The Great Separation

Blog Give-Away: The Planets DVD Set.

Comment to Win. - Okay. I'm running a blog contest where I will be giving away the A&E DVD set I recently reviewed, The BBC Presents: The Planets.

So enter by leaving your name and an eMail address in the comment section of this post and you will automatically be entered in the drawing. The contest will close on December 7, 11:59 Pacific Time.

I will hold a drawing the following day and will eMail the winner seeking the mailing address for where to send this great set.

Do me a favor and let your fellow blog readers know about the contest.

Video of the Week: Writer Montage.

Write it, Eat it, Live it! - I love this video. Hat tip to Terry Whalin of The Writing Life.

Thanks.

Giving it. - God is amazing. Did you know that He tells us to give thanks in all circumstances?

“Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” (1Th 5:16-18 NIV)

It's not just those special circumstances when all is good, the world is ringing your doorbell in adoration, or it's raining laughter and joy.

Nope. He says to be thankful in all circumstances; the good, the bad, and the mundane.

Do you ever wonder why that is?

I do.

I believe it has something to do with attitude. In the book of James it's noted that the tongue is a terrible little device ready to lay tear down or lift up. From the tongue comes praise to God and curses upon fellow men. Jesus noted too, that it is what comes out of the heart that makes a man unclean and that is one reason I believe that we are advised to give thanks in all things.

When you are making an effort to be thankful you're attitude is one of goodness. When you look for reasons to be thankful the eyes of your soul are forced to look away from the negative circumstance you may be in, if only for the briefest of moments, and there is a release, a shedding of things that bind us.

Being thankful has a physical effect upon the body. Faces soften, energy increases, and health strengthens.

As Christians this turns our hearts to our provider of all good things and to the hope we have in Jesus. That hope of joining Him at the end of time and entering into eternal fellowship with Him and the Father.

So today be thankful. Tell people you are thankful for them. But not just today. Do it tomorrow, and the next day, and the next.

Here are ten things I am thankful for in a stream of conscious order:

• Music. Good music from the soul that is born out of that spirit of creation that God has exemplified in His marvelous engineering of all life.
• Words. Words upon a page, a monitor, a handwritten letter.
• Family. Not just the blood kind. But those born in hardship and friendship. Those born in a sacrifice upon a rough piece of wood.
• The Internet.
• Florida skies. Majestic clouds birthed over the Gulf of Mexico.
• Orchids. And the lesson of patience and reward that the Lord uses them to teach me.
• Stars and Planets. How majestic, Jesus, is You creation!
• Pets. Got to love them, because they want to love you.
• Freedom to worship.
• Chocolate & Hot Peppers. Need I say more.

I Think I Want One: Amazon's Kindle.

When tech envy bytes - I do believe I want one of these Kindle thingys. Only thing is $400 cold bills is hard for me to swallow. Still, it's pretty awesome tech. I've been a big believer in electronic-ink and have been looking forward to wide spread use.

All said, this tech looks very promising. You can read magazines, books, blogs, newspapers, etc.

Thoughts for Our Persecuted Brethren.

They hate you because of me - I'm sitting here in what feels like intense pain because I've got a tiny piece of wood crammed under a finger nail. Why am I telling you this? Because I'm sitting here in America where Christian persecution hasn't reached the level of violence and torture it has in other countries and my pain has reminded me of what my brothers and sisters in Christ endure for naming Jesus as Lord and Savior.

For example: Asia News: In under a year over 190 cases of Hindu persecution of Christians.

So while I sit here trying to remove this out of reach splintered piece of wood, I am thinking of my Christ family and offering a prayer for them, who are suffering far, far worse.

Jesus let your peace rest upon my brothers and sisters in You. Touch them, and also breath Your life into their persecutors.

New Adult Stem Cell Breakthrough.

Exciting news - Here is some great news on the front of stem cell research. Two companies have developed a way to take skin cells and turn them into stem cells doing away with the need of embryonic cells.

Quote for Today: The Lord God Provider.

Words for thought - Here's a quote I just read over at Vicki's blog, Light for the Writer's Soul.

“Our Heavenly Father never takes anything from his children unless he means to give them something better.” ~ George MacDonald

Something to chew upon, if not for you, then certainly for me.

Illegal to Feed Animals in Florida Town.

PETA would be proud - Well, according to the law just passed in a small Florida town it just became illegal to feed any animal.

Here's a link to the news article by Anne Lindberg: Duck if you feed wild animals.

You've got to love that title.

The ordinance springs out an intense dislike by several folk in the city for the Muscovy Duck which populates the city. These ducks are not considered wildlife. Several folk, including a council member wanted to make it illegal to feed the ducks because they consider the ducks a messy nuisance. So a new ordinance was drafted to fine anyone for feeding them some crumbs.

Here's how the new ordinance reads:

"It shall be unlawful for any person in the town to feed or distribute grain or food of any kind or nature to any wild flock of birds, fowl, including chickens or ducks, livestock or mammals of any kind or nature, whether or not they tend to assemble or herd themselves together in a concentrated area."

So, the way that reads to me - and admittedly I am no lawyer and just a common sense kind of dude - anyone with a bird feeder in a tree must stop putting bird seed in it or face a fine. And oh my, if you're the type to sit on the bench and throw a peanut to a squirrel, you better look over you're shoulder and see if the police are watching.

Good grief, I just realized I could get fined in this American city for sitting at the edge of one of it's numerous lakes for the pleasure of feeding the turtles some bread.

But not only that, this ordinance appears so broad to me that it now becomes a violation to feed pets. For surely, a dog or a cat meets the qualification of being a mammal.

Apparently, one of the council people thought PETA made a good source for designing this ordinance as he read from one of their propaganda brochures.

Of course PETA might not be so happy to hear that it appears one of the Kenneth City's police officers was accused of pepper spraying one of the Muscovy Ducks.

You know what one of the problems with government officials is? They feel they must be passing some law in order to justify their existence.

I wish I could say April Fools. But this town apparently isn't joking and April is a long way off.

Updated thought 2007/11/20:

It occurs to me that it could very well be illegal for restaurants to serve food within the confines of Kenneth City based upon the way this ordinance reads. People are mammals. Hmm... strictly speaking I guess mom's can't feed their kids breakfast before sending them out to school either.

Picture Perfect Friday: A Cat and A Turtle.

Okay, this may be one of my more odd photos. I took this about three weeks ago before it began getting cool. There's an outdoor cat we feed. The one of the right.

However the one on the left is not a cat. That is a Florida Box Turtle. They are not aquatic. They are land turtles and if you were to throw one in a lake it would drown. Anyway, this one has discovered a prime feeding spot apparently - this cat's food dish. Several times we've seen the turtle waiting with the cat for us to put some food in the dish.

After the cats done, the turtle moves in and finishes it all off. I think he's been bulking up for the winter hibernation. At least I think I remember that they hibernate. And since things turned cooler and down right cold for the past week, he has been MIA.

Anyway, I've named him, Spud. Click pic to enlarge.

Schools Bans Christmas Cards?

Ba Humbug! - Here's a quick link for you:

'Scrooge' school bans children giving Christmas cards:

It is a Christmas tradition dating back more than 160 years. But the exchange of Christmas Cards and accompanying good wishes has been banned by one primary school after staff claimed they were harmful to the environment.

So the school is concerned about the impact of the cards upon the environment? No. Not really:

Pupils at Evan James primary school in Pontypridd, South Wales, have been told that they will only be permitted to swap cards outside the school gates.

Swap the cards outside but not inside.

Read the full article for all the gist. Frankly it sounds to me like just a bunch of hoowey by liberal left wingers giving a bunch of excuses who really don't want to have anything to do with Christmas.