVATIVE….YOU ARE A FUNDAMENTALIST.
LIBERAL…YOU ARE SPIRITUAL.

IF YOU ARE SERVING IN THE MILITARY:
CONSERVATIVE…YOU ARE A MINDLESS KILLER
LIBERAL…YOU WEAR THE UNIFORM OF YOUR COUNTRY.

IF YOU ARE POPULAR:
CONSERVAITVE….YOU HAVE BLIND SHEEP FOLLOWERS
LIBERAL…YOU ARE LEADING A MOVEMENT.

IF YOU ARE ATTRACTIVE:
CONSERVATIVE…YOU ARE SHALLOW AND EMPTY
LIBERAL…YOU ARE STUNNING AND A TREND SETTER.

IF YOU ARE UN-ATTRACTIVE:
CONSERVAITVE…YOU ARE JUST UGLY
LIBERAL…YOU ARE TOO INTELLECTUAL TO BE CONCERNED WITH YOUR APPEARANCE.

IF YOU ENJOY AN OUTDOORS LIFESTYLE:
CONSERVATIVE…YOU ARE A HICK
LIBERAL…YOU ARE EARTHY.



Thank you, Andrew Wilkow. I hear these contradicting perceptions spewed regularly in the media, and personally, I'm tired of it. Our "unbiased, bipartisan" media is just the opposite. Except for good old Fox News, of course!!

I hope this entertained you! [[but I'm sure you liberals will just roll your eyes and deny, deny, deny...]]

here's what blows.

Here's what blows:
Sometimes, through no fault of your own, but based on
who happened to bring you into the world, you become a
social mutant with no forseeable remedy beyond changing
your identity and disappearing forever.
How fair is that?

don't be stupid

Ok, so the presidential election is coming up fast, and the youth of America is enamored with Obama.

I, however, am not so blind.

Following are just a few of the reasons I'd vote for McCain if I were of legal age.



-McCain is pro-life.
That's pretty self explanatory. I might concede to exceptions for rape victims... But come on people. If you think you're responsible enough to have sex, you should know the risks and be prepared for them. There are millions of couples who are unable to conceive, and there aren't enough babies to go around, so if you get pregnant, give the baby to someone who wants it, don't just kill it. How irresponsible is that?


-I trust McCain with the lives of our troops (including my friends and family).
Obama supporters seem to believe that if Obama is elected the war will end. But if you believe this, you need to pay closer attention and watch a debate for once. Obama (and McCain) will pull out of Iraq, yes, but will simply move our troops over to Afghanistan, where the war will continue. What's more, John McCain is a veteran, and actually has some military sense while Obama says he will announce to Pakistan when we're on our way to attack them. A six year old can tell you that you don't tell someone before you attack! I trust McCain to do his best to keep our troops safe. Remember, no matter who we elect, the war will not end right away.


-McCain will cut taxes for businesses, thus keeping them from outsourcing.
McCain understands that we need big businesses to stay in America and provide jobs for Americans. If we raise their taxes (which Obama will), they will look elsewhere, and outsource whatever jobs they can to save money. That means goodbye to American jobs. And another bonus is that if businesses save money, their products and services will cost less, thereby saving us money!


-McCain will drill here and drill now!
Doing so will lower our fuel costs. Not ten years from now, as the liberals have been saying, but right away! True, if we didn't have any platforms ready to drill, it could take ten years, but guess what?? We have platforms off the coast of California ready to drill tomorrow! This means being more self-sufficient and lowering fuel costs. We need this! Yes, we need to explore alternative fuels, which McCain plans to do, but in the mean time we need to cut or at least lessen our ties to terrorist nations whose oil we're addicted to.


-McCain is not a SOCIALIST
Obama openly admitted that he wants to "spread the wealth." Does this sound familiar to anyone? "Spread the wealth. From each according to his abilities, to each according to his needs." These words are straight from Karl Marx. What it means, essentially, is "take more money away from those who earn it through hard work, and give more of it to those who don't." We already have plenty of welfare programs. We don't need more. And for those of you who are ignorant, many countries have attempted socialism. Not once has it worked in favor of the people. Not once has it worked the way the politicians promoting it promised. Obama doesn't call himself a socialist, he won't admit to having socialist policies, yet he IS a socialist. He wants to take more, more, more from the wealthy and give more, more, more to the poor, whether or not they deserve it. He says he wants everyone to be rich. But if everyone is rich, no one is rich. Everyone is poor. Is it fair that a surgeon, who worked his ass of to get through school and start a successful practice, has to pay for a high school dropout's health care, child care, food stamps, etc? No way is that fair! If by making more money I'm going to get punished, then I'm sure as hell not going to work hard to make more money. And neither will anyone else. [[If you don't believe me that Obama is a socialist, do some research on Karl Marx's philosophy. Then, learn about Obama's policies. If you're too lazy to do this, don't bother arguing.]]

p.s. My good friend Tyler Tullis had a little something to add, so I thought I'd steal it, because he makes a good point or two! (thanks Tyler!)

"Point, set, and match, Kirren! So while I will concede that Senator Obama's heart is in the right place and he honestly thinks this will work, I'd rather put my trust in the guy who had his arms ripped out of his sockets for 5 years straight for this country and is basically a member of his own badass party that has a proven record of doing what's best for AMERICAN CAPITALISM. You know, that thing that provides the backbone of our country and allows the American Dream to be possible? Yeah that. So screw the parties; they've both hijacked democracy from the people. Just vote for the person who will fight for the America that has endured for over 200 years, not junior there trying to usurp it with socialism.

This is America: you get what you earn here. PERIOD. If you don't like it, go to Sweden where they'll powder your ass and tuck you in before you go to sleep at night."


-McCain will give us freedom of choice in health care, schooling, etc...
Parents should get to choose where their kids go to school. McCain will make this happen. As it is now, if you want your kids to go to private school, you not only have to pay for that school, but you still have to pay taxes that support local schools. McCain will give control to the parents, so that they don't have to pay for a school their kids aren't in.
Also, everyone should be able to choose where they get their health insurance. They shouldn't be limited by location. This summer I was in Nashville, and wasn't able to use my insurance because it's localized to the northwest. I had to pay full price for my prescriptions!! McCain will end this, allowing you to move freely between states to find the best plan for your family. Obama claims that his plan will allow such freedom, but what he doesn't tell the general public is that they'll only be able to do so for a limited time. Then, he will start a program that will assign you the "best" health care plan for you, and he will fine you if you don't have it. I don't consider that freedom. (Go ask a Canadian if they like their socialist health care program. They'll say no.)


-McCain and Palin will shrink government, not expand it
Do you want the government to control your life? Do you want them spending as much of your money as they want? Well neither do I. Both McCain and Palin aim to make the government smaller, while Obama believes the government should be involved in everything. Palin has a great record of cutting unnecessary government spending, and that's just one of the reasons I love her and believe in her ability to positively change this country. I personally want a smaller government, don't you?


I pay attention to politics. I've watched every debate. I've listened to both sides of most arguments. So I feel I have a good grasp on the candidates and their beliefs and policies. And yes, there are more reasons I'm voting for McCain, and may reasons I really like Palin. I'm just too tired to continue. =]

Vote McCain / Palin on November 4th!!!



...or prepare for the kind of change we fight to stop in other countries...