"Child Abuse"

On the way home from services tonight. Belle and I got into a conversation about child rearing. Not that either one of us are pros, nor are we preparing for anything. But we fondly remembered our parents ways of "correcting us". In my home we were spanked, argue all you want, it happened. I jokingly reffered to "time outs" as the time mom took to catch her breathe before starting to whack us again. I beleive that spanking is a boon to parenting, and I dont say this because of my outrageous amounts of wisdom, but because the Bible instructs us to do so.
But anywho, I came home and while the dogs played, Belle got to studying and I got to...well goofing around on the news websites. I ran across this clip of a Mom in Georgia dragging her kid on a leash through what looked to be a Best Buy. Have you seen this?
http://www.parentdish.com/2009/08/04/parenting-can-be-a-drag-for-woman-who-keeps-child-on-a-leash/
Who keeps their kids on a leash? Growing up Mom and Dad used a leash for Jason and I, he kept it around his waist, and it was usually made of leather and had a buckle. I read some of the comments and they made me chortle, They defended the use of a leash. "My kid is a runner" nooo, thats what my dog is. Your kid is just calling your bluff. So what if you have to wait an hour for your new IPHONE take the kid out back. Proverbs 22:15
For dogs, I recommend,
1. Leash 1.
2. Supervision
3. Treats
4. Obedience training
For Raising kids, you need a three legged stool.
1. Godly Parenting
2. Godly Education
3. Godly influence.
Anything short of raising your kids in the proper way will get a kid that needs to be tethered to the cart. However people tend to get what they raise. Proverbs 22:6
I mean we could start treating our kids like animals, but then again, that might be just what we end up with.

hiking pics

Honey moon

Well we've been in Gatlinburg for a few hours now, and we are still exhausted. We've slept, we've been cold called for a time share, and the reality that things will never be the same has set in for the both of us.
While it is sobering to think that this responsibility is real, its exc iting to know that we will be together all the time now. On the way down here we felt as though we were doing something worng by being alone on the road that late. Even waking up next to each other was a bit of a shock.
I pulled back the curtains this morning to get a fresh look at the view, seeing that we got in at 5:30 this morning we didnt get a good bead on things. The mountains actually smoke, i dont know if its because of the rain but i promise to you, there is a mist like substance rising from the mountains. Its been raining but everything looks beautiful, the room is nicer then our house. How sad is that?
Today we intend on getting some lunch, possibly picking up some hiking boots for our trips later this week, and grabbing some groceries.
Thanks to everyone for their gifts and sentiment. I'd love3 to tell more, but we're still trying to get Belle's hair down...... ah married life!

Hello

Wow has it been busy around here. My corner has changed a bit. Now that I have four of my own.
I now have a new dog, a new home, and in 75 days a wife! Thats a little more then two months, almost a full circle of childrens chapel helpers. 7 pay periods or so.
As I'm sitting here, only half awake from being sick I'm wondering how this got here so fast. I'm no where near having second thoughts, but it seems like the time flew and is still flying.
My hope is that the next 75 days go just as fast if not faster, and then every day after that takes forever.

Praying for Katie Hugan

Pastor has updated Katie's health blog recently. She is having some symptoms that could either be serious or something to do with her eyes. So while you are checking out my new blog with Danielle, give that a good looking over as well. And remember to pray for Katie. I'm hoping God will give her the final victory in the long battle that shes fighting.

We're here for you Katie, get well soon!

New Blog

I've started a new blog for Danielle and I. You should check it out. Go now. Its over in "My Favorite Places To Visit" space. Go on, it'll be ok. Do it!!

CAN ANYONE TELL ME WHAT THE K IN 401K MEANS?

Its hard to turn on the news or listen to the radio without hearing of the "financial crisis" thats "gripping" the country into a "downward chaos" that will end with all of us living in cardboard boxes and eating shoe leather.

While I dont know much about the economy the little I do know is enough to comfort me that there is no way that it will go that far. But its sad to hear of housing prices dipping down lower and lower, investments disappearing and lay offs everywhere.

There is a couple in one of my Beginner classes who both had succesful jobs, by week two the husband lost his job to outsourcing. Dealerships are closing by the thousands everywhere, and the Canadia "Loony"(spelling?) is now worth more then the American dollar.

The big news on msn this morning was how the GOP paid something to the tune of $150,000 for a new wardrobe for Sarah Palin. While Obama is paying even more on equally silly things.

I'm sad for the world, and all the money its losing, I really am. However I can't help but smile a bit when I think of what little money I have. I dont invest in the market anymore, because to me its like gambling, easy come, easy go, I don't own a house and it will be a few years before I need to consider it. I dont play the lotto and I don't dabble in realestate.

There is only one thing I think that we should invest in as Christians, and thats our Heavanly Retirement policy.

Just like your retirement policy here on earth we need to be diligent, always thinking about it, always adding to it, always seeing what ways it can be protected. There is nothing like a life that is centered around the Lord. His service and His worship. To know that you are doing as much as you can one day, and then learning how to do more the next. the answer isnt in bears and bulls, I'm banking and putting all of my investments into the Lamb.

The world...its like road kill, I hate looking at it, but its everywhere you go.

My daily reading schedule has taken me back to Genesis 8. The part where Noah and the ark are floating through the flooded world. And we all know the story, of course, but what hit me as special today is the rainbow that God put up in the sky as a promise to Noah. God had just finished cleansing the world from its sin and the degradation that we caused, and in a promise to never flood it again, He changed the way light hit water so that it split the white light into the many colors it creates.

There are so many promises in the Bible, yet this one He reminds us of every time it rains. That never again will He use the rain, never again will he destroy the whole world in that manner again.

But think about the last time you saw a rainbow on the back of a car, or a rainbow flag in the beginning of a parade. It's become the symbol of Homosexuality not just in America but everywhere. When you see the rainbow bar on the back of a car, thats what it means. When you see a flag like that, sodomy is being promoted.

It is a sick reminder that the Devil is still out there and still working to pervert the things of God. That they would reject God in such a way is an abomination in and of itself, but to take that symbol and that promise and turn it into something God hates, well thats just taking sin to a higher playing field.

And lets not forget why God made it rain in the first place. They are using this symbol to herald the very thing that God destroyed in those 40 days. Tell me that the Devil's fingure prints aren't all over that!

When will we stop the world from taking these things from us? When will God's people stand up for His law? For His statutes? For His promises? It's true that God doesnt need us to stand up for Him. But that doesnt give us a pass to stay home and wait for the rapture.

It's just sad that now a days what you really find at the end of a rainbow is Ellen Degeneres and Rosie O'donnal

I'M STILL HERE, though my readers may have left

So its been a few weeks since my last update, but if you have been checking my blog with any sort of regularity you have come to expect this. It's kind of like a tradition, one sad apathetic tradition of procrastination.
Big words aside, I have been some resemblance of busy. Work is still going well. I'm the Head Dog Trainer at the Monroe Petsmart. Which is just like being a regular dog trainer but with more paper work, and phone calls. But over all its a great job, I've only been bit once, and so far I'm doubling qoutas and winning customers. Something the bosses in button up shirts appreciate.
I'm still battling with credit theft, I'm losing, but its been a great war.
We had a Champion class activity. Which you may see pictures of in a slide show somewhere over to the side.
Then on Monday (Labor Day) Danielle, Mrs. Thompson, Bindy, Lucy and I went for a walk at the Maumee State Park. Which was a blast that left everyone but Bindy tired. Apparently its hard to wear out a grey hound. Even if it is mixed with another breed.

That catepillar attacked us when we poked it with a stick. No I've poked many bugs with sticks in my day, and never have I had anything strike the stick snake style.

DBC started again which means another year of book devotions. Which I'm looking forward to, because on your own there are things that you avoid studying that the book makes you consider. And some how they find a way to adress a problem that you have every week.

continue to pray for those on the prayer list. Its something that I plan on memorizing every week. So quiz me the next time you see me just to keep me honest.

See you around

Update:And a picture of a duckie!!!!

For the past couple of weeks I’ve been staying out in a hotel in Northville for my Pet Trainer training. And let me tell you, my job must mean a lot to them… The first week, I walked into my room to see a big television, a king sized bed and enough room to run around in, if you do that sort of thing. I went down to the “concierge” (get a dictionary) to explain how much I would love to go for a dip in the pool, but I’m picky as to who I swim with. No women folk, and any dudes in there need to be in something larger then dental floss.
Without a frown they agreed to let me swim alone, and gave me a whole hour slot at 7am to swim in. Which was awesome, but I never did figure out why the gave me a bottle of chlorine and a large squeegee though.
The second week was just a great but with an added hot tub bonus. That’s right a three person bubbling pool of hot relaxation just for yours truly. Of course I shared it with one of my closest friends. Well two…..

But one early morning I was aroused by a large screech and a flashing light. Were it not for the flashing light, the alarm clock would have become just another notch on my belt. I couldn’t see a thing. I try to make a room as dark as possible when I sleep in it, no light whatsoever if possible. I find it more comfortable that way, but in the middle of a fire alarm that’s not as cool. Save for the flashing light I had no way of seeing, in a panic I tried to find my pants, and the door. In that order of course. I could only see in those brief moments of light, glimpses that I couldn’t be sure of until the next flash. I had to remember in the dark, what I had seen when the alarm on the wall lit up just a moment ago. It seemed like I took forever to get to the door, I got into the hallway and there were people just like me looking back and forth trying to see what was going on.
Turns out it was just some guy burning something in the microwave and the smoke turned on the alarm.
Sitting at breakfast later that morning I was thinking about it and I remember thinking to myself, “That would have been hilarious, had I known I was going to live through it.”
And it put me to mind about all the things happening in my life.
A new job


A wedding coming up to fast
A few financial things that are slowly getting fixed.
The Nehemiah book I’ve been writing
Life, where I’m going to live, my future with Belle, Studying, and trying to be a witness.

It’s odd how all of those things can be affected by sin. I’m walking in the light, when suddenly I choose sin and it plunges me into that darkness. It seems sometimes when I do things, like I don’t have any sense. I’ll work at something, and find myself blowing it all away by one click of the remote, or in a moment of weakness.
I like what Paul said when he wrote “I know whom I have believed.” He got to the end of his life and he knew who it was that all of his life, he had put his belief in. I’m waiting for that time, when I’m up in Heaven and I can truly say that I know who it was I believed. And relied on Him all the way.
I don’t know about you but sometimes my faith is as weak as that light that led me to the hallway last week. Rare flashes and I’m forced to move closer to the Lord, with only what I can remember of what I saw, when I was close enough to see in the light. And I’m so glad that no matter how many times I let Him down, and no matter how many times, I let His people down, I can still move into the light. And I know full well that I don’t deserve it. I know perfectly well, that I ought to be cast into the burning darkness. And I don’t know why He chose me for this, and I don’t care why He chose me, I’m just glad He did.
So I’m going to work, and I’m going to plan, and I’m going to pray. I’ll fail from time to time, I’ll make the wrong calls, but one day we’ll be free from our ignorance, and our selfish desires, and be home, right where we ought to be.

So what's the last five minutes at work for you like?

On Training,Studying,Working and Preachamacations?

For those of you paying attention I got that job at PetsMart. No longer am I shuttling foreign car parts to foreign people, with no change, and no english speaking ability whatsoever.
My new job is awesome, I get to spend most of my time, talking to folks, selling fun things that no one in the world needs, but most importantly reading about how to train animals. For some reason it always makes the people in the classes laugh to find out that I'm in training to be a trainer. I've heard it over a dozen times so its lost its potency, actually I never found it all that funny, but they pay me large sums of money to laugh at anything that even seems funny so.....hehehe.
They gave me two books to go through, hundreds of pages each, I have to work through them and even have some of them memorized before camp.
The sermons are almost finished, I just have to go through the long and torturous process of pushing the print button. Hmm.... Button, Button whose got the button, Oh well maybe later.
You ever study so much you think your head is bigger? I'm not sure, but I think my hat is getting smaller. Maybe a bigger hat? Extendable stretchy elastic band? I dont even look good in a hat. Oh well.
I won't be updating until after camp, so pray for us. Its a lot of fun stepping out on the limb God lays out, you never know what He is going to do while you are out there.

Work,work,work................

Its been a few days since the poll that I posted expired, and either I actually have 12 viewers and they all like the idea, or my mom voted 12 times,(I voted for myself) But either way there is work to do. I've finished the introduction, and I have most of the first chapter done. What I wouldnt mind now is that if there would be two or three people who would volunteer to edit and evaluate my finished work, and help be throught the editing phase. As always you can leave a comment, send an email. preacherboym@hotmail.com Or you can come up to me. But please, I say this hoping that you will understand that I may tell you no. Do not take it personally. But when I'm not working on that I'm working on my sermons for camp. Which I'm both excited and very nervous about. But so far I'm please with the progress I've made so far. And theres the work on the Bible Study on the Unseen World. Sundays at 5:30 at church. I am so sorry I spoke so quickly, nerves have a tendancy to make me talk fast. Hopefully I won't do that again. The Thompsons are out of town, so I'm dogsitting Lucy Then of course theres the myriad of chores around the house, working full time, and the hand ful that I lovingly refer to as "Bindy". And as much fun as I am having, With all this work its enough to make you crazy. I mean you, not me, I'm crazy already....
But what a life it is.....................

But it seems that no matter how busy life gets, there is always fun in everything. Provided the attitude is right.

Strike!!!!

ALright I've had enough. I mean there is only so much we can take. I'm done with hearing who's fault it is, I'm finished arguing over how to improve gas mileage. I'm on strike!
Ok granted it will do almost nothing to their bottom line. However it will greatly improve mine. I've decided only to buy gas once every 2 weeks. From there I've devoted whats left of my fertile mind to finding wasy around having to buy more gas. These ideas include....



* Catching a ride up to Mom's work and bike riding to mine from there.
* Not coming home before church
*Get roller blades and have Bindy pull me about.
* Car pool with anyone that will have me.
* Keep a track of how much I have saved per week and record it.

If you have any more ideas, leave a comment below or email me at preacherboym@hotmail.com

A Psalm 77 kind of day

I've often spoken of the importance of a "Scripture Break" as opposed to the worlds "Smoke Break". Yesterday deffinately merited three or four such breaks. Not to go to much into the details, I was having a bad day at work, and I was dealing with some sin in my life. I'd love to tell you what that sin was, but I wont make the job of the Detective investigating that bank robbery, any easier.
But a passage grabbed a hold of me. So much so that before I went home Wednesday I had to make a stop to look at it more closely.


Psalm 77
1 I cried unto God with my voice, even unto God with my voice; and he gave ear unto me.
2 In the day of my trouble I sought the Lord: my sore ran in the night, and ceased not: my soul refused to be comforted.
3 I remembered God, and was troubled: I complained, and my spirit was overwhelmed. Selah.
4 Thou holdest mine eyes waking: I am so troubled that I cannot speak.
5 I have considered the days of old, the years of ancient times.
6 I call to remembrance my song in the night: I commune with mine own heart: and my spirit made diligent search.
7 Will the Lord cast off for ever? and will he be favourable no more?
8 Is his mercy clean gone for ever? doth his promise fail for evermore?
9 Hath God forgotten to be gracious? hath he in anger shut up his tender mercies? Selah.
10 And I said, This is my infirmity: but I will remember the years of the right hand of the most High.
11 I will remember the works of the LORD: surely I will remember thy wonders of old.
12 I will meditate also of all thy work, and talk of thy doings.
13 Thy way, O God, is in the sanctuary: who is so great a God as our God?
14 Thou art the God that doest wonders: thou hast declared thy strength among the people.
15 Thou hast with thine arm redeemed thy people, the sons of Jacob and Joseph. Selah.
16 The waters saw thee, O God, the waters saw thee; they were afraid: the depths also were troubled.
17 The clouds poured out water: the skies sent out a sound: thine arrows also went abroad.
18 The voice of thy thunder was in the heaven: the lightnings lightened the world: the earth trembled and shook.
19 Thy way is in the sea, and thy path in the great waters, and thy footsteps are not known.
20 Thou leddest thy people like a flock by the hand of Moses and Aaron.

What a great God we serve.

Take that Bobby Flay!!!!

From our "Consumer Report" Department.

It was lunch time at work and I'm about two minutes drive from a grocery store. So more then often I'll drive over and look for something to eat or something to drink. Walking down the aisle I considered my choices. Juice, Soda, Diet or regular?, milk or maybe a water.

And then I found them, dozens of them. Energy drinks galore. Big ones, small ones, huge ones and even ones bigger then I think someone can finish in one sitting. They came in all different brands, flavors and advertising angles, some for men, some for women, many for kids. I'd heard rumblings and opinions on these for a while now so I looked into it.

Energy Drinks have been around for a long time. They use chemicals and vitamins that our bodies create in order to function at a normal level. particularly vitamin B6 and B12.

Taurine is a chemical found in the muscles of most animals and in Humans. It is created in the mitochondria of your cells. The mitochondria is used in the respiration of your cells and uses the chemicals to do its work in the muscles. The over consumptions of things such as Taurine does pretty much what alcohol and cocain do to the dopamine levels in your brain, eventually it causes these chemicals to stop in their production. Much like the UAW on strike against foreign cars, your body will stop the production of these chemicals. Which means when they are rushed out of your body with the rest of the effects of the energy drink, your body has to replenish its store. Which is one of the leading causes of that "crash" that is referred to when the consumer comes down from their "Energy High".

Why add chemicals, to what you already have. AS My picture of Bindy said last blog, its better to sleep.

Also when you look at a can of this stuff it doesnt tell you that it packs over 280 mg of caffeine per 9 ounces(roughly). Given that the FDA has put a ban on using any more then 65 mg of caffeine per 12 ounces of Soda. From my quick research I found that many nutritionists say that caffeine is benign, yet unhealthy in large doses. But I find that close to all of them warn against its use on a regular basis.

Now I'm not a scientist but from reading what I have today, and seeing the effects of it, from both my own use, and the effects of testimonies I've read on the web, I'm not touching the stuff again.

Bear in mind that I in no way intend to insult those that are frequent purchasers of these products. I'm not writing this to prove my intelligence, trust me it would not help.

The thing I find most interesting of all of my research is the label on the back of a can,

"These statements have not been evaluated by the food and drug administration. This product is not intended to diagnose,treat,cure or prevent any disease."

This product has not been tested, for its effects, its content, or the dangers of marketing it for children.

Hmmmm...........

Ah Spring

It feels good to ride in a car with the windows down. To walk out the door without having to look for my coat. And yet with that freedom comes all the work that comes with the weather being so nice. Yesterday after work Dad and I filled in all the holes that bindy had dug in the lawn.
I've gone for a bike ride, a jog, and even a long walk with Bindy. I've set a few goals for myself, one is to reach my weight goal by camp. Another thirty pounds, it doesnt seem all that bad now.
In just a weeks time all of the troubles that kept me up at night, have seemed to vanish. As the answer and the means have been supplied for each. And yet as I sit here typing I still feel like there is more for me to do.
I look at Pastor's list on his blog, and I've decided to have a hand in most of the things on it. You can put a big check on the church window as good and done. All we have to do now is to paint it when we paint the rest of the church. Mr. Thompson started it, I helped from the middle to the end, and the boys came in towards the end to finish it up. We learned a lot about patience with this job, for some reason that old putty just wouldn't come off.
I really enjoyed the singing, and thats about all I can say about it. It was a blast, during and after. Thank you guys so much for all that you did to make it great.

Good night for now.
Matt.