Forgiveness seems to be a recent common topic among the blogs I visit, so I decided to contribute. As Christians we believe we should forgive like Christ forgave us. We all know this can be difficult, yet it may be more difficult to completely forgive and not bring it up again.

Micah 7:19

"He will again have compassion on us, And will subdue our iniquities. You will cast all our sins Into the depths of the sea."

As my Pastor frequently says after referencing this verse "God then put up a no fishing sign.". True forgiveness doesn't allow digging up old dirt. I think the Bible reemphasizes this when it describes love in 1 Corinthians chapter 13.

There are some questions that come to mind: Should we not use a person's past for evaluation (i.e. politician or any leadership position)? Do away with the sex offenders list? Is there an exception with punishment? Is there a difference between forgiving and using the past for evaluating someone's character or is it just stereotyping?

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My Michigan State Spartans have made it to the Sweet Sixteen just as I predicted on my brackets. I think they have an excellent chance of beating Memphis. What are your thoughts concerning the tournament thus far?


The other exciting news is that the Detroit Tigers home opener is March 31st. I can't wait. I am predicting that they are going to the World Series. The blockbuster trade they made this off-season was brilliant. I could only manage to go to one game this year because I won't be able to go to any day games and it was extremely difficult to find one opportunity to get four tickets together.

Here a montage of dunks by MSU players to get you in the mood if you need any motivation.



And the best dunk ever! (In My Opinion)

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Matthew 27:15-22

"Now at the feast the governor was accustomed to releasing to the multitude one prisoner whom they wished. (16) And at that time they had a notorious prisoner called Barabbas. (17) Therefore, when they had gathered together, Pilate said to them, "Whom do you want me to release to you? Barabbas, or Jesus who is called Christ?" (18) For he knew that they had handed Him over because of envy. (19) While he was sitting on the judgment seat, his wife sent to him, saying, "Have nothing to do with that just Man, for I have suffered many things today in a dream because of Him." (20) But the chief priests and elders persuaded the multitudes that they should ask for Barabbas and destroy Jesus. (21) The governor answered and said to them, "Which of the two do you want me to release to you?" They said, "Barabbas!" (22) Pilate said to them, "What then shall I do with Jesus who is called Christ?" They all said to him, "Let Him be crucified!"

How did Barabbas feel knowing that Jesus took his spot and was completely innocent? I wonder if he watched the crucifixion.

Matthew 27:45

"Now from the sixth hour until the ninth hour there was darkness over all the land."

Psalms 22:16

"For dogs have surrounded Me; The congregation of the wicked has enclosed Me. They pierced My hands and My feet;"

Could this three hours of darkness be the biggest battle between God and Satan?

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Isaiah 53:5

"But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; The chastisement for our peace was upon Him, And by His stripes we are healed."

John 19:28-30

"After this, Jesus, knowing that all things were now accomplished, that the Scripture might be fulfilled, said, "I thirst!" (29) Now a vessel full of sour wine was sitting there; and they filled a sponge with sour wine, put it on hyssop, and put it to His mouth. (30) So when Jesus had received the sour wine, He said, "It is finished!" And bowing His head, He gave up His spirit."

Luke 24:1-8

"Now on the first day of the week, very early in the morning, they, and certain other women with them, came to the tomb bringing the spices which they had prepared. (2) But they found the stone rolled away from the tomb. (3) Then they went in and did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. (4) And it happened, as they were greatly perplexed about this, that behold, two men stood by them in shining garments. (5) Then, as they were afraid and bowed their faces to the earth, they said to them, "Why do you seek the living among the dead? (6) He is not here, but is risen! Remember how He spoke to you when He was still in Galilee, (7) saying, 'The Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and the third day rise again.' " (8) And they remembered His words."

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This song has a powerful message regarding marriage.


How many marriages would be saved if we followed Biblical truth?

Proverbs 5:1-8

"My son, pay attention to my wisdom; Lend your ear to my understanding, (2) That you may preserve discretion, And your lips may keep knowledge. (3) For the lips of an immoral woman drip honey, And her mouth is smoother than oil; (4) But in the end she is bitter as wormwood, Sharp as a two-edged sword. (5) Her feet go down to death, Her steps lay hold of hell. (6) Lest you ponder her path of life--Her ways are unstable; You do not know them. (7) Therefore hear me now, my children, And do not depart from the words of my mouth. (8) Remove your way far from her, And do not go near the door of her house"

1 Timothy 6:10

"For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, for which some have strayed from the faith in their greediness, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows."

Matthew 19:3-6

"The Pharisees also came to Him, testing Him, and saying to Him, "Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife for just any reason?" (4) And He answered and said to them, "Have you not read that He who made them at the beginning 'made them male and female,' (5) and said, 'For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh'? "6" So then, they are no longer two but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let not man separate."

Percentage of married people who reach their 5th, 10th, and 15th anniversaries:
5th: 82%
10th: 65%
15th: 52%

Percentage of married people who reach their 25th, 35th, and 50th anniversaries:
25th: 33%
35th: 20%
50th: 5%

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Here is a glimpse of what Obama hears at his church.
WARNING: Language

If you don't think this matters and it is only by association. Look at some of these statements made in this article. "I don't think my church is actually particularly controversial."-Sen. Obama. "Rev. Wright married Obama and his wife Michelle, baptized their two daughters and is credited by Obama for the title of his book, "The Audacity of Hope."". He has definitely impacted and influenced Obama's life.


UPDATED VIDEO

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This is kinda old news, but this video shows a humorous side to how stupid hippies really are.

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An attack has been made against parents. This article about a judge in California ruling that

"children ages six to 18 may be taught only by credentialed teachers in public or private schools — or at home by Mom and Dad, but only if they have a teaching degree. Citing state law that goes back to the early 1950s, Croskey declared that "California courts have held that under provisions in the Education Code, parents do not have a constitutional right to home school their children." Furthermore, the judge wrote, if instructors teach without credentials they will be subject to criminal action."

I was not home-schooled nor do I plan on home-schooling any future children I may have. I do however know people that have been home-schooled and others that home-school their children and support the parents choice of what they think is best for their own children. For the record I did graduate from a public high school and attend a public university.

In my opinion this problem can be traced back to the Head Start program, where the government tries to take away children at a younger age. The government thinks it can raise kids better than parents. This liberal thought of big government combined with education is an attack on the family as much as divorce and homosexual marriage. Moreover, in Karl Marx's 'Manifesto of the Communist Party' one of the ten things he listed that must happen is "Free education for all children in public schools". That might be a stretch to say America is turning communist, but if we keep electing and appointing liberal judges who knows.

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It is a day I knew would come. At the end of the NFL season for the past few years I hoped Brett Favre would return for one more year. I was shocked to find out today that he decided to retire. The Green Bay Packers had a great season and I thought for sure he would be back.

I became a fan of the Packers in the early 90s. I would watch the Packers regularly and instantly became a fan of Brett Favre due to his unique character and arm strength. His attitude was one I have never seen before, whether he would congratulate a defensive lineman after getting sacked or more recently in last year's playoffs he slapped hands with a referee. His love for football was easily noticed by anyone who watched him.

I remember one of the first things my wife and I did together when we were dating is watch the Packers win the Super Bowl in 1997. We just met and I knew she was a keeper if she didn't think I was crazy after watching the game together. She even became somewhat of a fan of Brett Favre. In January 2005 I was the bestman in my friend's wedding. The wedding was just south of Madison, Wisconsin. My wife and I decided to take the opportunity to visit Lambeau Field after the wedding. We spent the entire day at Lambeau Field taking a tour of the venue and visiting the Packer hall of fame.

As much as I hate to see him retire, I do appreciate having the opportunity to watch in my opinion the greatest quarterback ever. In this last season he broke almost every passing record. As I looked through different news article comments, it is obvious that he will be missed by many, non-packer fans included.

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I found this article about a church near me that has a beer ministry. Yes a beer ministry. On their website they say their focus is "For anyone who likes talking about God with a quality brew in their hand." The leader of the group even said this about Jesus "I believe He would sit down with the people in the bar, and He would drink what they were drinking," he said, "and He would be happy to do that."

I just cannot agree with this. My personal opinion on the consumption of alcohol is that it is fine in moderation, with the exception of someone in a pastoral position. However, I think this goes beyond the alcohol argument and into Jesus' character and acceptable ministries.

I wrote about the issue of ministries about a month ago (link), how some churches will do anything to get people into church. God does not need us, we need Him. He does not beg nor adjust to our standards. When we lower ourselves to the world's standards we devalue the gospel and give people a false attraction by enticing them with alcohol or whatever then bringing up God.

1 John 2:15-17 "Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world--the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life--is not of the Father but is of the world. And the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever.

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The MSU Basketball team made my day yesterday by beating Indiana 103-74. Especially on senior day. Drew Naymick who broke the shot blocking record left in the most fitting way, after blocking a shot. Even Drew Neitzel, had a nice exit by making the 100th point. I was happy for him because he was the savior last year and has had an up and down season this year.

This has been a roller coaster year because we had such high expectations. MSU had some upsets on the road, but was perfect at home. I am looking forward to the tournament and hope they make a good run.

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Well this is my 100th post. I started this blog in June 2007. It has had many different looks. I have tried to make the blog symbolize me an my interest, but realized it was just too cluttered. I think I finally found the look that will stay.

I started this blog because I enjoyed reading other people's blogs and my responses would be too lengthy or I just wanted to go off topic. I then decided to just start my own. I don't like to make this only about one issue, though I do tend to only talk about religion, politics and sports.

The nice thing about blogs is that each one is different. They may have different objectives. Some are specifically about one topic, some focus on controversial topics to accumulate a lot of traffic and comments, some even have a new post daily, or just rant about whatever.

I have tried a few different things, but have found contentment in just writing about what I want and when I want. I am satisfied with the number of visitors and have met some nice people I enjoy conversing/debating with.

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