Our journey started out this last Wednesday at 2pm after dropping off our hairy family members in Easley SC. (Angel and Sammy the Moffitt mutts for those of you that are wondering what in the world I am talking about).
I drove until midnight Wed night which landed us in Vicksburg Mississippi. I spent 45 min between Clinton MS and Vicksburg trying to find a Motel that would honor the coupons you find in the Traveler Lodge publication that is located at Shoney's and other participating retailers. I found out the hard way that those coupons are useless at 11 pm at night and they use the catch phrase "upon availability" to get out of honoring the coupons. I finally found a Motel 8 that let us stay for 44.00 for the night. That was 10.00 cheaper than most places at that time of the night.
We arrived in Garland Texas at approximately 3pm on Thursday afternoon and spent several hours running between Terrell Texas and Quinlan Texas visiting my aunts and uncles before heading over to Garland Texas where Katy's college room mate lives.
My uncle Carl is in a hospital in Terrell Texas. He was in a car accident several months ago which left him with an internal head injury (trauma) which has scrambled what little brain function he had left. Uncle Carl has fallen several times at home, broke a hip and suffered some pretty bad bruises. When I saw him in the hospital they had him restrained so that he can not get out of bed. From what I can tell he needed to be restraied. It was hard for me to see my uncle at th age of 76 years old being in this type of shape. The last memories I had of him he was getting older and not so physically active but atleast he had his mental capacity left. I guess those days are over.
One of my aunts who is married to Uncle Carl is in her 70's and even though I recognize her voice I had a shock to see her physically. I also have an aunt in Quinlan that is 80 years old and she seems to be getting along better than can be expected considering her age.
We spent the night Thursday night at Jack and Paula Bush's residence in Garland and had a wonderful time swimming in their pool and enjoying all around great hospitality. Katy and Paula had a blast talking about their college dormitory memories. Paula has two girls who are close to the ages of Kristina and Justin so they bonded immediatly and had a blast.
We drove from Garland Texas at 2 pm on Friday and stopped by Pleasanton Texas which is just outside of Corpus Christi (by 90 min) and visited with Melody who is one of Katy's Circle of Friends elist members. We spent 45 minutes there so Katy and Melody could bond and then hit the road again. We arrived in Robstown Tx around 11pm Friday night and spent the night there and went to the memorial service at 10 am at a Methodist church called Isle of the Son on South Padre Island.
The memorial service went well and I was pleased to hear that the service was used not only to celebrate the life of Hal Eads and his accomplishments but it was also a time where Hal's relationship with Christ was highlighted in a very positive way. Hal may be absent in body but because of his relationship with his Lord and Saviour Hal is present with Christ in glory.
The memorial service was nice and a full multimedia presentation with a power point slide and accompanying music helped to focus our minds on our own mortality and our final resting place.
The afternoon was spent on Saturday at Pat and Jackie Mosmeyer's home in Port Aransas Texas which is south of South Padre Island and Corpus Christi Texas. Much food and drink was consumed and stories shared about the life and times of Hal Eads.
Tomorrow is Sunday and we will depart Robstown Texas and head to Houston Texas where I will be visiting with my son Jeremy who is now a Senior in High School in the Richmond Rosenburg area just outside of Houston. It is hard to believe that Jeremy is 17 years old and almost out of high school.
The trip thus far has been relatively uneventful other than the miles and miles of endless highway. Our car has held up pretty good other than having some minor tire issues but that can happen to anyone on such a long trip as this one. Thanks to our church family in Goose Creek we were able to make this trip to begin with.
James Moffitt
http://www.jesus-connect.net/jcmoffitt
jcmoffitt@charter.net
Saturday, August 16, 2003
Tuesday, August 12, 2003
First there was Will & Grace, now Queer Eye for the Straight Guy and Nip & Tuck. Prime Time Television is being invaded by special interest groups in a big way. I just spent 10 minutes reviewing Nip & Tuck and I have to say that I was absolutely amazed at how blatant the portrayal of sexuality and homosexuality.
It is apparent to me that prime time Television is a MAJOR vehicle for brainwashing unsuspecting Americans into believing that ALL of this is something that we should just tolerate. Why in the world IS IT important for me to TOLERATE sin and embrace it to the point that I invite it into my home and teach it to my family? If I sit in front of the television and passively watch the garbage and I do not make a stand for righteousness by turning away from it then I am embracing and endorsing the content. If I am passive and say nothing and allow my family to view this type of garbage then I am teaching them that it is OK to tolerate sin.
Tolerance and diversity are the catalysts for the diseases of this world that are destroying the moral fabric of our society and damaging the family unit as we know it. Just in case you need a definition for the biblical family unit it exists of hetrosexual MALE and FEMALE united under the laws of nature and Gods word as husband and wife. This type of marriage before God and man is what produces the offspring that we call children.
Two people of the same sex can not have children yet there are same sex partners that insist on the same privileges and protection under our laws. Same sex partners want to adopt children so that they can appear to be the normal family when they are not. When we say things and do things that are the counterfeit of that which is natural or righteous then we are deceiving ourselves and others. The fruit of the spirit does not provide us with examples of deception. Only the fruit of darkness provides us with the counterfeit fruit of sin.
Yes, I am conservative. Yes, I believe that Gods word , written in the bible is truth. No, I do not believe that God approves of SIN. Homosexuality IS SIN just as idolatry, lying, stealing, fornication, adultery and any other sin you can think of is labeled as sin. If we do anything that separates us from a relationship with God that is considered sin. If we love something MORE than we love God that is considered sin. Here is what the book of Galatians has to say about sin.
Gal 5:19 The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery;
Gal 5:20 idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions
Gal 5:21 and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.
Gal 5:22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,
Gal 5:23 gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.
I believe that we are to embrace the person and love them just as God would love them. That does NOT mean that I am to embrace , support or encourage sinful habits or addictions.
Gal 6:1 Brothers, if someone is caught in a sin, you who are spiritual should restore him gently. But watch yourself, or you also may be tempted.
Gal 6:2 Carry each others burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.
We would like to believe that our righteousness and our love for God and His word and the world around us is going to effect permanent change. The problem is that the world is going to hell in a hand basket all around us and it is happening because good men remain silent and passive. When that happens evil prevails. We have to identify sin and the effects of that sin on our people and the world they live in. Then we need to draw a line in the sand and call other men and women to stand up for holiness and Gods word. We need to do everything in our power to effect permanent change in our communities through our actions and not just our lip service. We need to quit fooling ourselves into thinking that the church down the street or the clergy is going to get the job done.
If these words are wooing you into an intellectual comfort zone then please do yourself a favor and bang your head on your desk several times until it hurts. If you are a disciple of Christ then what I am saying here really is old news. I am not the first person to sound the alarm and incite people to action. The question is this. Do we believe what we believe to the point that we are willing to sacrifice those things that make up our comfort zones? Are we willing to give up everything that stands in the way of affecting positive and permanent change in our community?
It is apparent to me that prime time Television is a MAJOR vehicle for brainwashing unsuspecting Americans into believing that ALL of this is something that we should just tolerate. Why in the world IS IT important for me to TOLERATE sin and embrace it to the point that I invite it into my home and teach it to my family? If I sit in front of the television and passively watch the garbage and I do not make a stand for righteousness by turning away from it then I am embracing and endorsing the content. If I am passive and say nothing and allow my family to view this type of garbage then I am teaching them that it is OK to tolerate sin.
Tolerance and diversity are the catalysts for the diseases of this world that are destroying the moral fabric of our society and damaging the family unit as we know it. Just in case you need a definition for the biblical family unit it exists of hetrosexual MALE and FEMALE united under the laws of nature and Gods word as husband and wife. This type of marriage before God and man is what produces the offspring that we call children.
Two people of the same sex can not have children yet there are same sex partners that insist on the same privileges and protection under our laws. Same sex partners want to adopt children so that they can appear to be the normal family when they are not. When we say things and do things that are the counterfeit of that which is natural or righteous then we are deceiving ourselves and others. The fruit of the spirit does not provide us with examples of deception. Only the fruit of darkness provides us with the counterfeit fruit of sin.
Yes, I am conservative. Yes, I believe that Gods word , written in the bible is truth. No, I do not believe that God approves of SIN. Homosexuality IS SIN just as idolatry, lying, stealing, fornication, adultery and any other sin you can think of is labeled as sin. If we do anything that separates us from a relationship with God that is considered sin. If we love something MORE than we love God that is considered sin. Here is what the book of Galatians has to say about sin.
Gal 5:19 The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery;
Gal 5:20 idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions
Gal 5:21 and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.
Gal 5:22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,
Gal 5:23 gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.
I believe that we are to embrace the person and love them just as God would love them. That does NOT mean that I am to embrace , support or encourage sinful habits or addictions.
Gal 6:1 Brothers, if someone is caught in a sin, you who are spiritual should restore him gently. But watch yourself, or you also may be tempted.
Gal 6:2 Carry each others burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.
We would like to believe that our righteousness and our love for God and His word and the world around us is going to effect permanent change. The problem is that the world is going to hell in a hand basket all around us and it is happening because good men remain silent and passive. When that happens evil prevails. We have to identify sin and the effects of that sin on our people and the world they live in. Then we need to draw a line in the sand and call other men and women to stand up for holiness and Gods word. We need to do everything in our power to effect permanent change in our communities through our actions and not just our lip service. We need to quit fooling ourselves into thinking that the church down the street or the clergy is going to get the job done.
If these words are wooing you into an intellectual comfort zone then please do yourself a favor and bang your head on your desk several times until it hurts. If you are a disciple of Christ then what I am saying here really is old news. I am not the first person to sound the alarm and incite people to action. The question is this. Do we believe what we believe to the point that we are willing to sacrifice those things that make up our comfort zones? Are we willing to give up everything that stands in the way of affecting positive and permanent change in our community?
Monday, August 11, 2003
Do you remember the story about the man that was on top of his house during a major flood? As the story progresses the man exhibits great faith at first and then foolishness. On several occasions while the man was praying for help God sent him a way to be rescued. I don't remember all of the story but I know that a boat came by and then lastly a helicopter. The man rejected the help and told them that he had faith that God was going to save him. The man winds up drowning and asked God why his faith failed him and God did not save him. What about the boat filled with rescuers or the helicopter?
I liken our story to the man on top of the house with the flood waters rising and our having faith that while things look bleak that God is going to provide us with the help we need. This weekend a boat came by and I want to thank the Lord for having enough sense to recognize it for what it was.
We spent the weekend in Goose Creek with our former pastor and his family. We went to Grace Fellowship Church on Sunday. The church not only is assisting us with funds for gas money so we can make the trip to Texas but they also are planning on renting a Uhaul truck and sending some of the men to Travelers Rest at the end of this month to pack us up and move us back. Ok, so maybe it is not a boat bur more a Uhaul Truck. I am not picky in the least. :)
I was pleasantly surprised to hear the pastor tell me of his plans to move us back. I asked Pastor Tom WHY they were willing to help us. He looked at me and said, "You are a part of our family aren't you?" Wow, that is incredible. We are a part of that family and have been for the last 3 years. On several occasions Pastor Tom, his family and Grace Fellowship Church helped our family as we were walking through the trials of Jessica's fight with cancer. Without them our situation would have been much worse.
There were several things that had to happen BEFORE this plan was implemented. The church finance committee had to agree to it and I had to find a place to live. Both of those pieces fell in place this weekend. The funds were approved and I spoke to our former landlord and friend in Goose Creek and it just happens that our old residence at 159 Mapleridge Drive is coming available on August 23rd. Imagine that huh? My former landlord understands our situation and is willing to help us in whatever way that he can. Can you say Praise the Lord?? I am....
Thank you Jesus for working out the details and for friends and a church family that loves us and is willing to reach out and help our family.
I had no idea that the pastor was planning this and thusly it was a very nice surprise. We like Travelers Rest but we do not like the unemployment with no job prospects in sight. I looked at the classifieds this weekend in Charleston and it appears that there are quite a few more options there than here. I also know of several IT positions that are coming available on the AFB there so I am hoping that one of those positions will have my name on it.
Pastor Tom has also approached me about taking lead with regards to the mens ministry at Grace Fellowship. This has also surprised me as well. I am humbled that Pastor Tom would entrust this to me and I am going to look forward to this challenge. Grace Fellowship is a small congregation but I believe that there is a TON of potential there as the congregation grows in size. From what I was told this weekend they now have 18 youth in a very active and growing youth ministry there which is awesome! The church is also undergoing some major building renovations this year and we are hoping that taking out the old and making brand new will help with regards to retaining new members when they come in the doors on Sunday. More importantly though I am hopeful that as people continue to come through the church doors at Grace Fellowship that they will encounter the same love and acceptance that our family experienced and are still being shown.
We are planning to head towards Texas early Thursday morning. We should have just enough gas money and we will be praying that our car does not break down on the trip. It has been 3 years since we have visited friends and family in Texas and Katy wants to make the memorial service in Corpus on Saturday. I miss seeing my 17 year old son Jeremy who lives in Rosenburg which is just outside of Houston so I am hopeful to see him as well.
Thank you, our faithful friends and prayer partners who have lifted us up as a family as we have walked down the road of life in the last two years. Your faithful prayers and support have helped us in ways that you will not understand this side of heaven. We are so grateful for your help. I know that moving AGAIN is going to be a huge hassle but I am looking at this opportunity as a HUGE blessing and a chance to get plugged in to a community of people that we are familiar with and hopefully we will be in a better place to serve God and find full time employment so we can meet financial responsibilities that have had to take a back seat while we have been struggling.
God bless
I liken our story to the man on top of the house with the flood waters rising and our having faith that while things look bleak that God is going to provide us with the help we need. This weekend a boat came by and I want to thank the Lord for having enough sense to recognize it for what it was.
We spent the weekend in Goose Creek with our former pastor and his family. We went to Grace Fellowship Church on Sunday. The church not only is assisting us with funds for gas money so we can make the trip to Texas but they also are planning on renting a Uhaul truck and sending some of the men to Travelers Rest at the end of this month to pack us up and move us back. Ok, so maybe it is not a boat bur more a Uhaul Truck. I am not picky in the least. :)
I was pleasantly surprised to hear the pastor tell me of his plans to move us back. I asked Pastor Tom WHY they were willing to help us. He looked at me and said, "You are a part of our family aren't you?" Wow, that is incredible. We are a part of that family and have been for the last 3 years. On several occasions Pastor Tom, his family and Grace Fellowship Church helped our family as we were walking through the trials of Jessica's fight with cancer. Without them our situation would have been much worse.
There were several things that had to happen BEFORE this plan was implemented. The church finance committee had to agree to it and I had to find a place to live. Both of those pieces fell in place this weekend. The funds were approved and I spoke to our former landlord and friend in Goose Creek and it just happens that our old residence at 159 Mapleridge Drive is coming available on August 23rd. Imagine that huh? My former landlord understands our situation and is willing to help us in whatever way that he can. Can you say Praise the Lord?? I am....
Thank you Jesus for working out the details and for friends and a church family that loves us and is willing to reach out and help our family.
I had no idea that the pastor was planning this and thusly it was a very nice surprise. We like Travelers Rest but we do not like the unemployment with no job prospects in sight. I looked at the classifieds this weekend in Charleston and it appears that there are quite a few more options there than here. I also know of several IT positions that are coming available on the AFB there so I am hoping that one of those positions will have my name on it.
Pastor Tom has also approached me about taking lead with regards to the mens ministry at Grace Fellowship. This has also surprised me as well. I am humbled that Pastor Tom would entrust this to me and I am going to look forward to this challenge. Grace Fellowship is a small congregation but I believe that there is a TON of potential there as the congregation grows in size. From what I was told this weekend they now have 18 youth in a very active and growing youth ministry there which is awesome! The church is also undergoing some major building renovations this year and we are hoping that taking out the old and making brand new will help with regards to retaining new members when they come in the doors on Sunday. More importantly though I am hopeful that as people continue to come through the church doors at Grace Fellowship that they will encounter the same love and acceptance that our family experienced and are still being shown.
We are planning to head towards Texas early Thursday morning. We should have just enough gas money and we will be praying that our car does not break down on the trip. It has been 3 years since we have visited friends and family in Texas and Katy wants to make the memorial service in Corpus on Saturday. I miss seeing my 17 year old son Jeremy who lives in Rosenburg which is just outside of Houston so I am hopeful to see him as well.
Thank you, our faithful friends and prayer partners who have lifted us up as a family as we have walked down the road of life in the last two years. Your faithful prayers and support have helped us in ways that you will not understand this side of heaven. We are so grateful for your help. I know that moving AGAIN is going to be a huge hassle but I am looking at this opportunity as a HUGE blessing and a chance to get plugged in to a community of people that we are familiar with and hopefully we will be in a better place to serve God and find full time employment so we can meet financial responsibilities that have had to take a back seat while we have been struggling.
God bless
Good morning folks!
Have you heard of RSS yet? If not, you will be. Maybe this is the first time you have heard of Really Simple Syndication. Thanks to my subscription to Lockergnome I have been learning about it myself.
Do you get published newsletters through e-mail? I get quite a few of them. Thanks to the world of spammers that are filling up our inboxes with a deluge of garbage that we did not ask for ISP's are implementing "filters" that STOP HTML formatted newsletters from being sent through their e-mail servers. The positive aspect of this happening is that it STOPS some SPAM that is in the form of HTML. There are several e-mail formats but one that has become dangerous is the HTML format that allows the e-mail to look and feel like a web page. Advertisers like to use that format because it is pretty and gets our attention with all of the widgets and gizmos that can be coded into the HTML content. The UGLY side to the HTML format is that hackers and virus code writers have found ways to put destructive payloads in the HTML code and therefore use that format to send out viruses.
Lockergnome is beginning to phase out their e-mail newsletter and replace their content with RSS feeds. Here is a link to what I am talking about with regards to Lockergnome.
http://rss.lockergnome.com/
On the right panel you will find links to FREE RSS News Aggregators. If you are familiar with Usenet and the USENET Newsgroups you will find RSS NEWS READERS to be easy to use. Usenet newsreaders allow you to read published usenet newsgroups as well as respond to the posts online. Also on the right panel you will find the new RSS feeds for Lockergnome. Once you have the RSS reader of choice installed on your computer you can click on the RSS feed you are interested in and cut and paste that url into your RSS reader as a NEW FEED that you want to stay updated on. Yes, there is a bit of a learning curve here but it is worth it.
I know that some of you are probably rolling your eyes wondering what in the world I am babbling about. :) RSS or Really Simple Syndication provides those that publish content a new and safe environment to do so that is FREE of ISP filters and it provides folks like us an automated way to receive the RSS feeds with the information we DO WANT free of viruses and spam. Does THAT interest you? Who needs or wants more spam? I know I do not.
Using current technology if you do not want to have your inbox polluted with HTML email newletters you opted to go to the website and read at your leisure. If you have multiple newsletters you like to read that could be time consuming. Now , as publishers catch on and start formatting their content in XML and then create RSS feeds you can just plug that content into the RSS reader of choice.
Here is a for instance. Have you been following the Moffitt Web Log or BLOG? There are two ways to get our BLOG.
http://jcmoffitt.blogspot.com ------> web browser reads this content
OR
http://jcmoffitt.blogspot.com/rss/jcmoffitt.xml------> requires RSS Reader
OR
I can e-mail you a copy of each new blog as I am sent the copy every time I post.
When you click on the RSS feed above all you see is xml content which looks like gibberish in your web browser. You have to have a RSS Reader that can interpret xml.
Ok, I have given you enough information to either confuse you or peak your interest. I hope it did the latter. Click through the information on Lockergnome. Chris does a much better job of EXPLAINING how RSS works since he knows a lot more about it. :)
Email me at jcmoffitt@charter.net if you have any specific HOW TO questions and I will help you all I can.
Have you heard of RSS yet? If not, you will be. Maybe this is the first time you have heard of Really Simple Syndication. Thanks to my subscription to Lockergnome I have been learning about it myself.
Do you get published newsletters through e-mail? I get quite a few of them. Thanks to the world of spammers that are filling up our inboxes with a deluge of garbage that we did not ask for ISP's are implementing "filters" that STOP HTML formatted newsletters from being sent through their e-mail servers. The positive aspect of this happening is that it STOPS some SPAM that is in the form of HTML. There are several e-mail formats but one that has become dangerous is the HTML format that allows the e-mail to look and feel like a web page. Advertisers like to use that format because it is pretty and gets our attention with all of the widgets and gizmos that can be coded into the HTML content. The UGLY side to the HTML format is that hackers and virus code writers have found ways to put destructive payloads in the HTML code and therefore use that format to send out viruses.
Lockergnome is beginning to phase out their e-mail newsletter and replace their content with RSS feeds. Here is a link to what I am talking about with regards to Lockergnome.
http://rss.lockergnome.com/
On the right panel you will find links to FREE RSS News Aggregators. If you are familiar with Usenet and the USENET Newsgroups you will find RSS NEWS READERS to be easy to use. Usenet newsreaders allow you to read published usenet newsgroups as well as respond to the posts online. Also on the right panel you will find the new RSS feeds for Lockergnome. Once you have the RSS reader of choice installed on your computer you can click on the RSS feed you are interested in and cut and paste that url into your RSS reader as a NEW FEED that you want to stay updated on. Yes, there is a bit of a learning curve here but it is worth it.
I know that some of you are probably rolling your eyes wondering what in the world I am babbling about. :) RSS or Really Simple Syndication provides those that publish content a new and safe environment to do so that is FREE of ISP filters and it provides folks like us an automated way to receive the RSS feeds with the information we DO WANT free of viruses and spam. Does THAT interest you? Who needs or wants more spam? I know I do not.
Using current technology if you do not want to have your inbox polluted with HTML email newletters you opted to go to the website and read at your leisure. If you have multiple newsletters you like to read that could be time consuming. Now , as publishers catch on and start formatting their content in XML and then create RSS feeds you can just plug that content into the RSS reader of choice.
Here is a for instance. Have you been following the Moffitt Web Log or BLOG? There are two ways to get our BLOG.
http://jcmoffitt.blogspot.com ------> web browser reads this content
OR
http://jcmoffitt.blogspot.com/rss/jcmoffitt.xml------> requires RSS Reader
OR
I can e-mail you a copy of each new blog as I am sent the copy every time I post.
When you click on the RSS feed above all you see is xml content which looks like gibberish in your web browser. You have to have a RSS Reader that can interpret xml.
Ok, I have given you enough information to either confuse you or peak your interest. I hope it did the latter. Click through the information on Lockergnome. Chris does a much better job of EXPLAINING how RSS works since he knows a lot more about it. :)
Email me at jcmoffitt@charter.net if you have any specific HOW TO questions and I will help you all I can.
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