Thursday, April 30, 2009

100 days, 100 WHAT !

I barrowed this link from, “The American Elephant.” Just something to consider as we move through this thing called time.

"Only 100? The New York Post has the rundown."

Mervi

Will Muslim conquer the world?

The Youtube listed below is seven and half minutes of concerning demographics. Personally, it is worth investing your time to watch. Will the Muslim religion conquer the world without the use of a single weapon?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6-3X5hIFXYU

Just my though today;
Mervi

Monday, April 27, 2009

A new use for Hard Rock !

TUSCARORA, Nev. -- The residents of this tiny town, anticipating an imminent attack, will be ready with a perimeter defense. They'll position their best weapons at regular intervals, faced out toward the desert to repel the assault.
Then they'll turn up the volume.
Rock music blaring from boomboxes has proved one of the best defenses against an annual invasion of Mormon crickets. The huge flightless insects are a fearsome sight as they advance across the desert in armies of millions that march over, under or into anything in their way.
But the crickets don't much fancy Led Zeppelin or the Rolling Stones, the townspeople figured out three years ago. So next month, Tuscarorans are preparing once again to get out their extension cords, array their stereos in a quarter-circle and tune them to rock station KHIX, full blast, from dawn to dusk. "It is part of our arsenal," says Laura Moore, an unemployed college professor and one of the town's 13 residents.
Here is the link to the complete story;
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB124052112850249691.html

Just my thoughts;
Mervi

Saturday, April 25, 2009

Thank you.

I would like to take this space today to say a big thank you to all who attended the memorial service for my mother-in-law. Those in attendance exceeded the seating capacity of our church, which are two hundred people. The undertaker and I estimated there to be close to two hundred sixty in attendance. This included about thirty ministers of the gospel. Pastor Abby presented a flag which had flown over the Head Quarters of the UPCI.
We, as a family, are very appreciative for all who took time to be with us, called or sent cards during this time of loss. Our words lack the ability to express our thankfulness for the prayers which have gone up on behalf of our families.


Mervin & Virginia

Wednesday, April 22, 2009

Sis Tredway

Sis Tredway’s memorial service is planned for tomorrow at 11 a.m. at the church here in Strathmore.
Virginia is doing well with all the planning, organizing and the never ending details when you put together a memorial for your mother. What to sing, who to sing, how many will come, do we have enough chairs, how long a power point and on and on.
I would ask that you continue to offer prayers for the many members of the Tredway families.

Monday, April 20, 2009

Prayer Request !

To all our friends in the land of Blog.
Your prayers and kind thoughts are requested for both the Tredway and Harper families. Sis. Tredway went to be with her Lord this evening about 10:30 pm. Yes, her passing was much unexpected and very quick. It was a great blow to my wife, her two brothers, nieces and nephews, as well as Sis Tredway’s brother and sister. Yes it is approaching 2:30 am. The families are all home and tomorrow they will start the process of planning her memorial service.

Friday, April 17, 2009

THOSE born 1920-1979 TO ALL THE KIDS WHO SURVIVED the 1930's, 40's, 50's, 60's and 70's!!

First, we survived being born to mothers who smoked and/or drank while they were pregnant. They took aspirin, ate blue cheese dressing, tuna from a can, and didn't get tested for diabetes.

Then after that trauma, we were put to sleep on our tummies in baby cribs covered with bright colored lead-based paints.

We had no childproof lids on medicine bottles, doors or cabinets and when we rode our bikes, we had no helmets, not to mention, the risks we took hitchhiking.

As infants &children, we would ride in cars with no car seats, booster seats, seat belts or air bags. Riding in the back of a pick up on a warm day was always a special treat.

We drank water from the garden hose and NOT from a bottle.

We shared one soft drink with four friends, from one bottle and NO ONE actually died from this.

We ate cupcakes, white bread and real butter and drank Kool-aid made with sugar, but we weren't overweight because,

WE WERE ALWAYS OUTSIDE PLAYING!

We would leave home in the morning and play all day, as long as we were back when the streetlights came on. No one was able to reach us all day.

And we were O.K. We would spend hours building our go-carts out of scraps and then ride down the hill, only to find out we forgot the brakes After running into the bushes a few times, we learned to solve the problem.

We did not have Playstations, Nintendo's, X-boxes, no video games at all, no 150 channels on cable, no video movies or DVD's, no surround-sound or CD's, no cell phones, no personal computer! s, no Internet or chat rooms.......

WE HAD FRIENDS and we went outside and found them!

We fell out of trees, got cut, broke bones and teeth and there were no lawsuits from these accidents.

We ate worms and mud pies made from dirt, and the worms did not live in us forever.

We were given BB guns for our 10th birthdays, made up games with sticks and tennis balls and, although we were told it would happen, we did not poke out very many eyes.

We rode bikes or walked to a friend's house and knocked on the door or rang the bell, or just walked in and talked to them!

Little League had tryouts and not everyone made the team. Those who didn't had to learn to deal with disappointment. Imagine that!!

The idea of a parent bailing us out if we broke the law was unheard of. They actually sided with the law!

These generations have produced some of the best risk-takers, problem solvers and inventors ever!
The past 50 years have been an explosion of innovation and new ideas. We had freedom, failure, success and responsibility, and we learned

HOW TO DEAL WITH IT ALL!
If YOU are one of them CONGRATULATIONS!

You might want to share this with others who have had the luck to grow up as kids, before the lawyers and the government regulated so much of our lives for our own good .

Kind of makes you want to run through the house with scissors, doesn't it?!

Just a thought for the day:
Mervi

Wednesday, April 15, 2009

The Tax man commeth!

I copied this from CNN site.
Is it not interesting that those in the top income bracket are those who pay the largest percent of taxes?














"But just how much more?
The highest earners pay the lion's share of the dollars Uncle Sam collects.
The top fifth of households made 56% of pre-tax income in 2006 but paid 86% of all individual income tax revenue collected, according to the most recent data available from the Congressional Budget Office.
Narrowing in further: The top 1% of households, which made 19% of pre-tax income, paid 39% of all individual income taxes.
The trend is similar if you count income taxes, social insurance taxes, excise taxes and corporate income taxes (such as capital gains) combined. The top fifth of households paid 69% of all federal taxes. The top 1% paid 28%."


Here is the site where I lifted my information: http://money.cnn.com/2009/04/15/pf/taxes/who_pays_most_least/index.htm?cnn=yes

Just my thought as I pas this way;
Mervi

Monday, April 13, 2009

Just a sack lunch.

This came to me this morning in an e-mail. It so touch my heart that I desired to share it with those in the land of BLOG.

The Sack Lunches
I put my carry-on in the luggage compartment and sat down in my assigned seat. It was going to be a long flight. 'I'm glad I have a good book to read. Perhaps I will get a short nap,' I thought.Just before take-off, a line of soldiers came down the aisle and filled all the vacant seats, totally surrounding me. I decided to start a conversation. 'Where are you headed?' I asked the soldier seated nearest to me.'Petawawa. We'll be there for two weeks for special training, and then we are being deployed to Afghanistan .After flying for about an hour, an announcement was made that sack lunches were available for five dollars. It would be several hours before we reached the east, and I quickly decided a lunch would help pass the time..As I reached for my wallet, I overheard soldier ask his buddy if he planned to buy lunch. 'No, that seems like a lot of money for just a sack lunch. Probably wouldn't be worth five bucks. I'll wait till we get to base 'His friend agreed.I looked around at the other soldiers. None were buying lunch.... I walked to the back of the plane and handed theflight attendant a fifty dollar bill.'Take a lunch to all those soldiers.' She grabbed my arms and squeezed tightly. Her eyes wet with tears, she thanked me.. 'My son was a soldier in Iraq ; it's almost like you are doing it for him.'Picking up ten sacks, she headed up the aisle to where the soldiers were seated. She stopped at my seat and asked, 'Which do you like best - beef or chicken?''Chicken,' I replied, wondering why she asked. She turned and went to the front of the plane, returning a minute later with a dinner plate from first class. This is your thanks.'After we finished eating, I went again to the back of the plane, heading for the rest room. A man stopped me. 'I saw what you did. I want to be part of it. Here, take this.' He handed me twenty-five dollars.Soon after I returned to my seat, I saw the Flight Captain coming down the aisle, looking at the aisle numbers as he walked, I hoped he was not looking for me, but noticed he was looking at the numbers only on my side of the plane. When he got to my row he stopped, smiled, held out his hand, and said, 'I want to shake your hand.'Quickly unfastening my seatbelt I stood and took the Captain's hand. With a booming voice he said, I was a soldier and I was a military pilot. Once, someone bought me a lunch. It was an act of kindness I never forgot.'
I was embarrassed when applause was heard from all of the passengers.
Later I walked to the front of the plane so I could stretch my legs.A man who was seated about six rows in front of me reached out his hand, wantingto shake mine. He left another twenty-five dollars in my palm.When we landed I gathered my belongings and started to deplane. Waiting justinside the airplane door was a man who stopped me, put something in my shirt pocket, turned, and walked away without saying a word. Another twenty-five dollars!Upon entering the terminal, I saw the soldiers gathering for their trip to the base. I walked over to them and handed them seventy-five dollars. It will take you some time to reach the base. It will be about time for a sandwich.. God Bless You.'Ten young men left that flight feeling the love and respect of their fellow travelers. As I walked briskly to my car, I whispered a prayer for their safe return. These soldiers were giving their all for our country. I could only give them a couple of meals.It seemed so little....A veteran is someone who, at one point in his life, wrote a blank check made payable to 'The United States of America' for an amount of 'up to and including my life.'That is Honor, and there are way too many people in this country who no longer understand it.


Signed,Proud to be an American

Should you see someone the uniform of the U.S. Military, smile or solute them;

Mervi

Friday, April 10, 2009

Car chase

I just watched this!
Talk about a chase scene, this is a real one and real good.
PLEASE, do not let a teenage see it. It just might give them more ideas.
http://www.ktla.com/landing_topstories/?Woman-Leads-Police-on-Bizarre-SoCal-Chas=1&blockID=263303&feedID=1198
Mervi

His sacrifice.

Did Jesus know that He was to be crucified?
In my mind, Yes, Jesus knew what was going to happen to his body and where He was headed. I have no drought that more than once He stood, at a distance, and observed those who were crucified on the Skull. In one text it says that, “He set His face toward Jerusalem.” Set his face, Yes, because that both His Spirit and His body knew what was waiting for Him there. He was determined to make His sacrifice, so He set His face. He was determined to make that eternal sacrifice for my soul.


Thank you Lord for setting your face toward Jerusalem!

Let us not forget His eternal sacrifice:
Mervi

Thursday, April 9, 2009

What have I missed?

Did I miss something in either our culture or court system. In this morning’s Visalia Times Delta had a story of a man who received 137 years for, “Attacking a women.” Then from this morning’s Bakersfield Californian we see this, “Man gets one year in jail for fatal hit and run.” Yes, a drunk driver takes a life, flees the scene and get one year. HELP! What has gone wrong? I am going to stop right here because I feel myself wanting to jump on my soap box and start in.

Mervi

Tuesday, April 7, 2009

Part 2

This morning as Jesus is walking toward the Temple grounds. His disciples see a different look in His eyes, He stops and picks up a short piece of wood, then a couple of lengths of cord that has been cast aside. Then a couple more as they approach the temple gate. Jesus stops and begins to brad the lengths of cord which He has picked up and then He tied them around the handle. He shakes it a time or two in His hand then swings it over His head and He smiles. What on earth is He planning to do this morning? I think I will kind of stay out of the way, you know I don’t what to be to close. He has a very differ look about Him this morning. With a strong and definite stride He approaches the table of those who would change you money into the temple shekel. It happened so fast that no one really knew where the commotion came from at first, “You pack of thieves, you have made My temple a den for thieves, not a place of prayer and worship.” Over the tables went! Little gold coins scatting all over the place, as they bent to pick up their wares He put the whip He had made to good use. Hay ouch, man ouch get that whip away from Him! He turned as quickly to those who were selling animals for the sacrifice and brought His whip down on their backs as well. There were men running coins rolling everywhere, doves flying form their over turned cages, lambs blatting in the confusion.

Oh Lord! When you come to my temple, my deepest desire is that You would feel at home. That my temple would be the one You desire as a place of worship and prayer.

Just my thoughts as I pass this way today;
Mervi

Sunday, April 5, 2009

This is the time or season when we look back toward and think about the resurrection of our Lord as He became the victor over death. But some of the things that happened in that few short days before His resurrection. One of these was His “triumphant entry” into Jerusalem. I have little misgiving that many knew who He was just by sight. They saw Him sitting astraddle a small donkey as it made its way into the gate of that great city. Even those who did not know Jesus on sight were caught up in the spirit of the crowd, “Hosanna blessed is He that cometh in the name of the Lord.” The people cried, they yelled at the top of their voice, they waved their arms and hands, men took off their coats and cast them before Him. I am sure that many ran ahead and cut palm fans and strewn them before Him. Would I be wrong to say that little children were sent running to get mom or dad because Uncle James told them to tell their parents that Jesus was coming into the city? As the crowd grew so did the exaltation of Jesus and God. It got so profound that the religious leaders tried to step in and quell the worship.
Oh that my worship of Him would be as pleasing to Him! Oh that my desire to worship the One who came out of the tomb would draw the attention of others who may not know Him! Oh that I would cast the most important thing I have before Him!
That Jesus could say of me, “should he hold his peace the rocks would take up the praise.

Just my thoughts;

Mervi

Friday, April 3, 2009

The Cost ?

I have just finished reading an article in the Bakersfield paper. The story is about a race track that in is in the process of being build west of Bakersfield. It is in finical trouble to the tune of about $5 million dollars. No, I am not a race fan; I had an uncle who was very much involved many years back with one of the valleys early drivers. My real thought was the story in the Bible about the man who was going to build a tower and failed to compute the cost. This man left a part of the equation out of his Excel spread sheet. Or he might have just flat overlooked a part of the project. Was the oversight intentional? No! I really do think so, just an error in figuring. He failed to take the time to review all aspect of his tower.
Is there a project in your life or mine? Have we taken the time to look at all the sides? Have we, myself included, weighted the finical, emotions, spiritual and relational cost of this project?


Just my thought as I pass this way today;

Mervi

Thursday, April 2, 2009

Cream That Egg !

I picked this this morning from "youtube."
I enjoyed it and hope it might bring a smile to your day;
Mervi



Wednesday, April 1, 2009

GM & President Obama :-]



Just a couple of cartoons from the Chicago Times to so my feelings.
Just a thought as I pass this way;
Mervi
I am somewhat disturbed or maybe just a confused old man. How, in the These United States of America, can a President ask for and get the resignation from the C.E.O. of one of America’s largest companies? The C.E.O. of General Motors has stepped down. The lever used, is the amount of monies that this government or political ideology is offering to them with strings attached. Freedom, in my never to humble opinion, is freedom from the Government asking or telling who can be in charge of a company. What about some of these Banks and other finical institutions who or which are receiving these assistance dollars. Can or will the government tell who is to be the C.E.O. and have them except these demands. If I follow this equation and it keeps moving down the dollar chain. Can the Pastor of a Mega Congregation be asked to step aside? If the Mega Church the then the trickle down would be to smaller and smaller churches. How about the mechanic down the street, can the same thing happen to him?

I quit. Just my rant for the day;
Mervi