Yekwana Man

The whole Prop 8 Thing

2008-11-16T17:49:00.000-08:00

I feel it is necessary to go back to the Homosexual issue and consider the Homosexual Marriage question.

I saw a story on Yahoo this morning about different Gays speaking out about the harshness and bigotry of the right that would prevent those of different sexual persuasions from having civil rights.

Here is the problem. CIVIL RIGHTS ISSUE IT IS NOT. To discriminate against someone because of their race or gender is a violation of civil rights. Civil rights are rights that are inalienable and exist whether the law accepts them or not. (the rights of the unborn for example). We can even say they are endowed by the creator. The gay rights movement wants to redefine what civil rights are. If they can't do that they will redefine what marriage is. They want to legitimize what they do and how they live because they feel rejected by the norm. They don't want to be outsiders anymore. But instead of changing their behavior and coming inside (the norm) they want to enlarge the inside to include their abnormal behavior.
So they start doing all kinds of mental and logical gymnastics to convince people that they and their activities are normal and should be accepted as such.
They say God made us this way. It is not our fault, we cannot change, just like a white man cannot change his skin color. They say it is in their genetic makeup. There is no medical proof of that theory. but they, like good propagandist of the Hitler era, feel that if they say it enough then the people will believe it is true. Most Homosexuals reject the idea of God and embrace the ideas and philosophy of evolution. But when they say it is genetic, they are saying they are either evolving or mutating. If they are evolving then Darwin's theory "survival of the fittest" says they will be eliminated because of natural selection and the fact that they can't procreate! Notice that it is DARWIN that says this and not CHRISTIANS! If it is a mutation then it is bad and should be rejected.
To give deviant (that which strays from the normal) sexual behavior civil rights is wrong. Then you would have no reason to deny that a Pedophile has the right to molest children and should be accepted in doing it. A rapist or sadomasochist should be given the same rights because he can't help but receive pleasure from brutalizing his victim.
They already have the right in this free society to practice their deviant behavior, but they do not have the right to force us to say their behavior is normal when most do not believe it is. In other words they want to force us to believe that they are right. That we do not have the right to our beliefs. They want to take away my freedom of thought. My freedom to disagree with them. My freedom to believe that pure and good sexual behavior is between a husband and his wife. Just like God ordained it..... male and female created He them.
They can change, by way of knowing the saving grace and love of Christ and His freedom form the bondage of sexual perversion. God will always love them and he wants them to repent, change their ways and seek forgiveness just like each one who is redeemed has done.

Monogamy -- Faithfulness to Your Mate

2008-11-11T07:04:00.000-08:00

Thou shalt not Commit Adultery

It is in the Bible, Charlton Heston brought it down from the mountain as part of the Law that would guide and strengthen the newly freed Jewish slaves as they changed and became an independent nation under God. (the Charlton Heston part is a joke!)

Nations throughout history have practiced Polygamy and Fornication. Wickedness was a part of society. The Bible shows this, but never condones it as what God wanted. From the beginning God created husband and wife and made them one. Not husband and wives.

The Bible teaches faithfulness to one mate (understood to be of the opposite sex since procreation was the first order of business). The Bible teaches that we should have a godly seed to glorify God.

Malachi 2:14 Yet ye say, Wherefore? Because the LORD hath been witness between thee and the wife of thy youth, against whom thou hast dealt treacherously: yet is she thy companion, and the wife of thy covenant.

Treacherously, betrayal of trust, deceitfully. Adultery. A grave sin that must be seen for what it is. God instituted marriage and uses it as a symbol of His relationship with the Jewish nation and Christ's relationship with the church. The world should see an example of Christ's love towards us when they look at the marriages of Christians. What they see instead is a divorce rate and incidence of infidelity that rivals the world system.

The book of Malachi is a scathing rebuke to the priesthood of the Jewish nation. They had faltered in their faithfulness toward their families and to their God. We have done the same.

To commit adultery is a sin against your wife/husband, your children, your God, and a shame to the name of God before the world. It is not an 'affair', dalliance, or fling. It is treachery and betrayal of a loved one. Adultery stabs directly into the heart of the offended mate. Many will cast blame upon the other for other deeds that caused the adulterous act. The blame cannot be shifted and the spot cannot be wiped away. It is ugly and we, speaking to the men now, all know that we are capable of such wickedness.(as are the women) Instead of being honest with others and seeking help from temptation, the sinner convinces himself that he can handle it. He then falls into the trap that Satan has set. Reach out for help. If you think you have problems in your marriage before adultery, you will be totally blasted away by the problems that come after the act.
Save your marriage. Be faithful to your spouse in heart, mind and deed.

What this Christian Believes and Why

2008-11-08T15:13:00.000-08:00

Sex

Fornication - What is it and Why is it wrong - Part 2 (Please read Part 1 first.... that is why we put numbers on the posts!!!!)

I have heard preachers teach many times in church that fornication is sex before you are married. That is a simple definition that is too simple and simply incomplete.

Fornication is translated from the greek word 'porneo' which is also translated as immorality, specifically, any sexual immorality. It includes prostitution for money or lust, and anything within the realm of the 'Porn' industry. A common word used today is pornography which means immoral writings or pictures. Our country is overrun with this wickedness of fornication that used to be only in places such as "the red zone" in Boston and other large cities. Now those things which were once considered immoral are called normal businesses. You can now eat at a Denny's and then walk next door to a strip joint. (That is in Tampa, Fl).

According to the definition before mentioned "fornication = sex before marriage" you can do everything but 'that' and not be sinning. That is where we are wrong in not teaching the whole truth. We are losing our young people in church because we are not teaching the whole truth. A vast majority of High School age children (they are not adults!!!!) think that oral sex is not sex. I guess they are too young to understand that there is a reason that the word 'sex' is in the phrase "oral sex". Everything starting with magazines, internet, necking and petting and making out and friends with privileges is fornication and there is a reason the Bible says the following....

Ephesians 5:3 ¶ But fornication, and all uncleanness, or covetousness, let it not be once named among you, as becometh saints;

Now here is the reason it is wrong. God designed each of us, male and female, to be joined to our mate, when we marry, for a life time. That is the plan. That joining takes place during acts of physical and emotional intimacy. What many don't understand is that there is also a spiritual uniting that takes place.

1 Corinthians 6:16 16 What? know ye not that he which is joined to an harlot is one body? for two, saith he, shall be one flesh.

Harlot - any woman indulging in unlawful (meaning not permitted by God; sex outside of marriage) sexual intercourse, whether for gain or for lust:
Young lady, if you think premarital sexual activities will prove your love to him (that is what he is saying right?!) You are only showing what kind of girl you really are.
Young predatory male, you are a liar, it has nothing to do with love and everything to do with your selfish lust. Whoremonger or fornicator is what you are called. These two old words come from the same base word, pornos. Get it? The Bible puts it all in the same pile.

When you join sexually (don't be an idiot....fornication, by definition leads to the sexual joining) with more than that one specific person in faithful monogamous marriage, each successive or previous act weakens the union you will have with your life mate. Those other relations (whether they just be with the eyes of lust, Jesus said it was adultery) or touching or kissing intimately or actual intercourse will water down, weaken or adulterate the future union with your mate. God says "Don't fornicate" because it will destroy many of the blessing and joys that God has for you.

God will forgive sinners, He does. But the consequences of our sin will be carried for the rest of our lives. Those memories of sin with another will never be forgotten and they will always be a blockage in your path to a more perfect union with your mate. You will be throwing away the joy God wants you to have, for pleasures of a few minutes. Just so you know, those times called "pleasures" today will be called scars in the years to come.

This fact will weaken your marriage, because, when you do have problems in the relationship, Satan will bring those past sins to memory. Only Satan will have you think of these relationships as "what if's" "If I had only married that one...." "I had more fun with so and so, they wouldn't be this dificult" Therby you will begin to live in a fantasy world or 'relation' that does not exist, instead of dealing with the difficulties and fixing the relationship we do have.

Pagan societies winked at the sin of fornication. We have joined them as pagans. We cannot.
Don't believe the lie that it doesn't hurt anybody.... it does, but it will be years before you realize it and then it will be too late to stay pure.

What does this Christian Believe and Why

2008-11-07T03:18:00.000-08:00

Sex

I know that got your attention!!!!!
This will have to be a multi-part post and some of it will not be appropriate for Victorian era Prudes. If, however, you have ever wondered about the beautiful gift that God gave to the married couple and how great it can be. Yet see that Satan has stolen and mangled it in this world today in such a way that it is unrecognizable and destructive. You also notice that Christians don't talk about this and you worry that just talking about it could be a sin. Or maybe, you know it isn't a sin to talk about it, but can't get over the hang up that you are embarrased about what your grandmother might think.

This is an article for you. Just don't tell the old bitty!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I have seen so many good Christian men and women fall, walk or run into the sin of sexual immorality that my emmbarassement over that shame far outweighs any prudish embarrasment to talk about the most wonderful God given gift to a husband and wife.

Fornication - What is it and Why it is Wrong? part 1
When I was a young teenager I was taken out on the sand dunes of Beaufort County SC by my cousin to shoot some pistols. I had never fired a pistol before. I was 12. My cousin gave me the weapon after a short talk about gun safety and a demonstration. It was a 45 automatic. My cousin told me to be very careful of the kick that the pistol would have once the trigger was pulled. I fired the first shot and the pistol kicked back over my head. I was shocked by how strong the recoil was. I fired two or three more time and I was done. It was too much for me.
In 1980 I was back in Beaufort SC at a small little place called Parris Island. One day we went for what they called Fam-fire exercise. We were to fire a few different weapons , not the M-16, just to get familiar with them. They pulled out the 45 pistol and talked of safety and a short demonstration (I knew all of this) until the instructor said that just the week before a recruit had not listened and when he fired the weapon he didn't control the recoil action with his grip, and after one shot the pistol recoiled in such a way that the barrel of pistol hit his forehead, because his finger was on the trigger and it was an automatic pistol when he pulled the gun away from his face he also pulled the trigger and blew the top of his head off. I decided to really pay attention to what the instructor was saying. I realized that the same thing could have happened to me years before.
Sex has quite a kick. There is nothing like it! But .... uncontrolled, in the wrong hands, at the wrong time, with the wrong person it will destroy you.
We in churches tell our young people that sex before marriage is bad. We had better start telling them about the kick's destructive power or they will get their heads blown off. (That means you also have to talk to them directly, at the right time, about the fact that sex really has an awesome kick, instead of hemming and hawing and turning red and saying Christians don't tallk about these kind of things. Because someone else who doesn't care about them or know themselves about the consequences will talk to them to answer their curiosity)
Well this is long enough for now and I can't cover everything I need to say in one post so it will have to wait until another time. then we will talk about what exactly is fornication, because a vast majority of teens and young adults see the way it has been taught in churches for decades as a great BIG loophole!!!!!!

What does this Christian Believe and Why?

2008-11-04T09:28:00.000-08:00

On the Issue of Abortion/Pro-Choice Agenda

The United States Constitution states that there are certain rights that are inalienable.... among those the right to life, liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness. The founding fathers did not establish these rights, they recognized their existence and with the constitution thereby guaranteed them.

With the Supreme Court case of Roe vs Wade the right to life was overturned to those who are still in the womb. Their right to life was subjugated to others to choose whether the lived or died. No voice is given to the unborn, no representative of their position is present when the decision is made as to whether they will be allowed to live or be wrapped in a biological waste bag.

The defenders of a woman's right to choose say that that which is in the womb is not alive. They will not call it a baby. It is a fetus. A lump of flesh. It is an inconvenience, obstacle to a happy life and some have even called it a punishment. (I don't want to mention Obama's name here tho'.)

We can talk about the ugliness of Abortion, partial birth abortion, non-care to survivors of abortion. but these points fall on deaf ears because those who defend abortion do not believe that the child is a living soul and thus can be dispensed with however the mother (oops.. carrier of the fetus) or the Doctor (oops... care giver) choose to.

So let's talk about two issues. Pro-choice.... I do believe that every woman has a right to choose when and if she will procreate. She has the right to decide if she will allow herself to take part in the act of fertilizing an egg within her body. Her rights end where the babies rights begin. If she doesn't want to be pregnant the morning after, she should have thought of that the night before. Once she made the choice to allow herself the possibility of getting pregnant, she has surrendered her right to an empty womb. The womb then becomes the babies domain and it's rights should reign supreme.

Loudly the defenders shout "What about Rape! Incest! or the Mother's Health!
Rape.... the rapist committed the crime so kill him not the innocent baby.
Incest...... Read instructions concerning rape.
Mother's Health....that is an ambiguous category used to rationalize less than 6% of abortions and it doesn't change the fact that you are still killing a baby.

Now let's just get fair and say that yes I am prejudiced towards the view of Pro-Life... OK

If the Pro Abortion crowd is right I am guilty of helping to see a lot of little bouncing babies be born. If they are unwanted, they can be adopted by the numerous parents who now travel to China and Africa to get babies. So I am guilty of happy babies and happy adoptive parents and some young mothers who don't have to feel guilty for the child that no longer lives.

If I on the Pro Life side is right..... The pro-abortion crowd is guilty of murder, but at least, Glory be to God, all of those souls are in our Heavenly Father's arms.

The Bible says "thou shalt not kill" [murder]

I believe it

What does this Christian Believe and Why?

2008-11-02T14:57:00.000-08:00

On the Issue of Homosexuality/Lesbianism/Same Sex Marriage

I have had so many comments for just a simple blog that I figured I would write just one more thing and see what happens.

1 Peter 3:15 But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear:

One of the weaknesses of the church today is that most Christians have faith and certain beliefs, but if you ask them why they believe those doctrines they will not have an answer for you that is biblically based. Perhaps they will have an answer but they actually don't understand the reason God's law is the way it is.

I remember when I was in High School and a bunch of us were sitting around talking about some issues and the topic of Gays/Homosexuals came up. I knew it was wrong, had read verses to that effect and, truthfully, had a homophobic attitude towards them rather than a Christan attitude. Admittedly I was only 17 and still in high school and had more maturing to do. A comment by one of my unsaved friends actually laid my attitude bare for what it was and I had no answer. It was not the loving attitude of Christ.

Homosexuality is wrong and sinful for Biblical reasons just as drunkenness and fornication are wrong. Abortion is wrong and sinful just as stealing and lying are wrong. Why do we make such a big deal about it. After all, in regards to Homosexuality, (the world says) what's the big deal, who are they hurting... why can't they get married? Why does God call it an abomination anyway?

God created Adam and Eve.... yes, that is what the Bible says and that is what I believe... and told them to go forth and multiply. That was the purpose. Malachi 2:15 states "And did not he make one? Yet had he the residue of the spirit. And wherefore one? That he might seek a godly seed. Therefore take heed to your spirit, and let none deal treacherously against the wife of his youth."

In this passage and other verses in the chapter God speaks of His desire that we raise up a godly seed or lineage (children). That was God's purpose in creating Male and Female. He wanted us to have children that would follow God. In Homosexual or lesbian relationships reproduction cannot happen. Never has a man mating with a man ever given birth to a child and the same is true of Lesbian relationships. It cannot happen and never will. That is scientifically proven. God created humans in such a way that you need male and female mating to produce offspring. We'll talk about killing that offspring (abortion) and why it is wrong later but it should be self explanatory!

Homosexuality is an abomination (please note that I am not saying that Homosexuals are abominations or more abhorrent than any other sinner) The act of homosexuality is a sinful act that certain sinners do. We are all sinners and we all have free will and choose the sin of our choice. But why is the act of homosexuality called by God an abomination? The word abomination means "disgusting thing", and the bible mentions many things that are disgusting to Him, one of those is an unworthy or blemished sacrifice. All sin, is in fact repugnant to Almighty God.

These are some reasons why, as Christians, we cannot support legislation that legalizes same sex marriages. Same sex marriages are wrong. Marriage is the joining of a man and a woman for the purpose of forming a family in the hopes of having children. I know a lot of people think that this is not politically correct, but it is correct.

I Corinthians 6:9-11 gives a list of sins and how that many of the Christians in the church there had practiced those sins.

Here is what I believe.....Sin is sinful and God is forgiving of all who seek Him. Homosexuality is one of those sins for which Christ died. How often have we shared that truth of Christ's love with someone who practices homosexuality?

Who is getting Elected?

2008-10-31T15:39:00.000-07:00

I am gonna shock alot of people here just by posting. But I am stuck in the city of Asuncion waiting for my daughter rather than drive home to drive back to pick her up.

The Election will be close in popular votes just like it always is, The electoral vote, depending how it comes out could look like a landslide or we could have a replay of the last election.

Obama really wants to win at any cost....literally! His Hugo Chevezesque "cadena" costing millions proved that.

The media doesn´t care who wins as long as it isn´t John McCain.

I already voted for the Multi-gender ticket of my choice and sent it in.

When we wake up the morning after the election the "who" will be known. I know that my beloved JM will want to stay up to the end..... but the polls in California wont be closing until after midnight here in Asuncion. And that means meaningful number won´t be out for another two to three hours!

He will be a man, with or without caracter, with or without an agenda of change. He will be a man. For whom we ,as Christians are commanded to pray. Whoever he is he will need prayer. He will need wisdom.

He will not be Henry Higgins! The world will keep spinning whoever is voted in.

Some things will change. Other things will not change.
The World will still need a Savior. The world will still reject that Savior, and we as Christians must continue to obey our Father and preach the gospel.

We must remember that even tho` America doesn´t love or want God..... God still loves and wants us. God´s love is not to a certain political system or to a nation. God´s love is directed to individuals who are in need of redemption.

So let´s not get too filled with ourselves about the vote and what is going to happen. 99% of the world´s population (for Kepler) since the global flood of Noah have not had the priviledge of voting. It is a duty that we should cherish and fulfill. But relax..... God haters and rejecters CANNOT vote God off of His Throne. That will never be on the ballot even tho´the Dem´s would love that!

God sets up kingdoms and brings them down..... We need to reflect upon which of those God is doing and Why?

Palin Paranoia

2008-09-08T05:16:00.000-07:00

Paranoia is an unfounded fear in something. I see the left totally freaking out in a way that can only be called paranoia about a mother of Five, christian evangelical, who has been heard to pray.

Why do they freak out....
She has five kids! She won't have time to fulfill the work of VP.. Bogus Statement.
One child is an adult in the military and another is going to get married and is a mother not a murderer of her unborn child. One of the marks of adulthood and maturity is the act of taking responsibility for your actions and choices . So now we only count three children. We have seen on national television that even Piper is ready and willing to do what ever it takes to make sure that even the hair on the babies head is in place, so I think we can count on Sarah having all, if not more, than the help she needs.

She has no experience... Bogus Statement
I don't need to repeat all the ways she far surpasses Obama and Biden because it has been covered in the blogs and news.

Lets get down to why they freak out and say she is wrong for the job. She believes in God.
Most of the nation says they believe in God and even the Democrats will invoke His name in many phrases such as "Pray for our troop" and "God Bless America", So why does her religion freak the left out. She BELIEVES there is a God, Therefore she also believes in right and wrong. That there is an authority higher than Congress and the polls that determines what we should do. That we are accountable to Him for our actions.
In the book of Genesis (the liberals already freak out on this statement because it is a direct attack on their religion of evolution) Eve was deceived into thinking she could be like a god. ONLY God has the right to decide what is right and wrong. Murder of the innocent is wrong, and it doesn't matter what the Supreme Court says because God is the only true Supreme. It is legal in America, but it is still wrong! Homosexuality is wrong and you don't even need the Bible to tell you that, just look at nature. It is legal for people to act that way, but that doesn't make it right.
The Left freaks out because they want to be gods.... just like Genesis says. They want to decide what is good, loving, and compassionate based upon what they think, feel or read in the polls or from their supporters.
Racism used to be legal, loved and popular but it was never right.
To make something legal cannot make something that is inherently wrong a good thing.
Why the Paranoia?.....they feel their self-deity is threatened when someone says there is a Higher God. They reject the existence of a True God with true authority and they must defend their 'rightness', their 'godness;.
That is why they attack, they must defend their god because 'he' cannot defend himself. They are their own god. Christians don't need to attack, we only state what God has said and decreed in His word as to right and wrong. He can defend Himself. Our duty is to love our neighbor as ourselves and that includes all enemies who attack us as well as friends who pray for us.

We Are Moving To Paraguay

2008-08-06T03:43:00.001-07:00

It is hard to believe that it is finally time to go. A new life and ministry, new culture and dialect. My schedule has already had additions in Paraguay and I am not even there yet. What will God do and how will we react. A lot of unknowns in our life, but that, for me is part of the adventure. It is a privilege to serve God and be allowed to go to other countries. I pray that I will be worthy in a small way of the trust of the churches that send us and those to whom we will minister.

All Quiet on the Home Front

2008-07-16T04:52:00.000-07:00

I am trying to get used to the Quiet!

At one point Rita and I had 6 kids living at home. (Two were indian children that we had taken in to teach and are now living in Puerto Ayacucho, Venezuela.)

Our oldest got married a few years ago and has her own life in Paraguay. Our son was married a month ago and is getting a good start on his life. It is totally cool to see them happy with the mate God brought into their lives and we pray that they will be as happy as my wife and I.

But to add to the quiet, our 18 years old daughter is in Paraguay with her sister until our arrival and our youngest went to Bible camp this week.

It is really quiet her. We will get the two girls back together once we arrive in Paraguay and have them for a while longer, but this week, truly is a glimpse into future.

I love it. It is totally different. I can also see that it is something to prepare for.

I want to make sure that Rita and I will continue on with our life together as it changes and not meddle in the lives of our children or others. What a careful balance to achieve. We want to be active in our children's lives but not meddlesome. (that will be hard cause those are my grandbabies!!)

Twenty Five Years Ago

2008-07-09T06:45:00.000-07:00

Twenty five years ago I stood at a church altar and swore my eternal love to this beautiful girl. It was about a year earlier that I had asked her to marry me and promised to love her for the rest of her life. At first she laughed in my face. (to her defense.. I was trying to act romantic on one knee instead of the crazy , funny guy I usually am, so I had caught her off guard.)

When she actually responded in kind, instead of giving me the "yeah right!" look I was ecstatic!!!
I was also scared to death that I would fail her in some way and not keep my word. That fear of wounding the one we love , should always be in the back of our minds.

Those who fail at their marriages are the ones who stop caring and trying to understand. Who quit caring if anything they are doing MIGHT be hurting their loved one.

God don't ever let me stop caring!! Don't ever let me stop being scared that I might lose her.
You made her for me.

Thank you Lord

The Greatest Things About Being a Father

2008-06-15T05:02:00.000-07:00

Having children.

Seeing them Married

Getting a new Daughter.

Seeing their Happpiness

Remembering your Happiness

Thanking God for His Blessings

I Gotta Post

2008-04-15T14:47:00.001-07:00

I have decided to post something, admittedly I don't know what to post, but since that doesn't stop most bloggers, why should it stop me.

My wife has shown me a woman blogging about her birth while giving birth, others blog about the laundry, and I have even seen a blog about knives. (the cutting edge for sure!!!)

Jungle Mom is in shock that I am posting at all. She will read it when she regains consciousness.

This morning I got a call from my daughter telling me of my grandaughters excitement to learn that she was going to see "coco" the Ye'kwana term for grandfather. She started singing and yelling coco and Baloo!! Some people have told me that my personality parallels the caracter of Baloo on "The Jungle Book". The last time we were with her in Paraguay we watched Baloo quite a few times. She would sit still and cuddle until the song "Bare Necesities" then we would both stand up and move to the tempo of the music...(not dancing .. we are baptists after all!!!) with Baloo and Mowgli.
So I look forward to watching Baloo with my little LELE and getting down with a little prickly Pawpaw

Come Uppins!!!!

2008-01-17T11:00:00.000-08:00

My mom used to tell me while I was growing up such nuggets of wisdom. I learned as a young man that what ever goes around , comes around. I honestly never expected to experience the truth of this wisdom in such a fun way.

If you were to talk to our children and nephews and nieces, they would tell you that they lived a few years in Venezuela all together and they really enjoyed that time of our lives. Then they will tell you that they lived in fear of walking down the hallway alone. They "claim" that they learned to think strategically at a very early age. They would always walk in groups of at least two, preferably three.

The reason for this way of life was that they shared the house with a gang of terrorists, three to be exact, they were the terrible trio and could attack at any time, as a band or alone. You must understand that the terrorists were much larger than the children. One terrorist was capable of holding captive two children while torturing another with the dreaded taiwanese tickle fingers!!!!

The attacker(s) would strike and it was the responsibility of any child who remained free to run for assistance from the rest of the Rugrats Regiment. The terrorist were cowards (or so claimed the rugrats) as soon as assistance would arrive the attack would end with some admonition to watch out for the furniture or some such excuse!!!!!

The day came when the terrorist disbanded due to excess pressure from the growing Rugrats. it was deemed too dangerous to continue operations and they dissapeared into history thinking they would be forgiven and forgotten.

As you can see in the video.....they were not forgiven nor were their actions forgotten. Revenge is sweet and also alot of FUN!!! also note then end of the video when one of the terrorist who thought he was safe since he was filming and even betrayed his 'compinche' and joined in the attack got his come uppins too!!!!!

Who are the terrorist you ask? the leader of the infamous band was Big Daddy Vernoy, His accomplice was known by the alias Little Ed the last member of the band was the kindest of all, Clint (known for his ability to tickle with the force and not lay a finger on the poor children) thus he was known as Kind Clint the gentle. Any other accusations against him are purely sladerous!!!!

Come Uppins!!! Judgment Day

Chocolate Bloopers !!!

2007-12-26T09:58:00.000-08:00

During our rehearsals and many takes to arrive at the finished product we, just like those amatuers in Hollywood, had a few bloopers....

Listen for Josh's words as he falls the second time and you will understand the dangers of doing your own stunts!!!!!! Jewel really got into caracter!!!!

Jewel thinks she could be a Marine

2007-12-26T09:41:00.000-08:00

Jewel likes being here in Beaufort since it is so close to Parris Island. Maybe all the training that goes on out there get in to the air and is effecting her. When it comes to Chocolate she can be sort of Violent!!!!! Especially when it is the last pie!!!

The cast of Characters in order of appearence....
Jewel Vernoy as the Potanator
Jared Vernoy as the Stinking thieving cousin
Jared Vernoy as the other Stinking Thieving Cousin
Jason Vernoy as the MP3 bagel maker
Joshua Vernoy as the Brother who should pick sides better

Photographer --- Ed Vernoy
Writer and Director --- Clint Vernoy

There will be bloopers and a Sequel!!!

Presenting the Director's Cut

2007-12-14T13:13:00.000-08:00

Jewel - You can see the devious nature in her eyes
Elena - the only reason she isn't into something is that Jewel has her held down
Abbie - She is still not sure what she is gonna do but she will be right behind the other two.

Jayde - giving Elena her first lessons in hacking!!!!!

Girls are one of God's greatest creations. Man of course was made in His image!!!!

I know what the girls are going to say now..... Man is the rough draft and Woman is the final product. yada yada. Merry Christmas!!!!

Jungle Mom's Husband

2007-12-10T05:03:00.000-08:00

Yes it has happened! One of my wife's readers came up to me and said, "Hey, aren't your Jungle Mom's husband?"

Do I mind.... Not at all.
To be her husband is one of the greatest honors in my life.
When people ask me for news on Venezuela, I "redirect" them to Junglemom's blog.
I hear about everything she finds and read her posts first!!!
She is a great kisser!!!!!!

Wouldn't trade being her husband for all the steaks in Paraguay or all the grubworms in Venezuela!

Yup, Jungle mom is my girl!

The Job I Love that is not a Job, but a Joy

2007-10-26T13:25:00.000-07:00

A lot of times you hear of guys that work in a dead end or boring job everyday of their lives. I am so glad that I am not such a man.

In September I made a trip to visit four or five churches in the state of Ohio. While there I saw a friend with whom I had gone to Bible college for a time. met his wife and family and rejoiced to see a friend from 27 years ago, still in the ministry and faithful to God. I had not seen him for 27 years. I get paid for that, it is my job while on furlough to visit new churches and faithful supporting churches. Seeing old friends is merely a fringe benefit.

I then traveled from Cincinnati to Zanesville, Ohio to visit another supporting church in New Concord Ohio. I stayed at the home of a High School buddy, We laughed , remembered discussing evolution with our biology teacher, His wife is his High school sweet heart and they are still faithfully and happily married. I know, because I stayed in their home for a three days and watched them. You can only fake happiness for one meal. It was great to be with them and share all the things that have passed during the years. Dale and Cindy Lewis have been my friends since 1975.

I drove by the RollerRink where I met the girl of my dreams. Her most famous alias is JungleMom! and she is mine!!!!! This is the building in which JM fell at my feet in LOVE!!!!!
Witnesses who were there are Pam and Kim!!!!!!

I also went to Tom's Ice Cream Bowl, opened in the late 40's it hasn't changed a bit. They still make their own ice cream and it is an icon of Zanesville. It was written up in USA Today as one of the top ten Ice cream stops in America. Be warned though before you make a special trip..... it is closed on Mondays!!!!!

I had my High School favorite!!!! Hot Fudge Sundae with extra hot fudge and crushed peanuts!!!
and yes it is even better than it looks!!!!!!!!

While in Zanesville, I played tourist and went to see the World Famous Y bridge!!!!! The only city where someone can tell you to go to the middle of the bridge and turn left and not be telling you to go jump off a bridge!!!! but that is not all!!!!

It seems they like the alphabet bridges in Ohio because I also saw one of the last remaining S bridges on the old national trail or Zane's Trace. It is about 5 minutes from the church in New Concord Ohio

I then traveled to Bucyrus and saw my nieces and nephews for a few days. Debbie had made a Texas sheet cake!!!! Totally awesome!!!!! Played a game of golf with my nephew and totally spanked him too!!!!! Put that pup in his PLACE!!!!!

My final stop in Ohio was Canton Baptist Temple, pastored by a longtime friend, Mike Frazier, His wife, just as a note of interest, is the daughter of the man who pastored the church in which I was saved at the age of 6 in South Carolina. (Small World!). While at CBT I was able to have a meal and spend an evening with Jonathan Reed, a young man who had worked with us for 2 months in the indian village and now had a wife with whom he plans to move to Brazil and begin a work among the indians of the Amazon of Brazil.

All of these things took place in the space of 14 days. God is good. God always brings us back together. He is a father who likes reunions!!!!!!

I wont even bring up what the girls thought of their trip on the Auto Train up the east coast! It was totally cool!!!!

I'll have better pictures next time!!!

Security, What is it Worth

2007-08-21T03:43:00.000-07:00

I just saw that a venezuelan has been speaking in paraguay link here and he speaks of the dangers of sacrificing freedoms for security and the fact that often we loose both.

So I ask myself, is there any true security in this world.... how often we deceive ourselves into thinking that we have security. It brings to mind the bible story of the man who built bigger and newer barns to store his goods. He was secure and content, in need of nothing, God said,"You fool" for this night your soul shall be required of thee. *translation* "your ticket is going to be punched tonight!

In the last few weeks, two different missionary families, on different continents, have lost loved ones, one couple on their way to church. A dear friend from college days had a stroke. From one day to the next, sorry , from one minute to the next everything changed for them. They had no control over the matter.

We talk of planning for the furture and preparing for the future, but we should never make the mistake of finding security in our planning. Plans change, we adapt to different things that come up..ok. but we are never in control, or secure in the things to which we will have to adapt.

I guess what I am trying to say, short and sweet.....If we sacrifice something tangible, time with our family (as an example), so that we can obtain security (an imagined, false security) by working to build a bank account to be "secure" in our future. We are fools in believing that the "security" is real. the security will always be imagined. There are too many things that we cannot control.

Be prepared, yes. Plan, yes. Believe that we are secure because we have done this and that... Foolish. All of the plans and preparations we do are never more than a mere buffer to hold back the consequences of the bad things that might and will happen. Often, they are buffers that hold back opportunities for us to see true security in God's provision for us.

The only security that exists is in God. His salvation, His love. His Son. Now the atheist will say, we christians are foolish for believing in a divine being that cannot be seen and proven....God is a 'maybe' in the atheist mind.

The atheist also must agree that true security doesn't exist. No question..

So who is the fool?....I would say it is the one who chooses to reject the probable (humanly speaking) (God) for the impossible (security in this life).

Venezuela Family Tragedy

2007-06-06T05:17:00.000-07:00

I found this article posted on www.AlbertMohler.com It is posted for May,31,2007.

I had to post it because it is so true of what has happened in Venezuela. Where there is no Father, most often there is a malandro in the making. A terrorist in the making, it all epends on who becomes the controller/manipulator. (socialist, Marxist, islamist) there is an entire generation of boys in Venezuela who's only father figure is Hugo Chavez. He tells the poor that the rich are evil. Those boys hear that as a license to kill that is more explicit and open than for 'James Bond' . I can't say it better. Check out his Blog. Christianity is the best answer because God says he will be the father to the orphans. and that , sadly, is what most of these young men are.

What happens when boys grow up without the influence of male authority?
Stewart Dakers warns that the absence of engaged males in authority -- fathers in particular -- leads to brutal, crude, dangerous, and narcissistic teenage boys and young men.

In a brilliant essay published in The Guardian [London], Dakers introduced his readers to two teenage boys, "Split" and "Pole," who are an intimidating presence in a London shopfront. From this Dakers moves to the heart of his story:

Split's mum is effectively single and has devoted her life to bringing up Split and his sister, Paige. Pole's mum has been on the edge for years, following her discovery that she did not really like children after all. By then, she'd had another two. While neither young man could be expected to appreciate the full implications of this, they know well enough that they owe their mums big time. And they resent it - as the immoderate language shows.

"I can sort her all right. Just don't wanna have to listen to her all the bleedin' time." Both of them have indeed become good at "sorting" their mums. They have an instinct for weakness in others, which is daily expressed in small acts of intimidation in malls, at bus stops, in queues. These are the symptoms of a more chronic disaffection. They are masters of manipulation.

Dakers explains that far too many boys are now raised by women, virtually alone. Even when husbands and fathers are still part of the family picture, they do not give attention to their progeny or invest in their children. They have no emotional attachment to their sons and they do not discipline their boys. All the emotion, care, guidance, and discipline -- what discipline there is -- comes from females. Boys raised in a female environment learn quickly to become masters of manipulation, Dakers advises. They first learn to manipulate their mothers, then move on to other females:

From a very early age, they demanded attention - Pole because his mother starved him of it, Split due to competition with a smarter, older sister. When the guerrilla tactics of smash and grab failed to deliver the goods, Split learned trickery, cheating, inveigling, flattery. Their success was due to the overwhelming preoccupation of their mothers simply to survive and provide.

With the years, both boys had acquired level-five NVQs in getting their own way: treats, early smoking, bunking off school, avoiding domestic duties, getting the trainers, the bling. Once they had their mothers under their thumbs, they moved on to girls. They were first to lose their virginity - and take that of others. After a few fumbles, they quickly discovered that their skills of manipulation were equally effective up against the back wall.

Dakers explains that boys and young men learn two basic ways to manipulate their mothers and the other female authorities in their lives -- "sweep her off her feet or pull the wool over her eyes." They make their way through a progression of bad behaviors, manipulating their way around and through female authority.

And female authority is virtually all many boys see. As Dakers reports:

It is not necessarily the absence of fathers. Split's was around, during those intervals between being a guest of Her Majesty. Pole's is around all the time, but might as well not be. He lounges around expecting food, drink, TV, clothes, sex - OK, so he handles the remote. He offers words of wisdom, shouts instructions, but anything unpleasant - tantrums, homework - is women's work. And on the occasions when anything requires discipline, handling, he'll find some pressing errand in the shed, under the car, down the pub, to excuse himself.

Which reflects the reality of the wider world. At the sharp end, the rock face, there is hardly a man in sight. In their early years, up to puberty, authority is exercised on young men exclusively by women - shop assistants, teachers, health visitors, social workers and, of course, sisters and mothers.

As the boys get older, the problems grow more serious:

When the hormones kick in, when they move up to the more serious stuff - vandalism, graffiti, shopfront intimidation - here again, the delivery of reprimand, caution, assistance is delegated primarily to women. When it is a male voice, it is likely to divert the miscreant to the parent - and we know which. Even statutory stuff, in the pupil referral units, special schools, probation office, youth offending service, disciplinary hearings, the staff are overwhelmingly female.

Boys are increasingly raised without fathers and without the force of male authority. They are coddled, entertained, and reinforced in self-assertion by a constellation of female influences. So many mothers and other women give themselves selflessly to the raising of these boys, but boys need the controlling force of male authority -- the male voice they cannot ignore. They need a man -- a father or father figure -- who knows what boys are up to when they try to manipulate, and who will put down an insurrection the moment it starts.

They need the influence and discipline of a man who will say no and make it stick, who will hold the boy accountable, and who will provide the necessary instruction in becoming a man. They need the male voice, but so many boys hear only the voices of women.

Stewart Dakers puts the blame on men, many of whom are fathers only in a biological sense, who pour themselves into professions and activities but have little to do with their boys. As Dakers relates, too many fathers "stand back or walk off" when their boys need attention -- especially discipline -- leaving mom all alone. This blame is rightly extended to an entire culture of males who shirk their responsibilities to the young, especially to boys and young men -- and to a society that creates a feminized world of social assistance, education, and care.

Split and Pole spend their time strutting their exaggerated masculinity as they intimidate citizens on a London sidewalk. Rest assured that the boys and young men who do the same in American neighborhoods and shopping malls are doing so for the same reason -- the absence of male authority.

We no longer have to wonder what a society of boys raised without fathers would look like. That society is taking shape before our eyes.

2007-06-02T06:30:00.000-07:00

No one cared that Freedom of Religion was attacked when the Indians were told to go back to their old ways and stopped following the teaching of the Bible and the missionaries. Now they care because the attack is on them. The Indians won't care, because they don't get TV were they live unless the pay for Direct TV.
The question is.... What are they going to do? I don't think anyone really knows.
I pray for the peace of Venezuela.

The Best Message I Ever heard on the Ressurection

2007-05-21T08:33:00.000-07:00

When we had been in Chajuraña for a few years, some dear friends of ours lost their only son. He was born in the city of Puerto Ayacucho, and they named him David. The mother, Linda, flew out to the village with her newborn son and other daughters. Two days later, he was dead.

He died of heart failure, there was nothing we could do. Linda and her children were in our home throughout the entire ordeal. There was an emergency flight scheduled to get them in the morning, but he didn't last the night. The father, Antonio, flew out to the village to be with his wife and family for the burial.

I made the coffin during the night. At dawn, other friends and church members went to dig the grave. We carried the child to the burial ground on the side of the hill, deep in the jungle. It was raining that morning and it felt like God himself was crying with the family.

This was our first burial, and through the years I realized it was to be the first of many. But this was the first. I tried to imagine the heart ache of placing my own son in a cold wet muddy hole in the middle of the jungle and tried to understand how Antonio and Linda felt that day.
My heart and mind would not go there.
There was no shiny coffin with satin inside, there was no carpet of green grass around the hole. There were no flowers, just a muddy hole.
The pastor of the church spoke for a few minutes and then Antonio asked to speak.

He said, "Today I am sad because I bury my son here in Chajuraña. But I will not be sad forever because I will see my son again. The Bible has taught me that God has my son with him. When I die, I will also be with him. On resurrection day God will raise up my son's body and mine if I am dead. This is a resting place and nothing more. My son will not stay here forever. We will be together again.
He preached to those around the grave site of their need to believe in Christ as their savior if they also wanted to have that hope.

What great hope we have. Christ rose from the dead and promises to do the same for us. I needed to hear that message that day.

One thing I will miss about Venezuela

2007-04-21T06:44:00.000-07:00

The coffee in Venezuela is absolutely the best I have ever had. That includes Cuban, Starbucks, Barnie's, Java Joe's and the other imitators. Coffee in Norway, Peru, Canada, Paraguay, Mexico , Colombia and Germany. They truly do not compare. I feel sorry for the rest of you who have never had Venezuelan coffee. It is like explaining how a motor works to a woman.

Let's Define Ethnocide!

2007-04-11T19:25:00.000-07:00

Chajudaña was the village of choice for hosting most of the inter-village reunions because it was the healthiest, best organized and most able to provide food for the other villages. The other indian villages chose Chajuraña repeatedly for these cultural events.

I recently received an anonymous comment that said I was guilty of ethnocide. Here is the comment ....

"The word ethnocide barely begins to describe the atrocities your ministry is inflicting on indigenous cultures along the Rio Caura."

Now, since there is no name I am not going to post it in my comments sections. I do feel, however, that there is a need to consider his comment as to it's veracity. For if it is true, we need to stop mission work.

ETHNOCIDE-- The purposeful destruction of an ethnic group or culture.

It is true that indian groups are diminishing and we should consider the causes. I will list a few that we saw in the jungle.

Infant mortality due to lack of medical care
Unnecessary deaths from sickness due to lack of medical care
Drunkenness which causes fights and often deaths or chronic illness
Suicide
War between tribes and villages (90% of all tribal wars are for the purpose of stealing females)
Mercury poisoning due to illegal mining causing birth defects
Sterility in the women from being raped and infected with venereal diseases by illegal miners
Female deaths during childbirth from uterine ruptures and hemorages

When you look at the villages where missionaries worked in the jungles of Venezuela you will see some things that are statistically true.

Where the Gospel is preached there is...
Lower Infant mortality rate(due to medicines and emergency flights provided by the missionaries)
Lower death rate among all ages (Due to medicine and basic care provided by the missionaries)
Fewer Drunks(Due to the gospel being preached and people choosing to stay away from such addictions and its unhealthy consequences)
Lower Suicide Rate(Due to the teaching of the scriptures which give people hope, purpose and a future.)
Less Warring between tribes ( due to people following a lawful order and developing a respect for all life, both male and female, raising the value of the female from being a piece of property to a person with equal rights)
Less mining and mercury poisoning (Due to the fear of being reported by conscientious indians who have been made aware of their rights and responsibilities by the Biblical teaching of the missionaries)
Less Rape and venereal disease (The young girls have been taught not to get drunk with the miners, the fathers have been taught not to trade or sell the services of their female family members to the miners)
Fewer deaths in Child birth (Due to the fact that the husbands have been taught from the Bible to love and care for their wives and thus provide prenatal care and take them to the city for birth if needed.)

Since the effect of the missionary presence does not cause the destruction of tribal people, but rather strengthens the tribe, I don't see how the accusation can possibly be true. I have seen the statistics kept by the health department comparing all the villages of the Caura region. The statistics show the truth. Guess which village doubled in population in less than ten years? Dare to venture a guess of which village had the lowest infant mortality rate of the region? Which village had a lower mortality rate overall? Or, which village had the better quality of life and longevity according to the Doctors of the State Government? Which village had the higher percentage of school age children? Which village had the best trained teachers? Do I really need to go on?

That doesn't sound like Ethnocide to me!

Serious Softball Interveiw

2007-03-20T10:42:00.000-07:00

(Translation: We invite all Venezuelans to watch the interview of the year.
The President of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, "comandante" Hugo Chavez Frias, leader of the XXI century socialism, in an exclusive interview with the journalist Barbara Walters, star anchorwoman of the main US network ABC news)

This announcement appeared in every major newspaper in Venezuela. It was also advertised on the radio and TV. The rumors down here are that she was paid over 100,000US$ for her interview! I am done with MSM, thats for sure! I guess she doesn't realize that journalist down here don't have the same freedom she has! Her incredibly shallow interview was aired on what we call CADENA. This is where the government takes over all airways, radio and TV and we all get blessed to watch what he deems appropriate. Cadena means CHAINS in Spanish. And that is how we feel! Imprisoned by his words and unable to see the light of day. Sunday he spoke for 5 and a half hours.
That is life in Venezuela! To see further information about security in Venezuela at

http://caracaschronicles.blogspot.com/

and see if Barbara was in the same Venezuela as the rest of us.... or in Chavezuela or Hugoslavia?

How Far should we Go?

2007-03-13T15:17:00.000-07:00

Over ten years ago we moved to the village of Chajuraña. We felt that God wanted us there and through the years saw visible proof that it was the place for us. We arrived in Oct of 1995 to begin our life among the Ye'kwana tribe. After a few weeks in the village I was invited by Victor, the christian leader in the village to take a trip with them to visit family in a nearby village. I figured, 'why not!' so off we went, myself and about 20 ye'kwana. I, as a jungle newbie, was gloriously oblivious to the dangers of river travel. We arrived at one set of rapids, and they told me to get out and walk around while they drove the boat up through the rocks. Guys jumped from the canoe in the middle of the rapids onto large rocks and grabbed onto the rope that Victor threw to them. When they had a good grip he shut off the motor and tilted it out of the water. His life depended upon the grip of those five guys on the rocks. The boat would have been smashed in seconds if they had lost their grip or slipped into the water. I was glad that I was walking. I wondered if maybe I should have stayed home. After all, we had come far enough to preach the gospel.

BOCA DE PIÑA
It is a small village on the Caura river where the in-laws lived. When we arrived they went off to see the family and I, blissfully, walked around trying to make friends. Unfortunately, every child that I saw ran away screaming when I waved for them to join me for a cookie. I later found out that they were doing exactly what their parents had taught them to do. They mistook me for an embodied spirit that they believe in in their tribal culture. They believe there are spirit beings that come to collect friends of those that have died so the dead ones won't be alone. The parents always tell their children to stay away from the Wiyu. They will trick you and take you to the spirit world. The children ask how they can tell if it is a real Wiyu, since they are known to take the perfect form of a human. The parents tell the children that it is easy.... The Wiyu´s can't quite get the color right. They always look WHITE! not deeply tanned like a real person!!!! So all the kids thought I was trying to take them to the spirit world.
Later, a young girl came straight up to me and asked if I was a missionary. I said yes and then she took me to her grandmother who had asked to talk to me. She told me her story and asked me a few questions... She was from Brazil and had come to Venezuela to say goodbye to her family as she knew she was going to die in the coming weeks. When she saw me walking around the village she thought I might be a missionary and wanted to ask me about another missionary that had come to her village when she was a little girl. She couldn't remember much about what he talked, but she did remember that there was a story about someone that loved her so much that he died for her, and if she believed, he would show her how to get to heaven with Him. She could not remember any more. His name, why he died for her, How did he know how to get to heaven. So then she asked me If I knew the man´s name. I said "yes....His name is Jesus." She then asked If I knew His story and I, with tears in my eyes, again said "yes." She said, "Please tell me His story and why he died. I have waited all my life to learn the rest of the story."
45 minutes later, she was my sister in Christ, and three weeks later she met Jesus face to face.
How far is far enough.....Unto the End of the World.

Love This Socialism Stuff!

2007-02-28T03:08:00.000-08:00

Another beautiful morning in Venezuela. If you didn't read the news you would think that nothing has changed.

I read in the paper today that due to controls and red tape, the car manufacturers will have problems operating their factories. They are unable to obtain parts. The government won't give them money at the controlled rate of Bs 2150 to the $. If they try to buy $ on the parallel market at Bs 3800 to the $ they are either not allowed to charge more for their products even tho it costs them more or better yet they can be put in jail for operating with the Black Market. Consequences of all of this is that workers who live from paycheck to paycheck will be laid off since there are no parts and the owners have no desire to lose their factories, money or go to Jail.

The Government is now forced into importing more at the controlled exchange rate thus putting more of the 'Pueblo' out on the street without a job. Overseas, however, the government looks good since they help factories in Bolivia, Argentina, Uruguay and more to sell more goods and keep their people working.

A well known Government slogan is that "Venezuela now belongs to everybody" In Spanish it means 'all Venezuelans' not just those in power. But the joke is that Venezuela now belongs to Cuba, Ecuador, Bolivia, Brazil, Harlem (think Citgo Gas), etc... The saddest thing is that the crash that is coming, will be real, it will effect all of the people and the poor worst of all. All will be equal....equally poor.

Chavez says that anyone who tries to protect his family from this coming disaster is a criminal, Buying and storing extra goods while they can be bought (meaning found or affordable), selling your products at a fair price at which you make money and provide for your family, or not selling your products if it means you must sell at a loss.

The only way Chavez will be happy is if all depend on him, bow to him, and serve him in his quest for World Wide glory.

What a Beautiful Morning. God Will Always control that. We must always remember that.

Chairs for Couples anyone?

2007-02-17T14:14:00.000-08:00

I don't know what I am going to Blog about really but I do know that it is my responsibility to Blog and so I do.

My Wife and I just finished a three day conference in our church here on the subject of marriage. It was a privilege to do it and we were glad when the pastor asked us to teach the course.

We aren't experts, but after counseling quite a few couples over the last year, it seemed it would be a good plan. We expected at most 30 couples and ended up with over 85, on the final night there were over 200 people. Some newly married and others, after 20+ years, that were barely married by a thread. The couples all enjoyed the teaching and learned what their personal responsibilities were to their spouses. If I were to break it all down into one phrase it would be this..... It doesn't matter if you feel like it....just do what is right anyway.

I will teach the same material in another few weeks to over 400 men from various churches throughout Venezuela. That's right... the same stuff..... Again!.... Why you ask?.... From very personal experience I have learned that men don't just get it......they get it ...EVENTUALLY!. It takes a lot of teaching to reverse the bad habits that have been formed in marriages over a lifetime. We have to break down barriers that 'machismo' has formed. We have to make them believe that when they obey the Word....their wife will usually follow them. Eventually! (tho not always) But then that is no excuse to stop doing what is right.

We hope to see families changed. It is not a question as to whether the teaching works or not, but, as to whether they work it out in their lives by doing what they have been taught.

The men were taught to love their wives by remembering the acronym C.O.U.P.L.E.S.
Closeness, Openness, Understanding, Peacemaking, Loyalty, and Esteem.
The women were taught to respect their husbands by remembering the acronym C.H.A.I.R.S.
Conquest, Hierarchy, Authority, Insight, Relationship, and Sexuality.
This all comes from a book titled Love and Respect by Dr. Emerson Eggerichs.

Get the book. It is worth it.

Can This Really be Happening?

2007-02-12T04:18:00.000-08:00

A famous Nazi once said that if you tell a lie often enough as truth....the people will come to believe it is the truth.

An entire generation of Venezuelans now believe that a failed coup 15 years ago was the beginning of something great. They don't remember that over 100 died that day. Many of them, soldiers fighting for Chavez to overthrow the government, while being told they were defending the government against a coup. But if you tell a lie often enough as a truth.....the people will come to believe the lie is the truth.
The same type of pictures were used by the Nazis in Germany, the Communists in Russia and Saddam Hussein in Iraq. Back then they were lies, but I have heard it so much lately that maybe it is the truth.......That's what the Democrats think.
I'm not going to translate the poster, unless requested. But I think you will all get the feel of the thing, right?

BOO!

2007-02-08T01:04:00.000-08:00

HILLBILLERY
I've been here too! Hope you slept well! LOL

Notice you now have labels on your right margin!

The Jungle Bunny

2007-02-06T14:41:00.000-08:00

Can you guess which one is the non-indian. I´ll give you a clue....she glows in the dark!!!! Jayde is sitting between Coco and Aichä. Grandfather and grandmother. They were a part of Jayde´s life from the day she started walking. We remember the day that Ramon, Coco, accepted Christ as his savior. All of his family had accepted Christ and were faithful members of the church. I baptized him in the river. He was a faithful attendee of the church every time the doors opened. We drank coffee every morning and spoke of God, the Bible , hunting and the old ways. I asked if he wanted to go back to the old ways, and he most emphatically said , "NO. I will now go to heaven. Why would I go back?"

Was it worth it? Yes. I wouldn't change the past ten years of my life for all the oil in Venezuela.

Jayde loved it there. One day Rita told her that there was a snack in the fridge. Later, when Rita went to the fridge the cookies were still there. Rita asked Jayde why she didn´t eat and Jayde said she did. She had eaten all of the smoked worms that Rita had bought to take to the city to show some friends. Oh well..... we just had to buy some more and hide them from Jayde!!!
Life in the jungle. Go figure.....
And let me tell you about the time we.......

The Party is Over --- The Posting (Not the computer fight)

2007-02-05T03:38:00.000-08:00

I have been thinking about life. There are so many different views on how we should live, politics, right wing or left wing that in many ways you can compare life to a party. All kinds of conversations and discussions going on at the same time. Nobody agreeing with everybody, and not really caring either 'cause its a party. When the party is really going tho' no one ever thinks about the party ending. Life ending. When the party is going strong and you see someone leave for what ever reason, you think, "awe, to bad for them, they are going to miss out on the rest of the fun." What is really sad is most of the people aren't ready for the party to end. They had no choice in the matter. It could be a Marine in Iraq, or a 12 year old caught in the crossfire in Caracas Venezuela, an old man with pneumonia or a young lady driving to her first job.

A lot of people say "Once the party is over, it's over." They don't know who started the party, or who keeps it going, or whether there is anything that comes after the party. They just act intelligent and knowledgeable and say, "There is no scientific proof that there is life after the party, so I will not worry about it. I will just enjoy the party as long as I can"

God started the party(life), He invited us and we, as the human race, took over, sort of like those wild teenage parties you see in the movies when the parents go out of town.

The day will come when the party will end for you as an individual or when God decides to end it for good. The question we all need to answer is...... Are we ready to hear those famous words....OK folks, the party is over. If you know Jesus Christ as your Saviour and the payer of your sin debt what comes next is wonderful. the party moves on to a new location, heaven. Forever. If you don't know Christ, you are on your own, everyman for himself so to speak, because you can't help anybody else at that point. The bible says that those who know not Christ will suffer for their sins for eternity. THE PARTY IS OVER. Don't you think you ought to prepare for that. and if you are ready, don't you think you should tell others? and if you are not sure....Don't you think it is something you should look into?
God Bless

Cooming soon: The Party is Over, Now What?

2007-02-03T03:24:00.000-08:00

Due to time constraints and the fact that I am unable to pry MY computer from my WIFE'S hands , this next post will be published with a slight delay "OK OK I am not touching the computer now!!!!" It's yours..... Love you Rita you are so sweet, yes I know I am still typing but it is my computer after all......Don't start crying Im going to give it back.....STOP pulling on it.....NO GIVE IT BACK>>>I wasn't done yet,,,,,I stillle wantedindito ahdjfsay jfdjls afja STOPP jfha;moving the n ajfjdjf laptop.

NO we don't need counseling this is just another joke!!!!!!!

Have a LOLiful day

the title isn't a joke. There will be a post with the above title

The Big Picture of what is to come in Venezuela

2007-01-30T10:49:00.000-08:00

We found this editorial at the site www.eluniversal.com just click on the Daily News in English and you can find it there. Excellent piece on the stupidity of Socialism of the 21st century. Known to most people as communism and dictatorship.

Michael Rowan
Special for El Universal

Communism for the 21st century, like last century's version, is a mask for dictatorship. Russian Communism did not transfer the ownership of production and power to the people, as Marx desired, but to the dictator Stalin. The Chinese version did the same for Mao, the Cuban version did the same for Castro, and the Venezuelan version is doing the same for Chavez.

Marx would be pleased, however, that workers own the means of production in the USA, where most of the shares of Fortune 500 corporations are owned by worker's pension funds. Ironically, what Marx most desired was achieved by free enterprise, free labor and a free market.

The Communists have a hard time understanding that they have no economic case to make to anyone. While the free market increased GDP per capita in poor countries by 5.4 times since 1820, no Communist country has made a comparable improvement inside its borders. The exception is China, which lifted 200 million people from poverty since 1980, but Chavez should appreciate the irony of how China did that - through capitalism, trade and globalization. China's workers owe their economic improvements to the ideas of Adam Smith, not Karl Marx.

Chavez cares about power and nothing else. He now legislates without the assembly, judges without the courts, counts votes without the CNE, and counts money without the Central Bank. He wants to rule without objection in education, health, economy, media, military, and even religious affairs. Well Stalin did, too. But that didn't make him right or holy.

Chavismo is not a religion, and Jesus Christ was not a socialist. We don't need Chavez to tell us that Jesus would be at his side if he was in Venezuela today. For when we kneel in prayer, in lamentations from the Testament, beseeching God to stanch the evil and devastation that has fallen upon the people of Venezuela, we see that it is Jesus, and not Chavez, on the cross, and it is Christianity, not Communism, that He was preaching. Amen.

The Things Anthros say.....ad infinitum

2007-01-29T02:05:00.000-08:00

Sanemä indian children in the village of Chajuraña

In my last post I spoke of the way the His Highness Hugo (HHH) ignored what the Warao indian said and changed it to his own view.

So much of an indian's life is survival. The government doesn't care, although they do produce a lot of Blah blah in the favor of Indians. To date, not a single indigenous tribe has figured out a way to convert the blah-blah into something tangible. Therefore they are forced to rely so much on themselves.

They live together because they have to. They are also a family. Those that live together are the immediate family, once you have married and have one or two kids it is expected that you will have built you own house, out of mud and stick at least. It will only last a few winters (what they call rainy season) but it is yours. Some of the young people are trying to build homes that will last, where instead of rebuilding a home every 5 years, they can actually make improvements to them like, doors with door knobs! Hinges instead of pieces of old rubber tires.... a roof that doesn't leak, wow that is an innovation.

In the village 99% of the people are related through blood or marriage, but the village is still divided into clans. Each grandfather has his clan of children, in-laws, and grand and great grand children. These, as a family, will take care of each other. The other clans are expected to do the same. They do not bring in a kill and distribute it indiscriminately. If five men go on the hunt, all of them will share in on the kill and make sure that their loved ones are cared for. The drunk that didn't go hunting, but partied for the last three days in a moonshine stupor will get some scraps, maybe, if there are any left. His wife will do her best to feed th drunk since she doesn't want to be beaten. DUH!!!! The hunters will feed their wives and children first. Since they are almost always hungry, there are no scraps. I have seen where they suck the bones so dry the pile looks like an archaeological find in the Sahara. Usually, during a multi-day party the mothers would come by our house with their children asking us for food, all you have to do is look into the eyes of the children, see their hunger, and know that God will always pay you back.
and He knows how to pay dividends.
Strange how HHH wants to take all Venezuelans to this.... a ye'kwana man once asked me....do the Anthros really think that we like watching our children suffer from hunger everyday.

Nope, Anthros are not popular people!

Listening to Himself

2007-01-27T04:08:00.000-08:00

A week ago on "ALO PRESIDENTE", a weekly television show where the president receives calls and listens to the needs of his people, it lasts 3 to 5 hours, usually of him talking to himself, His Highness Hugo asked a Warao indian what was the biggest need they had in their community. The spokesman for the community stated clearly into the microphone "We need more housing" there are 145+ families living in the village with only 40 houses. He then spoke of the conditions in which they lived, many families together,(not because they choose to but because they have to!) Hammocks strung in the house like a barracks where you couldn't even walk. Having to share everything.
Chavez said thanks and proceeded to tell the nation that the indians were the perfect example of XXI Century Socialism. Now I know what he means when he talks about XXI Century Socialism. The word commonly used is POVERTY!!! Chavez talked about how they share everything in the village, and live in happiness just helping each other..... (Totally bogus)
Let me repeat what the spokesman asked for..... MORE PRIVATE PROPERTY....MORE HOUSES so they don't have to live like gerbils!!!!
Don't you just love a president who listens....?

The Things Anthropologists Say

2007-01-20T17:12:00.000-08:00

Leave the indigenous people the way they are, they are happy!!!!
I will deal with this first on a technological basis.

definition -- Anthro(s) is the derogative term used by the Ye´kwana to describe Anthropologists whom the indians consider to be lacking in intellect. It can also be used to describe a lazy person who produces nothing of visible worth in their society.

This is the Anthros biased opinion and not based on the desires of the tribal people. They might not want to be run over with outsiders, but that doesn´t mean they don´t want to progress. I say biased opinion because without the tribal people the Anthro would have to get a real job instead of just watching and studying people for a few weeks in their village. It also bothers the Ye´kwana that this outsider comes to their village and tells them how they should live (not progress) and then return to their nice apartment in Caracas with metal screen to prevent the malaria, running water to bathe in, filtered water that is pure to drink, a car to drive around in, air conditioned environment in which to work, TV to watch when they are bored. The Ye´kwana want to know who died and left the Anthros in charge of their destiny.

You are an indian, suppose, ...what would you prefer.
An outboard motor to travel to the city in 5 days or stick with the paddles and do it in a month?

Walk through the jungle barefoot or buy some rubber boots to protect your feet from snakes, niguas (burrowing tick that digs in between you dermis and epidermis and lays its egg sack. Then it grows!!!) thorns and army ants. No brainer there!

Build the same house out of perishable materials that fall apart in three years and you have to build it again, or use many of the same materials link it with modern technology and build a house that you kids can inherit. BOY let me THINK!!!

Cut the airstrip where the government plane lands to get your sick. (OOPS! forgot there aren´t any, only the mission planes go to most of the villages!!!! Not enough votes in most villages for the govt to care!!)(OOPS!! forgot again that there are no mission planes since Chavez decreed that they cannot operate in Venezuela) with a machete or a briggs and stratton lawn mower....¡¡¡¡Machetes RULE!!! yeah Right!!!!

From a Religious viewpoint....
2Co 5:17 Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.
Twins used to be killed because they were considered Satanic. That is the old way

Girls were gang raped by drunks as an initiation into adulthood. That is the old way. One female anthropologist, recently arrived from Cuba said to me, "It´s their culture, we shouldn´t teach them a different way" I asked if she would have liked to have participated in the initiation as a 13 year old. She said, "No it would be wrong for me, I am civilized!" Is it just me or does that sound arrogant and self serving. The Bible teaches that the Jew and Gentile (all non-Jews) are equal.

Now the government says they need to return to the old ways. Actually he said we all should. I want to see Chavez start wearing the garb of Simón Bolivar and ride a white horse. When he travels to all of his summits, he needs to travel in a Caravel or a Clipper ship. And forget !ALO PRESIDENTE! NO Television!!!! or radio

Get real and get logical. The Anthros have it all wrong.

This is the first graduating class of the village school taught by missionary Florinda Eddings. circa 1970. One man is now the village teacher, one is the village nurse, one is the village mechanic and outboard motor driver, and the other is a leader of the village.

This is last years graduating class in front of one of the four school buildings that the indians themselves built because they WANTED A BETTER LIFE FOR THEIR CHILDREN.....Just like YOU and I.

Indian Culture and Comunism

2007-01-19T03:41:00.000-08:00

I don't have time to write about all that was said by His Highness Hugo (Chavez of Venezuela) during a recent speech. His purpose was to explain to people the beauty of the indigenous cultures and communism. He wanted to use the indian cultures as PROOF that communism works. All he did was show that he has never lived among them, does not know how they think or operate in their villages. If I was a DI on Paris Island and he was my recruit. I would say drop and give 2 million push-ups for your stupidity. At least it would shut him up.
I do not have time to talk about the Ye'kwana society right now, but in a few days I will. Anthropologists have been pushing this pink view of tribal life for years, making them out to be simple people who don't desire the things of the modern world, who give generously and share all they have.....the key to understanding the tribal culture is to always remember that they are first and foremost a family.
To Be Continued...

It is time for me to show my wife how much I love her. I gotta make the coffee! But I'll be BACK!!!

Irrefutable Proof that Fidel Castro has Passed on!!!!!

2007-01-15T18:36:00.000-08:00

I felt it was necesary to get the news out. It appears that Fidel has passed on! Or else.....Why would Chavez have felt the need to find a new dance partner?

Who is afraid of the Big, Bad Wolf

2007-01-08T17:31:00.000-08:00

The slide continues into an abyss that has been chosen by a nation. We all have free will and Venezuela has made their choice.
My Mom used to say, "You made your bed, now you sleep in it!" Personal responsibility was the principle being taught.

I remember 8 years ago when many of my fellow Christians and a lot of Disenchanted Venezuelans voted for a man who tried to overthrow the government violently, killing many in the process.

We told many people who supported him....A man who would use rifles to get power will most likely use them when he has power. We also said that he was a communist. No one seemed to listen. I know of three families who fervently supported Chavez, some still do, but they are now living in the Evil Empire. Ironic isn't it!

Today Chavez was asked what exactly Socialism of the 21st century is and his answer was, "Read Marx, Lenin and the Bible."
First he believed in the violent overthrow of a democratically elected government,
After he was pardoned he became a believer in democracy.
When he won his first election, he started talking about Participative democracy or populism.
After he got the constitution re-written he started talking about moving to the socialism of the 21st century. I told everyone that is communism, he never explained what he meant by that.
Until today, He is now a self proclaimed believer in the precepts of Marx.... I always heard people like that were called COMMUNISTS.

He threw missionaries out of the jungle without cause, Why did he want the jungle empty???
He called Iran a fellow revolutionary republic and Mahmoud is his "Hermano"
Now he announced that he will take away the broadcasting license of the oldest TV channel in Venezuela. "My what a big mouth you have grandmother"
He announced his plans to nationalize the telephone system, "My what big ears you have grandmother"
He announced he wants to take over the power companies. "My what big eyes you have grandmother"
He also wants to retake control of the private oil companies in the Orinoco Oil belt. "My what a big stomach you have grandmother"
He wants to start a National Police Force. "My what big teeth you have Grandmother"

I could go on, but it seems pretty clear to me that if he walks like a wolf and talks like a wolf and smells like a wolf.....He is probably a Nice Guy???? Get Real! and open your eyes!

Remember the wolf's last words..... "The better to eat you with my dear!"

Talk About Irony

2007-01-05T04:37:00.000-08:00

Yesterdays newspaper had two major headlines. On one side,"Venezuelan Govt Denounces Execution of Sadaam Husein." the reason being that they don't approve of the 'unjust occupation of Iraq by a foreign govt. (I wonder who they are talking about?) There was also a line about the occupying power being put before justice someday.... (No comment!)
The other main headline was about 25 prisoners in the prison here in Barquisimeto, "the most modern in Venezuela!!!!!" being massacred in a riot over the weekend. Some of the bodies were mutilated, gutted and others decapitated.
I love the way Chavez acts like they are a morally superior country and yet they allowed the illegal execution of so many, lets not even get into the numbers of murders each weekend by gangs and thieves on the streets. *the average is around 50 a week throughout the country. mostly innocent people.
That is the man for the Security Council for me.... Sorta like Iran being on the committee for Human rights violations..... of course that would never happen would it? Irony... the world is Full of it!
Venezuelan govt says they want to help the poor.. then throws missionaries out of the jungle who ARE helping the indians. Go Figure..... They told the indians they should not look to foreigners for assistance anymore..... We are going to send you CUBANS!!!! what?
Well I could go on and on but I have other things to do.

I am being assimilated

2007-01-01T05:11:00.000-08:00

This might just be my last message as Clint Vernoy!!!! I am losing control of who I am and keeping myself separate from my screen name of yekwanaman. Even my attempt at reestablishing my identity with another Blog has been Futile. Please know , all that enter the Blogosphere..... beware....the assimilation is silent but total. you don't even know it is happening. I can't even remember who I am writing as, Yekwanaman, Clint Vernoy, Jungle mom or. or. or. or. I have fought all that I could, I am no more. I have become .....The Blog..... run Matt while you still can!!!! Use the Force.... Do not give in to the Dark Side. I am already more CD Rom than man... Now I know what Geordie LaForge felt like as he looked at the World...... Blogging seems like such a great Enterprise but it is truly just a Nexus of non-reality!!!!!! Yekwanaman OUT!

Troubled Waters and Forks in the River

2006-12-29T16:45:00.000-08:00

We now continue with the adventures of Clint and Rita Vernoy

I had decided to leave Springfield, Missery … oops Missouri and start bible college again in New Hampshire. I spent my summer vacation split between spending time with my Uncle Sam in Camp Pendleton and my Mom and Dad on vacation at New Life Island.

When I got back to Ohio I found that Rita had gone on a vacation with her family to parts unknown and I couldn’t talk to her. I was able to obtain a phone number from a person who will always be a hero in my heart. (Thanks Janine!!!!) I was able to talk to her, but due to our schedules we were not going to be able to see each other for another month. The next time I saw Rita, her family was preparing to leave for Arcadia, Florida. I also found out that while on vacation a guy in Florida had asked her to marry him. (Claim jumpers ought to be hung!!!!)

I arrived in New Hampshire to begin classes and was introduced to a young lady who had been praying for a preacher boy to marry and then told me that I was God’s answer!!!! Shock to me that was!!!!!

The point is this, the river had branched and we were now over 1500 miles apart instead of 30 miles apart. We could both have continued on our new river watching to see where it would take us. We could have disappeared from each others lives and never have known any reason to care. That would have been the easy choice, the logical choice. She was 16, she had to follow her father. I was in school and working. How could I ever see her again. Why not just accept fate. She was out of my life and I might as well forget her.

Simple Reason….. I DIDN’T WANT TO FORGET HER. I chose to keep in touch with her. I chose to reach past the many miles and win her heart, (only to find out in the end that she had baited the trap so well I didn’t realize who was actually being stalked!!!) Remember the cartoon movie “Oliver” by Disney?…. I love the chijuaja “If dis es torture man….chain mi to de wall!!!!!!”

I fought the current and returned to find her again. I didn’t was to lose her and I still don’t.

Simple Principle: Sometimes the river you need to travel is up river and you need to go against the current to get to it. It is your life, and as long as you do not violate scripture, God has given you a free will to exercise and use as you serve HIM. We will all answer to God for our choices and actions. We can listen to the advise of others but ultimately the choice is ours before God. And we will stand alone on Judgment day with only Christ by our side. Make all of your life choices based on that fact and not on what anybody else might say or think.

Here we go again

2006-12-23T03:47:00.000-08:00

The above address and link.... http://yekwanaman-clintsblog.blogspot.com/ I repeated it again just in case it doesn't show up. Is my new blogspot

To think I could have just dissapeared and faded into oblivion, but NOOOOOOO I had to change over..... Oh Well!

My Son is Home

2006-12-23T03:11:00.000-08:00

Josh is here. It is great to have the family all together. Our oldest daughter is not with us and we are totally cool with that because she is with her family, a husband that she loves and a daughter that loves her. We would love to have them here, But we are content to know they are a family.

Josh is already beating up and tickling Jewel and she is complaining just enough. Jayde is right in there and it is noisy again. I can't believe that the girls can cause so much noise!!!!

Merry Christmas to ALL!

I got an awesome present for Rita for Christmas!!!!!!! the best part is that it is a total surprise!!!!! I didn't get any hints for this one and I know that she will love it!!!!!!!

Crossroads and Creeks Part 3

2006-12-19T03:30:00.000-08:00

Enough of the mushy stuff that nobody wants to hear anyway.

The next big crossroad for me was What Bible college do I go to? The church I was attending at the time in Ohio had one that they always recommended and it had an excellent record for training men for the ministry. My brother was attending there and our pastor had attended there. The pastor of the church in NH where I was called to preach had trained there. Seemed the logical thing to do. Didn't violate any scripture, had the blessing of my family and all of that. I went for a year. I didn't like it. For quite a few reasons. Nothing against the school, but, I just came to realize it wasn't for me. I decided to go to a different school. A lot of people thought I was crazy. But I figured, I was paying my bill with God's help, I was preparing for God's ministry and I sort of figured that I ought to like it.

If I want to sound spiritual I should say God led me to another school, problem is I had told people that God had led me to the first one. so to say that God was leading me to another school is to say the God didn't know what he was doing in the first place. and if he didn't know what he was doing the first time, why would I follow Him to the second school?

I know I am looking at this in a very simple way but a lot of times I think we make it too difficult. and actually try to blame God for decisions where really it is that we want to do. Sort of like the guy that will divorce his wife and say that He was at peace with the decision because he prayed about it!!!!! The idea that a choice violates or doesn't violate a command of God is a bit more important that whether you Feel God Led you.

My choice of school ultimately had nothing to do with better training as a missionary, Every missionary here in Venezuela practically went to a different Bible College. and they are all good men.

Ultimately, We are called to serve God. He will show you how and where. Don't kill yourself on the details. If you serve Him, don't violate the commands of scripture, Why don't you go where you what to, unless God shows you in some way specific not to?

Just a thought. Sort of like the Bride who follows her Groom, holding his hand, walking together and she wants to go into a store and look around, Would the Groom deny his love?
Then why do we think that God would deny us the desire to serve in a certain place?

Crossroads and Creeks Part 2

2006-12-15T14:45:00.000-08:00

The first crossroad
She stopped me in my tracks. She was 14 the first time I saw her. She was 17 when I asked her to marry me. I had no idea what I had found. Sort of like Jed Clampet and his Texas Tea! How could I have ever guessed what she would mean to me over the years. What got my attention?
She was a Redhead!
Well I did tell my mom 3 years before I met Rita that I had decided that I would marry a redhead. My mom said, "Don't tell me, tell God!" Was that God's leading or was it the desire of my heart?
She was a lady!
Her mom and Dad had raised her to be a wife, mother and Christian lady. Her courtesy and respect showed every time she spoke. Me Tarzan you Miss Tactful! Her words are like Honey (unless you hurt her husband or her children then she can cause a Huracane!)
She was Strong in Spirit and Adventurous in following the will of God
She had already surrendered to serve God, though she did tell me straight out that she would not marry a preacher. Not rebellion but she had experienced some things in a church split. So I guess I was her first crossroad too. She changed her mind! Was it my good looks or ????? ?God?
She was Fearless, sorta!
She followed me to South America when she was barely 20 years old.
She followed me to the jungle even tho she was ______ and wiser.
She says she is scared to death of little planes that fly over the jungle, but she did it anyway. That is courage and proof of her love. (you should have seen her the day the engine turned off at 8000 feet!!!!!)
Because I loved her! and always will
God's will or the desire of my heart? Thank God it was Both!!!! But like the Bible says, if you Delight in Him HE will give you the desires of your heart!

These choices that I made about Rita being my wife affected everything. Following God we will have many choices and if we delight in Him, our hearts desire will be to follow Him and serve Him. Does God want us happy? or must we always suffer to be in His will. I am sure glad that Rita loved me first and decided to let me catch her! God worked it out 'cause he wants us to have an abundant life.

Crossroads and Creeks Part 1

2006-12-13T13:58:00.000-08:00

This will be a fairly long post so it will come in various parts. I should explain the Title too. after living by the river for 10 years with the indians alot of my examples are based on that life. A Ye´kwana indian would decide between a crossroad in the path through the jungle, but he would more frequently have to choose between branches in the river or small creeks of oportunity that can open up onto different river systems altogether.

Sometimes I start thinking about my life and how I got to where I am. Then I try to think of the decisions that got me here. Where would I be if I had (Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade) "Chosen Poorly!" Were all of my major decisions like the old game show...."Lets make a Deal" which door do you want, number one or number two. Is that how God is?

I have a lot of young preacher boys asking me how to know God's will in there lives. The answer isn't that simple, cut and dried. But neither, do I believe, is it really that tricky. Do we really think that God will give us a choice of two doors, one that is a life of infinate blessing and the other that gives us a life that make us believe in purgatory? Get Real. That is not my God, nor the God of the Bible.

The most important crossroad I ever came to was the day I received Christ as my Saviour. I was only 6 at the time so I don't think there were many life changing "turns" prior to that.
Although I do remember the day I got off the school bus and went to play with my brand new best friend, and forgot to go home and tell Mom where I was..... When I showed up for supper and FELT the Wrath of MOM from my Dad´s 30 foot long leather belt. My life was changed forever!!!!! He was definately NOT my brand new best friend after that and I learned to always follow the Arrow that showed the way home first!!!!!!!!! I guess that is my first big lesson....... Always choose to go Home When you can.

Other Crossroads in My Life:
My Call to Ministry
Joining the Marine Corps
Changing to a Small Bible College in New Hampshire
That pretty redheaded PK that I married -- (We'll get a couple of Blogs out of that ONE!!!)
Call as a Missionary
Choosing a Mission Board
Choosing a Country of Service
Choosing a Place of Service in that Country, -- The village of Chajuraña

These are the biggies... there are many more... and in each there are many new question and a lot of the same questions. for example.... What is the difference between the leading of the Lord and a calling from the Lord?

Was God serious when he said... "Delight thyself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of you heart.?" All of these are questions for another day.

Mädää´je mma wädööse wäjäänä

Wö´to´ñojo

Remember To Be Thankful

2006-12-06T20:39:00.000-08:00

Well I have been instructed by various members of my immediate and near family that it is time to blog again. Things lately here in Venezuela have been so tense and controversial that it wasn't a good idea for me to put my thoughts in writing since I was praying for forgiveness on quite a few of them.

It is after Thanksgiving, I know, but with the many setbacks that we have had in the last year it was hard for me to truly be thankful. When I saw that I had missed the news story of a Typhoon that had killed hundreds in the Philippines, I realized that I needed to 'flip the record' (does that date me or what!!!) from the 'Woe is Me' side to the 'Glory Be' side.

MY WIFE
I thank God for her. She followed me to South America and put up with everything from living on the 8th floor, 8 months pregnant with no elevator to roasted worms in the jungle. She turned my caves into homes full of love and raised children that would make a King proud. She is my Queen and I married UP!

My First Daughter, Jackie
She grew from a little blond to a light brunette (I told her it was a dirty dishwater blond, after all teasing is what father's of teenage daughters are paid to do) whose inner beauty shines brightest as she imitates her mother and is a mother herself. She is doing great as a wife from what we hear from that boy she married too. I have always been proud to call her my daughter.

My Son, Joshua
He is now in his second year of Bible college in Tampa. His heart seeks after God, as he learns in class and practices his faith on the bus route and preaching. He is slightly loony and hilariously funny. Both are attributes that will serve him well for his life, marriage and ministry. I have always been proud to call him my Son.

My Second Daughter, Jewel
She is truly becoming a refined jewel who will adorn the life and ministry of the man she marries. She is in appearance, my wife reincarnate , but in personality, sadly to say, she follows me. Jooje töshi'e töwö, She has a heart that is loyal and constant. She will always be there solid and true. Can't isn't in her vocabulary. I have always been proud to call her my daughter.

My Third Daughter, Jayde
She is the mockingbird of the family (want to hear Patsy Cline sing??) and the Leonardo DaVinci of the Vernoy Clan. God has given her wonderful talents that I pray will always be used for God's glory. How often have we all wished she would be quiet or just put down the MagnaDoodle. But as the Bible says. If we don't cry out the glory of God, the rocks will. The rocks will be silent as long as Jayde has a breath in her lungs. I have always been proud to call her my Daughter.

My second Son, Brian
The young man that loves my Daughter. He was raised by wonderful parents and friends. I knew he would marry my daughter even before Jackie did. It was never in question, even when Jackie dumped him. I still knew that Brian would one day be a part of my family. I am proud to call him my Son-in-law. even prouder to call him a son.

My first granddaughter, Little Elena Grace
What a joy, what a reason to live and enjoy life. She will be the first of many diadems in my wife's crown.

My second grandchild, ????????????
I have heard some experimental names, We'll just have to wait and see. But I am already thankful, pressed down and running over!

God has been Good to Me. I Thank Him for the greatest gifts he has given any man.

My Family.

Remember To Be Thankful!!!!!!!!

Presidential Hunting Trip

2006-11-28T04:39:00.000-08:00

Yes!!! I am back!!!! Don't Faint!!!!!

I have been trying to think of what to write and share. After all I am a guy and I am still working on the comunicate for comunications sake. Bare with me I am trying.

When we went for our first visit to Chajuraña we were only there for a few days. God made it clear that we were supposed to move there and work. The story I want to share really doesn´t have a spiritual message, but I think it will be interesting to see a short segment of my friends life.

I was bored in the village and heard that one of Ingrid´s uncles was going to go hunting and asked if I could accompany them. Ignorance is bliss, and be careful what you ask for.... you might get it!!!!!

It was a regal group that made our way up river, for me, into the unknown. Nelson Rockefeller Cortéz, Lindon Johnson Cortéz and Clinton...... Our boat driver passed us all in celebrity as his name was Caesar, (Julius or Agustus I am not sure) . Some of you might think that I am making the names up, but I am not. I speak the truth unlike my namesake!

We got out of the canoe and headed into the hills on a path that only they could see, without them I would never have found my way back, (I know that for a fact and will explain later) I often thought how that would have been such a nice way to deal with unwanted suitors of my three daughters.

They listend to sounds that I never heard and ran off into the jungle chasing the dogs. They neglected to tell me they were going and it surprised me to turn around and see them running off into the jungle and leaving me behind. I reacted the only way I could think was logical. I wasn´t about let them leave me there!!!!! So I take off after them. After about 200 yards of dodging trees and vines and jumping logs, I starting wondering about the most irrelevant things like,
Good thing I have a will!
If I get lost and die: Will I be considered a martyr or just stupid!?
Can you really eat tree bark?
Am I really this hungry!!
When we caught up with the dogs and bludgeoned to death the biggest rat I had ever seen I knew the answer to that one!!!!! "accurri" is what they called it. But as I now say, if it has a nose like a rat, and feet like a rat and a tail like a rat, don´t let the fact that it is 2 feet long fool you....... IT IS A RAT!!!!!

After 3 hours of walking over hill and dale (I heard them complaining that they had only gotten half as far with the fat white guy as they usually do alone) Still don´t know who they were talking about! We turned around and headed back, climbing a hill and struggling to breathe I looked down for a minute and prayed that I would see my wife and children again. When I looked up, Lindon to my front had dissapeared, and Nelson , behind me was also gone!!!! Yes!!!!! Just like the movies!!!!! They were gone, and I didn´t know if it was a silent Jaguar or maybe a fierce tribe of invisible indians who were saving me for last cause I would be the easiest kill!!!!! or maybe they had finally enacted their evil plan to get rid of the missionary!!!!!!

I knew I had to get to the river, so with my highly honed skills I set out to evade death, and proceeded to get lost. They found me, I told them I was just wanting to see what the jungle looked like from the top of that hill. They said OOOHHHH!!! Right!!!! come see the river!!!

I was so happy to see my hammock that afternoon that I didn´t get out of it all the next day, not lazy, just couldn´t move!
So if you see their ad in the paper "Hunt with the presidents! Eat like you never have before!!!!" You will know what they are talking about!!!!

God Bless,
Clint

Blogging: A Curse or a Blessing

2006-11-17T14:10:00.000-08:00

Blogging is something that I am new at. It seemed like a good idea at the time, maybe that was because I didn't know what all it entailed. Once you start blogging, everybody keeps coming back to see your blog. to see whats new. If there is nothing new you get told about it. You are expected to keep blogging, dort of like forced relaxation!!!! Not only that, then you are required by "etiquette" to look at the blogs that other people are doing AND comment. It is not enough to just read their blog, no no no you have to comment. I believe that blogging was invented by women to get men to communicate more. They tell you it is fun.... They say hey look at this..... Go to this web sight.... But that is not all .... You MUST comment. Check it out and see how many girl bloggers there are in relation to how many guy bloggers..... For the guy bloggers they are comunicating something that needs to be communicated. But for the ladies it is the BLOGGING and communicating that is fun...... It is a conspiracy to get guys to comunicate for comunications sake. Well now I have blogged and everybody will be happy, and they will comment and then I will have to answer or .blog again.... I am trapped.....Resistance is futile...... I have been assimilated. Might as well blog about it.

I wanted to be ANIMAL!

2006-11-16T18:52:00.000-08:00

You Are Ernie

Playful and childlike, you are everyone's favorite friend - even if your goofy antics get annoying at times.

You are usually feeling: Amused - you are very easily entertained

You are famous for: Always making people smile. From your silly songs to your wild pranks, you keep things fun.

How you life your life: With ease. Life is only difficult when your friends won't play with you!

The Sesame Street Personality Quiz

God's Man for Chajuraña

2006-11-13T14:39:00.000-08:00

Let me introduce you to Victor Hernandez. He is a very dear friend of mine and a man I admire very much. He is the pastor of the Good Hope Baptist Church in Chajuraña. He was there in the village praying that God would send a missionary before he ever met us. He received Christ as a child when the missionaries Cedric and Florence Eddings were in the village back in the 70's. When he became an adult there was no pastor to lead the few christians who remained faithful in the village, so he stepped up and filled the gap. His world view is very limited. He doesn't understand politics or international problems, but he does know his New Testament. He has never studied in a Bible College, there isn't one in his language.
I spent many evenings over the past 10 years one on one with this man and we both learned many things. Prov. 27:17 "Iron sharpeneth iron; so a man sharpeneth the countenance of his friend."
He put the Bible into practice in many ways that I never had to. One example was when he was teaching that we need to put God first in our lives. Many times the christians would face a situation where they had no food in the house and they would need to go hunting to get meat. This meant that many times on Sunday morning for service we would have few men as they had not been able to return from the hunt. Unsaved family members would encourage them to go out Saturday night,it didn't matter to them if they didn't get back before the church service.
One weekend he told God that they didn't have any meat for Sunday for his family, but he decided he would wait to hunt on Sunday afternoon so he wouldn't miss church. (Now you might be thinking!!!! HE is the pastor! How can he even be tempted in this area! The answer is he had six kids and he helped feed his widowed sisters family of 5 on top of that. He had no income except what they grew and hunted. Some of the christians were going out to hunt and Victor knew they wouldn't get back in time for church. He decided to trust God to provide for his family and serve God first in the church that morning.
Right after service he came to me and asked me to preach in the evening service. He would do his best to get back in time, but he didn't own a watch and the canoe didn't have an odometer to tell him how far from the village he was to make sure he got back in time.
I saw him walk off to the river with his shotgun and his two sons. We were in the kitchen still making our traditional Sunday dinner of home made pizza about 15 minutes later when I heard the shotgun blast. 15 minutes later he comes walking up the hill and got his machete. I went out and asked why he hadn't already left and he said, "I just got back. A deer swam right in front of my canoe. God gave us meat for lunch."
He saw God work in his life, He knew God cared for him, He knows God will never forget him. Do we with all of our things ever get the chance to see God work in such real and present way in our lives? Who is really missing out?

Huckleberry Finn Jungle Style

2006-11-03T08:14:00.000-08:00

My daughter has been writing about stories in the jungle. Figured I would put in my two cents worth. One time we had a visit from two of the pilot families for a special time together. One of the pilots had to make one more flight so when he returned I and Scott went paddling up the river to get our buddy Dan. When we got to the river my canoe had been borrowed and the only canoe left was a two seater for 10 year olds, or the "mini cooper" of dugouts. It was all we had so we took it and headed up river. It was a half hour of paddling but we got Dan and were ready to head back home when we realized that everytime we all tried to get into the canoe it started sinking. I as the jungle missionary sacrificed my dry clothes and swam behind the canoe to get home. As we paddled past a certain section where there was an awesome rock for swimming around, jumping off of, and playing king of the Rock, Scott and Dan complained about being hot in the sun and pulling me behind the canoe. I suggested a short pitstop to cool off and they agreed that it sounded nice. Boys will be boys and we sort of lost track of time having fun. When we came into the house several hours later we found out the women folk had been worried about us and thought we had been working on the plane, or eaten by Jaguars or kidnapped by guerilla fighters or kidnapped by a UFO. (You know how imaginations run wild at times!) When they found out we had been swimming there was a general mutiny by the kids cause they hadn't been invited and had been waiting to go to the river. We sacrificed again to the will of our children and we headed off to the river. tough life I know! but that is why they pay us Dads the big bucks!!! I sort of remember those pictures by Norman Rockwell of the old guys at the fishing hole running off and grabbing their clothes as they go. It was one of my favorite days.

From Jungle Bunny to Baseball Fan

2006-11-02T10:32:00.000-08:00

How your life changes is always surprising. One year ago we lived in the jungle and now we are living and working in the city. Last night I took my daughter to a baseball game here in Barquisimeto. I am working with Baseball Chapel in the minor leagues here in Venezuela and running Bible studies with the players of the Cardenales de Lara. My youngest daughter, Jayde, enjoys going to the games, although after 10 years in the jungle she is still not quite sure of how the game works. Whenever something happens in the game she asks me, "Was that good or bad?" "Yes", I answer, "a home run is considered good!"
Last night as we were watching the game the local TV station reporter was walking through the stands and she saw the little blond in the sea of dark hair. So much for blending in, being inconspicuous, not being noticed. Her 1 minute interview will be on TV on Monday night here in Barqui. Quite a leap for a little girl who chose to eat smoked worms instead of Chocolate chip cookies for a snack when she was 6.

So Much for the Dissapearing Rainforest

2006-10-27T19:16:00.000-07:00

This was my last view of our village. If you want to see a picture of our house, go to my first Blog and look for the house that is right next to the green tree. Brazil is south of the ridge that is behind the ridge of mountains that you see at the top of the picture. There it is, the dissapearing rain forest!

Grab a Tree and hug it!

2006-10-27T18:26:00.000-07:00

Here are the final pictures that I took of our village as we flew north to the nearest town of Ciudad Bolivar. (If they ever show up) If any of you are one of those tree huggers that is worried about the dissapearing rain forest, you can now relax. I found it!!!! It is still there. We will be flying for two hours north and it will still be there. We could fly to southern Brazil and it is still there.

Not God Forsaken but God's Beloved

2006-10-27T18:09:00.000-07:00

I wanted to share a few pictures of the place we called home. It is a small indian village in the jungle of Venezuela. We lived and worked there for 10 years. Many would think that we were crazy to have gone there and even crazier to have been happier there than anywhere else in the world. We had to leave our home when President Hugo Chavez of Venezuela decided that all missionaries had to leave the jungle region of the country. What many people don't understand and probably never will is that we did not just leave a house, but our home and people who had become like our family. I took this picture of the village as we flew away for the last time. God has not forgotten them nor will he ever. He is with them and he always will be.