Wednesday, April 16, 2008

Through the magic . . .

. . . of technology I was able to see Mr. Handsome himself this morning in real time even though he is 750 miles away in Memphis. Check it out:



I called him on the cell phone and asked him to wave for the camera. I asked him to do something else but he declined.

Tuesday, April 15, 2008

Today's wildlife visitors . . .

Have a few posts in mind to get caught up here but this one just has to be first. We were expecting to show the house this afternoon -- here is the couple who showed up. And you thought the real estate market was picking up!


If they wanted to know more about the neighborhood, they could have checked it out with these two:

Tuesday, April 8, 2008

Time warp . . .

Yes, we agree, I still suck at updating the blog regularly. Why? Updating the blog is a very small slice of the big, juicy pie that is life.

Got this email recently:
OPRAH'S NEW RELIGION!!! OPRAH NEEDS TO UNDERSTAND LANGUAGE! THE HEBREW WORD FOR "JEALOUS" IS "QANNA." IT IS NOT A "HOSTILE" WORD BUT RATHER A WORD THAT DESCRIBES GOD'S CONSUMING ZEAL FOR THE ONE HE LOVES!!
OPRAH'S KIND OF RELIGION NEEDS TO BE STRONGLY REFUTED! IT IS NOT CHRISTIAN!!
Jesus said:"I am the way the truth and the light. No one comes to the Father except through me." (John 14:6)

Click below and watch this alarming video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JW4LLwkgmqA



I'm now a BIG fan of Chuck Norris!
Chuck Norris on Oprah's Religion
by Diane Singer
In an article titled
"Oprah's New Easter," Chuck Norris has weighed in on the Eckhart Tolle book and Oprah's related online course called A New Earth.
Chuck nicely summarizes the tenets of Tolle's belief system, with this evaluation:
Like most self-help spiritual texts of this type, it is a blend of half-truths and half-fabrications. One easily could save the purchase price of "A New Earth" -- and subsequently avoid its misleading remarks -- by reading the Bible, which gives a much more thorough and accurate picture of life's purpose and the methods for overcoming its obstacles.... The reason Tolle's psychology and spirituality is marketed so easily is that it is an eclectic mix of conventional and unconventional wisdom, and Western and Eastern beliefs, presented in a tolerant, non-threatening and nonsectarian way. In other words, it's Religion Light, in which one can be spiritual with&n bsp; little down and no credit.
I have long thought that Oprah Winfrey is one of the most dangerous women in America . She's intelligent, funny, charming, charismatic, dynamic, persuasive, and generous, but she is using those qualities to promote a worldview that is anti-Biblical to the core. Every time I see her on TV, I think of how the devil disguises himself as an angel of light. If it's true that she once believed in Christ, then I can only lament how she has fallen away from her first love, and how she is leading so many others astray. She needs our prayers that she will return to Jesus, and then turn her considerable talents back to serving Him instead of a false teacher like Tolle.


What can I say? And what is the point of arguing? No one wins. I have been reading "A New Earth" and watching the Oprah/Tolle webcasts. As best I can figure out, they are not proposing another religion. They are proposing that individuals get in touch with the still, quiet inside essence of their being. Some call this "God," still others have other names: Mother Earth, Consciousness, Being, Higher Power, Buddha, etc. What's the difference? Why not call it Harold?

Tolle teaches that thought is manifested by one's ego and is made up of that person's particular "story" including his or her conditioning throughout life by family, peers, culture, experiences, and yes, religious beliefs. The problem is that not all of these thoughts are necessarily true. What is truth and what is fact?

It's a fact that the sun is shining today. Yes it is. Here in Tampa it is. Is it shining at the North Pole? Is it shining on Antartica? I don't know. Therefore it is my fact and my truth that the sun is shining. Do you think Americans are bad people? Do you think only white people are good and the rest are suspect? Only Christian beliefs are right and the rest of the world is wrong? When you get to heaven will there be no Buddhists, no Jews and no Islamics? Probably no Scientologists either but then I'm not sure they want to go there anyway. Well good for you then, what's your worry? Why do you have set the rest of us straight?

Tolle quotes Jesus many times in his book and the webcasts. You can listen to the webcasts here:
http://www.oprah.com/obc_classic/webcast/archive/anewearth_archive_main.jsp?promocode=HP11

See what others are saying in the online message boards:
http://www.oprah.com/community/community/bookclub/tolle?view=discussions

As usual the items in the email above and the youtube film are taken out of context. The big picture is that Tolle and Oprah are, as I said above, proponents of taking the time to access the peace which passes all understanding. If you can get to that place you cannot simultaneously hate fellow humans, covet what they have or believe that they are wrong. What if the collective humanity could get to this place? Would there still be war? Crime? Violence? At the very least it's something to think about.

Tolle says that this concept is not for everyone. I have always believed the saying "When the student is ready the teacher will appear." The mere awakening to the idea that what one thinks is not necessarily right is huge in itself. And by the way, Oprah doesn't deny Christ -- she says that there are other beliefs. If you think your way is the only way, keep on thinking. And while you're at it do the homework and find out where in your particular "religion" it says you are the judge and jury.

PS I have chosen the option "Don't allow" with reference to comments on this post. Believe that to mean what you will.