Worry is paying interest on a debt that doesn’t exist! Sunday, Jan 31 2010

My long time friend, Jamie Hansen, sent the following email out.  It resonated, made me think and check my own life. I thought perhaps you’d like to see it also – I’ve done the underlining and bolding for emphasis.  My comments will continue at the end.

We have been talking about simplicity in Christ, and what the enemies to that simplicity are. We have looked at the “noise” of our society, the demand to be constantly engaged with audible or at least technological noise. When was the last time you experienced extended silence? When were you last caught up on, and declared a sabbath from the intrusion of email? Do you feel a compulsion to turn on the radio even before the car starts? There is conversation, there is music, there is car, truck, plane, and machinery noise. There are dogs, TV, sports, work demands. There is Face-book, email, Twitter, YouTube, etc. etc. These are just the outward noises.

We also have the continual tapes that play in our brain. Our own inward “dialogues”. Our personal one way brain speeches about who, why, what, and where we are at. As if we have a continual psychological GPS system that has to constantly tell us where we are at in regards to life, family, goals, longings, fears, politics, economics, etc. Much of that conversation is less than edifying. It is at times utterly brutal and complex and draining. Psychologists tell us that eighty percent (80%) of our thinking relates to ourselves. How ARE WE? This is a major enemy of simplicity, of needed energy, and of peace. Hence, the command of God; “In everything give thanks”.

Jesus commanded us not to anxiously ponder about tomorrow. He said we could not change our outcomes by anxious worry. Worry is paying interest on a debt that does not exist! I am forcibly impacted when I read Paul’s words in Galatians as he says; I am experiencing fear, I have deep concern that you are going to be moved away from the simplicity, the focused purity of a single eye, the uncluttered sense of the gospel. I am concerned about the competitors of Christ in your life. Are you going to opt out and seek human validation?

Will you succumb to the fear of man, the strong draw of overwhelming shame that pushes you to seek worth and validation in human effort and business. Will you trade in the available divine washing to instead scrub with the dirty rags of self, repetitive prayers, groveling or performance. If we hold unforgivness toward ourselves, due to unresolved issues, it leads to steep prices in shopping for peace. Many are truly blind to how complicated their processes of coping really are. Notice I said coping, not real living.

When I was a pastor, I counseled several women who wanted marriage counseling. Four of them were frustrated, weary, and their husbands were also emotionally threadbare and confused. Most of these wives felt their husbands were their problem. (I’m sure they were to some degree…) All of the issues they wanted to talk about involved marriage problems, but in probing, they also confessed their struggle with forgiveness and performance in their lives.

As I talked with the first couple, out of the blue I asked the wife if she had ever had an abortion. It came into my mind from nowhere, and I struggled with asking. She looked truly confused, a bit startled, and then she gave a vague smile and said, “well, I have actually had four abortions, but that has nothing to do with this. I just need help with these other things.” After that experience, very similar conversations took place with three other couples. All had had abortions. None of them equated ANY of the issues of unforgivness of self, their drive toward performance Christianity, and struggles with intimacy in their marriage as having anything to do with that “other” thing. They had been moved away from simplicity, their lives were immensely complicated, but the source of that complexity had completely eluded them.

Most of us have not had an abortion procedure but most of us have “stuff” that can be profoundly able to complicate our priceless simplicity in Christ. Peace is priceless. A mind that has freedom and power to choose the right and enjoy it is without equal in things of value. We must not underestimate the need for visiting the old paths, the springs of simple faith, trust, and a view that heaven is real and eternity is shining on our minds. This is what gave Paul the ability to endure and process the unfathomable suffering he endured and calmly say the entire thing was “light” on his scale. Only an accurate and living eternal perspective can translate that lifestyle into a shrug and a joy and an ever alive purpose throughout.

God grant us a new desire for true simplicity and razor sharp comprehension of the main things.

My comments:

While most have not had a physical abortion – most have aborted the plans and purposes of God in their lives to some extent. Either because we did not believe God’s love for us or did not know His plans and purposes, we have done our own thing.  The cares of this life have led us step-by-step  away from God.  The only One who loves us enough to heal and deliver us from any trying ordeal – with abundant life in HIS hands.

As you read the following  scriptures – reach out to the LORD who formed you in your mother’s womb with gifts, talents and abilities – the One who has prepared a path before you and will keep you on it in peace if you will allow Him to do so.  That peace is amazing and cannot be understood in the face of distress – but is more real than the problem itself.

Submit to God and His plan for your life and you’re on your way to LIFE!  Fun, free, exciting, love and peace.

Psalm 139
O LORD, You have searched me and known me.  You know when I sit down and when I rise up; You understand my thought from afar. You scrutinize my path and my lying down,And are intimately acquainted with all my ways. Even before there is a word on my tongue, behold, O LORD, You know it all. You have enclosed me behind and before, and laid Your hand upon me. Such  knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is too high, I cannot attain to it.
Where can I go from Your Spirit? Or where can I flee from Your presence? If I ascend to heaven, You are there; If I make my bed in Sheol, behold, You are there.If I take the wings of the dawn, if I dwell in the remotest part of the sea, even there Your hand will lead me, and Your right hand will lay hold of me. If I say, “Surely the darkness will overwhelm me,And the light around me will be night,” even the darkness is not dark to You, and the night is as bright as the day. Darkness and light are alike to You.
For You formed my inward parts;You wove me in my mother’s womb. I will give thanks to You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Wonderful are Your works, and my soul knows it very well. My frame was not hidden from You, when I was made in secret, and skillfully wrought in the depths of the earth;  Your eyes have seen my unformed substance; and in Your book were all written the days that were ordained for me, when as yet there was not one of them.

How precious also are Your thoughts to me, O God!How vast is the sum of them!  If I should count them, they would outnumber the sand.When I awake, I am still with You. Search me, O God, and know my heart; Try me and know my anxious thoughts; and see if there be any hurtful way in me, and lead me in the everlasting way.

Jeremiah 29:11-14 For I know the plans that I have for you,’ declares the LORD, ‘plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope. Then you will call upon Me and come and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. You will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart. I will be found by you,’ declares the LORD, ‘and I will restore your fortunes and will gather you from all the nations and from all the places where I have driven you,’ declares the LORD, ‘and I will bring you back to the place from where I sent you into exile.’

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The Alignment of the Kingdom of God Friday, Dec 11 2009

The Kingdom is aligning, the King is calling in everyone who will serve Him with honor and purity, everyone who will worship only Him.  These ones will be distinguished among the millions who throng around His throne on that great day.

The rocks and fault lines beneath us are all crying out for the manifestation of the Sons of God.  On the way out here we drove through an area in SE AZ on I-10 where the upheaval of great boulders just amazed us.  We stopped at the rest stop and took pics.

It was if God was saying – “See these great boulders balanced upon nothing?  That is the way my distinguished ones will appear soon.  Supported by My unseen hand they will manifest My ability to provide and keep beyond human reason or ability.  Nothing will shake the ones I plant from their place and purpose.  This is my plan – revealed now before you – only that which can be shaken will be shaken – and that which is securely planted in me will remain as My testimony.”

Set upon the Rock?

WOW – I became even yet more aware of the critical importance of being aligned in the Kingdom – not “then” but NOW.

Now is the time to put away petty insecurities, mistrust, feelings and incidents of betrayal,  failure and jealousy.  NOW is the time to seek and find those with whom you are to be in alignment, agreement, and accountability.  This may cross denominational, racial or gender barriers.  God is calling kingdom builders, not empire builders.  God has many hidden in caves that He is calling to come out and face down their jezebels and fear of jezebel.

NOW is the day of salvation – now is the hour when all who hear the voice of the Lord must begin to cling to one another and to support one another.  Gone is the day when we support only our own church, only our own ministry.  The Body of Christ has never been interdependent as a true body is and God is about to bring judgment upon those who have heard His voice on this matter and chosen to do their own thing.

NOW is the day when we must “put up” (signs and wonders – Mark 16:15-18) or shut up.  We have got to realize it is one thing to say you’re Christian, and another thing to be a Christian – securely planted on the Rock Christ Jesus – demonstrating to all who pass by the storms of life may form you but it is HE who holds you secure.

Additional info:

Texas Canyon seems like a prehistoric amusement park for early man. Located along Interstate 10 in Southeastern Arizona, visitors can tell they’ve entered the canyon when they see enormous, rounded boulders piled on top of one another in gigantic drifts. At some points, it seems possible that the slightest tremor could cause the mountain to crumble, though these formations have been essentially sedentary for thousands of years.

The rocks are comprised of many different minerals, some softer than others, and the crazy formations were created by the process of weathering. Wind and rain eroded these softer minerals faster, leaving behind fantastic shapes, especially “balancing rocks”—huge stones that appear to have been placed upon rock “pedestals” by a giant’s hand.

Scriptural references:

Matthew 7:21-27

I Corinthians 12:3-27

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Census 2010 scams opportunity Thursday, Nov 19 2009

2010 Census to Begin

WARNING: 2010 Census Cautions from the Better Business Bureau

Be Cautious About Giving Info to Census Workers by Susan Johnson

With the U.S. Census process beginning, the Better Business Bureau (BBB) advises people to be cooperative, but cautious, so as not to become a victim of fraud or identity theft. The first phase of the 2010 U.S. Census is under way as workers have begun verifying the addresses of households across the country. Eventually, more than 140,000 U.S. Census workers will count every person in the United States and will gather information about every person living at each address including name, age, gender, race, and other relevant data.

The big question is – how do you tell the difference between a U.S. Census worker and a con artist? BBB offers the following advice:

• If a U.S. Census worker knocks on your door, they will have a badge, a handheld device, a Census Bureau canvas bag, and a confidentiality notice.
• Ask to see their identification and their badge before answering their questions.
• However, you should never invite anyone you don’t know into your home.
• Census workers are currently only knocking on doors to verify address information.
• Do not give your Social Security number, credit card or banking information to anyone, even if they claim they need it for the U.S. Census.
• REMEMBER, NO MATTER WHAT THEY ASK, YOU REALLY ONLY NEED TO TELL THEM HOW MANY PEOPLE LIVE AT YOUR  ADDRESS.

While the Census Bureau might ask for basic financial information, such as a salary range,

• YOU DON‘T HAVE TO ANSWER ANYTHING AT ALL ABOUT YOUR FINANCIAL SITUATION.
• The Census Bureau will not ask for Social Security, bank account, or credit card numbers, nor will employees solicit donations.
• Anyone asking for that information is NOT with the Census Bureau.
• AND REMEMBER, THE CENSUS BUREAU HAS DECIDED NOT TO WORK WITH ACORN ON GATHERING THIS INFORMATION.
• No Acorn worker should approach you saying he/she is with the Census Bureau.

Eventually, Census workers may contact you by telephone, mail, or in person at home. However, the Census Bureau will not contact you by Email, so be on the lookout for Email scams impersonating the Census.

• Never click on a link or open any attachments in an Email that  are supposedly from the U.S. Census Bureau.
• For more advice on avoiding identity theft and fraud, visit www.bbb.org

PLEASE SHARE THIS INFO WITH FAMILY AND FRIENDS.

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Worry??? Like a pagan?? Monday, Nov 16 2009

David Wilkerson’s article following.  Awesome word, awesome man of God, awesome Father in the Faith!

THE HEATHENISM OF WORRY

“Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek)” ( Matthew 6:31-32).

Jesus tells us that worry—about the future of our family, about jobs, about how we are to survive—is a heathen’s way of life. Jesus is talking here about those who have no heavenly Father. They do not know God as he wants to be known, as a caring, providing, loving Father in heaven.

“Take no thought for tomorrow” (v. 34). In these plain words, Jesus commands us, “Do not give a thought, do not give a worry, about what might or might not happen tomorrow. You can’t change anything. And you can’t help by worrying. When you do, you’re only doing as the heathen do.” Then Jesus says, “Seek ye first the kingdom of God and His righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you” (v. 33). In other words, you are to go on loving Jesus. You are to move on, casting all your cares on him. You are to go on resting in his faithfulness. Your heavenly Father will see to it that you are supplied with all the essential things of life.

I wonder if the angels are baffled by all the worrying and anxiousness of those who claim to trust in God. To them it must seem so degrading, so insulting to the Lord, that we worry as if we had no caring Father in heaven. What perplexing questions the angels must ask among themselves: “Have they no Father who is in heaven? Do they not believe he loves them? Did he not tell them he knows all about their needs? Do they not believe that he who feeds the birds and the whole animal kingdom will feed and clothe them? How can they fret and worry if they know he owns all power, all wealth, and can supply the needs of all creation? Would they accuse their heavenly Father of neglect, as if he was not true to his word?”

You have a heavenly Father. Trust him!

I was impressed by this devotional as was the man of God and friend that sent it.

We are pilgrims and strangers in the land, always to be on the read, going wherever the Spirit bids us.
How long has it been since you’ve read the following passage?  Read it – and see what the Lord will say to you about your daily life, your failures, your successes.  Read it – and let’s all come up higher.  No worries mate!

1 Peter 2:9-25
But you areA CHOSEN RACE, A royal PRIESTHOOD, A HOLY NATION,A PEOPLE FOR God’s OWN POSSESSION, so that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; 10 for you once were NOT A PEOPLE, but now you are THE PEOPLE OF GOD; you had NOT RECEIVED MERCY, but now you have RECEIVED MERCY.
Beloved, I urge you as pilgrims and strangers to abstain from fleshly lusts which wage war against the soul. Keep your behavior excellent among the Gentiles, so that in the thing in which they slander you as evildoers, they may because of your good deeds, as they observe them,  glorify God in the day of visitation.
Submit yourselves for the Lord’s sake to every human institution, whether to a king as the one in authority, or to governors as sent by him for the punishment of evildoers and the praise of those who do right. For such is the will of God that by doing right you may silence the ignorance of foolish men. Act as free men, and do not use your freedom as a covering for evil, but use it as bondslaves of God.  Honor all people, love the brotherhood, fear God, honor the king.
Servants, be submissive to your masters with all respect, not only to those who are good and gentle, but also to those who are unreasonable.  For this finds  favor, if for the sake of conscience toward God a person bears up under sorrows when suffering unjustly. For what credit is there if, when you sin and are harshly treated, you endure it with patience? But if when you do what is right and suffer for it you patiently endure it, this finds  favor with God.
For you have been called for this purpose, since Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example for you to follow in His steps, WHO COMMITTED NO SIN, NOR WAS ANY DECEIT FOUND IN HIS MOUTH;and while being reviled, He did not revile in return; while suffering, He uttered no threats, but kept entrusting Himself to Him who judges righteously;  and He Himself bore our sins in His body on the cross, so that we might die to sin and live to righteousness; for by His wounds you were healed.  For you were continually straying like sheep, but now you have returned to the Shepherd and Guardian of your souls.
NASU

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The collapse of a nation …..it’s your vote! Thursday, Nov 12 2009

THE ANT AND THE GRASSHOPPER

This one is a little different.

Two Different Versions -Two Different Morals

OLD VERSION

The ant works hard in the withering heat all summer long, building his house and laying up supplies for the winter.

The grasshopper thinks the ant is a fool and laughs and dances and plays the summer away. Come winter, the ant is warm and well fed. The grasshopper has no food or shelter, so he dies out in the cold.

MORAL OF THE STORY: Be responsible for yourself!

MODERN VERSION

The ant works hard in the withering heat and the rain all summer long, building his house and laying up supplies for the winter. The grasshopper thinks the ant is a fool and laughs and dances and plays the summer away. Come winter, the shivering grasshopper calls a press conference and demands to know why the ant should be allowed to be warm and well fed while he is cold and starving.

CBS, NBC , PBS, CNN, and ABC show up to provide pictures of the shivering grasshopper next to a video of the ant in his comfortable home with a table filled with food.

America is stunned by the sharp contrast.

How can this be, that in a country of such wealth, this poor grasshopper is allowed to suffer so?

Kermit the Frog appears on Oprah with the grasshopper and everybody cries when they sing, ‘It’s Not Easy Being Green.’

ACORN stages a demonstration in front of the ant’s house where the news stations film the group singing, “We shall overcome.” Then Rev. Jeremiah Wright has the group kneel down to pray to God for the grasshopper’s sake.

President Obama condemns the ant and blames President Bush, President Reagan, Christopher Columbus, and the Pope for the grasshopper’s plight.

Nancy Pelosi & Harry Reid exclaim in an interview with Larry King that the ant has gotten rich off the back of the grasshopper, and both call for an immediate tax hike on the ant to make him pay his fair share.

Finally, the EEOC drafts the Economic Equity & Anti-Grasshopper Act retroactive to the beginning of the summer.

The ant is fined for failing to hire a proportionate number of green bugs and, having nothing left to pay his retroactive taxes, his home is confiscated by the Government Green Czar and given to the grasshopper.

The story ends as we see the grasshopper and his free-loading friends finishing up the last bits of the ants food while the government house he is in, which, as you recall, just happens to be the ant’s old house, crumbles around them because the grasshopper doesn’t maintain it.

The ant has disappeared in the snow, never to be seen again. The grasshopper is found dead in a drug related incident, and the house, now abandoned, is taken over by a gang of spiders who terrorize the ramshackle, once prosperous and once peaceful, neighborhood.

Then the entire Nation collapses bringing the rest of the free world with it.

MORAL OF THE STORY: Be careful how you vote in 2010.

(author unknown)

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Stop the Stupidity #2 Tuesday, Nov 3 2009

“The Worst Bill Ever -Epic new spending and taxes, pricier insurance, rationed care, dishonest accounting: The Pelosi health bill has it all.”

You should know when the Wall Street Journal calls a bill the “Worst Bill Ever” – it’s bad, really bad.  Well, it doesn’t take the Journal to make most people I know that the Health Insurance bill being ramrodded through is rotten to the core.

But in case you don’t know  – the nearly 2000-page Pelosi Bill will:

• Cost $1.3 trillion, or $500 million per page, financed through massive debt and tax hikes.

• Raise taxes 13 different ways, including forcing Americans to buy a product (health insurance).

• Increase insurance premiums and decrease access to health care.

• Cost Texas at least 15,000 jobs by forcing doctor-owned hospitals to close
• Provide for taxpayer-funded abortions.

And Pelosi’s Democrats are only giving Congress a few days to read the bill before voting on it.  Congressmen would have to read 28 pages an hour, every hour, to get through the entire text in the 3 days before the vote.

And guess what else – Congress will be permitted but not required to participate in the mandates that the bill would force on the rest of us.

The Democrats are betraying the promises of open government and transparency that they campaigned on.

Three Texas Democrats,Reps. Chet Edwards, Ciro Rodriguez and Solomon Ortiz, still have not made up their minds on this bill – will they vote with the extremists in their party who are trying to take over one-sixth of the American economy, or will they vote with the people of Texas who have been rising up since August to fight these terrible bills?

Let Washington KNOW now – we will not permit this stupidity!  Your VOTE counts!  Call, email, write your elected officials and let them know we say NO to Pelosi’s bill.  Flood their offices with resounding NO NO NO NO NO NO NO!

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The Lord wants harvest! Tuesday, Oct 27 2009

Dear Friends,

We have several bird feeders in our yard, so on the weekend I spent a goodly amount of time harvesting the heads of seed that sprung up from the seed either dropped or recycled.  I cut them and put the heads in a box to dry.  I intend to give them back to the birds to eat when they’re ready.

That is what brought this word to mind – as the Lord began to blow upon that experience. Judge it, use it as you will and be blessed because you are so special to the Lord.
Julie

Genesis 8:22

THE LORD OF THE HARVEST

It should go without reason that the Lord of the harvest is looking for harvest, for fruit, for ripened crops, but somehow we seem satisfied holding our bag of seed.

In so many of the churches – we are content, even thrilled to be holding our bag of seed and doing nothing with it week after week.  Some considering themselves more spiritual pour over and over the seed for hours upon hours, never sharing it with anyone.  Sad.

The pastor and/or leadership are doing everything and the congregations visit once or twice a week.  Only 3% of the Christian church pays tithes so it’s not like they’re even warranted that cozy pew.

The cares of this life has stolen the zeal, the passion and the drive to be just like Jesus that most Christians had when they first met Him.  They repent several, yes, multitude of times never knowing that isn’t repentance.  Repentance means never doing it again, and often making restitution for the wrong done.

What shall we say to the martyrs when in heaven we meet them?  What shall we say if we meet them here – for often they do immigrate here to the USA to avoid religious persecution.

How long will our seed warm in our hand?

How long will it rain upon our lands and we allow the seed to lay unplanted?

How long will God send the rains to a land unseeded?

How long?

It’s up to you.

The minute you allow your heart to be pierced by the Holy Spirit and repent, truly repent for your sleepiness, that is the day you will begin to sacrifice so that those who are called to go have funds to do so.

That is the day when you will say “Yes” to the heavenly calling on your own life.

That is the day when you will apologize to your family for being a bad testimony to them.  That is the day you call your pastor or leader and tell them you are sorry for living lukewarm and you want to make it up by volunteering for whatever they need done.

That is the day when you will cast your bread upon the waters, knowing it will come back to you when the Lord pleases.

As God said to Moses, “What is it in your hand?”  What is it that you love to do for God?  Lead someone to Christ, feed the hungry, pray for the sick, host a prayer meeting or Bible study?  Do any of those things stir your heart?  Perhaps you see great ideas and have wonderful notions to make money just pop into your head. What have you done with those ideas?  Are you excelling at your job because you are His ambassador?

If you ever fall in love with the Lord of the harvest – you will be fruitful and multiply, you will sow your seed, you will reap your harvest and you will hear Him say, “Well done, beloved servant.”

Luke 8:15-18

But the seed in the good soil, these are the ones who have heard the word in an honest and good heart, and hold it fast, and bear fruit with perseverance. Now no one after lighting a lamp covers it over with a container, or puts it under a bed; but he puts it on a lampstand, so that those who come in may see the light.  For nothing is hidden that will not become evident, nor anything secret that will not be known and come to light.  So take care how you listen; for whoever has, to him more shall be given; and whoever does not have, even what he thinks he has shall be taken away from him.”

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TEXANS VOTE FOR Prop 2 & 3 on Nov. 3! Friday, Oct 23 2009

Please don’t forget to Vote Nov. 3 FOR Prop 2 and 3 and pass this  on to others who care how much their property taxes go up (or not!!)
Julie

Props 2 and 3 Protect Texas Homeowners

There have been some emails circulating that “warn” voters to vote against a couple of the proposed constitutional amendments that are up for vote on Nov 3.  These emails claim that Propositions 2 and 3 will levy a state tax on homeowners.  These emails are based on error and are not true.

The fact is these two proposed amendments will actually help protect homeowners in furtherance of our platform, which is why the RPT has endorsed them.

The Texas Constitution explicitly prohibits a statewide property tax, Art. VIII, Sec. 1-e. (“No State ad valorem taxes shall be levied upon any property within this State.”)  These amendments do not amend or abridge this prohibition in any way.  Here is what Props 2 and 3 actually do, and why they deserve your vote.

Proposition 2, (The constitutional amendment authorizing the legislature to provide for the ad valorem taxation of a residence homestead solely on the basis of the property’s value as a residence homestead.), actually protects homeowners from excessive property appraisals, which lead to dramatic increases in property taxes, by forcing appraisals to be based on property used “as is.”  Currently, appraisal districts have to appraise property at its highest and best use, not as it is currently being used.  That can lead to property in growing areas being appraised at far above their actual market value, which hurts homeowners tremendously by raising their property taxes.  Prop 2’s aim is to keep that from happening by forcing appraisals to be based on how property is actually used.  This proposal does not levy any state tax on homeowners.

Proposition 3, (The constitutional amendment providing for uniform standards and procedures for the appraisal of property for ad valorem tax purposes.) also protects homeowners by laying out the groundwork to create and enforce uniform appraisal standards across the state.  Currently, there is no single uniform standard governing how property is appraised, so one district might go about its appraisals in one way, while another district can have very different standards, leading to unbalanced taxation of homeowners.  If this prop is approved, homeowners from the Panhandle to Galveston will be able to rely on consistent appraisal standards across the state.  This proposal also does not levy any state tax on homeowners.

Republican Party of Texas

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Beware of Craigslist scammers. Thursday, Oct 22 2009

We recently had an attempted scammer try to sucker us.
The police just left with all the critical info.
We are now praying the Lord Jesus Christ will contact this one with salvation.

BUT – Craigslist posted the following – please be careful yourself.

You can sidestep would-be scammers by following these common-sense rules:

• DEAL LOCALLY WITH FOLKS YOU CAN MEET IN PERSON – follow this one simple rule and you will avoid 99% of the scam attempts on craigslist.
• NEVER WIRE FUNDS VIA WESTERN UNION, MONEYGRAM or any other wire service – anyone who asks you to do so is a scammer.
• FAKE CASHIER CHECKS & MONEY ORDERS ARE COMMON, and BANKS WILL CASH THEM AND THEN HOLD YOU RESPONSIBLE when the fake is discovered weeks later.
• CRAIGSLIST IS NOT INVOLVED IN ANY TRANSACTION, and does not handle payments, guarantee transactions, provide escrow services, or offer “buyer protection” or “seller certification”
• NEVER GIVE OUT FINANCIAL INFORMATION (bank account number, social security number, eBay/PayPal info, etc.)
• AVOID DEALS INVOLVING SHIPPING OR ESCROW SERVICES and know that ONLY A SCAMMER WILL “GUARANTEE” YOUR TRANSACTION.

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Who should I notify about fraud or scam attempts?

• FTC toll free hotline: 877-FTC-HELP (877-382-4357)
• FTC online complaint form
• Canadian PhoneBusters hotline: 888-495-8501
• Competition Bureau Canada: 800-348-5358
• Internet Fraud Complaint Center
• Software Piracy (http://www.siia.net/piracy/report.asp)
• Non-emergency number for your local police department.

If you suspect that an item posted for sale on craigslist may be part of a scam, please email the details to “abuse@craigslist.org”. Be sure to include the URL (or 10-digit post ID number) in your message.

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Recognizing scams

Most scams involve one or more of the following:

• inquiry from someone far away, often in another country
• Western Union, Money Gram, cashier’s check, money order, shipping, escrow service, or a “guarantee”
• inability or refusal to meet face-to-face before consumating transaction

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Examples of Scams

1. Someone claims that craigslist will guarantee a transaction, certify a buyer/seller, OR claims that craigslist will handle or provide protection for a payment.

• These claims are fraudulent, as craigslist does not have any role in any transaction.
• Scammer will often send an official looking email that appears to come from craigslist, offering a guarantee, certifying a seller, providing payment services — all such emails are fakes!

2. distant person offers a genuine-looking (but fake) cashier’s check

• you receive an email (examples below) offering to buy your item, or rent your apartment, sight unseen.
• cashier’s check is offered for your sale item, as a deposit for an apartment, or for just about anything else of value.
• value of cashier’s check often far exceeds your item – scammer offers to “trust” you, and asks you to wire the balance via money transfer service
• banks will often cash these fake checks AND THEN HOLD YOU RESPONSIBLE WHEN THE CHECK FAILS TO CLEAR, including criminal prosecution in some cases!
• scam often involves a 3rd party (shipping agent, business associate owing buyer money, etc)

3. Someone requests wire service payment via Western Union or MoneyGram:

• Scam “bait” items include apartments, laptops, plasma TVs, cell phones, tickets – but could be almost anything
• Often claim that an MTCN or confirmation code is needed before he can withdraw your money – this is FALSE, once you’ve wired money, it is GONE.
• Common countries currently include: Nigeria, Romania, United Kingdom, Ukraine, Spain, Italy, Netherlands – but could be anywhere
• Apartment listing may be local, but landlord/owner is “travelling” or “relocating” and needs you to wire money to them abroad
• Deal often seems too good to be true, price is too low, rent is below market, etc

4. distant person offers to send you a money order and then have you wire money:

• this is ALWAYS a scam, in our experience – the cashier’s check is FAKE
• sometimes accompanies an offer of merchandise, sometimes not
• scammer often asks for your name, address, etc for printing on the fake check
• deal often seems too good to be true

5. distant seller suggests use of an online escrow service.

• most online escrow sites are FRAUDULENT, operated by scammers
• for more info, do a google search on “fake escrow” or “escrow fraud“

6. distant seller asks for a partial payment upfront, after which he will ship goods

• he says he trusts you with the partial payment
• he may say he has already shipped the goods
• deal often sounds too good to be true

7. foreign company offers you a job receiving payments from customers, then wiring funds

• foreign company may claim it is unable to receive payments from its customers directly
• you are typically offered a percentage of payments received
• this kind of “position” may be posted as a job, or offered to you via email

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Worship – real, true, deep and all-consuming. Thursday, Oct 22 2009

This powerful message is from my long time friend, Jamie Hansen.

Greetings from the Hansen’s.
We are happy to announce that no matter what you have gone through, are going through, or will go through; you will not remember it three and a half million (3,500,000) years from now. No one will be sitting in a remote and isolated corner of heaven saying to themselves, “I can’t believe interest rates went up a quarter of a point just before our house closed in 2010″. Or, “I can’t believe no one at church noticed how much time I spent printing the bulletins, and then they had the nerve to criticize the layout!” Or, “my wife never validated me”. Or, “I prayed for three years for a new job and then lost the one I hated and was unemployed for two years and lost our home, savings, and my whole self esteem”.

Can you imagine being surrounded by the unspeakable glory, the blazing light, the power of all consuming love. No demons, no guilt, no misunderstanding, and no tiredness. No tears, no regret, and no competition. No insecurity or second guessing how God sees you.

It is hard to be in uncertainty when He is right there with us. That is why Paul could say, and the only reason Paul could say, His afflictions were “light”. It was because he had an apostolic and eternal mindset. He had an ability to look away. He was not only beaten, stoned, hated, lied about, and all else the hardened Jews could assault him with. He was also deserted, betrayed, and left with none to stand with him and honor and validate him.

Demas forsook him after Paul poured into his life in significant ways. Demas left for another lover, the dazzling circus of Corinth and the allure of the culture of the day. John Mark forsook him and in the ensuing dispute about his ministerial worthiness, Paul lost his closest companion Barnabas. This was not some slight event. He and Barnabas had been bonded and closely tied together in their hearts. This caused such a huge, sharp rift that it split up their relationship.

We can read this and yawn and think it is some sort of Biblical “cartoon” detached from heart, soul and emotion. Far from it. These are events that have caused many to turn aside in lifelong bitterness, resentment, and culminating in never recovered equilibrium spiritually. In Rome he says he stood trial, and that “none stood with him”. Wow. How unspeakably lonely and hurtful. No one there to soak up the anxiety, hate, and reproach.

So, how did Paul not only survive, but have the remarkable ability to see all these life rocking events as “minor, light, inconsequential, and like a dry autumn leaf on a truck scale?

He had a perspective that cannot be communicated merely by another human, like in this e-mail. It had to come by a direct, delivered impulse and celestially translated message that all else bows to the eternal. I have tried to hang onto that, but it is very slippery in the competition and hustle of the systems and messages, and pressure of this current age.

The voices compete and seek to suppress heavenly clarity on the eternal versus the urgent now. The now offers visible proof as part of it’s claim on you and I. It offers crushing mockery against the deferred comp plan of God almighty. The invisible eternal can become the last item on the back shelf right behind “dancing with the stars” and “cops”. Or the dusty item just behind fishing, hunting, shopping, or Facebook.

Without this revelation, worship is just another twelve minute item in the service once a week. Prayer is just a list to get through so I can get back to the importance of browsing through my new ValPac coupons…or reading e-mails from the latest conservative group spelling out the next inescapable crisis. But, with this revelation firmly in place, we become bullet proof, conquerors, and a headache to the devil.

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