Movies and Twizzlers

Last night Tracy and I had a movie night. After we put the kids to bed, we put in a DVD and relaxed watching a movie together. It was a pretty good movie to, albeit a chick flick.

Anyway, I rented the movie from the local Blockbuster Express - you know the blue boxes that are ripoffs of the Redbox business model. Our Blockbuster Express is located inside of the local Basha's Supermarket. Since NO movie is complete without some candy to munch on, I decided to take a little trip down the candy aisle at Basha's. As I was looking for the perfect movie candy, this BIG pack of Twizzlers caught my eye. They seemed to be exactly what I was looking for. So, I checked out, headed home, and put the kids to bed so we could watch our movie.

Once the movie was started I ripped open the bag of Twizzlers and that familiar aroma came bellowing out of the bag. It was like the best potpourri you could ever imagine. I began just taking one Twizzler. Upon munching it down I immediately grabbed another, and another and another. It seemed like I just couldn't get enough of them. It was like a drug - I just kept going back to the bag and grabbing more Twizzlers. I couldn't keep my hand out of the bag. Something weird had come over me. Did they put something addictive in their candy? Before I knew it I, with the help of Tracy, had eaten almost the entire bag of Twizzlers. I was almost embarrassed as I looked at the, now almost empty, bag. If it weren't for an amazing amount of self control, I would have finished off the bag.

So tell me, what is it about Twizzlers that once I start eating them I simply cannot stop??

A Visit to a Mormon Temple

Just outside of Thatcher, AZ, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints - more popularly known as Mormons, recently completed the construction of their latest temple. The Temple has been open to the public for tours prior to it's dedication. I got the opportunity to take a tour of the Temple on Monday and with that tour I made some observations.

From a purely human perspective, the building was beautiful. It was adorned with marble throughout. In the "Celestial Room" hung a huge crystal chandelier. Beautiful new furniture was displayed throughout the temple along with what seemed like endless paintings. From a human standpoint this had beauty to it. However from a spiritual perspective this building truly lacked beauty in any form. I would even call it dark from a Spiritual Perspective.

From the moment I entered the temple, and even before when we were watching a video about the temple, I felt this heaviness come over me. It was a feeling that stayed with me throughout the entire tour and until I was finally able to exit the temple. The feeling even altered my mood. Prior to entering my mood was up and I was having a good day, but upon entering the temple I felt my mood swing downward to the point that I almost felt depressed to be there.

Mormons believe that the temple is the place where they can go to "feel the presence of the Heavenly Father." They believe that God's presence is actually in the temple. It is sad to me to think that these people feel like they have to enter a building to experience God's presence. Scripture tells us that when we put our faith in Jesus Christ that we are the temple of the Holy Spirit.

1 Corinthians 3:16 Don’t you know that you yourselves are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit lives in you?

2 Corinthians 6:16 For we are the temple of the living God. As God has said: “I will live with them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they will be my people.”

As I said, it saddens me to think that these people have been so deceived to think that they have to enter into a building to feel the presence of God. I believe that we can experience God wherever we are. We don't have to enter a temple or be in any certain place - we just need to reach out to God.

James 4:8 Come near to God and he will come near to you.

Throughout the tour, the guides described some of the ordinances that were performed in the temple. They took us to the "Baptismal Room" and described the Baptismal font that rested on 12 oxen (which were supposed to symbolize the 12 tribes of Israel). In this room was also where they performed the Baptism for the dead. This act is supposed to be a way to redeem ancestors that never had the opportunity to hear the Mormon message. This particular practice is only mentioned in scripture once in 1 Corinthians 15:29 where it is used to illustrate a point, and there is no description of what this practice actually was. There is no place in scripture where this is shown to be an accepted practice in the early church.

They also took us to the "Sealing Room" where husbands and wives are sealed together along with their children for eternity. Their belief is that a husband and wife who are sealed together will be together for all eternity in heaven along with their kids. While this seems, from a human perspective, to be something that we would like. Our guide even told us that "It wouldn't be heaven to me without my wife."

Luke 20:34-35 Jesus replied, “The people of this age marry and are given in marriage. 35 But those who are considered worthy of taking part in that age and in the resurrection from the dead will neither marry nor be given in marriage

I think that the Mormon church, and it's adherents don't quite understand Heaven. Heaven isn't about having everything we want here on earth; it isn't about whether it would be heaven "to you" - it is about being in the very presence of God.

The guides repeated time and time again that the ordinances and covenants made in the Mormon Temple are the same that were performed in the temple in the Old Testament. As I read through scripture, none of these were performed at the Temple. The Temple in the Old Testament was God's Dwelling Place in the Holy of Holies - but beyond that it was a place of Sacrifice and Worship. Not a place to be baptized for your dead loved ones, or to seal your marriage in heaven, nor any other ceremonies that are performed in the Mormon Temple.

Another observation I made during my tour was the words that were used by the tour guides. I didn't get a count, but I am sure that it was upwards of over 100 times that they invoked the name of Jesus either directly or by referring to him as "Our Savior". They seemed to be hard pressed to make the Mormon beliefs seem as though they were Orthodox, which they are actually quite far from.

They also used the phrase, "have this knowledge" on a regular basis, such as, "I am glad I have this knowledge." This consistent use of the the word knowledge, and it's seemingly secretiveness reminds me of the Gnostics from the early church who claimed to provide salvation through special knowledge.

From Wikipedia: The gnōsis referred to in the term is a form of mystic, revealed, esoteric knowledge through which the spiritual elements of humanity are reminded of their true origins within the superior Godhead, being thus permitted to escape materiality.

Gnosticism has widely been considered to be a heretical belief system, and it seems to have continued throughout the ages even to today in the form of Mormonism.

There is so much more I could write about Mormonism and my experience visiting the Temple. In all it was an even greater realization at the deception that is being perpetuated by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. It is a deception that has and is leading many people away from the TRUE Gospel of Jesus Christ.

A couple books I would recommend to anyone wanting to know more about the deception of Mormon beliefs are:

Mormonism Unmasked by R. Phillip Roberts

I Love Mormons by David L. Rowe

My Soda Drinking Habit

My name is Tim McCain and i am addicted to Soda. For those that know me, this is no surprise. I really like to drink Soda. My favorite is Pepsi. I will also accept Coke, or RC. I also enjoy a Mountain Dew every now and then. I drink A LOT of soda. I can easily tear through an entire 2 liter of soda in a day and I could probably drink even more than that. I just REALLY like Soda. I know that I have gone weeks without drinking hardly anything else except soda. I usually have a bottle of water while I am preaching, but that is the only other time that I have had something other than soda.

SO, about a week ago I decided that I really needed to cut back on the soda consumption. Part of it was the weight that I had gained recently (see post on Getting Some Exercise...). Part of it was also that I thought I might feel better if I cut out some of the soda.

Here is my plan: I drink water almost exclusively throughout the day. I allow myself to drink Soda only during 1 meal. I get to choose which meal, but only 1 meal of the day. All other meals I have water. I really hate the taste of the water in Morenci, so we have been buying bottled water, which has helped tremendously.

I was really concerned that with cutting most of the soda out of my diet that I would suffer some pretty severe caffeine withdrawal headaches. So far I am about 1 1/2 weeks into this journey and I haven't really suffered any caffeine withdrawal headaches. I have been pretty diligent about making sure that I am staying properly hydrated, which has been good for me and I think been a reason I haven't suffered too much with headaches.

I believe that as I make some of the tough decisions (decisions that I don't really want to make) such as extremely cutting back on Soda, or getting on my bike for exercise, in order to improve my health and my life overall, God is going to bless that. He is going to see you through in areas of your life where you might have thought that he wasn't really concerned about. I never really considered that God might be concerned about how much soda I am drinking, or how much exercise I am getting - I have now changed my thought process. I believe that God is concerned about every aspect of our lives, and he wants what is best for us in every area.

So what is it that you may need to give up, or moderate in order to improve your life?

What part of your life have you said, "God is not concerned about that"?

Getting some Exercise.....

Well, I have recently started riding my bike to work in the mornings. After stepping on the scale and gradually seeing the numbers rise, I decided that I needed to get a little more exercise. I really don't care for going on walks, and running is even worse. I also don't care for working out to a video (ie. Tae Bo, Biggest Loser Workout etc...). And I am totally not motivated enough to go to a gym. The one type of exercise that I actually enjoy is riding my bike. So, a couple weeks ago I decided that I would start riding my bike to work in the mornings.

The direct trip to work is only about .5 miles and an extremely easy ride, so instead I decided to take a round about way to work. The trip that I take has a fairly steep hill, and some other gradual hills with a little bit of downhill coasting. My guess is that it is about 2 miles. It is not a long bike ride by any stretch of the imagination, but it gets my heart beating and gets me some exercise.

By riding my bike I have discovered a few things:

1. I am totally out of shape. Even the small hills seem to kick my butt. They make me pant like a dog and grimace as though I am in extreme pain. I can only imagine what people think when they drive by me and see me. I am sure some laugh, and I am sure others feel sorry for me. Hopefully as time goes by this will get easier, but for right now that short ride is messing me up.

2. Even though the ride is tough and I seem a little tired after I get off the bike, overall I have more energy throughout the day. It is amazing what a little exercise can do for your energy level. It really doesn't seem to make sense that I expend energy and in return I am more energized, but that is how it works. I could lay on the couch sleeping all day and still be sleepy, or I can get out and get some exercise and be energized.

3. I should have done this long ago. Riding my bike, getting the exercise and realizing how it makes me feel good has made me realize that I should have done this long ago. I should have had more initiative to get out and ride my bike years ago. Perhaps if I had done so I would be so out of shape now, I wouldn't be panting like a dog or grimacing in apparent pain. Perhaps if I would have started this years ago this would be even more enjoyable for me.

So, there it is. I have begun what will probably be a lifelong regimen of exercise in riding my bike. In the future, as this 2 mile ride becomes easier, I will be changing things up a little bit. Perhaps I will share my accomplishments with you. For those of you that know Morenci, you know that there are some pretty killer hills in Morenci. Some day I will conquer those hills and I will let you know how it goes.

The weather is BEAUTIFUL!

It is no surprise to most that I am excited about this beautiful weather we have been having lately. The Winter and Spring were, well.... interesting this year in Arizona. This was the wettest Winter/Spring that I have experienced in the almost 7 years I have lived here. It seemed like every weekend it was cold and rainy. All the rain, cold weather, and gray days really put a damper on my mood. But the last 2 weeks have been Sunny and Warm.

I am excited about this weather for many reasons:

1. My Garden has been tilled and planted. I still have a few things to plant to finish off the garden, but it is mostly completed.

2. I get to watch things grow. It is exciting to me to see things grow. My Apricot tree has apricots and that is exciting. The lettuce and radishes in my garden have sprouted, that is exciting. The miniature rose bush is getting very full and starting to bud, that is exciting. Watching things grow is exciting.

3. I can get other work done outside, like mowing the lawn. Call me crazy, but I actually enjoy doing yard work. When the yard looks nice, I can take pride in that accomplishment. It also gives me a mental break from anything else that may be going on.

4. I can ride my bike again. It has been a while since I got out and rode my bike, but I have decided now is the time to get some exercise. I started riding my bike to work last week. This week has been hard because I have been transporting Keaton back and forth to School, but I plan on getting back on my bike later this week.

5. I can play with the kids outside. I don't do this as much as I should, but I do enjoy getting outside with the kids. The kids got a Power Wheels for Christmas this past year, and it is fun to walk with them while they drive the car around the block.

6. The beautiful weather puts me in a good mood. The sun is a wonderful thing. Not only does it give us light and warmth, but it also improves our mood. I find that getting outside and just letting the sun hit my face for a few minutes improves my mood significantly.

7. Sun-tan. I love it when Tracy has a little bit of a sun-tan on her face. It just accentuates her beauty and makes me appreciate the sunshine.

SO, what are some of your reasons for being excited about AWESOME weather? Leave me a comment and let me know.

Quotes from Easter Weekend

I just wanted to share with you a few quotes from this weekend. Some of the things that really stuck out in my mind.

• "I look forward to this every year" - at Easterfest.
• "I see you do this for the community every year, this is great." - at Easterfest
• "My Kids had a BLAST!" - at Easterfest

• "You almost, almost made me cry" - at Easter Service
• "Singing the Old Rugged Cross brought tears to my eyes" - at Easter Service

Hog Hunting

If you read the description of this blog you probably realize that my blog is really many of my random thoughts and actions posted for everyone to see. Here is part of that randomness.

This past week I went on a Feral Hog Hunt. For those of you that aren't familiar with feral hogs, they are hogs that at one time were domesticated, but either were released into the wild, or escaped into the wild. Over the years and as they continue to breed in the wild they revert back to their wild state. These hogs grow more hair, they become darker in color, their snouts grow longer, their tails straighten out, they grow longer tusks and they become VERY aggressive. With all that being said, it sounded like the perfect thing for me to hunt.

Feral Hogs are not native the American Soil. The very first hogs were brought to America by the early settlers for meat. Many people raised hogs on open range, much like cattle is raised in the west. This is one of the major contributions to the feral hog populations that we have today. Significant Feral Hog populations are found in 44 of the 48 contiguous states and are also found in Hawaii. In every state that they are found they are considered a nuisance and cause hundreds of millions of dollars of damage to crops and livestock each and every year. In many states you don't even need a license to hunt them, and in states like Texas their policy is "take them in whatever means possible."

So, on Sunday I set out with a good friend (Wally) to go Feral Hog hunting in New Mexico. A friend of Wally's knew where there were concentrations of hogs, and he had been trapping them for years. We thought this would be the perfect opportunity to hunt them.

Our hunt started out on a cold rainy Monday morning. We went to one location where there was sign of the hogs everywhere. They had been rooting in the fields, there were tracks all over the place including little piglet tracks. This could have been the perfect place to take our first hog. Unfortunately these hogs live around a lake surrounded with Salt Cedars. Which looked kind of like this.

As you might be able to imagine, walking through these salt cedars made it almost impossible to be able to stalk up on some pigs. So, the first area was a bust.

After walking through this area, and checking it for hogs - we went to check the other traps that our friend had. There were no hogs, but we were able to see probably a hundred deer out in the fields.

The next day was a much nicer day. It was in the 60's and sunny. A much nicer day to go hunting. We had been told about another area to check for hogs. Some time ago another guy had trapped over 100 pigs in and around this location. So after driving around for a while, we went to walk this other area. This area had alfalfa crops on one side, and a creek bed - again with salt cedars. Since this creek bed was dry we decided to walk down the creek bed where we could be a little more quiet. There was hog sign everywhere, there were fresh rootings and hog prints everywhere we looked. At one point we could even smell them, however the Hog eluded us once again.

That night we went out to try and call and spotlight some hogs. Instead of hogs we saw hundreds of deer in the fields.

So, at the end of this long story - we didn't get to see any hogs in the wild. We did however see some penned up, and were able to take home some pork from the Feral Hogs that our friend had trapped.

We will be going back again soon, and maybe have some different tactics so we can get some HOGS!

Doing Church, or Experiencing God?

This has been a question that has been rolling around my head today. Are we just merely doing church, or are we experiencing God?

I put the question out to you. Are you Doing church, or Experiencing God?

There is a drastic difference between these two things. A lot of people are merely just doing church. They get up each Sunday and they do the church thing. Perhaps it is out of obligation and they feel like they "have to" be there - maybe because they don't want to disappoint someone, maybe because this is what they have always done, maybe because they think it is the right thing to do.

I want to be different than that. I want to go to church, not just to do church but because it give me the opportunity to experience God in a corporate setting.

Today Tracy posted a blog that was an article in The Pentecostal Evangel from 1958. That article was actually from Teddy Roosevelt many years before. The name of the article is "9 Reasons to go to Church". I think this is a great article, but I think Teddy missed one vitally important reason to go to church - to experience God.

Recently our church has gone through some growth. In 2008 our average attendance was 67 and in 2009 it was 82. That is pretty good growth. I look forward to hitting that next milestone in our growth as a church, but even more than hitting that next growth milestone I am looking forward to the day when our church is filled with people who come to Experience God.

How about you? Are you Doing Church, or Experiencing God?

Rain, Rain, Go Away!!!!!

Ok, So it has been raining in Arizona a lot. When I say a lot, I mean at least once a week for the past couple months. It is getting really OLD.

Having come from Illinois, I am familiar with rainy winters. The winter prior to moving out to Arizona I think was nothing but rain. I don't think a single snowflake fell during that winter. It was just COLD and RAINY. So we moved out to Arizona and thought we were done with cold rainy winters. Then this winter came, and to me it has been absolutely miserable.

All my Arizona friends, and most of the people that go to our church are enjoying this rain. It is the people that have lived in the desert for many, many years that are finding this rain to be pleasant. For me, it is just too much of a reminder of midwestern winters. Many people think that the midwest gets tons of snow during the winter, and while that is the case this year, while I was growing up it seemed like we got more of the cold rain than we did snow.

So, this miserable cold winter rain is keeping me from getting many of the things done that I would like to do. Every time I think of getting out to do something, it is raining. I have a long laundry list of things I need to get done.
- Clean out the garden (it will be planting time soon and the garden is a mess)
- Re-aim the sattelite (I had to remove it for the Superbowl and it still isn't quite right.
- Clean up the yard (Our yard has accumulated too much junk during the winter, it needs to be cleaned up)
- Do repairs on the camper (Our camper needs some repairs done, and I am just not going to lay on the wet ground to do it)
- Practice archery (I could do this in the rain, but it is just miserable)

These are just a short list of the things I need to get done that the rain is keeping me from. So, while it is raining today - I am feeling a little bit grumpy and just want to say (YELL).....

RAIN, RAIN, GO AWAY!!!!!!!