Most Americans can remember exactly where they were and what they were doing on Tuesday September 11, 2001.

That morning, aboard American Airlines Flight 77, a group of strangers were about to have an experience like no other, and pay for it with their lives.  Flight 77 was the flight that was hijacked and intentionally flown into the Pentagon on that fateful day.

One of the strangers on board that flight was a 68 year old man named Stanley Hall.  A detailed tribute to him that includes specifics about him and his family, including a photograph can be found here.

I did not know Mr. Hall, or anyone on Flight 77 or any of the other flights involved in the terrorist attacks on the Pentagon and the World Trade Center that will be forever known as 9/11.  But these people - these heroes - were someones' son, daughters, mothers, fathers, brothers, sisters......

Mr. Hall, was a husband, a father, and a grandfather.  He was a civilian who attended Church and worked hard developing equipment to help protect our soldiers.  His death was a tragedy for his family, but here we honor his life.  And I hope in his memory we can all remember what it what like the days and months following 9/11, not the fear, confusion and chaos, but the closeness we all felt to each other.  People were nicer to strangers, there was a surge back to Church, and we as Americans and beyond were working together to help each other.  There was a respect for human life in the wake of these thousands of lives lost, and we banded together with compassion, passion and extreme patriotism to stand up for what makes this country great.

To the family of Mr. Hall, I hope you can remember the anniversary of his death as a celebration of his life, and while his death may have occurred in a manner both unneccessary and unfathonable, he can live on in everyones memory as a hero.  He may not have willingly sacrificed his life for others, but the sacrifice of his life has caused many to truly realize the blessings in our individual lives.

God Bless you, Mr. Hall and your family.  I'm sure they can't wait to see you again one day.

"Where were you when the world stopped turnin'?" is a question posed in a country song referencing September 11, 2001.

It's 5 years later and I wonder really if people remember that feeling, that unexplainable knot in the pit of your stomach coupled with the tears that you barely manage to hold back and topped only by a supernatural knowledge that from that moment forward life as we know would change drastically.

I remember that feeling and the surreal images of the towers falling.  THE WORLD TRADE CENTER TOWERS FELL DOWN.  It's still surreal.  It seemed like just yesterday, but it was during a trip to NYC nearly 10 years prior to 9/11 that I stood in the plaza below those very buildings looking up and snapping pictures of the tops of both towers looming so many feet above me, and walked through the doors to a place like no other.  You could feel the whole world represented through the thousands of people in those buildings, it hummed. 

I'm hesitant to mention, but one of my favorite memories of my trip occurred in one of the towers as I was leaving.  It was humerous to myself and my friend, being young and in college and loose in the big city.  A man got caught briefly in a revolving door and smacked full force into it as he continued to move forward but the doors didn't - one of those 'you had to be there moments'.  I don't think I've actually laughed about that moment since 9/11 and honestly, it's still funny to me, but the humor seems extremely irreverent to me now.

Where were you when the world stopped turning that September day
Out in the yard with your wife and children
Working on some stage in LA
Did you stand there in shock at the site of
That black smoke rising against that blue sky
Did you shout out in anger
In fear for your neighbor
Or did you just sit down and cry

Did you weep for the children
Who lost their dear loved ones
And pray for the ones who don't know
Did you rejoice for the people who walked from the rubble
And sob for the ones left below

Did you burst out in pride
For the red white and blue
The heroes who died just doing what they do
Did you look up to heaven for some kind of answer
And look at yourself to what really matters

I'm just a singer of simple songs
I'm not a real political man
I watch CNN but I'm not sure I can tell you
The difference in Iraq and Iran
But I know Jesus and I talk to God
And I remember this from when I was young
Faith hope and love are some good things he gave us
And the greatest is love

Where were you when the world stopped turning that September day
Teaching a class full of innocent children
Driving down some cold interstate
Did you feel guilty cause you're a survivor
In a crowded room did you feel alone
Did you call up your mother and tell her you love her
Did you dust off that bible at home
Did you open your eyes and hope it never happened
Close your eyes and not go to sleep
Did you notice the sunset the first time in ages
Speak with some stranger on the street
Did you lay down at night and think of tomorrow
Go out and buy you a gun
Did you turn off that violent old movie you're watching
And turn on "I Love Lucy" reruns
Did you go to a church and hold hands with some stranger
Stand in line and give your own blood
Did you just stay home and cling tight to your family
Thank God you had somebody to love

I'm just a singer of simple songs
I'm not a real political man
I watch CNN but I'm not sure I can tell you
The difference in Iraq and Iran
But I know Jesus and I talk to God
And I remember this from when I was young
Faith hope and love are some good things he gave us
And the greatest is love

I'm just a singer of simple songs
I'm not a real political man
I watch CNN but I'm not sure I can tell you
The difference in Iraq and Iran
But I know Jesus and I talk to God
And I remember this from when I was young
Faith hope and love are some good things he gave us
And the greatest is love

The greatest is love
The greatest is love

Where were you when the world stopped turning that September day

Today's Passage:
James 2:1-13


God's Message to Me Today:
Don't judge people simply by the way they look or dress.


A Promise From God:
If I am merciful to others, God's mercy toward me will win out over his judgement.


A Command to Keep:
I must obey all the laws, for breaking only one means I've broken the entire thing.


A Timeless Principle:
"12 So whenever you speak, or whatever you do, remember that you will be judged by the law of love, the law that set you free."


How Does This Apply to My Life:
I need to pay more attention to the commandment to love my neighbor.  I am quite guilty of judging people and treating them differently simply by their outward appearance.  I must realize that my behavior is sinful and in the eyes of God, there is no difference between my sin and the ones that we on earth perceive as "worse" sins.

...and then get a job at Wal-Mart and then insist they give my dog domestic partner benefits.

Yup, that's what I'm going to do.

Apparantly Wal-Mart is changing.

The American Family Association has released this article.

Seriously.

I love my dog.  I have a deep meaningful relationship with my dog.  It's not weird or anything, he's like my child.  Why should anyone but me have the right to decide his role in my life?

Ok, so maybe that's extreme.  My dog doesn't even have a social security number.  Ok, well, I'm a spinster, my brother is an eternal bachelor, I'll marry him so we can get domestic partner benefits.

How about that?

Can ya tell I'm VISCIOUSLY opposed to this?  Can ya?

This article may hold the secret to explaining a whole lot!

Maybe there truly is a stupidity virus going around, attacking only those necessary to eventually create a better more Godly world.

A girl can dream can't she?  If only it were that easy....

Chip Ingraham in his Living on the Edge broadcast says of marriage from God's perspective is: 
A life-long commitment of unconditional love toward an imperfect person.

Boy, isn't that the truth?  I am so utterly imperfect and my husband is so wonderful to tolerate and even apparantly enjoy me with all my "quirks"!

Today's Passage:
James 1:19-27


God's Message to Me Today:
Simply listening isn't enough, I must obey God's Word and do what He says.


A Promise From God:
God will bless you if you follow His Word and do as He says.


A Command to Keep:
Refuse to let the world corrupt me.


A Timeless Principle:
"21 So get rid of all the filth and evil in your lives, and humbly accept the message God has planted in your hearts, for it is strong enough to save your souls."


How Does This Apply to My Life:
Following God's Word is more than just reading the Bible and knowing what it says, it is about implementing every aspect of it into my daily life, from the words I speak in a flash of anger or frustration, to my fascination with technology and the things of this world.

Sandy Rios in a post on the Culture Campaign Blog expounds upon the acceptance of Islam by the captured reporters that were released upon their "conversion". 

She speaks very well to the idea that words are more than just mere words, and what we as Christians need to realize.

I've struggled the past few days with this issue, and I now know what I should do if ever faced with a similar situation, but I will have to pray constantly to have the strength to be able to actual do it - that is, to NOT deny my faith, even as a 'performance' in order to secure the continuation of my life on this earth.

Lord, I desperately need your help and pray for the courage to do your will.

Norah Vincent, author of "Self-Made Man" spent 18 months pretending to be a man.

On the surface, it seems to be an experiment in sociology in an effort to understand men better.  While interesting I cannot help but wonder if this as an area that is better left unknown.

First, men and women are different and the beauty and the interest in that is living day to day figuring each other out.  If we have that much insight into each other, it might make the day to day easier in general but if we begin to understand the way each other works, will we then begin to attempt to modify our behavior to treat the other person (in the case of a wife and her husband) as another man would, under the impression is makes it easier to understand each other?  And if we do, what does that do to the male-female relationship.  Is this an attempt to truly "equalize" everything, taking away the very beauty that God designed as inherent to each of us as unique separate genders?

Second, does this begin to normalize transexual behavior and pave the way for it to become more accepted in our society?  Sure we can laugh at her exploits, be intrigued by what she's learned, but in that, does this "woman becomes man" behavior begin to appear normal? 

I don't know the science behind it, never met a transexual, never read much on it, but I stand firm in my belief that anything other than a male-female relationship and any thoughts of "wrong gender" are born of illness, nothing more. 

Oh, you think you're a man in a woman's body, GO GET HELP! 

Not from a plastic surgeon, from psychiatrist. 

This is going to my attempt at a daily Bible study journal.  It will refplect my study from the night before.  The format is from "How To Study The Bible For Yourself" by Tim LaHaye.
 

Today's Passage:
James 1:1-18


God's Message to Me Today:
If I want to know God's will I should simply ask Him, but with a mind that is undoubtful and expecting Him to answer.


A Promise From God:
God blesses the people who patiently endure testing, they will receive the crown of life.


A Command to Keep:
Don't excuse my sin by saying that God is tempting me.


A Timeless Principle:
"4 For when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow"


How Does This Apply to My Life:
I need to stop speculating, stop being afraid to know the answer, stop allowing myself to decide and simply ask God what He wants me to do.  I must know that He will answer.

I was faced with the question, actually from 2 different blogs today.

The first was La Shawn Barber's, the second was Scott Ross's posts today regarding the released journalists that had been captured by a Palestinian terrorist group.

The question of denying Christ is now haunting me.

Off the cuff, I can quickly and easily say that there is no way I would deny Christ, no matter what.  But when I begin to think I start to wonder.....and then worry.

If I was being held at gunpoint and my release was merely conditional upon my denial of Christ, would I "lie" to free myself?  My son would grow up without a mother.  Would I "lie" so that I could be here for him?  Would I be forsaking my salvation?  Would I forsake my salvation for more time in this world?

What if my son was the one at gunpoint and his release was conditional upon my denial of Christ.  What then?

I still want to be able to say I'd have the strength to affirm my beliefs even when faced with these horrible suppositions.

Lord, please give me the strength, well, first please, I pray not to ever face that situation, but I if your will requires that I do, please give me the strength to boldly and openly proclaim my faith in You and Your Son. 

Even if I would not be forsaking my salvation, because in fact, I'm already saved, I would be ashamed.  But I'm still not sure.  If I deny Christ, even in a circumstance where my words were not truly from my heart, but merely to save my "life", do I give up my salvation?

 

James 1:2-18 of the New Living Translation reads:

²Dear brothers and sisters,^[b] whenever trouble comes your way, let it be an opportunity for joy. ³For when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. ⁴So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be strong in character and ready for anything.

⁵If you need wisdom--if you want to know what God wants you to do--ask him, and he will gladly tell you. He will not resent your asking. ⁶But when you ask him, be sure that you really expect him to answer, for a doubtful mind is as unsettled as a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind. ⁷People like that should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. ⁸They can't make up their minds. They waver back and forth in everything they do.

⁹Christians who are^[c] poor should be glad, for God has honored them. ¹⁰And those who are rich should be glad, for God has humbled them. They will fade away like a flower in the field. ¹¹The hot sun rises and dries up the grass; the flower withers, and its beauty fades away. So also, wealthy people will fade away with all of their achievements.

¹²God blesses the people who patiently endure testing. Afterward they will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him. ¹³And remember, no one who wants to do wrong should ever say, "God is tempting me." God is never tempted to do wrong, and he never tempts anyone else either. ¹⁴Temptation comes from the lure of our own evil desires. ¹⁵These evil desires lead to evil actions, and evil actions lead to death. ¹⁶So don't be misled, my dear brothers and sisters.

¹⁷Whatever is good and perfect comes to us from God above, who created all heaven's lights.^[d] Unlike them, he never changes or casts shifting shadows. ¹⁸In his goodness he chose to make us his own children by giving us his true word. And we, out of all creation, became his choice possession.

How do you deal with the bad things that come your way?  How do I?  Fear, panic, loss of faith?  We've all been there.  Guess what, the absolute worst thing that could happen to a believer is that they will go to Heaven.

What's so bad about that?

The only thing we can control is our attitude, and if we can live with James' attitude, then all the days of our lives, regardless of what comes our way will be lived in gladness.

Be glad my friends!

 Homeword with Jim Burns

This site has some great parenting resources and an EXCELLENT podcast!

Listen to it, love it, tell 2 friends!

Article by Mike Adams

I don't necessarily agree that the argument is as simple as this gentleman presents, but I do agree with the argument he has made.

I especially appreciated his reminder that gay people have the exact same rights as non-gay people.  A gay man has every right to marry a woman, just as a straight man does.

They have no fewer rights than anyone else!  They just want to modify the rights that people have to include penchants for perverted, ill behavior that should be classified as results of mental illness rather than as a freedom every person should have.