LinuxMint 10

I've just installed LinuxMint 10 on my new desktop, and I love it!  The desktop is not actually new, but someone put it along the side of the road without a hard drive, and said we could have it.  My brother, Justus, had an extra hard drive(only 4G), so I thought I'd give it a try!  If you can get past the differences it has from Windows, it is the best thing since DOS!   Well, I'm using it now, still trying to get used to it, and if you get a chance, look it up.

(LinuxMint 11, also known as "Katya" is also out, but my computer didn't like it, so I reverted back to 10)

http://www.linuxmint.com/

Why do I not eat at resturants that serve alcohol?

And why am I even writing this?   Well, there are a few reasons for both, and I'll start with the later.

I am writing this post because of the fact that I believe that eating or fellowshiping in the proximity of alcohol is something that a Christian ought not do.  Not everyone believes this, and that is fine with me.  I'll not argue with you over the subject, or even try to tell you that you are wrong simply because it is not something that will keep you out of Heaven, and it is not worth getting into a big argument over. 

I am writing this post because it never ceases to amaze me how many Christians are appalled at the fact that I do not eat at a restaurant that serves alcohol.  Hey, if i have the choice to "abstain from all appearance of evil." then I think it would be more pleasing to my Heavenly Father if I chose to do what he commanded me to do.  It is very interesting to me, that when this comes to light with a non-believer, someone who has not accepted Christ as their personal Savior, they are more often than not, fully supportive of the stand that is being taken.  I have heard the statement, "Wow!  That's different, but hey, you're a Christian."  (This is usually after saying, I'm a Christian, and they serve alcohol.  I can't eat there.)  That doesn't happen often simply because I don't eat out often, and to eat out with someone who is not a fellow Christian is even more rare. (Usually only at company dinners, etc.)  What gets me though is when another Christian says something like, "Well, that's dumb." or, "Well, You shop at a grocery store that sells alcohol, don't you?  It's all the same thing!"

There is a difference between the two, and I hope to show what they are here.  I'm not usually good at explaining things, so hopefully it can be understood why I believe what I do.

If you are a Christian reading this, then you already know that there is ample evidence in Scripture that alcoholic beverages are not intended by God to be ingested.  Some examples of that are as follows:

Pr 20:1 Wine is a mocker, strong drink is raging: and whosoever is deceived thereby is not wise.
 (KJV)

Pr 23:29 Who hath woe? who hath sorrow? who hath contentions? who hath babbling? who hath wounds without cause? who hath redness of eyes?
 30 They that tarry long at the wine; they that go to seek mixed wine.
 (KJV)

 These are only two of the many Scriptures that indicate to us that God is not pleased with drunkenness, and the consumption of alcohol.  Many others indicate that it is strongly related to mockery of the Holy Spirit, is directly related to adultery and other forms of immorality, and the fact that it is just plain foolish.

As a Christian, I do not eat at restaurants that serve for the following reasons;

1.  God clearly commands us as Christians to "Abstain from all appearance of evil." (I Thessalonians 5:22)  But not only does he command us to abstain from the appearance of evil, but also from many of the things that are associated directly with alcohol, such as fornication(which includes adultery and incest), in I Thessalonians 4:3.  "For this is the will of God, even your sanctification, that ye should abstain from fornication:"       It could be very easy to be seen walking out of a restaurant not realizing that you are following, or leading a group of people that had a little too much to drink, and then be seen in church the next day. . . what kind of testimony would that be? Would they ever listen to you if you knocked on their door making calls for your church?  They have a mental picture of you, even though you were not drunk, walking with a group of people that were drunk. . .some Christian he/she is.   "Abstain from all appearance of evil."

2.  To be in the presence of those drinking alcohol allows the Christian to be in an environment that is toxic to his/her Christian beliefs.
Proverbs 20:1 "Wine is a mocker, strong drink is raging: and whosoever is deceived thereby is not wise."   Alcohol makes a mockery of everything that we as Christians stand for.  It turns men and women into fools, it lowers the inhibitions of men and women and raises the passions that those inhibitions control.  Generally, when one has had alcohol, he usually has one of two reactions.  1.  He loves everyone, and would do anything for them, or 2. all he wants to do is fight.   If it is the first, then he'll make a fool of himself by doing anything and everything someone suggests.  If it is the second, not only does he fight everyone that is around, but he often goes home and abuses his family.  How can I as a Christian sit there and watch as a man does either one of these two things?  When we look at all of the things that alcohol does, would it be safe to say that it opens a man or woman up to satanic or demonic control?  I don't know that it does, but it is something to consider.

3.  Eating out is a recreational activity.  I don't know of anyone that has to eat out in order to live!  What an awful life if that were the case!  This is my refutation to those who argue that eating in a restaurant that serves alcohol is the same as buying groceries from a store that sells it.  When I go out to eat, it is something that I enjoy doing.  It relieves my wife from cooking, doing the dishes, and general cleanup of the kitchen.  It is also a good way for me to say to her, "Thank you for all you do for me, let me give you a break tonight!"  For the single person, it would be just a way to take a break for yourself.  Yes, the grocery store does sell boxed and bottled alcohol, but I am not going to the store to sit down and enjoy a meal, to take a break from the everyday meal planning, or to just sit down and fellowship with someone.  I consider going to the grocery store a necessity of life(and not exactly a pleasurable one!), something that needs to be done in order to survive.  I do not have the abilities to raise my own meat, or to grow all of my own vegetables and fruits, or to make many of the other things that are needed that may be purchased at the grocery store.  Unfortunately, even though there are a few grocery stores that do not sell alcohol, they do not always carry some items that you may need.      


4.  I know that Jesus ate with the publicans and sinners, and there was probably alcohol present(if their culture then is anything like today), but I am not Jesus.

Although there is no temptation now, there may come a day when there is a temptation to taste an alcoholic beverage.  I am just as likely to be tempted as the next guy, and so are you.  It is no different from any other sinful activity, and Satan knows how to make it look good to the strongest believer just as he can do with anything else. 


I think the main idea here is that the line needs to be drawn somewhere, and unfortunately, no matter where the line is drawn, it is sure to receive criticism.  I wish it were not that way, but being different sometimes has a price. 


Conclusion

I never try to make a big deal out of believing what I do about this.  I have learned over the past few years that it is better to decline an invitation to go to eat unless you know where the inviting party is going.  It is not something done for show(as some have accused), but is something that I believe is a matter of right and wrong.  My intentions are not to sway those of you who do not agree, but to say hey, this is why I believe what I do. . . check it out for your self.   Most people who know me, either don't know I believe this, and the ones that do know didn't know for a long time. . . because I don't make a big deal about it.

As other reasons come to mind, I'll add them to the post.  There are a few more, but after typing for so long, I can't remember them at the moment!

Whether you agree or not, I'd like to know what your thoughts are.

A Must Read For any Patriotic American

Please take the time to read this.  Not only will it anger you, but it will also embarrass you as an American citizen.  Because of copyright, I'm not sure if it would be best for me to re-post it here or not, so click on the title to read the article.

It is a shame what a local Newspaper is willing to do!!!

From the Sooner Tea Party

Did they really just attack an entire church?

Want proof that the Oklahoman has lost any vestige of journalistic integrity?  Read this titillating headline that ran in the Sunday paper:

Quote:

"Oklahoma City Council candidates attend a church observers have criticized for flying the Confederate flag, making political commentary from the pulpit and training children to use automatic weapons at a church camp."

End quote:

Read more: http://newsok.com/activities-of-council-candidates-church-draw-criticism/article/3544301#ixzz1FDeJ8P5k

Wow!  Sounds like some radical, racist, good old boys with kids just waiting to hose you down with machine gun fire if you take their ice cream away.  Well.... not so much.   Turns out those confederate flags were part of an event where they were displayed alongside the Union flag.   Darned... sounded like the Democrats were resurrecting the KKK again to liven things up in OKC.  You do remember that it was the Democratic party that was the powerhouse behind the KKK,  with Democratic Governor Fabus and George Wallace vowing not to integrate the schools?  And who stood against them but Republican Dwight Eisenhower.

And that political commentary from the pulpit?   Woo, they caught Pastor Vineyard on that one on one of their videos:

"Pray for ... Brother Hearron, Brother Van Manen and their campaigns,"

But there is more!  Seems Pastor Vineyard asked church members to volunteer for political candidates and urged them to call elected officials regarding legislation at the capitol!  How dare he ask them to be good citizens!   Despite the opinions of the "experts" the Oklahoman brought in for the interview, there is nothing wrong with a non-profit asking people to get involved in politics as long as you don't tell them to vote for someone in particular.  You can expose the voting records, call them a suspect in the paternity of the litter of pups down the street, or say they don't like girls as long as you don't advocate voting for or voting against them.

I hear the muttering out there:  "Ah, but Al, they trained children to use machine guns!"   Turns out the church has a summer camp in Kingfisher County with sessions for children and adults and include safety training for pistols, rifles and shotguns, and even some automatic weapons demonstrations.    Uh, demonstrations?  I had pictures in my mind of six year olds struggling to stay on their feet and keep a bucking Uzi machine pistol on target.   They did mention al-Qaida type training in the article, didn't they?  Well, yeah, but it was actually the Department of Wildlife Conservation that has conducted training there for the last three years.  Boy, there is a radical bunch, those state game rangers, always where the wildlife is happening.

Isn't this cartoonish?   A staid and solid 100 year old newspaper owned by a billionaire attacking a dang church of all things?

I've been to the Windsor Hills Baptist Church last year, was invited to speak on the need for people to stand up and start the hard, dirty work of taking our country back from the progressives and the liberals.   It mattered not that I wasn't of their exact faith or that I wasn't a member.  They didn't care that the Sooner Tea Party is willing to thump on politicians if they need it, they were just glad that someone was thumping them.   And it is a rare "fundamentalist" church, if the Oklahoman's claims are to be taken as truth, that invites outsiders into their world.  In fact the liberty movement here in Oklahoma recently had many of the religious right groups defect because they didn't think they were "equally yoked" and that only a leader of their exact faith would be blessed by God and ensure victory.  Not Windsor Hills Baptist Church, they will work with anyone regardless of their faith or creed.   That is true Christian behavior in my book.  They leave the judging up to God.  They understand that the Constitution delivered freedom of religion and your right to choose to live your life as you see fit.

So why would the Oklahoman shoot themselves in the foot like this?   Because they are flailing about in desperation over the city council race, seeing the state chamber of commerce board members losing their races in the polls  despite an injection of over a quarter of a million dollars into their campaigns.  For the fist time in Oklahoma City history the establishment is actually running TV ads for a city council race!   Traditionally they get 1500 votes per ward, so 751 voters decide who gets the ward position.  And they are spending a quarter million to convince those 751 voters to show up?  All the while they complain about the Tea Party getting involved by making signs for three of the candidates and daring to endorse them?

What does the Tea Party need you to do?  Well, write a letter to the editor over this embarrassing journalistic behavior.  Or call them and cancel your subscription like I did in January when they went too far.  Nineteen years I've been a subscriber to that rag.  Still am, I guess, ’cause they won't stop delivering it even after they have called four times and have been told that no I wasn't going to support their paper and to stop delivering the thing.   Seems they are losing subscribers at such a rapid rate that they are continuing to deliver at no cost just to keep their circulation numbers from plummeting and losing ad revenue.  But what we really need you to do is to vote on March 1st:  Adrian Van Manen for Ward 6,  Clifford Hearron for Ward 8, and Brian Walters for Ward 5.   Ward 2?   I personally couldn't find anyone that was worth beans.  All I have to go on is that the Oklahoman didn't like the 30-year-old student.  Something to be said for the fact that they liked him the least, so I guess I'd vote for him if I lived in his ward.  How embarrassing that we didn't get a suitable candidate in that race.

Now a Spy Catfish!?

Ok, I thought the hummingbird was a little bizarre, then my wife sent me the link to this story by Fox news.  I really don't understand why my government is paying for all of these little toys that aren't really necessary when they can't even keep their budget under control!  Not to say that they aren't cool little spy gadgets, but really, what is a catfish going to see?  It can't get on a ship, it can't get in a sub, and it can't get on land.  There would also be serious radio control distance restrictions, unless somehow it was controlled by satellite(which is possible).

http://www.foxnews.com/scitech/2011/02/22/new-cia-websites-reveal-secret-agent-gadgets/?cmpid=cmty_email_Gigya_CIA_Reveals_Its_James_Bond-Worthy_Spy_Gadgets
What do you think?

Why the Robot Hummingbird

So. . . why would the U.S. Government want a robot hummingbird equipped with a camera?  The article tells quite a bit about this amazing piece of machinery, but it is a bit worrisome!  Think about it. . .The hummingbird is(as the article states) only in the Americas, so it would look rather odd in another part of the world.  The pentagon gave the instructions on how it should be built, but what could they possibly use it for?  It would be an interesting toy anyways.

http://www.physorg.com/news/2011-02-robot-hummingbird-flight-video.html

What do you think??

Pray that I sell the truck!

I love my truck.  Have you ever had a vehicle that you knew you needed to sell, but you really, really didn't want to?  This is probably the most fun vehicle I have driven of all the ones I've owned next to my 98 S-10, but it is time for it to go.  I had someone call me today about it even though it has not been posted for sale for over a week now.  I hadn't fixed any of the ignition parts on the column yet when I received the phone call, so I drove over to the auto parts store just to see if they had them.  Much to my surprise, they had all the parts I needed for about a hundred dollars!  So, I bought the parts, and had the truck fixed in about 30 minutes.  Now it runs great! So, please pray that this guy wants the truck and has some money.  He is coming over to look at it this evening about 5(which is when the sweetheart banquet is supposed to start), but I'm willing to be a little late if he buys it!  Pray that it sells!

Stolen Truck update!

Wow!  It is really amazing how God works.  My wife, Sandra and I were on our way to the far other side of town - S.E. 87th and I35, which is about 15 miles of city driving away, to get her new passport at fedex.  We had been driving for about fifteen minutes, and were about half way there when we received a phone call from the Oklahoma City police department.  They had recovered the truck and were in the process of getting it all done!  Wow!  Of course, I was somewhat concerned about what kind of condition it was in, but since they were not yet finished processing the truck, we were not allowed to go get it yet.  It was very interesting to note that as we were driving out to get her passport, we were also on our way to get the truck also!  We got the passport about 15-20 minutes later, and started driving towards where they said the truck was(we thought).  I guess they just wanted us to wait at the 7/11 on S.E. 44th and Bryant in OKC, but there was nothing there when we drove by.  Shortly after we drove by the 7/11, we got another phone call stating that they were done, and we could go to a certain address to get the truck.  There were two police officers there, and I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw the truck.  On the outside, the only thing different about it was the fact that the toolbox in the back was gone.  On the inside, the only thing different was the fact that the steering column was all ripped apart.  The officers had one man in one of their cars, but he was not the one that had stolen the truck.  Since neither I nor the cops had any idea how the truck was supposed to be started, they made him go in and get a screwdriver, but the electronics in the column had a short, and had blown several fuses, so it was not possible to start the truck. . . or so we thought!  After calling my insurance agent and setting up a tow truck(which would not arrive for another 2 hours!), I set to work trying to figure out how to start the truck.  I was able to get one good fuse into the right place, so the engine would run if it were started, but there was no way to get the switch to start the truck.  After an hour and a half, I felt like an idiot when I realized that the truck was already turned on, all I needed to do was jump the starter!  Duh!  Too bad for the car thieves, they apparently didn't know how to do this little trick.  The next thing I knew, I was seeing sparks, and hearing my truck turn over.  I was able to get it started, but at 7:30 in the evening, you really need headlights, tail lights, and brake lights. . . They had used all of those fuses.  Well, I drove it to the auto parts store, and got enough fuses to get it home!  God was really good to us that night.  We were able to drive a truck home that we both fully expected to never see again.  We had prayed diligently about the situation, and were working on being content if the Lord never let us see it again(That was a little difficult).  We were able to get it home before the snow and extreme cold temperatures hit. (It was -5 F here in OKC this morning! Nowata, Ok, was -31!)  God was good to us

Strange Disappearances

Thursday evening we had church due to the roads being so bad on Wednesday.  Not that the roads were much better.  We got home about 9:30 Thursday night.  Everything around the house looked fine.  Nothing missing.  We went to bed that night, and slept very well.  When we woke up the next morning about 5:30am, I looked out the window, and my truck was gone!  I've been trying to sell it for the past few weeks, well, I got rid of it!  Blessing in disguise. . . Who knows?

The "Blizzard" is Here!

At least that is what the news crews are calling it.  The wind is anywhere from 40-60 mph, and the temperature is only 13 degrees.  It is a little cold out!  I feel like I'm in Canada visiting my wife's family again. 
 Our front door is covered, but it was nearly impossible to get the door open to take these pictures because there is about 4 inches holding it shut!

5:00 Tuesday Morning

Looking at our carport from the front door

Trying to look across the street!

9:30 Monday Night

Jan. 2011 Snow Storm!

Well, I don't know just exactly how bad it is going to be, but they say right now that it will bring us here in OKC anywhere between 6-12 inches and in Tulsa up to 20 inches!   Sandra and I were sitting here just a few minutes ago, when we heard something clicking on the door and windows.  It was freezing rain.  Shortly thereafter we heard a little bit of thunder(pretty cool for an ice storm)!  My nephews and niece are here tonight, and will be here tomorrow.  Sounds like fun!

Hopefully I'll have some pictures of the snow tomorrow.

UN Agenda 21 - Coming to a Neighborhood near You

UN Agenda 21 - Coming to a Neighborhood near You

This is something that we as Americans should be aware of! To think that this has been going on since the early 90's and I didn't even know about it until this week is scary. they are trying to hide what they are doing, and for the most part, it is working. Pass this on to as many people as you know. Thank you, Nathaniel

Update.....
Here is a link to the actual bill known as Agenda 21 or "The Rio Declaration on Environment and Development"
http://habitat.igc.org/agenda21/

What Kind of Person are You?

I read a quote the other day that really struck me as interesting.  "You are the average of the 5 people you spend the most time with."  Jim Rohn

I have no idea who that guy is, but. . . think about it. . . who do you spend time with?

Worthy Candidates for City Council

There are two men that are running for City Council in Oklahoma City, both are great men, and need your support.  It is going to cost these men a lot of extra money to run their campaign.  One estimate that has been given is about ten thousand dollars(each).  Look at their websites, and if you know of anyone in Ward 6 or 8, talk to them about donating to their campaign, either financially, or time, or even both!  As a Christian, and as a member of a Local New Testament Baptist Church, I believe that both Dr. Adrian Van Manen, and Dr. Cliff Hearron are worthy candidates of these offices. You can visit their websites at, 

http://adrianvanmanenward6.com/       

http://cliffhearroncouncil.com/

Thank you for your interest in their campaign, and if you have a website, blog, or other. . . Let me encourage you to post these websites on yours as well.  It would greatly help in getting their names out.