Hello Readers,
Saturday was a little rough, as I spent most of the day inside... Sharp
pain in my side had continued to get worse over the past few days...
Then I realized those heavy bundles of papers were almost twice the
weigh of last month's batch... Took a muscle relaxer and was pain free
with the hour... Also slept well...
I do not drive after taking any medicine that might make me sleepy, so the papers I planned to deliver on Saturday will be delivered Monday, but without a muscle relaxer... About four - five hours of driving, I will probably need it...
Pain returned Sunday morning and I took another
muscle relaxer... It was not until I turned on the computer at 11PM
that I realized I forgot to post the Sunday Devotional...
Getting tired... I took my second dose just before turning on the
computer and getting on the Internet... So I will post this and head to
bed...
Have a Blessed Day,
Richard
The Starfish
There was once a wise man that used to go to the ocean to do
his
writing. He had a habit of walking on the beach before he began his
work.
He was walking along the shore one day when he saw a human
figure
moving like a dancer. He smiled to himself as he didn't think anybody would
dance on the beach at this time of the day. Hence, he began to walk faster
to
try and catch up with the person.
As he got closer, he saw that the person was a young man and he
wasn't dancing. Instead, he was reaching down to pick up something on the
beach
every now and then before throwing it into the ocean very
gently.
When the wise man got closer, he called out, "Good morning!
What
are you doing?"
The young man looked up and replied, "Throwing starfish into
the
ocean."
"Why are you throwing starfish into the ocean?"
"The sun is up and the tide is going down. If I don't throw
them in
they'll die."
"There are miles and miles of beach and there are starfishes
all
along it. You can't possibly make a difference!"
The young man listened politely. Then he bent down, picked up
another starfish and threw it into the sea, past the breaking waves.
He said, "It made a difference for that one."
Each of us can make a difference to this world. Everybody is
useful
and it is just a matter of whether you want to make a
difference.
Turn Your Eyes Upon JESUS
O soul, are you weary and troubled?
No light in the darkness you see?
There’s a light for a look at the Savior,
And life more abundant and free!
Refrain
Turn your eyes upon Jesus,
Look full in His wonderful face,
And the things of earth will grow strangely dim,
In the light of His glory and grace.
Through death into life everlasting
He passed, and we follow Him there;
Over us sin no more hath dominion—
For more than conquerors we are!
Refrain
His Word shall not fail you—He promised;
Believe Him, and all will be well:
Then go to a world that is dying,
His perfect salvation to tell!
Refrain
Richard
Daily Smile:
In the middle of a forest, there was a hunter who was suddenly confronted by a huge, mean bear.
In his fear, all attempts to shoot the bear were unsuccessful. Finally, he turned and ran as fast as he could. The hunter ran and ran and ran, until he ended up at the edge of a very steep cliff. His hopes were dim.
Seeing no way out of his predicament, and with the bear closing in rather quickly, the hunter got down on his knees, opened his arms, and exclaimed, "Dear God! Please give this bear some religion!"
The skies darkened and there was lightning in the air. Just a few feet short of the hunter, the bear came to abrupt stop, and glanced around, somewhat confused.
Suddenly, the bear looked up into the sky and said, "Thank you God, for the food I'm about to receive..."
In The News:
Kentucky High School Graduates Ignore Objections, Pray at Ceremony
A Kentucky high school continued its tradition of having a student lead
a prayer during graduation ceremonies, despite objections by at least
six students, Fox News reports.
Jonathan Hardwick, class of 2013 president at Lincoln County High
School in Stanford, was given a standing ovation after he delivered a
prayer during Friday's commencement. A video of Hardwick's prayer quickly
hit social media, with most online comments supporting his decision.
"Thank you for helping us get here safely today, Lord, and thank you for
the many blessings you have given us," Hardwick said as part of the
prayer. Lincoln High principal Tim Godbey acknowledged that six students
-- including at least one atheist -- had asked him not to allow a
student-led prayer at the ceremony. Godbey, who is Christian, said under
separation of church and state laws, faculty members have never been
able to pray publicly on school grounds or during school-sponsored
events, but he noted that the U.S. Constitution does not prohibit
students from praying as long as they are not disrupted. Ricky Smith, an
atheist who has been lobbying for a "moment of silence" to replace
prayer during government meetings in the area, said he intended to
notify the American Civil Liberties Union and the Freedom From Religion
Foundation about Lincoln's public prayer, which he feels violated the
civil rights of students who are not Christians.
Hobby Lobby Crafts Contraceptive Mandate Appeal
Lawyers for arts-and-crafts chain Hobby Lobby argued again Friday the
company should not be forced to provide employee health insurance that
includes abortifacient drugs, something its Christian owners oppose. The
Oklahoma-based company, owned by the Green family, is fighting the
government mandate that businesses with more than 50 employees must
provide coverage for contraceptive drugs, including the so-called
"morning-after" pill. Although Hobby Lobby is a business, its founders'
faith permeates everything the company does, argued Kyle Duncan, one of
the lawyers from The Becket Fund for Religious Liberty, which represents
the Green family. The stores are a "profit-making company, yes, but
also a ministry," Duncan said. Friday's appearance before the full 10th
U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals marks the third time the company has made
its case in the courts. If it loses this round of its religious liberty
fight, it will appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court. Lawyer Alisa Klein,
arguing on behalf of the government, said allowing Hobby Lobby to avoid
covering contraceptive devices it doesn’t like would in effect impose
the Green’s religious beliefs on their employees: "If you make an
exemption for the employer, it comes at the expense of the employee."
It's the same argument government lawyers have made in other cases, with
mixed results. Fourteen for-profit businesses have won temporary
injunctions against the mandate on grounds it violates their religious
freedom. Only six businesses have lost their cases. But the mixed
rulings from across the country virtually guarantee the issue will end
up before the U.S. Supreme Court. Hobby Lobby is the first company to
have its case heard by a full appeals court.
Same-Sex Assault Apparently on the Rise in Military
Since the repeal of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell," which now allows
homosexuals to serve openly in the military, same-sex sexual assault
appears to have shot up dramatically, WORLD
reports.
According to a new Pentagon survey, sexual assault is on the rise, and
most victims of sexual assault in the military were not female (about
12,000 incidents), but male (about 14,000). It's possible that the
discrepancy is even greater, since men -- according to the Washington Times --
are less likely to speak up when they have been sexually assaulted.
"How could this happen?" asks Tony Perkins of the Family Research
Council. "Well, for starters, the Obama administration ordered military
leaders to embrace homosexuality -- completely dismissing the concerns
that it could be a problem to have people attracted to the same sex,
living in close quarters."
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, a Democrat, vowed to push through the state
legislature a Women's Equality Act before the current legislative
session ends on June 20, WORLD reports.
The act, he said, would include a provision to expand the legality of
late-term abortions. In the wake of late-term abortionist Kermit
Gosnell's grisly trial, opponents of Cuomo's proposal are hoping
political support for the measure will evaporate. Gosnell was convicted
of not just murdering three babies after they were born but aborting 21
babies after Pennsylvania's legal limit of 24 weeks of pregnancy, when
babies are considered viable to survive outside the mother. Gosnell's
trial highlighted Pennsylvania's lack of oversight of abortion centers,
and Cuomo's proposal could relax regulations on abortionists further in
New York, a state that already has few abortion limits such as waiting
periods or bans on public funding of abortion. Cuomo hasn't introduced
his promised legislation yet, but in his January State of the State
address he named the Reproductive Health Act (RHA) as one point in the
Women's Equality Act agenda. The standalone RHA is a few votes shy of
passing in the state Senate, so Cuomo will likely make some tweaks to
try to gain support from Republicans.
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