Renegade Review Soon

Just finished reading Dekker's Renegade. Review coming soon.

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Book Review: Comes A Horseman by Robert Liparulo

Robert Liparulo's debut novel, Comes A Horseman, is one of the best debut novels I have ever read. Liparulo takes prophecy and, from it, weaves a tale that could be told in the newspapers in this very time.

Two FBI agents are pursuing a serial killer whose victims seem to have nothing in common. A vicious killer who mercilessly slaughters men and women alike. As the Pelletier killer treks across the western states of Utah and Colorado, the agents, who are not officially on the case, employ the latest in FBI "test" equipment in their quest to track down the killer.

But as they close in on their killer, he closes in on them, and the hunters become the hunted. It is then that the heroes learn that there is a far more evil power behind their attacks -- and the rest of the serial killings -- than even they could have imagined.

Is Antichrist walking the Earth today? Could he be here now, among us, orchestrating his rise to power? Are there those in the financial position to help this ultimate source of evil attain his goals on Earth, leading up to the battle of Armageddon foretold in the Bible?

If you have any doubts as to just how possible this might be, you owe it to yourself to read Robert Liparulo's Comes A Horseman. With a very hectic work schedule, I finished this 615 page book in just one week, and that includes a day or two that I didn't get to read any at all.

This book is the mother of all page turners! Do yourself a favor and give it a read.

Joe

Lost Book 4

Just received Ted Dekker's Chaos from Amazon. Awesome!

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Comes A Review.....

I just finished reading Comes A Horseman by Robert Liparulo. Another incredible story.

I'll be posting a review in the coming days.

Joe

Breaking Records All The Time

The Joe Show has just surpassed its own all-time download record, and there are still four days to go in the month of April.

Thanks to the many, many listeners who have helped to make the show a continually growing success!

Now that I have (just today) purchased a new system, maybe I will get a podcast out this week, after all. Kind of a thank you show.

Joe

The New Sony Vaio

So I broke down, and broke the wife down, and went out today and bought a new Sony Vaio notebook computer. I'm so tired of that old lemon Toshiba, it isn't even funny.

Of course, I still plan on calling on Guy Lugo at Toshiba to see if he'll stay true to his word and cover fixing the Toshiba again for me. Who knows, maybe you'll see the thing on eBay soon.

This is the first post on my new Sony Vaio notebook computer. So far, I'm loving it. Of course, it takes forever to really make a computer your own. I have lots of downloading and setting up to do, and all of the music I've downloaded for use in The Joe Show is still locked on the Toshiba hard drive. Another reason I hope to get that thing booted up again.

Well, back to getting this new system configured the way I want it. I'm much happier now than I was this morning, though.

Joe

New Computer

I'm buying a new Sony computer. Done with Toshiba.

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No Joe Show This Week -- Computer Failure

There will, unfortunately, be no episode of The Joe Show this week, as my totally unreliable Toshiba notebook computer has failed me again.

 

Read the details here.

 

Joe

Toshiba Computer Fails Me Again

Once again, just over two months after Toshiba said they found nothing wrong with my notebook computer, it is dead in the water.

 

You can follow the history of it here:

 

Toshiba Computers Disregards Lemon Product Issues

 

Toshiba System Board Fails Again

 

More On Toshiba's Poor Customer Service Attitude

 

Toshiba Computer Repairs Continually Fail

 

Today, after checking my email and looking at a couple of things online, I left the computer for a while, turned on and booted into Ubuntu. When I returned to it later, the screen was black, but the power button was lighted, indicating that the system was turned on. I tried all of the usual things to wake it up, but it wouldn't wake it up. I pressed the power button once, which is set to shut down the system. Moments later, the Ubuntu shut down progress bar was on the screen, showing the progress complete, but the unit did not turn off. I pressed and held the power button to turn the system off.

 

Upon trying to restart the system, the power comes on, the lights light up as usual, but the then all lights go off besides the power indicator, the battery level indicator, and the external power indicator. The screen remains black, and nothing happens. I then manually opened the CD drive and inserted an Ubuntu Live CD, hoping to boot from the CD to determine if the hard drive had failed. No luck.

 

It appears, to my limited mind, that the system board has failed once again. I guess I'll be calling Guy Lugo again on Monday morning to see what, if anything, he plans to do about it. The computer is no longer under warranty, but he assured me back in February when they claimed that they could not find any problem with the computer (yet returned it to me in miraculously working condition) that he would help me out if anything else happened to it within a month or two of the warranty expiring. it has now been just over one month since the warranty expired.

 

I'll keep you posted. Meanwhile, there will probably be no episode of The Joe Show this weekend, as I would have to prepare it on my wife's system, starting from scratch.

 

Stay tuned...

 

Joe

Lost Books Part 3

Just received Ted Dekker's Renegade from Amazon. Review in near future.

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The Revolving Doors Are Spinning!

Things have been getting quite crazy at work. Over the past four weeks or so, we have seen several high-level executives resign from the company -- some of which have only been on board for six to eight months, some of which have been with the company for several years. Today, in addition to the latest surge, one of our senior (in tenure, that is) Loss Prevention Managers has left the company, presumably to join one of our competitors.

The company has been pushing and pushing more and more responsibility onto us at the store level, while at the same time giving us fewer and fewer resources to meet those responsibilities. It's become quite stressful, and quite a strain on the entire store staff, frankly.

Do I stick it out and try to be successful in a corporate climate that doesn't espouse success? Or do I jump ship before the whole thing sinks?

Anybody out there looking for a multi-talented person with over twenty years experience in Management, Marketing, Sales, and Recruiting? If so, drop me a line.

Joe

Indiana Primary Closing In

Maybe I'm glad that I'm a Republican, and that the Republican Presidential nomination has already been decided. I won't have to put up with this:

Vote smart on May 6.

Joe

Josh Woodward: "The Simple Life" NOW AVAILABLE!

A NOTE FROM MUSICIAN JOSH WOODWARD:

Hey everyone! At long last (well, ok, 8 months), I'm happy to announce that I have two more albums available! I'm releasing them as a package called "The Simple Life". Part one is upbeat and poppy, and part two is more stripped-down and acoustic. You can download them FREE or purchase physical CDs (name your own price!) from my website:

       http://www.joshwoodward.com/

I'm thrilled with how they came out, so I hope you enjoy, too. Also, keep an eye out on the website in the coming days and weeks, as I have some new things I'm going to be doing.

Thanks so much for your kind support. Please feel free to pass this news along to anyone who might be interested. My music spreads 100% by word-of-mouth, and you truly make a difference. Cheers!

--
Josh Woodward - http://www.joshwoodward.com/

The Joe Show 69 - Earth Day

New this week on

The Joe Show
featuring Average Joe American

Episode Sixty-Nine: Earth Day

eddie martin | when we were brave | cdbaby
courtesy of kennedy resource development and the artist

3 blind mice | i'm so tired | www
courtesy of the podsafe music network

ray tarantino | recusant | www
courtesy of ariel publicity

josh woodward | ships | www
courtesy of josh woodward

EARTH DAY TIPS, from scot longyear of eXchange

glen phillips | rise up | www
courtesy of the podsafe music network

every avenue | nothing | www
courtesy of the podsafe music network

trench town oddities | sometimes | www
courtesy of trench town oddities

COMEDY MINUTE, from mike williams and christian comedy podcast

blood red sun | love letter | www
courtesy of ariel publicity

jimmie's chicken shack | caught down | www
courtesy of the ariel publicity

vic kingsley | missing you tonight | myspace
courtesy of ariel publicity

For details on the CD Prize Pack Giveaway, CLICK HERE.

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Email Feedback: joe@averagejoeamerican.us

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Wow, I have been waiting...

Wow, I have been waiting for this weekend forever. Thank God, the weekend is finally arrived. listen

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More From The Guv

There's a reason that Indiana's economy is outperforming every the national average.





Joe

Keep God's Earth Beautiful

Today's Daily Soap {Scripture | Observation | Application | Prayer}

• S: Isaiah 24:1-6
  
• O: See, the LORD is going to lay waste the earth and devastate it; he will ruin its face and scatter its inhabitants- it will be the same for priest as for people, for master as for servant, for mistress as for maid, for seller as for buyer, for borrower as for lender, for debtor as for creditor. The earth will be completely laid waste and totally plundered. The LORD has spoken this word. The earth dries up and withers, the world languishes and withers, the exalted of the earth languish. The earth is defiled by its people; they have disobeyed the laws, violated the statutes and broken the everlasting covenant. Therefore a curse consumes the earth; its people must bear their guilt. Therefore earth's inhabitants are burned up, and very few are left. [ISAIAH 24:1-6 NIV]
  
• A: We have not taken care of the Earth that God has given us. He gave it to us (through Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden) to be good stewards of, and we have caused pollution and broken the laws of nature. We have destroyed the forests and plowed the fields under to make way for progress. We have developed equipment and machinery to improve our lives while at the same time destroying the bounty that God has given us. God's green Earth has been wrapped in gray skies by the pollution we keep pumping into the air. I'm no "tree-hugger," and could not be labeled an environmentalist by any stretch of the imagination, but I do believe that man will one day pay the price for our poor stewardship of God's Earth.
  
• P: Lord, for what little that we might be able to do to become better stewards of your Earth, I and my family want to help. From cleaning up the trash around the pond, to turning off unused lights more, reducing driving by consolidating or eliminating errand trips, and trying to reuse and recycle to eliminate landfill waste, please help us to inspire others to be more conscious of how our actions affect the Earth and those around us.
  

Keep America Beautiful







Send feedback to Joe by email, or by calling 206-600-4JOE.

Movie Review: Ted Dekker's Thr3e

Regular visitors to the site know that I have read and reviewed Ted Dekker's Book Thr3e more than once (read reviews HERE and HERE). You might even have seen me mention that the book was made into a motion picture. And you may even have noticed recently that the movie is available via Comcast OnDemand until June 30. I watched it with my wife -- who has never read the book -- and these are my thoughts.

First, I have never believed that any book was improved by being made into a movie. With a book, the author's imagination is translated into words, but those words are then translated back into millions of distinctly different imaginations by everyone who reads the book. The book tells one story which will likely be received uniquely by everyone who reads it. I might take one thing from the book while the next reader takes something else entirely different. On the other hand, when an author's work is made into a movie, his imagination has been translated into words, and those words are then translated into the imagination of a director. We all see what the director imagined. In my opinion, in almost every case, the translation of that director is received identically by almost every viewer. Rather than making our own interpretation of the author's intentions, we are viewing the interpretation of that movie director. In my opinion, it is for this reason that I have never enjoyed a movie as much as the book from which it originated.

The movie Thr3e is not departure from this pattern. While the movie was adapted from what I consider one of Ted Dekker's best works, the final product we see on the screen is not the book on film. It is another interpretation of that book. The first, most obvious evidence of this is the opening to the movie. In order keep a movie-goer -- which is often someone who watches movies because they don't have the stamina to read a full-length novel -- engrossed from beginning to end, the important back story that is woven out in intricate detail in the book is dealt to us on a stryofoam plate at the opening of the movie. All of the suspense as to the motivation behind the involvement and action of some very important characters is gone with a snap of the fingers.

In addition, while the book feels fast-paced as you read it, much more detail is laid out on paper than on film. We get to know the characters much more intimately on paper than on film. On paper, the reader gets to imagine what Kevin looks like, and the facial expressions he uses, and the inner-conflict he has with the matriarch of his childhood. Sorry, but there is just no playing out that relationship as vividly on film as it is done on paper. Or the relationship between Kevin and his childhood friend, Samantha. In the movie, in order to achieve that fast-paced feeling, much of the detail has been omitted. Details just don't play out so well on screen.

And maybe it's just me, because I've actually read the book three times, but [SPOILER ALERT] it sure seemed pretty obvious to me that no other major character actually saw Kevin and Samantha together. Even though the viewer frequently sees some combination of Kevin, Samantha, and Slater together. My wife, even though I had long ago told her the outcome of the story, was still caught off-guard by this one at the end. If you aren't sure what I'm speaking of, you'll just have to see the movie or read the book.

I say all of that to say this: in spite of what I considered to be some pretty atrocious acting, the movie Thr3e is definitely worth watching, but in no way is it as rewarding an experience as reading the book. If you've read the book, see the movie, but don't have high expectations. If nothing else, it will make you want to read the book again -- as it has done to me. If you haven't read the book or seen the movie, see the movie first. You might enjoy it more than before reading the book. Then, by all means, grab a copy of the book! You will not be disappointed.

And if you need a little sample of what you might see, check out this unofficial movie trailer...





While Dekker writes in the Christian fiction genre, his books rarely come across as preachy. I would venture to say that if you read most of his books without having any knowledge of his genre, you would never label it as Christian fiction. The same can be said of the movie. Even though Dekker was on the set almost every day of filming, what you see in this movie is more the vision of the director than the author, and any subtle references to Dekker's religious convictions have been stripped by the director's interpretation.

Joe

Did You Feel The Earth Shake?

View Larger Map

My wife and I were both awakened around 5:30 AM ET Friday morning by what we both thought felt like an earthquake. Of course, we live in Indiana, where an earthquake is really just the tremors that we feel from earthquakes elsewhere. It has happened to us once before, so we while we were both a little surprised by the event, we weren't totally strangers to what it might have been.

I did some checking with the US Geological Survey and found that an earthquake had been reported at that time -- a 5.4 magnatude earthquake -- approximately 19 miles from Olney, Illinois (178 miles from our house). Numerous reports have been coming in to the USGS -- some as far away as Cincinnati, Ohio -- since the event. Did you feel it? REPORT IT HERE.

Thankfully for us, there was no damage to be reported, as far as I know. So far, reports of the event in the news are very limited.

UPDATE: The USGS has reported a 4.5 magnitude aftershock centered in approximately the same area at 11:14 AM ET. No notice of the aftershock here, but my wife, who was only a few miles away, felt the mild tremors.

Joe

Thr3e On Demand

Just watched Ted Dekker's Thr3e. Review soon.

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Carry On Wayward Son -- You Gotta See It!

This is too incredible not to share! If this is legit, WOW!



VIDEO LINK HERE

Joe

Carry On Wayward Son -- You Gotta See It!

This is too incredible not to share! If this is legit, WOW!



VIDEO LINK HERE

Joe

No Joe Show This Week -- Contest Continues

My apologies, but this week's episode of The Joe Show, featuring Average Joe American, has been pre-empted by...

LIFE.

Things have been so hectic at work over the past week-and-a-half -- and promise to get more so over the next several days -- that I have had to put a little extra focus and effort into getting some things taken care of. Therefore, there will, unfortunately, be no episode this week.

The show will return next week, as scheduled, and the contest for the 8 CD Prize Package continues.

Thanks for your patience!

Joe

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Epiphany

Today's Daily Soap {Scripture | Observation | Application | Prayer}

• S: "These people make a big show of saying the right thing, but their hearts aren't in it. Because they act like they're worshiping me but don't mean it, I'm going to step in and shock them awake, astonish them, stand them on their ears. The wise ones who had it all figured out will be exposed as fools. The smart people who thought they knew everything will turn out to know nothing." [Isaiah 29:13-14 MSG]
  
• O: Today was a very stressful day. The past week, in fact, has led up to it with some unusual happenings at work. First, last week there was a meeting of several District Managers and above at our corporate headquarters. This week, I have a visit scheduled with some people from our corporate headquarters and from a liquidation company that is coming in to pick up several clearance items as part of a test that will likely be rolled out to the entire company if it is successful in my store. I also received word that My District Manager and Loss Prevention Manager will be in my store on Wednesday to look into some high merchandise shrink numbers. And, there is a Store Manager meeting tomorrow for the entire District. It's been a hectic week. My company closed nearly three dozen stores several months ago, and has been struggling financially for quite some time. With a new CEO and Executive Council, the company is trying to reinvent itself. Any time a company is in this situation, it can be difficult not to worry about what might happen next -- restructuring, job eliminations, store closures, etc. All of the unusual coincidences happening at the same time have had me wondering a bit. I say all of that to say this: WOW! Did I have an epiphany today. After stressing over much of this and calling my wife to let out the stress, I sat in my car during a very short lunch and spent some time reading through the Bible. I read several chapters, and shortly after starting what I had planned to be the last chapter, I read the passage quoted above. It felt amazingly like God was trying to speak to me.
  
• A: "These people make a big show of saying the right thing, but their hearts aren't in it." I want my heart to be "in it," but clearly there are distractions and preoccupations in life that tend to steal attention away from God and family. "Because they act like they're worshiping me but don't mean it,..." Of course I worship God. But, when I'm in church, and we're singing, do I feel it? Am I worshipping and praising -- or just singing? And what of the rest of the week? Where is the praise and worship then? "I'm going to step in and shock them awake, astonish them, stand them on their ears." The message is coming through loud and clear now. How easy it could be for my whole world to be turned on it's end by things such as lost jobs or store closures. "The wise ones who had it all figured out will be exposed as fools. The smart people who thought they knew everything will turn out to know nothing." Now I know. See, I felt as if God was trying to get through to me, to tell me that I'm not quite living the life that He would want me to live. Like He had stood me on my ears with all of the uncertainty at work. When my wife and I were looking for our new house, we made several commitments to each other -- and to God -- that we haven't been doing a very good job of living up to. In some cases, we have actually used the new house as one of the excuses for not living up to these commitments. Through this passage in Isaiah, I feel that God has opened up my eyes and made me realize that there are some things that I need to be doing for Him. Funny thing of it is, when I spoke with my wife about it afterward and told her of my epiphany, she said she had been thinking the very same thing last night.
• P: God, I hear You. I hear You and I understand. Thank You for bringing me to the realization that we haven't been honoring our commitments to You. Whatever Your Will might be regarding the situation at work, I put my faith in You to see us through it.
  

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Epiphany

Epiphany! More NOW at Soapy Joe.

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Book Review: Interview With The Devil by Clay Jacobsen

We live today in a world of constant worry over our own security. Whether it's the local thugs running the streets or the latest terror network to hit the nightly news, our world is just not as safe as it once was -- as it was during my own childhood.

9/11 woke us up to the fact that fundamental extremists would rather die killing us than peacefully co-exist with us. They label their hatred as "Jihad," hiding behind the teachings of Islam [see note below]. They attack us, hoping to win an instant ticket to paradise through martyrdom for Allah.

In his book, Interview With The Devil, Clay Jacobsen takes the reader on a very realistic -- very possible -- what-if journey behind the scenes of investigative reporter / former Marine Mark Taylor's attempt to interview -- and eliminate -- the most evil religious terrorist of his time. Breaking every sacred rule of the journalistic code of ethics, Taylor agrees to cooperate with the CIA to facilitate the assassination of Ahmad Hani Sa'id, leader of the Jihad al-Sharia terrorist network, under the guise of a television interview.

Jacobsen -- having thoroughly done his research -- weaves a tale of suspense and pulse-pounding action as his American hero faces off with Islamic extremism.

I picked up this book for a buck at a Berean book store, and sat up into the wee hours of the morning to finish it. So real is Jacobsen's tale that I could just as easily have been reading the Sunday newspaper.

Interview With The Devil provides informative insight into the minds of America's greatest enemies -- those who kill and die for the will of Allah -- while at the same time entertaining the reader and giving a crash course on Islam's holy book, the Qu'ran. Interview should be read by every red-blooded American who does not understand the justification for our country's role in the war on Terrorism.

At just a buck, this book would be a bargain at twenty times the price! I can't wait to get my hands on Jacobsen's other works!

[Of course, none of this is to say that Islam, itself, is evil -- just that the biggest threat facing America today comes from an extremist segment of Islam that believes their duty to Allah is to wipe out the infidels. Those extremists have given the religion of Islam a bad name. I do not intend to label the entire religion as evil.]

Joe

Underdog On DVD

My son and I went on a cupcake run today. Yep, I had a craving, and we headed out to the store to get some cupcakes, or a cake, or something to satisfy the crave. What we found were potato chips, cookies, and the movie Underdog out on DVD.

When I was a boy, one of my favorite cartoons was Underdog. When the movie was out in the theaters, my wife and I took my son to see it. I loved it, and so did he. As we walked out of the theater after the movie, my son said he wanted to see it again. So I told him then that we would buy the movie when it came out on DVD. And today we did just that.

We came home, popped popcorn, opened the chips, broke into the cookies, and enjoyed some good, wholesome family entertainment. It really is a great movie for all ages!

Joe

The Butcher of Babylon

Today's Daily Soap {Scripture | Observation | Application | Prayer}

• S: Isaiah 13-14
  
• O: "Babylon is doomed. It won't be long now." But not so with Jacob. God will have compassion on Jacob. Once again he'll choose Israel. He'll establish them in their own country.... When God has given you time to recover from the abuse and trouble and harsh servitude that you had to endure, you can amuse yourselves by taking up this satire, a taunt against the king of Babylon: "Can you believe it? The tyrant is gone! The tyranny is over! God has broken the rule of the wicked, the power of the bully-rulers That crushed many people. A relentless rain of cruel outrage Established a violent rule of anger rife with torture and persecution. And now it's over, the whole earth quietly at rest.... Now you are as nothing as we are! Make yourselves at home with us dead folks!" This is where your pomp and fine music led you, Babylon, to your underworld private chambers, A king-size mattress of maggots for repose and a quilt of crawling worms for warmth.... People will stare and muse: "Can this be the one Who terrorized earth and its kingdoms, turned earth to a moonscape, Wasted its cities, shut up his prisoners to a living death?" Other kings get a decent burial, honored with eulogies and placed in a tomb. But you're dumped in a ditch unburied, like a stray dog or cat, Covered with rotting bodies, murdered and indigent corpses. Your dead body desecrated, mutilated — no state funeral for you! You've left your land in ruins, left a legacy of massacre. The progeny of your evil life will never be named. Oblivion!... "I will confront them"—Decree of God-of-the-Angel-Armies—"and strip Babylon of name and survivors, children and grandchildren." God's Decree. "I'll make it a worthless swamp and give it as a prize to the hedgehog. And then I'll bulldoze it out of existence." Decree of God-of-the-Angel-Armies.... What does one say to outsiders who ask questions? Tell them, "God has established Zion. Those in need and in trouble find refuge in her." (MSG)
  
• A: I am no Bible scholar. I'm just an Average Joe trying to make a little sense for myself of what God is trying tell us through His Word. But when I first read through this passage (Isaiah Chapters 13 and 14), I was floored. This passage is foretelling the destruction of Babylon. Now, I'm sure that we're talking about the destruction of ancient Babylon, but bear with me for a second. As Wikipedia explains, Babylon was a city of ancient Mesopotamia, the ruins of which can be found in present-day Al Hillah, Babil Province, Iraq, about 85 kilometers (55 mi) south of Baghdad. The ruins of ancient Babylon lie within an hour of Baghdad! And the description of the tyrant ruler in these two chapters could easily have been applied to Saddam Hussein. Again, I'm no Bible scholar, but WOW!
  
• P: Lord, as American fighting men and women risk their lives daily overseas in and around Iraq to put an end to the type of tryanny that has always run rampant in that part of the world, be with them. And be with us at home as we should lend our support to our brave troops abroad.
  

Send feedback to Joe by email, or by calling 206-600-4JOE.

A Green Shoot

Today's Daily Soap {Scripture | Observation | Application | Prayer}

• S: Isaiah Chapters 11-13
  
• O: Isaiah refers to the birth of Christ again: A green Shoot will sprout from Jesse's stump, from his roots a budding Branch. The life-giving Spirit of God will hover over him, the Spirit that brings wisdom and understanding, The Spirit that gives direction and builds strength, the Spirit that instills knowledge and Fear-of-God. Fear-of-God will be all his joy and delight. He won't judge by appearances, won't decide on the basis of hearsay. He'll judge the needy by what is right, render decisions on earth's poor with justice. His words will bring everyone to awed attention. A mere breath from his lips will topple the wicked. (ISAIAH 11:1-4 MSG) Jesse, mentioned in this passage, was the father of King David, from whom Jesus was descended by twenty-eight generations.
  
• A: Most of what I've shared so far in Isaiah has been prophecy of Jesus Christ. As the source of our Salvation, the significance of the birth of Jesus Christ is paramount. And much of what makes it significant is the amount of prophecy surrounding the birth of Jesus Christ -- prophecy that could only be filled by the Messiah. In the next post, I'll discuss some prophecy that, to me, seems eerily to speak of some very current events.
  
• P: Again, Father, Thank You for the gift of Salvation through your Son Jesus Christ.
  

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The President Should Not Go To China

Dear Reader, We at RedState find ourselves in the nearly unique position of agreeing with Hillary Clinton and Nancy Pelosi.  Like stopped clocks, we think they can be right twice in a day and their minute has come.  President Bush should not go to Peking for the Olympics. Unfortunately, there will be a visceral reaction by some on the right because Nancy Pelosi and Hillary Clinton are calling for the same thing.  There should not be.  In fact, the right, which has spent the better part of the last hundred years fighting for freedom around the world, should own this issue.  The Chinese autocrats are ruthless dictators seeking international legitimacy despite the terror they pour into Tibet and the human rights abuses they encourage in their own country. We know some on the right who tend to view the world mostly in economic terms will disagree with us.  Yes, we recognize that China is a large trading partner.  We recognize how much of our debt they hold.  We also recognize the arguments of some that if the President were to go, the media would be inclined to shed the spotlight on China's abuses.  None of these arguments contradict the fact that our President, who has spent eight years liberating parts of the world from tyranny, should not give the seal of approval on China's behavior -- approval his presence at the Olympics would most certainly give to the Chinese people. We're under no delusions.  The Olympic organizers themselves put the world in this position.  They wanted to welcome China into the new millennium by embracing them as some part of the modern world -- a distinction the Olympics could supposedly give.  They turned a blind eye to China's human rights abuses and the chickens are now coming home to roost. If American athletes want to compete in China, we wish them well and hope they crush their Chinese opponents under the heavy weight of many gold medals.  But we call on the President of the United States of America to personally boycott Peking during the Olympics.  His presence would serve as a propaganda tool for the regime just as assuredly the lack of his presence will be noticed by the freedom loving people of China suffering Peking's communist boot on the back of their necks. Should you want to join us, we would encourage you to sign our petition by clicking here. All the best, Erick Erickson Editor, RedState.com

RedState.com | One Massachusetts Ave., NW | Washington, DC 20001

The Joe Show 68

New this week on

The Joe Show
featuring Average Joe American

Episode Sixty-Eight:

rob costlow | l.a. / passing by | www
courtesy of the podsafe music network

3 blind mice | call me beautiful | www
courtesy of the podsafe music network

beth thornley | mr. lovely | www
courtesy of the podsafe music network

THE SPEECH PRESIDENT BUSH SHOULD MAKE

Normally, I start these things out by saying "My Fellow Americans." Not doing it this time. If the polls are any indication, I don't know who more than half of you are anymore. I do know something terrible has happened, and that you're really not fellow Americans any longer. I'll cut right to the chase here: I quit. Now before anyone gets all in a lather about me quitting to avoid impeachment, or to avoid prosecution or something, let me assure you: There's been no breaking of laws or impeachable offenses in this office. The reason I'm quitting is simple. I'm fed up with you people. I'm fed up because you have no understanding of what's really going on in the world. Or of what's going on in this once-great nation of ours. And the majority of you are too lazy to do your homework and figure it out. Let's start local. You've been sold a bill of goods by politicians and the news media. Polls show that the majority of you think the economy is in the tank. And that's despite record numbers of homeowners, including record numbers of MINORITY homeowners. And while we're mentioning minorities, I'll point out that minority business ownership is at an all-time high. Our unemployment rate is as low as it ever was during the Clinton administration. I've mentioned all those things before, but it doesn't seem to have sunk in. Despite the shock to our economy of 9/11, the stock market has rebounded to record levels and more Americans than ever are participating in these markets. Meanwhile, all you can do is whine about gas prices, and most of you are too stupid to realize that gas prices are high because there's increased demand in other parts of the world, and because a small handful of noisy idiots are more worried about polar bears and beachfront property than your economic security. We face real threats in the world. Don't give me this "blood for oil" thing. If I were trading blood for oil I would've already seized Iraq 's oil fields and let the rest of the country go. And don't give me this 'Bush Lied; People Died' crap either. If I were the liar you morons take me for, I could've easily had chemical weapons planted in Iraq so they could be 'discovered.' Instead, I owned up to the fact that the intelligence was faulty. Let me remind you that the rest of the world thought Saddam had the goods, same as me. Let me also remind you that regime change in Iraq was official US policy before I came into office. Some guy named 'Clinton' established that policy. Bet you didn't know that, did you? Now you morons are considering another and more evil Clinton for president !!!! Go figure that one!!She wants to take your kids away and let the " Whole Village " raise them! i.e. governmental indoctrination..... Look this one up! You idiots need to understand that we face a unique enemy. Back during the cold war, there were two major competing political and economic models squaring off. We won that war, but we did so because fundamentally, the Communists wanted to survive, just as we do. We were simply able to out spend and out-tech them. That's not the case this time. The soldiers of our new enemy don't care if they survive. In fact, they want to die. That'd be fine, as long as they weren't also committed to taking as many of you with them as they can. But they are. They want to kill you, and they're all over the globe. You should be grateful that they haven't gotten any more of us here in the United States since September 11. But you're not. That's because you've got no idea how hard a small number of intelligence, military, law enforcement, and homeland security people have worked to make sure of that. When this whole mess started, I warned you that this would be a long and difficult fight. I'm disappointed how many of you people think a long and difficult fight amounts to a single season of 'Survivor.' Instead, you've grown impatient. You're incapable of seeing things through the long lens of history, the way our enemies do. You think that wars should last a few months, a few years, tops. Making matters worse, you actively support those who help the enemy. Every time you buy the New York Times, every time you send a donation to a cut-and-run Democrat's political campaign, well, you might just as well FedEx a grenade launcher to a Jihadist. It amounts to the same thing. In this day and age, it's easy enough to find the truth. It's all over the Internet. It just isn't on the pages of the New York Times, USA Today, or on NBC News. But even if it were, I doubt you'd be any smarter. Most of you would rather watch American Idol. I could say more about your expectations that the government will always be there to bail you out. I could say more about your insane belief that government, not your own wallet, is where the money comes from. But I've come to the conclusion that if I were to do so, it would sail right over your heads. So I quit. I'm going back to Crawford. I've got an energy-efficient house down there (Al Gore could only dream) and the capability to be fully self-sufficient for years. No one ever heard of Crawford before I got elected, and as soon as I'm done here pretty much no one will ever hear of it again. Maybe I'll be lucky enough to die of old age before the last pillars of America fall. Oh, and by the way, Cheney's quitting too. That means Pelosi is your new President. You asked for it. Watch what she does carefully, because I still have a glimmer of hope that there are just enough of you remaining who are smart enough to turn this thing around in 2008. So that's it. God bless what's left of America. Some of you know what I mean. The rest of you, kiss off!

jupiter one | countdown | www
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josh woodward | go | www
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every avenue | think of you later | www
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justin hopkins | why would God come to l.a. | myspace
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ionia | gasoline rainbow | www
courtesy of ariel publicity

mike errico | someday | www
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ray tarantino | alibis and crimes | www
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trench town oddities | never let you fall | www
courtesy of trench town oddities

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Quote of the Day

"Children should be educated and instructed in the principles of freedom."

-- JOHN ADAMS

Joe

Quote of the Day

"It has long been an axiom of mine that the little things are infinitely the most important."

--SIR ARTHUR CONAN DOYLE

Joe

Isaiah's Prophecy Revealed

Today's Daily Soap {Scripture | Observation | Application | Prayer}

• S: Isaiah 9
  
• O: Isaiah's prophecy of the birth of the Savior, Jesus Christ, continues in the ninth chapter of the book of Isaiah, specifically verses six and seven. A child has been born to us; God has given a Son to us. He will be responsible for leading the people. His name will be Wonderful Counselor, Powerful God, Father Who Lives Forever, Prince of Peace. Power and peace will be in his kingdom and will continue to grow forever. He will rule as king on David's throne and over David's kingdom. He will make it strong by ruling with justice and goodness from now on and forever. The Lord All-Powerful will do this because of his strong love for his people. (NCV) Again, Isaiah made these prophecies nearly 800 years before the birth of Christ. As Matthew explains in his Gospel, Jesus is a decendent of King David some twenty-eight generations later, fulfilling the prophecy that the Messiah would come from the line of David.
  
• A: If you stay with me throughout my reading of the book of Isaiah, more prophecy of the birth of the Messiah will be revealed -- much of which was fulfilled nearly 800 years later in the birth of Jesus of Nazareth, and much of which is yet to be filled in the second coming of Christ. With such large portions of the book of Isaiah devoted to prophecy (59%), most of which has already been fulfilled, two things are clear: 1) Jesus Christ is the Son of God who came to save us from our sins so that we might live with Him forever in paradise, and 2) God wants so much for us to know and accept this fact that He revealed it to us nearly 3000 years ago, through the prophet Isaiah.
  
• P: Father, as the master clock by which You will determine the timing of the events of the end times continues to tick down, please help me to seize the opportunities I'm given to share the Good News with others, so that more may know You.
  

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Rock the Vote -- But Do It For the Right Reasons!

How much controversy can one candidate survive? As evidenced by former President Bill Clinton (and I say "former," even though it's a lifetime title), if you're a Democrat, controversy is not necessarily a bad thing. In fact, any publicity is good publicity...

 

 

From Frugal Hoosiers via Google Reader:

 

 

Obama violating Indiana election law?

via Frugal Hoosiers by Frugal Hoosier on 4/4/08

As the voter registration deadline nears, the Barack Obama campaign is stepping up efforts to get young people to vote by giving away Dave Matthews concert tickets to those who register.  That's nice, but it might be illegal, both for the giver of the tickets and the taker.  Indiana law prohibits giving or accepting the payment of property for registering to vote:

IC 3-14-2-1
Fraudulent application for registration or absentee ballot; fraudulent voting
    Sec. 1. A person who knowingly does any of the following commits a Class D felony:
        (1) Conspires with an individual for the purpose of encouraging the individual to submit a false application for registration.
        (2) Conspires with an individual for the purpose of encouraging the individual to vote illegally.
        (3) Pays or offers to pay an individual for doing any of the following:
            (A) Applying for an absentee ballot.
            (B) Casting an absentee ballot.
            (C) Registering to vote.
            (D) Voting.
        (4) Accepts the payment of any property for doing any of the following:
            (A) Applying for an absentee ballot.
            (B) Casting an absentee ballot.
            (C) Registering to vote.
            (D) Voting.
As added by P.L.5-1986, SEC.10. Amended by P.L.103-2005, SEC.21.

 

 

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Beginning Isaiah

Today's Daily Soap {Scripture | Observation | Application | Prayer}

• S: Isaiah 7-8
  
• O: The book of Isaiah is all about prophecy. A book that is throughly studied by Bible scholars, it is frequently overlooked by the Average Joe wanting to get to know a little more about God. It is the longest book from the Old Testament prophets, and reaches further into the future than any of the others. The author, Isaiah, prophesied of the virgin birth of Jesus of Nazareth, the Messiah (The Lord himself will give you a miraculous sign. The virgin is going to have a baby. She will give birth to a son. And he will be called Immanuel. ISA 7:14, NIrV). This prophecy occurred nearly 800 years before Jesus' birth! I've just begun my study of the book of Isaiah, reading from multiple translations of the Bible (New International Version, New International Readers Version, King James Version, the Message), and there is still much to read. As I take this journey through the book of Isaiah, I'll be sharing with you key passages, what they mean to me, and how amazing it is that such accurate predictions have came hundreds of years in advance. Including prophecy about the tragedies this world will suffer during the Great Tribulation, and Christ taking his throne in the Millenial Kingdom. It's all there in the book of Isaiah. And, for you naysayers who think that some guy could have just written down what is already history as if it hadn't occurred yet, consider this: the book of Isaiah is among Biblical writings found in the Dead Sea Scrolls. These texts date back to the 2nd century B.C. -- at least two hundred years before Jesus' birth! So, those among you who might doubt, for them to be a forgery, they would still have been forged some two hundred years before the very events that they predict. Prophecy is prophecy, no matter how you slice it.
  
• A: Many scientists and historians would have you believe that the Bible is fiction, that there is no God, and that the stories of creation, the Great Flood, and Salvation are all false. Archeology has proven time and again that these great Biblical stories are indeed facts -- that they did occur. And the prophecies in the Bible are still coming true today! As we rapidly progress into the last days, knowledge is power -- the power to save!
  
• P: Father, guide me through my study of the book of Isaiah, and the wisdom contained therein. Help me to share the Good News from the prophet in a way that is clear, concise, and accurate -- not misleading in any way. And help me, Father, to learn from your word, as well, so that I may better serve You in all that I do.
  

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Quote of the Day

"Let the American youth never forget, that they possess a noble inheritance, bought by the toils, and sufferings, and blood of their ancestors..."

--JOSEPH STORY

Joe

Soapy Joe is Coming Back

Soapy Joe is coming back!

I have been reading the book of Isaiah, and will soon be blogging my devotionals from my readings there. I won't promise you an entry every day -- especially with the chaos of every day life lately -- but I will post multiple entries per week.

So subscribe and stay tuned, and let me know what you think.

Send feedback to Joe by email, or by calling 206-600-4JOE.

Book Review: Adam, by Ted Dekker

I have recently finished reading Adam, Ted Dekker's latest thriller. Again, Dekker comes through with a page-turning tale of suspense and intrigue, much as he did in his best seller Thr3e. Before I get into the story, a short video of Ted Dekker talking about the book:



Dekker has clearly accomplished what he set out to do with this suspenseful novel. From the opening, the action is hot and will grab the reader's attention. I found it difficult to set the book aside long enough to go to sleep at night. When, finally, I was able to put the book down, I found the story replaying itself through my mind over, and over, until I could get back to where I left off and rejoin character Daniel Clark on his mission to find and stop the elusive serial killer "Adam."

One of the most shocking things about Dekker's latest thriller is that this book -- like his others, is published by Thomas Nelson publishers -- long time Bible publisher turned Christian fiction publishing house -- but doesn't feel like Christian fiction. The genre, however, is Fiction / Thrillers / General. Nothing to be said on the card catalog about Christian fiction, other than a credit for any scripture references in the book to the King James Version of the Bible. In typical Dekker fashion, the author comes through with a compelling story that does not overtly preach a religious message.

The version of Adam that I read was the "Exclusive Christian Retail Edition," which boasts a bonus chapter, which wraps up the story nicely in an ending that tells us just what Dekker's religious message in this book is. This, to my knowledge, is a first for Dekker. He has crafted a tale that could have easily been published by any publishing house, with no overt Christian message, and packaged it in a special edition that delivers that Christian message that Dekker fans are used to finding buried deep within the prose.

Why is this a good thing? Simple: Dekker fans everywhere are much like the fans of Stephen King -- they are counting the days until his next release, then flocking to bookstores or online sites to make their purchase on the day of release (I, for one, have already pre-ordered his next two books). Those who might not be so familiar yet with the works of Dekker, or maybe who aren't big fans of Christian fiction, now have a book by Dekker that they can grab and read that doesn't look or sound like Christian fiction. Something to get them hooked by the Dekker style. Something that will hopefully draw them to other works by Dekker -- works that might deliver a message that they wouldn't otherwise receive.

Here is one fan's interpretation of Adam:



Whether you're a long time fan of the author, his works, or Christian fiction in general -- or someone who has shied away from them for quite some time -- you really must give Adam a read. It's a story unlike anything you've ever read.

Joe

Question of the Day

"If you were to be granted one wish, what would it be?"

From If..., (Questions For The Game of Life)

Quote of the Day

"Even if you're on the right track, you'll get run over if you just sit there."

--WILL ROGERS

Joe

Mitch Daniels Latest Ads

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Yes, It Is An April Fools Joke

Gmail: Google's approach to email: "Google

Gmail Custom Time

Welcome to Gmail's April Fool's Day joke

As you may have guessed, Gmail Custom Time is not a real product or feature of Gmail. No, we don't plan on allowing your late paper to show up in your prof's inbox as if it were sent a week ago.

So, now that you know, send the joke to a friend you think will fall for it!

©2008 Google Terms - Privacy Policy - Program Policies

Joe

April Fools?

Gmail: Google's approach to email

Gmail Custom Time

Introducing Gmail Custom TimeTM Be on time. Every time.*
How do I use it? Just click "Set custom time" from the Compose view. Any email you send to the past appears in the proper chronological order in your recipient's inbox. You can opt for it to show up read or unread by selecting the appropriate option. Is there a limit to how far back I can send email? Yes. You'll only be able to send email back until April 1, 2004, the day we launched Gmail. If we were to let you send an email from Gmail before Gmail existed, well, that would be like hanging out with your parents before you were born -- crazy talk. How does it work? Gmail utilizes an e-flux capacitor to resolve issues of causality (see Grandfather Paradox). How come I only get ten? Our researchers have concluded that allowing each person more than ten pre-dated emails per year would cause people to lose faith in the accuracy of time, thus rendering the feature useless. Their findings: N = Total emails sent P = Probability that user believes the time stamp φ = The Golden Ratio L = Average life expectancy	Beta User Testimonials "The entire concept of 'late' no longer exists for me. That's pretty cool. Thanks Gmail!" Miriam S., Delivery girl "I just got two tickets to Radiohead by being the 'first' to respond to a co-worker's 'first-come, first-serve' email. Someone else had already won them, but I told everyone to check their inboxes again. Everyone sort of knows I used Custom Time on this one, but I'm denying it." Robby S., Paralegal "This feature allows people to manipulate and mislead people with falsified time data. Time is a sacred truth that should never be tampered with." Michael L., Epistemology Professor "I used to be an honest person; but now I don't have to be. It's just so much easier this way. I've gained a lot of productivity by not having to think about doing the 'right' thing." Todd J., Investment Banker
*The term "Every time" is used loosely here to represent the number 10.

©2008 Google Terms - Privacy Policy - Program Policies

Joe

Quote of the Day

"I am not in this world to live up to other people's expectations, nor do I feel that the world must live up to mine."

--FRITZ PERLS

Joe