I know What I Get for Christmas..A Mansion

Christmas is a festive time of year for we Christians because we get giddy and a little child-like...and there's nothing wrong with that! The other night I read "Twas the Night Before Christmas" and I felt like a little kid again; even just for a few minutes. The tree was all aglow, we had a nice fire crackling in the fireplace and my wife was baking Christmas cookies. Personally, I LOVE Christmas because i really enjoy giving people gifts. I have always been like that. Whether I was a child or in medical school it made no difference. If you ask any one of my close friends they will tell you the same. BUT, the real cool thing about Christmas is knowing what you're getting before Christmas even comes and you didn't peek :).
As for me, I am promised to get a mansion of gold. Imagine that! But how could I possibly know that? The Bible says in Luke 14: "As Jesus was talking to his followers He said, Don't let you hearts be worried...you believe in God so believe in me too. In my father's house (heaven) there are many mansions: if this was not true I would not tell you this. I will go and prepare a place for you now. And when I go and prepare a place for you now I will come back to earth again later and we will all be together. That way, where I am, you will be there too...in Heaven. I have told you these things now because I am here with you now". In Revelation 22, we are told three times to "Be ready, for I (Jesus) am coming back quickly". Oh yes, I almost forgot. My mansion will be very well lit too because there will be no darkness in Heaven. Revelation 22 says: "And there shall be no night there; and there wil be no need for candles or light from the sun because the Lord God will give us light and we shall reign for ever and ever."
Now THAT is what I call a Christmas present. You might be thinking, " Joe, how do know this stuff and what makes you so sure this will happen"? The answer is simple, my friends. 2008 years ago God gave us all the very first Christmas present and it was a baby named Jesus. What people of the time didn't know (and many still don't) is that Jesus was God in human form and later personally told the writers of the Bible these things I am relating to you now... first hand. You can't do better than that. But, if you want to live next to my mansion in heaven you'll have to believe that God sent his son, Jesus, to die for our sins so we don't have to and just accept that as fact and trust it and God. Then, just follow God's direction and no matter what life takes you through, your end result will be a place without pain, crying, sorrow or death....but with a mansion. It sounds very simple, doesn't it? Almost too simple. Well, accepting a gift from a friend is very simple too. You just merely take the gift and enjoy it. But this gift from God is the best gift you could ever get because this gift gives you eternal life!! The difference with this gift too is that millions upon millions of people have not accepted the gift (they don't have to DO anything to receive it) but they will not be in heaven with us because they rejected the gift. It is very, very sad but true. But as Linus so aply stated in "A Charlie Brown Christmas" .... "that's what Christmas is all about, Charlie Brown". Merry Christmas, everyone. Love to Everybody!!

A Prayer For Our Nation

Billy Graham's Prayer For Our Nation THIS MAN SURE HAS A GOOD VIEW OF WHAT'S HAPPENING TO OUR COUNTRY! 'Heavenly Father, we come before you today to ask your forgiveness and to seek your direction and guidance. We know Your Word says, 'Woe to those who call evil good,' but that is exactly what we have done. We have lost our spiritual equilibrium and reversed our values. We have exploited the poor and called it the lottery. We have rewarded laziness and called it welfare. We have killed our unborn and called it choice. We have shot abortionists and called it justifiable. We have neglected to discipline our children and called it building self esteem. We have abused power and called it politics. We have coveted our neighbor's possessions and called it ambition. We have polluted the air with profanity and pornography and called it freedom of expression. We have ridiculed the time-honored values of our forefathers and called it enlightenment. Search us, Oh God, and know our hearts today; cleanse us from every sin and Set us free. Amen!' Commentator Paul Harvey aired this prayer on his radio program, 'The Rest of the Story,' and received a larger response to this program than any other he has ever aired. With the Lord's help, may this prayer sweep over our nation and wholeheartedly become our desire so that we again can be called 'One nation under God.' Think about this: If you forward this prayer to everyone on your e-mail list, in less than 30 days it would be heard by the world. (It's worth a try!) One Nation Under God.

A Simple Deck of Cards

Here is a new way to look at a deck of cards!!



Deck of Cards

It was quiet that day, the guns and the mortars, and land mines for some reason hadn't been heard.

The young soldier knew it was Sunday, the holiest day of the week.

As he was sitting there, he got out an old deck of cards and laid them out across his bunk.

Just then an army sergeant came in and said, 'Why aren't you with the rest of the platoon?'

The soldier replied, 'I thought I would stay behind and spend some time with the Lord.'

The sergeant said , 'Looks to me like you're going to play cards.'

The soldier said, 'No, sir. You see, since we are not allowed to have Bibles or other spiritual books in this country,

I've decided to talk to the Lord by studying this deck of cards.'

The sergeant asked in disbelief, 'How will you do that?'

'You see the Ace, Sergeant? It reminds me that there is only one God.

The Two represents the two parts of the Bible, Old and New Testaments

The Three represents the Father, Son, and the Holy Ghost.

The Four stands for the Four Gospels: Matthew, Mark, Luke and John .

The Five is for the five virgins there were ten but only five of them were glorified.

The Six is for the six days it took God to create the Heavens and Earth.

The Seven is for the day God rested after making His Creation.

The Eight is for the family of Noah and his wife, their three sons and their wives -- the eight people God spared from the flood that destroyed the Earth.

The Nine is for the lepers that Jesus cleansed of leprosy He cleansed ten, but nine never thanked Him.

The Ten represents the Ten Commandments that God handed down to Moses on tablets made of stone.

The Jack is a reminder of Satan, one of God's first angels, but he got kicked out of heaven for his sly and wicked ways and is now the joker of eternal hell.

The Queen stands for the Virgin Mary.

The King stands for Jesus, for he is the King of all kings.

When I count the dots on all the cards, I come up with 365 total, one for every day of the year.

There are a total of 52 cards in a deck; each is a week - 52 weeks in a year.

The four suits represent the four seasons: Spring, Summer, Fall and Winter.

Each suit has thirteen cards -- there are exactly thirteen weeks in a quarter.

So when I want to talk to God and thank Him, I just pull out this old deck of cards and they remind me of all that I have to be thankful for.'

The sergeant just stood there After a minute, with tears in his eyes and pain in his heart, he said, 'Soldier, can I borrow that deck of cards?'

Please let this be a reminder and take time to pray for all of our soldiers who are being sent away, putting their lives on the line fighting

Prayer for the Military.

Please keep the wheel rolling. It will only take a few seconds of your time, but it'll be worth it to read on....

Lord, hold our troops in your loving hands.
Protect them.
Bless them and their families.
I ask this in the name of Jesus, our Lord and Savior.
Amen.

When you receive this, please stop for a moment and say a prayer for our servicemen and women all around the world.

There is nothing attached, but this can be very powerful.
Of all the gifts you could give a Soldier, prayer is the very best one.
Do not stop the wheel, please -- just send this on.

When forward ing, please keep this letter clean by deleting all forwarding information from the subject line and from the top of the letter.

In God I Trust!

The Nation of America Needs Forgiveness

May God forgive the United States of America for what we, as a people, did tonight. Though the heavens fall, let us never abandon or forsake the nation of Israel for if we do, it will be the beginning of the end of America as a nation. We may entertain angels unawares but those "angels" could also be from hell posing as angels of light.

Maple Trees and The Presidency

Hey everybody. I had some guys from a tree farm come out today and plant a red maple tree for me. It doesn't look like the one at the left just yet but over time it will. The tree I purchased was 4 years old and over 10 feet tall and has lost a few of its leaves. Down south here I am told that fall is the BEST time to plant new trees since the planting shock will be minimized. As I sat and watched the nurseryman plant the tree I wondered to myself what It will look like in twenty years. I may or may not still be alive...time will tell. But, the maple will growing steadfastly no matter what.
Then I wondered, "I wonder what type of President this tree will view as we usher in a new America"? Will the President be inexperienced, arrogant and do us more harm than good because he feels so self assured? Will he and his spouse FINALLY be proud to be called Americans? My maple tree is proud to be called a maple and it is going to use all of its solar power resources and water to grow to be strong and majestic and steadfast. Or, will the opposite be true and will my little maple tree have a grove of strong, experienced older trees that it can take example from and not have to worry about someone in the world trying to hurt it as it grows. The older trees know what strong and violent storms can do to a younger tree because they have survived those storms themselves. The little maple in my front yard needs to take a new direction from its past couple of years with its root bundled in a sack. It needs change and today it finally got the chance to have its environment change for the better where it can florish and grow and have its young life go in a brand new direction.
My little tree knows that times of change for the better aren't going to be easy. You see, it was planted in a state where a draught situation has been prevalent for 5 years or more. It has to have someone to care for it while it battles the hard time in order to achieve better times ahead. It is ready to do so. It also knows that pretty, eloquent, decorative YOUNG trees may seem so on the outside but are they not just as likely to get sick, lose their pomposity and show what they really are on the inside? Inside they are just a tree....just like my little maple. My little maple tree thinks that if you are going to say your that your bark and leaves are more elegant and therefore have a better chance to survive the next four years of change because of your profound knowledge of nature one would have to ask the tree "what types of storms have you experienced and survived, oh beautiful tree that give you such a clear insight of all that goes on around you?" What....none, you say? I for one would worry about ANY entity who might say such foolhardy things. As a little maple tree, I DO KNOW that the Declaration of Independence was hidden in an OLD Maple Tree in Connecticut. I hear the tree wasn't too pretty but it surely knew how to do the job. You see, because of aging and some battles with squirrels in the past there was a hollowed out area where the document could be hidden from the enemy.
In closing, let's really closely examine our two conversely different type of trees and ask ourselves, " I wonder which one will survive the next 4 years in such harsh times and in its new surroundings and secondly, which tree will offer protection from storms and tempests, but give cooling shade when we need to be relieved from the hot rays of the world's sun? As for the author, I am going to depend on an older, more mature tree with a few scars in its bark that ensured our Independence over 200 years ago. There is something to be said for a tough ol' tree.

GREAT JOB, SARAH

Hey everybody: Most of you that know me well know that I am neither a democrat nor a republican. I am an independent and vote my conscience in elections. Last night Sarah Palin absolutely blew my doors off...even more than her first t.v. appearance when we were introduced to her for the first time. In my opinion, she was spontaneous, gracious, and relaxed...in other words she was being herself. She is definitely a "what you see is what you get" candidate and a real person without pretense. When she said she was a Washington outsider and that she would be a refreshing change I had to plaudit her. One last thing. If you watched her closely, you may have noticed that when she answered a question or rebutted Joe Biden she talked and looked directly into the camera...at US! She also said that she was an average middle class American and that also related to most of us. Lastly, when she said that leaving Iraq now...would be "waving the white flag of surrender". We did that in Vietnam and within 2 months the Vietcong had overrun the entire peninsula and it was in their control and that is the case to this day. We left the south Vietnamese with our tails between our legs and I think doing that once in our history is enough!! I guess the democrats forgot about that. The eyes of the world are watching us intently now and if we abandon another war we will be perceived as weak and that is outrageously dangerous. Sarah and John McCain know this. Getting back to Sarah.....GREAT JOB last night. I hope I will get the opportunity to meet you one day.

Wise Words

I read this today and I thought that it was very appropriate.
"Blessed is the nation who's god is the Lord...". I think that is self explanatory.

Sarah's Glasses

I watched a video today stating that Sarah Palin's rimless glasses are the hottest selling thing since sliced bread. The man who designed this particular style of glasses is a Japanese inventor. The company that manufactures the glasses and grinds the lenses said that they cannot keep up with demand and that they have sold more glasses in the last two weeks than they had the entire year. I admit that Sarah looks good in her glasses but I'm a little concerned that Americans are "focusing" on the fashion a little bit more than the person. With the stock markets in chaos, a war overseas and an election looming that will determine the outcome of our future for the next four+ years, don't you think that we have better things to concern ourselves with than Sarah's glasses? I know I sound like Andy Rooney but I call 'em like I see 'em. I would love to see Sarah and her running mate in the White House in January....with or without her glasses.

My Education

Hello Everyone: As you probably all know today is the 7Th anniversary of the attack on our country by Muslims using jets as weapons. In those jets were people like you and I. When I look at these images it sickens me, especially when I look at the face of evil incarnate immediately above this script. But, in every tragedy comes some wisdom acquired.

I was preparing a power point presentation at Rosalind Franklin University in 2006. This presentation was about supportive psychotherapy in response to a catastrophic event and of course 9/11 came to mind. A couple of years prior I met a classmate who was from Egypt. He was very bright, personable and to my surprise a Christian by his own admission. I asked him why he chose Christianity over Islam since Islam was the pervading religion practiced in Egypt. Much to my surprise, he told me that his family HAD to flee Egypt since they were practicing Christianity. Needless to say, I didn't understand since I thought that Islam taught peace and tolerance. My friend said "no....it is the complete opposite and I'll prove it to you". A couple evenings later he brought over a copy of the Koran.

I was horrified when I found out what the Koran REALLY teaches Muslims. It teaches that all Muslims are required to convert at least one "infidel"...anyone who doesn't believe in Islam... to Islam. The Koran teaches to hate all religions and/or people who do not worship Allah and if non-believers cannot be converted than they are to be destroyed. If an Islamic person cannot convert someone to Islam it is his duty to destroy at least one "infidel". Otherwise, that person will not find himself in paradise when he dies. I could barely believe my eyes. But there it was, and a former Islamic person, my classmate, who converted to Christianity was sitting there telling me this and showing it to me in the Koran. Seeing is believing, folks!! He added that he could NEVER go back to Egypt after his conversion to Christianity because he and his family would be in harms' way. He added parenthetically that the phrase "Islam is a religion of peace" is the great lie that dooms all non-believers!!

So, there you have it. Let's be realistic an not view the world through rose colored glasses. Let us remember this day for all those who perished and with a renewed sense of awareness that our destruction is the goal of millions of people around the world. May God bless America...because we need His blessing.

She is the real deal

Americans saw history made last night if they watched the republican convention and met the vivacious, intelligent, poised and utterly charming Sarah Palin! I had no idea what to expect because I knew little if anything about her or her career path to her governorship. But first impressions make a lasting one and I was blown away by this woman. Finally some one with guts and the firepower and brain to back them up.

The ticket she is on and her presidential running mate scored a grand slam. Did you ever hear someone say " sally and mark really seem to compliment each other" when we see them together? I have some friends from California who fall into that category....one person compliments the other and because of that unity they have a successful career life and a happy home life too. It is an example of a successful relationship. Although Sarah Pilan and John McCain aren't married, the chemistry she brings to the table was just what the doctor ordered for our nation.

I think we just saw our future last night.

I Was There

: "MEET ME IN THE STAIRWELL" PLEASE READ TO THE VERY END, IT IS BEAUTIFUL!!!
'MEET ME IN THE STAIRWELL' You say you will never forget where you were when you heard the news On September 11, 2001. Neither will I. I was on the 110th floor in a smoke filled room with a man who called his wife to say 'Good-Bye.' I held his fingers steady as he dialed. I gave him the peace to say, 'Honey, I am not going to make it, but it is OK..I am ready to go.' I was with his wife when he called as she fed breakfast to their children. I held her up as she tried to understand his words and as she realized he wasn't coming home that night. I was in the stairwell of the 23rd floor when a woman cried out to Me for help. 'I have been knocking on the door of your heart for 50 years!' I said. 'Of course I will show you the way home - only believe in Me now.' I was at the base of the building with the Priest ministering to the injured and devastated souls. I took him home to tend to his Flock in Heaven. He heard my voice and answered. I was on all four of those planes, in every seat, with every prayer. I was with the crew as they were overtaken. I was in the very hearts of the believers there, comforting and assuring them that their faith has saved them. I was in Texas , Virginia , California , Michigan , Afghanistan . I was standing next to you when you heard the terrible news. Did you sense Me? I want you to know that I saw every face. I knew every name - though not all know Me. Some met Me for the first time on the 86th floor. Some sought Me with their last breath. Some couldn't hear Me calling to them through the smoke and flames; 'Come to Me... this way... take my hand.' Some chose, for the final time, to ignore Me. But, I was there. I did not place you in the Tower that day. You may not know why, but I do. However, if you were there in that explosive moment in time, would you have reached for Me? Sept. 11, 2001, was not the end of the journey for you. But someday your journey will end. And I will be there for you as well. Seek Me now while I may be found. Then, at any moment, you know you are 'ready to go.' I will be in the stairwell of your final moments. God During the next 60 seconds, stop whatever you are doing, and take this opportunity. (Literally it is only 1 minute.) All you have to do is the following: Stop and think and appreciate God's power in your life, for doing what you know is pleasing to Him. If you are not ashamed to do this, follow the instructions. Jesus said, 'If you are ashamed of Me, I will be ashamed of you before My Father' If you are not ashamed, copy and send this message...only if you believe 'Yes, I love my God. He is my fountain of Life and My Savior. He Keeps me going day and night. Without Him, I am no one. But with Him, I can do everything. Christ is my strength.' Prayer chain for our Military...please don't break it THIS NEEDS TO GO AROUND THE USA MANY TIMES SO KEEP IT GOING

Laboring on Labor Day

Hi Guys: Paula doesn't know I am posting this which makes it even more fun. We got a good bit a rain the last couple of days and the grass just sprang up and needed to be cut. Paula loves the new lawn tractor we got in May or June so here she is in vivo.....The Bear on the Move!

Later!!

God is trying to tell us something through nature.

Hi everybody: I trust that this little message finds you all well and safe. Tonight I just wanted to extend my best wishes and prayers to all those displaced people due to hurricane Gustav. Please be reassured that the world is not spinning out of control but rather that all these nature signs of God's power are a nudge in the ribs to all those folks who don't know Him that the time for a personal relationship with Him is drawing short. To those of us who do know Him, we have nothing to fear because eternity awaits us. I was watching "Saving Private Ryan" for the umpteenth time which is based on a family near Buffalo, by the way, and the little mousy interpreter said something like "if God be on our side than who can be against us"? Then the Jewish soldier said ' la la la la la la la la, is that it you crazy little @*%$*^? In a word, yes that is it! Homes cans be rebuilt, personal property can be replaced but once a soul is lost it is lost forever. For my dear friends in Charleston, you will get a mild taste of what a hurricane is all about next week sometime. It is kinda like a nor'easter with a little more punch and rain instead of snow. LOTS OF RAIN. For my brother in Oregon...I always have liked elephants better than tigers anyway. O.K. guys, I'm outa here. Be safe and I'll holler at you later.

Persistance

Hi everybody. If anyone watched last night's game vs. N.C. State it just showed that no matter how bad you may be...if you hang in there and keep on swinging then persistance will pay off. Our first quarterback of the evening was just plain awful. Thank goodness our defensive line was pumped to give us a chance to win. Our second quarterback of the night seemed to fare much better and that locked the game up. Of course, when the opposing center hikes the ball about 20 yards over the head of his quarterback on two occasions that helps our cause too. If someone would have asked me if it would be possible to win a football game with a quarterback who throws 4 interceptions in the first half I would have said impossible. I guess that shows you how much I know.
I am glad the QB for N.C. State is doing well after that high and low crushing sack he took in the first quarter. Kudos to the EMS people at Williams Brice. I thought that possibly this could be a disaster for this kid's life and career in his first game at QB with his mother watching the game from the stands. But, as their coach said" he's in God's hands and with the medical people so that all I can say". Amen to that! His prognosis is excellent on last report.
By the way, if anyone out there needs a job, come out to practice on Monday and if you can throw a football 10-15 yards to a guys with the same color jersey as yours, you might be our starter for the next game. :) I saw that UCONN (who?) won impressively last night. I thought they just played basketball. I was indeed saddened by hearing that the the Oregon State Beavers had lost. You have GOTTA love a mascot named Beavers. I had better quit or some distasteful joke will spring onto the page. That's it for now. Joe

Enjoying the unexpected

A couple of days ago I remarked on taking time to slow down and appreciate the "small things" that we normally take for granted. I was lacking in expressing to you the enjoyment, as opposed to the fear, of life's surprises. All of us have heard the expression "I don't like surprises". This is most likely attributed to an unexpected, sudden event that occurred in ones' past and resulted in something that wasn't pleasant or even life-altering in a bad way. I like to call it the Charlie Brown Syndrome. Regardless, I received a phone call last night from someone who I consider to be my closest, dearest friend, a member of the family and my brother. It was TOTALLY unexpected but what a great surprise it was!!! In the past he was there for me in a moments' notice when my health was quite poor (not that it is so great now) :) and had travelled a considerable distance to do so. Of course, when I was healthy we shared many happy moments together playing a mutually loved sport and just hanging out together watching movies, eating wings with GOOD vodka and talking about everything under the sun. Now... I, like everyone, has had unexpected "surprises" that elicited sadness or even shock, worry about the future...or even if there would be a future. However, I read something today that I thought might he a nice reassurance to us all. Very simply put it said " Be careful ( worry) for nothing but in every thing ... let your requests ( stuff you need ) and worries be made known unto God." "Then the peace you look for will keep your hearts and minds assured. " Also, this peace will help you in "being content in whatever situation you may find yourself". (Phil. 4: 6 and 11.) Trust me when I tell you, that after a little bit of thought and some self reflection on this little passage that surprises aren't something to be wary of but rather something that was planned for our lives that we just didn't know about yet. Life truly is cool because we never know what tomorrow will bring so in reality, most every new day is a surprise. Take care guys and worry about nothing....it just ain't worth it.

Phenomenal

Hi everybody: Since my health has declined over the past several months I have been forced to sit down and actually take a look around me and appreciate some of the "smaller" things in life that all of us probably take for granted. I am not referring to modern conveniences and all the technology that we have at our dispsoal that makes our life easier. What I am am referring to are things like the moon, the stars, and nature. I grew up twenty miles from Niagara Falls and knew it was there and visited often as a teenager but never really appreciated its awesome power and beauty. It wasn't until my wife, Paula, saw the falls for the first time in 1980 that I really marveled at their majesty. My wife stood by the rail, right at the brink of the falls and said "this is so awe striking I don't know what to say, Joe". I could barely hear her over the deafening roar of the water. That was twenty eight years ago.
Sitting here now, I am watching a squirrel working diligently in my back yard. All the world seems to be in turmoil but yet this squirrel knows what to do and when to do it because its' creator is in control. I'd like all of you who read this posting to read the following objectively and with some thought and see if it doesn't perhaps act as a reassurance to you in these troubled times.
"When I consider the heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars that you have created, what is man...that you are so caring of him and his children that you make Yourself known to him and crown him with honor and glory? You have allowed him to have control over the things that You created! O Lord, our Lord, how excellent is your name in all the earth".
Psalm 8.
David ( an all powerful king) wrote this over 2000 years ago but what was true then is true now. In a nutshell, look around in a quiet moment on a starry night and just give these words a thought. Awesome!!

My Wife Paula

Here are a few pictures of my lovely wife, Paula. She loves working outside and in her hospital setting at Easley Family Practice. The love of her life, besides me of course, is our new great niece named Sara. Bye for now.

Fall Appears Near

Well everyone, it seems as though fall is getting closer here in the upstate of South Carolina. It has been an unusually dry summer and we are hoping for some much needed rain. All of the University of South Carolina football fans are gearing-up for our first game in two weeks against North Carolina State at Williams Brice. I think we actually have a quarterback this year so perhaps we will improve upon last year's record. But, as Hank Stramm said, "That's why we play the game." You just never know.

We are also looking forward to the presidential elections in November. As Russia flexes its muscle along with everything else going on in the middle east, we need a strong leader. Let's all vote our conscience but most importantly, make sure you get out to vote.

O.K., that's it for now. To all my friends who are probably shocked to see my name in a blog, surprise!! It's about time.