Mysterious Lights, Part 2

Why do they fascinate us so? Lights in the sky that look not so ordinary. We
don't just see stars, we are convinced, at least on occasion, that what we are looking
at isn't 'just a normal, everyday celestial body'. That light up there has to be a
space-craft from out-there-somewhere.
There is an inner-hunger, if you will, in mankind that looks to the stars and wants
to know that he is not alone. We seek communion with heavonly beings who will
reach down a caring hand and lead us along to a 'better existence'. We are crying for
help and we have been doing so for the past fifty years or more.
The most amazing and exciting thing about it, though, is that we are most
certainly not alone. I am sure some of you are thinking, "oh boy, this guy belives
that we belong to a brotherhood of space-people and that we are 'destined' to be
brought back into the fold soon". No, not at all.
I do, however, realize the truth about our existence, our reason for being here.
It is the simple fact that we are loved and our creator, the Almighty God, made us
in his image and he delights in us. In each one of us, God has placed a very special
'hunger' to know him, though many don't realize that.
Without 'preaching' to you, I simply want to say that YOU matter to God. You
are the reason he came to this little, blue planet over two thousand years ago in the
form of his Son, Jesus Christ, and died a horrible death in order to pay the debt you
and I owed. That debt was and is called, sin.
What a wonderful realization! The God of the universe and beyond formed this
creature called man and breathed life into him and placed him in the most beauti-
ful place there ever was to live forever. However, we turned on God and from the
beginning we told our heavenly father, "we don't really need you to help us live,
we want it our own way!"
Death was the resultof that horrendous decision (Romans 6;23} and all we have
to do to realize that is look around us. There is great news, however. God still loves
us and hasn't stopped. According to his Word, repentance is needed in each of us
and then acceptence of the work that Jesus Christ did on that old cross (Romans
10;8,9 and 10) to recieve the blessed eternal life. It is real and the best gift of all!
What does all this have to do with those 'lights' in the sky, you ask? It has
everything to do with it. Since the 'fall' of Adam and Eve, our original parents, we
have all been cursed. That curse was placed on our souls. We each are born in
that sin-condition and a penalty had to be paid, in blood. It was, by Jesus!
Because of that curse, the enemy of God and man, Satan, began to decieve us
into thinking that we are each gods in our own right. His work never stops and
part of that work includes the deceptive intrigue of the occult. Power fascinates
us and the occult can be a very strong influence to those who have not accepted
that special gift of salvation from God.
I strongly believe that the enemy knows our weaknesses and plays on them
by trickery. Some of his favorite games have to do with those 'lights or objects'
that many have witnessed in the night sky. There are very credible reports
from city officials, pilots and farmers that tell of their experiences with these
un-earthly objects.
I am cinvinced that many people have seen something strange. After all,
satan is the master-deciever and some light-shows are not out of his realm
of power, for certain. Our enemy does have power, there is no denying that,
and he attempts to corrupt all that he that he can. Our own minds are a
case-in-point.
So what does this say about the extra-terrestrail lights and strange
happenings occuring today? It plainly tells me that the time for decision
is at hand. For those of us who are believers in Christ (to believe in
something, one must live it) the decision is one of servanthood and of
constant confession and turning to God for cleansing.
For the unbeliver or lost person, it is a matter of realization and
repentance toward God. Let there be no pretense, only genuine
trust and forsaking of sin. He does care for you and that fact that he
gave his all, Jesus, for you and me is the best truth I know of.
Finally, let the scriptures speak to you and then the true and living
Light will shine before like you just can't understand presently. Romans
10;13 is the best thing I can leave with you. Put your trust in Him
today, won't you.

pt.3 coming soon, hold on 'til then

endless story

Another chapter written in this ever-exanding tale of my weekly life. I
jokingly tell my friends and family that yet another entry must be written
down for that 'book of my life'. The usual response from my friends is often
laughter.

Today the latest experience is about a nasty spill I took on my front porch
steps early this morning while attempting to get to work. The state was hit
with ice and freezing-rain yesterday and last night and while I thought I
was a careful person I forgot all about placing some salt on the steps to
prevent such a thing from happening.

A little wisdom goes a real long way! It would have taken only a few moments
of time to cover the steps with the prevention but, oh no, I couldn't get it done.
I went to sleep and forgot about everything. Am I sorry and sore today.

I am very thankful, however, that it was me that fell and not my wife or any
of the children. That would have been bad I'm sure. That book of mine would be
filled with some interesting and eye-popping stories that would stretch from
the early 1990's until now and would have most folks just shaking their heads
in disbelief. My current supervisor could do a whole lot of the writing, let me
add.

Maybe I could title it, "The Weekly Adventures In The Life Of A Garbage Man".
How's that for a title? It would not be boring I can assure you. I've always been
told to keep a journal and I am a believer now for sure. The reading would most
likely keep one's attention and make for good dinner conversation, perhaps at
a fast-food setting.

I will forgo the boring details of each occurence I remember but lets just say
that I could probably enter the tales in a childrens essay contest or send the
stories to Readers Digest. Maybe it could result in some response from the
'stay at home moms' attempting to escape their daily grinds.

Whatever the results I am sure that its a safe bet there will be future entries
into this tale and on a weekly basis. I will be certain to let you know.

Dealing With Personalities

Can't we all just 'get along'? Remember when that statement was a conversation-piece?
Rodney King made it famous, though he certainly didn't benefit from it much, and we have
used it, primarily, for amusement or as a friendly jibe. It bares repeating many times during
our daily life.

Personalities come in the oddest shapes and sizes. Each of us can seem to be the most
different and opposite of each other that, at least on the surface, appear to not even be of
the same species. It's quite a picture we paint as a whole. In all actuality we are more alike
than we can even realize.

In the Bible, Jesus, dealt with the many different personalities which he encountered
in his disciples and meshed each one together to form a group of men who willingly
followed Him on the paths his ministry took them. Jesus is the greatest coach who ever
put together a team of 'players' ready to pursue a common goal. For the most part they
succeeded.

As with anyone, our personalities can come into conflict and friction and the disciples
were certainly not exempt from this problem. The enormous challenge of molding and
shaping the attitudes and desires of these fisherman and tax-collector's would be just
about impossible for any of us, but not for Jesus.

His great compassion for each of them radiated throughout His care for them and
it was this simple fact alone which set the foundation for their relationship. That same
love and compassion is made available to everyone of us also. The greatest gift of all
was sent to us over 2000 years ago in the man-King, Jesus Christ!

Families are put together in one form or another and God orchestrates the fitting
together of them to bring about some amazing results. We may shake our heads in
disagreement but if we would allow ourselves to remember the beginnings of our
family we would soon realize that God had a purpose, a reason for the configuration.

His grace is shown in a family or group of 'believers' who are submitted to His will.
Those of us who combine our personalities, willfully, show to the world the dazzling
working's of a God who truly loves each individual wholly and glories in fitting to
gether that which appears to be broken. He's an AWESOME God!

Were it not for our different personalities we would all be as an android or robot,
if you will. Without the differences which define each of us there would be a great
bit of dullness to our daily lives. What would be the purpose? Where's the fun in
being exactly like your spouse or friend? Personally, I can't see it.

No matter if it's one who squeezes the toothpaste from the bottom or top or
places the roll of toilet-paper up-side down or right-side up, is it really so important?
Do any of these situation's have to cause friction or conflict for us? No, not really.
Remember again that God is glorified when we lay aside our differences and gladly
mold ourselves together to form that 'perfect union' and, then, watch His handi
work displayed.

The New ABA -- Minor-league pro-ball

Has anyone noticed the newsest form of minor-league professional basketball called,
the ABA. This is not to be confused with the old league of the 1970's which dazzled our
fancies and caused our jaws to drop watching the acrobatic moves of it's athletes. No, this
league is only a facsimile of it's predicessor.
Many of its rules are similar to those of the old but there are some new and exciting
rules which have been added. For instance, the 3-d rule, causes defenses even more
situations to adjust to. The sixth-foul rule is taken from the old ABA but seems to be
well-accepted by the officials and fans alike.
The ball, while still red,white and blue, remains the staple of this renegade league and
has also been streamlined for todays fashion image, if that matters much. It's still quite
a dazzling spectacle to watch while the ball spins in the air. I recall the finger-rolls of
Julius Erving and George Gervin. The blending of the old and new forms an interesting
hue to the color of this orginization.
While the former league had only a few teams, 9 to be exact, the current one has
branched out into the far corners of the galaxy, er, I mean the globe. There are teams in
Canada and even in the area of Singapore. As with any new buisness venture there will
be pitfalls and expulsions and the ABA is not exempt from this . Several clubs have
folded as quickly as they started and others have been asked to join another orgini-
zation because of one chraracter-flaw or another.
To date there have been teams in Kentucky, St.louis, Los Angeles and Memphis.
These teams just seemed to be mired in problems and couldn't quite put things
together as needed. The latest club in Kentucky was even named after it's original,
the Colonels, but after one season vanished into the abyss. Another attempted to
re-start but mysteriously sailed off into the mist.
There are many things, however, to like about this league. The low ticket-prices,
for one, are a delight. Many teams offer family-packages for around $25 and individual
tickets for around $8. With today's extreme gas-prices this makes for a very ecenom-
ical evening out. Children can enjoy the many perks of the league as well.
For me. as a big-fan of the original, I am drawn to this league and hope to see it
flourish. I strongly believe that a tv-deal with espn2 or Classic is needed and more
'word-of-mouth' for their advertising would bebefit, as well. The fact that not many
people know of the league hurts a lot but it can be rectified. This new ABA can be
just what the doctor ordered for the 'high-priced world of professional-sports'.
Go out and see a game in your area and then tell people about it.

Those Mysterious Lights

The recent events in Texas over the bright, fiery lights setting low in the sky seem
to be causing quite a stir. America has had several reports of these extremely bright
luminous lights which hover just overhead and appear to be spinning or whirling. They
are seen briefly and then vanish in seconds.
Reports like these should be 'old-hat' for us in the United States but they still amaze
and fascinate us. Certainly since the late 1940's the many stories of Ufo's have become
part of our culture. We almost expect to hear of them and the mindset of some is that
they 'must' be extra-terrestrial in origin.
It's my opinion that these objects are very 'real' but in what text? Could they be some
sort military craft that is unknown to the populace, perhaps Russian or Chinese? Is it
possible they are manufactured by an allied group of scientist from around the globe
to usher in a 'new age of technology'?
Could it just be possible that they are, in fact, extraterrestrial and are here to 'explore'
this world or 'scope us out', as it were? I have studied this topic of interest for many
years and from what I have learned and can come up with as far as any evidence seems
to point to the "underworld".
As a 'born-again believer' in Christ Jesus I adhere to scripture when confronted with
the 'mysteries of the galaxy'. This is my foundation and I am assured that it will not
crumble underneath me. The area of Ufo's or those 'bright lights in the sky' are not
exempt from this stance.
We are left, then, with the continual question of the explanation of these objects.
Do they pose any harm to the human race? Are they a threat only to our 'air-space'?
Many people will yearn for these things to be usher's of a 'new era of enlightenment'
and thereby decieve themselves. Others will focus on somehow making a profit from
the phenomena.
It is my hope and prayer that their true intention's will be revealed quickly. That
the Holy God above all will open the eyes of the blind and show them what lies behind
the mask. I believe that what we will see, in my opinion, is the ugly spector of evil
and sin.
Just so you will know, I don't claim to know without question the answer to this
phenomena . I do, however, hold fast to my inner-beliefs and all the evidence that I
can muster bring's a clear picture to my thinking. You have your own opinion.