Back to Basics

They quietly occupy more places than suspected. They may be on a road crew, in an office, factory, bakery, science lab or even in hospitals. They might be school teachers, receptionists or dental assistants. Be observant.

A stand-out worker seems calm when others are frantic, never complains, ready to help a fellow worker, and keeps a positive attitude backed by an accepting smile. Perhaps this worker should be checked out.

One Christian in the workplace is, Dr. John Dearborn, the head of orthopedic surgery at Washington Hospital in Fremont, California.  He helped pioneer a center for hip and knee replacement surgeries, a field that scarcely existed 40 years ago.  And Dr. Dearborn (46) is considered one of the best in that field.

He graduated from Stanford University, discovered orthopedics at the U.C. San Francisco School of Medicine and interned in Boston.

“I get to help the lame walk, and give the Lord credit,” the doctor said.  He begins his day at 4:45 AM at the edge of his bed praying silently for strength, for healing, and for success in his upcoming day’s work.

He goes to the gym at 5:30 AM most weekdays to work out for an hour. The exception is at 6 AM on Tuesdays, when he meets with a Men’s Bible Study Group from Peninsula Covenant Church.

According to the Contra Costa Times (5/12/12), faith is central to his surgical practice, and he prays with patients before surgery.

He does nine surgeries a day twice a week. While he is doing surgery in one room, a second room is used for preparing patients for the next operation.

His methods streamline the entire process. He uses minimal invasive surgery with a limited incision and dissection that is less traumatic to tissue than traditional surgery. Many times a patient goes home in the afternoon, and without the severe pain that had plagued them for so long.

Dr. Dearborn’s patients are in their 60s and 70s and he has treated 90 year olds. And he is very popular with patients, putting them totally at ease throughout the process.

Washington Hospital has seen such a surge of patients, due to Dr. Dearborn’s work, that a third floor had to be added..

Here is a Christian in the workplace, one who spends time in prayer and then sees the lame walk. Seems we know of another man like that in another time who also prayed and saw the lame walk.

Our sincere thanks to writer Lisa M. Krieger who wrote the story, “DOCTOR, HOSPITAL IN BUSINESS OF RESTORATION: Surgeon’s hip, knee replacements have rejuvenated patients, facility,” which provided some of the information for this story.

One never really knows love until loving and being loved by a dog.
Rev. Austin Miles.

(Los Angeles, CA)  A five year old dog named Bear was presented the 30th National Hero Dog Award by the L.A. Society for the prevention of Cruelty to Animals on Monday.

Quite a turnaround for the discarded Shiloh German Shepherd who three years ago was languishing in the Weatherford Animal Shelter in Millsap, Texas. The only German Shepherd in the shelter, he was kept in the back because nobody wanted him.

That is until Debbie Zeisler came in asking specifically for a German Shepherd for her mother. She and the dog immediately bonded and she adopted him for herself.

Debbie had battled almost daily seizures after being thrown from a horse 18 years ago. Even though Bear had never received service dog training, he tried to warn her of upcoming seizures three days after Zeisler brought him home.  It was instinctive to Bear. After a couple of falls she began to heed his warnings. Bear will either stay close to her or go to fetch her medicine, whatever she seems to need, Zeisler said. Bear will even remind her to take her medicine every morning.

According to the ASPCA press release, in May of 2011, Bear tried to stop Zeisler from going outside, but she pushed past him. Almost immediately, she was hit with a seizure, fell down the front steps of her home and hit her head, knocking her unconscious.

Bear ran from house to house, barking and scratching frantically on the front doors, trying to find help. Bear was about a block away from home when an animal control officer from Parker County spotted him. (A case of Divine Intervention perhaps?)

Bear led the officer to Debbie who was lying in the hot sun, disoriented and confused. Paramedics were called and Bear rode with Debbie in the ambulance to the hospital.

The National Dog Hero Award was presented in a ceremony at Nokia Plaza in L.A this past Monday.  Bear and his family received a gift basket and a year’s supply of pet food donated by Natural Balance Pet Foods, a sponsor of the award and a commemorative plaque from ASPCA L.A.

And that dog that nobody wanted, brought he and his owner, round trip air fare on Southwest Airlines, lodging in Los Angeles at the pet-friendly,Waterfront Beach Resort, A Hilton Hotel, and lots of love that dogs always bring.
****
Rev. Austin Miles wrote an 11 part series, God and Animals that leading wildlife journalist, Cathy Taibbi called, “Groundbreaking.” That series can be seen on this website, Archives Oct.&Nov.2011 complete with the 11th episode answering the question: “Do Animals Have Souls.”

(Oakley, CA.) Jim Stanek (66) was a station agent for the Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART). By all indications, he was a dependable model employee.

A 16 year old boy whose father died last year, was taken in by his grandparents in Oakley. The grandparents manage to get by but barely. Their grandson goes to school in San Francisco which requires him to take the BART. The ticket is $11.00 a day,or $220.00 a month. Plus he has to take a bus to and from BART.

When Stanek learned of the youngster’s plight he began to round up tickets tossed in the trash that still had some fare value and gave them to the boy to assist him.

Supervisors went into a hissy fit and fired Stanek.  Jim Allison, a BART spokesman said, “Tickets with value left on them are supposed to be turned over to Lost and Found which will turn them over to the general fund.”

Since Stanek did not do that, but gave the tossed tickets to a teen who needed to get back and forth to school, he was fired. Saith Allison: “Even though Stanek’s decision (to give the discarded tickets) may have been made in compassion, it was NOT his decision to make.”

Whoa… hold on there! BART tickets that have been tossed in the trash must be given to Lost and Found to be put in the BART General Fund? How’s that again? The tickets had already been paid for. How would they be used in the fund?  For the teen to use the discarded tickets takes no money away from BART but uses the rides already paid for but forsaken.

So they fired Stanek claiming he improperly took tickets (discarded ones from the trash) with a value of $300.00.

Californians are generous. They also are very protective of animals. This is why I love it here and make it a point to hug a liberal every day.

An anonymous woman in The Bay Area came forward immediately, contacted the school and said she will pay his complete transportation, $15.00 a day, until he graduates.

BART must reinstate Jim Stanek. If that $300.00 they fired a man for, that they never paid out or lost, is still an issue, we are sure that our readers will step up to take that $300. to Jim Allison with full instructions regarding its application.

PERSONAL AND EXCLUSIVE TO READERS OF THIS WEBSITE:

Bethel Island, California. This past Saturday, April 21st, the cannon was ready to be fired for the beginning of the boat parade heralding the opening of the boating season.

Your writer, who was there for the annual, “Blessing of The Fleet Ceremony,” was in place as the boats were taken out of harbor and lined up on the water. The cannon fired promptly at noon, starting the parade.

Each boat was blessed as it sailed by, with prayers for a joyous and safe boating season.

Suddenly in the midst of the parade, a dozen small boats appeared with Occupy protest signs that had maneuvered into the line. And they got blessed too as they went by which might be a first.  It all went smoothly without incident.

Liberal’s Slant on News:  In her syndicated column (4/24/12) Maureen Dowd, wrote this about Mitt Romney: “When the Romneys got married and moved to Boston in 1971 so Mitt could attend Harvard, they set up house in a suburb, befriended other young Mormon couples and kept to their cloistered, conservative, privileged, traditional, white, heterosexual circle.”

Naw, that’s not liberal bias. There’s no sech thing.

Then the ‘Ask Amy” advice column published this letter (4/19/12): “Dear Amy; I am 28 and have been in a relationship with an amazing man for the past year and a half.

The problem is, he has a live-in-girlfiriend of five years. We met online when we were both seeking a “CASUAL HOOKUP.” He lied about being in a relationship.

I discovered shortly after that he was living with his girlfirend while he was hooking up with me. I confronted him, and we stopped seeing each other, but I had already developed feelings for him.

He contacted me a few weeks later, and we started seeing each other again.

It’s now been 18 months, and I don’t know what to do. I am in love with him, and he claims to be in love with me, but he doesn’t want to hurt his girlfriend.

He says he loves her even though he isn’t “in love” with her and that he needs her to see that that they’re “over” before the breakup happens.

I don’t want to stop seeing him, but I don’t want to sell myself short either. What should I do”  signed, Hopeless.”

Well duh! They were openly seeking ‘casual hookups’ after all.

THE DOTTED LINES: The revelation that Obama and his family ate dogs when he was growing up in Indonesia gives a new meaning to, “putting on the dog.”…In the meantime, Obama just signed an agreement that slaughter houses can now offer….horse meat for consumption. That’s whatcha call putting the horse before the ala carte…And Obama’s Secret Service obviously couldn’t do things secretly.They brought prostitutes to their rooms creating a media firestorm resulting in several being fired.  The least these secret service guys could have done was to be serviced secretly.  That’s it….I’m outta here…..

Sally Hemings, a slave girl in the Thomas Jefferson household is regarded in the history books of today more than the Founding Fathers. Why? Because of the intentional misrepresentation forged during that time by yellow journalist James T. Callender and repeatedly published all over America..

Communism insists that Capitalism be destroyed, along with all prominent leaders and the very history of America.

On January 10, 1963, The Congressional Record published the 45 current Communist goals that had been taken from the Cleon Skousen book, The Naked Communist.  Most of those goals have been accomplished while we slept.

For example:

Goal 30 reads: “Discredit the American Founding Fathers. Present them as selfish aristocrats who had no concern for the common man,” and Goal 31: “Belittle all forms of American culture and discourage the teaching of American history on the ground that it was only a minor part of the ‘big picture’.”

That also means attacking legitimate historians who stand in the way of their falsehoods. “To conquer a people, erase their history.” Communist saying.

In his latest book, “The Jefferson Lies,” with subtitle, “Exposing the Myths You’ve Always Believed about Thomas Jefferson,”  author David Barton, the respected and thorough Christian historian, finds himself under attack as the debate now gets down, dirty and more desperate.

Helen Trautman of Pittsburgh, a regular contributor, just mailed a clip from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, headlined: “America a Christian Nation? Think Again.” (4/9/12)

Columnist Ruth Ann Dailey scribbles her own inaccurate description of Jefferson, dismisses David Barton as a “repeat offender in manipulating religious history,” and in another line refers to “Barton’s false claims.”

How’s that again?  Ms. Dailey also took a shot at movie star, Kirk Cameron for making his documentary, “Monumental” regarding the Christian founding of America. The Communists are committed to silence all such history.

While these Socialists try to disguise their yarns as ‘journalism,’  no citations are given as source material. They said it, that’s all that matters.

As Barton points out in his book, ‘Not even a student at a community junior college would be permitted to submit a research paper with the same lack of primary source documentation, but somehow it is acceptable for professors at a noted academic institution to do so in a nationally published book.”

Unlike these Marxists with an agenda, David Barton has pages upon pages of source material and documentation. In other words, PROOF.

In this blockbuster book The Jefferson Lies, there are 45 packed pages in tiny print documenting everything he wrote. It is all backed up, something that the Communist propagandists fail to do because there IS NO documentation for the lies they try to pass as truth.

The Sally Hemings Fabrication:  Barton’s book documents how the media silenced the discovery that the DNA cited to “prove” Jefferson was the father of Hemings’ children was not the DNA of Thomas Jefferson that had been proclaimed earlier as a match..

Furthermore they neglected to even take or request a DNA sample from him. There was not even a sexual encounter between Jefferson and Hemings. The author’s back-up material confirms this truth that cannot be disputed..

Barton’s book provides many “AHA!” moments.

Rev. Austin Miles Welcomes Guest Jerry Newcombe, a favorite card-carrying columnist, to give his take on Earth Day.

On Religion and Climate Change
by Jerry Newcombe
4/21/12

Earth Day is around the corner, and next week a religious group dedicated to the environment will be meeting in Washington, DC.

The Interfaith Moral Action on Climate (IMAC) declares itself to be “a collaborative initiative spanning faiths, spiritual traditions and people of good will.”

Their goal for their DC meeting next week will include “urging elected officials to decisively act on the greatest moral crisis of our time.”

In their opinion, “climate change is a moral issue” that should be “a priority for the faithful nationwide.”

Protecting the environment is surely a worthy goal. But as a layman, I don’t understand how the scientists invoked could always be sure of these things. Things like the notion that man’s activities (more exactly, man’s activities in developed countries) are what supposedly cause various catastrophes in nature.

Thirty five years ago, many scientists warned of the catastrophe of the earth cooling. In the short span since, it heated up so much so that we’re now at risk for global warming?

As I read the Bible, I see disasters in nature as a given in this fallen world. It’s a curse because of man’s sin. We can do much through science to limit the damage of these catastrophes. But in one sense, we’re powerless to prevent them from happening.

Yet the bigger question is this: Are some of our activities, such as burning fossil fuels, actually causing global warming? According to many scientists, that assertion is unproven at best.

It used to be just “global warming” that was condemned. But that didn’t sell well during terrible snow storms, such as the one that shut down a prominent presentation Al Gore was going to give against global warming. During such storms, people up north are probably thinking, “We could use a little global warming right now.”So somewhere along the line, “global warming”got morphed into “climate change.” But…isn’t there always climate change? How convenient.

Like the poor that are always with us, so also is climate change.

If there are specific, proven things we do that harm the environment, like polluting rivers that cause illness for those down river, then such criminal acts should be halted, investigated, and prosecuted to the full extent of the law.

I also think that respect for nature improves life for most people. Whenever I visit Central Park, I’m so glad for those with the foresight to not let all of NYC be developed.

Appreciation for nature is one thing. But sometimes the environmentalists worship nature for all practical purposes. Whatever happened to the first commandment—-“I am the Lord your God. You shall have no other gods before Me”?

Cal Beisner is the spokesperson for Cornwall Alliance, a conservative group opposed to climate change alarmism. The Cornwall slogan is, “For the stewardship of creation.”

I sent him an email about this upcoming interfaith meeting described above.

Personal Note Exclusive to Readers of This Website:

One never has to test the laws of gravity to know that they work. Two weeks ago today, Palm Sunday, April l, (yep-April Fool’s Day) 2012, the proof of gravitational pull was effectively demonstrated.

After church, Shirley and I went to a friend’s home for Sunday dinner. Walking up the wide concrete steps, my sense of perception betrayed me, causing me to hurtle towards earth’s surface which could have been dangerous had it not been for a concrete step that broke my fall. OK, OK, it’s all how one looks at things, now stop it!

Hitting face-first (where my hands were I have no idea) produced a strange sensation (**see end of story) as my face slammed into the concrete, breaking my nose and leaving two black eyes to seal the event as official.

My head was bleeding along with the top ridge of my nose. I would later find some cuts and bruises on my body.

The scraping of my forehead against the concrete, made it look like hamburger. I was hoping that none of the Iron Chefs would walk by.

One of my witty friends, Helen Trautman, CEO of Results Unlimited of Pittsburgh, responded by email to the news: “Heard about the fall you took. Hope you are getting better. Catch you later.”

Very funny.  It would have been better if she had caught me when it happened instead of later after the fall had been completed.

The eyes blackened, giving me a Gothic look, which I always wanted to try. However, when I looked serious, which is most of the time, it took on more of a zombie look.

Complicating matters further, I had one funeral after another scheduled during that entire time. And to be walking through those funeral homes looking like a zombie was not the ideal situation. So I attempted to exude some kind of a personality rather than a somber look. I tried. I really did.

However, a huge MIRACLE came out of this. To have your face slammed on concrete without being able to guard it and the resulting injuries would have produced excruciating pain. READ THIS CAREFULLY::

The only thing I felt was the concrete against my face. There was no pain despite breaking my nose, getting two black eyes and cuts on my head and nose.  Again, I felt no pain.

It was as if God shielded my face with His Hand during that fall. There is no way under those circumstances that I could believe otherwise.

It is to be noted that two weeks before I had surgery on my nose to open the passageway in my nostrils. Will find out tomorrow, Monday, when I see the doctor, if any damage was done to the surgery. In the meantime, borrowing a phrase from Ms. Trautman, ‘catch y’all later’ …except if you catch me first. Hopefully you will.

Blessings Dear Readers,
rev. austin miles (small letters used to show humility which I now have in abundance after that fall.)

Who else is sick and tired of seeing and hearing someone make a comment and then apologize for making it?  The continual cacophony of whimpering non-ending apologies, diluted with a mixture of dribble, scribble and gnashing of teeth, can scrape the nerves of even the strongest of the species. Especially when almost everybody in America, it seems, is making sniveling apologies to the world for saying something that someone doesn’t like.

One cannot even make a disparaging comment about our enemies without flack.  We must speak kindly of them don’t you know.

Perverting this issue even further, Obama apologized to Muslim leaders for “the arrogance of America.” after making a deep waist-bow to them, demonstrating submission of not only himself, but the country he supposedly represents.  Obama did NOT apologize to America for apologizing to Muslim leaders for America being America.

It should not be considered verbal suicide to offer an opinion on these shores. The last time I looked, this is still The United States of America. It is time for a new movement: make those who apologize, apologize for apologizing.  Now THAT would be constructive.

One individual who would NOT apologize for his views of an issue, even under severe pressure, was and is, Kirk Cameron, the actor who stated that marriage was between a man and a woman and that homosexuality is unnatural and against biblical teaching.

That was on the Piers Morgan show observed by this writer. Cameron was invited as a guest on the Piers Morgan Show on CNN, a spot earlier filled by Larry King. Cameron was there to promote his new documentary, “Monumental,” which shows God’s monumental role in America’s founding.

Morgan immediately asked Cameron his view of homosexuals, baiting him into a discussion he did not intend to have. Morgan’s intent was to show that Christians are hate filled, meaning that anyone who opposes homosexuality and ‘gay marriage ’ is a bigot. And anyone who is a Christian is just that.

This was a lowbrow move on the part of Morgan, showing not only lack of respect, but a total poverty of manners in conning a guest to appear so he could make that guest look bad and for lying in order to get Cameron on his show by falsely claiming that it was to talk about his new documentary regarding the founding of America. Piers had no intention of doing that. This is misrepresentation, unscrupulous and dishonest as well as unethical.

However, Kirk did not flinch nor change his position, or apologize for that position. He held his own and clearly, with great strength and confidence, came out on top. He answered the question honestly and stood by his response. A tip of the beret to Kirk Cameron.

All high profile Christians must realize and be prepared for the homosexual question and discussion, no matter what pretense is given to get you on a program. Be ready.

The 17 year old lad had gone to a convenience store where he bought a bag of Skittles and a can of ice tea. That is all he had on his person as he walked through a gated community in Sanford, Florida to go home.

That is when Neighborhood Watch Captain, George Zimmerman, saw him from his Utility Sports Vehicle and began to follow him.

Zimmerman called 911 to report a suspicious black man in his neighborhood. The dispatcher told him NOT to follow him, that the police were on their way.

Zimmerman continued to follow the teen and shot him dead.

Here is how the news media, headlined this tragedy:  A White Man in a White Neighborhood Kills Black Teenager.

Zimmerman is not a white man. He is mixed. But the ‘progressive’ press adores the opportunity to fan racial hatred and strife.

Taking advantage of a tragedy to cause unrest in America allows the Socialists to further weaken the U.S.,rendering it ripe for conquest.

The shooter said he felt that his life was in danger so he shot and killed Trayvon Martin. How’s that again?

Zimmerman was in a vehicle following Trayvon who was walking. How much danger could Zimmerman face under those circumstances? How can one feel threatened by an individual that he is following?  T

Ignoring orders from police dispatchers, Zimmerman continued the chase, pulled up next to him, got out of his truck and a scuffle ensued leaving Zimmerman with a bloody nose.

Trayvon was not armed. He was the one being threatened and pursued.

According to witnesses, including his football coach, Jerome Hunter, Trayvon would never start a confrontation, he was not an aggressive type,  had never been known to have a fight, and was well loved by everyone who knew him. He was quietly walking on the sidewalk on his way home.

This happened on February 26th. Zimmerman has not been arrested or even charged in the murder, which effectively exhibits a distorted system of U.S.law and values along with the thousands of people taking to the streets in protest against the killing making this a political gift to assist in the destruction of The United States and the discouragement of patriotism. It was all perfectly orchestrated.

This has been the most blaring case of military personnel meltdown since the My Lai Massacre on March 16, 1968 when Lt. William Calley, an American soldier in South Viet Nam snapped and opened fire on unarmed civilians, killing 347-504. The remorseful man regretted this for the rest of his life.

It is easy to jockey through this current tragedy, start blaming Sgt. Robert Bales as a violent trouble-maker and bring up that he had been guilty of domestic abuse charges and a hit and run charge. A misfit that would always be a misfit. Neighbors say his house was unkempt where he lived with his wife and children.

There is no question that Sgt. Bales must answer to the charges that he killed 16 civilians in Afghanistan and face punishment.

But there are other things that MUST be considered at the same time. Let us start with the military itself. Sgt. Bales had been obligated to go on four consecutive tours of duty.  He had already been on the battle field for three solid years and one month without letup. He suffered a concussion in Iraq and lost part of a foot in another battle field injury. And he had to go back on that 4th tour of front line duty.

This is brutal. There should be two tours maximum, then let military personnel be transferred to a non battlefield assignment. Three consistent tours of duty would be really pushing it. But a fourth consecutive tour is unconscionable.

By that time, facing yet another trip to the front lines,  a numb soldier would see his life as one battlefield after another with the goal to kill as many people as possible…one after another..

He did not want to go on that fourth tour of duty…had gone on three already, was fatigued and wanted to go home to his wife and children. Indeed, he was told that he would not have to go on that 4th tour after all.  He and his family had planned some time together in more peaceful surroundings.

BUT the army reneged on its promise, yanked him up and sent him back to the front lines.  That alone could cause a normally balanced individual to snap.Next his house wound up in foreclosure proceedings because of financial difficulties. And he could not be there to help.

On top of that, the day before the tragedy, Sgt. Bales saw a friend of his be hit with an explosive that blew off his leg. He was right there and saw it along with his screaming friend going through unspeakable agony. That was the point when he went berserk. All he wanted to do was kill anyone within the race of people that had done this to his friend. And on March11th, it happened. The same month Lt. Calley went on his rampage. And strangely enough, the date was the 11th….the same day of 9-11.

It could have all been prevented.

There was a time, during the Greatest Generation of World War II when we had professional soldiers. The military did its job swiftly and efficiently. That was then.