Mark's Insightful Question

Our 7-year old asked the other day, "If God already knows what we are going to ask, why do we need to pray"? An excellent question! It took me a bit to answer. However, God wants us to talk to him for the sake of discussion. Just because I come home with a smile from work, my wife may still want to know if I had a good day at work. God wants intimacy with us, and prayer is the best way to gain that. Besides, Jesus said in the book of Matthew, "You don't receive because you don't ask." Even if (because) He knows, He still wants us to humble ourselves and actually ask. It's like when we intend to give our kid a treat, but we still want them to say, "Please give us this treat." We still like them to ask and say, "please," and "thank you."

Nascar at California Speedway

Race 2 of the 2008 Nascar Sprint Cup season has passed. My second favorite driver, Carl Edwards, of Missouri, won. Unfortunately, I missed his backflip from the Window. Carl is in the top ten in points right now. Sweet! No win this week Gorden, Johnson, or Stewart. Tune in next week for the following Top 5 finish:
1. Mark Martin, 2. Carl Edwards, 3. Greg Biffle, 4. Ryan Newman, and 5. Jeff Burton. Stewart will blow an engine on the first lap.

I think I agree with this right now, maybe Independent this year (click on image to read it clearer)

Dear Mr. Harkin....ha ha

The Honorable Tom Harkin
731 Hart Senate Office Building
Phone (202) 224 3254
Washington DC , 20510

Dear Senator Harkin,

As a native Iowan and excellent customer of the Internal Revenue Service, I am writing to ask for your assistance. I have contacted the Department of Homeland Security in an effort to determine the process for becoming an illegal alien and they referred me to you.

My primary reason for wishing to change my status from U.S. Citizen to illegal alien stems from the bill which was recently passed by the Senate and for which you voted. If my understanding of this bill's provisions is accurate, as an illegal alien who ha s been in the United State s for five years, all I need to do to become a citizen is to pay a $2,000 fine and income taxes for three of the last five years. I know a good deal when I see one and I am anxious to get the process started before everyone figures it out.

Simply put, those of us who have been here legally have had to pay taxes every year so I'm excited about the prospect of avoiding two years of taxes in return for paying a $2,000 fine. Is there any way that I can apply to be illegal retroactively? This would yield an excellent result for me and my family because we paid heavy taxes in 2004 and 2005.

Additionally, as an illegal alien I could begin using the local emergency room as my primary health care provider. Once I have stopped paying premiums for medical insurance, my accountant figures I could save almost $10,000 a year.

Another benefit in gaining illegal status would be that my daughter would receive preferential treatment relative to her law school applications, as well as "in-state" tuition rates for many colleges throughout the United States for my son.

Lastly, I understand that illegal status would relieve me of the burden of renewing my driver's license and making those burdensome car insurance premiums. This is very important to me given that I still have college age children driving my car.

If you would provide me with an outline of the process to become illegal (retroactively if possible) and copies of the necessary forms, I would be most appreciative. Thank you for your assistance.

Your Loyal Constituent,
Donald Ruppert
Burlington , IA

Ed. note: Not sure if this is a real letter, but it is painfully funny.

A History Lesson - Are you smarter than a 5th grader?

If you don't know the answer make your best guess. Answer all the questions before looking at the answers. Who said each of the following:
1) "We're going to take things away from you on behalf of the common good."
A. Karl Marx
B. Adolph Hitler
C. Joseph Stalin
D. None of the above

2) "It's time for a new beginning, for an end to government of the few, by the few, and for the few...and to replace it with shared responsibility for shared prosperity."
A. Lenin
B. Mussolini
C. Idi Amin
D. None of the Above

3) "(We)...can't just let business as usual go on, and that means something has to be taken away from some people."
A. Nikita Khrushev
B. Josef Goebbels
C. Boris Yeltsin
D. None of the Above

4) "We have to build a political consensus and that requires people to give up a little bit of their own...in order to create this common ground."
A. Mao Tse Dung
B. Hugo Chavez
C. Kim Jong Il
D. None of the above

5) "I certainly think the free-market has failed."
A. Karl Marx
B. Lenin
C. Moloto v
D. None of the above

6) "I think it's time to send a clear message to what has become the most profitable sector in (the) entire economy that they are being watched."
A. Pinochet
B. Milosevic
C. Saddam Hussein
D. None of the above

Answers:
(1) D. None of the above. Statement was made by Hillary Clinton 6/29/04
(2) D. None of the above. Statement was made by Hillary Clinton 5/29/07
(3) D. None of the above. Statement was made by Hillary Clinton 6/04/07
(4) D. None of the above. Statement was made by Hillary Clinton 6/04/07
(5) D. None of the above. Statement was made by Hillary Clinton 6/04/07
(6) D. None of the above. Statement was made by Hillary Clinton 9/02/05

BUT THERE IS A MORAL TO THIS STORY...DON'T HAVE A SIGH OF RELIEF BECAUSE IT APPEARS TO BE OBAMA INSTEAD OF HILLARY. HE'S LIKELY MUCH WORSE.

"Conversations With God"

BEWARE OF THIS BOOK!!!

If you have children or grandchildren, work with children at church, or you have neighborhood children whose parents you know, please take note of the information below and pass it along to others. Schools are distributing this book to children through the Scholastic Book Club. The name of the book is Conversations with God. James Dobson talked about this book twice this week. It is devastating. Parents, churches and Christian schools need to be aware of it. Please pass this information on to church/e-mail addressees, Parents, Grandparents, Aunts, Uncles, Cousins, friends. Please pay special attention not only to what your kids watch on TV, in movie theaters, on the Internet, and the music they listen to, but also be alert regarding the books they read.

Two particular books are, Conversations with God and Conversations with God for Teens, written by Neale D. Walsch. They sound harmless enough by their titles alone. The books have been on the New York Times best sellers list for a number of weeks, and they make truth of the statement, "Don't judge a book by its cover or title."

The author purports to answer various questions asked by kids using the "voice of God". However, the "answers" that he gives are not Bible-based and go against the very infallible word of God. For instance (and I paraphrase), when a girl asks the question "Why am I a lesbian?" His answer is that she was 'born that way' because of genetics (just as you were born right-handed, with brown eyes, etc.). Then he tells her to go out and "celebrate" her differences.Another girls poses the question "I am living with my boyfriend. My parents say that I should marry him because I am living in sin. Should I marry him?"His reply is, "Who are you sinning against? Not me, because you have done nothing wrong."Another question asks about God's forgiveness of sin. His reply "I do not forgive anyone because there is nothing to forgive. There is no such thing as right or wrong and that is what I have been trying to tell everyone, do not judge people. People have chosen to judge one another and this is wrong, because the rule is "'judge not lest ye be judged."

Not only are these books the false doctrine of the devil, but in some instances quote (in error) the Word of God. . And the list goes on. These books (and others like it) are being sold to schoolchildren through (The Scholastic Book Club), and we need to be aware of what is being fed to our children.Our children are under attack. So I pray that you be sober and vigilant about teaching your children the Word of God, and guarding their exposure to worldly mediums, because our adversary, the Devil, roams about as a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour (1 Peter 5:8). We know that lions usually hunt for the slowest, weakest and YOUNGEST of its prey.

Golden Compass

By R. ALBERT MOHLER Jr

AlbertMohler.com

Published: December 4, 2007

The release of The Golden Compass as a major motion picture represents a new challenge for Christians -- especially parents. The release of a popular film with major actors that presents a message directly subversive of Christianity is something new. It is not likely to be the last. Having seen the movie at an advance viewing and having read all three books of His Dark Materials, I can assure Christians that we face a real challenge -- one that will require careful thinking and intellectual engagement.

Why is this movie such a challenge? First of all, The Golden Compass is an extremely attractive movie. Like the book on which it is based, the movie is a very sophisticated story that is very well told. The casting was excellent. Nicole Kidman and Daniel Craig (the latest James Bond actor) are joined by others including Sam Elliott and newcomer Dakota Blue Richards, who plays the central role of 11-year-old Lyra Belacqua. Kidman is chilling as the beautiful but evil Marisa Coulter and Craig is perfect as Lord Asriel. Actor Ian McKellen (Gandalf in the Lord of the Rings trilogy) is the voice of Iorek Byrnison, the armoured bear. The movie is very well done and will be very attractive to audiences of all ages. The special effects are superior to any previous movie of the type, including the Lord of the Rings trilogy (also released by New Line Cinema). Everything is in place for this to be a blockbuster at the box office. Second, the movie is based in a story that is captivating, sophisticated, and truly interesting. Philip Pullman is a skilled writer and teller of tales. His invented worlds of The Golden Compass and the entire His Dark Materials trilogy are about as good as the fantasy genre can offer. His characters are believable and the dialogue is constant -- largely due to Pullman's brilliant invention of a companion for each character -- a "daemon."The bottom line is that these books and this movie will attract a lot of attention and will captivate many readers and viewers.

So, what's the problem? This is not just any fantasy trilogy or film project. Philip Pullman has an agenda -- an agenda about as subtle as an army tank. His agenda is nothing less than to expose what he believes is the tyranny of the Christian faith and the Christian church. His hatred of the biblical storyline is clear. He is an atheist whose most important literary project is intended to offer a moral narrative that will reverse the biblical account of the fall and provide a liberating mythology for a new secular age. The great enemy of humanity in the three books, The Golden Compass, The Subtle Knife, and The Amber Spyglass (together known as His Dark Materials) is the Christian church, identified as the evil Magisterium. The Magisterium, representing church authority, is afraid of human freedom and seeks to repress human sexuality. The Magisterium uses the biblical narrative of the Fall and the doctrine of original sin to repress humanity. It is both violent and vile and it will stop at nothing to protect its own interests and to preserve its power. Pullman's attack on biblical Christianity is direct and undeniable. He once questioned why his books attracted little controversy even as the Harry Potter books attracted so much. He told an Australian newspaper that what he is "saying things that are far more subversive than anything poor old Harry has said. My books are about killing God.

Will viewers of the movie see all this?The direct attack on Christianity and God is toned down in the movie. But any informed person will recognize the Magisterium as representing the Church and Christianity. Of course, in our world the Magisterium is the authoritative leadership of the Roman Catholic Church. In Pullman's world it represents Christianity as a whole. Indeed, Pullman's tale tells of John Calvin assuming the papacy and moving the headquarters to Geneva, thus combining the Catholic and Reformation traditions into one. In the movie, the Magisterium appears to be located in London. In any event, the point is not subtle.The most direct attacks upon Christianity and God do not appear until the last book, The Amber Spyglass, in which Lyra and Will (a boy her age who first appears in the second book) eventually kill God, who turns out to be a decrepit and feeble old imposter who was hardly worth the killing.

Is Pullman's attack on Christianity exaggerated by his critics? No -- his attack is neither hidden nor subtle. The entire premise of the trilogy is that Lyra is the child foretold by prophecy who will reverse the curse of the Fall and free humanity from the lie of original sin. Whereas in Christian theology it is Jesus Christ who reverses the curse through His work of atonement on the Cross, Pullman presents his own theology of sorts in which the Fall is reversed through the defiance of these children. As Pullman insists, Eve and Adam were right to eat the forbidden fruit and God was a tyrant to forbid them the fruit of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. The supernatural element of Pullman's story is "Dust," which is seen by the Magisterium as original sin but is presented by Pullman as the essence of life itself. In The Golden Compass, Lyra is given an "alethiometer" or "golden compass" which is filled with Dust and tells the truth to one qualified to operate it. Readers are told that a great battle is coming in which forces fighting for human freedom and happiness will confront (and destroy) the Magisterium and God.In the last volume of the trilogy, a character known as Dr. Mary Malone explains her discovery to Lyra and Will: "I used to be a nun, you see. I thought physics could be done to the glory of God, till I saw there wasn't any God at all and that physics was more interesting anyway. The Christian religion is a very powerful and convincing mistake, that's all.

Is there more to the larger story?Yes, and it has to do with sex. Surprisingly graphic and explicit sex. Pullman believes that the Christian church is horribly repressive about sex and that this is rooted in the idea of the Fall. As he told Hanna Rosin of the Atlantic Monthly , "Why the Christian Church has spent 2,000 years condemning this glorious moment, well, that's a mystery. I want to confront that, I suppose, by telling a story that the so-called original sin is anything but. It's the thing that makes us fully human."Puberty is a big part of Pullman's concern. Coming-of-age stories are one of the most common forms of fiction, but Pullman's packs a punch that readers cannot miss. He wants to celebrate the adolescent's arrival at sexual awareness. Remember that the child's daemon can change forms until puberty. At that point it is fixed as a single creature that reflects the personality and character of the young adult.Puberty means the coming of sexual feelings. The Magisterium would prefer that children grow up without experiencing sexual temptation, so it is conducting an experiment in order to separate children from their daemons before puberty, when their daemon can no longer change. This procedure, known as "intercision" makes the child a "severed child" who has no daemon -- and thus no soul. The Magisterium has assigned Mrs. Coulter the job of abducting the children and taking them to the North for this experiment.As Mrs. Coulter explains to Lyra (who is revealed to be her own daughter) in the first book: "All that happens is a little cut, and then everything's peaceful. Forever! You see, your daemon's a wonderful friend and companion when you are young, but at the age we call puberty, the age you're coming to very soon, darling, daemons bring all sorts of troublesome thoughts and feelings, and that's what lets Dust in. A quick little operation before that, and you're never troubled again."In The Golden Compass, Lyra and her companions free the children held at this experimental station in the North and destroy it. In The Amber Spyglass, Lyra and Will reverse the story of the Edenic Fall by consummating a sexual act in the garden.Again, Pullman is not subtle. Keep in mind that this is a series of books marketed to children and adolescents. Lyra puts a red fruit to Will's lips and Will "knew at once what she meant, and that he was too joyful to speak." Within moments, the 13-year olds are involved in some kind of unspecified sexual act."The word love set his nerves ablaze," Pullman writes of Will. "All his body thrilled with it, and he answered her in the same words, kissing her hot face over and over again, drinking in with adoration the scent of her body and her warm, honey-fragrant hair and her sweet, moist mouth that tasted of the little red fruit."Just a few pages later, Will and Lyra will dare to touch each other's daemon. That passage is even more sexually charged and explicit than the first. The adolescents now know " that neither daemon would change now, having felt a lover's hands on them. These were their shapes for life: they would want no other.

"What is it about Pullman and C. S. Lewis? Put simply, Pullman hates C. S. Lewis's work The Chronicles of Narnia. He told Hannah Rosin that Lewis's famous work is "morally loathsome" and "one of the most ugly and poisonous things I ever read." Narnia, he said, "is the Christian one . . . . And mine is the non-Christian."When the first Narnia film was released in 2005, Pullman described the books as "a peevish blend of racist, misogynistic and reactionary prejudice."Indeed, Pullman's His Dark Materials is intended as an answer to Lewis's Chronicles of Narnia. What Lewis (and J. R. R. Tolkein) did for Christianity, Pullman wants to do for atheism.

So, what should Christians do? A good first step would be to take a deep breath. The Christian faith is not about to be toppled by a film, nor by a series of fantasy books. Pullman has an agenda that is clear, and Christians need to inform themselves of what this agenda is and what it means. At the same time, nothing would serve his agenda better than to have Christians speaking recklessly or unintelligently about the film or the books.This is about the battle of ideas and worldviews. While Christians will not celebrate the release of this film, we should recognize the mixture of challenge and opportunity that comes with millions of persons watching this film and talking about the issues it raises. When the movie is mentioned in the workplace, in school, on the playground, or in the college campus, this is a great opportunity to show that Christians are not afraid of the battle of ideas.We should recognize that the Christian Church has some very embarrassing moments in its history - moments when it has failed to represent the truth of the Gospel and the love of Christ. Authors like Philip Pullman take advantage of these failures in order to paint the entire Christian Church as a conspiracy against human happiness and freedom. Of course, that charge will not stand close scrutiny, and we can face it head-on with a thoughtful response.Some Christians have also held very unhelpful views of human sexuality. These, we must admit, would include figures as great and influential as Augustine and, alas, C. S. Lewis. But these figures, rightly influential in other areas of the faith, are not representative in this case of biblical sexuality. We can set the record straight.

Should we be concerned that people, young and old, will be confused by this movie? Of course. But I do not believe that a boycott will dissuade the general public from seeing the film. I am very concerned when I think of so many people being entertained by such a subversive message delivered by such a seductive medium. We are responsible to show them, in so far as we are able, that the Magisterium of The Golden Compass is not a fair or accurate representation of the Christian Church. I can only wonder how many parents and grandparents will allow children and young people to see the movie and then buy them the books -- blissfully unaware of what is coming in books two and three.The Gospel of Jesus Christ has enemies; this we know. Christian parents must be informed about His Dark Materials and inform others. We must take the responsibility to use interest in this film to teach our own children to think biblically and to be discerning in their engagement with the media in all forms. We should arm our children to be able to talk about this project with their classmates without fear or rancor.Philip Pullman has an agenda, but so do we. Our agenda is the Gospel of Christ -- a message infinitely more powerful than that of The Golden Compass. Pullman's worldview of unrestricted human autonomy would be nightmarish if ever achieved. His story promises liberation but would enslave human beings to themselves and destroy all transcendent value. The biblical story of the Fall is true, after all, and our only rescue is through the Gospel of Jesus Christ. The curse of sin was not reversed by adolescents playing at sex in a garden, but by the Son of God shedding His blood on a cross.So let's get our bearings straight as we think and talk about The Golden Compass. This movie does represent a great challenge, but a challenge that Christians should always be ready to meet.

Mohler is president of The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. This article originally appeared on his Web site, www.AlbertMohler.com , and is reprinted with permission.

Adapt-A-Life Conference Call

Every two weeks Adapt-A-Life hosts a confernce call about health issues, mainly wellness and prevention. LeBron Long is a hilarious but very knowledgeable man about health matters. He's down to earth. The calls are on Tuesdays at 7 PM, every other week. Tonight's was about cholesterol. Very fascinating. To hear the call at the time, call 218-936-1100 pass code 73849# for 25 minutes and you can hear it anytime the next two weeks at 218.936.1005, same pass code. The next call is March 4, 2008 about stress and the adrenal gland. I cannot wait. This will really help me.

Don't miss it.

Adapt-a-Life is a growing and exciting company to be part of.

Proof of Moses' crossing of the Red Sea

So much for those who try to explain this by natural phenomomum in the shallow waters of the "reed sea". One of the most dramatic records of Divine intervention in history is the account of the Hebrews' exodus from Egypt.

Wheels found at the bottom of the Red Sea -- See pictures below and the route:


You will be surprised to see proof of Pharaoh's chariot and bones of horses and men found in the Red Sea. Evidence of the crossing of the Red Sea . . . Pharaoh's drowned army.

Confirmation of the actual Exodus route has come from divers finding coral-encrusted bones and chariot remains in the Gulf of Aqaba. The subsequent drowning of the entire Egyptian army in the Red Sea was not an insignificant event, and confirmation of this event is compelling evidence that the Biblical narrative is truly authentic. Over the years, many divers have searched the Gulf of Suezin vain for artifacts to verify the Biblical account. But carefully following the Biblical and historical records of the Exodus brings you to Nuweiba, a large beach in the Gulf of Aqaba, as Ron Wyatt discovered in 1978. Repeated dives in depths ranging from 60 to 200 feet deep (18m to 60m), over a stretch of almost 2.5 km, has shown that the chariot parts are scattered across the sea bed. Artifacts found include wheels, chariot bodies, as well as human and horse bones. Divers have located on the Saudi coastline opposite Nuweiba as well. Since 1987, Ron Wyatt found three four-spoke gilded chariot wheels. Coral does not grow on gold, hence the shape has remained very distinct, although the wood inside the gold veneer has disintegrated making them too fragile to move.
The hope for future expeditions is to explore the deeper waters with remote cameras or mini-subs. (ABOVE GILDED CHARIOT WHEEL - Mute witness to the miracle of the crossing of the Red Sea by the Hebrews 3,500 years ago. Found with a metal detector. Coral-encrusted chariot wheel, filmed off the Saudi coastline, matches chariot wheels found inTutankhamen's tomb.
Mineralized bone, one of many found at the crossing site (above center). This one tested by the Department of Osteology at Stockholm University, was found to be a human femur, from the right leg of a 165-170cm tall man. It is essentially 'fossilized, ' i.e., replaced by minerals and coral, hence cannot be dated by radiocarbon methods, although this specimen was obviously from antiquity. Chariot wheel and axle covered with coral and up-ended. Exodus 14:25 'And took off their chariot wheels, that they drave them heavily...' Solomon's memorial pillars. When Ron Wyatt first visited Nuweiba in 1978, he found a Phoenician style column lying in the water. Unfortunately the inscriptions had been eroded away, hence the column's importance was not understood until 1984 when a second granite column was found on the Saudi coastline opposite -- identical to the first, except on this one the inscription was still intact! In Phoenician letters (Archaic Hebrew), it contained the words: Mizraim (Egypt ); Solomon; Edom; death; Pharaoh; Moses; and Yahweh, indicating that King Solomon had set up these columns as a memorial to the miracle of the crossing of the sea. Saudi Arabia does not admit tourists, and perhaps fearing unauthorized visitors, the Saudi Authorities have since removed this column, and replaced it with a flag marker where it once stood.
How deep is the water? The Gulf of Aqabais very deep, in places over a mile (1,600m) deep. Even with the sea dried up, walking across would be difficult due to the steep grade down the sides. But there is one spot where if the water were removed, it would be an easy descent for people and animals. This is the line between Nuweiba and the opposite shore in Saudi Arabia.
Depth-sounding expeditions have revealed a smooth, gentle slope descending from Nuweiba out into the Gulf. This shows up almost like a pathway on depth-recording equipment, confirming it's Biblical description, ' . . . a way in the sea, and a path in the mighty waters' (Isaiah 43:16). The Bible writers frequently refer to the miracle of the Red Sea crossing, for it was an event which finds no equal in history. The Hebrew prophets describe the sea at the crossing site as ' . . . the waters of the great deep . . . the depths of the sea . . .' (Isaiah 51:10). Knowing the exact spot to which the Bible writers were referring, what is the depth there? The distance between Nuweiba and where artifacts have been found on Saudi coast is about 18km (11 miles).
Along this line, the deepest point is about 800m (2,600 feet). No wonder that Inspired writers of the Bible described it as the mighty waters. And no wonder that not a single Egyptian survived when the water collapsed in upon them. (Above right NUWEIBABEACH- the spot where the crossing began).

Dogs Know

Have you ever heard that a dog 'knows' when an earthquake is about to hit?

Have you ever heard that a dog can 'sense' when a tornado is stirring up, even twenty miles away?

Do you remember hearing that, before the December tsunami struck Southeast Asia , dogs started running frantically away from the seashore, at breakneck speed ?

Do you know that dogs can detect cancer and other serious illnesses and danger of fire?

Somehow they always know when they can "go for a ride" before you even ask and how do those dogs and cats get home from hundreds of miles away? !

I'm a firm believer that animals - and especially dogs - have keen insights into the Truth. And you can't tell me that dogs can't sense a potentially terrible disaster well in advance. Simply said, a good ol' hound dog just KNOWS when something isn't right, when impending doom is upon us.

Newman Wins Daytona 500

Okay, Mark Martin did not win. He was doing decent until he ran over debris and lost two tires. Since no one else hit the debris, he was 2 laps down, then got back up to about 15th until he ran into a car that just hit the wall. He finished 31st but was on the lead lap. I cannot complain, though, because Ryan Newman, a likeable guy, won by getting help from his teammate, Kurt Busch, to beat my not-so-favorte Tony Steward. Any Nascar fan knows that Kurt and Tony are probably the least friendly to each other in the series. Sweet that Tony did not win, nor did Jimmie Johnson or Jeff Gordon. They win all the time.

Daytona 500 in three days

Tune in and watch Mark Martin, now driving the #8 Army Chevrolet drive to a 3 lap margin of victory. Go Mark Martin!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Valentine facts

Angie bough me a novelty cereal box today for Valentine's day. It was cool but not very tasty. However, she put some nice things in the box (he he).

The cereal is called "Smoochies." Here's some little known smoochie facts to bring fond V-day memories to ya'll:
1. The average person spends 14.5 days of their lifetime kissing and nearly 71 weeks talking about it.
2. It was award-winning economist that Watson T. Winnow that said, "Kissing is like real estate - it's LOCATION, LOCATION, LOCATION.
3. Fastest kiss: sales manager Rupert Plotzky, 40 minutes late for work, kisses his wife while closing his briefcase and backing out of the driveway. Time: 0.0028 seconds.
4. Nearly one-third of all kisses miss the mark, but no one seems to care.
5. Loudest kiss: Using an air compressor, industrial vacuum, and 120 feet of rubber tubing, scientists planted a simulated kiss on the Happy the Hippo hot air balloon during the 1997 Thanksgiving parade. The resulting smooch could be heard 12 miles away and left a hicky the size of a tractor tire.

I don't know if these things are true, but....who cares. Make sure you kiss your wife, child, mother, or the one you life tonight. God bless.

Ethan Beteethan the Cutie Betootie

Our monkey of a girl Hannah Joy once called our youngest one Ethan Joseph "Ethan Beteethan" and said that he is a cutie "betootie". Yes, she is in the rhyming stage. Got to love it. He's now saying lots of "words" and exciting things. His fave word is "on" and always wants us to put things on him. Heeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeere's Ethan!

Ohana's: A Dining experience to remember

Saturday, 12 of us from our church went to Ohana'a Steakhouse in Des Moines to celebrate Valentines Day with the ladies (in this case me with my wife). It is an authentic Japanese restaurant. Very expensive but an experience everyone should try once. The food is vegetables, meat, and seafood. They set you all around a large table and cook in front of you, and serve fresh food item by item from soup and salad to veggies to main courses while "dishing" out some great entertainment, like throwing knives and cracking jokes. Our server was hilarious. His one-liners were outstanding.

Cabin Fever

While at my dad's the past weekend, I saw a fishing show, with two men in a nice boat catching bass with T-shirts. Ah, spring is only two months away. Cannot wait. What's your favorite fish to catch? To eat? My favorite to catch is bass, walleys, northern, and hopefully someday a muskie. To eat, nothing is better than a free crappie or walleye. MMMMMMMM. Harvey style - he can fry, bake, or grill a fillet like no other.

My wife doen't like Coke and I shouldn't either

From my Adapt-A-Life business newsletter.

Coke or Water (by NaturoDoc Home)
For those who watch what they eat and drink. This! Is really an eye opener.... We all know that water is important but I've never seen it written down like this before.

Properties of WATER:
1. 75% of Americans are chronically dehydrated.
2. In 37% of Americans, the thirst mechanism is so weak that it is often mistaken for hunger.
3. Even MILD dehydration will slow down one's metabolism as much as 3%.
4. One glass of water will shut down midnight hunger pangs for almost 100% of the dieters studied in a University of Washington study.
5. Lack of water, the #1 trigger of daytime fatigue.
6. Preliminary research indicates that 8-10 glasses of water a day could significantly ease back and joint pain for up to 80% of sufferers.
7. A mere 2% drop in body water can trigger fuzz short-term memory, trouble with basic math, and difficulty focusing on the computer screen or on a printed page.
8. Drinking 5 glasses of water daily decreases the risk of colon cancer by 45%, plus it can slash the risk of breast cancer by 79%, and one is 50% less likely to develop bladder cancer.

And now for the properties of COKE:
1. In many states (in the USA ) the highway patrol carries two gallons of coke in the truck to remove blood from the highway after a car accident.
2. You can put a T-bone steak in a bowl of Coke and it will be gone in two days.
3. To clean a toilet: Pour a can of Coca-Cola into the toilet bowl and let the "real thing" sit for one hour, then flush clean. The citric acid in Coke removes stains from vitreous China .
4. To remove rust spots from chrome car bumpers: Rub the bumper with a rumpled-up piece of Reynolds Wrap aluminum foil dipped in Coca-Cola.
5. To clean corrosion from car battery terminals: Pour a can of Coca-Cola over the terminals to bubble away the corrosion.
6. To loosen a rusted bolt: Applying a cloth soaked in Coca-Cola to the rusted bolt for several minutes.
7. To bake a moist ham: Empty a can of Coca-Cola into the baking pan, wrap the ham in aluminum foil, and bake. Thirty minutes before the ham is finished, remove the foil, allowing the drippings to mix with the Coke for a sumptuous brown gravy.
8. To remove grease from clothes: Empty a can of coke into a load of greasy clothes, add detergent, and run through a regular cycle. The Coca-Cola will help loosen grease stains.
9. It will also clean road haze from your windshield.

For Your Info:
1. The active ingredient in Coke is phosphoric acid. Its pH is 2.8. It will dissolve a nail in about 4 days. Phosphoric acid also leaches calcium from bones and is a major contributor to the rising increase in osteoporosis.
2. To carry Coca-Cola syrup (the concentrate) the commercial truck must use the Hazardous material place cards reserved for highly corrosive materials.
3. The distributors of Coke have been using it to clean the engines of their trucks for about 20 years!
Now the question is, would you like a coke or a glass of water?

9 Health Secrets I'd like to Try

PLEASE KEEP ME ACCOUNTABLE TO THESE CONCEPTS

From LifeScript Healthy Advantage

1. Go through your pantry and cupboards and get rid of the bad stuff. “No trans fats, high-fructose corn syrup – eliminate 100 percent from [your] diet,” he says. “That alone will transform most people’s lives.”
2. Whenever possible, replace processed foods with whole, real foods that are organic.
3. Include omega-3 fatty acids in your diet by eating fish (such as wild salmon or sardines) or taking omega-3 dietary capsules.
4. Remove all gluten, dairy and eggs in your diet for three weeks, then add them back and measure how your body feels to determine if you if you have sensitivities and/or inflammatory reactions to these foods.
5. Pay attention to the colors you eat. “Eat a rainbow of color: blue, green, yellow, orange, red, purple… and I don’t mean Skittles or M&Ms,” Hyman says. Colorful whole foods are the source of “all the vitamins, minerals and phytonutrients that run your metabolism and keep you healthy.”
6. Eat early and eat often. Begin with a daily breakfast that includes protein, whether it’s a protein shake, eggs or a whole grain, gluten-free cereal with nuts. “There’s a real need for eating something with protein, which regulates the amino in acids in your brain,” Hyman says. That, in turn, communicates with your body’s appetite control center, which shuts down your hunger system. “You won’t be hungry until lunch,” Hyman says. “But if you start with a cup of coffee and big bagel or muffin you’ll be starving by 11 a.m. and craving sugar, even if it’s an 800-calorie meal.”
7. Don’t eat late. Curb your desire to snack before bedtime. “When you eat at night, particularly two to three hours before bedtime, you store the food you’re eating. That’s how they make sumo wrestlers fat.”
8. Exercise daily. Even a 30-minute walk once a day will keep you far healthier than a sedentary lifestyle. If possible, exercise in the morning to ensure you’ll get it done. But any time of day is a good time to move, Hyman says.
9. Take a quality multivitamin each day.By incorporating these healthy habits into your life, as well eating the right foods, Hyman says you can reprogram your body to lose weight. “The payoff is you don’t feel deprived, hungry or tired. You feel full of energy, the weight comes off and many other chronic problems go away,” Hyman says. “The thing most people tell me is, ‘Doc, I didn’t know how badly I was feeling until I was feeling so good.’”