Letting go of the dog to be euthanized.

Our dog Kacey, has kidney failure and we are faced with putting her down (euthanasia). Not an easy time. She has been with us 13 years of her 14.5 year life. Her legs are weak and she has to almost be carried to go do her potty. She has to be force fed through a tube. We used IV bags to give her subcutaneous fliuds. Yes, she is only a dog - yet, she has been a companion to us.

 

I used to get irritated at people spending so much money on their dog's treatment, because many people including children cannot hope for even a fraction of such care. Each morning we say, we'll take her to be euthanized; each morning she shows a little spark of strength that puts us off from doing it. By evening, she is weak as ever and suffering. The leaves were falling from the trees. Last weekend, I watched the flurries of dead leaves fall from the trees. Kacey was staggering around in the yard on bent legs. I thought to myself, "The leaves are falling; the dog is falling". Today, the leaves are all gone, and I am raking them into bags.

Mitt Romney on the redistribution of wealth

Mitt Romney said a while back that the redistribution of wealth is alien to America.
The voluntary redistribution of wealth is intrinsic to America. Forced redistribution is foreign. Voluntary redistribution is also known as Philanthropy; forced redistribution is Taxation.
Incidentally, this is also the reason that capitalism succeeds in only in America. People are not interested in building dynasties - wealth by inheritance - hence they have given so much away. This is true not just for the Gates, Waltons and Buffets, but also for the robber barons like Carnegie. I have a theory that 3rd world poverty is due to selfishness. If you want to learn more, do an internet search for "Can microhelping defeat 3rd world poverty?"

pornography?

"The latest cover of Time magazine has caused outrage. Under the headline "Are you mom enough?", a young woman is pictured having her left breast suckled by a boy who appears way beyond usual breastfeeding age.The woman, it turns out, is Jamie Lynne Grumet, a 26-year old mother from Los Angeles, and the boy is her son Aram, aged almost four."

This is pornography under the guise of social commentary. Slim attractive woman. Boy is shown standing, to accentuate his height - not the pose for normal breastfeeding - and wearing 'tough guy' camouflage!

My Dream Church

After attending evangelical churches in the USA for 16 years, I am disillusioned and cynical. Here, I describe My Dream Church from my study of the Bible.My Dream Church

False Arguments On Tithing

Pastors often mention Jesus affirmation of tithing to the Pharisees. However this overlooks a crucial fact - Jesus was under the law just like the Pharisees.

He observed the Sabbath, Passover and even at his baby dedication, sacrifices were offered.

In Acts 15, at the council at Jerusalem, it clearly says the law does not apply to us any more. This is also in Colossians 2:15 where the law was nailed to the cross. In Galatians, Paul is angry with the 'foolish' Galatians because they want to practise the law.

I have heard pastors and leaders preach things like: 'one must give at least 10%', 'give knowing that it is all God's', 'how much should God get for giving His life for me?'

Certainly it can be a personal principle but in churches today, it is closer to a command.Yet they overlook a simple fact - why wouldnt the Holy Spirit simply say through Paul in 2 Corinthians 9:6 and the other Bible authors in the other books, 'give at least the tenth of your income to your house church'? Yet, He didn't. So aren't today's leaders adding to God's Word things that are not there?