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Ryanair Gets It
2009-07-18 06:00:00
Several months ago I was approached by the Director of Household Operations (DOHO, aka - my wife) with a request for special funding to attend a three day, two night professional workshop out of the country. After a brief report from the accounting department, the request was denied, swiftly bringing about the threat of a work stoppage at Knuckleheads 'R Us. My dear overworked and underpaid wife persuasively lobbied for a simple budget proposal. About a year ago, in the blogging world, she met two missionary wives who live in Spain, and she desperately wanted to meet them for a few days of kid-free leisure. The official story was that she really, really, really needed to get away for a few days to refresh, relax, and re-focus. Without giving the final approval, management bowed to consider the matter further. Frantically she began looking online for tickets from Porto to Madrid, setting up conference calls and chat times with the other two lobbyists..er, ladies. The three settled o...
More About: Life , Love , Laughter , Ryanair

Government Media
2009-06-20 06:00:00
Given that the sitting President won the election, reminding Republicans of this fact early and often, he rightfully possesses the political will to implement sweeping changes and an apparent desire to usher our great nation into an era of statism that may easily teeter toward neo-fascism. He has already effectively taken the reins of General Motors, has followed a terrible precedent begun under President Bush to close the visitors logs of the White House to the public, has taken steps to cap pay grades in the private sector, and has sacked an Inspector General who dared to investigate the shady dealings of a close friend and campaign contributor. Those are just the little things. Forget about the nightmarish foreign policy. His idea of domestic policy shouts that the average citizen is too dull to do anything for himself and needs Big Brother in every aspect of life. I completely disagree. I believe that big government creates slavish citizens, destroys ingenuity and personal mo...
More About: Media , Government

Site Sketch 101
2009-06-15 17:38:00
For several years now, I have been scowering the internet searching for resources that can be used to produce amazing websites for Christian sites.  I have searched for textures, graphics, icons, tutorials, themes, content management systems, and more.  After years of research, I now have hundreds of resources at my disposal which I fully intend on sharing with you here at Site Sketch 101. I remember what a depressing feeling it was when I was just getting started and I was having so much difficulty finding tools that I could use to create websites that actually looked appealing to potential visitors.  I know first hand how difficult it can be to set up a site when you are just starting out in this line of work. Click Here to Visit Site Sketch 101 It?s those memories of working so hard only to create only mediocre websites that are my inspiration to create this website.  I want to take my years of experience and pour them out so every one of you who has a desire to create amazing, ...

Muser of the Month
2009-06-08 06:03:00
A New Exciting Monthly Award That Comes With $15.00 Muser of the Month: We are very pleased to announce the launch of our newest competition which we are calling the Muser of the Month.  Each month a user will be selected by the community to recieve this prestigious award.  This contest will be 100% community driven.  Let me explain.  We are currently taking nominations for this award. Those with the most nominations will be selected and put on a ballot so that you can vote for your Muser of the Month. Voting will take place until the last day of the month.  The Muser selected will receive a $15 gift card, but most importantly the appreciation of his/her fellow Musers. Rules are as follows and are subject to change: Nominations are open until the 15th of each month. When you nominate someone, please include the reason you are nominating them. For example: I nominate loyaldefender because..... Admins can not be nominated nor will we participate in either the nomination p...

Duty, Honor, Country
2009-06-06 06:00:00
On the 12th of May 1962, General Douglas MacArthur received a very distinguished award from a rather esteemed institution in West Point, NY. During his acceptance address, with earnest humility, he expressed deep gratitude for the recognition. He spoke of a great moral code that molds and yet exemplifies the American soldier. He noted that such a code of three dynamic words, "Duty, Honor , Country " would raise the ire of enemies and rile the hypocrite to downgrade and mock such fanciful ideals. But to the soldiers who listened, MacArthur lectured, "They mold you for future roles as the custodians of the nation's defense. They make you strong enough to know when you are weak, and brave enough to face yourself when you are afraid." At each point, the venerated general presented juxtapositions that would arise and be overcome by faithful adherence to the values contained in those three words, "Duty, Honor, Country." These three words are those of men gone by, who believed that our nat...

Amateurs At The White House
2009-05-30 06:00:00
By now I'm sure that you have heard all about our president's trip to London for the G20. Published reports have told us that the staff that made the trip was 500 strong. He took his own chef, specialized O-mobile, 200 secret service agents and several decoy helicopters. No wonder the rest of the world looks at spoiled Americans with disdain. Do you remember when then Democrat candidate Obama chastised the country for being comfortable? His exact words were, "We can't drive our SUVs and eat as much as we want and keep our homes on 72 degrees at all times...and then just expect that other countries are going to say OK." We can't, but he can. Yes, he can! Yes, he can! Anyway, when you're the President of the United States of America, it is a different story. We can't do those things, but he can. According to David Axelrod, he keeps it so balmy in the Oval Office that he could grow orchids. He can transport all of his presidential toys across the Atlantic for a few meetings. He ...
More About: House , White House , White , The White House

The Fundamentals of Prayer
2009-05-26 06:00:00
"The life that Jesus lived, the Christian life, is characterized by truth, and love, and righteousness. And prayer is the perfect example and expression of all three of these. Love is prayers motive, truth is its expression, and righteousness is its goal." ~ Ray C. SteadmanIt is by the grace of God alone that we have been given such a sublime gift as prayer. In the words of Dr. William Evans, "The Christian life cannot be sustained without it; it is the Christian's vital breath." This provision is even more valuable to us than water. One cannot enter the Kingdom of Heaven with water, but through a man's humble supplication to Jesus Christ is eternal life granted him. Therefore it would be wise to understand how the originator of prayer has ordained its use. Our Holy God has ordained a distinct way that His children must approach Him in prayer. His infallible and wholly inspired Word gives us clear commandments on exactly how we are to pray. The Bible teaches that there are at leas...
More About: Prayer

ProLogic Designs
2009-05-24 06:00:00
I've been working in website development for several years and I am very excited to be launching this online portfolio of my design work. Throughout these pages you will see examples of websites that I have designed as well as digital artwork that I have created. I specialize in designing websites and artwork for churches, ministries, and Christian business owners. If you are looking for a cookie-cutter website, then you have definitely come to the wrong place. I strive to design each site to have bold colors, dynamic content, and an overall appealing look. Because of my passion to help churches, ministries, and Christian business owners get there messages out with bold, dynamic websites, I'm able to take great pleasure in knowing that I charge only a fraction of what many of my competitors charge. My rates are incredibly low compared to others who do this same level of work so if you think that you may be interested in hiring me, don't be afraid to get in touch with me by c...
More About: Designs

Just Admit He Bowed
2009-05-22 06:00:00
When was the last time that you did something really dopey? A few weeks ago I heard an audio clip of a 911 call made by a woman in Florida who was beginning to panic because her car battery was dead and she had locked herself inside the car. With a tinge of hysteria she begged for help because the power windows were disabled by the dead battery, it was getting very hot in the car, and she wasn't feeling well. However, she handled it with great aplomb when the operator told her to pull up on the knob for the door lock and then open the door. As the clip comes to an end, one can actually hear the dear lady becoming aware of her dullness. She plainly apologizes and bids the operator a good day. However simple minded she was, something must be said of her humility. In the very same week, a few thousand miles away, President Obama accomplished a first among American presidents. He performed perhaps the greatest breach of etiquette of any American president, living or dead. In England, ...

Lamentations for America
2009-05-20 06:00:00
Over the past few days, I've been focusing my articles on the plight of America .  I believe with all of my heart that America is going to face the wrath of God if we do not turn back to him soon.  This is the third article out of four where I discuss this topic.  If you have not already read the first two articles, The Coming Destruction of America and Obama's Post Christian America, I would strongly encourage you to do so before reading this post.  I think that they will aid in expressing my heart on this matter as you read this article. Most people drastically underestimate the consequences of sin.  Many people wrongfully believe that their sins, however large or small, will have little or no consequences and that if it does have consequences it will be only on the person comitting the sin.  Yet the Bible clearly displays example after example demontrating a clear pattern that this is not the case. When Joshua was leading the armies of God into the promised land, one man c...

Enoch Walked With God
2009-05-18 06:00:00
"And Enoch lived sixty and five years, and begat Methuselah: And Enoch walked with God after he begat Methuselah three hundred years, and begat sons and daughters: And all the days of Enoch were three hundred sixty and five years: And Enoch walked with God: and he was not; for God took him." ~ Genesis 5:21-24There are two notable dispositions in the life of Enoch: before and after he begat Methuselah. The Bible teaches that he was sixty-five years old when his son was born, and after that he walked with God. Therefore the first disposition is that he did not walk with God in the first sixty-five years of his life; the second then being that he walked with God for the remaining three-hundred years before his death. The significance of his latter disposition will be dealt with in this article. In Genesis 5 the phrase "Enoch walked with God" is repeated twice. (This repetition, however, is not verbatim in the original language. The Hebrew text in the original MS includes the wo...

What You Do
2009-05-16 06:00:00
Nina and I have a friend ? sounds like the start of a bad joke doesn't it? Shocking as it is, we have more than one, but this particular friend is going through an unusually difficult time right now. Almost constantly, for the last several years, her family has been served tragedy and hardship with a side of grief. They have continued to put one foot in front of the other each day, at times stopping simply to ask ? why? Casualties have abounded and shame has been an unwelcome yet frequent house guest. For the record, let it be said that last year irritated so many like a bad boil. It festered and oozed and only seemed to worsen with its ever-maddening pain. Thank the Lord that just before midnight last Wednesday it finally popped. Her struggles began before 2008 and sadly may last through 2009. When she called last week, her first words were, ?I need help.? No, "Hello, how are you?" Just, ?I need help.? She began to pour out her heart to us and with a shaky voice while quickly wipi...

From Such Turn Away
2009-05-12 06:00:00
"This know also..." Paul's words to Timothy (and to the Church), describing the perilous times to come, were not just a warning to turn away from these characteristics, but to turn away from those who portray or embody them as well. To any child of God it is obvious that these characteristics absolutely define the times we live in now. There is no place in history where these things have been so utterly fulfilled as to the point where they seem to be overflowing and ready to explode, as today. If fallen, sinful man is a vessel for these things, I cannot imagine how he could hold any more of it. Even the world's heroes, icons, leaders and entertainers manage to glorify and justify these things to those who follow them. Simply turn on your tv, or walk through a bookstore, or go to a university campus, or even sit down to dine at a local restaurant. These characteristics are pervasive, invasive, and almost overpowering. "This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall ...
More About: Turn

The Frustrating President Farkas
2009-05-10 06:00:00
Do you remember the scene in the movie, "The Christmas Story" when Scut Farkas, the consummate bully goads Ralphie into crying after pelting him in the face with a ginormous snowball? Something snaps in the mild mannered Ralphie, and he commences to unleash a torrent of tiny fists and swear words in an unknown tongue rendering the bully humiliated, bloodied, and reformed. Well, smack dab in the middle of the winter of our economic depression, the spirit of Scut Farkas has been channeled into the US government. They have pitched snowball after taxing, hypocritical snowball toward the quiet, unassuming Ralphies across the country. How many more snowballs will it take to reach critical mass? What will be the final salvo launched to insight the bullied and bespectacled to punch back? For the record, I believe that we should pray for our leaders on every level that we may live a quiet and peaceable life. I would never advocate anarchy or revolution; however, I firmly believe if the gover...
More About: President

Obama's Post-Christian America
2009-05-08 06:00:00
Just two days ago I posted the article The Coming Destruction of America where I pointed out that the cause of America's greatness politically, economically, militarilly and in every other way is due to our nation's relationship to Israel and to rightouesness.  The more we strengthen those two relationships and work as a nation to exalt and defend both Israel and righteousness then the more our nation will be blessed by God.  Our nation's strength comes from our nation's rightouesness.  Yet our newly elected president seems to believe that exactly the opposite is true.  In fact, let me quote a few of his recent remarks on this subject so that you can try to wrap your mind around the wickedness that this man is spewing to the world.  "One of the great strengths of the United States," the President said, "is ... we do not consider ourselves a Christian nation or a Jewish nation or a Muslim nation. We consider ourselves a nation of citizens who are bound by ideals and a set of valu...
More About: Post

The Coming Destruction of America
2009-05-06 06:00:00
God is not a patriotic America n.  Before you try to crucify me for making a statement like that, let me explain what I mean.  God has no preferential treatment among nations.  He would be just as pleased to bless Pakistan, South Africa, Ukraine, or America.  It is all the same to Him.  In fact, I believe that Scripture teaches clearly that God would be very happy to bless every nation on earth.  Yet if this is true then why is it that God has blessed America so abundantly as compared to every other nation on earth.  The current international climate seems to indicate that God does favor America...that perhaps God is an American patriot.  Scripture defines two standards by which God judges nations.  Those nations that practice these two principles, he blesses.  Those who ignore these two end up living in the dark ages for thousands of years.  God has blessed America so greatly not because we are the bastion of liberty or because of our national pride, or because he is an American pat...
More About: Destruction

Politicians, I Just Don't Trust Them
2009-05-04 06:00:00
I consider myself to be like most American citizens. Contrary to what the national news media portrays, I believe that most Americans families, while flawed, still retain some core values. I understand that we are on a downhill slide morally and we are losing our children with breaknecking speed; however, I still cling to the somewhat antiquated idea of the quiet, small town American family who leads a typical, traditional life. I don't believe that everyone has a meth lab in their basement. Neither do I believe that most postal workers live with suppressed and untreated psychotic tendencies, just waiting to slaughter unsuspecting patrons and co-workers.No, deep down I hold the conviction that most Americans believe in God ? the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob that is taught in Sunday schools around the country. I trust that most Americans want a job, and a home, and a family, and I trust that most of us want to work for those things. I dare say that most Americans hold dear firew...
More About: Politicians , Trust

Cash Card Winners Announced
2009-05-02 06:00:00
A lot of exciting things happened at the Baptist Muse during the month of April.  First, the Baptists Muse was moved away from a Godaddy.com server onto a more conservative and a much faster, more reliable server.  Hopefully you all will notice the much faster load times of each page here.  You can read more about that move here: A Faster, More Exciting Website! But perhaps the most exciting thing that took place at the Baptist Muse this past month was $50.00 in cash card giveaways.  The first place winner is going to be rewarded with forty dollars and the second place winner is going to be rewarded with ten dollars. And of course, we said that our third place winner would recieve a strong pat on the back. Throughout the month members have been competing to earn points toward the cash card giveaway.  You have earned points by leaving comments on the blog, by commenting on the forums, by inviting friends to the site, by voting on polls, and through getting involved here at the site...
More About: Card , Winners , Cash

Just a Bunch of Cowards
2009-04-26 06:00:00
Coward. That's what the Attorney General of the United States just called you. A coward. No, you're not the only one who lacks the courage to do something unpleasant. Apparently the entire nation is, and just to make sure that he topped the icing with a nice red cherry, he also denigrated over 200 years worth of our majestic heritage. His words are forthcoming, but I want to make sure that you understand that in the mind of Mr. Eric Holder, the greatest nation on the planet is made up of a bunch of milquetoasts. He must have gone to the same history class as our finally-proud-of-my-country First Lady. His exact words, according to an AP story were, ?Though this nation has proudly thought of itself as an ethnic melting pot, in things racial we have always been and continue to be, in too many ways, essentially a nation of cowards.? He said, ?we have always been? cowards. Besides being both childish and elitist, I think it was a good strategy. I mean, didn't schoolyard insults alway...
More About: Cowards

Unicorns in the Bible
2009-04-24 06:00:00
Is the word "unicorn" an erroneous translation in the King James Bible ? The English word unicorn occurs nine times in the KJB, and is found in Numbers 23:22; 24:8; Deut. 33:17; Job 39:9,10; Psalms 22:21; 29:6; 92:10; and Isaiah 34:7. It is translated from the Hebrew word reem, which comes from a verb used only once, and found in Zechariah 14:10 "Jerusalem, and ?it shall be lifted up' and inhabited in her place." This animal is characterized by something lifted up or high and in a prominent position. It is very strong - "God brought them out of Egypt; he hath as it were the strength of an unicorn." Num. 23:22. It is also used in a symbolic way in our Lord's prophetic prayer as recorded in Psalms 22:21 "Save me from the lion's mouth: for thou hast heard me from the horns of the unicorns." There was no literal lion present when Christ died, but Satan, as a roaring lion, was present, for it was his hour and the power of darkness. There were no literal unicorns present either, but the...
More About: The Bible

The Peace of a Real Salvation
2008-06-10 06:01:00
I was raised in a Christian home. My father has been a pastor since I was five years old. At that time I had seen a lot of people get saved and all I knew about it was thateveryone ought to get saved, people getting saved made my mom and dad real happy, and when people got saved they went to the front of the auditorium, prayed, and then they were saved!I thought, "Hey! I can do that!" So I did. I went forward, prayed the prayer everyone prayed when they got saved, and then excitedly told my parents that "I got saved!" My mom and dad gave me a funny look and said, "oh, that's nice." and dropped it. That was very wise of them. They never told me, "Now you're saved!"Years later, we went to a showing at a church nearby of some movies about the end times. The Bible tells us that Jesus is coming back, and that He will come like a thief. This knowledge convicted me because I knew that if I did not prepare for His coming, I would be left alone. This thought really gripped my imagination. ...
More About: Peace , Salvation , Testimony , Real

Broken to Beautiful
2008-06-09 06:01:00
When I was really little,About the age of three or four,I would get really scared,When I'd hear a slamming door.Mom and Dad would yell a lot,Us kids never understood,We knew that there were problems,And we'd have fixed them if we could.They never got along you see,It's God's love that they did lack,So when they did split up,Dad said I won't be back.My mom worked with a Christian,Who asked her to come to church,My mom said I'll try it,Since nothing else has worked.When my mom went that day,And she fully realized,That she was a rotten sinner,She let that old man die.Now that she was saved,She began to really pray,That God would bring her husband home,For good and there to stay.One day when my Daddy called,About a few weeks later,He said that he was on his way,To file a divorcement paper.Mom then went into her room,To pray to God in Heaven,About what Daddy said,And about the situation.The next thing that we knew,Dad was walking through the door,He said that he was home,They neede...
More About: Beautiful , Testimony , Broken

Lovers of Their Own Selves
2008-06-08 06:01:00
In 2 Timothy 3, God gave Paul a list to characterize ?the last days?, or as it is also referred to, ?perilous times?. The first trait written was that people would be lovers of their own selves: ?For men shall be lovers of their own selves?? (vs. 2). People in the last days would be known as being fond of self, or having self-love, i.e. selfish.Now we can clearly see that this selfishness, this self-love, is normal in the human heart. In fact, it shows itself in a person as soon as that person is able to express himself! For example, no one has to teach a cute, cuddly, little baby how to throw a temper tantrum to get his own way. That selfishness comes naturally.So what does a people, a society, a nation do to curb this selfishness in the individual? Well, a healthy society will impose restraints on this self-love. It will recognize the need to teach children respect for authority, such as with their parents at home, their teachers at school, their preachers at church, and with the ...
More About: Lovers

Updating the Style at the Baptist Muse
2008-06-04 06:01:00
Many of you have probably noticed that I haven't been on the forum or commenting on the blog much this week. I am working on massively overhauling the style and file systems here at The Baptist Muse . The organization of this site is completing chaotic due to the fact that I really didn't know what I was doing when I got started. I am know trying to remedy that by revamping the theme and moving some files around. Starting tomorrow or Thursday, you will probably see some strange things here. By Saturday, I should have the updates complete and then be able to jump back into the swing of things. Thank you for all of your support!
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A Turn for the Miraculous
2008-06-03 06:01:00
I did not grow up in a Christian home. My family never even attended a church service all my years of growing up. I think I went to one wedding that was held in a church but I'm not even sure about that. When I was a little girl I was riding down the road with my dad and I remember looking out the window and asking my dad if there was a God. He told me he thought there was but that was all he told me. It wasn't util I moved to Georgia that I even heard the name of Jesus. I'm not sure if you have ever met or heard of anyone that had gone 24 years of their life without hearing the name of Jesus...but you have heard of someone now. I had given birth to my third child and a friend of mine's pastor made a visit to our apartment one day to talk to me. All he told me was that Jesus died for me and that He was how I would get to Heaven. After talking with me for a few minutes he asked me if I wanted to go to Heaven. Well....what person doesn't want to? So he told me to repeat a prayer ...
More About: Testimony , Turn

From the Church of Rome to the Family of God
2008-06-02 06:01:00
I was raised in the Roman Catholic church in an all catholic town in Northern Maine. My father was an alcoholic and my mother a devout catholic. I was also a devout catholic and was even taught catechism in the CCD program. I married my high school sweetheart in 1974 and moved to the Northern Virginia area.After six years of a failed marriage, knowing I could not get divorced (remember, this was the 70's and divorce was still frowned on by the catholic church), I decided that suicide was the only answer. I was "in love" with someone else who did not even know that I existed and life seemed too much to bear!My best friend from Maine came to visit Virginia during her vacation. She had become this "born again" Christian and I had warned her not to "preach to me." However, the Lord had quite different plans for me. During her visit, we discussed the "end times." I had a great interest in Nostradamus and the future. I was so afraid to go through the horrible times that these so-called p...
More About: Church , Family , Rome , Testimony , The Church

New Feature: Referrals For Cash!
2008-06-01 06:01:00
Here at The Baptist Muse Forums, I am very excited to announce a brand new feature: referrals. When a new user registers, they will now be given the opportunity to enter the name of the person who recommended that they join.This is exciting for one main reason: CA$H! I am going to pay $2.00 per referral to the top five referrers in the month of June. That means that if you refer ten people and you are one of the top five referrers then you just won a twenty dollar bill!Write an article at your blog, send emails to your friends, tell your friends and family at church, or do whatever. Simply get people to sign up and post at the Forums at the Baptist Muse and you will have a chance to win $2.00 per referral!*IMPORTANT!!: Be sure to instruct your friends to put your forum user name into the appropriate box labeled "Referred By." If this is not done they will not count.Payment options include Paypal, Amazon gift card or snail-mail check.P.S. The winner of our free book for this p...
More About: Feature , Cash

God's Simple Plan of Salvation
2008-05-31 06:01:00
My Friend: I am asking you the most important question of life. Your joy or sorrow for all eternity depends upon your answer. The question is: Are you saved? It is not a question of how good you are, nor if you are a church member, but are you saved? Are you sure you will go to Heaven when you die?God says in order to go to Heaven, you must be born again. In John 3:7, Jesus said to Nicodemus, "Ye must be born again."In the Bible God gives us the plan of how to be born again which means to be saved. His plan is simple! You can be saved today. How?First, my friend, you must realize you are a sinner. "For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God" (Romans 3:23).Because you are a sinner, you are condemned to death. "For the wages [payment] of sin is death" (Romans 6:23). This includes eternal seperation from God in Hell."...it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgement" (Hebrews 9:27).But God loved you so much He gave His only begotten Son, Jesus, to bear ...
More About: Salvation , Simple Plan , Simple , Plan

Share Your Testimony!
2008-05-29 06:01:00
Well, my wife and I have just posted out testimony here at The Baptist Muse over the past week or so and we would like to extend an open invitation to everyone else to do the same. If you are saved...then we want to hear about it. Let us know when you got saved and how the Lord has been working in your life. You don't have to be a great writer. Just be saved and we want to hear about it. Just email your testimony to me or submit on the contact page and I will feature it as an article right here on the Blog page! So what are you waiting for? Let's get the word out about what God has done in your life!
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About the Founder of The Baptist Muse
2008-05-28 06:01:00
I was raised in Amboy, IL, a small rural community in the northern part of the state. I was raised by my father as a single child until I was thirteen years old. It was during that time, that I received Christ as a young child at vacation Bible school at the First Baptist Church in Amboy, IL.I lived with my father only until I was thirteen because he was a very violent man. He was a very hard drinker and often succumbed to very violent fits of anger. He was abusive both mentally and physically. My childhood was anything but easy.Due to these difficult circumstances in my home, it was at that time that my Aunt and Uncle adopted me into their family. When that transaction took place, I gained two brothers and one sister. I also later found out that my mother remarried and had two daughters who I have yet to meet.From the time I was in the eighth grade until the time that I graduated high school, I had the privilege of attending small private schools. During my freshm...
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