2008 Presidential Election Candidates on the Issues The following is a general guideline to the candidates' positions on some of the top issues. Some of the issues are more complex and usually require more than a 'yes/no' or 'support/oppose' position. Please visit the official campaign site of the candidate in question for more details about each issue.

Issues at Hand	Clinton (D)	Edwards (D)	Giuliani (R)	Gravel (D)	Huckabee (R)	McCain (R)	Obama (D)	Paul (R)	Romney (R)
	Clinton (D)	Edwards (D)	Giuliani (R)	Gravel (D)	Huckabee (R)	McCain (R)	Obama (D)	Paul (R)	Romney (R)
Roe v. Wade
Death Penalty
Education No Child Left Behind
Embryonic Stem Cells
Energy & Oil ANWR Drilling
Energy & Oil Kyoto
Guns Assault Weapons Ban
Guns Background Checks
Homeland Security Patriot Act
Homeland Security Guantanamo
Homeland Security Torture
Homeland Security Wiretapping
Immigration Citizenship Path for Illegals
Immigration Border Fence
Internet Neutrality
Iran Sanctions
Iran Military Action as Option
Iraq War Support
Iraq War Troop Surge
Iraq War Withdrawal
Minimum Wage Increase
Same-Sex Marriage
Same-Sex Civil Union
Same-Sex Constitutional Ban
Universal Healthcare

• Supports
• Opposes
• Supported before / Opposes now
• Supports phased withdrawal
• Unknown
• Other

• 0 Blessings • Be a Blessing! • Permanent Link

---

Posted on May. 28, 2008 in Word of God Thoughts

"Render therefore unto Caesar the things which are Caesar's; and unto God the things that are God's" (Matthew 22:21).

What should we give to Caesar (our authorities)?

We owe them our respect for the position they hold, even though their personal lives may disappoint us.

We owe them our obedience to their laws when there is no conflict with God's higher laws (Romans 13:7; Acts 5:29).

We owe them our taxes, even when it is hard to make ends meet. Evading the payment of taxes is a form of stealing, and no thief will enter God's heavenly kingdom (1 Corinthians 6:9, 10).

Payment of taxes to our government is only one side of our duty, however. Jesus reminds us we owe something to God as well.

What do we owe the King of the universe?

We owe Him a portion of our week, one day in seven, to rest and to worship Him (Exodus 20:9-11).

We owe Him a portion of our income, a minimum of one dollar of every ten (Malachi 3:8-10). He is the Owner; we are mere stewards.

We owe Him our loving obedience. Jesus said, "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength" (Mark 12:30).

Which one should we give our children to? To Caesar (world/government) or God?

• 0 Blessings • Be a Blessing! • Permanent Link

Beginning a Mystery of History Club

---

Posted on May. 27, 2008 in Home Discipleship

I have prayerfully consider starting a Mystery of History club to begin in August, 2008.

With the Mystery of History, Volume 2,we will be covering people and events from AD 30 TO 1456. The Day of Pentecost began the Early Church History. It was amid trials, persecution, and martyrdom that the magnificent story of Jesus Christ spread, through the fall of the Roman Empire and the Dark Ages, and ending with the tragic death of Joan of Arc, the fall of Constantinople, and the invention of the printing press which spreads the Word of God across Europe. All along the way, Mystery of History 2 pauses to hear the voice of God as He speaks through missionaries like Columba, St. Patrick, and Cyril.  We see the struggles within the church as it grows, expands, and threatens the authority of emperors and kings. Everyone is expected to do the reading, memory work, and timeline at home.

We meet on Mondays from 2-4.

Everyone is expected to do the reading, memory work and timeline at home before co-op.

1. Group Teaching Time (30-45 min)

2. Map work (15-20 min)

3. Small Groups (45 min)

4. Quiz game (approx 5- 10 min)

We have 4 small groups. H- high schoolers, M- middle schoolers, UE- upper elementary students, LE- lower elementary

During small groups we will be working on mixture of things, including the following: notebook pages, models, hands on crafts, journaling pages, drama skits, art projects, games, food and time period experiences.

• 0 Blessings • Be a Blessing! • Permanent Link

Blogger School #28..... How to Overcome Fear

---

Posted on May. 22, 2008 in Blogger School

In this Blogger School session we mention what is our biggest fear and then write about how do we overcome it.

I copied the below from the "teacher" but it is exactly what I do. I look at the problem and will talk myself right out of fear almost every time. The times when I can't, I then recite my favorite Bible verse over and over again until the fear is gone. Because I know fear is brought on by the enemy.

My most frequent fear usually has to do with my daughter's homeschool education and myself as a mom. Those are two areas that the enemy loves to play with.

*******

Whenever there is a problem in your life, there is always a part you have to play, and then there comes a point when you can do no more and have to trust God. Surrender has to do with recognizing when things are, or should be, out of your hands and making a conscious decision to let God control those things. Once that is done, you need to allow yourself to stop worrying and find peace about it. Your peace does not come from an expectation that you will get the outcome you want, it comes from knowing that God will provide the best possible outcome according to His amazing plan. What does that look like in practical terms? When a loved one is sick, you do the part you can do (get them medical attention, pray) and recognize you can do no more. Tell God you know He is in charge and trust Him. Allow yourself to find peace in that knowledge. If you can’t find a job, do the part you can do (send out resumes, make phone calls) then, again, tell God you know He is in charge and you trust Him. Allow yourself to have peace with whatever He does, knowing that you have done your part and He will do his. I must emphasize, don’t expect a certain outcome, but expect that God’s plan will be fulfilled in your life. So, what do you want, to be afraid or to have freedom from fear?

My favorite verse to overcome fear is:

“No weapon that is formed against you will prosper; and every tongue that accuses you in judgment you will condemn this is the heritage of the servants of the LORD, and their vindication is from Me," declares the LORD.” Is 54:17 NASB

• 1 Blessings • Be a Blessing! • Permanent Link

The invisible Mom

---

Posted on May. 21, 2008 in Found Treasure

A friend sent this me and it touched my heart... and I wanted to share with my friends as well. Please enjoy and be blessed!!

*******************************************************************************
It all began to make sense, the blank stares, the lack of response, the way one of the kids will walk into the room while I'm on the phone and ask to be taken to the store.  Inside I'm thinking "Can't you see I'm on the phone?"  Obviously not.  No one can see if I'm on the phone, or cooking, or sweeping the floor or even standing on my head in the corner because no one can see me at all.  I'm invisible.  The invisible Mom.

Some days I am only a pair of hands, nothing more:  Can you fix this?  Can you tie this?  Can you open this?

Some days I'm not a pair of hands, I'm not even a human being, I'm a clock to ask, "What time is it?"  I'm a satellite guide to answer, "What number is the Disney channel?"  I'm a car to order, "Right around 5:30, please."

I was certain that these were the hands that once held books and the eyes that studied history and the mind that graduated summa cum laude -- but now they had disappeared into the peanut butter, never to be seen again.  She's going, she's going, she's gone!

One night, a group of us were having dinner, celebrating the return of a friend from England.  Janice had just gotten back from a fabulous trip, and she was going on and on about the hotel she stayed in.  I was sitting there, looking around at the others all put together so well.  It was hard not to compare and feel sorry for myself as I looked down at my out-of-style dress; it was the only thing I could find that was clean.  My unwashed hair was pulled up in a hair clip and I was afraid I could actually smell peanut butter in it.  I was feeling pretty pathetic, when Janice turned to me with a beautifully wrapped package, and said, "I brought you this."  It was a book on the great cathedrals of Europe.  I wasn't exactly sure why she'd given it to me until I read her inscription:  "To Charlotte, with admiration for the greatness of what you are building when no one sees."

In the days ahead I would read -- no devour -- the book.  And I would discover what would become for me, four life-changing truths, after which I could pattern my work:  No one can say who built the great cathedrals -- we have no record of their names.  These builders gave their whole lives for a work they would never see finished.  They made great sacrifices and expected no credit.  The passion of their building was fueled by their faith that the eyes of God saw everything.

A legendary story in the book told of a rich man who came to visit the cathedral while it was being built, and he saw a workman carving a tiny bird on the inside of a beam.  He was puzzled and asked the man, "Why are you spending so much time carving that bird into a beam that will be covered by the roof?  No one will ever see it."  The workman replied, "Because God sees."

I closed the book, feeling the missing piece fall into place.  It was almost as if I heard God whispering to me, "I see you, Charlotte.  I see the sacrifices you make every day, even when no one around you does.  No act of kindness you've done, no sequin you've sewn on, no cupcake you've baked, is too small for me to notice and smile over.  You are building a great cathedral, but you can't see right now what it will become."

 At times, my invisibility feels like an affliction, but it is not a disease that is erasing my life, it is the cure for the disease of my own self-centeredness.  It is the antidote to my strong, stubborn pride.  I keep the right perspective when I see myself as a great builder.  As one of the people who show up at a job that they will never see finished, to work on something that their name will never be on.  The writer of the book went so far as to say that no cathedrals could ever be built in our lifetime because there are so few people willing to sacrifice to that degree.

When I really think about it, I don't want my son to tell the friend he's bringing home from college for Thanksgiving, "My mom gets up at 4 in the morning and bakes homemade pies, and then she hand bastes a turkey for three hours and presses all the linens for the table."  That would mean I'd built a shrine or a monument to myself.  I just want him to want to come home.  Then, if there is anything more to say to his friend, I'd like him to add, "You're gonna love it there."

As mothers, we are building great cathedrals.  We cannot be seen if we're doing it right.  One day, it is very possible that the world will marvel, not only at what we built, but at the beauty that has been added to the world by the sacrifices of invisible women.

Great job, MOM!

• 1 Blessings • Be a Blessing! • Permanent Link

Single Parents

---

Posted on May. 20, 2008 in My Ramblings

The bible records several occasions where single parent families were ministered to by one or more of God’s people. Unlike modern American society where divorce and childbirth outside of marriage account for the majority of single parent homes, ancient Judean single parent homes arose primarily from the death of a spouse. The importance of these passages are not upon how they became single parents, but rather that God looked with compassion upon these single parents and their children, and met their needs.

Also as you read through these passages take note of the miracle that God performed in each one of these families.

“And the word of the Lord came unto him saying, Arise, get thee to Zarephath… and dwell there: behold I have commanded a widow woman there to sustain thee.”

   “And she said… behold I am gathering two sticks that I may go in and dress it for me and my son, that we may eat it and die.

   And Elijah said unto her, Fear not. Go and do as thou hast said, but make me thereof a little cake first, and bring it unto me and after make for thee and thy son. For thus saith the Lord God of Israel, the barrel of meal shall not waste, neither shall the cruse of oil fail, until the day that the Lord sendeth rain upon the earth.” ~ 1 Kings 17:10, 12-14

At this point of Scripture in History, God’s judgment had fallen upon Israel. He sent a drought and famine to the land. Yet as you see in Scripture, God always cares for his servants. He could’ve sent Elijah to one of the wealthy homes in Israel but chose a single parent home in some obscure village. He met physical needs, he resurrected life, he restored faith and hope in God.   

“Now there cried a certain woman of the wives of the sons of the prophets unto Elisha saying, Thy servant my husband is dead… and the creditor is come to take unto him my two sons to be bondmen. 

  And Elisha said unto her, What shall I do for thee? Tell me what hast thou in the house? And she said, Thine handmaid hath not anything in the house save a pot of oil.

  Then he said, Go borrow thee vessels abroad of all thy neighbors, empty vessels; borrow not a few… and it came to pass when the vessels were full [of oil] that she said unto her son, Bring me another vessel. And he said unto her, There is not a vessel more. And the oil stayed.

  Then she came and told the man of God. And he said, Go and sell the oil, and pay thy debt, and live thou and thy children of the rest.” ~ 2 Kings 4:1-7

Did you realize that over 55% of the single parent homes have an annual income below the poverty line? Single parent families are no strangers to debt. How many of these families have echoed the cry of the prophet’s widow: “The creditor is come!” The creditor in this Bible passage was ready to enslave the woman’s sons. You’ll notice in this passage that Elisha didn’t reach into his pocket and pull out the cash to pay off the woman’s debt—he did something even better!

As a family and a church what are doing to help single-parents in your community? It is time to evaluate where our efforts (finances and energy) are being used for.

Now as He approached the gate of the city, a dead man was being carried out, the only son of his mother, and she was a widow; and a sizeable crowd from the city was with her. When the Lord saw her, He felt compassion for her, and said to her, "Do not weep."

And He came up and touched the coffin; and the bearers came to a halt. And He said, "Young man, I say to you, arise!"

 The dead man sat up and began to speak. And Jesus gave him back to his mother. Fear gripped them all, and they began glorifying God, saying, "A great prophet has arisen among us!" and, "God has visited His people!" ~ Luke 7:12-16 (NASB)

According to the Single Parent statistics, single parents comprise about 26% of the households in this country. Today’s single parents are well-known with grief rather it could be through divorce, death, separation, or any number of other factors. All too often single parents grieve outside the church. Many feel out of place in the church and don’t attend.

Single parents feel more comfortable in an environment where being a single parent is accepted and understood than in a context where they perceive that they are judged, a fifth wheel, second class members, and unsupported. If this insight of churches is most often wrong then it is up to the church to take the initiative and prove it.

“And he said unto them in his doctrine, Beware of the scribes which love to go in long clothing, and love salutations in the market places, and the chief seats in the synagogues, and the uppermost rooms at feasts; which devour widows’ houses, and for a pretense make long prayers: these shall receive greater ****ation.” ~ Mark 12:38-39

As you see in the words above, Jesus rebuked the religious leaders who hold them or their needs in contempt. Exploiting them or refusing to minister to them is on the same level as being spiritually pompous. Those are some tough Words from our Master!

Human need and suffering, from whatever sickness, sin, or situation, touches the heart of God. In this text single parents find a wonderful comfort! God loves them dearly and looks to the Church to be like Jesus toward them.

As a single parent, I have personally felt this in many of churches. For a few years I searched for a church that would offer support to the single parent families in the community, namely mine. At times, it was financial support to prevent my lights being shut off in the middle of winter or even food on the table as I had been between jobs a couple of times. But, more importantly, to me, I was searching for moral support that I searched for and found none.

I pay through this article, it will spark something within to ask the Lord, "What can I do for the single-parent families in my community?"

• 0 Blessings • Be a Blessing! • Permanent Link

Blogger School #27..... My Favorite Bible Story

---

Posted on May. 17, 2008 in Blogger School

“Jared lived one hundred and sixty-two years, and became the father of Enoch. Then Jared lived eight hundred years after he became the father of Enoch, and he had other sons and daughters. So all the days of Jared were nine hundred and sixty-two years, and he died.

Enoch lived sixty-five years, and became the father of Methuselah. Then Enoch walked with God three hundred years after he became the father of Methuselah, and he had other sons and daughters. So all the days of Enoch were three hundred and sixty-five years. Enoch walked with God; and he was not, for God took him.” Genesis 5:18-24 (NASB)

My favorite Bible story in about Enoch. These seven verses summarizes just about everything about Enoch’s life. This is what we do know from this Scripture:

1.      God used him as an example to others of what it means to be a Godly man and a Godly father.

2.      Enoch walked with God and then one day - whosh - God takes him to Heaven. Of the billions who have lived and died - only two out of that vast number have never died - Enoch and Elijah.

Enoch walked with God. The designate of this man who was carried into heaven. The summary of 365 years of life. His character - his essence captured in this powerful phrase - he walked with God. Why did God take Him into heaven? He walked with God.

To walk with God means to know God personally - to trust God in every circumstance of our lives - and to give God first place in everything. Enoch walked with God - and then he was no more - and God took him.

The prophet Amos - writing about what it means to walk with God - says, “Can two walk together unless they are agreed?” (Amos 3:3) We cannot walk with God - dwell in a relationship with Him unless we first agree with Him about what that relationship means.

We dwell in sin. God is holiness. How can we walk together unless God establishes that relationship? Therefore, it is good summation to say that Enoch was a holy man! He was blameless before God.

Think a minute…. “Who was Enoch?”

Enoch lived in those evil days right before the flood. He was the great-grandfather of Noah. “Noah was a righteous man, blameless in his time; Noah walked with God.” (6:9)

A great tribute to Enoch would be:

“As He walked with God - so did his children.”

• 0 Blessings • Be a Blessing! • Permanent Link

Being the Best Sheperd You Can Be

---

Posted on May. 16, 2008 in My Testimony

Being the Best Shepherd you can be

 by: Karen Diamond

To be all what we want to be, the Scripture tells us to “know well the condition of your flocks, and pay attention to your herds…” As a Children’s Director/ Pastor, it is important to stay informed of what other Christians are saying and doing in their ministries. One of the ways of staying informed is by magazines. There are several magazines that would be beneficial to have. They are REV by Group; Christianity Today, and Ministries Today by Charisma Life.

As leaders of the next generation, we need to run the race, strive to do our best. When it comes to teaching that week’s lessons, we should desire for our students to retain everything that we teach. However, research suggests that an average child's attention span (in minutes) is about as long as the age of the child. Therefore, if you are teaching preschool children, ages 3-5, their attention span would be 3-5 minutes. If your allotted teaching time is 45 minutes, it is best to allow 15-20 minutes for an altar call (explained later).  With the same preschool kids, then you need to make sure you have at least 5 to 8 different object lessons ready to fulfill your time. Each object lesson should tie into your main theme for the day.

With the various object lessons that you will need, you can use drama, skits, puppets and even demonstration by the children. When the children have a hands on experience they are more apt to remember what the message is about.

Object lessons coupled with motivation will help to increase your children’s retention of the lesson at hand. To help your students retain the information is by being motivated. This motivation will shine through and will be passed onto your students. When the teacher is motivated the students will become motivated. Just as with anything, when the teacher sees importance in a task or truly understands what it all means, those in the class will see it to. Make sure that your passion for Jesus is expressed when you are teaching as you are doing more then just relaying information. You are helping to mold the future of our world, which is a very important job.

The children are so eager to be involved in what God is doing. They want to participate! This is discipleship at basic core. The children run to the altar to get saved week after week because that is the only thing they are being offered. I challenge you today to ask the children if they want to be baptized with the Holy Spirit, speak in tongues, lay hands on the sick, or to feel the Presence of the Living God. The children will charge the stage! Why? Because they want to be involved!

Benjamin Franklin once said, "Tell me and I forget. Teach me and I remember. Involve me and I learn.”  It is important that you get the children involved as much as possible.

As mentioned earlier, we should allow 15 to 20 minutes for altar calls because this is more important than anything else you will do during your service. The altar call is not always about salvation, you can use this is the time to get with the Lord. Set an atmosphere for God’s presence by dimming the lights a little and putting on worship music in the background.  

A couple more thoughts….

It is important to get the kids under the anointing as much as possible. Encourage the Church leaders to lay hands on the children and prophesy over them. It would be great to ask any guest speakers to pray and prophesy over the children as well. By doing this, you are letting the children know they are important, they have dignity and they have value as an individual but also as a Church Member.

Ask the Head Pastor if he will allow the children to minister to the congregation once a month. The children need to train their Spirits. They need to exercise their gifts that God has given to them rather it be prophesy, evangelism, healing, etc… 

• 0 Blessings • Be a Blessing! • Permanent Link

WHERE WE ARE AT IN CHILDREN’S MINISTRY TODAY - Part One

---

Posted on May. 16, 2008 in My Ramblings

In July 1780, Robert Raikes organized a Sunday school in England primarily for the children of poor families who were forced into labor fields to help support the family. They could not go to schools and hence they had no education. This produced a poverty cycle that continued generation after generation. With the Holy Bible, paper and pencil, these children were taught how to read and write on there only day off. This was the beginning of The Sunday School Movement that eventually hit United States in 1790’s.

Robert Raikes did hear from the Holy Ghost because of the wonderful fruit that the Sunday school Movement produced. However, it is time for a change. The children of today are not the same as two hundred years ago. It is time to change the wineskins. It is time to take notice of what is happening within our Church walls.

It is no wonder the average thirteen year old, in a Bible believing churches, thinks he knows everything there is to know about God and has no further purpose going to Church. The same 13 year old will also tell you he as never heard the voice of God nor felt His presence. We need to be asking ourselves, why is this happening?

We have been doing the same thing for over two hundred years. We expect the children to come into a ‘classroom’, sit down with a pencil, periodicals and a Bible in hand. Many children view Sunday School as boring after all the hard work was put into teaching the lessons. The real tragedy is what happens as a result of this. According to a recent study from Barna Group reveals once children reaches thirteen to seventeen years of age the numbers who continue attending church dwindles dramatically and an alarmingly small number of these teenagers actually take Jesus with them through out High School.

There is nothing more boring than church without the Power and the Presence of the Living God!!

We need to rethink the way we have done Children’s Church in the past! We need curriculum that the core value is bringing children into the presence of the Living God and exposing them to the supernatural. How many ways can we repackage Noah’s Ark? We have this limited amount of things we think the children can handle and keep giving to them over and over again and then we wonder why they leave the church.

We must take Children’s Ministry to the next level as we could die out as a evangelical community in less that a generation.

Seventy percent of the boys and girls in a Bible-Believing Churches will leave the church when they come of age and to never step foot in Church again. We must ask ourselves what is wrong with this picture! When on the other side of the world, children are ready to die for what they believe in.

Hitler knew the value of children. Hitler Youth Movement called for all the children age 10 and older. This movement was an extension of Hitler’s belief that the future of the country was its children. The Hitler Youth Movement succeeded in mesmerizing an entire generation of with the NAZI ideology.  It was this generation that he raised who carried out without question the barbarities of the Holocaust. The scary thing here is some of these children are alive today and are still Nazi’s at heart.

The Catholics knew the value of children as well. The Old Catholic saying goes, “give me a 7 year old and we have them for life.”

The Communist said the same thing. Communist may have fallen in Russia, but there are many communist there today because that is who they are…. In spirit, soul and body! Whatever you put into the heart and mind of a child when he is a small child is what he carries with them all the days of their life.

There is a difference between salvation (knowing that you are going to heaven) and being a Christ-follower. We all have issues in life, even those who were raised in Christian homes. But, as Christ-followers we have the tools that are needed to overcome the issues of life.

Our belief systems are formed during childhood. By the time a child reaches seven to nine years old their moral values are already in place. We have to put the right things into the children now in order for them to handle the issues of life as a child, as a teenager, and even as an adult. Jesus called for the children, saying, "Permit the children to come to Me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these.” 

• 0 Blessings • Be a Blessing! • Permanent Link