My testimony in the faith begins in my infancy. I was born and raised in a Christ-centered, single-parent home. My mother raised me in a very conservative church of Christ, and I was active, well above average, in Sunday School, youth group, and other church activities. I was baptized when I was nearly 12 years old, in 1986. From then on I was even more active, even participating in youth ministry, learning to preach, lead singing, etc. I was a “good kid”. Adults were impressed with me, and I relished the attention. After graduating high school I went to Bible college, and immediately got involved in a monthly preaching ministry in a nearby church. During the summer between my 2nd and 3rd years of college I got married, and took a regular part-time preaching position at another nearby church.
I was “living the dream” – 22 years old, married to a beautiful young woman, and in a position of respect and leadership. But all was not well. I was struggling inside with dedication to both my schooling and church responsibilities. By the end of my 4th year of Bible college I was several credits short of graduating with a Bachelor's degree.I had fostered poor study and devotion habits, but I knewit was going to get better. After all, I was a preacher, and preachers were by nature spiritually dedicated people.
Over the next six years I was in either part-time or full-time preaching ministry, but I continued to struggle at every turn. My poor devotion habits turned into spiritual neglect, which turned into shameful personal actions. I began to realize that I was standing before the church every Sunday, but Monday through Saturday I was living in spiritual bondage. At the same time I began to see cracks in the hard-line dogma that I had been brought up in. For example, I began to see people from otherchurches bearing the fruit of the Spirit, and exhibiting strong godly character. Also, the church I was leading began having serious financial troubles, due in part to congregational decisions made against my advice. Finally in June, 2004, I made the decision to resign, and completely step away from preaching ministry. God had powerfully convicted my spirit, and I realized that my entire relationship with Him was built on the false premise of legalism. I learned, the hard way, that the letter of the Law kills. Spiritually, I was dead.
After a period of intense soul-searching, together with my wife, I was baptized into Christ in June 2007 – this time trusting nothing but the Grace of God. I had nothing to bring, I was empty-handed. I realized for the first time that God had alwayswanted me to come to Him empty-handed, so that HE could fill me. I also realized that my salvation was secure, not because of my own effort, but because of the completed work of Christ on the cross. God showed me that even when I was too weak to hold on to Him, He was still holding on to me!
This concept alone was an absolute life-changer for me. Instead of struggling to achieve righteousness through my own efforts, I was grantedthe righteousness of Jesus Christ. For the first time in my life, I knew true freedom in Christ. And at that point, God began healing my soul. In the years since then, He has been opening my eyes and working in me in very powerful ways. He has been teaching me and equipping me to serve the Body of Christ. He has put a passion within me to lead others out of the bondage of both sin and legalism, and show them the same freedom in Christ that I found.
3.05.2013
3.11.2009
New Evidence Questions Popeye's Strength
SWEET HAVEN--In the wake of the Major League Baseball "steroid scandal", new evidence has surfaced that casts a dark cloud over the exploits of cartoon character Popeye The Sailor Man.
Harold Stavely is the curator of the Popeye Museum in Sweet Haven, Popeye's home town. In an recent interview, Mr. Stavely said, "Everyone knows about Popeye's strength. It's one of the things that makes him so indearing. Over the years, it's happened countless times: he'll be in a bad situation, or in a fight with Bluto, and he'll be on the losing end. But then something happens--he gets this incredible strength, superhuman strength, and suddenly he's able to overcome anything."
For years, nobody questioned the source of his strength. But now, allegations are swirling about a foreign substance that Popeye was reputed to ingest immediately prior to gaining his superhuman strength. The Popeye Museum has turned over possible evidence to the county District Attorney. The items will be analyzed at a laboratory specializing in detecting performance-enhancing substances. It was not revealed what the items were, but the District Attorney's office released a statement saying that the investigation is focusing on a slimy, green substance that seemed to be contained in small, cylindrical metal containers. There were also reports that many years ago, a "lucky chicken" was involved.
The statement also said that they are treating this investigation with great care and respect, because of the historic nature of Popeye's life. In a phone call, District Attorney Arnie Breuer said, "We understand that Popeye is a hero of sorts, a legendary figure in the history of American media. It's not our intention to damage or destroy his reputation, but we do have a job to do. And if illegal activities have taken place, it's our job to seek the truth and bring it to light."
In the days since the doping allegations were released, the atmosphere at the Popeye Museum has been subdued. However, museum attendance has been up by 25%. Said curator Stavely, "People are more interested now about Popeye's life, and you can hear speculations being whispered by almost everybody who comes in. Occasionally people will ask me what I think, but I tell them that we will have to wait and see the outcome of the testing. For now, he's still our local hero. I just hope we can see him that way when this is all over."
When asked about the green substance in the metal containers, Stavely refused to comment, but turned away and muttered, "I yam what I yam."
Harold Stavely is the curator of the Popeye Museum in Sweet Haven, Popeye's home town. In an recent interview, Mr. Stavely said, "Everyone knows about Popeye's strength. It's one of the things that makes him so indearing. Over the years, it's happened countless times: he'll be in a bad situation, or in a fight with Bluto, and he'll be on the losing end. But then something happens--he gets this incredible strength, superhuman strength, and suddenly he's able to overcome anything."
For years, nobody questioned the source of his strength. But now, allegations are swirling about a foreign substance that Popeye was reputed to ingest immediately prior to gaining his superhuman strength. The Popeye Museum has turned over possible evidence to the county District Attorney. The items will be analyzed at a laboratory specializing in detecting performance-enhancing substances. It was not revealed what the items were, but the District Attorney's office released a statement saying that the investigation is focusing on a slimy, green substance that seemed to be contained in small, cylindrical metal containers. There were also reports that many years ago, a "lucky chicken" was involved.
The statement also said that they are treating this investigation with great care and respect, because of the historic nature of Popeye's life. In a phone call, District Attorney Arnie Breuer said, "We understand that Popeye is a hero of sorts, a legendary figure in the history of American media. It's not our intention to damage or destroy his reputation, but we do have a job to do. And if illegal activities have taken place, it's our job to seek the truth and bring it to light."
In the days since the doping allegations were released, the atmosphere at the Popeye Museum has been subdued. However, museum attendance has been up by 25%. Said curator Stavely, "People are more interested now about Popeye's life, and you can hear speculations being whispered by almost everybody who comes in. Occasionally people will ask me what I think, but I tell them that we will have to wait and see the outcome of the testing. For now, he's still our local hero. I just hope we can see him that way when this is all over."
When asked about the green substance in the metal containers, Stavely refused to comment, but turned away and muttered, "I yam what I yam."
2.28.2009
Family Rediscovers Each Other After TV's Go Dark
DAYTON, OH--February 17, 2009, will always have a deep significance in the Baker family. To dad Melvin Baker, it was like he and his family woke up from a years-long dream. To mom Verna, it was like finding a missing treasure, only to realize it had been within arm's reach all along. To 17-year old Chad, it was like seeing the sunrise after a long night. To 13-year old twins Kelsey and Katie, the moment was indescribable--they had nothing to compare it to.
"It" was simply that their televisions - all six of them - went to digital snow. February 17 was the date picked by the Federal Communications Commission for television broadcasting to switch over from analog to digital. For those who received their television from over-the-air broadcast signals, and had not purchased a DTV converter box, their sets would be unable to process the signal received. In other words, they would stop working.
So, what happened to the Bakers?
Melvin is 44 and a heavy-equipment operator for the Ohio Department of Transportation. His shift begins at 6:00 AM, so he is generally out of the house by 5:40. Says Melvin, "I get up pretty early to go to work, and used to watch the morning news while getting ready. But several days ago, when I turned the TV on, there was nothing there, like the station was off the air. So I tried the other stations, and nothing. Just nothing."
He didn't think anything of it until later when his wife called him at work to tell him the TV's were all broken. "She didn't know what was going on," he said, "It was time for Regis, she was not at all happy about missing her favorite morning show."
Again, Melvin forgot about the situation until a frantic call from Katie, one of the twin girls. "She was hysterical. Every TV in the house was dead. I'm not sure what she watched in the afternoon, but she and her sister were like typical teenagers, glued to the tube all afternoon and most of the evening. We made her do homework after dinner, but to tell you the truth, I'm not sure she did it. Her grades certainly didn't reflect it."
"I was pretty sure I could fix the problem once I got home. But it was worse than I thought--way worse. That evening, we just sat around and stared at each other. Chad tried to read a book, but he didn't get very far. The girls were quiet--too quiet. I kept telling everyone that the problem would be fixed soon, but it became clear that it was not going to change."
The next few days were tough for the Baker family. Routines were broken that had featured television as a centerpiece. Daily rituals were obliterated. But over that period of time, a curious thing began to happen.
Verna, 42, works part-time at a local candle boutique. Says Verna, "The first time I realized something was going on was when Kelsey walked up to me, out of the blue, and asked if she could talk to me. I was so dumbfounded I just sat there for what seemed like minutes, but it was probably a second or two. I don't remember what that conversation was about, I just remember it was one of the most wonderful experiences of my life."
Chad, 17, is a senior in high school. "It was weird because, I remember as a child, we used to do stuff together as a family. Then, we started watching TV more and more, and pretty soon that was all we did. It was on every morning before school, on after school, just on pretty much all the time. Then after it went off, a couple weeks ago, it was like going back in time to when I was a kid. We talked to each other. We had fun together. It was like seeing the morning sunlight coming over the hills--just to see the girls talking to Mom and Dad, to see them, I guess, get to know each other. We were waking up to each other's existence."
Another big hurdle was Saturday the 21st. Here were more television-based rituals gone by the wayside. So to cope they all drove to the Columbus Zoo, in nearby Columbus, Ohio. Says Kelsey, "It was supposed to just get our minds off not having TV anymore, but it was amazing. I had seen animals like this on TV, but to see them in person--I never thought it would be so cool. I got to touch a real goat and I think a deer. I was scared at first, like I didn't know if it was going to going to turn into something else, or attack me. I've seen that so many times on TV, I didn't know what to expect. But Katie and I loved it. Well, once we got used to seeing all these animals in real life."
At the end of our interview with the Bakers, Melvin and Verna became very philosophical. Said Melvin, "For years we had been used to this thing, this "presence" with us. It was part of our lives, part of our family. But it controlled us. I hated President Bush because it told me to. I was part of the mass clamoring for 'change', because it told me 'change' was good. I believed in 'hope'. What is 'hope' now? We were all jealous of people, even friends, who had more stuff than we did--because it told us to be jealous. But now, this change has been amazing - like we've come out of a dream - and we're starting to be awake. Alive."
Said Verna, "I've felt for a long time, I had this sense that something was missing in our family. I just couldn't put my finger on it. Like Melvin said, the TV told us we were normal, so who were we to challenge that? Life was what it told us it was. I was really upset one day when a mom of one of Chad's friends told me she had caught them smoking a joint. But that very night there was a show, I don't remember what one, but it dealt with that very thing. It was like it just, it just knew. And it told me it was normal. That should have been a warning sign, but I was so relieved to hear that my son was just like every other teenage boy that I had forgotten all about it by the next morning.
"But now, I know exactly what I was missing--it was family. Togetherness. And to think, it was there all along, but I didn't know it. I want to cry when I think that this is the last year Chad will be with us at home. And the girls are teenagers now. So much time has been lost, and I'm afraid I can't get it back. We just have to do the best we can with the time we have now, rather than dwelling on what we've lost in the past."
When asked why he didn't just purchase a DTV converter box, Melvin said, "Well, I thought the government would provide it for me. Now I know what a fool I was for relying on them."
by Jeff Hoyt
"It" was simply that their televisions - all six of them - went to digital snow. February 17 was the date picked by the Federal Communications Commission for television broadcasting to switch over from analog to digital. For those who received their television from over-the-air broadcast signals, and had not purchased a DTV converter box, their sets would be unable to process the signal received. In other words, they would stop working.
So, what happened to the Bakers?
Melvin is 44 and a heavy-equipment operator for the Ohio Department of Transportation. His shift begins at 6:00 AM, so he is generally out of the house by 5:40. Says Melvin, "I get up pretty early to go to work, and used to watch the morning news while getting ready. But several days ago, when I turned the TV on, there was nothing there, like the station was off the air. So I tried the other stations, and nothing. Just nothing."
He didn't think anything of it until later when his wife called him at work to tell him the TV's were all broken. "She didn't know what was going on," he said, "It was time for Regis, she was not at all happy about missing her favorite morning show."
Again, Melvin forgot about the situation until a frantic call from Katie, one of the twin girls. "She was hysterical. Every TV in the house was dead. I'm not sure what she watched in the afternoon, but she and her sister were like typical teenagers, glued to the tube all afternoon and most of the evening. We made her do homework after dinner, but to tell you the truth, I'm not sure she did it. Her grades certainly didn't reflect it."
"I was pretty sure I could fix the problem once I got home. But it was worse than I thought--way worse. That evening, we just sat around and stared at each other. Chad tried to read a book, but he didn't get very far. The girls were quiet--too quiet. I kept telling everyone that the problem would be fixed soon, but it became clear that it was not going to change."
The next few days were tough for the Baker family. Routines were broken that had featured television as a centerpiece. Daily rituals were obliterated. But over that period of time, a curious thing began to happen.
Verna, 42, works part-time at a local candle boutique. Says Verna, "The first time I realized something was going on was when Kelsey walked up to me, out of the blue, and asked if she could talk to me. I was so dumbfounded I just sat there for what seemed like minutes, but it was probably a second or two. I don't remember what that conversation was about, I just remember it was one of the most wonderful experiences of my life."
Chad, 17, is a senior in high school. "It was weird because, I remember as a child, we used to do stuff together as a family. Then, we started watching TV more and more, and pretty soon that was all we did. It was on every morning before school, on after school, just on pretty much all the time. Then after it went off, a couple weeks ago, it was like going back in time to when I was a kid. We talked to each other. We had fun together. It was like seeing the morning sunlight coming over the hills--just to see the girls talking to Mom and Dad, to see them, I guess, get to know each other. We were waking up to each other's existence."
Another big hurdle was Saturday the 21st. Here were more television-based rituals gone by the wayside. So to cope they all drove to the Columbus Zoo, in nearby Columbus, Ohio. Says Kelsey, "It was supposed to just get our minds off not having TV anymore, but it was amazing. I had seen animals like this on TV, but to see them in person--I never thought it would be so cool. I got to touch a real goat and I think a deer. I was scared at first, like I didn't know if it was going to going to turn into something else, or attack me. I've seen that so many times on TV, I didn't know what to expect. But Katie and I loved it. Well, once we got used to seeing all these animals in real life."
At the end of our interview with the Bakers, Melvin and Verna became very philosophical. Said Melvin, "For years we had been used to this thing, this "presence" with us. It was part of our lives, part of our family. But it controlled us. I hated President Bush because it told me to. I was part of the mass clamoring for 'change', because it told me 'change' was good. I believed in 'hope'. What is 'hope' now? We were all jealous of people, even friends, who had more stuff than we did--because it told us to be jealous. But now, this change has been amazing - like we've come out of a dream - and we're starting to be awake. Alive."
Said Verna, "I've felt for a long time, I had this sense that something was missing in our family. I just couldn't put my finger on it. Like Melvin said, the TV told us we were normal, so who were we to challenge that? Life was what it told us it was. I was really upset one day when a mom of one of Chad's friends told me she had caught them smoking a joint. But that very night there was a show, I don't remember what one, but it dealt with that very thing. It was like it just, it just knew. And it told me it was normal. That should have been a warning sign, but I was so relieved to hear that my son was just like every other teenage boy that I had forgotten all about it by the next morning.
"But now, I know exactly what I was missing--it was family. Togetherness. And to think, it was there all along, but I didn't know it. I want to cry when I think that this is the last year Chad will be with us at home. And the girls are teenagers now. So much time has been lost, and I'm afraid I can't get it back. We just have to do the best we can with the time we have now, rather than dwelling on what we've lost in the past."
When asked why he didn't just purchase a DTV converter box, Melvin said, "Well, I thought the government would provide it for me. Now I know what a fool I was for relying on them."
by Jeff Hoyt
1.17.2009
NORAD to Track Obama's Progress on Inauguration Eve
In a press release today, NORAD (North American Aerospace Defense Command) announced that it is going to use its massive radar facilities to track the progress of President Elect Barack H. Obama as he passes through the heavens on his way to the inauguration on January 20. Obama is expected to leave his home on Mount Olympus at about 6:30 pm EST. He will be riding in a Greco-Roman styled chariot, drawn by the eight famous reindeer owned by Santa Claus, who was a generous contributor to the Obama campaign.
Obama's trip from Mount Olympus to the nation's capitol will take him through Kenya, where he will take a short break to visit with family, including his half-brother who lives in a mud hut. He will then fly to Hawaii, play a round of golf, and then cross the North American continent and end his journey at Reagan National Airport in Washington, D.C.
NORAD will set up a special website for the occasion, www.noradobama.org.
NORAD spokesman Colonel Harry Shoup gave the following explanation:
"Detecting Obama all starts with the NORAD radar system called the Early Missile Warning System. This powerful radar system has 147 installations strung across North America and Europe. NORAD will make a point of checking the radar closely for indications of the President Elect leaving Mount Olympus on January 19th. The moment our radar tells us that he has lifted off, we use our second mode of detection, the same satellites that we use in providing warning of possible missile launches aimed at North America. These satellites are located in a geo-synchronous orbit at 22,300 miles above the Earth. The satellites have infrared sensors, meaning they can detect heat. When a rocket or missile is launched, a tremendous amount of heat is produced - enough for the satellites to detect. Obama's heart gives off an infrared signature similar to a missile launch. The satellites can detect this with practically no problem.
The third detection system we use is the Obama Cam. We began using it in 1998 as the Santa Cam. NORAD Obama Cams are high-tech, high-speed digital cameras that are pre-positioned at many places around the world. Usually, NORAD only uses these cameras once a year - Christmas Eve. The cameras capture images of Santa and the Reindeer as they make their journey around the world. In this case the cameras will be capturing images of Obama as he progresses toward Washington, D.C. We immediately download the images on to our web site for people around the world to see. Obama Cams produce both video and still images."
Obama's trip from Mount Olympus to the nation's capitol will take him through Kenya, where he will take a short break to visit with family, including his half-brother who lives in a mud hut. He will then fly to Hawaii, play a round of golf, and then cross the North American continent and end his journey at Reagan National Airport in Washington, D.C.
NORAD will set up a special website for the occasion, www.noradobama.org.
NORAD spokesman Colonel Harry Shoup gave the following explanation:
"Detecting Obama all starts with the NORAD radar system called the Early Missile Warning System. This powerful radar system has 147 installations strung across North America and Europe. NORAD will make a point of checking the radar closely for indications of the President Elect leaving Mount Olympus on January 19th. The moment our radar tells us that he has lifted off, we use our second mode of detection, the same satellites that we use in providing warning of possible missile launches aimed at North America. These satellites are located in a geo-synchronous orbit at 22,300 miles above the Earth. The satellites have infrared sensors, meaning they can detect heat. When a rocket or missile is launched, a tremendous amount of heat is produced - enough for the satellites to detect. Obama's heart gives off an infrared signature similar to a missile launch. The satellites can detect this with practically no problem.
The third detection system we use is the Obama Cam. We began using it in 1998 as the Santa Cam. NORAD Obama Cams are high-tech, high-speed digital cameras that are pre-positioned at many places around the world. Usually, NORAD only uses these cameras once a year - Christmas Eve. The cameras capture images of Santa and the Reindeer as they make their journey around the world. In this case the cameras will be capturing images of Obama as he progresses toward Washington, D.C. We immediately download the images on to our web site for people around the world to see. Obama Cams produce both video and still images."
9.30.2008
Congress Deadlocked On Bill To Authorize Sunrise
In a statement released today by House member Barney Frank, he said, "In light of the current economic crisis, it is simply unfair for us to authorize tomorrow morning's sunrise. If congress doesn't act immediately to pass the financial bailout bill, the sunlight of liberty and freedom will cease to be a reality for millions of Americans. They will be thrust into the darkness and despair of economic midnight, losing jobs and homes; losing futures. To simply allow the sun to rise, as though everything was okay, would be a cruel hoax."
In response to this, Republican Jim Dement said, "If we don't allow the sun to rise, will be sending the wrong signal to our country in a time of crisis. We will be admitting defeat, throwing in the towel. We simply can't do that. We've been through hard times before, and have always come out of it, we've come back stronger. And tomorrow's sunrise will be a testament to that.
The White House also weighed in on the subject, saying, "Let'er rip, boys."
In response to this, Republican Jim Dement said, "If we don't allow the sun to rise, will be sending the wrong signal to our country in a time of crisis. We will be admitting defeat, throwing in the towel. We simply can't do that. We've been through hard times before, and have always come out of it, we've come back stronger. And tomorrow's sunrise will be a testament to that.
The White House also weighed in on the subject, saying, "Let'er rip, boys."
3.08.2008
This is so goofy. My daughter decided she wants her own blog. Not being one who is content with being shown up by my own kid, I thought I had better start my own, too. So, I proceeded to attempt the setup of my own. To my dismay, I saw the username I wanted (elderfelder) was already taken.
Now, there aren't too many people out there who go by the moniker "Elderfelder". Very few people have the fortitude to take the inevitable teasing and jabbing with a smile. Yes, it's a goofy name. So, I brought up this other "Elderfelder" blog to see who the poor sap was.
#!$&@.
It's me.
Seems several years ago I decided to start a blog. Um, well, I didn't get very far. There was a very empty page. I finally figured out how to get back into it, and wrote up this post.
So here I am.
I also have a website (also blank), jeffreyhoyt.com. I lost the username and password; so there it sits, empty, taunting me for my utter inability to manage usernames and passwords. Not to mention websites and blogs.
Now, there aren't too many people out there who go by the moniker "Elderfelder". Very few people have the fortitude to take the inevitable teasing and jabbing with a smile. Yes, it's a goofy name. So, I brought up this other "Elderfelder" blog to see who the poor sap was.
#!$&@.
It's me.
Seems several years ago I decided to start a blog. Um, well, I didn't get very far. There was a very empty page. I finally figured out how to get back into it, and wrote up this post.
So here I am.
I also have a website (also blank), jeffreyhoyt.com. I lost the username and password; so there it sits, empty, taunting me for my utter inability to manage usernames and passwords. Not to mention websites and blogs.
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