Today marks 3 years since the passing of my sister Ruth-I wanted to share my testimony of how great our Lord is even in tragedy.

Today marks 3 years since my sister passed away. So many of you have always been so kind to ask how we are doing? So many times in order to keep from remembering too much of it we have simply said “We are doing just fine”. Well today I finally mustered up the courage to tell you my testimony through all of this.

            On this day 3 years ago, I was met at the door by my mother in law and sister in law. You see nobody could get a hold of me ,so they drove over to tell me the sad news. Barry and I immediately left and went over to my parents house which was by far the worst day of my life. My emotions as that point were mostly anger, so therefore I cried for everyone else. I cried for my family. I remember feeling that I needed to be strong for them, so at that point my crying in public was limited. I will tell you that if you told me that would happen the day before I would have told you that I would have sat in a corner and cried for months. Amazingly I did not! A strength that I know only comes from the Lord came over me. I had a peace that even though my world was crashing in around me-He was holding me so very very tight. Many of you know my mother, who is very strong, but I believe God made her such a way for times like these. She mourned, but stayed so strong and kept going even though her heart was broken. My Dad was devastated, yet still got up and preached His Word and never once questioned God and never ever stopped witnessing to others. I admire them both so much, where as many others would be angry with God they never ever did. My sister Rachel had a hard time at first, but I see her strength in the Lord has not only carried her through all of this, but made both her and I stronger-so much stronger in the Lord. Then we finally saw Joe and their 3 boys. I remember holding little Jonah in my arms who was only 6 days old when she passed away. I remember taking him into a room and holding him and crying. Looking into his eyes was like looking into Ruth’s eyes. I felt so very helpless. I felt so very sad that their mother was gone.  I remember the day after I was in the shower, and Barry had already taken the kids to church. I remember screaming out loud to Satan-saying “You may think this is going to destroy us, our family and our ministry, but I will not allow it. I told him that I would be more vocal and make my stand stronger. I told him that no matter what this crazy life holds-Christ won the victory on Calvary, and I would never ever let him destroy my desire to be in the ministry.” At her memorial I chose not to say anything about her, you see I was so very angry with her. Then I saw Joe get up and say nothing but sweet about her, and even afterwards that is all he said was nothing but sweet. I learned how to forgive her by watching him. He only spoke well of her. You see my sister was dealing with depression. I myself knew nothing about how severe depression can get until all this occurred. I believe all of us go through different forms of depression in our lives. Most of us are able to bounce back easily, while others slip into a more serious state. Unfortunately for Ruth, severe insomnia, depression, the doctors giving her anti depression drugs that were not working but making it worse, and having post partum from just having a baby. This all made for a very very bad combination. Being so very far away from her, I had no idea how bad she really was until it was too late.

            It is amazing to see so many things that God already had prepared when she passed away. Dr. David Gibbs Jr. was already scheduled to speak at our church the day after she passed. Their support and love for our family was absolutely amazing. Joe and the boys lived in South Carolina. This was so very hard for us as we felt helpless in helping him with the boys. As the Lord would have it-Joe’s mom, dad and sister were already living up there, and they immediately stepped in to help Joe out with the boys. What an awesome God we have-just amazing.

            In those beginning days I remember Barry just holding me, and letting me fall asleep while sitting on the couch with him. I remember just the simple hugs he would give me to assure me he was always there for me. His love for me during such tragedy just made us draw even closer than we already were. What an amazing husband God gave me, and I love him more than words could ever possibly say.

            A little over a year after my sister’s passing Joe married a wonderful woman named Stefany. We had the privilege to meet her shortly after they were married. When we first saw-she looked very much like my sister. She has such a sweet personality. She loves the Lord with all her heart. She loves the boys and Joe very much. Stefany has been so wonderful to treat us as if we had always been part of her family. What a blessing!

           

            I am an extremely strong woman. I believe God can get you through anything. I wanted to be so very strong for my family who I knew was hurting, but deep in my heart I was not mourning my sister Ruth. For two years I just kept going strong. Then a year ago it hit me that I really was never going to see her again. I realized that we wouldn’t have family Christmases together, I realized we would never ever ever be able to just sit around the three of us and watch all of the kids play together. When it hit me it hit me hard. I remember just crying at the drop of a hat when I was by myself. I stopped being so mad at her, and then started to realize that she would have never done what she did had she been of a clear state of mind. It was then that all these emotions came pouring out. It truly was a good thing for me to go through this ,as it has helped even more in the healing process. I then started realizing that so many people were not only asking us how we were doing to be there for us, but they also wanted answers for themselves. So many people had known my parents and us through this ministry. So many people were wondering how such a thing could happen to someone like my Dad who was so faithful to the Lord’s work. It was then that I tried to be more sensitive to people constantly asking how we were doing. My answer to that is God is so good. He never gives us anything we cannot handle. When we think He has abandoned us-it is then that He is holding us tightly. Sin was brought into this world by Satan himself-and through sin came death. In the Bible it says in John 3:16 “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish but have ever lasting life.” You see Jesus death gave all of us who believe eternal life. That is every one even those who take their life. You see nothing can separate us from the love of God as it says in Romans 8:38-39  ³⁸For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come,  ³⁹Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. To say a person who commits suicide is going to hell is like saying those people who have mental handicaps are going to hell as well. Once you are saved, you are always saved-no matter what. He forgives us of all our sins. I know my sister knew Jesus Christ as her Saviour. She loved Jesus with all her heart, as it showed in her journals. Although what happened was not good at all-Jesus forgave her of even that sin.

I want to leave you all with some advice. First of all if any of you know of someone dealing with severe depression never ever take it lightly. Be there for them and learn more about symptoms of severe depression. Second if you know of someone who has lost of loved one-be there for them ALWAYS-even if it is uncomfortable for you. In closing let me say that I hold dear to the verse in Romans 8:28 ²⁸And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose. Even in something like this-good has come from it. Barry and I have had many opportunities in helping people deal with depression and tragedy. Barry has had many opportunities in helping teens who deal with depression. So many things have been brought to light in all of this, and one of the biggest blessings in my life is my 3 amazing nephews that will always be a reminder of my sister. My sister Rachel and I had one of our best Christmases since Ruth’s passing. We were sitting around the table laughing at all the funny things she used to do, and although we miss her dearly-our separation is only temporary. For those of you who have not trusted Jesus Christ is their personal Saviour, I pray you do not wait another second.  You are not guaranteed tomorrow. Trust Him today-and have the peace that only He can give in knowing you will be in heaven forever someday. Thank you so much to so many of you who loved and cared for my family throughout these past 3 years. My heart was so touched by the love and compassion.

Tragedy In Arizona Is Palin's Fault? Really

Media outlets that strongly warned citizens not to rush to judgement last year when Maj. Hasan killed 13 people at Ft. Hood and reportedly yelled "Allahu Akbar", are urging the same patience with the incident in Arizona as well..... wait, they're not?

No, CNN (The Communist News Network) had this beautiful dialogue:

After reporting that Pima County Sheriff Clarence Dupnik had condemned what Dupnik called "the vitriol that comes out of certain mouths about tearing down the government," CNN's Wolf Blitzer turned to congressional reporter Jessica Yellin for analysis.  The sheriff "singled out some of the political rhetoric, as you point out, in creating the environment that allowed this kind of instance to happen," Yellin told Blitzer.  "Even though, as you point out, this suspect is not cooperating with investigators, so we don't know the motive.  President Obama also delivered that message, saying it's partly the political rhetoric that led to this.*  So that's why we want to bring up one of the themes that's burning up the social media right now.  On Twitter and Facebook, there is a lot of talk, in particular, about Sarah Palin.  As you might recall, back in March of last year, when the health care vote was coming to the floor of the House and this was all heating up, Palin tweeted out a message on Twitter saying 'common sense conservatives, don't retreat -- instead reload.'  And she referred folks to her Facebook page.  On that Facebook page was a list of Democratic members she was putting in cross hairs, and Gabrielle Giffords was one of those in the cross hairs."
Blitzer and Yellin went on to clarify that there is no evidence that Loughner was even a Palin fan or that this could be connected to her in any way.  Really?  So you just decided to throw her name in the ring and suggest that maybe she insighted this shooting with her "rhetoric".

They both agreed that this was a good time to talk about "toning down our political rhetoric".  No wonder CNN and all of its communist subsidiaries and twin sister stations are losing the ratings war.  People see through this garbage and are seeing things more clearly than ever before.

This guy (Loughner) is a nut!  Whether he acted on something from Sarah Palin or got the message from listening to Billy Ray Cyrus albums backwards, he is crazy and that's why he did this!  We have to start holding people accountable for THEIR actions.  We have to stop grabbing for more control and less rights every time something bad happens.

Have a speedy and fair trial and then rid humanity of this evil man.  Then, through free market enterprise, let's force people like Wolf Blitzer, Chris Matthews, Keith Olberman, and others into another profession. 

Merry Christmas, Tulsa!

Every year as we approach the CHRISTmas season we find more and more companies, municipalities, and government agencies giving in to political correctness and eliminating CHRISTmas.

It strikes me as interesting that they want to keep the tree, the presents, THE VACATION and all of the other perks, they would just like to not have to call it Christmas.  Excuse me for being elementary in my argument but if we are going to really go full bore on this one shouldn't these people cancel the entire "holiday season"? 

I wonder if I could get away this year with telling my child that we are going to celebrate her birthday, but there would be no gifts for her and  her name would not be mentioned.  Sounds crazy right?  No, honey we are going to have a huge celebration and exchange gifts with everyone and have a nice meal, but there will be no celebration of YOU.  Sounds senseless right?  I can imagine her saying something like" if you are not going to celebrate my birthday, what's the point of all of the other hoopla?  What makes today any different than any other day or season? 

I am thankful for leaders like Oklahoma's Senator Jim Inhofe who is refusing to march in Tulsa's "Holiday" parade which previously was called Christmas parade.  Inhofe said  “I am hopeful that the good people of Tulsa and the city’s leadership will demand a correction to this shameful attempt to take Christ, the true reason for our celebration, out of the parade’s title. Until the parade is again named the Christmas Parade of Lights, I will not participate.”  Good for you Jim! 

Regardless of how a person deals with Jesus' resurrection, Jesus is real!  Jesus was really born and he really was crucified; THIS IS HISTORICAL FACT!  The Christmas celebration is all about the birth of Jesus.  As a born-again Christian,  this time of year is special because not only was Jesus born, but I understand that He was born with the mission to die for me to pay for my sins.  However, even if you don't adhere to that set of beliefs, how is it offensive to celebrate the birth of Jesus?  How is simply having the name Christ associated with the holiday offensive?

It is high time that Christians in America stand up and say enough is enough.  We will Not be bullied by invaders and their sympathizers who are trying to change the very foundations and fabric of our nation.  You will not hold us down, we will not be silent, and you will not win--and by the way, Merry CHRISTMAS!!

Wikileaks Scandal A Question Of Can Versus Should

Wikileaks on Sunday made public more than 250,000 cables between the US State Department, Pentagon and other agencies to foreign diplomats around the world.  Wikileaks came about these latest set of documents by an Army private named Bradley Manning.  Manning is being held in solitary confinement and will be court martialed in 2011.  That all makes sense.  This individual STOLE materials from the US Government that were clearly marked for specific eyes only and gave them to a whistleblowing organization.  Yes, he should be tried and executed for espionage.  What he has done has put the lives of men and women of the United States all over the world at risk and compromised America's upper hand in many diplomatic discussions.  Furthermore, if sources continue to be named the US will lose many allies on the ground in the campaign against evil in this world.

The bigger question is what is the overall fall-out for the rest of us.  Attorney General Holder said today that they will investigate and Congressman Peter King (the incoming DOHS) says that these individuals (Wikileaks) should be treated as terrorists.  So, what does that mean for you and I? Let me share a possible scenario:
The US government uses this incident to fast forward two major pieces of legislation called The Net Neutrality Act and The Fairness Doctrine. Neither law would have or will prevent this sort of thing from happening, but it is just the type of "crisis" that Obama aids have said cannot be wasted.
I am distressed by the leaking of these documents.  I am in favor of prosecuting ANYONE who broke a law in this particular case.  However, we must be very cautious not to get too jumpy and too protective that we yield control and give up freedoms for the sake of safety.  This is a very sticky issue and should be handled with great care. 

How do you stop a group like Wikileaks from releasing this type of damaging information (that they did not steal or pay for) while affirming the media's ability to challenge the government and expose corruption?

There are fringe people out there even suggesting that the Obama administration itself is behind the leaks.  The argument is how can an Army private for 8 months download top secret information and take it home.  If that is how it happened, then we may have to re-think the whole super-power thing. 

Profiling Must Be Part Of Airport Secuirty

To be very honest, I am not one of the millions up in arms about the new security measures at America's airports.  Now, that may be because I have flown a grand total of twice in the last 15 years and don't intend to fly anytime soon.  However, it may also be because I believe that flying in American air space is a privilege and not a right. 

I actually feel like the scanners are a bad idea and the pat downs are perfectly legal and reasonable.  If I do get on an airplane I would feel much safer knowing that all of my fellow passengers are aboard without materials that are prohibited.  That having been said, when I flew from Tampa to DC last November I went through metal detectors and then had a meal in the terminal.  I ordered steak and was presented with...wait for it.....A REAL KNIFE.  I did not go through another detector before getting on the plane.  Boy, did I feel safe.

What this situation calls for is common sense.  I see images of young American children being frisked, patted, molested--whatever you want to call it.  It's ridiculous!  Only Islamic terrorists would use their own young children to commit acts of terror.  So, this is where profiling comes in.  Let's simply look to those who are a risk.  Look at ALL of the terrorists of 9-11--ALL MIDDLE EASTERN MALES.  Let's look at the underwear bomber of last holiday season---on a watch list, part of Al Qaeda and we knew it.

Stop harassing grandma and Tiny Tim and profile at airports and let the ACLU fight it in the courts. 

Westboro Gets A Taste Of Their Own Medicine

The infamous Westboro Baptist church from Topeka, KS, which protests military funerals with signs of “God hates America,” faced a bit of irony over the weekend after clashing with about 1,000 counter protesters in McAlester, Oklahoma.

“Shortly after finishing their protest at the funeral of Army Sgt. Jason James McCluskey of McAlester, a half-dozen protesters from Westboro Baptist Church in Topeka, Kan., headed to their minivan,” Tulsa World reports, “only to discover that its front and rear passenger-side tires had been slashed.”

While I don't condone illegal activities, I am thrilled that people finally have come out in numbers to protest this evil.  This group of so-called Christians has violated one of the most fundamental biblical concepts: teach the truth IN LOVE.  Contrary to their website- God does not hate fags, God loves the homosexuals while abhorring their sin. 

If the goal of the Christian community is the Great Commission and bringing people to Jesus- how does this fit into the accomplishing of that goal.  These people are so offensive and destructive to the true Gospel of Jesus Christ.  Christians all over America should show up IN FORCE wherever this group goes.  We should have the aim of saying that we respect your sons and daughters and the sacrifice that they have made--and God loves you and every other person in this world--"while they were yet sinners".

Crist's Last Stand: Beg MeekTo Drop Out. Really!

In a last ditch desperate attempt to keep his lifelong political career alive Charlie Crist reached into his bag of tricks as Halloween nears.  After flip-flopping on issues, changing party affiliation, and generally doing whatever it may take to get votes--Crist has stooped to new lows.  It was revealed by Politico this week that Crist has begged Meek to leave the race and endorse Crist in an effort to keep Rubio from victory.  Crist even got help from The Teflon President, Bill Clinton.  Apparently last week Clinton's presumed campaign stumping for Meek was actually a visit to talk him out of the race.  Meek was presented with the notion that leaving the race to keep Rubio from winning would make him a hero and further his career------eventually.

Thank God that there seems to have been found some honor somewhere.  Many news outlets are reporting that it was Meek's wife who convinced him at the last minute to have honor and see the race through.  According to some sources the time and place had already been chosen for the bowing out and endorsement of Crist.  I disagree with Meek on almost EVERY issue, but thank you for having the honor to do this right.

Moreover, thank you for not rewarding the political weasel that is Charlie Crist.  Marco Rubio will likely win on Tuesday, but somehow I think that Crist will still have some tricks up his sleeve.  I pray that the voters of Florida can see through his ploys and his lack of a spine to the real Charlie Crist---the one who NEEDS to get elected to keep his dream of being President of The United States alive. Sorry Charlie--we see who you really are, the mask is off and we are scared!