Ball three! Take your base...

Well, I think it's taken about two days too long for it to sink in, but last Wednesday, Ciria and I found out that we are having another girl. We are very excited about our third daughter. Believe me, the less uncertainty we have in our lives right now the better.

Having children is a wonderful blessing. I was telling Ciria the other night that I can't hardly say a prayer without marveling to my Father in Heaven that he has allowed me to sire and raise children. Sometimes I catch myself thinking about it, and at first I think, well, that's just how life goes, but then it hits me--not everyone, or every couple can have children, or at best they have an excruciatingly difficult time conceiving, or bringing a child to full term, or maybe they just adopt if they can, but only after tens of thousands of dollars were waisted on fertility methods. I know specific couples in each of these situations, and I honestly understand their desires to have children, and I empathize deeply with their struggles, and am saddened to the core when I think of them. I know Ciria feels the same.

Then, I think about all the children easily born to people who make much less than acceptable parents, or to people who find their children a burden or inconvenience. This thought just makes me mad, so I move on with the notion that Ciria and I are at least trying to be acceptable parents or better, and don't subconsciously relegate our children to the stature of pest, or parasite or even necessary evil.

So, not to cheapen my joy any, but suffice it to say, I am going to be an even bigger pile of goo come August when my third daughter looks at me with those big eyes and melts me into capitulation. Oh, I'm so screwed....

Oh, Good Grief...!

[Okay, I keep coming back to this with a little bit more information each time. It turns out that the group, Concerned Christians, are focused solely on breaking down the LDS belief system in an overt attempt to 1)Convince practicing Mormons that their history and beliefs are based on a series of well orchestrated or well concealed lies; and 2)Prevent any honest truth seeker from even investigating the LDS religion. It appears the group has little to offer the spoiled masses as an alternative as this group doesn't seem to profess any established doctrine other than to state their ecumenical preference for Jesus. I guess this is a pretty safe thing to do, since where there is no doctrine no one can refute it honestly or dishonestly. Nice. I'm reminded of the foolish man who built his house upon the sand. Hmmm...? Whatever happened to that guy anyway?]

[The groups founder, Jim Robertson, a former member of the LDS church, was responsible for the movie "The God Makers" way back when, which I seem to recall won an Oscar for Best Documentary that year.

Anyway, the latest attempt to sour or confuse all that is good with LDS beliefs is this DVD going around called "Jesus Christ/Joseph Smith". This presentation, as I've been reading, compares and contrasts particular statements made by the two men. Several other Christian watchdog groups have condemned the presentation as inappropriate, or worse, not at all helpful to a healthy dialog and atmosphere of Christian cooperation.]

[Thanks Jimbo, for once again proving the statement that those who leave the church can't leave it alone. You'd better make sure you conduct yourself correctly, and that your own history isn't a big, fat lie.]

Mercy already...

... I've grown weary of repeating the same pieces of doctrine over and over. Yes, I am saved, and so are you my Concerned Christian friend, that is, saved only at this point from physical death.

That's right, you and me, my fellow Christians, concerned or otherwise, and the atheist, Buddhists, and Muslims too, will not be held accountable to God for Adam's sin in the Garden of Eden. That sin brought death into this world, and Jesus Christ came to this Earth, took upon himself a body just like your's and mine only to lay it down willingly in order for him to take up life again in an immortal, physical body. He alone has the power to do this; and, by so doing has offered this gift of eternal life freely to all people of all times. This is what is called resurrection.

Say it with me ... r e s u r r e c t i o n.

Very good!

See, you can be saved in this life from physical death, and that's about all you're promised in this life, unless you are very, very righteous. But you know, that's what's so great about coming here. We have assurances from God that we will only be judged for our own sins and transgressions not for someone else's.

So don't sweat trying to save me, you should probably worry about saving yourself first from what's called, spiritual death. Spiritual death is of course the separation from God we all experience when we are born to this Earth, and it is sin that keeps us separated. Only Jesus Christ has the power to save you from spiritual death. And, unfortunately, for most of us we won't be "saved" in this life. And if you really are "saved" what are you still doing here anyway?

So, as you can see, you have no more truth to offer me than what I already possess, and if there is more truth for me, I know Jesus Christ has a mechanism to disseminate that truth. As he did in days of old, and in the Meridian of Time, he will only reveal his truth through his prophets and apostles who He has called to lead and guide His church, and that church is the one you have chosen to kick against with your "Jesus Christ/Joseph Smith" DVD.

Now, get out there and stop being so dishonest with yourselves, thinking God will bring you into His house at the last day with that attitude toward His doctrines and the Saints. And yes, Jesus can help you with that sin too, but only if you listen carefully enough, understand his teachings enough and repent just enough, because day by day we are all sinners, aren't we?

I challenge you, my Concerned Christian friend, to find out directly, rather than indirectly what I believe. You might be surprised to find that the founders of your faith have unwittingly left out important pieces of Jesus Christ's gospel that you might want to know about before your final judgment.

Bishop's Business Card

A Bishop was out early one evening visiting the home of a newlywed couple.

At the downtown garden apartment where they lived it was obvious from the giggles and muffled voices inside that someone was at home, but no answer came to his repeated knocks. He even called out to let them know he was at the door, but everything had gone silent. Then he took out a business card and wrote "Revelation 3:20" on the back of it and stuck it in the door.

The following Sunday his card was placed in a tithing envelope, and given to one of his councilors who in turn returned it to the Bishop. Added to the card was this cryptic message, "Genesis 3:10."

Reaching for his Bible to check out the citation, he broke up in gales of laughter.

Revelation 3:20 begins "Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: ..."

Genesis 3:10 reads, " ... I heard thy voice in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked; ... "

RICHARD JENI DIES

RICHARD JENI DIES

Comedian Richard 'The Boy From New York' Jeni died on Saturday March 10 from a gunshot wound to the face. The Brooklyn born comic never made it in movies as big as he deserved to, but did appear memorably as Jim Carrey's best friend in The Mask, and dished up his own version of the notorious gag in The Aristocrats. But it was on HBO stand-up specials where he really made his mark, often breaking ratings records for that particular category. Jeni was alive when his girlfriend found him and called emergency services, but died a short time later in hospital. Police have not yet ruled his death a suicide. He will be missed.

News courtesy EmpireOnline.com



On a lighter note... Richard Jeni joins Phil Hartman in the best comedy tour in 2,000 years. If you happen to be in the spirit world next week you'll get your ticket at the gates for the next available show.

I'm very sad.

Chicken-Eating Calf Makes India Farmer Famous

Thursday , March 08, 2007

AP

CALCUTTA, India —
When his chickens started disappearing a few weeks ago, a farmer in eastern India figured dogs or jackals were to blame — until he discovered his calf making a meal of his poultry.

Moloy, who uses only one name, and his 1-year-old calf have since become local celebrities, with the carnivorous cow appearing on television in India's West Bengal state and hundreds of people flocking to see them in Chandipur, a village 145 miles southwest of Calcutta, the state capital.

"To catch the culprit, Moloy got up very early ... and to his disbelief found that it was his calf which came out from the cow shed and was eating the chickens alive," Debjyoti Chatterjee, a local resident who filmed the calf eating a chicken, said Thursday.

The local veterinarian was at a loss for an explanation.

"I've never read or heard about cows turning carnivorous," said Mihir Tripathy. "They eat grass and other vegetarian food but not fish or other non-vegetarian stuff."

© Associated Press. All rights reserved.

"...and now for something completely different."

This was passed to me today. It's relatively long, but it has some pretty good visual tricks that I think most everyone will appreciate.

And as always, I apologize in advance for the French. However, you have to hand it to them, they are always coming up with new and unique ways to put their linen to good use when they aren't making flags.

Enjoy!

jerome murat
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