This is an excerpt from the book,..."The Dinosaur Book of Wisdom and Observations",...
Dear President George W. Bush,
I am writing this letter with deep respect, of you, and your office. This is not a letter voicing disagreement with policy, or questioning any aspect of your leadership, but merely one human being, reaching out to another.
Realizing I have not walked in your shoes, I can only imagine the weight you must bear upon your shoulders; yet, I am sure even that falls very short of true comprehension.
I do not believe apologizing for others possesses true merit; however, I do want to express heartfelt sorrow at our society's constant lack of proper decorum for you and your office. I believe laughter, as defined in the Bible, is good medicine. Throughout your tenure as President. I have noticed a darkened thread of humor; only described as malicious ridicule. I do not believe I have seen this constancy, nor abundance of tasteless humor being directed at another President, within my years.
Due to its inapposite nature, I can only surmise it is a character reflection of those propagating it, and those accepting it. I wish to be named with neither.
Again, may I state I am sorry. I also want to compliment you on your very reserved demeanor, while facing this onslaught; that in itself speaks volumes to me.
Proverbs 12:25, "Heaviness in the heart of man maketh it stoop: but a good word maketh it glad."
Warmest Regards,
"Preacher Joe" Paluch
Thursday, June 4, 2009
Saturday, May 23, 2009
The Parable of the Mayonnaise Jar
I wish I could take credit for this writing, but all I contributed was the ending comment. This was plucked from a cyber-space fly by ~author unknown~
A professor stood before his philosophy class and had some items in front of him. When the class began, he wordlessly picked up a very large and empty mayonnaise jar and proceeded to fill it with golf balls. He then asked the students if the jar was full. They agreed that it was.
The professor then picked up a box of pebbles and poured them into the jar. He shook the jar slightly. The pebbles rolled into the open areas between the golf balls. He then asked the students again if the jar was full. They agreed it was. The professor next picked up a box of sand and poured it into the jar. Of course, the sand filled up everything else. He asked once more if the jar was full. The students responded with a unanimous, "yes!"
The professor then produced two cups of coffee from under the table and poured the entire contents into the jar, effectively filling the empty spaces between the sand. The students laughed.
"Now," said the professor as the laughter subsided, "I want you to recognize that this jar represents your life. The golf balls are the important things,...your family, your children, your health, your friends, and your favorite passions; and if everything else was lost and only they remained, your life would still be full. The pebbles are the other things that matter, like your job, your house, and your car. The sand is everything else, the small stuff. If you put the sand into the jar first," he continued,"there is no room for the pebbles or the golf balls. The same goes for life. If you spend all your time and energy on the small stuff, you'll never have room for the things that are really important to you. Pay attention to the things that are critical to your happiness. Spend time with your children. Spend time with your parents. Visit the grandparents. Take time to get medical check-ups. Take your spouse out to dinner. Smell the roses. There will always be time to clean the house, and fix the disposal. Take care of the golf balls first; the things that really matter. Set your priorities. The rest is just sand."
One of the students raised his hand and inquired what the coffee represented. The professor smiled and said," I'm glad you asked. The coffee just shows you that no matter how full your life may seem, there's always room for a couple of cups of coffee with a loved one!"
Hebrews 13:1,.."Let brotherly love continue."
How simplistic this life was meant to be lived. Yet, we've filled it with drama and complexities that overshadow the essence of what's truly valuable to us. May we refect upon the mirror of Scripture,...
A professor stood before his philosophy class and had some items in front of him. When the class began, he wordlessly picked up a very large and empty mayonnaise jar and proceeded to fill it with golf balls. He then asked the students if the jar was full. They agreed that it was.
The professor then picked up a box of pebbles and poured them into the jar. He shook the jar slightly. The pebbles rolled into the open areas between the golf balls. He then asked the students again if the jar was full. They agreed it was. The professor next picked up a box of sand and poured it into the jar. Of course, the sand filled up everything else. He asked once more if the jar was full. The students responded with a unanimous, "yes!"
The professor then produced two cups of coffee from under the table and poured the entire contents into the jar, effectively filling the empty spaces between the sand. The students laughed.
"Now," said the professor as the laughter subsided, "I want you to recognize that this jar represents your life. The golf balls are the important things,...your family, your children, your health, your friends, and your favorite passions; and if everything else was lost and only they remained, your life would still be full. The pebbles are the other things that matter, like your job, your house, and your car. The sand is everything else, the small stuff. If you put the sand into the jar first," he continued,"there is no room for the pebbles or the golf balls. The same goes for life. If you spend all your time and energy on the small stuff, you'll never have room for the things that are really important to you. Pay attention to the things that are critical to your happiness. Spend time with your children. Spend time with your parents. Visit the grandparents. Take time to get medical check-ups. Take your spouse out to dinner. Smell the roses. There will always be time to clean the house, and fix the disposal. Take care of the golf balls first; the things that really matter. Set your priorities. The rest is just sand."
One of the students raised his hand and inquired what the coffee represented. The professor smiled and said," I'm glad you asked. The coffee just shows you that no matter how full your life may seem, there's always room for a couple of cups of coffee with a loved one!"
Hebrews 13:1,.."Let brotherly love continue."
How simplistic this life was meant to be lived. Yet, we've filled it with drama and complexities that overshadow the essence of what's truly valuable to us. May we refect upon the mirror of Scripture,...
Wednesday, May 20, 2009
UNASHAMED OF THE GOSPEL FOLLOWERS
Thank you all for hangin' tough in this era of uncertainty regarding man's actions. I hear this morning, that a few Senators want to make the insurance benefits provided by employers taxable income for you,...the worker & taxpayer! So much for everyone that takes a lower paying job for the sake of the great benefits! There's also another idea gaining traction; it's about mandating companies to give their employees, either full or part-time, paid vacations. This under the guise of stimulus, and healthier employees. When the government controls private business, that is fascism; and it's tentacles are becoming more tightened around the neck of our free market experiment daily!
Does this describe our current administration? Ecclesiates 5:10,..."He that loveth silver shall not be satisfied with silver; nor he that loveth abundance with increase: this is also vanity." However, I adhere to the belief that the taxpayer monies theft is a means to an end; mainly,...power.
The biblical verses regarding the reaping and sowing principle should make hindsight perfectly clear to the Church !! You can't place people in office because of political correctness, your entitlement hopes, ethnicity, nor any other reasoning beyond the ability and merit of the potential leader to guide this republic.
The Church should meditate upon this before entering ANY voting booth. Proverbs 29:2,..".When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice: but when the wicked beareth rule, the people mourn."
Awww yes,...that door of escape provided by the immutable Word of God !!!!!!!!!!!!
Tuesday, May 19, 2009
Protecting our Salt
Colossians 4:6,..."Let your speech be alway with grace, seasoned with salt, that ye may know how ye ought to answer every man."
Jude 1:3,..."...ye should earnestly contend for the faith..."
There's an ideological war being waged, with our country's moral compass hanging in the balance. Our horizons are somewhat darkened as gathered forces advance upon our liberties and biblical principles; this enemy doesn't desire prisoners, they're wholly bent upon total annihilation of their foe...us!
Among their many pronged attack is the insidious, 'Local Law Enforcement Hate Crimes Prevention Act' of 2009. This bill ( S 909 )which is now in the Senate, essentially assigns differing levels of punishment for some crimes while providing 'unequal justice' for all. As it protects deviant behaviors, it promotes defining Scripture as hate speech; criminalizing the revelations of our Lord to His Church!!
EVERY Senator needs to receive this letter, or a reasonable facsimile in numbers too large to ignore....asap!
Dear Senator ___________:
I'm writing this to encourage you to do all in your power to oppose the passage of S. 909, or known as, "The Local Law Enforcement Hate Crimes Prevention Act."
Passing of this bill would be reckless and irresponsible because it's contrary to the 1st Amendment rights to free speech, and it provides special legal protection for pedophiles, and other sexual offenders.
This bill is becoming known as "The Pedophile Protection Act." This has resulted from a House debate, when a simple amendment to exempt pedophiles from protections offered by this bill was rejected!
If ever a time and reason was offered for a filibuster, this is that time! I appeal for a bi-partisan standing against this bill.
I also include this warning; those that support it, or allow it to pass without a fight, shall be held accountable at election time!
Stop "The Pedophile Protection Act."
I'll appreciate you writing to me, expressing your position regarding this bill.
Sincerely,
Your name/address
The times are dictating that the e-mail forwards, shaking our heads, rolling eyeballs, and preachin' to the choir, offers no hope for solutions. Sitting down being passive, or depending upon 'someone else' to do it only makes one become part of the problem!
~Samuel Stillman, 1779~ "We are engaged in a most important contest; not for power but freedom. We mean not to change our masters, but to secure to ourselves, and to generations, yet unborn, the perpetual enjoyment of civil and religious liberty, in their fullest extent.
Jesus Christ, Matthew 5:13, Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be salted?
If we don't take a stand now, when? And if not us,...who?
Monday, May 18, 2009
C-O-M-P-R-O-M-I-S-E spells murder
Jeremiah 1:5, "Before I formed thee in the belly, I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations.'
Acts 17:26, "And hath made of one blood all nations of men for to dwell on all the face of the earth, and hath determined the times before appointed, and the bounds of their habitation."
Romans 9:20, "Nay but, O man, who art thou that repliest against God? Shall the thing formed say to him that formed it, Why hast thou made me thus?
Psalm 127:3, "Lo, children are an heritage of the Lord:..."
Compromise: making a settlement by each side giving up part of it's demands,...something that is halfway between opposing opinions.
From the preceding verses we are shown unequivocally that God creates life; and children are a gift from God. He has determined when and where we'll live; and we're not to question His orchestration of our life! We must realize that EVERY life is ordained of God, and if we aren't allowed to question God about our birth,...how much less should a mother or doctor get to decide.
We glean from the definition of compromise, that opposite opinions have to give up, or change portions of their stance to appease the other opinion holders to enable an agreement to prevail between the two. A good example of this is the ecumenical movement; where everyone is so overwhelmed with 'why can't we just get along' they'll ignore goodly portions of the Bible for the sake of pleasing man!
My questions are these; hypothetically, if you were a a professing Christian leader of a country with a division regarding the murdering of , or prolonging the life of babies,... what portion of God's Word would you ignore to appease those that want to murder babies??????? and,...What would you compromise to formulate an agreement between the two camps ?????
Proverbs 17:15,..."He that justifieth the wicked, and he that condemneth the just, even they both are abomination to the Lord."
To Co-laborers I've Never Met...
In the Bible, there's a recalling of Simon Peter's response to a question poised by Jesus. Several disciples had decided not to follow Jesus, and turning back, "...walked no more with him..."
Jesus asked, "Will ye also go away" .....to which the Bible records Simon Peter's reply, ..."Lord, to whom shall we go? thou hast the words of eternal life."
Scripture states that once we become a Christian, we're a new creature, ( 2 Corinthians 5:17). In Colossians 3:10 we see another attribute to the new creature,..."which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him:..."
Here's yet another pearl in the fields of Scripture; this admonishment lies in Colossians 2:8,..."Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ."
This blog may cover varying topics, with all of them overlapping more or less, but the thread of continuity is the 'God's Word' foundation I try to place them all upon. Many commentators, pundits, and word warriors offer up a profundity of opinions, and I do too, but without God's wisdom it's all worth the same; an opinion and $2.00 MIGHT get you a cup of coffee !!! What the world needs is absolute truth, not formulated opinions based upon which way the winds a blowin' today !!!
One movie I've placed upon my 'must see list for Christians' is 'Timechanger.' It's an endeavor that portrays a staunch Christian transported from the 1800's into a contemporary Christian setting. The underlying premise that the movie rests upon is this; any instruction is worthless if not rooted in Scripture! If you haven't viewed it, put it on your list of things to do.
I do hope the meanderings & musings I've, with God's grace, been posting, have become fodder for chewing upon, and that the Scripture has illuminated the wording, giving it strength;....and strengthened each reader in some manner. As we all face life with it's overflowing complexities, we must always remember that all those formidable giants are quite readily handled, ( or avoided ) by the simplistic words from God.
I'll leave this posting with,...1 Corinthians 3:19,...For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God..."
Check out, "The Dinosaur Book of Wisdom and Observations" at, preacherjoepaluch.com
Sunday, May 17, 2009
Notre Dame,... Left, Right, or On The Fence???
Revelation 3:15, "I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot."
1 Kings 18:31, "How long halt ye between two opinions?"
Matthew 6:24, "No man can serve two masters:"
James 1:8, "A double-minded man is unstable in all his ways."
With the passage of time, Scripture has been displayed to every generation; and has been rejected or accepted with the accompanying positive or negative consequences of those choices. A preponderance of historical referencing has documented each rise and fall of moral barometers, validated by the exclamation points of each value shift.
The aforementioned biblical excerptions illuminate the perfect will of our Father; and the duty of Christians to make life applications of them is demonstrated with constancy by similar renderings such as Eccl. 12:13, ..."Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man." In other words, "choose you this day whom ye will serve;"
However, I notice how those verses aren't often picked up by "buffet-style" consumers of the Word.......but many will regret not having surveyed the serving tables a little more critically; for the Lord left no room for excuses.......
Revelation 3:17-19,..."Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked: I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and annoint thine eyes with eye-salve, that thou mayest see."
I have neither the time, nor the desire to belabor my thoughts, but with succinctness may I emphatically state;....that during the whole time frame of pastoring flocks, I NEVER relinquished the pulpit, nor placed honorariums upon anyone believing contrariwise to God regarding life, or other doctrines of God's Word; nor, have countless other co-laborers desiring to please God. 1 Peter 5:2-3, "Feed the flock of God which is among you, taking the oversight thereof, not by constraint, but willingly; not for filthy lucre, but of a ready mind; Neither as being lords over God's heritage, but being ensamples to the flock.
Jesus speaking of hypocrites, Mark 7:6, "This people honoureth me with their lips, but their heart is far from me."
In Timothy we read, 2 Timothy 3:7, "Ever learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth."
John 12:43 gives us this,..."For they loved the praise of men more than the praise of God."
I don't pretend to know the reasoning behind Notre Dame's decision making processes, except to say they mirror the attributes of hypocrisy, weakness, and political correctness; with no consideration of spiritual collateral damages. With that said, I offer Scripture for their consideration, and meditation,......
Proverbs 22:2, "Every way of a man is right in his own eyes: but the Lord pondereth the hearts."
Proverbs 29:25, "The fear of man bringeth a snare: but whoso putteth his trust in the Lord shall be safe."
Ephesians 2:8,9,.."For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God; Not of works, lest any man should boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them."
For me and the Lord,..."but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord."
For me and Notre Dame,..."Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away."
Often, one standing for God perceives himself as a soldier on a lonely watch, with a bleak and desolate horizon ringing their outpost; but draw strength from what Paul gives us in Timothy 4 :16-18,.."At my first answer no man stood with me, but all men forsook me: I pray God that it may not be laid to their charge. Notwithstanding the Lord stood with me, and strengthened me; that by me the preaching might be fully known, and that all the Gentiles might hear: and I was delivered out of the mouth of the lion. And the Lord shall deliver me from every evil work, and will preserve me unto his heavenly kingdom: to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen."
1 Kings 18:31, "How long halt ye between two opinions?"
Matthew 6:24, "No man can serve two masters:"
James 1:8, "A double-minded man is unstable in all his ways."
With the passage of time, Scripture has been displayed to every generation; and has been rejected or accepted with the accompanying positive or negative consequences of those choices. A preponderance of historical referencing has documented each rise and fall of moral barometers, validated by the exclamation points of each value shift.
The aforementioned biblical excerptions illuminate the perfect will of our Father; and the duty of Christians to make life applications of them is demonstrated with constancy by similar renderings such as Eccl. 12:13, ..."Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man." In other words, "choose you this day whom ye will serve;"
However, I notice how those verses aren't often picked up by "buffet-style" consumers of the Word.......but many will regret not having surveyed the serving tables a little more critically; for the Lord left no room for excuses.......
Revelation 3:17-19,..."Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked: I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and annoint thine eyes with eye-salve, that thou mayest see."
I have neither the time, nor the desire to belabor my thoughts, but with succinctness may I emphatically state;....that during the whole time frame of pastoring flocks, I NEVER relinquished the pulpit, nor placed honorariums upon anyone believing contrariwise to God regarding life, or other doctrines of God's Word; nor, have countless other co-laborers desiring to please God. 1 Peter 5:2-3, "Feed the flock of God which is among you, taking the oversight thereof, not by constraint, but willingly; not for filthy lucre, but of a ready mind; Neither as being lords over God's heritage, but being ensamples to the flock.
Jesus speaking of hypocrites, Mark 7:6, "This people honoureth me with their lips, but their heart is far from me."
In Timothy we read, 2 Timothy 3:7, "Ever learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth."
John 12:43 gives us this,..."For they loved the praise of men more than the praise of God."
I don't pretend to know the reasoning behind Notre Dame's decision making processes, except to say they mirror the attributes of hypocrisy, weakness, and political correctness; with no consideration of spiritual collateral damages. With that said, I offer Scripture for their consideration, and meditation,......
Proverbs 22:2, "Every way of a man is right in his own eyes: but the Lord pondereth the hearts."
Proverbs 29:25, "The fear of man bringeth a snare: but whoso putteth his trust in the Lord shall be safe."
Ephesians 2:8,9,.."For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God; Not of works, lest any man should boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them."
For me and the Lord,..."but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord."
For me and Notre Dame,..."Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away."
Often, one standing for God perceives himself as a soldier on a lonely watch, with a bleak and desolate horizon ringing their outpost; but draw strength from what Paul gives us in Timothy 4 :16-18,.."At my first answer no man stood with me, but all men forsook me: I pray God that it may not be laid to their charge. Notwithstanding the Lord stood with me, and strengthened me; that by me the preaching might be fully known, and that all the Gentiles might hear: and I was delivered out of the mouth of the lion. And the Lord shall deliver me from every evil work, and will preserve me unto his heavenly kingdom: to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen."
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