Some people just don't get it.

But then again, maybe they do.

Maybe that's why a homosexual man, Bradley Fowler, from Michigan is suing two publishers of the Bible.  He claims that the versions of the Bible that Zondervan and Thomas Nelson publish refer to homosexuality as a sin and because of this, his constitutional rights have been violated.  Also, he claims that this has caused him emotional pain and mental instability.

He also alleges that Zondervan's Bible translations referring to homosexuality as a sin have made him an outcast from his family and contributed to physical discomfort and periods of "demoralization, chaos and bewilderment".

His suit centers on one passage in scripture --  I Corinthians 6:9 -- and how it reads in Bibles published by Zondervan.  Among those who will not inherit the kingdom of God, Zondervan specifically uses the term "homosexuals" in this verse instead of "abusers of themselves with mankind".  Fowler claims that the publisher is misinterpreting the Bible by doing this.  He admits that every Bible printed is a translation, interpreted in some way, but he says specifically using that word is not a translation but a change.

Personally, I prefer the King James Version of the Bible.  But even this earlier translation is very clear in pointing out that homosexuality is a sin and that those who practice such will be judged by God to be worthy of death.  In Romans 1:27, it is obvious that the homosexual is being referred to when it says, "And likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another; men with men working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompence of their error which was meet."

So, again I say, maybe this man really does get it.  Maybe this man thinks that the only way to clear his conscience and the heavy burden of his sin is to erase the reference to homosexuality from God's Holy Word.  After all, there is power in God's Word.  It reaches down to the very core of mankind and causes us to see our sin for what it really is. 

But, what this man doesn't seem to realize is that this conviction of our sins is designed to bring us discomfort.  This is how God brings about our salvation so that we won't lose out on our inheritance.  It's for our own good.  God does it out of love... not to be mean and not out of hatred to those living in sin.

I don't know how far these lawsuits will go.  A spokeswoman from Zondervan says that the company doesn't translate the Bible or own the copyright for any of the translations.  Instead, the company relies on the "scholarly judgment of credible translation committees".  Thus the company says that Fowler sued the wrong group.

Of course, I hope that these lawsuits will be dropped.  But, I also pray that this man will see his sin for what it is and follow God’s plan for his salvation.  Even if some publishers succumb to such minority groups and change the wording in the Bible to ease their consciences, that doesn't change the fact that we will ALL stand before God on the day of Judgment.  It will be then that we will give account of ourselves to God and we will be judged by God's Word... NOT by any watered-down version of the Bible, but by the original Word that Jesus has spoken.

"He that rejecteth me, and receiveth not my words, hath one that judgeth him: the word that I have spoken, the same shall judge him in the last day."  (John 12:48)

Other sources:

http://www.mlive.com/grandrapids/stories/index.ssf?/base/news-42/121560935360960.xml&coll=6

http://www.woodtv.com/global/story.asp?s=8644595

~Connie~

It was one of those nights.

Last night after I had shut down the computer for the night and was turning off the lights, I heard a noise coming from our 11-year-old son's bedroom.  I peeked in through Samuel's doorway and saw that his eyes were wide open.  I asked him why he was still awake and he whispered that his stomach was hurting really bad.  I could tell that he had been crying and he had his hand over his lower abdomen.

I asked him some questions and he tried to answer them as best as he could, in between his moaning and crying out in pain.  Since I didn't know what was causing his pain, I wasn't sure what to do for him.  If it was just severe gas pains, I could give him some TUMS.  If it was something else, maybe I could give him Tylenol to cut down on his pain until we knew what was causing it.

Since it seemed to be getting worse, I decided to go for the Tylenol to relieve him of his pain.  After I got the pill and a cup of water, Samuel told me that he couldn't move or else it would hurt really bad.  I didn't want him swallowing the medicine while lying down, so I tried to raise him up.  This wasn't working either.

By this time, it was after midnight, my brain was getting foggy and I was starting to get a little panicky.  I decided to wake up Norman.  He went into our son's bedroom, looked him over and asked a few questions.  Then, he got on the computer and did some searches to see if he could figure out what we were dealing with.  The symptoms were very similar to an appendicitis except the pain didn't seem to be on his right side.

I had also noticed that Samuel's lips had a bluish tint to them, so I whispered this to Norman outside our son's room.  The rest of his coloring was fine, he was breathing normally, and he didn't appear nauseous.  We discussed our options... take him to the hospital?  No, we couldn't move him without him crying out in pain.  And, we still don't have any health insurance, so calling for an ambulance was not a high priority... yet.  I prayed that the pain would start to subside soon.

I asked Samuel if he wanted to try some TUMS to see if that would work.  They are easy to chew without moving his body and risking additional pain, so he agreed to try them.  I gave him two.

After awhile when I asked him if he was feeling any better, he did say that he thought so, although he still seemed to be in severe pain.  I gave him another TUMS for good measure and sat on the floor beside his bed... and prayed… and waited.

Finally, around 2:40, I noticed that he had quieted down.  I glanced up and saw that he had fallen asleep.  After waiting awhile to see if he would wake back up, I decided to get on the web and research the causes of "blue lips".  This still bothered me. 

After bringing up a few pages on the computer, I heard Samuel call out to me.  When I walked into his room, I found him awake... and feeling much better!  In fact, he was sooooo relieved (and so was I!) that he was almost giddy.  We prayed and thanked God for helping him to find relief from the terrible pain.

As I was leaving his room, Samuel asked, "Are my lips blue?"

"Well, yes.  Why do you ask?"  I thought maybe he had overheard Norman and me talking outside his room.

"Because I had a blue raspberry sucker tonight," he answered, with a slight smile on his still-blue lips.    

~Connie~

These pictures of the flooding here in Iowa (in our area) were taken one week later.  To compare the pictures, you can go to my previous post here.

Here's the rental store after the water receded:

The water has gone off the cornfields, too, but has left behind much damage.  And, of course, it's too late in the year to replant.

The water level has gone down along Rabbit Run, but it still has a long way to go.

Here are some who are able to start cleaning up... while the others still wait:

This road along the river is still flooded over and blocked off to traffic:

Market Street bridge here in town has still not opened up yet.  After the river has gone down more, the bridge will be inspected to see if any repairs need to be done before opening it back up for traffic.

Checking out the water level on the rainbow (painted on the building in the water), you can see the river has gone down some.

Yesterday, the river level was around 16 feet.  It seems to be going down slower than expected, but our water level depends a lot on how much water is released north of us at Lake Red Rock.

But, compared to many other cities around Iowa, ours has done considerably well.  Like our mayor said, "It's been tough, but it could have been a lot worse."

~Connie~

First of all, thank you to all who kept us in your prayers!  Other than the flash flood that we had last Thursday night that also spawned tornados south of town, we have been keeping safe and "high and dry".  But that doesn't mean that others in and around our city haven't been affected by the raging rivers wrecking havoc throughout the state of Iowa.  Driving around our city, here are some of the sights that we encountered:

First of all, I will introduce my fellow flood inspectors.  Our two boys are sitting on the right side of the bench and their cousin is on the left.

As you can see, they take their job very seriously.   

IOWA... that's where the tall corn (and floods!) grow.

The building below had recently opened for business.  Notice the "NOW OPEN" sign.

These last 2 pictures were taken on the west side of town (near Walmart).  This flooding resulted from a swollen creek off of the main river which runs through town.

The next 3 pictures show major flooding south of town...

Rabbit Run Road

There were lots of houses/trailers that got flooded out along the river here, but thankfully, the residents were warned last week to move their belongings out before the water rose too high.  Also, the high school building has been opened up to house those who have been displaced.

This next picture was still taken south of town, but was on the other side of the river...

Here, you can see the "flood inspectors"... um, well... inspecting.    We were really surprised to see the road totally gone.  The boys and I had just driven down it last Wednesday!

The rest of these pictures were taken downtown along the river...

Market Street bridge was closed, as you can see the water has reached the bottom of it. 

Across the river, you might be able to see the huge "canisters" filled with sand.  This was a different approach that I had never seen before.  Sure beats all that sandbagging! 

Also, with the water near the top of the levees, we have seen lots of bow-fishers. 

This young man happened to shoot two gar fish with one arrow while we were watching.  The boys... er, I mean "inspectors"... were pretty impressed with his marksmanship!  But, I was a little saddened since it appeared that he was just doing it for sport. 

The stores down near the river were closed and sandbagged, just in case the water made its way over the levee.  I think it made the boys feel pretty good that the city was using the sandbags that they had helped fill.

The Iowa National Guard soldiers had just come back from their latest tour in Iraq.  Like the saying goes, "No rest for the weary!"  They were put right to work driving trucks filled with sand and dirt and keeping the streets clear of traffic so the constant flow of trucks could do their job.

One of the major concerns in our city was to keep our drinking water from being contaminated.  They accomplished this by building up a berm all around the waterworks plant.

Also, the railroad through town was shut down.

The rainbow painted on the side of the waterworks plant (in the middle of the picture below) shows how high the flood of '93 got. 

As you can see, the flood of 2008 didn't surpass it... in our city, at least.  They estimated our river crested at just under 21 feet.  Yes, there was flooding in the outskirts, but for the most part, we were able to keep dry.  But many think that it was due to the different levees that had broken on upriver.  This caused the water to disperse over many acres of land instead of continuing on its journey down south and making the river rise even higher.  Des Moines and Cedar Rapids were some of the cities which fell victim to these breaches.

The latest report was that the river level has begun to drop.  Yay!  But all of these rivers have to go somewhere... and that is on to the ol' mighty Mississip!  This morning I heard that they are asking for volunteers over in Burlington to help sandbag, so I guess the Flood of 2008 continues...

~Connie~

Memorial Day... a time for remembering family, past and present.

My dad and my stepmom (Leah) come back from Idaho about every 3 months to see their family.  This time, they had just gotten back from Australia where they were visiting Leah's daughter, Janet.  They brought back Australian coins for our boys, cookbooks for me, and lots & lots of pictures from the "land down under".

Their visit to Iowa was actually two-fold this time... to decorate the graves of family members who have gone on and to stuff the faces of family members who are still here.    First of all, our family met up with my dad, Leah, and Rhonda at the cemetery in Indianola.  It was very chilly and windy, so we didn't stay any longer than we had to.

We placed flowers at the following gravesites:

Fred J. Bown (Grandpa's brother)

Donald (Bub) A. Bown (Grandpa's brother)

Alice & Henry Swartzlander (my great-great grandparents)

Nellie Alta & Albert Fritz (Grandma's parents)

Leonard A. Fritz (Grandma's brother, who died on the USS Indianapolis)

Glen & Alice Witt (Grandma's sister & brother-in-law)

Loren E. Witt (Glen & Alice's young son)

David Lloyd Bown (Grandpa & Grandma's baby boy)

While we were there, Aaron saw us from where he was working (at John Deere across the street) and stopped by on his way home to chat for a little while.

After we finished at the Indianola cemetery, we went on over to Wick, where my mom is buried.  Thankfully, the wind had died down and it was starting to warm up.  We placed flowers on Grandpa & Grandma's gravesite as well as on my mom's.  It's hard to believe that she has been gone for almost 5 years.  We all really miss her!

Later in the afternoon, we all met up at the Machine Shed for dinner.  This time, Aaron & Sarah and their family and also Becky joined us.

Emily, Sarah, Clara, Aaron & David

Rhonda, Becky, Leah & my dad

The Three Musketeers (Samuel, Joshua & Norman)

David and his "owie" on his head. 

I had just bought this cat & canary whistle in the restaurant's store for Norman (he likes anything that makes noise -- still a kid at heart.  ha!) and everyone had to try it out. 

Clara and the whistle

Also, all the kids had to check out the pig outside the restaurant (no, Norman didn't sit on the pig!  Ha!).

David and his little sister, Clara, sitting on the pig.  They sure are cuties!

This picture of Sarah and Clara turned out really sweet, too.

After our dinner, my dad & Leah headed on over to Nebraska to decorate the graves of her family before going on back to their permanent home in Idaho.  We'll be looking forward to seeing them (and everyone else) again the next time they come back to visit.