I want to be "Trailer Trash"

I want to be trailer trash. They did not cause any of the problems that our country faces today. They did not get mortgages they couldn't afford. They did not run banks to the ground with greed. They did not use investors for their personal benefit. They don't even belong to the unions that ask too much of their companies.

I'm tired of paying mortgage bills,
utility bills, property taxes.

I want to live more simply, pack up
the dog and move into a travel-trailer.

I don't mind being called 'trailer trash',
but I want to get your opinion.
What do you think about my decision?

Redneck Lent

I thought I would share something fun today.

REDNECK LENT

Each Friday night after work, Bubba would fire up his outdoor grill and cook a venison steak. But, all of Bubba's neighbors were Catholic...and since it was Lent, they were forbidden from eating meat on Friday.

The delicious aroma from the grilled venison steaks was causing such a temptation to the Catholic faithful that they finally talked to their priest. The Priest came to visit Bubba, and suggested that he become a Catholic.

After several classes and much study, Bubba attended Mass. As the priest sprinkled holy water over him, he said, "You were born a Baptist, and raised a Baptist, but now you are a Catholic."

Bubba's neighbors were greatly relieved.....until Friday night arrived.....and the wonderful aroma of grilled venison filled the neighborhood once again. The Priest was called immediately by the neighbors, and, as he rushed into Bubba's yard, clutching a rosary and prepared to scold him, he stopped and watched in amazement.

There stood Bubba, clutching a small bottle of holy water....which he carefully sprinkled over the grilling meat and chanted: "You wuz born a deer, you wuz raised a deer, but now you a catfish."

Cushy Christianity by Julie Albracht

I simply want to share what I believe is a brilliant article that a friend wrote. Thank you Julie Albract for writing. Enjoy!!

As a recovering Cushy Christian, I write this not of out judgement, but hope for those who are stuck in a system that is very short-sided. I define “Cushy Christians” as those who are more concerned with what they're going to wear to church this Sunday, who they are going to sit with, whether the leaders will acknowledge them, how they can out Christianese their fellow Cushies with how “blessed” they are because they have the Lord's favor, than about God or their own families. They spend most of the church service contemplating which Cushy family they will go to lunch with afterwards. In the system of Cushy Christianity, there is a selfishness that is led from the top. It teaches that you need to do and think “this” way, so that you can “get” this or that. It is all about you. God gets lost and is used as a prop to get our selfish agenda accomplished. It isn't even a realized idea that we are selfish because everyone we are around is also selfish, and we all talk about God a lot and quote the scriptures to fit our agenda, so it must be right....right?

Cushies use the word “fellowship” to justify the amount of time spent with other Cushies. There is nothing wrong with relationships with other believers, in fact they can be the most amazing and rewarding. The problem comes when MOST of our time and energy is spent with them. There are other kinds of relationships that are amazing, as well. There are people out in the world that could benefit from your time and energy. You go to a house of worship to get filled up for the week, however, most are doing nothing but rubbing the back and ego of other Christians. Who or what is filling you up? Is it God or others approval of you? Step outside of the comfortable frat life that is being created and use what you are learning as a believer of God's word, and look outside of yourself and other Cushies. Help those outside of the walls of your Cushy Zone.

Leaders of the Cushy world do not want this to happen. They want you to help others only as long as it means bringing them back to the Cushy Zone, so they can become Cushies as well. Leaders of the Cushies want to have control of who you help and how much time you spend outside of that system. What is worse is the way recovering Cushies are treated when they decide to look outside of the walls of their house of worship. They are treated as traitors. Traitors of what? They aren’t traitors of God, but traitors to the idol worship of that system. It is not a sin to look outward instead of inward. In fact, looking only at what benefits you and your church surely is.

I used to work for a bank. They taught me in training that opening a checking account is good, but if we really want to get them attached and loyal to our bank, then we need to persuade them to open other accounts, CD's, get loans etc. The thinking was the more they are invested the harder it will be for them to ever leave, even if something goes wrong. This same philosophy is being used in churches nationwide. North American churches are becoming more and more about big business and less about God. When people who have been members of a large church for years leave, and the leadership doesn’t even notice, maybe your church is just too big. Bigger doesn’t mean better. Invest in the people God gives you to lead, instead of manipulating them to invest in you and your system.
A leader doesn’t ask others to do what they aren’t willing to do themselves. Is your leader removed from others, or do they mingle with the “common folk”?


I heard recently about a multi million dollar church dedication service in which a prayer went something like this, "God, we pray you would be bigger and greater than this building." Seriously??? Shouldn't you have thought about that before you started building? You are praying this to the creator of the universe?? God doesn't care about your fancy building. He cares about your heart...period. We don't have to be comfortable to worship Him. In fact, I think the more comfortable we become, the less we worship. Where is the need? People I know who have visited churches in other countries, come back to America and their stomaches turn at how ridiculous we have made the business of church. I think of the movie "Schindler's List" often and the scene when Liam Neeson is on his knees crying and saying "this ring could have saved another life".....What benefit does the opulence of your building or life have on the kingdom of God? What hurting person could have benefited from the money spent on opulent buildings?

I'm not saying sell everything you own and have a poverty mentality, but I am asking for people to come out of the fog and start to think outside of what the modern church culture is selling. This is not speaking of every church, there are many great ones who have their focus on “God”. The "church" means God's people. Somehow we have come to believe it means a building or organization that has a big cross somewhere. Again, it is great to have a house of worship to get refreshed and encouraged by other believers, but then go out and make disciples, not new frat members. Let’s pray that the Holy Spirit is more prevalent in your church than the Hollywood spirit. I heard recently that Christians originally called themselves "Repenters". I love that, and hope we can move back in that direction.

Peace and Love,
Julie

Let Him

Max Lucado is my all time favorite author. This blurb was on his website today and I thougt it was worth sharing:

Let Him

“Go after a life of love as if your life depended on it—because it does.” I Corinthians 14:1 The Message

Loosen up. Don’t you have some people to hug, rocks to skip, or lips to kiss? . . .
It’s time to retire. Not from your job, just retire from your attitude. Honestly, has complaining ever made the day better? Has grumbling ever paid the bills? Has worrying about tomorrow ever changed it?

Let someone else run the world for a while.

Giving Thanks

It is so easy to reflect on your current situation and think "Woe is me". But when taking the time to reflect on the past twelve months of my life I am really overwhelmed with emotion. Emotion that floods out any negative thought that tries to creep into my mind. The prayers, support, love and generosity of others are simply a reflection of an amazing God pouring out His blessing on His un-deserving children.

It was this time last year that I was simply exhausted and drained both mentally and physically. I had a job that allowed me to see our great nation from coast to coast yet required a huge sacrifice of my family and myself. I traveled four and five days a week allowing myself limited time to be the husband and father that I longed for. I also was involved and committed to the vision of our church in Springfield, Life Fellowship Church. I never wavered in my commitment to my job or the church yet inside I knew something had to change as I was wearing down. My employer at the time approached me about considering another position within the company that would take me off the road and allow me to be home all of the time. The only thing was that it would require me to move my family to Omaha, Nebraska. While I have never been fearful of change it would affect not only me but lots of people. I immediately went to the men that I worked alongside with at the church and shared with them my heart and desire to quit travelling and be home with my family. They agreed to pray and seek God and His will for what should happen. As a family we agreed to pursue the offer regarding Omaha and see if this was something we could do. We visited the area, looked at housing and the whole nine yards. We continued to pray as did the men at church that I confided in. Long story short, we heard the Lord tell us it was time to move..........back to Amarillo. I shared what I believed God was doing with the men at church and they confirmed that they felt peace in their hearts that we were doing exactly what God wanted for us.

I will forever be THANKFUL to those men at Life Fellowship Church for not only serving together with me, but selflessly praying and supporting what God was doing in our lives. Those men are Kary Kingsland, Ken Hebden, Rick Taylor, Pastor Jeff Baird and Skipp Phipps.

I don't want to ramble on with the blog, but my time in Missouri is a time that I will never forget. As a family we miss Missouri so bad that it hurts. We know we are where God wants us and are grateful to have such a wonderful memory of our friends that eventually became our family in Missouri. I am THANKFUL for the hole in my heart as we miss Missouri because if it weren't for the hurt I couldn't grasp and understand the true love that our Missouri family has for us and that we have for them.

As we have now lived in Amarillo for eight months it has been quite an adjustment time for us. I took a job that God provided and it has been a huge blessing to us. While I took a significant pay cut, it has been just what I needed. I longed for an opportunity to have a job that was "low stress" and allowed me time to rest and focus on my personal health. Not only did God give me that very job He also made provision through my employer as they financially support what has been a huge transformation thus far concerning my health. I am THANKFUL for Diversified Industrial Service Companies for providing a job that not only allows me to be home every night with my family, they also pay for me to train four days a week with a personal trainer and I have lost approximately SIXTY pounds in five months. I feel great, am more active in the lives of my wife and son and I am on my way to full restoration of my health.

I mentioned that I took a significant pay cut when I moved to Amarillo. It was simply a step of faith and if God don't provide then on paper we simply can't afford the change we made. With that being said I am THANKFUL for my best friend of 22 years whom I consider my brother, Shane Passmore. Shane and I grew up together at a place called Cal Farley's Boys Ranch and have remained in touch every day for 22 years. Shane is the owner of Texas Investigations and as his business has grown he has allowed me to learn and work for his business. God has used Shane miraculously to be a source for our family to financially be able to make it. I am blessed to have him in my life.

Finally, when we left Missouri we left LOTS of friends that became dear to our hearts. To say this has been a sometimes lonely transition would be an understatement. But as you can read above God is in the business of taking care of His children. Today I am THANKFUL for our awesome neighbors Chad and Kyla Beedy. Chad and Kyla reached out to us as their neighbors just when we needed it. They possess that Texas southern hospitality that we all read and hear about. They simply have loved us and been a support and they probably don't even realize the impact they have made on our lives and how much they have blessed us. Today Angel is the nanny to their precious daughter Ansley. While it is a financial blessing to have that responsibility, the friendship that has developed over the past 8 months is priceless. We truly have the best neighbors ever that we dearly love.

I realize this has been long and if you struggled to read through it, that is okay. But it helps me to reflect back on how AWESOME our God has been and reveal to me that I live a very blessed life and am highly favored in His eyes.

Skipp Phipps.....I love you so much and miss you every single day. I know that God put us together for a reason and I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that our friendship is for a lifetime. I am so THANKFUL for you.

Shane Passmore....You are simply the best. No one knows me inside and out like you do. Twenty two years is not a coincidence it is a destiny and a covenant friendship. I love you brother. I can't imagine life without you.

Angel...My wonderful wife and ultimate best friend. You have supported and stood by my side for sixteen years. I would not be where I am today without you. You have believed in me when no one else would. You have been the "rock" in my life. I can't put into words how THANKFUL I am for you every single day. You make life worth living. I love you!

I don't want to leave out my awesome family in Amarillo as I am so THANKFUL to each and every one of you. You all supported us without hesitation when we took on the task of moving to Missouri and you welcomed us home with open arms. I love you so much and it is all of you that make up the foundation that we build on and go through life with. Thank you Mom, Granny, Pop, Eugene, Debbie, Brandee, Candee and Jeremy. I love you all so much!

I love you all....thank you for a great past twelve months. I am THANKFUL for my life to date and look forward to the opportunities and change that lie ahead for us.

Blessings......Jared

ARE WE READY?

John 14:6 says, Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me".

I have witnessed and/or participated in the reading of or posting of information about Obama being the anti-christ, his new world order and the relentless attacks on how the democrats are killing our county. Quite frankly it really only boils down to one thing...do we have a relationship with Jesus Christ? If we do then WE WIN...if we don't WE LOSE. Everything else is irrelavent. The antichrist will be revealed someday and the only thing that will matter at that point is whether we have a personal relationship with Jesus.

Everything we see happening around us is not because of Obama or because of the democratic party or because of congress. It was prophesied and documented in the Bible thousands of years ago how everything would end.

It's coming people...the end...new world order...antichrist....common currency. There is NOTHING we can do or say that will alter what is coming. The only thing that we should ask ourselves is:

ARE WE READY?

1"Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God[a]; trust also in me. 2In my Father's house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. 3And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. 4You know the way to the place where I am going."

5Thomas said to him, "Lord, we don't know where you are going, so how can we know the way?"
6Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. 7If you really knew me, you would know[b] my Father as well. From now on, you do know him and have seen him."

Unmasking the Truth that Lies Behind Halloween

Below is an article that Gateway Church of Dallas publishes every year and I wanted to share:

The holiday of Halloween is generally observed on the evening of October 31 throughout most of North America and in some areas of Western Europe. As it quickly approaches this year, our concern is that many families, whether through innocence or a lack of understanding, will participate in this holiday in a way that is not beneficial to them. The Bible tells us that we are engaged in a spiritual battle between good and evil; between the spiritual forces of God and Satan.

Although many view Halloween as merely a fun time to put on costumes and exchange candy, in reality this holiday has deep spiritual roots. At its core, Halloween is a celebration that focuses on the forces of darkness. It was originally a pagan festival of the dead. The festivities of Halloween are based on folk-beliefs about supernatural forces and spirits of the dead. These beliefs are often depicted through the various symbols associated with Halloween, and most of these directly relate to death in some shape or manner. Traditional Halloween decorations feature imagery associated with supernatural beings such as witches, werewolves, vampires and ghosts. They also include images which symbolize bad omens—such as black cats, bats and spiders.

The origins of Halloween can be traced back to the ancient religious practices of the Druids (Celtic priests). The Druids were members of a pagan order spread throughout Britain, Ireland and Gaul. They generally performed ritual blood sacrifices with animals but often with humans as well. In fact, the word bonfire is derived from the words “bone” and “fire” because the Druids would pile bones of sacrificed animals or humans in a field filled with timber and set them ablaze. To the Celts, bonfires represented the sun and could be used by Druids to aid in their fight against the dark powers. They believed their sacrifices would placate the gods, thus warding off evil spirits and ensuring that the sun would return after winter.

The Celts also believed that the eve of their new year, which they called Samhain, was the supreme night of demonic jubilation. Spirits of the dead would rise out of their graves and wander the countryside trying to return to homes where they formerly lived. Frightened villagers would try to appease these wandering spirits by offering them gifts of fruit and nuts. This is how the present day practice of "trick-or-treat" came into being.

Eventually Christianity began spreading rapidly throughout Europe, and rather than abolishing the pagan customs of Halloween, people tried to incorporate ideas into it which reflected a Christian worldview. This is why Halloween has evolved into such a confusing mixture of traditions from both the Christian and pagan cultures. Take the jack-o-lantern for example. A jack-o-lantern is a pumpkin carved with faces representing demons and illuminated from within. It is considered to be the “festival light” of Halloween because it was the ancient symbol of a damned soul and people believed that jack-o-lanterns could frighten away evil spirits. Other popular symbols of Halloween like bats, owls and other nocturnal animals were originally feared because people believed these creatures could communicate with the spirits of the dead. People during the Middle Ages also believed that witches could turn themselves into black cats. Whenever a black cat was spotted, people automatically assumed it was a witch in disguise.

When you take a close look at the symbols that make up Halloween, it is impossible to deny their evil nature since they primarily consist of witches, monsters, ogres, vampires, ghosts, ghouls, goblins and demons. In fact, Halloween is widely recognized as the ultimate day of celebration for Satanists. Those who oppose Christianity have been known to organize on this day to observe satanic rituals, cast spells, come against churches and families, perform sacrilegious acts and even offer blood sacrifices to Satan. In light of these facts, believers have a responsibility to carefully consider our participation in this holiday. God’s Word encourages us to avoid participating in pagan activities and incorporating religious pagan practices in worship (see Leviticus 18:24-30 and Deuteronomy 18:9). In Ephesians Paul warns followers of Christ to “Take no part in the worthless deeds of evil and darkness; instead, rebuke and expose them” (Ephesians 5:11). We need to be cautious about associating with works of darkness, because we don’t live in darkness anymore. As believers we now live in the light through our faith in Jesus.

Some parents don’t see a problem with allowing their children to celebrate Halloween. These parents celebrated it themselves when they were young and believe Halloween is both completely harmless and fun. Understand that God is not opposed to fun. He’s all about it, in fact, and so are we. However, Halloween is deeply rooted in evil. When we participate in Halloween, we can often send a subtle message to others that there’s no need to seriously consider the spirit realm. Even the types of costumes in which we dress our children can have an effect on our witness for Christ. Worse still, our participation can send a message to our children that witchcraft, demonic practices, Satanism and the occult are all harmless, entertaining and fun.

If you have a desire to celebrate the season, we suggest celebrating it through an event not associated with Halloween. Our participation in any kind of celebration should always emphasize the light of Christ. We must be proactive in our faith and resist all the works of the enemy. The Bible tells you to "Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour" (1 Peter 5:8).

Here are some suggestions on steps you can take with your family:

1.Do some personal research on Halloween.
2.Pray and ask God to show you what He wants you to do this Halloween.
3.Consider attending a Christ centered fall festival sponsored by various churches in your city.
4.Start a new tradition, rooted in God and family, on Halloween.