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"The different dark nights are just God stripping us of our selfishness at ever deeper levels. Level one is being stripped of the emotional inducements which first drew us: the joy, the exhilaration of Spirit-filled music, of great preaching, of feeling the weight of sins dropping way. These things are all good, but they naturally grow less and less as we get used to them. Been there. Done that.' Singing carols at Christmas time is more appealing than visiting someone in prison...God strips us of our unnecessary attachment to emotional highs and frees us of deeper selfishness. Our intellectual pride is the next to go. We may begin our Christian journey by being comforted by belonging to a church we believe is the best and truest church. We feel spiritually superior. But we are humbled to find Christians outside our group who are more loving than we are. We begin to struggle with doubts, including doubts about whether we are any holier than we were ten years ago. Now we are bored by preachers who used to inspire us. Worse yet, we are disillusioned by the falls from grace we may see in our heroes in the faith.What God is doing is getting you now to deepen in faith and hang on to the ideal of imitating Jesus by hanging on to your ideals by faith ~ which is by definition something we can't see. We may feel like Jesus on the cross: "Why have you forsaken me?"It is only through suffering and living throughout the disappointments of life that are not your choice. Peter was the forceful leader of the early church, but for his personal growth he needed to be cured of his self-will, like all of us. At the end of John's gospel, Jesus tells Peter that he will have to be stripped of his self-will, as we all will: John 21:18.A the end of the dark night comes the dawn and we will see Jesus"Francis MacNuttFounding Director and Executive Committee Member of Christian Healing Ministries
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Squirrel proof bird feeder

I have had this feeder for two years. It is still running off the original battery charge. On numerous occasions I have witnessed unsucessful attempts by squirrels to access the feed. A little pricey, but over the years I have spend more on other feeders that did not deter squirrels. One of the local garden shops had them in stock. They now have other models available.video http://www.yankeefamily.com/droll/video2.cfm?file=Flipperhomepage http://www.drollyankees.com/index.cfm#
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NO FORGIVENESS?!

Why do we not forgive others? Is there a time or a situation that warrent that we do not forgive others? Is forgiveness necessary? Or is it just a state of mind? What does forgiveness accomplish? I hope I can forgive myself for asking so many questions (lol). Anyway back to the dramatic questions...., Can we not forgive someone and truly move on in our lives or will it come back to hunt us in the future....like.....let's say.... before the judgement seat of Christ?!! Or maybe before that faithful day.Please say your peace or hold your fart in....forever!
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Goodbye Miss Nikki

I miss you already girl. You had personality plus! I loved the way you would slightly lunge your head forward and give a silent bark. I have never seen a dog maintain eye contact as long as you. You would bump me with your side to get my attention. When you decided the walk was done the head went down and the feet planted firm as if to say its time to turn around now. In most cases when you spun around in a circle and slammed your front feet on the floor it was time for a biscuit. I could go on...You know I love you. I miss you.
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Critique of the Critics

Someone sent me a link today which moved me and made sense based on my experiences in the last 8 years since being out of The Way in 2000. It is an ex-Scientology member who disagrees with Scientology but also disagrees with the methodology of the anti-scientology movement and critics of which he was previously involved. The next day I saw an article which helped me understand the cowardice behind some anonymous Internet postings and describes the reason why I thought it best to use real names on The Way corps site..Check these out:
A Critical Look at the Critics
Cruelty Hides in Shadows of Cyberspace
Quote: "My main contention with the anti-Scientology movement is the tendency of its "members" to reproduce and mirror the same kind of cultic aspects they blame on Scientology; the exaggerations and myths creating a phobic reaction; the dangers it poses to civil liberties; the personal attacks against dissenters; etc. These are fairly well documented on this web site." Quote: "This is the vexing problem with the Internet. Although a fascinating forum for the coherent exchange of views, offering everyone a chance to express themselves, it is also an undisciplined venue for the bigoted, the small-minded, the malevolent among us to hide in the shadows of cyberspace to vent their bile." In my opinion this appears to be true in the interactive forums of some groups in which I have been involved in regarding critics of other ministries, religions, cults, whatever the label. Some, NOT ALL, members of the critical groups themselves begin to take on characteristics of the abuse they suffered while in the group. Is it possible that those who have been "spiritually abused" can tend to become spiritual abusers? In fact I know of many members of anti-? or ex-? groups who have been mistreated by SOME of the very group members themselves, most of whom remain anonymous. It is a fact that can not be denied. It helps me to understand a little bit more about why I have been criticized for starting this Way Corps social networking site. I was amazed to see the backlash against me for starting it! For example look at some of these actual quotes about me written on another forum: Quote: "I think that Richeson should be ashamed of himself for doing this sick thing..." Quote: "PATOOIE! You're all a bunch of fakes...how dare you socialize with all your warm feelings and hugs and kisses...when in reality, you were a part of an insideous cult that destroyed people's lives!!! ...but Richeson doesn't want a "gripe site"?" Quote: "Heck...why would anyone object to a waycorps website?...I mean, all you have to do is ignore the fact that this ragtag bunch ruined people's lives by the score...destroyed marriages, turned people into dysfuntional "cult heads", drove some to suicide...taught lies, manipulated and used people... ...but who wants to focus on the "negatives"...let's all get together and "reconnect" with our old cult pals and remember the "good times" (in spite of destroying people's lives, they still had a really good time!)... I wonder if the Youth for Hitler have their own reunion site. Maybe John R. can pick up a few pointers..." At first I was angry and began to react in a similar manner as my accusers. But I understand a little better now and I hold no animosity towards them. In fact the above web links helped me to better understand. I am glad I have had a chance to broaden my perspective beyond my previously held thinking. Unless we treat each other with dignity and kindness and fairness we will have anti-anti-anti-anti groups ad infinitum. Will we ever get beyond the "us and them" mentality? Life is so much bigger than that!
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May God bless you all.Elizabeth Ricks Lowder passed away this morning at12:35 am on May 15,2008. She lost her several yearsbattle against cancer. She is now out of pain and atpeace, waiting for the return of our Lord JesusChrist.Thank you for your prayers for my family.Keep the Faith,Steven Lowder
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Now Playing:

I'm sitting here listening to Brother Malcomb's "Rag Doll Blues" and thinking, "How thankful I am for my Blackberry!"Let me backup and clarify. Six months ago my husband wanted some kind of mp3 player so he could listen to audio files in his truck. When I got a new cell phone/PDA (my beloved red Pearl) I gave him my old PDA and bought an FM transmitter for him so he could listen over the truck radio. He can sync the windows-based PDA with his computer, load it up with files, and play games- he has no interest in the "Org" features of the PDA, so it works beautifully.Then, as I was lurking on Howard's Forums (http://www.howardforums.com/) I stumbled on a reference to playing mp3s on your Blackberry. I was so excited! I bought a 2Gig micro card, installed it, surfed the web for free music, spent hours selecting Gospel, blues, guitar, piano, bluegrass, classical, and folk music, studied how to load the files onto my Pearl. Then, I ran out of time to learn how to play more than one song at a time.In other words, I would select a song, play it, then go back to the menu, and find another song to play. Too slow. It's ok with podcasts, because I may be in the mood for one type of podcast, then another, but for music-I just wanted it to play.Well, here I sit in Rochester, Minnesota, visiting my friend, Linda Munson O'Sullivan (WC 16) in her workplace, with plenty of time to read "Help", "Shuffle songs in a media folder", the title of the help section that told me all I had to do was go to the folder I wanted to play, press the menu key and click "Shuffle"!Now i am enjoying my favorite kinds of music in no particular order.Now playing: "Lost my Keys" by Cleanheadphil.--Expect MiraclesDonna Jo
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My Father, my daddy and me

God waited a long time for me to be born. So did my earthly father.After both my parents had fallen asleep, it fell on me to go through all their belongings. One of the most treasured items I found is my father's mothers Bible. She had notes all through it. I could tell she loved to read it, loved to spend time in there and she also put a few of her hearts desires in the margins. One of which was a prayer on behalf of my father as he always wanted to have a daughter. She fell asleep in the late 1940's, she didn't see the answer to that prayer came on August 24, 1959 at 4:03pm central time. That is when I was born.My parents had very high hopes for me. In some ways I bitterly disappointed them, particularly my mother. All my father wanted was for me to do the best I could and like what I did with my life.My favorite times with my daddy was on Saturdays when he tinkered with the family cars. He loved cars, trains, motorcycles, and airplanes. Anything with an engine fascinated him. It was all new back in 1915 when he was born and he loved the whole idea. On Saturdays he would check the oil, the water, the tires, the belts and get in the engine compartment and fiddle around. My brothers weren't interested in that but I sure was. Anything my dad did, I did too. So I learned the parts of a car, the tools to use, how to change the oil, check the plugs, radiator, all that. Useful information to this day. After he was done, we'd go for a drive. In the back the never ending chorus of faster daddy faster came from Gary and I. My mother, hmmm not so much. He would fly. We had a Simca (sp) and a couple of coupe's that would haul boogie down the backroads of Hwy 41. Yes, THAT Hwy 41. (Ramblin Man).I believe I was born again around the age of five. I remember a kindergarten teacher reading to us about Jesus and I believed every word I heard. I often wondered why my father never went to church with us. I asked him when I was older. He was raised a Seventh Day Adventist and they had church on Saturday. He had to give up all sports for church and he couldn't stand fish which those people ate every Friday. So when he turned 18 he told his mother he wasn't going back. He didn't think God cared if he ate fish or not, and what was wrong with football. He could not believe that God would take the joys out of life. So he sent out to find God his own way. To my father, being alone on a pristine golf course to think, pray and ponder was as close as he could get. He often golfed alone.At 13 I got involved with a group from school, Campus Crusade for Christ. They are trinitarians and were trying to force it down my throat. One night, my father picked me up and that stuff bothered me so much I asked him about it. He pulled the car off the road and was quiet for a minute. Then he said, you have got to believe Jesus Christ was a man, he was born a man, he lived a man and he died a man. You gotta believe that. He was accentuating his point by hitting the steering wheel and I saw a tear streaming down his cheek. I had never seen my dad cry before and it hit my heart to the end that I believed my earthly father over what these people said to me. For that I am truly thankful.At 24, I chose to go into a Christian Leadership Training program, that those of us know as The Way Corps. I needed $4300 for tuition. My dependence on my dad had switched from my earthly father to relying on my Heavenly Father as my source for knowledge, love, support, and yes for food, clothing, and tuition. I asked my Heavenly Father how to get the money, as the spiritual partner thing seemed too chancy for my taste. He said to ask my father. So I did. I was logical, straightforward, but telling him how much it would mean to me as I wanted to serve God. All he said to me was yes, I never saw the money. He mailed it to Emporia. However, when I got to Emporia, on my bed was a note telling me to go to finance. So I did. I was told my father's check bounced. I laughed so loud and hard they must have thought I was nuts. Folks, my parents were loaded. So I used the phone to call my dad, who laughed too, and said lemmee talk to that Wierwille fella. I told him he was in Ohio, and I am in Kansas, he says put the financial people on the phone. Two minutes later they said he is sending another check. I asked what happened, they said he grabbed the wrong checkbook and wrote it on an account he had closed. He also said he would send extra for you to open a bank account for things you might need. I said ok. And it was done. My tuition was paid in full. And my $30 allowance.I was free of financial problems to be able to concentrate on what I was there for. For God to teach me. And He did. My earthly father sent enough for not only my $30 a month allowance, but enough so that I could help other people too. That blessed me.I was DFAC in October of my interim year. It was a right decision. John Townsend was loving, very loving, concerned about every heart involved, I always respected him for that. But, my father was so disappointed in me in "failing" he would not allow me to go home. So I spent two years estranged from my earthly father. It was hard. He wouldn't speak to me. But my fellowship with God continued to grow, as it does to this day. I trust God, He will not let me down. If I ask according to His Word, He will take care of it.In 1986 I almost back went into residence, changed my mind and decided to go WOW again. I loved being a WOW, I totally relied on God, from who I was going to be with and I never really cared where I went. Except for this time. I knew my daddy was close to the end of his life and I asked if I could be near them. So, Susan Pavlica, Chris Yetter and Melody Leffler and I left the Rock in Susan's car for Clearwater Florida. Only eight hours from my parents and dying or not, my daddy loved to drive. It was close enough.....They came down to see us in January. My daddy and I had had some talks through the year and cleared the air of my past misconduct. He met my boss at the drycleaners ( I loved that job) they genuinely liked each other. My mom loved my sisters and our house. It was a great time and I am very thankful I got to see them.In late July as we were winding up our year, we had a bunch of people over playing Pictionary of all things...(typical) and the phone rang, it was always for Susan or Chris so I didn't pay any attention, til Susan came to get me. It's your mom. The whole house got quiet. I remember talking to my mom and her telling me my daddy was in a coma. That's all I remember, except for a house full of people surrounding me in the kitchen. Praise God for family.I called my boss on Monday on his cell (golf course) and asked if I could use the work phone to call the hospital, he said fine, hurry, so I did. And once I got patched into his room a nurse answered. My heart sunk. I asked if he was awake, she said yes, and who is calling, I said his daughter, and she said he was expecting you and put him on the phone. Everything I had ever wanted to say to my father came rushing out. I knew this was our last talk ever until the return, and I wanted no regrets, not with my daddy. After all that, I heard what I realized later he had never said before. It was understood. I never questioned it, not ever in 27 years had I ever doubted it. He said he loved me. He said he forgave me for everything and said to keep on the path I was on, that I was doing fine. Then the nurse took the phone. My mom called that night and asked me how I knew to call when I did as he was only awake about 25 minutes. She was always clueless about spiritual matters. He went back into a coma quite soon after I called. That was a Monday. That Friday, July 31, 1987, my father fell asleep.My Heavenly Father made sure I heard the last words my daddy would ever say to me. Because our Heavenly Father loves us and wants us blessed. My whole life with God has been that way. Anything I have needed, God supplies. Anything my heart needs to know, God makes sure I find out. Everything His Word says will come to pass is going to come to pass.I am very thankful for my earthly father, he always took care of me, we had all we could possibly need, he taught me right from wrong and at one critical moment persuaded me to go God's way instead of man's. And taught me how to laugh in the most horrible of situations."Always find the funny, it helps you get past it." JGLI am also thankful I will see my earthly father again when Christ returns.I am even more thankful that my Heavenly Father will never die, and I will never be separated from Him. I am so thankful God is more perfect, more resourceful, more intelligent, more quickwitted and more of everything my daddy ever was.
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Lately I have been studying and writing a lot regarding moral norms. Since the so called Enlightenment of France, the new Religion of Secular-Humanism-Relativism has become the norm for the Western World. No longer is Objective Truth which comes from The Holy Scriptures,considered the moral compass, of want is right or wrong, what is acceptable in society or not.It is my belief that in the near future we will someday see laws that make religious freedom impossible as we have leaned to enjoy in the last couple of Centuries. Already there are laws and proposed laws in some Western Countries that would make the mention of certain sins hate crimes, if spoken even in Church by a Minster of the Gospel. This is a sad affair for Europeans and the countries that came from her, such as the USA, Canada, Australia, etc...If one does a survey and asked people how important is faith and God in their lives, the majority of people in the USA would say, very important. Yet we seem to live in a dualistic way. I was remember my early days of witnessing for Christ . I was truly taken back when people would repeat certain well know, and accepted phrases...such as: Never talk about Religion or Politics. Ha! these same people are not shy about talking about politics at all. I know from over 30 yrs of being a Master Barber what people in general talk about. They are not private about their views of Political Correct topics, who they want to run for a political office, in complaining about the president..etc. etc...Yet talk about Jesus Christ (unless the name is used in a curse word-which then, its acceptable), and you are reprimanded for the very notion of talking about your faith in public. "My faith is personal and private". Or "I don't let my personal faith interfere with my Political Party's Views". I believe that such a notion is false. If one truly believes something with all their heart, these beliefs surly dictate one's thought patterns, governs one's behavior, and informs one's Political decisions. If not, then such professed faith must be false, just lip service.Well, that's it for today...I have to get busy...have to travel a couple of hours to preach today.God bless.Joe
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