Sunday, October 31, 2010

A Sunday Drive

Back during my childhood, our parents would often load up my brother and me after Sunday morning church services for a leisurely drive around where we lived.  Even though we were seeing mostly familiar sights, it was still good to see them, and this is why “A Sunday Drive” sounded about right for the name of a weekly series revisiting familiar sites that are well worth seeing again and again.  The link below the image is to the site itself, and the image is linked to the post it was first included in here.











 Link: [Aria'z Ink]









 Link: [Bubbles]










Please Also Visit: [FishHawk Droppings]

Saturday, October 30, 2010

Demonic Possession Repost

The following is another chapter from [Bittersweet Refinements].  Since each part is connected to the rest, it would do you well to keep reading (and listening for our Heavenly Father's explanations, of course).

Demonic Possession

They went across the lake to the region of the Gerasenes.  When Jesus got out of the boat, a man with an evil spirit came from the tombs to meet him.  This man lived in the tombs, and no one could bind him any more, not even with a chain.  For he had often been chained hand and foot, but he tore the chains apart and broke the irons on his feet. No one was strong enough to subdue him.  Night and day among the tombs and in the hills he would cry out and cut himself with stones.  When he saw Jesus from a distance, he ran and fell on his knees in front of him.  He shouted at the top of his voice, "What do you want with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? Swear to God that you won't torture me!"  For Jesus had said to him, "Come out of this man, you evil spirit!"  Then Jesus asked him, "What is your name?"  "My name is Legion," he replied, "for we are many."  And he begged Jesus again and again not to send them out of the area.  A large herd of pigs was feeding on the nearby hillside.  The demons begged Jesus, "Send us among the pigs; allow us to go into them."  He gave them permission, and the evil spirits came out and went into the pigs. The herd, about two thousand in number, rushed down the steep bank into the lake and were drowned.  Those tending the pigs ran off and reported this in the town and countryside, and the people went out to see what had happened.  When they came to Jesus, they saw the man who had been possessed by the legion of demons, sitting there, dressed and in his right mind; and they were afraid.  Those who had seen it told the people what had happened to the demon-possessed man—and told about the pigs as well.  Then the people began to plead with Jesus to leave their region.  As Jesus was getting into the boat, the man who had been demon-possessed begged to go with him.  Jesus did not let him, but said, "Go home to your family and tell them how much the Lord has done for you, and how he has had mercy on you."  So the man went away and began to tell in the Decapolis how much Jesus had done for him. And all the people were amazed. [Mark 5:1-10 NIV]

Yes, the fictional accounts produced by the entertainment industry of demonic possessions really do have some basis in fact, but it is an extremely rare occurrence—be assured[1].  For it is usually in a much more sinister way that a demon takes control over a person[2].

What happened to Judas Iscariot serves as a good example of that.  For it is written: Now the Feast of Unleavened Bread, called the Passover, was approaching, and the chief priests and the teachers of the law were looking for some way to get rid of Jesus, for they were afraid of the people.  Then Satan entered Judas, called Iscariot, one of the Twelve.  And Judas went to the chief priests and the officers of the temple guard and discussed with them how he might betray Jesus.  They were delighted and agreed to give him money.  He consented, and watched for an opportunity to hand Jesus over to them when no crowd was present. [Luke 22:1-6 NIV]

No, that is not something that you will hear coming from most pulpits[3].  For Satan has been quite successful at convincing such a great, great many that Judas Iscariot acted out of his own freewill, and even from those that you might hear otherwise, the spin will be towards Judas causing this to happen to him by inviting Satan into his heart for one reason or another[4].

Yes, many of them would point to what was said about Judas by the One[5] who would know who would be spending all of eternity in Heaven or Hell[6].  For Christ Jesus said that it would have been better for him to have never been born[7], and this is something that would never be said of someone who was not being held accountable for such a sin[8].

The absolute truth of the matter truly is, however, that it is on account of how Judas reacted to his betrayal of His Lord and Savior after he came to his senses, and not what he had been a party to[9], that is the reason for why that was said of him—be assured[10].  For unlike the Apostle Peter[11] after his own fiery trial[12], Judas refused to have full and complete faith in the grace of our Heavenly Father[13].
 
Yes, there appears to be a discrepancy between the accounts of Judas’ death given in Matthew and Acts that should be addressed before proceeding any further.  For in Matthew, it is written that he hanged himself[14].  Whereas in Acts, it is written that he fell headlong, his body burst open, and all his intestines spilled out[15].

Be assured that this came as a great mystery to me for many years, but then our Heavenly Father explained that there is actually no discrepancy at all[16].  For Judas did indeed hang himself, and it was after being cut down that his lifeless body was dropped headlong, which resulted in his belly bursting wide open.

Alas, what happened to Judas was a indeed great tragedy, and what is happening to far too many is just as great[17].  For the devil has convinced them that they have the authority to cast out demons wherever they may be found[18].

No, this is not to deny that our Heavenly Father will sometimes cast out demons through one of His chosen servants[19] for the benefit of all concerned[20].  For it is written: He said to them, "Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation.  Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned.  And these signs will accompany those who believe: In my name they will drive out demons; they will speak in new tongues; they will pick up snakes with their hands; and when they drink deadly poison, it will not hurt them at all; they will place their hands on sick people, and they will get well." [Mark 16:15-18 NIV]

Such miracles are never independent of Him[21], however, and even in regards to those who do claim to be working with the full authority of the Lord Jesus Christ, it is by their very own words[22] that they attest to just how deceived they are[23].  For it is written: In the very same way, these dreamers pollute their own bodies, reject authority and slander celestial beings.  But even the archangel Michael, when he was disputing with the devil about the body of Moses, did not dare to bring a slanderous accusation against him, but said, "The Lord rebuke you!"  Yet these men speak abusively against whatever they do not understand; and what things they do understand by instinct, like unreasoning animals—these are the very things that destroy them.  Woe to them! They have taken the way of Cain; they have rushed for profit into Balaam's error; they have been destroyed in Korah's rebellion. [Jude 1:8-11 NIV]

{1}James 1:5-8; {2}2 Timothy 2:24-26; {3}2 Timothy 4:2-4; {4}2 Peter 1:20-2:3; {5}John 10:30; {6}2 Timothy 4:1; {7}Matthew 26:20-24; {8}1 Timothy 1:12-14; {9}John 7:24; {10}Luke 8:17-18; {11}John 21:15-17; {12}Mark 14:66-72; {13}Matthew 27:1-10; {14}Matthew 27:5; {15}Acts 1:18; {16}Jeremiah 33:3; {17}Ezekiel 18:30-32; {18}2 Corinthians 10:13-15; {19}Acts 16:16-18; {20}John 11:11-15; {21}John 15:5; {22}Matthew 12:37; {23}Matthew 7:15-23.
 
Please Also Visit: [FishHawk Droppings]

Friday, October 29, 2010

Sites To See

The SOLE purpose of this weekly series is to call attention to sites that I think many would find most interesting—in one way or another.  Just to be clear, inclusion in this series is not necessarily meant as a recommendation, and I have included sites that are rather disturbing to me.  The link below each image is to the site itself, and each image is linked to the particular post from which it was taken when applicable.  Please, go see for yourself.





























 Link: [Dinotopia]
















Please Also Visit: [FishHawk Droppings]

Thursday, October 28, 2010

Billy Joe Royal vs. Deep Purple



Hush
Billy Joe Royal
Naa na na na
Na na na
Na na na

There’s a certain little girl
That’s on my mind
Great gosh almighty
She looks so fine
She’s the best girl
That I’ve ever had
But sometimes she sure
Makes me feel so bad

Naa na na na
Na na na
Na na na

Hush
Hush
I thought I heard her
Callin’ my name now
Hush
Hush
She broke my heart
But I love her just the same now
Hush
Hush
I thought I heard her
Callin’ my name now
Hush
Hush
I need her lovin’
And I’m not ashamed now

Love love
Early in the mornin’
Love love
Late in the midnight
Love love
I want it
And I need it now
Love love
Got to
Got to have it

She’s got lovin’ like quicksand
It only took one touch of her hand
She blew my mind and I’m in so deep
That I can’t eat y’all
And I can’t sleep

Naa na na na
Na na na
Na na na

Hush
Hush
I thought I heard her
Callin’ my name now
Hush
Hush
She broke my heart
But I love her just the same now
Hush
Hush
I thought I heard her
Callin’ my name now
Hush
Hush
I need her lovin’
And I’m not ashamed now

Love love
Early in the mornin’
Love love
Late in the evenin’
Love love
I want it
And I need it y’all
Love love
Got to
Got to have it

Hush
Hush
I thought I heard her
Callin’ my name now
Hush
Hush
She broke my heart
But I love her just the same now
Hush
Hush
Didn’t y’all hear her
Callin’ my name now
Hush
Hush
I need her lovin’
And I’m not ashamed now

Love love
Early in the mornin’
Late in the evenin’
Love love
I want it
And I need it now
Love love
Got to
Got to have it

Love love
Love love
Love love
Love love



Hush
Deep Purple
Naa na na na
Na na na
Na na na

Naa na na na
Na na na
Na na na

I got a certain little girl
She’s on my mind
No doubt about it
She looks so fine
She’s the best girl
That I ever had
Sometimes she’s gonna
Make me feel so bad

Naa na na na
Na na na
Na na na

Naa na na na
Na na na
Na na na

Hush
Hush
I thought I heard you
Callin’ my name now
Hush
Hush
She broke my heart
But I love her just the same now
Hush
Hush
Thought I heard you
Callin’ my name now
Hush
Hush
I need your lovin’
And I’m not to blame now

Love love
I got it early in the mornin’
Love love
I got it early in the evenin’
Love love
Well I want that
Need it
Love love
Oh I gotta
Gotta have it

She’s got lovin’ like quicksand
Only took one touch of her hand
To blow my mind and I’m in so deep
That I can’t eat y’all
And I can’t sleep

Naa na na na
Na na na
Na na na

Naa na na na
Na na na
Na na na

Hush
Hush
I thought I heard you
Callin’ my name now
Hush
Hush
She broke my heart
But I love her just the same now
Hush
Hush
Thought I heard you
Callin’ my name now
Hush
Hush
I need your lovin’
And I’m not to blame now

Love love
I got it early in the mornin’
Love love
I got it early in the evenin’
Love love
Well I want that
Need it
Love love
Hey I gotta
Gotta have it

Naa na na na
Na na na
Na na na

Naa na na na
Na na na
Na na na

Naaa
Na na na
Na na na
Na na na

Lyrics From: [Top40db]

Please Also Visit: [FishHawk Droppings]


Wednesday, October 27, 2010

WhiteHeart Wednesday



MP3 Audio Player From: [BlogDumps Video]

Say The Word
WhiteHeart
Day shows the secret
And by His sign
The wounded bird
That’s in your eyes
Is too broken down to fly
Say the word
Say the word

It hurts to hear your silence
And to watch you slip away
I want to wrap my arms around your heart
But I’m not the word to say
I can say the word
Say the word
Say

For any word He’s sending
Will not come back empty
It’s His love
Raining down
Raining down
From the sky
Say the word
Say the word
Say the word

When I feel the breakers rolling
Underneath my heart
I’m afraid that I will wash away
In my anger and my doubt
I must say the word
Say the word
Say

For every word He sends us
Holds the power to save us
It’s His love
Raining down
Raining down
From the sky
Say the word
Say the word
Say the word
In a prayer

Come on you weary
And I’ll give you rest
I will never leave you desperate
And the Light of the world
Will follow me
On the way of life
And My Truth will set you free

Say the word
Say the word

Oh oh
Oh oh
Oh oh
Oh oh oh oh
Oh oh
Oh oh
Oh oh
Oh oh oh oh
Say the word
Say the word
Won’t you say
The word
Say the word


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Tuesday, October 26, 2010

TWO FOR TUESDAY


Not every song that will be featured here will be what is generally considered as being “Christian” in the eyes of this world. For some will be anguished cries from the pit of despair, and others will be quite obviously ferverent rants of rebellion. Nonetheless, be assured that they will all be of our Heavenly Father (in one way or another) and I hope that you have been given ears to hear the message.


When A Blind Man Cries
Deep Purple
If you’re leavin’
Close the door
I’m not expecting people
Anymore
Hear me grievin’
Lyin’ on the floor
Whether I’m drunk or dead
I really ain’t too sure

I’m a blind man
I’m a blind man
And my world is pale
When a blind man cries
Lord you know
There ain’t a sadder tale

Had a friend once
In a room
Had a good time
But it ended much too soon
In a cold month
In that room
We found a reason
For the things we had to do

I’m a blind man
I’m a blind man
Now my room is cold
When a blind man cries
Lord you know
He feels it from his soul

Link: [YouTube]

Child In Time
Deep Purple
Sweet child in time
You’ll see the line
Line that’s drawn between
The good and the bad
See the blind man
Shooting at the world
Bullets flying
Oh taking toll
If you’ve been bad
Oh Lord I bet you have
And you’ve not been hit
Oh by flying lead
You’d better close your eyes
Aaaaaaaaah
Aaaah
Oh oh oh oh
Bow your head
Wait for the ricochet

Oooooooo
Oooooooo
Ooooooo ooo ooo
Ooo ooo ooo
Ooooooooh
Ooooooooh
Oooooooh oooh oooh
Oh I wanna hear you sing
Aaaaaaaah
Aaaaaaaah
Aaaah ah ah
Oh oh oh
Aaaaaaaah
Aaaaaaaah
Aaaah ah ah
Aaaaaaaah
Aaaaaaaah
Aaaah ah ah

Sweet child in time
You’ll see the line
Line that’s drawn between
The good and the bad
See the blind man
Shooting at the world
Bullets flying
Oh taking toll
If you’ve been bad
Oh Lord I bet you have
And you’ve not been hit
Oh by flying lead
You’d better close your eyes
Aaaaaaaaah
Aaaah
Oh oh oh
Bow your head
Wait for the ricochet

Oooooooo
Oooooooo
Ooooooo ooo ooo
Ooo ooo ooo
Oooooooo
Oooooooo
Ooooooo ooo ooo
Ooo ooo ooo
Aaaaaaaah
Aaaaaaaah
Aaaah ah ah
Ah I gotta hear you sing
Aaaaaaaah
Aaaaaaaah
Aaaah ah ah
Oh oh oh
Aaaaaaaah
Aaaaaaaah
Aaaah ah ah
Oh
Aaaaaaaah
Aaaaaaaah
Aaaah ah ah

Oh God
Oh no
Oh God no
Oh
Aah
No
Aah
Aaah
Oh
Aaaaaaaaaah
Oh

Lyrics From: [LyricsFreak]

Please Also Visit: [FishHawk Droppings]

Monday, October 25, 2010

Come Monday...When No Means Yes

“Come Monday…” is a weekly series that will involve a review of, or commentary about,  websites, movies, documentaries, television shows, sports, music, and whatever else may tickle my fancy at the time.  Be assured that these reviews will be generally positive, as in accordance to the Jimmy Buffett song “Come Monday.”  This is subject to change, however.  In fact, I would be most derelict in my duties to neglect going on a rant every once in a while.  For rants promote change, and change can be good—right?  Therefore, since good is generally considered as being a positive force in 99.3% of the parallel universes that I am aware of, even a rant could be considered as being something positive, and a genuine hissy-fit would be even better (so I’m told).



No, this has nothing to do with unwelcomed sexual advances. Although, it could be argued otherwise with the way measures are so often worded on a typical ballot.

Case in point: [Missouri Proposition A]. For as it is proposed on the ballot, one must vote no in order to be in favor of the measure.

Now, I don’t know about you, but to me, when someone is against something, they should vote no. So, with making it be just the opposite, will this lead to many voting just the opposite of the way they wanted to?

It is the same way with [Missouri Amendment 3]. For I do not want to have to pay an extra tax on real estate transactions, but I will have to vote yes on this measure in order to vote against it.

Yeah, yeah, yeah, what it takes is an educated voter, but considering the level of education these days… Alas, woe be it unto us all.

As a side-note, there is another measure on the 2010 Missouri ballot that is much more straightforward. It is [Proposition B], and it says,
Shall Missouri law be amended to:
*require large-scale dog breeding operations to provide each dog under their care with sufficient  food, clean water, housing and space; necessary veterinary care; regular exercise and adequate rest between breeding cycles;
*prohibit any breeder from having more than 50 breeding dogs for the purpose of selling their puppies as pets; and
*create a misdemeanor crime of “puppy mill cruelty” for any violations?

Yes, I am in favor of enacting all of this. Therefore, I should vote yes.

Unbelievably, there are actually commercials against MO Proposition B out there. Here are a couple of examples:



Okay, this really digs at my conservative roots. For I can see where this well-meaning measure could grow into another bureaucratic nightmare.

On the other hand, I am against any sort of large-scale commercial dog-breeding. For dogs are generally very personable animals, and there is no way that they can receive the amount of attention that they deserve when more than 10 (at the extreme!) are involved.

Yes, I suppose a really good large-scale operation could have 10 or less dogs assigned to individual employees, but that is going to cost them a lot more money. Besides, a kennel is just not the same as a home.


Please Also Visit: [FishHawk Droppings]


Sunday, October 24, 2010

A Sunday Drive

Back during my childhood, our parents would often load up my brother and me after Sunday morning church services for a leisurely drive around where we lived.  Even though we were seeing mostly familiar sights, it was still good to see them, and this is why “A Sunday Drive” sounded about right for the name of a weekly series revisiting familiar sites that are well worth seeing again and again.  The link below the image is to the site itself, and the image is linked to the post it was first included in here.

















 Link: [PJ's Prose]



 Link: [Powerzone]










Please Also Visit: [FishHawk Droppings]

Saturday, October 23, 2010

Spiritual Warfare Repost

The following is another chapter from [Bittersweet Refinements].  Since each part is connected to the rest, it would do you well to keep reading (and listening for our Heavenly Father's explanations, of course).

Spiritual Warfare

For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh, for the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but divinely powerful for the destruction of fortresses.  {We are} destroying speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God, and {we are} taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ. [2 Corinthians 10:3-5 NAS]

Simply put, every thought that crosses our minds comes from either ourselves, our Heavenly Father or the devil.  For even if a thought is actually of His only begotten Son[1], who truly is the Lord Jesus Christ[2], His Holy Spirit[3] or one of His holy angels[4], it is still of Him[5].  For He and His only begotten Son and His Holy Spirit are One[6] and the same[7], and His holy angels are His servants, who do nothing on their own[8].

Furthermore, the same applies to Satan, who is the devil, and his horde of rogue angels, who are also called devils and demons[9].  For they can do nothing unless they are allowed and enabled to by our Heavenly Father[10].

It is the work of the devil and his demons to convince us that none of that is true—along with many other things, of course.  For they are our only true enemies[11].

Needless to say, they have been very successful.  For even amongst those who are willing to believe that they do indeed exist and are active in this world, so very, very few are willing to even entertain the possibility that they are actually servants of our Heavenly Father and working to accomplish His purposes[12].

Yes, it is written: Let no one say when he is tempted, "I am being tempted by God"; for God cannot be tempted by evil, and He Himself does not tempt anyone.  But each one is tempted when he is carried away and enticed by his own lust.  Then when lust has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and when sin is accomplished, it brings forth death. [James 1:13-15 NAS]

It is not our Heavenly Father who is doing the tempting, however.  For that is the role of the devil and his demons[13], and our Heavenly Father provides a means of escape so that only those who do not want to be saved will perish[14].

No, this is not to say that our Heavenly Father is in league with Satan.  MAY IT NEVER BE[15]!!!  For that would suggest a partnership when the absolute truth of the matter truly is that the devil has no choice but to do His bidding[16], and the same also applies to all of his demons[17].

Neither is to say that darkness really does dwell in our Heavenly Father[18].  For the reason why we exist in this world as we naturally do is in order to give Him opportunities to receive a very special kind of love, and the devil and his demons are unwitting participants in His plan[19].

Come on now, how could this not make sense?  For is it not true that hardships tend to encourage those who want to believe in a Heavenly Father who is full of love and forgiveness to want to get closer to Him[20]?  Therefore, if Satan and his horde of rogue angels really are at liberty to do as they please at this time, doing anything to cause us to want to get closer to God would be the last thing that they would want to do—would it not?

No, there is not a war raging between the forces of good and evil for our souls in the way that it has been so widely taught[21], but this is not to say that we have nothing to fear[22].  For it would not accomplish our Heavenly Father’s purposes to force anyone to spend all of eternity with Him in His Kingdom of Heaven as heirs to all that is His in glory against their will[23], and what breaks His heart is that so very, very, very many would rather believe in what Satan has to say and stay in the darkness of Spiritual ignorance[24] than truly walk in the Light[25] of His absolute Truth[26].

Alas, it is all just a continuation of what was started in the Garden of Eden.  For the temptation was to be like God[27], and be in control of their own lives[28].

Therefore, let all who think that they are standing firm take heed before they fall[29].  For pride leads to destruction[30].

{1}John 1:18; {2}Matthew 3:16-17; {3}John 14:15-20; {4}Matthew 1:18-25; {5}John 6:45; {6}Deuteronomy 6:4; {7}Genesis 1:26; {8}Hebrews 1:14; {9}Revelation 12:9; {10}Luke 22:31; {11}Ephesians 6:10-12; {12}1 Timothy 1:18-20; {13}1 Peter 5:8-11; {14}1 Corinthians 10:1-14; {15}Job 34:12-15; {16}Ezekiel 28:18; {17}Job 12:16; {18}James 1:16-17; {19}Genesis 50:20; {20}Psalms 5:1-3; {21}2 Peter 2:1-3; {22}Mark 14:38; {23}John 3:16-21; {24}John 3:19-21; {25}John 8:12; {26}1 John 1:5-2:12; {27}Genesis 3:1-5; {28}James 4:13-17; {29}1 Corinthians 10:12; {30}Proverbs 16:18.
 
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