A Few of FR's Finest....Every Day....10-15,16,17-04...T.G.I.F. at the Finest

40 Days of Prayer

Someone has said that if Christians really understood the full extent of the power we have available through prayer we might be speechless.

In W.W.II there was an advisor to Churchill who organized a group of people who dropped what they were doing every day at a prescribed hour for one minute to collectively pray for the safety of England, its people and peace. There is now a group of people organizing the same thing here in America.

There is a national call, starting this Friday night for 40 days of Prayer. In forty days starting Friday we will have an election for the President of the United States of America. No matter which party you support, please pray each day that the Lord will bless our Nation and place in power, the man that needs to be our leader in these troubled years ahead. The Bible uses the 40 days numerous times, maybe this will be good for this nation.

If you would like to participate, every evening at 9:00 pm Eastern Time, 8:00 pm Central, 6:00 pm Pacific, stop whatever you are doing and spend one minute praying for the safety of the United States, our troops, our citizens, for the elections and for peace in the world.

If you know anyone else who would like to participate, please pass this along. Our prayers are the most powerful asset we have.

Together, we "CAN" make a difference!
Thank You, and God Bless America

21 posted on 10/15/2004 6:58:31 PM PDT by Dubya (Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father,but by me)

Q: I've heard that cardiovascular exercise can prolong life. Is this true?
A: Your heart is only good for so many beats, and that's it...don't waste them on exercise. Everything wears out eventually. Speeding up your heart will not make you live longer; that's like saying you can extend the life of your car by driving it faster. Want to live longer? Take a nap.

Q: Should I cut down on meat and eat more fruits and vegetables?
A: You must grasp logistical efficiencies. What does a cow eat? Hay and corn. And what are these? Vegetables. So a steak is nothing more than an efficient mechanism of delivering vegetables to your system. Need grain? Eat chicken. Beef is also a good source of field grass (green leafy vegetable). And a pork chop can give you 100% of your recommended daily allowance of vegetable products.

Q: How can I calculate my body/fat ratio?
A: Well, if you have a body, and you have body fat, your ratio is one to one. If you have two bodies, your ratio is two to one, etc.

Q: What are some of the advantages of participating a regular exercise program?
A: Can't think of a single one, sorry. My philosophy is: No Pain...Good.

Q: Aren't fried foods bad for you?
A: You're not listening. Foods are fried these days in vegetable oil. In fact, they're permeated in it. How could getting more vegetables be bad for you?

Q: What's the secret to healthy eating?
A: Thicker gravy.

Q: Will sit-ups help prevent me from getting a little soft around the middle?
A: Definitely not! When you exercise a muscle, it gets bigger. You should only be doing sit-ups if you want a bigger stomach.

Q: Is chocolate bad for me?
A: Are you crazy? HELLO ...... Cocoa beans ... another vegetable!!! It's the best feel good food around!

Well, I hope this has cleared up any misconceptions you may have had about food and diets.
Now go have a cookie...flour is a veggie!

22 posted on 10/15/2004 7:04:27 PM PDT by Dubya (Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father,but by me)

ONE SOLITARY LIFE

He was born in an obscure village, the child of a peasant woman. He grew up in another obscure village, where He worked in a carpenter shop until He was thirty. Then for three years He was an itinerant preacher.

He never had a family or owned a home. He never set foot inside a big city. He never traveled two hundred miles from the place He was born. He never wrote a book, or held an office. He did none of the things that usually accompany greatness.

While He was still a young man, the tide of popular opinion turned against Him. His friends deserted Him. He was turned over to His enemies, and went through the mockery of a trial. He was nailed to a cross between two thieves. While He was dying, His executioners gambled for the only piece of property He had --- His coat.

When He was dead, He was taken down and laid in a borrowed grave.

Nineteen centuries have come and gone, and today He is the central figure for much of the human race. All the armies that ever marched, and all the navies that ever sailed, and all the parliaments that ever sat, and all the kings that ever reigned, put together, have not affected the life of man upon this earth as powerfully as this

"One Solitary Life."

23 posted on 10/15/2004 7:09:43 PM PDT by Dubya (Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father,but by me)

Only God Knows
It was an unusually cold day for the month of May. Spring had arrived, and everything was alive with color. But a cold front from the North had brought winter's chill back to Indiana. I sat, with two friends, in the picture window of a quaint restaurant just off the corner of the town square. The food and the company were both especially good that day.
As we talked, my attention was drawn outside, across the street. There, walking into town was a man who appeared to be carrying all of his worldly goods on his back. He was carrying, a well-worn sign that read, "I will work for food." My heart sank. I brought him to the attention of my friends and noticed that others around us had stopped eating to focus on him. Heads moved in a mixture of sadness and disbelief. We continued with our meal, but his image lingered in my mind. We finished our meal and went our separate ways.
I had errands to do and quickly set out to accomplish them. I glanced toward the town square, looking somewhat halfheartedly for the strange visitor. I was fearful, knowing that seeing him again would call some response. I drove through town and saw nothing of him. I made some purchases at a store and got back in my car. Deep within me, the Spirit of God kept speaking to me: "Don't go back to the office until you've at least driven once more around the square." And so, with some hesitancy, I headed back into town. As I turned the square's third corner, I saw him.
He was standing on the steps of the storefront church, going through his sack. I stopped and looked, feeling both compelled to speak to him, yet wanting to drive on.
The empty parking space on the corner seemed to be a sign from God: an invitation to park. I pulled in, got out and approached the town's newest visitor.
"Looking for the pastor?" I asked.
"Not really," he replied, "just resting."
"Have you eaten today?"
"Oh, I ate something early this morning."
"Would you like to have lunch with me?"
"Do you have some work I could do for you?"
"No work," I replied. "I commute here to work from the city, but I would like to take you to lunch."
"Sure," he replied with a smile.
As he began to gather his things. I asked some surface questions.
"Where you headed?"
"St. Louis."
"Where you from?"
"Oh, all over; mostly Florida."
"How long you been walking?"
"Fourteen years," came the reply.
I knew I had met someone unusual. We sat across from each other in the same restaurant I had left earlier. His face was weathered slightly beyond his 38 years. His eyes were dark yet clear, and he spoke with an eloquence and articulation that was startling. He removed his jacket to reveal a bright red T-shirt that said, "Jesus is The Never Ending Story."
Then Daniel's story began to unfold. He had seen rough times early in life. He'd made some wrong choices and reaped the consequences.
Fourteen years earlier, while backpacking across the country, he had stopped on the beach in Daytona. He tried to hire on with some men who were putting up a large tent and some equipment. A concert, he thought. He was hired, but the tent would not house a concert but revival services, and in those services he saw life more clearly. He gave his life over to God. "Nothing's been the same since," he said, "I felt the Lord telling me to keep walking, and so I did, some 14 years now."
"Ever think of stopping?" I asked.
"Oh, once in a while, when it seems to get the best of me. But God has given me this calling. I give out Bibles. That's what's in my sack. I work to buy food and Bibles, and I give them out when His Spirit leads."
I sat amazed. My homeless friend was not homeless. He was on a mission and lived this way by choice. The question burned inside for a moment, and then I asked: "What's it like?"
"What?"
"To walk into a town carrying all your things on your back and to show your sign?"
"Oh, it was humiliating at first. People would stare and make comments. One tossed a piece of half-eaten bread and made a gesture that certainly didn't make me feel welcome. But then it became humbling to realize that God was using me to touch lives and change people's concepts of other folks like me."
My concept was changing, too. We finished our dessert and gathered his things. Just outside the door, he paused. He turned to me and said,
"Come Ye blessed of my Father and inherit the kingdom I've prepared for you. For when I was hungry you gave me food, when I was thirsty you gave me drink, a stranger and you took me in."
I felt as if we were on holy ground.
"Could you use another Bible?" I asked.
He said he preferred a certain translation. It traveled well and was not too heavy. It was also his personal favorite. "I've read through it 14 times," he said.
"I'm not sure we've got one of those, but let's stop by our church and see."
I was able to find my new friend a Bible that would do well, and he seemed very grateful.
"Where you headed from here?"
"Well, I found this little map on the back of this amusement park coupon."
"Are you hoping to hire on there for awhile?"
"No, I just figure I should go there. I figure someone under that star right there needs a Bible, so that's where I'm going next."
He smiled, and the warmth of his spirit radiated the sincerity of his mission. I drove him back to the town-square where we'd met two hours earlier, and as we drove, it started raining. We parked and unloaded his things.
"Would you sign my autograph book?" he asked. "I like to keep messages from folks I meet."
I wrote in his little book that his commitment to his calling had touched my life. I encouraged him to stay strong. And I left him with a verse of scripture from Jeremiah, "I know the plans I have for you," declared the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you. Plans to give you a future and a hope."
"Thanks, man," he said. "I know we just met, and we're really just strangers, but I love you."
"I know," I said, "I love you, too."
"The Lord is good."
"Yes, He is. How long has it been since someone hugged you?" I asked.
"A long time," he replied.
And so on the busy street corner in the drizzling rain, my new friend and I embraced, and I felt deep inside that I had been changed.
He put his things on his back, smiled his winning smile and said, "See you in the New Jerusalem."
"I'll be there!" was my reply.
He began his journey again. He headed away with his sign dangling from his bed roll and pack of Bibles. He stopped, turned and said, "When you see something that makes you think of me, will you pray for me?"
"You bet," I shouted back, "God bless." And that was the last I saw of him.
Late that evening as I left my office, the wind blew strong. The cold front had settled hard upon the town. I bundled up and hurried to my car. As I sat back and reached for the emergency brake, I saw them... a pair of well-worn brown work gloves neatly laid over the length of the handle. I picked them up and thought of my friend and wondered if his hands would stay warm that night without them. I remembered his words:
"If you see something that makes you think of me, will you pray for me?"
Today his gloves lie on my desk in my office. They help me to see the world and its people in a new way, and they help me remember those two hours with my unique friend and to pray for his ministry. "See you in the New Jerusalem," he said.
Yes, Daniel, I know I will..."I shall pass this way but once. Therefore, any good that I can do or any kindness that I can show, let me do it now, for I shall not pass this way again."

24 posted on 10/15/2004 7:19:56 PM PDT by Dubya (Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father,but by me)

I just received this from my "very best friend in the whole world". This is hiliarious!!!!!!!!!

Last Thursday I put out one of my Bush/Cheney signs in my front yard. Between midnight and 3:00 a.m. someone stole it. On Friday night I put out sign No. 2. Since I didn't have to get up early, I thought my dog and I would "stake out" our sign. This time I put the sign a little closer to the gate leading to my backyard.

With my dog on an extra long leash, I planted myself on a lawn chair and read "Unfit for Command" by flashlight until about 1:00 a.m. Here comes the fun part . . . I noticed that the car coming down the street was slowing down and pulling over to the curb right next to my yard. Sure enough, he gets out of his car and heads right for my
sign. Just as he was about to uproot and desecrate it, I opened my gate and let my dog make the initial introduction!

As he ran to hide behind the rear end of his car, I promptly moved to the driver-side door, which was still open. It was a fairly nice car with power everything and still running. While my dog continued to "introduce" herself, I rolled up the window and hit the power door
lock button. With that, I slammed the door, grabbed my Bush sign and headed into the back yard.

And now for the "rest of the story." About 40 minutes later, I heard a knock at the door. I opened the door to one of our city's finest, the Vancouver Police Department. The officer asked me what was going on and when I told him, he could not stop laughing! I followed him out to the perp's car and stood there while he asked the guy a
few more questions.

Upon learning that the guy lived a couple of
streets down, I -- knowing what was about to happen -- asked him, "Why do you have Oregon plates on your car if you live just down the street (here in Vancouver, Wash.)?"
Larry, Oregon has no sales tax, so often Washington residents will buy and register cars in Oregon to avoid paying sales tax . . . it's a crime and the fine is pretty stiff.

Here comes the best part. . . . The look on this guy's face told me he knew he was about to get busted. When the officer asked for his license and registration, the "Democrat" mumbled that (his license) was suspended.
Just for kicks and giggles I asked the officer if he
smelled any alcohol coming from the guy! The officer looked at me, smiled and promptly gave him a field breathalyzer test.

Guess what? You got it, he blew a .10, legally drunk in the state of Washington. DUI, illegal registration and the brand of "MORON," all 'cause he hates Bush!

Cost of Bush signs: $5.95 each

Cost of Flashlight batteries: $3.95/Pack

Seeing a Leftwing Numbskull carted off to the hoosegow: Priceless.

VOTE EARLY, VOTE OFTEN,
The ass you save may be your own.

25 posted on 10/15/2004 7:37:01 PM PDT by dixie sass (Texas - South Carolina on Steroids)

Oh Colleen, they are so cute!

26 posted on 10/15/2004 7:38:48 PM PDT by dixie sass (Texas - South Carolina on Steroids)

To: Kitty Mittens

Have a wonderful weekend Kitty!!!!!!

27 posted on 10/15/2004 7:39:26 PM PDT by dixie sass (Texas - South Carolina on Steroids)

Christians must view politics theologically, Moore says By Jeff Robinson
BP NEWS

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (BP)--If Christians confuse their citizenship in the
kingdom of God with their citizenship in the United States, they are in
danger of twisting and perverting the Gospel, Russell D. Moore recently
told an audience at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary.

Moore, dean of the seminary's school of theology and senior vice
president for academic administration, said that Christians in America
must think theologically when deciding how to vote and where to stand
on important issues in the upcoming presidential election.

American Christians are in the unique position that is the equivalent
of "Caesar" in the Bible, Moore said. Pointing to Jesus' and Paul's
discussion of Caesar, Moore said that in a constitutional republic,
Caesar is the people. Moore's comments were made at the seminary during
a September address on political engagement.

"You and I are not in the same position as the first-century
Christians, gathering together in catacombs, wondering what Caesar is
going to do," Moore said. "Instead, you and I are in both situations.
We're the church trying to live out the mandate of the Gospel and we
are at the same time those Romans 13 authorities.

"The authority in the United States of America is constitutionally
invested, not in the White House, not in the Congress, not in the
Supreme Court, but ultimately in the people through their elected
representatives. So responsibility for using the sword wisely, for fair
taxation, for all of these things, ultimately rests with us. When we
are reading passages [that refer to Caesar], we read it through two
lenses: It is addressed to us as the church and it is also addressed to
us as Caesar."

Believers confuse their citizenship in the two kingdoms when they
mistakenly view America as the fulfillment of Old Testament Israel and
desire for the government to function accordingly, Moore said. Instead,
Moore said that Old Testament Israel is fulfilled in the church.

Because of this, spiritual disobedience must be dealt with through
church discipline and not through the coercive activity of the state,
he said. Believers must think theologically, not only about specific
issues such as same-sex "marriage" and abortion, but also about
political engagement in general, he said.

"When we read New Testament texts in which we see Jesus or Paul talking
about Caesar, we read them through two lenses," Moore said. "They are
addressed to us as the church and also as Caesar. Political decisions
are important for the sake of the church, for the sake of the Gospel,
and for our accountability to God as the ultimate governing authorities
in a constitutional republic."

So, must an evangelical Christian vote Republican or Democrat? Moore
said that ideally both parties would have conservative evangelicals
working within them. However, most evangelicals gravitate toward the
GOP because of a profound shift that has occurred within the Democratic
Party over the past three decades, Moore said.

The Democratic Party, once home to many Southern Baptists and other
evangelicals, now prefers the influence of groups such as abortion
rights groups and homosexual activists -- lobbies with a worldview not
consonant with evangelical convictions, Moore said. The loss of
orthodox believers in the party has meant the loss of a unity based on
transcendent causes of justice, such as the civil rights movement,
Moore said. Now, party activists are more likely to be energized by
conspiracy theories such as those found in Michael Moore's film
"Fahrenheit 9/11," he said.

Christians must not identify themselves first and foremost by
affiliation with a particular political party, Moore said. A party is
merely a mechanism one uses to advance objectives informed by a
Christian worldview, he said.

"What is best for America would not necessarily be to have a Republican
Party full of evangelicals and a secular Democratic Party," Moore said.
"Ideally, it would be wonderful if we had two parties that had
evangelicals working and active within them.

"The problem is that you have interest groups within the contemporary
Democratic Party that simply will not tolerate evangelicals who hold to
some essentials of an evangelical worldview. That's the sad reality."

Believers need not only to think theologically about issues such as
abortion and same-sex "marriage," but they must also bring a biblical
worldview to other issues such as foreign policy and terrorism, Moore
said.

"What I'm concerned about in terms of foreign policy is that some of
the arguments that are being used completely erode any foundation of
justice at all," Moore said. "Should a nation that has been attacked
feel a sense of justice toward the capture of Osama bin Laden? Is that
simply vengeful human beings who want blood or is that something that
resonates with the way God has made the world?

"If we establish a society that no longer understands justice, we can
no longer understand the Gospel. The Gospel is not just asking Jesus
into your heart so that you will be happy all the day. The Gospel is
'while we were sinners, yet Christ died for us.' There is a just
condemnation against us, a sense in which God, in order to be just, the
apostle Paul says, must punish evil and He has done so in Jesus Christ.
If you don't understand justice, you can't understand justification."

28 posted on 10/15/2004 8:07:25 PM PDT by Dubya (Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father,but by me)

To: Kitty Mittens; Billie; ST.LOUIE1; Pippin; dutchess; deadhead; Mama_Bear; jwfiv; Diver Dave; ...

Happy Saturday to *ALL* at the Finest! Kitty Mittens, I echo your sweet sentiments on being given a home here at the Finest. This is the best gathering place filled with the best people on all of the Internet!

Thank you ((((((Billie))))))) for making this place as comfortable as you have. And thank you to the (((((((hosts and hostesses))))))))) who have taken on the task of putting up the thread each and every day. Having been a part of that at one time, I can appreciate all of the work and time that goes into it.

I'm enjoying my visit with my daughter - she'll be leaving tomorrow, so we're off to do some serious shopping today!

Have a great weekend everyone!

:-)

29 posted on 10/16/2004 6:51:09 AM PDT by dansangel (Those who think size doesn't matter have not been in bed with a hungry mosquito - Your Vote Counts!)

Happy Friday and weekend to you!

Morning on Saturday, Meg. Didn't stay around here yesterday after 'opening the door', so wanted to come back this morning to say hello.

30 posted on 10/16/2004 8:10:29 AM PDT by Billie (On November 2nd, there is only one clear choice. "W" is for winner!)

Mornin' Billie. TGIF indeed. Smokey skies around here this morning. Couple of forest fires burning up north, and the smoke is filling the Big Valley. Coffee?

I hope they get the fires under control soon. Coffee? A day late, but do you still want some? :)

31 posted on 10/16/2004 8:14:31 AM PDT by Billie (On November 2nd, there is only one clear choice. "W" is for winner!)

Morning, Aeronaut. Late yesterday opening the door - late today getting here. :)

P.S. Still counting on you for Minnesota! :)

32 posted on 10/16/2004 8:18:36 AM PDT by Billie (On November 2nd, there is only one clear choice. "W" is for winner!)

Hi, there, li'l red-haired girl! :)

33 posted on 10/16/2004 8:21:33 AM PDT by Billie (On November 2nd, there is only one clear choice. "W" is for winner!)

That yawning leopard looks a lot like me today ... )

But that was yesterday....today it looks like you're out getting a little fresh air already! :)

34 posted on 10/16/2004 8:23:45 AM PDT by Billie (On November 2nd, there is only one clear choice. "W" is for winner!)

Morning, Darks! Interesting tagline! LOL!

35 posted on 10/16/2004 8:26:18 AM PDT by Billie (On November 2nd, there is only one clear choice. "W" is for winner!)

Mornin' Billie.
Never been known to turn down coffee. It's listed in my major food groups. :)
Those forest fires are over 100 miles away, but the skies are still cruddy today. Had strong aroma of smoke yesterday. Health advisories warning folks to stay indoors, limit outdoor activities.

36 posted on 10/16/2004 8:28:29 AM PDT by Diver Dave (Stay Prayed Up)

It's a drizzly Friday here in Maine and I agree with the leopard. A good day for a fireplace, hot cocoa and a good book. None of which I have!

Oh, that sounds so good! We've had lots of drizzly days lately. Makes me want to stay inside all day!

Re your post the other day: I'm glad you're beginning to post graphics now. See, it isn't hard at all! :)

37 posted on 10/16/2004 8:29:31 AM PDT by Billie (On November 2nd, there is only one clear choice. "W" is for winner!)

P.S. Still counting on you for Minnesota! :)

38 posted on 10/16/2004 8:30:02 AM PDT by Aeronaut (Sincerity is everything. Once you can fake that, you've got it made. -- George Burns)

I'm off to my cousin's rehearsal dinner for her wedding tomorrow. It will probably rain :0(

Then you will need an umbrella. :)

Actually, wish you sunshine for the wedding today. :)

39 posted on 10/16/2004 8:32:46 AM PDT by Billie (On November 2nd, there is only one clear choice. "W" is for winner!)

Thanks!
I figured I may as well make light of two of my typos 'ganags' and 'epopel' which were supposed to be 'gangs' and 'people'.. and stune beeber and Unnngh kinda explain themselves with their respective origin threads...

40 posted on 10/16/2004 8:35:28 AM PDT by Darksheare (Ganags of epopel shall stune your beeber with "UNNNGH!")

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