Mar

Say What??

Fri Mar 2nd 2012 @ 4:25 am

Say what? That pretty much sums up some of the comments from last week’s blog. What did I mean when I responded to my business partner’s suggestion that becoming a Christian was stupid and that I was much too smart to do it? I told him that, “I need to be smart enough to be stupid enough to be smart.” Say what? What on earth am I talking about?

I need to stop right here to point out that I’m NOT talking about things “on earth.” I’m talking about things in Heaven. “On earth,” it DOES seem pretty stupid to believe in some Jewish carpenter who may or may not have lived a couple of thousand years ago and who may or may not have been the Son of God. And “on earth” it must seem REALLY stupid to give up a ton of money because of that belief. Unless of course, we’re talking about the part of the prayer Jesus gave us that goes; “Thy will be done on earth as it is in Heaven.” Oh…wait! That’s right, you haven’t bought in to the whole Jesus thing. You’re too smart for that. Right?

It always comes back to that: faith in Jesus Christ. The dictionary says:

Faith noun

1 Belief that is not based on proof: He had faith that the hypothesis would be substantiated by fact.

2 strong or unshakeable belief in something, especially without proof or evidence

And who wants to be stupid enough to build a life around something that questionable? (You see where I’m going with this) The answer of course, is written in the blood of the millions of martyrs who have suffered great persecution, even given their lives for this faith in Christ. And then testified to the reality of God. Were they all stupid? How about the fact…and it is an easily provable fact…that virtually every great man of accomplishment in history believed totally in the reality of Jesus; most of them attributed their successes to Him. Does their faith mean that all the great achievers of this world were stupid?

I would argue that, as usual, the secular world has turned truth upside down. In fact, you need to be smart enough to understand that in order to have a successful life you must grab that which appears stupid to the world. Yep, you must believe in that Jewish carpenter who may or may not have lived a couple of thousand years ago and who may or may not have been the Son of God. Once you’ve become smart enough to do that, you’ll discover what so many already have: sometimes it pays to be stupid. And once you’ve discovered that, God will pour His wisdom into you; making you even smarter. In other words:

You need to be smart enough to be stupid enough to be smart

Epilogue

George Bernard Shaw is perhaps most renowned as a free thinker and liberal philosopher. In his last writings we read, "The science to which I pinned my faith is bankrupt. Its counsels, which should have established the millennium, led, instead, directly to the suicide of Europe. I believed them once. In their name I helped to destroy the faith of millions of worshippers in the temples of a thousand creeds. And now they look at me and witness the great tragedy of an atheist who has lost his faith.”

Nobody talks so constantly about God as those who insist that there is no God.

Thought for the Day

Go out into the world today and love the people you meet. Let your presence light new light in the hearts of people.—Mother Teresa

Turn the radio on

Listen to God & Ed’s Excellent Adventure on the Radio. Monday through Friday at 4pm on “The Word,” 98.5/99.3 FM. Or listen on-line at KLGO.net. It’s the place for Christians of all varieties to hang out and be loved, entertained and uplifted.

Semi-interesting fact

The best known, snowiest large city in the lower 48 states is Syracuse, New York, which gets an average of some 112 inches of snow annually.

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Joke du Jour

A pastor put sanitary hot air hand dryers in the rest rooms at his church and after two weeks took them out. When a friend asked the pastor why, the pastor confessed that they worked fine but when he went in there he saw a sign that read, "For a sample of this week's sermon, push the button."

Cool Music

We’ve added more cool songs you’ve never heard on radio. Check the player on the upper right, click and brighten your day.

Questions I ask myself

If a turtle doesn't have a shell, is it homeless or naked?

Really?? Actual News

Who needs a dog? A newly-adopted cat in Wisconsin repaid his owner's kindness by saving her from a medical emergency just hours after he was brought home. Amy Jung said the 21-pound, orange-and-white cat named Pudding came to her rescue when she began suffering a diabetic seizure after going to bed. The fast-acting feline sat on Jung's chest in an attempt to wake her and, when that didn't work, he nudged and nipped her face until she briefly returned to consciousness. The convulsions stopped long enough for Jung to call to her son for help. When he didn't respond, Pudding ran to his room and jumped on his bed. Jung is convinced she would not have survived if Pudding had not intervened.

Zoom, zoom, Plop! The owner of a Porsche sportscar got stuck in wet concrete after trying to beat traffic by maneuvering into an empty lane around a line of stationary cars.

But the lane he pulled into had only just been laid and the $150,000 car got stuck deep in the wet cement. The man had to stay in his Porsche while workmen tried to shovel around the wheels before it set any further. And passers-by in San Francisco, stopped to point and laugh at the driver. Robert Etzler, who photographed the car, said it was stuck for around an hour. He added: "Eventually they had to dig out concrete from around and under the car to free it. "I think the workmen probably angry initially but they were getting paid by the hour so they were probably getting a kick out of it."

Grazing? A pregnant woman has told how she has developed a "bizarre craving" for eating her local newspaper. Ann Curran, 35, of Dundee, munches her way through copies of the Dundee Evening Telegraph.

She says it is the only "only newsprint with the proper flavor" and that she "stashes shredded copies in her handbag for emergency snacks". Ms Curran said: "I could be sitting in the bingo hall and I'll start ripping out pages of the newspaper. "All the people look at me going, 'What is she doing?'. I tear the white bits off the edges of the pages and keep them in a bag so I can eat them while I'm shopping." The Sunday Sun reports that she stocks up on copies of the paper during the week so she has enough to eat at the weekends. She added: "If you shredded up lots of different bits of paper, I would know exactly which one was the Evening Telegraph. "My pals keep papers for me but I have to buy a couple of extras to get me through the weekend."

Talk about stunted growth At an estimated 22 inches tall, Chandra Bahadur Dangi's body is the size of a large infant. But Dangi, at 72, is full grown. Sunday, he was declared the world's shortest man after Guinness World Records measured his height and verified that he stands 22 inches tall.

Dangi, who sports a traditional hat and tailor-made clothing, is in high spirits. "I feel good that I am declared the world's shortest man," he said. Dangi flew to the capital, Katmandu, from his home in southwestern Nepal on instructions from Guinness World Records officials. He says the secret behind his health is his constitution. "I haven't been ill probably because my body is good," he said, his eyes sparkling. This is his first visit to the Himalayan capital. Asked why he did not stake a claim earlier to be declared the shortest man, he said that his family was unaware of such a record because they are uneducated. Guinness World Records said the current record holder for the world's shortest man is Filipino Junrey Balawing, 18, at 23.5 inches tall. Dangi is in high spirits. "I feel good!”

Chuck the Slovak Slovaks have voted overwhelmingly in favor of naming a new pedestrian and cycling bridge near their capital for U.S. action film and TV star Chuck Norris.

The two other top names in the running for the bridge, which will span the Morava river and cross the border to Austria, were Maria Theresa after an Austro-Hungarian empress and the Devinska cycling bridge in honor of the closest village. Norris, a martial arts expert-turned film star, is known for playing tough guy characters in such classic movies as “Lone Wolf McQuade”, “Missing in Action” and “The Delta Force”. The actor’s work has become a popular source of kitschy fun among Slovaks and a mainstay for local jokes about macho strength and invincibility. The final decision will be up to a regional assembly. But regional Governor Pavol Freso has said it would follow the wishes of the people in the Internet ballot where Norris was the top choice for the bridge’s name.

Baby yoga technique sparks row A baby yoga course, which involves tiny tots being swung through the air - often by a single limb, could be coming to Britain. Shocking footage of Russian therapist Lena Fokina flipping a baby over her head astounded millions as it went viral online. The actions seemed so outrageous that many people thought the video must have featured a doll rather than a real baby. And doctors

around the world were quick to condemn the technique which they say could be dangerous for infants. But Ms Fokina, 51, insists it is a genuine aid to muscular development and demonstrated it at a seminar for parents. Babies were also taught "water rebirthing" - involving dunking kids' heads in water to address "repressed trauma from birth". Ms Fokina says she has practised baby yoga for 30 years. She said: "Some babies cry, but then they begin to enjoy it. It's not dangerous. I work with parents across Europe. I hope soon to be working with a family in England. "All my children have grown up according to the method and they've all gone on to achieve outstanding results in life."

Monkey business If this young monkey's reaction to slipping into a

warm bath is anything to go by, these primates really are like humans. The juvenile Japanese snow monkey was photographed enjoying the famous hot springs at Jigokudani Monkey Park in Nagano. Its expressions appear to show sheer bliss as it bathes in the warming waters

Interesting Info

For all the folks with cell phones. (This should be printed and kept in your car, purse, and wallet. Good information to have with you.)

There are a few things that can be done in times of emergencies. Your mobile phone can actually be a life saver or an emergency tool for survival. Check out the things that you can do with it:

FIRST (Emergency)
... The Emergency Number worldwide for Mobile is 112. If you find yourself out of the coverage area of your mobile network and there is an Emergency, dial 112 and the mobile will search any existing network to establish the emergency number for you, and interestingly, this number 112 can be dialed even if the keypad is locked. Try it out.

SECOND (Hidden Battery Power)
Imagine your cell battery is very low. To activate, press the keys *3370#. Your cell phone will restart with this reserve and the instrument will show a 50% increase in battery. This reserve will get charged when you charge your cell phone next time.

THIRD (How to disable a STOLEN mobile phone? )
To check your Mobile phone's serial number, key in the following Digits on your phone:*#06# A 15-digit code will appear on the screen. This number is unique to your handset. Write it down and keep it somewhere safe. If your phone is stolen, you can phone your service provider and give them this code. They will then be able to block your handset so even if the thief changes the SIM card, your phone will be totally useless. You probably won't get your phone back, but at least you know that whoever stole it can't use/sell it either. If everybody does this, there would be no point in people stealing mobile phones.

And Finally....

FOURTH (Free Directory Service for Cells)
Cell phone companies are charging us $1.00 to $1.75 or more for 411 information calls when they don't have to. Most of us do not carry a telephone directory in our vehicle, which makes this situation even more of a problem. When you need to use the 411 information option, simply dial: (800) FREE411 or (800) 373-3411 without incurring any charge at all. Program this into your cell phone now. This is sponsored by McDonalds.

Are you kidding me???

Word "Jehovah" occurs -- 6,855 times in the Bible

Groaner

What do they call Pastor's in Germany? German Shepherd's.

Point to Ponder

As Vice President, George Bush represented the U.S. at the funeral of former Soviet leader Leonid Brezhnev. Bush was deeply moved by a silent protest carried out by Brezhnev's widow. She stood motionless by the coffin until seconds before it was closed. Then, just as the soldiers touched the lid, Brezhnev's wife performed an act of great courage and hope, a gesture that must surely rank as one of the most profound acts of civil disobedience ever committed: She reached down and made the sign of the cross on her husband's chest. There in the citadel of secular, atheistic power, the wife of the man who had run it all hoped that her husband was wrong. She hoped that there was another life, and that that life was best represented by Jesus who died on the cross, and that the same Jesus might yet have mercy on her husband.

Remember, Christianity is more about walking than about talking