Typo

Somebody, please tell me that this is a typo.

If you feel like getting depressed, you can read the entire post on TvM.

Of course, the lovely news on the gas tax: Rate of tax. The gasoline excise tax is imposed at the following rates:
(1) E85 is taxed at the rate of 14.2 17.75 cents per gallon;
(2) M85 is taxed at the rate of 11.4 14.25 cents per gallon; and
(3) all other gasoline is taxed at the rate of 20 25 cents per gallon

DC Talk - I Wish We'd All Been Ready [Live]

I just read on George Grant's blog that Larry Norman passed away yesterday. Back in the day, he was one of only a handful of "contemporary" Christian artists. Here's DC Talk doing a Larry Norman classic.

Investment Tip

One word: Chapstick.

Ten Shekels and a Shirt

I was really sick of Paris talking loudly every time I went to my blog. Don't know why it always started playing automatically. So, I have given you a link to the site instead of putting the message directly on my blog. Here's the history:

Many years ago, Paris Reidhead delivered this sermon at Bethany Fellowship. Sermonindex just voted it one of the most influential sermons of the 20th century. I know it makes no sense to just be looking at a photo of Mr. Reidhead while listening to the message, but it helped me focus, plus I thought the sound was a tad better than the old recording on sermonindex.

Smoke Signals

When we pulled up in front of Grace Church last night to drop Beth off for youth group, we noticed a ton of very black smoke billowing out from one of the chimneys.

Then, when we arrived to pick her up, amazingly enough, the smoke had changed to white.

Do you think this means they have found a new senior pastor?

"Save the Chickens!" cries Tony Jones

Ahhh, Tony Jones. Sigh. What are you thinking?

Thanks, Ingrid, for the head's up on Tony's latest book.

Save the chickens!

Need a Laugh?

I wish to thank niece Sheri who sent this little laugh to me all the way from France this morning. Sit back, relax (well not if you're in an Hawaii chair), and enjoy this little clip from Ellen.

Jesus Calms a Storm

On that day, when evening had come, he said to them, “Let us go across to the other side.” And leaving the crowd, they took him with them in the boat, just as he was. And other boats were with him. And a great windstorm arose, and the waves were breaking into the boat, so that the boat was already filling. But he was in the stern, asleep on the cushion. And they woke him and said to him, “Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?” And he awoke and rebuked the wind and said to the sea, “Peace! Be still!” And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm. He said to them, “Why are you so afraid? Have you still no faith?” And they were filled with great fear and said to one another, “Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?”

Brian McLaren's Attack Against Hell and Jesus Atonement

This whole emergent thing really scares me. Here's one reason why.

Tommy Emmanuel:Somewhere Over the Rainbow

Here's a link for your listening pleasure.

Mr. D, I think this guy has some potential, if only he'd not rest that pinky finger on his guitar!

I hope he comes back to the Hamms, Schmidt, Heineken, Whatever band shell at the State Fair. That was a great concert. So was Riders in the sky. I love the Hamms, Schmidt, Heineken, Whatever band shell at the State Fair.

The Dlog Episode Seventeen: Government

Another blog I've stumbled onto is dumbdumbdog. Enjoy.

BBC (Broadcasting for Barack Corporation)

Since I'm not a fan of TV, my biggest source of entertainment is the blogosphere. I enjoy going to friends blogs, and linking to their friends, and linking to their friends, and seeing where I end up. It's quite entertaining actually and I have found some really interesting blogs.

One I check out every few days is called Musings of an English Muffin. Her name is Libby and she is a "mum" and says things that interest me with wit, sarcasm, and with British phrasings (You know, she says things like, "Gave me a warm glow that did."). She also chose the same pink color and form for her blog as I did.

Apparently, the BBC seems to be reporting that there are only 2 candidates here in the states. Barack and Clinton! I guess to the news media, there are only two choices.

Anyway, here is a link to an amusing little post that Libby, the English Muffin made recently.

Favorite line:

People who unreservedly support infanticide tend to make fairly unpleasant Kings (cf Pharoah, Herod).

Boxers, briefs, or ?

I was quite surprised that Romney won the straw poll in MN. Thought it was just a fluke in our precinct at first.

Should he actually get the nomination, Mr. D says that come fall MTV will have to change their question slightly to:

"Tell us, Mr. Romney, do you wear boxers, briefs, or this?"

Precinct 13 Straw Vote

We just arrived home from the Precinct 13 Republican caucus.

Here are the results of the straw vote:

Keyes 0
Huckabee 4
Paul 11
McCain 15
Romney 32

Mr. D and The Vice Versa Prayer

Tomorrow is caucus day in MN so it is only fitting that I tell the story of Mr. D and the vice versa prayer. (By the way, I googled and it is not visa versa, it is indeed vice versa, but I digress.)

For the last umpteen years, we have faithfully gone to our precinct caucus and for the last umpteen years been elected delegates. (At our caucus, pretty much everyone who shows up, plus a few who don't, get elected delegates).

Anyhoo, once elected you head to the senate district caucus a few weeks later and then the county convention. This is where my story picks up. County convention. 1992 is most likely the year. Perhaps 1996.

For many years, Mr. D's pastor brother Leroy was a delegate. Being a pastor and a delegate, he was often asked to give the invocation. However, at this particular convention, he was not present. The moderators looked over their names, found a Dugan, figured that any old Dugan could pray, and asked Mr. D to offer the invocation that evening.

Mr. D had a few minutes to think about what he wanted to pray about and the verse Micah 6:8 came to mind.

He has showed you, O man, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.

He decided to build his prayer around that verse. You know, pray something like we would choose candidates that would stand for justice, but not at the expense of mercy, and stand for mercy, but not at the expense of justice. Brilliant prayer idea.

When it was his turn to pray, he approached the microphone, surrounded by various political dignitaries. He began to pray.

Unfortunately, as he prayed, his words began to echo around the room and he suddenly found the words mercy and justice flying back at him. Mercy, mercy, mercy, justice, justice, justice, mercy, justice, mercy...

He was halfway through his prayer and he couldn't remember what he had said. Had he said the part about justice not being at the expense of mercy, or mercy not being at the expense of justice. He knew he'd said one of them. The problem was, which one.

Thinking quickly on his feet, he came up with the only solution that could guarantee that he wouldn't repeat himself. And, he said the immortal words "vice versa" in his prayer.

So, it ended up something like this, "Lord, help us choose candidates that stand for justice, but not at the expense of mercy, and vice versa....Amen."

We now love to remind him of his famous "Vice versa prayer".

He doesn't think anyone really noticed what he prayed. Most, he concluded, were just waiting to get back to the bar.

However, we got to thinking about phrases that shouldn't be used in prayers. Here are a few, can you think of any others.

1.) "etc." Never insert the word "etc." in a list of names of people you are praying for.

2.) "yada, yada, yada" Definitely not appropriate.

3.) "and so forth and so on"

Oh, and while you are thinking of other phrases to not use in prayers, Mr. D says that next time he has to pray before a large group like that, he will have his prayer written down.

Too Cheap to Buy This One

I love this song and was going to have it be my 5th i-Tunes purchase. Unfortunately, you can't buy the single and I am too cheap to fork over the $9.99 it takes to buy the entire soundtrack.

So, I purchased Riders in the Sky singing "You've Got a Friend" instead. Maybe I will get "Woody's Roundup" too.

Enjoy this song, but have a box of Puff's with Vick's handy. It's so sad.

Churches and Money: A Rant by Linda Dugan

Yesterday I had an interesting discussion with a person "in the know" regarding a very large church in the Minneapolis/St. Paul area. They are experiencing "money troubles" among a bunch of other troubles.

Now, I have learned that when it comes to estimating things regarding money if I think about what something costs and double that amount, I am usually right on. For example, when we walk into Nordstrom at the MOA, Terry and I play a little game called "Guess the Price of the Garment". I am usually correct or close. Here's how I do my figuring. If I think the garment might be worth $125 (this is Nordstrom's remember), my guess is $250 and I am usually within $10. Mr. D is amazed. But I digress. Back to the topic at hand.

When chatting with this "person in the know" I mentioned that I thought the salary of the main pastor at the money troubled church was probably $250,000. (Thinking double what I thought the max for a pastor of that size church should be). He said, "You are correct, madam."

Hence, my need to rant.

Here it is, MamaD's new policy on giving money. I have thus far come up with 4 areas of giving set forth in the Bible.

1) Orphans
2) Widows
3) Saints in need
4) Pastors (we are even told to give them a "double portion" if they do a good job)

What is not on the list is:
1) Large buildings
2) Expensive sound systems and video equipment
3) Plush offices/facilities
4) Marketing and ad agencies
5) Consultants
6) Travel to other churches (trips usually taken in winter to churches in warm climates) to observe how they have achieved success

Now, here's how I plan on putting that into into practice.

1) I will not give money to a church where the congregation does not vote on the appointment of a pastor.

2) I will not give money to a church where the congregation does not know how much the pastors make in salary,benefits, and other compensation AND vote on it. I am told that in the Presbyterian church approval of this amount must be from both the congregation and the local presbytery. Excellent system.

I am the director of a non-profit. (I am not compensated for this, by the way). I have no problem with anyone asking to see the books at any time. We have nothing to hide.

It seems even more important at the local church level where revenue comes from donations of the members. If a congregation doesn't vote to approve the salary of the pastors, and if the amount is not made known to the congregation, I operate under the assumption that they are hiding something. Hence, no dinero for you.

3) No money for high tech sound and video.

4) If you are an orphanage, you are at the top of my giving list.

5) If you are a saint in need or a missionary, you are on my giving list.

Also, to continue my rant.

If you are a pastor who says you are very careful about how you spend donated money and you are keeping your salary, benefits, and other compensation from the members, a big red flag goes up in my mind and I assume you are hiding something.

Oh, and one last thing to rant about. If you are a pastor and you tell everyone about how "humble" you are, you are proving to the world that you are not humble at all.

I am sick of leaders in the church using other Christians to benefit themselves financially or further their careers. It stinks.

End of rant.

Have a nice day.

Happy Little Boy!