Another Day at The DMV

Just another day at the DMV.


Posted 3/11/2010 11:58 AM PST on MyDesert.com

Been in Seattle for a few weeks of medical tests and vigorous prodding, trying to figure out why my body is starting to act like one with its own mind about how, why or where it is or is not going. A good friend said it wasn’t age that gets you, it’s the mileage. Guess that’s true. Even my walker won’t go where I aim it.



Because of a return of dyslexia, I have been banned from the computer for a while, but had to share a few funny things this morning anyway.



Got a call from a broken hearted, angry with the system, granddaughter the other day. Seems she was taking her driver’s test and the instructor/tester guy told her half way through the driving test to turn around and return to the DMV. She had already far exceeded the number of errors to pass the test.



I had to laugh. Her older uncle, who, today, is a certified race car driver, flunked his first test when he ran a stop sign. He told the instructor that he had already stopped at a stop sign a block away and didn’t think it made sense that they would make him do it twice. Glad he doesn’t drive Toyotas.



His older brother was told to pull off the road five minutes into his test and told to breathe normally for 5 minutes before resuming the test. He passed thanks to a caring instructor.



One lady I know not only failed but was given a ticket for freezing up and blocking a Fire Engine from getting out of its garage onto the street. Her excuse was that the all the sirens scared her.



My wife was driving her car through an intersection, on a green light when she was broadsided by a car, whipping through against the red light. Turned out it was a young girl taking her driver’s test. Through her tears, she cried out to the instructor, “Does this mean I don’t pass the test?”



My Neighbor and I were walking out of a DMV office after getting bus driver OKs for our licenses. A car a was pulling into the parking slot by the door, as a happy mom was waving victory signs at her son, who continued to drive straight through the plate glass window and into the waiting room.



You gotta wonder what goes through the minds of these dear souls who get into cars with these new drivers. I think there is a lot of fear.



I was moving from one state to another and it required that I take the driving test to get the new license. I was like number 4 on the list and the car with number three came in, jumping the curb crossing the sidewalk and landing against a chain link fence.



The officer slowly got out, filled out some paperwork, quietly told the young lady to take it in to the clerk and turned to me, standing at the door of my own vehicle.



“Get in,” he said sharply, which I quickly did.



He put his head back against the head rest. “Drive.”



“Where?”



“Anywhere. Just drive and don’t talk.”



Fifteen minutes later, he let out deep sigh and said, “OK, Let’s go back now. Just don’t talk.”



Fifteen minutes later, I pulled into a free spot at the DMV and he stepped out, smiled, said thanks and handed me a sheet that said PASSED.



Just one last story: I was renewing my license and slowly working my way out of a very crowded parking lot when a young girl backed out right smack into the side of my old beater 1976 Ford pick-up.



The Kid was beyond destroyed. The look of immediate death was written all over her face.



Her mother, first time passenger with daughter was moaning like a cow birthing its first calf.



I looked at the dents she made among the many other dents to the truck over the years, smiled wistfully and said.. “Having lived through this with 7 of my own kids, I understand your pain. Mom, drive your daughter home and be happy my BMW is in the shop.”



With that, I hopped back into my truck, did not look back and finally worked my way out to the real world, away from the world of the DMV.



At least down here in the desert, we don’t have as much of an issue since a third of the drivers have never visited a DMV office to take the tests.Comments (0)
Permanent Link

February 2010 Update Report

February 2009 Update Report

Note From Ed

I have been holding off sending this update so that it coincided with the installation of our new website. Were that it were so. We are ‘on the edge.’ I was told the 1st of January, then the 1st of February and now we are shooting for the 15th of February. Yes… this year.. Pray for me!
Problem is that I have thousands of things on the site, running from Newsletters to video clips to books to articles to my new blog to a bookstore to old audio files I want to be also available for iPod downloads and even a whole section for the works of the late John L. Smith.

Keep us in prayer. We will have an interactive site for you and it will be soon. We have had to go outside the ministry for professional help and while it has been costly, it is probably the smartest thing we have done with the site since we started this process so long ago.

Meanwhile, I have had to go through every file and review, edit, update and expand. That is finished…thankfully so. What a project that was.

While January has been a tight month financially, it has been a profitable month in souls... So many have been writing, emailing in about finding the real Jesus that I am ecstatic. I am going to print out a few of the notes that have come in.

I hate to even bring the subject up, but we sure are broke right now and anything you can do to help us out would be a major blessing. You can send a gift though our website donation button, send a gift by PayPal to gifts@saintsalive.com or call it in at 1-800-861-9888


Your brother in Christ, Ed Decker

Another Thought about the New Website

Needless to say, the cost of the website, the technical support and our own server is pretty expensive, especially in tight times like we are now all experiencing.

Because the site does not support itself with donations from its users, we must find ways to keep it functioning. One way is to do advertising. We have signed up with Google Adsense and the site will have ads posted by Google that are triggered by key words such as Christian, Mormon, LDS, Masons, Bible, etc.

Do not be shocked to see an ad for LDS Singles. We have not gone to Hell in a hand-basket. These ads will generate the dollars we need to keep the thousands of articles and items on the site available at no cost for you.

One other solution is that YOU and those with whom you do business may want to buy ad space on the site with a monthly fee… guaranteed to have a prime ad position.

Another way would be for a number of you to commit a small dollar amount each month and when that gains enough ground, we would be able to drop the advertising.

Let me know your thoughts on the matter and if you have a better idea, let me know about it. Thanks so much!

Now, some news...

Egyptian Coptic Christian girls are being abducted,

slaves of Islam

By Julia Duin

The Washington Times Home » News » Faith Thursday, January 7, 2010

Ten years ago, I [ Julia] was in Egypt interviewing Coptic Christians who described how persecution by Muslims had become a way of life for them. The situation is worse now because of increased abductions of Coptic girls, who are forced into a sham marriage with a Muslim, raped, forced to convert to Islam and separated for good from their families.

These are girls as young as 12 who are being grabbed off Egyptian streets. Photos are taken while the girl is being raped to blackmail her into converting, says Mary Abdelmassih, a Coptic activist.

"She's told the pictures will go to her family," she told me. "They'd rather die than have that happen." Today (Jan. 7) being the Coptic Christmas, this as good a time as any to describe how these kidnappings are at epidemic levels in Egypt and how the plight of these poor women has become Christian sex slavery.

Read the full story at: http://washingtontimes.com/news/2010/jan/07/duin-coptic-girls-being-abducted/

Earth religion worship area opens AF academy

BY DAN ELLIOT

The Associated Press

February 2, 2010

From … http://www.aurorasentinel.com/articles/2010/02/02/news/doc4b67e50bb1695436487984.tx

DENVER -- The Air Force Academy has set aside an outdoor worship area for Pagans, Wiccans, Druids and other Earth-centered believers, school officials said Monday.

A double circle of stones atop a hill on the campus near Colorado Springs has been designated for the group, which previously met indoors.

“Being with nature and connecting with it is kind of the whole point,” said Tech. Sgt. Brandon Longcrier, who sponsors the group and describes himself as a Pagan. “It will dramatically improve that atmosphere, the mindset and the actual connection.”

The stones were moved to the hilltop last year because erosion threatened to make them unstable in their previous location near the visitors’ center. Crews arranged them in two concentric circles because they thought it would be a pleasant place for cadets to relax, Longcrier said.

JUST WHO IS

The Great Architect of the Universe?

THE TRUE DEITY OF MASONRY

THE ENERGIES OF LUCIFER


“When the Mason learns that the Key to the warrior
on the block is the proper application of the dynamo of
living power, he has learned the Mystery of his Craft.

The seething energies of LUCIFER are in his hands, and
before he may step onward and upward, he must prove
his ability to properly apply [this] energy.” (Manly P. Hall,
Lost Keys of Freemasonry, page 48)



YES, LUCIFER IS GOD


(Arthur E. Waite, himself a Freemason and ceremonial
magician, claims that the following quote is spurious.
However, we offer it because it fits in quite well with the
other writings of Albert Pike which are known to be
authentic; and because Waite’s scholarship in other areas
is highly suspect.—Ed)

“That which we must say to the crowd is—We
worship a God, but it is the God that one adores without
superstition. “To you, Sovereign Grand Inspectors General, we
say this, that you may repeat it to the Brethren of the
32nd, 31st and 30th degrees—The Masonic Religion
should be, by all of us initiates of the high degrees,
maintained in the purity of the Luciferian doctrine.

“If Lucifer were were not God, would Adonay (the
God of the Christians) whose deeds prove his cruelty,
perfidy, and hated of man, barbarism and repulsion for
science, would Adonay and his priests calumniate him?

 “Yes, Lucifer is God, and unfortunately Adonay is
also god. For the eternal law is that there is no light
without shade, no beauty without ugliness, no white
without black, for the absolute can only exist as two
gods; darkness being necessary for light to serve as its
foil as the pedestal is necessary to the statue, and the
brake to the locomotive.


“Thus, the doctrine of Satanism is a heresy;
and the true and pure philosophical religion is the belief in
Lucifer, the equal of Adonay; but Lucifer, God of Light

and  God of Good, is struggling for humanity against
Adonay, the God of Darkness and Evil.” (Instructions to
the 23 Supreme Councils of the World by Albert Pike,
Grand Commander, Sovereign Pontiff of Universal
Freemasonry, July 14, 1889. Recorded by A.C. De La
Rive in “La Femme et l’Enfant dans la Franc-MaÁonnËrie
Universelle” page 588)



(Ed) The Word of God, the Bible, clearly puts Lucifer in
his proper place, and gives God’s reasons. “How art
thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning!
How art thou cut down to the ground, which didst
weaken the nations! For thou hast said in thine heart, I
will exalt my throne above the stars of God; I will sit
also upon the mouth of the congregation, in the sides of
the north. I will ascend above the clouds; I will be like
the most High. Yet thou shalt be brought down hell, to
the sides of the pit.” (Isaiah 14:12-15)

THE CORE DOCTRINE OF MORMONISM

THE LAW OF ETERNAL PROGRESSION

By Ed Decker

Mormonism teaches that

"As man is, God once was, and as God is,

man may become"

Upon this axiom is based the entire theology of Mormonism.

From the Temple rituals for the living to those for their dead, from the teaching that Families are forever to the pressure on parents to send their youth to the mission fields across the world, the Mormon people are committed to a controlled program that maps out their entire lives as they seek their own exaltation and godhood. Let us look at this mystery religion in simple terms.

Mormonism teaches that trillions of planets scattered throughout the cosmos are ruled by countless gods who once were human like us.

They say that long ago, on one of these planets, to an unidentified god and one of his goddess wives, a spirit child named Elohim was conceived. This spirit child was later born to human parents who gave him a physical body.

Through obedience to Mormon teaching, death and resurrection, he proved himself worthy and was elevated to godhood as his father before him.

Mormons believe that Elohim is their Heavenly Father and that he lives with his many wives on a planet near a mysterious star called Kolob. Here the god of Mormonism and his wives, through endless Celestial sex, produced billions of spirit children

To decide their destiny, the head of the Mormon gods called a great heavenly council meeting. Both of Elohim's eldest sons were there, Lucifer and his brother Jesus.

A plan was presented to build planet earth where the spirit children would be sent to take on mortal bodies and learn good from evil. Lucifer stood and made his bid for becoming saviour of this new world. Wanting the glory for himself, he planned to force everyone to become gods. Opposing the idea, the Mormon Jesus suggested giving man his freedom of choice as on other planets. The vote that followed approved the proposal of the Mormon Jesus who would become saviour of the planet earth.

Enraged, Lucifer cunningly convinced one-third of the spirits destined for earth to fight with him and revolt. Thus, Lucifer became the devil and his followers the demons. Sent to this world in spirit form, they would forever be denied bodies of flesh and bone.

Those who remained neutral in the battle were cursed to be born with black skin. This is the Mormon explanation for the negro race. The spirits that fought most valiantly against Lucifer would be born into Mormon families on planet earth. These would be the lighter skinned people, or white and delightsome, as the Book of Mormon described them.

Early Mormon prophets taught that Elohim and one of his goddess wives came to the earth as Adam and Eve to start the human race. Thousands of years later, Elohim in human form once again journeyed to earth from the star base Kolob, this time to have physical relations with the Virgin Mary in order to provide Jesus with a physical body.

Mormon Apostle Orson Hyde taught that after Jesus Christ grew to manhood, he took at least three wives, Mary, Martha and Mary Magdalene. Through these wives, the Mormon Jesus, supposedly fathered a number of children before he was crucified. Mormon founder, Joseph Smith, is supposedly one of his descendants.

According to the Book of Mormon, after his resurrection, Jesus came to the Americas to preach to the Indians who the Mormons believe are really Israelites. Thus, the Jesus of Mormonism established his church in the Americas as he had in Palestine. By the year 421 A.D., the dark skinned Israelites, known as the Lamanites, had destroyed all of the white skinned Nephites in a number of great battles. The Nephites' records were supposedly written on golden plates buried in the Hill Cummorah by Moroni, the last living Nephite.

400 years later, a young treasure seeker named Joseph Smith, who was known for his tall tales, claimed to have uncovered the same gold plates near his home in upstate New York. He is now honored by Mormons as a prophet because he claimed to have had visions from the spirit world in which he was commanded to organize the Mormon Church because all Christian creeds were an abomination. Joseph Smith originated most of these peculiar doctrines that millions today believe to be true.

By maintaining a rigid code of financial and moral requirements, and through performing secret temple rituals for themselves and the dead, the Latter-day Saints hope to prove their worthiness and thus become gods. The Mormons teach that everyone must stand at the final judgment before Joseph Smith, the Mormon Jesus, and Elohim.

Those Mormons who are sealed in the eternal marriage ceremony in LDS temples expect to become polygamous gods or their goddess wives in the Celestial Kingdom, rule over other planets and spawn new families throughout eternity. The Mormons thank God for Joseph Smith, who claimed that he had done more for us than any other man, including Jesus Christ. The Mormons claim that he died as a martyr, shed his blood for us, so that we, too, may become Gods. (end)

Shocking, incomprehensible? Maybe to you and to me, but this is the core of Mormon theology and it binds its believers away from the real Jesus, the real gospel and the real spirit of truth as surely as though they were locked away in chains of metal.

A Masonic resignation

 

Dear Ed;

I was recently asked to be a table leader at Men's Discovery Weekend. I gladly accepted. Then I was told that there was one more thing. I was a Mason. I asked, so what? Then they told me and gave me a brochure by you, Ed Decker. I immediately submitted this resignation letter and asked God to forgive me for my ignorance for these last twenty years. God Bless You Ed. In His Service, T

Addressed to his lodge

TO WHOM IT MAY CONCERN:

I am submitting this as a letter of resignation, effective immediately, for any and all affiliations with this or any other Masonic organization, including but not limited to blue lodge, Scottish rites and Joppa temple shrine.


I have been involved in this organization for about twenty years. I joined in good faith and thought I knew what I was joining. Most all of the men I knew who were “masons” were honorable people. This is still true today. My father, my father’s father, and a number of my family were in this organization during their lives.


However; I did not know until recently that the organization was in such conflict with the Holy Bible and the teachings of our Lord Jesus Christ. I began my walk with Jesus much later in life. Nevertheless, I now know the true meaning of life. After reviewing the principles of freemasonry and the Bible, I see the contradictions. I could reference many scriptures, but that could go on for a long while. Those who are truly familiar with the Holy Bible know the ones to which I refer. However, for the benefit of those who may not, I reference:

Freemasonry teaches that members must swear oaths on the Bible that involve mutilation and murder of human beings. But, the New Testament forbids the taking of oaths (Matthew 5:34-37; James 5:12) The Bible also forbids taking God’s name in vain and committing murder (Exodus 20:7,13).

Freemasonry teaches members should address their leaders with titles like “Worshipful Master” and kneel before them. But, the Bible commands us to call no one master save Jesus (Matthew 6:24; 23:8-10) and to worship none except God (Matthew 4:10; Revelation 22:8,9).

I renounce, reject, repent of every word that has ever proceeded out of my mouth against My Lord or His Holy Word. I cancel its power and dedicate my mouth to speak right things. My mouth shall utter truth. I break any and all bonds or oaths that were taken by me while a member of this organization, during the three degree periods of study or any other time whatsoever.

I break the power of any curses or oaths that any member of my family may have spoken in the Masonic lodge, whether in this generation or in generations past. I re of allegiance to freemasonry in its entirety and in any form whatsoever.

It is not my intention to offend anyone affiliated with freemasonry. Each man must choose his own direction. I have lived for many years on my own. I now choose to walk with the Lord and none other. My desire is no longer to please man, but to please God. In Christ , T

 

From The MailBag!

 

Ed,   My husband and I just finished reading your book...We could not believe what we were reading, you were right on with how the LDS church and Temple runs. After My husband and I watched the Passion of Christ I had this feeling right after walking out of the theater that I wanted nothing to do with the Mormon church.

I felt like the movie spelled it out about what it's all about. I told my husband it's not about the church or the temple etc...My husband and I are not active members and haven't been for six years. Three days ago we wrote a letter to the church requesting to have our names and two children removed form there records. We have accepted Christ into our hearts and will never partake in Satan's church ever again. We wanted to thank you for publishing this book it has helped us to be on the right path of understanding.

Take care, D

Dear Ed, My wife and I want to thank you, your internet site has helped us leave the Mormon church We were both born and raised in it. we were married in the temple 13 years ago, we did it because of family. pressure, but with your help I have been able to show my wife we were wrong in doing that, thank God i found you and your teachings it really opened our eyes and has saved our souls, I pray for you and you family. thank you, thank you.

Dear Ed

Because of you, I have heard something in a Baptist church that I had not heard for over eight months in a Mormon church. I heard, the truth, and the true word of God from the Bible. I feel that a weight has been lifted off of me, and I have Heavenly Father, Jesus Christ to thank foremost for the truth. I also have to thank you for inspiring me to seek the truth in the Bible. Thank you! R

And The Word Became Flesh

Thank you so much for all the work you did in putting together Scripture in one place and making it easy to read by "dividing" it into parts so it makes it easier to understand.

We know it must have taken a lot of time, and just wanted to let you know that the time and work is greatly appreciated!! In Christ, R

DEAR ED,

I JUST WANTED TO WRITE AND GIVE YOU SOME GOOD NEWS. SEVERAL YEARS AGO I CONTACTED YOU AND ASKED PRAYER FOR MY WIFE WHO WAS A MORMON. IN MAY OF THIS YEAR SHE FINALLY ACCEPTED CHRIST AS LORD AND SAVIOR. I HAVE WITNESSED A GREAT CHANGE IN HER LIFE {2 CORINTHIANS 5:17} I PRAISE GOD FOR ANSWERING PRAYERS. I WOULD LIKE TO THANK YOU FOR THE PRAYERS AND FOR THE MINISTRY IN WHICH YOU SERVE. MAY GOD BLESS YOU GREATLY AND YOUR MINISTRY.

LOVE IN CHRIST, M

 

Saints Alive Ministries

P.O. Box 1347

Issaquah, WA 98027

http://www.saintsalive.com/

Let me hear back on your thoughts about this issue!

ed@saintsalive.com

I do answer my e-mails

your gifts are still tax-deductible

All material contained in the website, www.saintsalive.com and in its newsletters

and other mailings is protected speech pursuant to the "inalienable rights" of all men,

and the First and Second Amendments to the Constitution of

the United States of America.

As it says on the Dollar Bill, "In God we trust." We sure do.

I'm a Pro-Choice Kind of Guy

I am a Pro Choice kind of guy!



You have to wonder why organizations such as Planned Parenthood the National Organization for Women (NOW), the Feminist Majority Foundation, the Women’s Media Center, and the many other “pro-choice” outfits are all going crazy mad over a 30 second Super Bowl commercial sponsored by Focus on the Family?


If they had just been quiet, nobody would have even noticed the ad. Now a hundred million people will be watching for it. It is almost like they are doing Focus on The Family a favor by snapping up the gauntlet.


Florida All-American and Heisman trophy winner Tim Tebow and his mom, Pam, share a quick insight to Pam’s medical and spiritual dilemma when she was pregnant with Tim. Her doctors told her it would be much better for her health if she aborted.


She had a choice to make and she chose not to abort.. She obviously made it through the pregnancy and The Story ends with her son earning some of the highest accolades in the college level sporting world. Looks like she made a good choice.


I don’t see what all the pro-choice people are screaming about. Seems his mom was pro-choice, too. Except that she chose not to abort the baby.


Seems there really are only two choices. One is to abort and kill the unborn baby, or fetus, if that term is less offensive and makes the unborn child less alive. The other one is to not abort, but to give birth to the fetus, now a baby human being. One choice is a living baby and one is a dead fetus[unborn baby].


Simple, isn't it.


I think that pro-choice people really are not pro-choice at all. Obviously by their own negative remarks against anyone who espouses a pro-life position, there is only one choice and it isn’t ‘life,’ I guess in a mathematical sense if you are not pro-life, you are pro not-life.


I am a pro-choice kind of guy and I choose life, even for those pesky sea lions and spotted owls… and even all the wild dogs in Duroville that can be captured, tamed and adopted..


Ted’s mom is the living example of pro-choice, except with her choice, her baby lived. Good for her. Bad for these people making fools of themselves and their claim of being pro-choice.

Sweating The Small Stuff

Sweating the Small stuff

I’m not sure who said “Don’t sweat the small stuff.” I know some Phd wrote a book or two about it. Usually, I can’t do a thing about the big stuff and wasting my time and energy sweating about the big stuff gets me nothing except indigestion. My wife handles all the big stuff, anyway. It’s the small stuff that keeps my interest.

I wonder where the Desert Sun gets its rubber bands. When my paper is ‘rubber-banded’ in one, it is always dirty. Do they buy them that way from a used rubber-band place or is the Sun using so much ink that just putting one on gets it all dirty?


I personally like the ones the Post Office uses. They are wider, thicker and almost always new and clean. . I use them around the house for all sorts of things. I put the ‘Desert Sun’ ones in the trash container before I even get back in the house.


I have never figured out why anyone would enjoy using toilet tissue mounted with the leading sheet under the roll. It makes no sense at all. When the leading sheet is over the top, it is easy to get at. No groping around under the roll, usually mounted in an awkward, hard to reach spot, anyway.


When I’m out at someone else’s home or at a restaurant, I feel compelled to correct any roll that is improperly mounted. It is just something that would nag at me the entire time I am there if I didn’t do that. I do not tell other people [oops] about that little quirk.


I also find myself often taking a paper towel and wiping down the sink splashes in restaurant and airport restrooms. I just do not understand how some people can be so thoughtless of others.


I read the obituaries every day. I’m Ok if most of the people listed are older than me, but I have a bad day when most are younger. I have come to realize that at my age, I have more descendants now than I have friends. They’re going faster than I like.


My wife said, “Ned, stop worrying about this. Just slow down, you will last longer. And Ned, be nicer to the kids. They will probably be choosing our rest home.”


It annoys me that the street lights on East Ramon Road are the most unsynchronized lights in California. I am convinced that they are designed to force stop me at every single intersection, even when there is no cross traffic.


There must be a hidden device on my car that some sadistic traffic controller has placed there, just hoping I drive on Ramon. I think he sits there, watching me pull off Highway 10 on his traffic computer and then with cackling joy, pops the red light button at every light I approach.


I have yet to figure out how a golf ball that I hit straight down the fairway can suddenly pick up speed and veer off at a sharp angle, usually ending up hitting a roof of a house where the occupant is standing in the yard. Never an vacant house, where I can quietly sneak by.


I have tried to trick the ball and compensate by aiming at a house, but then it goes exactly where I aimed it. It is demonic.


Sometimes, a little article on an off page in the newspaper stays with me for days. I wake up in the middle of the night, sweating over it. Here are two that had me awake at 3 AM this morning.


Just the other day, I read that California Governor Schwarzenegger, in a cost savings effort, was planning on releasing 6,000 inmates from the state prisons on Monday.


In another article, cleverly hidden in a different section of the paper, it was announced that the state will stop its parole monitoring of low-level offenders after their release.


This is being done, in order to reduce the number of parolees returning to prison for violating their parole, because if they aren’t monitoring the parolees, the state will not know if they are violating the terms of their parole.


Does anyone but me, most of the legitimate citizens of Desert Hot Springs and most of the owners of convenience stores throughout the state feel like these are really, really bad ideas?

The Day The Crossword Puzzles Stopped

One of my earliest recollections of my father is looking up at him at the kitchen table working his daily crossword puzzle. It was a daily routine that never varied over the entire time I was growing up and living at home. Even later visits at Mom and Dad’s home or at mine always included that somber ritual, around which all other schedules for the day revolved.


I am sure dad learned it from his father, who worked his puzzles while perched on his high-legged stool at a check in counter at the pool hall he ran for years.


Actually, crossword puzzles were a new thing back in my grandfather’s day. The first known published crossword puzzle was created by a journalist named Arthur Wynne from Liverpool, and he is usually credited as the inventor of the popular word game. December 21, 1913 was the date and it appeared in a Sunday newspaper, the New York World.


One of the last to enter the world of crossword obsession was the New York Times, which first published a Sunday puzzle in 1942 and a daily puzzle in 1950. I am convinced that both my father and my grandfather did them both in ink. The Daily News followed along with the trend, but the Times was always the true standard


Crossword puzzles are a family addiction. I was doing the daily puzzles in the break room at the ACME supermarket where I worked throughout high school. My sister, Nan, and I fought over the rare un-inked crossword that we would come across at home, and we often brought spares home from discarded newspapers we hunted for during the day.


These last few years I had a crossword puzzle routine that included my daily newspaper, USA Today, NY Times, LA Times, Chicago Tribune and any other I would stumble upon. No Airline magazine puzzle went undone on my shift. It was also required by my DNA that all crosswords were done in ink.


My father lost his sight to Macular Degeneration and in the years that followed until his passing away, mom would read the NY Times Crossword clues to him and he would give her the answers to write in, still always in ink.


Until my sister passed away, her own puzzle book and pen at her bedside, we would go out to dad’s memorial site with mom, have lunch and do a puzzle for dad.


Now it has stopped. Oh, my son, Jeff still carries on the tradition, but one day it just ended for me. Maybe it is just my age, I can’t explain it. It is just over.


Sometime around the beginning of November, I opened the Desert Sun and turned to the crossword page, pen poised and looked at the puzzle before me. I just stared at it for several minutes, not moving. Then I refolded he paper, put the pen away and left the room. The first time in almost 60 years. An un-done crossword puzzle.


Since that day, I have not touched a single puzzle. I tried. I just could not do it.


It reminded me of that scene in the movie, “Forrest Gump.” He had been running a back and forth across America until one day, in the middle of no-where, he just stopped. When his little group of devotees asked what was wrong, he said he just didn’t want to run any more.


I just don’t want to do crossword puzzles anymore. Strange. Now I am growing a little grey beard instead. Is this what growing old does to you?

January 2010 Newsletter

January 2010 Newsletter

A Note from Ed

I wonder if I can get this message out of my gut right now. It has been brewing there for months, just hanging around beneath the surface. It isn’t my usual topic of discussion.

If you are wondering what is happening to our country right now, it is not much of a mystery. It has been coming for a long time and it is going to get a lot worse.

It is imperative that we place our faith and trust in the Lord and not the government leaders, not in the economy, not in our savings or our retirement plans and our health insurance policies, nor in our credit lines and definitely not in the news.

The founding Fathers created a map or plan for the future when they came out with the Constitution and the Bill of Rights. It was not perfect, but it gave the fledgling government something on which to stand and it was based on faith in God and laws based on His principles.

Today, that base has been crumbling all around us. One of the central positions of the newly formed Republic was the right to worship freely. Our forefathers had escaped from a world of State controlled religions and wanted that yoke broken from the people. Today, the one religion that seems despised and repugnant to our leaders is Christianity, while Islam is welcomed with open arms.

What was once freedom of religion has become freedom from religion and the freedom to do or say any foul or despicable thing that can be conceived in the corrupt human mind. In fact, in many cases, these things are done at taxpayer expense with government approval.

There is no need to go through the list. You know the evils that are pulling this once great country into the sewer. I have said repeatedly that we are entering into the post Christian era. Even much of the church is swirling around in darkness, grasping at one new extra-biblical concept after the other, trying to reconcile its platform to new ideologies.

With pastors being jailed for speaking out against blatant sin and the Hate Crime Bill particulars spreading to include ‘hurtful’ speech against a person’s faith, and with government plans for taxing everything that is not nailed down and most of what is nailed down, I believe that ministries like Saints Alive will be shut down within the next five years.

I see tax exemptions for churches; their properties and the tithes and gifts of their congregations going away next.
Friends, it is time to stand up and be the kinds of Christians that paved the way for the freedoms this nation once had. It is time to be bold for Christ and take back what the enemy would steal. Be as the bold men and women of God who endured tortures and death to speak as ambassadors for the true King.

And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit,

which is the word of God:

Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints;

And for me, that utterance may be given unto me, that I may open my mouth boldly, to make known the mystery of the gospel,

For which I am an ambassador in bonds: that therein I may speak boldly,

as I ought to speak. Eph 6:17-20 KJV

Your brother in Christ,

Ed Decker

It Has Been Foretold By the Lord

And as he sat upon the mount of Olives, the disciples came unto him privately, saying,

Tell us, when shall these things be?

and what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world?

And Jesus answered and said unto them,

Take heed that no man deceive you.

For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many.

And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars:

see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet.

For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom:

and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places.

All these are the beginning of sorrows.

Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you:

and ye shall be hated of all nations for my name's sake.

And then shall many be offended, and shall betray one another,

and shall hate one another.

And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many.

And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold.

But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.

Matt 24:3-13 KJV

An Urgent Word About Ministry Finances

I hesitate to bring up the subject of finances while the economy is so shaken, but for the sake of the ministry and those we must reach for His Cause, I ask you to consider a special gift to the ministry this week.

We are in serious need of some special gifts. January and February are always tight months, but this year is as bad as it gets. We are unable to send out our regular newsletter and the new website that was supposed to go live on January 1st is back on the table again because of several serious glitches that we need expert help in resolving and the lack of funds to make it happen.

We really need a few heroes.
Please pray about sending in a gift today

You can do that by

sending in a gift on line at our website www.saintsalive.com

or by sending a PayPal gift to gifts@saintsalive.com

[These gifts go directly into our account]

Or by calling us at 1-800-861-9888

your gifts are still tax-deductible

******************************

The Muslim Plan for World Dominion

Adapted from Dr. Peter Hammond's book: Slavery, Terrorism and Islam: The Historical Roots and Contemporary Threat.

Islam is not a religion, nor is it a cult. In its fullest form, it is a complete, total, 100% system of life.

Islam has religious, legal, political, economic, social, and military components. The religious component is a beard for all of the other components.
Islamization begins when there are sufficient Muslims in a country to agitate for their religious privileges.

When politically correct, tolerant, and culturally diverse societies agree to Muslim demands for their religious privileges, some of the other components tend to creep in as well.

Here's how it works:

As long as the Muslim population remains around or under 2% in any given country, they will be for the most part be regarded as a peace-loving minority, and not as a threat to other citizens. This is the case in:

United States -- Muslim 0.6%


Australia -- Muslim 1..5%


Canada -- Muslim 1.9%


China -- Muslim 1.8%


Italy -- Muslim 1.5%


Norway -- Muslim 1.8%


At 2% to 5%, they begin to proselytize from other ethnic minorities and disaffected groups, often with major recruiting from the jails and among street gangs. This is happening in:


Denmark -- Muslim 2%


Germany -- Muslim 3.7%


United Kingdom -- Muslim 2.7%


Spain -- Muslim 4%


Thailand -- Muslim 4.6%


From 5% on, they exercise an inordinate influence in proportion to their percentage of the population. For example, they will push for the introduction of halal (clean by Islamic standards) food, thereby securing food preparation jobs for Muslims. They will increase pressure on supermarket chains to feature halal on their shelves -- along with threats for failure to comply. This is occurring in:

France -- Muslim 8%


Philippines -- 5%


Sweden -- Muslim 5%


Switzerland -- Muslim 4.3%


The Netherlands -- Muslim 5.5%


Trinidad & Tobago -- Muslim 5.8%


At this point, they will work to get the ruling government to allow them to rule themselves (within their ghettos) under Sharia, the Islamic Law. The ultimate goal of Islamists is to establish Sharia law over the entire world.

When Muslims approach 10% of the population, they tend to increase lawlessness as a means of complaint about their conditions. In Paris , we are already seeing car-burnings. Any non-Muslim action offends Islam and results in uprisings and threats, such as in Amsterdam , with opposition to Mohammed cartoons and films about Islam. Such tensions are seen daily, particularly in Muslim sections in:

Guyana -- Muslim 10%


India -- Muslim 13.4%


Israel -- Muslim 16%


Kenya -- Muslim 10%


Russia -- Muslim 15%


After reaching 20%, nations can expect hair-trigger rioting, jihad militia formations, sporadic killings, and the burnings of Christian churches and Jewish synagogues, as in:

Ethiopia -- Muslim 32.8%


At 40%, nations experience widespread massacres, chronic terror attacks, and ongoing militia warfare, such as in:


Bosnia -- Muslim 40%


Chad -- Muslim 53.1%


Lebanon -- Muslim 59.7%


From 60%, nations experience unfettered persecution of non-believers of all other religions (including non-conforming Muslims), sporadic ethnic cleansing (genocide), use of Sharia Law as a weapon, and Jizya, the tax placed on infidels, such as in:


Albania -- Muslim 70%


Malaysia -- Muslim 60.4%


Qatar -- Muslim 77..5%


Sudan -- Muslim 70%


After 80%, expect daily intimidation and violent jihad, some State-run ethnic cleansing, and even some genocide, as these nations drive out the infidels, and move toward 100% Muslim, such as has been experienced and in some ways is on-going in:


Bangladesh -- Muslim 83%


Egypt -- Muslim 90%


Gaza -- Muslim 98.7%


Indonesia -- Muslim 86.1%


Iran -- Muslim 98%


Iraq -- Muslim 97%


Jordan -- Muslim 92%


Morocco-- Muslim 98.7%


Pakistan -- Muslim 97%


Palestine -- Muslim 99%


Syria -- Muslim 90%


Tajikistan -- Muslim 90%


Turkey -- Muslim 99.8%


United Arab Emirates -- Muslim 96%


100% will usher in the peace of 'Dar-es-Salaam' -- the Islamic House of Peace. Here there's supposed to be peace, because everybody is a Muslim, the Madrasses are the only schools, and the Koran is the only word, such as in:


Afghanistan -- Muslim 100%


Saudi Arabia -- Muslim 100%


Somalia -- Muslim 100%


Yemen -- Muslim 100%


Unfortunately, peace is never achieved, as in these 100% states the most radical Muslims intimidate and spew hatred, and satisfy their blood lust by killing less radical Muslims, for a variety of reasons.

'Before I was nine I had learned the basic canon of Arab life. It was me against my brother; me and my brother against our father; my family against my cousins and the clan; the clan against the tribe; the tribe against the world, and all of us against the infidel. -- Leon Uris, 'The Haj'


It is important to understand that in some countries, with well under 100% Muslim populations, such as France, the minority Muslim populations live in ghettos, within which they are 100% Muslim, and within which they live by Sharia Law. The national police do not even enter these ghettos. There are no national courts, nor schools, nor non-Muslim religious facilities. In such situations, Muslims do not integrate into the community at large. The children attend madrasses. They learn only the Koran. To even associate with an infidel is a crime punishable with death. Therefore, in some areas of certain nations, Muslim Imams and extremists exercise more power than the national average would indicate.


Today's 1.5 billion Muslims make up 22% of the world's population. But their birth rates dwarf the birth rates of Christians, Hindus, Buddhists, Jews, and all other believers. Muslims will exceed 50% of the world's population by the end of this century.


Adapted from Dr. Peter Hammond's book: Slavery, Terrorism and Islam: The Historical Roots and Contemporary Threat. By permission, Christian Liberty Books, Cape Town  South Africa [out of print]

Christians of Egypt are Massacred,
and President Mubarak is Still Silent

WASHINGTON, Jan. 19 /Christian Newswire/ -- The Copts, Egypt's Christian minority, number approximately 12 million, about 15% of Egypt's population. Under the rule of President Mubarak, violent attacks against them run rampant. These attacks were once carried out mainly by organized Islamic terrorist groups. The climate of hatred in Egypt has worsened to the point that attacks against Christians are now carried out by their Muslim neighbors.


The latest attack took place in Naga Hamady, Upper Egypt, during the late hours of Wednesday, January 6, 2010. Drive-by gunmen opened fire from machineguns at worshippers coming out of church after celebrating Coptic Christmas mass. Seven people were instantly killed, and many others were seriously wounded.

President Mubarak, now in power for almost 3 decades, during which 7 American presidents took office, turns a blind eye to what happens to the Coptic citizens of his country.

Egypt, the recipient of 2 billion dollars yearly of American foreign aid since the signing of the Camp David peace treaty in1978, can not continue abusing the human rights of its Coptic Christian citizens, a basic perquisite for receiving American foreign aid.

To The Many Facebookies Out There

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We are currently discussing my article,

Why Mormonism can Never be Christian

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Saints Alive Ministries

P.O. Box 1347

Issaquah, WA 98027

www.saintsalive.com

All material contained in the website and in its newsletters and other mailings is protected speech pursuant to the "inalienable rights" of all men, and the First and Second Amendments to the Constitution of the United States of America.

As it says on the Dollar Bill, "In God we trust."

We sure do.

ed@saintsalive.com

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid Negro Comment

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid Negro Comment

is from his Mormon doctrine that says

Negro race comes from the curse of Cain.

FOR NEARLY 140 YEARS, Mormonism (the "Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints") has taught that the black people are "inferior" and are "cursed" by God. The Mormon leaders who have taught these things in the name of Christianity are revered as "prophets, seers and revelators" by their Church, and their plain words about these cruel, unscriptural teachings remain for the world to judge.

However, in June, 1978, Mormon leaders attempted to erase over a century of outside resentment with the announcement that "worthy" black persons could receive privileges and secret initiations which had always been denied them in Mormonism. This strange, unexpected turnabout came as Mormon leaders were planning to initiate their final drive to send their "missionaries" into the remaining lands of the world where Mormonism has been most resisted—particularly Africa.

Surely, this cannot be mere coincidence. Nevertheless, the firm Mormon teaching that a whole race of people are "cursed with a black skin" for sins committed by them before they were born remains to this very day, no announcement or "revelation" has removed it.

The following quotations, taken from authoritative doctrinal writings and speeches by Mormon Prophets (their supreme earthly leaders) and Apostles, should serve as a sobering warning of the true nature of Mormonism. It is a religion which curses an entire people one day, and offers them greater privileges" the next.


BRIGHAM YOUNG

(Second Prophet and President of the Mormon Church)

"I have never yet preached a sermon and sent it out to the Children of men, that they may not call scripture!" Journal of Discourses, Volume 13, page 95.

"You see some classes of the human family that are black, uncouth, uncomely, disagreeable, sad, low in their habits, wild, ad seemingly without the blessings of the intelligence that is generally bestowed upon mankind. The first man that committed the odious crime of killing one of his brethren will be cursed the longest of any one of the children of Adam. Cain slew his brother. Cain might have been killed, and that would have put termination to that line of human beings. This was not to be and the Lord put a mark on him, which is the flat nose and black skin. Trace mankind down to after the flood, and then other curse is pronounced upon the same race - that they would be the "servant of servants;" and they will be, until that curse is removed; and the Abolitionists cannot help it, nor in the least alter that decree." Journal of Discourses, Volume 7, pages 290 291

"In our first settlement in Missouri, it was said by our enemies that we intended to tamper with the slaves, not that we had any idea of the kind, for such a thing never entered our minds. We knew that the children of Ham were to be the "servant of servants," and no power under heaven could hinder it, so long as the Lord would permit them to welter under the curse and those were known to be our religious views concerning them." Journal of Discourses, Volume 2, page 172.

"Shall I tell you the law of God in regard to the African race? If the white man who belongs to the chosen seed mixes his blood with the seed of Cain, the penalty, under the law of God, is death on the spot. This will always be so." Journal of Discourses, Volume 10, page 110.



JOSEPH SMITH

(First Prophet and President and Founder of the Mormon Church)

"Had I anything to do with the negro , I would confine them by strict law to their own species and put them on a national equalization.'' History of the Church, Volume 5, pages 218 - 219.



BRUCE R. McCONKIE

(of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of the Mormon Church)

"Those who were less valiant in the pre-existence and who thereby had certain spiritual restrictions imposed upon them during mortality are known to us as the negroes. Such spirits are sent to earth through the lineage of Cain, the mark put upon him for his rebellion against Cod and his murder of Abel being a black skin.... Noah's son Ham married Egyptus, a descendant of Cain, thus preserving the negro lineage through the flood....The negroes are not equal with other races when the receipt of certain spiritual blessings are concerned, particularly the priesthood and the temple blessings that flow therefrom, but this inequality is not of man's origin. It is the Lord's doing, based on His eternal laws of justice, and grows out of the lack of spiritual valiance of those concerned in their first estate." Mormon Doctrine, 10th printing, pages 527-528.

"Racial degeneration, resulting In differences In appearance and spiritual aptitude, has arisen since the fall. We know the circumstances under which the posterity of Cain (and later of Ham) were cursed with what we call negroid racial characteristics." Mormon Doctrine, page 616.

"Though he was a rebel and an associate of Lucifer in the preexistence, and though he was a liar from the beginning whose name was Perdition, Cain managed to attain the privilege of mortal birth....As a result of his rebellion, Cain was cursed with a dark skin; he became the father of the negroes, and those spirits who are not worthy to receive the priesthood are born through his lineage. He became the first mortal to be cursed as a son of perdition." Mormon Doctrine, page 109.

"Through Ham (a name meaning black) "the blood of the Canaanites was preserved" through the flood, he having married Egyptus, a descendant of Cain....Negroes are thus descendants of Ham, who himself also was cursed apparently for marrying into the forbidden lineage." Mormon Doctrine, page 343.

"....in a broad general sense, caste systems have their root and origin in the gospel itself, and when they operate according to the divine decree, the resultant restrictions and segregation are right and proper and have the approval of the Lord. To illustrate: Cain Ham, and the whole negro race have _ cursed with a black skin, the mark of Cain, so they can be identified as a caste apart, a people with whom the other descendants of Adam should not intermarry." Mormon Doctrine, page 114.



MARK E. PETERSON

(of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of the Mormon Church)

"Who placed the Negroes originally in darkest Africa? Was it some man, or was it God? And when He placed them there, He segregated them.... The Lord segregated the people both as to blood and place of residence. At least in the cases of the Lamanites and the negroes we have the definite word of the Lord Himself that He placed a dark skin upon them as a curse - as a punishment and as a sign to all others. He forbade intermarriage with them under threat of extension of the curse

"....And He certainly segregated the descendants of Cain when He cursed the Negro as to the Priesthood, and drew an absolute line. You may even say He dropped an Iron curtain there. The Negro was cursed as to the Priesthood, and therefore, was cursed as to the blessings of the Priesthood. Certainly God made a segregation there.

"Think of the Negro, cursed as to the Priesthood. Are we prejudiced against him? Unjustly, sometimes we are accused of having such a prejudice. But what does the mercy of God have for him? This Negro, who, in the pre-existence lived the type of life which justified the Lord in sending him to the earth in the lineage of Cain with a black skin, and possibly being born in darkest Africa , if that Negro is willing when he hears the gospel to accept it, he may have many of the blessings of the gospel. In spite of all he did in the pre-existent life, the Lord is willing, if the Negro accepts the gospel with real, sincere faith, and is really converted, to give him the blessings of baptism and the gift of the Holy Ghost....

"If I were to marry a Negro woman and have children by her, my children would all be cursed as to the priesthood. Do I want my children cursed as to the priesthood? If there is one drop of negro blood in my children, as I have read to you, they receive the curse, There isn't any argument, therefore, as to intermarriage with the Negro, is there? There are 50 million Negroes in the United States. If they were to achieve complete absorption with the white race, think what that would do. With 50 million Negroes inter-married with us, where would the priesthood be? Who could hold it, in all America? Think what that would do to the work of the Church!....

"Now we are generous with the Negro. We are willing that the Negro have the highest kind of education. I would be willing to let every Negro drive a Cadillac if they could afford it. I would be willing that they have all the advantages they can get out of life in the world. But let them enjoy these things among themselves. I think the Lord segregated the Negro and who is man to change that segregation?" Race Problems - as They Affect The Church (address given at Brigham Young University)



JOSEPH FIELDING SMITH

(Tenth Prophet and President of the Mormon Church)

"I would not want you to believe that we bear any animosity toward the Negro. "Darkies" are wonderful people, and they have their place in our church." Look magazine, October 22, 1963, page 79.

"There is a reason why one man is born black and with other disadvantages, while another is born white with great advantage. The reason is that we once had an estate before we came here, and were obedient, more or less, to the laws that were given us there. Those who were faithful in all things there received greater blessings here, and those who were not faithful received less.... There were no neutrals in the war in heaven. All took sides either with Christ or with Satan. Every man had his agency there, and men receive rewards here based upon their actions there, just as they will receive rewards hereafter for deeds done in the body. The Negro, evidently, is receiving the reward he merits." Doctrines of Salvation, Volume 1, pages 66-67.

"President Brigham Young, answering a question put to him by Elder Lorenzo D. Young in a meeting held December 25 , 1869, in Salt Lake City, said that Joseph Smith had declared that the Negroes were not neutral in heaven, for all the spirits took sides, but the posterity of Cain are black because he (Cain) committed murder." The Way to Perfection, pages 105-106.

"That negro race, for instance, have been placed under restrictions because of their attitude in the world of spirits, few will doubt. It cannot be looked upon as just that they should be deprived of the power of the Priesthood without it being a punishment for some act, or acts, performed before they were born." The Way to Perfection, page 43.

"Not only was Cain called upon to suffer, but because of his wickedness he became the father of an inferior race. A curse placed upon him and that curse has been continued through his lineage and must do so while time endures. Millions of souls have come into this world cursed with a black skin and have been denied the privilege of Priesthood and the fullness of the blessings of the Gospel. These are the descendants of Cain. Moreover, they have been made to feel their inferiority and have been separated from the rest of mankind from the beginning.... we will also hope that blessings may eventually be given to our negro brethren, for they are our brethren—children of God—not withstanding their black covering emblematical of eternal darkness. " The Way to Perfection, pages 101-102.

"Ham, through Egyptus, continued the curse which was placed upon the seed of Cain. Because of that curse this dark race was separated and isolated from all the rest of Adam's posterity before the flood, and since that time the same condition has continued, and they have been 'despised among all people.' This doctrine did not originate with President Brigham Young but was taught by the Prophet Joseph Smith .... we all know it is due to his teachings that the negro today is barred from the Priesthood."

The Way to Perfection, pages 110-111.



JOHN TAYLOR

(Third Prophet and President of the Mormon Church)

" . . . after the flood we are told that the curse that had been pronounced upon Cain was continued through Ham's wife, as he had married a wife of that seed. And why did it pass through the flood? Because it was necessary that the devil should have a representation a upon a the earth as well as God;.... " Journal of Discourses, Volume 22, page 304.

"When he (Satan) destroyed the inhabitants of the antediluvian worlds, he suffered a descendant of Cain to come through the flood in order that he might be properly represented upon the earth." Journal of Discourses, Volume 23, page 336



ORSON PRATT

(of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of the Mormon Church)

" .... among the Saints (i.e., Mormons] is the most likely place for these [pre-existent) spirits to take their tabernacles, through a just and righteous parentage....The Lord has not kept them in store for five or six thousand years past, and kept them waiting for their bodies all this time to send them among the Hottentots, the African Negroes, the idolatrous Hindoos, or any other of the fallen nations of the earth. They are not kept in reserve in order to come forth to receive such a degraded parentage upon the earth; no, the Lord is not such a being." Journal of Discourses, Volume 1, page 63.