Saturday, December 29, 2012

JOHN PIPER-TO THE JEW FIRST AND ALSO TO THE GREEK

The major problem with this sermon is you can't properly interpret this phrase in Romans 1 16 if you don't know who the Jews and Greeks (Gentiles) were.

The word Jew here means "of the tribe of Judah." The word Greek denotes the Gentiles. Gentiles means "nations", or the ten lost tribes of Israel to whom Paul wrote this epistle.

The verse quoted by Piper referring to being grafted into the olive tree can thus be explained in the following way. In Isaiah 5 God refers to the children of Israel who had gone astray as "wild grapes." Thus, letting the Bible interpret itself, we can infer that the wild olives spoken of later on in Romans refers to the members of the ten lost tribes of Israel. These people were cut off many centuries before Christ, but were then grafted into the olive tree of the tribe of Judah and were once again fed by the root of the Abrahamic covenant.

"Any Jew-haters in this room, you are in big trouble."

Except for the fact the people we call Jews today aren't the Jews spoken of in the passage we're studying.

"Whenever we go into a new area we should have our flags up seeking "Are there any Jews here?"

See my above point.

Question 2, Point 3: The verse that talks about the Gentiles being separated from the Messiah refers to the ten tribes of Israel. They were cut off and taken away from the land of Israel, thus missing out on the coming of the Messiah to that land. The rest of the passage should be interpreted with this in mind.

Of course, to a certain extent these verses also speak of Jesus making all the peoples of the world one in His salvation.

Friday, December 28, 2012

REPLY AWL

The Winter 2012 Travel issue of Canadian Geographic is an all-round good example of fascinating travel writing, from birdwatching in Texas to alligator watching in Florida.

I enjoyed the profiles of many of the female entrepreneurs featured in the November issue of Chatalaine. It's cool Canadian women are heading up companies to clean up toxic sites and offer environmentally-friendly cleaners and the like.

Tuesday, December 25, 2012

ISAIAH CHAPTER 5-CHAPTER 12

Isaiah 5 18-19: This passage isn't talking about cynicism. Rather, it is talking about people who have a fascination for and a love of sin. They can't wait to hear about the latest sinful thing the council of Israel has done. Too often, we as Christians, and I would include myself in this, are guilty of the same thing.

Read Isaiah Chapters 5-12, all the way through. It is a microcism of the story of God's people. God created this people to flourish, but they sinned. God judged them, but was also merciful, sending His son. When Jesus returns the second time, He will finish the judgment.

Monday, December 24, 2012

SONG OF SOLOMON 6 4-8 14

7 7-9: These verses show God is no prude, and also that there's nothing wrong with a little dirty talk.

8 1: Speaking of dirty talk. This verse would seem to endorse adult nursing.

8 2: Earlier, the lover compares the beloved's cheeks to pieces of pomegranite. However, I don't think this is the body part being referred to here. This verse would seem to endorse licking a woman's genetals.

Friday, December 21, 2012

ORAL ROBERTS, RICHARD ROBERTS AND KENNETH COPELAND-WAKE UP!

I assume this video was made before Richard and Lindsey's embezzlement scandal.

They speak highly of "The Passion of the Christ", despite the numerous ways it is inaccurate to Scripture.

The three men of course speak about the pretribulation rapture, even though there's no Biblical proof for it.

Noah's arc wasn't a boat; it was more like a huge floating building.

There were the three classifications of people spoken of in 1 Corinthians 11 in Paul's day because the Gospel first had to go to those who were under the law. However, these days there is only the saved and the unsaved.

2004 was the year of the fullness of callings? This despite the fact God is still calling people to different positions in the church eight years on.

Eight years on as well, we're still waiting for that sign that was promised.

Acts 2 17 and following are misapplied to today when they are talking about events related to the day of Pentecost.

The Bible never says to receive Jesus as your Saviour. For the true Biblical plan of salvation, see Acts 2 38. At least they had people repent; I'll have to give Messrs Roberts and Copeland that.

The 2004 election was a spiritual battle? Bush, the supposed Christian was re-elected and nothing was done about same sex marriage, abortion or anything else.

America is the peacemaker?; as they're going into all these countries around the world, participating in all these wars.

"... this will open Iraq for the Gospel."

Eight years on and Iraq hasn't been opened to the Gospel to my knowledge. Also, it is worth noting that "that serial killer Saddam Husain" allowed Christianity in his country.

Thursday, December 20, 2012

REPLY AWL

The November 5 issue of Maclean's has an article about elementary schools in Ontario and their increased focus on teaching social justice. Social justice themes are woven into classes, even extending to the subjects of math and science.

This has been happening for years. I can remember novel studies that focused on slavery or the holocaust. Additionally, schools in North America have had social themes extended to all subjects for years as well. I can remember a column in an American newspaper about fifteen years ago written by a woman who mentioned her daughter's math textbook focused on social themes.

When these kids get to the stage where they start questioning authority and go through that time in their lives where they don't like their teachers or parents, aren't there going to be children who rebel against all this social justice teaching and become the most selfish uncaring people you've ever seen?

Incidentally, regarding the guy who works for the Toronto District Schoolboard and his plans to raise his child Storm gender neutral: it should be easy to do this, right up till the kid hits puberty.

Actually, this man's plans may backfire even sooner. I remember an article in Maclean's several years ago where a husband and wife tried to raise their sons gender neutral but by age two the twins were exhibiting the typical male traits.

There is an article in the same issue about how restaurants in Italy are accepting barter as payment for meals. That can work to a point. You can trade meals for things your restaurant needs, but if you need something really big that none of your customers has and you aren't taking in enough cash to pay that large expense, you're screwed. You can't really barter where things like utilities are concerned, for instance.

Monday, December 17, 2012

REPLY AWL

The October 29 issue of Maclean's contains an article about all the federal government advertising that's on TV. The only way the television and radio industry are keeping going in the face of technology and people not tuning into them because of their crummy programming has to be all the government PSAs. There isn't any other explanation.

There is an article in this week's edition of the online Matilda Ziegler Magazine for the Blind where a woman talks about sneaking up to touch a harpsichord at a Christmas Eve church service. This article was cool. I admire intestinal fortitude like this.

I also found a letter in the Readers Forum section of the same issue touching. It was written by a woman talking about how she still had some of the baby dolls she used to play with as a child. Like I say, it was a heartwarming letter.

By the way, I also think it's neat when teenage girls still play with dolls. Some preservation of innocence in these horrific times.

AIRCHECK REVIEWS

Al Benson WGES August 5 1955: Grocerer! Ha.

Robert W. Morgan Magic 106: Seems pretty down on the industry.

Don Imus WNBC 1987: Isn't shy about saying things.

The sketch about George Bush is still funny.

End of WNBC, Beginning of WFAN: A whole bunch of radio legends all gathered together.

The call from Jerry is one of the calls any announcer wants to get on his last day.

I didn't really appreciate the WFAN intro.

WEAF June 6 1944: A historic recording indeed.

There were probably tight controls on which clergymen would be allowed on the air. I bet no pacifist clergy or any of the ministers who realized the whole war was staged were allowed on.

D-day Radio May 9-June 6 1944: A quite interesting retrospective of this commemorative format.

Bob Sivers WOWO Fort Wayne Emergency Broadcast System: Talk about embarrassing for the Air Force.

Bob Sivers handles this situation with pure professionalism. I don't think a deejay today would react as he did.

CBS-2 Chicago Report About Emergency Broadcast: Gary Mayer sounds so much younger.
Bruce Bradley WHN August 9 1973: Hearing about that contest makes you listen for Bradley to forget to say "1050" even forty years later.

$6.50 for a year's magazine subscription!

Fred Gale Interviews Abbie Hoffman WMCA 1971: A real snapshot of the times.

Gale and Hoffman are talking about all this alternative culture stuff, then Gale reads a commercial about how a store has to get rid of all it's stock, even the knew stuff, just because it's name changed.

"I'm sorry,, we had to cut that off the air."

"Hello, I'd like to speak to Abbie, please." Obviously people didn't get that Abbie could hear them in the studio.

That final caller on this recording is just ... something.

As much as I like this recording, I feel I should point out something. The hippies whole thing was, "Don't trust anyone over 30", yet at the time of this broadcast Hoffman was around 35.

Saturday, December 15, 2012

AIRCHECK REVIEWS

Mark Elliot's Old Toronto Radio Commercials: All these are good in their own way, but the calypso song for Honest Ed's is really a trip.

Allen Freed KDAY November 1960: The jocks were on seven days a week! Did they actually work seven days a week or did they tape one day of programming?

Freed was wrong about Chris Montez.

Joe O'Brien WMCA December 21 1960 (part 2): Real world news coverage on a music station.

A minimum of Christmas songs. Good thing.

Bob Hale WLS June 8 1960: Neat easy listening format.

You can just picture three conservative nurses at the hospital listening to Hale's shift every night.

Kevin Nelson CKSL London January 8 1980: An announcement about the Progressive Conservative party on a top 40 radio station. Neat!

Six hours of commercial free music on Saturday nights in the days before cd changers or portable music players.

John Majhor with Brother Christopher (Chris Sutton) June 22 1984: The Major was great. You can hear Brother Christopher's potential.

Plays a song he played in the last hour.

One girl requested a song called "Fake Friends" and dedicated it to another girl. I sense there was a cat fight soon after.

All these girls crushing on Duran Duran.

A Catholic boy's school and a Catholic girl's school got to watch "The Video History of Rock" together. Oddly intriguing.

Caribbana sure came early that year.

Friday, December 14, 2012

RADIO-RELATED STUFF: HOW DID YOU HEAR ABOUT SANDY HOOK?

Tom Mischke on WCCO seems like he could be a real jerk.

Is K.D. Lange the only artist "Canada Live" features anymore?

Was listening to a station from Italy when I heard about the Connecticut school shooting. The format was rock. They even had interviews in Italian. Good to see that somewhere in the world music stations still care about world news.

Wednesday, December 12, 2012

REPLY AWL

There is an article in this week's edition of the online Matilda Ziegler Magazine for the Blind where the author talks about toys and games she enjoyed as a child. I have to admit I am not good at remembering the rules for games. The only card games I can remember the rules to are go fish and black jack. I have played dominos a couple times but have to relearn the rules each time.

CBM's talking Christmas card for this year sucked. Let me count the ways:

- staff not bothering to say who they were when they gave their Christmas greeting;
- one staff member who, in his greeting, couldn't even get the name of the organization right;
- a woman reading an essay by an author wherein he makes a remark to the effect he's not even sure he believes the birth of Christ actually took place; narrator didn't pronounce the writer's name right;
- a dramatization of a play by Dorothy L Sayers that adds a whole bunch of details that aren't in the account of the visit of the wise men to Jesus; persists with the myth that they were kings who arrived twelve days after Jesus birth (yeah, they're gonna travel all that way on foot or animal in twelve days); didn't appreciate the line about "he shall have temples in Rome and Byzantium"

Tuesday, December 11, 2012

THINGS IN THE NEWS

A couple items of concern regarding privacy. First, a company that has developed a DVR that can monitor what is going on in the room around it, they say for advertising purposes. Also, a movement afoot in Massachusits to have black boxes, similar to those found on airplanes installed in light trucks.

There was a story on "As It Happens" tonight about gender neutral theatre. A woman has put on Shakespearean plays where roles are played by men or women, regardless of the character's gender. This kind of reminds me of when a company put on "Macbeth" in the park of our little town and featured Banquo as a woman. It doesn't work.

A man in California has managed to plant "new" old growth forest by taking samples from living plants in the root systems of redwood tree stumps and cloaning them into new redwoods. I am not for human or animal cloaning, except maybe for specific body parts used in transplants. Is it right to clone a plant?

Wednesday, December 5, 2012

REPLY AWL

The Fourth Quarter 2012 issue of Children's Friend contains a poem about the story Jesus told about the man with two sons, one who said he would do something but didn't, and one who said he wouldn't do something, but did. The poem contains a whole bunch of made up details that are just not in the parable. I would remind the author of Jesus' warning in Revelation for people who add to the word of God.

The same issue contains a big article composed of a series of smaller articles about using our gifts and talents for Jesus. Though I somewhat agree with what the article was trying to say, the Seventh-day Adventists misinterpret the parable of the talents. The talents don't represent "talents" in our sense of the word. Rather, they represent faith. The first two servants symbolize two men who went out, shared the Gospel and increased their faith. The third servant represents a man who couldn't be bothered sharing his faith.

Also, Charles Mills, we know you are a grown man. Even as a child I knew authors were grownups. Stop writing in the person of a little child. And you have a favourite doll? OK, that just makes me wonder about you.

Monday, December 3, 2012

RADIO-RELATED STUFF

The weather band on my shortwave was working yesterday.

CKOL was broadcasting a church service last night. I disagreed with some things contained in it, but from a radio programming standpoint it was good to hear such a thing.

Listened to BBC Radio 4 on the internet today. They broadcast the first episode of a serial called "China Girl", based on the author and his wife's adoption of a baby girl from China about fifteen years ago. It was well done, although I could have done with out the use of the song "China Girl" as a bridge, at least. On the whole, though, it was enjoyable. Good to see the Beebe can still make good stuff.

Friday, November 30, 2012

JACK VAN IMPE WORLD WAR 3 2012

Man, have Jack and Rexella ever aged from when I used to watch them several years ago.

Why does Van Impe quote the Maya and Nostradomus and all these Catholic sources? Should a Christian rely on non-Christian sources of prophecy?

You can ignore most of the things Van Impe says about Iran because they probably aren't developing nuclear weapons. You can also ignore what he says about 9/11 because Bin Laden wasn't responsible for it. Thus, you can subsequently ignore what the Van Impes say about Al Qaida.

How did the Van Impes manage to have dinner in the home of the president of Israel when Christians are so hated over there? Maybe because they constantly kiss the butts of the Jewish people.

Armagedon is not three battles but one, albeit it may take place in three stages.

Ashkinazi Jews originated in Turkey.

There is no Biblical evidence for the pretribulation rapture. The verse in Revelation 3 "come up hither" is just Jesus telling John to come up into Heaven. God also put it in the Bible to act as a stumblingblock for those who wanted to believe in this false doctrine. The other chapter usually cited, 1 Thessalonians 4 is the noisiest chapter in the Bible. It and the verses that are used in support of the pretribulation rapture in Matthew 24 are actually talking about events that take place after the tribulation period.

God will keep us out of tribulation, but this could also mean in parts of the earth where the events aren't taking place.

Tarshish is neither Britain nor Spain. This is the geographic location where Paul was from.

The beast is not the European Union. There are way more than ten or eleven EU nations. This video appears to have been made in about 2007, before all the Eurozone trouble started. Daniel Chapter 2 is quite clear the nations of the Western Roman empire will not be united. "they shall not cleave one to another" Rather, the ten toes are the nations of the Western Roman empire that were around 2000 years ago. The ten horns are ten world regions that will comprise the New World Order.

Next, let's turn to Van Impe's whole pro-Israel stance. Armagedon takes place not for the purpose of eliminating Israel but because Jerusalem is the place where Christ is going to return. Just with the verse about the European nations not cleaving one to another, Van Impe never quotes the verses in Revelation about Jerusalem being called in the end times Sodom and Egypt.

Van Impe then does some classic twisting of the Scriptures, misapplying the verses about "you shall be hated by all men for My name's sake" and "when whosoever killeth you will think he do God service." These verses apply to Christians, not Jews. Incidentally, I picture the latter verse being applied to me by a so-called fellow Christian with a rabid stance in favour of the people we call Jews today.

Jesus was not of the ethnic group known as the Jewish people today; rather, he was a Hebrew.

It is said the modern-day Jews are God's chosen people. They are chosen for Hell if they don't do what is necissary to be right with God. (See Acts 2 38)

Van Impe then further twists the word of God, applying terms of endearment meant for those who truly follow God (bride, apple of God's eye, elect) to an ethnic group who aren't even obeying God, and who in fact hate Jesus Christ and even God the Father.

The fact is, the Hebrew people today are the Anglo-Saxon, Scandinavian, Germanic, Celtic, and kindred people. They are the descendants of the Israelites and God's chosen people. However, as Paul makes clear in Romans, not all who are in Israel are of Israel. Only those genetic Israelites who have truly put their faith in God are true spiritual Israelites. Likewise, this number includes anyone from any other ethnic group who has genuinely put their faith in Jesus Christ. As it says, "the stranger who is among you who believes shall be as one of you."

Let's get rid of this ridiculous belief that if we bless the people we call Jews today, God will bless and prosper us. The United States and Canada have been blessing Israel since 1948. Comparing 1948 to now, do we have a higher or lower crime rate? Are Canadians and Americans healthier now than they were in 1948? Is the average household debt of North Americans greater or lower than 64 years ago?

Malachi 4 1 is talking about God's judgment that occurs when Christ returns. 2 Peter 3 10 and onward speaks of what will happen after the milennium.

"The prince of the people that destroyed the temple" refers to the _Roman Catholic church.

The Jews are the people God loves the most ... over the people who actually follow and obey Him and study His holy Scriptures?! How absurd a thing to believe and how pitiful and pathetic are those who believe this way.

Unfortunately, the following applies to us, the true Israel people of God. We could have possessed the promised land, Palestine, forever as God promised. However, the promise was conditional on our obedience. Our ancestors disobeyed and the land was lost. (Later it was replaced by Canada, the United States and Australia.) In Joshua it says that after Israel had conquered Canan, all God's promises regarding the land were fulfilled, so those people who say the people called Jews have the right to possess Palestine are seriously and dangerously wrong.

I noticed the sinner's prayer Jack prayed at the end of the video didn't contain anything along the lines of repentance, turning from sins.

If you want to know the actual way of salvation, read Acts 2 38.

Saturday, November 24, 2012

JUANITA BYNUM-TRUST GOD OR DIE

Obviously Bynum is disobedient to 1 Timothy 2 12-15.

Dubious tongues, including one that sounds like she's gargling and saying a few consonants in between.

I would have to be wary about Bynum's interpretations of the stories of Paul on Malta and the battle of Jericho.

Instead of shouting, maybe the people in the audience should fix up the sin in their lives.

People had to leave their church to get this revelation? Actually, many members of the audience are still probably members of local churches.

Misinterprets verse about "if two or three agree touching anything." "Touching anything" means "about anything"; it doesn't refer to putting one's hand on an object.

Where in the Bible is panting a sign of the presence of God?

Talks about spiritual grades, when actually the Bible speaks of the milk and the meat of the Word.

Where does Paul say he had experienced insanity?

If Bynum isn't to focus on her earthly father when she prays, why does she keep his picture on her prayer table?

Hardly any Scripture in the sermon.

Friday, November 23, 2012

BOOKRABBIT SUCKS

Bookrabbit, a social networking site for books, really sucks. I joined up with Bookrabbit in July with my other email account. A couple months later the address on my other account changed so I went to change the email address on my profile. When I did this, the site logged me out. I couldn't remember my password so there was no point in clicking FORGOT YOUR PASSWORD. I emailed the administrators three times about this problem and they still haven't gotten back to me.

REVELING WHERE THEY HAVE NO KNOWLEDGE

Sometimes you have to laugh at these skeptics like when they say the Bible's bunk because the Gospel of Matthew says shepherds visited Jesus and the Gospel of Luke says the wise men visited Him. Duh, both of them!

Or when they say the same thing because one Gospel says an angel appeared to Joseph and another says an angel appeared to Mary. Again, duh, both.

They'll claim the word virgin should be rendered young woman. No, man, the translation is still correct because at that time young, unmarried women were assumed to be virgins. Besides, if Mary wasn't in fact a virgin why didn't Joseph break the engagement like he intended to in the first place?

They'll aroniously claim one Biblical account says Christ was born in a manger and another says he was born in a house. Actually, He was born in a manger, then Mary and Joseph moved into a house in Bethlehem where they were visited by the magi when Jesus was about two. The whole notion of the whole story of Jesus birth and the visits by the shepherds and wise men and the wrath of Herod taking place all in the space of twelve days is not Biblical.

They'll point out another apparent contradiction of the two lineages of Christ, 28 generations in Matthew and 41 in Luke. Duh, one affirms His humanity, one His status as God.

Skeptics will say there was no one named Jesus Christ. First, He wasn't officially known as Christ (as in Mr. Christ) when He was here on earth. Christ is as much a title as it is part of His name and 2000 years ago very few people recognized Jesus was the Messiah. Second, there are numerous historical sources that show Jesus Christ, Jesus of Nazareth existed, just none of the sources these skeptics have studied.

Speaking of studying, these people obviously haven't studied very much. Any good book on this subject, and there are many, will answer a lot of the things mentioned in this post.

What do these people expect to happen? Do they think they'll go up to a new believer and use one of the arguments and cause the believer to give up their faith, in many cases their only reason for living, because of a few apparent contradictions?

Thursday, November 22, 2012

REPLY AWL

The October 22 issue of Maclean's contains an interview with Brian David Johnson, a futurist who works for Dell. He of course denies plans for computer chips to be implanted in people's heads. The fact that 20 percent of people who ask Johnson about this topic want the chips is scary.

What's also scary is the Science article about brave new bodies. I don't want to live in a world where you can't play in a symphony orchestra unless you have a cochlear implant and where people take Ritolin to enhance performance. I especially don't want to live in a world where my bloody grandchildren are biologically different from me.

To end on a possitive note, the article on urban farms was quite heartening.

Tuesday, November 20, 2012

REPLY AWL

The article about scientology in the October 8 issue of Maclean's is well worth the read; a good, detailed, long-form article you rarely see in magazines anymore.

"The End" feature in Maclean's always has someone dying in an ironic manner, but in the October 8 issue the subject's birth is ironic as well.

This week's issue of the online Matilda Ziegler Magazine for the Blind has an article about internet usage reducing depression in the elderly. Being online can sometimes be the loneliest, most depressing experience you can have.

Sunday, November 18, 2012

REPLY AWL

In the Bad News section of the October 8 issue of Maclean's there is an item about Health Canada warning parents about having trampolenes for their children. When I was four my parents bought me a trampolene and it was the best investment they ever made. It gave me over twenty years of pleasure, a great amount of exercise and lots of happy memories. I'm going to put it up again if I can ever get a fence built at my place. I didn't even need a net around the thing; my parents just told me to be careful and stay in the middle.

In the same issue their is a column against circumcision. As it was by Barbara Emil I didn't read it, but I think circumcision is a good thing for boys. It makes the penis easier to keep clean. I also heard one of my college roommates' girlfriends, who was a huge tramp, say that her boyfriend "may be small but he is circumcised."

There are also a couple of articles in this issue that show the problems of Western society are spreading around the world, like the article about the obesity problem in Arab nations or the article that mentions how high the household debt of South Koreans is.

Friday, November 9, 2012

INTERNET STUFF

Finding that a lot of online survey software is accessible.

Yes, YouTube, a commercial featuring fiddle music is totally appropriate to play before a rap video.

A couple neat phone lines where you can hear movies, TV shows, audiobooks, and podcasts over the phone. The first is MatChat, 712-432-6444. The other is Classic Chat, 616-883-2928.

GORDON KORMAN SUCKS

I was somewhat a fan of Gordon Korman when I was younger but then I came to realize his books weren't that good.

The books have this tone of this teenager who thinks he knows what life is all about but doesn't really, which is fitting because Korman was a teenager when he wrote many of his most popular books.

Who Is Bugs Potter?: I'm a nerd who doesn't like rock music so I'll write a book featuring a kid who wants to be a rock star who is an arrogant moron.

Also, the idea of the European actress who was really a Jewish girl from New York City was OK, but there's a big difference, Gordon, between a French accent and a Polish accent.

I get that Frank and Barney, the burglars, were supposed to be a couple bunglers, but they shouldn't have been made as inept as they were.

Also, since Korman probably didn't have a clue how rock stars really live, the rock stars Bugs and David meet don't act like famous musicians usually do. Where are the jokes about booze, tiny cigarettes and white powder? Also, instead of making the members of Dorchester Melon upper class Englishmen (who by the way don't use any Britishisms), Korman should have made them cockney, soccer hooligan types.

Naturally, since Gordon Korman grew up in Canada, his books dismiss things like advertising. You really get this sense of this nerd determined to put down things everyone else likes such as sitcoms, movies and other things.

No Coins, Please: I still have a soft spot in my heart for this book, though. The scene with the Junior Tours director drunk on the airplane at the end is pretty good, as well as the scene where Sheldon throws the block of steal through the glass wall.

The Twinkie Squad: Neat how the weird kids got the rest of the school to sign up for the therapy group, then publicly resigned.

The Toilet Paper Tigers: Boring. Also, how did that professor understand a bloody thing his niece was saying?

Son of the Mob: Slightly funnier than a lot of Korman's other books but still naive.

Loosing Joe's Place: Rootbeer Racinette is a funny character.

A Semester in the Life of a Garbage Bag: Why do none of the other kids figure out that a lot of Raymond's problems are of his own making?

WHOLE CHILD/WHOLE PARENT-BABY LANGUAGE

There are things about babies that were not known back in 1983 when Polly Berien Berrends wrote the addition of the book these commentaries are based on.

For example, with regards to responding to and understanding your young infant, new, incredible and wonderful things are being practised in this area today.

For example, there is baby sign language. Preverbal babies can communicate with hand signs. This is fairly well-known. No need to wait till they have their words anymore! Baby sign language enhances the development of spoken language in young children because it's that much more time you spend emphasizing words.

Additionally, there is now baby language. Just as infants know when they need to relieve themselves, little babies can also communicate verbally.

For one thing, there is interpretation of a baby's cries. This has been universally known for a long time, but now it is more of a science.

The above link has to do with interpreting baby's cries more exactly, but I believe there is also a method which has to do with the sounds the baby makes before it cries. This is either part of the above method or a different thing, I'm not really sure.

I have also heard of a way to interpret the babblings of older infants and that that's a language, too but I don't know very much about this.

You cannot properly train up a child in the way they should go without Jesus Christ.

REPLY AWL

It was heartening to read about how people were helping each other out after Hurricane Sandy in this week's edition of the online Matilda Ziegler Magazine for the Blind.

The article in the same magazine about egg creams was also very good. Well-written, interesting, evocative, and just good all around.

There is an article in the October issue of Readers Digest about how the Catholic church is supposedly changing to prevent sex abuse.

The article says parishioners no longer see the priest as this figure who is different from the rest of humankind. They must still see him this way, though,  because in Catholic tradition, the priest is the one with the power to turn the host and wine into the body and blood of Jesus. That automatically sets him apart from the rest of humanity, according to Catholics.

Seminaries can have all the Integral Human Development classes they want but the fact remains that it won't curb pedophilia in the Catholic church.

These seminaries can say "channel your sexual energy into other activities", but the fact remains that for men sex is a physical need like food or water. When you're really hungry, it doesn't do much good to try to focus on something else; you need food.

Men who want to abuse children are still going to be drawn to the priesthood and are still going to find ways to perpetrate their abominations.

On the other hand, maybe the Catholic church really isn't doing anything about this problem and just told the media and the public what they wanted to hear.

Also, I would like to take this opportunity to point out the advanced ridiculousness of a guy sworn to a life of celibacy with no wife or children advising his flock about their families.

Wednesday, November 7, 2012

DR. CLEAVER KEENAN 1930-2012

Cleaver Keenan 1930 - 2012




In loving Memory of a Dear and True Friend.



By Mich Verrier.



Seven years ago, outside of the New Liskeard post office while I was picking up my dog’s leavings. I heard a voice say “hello”. “Hello” I said then I introduced myself

“My name is Mich and this is my Seeing Eye dog Dale.”

“ Nice to meet you” said this person, “My name is Cleaver and this is my wife Dorothy. “Nice to meet you both” I said. Then I asked D

“Do you happen to know anything about how to fix computers?”

“ Why yes I do,” he said “ why, is yours broken?”

“ Yes it is” I said.

“ Well I will pop by and take a look at it,” he said. I thanked him and went on my way. Thus began my friendship with one of the kindest and nicest people I have ever met -.Dr.. Cleaver Keenan and his wife Dorothy. Over the next seven years Cleaver did more than just fix my pc. We ended up forming a long and lasting friendship which I still treasure to this day. I was with Cleaver through many of the ups and downs that come with life. I was there when he had to put his wife in a Home since she had Alzheimer's And he was there for me when I had a relationship with a girl that went badly. But through it all and through discussions on Friday nights at “Roosters” in booth 4, and then later on at the Rainbow Kitchen Chinese restaurant, and Steak Villa, and at his place afterwards, Cleaver and I talked about everything under the sun: life, death, relationships, and God. Religion was a favourite topic of his.

I once asked him in a session with another friend, Ray, at the Library “How can you have a relationship with a dead guy?” after which he sent me an article by John Bowen that tried to tackle that very question. I also later on met John Bowen and thought he was a very nice guy. In short Cleaver was my friend and I miss him a lot. Everytime I had something bothering me, or needed help with things, he was there. I will miss hearing his voice at the other end of the phone or when we would chat on Skype. I also will miss his handshake and the deep and meaningful conversations we had on Friday nights at his place after dinner which is where the conversations would start. He was also a great lover of history, especially World War 2. I learned a lot from him about this time period in history. He and I also shared a love of old music. As he often said to me, “who can I talk to who is twenty nine, about music by people like Sir Harry Lauder?”

After he asked me that I sent him some songs by the above artist. The same goes for books we shared a love of reading and he and I read some of the same books like “Three Men in a Boat”. I am what you might call a old soul and all my life have gotten along with older people more than people of my own age group, and Cleaver was one of those people. I had more in common with him then I ever had with people of my own age. I remember a time when he said to me in answer to my question “have you seen the news? “He said “No I have no need to, I just wait to talk to you!” I took that as a great compliment. He also once told me about the book “The Blind Doctor: The Jacob Bolotin Story, a Biography by Rosalind Perlman” - I was struck with this sentence



“Everyone who reads Dr. Jacob Bolotin's story will learn that blindness is no barrier to a full life and great accomplishments," said Dr. Marc Maurer, President of the National Federation of the Blind.



In fact, I wouldn't be at all surprised if after I've gone, and someone mentions my name, another person will say, "Oh yeah!, wasn't that the old doc who was a friend of Mich's?" An epitaph I would treasure.

In short Cleaver was my friend and I am thankful for the time I got to spend with him and the things he taught me about life, love and for seeing me as more then just “that blind guy.”



To my Friend Cleaver, where ever you are, I know you are happy and I also know that I will see you again some day.



From Mich Verrier from New Liskeard Ontario Canada.

Friday, November 2, 2012

MEDIA-RELATED STUFF: LOCAL AND NATIONAL CBC AND MORE

That "Fifteen Seconds in Time" feature seems pretty good.

Picked up 1010 WINS last night.

Last week's episode of "This Is That" was good but they relied a bit on some of their old jokes.

Kudos to the people in Hay River who took over the CBC transmitters.

Tuesday, October 30, 2012

KENNETH HAGIN SERMON

The verse in 1 Corinthians 13 that contains the phrase "if I speak in the tongues of men and angels" isn't saying that we can speak in a Heavenly language. What Paul is saying is if he could talk in a language that only angels spoke and understood but didn't have love for his fellow man, it would be in vain.

Where in the Bible does anyone "sing in the Spirit?" Ditto "groaning in the Spirit?"

Where in the Bible is smoke a sign of the presence of God?

Satan is the God of this world system. However, Jesus Christ bought back the world, as in the planet on the cross with His blood.

We pray for things because God wants our participation. He does things, but our duty in this matter is to ask Him first. The Bible does also say God can do nothing on His own initiative, either can't or doesn't, I forget what the verse actually says.

The Lord knows the things we need before we ask so we shouldn't pray for the necesities of life. The phrase in the Lord's prayer "give us this day our daily bread" means "give us our Spiritual bread, knowledge and wisdom and understanding from God."

Hagan twists the verse about "in the mouth of two or three witnesses let all things be established" to mean that if you can twist two or three scriptures or one scripture and a so-called word from the Lord then that proves what you're saying.

Where in the Bible does it say you'll know when your done praying when you have a "note of victory?"

Acts 2 38 means that when you repent and are baptised you'll have the Holy Spirit. It is not referring to a "baptism of the Holy Spirit" where one of the initial signs is speaking in tongues.

If these tongues that these Pentacostals speak in are "God's language", then wouldn't they have common words? Someone should study a whole bunch of these different tongues. I'd suspect they wouldn't find a common word in even two of them. If tongues in Heavenly language are talking to God, shouldn't they all have a common word meaning "the Most High God" like the tetrogrammaton?

I suspect some if not many of the stories Hagan told were apocryphal.

INTERNET STUFF

A few cool sites to tell you about today.

First, Drummer World, a community of drummers where you can see tutorials, discuss drumming techniques and listen to drum solos.

Next, Bangla Music. At first the broken English makes it look like a spam site, but I can assure you it's legit. Listen to a huge selection of music from Bangladesh. The A category has over three gigs of stuff in it alone.

Next, Digital Podcast. Same thing with the site above as far as the broken English making it appear fishy at first, but a really good site. A directory with over 2000 pages of podcasts. That's right, not over 2000 podcasts listed, but over 2000 pages of listings.

Monday, October 29, 2012

LEE STROBEL CONTINUES TO BE A DISAPPOINTMENT

        In a chapter in "The Case for the Real Jesus", Strobel interviews a professor about whether Christianity came from Mythrism. The issue of Mythrus and Jesus both being born on December 25 comes up. The professor says Jesus was possibly born on January 6. Of course the professor can't say Jesus was born in the fall because this might lead Christians into finding out about the pagan origins of Christmas.

In the next chapter, Strobel interviews a Jew who supposedly converted to Christianity. (Whether he actually is saved only God knows.) The Jewish scholar uses the unholy name for Jesus when that's not actually how the ancient Hebrews would have pronounced it.

Sunday, October 28, 2012

SEVEN REASONS WHY THE PUBLIC SCHOOL SYSTEM IS BAD

1. It's designed to make everything boring and make children not want to learn.

2. It's one size fits all learning when, in fact, everyone learns differently. When the public school system's theory proves not to be true, the child who learns differently is labelled as stupid or disabled.

3. Your kids have to be in with the riff raff. Let's face it. It's government-run, so it's open to everyone, including the children of parents who send their kids to school half-dressed, without manners and without proper teaching on how to behave.

4. It creates the idea of the school as a hangout. All these children are sent to school and become accustomed to the school as a focal point for getting to know people. Many people go through school, get out into the real world and have no way of making friends because there isn't an environment with people there own age sharing a common experience anymore. Many of these people also have trouble making friends with people of different ages because they've been used to people in the same age group for years and years.

5. It creates an environment where children are taught by other children they always have to have the latest thing and be "cool" according to the other children's definition of cool.

6. The emphasis is on things happening at scheduled times rather than things getting done. In the real world, the focus of work most often is to get something done by a certain date. In the workplace, if you can't get something done by the end of the day, you stay and work overtime.

7. Conversely, if you do manage to get your work done within the period, you can't move onto the next thing planned for the day because you have to wait for the other students and the end of the class.

Saturday, October 27, 2012

THE TRUTH ABOUT CHRISTMAS

Christmas is the ancient pagan winter solstice festival dressed up in Christian garb. It was instituted by Constantine in AD 336.

The symbols associated with Christmas all have their routes in paganism. A little research will confirm this.

Nowhere in the Bible are we commanded to celebrate the birth of Christ.

Now ask yourself, is it right to take something that is inherently sinful, like a pagan holiday, and celebrate it as Jesus' birthday?

Our Saviour said "a good tree bareth good fruit and a bad tree bareth bad fruit." Here is some of the bad fruit Christmas bares, notwithstanding people who have been saved by Christmas sermons who wouldn't have been reached any other way and the token charitable deeds that are done at that time of year.

1. All the stress and hassle that comes with Christmas shopping.

2. People who can barely afford food and heat will go without those things because they are obligated to buy Christmas presents.

3. All the stress that goes along with planning and preparing for the holidays in general.

4. The fact you can't escape it. You hear about it year round anymore.

5. The fact you can't get anything done. Every single thing you, your spouse or children are involved with has a Christmas party.

6. The increased rates of depression and suicide. (Mental health professionals, don't tell me the rates are the same year-round. I know I get more emotional around the holidays.)

7. All the humiliating moments, family fights and drunkenness associated with the Christmas season.

Friday, October 26, 2012

LEE STROBEL IS CRUISIN FOR A BRUISIN

    So in "The Case For The Real Jesus" Strobel interviews a Biblical scholar with the last name of Wallace who says certain things about some Biblical passages.

The scholar says the story of the woman caught in adultery was added into John's gospel by a later writer and cannot be trusted as far as details. Well, maybe Luke wrote the passage but was not inspired to put it in his gospel. John later got ahold of it and included it in his gospel, adding the specific details. John was one of Jesus' disciples, so he either would have been there or he could have asked other witnesses.

Wallace says that the detail of the sin being adultery is not verifiable. Logically, though, the sin the woman was caught in had to be adultery because that's the only capital offense that falls outside of one's body, that is, that involves multiple persons. One thing that I think is quite inferable from the passage is that the woman's accusers were all guilty as well.

Wallace says the verses at the end of Mark 16 weren't included in the original manuscripts, but were added later based on incidents from Acts. Well, who's being like atheists and putting the cart before the horse now, Strobel and Wallace? Also, where would the writer get the sign of drinking poison if it weren't originally in Mark's gospel? There is no example of that sign taking place in Acts.

Wallace says Mark 1 41 should read Jesus was moved with anger, not compassion, but this is utterly stupid and ridiculous on it's face, contextually speaking. This leper comes to Jesus and says that if it's Jesus' will, Jesus can make him clean. Jesus heals the leper and basically says that it is His will and the leper is clean. Why would Jesus be angry in that situation?

Most difficult, and, in the end, damningly on Wallace and Strobel's part, however, is the assertion that 1 John 5 7-8 is not actually part of the Bible. Wallace says the verses were taken from a homily in the eighth century, but less than an hour's research on the internet turns up that these verses were referred to and even directly quoted in the third, fourth and fifth centuries. For example, Cyprian alludes to these verses by including the words "these three are one" in one of his writings on the trinity, and he reportedly also quotes the passage directly in another one of his writings.

Wallace angrily laments the ignorance in the church today when referring to 1 John 5 7-8, but who is being willingly or unwillingly ignorant? Are Strobel and Wallace possibly not ignorant but deliberately misleading?

Thursday, October 25, 2012

LEE STROBEL AND CATHOLICISM

    In "The Case for Faith", Strobel interviews John D. Woodbridge.

Woodbridge says the Albigensians were heretics, when actually the Albegensians knew the Bible better than Catholic priests.

Woodbridge also downplays the Crusades, even though they fit with the Catholic church's usual way of rising up in the flesh and were brought about by the direct orders of the Pope.

Woodbridge also downplays the severity of the Inquisition and neglects to mention that Rome has continued to do such things up to at least the twentieth century, and the twenty-first, according to YouTuber Nicholas POGM.

Additionally, Woodbridge says "you can't be a Christian and be anti-Semetic." He says Jesus' disciples were all Jewish, even though they had no genetic relation to the people we call Jews today.

Woodbridge also attributes Luther's anti-Jewishness to leg pains or some ridiculous thing in the reformer's later years. However, Luther read the Talmud and knew what the Jews were.

In "The Case for a Creator", Strobel interviews two scholars who say Galileo was threatened with being burned at the stake for making fun of the Pope. Even if this were true, it would still be inexcusable. 

Also, the two scholars say Galileo's persecution didn't really have anything to do with his teaching that the Earth revolved around the sun and that other scientists weren't killed for believing this. What, then, about the quote  in "Fifty Years in the Church of Rome" where a scholar who lived around the same time as the famous scientist is quoted to the effect that he believes what Galileo teaches but can't publicly acknowledge it's truth or he'll be killed?

Of course Zondervan knows that if they appeal to the Catholics they'll sell a lot more books.

FIRST FRIDAYS MARMORA OPEN MIC

Hi all,


Forwarding this from our friend Eileen Quinn. Eileen hosts and runs a fabulous ‘Open Mic’ event on the first Friday of every month. After letting things rest through the summer this is now starting up again next Friday (November 2nd).

This is easily the best event of its kind that I have played in the area. Well worth a visit.

Sign up on the stage list when you arrive. The format is 2 or 3 songs per act in rotation, followed by a second set (time permitting) of 2 or 3 songs for those who want to play some more. Starts at 7 pm, runs until about 10.

Eileen is terrific, the venue is excellent, the atmosphere is welcoming, the beer is cold, the red wine is passable, the snacks are very edible and everyone has an excellent evening of music in the company of friends and like-minded people. The range of music offered is excellent. The venue is supportive to ‘first-timers’ and experienced performers alike. Performers range from young people in their teens to proto-geezers like myself.

Those of us who’ve played this venue give it an ‘Amazing Recommendation’. It’s really worth checking out. Come to perform or be part of the audience. You’ll enjoy yourself!

James

Here’s the detailed blurb from Eileen:

What makes this a bit different from other events and venues in the area is that we are aiming for a broad variety of music and we are a true "open mic", meaning people play solo or as duos, etc. (however they’ve come - there's no backing band).We welcome cover tunes and original material. We've got the stage and the sound system. We've got cold beer! Our format is 2 or 3 songs at a time per performer, cycling through the list again if we've got time.

Last year we were drawing about a dozen performers and sometimes 40 people (or more) in attendance. A great start. We’ve had everything from alternate rock through folk, grunge and country. We’ve had covers and excellent local songwriters performing their own original work. Performers come back and bring their friends with them.

First Fridays Marmora Open Mic

November 2nd 7PM

2 Crawford St.

Marmora Curling Club

Licensed Lounge



All types of music welcome. No cover charge.



Bring your ears, your voice, your instrument, your friends



Eileen


REPLY AWL

It's tough to make it in live theatre these days which is why it's always good to read about a company that's doing well, such as the Ottawa Little Theatre profiled in Maclean's September 17 issue.

In an article about adoption in the September issue of Chatalaine, a woman complains about how difficult international adoption is. How about, if Africa has orphans, Africans adopt them; if Guatemala has orphans, Guatamalans adopt them, etc.

The same issue features Caitlin Moran in the Book Club section. This feminist hyumourist says some things that are frankly pretty stupid.

The exerpt published in the magazine basically says that men don't get upset when other men complain or insult them so women shouldn't get upset either. However, men and women are different, and no, Moran, it isn't just "a 20 percent genital difference." Men and women are dissimilar in so many ways, and this includes the fact that women tend to take things a lot more personally than men.

Moran also says "pornography isn't bad but the industry is sexist." Well of course the porn industry is inherently sexist. Pornography is designed to appeal to men and their linear nature. If pornography were made mostly or equally for women it wouldn't sell because it isn't designed to appeal to the way women are.

Monday, October 22, 2012

KENNETH HAGIN OCTOBER 1997 CHESTERFIELD MISOURI

The demonstration of the Spirit Paul spoke of in 2 Corinthians 2 was the power to convict people of their sins and change lives, not the ability to act like mental patients.

The phrase "all I have is thine" in the story of the prodigal son refers to the fact that the elder brother was going to get all the rest of the inheritance.

A lot of freakish, demented laughter from Hagan at the end.

JESSE DUPLANTIS-OVERFLOW: IS IT MATERIALISM OR IS IT MANIFESTATION?

These prosperity preachers talk a lot about "success." Different people define success in different ways.

While a guest preacher at a church, Duplantis needed a watch so he wouldn't go over his time limit. If I were him I wouldn't worry about a time limit, I'd just preach for however long the Holy Spirit told me to preach.

Says the Pope is doing the work of the Lord, which he isn't. Also, the Pope probably does use his plane for personal things.

Abraham wouldn't take his portion from the king of Sodom but he did ask for portions for the men he had brought with him. Even if you don't choose to take money for something, Godly financial wisdom involves always insuring that you give those who work with you and for you what is due them.

The real issue with prospering in an ungodly way is that we can't compromise our faith.

In order for people to get saved, they need to be convicted of their sins. Conviction of the disobedience in their lives is what will bring people to Jesus.

The verse in Ephesians has more to do with spiritual blessings than material things.

JESSE DUPLANTIS - OVERFLOW: GOD'S TSUNAMI OF BLESSING FOR YOU

"If you can think it, you can have it."

"You're a vessel full of creative power."

Sounds like New Age "You are your own god, you can manifest things with your mind" thinking.

"God said "Then I'll keep giving you more things so you can continue to thank me."

God doesn't give His people things so we can thank Him; he gives us things as blessings for our obedience to His commandments.

Duplantis doesn't preach against Catholicism; in fact, he views them as fellow Christians, which isn't true.

Told a Moslem, "I'm not against your religion, I'm not against you." If you're not against his religion, then what are you doing using the name of someone who said "I am the way the truth and the life no man cometh unto the Father but by me?"

"I didn't want to criticize him."

If you didn't want to criticize this Moslem man, then what are you doing being a Christian preacher?

Did that Moslem ever come to a saving knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ, as opposed to just "talking to God?"

Sunday, October 21, 2012

REPLY AWL

The September 10 issue of Maclean's has an article asking why so many college students are anxious and depressed. Ultimately, this is because, without Christ these kids have nothing to live for or in which to place their hope.

In the same issue a rabi admits you don't have to believe in God to be "a good Jew."

There is an item in the Newsmakers section of the September 17 issue of Maclean's about "Father" Benedict Rochelle saying that young boys seduce pedophile priests. Rochelle is thus excusing what these priests are doing. The Catholic church then excuses what Rochelle said by blaming his remarks on a car accident he was involved in seven years ago. Typical Catholic behaviour.

Friday, October 19, 2012

JESSE DUPLANTIS-OVERFLOW: THE ABUNDANCE-PRODUCING POWER OF EXPECTING GREAT THINGS

"I wake up every morning and say "It's gonna be a good day.""

See Romans 8 28. We don't need to say that it'll be a good day.

"Billy Graham said, "It's the Holy Spirit's job to convict, it's the Father's job to judge, it's our job to love."

What about the Scripture that says to judge righteously?

"The reason people doubt is jealousy."

No, the reason people doubt is lack of faith.

Cathy responded, "Your mama" to Jessi when he asked her to bring him a glass of water. In the black community "Your mama" means "you have sex with your mother." Is that any way for a Christian to talk?

Yes, part of the church world has this view that Christians shouldn't expect prosperity, but another part of the church world, the part Duplantis is involved with, expects prosperity without obedience.

The Duplantis's appear austentatious, especially with regards to buying high-end clothes. I believe Paul's instructions to Timothy regarding modesty have more to do with not wearing clothes that are too fancy than with dressing too sexily.

Duplantis makes a lot of sex jokes. He also uses the Lord's name in vain a lot, saying things like, "Jesus, Jesus Christ, Oh Jesus, etc." at points in his sermon when it really isn't appropriate to do so. My drunk, pot-smoking United church friend gets you shouldn't say things like that, why can't you get that, Jesse?

Using an analogy about Louis Faton purses?! You're seriously trying to preach to the common people like this?

God created man last simply so we would have everything we need. God created everything in order.

Tuesday, October 16, 2012

CREFLO DOLLAR WINNING IN HARD FINANCIAL TIMES

Watched the final part of this series at my friend's place.

Dollar talks a lot about sowing seed, though what that comes down to is giving more money to the preacher. He talks about sowing the Word, but this turns out to be speaking "sowing Scriptures" over the money before you put it in the offering plate, as opposed to sowing the seed of God's word into the hearts of men.

Says the purpose of communion is to reap a harvest. No, the purpose of communion is to show the Lord's death, as it says right in 1 Corinthians 11.

No real talk about fixing up the sins in areas of people's lives besides the financial. Especially no talk about God's laws regarding finances, such as how every seven years debt is to be cancelled. Thus, there is no taking the nation's leaders to task for not enforcing this law.

Dollar talks a little about Hell and how preachers are going to be there who take up six offerings during a service, so he is less worse than some other televangelists. However, the lesser of two evils is still evil.

Monday, October 15, 2012

REPLY AWL

So, Tasha Mala, your spouse ran off with a dentist. That's no reason to write an unfunny article about how unnecessary dentistry is for the September issue of Readers Digest.

This week's issue of the online Matilda Ziegler Magazine for the Blind contains a couple articles about the definition of blindness. Often people who are legally blind have some or a fair amount of what is known as usable vision. To me, I would consider myself "blind" because I can see light and shadows, but nothing else. This term would also apply to anyone who has no vision whatsoever. I would consider anyone with "usable vision", that is, who is able to make out actual objects, to be "visually impaired." Politically correct terms like visually challenged are just stupid.

In the current issue of the Quinte Youth for Christ newsletter the director talks about how one of his son's has started taking karate. I have often wondered if a Christian can participate in martial arts. Is there a way to participate without all the spiritual stuff, or are the Eastern philosophical teachings just part of this activity?

BLAST FROM THE PAST

Heard another tape of CKOL Campbellford last night. This one was also from August 6, 2010 but was recorded earlier in the day than the previous one.

It featured Dave Lockwood doing the morning show. How the heck did that guy ever become an announcer, let alone owner and manager of a radio station? Again, he took forever to deliver weather forecasts and topical bits. Lockwood talked in a whole bunch of weird voices this time. He played a whole bunch of weird folk music and comic songs, because the average person getting ready for work wants to hear that.

He did some commentary about why road signs in Quebec are only in French, which contained all the dumb statements you would expect that totally destroyed his argument. "Arrate (which means stop in French-AH), to me a rat is something that crawls around in your basement."

At one point during a song, Lockwood opened the mic right in the middle of a verse and shouted out, "Sing, Newfie, sing." That dude is off his bloody rocker!

The other side of the tape featured the late Doug Peters from the same day doing "The Friday Night Rock And Roll Goody And Oldies Show." (A nice, short name that rolls off the tongue easily.) This so-called rock and roll show featured appearances by The Four Lads and The Mills Brothers. Those groups did standards, for cripes sake, not rock and roll!

Sunday, October 14, 2012

THE NATURE OF HELL

Hell is a real place which exists right now. It is located in the centre of the earth. We know this because of the evidence brought forth by volcanoes.

Hell is not simply the temporary state the dead are in between now and the end (known as the grave), for this would mean there are Christians in Hell right now.

On Judgment Day, Death and Hell will be cast into the lake of fire, and those who have not put their faith in Jesus will spend eternity there.

You say, "Hell is a realm, so how can it burn?" Well, the Lord says in 2 Peter that the present heavens and earth will burn up at the end of time, so why can't Hell burn?

You say, "How can something like the concept of death burn?" God can certainly burn a concept. He's God, after all; he can do anything.

Hell is called outer darkness in the book of Matthew, so how can you have darkness with flames, since where there's heat there's light? Again, God is certainly capable of having fire without light, since he controls absolutely everything.

Saturday, October 13, 2012

BLAST FROM THE PAST

Listened to another tape of CKOL Campbellford today. The first side was from October 11, 2010 and featured automated country oldies followed by a sign-off and "O Canada." By the way, when you do a sign-off, I'm pretty sure you're supposed to actually give the basic information about the station.

The other side consisted of the late Doug Peters doing the morning show the next day (October 12), with the usual bizarre mix of music, unprofessionally read weather forecasts, and a paid political announcement being cut off. (I hope they did a make-good.)

MARK CHAPTER 13

Just because Jesus said we don't know the day and hour when he will return doesn't mean he didn't give us signs so His people would know when they were in the end times. Those signs are given in this chapter.

Friday, October 12, 2012

REPLY AWL

Dear Staff of Readers Digest,
Would you please go to an isolated area and inflict burning fiery death upon yourselves. I have never heard issues related to parenting treated so flippantly as I have in your September issue.

Have A Nice Day,
Alex Horton

A two-part article in this and last week's issue of the online Matilda Ziegler Magazine for the Blind talked about a ten year old blind boy who wondered why a freshly caught fish was wet, and who thought fish had legs. How do blind people just not get stuff like that?

Recently, both Maclean's and Readers Digest have talked about Alanis Moricett's practicing attachment parenting. I wonder if this Canadian pop singer also does elimination communication.

Thursday, October 11, 2012

GENESIS CHAPTER 46-50

Genesis 49 1-29: The descendants of Zebulun became the Dutch people.

The descendants of Dan became the nation of Denmark.

It is suspected by some the descendants of Judah became a Germanic people due to the verse mentioning the love of alcohol.

THE EPISTLES OF 1 AND 2 THESSALONIANS

1 Thessalonians 2 14-16: This passage clearly tells who the people we call Jews today are.

We see in Acts time and time again how the apostles would go into a city. The people of Judean extraction who believed would follow Christ, but the unbelieving Judeans and the people who said they were of Judah but were not (see Revelation 2 9 and 3 9) would make trouble and even try to have the apostles killed.

It says plainly in verse 15 that the Jews killed Jesus Christ.

The Jews persecuted the apostles. Do Jews persecute Christians today?

"... and are contrary to all men"

The Jews hate everybody, including themselves. The wars in the Middle East aren't between the sons of Isaac and the sons of Ishmael,. Rather, they are between the sons of Ishmael and the people of Revelation 2 9 and 3 9 who are against everybody.

1 Thessalonians 4 13-18: Here we get a clear picture of end time events. The coming of the Lord will be noisy and the dead Christians will rise into the air to meet the Lord first, before everyone else. This rules out the possibility of a secret, silent rapture at the beginning of the tribulation period. The Lord shall descend with the trump of God, which I think is also the seventh trumpet of revelation. Right after the righteous dead are raised and meet the Lord in the air, we who are alive and have survived the tribulation period (again ruling out the pretribulation rapture) will rise into the air to where God and the dead in Christ are.

2 Thessalonians 2 1-12: The falling away started in AD 325 with Constantine starting the Catholic church and is excellerating in Christendom in these end times.

It can be said the lawless one is both the Catholic church itself and one man who will rule the world. This is because this man, commonly called the antichrist, will be in the position of the Pope. I don't know if it will be someone from inside the Catholic church or someone from outside that organization chosen to serve the role in question. I believe it will be someone with an air of celebrity, as we live in a celebrity culture. It will most likely be someone youngish with charm, whom everyone will gravitate towards and want to know everything he is doing, rather like with Obama four years ago.

This man will truly exalt and oppose the true God and exalt himself above all that is worshipped. He will sit in the position of God. The words in verse 4 are also true of the Catholic church itself. Throughout the centuries it has conquered peoples and either incorporated or subjigated their traditional beliefs into it's fold along with what it already believed. Witness what happened with the pagan Romans, the natives of Alberta, the natives of South America, etc.

The Catholic church sits in the midst of Christendom, but the son of perdition will also sit in an actual physical temple. Critics say the temple in Jerusalem won't be rebuilt because in order to build it the holy Islamic sight of the Dome of the Rock would have to be blown up and the Moslems would never let that happen. The antichrist will be on the scene before the three and a half year tribulation and he will be so charming the Moslems will be willing to accomodate this man of lawlessness in whatever he wants.

While the thing that withheld the Catholic church itself was the Roman empire, it is equally true that God is restraining those trying to bring about the new world order from doing even worse things than they are currently doing.

In the church world today, people don't care about the truth. They want doctrines that sound good (ala the pretribulation rapture) and, above any doctrine or teaching, they just want to attend the next praise and worship event and have uninterrupted good, self-satisfying times.

Because these people would not receive a love of the truth so as to be saved, God sends them a strong delusion so they all might be condemned to Hell. God is sovereign: he can condemn all those people to Hell if he wants.

I believe the strong delusion (though, granted, there are many strong delusions in the church today) is the pretribulation rapture, or more accurately the rapture occurring before the end of the tribulation period. It has reached into all circles, from charismatic Catholics to mainline Protestants to the reformed churches and many other little Christian groups besides.

2 Thessalonians 3 11-12: Paul clearly says here that those who don't want to work (because of laziness, not because they have a legitimate physical or mental issue which prevents them from working) should not eat. This speaks directly to all the welfare bums we have in our country today. In other words, get a job or starve to death. And no, volunteering isn't good enough. This passage is clearly talking about work for pay.

Why have I never heard any preachers preach on this passage?

This is the problem with the social gospel these days. Christians are to be charitable and help the poor and needy. However, the big thing with that these days is you get too many lazy people who are perffectly capable of working but who just want to sponge off other people.
This is why Christians need to be very careful about who they give to and what they do for people. You won't go to Hell for not giving the drunk bum on the corner a twenty dollar bill. Perhaps offer to take them to a fast food joint for a burger so they actually have to consume what they're given and it'll actually be something that will sustain life as opposed to just indiscriminately giving them money they'll spend on booze.

Verse 13 of this chapter tells us not to grow weary in well doing. Christians will often feel obligated to do so much for the Lord that they grow tired and aren't doing what they're doing out of a willing heart. God will always give you enough strength to do all he wants you to do in a day, but he also created us with signals to know when we should rest.

Sunday, October 7, 2012

GENESIS CHAPTER 37-46

In Chapters 40 and 41, Joseph says that all interpretations belong to God. This is why it is wrong to consult these dream interpreters, such as the ones you hear on the radio every so often. They are not using God to provide the interpretation and are thus in violation of God's law.

Thursday, October 4, 2012

RADIO-RELATED STUFF

Heard a weird buzz, like the sound of a biplane, last night on 7490 while listening to Brother Mike.

Heard a great blues station on the internet the other day that also plays big band music. I think it can be found here.

Maclean's doesn't appear to have streaming radio stations on their website anymore. I tried to listen to one the other day but it wouldn't play.

Tuesday, October 2, 2012

THE EPISTLE OF 2 JOHN

This book of the Bible tells us how we are to evaluate those who have different beliefs from us. We are not to accept anyone who believes Jesus Christ didn't come in the flesh. This means people who don't believe Jesus ever existed, people who believe he was just another great teacher, people who don't believe he was the Messiah or Christ, and people who don't believe He was fully God and fully man.

The Catholics teach the emaculate conception, which says that Mary was conceived without sexual intercourse. If Jesus was conceived without intercourse and birthed from a woman who was conceived without sexual intercourse, that would make the "man" aspect of Jesus partially divine, thus making him fully God and partially another supernatural sort of being. Thus, the Catholics are bringing another Jesus and we are not to listen to their teachings or accept them as fellow true believers in Jesus Christ.

The Mormons teach Jesus was the reincarnation of Adam. Thus Jesus is fully God and an elevated version of a previous man. Therefore, the Mormons are bringing another Jesus. We are not to accept them as true believers in Jesus, not to listen to any of their teachings and not to let them into our housses.

The Jehova's Witnesses teach Jesus and Satan were brothers. Thus, they're bringing a Jesus different from the one in the Bible, who was the ONLY begotten son of God and we should not let them into our houses, listen to any of their teachings or accept them as fellow true believers in Christ.

2 John 11: "for he that biddeth him God speed is partaker of his evil deeds"

We should never say "God bless you" to these kinds of people.

I was at a get-together with a Catholic lady recently. She kept saying "God bless you" to me but I did not wish her the same back.

Monday, October 1, 2012

THE EPISTLE OF 1 JOHN

1 John 4 18: Perfect love casts out fear. Therefore, fear casts out the perfect love of God from us. We should not be afraid to speak words to an unbeliever that may seem harsh as long as we speak them in perfect Godly love. 1 Corinthians 13 1-4

1 John 5 3: "for this is the love of God that we keep His commandments and His commandments are not grievous"

When you compare Christianity to the other religions of the world, Jesus' yoke is truly easy and His burden truly light. All other religions have complicated systems of rituals and rules that require strict adherence, whereas God's system of rules is not complicated and His rituals are few. Also, unlike the other deities in these other systems of belief, God has sent His spirit to help us obey Him. John 14 4

1 John 5 8: "and there are three that bear witness in earth the Spirit and the water and the blood and these three agree in one"

This verse underscores the importance of baptism, which is emersion in water.

Monday, September 10, 2012

RADIO-RELATED STUFF: UNUSUAL PROPAGATION FOR WBCQ; A COUPLE INTERNATIONAL SHORTWAVE DX CATCHES

Friday night, WBCQ 7490 faded out at quarter to nine, yet last night it was coming in clear as a bell after 11:00.

Last night my computer speakers were picking up an unidentified station in an unidentified language.

Picked up the BBC in Pashto and Voice of Russia in Spanish last night.

Wednesday, September 5, 2012

WINTLEY PHIPPS SERMON COMMENTARY

The following is based on a Wintley Phipps tape I found in a bag of cassettes someone gave me.

"... that carried a race of people through slavery."

Not thirty seconds later Phipps will say there's no such thing as race. Possibly he is doubleminded.

"The word race is not in the Bible."

Neither is the word cigarette but it's still wrong to smoke.

"This whole notion of race I believe is demonically inspired and man created."

Oh come on. Sure, the word race isn't in Scripture but it's obvious there are different "subdivisions of humanity" and different ethnic groups within those subdivisions.

"... but racism is the belief that within those differing subdivisions are varying intellectual capacities and abilities."

I don't know about intellectual ability so much, but it is obvious that different races and ethnic groups have different traits which are prominent and different things they excel at.

"Now,     what you will hear is "When I Didn't Have Money To Pay The Rent Jesus Came Through On Time."

While God of course supplies the needs of all His children, maybe if some of those people in that black church hadn't spent their rent money on rims, keeping up with the bills wouldn't have been such a struggle.

"And one of the things we need to learn to do is to openly, wonderfully celebrate the differences.

Well, except for those horrible white people because they've caused all the problems in the world and don't have a culture or anything worth celebrating.

This basically sounds like the same politically correct thinking that only thinks of differences between peoples as things such as dress and food.

I would agree that we need to celebrate the differences in that we should acknowledge that different people groups have differing prominent traits and abilities, then figure out how those traits can best be used to benefit the church and society as a whole. Of course, all the time we need to keep in mind that there will always be those in a group that don't fit the stereotype.

The problem with our "equality" oriented thinking is that it assumes everyone is equally good at everything. This, by the way, is one of the fundamental problems with the public school system: it presupposes each student should do well in every subject. Then when the student shows they don't have the aptitude for a particular subject, the child is labelled as stupid or "learning disabled."

We all have different abilities and other characteristics on an individual level, so why shouldn't the same be true on a grand scale?

"One of my most favourite quotes in "The Spirit of Prophecy" says ..."

So this guy is talking about celebrating differences and yet he is a Seventh-day Adventist. Seventh-day Adventists don't so much like differences. They want everybody to be the same, eating the same, reading the same books, having the same careers, and studying the same religious materials at the same time. As much as many of them are good people, I choose to have an arms-length relationship with them because it seems as if they want their people to be too much the same.

This, by the way, is the problem with all denominations. The attitude persists that if someone were a true Christian, they would be doing the same thing as the rest of us are doing. However, with true Christianity, except for baptism for the remission of sins and communion, God leads each of us down a different path.

Ellen G. White, by the way, also said (plagiarized?) that certain "races" were the product of intercourse between humans and animals.

Thursday, August 30, 2012

THE MOON LANDING

John F. Kennedy promised that by the end of the sixties America would have a man on the moon. However, NASA quickly realized there was a belt of asteroids (known as the Van Allen Belt) on the way from the earth to the moon whose radiation would fry any man-powered spacecraft that tried to get through it. In fact, the Russians had tried to go to the moon but the cosmonauts had had to turn back because of the Van Allen Belt.

However, it was the height of the Cold War and going to the moon was important to the United States government because it would prove the Americans had greater power than the Russians. Also, the decade was fraught with protests, discontent, civil upheaval and the assasinations of a president, a presidential candidate and a civil rights leader, so something possitive was in order to bring a ray of sunshine into people's lives.

Thus, NASA decided to stage the moon landing, keeping the truth from as many people involved as was possible.

Golf clubs and a car were brought to the moon. Why didn't the astronauts bring a telescope? They could have seen farther into the universe than anyone before.

How did they fit that car/dune buggy-looking thing into that tiny spacecraft in the first place?

If the gravity on the moon is one sixth as strong as on Earth, then the crew of Apollo 11 should have been able to jump much higher than they did.

How is it that the whole mission was conducted using less computer power than a Wal-Mart watch, yet the spaceship managed to hit the moon accurately the first time a feat like this was ever attempted?

Why haven't the Americans been back to the moon in the last forty years? Why has no other nation gone there?

Why did they not go back and set up a military base up there? The Cold War would have been ended twenty years sooner.

THE INFIDEL AND THE TEN COMMANDMENTS

James says that if we break one of God's laws, it is as though we had broken them all. This is because there are no levels of sin with God. It isn't like in the Catholic church with mortal and venial sins.

However, let's look at this principle of breaking the whole law by breaking one law deeper.

If we break one of God's commandments, we are saying we know better than God and are thus putting ourselves before God.

By making ourselves God, we further break the second commandment.

By claiming to be Christians but not doing what he commanded, we have taken the Lord's name upon ourselves in vain, thus breaking the third commandment.

How can we say we are resting in Christ while living in rebellion against Him? Thus we have broken the fourth commandment.

We may not be dishonouring our physical mother and father by breaking one of God's commandments, but we are certainly dishonouring our Heavenly Father, thus breaking the fifth commandment.

By continually choosing to do something that is opposed to God's law, we are rejecting Him and guaranteeing ourselves a place in Hell. Knowingly breaking whatever commandment we are breaking, we are choosing death, thus committing spiritual suicide. Suicide is self-murder, so we are breaking the sixth commandment.

We may not physically be committing adultery, but by calling Jesus "Lord" and not doing what he says, we are committing spiritual adultery, thus breaking the seventh commandment.

By calling Jesus our Lord and Saviour and living in opposition to Him, we are trying to take a place in His kingdom which doesn't belong to us, thus breaking the eighth commandment.

While in the physical the ninth commandment is about purgery and not simply lying as many people believe, by saying we are one of God's children and yet living contrary to His Word, we are baring false witness against ourselves.

We've already seen how we're trying to steal the kingdom for ourselves, so before we stole it, we must have had the desire to try to take it by improper means, thus breaking the tenth commandment.

REPLY AWL

The July 23 issue of Maclean's has an article entitled "The Secret Life of Plants", which reveals that plants can communicate with each other and feel, among other things. Further testament to how astonishing our Creator is.

The July issue of Chatalaine contains an article on abortion. It is written by a woman who found out her baby would have severe health problems if it survived to term and would have to live in pain it's whole life. For this reason, the author decided to abort. No mention of praying for the baby's healing.

I like the format for the recordings of the "Daily Bread" and "Encounter With God" devotionals CBM records. It's a good idea to insert the passages from Scripture right in the entries and to leave out the book and chapter headings since we already know which chapter and book we're reading.

Monday, August 27, 2012

THE EPISTLE OF 1 JOHN

Chapter 1: In context, the verse about God being faithful and just to forgive us our sins is talking about when we as Christians sin.

Chapter 2: The word "world" is translated from the Greek word "cosmos" which means world order or world system. It means the way most of the people in the world think and act.

Chapter 4: We should not only not accept any one who comes to us who denies that Jesus was fully God and fully man, but anyone who denies Jesus was the Christ or Messiah. We should also not accept groups into Christianity who preach a different Jesus other than the one the Bible declares, such as the Mormons, who say Jesus was the literal reincarnation of Adam, or the Jehova's Witnesses who say Lucifer was Jesus' brother.

Saturday, August 25, 2012

NIEL ARMSTRONG DEAD AT 82

He knew he never went to the moon. He knew the truth that the Van Allen Belt would destroy any man-powered spacecraft that tried to go through it, yet he played along and suppressed the truth anyway.

Thursday, August 23, 2012

SALT OF THE EARTH

Jesus called His people the salt of the earth, but if the salt looses it's seasoning, it is good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled. Today too many Christians have lost their saltiness. They care more about being spoken highly of by the world than they do about serving the Lord Jesus. Hopefully, once they have been trampled on by God's enemies long enough, they will regain their seasoning and live totally for Him.

Wednesday, August 22, 2012

THE BOOKS OF HABUKUK AND OBADIAH

When we read prophecies like the ones found in these two books, we need to pray the words out loud. The descendants of the Edomites still oppress the true descendants of Israel today. However, this wicked people will be judged by the standard by which they treated us, and we will prosper while they are turned to stubble.

Tuesday, August 21, 2012

HEBREWS CHAPTERS 12 AND 13

There are a few different interpretations of Hebrews 12 1. Some say the Old Testament figures and saints can see us from Heaven and are cheering us on. I think this is likely. Another interpretation is that since we have all these wonderful examples of Biblical heroes we should live up to them because they were so cool. This has some merit but it is not an interpretation that I put first and foremost. Still others say that since we have all the examples of people who have had faith in God, we need to learn from their examples and apply it to our lives. They didn't let adversity make them fall away and we shouldn't either. I think this is a very good interpretation.

For instance, we have the example of somebody like Moses. Moses could have had all the drunken parties and women and become puffed up with prideful accolades. He possibly could have been the most important man in the world. If I were him, I would have thought, "Gee, my ancestor Joseph was the second most important person in the world, being Pharaoh's Prime Minister and Egypt being the world empire at the time. I'm an heir to the Egyptian throne through adoption by Pharaoh's daughter. It would be quite something for me to become the ruler of the world. I mean, there would be ways to glorify and honour God through doing so, right. I mean, my people are one thing, but the entire world, and everything that comes with it, is the entire world, right?"

Instead, Moses forsook all that sinful life to rescue his people. Incidentally, Moses could have ruled the world, but instead he codified the set of laws which should govern the world.

Therefore, since we have the example of someone like Moses who by faith forsook sin and obeyed God, doing such great things for Him, we shouldn't let sin rule in our lives. It's quite easy to say in the split seconds of the moment, "I don't care about eternity. I'll do this thing or look at this thing or think this thought anyway." "I know I should get serious about this sin, but there are just these things in my past and ha ha it just seems like something I can never seem to beat. Oh well, ho hum."

This should not be our attitude. We need to walk by faith in these matters.

Hebrews 12 8: When we do something wrong, even if we're not Christians, we feel guilty. Yet there is a group of people in the world who do not have this reaction. They have no conscience. They are termed "bastards" in this verse. (Hence the reason I use that word on this blog.)

Hebrews 13 9: I'm glad God doesn't change. That was the thing with the gods of Greek mythology (and other religions): they're capricious. They might say they'll do something for somebody one minute, then get annoyed about something and flood that person's village.

Sunday, August 19, 2012

REPLY AWL

The July 16 issue of Maclean's has an article about sexism in the online gaming world. Is it really for women to play these violent online and video games?

The July 23 issue of Maclean's has an article about the provincial government of Manitoba changing the titles of some positions so the word chief is removed. The Manitoba government says it is doing this because of the negative conitations it might bring up for Natives. This is a case of political correctness run amok.

In the same issue there is an article about Saudi Arabia's deputy minister for education getting caught without a face veil. The article contains a quote the Saudi king made about how it is ridiculous to force laws on a people which violate that people's principles, beliefs, etc. The West imposes it's way of thinking on other countries and then wonders why those countries don't like those first world nations.

Thursday, August 16, 2012

ECHOREV ANNOUNCE ADDITIONAL U.S. TOUR DATES

Since the release of their new EP - The Mermaid & The Astronaut (June 2012 Monkey Rock Records) the indie-rock duo, ECHOREV, has performed over 30 shows between the US and Europe. They are now announcing more US show-dates for September and October 2012 including CMJ!


US Show Dates - September + October 2012

9/7 - Arlene Francis Center - Santa Rosa, CA

9/8 - Hotel Utah - San Francisco, CA

9/11 - Los Globos - Los Angeles, CA

9/15 - Dear Raymer - Los Angeles, CA

9/27 - Unit E - Denver, CO

10/3 - Yucca Tap Room - Tempe, AZ

10/4 - The Standard - Hollywood, CA

10/19 - Monkey Rock CMJ Showcase@ Rockwood Music Hall - New York, NY

Check ECHOREV.comhttp://www.echorev.com for show-info and more dates to be announced soon!

Wednesday, August 15, 2012

ERRATA

I take back the disparaging comments I made about go to meeting. Turns out I had skipped a couple steps in tuning into the last online seminar. This time when I attended an online seminar the software worked and it even presented me with an option to close the tab at the end.

REPLY AWL

In this week's edition of the online Matilda Ziegler Magazine for the Blind, Lin Tatum writes an article about when she stopped liking roller coasters. For me it was sometime when I was a teenager. I had ridden a few at a fair and felt kind of nautious afterwords, something which hadn't really happened before. After a few more events at which I rode roller coasters and experienced the same effect, I wondered why I continued to do this to myself and quit riding them.

The July 2-9 issue of Maclean's has an article about craft beers with political messages. A professor interviewed for the piece has the last name of Soberman.

The same issue has a section where ordinary people tell of the moment they felt proudest to be Canadian. My best moment as a Canadian was when Donovan Bailey won the gold medal at the 1996 olympics. At that time, our TV and movies were a joke and there were just beginning to be a significant number of Canadians on the U.S. music charts. I felt proud again the following summer when Bailey beat Carl Lewis after Lewis had challenged Bailey for the title of world's fastest man.

Saturday, August 11, 2012

REPLY AWL

Last week's issue of the online Matilda Ziegler Magazine for the Blind contained part one of a three-part history of the Perkins brailler. I wouldn't be without mine. It's invaluable for things like phone messages and notes to myself. If I want to write down someone's phone number, I'm not going to boot up my computer, open a Microsoft Word document, write down seven digits, close the file, and shut the computer down.

There are only two cases where a Perkins braillewriter has been destroyed beyond recognition. Once one fell off the back of a truck, and another time one got run over by a train.

In the same issue there is an article about a judge ruling Netflicks has to provide closed captioning for the hearing impaired. The judge says the fact Netflicks is web-based and that video over the internet couldn't even have been dreamed of back in 1976 when the ADA (Americans With Disabilities Act) was passed has no baring on the issue.

I applaud this judge's decision. Except for cases of copyright, I think things done on the internet are the same as things done ofline. That means if you defraud someone through spam email, for instance, it is the same as if you had done it face to face, via the post, over the phone, or using any other means or technology.

There is an article in the July edition of Readers Digest which discusses all the Toronto locales shown in Sarah Polly's latest film "Take This Waltz." The writer makes reference to Frogger, a computer game from the nineties where players had to get a frog across a highway without it getting run over by a car. My sister loved that game!

Wednesday, August 8, 2012

SELF-ESTEEM AND PEAK PERFORMANCE

This post is based on a tape of part of a Jack Canfield seminar with the above title I found in the bunch of cassettes my friend gave me.

"All humans seek things which are loving, affirming, empowering, and validating."

Actually, all humans have this void inside them, the God-shaped hole if you like, which can only be filled with a right relationship with Jesus Christ.

Canfield mentions something about the government of California putting up signs to help build people's self-esteem. This would go some of the way towards explaining why that state is bankrupt today.

Says some things along the lines of Norman Vincent Peale's "power of possitive thinking." The correct flip-side to that is "I can do all things through Christ who strengtheneth me."

"We allwant to be recognised as lovable." Truth is, some of the time, and with a fair number of us, a lot of the time, we just aren't that lovable.

Canfield talks about something along the lines of "the God within", bringing in new age beliefs.

The problem with the self-esteem gospel is that it teaches people to think well of themselves when they haven't done anything to earn the right to feel good about themselves.

"Nobody can make you feel a certain way."

This isn't true. As much as we shouldn't let every unkind remark made about us affect our image of ourselves, words can truly hurt, despite the amount of inner strength someone may have.

Canfield mentions near-death experiences where people see the proverbial light at the end of the tunnel. We now know this is an effect on the brain when the body is about to die. A voice was then heard. Of course, adherents of different religions swore it was whatever god they happened to worship, thus having universalism come into play in Canfield's seminar. The subjects of the study were then asked if they had been prejudice toward anyone, thus bringing in the politically correct gospel where "intolerance" is the only sin.

"We all chose to be born into the circumstances we were born into."

Try telling that to one of the untouchables in India.

The above information is, of course, proven in a study using hypnosis, a faulty and unreliable method which also opens doors to Satan.

"We should accept ourselves for who we are."

No, we should turn to Christ (by repenting and being baptised for the remission of sins according to Acts 2 38) and allow Him to make us into the kinds of individuals He wants us to be.

Thursday, August 2, 2012

INTERNET STUFF

Why now whenever I look up the URL of a Blogger blog is the suffix .ca?

Tell Me has a new number: 1-888-247-2425.

Why did anyone ever think Facebook would do well on the stock market?

Monday, July 30, 2012

BLAST FROM THE PAST

Yesterday I was going through some cassettes a friend gave me and found a tape with airchecks from CFGM, the country station that used to be in Toronto (well actually Richmond Hill.) There was a song followed by an announcer doing a backsell, timecheck and talking about the weather. The tape was made by shoving a tiny cassette recorder up against a radio, so you could hear things in the background. At one point I heard a woman laughing and a man making a remark. I also heard a dog barking at one point.

In addition to the aircheck of the deejay, the tape also contained excerpts from a special program that must have been broadcast on CFGM at the time called "The History Of Country Music." The show had an announcer who wasn't at all suited for the type of program he was doing, a Mr. Big Voice type. The person would turn the tape recorder off whenever a song was played they didn't like and turn it back on when the announcer came back on.

My guess is the tape is from about 1971 because the "History Of Country Music" special seemed like it only went up to 1970.

Thursday, July 26, 2012

ANOTHER POST CONCERNING CANDY MCBRIDE

Dear Candy,
OK, you have a problem. If it is at the point where you wear diapers 24-7 and carry a silky (which I assume is like some sort of blanky) around with you all the time, that's taking it too far.

You say in the annotation to your channel on YouTube that you rely on the ab lifestyle for security and happiness. That is not healthy.

If you and your Mommy (I'm asuming she goes by the pseudonym Lotus) are acting out the big-little dynamic at your parents resort condo and at dinner and movie get-togethers at friend's houses, that is taking it too far.

You need help. Get to a good Christian counsellor immediately.

Thursday, July 19, 2012

IS TOILETSTOOL FAKE?

There is a website I used to visit called Toiletstool which is a "forum dedicated to the act of relieving yourself." I finally stopped visiting said forum a couple years ago after I realized it wasn't really a site a Christian should read.

However, there was another reason I stopped visiting Toiletstool; I began to suspect it was fake.

Of course, when you put any forum or any other kind of interactive site like that on the web you're going to get actual people posting there. I am not saying all the posts are fake, but there were a few general things about the posts which made me highly suspicious.

First of all, there were women on Toiletstool who said they had a condition called "megabladder", an extremely large bladder. These women claimed they could urinate for five minutes straight (some even longer.) One of these women told people reading the site to Google megabladder. I did so and could not find anything describing the condition these women were talking about. Rather than an extremely large bladder in certain individuals, megabladder appears to be a condition that appears in babies in utero in rare circumstances. One kind of poster exposed.

Secondly, there were a number of teenage girls and young women who posted on Toiletstool who said they liked going in their pants, as well as secondhand stories of young girls finding out their friends liked doing this. However, let us think about this for a few seconds. What's the most important thing for a teenager or even a young woman in her twenties? Not being embarrassed, as well as looking cool around her friends. Thus, if the girl who was contemplating doing this actually did it, there's a chance her friends would find out and she would be thought of as weird. Why then would someone do this in front of one of her friends or talk about it firsthand on an internet forum where her friends could possibly come across her post and find out?

Then there were all the stories of genuine accidents, which don't match up with what I have experienced. For the most part, a girl gets toilet trained and maybe has a few accidents for the first few years after that, but after that doesn't really have any issues. Sure, as a teenager she might have an accident, but you're telling me there are that many girls who can't make it to the bathroom in time on a less frequent basis?

Then there were all the stories that sound like typical errotica/fetish stuff. I won't go into detail about these.

I guess I had suspected this site was fake for a rather long time, but what made me stick around so long was that so many of the posters seemed like quite intelligent people. It didn't seem like your typical fantasy forum at all. Notwithstanding, most of the stories on Toiletstool are and were probably written by basement boys.