2010 ups and downs in no particular order
1- Donald would return for a visit.
2- My grandson Vinny was born
3- My Kids are all employed by the end of the year.
4- Cat and Sean moved out on their own.
5- Liz had back surgery and is recovering.
6- I had 7 heart events and two angioplasties,another stint, two hospital stays and am still alive.
7- Went back to New York after 25 years and reconnected with Liz's family.

These were all event full, but the fact that Liz would still be with me and love me after all these years is the greatest. This will be our first full year of being empty nesters and I would like to be more organized. With God's help we will be able to get out from under our huge medical debt and find a way to raise money to visit Donald And Akiko in Japan.

The Number one wish for 2011 is to make others peoples life a lot better. God bless.

Two weeks til Christmas. What a difference a year has made. God has blessed us in so many ways. 2010 was difficult in many ways but very rewarding. Our Kids have grown so much and my grandson is getting so big. I made it thru two hospital stays for the heart, Liz's surgery for her back, and an empty nest at home. We had a chance to go back to New York and see friends and family. Liz and I have grown so much together this year and we are looking forward to 2011 for more healing. God is great.

There is so much in this world that is a mystery to most of us. Some people strut around thinking they know everything and some are like myself. Some days I feel like Sargent Shultz on Hogan's Heroes who's famous line is, "I know nothing." I read in the paper about an older women who got scamed out of 10 grand by the old" I found some money scam". I have listened to preachers on TV telling people how they can get this new bible if they donate their life savings. I just don't know why these people fall for these scams, until I read my Alltel bill. They were charging me for a ringtone subscription, a deal or no deal subscription, and some others that my wife and I never ordered. On the bill under the bold letters "Alltel premium Services" were the charges. When I question Alltel, they said they can't do anything about it because it's a 3rd party charge (I guess there are 3 Alltels out there) When I explained to them that I did not order these they gave some excuse on how I must have answered an email, put in a secret code, or gave my number out over the internet for them to bill me. I called the number for the subscriptions and that where the fun started. I went thry four different companies that said the same thing, "It's not our fault and we can't do anything about it." If I don't pay the charges, they will shut my phone off, if I cancel their service, I will be charged for canceling it. Now to top it off, Alltel was sold to AT&T so they don't care if I'm satisfied or not. I have now put all kinds of blocks on my phone, canceled all subscriptions, and guess what? The charges are still there. This seems to start from a company called Mind Quiz, goes thru other companies which include Alltel moble messenger, and put on my bill. If other people are getting scammed by Alltel this way, they( one of the Alltels) will have a very good year. Oh , and by the way, all these companies say that they don't give credits. I have a feeling that by calling these companies to stop these services, I just reactivated them by calling them. If you call to cancel, you are automatically reactivated.

I'm awake, every inch of my body hurts, I was running to the bathroom every half hour (I was on an IV the whole time I was there. My head still hurts from the IV of Nitro. My groin hurts, that where they go in with the probe to get to my heart, I'm black and blue from all the blood they drew out and those stupid shots they stick in your stomach. You get no sleep in a hospital. I know today is going to be a lot better (I think) . I still don't understand why I have two arteries that are over 70% clogged and they don't think that this is a problem, plus it is to difficult to get to.

God help us all...... the people have spoken................no more campaign ads and lies.
Congrats to the winners and you will be in my prayers. At first glimpse I could wine and bitch that in most cases the wrong person won, and won for the wrong reason, but I am happy and content with the results. In Michigan we needed and new a better governor and the man I voted for won there. After that, it doesn't really matter because in another 2 years we will change again because people won't be happy. But just a few remarks on the election results
1- The Republican are back in control....good...maybe they can fix the problems that they got us into.
2- If all the political ads are true, we will see government lose control over fresh water and corporation allowed to do what ever they want with the water. They can bottle it and sell it back to us at a profit, they can pollute it again because the pollution will kill the Asian carp.
3- If the political ads are true, there will be no social security, no welfare, no disability. If you can't afford medical coverage, tough shit, you gonna die.
4- We will be looking for a new country to look for WMD. War is profit and looking for BinLadden is harder then finding Waldo. We won't stop until we search every country by force.
5-Get government out of our way. Ponzi schemes are just creative ways of doing business. Let turn off the Government flow of money and go back to the trickle down theory where we beg at the table of Big Business. Let big business send more business overseas.
6- Pure Michigan where bureaucrats couldn't find their ass with a flashlight. Bring back the Big gas guzzling SUV's. How many years did it take them to figure out the auto industry needed to change.
7- Today is my 56th birthday which also means I've been married 1/2 my life to the same woman. I have seen politicians come and go and have realized that I have little control over it. I have been lied to by politician all my life, they are just bolder about their lies today. I have learned from history and not tried to rewrite it.

If this class of elected official fail to do their jobs, the same thing will happen again and again every two years from now until forever.

Time to vote. A person who twist the truth in their ads, will twist the truth if elected. Nancy Palosi and Rush Limbaugh have nothing to do with voting for a drain commissioner. Vote for what is best for Michigan, not just Democrat and Republican. No matter how much the media tries to promote the tea party, it is still just people drinking tea and bitching about the problems that they brought on themselves. Ok, they all might not drink tea. Remember that when people talk about the "Government", they are talking about you, when they talk big business, privatise, they are not talking about you, just someone elses profit.

What is a lie? Soon our TV stations broadcasting will be clean up. No, unfortunately there will be swearing, nudity, sexual situations, etc....... The constant lying of politicians will not be shown on their advertising. Politicians have told us that if you twist the truth, mis entrerpret the facts, or just bash your opponent it is ok. In court they "swear to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth". Even in court a carefully worded lie can become a truth. If a politician will lie on their ads, they will lie and cheat if elected because the voters have said it is ok to lie and cheat.
Both parties lie, because they can. When voting, here are a few other things to remember
- Who was President when the economy went south?
- Who was President when were an attempt a correction was made?
_ Who profits by war? (hint..Big business with government contracts)
- Why are millionaires running for public office?
_ Why didn't we learn from the great depression.
- What would happen if we got rid of the party system?

Dicrimination.
Lately I've been seeing alot of facebook activity about descrimination against gay and transgender people. People seem to think this is something new. First of all, discrimination is as old as the earth. Everyone get's discriminated against. All people, gay,straight, old, young, black, white, asian, nerds, geeks, blondes,rich, poor, smart, dumb and so on. Discrimination is not good, human yes, but it can be corrected.
People running for public office run ads that are decieving or down right lies. This is a form of discrimination as they try to trick votes from the uninformed. We discriminated everyday against the elderly and the handicapped. Those on welfare are discriminated against, those who are overwight or disfigured are discriminated against. Where someone lives, their lifestyle, their dress, their walk, their talk, are all forms of discrimination. We discriminate against those with bad credit reports,those with criminal records, and those who talk with accents.
Some people feel that if you disagree with their opinion, you are are discriminated against. If you don't think homosexuality is not right, people call you a homophobe. Many times it gets down to opinion and we all know what is said about opinions.
It comes down to the truth, telling the truth, and accepting the truth. How do you stop discrimination against one person and not discriminated against another person? Maybe just treat someone the way you want to be treated. Can it be that simple?

Has Mona Shores failed with our Kids?

My previous blog shows a little of what is going on at Mona Shores High School in Muskegon Michigan.(Norton Shores to be exact) I am not referring directly to the debate about transgender people and their rights being violated. This type story is most likely happening at most high schools. The age of high schools make them susceptible to questions about their sexuality. They are still growing physically and mentally and most of the time they are thinking with their emotions. In high school everything is a soap opera and many things are blown out of proportion. On top of all these emotion based problems they try to mix in real life problems. Part of high school is preparing young children for the adult life and the "real world". By their senior years most students are so confused and to top this off these kids are in a instant gratification mode. All their answers are a computer away, a key stroke to Wikipidea, or a quick visit to facebook. Kids don't talk, they text or instant message, they don't debate, they argue and will tell anyone that"they just don't understand". With all this confusion, teachers and administrators play with their heads. In an attempt to be political correct, they will create the controversies and stir the pot. Rule are not applied the same across the board. They promote discrimination in many forms in an effort to be politically correct. An old saying, Whats good for the goose is good for the gander" is long gone. Decisions are made by nerd, geek, jock, rich, poor, and popularity polls. Our children are being taught and raised by the Internet and poor interaction between faculty and students. Schools like Mona Shores will not change, as a matter of fact, they are just like our schools when we were young. The schools need to get back to the 3 R's. Teachers should teach, not be policeman, political advisers, or authority on sexual issues. This is where the parents should step in. The young people need to search farther then the Internet to find answers.

Transgender, to be or not to be king.

In Muskegon Michigans Mona Shore High school there seems to be a problem. If you are unaware of it you can go to WWW.woodtv.com and see the story. In short, A girl who wants to be a boy was voted homecoming King, but the school disqualified her because she is not yet a boy and is still a girl. Yes, we are talking about transgender. I really don't have an opinion on transgender, how they got the way they are, how they have surgeries to change, or if it is a curse from God or the devil. People who are much smarter then I can debate that. I applaud the students for standing behind a fellow student who feels that they are being discriminated against. I will continue to pray for this student and hope that answers can be found. With that said, both sides are wrong.
(1) The competition for Homecoming King and Queen clearly state that that the King is to be a boy and the Queen has to be a girl. No matter how many votes he got, he is still a she. This obstacle should have been changed before. You can't change the rules after the game has started.
(2) According to published reports, the school let this girl become a boy by allowing her to dress and participate in activities as a boy. In short they hoped it would go away if they ignored it. Now they are sending mixed signals to the students who are now confused. They, the school, uses rules when it best affects them and thus become politically correct when they want. Not all rules effect all people equally. Our legal system show us how to twist the law, our politician show us how to lie and still call it the truth, and our schools teach our children that life is not fair and money and popularity is most important.
My suggestion is to cancel the Homecoming King a Queen and leave the thrones empty. What a better way to protest. Change the requirement for next year leaving this year as the year that no one won. That would be a bigger statement.

What a happy day

I've been listening to the song and get excited everytime I hear it. God has truely made everyday a happy day. The last few months I have argued with everyone. I have argued with smart people, and not so smart people. I have argued about sports and politics and about who is right and who is wrong. My wife and children have said that I have been much more argumentative since my last heart attack. I have been told by doctors that this is common with heart patients and is nothing to worry about. I hate retirement, restriction because of medical reason and money, and I wish this was a normal retirement with more money then I could ever spend. I wish I could play golf everyday, buy my wife everything she needs in life and be there financially for my kids. I watch my kids struggle at times to get their life and carreers on track in an economy that sucks and I can't do much to help. Somedays I feel like a one legged man at a butt kicking contest, and yes, that pissis me off. Yesterday started out that way, I was pissed at the world, pissed at God, and anyone who wanted to get in my way I would be pissed at them. The day was starting out with doctors visit for Liz and I, what could be better. Along with the heart problems, there may be skin cancer problems. Liz is worried for me, and still trying to come to terms with her past. I am worried for her, worried for my kids, and worried about me. Then a wise man put my mind at ease. He did not say a word, butgave me more information and peace then I have had in a long time. He is my grandson, Vincente Steven Donald Peacock. He is almost 5 months old and has the biggest smile that you will ever see. I got to spend a few hours with my grandson and he changed my outlook from bad to great. All of my problems and concerns are still there, but that cute smile of recognition on his face make this a happy day. Thank you God for kids and grandchildren. They help put our lives into the right perspective.
I now know that God has forced me to slow my life down. Without lifes problems, I would be to busy to enjoy lifes gifts. I watch other parents raising their kids and remembered that I was to busy to truely enjoy them growing up. If any of my heart attacks would have been fatal, this joy could not be shared. Thank you God.
I woke up this morning, I have a wife who loves me and is more then I deserve, and now have time to do things with her, and sometimes that means just sitting and talking. O HAPPY DAY. I am not to busy to do that.

NFL Spin

The spin masters for the NFL are fantastic. On Sunday they spun their way out of being caught determining the outcome of a football game. (Detroit vs. Chicago). They spun it with showing everyone the rule, how it was applied, and that it was the right rule. For the uneducated morons, they were able to spin it and make it look like a non issue. What they didn't address was the fact that the call was right, up to the point when the play was done. Now officials have to carry stop watches to determine when a play is finished. The NFL still fixes games.
Now they flood the market with a story about a scantily dressed Mexican female reporter who does not feel that she was sexually humiliated by the Jets. She doesn't feel wronged, the Jets players don't feel that were demeaning, and the NFL is using this non story to hide the facts that they are, and have been fixing games for a long time.
The NFL also threw the Lions a bone by reducing Mahew's suspension by 9 days. This story is now spun out of existence.
The NBA admits to doing it by having different levels of fouls, depending on the popularity of the player. All fouls are not called the same.
MLB can expand or shrink the strike zone and avoid using the replay system.
Money corrupts absolutely

The NFL was on damage control after the fiasco in the Game between Chicago and Detroit. After the bad call or interpretation of the rules, the word went out to other officials. Surprise, Surprise, right at the end of the Rams/cardinal game the rule was used again on a play that was dead, but a fumble was called. The replay showed without a doubt that no fumble had occurred, but quoting the same rule that they just had in their pocket, the fumble was granted . The reason was to give Sam Bradford a chance to win it for the Rams and increase the ratings. All those who are employed by the NFL in one way or the other, towed the company line. Professional wrestling would have been proud of the scripted hose job. Fox was prepared with a ex referee in the studio who towed the company line. According to the NFL, if a ball carrier run into the endzone and spikes the ball, drops the ball or hand the ball to an official, it is considered a fumble. If you think that this is ridiculous, then when is the play over. Do we need a stop watch? What the NFL does not want you to see is that the player was getting up when he let loose of the ball, not the party line of control of the ball.
Yes, I know, it is only a game. Is it controlled? Of course it is. What would happen if you had a Superbowl between , let say, Tennessee and Seattle. The NFL would lose money big time. The NFL has already shown it's disdain for Detroit when they over fined the Lions president for his DUI. They get continually left off the prime time schedule and are trying to take away the Thanksgiving Day game. We Lions fans already know that we can lose all by ourselves. Coach Swartz has his hand full to turn around a program that the NFL keeps slamming.
Here is food for thought. Why do college replay go much quicker then the pro version?

Burn the Koran..........................

What is the big deal? We are so tied to symbolism that we forget the important thing. Gang violence starts with symbolism being words or colors. Flag are also a symbol of a country. If you burn the flag, the Koran, the Bible or your draft card it seems to invoke emotion. We burn in effigy people and leaders, and even bra's. Who is at fault? How about the media? If these people didn't get attention they would go away.
If a Koran burns in a house fire or is burned by some obscure person in Florida, it still burns. The words live on. When a flag burns, a new one is replaced. If a Bible is burned, another one is available. If people want to burn these objects, let them do it, just don't give them the attention.

My question, What would be better? A Koran or Bible being burned, or the Koran or Bible gathering dust on the shelf? Think about it.

Happy Labor Day

It's cold, it's raining, there is double digit unemployment, the unions because of their greed and no control on lost jobs, most labor being sent abroad, the working class losing their homes and jobs, and big business and executives are having their best years ever. You can blame it on the the greed of big business, or the past greed of the unions. Instead of Labor Day, lets just call this Play Day, or thanks for screwing me Day.

We are pulling out of Iraq. Yaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa. but wait. We have pulled out of Japan, Germany, Korea, and North Vietnam, but we are still there. Iraq will just be a police action and we will just be advising. Korea and Vietnam was the same wasn't it? When will our soldiers be home? When war fails to be profitable and the business of war is recognized for what it is, then our children will come home.
We spent trillions of dollars for a Republican wet dream, WMD and terrorist groups. What would happen if peace broke out. Our soldiers could turn their rifles to plows and eliminating world hunger. Downsizing the military will only increase our unemployment. Could you imagine the down turn in crime if the military presence was in our cities. We are trying to tell Iraq how to police it's people, and we can't even do it in our country. Our law enforcements are screaming for help. Put these soldiers to work rebuilding our cities, and increase the value of our country. Why won't this happen? No profit for big business. Our soldiers could find the terrorist groups,......hint hint, they are already here. Look up the definition of terror and you will find that we are searching in the wrong place.

Finger pointing in Muskegon

Crime is up and the fingers are pointing. The politicians just had their finger pointing time, and now every other person can add in their digit. First of all they blame the kids, their parents, and their environment. Although there is some truth in these things, they are still not the cure. Electing new people doesn't help.
Pete Hoekstra might blame the government and for once he might be right, but this might mean making the government bigger. I said bigger, not stronger, and more economical. Combining police services with all our little kingdoms would make sense since most of the violence spreads out. The Heights has proven time and time again that they can't handle their own city. Greed and corruption is in every part of their city. It's not the city's people, but those who take advantage of a weak structure. This ranges from business, to officials, and down to the gangs. Muskegon itself has the same problems. The bigger the city, the bigger the problem. Gangs are just imitating big business and everything is down to dollar and cents. The city of Muskegon, to save money, has eliminated street light which will increase crime.
If everyone would turn on one light at night, that would be one less place to be hidden from view. One last place for criminals to hide. Unfortuantly there are not enough lights to see what our elected officials are doing.

Ground Zero rules

The stupidity continues. Build a Masque at ground zero in New York? First of all, the proposed masque is blocks away. Let's just build a bridge to no where from one side to the other. Lets put up another image to worship capitalism. How about an area dedicated to fast food restaurants.
These were buildings that were destroyed by war, same as millions of buildings around the world. It is hard to find a piece of ground that hasn't been effected by war. Maybe we can say that the weapons of mass destruction are buried at the site and all our soldiers should be called home to search the site. More of our people are being killed by our search for WMD then were killed on that fateful day. Our leaders have more death on their hands than these nut jobs that flew the planes.

Bailing out the Unions

Now that wall street, big business, insurance companies have been bailed out the world should be ok. Wrong. There is a rumor out there that one of the unions might need a bail out. Those that we have bailed out continue to lay off workers, ship jobs over seas, pay executive huge bonus, receive tax breaks, and make current workers work in sweatshop like conditions. Now that a union might get financial help to do it's job, these people a furious. That is a great question and the answer is, we can't. We also can't bail out companies, give the rich tax breaks, and definitely can't raise taxes because our businesses are overseas and our unemployed people can't pay them. We can't pay our teachers with money we don't have. We can't have medical coverage with money we don't have. We, the people are telling the rich and greedy that it is time to pay up. No more free rides for the upper class, and tax credits for business. Churches and charitable organization will all have to pay taxes because no one gets a free ride. That is the right wing mantra. Pete Hoekstra ran for governor on not letting the government get in the way and he is now unemployed waiting for his bailout for serving in congress. Cut him off, we don't have money to support ex congressmen.
I'm not mad, just shaking my head in disbelief and the feeble right wing attack on the only President that has been trying to support the people of America. The rich, and poor, tired, sick and healthy. Leftist, you're not much better.

LIFE IN THE HOOD.

Well I don't exactly live in the hood, but I don't live on easy street. Living in the city of Muskegon is exciting, for a small town. All smaller towns have their problems and Muskegon is no different. The unemployment is actually above 25% if you take into consideration of those whose unemployment has run out, or those who lost their jobs and don't get unemployment. Gasoline is always more expensive because the station owners know that you won't drive to the big city to save money on gas. Property values have gone down, and business have left for the big cities. People want to bring in a casino to take away more of our money. State aid is on a trickle down theory, big cities get the money first, and you can imagine how far down the list we are on the federal list. As small towns go, we are on our own.
Criminals are preying on the already strapped people and others are shooting people in broad daylight. Why stay? One person can help get things going, and why not start with me?
In Muskegon, we have only one cable company and they know it. Prices continue to rise and service continues to decline. Cable prices are twice that of a large city, and until another cable company is allowed in town, there will be no competition and prices will sore.
Corner gas stations with shopping are on most corners. The food is high priced, if you don't like it, buy it somewhere else.
I thought it was wonderful when the food truck came to town to help out those who are struggling. I then saw that most of the food was outdated or alot of lima beans.
We have a beautiful shoreline with fresh water, when the waste of major companies aren't washing up on the shores. We clean up one mess while another is being polluted.
We had an air fair that drew people from all over the state and nation. The organizers then banned people from bringing in food, and started charging outrageous prices for food and drink. Air fair is gone.
We have Summer Celebration, two weeks of music and fair grounds. Now you have to pay to get in the shows just to walk on the fairground. High priced food also.

I still love our town because of the people. These people understand what is happening in our country much better then those in the big cities. We know a lie when we see it. We are accustomed to having the screws put to us and yet we survive.
The great trickle down theory is the waste coming down the Grand River. Don't worry, we will clean it up from the money that is trickled down.

America wants.............

How many time have you heard someone say this line. Example is "America doesn't want free health care". The minute I hear someone say this line, I tune them out or turn them off. I am sure if all Americans were offered free health care they would take it. Now I have stumbled into this idiocy. Have I talk to every American to get their opinion? No, so don't lay that line on me. Don't try to tell me about polls, because if polls were accurate, Dewey and Al Gore would have been president. Also to remember, if it's free, it's costing you something. Nothing is free.

MORE GOVERNMENT, NOT LESS.

The most ridiculous thing I hear everyday is people wanting less government. The smartest thing Ive heard is people wanting less government. How can you have both?
It is so easy it is frightening. Eliminate the IRS and have a standard sales tax on everything. No one can be tax exempt and everything you buy is taxed at the same rate for all things. Give the president a line item veto. With this in place you could have your worries disappear. The government will be able to finance health care, school k- college, and all local projects. The government would need less then half it's budget to run with Congress and Senate returning to part time. More jobs would be created.

Emotional Hoarding was brought out on Today show. They right away say that it is not a recognized by the experts as a disorder. Extreme emotional hoarding can be recognized as depression. Still the "experts" sat and discussed how holding a grudge can be called emotional hoarding. If you are really pissed at someone and don't "get over it" you are an emotional hoarding. If I am overweight, am I an fat hoarder? If I am over tanned am I a tan hoarder. Best of all, if I have love for everyone, am I a love hoarder?
Once again the news is manufactured. I now have to go to the bathroom so I don't get accused of SHT hoarding.

New start for a new week. I need to get a lot done this week. I need to finish up the front porch when the rain stops. Liz and I need to get to the Y to work out everyday.
My prayer request list.
1- Family
2- Bob and Patsy as they grow old together and struggle with dementia
3- Louie recovering from heart surgery
4- Louie's pastor who has throat cancer
5- Louies wife and her hip problems
6- Jack and Justan
7- Lea and her mom and dad
8- Bob S. in dealing with PTS from Vietnam

Keep these and many more in your prayers. Pray for our country and for those who defend her.

I got around the blocked site of the so called Atheist who claimed he didn't block me, wouldn't block me and that I'm a liar Here is the direct quote from his facebook.
Finally blocked the creationist. Weeks wasted and I've had my fill of pigeons. Back to work and studying.
July 31 at 10:30am · View Feedback (7)Hide Feedback (7)
Jack Adams and 3 others like this..
Benjamin Fisher I can only hope that the other debate in which we seem to be engaged is more productive. Damn that was frustrating.
July 31 at 6:46pm.Justin Stressman Well, I've just reposted all those comments in full on several of his other comments where he was avoiding dealing with the original smackdown. And just to drive the point home, I posted them directly on his wall. So not only should he see ...them right there at the top, but so should all of his friends.

He really doesn't have much choice now but to either blatantly and very clearly ignore them, or try to do some Pigeon-esque absurd denial of the whole shebang.

I'm assuming it'll be the latter.See More
August 1 at 1:05am.Benjamin Fisher So that's where the 19 notifications came from... makes sense now.

Point made? Here's the proof.

What is a true Atheist. I have not meet many true Atheist. Most of the loud people who try to promote Atheism are not really Atheist. These are a fringe element that usually have psychological problems, and they they mask it by trying to tell the world about the "religion " called Atheism. I have dealt with this type on my blog before and they are usually rude and feel they have all the answers when in fact they are suffering from family problems that they want to blame on someone else other then themselves. This is more of a sickness then anything else. True Atheist believe there is no God, period. They don't want to be refereed to as a religion and don't get into arguments about the validity of what they believe. They don't post idiotic post about anti Christian things, they just don't believe there is a God. The fake Atheist tries to destroy what they don't believe and the true science field tries to separate themselves from these people. They claim to have science on their side to try and boaster their unfounded opinion.
The two "Atheist" that I had been talking with on facebook have blocked me out of their site, even though they claim they haven't. Their philosophy is like a child holding their hands over their ears. Cult groups that come around our neighborhood to try and convert people, avoid our house like the plague because I invite them in and share the bible with them. When they quote a Bible text, I pause them, look it up, and read it back to them. The truth is not what they are planning on
When you try to promote Atheism over religion, you are considering Atheism as a religion and then must be treated as a religion which the true Atheist doesn't want. They just don't believe in God and don't want relegion forced on them. Don't let the psychologically challenge people try to tell you they are Atheist when all they need is psyciatric help.
A perfect example of the educational value of these people was posted on Facebook via YouTube,
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dbJ4CPWi_pg. Some backwoods fellow tries to intimidate with with the same thing I've been telling you about. If you call them to task, they will say, Oh, its a joke, don't you have a humor? This person truely shows the problems of a relegious Atheist. This poor guy calls anyone who doesn't believe the way he does, all kinds of names. It is so fun to watch these people stumble all over themselves. Some of these people are actually educator teaching your children. Scary isn't it?

Friendship ~ None of that Sissy Shit

Are you tired of those sissy 'friendship' poems that always sound good, but never actually come close to reality?


Well, here is a series of promises that actually speak of true friendship.


You will see no cute little smiley faces on this ~ Just the stone cold truth of our great friendship.


1.. When you are sad ~ I will help you get drunk and plot revenge against the sorry bastard who made you sad.


2. When you are blue ~ I will try to dislodge whatever is choking you.


3 When you smile ~ I will know you are thinking of something that I would probably want to be involved in.


4. When you are scared ~ I will rag on you about it every chance I get until you're NOT.


5. When you are worried ~ I will tell you horrible stories about how much worse it could be until you quit whining.


6. When you are confused ~ I will try to use only little words.


7.. When you are sick~ Stay the hell away from me until you are well again. I don't want whatever you have.


8. When you fall ~ I will laugh at your clumsy ass, but I'll help you up.


9. This is my oath .... I pledge it to the end. 'Why?' you may ask ~ because you are my friend.

Friendship is like peeing your pants, everyone can see it, but only you
can feel the true warmth.

Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh Monday, first day of the week, fresh slate, not another Monday until next week. This is the last days of political ads, thank God, and then we don't have to hear their B.S. for a while.
We are picking up my son from Indianapolis and bringing him here for 2 weeks, then he will return to Japan. This will be the first time he gets to hold his nephew and he is excited about that.
The Detroit Tigers have the day off so no loss today.

HAVE COMPUTERS MADE US SMARTER?

We live in a mordern new world. Everything is at our fingertip via the internet and the computer advancment. What is more interesting is that the quality of education has gone down in the U.S. The "I want it now" generation has ground to a stop. Instead of everything getting better, we are worse off then before. The economy is in the trash and fewer jobs are available. There is no doubt that computers have made information available to us more quickly.
When I was in college, learning about computers was alot different. We learned how to create program using diagrams and punchcard. Then the cards were put into a computer the size of a 44ft Semi truck and trailer. Today a computer the size of a wrist watch can do much more at a faster speed. Advances in computers, medicine and technology have made the machine smarter and the operator lacking the ability to use this information. Computers are still, GARBAGE IN, GARBAGE OUT. Many young people know how to conquer the word in video games, text at the speed of light, talk on phones the size of an earing, but when the power goes out they are as dumb as dirt. Clerks in stores have problems figuring out change and taxes when the power goes out. Our kids were told in school that math wasn't important because this was now the calculator generation. If you told a student to go to the library and do a research project without the help of a computer, they can't get past the dewy decimal system. They look to quick answer sites like Wikipedia and are content that the site is 100% correct 100% of the time. There is so much knowledge available now on the internet that a person can argue pro and con on any subject. Cut and paste and the article or information has a completly different meaning. Rational judgement has been thrown out the window and replaced with speed. It's not the computer fault, but the operators. Faster is not always better.

Now that the atheist have crawled away we can talk about something more depressing. The Detroit Tigers have turned from the best to the worst in major league baseball. They are in the weakest division in baseball and still are falling fast.
If that doesn't depress you, let talk about the petroleum industry. After waging war in Vietnam and Iraq over oil, the oil industry continues to profit off the American people in money and lost lives as the casualty of war. Then they turn around and pollute the Gulf of Mexico and better yet, the State of Michigan. The great supporters of the oil giants, "The Republicans", continue to want less government control over how the oil industry is run. We now give our money, or children, and our environment to the continued profit of Big Oil and Big Business.

Wikipedia is a free,[3] web-based, collaborative, multilingual encyclopedia project supported by the non-profit Wikimedia Foundation. Its 15 million articles (over 3.3 million in English) have been written collaboratively by volunteers around the world, and almost all of its articles can be edited by anyone with access to the site.[4

This is a direct quote from their website
Wikipedia is written collaboratively by largely anonymous Internet volunteers who write without pay. Anyone with Internet access can write and make changes to Wikipedia articles (except in certain cases where editing is restricted to prevent disruption and/or vandalism). Users can contribute anonymously, under a pseudonym, or with their real identity, if they choose.
This is another direct quote.

How can this even be considered as factual. Anyone with a computer can contribute and they can do it anonymously to hide their identity or creditentials.

This is why I refuse to use Wikipedia as a source.

I have heard from Justin, see the previous blog. I want to answer him very simply to show tactics.
1-He claims to have not blocked me. The fact is that I was on his friend list and then removed. He admits it because he turned around and accepted my new friendship request.
http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/878207/why_wikipedia_is_not_a_reliable_source.html
2- He claims to have given me all the information and I have ignored it. I have read his "facts" that he presented from atheist websites and wack jobs. He then uses Wikipidia to try to prove his points when no credited university will allow their students to use Wikipidia. He then adds his thread from Wikipidia. Here is the first part of that thread from Wikipidia.
CONFIRMATION BIAS
Confirmation bias (also called confirmatory bias or myside bias) is a tendency for people to favor information that confirms their preconceptions or hypotheses whether or not it is true.[Note 1][1] As a result, people gather evidence and recall information from memory selectively, and interpret it in a biased way. The biases appear in particular for emotionally significant issues and for established beliefs.
Now that he has interjected Wikipidia's explanation of Confirmation Bias, he believe that this means something. I encourage everyone to read this and then follow the footnotes etc..... and a whole new vision appears. Justin is describing himself....... and just about anyone else on the planet. These are his "facts".
As I have said many times how atheist love to twist and turn facts, and all the thing that magicians call mirror tricks. This also falls under Confirmation Bias.
3-The next part is classic attack. He calls me
You're a profoundly deluded idiot and until you actually start being honest and admitting that these things have already been explained to you in detail, with references, including fucking journals from theological seminaries etc, I'm not going to bother repeating myself anymore. I've been repeating these things over and over for weeks and you just keep lying about it and pretending you haven't been presented with a wealth of evidence PURELY BECAUSE IT IS CONTRARY TO YOUR DELUSION.

Aside from the name calling and being called a lier, he calls his atheist websites and Wikipidia a wealth of evidence. He also love to use theologians against christian with manipulation on his part and then use his confirmation bias to confirm his wealth of evidence.
4- He repeats his denial of blockage. When raising my children I could always tell when they were lying. Most parents are aware of this as we also did it as kids.
If you repeat a lie enough times, maybe it will become the truth. If you are caught in a lie, yell, scream, and sometimes even swear to try to convince others that you are not lying. You can also tell your parents, "you just don't understand". Then finish it up by saying that everyone who disagrees with you are delusional.

5- He calms down realizing his errors and trys to laugh it off as a joke.

I personally don't like using these"wealth of evidence." They are most times bias towards one side or the other. I could quote the bible, an excepted source of information, but that would be bias. This would also lead to everyone's different interpretation of the Bible. We can also manipulate science but Justin has already called this "Confirmation Bias" and is moronic. His rules of discussion comes back to bite him. Once again we are back to basics, the first word, the Bible. With that in place come the interpretation of the Bible which would fall back under Confirmation bias and that puts us back at stage one. What is missing? Faith, faith, and faith. You have it or you don't.
Justin also like to condense all people who are Christians together in one neat little ball. All the extremes are put in one ball and called fanatics or weirdos.
That's like judging all atheist by one definition, you just can't do that.
In conclusion I feel that God is trying to work in Justins heart and I'll keep praying for him. Am I bias towards my faith? Guilty as charged. I just know that the burden of proof is not on the Christian, but on the ones who wish to tear us down.

When the going gets tough, the tough get going. The two Atheist that I have been talking about have banned me from their facebook. Give them enough rope they will either hang themselves or avoid humiliation. They shouldn't feel humiliated because they were playing from a losing hand. Their tactic are out dated and they were exposed for what they have, no convictions about, their Atheism. Now I can move on more confident in God and his ability to win over the hearts of Atheist. Maybe they will change their way back into the arms of a loving God. Beware Christian people, there are smarter and trickier people out their who would try to match up to God. Remember first is your faith, second is the fact it is their job to disprove God, and third is that God is always with you. Since their world has crumbled, please pray for them at this time of doubt in their lives. Our God is great.

In discussions with an Atheist one thing kept popping up in my mind. Why does this person attacks all Christians, bundles them all together and tries to use science to attack faith.
Many examples on how pure science is a recipe for disaster. How about a person who got convicted of rape 20 years ago. Science and everyone said that he did it. It was impossible to contradict the scientific facts, yet 20 years later DNA absolutely proves this persons innocence. Science wasn't wrong back then, just wasn't as advanced as it is now. Science has a way to go before it can start to compare itself to the Lord God Almighty. When you look at early Christianity, some extremist burned witches at the stake. Years later we are much smarter.
The greatest flaw in the argument between Atheism and Christianity is the human factor. Not all Atheist are alike as well as Christian being the same. Free will make this impossible and thank God we are all different. I respect and agree with some scientist that disagree with the age of the earth. Yes I do question the age and do keep an open mind to it. I also don't worship the book called the Bible, but I do worship God, two completely different things. Once again the human element comes into play. Some Christians defend the Bible by saying that the word DAY in Hebrew means, "an unterminated amount of time." Does that give me complete confidence in the age of the world? no, but it does not change my faith because we are talking about two different things.
One Atheistic article went to the extreme of asking the question about God. If I am a Christian who has lost his legs and I pray to God for him to give me new legs just like the ones I had before, why can't a God who can do anything give me my legs? These fall under the question that we are not advance enough to know the answer, other then the famous standby, "Gods Will", or "God is using it to straighten your faith" etc......... Sometimes we just don't have all the answers like the DNA example I used earlier. When you want to discuss accuracies or inaccuracies in the Bible I can see that, I don't worship the book called "The Bible". That would make it an idol and God said not to worship anyone but him. I have questions with the Catholics who worship using saints and statues.
In everything there is no final answer, no one knows all the answers and all people can't be put into one categories except human. I stop reading when a author starts lumping everything together and will ignore this as a attempt to shortcut to an easy answer. This is disrespectful to science and all those scientist who have worked hard to get answers.
All living things are growing which include faiths, science and human behavior. To disrespect this is closeminded as well as trying to make scripture or science win a disscussion of faith.

Some Atheist never learn. I'm at a lost for words to describe the audacity of these people who use the same tactic to try to prove their point. They will even grasp at the ever changing world of Wikipidia as a desperate attempt to sound knowledgeable. I have already set the facts in the previous blog and still they want to change things around because of lack of credibility on their part. I pray for those so blind as those who refuse to see. I wish there was a better way of showing them the error of their twisted logic and mirror tricks. We have all seen it and debunked it and they still try to use it. These might just be the biggest idiots because they are normally intelligent, they just don't know how to use their intelligence.

You have to love the atheist approach to Christianity. Prove there is a God because we can't prove there isn't. It is squarely on the shoulders of the atheist because God came first. Even if you don't believe in the Bible, the story of God is still there and must be disproved. Historically this is impossible, scientifically it can't be replicated, and in such can't be disproved. As Christians we have faith in our God, and don't need to go to ridiculous extremes to try to defend out faith. Faith, the belief in things not seen, seems to trip them up everytime.

I have been observing messages on Facebook on the subject of fair journalism. Two gentlemen claim that Fox news is bias, while another claims that these two are crazy for believing this claim. Both side are quoting video clips and source references to back up their side and no one is backing down. I've seen this before in other discussions. Some people feel that if you are educated, then you can't be bias. Some feel that if it's news, it has to be right because Walter Concrite was the most trusted man in American and he was a journalist. Journalistic integrity is a joke. These people are paid lots of money to sell their brand of news. Sources are no longer double checked for accuracy as there is a race to be first. Being first doesn't have to be right, just first. If the story is wrong, they can spin it off on someone else or bury it because they are the news. Who can you trust to tell you the news? How about Christian News Networks? Only if you believe that the earthquake in Haiti was Gods curse on an evil people, or that anyone who is not a christian cannot tell the truth. There are more "journalist" out there then you can shake a pin at. This what I'm writing might jokingly be called journalism as well as anyone elses blogs. The old say about opinions,"like aholes, everyone has one and most of them stink" is so true. So how can you tell the truth? I wish I knew, but I think it come down to reading all, then using your brain to decide. Once again, another opinion. I did find out something interesting while listening to a sermon today. The pastor remarked on how his computer broke down and he had to write his sermon longhand.HMMMMMMMMMMMMMM............. best sermon I've heard in a long time. I believe he even mispronounce a few words, but that was ok. He had to take the time to think out what he was saying at a alot slower pace then he was used to. The brain reconnected to the fingers and once again man triumphed over machine. I'm not saying to throw out technology, just take a deep breath and slow the presses down. Not everything is a news story and main stream press should leave shoddy journalism to the paparazzi who invented it. Tabloid journalism should not be embraced as it is by the modern media. Next thing will be politicians acting like tabloid journalist......oppsss.... too late

Lets talk about the weather
Have you noticed that when storms approach Muskegon they seem to part like Moses parting the Red Sea. One half goes north and the other goes south and re form after they pass Muskegon. I am not complaining as we do seem to get the gentle storms. Is there something about Muskegon that big storms want to avoid? Maybe it is political, there is not enough media coverage to waste a good storm.

Time to cough up

Years ago when the railroad started to grow across the country, the Barons made the money while the immigrant did the work. After the immigrants were paid, they were charged room and board and everything else. Lumber barons were the same, as were miners etc....... The song said" I owe my soul to the company store. History has continued this practice into the 21 century. The one difference is that if the big companies can't find someone to work for less then nothing, they can ship the job over seas. The senate finally past the unemployment extensions to help people out. Despite the filibuster by the right, the bill will pass. People on SSI haven't had a raise in years, and insurance companies are charging more. Cost of material continue to rise, profit margin are at an all time high, and jobs are disappearing with some holding on by their finger nails. The right wing says the same thing, "Who's going to pay for it?" I am bold enough to say the answer. It's time for the upper class to cough up. That right, pay your share and pay even more. Pay til it hurts. Many people pay till it hurts with little or nothing, the rich have extra. Come on, step up to the plate. The deficit will always be there if the the poor continue to do the work.

Just finished up my cardiac rehab class. Liz and I get to watch our grandson today as his parents are going tubing. Got him back home and he fell asleep in his swing.
Doesn't feel as humid today, but it is still warm. My mission this week is to start and complete a project. I have so many half finished projects that it is driving me crazy.
Young Don is coming to the states this week. He will be spending most of his time in Indiana as a chaperon for his students. He will come home is August for some time with his family. His wife was not able to make the trip this time, but hopefully she can come another time.
God is great

MEDICINE, STILL A PRACTICE.

Jim Fix was in super shape. He was a world class runner, perfect shape, ate healthy, had his cholesterol in the perfect range and was enjoying life. He was a marathon runner that many people idolized and yet he dropped dead of a heart attack. He was a victim of CAD (coronary heart decease). Why did his arteries plug up? Medicines answer, "We don't know". This is not a slap at medicine, because without their accomplishments I would not be here today. I am not debating the God vs. science argument as that has been argued far to long.
Everyone seems to have an answer for heart disease, but people keep dying from it. People who don't have it seem to think they have the most answers, until it hits them. Some of these people will recover with no further problems while others will struggle with it the rest of their lives. Some people will smoke their whole lives and have no problem while some people will not smoke at all, and struggle with lung disease. How many so called experts on healthy diets have died prematurely. How many diets are there out there that claim to be the one? Pharmaceutical companies all claim to have the right pill for your condition. How many people die after having a successful stress test? Medicine and science have come a long way and accomplished great things never seen before but there is so much they don't know.
My cardiologist told me that during my recent heart event, er doctors with all their machine and knowledge know less then 10% of what is happening. Their job is to stabilize until answers can be found. After what seemed like dozens of test, they found a 98% blockage during my recent heart event. It wasn't until the anagram that the problem was found. During these 24+ hours I kept wondering if it was all in my head, thus leaving me with alot of stress. One year ago I was admitted with the same symptoms and nothing was found. I was diagnosed with having an event and sent home after spending 2 days in ICU. In other words, the doctor were stumped even though they were convince I was having a heart attack.
I've tried to return to work but my heart issues keep getting in the way to the point that even small part times jobs are hazardous to my health. I am on disability because of this which angers my brothers and sisters.
The reason I bring this all up is to start a discussion that the republican right wing says are us people living off the government. Why social security is not as black and white as they want it to be. According to them, I am the lazy people living off the government.

Every politician has a idea to start the economy. Some are good, and some are just dumb. Sound bites even make it look worse. Congressman Hoekstra's sound bit is the most ridiculous thing I have ever heard. " Tell the government to get out of the way." This is a very strong right wing sound bite. What would happen if government got out of the way?
Unfair labor practice, greed, corporate corruption, soaring prices, unfair competition, the demise of small business etc....... This is like giving the prisoners the keys. We need larger government, unfortunately, to police those who only think of themselves. We need a government that is not influenced by the profit line of big business.

Trying to get fit. I was serious about losing weight and started to work out at the YMCA. After a month of working out lightly, I have a heart attack and heart surgery. Now I am back to exercise at cardiac rehab trying to get back in shape. Does this seem like I'm going in circles? Every time I try to get back in shape, I end up with more heart problems. All the good tasting food out there, I can't have because of the dangers to my heart. I am reduced to a vegetarian who has fish and chicken once in a while, no alcohol, no stress and hopefully lost weight.
This is so confusing.

A headline this morning was saying that "Jessie Jackson sees the Labron Story like slavery." I laughed so hard that I could not read any further. It was bad enough that Labron shamelessly promoted himself, but that all those people actually watched it on ESPN didn't help. Jessie is just doing the same thing, self promotion. There are racial problem in this world, but this is not one. Labron is getting millions for what he does and in no way should be compared to slavery in any shape or form.

Michigan, the land of the "no fault" insurance scam strikes again. The state's conservative supreme court has stated that Insurance Companies can set car rates by credit scores. Why don't they just use magic cards and crystal balls. the rich get richer and the middle class disappears.
The fact show that the people most likely to loose a house to foreclosure, the rich. The one's most likely to pay less taxes, the rich. Most poor people have cars with just minimum coverage while the richer people will have total coverage. The bottom line is that our laws are based in profit margins. We should remove these judges from the bench and replace them with a CEO from a fortune 500 company who received a bailout from the federal government. Where is the "tea party'" on this one.

Are we still looking for weapons of mass destruction. We would have better success looking for Waldo then looking for BenLadin. Saddam and his brothers are dead, and the Taliban is a disco group in Vagas. What in the world are we doing in Iraq and Pakistan. Our children are being killed in the name of freedom, and we criticize other country's and their holy wars. We have failed to learn anything from Vietnam and Korea. This 4th of July I prayed for our men that have served and are serving our country. I pray for our leaders who use war and patriotism to protect politically backed financial interest. Oil is flowing in the gulf, and blood is flowing in Iraq, and our people are dying for a profit line. It's time to stop the flow.

Vegetarian Hell. That is where I've been sent. No red meat, no alcohol, no sweets, if it taste good spit it out. Who knew that fruits have calories and cholesterol. Can't do anything for the next two weeks that would raise my blood pressure or cause me to bleed. On top of all this, I am told to relax and get rid of the stress. i can't ride a bike, cut the lawn, drive a car, and eat meat. STRESS?

Let's git rid of stress. Everybody I owe money to, please forgive my debt. I'm on a fixed income and prices keep going up. The Republican have thrown our economy down the toilet and the value of my home is cut in half. Now my taxes are doubled to keep up with the loss of income from fallen property values. My hospital bills, after insurance, are more then I owe on the house, and Republicans want to cut my SSI disability because they think I'm a bum. Meanwhile the Republican want to cut taxes to the wealtiest American, let corporate greed run wild. WHERE THE HELL IS THE STRESS?

IN GOD WE TRUST, ALL OTHERS PAY CASH, AND IF YOU CAN'T PAY, GET THE HELL OUT OF THE COUNTRY. THIS IS THE TRUE REPUBLICAN MONTRA. IT DOESN'T MATTER THAT YOUR RETIREMENT WAS TAKEN BY A PONZI SCHEME, WALL STREET COLLAPSE CAUSED BY THE FREEDOM TO SCREW EVERYONE. WHO'S FAULT IS THAT? ONCE YOU ARE OUT OF THE COUNTRY, THE RIGHT WING WILL CONSTRUCT FENCES TO STOP YOU FROM COMING BACK. PLEASE BE KIND ENOUGH TO DROP DEAD OVER A LANDFILL, SO OUR TAXES WON'T BE USED TO PICK UP MY DEAD CORPSE, IF I DON'T MANAGE TO GET TO THE BORDER. If I"m hungry i should move to a third word country so that a bunch of rich musicians can hold a feed the world concert to help me. WHERE THE HELL WOULD I GET STRESS FROM.

What keeps me together is the kindness of others. Christian kindness is not Republican or Democrat, it is just love in it's purest form from people not seeking return on an investment. Their investment in me, helps me invest in others.

Now that I've got that off my chest, I can feel less stressed.

A laugh for the day

Three women, two younger and one senior citizen, were sitting naked in a sauna
Suddenly, there was a beeping sound. The young women pressed her forearm and the beep stopped. The others looked at her questioningly. "That was my pager," she said. "I have a microchip under the skin of my arm."

A few minutes later, a phone rang. The second young woman lifted her palm to her ear. When she finished, she explained, "That was my mobile phone. I have a microchip in my hand."

The older woman felt very low-tech. Not to be out done, she decided she had to do something just as impressive. She stepped out of the sauna and went to the bathroom. She returned with a piece of toilet paper hanging from her rear end. The others raised their eyebrows and stared at her. The older woman finally said..."Well, will you look at that...I'm getting a fax!"

Justin Stressman said...
Of course your God would necessarily have been the one to have stricken you down in the first place, and caused you to live in fear for your life for the past 7 or 8 years now.

And it was modern medical science that was to thank for saving you...

But I don't expect you to acknowledge those points.

Why does God do bad things to good people. If God was real, why would he do this to you (the ant under the magnifying glass). If medicine alone saved my life, then medicine or science caused my heart attack (Fatty foods, preservatives, etc.).

Before I answer Justin, I will say that I have not lived in fear for my life. Yes I have had more heart problems then the ordinary man, but I don't live in fear of death, for all of us will die sometime, but I rejoice in life. I don't compare myself with the Jones', but celebrate the things I have.

Now I will say something that will get some people so mad that they will jump up and down and maybe shake their heads in disbelief." I rejoice in the things that have happened to me." . I will now explain my statement without biblical or scientific evidence, just what I believe.

I believe that God gives us all a different trail to follow thru life. If we all traveled the same road, had the same education and experiences, and we all believed the same, this would be a very boaring existence. Life is an adventure. Why in the world are we here? I believe it is to experience life, to travel that winding road, and to share it with others. If you want to go thru life fighting it, it will fight back, and if you go thru life ignoring it, it will ignore you. I rejoice in people with different opinions. I don't need pages of science to show that Justin does not believe in God. I like the simple approach. A simple,"I don't believe" would be ok with me, because it is your life and your right. The problem I have with some athiest is not the fact that they don't believe there is a God, but that they are so angry that everyone else don't share their opinion. What would I gain if someone has a different opinion then mine and I were to minimize their opinion.
I heard a minister once gave a sermon that was 45 min. long. He had many and great references. He waxed eloquent and made me marvel in his public speaking abilities. The biggest problem, he made his point after 20 min and didn't know when to shut up. He quoted people he thought were experts because they had written a book. He also missed one major point, the fact that others may think different. His road traveled was different then others, but not necessarily better or more correct, just different. If I have a higher IQ then most people, does that make me smarter then most? No, just like if Einstien was so smart, why didn't he invent perpetual motion, or why couldn't he throw a curve ball?
Is God "Picking on me"? Has science caused my problems or solved them? Once I know all the answers, I will let you know. In the mean time I will live the life that God puts in front of me.

One week ago I was fighting to stay alive. One week later I am trying to figure out what I can and can't do because of the heart attacks. One week ago the world was spinning, everything was a blur, and I was in pain. One week later I'm typing, drinking coffee and getting ready to take a short walk. One day at a time? I think I might just try that. Today is a great day and with Gods help, tomorrow will be even better.

What a week. Four heart attacks and a brand new stint in my heart. My best friend Louie had quadruple bypass surgery which was planned on Monday. I was brought in by ambulance Monday morning. We were a room apart all week. I came home Thursday and he came home Friday. Almost eight years ago we both had a heart attack, 6months apart. We are both pianist and I was scheduled to fill in for him on Sunday Morning. I'm still going to give it a try, and Louie says that he will show up to lend support. I hope we play music that is soothing to the heart.

Thank you Justin. There are not to many Christians that can thank an atheist for streghtening their faith. This past week I suffered 3 heart attacks, had a major artery stinted, and am back home. At four different times I was near death and all I could think of was how I failed Justin. God put Justin in front of me and all I did was argue something that God had already decided years ago, before man walked on this earth. I owe science and medicine a debt I may never be able to re pay (figuratively and financially). I owe God a debt that i can repay in following his lead. I owe Justin a debt for straightening my faith, a debt I can never repay. I am so sorry Justin that I failed you and I will try harder. God has a plan for my life and that includes helping Justin and reverse the harm that years of a well meaning christian family has done to him. Today is the first day of the rest of your life and mine.

History Of Father's Day
The United States is one of the few countries in the world that has an official day on which fathers are honored by their children. On the third Sunday in June, fathers all across the United States are given presents, treated to dinner or otherwise made to feel special. .
The origin of Father's Day is not clear. Some say that it began with a church service in West Virginia in 1908. Others say the first Father's Day ceremony was held in Vancouver, Washington.
Regardless of when the first true Father's Day occurred, the strongest promoter of the holiday was Mrs. Bruce John Dodd of Spokane, Washington. She thought of the idea for Father's Day while listening to a Mother's Day sermon in 1909.
Sonora wanted a special day to honor her father, William Smart. Smart, who was a Civil War veteran, was widowed when his wife died while giving birth to their sixth child. Mr. Smart was left to raise the newborn and his other five children by himself on a rural farm in eastern Washington state.
After Sonora became an adult she realized the selflessness her father had shown in raising his children as a single parent. It was her father that made all the parental sacrifices and was, in the eyes of his daughter, a courageous, selfless, and loving man. In 1909, Mrs. Dodd approached her own minister and others in Spokane about having a church service dedicated to fathers on June 5, her father's birthday. That date was too soon for her minister to prepare the service, so he spoke a few weeks later on June 19th. From then on, the state of Washington celebrated the third Sunday in June as Father's Day. Children made special desserts, or visited their fathers if they lived apart.
In early times, wearing flowers was a traditional way of celebrating Father's Day. Mrs. Dodd favored the red rose to honor a father still living, while a white flower honored a deceased dad. J.H. Berringer, who also held Father's Day celebrations in Washington State as early as 1912, chose a white lilac as the Father's Day Flower.
States and organizations began lobbying Congress to declare an annual Father's Day. In 1916, President Woodrow Wilson approved of this idea, but it was not until 1924 when President Calvin Coolidge made it a national event to "establish more intimate relations between fathers and their children and to impress upon fathers the full measure of their obligations." Since then, fathers had been honored and recognized by their families throughout the country on the third Sunday in June.
In 1966 President Lyndon Johnson signed a presidential proclamation declaring the 3rd Sunday of June as Father's Day and put the official stamp on a celebration that was going on for almost half a century.

Luke 15: 11-32


Dad will never say
Top Ten Things You'll Never Hear a Dad Say

10. Well, how 'bout that?... I'm lost! Looks like we'll have to stop and ask for directions.

9. You know Pumpkin, now that you're thirteen, you need these birth control pill, and have fun.

8. I noticed that all your friends have a certain "up yours" attitude ... I like that.

7. Here's a credit card and the keys to my new car -- GO CRAZY.

6. You kids don’t have enough piercing. Make sure you dress in grunge, pierce everything possible, and gage your ear enough for your finger to fit thru.

5. Your Mother and I are going away for the weekend ... you might want to consider throwing a party.

4. Well, I don't know what's wrong with your car. Probably one of those doo-hickey thingies -- you know -- that makes it run or something. Just have it towed to a mechanic and pay whatever he asks.

3. My teenage kids don’t need a curfew.

2. Whaddya wanna go and get a job for? I make plenty of money for you to spend.

1. Father's Day? aahh -- don't worry about that -- it's no big deal.


Worst Fathers Day Gifts


Thong swim suit in pink
Divorce Papers
A Pink Slip - paper or silk - either is BAD news
The kids 'repaired' all your power tools
Louis Kiel swimsuit addition
A paternity test
Tickets to "The Martha Stuart Monologues"
DVD of Disco Dancing
A nipple ring
The kids redecorated your workshop
Abe Vagoda's Enema Jambouree
Martha Stuart Cook Book
Your single daughter is pregnant

A map- real men don’t need maps
Al Gores comedy selections
Pet rock
The clapper
Ebola Beer
New bed complete with white silk scarf and ice-pick holder
From wife: "Honey, I'm pregnant!"
A tie of ANY kind
A shopping spree planned by your wife
Extra Strength Viagra



How does your father stack up? I was on line the other day and googled my dad. One of the sights was for writing emails to your father who has since passed away. You can tell your father why you are mad at him. People tell their fathers how they are mad because he died. Some tell there fathers how mad they are because their fathers were never there for them. Some tell of their fathers abuse towards them. The sorrow is so great, that I could not make it through very many of the letters. The sadness that fathers day brings to some is enormous. I know that my wife has a lot of sorrow when remembering her father. There are fathers out there who don’t deserve to be honored. Some have abandoned their children, some have abused their children, and some are just not very nice.

There are fathers out there who go unnoticed. They are there day in and day out without being noticed. They fulfill their roles by giving their kids everything, but their time. They let their money show their love. There are those who can’t afford to let money show their love, so they give their love and attention. There are some who do both.

Fathers come in all sizes. Big ones, small one, hairy ones, bald ones, handsome ones, ugly ones, smelly ones, cologned ones. There are loud ones and soft ones, there are flamboyant ones, and shy ones. There are ones that pass gas in public, scratch their butts in public, laugh really loud, burp real loud. Some father might even try to embarrass you in public. There are fathers who try to be cool, when they are square. Some of us fathers are dumb, and some are smart. Some of us look like our fathers. ) Samuel Clements ( Mark Twain) once said, “When I was growing up, my father didn’t know anything, and by the time I became an adult, it surprised me how smart my father had become.” My children are quick to tell me how I just don’t understand. Life is soo different now I cannot comprehend anything.



How many fathers out there are single fathers? I lot of attention is placed on the single mom, but how about the single Dad. Since health problem forced me out of the work field, I’ve had to do most of the house chores. It is not easy. My hat is off to the single dad.



Then there is the case of recognition. When a sport figure has a camera placed in his face during a game, what is the first thing he says? Is it, Hi Dad? No, It’s Hi Mom.


Us fathers are proud when the first words that come out of a baby’s mouth is dada. Then doctors are quick to point out that babies call everything dada.



Then there is the first bike ride. There is the father running behind the bike, making sure his child does not fall. When your child is asked who taught them, they say,”I did it myself.”

Let’s talk about the TV dads. In my time, there were show like FATHER KNOWS BEST, MY THREE SONS, AND LEAVE IT TO BEAVER. The father was revered. When he came home the dinner was ready, made by his wife, cooking in a dress. The father was wise. Now you have father figures like, AL BUNDY, HOMER SIMPSON, AND THE FAMILY GUY. Movies portray fathers as unfaithful, pedifials, wife beaters, killers, and men who only care about themselves. If they like sports, they are demonized as lazy couch potatoes. If they help around the house they are called feminine.

If a women wear man clothes, like three piece suits, they are called “professional.” If men wear women clothes…………well lets not go there.

In this new age, it is tough being an all knowing father. Instead of fathers teaching there kids stuff, us fathers have to ask our kids to program our VCRs. I learned computer in college, and was looking forward eagerly to share punch cards, and computer language with my kids. I could bring them down and show them how they managed to squeeze a whole computer in one room. Now I have to ask them how to turn on the computer.

How about discipline from a father. Moms use to say, “wait till your father get home.” That used to install fear in any child. Now days the children response is, Why?. Spanking is illegal, shouting is wrong. When we fathers get home, what are we suppose to do? ……………………………………………….. Fathers have the final say, mom always say, go ask your father. That’s when you hear, Mom said it is alright if it is ok with you………………………………….. Try saying NO……………………………… Why is it that fathers have to explain their answers to their kids. If you answer yes, you are a great father, and if you answer no, you have to answer 100 questions, along with the obligatory, “You just don’t understand, but Mom said it was ok.” Let’s not forget that if you said ok, Mom was hoping you would say no, and now you are in deep…………………

The ten commandment state, Honor your father and your mother. I guess we need to put an asterisk next to it. Colossians 3:18-21. WIVES, SUBMIT TO YOUR HUSBANDS, AS IT IS FITTING IN THE LORD. HUSBANDS LOVE YOUR WIVES AND DO NOT BE HARSH TO THEM. CHILDREN OBEY YOUR PARENTS IN EVERYTHING, FOR THIS PLEASES THE LORD. FATHERS, DO NOT EMBITTER YOUR CHILDREN OR THEY WILL BECOME DISCOURAGED. Now according to Paul, we can’t “pick” on our children or they will become discouraged.

One of my children asked me, “since they have Mothers day and Fathers day, why don’t they have childrens day? What? 363 days of the year is not enough?

What’s this about “The Look”. Every father is suppose to have one. Moms don’t have the look, only fathers.

All kidding aside, I love being a father. The rewards may be few and far between, but they are the greatest rewards. The simple, Thanks Dad, youre the greatest, or I love you PAPA. Our when your child sticks up for you in an argument.





Let me tell you about my father. He was a father of six kids and worked very hard. I remember all the things that we did together

I loved sports. I spent hours throwing the ball against the garage door, because my dad didn’t like baseball. I spent hours shooting baskets by myself because my dad didn’t like basketball. The hours we could have spent hunting if my father liked to hunt, which he didn’t. We did spend some time fishing. For hours we sat in a rowboat in the middle of Green Lake waiting for the bobber to sink. Dad told me to keep quiet to as not to scare the fish. He did let me carry his clubs a few times on the golf course while he played with his friends. My mom taught me how to play golf. I was so proud when I played on sports teams, only to look in the stands and not see my dad. He was away working. When my mom had the time, she would be there.

I loved music. My dad was tone deaf, so he said. He did buy me a clarienet and we did have a piano in the house. He paid for the piano lessons. He got up with me at 6 oclock in the morning to make sure I practiced. He was there for some of my concerts, but I overheard him telling my mom that he would rather be somewhere else. Later in life ,when I had to go to these concerts, I understood.


My father was part of an era where fathers did not express their emotions. Getting a hug from my dad was very difficult. My fathers left the raising of the kids to my mom.

You know, I had the greatest Dad in the world when I was growing up. My Dad was there for me in many other ways. He supported the way my mom raised us. His job forced him to travel, but I always remember the candy bars he brought. My father bought me the things I needed, not just what I wanted. My father took the time to sit down and talk with me. When I got in trouble at school for fighting, my father stood up for me when he found out it was in self defense.

My father never raised his hand against his wife or his kids. My father never fooled around. My father didn’t have a foul tongue. When I would get hurt, guess who was there?

My father and I never saw eye to eye. Even though I was named after him, I felt that I was the least loved. In a family of Six kids, I was the “middle child. I was younger than three siblings by 2years, and older then my two youngest brothers by 5 years. Being named after your father was not easy. I felt that he had to go out of his way not to show favoritism. If my father said that something was blue, I would say it was red, just to be different. My father and I argued over the smallest of things. My Mom would say it was because we were so much alike, which would make me even madder. I would cringe when people would say that I looked and sounded just like my dad. I wanted to be different. Then my Mom would side with my dad, so I would be mad at her.

I got the hand me downs from my older brother, and my two younger brothers got new clothes. My curfew were stricter (in my mind) than anyone else’s. I got in trouble if I picked on my older sister or my younger brothers. As I grew older, my father and I drew farther apart, and my Mom stopped being the peace maker.

The summer after I turned 18, I moved out of the house. I enrolled in Grand Rapid Junior College and lived with my brother in an apartment. I had a job and went to school for two years. My brother went into the service, and I moved back home. I got a full time job and was saving my money up to go away to school.

One Saturday morning, I was sleeping in my room downstairs, my father was playing golf, I thought I heard my Mom laughing upstairs. As I slowly woke up, I realized that she was crying. I rushed upstairs to find he collapsed on the bathroom floor. She was unconscious, but breathing. I picked her up and carried her to the bedroom. I called my sister, who was a nurse and on duty, to ask what to do. I had done everything you could do for a person who had fainted, and nothing was working. I called the golf course and was fortunate to get my father, who rushed home. My father and I attempted to move her to the car to take her to the hospital, but she was in to much pain and moving in and out of consciousness. We called the ambulance, which took her to the hospital. She remained in the hospital for 6 weeks, in a comma, with a brain aneurysm, until she passed away. During this time, my father and I became reacquainted. He shared with me things he had never shared before. I learned more about him in 6 weeks, then I had learned about him in 21 + years. When my father remarried, I was his best man.

I went back to college, to finish my degree, and ended up getting a job as a sales rep for a national paint company, just like my Dad. When I was tranfered to New York where I met my wife, my father was very proud. When my son was born, I called him Don, my father was proud again. I moved to Midland Michigan with another paint company, and again my father was proud. Then I excepted a job with the same company that my father worked for, and he was even more proud, even though we had to move to Indianapolis. He enjoyed visiting his grandchildren when he could. Soon after he retired, I was fired. He spent much time talking with me, and helping me thru the tough times. When job opened up in Muskegon, I took it. It was a chance to move home, I took it. I had chances to play golf and my kids could see their grandparents more often. My father had also become a father to my wife, who’s father was abusive and couldn’t care less.

My father and I don’t talk anymore. My father doesn’t even know who I am. He never calls me on the phone. When I visit him, he doesn’t even speak to me. As much as I try to talk with him, he ignores me. I tell him that I love him. And he does not answer. There are times when I wish my father would die, and yet I love him very much. My father left without saying goodbye. My father had Alzheimer disease. He would sits in a wheelchair, oblivious to his surroundings. He would still smiles, but his mind left a while ago. He might recognize his wife once in a while, but that is usually fleeting. He still could pray, and recognized hymns once in a while.

I was wrong when I said that my father and I don’t talk anymore. When I would sit with him and hold his hand, great memories came back. I know that somewhere behind that blank stare is my Dad. We conversed all the time, though no words are spoken. My memories are of a father who loved me very much, and I almost missed out on it. He doesn’t need to say one word to me, because he already has given me more then I deserve. It took a while for me to come around, but now I hear his voice wherever I go. My father is so intelligent, and I was too dumb to see it. My Dad never pushed me into anything, or threatened me if I did wrong. My fathers love to me is unconditional. It transcends disease, and death. His love is always, and will always be there. This is what I think of everyday, not just fathers day.

My heavenly fathers love to me is the same. It was established long ago, waiting for me to embrace it. It is waiting for you also, if you desire to except it. There are no strings attached, no group to join, and no one else to impress. This father has a fathers day once a week, but will accept your gifts any day. This father has given you more then you deserve. There is one string attached. You have to meet him halfway.

Yes, EVERYONE HAS A FATHER.

Thank you father, and by the way, HAPPY FATHERS DAY.

Timeline of Bible Translation History. I have put this togather incorportating my studies, Justins Comentary and I can best remember. Let me know if I missed anything.
1,400 BC: The first written Word of God: The Ten Commandments delivered to Moses.
500 BC: Completion of All Original Hebrew Manuscripts which make up The 39 Books of the Old Testament.
200 BC: Completion of the Septuagint Greek Manuscripts which contain The 39 Old Testament Books AND 14 Apocrypha Books.
1st Century AD: Completion of All Original Greek Manuscripts which make up The 27 Books of the New Testament.
315 AD: Athenasius, the Bishop of Alexandria, identifies the 27 books of the New Testament which are today recognized as the canon of scripture.
382 AD: Jerome's Latin Vulgate Manuscripts Produced which contain All 80 Books (39 Old Test. + 14 Apocrypha + 27 New Test).
500 AD: Scriptures have been Translated into Over 500 Languages.
600 AD: LATIN was the Only Language Allowed for Scripture.
995 AD: Anglo-Saxon (Early Roots of English Language) Translations of The New Testament Produced.
1384 AD: Wycliffe is the First Person to Produce a (Hand-Written) manuscript Copy of the Complete Bible; All 80 Books.
1455 AD: Gutenberg Invents the Printing Press; Books May Now be mass-Produced Instead of Individually Hand-Written. The First Book Ever Printed is Gutenberg's Bible in Latin.
1516 AD: Erasmus Produces a Greek/Latin Parallel New Testament.
1522 AD: Martin Luther's German New Testament.
1526 AD: William Tyndale's New Testament; The First New Testament printed in the English Language.
1535 AD: Myles Coverdale's Bible; The First Complete Bible printed in the English Language (80 Books: O.T. & N.T. & Apocrypha).
1537 AD: Tyndale-Matthews Bible; The Second Complete Bible printed in English. Done by John "Thomas Matthew" Rogers (80 Books).
1539 AD: The "Great Bible" Printed; The First English Language Bible Authorized for Public Use (80 Books).
1560 AD: The Geneva Bible Printed; The First English Language Bible to add Numbered Verses to Each Chapter (80 Books).
1568 AD: The Bishops Bible Printed; The Bible of which the King James was a Revision (80 Books).
1609 AD: The Douay Old Testament is added to the Rheims New Testament (of 1582) Making the First Complete English Catholic Bible; Translated from the Latin Vulgate (80 Books).
1611 AD: The King James Bible Printed; Originally with All 80 Books. The Apocrypha was Officially Removed in 1885 Leaving Only 66 Books.
1782 AD: Robert Aitken's Bible; The First English Language Bible (KJV) Printed in America.
1791 AD: Isaac Collins and Isaiah Thomas Respectively Produce the First Family Bible and First Illustrated Bible Printed in America. Both were King James Versions, with All 80 Books.
1808 AD: Jane Aitken's Bible (Daughter of Robert Aitken); The First Bible to be Printed by a Woman.
1833 AD: Noah Webster's Bible; After Producing his Famous Dictionary, Webster Printed his Own Revision of the King James Bible.
1841 AD: English Hexapla New Testament; an Early Textual Comparison showing the Greek and 6 Famous English Translations in Parallel Columns.
1846 AD: The Illuminated Bible; The Most Lavishly Illustrated Bible printed in America. A King James Version, with All 80 Books.
1885 AD: The "English Revised Version" Bible; The First Major English Revision of the KJV.
1901 AD: The "American Standard Version"; The First Major American Revision of the KJV.
1971 AD: The "New American Standard Bible" (NASB) is Published as a "Modern and Accurate Word for Word English Translation" of the Bible.
1973 AD: The "New International Version" (NIV) is Published as a "Modern and Accurate Phrase for Phrase English Translation" of the Bible.
1982 AD: The "New King James Version" (NKJV) is Published as a "Modern English Version Maintaining the Original Style of the King James."
2002 AD: The English Standard Version (ESV) is Published as a translation to bridge the gap between the accuracy of the NASB and the readability of the NIV.
Old Testament
The following are brief snap shots of the beginning and ending of the Old Testament and the reasons for the first two translations of the Old Testament from Hebrew into Aramaic and Greek
• 1875 B.C. Abraham was called by God to the land of Canaan.
• 1450 B.C. The exodus of the Children of Israel from Egypt.
Autographs
There are no known autographs of any books of the Old Testament. Below is a list of the languages in which the Old Testament books were written.
• 1450-1400 B.C. The traditional date for Moses' writing of Genesis-Deuteronomy written in Hebrew.
• 586 B.C. Jerusalem was destroyed by the Babylonian king Nebuchadnezzar. The Jews were taken into captivity to Babylon. They remained in Babylon under the Medo-Persian Empire and there began to speak Aramaic.
• 555-545 B.C. The Book of Daniel Chapters. 2:4 to 7:28 were written in Aramaic.
• 425 B.C. Malachi, the last book of the Old Testament, was written in Hebrew.
• 400 B.C. Ezra Chapters. 4:8 to 6:18; and 7:12-26 were written in Aramaic.
Manuscripts
The following is a list of the oldest Hebrew manuscripts of the Old Testament that are still in existence.
• The Dead Sea Scrolls: date from 200 B.C. - 70 A.D. and contain the entire book of Isaiah and portions of every other Old Testament book but Esther.
• Geniza Fragments: portions the Old Testament in Hebrew and Aramaic, discovered in 1947 in an old synagogue in Cairo, Egypt, which date from about 400 A.D.
• Ben Asher Manuscripts: five or six generations of this family made copies of the Old Testament using the Masoretic Hebrew text, from 700-950 A.D. The following are examples of the Hebrew Masoretic text-type.
o Aleppo Codex: contains the complete Old Testament and is dated around 950 A.D. Unfortunately over one quarter of this Codex was destroyed in anti-Jewish riots in 1947.
o Codex Leningradensis: The complete Old Testament in Hebrew copied by the last member of the Ben Asher family in A.D. 1008.
Translations
The Old Testament was translated very early into Aramaic and Greek.
• 400 B.C. The Old Testament began to be translated into Aramaic. This translation is called the Aramaic Targums. This translation helped the Jewish people, who began to speak Aramaic from the time of their captivity in Babylon, to understand the Old Testament in the language that they commonly spoke. In the first century Palestine of Jesus' day, Aramaic was still the commonly spoken language. For example maranatha: "Our Lord has come," 1 Corinthians 16:22 is an example of an Aramaic word that is used in the New Testament.
• 250 B.C. The Old Testament was translated into Greek. This translation is known as the Septuagint. It is sometimes designated "LXX" (which is Roman numeral for "70") because it was believed that 70 to 72 translators worked to translate the Hebrew Old Testament in Greek. The Septuagint was often used by New Testament writers when they quoted from the Old Testament. The LXX was translation of the Old Testament that was used by the early Church.

1. The following is a list of the oldest Greek LXX translations of the Old Testament that are still in existence.
o Chester Beatty Papyri: Contains nine Old Testament Books in the Greek Septuagint and dates between 100-400 A.D.
o Codex Vaticanus and Codex Sinaiticus each contain almost the entire Old Testament of the Greek Septuagint and they both date around 350 A.D.
The New Testament
Autographs
45- 95 A.D. The New Testament was written in Greek. The Pauline Epistles, the Gospel of Mark, the Gospel of Luke, and the book of Acts are all dated from 45-63 A.D. The Gospel of John and the Revelation may have been written as late as 95 A.D.
Manuscripts
There are over 5,600 early Greek Manuscripts of the New Testament that are still in existence. The oldest manuscripts were written on papyrus and the later manuscripts were written on leather called parchment.
• 125 A.D. The New Testament manuscript which dates most closely to the original autograph was copied around 125 A.D, within 35 years of the original. It is designated "p 52" and contains a small portion of John 18. (The "p" stands for papyrus.)
• 200 A.D. Bodmer p 66 a papyrus manuscript which contains a large part of the Gospel of John.
• 200 A.D. Chester Beatty Biblical papyrus p 46 contains the Pauline Epistles and Hebrews.
• 225 A.D. Bodmer Papyrus p 75 contains the Gospels of Luke and John.
• 250-300 A.D. Chester Beatty Biblical papyrus p 45 contains portions of the four Gospels and Acts.
• 350 A.D. Codex Sinaiticus contains the entire New Testament and almost the entire Old Testament in Greek. It was discovered by a German scholar Tisendorf in 1856 at an Orthodox monastery at Mt. Sinai.
• 350 A.D. Codex Vaticanus: {B} is an almost complete New Testament. It was cataloged as being in the Vatican Library since 1475.
Translations
Early translations of the New Testament can give important insight into the underlying Greek manuscripts from which they were translated from.
• 180 A.D. Early translations of the New Testament from Greek into Latin, Syriac, and Coptic versions began about 180 A.D.
• 195 A.D. The name of the first translation of the Old and New Testaments into Latin was termed Old Latin, both Testaments having been translated from the Greek. Parts of the Old Latin were found in quotes by the church father Tertullian, who lived around 160-220 A.D. in north Africa and wrote treatises on theology.
• 300 A.D. The Old Syriac was a translation of the New Testament from the Greek into Syriac.
• 300 A.D. The Coptic Versions: Coptic was spoken in four dialects in Egypt. The Bible was translated into each of these four dialects.
• 380 A.D. The Latin Vulgate was translated by St. Jerome. He translated into Latin the Old Testament from the Hebrew and the New Testament from Greek. The Latin Vulgate became the Bible of the Western Church until the Protestant Reformation in the 1500's. It continues to be the authoritative translation of the Roman Catholic Church to this day. The Protestant Reformation saw an increase in translations of the Bible into the common languages of the people.
• Other early translations of the Bible were in Armenian, Georgian, and Ethiopic, Slavic, and Gothic.
• 1380 A.D. The first English translation of the Bible was by John Wycliffe. He translated the Bible into English from the Latin Vulgate. This was a translation from a translation and not a translation from the original Hebrew and Greek. Wycliffe was forced to translate from the Latin Vulgate because he did not know Hebrew or Greek.
In the 1380s, John Wycliffe translated the first English Bible which inspired an English religious revolution which caused persecutions against him by the Catholic Church.
In the early 1500's the German heretic, Martin Luther, almost single handedly caused the final split from the Roman Catholic church and created the beginnings of the Protestant revolution. This split still influences violence to this day. He translated the Bible into German which further spread Protestantism. Luther also helped spread anti-Semitism with his preaching and books such as his "The Jews and their lies," all supported through >his interpretation of the Bible. One should not forget that Hitler (when a Christian and great admirer of Luther) and his holocaust could not have occurred without his influence and the support of Bible believing German Christians. This should no way be confused as the reason for the Holocaust or Nazi belief.
In the 1530s William Tyndale completed his version of the English Protestant Bible (probably with the aid of Luther) and the first to print the English Bible. He too felt the persecution of the Church and he spent his last days in imprisonment and exile. His enemies finally caught him and burned him at the stake, but because of his celebrity, they strangled him first (what nice guys!).
After Luther's German Bible, others followed suit by translating the Bible into their native languages including Dutch and French. Not until 1611 C.E. did a committee of translators and interpreters complete the most popular Bible of all time, the King James Version.
Today we still have dozens of Bible translation versions, with Bible scholars still arguing over the meaning and proper translations of words and phrases. The following shows just a few of the most popular versions:
King James Version (KJV)
The New King James Version (NKJV)
Modern King James Version [Green's Translation] (MKJV)
Literal Translation Version [Green] (LITV)
International Standard Version (ISV)
The New International Version (NIV)
English Standard Version (ESV)
New English Bible (NEB)
American Standard Version (ASV)
New American Standard Bible (NASB)
Revised Standard Version (RSV)
New Revised Standard Version (NRSV) Contemporary English Version (CEV)
Today's English Version (TEV)
The Living Bible (LB)
New Century Version (NC)
New Life Version (NLV)
New Living Translation (NLT)
Young's Literal Translation (YLT)
Revised Young's Literal Translation (RYLT)
John Darby's New Translation
Weymouth New Testament Translation
Rotherham's

Bible Basics - Versions / Translations
All pages and information copyright 1996 Net Ministries, Inc.

Early Christians following the example of Jesus and the apostles, accepted the Old Testament writings as inspired and authoritative scripture. They used the Greek Septuagint version of the Old Testament. Latin translations of this became available late in the second century. Other works such as the 'Wisdom of Solomon', and 'Ecclesiasticus' were also used at times. Later, Christian congregations began to appreciate the writings of Paul, and the other apostles. The first complete 'gospels' or life of Jesus didn't appear until around 60 A.D., but collections of sermons and writings were partly available some time before this. After the 'canonization' of the Bible as we know it (see the Old Testament and New Testament sections for more information) were formed, the Bible had taken shape. There are no original manuscripts of any of the books of the Bible in existance today. Many of the handwritten texts in Greek however are available from these early times. The earliest complete manuscript of the New Testament, is the Codex Sinaiticus which dates from about the fourth century. Less complete manuscripts date as far back as the late second century or about 130 A.D.. There are more copies of scripture and manuscripts available from the earliest times for the Bible than any other ancient writings. From the many numerous manuscripts available, scholars try to achieve the most complete and accurate wording of the books of the Bible into modern languages. The earliest translations of the New Testament were the Syriac, Latin, and Coptic versions. These translations were not as good as some more modern translations since the translators did not appear to have a good command of the original languages, such as Greek.
Throughout the Middle Ages, the Bible was known almost exclusively in Latin known as the Vulgate. The Jews were the first to print the Old Testament in Hebrew (the original language) in 1488. About 1514, the Greek text of the New Testament was printed, although it was not widely released. The first widely released Greek New Testament was printed by Froben with the text work completed by Erasmus about 1516. This became known as Erasmus' New Testament and underwent many improvements and editions. Meanwhile, the Latin version known as the Vulgate continued and was confirmed by the Council on Trent in 1546, although it continued to have revisions and improvements to accuracy.
With the invention of printing, the circulation of the Bible expanded rapidly. With the Reformation, the wish to have the Bible available in people's own language became stronger. One such early work was the 'Luther Bible' written in German. The 'Reformers' did not accept the Apocrypha as scripture and did not include it in their versions of the Bible. The first French Bible appeared about 1523 and at first only contained the New Testament, but was followed a few years later by the Old Testament.
The pioneer of the English Bible is William Tyndale who published the New Testament in 1525. Complete Bibles appeared as early as 1535 such as Miles Coverdale's edition. Thomas Cromwell had the Matthew Bible another English version of the time revised by Coverdale to become the Great Bible in 1539. It is interesting to note that about 90 percent of Tyndale's original translation made it into the King James Version that we know today. King James had sponsored a new translation of the Bible at request of the Puritans in 1604. It appeared in 1611, but apparently drew heavily on previous translations.
Today there are many translations, each claiming a special merit to accuracy to the original Greek, or wording to make it more understandable to an intended audience. Frequently it is necessary to look at multiple translations and versions of particular passages to establish the true meaning. Most all the modern translations publishers have sites on Internet which may be explored. A great site to compare passages is the WWW Bible Gateway. This is why you can't wrap christianity into one neat package. The bottom line is faith, pure and simple, and not as complicated.