THOUGHTS AT THREE A.M.

HOW LATE NIGHT T.V. IS LIKE GOING TO CHURCH!

Oh,I'm going to get razzed for this one, but then,stranger things have occurred to me at 3 a.m.! So, here goes.I know I have made it abundantly clear that I have church three times a week,and I watch late night talk shows. Namely, Jay Leno, for his wit, Headlines,and Jay walking: and Craig Ferguson for his honest wit, and things like, "Welcome back, my naughty little donkeys!" and the sound of a whip cracking!

At first glance, you would think that late night talk shows and church have nothing in common. But if you pick it apart, you will find there is more alike than you thought.

The warm up, while you are coming into church and getting settled, is music that brings you into the presence of the Lord. It puts you into the mood to receive his word.

The warm up for the late night talk show is done off camera, before they are on the air, but the purpose is the same. They tell those gathered there what is expected of them when the cameras are rolling ,and though the majority of the words that will be spread are foolishness,there is that kernel of truth,but with a spin of fun in it; but sometimes the spin is the truth, and can be deadly serious.

Then, the main speaker comes out. All eyes are on him, and he holds the audience in rapt attention. He speaks of daily life,and uses examples of current affairs that help you to understand more fully what is really happening. Sometimes you laugh, and sometimes you are saddened by what is said,but usually by the time he is finished, your spirits are lifted.

Then, the talk show takes a commercial break, and the church takes the tithes and offerings. You go to the kitchen for a snack,and the church has the communion, or the Lord's supper.

Then the show or the service resumes, and the talk show has their guests to come out and talk. Those who are promoting their new movie have clips, and talk about exciting things that happened on the set.

The church has those who wish to come up and testify, of healing, deliverance, or a miracle of salvation. Visiting missionaries come and talk about the places they have been,and sometimes they have films or clips from far away places,and pictures of churches they have helped to build,and even bring people with them who were pagans when they arrived,and got saved and are now preachers or missionaries themselves.

And finally, both end the experience with the "Special Song".

However, the difference here is, the song is the closing of the show, but in church, the song draws those who need prayer to the altar.

Anyone drawn to the singer when the talk show is ended usually just gets an autograph, if they are lucky,and that is the end of it. I might recall a joke, or a line that was funny, but for the most part, it was just time filled, until the next show.

But when you are drawn to the altar,and you kneel in prayer,and you are sincere, you make a connection. There is a timelessness about that touch from God, that nothing can duplicate. No matter what you have to say to the Lord,he is there, and he is listening,and if you are open to him,you can't help but get up with a feeling of peace and serenity,and an innate sense that everything is going to work out alright.

And so, although the formats seem to be quite similar, I guess that is the real difference. I am fond of Jay and Craig. They both seem like decent men, and for the most part, I enjoy hearing what they have to say,but when they are done, I don't feel as though I have learned anything.

But I Love God, and Love hearing a spirit-filled preacher saying,"If you have your bibles,open with me please to...;  and he opens up the word of God,and makes the time you are studying come alive! These were real people,and God interacted with them,and it was all written down so that we would be able to understand that what was done with them were to be used as examples for us to bring us knowledge, thus helping us to make good choices in our daily lives. Time spent in a church like that helps you to come away with a feeling that you have learned something to make your life happier,and that is never a waste of time.

Most of us may never go before the Judge that jailed Paris Hilton...twice.

But all of us will go before THE JUDGE,and have to make account for our lives,and how we spent the gift of life that he gave us. I for one am glad that I understand that he is the same, yesterday, today,and forever,and if I repent of my sins,and ask forgiveness, he is faithful and just to forgive. To some, eternity is the unknown,and I don't blame them for being frightened of death. That's why I want to learn all I can about the Lord,and what to expect, because knowledge is power.

And from all I have learned, heaven is a beautiful place.

OUI?

THE " GOSPEL" ACCORDING TO JUDAS??

Two men were on the Today show this morning,talking about  a book called the Gospel according to Judas.They are novelist Jeffery Archer,and Professor/ Biblical scholar, Francis Moloney (rhymes with baloney),whom when Archer went to Rome and asked for a Biblical Scholar to help him, this is who was supposed to guide him in making his work, believable, and was told whatever he writes, it's got to be possible. This novel, otherwise known as the fifth Gospel,reportedly debunks much of what we know about Judas,including the thirty pieces of silver,and even the notion that Judas committed suicide. Apparently, they even go so far as to suggest that Jesus didn't turn water into wine, or walk on water.

Well! I don't care if Moloney, (Rhymes with baloney) was wearing a Roman collar or not. They can write their lies until their fingers bleed,and they are still not going to convince me that Jesus Christ wasn't the son of God, and I am certainly not going to plunk down my thirty pieces of silver to buy a book that says my Bible is wrong! Whatever their claims, I can only point them to the prophetic words of St. John the Divine, as he closed out the canon of scripture with these words;

"If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book.." rev.22:18

Have a care, sirs. You are treading on dangerous, dangerous ground!

OUI?

It's been published in eight languages,and hits the stores this month.

I CAN'T HELP IT...I GET STIRRED UP!!

At the risk of repeating myself, Oh, what a beautiful morning!It's stopped snowing, and the terrible wind has died down, and the sun is out,and we had a really nice breakfast,and it was over in plenty of time so that we weren't late for church. Even though neither I nor Yon son were feeling very well, we determined to be there for The Lord's Supper, which we have every first Sunday of the Month,and as usual, I felt much better for it,and Oh, our preacher was in such good form today, I really enjoyed his preaching! He always has some personal anecdote to enhance his story,relevant to the point,that tells us more about him and/or his family, leading up to how he or his family got saved, something all of us could relate to, because Jesus did the same thing for all of us, and there is always time, during the service for us to rejoice and praise God...because he always gets a little carried away, shouting Glory to God! And, you can't help it! If you love the Lord,and you're in a service where the preacher gets all happy and starts shouting Glory! You're going to get all happy and start shouting Glory! too! And it just follows the shouting and the joy, as the wind follows the rain, that the moving and operation of the Holy Spirit is manifest when there is a whole room full of joy-filled souls lifting their voices in love to God in a spontaneous outburst!

Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, what a beautiful morning! I can't hardly wait until this evenings service!

OUI?

THE MIRACLE BOOK!!

This book didn't even start out on paper. It began as a family history, carved into a wooden staff. As each child was born, or each family member died, their name and their deeds were cut into the wood,and each successive generation was taught to read it,memorize,and recite it. Finally, of course, it became to big for the staff,and was carefully transferred to paper-like scrolls, and papyrus and ink. As the family grew to be greater and larger,new writers came along, and took up the staff---the scrolls were carefully preserved,and sealed in air-tight containers. And still the book grew. Each new generation was taught the skills to carry on,along with learning the family history, and then,faithfully adding to it. Everything they did, whether it was good or bad, was written down, and without them even being aware of it, the book took on a pattern. For those who did the right things, there was a sign upon their lives of goodness following them. And for those who chose to do evil things, the evil seemed to visit their children as well. But throughout the ages, there were good men and women, and not so good men and women, and the family thrived, or started to die out accordingly. But there came a time, when, as a whole, the family grew so large, they forgot they were a family and they began to consider themselves "tribes".The tribes followed one God, for ever so long, until at last there came a time when they no longer followed him,but they scattered their worship, and became scattered in their lands as well, and still, they kept the tradition of keeping, the book. Some became nomads, who wandered around, not knowing where they belonged, or who the God of their fathers was. Some fell into traps, and became slaves. Not just once or twice, but time and time again. and still, they kept the book, and felt deep down inside a yearning for a way, and a place that for some would have been long forgotten, but because of the staff, or the scrolls, or the papyrus, new generations would turn back to the old ways, and then they would be brought back into their own lands,and begin again to fulfill the old traditions. Then God took an interest in them, and began to send prophets to tell them what he wanted them to do, and gave them a law to live by, that their lives would be long and happy upon the land. Sometimes they did it, and sometimes, they didn't,and it was all written down,dutifully, for the future generations to read about and learn from,as examples of how to live happy,long productive lives,and conversely, what sort of actions cause people to live unhappily disastrous lives,and slowly they began to understand that if they listened to the prophets, things went well, and if they didn't listen, or they stoned the prophets to death so that God could not communicate with them, and lead and guide them, things didn't go well at all. This took hundreds,perhaps thousands of years, but at long last, they began to revere the prophets,and follow their leading, and the family began to settle down and build great cities ,with nice homes,and farms and everyone began to see that taking care of each other worked out better for everyone than before when all anyone did was fight to have things their own way.  Then, after a gap of some six hundred years, a whole new perspective of that very same book began. In this new way, the authors focused on just one linear branch,one single blood line,following  the Davidic ancestors,and descendants,leading up to the promised "golden child." It is in this part of the book that the promise made hundreds of years before was fulfilled! Fascinatingly enough, this part is filled with as many twists and turns as any New York Times best-seller list of murder mysteries. From a suspicious husband-to-be dealing with a pregnant girl friend,to a sudden birth of the child in less than desirable surroundings, to the threat of a powerful man who sends his thugs out to kill that child,and ends up killing all other babies in the area, as the terrified family flees the country to save the child! There were hard times, that if you read this book, will keep you wondering what went on while they were out of the country, because again, there is a gap, and then the story is taken up again as they return to the land of his birth, and by now he is half-grown,home-schooled in the book of his family,and learning a trade from his "father." This is the most interesting part of the whole book, because there is more of his personal life, his personality and his motives given than in any of the other stories of his family, combined. Little instances are given where if you are paying attention, tells you more about this man, than you are ever likely to know about any man. He is strong, but a loving man, who not only talks about love, but teaches those around him the true meaning of love. He knows the law,and lives it to the fullest, and yet, goes beyond the law, knowing not just the letter of the law, but able to demonstrate his love, thereby putting into practice the spirit, the essence of the law. And as his life is played out on the pages of this book, there are points where there should have been a laugh track,and other parts where would have been music of beauty, astonishment, and power,but in the end, deepest sorrow....And then, Triumph! But even then, the book isn't over at this point. Because in his lifetime this golden child drew to him so many people who loved him, and believed in his approach to living,that what he had begun, did not just weep and throw up their hands and walk away from all he had done; but began to spread the word that life is more than just greed and hatred and wants. That it can be happy and glorious,with peace of mind, and not all bogged down with guilt and shame. And the afterword becomes, not an afterword at all, with just anti-climactic stuff,but is writings by his followers who then take the time to fill in the blanks that couldn't be brought out in the body of his life and fine-tunes your understanding of all the marvelous things that he did. The miracles he performed,and the truths that he taught.

And you finally begin to see that the book, The Bible, is one story. One story, written under the power of the Holy Spirit,by a multitude of authors, preserved and protected in a multitude of ways, until the time was right, and then God brought it all together, and caused it to be compiled,printed, translated,and published and bound together just as HE intended it to be, to tell US the one story!The story of man's redemption! From Genesis to Revelation, One story! All those thousands of lives, over thousands of years, God,through feeble sinning man, wrote one story! HE wrote a book to tell us that he loves us,and he has a way made clear and plain for us to find our way back to where we came from. We were in heaven,when came a war. We all know that part. But God said, I will make another place for those who do not wish to be with me to go, but now I must try every soul. And earth became a place of testing, for each of us to find our way back to him and have that  choice,to accept his love, or go to that place where his love cannot go.

If you doubt any of this, I have a question for you. Have you ever written a book? If so, you know how hard it is for even just one author to write a book that doesn't contradict itself several times. That is why editors were born. Then, after you have written it, how hard it is to keep it intact,and protected long enough to get it into print! Think about it. Where man finds it difficult to create such a work over the course of years,keep it in agreement with itself, and see it through to a happy conclusion! Consider the miracle power that it took God to cause hundreds, perhaps thousands of different authors to write a book filled with his love for us, that tells us who he is, who we are, and each one totally unaware of what everyone else is writing! Each piece separate and complete unto itself, and yet, when finally brought together, it never contradicts itself, it interprets itself, and gives us examples of every conceivable problem in life, and how to overcome them, and what to do if we make a mistake!

And then finally, HE himself gave us the solution to the very problem of the entire focal point of the book. The human sacrifice, as played out in example by Abraham, and his son Isaac! Remember? God stayed Abraham's hand,and showed him a ram, caught in the bush, to sacrifice instead! God told us in Genesis that this sin that had been brought into the world had to be paid for by a blood sacrifice. This then was the basis for the children of Israel's priests to sacrifice lamb after lamb, spotless and pure, on every high feast day. And then, amazingly enough, God caused his own son to be born, spread the word,and then to become that pure, spotless sacrificial lamb to redeem mankind. On both occasions, God himself provided the sacrifice....and then he superseded himself, and brought his son back to life! Truly, a book of miracles, that continue on today!

OUI?

SPIRITUAL WICKEDNESS IN HIGH PLACES!!

"Spiritual wickedness in high places." It is one of those phrases I am so used to reading and hearing from the bible, warning of the end times, and frankly, I expected it to crop up,even from church members. Because even though we know Jesus is the son of God, and have been redeemed by his sacrifice, you don't really anticipate having it come back to you that brothers and sisters in the Lord will continue in sin. I mean, sure we all have our problems,and none of us are perfect...we are merely forgiven,through the blood of Jesus. But it is one thing to have a problem, and ask forgiveness. It is quite another to know when something is patently wrong, and then to go ahead and allow it, or endorse it anyway. Okay, there are some Grey areas. Some things aren't so obvious as others. We all know that some things are absolutely right, and some things are absolutely wrong. Agreed? Alright, so for those of us who are interested in where we will spend eternity,and even for onlookers who don't much care, but are watching what Christians do and don't do, isn't it up to us to keep an eye on what our church leaders are leading us into? Because I have to tell you that there is some literature coming out now days that is being espoused by some rather unsavory types, whom my unsaved friends are saying some very insightful things about, and I can't say that I disagree with them. Rick Warren was one that a buddy of mine said speaks in platitudes and cliche's...and what could I say?  He's right! Beyond that, I thought his book, "Purpose Driven Life" was sadly lacking in Biblical principle,and rather than being a tool to a victorious life, has the opposite effect, that of leading believers away from the Cross of Christ. Having been given the freedom of choosing whom to listen to, I used my free will from God to dismiss the purpose driven, for the spirit led.

Now, I am not saying that Rick Warren is wicked, but he does have a rather "High" place, lauded by all sorts, having written a best seller,particularly the world. And, as we all know, the world is hardly the best judge of whether one is delivering spiritual truth.

However, to my surprise, there are a number of other spiritual, or shall I say, in this instance, "religious" leaders who are looking to Mr. Warren's work as a viable alternative to the Bible....because it certainly does not point the way "To" the Bible,and a great many church members are following his lead,as their pastors have decided to go along with his ideas,and they will follow their pastors wherever they take them, unwilling to doubt, or question what is being told to them. I wonder why this is? Don't they know that when we come to the end, we are responsible for they way we went? You can't put it off on your pastor, saying that's what he told me. It's up to you to diligently seek the right way on your own.

OUI?

A PRIME EXAMPLE OF WALKING BY FAITH,NOT BY SIGHT!

You may have read last night's post, when I talked about Yon son's mysterious illness? Well, I also seem to recall mentioning lately about walking by faith, not by sight. These two may not seem to be related, but they are. For those of us who are not high-paid, salaried employees, the loss of a nights income can determine just how well fixed we will be next month about this time. I mention this only in passing, considering that the holidays are rapidly approaching, and not because I am worried about this being a problem. Naturally, My concern last night was over my son, and his health, not whether or not money was going to be lost by his not going to work. Long ago I made it clear to Yon son that his work, his income is his business,and I keep my nose, and my mouth completely out of his job, marriage,and finances, unless he wants me to do his taxes or something. But I could tell he was concerned about having missed work last night,and I reminded him that God has a reason for everything that happens,and when walking by faith, we need to trust in the Lord. He knows what is coming, even if we don't.

With that, Yon went to bed, and I came to the computer. Hours later, when I shut it down in the wee hours, and prepared to go to nest, I did my usual checking to make sure things were off and secure,and noticed that the crock pot was fragrantly smelling of chicken, so as I headed for my room, I called softly to Yon, asking if he had added enough water to the pot. The next thing I knew, he was up, bright eyed and bushy tailed, with plans for the soup and telling me had plans for breakfast,and when I got up, he would have this and that done.Sure enough, when I arose, he did indeed have a fresh pot of coffee made and errands run, and breakfast well begun, but events had marched. While I slept, as he set out to run the aforementioned errands, he discovered his car had a flat tire, and so he had a nice brisk walk to add to his morning's accomplishments. Fortunately, we have just purchased brand new tires all the way around, and in that package, there was a wonderful roadside assistance plan in full force since they are all still under warranty. After a dynamic breakfast of pineapple upside down cake and coffee, Yon left the house with receipts in one hand,and a can of fix-a-flat in the other, to get the tire replaced,leaving me to hold down the kitchen table until such time as my pain pills kicked in. He had only been gone about 20 minutes...(just long enough to have reached his destination) when his office called. I knew before I picked it up, this had to be an emergency! Yon works nights,and they know better than to call during the day, because by this time, normally both of us are asleep, until late in the afternoon. The panic in Marsha's voice was loud and clear. We need him, she said, NOW! Well, I understood that when I heard it was Marsha calling. Ordinarily, the dispatcher would have made such a call....Marsha is the bookkeeper! We only have one driver,she said...Mike! The one who should have been dispatching! I tried to be helpful, by telling her where he was, but this only served to increase her anxiety,and she pleaded with me to try to reach him. We're being slammed! She wailed. I promised I would. Horrors! It's bad enough to be slammed when they have six drivers, but when they have nothing but one dispatcher out there trying to pick them up and put them down...! Well, let's just say I understood her condition to be that of early nervous break-down and leave it at that.I tried to reach the place I knew him to be, but to no avail. Having done all I could do, I gave it up to the Lord,and within 15 minutes, here came Yon son through the door,and as soon as I related the message, he called the office and kissed my cheek goodbye,and off he went. Praise the Lord! Only God knew that there would be no day drivers today, and that Yon son was the only night driver that could get around quickly enough to cover an entire shift alone. No brag, just fact. I know it, the office knows it,and the drivers know it. He's the first one they call when they are being slammed like that. And God, in his infinite wisdom, saw to it that Yon son stayed home and went to bed last night, so that he would be rested, be on top of the flat tire situation so that he wasn't trying to get home about the time he was needed to go to work,and the time lost last night... is no loss at all! 

Blessed be the name of the Lord!

OUI?

MARY NEVER HAS BEEN PUT DOWN BY PROTESTANTS!

I noticed when following a referrer back to see what the original request was, that another author, on another site was going on about how suddenly we now are giving Mary some respect, with the song, "Mary did you know?" I could be wrong, but this may have been written by a Catholic brother or sister, who has mistakenly gotten the impression that Protestant denominations have denied her proper placement in the whole scheme of things. I would like to clear this up right now, and go on record as saying that this is a false impression. Not only do all Christians appreciate Mary....some more than others, but it would have been impossible for Christ to have come into this world without her. We all recognize this. What makes the Catholic viewpoint difficult  is, they have elevated her so far above where she was intended to be....praying to her, calling her a "co-redemptress", the mother of God, and the Queen of heaven, and by doing so, the protestant proper attitude looks disrespectful in contrast. This may rile some Catholics, but when you shower a figure other than Jesus Christ with such acclaim, you are in effect saying that this person is more important, or just as important as the Son of God, and that is just wrong. She may have given birth to him, and raised him, but that was the total extent of her role. She had no power to heal, as did Jesus. Had no power to save. She did not bleed and die for our sins. She was just a woman, of the correct linage to bear the child, that's all. She was not divine.

If you remember correctly, the Angel of the Lord came to Mary and said;

"Hail Mary, full of grace  (Unmerited favor) The Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb," and instructed her to name the child Jesus, or Emmanuel, (God with us). That's it. She then responded, how can this be, seeing  I have not known a man? Everyone will recognize this passage as being the first part of the Catholic prayer, called the "Hail Mary", but the rest of that prayer was made up by the church, after the Christian faith of Rome was absorbed into the "Holy Roman Empire". All these years the Roman church has led their followers astray, leading them to pray to her, and worship her,and all the while telling them that they are to deny that this is what they are doing. And the worst part of it is, the Catholic church has been lying to them all these years,and saying they aren't worshiping someone, whom they are worshiping! It's bad enough to be in error, but when you are sincere, and you don't even know you are in error, when all the while you Love God and want to do right,as most Catholics do, it is very frustrating when you try to tell folks you love that they are being led down the wrong path,and they won't listen to you because they have been lied to for so many years!

OUI?

EXPLAINING THE EFFECTS OF GOSPEL MUSIC

Well first, Gospel literally means, Good News. The Good news of Jesus Christ,that he has  come,that he has satisfied the blood sacrifice that had to be made in order for man to be redeemed back to God, in order to be forgiven for our sins. Since that has occurred, man has raised their voices in song with joy that they are saved, in worship that a thrice holy God made a way,and provided the perfect lamb for the sacrifice,and that he was willing to give his only begotten son to do it,and the compilation of those songs are all anointed by the Holy Spirit, to reach down into our souls,and speak to our own lives. This is only possible because each and every song was written by someone who came from their lost condition in the world,and found what God had done for them,and accepted his free gift of salvation, and was so moved, they had to find a way to express it! Gospel songs are not the result of study, a formula,or some sort of manipulation. Rather, it is thanksgiving of unending praise and rapturous Worship done by an individual after the Lord has  done a work so mighty in their lives, they cannot be still! Attached to each song is a Holy Spirit, which somehow communicates to the souls that hear the songs. Each one is a testimony. A personal story of such magnitude, that it tells you more about the nature of God, and how much he loves us.

See, God is the originator of multi-tasking. He can take a sinner who is on his last legs, lift him up, turn him around,draw him to the bleeding side of Calvary,convict him of sin, and bring tears to his eyes, and bring him up from his knees saved, Spirit filled,and free from sin, singing whole-heartedly of the sudden joy that envelopes him, shouting over the realization that the weight of his guilt and stress and worry has been lifted from his shoulders, and is now totally gone, never to return, and the beginning, middle and ending of the whole scenario is Gospel music!

And once you are a child of God, the love that you feel for your Father, and your brothers and sisters, which now permeates your life, makes even those who cannot sing, want to at least listen to songs of God's love and redemptive power,because the ones that speak to your own relationship with God are filled with a glory that breaks your heart all over again, and transports you into that place. That holy ground where you first came face to face, and puts you once again in his presence, and lifts you up, light as a feather, completely uncaring if there is anyone around you,allowing you the freedom to lift your hands up to HIM, and  thank him for all he has done for you.

I am afraid I am not doing a very good job of adequately conveying  how emotional this subject is for me. See, I have always been a singer. I love singing, and I love beautiful music,and it is no accident that some of the most thrilling, touching music in the world is Gospel music. I am sure that it is designed by God, because after all, he is the author of it, and God does nothing frivolously or without purpose. He knows us, because he created us, and he knows how to make that call to our hearts, minds and souls. For many, he draws us to him with the music he has inspired someone to write. Why, I have even seen Gospel  music be a blessing and create interest in a Worship service for those with a tin ear, who couldn't carry a tune in a bucket!

Yeah. It's that strong!

OUI?

THE EXORCISM OF EMILY ROSE AND WHY 3 A.M. IS "DEMON TIME"!

If you saw the movie,"The Exorcism of Emily Rose" and it raised questions in your mind, about demon activity at three a.m. ( since three a.m. was the time highlighted repeatedly as the time the demon activity took place),as to why this was so, one can only conclude that you grew weary of the court room scenes and drifted off, or chatted with your friends,or chose the time when the priest was on the stand to go get popcorn. And, if you are not accustomed to reading the bible, naturally you would need it explained to you, since three o'clock p.m. is very significant in the Crucifixion story. Naturally, Satan would choose it's very opposite (or so it would seem) to mock God. Three p.m. was the time of the evening sacrifice in the temple,and at the very moment the lamb was slain, the high priest was to say,"It is finished". On Crucifixion day, Jesus was taken as a lamb, gentle and unresisting before two judges who found no fault in him( the lamb sacrifice had to be unblemished) and raised up on the cross at 9 a.m., the time of the morning sacrifice. At three p.m. again, in the temple, as I said, the evening sacrifice was made,and the prophetic words were spoken, but on Crucifixion day, they were echoed...probably simultaneously, by Christ, who then gave up the ghost,and died,who was, after all, the lamb of God,and fulfilled that prophesy completely. Anyone who reads the Bible story would have been able to reason the three a.m.- three p.m. connection for themselves, yet the makers of the film knew that not everyone would be able to do so. Therefore, when the priest was on the stand, he explained it. And I quote:

"Three a.m. is the Demonic witching hour. It is a way for demons to mock the Holy Trinity. It's an inversion of three p.m.; the numerical hour which is traditionally accepted as the time of Christ's death."

However. Since I can find no Biblical reference or substantiation for such a "witching hour" in any of my commentaries, or in my study bible, I consider this Three A.M. connection with demonic activity to be merely a melodramatic point, a tool used by the writer to give the priest something to say, establishing himself as a learned man,knowledgeable of the scriptures,and creating a captivating moment in the film,when the jury begins to see him, not as some wild-eyed religious crack-pot, but as a serious man of God.   

This movie was billed as being based on an actual true story. While this may be the case, I believe much of the background of the original true story was either not known, or left out to protect the reputation of the girl the story is based upon. I say this simply because one doesn't leave for collage one day, and turn up possessed by demons the next. Something  had to have happened in order for this girl to come in contact with the forces of evil. To my understanding, one must open the door for this to happen. Knowingly or unknowingly, somehow she allowed the evil to come into her life,and this aspect of the story, it being a cautionary tale, should have been brought to light. Without it, the whole thing just falls flat.I waited through the entire movie, waiting for this part of the explanation, and I thought it had arrived at the point when Emily Rose's letter was read, of her experience when she was called outside in the middle of the night,and "had a vision of the Mother of God"> Supposedly, she saw herself as she sprawled on the ground, and then was given a choice as to whether to go Home now, or continue with her suffering, so that people would know the devil was real,and that God was not dead. A flashback, or something, where she was involved with a seance, or some sort of spiritual game. Some sort of action she took, to get her into this mess. But there was nothing.

So, the way it stands, collage students all over are now convinced that when three a.m. rolls around, they could be in peril for their lives from demons. Or, that my site, for goodness sakes, is demonic. No. Not true. Not true.

The filmmakers were very irresponsible to leave this movie the way they did,for even though they say it is based upon a true story, it is less about a young woman's exorcism, and more about the courtroom drama arising from a failed attempt to cast demons from a collage student who had to have made some very bad choices. And the priest who tried to help her was put on trial for his efforts. I would not recommend this film to anyone, unless they enjoyed being shocked and startled,and finally, frustrated.

OUI?

THE "CALLING?"

The calling really isn't an appropriate title for this piece,and yet I am uncertain how else to affix a label. Perhaps a more perfect title shall occur to me in the writing of it, and perhaps not. It would be considerably bold of me to make it a more brash statement,to remove the question mark. In my heart of hearts, I will allow that I might be called of the Lord to do something,however,it is not my place to decide whether I am doing that, or even whether or not I have been called. Only HE can judge the truth of it, but others shall judge all else. Of that I have no doubt or fear.

All I can relate is my experience,from the first to the latest, and if there is a calling, it shall in all probability be revealed somewhere along the line. Strangely, to be complete, this must begin before I have any memory of events. Every birthday I spent with my mother, she would relate to me, and of course, anyone willing to listen, how both of us nearly died that day. She went into labor about Ten a.m...and I was not delivered until nearly twelve hours later. I was placenta previa. Around four the afterbirth was delivered, which left me dry and unsupported in her womb for about six hours. There were several complications. The doctor needed to take me with forceps, however, this could not be done until there was an anesthetist there so he could operate on her immediately,or she would bleed to death. But he had a choice. He could disregard the risk to me and do the operation,thereby saving her life. Apparently,there were two options to put mother to sleep.The sort easily at hand was the kind that would put her to sleep for the surgery, but would depress my breathing, and would probably kill me. Unfortunately, the guy with the knock-out drops was miles away, battling his way through a terrible summer storm to get to the hospital. The hospital itself was threatened by twin tornadoes while mother and the doctor and nurses and other doctors were in that delivery room were doing what they could to keep us both alive.Everyone kept telling my doctor that I was dead,and he should just go ahead and do the surgery,and there was a raging argument going on right over my mothers head. The doctor kept shouting, "No-sir! That baby is not dead! And I'm not going to kill it!" Well, obviously, Doc won,'cause here I am! Whew! Since then, it's been one thing after another. A few months later, My entire family was hit with polio.This was during the big epidemic,and everyone knew the symptoms,and mother spotted it right off, so she was able to respond immediately. That could have killed me, because I was just a baby, but fortunately, mother had just read the story of sister Kenny, whose remedy was discussed in great detail in the book,and as we came down with the fever,one by one she took care of us. We all seemed to come out of that without any major lasting effects, but with certain weaknesses. Mine seemed to be my respiratory system. I can recall spending every winter in the hospital with something involving my breathing, and it was always, "serious". (But, of course, this was long before anyone ever heard of post-polio syndrome,so the final chapter hasn't been written on that either.) I was also, a "fainter". This usually happened at church, but it also occurred in the school, when we would have large groups (like the whole school) in the assembly hall, for choir practice.It never occurred to me to wonder why it never happened any other time. At about the age of seven or eight years, I came down with scarlet fever. I say about, because I don't remember exactly. I was very sick for a very long time. I only know that I was barely in school, when I got so sick that I lost most of the school year,and my parents got really upset when they were told that since I had lost so much time, I would have to repeat that grade. But we were Catholics. Anyone who knows anything about a Catholic family knows that the one thing that all good Catholics do, is to see to it that their children attend the church school.In this one thing, I still fervently believe. Children should be taught of their faith every day, just as math, or English, or any other subject to prepare them for life. But I digress. My Mother and Father hit the ceiling. Holding me back was the same as labeling me as a failure,and everyone in our church,school and social circles would know about it,and treat me accordingly. It would be as bad as a scandal,and yet they also understood that the school couldn't pass me on to the next grade without my first having the foundation of passing the current grade.But there was a solution. It was pretty radical, but my parents knew that the Catholic schools curriculum was far ahead of the public school. So, they chose to do the unthinkable,and move me to a public school. After testing, the public school passed me on to the next grade without a problem and I was up with my peers, even after having lost all that time.

I still remember the incident when the Lord first revealed his plans for me. It was a nice spring day, and I was walking home from the Catholic school, one of the last times I would do so, when he said, " I have something for you to do." That was it. No blinding flashes of light, or angel choirs singing, or visions. No tears of blood or stigmata to show for what I had heard, so how could I tell anyone? So, I waited, knowing if this was real, sooner or later, He would say more. If it was my imagination, eventually I would forget all about it, and go on with my life. Okay, so maybe I have something,...etc. wasn't exactly a plan revealed, but it was a definite starting point that I have never forgotten completely.Then a while after that,I was given, I believe, a word,an insight. The devil has been trying to kill me all my life. It happened again when I gave birth to Yon son. I stopped breathing, and he was premature, and one of the nurses went out and told my husband both I and the child were dead! Years went by,and I was busy raising yon son,running the home, attending collage classes,working and having emergency surgeries,each time, to save my life. Meanwhile, I was seeking the Lord. I was investigating churches. I even began to join a couple of them, and got baptized in one of their tanks...but I soon realized that these were not for me. And then, I broke my back. Lost my job because I couldn't work,and the doctor my employer sent me to covered up the fact that my x-rays showed I had broken my back,and I was in so much pain, it was not possible for me to return to work. Then, several things happened. I found amongst my things, an old decrepit typewriter,a standard royal...manual. I fell heir to a typing course, with books and records, and thought, well, I broke my back, but my hands still work,and I have always loved to read and write, so why not give it a whirl? I taught myself to type, and then, for lack of a better subject, spent that first unemployed winter writing that book I had threatened to write while tending bar.During that time, I met Tom, and we became a happy little family about the time I submitted my manuscript to a publisher. Long story short,it would be published today, if someone hadn't stolen it. While I grieved over the loss of my first creation, I still continued to write. Mostly stories to amuse Yon son,which helped him with his reading. He loved the fact that I wrote them for him so much, it was never any problem getting him to read for me. Then, I got saved. I began to seek the Lord in earnest, asking him what I should be doing, and his answer was like in a dream. He said" What is that you have in your hand?" I looked, and it was my typewriter. But it was no longer the manual Royal I had started out on. It was the new one I had lately fallen heir to, My electric Underwood Scriptor. I finally wrote a new book on that,and then got a computer...the one I now call my dinosaur,which I used to finish the book,and it turned into three. One thing led to another,and soon Tom was gone, and Yon son was single again, and he decided that I should have a good computer, where I could go on line and keep in touch with my favorite preacher, and maybe find a publisher, which led me to typepad.

And I don't know, but I suspect, that the Lord knew the end from the beginning, when he spoke to my heart that day on third avenue while I was walking home from school. But he also knew there was no point in telling me what it was he wanted me to do. There were no words for where I am now, back then. And, I also suspect that he gave me those words of encouragement, because he knew that I was going to have to go through a lot to get to the place where he could bring it all together. So,even though he did not conjure up a picture in my mind, or dazzle my eyes with a vision, still, a vision was given,just as surely as if he had shown me angels dancing on the lawn. Scripture says:"My people perish for lack of a vision." I believe the Lord gave me that to keep hope in my heart for the future, as well as faith and trust in him, and to keep me searching for him. He kept the devil from killing me...not because I am anything special, but because knowing that, I will respond to his promptings,and write, what he tells me to write.And the devil? Well, he just knew that God had plans for me,and he is always trying to thwart whatever it is God has planned.

Just goes to show you what I have always believed.

God will use, whom he will use!

OUI?