Muslim 10 Commandments

According to this, God has given a new set of Commandments to the Muslim World.  I just thought I would pass them along.  Please don't come and firebomb my house Achmed.

2 Years Ago

February 8, 2004 a dear friend and influence on my life changed worlds stepping from Time into Eternity.  Pastor Dan Rothwell. 

I met him in 1976.  I was on a spiritual search.  A young girl that worked at KFGO radio at that time suggested I might find it interesting to attend a bible study he was holding on Wednesday nights.

 

I went to the building on 10th street and there was no one there.  All of a sudden this nice man introduced himself.  He had longish black hair, was kind and about my age.  I told him why I was there.  There was no Bible study that night but could I come back. I said I would, I didn't.  But I didn't forget how he treated me.

 

A few years later I was invited to a presentation the same church was putting on at the Fargo Convention Center.  It was good enough.  But there was a man I knew there as a carouser, a wild man, who was taking up the offering in Kentucky Fried Chicken buckets. 

 

I said Hi. So did he.  He worked in a car dealership.  A year later I was at a low point in my life, my marriage, my health.  I stopped at the dealership just to talk to this friend who had obviously gone thru a life change.  He told me what had happened.  I wanted that.  So he prayed for me.  I stepped out in faith.  I prayed to receive the Baptism of the Holy Ghost.  I began going to the Church Dan Rothwell was pastor of.  I had never heard anything like that.  I had never seen anything like that.  I wanted what they had.  I wanted their freedom.

 

I began going to a prayer meeting that Pastor Dan conducted on Saturday Mornings.  This is months after I was prayed for in the car dealership.  I was enjoying this new fellowship but I wanted more.  I knew, there has to be more.

On my knees, all alone, without anyone around, in this prayer meeting the Spirit of God fell on me.  I began to speak in tongues and I was ruined forever. I'll never ever be the same.  I am so happy that in 1980 this all happened.  It is one of the most wonderful glorious things that ever happened to me.  I thank God every day for the fullness of His Spirit in me.

 

I became a member of that Church.  I became friends with Pastor Dan. I told him things about me I wasn't proud of.  Having been a Bible Scholar even before I became a believer we began a habit of discussing his sermons under preparation every week.  I would offer my 2 cents worth.  This became fun for both of us.  Iron sharpened iron.

 

Then I began teaching. I would watch what he did and then I did the same.  He was so influential in my life.  He was apostolic and didn't really understand it.  He was Prophetic in his consolation and didn't know it.  He was wise.  Very wise.  He didn't counsel like a Pastor.  He counseled like the wisdom of God.  And when he taught he could wring more truth out of a verse of scripture than anyone I had ever seen preach.  I wanted that anointing.

 

His influence was that of how to lead by example.  I never wanted to disappoint him.  For years I would have dreams where I would find myself awakened by fear that I had promised to do something for him and didn't.  He showed you could be bold and trust God.  He brought full blown Pentecost to life with balance.  We may not see his like again on this side of the veil.  I look forward to seeing him on the other side.  He would be 61 now.  He was 6 months older than me.  I met him when I was 30 and so was he.  New to Fargo. 

 

I no longer grieve. I just miss him.  I hope he would not be disappointed at what I have made of the investment he made in me.  I don't think he would be. 

 

Tomorrow morning I will teach the Book of Revelation with a mantle of anointing I can point back to a little Church in Fargo ND. 

 

God Bless Pastor Dan's family.  In a distant way I'm one of them.

Western Civilization will Survive and Prosper

TWO EVIDENCES:

 

NUMBER ONE: Last night I went to a Jr High school band concert.  I'll bet you are saying, better you than me.  You'd be wrong.  They were great.  Better than I remember our high school band 45 years ago.  They played Ellington, Gillespie, Miles Davis, Charlie Parker and others.  It was excellent.  They were into it.  No rap groups (I don't dislike rap actually I just was heartened by this). 

 

NUMBER TWO: The ballroom dance craze in schools, on TV, on dance floors teaching and experiencing excellent dance by good dancers. 

These are both things the Islamic fundamentalist fascists will remove if they take over. This is western civilization.  This is worth fighting for. 

 

Western civilization is alive and well.  Long may it live.

 

 

A little Clarity Please

This week's King funeral caused a great deal of furor. I'm still angry about the behavior of some lowlifes.

So, I just want to be sure we all know what to do when it happens, and it will, someday a Kennedy or Carter will change worlds. When that happens if a person is allowed to speak at their funeral will the reverse be OK? I just want to be sure we know the rules. From the Anchoress:

So…if, let’s say, tomorrow Jimmy Carter dies (or Ted Kennedy, or any liberal) and there is the funeral…if some conservatives get up and use the occasion to criticize liberal dignitaries in attendance, that will be okay? Because, after all, Carter, or Kennedy, or whoever “were political people?” Is this really what you want, folks?

I mean, chances are highly unlikely it would happen - conservatives tend not to do that sort of stuff - but if it ever did happen - then what? If, let’s just say, someday we’re watching the fumeral of a former Democrat president, fer instance - and a conservative gets up and moves away from tribute and into politically charged speech…makes sneering remarks about 17% mortgage rates, or Iranian hostages, or bombing aspirin factories, or talking for years and years about WMD’s, or ignoring Rwanda, or lying under oath, or accessing FBI files, or whatever - that will be okay, right?

You won’t have a problem with it, because the funeral of a “political” person is now simply one more “political event,” right? And sometimes crassness is called for? Can even be touted as a virtue?

Well. If those are the new rules, don’t forget who made ‘em up.

I don't want to be part of those rules. What's good for the Goose is good for the Gander seems to apply here.

But, conservatives are too classy to act like those morons did at the funeral this week. The real name for the classless left is trailer trash, that's who they really are. No, that's too good. It insults both trailers and trash.

PS:
Jerry Springer's show was higher class then the left showed themselves to be at this funeral. Maybe that should be the new name for the left wing nuthouse. The Jerry Springer Party. Then the Democrats can regain their former good reputation and good name. It was a proud place at one time. It's been soiled.

On Teaching Religion in our Schools

I'’m a Christian. I want every person to know Jesus. There is an attempt to teach religion in our schools. I'’m against it. Religion is defined by the dictionary in part as: A cause, principle, or activity pursued with zeal or conscientious devotion.

It'’s religion that is being taught with unrestrained zeal and devotion that I am against. You know it's religion when:

• There is no empirical proof
• It requires faith to believe it
• It attempts to explain origins, events and creation
• It relies on ancient bits that are pieced together
• It says that all other beliefs are wrong
  

That religion is evolution. The "church of evolution" has taken it upon themselves to establish a state church against the tenets of the constitution. Is evolution a religion? Some educators have put together legislation to outlaw the teaching of anything other than evolution in the classrooms where origins are taught. This is establishing a state religion. This article appeared in a Madison Newspaper an excerpt of which appears below:

"Our children must be exposed to what science really is about and how the scientific enterprise functions, free of political or religious connotations," Berceau said at a news conference where she was flanked by Rep. Spencer Black, D-Madison, and University of Wisconsin-Madison professors. "It is designed to prevent the introduction of pseudo-science in the science classroom."

Under her plan, parents could file lawsuits if their children's science teachers went beyond the curriculum to teach non-science-based theories, she said. Berceau said philosophy or other courses could teach intelligent design or other religious-based theories.


They call intelligent design pseudo science. I won'’t call evolution pseudo religion.

I'’ll just call what it is: Religion! The priests of which are so evangelical they fear and hate anything that challenges them at any level.

Don'’t let this religion in your classrooms to the exclusion of any others.

This is a war for the hearts and minds of your children (and grandchildren) and the classroom is the battlefield.

Shameful Mr Peanut

I have spent the afternoon doing paperwork in front of the TV screen watching the funeral of Corretta Scott King’ in Eddie Long’s church building.

Much of it has been inspirational and uplifting. I thought President Bush’'s statement was eloquent and in the right nature appropriate to the moment. Several others were in line with the day.

President Clinton and the Future President Clinton were magnificent.

Then there was Jimmy Carter. How did he ever become President? This is the lowest I have ever seen him sink. I have never had a very high opinion of him but it went down lower today if that is at all possible. He is hopeless. I know he thinks he said something of meaning today. He only said mean and base things. Please Mr. Peanut, Go away. You’'re embarrassing.

Seeing him on the dais with the Presidents Bush 1 and 2 and Clinton 1 and 2 he looked very small. He didn't even shake the standing President's hand when he came to the podium after shaking all others on the podium. That was out of line. President Bartlet from West Wing would have cut him off at the knees. He would have deserved it. Carter is now (in the world of Gene) the worst President this country ever had and if he could be impeached post presidency I would vote for it.

I expected banality from Ted Kennedy. Some other unknown Reverends got up and said some inappropriate things. I don’'t know who they were and if we are lucky they will slink back into the holes they came from.

This was a funeral, like President Clinton said, “"This is about a woman"”. He chastised the politicizing of the event. If you ever wondered about the class or lack of it of the left wing in this country I advise you to watch this funeral in full. I hope the RNC keeps copies. It will shock and shame you.

But they know no shame. I'’m not shocked.

We are all Temps

I have a friend in NYC who calls himself a permanent Temp worker.  It's a joke.  I have another friend who after more than 30 years with a Fargo Radio station was unceremoniously fired on Friday of last week. 

 

I feel wounded.  I always admired his "Permanence".  30 years.  Wow. 

 

In that time I have owned/started a dozen different businesses.  Been hired and fired a half dozen times.  And had a church fold.

 

I'm the poster child for impermanence.  I'm not sad.  I've lived a great life.  I still do.  Sometimes my sweet wife would like to see me "settle down".  After over 60 years that's highly unlikely.

 

But, Larry's expulsion reinforces a truth I have always known.  Even when it looks permanent, nothing is permanent.  Permanence is an illusion.

 

I first became aware of this fact during the Vietnam War.  I was signing up when my Cousin Jim Lee came to visit.  I loved him.  He was my favorite person in all the world.  I asked him if he thought he would end up in Vietnam.  He said, there was no chance, it would take act of congress to place him there.  He was about to enjoy his military experience on this side of the pond.

 

In 5 months he was in Hanoi. 

 

I didn't join.  Only then did I come to the realization, permanence is an illusion.

 

So whatever you are doing right now.  It's not permanent.  You can and probably will be replaced, fired, go out of business, be demoted, be let go, kicked out the door or go belly up; or whatever euphemism meets your purpose.

 

We are all temporary employees in an impermanent word.  I enjoy being a temp.  Keeps my edge sharp.

 

Heck, even life isn't permanent.

In praise of Erroll Garner

We have this wonderful jazz program on Public Radio in Chicagoland with music from the 30's-60's.  (Buckley on Jazz) I have enjoyed it for over 30 years.  We often traveled with a group of friends while it played on the radio in the late 70's going to the Lakes for dinner at DeRox Supper Club when we lived in Fargo.

 

Today the featured artist was Erroll Garner.  It was so great to hear him again.  I only have one album (33 lp) from the 60's I bought after hearing him live in the old wooden festival hall building at NDSU.  It was not greatly attended but he played with gusto.  Hearing him groan along with the music, a syncopated left hand and a hammer interpretation with the right hand amazed me once again today. 

 

Hearing him play Ain't Misbehaivin' was worth the price of admission.

 

I think it's time I revisited the work of a truly great piano artist. 

Erroll Louis Garner, January 15, 1921 - January 21,1977.  Rest in peace.