Does God Answer Prayer?

This is an email sent to me this week from our Senior pastor at the church I attend. I thought  that it was worth sharing with all that wished to see it. I hope it touches your heart, as it did mine.

Brown Bag Christmas Story When I asked our Sunday School class to share a favorite Christmas story, Carrie Fuller said, “Our family has one we call the ‘brown bag Christmas.’” When she finished, I had to hear more. Two days later, I called a member of her family for more details. It was the early 1930s during the Dust Bowl days of Kansas, in the heart of the Depression. The Canaday family—Mom, Dad, 7 children—were having a tough time existing, so there would be no luxuries at Christmas that year. Mom told the children to go outside and find a Christmas tree and decorate it. After a lengthy search, they returned with a dead branch, the only thing they had been able to find. They stood it up in a bucket of sand and decorated it with pieces of paper tied with string. Little Judy, almost four, did not know how a Christmas tree was supposed to look, but somehow she knew it was not like that! As Christmas approached, the Canaday children, like children everywhere, pestered Mom and Dad about what presents they might get under their “tree.” Dad pointed out that the pantry was bare, that they did not have enough to live on, and there certainly would be no money for gifts. But Mom was a woman of faith and told her children, “Say your prayers. Ask God to send us what He wants us to have.” Dad said, “Now, Mother, don’t be getting the children’s hopes up. You’re just setting them up for a disappointment.” Mom said, “Pray, children. Tell Jesus.” And pray they did. On Christmas Eve, the children watched out the window for visitors, but no one came. “Blow out the lamp and go to bed”, Dad said. “Nobody is going to come. No one even knows we’re out here.” The children turned out the lamp and got in bed, but they were too excited to sleep. Was this not Christmas? Had they not asked God to send them the presents He wanted them to have? Did Mom not say God answers prayer? Late that night, when one of the children spotted headlights coming down the dirt road, everyone jumped out of bed and ran to the window. The commotion woke up Mom and Dad. “Don’t get excited, children,” Dad said. “They’re probably not coming here. It’s just someone who got lost.” The children kept hoping and the car kept coming. Then, Dad lit a lamp. They all wanted to rush to the door at the same time, but Mr. Canaday said, “Stay back. I’ll go.” Someone got out of the car and called, “I was wondering if someone here can help me unload these bags.” The children dashed out the door to lend a hand. Mom said to her youngest, “Stay here, Judy, and help Mom open the bags and put up the gifts.” A deacon from the church in town had gone to bed that Christmas Eve, and lay there tossing and turning, unable to get the Canaday family off his mind. Later, he said, “I didn’t know what kind of shape you folks were in, but I knew you had all those kids.” He had gotten up and dressed and went around town, rousing people from their sleep to ask for a contribution for the Canaday family. He filled his car with bags of groceries, canned goods, toys, and clothing. Little Judy got a rag doll which remained her favorite for years. With so much food, Dad wanted to have a Christmas feast, to spread it all out and eat as they had never eaten before. Mom, ever the caretaker, said, “No, we need to make this last.” And it did last, for weeks. The next Sunday, Mrs. Canaday stood in church and told what the members—and one deacon in particular—had done for her family. There was not a dry eye in the house. Years later, the oldest sister Eva wrote up this story about her family for a school project. Eva said, “We were so thrilled by all the wonderful things in the bags, for a while ;we lost sight of the most special gift. The best gift that Christmas was not in brown bags at all. It was Mom’s faith, as she taught her children to bring their needs to Jesus and trust Him to meet them. And a Dad’s love that wanted only to protect his children from hurt and disappointment.” When Carrie finished telling her story, she added, “Little Judy is my wonderful grandmother.” Today, Judy Canaday Dryden lives in Sanger, Texas. As she relived this event from seventy years ago over the phone, one could hear the tear in her voice and feel her pride in being the recipient of such a precious heritage from her mother and father. At Christmas, we celebrate praying mothers and caring fathers and believing children. We give thanks for sensitive deacons and generous friends and sleepless nights. And we praise God for the hard times that teach unforgettable lessons, stories of faithfulness that get told and retold through the years inspiring each new generation to place their faith in a loving Savior.

 

 

 

 

Log Jam

When I was a kid living on the border of Eastern Washinton, and Idaho we were treated to a log drive down the clearwater river, frome central Idaho to the Potlach Corp. mill in Lewiston. It was really something to see. Thousands of logs floating down the river, then guided into the mill by the crews of men. Occasionaly there would be a log jam. Too many logs in one place,getting jammed, into a tangled mess with logs pointing in all directions creating a dangerous cituation for the loggers and the men on the river. It was a cituation that that was to be avoided at all costs.

Here we are approximately two weeks away from from our own log jam Nov. 2. All of us have decisions to make concerning the status of our elected officials. Keep them or dump them.

It seems to be easy if you are voting along party lines. But what happens of you are not happy with the current elected official? I for one am not happy with the direction that the Democrats have taken us, but  on the other hand I was not happy with the Republican agenda of the past eight years either.

To be honest the Tea Party has come closest to standing up for my beliefs, better than any other party. Less government, less intrusion into our lives, lower taxes. I have not seen the examples of racism that have been talked about and I have been watching as closely as possible.

I fear that if I vote democratic ticket I will get taxed to death, and if I vote Republican they will continue with their old tactics and there will be no improvement or compromise with the Obama administration.

I fear that we have allowed our Government to roll out of control for so long, and I mean at least since the end of ww11. I fear that the ability to compromise has been lost. The different interests only see their solution as the only one. We have done what I consider to be the biggest mistake in the history of our country. We have done our best to eliminate God from our schools, and our society.

Just another rant with no solution.

Kennedy

The Kennedy name is well known around the world. The Kennedy family has sacrificed more for this country than any other. Ted Kennedy had a long, life ofloyal service to his country. My prayers are with his family.

Palin stepping down as Alaska Governor

WASILLA  Alaska, July 3 (UPI) — Alaska Gov. Sarah PalinASILLA,  announced Friday she will resign as governor by the end of July and will not seek a second term in 2010. Palin, Republican Arizona Sen. John McCain’s vice presidential running mate last year, said Lt. Gov. Sean Parnell would be sworn in as the new governor July 25.

Speaking outside her home in Wasilla, Alaska, Palin said being a “lame-duck” governor would have been the “easiest path” as she approaches her final year in office.

“Once I decided not to run for re-election, I also felt that to embrace the conventional ‘lame-duck’ status in this particular climate would just be another dose of ‘politics as usual,’ something I campaigned against and will always oppose,” she said.

“People who know me know that besides faith and family, nothing’s more important to me than our beloved Alaska,” Palin said. “It is my duty to always protect our great state.”

She said the new governor’s administration would build on the accomplishments of hers.

“I look forward to helping others — to fight for our state and our country and campaign for those who believe in smaller government, free enterprise, strong national security, support for our troops and energy independence,” she said.

I just listened to a interview with her brother, concerning a conversation that he had with Sarah, a few days ago. it seems that this decision has been in the works for some time. Sarah told her brother that between all of the allegations of ethic violations, which were all proved to be unfounded, and the smear campaigns by her opponents that went on for eight months after the Presidential election, the distraction was too much, and was diminishing her ability to perform the duties of Governor.

I believe that she is putting herself in a position for a run at the Presidency in 2012. Some have already said that this is not a politically good move, if that is the case, because now it will be said that she quit  her post as Governor, and did not finish the job. This, in my opinion, is why I admire her. She is making a decision that is right for Alaska, and not acting because it is right for her career. How many of our current politicians in office have the balls to do that?

Sarah Palin is a person who stands by her convictions and will do exactly as she says she will do, and not let her political career stand in the way of doing the right thing. It’s time we cleaned out out House of Representatives and the Senate and elected more people like Sarah Palin. We would be better off for it.

This needs to stop.

 This was recently reported on FoxNews.

 

The Nebraska man who abandoned his nine children under the state’s Safe Haven law last year is expecting to become the father of twins, FOXNews.com has learned.

Gary Staton, 37, became a single father in February 2007 when his wife, RebelJane, died of a cerebral aneurysm shortly after giving birth to the couple’s ninth child. Unable to handle the burden alone, Staton made national news more than a year later on Sept. 24 when he dropped off his children — ages 1 to 17 — at a hospital in Omaha.

 

At what point do we say enough is enough. Let’s not take into account the enormous cost to society (on many levels)that this man’s actions, have cost. What about the children that are now growing up under some state program or having to adjust to a new home and new parents. This is wrong, plain wrong.

Dont give me the bullshit about his rights. What about the rights of the children he abandoned. Their rights to have parents and grow up in a normal family. Ok Ok so he probably isnt normal and the kids probably are better off, so tell me when we say stop already. Keep your pants zipped or get fixed so this doesnt happen again, OOPS it already did. He just had two more. Can he take care of those.

If this were a random act I would not be writing this, but it is happening more often than we realize, or maybe we do realize it and don’t care. Men are making babies and then waking away and leaving the mother and (usually) the Gov. to raise them. To make it worse they find another female provider and make more!!  I am not saying its all the males fault, women could use a little better judgement too. But if you are man enough to make them you should be man enough to support and raise them. If you can’t, you are no better then animals. Whether you beleive that your ancestors were monkeys or you beleive in GOD, in either case we are the species that is supposed to be superior. In this case I have my doubts.

 

 

Death of Real Journalism

I have always had the idea that journalism by our weekly perveyors of the news would be objective and give the facts on both sides of an issue. Allowing the public the opportunity to assimilate the reported facts and come to our own conclusion on the subject.
Looking up journalism we are given a generic definition from Wikipedia: Journalism is the production of news reports and editorials through media such as newspapers, magazines, radio, television and the Internet. Journalists—be they writers, editors, photographers, broadcast presenters or producers—serve as the main purveyors of information and opinion in contemporary society.
I agree with this except our news purveyors are supposed to be objective (I thought).
Objective Journalism according to Wikipedia : Objectivity is a significant principle of journalistic professionalism. Journalistic objectivity can refer to fairness, disinterestedness, factuality, and most importantly, nonpartisanship, but most often encompasses all of these qualities.
For the record yes I am a conservative not always voting Republican, but I will admit often. I stood by and listened to the news media trash President Bush throughout his presidency. But I have had to stand by and see/listen to the gross love affair that the media has fostered over Obama.

When I turn on the local news I expect to hear the facts reported, not opinions , or only what the media wants us to hear. I have stopped watching nightly news and started search for my own facts. It takes much more time, but after all I am looking for facts not opinions. When I want opinions I head for the blog pages.