Saturday, May 23, 2009

In Schools Today

Slew Pledge of Allegiance, since the Pledge of Allegiance and The Lord’ Prayer are not allowed in most public schools anymore and because thi /vord “God” is mentioned…. A kid in Arizona wrote the following:

Now I sit me down in school where praying is against the rule.
For this great nation under God finds mention of Him very odd.
If Scripture now the class recites, it violates the Bill of Rights.
And anytime my head I bow becomes a Federal matter now.
Our hair can be purple, orange or green, that’s no offense; it’s a freedom scene.
The law is specific, the law is precise.Prayers spoken aloud are a serious vice.
For praying in a public hall Might offend someone with no faith at all.
In silence alone we must meditate, God’s name is prohibited by the state.

We’re allowed to cuss and dress like freaks, and pierce our noses, tongues and cheeks. They’ve outlawed guns, but FIRST the Bible. To quote the Good Book makes me liable.
We can elect a pregnant Senior Queen, And the ‘unwed daddy,’ our Senior King.
It’s “inappropriate” to teach right from wrong. We’re taught that such “judgments” do not belong. We can get our condoms and birth controls, study witchcraft, vampires and totem poles. But the Ten Commandments are not allowed. No word of God must reach this crowd. It’s scary here I must confess, When chaos reigns the school’s a mess.So, Lord, this silent plea I make: Should I be shot; My soul please take!

Amen

Posted by Pat at 13:13:27 | Permalink | No Comments »

Sunday, May 10, 2009

Are we really locking our cars?

Like many of you, emails are forwarded to me all the time. Some are nonsense. Some contain useful information. I don’t know if this is fact or fiction, but a person can never be too careful. The author is unknown:

How to Lock Your Car and Why….

I locked my car. As  I walked away I heard my car door unlock . I went back and locked my car  again three times. I looked around and  there were two guys sitting in a car in the fire lane next to the store. When I  looked straight at them they did not unlock my car  again.

How to lock your car safely  -
While traveling, my  son stopped at a roadside park. He came out to his car less than 4-5  minutes later and found someone had gotten into his car, and stolen his  cell phone, laptop computer, GPS navigator, briefcase. You name it.

He called the  police and since there were no signs of his car being  broken into. The police told him  that there is a device that robbers are using now to clone your  security code when you lock your doors on your car using your key-chain locking device..

They sit  a distance away and watch for their next victim. They know you are going inside of the store, restaurant, or bathroom and have a few  minutes to steal and run. The police  officer said to  manually lock your car door-by hitting the lock button inside the  car, that way if there is  someone siting in a parking lot watching for their next victim it  will not be you.

When you hit the lock  button on your car upon exiting, it does not send the security code, but if you walk away and use the door lock on your key chain- it sends the code through the airwaves where it can be  stolen. Something totally  new to us…and real.

Posted by Pat at 22:17:02 | Permalink | No Comments »

Saturday, May 9, 2009

FATHER MURDERS WIFE, BURIES CHILDREN ALIVE—Fact or Fiction

This following story came from one of my Christian writer’s group. One writer said it was fiction, but I’m not so sure. After all, this is Jesus’ character, since this is a story the world wouldn’t want us to believe. . Remember, many say Jesus didn’t rise from the dead, others say the Holocust didn’t happen, still those I know say there are no miracles. Yet, whose report will I believe? How about Jesus…..

FATHER MURDERS WIFE, BURIES CHILDREN ALIVE

A Muslim man in Egypt killed his wife because she was reading the Bible and then buried her with their infant baby and an 8-year old daughter. The girls were buried alive! He then reported to the police that an uncle killed the kids.

Fifteen ays later, another family member died.. When they went to bury him, they found the 2 little girls under the sand - ALIVE! The country is outraged over the incident, and the man will be executed. The older girl was asked how she had survived and she says, “A man wearing shiny white clothes, with bleeding wounds in his hands, came every day to feed us. He woke up my mom so she could nurse my sister.”

She was interviewed on Egyptian national TV, by a veiled Muslim woman news anchor. She said on public TV, ‘This was none other than Jesus, because nobody else does things like this!’ Muslims believe Isa(Jesus) would do this, but the wounds mean He really was crucified, and it’s clear also that He is alive!
But, it’s also clear that the child could not make up a story like this, and there is no way these children could have survived without a true miracle…

Muslim leaders are going to have a hard time to figure out what to do with this, and the popularity of the Passion movie doesn’t help! With Egypt at the center of the media and education in the Middle East , you can be sure this story will spread. Chri st is still turning the world upside down!
Please let this story be shared. The Lord says, ‘I will bless the person who puts his trust in me. Jeremiah 17.

Posted by Pat at 21:49:56 | Permalink | No Comments »

Sunday, May 3, 2009

A Penny for Your Thoughts

Pick up the pennies! Author unknown

Several years ago, a friend of mine and her husband were invited to spend the weekend at the husband’s employer’s home. My friend, Arlene, was nervous about the weekend. The boss was very wealthy, with a fine home on the waterway, and cars costing more than their house.
The first day and evening went well, and Arlene was delighted to have this rare glimpse into how the very wealthy live. The husband’s employer was quite generous as a host, and took them to the finest restaurants. Arlene knew she would never have the opportunity to indulge in this kind of extravagance again so was enjoying herself immensely.
As the three of them were about to enter an exclusive restaurant that evening, the boss was walking slightly ahead of Arlene and her husband.
He stopped suddenly, looking down on the pavement for a long, silent moment.
Arlene wondered if she was supposed to pass him. There was nothing on the ground except a single darkened penny that someone had dropped and a few cigarette butts Still silent, the man reached down and picked up the penny.

He held it up and smiled, then put it in his pocket as if he had found a great treasure. How absurd! What need did this man have for a single penny? Why would he even take the time to stop and pick it up?

Throughout dinner, the entire scene nagged at her. Finally, she could stand it no longer. She casually mentioned that her daughter once had a coin collection, and asked if the penny he had found had been of some value.

A smile crept across the man’s face as he reached into his pocket for the penny and held it out for her to see. She had seen many pennies before! What was the point of this?
‘Look at it.’ He said. ‘Read what it says.’ She read the words ‘
United States of America ‘

‘No, not that; read further.’

‘One cent?’ ‘No, keep reading.’
‘In God we Trust?’ ‘Yes!’ ‘And?’
‘And if I trust in God, the name of God is holy, even on a coin. Whenever I find a coin I see that inscription. It is written on every single United States coin, but we never seem to notice it! God drops a message right in front of me telling me to trust Him? Who am I to pass it by? When I see a coin, I pray, I stop to see if my trust IS in God at that moment. I pick the coin up as a response to God; that I do trust in Him. For a short time, at least, I cherish it as if it were gold. I think it is God’s way of starting a conversation with me. Lucky for me, God is patient and pennies are plentiful!

When I was out shopping today, I found a penny on the sidewalk. I stopped and picked it up, and realized that I had been worrying and fretting in my mind about things I cannot change. I read the words, ‘In God We Trust,’ and had to laugh.
Yes, God, I get the message. It seems that I have been finding an inordinate number of pennies in the last few months, but then, pennies are plentiful! And, God is patient…

 

Posted by Pat at 23:40:30 | Permalink | Comments (1) »

Friday, May 1, 2009

He Sent Me flowers

 I received this in my email, stating it was a poem from Paulette Kelly. Every woman should read it and pass it on. 

I got flowers today.
It wasn’t my birthday or any other special day.
We had our first argument last night,
And he said a lot of cruel things that really hurt me.
I know he is sorry and didn’t mean the things he said.
Because he sent me flowers today.

I got flowers today.
It wasn’t our anniversary or any other special day.
Last night, he threw me into a wall and started to choke me.
It seemed like a nightmare.
I couldn’t believe it was real.
I woke up this morning sore and bruised all over.
I know he must be sorry.
Because he sent me flowers today.

I got flowers today,
And it wasn’t Mother’s Day or any other special day.
Last night, he beat me up again.
And it was much worse than all the other times.
If I leave him, what will I do?
How will I take care of my kids?
What about money?
I’m afraid of him and scared to leave.
But I know he must be sorry.
Because he sent me flowers today.

I got flowers today.
Today was a very special day.
It was the day of my funeral.
Last night, he finally killed me.
He beat me to death.
If only I had gathered enough courage
and strength to leave him,
I would not have gotten flowers…today

Posted by Pat at 20:44:28 | Permalink | No Comments »

Tuesday, March 17, 2009

Church Humor

A little boy was attending his first wedding.
After the service, his cousin asked him, “How many women can a man marry?”
“Sixteen,” the boy responded.  His cousin was amazed that he had an! Answer so quickly by
“How do you know that?”
“Easy,” the little boy said.
“All you have to do is add it up, like the Bishop said,
4 better, 4 worse, 4 richer, 4 poorer.”
______________________________
  A 6-year-old was overheard reciting the Lord’s Prayer at a church service, “And forgive us our trash passes, as we forgive those who passed trash against us.”

______________________________
A boy was watching his father, a pastor, write a sermon.
“How do you know what to say?” he asked.
“Why, God tells
me.”

“Oh, then why do you keep crossing things out?”
______________________________  

After the christening of his baby brother in church, little Johnny sobbed all the way home in the back seat of the car. His father asked him three times what was wrong.
Finally, the boy replied, “That priest said he wanted us brought up in a Christian home, and I want to stay with you guys!”
_____________________________

The Sunday School Teacher asks, “Now, Johnny, tell me frankly do you say prayers before eating?”
“No sir,” little Johnny replies, I don’t have to.
My mom is a good cook.”
______________________________
  A college drama group presented a play in which one character would stand on a trap door and announce, “I descend into hell!” A stagehand below would then pull a rope, the trapdoor would spring, and the actor would drop from view.
The play was well received. When the actor playing the part became ill, another actor who was quite overweight took his place.  When the new actor announced, “I descend into hell!” the stagehand pulled the rope, and the actor began his plunge, but became hopelessly stuck.  No amount of tugging on the rope could make him descend.
One student in the balcony jumped up and yelled:
Hallelujah! Hell is full!”
______________________________
 
A little girl was sitting on her grandfather’s lap as he read her a bedtime story. From time to time, she would take her eyes off the book and reach up to touch his wrinkled cheek.  She was alternately stroking her own cheek, then his again.
Finally she spoke up, “Grandpa, did God make you?”
“Yes, sweetheart,” he answered, “God made me a long time ago.”
“Oh,” she paused, “grandpa, did God make me too?”
“Yes, indeed, honey,” he said, “God made you just a little while ago.”
Feeling their respective faces again, she observed, “God’s getting better at it, isn’t he?”

 

Posted by Pat at 03:15:05 | Permalink | No Comments »

Sunday, February 15, 2009

Illusions by Wanda B. Campbell

ABOUT THE BOOK
After three years of marriage, Denise Hightower discovers that her husband, Pastor Bryce Hightower, has a secret addiction that not only jeopardizes his marriage, but impairs his ability to effectively preach the gospel. Yielding to pressure from her mother and her husband, Denise agrees to keep his addiction a secret, although her self-esteem plummets. Her life as the perfect First Lady is falling apart at the seams. Denise suffers in silence until she is confronted with the addiction from a trusted member of the church. Self-centered and determined to uphold his pastoral image, Bryce is oblivious to his wife’s emotional state. He’s convinced that he can overcome his “little problem” on his own, so he rejects the spiritual help God sends him. But when his secret is discovered, will he be able to come clean with himself, God, and his congregation before he loses it all? For more information about Wanda, visit her at wandabcampbell.net.


MY BOOK REVIEW of Illusions by Wanda B. Campbell/ 5 STARS!!! 

James 1:14-15 “Every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed. Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death.”

In Illusions, Wanda diagnosed a cancer in society and wrote the prescription for deliverance, inspired by God of course. She didn’t focus on condemnation, but self-reflection to get the job done. Her writing style was precise and to the point. She didn’t belabor the story with quoting the scriptures, but showing the love of Christ.
Don’t let the title “pastor” before Bryce Hightower keep you from picking up this book. Bryce’s demon is an equal opportunity, unisex spirit destroyer.
Without giving too much away in Illusions, God has a way of bringing us spiritual growth when we minister to others battling the same problems.
Join Pastor Hightower’s church and deliverance will come to your seat. There is one word of caution, don’t stay up all night to finish.
Reviewed by national bestselling author Pat Simmons, a former book reviewer for Black Issues Magazine and The St. Louis American Newspaper. Visit
www.patsimmons.net

BLOG TOUR GIVEAWAY This week’s winner will receive An autographed copy of First Sunday in October and a coupon for a FREE print design (choose a bookmark, postcard or business card) courtesy of Tywebbin Creations. Winner are responsible for printing. Check Wanda B. Campbell’s blog for the winners.

Posted by Pat at 23:52:10 | Permalink | Comments (3)

Thursday, February 5, 2009

Phony Parking Tickets/GPS/Cell Phones

This is a repost from Buzz Up blog
Thu Feb 5, 2009 12:02PM EST Buzz up!on Yahoo!

The last place anyone would expect to face a computer security attack is on the windshield of their car in the form of a parking ticket.

But that’s the latest — and intensely clever — way that hackers are attempting to goad people into visiting infected websites and willingly install malware on their machines.

The scam is instantly clever once you hear how it works: Hackers print up phony “PARKING VIOLATION” notices and plaster them on cars parked on the street. The phony ticket directs the car’s owner to visit a certain website, and of course the website in question (which largely seems to comprise of photos of badly parked cars) is a hack site which attempts to install malware on your PC.

Essentially what we have here is a phishing attack that takes place in the real world instead of via email. The use of fliers on parked cars is what’s truly ingenious: A similar attack sent via postal mail would probably have minimal effect, but people are incredibly protective of their cars, and I imagine these windshield fliers will actually have a pretty good percentage of people typing in the URLs typed on them.

The good news — for now — is that the fliers are extremely crude, printed on yellow paper and offering nothing in the way of legal language that would compel a sophisticated and naturally skeptical reader to even visit the website in question. Like the earliest email phishing attacks, this attack may be simplistic, but it’s probably a precursor of more advanced attacks to come. When hackers scan in real parking tickets and reprint them, replacing the URL printed there with one for a sophisticated attack site, then the sparks are going to start flying. (Installing malware is boring by comparison… I expect the real attacks will involve collecting money and hijacking credit cards and bank accounts wholesale.)

This appears to be a very limited attack (reported only in Grand Forks, North Dakota) for the time being, but it’s a good idea to keep your skepticism handy next time you receive a parking “violation,” just in case.
 
THESE TWO WERE SENT TO ME VIA E-MAIL
GPS Users….
A car was burglarized while fans were at a football match. It was parked on the green which was adjacent to the football stadium and specially allotted to football fans. Things stolen from the car included a garage door remote control, some money and a GPS which had been prominently mounted on the dashboard. 
When the victims got home, they found that their house had been ransacked and just about everything worth anything had been stolen. The thieves had used the GPS to guide them to the house. They then used
the garage remote control to open the garage door and gain entry to the house. The thieves knew the owners were at the football game, they knew what time the game was scheduled to finish and so they knew how much time they had to clean out the house. It would appear that they had brought a truck to empty the house of its contents. 

CELL PHONE Users…
One lady has changed the way she lists her names on her phone after her handbag was stolen.  
Twenty minutes later, when she called her hubby from a pay phone to tell him what had happened, he said, ”I received your text asking about our pin number and I’ve replied a little while ago.”
When they contaced the bank, the staff told them all their money was already withdrawn. The thief had actually used the stolen cell phone to text ‘hubby’ in the contact list and got hold of the pin number. It took twenty minutes. 
Moral of the lesson:
Do not disclose the relationship between you and the people in your contact list.
Avoid using names like Home, Honey, Hubby, Sweetheart, Dad, Mom, etc….
And very importantly, when sensitive info is being asked through texts,
CONFIRM by calling back.  Also, when you’re being text by friends or family to meet them somewhere, be sure to call back to confirm that the message came from them. If you don’t reach them, be very careful about going places to meet ‘family and friends’ who text you.

Posted by Pat at 22:03:19 | Permalink | No Comments »

Thursday, August 21, 2008

PROBLEM READING BLOG

If you are having problems reading this,
please visit my website www.patsimmons.net and click on blogs.
Thanks,
Pat
Posted by Pat at 14:17:51 | Permalink | No Comments »

Sunday, July 20, 2008

Handy one page Bible

The Bible at your fingertips……………. Click on any chapter……..

I have never seen anything like this. It must have taken a long time to mastermind something like it. This is

worthy of sending to everyone on your e-list. The bottom one really sends a message to all.

Just click on the chapter number you want to read opposite the Book name in

the column on the left side.  It will also read it to you…

New International Version (NIV)

Books

Chapters

Genesis

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40< FONT face=Verdana size=1> 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50

Exodus

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40< FONT face=Verdana size=1>

Leviticus

Numbers

Deuteronomy

Joshua

Judges

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21

Ruth

1 2 3 4

1 Samuel

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31

2 Samuel

1 Kings

2 Kings

1 Chronicles

2 Chronicles

Ezra

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Nehemiah

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13< /DIV>

Esther

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Job

Psalm

Proverbs

Ecclesiastes

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

Song of Solomon

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

Isaiah

Jeremiah

Lamentations

1 2 3 4 5

Ezekiel

Daniel

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

Hosea

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14

Joel

1 2 3

Amos

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9

Obadiah

1

Jonah

1 2 3 4

Micah

1 2 3 4 5 6 7

Nahum

1 2 3

Habakkuk

1 2 3

Zephaniah

1 2 3

Haggai

1 2

Zechariah

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14

Malachi

1 2 3 4

Matthew

Mark

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16

Luke

John

Acts

Romans

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16

1 Corinthians

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16

2 Corinthians

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13< /DIV>

Galatians

1 2 3 4 5 6

Ephesians

1 2 3 4 5 6

Philippians

1 2 3 4

Colossians

1 2 3 4

1 Thessalonians

1 2 3 4 5

2 Thessalonians

1 2 3

1 Timothy

1 2 3 4 5 6

2 Timothy

1 2 3 4

Titus

1 2 3

Philemon

1

Hebrews

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13< /DIV>

James

1 2 3 4 5

1 Peter

1 2 3 4 5

2 Peter

1 2 3

1 John

1 2 3 4 5

2 John

1

3 John

1

Jude

1

Revelation

Emergency Telephone Numbers
These are more effective than 911
When -
You are sad, phone John 14
You have sinned, phone Psalm 51
You are facing danger, phone Psalm 91
People have failed you, phone Psalm 27< /A>
It feels as though God is far from you, phone
Psalm 139

Your faith needs stimulation, phone < /B>Hebrews 11
You are alone and scared, phone Psalm 23
You are worried, phone Matthew 8:19-34
You are hurt and critical, phone 1 Corinthians 13
You wonder about Christianity, phone 2 Corinthians 5:15-18
You feel like an outcast, phone Romans 8:31-39
You are seeking peace, phone Matthew 11:25-30
It feels as if the world is b bigger than God, phone Psalm 90
You need Christ like insurance, phone Romans 8:1-30
You are leaving home for a trip , phone < /I>Psalm 121
You are praying for yourself, phone Psalm 87
You require courage for a task, phone Joshua 1
Inflation’s and investments are hogging your thoughts, phone M ark 10:17-31
You are depressive, phone Psalm 27
Your bank account is empty, phone Psalm 37
You lose faith in mankind, phone 1 Corinthians 13
It looks like people are unfriendly, phone John 15
You are losing hope, phone Psalm 126
You feel the world is small comp ared to you, phone Psalm 19
You want to carry fruit, phone John 15
Paul’s secret for happiness, phone Colossians 3:12-17
With big opp ortunity/ discovery, phone Isaiah 55
To get along with other people, phone Romans 12
ALTERNATE NUMBERS
For dealing with fear, call Psalm 47
For security, call Psalm 121:3
For assurance, call Mark 8:35
For reassurance, call Psalm 145:18
ALL THESE NUMBERS MAY BE PHONED DIRECTLY.
NO OPERATOR ASSISTANCE IS NECESSARY.
ALL LINES TO HEAVEN ARE AVAILABLE 24 HOURS A DAY.
FEED YOUR FAITH, AND DOUBT WILL STARVE TO DEATH

Posted by Pat at 23:26:01 | Permalink | Comments (1) »