Agenda*

I saw about a 90 minute film the other night called "AGENDA" by Chris Bowers. It scares me, to realize what has happened in our country in my lifetime. We live in the greatest country ever in history, but that seems to be changing. God help us, II Chronicles 7:14. God Bless LVZ.

prayer*

I am really surprised to hear today that Christians are getting together to pray for this nation and this election at the town hall in Tupelo. II Chronicles 7:14. That is what we need, for God to move. Right now it is looking good for the candidate of my choice, but what this nation really needs is not a republican or democratic President but for God to move. This getting together to seek God for our Nation and this election is #1. If God moves it will not matter who is in office. I still think the way I do as far as politics is concerned, but it feels like there is a hatred for the other side if they win. Hatred for the Demo's if they win, a hatred for the Rep's if they win. There needs to be compromise from both sides in politics and that is what happened when this great nation started. The different beliefs compromised and we have the greatest nation on earth. Even when one side has the presidency and the majority in both houses it's like nothing good happens, but when both sides compromise and work out what they feel is best for this country is when good things happen. We Democrat and Republican, Liberal and Conservative have the greatest nation on earth, we need to recognize that and work together. God Bless, LVZ.

Voting*

Down here in Mississippi they tried to get a law past requiring photo id's to vote. The advertisements against this are advising it is a plot to take away your right to vote. I have to show picture ID to cash a $10 check. I have to show a picture ID to buy alcohol. If I stopped to think about it I had to have a specialized ID to get back into the US from Canada earlier this year. With more time to think and research this, I could come up with many more requirements for picture ID. Yet why would we want to fight this on something as important as voting? I believe felons lose their voting rights. I know from dealing with Dad, people who need a guardian lose their right to vote. If they need a guardian to handle their finances and other adult decisions - are they truly capable of voting? I have a friend down here who cannot read or write, but he does have a drivers license. So who would this hinder from truly voting other than dead people and peoples pets? You do not have to be able to drive to have a photo ID. I believe to get a photo ID only requires a birth certificate to prove who you are. I do believe it will hinder voter fraud, and I think hindering voter fraud is a good thing. Dead people and pets do not need to vote, they are incapable of making a good decision. God Bless, LVZ.

Who You Are When No One's Looking*

Today was one of those days when I had the opportunity to do right or wrong and no one except God and me would know. I bought five fence posts and other items at Home Depot. I was putting them in the back of the truck when I noticed the sales slip only listed 4 posts. The title of this blog is the same as a book written by Bill Hybels. God is more interested in our character than our comfort. Anyway, when I noticed the mistake the title of the book "Who You Are When No One's Looking" came to mind. I did go back into the store to the clerk I had been to previously and explained and paid for the other post. I believe no one except God and I would have known. I do want to please God. Proverbs 22:1 says;  "A good name is rather to be chosen than great riches, and loving favor rather than silver and gold." I could have looked at it as a bargain, its not my mistake, I did not attempt to hide a post. The clerk miscounted, no one would know. If you can steal a quarter you can also steal a million dollars - the principal is the same. Years ago I bought a 1962 ranchero from Dad for $500. Dad asked what do you want me to list as the sale price, you could save on taxes. The right amount, I'll pay the taxes on $500. Just a year ago I bought a 1993 Ford Taurus, the seller also asked me what I wanted the bill of sale to state as the amount of sale. Once again I said the right amount, I'll pay the taxes. In those instances it would have been myself, God and one other person would know. Once I made a long distance phone call at a phone booth, $6 or more. When I hung up all the change came back. I called the operator and explained what happened. She was impressed by my honesty and had me go to another phone booth nearby and put the money in. Many times it is just me and God that know, but I believe God does see. I do not need to please anyone except God. On the job some years ago I took it upon myself to hide a work phone because I was in a secluded area and a lot of people were using that phone to make personal calls. I had no business doing that but it was my work phone and it had the capability to go outside the company. Anyway people complained because the phone was gone. My lead came and asked me about it. I didn't want to admit to hiding the phone, I beat around the bush. My lead says, Leon, I just want a yes or no answer, do you know where the phone is? I know if you just answer my question, you won't lie to me. I guess he was just worried if it had been stolen or something. That left an imprssion on me that if I quit beating around the bush he felt I would not lie to him. "A good name is rather to be chosen than great riches," May God help me to be true always. God Bless, LVZ.

The real issue*

II Peter 1: "For an entrance shall be ministered unto you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our lord and savior Jesus Christ." Election year politics causes many discussions about who will be our next President for the next four years. This is important if you are a liberal thinking individual you want Obama to win. If you are a conservative, you want Mitt Romney to win. This will affect our lives for the next 4 years and beyond. The supreme court appointments have a much more lasting effect than just about anything else the President does. Then there are things/laws these administrations set in order that sometimes have consequences down the road. For example the Community Reinvestment Act of 1977, which forced banks and lending institutions to make those loans that we are now cursing them for and even cursing Bush like it was his fault. This country has always gone thru economic cycles when we didn't try to fix them and just let them take their course they were short-lived. The longest depressions were the ones our leaders tried to fix. I said all of that to say this. These are short term problems, the next president will be in office for the next 4 years and then we go thru this again. There are eternal decisions that we are making, and you are making them. We are all going to end up in eternity somewhere based on your decisions in this life. These are eternal consequences to this life, not just the short term effects of the community reinvestment act, or the next presidential term. Where will we spend eternity? Have we allowed sinful people to cloud our judgment? The Bible says all have sinned. If we say we have not sinned we lie. When I was young, it seemed we heard so much of a rapture. I remember in a Sunday school class, it had to be pre-1965. One young man said he did not think we would see the 1965 cars come out. Well, that time has come and gone. 1965 autos are now antiques. More likely I will enter eternity thru the grave when this life is over. Have I made that entrance secure into the place I will want to be? Its seems the generation following me is not so concerned about eternity anymore. I do not know the length of my days. 74 years as my Dad, 80 as some of my Uncles. 105 as Great Aunt Sofie. Some believe there are many ways and different religions that will get us there. I believe it is only thru Jesus Christ and his death on the cross for my sins. I believe he rose again and is preparing for me a place where I can have an abundant entrance into the everlasting kingdom of Jesus Christ. I see all these farmers harvesting crops and making hay to carry them thru the coming winter months. What preparations are you making for eternity, that is the real issue of life? For God so loved us that he gave Jesus to die on a cross for our sins. He rose again. God Bless, LVZ.

Election year politics*

Since we are in another election year, I thought I would glean some info from a well-known economist Walter Williams. Per IRS Statistics about 2% of US households have an income of 250K and up. Households of 250K and up account for 25% of total household income. Per Walter, if congress imposed a 100% tax - taking all earnings above 250K per year, it would keep the government running for 141 days. That only leaves the congressmen to find other ways to fund the other 224 days. If they take corporate profits that would fund the government for another 40 days. According to Forbes 400, America has 400 billionaires with a combined net worth of 1.3 trillion. After fleecing the rich - it still only supplies the money to run the government until mid-August. So let's tax the hell out of the rich, it gets the votes even if it doesn't work. Walter said one more thing that stuck with me, the rich didn't get to be rich by being stupid. When the tax rates go up, they seem to still find ways to get around paying more than 20%. Anyway, I know most liberals will call these lies, but who are the real liers? God bless LVZ.

Ancient landmarks*

Well, I am finding some things different about the south and I think too many people do things without checking with the courthouse. We had some neighbors disputing property lines in Nettleton at Barbara's place. We hired a surveyor to get the true scoop and settle things. People go for years on what the older generation said without checking it out. The east side was less than originally thought and that was the neighbor that started it. Well, not only him, Barbara's Nephew built a fence right up to the front side of her mobile home and continued the fence on the backside. So one end of her trailer was inside his fence by about 20 feet. She loses about 5 ft on the east side. the north side neighbor has a fence that starts on his side of the line and crosses over to her side by the time he gets to the other end. It's about equal, it just needs to be straightened. the south side is the border between her property and her sister and nephews house. Barbara's lot is L shaped and extends to the road on the south side behind her sister's lot. Her sister's house extends 12 ft on the carport side onto Barbara's property. The house without the carport is right on the line. Nobody got a surveyor back then before they built the house. The surveyor was telling us about a place he was just working on where a man built a barn and then found out it wasn't even on his own property. The whole barn is on his neighbor's property. He finally has it surveyed after he built the barn. I guess there is a lesson to be learned in all this. :) Its worth the money to hire a surveyor before you build buildings and fences. People get away with a lot that we couldn't in the big city. Barbara's mobile home is totally inside her boundaries. While this is fresh in everyone's mind, I may be building fences. Maybe even one right up to the side of the nephew's house, just to be ornery. Neither Barbara nor her sister could ever sell their property until this is fixed. Proverbs 22:28 "Remove not the ancient landmark, which thy fathers have set." The surveyor did say when they find an old landmark it takes priority over what the deed says. If the deed says 140 feet and there is an ancient landmark at 142 feet or say 138 ft. the ancient landmark wins over the deed. God bless, LVZ.

God is in Control*

Proverbs 8:15-16 "By me kings reign, and princes decree justice. By me princes rule, and nobles, even all the judges of the earth." I had another talk for about an hour yesterday with a liberal. Once again I heard a liberal that can seem to see there is another view / another way of looking at things that can be true other than the liberal viewpoint. Mitt Romney is a lier according to him. I tried to end the conversation by saying regardless who wins this election, God is in control. Always has been and always will be. Referring to the verse above that God says he is the one that puts Kings and princes in power and he takes them down. I said God put Obama in the office of president, just like he will this time, whoever wins this election. I said God also but Bush in office, Bill Clinton, Ronald Reagan, etc. The minute I said God also put Bush in office, he had a problem with it. Why is it we can believe God is in control when it is the person we voted for but have difficulty when it is the other guy? If the Bible is true - it is true all the time. It doesn't stop being true when it is the other guy. God doesn't step in and step out of control from one election to the next. I know there are conservatives, that think the same way and would grit their teeth if I said God put Obama in that office the last election. If the Bible is true it is true all the time and not just when it agrees with our thinking. I have read stuff about Bush that was not in the newspaper. I read about the time he attended a memorial service for victims of a shooting in Texas when he was Governor. He went just an ordinary person. As he walked in the place where the memorial service was, one of the fathers of a victim saw him and asked if he wanted to be up on the podium. Bush said, no, this is about you all, not about me. When he was in the white house, I read about an individual that was touring the white house and got to see and shake President Bush's hand. The President asked how he was doing. The man just briefly mentioned a personal difficulty and President Bush took him aside and prayed with him. I believe the Bush was the most sincere Christian of any president we have had in few decades including Jimmy Carter. I can just hear liberals going off from those words. I have not been in the office of president and have no real idea of the difficult decisions they have to make. I read recently about a former Governor of Mississippi that one time called John Kennedy about an issue they had locally in Mississippi. Off the cuff, President Kennedy solved the Governors concern and went on about the business of the Cuban Missle crisis and the other large scale difficulties he was facing. This was a time of racial tension also in this country. When the Governor thanked him, he didn't know what he was talking about because of the bigger issues at hand. The little issue of the governor had slipped his mind. This governor of Mississippi was the same one that said as long as he was Governor the University of Mississippi would not be integrated. I am sure this was not very popular with many at that time. I am sure President Obama has made decisions that did not sit too well with those that voted for him also as did President Bush and others. If the Bible be true and God is in control, it is not only the times we agree and understand why. It is also at those times we do not agree and do not understand. Gods ways are higher than our ways and we do not always see everything that God sees. Just like the Story of Joseph, I am sure Joseph wondered "God why am I in prison? Why was I sold into slavery?" God was preparing Joseph to be the Prime Minister of Egypt but Joseph didn't know all that when he was going thru stuff. God has designs and purposes that we do not always see the end result, but make no mistake - whoever wins this election - God is still in control. Vote your conscience and accept what God does. God bless, LVZ. I'll be glad when this election is over and no matter which way it goes, there will be a lot of unhappy people. I am so glad God is in control.

Speak Evil*

I have probably written on this before, but in an election year, it seems to be OK to say all manner of evil against a politician we don't like. Titus 3:2 "To speak evil of no man, ...." This chapter starts off telling us to be in subjection to our rulers. I felt convicted of this verse some years ago because during an election season all kinds of things get passed over the internet. And I just like so many others pass on these things without even knowing much about it. The e-mail that got my attention was one that was repeated in the next two elections - same story - a different person. I think conservatively, that is the way I am wired. I vote conservatively if I didn't, I wouldn't vote my conscience. That doesn't mean I vote for a republican every time, just most of the time. I did vote for Henry Jackson in Washington State some years back, there are probably others that I just don't remember. Currently, I try really hard not to say negatives about the guy I am not voting for. When President Obama won the last election, I immediately referred to him as my President. He did win the election in spite of my not voting for him. Even from Church pulpits, I hear this or that candidate bad-mouthed. From the same mouth procedeth blessing and cursing, this ought not to be. Even the candidate we did not vote for is made in the image of God. In a recent blog I mentioned Proverbs 21:1, God turns the King, however, he chooses. My candidate may not win, but may I never slander the leader of this great nation (put there by God). I think this type of view would really help to heal our nation. Sometimes reform starts from the bottom up. But Christians out to take heed to even scriptures like this one, Titus 3:2, especially in an election year. May we never let our guard down and strive to be Christlike in all areas of our life. "... to be subject to principalities and powers, to obey magistrates, to speak evil of no man, honor all men, fear God, honor the king." James 3:9-10 "Therewith bless we God, even the Father; and therewith curse we men, which are made after the similitude of God. Out of the same mouth proceedeth blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not to be." Like I said, I have heard evil speaking from the pulpit from Pastors, but I will say I did not hear such at CFAN in Tacoma. I could not tell you if the Lead Pastor was democrat or republican, liberal or conservative. What I did hear from that pulpit was if we are looking to Washington to fix our problems we are looking to the wrong source. Once again II Chronicles 7:14. When the Christians of this country get on their knees and pray for our political leaders, we will see God move and it will not matter who is in office. Vote your conscience and if you believe the Bible is the word of God look to the heavens / God to fix this nation, not Obama and not Romney. God is the answer - let us as Christians model Christianity even in an election year. In our speech, our facebook, e-mails, etc. We can stand for what we believe without resorting to slander, evil speaking. Help me God to do so myself, because I do get aggravated at some of what I read. God bless, LVZ.

Joseph*

Romans 8:28 "And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose." Charles Stanley used this scripture this morning and talked about Joseph. I remember reading "Living Your Dreams", I have that book packed away somewhere. I hope I got the title right and I believe it was written by Seamands. The Book was about Joseph in the bible. This is an awesome story of a young man who loved God. He was hated by his brothers, and they sought to kill him. God intervened and he was sold into slavery instead. He was bought by Potiphar and served in his household until falsely accused by Potipher's wife. Sent to prison unjustly. Interprets dreams of a butler and a baker, and is remembered years later because of interpreting those dreams. Pharaoh sends for him to interpret his dream and making a long story short, Joseph becomes Prime Minister of Egypt. Towards the end of the story of Joseph, he saves not only the people of Egypt but also his brothers who sold him into slavery. These are Josephs words in Genesis 50:20 "But as for you, ye thought evil against me; but God meant it unto good, to bring to pass, as it is this day, to save much people alive." Joseph, who loved God and remained faithful thru all the adversity of his life now sees God's purpose and does not hold a grudge against his brothers. We all go thru adversity from time to time. Perhaps God is shaping us as he sees fit. If you love and trust God it will turn out good in the end. Gods vision is more than our 20/20. God's vision is 50:20, Genesis 50:20, God meant it for good. This story and what Joseph went thru is for our example, we can trust God. People, families can do us wrong. Spouses can do us wrong but God will use it to shape us and mold us as he sees fit if we put our trust in him as Joseph did thru it all. In my life, I have had some ex's that really hurt me, but I believe God used that to change me to make me better than what I was. I hope to meet those ex's in heaven someday. I hope God not only changed me but them also. God is at work in all of our lives if we will let him. He will change us into what he wants. What an awesome story in the life of Joseph of the Bible. God Bless, LVZ.

sowing and reaping*

Job 4:8 "Even as I have seen, they that plow iniquity, and sow wickedness, reap the same." I have heard this principle all my life. You reap what you sow. As Dr. Stanley says, you reap more than you sow, sometimes tenfold, sometimes 100 fold. You reap later than you sow, sometimes it takes months for a crop to mature, sometimes years. I wish this younger generation could understand that principle. It is like a law of nature, what you sow, you will reap. I have tried to sow good seed, and that is what I want to reap. Bill Wolfson's theme this year was the year of the seed. I have heard much about seed and what we sow this year. I want to sow good words, good actions. I have seen this in my life. When I sowed bad seed, that is what I reaped. We oftentimes think we get away with stuff because the harvest can be months and years down the road. Crops do not mature overnight. I believe this principle and I do believe it is a principle, almost a law of nature, you will reap what you sow. God Bless, LVZ.