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So, the man who would be Kennedy is meeting with the capo di tutti capi of the Russian Mob, and passed by Europe on the way. Arms reduction is on the menu, which is a good thing; trade is very much on the menu, which is not so good, and Iran may be on the menu, which is not of much concern but maybe should be.
President Obama arrived on the scene with amazing expectations. He looked and sounded like a return to the heady days when we had US presidents who we looked up to, and an America which we were happy to think of as leading the Western World, especially Western Europe. All the resonances were with John F. Kennedy, days when the States were our friend and protector against the Soviet Union and a shining light of social-democratic leaning responsible government.
Of course, the expectations were far too high; he had an economic situation not seen since the 30s to deal with at home, and the geopolitical problems had changed dramatically. Any hopes we had that he'd wave a magic wand and fix the world economy were fantasy to start with, but some of the gloss has gone with the realisation that that's the case. We hoped he'd move rapidly to end involvement in Iraq, and that seems to be happening; we hoped he'd have solutions to involvement in Afghanistan, and that doesn't. We hoped he'd stop the sabre rattling about Iran, threatening to precipitate yet another Middle-Eastern war, and there's too much doubt still about where his intentions are in that respect. He's still fairly glossy.
-- Chris Eyre
Out of the depths I have cried to you, Yahweh. Lord, hear my voice. Let your ears be attentive to the voice of my petitions. If you, Yahweh, kept a record of sins,Lord, who could stand? But there is forgiveness with you, therefore you are feared. I wait for Yahweh. My soul waits. I hope in his word. My soul longs for the Lord more than watchmen long for the morning; more than watchmen for the morning. Israel, hope in Yahweh, for with Yahweh there is loving kindness. With him is abundant [Read more at Jody's Devotionals]
I was at Hankins UMC this morning and will be there again next week. (Location of Hankins – the church is just after the intersection of NY 94 and NY 97) The service starts at 10:15 and you are welcome to attend. The Scriptures for this Sunday, the 3rd Sunday after the Epiphany, 24 January 2010 were Nehemiah 8: 1 – 3, 5 – 6, 8 – 10; 1 Corinthians 12: 12 – 31; and Luke 4: 14 – [Read more at Thoughts from the Heart on the Left]
We start each day with hope. At least I do and most positive people I know do the same. There is an occasional "dreaded" day, but it is the exception and is usually combated by positive self-talk and prayer. The rule is that we begin our mornings expecting to exploit our effectiveness and embrace our opportunities. Our "to-do" lists are full and our hearts are ready to meet our challenges until something happens. We don't finish our first task in the time we have allotted. We are [Read more at The Dream Factory]
God stepped out on stage
And every member
of the orchestra
knew it was He.
He took the baton in hand
And breathed forth
UPBEAT.
Down came the baton
DOWNBEAT.
And the pattern was given
With every eye upon Him.
The strings
The Dream Factory]
For the most part I like my job. I go in to work at 7:30 am. I usually case up mail for about two hours, then the rest of the day I am out on the street delivering mail. I personally enjoy being outside and moving around throughout the day.
I actually remember when I was younger having not had my license very long, thinking, "I'd like to have a job that I can just drive around all day." I guess I was thinking more along the lines of being a truck driver like [Read more at Greg's Fishing Hole]
There are some great stories in the Bible of God’s saving grace. From Noah and his family’s lift from the flood to the many that Jesus pronounced free of their sins; free of their disease, God has come into the lives of His children to save them.
Each of us has a story to tell. The story is never small if it involves God. Jesus said we were to be His “witnesses”. A “witness” testifies to an event or has personal knowledge of an event or person. Some stories read like the [Read more at Jody's Devotionals]
I have received several emails from some politically conservative readers of my blog upset that I posted a video last night of former Clinton aid, Lanny Davis, in which I basically agreed with his view that health care must be bipartisan. The essential message of the emails was, "What do you mean bipartisan! We now have them on the ropes! We can stop everything in its tracks! This is no time for compromise!" To make things worse, a few of the emailers were appalled that I would post an interview from [Read more at Allan R. Bevere]
- Henry Neufeld
1Again he began to teach beside the sea, and a substantial crowd gathered around him, so that he got into a boat that was in the sea, and all the people were on the land by the sea. 2And he taught them in many parables, and here’s what he said as he taught them: . . . — Mark 4:1-2
In churches today one of the key problems people have in sharing their faith is getting an opening to talk about it. Jesus didn’t seem to have that problem. He would appear and people [Read more at Jody's Devotionals]
Yesterday's election of a Republican Senator in Massachusetts to the seat held for many years by the late Ted Kennedy has been referred to as "the shot heard round the country," and as a "kick-mass" election. Was last night's upset a massacre in Massachusetts? Hardly... but what happened last night should be an obvious warning that both Democrats and Republicans need to heed, though they probably won't.
The 2009 election that thrust Barack Obama into the presidency and gave greater majorities to the [Read more at Allan R. Bevere]
We all know the song about the church and the people which make up the church and we remember the nursery rhyme, “here is the church, here is the steeple, open the doors and see all the people.”
Over the years, though, this idea of what a church is and what a church is supposed to be has changed.
The church did not start out as a building on the main street of some village in Israel, Syria, Turkey or Greece. It began as a movement and became known as “The Way” and it began [Read more at Thoughts from the Heart on the Left]