The Bottom Line

Free Speech is for all. Whether or not I agree with what is being said, everyone has the right to voice his or her own opinions. That's what I read in the Bill of Rights. What is happening in our society is not Free Speech. It is Sanctioned Speech. The message is loud and clear: "Say what you want, but don't say anything against the status quo or you will suffer the consequences." I can say that I disagree with the morality of legalized abortion, but to do so brings a harsh and hateful backlash from those who embrace the right to kill innocent, unborn children. Who am I to speak about such an issue? What possible perspective could I have to offer someone who is facing an unplanned pregnancy? What could I know about making a decision of such life-changing and monumental impact?

I am one who sat in a chair in a health clinic in Florida while a nurse gave me the news that I was pregnant. In less than a second a million thoughts ran through my mind and my heart froze. I'm a preacher's kid. I'm not married. I haven't known the father very long. Is this for real? When is she going to tell me she grabbed the wrong chart? I don't have a house, a car; I'm working as a waitress. What in the world is happening to me? What am I going to do. I can't be pregnant. We were only together a couple of times. What is my family going to think? How can I face anyone? What will "he" say?

All I could say was, "Wow", and not in a very excited voice. The nurse immediately asked, "Have you thought about what you're going to do about it?"

Whoa.

Another split second elapsed while the full implication of her question punched me in the gut. She was asking, without actually asking, if I wanted to have an abortion. I looked in her face to confirm it. How dare she confront me with that when I had only just found out that I was pregnant? I needed to think about things and she wasn't going to give me time to do that.

I looked right up at her and said, "Looks like I'm going to have a baby, that's what." I mean, come on. Duh. Sure, I could have considered having an abortion. After all, it's my RIGHT to kill a baby that inconveniences or embarrasses me, right? Yep. I have that right. I also have the right to follow God's word. I hadn't done that very well. After all, I was pregnant outside of marriage and we all know that's against God's rules too. Wait...that's not exactly true. God said to not have sexual relations outside of the marriage bed. He didn't say that having a baby was wrong. It was my sin that put me in the position I was in. The pregnancy was just a bright light shining on my "hidden" sin. It let everyone know that I had been doing something I wasn't supposed to. I realized that having a baby wasn't wrong, what I did to get there was wrong. I asked God to forgive me for what I had done, and He did. I had a beautiful baby girl who is now 18 years old...and still beautiful. My mind goes back to that day I sat in that chair in the clinic and I hear that nurse's voice asking me what I wanted to do. In a second I could have robbed myself of an exquisite and unique experience. I would never have felt that first kick or held that little hairy head. I would never have closed my eyes and held her close and smelled her sweet skin. I would never have known that she had light hair and blue eyes. I made the right decision. It was hard to break the news to my family, but we made it through.

Every day 4,000 babies are killed while still in their mothers' wombs. They are tortured, killed and thrown away. No one hears them cry, no one shows them love, no one came to their rescue. How can I ignore the slaughter of unborn innocents? If someone suggested that for a price they would torture and kill my daughter.... yet that's what was suggested to me.

I have the right to disagree with the legal choice to kill babies. So do you. I'm not afraid of what people say about me or to me because I stand for what is right. I'm more afraid of what God will say to me if I don't.

 

In this video, you can see those who exercise free speech, and those who would silence them. It's almost as if the 4,000 babies are killed all over again by those who would stamp out even the mention of their memory.

 

See the video HERE.

 

Both true

Story One

Many years ago, Al Capone virtually owned Chicago. Capone wasn't famous for anything heroic. He was notorious for enmeshing the windy city in everything from bootlegged booze and prostitution to murder.

Capone had a lawyer nicknamed "Easy Eddie". He was his lawyer for a good reason - Eddie was very good! In fact, Eddie's skill at legal manoeuvring kept Big Al out of jail for a long time.

To show his appreciation, Capone paid him very well. Not only was the money big, but also, Eddie got special dividends. For instance, he and his family occupied a fenced-in mansion with live-in help and all of the conveniences of the day. The estate was so large that it filled an entire Chicago City block.

Eddie lived the high life of the Chicago mob and gave little consideration to the atrocity that went on around him. Eddie did have one soft spot, however. He had a son that he loved dearly.

Eddie saw to it that his young son had clothes, cars, and a good education. Nothing was withheld. Price was no object. And, despite his involvement with organized crime, Eddie even tried to teach him right from wrong. Eddie wanted his son to be a better man than he was.

Yet, with all his wealth and influence, there were two things he couldn't give his son - he couldn't pass on a good name or a good example.

One day, Easy Eddie reached a difficult decision. Easy Eddie wanted to rectify wrongs he had done. He decided he would go to the authorities and tell the truth about Al "Scarface" Capone, clean up his tarnished name, and offer his son some semblance of integrity.

To do this, he would have to testify against The Mob, and he knew that the cost would be great.

So... he testified.

Within the year Easy Eddie's life ended in a blaze of gunfire on a lonely Chicago Street. But, in his eyes, he had given his son the greatest gift he had to offer, at the greatest price he could ever pay.

Police removed from his pockets a rosary, crucifix, religious medallion and a poem clipped from a magazine. The poem read:

The clock of life is wound but once,
And no man has the power
To tell just when the hands will stop
At late or early hour.
Now is the only time you own.
Live, love, toil with a will.
Place no faith in time.
For the clock may soon be still.

Story Two

World War II produced many heroes. One such man was Lieutenant Commander Butch O'Hare. He was a fighter pilot assigned to the aircraft carrier Lexington in the South Pacific.

Wikipedia tells of the early life of Edward O'Hare.

Butch became the Navy's first Ace of WWII, and the first Naval Aviator to win the Congressional Medal of Honor.

A year later Butch was killed in aerial combat at the age of 29.

His home town would not allow the memory of this WW II hero to fade, and today, O'Hare Airport in Chicago is named in tribute to the courage of this great man.

So, the next time you find yourself at O'Hare International give some thought to visiting Butch's memorial displaying his statue and his Medal of Honor. It's located between Terminals 1 and 2.

What do these two stories have to do with each other?

Butch O'Hare was Easy Eddie's son.

An article on the website for Scientific American asks the question, "How did we get to the point where scientific authority is so easily challenged?" The article basically says that anyone who is not an "expert" has no business questioning the conclusions of 'Science' ...even when those conclusions are wrong.

EXCUSE ME?

Does education make someone wise? Give a fool a good education and all you get is an educated fool. A person goes to college, then wears a cap and gown and gets a piece of paper that comes with the label, "Expert :: Do Not Question My AUTHORITY"... and I'm supposed to bow down and worship the shingle on the wall?

Here it comes.... one of my favorite words... MALARKY!

It is dangerous to put "Faith" in science, scientists, experts, and others who would tell us what is right, wrong, true, false, proper, improper, or how we should think about global warming. Science is not out to prove truth; they are increasingly after our hearts and minds --and blind obedience. They want us to accept what they say without question.. because according to them ...we are not experts. We do not know anything except they reveal it to us. We have no more use to them than lab rats...and are viewed as having as much intelligence. I assert that there is only one source of truth and I stand on the Bible without question and without apology. (And it just so happens that my IQ is higher than a lot of scientists would like to acknowledge.)

I object to the pontification of Science.

Science has an important place, but it is not the be-all and end-all of wisdom and authority and it SHOULD be questioned, challenged and examined.

This is not to say that common sense should be put aside, as some people do when they hear a rumor like the one that says a certain vaccine may cause autism. It hasn't been proven and the benefits of the vaccine far outweigh any risks. Come on people! Correlation is not causation! It's time Science stopped using alarmist tactics and skewed statistics to manipulate the public and then blame them for 'questioning their authority'.

Science has become a necessary evil.

And that's the Bottom Line.

Hey, Mother's Day is just around the corner. I feel compelled to tell you about the greatest service I have ever received from a florist. The Wright Flowers in West Lafayette (http://www.wrightflowers.com/) made a stunning arrangement for my mom on her birthday. And I mean, On Her Birthday. See, I usually try to do things ahead of time, or at least have a good plan in place. But I failed on my Mother's birthday. That very morning, I realized I had forgotten to order the flowers and was afraid I was going to have to get something done "quick and dirty" or try to speed throught town to pick it up and get it to her at work. I called The Wright Flowers and spoke with a very patient, understanding and sympathetic person who assured me they could make a beautifully appropriate arrangement and deliver it in the same day. I gave her my price range and my mom's office address and said that I wanted something "pretty" and that I would like it in a basket, not a vase, please. Later, I spoke to my mother and she was actually giggling! It was the biggest, most beautiful arrangement she had ever received! She didn't bring it home right away, but put it up where everyone in the office could see it, and they all agreed that it was absolutely stunning.  When I finally saw it a few days later, it was still fresh and perky and it was, indeed, an awesome arrangement with the most beautiful flowers --the color and shape and style of the arrangement were perfect. I am so grateful for The Wright Flowers and for their understanding of what I was looking for and for being able to help me when I was having a stupid day.

 If you would like to spoil your mom on Mother's Day... call The Wright Flowers!

 

And that's the Bottom Line.

 

...my momma taught me that it's not polite to beg. Still, I have to say that you are wrong. I'm not being rude, just...truthful.

 So, I'll just ask you to excuse yourself. No, not you....YOU....over there. The guy who wrote about blogging and said that it isn't supposed to be a "diary". If I were to get really technical, I would remind him that the correct spelling should be " 'blog " (note the apostrophe before the b). It is a truncated form of the word, "weblog" or "web-log".  It is a log (of what? You decide...) that is posted on the web. Hence the term "weblog".

So for the edification and education of all concerned parties, I am making a blog entry about blogs. Here are some of the current and leading definitions of the term:

An online journal or diary that is frequently updated (also referred to as a blog).
www.feedforall.com/rss-glossary.htm

 

a website which contains posts or short dated entries in reverse chronological order. Also called a blog.
www.gc.maricopa.edu/LMC/Library_Terminology.html

 

A Weblog is a type of website that uses a dated log format for building its content. Weblogs (or blogs) are usually moderated by a single person who creates the material themselves, edits submissions from contributors, gleans material from elsewhere on the Net, or a combination of all three.
www.webdesigninsite.com/web-design-glossary.php

 

(aka Blog) an annotated guide to the stories on the Internet compiled by an individual
www.kamat.org/whois.asp

 

is a web-based publication consisting primarily of periodic articles (normally in reverse chronological order) posted by individuals or groups. Chatmine identifies relevant blogs in your market with proprietary metrics.
chatmine.com/glossary/index.htm

 

A blog is a user-generated website where entries are made in journal style and displayed in a reverse chronological order.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Weblog

 

Any Questions?

Good. I'll go back to my "online diary" aka BLOG now.

And that's the Bottom Line.

Here it is, the end of April and the weatherman mentioned a four-letter word in the news. SNOW! How can that be? On the 28th we had a hail storm with hail about the size of peas! So anyway, I guess we're not going to have spring; just a combination of spring and winter... SPRINTERING! I bet we'll just slip into summer and then pow! Right back into the cold. We'll see. OH! While I'm rambling, let me tell you that I got a 'new' truck. It's a '91 Chevy S-10 and boy, does it need work. But it will get me to work just fine, even if I do have to open it from the passenger side, lol. Still, this is a huge answer to prayer and I'm so grateful that God brought it to me. It was perfectly in my price range and came along at the perfect moment. PLUS I got to share my faith with the family who was selling it. They were really cool folks.

Here's a thought for all of you who feel like you slave away thanklessly....

Don't worry if your job is small, and your rewards are few. Remember that the mighty oak was once nut like you.

see you in church

Here's something we often forget: Satan is our enemy. I know, "DUH!" Right? But how many times do we forget to resist the devil and flee temptation, while we bicker and point fingers at each other? Our job is not to criticize the church and argue over fine points of doctrine, although there are some pretty big basics that I will defend to the death. Our job is to engage the enemy, saving souls from his grasp and the fires of hell. Let's not fight among ourselves, but be united by the Spirit and do His work.

God loves you and so do I.

And that's the Bottom Line.

 

The fight that has been raging underground for years has exploded to the surface. "Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed" was released to theaters last night. The web is seething with strong opinions on both sides. The predictable thing (and what Ben Stein has been saying all along) is that those who wish to believe and explore the scientific evidence supporting Intelligent Design (creation by  God) are on the defensive -- as usual. The Darwinists have extended the claws and fangs and have not held back in their venomnous attack of anyone who dares to question the theory of evolution. They deny that evolution lacks actual supporting scientific evidence and lay a flaming brand on anyone who says otherwise.

Where has real science gone?

 

When I was in school, we were taught to put aside personal opinions and expectations and use reason and logic and to follow the evidence where it leads...even if we didn't like where it went. Big Science has eliminated the empirical method of study and replaced it with a new creed: "Study only that which supports evolution -- or else."

MALARKY!

 

It doesn't matter what theory a scientist believes. What matters is that he or she thoroughly and honestly pursues the evidence.  The truth is out there....DARE TO BE HONEST AND SEEK THE TRUTH!

 

...and that's the Bottom Line. 

I wake up pretty early. After all, I'm at work at 6:15 a.m. Anyway, I live in an old-ish house and it's settled a bit here and there. There's a few weak spots in the floor where it will shake a little when someone walks heavily by. So, I was up this morning, bright and early, and was walking across one of the "weak spots" and a large cabinet next to me rattled a bit. Not unusual, but it was early and I didn't want to make too much noise so I put my hand on it to quiet the thing down. I stopped walking, my hand was on the cabinet door and it kept rattling and vibrating. The whole floor was vibrating. I thought maybe someone else had gotten up and was stomping around at the other end of the house but when I looked down the hall, all the lights were off and everyone was still asleep. Hmmm...

 

Cut to one hour later at work:

 

My coworker said, "Did you feel it?" I looked at her, fully understanding what she meant, but I had to hear it. "Feel what?" I asked. "The earthquake at 5:39 this morning. It was a 5.4."

 

Yep. Earthquakes happen in Indiana all the time. We are surrounded by some huge faults. This one was centered near West Salem, Illinois.

 

So. I wasn't imagining things. The earth really did move under my feet for a few seconds.

 

It was really cool.

 

...and that's the Bottom Line.

Do you dare to follow the evidence to whever it may lead?

CAN YOU HANDLE THE TRUTH?

Years ago, I was involved in a lively discussion/debate on a Christian BBS. The issue was Creationism vs Evolution. Now, this really was a place for Christians to hang out, and the evolutionary theory that was being defended included God's direction and design. The other side of the coin which included myself and many others, defended creationism: the belief that God created the universe just as He said He did in Genesis, chapter one. He spoke it and it was done. Not in an eon or hundreds of millennia, but immediately.

Such debates have been stifled, not only in our country, but across the world. If you are in the biological sciences, and you question the Darwinist stance that life began by accident from a series of accidents and accidentally continues to improve itself (survival of the fittest, remember), you will be scoffed, scorned, demoted, even fired. You will find it impossible to get published and your reputation will be smeared throughout your own professional circles. You will face a persecution that has been, until now, swept under the rug.

I personally know a physicist, who, when he was applying for his doctorate, knew he would probably be denied because he defended the scientific view of creationism. He eventually made it into his PhD, but I wonder, if he had been in the biological sciences, would he have gotten so far? I doubt it. Even if he did, he would not have lasted very long in the realm of professional academia.

I'm not making this up. Ben Stein has produced a documentary called "Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed" which chronicles the stories of scientists who have suffered from the cruel intentions of those who have suppressed free speech and persecuted the practices of scientific principles that question Darwinism.

Can you handle the truth? Are you able to believe what you see with your own eyes and hear with your own ears? Or will you continue to look the other way and deny that the First Amendment has been buried under the fear and rhetoric of those who can't stand to see anyone point out the holes in their own theories?

I'm not asking you to agree with me. I'm only asking for you to join others in taking back Free Speech for all.

Check out the site for Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed and find a theater near you. Go see the movie and start a discussion. It doesn't matter which side you're on, just let Free Speech Flow.

And that's the bottom line .

...when it's humility or humiliation?

Sometimes it's hard to let people know that I know what I know without letting them know they don't know that I know more than they think I know.

Have I lost you yet?

I hope not. Here's how I got caught up in the cyclical (non-)logic of my hard-boiled brain. I'm an experienced musician. I've been involved in everything from taking sight-singing classes in college to studio-engineering, songwriting, recording, performing, producing, playing, accompaniment...well, you get the picture. I'm no genius or anything, just your everyday, run-of-the-mill, somewhat serious musician. I've learned a lot, taught a lot, and I have so much yet to learn. In groups I'm not necessarily a shy person, but I don't usually say anything unless I have something to say, so most of the time I keep to myself. I know, hard to believe, eh? Anyway, I recently joined a singing group and because of my usual wall-flower attitude, they had no idea who I am or the level of my musical abilities. We went through a rehearsal, and I did a fair job sight-singing (I love that challenge!) and by the end was pretty confident of all but two vocal parts which I planned to practice at home. People came up and offered to let me sit next to them so I could pick up the parts or keep on key.... it was great to see so many gracious and generous singers! I didn't want to mislead them into thinking I was a musical moron in need of constant tutoring, but I didn't want to "brag" about my musical prowess, either. I could say that I was in desperate need and make them feel good that they were helping someone, or I could say that I "know it all" and make them think I was an egotistical moron. If I did the first, and they found out I knew more than I let on, would they feel bad because I deceived them? Would they think I was trying to make a fool out of them? If I did the second, and messed up once in a while, would they gloat that the "diva" screwed it up? Could I ever get out of this quandary? How could I be humble without humiliating myself or someone else?

Whew. Yep. I'm an egotistical moron.

The question really was not whether I needed help or not, but whether I want to get to know my fellow singers. I would love to sit next to someone who can hear a note before they sing it and keep on pitch even when the voice in their other ear is off. I would love to harmonize up close and feel the Spirit move as we sing from our hearts.

I can't wait for the next rehearsal and the time we stand together and pour our hearts through our voices to the audience.

These people are GREAT! Maybe they'll put up with me for a while, eh?

Lord, teach me to be humble...and not in a proud way! 

And that's the bottom line.