Story One!

Akmad al Sadiki slowly and deliberately climbed the steps leading to the Federal Building in Dallas, Texas. He had planned for this moment for years...ever since his first training session in southern Pakistan. Even as a small boy in Iraq he'd been told that someday he would bring great honor to Allah by destroying the cursed infidel. And now, the day had at last arrived!

This day of days had begun long before the sun rose over the eastern horizon. By the appearance of the first golden rays he was up, saying his morning prayers, and emotionally getting ready for the most important day of his life. In his younger years, he had hoped that his contribution would be in the form of a suicide mission, but it was not to be. Recently the cell leaders had decided that the most effective technique called for remote detonation of explosive devices. In that way, one warrior could be many times more destructive, bringing terror to much larger numbers of infidels. And, even though there would be more honor for him in a suicide mission, he harbored a secret pleasure in the fact that he would be able to witness the mayhem he would cause. And, there was Judy, the young lady from work he had been drawn to. Even though she was a westerner, she had been quick to embrace Islam, if only to please him. He had been very careful to not give her any indications of his real reason for being in the United States. As far as she was concerned, he had attended the University of Texas at Arlington, and was now working as a marketing consultant. Even though she had been very quick to receive not only his religion, but what he told her of the lifestyle of the average Islamic family, he felt sure she would never accept the violent side of his worldview.

As he reached the top of the stairway, he took a quick look around to make sure there was no indication that any person was paying undue attention to his actions. All seemed to be clear! There were a few people walking toward their various destinations in usual western fashion...heads down as though watching their feet, and totally unaware of anything taking place around them. As he approached the big double doors, they opened automatically, exposing the massive ground floor. He glanced quickly toward the security booths leading into the federal office areas. Behind them lurked the hated FBI. He needed to avoid them at all costs. A wave of excitement swept over him as he imagined their torn and dismembered bodies that would soon be scattered over the ruins of this monument to western cruelty.

His target was one of the elevators leading down to the underground parking area. There he would find a number of support pillars. There had been brothers in his cell, engineers, who had scouted this area out. They had determined which support would cause the most damage once collapsed. It was that one support that was his target.

As he walked across the floor toward the elevators, he once again glanced around. He spotted an elderly lady who had entered the area from the doorway leading down a flight of stairs to the parking garage. As she made her way toward one of the four elevators, she glanced in his direction. Did he see her take a second look No, she continued toward her target. For a moment his heart seemed to skip a beat as he wandered if he had somehow raised a red flag in her mind. She entered the elevator, and the doors closed.

In his right hand he carried a rather benign looking brief case. Inside was a cleverly designed bomb, consisting of enough C4 to bring down the support, compete with the detonator and cell phone receiver.

Rather than take the elevator to the lower parking area, he decided to take the two flights of stairs. That would take him to his target. For some reason he felt a touch of dread at getting into the enclosed elevator car, especially with the women that had noticed him..

Arriving at the bottom step, he stepped off into the parking garage. He was rather surprised at how few cars were parked there. He was a bit ahead of the 900 planned time for his arrival on site. He pulled a small scrap of paper out of his pocket. On it was a diagram of the various columns. On was marked with an X. This was the primary support column...the one the engineers claimed would bring down the entire building.

He quickly placed the brief case between the column and the guard rail that ran along the first level of parking spaces. If all went as planned, and if the experts were right, the device being detonated at that point should cause the total collapse of the building.

He felt a deep sense of relief, as well as a rush of adrenaline, as he placed the brief case in its spot, and then quickly started his exit back to the street. Rather than park his car in the underground garage, he had parked in the short term parking in front of the building. That way, he could make a quick exit. He would then get into his car, and drive to a predetermined location some two blocks away. Once there, he would meet up with another member of his team, where the device would be detonated using his cell phone.

As he reached his car, and opened the door, he was suddenly and violently slammed to the ground, his right hand (holding his cell phone) was twisted into the small of his back, and then up between his shoulder blades. He screamed in pain as his shoulder joint was ripped apart, and the cell phone was torn from his hand. In utter shock and confusion, he could only sink into blackness as he lost all awareness of his existence.

Story Two!

Maude had worked at the Dallas Federal Building for some 22 years. She had started as a clerk typist in the U.S. Marshall's office fresh out of college. Over the years she had worked her way up to a manager's position in that office.

Following the attacks of 9-11, she had become actively involved in community service, especially community security (crime watch). As part of the training, the head of the watch in her community had invited Dr. Ralph Turner to hold classes in threat awareness. In these classes, two areas had really impacted her. First of all, how to live life at a heightened awareness of her surroundings. The other, how to recognize possible terrorist activities and what to do should she spot anything that appeared in any way suspicious. She had even registered online with Homeland Security, and received regular updates on activities of suspected terrorist activity, and how to prepare for an attack in case one occurred. She had followed many of the suggestions, and had stored extra food, water, and had an effective survival kit just in case.

As she arrived at work that morning, she did her usual scan of the area, just to make herself aware of any action that may be out of the norm. She had been practicing living in this heightened level of awareness for some time now, and it had become commonplace. She never got out of her car at Wal-Mart without scanning the area around her for something unusual. There had been one occasion where there was a suspicious character walking around looking inside parked cars. She had made a mental note of his appearance, and then had reported it to the manager once inside. As it turned out, he was wanted on drug changes, and was a person of interest on multiple auto break-ins on parking lots and homes in that area.

As she approached the steps leading into the huge main lobby of the federal building, she noticed a person walking ahead of her, carrying a briefcase. What caught her attention was his general appearance. Although people who were coming and going to the various federal offices often dressed in unusual clothing, it was too early for those types to begin showing up. And, as she drew closer, she noticed that he seemed to fit the profile she had been given for those who had been known to be involved in terrorist activity. He seemed to be between his late twenties and about thirty. He was obviously of some sort of Middle Eastern descent, and he looked very nervous.

Not wanting to attract undue attention, she continued on toward the elevator leading to the fourth floor and her office. Once he hesitated, then turned and looked at her. She only smiled, and then continued on.

In front of her were the three elevator doors. She generally took the one on the left, as it seems a bit faster than the other two. Probably just her imagination. The young middle eastern man seemed to be headed for the set of elevator doors on the far right. Today, she would alter her direction and take the same one...just to see. As she redirected her route, he turned slightly to the right and looked directed into her eyes. This action took her be surprise, and she wandered if he had noticed her startled response. She continued! But suddenly, the man turned sharply to his right, and headed for the stairway that led to the underground parking garage. Maude continued toward the elevator door, uncertain as to what to do. As she at the door, she instinctively reached for the up button. Almost as an unplanned action, she instead pushed the down button. As the door opened, she stepped inside. Even now, she was unsure! If she rode the car to the next level down, the underground parking garage, what would she do. This time of morning the area would be almost deserted...few cars or people. What if he was a terrorist Would he spot her and be waiting in that lonely area Still, her drive to know overpowered her caution. She pushed the down button on the inside of the car. The doors closed, and she felt the car move downward. In all too short a time, the car bumped to a stop at the bottom of the elevator shaft, and the doors opened to reveal the parking area. As she had surmised, it was largely deserted. Instead of just stepping out of the car, she pushed to door hold button that would make the door stay open. Slowly she peered around the opening. To the right were the stairs leading back up to the main floor. This was the stairway where she had last seen the man. Nothing! At least not at first. Then she saw him. He was just raching the top of the stairway, and disappearing into the lobby area. And...she noticed that he no longer had the briefcase hanging at his side. Where had he left it Maybe in his car No! There were no cars parked that close.

She slowly moved out of the elevator, and to the right, and into the parking area. Where could he have left it She saw nothing but the empty parking slots, and the massive concrete columns holding the entire structure up. Slowly she moved into the massive area. Peering slowly in all directions, she suddenly saw it. It would have been easy to miss, but there it was, resting tight up against what seemed to be the largest column in the area.

Quickly she drew her cell phone out of her pocket. The screen indicated no signal. Of course, she was underground with all the steel overhead. She scanned the area. She did not want to take the time to climb the stairs, or ride the slow elevator back to the lobby so she could make her report. There may not be enough time. There! Hanging on the wall next to the fire alarm box was a security phone. It was connected directed to the main security desk. Quickly she yanked the phone off its cradle. A voice on the other end sounded authoritative. Quickly she identified herself and explained what she had experienced. From her rapid description of the man, the security officer was able to quickly spot him exiting thorough the front door. He ordered Maude to stay on the phone while he alerted the always ready swat team. Then he told Maude to replace the receiver, and come back up the stairs. She was then to cross the lobby and come directly to the security main desk.

Since Akmad had parked in the 15 minute limit parking area in front of the building, instead of the parking garage, and since the security desk was just inside the front door, she was able to him as he approached his car. Even as he reached for the door handle, she saw four of the elite security officers assigned to protect the Federal Building descend on the man like buzzards around road kill. He was slammed to the ground, and then handcuffed.

In no time flat the building was evacuated, and surrounded by law enforcement. The bomb squad arrived, located the briefcase, and discovered a very active bomb inside.

Point is...Maude's vigilance, and determination to not shrug off something that looked suspicious saved several hundred lives.

And that, my friend, is the best protection we have against another terrorist attack.

A Living Example!

The tragic events of Thursday, November 5 offer an excellent example of what's being discussed above, and what can be the results when it doesn't work out. Involved were several examples of alert citizens, coworkers, friends and family noticing things about Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan's actions that were, to say the least, suspicious. They offer an example of what happens when people notice strange behavior, and either fail to report it, or report their suspicions to authorities who shrug the info off (a response more common than not).

According to reports, for months leading to the shooting spree that left 13 dead and 29 wounded, Hasan had raised eyebrows with comments and behaviors that should have alerted any concerned listener that things were not right with the Major. Such statements that the war on terror was a war on Islam, coming from a confessed Moslem, should have created concern. Especially if that person is a member of the armed forces of the United States. Even some of his co-workers stated that He at least should have been confronted about these beliefs, told to cease and desist, and to shape up or ship out.

Now, after the fact, it's becoming clear that he had ties to radical Islamic factions, and that the FBI knew it. Actually, he was under investigation. Facts are now coming to light concerning Hasan's contact with terrorist groups. If these things are known now, after the shootings, it stands to reason that many of them were in plain sight BEFORE the attack. In other words, if those around him had been more vigilant before, and had followed common sense by reporting his unacceptable actions to the proper persons, this horror just might have been adverted. However, we now know that many did, indeed, report his radical behavior to certain persons, but they either ignored them, or felt they were unreliable. However, (and this is vital for our discussion) how many refused to take any action based on this damnable doctrine of political correctness. In other words, they refused to act on reports because they feared violating this terrorist's rights in some way. Or, they might offend someone in the Islamic community.

Political Correctness!

What is this thing called Political Correctness that has so handcuffed law enforcement in their efforts to protect this nation from more terrorist activities It is my belief that, if early Americans believed in political correctness the way many do now, we'd still be subjects bound to the British crown. Thank goodness some liberal jerk hadn't thought up the political correctness concept just before the shot that was heard around the world was fired.

Allow me to give a few more examples.

In his book, The End of Sanity, Martin Gross writes that blatantly irrational behavior is rapidly being established as the norm in almost every area of human endeavor. There seem to be new customs, new rules, new anti-intellectual theories regularly foisted on us from every direction. Underneath, the nation is roiling. Americans know something without a name is undermining the nation, turning the mind mushy when it comes to separating truth from falsehood and right from wrong. And they don't like it. We now know that name! It is called political correctness.

At Antioch college in Ohio, young men seeking intimacy with a coed must get verbal permission at each step of the process from kissing to petting to final copulation... all clearly spelled out in a printed college directive (if you could program a robot to make love, that might be how it would be done).

In New Jersey, despite the death of several patients nationwide who had been infected by dentists who had concealed their AIDs --- the state commission announced that health providers who are HIV-positive need not tell their patients that they are infected.

At William and Mary, students tried to change the name of the school team The Tribe because it was supposedly insulting to local Indians, only to learn that authentic Virginia chiefs truly like the name.

In San Francisco, city fathers passed an ordinance protecting the rights of transvestites to cross-dress on the job, and for transsexuals to have separate toilet facilities while undergoing sex change surgery.

In New York City, kids who don't speak a word of Spanish have been placed in bilingual classes to learn their three R's in Spanish solely because their last names sound Hispanic.

One example I read sort of told it all. David Howard, head of the Washington D.C. Office of Public Advocate, used the word niggardly while talking to colleagues about budgetary matters. Of course, niggardly means stingy or scanty. But within days Howard was forced to publicly apologize and resign. As columnist Tony Snow wrote David Howard got fired because some people in public employ were morons who (a) didn't know the meaning of niggardly,(b) didn't know how to use a dictionary to discover the meaning, and (c) actually demanded that he apologize for their ignorance.

It seems that, in so many cases, those who make certain demands that we stay within the so-called political correct bounds do so out of nothing more than stupidity.

Charleston Heston stated in an address to students; What does all of this mean It means that telling us what to think has evolved into telling us what to say , so telling us what to do can't be far behind. Before you claim to be a champion of free thought, tell me Why did political correctness originate on America's campuses And why do you continue to tolerate it Why do you, who're supposed to debate ideas, surrender to their suppression Let's be honest. Who here thinks your professors can say what they really believe It scares me to death, and should scare you too, that the superstition of political correctness rules the halls of reason. You are the best and the rightist. You, here in the fertile cradle of American academia, here in the castle of learning on the Charles River, you are the cream. But I submit that you, and your counterparts across the land, are the most socially conformed and politically silenced generation since Concord Bridge. And as long as you validate that and abide it... you are - by your grandfathers' standards - cowards.

Here's another example. Right now at more than one major university, Second Amendment scholars and researchers are being told to shut up about their findings or they'll lose their jobs. Why Because their research findings would undermine big-city mayor's pending lawsuits that seek to extort hundreds of millions of dollars from firearm manufacturers. I don't care what you think about guns. But if you are not shocked at that, I am shocked at you. Who will guard the raw material of unfettered ideas, if not you

If we are not careful, this thing called political correctness is going to take our country right down to third world status. We can no longer properly defend our nation from nut case radicals because we may in some way offend their tender feelings. Law Enforcement can no longer investigate some person who fits the profile of a criminal, terrorist, or whatever because to do so would not be political correct.

In closing, may I ask you to consider what is possibly the most accurate definition of political correctness I have ever heard. Simply put, political correctness is a way that someone claimed a t__d could be picked up by the clean end. If you can figure out how to do that, you most likely politically correct.

In a follow-up article I will discuss the issues now present in our country that DEMAND heavier handed government action just to keep our status of FREEDOM WITHOUT CHAOS intact, how political correctness threatens to force us into the stone age, and how you, as a citizen, can help turn this tide around.

Thomas Wolfhunter Turner

During my past 50 years of Law Enforcement, College, Teaching, and all the other things I have witnessed, I have seen our nation's ability to protect itself fade away. Much of it is due to this thing called political correctness. We cannot even closely observe those who present a picture of evil. We might ruffle their tender feathers. They may whine that we are not being sensitive to their feelings. So, they keep on committing crimes against us and our nation, and those who should be protecting us are more concerned about their rights than about the rights of the victims. If this does not stop, we are sure to fade away into the night, destroyed by own stupidity.

Isaiah 43;19 declares Behold, I will do a new thing, Now it shall spring forth; Shall you not know it I will even make a road in the wilderness and rivers in the desert.

A new thing Try this one on for size Just as the Apostle Paul brought the Good News to the Greeks, today's latch key kids will bring it to the GEEKS!

Here's what I mean. Does anybody remember those radical Jesus Freaks of the 60s and 70s They're still around. They became the pot-bellied Baby-Boomers we know and love today. These people seem to have become more conservative with age (having children of one's own will cause that transformation). After all, many who were once yesterday's liberals are today's conservatives. They scorn the vulgar videos and movies of today's youth and turn in disgust from the their nasty grunge clothes, pierced noses, and tattoos. These Boomers can't stand the in-yo-face vulgarity and arrogance of today's young no-commitment slackers.

To you pastors out there, I hate to break it to you, but these kids are the new recruits. These young people ARE the new Church. I call them the Omega Warriors.

Together, we Boomers must get over something that is much more than a generation gap. It's the most paradigm of paradigm shifts because there is a total misunderstanding of these newbies on the part of today's organized Church. The Boomers must come to recognize the hidden sorrows faced by today's latch-key kids . . . the heart-rending despair of their broken homes and the poor parental skills under which they were subjected as we've together discovered that TV makes a terrible surrogate parent. This is the stuff of their lives that makes them act that way.

Christians, gone are the days of the one-talking-to-many mediums, the talking heads of today's Baby-Boomer Christianity. We are entering a one-to-one digital medium. These kids want to interact. They desire interdependency. They want to collaborate and dialogue with others. Common interests are drawing these kids into common communities. One quick glance at their Internet chat rooms makes this extremely evident. They'll discuss anything. They WANT to commune.

SOMETHING OUT OF NOTHING

Can we discern the spiritual side of all the apparent nonsense they force us to deal with What can God do with so big a mess Consider that the idea of connecting to one another in another space is inherently spiritual. The notion of a covenant network of allied individuals is certainly Christian. And, perhaps for the first time in human history, the Body of Christ can be perceived as being truly global, totally possible, and walking in more agreement than we ever imagined. How is this being made possible By way of the Internet.

Nobody's better at negotiating The 'Net than today's youth.

It is important to fulfill the great commission by getting the saving Gospel message to the people who need it most, claims Mark Harpt, President of the World Wide Christian Web. He continues, The amount of ignorance about the truth of God is staggering, especially in countries that produce the greatest technological advances. These people need God and wireless Internet technology is a great way to let them know that the God who created the universe wants to enter into a special relationship with them if they will allow it.

Sadly, many of today's Church leaders - some of whom were yesterday's radical Jesus Freaks - have largely missed what is happening right under their noses because they see the lowly computer as nothing more than a glorified office machine at best, a tool of the devil at worst. True, the predictions regarding the information highway may seem like so much hype today, but the wise Christian leader will prayerfully consider its impact in regard to tomorrow. Though computers may hardly seem to be of any significance where the future of the Church is concerned, the way the Church utilizes this tool may totally change Christianity on planet Earth as we know it. I can attest that it has totally revolutionized my own personal ministry as I'd rather broadcast the Word of God to millions with the click of a button than preach to a group of 12 or so. When I DO minister to live human beings, I ALWAYS return with a list of email addresses.

The new millennium is a watershed moment in Church history. The Internet will soon impact the growth of the Church at a staggering rate and at a global level. The question is, will YOU be part of it Some may say, We're miles ahead of the game at First Church! We have our own website.... Wrong! Again, for anyone to find that website, THEY must be looking for YOU.

The Church MUST make every effort to go to THEM!

SPIRITUAL CONSUMERS OR SPIRITUAL PRODUCERS

Last Wednesday night, I was almost late for my Coffee Studio Bible study. Why I saw a commercial for NBC's Dateline with Stone Phillips in which a ministry team was performing an exorcism in a condo in North Carolina. Yes, we taped it for later but we watched it, too. When I finally joined the Coffee Studio group, some had been watching the same program there and had caught the show as well. Early in the program, Phillips made the statement, As many as 10,000 exorcisms take place annually in the USA, most by evangelical Christians. (I'm performing one this Saturday. We had one last month at a Bed & Breakfast, too, an Englishman. Man, I am REALLY enjoying Christianity, you)

Regardless of one's stance on demons and exorcisms, on that same video cassette, a friend included a segment from the 700 Club, a Pat Robertson interview with author James Rutz about his new book, Megashift. When my wife and I watched it, I was spellbound. After listening to Rutz, I ran upstairs to read what I could about his book on-line, my wife following close behind. I found this quote, If you read one 'Christian book' this year, make it 'Megashift' by Jim Rutz. -- Joseph Farah, founder of WorldNetDaily

Another book review read as follows The 1700-year nightmare is over. A megashift of spiritual power into the hands of ordinary people is about to overwhelm the world and put it into vastly better shape. Prepare yourself to take part in a total makeover of Planet Earth!

It went on to say You are about to discover a new world where...

Over a billion non-Christians may become highly active Christians in the next dozen years.

A whole new form of Christianity promises to bring a far greater impact than the Protestant Reformation.

Millions of ordinary people are doing miracles.

God has brought hundreds ofpeople back from the dead, mostly in the last 15 years. These are not near-death experiences, but real resurrections of actual corpses. (NOTE It's true. In the last decade, 52 countries report dead being raised and diseases miraculously cured.)

New book tells all Megashift not only documents a wide range of miracles, but also spotlights hundreds of thousands of house-church teams around the globe that are producing a new culture of responsible freedom. In these teams, people are allowed to speak and interact. They often form deep friendships, dump their heaviest problems, turn into free and powerful spearheads of worldwide change, and get connected with God and man in ways that almost defy description. This is a Megashift away from spectator religion.

Funniest thing, in the early 90's, Rutz was sharing this vision and, when some men from my church attended a meeting of his, they laughed at his odd notions. Many did the same.

Now, we're buying his books.

A GROWING OPPORTUNITY 8% CHURCH GROWTH PER YEAR!

My home town boasts a community growth rate of about 3% annually; the local college, about 7% per year. This is for perspective. One item mentioned in Megashift was this There is a hidden world that already has 707 million evangelicalcharismatic Christians who are growing by an incredible 8% a year. In the center of this shockwave are roughly 100 million in informal networks of committed circles who run their own show without buildings, paid pastors, or sermons. Megashift is a startling introduction to that surge of grass roots power and love, which is forming the culture you will soon live in.

It appears God is using the rank and file, willing Believers across the globe, more and more these days, and OUTSIDE the friendly confines of Churchianity at that! Rutz mentioned having met a 7-year old boy in India who died at age 5. The boy had scars from where he was burned by a power line. On the emergency room table for two hours, doctors could not revive him. The hospital contacted a church which called a 60-year old Indian woman to pray for the boy. She was illiterate; an untouchable; the lowest of the low in the Indian caste system. She prayed until 4 AM. The boy was alive with no brain damage or any other physical problems. When Rutz asked the woman if she had ever done this before, she replied that she had been involved in sixteen resurrections!

The Church, as we have it set up now...is really not set up to handle it all so God is empowering people to work through small teams, house churches particularly, school churches, business churches and so forth...small teams where people are able to interact and work with each other...kind of like the early New Testament idea of going house to house..., Rutz said.

Are you ready Church leaders, is your Church infrastructure in place, or are you expecting these young people to come to Church, learn the prayers and hymns and when to say 'Amen and listen while you teach them where to sit, how to act...and expect them to do so for the next 70 years

Sorry, but as one who has spent many years with teens and collegians in ministry, these young lions gotta roar!

Me I contend that, not only are these pierced 'n tattooed, navel-flashing, latch-key kids our latest raw recruits but that America's corporate offices are going to be the place of another huge move of God as well. Such things HAVE to be so because we spend so much time there. Is the Church going to meet them where they're at, or cling to its pews - those medieval torcher devices - with both hands, serving the Institution rather than the Institutor Just as Aquila and Priscilla were there, strategically in place to greet the Apostle Paul after his Damascus Road conversion, will you be there for these kids when they need you to be Again, I'm NOT talking about greeting them at the door of a church building - I may be talking about going to their campus, joining forces with other denominations and pooling funds for a youth event (we organized one that included 26 churches, 9 bands and over 1,000 kids) or starting a Coffee Shop Bible study where they can relax and be themselves.

Anything to show them that you LOVE (spelled T-I-M-E) them.

I met with 30 people around a campfire a few weeks ago here at my home in the woods. We cooked steaks and chicken and sang with guitars. We prayed about revival, too. People, we were BEING the Church and no less than 5 denominations were represented there. This past weekend, we knocked on doors throughout the county and prayed for people at their doorsteps - Lutheran alongside Baptist alongside Pentecostal alongside Church of the Nazarene. Eleven denominations in all, taking our town by storm for the third time (we're going out again in mid-September)[as i re-read this dated article, we hare about to go out our fourth time and have already prayed at 30,000 doorsteps]. Though it may appear that Satan has strategically managed to make workaholics out of us and has systematically drawn millions of mommies out of their homes in an effort to join the workforce, thereby creating legions of latch-key kids, the TRUTH is that our God WILL get His Church back (I'm not talking buildings, folks). God WILL have His way. Satan ALWAYS shoots himself in the foot.

Be a part of this upcoming revival. It's not going to look like anything any of us have ever seen.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Michael's mission is to bring Discipleship and Encouragement to the Body of Christ. Since 1999, he has broadcast over 300 hundred inspirational articles and a dozen booklets on subjects that will interest the thinking Christian, all designed to accelerate the process of spiritual development in God's people.

He is the founder of t.e.a.m. ministries (team1min@aol.com). An Author, Pastoral Counselor and Teacher, his eMail broadcasts, known as Your Town for Jesus are reaching millions around the globe WEEKLY. Write team1min@aol.com if you'd like to SUBSCRIBE.

A licensedordained minister, a Certified Workplace Chaplain, and a Professional Member of NIBIC, he has ministered in Methodist, Pentecostal, Charismatic, Baptist, Disciples of Christ, College and Cowboy churches. He is also a Speaker on the Christian Speaker Network and may be available to speak to your church or Christian group.

That the little gamboling Kangaroo mouse should dare to use combative tactics against the speedy Sidewinder is testimony either to family devotion, or a sporting nature never suspected in a rodent, although we accept the same spirit in the hawk-harrying birds. Sometimes a sidewinder track will show that a captious female has rejected one suitor after another (four in one case) only to accept another. For some unaccountable, possibly feminine, reason, this may be a spindly little runt about half her size.

The most unexpected activity one might expect in a rattler, or any snake for that matter, is the desire to dance, yet now and then one encounters signs in the dust indicating rhythmic movements that can only be called a snake dance. To date, no one knows whether members of the opposite sex participate, or whether the dance is a phony war between rival males. Whatever the final explanation may be, even rattlesnakes, the sprightly little sidewinder and the dour and ponderous desert diamondbacks, have their moments of romance. Ophidian love, while not romantic to the human way of thinking, is as expressive of enthusiasm as that of any other animals, and results as satisfactorily. In view of their antiquity and present abundance it could scarcely be otherwise.

As the sun rises higher and hotter, the desert reptiles, species by species, retreat to their own particular types of shelter, and thereafter venture out for food in short sallies. For those that must wait for sight of their prey in the open, where shade is difficult to find, other tactics for temperature control must be practiced. These species orient their bodies until they present to the sun only its smallest possible section. However, even these must retreat to shade, and on very hot days even the hardiest reptiles go underground where coolness and grateful darkness give them comfort. Snakes frequently employ a most admirable thermostatic behavior. They lie at the mouth of their dens exposing to the sun only sufficient body area to achieve the desired temperature, increasing or decreasing their loops to maintain almost perfect temperature control.

From these and other slowly accumulating bits of information, knowledge is being gained concerning possible climatic conditions of the past as well as the effects of climate in the present. The statistician- engineer and executive of industry, the high school and college boy and girl are contributing, little by little, to the store of knowledge of living things, from mouse to man and reptile to bird. The sum of this knowledge, like all knowledge, may strike a spark that will illuminate new aspects of a way of life, and each is learning self-discipline in work and thought.

David is the author of many articles including Best Friend Quotes and also the author of Best life quotes

College is a time of change for a lot of students. Moving away from home and living on your own is a drastic change in your life. Unfortunately, a lot of student use their new found freedom to develop bad habits that cause them to gain weight. Is the freshman 15 real Well whether you put on the full 15 pounds or not, I know firsthand that the bad habits and weight gain certainly are real. If you want to change your lifestyle and lose that weight and look your best while you're young, then you need to do these 3 things

Cut out the bad habits. Students develop bad habits when they move away from home and start their college lifestyle, and this is what is causing you to gain weight. You must reverse these bad habits if you wish to achieve college weight loss. Here are some of the bad habits that I've seen college students fall into

Drinking too much alcohol
Sleep deprivation
Eating out late at night
Skipping breakfast
Addicted to soda
Eating too many deserts
Making bad food choices
Skipping meals

Make an exercise plan and follow it

If you wish to achieve college weight loss, you need to get more exercise. It's not as bad as it sounds, and it can be as simple as walking to class. Most campuses are walkable, and you can burn a lot of extra calories everyday just by walking around. If walking is not for you, how about biking or rollerblading If you have to drive, maybe you can snag that parking spot far away from your building. As far as exercise, consider taking a weight training or circuit training class. These are some of the most effective weight loss training methods, and in class you can meet like-minded people who are interested in college weight loss.

Make a diet plan and follow it

If you want to lose weight, you need to have an approach to choosing what you eat. You can't just go to the cafe or out to eat and just wing it. There are too many foods out there that are bad for your weight, and it might not necessarily be obvious at first glance. You also need to determine when you will be away at classes so you can plan ahead and pack some healthy snacks. This way, you are not starving throughout your day, because that leads to binge eating and weight gain. With a plan for your diet and a little foresight, you can achieve college weight loss.

Need help formulating your diet and exercise plan to achieve college weight loss

Well, that's why I invented the Freshman 15 Challenge to help students like you reverse College freshman weight gain. I go through solutions that are tailored to your unique lifestyle.

I used to be a College student, and I managed to keep the freshman 15 off throughout my College years, and I know you can too. So, take the Freshman 15 Challenge, because you don't want to miss out on your chance to look your best!

Six AP Top 25 teams can testify what a pain in the butt road games are - all were upset during college football's 13th week of play, and 2 of the 6 will be facing off in the Atlantic Coast Conference championship game this week.

The six teams with targets on their back included 7th-ranked Georgia Tech, 15th-ranked Clemson, 8th-ranked Pittsburgh, 11th-ranked Oklahoma State, 20th-ranked Mississippi and 23rd-ranked North Carolina. All but Pittsburgh were not just on-the-road, but also tackling an in-state rival.

Georgia (7-5) beat the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets (10-2), 30-24, as the Bulldogs' Washaun Ealey rushed 20 times for 183 yards (9.15 yards per carry) and Caleb King rushed 18 times for 166 yards (9.22 ypc)-349 yards between them. Ealey and King sound like a comedy team but the Georgia Tech players were too busy sucking Louisiana pond water to laugh.

Georgia and its coach Mark Richt have taken their lumps this year with losses to Oklahoma State, LSU, Tennessee, Florida and Kentucky, but few can match Richt's 9-year record against in-state rival Georgia Tech. Richt is 8-1 against his prime rival, a fact that may save him his job since his 5 losses this year are the most he has had in any year at Georgia.

South Carolina (7-5) upset the Clemson Tigers (8-4), 34-17, as the Gamecocks' Stephen Garcia threw 3 touchdown passes. Clemson started well when C. J. Spiller opened the game with an 88-yard kickoff return for a TD, an NCAA record-setting 7th of his career, but that was about all the Tigers could bring to the table.

South Carolina's 24th ranked scoring defense held Clemson's 24th ranked scoring offense in check-defense again trumping offense in an equal face off.

The surprise losses by Georgia Tech and Clemson put a real damper on the Atlantic Coast Conference championship game the two will play this Saturday; the winner will covet a spot in a BCS game and earn a big payday.

West Virginia (8-3) handed Pittsburgh (9-2) its second loss of the season, 19-16, when Mountaineer redshirt freshman Tyler Bitancurt ended the annual Backyard Brawl by successfully kicking a 43-yard field goal as time expired. It was Bitancurt's 4th field goal of the night so he personally accounted for 63% of West Virginia's 19 points. West Virginia's defense stood tall, keeping the Panthers out of the end zone on 5 Pittsburgh drives inside the Mountaineers' 30-yard line.

Oklahoma (7-5) took time out from its pedestrian season to remind Oklahoma State (9-3) who really rules the Big 12 in Oklahoma by shutting out the Cowboys, 27-0. The Sooners' DeMarco Murray scored two TDs and Ryan Broyles returned a punt 88 yards for another score. The defeat was tough to swallow for Oklahoma State since the Cowboys were seeking their first ever BCS bowl appearance.

Mississippi State (now 5-7) not only upset Mississippi (8-4), but hammered Ole Miss, 41-27, in shocker. A backup quarterback-Chris Relf-accounted for 3 touchdowns and Anthony Dixon rushed for 133 yards and another TD as the Mississippi Rebels looked on in disbelief. Known as the annual Egg Bowl, Mississippi surely laid one.

The 41 points scored by Mississippi State was the most by the Bulldogs in the 106-year series since a 41-14 victory in 1917, and the most Ole Miss has given up this season.

North Carolina State (5-7) upset North Carolina (8-4), 28-27, as the Wolfpack's Russell Wilson connected with Owen Spencer on a 38-yard, go-ahead TD pass two plays into the 4th quarter. Wilson threw 4 TD passes in the game and Alan-Michael Cash blocked a field goal attempt with about 5 minutes left to seal the Tar Heels attempted comback. The win was the Wolfpack's 3rd straight against the in-state rival North Carolina Tar Heels.

Four other Top 25 teams didn't miss a beat while beating in-state rivals in away games.

No. 2-ranked Alabama (12-0) remained unbeaten by sliding by Auburn (7-5), 26-21. No. 3-ranked Texas (12-0) remained unbeaten by outlasting Texas A&M (6-6), 49-39. No. 14-ranked Virginia Tech (9-3) slammed Virginia (3-9), 42-13; and No. 19th-ranked Miami Florida (9-3) put down South Florida (7-4), 31-10.

Eight other Top 25 teams won home games, and 4 of the 8 won against in-state rivals as well-Florida, Brigham Young, Southern California and Houston.

No. 1-ranked Florida (12-0) remained unbeaten by pounding Florida State (6-6), 37-10, as the Gators' Tim Tebow threw for 3 touchdowns and ran for 2 more. The victories by unbeaten Florida and Alabama sets up a clash for the SEC title game this Saturday, and the winner earns the right to play in the final season-ending game for the National Championship.

No. 18-ranked Brigham Young (10-2) turned back No. 22-ranked Utah (now 9-3), 26-23, as senior quarterback Max Hall found Andrew George with a 25-yard TD pass in overtime. The win by the Cougars was their 3rd in 4 years over the uppity Utah Utes, who intercepted Hall 5 times last year in a 48-24 blowout on their home field.

Max Hall sought revenge and redemption, and created enough smack talk after BYU's win to fill a bulletin board in Utah's Salt Lake City locker room. Here is Mad Max on the Utah Utes

I don't like Utah. In fact, I hate them. I hate everything about them. I hate their program, their fans. I hate everything. It felt real good to send those guys home. I think the whole university and their fans and the organization is classless. They threw beer on my family and stuff last year and did a whole bunch of nasty things. I don't respect them and they deserved to lose.

Well, thanks, Max, for letting us know how you feel.

No. 24-ranked Southern Cal (8-3) beat UCLA (6-6), 28-7; and No. 25-ranked Houston (10-2) just decimated Rice (2-10), 73-14, as Case Kellum passed for 323 yards and 2 touchdowns and ran for another score. The Houston Cougars have the top-scoring offense in the nation, racking up an average of 45 points a game.

No. 4-ranked Texas Christian (12-0) remained unbeaten at home by whipping New Mexico (1-11), 51-10, as Andy Dalton matched a career-high 4 TD passes with two of them to Antoine Hicks in a 12-second span. The win wrapped up TCU's first undefeated regular season in 71 years-that is a long time between rains in the dusty Texas desert.

No. 5-ranked Cincinnati (11-0) remained unbeaten by outlasting a really crummy 3-8 Illinois team, 49-36. The win was a sad statement for the Bearcats. Cincinnati has the 19th best scoring defense in the nation, but the Bearcats apparently had too many tacos prior to this game.

No. 6-ranked Boise State (12-0) remained unbeaten in an offensive display by outlasting Nevada (8-4), 44-33, as Kellen Moore tied his career-high 5 touchdown passes. Nevada was a worthy opponent as the Wolf Pack had averaged 52 points per game while winning 8 straight. Boise State is 2nd nationally in scoring offense and Navada is 5th.

No. 17-ranked LSU (9-3) had its hands full while beating Arkansas (7-5), 33-30, as Tiger Josh Jasper hit a 41-yard field goal with 4 seconds left to force an overtime, and then made a 36-yarder to score the win.

Two more unranked teams became bowl eligible. Wyoming (6-6) just slipped by Colorado State (3-9), 17-16, and Connecticut (6-6) easily beat Syracuse (4-8), 56-31.

There were two candidates for the no-defense game of the week. Stanford (8-4) nipped Notre Dame (6-6), 45-38. Stanford is 65th nationally in scoring defense and Notre Dame is 64th. Utah State (4-8) upset Idaho (7-5), 52-49. Utah State is ranked 107th nationally in scoring defense and Idaho 111th.

There is no telling how many more games the Idaho Vandals would have won with a decent defense, their offense had no problem putting up points as they ranked 23rd in scoring offense.

Central Michigan (10-2) won its 10th game of the season by beating Northern Illinois (7-5), 45-31. Ohio (9-3) handed Temple (9-3) its first loss after 9 straight victories, beating the Owls 35-17.

In the abbreviation game of the week, UCF (8-4) beat UAB (5-7) by a touchdown, 34-27. It reminded one of the old George Carlin comedic routine where as a sportscaster he says, And now for some scores... 5-2, 6-5, 7-3, 2-1 and in a shutout, 1-0. If you are wondering, that was the University of Central Florida over the University of Alabama at Birmingham.

Southern Methodist (7-5) continues to get better with a 26-21 against Tulane (3-9). SMU led 20-14 after 3 quarters and then did what many teams cannot do, close out the win without screwing it up.

Navy (now 8-4) traveled to Hawaii (6-6) and promptly made the Warriors bowl eligible by losing, 24-17. There is an unconfirmed rumor that the Samoan section of the Warriors, after a 17-17 tie at halftime, ate more coconuts during halftime, thus refueling to hold the Midshipmen scoreless in the second half.

One more game was worth noting. Washington (4-7) shut out in-state rival Washington State (1-11), 30-0, in the Apple Cup. The Huskies began the season by losing by 8 points to 11th-ranked LSU, then beat Idaho, upset 3rd-ranked Southern California, lost away games to Stanford and Notre Dame, upset Arizona, then suffered 4 more defeats before blanking the Washington State Cougars.

The game was significant for several reasons

1) It was Washington's first shutout over Washington State in 45 years; the last one came during a 14-0 victory in 1964.

2) The Husky's defensive shutout was its first since a 27-0 win over Southern California in 1997, a span of 143 games.

3) Freshman Chris Polk rushed for 130 yards, pushing his season rushing total 1,019, breaking quarterback Jake Locker's freshman record of 986 rushing yards, making Polk the first freshman in school history to top 1,000 yards, and marking the 4th consecutive game that Polk has topped 100 yards rushing. And, yes, the Huskies are very excited about their freshman running back.

4) Washington State's 11 losses this season are the most in Cougar history.

5) Washington State's 22 losses in two seasons are the most ever in Pac-10 history. The Cougars were 2-11 last season.

Six Top 25 teams were idle this week-9th-ranked Ohio State (10-2), 10th-ranked Oregon (9-2), 12th-ranked Penn State (10-2), 13th-ranked Iowa (10-2), 16th-ranked Oregon State (8-3), and 21st-ranked California (8-3). Ohio State, Penn State and Iowa have completed their season play.