Thoughts From Doe Valley

Book Review

2012-01-03T15:12:00.001-05:00

Grace for Today: Daily Readings from the Life of Christ - Volume 2 by John MacArthur

This is an excellent daily devotional reading from John MacArthur. This is volume 2 of 3. This volume focuses on the life of Christ mainly from the Gospel of Matthew, but pays particular attention to the later portion of Christ's ministry.

MacArthur may spend several days on a particular passage of scripture. Each devotion ends with some thought provoking questions.

I highly recommend this series of daily devotionals to anyone looking to get a deeper look at the life of Christ.

Book Review

2011-12-27T08:24:00.004-05:00

Standing Next To History by Joseph Petro

I was interested in reading this book about the life of a secret service agent. I found it interesting and it held my attention well.

The book is mostly just stories from the authors life, but he did provide some insight as to how the secret service operates. The author's stories start as an athlete, then to the military and then to the secret service.

I found one of the lessons that Petro learned while in office candidate school to be very useful. It is the definition of leadership which is simply, "take care of your men." How much better can you describe leadership.

Overall, if you are interested in reading stories from the secret service you will enjoy this book.

Book Review

2011-11-25T12:09:00.004-05:00

How to Meet the Enemy by John MacArthur

This book focuses on how the Bible tells us to face and do battle with evil. As most of MacArthur's books, there is a detailed explanation of several verses of Scripture. In fact, most of the book focuses on Ephesians 6:11-22.

I was very interested in reading the book. However, I couldn't really get into it. As mentioned, most of the book was just explaining Ephesians chapter 6. In fact, I remember reading in another book by MacArthur almost the same stuff.

At the end of the book is a study guide for each chapter that contains thought provoling questions and prayers.

Overall, this was a good book, especially if you are wanting to learn more about Ephesians chapter 6.

Wilkinson Sword Tech 3 Razor

2011-10-03T09:22:00.007-04:00

For the past two months I have been testing out the Wilkinson Sword Tech 3 razor. I was very excited to try it out as it has been hyped by many of the razor aficionados on the internet. The razor is relatively inexpensive. I purchased the handle with two cartridges for $3 with a $2 off coupon. 4 cartridges cost about $5 at wal*mart, so at $1.25 per cartridge is not too bad.

Overall, I thought it was an okay shave. I noticed I cut myself a few times. It didn't seem to cut as close as other razors, but wasn't as bad as some razors either! I think the hype was really just from Gillette haters out there.

I will give this razor a 90% ranking. While it does not shave as close as the Bic Flex 4, Mach 3, or Fusion Proglide, the cost is almost half. And cost is an important factor to me.

I still have 4 Flex 4, 4 Mach 3, and 3 Bic Advantage razors left, so I won't be buying anything new anytime soon. I can usually find a coupon for the Bic Flex 4 in the paper and that will make my future buying decisions a little easier.

Until the next time.

Job Creation

2011-09-09T11:17:00.003-04:00

Okay, when you're done listening to all the blathering by the media, the "experts", and the politicians about job creation read this.

There is only one way for the government to "create" jobs. That way is to take taxpayer money and just make up jobs and projects. In other words spend it. Yes, that's right, take money from those that are earning it and give it to those that are currently not earning it! What does that sound like to you?

Sure, the government can pass laws that can encourage or dampen job creation by businesses, but these laws cannot create jobs. It is as simple as that!

Book Review

2011-08-30T12:19:00.004-04:00

Six Battles Every Man Must Face by Bill Perkins

The premise of this book is based upon the idea that men are designed to fight and there are six battles that must be won.

fight for your identity
fight for personal holiness
fight for your family
fight through the pain
fight for your friends
fight for a strong faith

The author uses David and his mighty men to illustrate his theory of men's battles. At the end of each chapter there are a few brief discussion questions.

Overall, I am not sure I agree with the author's ideas. I do believe that we are all participants in the battles he mentions. However, we must remember that the war is already won. Christ defeated Satan on the cross almost 2000 years ago.

The other aspect of this book that didn't really hold up for me was using David and his mighty men as the illustration. Sure, David and his men won these battles at times, but they also lost a whole lot as well.

In conclusion, I think this is one book that can be safely skipped over, provided of course that you know who has fought these battles and won the war!

Book Review

2011-08-01T07:57:00.003-04:00

The Apostle: A Life of Paul by John Pollock

John Pollock is well known for his biographies of people like D.L. Moody, Billy Graham, and John Wesley.

In this book, Pollock writes about the life of Paul the Apostle. His focus is mainly with what Scripture reveals about Paul, but he does use other sources at times to fill in some of the blanks about Paul's life.

Overall, the author did a great job of piecing everything together to write this biography. However, I just couldn't really get into this book, mainly because I am not too interested in biographies. If you are interested in biographies or further examining the life of Paul then I would recommend this book.

Rechargeable Battery Replacement

2011-07-06T10:39:00.004-04:00

Sometime ago I purchased 4 AAA Rayovac Rechargeable batteries. After only a few months of use one of the batteries would no longer take a charge. I held onto it and did some experiments with it, all of which concluded that the battery would no longer take and hold a charge.

I was getting ready to pitch it, when I decided to look at Rayovac's website for charging tips. I didn't find anything except for a money back guarantee. It stated to send them the battery with the original packaging, receipt, and a note.

Of course I didn't have the packaging or the receipt, but I figured for the cost of a postage stamp, why not try. So I mailed them the battery with a note stating that this battery does not hold a charge like the other four in the package and to send me a replacement.

A few weeks later I received a fedex package from Rayovac with a brand new four pack of AA batteries. This was surprising to me, first of all a 4 pack of batteries costs about $10 and I am sure fedex shipping was at least $5. Second, I was surprised because they sent me AA and not AAA that I returned to them.

I am certainly glad they sent me 4 batteries, but I would have rather gotten the 1 battery I requested. American customer service at its best I guess.

BIC Flex 4

2011-07-01T10:46:00.000-04:00

It has been another two month trial for shaving. This time with the BIC Flex 4 razor that I got for free from BIC since I was thoroughly unimpressed with their Hybrid Advanced razor. Honestly, I didn't expect much more from this razor than the Comfort 3, which was a pretty good razor. However, after two months I can say that the Flex 4 razor is a pretty decent razor.

It seemed to give me a good shave for the entire month. I could tell around week 3 that it was getting a little dull and didn't cut quite as close, but I continued with my testing.

The head is large and easy to clean, it does not get clogged like many other razors. The four blades cut close without digging into my skin. The lubricating strip lasted the entire month. The cost of the razors was $5.99 for three or about $2 each.

I would rate this razor about 90%. It ranks up there with the Mach 3 Turbo (3 blade) and the Fusion Proglide (5 blade). The cost is about the same as the Mach 3 Turbo and cheaper than the Fusion Proglide.

I had a $1.50 coupon so I picked up another package of these razors. I think I should be set for the rest of the year. I still would like to test the Wilkenson-Sword Tech 3 razor. And of course, as always, if there are any manufactures that would like me to test there razors they are welcome to send them.

Book Review

2011-06-30T07:51:00.000-04:00

The Divorce Dilemma by John MacArthur

Everyone has their own opinion about divorce, including pastors. John MacArthur sticks to what Scripture says about the subject in this book.

In those instances where Scripture doesn't give a clear cut answer, MacArthur basis his response to divorce and remarriage on what the Word of God does say throughout the entire Bible, not just a particular passage to justify his ideas.

Overall, this is a great book for anyone looking for biblical guidance on divorce and remarriage. At the end of the book there is even a questions and answers section.

Book Review

2011-06-29T09:03:00.004-04:00

A Simple Government by Mike Huckabee

This book is Mike Huckabee's version of what the government should be like. In each chapter, he briefly describes one aspect of what the government should or shouldn't do. The majority of his ideas are nothing new or groundbreaking.

The basic concept is the federal government should do what the constitution says it should do, namely unify the states and protect the borders.

Here are some of the ideas that he covers in various chapters:

family values
local vs federal government
control spending and limit debt
simple and fair taxation system (based up national sales tax)
responsible healthcare (meaning take care of yourself)
improve education (focus on students)
take responsibility of the environment
immigration reform
be tough on terrorism
effective military strength
strengthen our global image
focus on the values of our founding fathers

Overall, this book's timing seemed more like a preparation for the run to the whitehouse. If you are interested in Huckabee's thoughts and what his governing style could be like then check out the book. Otherwise, you can probably skip it.

AAII - nonprofit investing organization

2011-05-20T11:06:00.000-04:00

I have been an investor for over 15 years now. During that time I have subscribed to various publications, especially magazines, like Money, SmartMoney, and Kiplinger's.

At least once a year I would receive a letter from AAII - American Association of Individual Investors. Years ago, I noticed that at the end of the letter the yearly membership fee was slashed with the wording of something like "this is a one time offer" or "the dues has never been reduced before, act now."

Well, that was an outright lie, because I would get that same letter at least once a year. AAII has been praised by many publications as being a trustworthy valuable newsletter. To me, if they lie on their marketing material what do they do in their newsletter!

So several years ago, I wrote the CEO a letter, placed it in the postage paid envelope, and mailed it to AAII. Of course, I have never heard from them regarding the matter, but the new marketing letters I now receive just slash the yearly fee without any comments.

Since AAII is a nonprofit organization they need to submit an IRS Form 990 which lists their revenue, expenses, and salaries of the top people. The best website I have found that posts this information is the NCCS.

Upon looking at the 990 for 2009 we find their revenue was about $6 million and expenses were about $7.5 million. Of the $7.5 million in expenses about $3 million was for the salaries of the 28 people that work there. Of those 28 people, 9 make more than $100,000 per year. The chairman and the president/ceo each make almost $500,000 a year with their salary and benefits.

My point? For being a nonprofit it sure does sound like the chairman and the president/ceo make a nice profit for themselves! But these are just my thoughts.

Oh, and their investment income last year: $-264,774. Thanks, but I think I'll stick with my own investing plan and program.

Book Review

2011-05-09T13:16:00.005-04:00

An Anchor for the Soul by Ray Pritchard

This is a book for those people that know very little about God and are interested in learning about Him. It is like an introduction to the Christian life. The book is less than 200 pages, but is a quick easy read.

The author has a writing style that would interest a seeker or someone curious about God, yet it presents the facts of Christianity in a simple, clear and correct way. This isn't an easy believism, make you feel good kind of book. The book presents Christ in a real, living manner.

I think the subtitle of the book really says it all, "Help for the present, Hope for the future."

I recommend this book for anyone wanting to know more about God yet aren't prepared to jump into His Word.

Book Review

2011-05-06T14:50:00.002-04:00

Basic Elements of the Christian Life by Witness Lee and Watchman Nee

This is more like a booklet. It contains 5 small chapters about the basics of a Christian according to Lee and Nee. The five chapters each introduce an element of Christian living.

The chapters are:

The Mystery of Human Life

The Assurance, Security, and Joy of Salvation

The Precious Blood of Christ

Calling on the Name of the Lord

The Key to Experiencing Christ - the Human Spirit

The authors are right on with the first two chapters but then start to proclaim some things about the blood of Christ that seem a little off to me. In particular apply the blood of Christ to your life and sins. According to the authors, once the blood has been applied to cover your sins, if Satan still bothers you, then you need to talk to Satan and tell him that Christ has covered your sins.

Here is a sample conversation with Satan from page 28. "Satan, I have confessed my sin to God. He has forgiven my sin, and the blood of Jesus Christ has cleansed me from it. This uneasiness that I sense right now is not from God; it is from you, and I reject it! Satan, now you must look at the blood of Christ. That blood answers every one of your accusations." I am not so sure striking up a conversation with Satan is a good idea. He is pretty clever and crafty.

In the next chapter, the authors stress the practice of calling on the name of the Lord. This must be done out loud. It is not just merely a prayer, but a shout out to God. Again according to the authors it helps us be saved in a more richer thorough way. I am not sure what they mean by more thorough. You are either saved or you are not.

Therefore after reading through this booklet, I cannot recommend it. The Living Stream Ministry gives out a lot of free books and pamphlets based upon the teachings of Witness Lee and Watchman Nee. I would be very suspect of any of their writings. While I believe some of what they say is biblical, other concepts appear to have been twisted from Scripture.

BIC Hybrid Advanced

2011-05-04T13:03:00.003-04:00

After two months of use I am giving my review of the BIC Hybrid Advanced razor. As previously noted in my letter to BIC, these razors are bad.

This is a three blade disposable razor cartridge system. Each package contains a handle and 6 cartridges.

The razor costs about $6 for the handle and 6 cartridges. The cartridge connection to the handle is very cheap and I believe could easily break. I actually paid $3.99 for the razor, so my cost is about $0.66 per razor.

The vitamin E lubricating strip is junk as well. It didn't seem to do anything at all. The back of the cartridge head is tight and gets clogged easily. I found the shave to be very bad. It wasn't close at all, yet it somehow managed to cut me frequently.

In other words, even at $0.66 a razor, it isn't worth it. My rating is a 40%.

The next razor up for review in two months is the BIC Flex 4. This is the razor I bought with my free coupon from BIC. We'll see if it works any better.

.

Revenue Problem or Expenditure Problem

2011-04-15T09:49:00.001-04:00

I have heard multiple people (all belonging to the Democratic party) say that we don't have a spending problem, we have a revenue problem. This means the government is spending the right amount of money, it's the taxpayers who aren't giving the government enough.

We'll I'm not going to argue with them anymore. I will simply refer them to the Financial Management Service division of the Treasury website.

Here is what it says in case you don't feel like clicking on the link.

Gifts to the United States Government

How do I make a contribution to the U.S. government?

Citizens who wish to make a general donation to the U.S. government may send contributions to a specific account called "Gifts to the United States." This account was established in 1843 to accept gifts, such as bequests, from individuals wishing to express their patriotism to the United States. Money deposited into this account is for general use by the federal government and can be available for budget needs. These contributions are considered an unconditional gift to the government. Financial gifts can be made by check or money order payable to the United States Treasury and mailed to the address below.

Gifts to the United States
U.S. Department of the Treasury
Credit Accounting Branch
3700 East-West Highway, Room 622D
Hyattsville, MD 20782

There you have it. Anybody that thinks the government has a revenue problem can make a contribution to the government to help alleviate the situation!

Just my thoughts for today!

Response from Bic

2011-04-08T07:54:00.001-04:00

As mentioned in the previous post I contacted Bic about their Hybrid Advanced razor.

On their website it states that BIC does not give cash refunds or free samples or coupons. So I wasn't exactly sure what BIC was going to do to uphold their Performance Policy.

Here is the email that I received from BIC regarding the razor.

*****
Dear Mr. Matthews:

Thank you for your comments regarding the performance of the BIC Hybrid
Advance Shaver.

We care a great deal about the quality of all of our products and were
sorry to learn that you were disappointed with the way our shavers
performed for you. This information will be helpful to us in our
continuous effort to provide BIC products of the highest possible
quality.

We will send you a BIC Shaver replacement coupon, which can be used
toward the purchase of any of our shavers. We appreciate your patronage
and hope you will continue to be a BIC customer.

Sincerely,

BIC Consumer Affairs Team
*****

I received the coupon in the mail and purchased a BIC Flex 4. I will start using that razor next month.

Letter to Bic

2011-04-06T10:54:00.001-04:00

The other day I found some new BIC Hybrid Advanced razors on sale at Giant Eagle so I decided to buy it and test it out. This is a three blade disposable cartridge type razor. After the first shave I realized these razors are garbage. All it did was cut me up and didn't even give me a close shave. After 3 shaves I decided to contact BIC. Below is my email to them. We'll see what they say about their product. ******** I purchased the BIC Hybrid Advanced razor the other day and I have found it to be the worst razor I have ever used, which is strange because I like the regular BIC Advanced razor. The razor doesn't seem to give me a close shave. It seems to just cut me without cutting the hair if that is somehow possible. Also the lubrication strip does not seem to work at all. I am thinking I got a bad batch or something. Was there any recalls or problems with these razors recently? Can you tell me the process to receive either a refund or replacement? Thanks

Book Review

2011-04-04T10:15:00.002-04:00

The Glory of Heaven by John MacArthur This is a good book about what the bible says about Heaven. There are only 6 chapters by MacArthur. The rest of the book contains four sermons or messages from other people (Richard Baxter, Thomas Boston, Charles Spurgeon, and J.C. Ryle). The first two chapters look at the modern culture's (incorrect) view of heaven. The other four chapters describe what the bible actually says about heaven. Overall, I thought MacArthur did an excellent job with the biblical description of heaven. In particular he did a great job describing not only what heaven will be like, but what we will be like in heaven. While I am sure the four sermons at the end of the book were excellent, I didn't get much from them simply due to the wordiness of the writing (these writings go back several hundred years). If you are interested in the biblical description of heaven I would recommend getting this book and at least read chapters 3-6. .

Kenmore Electric Dryer Bearing Replacement

2011-03-14T09:51:00.006-04:00

This weekend I decided to replace the bearing in my Kenmore Electric Dryer, model #417.80042990.

The dryer started squeaking sometime last fall. I purchased the part in October to repair the dryer over Thanksgiving or Christmas, but the dry stopped making the noise. Of course, right after the new year it started squeaking again.

The process was pretty easy and only took about 2 hours. It can be accomplished by one person, but it helps to have a second person available to help.

Here is a list of tools you will need:
Several sizes of Phillips head screwdrivers
Flat head screwdriver or other prying tool
Shop-Vac
Wire Cutters
Socket-Set

Turn the the circuit breaker off for the dryer!

Remove the top cover of the dryer. This is done by prying up the front near the tabs. This takes some force. Once the front is off the tabs, the top will lift off the tabs in the back. Remove the ground clip from the dryer.

Remove the front cover of the dryer. There are two screws about 6 inches down from the top on each side. Remove these screws and the front cover will fall forward. Disconnect the control wires on the right side. You may need the wire cutters to cut any plastic ties that hold the wires into place. Lift the cover out of the bottom tabs. This too takes a little force.

Get behind the dryer and remove the access panel/vent in the lower corner. Remove the spring to release the tension on the drive belt. Slide the belt off the drum to the back of the dryer. Lift the drum up out of the plastic cup, about 2-3 inches. This will take some effort, you will know when it is out.

You may need to remove a yellow plastic stopper on the front of the dryer to slide the drum forward. Remove the plastic piece on the back of the dryer. Install the new plastic piece with the ball bearing on the back of the dryer. The jagged corners of the back plate face the back of the dryer.

Remove the three screws holding the metal plate onto the back of the drum. Install the new metal plate.

Vacuum all areas of dust and lint. Lubricate the ball bearing and the metal ball on the plate attached to the drum.

Reinstall the drum into the dryer. Reinstall the belt and spring. Reinstall the front cover by placing the bottom in the tabs then screwing the top into place. Reconnect the wires (they are keyed to only connect one way) and use a cable tie to keep them out of the way of the drum. Reinstall the access panel/vent on the rear of the dryer. Reinstall the top cover by inserting the back tabs into the slots. Also reconnect the ground wire near the back. Then press the front of the top down to secure it.

Turn the circuit breaker back on and test.

Panera Bread

2011-03-08T11:19:00.000-05:00

It seems like any time I go to Panera Bread I am over charged, of course I never question or complain about it because I don’t want to seem like a cheapskate.

Back in January, my wife and I ordered a U Pick 2 with 1 signature dish.
The order was for ½ turkey sandwich, 1 cup soup and the signature dish was to be mac n cheese. The order should have been $7.19 plus the drink for a total of $8.78.

Instead I was charged $4.99 for the mac n cheese for a total of $13.17. Even though I specified with the cashier that the mac n cheese was to be part of the U Pick 2 with signature dish it was still charged incorrectly.

Maybe I am wrong with my assumption that the mac n cheese could be an add on to the U Pick 2. It is just frustrating when you are over charged or at least you think you are over charged because the menu/cashier isn’t clear about the choices and pricing scheme.

I even contacted Panera through them website but have yet to get a response from them.

Book Review

2011-02-28T14:24:00.001-05:00

The Greatest Story Ever Told by Fulton Oursler

This book is a narrative of the life of Christ. The author fills in the parts of the story that are left out of the Biblical record of the life of Christ. The account starts with Joseph and Mary and ends with a discussion about Christ’s resurrection.

Let me first say that I do not enjoy reading fiction and that is what this book is. I prefer reading books that are factual or tell me something, not just a story for entertainment. That being said, the author had some interesting and creative ideas about the unknown parts of Christ’s life.

I can’t say I agreed with how the author portrayed some of the characters. For example, the author seems to make Judas Iscariot look like he was almost tricked into giving up Jesus. Even the end where Annas and Caiphas are sitting around talking, wondering if they had made a mistake seemed a little strange. But it is possible.

Overall, I can’t say I would recommend this book for everyone to read. I think it serves a good purpose to broaden the traditional thinking of mature Christians. On the other hand, I can see how it might confuse those that are new to the faith.

But I can also see the value of this book if it gets someone interested enough to study the life of Christ more closely and deeply with Scripture.

That is just my opinion. Billy Graham wrote an introduction in this edition and J. Edger Hoover also wrote a brief statement about the book as well. They seemed to think it is a good book. So I guess you'll have to just read it yourself and come to your own conclusion.

Letter to the Editor Of Kiplingers

2011-02-07T10:30:00.004-05:00

I think Mary Beth Franklin needs to clarify something in her article "Capitalize on the New Tax Law." A person making $50,000 a year will NOT have $1,000 "extra" in their pay this year. The FIT tables increased as well. So the $1,000 turns into around $700 for a single person and $450 for a married person! The magic of government.

Mach 3 Turbo

2011-01-31T10:38:00.002-05:00

The last razor in my current arsenal is the MACH 3 razor by Gillette. I had the handle and several turbo cartridges from a previous purchase some time ago. Note: these cartridges were at least a year old.

I was impressed with the closeness of this shave. After about a week though the vitamin E strip was wore out. By the end of each month I would have a few cuts here and there.

I believe the razor to be better than the Bic Comfort 3 disposable razor, but not quite as good as the Fusion Proglide 5 blade. The Mach 3 blades are about $2.00 a piece which ranks about half way between the Bic disposable and the Fusion Proglide 5 blade.

I am give this razor a 90%. It does a great job for the price.

Since, I have several more of these cartridges available I will be using these blades for the next few months. However, I am interested in the Wilkenson-Sword Tech 3 razor at Walmart. I know it is simply a relabeled Schick, but the price seems right. Of course, if any manufacture wants to give me a couple razors to sample I will be glad to run them through my testing cycle.

Book Review

2011-01-24T12:11:00.004-05:00

Grace for Today: Daily Readings from the Life of Christ - Volume 1 by John MacArthur

This is an excellent daily devotional reading from John MacArthur. This is volume 1 of 3. This volume focuses on the life of Christ mainly from the Gospel of Matthew.

MacArthur may spend several days on a particular passage of scripture. Each devotion ends with some thought provoking questions.

I highly recommend this series of daily devotionals to anyone looking to get a deeper look at the life of Christ.

Cut in Social Security Rate

2011-01-11T07:46:00.006-05:00

As most people are aware by now the government decided to cut the employee portion of social security by 2%. This sounds like good news for employees (although long term this will be disastrous for Social Security). More money in our paychecks right?

Here is an example:
A paycheck of $1500 would have about $93 taken out for Social Security (FICA) in 2010. For 2011 the amount is reduced to $63, a savings of $30. Thank you Mr. President and Congressmen.

But wait. That isn't how much of a savings you'll have because the tax tables have changed. So let's look at that scenario.

Same $1500 paycheck (assume withholding of Married - 1 exemption). In 2010, about $5 would be withheld from your paycheck. For 2011 the tax tables show a withholding of $53 or a difference of $48.

So to recap. The government lowered your taxes by $30 then raised your taxes by $48 for a difference of a tax raise of $18!

Again, I say thank you for the wonderful tax cut Mr. President and Congressmen! I can't wait to not spend the $18 I won't have!

It is true what they say, the Republicans come up with some bad ideas and the Democrats somehow make them worse!

Book Review

2010-12-14T14:50:00.004-05:00

Putting God Back in the Holidays by Bill and Penny Thrasher

This is a very good book about ways to celebrate pretty much every major holiday in the United States with a God centered focus.

Most chapters are laid out in a similar manner. Bill writes about the historical and theological aspects of the holiday, then Penny adds her thoughts as a wife and mother. Finally, most chapters offer practical suggestions to help you celebrate or at least stimulate your thinking about the holiday.

Overall, the book is an excellent source for valuable and practical ways to put God back into your holiday celebrations. This is a book that I will be keeping at hand on my "reference" shelf.

Book Review

2010-12-02T08:46:00.003-05:00

True Faced by Bill Thrall, Bruce McNicol, John Lynch

The theme of this book is the idea of living your life as yourself, just as God made you. Many people put on a mask to try and look good and try to please God with their behavior. In reality, God simply wants us to be what He made us to be and to trust Him with our lives.

One of the interesting ideas I picked up was about the way we view other Christians. Instead of looking at others and criticizing them for their (sinful) ways, look at them as an imperfect believer just like yourself.

Overall, this is a good book. However, I found myself loosing interest in some of the detailed areas. At the end of each chapter is a "Did you discover" section, which summarizes the main points of the chapter. I believe most people can simply read the summary and get the main idea of the chapter.

Schick Hydro 5

2010-12-01T08:45:00.002-05:00

My next adventure in shaving involved a Schick Hydro 5 razor. I purchased this razor which included two blades on sale for about $1.00. I was eager to compare this razor with Gillette's 5 blade system.

After the first shave I knew right away that this razor was not as good as Gillette's. The shave was close in most areas. However, I found the head of the razor to be too large to get close in some places. After about 2 weeks the razor was no longer cutting close and it did indeed cut me a few times. There is also this clicking noise that the head makes when it is lifted from your face. I found it to be very annoying after a while.

For the second month of testing I decided to shave every other day after the initial two week period. I found that the razor did a little better with the longer stubble, but it didn't pass my test.

The price of the replacement blades is about $2.75 a piece. This is slightly cheaper than Gillette's blades, but not as good either.

Because of the price and the inability to comfortably shave for a month I will give this razor a 60% rating.

The last razor system I currently have is the Mach 3 by Gillette.

Book Review

2010-11-26T15:15:00.002-05:00

Reinventing Paul by John Gager

The author's goal of this books is to challenge the assumption of the traditional view of Paul and present a new view(s). There are 5 chapters in this book:

The Traditional View of Paul
New Views of Paul
The Letter to the Galatians
The Letter to the Romans
Loose Ends

In my opinion, the author makes some serious errors right from the beginning. First, it seems he is operating on the assumption that Paul wrote Galatians and Romans. While it is true that Paul is the human author, we must remember that the words are inspired by the Holy Spirit. So it isn't really Paul writing what he thinks, rather it is God telling us what He wants us to know about the Jews and the Gentiles and salvation.

Second, the author focuses on and compares Galatians and Romans. When trying to understand the meaning of a particular portion of Scripture you must compare it with all other Scripture of the same topic. The author does not do this, rather limits his use of Scripture to attempt to prove what he thinks and wants to accomplish with his book.

It seemed to me the real purpose of this book was to simply publish something. Often times academic institutions strongly encourage the faculty to produce something. It looks as though this book is an example of that mentality.

Much of the book is simply quoting what other people have already wrote. In fact, there are over 400 footnotes that take up over thirty pages in the back.

Overall, in my opinion, this book is totally worthless and filled with nonsensical ideas. To give an example, Gager says of himself on page 151 that he is "a non-believing 'Christian'". I am not sure what that means, but I am certain he will figure out what it means someday.

Skip this book!

Book Review

2010-11-23T08:11:00.005-05:00

Can America Survive? by John Hagee

This book is separated into 4 parts:

A Nuclear Iran
The Fall of America
The Beginning of the End
The Final Days

Part one deals with Iran's quest for nuclear weapons. The author says Iran will use them against the United States as well as other nations. The current political diplomacy needs to stop because it has allowed Iran to simply stall and build their arsenal.

In part two, the author looks at several problems with America. He believes a bomb will be used to wipe out our electrical system for months or years. He then talks about the world rejecting the dollar and the United States rejecting Israel's plea for help. Finally, he believes Christianity will become a crime in the United States.

The last two parts of the book are a little more focused on what the bible has to say about the return of Christ and the end of life as we know it on earth.

I am not sure of the purpose of this book. I would guess that it was wrote to simply get people (Americans) thinking about these topics. The author goes into a lot of detail about Iran, which I do question his "expertise" on Iran. However, he also goes into a lot of financial and economic detail about the United States, which I believe he has his facts correct for the most part.

I also question the title of the book, Can America Survive?. The ultimate answer of course is no, but as far as Christians are concerned it won't really matter since they will all be taken to be with Christ right before the tribulation.

The subtitle is also a little misleading, maybe it is just a marketing gimmick, 10 prophetic signs that we are the terminal generation. The 10 signs are given only in chapter 9 and are things like: oil, knowledge, television, and deception.

Overall, this book was interesting and easy to read but was otherwise unimpressive. Like I wrote earlier, I am not sure what the point of the book really is. What is the motive of the author: to get people thinking, to lead people to Christ, or to simply get his name out there and sell books about a provocative hot button issue?

While there is nothing really wrong with this book, if you have read the bible and are familiar with Revelation then you can probably skip this book. If you are not familiar with the bible then go read it first.

Book Review

2010-11-19T08:04:00.004-05:00

Serenity - a companion for the twelve step program (NKJV Bible)

Serenity is a bible for those in the twelve step recovery program. This is a red letter New King James Version with the entire New Testament, Psalms, and Proverbs.

The first eighty pages explain the twelve step program. Scattered throughout the bible are examples and scriptural support for each of the twelve steps.

I believe the bible is an excellent book to live by, but especially for those struggling with an addiction. While I also believe the NKJV is an excellent translation, I think there are other translations, like the ESV for example, that maintain biblical accuracy, yet are a little easier to read and understand, especially for someone struggling with an addiction.

Overall, I would recommend this bible to anyone struggling with addictions or learning about the twelve step program.

Book Review

2010-10-28T08:52:00.001-04:00

The Cheapskate Next Door by Jeff Yeager

The intention of this book is to give the reader secrets about living happily below your means. The author starts by giving the reader 16 attitudes that cheapskates have. Here are a few examples:

cheapskates don't keep up with the Joneses
cheapskates value time more than money
cheapskates know and buy value in products
cheapskates know the difference between needs and wants
cheapskates avoid debt

The author then goes on giving some stories and examples of money saving cheapskate ideas in the rest of the book. Some of the ideas are simply bizarre like: not wearing underwear during the summer to saving ear wax to polish your car. No thanks.

Other ideas and examples are potentially dangerous and unhealthy like going through other peoples garbage to look for anything usable or eating from other people's leftover plates in restaurants to avoid purchasing appetizers.

Most of the tips though are already common knowledge:

live at home for college
go to a community college
buy a used car and pay cash for it
go to the library for books
shop around for the best prices
turn down your hot water heater
wash clothes in cold water
use public parks for entertainment

Overall, this book is absolutely worthless and is a waste of time. There was not one piece of good or new secret in this book. The book wasn't even a good read. This is one book you can safely skip.

Book Review

2010-10-26T08:45:00.002-04:00

An Angel's Story by Max Lucado

This is a fictional account of the birth of Christ. Lucado tells the story of Christ's birth through the eyes of the angel Gabriel. This is a quick easy read and is a good story to read to children.

Overall, Lucado writes a very interesting story. The goal is not to embellish or make the bible more interesting or exciting. Of course, like any good story many parts are true to the word of God. However, Lucado makes his point of the book clear in the afterward section.

"Whether or not you like the fiction is insignificant. But whether or not you see the truth is essential." The truth is that God cares for His children. That's the point of this book and that is the point of God's word.

Book Review

2010-10-21T09:18:00.001-04:00

Traveling Light by Max Lucado

This book is an interesting look at the twenty-third Psalm. The object is to show the reader how to release their burdens based upon Psalm 23.

Some of the burdens addressed are:

Self reliance
Discontentment
Weariness
Worry
Hopelessness
Guild
Arrogance
Grief
Fear
Shame

The author takes each verse of Psalm 23 and shows how David writes about his life and his burdens and how he knew that God was always and is always there for him. The same applies to us today as well.

In each chapter Lucado always has a story illustrating the concept. Of course, he uses his vivid and descriptive writing style to make his point. He also pulls over examples from Scripture as well.

Overall, I recommend reading this book simple for its unique view and explanation of Psalm 23. However, if you are struggling with the burdens mentioned then you should find this book extremely helpful in letting go and trusting your life to God.

Election 2010 - Update

2010-10-19T08:46:00.000-04:00

In my last post, I was unable to make really any recommendations because all of the candidates are no good for Pennsylvania.

On Saturday, I received information from the Action Committee for Rural Electrification (this is the political group for our energy supplier, REA).

They too could not make a recommendation for:
Governor
US Senate
US Representative

But they did also recommended Dave Reed.

I will say it again, Pennsylvania is in trouble!

Election 2010

2010-10-14T11:44:00.002-04:00

Here is the list of candidates for the 2010 Election in November.

US Senator
Joe Sestak or Pat Toomey

Governor
Dan Onorato or Tom Corbett

12th District Rep
Mark Critz or Tim Burn

Local Rep 62nd District
Dave Reed

The only candidate I can recommend is Dave Reed.

I have not decided how I will vote in the other races. My vote would merely be a vote against the other person, not a vote for someone. I may on the other hand simply write in my name. Who knows.

In either case, the next few years don't look good for Pennsylvania.

Gillette Fusion Proglide

2010-10-05T08:04:00.002-04:00

As the quest for the perfect shave continues, my next experience involved the Gillette Fusion Proglide, a 5 blade razor. I recently purchased this razor plus two blades for about $2.00 on sale.

Knowing my shaving skills, the 5 blades made me a little nervous, so I decided to also buy a styptic pencil, which is to help stop bleeding in the case of minor cuts. After two months of using this razor I never needed or even opened the styptic pencil.

After the first shave, I was very impressed by the closeness and smoothness of this razor. However, it did not leave my face with a close smooth look, just a close smooth feel. By the end of the day you could see and feel some stubble again.

After about 2 weeks of use, the moisturizing glide strip was shot and the razor of course was no longer cutting like new. One nice aspect was the fact that the razor didn't cut me even when dull.

The razor also has a single blade to cut side burns which seemed to work well.

Overall, this is a great razor, but the question is "Is it worth the price?"

The initial cost of the razor is about $10 with 2 blades. The replacement cartridges cost about $3.00 each.

There is no doubt this is a better razor than the Bic Advanced 3 I tested a few months ago. The real test will be how this razor compares to the Schick Hydro, which will be tested next, and the Mach 3 to be tested later.

For now though I'll give this razor a 90%, mainly because of its hefty price tag.

Book Review

2010-09-28T07:51:00.004-04:00

When God Winks at You by SQuire Rushnell

The premise of this book is to give the reader true stories of God's active role in this world. The author calls these interventions "Godwinks."

There are nine chapters in this book, each dealing with its own particular topic or wink from God.

Personal
Hope and Reassurance
Transitions
Comfort
Prayer
Unanswered Prayer
Just in Time
Family
Quest

On page 3, the author gives his definition of a "Godwink". "every time you receive what some call a coincidence or an answered prayer, it's a direct and personal message of reassurance from God to you."

The word "wink" is used in several places throughout the Bible. In most cases the reference is used in a way that is to describe a person looking the other way when evil or something bad is being done. So, I am not sure I like the term "Godwink" to describe this intervention in our lives.

Overall, this book is simply a collection of feel good type stories. Even though the book is over 200 pages, it is a quick read.

If you are interested in this type and style of book, then you will certainly enjoy reading it. If, on the other hand, you enjoy books with more substance and biblical reference and examples, then you will probably not enjoy this book too much.

.

A for Amazon - F for Fed-Ex

2010-09-09T07:47:00.001-04:00

Let me tell you about a recent experience I had with Amazon and Fed-Ex

I ordered some books from Amazon on the 18th of August. There were 12 books in total. I chose the free super-saver shipping from Amazon. My books were to come in 2 packages, 7 in one and 5 in the other.

Both packages left Amazon's shipping facility on August 19th with an estimated delivery date of August 25th. On the 25th I received one package with the 7 books. When I looked online at the tracking information the package with the 5 books was last scanned at a Fed-Ex shipping facility on the 20th.

I called Fed-Ex to find out about the package in question. The customer service representative would only tell me to contact the shipper. No matter what question I asked him, that was his response. Finally, I said okay I guess I will contact the shipper and not use fed-ex anymore. He said thanks and don't use us! Unbelievable!

I then contacted Amazon and tried to explain the situation to them. They kept telling me my package was at the post office. I said I was just at the post office and there was no package. Then they said I already got the package, which is true, I got the package with 7 books but not 5 books.

After about 45 minutes of going back and forth and them calling fed-ex they decided to overnight be 5 more books. The 5 books were shipped in 4 packages and I received them on the 30th. Of course, the original package that no one could find also magically appeared on the 30th as well!

Unbelievable. If Amazon wants the 5 extra books they sent me they can come and get them.

Book Review

2010-09-03T07:41:00.003-04:00

Adventuring Through the Life of Christ by Ray C. Stedman

This is a nice brief summary of the Gospels and Acts of the Apostles.

Each chapter starts with a personal story or anecdote. Then an outline is given of the book. Finally, the author gives an overview of some of the significant events in the book and makes a few personal comments as well.

At the end of each chapter are several pages for notes. Personally, I think the note pages were just filler to make the book appear larger than it actually is. Without the note pages the book is less than 100 pages.

Overall this is a nice overview of the first five books of the New Testament. The author's brief stories and commentary fits in with the summary nicely.

Book Review

2010-08-18T08:24:00.000-04:00

The Supremacy of God In Preaching by John Piper

This is an excellent book about how the focus of preaching should be God, not story telling or entertaining, or anything else. God should not only be the focus of preaching, but He should be the focus of our life. Whatever you do, do for the glory of God.

The book is split into two parts. Part 1 is about the supremacy of God in preaching. Part 2 is about Jonathan Edwards as an example of the supremacy of God. Personally, I had no interest in the life of Jonathan Edwards as far as this book is concerned.

While I thought the first part of the book is excellent, I am surprised that a book like this even needs to be wrote. Everything Piper wrote should be intuitively obvious to any preacher. Unfortunately, many preachers don't make God the focus of their preaching or ministry.

One of the things that I found helpful and interesting was Piper's method of preaching with the strength of God. He uses the acronym APTAT to remember and explain his process.

Admit that without God you are powerless.
Pray for help, insight, power, love, humility, etc.
Trust in God's promises in His Word.
Act in confidence that God will fulfill His Word.
Thank God at the end of the message.

I would recommend at least the first part of this book to anyone wanting a refresher or reinforcement of what the focus of preaching should be.

Book Review

2010-08-04T07:11:00.003-04:00

I finished reading "Confronting the Controversies" by Adam Hamilton last night.

The author is a pastor who took a sermon series on controversial issues and turned it into a book. The author claims to describe both sides of the controversies and then look at them from the biblical perspective.

The book deals with the following topics:

Evolution
Church/State Separation
Death Penalty
Euthanasia
Prayer in School
Abortion
Homosexuality

I found in most cases the author did not do a good job of presenting both sides of the argument.

For example, with the death penalty, the author provided about 1 page on the "for" side and about 3 pages on the "against" side.

The only two topics that I believe the author did present sufficient information about both sides of the controversy was with abortion and homosexuality.

On some of the issues I believe the author is just plain wrong with his conculsions and several statements. For example, the author seems to agree with the basic principles of evolution and believes that there is no danger in teaching it to our children. The author even alludes to mankind as being an experiment of God's! I am not sure what Scripture he twisted to come up with that interpretation.

Another example is the church-state separation issue. He tells people when praying publicly not to pray in Jesus' name so we don't offend anyone! The purpose of praying in Jesus' name is certainly not to offend people, but we are to pray to God in Jesus' name as described in Scripture.

I do agree with the author about prayer in school somewhat. I do not believe it is the school's job to raise children, especially in the faith. The responsibility to teach children about right and wrong comes from the parents, the family, and the church.

Overall this book seems to fail at providing an independent look at both sides of these controversies. In some cases I believe it even fails to look at them from a proper biblical perspective. Therefore, this is one book that can be skipped.

Schick Injector Razor

2010-07-19T08:30:00.001-04:00

As noted in my previous post, the Schick Injector razor experiment was not going so well.

After only 4 shaves I decided to abandon this razor. It was pure torture.

The razor itself was not comfortable to use. Part of the problem could be the fact that the blade was a cheap private label version.

The razor would not cut close at all even on my cheeks. But somehow it would cut me. It was not a fun process.

My rating is 25% - that is about all that it would cut - it just didn't work.

I switched back to my old Bic Comfort 3 that I still haven't thrown out (yeah the dull used one) and it worked 10 times better! I will be switching to the final Bic Comfort 3 that I have for the rest of the month and will pick up in August with a new 5 blade razor! Now that sounds dangerous.

Old Fasioned Safety Razor

2010-07-14T11:35:00.008-04:00

My next adventure in shaving involved an Old Fashioned Gillette safety razor using a Wilkinson Sword Blade.

I must say shaving with this type of razor is very different than the usual razors that I am used to. I was impressed with the very first shave or at least part of it.

It shaved the sides of my face (cheeks) very close and smooth. The rest of the areas of my face were not so good. I tired various angles and directions, but none seemed to help very much. I was constantly cutting my face.

I think the problem was more the razor than the blade. The head was too big and it didn't seem to want to get into all those tight spots and groves without hacking away chunks of my skin.

Needless to say it wasn't a fun experience, so after 7 days of that I had to move on. It was like torture.

The blades are about $5 for 10. The razor was given to me, but from what I can tell it is about a 1930's model that currently sells for about $25.

The razor also had an "old metal" smell that I didn't particularly like.

So my grade is: 50% - it just couldn't pass my rigorous testing methods.

Up next is a Schick Injector razor - SPOILER - after only 3 days it doesn't look good either.

Bic Comfort 3 Advanced Razor

2010-07-01T09:23:00.005-04:00

My first attempt at a close, smooth, clean, easy shave was two months of using a disposable razor. I had a pack of the Bic Comfort 3 Advanced razor, so I thought I would see what happened.

To be honest I wasn't expecting much from a "cheap" disposable razor, however, I was a little surprised. The razors cost about $1.25 each. You can often times find coupons to lower the price even more.

My goal was to shave with this type of razor for two months and evaluate the results. Again, part of my evaluation involves using the same razor or blade for the entire month before changing razors or blades.

The first week of shaves for both months were kind of painful, lots of cuts. The razors seemed to be super sharp or something. The middle two weeks were actually not too bad. There were minimal cuts and the shave was pretty close and comfortable. The final week got a little rough again. The blade was tugging at the hairs and the blade seemed dull or something.

Overall, I would rate the razor with about a 70%. They worked okay for the price, but it wasn't too enjoyable the first and last week for me.

Up next is an old fashioned safety razor.

Book Review

2010-06-30T12:06:00.000-04:00

Three Simple Rules - A Wesleyan Way of Living by Rueben P. Job

This is a small book and a quick read, less than 100 pages, that briefly looks at the three simple rules of living by Wesleyan standards. There are also guidelines for daily prayer at the end of the book.

The three simple rules are:

Do no harm
Do good
Stay in love with God

On the surface these are truly three simple rules. However, practicing and living by these rules is much more challenging.

The author attempts to back up the rules with Scripture and episodes from the life of Christ. However, the author does not go into enough detail to fully develop his practical application of the three simple rules.

I also noticed a couple of "liberal" ideas slipped into the book.

For example, on page 27 the author writes, "Yet, even a casual reading of the gospel suggests that Jesus taught and practiced a way of living that did no harm."

Really? When I "casually" read the account of Jesus and the demon possessed man in the country of the Gadarenes I see Jesus casting the demons into a herd of pigs which all run off a cliff and drown in the water below.

The pigs were obviously harmed, but beyond that the farmers lost their livelihood. Yes, I know Jesus didn't "harm" the pigs or the farmers and I am familiar with the permissive will of God. My point is that a casual reading of the Gospel probably will find Jesus doing "harm." Jesus was/is not the nice guy that many liberals teach that He was/is.

Another sentence I have issue with is on page 31. "To do no harm means that I will be on guard so that all my actions and even my silence will not add injury to another of God's children or to any part of God's creation."

Again, I say really? Is this how Jesus lived? I know Jesus served fish, even for breakfast one morning. I don't know the details about how he prepared it, but I suspect harm did come to the fish.

If I remember correctly, and I do, Jesus also spoke some harsh words to the Scribes, Pharisees, and others.

In conclusion, this book does provide some good material, but not enough to make it a recommended read. If however, you are looking for something quick to read and think about then this would be an okay book.

Quest for the Perfect Shave

2010-06-25T12:29:00.004-04:00

A couple of months ago I decided I was finally fed up with my electric razor. I would shave every morning, but by lunch time it would look as if I didn't even shave for the day. My face was never smooth.

It just so happened around the same time, when I got my money Money magazine it had an article about shaving in it. The article was simply a reference to a blog about shaving. Of course, the blog recommended shaving with an old fashioned safety razor.

I decided to start my own shaving experiment to see what the best option is to get the closest comfortable shave. I figure I'll give each razor a two month trial. I also expect the blade to last about 1 month. I figure I shave 6 days a week, so that is maybe about 24 or 25 shaves, not unreasonable in my opinion.

I have several razors that I will be testing out:

Bic Comfort 3 Advanced
Mach 3
Sensor
Old Fashioned Safety Razor made by Gillette
Gillette Fusion ProGlide
Schick Hydro 5

I purchased the Gillette Fusion ProGlide and Schick Hyro 5 razors for cheap, on sale with coupons. The other razors were already in my arsenal.

Check back in a couple of weeks for the first review of the Bic Comfort 3 Advanced disposable razors.

Book Review

2010-06-23T11:55:00.006-04:00

The Holy Bible - New Testament - ESV
isbn: 1-4335-1052-9

This is an inexpensive "give-away" Christmas edition New Testament Bible. While the print is pretty small in this Bible it does make a nice gift. This is the English Standard Version (ESV).

This Bible does have some nice features including:

a reflection reading for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day
a "Where to find help when you are ..." guide
a "What the New Testament says about ..." guide
a 30 day reading plan
a 6 month reading plan
a section that describes "God's plan to save you"

Overall, I really enjoyed the ESV translation. It held to the literal translation of the original Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek, but uses words that people are more familiar with today.

Typically, I use the New King James Version for reading in Church and the New American Standard for a literal translation. I find myself using the ESV more and more for quick lookups now.

RESULTS: 2010 General Primary Election

2010-05-19T07:12:00.002-04:00

Here are the results versus my recommendations for the 2010 General Primary Election in Pennsylvania on May 18th.

US Senator: Peg Luksik - LOST
Governor: Samuel E. Rohrer - LOST
Lt. Governor: Daryl Metcalfe - LOST
Rep in Congress: William Russell - LOST
Special Election for Rep in Congress: William Russell (write in if available) - LOST
Rep in General Assembly: Dave Reed - WON (but there was no one running against him)

It looks like this fall's elections will be nothing but trouble. The wrong people are already on the ballot. I suspect I will either be voting for the independents (if there are any) or else I will be writing my name in for everything.

2010 General Primary Election

2010-05-14T12:54:00.006-04:00

Here are my recommendations for the 2010 General Primary Election in Pennsylvania on May 18th

US Senator: Peg Luksik
Governor: Samuel E. Rohrer
Lt. Governor: Daryl Metcalfe
Rep in Congress: William Russell
Special Election for Rep in Congress: William Russell (write in if available)
Rep in General Assembly: Dave Reed

We'll see what the election brings!

ACT mouthwash

2010-05-11T12:28:00.004-04:00

As usual I am always thinking here at Doe Valley.

The other day I was evaluating which ACT mouthwash to purchase: Total Care or Restoring. I ended up getting the Total Care because the label had more check marks on it than the Restoring version.

When I returned home I compared the Total Care to the Restoring. It turns out the ingredients are identical. So I decided to email the ACT company to find out what the difference is.

As it turns out the Total Care is supposed to kill more germs. Total Care also costs more.

The interesting part of this story is the difference between the larger 33.8 ounce bottles and the smaller 18 ounce bottles.

Of course, I bought the larger bottle, because it seemed liked the better deal.

As it turns out the 33.8 ounce bottles are meant to be used twice a day so there is only half as much fluoride in it as compared to the 18 ounce bottle.

The moral of the story is don't let the marketing genius fool you. Compare prices. Compare ingredients. Know what you are buying.

Arlen Specter Ad

2010-05-06T08:06:00.003-04:00

Usually I don't pay much attention to the political ads because they are usually just one person twisting the facts and attacking the other candidate.

So I was pleasantly surprised to see Arlen Specter's latest ad. In the ad, Specter does not attack any of his opponents. He simply states what he stands for and has stood for. Here are the four points in his ad.

Voted 20 times to raise the minimum wage
Fought China's illegal trade practices
Worked for increased health care
Lead fight for stem cell research

Great. That clears it up for me.

I am against a minimum wage for various reasons. I believe business owners should pay there employees a fair wage for their work, not be forced to pay what the government tells them to pay. Minimum wage increases usually hurt small businesses the worst and can cause unemployment to rise.
Personally, I like getting the best bang for my buck, so I don't mind buying stuff made in China. Yes, I do have a problem with human rights violations anywhere in the world, but that is not what Specter fought about.
By increased health care, Specter means the heath insurance bill, which I am totally against. People do not need nor should they be required to have health insurance. Yes, people should have access to affordable health care. One of the main problems with health care is the fact that lawsuits drive up the cost. And for those of you who don't know, Specter earned his law degree from Yale.
As for stem cell research, I am still not quite sure I understand what it is all about and no one seems to really be able to explain it exactly. But if stem cell research involves experimenting with a human life then it is wrong.

So, as I said that clears it up for me. No need to vote for Specter. Thanks for the Ad!

Firefighters Charitable Foundation

2010-03-19T13:14:00.003-04:00

About two weeks ago, I received a call from someone at the Firefighters Charitable Foundation asking for a donation. Of course, they don't start the conversation out that way. They start out asking if you have ever known a victim of a fire. Obviously, most people have. So I answered, "Sure."

The guy didn't really seem to know how to respond, so he said "OK" and continued reading his script. I continued listening to his pitch and then of course he asked if I would donate money. I told him to send me me some information about the foundation along with a financial report so I could evaluate their organization.

He responded, "Great, how much will you donate." I told him again, that it would depend on their organizations financial report. He said, "Ok, do you think you will donate $25?" Again, I stated that I need to read the financial report first. Finally, the guy reiterates everything we already talked about and said he would mail me the information.

This week I received a letter in the mail from the foundation. Inside the envelope was a pamphlet, a letter asking for a $25 donation, and a return envelope. No financial information at all.

I did like the PS on the bottom of the letter, "P.S. An additional gift of $2.00 to your original pledge can help raise additional funds." Really? If I give you 2 more dollars, that is more money you would have? Wow, I never realized that. Thanks for the tip!

I was simple going to pitch the information, but I thought I will at least spend a few minutes looking up the website to see if they have any financial information available there. For whatever reason the website would not load.

So I decided to try one more thing. I checked them out on Charity Navigator. The latest data available was for the year ending 2007. Their revenue was $4.1 million. The expenses were $4.2 million.

So far, it doesn't sound too good. They spend more than they make. As I continued to look more closely at the data I saw that $3.5 million was spent on fundraising and $245,000 was spent on administration. So that means about 91% of their revenue last year went to something other than the main purpose of the foundation!

Conclusion:
If you want to donate to victims of fires, your best bet is to support your local agencies. Always evaluate who you are giving money too. You might be surprised to find out where your money is going.

Always thinking here at Doe Valley.

Book Review

2010-03-12T10:00:00.005-05:00

The Faith-Based Millionaire by Jay Peroni

This book claims to be a "practical how-to book" regarding faith and finances. There are 12 easy to read chapters containing information about aligning your finances with your faith. I cannot say that any of the advice was outstanding though.

The book can easily be summarized by saying, trust God with your finances, do what He would want you to do with "your" money. Give to God, spend wisely, save and invest as much as possible so that you can help others.

There didn't seem to be much "practical" advice about investing other than saying hire a professional if you do not have the time to evaluate companies for their moral, social, or religious activities. Obviously, don't invest in companies that violate your principles.

It almost seemed to me that the author wrote this book to promote his website and his faith-based advising business.

Overall, this book is worth a read. There are a few tidbits of information that could help you out. This isn't a book you would refer to often, so it would be better to borrow the book from a library and save yourself some money.

Book Review

2010-03-10T08:13:00.005-05:00

The Message - The New Testament in Contemporary Language
by Eugene H. Peterson

This book is a "translation" of the New Testament in modern English, it is almost translated the way someone would talk to their friends.

This is a special edition for the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association. Throughout the book there are thoughts from Billy Graham about a particular topic, usually something that is discussed in that part of Scripture. Each book of the Bible also has a brief introduction. This book was easy to read, almost like a normal paperback book. The font size was just right.

I enjoyed reading this translation. However, I would not recommend it to the new student of the Bible. In my opinion, this version loses to much of the original wording, especially for some of the theological issues.

There were some interesting insights that Peterson translates, especially some of the parables of Christ. However, I did not like the way Peterson translated other says of Christ, especially some of the "I am" statements ("I am the road!").

Overall, I would recommend reading this book only after you are familiar with a good, accurate translation of the Word of God.

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The Kiplinger's Saga Continues

2010-02-01T07:47:00.001-05:00

On Friday night, I received a call from "Mark" at Kiplinger's.

My heart started to race, where they reading my blog and calling to order me to stop writing about them or were they going to call and offer me a great deal to write something positive about them for a change.

Neither! They were calling me to let me know my subscription had expired, but if I acted "right now" I could renew my subscription for 2 years at the special price of $26.97!

I thanked Mark and told him I have already subscribed to it at a different special price. He made a note of it and then hung up.

Just for the record, I do enjoy reading Kiplinger's Personal Finance magazine.

Kiplinger's Magazine Update

2010-01-28T13:50:00.002-05:00

I received in the mail yesterday a "letter" from Kiplinger's Personal Finance magazine telling me that my subscription has expired. But if I act before January 28th I can still renew at the "special" rate of $14.97 for one year, $26.97 for two years, or $37.97 for three years.

As my readers here know, I have already resubscribed for $8.97 for one year. It just so happens that I also got my first issue of Kiplinger's Personal Finance magazine that I subscribed to for $8.97.

They also gave me the opportunity to extend that subscription for another year at the cost of only $8.97.

I think I will drop my extended subscription check in the mail this afternoon!

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Book Review

2010-01-04T12:41:00.003-05:00

Truth for Today by John MacArthur

This is a daily devotional book. Each month has a particular theme or topic to it.

Each day has a small portion of Scripture and a brief thought about it. This is MacArthur's third daily devotional book.

In my opinion this book is not as good as the first two. This book is very basic and lacks the depth of his other two devotionals.

I suspect this book is marketed more as a gift book to introduce someone to MacArthur's teachings.

Overall, this devotional can be skipped by the people who like the in-depth teaching of MacArthur.

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Book Review

2009-12-30T07:41:00.003-05:00

The Jesus You Can't Ignore by John MacArthur

The goal of this book was to dispel the myth that some Christians have about Jesus. Many people seem to think Jesus was a nice guy. While they are right in saying He is a nice guy, that doesn't mean He didn't say things that might offend people. He spoke the truth out of love.

MacArthur reviews several key confrontations that Jesus had with religious leaders of His day. From these confrontations we see that Jesus was not the happy-go-lucky many people envision Him as.

Overall, I was not too interested in this book.

When I first got the book I thought MacArthur would have some valuable insight into these confrontations. Most of what MacArthur wrote can be easily understood from Scripture itself.

Although, I guess if people did understand the Scripture there would have been no need for MacArthur to write this book. That is his intended audience for this book, not me.

This book also seems as thought the editor, Phil Johnson, spent many days and nights flipping through a thesaurus. I had to look up several words in almost every chapter.

Here are some examples from one chapter of words that I wasn't sure of the meaning:
pedantic
polemic
satiety
jeremiad
casuistry
sophistry
tawdry
diatribe

So my question is, if people can't understand the confrontations of Christ from Scripture, how are they going to understand if from this book when the author uses words that the average person probably doesn't know?!

If you think Jesus was a nice guy and never said or did things to offend others then read this book. Otherwise you can probably skip this one.

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I Won!

2009-12-28T07:47:00.004-05:00

As most of you are aware Kiplinger was trying to charge me, a loyal customer, to renew my subscription more than what they would charge a new subscriber. You can read about it here and here.

I have yet to hear back from the editor of the magazine, but I did receive in the mail the other day a Financial Advisor's Discount Rate. Get this. Only $5 plus $3.97 shipping and handling for a one year subscription!

So to recap. They were going to charge me $14.97 to renew my subscription while new subscribers could get a subscription for $10. Then, because I am a professional, they will give me the exclusive rate of only $8.97!

So I mailed back the form with my check for $8.97! We'll see what happens now.

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Letter to the Editor of Kiplinger's Magazine

2009-12-16T08:01:00.000-05:00

So I decided to send a letter to the editor regarding the pricing scam they are running for their loyal customers. Below is the message I sent.

I think it is wrong of Kiplinger's to charge your loyal customers more for the magazine than a new subscriber can get from Amazon, Magazineline, or your own website.

I will let my subscription expire then order a new subscription for the lower price, IF I am still interested in your magazine. Money and SmartMoney only charge $10 per year (new or existing customers) and their magazines are just as good as yours.

Shame on you for treating your faithful readers like this.

I'll see what the response is, if any, and post it here for all to see.

Still thinking and righting the wrongs of the world, here at Doe Valley.

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Kiplinger Magazine

2009-12-15T07:30:00.003-05:00

I have been a subscriber of Kiplinger Magazine for several years now. The last time I renewed the subscription I paid $20 for two years. My subscription is set to expire in January of 2010.

I received my last issue the other day. Throughout the issue there were several postcard advertisements to order a gift subscription to the magazine for $12 per year.

My limit for any magazine is $12 per year, so I decided to call and renew my subscription. I asked the customer service representative on the phone to give me the best deal.

She said you me it was $14.97 for one year, $26.97 for two years, or $37.97 for three years.

I explained to her that that was not the best deal going. She told me that was the best deal for me! So which one did I want.

I simply said, thank you, but I'll let my subscription expire. She said Ok and have a nice afternoon. I then explained it was evening were I was at. But thanked her for her time and hung up.

She had no interest in trying to deal or anything.

So this is how Kiplinger's is going to play it! They charge their loyal customers more than the new subscriber.

I am not sure if I will give myself a gift subscription for $12 or not. The other option I have is to renew the magazine for $12 per year through MagazineLine.com. Even Amazon has the subscriptions for $12.

I am not sure what I will do, it's not like I love the magazine or anything. It just gives me something to read at lunch. I might have to wait for the price to drop to $10 per year again. Who knows.

The more I think about it, I may write to the editor of Kiplinger to get their side of the story.

Always thinking about something here at Doe Valley.

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Book Review

2009-12-03T14:18:00.001-05:00

The Power of Integrity by John MacArthur

This is a good book that biblically describes a life of integrity - a life without compromise regarding biblical principles.

Integrity is consistent obedience to God and demonstrating the character of Christ throughout your life while living in a fallen world.

MacArthur starts by describing the essential elements of integrity. Then he moves on to providing biblical examples of people of integrity. Finally, he finishes the book by looking at practical ways to apply integrity in everyday life.

There is a study guide at the back of the book for each chapter. The study guide briefly summarizes the chapter and provides a few questions to answer regarding the information presented in the chapter. Finally, there are a couple of suggestions for prayer and ways to apply the truth examined in the chapter.

Overall, this is a good book to read about the biblical standard for integrity. Integrity is probably needed today more than ever.

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Book Review

2009-11-30T13:53:00.006-05:00

Life Lessons with Max Lucado
Books of Ruth & Esther

This is a 12 lesson bible study on the books of Ruth & Esther (4 lessons on Ruth and 8 lessons on Esther).

Each lesson has a particular theme based upon the bible reading. The lessons start with a reflection question then the Scripture is read. The Scripture is included in the book. Both the New Century Version and the New King James Version are included for comparison.

The lessons do not usually include the entire chapter of Scripture, only the relevant portions needed for the particular theme of the lesson.

There are some basic discovery questions and response questions which encourage you to think about the Scripture. There are also additional questions which get you thinking about how you can apply the Scripture in your life.

The author also included an inspirational writing in each lesson as well as a prayer and additional bible readings demonstrating the theme of the lesson.

There is room in the book to answer the questions as well as some journaling and additional thoughts.

Overall, I would highly recommend this study book series for an individual, group, or even a sermon preparation guide.

Each lesson takes about 1 hour to complete in a small group setting.

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Book Review

2009-11-16T09:01:00.003-05:00

The Total Money Makeover by Dave Ramsey

The author presents a total money makeover in a few "simple" steps.

Save $1000 for emergencies
Create a debt snowball plan - make minimum payments on all debts and focus on paying off the smallest debt first.
Save a 3 to 6 month emergency fund (based upon monthly expenses)
Invest 15% of gross income
Save for college (ESA plan first, then 529 - $2000 per year)
Payoff Mortgage
Have fun - invest - give

Those are essentially the steps. Follow each one in order and don't move on to the next until you complete each step.

Overall, I agree with the author. There is no better plan for personal finances. However, that doesn't mean there aren't other plans that are equally as good. I do believe that if you follow his steps, you will eventually be debt free and living a healthy financial life.

One thing I didn't like about the book was the number of times the author said he was a millionaire, lost if all and is now a millionaire again! Seems a little egotistical to me.

I also found the customer testimonies annoying. They all seemed to praise the author, how great he is and how much they love him. Blah Blah Blah. I realize some testimonies are good and necessary, but I think most of them simply feed the author's ego and fill his book!

Overall, I would recommend this book and this plan for anyone wishing to get in shape financially.

Book Review

2009-11-13T08:21:00.004-05:00

In the Footsteps of Faith by John MacArthur

In the Footsteps of Faith exams the lives of several men and women of the bible. In particular MacArthur looks at:

Noah
Abraham
Moses
Rahab
Hannah
Jonah
Mary
John the Baptist
Peter
Paul
Lydia
Timothy
Epaphroditus
Jesus

These men and women provide us with great examples of faithful Christian living. We can learn from their successes and failures. We can see their faith in action and pattern our lives after them.

If anyone is looking for ways to increase their faith and find ways to live faithful, then this is a good book to read.

There is a study guide for each chapter at the end of the book.

The study guide briefly summarizes the main point of the chapter then provides a few questions to think about or discuss. Finally, there are a couple of thoughts to pray about and some ways to apply the truths of the chapter.

Book Review

2009-10-22T14:24:00.004-04:00

A Random Walk Down Wall Street by Burton Malkiel

This is a classic investment book. It gives a brief introduction to the major investing styles/theories and explains why the best bet for most people is to buy and hold (mostly index funds).

The book is separated into 4 parts:

Stocks and their value
How the Professionals operate
New Investment Methods
A Practical Guide

Even though this book provided me with no new insight, I believe this is a great book for anyone interested in learning about investing in the stock market.

The fact remains that buying and holding good companies over the long run works. The question is, what are the good companies? Why not just buy them all with an index fund!

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Questionable Practices

2009-10-06T08:28:00.000-04:00

I received a phone call the other evening. The lady on the phone identified herself as "so in so" from the American Cancer Society. She wanted to thank me for donating money to them last year.

I responded that I wasn't aware of donating money to them, but it could have been my wife.

She asked if it would be ok to send me a pledge card for this year.

I replied, "Sure, send me some information."

This weekend I received an envelope from the American Cancer Society. Inside it there was a return envelope, a blue slip of paper thanking me for my donation this year, and a return "invoice" for my donation this year.

The blue slip of paper also had in big bold print across the top of the page, "Your prompt reply will save us the expense of a reminder mailing."

This is unreal! I simply agreed to receive their information, not be invoiced for a donation I don't plan on making!

Also, I looked at the postage on the envelope and it had $0.61 on it! Even more unreal. I weighed the contents of the envelope and it was 0.4 ounces which would require the standard postage rate not $0.61!

What a waste of money. If this is the kind of marketing scheme or tactic that the American Cancer Society is using, then it should be SHUT down immediately. Let them live off the money the tobacco companies give them each year.

I wonder how much money the American Cancer Society could have saved if they would have charged the correct about on postage.

Let's see, 0.61-0.44=.17 times 10,000 letters equals $1,700! They could have saved this money if someone was just doing their job correctly.

Also, I don't watch football much, but I noticed this past weekend it was some type of breast cancer awareness day or something, everything was pink. I wonder how much they spent on the advertisement of that, the cost of the shoes, the banners, etc. What a waste.

I believe charitable organizations play an important role in our society, but they also need to be good stewards of their money. Needless to say the American Cancer Society won't be getting my money.

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Book Review

2009-10-02T07:54:00.003-04:00

The Gospel According to Jesus by John MacArthur

This is probably the best book I have read which clearly and easily explains the Gospel as Jesus did. A true Christian, a follower of Jesus Christ, receives Him both as Lord and Savior.

The Book is separated into six parts:

Today's Gospel: Good News or Bad
Jesus Heralds His Gospel
Jesus Illustrates His Gospel
Jesus Explains His Gospel
Jesus Fulfills His Gospel
Appendixes

Parts two through five are explanation and commentary on specific things Jesus said and did during His ministry. This, of course, comes right from Scripture.

The appendixes contain brief information about what the Apostles did and said regarding the Gospel as well as the teaching from church history.

MacArthur ends the book with some answers to common questions people have about the Gospel.

Overall, this is a great book to read for anyone wanting a better understanding of what it means to truly follow Jesus Christ. It is good for the new Christian and the mature Christian.

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Book Review

2009-08-26T07:48:00.000-04:00

A Tale of Two Sons by John MacArthur

This book is really an in depth study/commentary on Luke 15:11-32, the parable of the prodigal son.

MacArthur separates the book into five parts:

The Parable
The Prodigal
The Father
The Elder Brother
The Epilogue

Each part has several chapters describing a particular aspect of the parable.

Overall, I believe MacArthur writes the truth in depth. Maybe a little too deep, in this case, for the average person. I found the book to kind of drag on in spots with too much detail for me to follow.

MacArthur correctly states in the Appendix that Jesus used parables as a tool to teach and defend the truth. However, I do think MacArthur gets a little excessive in his explanation of this parable.

In fact, several times I had to stop reading and get a dictionary out to look up words MacArthur used. After figuring out the meaning of the word, I could think of several other more common and understandable words to use instead.

I wonder how much of this book was MacArthur's writing versus Phil Johnson's editing. It seems to me that Johnson likes to use those "big" words.

At any rate I do not recommend this book to the average reader. While I believe MacArthur is correct in his description of the parable, the book seems to be geared more to the academic world rather than the common Christian.

Jesus used about 26 sentences in the parable. MacArthur used 210 pages to explain it!

FICO Score again!

2009-08-12T11:55:00.002-04:00

As my regular readers know, I have made some comments on here about the FICO scoring process. My comments were even published in last months Kiplinger's magazine.

This month I get my FICO score update and it dropped 22 points to its lowest level since I started monitoring it!

Amazingly enough, my actual credit has changed any! There is definitely something fishy with FICO!

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Published Again!

2009-08-06T15:07:00.003-04:00

My letter to the editor of Kiplinger's magazine was published in the September 2009 issue.

This letter was in regards to credit scores and the closing of credit card accounts. I had several credit cards closed by the company and was expected a drop in my credit score. My credit score actually went up.

As it turns out, inactive cards don't hurt your score. Hmm.. Sounds like something fishy with FICO!

You can pick up your own copy of Kiplinger's to keep as a souvenir.

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Book Review

2009-08-03T10:17:00.003-04:00

"The Contemporaries Meet the Classics on Prayer" compiled by Leonard Allen.

This book contains many authors' thoughts on prayer. The oldest writings are from Martin Luther and John Calvin during the 1500's. Some of the contemporary, more familiar names are Max Lucado and Jim Cymbala.

The book is divided into 10 chapters, each dealing with a particular topic of prayer.

the purpose of prayer
the Psalms as prayer
patterns for prayer
a passion for prayer
the posture of prayer
problems with prayer
powerlessness and prayer
public and private prayer
pastoral prayer
the power of prayer

Overall, this was an okay book. I was excited to start reading it, but after a few chapters it got a little boring. It does provide you with a nice introduction to many authors' writings. If you like their style then you can get their books for future reading enjoyment.

Personally, I thought several of the authors wrote a lot of words, but didn't really say anything of any value.

I would recommend this book only if you are looking specifically for a wide variety of writings on the topic of prayer to determine which authors you want to study more thoroughly.

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Hammered Again!

2009-07-20T09:20:00.001-04:00

Well, as my faithful readers know, e*trade hammered me and many of its customers when they abruptly liquidated their mutual fund line. You can read my thoughts on it here and here.

It looks like another company is up to some games as well.

I "had" an S&P 500 index fund. It was the Harris Insight Index fund (HIDAX), now owned by Virtus.

On July 16th, I received an e-mail from e*trade stating that I have a new trade confirmation. I thought that is strange because I didn't make any trades.

I logged into my e-trade account and sure enough found all of my shares of HIDAX were sold, at a large loss of course. I sent e*trade's customer service a message questioning why the fund was sold.

This time it doesn't appear as though it was e*trade's fault. Here is their response:

"Dear Mr. Matthews,

Thank you for your message regarding your brokerage account.

The VIRTUS INSIGHT TR VIRTUS INDEX FD, HIDAX, liquidated its assets on 7/14/2009. As part of that liquidation your shares of the company fund were sold on 7/15/2009. "

So because some company can't manage an "unmanaged" index fund I have to lose over $7,000!

I have about had it with mutual funds. The only mutual funds that I have are with Columbia and TIAA-Cref.

I have been added some ETF's to my portfolio, but they are from Vanguard. So I will need to reevaluate my portfolio and determine what I need to do because of poor management!

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Buying large quanities saves money right?

2009-07-17T09:06:00.000-04:00

I am sure you have all heard the concept of buying larger quantities to save money right? I know that has been my thought as well, so last night at Wal*Mart I decided to find out how true this old saying really is.

I only looked at two items, so it isn't very scientific, but they are two items that I buy periodically.

First up was kitchen garbage bags, 13 gallon Glad Drawstrings, unscented.
78 bags cost $10.58 or $0.1356 cents per bag
45 bags cost $5.98 or $0.1328 cents per bag

Therefore, it is cheaper to buy the smaller quantity.

Next up, Vitamins, One Source Active Children's Chewable.
240 count cost $10.98 or $0.045 cents per pill
144 count cost $5.98 or $0.041 cents per pill

Again, it is cheaper to buy the smaller quantity.

I also did some quick comparisons on Amazon as well. It seems as though the same thing occurs.
100 bags = $0.1554 per bag
160 bags = $0.2006 per bag

The point is, always compare prices before buying larger quantities.

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Famous Again!

2009-07-16T09:02:00.002-04:00

My letter to the editor of Smart Money magazine was published in the August 2009 issue.

You can read my original letter here.

They trimmed the letter a little bit, but still got the gist of it right.

The last time I was published in Smart Money magazine was August 2007, with Warren Buffet on the cover. Amazingly, Warren Buffet is on the cover of the August 2009 issue as well!

You can pick up your own copy of Smart Money to keep as a souvenir.

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Book Review

2009-07-08T08:00:00.000-04:00

The Heart of the Bible by John MacArthur

This is probably the best summary (quick) understanding of the important scripture references every Christian should know.

MacArthur gives 52 key verses and a brief explanation of each. The idea of the book is for the reader to read, understand, and think about one piece of scripture a week for the entire year.

The passages are grouped together in chapters to help the reader focus on one aspect of Christianity for several weeks before moving on to the next topic.

I would strongly recommend this book to a new or growing Christian. This would also be a good book for a more mature Christian looking to deepen or strengthen their faith as well.

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Book Review

2009-07-07T08:00:00.000-04:00

"Because the Time is Near" by John MacArthur

This is an excellent explanation on the book of Revelation.

MacArthur takes each section and explains it in an easy to read and in an understanding way to the average reader. This is essentially a commentary on the book of Revelation for the average person.

MacArthur takes the scripture in a literal way. The Church will be raptured, there will be seven years of tribulation, a literal 1,000 year millennial Kingdom, the final rebellion and judgment, and then the eternal state for all.

This is probably one of the best books that I have read regarding the facts and explanation of Revelation. I highly recommend it to all.

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Letter to Dave Reed

2009-06-18T07:51:00.000-04:00

Here is a letter to our local state representative.

Just a quick note to say that I DO NOT support any tax increase. The current fiscal problems have indeed been exacerbated by Rendell’s spending habits. We wouldn’t be in this mess if he hadn’t spent money foolishly and gave taxpayer’s money to his buddies.

If fact, I would ask that you and your fellow legislators review Rendell’s behavior and take the appropriate action against him.

Thanks for continuing to work hard for Indiana County and Pennsylvania.

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Letter to Kiplinger's Magazine

2009-06-08T09:33:00.001-04:00

Below is an email sent to the editor of Kipligner's Personal Finance Magazine.

In regards to the story "The New Rules of Credit Cards" in the July 2009 issue.

I've had at least 5 credit card accounts closed in the past year (one was opened in 1996) because of inactivity. I thought my credit score would drastically drop like your article states. As it turns out, my credit score has actually gone up to 832! Maybe closing inactive accounts isn't as bad as what we are led to believe.

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Book Review

2009-06-01T10:44:00.001-04:00

The Gospel According to The Simpsons by Mark I. Pinsky

Being a fan of The Simpsons, I was excited to read this book. The purpose of the book is to examine the spiritual aspect of the show.

The book starts out interestingly enough, by evaluating some of the characters and their spirituality. However, toward the end of the book, the author seems to spend most of the chapters giving the story line of several episodes without actually analyzing or thoroughly evaluating the spiritual side of the show.

The worst part of the book was the concluding chapter. It seemed to be just a bunch on quotes from other people with no real point.

Whether you enjoy or hate The Simpsons television series, this is one book you can skip.

This review is based on the first edition of the book. I have an updated edition that I will read at some point in the future.

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Book Review

2009-05-27T18:27:00.005-04:00

Matthew 24-28: The MacArthur New Testament Commentary

MacArthur provides thorough Scriptural commentary throughout this book. There are many great lessons to be learned from this text. MacArthur provides a great description of a spiritual tradgey (Matthew 26:36-46) as well as a great view of the command to make disciples of all nations (Matthew 28:16-20).

MacArthur's commentaries are mainly expository. Meaning, he takes scripture and explains it with other scripture. His expository style, however, is easy to read and understand. He does digress into other scripture or theological topics at times, but I believe he does this so anyone reading this commentary would be able to understand the other scriptural passages that he references.

I would highly recommend The MacArthur New Testament Commentary Series to anyone looking for an in-depth Biblical explanation of Scripture.

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A letter to Money Magazine

2009-05-22T08:59:00.002-04:00

Below is a letter I sent to the editor of Money magazine regarding an article in their June 2009 issue.

I was excited to see an article about the associated costs of living a faithfully religious lifestyle
("The Price of Faith" June 2009).

The Jewish and Muslim families seemed to adhere to their religion strictly and faithfully. The Christian family seemed to also, but the closing statement caught me off guard.

"'We used to feel that if we just did our jobs using the gifts God gave us, we would be taken care of financially' says Kent. Now they know it's up to them to take care of themselves."

If that is how the Koeman family really feels, I think the authors could have and should have found a more faithful family to represent Christianity.

My question to the Koeman family is this: When you were "poor" only making around $30,000 a year, did God not provide for you?

Maybe they didn't have everything they wanted, but I'll bet God gave them what they needed! Too bad they didn't realize it.

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Letter to the Editor of Smartmoney

2009-05-18T07:43:00.002-04:00

Below is a letter to the editor of SmartMoney Magazine.

While I agree that e*trade is a pretty good brokerage firm overall, ("Finding the Best Fit" June 2009) the article left out one huge mistake e*trade pulled on some of its clients.

In March, e*trade abruptly terminated their line of mutual funds. This of course forced investors to liquidate their holdings, no doubt many at huge losses. How's that for customer service!

I have yet to read any analysis about this from any newspaper or magazine source, probably because e*trade advertises in most major publications (including your own).

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Lasagna anyway you cook it!

2009-05-12T14:39:00.004-04:00

While I was shopping the other day I noticed in the pasta area there were two types of Lasagna, oven ready and regular.

I needed to know the difference, so I started my sleuthing.

First, the obvious. Both were branded with the Great Value label. The oven ready box is blue. The regular box is red.

Next, I observed the price. $1.49 for each. Interesting.

What about the size of the box? The regular box is 16 ounces and the oven ready box is only 12 ounces.

That's it! The weight is different, therefore, it must be because the ingredients are different making one box heaver than the other.

Upon looking at the ingredients they were identical.

So then what is the difference between regular lasagna and oven ready lasagna?

Apparently you get 4 ounces less of the oven ready lasagna for the same price as a regular box!

Remember you read it here first at Doe Valley, the place that answers those tough questions simply by thinking.

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Book Review

2009-05-11T10:59:00.002-04:00

Captivating by John and Stasi Eldredge

This book is co-authored by John and Stasi Eldredge. Sometimes it is clear who is writing, other times it is not.

Overall the premise of the book is for women to be captivating. Their hearts should provide the invitation to romance so they can let their true beauty shine forth all the while having an adventure throughout their lives.

“What Wild at Heart did for men, Captivating will do for you” is the caption on the back of the book. When I read the caption, I was a little annoyed because “Wild at Heart” did nothing for me. In fact, I though the book was wrong, so I had little expectation for this book.

As I started reading, however, I found this book to be better in places than “Wild at Heart.” The places I found myself enjoying were when Stasi wrote. I found myself usually disagreeing with John’s writing.

This book is an okay read, but could have been better if Stasi would have wrote the whole book. As with “Wild at Heart” the theology is a little off in places and the authors seem to use more movie and cultural references than scripture to prove their point. Sometimes (as with “Wild at Heart”) the scripture is interpreted in a weak or liberal way to further attempt to substantiate their point.

This is another book you can safely skip.

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Book Review

2009-04-27T08:06:00.001-04:00

Teaching to Change Lives by Howard G. Hendricks

This book provides seven ways to help you be a better teacher. The book is geared toward teaching the word of God, but could be applied to any subject.

The seven methods are summarized below:

1. Teachers never stop learning.
2. People learn differently – so teach them differently.
3. The most effective learning comes from involvement.
4. To communicate your subject you must know it well, believe it, and live it.
5. Teaching is from the heart, meaning your whole self.
6. Effective teaching is motivating.
7. Preparation of both teacher and student makes for the best learning experience.

The author dedicates one chapter each to the above mentioned topics. There is also an introductory chapter at the beginning and summary chapter at the end. At the end of each chapter there are some reflection type questions to ponder.

Overall, this is a good book and a worthwhile read if you are interested in improving your teaching.

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Book Review

2009-04-08T08:18:00.001-04:00

Matthew 16-23: The MacArthur New Testament Commentary

MacArthur provides thorough Scriptural commentary throughout this book.

MacArthur's commentaries are mainly expository. Meaning, he takes scripture and explains it with other scripture. His expository style, however, is easy to read and understand. He does digress into other scripture or theological topics at times, but I believe he does this so anyone reading this commentary would be able to understand the other scriptural passages that he references.

I would highly recommend The MacArthur New Testament Commentary Series to anyone looking for an in-depth Biblical explanation of Scripture.

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Book Review

2009-04-06T08:03:00.005-04:00

Wild at Heart by John Eldredge

Wild at Heart claims to be a spiritual/christian living type book to help men discover who they are meant to be and help women understand what men need to be like.

Basically the author calls the men in churches today a bunch of sissy's or wimps. To be a real man they need to be wild and adventuresome; to follow their boyhood dreams; men need to fight!

The author quotes many other people throughout the book (which to me often times don't seem to fit in to what the author is trying to get at). He also uses movies to reference what real men should be like (like Hollywood knows what a real man is!).

The author does make an attempt to use scripture to prove his point. Often times, however, he seems to twist the scriptural interpretation to help prove his point. In reality, there are many correct scriptural references that prove the exact opposite of the author's point!

Overall, I cannot recommend this book for various reasons.

First, I believe the author to be wrong about Christian living. I won't go into detail about why, but you can read other reviews on Amazon that further discuss this.

Second, the book just isn't well wrote. There are many long paragraphs that don't seem to make sense. They are just a bunch of sentences piled together. In other places, the author seems to realize this problem and would just (seemly at random) split the paragraph into two paragraphs, neither of which make sense.

The scary part is the fact that this has been a best seller among christian books.

This is one book you can safely skip!

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Book Review

2009-04-03T07:40:00.000-04:00

2 Corinthians: Finding Strength in Weakness (Life Guide Bible Studies)

The lifeguide series is a great series for group Bible study.

This study guide presents Paul's second (biblical) letter to the Corinthians in eleven group sessions. The questions are easy to understand and provide a lot of opportunity for discussion, not just simple one word or yes/no type questions. Each chapter usually had our group of 10-15 in discussion for about an hour.

I highly recommend this book and series to anyone wanting to start a Bible study group.

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Book Review

2009-04-01T12:29:00.000-04:00

Give it All to Him by Max Lucado

This is a small, short book (only 58 pages) about giving all of your "trash" to God who gives you a new beginning through Jesus Christ.

I had to read this book through twice, because the first time I just didn't get it. Each "chapter" starts with a story from another of Lucado's books (I think this is what confused me the first time I read it). The chapter then expands on that story.

Lucado starts his book by letting the reader know that they are not alone; everyone has sin and burdens (trash) in their life. He describes that further by giving examples such as loneliness, worry, pain, resentment, revenge, and failure.

Lucado closes by describing a Way to take out our trash and get rid of it permanently. There is Someone who see and wants your burdens. As we confess our sins and give them to Him He forgives, cleanses, and gives us a new beginning.

I was looking for a quick inspiration/introductory book to give to people as a witnessing tool. I believe this books does that in a way that is appealing and understandable, yet it is true to Scripture.

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Book Review

2009-03-30T12:15:00.005-04:00

Go Preach by John Gilbert

This book is an excellent "beginners" guide to preparing a worship service, paying particular attention on the message or sermon.

The author begins by examining a little history and theology of preaching and what preaching really should be like, which is not necessarily what you hear on Sunday mornings anymore unfortunately. In fact, Gilbert devotes a chapter to the (correct) idea of the sermon as a proclamation of the Good News, not just story time as is so often the case today.

Gilbert dedicates a chapter each to the initial preparation of the sermon, knowing about the congregation you are to preach to, and a more in depth look at sermon preparation as well as the use of the lectionary.

The author also has several chapters of topics such as: grammar, humor, practicing the sermon, and evaluating your preaching. Gilbert gives information about the actual delivery of the sermon and what to do afterward, such as, silent prayer or an alter call.

Finally, the author closes with ways of getting ideas for new sermons and a chapter on special occasion preaching, such as, funerals, weddings, baptisms, and so on. At the end of the book the author lists several other helpful books for a preacher to have in his collection.

Overall, this was an excellent book for the beginning preacher. I didn't agree with everything the author had to say though. For example, Gilbert writes "Do not wear white socks" (page 89). I wear white socks all the time and do not believe it detracts from the message at all!

Gilbert did get the main point of preaching across and that is to proclaim the Word of God! "Preaching is first and always the proclamation of God's Word" (page 12).

I would recommend this book to anyone interested in improving their preaching skills.

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Letter to Kiplinger's Magazine

2009-03-16T09:01:00.002-04:00

Below is a letter sent to the editor of Kiplinger magazine regarding their April 2009 issue.

Dear Editor:

I enjoyed reading the article “Simple Plans to Beat the Market” (April 2009). This has been my investment strategy for a number of years now and has performed well for me. The Kiplinger portfolio, which sticks with one family of funds, is a nice idea. However, this can also be costly when the company decides to close the funds, which is what E*Trade decided to do recently.

I had all of my funds in the E*Trade family and was forced to liquidate them realizing large losses with each fund. I switched to other similar funds that track the same indexes thereby minimizing the effects of the losses, but it still doesn’t make me feel any better about the way E*Trade handled the situation.

Your articles could mention the possibility of a fund shutting down and what investors should do (sell now or hold until the liquidation date). I have yet to read any real analysis about why E*Trade closed its mutual funds.

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How do you “lose” billions of dollars?

2009-03-04T08:33:00.001-05:00

I still can’t quite figure this out. How are these companies losing billions of dollars? I suppose it all comes down to greed and mismanagement, but the money has to be somewhere, right? Let me give you an example.

Say I make blankets in my shop. Each blanket consists of yarn and labor. Furthermore, let’s say the yarn costs $10 per blanket and the labor costs $25 per blanket. My breakeven point would be $35 (ignore other indirect costs for the purpose of this example).

If I sell the blanket for anything more than $35, I make a profit. If I sell it for less than $35, I “lose” money.

Let’s say I sell the blanket for $10. Technically, I “lose” $25 on the deal. But that $25 really isn’t lost is it? Of course not, I gave that $25 to the person who made the blanket.

So the money is still out there somewhere, it is just in someone else’s pocket. That person then takes the $25 and buys things with it. So they don’t have the money anymore either. They have passed it on to someone else. This is the way our economic system works.

When AIG says they lost $60 billion, is that money gone or is it just in someone else’s pocket? I content that if the $60 billion loss is real and not just some type of accounting technicality, then someone HAS AIG’s $60 billion. It just didn’t disappear. Someone has AIG’s $60 billion! If it was just an accounting technicality, then it never existed in the first place, so there isn’t a loss!

A similar situation occurs with the stock market. For every trade there is a buyer and a seller. When the market drops that means people are selling, but it also means someone is buying.

The question is, who is this someone? Who has AIG’s $60 billion? Who is buying in this market?

Those questions I cannot answer, can you?

Book Review

2009-03-02T11:53:00.000-05:00

The Pillars of Christian Character by John MacArthur

This book looks at the most essential character traits or attitudes a faithful Christian should have. In particular the book focuses a chapter on each of the following:

Faith
Obedience
Humility
Selfless Love
Unity
Growth
Forgiveness and Blessing
Rejoicing
Gratitude
Strength
Self-Discipline
Worshiping God
Hope

This book is well wrote and researched. As always MacArthur describes his points with Scriptural truth. This book is easy enough for the beginning Christian to understand, but also powerful enough for the more mature Christian to continue their growth.

At the end of the book is a study guide for each chapter. It contains a brief summary of the chapter, a few questions to think about or discuss, a couple of topics to prayer about, and ways to apply the chapter in your life.

As mentioned, i would recommend this book to new or mature Christians.

Book Review

2009-02-13T08:01:00.000-05:00

John MacArthur Bible Study Guide: James

This study guide series is one of the best I have ever used. Macarthur gives an introduction to the book of James regarding the authorship, the background and setting, along with historical and theological themes. He also mentions some interpretive challenges that may arise from the Scripture.

MacArthur starts each chapter with some opening questions and then provides some background information to the passage of scripture. There is room in the study guide for you to answer the questions. The scripture is then read (which is included in the study guide) along with some of MacArthur’s notes about the passage.

There are then several questions to help you understand the passage better. MacArthur provides a cross-reference Scripture passage to further explore the meaning of the original passage from James. There are, of course, additional questions to ponder or discuss.

Finally, MacArthur sums up the passage and lists a few more questions to help you reflect on the text and what you have learned.

I highly recommend this study guide series for either your own personal study or a group discussion. Each chapter can take about an hour during a group Bible Study meeting.

Book Review

2009-02-11T09:27:00.000-05:00

Colossians & Philemon – The MacArthur New Testament Commentary Series

I just finished reading this commentary on Colossians and Philemon by John MacArthur.

MacArthur provides thorough Scriptural commentary throughout this book.

He starts by providing a thorough background about the book of Colossians and Philemon. This includes information about the author, the city of Colossae, the church at Colossae, and the situations that were occurring there. MacArthur also provides the same for Philemon.

MacArthur’s commentaries are mainly expository. Meaning, he takes scripture and explains it with other scripture. MacArthur does digress into other scripture or theological topics at times, but I believe he does this so anyone reading this commentary would be able to understand other scriptural passages that he references.

I would highly recommend The MacArthur New Testament Commentary Series to anyone looking for an in-depth Biblical explanation of Scripture.

Book Destruction!

2009-02-09T09:37:00.001-05:00

I mentioned that I was going to destroy one of the books I recently reviewed, so it would never deceive anyone again. Here are some images of that destruction!

The End

Book Review

2009-02-02T07:54:00.003-05:00

I finished reading "Ten Commandments: Twice Removed" by Danny Shelton and Shelley Quinn.

The title of the book is very deceptive!

About halfway through the first chapter I was starting to wonder about this book and where the authors were going with it. Then in chapter two it hit me. This book has little to do with the Ten Commandments. It focuses mostly on #4 "Remember the Sabbath Day."

The authors then go on to describe Saturday (actually Friday at sundown to Saturday sundown) as being the Biblical Sabbath, during Bible times and still today. The authors "prove" that Christians should still observe the seventh-day Sabbath.

I won't go into detail here as to why the authors are wrong, but I will say the authors used a deceptive title for their book as well as a deceptive description on the back cover.

My questions is: Since the authors resorted to deceptive tactics to get people (me) to read the book, then what does that say about their message and content of the book?

In summary, this book is not really about the Ten Commandments (yes, it does mention them all briefly). It is really only about one group's view of the Fourth Commandment.

Do not be deceived by this book. Read and study Acts 20:7 for the day of worship.

For your information, I plan on destroying this book so no one has a chance to be deceived by it!

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