Re: Sunday, July 24th

Hey Johnny Ray!!

How are you?!

Thank you for sharing your quiet time with us! I liked how you mentioned that a Love, worth anything, requires sacrifice. Deep insight, thank you!

I hope this e-mail finds you and your family well. I look forward to seeing you soon!

Have a good week!!!
love: your brother in Christ- Adam G.

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Sunday, July 24th

Hey All, How are you? My quiet time today, again out of "Cry of the Soul," was pretty good. I study the scriptures out more now, just to make sure I agree with what I am taking in, and if I do not, well, I will voice that as well along with my reasons. Anyway, here is what I studied today.

John 11:17-44
On his arrival, Jesus found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb for four days.

Bethany was less than two miles from Jerusalem, and many Jews had come to Martha and Mary to comfort them in the loss of their brother. When Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went out to meet him, but Mary stayed at home.

"Lord," Martha said to Jesus, "if you had been here, my brother would not have died. But I know that even now God will give you whatever you ask."

Jesus said to her, "Your brother will rise again."

Martha answered, "I know he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day."

Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?"

"Yes, Lord," she told him, "I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, who was to come into the world."

And after she had said this, she went back and called her sister Mary aside. "The Teacher is here," she said, "and is asking for you." When Mary heard this, she got up quickly and went to him. Now Jesus had not yet entered the village, but was still at the place where Martha had met him. When the Jews who had been with Mary in the house, comforting her, noticed how quickly she got up and went out, they followed her, supposing she was going to the tomb to mourn there.

When Mary reached the place where Jesus was and saw him, she fell at his feet and said, "Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died."

When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who had come along with her also weeping, he was deeply moved in spirit and troubled. "Where have you laid him?" he asked. "Come and see, Lord," they replied.

Jesus wept.

Then the Jews said, "See how he loved him!"

But some of them said, "Could not he who opened the eyes of the blind man have kept this man from dying?"

Jesus, once more deeply moved, came to the tomb. It was a cave with a stone laid across the entrance. "Take away the stone," he said. "But, Lord," said Martha, the sister of the dead man, "by this time there is a bad odor, for he has been there four days."

Then Jesus said, "Did I not tell you that if you believed, you would see the glory of God?"

So they took away the stone. Then Jesus looked up and said, "Father, I thank you that you have heard me. I knew that you always hear me, but I said this for the benefit of the people standing here, that they may believe that you sent me."

When he had said this, Jesus called in a loud voice, "Lazarus, come out!" The dead man came out, his hands and feet wrapped with strips of linen, and a cloth around his face. Jesus said to them, "Take off the grave clothes and let him go."

Zechariah 9:9
Rejoice greatly, O Daughter of Zion! Shout, Daughter of Jerusalem! See, your king comes to you, righteous and having salvation, gentle and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.

Matthew 26:36-38
Then Jesus went with his disciples to a place called Gethsemane, and he said to them, "Sit here while I go over there and pray." He took Peter and the two sons of Zebedee along with him, and he began to be sorrowful and troubled. Then he said to them, "My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with me."

Luke 22:39-44
Jesus went out as usual to the Mount of Olives, and his disciples followed him. On reaching the place, he said to them, "Pray that you will not fall into temptation." He withdrew about a stone's throw beyond them, knelt down and prayed, "Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done." An angel from heaven appeared to him and strengthened him. And being in anguish, he prayed more earnestly, and his sweat was like drops of blood falling to the ground.

Psalm 22:14,16,18
I am poured out like water, and all my bones are out of joint. My heart has turned to wax; it has melted away within me.

Dogs have surrounded me; a band of evil men has encircled me, they have pierced my hands and my feet.

They divide my garments among them and cast lots for my clothing.

In the subject of despair, these scriptures really bring it home. First, Jesus crys over Lazarus' death. What is the big deal about that, when Lazarus was dead and Jesus could just zippity him back to life? Well, Jesus wouldn't be with him forever. Think of it this way, Lazarus is one of those lucky few who get to go through physical death twice. How lucky is he? I am not sure if I want to face physical death twice myself. Wouldn't once be enough? Jesus knew he would bring him back, but how long will God let him live? It's not like he is going to live forever. And then he again would be seperated by the ones who love him in the world. Going through the pain of death yet a second time.

Jesus then rides into Jerusalem for his last time, being greated by those who say they love him, but then put him to death. And when I think of this, I think that I am one of those people. I chear for him as my king, but then forsake him just like everyone else. That makes me sad to think about it. Even those closest to him at the garden desert him. Sleeping on the job. Don't we all do that? Is it just me? "I can't keep watch forever" would be the thought. But that would be the job. Am I supposed to be a christian 24 hours a day? Fairweather fan maybe? Just be a christian when things are going well, and when things get bad, desert my God, my friends, my family. Such has been the temptation. I have seen friends of mine do it.

The last three scriptures are about how God deserted his own son. HIS OWN SON. Sometimes my thoughts are this: if God deserted his only son, what chance do I have? I mean, God did love me to sacrifice his son, but really, what is the commitment for God? And my answer comes to this: God sacrificed. I have to sacrifice. It isn't a one-way street where I just take and take and take. I have to give up something, just as God did for me. And what I have to give up is a life of sin. I won't live my life with the attitude of Jesus suffering on the cross for my sin and let it be for not. I have a love for God and that love has to take action. Anyway, that's what I got out of it today.

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From the Star-Telegram: Sexpod?

I was given this article and thought I would pass it along to you all, to let you know of the more dangers that are out there.

Apple's newly launched iTunes podcasts raise questions about risque audio shows

By Vauhini Vara

The Wall Street Journal

Now available for download through iTunes: raunchy sex banter, erotic storytelling sessions and reviews of pornographic Web sites.

Last month, Apple Computer's online music store launched a directory of podcasts -- audio shows that can be downloaded free from the Internet and usually feature amateurs discussing mainstream topics such as cars, sports and independent music. At the same time, it also opened its doors to a racier genre of audio files that some are calling "porncasts."

With names like "Fetish Flame" and "Open Source Sex," the adult podcasts are often created by self-proclaimed sex experts who have cheap recording software, a bit of free time and little or no professional radio experience. Many of the rambling audio shows focus on the creators' sex lives.

As podcasting reaches a more mainstream audience, the more risque audio shows -- and Apple's role in distributing them -- could come under greater scrutiny. Apple declined to say whether any of its users have complained about the adult podcasts, which can be downloaded by anyone regardless of age. The company said it could potentially pull programs that it deems too explicit but declined to say whether it has done so yet.

Apple allows podcasters to submit their own audio shows for inclusion in iTunes. Those who discuss adult material are asked to mark their podcasts as "explicit" by checking a box. Apple spokeswoman Natalie Kerris said the service has no specific guidelines as to what constitutes explicit content.

She said Apple tries to review as many submissions as it can for "really obvious" adult content. Listeners can click on a button marked "Report a Concern" to protest a podcast.

"If for some reason we miss it, customers usually catch it," Kerris said.

Ted Schadler, an analyst at Forrester Research who covers consumer technology and the music industry, says there are risks in Apple's willingness to accept content from amateur users.

"Apple needs to be careful to protect its brand here," he said. Apple declined to comment.

Podcasts are named after Apple's popular iPod music player, but they can be played on almost any portable music player, or on a computer. Apple doesn't host the broadcasts on its Web site, but it allows users to link to them through its software.

Although Apple doesn't generate revenue from the podcasts, it has other motivations to promote them. In addition to promoting iPods, the company hopes the free directory will encourage greater use of its iTunes software, which is closely linked to its music store. The company said it has already handled 5 million podcast subscriptions for its users.

As for those behind the adult broadcasts, there are also distinct draws.

Because they are transmitted through the Internet, podcasts are free of the Federal Communication Commission's indecency rules that govern traditional radio broadcasts. The FCC's restrictions on profanity and explicit sex talk played a role in Howard Stern's decision last year to move his show to the unrestricted Sirius Satellite Radio.

One of the most popular podcasts tagged as "explicit" on iTunes is "Open Source Sex," an audio show hosted by a woman called Violet Blue, who has written several sex books. A frequent guest on radio talk shows, Blue is often gently reminded before going on the air to keep her language G-rated and anatomy discussions vague.

On her podcast, meanwhile, nearly anything goes. In one episode, she read a story called "The Last Deduction," by erotica writer Alison Tyler, about an encounter between a novelist and her tax auditor.

While the distribution of adult material is big business on the Internet, many of the people behind the racy podcasts are often seeking little more than fame. There are no fees for listening to the broadcasts, though some have hooked up with sponsors to generate revenue.

On her weekly "MXL Podcast" -- the name stands for "maximum libido" -- Virginia Bytheway breathily reads erotic fiction and answers questions e-mailed by listeners about various racy acts, often using eyebrow-raising language.

Bytheway, a 48-year-old former phone-sex operator, records her podcasts using her computer at her Montreal home. She then sends them to Didier Sicaud, a psychologist who produces the podcasts.

Bytheway isn't paid for her work, but Sicaud uses her podcast to drive traffic to a Web site that advertises his sex-therapy services. In April, meanwhile, SSL International PLC paid Dawn Miceli and her husband, Drew Domkus -- the pair behind a popular, and raunchy, podcast called "The Dawn and Drew Show" -- to talk about its Durex condoms and lubricants over 10 episodes.

It is difficult to say just how popular the steamy broadcasts are. ITunes recently listed "Open Source Sex" as the 21st most popular of the 6,000 podcasts in its directory -- ahead of podcasts from Newsweek, ESPN and ABC News.

Of the 100 top podcasts, 13 were recently marked as explicit, though some earned that label largely for using profanity.

In a June interview with ABC News, Apple Chief Executive Steve Jobs said of the iTunes podcast directory, "We're not allowing any pornography."

Kerris declined to say how Apple defines audio porn, but she said Apple has removed podcasts that contain copyrighted material or were otherwise inappropriate.

Other technology companies have run into trouble over distribution of user-created content. In June, Google launched a video service that allows people to submit their own clips, but it has removed pornography and other adult content. Earlier that month, Yahoo closed all its user-created chat rooms after advocacy groups blamed it for allowing chats that promoted sex with minors.

Podcasters argue that by labeling their shows as "explicit," they should be free to say whatever they want.

"I don't have to censor my language or anyone else's language," said Blue of "Open Source Sex." "It's like the dog is off the leash."

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Saturday, July 23rd

This QT was really special. I spent a lot of time with my son today, we went to meet Lance Nix of the Texas Rangers, and he slept through the whole thing. I got him a poster, though, and took some pictures for him, so hopefully someday he will appreciate things. Anyway, my quiet time today was spent with my son. I read to him. Even though he really didn't understand much, I just thought it was special due to our first QT together. Hopefully, many more will follow. On to the goods.

Earthly Hope and Heavenly Hope

I read in "Cry of the Soul" with my son, and what I read to him was about earthly hope and heavenly hope. What I discovered is that it is much like earthly sorrow and godly sorrow. Earthly sorrow is like "sorry for being caught" whereas Godly sorrow is being sorry to the core. Wanting to make things right and doing what it takes to truely repent. Earthly hope is hope in people and that things will go right. What normally happens with earthly hope is that the thing you want to get better, does get better, but then something else falls apart, and hence the whole world falls apart. Heavenly hope, on the otherhand, is when there is a vision of redemption in the mist of the muck. It's relying on God through thick and thin, knowing that the light at the end of the tunnel is not a train. BUT WHAT IF IT IS A TRAIN? Then God knows that with hope in him, he can stop the train and give you a ride back to the train station. That is what Heavenly hope is all about.

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Friday, July 22nd

My quiet time for today, pretty good I think.

Jeremiah 7:1-7
This is the word that came to Jeremiah from the LORD: "Stand at the gate of the LORD's house and there proclaim this message: " 'Hear the word of the LORD, all you people of Judah who come through these gates to worship the LORD. This is what the LORD Almighty, the God of Israel, says: Reform your ways and your actions, and I will let you live in this place. Do not trust in deceptive words and say, "This is the temple of the LORD, the temple of the LORD, the temple of the LORD!" If you really change your ways and your actions and deal with each other justly, if you do not oppress the alien, the fatherless or the widow and do not shed innocent blood in this place, and if you do not follow other gods to your own harm, then I will let you live in this place, in the land I gave your forefathers for ever and ever."

What I saw in this is that the people were more into the title of things. I drive a Jag, so it's good. I live in a $500,000 dollar house, so it's good. I live in a city that has the temple of the Lord, so I'm saved. I wish it were that simple. These people followed God by name alone. Their actions didn't follow suit, and where did it lead them? Well, the story later tells us that they were demolished by the Babylonians. James tells us that with faith there will be deeds. Faith without deeds is useless. Anyway, this is what I got out of it today.

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