screenshots of the mind

San Diego Lobster open again!

2011-08-03T09:35:00.000-07:00

Finally, Lobster Season is back at San Diego Lobster here in San Diego! Have you heard about this place? It's a Lobster restaurant that opened sometime in 2009 on University Avenue here in San Diego, in the SDSU area. I they serve fresh lobster from Maine - You got to go check out this place! I highly recommend the "Lobster Feast" :-)

This blog has been moved

2011-08-03T09:19:00.000-07:00

To get the newest update from Daniel Gurtner, please continue reading at danielgurtner.com, danielandluci.com or follow him on Twitter #dangswiss.

You can also meet him today at The Art Institute of California - San Diego, 3-5pm in rm159.

Homosexual 'museum' ignores the Truth

2011-01-19T16:32:00.000-08:00

Today, SaveCalifornia.com President Randy Thomasson spoke against the homosexual-bisexual-transsexual "museum" in San Francisco, which ignores the fact that homosexual behavior spreads more than 3/4's of California's HIV/AIDS infections. Tell others.

Read the story from OneNewsNow.com (American Family Association):

GLBT museum celebrates a lie, ignores the truth
Becky Yeh, OneNewsNow.com, January 19, 2011

One pro-family leader in California says the state's new museum that celebrates homosexuality is a "propaganda porch."

San Francisco's GLBT History Museum is the first institution in the United States to openly commemorate the "gay," bisexual, and transgender movement. The 1,600-square-foot museum, located in the city's Castro District, will display items like Harvey Milk's pink sunglasses and sex toys, along with documents that memorialize the movement.

But Randy Thomasson, president of SaveCalifornia.com, laments that the museum will be home to radical agendas.

"This is not so much a museum; this is a propaganda porch," he contends. "There [are] going to be some people who want to believe in lies while they're visiting, but anybody interested in real history is going to find so many pages ripped out of that book."

Thomasson further argues that the museum fails to mention the truth about alternate lifestyles, as it omits information about the AIDS epidemic, sexual crimes, and molestation, as well as the trampling of fundamental and religious rights in the name of "equality." Nonetheless, he believes the museum will continue to receive funding.

"I believe they'll have the money to keep this place open because it will become sort of a Mecca to them," the pro-family leader suggests. "And it's unfortunate -- celebrating a lie instead of acknowledging the truth."

The GLBT Historical Society currently relies on donations and volunteers to keep the museum open.

Monday's ridiculous Prop. 8 hearing

2010-12-06T17:30:00.000-08:00

Randy Thomasson on today's Prop. 8 hearing
'It's a travesty of justice that this is even in federal court'

Sacramento, California – In the aftermath of today's hearing on the California Marriage Amendment, Randy Thomasson, president of SaveCalifornia.com and Campaign for Children and Families, who has been championing marriage licenses and marriage rights for one man and one woman in the government, courts, and culture since 1994, and who is represented in an amicus brief in the Proposition 8 hearing at the federal appeals court in San Francisco, issued the following comments:

"As a Californian and as an American, it was painful to watch yet another Prop. 8 hearing in San Francisco. It's a travesty of justice that this is even in federal court. The United States Constitution, which is the tough boss of all these judges, requires states to abide by their written laws and the vote of the people. Yet Article IV and the Tenth Amendment, and the fact that the Constitution doesn't even mention the word 'marriage,' are being completely ignored.

"Federal judges are killing off the actual words and original context of the United States Constitution. These black-robed dictators delight in what they think and in what other judges have said, rather than loving their duty and promise to uphold the specific, written words of the supreme law of the land. When the people of California voted to reserve marriage licenses for 'a man and a woman,' and Attorney General Jerry Brown and Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger refused to defend that law, two corrupt statewide officials, with the aid of a corrupt federal judge, effectively nullified the people’s vote and violated their own job descriptions. This isn't just a tragedy; it's a crime that deserves punishment. The corrupt judiciary is why I believe the three-judge panel will kill Prop. 8.

"It is ridiculous and nonsensical to hear liberal attorneys claim that homosexuality is 'the same' as marriage between a man and woman, and that the effect of a married father and mother upon children is 'the same' as in homosexual environments. It's illogical and biologically untrue for them to claim that homosexuals 'procreate,' when you actually need a sperm from a man and an egg from a woman to participate in God’s miracle of reproduction. And it's unscientific and arrogant for anyone to claim that homosexuality is 'immutable' or unchangeable, when the so-called 'gay gene' doesn't exist and thousands of former homosexuals have left that lifestyle.

"The war against the structural context and original intent of the written U.S. Constitution seems more than half complete in America. As long as judges do what they want instead of what the written Constitution actually says, our Republic is hanging by a thread. Whether or not you believe in marriage between a man and a woman, you should be very concerned that the written law and people's vote matter only when the politicians and judges feel like it. Anthony Kennedy, are you listening? California and the nation need you to save the Constitution, the natural definition of marriage, and the vote of the people. Because the issue of marriage between a man and a woman seems near certain to go to the U.S. Supreme Court."

Apple Pulls iPhone App for Manhattan Declaration

2010-12-01T16:20:00.000-08:00

Some of you may be aware by now that Apple has removed the Manhattan Declaration iPhone/iPad application from the iTunes Store. This happened some time over the Thanksgiving holiday.

The Manhattan Declaration app was accepted by Apple and rated as a 4+, meaning it contained no objectionable material. Yet Apple pulled the app shortly after a small but very vocal protest by those who favor gay marriage and abortion.

We are urging Apple to restore the App, and have written to Steve Jobs. We will update you with developments as they arise.

The Manhattan Declaration is a non-partisan statement of conscience in defense of human life, traditional marriage and religious freedom. Visit us at ManhattanDeclaration.org

We sent a letter to Steve Jobs at Apple asking that our app be reinstated to the company's iTunes and iPhone application store (read that letter HERE). Despite having approved and posted the app on its online store in October--and giving the app a 4+ rating for "no objectionable content"--Apple quietly pulled the app from its site over the Thanksgiving holiday weekend.

Although Apple has not communicated directly with us, a public relations representative from Apple told Family News in Focus radio that the app violated Apple's developer guidelines by being "offensive to large groups of people." Apple's action followed a small but vocal protest from pro-gay "marriage" and pro-abortion groups.

Please Sign our petition to have the app reinstate the app. Apple listened to a small group of dissenters and took action, so we expect they will take action when every Manhattan Declaration signer signs this petition. Sign petition here: http://www.manhattandeclaration.org/media/petition.aspx

Remembering C.S. Lewis

2010-11-30T16:33:00.000-08:00

His death went unnoticed, as he died the same day John F. Kennedy was shot, but his works are some of the most widely read in English literature. Originally an agnostic, he served in World War I and became a professor at Oxford and Cambridge. He credits his Catholic friend and fellow writer, J.R.R. Tolkien, author of "Lord of the Rings," as being instrumental in bringing him to faith in Christ. Among his most notable books are: The Screwtape Letters; Miracles; The Problem of Pain; Abolition of Man; and The Chronicles of Narnia, which include The Lion, Witch and Wardrobe.

His name was C.S. Lewis, born NOVEMBER 29, 1898. Over 200 million copies of his books have sold worldwide and, 40 years after his death, continue to sell a million copies a year. In Mere Christianity, C.S. Lewis wrote: "All that we call human history - money, poverty, ambition, war, prostitution, classes, empires, slavery - is the long terrible story of man trying to find something other than God which will make him happy." C.S. Lewis wrote: "Christianity...is a religion you could not have guessed...It is not the sort of thing anyone would have made up. It has just that queer twist about it that real things have."

PayPal Notice —watch out!!

2010-10-07T17:50:00.000-07:00

Friends,

Never thought I'd be the author of an email like this... But today I just got an email from a site that claims to be paypal, asking for me to verify my paypal information. The Subject of the email was "Slight error - [PayPal Notice #7728814471] - Urgent Action Required" so if you get an email looking like this, don't even bother to open it. They're just trying to get you to give them personal information. When I looked closely at the email sender, I discovered that it was "dcvcqm@intl-paypai.net" —not even paypal...they're trying to get you to see and L instead of an I.

If you receive an email like this, go ahead and report it by sending it to spoof@paypal.com. They also have a lot of information on fraud protection on the website.

—Daniel

Civil Disobedience (featuring Dr. Timothy George)

2010-07-26T09:10:00.000-07:00

Civil Disobedience (featuring Dr. Timothy George)

Farting and Pooping

2010-04-24T21:43:00.001-07:00

Sooo... For those who don't know yet, we have a new baby in the family. She's an adorable black and brown Chihuahua :-)

Well, the other day we somehow managed to overfeed her... And her belly was about twice the size it normally is. I was a little worried, I'll admit, but after her pooping a few times, we gave her a bunch of water and put her to sleep.

The next morning, she was normal sized again - she must have been farting all night!

And the moral of the story is... If you stomach is ever twice as big as it should be, poop and fart it all away :-P

Free Einstein's Bagel

2010-01-25T21:06:00.000-08:00

Everyone can use a free bagel, right? Enjoy..!

Gurtner's Theory

2010-01-04T01:09:00.001-08:00

Recently, I was asked an interesting question:

"If you would be able to dig a straight tunnel from here (San Diego) to someplace in China, and there wouldn't be any of that magma etc. that they say is on the inside of the earth, and if you were to jump down into that tunnel, would you come out the other side?"

My theory is that no, you wouldn't come out the other side, but rather get stuck in the middle, since that's where the gravitational force on the earth would be the strongest. You couln't "fall" out the other side, since gravity would be pulling you right back into the tunnel.

The neti pot experience

2009-11-17T19:07:00.000-08:00

This is probably the grossest thing I've done... well... since the last time I did it.

The first time I've learned about it, was in January of this year, when I had a sinus infection. Man, that thing REALLY cleans you out!

Here's how it goes...

1. Get Neti Pot (I got mine at Wholefoods, but I heard that Bed, Bath & Beyond has it too).

2. Get salt that comes with it. Sea salt works fine too.

3. Get a cup of warm water, not too hot, not too cold, and dissolve 1/4 teaspoon of salt in it, and put it into the Neti Pot.

4. Now comes the fun part! Put the spout in one nostril and turn your head and let it pour through your head (!) -Do you remember ever being in the water and doing a summer salt and then getting your nose and head completely full of water -yeah, same feeling!

5. Blow your nose. Wow, it's amazing to see all that was stuck up in there!

6. Do it again with the other nostril! YEAH!!

Oh, and here's some fun links too:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t8KOsNtpV8w

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neti_pot

Urgent Call to Prayer: Signs of the Times

2009-09-18T13:08:00.000-07:00

I just got this in my email and I wanted to pass it on to all y'all. It's something that's, in part, been on my heart for quite a while too now, and I'm glad that the alarm is now being sounded on a much larger scale...

Urgent Call to Prayer: Signs of the Times

Convergence

It is critical that the church in America understands the times and what needs to be done now. The natural things speak of the invisible. Natural happenings on the earth are revealing something that is going on in the spiritual realm. There is a great spiritual conflict with a rising tide of Islamic boldness being manifested. Several happenings are converging this week. First of all, our President has recently proclaimed, honored, encouraged the Muslim holy days of prayer and fasting called Ramadan. He was very silent on the National Day of Prayer but very vocal on the support of Ramadan. Interestingly at the same time a major Christian leader of the Emergent Church called for forty days of fasting and prayer in the same Ramadan period with the goal that the church will better understand our Muslim friends. We are all for understanding but we must have spiritual discernment as to the spiritual dark powers that are being invoked into our nation.

Cause for Concern

At the same time, on the 25th of September, Muslims are calling for a Muslim Day of Prayer in Washington DC (http://www.islamoncapitolhill.com/). They are calling for 50,000 Muslims to gather and pray on the DC Mall. This is the exact word of one of the Sheikhs who is leading this historic gathering, “Muslims should march on the White House. We are going to the White House so that Islam will be victorious, Allah willing, and the White House will become into a Muslim house.” These are not empty words. They speak of a dark spiritual intent and a coming day of great trouble to America.

A Divine Moment

Now one of these events is enough to awaken us to this significant throbbing moment, but when they all converge it becomes a massive spiritual alarm that must be responded to by the praying Church. However, I believe in this moment of divine providence God has raised up on the stage of history a little “Esther” that if we pray and fast for her she could be a major voice to expose the dark under-belly of Islam and radiate a bright hope for a day of salvation for Muslims in America.

Headlines

On Monday, Rifqa Bary, a young 17-year-old woman, will be in the headlines of US news. Four years ago, while living in a very devout and radical Muslim home, Rifqa met Jesus in a powerful way as her savior. She hid her conversion, began praying secretly, and began hiding her bible from her parents. Then, on Facebook, her love for Jesus was exposed to the radical Muslim community in Ohio. Rifqa’s father demanded that she renounce Jesus or he would kill her as is commanded by the Koran. As a radiant believer in Jesus she refused to renounce her Lord and fled to Orlando where she was taken in and cared for by a Christian Church and family. Now, the father is appealing to the courts to bring her back under his custody. Major television networks have already covered her story. How must the Church of America respond in this moment for our sister who is a part of the Body of Christ?

A Major Sign

This convergence, I believe, is urgently summoning us in the midst of the rising tide of Islamic influence in America to recognize that our God is above every god and that if we return to Him with all of our hearts and call upon Him with fasting and prayer then God could use what the enemy meant for evil to bring about a great day of salvation for Muslims in America, of which Rifqa is but a major sign.

Here is The Call

First of all, we cannot be passive as a Church to let these kinds of developments go on without being challenged in the spirit. Our fight is not against Muslims, it is against principalities, powers, and forces of darkness. We are calling the Church of America at the end of Ramadan, from September 21st through 25th, to five days of concerted prayer. On Monday, we must pray that God would grant supernatural wisdom to the courts so that the testimony of Jesus would be proclaimed and that the best situation for Rifqa and her family would take place. We must pray for Rifqa to be bold in proclaiming Jesus that even thousands of Muslims would hear and be awakened to the love of Christ. She has already said that this is not about her but about many Muslims coming to Jesus. We must pray for her lawyers who are being bullied, threatened, and challenged on every side. On Friday, September 25th, the Muslim Day of Prayer, we are calling the Church of America to fast and pray that Muslims would be moved by the Holy Spirit, convicted by the testimony of Christ, and even be visited by Jesus in dreams. We must pray that God would restrain the spiritual powers behind Islam and grant us the great awakening that we desperately need for America.

Let us hear the call to prayer and not miss this moment,

Lou Engle
The Call

going to another church

2009-09-01T11:39:00.000-07:00

This post is just to clarify something that's been on my mind for a while now and I'm still getting asked about it, so I hope this will help a little.

I've been going to a different church for about 5 weeks now, and really liking it a lot. It's called Spectrum Church, located in Chula Vista. It's not that the one I've been going to, South Coast Community Church is bad or something bad happened, but that I've changed (the classic "it's not you -it's me" :-P ).

I've been around a lot of different denominations growing up, and also more on fire for God, or less at different times too. And maybe in the last year or so, I've been increasingly feeling like I'm missing a lot of the manifestations and guidance of the Spirit during the services that I've been use to growing up with. I know that SouthCoast leadership believes in all that, but I've been missing the real hands-on application that I've been "participating in" at other churches, such as Spectrum (I also occasionally visit the bi-weekly Saturday evening services at The Awakening, a church plant of Bethel Church in Redding, CA).

More and more it's become important to me to allow the Holy Spirit to do His thing, and not only believe in the supernatural, but also allow it to happen during services, and speaking in tongues etc., something I've been missing for too long. I don't want to sound bashful or critical of SouthCoast, especially not here in this open web space, but I do want to clarify what's going on. I know that supernatural manifestations and the like are not everyone's cup of tea (in my opinion, it should be though :-)), but it increasingly is in my life right now.

As I was explaining to a friend just the other day, it's very interesting that in just this short period of time, I feel like my life has spiritually accelerated, and even if things are not always looking great in the natural, I feel like things are getting better on a spiritual level at an exponential rate. For the first time in a long time, I actually feel like I'm perfectly aligned with the will of God for my life, and in the right place at the right time. All the trials and changes I have to go through are just part of becoming more precisely aligned.

Not only is it graduation time in 3 weeks, but metamorphosis time, like a former caterpillar breaking out of its cocoon as a butterfly, I'm breaking out of a spiritual cocoon and getting ready to fly! Come and fly with me!

Anonymous letter

2009-08-17T19:01:00.000-07:00

Today I received an anonymous letter in the mail. It was sent from zip-code 91106, had no return address on the envelope, sent off on August 13th, and all that was inside was a brochure for ADT Security Services.

The largest title on the front (after the phone number), says "A Sign of Safer Things to Come".
What does it mean?

I looked up the ZIP and it's in Pasadena CA. I don't know anyone in Pasadena. But I do know of some churches in Pasadena that are moving in the gifts of the Spirit, Signs and Wonders, and prophetic gifts etc. Maybe someone out there was just trusting God and send this out in faith, trusting that it would bless and encourage me -which it is!- as "a sign of safer things to come". Thank you Lord!

And after the amazing! weekend I had, I'm can't help but almost expect some rather strange things to happen :-)

This is not good: National Health Scare

2009-07-28T23:24:00.000-07:00

Just got this in an email from MorningStar as a Special Bulletin, written by Rick Joyner. I think it's important that as many people as possible know about this, are aware of what is going on behind the scenes in our country, and do something about it. I know I will write to my representative... Here goes...

When I read the brief on what was contained in the National Health Care bill that is now being presented before Congress, I could not believe I was reading something that was actually being considered in the United States of America. This is not about money or government mismanagement—this is about something far more diabolical than that. As incomprehensible as it may seem, this is about euthanasia, the power to determine who lives or dies in America. Hitler and Stalin would have loved to have had a means such as this for dispatching the millions they killed—it would have made their job much easier, and probably given them the ability to kill many more than they did. THIS BILL IS THAT SINISTER. This is not a joke—this is actually the nature of what is being proposed in the National Health Care legislation, and it is the obvious reason why the Obama Administration wants to ram it through Congress before anyone gets a chance to read it.

I have resolved to always be as generous as I can toward people with opposing views of my own. I do this because I believe it is the mandate of I Corinthians 13 to always believe the best about people, rather than the worst. I know this opens me up to be misled by some, but I consider that a small price to pay to not become cynical. I also do it because I think it is wise to always try and understand the position of my opponents—to be open to consider their positions and not be too rigid or inflexible to change because we all “see in part,” and “know in part.” Because of this, I have been chided for being too generous by giving those I do challenge grace by believing that they had not thought through the consequences of their proposals, or had other good intentioned reasons for doing what they were doing. However, after reading the brief on this health care bill, I don’t see how anyone could not see that there is profound evil and evil intent at work here. I just do not see any way to be any more generous with those who proposed this bill than that. It is that bad.

This bill is obviously designed to put the authority to determine who lives and dies in America into the hands of government bureaucrats. As outrageous as that seems, it is true—you can read it yourself. It even gives the government access to all of your accounts, and the authority to make withdrawals. I know this is hard to believe, but you can read it yourself.

Do you want a government bureaucrat to determine if your mother or father can receive treatment, even in life and death cases? Would you want a government bureaucrat to determine if your child, or you, could receive treatment, even when it means life or death? Think of the best experience that you ever had working with a government bureaucrat, and then think about them having the power to make a potentially life or death choice for your child, your parents, or for you. This is actually what is being proposed.

Add to that chilling thought the fact that this bureaucrat does not have to know one thing about medicine to be in that position. In fact, this bill proposes letting the government define what quality health care is and impose that definition on health care workers. Nowhere does it even specify what training, expertise, or qualifications this all-powerful government bureaucrat has to have to be placed in the position to make such ultimate decisions for the health, well-being, and even the lives of Americans.

Am I being too hard on bureaucrats, or the Obama Administration’s intentions? Certainly there are many bureaucrats who are sincere and true public servants. I agree that such are deserving of our appreciation and respect. The modern world could not exist without them. Think of the most noble and conscientious there are. What kind of position would we be putting them in to have to go to work every day and decide who is going to get treatment, who is going to have to go on a waiting list and for how long, and who are they going to have to just let die?

Who could live with such a job? There are many who could, who would just see it as paperwork, and those are the ones who would be in that position because the truly noble ones could not endure it. Hitler found many who could dispatch thousands each day, and then go home and enjoy their own families at night. There are people with that kind of moral disconnect. These jobs will be filled and by the very ones we would never want in such positions.

It is beyond anything I thought I would ever see in my lifetime that such a bill could ever be seriously considered in the U.S. Congress. This bill has the potential for totalitarian control to be imposed on America to a degree that Hitler and Stalin could not have even imagined. With the technology available now, totalitarian control can very quickly be imposed to a degree far beyond what was attained by either the Nazis or the Communists, and this bill has provisions in it for just that. It mandates the sharing of all of your personal information, from just about every conceivable source, with the new health care bureaucracy being set up to implement this national health care system. The penalties for trying to escape this web are serious. This would actually make America into a national concentration camp, and we can be sure that ultimately it will be a national death camp. You do not have to take my word for it—read it for yourself. Below I will include a brief on this bill so that you can look it up, chapter and verse.

Who could live with such a job? There are many who could, who would just see it as paperwork, and those are the ones who would be in that position because the truly noble ones could not endure it. Hitler found many who could dispatch thousands each day, and then go home and enjoy their own families at night. There are people with that kind of moral disconnect. These jobs will be filled and by the very ones we would never want in such positions.

It is beyond anything I thought I would ever see in my lifetime that such a bill could ever be seriously considered in the U.S. Congress. This bill has the potential for totalitarian control to be imposed on America to a degree that Hitler and Stalin could not have even imagined. With the technology available now, totalitarian control can very quickly be imposed to a degree far beyond what was attained by either the Nazis or the Communists, and this bill has provisions in it for just that. It mandates the sharing of all of your personal information, from just about every conceivable source, with the new health care bureaucracy being set up to implement this national health care system. The penalties for trying to escape this web are serious. This would actually make America into a national concentration camp, and we can be sure that ultimately it will be a national death camp. You do not have to take my word for it—read it for yourself. Below I will include a brief on this bill so that you can look it up, chapter and verse.

I am a pastor and a watchman, and I therefore have a mandate to watch out for the people, and to sound the alarm when I see a threat. I have never seen one like this before. Even so, I have prayed for restraint and calm as I address this, and do not want to exaggerate anything. In spite of this terrible evil that is manifesting itself through the Obama Administration, I am resolved to pray for our government leaders, and I try to pray for the President every day. My sincere hope is for a spiritual awakening for him and for those in every government position, and for the Lord to give them wisdom and help for the most difficult task they have. However, with all due respect (and I mean this), what is coming out of the Obama Administration is evil, more evil than anything I thought I would ever see in America. It is time to call it what it is.

Click here to read more

Heretics, false prophets and false teachers

2009-07-23T22:56:00.000-07:00

Wow, lately I've been increasingly hearing from other people that "this preacher is a heretic", "that guy is a false prophet", or "watch out, this person's teachings are dangerous" etc. Not only that, but I've been having people tell me that about people who I've been listening to their messages for more than 10 years...now I'm suddenly suppose to stop doing that because it's not "safe".

First off, thank you to all who are so concerned about my well-being.

Next. Here's a simple reminder that (1 Corinthians 13:9, NIV) "For we know in part and we prophesy in part," -see where I'm going with this? I believe that if we continue labeling good teachers, preachers, prophets, and even writers (no, i didn't forget you, John Shore) as heretics or false, we're gonna miss some very important messages for our times.

Not to say that false teachers/preachers/prophets don't exist, but remember way back when we were burning witches at the stake? Yeah, we're headed that way again.

So, just to add some validity to what I'm saying here, and ultimately it's me who has to judge these things for myself and not someone else, I've looked into some of the issues that have been circling around, and I'm happy to report back that you were all worried about me for nothing...

Rob Bell. Apparently, a heretic and false teacher for (most prominently) rhetorically speaking, questioning the virgin birth in his awesome book, Velvet Elvis (yeah, it's awesome and you should read it, regardless of what you've heard about Rob Bell). What critics with this stance seem to forget, is the paragraph right there on the same page, where he clearly affirms his belief in the virgin birth, along with other vital parts of the Christian faith.

Most of this criticism towards Rob Bell seems to be coming from Mark Driscoll, ironically a leader of a different church, and even in a different city in a different state, with the same name as Rob Bell's.. hmmmm... not to bash Driscoll, and I haven't really taken the time to listen to his teachings and research him, but it does kinda make me curious... I mean, it looks more like some kind of church-rivalry-thing going on here, and to be honest, if one has a problem with the other, they should be talking about this one-on-one, not talking to whole congregations about it...

Bob Jones. Ok, there's way too many accusations that I could ever post here, but even in one critic's own words concerning his prophesies "The accuracy of these revelations has proven to be extremely profound.", kinda makes me wonder how they then can still go on to label him a false prophet.

If there's any question about one of his prophesies, please keep 1 Corinthians 13:9 in mind while making a judgment call. I'm not defending him if he's wrong, but making sure that we all understand that we are humans and make mistakes. Even a prophet is human and imperfect like the rest of us. Yeas, there are also false prophets, but an easy way to see if one is, is to check how what he says lines up with scripture. It should also lead you closer to Christ. The fruit of Bob Jones' prophetic gift in my life is that he has led me closer to Christ and not away. True prophet.

Rick Joyner. I've pretty much heard the same kinda stuff that I hear about Bob Jones too. But, just for a little history, Rick Joyner's books and messages, and MorningStar Ministries have probably been the greatest influence on my faith within the last 15 years. If it weren't for these guys, I don't know where I'd be at... not likely still in a church...

Rick Joyner has had some of the most profound prophesies concerning the times we are in right now, and still has very accurate information as to what is going on in the church, as well as with our government right now, much unlike the media. I believe that the church will miss out on a lot of what God has to say to us concerning the times we're living in right now if we continue to just throw out anything he says because we've heard something bad about him.

John Shore. Accused of being a heretic for telling Christians to stop evangelizing, in his book, I'm OK - You're Not. Please read the book! He makes it very clear that the way Christians have been evangelizing in the past hasn't worked very well. He makes the great argument of how Christians will automatically fulfill the great commission by first fulfilling the great commandment. Read the book, if you don't get it, read it again. Not a heretic, but a really fun and smart author!

The list goes on.......at some point, I think that pretty much every teacher/preacher/prophet has been labeled a false teacher/preacher/prophet. We need to stop. Christians, the kingdom of God is at hand! Let's put aside or constant bickering and pointing of the finger and finally see Christ for who He is and not who He's not or who's not enough like Him. We can no longer afford to keep fighting each other while there's an enemy that we should all be fighting against in unity instead. We can do this.

Why we should love our enemies

2009-07-11T23:48:00.000-07:00

Something I've come across recently, is the answer or reason to why we are supposed to love our enemies, as Jesus tells us to in Matthew 5 and Luke 6.

See, Paul explains to us in Ephesians 6:12 (NIV) that "...our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms."

So, when a person does something to us that causes us to want to take revenge, fight them and call them our enemy, chances are that they did not necessarily do it out of their own accord. Not trying to negate the fact that humans are still sinful and wicked without God's love, grace, wisdom, peace, healing etc. anyway, but isn't it quite possible that the evil nature of man becomes amplified and manifested by the presence, and especially the direction, of evil spiritual forces?

I'm not saying that whatever the person did was OK, but we are still told to forgive them and even love them, even if their actions carry consequences that they will have to live with, such as a court order, prison or even death in some societies. But to make it clear, they will still have to serve time in prison or whatever the legal consequence is, even after we've forgiven them, but that' a whole different issue.

My point is that we are told to love the person who is our enemy. And I think the reason for it lies in the action or spiritual force to be dealt with as an enemy, rather than the person, or the "flesh and blood" so to speak.

Just my thoughts...

"I dare you to pray this prayer"

2009-07-02T20:37:00.000-07:00

..and here's the link to this video on youtube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E2oi6y292kE

Unity in the church

2009-06-24T16:36:00.000-07:00

Something that has been weighing a lot on my mind lately is the unity in the church or the lack thereof.

The reason why this is such an important topic to me, is because it seems that the society we're living in here in the US, is at a turning point right now, with all the economic stress and bills being passed that are rapidly taking away many of our basic freedoms. The turning point is a place where something new is going to happen and new can either mean "really good" or "really bad" at this point.

I know that a lot of the time, when someone mentions the word "church", people cringe and are reminded of some time they got hurt by a person in the church. This is really sad because it wouldn't have to be that way, and I believe that if there were more unity in the church, it wouldn't necessarily be associated with something so negative. Of course, for me growing up in the church, I know I already see things differently than someone who hasn't been there all their life. But at the same time, I've found myself wanting to leave my church for the same kinds of reasons too.

Growing up in Switzerland, I hadn't really been exposed to all the different denominations yet, as they make up the church over here in the US. Over there, we have four main denominations: Catholic, Reformed, Methodist, and so called Free Churches (the equivalent of non-denominational churches in the US). There is also a very strict and smaller denomination there that would be the equivalent of the Baptist church over here, but most people there view them as a sect.

Now having lived in the US for almost 5 years, I'm still learning about new types of churches and denominations. And what is strange to me is that they (mostly) all read the same bible and believe in the same God, but they keep fighting over who is right about certain small details and who is the final authority over those issues. There is definitely more unity over great issues in Switzerland, even if they don't all agree on some of the smaller ones.

One example of this is supernatural miracles and healings. I would say a good chunk of the church in the US today believes that these took place 2000 years ago when Christ walked the earth, but that they don't take place anymore today. Another large portion believes that it's possible for them to still take place today, but have never seen proof of one or that they won't happen to them. And there's some who have witnessed them, but have scientific or theological ways to explain them away. And finally, there's the churches that have signs and wonders happening on a regular basis.

Lately, I've been running into people from the first two groups more frequently and for me as a participant of the last group and being excited about the experiences I've had, it's been hard to watch how believers have limited themselves because of denominational barriers, basically saying things like "we don't do those kinds of things in our denomination."

I think that because the church has entrenched itself within their specific denominations and values, it has lost a lot of its power, authority and recognition in our society. I think that the new Hate Crimes Bill being passed is a direct result of the church not being strong and unified enough to prevent it, and may ultimately result in criminal charges against churches that speak out about issues like Gay Marriage etc.

So to wrap this up, I believe it's time to lay aside the petty differences that keep the church from being unified, and stand up as one for the issues that really matter.

San Diego Lobster

2009-06-01T18:33:00.000-07:00

Have you heard about this place? It's a Lobster restaurant that's opening sometime this month on university avenue here in San Diego. I hear they have fresh lobster from Maine... Who wants to go check it out?

Thoughts on Pentecost

2009-05-31T21:24:00.000-07:00

Why is Pentecost not celebrated like a big holiday in the US? Growing up in Switzerland, days like this are a big deal. Tomorrow, people will have a nationwide day off, "Pfingst Montag" or Pentecost Monday -yeah, that's how big of a deal it is in Switzerland and in other surrounding European countries, especially more traditionally Catholic ones.

I remember a few times when I was at a Pentecost Camp with others from my church over the holiday weekend and we would meet for a time of worship and fellowship and the Holy Spirit would come on us like in Acts 2 (well.. minus the tongues of fire over our heads) and we would speak in tongues and prophecy. Not that we don't do that on other occasions too, but it was a celebration of the very first time it happened in history and continues on in the same way today. Oh, what marvelous days those were!

Maybe a day will come when this tradition will be celebrated here too.. instead of mocked, even by some Christians :-(

Other thoughts, literally "on" Pentecost...

I saw a lady today wearing a dark blue sweatshirt that said in strong light blue letters "SEX" across her chest.. not sure what she's trying to say with that. Is she sex? (can a person be sex?) Would she like to have sex? I should have asked her what her shirt meant. Well, maybe not. Maybe she might have thought that I was asking her for sex. Maybe she sells it out of the trunk of her car. In little baggies. For 20g at a time.

Today I also met one of my neighbors. She was painting her car. No, literally -with acrylics and paint brushes. She has a black beetle and she was painting bright colored flowers all over it and listening to blues. It looks awesome! If you're ever stuck in traffic and see that car, you'll smile. It'll make your day.

I don't like to drive slow. If I pass you, it's not because I want to drive fast, it's because I want to not drive slow. Don't drive in the left lane if you're going to drive under the speed limit. Please.

Equality

2009-05-27T09:22:00.000-07:00

I recently saw a post of a person I went to school with, who is considering becoming a lawyer to fight for "equality" and build a Class Action Law Suit against the “State of California” and “Yes on 8” for Gender Discrimination.

"A Gay Man and a Gay Women can marry and enjoy all the benefits of a married couple according to the wording of Prop 8. The denial of the right to marry has nothing to do with being Gay but because both parties are the same Gender." -so goes his post..

I don't think it's not worth pursuing a law degree for.. not for this reason... It should be about something "smarter" than that -i mean, the gay marriage thing; is it worth fighting to call it "marriage" or is there a problem with calling it a "civil union" and extending the same rights to that institution as a marriage in california currently enjoys? Is it really about equality or is it trying to get the foot in the with a hidden agenda -and money?

I've seen people do dumber things for money... just my thoughts

Other stuff I see:
Like this quote...
“When any society says that I cannot marry a certain person, that society has cut off a segment of my freedom.” - Dr. Martin Luther King
Don't get me wrong, he was right when he said that, but the equality these people can hardly be compared to the equality MLK was talking about. Since when is "being gay" a race or skin color??

Giving

2009-05-24T19:28:00.000-07:00

Lately, I've been downsizing and just getting rid of a bunch of stuff I have around but really don't need or use... and one thing I've found out about giving stuff away and just blessing others who have a need for it, is that I've started to enjoy it. I mean, it seems like the more I give away, the more I enjoy giving and blessing others. I'm starting to try to find ways how I can be a blessing to other people. Strange.....but in a good way :-)

Psalm 139 (New King James Version)

2009-05-03T13:58:00.000-07:00

For the Chief Musician. A Psalm of David.

1 O LORD, You have searched me and known me.
2 You know my sitting down and my rising up;
You understand my thought afar off.
3 You comprehend my path and my lying down,
And are acquainted with all my ways.
4 For there is not a word on my tongue,
But behold, O LORD, You know it altogether.
5 You have hedged me behind and before,
And laid Your hand upon me.
6 Such knowledge is too wonderful for me;
It is high, I cannot attain it.

7 Where can I go from Your Spirit?
Or where can I flee from Your presence?
8 If I ascend into heaven, You are there;
If I make my bed in hell, behold, You are there.
9 If I take the wings of the morning,
And dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea,
10 Even there Your hand shall lead me,
And Your right hand shall hold me.
11 If I say, “Surely the darkness shall fall on me,”
Even the night shall be light about me;
12 Indeed, the darkness shall not hide from You,
But the night shines as the day;
The darkness and the light are both alike to You.

13 For You formed my inward parts;
You covered me in my mother’s womb.
14 I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
Marvelous are Your works,
And that my soul knows very well.
15 My frame was not hidden from You,
When I was made in secret,
And skillfully wrought in the lowest parts of the earth.
16 Your eyes saw my substance, being yet unformed.
And in Your book they all were written,
The days fashioned for me,
When as yet there were none of them.

17 How precious also are Your thoughts to me, O God!
How great is the sum of them!
18 If I should count them, they would be more in number than the sand;
When I awake, I am still with You.

19 Oh, that You would slay the wicked, O God!
Depart from me, therefore, you bloodthirsty men.
20 For they speak against You wickedly;
Your enemies take Your name in vain.
21 Do I not hate them, O LORD, who hate You?
And do I not loathe those who rise up against You?
22 I hate them with perfect hatred;
I count them my enemies.

23 Search me, O God, and know my heart;
Try me, and know my anxieties;
24 And see if there is any wicked way in me,
And lead me in the way everlasting.

Miss California

2009-04-26T13:42:00.000-07:00

So is this what it all boils down to? If someone speaks their mind, and happens to disagree with a certain people group, they should be ostracized, and in the case of Miss California even be marked down from receiving the title of Miss USA? Should she have answered what Perez Hilton wanted to hear just to get the crown? No way!

By the way, here's an excellent link to get some of the facts, http://www.therocksandiego.org/stories/misscalifornia/

In California, "we the people" decided in November that marriage is between a man and a woman. Should the person who represents that state (if she weren't already speaking from her personal convictions) go against what the majority of that same state believes? And what about the rest of the country; as Perez Hilton even explained that 4 states have so far legalized same-sex marriage, wouldn't that in a 50 state nation kinda leave 46 of them where it still is illegal? Why should we as a society have to bow down and serve a minority?

"That's not politically correct!" -Is it politically correct to ostracize a person who stands by their religious convictions? Is it even morally correct to take away the rights of a person to justify another's deviant behavior? Unless our freedom of speech and freedom of religion are no longer "real" freedoms...

People have heard me say that allowing gay couples to get married is like allowing a child get away with deviant behavior (and even celebrating it!). -And even for putting this on my blog, I'm running the risk of being ostracized for my convictions or worse :-O

Even crazier, now with the new Local Law Enforcement Hate Crimes Prevention Act in place, I could be committing hate-crime for speaking what I believe is the truth!
(i don't know for sure yet... am I?)

And why is the gay community so bent on claiming "marriage" for themselves? Why is the gay community so bent on destroying the sanctity of marriage in a way that takes away the rights of religious groups that don't agree with them? Is there a hidden agenda?

Just to make it clear: I do not hate gays and lesbians.

In fact, the same God that condemns homosexual behavior also commands His people to love thy neighbor...and I happen to live in a primarily gay neighborhood.

I love you.

But I don't agree with you -please don't hate me for it.

the man-cave

2009-04-13T01:04:00.000-07:00

..is usually described as a dedicated area of a house, such as a basement, workshop, or garage, where a man can be alone or socialize with his friends.

but some psychologists also describe it as a figurative cave that a man retracts to in his mind when he's spending extra time in thought or going through some kind of transitional period in his life.

that's where i am right now.

don't worry, it's nothing personal if i seem distant or out of it on the outside... it blows over..

Say goodbye to farmers markets, CSAs, and roadside stands...

2009-04-03T23:23:00.001-07:00

...unless we STOP HR 875, HR 814, SR 425 and SOON, HR 759

I just got this in an email and I'd like to pass it on:

The above so called "food safety" bills in Congress were written by the nation-less corporations such as; Monsanto, Cargill, Tysons, ADM, etc. These bills are all associated with the opposite of food safety. What is this all about then?

- By Linn Cohen-Cole - March 3, 2009

In the simplest terms, organic food and a rebirth of farming were winning. Not in absolute numbers but in a deep and growing shift by the public toward understanding the connection between their food and their health, between good food and true social pleasures, between their own involvement in food and the improvement in their lives in general, between local food and a burgeoning local economy.

Slow Food was right - limit your food to what comes from your region and from real farmers, and slow down to cook it and linger over it with friends and family, and the world begins to change for the better.

And as we face an unprecedented economic crisis, and it is hard to be sure what has value, one thing that always does is food. Which is why the corporations are after absolute control over it. But what obstacles to a complete lock on food do they face? All the people in this country who are "banking" on organic farming and urban gardens and most of all, everyone's deepening pleasure in and increasing involvement with everything about food.

To truly make a difference; we recommend a direct person to person contact, such as phone calls, faxing and paying personal visit to their offices and see how they are ruining our lives. - We need to stop these bills first, or we are left with no money from the financial bail-out and no food from the food steal-out.

President, Barack Obama
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Ave NW
Washington, DC 20500
Phone: (202) 456-1414
Comments: (202) 456-1111
Fax: (202) 456-2461
http://www.whitehouse.gov/

U.S. Congress: (202) 224-3121 http://www.house.gov/

U.S. Senate: (202) 224-6221 http://www.senate.gov/

Send a message to Congress.
http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/o/568/t/1128/campaign.jsp?campaign_KEY=26714

We need millions to be fighting this. Contact Eli Pariser at MoveOnmoveon-help@list.moveon.org
to tell him MoveOn is badly needed.
http://us.mc543.mail.yahoo.com/mc/compose?to=moveon-help@list.moveon.org

Take action -- click here to contact your local newspaper or congress people: Stop HR 875, HR 814, SR 425, and soon, HR 759
http://www.usalone.net/cgi-bin/oen.cgi?qnum=7290

Click here to see the most recent messages sent to Congressional Representatives and local newspapers
http://www.usalone.net/cgi-bin/transparency.cgi?qnum=oen7290

Linn Cohen-Col
http://www.opednews.com/author/author10919.html

Daniel Joseph Martinez

2009-03-26T14:27:00.000-07:00

Simulating Daniel Joseph Martinez' self portrait of gory images of wounds inflicted on his body, I used his way of saying "a sane answer to an insane world", and made my own as "a sane explanation of an insane quarter"...

The spirit of lawlessness

2009-03-24T10:52:00.000-07:00

Have you noticed how more and more people have increasing fears about the economy? My advice: stop watching the news. The media is creating a mass panic, deliberately or not, but since most news stations are owned by a larger company, there must be some plan with this.

Other thoughts... "Yes We Can" seems to have turned into "Yes I'll do it even if it's not legal" or "Yes I can - no that law doesn't apply to me" and It seems to get more and more like this; a spirit of lawlessness is gaining momentum...

thoughts on the Zeitgeist movie

2009-03-22T18:10:00.000-07:00

for those who haven't seen it, i encourage you to get a copy of it or watch it online (zeitgeist: the movie and zeitgeist: addendum), on google or on zeitgeistmovie.com.

Zeitgeist, The Movie is a film that was released on Google Video in the spring of 2007 and was created by Peter Joseph. Essentially the video covers three areas of Interest. Part I, entitled "The Greatest Story Ever Told" evaluates Christian beliefs and asserts that it was all taken from pre-existing myths, primarily Egyptian mythology. In Part II, entitled "All The World's a Stage" it goes on to talk about how the US Government knew about the attacks on September 11th, 2001 before hand and that it was a large conspiracy and cover up -- essentially an it was an inside job. Lastly we are told in Part III, entitled "Don't Mind The Men Behind The Curtain", that powerful bankers and world leaders are conspiring for world domination and consolidation of power.

The second film, Zeitgeist: Addendum, attempts to locate the root causes of this pervasive social corruption, while offering a solution. This solution is not based on politics, morality, laws, or any other "establishment" notions of human affairs,but rather on a modern, non-superstitious based understanding of what we are and how we align with nature, to which we are a part. The work advocates a new social system which is updated to present day knowledge, highly influenced by the life long work of Jacque Fresco and The Venus Project.

As with everything else, always remember to discern information you receive and don't just readily believe that because it's in a movie (or documentary) that it's true... having said that, I don't want to tell you that everything contained in the zeitgeist movies are lies, but there are some things that they claim and portray as the truth, without necessarily having factual knowledge of. And just to set the record straight, I'm not opposed to the movies, but in fact, I'm happy that they're out there and so readily available to the public. I think they're both must-sees and I wish that more people would see them.

What I don't understand though, is why the maker of the movies, Peter Joseph, is also using these movies to rant about and debunk religion, especially Christianity. I mean, of course I understand why someone do do that.. but for someone who is uncovering government secrets and their hidden agendas, it doesn't seem too smart to be so obvious about one you have yourself. I mean, all the facts presenting how Christianity enslaves believers really just shows a lack of understanding of what Christianity actually is. Also, the solutions given to counter religion, ironically, are based on concepts and ideologies taken from the New-Age movement. Seriously, is the message to tell people to stop being Christians and become New-Agers?

I don't want to rant about what I don't like about the movies too much either, but I do think it's important to point out that Peter Joseph is doing the same thing with the movies as he's trying to warn us about: influencing us to believe something. While a lot of the things talked about in the movies are good things to know, he's also asking us to reject religion. I wonder why..

Need directions to McMillin Event Center in Point Loma?

2009-03-10T12:54:00.000-07:00

Address:
NTC Promenade, Point Loma
2875 Dewey, San Diego, CA 92106
619-573-9309

From the North: From Interstate 5, take Rosecrans South. Enter NTC Promenade at Roosevelt and Rosecrans (Gate 3). Free parking is available in Parking Lot G (corner of Roosevelt and Truxtun).

From the South: From Interstate 5, take the Pacific Highway exit. Stay to the left and take the Barnett Avenue exit. Continue straight onto Lytton. Take a left on Sellers Plaza (Gate 1). Sellers Plaza will merge to Truxtun. Cross over Roosevelt Rd. Free parking is available in Parking Lot G (corner of Roosevelt and Truxtun).

From the East: From Interstate 8, take the Rosecrans exit. Continue on Rosecrans to Roosevelt. Enter the NTC Promenade by taking a left on Roosevelt (Gate 3). Free parking is available in Parking Lot G (corner of Roosevelt and Truxtun).

From Downtown or the Airport: From Downtown, take Harbor Drive past airport to Laning Road. Turn Right and take it to Rosecrans. Right on Rosecrans and right on Roosevelt (Gate 3). Free parking is available in Parking Lot G (corner of Roosevelt and -Truxtun).

driving

2009-03-02T07:20:00.000-08:00

ok, this is maybe weird for some... lately, i've been noticing how things that happen in the world, like to economy, the elections etc. have been influencing the way people drive, at least in San Diego. I mean, some of you already know that I don't have a TV and that I'm not particularly fond of the news or the media. but with this new-found "gift" i don't have to watch it on TV -I just drive.

I'm also curious as to if there are others who are experiencing this stuff. Seriously, before the elections, there was a heightened sense of confusion, afterwards it seemed lighter and more fluid. Then the other day it was really crazy, people were all over the place, cutting others off, creating dangerous situations etc. A fluke? nope- I asked a friend about the news, and sure enough: the Dow had just dropped a whole bunch...

confused?

2009-01-14T11:33:00.000-08:00

I was just just reading an article by John Shore called "Are The Great Commandment and The Great Commission Incompatible?"
He breaks the two down as follows:

1. Fulfilling Jesus’ “Great Commandment” means loving our neighbors as we love ourselves.

2. Fulfilling Jesus “Great Commission” (”Therefore go and make disciples of all nations …”) means sharing the gospel with nonbelievers, in the hopes that they’ll really hear the message of Jesus, believe in Him, and become Christians.

3. Putting The Great Commandment into words means saying to a nonbeliever something that, in essence, amounts to, “I love you with all of my heart.”

4. Putting The Great Commission into words means saying to a nonbeliever something that, in essence, amounts to, “You should exchange whatever you believe in now for belief in Jesus Christ.”

5. Boiled down even further, “You should exchange whatever you believe in now for belief in Jesus Christ,” amounts to, “You need to radically change who you are.”

6. ”I love you with all my heart,” and “You need to radically change who you are” is a confusing, unhelpful message.

7. Maybe we should rethink how we do evangelism.

---------------

I think that as christians we've omitted parts of the great commission. The great commandment though remains what it is. The thing with the great commission is that it is the "sharing the gospel with nonbelievers". But we often forget what the gospel, which means good news, is in this context.

Yes, it is the gospel of salvation that says "we are all sinners and we are doomed to burn in hell, but jesus christ paid the price in our place, so that if we believe in him, our sins are forgiven and we can now go to heaven". What we often forget though, is that there's also the gospel that the kingdom of god is right here on earth or "at hand". What I mean is that in the context of "sharing" my faith with unbelievers, it is the kingdom of god shining through from the inside out that people around us notice and want to know "hey, you're different. why?". Or showing kindness to someone
who didn't expect it and then wonders why we do what we do.

So it is first the kingdom inside of us that is demonstrated. And then it is communicating the gospel of the kingdom, that this kingdom can also be inside of the unbeliever because of the gospel of salvation.

Now, here's the tricky thing: the great commission can only be fulfilled by fulfilling the great commandment. They MUST go hand in hand, or none of them can be effective.

What's REALLY going on in Israel

2009-01-04T14:57:00.000-08:00

I found this quite interesting...

"The Middle East war is not now and never was a conflict between Israelis/Jews on the one hand and Palestinians on the other. In fact, the Arab-"Palestinians", while currently the perpetrators of most of the anti-Jewish atrocities, were never a very important part of the conflict. In fact, before about 1970, virtually no one in the world considered the Middle East conflict to be one between Israelis and Palestinians.

"The term "Palestinian" itself had referred to Israeli Jews back in the 1940s, and had been slowly deconstructed and redefined to refer to the Arabs in the West Bank and Gaza. The Middle East Conflict was always a war by Arabs against Jews, not a conflict between Israelis and "Palestinians." The war was repackaged as a conflict between Jews and Palestinians as a public relations gimmick by the Arab fascist regimes. These regimes had never had any interest in "Palestinians," in creating a "Palestinian" state, or in "Palestinian nationalism" before 1967. That is because Palestinian nationalism did not and DOES NOT exist. The Palestinians were a regional group of Arabs having virtually no cultural nor national distinctive traits separating them from Syrians, Lebanese, and Jordanians. They are all basically Arabs!

"The bulk of what are called "Palestinian Arabs" are members of families who migrated into the Land of Israel beginning in the late 19th century. Palestinian nationalism is a mislabeling of Arab nationalism. Arab nationalism exists, although it is closely bound up with Islamic nationalism and even Islamism. Palestinian nationalism, however, is a phantom. It is nothing more than genocidal hatred of Jews.

"The Arab assaults and aggressions against Israel in 1948, 1956, 1967, 1968, and 1973 had nothing to do with Palestinians. The Palestinian terror campaign would itself be easy to suppress today and eradicate if the Middle East conflict were really a Palestinian-Israeli conflict. Israel would simply obliterate the terrorists and expel their supporters to Syria and Lebanon. The Middle East war continues because it is really an Arab-Israeli war, not an Israeli-Palestinian conflict. In many ways it's an Islamic religious jihad against the Jews."

You might be from San Diego if:

2008-12-16T11:58:00.000-08:00

(got this from a friend on facebook)

Every street name is either in Spanish or Spanish related, and you're surprised when other areas don't have this.

You can determine the accuracy of someone's "i'm ghetto" claim by knowing their high school. For example, El Camino High School, Hoover High School, or Crawford High School

You see weather forcasts for four different climate zones in the same county, and aren't remotely surprised.

You routinely go or have gone to Pat & Oscar's solely to get breadsticks.

You've ever gone to Downtown San Diego and marveled at the homeless people mingling with the rich young urbanities.

You've gone to Mt. Helix in July and known you still need a jacket.

You've tailgated at Qualcomm Stadium, and for bonus points, also tailgated when it was Jack Murphy Stadium

You've been to the Wild Animal Park but can't remember the last time you went to the Zoo.

You've ever been on a field trip to see an Imax movie at the Reuben H. Fleet Science Center.

You still call it the Del Mar Fair.

You say "i'm going to the track" and people know what you mean.

You understand what May-Gray and June-Gloom is.

A famous skateboarder/surfer lives in your town.

There's a North County, a South County, and an East County but no Central County.

"Mossy Nissan! Mossy Nissan! Mossy Nissan Moves You!"

You know what it means when two guys are walking in Hillcrest.

You know what it means when a girl in a short skirt is walking on El Cajon Blvd.

You've gotten stuck in the Horton Plaza parking structure traffic after a Padres game.

You know what "The Merge" is, and will plan your entire day around not being on it during rush hour(s).

You've ever been to Belmont Park and rode the Big Dipper.

(For North County) You remember the days before the all the big movie theaters opened. And when they did. First the Edwards in San Marcos, then the Regal in Oceanside, then the Krikorian in Vista, and finally the Regal in Escondido.

You've ever taken the Coaster and laughed at people sitting in traffic on the 5.

You know the difference between Clairemont Mesa, Kearny Mesa, and Mira Mesa.

You can correctly pronounce Tierrasanta, La Jolla, Rancho Penasquitos, Cabrillo, Jamacha, San Ysidro, Otay Mesa, and El Cajon.

You've ever gone to Sea World on a warm day and sat in the first few rows at the Shamu Show to get cooled off.

You've ever been delayed at the Border Checkpoints on the 5 and the 15.

There are more bands than people.

Your house doesn't have air conditioning.

You know it's San Diegan, not San Diegoan, or San Diegoite.

Everyone has their favorite beach.

No matter what the weather is, there is always someone walking around in a t-shirt, shorts, and flip flops.

You live on, near or are surrounded by hills.

You hate tourists and their bad driving. GET OFF THE ROAD NORTH DAKOTA, NOBODY WANTS YOU HERE. SERIOUSLY. GO HOME.

You have family and or friends that have moved to Arizona.

There are four distinct seasons: Nice, Nice, Nice, and A Little Chilly.

Your house is worth more than the GDP of some small countries.

You know what MB, OB, and PB stand for.

You used to, and sometimes still do ride the carousel at Seaport Village.

You know someone who doesn't own pants, and have a neighbor who doesn't seem to own a shirt.

Your high school had a surf team.

You know what Santa Ana's are, and that they have literally nothing to do with the city of Santa Ana.

You know what a California burrito is.

You never, under any circumstances call it anything other than "the Gaslamp."

You never, under any circumstances call it anything other than "L.A."

Julian Pies.

You're shocked when you find out people have never been to the beach, and even more shocked to find out some have never seen the Ocean.

In elementary school you were forced to do countless "duck and cover" earthquake drills.

Your childhood dream was to become a dolphin trainer at Sea World.

You know or have known countless guys under 5'9'' tall that own huge lifted trucks to account for their shortcomings.

You love driving on the 52, just for those crazy bumps that they always try (and fail) to smooth over.

You know someone who knows someone who knows Reggie Bush.

You remember where you were the day of the Santana High School Shootings.

When you were a kid you thought the Mormon Church was a castle, or Disneyland.

You know what this sign means:
http://www.trafficsignstore.com/W54.jpg

You still call it Christmas on the Prado

"Nobody beats, El Cajon Ford!"

You've never had a snow day, but you've had a week off for fires.

Every time there's a major snow storm in the Midwest or the Northeast, the next day's newspaper has a picture of children playing on the beach on the front page.

You remember going to the WB store at UTC as a kid and playing in that tunnel thing they had.

Everytime you watch the weather you expect to hear "and here's the KUUUUUUUUUUUUUSI forecast" and/or "no flipping!" because of John Coleman.

You know the worst traffic in the world is Saturday morning-afternoon going south on the 5 and Sunday afternoon-evening going north on the 5.

You remember when 619 was the only area code in San Diego. And you get a little excited when you see Reggie Bush put 619 on his eye black.

You can surf and snowboard in the same day, but you've never felt like actually doing it.

You know the difference between UCSD and SDSU.

You know all the places where "Bring it On" and "Top Gun" were filmed.

Pretty much every area has a high school with "Rancho" in the name.

You've heard the phrase "Spring comes in Summer, Summer comes in Fall, Fall comes in Winter, and Winter not at all."

You've talked about going to Vegas when you turn 21 for like 5 years.

You've had Carne Asada Fries.

You've watched the Prep Pigskin Report, and most likely know someone on it.

You remember Premium 92/1, Q106.5, Star 100.7, and my 94.1.

You know that Cal Worthington will never die.

You went on a field trip to Cabrillo National Monument on Point Loma.

You know what "The Turko Files" are, and are still a little afraid of his mustache.

You know what Lou's Records is, and that they have EVERYTHING.

Todd Bentley

2008-12-05T22:19:00.000-08:00

This has been on my mind for a while...

Those who have the pleasure of interacting with me during the day, know that I've been very excited about the outpourings that have been happening all around the world.

For those who don't know what I'm talking about, maybe you remember the Toronto Blessing in the mid-90s. Basically, what happened there in a small Airport Vineyard Church, is happening now again, just in more places at the same time, more powerful, more intense, and continually increasing. God is once again pouring out His spirit into His people (See Joel 2:28-32 and Acts 2). And from the looks of it and the reports, this is not going to stop! We're on the fast-track for a full-blown revival that will sweep across the nation and finally the whole earth!

for those who still haven't a clue of what I'm talking about, please email me or call me. We should hang out and talk about it over a cup of coffee :-)

Sooo... Todd Bentley..... and the revival in Lakeland. Man, the poor guy has been getting so much criticism and has been having to take so much crap. Yes, his methods seem quite odd when he's praying for people to get healed, like the lady he kicked in the face or the guy he knee-ed in the gut, but those people got healed didn't they? He says that God told him to do so. Oh, and I've heard my share of stories about people getting healed that way before too, so I know that it happens (my sources are very trustworthy).

The crazy thing is that he's being criticized by his own people, shot and stabbed in the back by Christians! That's really sickening to me. If you feel the need to judge him, at least do it in the biblical way, like a "real" Christian, by judging him by his fruits - he has lead over 1'000'000 people to Christ before he was 30...how many people have you lead to Christ (and think about it before you cast the first stone)?
The fruit speaks for itself.

(Sorry, but I must vent a little)

It was once prophesied over him that he would be covered in tattoos by the age of 30 and that he would offend those with a religious spirit. Man, have I never seen so many offended Christians! It definitely came true, but now we have a problem: the surprisingly powerful religious spirit in the church. And the scary thing is that people I've least expected to be offended by Todd's ministry, are some of those most opposed to him. Another thing that I think kinda flows into the same bucket, so to speak, is how many Christians oppose his ministry in arrogance, as to what denomination they belong to. What I keep hearing is "Oh, we don't do that in this denomination, but they do that in theirs." Or something like "Prophecy is a pentecostal thing; we don't operate in the gifts of the spirit in this church."

WTF???? - excuse my french (i know it's not really french)
Do they even look into a bible occasionally? The whole thing is overflowing with some of the weirdest experiences that people have with God and His power! Prophecy and speaking in tongues should be an everyday/normal thing compared to some of that other stuff!

What we really need to do as Christians is get serious about our faith. Yes, I'm talking to myself here too. We keep talking about being different and letting the world see that we're different and that what we have is so awesome that they should want it too. But we can't do that if we don't have anything to show...

The latest thing I've been hearing is reports about people getting saved through a prophetic word being given to them from a Christian. Basically, you're in the grocery store and God gives you a word of knowledge about the person standing right next to you and you share it with them. Their eyes fall out and their jaw drops to the floor because there's no way you could have known that about them. Then you tell them that God told you and he loves them and then you share the gospel with them and lead them to Christ...How simple is that? Don't say that the prophetic was for the 1st century church but God doesn't work that way anymore..People are getting added to the kingdom today, daily, because of it.

Friends, it's that time...time to get serious.

House & Cutty?

2008-11-22T02:23:00.000-08:00

Who else was surprised by the ending of that episode when the two of them kissed? Who was not surprised when House made it all the way to her door step, but failed to follow through on asking her out..or whatever he planned to do, had he not turned away in the last moment?

Wow, I know we all thought it, but now the writers took that extra step. There always was that attraction and tension, but now it all seems out of whack... Oh, the attraction and tension are still there, but now it's starting to get weird. Will the writers keep us in that place of un-balanced-ness to keep that extra tension, or will the issue be resolved quickly?

If Cutty was right, that everyone would be unhappy if she and House were dating, wouldn't that make you want to see how fun that could be? Or maybe House is right, and he is destined to be alone, and everything will go back to normal...Isn't that what usually happens? Mustn't the show go on :-) ??

Ministry of Hope

2008-11-12T21:28:00.000-08:00

I started a bible study at my school.

Well, it's not "just" a bible study. Actually, it's a club...because at my school we have clubs for different interest groups. We called it Ministry of Hope and apart from being a bible study where a bunch of Christians get together and have a good time, we also are literally a ministry that brings hope to our school. Click the link to find more information...

Hope...I think that's the first thing that came to mind when thinking of ways to make a difference at Ai. See, I see so many students at my school struggling with all sorts of things and especially during finals (which is about every 3 months for about 3 weeks), and I feel compelled to do something.

The club has now been in existence for about a month and we are 4 regular members. Today we launched a food drive, inviting faculty, staff, and students to participate, to start a food bank at the school. There are actually students at my school who can't make ends meet, so much so that they sometimes have to go without food to pay the bills. So counselors at school and our club decided to organize a food drive and start a food bank for students.

Yes on Prop 8

2008-11-10T15:52:00.000-08:00

Ok, I don't want to sound like a religious fanatic or one who hates gay people. I don't. But for me it is a moral issue that when I'm asked if gay people should be allowed to marry, I'll "tolerate" their gay life style even though I don't agree with it, but when I'm asked about supporting the putting in place of a moral law, I have to go with what I believe is moral.

Some people say that we can't legislate morality...How stupid is that? That's all we ever legislate! If we wouldn't legislate morality, we couldn't have laws against murder, rape, theft etc. - all of which are moral laws - Can you imagine the mess we would be in right now if we couldn't legislate moral laws?

Now, after the elections, I'm seeing people protesting in the streets over Proposition 8 being passed. This is so stupid! California voted, and it passed - get over it! Obama won the presidency and there's about 38 million people out there who didn't vote for him. Should they go out into the streets and protest too now?

Others argue that gay marriage is a civil right and compare it to the civil rights movement back when african-americans wanted to be treated equally. How is being gay a civil right, like being african-american? Is there now suddenly a gay race? This is not a civil issue, it's a moral issue... And 52 percent of Californians believe that it is not moral for gay couples to get married. Get over it. Heck, there's people out there that believe that being gay is not moral and if 52 percent of Californians thought that way, it would be illegal to be gay in this state since Wednesday...be happy with what you have!

I found this as part of an old email and just wanted to pass it on....

2008-10-28T08:56:00.000-07:00

When you snuggle into bed, hear a bird chirp, switch on a machine that takes some of the slavery out of washing, do you marvel at God's love gifts to you? When, like the most faithful servant, a clock wakes you at just the right time; when your bare foot touches carpet instead of dirt; when you switch on a light that would have astonished everyone who was ever born until relatively recently; and when you look in a small mirror that King Solomon would have paid a fortune to own, does your heart skip a beat at the lengths your Father in heaven goes to say 'I love you'? Or, like the worst spoilt child, do you just complain about how much your brothers and sister get?

By making you feel as if God loves you less than certain other Christians, it seems as if Satan is attacking your self-esteem, but he isn't. He is attacking the integrity of God. He is hissing that God's love is so inadequate that it is only people who have certain qualities whom God can love or be gracious to. That's a lie! God's love toward you is perfect. God is for you. He's cheering you on. He's on your side!

In this world, success is often relative - the closer the relative, the higher you go. Don't decry the system: remember who you call Father.

Christian, you are the focus of divine love; filled with the majesty of Almighty God; spiritually enthroned with Christ in his heavenly palace; granted the highest level of access to the greatest Person, and the holiest place. You are the work of divine hands, made perfect in Christ Jesus. And enshrined within your being resides the infinite power of the sovereign Lord.

Top fashion model Claudia Schiffer has been nominated the most beautiful woman in the world. Yet as a teenager, she concluded from her lack of popularity at school that she was not beautiful. We make a similar mistake in assuming that if we are not popular with people, we lack what it takes to make it in a big way with God.

Nothing could be further from the truth....

Obama is a SNAKE

2008-10-25T18:27:00.000-07:00

Apparently, that statement is very unpopular here in California...
But i can't copy all the issues i have with him in here. You have to find out for yourself. Here's a good site: ontheissues.org
Here's another one: factcheck.org
Both unbiased and nonpartisan...
Obama is a deceiver and you need to watch out for him; read the fine print! McCain doesn't sound all that smart either, but at least he gives you straight answers, unlike Obama who embeds his quite dangerous answers inside of seemingly very appealing answers.

Vote YES on Prop8!!

2008-10-03T10:25:00.000-07:00

I don't hate gay people, but I don't agree with their lifestyle...and it seems that if you're accepting of it, they'll walk all over you......don't let this get out of hand!

hey again

2007-02-10T13:27:00.000-08:00

Wow! It's been such a long time since I've been on here and posted something..
Well, I guess I've kinda been taking a break from writing newsletters and now that I'm also posting blogs and bulletins on myspace there's even less time to write stuff on here.
I guess it's still best to just email me to stay in touch and find out what's going on in my life. What I can say is that right now I'm super busy.
I'm still at the Art Institute and loving it and this quarter I'm taking 5 classes of 4 hours each. Two of them I have about 6 hours of homework for each week and the rest are around 2-4 hours. See my website for some work I've been doing: www.dgurtner.ch
I'm still working for Starbucks, still loving it too, but not as much as I used to. I've been having some trouble with my manager and also other issues that have made it harder to love my job. If I can find something with equal pay and benefits, and maybe closer to what I'm studying, I'm likely to change jobs. I will miss the great smell and free coffee though.
This evening and tomorrow morning I will be playing drums at my church, my usual weekend activity. Right now I feel that I am exactly where God wants me to be doing what he's created me to do. Just the fact that so many things are moving forward in our church and I get to be a part of it, for example being the answer to a prayer of my worship leader for a new drummer, back in the day when I moved to San Diego.
Since, I have seen our church grow in numbers and in maturity. We have also planted a new Church in Ocean Beach, the answer to the call placed on Rob and Rebecca and myself when we move here from Indianapolis. And we are getting ready to plant one in Solana Beach too.
Wow, just looking back at all that amazes me.. just how God had already planned it out so well and how so many unimaginable connections were made to let it happen.. Amazing!!
Well, I'm off now to sound check at our Ocean Beach service. I hope y'all have a great weekend and that God will bless you and use you in a mighty way!

Are the Swiss unfriendly?

2006-09-08T17:38:00.000-07:00

Occasionally I'll be asked this question by people who visit or move to Switzerland and find it hard to find friends. One thing I know for sure is that if you have friends in Switzerland they are great friend and the friendships last for life (I've already lived long enough to say that, right :-)
So are the Swiss unfriendly? So far I've observed in the Swiss German parts of Switzerland that the younger generation is way more friendly and open to foreigners, new ideas and changes. The older generation likes to keep things private, thinking nowhere else except inside the box and usually isn't very friendly towards foreigners or new concepts and changes. But i think you can also find that a little everywhere.
I've also noticed that alot of the Swiss usually are good finger pointers and fault finders. And if there's something going on in the world like the US invading Iraq then they're usually unfriendly toward Americans.
But I haven't noticed them being generally unfriendly. Of course, i did grow up in Zimmerwald, a little village outside of Bern and still have a lot of friends there. When my family moved to Meilen, on the lake of Zurich, I made new friends there. The Swiss are proud of their dialect of Swiss German. And yes, I had to take alot of crap about my dialect being very different from my class mates'. But I learned to speak Züridütsch too. And I still have alot of great friends all around Zurich too.
I think that maybe when we come to a place in Switzerland where we don't speak the same language or dialect that pride of the language kicks in and that's maybe part of the trouble, at least at the beginning. But we have to try to adapt, try to speak the same, even if we suck at it. People DO open up when they see that you're trying.
By the way, that's also a general rule for if you're ever in the french speaking part of Switzerland or in France. Most french speaking Swiss also know German, actually even very well. When you go there and you try to speak german with them, they usually won't help you and aren't friendly. But if you at least try to speak french and suck at it, they usually see that you're making the effort and open up, usually they'll even proudly speak german at times if you get stuck.
In France it's alot the same. Usually you can get by by asking if they speak english the first thing you say, not a god idea though. But if you actually try to speak french with your very appearant non-french accent, doors open up and you'll probably be having a conversation in english a few minutes later. The French usually are proud english speakers too.
So I guess the biggest problem is a pride issue and if you raise the person in front of you above you, let go of some of that pride, then things get easier much quicker. Don't forget, you're in THEIR country.

some recent blurbs

2006-09-04T18:45:00.000-07:00

yeah.. after this crazy day at your favorite coffee shop i've been doing some thinking.. i mean, my manager seems to just keep picking on me and think of reasons to give me crap.. i know he won't fire me because he doesn't want to hire new people and wait until they're trained well enough. but gosh, he's starting to drive me crazy.. maybe i'll leave first.. or transfer - just what he wants anyway..
especially now that i got my review i realize that i can't make it right for him anyway. first he tells me what needs to improve, then when i've improved and even he acknowledges it, then something else is bad.. and the review is just as crappy as the last one...
so WHY EVEN TRY when there's no difference???

Well, the difference is that i try and fail knowing that the outcome will be the same as if i don't try.. i just keep it to myself.. except today was an exceptionally bad day for me.. not sure why though.......

Other than those minor frustrating details I'm really happy and thankful. God has opened so many doors and shown me his grace countless times since i've moved here (and before too). It's really exciting to watch his plan for my life unfold the way it is and visions and dreams that he's shown me years ago start becoming a reality.
Oh, what exciting times we live in right now!!

We are the rich man in the parable

2006-07-05T03:43:00.000-07:00

In sunday's message Steve gave us an example of how rich we (Americans) really are and put some things a little more into perspective for me. He read a recently conducted statistic that shows the following (and more):
- The US is 6% of the world's population, but we use 40% of its resources
- Only 8% of people who live in this world can afford to have/drive a car
- One billion people in this world do not have clean drinking water
So I have been thinking about it.. Gosh, we are really blessed! One thing that comes to mind also is the parable of the rich man and the beggar in Luke 16. I cannot help but but draw a parallel between us as the rich man and the 3rd world as the beggar.
The story does not end very happily for the rich man and I think that we are very likely to end up the same way if we don't do everything in our power to help the "beggar" of this world. The rich man lets the beggar have the crumbs of bread that fall from his table. But that's really just a lame gesture to use as an excuse to have actually done something to help the beggar. It's the rich man's "junk" - the stuff he doesn't want.
As the rich man in this world, we have to give more than is convenient to us. And especially not just our junk! It's still better not to waste what someone else still might be able to use. But to do this right, we need to invite the beggar to sit at our table and enjoy the meal with us. And we need to take care of him, fix up his wounds give a bed, a bath, clean clothes.
I understand that there's a lot of things already being done out there and I'm very happy for that. But there is just so much that still can and needs to be done. Myself included, we live in our own individual worlds and would rather have the newest gadget than help someone else in some 3rd world country get food for a month or clean water or maybe some medical aid.
I think when we start living more outside of our comfort zone to help someone in need, the closer the true kingdom of God will come into this world.

how can TV become an idol?

2006-06-25T18:38:00.000-07:00

Yes, I've just finished my first accelerated quarter at the Art Institute. Five and a half weeks instead of eleven, but twice as fast. Now I have three weeks off until the next quarter starts. That means more work at Starbucks. But it also means having more free time. Sadly, I've realized, it also means more time to be doing nothing.
Most of my time is being spent in front of TV watching movies and series that I'm not really interested in. Finally, these days I've been coming to my senses. TV and the programming of the many stations have been dictating my life. When will I go out to buy groceries? Usually after I’ve seen this episode of “Law and Order”, and maybe even after the next one.
When I find myself doing this day by day, that’s when I need to watch out and learn to just switch it off. I can’t lat this device, that’s now become an idol; dictate the pace of my life.
As I was telling Gina today, maybe I should go out more, like to the beach, maybe pick up surfing. Yeah, right… Surfing!

It's done!!

2006-05-14T00:34:00.000-07:00

Woohoo, it finally all worked out! I mean, going to the Art Institute. And of course getting approved for the student loan. So on Thrusday, May 11th, I had my first class, Fundamental of Design. Very interesting.. I am so excited!

on second thought

2006-04-22T00:48:00.001-07:00

on second thought and after reviewing the programs at the Art Institute a little closer I realized that I would be a much better fit for the Interactive Media Design program. because of what is being taught I realized that there I would basically be earning college credit and a bachelors of science in Interactive Media Design all while I'm doing stuff that I've been doing on the side for years!!

how 'bout something completely different?

2006-04-17T08:39:00.000-07:00

you know.. i was just thinking.. what if i go back to school and study something completely different than bio/chemistry or teaching..?
how about art, media, design? i checked out the website of the Art Institute which is located very close to my new place and kinda got interested, http://www.aicasd.artinstitutes.edu/
i was thinking that getting a Bachelors of Science in the Media Arts & Animation Program could get very interesting and
is something that I already like to do a lot..
What do you think about all that?

i moved

2006-04-07T23:26:00.000-07:00

aha

2006-04-07T23:24:00.000-07:00

Ok, so here’s the deal..
in some earlier entry I mentioned the story of when Joshua led the Israelites into the promised land and I was wondering about the whole promised land thing. But what keeps getting clearer to me now is the part where the Israelites ate from the produce of the land and the same day the manna stopped coming.
Now, for some reason I thought that there’s something very significant about that event at the time but I didn’t know why. But that’s the part I’m starting to understand now and why it’s so significant.
See, in the desert they’ve been eating manna from heaven every day – Gods supernatural provision – for 40 years. When they came into the promised land it was a land they no longer needed supernatural provision.. or so they thought.
There surely was enough food. But the problem was that they stopped counting on God to provide it for them. Sure, God provided by bringing them to that place. But their trust was no longer in God but in the land and their ability to get the food on their own.
That’s were we (especially me) have to watch out. Count on God in everything. Sure, he gave us abilities, talents, strengths, resources, friends, families etc. but we need to keep our hope and trust in him and not in those things. That kind of an attitude would make life as a lukewarm christian impossible because it forces me to constantly be in prayer and keep my focus totally on him. There is no room for a superficial relationship because such trust and dependence is so crucial.
I’m guessing that’s the lesson I need to learn right now. You know revival’s coming.. and it starts with us. So he’s making sure we’ll be prepared..!

wow, it's been a while

2006-03-28T09:36:00.000-08:00

really, i've been thinking about updating a lot lately.. but i've just been busy and so much new stuff keeps happening. when i get a chance though, i'll put in some very important new things in here. for now, here's something i just read in the MorningStar Word for the Week:
"Most of the troubles we suffer in our own lives are the result of things we try to do without God. Many are the result of choices we make without even consulting Him. We may think that this is just what we were talking about, how the Lord does not want to control us, but has set us free to make our own choices. That is correct, but there is a difference between God dictating to us what He wants and Him wanting to walk with us just as He did with Adam, having fellowship in our choices.
The most basic purpose for which God created mankind was for fellowship. We are not maturing, and we are not fulfilling our purpose unless we are growing in this fellowship."
That's a something i've been chewing on for the last week or so.. the situation seems to be clear: yesterday my car stopped working, on the weekend i just moved and am barely making it finacially, i keep looking for lab jobs and somehow the hiring companies keep closing their openings for no real reason when i apply for a position..
I really long to have the kind of fellowship Adam and Eve, Abraham, or David had and it seems that that's when i have the biggest struggles.

MySpace

2006-02-28T19:25:00.000-08:00

yeah.. i did it too now.. i got myself a MySpace account.. http://www.myspace.com/thegurtner

some praise worth mentioning

2006-02-28T14:41:00.000-08:00

some of you might know that parking here at the apartment complex is a nightmare. some people actually have moved away because of all the trouble they've had. usually parking's fine between 0700 and 1500 which is great for me when i get off work during that time so often. but outside of that window it's hard to find anything "reasonable".
so my prayer often is to get a parking spot within walking distance (which for me is slightly farther than the average american because i actually enjoy walks :-) and just this week i been seeing this prayer answered ever so often.
last night i was coming home from bible study around 2200 and couldn't find a spot anywhere near our place. so i drove around for sometime and prayed and sure enough someone got into there car accross the street from the apartment and left just as i came around the corner. Hallelujah!

swiss flag

2006-02-18T21:28:00.000-08:00

Yesterday i finished a new paint job on the car. i made a swiss flag in the shape of the outline of the country of switzerland and made a back cloud around it that sort of flows into the stuff that was already painted on it. i left the edges on the windows silver because i think it goes really well with the black. check it out on: http://www.dgurtner.ch/car.jpg

Seriously, would you do that??

2006-02-11T10:00:00.000-08:00

So I’ve been checking out possibilities of getting a research job through the US Army.
There’s a way to get a scholarship from the Army to get the college degree in whatever you want while also taking certain Army courses and upon graduation you’ll have your degree and be an Officer (Second Lieutenant) in the US Army. Then you need to serve. Pay them back. The Program is called Army ROTC (Reserve Officers' Training Corps).
It’s really a good thing if you want a career in the army. Even research positions.
The question is, if you were me, would you do that? If you’ve got dual citizenship and have already served in the Swiss Army, would you want to go through the same stuff again. Including a much tougher basic training and the possibility of being sent to Iraq or some other place where there’s a real war and a real enemy that you have to kill before he kills you?
And as if that’s not enough, there’s the possibility of working on top secret research projects. The only thing that you have to do before getting there is give up your citizenship of any country other than the US.
A place where you grew up. Spent most of your life. At least half of your family and some of your best friends live there. You speak the language fluently, sometimes even talk to yourself in it. Give that up?

more german

2006-01-10T23:07:00.000-08:00

Man könnte wohl unsere Ziele hier mit missionarischer Arbeit vergleichen. Letzten Sonntag haben wir uns zum ersten mal als Hauskirche getroffen und planen weitere Hauskirchen hier in der gegend zu gründen, mit dem ziel die party/beach-community zu Gott zu führen. Und wir arbeiten mit verschieden Kirchen hier eng zusammen, die gleiche ziele haben. In der Zwischenzeit gehöre ich auch wieder zu einer Kirche hier, ähnlich wie die in Zürich und Indianapolis, und spiele wieder Schlagzeug in der Band.
Die Arbeit hier ist immer noch die gleiche.. bei Starbucks. der neue Laden ist aber ca. 3 mal grösser und es kommen 10 mal mehr Leute als beim alten.. und es geht etwa 20 mal hektischer zu und her.
die Arbeit mit Kindern würde ich gerne wieder tun, habe aber noch keine möglichkeit gehabt, wieder einzusteigen. Es ist jedoch immer noch ein Ziel von mir, wieder in die Schule zu gehen um Lehrer zu werden. Es ist einfach in der Zwischenzeit ein eher längerfristiges Ziel geworden. Vorallem weil meine Laboranten-Lehre hier immer wieder anders anerkannt wird. Ich habe aber auch evtl. auch die Möglichkeit wieder im Labor zu arbeiten, was wieder besser dazu beitragen kann, einen College abschluss zu bekommen und danach weiter in die Schule zu gehen. Es geht halt momentan ein bisschen mühsam voran..

mini neuschti news uf zueriduetsch

2006-01-02T10:58:00.000-08:00

bi mir isch wiehnachte echli komisch gsi.. ich han müese schaffe und bin wit wäg vo minere familie gsi. han aber viel chöne mit ne telefoniere. und in San Diego schneits nöd.. es isch für mich s'erscht mal gsi dasi kei wissi wiehnachte gha han. defür isches sunnig und warm gsi!
ich han neuerdings möglichkeite wieder irgendwo imene labor ga schaffe, was natürlich äu nöd schlächt wär. Bi Starbucks gfallts mir scho immer no aber für längerfrischtig isches finanziell nöd eso guet.. und luschtigerwies hilft esone labor-firma viel besser mitem ischtieg zum id schuel zgah und en usbildig zum lehrer wärde z'übercho.
Mit de Chile klappets bi mir äu immer besser.. ich han ja eini gfunde wo ich immer wieder lüt triffe wohni scho vode arbeit her känne. das isch u cool. und es isch e no sehr chlini chile wo no jede fascht jede kännt, e grossi familie. fascht echli wie's ICF womer no im Limmat-Hotel gsi sind. Und woni grad neu han agfange ga hani gfröget was für ministry no hilf bruchet und die hämer dänn gseit sie bruchet im neue Jahr unbedingt en Schlagzüger. jetzt hani mal mit de band güebt und am sunntig probewis gspillt und s'isch alles super gange. Gott hät würklich glueget dasses klappet!
Und ich bin ja mit fründe us minere Chile in Indianapolis nach San Diego züglet zum e neui Chile gründe, en art "beach ministry". Geschter abig hämer eus zum erschte mal "offiziell" als huus-chile troffe und es isch total abgange mit gebät und worship und emene churze bsuech vom tüfel wo für ihn aber nöd so guet isch usecho. und für eus isches e wahnsinnigi ermuetigung dass mir ide letschte zit viel agriff händ - das heisst dass mir ganz sicher öppis richtig mached und er eus versuecht devo abzhalte. Jesus hät eh scho de Sieg.. mir müend nur no s'land inäh und ernte!
Ich wünsch eu allne es guets und gsägnets neus jahr!

what am i still missing?

2005-12-30T21:09:00.000-08:00

...So Joshua said to the Israelites:"How long will you wait before you begin to take possessions of the land that the LORD, the God of your fathers, has given you?" (Joshua 18:3)

something is bound to change very soon

2005-12-25T21:50:00.000-08:00

For some time now (like the last 3-4 months, especially during the move) the following verse has been in my mind: The LORD had said to Abram, "Leave your country, your people and your father's household and go to the land I will show you." (Gen 12:1). God does actually say some more things after that, blessings etc., but just that verse has been on my mind.
When I look back it seems to be a lot like what I've just gone through. I've left my country, Switzerland, and even my people in Indiana, my father's and mother's and any other relative's household to move to San Diego.. not quite sure why.. God just kept saying "I'll show you when you get there, just go now, you'll see!"
Just in the last few days now I’ve been searching for God more intensely and I sort of stumbled across the passage in Joshua where God leads the Israelites into the promised land after wandering around in the desert for 40 years – funny, I just finished reading Rick Warren’s book “ the purpose driven life", a 40 day study.
Anyway, so they cross the Jordan, then God has all the men circumcised (whatever that could mean in my life) -> Then the LORD said to Joshua, "Today I have rolled away the reproach of Egypt from you." So the place has been called Gilgal to this day. <- (the whole story's in Joshua 3-5)
Then they celebrate Passover and the very next day they eat food made of the produce of the land and …there is no more manna. 40 years of eating manna every day, God’s miraculous provision in the desert, then they come to the land God promised them (Canaan) and switch to the food that's there.
So what does all this have to do with me?? I don’t know! But I do know that God is doing something very soon.. in fact He’s been doing a lot of great things lately.. but that’s just a foretaste, right? Can it be that God is leading me out of the desert i feel i've been wandering through and into one "flowing with milk and honey" ??

i asked for that, didn't i?

2005-12-02T20:13:00.000-08:00

finally, i have somewhat come to a decision for what i want to do in the future. lately i've been very occupied by figuring out what church i want to belong to, what kind of ministry to be a part of, and what career path to choose and get a college degree..and how in the world can i get enough work at Starbucks to pay for food, clothing and shelter (and a couple of other "add-ons").
i'm leaning very much towards going to college and becoming a teacher, preferably elementary school. so i need to talk to all kinds of advisors at all kinds of schools around here to figure out what my options are. another option would be to specialize my teaching in science where my advantage would be that i could (if it works out) work for a lab and at the same time take courses to teach science which might be reimbursed by that company too. and that kind of a job would most likely also pay enough to pay the rent and food.
church and ministry.. i've gone to the rock a few times and liked it a lot but to me it somehow seems too impersonal. although i'm well plugged into a small group and feel very at home there. but i don't feel it's the church where i will tithe and use my talents. i've been to South Coast Community Church in Pacific Beach a few times as well and i feel very much more at home there. it's much smaller than the rock and still has a close family kind of feel to it. plus they need a drummer and that's definitely my passion. and i've tried to contact the rock many times about drumming there and never heard back.
in the mean time i've hung out with one of the worship teams at SouthCoast and had lunch with the associate pastor. i feel like i've already known these people for a long time.
maybe with all these little situations God is sort of forcing me into the right direction..i asked for that, didn't i?

how true

2005-11-17T17:41:00.000-08:00

Remember how the Lord your God led you all the way in the desert these forty years, to humble you and to test you in order to know what was in your heart, whether or not you would keep his commands. He humbled you, causing you to hunger and then feeding you with manna, which neither you nor your fathers had known, to teach you that man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord.
- Deuteronomy 8:2-3

fraudulent charges on my credit card

2005-11-07T10:17:00.000-08:00

going over my credit card statement I found that I've been charged for services i never ordered. The first time I didn't think much of it because I thought that it my have been for a book or something I bought at amazon.com and that was just the name of the seller and I didn't look into it in more detail.
Around the same time I was hardly using that credit card anymore and had all my bills directed to another card. I should have paid more attention and checked my balance more often!
Not only was I charged around $25 for this service for about 4 months but because of my balance being so close to my credit limit, I was also charged overdraft and late payment fees when the balance finally did go over the limit because of those charges!
I found out that it's a scam by reading endless reports about the same thing happening to people who reported it on
http://www.ripoffreport.com
so i wrote a report myself to let people who read about it know how i had been tricked and and hopefully they don't get fooled. i also talked to the fraud department at my bank and they were very helpful. the nice lady said that the fraudulent charges in question will be reversed and they will investigate this case. she also closed the account and advised me to cut up my credit card which i did. they'll be sending me a new one within 2-3 weeks.
i also emailed the customer service from which i was being charged and said that they've charged me for something i didn't want and asked nicely how i can get out of this mess.
the answer i got was something like "you ordered this service when you ordered something on another website and you agreed to pay the membership fees by the same payment method as as you used on this other website." so basically this other company gave this fraudulent service my credit information.
so now i hope by closing down my credit card, reversing the charges and an ongoing investigation i've finally put an end to this nonsense!

God's provision (continued)

2005-10-20T13:57:00.000-07:00

ok, so here's what previously had been a scary situation for me: high medical bills, rent that appeared to be almost as high as my income and money that i owe people.
but just before i started to write this i was in the shower and thinking about the situation and i realized how much God had providing for me without me even noticing until now: my boss at Starbucks is making sure that i get to work 40 per week and with those numbers in mind i figured out that i'd be making more than 3x the amount i have to pay in rent!
the bills aren't gone yet and i still owe people money and will have to pay rent.. but now i can't imagine why i was afraid in this situation before.
i was also reminded of a statement i read on the door inside someones bathroom while i was in Switzerland: God provides for us by giving us work (as in a job that pays). God is just so providing for me this way right now!

God's provision

2005-10-18T09:54:00.000-07:00

yesterday i got my tips after working a pretty full week at Starbucks (33 hours). i was surprised that i got so much and at first thought somebody must have miscounted. got home there were letters and check cards from US Bank in the mail for my new bank account. i've been carrying checks from Indianapolis with to open the account and wasn't able to use them until now and my Bank One account in Indy is empty. Wow!
i was reminded of something Rob told me earlier that day: sometimes God just doesn't give you enough so that you can depend more on him and then in the end it always works out anyway. you see the big bills and the empty bank account and don't know what to do and ask him for help. then he'll surprise you..somehow..!

now in San Diego

2005-09-27T22:05:00.000-07:00

So here I am, after a 3 day trip from Indianapolis to San Diego, sitting on the sofa with my feet on a not-unpacked-yet box in our new apartment in Point Loma (San Diego). It’s really nice and it’s hard to believe that we’re here and already moved in and almost unpacked.
God has just soooo provided for us this whole time. My car is still up and running and it had unbelievably great mileage (around 30 miles/gallon) even though it was filled up with all my stuff, and it only (!) used 3 quarts of oil with the oil leak.
On Friday I’ll work my 1st shift at the Point Loma Starbucks. I already met the manager and some future colleagues and it seems to be a good place to work at.
Check out the new photo album on my website to see some photos of our 3 day trip and the new apartment and the area:
http://homepage.mac.com/danielgurtner/Archives/PhotoAlbum52.html

Katrina the Storm

2005-09-03T17:15:00.000-07:00

By now everyone knows about the Storm that hit the Gulf Area in the south USA.. it's terrible..! so i made this short video clip of some photos of the destruction down there. I used photos from Reuters and music by Martin Villiger and everyone who's seen it thinks i should send it to all the major news networks. so now i'm trying to find out all about getting the copyright/permission to actually use these media since none of it is made by me. it's just kinda crazy.. check it out if you haven't yet. click on the title of this entry to see a compressed version of it (approx. 2.5 MB, 2 min).

gas-madness

2005-09-01T18:32:00.000-07:00

so today i went to get gas.. it took more than 20 minutes to get less than 9 gallons of gas for more than $30! something seems to be seriously wrong. the cool thing is though that i had the chance to chat a little with people in the same situation at the gas station. so without knowing it this gas-madness might actually be a blessing..!

my new Starbucks store in San Diego

2005-09-01T18:31:00.000-07:00

woohoo everybody!
i just got off the phone with my new Starbucks store manager in CA.
He just asked me a few questions and then welcomed me to the team
and now i'm scheduled to work starting september 26th.
God did it again..! Thanks for praying!

the decision is made

2005-08-16T15:09:00.000-07:00

after lots of prayer and evaluating and thinking I've finally decided to do it. i'll be moving to San Diego this mid-September!
I don't really know what I'm doing but i do know that it's the right thing. So now I've been looking at schools over there to get my teaching degree. and since i'll need 1 year to establish residency in CA i'll have a whole year to figure out all the hoops that i'll have to jump through before I can start going to school.
Working for Starbucks won't be a problem because I can get a transfer to a store there so I'll already have a job lined up.
But primarily it's all about starting that beach ministry there - sort of bringing the church to the beach/party people who don't normally go to church through house churches in the community.
this is definitely a step off the ledge for me but i am confident that God will provide for much more than i can ever imagine lacking and trust that he has revealed it to me as my next step.

it's not over yet

2005-08-01T14:29:00.000-07:00

I've also just found out that at IUPUI I'm considered an international student because I haven't had my last 2 years of school in the US. As an international student my deadline for applying for the fall semester would have been on June 1st. but i can still apply for the spring 2006 semester and the deadline isn't until october 1st which gives me a little time to take the TOEFL (something like "test of english as a foreign language) which is required for international students. and i also need to take an SAT which is required from domestic students when they apply for financial aid and for that i'm considered an american citizen. so now basically i need to meet all the requirements of an inteernational student AS WELL as those of an american citizen. maybe after all that i'll finally get to go to school..!
A new possibility has just arisen to live in Evansville with my grandfather. It seems that the University of Southern Indiana (USI) has the same kind of programs and reputation as IUPUI. So there's a slight chance that i might be able to fit in there too.
At this point though San Diego seems to have come a little bit closer. I've also learned that since I've been working for Starbucks for more than a 1/2 year that it is possible to get a transfer to another city and that the pay there is adjusted to the cost of living. so the only other hurdle there is being a resident for more than 1 year.
well, i'll go back to some more thinking and talking to people and finding out new stuff..

San Diego or Indianapolis?

2005-07-29T20:00:00.000-07:00

San Diego or Indianapolis?
San Diego or Indianapolis?
San Diego or Indianapolis?
San Diego or Indianapolis?
San Diego or Indianapolis?
San Diego or Indianapolis?
San Diego or Indianapolis?
it's a tough decision to make.. today i've been mostly leaning more towards San Diego just because of the opportunity of a whole new experience. and there really aren't any very logical reasons to take this kind of a step even into consideration but i still feel strangely attracted to the idea. and then there are lots of logical and great reasons to stay in Indianapolis but somehow they still don't seem good enough.
i'm just sooo confused right now..!

a crazy week

2005-07-29T15:52:00.000-07:00

ok, last friday i got the evaluation of my swiss transcripts
back. they say that since i haven't taken any classes at the university level my diploma is officially the equivalent of a high school diploma in the united states. so in order to get a degree i would have to "start from scratch" and do a whole 4 years of college. sad news.. on the other hand all my options are open to go off and do anything anywhere. it's a great opportunity.
I've been considering the option of moving to San Diego with some friends and help start their new ministry since i'm not bound by anything here right now. The downside in that is that i'd have to live there for at least a year before being able to go to school because it costs so much more for non-residents. and then i'd also be real far away from my family (the part that lives in the us). i can't make up my mind on what to do next and there are a lot of logical reasons for staying in indianapolis and a lot of not-so-logical reason for going to san diego.
THEN this week my car caught on fire - flames coming out of the alternator! i put it out with a bottle of water i happened to have handy. when i called aaa it took them about 2 hours to get me to a place to get it looked at. but luckily i was stuck at a Starbucks during that time. that was on monday.
on thursday i got the car back, new alternator, no cost to me because i had just gotten it put in in october by the same garage. after driving home i went out to get something at the hardware store and as i drove back i smelled the same smell as on monday so i did the same thing all over again. today, friday, i got it back and it seems to all be normal again..

one of those God things

2005-07-14T09:51:00.000-07:00

here's a crazy little story about how God has been working in my life and providing for me in these last couple of days..
It actually all started when I was making plans to go to a friends' going away party. At Starbucks we have to write it into the calendar 2-3 weeks ahead of time when we’re unavailable on any given day.
So I forgot to do that on the day of the party. Last week I got my schedule for this week and saw that I was working on Saturday morning and Sunday night. That was just perfect for my plans on the weekend since I was also going to play drums on Sunday morning. Now for some reason I thought that Sunday was the 16th and the party was on Sunday and so I found someone to cover my shift on Sunday afternoon.
Then another girl at our store also needed someone to cover her shift on Saturday afternoon and since I had no plans (I thought) we switched our shifts so she could work that morning and I could work in the afternoon.
Great. So I get home after work. And go to my computer to make the changes in my calendar and realized that I got everything backwards and that it all would have worked out fine, hadn’t I just made a complete mess of it all! So I prayed that God would help me get back out of that mess (turning to prayer as a first resort for a change.. as I had just learned at church :-) )
Now, the girl who switched shifts with me couldn’t switch back because she already had plans. So I found someone else to switch with and now I’m working Saturday morning as planned.
Now what’s really cool is that I was scheduled to play drums at church on Sunday morning and rehearsal is Thursday night. But I got an email from our worship leader asking if I could play on Sunday night instead (then rehearsal is on Sunday afternoon before the service). And as you can recall I have someone covering my shift Sunday night. That just worked out perfectly!
But now I’m low on working hours (I need to work 20 or more hours a week to get benefits) so I called and asked other Starbucks’ in the area if they needed any shifts covered this week. I just got one on Thursday night that would bump my hours back over the 20 hours I need.. and since I’m playing drums Sunday night instead of morning I don’t have a rehearsal on Thursday night which means I can work that shift.
So God made 3 things work out perfectly at the same time!
And here's my short word of encouragement (before I shut up) to all of you who are wondering what God's doing in your life:
God is saying "I know what I'm doing, I know in which direction we're heading and I know which exit to take. Trust me!"

Y'all have a great rest of the week!
See ya on Sunday (or was it Saturday?)
Daniel

attacks in many areas

2005-07-01T08:10:00.000-07:00

sorry this is going to be such short one.. i'll explain in more details later.. please pray for me! i feel i'm being attacked in many different areas of my life. i've been making a lot of progress in the areas i've previously wrote about and at the same time i starting to have even more difficulties. thanks for all your prayers!

things are changing

2005-06-04T16:20:00.000-07:00

yeah, it's taken me a while to figure this one out..
since my last entry i've gotten a better vision of what i'm doing over here in the US. i've decided to go through with my plan to do the "transition to teach" program at IUPUI until something drastic comes inbetween and makes me decide otherwise.
i've come to realize that coming over here was necessary for me to get to know better who i am and where i want to go.
now that i've also been to a specialist for one of my many interesting medical conditions and gotten new medicine and lots of eye openers, i feel that a lot of things are about to change as i also get more "established" in Indianapolis.
let's see what happens next..

more thoughts and visions

2005-05-02T07:25:00.000-07:00

since last sunday when i heard Joel Vestal's preaching at Common Ground i've been in a constant battle in my mind. i realized that i am lacking a vision for my life and am starting to wonder about what God has in mind for my life. what's really been on my mind lately is missions.
what also really struck me was at the Sonicflood concert when they were making a call for sponsering a child through world vision and the bassist was telling us that a recent study has revealed that if you have access to a computer that you belong to the wealthiest 2% of people in the world. so i'm really starting to think that i need to use all these things God gave me to really really use them for his purposes.
another thing also has been on my mind since Gina told me that there is a program with YWAM (youth with a mission) were you can get a degree in child education. i checked it out on the website and found it and now i'm getting really interested. of course the prerequisite of going to the UofN (University of the Nations) is that you do a DTS (Discipleship Training School) which consists of a 12 week classroom course and a 12 week outreach in another country. I know many people who've done one and they've come back so changed that it has always been something that i'd want to do too.
The only problem is that i don't have any money to go there (costs about $7000 all in all). So if God will provide me with it or with an idea of how to get it i'll do it (most likely).

i'm impressed

2005-05-02T06:22:00.001-07:00

this morning i brought my 1986 Ford Tempo to Ford to get my 60000 mile check-up. since i had to wait around for 4 hours last time i brought my iBook along too so i'd have something to do. little did i know that they have a hotspot in the waiting room (wireless LAN with internet access). i'm impressed!
oh, i think this is worth mentioning.. on saturday night some people from our house church and i were at the Sonicflood concert at Orchard Park (Westfield/106th Street in Indianapolis). it was really good and fun and the tickets were only $8 and we also got a free CD. there was also this guy, Mike Lewis, who painted pictures of Jesus to some of the music. he's very talented.
other than that i did almost nothing all weekend.

it's finished

2005-04-30T14:06:00.000-07:00

well, as it usually so happens to be, i got carried away a little.. so i made a flash animation.. and changed the buttons.. and just made a new page alltogether. hope you like it.

new welcome page

2005-04-29T17:09:00.000-07:00

you might have noticed that i've changed the welcome page on www.dgurtner.ch but some of the imgaes aren't loading right. so today i'm attempting to get it all fixed. you'll see if it worked..!

today's thoughts

2005-04-25T18:26:00.000-07:00

In these last few weeks I feel God has been touching and changing me a lot. A lot of things have sort of been going wrong or are a great challenge to my patience lately and I’m just trusting that it’s all part of God’s plan.
Yesterday when I saw the Sudan video at the beginning of the service at Common Ground I was very moved and was close to tears during most of the service and still am right now without being able to explain why. It seems like God has put a passion in my heart to help others more than I’ve ever felt before and at the same time I’m so confused about where to start and where he might be leading me in the future that it seems to have caused this sudden sadness.
Well anyway, I don’t know if any of this makes much sense to anyone..

my very first entry

2005-04-24T21:39:00.000-07:00

it's so late i should be sleeping by now..