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Witnesses Now For Jesus 2007 Report

Posted by on Oct 28, 2007 in Blog | 0 comments

Becky and I attended the Witnesses Now For Jesus convention last weekend in Colorful Pennsylvania and had a wonderful time. There is a lot to report, but I can’t get into much of it now. We took numerous pictures and are currently working on a very cool project that we will post here once we get it finished.

One thing I will report now is that there was one man who was raised as a JW who made a profession for Christ. The Sunday of the convention was the very first time that he has ever participated in communion. We were honored to share with him in this glorious event. Praise God for His grace!

Gingrich: I’m Deeply Worried

Posted by on Oct 25, 2007 in Blog | 0 comments

All I can say about this video is, WOW! Why doesn’t the rest of the political world acknowledge this?

Joel Osteen Comments About Mitt Romney

Posted by on Oct 24, 2007 in Blog | 0 comments

I just read excerpts of Joel Osteen’s interview on Larry King Live. The showed aired October 16, 2007. About three quarters of the way down the page, the conversation turns towards Romney.

KING: How do you feel about Mitt Romney and being a Mormon? Would that
affect whether you vote for him or not?

J. OSTEEN: Well, you know what? I look at people, their character, their values, what they stand for. And I know only Mitt from watching him on your program and reading a couple of articles about him. And I don’t think that that would affect me. I’ve heard him say that he believes Jesus is his savior, just like I do. I’ve studied it deeply, and maybe people don’t agree with me, but I like to look at a person’s value and what they stand for.

I’d like to hear what Osteen has actually studied. Is he talking about the idea of voting for Romney, or that he accepts Romney’s proclamation that he believes that Jesus is his savior? I can’t stand politically correct “Christianity.”

From The Jewel Box # 17

Posted by on Oct 23, 2007 in Blog | 0 comments

We got back from the Witnesses Now For Jesus Convention last night and are taking some of the day off to spend with the kids. I took the dog for a walk this morning and the kids came along. Our son wanted to be like Daddy so he put on a hat too. He decided to get silly so he put the hat on sideways. Our daughter laughed and told him that he looked cute. His reply was,

“That’s just the way God made me, thanks!”

*******
Important note: We will not reveal the names of our children on this blog. Any comment that mentions our children’s names will be deleted. It is nothing personal, we just feel that it is an important safety measure for our family. If you would like to read the other FTJB entries, click on the “From the Jewel Box” link in the side bar on the right or on the Jewel Box icon at the end of this paragraph. Come on parents! Feel free to share special jewels from your precious children. Just know that on this blog, our kids are the cutest!

Witnesses Now For Jesus Convention

Posted by on Oct 18, 2007 in Blog | 0 comments

In the morning we leave for New Ringgold, Pennsylvania for the 2007 WNFJ convention. We will be staying at the Blue Mountain Christian Retreat center. We look forward to meeting new friends and reconnect with some old ones. There will be many wonderful testimonials and teachings from some great speakers.

This year I’ll be speaking during the Sunday service and have the privilege of conducting the communion service. If you know anything about JWs, they are forbidden to partake of the emblems. This fact alone makes this service very special as there is a good chance that there will be someone partaking for the very first time. I’ll report once I get back. If you would like to read more about the convention check out the PFO web site. There is also a pdf of the schedule.

Punkin’ Heads 2007

Posted by on Oct 16, 2007 in Blog | 0 comments

“Being a Christian is like being a pumpkin. God lifts you up, takes you in
and washes all the dirt off of you. He opens you up, touches you deep inside and scoops out all of the yucky stuff– including the seeds of doubt, hate, greed, etc. Then He carves you a new smiling face and puts His light inside you to shine for all the world to see.”

The above is found on a little flyer that University United Methodist Church gives away to all those who come by to look at their pumpkins. Every year UUMC sells pumpkins right on the corner of De Zavala and Vance Jackson in NW San Antonio to fund various projects. For the last few years we’ve gone there as a family to take pictures of the kids playing with the pumpkins.

Yesterday was the perfect day for pictures. Bright and sunny, yet not too hot. Since we went during the day, we were the only family there for most of the time. As you can see from the slideshow, we got lots of good pictures and we had a lot of fun too. We bought one very small and one medium sized pumpkin for each kid. The small ones are for the kids to play with and the medium size ones are for us to carve.

If you’re in the NW part of San Antonio, be sure to stop by and get a pumpkin!

[slideshow id=72057594049196324&w=400&h=320]

Crazy Cube

Posted by on Oct 15, 2007 in Blog | 0 comments

Can you solve all 30 levels of the Crazy Cube? The quicker you solve each level, the more points you score.

I Felt Like A Jehovah’s Witness

Posted by on Oct 12, 2007 in Blog | 0 comments

As many of you know, our daughter has been doing ballet for months. She really enjoys it and is practicing all of the time. We wanted to find something for our son to do also so Becky thought about a six week class of Tae Kwon Do at a local martial arts academy that is designed for four and five year olds. I practiced this martial art myself 20 years ago so it was something that I could help him learn.

As soon as the class ended, they lined the kids up and gave each of them a stamp on the hand. I didn’t notice it until we got home, but the stamp was of the yin-yang symbol. I wasn’t sure what to think about it so I did a little research on what the symbol means and came to the conclusion that it wasn’t something I wanted our family to display. Becky and I talked about it and we decided that we would give our son his own little kid tattoo so that he didn’t feel out of place. We also decided that I needed to tell the instructors that our son was not to receive a stamp after the next lesson.
The next week’s lesson time came so on the way we talked about the stamp and I reminded him that he was not to take one if offered. Even though I was going to talk to the instructor, I knew that they might forget and possibly give one to him anyway. I went over it numerous time with our son;
“What are you going to say if they ask if you want a stamp?”
“No thank you.”
“Good boy!”
Once we arrived at the academy, I talked to the head instructor and asked him to remember my son and that he was not to receive the yin-yang stamp. I explained that it represented a world view that we did not hold so I preferred not to have my son wear one. I also told him that other people have the right to choose to wear one and that we weren’t judging anyone who did, it just wasn’t for us. The instructor was very understanding and had no trouble with our request. As were were walking away, I overheard him tell one of the other instructors, “We’ll have to remember that.”
At the end of class, our son just happened to be the first in line for the drill they were just finishing so he was the first kid they asked if he wanted a stamp. Now, I can’t tell you how many times we went over this, but every single time he gave the correct answer until now. He said, not quite at the top of his lungs, ” I can’t! It was kind of funny, but I could not help but think, “No, your suppose to say, ‘No, thank you!'”
During the whole week, it occurred to me that this is what JW parents must feel like. They instruct their children to abstain from birthdays, holidays and extra curricular activities at school and have to explain their position to the children’s teachers. The kids are expected to withstand peer pressure and obey the wishes of their parents, even if it conflicts with their own desires. I realize that this is but a small taste of what JWs experience, but nonetheless, it is a valuable lesson.
Are we as Christians willing to risk ridicule, embarrassment and possible alienation for our convictions? Personally, the yin-yang symbol is not that big of a deal for me, but what is a big deal to me is standing up for my convictions. I looked at this situation as an opportunity to exercise my fortitude and use this as a teaching lesson for our son. If we can take advantage of enough opportunities like this, hopefully it will stick with our son.
Here is a short video clip of our son in the Tae Kwon Do class.

http://www.youtube.com/get_player

Bloggity-Blog-Blog-Blog

Posted by on Oct 4, 2007 in Blog | 0 comments

I’ve added a new blog to my Personal Blogs section on the right side bar. It is titled, “Bloggity-Blog-Blog-Blog.” Randy and Heather Gauthier are friends of ours who left San Antonio for South Africa. Randy is pursuing a doctorate. If I remember correctly, it is in Biblical languages. Since Randy is busy with his studies, Heather has been keeping up with their blog.

Heather has got to be one of the most creative people we have ever met. She can completely redecorate an apartment with very little money. We visited them once when they were living in Chicago and she had flip-flops and music sheets tacked on the wall. I know it sounds funny, but it looked really good. Her unique style of creativity can be seen in her blog posts as well. You can see some of what she can do on their Grand Tour post on their blog. There are some nice pictures of South Africa too.

Drop by their blog and feel free to leave a comment. The Gauthiers love being able to keep in touch with family and friends.

Don’t Study Your Bible!

Posted by on Oct 2, 2007 in Blog | 0 comments

I was going through my inbox and deleting old e-mail when I came across one that I had forgotten about. An ex-JW friend of mine sent me a scan of a recent Watchtower publication that is causing quite a stir. It seems like the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society doesn’t want Jehovah’s Witnesses studying the Bible.

The September, 2007 issue of the “Kingdom Ministry” warns JWs from conducting their own study of the Scriptures and compares it to “foolish questionings.” Click on this image to see a larger version of the document so that you can read it for yourself. As you read through it (the part in the blue box), notice how independent Bible study is viewed in a negative light. If JWs want to be fed spiritually, they should read the publications of the Watchtower. Accurate knowledge comes from reading Watchtower material, but reading the Bible alone is “unprofitable and futile.”

I pray that JWs reading this edition of Kingdom Ministry will recognize how this is just plain sick.