FUNNY ISN'T IT?(recited by Ben Stein - CBC)

. This post was in J Thomas Plumleys Blog and was written and recited by Ben Stein on CBS Sunday Morning Commentary. My confession: I am a Jew, and every single one of my ancestors were Jewish. And it does not bother me even a little bit when people call those beautiful lit up, bejeweled trees, Christmas trees.. I don't feel threatened. I don't feel discriminated against.

That's what they are: Christmas trees.

It doesn't bother me a bit when people say, 'Merry Christmas' to me. I don't think they are slighting me or getting ready to put me in a ghetto. In fact, I kind of like it, it shows that we are all brothers and Sisters celebrating this happy time of year. ..................................................................................................................................... It doesn't bother me at all that there is a manger scene on display at a key intersection near my beach house in Malibu . If people want a crèche, it's just as fine with me as is the Menorah a few hundred yards away...

I don't like getting pushed around for being a Jew, and I don't think Christians like getting pushed around for being Christians. I think people who believe in God are sick and tired of getting pushed around, period. I have no idea where the concept came from that America is an explicitly atheist country. I can't find it in the Constitution and I don't like it being shoved down my throat. Or maybe I can put it another way: where did the idea come from that we should worship celebrities and we aren't allowed to worship God as we understand Him?

I guess that's a sign that I'm getting old, too. But there are a lot of us who are wondering where these celebrities came from and where the America we knew went to. In light of the many jokes we send to one another for a laugh, this is a little different: This is not intended to be a joke; it's not funny, it's intended to get you thinking.

Billy Graham's daughter was interviewed on the Early Show and Jane Clayson asked her 'How could God let something like this happen?' (regarding Katrina) Anne Graham gave an extremely profound and insightful response. She said, 'I believe God is deeply saddened by this, just as we are, but for years we've been telling God to get out of our schools, to get out of our government and to get out of our lives. And being the gentleman He is, I believe He has calmly backed out. How can we expect God to give us His blessing and His protection if we demand He leave us alone?' In light of recent events... terrorists attacks, school shootings, etc. I think it started when Madeleine Murray O'Hare (she was murdered, her body found a few years ago) complained "she didn't want prayer in our schools," and we said "OK".. Then someone said "you better not read The Bible in school." The Bible says thou shalt not kill, thou shalt not steal, and love your neighbor as yourself. And we said "OK." Then Dr. Benjamin Spock said "we shouldn't spank our children when they misbehave because their little personalities would be warped and we might damage their self-esteem" (Dr Spock's son committed suicide). We said "an expert should know what he's talking about. "And we said "OK." Now we're asking ourselves why our children have no conscience, why they don't know right from wrong, and why it doesn't bother them to kill strangers, their classmates, and themselves. Probably, if we think about it long and hard enough, we can figure it out. I think it has a great deal to do with 'WE REAP WHAT WE SOW.' Funny how simple it is for people to trash God and then wonder why the world's going to hell Funny how we believe what the newspapers say, but question what the Bible says. Funny how you can send 'jokes' through e-mail and they spread like wildfire but when you start sending messages regarding the Lord, people think twice about sharing. Funny how lewd, crude, vulgar and obscene articles pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion of God is suppressed in the school and workplace. Are you laughing yet? Funny how when you forward this message, you will not send it to many on your address list because you're not sure what they believe, or what they will think of you for sending it. Funny how we can be more worried about what other people think of us than what God thinks of us. Pass it on if you think it has merit. If not then just discard it... no one will know you did. But, if you discard this thought process. . . .

don't sit back and complain about what bad shape the world is in. My Best Regards, Honestly and respectfully, Ben Stein

STREETS OF GOLD-Link to article talking about Solomons Riches

There was this super rich man that was about to die and didn't want to leave everything behind, so he prayed to God and asked if he could bring some of his riches. God said, "You can bring a small suitecase of some of your stuff." The rich man decided to fill his suitcase full of gold bricks and then went to be with the Lord. When he got to the pearly gates with his suitcase of gold bricks, he met with Peter. Peter said, "You can't take this suitcase in," then God told Peter that he was given permission. Peter asked the rich man, "What do you have in there?" The man said, "The suitcase is full of gold bricks." Peter said, "Why did you bring pavement?"

When Gods' people go to heaven, they will see that the streets are paved with PURE GOLD. That means that there will be no impurities. A friend of mine told me that gold that is totally purified is transparent, so when you read about the streets of heaven in Revelation 21:21; you will discover that those streets that you will be walking on are sooo pure that they will be as transparent as glass. Isn't that exciting!!! What's best about it is that JESUS WILL BE walking WITH us HOLDING our hand. I just can't wait! Right now he is adding to the kingdom of Heaven (which is already an awesome place) to be brought down to Earth that he can literally be in the midst of us. This place is called "New Jerusalem" and is going to be more than we can or will ever imagine for it's beauty. Also excited is Jesus, as he will be with man again, just like the garden of Eden. He will have restored the earth the way he intended it to be and will have added to what he began in the garden. When we see it, we WILL be awestruck.

There is coming a day when no heartaches shall come

NO more clouds in the sky,

no more tears to dim the eye.

All is peace forevermore on that happy golden shore,

What a day, glorious day that will be.

Chorus

What a day that will be when my Jesus I shall see,

When I look upon His face,

The One who saved me by His grace;

When He takes me by the hand

And leads me through the Promised Land,

What a day, glorious day that will be.

There'll be no sorrow there,

no more burdens to bear,

No more sickness, no pain,

no more parting over there;

And forever I will be ,

with the one who died for me,

What a day, glorious day that will be.

Chorus

What a day that will be when my Jesus I shall see,

When I look upon His face,

The One who saved me by His grace;

When He take me by the hand

And leads me throught the Promised Land,

What a day, glorious day that will be.

What a day, glorious day that will be!

Revelation 21

All Things Made New

1) Now I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away. Also, there was no more sea.

2) Then I, John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of the heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.

3) And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, "Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God HIMSELF will be with them and be their God.

4) And God will wipe away EVERY tear from their eyes; there shall be NO more death, NOR sorrow, NOR crying. There shall be NO more pain, for the former things HAVE passed away."

5) Then He who sat on the throne said, "Behold, I make ALL things new." And He said to me, "Write, for these words are true and faithful."

6) And He said to m, "It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. I will bive of the fountain of the water of life freely to him who thirsts.

7) He who OVERCOMES shall inherit all things, and I will be his God and he shall be My son.

8) But the cowardly, unbeliving, abominable, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death."

The New Jerusalem

9) Then one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls filled with the seven last plagues came to me and talked with me, saying, "Come, I will show you the bride, the Lamb's wife."

10) And he carried me away in the Spirit to a great and high mountain, and showd me the great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God,

11) having the glory of God. Her light was like a most precious stone, like a jasper stone, clear as crystal.

12) Also she had a great and high wall with twelve gates, and twelve angels at the gates, and names written on the, which are the names of the twelve tribes of the children of Israel:

13) three gates on the east, three gates on the north, three gates on the south, and three gates on the west.

14) Now the wall of the city had twelve foundations, and on them were the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.

15) And he who talked with me had a gold reed to measure the city, its gates, and its wall.

16) The city is laid out as a square; its length is as great as its breadth. And he measured the city with the reed: twelve thousand furlongs. Its length, breadth, and height are equal.

17) Then he measured its wall: one hundred and forty-four cubits, according to the measure of a man, that is, of an angel.

18) The construction of its wall was of jasper; and the city was pure gold, like clear glass.

19) The foundations of the wall of the city were adorned with all kinds of precious stones: the first foundation was jasper, the second sapphire, the third chalcedony, the fourth emerald,

20) The twelve gates were twelve pearls: each individual gate was of one pearl. And the street of the city was PURE GOLD, like TRANSPARENT glass.

The Glory of the New Jerusalem

22) But I saw no temple in it, for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple.

23) The city had no need of the sun or of the moon to shine in it, for the glory of God illuminated it. The Lamb is its light.

24) And the nations of those who are saved shall walk in its light, and the kings of the earth bring their glory and honor into it.

25) Its gates shall not be shut at all by day (there shall be no night there).

26) And they shall bring the glory and the honor of the nations into it.

27) But there shall by no means enter it anything that defiles, or causes an abomination or a lie, but only those tho are written in the Lamb's Book of Life.