It’s late Sunday afternoon. I’ve had a difficult weekend, constantly thinking about my Dad. I just can’t stop thinking about him.
I was able to do some bible study yesterday and today and also was able to do some genealogy which is my favorite hobby.
Right now I’m starting to get a headache and my whole body is starting to ache. I might be coming down with something.
I’m hoping that a nice hot bowl of soup for supper and a good night’s sleep will help me feel better in the morning.
I keep going back to my father’s death. I go for a few days and feel stronger than before, then I have a bad day.
Around the first of this year I felt, that I had returned to my old form. The bad days were getting fewer and far between. I assumed I was doing much better. I had returned to bible study and was feeling much better. I was starting to cope with my father’s death.
It was about the first of this year (about 3 weeks ago), that I started posting on my other blog. I began posting about political and social items and began my usual satire, attacking pieces.
Until that point, I was studying the bible nearly every day; many days I got up between 3:30 – 4:30 AM and spent a good hour on bible study before getting ready for work. I remember feeling calmer then. I’ve lost that calmness.
The fact that it’s been 3 full weeks since the last posting on my bible study blog shows that I’ve failed in many respects.
The other night, I sat down at the computer and looked at my personal blog again. Then I looked at the photo of my father next to my computer. I kept going back and forth. While my father read all of the pieces I wrote, I’m sure he was certainly embarrased by some of things I said and items I posted.
As a writer of satire, it is your job to take ‘true’ items to the extreme. You don’t just mention something that might not be proper, you enhance it, mock it, embellish it, and take it to the extreme and to the point of nonsense. That’s satire writing, which most people don’t understand. People who are not students of satire, don’t really understand what you are doing. They think you are a nut case, an advocate of revolution, a racist, a sexist, or any number of other negative descriptions. In their eyes you are just that, even if, in your heart, you really don’t believe everything you’ve written. Satire is a different type of writing; I suppose I’m not that good at it.
A few examples – I’ve always gone after Bill & Hillary Clinton, Ted Kennedy, Jesse Jackson, and Al Sharpton. With satire writing you carry everything to the extreme. Bill’s extramaritial affairs, Hillary’s just plain meanness, Ted Kennedy situation with Mary Jo, Jesse & Al’s not receiving religious degree (but proclaiming themselve ministers), their constant grabbing of a microphone and self promotion, their leaning on corporate America. In satire writing, the writer carries everything to the ‘n’th degree. You don’t let anything slide. Whenever Kennedy does anything you tie in the Mary Jo incident. Whenever Jesse does anything you bring up the fact that he never graduated from a bible college and bring up his illegitimate daughter. That’s what satire writing is. I’m though with it.
Do I truly believe that the above mentioned people are really ‘bad’? Certainly not. While I disagree with many of the things they’ve done and said, they are not bad people. Bill Clinton did much for this country as President. Hillary and Kennedy truly care about the people of this land. They might have a different perspective on how to achieve things than I do, but they are not bad people.
Jesse & Al care about people and their souls. While I’ve been quick to judge them in my satirical writtings, I’ve never written about how many people they’ve brought to God. I don’t know the figure, but I do more than it’s more than I have. From a religious point of view, they’ve certainly done more than I. I commend them on that.
Jimmy Carter is another example. I’ve always felt he’s cared more about people than any other president I’ve seen. I stand by my opinion that he should not have used Coretta King’s funeral as a bully pulpit to bash the current President. That was wrong. He should have only talked about how Mrs. King was so much a lady, a real inspiration to everyone in this country. He should have only talked about the accomplishments of her husband, a man whom I’ve always admired. Dr. King was a great speaker and made you think. Jimmy Carter will have to account for what he did, and I’ll have to account for what I’ve done in my life. We all have to account for everything when we die.
I’ve decided to return to bible study and to genealogy. They will be my outlets. I need to worry about myself, my life, my actions, my thoughts, my speech, my relationship with God. My time is better spent working on improving myself, not pointing out what I perceive as shortcomings of others through the writing of satire. That really shouldn’t be my place. Life should be about improving yourself, not attacking or going after those things you see wrong in others. It is not our place to judge others, even though everyone does this all the time.
We’ve all made mistakes and I’m included in that list. The big question after making mistakes is what do we do to correct them? For me it’s a return to bible study and the removal of the personal blog. Time on this planet is short. I should be doing something more constructive. I should be building things up, not tearing others down.
I kept thinking about my telling my father that I wanted to be more like him. While for the first 2 1/2 months after his death, I was making efforts to be like him; I realized that suddenly I had abandoned that goal. I was ashamed of that fact.
Therefore, I have removed my old personal blog and have put this bible study blog in it’s place. This blog has been in existance for a few months now, in another location on the website. I’ve just transferred it over as my main blog. I’ll be slowly changing this blog around to include some personal and other items. It won’t remain strictly a bible study blog. I could have kept this blog in its original place and have just reworked the personal blog, but I decided not to. I wanted nothing to do with the old blog. I didn’t even want to rework it.
I didn’t stay true to the promise I made my father, falling short over the last few weeks. I’m sorry Dad.
Time spent blogging can be better spent that what I’ve done recently. I can be reading and studying the bible, working hard to apply everything to my personal life. I can be posting bible study items that can help everyone. This can come in the form of a verse I’ve read in the bible, a passage from a book, or part of a sermon or teaching I’ve heard. I can be doing genealogy research and writing in that area. I can be helping others and helping myself.
That’s what I’m going to do. I’ve picked up my book ‘E.M. Bounds On Prayer’ and will start reading it again, applying the lessons within to my heart. I intend to spend time listening to Harold Camping’s ‘Open Forum’ radio show. I also intend to spend time listening to several lectures from Mark Moore.
Rush Limbaugh, Mark Levin, and Michael Savage radio shows are being replaced by the AllWorship.com radio stream for Praise & Worship. Fox News & CNN will be replaced by other programming. The Conservative Chronicle will be replaced by the bible.
Scouring the internet for articles about something that the Clintons, Kennedy, or the others have done will be replaced by a return to genealogy. I have something to contribute to the genealogy research field, especially in the Orrell and related families. My many articles, books, and CD collections proved to be something worthwhile to help others with their own genealogy research. It has a positive, not negative effect as the personal blog did.
That’s what I need to concentrate on – the positive. Concentrate on the bible, it’s teachings, and applying it to my personal life is a far better way of spending my time. Becoming a better person is the ultimate goal. Striving to be a better husband, son, father, grandfather, friend, neighbor, co-worker, and citizen should be the only goal in my life. Helping others interested in genealogy research is a positive, not negative pursuit. It is those items that I’m returning to.
This has been a difficult entry to write. Admitting your shortcomings, weaknesses, and flaws on a blog for the world to see, is not easy.
Asking for forgivness is not easy; but I’m doing just that. Asking for others to pray that I continue on a better path is what I’m asking for – a postive path, not a negative path. A path filled with praying for others, praying for forgiveness, and praying for a better world.
Regardless of your individual religion – your God, wants just that.
I have a TV in my office. The news just came on. The same old stuff. I now have the same feeling that I had a few months ago, shortly after my father died. I just can’t watch the news shows anymore. They ran down a list of candidates for the 2008 elections. I turned the TV to another channel. I just can’t watch that stuff anymore. I don’t care what any of the politicians are doing anymore. I’ve again lost all interest in politics and what’s going on in the world.
In many respects this blog entry is like prayer; it’s like confession. It is good for the soul and I feel better having written it.
When I stopped my bible study I was in the 15th chapter of Matthew. Isn’t it fitting that as I open my bible, back to the point at which I stopped my study, I come upon the verse below?
Matthew: 15:11: ‘Not that which goeth into the mouth defileth a man; but that which cometh out of the mouth, this defileth a man.”
I began listening to Family Radio in the 1980′s. In the mid to late 80′s, I started listening to Harold Camping’s ‘Open Forum’ show in the evenings.
Harold Camping is the founder of Family Radio and never graduated from any bible college. He doesn’t proclaim himself a minister; rather, he is a teacher.
I find his knowledge of the bible to be amazing.
He has come under attack for predicting dates for the end of the world. Lately these attacks have increased as he says the ‘church age’ has ended and that God is not in the churches. I disagree with that statement, as most do.
Whenever he goes off on that tangent, I just ‘tune him out’ in my head. However, I don’t turn off the radio.
Some claim his teachings to be a cult.
I generally find his teachings to be solid.
You can download many of his past shows in mp3 format. In December I spent many evenings and weekends downloading his entire library of archives shows. At that time every show since the beginning of 2004 was available. I just noticed that the 2004 shows have now been removed from the website, so I’m glad I was able to get them when I did.
There is also a huge collection of Family Radio’s Bible Study Archives available for downloading from their website.
As you can see they have the following:
That’s a total of 2,880 bible study shows. I can’t even image how many hours that winds up being, how much hard drive space it would take, or how many CDs those programs would fill.
It’s been awhile since I put up a photo of Nora and I on the website. The one to the left was taken at Sara’s baby shower in November, 2006.
It’s one of the new photos that I have showing my new ‘hair’ style.
If anyone has a family photo they would like to share, please email to us. Be sure to give us the names of anyone in the photo. I’ll get in the proper format for the blog and will post. We’d be happy to do this for any Orrell.
Naturally, we can’t put all the photos on the blog, but we can certainly do our best to post a few of them.
Here is another of my favorites with Grandmom Nora and Jackson.
Pastor Jim Cymbala of the Brooklyn Tabernacle states in his Forward to the Complete Works of E.M. Bounds on Prayer, the following: No write outside of scripture ever said more in short powerful sentences that E.M. Bounds. In our present day of spiritual murkiness and bland sermonizing from the Bible, we need to listen again to the fiery clarity of this prophet of prayer.
He then gives the following example.
Nothing distingushes the children of God so clearly and strongly as prayer. It is the one infalible mark and test of being a Christian. Christian people are prayerful the worldly-minded, prayerless. Christians call on God; wholdlings ignore God, and call not on his name. Prayer is the expression of a relation to God, a yearning for divine communion. It is the outward and upward flow of the inward life toward its original fountain. It is an assertion of the soul’s paternity, a claiming of the sonship which links man to be eternal.
Pastor Cymbala then goes on to say, “Reading E.M. Bounds is like coming near a blazing fire on a cold winter night – you either stand near to enjoy its warmth or move away because the flame seems too much to bear.”
He also pointed out a few other things about E.M. Bounds:
Bounds was a Chaplain in the Confederate Army, comforting and praying with troops under General John Bell Hood. He typically arose at four o’clock every morning to be along with God in prayer, usually praying until seven o’clock. He spent the final nineteen years of his life engaged in intercessory prayer, writing, and revivial ministry. At the time of his death, only two of E.M. Bound’s books had been published.
Here are some of the things that Rev. Bounds wrote, that I would like to share.
Faith does not grow disheartened because prayer is not immediately honored; it takes God at his Word, and lets him take what time he chooses in fulfilling his purposes, and in carrying on his work.
True prayers are born of present trials and present needs. Bread, for today, is bread enough. Bread given for today is the strongest sort of pledge that there will be bread tomorrow. Victory today, is the assurance of victory tomorrow. Our prayers need to be focused upon the present. We must trust God today, and leave the morrow entirely with him. The present is ours; the future belongs to God. Prayer is the task and duty of each recurring day – daily prayer for daily needs. As every day demands its bread, so every day demands its prayer. No amount of praying, done today, will suffice for tomorrow’s praying. This is the faith which God seeks to inspire. So leave tomorrow, with its cares, its needs, its troubles, in God’s hands.
LI>Faith is not believing just anything; it is believing God, resting in him, trusting his Word.
Currently, I’m just beginning the third chapter of E.M. Bound’s book number one – The Neccessity of Prayer.
I’ll continue to post my favorite parts on subsequent entries.
Just a quick update on the Mr. Coffee Ice Tea Maker.
This is the best $20 we’ve spent in years.
I’m currently using 3 ‘family’ size teabags plus 1 regular size Boston Mint Teabag for 3 quarts of ice tea.
You actually don’t put in 3 quarts of water when brewing; but rather, fill up to the ‘water’ line for 3 quarts. Then after brewing you add either water or ice to fill up to the 3 quart capacity.
We find this makes a great ice tea.
I always like to look at a beautiful photograph.
Every now and then I go over to Ted Armstrong’s website and check out his photo albums.
Here is one of Ted’s photos from a trip to Skyline Drive.
I really didn’t do much to the photo other than enhanced the color slightly and sharpened it up a little. It almost looks like a painting.
Go over to Ted’s website and have a look.
While there, please visit his blog.
Ted’s going through a very difficult time right now with lung cancer. He and Karol needs everyone’s supports and prayers.
I always like to look at a beautiful photograph.
Every now and then I go over to Ted Armstrong’s website and check out his photo albums.
Here is one of Ted’s photos from a trip to Skyline Drive.
I really didn’t do much to the photo other than enhanced the color slightly and sharpened it up a little. It almost looks like a painting.
Go over to Ted’s website and have a look.
While there, please visit his blog.
Ted’s going through a very difficult time right now with lung cancer. He and Karol needs everyone’s supports and prayers.
I’ve just come across another source for the Preacher’s Outline & Sermon Bible. Scripture Truth Book Company has a fantastic price on the loose leaf style version.
You can buy the complete 14 volume New Testament set directly from the publisher’s website at a cost of $42.99 each or $514.99 for the set. To this you must add $54.95 in shipping and handling. Total cost for the NT set would be $569.94 from the publisher.
However, at Scripture Truth Book Company, the 14 volume loose leaf set costs $28.95 each, which totals $405.30. The great news is that there is no shipping or handling for orders over $100. Therefore $405.30 is your total price.
That’s a savings of $164.64 !
Let’s go one step further. If you wanted to order the 14 volume New Testament set, plus the 7 volume Old Testament Pentateuch (Gen-Deut), the cost is $764.98 for the 21 volumes, plus $94.90 shipping, for a total of $859.88 (from the publisher).
However, if you order the same items from the Scripture Truth Book Company, the cost is $28.95 for each loose leaf volume (21 volumes in all) for a total of $607.95. Since no shipping is added to the price, your total cost is $607.95, which is a savings of $163.05.
Another way of looking at it is this – for $607.95 you get (in the loose leaf format) the entire 14 set of the NT, plus the 7 set Pentateuch NT set from Scripture Truth Bible Company.
For $569.94 (only $38.01 less), you would only get the 14 volume New Testament see (loose leaf format) from the publisher.
I am only unsure of one thing. The Preacher’s Outline & Sermon Bible comes in either the King James version or the NIV. Both are available from the publisher’s website.
I am unable to tell from the Scripture Truth Book Company’s website, which translation they are selling.
I’d rather purchase the KJV; however, at the price of $607.95, I’d ‘make’ myself get by with the NIV.
On another note, Scripture Truth Book Company also has the 3 volume hardbound New Testament set available for $224.99. That is a fantastic price as no shipping and handling would be added. At ChristianBooks.com, you would pay $279.99 for the set, plus $22.40 shipping, for a total of $302.49. That’s a $77.50 savings right there. From the publisher, you would pay $339.99 plus $18.95 shipping, for a total of $358.94. That’s a difference of $133.95 between the publisher and Scripture Truth Book Company.
Whether you would buy the individual paperback versions, the 3 volume hard bound version, or the loose leaf version, you’d be making a good investment with the collection, regardless of the translation you buy. (NOTE: NIV version is always slightly higher than the KJV).
A 3 volume hardbound set is very convenient. You’d have the entire New Testament collection in a smaller package. It comes in a slipcase for a very nice presentation.
However, there is a lot to be said for the loose leaf version. As you come across other related items, you can just xerox, 3 hole punch the copies, then place directly into the loose leaf. It makes it a little more convenient, from my way of thinking.
I’ll advise when I hear back from Scripture Truth Book Company as to the translation they are selling at that price. All prices quote above are for the KJV. If the Scripture Truth Book Company is selling the NIV version at that price, the savings would be even more.
Return To Bible Study – Changes
By Reb Orrell on 01/24/2007
I keep going back to my father’s death. I go for a few days and feel stronger than before, then I have a bad day.
Around the first of this year I felt, that I had returned to my old form. The bad days were getting fewer and far between. I assumed I was doing much better. I had returned to bible study and was feeling much better. I was starting to cope with my father’s death.
It was about the first of this year (about 3 weeks ago), that I started posting on my other blog. I began posting about political and social items and began my usual satire, attacking pieces.
Until that point, I was studying the bible nearly every day; many days I got up between 3:30 – 4:30 AM and spent a good hour on bible study before getting ready for work. I remember feeling calmer then. I’ve lost that calmness.
The fact that it’s been 3 full weeks since the last posting on my bible study blog shows that I’ve failed in many respects.
The other night, I sat down at the computer and looked at my personal blog again. Then I looked at the photo of my father next to my computer. I kept going back and forth. While my father read all of the pieces I wrote, I’m sure he was certainly embarrased by some of things I said and items I posted.
As a writer of satire, it is your job to take ‘true’ items to the extreme. You don’t just mention something that might not be proper, you enhance it, mock it, embellish it, and take it to the extreme and to the point of nonsense. That’s satire writing, which most people don’t understand. People who are not students of satire, don’t really understand what you are doing. They think you are a nut case, an advocate of revolution, a racist, a sexist, or any number of other negative descriptions. In their eyes you are just that, even if, in your heart, you really don’t believe everything you’ve written. Satire is a different type of writing; I suppose I’m not that good at it.
A few examples – I’ve always gone after Bill & Hillary Clinton, Ted Kennedy, Jesse Jackson, and Al Sharpton. With satire writing you carry everything to the extreme. Bill’s extramaritial affairs, Hillary’s just plain meanness, Ted Kennedy situation with Mary Jo, Jesse & Al’s not receiving religious degree (but proclaiming themselve ministers), their constant grabbing of a microphone and self promotion, their leaning on corporate America. In satire writing, the writer carries everything to the ‘n’th degree. You don’t let anything slide. Whenever Kennedy does anything you tie in the Mary Jo incident. Whenever Jesse does anything you bring up the fact that he never graduated from a bible college and bring up his illegitimate daughter. That’s what satire writing is. I’m though with it.
Do I truly believe that the above mentioned people are really ‘bad’? Certainly not. While I disagree with many of the things they’ve done and said, they are not bad people. Bill Clinton did much for this country as President. Hillary and Kennedy truly care about the people of this land. They might have a different perspective on how to achieve things than I do, but they are not bad people.
Jesse & Al care about people and their souls. While I’ve been quick to judge them in my satirical writtings, I’ve never written about how many people they’ve brought to God. I don’t know the figure, but I do more than it’s more than I have. From a religious point of view, they’ve certainly done more than I. I commend them on that.
Jimmy Carter is another example. I’ve always felt he’s cared more about people than any other president I’ve seen. I stand by my opinion that he should not have used Coretta King’s funeral as a bully pulpit to bash the current President. That was wrong. He should have only talked about how Mrs. King was so much a lady, a real inspiration to everyone in this country. He should have only talked about the accomplishments of her husband, a man whom I’ve always admired. Dr. King was a great speaker and made you think. Jimmy Carter will have to account for what he did, and I’ll have to account for what I’ve done in my life. We all have to account for everything when we die.
I’ve decided to return to bible study and to genealogy. They will be my outlets. I need to worry about myself, my life, my actions, my thoughts, my speech, my relationship with God. My time is better spent working on improving myself, not pointing out what I perceive as shortcomings of others through the writing of satire. That really shouldn’t be my place. Life should be about improving yourself, not attacking or going after those things you see wrong in others. It is not our place to judge others, even though everyone does this all the time.
We’ve all made mistakes and I’m included in that list. The big question after making mistakes is what do we do to correct them? For me it’s a return to bible study and the removal of the personal blog. Time on this planet is short. I should be doing something more constructive. I should be building things up, not tearing others down.
I kept thinking about my telling my father that I wanted to be more like him. While for the first 2 1/2 months after his death, I was making efforts to be like him; I realized that suddenly I had abandoned that goal. I was ashamed of that fact.
Therefore, I have removed my old personal blog and have put this bible study blog in it’s place. This blog has been in existance for a few months now, in another location on the website. I’ve just transferred it over as my main blog. I’ll be slowly changing this blog around to include some personal and other items. It won’t remain strictly a bible study blog. I could have kept this blog in its original place and have just reworked the personal blog, but I decided not to. I wanted nothing to do with the old blog. I didn’t even want to rework it.
I didn’t stay true to the promise I made my father, falling short over the last few weeks. I’m sorry Dad.
Time spent blogging can be better spent that what I’ve done recently. I can be reading and studying the bible, working hard to apply everything to my personal life. I can be posting bible study items that can help everyone. This can come in the form of a verse I’ve read in the bible, a passage from a book, or part of a sermon or teaching I’ve heard. I can be doing genealogy research and writing in that area. I can be helping others and helping myself.
That’s what I’m going to do. I’ve picked up my book ‘E.M. Bounds On Prayer’ and will start reading it again, applying the lessons within to my heart. I intend to spend time listening to Harold Camping’s ‘Open Forum’ radio show. I also intend to spend time listening to several lectures from Mark Moore.
Rush Limbaugh, Mark Levin, and Michael Savage radio shows are being replaced by the AllWorship.com radio stream for Praise & Worship. Fox News & CNN will be replaced by other programming. The Conservative Chronicle will be replaced by the bible.
Scouring the internet for articles about something that the Clintons, Kennedy, or the others have done will be replaced by a return to genealogy. I have something to contribute to the genealogy research field, especially in the Orrell and related families. My many articles, books, and CD collections proved to be something worthwhile to help others with their own genealogy research. It has a positive, not negative effect as the personal blog did.
That’s what I need to concentrate on – the positive. Concentrate on the bible, it’s teachings, and applying it to my personal life is a far better way of spending my time. Becoming a better person is the ultimate goal. Striving to be a better husband, son, father, grandfather, friend, neighbor, co-worker, and citizen should be the only goal in my life. Helping others interested in genealogy research is a positive, not negative pursuit. It is those items that I’m returning to.
This has been a difficult entry to write. Admitting your shortcomings, weaknesses, and flaws on a blog for the world to see, is not easy.
Asking for forgivness is not easy; but I’m doing just that. Asking for others to pray that I continue on a better path is what I’m asking for – a postive path, not a negative path. A path filled with praying for others, praying for forgiveness, and praying for a better world.
Regardless of your individual religion – your God, wants just that.
I have a TV in my office. The news just came on. The same old stuff. I now have the same feeling that I had a few months ago, shortly after my father died. I just can’t watch the news shows anymore. They ran down a list of candidates for the 2008 elections. I turned the TV to another channel. I just can’t watch that stuff anymore. I don’t care what any of the politicians are doing anymore. I’ve again lost all interest in politics and what’s going on in the world.
In many respects this blog entry is like prayer; it’s like confession. It is good for the soul and I feel better having written it.
When I stopped my bible study I was in the 15th chapter of Matthew. Isn’t it fitting that as I open my bible, back to the point at which I stopped my study, I come upon the verse below?
Matthew: 15:11: ‘Not that which goeth into the mouth defileth a man; but that which cometh out of the mouth, this defileth a man.”
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