America's favorite cowboy cook recreates a mouth-watering
meatloaf and mashed potatoes TV Dinner-Cowboy Style!
Released in August 1972 by legendary American balladeer Jim Croce, "Operator"
(That's Not The Way It Feels) about a man trying to reach his old girlfriend via a
telephone operator, became a big hit in the months following, spending twelve weeks
on the charts. By the end of the year it peaked at Number # 17 on the Billboard Hot 100.
The Story Behind The Song
The inspiration behind "Operator" came during Jim's military service, when he saw lines
of soldiers waiting to use the outdoor phone on the base, calling to see if the "Dear John"
letters they had received from back home were true. This letter was usually written by a wife
or a girlfriend declaring that their relationship was over or that they had found someone else.
The recipients of these letters were often soldiers and sailors stationed overseas.
While the exact origin of the "Dear John" letter is unknown, it is commonly
believed to have been coined by Americans during WWII, due to the fact that
the name "John" was the most popular name for baby boys in the United States
every year since the late 19th century. It is further claimed that the Vietnam War
inspired more "Dear John" letters than any other U.S. conflict.
But back to Jim's song. Not only does this ballad bring back memories of
my childhood when most of the songs I heard came over the radio while
riding in the car with my parents, Record World called "Operator" a
"strong story-telling tune in the Chuck Berry 'Memphis' vein" and said
that "the single is a near-perfect matching of this singer to the song!"
I agree! They don't make songs or singers like this anymore!
"I'm glad that Christian parents let their children worship the devil
at least one night out of the year."
-Anton LeVay
Founder of the First Church of Satan
"Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, and put light for darkness
and darkness for light, and put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter!"
(Isaiah 5:20)
Pershitta (Aramaic) Bible
Should Christians Celebrate Halloween?
Pastor Josh Schwartz and Ken Mickle talk with special guest, ex-psychic
turned born again believer Jenn Nizza of expsychicsaved.com.
In this episode, we discuss the enumerated powers of the federal
government under the Constitution as opposed to the unlimited
power that many think the feds have.
"Weeping may stay the night, but joy comes in the morning."
(Psalm 30:5)
I have been through the valley of weeping,
The valley of sorrow and pain;
But the God of all comfort was with me,
At hand to uphold and sustain.
As the earth needs the clouds and the sunshine,
Our souls need both sorrow and joy;
So He places us oft in the furnace,
The dross from the gold to destroy.
When He leads through some valley of trouble,
His omnipotent hand we trace;
For the trials and sorrows, He sends us,
Are part of His lessons in grace.
Oft we shrink from the purging and pruning,
Forgetting the Husbandman knows;
That the deeper the cutting and paring,
The richer the cluster that grows.
Well, He knows that affliction is needed;
He has a wise gracious purpose in view,
And in the dark valley, He whispers,
"Hereafter you will know what I do."
As we travel through life's shadowed valley,
Fresh springs of His love ever rise;
And we learn that our sorrows and losses,
Are blessings just sent in disguise.
So we'll follow wherever He leadeth,
Let the path be dreary or bright;
For we've proved that our God can give comfort,
Our God can give songs in the night!
A poem written by
Lettie Burd Cowman
(1870-1960)
American Christian writer and missionary.
A Match "Made In Heaven"
A Christian Love Story
In his book, "God Is A Matchmaker" Bible teacher and author Derek Prince
relates how God led him into two successful marriages, his first to Lydia,
and after her death, to his second wife, Ruth.
As Derek explains it:"The first time I really did not understand what God
had done. Then, when the process was repeated in my second marriage,
I came to realize that God had followed the very same pattern He Himself
has established at the dawn of human history-a pattern He has ordained
to stand unchanged until human history reaches it's consummation."
God's divine hand at matchmaking was certainly in the details
of the blessed union between Charles and Lettie Cowman too.
Lettie met her future husband when she was just a baby, and again
when they were teenagers. Lettie was thirteen at the time. Six years
later, on June 8, 1889 they were married. They later trained together
at Martin Wells Knapp's Bible School in Ohio before leaving the
United States in 1901 to become missionaries in Japan.
The couple had a deep burden on their hearts for the people of Japan. They and the
other members of the Oriental Missionary Society (later called the One Mission Society)
sought to reach many people there with the soul-saving message of the Gospel.
Although the Society was successful in their goals, Charles Cowman felt that their
efforts were not enough. This led to the launching of the Great Village Campaign
in 1913. It became Charles' goal that every person in Japan would hear
the Gospel message within the next five years.
Teams of missionaries traveled to every town and village throughout Japan,
preaching the Word and distributing Bibles to the people. In January, 1918 Charles
and Lettie received news through the O.M.S. Standard, a monthly publication,
that the Great Village Campaign was a great success. The couple had
since returned to America the year before due to Charles' declining health.
Seeing her husband suffering in pain, Lettie also suffered. As his health continued
to deteriorate, she began writing what would become an inspirational best-selling
book, "Streams In The Desert"-a series of daily devotionals. The title of the book
is based on Isaiah 35:6, "Then will the lame leap like a deer and the mute tongue
shout for joy. Water will gush forth in the wilderness and streams in the desert."
Although she did not know it at the time, writing "Streams" was God's way of
comforting and strengthening Lettie Cowman as she walked through her own
valley of weeping, facing the grim reality of her husband's impending death.
"So He places us oft in the furnace,
The dross from the gold to destroy."
When the book was being printed, her publisher felt certain that
they would never publish more than 3,000 copies of the original.
However, many readers of "Streams In The Desert" could relate
to Lettie's pain with their own set of problems in life.
We don't always understand the will and purposes of God in our lives.
People often ask, "If God loves me than why do I have to suffer?
But we are never without Him. And we are never without hope.
As believers, we are reminded that, "all things work together for the
good of those who love God, who are called according to His purpose."
(Romans 8:28)
After Charles Cowman died in 1924, Lettie found a note in his Bible asking
her, "Go on with my unfinished task." Despite her grief, Lettie Cowman
devoted the rest of her life to carrying on the work and legacy of
her beloved husband, for God's glory, "according to His purpose."
In 1925, she wrote the book, "Missionary Warrior" a biography
of her husband's life and work. Her hope in writing the book
was, "that a worldwide crusade would be launched to reach
every living member of this generation with the Gospel."
Lettie also continued her husband's work through serving with the OMS. She later
became the organization's third President. Although she now had an active
writing career, Lettie's first priority was in her role as the President of the Society.
She was determine to carry out the Every Creature Crusade (now known
as Every Community For Christ) which Charles began in Japan as
the Great Village Campaign. Just as he felt a strong call on his life to
proclaim the Good News to every individual in that nation, Lettie believed
that the Lord was now calling her to advance the Gospel worldwide.
In Europe, the OMS brought the message of the Gospel to many
countries, including Finland, Estonia, Latvia, Poland, and
Czechoslovakia. Their evangelical mission would be one of
the last efforts to preach the Gospel across the Continent
before the Nazis rose to power in Germany.
Lettie's crusade continued onward to Egypt, a country she
specifically felt a great burden for in her heart, and later, the island
of Cuba. In December 1941, the OMS began a crusade in Mexico. They
eventually reached South America, something Lettie never dreamed
would happen. However, God's timing is always perfect. In 1943,
a Bible Training Institute was started in Medellin, Columbia.
"Well done, good and faithful servant."
(Matthew 25:23)
Several years later, Lettie stepped down from her role as President of the OMS.
She continued with her writing career and public speaking engagements
until her death on Easter Sunday April 17th, 1960.
Host Tony Perkins talks with former Congressman Michelle Bachmann
concerning Israel's right to declare sovereignty over their own land.
"Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you
may know how to answer everyone."
(Colossians 4:6)
And everyone remember...Shine for Jesus!
"You guide me with Your counsel and later receive me in glory."
(Psalm 73:24)
The little cares that fretted me,
I lost them yesterday,
Among the fields above the sea,
Among the winds at play;
Among the lowing of the herds,
The rustling of the trees;
Among the singing of the birds,
The humming of the bees.
The foolish fears of what may happen,
I cast them all away
Among the clover-scented grass,
Among the new-mown hay;
Among the rustling of the corn,
Where drowsy poppies nod,
Where ill thoughts die and good are born
Out in the fields with God.
"Out In The Fields With God"
Elizabeth Barrett Browning
(1806-1861)
English poet of the Victorian Era
Unique insights and the latest update from Israel and the Middle East
from author/speaker and former Knesset member Avi Lipkin.
"Wake up, folks, wake up! As intimidated as you are by the fear of going against the
stream and looking racist (a grossly erroneous word, by the way, because the problem
has nothing to do with a race; it has to do with a religion) you don't understand or don't
want to understand that a Reverse Crusade is on the march. As blinded as you are by
the myopia and the stupidity of the Political Correct, you don't realize or don't want to
realize that a war of religion is being carried out. A war they call Jihad...A war which
is conducted to destroy our civilization, our ways of living and dying, or praying or
not praying, of eating and drinking and dressing and studying and enjoying Life."
"The Rage and The Pride"
-Oriana Fallaci
Host Erick Stakelbeck speaks with Danny Burmawi, a former Muslim
and author of the book, "Islam, Israel, And The West"
Olive Tree Ministries host Jan Markell relates her personal experience in
dabbling with the occult, a.k.a. the New Age, which has become so popular
in America today, and especially during the Halloween season.
Les continues his walk through the Bible helping us to
connect the dots with the Holy Scriptures.
Sharing faith and fellowship and great fall recipes
with the gracious hostess of At Home.
"God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in times of trouble."
(Psalm 46:1)
We look ahead through each changing year
With mixed emotions of hope and fear-
Hope for the peace we long have sought,
Fear that our hopes will come to naught.
Unwilling to trust in the Father's will,
We count on our logic and shallow skill,
And in our arrogance and pride,
We are no longer satisfied
To place our confidence and love
With childlike faith in God above.
And tiny hands and tousled heads
That kneel in prayer by little beds
Are closer to the dear Lord's heart
And of His kingdom more a part
Than we who search and never find
The answers to our questioning minds-
For faith in things we cannot see
Requires a child's simplicity.
Oh, Heavenly Father, grant again
A simple childlike faith to men,
Forgetting color, race and creed
And seeing only the heart's deep need.
For faith alone can save man's soul
And lead him to a higher goal,
For there's but one unfailing course-
We win by faith and not by force.
"Faith Is A Mighty Fortress"
Helen Steiner Rice
(1900-1981)
American Christian poetess
A delightful slice of Disneyland nostalgia... and the America that used to be.
Praise awaits You, O God, in Zion;
to You our vows will be fulfilled.
You who listen to prayer,
all the people will come to You.
When iniquities prevail against me,
You atone for our transgressions.
Blessed is the one You choose
and bring near to dwell in Your courts!
We are filled with the goodness of Your house,
the holiness of Your temple.
With awesome deeds of righteousness You answer us,
O God of our salvation,
the hope of all the ends of the earth
and the farthest seas.
You formed the mountains by Your power,
having girded Yourself with might.
You stilled the roaring of the seas,
and the pounding of the waves,
and the tumult of the nations.
Those who love far away fear Your wonders;
You make the dawn and sunset shout for joy.
You attend the earth and water it;
with abundance You enrich it.
The streams of God are full of water,
for You prepare our grain
by providing the for the earth.
You soak its furrows and level its ridges;
You soften it with showers and bless its growth.
You crown the year with Your bounty,
and Your paths overflow with plenty.
The pastures of the wilderness overflow;
the hills are robed with joy.
The pastures are clothed with flocks
and the valleys are decked with grain.
They shout in triumph;
indeed, they sing.
Psalm 65
America's most famous cowboy cook shares his recipe for
an easy-to-make one pot dinner-Upside Down Pizza!
"You crown the year with Your bounty, and Your paths overflow with plenty."
(Psalm 65:11)
Season of mist and mellow fruitfulness,
Close bosom-friend of the maturing sun;
Conspiring with him how to load and bless
With fruit the vines that round the thatch-eves run;
To bend with apples the moss'd the cottage-trees,
And with all fruit with ripeness to the core;
To swell the gourd, and plump the hazel shells
With a sweet kernel; to set budding more,
And still more, later flowers for the bees,
Until they think warm days will never cease,
For Summer has o'er-brimm'd their clammy cells.
Who hath not seen thee oft amid thy store?
Sometimes whoever seeks abroad may find
Thee sitting careless on a granary floor,
Thy hair soft-lifted by the winnowing wind;
Or on a half-reap'd furrow sound asleep,
Drows'd with the fume of poppies, while thy hook
Spares the next swath and all its twined flowers;
And sometimes like a gleaner thou dost keep
Steady thy laden head across a brook;
Or by a cider-press, with patient look,
Thou watchest the last oozings hours by hours.
Where are the songs of Spring? Ay, where are they?
Think not of them, thou hast thy music too-
While barred clouds bloom the soft-dying day,
And touch the stubble-plains with rosy hue;
Then in a wailful choir the small gnats mourn
Among the river sallows borne aloft
Or sinking as the light wind lives and dies;
And full-grown lambs bleat from hilly bourn;
Hedge-crickets sing; and now with treble soft
The red-breast whistles from a garden-croft;
And gathering swallows twitter in the skies.
"To Autumn"
(1819)
John Keats
(1795-1821)
English Romantic poet
The Democrats are hoopin' and hollerin'-while keeping the government shut down-
but they are mainly angry because they won't be able to cook up some scheme to
bill the American tax payers for Donald Trump's spectacular ballroom
currently being added to the White House.
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Furthermore, as the proposal of this new addition to the White House was
announced this past summer, the profuse surprise and outrage expressed
by the opposition is more than likely just a ruse. The dirty Dems and other
critics of the president have probably known about it for months.
To be perfectly fair, if former presidents have made renovations to the White House
over the years why can't our current Commander-In-Chief be allowed to do the same?
I would much rather see an elegant ballroom added to this grand and historic building
than solar panels in the roof-an idea hatched during the Carter Administration-
which were promptly removed shortly after Ronald Reagan took office in 1981. Or,
an even worst affront, both to God and many citizens across this nation, including
those in 35 states, who had already voted against it, and whose will was simply
ignored-the People's House lit up in the colors of the rainbow after the
Supreme Court's politically tainted decision to recognize same-sex marriage
in 2015, compliments of President Barack Obama.
"For our struggle is not against flesh and blood only, but against the
rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this world's darkness,
and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms."
(Ephesians 6:12)
Although President Trump has made some rash decisions lately that seem
disturbing to me, this one has my approval. I also realize our president is in
great need of intercessory prayers, for both his and his family's protection
from forces of both human and spiritual wickedness plaguing our land.
But even more so, I pray that he will seek the will of God's first in his life,
through the daily reading and studying of the Scriptures, in order to prepare
his mind and his heart when faced with making crucial decisions in these
increasingly dark and dangerous times for our nation and the world.
Released in October, 1971 "American Pie" written by American singer-songwriter
Don McLean, has long been considered a tribute to the great rock 'n' roll legend
Buddy Holly, with the memorable refrain, "the day the music died".
Holly was killed in a plane crash in February 1959, along with up and coming
rock and roll singers Ritchie Valens, and "The Big Bopper" J.D. Richardson.
McLean said that he drew the inspiration for this song from his childhood
when he was delivering newspapers at the time of the crash.
"I first found out about the crash because I was a 13-year old newspaper
delivery boy in New Rochelle, New York and I was carrying the bundle
of local Standard-Star papers that were bound in twine, and when I cut
it open with a knife, there it was on the front page," he remembered.
Don McLean's song further reflects the social and political changes he
witnessed in America, from the conservative years of early rock and roll
in the late 1950's, to the more progressive era of psychedelic acid rock
in the late 1960's and early 1970's, a time when the counter-culture was in
full swing, along with a very unpopular war being waged in Southeast Asia.
Upon the release of "American Pie" Cash Box called the song, "folk-rock's
most ambitious and successful epic endeavor since "Alice's Restaurant".
Record World called it a "monumental accomplishment of lyric writing."
The song was a Number One hit for four weeks beginning in January, 1972
after just eight weeks on the US Billboard charts. "American Pie" also
topped the charts in Australia, New Zealand, and Canada and was
the Number Two most popular song in the United Kingdom
where it stayed for three weeks after its initial release.
"But David said to the Philistine, "You come against me with sword and spear
and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the LORD of Hosts,
the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. "
(1 Samuel 17:45)
What does the battlefield of David and Goliath look like 3,000 years later?
Can a quiet valley still echo with one of the Bible's most dramatic moments?
