Author Archives: Keith

Jehovah’s Witness Convention 2007- Follow The Christ- Part I

July 18, 2007 6:24 pm / 1 Comment /

In this blog I will be reporting on my attendance at the 2007 District Convention of Jehovah’s Witnesses. Since the story is a bit longer than I initially intended, I will break it up into more readable pieces over the next few days. I have never attended one of their conventions so I guess I had more to write about than I originally thought.

Part I

Every year the Jehovah’s Witness have District Conventions all over the globe. The JWs locally meet at the Bell County Expo Center in Belton, Texas. Weeks before the actual event, JWs will canvass neighborhoods and pass out invitations to this three day event. Last year Becky attended the convention for a few hours one day. This year we decided it was my turn.

I attended last Friday, July 13th and was able to stay the whole day. I wanted to attend the convention without bringing any attention to myself or cause any kind of trouble. When I arrived, I parked on the North side of the building and wanted to figure out the traffic flow. I didn’t want to get caught on the wrong side of the building and forced to go in a direction that I did not want to go. I decided to walk over to one of the parking attendants on the other side of the building and ask about the traffic flow.

As I was there talking to him, someone came up behind us in a golf cart. I turned around to see what was going on and the passenger in the cart said, “Hey, Keith! How are you doing?” I could not believe my eyes. What are the chances that I would get spotted by someone who knows me and I haven’t even been inside the building yet? The passenger was a JW I studied with a number of years ago. S.R. knows about our ministry and drops by the house from time to time to see how we are doing. He is a very like-able guy and were it not for the fact that the Watchtower discourages JWs from making friends of Christians who critique the organization, I think we could be very good friends.

He was genuinely happy to see me and probably a bit puzzled as well. He made sure I was OK and that I got my questions answered and then asked if I was “still doing [my] thing,” referring to our ministry. I said I was and he asked if I had any questions for him about their beliefs;

S.R. You know I’ve always got lots of questions.

That is true, you always come up with some pretty
good ones! So is there anything in particular you would like to
ask?

I was hesitant to get into anything right in the parking lot because I really wanted to just observe the convention and didn’t want to take any chance of getting kicked out. Not that I think S.R. would do that, but I have no doubt that someone with more authority and who does not know me would not think twice about asking me to leave. To his credit, S.R. recognized my hesitancy and said that he would stop by my house and we could talk then. I agreed to that and then started to make my way to the building.

As I was walking to the building, S.R. invited me to sit with his family and then jumped out of the golf cart to escort me to where they were sitting. This really was not turning out the way I had planned. I was hoping to be able to come and go unnoticed, take a few pictures and just observe the convention. Now, all of a sudden, I am going to be sitting next to someone who is very familiar with our ministry- an elder and his family. I politely accepted his offer and followed him into the center.

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ClustrMaps Updates

July 14, 2007 4:51 am / 5 Comments /

Where’d my dots go? That was the question that came to mind when I logged onto my blog just now. You know that map on the right side bar that shows the geographical location of where people are who are viewing this blog? When you click on the map, it says there are 5,432 visitors, but only six dots on the map. I went to the ClustrMaps FAQ to find out what happened. Here is some of what they had to say.

Maps get archived at regular intervals (weekly, monthly, or yearly), as described in our explanatory timeline. The interval is specified by you on your Admin page see the ‘Admin‘ link at the top of any ClustrMaps page). By default, archives happens yearly, but are sometimes delayed until a suitable current update has occurred, which is probably what has just taken place in the case of your own maps.

Naturally, people always like to have ever-more-dots, but the regular archive is the only way we can avoid having the maps turn into a ‘giant red smear’, and continue delivering the scalable service that everyone has come to expect.

That explains it. Here is a thumbnail of last year’s map, 7/11/06 through 7/11/07.

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Your Driver’s License Is Now Online! Follow These Instructions To Remove It.

July 11, 2007 2:29 pm / 4 Comments /

I could not believe what I read today. I was checking one of the forums I usually visit on a daily basis and someone posted this notice.

Check your Driver’s License…
I checked mine and it was there. REMOVE YOUR’S RIGHT AWAY!!!! Check
your Driver’s License. . . Now you can see anyone’s drivers license on
the Internet, including your own, picture and all! Thanks Homeland Security!
Privacy, where is our right to it? I definitely removed mine! I suggest you all
do the same. Go to the website and check it out. Just enter your name, city and
state to see if yours is on file. After your license comes on the screen, click
the box marked “please remove” This will remove it from public viewing, but
not from law enforcement files.

I’ve seen notices like this before about phone numbers and addresses being made public, but my information has never been among those files… until now, that is. I couldn’t believe it. There I was looking at my picture, address and drivers license number.

I don’t know about you, but I am not stopping at just having my info removed, I’ve already done that. I am contacting my local and state representatives to find out who the bonehead is who decided to make this sensitive information public without my knowledge or consent. Someone should be fired. Click on the Public License Files to have your driver’s license removed.

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Front Sight Extends Their Offer…

July 11, 2007 1:53 am / Leave a Comment /

On Friday, June 29th, I blogged about an incredible offer made by Front Sight Firearms Training Institute. In exchange for posting some links on a blog or web site, Frontsight will give you a certificate worth $2,000 towards their training classes. I took advantage of the offer and received my certificate. I can’t wait to use it.

The original offer expired June 30th. I received an e-mail from Frontsight today announcing that they have extended the offer until July 31st and have made an addition offer. Here is the e-mail from Frontsight;

Please forward this to your friends and family.

July 10, 2007

Dr. Ignatius Piazza
Founder and Director
Front Sight Firearms Training Institute
http://www.frontsight.com/
info@frontsight.com
1.800.987.7719

Your Choice…
Front Sight Four Day Course…
Or Challenge Lifetime Membership… for Zero, Zip, Nada!
(That means no charge for the course or membership!)
(But you must act quickly!)
(Offer expires JULY 30!)

Dear Mr. Keith Walker,

Last month, I offered you the opportunity to receive a$2,000 certificate to
attend a Four Day, Front Sight Course of your choice for Zero, Zip, Nada (That
means no cost, no charge, etc.) in exchange for simply placing a series of our
website links on your website.

(We even show you how to set up your own personal website or blog and
assist you in the process if needed!)

The response was absolutely amazing and we are still being flooded with
requests, even though the June deadline has passed.

So to be fair to all those who want to help us spread Front Sight’s message
across the Internet and positively change the image of gun ownership in our
lifetimes, I am extending the offer to the end of July.

So please do me the favor of taking advantage of this well received offer and also forwarding this e-mail to everyone you know so they too can secure a $2,000 certificate for a Front Sight Four Day Course (at no cost) that they can use any time they wish with no expiration date.

For all the details and directions to take immediate advantage of this fabulous offer, click http://www.frontsight.com/1.asp (If you can’t open it by clicking on it, copy it and paste it into your Internet Browser)

Here’s an Extra Bonus: If you want to find out how you can secure a $5,900 Challenge Lifetime Membership for yourself for Zero, Zip, Nada PLUS get $11,000 in valuable bonuses, then you will want to click on http://www.frontsight.com/2.asp

You have the rest of the month of July to secure a $2,000 Course Certificate
for nothing, but the $5,900 Challenge Lifetime Memberships for Zero, Zip, Nada
and the $11,000in Extra Bonuses are Much More Limited and already going fast–
and will likely be gone well before the end of July so jump on it today– before
all the bonus memberships are gone!

Please realize this e-mail is being read by 49,593 people and I also sent a
postal mailer to another 45,632 people so don’t hesitate or you will miss out.

Again:
For the no cost, $2,000 Course go to: http://www.frontsight.com/1.asp
For the Bonus Lifetime Membership go to: http://www.frontsight.com/2.asp

If you cannot click on these links to open them, copy and paste them into
your Internet Browser to open the sites.

I look forward to seeing you in a course and as a member soon. Send this
offer to everyone you know!

Sincerely,

Dr. Ignatius Piazza
Founder and Director
Front Sight Firearms Training Institute
http://www.frontsight.com/
info@frontsight.com
1.800.987.7719

So, who is coming with me?

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Doing The Right Thing

July 9, 2007 5:35 pm / Leave a Comment /

Sunday is a day when most Christians learn lessons from sermons that will help them to live lives that will glorify God. Yesterday was such a day for me. It wasn’t necessarily the sermon that did it for me though, it was a lesson I learned while on the way to church.

We managed to get out of the door and on our way to church with a little time to spare. We were cruising down 1604 doing 70 mph when I spotted a car on the shoulder of the road. Before you ask, yes, I was doing the speed limit. Highways in Texas are fun. I saw their hazard lights on and as we passed, I saw an older lady getting out of the car and a young lady (teens maybe) fiddling with a car jack. It looked like the left rear tire had blown out.
Immediately the thought went through my mind, “Maybe they need help?” Then the next thought came to mind. “You’ll be late for church and will get dirty.” I kept going back and forth in my mind as to what I should do. The next exit was coming up fast. Should I exit and turn around or should I continue on my way?
I passed the exit and started to feel guilty right away. We were almost to church, had some extra time, but for some reason, I hesitated. I know! I’ll pray for them. That’ll do the trick. Praying for people is the spiritual thing to do, isn’t it? As I prayed for them, the thought came to mind, “What if they don’t get that tire on right and the whole thing comes off while they are driving down the road?”
That did it. All I needed to see on the news last night is a story about the death of two ladies whose spare tire flew off, lost control of their car and were creamed by a bus full of kids on their way home from summer camp… all because I didn’t want to get dirty and be late for church. I announced to Becky, (who had no idea about the inner conflict I was having) that I needed to turn around. I explained the situation and the conflict within myself. The kids asked why we were turning around. I explained that I saw someone on the side of the road who may need our help, so we were going to turn around and help them.
Our daughter exclaimed, “Yea, we are going to do the right thing!” Uggh, dagger in the heart. At this point, I sure didn’t feel like I was doing the right thing. As we pulled up to the car, we noticed that someone else in a truck had already pulled over to help. The flat was replaced with the spare tire and both the car and truck were looking to merge into the traffic lanes. They were probably wondering what the idiot in the car behind them was doing on the shoulder of the road with his hazards flashing.
As they drove off, I was extremely honest with our kids and tried to explain to them that I didn’t want to do the right thing. It was only because of my guilt that I turned around at all. I’m not sure they understood what I was talking about.
Once we got into church, Robert, our pastor started talking about how he and his wife had to get use to their newly emptied nest at home. Their youngest left for college last week and is now on his own. Robert taught through various Proverbs about raising children. He also mentioned that he started writing a book about parenting. His proposed title is, “Parenting- From Conception To Empty Nest.” He promises that the part about conception will be really fun.
At the end of his lesson, Robert had the media folks play a song that he thought capsulized the responsibility and importance of being a good parent and role model. It is a country song by Rodney Atkins titled, Watching You. I had to suffer through the country “music” but the lyrics are awesome.

Driving through town just my boy and me
With a happy meal in his booster seat
Knowing that he couldn’t have the toy
Till his nuggets were gone
Green traffic light turned straight to red
I hit my breaks and mumbled under my breath
As fries went a flying and his orange drink covered his lap
Well then my four year old said a four letter word
That started with “s” and I was concerned
So I said, “Son, now where did you learn to talk like that?”

[Chorus one]
He said I’ve been watching you dad, ain’t that cool
I’m your buckaroo, I wanna be like you
And eat all my food and grow as tall as you are
We got cowboy boots and camo pants
Yeah we’re just alike, hey ain’t we dad
I wanna do everything you do
So I’ve been watching you

We got back home and I went to the barn
I bowed my head and I prayed real hard
Said lord please help me help my stupid self
Then this side of bedtime later that night
Turning on my son’s scooby doo nightlight
He crawled out of bed and he got down on his knees
He closed his little eyes, folded his little hands
And spoke to God like he was talking to a friend
And I said son where’d you learn to pray like that

[Chorus two]
He said I’ve been watching you dad, ain’t that cool
I’m your buckaroo, I wanna be like you
And eat all my food and grow as tall as you are
We like fixing things and holding mama’s hand
Yeah we’re just alike, hey ain’t we dad
I wanna do everything you do
So I’ve been watching you

[Bridge]
With tears in my eyes I wrapped him in a hug
Said my little bear is growing up
He said but when I’m big I’ll still know what to do

[Chorus three]
Cause I’ve been watching you dad, ain’t that cool
I’m your buckaroo, I wanna be like you
And eat all my food and grow as tall as you are
Then I’ll be as strong as you and superman
We’ll be just alike, hey won’t we dad
When I can do everything you do
Cause I’ve been watching you

Uggh, uggh. Double-dagger. I couldn’t help but think about this song in light of my actions, rather, non-actions from earlier in the morning. I decided that on the way home from church I wanted to try again to explain to our kids why I didn’t do the right thing. I tried to explain to them that delayed obedience is immediate disobedience. If God is leading us to pray, then pray. If the Holy Spirit guides us to help someone, help them now. Sure, prayer is fine, but it should not be used as a substitute for complete obedience.
The thing I hope they (and I) remember most is that we should not hesitate to do good. I’m sure the ladies got home safe that morning. I am glad that there was someone else who did not hestitate to do the right thing.
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