I am so encouraged for America as it truly is the land of opportunity for everyone and anyone. I am also encouraged by the fact that a great lie has been broken by the election of Barak Obama to the highest office in the land. Race must ever again be used to set limits for people, be it self imposed or otherwise.

I believe ALL men should be treated with honor and respect regardless of position or rank. I am excited by the fact that America has shown the world that anything is possible if you pursue you dream regardless of skin color, regardless of self imposed or culturally imposed limits.

Racial prejudice in any form is evil but just as evil is the dis-empowering lie that racism is everywhere and behind everything a person does. That lie is pervasive in the world. It is in essence defeatist and an excuse for unjust and immoral behavior. It breads anger and resentment on all sides of the race spectrum. The only way to defeat a lie is to replace it with the truth. Thank God for another nail in the coffin of racism.

Does racism exist – yes. Can it be defeated? Yes, if we are willing to dis-empower the lie with the truth.

For every area of my life that doesn’t glisten with hope means I have an ungodly stronghold in my life and mind. It is a lie that I have empowered through my conscious and unconscious agreement and belief. Every time I agree with the lie, the lie grows and starts to become a self fulfilling prophecy. At the root of that lie is an incorrect belief about who God is and what God does. It is an incorrect perception of who I am and who I was created to be. If we can replace the core lies we believe with the truth of who God is and who He says we are our lives will certainly change accordingly.

Ephesians 4:20-24 (New American Standard Bible)

But you did not learn Christ in this way, if indeed you have heard Him and have been taught in Him, just as truth is in Jesus, that, in reference to your former manner of life, you lay aside the old self, which is being corrupted in accordance with the lusts of deceit, and that you be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and put on the new self, which in the likeness of God has been created in righteousness and holiness of the truth.

The Bible also says it this way “According to your faith, so be it” (Matthew 8:13) So what you believe you empower.

Reality Check : I choose to believe in the truth of Who God calls me not what my past experiences define me as. Faith is the evidence of things not seen (Heb 11:1). Our “evidence” for things being true is not our circumstances, but God’s promises.

We don’t deny negative facts in our lives, but we choose to focus on a higher reality: God’s truth.

Faith indeed comes by hearing (Romans 10:17); therefore, we choose to speak these powerful truths to build our own faith and eventually your circumstances will change to reflect your beliefs based on the truth.

Have I personally attained it, honestly, I am a work in progress.

Tags: Barak Obama, empowered, faith, higher reality, hope, Racial prejudice, racism, truth, ungodly

A story on CNN got my attention today. Atheist Michael Newdow has filed suit to remove the phrase “So Help me God” from the presidential inauguration. He is also opposed to a Christian performing the invocation. Not very “Tolerant” now is it.

Newdow said references to God during inauguration ceremonies violate the constitution’s ban on the establishment of religion.

What I don’t understand is the fact that, by definition, atheist groups deny the existence of God yet serve their own God Atheism. I will explain more later in this post.

First off to me atheism is a bit of an oxymoron. To deny the existence of God one would need to consider the possibility that God exists. That very act I feel denies atheism. One would then need to examine the evidence for the existence of God and against to come to the informed conclusion that God does not exist.

To outright deny the existence of God would in essence show itself to be an uninformed narrow minded decision. Anyway I have it on good authority that God does not believe in atheists.

Secondly, religion is defined by dictionary.com as a body of persons adhering to a particular set of beliefs and practices.

Therefore by definition an atheist belongs to the religion of atheism. By demanding the removal of In God We Trust or so help me God from the constitution, currency or from the inauguration on the basis that it is discriminatory towards atheism is, in essence, elevating one religious belief above that of another and as such is against the constitution.

The establishment clause in the constitution has generally been interpreted to prohibit the establishment of a national religion by Congress, or the preference of one religion over another, or the support of a religious idea with no identifiable secular purpose.

Lets look at some word definitions. These were found at dictionary dot com.

God is defined as;
1. A person or thing deified and honored as the chief good;
2. An object of supreme regard. One that is worshiped, idealized, or followed
3. To regard or treat as a god; deify; idolize

To idolize is defined as;
1. to regard with blind adoration, devotion, etc.
2. To worship as a god.

To Worship can be defined as the object of adoring reverence or regard.

Looking at the above definitions it could be said that atheism (a set of beliefs and paradigms honored and given high regard to) is it’s own God being idolized and worshiped by atheists.

As such the secular view of in God we trust does not violate those beliefs rather is inclusive of those beliefs. An atheist trusting in the god of Atheism is not discriminated against in the use of the term in God We Trust.

Reality Check: I am a follower of Jesus and I respect the fact that people may not have encountered Jesus yet. Jesus is not a religion. He is a person, the very son of God. I worship, adore and follow the Son of God. Jesus is not intimidated by the other so called God’s there will come a day where every knee will bow and confess that he is the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. He is almighty and powerful and fully able to reveal himself to those who are earnestly seeking to find the truth.

I choose to be in relationship with him, to be loved by him, to be led by him and to obedient out of love not religious duty.

It is an awesome adventure that will cost you everything but you get so much more in return.

Tags: Atheist, constitution, establishment clause, Michael Newdow, presidential inauguration, So Help me God

Ok we are in the middle of a bathroom renovation project. I am sitting in a 53 degree house, dust everywhere, trying to catch up on email and some other tasks. We have been staying out at the In laws farm where I have no internet access.
Talk about withdrawals. Twitter, facebook, blogs etc have become so much of my daily routine that being without it has been both refreshing but also feeling so disconnected.
I pray there are no delays in the renovation I miss my internet.
The good news is that the farm will soon be getting high speed net which will assist me in getting my internet fix when we are out there. Sad isn’t it!!!

Tags: bathroom renovation, internet

Living in Southeast Missouri, otherwise known as the Bootheel provides its fair share of challenges and opportunities. Cape Girardeau provides a unique blend of both urban and rural environment. Situated along the mighty Mississippi River it is to my knowledge the only inland Cape in the world. It is also the hometown of radio personality Rush Limbaugh.

Cape Girardeau is a vibrant college town and is the home of Southeast Missouri State University. Although it is the largest city in Cape Girardeau County, the county seat is actually located in the city of Jackson.

With the current economic situation in the country there have been a number of announcements regarding cutbacks in spending. The economy is not only affecting the housing market but is also affecting educational and social institutions. The battle against meth took a hit with the budget cutbacks this week when the police departments grant was not renewed due to budget constraints.

With all this negative news it is not hard to get dispondent. Well there is a ray of hope for people who are burdened by debt.
What if there is a legitimate and proven system to reduce a person’s debt burden? With United First Financial people are shedding the excess burden of debt. In one case a client is scheduled to pay off over $75 000 dollars in debt and student loans in 2.7 years. What is stunning is he was able to do this with $1 in discretionary income in conjunction with the Money Merge Account(R) program by United First Financial(R) . Sound unbelievable!!!

Well find out for yourself. United First Financial is winning awards and industry recognition both nationally and internationally for the power of its financial tool called the money merge account. See the latest issue of Success from Home magazine of how the company is changing the financial future of clients all over North America.

United First Financial changing the financial landscape of America featured in Success from Home magazine

Do not let budget cuts destroy your dreams. For current students or potential students at SEMO (Southeast Missouri State University) who would like to earn an income while they study and/or potentially pay for their tuition before leaving college, feel free to contact me and find out the awesome opportunity available to you.

The only person in the way of you achieving your dreams could just be you.

Don’t just rely on scholarships and grants, some of which will probably disappear shortly, become proactive and create your own success. We offer exceptional training and you get to decide how much time and energy you want to invest and what you want to achieve.

If you are an entrepreneur and are looking for an opportunity to start and run your own business check out my website for agent opportunities.

Tags: budget cuts, Cape Girardeau, entrepreneur, pay for their tuition, scholarships and grants, SEMO, SouthEast Missouri State University