Tiger Tiger Woods Ya’ll

Well Tiger, you went and did it, didn’t you.  You left your house at 2:30 AM and crashed your car.  Somehow, this has brought out that you committed “transgressions” that you have apologized for.

Now, I’m really mad at you Tiger.

I want to give you the smack down.

Strangely enough, it’s not for the “transgressions” you committed.  Whatever “transgressions” means, since that was your word.

No, the reason I want to give the smack down on you is because now, I can’t read the news without hearing nothing but…… TIGER TIGER TIGER.

Now Tiger, I’m sure you’re a nice guy and all, except for those “transgression” you mentioned.  But like you even said, you aren’t perfect.  Who is?  I’m certainly not.  But if you have cheated on your wife, shame on you.

Just because you have as much money as God more money than almost anyone does not give you the right to fall into that rich man’s trap.  You know, the one where weird women will sleep with you, just because you have money.  Come on Tiger.  If that’s the only reason they slept with you, because you’re rich and famous, then admit it.  They are tramps.  So, stay away from the tramps, and keep your pants zipped, unless your wife lets you unzip them in the bedroom, that is if she ever lets you in your bedroom again.

But I digress.

It’s irritating Tiger, irritating as all get out that you had the unmitigated gall to leave your house at that ungodly hour and wreck your SUV, thus causing a snowball effect which took over all the news.  There IS other things going on in the world right now you know.  Like the economy (something you won’t have to worry about… ever), kidnapped kids, abused wives or husbands or children, people losing their homes, the wars in the middle east, just to name a few.

Why do you have to be such a media hog?  Do you really think that is fair to the rest of the world?

So you wrecked your car.  There was going to be “an investigation” for some reason.  Anyone else would have just been slapped with a reckless driving ticked, like you eventually got.  But oh no, because it’s YOU, I had to listen to newscasters speculate on what the “investigation” was about.  I suppose they were hoping that it would lead to the discovery that you had not only cheated on your wife, but abused your children, caused global warming, and had dead rabbits hidden in your freezer.

And now?  NOW?  Now I’m, at this very moment, having to listen to the speculation about your prenup agreement with your wife and “oh my God, what should she do, should she stay or go”.

No one else gets this treatment.

What about other peoples lives that are destroyed by this kinda thing?  We don’t hear about it 24/7.  But oh no, you’re such a media hog, you’re taking over the airwaves.

Tiger, do me a favor and give it a rest will ya?

Ok, sarcasm aside, I really don’t get why this is all such a big deal.  You media people need a life.  One that doesn’t revolve around celebrities.  And you people who are obsessed with such a thing?  YOU need to get a life.

Know why?

I want to know what is really going on with the world.  You know, important things.

~ Kev

Today’s Youth = Tomorrow’s Leaders (Ahem)

Where did we go wrong?  Ok, maybe that is really just a rhetorical question.  However, somewhere, my generation took a sharp left turn in raising our kids who are now teens.

Oh I know what you’re thinking.  You’re thinking I’m going to rant about the foibles of today’s something or other generation (is it x? y? z? aa? I can never keep up).  Well, you would be right.

I mean come on, have you looked at bozo the clown looking teens of today?

Never mind the tattoos and piercings.  Never mind the weird hair colors, never mind the pants that are about to fall off.  No, wait.  Let’s mind it.  A lot.

Hey, I was a teenager once.  We had our own fads.  In my town, in my day, it was cowboy hats with roach clips hanging off the back (purely for aesthetics, honest mom, I never did drugs.  That’s my story and I’m sticking to it).  But I look at today’s kids and I have to wonder.  I mean really really wonder.  How do some of these kids expect to get a job?

Whatever happened to the phrase, everything in moderation?  Apparently, we somehow missed the opportunity to pass that vital information on to our kids.  I can see my way past a little bit of “personalization”.  My own daughter has a piercing in her nose.  But I look around at some of these kids at the mall, even ones who are working and I think to myself – something just ain’t right yo.

Blue hair, red hair, white hair, green hair, practically every weird color you can imagine under the rainbow.  Facial tattoos.  More metal in their face than iron man, ripped clothing (if you can even classify some of it as clothing because it covers less than a bikini), thongs hanging out of the back of pants.  It just goes on.

If they aren’t trying to pass off as “Gangsta Paradise” (don’t judge, I roll old school Coolio ya know), their trying to look like something from the circus.

I expect a little rebellious behavior in teens.  I was one once, despite what my 17 year old daughter thinks.  But I look at these kids and I have to wonder, especially in talking to them, have they no idea what they are doing to their future?  The answer is a big fat no.  Why?  Because they don’t think what they are doing to themselves with their various circus colors and metal faces will make a difference.

Ahem

They obviously don’t understand corporate America.

Or they plan on working at fast food restaurants all their lives (no offense, but come on, how many more fast food places to we really need in this country?).

I’ve seen people who have just made it out of their teens, trying to make a living with battle scars from their piercings.  That’s right, they couldn’t keep them.  Once you get those holes in you, and let them close, they leave behind scars.

Then there is their clothing.  I’ve seen young adults, just out of their teens, still wearing their pants around their knees and wonder why they can’t get a decent paying job.

So where, exactly, did we take a left turn?  Did we get to busy, trying to keep our own heads above water trying to survive that we didn’t notice?  Or did we just get to the point where we made the mistake of not realizing the appropriate time to say no, and stick to it?

I don’t know, I just don’t understand it.  I’ve only let my daughter get one piercing and it’s in a place that won’t leave a visible scar and I have talked earnestly with her about the fact when she finishes college, she is gonna have to lose that nose piercing.  Which she doesn’t get.  Maybe I shouldn’t have allowed it in the first place.

Who knows what the future will bring.  We can hope that our youth start waking up and realize that youthful things must be left behind when they grow up.  It’s either that, or our next president may have facial piercings, and wear his pants around his knees.  What a horrible image.

~ Kev

Coffee vs. Coffee

Ok, this is a sensitive topic that I have done my best to stay away from.  No, really.  I’ve always felt like if I wrote about this subject, hordes of people would start hunting me like one of those scenes from Frankenstein, including pitch forks, axes, and torches.

However, I just can’t take it anymore.  And for those of you who dislike this blog post to the point of wanting to hunt me down, this is a guest writer.  Honest.

It all started years ago, and quickly became something horrid amazing in it’s own right.  A specialty store that serves coffee and coffee related drinks at a premium price.

You know, stores like Starbucks and Coffee Beanery.

Small privately owned mom and pop stores quickly jumped on the bandwagon of supplying premium priced coffee to the masses.

Premium priced coffee stores are everywhere now, especially Starbucks.  In some cities, you can’t walk a block without running into one of their stores.  What I don’t understand is, why are they always so busy?

Coffee is pretty basic.  You take the beans, you roast them, you grind them, and then you brew it.  Sure, beans from different places offers a slightly different taste, I understand that.  You can even mix the beans from different areas to make combinations that offer even more differences in tastes.

On the surface, this doesn’t amaze me.  Coffee has been around for a very long time.  What does amaze me, however, is the willingness of people to pay so much for a cup of coffee that comes from a particular store.

I mean, have you people seen the prices Starbucks and some of these other stores are charging?  It’s insane!

And by insane, I mean needing to be in a padded cell insane.

Take today for example.  I was at the mall.  I wanted coffee.  I often do.  Now, I could have walked down to the Coffee Beanery and got a large coffee and paid over two bucks for it, or I could have gone to this little shop that offers coffee and paid one dollar.

Would would I have gotten for the extra money?  Well, it wouldn’t have mattered if it was Coffee Beanery, Starbucks, or any other specialty coffee store.  I would have gotten a cup of coffee that was way to strong, bitter, and frankly, not that great.  What did I get for my dollar coffee?  A great tasting cup of coffee, that tasted like… well… coffee.

Don’t get me wrong.  I’ve had these specialty coffees.  I’ve even purposely purchased from these stores on one of the days when I didn’t get much sleep the night before and had a lot of hours of driving ahead of me.  But it’s very rare, because those bitter, over strong cups of coffee taunt and talk to me like some kind of satanic cheerleader while I’m driving.  Or maybe that’s just the hallucinations from the massive amounts of caffeine from what should be a mild pick me up.

Don’t make fun of me.  It gets lonely driving all those miles by myself.

I have friends who can’t even drive past a Starbucks without stopping and purchasing a cup of the over priced Joe.  Then they drink half of it, (I mean come on, who could blame someone for not wanting to overdose on caffeine), smile like a loon and say “I love Starbucks!” like some kind of poor brainwashed, battle scared veteran.  And And And, these people are more than willing to pay all this extra money with their hard earned cash without blinking an eye for a cup of coffee that most times, they don’t even finish!

How do you DO it.  Honestly!  I wish someone would tell me.

What happened to just plain ole regular coffee?  You know, the kind you get at 7-11, or a diner?  What makes people want to spend this kind of cash on overpriced coffee that gives you indigestion, nightmares and has the ability to keep you awake for three straight days?

Insanity I tell ya.  Next thing you know, someone is going to come up with an idea to sell specialty water for a premium price.  Oh wait…… Nevermind.

~ Kev

No Tattoo For You!

If you know me at all, you know my opinion of most doctors are that they are all a bunch of quacks who fly sound for the winter nice people who try their best for you.  Despite that, they don’t always get things right.  I’m a firm believer in the fact you know your own body better than they do, and if you have half the brain God gave you (and are able to use it) then you pretty much know what is going on and what needs to be done.

But every once in awhile, doctors get things right, and after debating a certain issue, I think in one particular case my evil psychopathic skin doctor dermatologist called it.

I have several skin issues.  The biggest one is a skin disease called eczema.  The second is something I don’t remember the name for, but it’s a rare disorder that is particular to those of American Indian descent.  But in this case, this is all about eczema.

If you aren’t that familiar with what eczema is, it is an affliction from the devil, a disease that causes rash like symptoms, itching, swelling, and cracking of the skin.  It’s no fun, trust me on this.  Blisters can form, and the itching is unbelievable.  When the skin cracks, it’s not uncommon to have slight bleeding.  I know right?  Gross.  I can only say that it is much worse than what it sounds like.

Eczema can be brought on by a number of things.  Stress, diet, chemicals, certain types of fabrics, dyes, soaps, all that fun stuff.  Finding out what the causes are can be a trying experience.  In my case, the chemicals I work with cause most of my difficulties.

One of the things I’ve learned about my case, is that dyes are a giant no-no.  I discovered this after getting one of those fake tattoos at the beach.

Don’t judge me, I still have a bit of a child in me.

This was before they started using the henna style of ink.  The older ink they used has the same dye in it that hair dye does.  Needless to say, after the ink wore off my skin, I had a breakout and I carried 1/4” welts on my skin in the exact shape of the tattoo for six months.  My dermatologist took one look at it, and yelled for her assistant to bring a camera.  That’s right, my breakout, in the form of 1/4” red welts in the form of a dragon, was immortalized and passed around the practice and laughed at placed in my file.  This was followed by an intense lecture of why I needed to stay away from dyes of all types.  I can’t even cover up my grey hair, which is a real bummer, let me tell you.

Well, I recently decided I really, really wanted to get a tattoo.  Nothing big or anything, just something small, something personal.  After the expert tongue lashing lecture my doctor gave me however, I decided I had better check in with her to see what she thought.  I pretty much figured the answer would be no, but hey, we all have hopes and dreams.

So I placed the call.

I talked to her nurse, and told her the deal, and she said she would pull my chart and talk to the good doctor and call me back the same day.  I got the call back in under a half hour.

The return phone call went something like this:

(ring right) Hello?

Mr. Riley?  This is Nurse %*$! from Doctor’s %&##$!’s office.  I talked to her and explained that you wanted to get a tattoo.  She looked at your file and under no circumstances should you try to get a tattoo.  The results would be unpredictable, and frankly, we aren’t sure how bad a break out you would have from it ok?

(noise of phone fumbling) Mr. Riley, this is Doctor $%!!!** and I just wanted to tell you that you must have lost your ever loving mind.  Don’t you remember the fake tattoo?  Are you nuts or something?  I don’t think you are in your right mind for even considering this and let me tell you – yadda yadda yadda.

She went on for quite a bit.  I’m sure she had lots of evil fun telling me off like that, and have no doubt she was hovering by the nurse just so she could talk mean to me.

However, at the end of her rant, I did hear the words, “But it’s up to you”.  I quite distinctly heard in that tone “if you’re some kind of brain dead idiot”.

Ok, maybe the conversation didn’t go quite like that, but it was close.

Needless to say, she dashed my hopes.  I had to swallow sadness.

So, to summarize, according to my Doctor, no tattoo for you.

Sometimes it’s no fun being “special” as my mother likes to say about me, but I always thought she meant that in a more derogatory way.

Ah well.  I guess I’ll have to find some other way of expressing my uniqueness.

~ Kev

Entertainment: Pushing the Envelope?

I feel like I need to rant.  I’m probably going to upset some people, but if I do, I will take the kicking.  If I can dish it out, I can take it in return.

What is it about entertainers who feel the need to “push the envelope”?  Especially when historically, pushing the envelope seems to be all about sex?

Is this about Adam Lambert?  Only in part.  Is it about Adam Lambert being gay?  Not at all.  What is it about?  I guess, in a nut shell, it’s about sexually charged “entertainment” on television.

Adam wasn’t the first entertainer to cause controversy.  Remember Janet Jackson’s wardrobe malfunction?  How about Madonna sharing an open mouthed kiss with Christian Aguilera and Britney Spears?  Then there was Sinead O’Connor and her attack against the Catholic Church (ok, this one was sexual, but political).  How many people remember the controversy that Jim Morrison of the Doors caused when he not so mistakenly sang the original lyrics to “Light My Fire” after agreeing not to? (which ok, wasn’t sex related but drug related, but maybe still sex related because the line in the song referred to a girl).

Maybe you will see me as an old fogey or something, or simply to conservative, but over the top sex, drugs and political messages do not belong on National Television where the younger citizens can see it, and perhaps be influenced by it.

I have to agree with TV Critic Jack Gould, back in 1965 when he commented about Elvis Presley’s gyrating.  “It isn’t about censorship, which solves nothing.  It’s about common sense.”

Really, I couldn’t agree more.

I didn’t watch the AMA award show.  Why?  Frankly because, although I love music, I have become increasingly tired of watching senseless over-indulgence in the name of entertainment.

I’m not a big fan of Adam Lambert, I don’t like his style of music.  But if I were, and I went to one of his concerts, I might have been shocked by a similar act, but ok, I paid for a ticked so I get what I pay for.  But to know that so many younger children saw that performance on television frankly makes me ill.

The other people I mentioned?  I feel the same way, except for maybe the one about The Doors, but maybe back then I would have felt the same.

The problem is this.  I have enough trouble trying to teach my child that sexually based entertainment isn’t an accurate portrayal of sex as it is.  I don’t need some entertainer, citing free speech, showing their breast, gyrating like a loon, endorsing drugs, or depicting sexual material, especially when it’s so “alternative lifestyle” like bondage fueled performances.  Frankly, I would hate the dreaded question from my pre-teen (which I no longer have by the way, she is grown) of, daddy why is that woman kissing that woman, or that man kissing that man, or even why is that guy leading that guy around on a leash like a dog?

These types of things are inappropriate to the general public.  You want to do it in one of your concerts, fine.  Go right ahead.  At least then I have a choice of paying to see it.  When I’m watching a live performance on television, I don’t have a choice of seeing it and if you’re an entertainer, pay attention.  I don’t want to see crap like that.  Many people don’t.  Many people do, but it shouldn’t be forced on me, or my chosen lifestyle.  If I can’t force you to stop participating in drug fueled sexual parties, then I shouldn’t be forced to participate in them.  Get it?

Come on people.  Try waking up a little.  How far are we going to go with this?  Are we going to keep pushing the envelope so much that sex becomes nothing but a thoughtless act?  Or drugs to become acceptable?  Or political gestures of any kind common place?

That’s not entertainment, it’s destruction.  Destruction of common sense, morality, decency, and general entertainment.

Maybe it’s time there was a little censorship.  I don’t normally agree with censorship, but I think if people can’t have the decency to act appropriate in situations like this, something must be done.

And you know what really ticks me off?  If I was an entertainer, and I stood up after my performance on National Television, and started preaching about Christ, and Sin, I would have been run out of town.  But it’s ok to act like a deranged sexual deviant, or attack religion, or endorse things that are illegal.

Does that make sense?  Not to me.

So I guess I will close with this.  If you are an entertainer, keep your kinks to the appropriate venue and to the society in general, wake up and stop supporting those who refuse.

~ Kev

Religion and Judgment

Did you miss me?  I’m sure you did.  Sorry it’s been awhile, but I have been busy with work.  A lot of things going on there which hasn’t left me a lot of time to write.

But I’m here now, and there is something specific I want to write about.  It’s something that is a great concern with me and something I think poses one of the greatest dangers to the Christian Church today.

Out in the world, the world as Christians we are supposed to be separate from, people tend to have a certain attitude.  Apart from their, I’m going to do what I want, after all as long as I’m not hurting anyone, whats the big deal” attitude, they also tend to have a live and let live policy.

I was “in the world” for along time.  I have had friends who drank, a lot.  I have had friends who did drugs.  I have had friends who have cheated on the wives, stole, and a few other things that wouldn’t actually make the Lord happy.

But one thing I rarely, and I do mean very very rarely, ran into, was these friends condemning me for NOT doing the same as them.  My friends who did drugs might have offered, but when I said no, they shrugged their shoulders and said ok.  The same with drinking.  The same with stealing.  I’ve also never had a friend who cheated on his spouse get on me for not doing the same.

Like I said.  A whole different attitude.  Live and  let Live.  I’ll do my thing, you do yours.

This didn’t make things RIGHT.  It was just their attitude about life in general.

Now, let’s switch to the Christian church.  Once I became saved, and heavily involved in working for my Lord and Savior, I noticed something just a bit different in their attitude about life.

Before I go on, please understand that this is not directed at any specific church, or group of people.  I’ve been in several churches (more than 2 in membership) and I have visited a bunch of others and have friends who are members of ones I have never visited.  What I am about to write about is directed at the Christians I have come in contact with.  As a whole.

This attitude that the Christian’s I’m talking about seems to be fairly prevalent.  It’s judgment.

This is going to sound harsh, but I believe Christians have gotten to the point where they are more concerned with Judging others and their fellow Christians, more than carrying out His work, to the detriment of the body of Christ.

I’ve seen it happen to my fellow Christians, I’ve watched Christians do it, and I’ve experienced it myself.  It seems that Christians who know me are far more concerned in trying to find something wrong with me than trying to help those in need.

This is not Ok.

It worries me and bothers me a great deal.  As the body of Christ, why are we so concerned in judging each other, than the world?  I’m a Christian.  I believe in Christ and I believe in His word.  Although I’m not perfect, and I slip up from time to time, I try my best.  That is between God, and me.  Believe me, if Jesus can convince me to throw away my old life, and accept Him as my Lord, then show me things no one else has, make me feel things no one else has, I hardly think He would have a problem in correcting me.  And let me tell you, He has.  At times He has been gentle, and other times not so gentle.  There is nothing quite like a hard wake-up call from Him.

But I have friends who have a need, a need for Him.  Or a need to get back straight.  I sometimes hang with them in places that most Christians would look twice at.  Like a bar and grill, where it’s a combination restaurant and bar.  Just because I walk into such a place does not make me a sinner.  If you believe it does, you need to read your bible again.

Jesus did the same, and even chastised the Pharisees for judging Him for hanging out at a wild party.  Remember the tax collector?  Levi?  Levi invited Jesus to his house, and threw a party.  Of course the Pharisees followed so they could see what Jesus was up to.  They were appalled that Jesus would go to  this man’s house with his party, where there was sinning going on.

Jesus said to them (you can see it Mark 2:17) They that are whole have no need of the physician, but they that are sick: I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.

People have need of what I have to offer.  Compassion, advice, a friend, a shoulder, and to hear that God loves them.  If Jesus can do it, and did it, so can I.  That’s what I have been called for.

So be wary of judging your fellow Christians.  Look to yourself, as I do, to purge all sin from you life, before looking at others.  Seek the Love that Christ had for everyone, Sinner and Believer both.  Stop judging and start saving.  Before we lose more people from our Churches.

~ Kev

God is in the details

I don’t know about you, but I love running into little interesting tidbits that when you explore them, they have a pretty big impact.  It can be smallest thing that you read, or see, that interests you, and due to your interest, you start to explore and find out some wonderful things.  Life is about learning right?  The day we stop learning is the day we are no longer on this earth.

It all started with an e-mail……

Yeah, you know, those e-mails that get passed around?  It came from my Dad and has a long history of being passed around.  That simple fact was enough to warm my heart, especially in this day in age.

The interesting thing is, just earlier this morning, for some odd reason, I came across the quote “God is in the details”.  It made me chuckle, because, well, I happen to believe it is true.

People who don’t believe are always asking, where is God?  They can’t see him, so they choose not to believe.  Of course, there is usually more to their choice of not believing than that, but you get where I am coming from I’m sure.  I say people chose not to believe and yes, that is exactly what I meant to say.  It’s a choice.  The same people can’t see the wind, but they believe in it.  Of course, their argument will be that you can see the effects of the wind, you can feel it on your skin, you know it’s there.

Well, in my own experience, the same is true for God.  I can see his effects and I can feel Him.  So I choose to believe.  Of course, another way of saying it would be that my mind is open enough to believe because like the wind, I know He is there by seeing His effects and feeling Him.  So for me, maybe it’s not a choice after all.  Maybe it would be better to say that people choose to ignore the evidence of God.

I said it started with an e-mail, and it did.  But I also said I came across this quote before the e-mail.  Confusing?  Don’t worry about it, just trust me here.  The e-mail lead BACK to the quote.

The quote, “God is in the details” was said by Ludwig Mies van der Rohe.  He was a German/American Architect who had a major role in shaping modern architecture.  Go to any downtown city and look at the tall buildings with their shiny windows, with little evidence of the building structure.  That was his idea of architecture.  It is interesting to note that he also has another famous quote attributed to him.  “Less is more”.

What makes this even more interesting, this quote, is that if it said in German, Ludwig Mies van der Rohe’s language, the quote would literally translated as “God dwells in the details”.

So let’s get to the point shall we?

This e-mail was a presentation, which of course was put forth with beautiful pictures and music.  But what it said was what made the biggest impact.  I will condense it appropriately.

What is the shortest chapter in the bible?

Psalm 117

What is the longest chapter in the bible?

Psalm 119

Which chapter marks the center of the bible?

Psalm 118

There are 594 chapters before Psalms 118

There are 594 chapters before Psalms 118

Add these numbers up and you get 1188 (594+594=1188)

What verse marks the exact center of the bible?

Psalm 118:8

This verse says something very significant about God’s will for our lives.  Something very significant.  So significant in fact, the next time someone says to you they would like to find God’s perfect will for their lives, that they want God to be in the center of their lives, just send them to the center of the bible.

Psalms 118:8 (NKJV):

“It is better to trust in the Lord than to put your confidence in man”

God really is in the details.

~ Kev

A sorrowful soul

I am tired.  I really am.  I’m more than just physically tired, I’m mentally tired as well.  My life over the past few months has been exceedingly busy and stressful.  At the moment, I am so mentally and physically tired that I am not even sure how I am managing to form coherent thought to transfer to writing.  I’m so overly tired, that I know that without some help, I won’t sleep.  My mind is full of racing thoughts and my body hurts to the point I find it hard to get comfortable.

Stressful and busy.  It’s a heavy combination and one that all of us are familiar with.  I have sick friends.  A friend’s godson has swine flu.  My daughter is dealing with issues and school.  I’m dealing with marriage issues.  I’m dealing with parent issues.  Family issues.  Work issues.  I’m working a lot of long hours and although I have vacation time available, I don’t feel like I can take the time off right now.  I have money issues and worries, as I’m sure a lot of us do.

Stressed, tried, hurting, emotionally exhausted?  Yeah.

I’m sure I’m not the only one.  In fact I know I’m not.  But when you are dealing with these type of issues all at once, there are days when you feel like you are hanging at the end of your rope.  How do you handle it?  How do you keep going?

Somehow or other, we all do what we must.

When I’m feeling like this, if always brings to mind Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane.  He to was tired.  Stressed.  The time was at hand, and he knew it.  His soul was filled with sorrow.  He knew a type of stress that was so great that it is one I hope never to experience.  He knew that all His hard work was coming to a close here on earth.  He had tried to prepare His disciples.  Were they ready?  Had He done enough?  Could they go on without Him?  He was also about to be betrayed by one of His own.  Handed over to the authorities and He knew, beyond a shadow of doubt, what was about to happen.  He was going to die.

That kind of stress would probably break me to the point where I would be sitting in a corner drooling on myself, mentally gone.  But not Jesus.

I refer you to the scriptures found in Mark 14.

Mar 14:34 And saith unto them, My soul is exceeding sorrowful unto death: tarry ye here, and watch.

Mar 14:35 And he went forward a little, and fell on the ground, and prayed that, if it were possible, the hour might pass from him.

Mar 14:36 And he said, Abba, Father, all things are possible unto thee; take away this cup from me: nevertheless not what I will, but what thou wilt.

Mar 14:37 And he cometh, and findeth them sleeping, and saith unto Peter, Simon, sleepest thou? couldest not thou watch one hour?

Mar 14:38 Watch ye and pray, lest ye enter into temptation. The spirit truly is ready, but the flesh is weak.

Mar 14:39 And again he went away, and prayed, and spake the same words.

Mar 14:40 And when he returned, he found them asleep again, (for their eyes were heavy,) neither wist they what to answer him.

Mar 14:41 And he cometh the third time, and saith unto them, Sleep on now, and take your rest; it is enough, the hour is come; behold, the Son of man is betrayed into the hands of sinners.

Mar 14:42 Rise up, let us go; lo, he that betrayeth me is at hand.

Yes, Jesus was stressed.  There are stories that He was so stressed that while He was praying, He sweated blood.  That has been scientifically proven to be possible.  I can’t even imagine the level of stress Jesus was experiencing.

He asked His Father, the Almighty, to let this cup pass from Him.  In other words, if possible, let this not happen.  But He also added in, not my will, but yours.  Meaning, I am asking, but whatever YOU decide is the right course.

In the end, the choice of Jesus’ Father was clear.  He had to face what He knew was coming, and endure.  That is exactly what He did.

I am convinced that He was only able to do it because even as stressed as He was, even though He was asking for a change in the plan, that He ultimately found the courage to stand up to His future because in that Garden, He was in the presence of God.  He might have been asking for a different outcome, but He was still in His presence.  He was praying, communing with God.

Now that I’m stressed, I to need to seek the presence of God.  I need to commune with Him.  Of course, I will ask for things, but in the end, He knows best.  But I know that even asking for different outcomes, just being in His presence will ease me in ways that nothing else can.

You to should seek to commune with God is such situations.  It’s hard to remember to pray, to seek for God when things are so hard, busy, and stressful.  But what better time is there?  He is our Father, and He loves us.  He might not always give us what we want, but He will always give us what we need.

Seek him.  At all times.  Pray without ceasing.  Don’t fall into the trap that Simon and the other disciple did, and fall asleep when they should have been praying.  Seek his presence, so you to can face what is coming next.

~ Kev

The Shroud of Turin

I’ve been interested in the Shroud of Turin, the shroud that many believe shows the image of Jesus Christ, for many many years.  I can’t quite remember when I first leaned about it, but I’ve been a follower of news events and a somewhat amateur armchair historian ever since.  I remember the first time I ever laid eyes on pictures of the shroud, and the sense of awe and wonder that filled me.  At the time I first laid eyes on it, I was a believer, but I was not a Christian.  The very existence of the shroud is very compelling and over the years, there has been a lot of talk, research, analysis and debate on if the shroud is real or a forgery.  In fact, there are claims that it is the most studied object in history.  Whether that is true or not, I couldn’t say.

I’m not going to try and convince you, the reader, that the shroud is real or fake.  That’s not my place.  Firstly, I’m a firm believer in historical objects, as well as science.

At the present time, science has presented the shroud as a fake, that was somehow created in the middle ages.  How it was made is an answer that science can not answer, and a lot of smart people have tried.  A lot of smart people have also tried to refute the statement that it’s a fake, and their arguments are compelling and in my opinion, have merit.  The fact remains, however, that the final truth has not been found and it’s quite possible it never will be.

So, what exactly is the Shroud of Turin?

It’s a linen cloth, that was used to wrap a dead body, that somehow bears the 3 dimensional image of the man it covered.  Front and back.

There is evidence that shows that the man was crucified.

There is evidence of blood on the shroud from piercings from the crucifixion.

There is evidence that suggests wounds that can seemingly only be explained by a crown of thorns.

This is a picture of the shroud itself.  If you look closely, despite it’s small size, you can just make out the faint image of a man in the cloth.

So what’s all the hub-bub, bub?

So what makes the shroud so important, and please understand, it is very important.  The fact is, if this is in fact the shroud that covered the body of Jesus, then it makes it one of the most important historical treasures of all time.  If it’s real, and in fact the shroud that covered Jesus, we would know exactly what he looked like, as well as having historical evidence of his existence, and the Gospel stories of his death.

The following is a negative image of the face on the shroud, that allows you to get a clear image of what the person looked like.

The light colored places on the forehead is blood.

Some Historical Information on the Shroud

So how did the shroud come to light?  How was it found?  Who found it and why has it been suggested to be THE shroud?

I won’t go into the full historical chart for the shroud.  If you are interested, you can visit here to see for yourself.

On April 10 or 16th, in the year 1349, a French Knight by the name of Geoffrey de Charny writes the pope with his intention the build a church and it is said he was already in possession of the shroud.  Supposedly he picked it up in Constantinople.

30 years later, the first “showing” of the shroud takes place.

After that, there is along history of the shroud being moved around and displayed.

It is suggested that there is evidence of additional historical data on the shroud has been discovered.

There is evidence that the cloth, now called the Shroud of Turin, really was a treasure of the early church; not the Pauline communities with which we are so familiar, but the Church in the East. Edessa, in the Fertile Crescent of the upper Mesopotamia, between the Tigris and the Euphrates, was a major city on the Silk Road and undoubtedly one of the earliest Christian communities. If you traveled from Jerusalem to Antioch, you were two thirds of the way to Edessa. Turn left to go to Tarsus, turn right for Edessa. There is some evidence and a strong tradition that Thomas and Thaddeus Jude (Thaddeus of the 70, Thaddeus of Edessa) went to Edessa as early as 33 CE. There is a legend that they carried with them a cloth bearing an image of Jesus. In 544 CE, a cloth, with an image believed to be Jesus, was found above one of Edessa’s gates in the walls of the city, a cloth that Gregory Referendarius of Constantinople would later describe with a full length image and bloodstains. There is strong evidence that the Edessa cloth is in fact the Shroud of Turin.

Now the shroud is a relic of the Catholic Church, who will neither confirm or deny it’s belief on if the shroud is in fact real.  It’s home is currently in Turin, Italy.

Science weighs in

Of course, when you have a historical object, the first thing that happens is scientists want to examine it and verify it’s authenticity.  Apparently, a number of attempts have been made to examine the shroud by historians and scientists, when the Catholic Church permits.  That doesn’t happen often.  So what were the conclusions?  Carbon 14 dating, a method used to date objects, was finally performed and the results came back showing an age of the middle ages.  If this testing is accurate, then the shroud is not real.  However, there are fierce defenders and scientists who claim the carbon 14 dating was not performed correctly.  How?  Because of where the sample was taken from, as well as the high possibility of foreign material embedded in the cloth giving false results.  Long story short, someone once tried to burn the shroud and it has been suggested the sample used for the testing came from a repaired section of the shroud.  There is evidence, in fact, that the shroud has been “repaired” a number of times over it’s history.  Experts in science, paints, photography, and other copying methods have examined the shroud and can not explain how the image was made.

Believers weigh in

Believers in the shroud, the ones who are totally convinced that the shroud is the one used to cover Jesus, dismiss the scientists claims that it is a fake.  We are talking fierce debates here.  To the believers, the shroud is real and that is that and the fact that science hasn’t been able to explain everything about the shroud, as well as the possibility of mistakes in testing, have only fueled the debates, and their belief.

So what is my take on it?

I won’t give an opinion either way, though I do in fact have one.  I will let you decide for yourself.  What I find so interesting is that there are two factions of experts, scientists and lay people coming at the shroud from two directions.

One direction is the faction that seems to find it necessary to prove beyond a shadow of doubt that the shroud is fake.

The other direction is the same type of people who find the need to prove that it is real.

They can’t agree on anything.  They can’t agree on testing methods, of results, of this and that.  It really has muddied progress in my opinion.

But as usual, what I want to focus on is the group that wants to prove it false.  There are scientist out there who are Christians, but it seems that the only ones whose voices are heard are the ones who are not.  I just don’t, for the life of me, why there exists so many that find the need to prove that Jesus wasn’t real, that he was a story, or wasn’t the Son of God.  They are the ones who want to show you that God doesn’t exist.  That life has no meaning, that the teaching of Christ, although nice, aren’t worth the paper they have been recorded on.  They are the ones who insist that happiness can only be found in what you do, selfish acts for yourself.  Harsh?  Maybe, but if the shoe fits……  I realize that not all of those who don’t believe the shroud is fake fits into this category.  I just find it frustrating.

So what is the harm?  Even if the shroud is fake, I can see no harm in the way people view it.  As long as they are not idolizing it of course.  To me, looking at the shroud is like looking at a cross.  It serves as a representation of our faith in Jesus Christ, just like the cross.  Where is the harm in that?  This is why the Catholic Church refuses to weigh in on the matter.  I happen to agree with this stance right now.  Maybe one day, science will give us all the answers, but as of right now they can’t even come close and I’m not just talking about the shroud.

To those of you who want to laugh and scoff at the existence of Jesus and of God and that Jesus was His Son, then I find your lack of belief a little sad.  Why?  Because to you, there is nothing to look forward to, no ultimate hope, no ultimate goal.  To you, life is just an existence.  To me, that is not living.

For information on the Shroud of Turin, visit the official website: The Shroud of Turin

Of course, any mistakes in this post are my own.

~ Kev

Mortgage Companies Vs. Homeowners

I’ve always said that I’m not the brightest bulb in the pack.  I know I have limitations.  I don’t really have a full understanding how the stock market works, and you know, I’m happy with that.  I’m not a big financial smarty pants.

I’ve also said, on several occasions, that the bail out to the banks didn’t make a lot of sense to me.  Wasn’t it about Fannie and Freddie Mac?  The mortgage backers who suddenly were left with no money coming in to pay their own bills because so many people were being foreclosed on?

But there are smarter people than me, supposedly in our government.  In their wisdom, they decided that billions of dollars must immediately be given to banks to keep them going.  This was an act that was supposed to free up credit, for those of us who still have decent credit, and thus, stimulate the economy.  I’m sorry, but that never made any sense to me whatsoever.  Seriously.  I thought it was a bad move.  I talked to people about it.  People who I thought smarter than me, who could explain it.  Their explanations didn’t help all that much.  I still thought it was a poor way to handle things.

Seems I was, for the most part, right.  The government can’t explain where all the money went, and people still have trouble getting credit.  People are still losing their homes.  The parts of the bail out that was meant to allow short term loans to small business so they could keep operating, didn’t seem to help that much.  I’ve seen a lot of small businesses close.  As a result, the unemployment rate has sky rocketed.

As I look at the current state of our country, and look back at this whole process, I must admit I’m still confused, disappointed, and yes, angry.  Good people, good honest people, are suffering and losing their homes.  It’s not just the people who were convinced to go with the interest up front loans where after a number of years faced this giant increase in they mortgage payments.  No, it’s also the normal people who have lost good jobs, and if they have managed to find one, are being paid much less.  Add to that the rising costs of healthcare, food, gas, and everything else…. well it’s obvious we have a huge mess on our hands.  I don’t care that the government and other experts are saying the economy is showing signs of recovery.  To me, that doesn’t mean a whole lot when there are still so many people who can’t find a decent paying job and are facing losing everything.  Why?  Because I think the financial experts, and the government, can’t do simple math.

It’s simple really.

John Q loses his job making $ 50,000 a year.  His wife keeps her job, and she is making something similar.  They have two car payments, 2 kids, and a mortgage.  John Q can’t find a job making the same thing, so he takes what he can get.  A job making $ 30,000 a year.  Gas goes up, healthcare goes up, food goes up, everything goes up.  Suddenly, John Q and his family are having trouble making their house payment.

The banks answer?  Kick them out.  They do this and sell the property for a 1/4 or so of what it’s worth to get their money.  Ok, that kinda makes sense.  Or does it?

Just like John Q, now the bank isn’t getting the same amount of steady income.  They have reduced their steady income drastically and instead taken one lump sum.

Oh, did I mention that John Q got a severance package when he got laid off?  His steady income was reduced to one lump sum, not much, but it was something.  It helped for awhile, and he was lucky, because not everyone gets that severance package.  But it didn’t last long.

So, can you see some parallels there?  I sure can.  By reducing their steady income, the banks are going to run out of money.

Do the math people.  Can you see what I’m trying to say here?

Instead of kicking people out, instead of the government giving billions of dollars to the banks, instead of reducing their steady incomes, the greedy mortgage companies should have been forced to do what now some states are requiring.  Give the homeowner a face to face meeting and the chance to negotiate a modification to their loan.

Think about it.  What’s better?  Reducing your overall steady income by 10%, or taking a small lump sum that will quickly run out.  I can tell you what is better.  Reducing your steady income by 10%.  How do I know?  Because I have seen a lot of companies offer this to their employees instead of closing their doors or laying off people.  Those that accepted are still around.  The employees might have had to tighten their belt, but a 10% reduction of $ 50,000 a year (which is $ 45,000) is a lot easier to handle than $ 30,000 a year.

Make sense?  Well, it does to me at least.

Some states are now requiring Mortgage companies to meet with people now, something that should have happened a year or more ago.  Maybe those billions in bailout were never necessary.  Maybe the government should have taken a stand against corporate greed instead.

Information about this was found in the article on MSNBC, HERE.

Update: August 22, 2009:  You can also see this article: HERE