Meet "emet"

Click here to hear our debut song!

 

Birkat Hamazon

Blessed are You Adonai our God

King of the universe, God of our fathers

Our King our Mighty One our Creator, Redeemer, Maker

The Holy One, the Holy One of our father Jacob

Shepherd, oh Shepherd of Israel

The Good King who does good to all, every day

He has done good, He does good, He will do good for us

He rewarded us, He rewards us, He will reward us forever with grace

Hallelujah praise His Name

Give glory to the King of kings

Hallelujah praise His Name

Give glory to the King of kings

The Merciful One will reign over us forever

The Merciful One will be blessed in heaven and earth

Through all generations and glorified in us through eternity

And honored in us forever and for worlds without ending

Shepherd, oh Shepherd of Israel

The Good King who does good to all, every day

He has done good, He does good, He will do good for us

He rewarded us, He rewards us, He will reward us forever with grace

...forever with grace; ...forever with grace

__________________________________________________

Ok, so why are we calling ourselves "emet"?" In Hebrew, Emet means Truth. The majority of our songs are taken from the scriptures, and the ones that are not from the Word, are usually telling bits of my testimony.

The prayer, Birkat Hamazon, is an ancient Hebrew prayer that is usually said after a meal. The message in the prayer is that Hashem has provided for us, and always will, because He is faithful. 

Click here to hear the song! 

If only Mango were still here...

Click on image for larger view

Bible Study this Tuesday, 21 FEB 2012 Ya'akov Chapter 2

Like the title says, we will be having another bible study this Tuesday, 21 FEB 2012.

It starts at 7:00pm, and will last a couple hours.

This week, we are going over the 2nd chapter of James, or Ya'avov in Hebrew.

So far, we have learned:

1.  James was not his name, it was Ya'akov. King James liked "James" better than using the actual translation, which is Jacob. (James in the Greek=Iakobos; in the Hebrew=Jacob)
2. Ya'akov (James) was the brother of Yeshua (Jesus)
3. He was the leader of the synagogue in Jerusalem - yes, the Jewish synagogue in Jerusalem. In fact, he remained the leader of it until his death (see number 4).
4. According to Eusebius, James was taken to the pinnacle of the Temple, and thrown off after refusing to denounce Yeshua's  messiahship. 
5. Eusebius also said that Ya'akov prayed so much for the people in his life, believers and unbelievers, that his knees were hard like a camel's, thus earning him the name "Camel Knees." Or something similar. 
6. One more important thing to note about what Eusebius relayed; he said that Ya'akov had a good reputation, as a righteous, just man, among both Jews, and Gentiles.
7. The importance of #6 lies in the fact that if he were the leader of the synagogue, and teaching that the Law had "been done away with," he would not have had a good reputation among the Jews. Especially those who went to the synagogue of Jerusalem.  So, we can assume that he was not teaching against doing the Law, or Torah.
8. James says that faith without works is dead. "Works" in a Hebraic context, in the 1st century expecially, is a Hebraic idiom for Torah obedience, or walking out the Commandments - today we say, "How is your walk, Joe?" and if Joe is a Christian, he understands that you are referring to his walk with the Lord. 
9. James is NOT writing in opposition to Paul. Not in the least. Regardless of what the "Church Fathers" have to say about it, the two were in agreement. One is referring to how we attain salvation, and the other is referring to how we live after receiving that salvation. We will explain more on this later.

...and that is my short outline of what we have gone through so far.

Mo, we are truly missing you there!

Stupid Is as Stupid Does

This morning on Drudge:www.drudgereport.com

...is it me, or is everybody asking themselves, "what the heck are they still buying oil from Iran for in the first place???"

If you depend on the bully for your milk, you will go thirsty. 

Why? because he is a bully. 

As for France, well, I sort of expected that, but the UK? That seems a little short sighted. Does the name Neville Chamberlain mean anything to them? 

Those who refuse to learn the past are doomed to repeat it.

I just got used to this place... and I'm comfortable

...uh, how long was I gone?

Well, I'm back. I won't even attempt to tell you how long I will be back, because every time I do, I end up leaving again. Sorry about that.

I have returned with purpose. Let me start by saying that our country is heading straight to becoming a dictatorship. In fact, I am so convinced of this, that I contemplated deleting all previous posts, and starting over fresh - without a lot of political in-correctness. You know, the kind that gets folks under a dictatorship put in jail, or concentration camps, or whatever modern dictators are using these days.

...then I decided against it, and here's why: as of right now, we live in the United States of America. Land of the free, home of the brave. We are backed by the greatest constitution in the world - a constitution that doesn't provide, but rather protects liberties given to us by the God of Israel. We have the right to free speech, and as long as I can, I intend to use it.

Politically, my views have changed, anyway. I have come to the conclusion that something sinister has been at work since the beginning of this great land. I won't get into what I believe it to be right now, but I will tell you that I don't like any of the choices given to us by the media. Which reminds me... when did it become the media's job to pick our candidates in the first place? At any rate, I'm back, and I am not deleting my past posts. At least not yet.

I will post a couple of videos that Luke and I made though. Hope you enjoy...

HEY MO! This One's For You.

Special thanks to Uncle Dan's Dad for sending this to me in an email. 

It made my day.

Jesus Was A Jew... And He Looked Like One Too

Ahhh. Here we are again. 

Instead of getting on to things of global and spiritual importance, I think I am going to continue to rant for a while.

Topic of discussion: Facebook, or rather, the stupidity of Facebook and the comments seen on it.

Example? I got on there this morning, and the first thing I see is,

"Happy rabbit day everyone :D"

Now... don't ask me why, but this just about made me drive to the person's house, rip him out of bed, smack him across the face, and simply ask, "why?"

And there-in lies the problem with Facebook; everything under the sun - no matter how profound or mundane, is reduced to this menial, sappy, slapstick type of  talk that doesn't exist in the real world.

 The Messiah, prophesied by men for nearly six thousand years was crucified on a tree. Dead for three days, pierced through the side, a Roman soldier's spear penetrating His heart - which released it's contents onto the ground. Taken down and placed in a tomb. Dead. Three days. The single greatest miracle of all time - without which, we would all be damned to eternity in Hell...  and all we can say about it in a public forum is,

"Happy rabbit day everyone :D."

 I won't get into the theological stupidity of the rabbit symbolism, or how paganism that has taken over Christianity  right now - this is about Facebook. Do you get my point though? 

Then we have the self proclaimed theologians who talk, and talk, and talk, and never say anything of any importance. These guys are the Fishers of Men's Arguments - because that's all that they are trying to do; fish for an argument. Useally it goes like this, "Did Jesus really mean that He was the ONLY way?"

I'm sure you've seen it before. The post is usually riddled with replies, or "likes" tags, from a bunch of folks who don't really care what Jesus meant at all. The question would be more honest if it asked, "What do we want it to mean when Jesus said He was the only way? How do we get out of that one without sounding like isolationists?"

...problem is, you don't get many thumbs-up on Facebook for honesty. 

Recently I had an email message that said, "Jesus wants to be your friend" from the Facebook Team. 

Guess what... that's not Jesus. I understand what he is trying to do, but is that really a good idea? Does Jesus really want him doing that? Isn't that what the bible is for; to get His Word to His people? Does He really need help? I doubt it. 

...and the profile picture is of the blond hair, blue eyed Jesus. You know the one; the most historically incorrect depiction of our Messiah known to man. All he needs is a pair of glasses, and you have a picture of my neighbor; my 30 year old, white-guy, Budweiser drinking neighbor - not a Jewish rabbi.
Maybe we are more comfortable with a jesus who looks like George Harrison or Brad Pitt. 

I actually saw a good representation of Him, here it is:

...and this one doesn't really have anything to do with the topic, it just cracks me up.

HA!

(thanks to www.totallylookslike.com)

Bear with me here; I have been away for a while, so as soon as I can get some of this rage purged, I will get onto other topics of more importance. 

That reminds me... tonight starts the final Sabbath of Pesach (Passover / Feast of Unleavened Bread), so I gotta go for now. 


...I forgot how much fun this was.

Democratic base, Obama has a message for ya.

WOW. Where has the time gone? We have a lot of catching up to do. So much has happened since I posted last...

First off, you all should know that Mango died. He lived to the ripe age of 12, and would have lived longer, but (you know Mango) his vibrant playfulness lead him to chase, and eat, a few rubber bands. At least that's what I think happened. He was totally healthy one day, then, BANG!! No more Mango. For the record, it wasn't very peaceful either - we had several trips to the vet - all after hours, and multiple shots; everything from hormones to vitamins, Mango had it. And they all failed. RIP old friend.

Next, it seams that the United States has completely lost our collective mind. For some reason, all of the Bush-hating liberal freaks have turned in their "Close Gitmo" hats for "Bomb Lybia" T-shirts! What a crock! 

Let's get this straight; Bush was a "war criminal" for "torturing" prisoners of war. Because of the atrocities taking place at Guantanamo Bay, the Left said that the ONLY cure was to close it - and by God, they were going to elect the perfect liberal to get the job done. Only problem is that when Barack Hussein Obama gets his opportunity to put an end to it... he does nothing. 

He does nothing, and the Left is totally quiet about it! It gets better though. Not only does he not close it, but he tells the world that it needs to stay open for business indefinately! Hey Democrats, remember this little jab?

...right back atcha.

Speaking of Bizarro-America, explain to me again why it is ok to go into Lybia and start bombing without Congressional approval, and only about 9 country's support at the UN? Didn't Bush have the supporting votes of Hillary Clinton, John Kerry, and every other bleeding heart Democrat in office at the time - full Congressional approval, and the backing of over 90 countries at the UN? Am I the only one who remembers that? Remember how Bush was again, committing war crimes? He was "goin' it alone" and all of that? 

...isn't that a classic example of the pot calling the ket- oh yeah, that brings up another point - the media is telling us that it is "un-patriotic" to criticize the president now! Can you believe that? After all of the posters of Bush sporting that Hitler mustashe and the rhetoric telling us that "desention is the new patriotism" and all, I was under the impression that the media would be patting conservatives on the back for calling out the hipocracy of the current regime. 

What's that? I'm sorry - I was under the impression that the term "regime" was ok now, after hearing it every other word form the pundits on the Left. 

...but I digress...

Back to Lybia. All of you people who criticized Bush for "his wars," which he conducted illeagal...

your president has a message for you:

...remember, we need to keep the political rhetoric polite.

Let's see, what else has been happening? He's looking to put a kill-switch on the internet (like every other totalitarian dictator in the world), strangle  domestic energy production (like every other totalitarian dictator in the world), raise taxes, and limit America's economic growth. Hope and change. 

I had every intention of getting back on Mangdiddles with a positive attitude - a new outlook on life and blogging. I really did, but dang! look around - the world is completely nuts. I will go to bed tonight  wondering how long it will take before I am put on a "list" of some sort for speaking out against the regime. Android is tracking my phone's location, and the liberals are spying on the Tea Party. Phone taps are all of the sudden legal, and no problem.

'Bush = Hitler" was witty and full of political candor, 4% unemployment was considered irresponsible and wreckless; the raising of the debt ceiling was a matter of National Security - a thing we aught not even consider. Man, those were the days. Back when the morons on the Left were fighting against problems that were in most cases nonexistant. Now, their own guy is doing the exact same things, to the Nth power - wiping his feet on the Constitution, and spitting on personal liberties, and what is their reaction? They worship him. They bury the negative stories, and rally the troops around his vacation spa to protect him. 

In spite of all of this,

it's good to be back.

Hold me closer, tiny dancer.

This is the funniest caption I have ever seen in all of my years as a political news junkie:

(from www.hotair.com - click here to read the story)

HA!

The Devil Went Down To DC...

The Devil Went Down To DC he was looking for Freedoms to steelhe was out of his mind, 'cause he was way behindworking on a new "New Deal..." Sorry, I had to. 

Now, for an open letter to the president from Charlie Daniels. For the record, Charlie's beard has more sense concerning  liberty than Obama does.
(This is taken from Newsbusters.com, to which I greatly appreciate, and in no way want to get on their bad side for sharing their material. Check their site out today - you will be glad you did.).....................................................................

Mr. President,
I write this letter as a patriot, a taxpayer, a lifelong resident and as concerned citizen of what I consider to be the greatest nation ever known to man, the United States of America.
I am Caucasian, so let's get the racial aspect out of the way to start with.  This letter has nothing to do with your race. I lived through the cruelty of Jim Crow and segregation and learned early on in my life that the color of my skin does not make me better or worse than any other man.
We all remember Martin Luther King, Jr.'s statement about judging people, not by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character, and I believe that with all my heart.
I believe that America is an exceptional country.  We have been liberator, benefactor and leader of the free world for centuries.  America is an example of what can be achieved by free people living under the free enterprise system.

We have led the world in technology, industry, science and medicine for a long time.
Our capitalist system guarantees that those who explore new worlds and bring us new products and better techniques are amply rewarded for their efforts, and this is as it should be.
A person who is the first one to get there and the last one to leave, who burns the midnight oil and never gives up until they realize their goals, are a boon to humankind.  They're the ones who discover new cures, start new industries and create jobs.
These people deserve to be rewarded for their hard work and for the products and services they bring to make life better for all mankind.
Mr. President, it is my personal opinion that you want to take the well-earned rewards of these people and give it to those who have done nothing to deserve them.
It's really redistribution of wealth, and it's nothing new. It's been tried many places before and it has miserably failed in every one of them. 
It's called socialism.
Am I calling you a socialist?  Yes, I am.  I firmly believe that you are a socialist and a globalist, and that you think America should have a comeuppance and have our playing field leveled to match those of other countries not as industrious or as innovative as we are.
Mr. President, how can you support the building of a mosque in the very same area where Islamic radicals murdered so many Americans?
Just who's side are you on?
Am I accusing you of being a Muslim?  No I'm not, but the jury is still out a little bit on that subject in my mind, because many times your sympathies seem to lean in that direction.  You need to watch who you bow to Mr. President.
You have betrayed a whole generation of African-Americans who voted for you because they really believed all that junk about "hope and change," they really thought you were going to do something great and the only thing you've done is to make their jobs disappear and their health insurance go up.
You and your party have corrupted duly elected officials in an effort to get your legislative agenda passed.  Remember the "Louisiana Purchase" and the "Cornhusker Kickback," and that's just a couple we know about, but you bought off a bunch of congressmen and senators, knowing that you were going against the will of the majority of Americans, because you think that you and your arrogant friends know more about what's good for America than the citizens your disastrous actions effect.
Am I accusing you of being an elitist?  You bet.
I don't believe you take the Islamic threat to America nearly as seriously as you should. You use semantics like "Overseas Contingency Operation" and "Man Caused Disasters" to soften your rhetoric toward people who would like nothing better than decapitate the entire population of America.
And Mr. President, if you'd really like to know the kind of warriors who are fighting the "Overseas Contingency Operation," and you would like to really know about what kind of enemies they're fighting, you should read a book called Lone Survivor by a brave, young Navy Seal named Marcus Lutrell who went to hell and back for his country, and is still a dedicated patriot.  I think you'd find it enlightening, Mr. President and after you finish it would you pass it on to Janet Napolitano?  And by the way, tell her that my invitation to take her to Iraq and show her some "Man Caused Disasters" is still open.
Am I calling you naïve?  Absolutely.
You seem to think that America has an endless supply of tax dollars for you to waste and give away, and the debt you've piled up could well bankrupt the greatest nation on earth.
Am I calling you a failure, Mr. President? With all due respect that's exactly what I'm doing.

Read more: http://newsbusters.org/blogs/charlie-daniels/2010/09/24/open-letter-president-obama#ixzz10YTYxNUN

Meet Our Legacy

No, this isn't a counter keeping track of lies told by Liberals, or the Leftist media, or even Barack Hussein Obama; it is our National Debt.
Caution: watching too long will cause those who love the United States of America to become very, very angry.

Meet Wheezie.

(click image to see a huge version of this picture)
Every chance I get, I like to take my kids (my wife doesn't care for it) to a huge outdoor flea market near Putnamville, Indiana (South of Greencastle) called Croy Creek (visit their website here).

We have been able to get a lot of things for our house, vehicles, work, etc, but our best purchase yet has been Wheezie. She's a full blooded Black Pug. No papers, no manners, and she smells, but she's the best dog we've ever had.

...just sayin'

WOW.

Words escape me. This guy brings fiddle playing to a level that it has never been.

Comfortable...

I'm not exactly sure why this one speeds up and slows down, but this is the best I could do. Hope you like it.

Not "Phobic" - Just Opposed To

I just wanted to get a couple things straight...

If you pay attention to the news, you may be under the impression that most people who lean to the Right, such as myself, are "Homo-phobic," "Islamo-phobic," or "Racist." I want to talk about the first two.

Let's first define what a phobia is. According to Dictionary.com:

Phobia: pho·bi·a /ˈfoʊbiə/ Show Spelled[foh-bee-uh]

-noun

a persistent, irrational fear of a specific object, activity,  

or situation that leads to a compelling desire to avoid it.

 

I would add that the key word here is fear. This is where I have a problem with such labels, and here is where things need to be straightened out. I, personally, am not afraid of Homosexuals or Muslims (those who follow Islam as their faith). I am opposed to homosexuality - not afraid of those who choose to live the lifestyle. I will admit, I do have a 'compelling desire to avoid it,' but I am not afraid of it. The reason for my opposition is that God's Word tells us it is sin. Like everything else, anyone speaking truth has to add a disclaimer, so I will say that I am not against the person, but the lifestyle. And it is the lifestyle that will keep me from being in the continuing company of a homosexual. Drunkenness is sin too, and I will help an alcoholic as much as I can - but they will never practice their alcoholism in my home or around my wife and kids. Same goes for the homosexual. I won't be inviting them to our house for movies on Saturday night. And yet this is not fear - it is acting with wisdom. Enough said about that.

Now for "Islamo-phobia." Not afraid. I know two Muslims who I believe to be of good integrity - they wouldn't blow my house up for wearing tzi-tzit or a kippa. I doubt they are going to a training camp in Yemen this summer to learn the finer arts of bomb making. However, when a person of Islamic beliefs says openly that America "got what it had coming" on Sept.11, then I am in direct opposition. When they want to build a symbol of victory at Ground Zero, I am against it. Call it what you will, but it is not a 'fear' of Islam; it is opposition to an evil ideology that claims the right to kill innocent people in the name of their god. It is opposition to a Left-leaning media that tells us the Religion of Peace had nothing to do with the last 4,000 terrorist attacks, and an opposition to anyone who calls for the death of those who do not convert to their beliefs. That is not a "phobia," but again, wisdom. 

Remember when we were kids and our elders told us to treat people like we wanted to be treated? Why is that only being applied to those who are opposed to an ideology that spits in the faces of our Founding Fathers? Call me a fundamentalist, a fanatic, a Right-Winger, a Bible Thumper, or what ever it is you need to call me, but don't label me as afraid of Islam and gays. After all, don't they both cry for their rights? Their right to be heard, their right to be counted, and their right to be what they are? How can any group of people expect to stand for the rights of their group while trampling the same rights of those they are standing up to? 

...And racist? Please. My Savior - my Master, Yeshua (Jesus) is a Jew. I will serve Him until the day I die. We are all made in God's image! I could never swear allegiance to Jesus and hate His creation for the way He made them. That is nonsense. However, never are we expected to agree with the ideas of a person based on his or her skin color. If I disagree with you, it is because of your position, not your skin color. That whole argument is a juvenile, pathetic way out of having to prove your point with any intellectual comprehension; and just the accusation of racism whenever a disagreement comes up simply proves your lack of solid ground for whatever Liberal piece of excrement you are trying to sell to the American public.

You All Called Me Paranoid

I can remember being called paranoid when I told people that the government could track us with GPS... well, here it is guys. This time it is coming from Time Magazine. And we know they're not paranoid.

The Government Can Use GPS to Track Your Moves

Government agents can sneak onto your property in the middle of the night, put a GPS device on the bottom of your car and keep track of everywhere you go. This doesn't violate your Fourth Amendment rights, because you do not have any reasonable expectation of privacy in your own driveway — and no reasonable expectation that the government isn't tracking your movements.
That is the bizarre — and scary — rule that now applies in California and eight other Western states. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, which covers this vast jurisdiction, recently decided the government can monitor you in this way virtually anytime it wants — with no need for a search warrant. (See a TIME photoessay on Cannabis Culture.)
It is a dangerous decision — one that, as the dissenting judges warned, could turn America into the sort of totalitarian state imagined by George Orwell. It is particularly offensive because the judges added insult to injury with some shocking class bias: the little personal privacy that still exists, the court suggested, should belong mainly to the rich.
This case began in 2007, when Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) agents decided to monitor Juan Pineda-Moreno, an Oregon resident who they suspected was growing marijuana. They snuck onto his property in the middle of the night and found his Jeep in his driveway, a few feet from his trailer home. Then they attached a GPS tracking device to the vehicle's underside.
After Pineda-Moreno challenged the DEA's actions, a three-judge panel of the Ninth Circuit ruled in January that it was all perfectly legal. More disturbingly, a larger group of judges on the circuit, who were subsequently asked to reconsider the ruling, decided this month to let it stand. (Pineda-Moreno has pleaded guilty conditionally to conspiracy to manufacture marijuana and manufacturing marijuana while appealing the denial of his motion to suppress evidence obtained with the help of GPS.)
In fact, the government violated Pineda-Moreno's privacy rights in two different ways. For starters, the invasion of his driveway was wrong. The courts have long held that people have a reasonable expectation of privacy in their homes and in the "curtilage," a fancy legal term for the area around the home. The government's intrusion on property just a few feet away was clearly in this zone of privacy.

Read the rest here: http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,2013150,00.html#ixzz0xl0m6Dzq

Opey's Parents Had One Good Son...

Believe it or not, the "elected official" in this video is Ron Howard's brother.

...if memory serves me correctly, "Lil' Ronnie" is a hard-core liberal now-a-days.

At least their parents can be proud of one of their son's moral integrity.

Thanks, NewsBusters.com.

Man Looks On The Outside

We need to take a break form the insane world that we live in and listen to some music. Bluegrass music.
This is "Man Looks On The Outside" performed by Kenny and Amanda Smith. This song was written by a good friend of mine, Jim Denman...