I. Introduction We covered Esther in two weeks and Ezra in two weeks, like we were in a hurry. But we’re going to slow down and spend the next several weeks in Nehemiah. Let’s dive right in with an introduction to Nehemiah, who he is and what he’s doing. II. Background History The … Continue reading Rebuilding the Walls
I. Introduction Chris wrapped up the book of Hebrews last week admirably with his statement that the husband always makes the coffee. That’s why it is called, “He brews.” No, seriously, he wrapped up with, “How shall we live.” Hebrews taught us that Jesus is sufficient for everything we need, and that He equips … Continue reading Esther 1-3, Deliverance is Needed
I. Introduction We’ve just spent the last two months studying Hebrews with just a few weeks left to go, but our study of Hebrews has a purpose. Hebrews, as you may recall, was written to the new Christians in trying circumstances and persecutions. The first 6 chapters of Hebrews sought to reassure the new … Continue reading What is Faith?
I. Introduction Hope doesn’t come easily. This world is troubled. Dr. Young has been speaking on the problem of evil this month, and evil has been a problem ever since the fall of Adam to the beheadings in Syria. And it permeates our lives, confronts us on the television, on the internet, in the … Continue reading Don’t Walk Away
I. Introduction The book of Hebrews might have been written by Paul – that seem to be the consensus of the experts – but there are certain verses and phrases that only appear in Hebrews, so it’s hard to be sure. In any event, the author is writing to Jewish converts to Christianity who … Continue reading Pay Attention, Don’t Drift Away
I. Introduction For several Sundays in a row, we’ve been coming to class and studying the prophet Ezekiel. Then one day Chris shows up and says, “Let’s turn to the book of Daniel.” What was Chris thinking? Were we done with Ezekiel? I don’t think so. When we start studying these prophets, there is always … Continue reading Risk Everything for God
I. Introduction Ezekiel 18 opens with a discussion of a proverb, “”The fathers eat sour grapes, and the children’s teeth are set on edge.” I thought, for illustrative purposes, I’d go to HEB and buy a bunch of sour grapes, but I couldn’t find them anywhere. I guess they were all sold out. Super popular, … Continue reading It’s Not My Fault!
I'm a Christian and I think 'Noah' deserves a four star review.
I. Introduction It's almost the New Year, no thanks to the ancient Mayans. The New Year is a time for beginning fresh, to put our past behind us and look forward to a new beginning. For auld lang syne my friends, for auld lang syne. A new beginning means a new you. … Continue reading How Can God Still Love Me?
I. Introduction Today's lesson is going to hurt me more than it hurts you. Who enjoys discipline, raise your hands. Hold on; give me a second to count all the hands of the people that love discipline. Looks like… None. Just what I expected. There are two types of discipline. There's the positive type of discipline. … Continue reading Deciding on Discipline
I. Introduction My first thought, when I was asked to teach from 2 Peter, was, "Whoa…. There are *two* Peters?" Today we'll study 2 Peter 3; this letter from the Apostle Peter was addressed to persecuted Christians. During the first few years after the death of Jesus, Christians were considered a sect of the … Continue reading The Second Coming of Christ
Out of Answers? You're Not Out of God.
I. Introduction Living by faith is difficult. It's very easy to have either an over-dependence or under-dependence on God. Does living by faith mean living by a certain moral or ethical code, or adhering to a certain set of religious beliefs? Well... on one hand, living by faith means putting your trust in Jesus, following … Continue reading Faith in Action
Really? 8 years?
I. Introduction Sometimes it's difficult to teach a familiar parable; we have pre-conceived notions, or perhaps previous bible studies left in our heads. The Prodigal Son, the Lost Sheep, the Faithful Servant, the Ten Virgins, and so on. Even non-Christians have heard the phrase "good Samaritan." Let’s see if we can look at this parable … Continue reading Be a Good Neighbor
American Thinker, with a perspective the 1% share. American Politics in One Easy Lesson. The only part I think they left out is the wealthy Republicans are far more likely to give voluntarily from their own pockets to the needy than the Democrats who want to give with other people's money.
Gary Thomas has correctly identified my problem with food. I'm not the skinny teenager I once was. Here's to better health and fitness in 2012.
The WordPress.com stats helper monkeys prepared a 2011 annual report for this blog. Here's an excerpt: A San Francisco cable car holds 60 people. This blog was viewed about 3,200 times in 2011. If it were a cable car, it would take about 53 trips to carry that many people. Click here to see the … Continue reading 2011 in review
How would *you* sing Handel's Messiah if you were a monk who had taken a vow of silence?
I just returned from a trip to Israel, and I'm waiting right now for that next-day 3:00pm jet lag feeling to hit. Just a few more minutes, I think. I took 1300 pictures; I plan on posting a few of them in the next couple of weeks with my thoughts. But before I do that, … Continue reading Compass Trip to Israel
I bought my Windows Phone last November after reviewing the options. My old Window Mobile 6.1 was at the end of its life and ready to be retired. 1 - iOS iPhone. Great phone. I'm not enamored with Apple's stranglehold on their iTunes store. I watched Google Voice be denied from entry at Apple's seeming … Continue reading My Windows Phone
Did you know there are twelve more Republican debates after tonights? I wish there were that many football games left. Here's what I'm anticipating, some good, some not good - - Huntsman is not appearing. He doesn't have a chance in the Republican primary anyway, he's far to liberal or moderate in this Year of … Continue reading Republican Debate Tonight
Last year I traveled more than usual. I mean, I traveled a lot. I paid Italian income taxes, and the Customs agents at Schipol Airport know me by name. And when I started traveling, I stepped down from teaching bible study at my church. They have this weird rule that if you're not there, you're … Continue reading Dreams
New host today, and I'm testing the interface to see if it connects to Facebook, Twitter, MySocialEgoIsHuge.net (that website is unregistered so you can claim it if you wish) , and so on. I had been using Blogs-About.com since April 2004. I setup the original Chasingthewind.net webpage as a place to share my faith in … Continue reading Moving to WordPress.com
I find America impotent when I read stories like this. Illegal immigrants marching in broad daylight, and our country does nothing. Are laws supposed to be the laws? What are the consequence for breaking laws? Are laws optional for legal residents, too? Houston May Day rally for illegal immigration
Yeah, I know. Chasing the Wind has been sleepy for a while. My passion for pithy comments has waned somewhat, Facebook has replaced the blog as the social network, and I'm on hiatus from bible study teaching so there are no lessons to post. But hey, I still own this domain name. 🙂
I'm still looking for that perfect to-do list manager. I really liked the Windows Mobile 6.1 syncronizing solution (except for the occasional hiccup that duplicated everything). But now that I'm using a Windows Phone 7, that solution is gone. Right now I've settled on Toodledo.com which is working really well. It's an easy to use, … Continue reading Toodledo
Charlotte belongs to my church family and we shared a bible study class together. I remember the day she announced her cancer. I wasn't sure what to think at the time; I have been blessed to be in a family with healthy genes for the most part. Since then I've understood a lot more. I … Continue reading Charlotte's Web
Actual music review - "Cage the Elephant’s joyful cacophony runs amok on this single that whets the appetite for the January release of its second album, Thank You, Happy Birthday. Cage the Elephant stirs a cauldron of primal screams, hot-foot "oohs" and "ahhhs," dislocated Southern rock, kazoos, intermingled guitars excitedly banging tuning pegs, and a … Continue reading Cage the Elephants
National debt: $13,872,907,209,101.48 according to the US National Debt Clock as of 21 Dec 2010 at 11:52:51 PM GMT. Number of people: 308,745,538 according to the US Census. Lessee... carry the one... and voila! Your share is $44,933.14.
Our hearts are breaking with the news that our wonderful little Bella has passed away suddenly this week, and we share our grief, and our joy, that we found in this beautiful creation of God. We have hundreds of wonderful memories of Bella, a feisty terrier mix that was also calm and gentle, a rare … Continue reading Bella in Italy
If you love dogs, you'll love this:
From "A guide to the fight over the 'Bush tax cuts" is his snippet - "We could get [tax cuts] done this week, but we're still in this wrestling match with John Boehner and Mitch McConnell about the last 2 to 3 percent" of upper-income taxpayers, Obama said. So, Mr. President, get 'er done. Stop … Continue reading Get It Done This Week
The US Labor Department released unemployment figures this morning that beat expecations. The figures released, though, were just made up. Nine states, including California, did not report numbers due to the Labor Day holiday. From Bloomberg, For the latest reporting week, nine states didn’t file claims data to the Labor Department in Washington because of … Continue reading Making It Up
It's a rainy Monday, Labor Day afternoon. I'm reading, surfing, playing, working, whatever I feel like. If only every day could be like this - spend a couple of hours working, then when you feel like it, see what's going on in the Texans kicking team, checking movie schedules, writing a snooty email to a … Continue reading God Satisfies
Would you like to know why the US economy is about to take a nosedive yet again? It's because people will have less to spend. A *lot* less. Check out MyTaxBurden.org. Plug in fictitious numbers if you want. Then press the "Calculate" button and see how much more in taxes you're about to spend next … Continue reading My Tax Burden
A touching eulogy to a family's best friend, their dog. Kodi, 1991 - 2010. I'm certain I have something in my eye.
I. Introduction We continue with a study of Leviticus this week and we're going to focus on the things God commanded the Israelites to avoid in order to live holy lives. Last week and this week, the Lord spoke through Moses to give the ancient Israelites the Law, rules and regulations the Hebrews were to … Continue reading Perversion of the Faith
I. Introduction I've always joked that if I was ever asked to teach a lesson from the book of Leviticus, I would focus on the evils of shellfish. I'm allergic to shellfish - did any of you ever see the movie "Hitch" with Will Smith? And after another one of his disastrous dates where he … Continue reading What We Offer to the Lord
I watched Pastor Bob Botsford today on Larry King Live. Larry had Jennifer Knapp on, a singer who won Dove Awards for a rock song and as a new artist of the year back in 1999. Pastor Bob did an excellent job of speaking the truth with love. It was not received that way, but … Continue reading Pastor Bob Botsford
I. Introduction Who in this class has a collection? Dolls, thimbles, something else? I used to collect pennies when I was a young teen. I'd go through my grandfather's big jar of coins looking for specific pennies I didn't have. The oldest penny I had was from 1916, if I recall correctly. Once, based on … Continue reading Amazing Deliverance
I. Introduction It's difficult to see God at work sometimes, isn't it? Unanswered prayers, world hunger, wars. Our own lives, sickness, injuries. Let's start off today with a list of problems. Things that we believe God should solve, should do differently. Some big "why" questions. I'll start off with a couple. What's up with that … Continue reading Compassionate Action
I. Introduction From time to time, we all come to a big decision in our lives. I've lost my job; what should I do now? I have a medical issue; how should I treat it? Is this person right for me? Should I compromise, or should I stand my ground? We are faced with decisions … Continue reading Praying About Difficult Decisions
When George Bush ran against John Kerry, Kerry's pictures always showed him looking thoughtful, pondering. Bush's pictures made him look deranged. It's beginning again. Sarah Palin spoke yesterday to Tea Party protestors, declaring, "America is ready for another revolution." And this is the picture the Associated Press chose? I've seen many pictures and videos of … Continue reading Liberals Hate Sarah Palin
Fourth Quarter GDP Growth Soars 5.7 Percent. Or at least, that's what the news media and the government would have us believe. Yippee, the recession is over. Except I don't believe it. I see no evidence of it. I think I'm being lied to. Do you believe what you're being told?
This sentence contain the actual link to the incendiary post, with or without comment from this post's author. This is a quote from that link to illustrate agreement. This sentence contains a provocative statement that attracts the readers’ attention, but really only has very little to do with the topic of the blog post. This … Continue reading This is a Link to a Typical Incendiary Blog Post
What could you possibly be saying to 6th graders that would require the use of a teleprompter? Our Teleprompter-In-Chief would be more equipped to speak off-the-cuff if his words had the power of his convictions.
I love this paragraph from Peggy Noonan today: Speaking broadly: In the 2006 and 2008 elections, and at some point during the past decade, the ancestral war between Democrats and the Republicans began to take on a new look. If you were a normal human sitting at home having a beer and watching national politics … Continue reading Nuts vs. Creeps
That's it. Kay Bailey Hutchison will never get another vote from me. Socially issues, she's ok. The positions she's taken on abortion are mixed but generally pro-life, though the inconsistency indicates she's voting pragmatically instead of from principles. She gets a 7% rating from NARAL indicating she's pro-life, and a 75% rating from NRLC which … Continue reading Kay Bailey Hutchison Loses a Voter
Win or lose, Scott Brown has already sent a message to Washington. We've had enough government already. The backlash is coming.
I. Introduction Forgive me ahead of time; it was difficult to focus this week on preparing a lesson. We had plumbing leak #4 this past Sunday and our study was damaged by the leaking pipes. We were already working on a solution to replace the ancient galvanized piping with the newer PEX tubing which was … Continue reading How to Develop Your Faith
It's time to take America back. We elected you on a promise of hope and change. We regret it. In 2010, we are taking our country back.
Obama, at a debate against Hillary Clinton, January 31, 2008: "That's what I will do in bringing all parties together, not negotiating behind closed doors, but bringing all parties together, and broadcasting those negotiations on C-SPAN so that the American people can see what the choices are." C-SPAN CEO Brian Lamb, to Congress December 30: … Continue reading C-Span and Healthcare
So, what sort of Christmas traditions do your family or neighborhood enjoy? I'm thinking that if your tradition includes burning down a 43 foot tall straw Swedish goat, then perhaps it's time to rethink your traditions.
I. Introduction Some surprises can be good, some can cause a lot of stress and tension. Several years ago, I decided to throw a surprise birthday party for my wife. I had arranged all the guests and the time to show up at our house that afternoon, each of them bringing the cake or the … Continue reading Mary, A Song of Trust
I. Introduction I want you to think back, remember yourself at a young age. Who or what did you want to be when you grew up? What qualities of that person or job did you like that attracted you? Do you still sometimes think of what it would be like to be that person? Our … Continue reading Blessings for Those Who Fear the Lord
I. Introduction Do you ever get discouraged? What situation have you been in that discouraged you? (Job loss, health issues, family matters). I've told you that I've been saying goodbye to co-workers lately. They stop by my office, shake my hand, say it's been nice working together, and do I know anybody that's hiring. As … Continue reading Trust in the Lord
The town of Dundee has decided to celebrate Christmas, but is removing any reference to Christmas or Christianity. Christmas lights are now Winter Night Lights. Then there's this - And, instead of the traditional nativity story, the festival will feature a solar-powered disco, a continental market, a circus and a fairy on stilts. Oh good. … Continue reading Town Celebrates Christmas Without Any Christianity
Happy Veterans Day; I am so proud of our men and women serving to protect our country. Here's a compilation of videos of dogs welcoming home their soldiers after being away for months.
Yet another reason the US Government should not be in the healthcare business. Here's the links you need to know - Abortions for which Public Funding is Allowed. Health and Human Services provides abortions under Nancy Pelosi's 2,032 page monstrosity of socialistic healthscare. See Section 222, page 110, line 17. Abortion Premiums. You're going to … Continue reading US Government Will Tax You to Kill Children
No, really. I thought it was a joke. Which demographic is Mattel appealing to? Who wants to play with a Palm Beach Sugar Daddy Ken Doll?
I'm disabling Disqus today from my blog at http:\\chasingthewind.net . The idea was great - a more open community for comments to posts. The interface was nice, and I liked the fact that individuals "owned" their own comments and could edit them as necessary. But Disqus was barely used by the community. The only additional … Continue reading That's Enough of Disqus
Katy Tea Party has provided a nice summary of issues and candidates for the 2009 Election. Don't just site there. Vote. I use to tell people to vote, regardless of your political persuasion. No more. If you're a liberal entitlement-loving big government sap on productive and conservative freedom-loving Americans, stay home. So there.
I, personally, saved or created over 3 million jobs myself, using only my mind. According to the US Department of Labor, there were 15.1 million people unemployed at the end of September. That means that without my help, there would have been 18.1 million unemployed. So Obama is claiming he saved or created 650,000 jobs. … Continue reading Stimulus saved or created 650,000 jobs: White House
I hope the new healthscare bill dies quickly. All the horrors we expected are in the bill. For the first 10 years, it's expected to cost $1,055,000,000,000.00. After that, it gets expensive. To keep it "affordable," most the the healthscare bill doesn't take effect for 5 years. Give me a 20 year estimate of the … Continue reading Healthscare
I. Introduction I visited a coworker in the hospital this weekend. He told me he was at home watching tv when the doorbell rang. When he opened the door, there was a 6 foot cockroach standing there. Before he could say anything, the cockroach punched in the stomach and ran off. The next night, he … Continue reading Security in God
Obama fiddled while Rome burned. WASHINGTON — Michelle and Barack Obama sat one table over from J. Lo and Marc Anthony, and all four of them were rocking in their seats as Sheila E. shook the house — well, really the tent. The latest installment of the White House music series was too big for … Continue reading Obama Fiddled While Rome Burned
I had a discussion this past week with a fairly "progressive" client on a wide variety of topics. Mostly cordial, of course. He was the client. One of his positions was that access to healthcard should be a right, not a privilege. I took the position that while I agree that individuals should be given … Continue reading Die Quickly
I. Introduction Opening discussion: Think of a time when a friend offered you forgiveness. How did you feel? When we put our trust in Jesus, God offers His forgiveness to us, and we should feel the same way. Today we're going to study Psalm 32 and experience God's forgiveness toward us. Charles Roberts was a … Continue reading Forgiveness
I. Introduction "God is Dead." -Nietzsche, 1882. "Nietzsche is Dead." -God, eternal. We're working through various aspects of the Psalms, and this week we'll explore how God reveals Himself to us. In other words, How do I know God exists, and how does that affect me? Does God Exist? Two weeks ago on September 7, … Continue reading Does God Exist?
Problem: Should illegal immigrants get free healthcare? Obama's solution: Just make them all legal. There, all fixed now. President Obama said this week that his health care plan won't cover illegal immigrants, but argued that's all the more reason to legalize them and ensure they eventually do get coverage.
I was at the Post Office yesterday to pick up a certified letter. I was there for a little over an hour; there were 40 people in line, 2 clerks helping, and 1 supervisor watching both clerks. All I could think of is that I don't want my appointment with a doctor to golike this. … Continue reading 45% Of Doctors Would Consider Quitting If Congress Passes Health Care Overhaul
Mmmm... how to smell like a Trekkie. Wait, a Redshirt cologne? Isn't that lethal?
Here are three ways to humiliate a poodle.
I. Introduction Who knows what hedonism is? According to dictionary.com, "the doctrine that pleasure or happiness is the highest good; or, devotion to pleasure as a way of life." What I found interesting is that when you lookup the word "hedonism" on dictionary.com, you also get advertisements. "Come to Hedonism Resorts of Jamaica! Book Today!" … Continue reading Hedonism
Charles Schultz often touched on religious themes in his cartoons. You might remember his Christmas special years ago, where Linus recited the meaning of Christmas from the book of Luke. Charles Schultz taught bible study into the 1980's, and many of his cartoons were thought to illustrate bible scripture. His illustration for our study today, … Continue reading Faith and Deeds
Dagnabbit, those cheeky Canadian squirrels are always ruining... Awww, isn't that *cuuuute?*
At last, great news. The nationalization of healthcare with it's outlawing of private insurance and forced coverage for abortions and exemption for Congress looks like it is on the way to defeat. And that's great news. I hope that drives a spike into Obama's plans to socialize our great country. Once defeated, he'll appear vulnerable, … Continue reading Defeat for Obamacare
My favorite entry in the Recovery.org "stimulous" spending so far: $16,784,272 for canned pork. $16 million dollars is a lot of money for pork, but what do you expect from Congress? Please, Congress, you can stop helping now.
Introduction What is the most common phrase in the entire bible? "Fear Not." There is another very common phrase used throughout the bible, it is "one another." These are instructions on how to get along with … well, one another. "Love on another" is used at least a dozen times in the New Testament. • … Continue reading Liberty versus Love
We went out with friends Friday night to get away from the deconstruction / reconstruction cycle going on at the house. There's only so much sheet rock and dryer fan noise you can take before a dose of sake is required. We had a great time. Benihana's has this new Japanese / Mexican fusion chicken … Continue reading Children's Benedryl Packs a Punch
Happy 123456789 at 12:34:56 on 7-8-9. What are you doing to celebrate?
Kevin Hassett's article is funny and sad. Sad becuse it's true; funny because of his observations. Sample of funny: The federal picture is so bleak because the Obama administration is the most fiscally irresponsible in the history of the U.S. I would imagine that he would be the intergalactic champion as well, if we could … Continue reading California’s Nightmare Will Kill Obamanomics
A heroic story that will bring tears to your eyes. Swiss firefighters save a woman who said her television was on fire. ZURICH (AP) — It must rank among the easiest fires ever to put out. Zurich authorities say police and firefighters were called to the house of an elderly woman early Thursday after she … Continue reading Woman Saved by Firefighters
My wife is a huge Pittsburgh Steelers fan. I don't mean *she* is huge, she's actually quite thin. But her enthusiasm is huge. And it's contagious, so I've been a Steelers fan for several years. I admire the work ethic, the faith, the character of the men playing. And the Steelers are awesome. But secretly … Continue reading Texans versus Steelers
Image by barloventomagico via FlickrDisqus. Pronounced "Discuss." It's a new feature I'm trying out, and I'd love your comments. Really. The whole idea is to encourage better comments. You can see replies to your comments, there's a discussion page, you can better see other people's comments. It even links to social sites like Twitter and … Continue reading Disqus
Image via WikipediaA plague of frogs is coming, funded by the US Government: the Wyoming Toad Recovery Program. I'm hoping for a Locusts Recovery Program next.
Usually when I post a bible study lesson, it's all formatted nice and neat. The new bible class is an interactive format, and I thought that preparing a full lesson might inhibit discussion. So instead, I'm just posting my outline and thoughts; this week's lesson explores the balance between legalism and freedom. -------------- Introduction Story: … Continue reading Living by the Gospel
Image by Getty Images via DaylifeMy wife showed me an article this week; I *think* it was from the Museum of Natural History, but I can't be sure. The article was mostly well-written and talked about how by a very early age, 6 months, humans begin rational thinking. Babies know that hidden objects haven't disappeared … Continue reading Conviction versus Tolerance
I'm amazed by two things - 1) Conservatives outnumber liberals by 2:1 (the newsmedia implies otherwise) 2) We have a very liberal President. I remain convinced the reasons the Republicans lost is because because they tried to appeal to liberals. I am a conservative. Who can I vote for that will represent my values? Reagan … Continue reading Conservative, Moderate, or Liberal?
So, the dog steps on a bee during the mandatory walk. Last night, the mighty dog hunter slayed a cockroach. Knowing the propensity of the wife to scream upon spying cockroaches, dead or alive, it behooves me to remove the carcas from the middle of the dining room. A water, swirling grave is called for. … Continue reading Bad Start. Reset, Begin Again.
How would you introduce Christ to a room full of people?
Welcome to the CLXXVIII edition of the Christian Carnival. Whoa, CLXXVIII. That's a lot of Roman letters just to say it's the 278th edition. My apologies for the late edition. Real life, as always, got in the way. No excuses, I'm just late. This week's best Christian writing is presented for your intellectual perusement and … Continue reading Christian Carnival CCLXXVIII
I was late for work this morning with a new and unusual excuse. First, let me setup the scenario. It's a little stressful around the house right now. Last Tuesday we received nearly 10 inches of rain in about 5 hours. I woke up that morning to find an inch of water in the study. … Continue reading Late for Work
We sure did get some rain last night. About an inch in the study; 18" in the garage. Both cars have some water on the floorboards. How is your morning going?
Cover via AmazonRemember when blogging was new? The word "blog" itself was new. The whole concept of people finding an outlet to express whatever was on their mind in a forum that reached globally was new. Now it's ordinary. People create blogs for their pets now. Or maybe the pets themselves do it, it's so … Continue reading Happy 5th Birthday
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