"Choose To Live A Life That Matters" A Good Reminder From Reverend Barbara Sexton "The Biblical Biochemist-Where Science Meets the Cross"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T7s68OoIgrk
Dear Ones:
     I hope you enjoy this video by jmdesigndigital as much as I have. 
     It's a great time for reflection and introspection.
God Bless You,
Rev. Barb

"The Sudden BED BUG PROBLEM Explained" By Reverend Barbara Sexton "The Biblical Biochemist-Where Science Meets the Cross"

OUR LITTLE 'FRIENDS' Cimex lectularius

"All bedbugs mate by traumatic insemination.[3][20] Because the female has no genital opening, the male pierces her abdomen with his hypodermic genitalia and ejaculates into the body cavity. Male bedbugs sometimes attempt to mate with other males and pierce the latter in the abdomen.[21]"

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bedbug 

Dear Ones:
     The exposition below is from an e-mail, which I believe to be quite accurate even if it only tells PART of the story!
     I have and I am doing extensive RESEARCH on this 'BED BUG PROBLEM' for you and will report on the same once this election season comes to a close, no worries.  My newfound political activism is the reason I have temporarily suspended distribution of my FREE NEWSLETTER.  (If you'd like to receive my FREE NEWLETTER for up-to-date health news in 'real time', just email me at BarbaraKSexton@aol.com with your name own email address.)
     For now I'll resist 'the urge' to suggest that this is anything more than a result of 'our global economy'.  But these little blood-suckers really ARE a health menace. 
     Don't you wonder how they suddenly FLARED UP in the UNITED STATES?
      I do.
For You in Christ,
Reverend Barbara Sexton
"The Biblical Biochemist-Where Science Meets the Cross"
www.DearOnesHealingMinistry.blogspot.com

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

BED BUGS

A bit of information that you might like to know about.

We have friends here in our community and one of their sons is an entomologist (insect expert), and has been telling them that there is an epidemic of bed bugs now occurring in America. Recently I have heard on the news that several stores in NYC have had to close due to bed bug problems, as well as a complete mall in New Jersey. He says that since much of our clothing, sheets, towels, etc. now comes from companies outside of America, (sad but true), even the most expensive stores sell foreign clothing from China, Indonesia, etc. The bed bugs are coming in on the clothing as these countries do not consider them a problem.


He recommends that if you buy any new clothing, even underwear and socks, sheets, towels, etc. that you bring them into the house and put them in your clothes dryer for at least 20 minutes. The heat will kill them and their eggs. DO NOT PURCHASE CLOTHES AND HANG THEM IN THE CLOSET FIRST. It does not matter what the price range is of the clothing, or if the outfit comes from the most expensive store known in the U.S. They still get shipments from these countries and the bugs can come in a box of scarves or anything else for that matter. That is the reason why so many stores, many of them clothing stores have had to shut down in NYC and other places. All you need is to bring one item into the house that has bugs or eggs and you will go to hell and back trying to get rid of them. He travels all over the country as an advisor to many of these stores, as prevention and after they have the problem.

From e-mail.  THANK YOU UNCLE CHARLIE--You're the BEST!
Love & Blessings,
Barb

'OBAMA STIM CHECKS GO TO DEAD & PRISONERS' By Reverend Barbara Sexton "The Biblical Biochemist-Where Science Meets the Cross"

courtesy http://www.gospelgifs.com/   Jim Sutton

UPDATE: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/02/12/samuel-l-jackson-obama-vote-black_n_1271797.html
     You've got to give the OBAMA ADMINISTRATION credit: When you're 'ON THE DOLE' with THEM, you CAN 'take it with you' after you're DEAD and/or INCARCERATED!
     They 'sure did get one over on us', didn't they, the group who has managed to sink the United States DEEPER and DEEPER into economic distress??  Well...THANKS FER NUTTIN'!!!

http://www.gospelgifs.com/  Jim Sutton

     Anyway, here's a LINK: http://blogs.wsj.com/washwire/2010/10/07/maybe-you-can-take-it-with-you-stimulus-checks-sent-to-the-dead/ which is one of many for this breaking news.
     If you vote for the OBAMA-PELOSI-REED-O-PHILES who GO for this kind of corruption...SHAME on you.
     The rest of us, we're going to keep our eyes open, exercise our free will, listen to our consciences and continue to work to heal and restore our fine Nation.
     Hand-outs in death....hand-outs in life...You'd think those greedier than ever for dollars they never earned and don't deserve would feel...well...guilty.  But they don't and they rejoice at what they've done.  Worse yet, they intend to KEEP doing it and to extract what they can from our CHILDREN and GRANDCHILDREN after WE'RE GONE!
     YET ANOTHER REASON TO JOIN with the TEA PARTY PATRIOTS--TODAY--IF EVER THERE WAS ONE!
"I SAY, 'NOT GOD DAMN AMERICA', BUT GOD BLESS AMERICA"
God Bless Us All,
Reverend Barbara Sexton
"The Biblical Biochemist-Where Science Meets the Cross"
http://www.dearoneshealingministry.blogspot.com/

courtesy http://www.gospelgifs.com/  Jim Sutton

courtesy http://www.gospelgifs.com/  God Bless You Jim Sutton

"The Hodgkin's Lymphoma Cancer 11 yr old Child Hoax" By Reverend Barbara Sexton "The Biblical Biochemist-Where Science Meets the Cross"

courtesy http://www.gospelgifs.com/ Jim Sutton

Dear Ones:

BEWARE the phony PRAYER REQUESTS starting with, "Special Prayer Request from Peggy Lesley at Brookwood Church" . "I am starting a signing for my son's best friend who has cancer (Hodgkin's Lymphoma). He is 11 years old and is not doing well, at all." 

IT IS A HOAX loosely based on some 'truth'!: http://www.snopes.com/inboxer/prayer/hodgkins.asp

Most people, I do believe, have good intentions.  Especially on matters of faith, we tend to take each others' words at face value.

Yet even the best of us can be deceived.
THERE IS EVEN A FACEBOOK PAGE FOR THE "SICK CHILD" in QUESTION: http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=2219514237&v=wall#!/group.php?gid=2219514237&v=wall

Since I don't know how many of my readers have ever heard of this scam, I am writing about it here.

And here's my suggestion for a REAL PRAYER LIST.  Let's start with the person or persons who have participated in this HOAX with less than noble intentions.  Pretending to have cancer is not nice and not funny. 

Let us pray that God has mercy on the unfortunates who think it is...that they change their ways and have a miraculous conversion to 'sentience'.
AMEN.

God Bless You this day and forever,
Reverend Barbara Sexton
"The Biblical Biochemist-Where Science Meets the Cross"
www.DearOnesHealingMinistry.blogspot.com

'In Honor of Angelica Nappi & Those Killed By Drunk/Drugged Drivers' By Reverend Barbara Sexton "The Biblical Biochemist-Where Science Meets the Cross"

Angelica Nappi  R.I.P.

Dear Ones:
     There's no doubt about it- our God is a loving God and He wants us to celebrate being alive and to enjoy our short time here on earth!  
     Indeed, his very first MIRACLE was at the behest of his Mom at a wedding in Cana.  Mother Mary asked her Son to replenish the wine supply for the wedding party in progress.
     As the loving and caring Savior that he is, Jesus complied to the delight of all present.  It's interesting that the Lord in all his wisdom chose 'party time' as a moment suitable to first expose people to the wonderment of his miraculous ministry.
     But as much as we are encouraged to 'be joyful always', sometimes we cannot help but deeply grieve when we lose someone we love.  It is at those times that God's admonition to 'be joyful always' is absurd in the face of our suffering.  Of course, it is then that we have our most powerful opportunities to let our 'FAITH' sustain us...if only we let it. 

  And leave it to humankind to take their God-given JOY and use it to 'overindulge'.  When our partying becomes excessive and self-abusive, it becomes tragic.  Worst of all, excessive behaviors affects more than just the perpetrator, especially when innocent victims become involved.

     Getting irresponsibly drunk or blown out on drugs and then getting behind the wheel is not only foolish, but it is also a very, very thoughtless and selfish act. 

     DRUNK DRIVING & DRIVING WHILE HIGH ON DRUGS KILLS INNOCENT PEOPLE.
http://www.drugfree.org/
http://www.madd.org/
     Sometimes young people are cut down in their 'prime', even before they've had a chance to live their lives fully.  Sometimes, parents outlive their children--an indescribable sadness that appears to defy all natural laws.  Such loss is never forgotten.
     Parents are supposed to pre-decease their children...not the other way around.  NO ONE is supposed to look down at a casket and say, "This is my daughter".  No parent should even say, "This is my son", or "This is my grandchild" at a graveside, in mourning.

Mom Dawn & Dad Joseph Nappi &

http://www.myspace.com/angelicanappi 

     The deaths of children affect their peers even more.  It is not possible for most young people to be able to comprehend the circumstances of and the finality of the death of one of their classmates.  Friends aren't supposed to DIE...they're supposed to 'be there' so you can hang out together, graduate together and eventually grow up and attend each others' weddings and other happy events together.  It's not supposed to happen like this!
     But sometimes things do not go as planned and the  inconceivable occurs.  In the case of ANGELICA NAPPI, who was killed on February 22, 2008, two and a half years ago at the age of 14 by a driver on drugs, the lives of her family and friends are inexorably changed. 
     Next month on Friday, October 22, 2010 (the day school/business day before her birthday the next day) KIMBERLY SEXTON and MICHELLE PRIMAVERA are asking us to 'WEAR PURPLE'.  HERE IS THE LINK:
http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=132865980095222#!/event.php?eid=132865980095222&ref=mf     Please join me, also, in doing this--not only to commemorate Angelica and her Mom Dawn and Dad Joseph, for her sister Nicolette and her brother Joseph...but for ALL WHOSE YOUNG LIVES HAVE BEEN AFFECTED BY DRUNK AND DRUGGED DRIVERS ALL OVER THE WORLD.
    Please all who are reading this, please join us.  Wear purple on October 22, 2010 to remember ANGELICA and all the CHILDREN & YOUNG PEOPLE WE HAVE LOST due to drunk drivers and to drivers high on drugs.  Let ANGELICA'S 'CALL' be one for ALL YOUTH LOST IN DRUNK/DRUGGED DRIVING ACCIDENTS ALL OVER THE GLOBE. 
http://www.drugfree.org/
     Below are some sad links of Angelica's mother Dawn and her efforts along with Mothers Against Drunk Driving (M.A.D.D.) to help prevent future tragedies from happening.
http://www.madd.org/
     We do not know now what God's motivations and reasons are for taking our children so young.  All we can do is pray that one day He will tell us. 

Mothers Against Drunk Driving

http://www.myspace.com/angelicanappi 

     But we can be comforted by knowing that they are definitely safe and sound in a Heavenly Realm.  Having 'been out of my body' myself due to sepsis and major surgery, I can tell you that THIS (this earthly life) is the hard part!  Believe it.

     As our children who have gone before us are now united together and in good Hands, why can't we here left behind do likewise and 'stick together' to support and uplift each other?  

     God Bless you for taking the time to read this a for participating in Purple Remembrance Day on October 22, 2010 at the request of Michelle Primavera and Kimberly Sexton.
http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=132865980095222#!/event.php?eid=132865980095222&ref=mf 
In Him,
Reverend Barbara Sexton
"The Biblical Biochemist-Where Science Meets the Cross"
http://www.dearoneshealingministry.blogspot.com/
 "Dawn Nappi has a mission: to prevent children from being killed by intoxicated drivers.

Nappi, 38, of Holbrook, has teamed up with Mothers Against Drunk Driving in the wake of the death of her daughter, Angelica Nappi.
Angelica, 14, died Friday, three days after the car she was riding in with five other girls - including her sister, Nicolette Nappi, 12 - was struck in Medford by a car police said was driven by an unlicensed driver on drugs.
"I hope the death of my daughter is a gain in that there's a productive force to prevent this from happening again," she said. "I want to spare other parents this heartache."
The driver, Stephen Catalano, 37, of West Babylon, remained in fair condition in Brookhaven Memorial Hospital Medical Center in East Patchogue, where he is in police custody. Catalano was charged with driving while ability impaired by drugs and was expected to be arraigned today in First District Court in Central Islip.
READ THE REST HERE:
http://www.mydeathspace.com/article/2008/04/10/Angelica_Nappi_(14)_was_killed_when_Stephen_Catalano_(37)_struck_her_vehicle_while_driving_under_the_influence_of_drugs 

courtesy http://www.gospelgifs.com/  Jim Sutton

"HURRAY FOR THE ASPCA & JIM GORANT'S Book About MICHAEL VICK ABUSED, RESCUED & REHAB DOGS!"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=939tGP4h6Sw&feature=player_embedded
GOD BLESS YOU JIM GORANT for writing this book!
AND GOD BLESS ALL OF YOU AT THE ASPCA and those who help animals EVERYWHERE!
http://www.aspca.org/news/tri-state/09-17-10.html#1
The wait is officially over: The Lost Dogs: Michael Vick’s Dogs and Their Tale of Rescue and Redemption by Jim Gorant, an in-depth look behind the scenes of the Michael Vick case and “where are they now” account of the dogs rescued from his property, hit bookshelves nationwide on September 16. The Lost Dogs can be purchased at your local bookstore and through online retailers including Amazon.com. (Tip: If you purchase the book on Amazon.com using this link, the ASPCA will receive a small donation at no extra cost to you! )
LINK: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1592405509?ie=UTF8&tag=aspcaorg-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=1592405509 


Naturally, the ASPCA is excited about this book because of our firsthand involvement in the investigation http://www.aspca.org/fight-animal-cruelty/dog-fighting/michael-vick-investigation.html —but having gotten our hands on an early copy, we’re very happy to report that it is a terrific, compelling read for anyone interested in animal welfare, canine behavior, the evolution of animal protection laws or our country’s criminal justice system.

Dear Ones:
     YOU can be either a force for GOOD in this world ...or for EVIL, but rarely 'in-between'.  Read here about the rescue and rehab of Michael Vick's abused dogs, some of whom were saved and 'rehabed' and adopted by loving families.
     By buying this book, you will be helping the ASPCA who had a great deal to do with this tremendous rescue effort.  PLEASE, buy this Jim Gorant book, read it and let your kids read it or read it to them.
     We are never 'too young' to learn and be taught about 'kindness'. 
     And we are never too 'far gone' to change our ways and start 'doing good'.  The time to start is today!
Thank you.
With Love in Christ,
Rev. Barbara Sexton
"The Biblical Biochemist-Where Science Meets the Cross"
http://www.dearoneshealingministry.blogspot.com/
(Please note that Rev. Barb has never received nor does she accept any compensation for any animal welfare work she does or publicizes.)

'Olfactory Memories Of September 11, 2001' By Reverend Barbara Sexton "The Biblical Biochemist-Where Science Meets the Cross"

courtest http://www.gospelgifs.com/   Jim Sutton

     Nothing will wipe away the olfactory memories I carry to this day of what I smelled on that sad September 11, 2001.
      Imprinted in my brain is the 'smell' of a mixture of 'the smoke'...of wet concrete dust and some wood...of jet fuel and more smoke.
      I have a 'good nose' as a chemist and always did.  What served me so well while formulating and testing drugs and cosmetics only served to torture me.  Now I know for certain that sometimes ignorance really is bliss.
     We saw the orange glow and the smoke from our vantage point, too.  We viewed it from the land and we viewed it from the water as we cruised at a 'respectful speed' towards the horizon of burning, smoking, glowing, hazy-hot what-used-to-be the WTC area of Manhattan.  Others joined in this 'spontaneous flotilla'--ready to help, accompanied and observed by the Naval and U.S. Coast Guard and other ships in the area.
     In a sense we were all there involuntarily.  We were drawn to the water in order to get as close to 'Ground Zero' as possible for whatever may come after the initial terrible crashes, explosions and collapses.
     All of us were on alert, while at the same time grieving, shaking our heads at the vision unfolding before us.  We could only take in only so much before we slowly headed for port for more grieving, responding and strategizing.
     When a plane flew overhead, whether we were on land or sea, all eyes assessed it anxiously.  Was it ours?  Would it be shot out of the sky?  We were ready for anything by that time and 'up' for it, too.
      Things got much worse fast.  After four or five days the even more ominous odor of death and decay wafted towards the house, over the Sound and smack dab in our direction.  It was so bad by then, that smell creeping opportunistically every time someone dared to open a door or window.  There was no such thing as 'getting some fresh air'.  There was no such thing as 'catching one's breath' after being overcome with emotion.  The air was ropey and foul--thick with heartbreak, anger and fear.
     You'd have to hold you breath between house and car, those of us doing 'community work'.  The air was saturated with the stench of terrorism in a way I shall never forget and I was changed that day.  As the ashes of a beloved sprinkled below a growing plant become a part of that plant, so that stench became a part of all of us, as we breathed those days.  Our skin and hair absorbed it;  there was no escape at all.
     On the day that the odor of decaying human bodies first arrived at our door, I impulsively 'took the day off' and drove up the line.  I had to escape that stench and nothing short of a family emergency would hold me back.
     Me--the one with the 'strong stomach'--I couldn't take it.  All that I'd seen and smelled and experienced over the years meant nothing these first weeks after September 11, 2001. 
     I think it was the persistent and lingering 'jet fuel' bottom note on 'stinker day' that finally made me break down.  I wished I couldn't detect what I could. 
     Today I will tell you something I've never spoken of publicly before.  I knew that this 'new' smell reaching us represented those walking wounded who never reached us at our Stamford Rail Road Station/Stamford Hospital Triage staging area. 
     Steel vaporizes, you know (or so an architect friend told me the day of the attacks).  That's why the two towers 'collapsed' as they did.  I don't know how an architect can know with such certainty a few hours after the attacks that 'there would be no survivors'...but that's what he told me.  I listened to him and was better prepared for what was to come counseling-wise because he was right.
     So that scent of molten, vaporized steel--that was something I'd never smelled before either and you can add that note to the repellent and deadly smell of terrorism those first few weeks after Sept. 11.
     Even as I was 'escaping', I was reviewing likely 'constructs' sure to evolve around the debate of 'whether or not' first responders and survivors of 9/11 would sustain lasting respiratory and other injuries and sequelae.  Shades of 'Agent Orange' debate from years ago when Uncle cruelly rejected victim claims. 
     How much better today that September 11, 2001 claims were not so similarly dismissed, but still, it's been a struggle to see justice meted out so that truly innocent victims can be compensated.
     These are my olfactory memories of those days.  I've auditory, visual, tactile and worse sensory memories I don't completely share, but these are some.  
God Bless America,
Reverend Barbara Sexton
"The Biblical Biochemist-Where Science Meets the Cross"
http://www.dearoneshealingministry.blogspot.com/

http://www.gospelgifs.com/  Jim Sutton

"Please Join Me In Prayer For Those In Flood-Ravaged Pakistan" By Reverend Barbara Sexton www.DearOnesHealingMinistry.blogspot.com

http://www.watton.org/

Dear Ones:

Please join me right now in prayer for Pakistanis displaced and suffering from floods this moment:

Dear God:

We come to you now to ask that You show your mercy to the people of Pakistan who are helpless victims of a natural disaster.

Lord, help all of us in our individual and collective 'spiritual journeys' to come together in compassion, at this time, for a people whose suffering is too much to bear.

America has been 'asked for help' by a 'sometimes enemy'.  Indeed, Pakistan has asked us for Chinooks and for other assistance at this desperate time. 

Help us to be gracious, O Lord and answer that call.  Help us to extend our mercy as You would have us do.

Help us to expect absolutely nothing in return.  May the knowledge of having done the right thing, at the right time.... thanks to a Wisdom and Guidance so much greater than ourselves...be sufficient.

We pray these things in the ways of our individual traditions and together as a family of humankind.

AMEN

It is easy to be kind to those who are kind to you.  Here we have an opportunity to 'forever forget' that. 
God Bless You for joining me just now in this prayer.
With Love in Christ,
Reverend Barbara Sexton
"The Biblical Biochemist-Where Science Meets the Cross"
http://www.dearoneshealingministry.blogspot.com/

'CALLING ALL AGNOSTICS/ATHEISTS/SPIRITUAL SEEKERS Re: A Forgiveness We Cannot Fathom' By Reverend Barbara Sexton "The Biblical Biochemist-Where Science Meets the Cross"

Christian MySpace Graphics
     How good it is to Christian believers to know that God has a forgiveness so 'complete' that it includes that which we can't ever completely understand!  Witness this exchange between Jesus and the men on each side of him:
"39One of the criminals who hung there hurled insults at him: "Aren't you the Christ? Save yourself and us!"

40But the other criminal rebuked him. "Don't you fear God," he said, "since you are under the same sentence? 41We are punished justly, for we are getting what our deeds deserve. But this man has done nothing wrong."
42Then he said, "Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.[f]"
43Jesus answered him, "I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise."
                                                                                            Luke 23:39-43 (NIV)
LINK: http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Luke+23&version=NIV
     What do you think is the 'story' of this 'suddenly forgiven' criminal?  It is the fact that he accepted Christ as the Lord that he was 'saved' at the last minute. 
     And God's forgiveness goes beyond even this.  We are told in Scripture that God so thoroughly 'forgives our sins' that He is actually able to 'not remember them'!  You can read this in a book of the New Testament written especially for 'Jewish Believers', in Hebrews 8:1-13 (NIV)
GOD says: "11No longer will a man teach his neighbor, or a man his brother, saying, 'Know the Lord,' because they will all know me, from the least of them to the greatest. 12For I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more."    Hebrews 8:11-12 (NIV)
LINK: http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Hebrews+8&version=NIV
Christian MySpace Graphics     Not 'remembering' our sins is an even BIGGER mystery for Christian believers to contemplate.  Who among us is 'good enough' to do this?  Fair few, I reckon...and that's why we need to call upon the Holy Spirit indwelling in each of us to get done what we alone, as human beings, simply cannot do.
     I am not saying that there is no such thing as 'unpardonable sin' (that is, attributing to Satan the works of the Holy Spirit) and that everyone can get a 'free pass' one way or another.  But only the Lord Himself--with or without the intervention of either an angel or a human prophet--can make a call like that.  For myself, I would be extremely hesitant to broach the subject unless I had 'direct orders', so to speak. 
     There's no second-guessing the Lord on matters of judgement and religious leaders who do so--well let's just say that they and only they will be judged for their words and actions and their influence on others.
Christian MySpace Graphics
    So be wary, dear ones, of any religious leaders who declare either wholesale condemnation or wholesale forgiveness.  That is like saying that one completely knows the mind of God, and that is just not  impossible unless one has received some very direct orders. 
     I pray what I've written here gives you all--Christian believers, spiritual seekers, agnostics and atheists--cause for reflection and reconsideration of some very important things in this day and age.  There's a 'New Covenant' a-coming these days....to be 'completed' in God's good time.  The Bible outlines the gameplan and gives us plenty of hints and warnings of events that look strangely similar to events in the news today.
     If current events in any way prompt you to reconsider things you have previously cast aside (like believing in a Creator and/or believing in the writings of the Bible), this just might be a good time to take a second look.  What can it hurt? 
     But if you belong to the 'these things happen all the time' brigade, you'll likely think this is all nonsense and will just keep on keeping on with whatever you're doing anyway.  No matter-Scripture has you covered to, so that believers can understand you better and be there to help you in the event...you know.
      I will pray that if you are reading this, you will listen to that 'small, still, BOOMING voice' inside you mind, heart, body and soul when 'it' speaks to you.
      Please, oh please, do pay attention to it!
God Bless & Keep You even those of you who don't believe in Him just yet  : )
Reverend Barbara Sexton
"The Biblical Biochemist-Where Science Meets The Cross"
www.DearOnesHealingMinisry.blogspot.com
Christian MySpace Graphics    
    

NATIONAL POLICE WEEK APPRECIATION SHOULD EXTEND THROUGHOUT THE YEAR By Reverend Barbara Sexton "The Biblical Biochemist-Where Science Meets the Cross"

Dear Ones:

     This past week has been NATIONAL POLICE WEEK across our nation.  Read below about this special commemoration and please visit the donation page and contribute whatever you can to help the families of these great heroes.
     Last week as I watched some footage about the Times Square Bomber, I saw some NYPD Personnel with and wearing their 'high-tech gear'.  It occurred to me that these, our protectors, look more and more like 'Star Trek' figures than regular police officers,  as the opponents they must battle today become increasingly more onerous and dangerous.
     Nowadays, the armor and ordnance of the 'LEO' (law enforcement officer) community used all over the U.S.A. are truly more akin to the battle gear of our military.  They HAVE to be in order to wage this 'war on terror'.
     Please, dear Readers, don't celebrate today and forget tomorrow these LEO HEROES who fight to save us all from the evil afoot.  God Bless them and keep them and their loved ones.  I pray that the memories of the fallen serve to instill us with a sense of ETERNAL GRATITUDE for the sacrifice they have made.  May their memories serve to uplift and embolden ALL OF US as we continue in our battle against terrorist cowards who don't even know the meaning of a 'clean fight'.
     I know our fallen LEO HEROES are resting eternally in God's Loving and Safe Presence now.  As we carry ourselves about in our daily lives, each of us knows something in our hearts.  We know that at any time and in any place, we may be forced to 'call upon' the comrades of these fallen heros to SAVE US...AND THEY WILL!  They'll be there, just as their fallen brothers and sisters were there for us.
     For this, we are and will continue to be GRATEFUL!  These fallen LEO HEROES will never be forgotten!
God Bless You & God Bless America,
Reverend Barbara Sexton
"The Biblical Biochemist-Where Science Meets the Cross"
http://www.dearoneshealingministry.blogspot.com/
National Police Week—May 9-15, 2010
http://www.nleomf.org/programs/policeweek/?gclid=CM7no7rG1KECFY9M5QodjzQgIg

Each May during National Police Week the nation pauses to recognize the service and sacrifice of U.S. law enforcement.
Established in 1962 by President John F. Kennedy and a joint resolution of Congress, National Police Week pays special tribute to those law enforcement officers who have lost their lives in the line of duty for the safety and protection of others. Ceremonies are held in Washington, DC, and in communities across the country.
READ THE REST HERE:
http://www.nleomf.org/programs/policeweek/?gclid=CM7no7rG1KECFY9M5QodjzQgIg

TWO WAYS YOU CAN HELP AND REMEMBER THOSE WHO SERVE US SO WELL:
CONTRIBUTE: http://www.nleomf.org/contribute/
GIFT SHOP: https://secure3.convio.net/nleomf/site/Ecommerce store_id=1201&JServSessionIdr004=pr5r9eiow1.app304a

Make Your Tears Count at the Fairfield (Greenwich/Stamford) Tea Party By Rev Barbara Sexton www.DearOnesHealingMinistry.blogspot.com

http://www.free-foto-animation-digital-images.blogspot.com/
Dear Ones:    
Every once in a while, I am reminded just how important it is to make the most of my time here on earth.  I remember that it is incumbent upon me to 'do something that matters', while I can.  It needn't be something big or small...just something that lets my Lord and Maker know that I don't take my life for granted and that I don't think this incredible 'life journey' is all just a free ride.  It sure isn't.
     I'm in a 48-hour cycle of 'doing'.  It started yesterday when a dear friend, the husband of my deceased 'best friend' Candy, stopped by for a visit.  http://sefcik.frontrunnerpro.com/runtime/17941/runtime.php?SiteId=17941&NavigatorId=113351&viewOpt=dpaneOnly&ItemId=335342&op=tributeMemorialCandles        The plan was to catch up and trade, once again, our shared experiences with Candy.  We continually console each other in our 'still-fresh' grief over the loss of a special woman all the time, but yesterday it was in person.  Byran, Candy and I go way back to our undergraduate days at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI), which  in the late 60's was a bastion of  the intellectuo-military 'torture' for eager academic 'green horns' willing to subject themselves to it.  Pretty much, all of us were destined to serve in one capacity or another in what we called 'the military-industrial complex'.  Such were the crazy 'Vietnam years'.  http://sefcik.frontrunnerpro.com/runtime/17941/runtime.php?SiteId=17941&NavigatorId=113351&op=tributeCondolenceView&viewOpt=dpaneOnly&ItemId=335342 
       On campus, Candy and I were that rare species known as 'coeds' in an all male culture.  We were outnumbered around  35:1, male to female ratio, in those days.  Candy, unlike myself, was considered 'datable' by the men on campus.  As for myself, I was only 'the competition' to the guys... nothing more than a wretched co-ed. 
     If an RPI guy wanted a 'real' date, he'd better go down to the all-girl college Russell-Sage and get a 'Sagie'.  Not that I didn't have a few boyfriends at RPI, but my true source of comfort came from my lesbian roomate, a few of the gay guys on campus and, of course, from 'the foreign students'.  We were the 'rejects' and we understood the quandry we were in quite well.
     We stuck together, striving for 'safety in numbers', a ploy which almost never worked in class.   Out of class, it worked great as we shared horror stories about this professor or that and how we were harassed one way or another.  For me, dinorsaur male-chauvinist professors would try to 'drum me out' of their classes, quite openly, in fact, stating their opinions fearlessly.  One physics professor in particular said to me, "Well, young lady, I suppose you feel that I have singled you out for censure.  I have singled you out.  I happen to think that women have no place in the sciences and I'll be happy to sign that 'drop/add card' for you."
     In this case, I was fortunate, for there were two major Professors teaching this class.  Although it took some schedule juggling, I was able to escape a bad tormentor.  So as I stood there, drop/add card in hand, I had Professor Obnoxious smugly sign on the line as I said to him, "You know, guys like you are a dying breed.  You are a dinosaur."  I was thankful that I'd been born and raised as 'my father's first son who could do anything she wanted to' with the requisite 'tough skin' for such a visionary outlook.
     I don't know if that male chauvinist porker felt anything, but I sure felt good about the whole affair.  I wasn't hurt, I was mobilized.  In that case, I didn't feel sorry for myself, but kept my emotions well-controlled.   Most of all I displayed no overt anger, for that would have only stoked the Professors anti-women fire. I tell you about men like that so you can understand the conditions under which Candy and I operated back then....us and her beloved boyfriend and eventual husband Bryan.
     So yesterday, I thought I had it together.  I am well practised at keeping my public emotions under check.  What good is a pastoral-consoler if they don't keep steady and carry on while others cry in despair and mourn their loved ones?  An old trick is to cry in the shower beforehand and then in the safety of privacy afterwards, for it is unhealthy to not acknowledge and release ones grief and I don't care who you are.  Thinking that I would be okay yesterday, I greeted Bryan at the door and prepared mentally for a pleasant visit.
     It turned out to be a terrific visit, actually.  It was a beautiful day, we were outside, we visited 'Candy's beach' and enjoyed a wonderful dinner prepared by my daughter Jen.  At the beach, I asked Bryan if he would like to say a prayer.  Usually this is something very natural for me, for it's as easy as just having an open conversation with my Heavenly Father.  Grasping Bryan's hand as we stood at the water's edge, looking out at the water Candy and her son Jeremy http://whereismrbarnes.blogspot.com/  had so often enjoyed together, I choked.  I could not at first speak.  I had to collect myself, then finally I was able to somewhat modulate my voice enough to speak.  No one wants to listen to someone speaking in the 'crying-and-unable-to-speak-mode' , for it makes everyone uncomfortable. Yesterday, I could barely prevent subjecting us to just that.  It surprised me.
     Later on at the house, we enjoyed a wonderful dinner made by my daughter Jen.  Even she realized that 'something wasn't quite right with Mama'.  We wined and dined and Bryan went on his way after our visit and I proceeded to follow my best self-advice and finally had a really good cry.  My family understood and didn't get too upset, for they know when I just have to let it rip.  What surprised me was how badly I needed to let it all out, for I thought I'd done enough 'raw' mourning and crying for Candy already.  But all it took was a single comment at the beach, "Oh I miss her so much" uttered by Candy's husband Bryan, to open up the floodgates.
     Yesterday yet resonates in my soul today.  I swear I keep 'squeezing out', 'tear-leftovers'. There are those who swear that one can only cry a given number of tears, but I don't believe it.  I believe we each shed as many tears as we must, how we must and when we must and that's all there is to it.  Even Jesus wept over his dead friend Lazarus:
"32When Mary reached the place where Jesus was and saw him, she fell at his feet and said, "Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died."
33When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who had come along with her also weeping, he was deeply moved in spirit and troubled. 34"Where have you laid him?" he asked.
"Come and see, Lord," they replied.
35Jesus wept."                                                John 11:32-35  (NIV)
http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=John+11&version=NIV
      Yesterday, I prayed that our 'tears of loss be turned to tears of joy of remembrance of the good times'.  What else could I do?  No one is 'above' crying, breaking down and I feel God wants us to acknowledge ourselves truthfully in all situations.  Who would ever trust a care-giver or consoler who never had 'their moments'?  No one, is who.  As written above, even Jesus wept and HE would be subsequently raising his friend Lazarus from the dead!  It's tears and more tears, for all who would share the human experience.  If it's good enough for our Lord, it is good enough for all of us.
     All these tears remind me of something I alluded to at the beginning of this piece.  They're a reminder to make 'things count'.  Make your days 'count'.  Make your words 'count'.  Make your actions 'count'.  And take stances that 'count'.  As I tell my kids, "If you believe in something, fight your heart out".  That's what I plan on doing today.
     As the perfect follow-up to yesterday, I'm embracing an opportunity today by attending a Tea Party rally in front of Greenwich Town Hall from 5:00 pm to 7:30 pm.
http://dearoneshealingministry.blogspot.com/2010/04/up-coming-fairfield-tea-party-events.html   It's time to 'do something' in this regard.  Will I see you there?
     As with the release of tears, one can only do so much thinking and ranting-to-oneself in the shower, over things politic right now.  It's a good day to 'make it count', for we must remember to 'do good' according to our individual consciences while we still can. 
     And I pray that you do that, too, wherever you stand.  It's important.  And it will may well make all our tears count!
God Grant you all His Blessings,
Rev Barbara Sexton
"The Biblical Biochemist-Where Science Meets the Cross"
http://www.dearoneshealingministry.blogspot.com/