Bad Christianity

I read this article about a group of Christians who believe the end is near. I regret to say, once again, that neither the "believers" who are mentioned nor the writer have any idea what the bible says.

The Book of Revelations does not say there is ever an end of time. It says that the Great Tribulation will come, God will stop the Battle of Armageddon and that Jesus will reign on earth for a thousand years and then this earth will pass away, NOT TIME AND NOT OUR CONSCIOUSNESS.

There are so many things wrong with this that it is like shooting fish in a barrel (not a reference to the last post). People are so bad at even attempting to read the bible. I know too many people who attempt to say that Nero was the antichrist spoken of in Revelations. They attempt to say that the author was talking about the Roman empire that he was living under (it is an Atheist belief). NO, Nero did not have everyone take a mark and clearly the author of Revelations would have known this.

Back to the article. You have way too many Christians who believe that those who are not in the rapture are not saved. NOT WHAT IT SAYS. It does say many believers will be persecuted and cry out to God to put an end to Satan's reign on earth. Now, if these martyrs are in heaven with God, guess what, they didn't go up in the rapture but were still saved.

I am snowed in and cranky; but really fancy math will not provide answers to the Book of Revelations and why bother. End times fascinations just tick me off. My comment to Christians is always the same. Focus on your faith, love God with all your heart and your neighbor as yourself. Don't focus on mistakes.

For the sake of discussion I will say IF we were in the End Times I would expect Christians to continue living life in the same way. Helping others, being in service to others and attempting to do the right thing for the right reason.

Quick background for non-Christians. Revelations does talk about the "Rapture". The rapture is a time when believers will be taken away to heaven. It does not say that all believers will avoid the tribulation. It does say that many will be martyred. This has been interpreted by some to say that the one's left behind are unsaved and this is simply wrong.

Revelations states that the great tribulation (bad times) will last seven years. What is the purpose of the tribulation if all believers have been removed? Just to torture those who aren't saved? That would make no sense. God did not create us just to find amusement in our pain and that is not what it says. It says that he created us to have relationship with him and each other. The purpose of the great tribulation is to show that we must treat each other with love or we will only have hell on earth.

I read so many sites and see so much hate. Alex Jones is a good example. He claims to be a Christian and promotes buying guns. I don't think so. If you are a believer and if you believe these are "End Times" then you should be convinced that violence is wrong. I did not read anywhere in the bible that in the "End Times" the Christians would rise up and kill the bad people or take over the governments of the world, it just doesn't say that.

For people who don't believe in the bible this discussion may be completely unnecessary. I think it should be. To those concerned about "The End Times" I would ask why. Perhaps rather than waiting to be saved from bad times we should focus on the here and now and what we can do.

Yesterday a car bomb was ignited in Egypt in front of a Coptic church. The Coptics are a group of Egyptian Christians who have been persecuted for 2000 years for being Christian. Still, they hold on to their beliefs. This bomb killed 21 and injured 79. Perhaps helping one another is more important than waiting for rapture.

Somethings Wrong

In case you haven't heard something very wrong is happening in Arkansas. Firstly, thousand of birds suddenly died at the same time and dropped to the ground. Then we had thousands of fish, all the same species, die and wash up on shore. Here is a link to an article about it.

Scientists, and we know how trustworthy they are, are saying it can't be a pollutant so it must be a natural thing. I don't think so. It is now being reported that the birds in Arkansas appear to have experienced blunt trauma to their organs. Huh? Were they beat to death in the sky? Some have attempted to blame the birds death on lightening. Wouldn't the birds be singed?

I guarantee you that somebody is going to say that this was the result of HAARP. I don't buy that either. I do not have an answer for what killed them but watch out for the scientific lies. So what the heck is going on in Arkansas?

A New Day, A New Year, Same Old Garbage

I was supposed to go to a meeting today. Two things stopped me, snow and another death in the family. I woke up to a phone call telling me my sister in law died. To be specific, my brothers wife's sister. I met her three times. I have to tell my daughter about it. My daughter thought the world of her.

I hope your day starts better than mine. Be well.

An Admission

My posts have been weak. I have started playing poker again. A guy that played for a living has been visiting and we have been playing. Two different styles and we both know it.

I like poker. I never play for more than I can afford to lose. Small tournaments. I am in the money most of the time that I play. Once I played for months on the same 30 dollars. I have also won tournaments. Not the millions on television, hundreds or thousands.

I used to play 2 or 3 tournaments a day online. I haven't really played steady in two years. In order to play well, you need to practice and I haven't. I am practicing again. It doesn't even matter if I don't win for six months. It is about practicing against different players. Learning styles again and getting the calculations to be automatic in your head. The first large tournament I played in people were asking my daughter if I was a professional. It was at Binion's (The home of the World Series of Poker). In Vegas I had dealers telling me I should turn pro.

None of this is bragging as my game is not where it was because I haven't been playing. It would take me a good six months to get back to where I was. This guy that was a pro wants us to tutor people on line in our respective styles. Not my gig, but a nice complement for someone who hasn't been playing.

Why do I love poker. I play Texas No Limit, the greatest game the world has invented, even better than 45s (an Irish game). I only play tournaments (that means you will lose more than your original investment and it can be $50 to make thousands. I like those odds.

I pretty much stopped playing two years ago. Nothing online. I played maybe 10 live tournaments, placed in the money all but two and came in on top or second for half of them. Something like that and then I stopped all together except with family and friends. With an extra four hours a day and being near the card casinos I may get serious and begin playing again. I may even bring along my friend that played professionally.

I don't know what my readers may think of this; but, I put it out there. I am no crazy gambler. I play with what I can afford after taking care of all my bills. Not a crazy player by any stretch. I play old school. It is not about money, it is about playing well with good players. It is about the game.

Texas No Limit tournaments are the best because you get paid or you do not. Every hand can take you out and there is no coming back. All or nothing baby. I have a meeting tomorrow so I must go to bed; but, I wanted readers to know why my posts were short. I will improve as the news is going to get a lot my interesting and quickly. 2011 is gonna be very weird and very bad. We shall talk about things as they transpire. In the meantime I am going to play more poker. Be well.

It is snowing

As my readers know I live in the high desert. Today it snowed. I watched a young boy experience snow for the first time. Do you remember your first time in the snow? I wonder how many of my readers have never been in the snow.

Nahhhh, I don't really care. Just wanted to get out a post.

And a New Year Begins

May this year enrich your life.

Happy New Years - Lets Get Hammered

Just kidding, I don't get hammered on New Years. I barely celebrate it at all. This year I will spend it at home with a couple of friends. We will probably listen to music and joke around.

Next year is going to be worse than this year for most people. Unemployment checks running out and houses in foreclosure. More business failures to be sure. Still, there is always opportunity.

For me next year is a year of promise. I don't know exactly what will happen but I do believe I will be in a better place. After I move into my new apartment I will have less to deal with, fewer bills and more peace and quiet. Less travel time which gives me four extra hours a day to do things that I want to do. With more free time I intend to begin dating again. Wish me luck with that.

In some ways I feel as if I will be on my own for the first time in my life. Let me put that another way. I won't be responsible for everyone around me, my time will be my own. I can barely comprehend it. I will have time for leisure and ease. I won't have any money but that never really mattered, I could use some peace.

Another interruption. Had to step away for a moment, lost my choo choo.

To all of my readers I wish a Happy New Year. I also ask all of you to refrain from drinking and driving. Use a taxi, walk, have a designated driver or stay where you party, don't drink and drive. I would hate to have fewer readers because they killed themselves by drinking and driving, I would rather you stop reading because I am boring.