HIA - The Alt...

When they had crossed over, they came to the land of Gennesaret and anchored there. And when they came out of the boat, immediately the people recognized Him, ran through that whole surrounding region, and began to carry about on beds those who were sick to wherever they heard He was.

Wherever He entered, into villages, cities, or the country, they laid the sick in the marketplaces, and begged Him that they might just touch the hem of His garment. And as many as touched Him were made well.

Mark 6:53-56 NKJV

I was listening to the Dramatized New King James audio Bible on the way to work this morning and this passage was part of the reading. When I heard it, something about the wording struck me. And then I heard the quite voice of the Holy Spirit say that this was how we are to be as ambassadors for Christ.

You see, there was no shame in these people. They recognized Jesus for who he was - the one who could heal them...the one who could take away their sickness and infirmities...the bright beacon in a world of darkness.

Are we to be any different? We are called to "put on Christ."

Does the atmosphere change when you enter a place? Do people come to you with their problems, issues, and infirmities? Do they recognize the mark of the Master upon your life? Do words of life and healing issue forth from you?

Let us all realize who we are and be the salt and light we are called to be to a dying world!

Another thought provoking video from Paul Washer...

The following is a poem written by Judge Roy Moore from Alabama . Judge Moore was sued by the ACLU for displaying the Ten Commandments in his courtroom foyer. He has been stripped of his judgeship and now they are trying to strip his right to practice law in Alabama ! The judge's poem sums it up quite well.

I received this clip below in an email and I almost dismissed it to my "I'll look at it later" file. I clicked on it and was captivated. I will dwell on this for quite awhile.

Clip:



Full Sermon:

I'm currently reading an excellent book and I would like to share it with you.

Epicenter - Why the Current Rumblings in the Middle East Will Change Your Future by Joel C. Rosenberg, author of the New York Times best seller The Last Jihad.

The eyes of the world are on the epicenter:

• Iran's president vows to wipe Israel "off the map" and says the end of the world is just two or three years away.
• A leading U.S. presidential candidate says that if Iran goes nuclear, "we could have Armageddon."
• Russia signs a billion-dollar arms deal with Iran and helps Iran build nuclear facilities.
• The president of the United States refuses to rule out preemptive nuclear strikes.

Current statistics report there have been more than 40 million abortions in the twenty six years
since the U.S. Supreme Court legalized unrestricted abortion on January 22, 1973. That statistic boils down to an average of 1 in 4 children currently aborted each year in America. 1 in 4 converts to a percentage of 25%.

A rate of 25% is a huge number. In addition to the grave moral implications that a figures so large holds (1 abortion is too many), that also means that doctors, lawyers, scientists, social workers, ministers, teachers, and all other classes of workers are reduced by 25% as a result. What effect does this have on our nation's ability to compete in the world market?

I didn't pen this post to harp on the negatives...rather, I chose this opportunity to show the difference a single choice can make. Please think about the implications of a single choice and choose life!

Pam knows about the pain of considering abortion.

More than 21 years ago, she and her husband, Bob, were serving as missionaries to the Philippines and praying for a fifth child. Pam contracted amoebic dysentery, an infection of the intestine caused by a parasite found in a contaminated food or drink. She entered into a coma
and was treated with strong antibiotics before they discovered she was pregnant. Doctors urged her to abort the baby for her own safety and told her that the medicines had caused irreversible damage to her baby. She refused the abortion and cited her Christian faith as the reason for her hope that her son would be born without the devastating disabilities
physicians predicted.

The doctors "didn't think of it as a life, they thought of it as a mass of fetal tissue," Pam said.

While pregnant, Pam nearly lost their baby four times but refused to consider abortion. She recalled making a pledge to God with her husband, "If you will give us a son, we'll name him 'Timothy,' and we'll make him a preacher."

Pam ultimately spent the last two months of her pregnancy in bed and, eventually, gave birth to a health baby boy August 14, 1987. Pam's youngest son is indeed a preacher. He preaches in prisons, makes hospital visits, and serves with his father's ministry in the
Philippines.

He also plays football. Pam's son is Tim Tebow.

Last year, the University of Florida's star quarterback, became the first sophomore in history to win college football's highest award, the Heisman Trophy. Tim's notoriety and the family's inspiring story have given Pam numerous opportunities to speak on behalf of women's centers
across the country.

She was the keynote speaker at the Oct. 23, 2008, benefit banquet for two Louisville ministries. A Woman's Choice Resource Center offers such services as free pregnancy tests, post-abortion counseling, adoption information, and material support. Necole's Place is a companion ministry that provides support services for women in need.

Several Louisville-area Kentucky Baptist churches and Long Run Baptist Association help support both ministries.

A Woman's Choice board chairman, John Schmitt, reported at the banquet that in the 20 years since the resource center opened, 4,500 children have been saved from abortion -- 400 in this year alone.

Speaking of the thousands of lives saved, Pam Tebow said, "That just blows my mind. Every little baby you save matters."

I was talking with a friend today and realized that my image of them and the actual reality of their life was two different things. Sure, the major stuff I had right...the place where she worked, her academic endeavors, the name of her boyfriend, and even some historical facts. But the reality of it is that I had a superficial view of things.

As she began to describe some of the things that were going on in her life, I came to understand that we are comfortable with the superficial...the facade. We operate well when we don't have to get our hands dirty with the down and dirty details of everyday life. That is not to say that we are a heartless people. We most certainly do help those with whom we have intimate bonds. But the point I'm trying to make is that everyone you see walking down the street is not okay. There are hurts and pains, scars from past events, depression, anxiety, and a host of other maladies lurking just beneath the surface. We all experience some of these things in our own lives from time to time. I just want to see...

To see what is really there. To be able to make a meaningful impact on those with whom I have regular contact.... To join with them in their sorrows, struggles, and grief as well as sharing the momentous and happy occasions.... To let them know that they are important and meaningful in my life and that they matter in this existence we call life.

But, more than that, I wish to see that others around me, no matter who they are, are all dealing with their own personal issues that affect who they are and what they do. When I encounter someone who irritates me, or does something to me with which I take offense or disagree, I want to have the presence of mind to realize that there are things that I cannot see that may be at work.

We are all human and worthy of respect.

For more on that idea:

Wow...I promised myself that I would blog more on a regular basis. This should be therapeutic for me, but I keep forgetting to put my thoughts down.

Well, let's see...Obama is now the president - plenty more to come on that one. I want to hope that he'll do right by the American people, but his desire to push the Freedom of Choice Act forward (FOCA) shows what I think are his true colors.

It is 2009. WOW, 2008 flew by.

I'm in Grad school pursuing a Master of Science in Administration with a concentration in Database Administration.

So, as you can see, 2009 will be just as busy as 2008. But I promise to write more.

I send out a daily inspirational thought and I usually type up a week's worth on Monday and set them to go out on a schedule during the week. Here's one that caught my eye:

I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin I will remember no more.
Jeremiah 31:34 NKJV

To love conditionally is against God’s nature. Just as it’s against you nature to eat trees and against mine to grow wings, it’s against God’s nature to remember forgiven sins.

You see, God is either the God of perfect grace…or he is not God. Grace forgets. Period. He who is perfect love cannot hold grudges. If he does, then he isn’t perfect love. And if he isn’t perfect love, you might as well put this book down and go fishing, because both of us are chasing fairy tales.

But I believe in his loving forgetfulness. And I believe he has a graciously terrible memory.

Max Lucado – Grace for the Moment

My question is this: Why can't we forgive and forget as well?

I have a friend that has a rant she wants me to express in here: The blaming of the fast food industry for the obesity of our children. While it is true the fast food industry provides calorie and fat laden food, are they really to blame for the bulging waistlines of our children?

Here's a quote straight from the mouth of my friend:"I find it a warped truth. I grew up on McDonalds and Taco Bell....but i also didn't grow up with 600 gaming systems that kept me in the house instead of being outside."

I think she has a point. If you eat high calorie/high fat food, then sit on your butt all day long, what other thing could you possibly expect to happen? I can personally attest to that fact (see previous posts...).

Parents...you are ultimately responsible for all aspects of your child's well being. Hello...anybody out there? That includes how much they weigh. And trust me, I know it can be a constant battle. My wife is always reminding me that our children mimic what they see. And if they see me overeating, they will be inclined to to do so. If they see me vegging out in front of the TV all day long with no exercise, who do you think they will emulate?

Now, I will dissent in this argument on the fact that it is not partly the fast food industry's problem. There are less fatty ways to produce the foods they sell and I'll bet they could make it taste just as good. While I do not think the industry should be forced to comply, they should be able to see the correlation between the man boobs a lot of guys are sporting and bad food intake.

For a totally different view of the issue, See what the Schwarzanator (Gov. Schwarzenegger, Republican, CA) has done.

I've found a new (at least for me) way to use my treadmill. I used to use an interval training method that warmed up for two minutes, went to 50%, 60%, 70%, 80%, and 90% of max effort for a minute each then dropped back down to 50% for three cycles with the addition of 100% effort on the last and two minutes of cool down. I liked it but saw a different method in my Men's Health magazine.

This one uses all-out sprints for 60 seconds followed by a 180 second cool down to complete one cycle. I tried it last night and decided this is a keeper. Try it and see what you think. You do three cycles the first day, four the second, and so on. The exact information can be found online at the Men's Health website.

It's getting...well, it's gotten...late. I'm so sleepy I can't even keep my eyes open. I just fell asleep while installing Adobe Reader 9. I want to sleep. I need to sleep. My body is begging me for sleep. Why can't I just log off and go to...sleep. So many things to do. I haven't even read the news on FoxNews.com. So little time left in a day to get them accomplished....

I run my body, my body doesn't run me. It's trying to rebel...to keep me pegged to this seat, staring at this screen...but I will win this battle...wait...Firefox just released and update and I need to install it...no...I am in control...goodnight!

You're dressed up really nice...you don't necessarily want the attention from every man, but you know you look good and they're going to look. They can't help it, right? You just know you're "all that" today. You've got the dress, the makeup is perfect, and you've accessorized to a tee. The shoes are perfect! Nothing can stop you...you are perfection exemplified. But wait...those beautiful sandals that just add icing on the cake reveal a flaw....

Here's the deal: I just don't understand how someone can pay so much attention to every little detail of their appearance, look so pretty and vogue and then have...how should I say it...crusty heels. Oh...that is so unappealing. Actually, it's gross and foul (but that is just my opinion). It goes right up there with chipped nail polish. How does that happen? How can you let a "biggie" like that one pass you by? I've got a suggestion: PedEgg! Do us all a favor!

While I'm on the subject...I firmly believe there are some people (men and women) who just should not wear open-toed shoes or sandals. Their feet just weren't made for public view. See, I can talk because I know my feet are "jacked"...but I keep them covered. No revealing here.

Maybe I'm just weird, but I notice these things.

A careful examination of my life and the lives of those I observe on a regular basis reinforces an thought I know to be true but just have not really pursued to it's fullness: we want results but we don't like sacrifice. We want completion, but we don't want to put in the time.

We want our children to be successful, but we don't want to take the time to get in their lives, to teach them instead of letting the school handle it, to be a good example to them by our actions and not just our words.

We want to lose weight, but we don't want to stop eating, to get off our butts or to exercise, sweat, and feel pain.

We want success in our business endeavors, but we are unwilling to walk the difficult and narrow path of honesty, integrity, and self-sacrifice.

We want peace as a nation, but are not willing to eliminate those threats to the peace. Instead, large numbers of our population believe we should bank our future on the deceitful thought that we can resolve all of our conflicts across the negotiation table with rational and well-mannered adversaries.

We want harmonious relationships filled with joy, laughter, and love, but we cannot bring ourselves to love unconditionally.

We want to be religiously or spiritually sound, but we refuse to discipline and rebuke the fleshly burning desires of our hearts.

We've started to treat life like fast food - we want to have it our way...and in less than three minutes.

The last time I checked, fast food was not all that fulfilling.

Somebody please tell me what is going on? The world is going to "hell in a handbasket" and we can't seem to see it.

At some point, you've got to look a the morality/values of Americans and what we stand for as a nation and think, "What went wrong?". I'll tell you what went wrong...we took God out of our country.

Our founding fathers were smart enough to realize that paying attention to your creator has great benefits. They placed God at the center of everything and society flourished. Were there people who didn't adhere to Godly principles? Sure, but, by and large, God had a place in our society. Somewhere along the lines, we determined that the idea of Separation of Church and State was for the benefit of the State, not the Church. Sorry to burst your bubble, but that separation was to benefit the Church by limiting State interference in matters of the church, not the other way around. Funny how we've twisted it all up. I'd blame the ACLU, but it's each and every American's fault that this continues unchallenged. The ACLU just keep the wheels greased and turning.

My fellow Americans...wake up! We're killing a quarter of our population (25%) every year. Twenty-five percent of our scientists (the person who was to cure AIDS and Cancer might have already been aborted), teachers, and just about any other type of worker you can think of...gone. They never had a chance to "be." Consider this paradox: When two people who are are attempting conception conceive, they call it a child and everybody acknowledges it. However, if the child is unwanted, it's referred to as a n embryo, with the claim that it is "not a child" yet, giving a clear conscience to those who would terminate this child's life. If abortion is "no big deal," why do countless women who have had the procedure still suffer from depression and other psychiatric effects years after the procedure is past? You will not be happy when I say this, but SHAME ON YOU YOU SELFISH WOMEN. You claim it is a choice. It is. But, it's my choice if I want to go around shooting people in the head, or cheating you out of your money. I don't do these because it is precisely that...a choice. The easiest choice is not always the best choice. Believe me, I can sympathize with people who are forced to make the choice...but "right" has to win out over personal comfort and standard of living. Right is right and wrong is wrong...no matter what the circumstances.

We rape and kill our young, leave our children fatherless, dissolve our marriages at a whim, cheat mercilessly among each other, applaud the wicked and sinful, while shunning and trivializing the moral high-ground and those who subscribe to living a pure life. Men, an essential segment of society have become feminized and role reversal has wreaked havoc on the American family. I'm not a saying that I don't believe in the equality of women, because I do. But, if we were all meant to be the same, then why are there men and women and not just all of one or the other? Consider this: When is the last time you saw a positive Christian role-model in a sitcom? A positive male father figure on a popular TV show?

On the foreign front, China is the sleeping giant and India is on the rise as well. In case you haven't counted lately, they out-populate us by quite a bit. China is turning into an industrial giant, while India, having already mastered the services sector, has turned to innovative technology. They might be the next techlological giant, surpassing the United States. Don't believe me? See which high-tech U.S. companies now have their R&D farmed out to India, even having their main facilites for this on Indian Soil. Hmm...India to produce the next generation of technology and China to manufacture it. Talk about a one-two punch.

Still don't believe we're in trouble? Do your homework and look at the Iran/Syria/Russia connection. Iran is building nukes plain and simple and is headed by a madman who believes he is to usher in Armageddon, Syria and Iran have a joint treaty for mutual defense and Syria is about to install a system very similar to our Patriot missle defense system. Both are backed by Russia as an ally. We are allied to Israel, who will not hesitate to strike Iran should the threat of nuclear weapons become a reality. What will happen then?

Well, I've been married for 9 years, and for 7 of them I've been sitting on my butt for 12+ hours a day due to work and school. Needless to say, I've gone from 235 to 290 in the interim. Now, looking in the mirror, I'm sick of what I see and have decided to do something about it now that I've graduated and only have to contend with sitting on my butt for a mandatory maximum of 8 hours. I've started working out!

I must say...the end result is what keeps me going because it is nothing but a huge confrontation with my body when I'm lifting. I started easy to work my way into it again and not burn out, but now I'm really hitting the reps and my body is protesting. Plus, even though they say that the nausea you feel when you finish indicates a good workout, feeling lunch in your throat just doesn't seem to comfort me the way it should. lol

I am tech-savvy...a programmer by trade and a technology geek by hobby. So, I was a little surprised when I blew up my IPhone when upgrading to the 2.0 patch. I was so happy I was able to get it a little earlier than its release date that I did not read the little warning that you must be on the most recent version of I-Tunes.... Correcting that mistake took about three hours.

So, imagine my surprise when I added some songs via download to my I-Tunes library and attempted to sync...and blew up my IPhone again. After downloading the music but before the sync process, I decided to attempt to back up my purchased songs. I started the backup process and it asked for a CD. I decided to forgo this as I knew I would lose the CD and it would be a useless task in futility to continue. I thought I cancelled the backup and started the sync. Not only did it continue the backup of all songs in my library (not the songs I selected), it decided to store it in the connected device (my IPhone), overwriting all of my music.

No problem, I thought.... I'll just restore from backup. I sat and watched the progress meter for over an hour and decided to go to bed because the process was so slow. I woke up and found it in the same condition. I started it again and because the backup was now in on the phone and the file extension was not recognized by ITunes as a sync file, it would not overwrite the data on my phone. I grabbed my PC, headed to work, and finished it up here. I had to manually erase the data from my phone through Settings/General, then sync again. I started at 9 AM and it was almost 3 PM when the process was finished. The only good thing from all of this? My phone didn't ring the entire time!

In the Beginning...

Well, this is the start of a brand-new era. For those of you who may ask, "What does HIA - The Alt mean?" That is a good question...but one I will save for later. I have opinions about any and everything, but I rarely offer them uninvited. Ask me, however, and be prepared for an answer. This should be a fun experience. Let me know if you need anything!

What can I say? I'm a nerd! Actually, I'm a programmer with a B.S. in Computer Information Systems from the University of West Florida. I currently work for an international financial software company in Pensacola, FL (but I'm always looking for other opportunities).

I've been married to my wonderful wife for nine years and have two boys who are awesome. I learn something new from each of them every day and I thank God for their ever abiding presence in my life.

I'm a natural comic: I LOVE to make other people laugh and I love to laugh as well. I see the good in the world and tend to be the eternal optimist. I don't believe in disrespecting women and will intervene when I see it happen. We are all one family and have to share this world, so we need to focus on the common ground and put aside the differences where possible.

I'm very conservative minded (A registered Republican - and proud of it), but I'll listen to any well thought out and presented argument, even though I may disagree. I believe that the key to getting along is agreeing to disagree, so let me know what the left is thinking these days

I am VERY patriotic. Yes, our country has many faults; but, show me a better place to live, where the possibility to change those faults exist, and maybe I'll consider moving there. There are several who will disagree with me on this, but I am an AMERICAN first, then everything else second. I respect you if you feel otherwise, but you'll not be able to change my mind on this one!

I believe in the brotherhood of man. We all are similar despite the outward differences that tend to separate us. I was brought up in the military and living all over the world has given me a unique perspective on the lives of others. Whether black, white, or Asian, man, woman, or child, we all have fears, likes, joys, sorrows, and we all bleed red. Let's understand this and move past the petty differences that separate us.

If you know me from before or would like to get to know me, hit me up!

I'm also on Yahoo IM hia1thealternative and MySpace bigmacproductionss