Tolerance

Good morning. How are y'all doing?  I pray that everyone finds this post in good health and spirits.  Things are going great out here.  My wife is on the truck with me this week and things are going great.  I really have missed having her with me 24/7.  We use to team drive and you couldn't pry us apart with anything.  We were constantly together.  It was wonderful.  What is great is that we still have that same feeling for each other.  We always have that desire to be with each other.  I really feel what Dolly Parton is singing when she says, "It is too bad that money has to keep us apart."

We are currently at Alco in Llano, TX.  At 0800 we have to deliver some products to them and pick up some things that has to be returned to Abilene, KS.  This is a brand new Alco store that hasn't opened yet.  

I have been thinking. Do y'all find it amazing that the people who cry out for tolerance of other peoples lifestyle is actually the least tolerant? In looking at all the demonstrations in America and listening to different groups and people, I find that most (I know not all) Christians are actually more for the freedom of people living as they want and saying as they want as long as they don't hurt others, then the people who call the Bible a hate book. Christians believe that EVERYONE has the right to live any lifestyle they want. They also believe that EVERYONE has the right to disagree with the way some people live and with what some people do. Christians believe in freedom of speech. Christians do not believe in FORCING others to agree with them. Those that keep crying out "tolerance" and call the Bible a hate book are only for tolerance if it is in line with their belief. If you disagree with them then they want you to

 be silenced. How do they silence you? By saying that your words and belief are hateful. The purpose of this is to make those who disagree with them afraid to speak out. What is crazy is that those who disagree with these people are hateful for disagreeing with their lifestyle but yet, they are not hateful for disagreeing with the Christian lifestyle. Hmmm.

God isn't hate and neither is the Bible. Anyone who says the Bible is a hate book has not read the Bible. Actually, the Bible tells us to love people but hate sin. Simple as that. If you love people then you can't love sin. If you love people you can't accept sinful actions. It is because of what the Bible tells us that Christians do allow people to live in sin, if they wish to do so. The Bible does instruct us not to force people to live according to the way God tells us nor to silence them. It is interesting that Christians practice what the people who cry "tolerance" say they want everyone to do. Yet ... it is the Christians who are made out to be hateful.

The next time you hear someone say "Those people hate ...". Stop and think. Why is that person saying this? Is it simply cause they disagree with him or her? Is it hate to disagree with someone? If so, then does he or she hate them? They probably do hate the person they are saying hates.  

Mitt Romney responsible for steel plant closure?

Greetings in the name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  How is everyone doing?  Things are going good out here on the road.  I am currently at Alco Distribution Center in Abilene, KS waiting on a load that will take me to the house.  I can't wait.  When I pull out of the driveway on Sunday afternoon, my wife will be on the truck with me.  The children will be with my little sister while my wife comes out on the road with me for a week.  It will not only be good for me to spend a week with her, but it will be good for her to have a week off from the house and kids.  It will also be good for us to have time together and get caught up.

Priorities USA posted this Ad about Mitt Romney and Bain Capital and how their actions caused this man's wife to die of Cancer. If you have not seen the ad, please take a moment to watch this video before reading the rest of this blog:

I am very sorry for anyone who has cancer or losses someone to cancer. I do know the pain it causes. I lost my dad to cancer. So I do know the feeling.  But what this man did is wrong and he isn't showing love by using his wife's as a campaign ad.  I could never imagine doing such a thing with my dad's death.

Before I go to discredit this Ad, I want to ask everyone a question. Should any company stay open just to keep people employed and provide health care? If a company is losing money, should the owners keep that company open and put themselves on the street just for the employees? If you say "yes" then let me know when you start a business. I will be sure not to buy your stocks. I may work for you though. Just cause I know I will be OK even though you are homeless. I hate to tell y'all this, but that is selfishness and not rooted in love. You should not expect anyone to ruin their life just for you.

Something about Bain Capital and all other companies like them. They do not take over companies. If a company is doing poor, they CALL on Bain Capital to either help them turn the company around or to liquidate everything and get the most out of what they have left before the owner do loose everything. Unfortunately, sometimes that means closing plants and stores down. But, this is the risk of having a business. Sometimes it doesn't work out. But sometimes it is the fault of the business owners. They mismanage the business, are not good stewards over the funds, or they started a business and people don't want the product or service. This steel plant wasn't doing good and I think everyone should know that the American Steel Industry wasn't doing good anyway. If anything, Bain probably kept this steel plant open longer then it normally would have on its own.

OK, lets look at the facts. This man (and all of the employees) was given a buy out before the steel plant closed. Mitt Romney left Bain in 1999 to work at the Winter Olympic in Nevada. The Steel Plant closed in 2001. Therefor, Romney had nothing to do with the closure. This man's wife had her own health insurance from her own job. Therefor, it was her health insurance that paid for treatments and tests. If she didn't say nothing about her illness, it wasn't cause they had no health insurance. In fact, even he had insurance thru her. So, they did have health insurance. His wife passed away 5 years after he lost his job. I think that no employer could be tied to that.

This just goes to prove a point. You need to challenge everything. I don't pay attention to these ads anyway cause they are just ads. No different then an ad to get you to buy something. They are out to make a product or person look good. So, when it comes to picking a candidate, look at their work history. 

Take care and God Bless.

Love,
The Oklahoma Tomcat
www.facebook.com/oktomcat

So ... you are a Christian and don't believe the Bible is the word of God?

“And He made known to us the mystery of His will according to His good pleasure, which He purposed in Christ, to be put into effect when the times will have reached their fulfillment–to bring all things in heaven and on earth together under one head, even Christ”  (Ephesians 1:9,10).

Greetings in the name of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.  How are you doing?  I pray that this blog finds you in good health and spirits.   I am currently at Kansas Truck Center in Salina, KS.  My truck was having problems and it had two recalls, so I am having it worked on before picking up tonight and going home.  If all goes well I will be home early tomorrow morning.  

While being shutdown for truck repairs, I thought I would take the time to blog about a subject that kinda saddens me.  That topic is Christians who don't believe God has put His word in writing for His people.  In other words, Christians who don't believe that the Bible is the Word of God.  Now, I know that there are Christians who believe that the Bible isn't the word of God but believes that the word of God is another "holy" book or papers.  If that is you AND YOU READ those books or papers and FOLLOW them, then I am not directing this blog towards you.  I disagree with you, but this blog isn't about you.  I am talking about those who believe that God didn't leave His word for us.

This saddens me cause these people don't know God.  They have no idea what God has planned for them.  They are lost in life and live life without true guidance.  There life is an experiment and usually live life trial after trial.  If this is you, why would you think that a loving God would put you on earth without telling you how to best live your life?  Seems rather cruel to me.  Do you really believe that God put you here to experiment with life?  To risk you messing up and live miserable life?

How do you know right from wrong?  When I ask a Christian who doesn't think the Bible is the word of God this question I usually get the reply, "Well, it is easy to tell right from wrong."  Is it?  Think about that for a moment.  Are we born to know good?  If you say, "Yes" then you either never had a child or you were blind in thinking your child was an angle.  No human is born knowing what good is.  NONE.  Every person is born selfish and selfishness is not love.  In fact, selfishness is hate and it causes wars and fights.  EVERY CHILD IS SELFISH and must be taught selflessness.  Any good that you have was taught to you by someone in your life.  Here is the problem.  How do you know that the good you were taught is actually good?  Have you challenged it?  If so, what have you challenged it to?  Your own feelings and emotions?  If you believe that you are so good that you can depend on yourself then not only do you not understand human nature, but you also think very highly of yourself.  That means you are self righteous.  I know human nature very well.  I see it in myself and in every person I come into contact with.  Human nature isn't good at all.  In fact, this is one of the problems we have in society today.  People actually believe that we are born to be good and learn hate.  Because of this, parents do not train up a child to know what love is.  Then we look around us at children and young adults and ask, "What happened?"   We do need to be told what love is.  We can't depend on ourselves to know this and we can't depend on others either.  To think that a loving God who wants us to treat one another with love would put us on earth without some kind of instructions as to what love really is just doesn't make sense. 


How do you know how to make good decisions?  There are different ways trials happen in life.  Some trials happen cause life is hard, some are created by others, but most happen cause we don't listen to God.  Do you believe this?  If so, then how do you think God tells you how to live life?  How does God tell you what decisions you should make?  LOTS of people do not handle finances very poorly and get into lots of debt.  They spend money foolishly.  Do you really think God didn't tell us about financial responsibility?  How about parenting.  I hear lots of people say that a single person with no children know nothing about parenting.  If you say this, do you really know what you are saying?  You are saying that God wants your first child to be an experiment and learning experience.  That doesn't sound like a loving God, does it?  How about marriage?  Do you think God wants you to wait till AFTER you get married to know what it takes to have a good marriage?  Is that a loving God?  If you truly believe that God didn't give you instructions on how to have a successful life, then you must think God doesn't really love us.


What is your purpose in life?  Do you think your life is to aimlessly wonder the earth with no purpose?  Or do you think God has a purpose but He is keeping it a secret and you have to find it for yourself?  Not a good Father to have His children wonder around aimlessly and go through failure after failure needlessly, is He?  A loving Father would be up front with His purpose for His children.  A loving Father would tell His children what He expects of them, wouldn't He?  So, if you truly believe that God is loving, then you would have to think that He did give us instructions and told us what His purpose for us is and why we are here on earth in a physical body.


Why is there pain and suffering?  Did God create diseases?  If not, why does He allow disease and suffering?  It is important for Christians to know the answers to these questions without a doubt cause this topic is used by non-believers to put doubt in Christian minds.  I hear so many atheists use this on me to try to prove that there is no God.  Luckily, I know the answer cause I know where God gives us the answer.  Do you know the answer or do you believe that God doesn't tell us why we must suffer here on earth.  Do you truly believe God would be heartless and let us suffer without telling us why?


Why does God hate sin?  Did God just give us a bunch of rules with the attitude of "Just do as I say" with no reason behind them?  You know, if you understand the reason God made the rules and why He hates sin, you are more likely to obey them and the more you would love God for them.  This is were we, adults, are like children.  Does your child obey you more when you have reasons for your rules or is you make rules without reasoning.  If you always have reasons for telling your child to do something, then the time when you tell your child to do something without a reason, your child just does it cause they trust you.  We are the same way.  Do you understand sin?  Do you even know what sin is?  If you don't believe that God told us then you must think that God doesn't want you to know what sin is and why He hates it.


How do you even know that there is a God?  If God didn't leave you with His word, then how do you even know there is a God?  Truth is, you can't be sure.  A person with very convincing "proof" can go to you and convince you that there is no God by showing you what "expert scientists" have found.  


Truth is, God did give us His written word.  He has told us what is the best way to live life, how to avoid most trials in life, how to deal with unavoidable trials, what is sin and why sin is bad, how to treat others, how to manage finances, how to find a wife or husband, why marriage is important, how to raise children, why families is so important to God, and what love really is.  God has given us all of this and more.  Why?  Cause He loves us.  If you believe that God didn't give you instructions on life, then you can't believe God loves you.  It is as simple as that.


Well, I must go and check on the progress of my truck.  I pray that this blog will help you in considering that God does love you enough to tell you how best to live life and avoid unnecessary trials.  Take care and God Bless.


Love,
The Oklahoma Tomcat
www.facebook.com/oktomcat