AMBER Alert issued for Colorado Springs baby

Story by 9NEWS Staff

DENVER - Officials issued an AMBER Alert Friday night for a 21-month-old baby who was last seen with a Colorado Springs daycare provider earlier in the day.

Police say Devon Lee Wood was with daycare provider Suzanne Quigley McNatt at 11 a.m.

The baby is described as white, 2 ½ feet tall, 25 pounds, and has blue eyes and blond hair. He was wearing a white body suit with red pants.

The woman, McNatt, is described as white, 39 years old, 5 feet 5 inches, 165 pounds with brown eyes and red hair.

McNatt’s car is a red 1989 Ford Aero Star with Colorado license plate number 864-GBL.

Anyone who has seen the baby or McNatt should call police immediately.

The AMBER Alert allows police and broadcasters to work together to activate an urgent bulletin in possible child-abduction cases with the hope that citizens will be able to help in the search for abducted children.

(Copyright 2003 by 9NEWS KUSA-TV, All Rights Reserved)

uggh

today I leave for two weeks. blogging will likely be spartan at best. I may get an rare chance to blog while in Alpharetta. The second week, though, I go to SC for a few days for a national meeting of all the southern baptist state men's ministry leaders, then a few more days in Taccoa Falls, GA, to be certified as a national men's ministry trainer. Those last meeting times, I will be far away from anything that resembles a PC.

The time will actually be well spent, but I loathe the thought of spending such a long time away from the family. At least we just changed cell phone plans so all our calls to each other don't count against our minutes.

I suppose I better go pack.

bottom of the ninth

I posted my sermon on this subject a while back, but just a reminder...

when Daniel was faced with a new law that made it illegal to worship God, what did he do?

He went home and immediately worshipped God.

While we currently find our courts declaring that the words "under God" are unconstitutional, we better realize that for us to not praise God for giving us a nation of liberty and freedom would be unconscionable.

We must strive to live in favor with both men and God, until such a time of living in favor with men opposes living in favor with God.

and how does that saying go...

when worshipping God is outlawed, only outlaws will worship God.

proverbs #57

clipping a tiger's claws never makes him lose his taste for blood.

I dare you

go ahead.

count the stars.

where'd you lose track?

Then God made two great lights: the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night. He made the stars also. -- Genesis 1:16

Then He (God) brought him (Abraham) outside and said, "Look now toward heaven, and count the stars if you are able to number them.'' And He said to him, "So shall your descendants be.'' -- Genesis 15:5

He commands the sun, and it does not rise; He seals off the stars; -- Job 9:7

O Lord, our Lord, How excellent is Your name in all the earth, You who set Your glory above the heavens! Out of the mouth of babes and infants You have ordained strength, Because of Your enemies, That You may silence the enemy and the avenger. When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers, The moon and the stars, which You have ordained, What is man that You are mindful of him, And the son of man that You visit him? For You have made him a little lower than the angels, And You have crowned him with glory and honor. You have made him to have dominion over the works of Your hands; You have put all things under his feet, All sheep and oxen Even the beasts of the field, The birds of the air, And the fish of the sea That pass through the paths of the seas. O Lord, our Lord, How excellent is Your name in all the earth! -- Psalm 8

He counts the number of the stars; He calls them all by name. Great is our Lord, and mighty in power; His understanding is infinite. -- Psalm 147:4-5

just doing my part to help keep things in their proper perspective.

fell off the wagon

I'm drinking a Mountain Dew Code Red after two weeks of going without.

MDCR has been a primary sacrifice to the 'healthy-living gods,' but with Kelsi's impending first birthday party tonight, heavily frosted cake will inevitably be consumed, so Friday, Feb. 28, has been written off as a celebratory allowance.

further discovery: strong coffee does not go well with a baloney and cheese sandwich. especially if you use it au jus.

remembering Mr. Rogers

who said, "I have really never considered myself a TV star. I always thought I was a neighbor who just came in for a visit."

more of his statements.

Kelli met Fred Rogers at the NATPE convention a few years ago, before we had children and she was a mover and shaker in the entertainment industry (actually, she was responsible for getting SBC programs on secular stations -- the job that put me through seminary!). She sat in on a "coffee talk" at which he spoke, and said he was 'on the money' with assessing the state of television, as well as the prescription to remedy what ails it.

All I know is this. The Wiggles couldn't even stand in Mr. Roger's shadow.

renewed suspicion

France has bestowed Meryl Streep with its highest award.

Is it coincidence she's made antiwar statements?

a shout out

Rob McClurkan is the artist who puts together Baptist Men On Mission, the publication I now edit.

This is his online comic strip.

Check it out. It's much funnier that BMOM.

you be the judge

Kelli's hypothesis:

Jamie Sale, she of the latest chapter of Olympic figure skating infamy


and Trista Rehn, she of the latest incarnation of unreality television infamy.


are, in fact, the same person.

what do you think?

signs of the impending apocalypse #29

this gal

had surgery to add eight holes in her neck, so that she'd become a human flute.

I can make trumpeting noises periodically, but my wife told me she doesn't like when I blog about that.


now, is this really true? dunno, since the story does come from weekly world news. once you follow the link though, enjoy your time reading about the bat boy (and we ain't talkin' baseball)

how far are you willing to go

for p0rn0gr@phy?

take this test to see if you are addicted.

(thanks presurfer)

here's an interesting page from hollywood jesus on addiction

sung to the tune of tears are fallin

apparently, Phil Donahue is angry that MSNBC cancelled him.

whooda thunk?

and indirectly, he blames Fox, and conservatives. Its our fault that we didn't watch him. Because clearly, {sarcasm} conservatives control the airwaves{/sarcasm}. Unfortunately, we aren't intelligent enough to realize he was (sic) "breaking through the noisy drums of war on cable and was a responsible platform for both sides of the issue."

He's just upset because now he has to go home to that girl.

proverbs #56

the way to gain a good reputation is to endeavor to be what you desire to appear.

further evidence of God's creativity...

from Snow Crystal Photo Collections

I can just imagine God creating these and saying, "Oh yeah...that one's COOL!"

on a related note

David Hasselhoff and his wife were injured in a recent accident.

The future UN ambassador from Germany was on his motobike when gusty winds sent him askew. Reports that CIA operatives planted Saddam-Hussein lookalikes on the scene to incite the recalcitrant nation to war have been grossly exaggerated.

Gary Coleman, working as a security guard at a nearby shoe store commented, "Man! Hasselhoff gets ALL the headlines!"

whatchoo talkin' bout, KITT?

If there ever was a photo to capture the essence of my childhood, it would be this one:



click on the photo to go to the host page if it doesn't show. Yes, it is just that important.

not really insanity

but good for at least some eye strain.

proverbs #55

above all, learn to acquiesce in the truth as soon as it is discovered.

read this

Jamie, The Gleeful Extremist --not my brother -- has a good read on the bias of 'hidden bias testing' and another on the incorrectly presumed liberality of all writers.

signs of the impending apocalypse #28

also via Presurfer, I discovered how easy it is to dabble in online witchcraft.

though I myself did not dabble by sending an actual curse, as a cursor, to an actual cursee, I did take the time to read the damning words to invoke halitosis. I promise this is not a joke:

Oh bitter spirits of the inner world,
with toxic and bacteria infecting the world,
I plea for you to curse this soul,
for eternal bad breath, beyond its control.
Your stench has earned this smelly cast,
until removed this curse shall last.

and just to not let it go unsaid:

There shall not be found among you anyone who makes his son or his daughter pass through the fire, or one who practices witchcraft, or a soothsayer, or one who interprets omens, or a sorcerer, or one who conjures spells, or a medium, or a spiritist, or one who calls up the dead. For all who do these things are an abomination to the Lord... -Deuteronomy 18:10-12a

a resource

to those grammatically challenged, bookmark this.

thank me later.

why

do I want to spell grammar with an 'e?'

I've done so three times today, and I know better.

maybe God made me this way, because nobody in their sane mind would want to continually misspell grammer grammar.

Except Kelsey Grammer

and it's not like he has a choice.

peeking into pandora's box

amidst reports that we now actually have proof of Iraq's biological weapons, a new question looms:

now what?

the UN had 32 teams of inspectors combing the sand-filled, oil-slicked coiffure that is the nation of Iraq, and actually discovered the tick(ing) that threatens to plague the world -- a biological bomb.

Rather than saying "ohhh goody goody, this must mean Iraq is complying," I think we should be connecting some dots here.

dots like:

where there is one there is more
you don't just 'forget' about bombs
bullets (or even bombs) can be fired from smoking guns

To this discovery, I say....


Smithers, release the hounds!

juxtaposition

this photo:



accompanies this headline:

Blix: Iraq Still Not Cooperating Fully

It's good to see our international pointment grasping the gravity of the moment.

harkening back to days of relative innocence

or...

to days when nobody knew just how much of a freak Michael Jackson really was.

the Presurfer pointed me to this flash animation of an e-dude groovin' to Beat It and Smooth Criminal

there was a point in time in my life where I knew every word, every grunt, every squeal recorded on Thriller

My interest in Michael led to an interest in Bobby Brown, which led to an interesting conversation with my brother (who was into the much cooler Asia, Supertramp, and Alan Parsons Project) that I still vividly recall:

Me: {dancing to My Prerogative}Hey Jamie, what's up?{/dancing to My Prerogative}
Jamie: {incredulity} are you gay?{/incredulity}

another proud moment

last night while working in the garage....

Cotter: {crying}{tears}{whining}Owwwww...{/whining}{/tears}{/crying}
Me: what happened?
Cotter: I bonked my head again. It really hurts
Me: Isn't that the third time?
Cotter: Yessir.
Me: Well, stop doing it.
Cotter: I can't help it. My head is doing it all by itself.

announcement: my son is going into protective custody, so he not be gathered up by liberals who want to sue me, the toy box manufacturer (where he thrice 'bonked his head'), my home builder, my neighborhood association, the city of Florence, the county of Fremont, and the state of Colorado, as well as RJR Reynolds (just because they *must* somehow be complicit in the victimization of this lad). I'm certain they'd affirm that he his not responsible for the actions of his own head, and therefore anyone and everyone else must be held liable for negligence.

disclaimer: my son has not shown any adverse effects from repeatedly striking his head against a self-closing lid of a wooden toybox, apart from apparent forgetfulness, evidenced by the repeated striking of his head against a self-closing lid of a wooden toybox.

proverbs #54

if we allow our worries, anxieties, careworn questionings to brood in our hearts, they will soon break up our peace as tiny gnats will make a paradise uninhabitable.

proverbs #53

the head never begins to swell until the mind stops growing.

signs of the impending apocalypse #27

I confess, I haven't been vigilant on my apocalyptic watch lately (over 50 posts with no update)...so I give you via Dave's Blog

Uncle Cooter's Bumper Dumper


inevitable conversation
me: hey, is that stool on your bumper?
Cooter: it suuuurrrre is.

and Cooter would be correct in more than just one way.

and again, I'm reminded of knowledge gained from growing up in a rural setting:

even pigs go to a secluded place to 'do their business.'

i didn't intend for today to be so porcine.

i've just noticed

I'm filling out all my new health/life insurance forms today, and made this interesting discovery:

my life insurance doesn't pay out if I'm killed in a war against the former Soviet Union (how do you have a war with a former entity?), China, The United Kingdom, or France

what does the insurance conglomerate know about this that I do not?

{suspicion}{raised eyebrow}hmmmm.......{/raised eyebrow}{/suspicion}

lets get ready to rrrrruuummmbbblllleee!

when I hear that Saddam wants to debate W, I'm reminded of the saying...

If you wrestle with a pig, you're bound to get dirty.

I believe the better, more conclusive debate will occur when the forces of a freedom-loving world sweep in from the north and the south, removing this festering dictatorial cancre from the international scene.

a short quiz

c & p from a friend's email...


1. In 1972 at the Munich Olympics, athletes were kidnapped and massacred by:
a. Olga Corbitt
b. Sitting Bull
c. Arnold Schwartzeneger
d. Muslim male extremists mostly between the ages of 17 and 40

2. In 1979, the U.S. embassy in Iran was taken over by:
a. Lost Norwegians
b. Elvis
c. A tour bus full of 80-year-old women
d. Muslim male extremists mostly between the ages of 17 and 40.

3. During the 1980's a number of Americans were kidnapped in Lebanon by:
a. John Dillinger
b. The King of Sweden
c. The Boy Scouts
d. Muslim male extremists mostly between the ages of 17 and 40

4. In 1983, the U.S. Marine barracks in Beirut was blown up by:
a. A pizza delivery boy
b. Pee Wee Herman
c. Geraldo Rivera
d. Muslim male extremists mostly between the ages of 17 and 40

5. In 1985 the cruise ship Achille Lauro was hijacked and a 70 year old American passenger was murdered and thrown overboard in his wheelchair by:
a. The Smurfs
b. Davy Jones
c. The Little Mermaid
d. Muslim male extremists mostly between the ages of 17 and 40

6. In 1985 TWA flight 847 was hijacked at Athens, and a U.S. Navy diver trying to rescue passengers was murdered by:
a. Captain Kid
b. Charles Lindberg
c. Mother Teresa
d. Muslim male extremists mostly between the ages of 17 and 40

7. In 1988, Pan Am Flight 103 was bombed by:
a. Scooby Doo
b. The Tooth Fairy
c. Butch Cassidy and The Sundance Kid
d. Muslim male extremists mostly between the ages of 17 and 40

8. In 1993 the World Trade Center was bombed the first time by:
a. Richard Simmons
b. Grandma Moses
c. Michael Jordan
d. Muslim male extremists mostly between the ages of 17 and 40

9. In 1998, the U.S. embassies in Kenya and Tanzania were bombed by:
a. Mr. Rogers
b. Hillary, to distract attention from Wild Bill's women problems
c. The World Wrestling Federation
d. Muslim male extremists mostly between the ages of 17 and 40

10. On 9/11/01, four airliners were hijacked; two were used as missiles to take out the World Trade Centers and of the remaining two, one crashed into the US Pentagon and the other was diverted to a crash by the passengers. Thousands of people were killed by:
a. Bugs Bunny, Wiley E. Coyote, Daffy Duck and Elmer Fudd
b. The Supreme Court of Florida
c. Mr. Bean
d. Muslim male extremists mostly between the ages of 17 and 40

11. In 2002 the United States fought a war in Afghanistan against:
a. Enron
b. The Lutheran Church
c. The NFL
d. Muslim male extremists mostly between the ages of 17 and 40


the correct answer for each of this is, of course, d. We know you probably already knew this, but thought it was worth reminding you as you waited in line at the airport while the 80 year-old grey hair was getting a full body cavity search, just so the Federal agents can snap off the fingernail file and feel like they're doing their part to keep our skies safe. If you can spot a trend in the above eleven examples, it doesn't make you 'a hater,' 'racist,' or any other silly politicized slanderous label. It makes you sane and observant.

suspending email ops for the short term

until we can figure out why subscribers are getting the multiple sends.

again, I apologize for the tech glitch.

in Jesus' name

interesting article found via Christianity today weblog, about a Jewish state rep who was offended because all the Christian clergy who ended their prayers to open assemblies with the customary 'in Jesus' name.'

Apparently, he felt excluded.

question of the day:

what does it mean to pray in the name of Jesus?

seems to me that this phrase has become the spiritual equivalent of a signature file at the end of an email. It's become the words that 'we have to say' to tap into God's power. its our magical key to open the gate to God's storehouses. we seem disappointed if we pray a completely flesh-oriented prayer, staple on the obligatory "IJN" and expect it to be transformed into some incredibly spiritual petition to be laid at the throne of grace.

this flawed prayer practice has led to faulty prayer theology. How many times have you heard a variation of this:

God answers prayer in one of three ways -- yes, no, or wait. Interpretations on this theme include the alternate go, no, or whoa! and you bet, not yet, and don't fret!

Reconcile that with this:

But as God is faithful, our word to you was not Yes and No.For the Son of God, Jesus Christ, who was preached among you by us by me, Silvanus, and Timothy was not Yes and No, but in Him was Yes. For all the promises of God in Him are Yes, and in Him Amen, to the glory of God through us. 2 Cor. 1:18-20

go on. go ahead. I dare you.

you can't.

you see, when you pray in Christ, you are praying for the Father's will. and only the Father's will. Your prayers will sound a lot like those of Jesus. things like:

not my will but thine
glorify me so that I may glorify you
make other people holy with your truth
may your will be done in my life just like it is done in heaven

God is saying that He will answer all these prayers in the affirmative.

is that what your prayers sound like?
if not, why not? Is Jesus your "spiritual santa claus?"
if so, do you really mean it, or are you just going through your "prayer routine?"

It's not wrong to pray for your own needs -- God is eager to meet our needs out of the abundance of His riches in glory. But there's a difference between praying for our 'wants,' our 'lusts,' and praying for our genuine needs.

it's been said before -- to pray in Christ's name is to align our will with God's, not to force Him into our's.

the only way every prayer will be answered 'yes' is to truly desire to want what God wants.

in this light, we reveal much about what we truly believe about God.

if you don't want what God wants -- all the time, no matter what, you reveal doubt about:

His sovereignty
His goodness
His mercy
His grace
His provision

To pray in the name of Christ is to implore God to give you eyes of faith to see His invisible hand conducting life's orchestra, ears of grace and mercy to hear hear His inaudible voice whispering life's clear command to be an ambassador to this world, and flesh of the Spirit, that you may feel His indescribable touch as He fills you, comforts you, and leads you through life's grand adventure.

To bring this full circle, relevant to the original article, we ask the following:

does God hear the prayer of the Hebrew people?

at the risk of not being ecumenical, I point people to the books of Romans, Hebrews and offer this caveat:

If Jewishness is defined by God, it means recognizing Jesus as the Messiah. If your definition matches God's, then I'd dare to say He does.

If not, I'd not necessarily be inclined to agree. Just because someone can trace their heritage back to one of the twelve tribes doesn't mean God is forced to hear their prayer, any more than He is just because I accessorize my "protestant petition" with an authentic-sounding 'IJN.'

God is God. We are not. He is the Creator. We are the creation. To assume anything upon Him inaccurately inverts the true nature of this relationship.

We pray to Him. His Holy Spirit gives the prayers, Jesus doubles them, the Father receives them. We just get to go along for the journey. It's grace that allows us to be involved in the miracle. If you deny any aspect of the Godhead, God does not obligate Himself to hold those petitions on the same footing as the ones His Holy Spirit initiates.

sorry. but if you don't like it, here's what I suggest.

pray about it.

Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me. To him who overcomes I will grant to sit with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne. He who has an ear, let him hear... Jesus, from Rev. 3:20-22a

disclaimer

I don't know why subscribers are receiving multiple copies of my entries.

sorry.

in fact, I'm so sorry, you'll probably receive this apology 3 or 4 times.

proverbs #52

an empty man is full of himself.

proverbs #51

judicious commendation is to children what the sun is to flowers.

update

my high school principal has been told his cancer has entered his bloodstream.

thanks for your continued prayers.

proverbs #50

every command of God has a promise of God for its kernal.

question of the day

by what right do you choose your King's last command to "Go into the world" as the one thing to be crowded out of your life?