"What a piece of work is man! How noble in reason! how infinite in faculties! in form and moving, how express and admirable! in action how like an angel! in apprehension, how like a god! the beauty of the world! the paragon of animals! And yet, to me, what is this quintessence of dust? Man delights not me; no... though by your smiling you seem to say so."

 -Hamlet

Got this in a forward... check it out...

---------------------------------------------------------------

 WW II Memorial
 

If this is true it really gripes me because it certainly is an attempt at
 thought control and political correctness.

 Never saw this in our mainstream press.......?????? Once again controlled
 media ??????

        Today  I went to visit the new World War II Memorial in Washington, DC. I got an unexpected history lesson. Since I'm a baby boomer, I was one of the youngest in the crowd. Most were the age of my parents, veterans of "the greatest war" with their families. It was a beautiful day, and people were smiling and happy to be there. Hundreds of us milled around the memorial, reading the inspiring words of Ike and Truman that are engraved there. On the Pacific side of the memorial, a group of us gathered to read the
 words President Roosevelt used to announce the attack on Pearl Harbor:

 "Yesterday, December 7, 1941-- a date which will live in infamy-- the United States of America was suddenly and deliberately attacked."  One woman read the words aloud: " With confidence in our armed forces, with the unbounding determination of our people, we will gain the inevitable triumph." But as she read, she was suddenly angry. "Wait a minute," she said. "They left out the end of the quote. They left out the most important part. Roosevelt said 'so help us God."

 "You're probably right," her husband said. "We're not supposed to say
 things like that now."
 "I know I'm right," she insisted. "I remember the speech." The two shook
 their heads sadly and walked away. Listening to their conversation, I thought to myself, "Well, it has been 50 years. She's probably forgotten." But she was right. I went home and pulled out the book my book club is reading. It's "Flags of Our Fathers" by James Bradley. It's all about Iwo Jima. I haven't gotten too far in the book.  It's  tough to read because it's a graphic description of the battles in the Pacific.

 But right there it was on page 58. Roosevelt's speech to the nation.  It
ends "so help us God."
        The people who edited out that part of the speech when they engraved it on the memorial could have fooled me. I was born after the war. But they couldn't fool the people who were there. Roosevelt's words are engraved on their hearts.

Send this around to your friends. People need to know before everyone
forgets

------------------------

 Its sad that people try so desperately to get God out of their life or deny him in any way they can when what they really need is to embrace Him and His son, the Savior of the world Jesus Christ.

Hey guys. Sorry its been awhile. Super busy here at home. And I thought RIT was jam-packed... I miss you all very much and thank you so much for those of you who have come down and visited me  It really means alot to me.

Off to Dominican Republic in a few weeks... we aren't supposed to wear shorts, OH NO!!!  Just pray for me that our team (10 guys from my church including my Dad and older brother) really bonds and that whatever we do really has an impact for God's kingdom whether its to the natives or to us, hopefully both. Also please pray for me and my diabetes that all can work out down there... no low sugars especially because I may not be able to get to food/sugar too easily if I do get low which with the climate and amidst other factors I'm sure my sugar levels will be very hard to control. So yeah, trying to prepare for that mentally, physically, and most importantly spiritually. Having been doing the greatest in the latter... I'm exhausted when I get home (10.5 hrs of construction will wear you out like today) and its been really tough to find time as bad as that sounds.

Its good and bad here at home. Its pretty tough at times. I miss being able to hang out and the actual human interaction. My dad and stepmom are around but they usually go to bed earlier which I should do as well since I have to be at work around 7:15 but oh well, then my sisters hrs seem to be the exact opposite of mine so I don't see her too often either  

I feel out of touch sometimes... everyone seems to be flying on by with their lives and how once I was a part of them and it just doesn't seem that way anymore. Alot of that is because of myself and current schedule which unfortunately won't change anytime soon so I'm not saying that to try and get pity or sympathy, just how I'm feeling. I just feel left in the dust sometimes... Its weird, don't know how exactly to explain it.

On to some good stuff... Theres this one guy at work (his name is Sam) who is really a cool guy, nice, respectful, good guy. Our friendship is growing pretty well. We've got to talk about God and it seemed to go well. He's talked to my brother Ryan as well. Sam's definitely open to hearing about God I believe. Please just pray for him and opportunites to share God's love and word with him.

I better get to bed.... gotta get up at 6:30.  Man the night flys by, still so much I wanted to do that didn't get done... I need a pooka!!!  (If you have no idea what a pooka is watch Harvey... hint hint, he's the giant rabbit)

Have a great week everybody! Enjoy school, learn as much as you can!!! 

Numbers 6: 24-26

Some thoughts from God’s living and holy word concerning trials…

2 Timothy 3

Paul's Charge to Timothy
¹⁰You, however, know all about my teaching, my way of life, my purpose, faith, patience, love, endurance, ¹¹persecutions, sufferings--what kinds of things happened to me in Antioch, Iconium and Lystra, the persecutions I endured. Yet the Lord rescued me from all of them. ¹²In fact, everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted ¹³while evil men and impostors will go from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived. ¹⁴But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have become convinced of, because you know those from whom you learned it.

Hebrews 11

³¹By faith the prostitute Rahab, because she welcomed the spies, was not killed with those who were disobedient.
³²And what more shall I say? I do not have time to tell about Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, David, Samuel and the prophets, ³³who through faith conquered kingdoms, administered justice, and gained what was promised; who shut the mouths of lions, ³⁴quenched the fury of the flames, and escaped the edge of the sword; whose weakness was turned to strength; and who became powerful in battle and routed foreign armies. ³⁵Women received back their dead, raised to life again. Others were tortured and refused to be released, so that they might gain a better resurrection. ³⁶Some faced jeers and flogging, while still others were chained and put in prison. ³⁷They were stoned; they were sawed in two; they were put to death by the sword. They went about in sheepskins and goatskins, destitute, persecuted and mistreated-- ³⁸the world was not worthy of them.

2 Corinthians 4
¹Therefore, since through God's mercy we have this ministry, we do not lose heart. ²Rather, we have renounced secret and shameful ways; we do not use deception, nor do we distort the word of God. On the contrary, by setting forth the truth plainly we commend ourselves to every man's conscience in the sight of God. ³And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing. ⁴The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. ⁵For we do not preach ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, and ourselves as your servants for Jesus' sake. ⁶For God, who said, "Let light shine out of darkness," made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ. ⁷But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. ⁸We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; ⁹persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed.

¹⁶Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. ¹⁷For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all.

1 Corinthians 4
¹¹To this very hour we go hungry and thirsty, we are in rags, we are brutally treated, we are homeless. ¹²We work hard with our own hands. When we are cursed, we bless; when we are persecuted, we endure it; ¹³when we are slandered, we answer kindly. Up to this moment we have become the scum of the earth, the refuse of the world.

John 15 ~Jesus says this~

¹⁸"If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first. ¹⁹If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you. ²⁰Remember the words I spoke to you: 'No servant is greater than his master. If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also. If they obeyed my teaching, they will obey yours also. ²¹They will treat you this way because of my name, for they do not know the One who sent me.

Matthew 24

⁹"Then you will be handed over to be persecuted and put to death, and you will be hated by all nations because of me. ¹⁰At that time many will turn away from the faith and will betray and hate each other, ¹¹and many false prophets will appear and deceive many people. ¹²Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold, ¹³but he who stands firm to the end will be saved.

Matthew 5

¹⁰Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.¹¹"Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. ¹²Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

1 Thessalonians 3
²We sent Timothy, who is our brother and God's fellow worker in spreading the gospel of Christ, to strengthen and encourage you in your faith, ³so that no one would be unsettled by these trials. You know quite well that we were destined for them. ⁴In fact, when we were with you, we kept telling you that we would be persecuted. And it turned out that way, as you well know.

2 Thessalonians 1
³We ought always to thank God for you, brothers, and rightly so, because your faith is growing more and more, and the love every one of you has for each other is increasing. ⁴Therefore, among God's churches we boast about your perseverance and faith in all the persecutions and trials you are enduring. ⁵All this is evidence that God's judgment is right, and as a result you will be counted worthy of the kingdom of God, for which you are suffering.

James 1
²Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, ³because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance.

1 Peter 1
⁵who through faith are shielded by God's power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time. ⁶In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. ⁷These have come so that your faith--of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire--may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed.

            Our life is not going to be easy; “we kept telling you that we would be persecuted. And it turned out that way, as you well know.” (see above) It’s no simple thing to surrender our life to the Lord of the Universe and Savior to mankind. Its no simple thing to take up our cross daily. Jesus tells us in Luke 14:²⁶"If anyone comes to me and does not hate his father and mother, his wife and children, his brothers and sisters--yes, even his own life--he cannot be my disciple. ²⁷And anyone who does not carry his cross and follow me cannot be my disciple.” Its not easy to face rejection and ridicule from the world and people we love so dearly; “If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own” (see above) 1 Peter 1:⁶In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. ⁷These have come so that your faith--of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire--may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed.

Trials are our quality control tests…