What do we do now?

Well, shows you how astute I am - Kinky Friedman apparently can't stop making racist remarks. I don't know him, and perhaps he isn't a racist. And Yes, everyone, has made racist comments at some time during their lives - including myself. But asking to be the governor of the second largest state in the most powerful country in the world requires more than just a good sense of humor and the ability to point out that the incumbent politicians are a genuine detriment to the progress of this state.

So, my question is, "what are we left with?" I personally can't vote for Rick Perry, because that would be like voting to punish myself. "One tough grandma" would turn Texas into a very large New Orleans casino row, and I can't encourage that to happen. What about Chris Bell?

He is a democrat and that is a problem - the current democratic party is the party of Haite Ashbury. (Anyone who kicks Joe Lieberman out of their party can't be sensible). But he seems to know what's up and what's down and he isn't plagued by idiotic remarks.

I need help. But we must never forget that Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and tomorrow and we can take that to the bank.

The Texas Gubenatorial election

Folks, God is still blessing me, but I have decided to devote this issue to a pressing earthbound need - leadership. To put it mildly, in Texas, there ain't any.

For those of us who have are conservatives, we are in a real quandry, which is why I have decided to vote for Kinky Friedman.

I would like to list all of Rick Perry's accomplishments here, but unfortunately, there aren't any. Texas lags almost every state in education, (we have a pre-prison system for a Houston school district), our taxes are out of control (my dad recently moved from Texas to Georgia because of property taxes. In Georgia, he pays less with both property and income taxes).

We have no healthcare initiatives in Texas. The only thing we are proud of is that individual small businesses can't pool together to buy group insurance.

Our cities are rapidly becoming Mexican. This isn't racism - my family is Hispanic. But Rick Perry has done absolutely nothing to stop the flow of illegals into our state.

If one looks at his democratic challenger, one would have to check one's brain at the door to vote for "one tough grandma". We had a grandma a few years back and have barely recovered from her tenure to date.

So check out Kinky. I am an evangelical Christian, and yes, he has insulted Jesus. He has also quoted the gospel of John, more sincerely than most I have heard. Regarding his eternal soul, I hope Kinky learns that Jesus is the one way to heaven. Regarding the state of Texas, I hope Kinky becomes our next governor.

www.kinkyfriendman.com

www.crossbridge.cc

How God blessed me today - August 24th, 2006

Well, as usual I have missed quite a few days since my last post. I get so busy with other stuff that I forget to write. Well, here's what's happened since last time:

God has blessed me by not allowing me to become very sick. Houston, Texas has arguably the worst air quality in North America and this fact, in combination with my poor immune system is a recipe for disaster. I have been sick, but not to the extent I have in the past and my family has been very healthy. This is a great blessing and one I hope to never take for granted.

God got me through the MCAT. I have no idea what my grade will be, but I do know that I didn't sleep at all the night before and I didn't eat anything except 2 appled and a banana during the 8 hour exam. It was the toughest academic thing I have done with the possible exception of completing Physics II. But God got me through it and for that I am very thankful. He even allowed me to encourage a young woman from Lousyana who was discouraged because her school (Tulane) had been flooded and things were chaotic.

God has also allowed me to register for classes and has made a way for me to get my books for this semester. He also allowed for my professors to write LOR's for me so I can complete my med school applications next week.

I got an email from my friend Samantha who is in med school in the Caribbean. She reminded me that I need to be encouraged in Christ.

Won't you let God bless you this week? I am not talking only about finances, although that is a tangible way God blesses. But ask Him to allow you to serve Him in a unique way. Ask Him to provide an opportunity for you to introduce someone to Him.

How God blessed me today - August 5th, 2006

It has been a week or more since I last wrote, and no, I haven't forgotten the blessings of God, not forgotten to thank Him, I just haven't had time to write them down here.
This week coming up will be a killer week - a physics exam on Monday, a physics final on wednesday and then the MCAT on saturday.

God has blessed me tremendously - for one, I'm still breathing!
Two, I had the chance to pray for a young woman named Alana who is recovering froma terrible health crisis.
I was also able to pray for my friend, Kate Moore who is recovering from a terrible infection which the doctors cannot get a hold of.
God blessed me in my relationship with my family and has allowed me to eat (more than I should) and act foolishly by being silly.

Although I have a very tough week ahead, God has blessed me because I am not afraid, (Psalm 23) and I am aware of man other people who have far more difficult weeks, months and years ahead.

How has God blessed you? We must always remember that "In Him we have our life and breath"

How God blessed me today - July 29, 2006

I am blessed because,

For one, I am not addicted to alcohol, like Mel Gibson, although there was a time in my life when I was sent to an alcohol rehab because of my excessive drinking. I hope that Mr. Gibson will surrender his life to Christ and get some help for his addiction.

I am blessed today because Jesus Christ gave me the "exousian" which is Greek for "power" to become a child of God. He did this because I have believed in His name. So what?

Well, this among other things, gives me a right perspective on life. Sadly, I read recently about a person who lost this.

His name was Charles Brady and he was a retired NASA astronaut. Capt. Brady lived what the world would call an amazing life - he was a doctor, a pilot with the Blue Angels, a test pilot and an astronaut with hundreds of hours of space flight time. Yet, two weeks ago, Capt. Brady took his own life.
What went wrong? Well, sadly, thousands of people do this every day in our country and much of it is linked to depression by the media. I am going to say something here which, if anyone else read this would be misconstrued, but despression isn't the root cause of suicide. Sin is.

Every human being who has ever lived on this planet is full of sin. But not every person commits suicide. Why not? Well, sometimes, sin's effect is that it warps our bodies and causes defects which we cannot control without the supernatural power of God. Sin, makes a brain designed by God for goodness, love, joy and mercy to develop powerful thoughts of rage, anger, jealousy, murder and fear, sometimes through the complex image and signalling system of the mind and sometimes under the influence of chemical reactions.

Sometime's sin's effect is to weaken our faith and open the door for demonic influence - "voices" as it were which encourage us to do harmful things. For the unbeliever, these forces cannot be countered - no human has the power to overcome the devil.

For a believer, the wondrous news is that the devil has already been overcome - by Jesus Christ. His sentence has been passed - eternal punishment, but it has been delayed until an appointed time, which I happen to think is rapidly approaching, based upon Matthew 25.

Capt. Brady was overcome by sin. We all are at times, yet this time, he could not counteract its effect and it took his life. This doesn't make him any more of a "bad" person than anyone else. He isn't worse than I am, he was just overcome. I hope that he knew the Savior of the world personally before he died, which is the only thing that eternally matters.

I write this to remind us that the things which this world believes are important are eternally trivial. Imagine for a moment that you know you will live for 1,000 years. Will you really remember what you did when you were 30? I think not; this would be analagous to my remembering what I did when I was 6 minutes old; I simply cannot recall.

Now imagine that at 1,000 years of age you will not even have begun to live a new life of eternal joy and praise to God. This is exciting: think about how wise you might be had you been born in the year 965 instead of 1965. Emperor Peter I ruled Rome and europe was preparing to enter into a darkness known as the Middle Ages. You would have lived through the battle of Hastings in 1066, and seen the end of the Roman Empire. You would have lived through the rise of the French Empire under Napoleon, the Feudal wars of Japan and Russia, and the emergence of the Tsars. You would have seen the growth of Spain as it conquered the "New World" and you would have seen the rise of the British Empire upon which it was said, the "sun never set".

You would have seen the development of a new nation called "America" and watched as it defeated the great world power - England. Then you would have watched as it plunged itself into bloody civil war, killing more than 600,000 of its best and brightest young men. You would have seen as this new nation grew, and developed and lived through the great Industrial Revolution. You might have met George Washington Carver, Thomas Edison, Nicola Tesla or Michael Faraday. You would have watched as the nations of the world gathered to end the capture of europe by Germany - twice in the same century. You would have seen the towering mushroom clouds of destruction as they loomed over Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

You would have seen America dive into wars in Vietnam and Korea. You would have seen tremendous political upheaval and the launching of an all-out war against unborn babies. You would have watched as communism collapsed in the Soviet Union and as China began to open to the west.

If you had experienced all of this, would your like be consumed by the trivialities of daily life, or would your focus be less time-centered and more event or purpose centered? I think the latter.

The crux of the matter is that we all will live for eternity. Some will live in a paradise created by God for those who obey His command to believe in His Son, Jesus Christ as their salvation. Those who refuse to do this, will have chosen to spend eternity without God. There is only one place which fits this description, and we call it hell. It somehow is filled with flame, and brings about unending torture through the revelation of a persons true selfishness - without end, or conscience. Imagine yourself at your worst moment, in a fit of rage, passion or lust, what you might be capable of. Now imagine living in this state forever, with no hope of reprieve - coupled with a gnawing pain which will not go away.

I hate talking about hell, but I do it because Jesus spent alot of time talking about it. Hell, you know wasn't created for humans - it was made for a fallen angel named satan. But those who choose to follow him, by denying Jesus Christ, will follow him into his eternal punishment, which is what he wants most of all - misery really does love company.

Put aside Hell forever. Wash away your anxiety that you will be faced with this future. Do this by trusting in the Son of God, Jesus Christ to save you from this fate. All you have to do is ask.

How God blessed me today - July 23, 2006

God blessed me today because:

I have 3 healthy children. I don't take this for granted, but neither do I forget to thank my Father in heaven who gives them health.

My children all help my wife and I each month when we care for handicapped children so their parents can have a night out. This event is called "breakout" and is sponsored by Sugar Creek Baptist Church and is the brainchild of Ms. Barbara Waldhuber - a woman who loves children and the lord.

Because they work with children who suffer from Spina biffida, CP, autism, and many other undiagnosable illnesses, they understand how blessed they are and how blessed the other children are to be uniquely created in the manner in which they were made.

I am blessed because I have the honor and privilege of watching God guide my life. When I make foolish mistakes, He doesn't abandon or berate me - He gives me wisdom and sometimes correction, but most often hidden joy, so that I won't continue in my sin.

I am blessed because today in church, our children learned the parable of the talents in Matthew Chapter 25. This passage is very often misrepresented in churches today, because most expositors of this text think it focuses singularly on money. And, while the talent was a form of currency known to the first century hearers of Jesus' message, He wasn't speaking only about money and neither was He excluding it from the perview of His message. The bottom line is this: that God has given each of us gifts and talents and He expects us to use them for His glory - not ours. To use them for our own vainglory is blasphemy and greed of the highest order and will not go unpunished.

I remember an interview of the wife of some author, whose name I cannot remember. He apparently was the first American author to incorporate sex into mainstream literature and his racy novels were made into films which made him immensely rich. He would host parties on his yacht replete with cocaine and playboy bunnies.

When the interviewer asked his wife how she felt after his death, she said "I am the most miserable woman in the world." However, she was not speaking of the death of her husband as the occassion for her misery. She went on to explain how for decades, she sat by and watched as her husband paraded around the world with models and playmates, disregarding his wife and family. She felt as if she had spent her whole life for nothing. She also said that he had died miserably, in terrible pain and torment from a bout with cancer.

His cancer and her misery did not occur by mistake. When we use our gifts only for our own pleasure, that pleasure will last for a season. But eventually the season will end and tragedy will strike. This is not to say that tragedy doesn't strike those who are obedient to God - it often does. But such tragedy does not strike the faithful without purpose as it does those who are outside the will of God.

I would urge anyone who happens upon this blog to seek God earnestly and seek His blessings in your life. You can do this right where you are sitting. All you have to do is ask Him.

How God blessed me today - July 20, 2006

Well, I am awake!

Also, a friend of mine who was diagnosed with lung cancer was prayed for by his church and now there is not lung cancer. PET scans are wonderful.

My wife has decided to shut down her custom drapery company, as she is just not a businesswoman. Some people would be sad about this because it really had great potential (her clients loved her so much they even offered to fly her to their vacation homes to do the drapes for them), but her heart isn't in it. If your heart isn't in something then you are wasting your time doing it. I am proud of her for realizing this and facing it instead of trudging through life doing something she doesn't want to do.

I am blessed because I have friends.

I was blessed today because another family which we had prayed for (as have many, many others) received a great gift from the Lord which lifted them up and helped them get back onto the right path.

I was blessed today to receive a letter from my friend in Northern Iraq. He is doing a great work for God and is persevering in the midst of some very tough times.

American evangelicalism is giving Christianity a bad name. There are bright spots, mainly among some younger groups, but by and large, ours is a nation filled with largesse, gluttony and greed, and I am not speaking of the pagan population. Some have the misguided notion that to express our gratitude for God's blessings is to pander to an outward desire to be heard, or somehow to demonstrate some form of spiritual superiority. Actually, vocalizing God's blessings is commanded by sacred scripture and if my eschatology and Koine Greek are near correct, has been practiced since eternity past by the Angels in heaven, the four living creatures, (whom I now think represent creation) and by the 24 Elders seated around the throne of God in the book of Revelation.

To express our thanksgiving to God is a natural response of redeemed sinners who have no other material way of thanking Him - we can't offer Him anything. David put it this way, "What shall I render to the LORD For all His benefits toward me?
I will take up the cup of salvation,
And call upon the name of the LORD.
I will pay my vows to the LORD
Now in the presence of all His people. (Psalm 116)

Shouldn't we do the same?

How God blessed me today - July 20, 2006

Well, I am awake!

Also, a friend of mine who was diagnosed with lung cancer was prayed for by his church and now there is not lung cancer. PET scans are wonderful.

My wife has decided to shut down her custom drapery company, as she is just not a businesswoman. Some people would be sad about this because it really had great potential (her clients loved her so much they even offered to fly her to their vacation homes to do the drapes for them), but her heart isn't in it. If your heart isn't in something then you are wasting your time doing it. I am proud of her for realizing this and facing it instead of trudging through life doing something she doesn't want to do.

I am blessed because I have friends.

I was blessed today because another family which we had prayed for (as have many, many others) received a great gift from the Lord which lifted them up and helped them get back onto the right path.

I was blessed today to receive a letter from my friend in Northern Iraq. He is doing a great work for God and is persevering in the midst of some very tough times.

American evangelicalism is giving Christianity a bad name. There are bright spots, mainly among some younger groups, but by and large, ours is a nation filled with largesse, gluttony and greed, and I am not speaking of the pagan population. Some have the misguided notion that to express our gratitude for God's blessings is to pander to an outward desire to be heard, or somehow to demonstrate some form of spiritual superiority. Actually, vocalizing God's blessings is commanded by sacred scripture and if my eschatology and Koine Greek are near correct, has been practiced since eternity past by the Angels in heaven, the four living creatures, (whom I now think represent creation) and by the 24 Elders seated around the throne of God in the book of Revelation.

To express our thanksgiving to God is a natural response of redeemed sinners who have no other material way of thanking Him - we can't offer Him anything. David put it this way, "What shall I render to the LORD For all His benefits toward me?
I will take up the cup of salvation,
And call upon the name of the LORD.
I will pay my vows to the LORD
Now in the presence of all His people. (Psalm 116)

Shouldn't we do the same?

How God blessed me today - July 18, 2006

Here's how God blessed me today:

For one thing, I was not born an Arab in Jordan or Israel to a fanatical muslim family.

Two, I was born in America, where we have the ability to worship as we please (for the time being).

I was blessed to eat today as well as walk and see. I also have all of my faculties and am healthy by God's grace.

God blessed me today because He has told me history in advance - this is called "prophecy" in the Bible. No, I am not a prophet, and I do not have the gift of prophecy, as outlined in Ephesians 4:11 in the Bible. But I do know what is going to happen in history. One day, perhaps soon, conflict and evil will advance to such a state that people cannot believe what is happening. Then, someone, somewhere, will emerge upon the world's stage and be hailed as a great peacemaker - offering to quell the world's violence and offer peace to Israel and the Arabs. At some point during this process, I will be out of here, because Jesus Christ, who is God, will return and take me with Him. Then literally, all Hell will break loose.

Imagine Al Queda without restraint, child molesters without prisons or police and rapists without civil or criminal law. That's what it will be like. Then this peace person will convince the world to appoint him ruler over everyone and he will declare martial law to end the violence and restore some peace. People will love it and him. But after 3 1/2 years, he will turn nasty and declare himself to be God - and demand that people worship him. Thos who don't will be killed instantly.

All the while, I'll be in heaven having a feast with Jesus and all the other believers. (hope they have Chick-fil-a chakes there - they are awesome)

Anyway, you can be blessed in this manner also, by reading the Bible books of Daniel, Ezekiel, 1 Thessalonians and the book of Matthew. Then you too can know history in advance.

God blessed me today by letting me out of physics class early to study for my huge exam tomorrow. (Harmonic motion, electromotive forces, electric field theory and stuff like that)

I wish that everyone would be blessed as I am. St. Paul told the Roman governor Festus that he wished he (Festus) would be just like Paul and follow Jesus. If you notice, I said "would" not "could". Anyone "can" be blessed. Not everyone wants to be, which really puzzles me.

To be blessed as I am requires only that you put all of your hope, faith and trust in Jesus Christ as your eternal savior. Nothing less and nothing more.

How God blessed me today - July 16, 2006

I am going to talk about how God blessed me today, but before I do, I must address the 1 person who actually reads this blog besides me (anonymous Chris).

I write here because I am too lazy to use a pen and write in my prayer journal. Plus, perhaps in some small way, if CHrist does come soon, those who are not taken up with the Lord will see this and have some idea of who He is and what He has done.

God blessed me today because he allowed me to attend a church service where the Pastor preached about the benefits of Christ. The Roman church calls these things the "merits" of Christ, but they do not understand how to achieve them. The only way, is to believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, that He died on a cross and that God raised Him from the dead. Other than that, you are wasting oxygen.

God blessed me today because he allowed me to eat a nice, healthy lunch.

God blessed me today because even though the world is in an almost global state of war, I and my family have no fear. I don't own a gun or even a bow and arrow. You know, if I may digress, when I think back on my earlier life, how disobedient I was, it's amazing that God can be so merciful. When I was much younger, serving in the military and afterwards, I participated in military shooting competition and self-defense courses. I followed Jim Cirillo who as a NYC cop survived more than 200 gunfights. In fact, I even had custom-made bullets, mimicking his, which would kill a horse instantly. I carried a H&K USP 45 custom in a custom-designed invisible holster that I even wore with gym shorts and no one could ever tell I had a gun. I used to practise until within 1.5 seconds, I could draw this pistol and hit a bullseye at 40 feet. I would practise, telling myself that one day I may be in a store or restaurant when some freak entered and tried to rob me - and I would kill him.

This is what Jesus meant when He said, "Hearing you will hear and shall not understand,And seeing you will see and not perceive;" (Matthew 13:14). I heard the bible and saw what was written in it but I didn't understand what it literally said.

I wasn't a law-enforcement officer, nor a soldier, just a foolish man. But God didn't strike me down or turn me into a porcupine. Instead, He waited and brought others into my life to tell me the truth of His Son and how I should live. I'm not saying that no one should defend themselves who is a Christian. C.S. Lewis wrote an excellent book entitled, "Why I am not a pacifist" on this subject. But no Christian should live as I lived, hoping and training for violence. You can't turn the other cheek to someone while you are carrying a weapon that would instantly kill them.

God blessed me today because I am a Gentile and I was born during the "time of the Gentiles". This means that God could have had me born in first-century Israel as a Jew, where most likely I would have rejected His Messiah, like most other Jews did and have. Instead, He has allowed me to become "grafted in" so to speak into His original human family - the Jewish nation, because they rejected His Son. One day, they won't reject Him anymore, but we have no idea when that will be.

God blessed me today because He has given me faith. I really don't have any idea how I am gong to pay for upcoming school costs, medical school registration, courses, etc. I only know that I am a child of the King of the Universe and He has made a way for me too many times to even count.

God blessed me today because at church we had a baby dedication.

God blessed me today because we took my 92 year old grandmother to church with us.

God blessed me today because He has given us refrigerant to recharge the A/C in our car.

God blessed me today because He has allowed me to pray for my friends in Pakistan.

This morning's sermon was on the benefits of being a child of God. There are many, among them, peace, kindness, gentleness, patience, love, meekness, etc. People who are not followers of Jesus Christ cannot have these benefits. Of course, there are non-Christians who say, "I want peace", but they either follow a religion which does not or they do not understand what peace actually is. Peace is not the absence of violence. Peace is an all-encompassing love for others flowing from the fountain of God. Sure, Buddhists and Hindu's pray for peace, but step on their toes and they will seek revenge just as would any other "normal" person. But Jesus said, this is not to be so for His followers. Peace is asking yourself, "will I offer my only blanket to that cold person even though I am cold?" and then acting upon it.

You can have this kind of peace, but only by following Jesus Christ. I didn't make up this rule - He did. If you disagree, you'll have to take it up with Him. But, if you are willing to endure a bit of advice - take it up with Him BEFORE you die. Afterward, you will be out of options.

How God blessed me today - July 15, 2006

I woke up again! Lest you think that I am abusing this statement as a blessing - please think again. Scripture commands us to, "Therefore know this day, and consider it in your heart, that the LORD Himself is God in heaven above and on the earth beneath; there is no other." And yes, for those of you who unlearned the eternity of Christ at your local theological cemetary, I do know the context within which this verse was spoken. We are to consider each day and know that God is in charge of it. I am thankful for yet another.

I got to have a free brunch with some friends who are apartment missionaries in a community nearby. (I am what is known as a food freeloader). I also got to serve some people and make waffles!

I got to talk with Raja who is from Pakistan. He is going to high school here and I have shared with him my experiences in Pakistan. Hopefully he will learn to follow Christ soon.

I got to eat some yummy cake and free pizza!!

My friend gave me a gas-powered weed eater. Previously, he gave me a leaf blower and a mulching lawn mower. No, I didn't ask- he asked me. I do not look for opportunities to do yard work.

I got another huge cucumber from my garden.

Yesterday I suddenly developed some terrible intestinal cramping and the accompanying bathroom-related symptoms. Today, I am munching cake and pizza!!!

Today while workin on my physics lab, I listened to a lecture from Richard Feynman. While he was wrong about God (I hope he changed his mind before he died!) he was brilliant and explains the nature of photons and particle theory better than anyone. You can listen to his lectures here: http://www.vega.org.uk/video/programme/45

If you can read this - you were blessed by God today. Have you thanked Him?

How God blessed me today - July 13, 2006

God blessed me today because:

1. I woke up again!
2. I didn't have to go to trial, for something I didn't do! (passing a loading schoolbus)
3. I got to spend 5 hours with some mega-rowdy special needs kids. My kid o' the day was Andres, a 12 year old with down's syndrome and genetic diabetes. He was non-stop energy and beligerence and unfortunately, he had to go to "time out" for 5 minutes. The really funny part was, that he was crying the biggest fake cry on earth and then I asked, "Are you hungry" and immediately he stopped crying and plainly said, "yep!" Everyone laughed.

4. I got to pet a wallaby and a baby deer and a not-yet-smelly pig.
5. I learned that Hulk Hogan is 52.
6. I met with Prof. France Brown at CBS and had a neat discussion about grading papers.
7. I got to talk with my pal Wendell Smith. Wendell once lived under a bridge and he isn't a billy-goat. He was a homeless drug addict. Now Wendell is half-way through a bachelor's degree at America's best bible college www.cbshouston.edu.

8. I got to talk to my brother
9. I got to pray for a man I knew who was at the gym a week ago and passed out. His family will be signing a DNR order for him as his brain electrochemical function is zero. This is a direct testimony that you had better know where your eternal reservations are and have your ticket in hand because all tickets to eternity are one-way and non-refundable. Do you know where you will spend eternity? Are you absolutely sure? If someone were to place a revolver between your eyes and say, see you in eternity, sucka, would you be terrified or just frightened? (Terrified is when you don't know what will happen next)

10. I got a free lunch of a yummy sandwich.
11. I was able to put gas into my car.
12. I have a car! Which by the way was given to me by God. "How on earth could God give you a car" you say? Well, I had no car, and then my wife and I prayed and asked God if we could have one, and then shortly thereafter someone called and said, "I don't know why, but I just want to give you my car." This person graciously gave us his car - and I'm not even sure he believes in God. I hope he does.
13. I was able to listen to a pretty cool sermon by Neil McClendon of Grand Parkway former Baptist church, now Elder led, or something like that. I vicariously know Neil through my brother Terry.

14. I have been invited to a video game tournament at the luxurious home of a Houston welathy person. I don't know if I can go, but this will be the bomb = tons of networked XBOX 360's playing in team matches on big screens, with unlimited refreshments.

15. I learned that my friend Carol's son Chris is away visiting and she has some time to herself. This is important because Chris is an adult with CP (he is a BIG adult) and it takes alot out of his mom to care for him.


Remember, you too can receive God's blessings - but you have to know Him first. You know Him by believing in His Son, Jesus Christ. That's it - no religion, no ceremony, no fanfare necessary - just true belief.

ttfn

July 12, 2006

Does God really bless me every day? Absolutely, and I'll tell you how right here. All truth, and no baloney.


Today God blessed me because I woke up. According to various sources, anywhere from 150,000 to 200,000 people die every day around the world.

Today God blessed me because I woke up next to my wife of 18 years. Nearly 50% of those who marry in America will stop having to wake up next to someone they love.

Today God blessed me because I know Chris Chavez, who, although short, is pretty cool. He needs a wife though.

Today God blessed me because I prayed yesterday for relief from a trial that I was to attend. I was accused of a traffic violation which I didn't commit (a BIG one - not having to do with alcohol or drugs or guns) and I was sweating the preparation. Then, as I was studying physics, my attorney called and said it was postponed indefinitely.

Today God blessed me because I have 3 children who love me and who obey me.

Today God blessed me because I am able to understand the physics of wave motion, harmonics and sound.

Today God blessed me because even though it is 94 degrees and 60% humidity, I was able to run 2+ miles.

Today God blessed me because I had food to eat and water to drink. Millions don't www.water.cc

Today God blessed me because I work with a group trying to end suffering in very sad places. www.innovativehs.net

Today God blessed me because my friend Greg encouraged me on my way to medical school.
www.colonyheart.com

God wants to bless you too! All you have to do is ask.

What class looks like

If one wants to know what class looks like, one need look no further than Dallas Mavericks coach, Avery Johnson. Watch his interview following their loss to the Miami Heat in game 6. No excuses, no whining, all praise and a determination to come back again - all done with class, no profanity, uncouth innuendos or anything unnecessary. I am a BIG Pat Riley fan and very glad that the heat won, but you cannot get more class and professionalism than Avery Johnson. Know why he acts that way?

Dearest Cynthia

My Dear Cynthia,

Thank you so much for the time we spend during this latest recess. It was a much needed break for me and my staff; we are so burdened by the needs of the nation as well as our constituency. Of course, Capital Hill is abuzz about Jefferson's freezer - I wish the idiot had more sense than to leave money in such an obvious place. Now, of course, the media is hot on the topic of corruption - but it will fade away, as always, since our allies in the media know this sort of thing touches them as well (we all know how deep our relationship with the Times goes). I don't think anything will come of Jeffersons' case; even the Majority Leader was upset at the unprecedented breach of protocol by the executive branch. Granted, the FBI did have a Federal warrant, but we will still play the "separation of powers" card until this thing goes away. Pretty sure Jefferson will lose his committee appointments at least for the time being.

What luck we have had my dear in avoiding even the appearance of impropriety - the right friends can be a tremendous blessing!

What I hope the American public never loses sight of is the need for superlative human beings like us to lead them. Because we are the rightful heirs of this government, we deserve the rights which accrue to such leaders; financial and otherwise. The Majority leader knows this, which is why he is so angered by the frivolous investigation into his stock trades. Sure, he owns the nations largest health care agency, which is also Medicare's largest contractor, but it is precisely people like him we need in government - movers and shakers! Can you imagine a carpenter or plumber being a congressman?

Another example is Al Mohallan. Just because a man of his caliber can earn huge amounts of money while in office, does it need to be invesitgated? It states nowhere in the Constitution that congressmen must be poor. By the way, honey, we are invited on another exquisite trip, private jet and all - I'll call you to give you the details, but it is going to be the best yet.

Well, I must run - the work never ends, as you well know. I'll call tonight.

Dear Cynthia

The following series is a fictitious correspondence between a U.S. Congressman and his wife. Any similarity to real persons, contrived, cloned or otherwise actually breathing is purely coincidental and unintended.

My dearest Cynthia,

What a week I've had. As you know, this week we set our collective minds on health care for the American people. I think that if we play our cards right, the speaker will select me to chair a new committee on this subject. You know what that means..... perhaps another junket to Aruba. (we learned so much last time we were there!)

Anyway, what is so amazing to me is the fact that our poll numbers continue to show that the average Joe doesn't understand a thing about what we are trying to accomplish here; and that's good for us and good for America. Some crazy history teacher sent my Washington office a placard with a speech by George Washington on it, talking about liberty and the need to be careful about political parties and private ambition. Everyone knows that during the 17th century, the average person was illiterate and only a group of elite persons chosen by fate could have put together something as bold as America. Today, dear, as we both know, is no different. Imagine, the average, uneducated factory worker trying to dictate policy to someone like you and I who understand government so well, because we actually live it.

At our committee session on healthcare today the speaker wanted to be sure we were all on the same page - that a national system, empowered and managed by the federal government (congress) was the only viable solution for the nation's uninsured. We expect opposition from doctors of course - poor suckers won't know what hit them, and none of us are sure how we will draft them into the new national service, but we have some sharp people working on how to make that happen. On that note, I met a young policy man today who worked on the Iraqi civil corps and I think he would do well as a part of our healthcare coalition - he has the right connections (wealthy parents) and could serve us well in the future. I had hoped, but never dreamed that we would earn so much money in government. I know that you feel it is still unjust compensation for all the time we must spend apart.

I think a federal health system can be one of my most impacting lifetime achievements. Don't worry, we aren't going to be a part of the system (just like taxes and compensation).

Honey, i really feel good about this - our poll numbers are showing that the American people want government to handle the big things for them - so they can spend time with family, at work, etc. and won't have to worry about them. We will have to deal with the individual rights crowd to be sure, but I don't think they can muster enough opposition to stop us. With both houses of congress and the President on our side, I feel fairly confident we can make this happen.

give my love to Trish and Mike and tell them that I will fly in on Sunday.

Love,

Richard.

The Da Vinci code and Christian silliness

The media-fed frenzy over Dan Brown's "Da Vinci Code" novel continues unabated and fortunately for Mr. Brown and the producer's of the upcoming film, the profits likewise grow. My question this week is, "Why is the "Christian" world so up in arms over a silly book? " I haven't read Mr. Brown's book, and I don't intend to, and it seems very strange to me that people who claim to believe in the God of the Christian faith would be so put off and even downright angry about a book. Even more ridiculous is the fact that all over America people are taking valuable preaching time in pulpits from Maryland to California, addressing this work of fiction - engrossing and articulate thought it may be.

What is all the furor about?

Basically, if one reads media related to "Christian" topics, one would be led to believe that God is nervously biting his anthopomorphical finger nails wondering whether or not people will still believe in Him after the Da Vinci Code film comes out. Today's media would have one think that the Bible is somehow now irrelevant because of a work of fiction by an apparently talented author. While Mr. Brown's book does not demonstrate either of these things, what is does demonstrate is the absurdly weak belief system of anyone who claims to be a Christian and is effected by this book or film. What one who is worried about the Da Vinci Code, and claiming to be a Christian is really saying is "I don't have enought faith to allow me to really believe what I say I believe".

I have a hypothesis. I can't prove it which is why it is a hypothesis. My idea is that God wants the Da Vinci Code to become as popular as possible because He wants people to see how little they really believe in Him. What will the "Christian" world do when the next big book or movie comes out, claiming that Jesus was secretly a Raelian and was raised by hamsters until the coming of the summer solstice. How lame are we if we question our belief system simply because of a fictional book? Very lame.

For those of you who claim Christianity and are afraid of this book - get a life. If you have ever read the book of Romans (it's in the Bible) or Genesis, or any other book for that matter and you still have so little faith that you can be swept away by the next "big" thing, you have some serious repenting and praying to do. God isn't intimidated by the next fad. And He died in part so you wouldn't be either.

Lastly, let me save you some valuable money. Quit enriching lame "Christian" authors who write stupid books like "How to answer the Da Vinci Code" or "The truth about the Da Vinci Code'. Take the money you would waste on garbage literature like this and buy some bibles with it to pass out to others. Then start reading yours. You don't need Lee Strobel or any other monkey to help you understand the Bible - it's even translated into your language, whatever that may be.

If someone comes up to you (which they won't) and says "You know, I was reading the Da Vinci Code and it said that Jesus was really a pumpkin ", having actually read your bible, you can answer "No, but if you'd like to learn who He really is, I'd be happy to tell you" Instead of shaking with fear and running to your local minister and asking him "was Jesus REALLY a pumpkin?"

If you have lived in America for any length of time and I approached you and said, "America is the most underdeveloped, impoverished nation I have ever seen." you would probably ask me if I had smoked crack lately. This should be your reaction when people challenge what you SHOULD know to be true about God. Let children read silly books like the Da vinci code and believe them. Get to know the one, true God and let childish games be played on everyone else - don't waste your valuable time with them.

What to do about Iran

For the Christian, these are very exciting times, indeed! For the non-Christian, the world seems a very scary place right now.

The very obvious:
Today, President Ahmadinijab of Iran announced that Iran's scientific authority has successfully enriched Uranium. He announced that Iran was entering into a new age of scientific enlightenment and entering the "nuclear age". Almost immediately, the U.S. government issued a statement denouncing this latest advance in technology for Iran and restating President Bush's assertion that Iran is a terrorist state and foments Islamic terrorism.

To parallel or not to parallel:

Iran has of late been compared to many things, mostly pre-war Germany, (for most people who know no history, before 1938 Germany was making overtures and a young Austrian corporal named Adolph was making very nationalistic statements about Germany and threatening statements about the rest of Europe) and of course Iran's president is often compared to Hitler, mostly for the statements he has made regarding Israel (he wants them to be "wiped off" of the earth).

Some have made the argument that Iran is more akin to the Soviet Union than pre-war Germany; a strategic enemy, but one which doesn't pose an immediate, tactical threat. While both of these comparisons have some merit, the Soviet comparison fails on several fronts, mainly:

1.The soviets never possessed a viable economic engine. Iran has vast oil reserves and sits very close to all of the rest of the world's major oil reserves.
2. The Soviets did not have immediate access to the major financial markets of the world. Iran, should it attack the oil fields in the Middle East would send the world markets into a tailspin.
3. For 1/2 the year, the Soviets were frozen. Iran doesn't freeze. This sounds odd, but strategic and even tactical exercises in the Baltic and North Sea are very difficult in mid-winter, let alone operating in the White sea or at the fleet yards in places like Novosibirsk. Iran has access to all warm water ports.
4. While the Soviets hated the Jews, there were tens of millions of them in their country. Iran hates the Jews and there aren't any living in their country.
5. only in Kruschev's bizarre boast did the Soviets threaten the west. Iran's President is making a habit of it.
6. The Soviets never held Americans as hostages. Iran held our men and women for 6 months during the Carter fiasco.

So, what do we do?

Neville Chamberlain has been given the moniker of "coward" by history for his coddling of Hitler, but I'm not sure he deserves such a harsh condemnation. He strove for "peace in our time" and I don't know if England was strategically ready to do anything about Hitler before he had gained power. Churchill thought so, but hindsight is always 20/20. Bush has been anything but a "peaceful" president. I voted twice for Mr. Bush, in part because of his determination to protect our nation. This determination has, however, squarely placed us in the center of hatred for much of the world.

Can the world sit idly by while Iran makes nuclear weapons? (I am assuming no one reading this is foolish enough to believe that they want nuclear power only for electricity) Pakistan and india have them. Diplomacy with Pakistan has been achieved. Also with India. But neither Paksitan nor India have the ability to fire their weapons at either U.S. interests or strategic world economic interests. Pakistan and India have also never declared their intention to destroy another nation (one another excluded). Iran's new long-range missiles could hit shipping targets in the Persian Gulf.

To my mind, the question one must ask is, "will Iran make good on its threats?" Today, prior to the development of a strategic bomb, this question is moot, because Iran cannot make good on its threats. But if they have the ability to detonate a nuclear weapon, the argument shifts from "can", back to "will". it is very difficult to predict what someone "will" do. Could anyone have known that Tim McVeigh would blow up a federal building, or Sirhan, Sirhan kill President Kennedy? Of course not, the human mind and heart are "deceitfully wicked" regardless of where a person is born. So, if Iran "can" attempt to destroy Israel and the U.S. , "will" they?

I do not think so. Here's my reasoning:

1. A pre-emptive nuclear strike on the U.S. means instant annhialation. I once worked with nuclear weapons and we can and have used them. Were Iran to sink a tanker of ours in the gulf, they would quickly find themselves searching through the rubble of their former cities. They know this.
2. Islamic terror is carried out by children, not leaders. The President of Iran isn't going to strap himself to a nuke and fire it at Tel-Aviv or Baghdad. Firing nuclear weapons is a strategic option reserved for leadership. They will continue to send terrorists into Iraq and around the world, but their leadership (just like the Baathist's in Iraq) doesn't want to die any more than Arafat did.
3.The people of Iran are ready for a change. If the Iranian people thought the U.S wouldn't hang them out to dry (which we would) they would overthrow the government tomorrow. No one in their right mind actually wants a Sharia-Islamic government, these governments are imposed on people - not chosen. I suspect the leaders in Iran know this also, and will walk a very tight line between threat and action.


How I could be wronger than Oprah on marriage:

Israel.

If Israel pre-emptively strikes Iran - all bets are off. The Israeli's are in a very tough spot. If, for example, Canada had invaded the U.S. 30 years ago and swore to do so again, and we found out they were building a nuclear bomb - we would strike them. This is the position Israel is in. Iran pays for Hezbollah and now Hamas who kill Israeli children in suicide bombing episodes. Iran supported Egypt, Syria, and the others who invaded Israel in the Yom Kippur and days wars. Iran has recently reiterated its desire to see Israel destroyed as a nation. Will Israel allow Iran to develop a nuclear weapon?

No. Israel cannot gamble the lives of 5 million people on the POSSIBILITY that Iran would not threaten them. So I believe they will not allow Iran to develop a nuclear bomb.

Russia won't sit idly by:
Russia has been punked twice in the last 20 years by the U.S. First, they lost all of their new hardware in the first Gulf war and then they recently lost the rest of their new hardware in the second gulf war. Saddam had not paid for what Russia gave him. Russia is supplying the technology and materials to Iran (along with the stupid French) for their nuclear programme. Russia won't sit by as Israel destroys the multi-billion dollar system Russia is building in Iran. What will they do?

The Russian options:
Option 1: attack Israel. if this happens, I'll be standing on my front lawn looking straight up, because the end of the world is near and Jesus will be coming back for me, by His Grace. Russian may send its air forces and fleets to bomb Israel.

Option II: Russia may encourage the remainder of the middle east (Egypt, Syria, Jordan, Lebanon) to attack Israel with the promise of weaponry. All of these countries combined could not destroy Israel, (in fact, God won't allow anyone to completely destroy Israel) and Russia knows this so I think the only reason they would choose this is to avoid open war with the U.S.

Solution:

I wish the leaders of Israel, Iran and the U.S. could meet in Idaho and have lunch and agree to support one another. This isn't going to happen. So, you and I, if we are thinking adults, for any eventuality. The only way to do this is to be prepared for death, because this is the last eventuality. The only way to be prepared for death is to know what will happen to you when it comes. We must KNOW, not GUESS or WONDER. i encourage you to try the Christian scriptures. Read them, investigate them and see if they are not true. Ask Jesus to make Himself known to you - and do it sincerely. You'll be amazed if you do and I will be happy to see you when the world finally destroys itself and we meet in a wonderful place called heaven. But heaven is an exclusive club, the reservations for which must be made here on earth and the only ticket which will admit you or I is our faith in Jesus Christ.

Should there be competition?

I no longer believe in competition. In fact, like Chesterton, Belloc and others, I am fast becoming a distributist. But this article isn't about distributism, it is about competition; specifically, in children's sport, should there be any?

Just yesterday, while I was extolling the virstues of a unique sport league for young children which specifically removes heavy-handed competitiveness (everyone plays, everyone has the opportunity to score, no one is labeled a "winner" nor "loser"), the person to whom I was speaking, developed a stern glare, placed his hands upon his hips and reminded me that "there comes a time in everyone's life when they need to learn that there are winners and there are losers."

Is this true? What does the Bible say about it?

If one is considering the existence of persons who "win" or "lose", then yes, this is true. Jesus said things like, "the poor you will have with you always" (Matthew 26:11) and "The rulers of the Gentiles Lord it over them" (Matthew 20:25), informing His audience and us that there were and will be those who exercise authority, often undeserved - the "winners" of this life. But one must not stop reading at this verse, for in the following stamement, Jesus admonishes His disciples that, "It should not be this way with you". In fact, Jesus made sure that His followers knew that in order to be considered a "winner" in His kingdom, one had to become a "loser" on earth. In American parlance, winners are not beaten, cursed, reviled, tormented, put upon and downtrodden, yet this was precisely the lot of Jesus followers in His day and is frequently the lot of his true followers today. Jesus never said, "to win is the ultimate goal". Rather, He said, "He who would be greatest in the kingdom of God must be the servant of everyone". (Matthew 18:1-3)

Obviously, Jesus wasn't hip to America. If He were here, He would be Jesus, CEO, right?

Wrong. I think Jesus weeps when He thinks about our country and what we have made of it. Yet, as the gentleman to whom I was speaking suggested, "Isn't competition healthy? Doesn't it promote a successful marketplace?"

Competition as in anything devoid of Christ is evil at best and destructive at worst. Capitalism without Christ is far worse than communism for it pretends to offer a path of prosperity and fairness to its participants, when in reality it rewards the strong and punishes the weak. Communism, while a wretched system, at least does not pretend to be fair - communists are avowedly self-centered, and the communist system is understood as such.

Competition in sport for youth mirrors this. When children are rewarded for winning in the western sense, then another is punished for losing. This is ungodly and doesn't help either the child labeled a "winner" or "loser". Think if you will of the 12 Apostles. Although we have no physical descriptions of any of them, (for good reason - Romanists have worshipped them without knowing what they looked like. Can you imagine how things would be if we knew how they appeared?) Some were undoubtedly tall, others short. Some were perhaps strong, others weak. Some handsome, others not. Peter's behavior was brash and James and John were bold enough to desire to rule over the others but were cowardly enough to get their mom to ask for them. But Jesus didn't pick some over others. To each He gave instruction and we know that some received tasks which others didn't (John was to care for Mary, Peter would begin Christ's church) but even Judas who betrayed Jesus wasn't singled out - even though it was known to Jesus that he was a thief and stole money from the Apostles. Did the lack of purposed competition cause these men to become weak-minded do-nothings? On the contrary, through them the church of Christ gained the whole of the world. All of them save John would die a martyr's death without renouncing their faith or purpose.

What has competition given us today? Barry Bonds, Mark McGwire, Lyle Alzado, etc. etc. In business competition has given us Ken Lay, Michael Milkin and T.Boone Pickens. In government, competition has given us Richard Nixon, Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, and on and on. Does it seem as if competition is working?

Recently, I talked with an amazing man who has developed a non-competitive soccer league. Pele was his model. He told me that at age 17 Pele led Brazil to its first world cup. They win almost every year. Why? No competetive leagues - chidren kick soccer balls everywhere they go because they love doing it.

I prefer Jesus' method where everyone is equal in His eyes and everyone is loved regardless of their ability or skill. Competition isn't God's way and it isn't helping our nation or the world. Find something you love and something which will let you serve God and do your best and forget competing against others, for one day each of us will lose the battle against death and then it will not have mattered.

Teaching - some people just shouldn't do it.

As a college student again, having aged considerably since my first foray into post-secondary education, I have come to the conclusion that most persons have no business trying to make a living as a teacher. In fact, some persons who are currently filling the position of instructor or professor, really ought to be mushroom farming or working as the video editor on "how to irritate people - part II".

Since very few ever take my advice, I thought that I would give it anyway and set forth a few simple lessons for those of you who may be contemplating a career in teaching someone else something useful.

#1 - Cordiality is often useful. A scowl, and glaring looks often do not enhance the atmosphere of learning.

#2 - Continually repeating the phrase "this is very easy" to persons who have never learned the subject at hand, (particularly subjects such as Physics, Chemistry and Organic Chemistry) is bad form and strangely makes people secretly want to poison your tea.

#3 - A single spaced typed (with a typewriter! in 2006!) sheet of paper which outlines the syllabus is NOT an exam review sheet.

#4 - If 80% of your class FAIL your first exam, either the class has erroneously been filled from the local state asylum or you stink as a teacher. If 60% of your class drops after 3 weeks, then either your body odor has become unbearable, the admin building is giving away starbucks during your class period or once again, you stink as a teacher.

#5 - Learning is a partnership. Ignoring the recent high school graduate who is majoring in pork rinds and accidently took chemistry or physics or OChem because he thought it sounded neat, learning is a relationship with equal responsibility on both sides. It is the responsibility of the teacher to ensure that the student is learning and the responsibility of the student to learn - to put forth the effort and time required to tackle a particular subject. Scribbling on a blackboard is not instruction. Sleeping in class is not learning.

#6 - Don't become a teacher simply because you need a job and can't do anything else. If you do not feel that teaching is what you want to do and should do because you have a passion for it - don't bother. You will waste the time and money of your students and make yourself miserable.

The problem of "Higher education" in America will not be solved until education itself is valued.

How hard it is to get clean!

If you're not a follower of Jesus Christ, I'll start off this post by telling you that this may sound very strange. Please bear with me, as I am very strange and perhaps together we may make heads or tails of what I am writing.

Have you ever been so dirty that it was very difficult to become clean? When I think of this sort of thing I think of working on an automobile, crawling under a car in overalls and emerging covered in grease and oil which takes specialized cleansers and many baths to remove.

Have you ever thought about your life this way? The Bible is replete with teachings on this subject, telling us that, as one Pastor in Dallas puts it "even on your best day - you deserve Hell". Isaiah 64:6 tells us,

" But we are all like an unclean thing, And all our righteousnesses are like filthy rags; We all fade as a leaf, And our iniquities, like the wind, Have taken us away."

Intrinsically we all know this, but our lives on this earth cause us to build up such a crust of self-deception that we no longer feel its effect. I remember once working for a grease remediation company. After closing I would climb up on top of restaurants and spray acid down their ventilation shafts and blow all of the latent grease into a big vat down in the restaurant. inevitably as much grease would end up on the floor as in the vat and it would take me hours to clean it. It would take me days to remove the oil and smell from my clothes and body. Sometimes I was so tired that I would just arrive home, kick off my shoes, loosen my belt and drop ont the floor and fall asleep; I was so tired the stench and the stickiness of the grease didn't matter.

Our lives become this way, when we spend time apart from God and begin wallowing around in the mud of living - through which we become just like all the other pigs. Orwellian thoughts aside, this isn't a very good way to live. Even a raccoon washes himself before every meal. The washing most of us need is not however, physical. Rather, it is spiritual and requires daily exercise in order to be effective. When I have gone a day without kneeling before Christ (the real one, not the one hung in effigy in some churches) I can feel the spiritual mud building up around me. Frustration sets in, anger becomes common and I begin to think and do things which are contrary to God and my well being.

St. Paul put it like this, " For what I am doing, I do not understand. For what I will to do, that I do not practice; but what I hate, that I do". The evil of our lives begins to take on a life of its own and to drown us in its weight. Sin is very burdensome; anyone who is honest will agree with me. The greatest weight is the one which we deemed lightest but which is in reality very heavy. Ministers suffer from this because they keep everything to themselves, thinking that if they act like humans, people may start to believe they actually are! Imagine that! Pastors and ministers ought to be looked upon like postmen - be glad to see them no matter what they deliver, and don't pay them too much and don't expect them to hang around and open all of your mail for you.

This sticky, tar-filled world could use another Fred Rogers. He used to help us feel less sticky and backed it up with substance, not the facade of Hollywood where some actor plays Hannibal Lecter one month and St. Paul the next.
But Fred Rogers couldn't have helped anyone without Christ. Most people probably had no idea that he was a Christian. They should have, because it is only Christians who can be cleaned. Notice I didn't say who ARE clean. Are, denotes a state of being and no one IS clean here on this rock, but Jesus can and does come and clean us, inside and out. There really is no other way.

Won't you spend some time today becoming clean? You can't do it by listening to some preacher on tape or reading a popular Christian book. You can only do it the way the Ancient King David did it - on your knees, asking God to "create in me a clean heart".

Oh, the places I've been........

I thought that since by God's grace I have survived perhaps the most grueling week of my young life, I would recount all of the places I have been and the wierd things I did there....... Ready!

Hmmmm, let's start with the Estados Unidos. I've spent more than 2 weeks in, Texas, Taxachussets, Ohio, California, Maryland, Virginia, Washington D.C., South Carolina, Georgia, Colorado, and more than 1 week in Florida, New York and Oregon.

South America - Sorry folks; only Mexico. Cozumel, Laredo, Tijuana, Monterey and some little town I can't even remember the name of where someone kept shutting off the power to my roach-a-rama room in the middle of the night and I would have to get up and go turn it back on.

Europe - Germany (My fave!) I lived in Munich and can proudly say that I only got in a little bit of trouble there, but my roommate did end up naked in our living room one night and we never learned how he got home from the Octoberfest! (we never found his clothes either!)
I got a ticket for making too much noise!

Bremerhaven - awesome museums! A wonderful lady kept her restaurant open late just for me. (I think she wanted me to marry her daughter who was, shall we say, aesthetically challenged).

Darmstadt - great schnitzel.

Heidelberg - my favorite city in the world, best wine fest on earth. The castle rocks and we should be ashamed for bombing it during world war II.

England - London. Nothing wierd to eat in either of these two places. The queen has some styish digs, but what's up with the tax on driving?

Spain - Yummy pizza! Majorca, Madrid and Rota.

Italy - Crummy pizza! Sigonella.

Greece - Athens. Pizza from goat cheese! I still can't figure out why Turks and Greeks hate each other over stupid little island with nothing on it.

Asia - Turkey. Lived for almost 2 years here. Ate lots of wierd stuff but wierdest was tripe soup which would clean out your insides faster than George Michael can pass out.
In Turkey:

Istanbul - almost everywhere, including an infamous "international" incident which almost got me thrown out of the country. Never visit the Champs Elysees if it still exists. McDonald's burgers made from lamb - yummy!

Ankara - NOT 'Amkara".

Sinop - good carpets, great bira and wonderful people. Melia Kesim hotel rocks. Watch out for the Raki!

Trabzon, Samsun. Erzerum.

Outside Turkey:
Dubai - best airport anywhere, bar none. They rock!!!! Good coffee

Pakistan - Karachi. Wonderful people, I hope we can help them fix their water!!!

Arctic circle! Yep! Warmer than San Angelo Texas in winter!

How about that! 13 states and 9 countries. Not bad for someone from Toledo.

Wierdest things eaten: Goat Masala (goat brains stewed in curry sauce). Tripe soup (tripe is the guts of a sheep). Termites. (don't ask).

Scariest adventures:

Istanbul, where I was almost murdered.

Some village in western Turkey where I woke up in a field surrounded by massive water buffalo and thought I was going to be trampled to death.

California, where someone bet me that he couldn't make his motorcycle go from 0 to 100 between 2 stop lights with me on the back - he won.

Sinop, where a Turkish soldier pointed his rifle at my head and threatened to shoot me.

California, where I was arrested for public intoxication.

Coolest adventures:

Understanding for the first time that Jesus actually died for me personally.

The monastary at Trabzon where I looked down through the clouds on the village and ate cheese and drank wine. Then I got to check out the graffiti which spanned 8 centuries!

Fishing in the black sea. I got to fish the way the Apostles fished in the first century. We fished at night and waited for a cloud of silver fish to appear beneath the moon. Then we rowed like mad to encircle the fish and then started pulling in the nets until the fish started spilling over the gunwale of the boat.

Scube diving with my wife in Cozumel. Because the asian dude who went with us didn't have any weight and tried to dive holding onto a rock. I'll never forget this guy popping out of the water like a cork every time he dropped the rock!

Flying in a glider. Can't be beat.


This is what happens after a week like I've had!!!!!!

Do you have any idea?

I have come to the conclusion that most persons alive today in America have no idea how much God really loves them. I say alive, because those who are already dead know EXACTLY how much God loves them. If they trusted Jesus Christ as their savior, they are now in eternal paradise, fellowshipping with Jesus Himself. If they denied Christ and refused His sacrifice, they are in hell and will forever weep at the fact that they turned away from the unequaled love of Jesus.

Here's some examples of how much Jesus (who is God) loves you, despite the fact that you and I are scum-sucking muckrakers who spend our entire lives trying to foul things up.

Last night I recieved an email from a friend who attended Mardi Gras in the cesspool formerly known as New Orleans. He went there to help people and try and bail them out of their misery. Anyway, my friend has real long hair and looks like Tony Iommi of Black Sabbath. So, some young girl walked up to him and asked if she could perform a sex act on him. He asked her "do you speak to your granmother with that mouth?" She ran and he followed her. When he caught her, she was crying and said, "I'm sorry sir, I know that was so wrong, I'm a college student and I don't know why I did that." My friend comforted her and told her about the incredible life that she could have in Jesus.

Gang, that's love. You see, the devil wanted this girl to do this for 2 reasons. 1, to see if my friend would fall for the same old trick (worked with David, Solomon, etc.) and 2. to see if he could capture this girl forever by maybe giving her aids, or oral herpes or some other deadly disease. But God intervened on her behalf and saved her life. Coincidence? don't bet on it.

Another friend of mine had no insurance, or money and had severe stomach pains. One night he couldn't take it anymore so his wife rushed him to the hospital where it was discovered that his entire stomach was filled with cancerous lesions. He was told that no surgery could be performed because of his condition and that he had at most weeks to live. But God sent a couple of monkeys in business attire to see him and they prayed for him. Several weeks later it was discovered that his tumors were gone. The devil wanted to kill him because he is a preacher and dearly loves God. Coincidence? not according to the staff of Ben Taub Hospital.

A man riding a bicycle, stopped by the office of someone I know. He was about 60 years old, and smelled and asked if he could have a drink of water. Instead of turning him away, my pal invited this man into his office and gave him a coke. They talked for awhile and my pal found out that he had been riding a bike across the country for 15 years - ever since his wife died. He was diagnosed with MS and the only thing which helped was to ride a bicycle for 30 or more miles every day. When he rode, he didn't shake. He was hungry, but looked O.K.; someone at Wal-Mart gave him a neat little trailer which he modified to fit onto his bike.
My pal spent the day with him - had some sandwhiches brought in, some more cokes and even a lighter for his cigarettes. The two things he asked for were a guitar pick and a bible, which my friend gladly provided. About 4 pm, the old man rode off never to be seen again. The devil wanted to destroy this man by taking away his life after his wife gave up hers. He even gave him a disease which cripples most people permanently. But God had other ideas. The old man doesn't fit the profile of an everyday American "Christian", but then again, neither did Jesus. Was this man meeting my pal a coincidence? No way.

Lastly, I want to share a true story which happened to me. If you are not a Christian, filled with the Holy Spirit, you may think I'm lying or making it up. God, my family and lots of others know I'm not - but I want to share it because it demonstrates just how much God loves you.
Many years ago I owned a retail store in a large city where there was an "arts" center, meaning that many gay and fringe people lived and hung out there. One day, while traveling to my store I distinctly heard a voice inside my head say, "go into that tattoo parlour". I thought perhaps I had listened to too much soundgarden and so I turned off the radio. The next day at the same place, I heard the same thing, "go into the tattoo parlour". Now, I'm starting to wonder if I need to call Dr. Laura. So, that day during my prayer time I asked God (we never TELL God anything - He already knows) "Lord", I said, "If it is you telling me to do this wierd thing, please do it again tomorrow at the same time." Well, you guessed it, as i passed by, I heard louder than ever in my noggin, "Go into the tattoo parlour".

So, that evening on my way home, I parked out front, grabbed a small bible and in my business attire walked into a tattoo parlour. I was scared. A young man who seemed to be 6'8" tall with no shirt and huge muscles stepped out from behind a table. He had tattoos from his neck to his waist, a huge choke chain around his neck and no hair. "Can I help you?" he said. Now, I'm really not a chicken but I was thinking, "The devil tricked me good this time." But, because I know God will never leave or forsake me, I said, " you're going to think I'm crazy, but God told me to come in here". Instead of punching me in the face (which is what I sort of expected), he said, "Man, that's good because I have been writing all these things about what I think God is - maybe you can help me with them" and he reached behind the table and pulled out his notebook.

Now Ryan (the young man) didn't accept Christ there or even at the clubs I used to visit to watch his death-metal band play at. I still pray for him and trust God to do His thing this is to love people like me and Ryan.

Here's the punch-line. God loves you so much that instead of frying you for eternity in a burning lake of fire (which is not a metaphor folks - trust me - it's real) because you and I are guilty of being nasty critters, He took this punishment Himself! If we are honest with ourselves, (which few people are these days) we will admit that we stink. We lie, cheat, violate one another in the most perverse ways and then try and drink or drug away our guilt. We would all be George Michael if we had his coin. Yet, despite all of this God punished Jesus instead of you and I.

SO we're off the hook, right? We don't have to worry? As Charlie Chan used to say, "So Solly". We are only off the hook if we REALLY believe that Jesus took our punishment and we pray to Him and ask Him to forgive us for what we have done that put him in our place.

If Ryan never accepts Jesus Christ as his savior, he will spend eternity in Hell. That's a fact, Jack. But I know that the same God who sent me into that tattoo parlour loves Ryan more than he could ever dream of and is giving him every chance to do just that. Chances don't last forever - even in God's time frame.

My question for you is, are you missing your chance? You can have the love of eternity, all you need is your knees and solitude.

What if church were free?

Since I haven't annoyed anyone recently, I thought I would take up this subject again.

Some of you may read the topic of this blog and say, "Now, wait a minute - I don't pay to go to church." I submit to you that if you are in North America, at least in the United States, most persons do pay to go to church.

Do you have to pay to hear a sermon on tape, online or CD, or to attend a meeting? Does it cost you money to hear someone speak at our church? (Note: please be the rest of this post before flaming me - Danke). Does your church have multiple "staff" persons who do not teach or preach the scriptures?

Certainly, God is due his tithe or "tenth". And He is also due offerings as the Holy Spirit lays it upon our hearts. These offerings are to:
Provide for the support of those who preach the gospel, (Luke 10:7) even visiting evangelists and teachers, and care for the poor and needy (everywhere in scripture, but especially in (Galatians2:10).

Well, that seems to be about it.

Pardon my ignorance, but I cannot find any reference to a church building, staff salaries or administrative fees, mortgages, vehicle and copier leases, electronic advertising or profit-sharing.

The Southern Baptist Convention's financial arm - Guidestone Financial reported 2005 assets of $ 8.9 billion dollars. [i] This represents only the investments of the Southern Baptists, not their total assets.

The presbyterian church USA in its 2005 financial statement reported assets of $807 million., which cannot possibly be accurate. (Their statement was labeled "unaudited". )

The Methodist church in America reported assets in the neighborhood of $32 billion. [iii]

If we take only these three denominations, we have nearly $44 billion dollars. Let's say there are 200,000 pastors, teachers, evangelists, (which there aren't) who each make $100,000 per year. (which they don't - most pastors make much less than the average corporate income, despite having much more education and experience on average) this amounts to $20 billion. What's being done with the other $24 billion and where did it come from? This represents only 3 mainline denominations - think of all the others and the untold billions they represent.

Did all these groups learn the secret of a money tree? Have they found what Cortez could not? Did they capture King Brian Conners of the leprechauns and share the three wishes for the crock'o gold?

No, they begged, pleaded, cajoled and direct mailed you and I for money; not to do those things which scripture commands, but to do the things which makes the world happy, and being the faithful "Christians" we claim to be - we blithely give it.

Should we be paying for the activities of a "church"? I don't believe so. I cannot find a single place in scripture, in Hebrew or Greek where we are commanded to pay for worshipping God, "gathering together as is the custom of some." (Hebrews 10:25-27)

What if we decided to conduct ourselves according to the bible? What if the church divested itself of all of its assets and used them to feed, house, clothe the poor, build hospitals (offering free or very low cost services) build schools, and other necessities around the world?

You might have to meet in someone's house. Would that be so bad? Or, you could all pitch in and purchase a tent to meet under in the event of rain or excessive heat? There are many dilapidated, run-down buildings in every city - what if the church purchased these and rebuilt them, using them for the purposes listed in scripture?

Did you know that for $120 a month, a Russian or vietnamese pastor can keep his whole family?
Did you know that for the price of some stamps you can encourage a prisoner in the Lord?
Did you know that for less than $600 per month you can run a medical clinic in Pakistan?
Did you know that for .50 each you can receive bibles from the IBS to give out in your neighborhood?

I submit to you that the cost of attending your average local church is enormous compared to its social worth. How many people accepted Christ through your church last year? How many drug deals were thwarted? How many marriages were saved? How many abortions were stopped and children adopted?

There is a benevolence agency in Texas with a budget of only $200,000 which fed 50,000 people last year and had nearly 700 decisions for Christ.

There is a couple in Dallas who see hundreds of decisions for Christ and their financial outlay consists of buying sodas to pass out at bus stations and tracts to give out at shopping malls.

What if we gave our pastors a pay raise and used our building campaign to fund churches in vietnam, or Pakistan, or Afghanistan or China or our local town?

What if our monthly meetings were held in a coffee shop, or bar, or restaurant, where people might actually overhear us talking about Jesus?

Do you know what your Pastor's salary and benefits are? Why not - every officer of every public corporation in America MUST by law publish this information; shouldn't the church be more open than a greedy corporation?

If you don't know this, ask for it in a kind, courteous and dignified manner - not on sunday morning; call and make an appointment. If your church will not tell you - find another church.

How many homeless persons have been helped by YOUR church? (not your association - not a group you gave money too - but your group of Christians specifically). How many people were fed, clothed and given a drink?

The church ought to be Christ's - not man's. Is His name found anywhere in your church building?

Jesus spoke to a church much like the church in America today: He said,

"To the angel of the church in Laodicea write:

These are the words of the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the ruler of God's creation. I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth. You say, 'I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing.' But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked. I counsel you to buy from me gold refined in the fire, so you can become rich; and white clothes to wear, so you can cover your shameful nakedness; and salve to put on your eyes, so you can see. Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline. So be earnest, and repent. Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me. To him who overcomes, I will give the right to sit with me on my throne, just as I overcame and sat down with my Father on his throne. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches." - Revelation 3:14-22 (emphasis mine)

Is Christ not angry when we have the ability to feed the world but will not do so?



[i] http://www.bpnews.net/bpnews.asp?ID=22591
[ii]
[iii] www.gcfa.org









The Jews paid a temple tax in Jerusalem. Are Christians paying a church tax today?

Medicine by proxy or "Do you really want to know who's reading your EKG?

In this month's NEJM (New England Journal of Medicine) there is a very interesting article about teleradiology - the first wave of medical "outsourcing". Here's how it works:

Jane smith is having strange chest pains and shortness of breath and goes to see her primary care doc who refers her to a cardiologist. But, before she can fulfill her appointment with the cardiologist, she experiences a dramatic incident and her husband rushes her to the emergency room. She describes her condition and she is whisked into a room, poked, prodded and electrodes are connected to her chest.

Some time later, a doctor walks into her room and tells her that she has had an abnormal EKG and may need surgery to repair a problem.

"That's funny", Jane says to her husband, "I dont remember a doctor visiting me about my heart condition, how could they know I need surgery"?

What Jane didn't know is that the electrodes connected to her chest, transmitted the electrical impulses of her heart to a computer screen - in INDIA. There, an Indian cardiologist read her chart and made the diagnosis.

Why in the name of Spongebob would someone want to do this? As Mr. Krabbs would say, "Me Money!"

Huge health delivery companies have realized, as have huge computer companies and huge telephone companies that people in India are happy making 10% of what an American earns. This is true for doctors as well as computer programmers. So, the "Humungo medical insurance company" has figured out that if they can pay an Indian cardiologist $20.00 to read your chart instead of an American doctor $125.00", - multiplied by numerous thousands of patients, they can afford that stainless-steel office furniture after all.

What say ye? Are you willing to trust your medical diagnosis to someone who lives in a country where drunken elephants kill dozens of villagers each year? (In fairness, I would take the drunken elephants over gang-shootings any day).

I say, its time for Americans to take control of their health and to stop believing that capitalism equates to success and that cost is the deciding factor in the quality of human life.

Peanuts, anyone?

What if Jesus ran the world?

For some reason, known only to Him, Jesus has chosen to allow satan, who is also known as the Devil, to have control over this planet. We know this because the Bible tells us that Satan controls the "kingdoms of the world", (Matthew Chapter 4 and also Luke) and offered to give them to Jesus if He would bow down and worship him. Would Jesus not have laughed, if satan had tried to give something he had no right to give? If this were the case, one might liken this conversation to me telling my neighbor, that if he will worship me, I will give him the Taj Mahal. (I don't think he is quite so gullible).

Anyway, there are other passages, and one can also see from any of the news networks that broadcast satan's news day and night that Jesus, by choice, is clearly is not in complete control.

But what if He were? What, if anything can we learn by asking such a question?

The Bible gives us the answer to this question, but before we delve into the Bible, let's use our imaginations and see what we might come up with.

If Jesus ran the world:

1,200 people would not have died last week in Egypt because their ferry boat capsized. Were Jesus to rule the earth, the waves of the sea would not be "contrary" and no boats would sink. Also, the two greatest concerns of every human would be Jesus and other humans, so no one would set out on a journey without providing for every possible emergency.

In Houston, the police would not have fired guns into a car where a mother and her kidnapped child lay frightened and screaming while two armed thugs fought a gun battle with the police. In fact, there would be no police, because there would be no crime; unfortunate for lock, alarm and fire safety equipment industries, but terrific for the rest of us.

Baseball might be worth watching because the top players wouldn't be doped up robots who think everyone else is a moron and can't tell that they use performance-enhancing drugs.

49% of the prisons wouldn't be filled with black males, because black males would be just as productive as Asian immigrant males and everyone else for that matter because racial, social, economic and every other inequality would no longer exist. Instead of identifying oneself as an "african-American" or "Mexican-American", everyone would identify themselves as a "Jesus-American" and it wouldn't matter what you looked like. In addition, the prisons would be torn down because it doesn't make sense to operate a perpetually empty building.

Churches wouldn't have billions of dollars in the bank while billions of people around the world starve to death. In fact, churches would stop pretending that they serve Jesus and want to be like Him, because they really will want to be like Him. Also, there would only be one church because the church is the group of people who worship Jesus Christ.

Hospitals and also doctors would be out of business. I wouldn't mind, as long as Jesus wipes out my student loans.(sic) Actually, I dont mind at all because there would be no more sickness, or pain or death.

The funeral industry would become bankrupt because nobody would need them anymore. Were Jesus to be in direct control of the earth, no one would die.

Lawyers would be unemployed - there would be no courts, because all disagreements would be settled by Jesus and would be righteous and right every time.

There wouldn't be a few mega-wealthy persons and billions of hungry and struggling persons. There would be no need for wealth, as Jesus would provide everything one needed.

There would be no angry muslim mobs because there would be no muslims, or Hindus or members of any religious sect. Anyone who doubted Jesus and His claims to be God would only need to travel to see Him in person.

One might ask, wouldn't it be boring?

Think of this. Every dollar you earned at the job you loved and whcih existed for the betterment of mankind, would be yours to dispose of as you pleased because there would be no taxes. But, your desire would be to use that money for Jesus' idea of human growth and development. Now, add perhaps 2 billion persons to yourself and imagine what could be accomplished.

If Jesus were in complete control, the violence of the universe would have ended (stellar bodies slamming into one another - stars superheating into novae, etc.) and the other planets in the universe could be colonized.

All technology would be beneficial and work 100% of the time. Imagine how quickly the internal combusion engine would disappear if Shell, Texaco and Exxon-Mobile weren't controlling 20% of the world economy. One example, is Magneto-hydrodynamic propulsion for ships, which worked pretty well 30 years ago, but hasn't been deployed for "economic" reasons.

Imagine if all babies were cared for and murderers posing as doctors quit performing abortions. (Don't send me email about the efficacy and need for abortion, unless you are willing to come with me to the clinics to counsel the victims of these abortions - the women who have been duped into receiving them).

Imagine if nursing homes were obsolete because people cared for their aging and elderly parents, instead of passing them off onto a business for convenience sake.

Imagine that mothers would choose to stay in their modest home or apartment and raise their children instead of working 60 hours a week so they can drive a Lexus and buy their children video games and laptop computers. Imagine fathers who chose to live modestly so their wives could do this.

Why am I writing all of this? Well, one reason is that I am pretty sick of this world, although I am grateful to be serving Jesus while i'm in it. (St. Paul put it like this - "to live is Christ, but to die is gain") There won't be any longing for this world after I am gone. And two, these things and more than I could ever imagine will happen one day - I believe soon. I do not know that it will occur within my lifetime, but I hope that it will.

It is my hope that you also long for the day when Jesus returns. Will you be ready?

More on Healthcare

Before I begin my 7 part series on the distinctiveness of Jello in historical narrative, I shall attempt to cast further light on the national health crisis of America. Though some, (whose foreheads slope upwards to an unusual degree) are bored by this topic, other, more enlightened persons currently residing in North America and not some third world sandpit will hopefully find this information informative.

When last I wrote of healthcare, I left off with illustrations designed to vex those who would see the United States plunge headlong into communistic, governmental health care. This week, let's look at the current status of American health delivery and see where we stand, or more appropriately, where we wobble.

According to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, (www.cbpp.org) approximately 43.6 million persons in the U.S. Are without health insurance. (43.6 million and 1!) This represents nearly 15% of the total population. Excluding government employees who have a non-market based health system (government employees' health premiums are paid by tax revenues from the remainder of the country) perhaps 1/3 of Americans have no form of health insurance.

According to the National Coalition on Health Care (www.nchc.org);

• Total national health expenditures increased by 7.7 percent in 2003 (the latest year that data is available) over 2002 - four times the rate of inflation in 2003.(1)

• In 2004, employer health insurance premiums increased by 11.2 percent - nearly four times the rate of inflation. The annual premium for an employer health plan covering a family of four averaged nearly $10,000. The annual premium for single coverage averaged $3,695.(2)

• Health care spending is 4.3 times the amount spent on national defense.
  
  

• Although nearly 45 million Americans are uninsured, the United States spends more on health care than other industrialized nations, and those countries provide health insurance to all their citizens.
  
  

• The annual premium that a health insurer charges an employer for a health plan covering a family of four averaged $9,950, or $829 a month in 2004. Workers contributed $2,661, or 10 percent more than they spent in 2003. For single coverage, workers contributed an average of $558 toward the $3,695 annual premium. (2)

• Health insurance premiums will rise to an average of more than $14,500 for family coverage in 2006.

These figgers, are startling in that no one seems to be particularly put off by them. My family and I do not have health insurance coverage, a condition which an increasing number of our friends also find themselves in. (This isn't as bleak as it sounds - more on this later)

So, we have a system which costs more than nearly anything else, leaves 1/3 of the population out of it, and is increasing at a rate only those who are financially well off can maintain.

To some, as I pointed out last week, this sounds like a job for Super-Government! However, we haven't a super-government or even a nearly effective one. If such a government existed (which it does not) it would still not be the instrument by which the health care crisis may be solved.

What are we to do?

Necessity, it is said, is the mother of invention. I herewith present an invention, perhaps not original, yet one which I believe would provide a fair, equitable and highly profitable system, driven at least in large measure by market forces.

I have called this system, The American Health Alliance.

This alliance would be established as an official 501(c)3 non-profit organization with the IRS, the purpose of which would be to manage a membership system which assists health delivery workers in providing their services.

The Alliance - Anyone would be eligible to join the Alliance at some predetermined, published cost. For example, $720 per year, or $60 per month, per family. This is less than 1/2 the average cable TV or cell phone bill in the United States.

The Alliance would be managed and governed by volunteers or persons whose salary was capped, also at a predetermined rate of twice the average national salary. (For example, if the average salary in the U.S. were $40,000 per year, the most anyone at the Alliance could earn would be $80,000 per year - including the Administrator(s). Administrative overhead would have a cap too - perhaps 20% of gross revenue. This isn't supposed to become another insurance company and benevolence organizations become flaccid when they start paying people huge sums (look at the Red Cross and the United Way as examples).

The Alliance would not in any way be an insurance organization. It's sole function would be to manage a membership (member and provider) and payment database.

Members of the Alliance would receive a membership card, along with a rate guide for their geographic area. (Please see Appendix A for a rate guide example)

Health Care providers would agree to become partners in the Alliance and to provide the Alliance each year with rates for their services, to be published in the guide. In exchange for this agreement, providers would receive 50% of the membership fees for their patient, with 50% going to the overhead of the Alliance. So, based on our example of $60 per month, a physician would receive $30 dollars per month from the Alliance for each patient in her patient pool.

Thus, if Dr. Sally C. is a provider and has 100 patients from the Alliance in her pool, she would receive $3,000 per month from the Alliance for servicing these patients, whether she sees them each month or not. Pretty good deal, eh?

Each member who becomes part of Dr. C's pool ( at their own discretion) has direct access to Dr. C (NOT her service) and may see her 1 time per month at no additional charge. If the member sees her for other things or needs additional help, her published rates apply and the member pays the doctor DIRECTLY.

Members of the Alliance would then be directed to capitalistic Health Insurance companies to provide them with Catastrophic Health Insurance. For example, a 40 year old non-smoker can buy a $3million lifetime policy for about $35 per month. A Family policy would be about $70 per month and these rates would DECREASE as the product became more widely available and competitive as has happened with TERM LIFE INSURANCE.

Alliance Members who met certain healthy lifestyle goals, would receive deeply discounted services and even cash rebates on their fees.

As the Alliance grew, additional funds would be used to create a fund in order to purchase additional insurance products for members. In addition to this, the Alliance would give grants for extraordinary services not covered by a catastrophic policy.

The Alliance would also show everyone how to set up a tax-free HSA (Health Savings Account) from which to pay your doctor PRETAX dollars, which saves you even more!!

And, perhaps most importantly, the Alliance would be about health, not about enriching drug and insurance companies. Natural healthy lifestyles would be taught and promoted. Courses on healthy living would be provided and those who attend and implement the material would be given discounts on services.

Finally, the Alliance would offer Physicians, for a fee, representation in claims against insurers or medicare, provided by licensed attorneys in the states of record. (No, I'm not a lawyer - I'm trying to become a doctor)


A scenario:

Lord Xarthon (LX) has a family of 4 and works for Wal-mart as a floor supervisor. He decides to join the alliance, so each month his account is debited for the membership fee of $X.

The Alliance sends him a membership card and has an insurance broker contact him regarding a catastrophic policy. He chooses a policy with a $2million lifetime cap, costing him $60 per month for his family. One of his children is an insulin-dependent diabetic and his wife is pregnant.

LX is assigned to Dr. Mork's patient pool. Dr. Mork is Board Certified in Internal Medicine and has a Family Practice Clinic near LX's crib.

In January, LX wakes up with a severe head cold, and after repeated doses of Benadryl isn't going away, so he opens his wallet, takes out his card and calls Dr. Mork. Nurse Ann answers the phone. "Where's the receptionist?" LX asks. "Oh, we let her, the billing clerk, the office manager and the pharmaceutical liasion all go!"

LX tells nurse Ann the details and she gives him some healthy things to do and schedules him for an appointment at 6 p.m.! About 10 minutes later, LX receives a call from Dr. Mork himself, who gets some details and says that he looks forward to seeing him that evening. (Dr. Mork can now do this because he doesn't need a patient pool of 3,000 patients so that after fighting the insurance providers, he might actually be paid something).

That evening, LX drives to the Dr's office and as he walks in, Dr. Mork, nurse Ann and PA Martha all greet him. He is immediately seen by Dr. Mork who prescribes some medicines to provide an initial benefit to the cold and then also some natural products to help prevent this in the future. He escorts LX to the front desk, and LX whips out his debit card (From his HSA), pays the $Amt ($50 for example) of the office visit, for the natural healing products and heads to Walgreens to fill his prescription, which costs him ($25).

The next day LX is back at work and feeling much better - in a week he is 100%. LX takes Dr. Mork's advice on exercise and diet, loses 20 pounds, and doesn't have to see Dr. X for the rest of the year. But His son Jeremy, who is diabetic sees Dr. Mork each month for a check up. Dr. Mork charges LX, a discounted rate of $45 for Jeremy's visits.

So, at the end of the year, here's where LX ended up:

Annual fees for ALLiance membership $720.00
One visit for LX 50.00
Prescription for LX 25.00
12 visits for Jeremy 540.00
Insulin for Jeremy 550.00
Shots for school (3 kids) 100.00
Annual physical for LX FREE
Rebate for healthy choices 100.00
School physicals (3 kids) 90.00
Natural healing products 600.00
Catastrophic family policy 60.00

Total $2,835.0

LX paid $ZERO in health insurance during this time. this saved him $6,000 for this year.

I realize that each person will have an individual scenario, but consider this one at least for the moment.

Where did Dr. Mork end up?

He received $310 for having LX in his patient pool. He also received $540 in fees for Jeremy, plus $600 for the natural products LX bought. Plus the fee for LX's office visit.

So, Dr. Mork earned (Gross - before EBITDA) $1,450 for LX and his family. Dr. Mork received 100% of his billed amount. If Dr. Mork had, say 900 patients like LX (of varying degrees of illness), then his practice would take in $1.3 million EBITDA. After paying nurse Ann ($75K) and PA Martha ($100K), and overhead, Dr. Mork would find that he makes a good living and can still pay off his medical school and fellowship debt of $200,000.

Having said all that, here's where questions tend to help. So here goes:

1). What about a family? Families may join also. There is 1 rate whether someone is an individual or has 39 children. For families, 1 member of the family would get the free office visit and also one member would receive an annual physical free of charge.

2). Why isn't this a copy of Ameriplan? Because one, Ameriplan doesn't cover medical, and two, this isn't a discounted, fee-for-service supplement. It is a whole new health delivery system.

3). What if I have a broken bone and the doctor wants to charge me $3,000 to set it and follow up with me. Why should I pay $3,000 to a doctor for a broken bone, when my current employer-provided insurance costs only $500 per month with a $20 copay?

You are what is known in the insurance industry as "hoodwinked". You see the $500 per month deducted from your paycheck ( for services you may or may not use) but what you don't see are the thousands of dollars your employer is paying on top of this for your policy - thousands of dollars he isn't paying you, but rather the friendly insurance company. Imagine your greedy employer realizing that he can save $150,000 per year on health insurance premiums, or millions if it is a large company. Now, imagine you showing him how to save this money and give some of it to you instead.

Also, how many times have you received additional bills in the mail adding up to thousands of extra dollars despite your payments and $20 copay? With the Alliance, you pay only what is published in the guide, and you pay the doctor directly.

4). I am a physician. Why would I want to be involved in this?
Right now, the Average doctor spends $17,000 per month to break even. The majority of this cost is built-in, non-productive, non-health-related waste. Do you have an insurance billing clerK, an admin clerk, a manager, etc. none of which provide any sort of health care? Of course. Imagine that these folks and their salaries disappeared and instead you were able to hire an additional nurse or PA and you didn't have to fight Medicare or Humana or Blue Cross for every dollar you earned by healing their customer. Imagine if you received thousands of dollars per month from your patients just for the privilege of caring for them - even if you didn't see them.

5). I am a specialist. How would this work for me?
Just like the wonderful Family Practice Physician. Let's say you are a cardiologist. When Dr. C refers Smokey Joe Turner to you for his wierd arrythmia, Smokey Joe would decide, based upon your published fee rates whether or not he wants to see you. If he does, he will know exactly what he is going to be in for. If he has a defective heart, requiring surgery, then this would be covered by the catastrophic policy which he has and your practice would bill his insurance company directly. Any additional costs (office visits, pallative care, etc.) would be paid directly to you. Eventually, should Smokey Joe need care, not meeting the catastrophic policy requirements , but more than say $3000, the Alliance would consider a health grant to help cover these costs.

6). What about my insurance company? They already hate me. Have you ever noticed whose name is on the multi-story, shiny, new buildings in the downtown area of your city? Yep, insurance companies. Once they began to lose thousands of customers, they might actually decide to offer service and compete in the market, which is what we want.

7). What if I am very poor (below federal poverty level) and can't afford to join the Alliance?
A means test would be performed on you. If you have cable television, a cell phone, a car payment and eat take out every day, then you obviously don't have a money problem, you have a spending problem. But, if you are truly in need, and aren't wasting the resources you have, then the Alliance would provide a discounted membership of perhaps 1/2 the cost.

NOTE: I have met very few truly poor persons in America. In my travels around the world, I have met some extremely poor people in Pakistan, Turkey and Mexico. But, I realize there are some persons in America who just aren't able for whatever reason to earn sufficient amounts of money. These persons should and would be helped by the Alliance. But persons who refuse to work, use illness as an excuse, (folks, I have met with one-legged men in the slums of Karachi who pushed cartloads of vegetables in order to help provide for their families. I have also known severely retarded men in wheelchairs who drove throughout my neighborhood in California selling peanuts so he could feed his family. Don't tell me your back injury or ADHD or Bipolar is keeping you from polishing cars, sweeping floors or answering a telephone).


Folks, what is really at stake here is literally your health and mine. I don't have all the answers - this is simply one man's wacked out idea, which still needs much thought (i.e. what about multiple specialties involved in a patients' care. Perhaps. like insurance, once the Alliance became large enough, rish could be spread throughout the member pool and grants could be provided for those who need ongoing, specialized care. This is only a start. Plus, these ideas aren't new or original. Dr. Patch Adams and the Ithaca Health Alliance thought of this long before I did. I just added some capitalism to their awesome idea. http://www.ithacahealth.org/


Jeffc