:: Narrow-minded simpleton ::

:: Sunday, February 02, 2014 ::

 OK, now it's been ~5.5 years since I've blogged here and, once again, I'm more and more convinced and narrow-minded that Jesus (Y'shua) is Who He says He is (John 14:6, "Jesus said, 'I am the Way, the Truth and the Life, no one comes to the Father but by Me.'"). I'm narrow-minded because Jesus Himself is narrow. There is no universal salvation except through Jesus. Scripture, God's Word, is trustworthy, true, and wholly sufficient for all we need to know about God and our separation at conception from Him because of our sin. But thanks be to God through Jesus Christ, we can be redeemed, completely forgiven of that sin by trusting in the completed work of Jesus at the cross of Calvary where His blood was shed to cover our sin. We first must personally, individually acknowledge and agree with God that we are sinners and repent of that sin (turn 180 degrees away from sin) and openly, publicly confess with our mouths that Jesus Christ is Lord and place our faith in His finished work alone (not our own good deeds or strivings). The Way is narrow, but it is available to ALL who repent and trust in Jesus Christ. Do it today. Don't wait. We are not promised another day. But we are promised that He loves us and wants us to fellowship with Him for eternity. That is LIFE!

:: Julie 2/02/2014 11:06:00 AM [+] ::
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Well, I haven't blogged in two years, but I'm still a narrow-minded fundamentalist simpleton who still believes what Scripture says, that there is only One Way to Heaven, and that is through Jesus Christ.

If anything, in the last two years of my walk with Him, I've become more fundamental and more narrow-minded, in particular when it comes to the authority of God's Word, the Bible.

My belief that there is only One Way, Jesus Christ, as stated in John 14:6 (Jesus said, "I AM the Way, the Truth and the Life. No one comes to the Father except through Me") flies in the face of the latest poll by the Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life. Apparently the "tolerance" message by those who are deceived by the Adversary has thoroughly percolated throughout main-stream America.

The poll states, "Most Americans agree with the statement that many religions – not just their own – can lead to eternal life."

Well, I actually agree with that statement.

We will ALL experience eternal life.

It just depends on where one will spend eternity. There are only two options: With God, or apart from Him.

And the only Way to get to God is through Jesus Christ.

It's a shame - as reflected in this poll - that so many who call themselves "Christians" have bowed to the altar of "tolerance," when we should be on our knees repenting before the Saviour Who gave His lifeblood so that we might be forgiven of our sins that have separated us from Him.

This "tolerance" is not tolerance at all. It's straight from the Adversary, Satan, and the pit of Hell. It is the wide path to destruction. It is the ultimate deceit.

Which path are you on? The narrow One that leads to Eternal Life with God or the wide one that leads to an eternal life of wailing and gnashing of teeth?

:: Julie 6/28/2008 07:28:00 AM [+] ::
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OK, here we go again (see my infrequent previous postings).

NASA is preparing to launch the Space Shuttle Discovery on July 4, 2006, after a couple of scrubs due to weather. I imagine the NASA family is pretty stressed due to all the attention over the Administrator (Mike Griffin) giving the "Go" for launch over the objections of the Chief Safety Officer and Chief Engineer, O'Connor and Scolese, resp.

What folks don't understand is that O'Connor and Scolese were saying "no-go" to the launch because of possible loss of the ORBITER, not loss of the CREW. What's the dang difference, you say? Well, if another Columbia-like foam strike happens to Discovery as she launches, Discovery can dock with the Space Station and then the crew can transfer to the station and await "rescue" (an option Columbia did not have, even if the full extent of damage was known, because they were not able to get to the Space Station). Thus, the orbiter Discovery would be "lost" and the crew would be safe, even if a foam strike like the one that hit Columbia happens. Yes, the loss of another orbiter probably be the death-knell to the Space Shuttle system as we know it, but the crew would be OK.

Godspeed, Discovery!

:: Julie 7/03/2006 09:21:00 AM [+] ::
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Well, it has been almost 15.5 years since I left NASA and the Kennedy Space Center.

And yet, looking into my heart, you'd think I still worked there.

All the feelings I had after Challenger and before the Return to Flight launch of Discovery (back then - which was September, 1988) - I'm having again!

The anticipation, the gut-wrenching memories of a downed Orbiter, the hopes, the fears, the I-will-be-holding-my-breath-until-the-SRBs-let-go, the memories of wincing at "Go at Throttle Up," etc., etc., are all still coursing through my veins.

My thoughts and prayers are with the NASA brethern as they face Return to Flight first-hand. Godspeed, Discovery, and STS-114.

:: Julie 7/09/2005 01:09:00 PM [+] ::
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Just wanted to check in and say, Merry Christmas!

If you have not already accepted the Greatest Gift of all, which is salvation from your sins through faith in what Jesus Christ has already done for you, why not do it today?

You have nothing to lose and Eternity, in Heaven, to gain!

:: Julie 12/21/2004 07:22:00 PM [+] ::
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Make it personal 

"For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life" - John 3:16 (NIV)

This is one of the most well-known Bible verses. And yet as many people know this verse and can even recite this verse, they do not apply it to themselves personally.

Mel Gibson's movie, "The Passion of the Christ," is a personal journey for him. He put his heart and soul in to portraying the realism of Jesus' last 12 hours on this Earth. And made it clear that Jesus became sin for all mankind - Jews and Gentiles alike. Our collective sin was nailed to that Roman cross.

And yet think of this, as you watch this movie: Jesus pictured your face before Him as He suffered and died. He made it personal. He died for your sin and my sin. Collectively, yes, but also individually.

Make this movie personal. As you see Him on the cross, picture His love and sacrifice for you and you alone. And know He did it willingly, lovingly. And even better yet, He rose from the dead and lives, interceding personally in your behalf to the Father, if you just simply put your faith and trust in Him.

Trust Jesus this day. Faithfully, personally. He loved us so much He willingly gave Himself. We should do the same.

:: Julie 2/24/2004 03:03:00 AM [+] ::
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Well, it has almost been a year since the loss of Columbia. And it's been that long since I've posted!

So much has happened in the last year...War in Iraq...Saddam's capture...and the NASA Mars Rover, Spirit, landing and scooting about Mars, sampling visually and metalurgically all the way.

But, my thoughts go back to Columbia, and even NASA in general. With President Bush setting the goal of establishing a moon base by 2020 and a goal of Man on Mars after that, I'm encouraged for NASA even as I'm reflective on the loss of Columbia that the Space Program will continue to be a vital part of our American portrait for years to come.

And it should be.

There are many technological advances and discoveries made on the way to the Moon and Mars that benefit not only American society and life, but also betters the life of mankind across God's Earth, and therefore it makes sense to put the dollars, manhours and effort into such an endeavour.

And yes, there will be loss of life in this undertaking to the Moon and beyond, just like there was a cold February morning in 2003 over Texas and Louisiana.

We must still reach for the stars.

:: Julie 1/22/2004 12:29:00 PM [+] ::
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Oh, no. It's happened again.

Those were some of my first thoughts as I heard of the Space Shuttle Columbia's breakup.

You see, I worked for NASA from 1985-1989 and I saw Challenger happen right before my very eyes as I stepped outside my office that cold January morning in 1986.

Now, "my Bird," Columbia, is gone. Broken apart by aerodynamic stresses. 7 human beings gone. 7 people who had reached for the stars have died.

Columbia, OV-102, was "my Bird," as I was the lead engineer for Orbiter Mechanisms in the last part of my career at NASA. My Lockheed counterpart and I were responsible for checking out the payload bay doors, landing gear, crew hatch and other parts of Columbia that were driven by electromechanical mechanisms to insure they were ready for the next mission.

Now, she's gone.

Astronaut families are grieving. The NASA family is grieving. Americans are grieving. Israel is grieving. India is grieving.

I am grieving.

Pray for the Astronaut families and the NASA family. Be aware that life is precious and it can end unexpectedly. Hug your children. Repair relationships with family members. Love your neighbor as yourself.

Reach for the stars.

:: Julie 2/03/2003 10:14:00 AM [+] ::
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Just wanted to check in in my narrow-minded way and say,

Merry CHRISTmas!

:: Julie 12/22/2002 01:18:00 PM [+] ::
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I've not been blogging for so long, I don't know where to start!

The main reason I have not blogged is that my company has really cracked down on non-work-related use of our computers, so that pretty much takes about 11 hours out of my day that I can't blog (that includes the travel time to and from work).

Also, my evenings and weekends have been pretty full lately, so I don't really get the chance to blog when I'm at home.

To top it all off, as I go through the week making note of comments I might have on current events, by the time I can get to a place to record my thoughts, I've already forgotten what I wanted to write about. And if I write a thought down, I invariable lose the paper its written on...

I need one of those wearable computers, or some small Dick Tracy-type wrist device so I could record stuff as I think of it. But then again, those type devices are not allowed at my work place, either.

One thing I would like to proclaim: Go Vote tomorrow!

:: Julie 11/04/2002 05:27:00 AM [+] ::
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My first reaction was, "people like that do not deserve to have children." My next reaction was to inflict the same punishment on her as she did her 4-year-old child.

You've probably heard of the mother in Illinois that was caught on videotape allegedly beating her daughter and pulling her hair. And, guess what? She also has two sons. What kind of punishment could they have received? What kind of scars might they carry?

So, what do we as a society do to prevent the harm of innocent children? What about taking care of our widows? Our orphans? There are many worthy programs out there, secular and religious based, to help people work through problems that cause them to harm others.

But is that enough? Are all of the 12 step programs, the Alcoholics Anonymous meetings, the abuse survivor gatherings getting the job done in helping people become better citizens, better caretakers of the innocent?

I say they are doing their job if they are hitting at the core issue: our sin. From Adam and Eve in the Garden to today, mankind and womankind have willfully chosen to do things that cause harm to the innocent and noninnocent alike. What is sin? It is the willful act of a man or woman that violates God's law as described in the Bible. God knows what is best for we humans, and when we transgress His commandments, we end up hurting ourselves and each other.

And the innocent suffer the most.

:: Julie 9/23/2002 09:44:00 AM [+] ::
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I haven't posted in a while because I've been bummed out and stressed over my cat, Biz, and her struggle with cancer.

She lost that struggle this morning at 10:20 Eastern.

Biz, my beloved.

:: Julie 9/15/2002 08:36:00 AM [+] ::
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Yesterday evening began the observance of Rosh Hashanah, the start of the High Holy Days for the Jewish people. This is a time of reflection, of pentinance, of the sounding of the Shofar every day and culminates on Yom Kippur.

Why is it that Jews are so hated by almost every people group on the planet? Is it because they are wise business owners? Because they are perceived as greedy? Because they are perceived as stingy? There are many stereotypes that come to mind as I think of the Jewish people.

I strongly believe the underlying cause of it all is that the Jews are God's chosen people and everyone else is not. Thus, everyone else, at their core, is jealous. Envious that a Holy God would pick them and not us to bring knowledge of the Creator to all people of the Earth.

Well, truth hurts.

Does that mean we should hate the messenger? That Jews, being chosen by God, should bear the brunt of worldwide shunning, terror attacks and general dislike? I say emphatically, "No!" Because God in His wisdom not only chose the Jewish people to bring knowledge of Him to the world, but He also in His mercy allows non-Jews to come into His kingdom through the blood of His Son, the King of the Jews. And calls unto His Jewish people to also enter His kingdom through Y'shua Hamashiach, Jesus Christ.

Thus we should be infinitely thankful for the Jewish people. Without them, God would not have revealed Himself to the world. Sure, He could have revealed Himself, and does every day through His creation, but what better way to point to God except through a people group that He chose Himself?

As observant Jews observe the High Holy Days, let us who are not Jewish reflect and repent on the sinful thoughts we have toward our Jewish friends, family and acquaintences. Let's pray that the Holy Spirit moves mightily as Jews seek repentance for their sins. God has provided a Way out from under the curse of sin...through the acceptance of His Son, Jesus, into our sinful hearts.

:: Julie 9/07/2002 06:46:00 AM [+] ::
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Happy Birthday, Earth!

How does it feel to be 5,763 years old? What?? Some people think the Earth is older than that? What in the world is the matter with them?? The Bible is quite clear that the Earth is < 6,000 years old. Why would anyone believe the contrary?

Ah, science. Yes, science. The same science that has changed the age of the Earth many, many different times. Is it 5 billion years old? 4.5? 4.86? The same science that is desparately trying to find the "missing link" between our so-called ape ancestors and homo sapiens. The missing link has not been found because it does not exist. Science will do and search for anything that explains our origins apart from a Holy God.

On this birthday of the planet we call Earth, our home, let's reflect on the goodness of the One who created it all.

:: Julie 9/07/2002 06:27:00 AM [+] ::
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What does the King of Saudia Arabia and his royal family do on holiday?

Apparently, he and his entourage spend $5M per day (yes, that is 5 followed by 6 zeros!) in the Spanish coastal resort of Marbella.

Not only that, but "As usual, Saudi princes and princesses are expected to snap up Hermes scarves and Rolex watches by the display case, slap down millions of dollars on roulette tables and boogie into the night with the bejeweled blondes at the Olivia Valere discotheque. It's a lifestyle strictly prohibited in Saudi Arabia, the birthplace of Islam..."

As an evangelical Christian, I either follow Jesus wholeheartedly or I don't. I have the same behaviours whether I'm at work, at play or at home. I don't "put my Christianity in my pocket" every Sunday after church, but I leave it on my sleeve for all to see (the good and the bad).

So, what's up with the Saudis? Are they followers of Mohammed (pbuh) or what? Are they Muslim only in the 5 parts of the day that is designated call to prayer time?

And then, get this quote from a Saudi royal family member, "He [the Saudi royal family member] refuses to believe that any of the hijackers were Saudi citizens, though 15 of the 19 were, and insists the attacks were a plot arranged by the Israelis and the CIA. 'Do you know how many Jews in the World Trade Center didn't go to work that day?'"

This royal family member may just be one bad apple, but I somehow doubt it. The US needs to stop supporting Saudi Arabia and find other sources of oil so that we are not dependent upon (the word hostage also comes to mind) the people from the same country who bankrolled a large part of the 9/11 attacks and also had a telethon to raise money for the families of the Palestinian homicide bombers.

The US needs to get out of Saudi Arabia and we need out now.

:: Julie 9/02/2002 06:07:00 AM [+] ::
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Throw the baby out with the birth water.

If you are a female newborn in China, this could happen to you.

Male babies are prized in China because they will grow up to help in the fields; subsequently, female babies are left to die in trash bins due to China's one-child-per-family policy.

In a way, it is a good concept for China to try to limit the number of Chinese mouths to feed, but this whole concept is backfiring. Why? As we know, it does take two to tango, and in the future, the prized male babies that grew to adulthood will not have a female with which to marry and have a baby. Unencumbered males will roam the streets in search of things to do. Crime, problems and homosexual behaviour can only follow.

Is that really what China wants? What it will cause is even more oppression as Chinese authorities put the clamps down on these overpopulous men. And the Chinese will suffer even more. Without hope, because God is not allowed.

There are some that help through the adoption of Chinese orphans. I have a friend at work that has done that very thing. But real change is not going to come in China until God is allowed in and all life is valued.

Pray for evangelical missionaries in China!

:: Julie 8/26/2002 09:46:00 AM [+] ::
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