Vacation

I am on vacation with the family (Wife and 2 little ones) for the week. We headed out to Arizona to be with the folks (& the grandparents) and due to the VERY HIGH cost of plane tickets we drove it for the first time. 23 hours after we left we finally arrived.

We are in a house about 1/8th of a mile from that picture.


Isaiah 40:31
but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.

Easter-HE IS RISEN

Matthew 28
The Resurrection
1After the Sabbath, at dawn on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to look at the tomb.
2There was a violent earthquake, for an angel of the Lord came down from heaven and, going to the tomb, rolled back the stone and sat on it. 3His appearance was like lightning, and his clothes were white as snow. 4The guards were so afraid of him that they shook and became like dead men.

5The angel said to the women, "Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. 6He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay. 7Then go quickly and tell his disciples: 'He has risen from the dead and is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him.' Now I have told you."

8So the women hurried away from the tomb, afraid yet filled with joy, and ran to tell his disciples. 9Suddenly Jesus met them. "Greetings," he said. They came to him, clasped his feet and worshiped him. 10Then Jesus said to them, "Do not be afraid. Go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee; there they will see me."

Good Friday

John 19
Jesus Sentenced to be Crucified
1Then Pilate took Jesus and had him flogged. 2The soldiers twisted together a crown of thorns and put it on his head. They clothed him in a purple robe 3and went up to him again and again, saying, "Hail, king of the Jews!" And they struck him in the face.
4Once more Pilate came out and said to the Jews, "Look, I am bringing him out to you to let you know that I find no basis for a charge against him." 5When Jesus came out wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe, Pilate said to them, "Here is the man!"

6As soon as the chief priests and their officials saw him, they shouted, "Crucify! Crucify!"
But Pilate answered, "You take him and crucify him. As for me, I find no basis for a charge against him."

7The Jews insisted, "We have a law, and according to that law he must die, because he claimed to be the Son of God."

8When Pilate heard this, he was even more afraid, 9and he went back inside the palace. "Where do you come from?" he asked Jesus, but Jesus gave him no answer. 10"Do you refuse to speak to me?" Pilate said. "Don't you realize I have power either to free you or to crucify you?"

11Jesus answered, "You would have no power over me if it were not given to you from above. Therefore the one who handed me over to you is guilty of a greater sin."

12From then on, Pilate tried to set Jesus free, but the Jews kept shouting, "If you let this man go, you are no friend of Caesar. Anyone who claims to be a king opposes Caesar."

13When Pilate heard this, he brought Jesus out and sat down on the judge's seat at a place known as the Stone Pavement (which in Aramaic is Gabbatha). 14It was the day of Preparation of Passover Week, about the sixth hour.
"Here is your king," Pilate said to the Jews.

15But they shouted, "Take him away! Take him away! Crucify him!"
"Shall I crucify your king?" Pilate asked.
"We have no king but Caesar," the chief priests answered.

16Finally Pilate handed him over to them to be crucified.

The Crucifixion
So the soldiers took charge of Jesus. 17Carrying his own cross, he went out to the place of the Skull (which in Aramaic is called Golgotha). 18Here they crucified him, and with him two others—one on each side and Jesus in the middle.
19Pilate had a notice prepared and fastened to the cross. It read:|sc JESUS OF NAZARETH, THE KING OF THE JEWS. 20Many of the Jews read this sign, for the place where Jesus was crucified was near the city, and the sign was written in Aramaic, Latin and Greek. 21The chief priests of the Jews protested to Pilate, "Do not write 'The King of the Jews,' but that this man claimed to be king of the Jews."

22Pilate answered, "What I have written, I have written."

23When the soldiers crucified Jesus, they took his clothes, dividing them into four shares, one for each of them, with the undergarment remaining. This garment was seamless, woven in one piece from top to bottom.

24"Let's not tear it," they said to one another. "Let's decide by lot who will get it."
This happened that the scripture might be fulfilled which said,
"They divided my garments among them
and cast lots for my clothing."[a] So this is what the soldiers did.

25Near the cross of Jesus stood his mother, his mother's sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. 26When Jesus saw his mother there, and the disciple whom he loved standing nearby, he said to his mother, "Dear woman, here is your son," 27and to the disciple, "Here is your mother." From that time on, this disciple took her into his home.

The Death of Jesus
28Later, knowing that all was now completed, and so that the Scripture would be fulfilled, Jesus said, "I am thirsty." 29A jar of wine vinegar was there, so they soaked a sponge in it, put the sponge on a stalk of the hyssop plant, and lifted it to Jesus' lips. 30When he had received the drink, Jesus said, "It is finished." With that, he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.
31Now it was the day of Preparation, and the next day was to be a special Sabbath. Because the Jews did not want the bodies left on the crosses during the Sabbath, they asked Pilate to have the legs broken and the bodies taken down. 32The soldiers therefore came and broke the legs of the first man who had been crucified with Jesus, and then those of the other. 33But when they came to Jesus and found that he was already dead, they did not break his legs. 34Instead, one of the soldiers pierced Jesus' side with a spear, bringing a sudden flow of blood and water. 35The man who saw it has given testimony, and his testimony is true. He knows that he tells the truth, and he testifies so that you also may believe. 36These things happened so that the scripture would be fulfilled: "Not one of his bones will be broken,"[b] 37and, as another scripture says, "They will look on the one they have pierced."[c]

The Burial of Jesus
38Later, Joseph of Arimathea asked Pilate for the body of Jesus. Now Joseph was a disciple of Jesus, but secretly because he feared the Jews. With Pilate's permission, he came and took the body away. 39He was accompanied by Nicodemus, the man who earlier had visited Jesus at night. Nicodemus brought a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about seventy-five pounds.[d] 40Taking Jesus' body, the two of them wrapped it, with the spices, in strips of linen. This was in accordance with Jewish burial customs. 41At the place where Jesus was crucified, there was a garden, and in the garden a new tomb, in which no one had ever been laid. 42Because it was the Jewish day of Preparation and since the tomb was nearby, they laid Jesus there.

Best Video Games Ever

I have been asked a few times (well more than a few) why at 37 yoa I am still playing video games. Well other than running long distances (11+ miles) or taking whirlpool baths hotter than what is considered healthy in Bulgaria, that is the only thing that allows me to escape. Individuals in Police work in general and, well me, in particular, tend to dwell on evil, what is missing in this imperfect world and all the countless opportunities that I have missed in helping the millions of the world's victims. This creates a certain level of stress and toxicity that is not healthy for me or my family, or my relationship with the LORD, so I play video games, run and take hot hot hot baths....

Anyway here are the best games that I ever played. The games that allowed me to focus on their completion and not on all the random problems of my life and the world in general.

1. Final Fantasy VII
2. Resident Evil 2
3. Metal Gear Solid
4. Grim Fandango
5. Silent Hill
6. ICO
7. Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater
8. Resident Evil 4
9. Final Fantasy XII
10. Devil May Cry
11. Shadow of the Colossus




Ecclesiastes 4:3
But better than both is he who has not yet been, who has not seen the evil that is done under the sun.

Watching the Evil of Others

I was reading in the newspaper and watching on television the continuing saga of Chicago PO (Idiot-Monster) Anthony Abbate and followed it up with a dose of the Gary Indiana Police Officers who were recently indited (Gary officials Sgt. Thomas Decanter, Police Chief Thomas Houston, and Deputy Chief Thomas Branson-have been indicted by a federal grand jury for alleged civil rights violations). I kept thinking, I and the vast majority of my fellow police officers, work so hard to be professional, unbiased and compassionate and yet because of these idiots/drunkards/gluttons/bruts...they tear down all of our good work.

I kept thinking, I will never be like them, I am better than they and if I had my way I would sweep them into the trash.

Unfortunately God was waiting for me when I opened my Bible. I can across Luke 6:27-42.

Love for Enemies
27"But I tell you who hear me: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, 28bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you. 29If someone strikes you on one cheek, turn to him the other also. If someone takes your cloak, do not stop him from taking your tunic. 30Give to everyone who asks you, and if anyone takes what belongs to you, do not demand it back. 31Do to others as you would have them do to you.
32"If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? Even 'sinners' love those who love them. 33And if you do good to those who are good to you, what credit is that to you? Even 'sinners' do that. 34And if you lend to those from whom you expect repayment, what credit is that to you? Even 'sinners' lend to 'sinners,' expecting to be repaid in full. 35But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked. 36Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.

Judging Others
37"Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven. 38Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you."
39He also told them this parable: "Can a blind man lead a blind man? Will they not both fall into a pit? 40A student is not above his teacher, but everyone who is fully trained will be like his teacher.

41"Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother's eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? 42How can you say to your brother, 'Brother, let me take the speck out of your eye,' when you yourself fail to see the plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother's eye.

I was struck down where I sat reading this.

I see these Officers and all who act like them as my enemy and the enemy of all law enforcement everywhere. But am I a better man then they? If I think so then there will be a time when God's hand will place me under them. How foolish I am. I have not committed their actions, not because I am this great and moral person, but rather because I am a slave to Christ and I obey. Left up to my own actions who knows what I would do or what situations I would find myself in.

Further, has there not been many times that I have had too much to drink? Reacted in anger? Less than totally honest? Just because I have not done it on the job does not place me in the position to judge those that have fallen. It is without a doubt that their actions were evil but it is also without a doubt that so much of what I have done others would easily label these acts as evil.

I need to focus the light onto myself first and fix what I do before attempting to fix the ocasional roge officer and further: remember and embrace the fact that since I am a sinful fallen creature that can not go through one day without sin, I am not at this place in my life because I have led but rather I have found salvation and these blessings because I followed without input and contrbution and better yet at the end of a long line of others doing a better job than I.

Bad Day at the office

See if you can guess what is wrong in this picture.

Click on the picture to blow it up for a better look.





Well first, the Officer is not shooting from either cover nor concealment, thus openly exposing large parts of itself to fire.

Second, the right arm is pointed out rather than tucked into the Officer's body thus creating a larger target for someone to hit.

Third, most bullets will pop right through the trunk of a car since it usually only sheet metal and thus a very poor barrier.

and lastly and most importantly...


Her Ar-15's magazine is in backwards.

A bad day at the office for most people means they leave work in a bad mood. A bad day for a Police Officer means they leave in a body bag.

From a newspaper in Marble Falls Texas.

AA-12

The AA-12 is a combat shotgun that they claim has low recoil and does not need to be lubricated or cleaned. Really cool, I want one. From a police perspective this would have a very limited use. However in barricaded gunman/ active shooter/ terrorist situations this would be excellent tool to have. So if anyone has an extra one they do not need please send it to me ;-)

Video link http://gizmodo.com/gadgets/guns/recoilless-auto-shotgun-fires-300-rounds-per-minute-no-cleaning-or-lube-required-324453.php?autoplay=true (Cut n paste)

From Wikipedian: IN 1987, Max Atchisson sold the rights of AA-12 to Jerry Baber of Military Police Systems, Inc. The company in turn developed the successor simply known as Auto Assault-12, which was redesigned with 188 changes/improvements over the original blueprint, and had taken 18 years to develop. MPS also teamed up with Action Manufacturing Company, and Special Cartridge Company to combine the gun with FRAG-12 High-Explosive ammunition into a weapon system. In 2004, 10 firing models of the AA-12 were produced, and were demonstrated to United States Marine Corps.

The weapon was shortened to 966mm but retained same barrel length as the original, and lightened to 4.76kg.

It uses an 8-round box, 20-round drum, or 40-round drum magazine. It is designed to fire three different types of 12 gauge shells: Buckshot, Slugs, or Frag-12.

MPS also claimed this gun requires zero cleaning or lubrication.

AA-12 CQB model has 13-inch barrel length, and weighs half a pound lighter than the regular model.

Jeremy Camp/ Tobymac/ Matthew West

I was out at the Jeremy Camp concert with my wife and a couple of friends on Friday Night at the Congress Theater in Chicago.

I have never been a huge Christian Rock fan, but Kelly one of Carol's friends, has started getting us to go. The sound quality and the light shows are top notch and since the venues are smaller you really get right up close to the band. I have been to many rock concerts and I have to say that Mercy Me and Jeremy Camp are kicking the a@# of the secular concerts that I have been to.

I think starting out in Church basements, cafeterias and other acoustical nightmares forces their musicianship up because they have to sound good there to get noticed.

Ephesians 5:19

Speak to one another with psalms, hymns and spiritual songs. Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord,

Communion of the Community

I was at the Messiah Lutheran Church and School Dinner Dance with Carol when I realized that there is a growing lack of emphasis placed on the church family. As we were having a good time with the other couples from the church I remembered how refreshing and reinvigorating just socializing with others can be. Laughing at nothing, looking foolish and being unconditionally accepted really allows (for a time)to dwell in the good of life.

This is the church that is associated with my son's and daughter's school and they really understand that the church is more than a building you regularly attend, rather it is a support group and a haven. The church we regularly attend is a mega-Church that we have truly enjoyed being a part of. Its teaching and events are excellent but it is not a family and really with its size I do not know if it ever could be. You do not see the same people twice nor do you feel all the comfortable just coming to an 'event' unless you are a part of the planning or affiliated with it in some way. We are not one body of believers but rather a loose affiliation of believers and seeing the joy of the small gathering at Messiah really drove that point home. Jesus intended for us to be a tight-knit group that sacrifices for and enjoys each other. Where everyone has a place to go and enjoy being in the presence of the Lord and singing Johnny Cash songs at the top of their lungs without fear of forcible removal.

John 2
Jesus Changes Water to Wine
1On the third day a wedding took place at Cana in Galilee. Jesus' mother was there, 2and Jesus and his disciples had also been invited to the wedding. 3When the wine was gone, Jesus' mother said to him, "They have no more wine."
4"Dear woman, why do you involve me?" Jesus replied, "My time has not yet come."

5His mother said to the servants, "Do whatever he tells you."

6Nearby stood six stone water jars, the kind used by the Jews for ceremonial washing, each holding from twenty to thirty gallons.[a]

7Jesus said to the servants, "Fill the jars with water"; so they filled them to the brim.

8Then he told them, "Now draw some out and take it to the master of the banquet."

They did so, 9and the master of the banquet tasted the water that had been turned into wine. He did not realize where it had come from, though the servants who had drawn the water knew. Then he called the bridegroom aside

Acts 2
The Fellowship of the Believers

42They devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. 43Everyone was filled with awe, and many wonders and miraculous signs were done by the apostles. 44All the believers were together and had everything in common. 45Selling their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone as he had need. 46Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, 47praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.

Safe Schools (Sorry for the delay)

Normally I try for a minimum of two posts a week, but we have been very busy (Officers and Agents), on projects, anyway I will be more consistent in the future.

I, like most people, was saddened by the actions of another deranged and immoral gunman at Northern Illinois University. However when I start to hear the people around me start to say how at risk school children are to violence then ever before, I have to stop them. There are more children attending school in American then ever before in our history. Further the actual rates of violent acts against them in a per capita break down suggest for the vast majority of crimes they have never been safer.

For example in Illinois alone there are 2,362,718 public and nonpublic children enrolled in school. (Source http://www.isbe.state.il.us/research/pdfs/imun00.pdf). We should attempt to make the schools as safe as possible but I also think we need to acknowledge all the good work the teachers, school administrators and law enforcement have made in improving safety and will be making in the future.

I know that something good will come of this evil because:

Luke 1:37 "For nothing is impossible with God."

First Week

Well I finished my first week in my new position. It seems everything I had hoped and prayed it would be, it is, which means it is basically illicit drugs and guns and little else.

These are some pictures of an area around one of my surveillance sites and this was not the worst crime ridden area, just one of the few times there were not a lot of people around.

Dorothy, you and Toto are not in Kansas any more.





And yes I know; someone I know will see this and say, "Hey, wait a minute. That's My HOUSE!!!!"


***Obviously Pictures are not of nor near the target location, and of another major city not in the area, they just a flavor of the areas that I find myself working in***

Helping Others

We in American are extremely blessed, overabundantly, exuberantly and impossibly blessed. I often catch myself worrying over some trivial problem or becoming frustrated in the perceived tardiness of something I desire.

God gives to and blesses each of us so that we may give to another some of what we've had, whether time, skills or money. There is war, famine, disease and death still to be found in this fallen terra firma. Rather than becoming frustrated because you lack that plasma television or your boss just yelled at you, rather, spend your time and set your mind to the task of looking for ways to help others. In this country and elsewhere.

You will quickly find that having less creates more joy than having more.

Let's all begin our search anew and be the light to all we meet.



Matthew 25: 34-46

34"Then the King will say to those on his right, 'Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. 35For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, 36I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.'

37"Then the righteous will answer him, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? 38When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? 39When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?'

40"The King will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.'

41"Then he will say to those on his left, 'Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. 42For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, 43I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.'

44"They also will answer, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?'

45"He will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.'

46"Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life."

Insufficient Riches

I was just reading in the paper about the deaths of actors Heath Ledger and Brad Renfro. These were two young men that had the whole world handed to them and the whole world to look forward to, and yet, they chose suicide and drug addiction. Their examples once again illustrate the truism that fame and riches are simply insufficient. Only through the saving grace of Jesus Christ are our lives made meaningful and whole.



1 Timothy 6:8-10
8But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that. 9People who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge men into ruin and destruction. 10For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.

Proverbs 11:28
Whoever trusts in his riches will fall, but the righteous will thrive like a green leaf.

Psalm 49:15-17
15 But God will redeem my life [a] from the grave;
he will surely take me to himself.
Selah

16 Do not be overawed when a man grows rich,
when the splendor of his house increases;

17 for he will take nothing with him when he dies,
his splendor will not descend with him.

BUT

1 Peter 1:7
These have come so that your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed.


2 Corinthians 12:9
But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me.

Officer Safety Issues-concealable Firearms

One of the growing areas of concern for Officers is the profileration of concealable holsters/hidden firearms. Pictured are some of the ones that have been brought to my attention as of late. Look out and be careful...

Psalm 38:12 Those who seek my life set their traps, those who would harm me talk of my ruin; all day long they plot deception.

In the here and now

I rarely am satisfied with anything. I am truly a Yes…but person. One of the biggest tasks that I have been attempting to accomplish is the ability to have Joy in the here and now. I want to be able to sing in prison like Paul or find “The apostles left the Sanhedrin, rejoicing because they had been counted worthy of suffering disgrace for the Name” ability.

But there is another aspect of this concept that I am currently dealing with and that is appreciating God’s blessings when things are good. I have been in a long long dry spell at work and now it appears that a rare opportunity is arising that was well worth the slight work related suffering that I experienced.

However when I was in the middle of work morass I had to force myself to appreciate all the millions of other, and more important, things that were right. My wife and two children and been an abundant and overflowing blessing that would have been worth an entire career pushing a squad around. But why did I have to force myself to this mindset rather than enjoying the moment?

Have joy during persecution but have joy during the blessings also. Stop yourself from looking for more and/or better and appreciate what you already have been given by God here and now. The things of this earth are fleeting praise God for what you have been given before you look back and realize what you have lost.

Psalm 145:6-8

6 They will tell of the power of your awesome works,
and I will proclaim your great deeds.

7 They will celebrate your abundant goodness
and joyfully sing of your righteousness.

8 The LORD is gracious and compassionate,
slow to anger and rich in love.

The ten best movie endings

The ten best movie endings (without some of the classics that everyone knows about)


10. Napoleon Dynamite-finally someone to play tetherball with…
9. Clerks-nothing changes they just keep on keeping on…
8. Razing Arizona-The Dream, then I see a table…
7. Fuzz-Yul Brynner’s deaf terrorist reaching up from the water to retrieve his listening device
6. Rocky-Adrian! Adrian! Adrian!
5. The Good, The Bad and The Ugly-one more bullet to cut the ugly from the noose and ride out into the sunset
4. The Road warrior (Mad Max 2) Sand in the tanker? Was he tricked? Did he know? Where does he go from here?
3. Star Wars-KA BOOM –pass out the awards-enough said
2. The Life Aquatic: Steve Zassou-the Bill Murray character carrying the child on his shoulders down the pathway-in some small way he “gets” it.
1. Indiana Jones: Slowly wheeling the ark of the convent to be lost once again amid the piles of crates in a federal warehouse.

End of the World!!!!!!!

Another sign of the end of the world (the 14th or so seal), is when the Simpsons episodes start to come true...spooky...here is the episode...

"New Kid on the Block" is the 8th episode of The Simpsons' fourth season. Sub plot: Meanwhile, Homer goes to the restaurant with Marge, but Marge is allergic to fish. Homer orders the all-you-can-eat and eats everything. Captain McCallister kicks him out after midnight. He goes to trial with his lawyer, Lionel Hutz, claiming false advertising. Homer and the captain make an agreement: Homer is put on display as "Bottomless Pete; a remorseless eating machine", or "nature's cruelest mistake".

Here is the article...

La. men say eatery banned them for eating too much
Posted by Pedro Ramirez III January 03, 2008 10:23AM
Categories: Breaking News
In news from across the nation:

HOUMA, La. -- A 265-pound man says a restaurant overcharged him for his trips to the buffet, then banned him and a relative because of how much they consumed during their visits.

Ricky Labit, a 6-foot-3 disabled offshore worker, said he had been a regular at the Manchuria Restaurant, eating there as often as three times a week. But on his most recent visit, he said a waitress gave him and his wife's cousin, Michael Borrelli, a bill for $46.40, roughly double the buffet price for two adults.

"She says, 'Y'all fat, and y'all eat too much,'" Labit said.

Labit and Borrelli said they felt discriminated against because of their size.

"I was stunned, that somebody would say something like that. I ain't that fat, I only weigh 277," Borrelli said.

Accountant Thomas Campo, who spoke for the restaurant because the owner's English is limited, said the men were charged an extra $10 each on Dec. 21 because they made a habit of dining exclusively on the more expensive seafood dishes, including crab legs and frog legs.

- The Associated Press


"We have a lot of big people there," Campo said. "We don't discriminate."

The argument over the bill grew heated, and police were called. The police report states that the disagreement was settled when the restaurant said the bill was a mistake and, to appease Labit, the meal was complimentary.

Labit said he insisted on paying but was told not to come back. He complained that when seafood on the buffet line runs out, the restaurant only grudgingly cooks more. Campo said the proprietress tries to reduce waste of quality food.

The God of Providence

There are biblical truths that I know intellectually but still have to experience now and again to make them “feel real”. The most current one that I am experiencing is that our God is a God of providence and just because you are experiencing negative life/professional experiences does not mean he has removed himself from you but rather he is more active in your life than ever before.

I have had a very professionally trying two years. Nothing went right, everything that could go wrong did go wrong and every opportunity that came up was brutally stripped away from me. I took and long hard look at myself, fixed a few things but still nothing seemed to improve. I recommitted myself to prayer and the Bible but still found myself in the same morass. I knew that everything is according to Gods plan and that he is a God of providence but my trial seemed arbitrary and pointless and I soon found myself fighting a victimed mindset.

However the single coolest opportunity has occurred at work that is greater than all of the things I was prevented to become and would be well worth the pain of the last two years. I have been given this opportunity and I will discuss it when it is totally locked in, right now it is 99% sure it will be mine.

The amazing thing is that if any one of the negative experiences that I went through turned out positive I would not have been able to take this position. I have always wondered how Paul found such great Joy in his pain and suffering but now, and again, I see that in the low and troubled times great things are brewing if you just trust in the Lord. This is a principle I once again “feel” and know.

Hebrews 11

By Faith

1Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see. 2This is what the ancients were commended for.
3By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God's command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible. 4By faith Abel offered God a better sacrifice than Cain did. By faith he was commended as a righteous man, when God spoke well of his offerings. And by faith he still speaks, even though he is dead.

5By faith Enoch was taken from this life, so that he did not experience death; he could not be found, because God had taken him away. For before he was taken, he was commended as one who pleased God. 6And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.

7By faith Noah, when warned about things not yet seen, in holy fear built an ark to save his family. By his faith he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness that comes by faith.

8By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going. 9By faith he made his home in the promised land like a stranger in a foreign country; he lived in tents, as did Isaac and Jacob, who were heirs with him of the same promise. 10For he was looking forward to the city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God.

11By faith Abraham, even though he was past age—and Sarah herself was barren—was enabled to become a father because he[a]considered him faithful who had made the promise. 12And so from this one man, and he as good as dead, came descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as countless as the sand on the seashore.

13All these people were still living by faith when they died. They did not receive the things promised; they only saw them and welcomed them from a distance. And they admitted that they were aliens and strangers on earth. 14People who say such things show that they are looking for a country of their own. 15If they had been thinking of the country they had left, they would have had opportunity to return. 16Instead, they were longing for a better country—a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them.

17By faith Abraham, when God tested him, offered Isaac as a sacrifice. He who had received the promises was about to sacrifice his one and only son, 18even though God had said to him, "It is through Isaac that your offspring[b] will be reckoned."[c] 19Abraham reasoned that God could raise the dead, and figuratively speaking, he did receive Isaac back from death.

20By faith Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau in regard to their future.

21By faith Jacob, when he was dying, blessed each of Joseph's sons, and worshiped as he leaned on the top of his staff.

22By faith Joseph, when his end was near, spoke about the exodus of the Israelites from Egypt and gave instructions about his bones.

23By faith Moses' parents hid him for three months after he was born, because they saw he was no ordinary child, and they were not afraid of the king's edict.

24By faith Moses, when he had grown up, refused to be known as the son of Pharaoh's daughter. 25He chose to be mistreated along with the people of God rather than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a short time. 26He regarded disgrace for the sake of Christ as of greater value than the treasures of Egypt, because he was looking ahead to his reward. 27By faith he left Egypt, not fearing the king's anger; he persevered because he saw him who is invisible. 28By faith he kept the Passover and the sprinkling of blood, so that the destroyer of the firstborn would not touch the firstborn of Israel.

29By faith the people passed through the Red Sea[d] as on dry land; but when the Egyptians tried to do so, they were drowned.

30By faith the walls of Jericho fell, after the people had marched around them for seven days.

31By faith the prostitute Rahab, because she welcomed the spies, was not killed with those who were disobedient.[e]

32And what more shall I say? I do not have time to tell about Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, David, Samuel and the prophets, 33who through faith conquered kingdoms, administered justice, and gained what was promised; who shut the mouths of lions, 34quenched the fury of the flames, and escaped the edge of the sword; whose weakness was turned to strength; and who became powerful in battle and routed foreign armies. 35Women received back their dead, raised to life again. Others were tortured and refused to be released, so that they might gain a better resurrection. 36Some faced jeers and flogging, while still others were chained and put in prison. 37They were stoned[f]; they were sawed in two; they were put to death by the sword. They went about in sheepskins and goatskins, destitute, persecuted and mistreated— 38the world was not worthy of them. They wandered in deserts and mountains, and in caves and holes in the ground.

39These were all commended for their faith, yet none of them received what had been promised. 40God had planned something better for us so that only together with us would they be made perfect.

Happy New Year

Leviticus 26:9-11

9 " 'I will look on you with favor and make you fruitful and increase your numbers, and I will keep my covenant with you. 10 You will still be eating last year's harvest when you will have to move it out to make room for the new. 11 I will put my dwelling place [a] among you, and I will not abhor you.


May you see and find all of his blessings for you and your family in the year to come.

Happy New Year one and all.

Merry Christmas

Luke 2

The Birth of Jesus

1In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. 2(This was the first census that took place while Quirinius was governor of Syria.) 3And everyone went to his own town to register.
4So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. 5He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. 6While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, 7and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.

The Shepherds and the Angels

8And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. 9An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. 10But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. 11Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ[a] the Lord. 12This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger."
13Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying,
14"Glory to God in the highest,
and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests."

15When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, "Let's go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about."

16So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. 17When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, 18and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. 19But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. 20The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.