How to catch a wild pig

Good story - not a joke

There was a chemistry professor in a large college that had some exchange students in the class. One day, while the class was in the lab the professor noticed one young man (exchange student) who kept rubbing his back and stretching as if his back hurt.

The professor asked the young man what was the matter. The student told him he had a bullet lodged in his back. He had been shot while fighting communists in his native country who were trying to overthrow his country's government and install a new communist government.

In the midst of his story he looked at the professor and asked a strange question. He asked, 'Do you know how to catch wild pigs?'

The professor thought it was a joke and asked for the punch line. The young man said this was no joke. 'You catch wild pigs by finding a suitable place in the woods and putting corn on the ground. The pigs find it and begin to come every day to eat the free corn. When they are used to coming every day you put a fence down one side of the place where they are used to coming. When they get used to the fence, they begin to eat the corn again, and you put up another side of the fence. They get used to that and start to eat again. You continue until you have all four sides of the fence up with a gate in the last side. The pigs, which are used to the free corn, start to come through the gate to eat, so you slam the gate on them and catch the whole herd. Suddenly, the wild pigs have lost their freedom. They run around and around inside the fence, but they are caught. Soon, they go back to eating the free corn. They are so used to it that they have forgotten how to forage in the woods for themselves, so they accept their captivity.'

The young man then told the professor that is exactly what he sees happening to America. The government keeps pushing us toward Communism/Socialism and keeps spreading the free corn out in the form of programs such as supplemental income, tax credit for unearned income, tobacco subsidies, dairy subsidies, payments not to plant crops (CRP), welfare, medicine, drugs, free medical, $600 economic stimulus, etc. While we continually lose our freedoms - just a little at a time.

One should always remember: There is no such thing as a free lunch! Also, a politician will never provide a service for you cheaper than you can do it yourself.

Bravo to the young man! He explained it perfectly.

If you see that all of this wonderful government help is a problem confronting the future of democracy in America, you might want to send this on to your friends. If you think the free ride is essential to your way of life then you will probably delete this e-mail, but God help you when the gate slams shut!

'A government big enough to give you everything you want, is big enough to take away everything you have.' -- Thomas Jefferson

Had to Share

Am I A Fireman Yet??

In Phoenix , Arizona , a 26-year-old mother stared down at her 6 year old son, who was dying of terminal leukemia.

Although her heart was filled with sadness, she also had a strong feeling of determination.
Like any parent, she wanted her son to grow up & fulfill all his dreams. Now that was no longer possible.

The leukemia would see to that. But she still wanted her son's dream to come true.

She took her sonʼs hand and asked, 'Billy, did you ever think about what you wanted to be once you grew up? Did you ever dream and wish what you would do with your life?'

Mommy, 'I always wanted to be a fireman when I grew up.'

Mom smiled back and said, 'Let's see if we can make your wish come true.'

Later that day she went to her local fire Department in Phoenix , Arizona , where she met fireman Bob, who had a heart as big as Phoenix .

She explained her son's final wish and asked if it might be possible to give her 6 year-old son a ride around the block on a fire engine.

Fireman Bob said, 'Look, we can do better than that. If you'll have your son ready at seven o'clock Wednesday morning, we'll make him an honorary Fireman for the whole day. He can come down to the fire station, eat with us, go out on all the fire calls, the whole nine yards! And if you'll give us his sizes, we'll get a real fire uniform for him, with a real fire hat - not a toy - one with the emblem of the Phoenix Fire Department on it, a yellow slicker like we wear and rubber boots!

'They're all manufactured right here in Phoenix , so we can get them fas t'

Three days later Fireman Bob picked up Billy, dressed him in his uniform and escorted him from his hospital bed to the waiting hook and ladder truck.

Billy got to sit on the back of the truck and help steer it back to the fire station.

He was in heaven.

There were three fire calls in Phoenix that day and Billy got to go out on all three calls.

He rode in the different fire engines, the Paramedics' van, and even the fire chief's car.

He was also videotaped for the local news program.

Having his dream come true, with all the love and attention that was lavished upon him, so deeply touched Billy, that he lived three months longer than any doctor thought possible..

One night all of his vital signs began to drop dramatically and the head nurse, who believed in< B> the hospice concept - that no one should die alone - began to call the family members to the hospital.

Then she remembered the day Billy had spent as a Fireman, so she called the Fire Chief and asked if it would be possible to send a fireman in uniform to the hospital to be with Billy as he made his transition.

The chief replied, 'We can do better than that. Weʼll be there in five minutes. Will you please do me a favor? When you hear the sirens screaming and see the lights flashing, will you announce ov er the PA system that there is not a fire?'

'It's the department coming to see one of its finest members one more time. And will you open the window to his room?'

About five minutes later a hook and ladder truck arrived at the hospital and extended its ladder up to Billy's third floor open window -------- 16 fire-fighters climbed up the ladder into Billy's room.

With his mother's permission, they hugged him and held him and told him how much they LOVED him.

With his dying breath, Billy looked up at the fire chief and said, 'Chief, am I really a fireman now?'

'Billy, you are, and the Head Chief, Jesus, is holding your hand,' the chief said

With those words, Billy smiled and said, 'I know, He's been holding my hand all day, and The angels have been singing..'

He closed his eyes one last time.

Homework before voting

2008 PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE COMPARISON TALKING POINTS

ISSUE JOHN McCAIN
BARACK OBAMA

Favors new drilling offshore US
JOHN McCAIN/Yes
BARACK OBAMA/ No

Will appoint judges who interpret the law not make it
JOHN McCAIN/Yes
BARACK OBAMA/ No


Served in the US Armed Forces
JOHN McCAIN/Yes
BARACK OBAMA/ No

Amount of time served in the US Senate
JOHN McCAIN/22 YEARS
BARACK OBAMA/ 173 DAYS

Will institute a socialized national health care plan
JOHN McCAIN/No
BARACK OBAMA/ Yes

Supports abortion throughout the pregnancy
JOHN McCAIN/No
BARACK OBAMA/ Yes

Would pull troops out of Iraq immediately
JOHN McCAIN/No
BARACK OBAMA/ Yes

Supports gun ownership rights
JOHN McCAIN/Yes
BARACK OBAMA/ No

Supports homosexual marriage
JOHN McCAIN/No
BARACK OBAMA/ Yes

Proposed programs will mean a huge tax increase
JOHN McCAIN/No
BARACK OBAMA/ Yes

Voted against making English the official language
JOHN McCAIN/No
BARACK OBAMA/ Yes

Voted to give Social Security benefits to illegals
JOHN McCAIN/ No
BARACK OBAMA/ Yes

CAPITAL GAINS TAX

MCCAIN
0% on home sales up to $500,000 per home (couples). McCain does not propose any change in existing home sales income tax.

OBAMA
28% on profit from ALL home sales. (How does this affect you? If you sell your home and make a profit, you will pay 28% of your gain on taxes. If you are heading toward retirement and would like to down-size your home or move into a retirement community, 28% of the money you make from your home will go to taxes. This proposal will adversely affect the elderly who are counting on the income from their homes as part of their retirement income.)

DIVIDEND TAX

MCCAIN
15% (no change)

OBAMA
39.6% - (How will this affect you? If you have any money invested in stock market, IRA, mutual funds, college funds, life insurance, retirement accounts, or anything that pays or reinvests dividends, you will now be paying nearly 40% of the money earned on taxes if Obama becomes president. The experts predict that 'Higher tax rates on dividends and capital gains would crash the stock market, yet do absolutely nothing to cut the deficit.')

INCOME TAX

MCCAIN

(no changes)
Single making 30K - tax $4,500
Single making 50K - tax $12,500
Single making 75K - tax $18,750
Married making 60K- tax $9,000
Married making 75K - tax $18,750
Married making 125K - tax $31,250

OBAMA (reversion to pre-Bush tax cuts)
Single making 30K - tax $8,400
Single making 50K - tax $14,000
Single making 75K - tax $23,250
Married making 60K - tax $16,800
Married making 75K - tax $21,000
Married making 125K - tax $38,750
Under Obama, your taxes could almost double!

INHERITANCE TAX

MCCAIN
- 0% (No change, Bush repealed this tax)

OBAMA
Restore the inheritance tax

Many families have lost businesses, farms, ranches, and homes that have been in their families for generations because they could not afford the inheritance tax. Those willing their assets to loved ones will only lose them to these taxes.

NEW TAXES PROPOSED BY OBAMA

New government taxes proposed on homes that are more than 2400 square feet. New gasoline taxes (as if gas weren't high enough already) New taxes on natural resources consumption (heating gas, water, electricity) New taxes on retirement accounts, and last but not least....New taxes to pay for socialized medicine so we can receive the same level of medical care as other third-world countries!!!








You can verify the above at the following web sites:


http://money.cnn.com/news/specials/election/2008/index.html

http://www.cnn.com/ELECTION/2008/issues/issues.taxes.html

http://elections.foxnews.com/?s=proposed+taxes

http://bulletin.aarp.org/yourworld/politics/articles/mccain_obama_offer_different_visions_on_taxes.html

http://blog.washingtonpost.com/fact-checker/candidates/barack_obama/

http://blog.washingtonpost.com/fact-checker/candidates/john_mccain/

Words from A Wonderful Woman of Wisdom - - Maya Angelou

A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE ..
enough
money within her control to move out
and rent a place of her own,
even if she never wants to or needs to...


A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE ...
something
perfect to wear if the employer,
or date of her dreams
wants to see her in an hour...


A WOMAN SHOULD
HAVE .
a youth she's content to leave behind....


A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE ..
a past juicy
enough that she's looking forward to
retelling it in her
old age....




A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE ...
a set of screwdrivers, a cordless drill, and a black lace bra...


A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE ..
one friend who
always makes her laugh.. and one who lets her cry...


A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE ...
a good piece
of furniture not previously owned by anyone else in her
family...


A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE ..
eight
matching plates, wine glasses with stems,
and a recipe for
a meal,
that will make her guests feel honored...


A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE .
a feeling of
control over her destiny..


EVERY WOMAN SHOULD
KNOW...
how to fall in love without losing herself..


EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW...
how to quit
a job,
break up with a lover,
and confront a friend
without;
ruining the friendship...


EVERY WOMAN
SHOULD KNOW...
when to try harder... and WHEN TO WALK
AWAY...


EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW...
that she can't change the length of her calves,
the width of her hips, or the nature of her parents..


EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW...
that her
childhood may not have been perfect...but it's over...


EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW...
what she
would and wouldn't do for love or more...


EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW....
how to live
alone... even if she doesn't like it...


EVERY
WOMAN SHOULD KNOW.. .
whom she can trust,
whom she can't,
and why she shouldn't take it personally...


EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW...
where to
go...
be it to her best friend's kitchen table..
or a
charming Inn in the woods....
when her soul needs
soothing...


EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW..
What she can and can't accomplish in a day...
a
month...and a year...


and remember

Be yourself...everyone else is
already
taken.

DILIGENCE

Last night we had our youth pastor sit in for our regular pastor.

What a great guy. The Lord put this young man in the midst of us and he is definitely anointed to be part of the staff. In looking at him as an extention of an already awesome shepherd for God, our Pastor T, I envision as a team, they will be everything this community needs to be able to understand that everyone needs a Loving God in their life. We are definitely going to need a bigger boat, folks.

To get back to last night...we had a casual "town meeting" if you will, where there was interaction between Pastor B and us. In part of our discussions we talked about busyness. Diligence.

About being diligent in spending our time with God and the Word daily. In finding the time, or rather making the time, I should say. That is exactly what it really comes down to, doesn't it? Making time!!!!!!!!

I borrowed this fom a women's site and felt a need to share it. Maybe it could help some.

Man, woman or child ... beggar or king ... homemaker or business executive ... we are each given only 24 hours a day. The demands of the day may leave us feeling totally overwhelmed. The choices we make concerning our hours today will influence the landscape of our future.

Take this quiz to help you consider the wise use of your day.

What are the things in your life that you place great value on?

How do you determine your priorities in life?

What are your goals for now and for the future?

How do your priorties match up with your goals in life?

Does God fit in there, anywhere?

If someone was to look at your day timer, showing all of your day's activities, what would they determine your first priority to be?

What would they think your second priority is?

Your least important priority?

Make a list of the most important things that you want to accomplish this week.

What type of systems can you put in place to help you spend time on your priorities?

What are some ways to schedule in time for the things that you value the most?

Is God there, somewhere?

How do you handle interruptions to your schedule?
When making a schedule it is a good idea to leave some areas where you can be flexible and allow for unplanned activities. The purpose of a schedule is to protect yourself from overbooking and overextending yourself.

What protective mechanisms can you implement into your scheduling to help you with overbooking?

When are the times that you find yourself procrastinating?

What types of things do you seem to procrastinate for?

Describe a situation that you have been in that has been negatively affected because of procrastination.

How can you protect yourself from procrastination?

How do you practically budget time for family and fun?

How much quality time do you spend with your family or close friends?

How can you find ways to balance leisure time with work?

How can you fit in time for your own personal needs- physical, emotional, and spiritual- into your schedule?

Where is God in there?

When do you find it most difficult to say 'no' to a person or activity? As humans, we have limitations. Everyone is entitled to set boundaries.

What are some ways you can implement boundaries into your life?

What are some things in your life right now that you should be saying 'no' to?
How can delegating fit into good time management?
Delegating can help with personal organization and scheduling.

What are some tasks in your life right now that you can delegate?

What activities during your day would you rate as unproductive?
Share some practical time saving tips.

How often do you use these tips?

How can you apply these different tips to your life?

How can these tips improve your time management skills?

How can these tips help improve your time with God?


I talk to God everyday all day long in all my actions and decisions of everyday life and work. Every morning I say good morning Lord before my feet hit the floor. I truly do. But I do need to be more diligent in the area of spending that precious time needed to communicate w/God and spend more time in His Word.

Please pray for me in these areas:

Help me to always be diligent in spending that special time with God and His Word daily

Last night's word as always put my mind at ease again that I am definitely being cradled by God's Loving Hands.

A couple of weeks ago, this beautiful lady who has been anointed to pray over us sinners and often has a word from the Lord put upon her, told me to be patient. That the Lord told her He knows where my heart is and how willing and anxious I am to do His work. But He want's me to be patient for He has a mighty work for me to do and as all things of God it will happen in His time. He wants me to be ready and when He chooses He will guide me in the right direction.

Pastor said the Lord is looking for Joshuas. Joshuas who can put the Red Sea behind us and go for the crossing of the Jordan. In talking and reading the book of Joshua about the River Jordan, it brought back memories from a few years ago when I was part of a Bible study and was given a rock. This rock was to portray one of the rocks from the River Jordan.

Jos 4:21 And then he told the People of Israel, "In the days to come, when your children ask their fathers, 'What are these stones doing here?'

Jos 4:22 tell your children this: 'Israel crossed over this Jordan on dry ground.'

Jos 4:23 "Yes, GOD, your God, dried up the Jordan's waters for you until you had crossed, just as GOD, your God, did at the Red Sea, which had dried up before us until we had crossed.

Jos 4:24 This was so that everybody on earth would recognize how strong GOD's rescuing hand is and so that you would hold GOD in solemn reverence always."

I sometimes wonder when I hear a teaching like last night's why is it so hard for people to recognise just what the Pastor was saying. When you made it through the Red Sea, crossing the Jordan is going to be a breeze because you should already know God has you in His Loving Hands. Why look back and try to pick up all that crap you left behind with God's help just to create a new problem because that is what you are going to end up doing if you are not careful.

I do go back sometimes just to clarify how great God is, in bringing me through the desert into the glorious life I have now in Him. I know it is going to even get better when I am able to achieve my hearts desire in helping people to Christ.

Some people don't think it is glorious because I don't live in the best of places. The best of places is materialistic. Had what I thought was the very best once.That my friends was sin. I try so very hard not to give in to the enemies temptations. But it is easy to turn from all of his little "come here look at this" temptations because of where I was at one time.

I will not be going there again.

Living like I am now is so glorious.

I mean, come on now. Let be realistic. From the age of 16 to 52... smoking pot, drinking, doing speed, coke. Getting to the point I could not function with out my scotch and either speed or coke then getting to sleep by smoking my pot. Walking around in such a daze 90% of the time, I didn't care what I did, who I spent my time with.

I allowed the enemy into my life and that is what I did for 36 yrs.

After running away from an abusive life as a young girl looking for something better I let satan himself show me how life was. Learning about drugs, being beaten and raped multiple times, when I didn't want to indulge in his requests. End result not wanting to have my children living the horrid abusive life I was indulging in w/ him and kept trying to run away from I left the best part of me ( my children)behind and began a real journey to hell for the next 30 years believing if God was real He would not allow all this to happen to me.

Always lonely, always frustrated, always looking for love in the wrong places. Always stoned out of my mind. Then one day I gave up my fight. The firing pin was broken. So here I was, still alive.

Another time I gave up my fight, I spent 36 hours in the ER, came out alive.

The one day in the yr 2000, I really gave up the fight when I got a phone call from one of my daughters I hadn't seen since 1972 when she was 6 months old.

That's when God started to show me who He really was.

On March 31, 2002 which was my birthday and also Easter, for some reason, I walked in a daze to the front of that church that I found for my Mom's visit a few month's earlier and made a commitment to God that I would love His Son and Him for the rest of my life

That's when God made me realize I was here for a reason.

This is His love in return. He restored everything taken by my past. He shined His light on the hidden treasures in my soul and gave me a future and a hope. He enveloped me in His love and washed me in His awesome forgiveness. He anointed me with oil, draped me in royal robes, and placed a crown upon my head. I am His daughter, a daughter of the King.



Because of His mercy, I stand unashamed of my past. I pray for those caught in life's deadly traps. I pray that like me, they will one day stand in the flow of God's love and not be consumed by thier desert and their Red Sea. I pray that I can unmercifully help someone else to see through me, that God is so Good and Loyal when we become loyal to Him.



Again....Jos 4:24 This was so that everybody on earth would recognize how strong GOD's rescuing hand is and so that you would hold GOD in solemn reverence always."

Today, I stand waiting to wipe fear's tears from hurting hearts and dry lips dripping with guilt's liquor. I stand waiting to straighten crowns tilted by life's circumstances and to love someone into the kingdom.

God is not done with me. I will shine in His light.

MOTHERS

Real Mothers don't eat quiche; they don't have time to make it.

Real Mothers know that their kitchen utensils are probably in the
sandbox.

Real Mothers often have sticky floors, filthy ovens and happy kids.

Real Mothers know that dried play dough doesn't come out of carpets.

Real Mothers don't want to know what the vacuum just sucked up.

Real Mothers sometimes ask 'Why me?' and get their answer when a little
voice says, 'Because I love you best.'

Real Mothers know that a child's growth is not measured by height or
years or grade... It is marked by the progression of Mommy to Mom to
Mother...

The Images of Mother

4 YEARS OF AGE - My Mommy can do anything!

8 YEARS OF AGE - My Mom knows a lot! A whole lot!

12 YEARS OF AGE - My Mother doesn't really know quite everything.

1 4 YEARS OF AGE - Naturally, Mother doesn't know that, either.

16 YEARS OF AGE - Mother? She's hopelessly old-fashioned.

18 YEARS OF AGE - That old woman? She's way out of date!

25 YEARS OF AGE - Well, she might k now a little bit about it

35 YEARS OF AGE - Before we decide, let's get Mom's opinion.

45 YEARS OF AGE - Wonder what Mom would have thought about it?

65 YEARS OF AGE - Wish I could talk it over with Mom.

The beauty of a woman is not in the clothes she wears, the figure that
she carries, or the way she combs her hair.

The beauty of a woman must be seen from in her eyes, because that is the
doorway to her heart, the place where love resides.

The beauty of a woman is not in a facial mole, but true beauty in a
woman is reflected in her soul. It is the caring that she lovingly
gives, the passion that she shows, and the beauty of a woman with
passing years only grows!

Pumpkins that Drink

LOL

Happy Halloween!!!