howdy

an email i just got:
"And we said O.K."


In light of the many perversions and jokes we send along to one another for a laugh, this is a little different:



This joke today is not intended to be a joke, it's not intended to be funny, it's intended to get you thinking. ~~


Billy Graham's daughter was interviewed on the Early Show and Jane Clayson asked her "How could God let something like this happen?" ( regarding the attacks on Sept. 11 ).

Anne Graham gave an extremely profound and insightful response. She said "I believe God is deeply saddened by this, just as we are, but for years we've been telling God to get out of our schools, to get out of our government and to get out of our lives. And being the gentleman He is, I believe He has calmly backed out. How can we expect God to give us His blessing and His protection if we demand He leave us alone?"

In light of recent events...terrorists attack, school shootings, etc. I think it started when Madeleine Murray O'Hare (she was murdered, her body found recently) complained she didn't want prayer in our schools, and we said OK.

Then someone said you better not read the Bible in school... the Bible says thou shalt not kill, thou shalt not steal, and love your neighbor as yourself. And we said OK.

Then Dr. Benjamin Spock said we shouldn't spank our children when they misbehave because their little personalities would be warped and we might damage their self-esteem (Dr. Spock's son committed suicide). We said an expert should know what he's talking about. And we said OK.

Then someone said teachers and principals better not discipline our children when they misbehave. The school administrators said no faculty member in this school better touch a student when they misbehave because we don't want any bad publicity, and we surely don't want to be sued. There's a big difference between disciplining, touching, beating, smacking, humiliating, kicking, etc.).

And we said OK.



Then someone said, let's let our daughters have abortions if they want, and they won't even have to tell their parents. And we said OK.

Then some wise school board member said, since boys will be boys and they're going to do it anyway, let's give our sons all the condoms they want so they can have all the fun they desire, and we won't have to tell their parents they got them at school. And we said OK.

Then some of our top elected officials said it doesn't matter what we do in private as long as we do our jobs. Agreeing with them, we said it doesn't matter to me what anyone, including the President, does in private as long as I have a job and the economy is good.


Then someone said let's print magazines with pictures of nude women and call it wholesome, down-to-earth appreciation for the beauty of the female body. And we said OK.

And then someone else took that appreciation a step further and published pictures of nude children and then further again by making them available on the Internet. And we said OK, they're entitled to free speech.

Then the entertainment industry said, let's make TV shows and movies that promote profanity, violence, and illicit sex. Let's record music that encourages rape, drugs, murder, suicide, and satanic themes. And we said it's just entertainment, it has no adverse effect, nobody takes it seriously anyway, so go right ahead.

Now we're asking ourselves why our children have no conscience, why they don't know right from wrong, and why it doesn't bother them to kill strangers, their classmates, and themselves.


Probably, if we think about it long and hard enough, we can figure it out. I think it has a great deal to do with "WE REAP WHAT WE SOW."


Funny how simple it is for people to trash God and then wonder why the world's going to hell. Funny how we believe what the newspapers say, but question what the Bible says.

Funny how you can send 'jokes' through e-mail and they spread like wildfire, but when you start sending messages regarding the Lord, people think twice about sharing.

Funny how lewd, crude, vulgar and obscene articles pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion of God is suppressed in the school and workplace.


Are you laughing?

Funny how when you forward this message, you will not send it to many on your address list because you're not sure what they believe, or what they WILL think of you for sending it. Funny how we can be more worried about what other people think of us than what God thinks of us.

Pass it on if you think it has merit. If not then just discard it... no one will know you did. But, if you discard this thought process, don't sit back and complain about what bad shape the world is in!

Are you thinking?

[janine]

"new to me" = wonderment at the amazing things you learn

"new tome" = avid search for new books?

"Newt Ome" = cartoon character?

Well come, newtome.

[WileyClarkson]

newtome,

Well, howdy and welcome to the board as a member :D

Now that you have told us what we already knew about you, how about something that we don't know :0  I know where you are posting from (IP address) but that really doesn't tell anyone much about you.  How about telling us a little general info about yourself to help us get to know you a little better.  Also, I have a photo album of members of the GCM Board on my website at http://www.clarksons.org/photogallery/gcmfphotogallery.htm. If you would like to add a photo that would  :thumbup:



[!--EDIT|WileyClarkson|Feb. 10 2003,10:23--]

[Jim Abb]

Just a comment on the absurdity of the Graham post. Yes, we have as a country (but with the diversity in the good ole USA, the term "we" is practically meaningless) made God less a part of the government...so what? God = country has not meant anything since the end of the old covenant.
Some random thoughts....
How much was God a part of this government when we were stealing land from Native Americans? When we locked them up on reservations? When we practiced genocide against them (which later was an inspiration to Hitler in his "handling" of Jews)?
How much was God a part of this government when we allowed slavery? Or when we finally eliminated it, we replaced it with discrimination?
I think you get the picture.
But let's look at a time when all those things that Graham says we now say "OK" to, we said "No!" to.....No abortions, no to taking prayer out of schools, etc.
I can even give you a year, a month, a day....Dec.7, 1941...the attack on Pearl Harbor.
Was that God's judgement on a wicked nation?
To say that the terrorist attack on 9/11 was a judgement is to layer an OT covenantal relationship on a NT covenant.
Is this counrty worse off when we turn from God? Of course! But only in so far as we have fewer Godly people living here.  Our mission has never been to seek and save a country, but to seek and save individuals.

Hey Janine:
I tried (this was a long time ago).  I probably wasn't as eloquent as Jim (but I did attempt to do it in a nonconfrontive way).   That's when many people immediately stopped speaking to me.   I didn't realize that it was completely unacceptable to have a differing view.  I was very naive.  So, I learned to keep silent (handy talent for a woman!).  I appreciate this board because it's the only place that I can freely voice my opinion without fear of reprisals.   I think most people here accept each other regardless of differing viewpoints.
Thanks for asking.  Have a nice day, Shorty

[segell]

Hey, newtome!!  

Already feel like I know you.  Would like to learn more.  Glad you made yourself "legit".  

Look forward to sharing with you in the future.

Steve

[janine]

'Scuse me a moment, newtome. :D

Shorty, I doubt it was a coincidence... I don't really believe in them, any more than I really believe in luck.   But I also don't think it was necessarily some sort of attack.  Unless some unidentified lurker is a member of your congregation... Naaah, don't worry about it.  I got a variation of the same email article a few weeks ago.  It's going around, babe.  Don't sweat it.

Were the copies you got anonymously sent?  Try emailing a reply & see what happens.

Hokay, thanks very much Newtie. :alien:

[janine]

You know we're glad newtome is here 'cause we jumped right in with the thread-hijacking as soon as we got him safely registered.

I assume it's "him".   Hmmm... where's the profile?

[newtome]

hi,
how are you
just joined
i'm a Christian.
nice to meet you :wave:

[Barb1957]

"howdy" back, newtome!
I'm a Christian too.
Welcome!
:wave:
- Barb

[James Rondon]

"Howdy" yet again, Newtome.

I'm glad to see that you finally registered...

Welcome a-Board!
:wave:

P.S. I follow Christ also.



[!--EDIT|James Rondon|Feb. 10 2003,6:36--]

[spurly]

Yes.  Please tell us about yourself.  Often when you find out where someone has been in the past, it help you understand where they are today.  Our past has a tremendous influence on us - much more than most of us are willing to admit.

Kevin

Thanks for your thoughts, Jim.  The Graham post has been repeatedly sent around my church.   The tone of it is highly offensive to me.   I appreciate your responding to this!

[janine]

I appreciate you posting it Newt.  (:))

Shorty, maybe you ought to write up something like Jim's comment & pass it around at church?

SHE TURNED ME INTO A NEWT!! :eek:

err......

i got better!.... ;) :alien:

Don't mean to mess up your thread, Newtome.  But, I got the Graham post emailed to me last night and again this morning from my churchmates.  I guess someone from my church is on this board.  Or, it's a really odd coincidence.  After I said it bothered me, it's really hurtful if someone sent these messages if they doing just to bother me.   Please someone pray for me...it's got me really down.  You go to church for shelter not attack.   I'm reluctant to pull my kids out (they enjoy the youth group) but now its unclear to me what to do....

Thanks, Janine.  
I just need to put it into perspective.   You're right, it's not worth sweating.   People feel very strongly about issues and I just need to understand that.  I've got to quit being so fragile.
Thanks very much for your insight and encouragement,  Shorty