This morning at dawn before tending to the animals, my wife and I had a nice Easter devotional  period.  I am always amazed by the story of the Resurrection; I never tire of hearing about it and the hope it gives us for Eternity.

While performing my usual barn chores as the sun began peeking through the adjacent woods, I marveled at the beauty of God's Creation and the gift that He has given us to nurture and cherish.  But I was again drawn to the marvel of Easter and the love and mercy that it represents for us.

Jesus just a week earlier had ridden into Jerusalem on a lowly donkey.  He was greeted by throngs of common folk who had heard of his miracles and the crowds he had been drawing everywhere he went.  Of course, the high priests of the Temple were not happy. They saw Him as a threat and had to figure a way to silence him, to remove the threat.

And so as the week went on the plot thickened until, following the Last Supper, one of His very own disciples, Judas, betrayed him for silver coins.  He was arrested shortly thereafter and the Priests and Herod convinced Pontius Pilate that he must kill him or else there would be likely rebellion among the people.

And oh, how fast the masses turned on Jesus in the crunch.  His band of followers, his true devotees, even had failures in this regard as noted by Peter denying Him three times.

Finally crucified on Golgotha, He died a horrific death hanging between two criminals while suffering scorn and mockery and other forms of abuse from a nasty crowd under the agreeable eye of the Roman soldiers.

After his death, He was lain in a cave-like tomb wrapped in linen cloth.  A huge rock was used to seal the tomb with Roman guards placed at the site to preclude his followers from removing the body.

On the third day, when Mary Magdalene and others went to visit the tomb the stone had been rolled away by an earthquake and the guards were missing.  Entering the tomb, they found the linen in place as it was, with the imprints of the body present, but He was missing. He was risen.

Now you all probably know this story and the follow-on about Jesus being seen and identifying Himself, but the point of bringing this up is to highlight the fact that from birth, in a stable, to death, among criminals at Golgotha, to a simple grave, His life was noted for simplicity and availability of His message for the common man. 

Jesus  was not sent to be an earthly king or a high priest, but rather, to bring the message of His father, God Almighty, to all of us. And through so doing, He gave us the gift of Eternal Life.  All we have to do is love Him and follow Him and do everything we can to live in His image.  He knows full well that we will falter at times through sin, for we are mortals, but if we work hard to live the Christian life and believe we are offered the ultimate reward.

And as I survey the scene on my small, simple farm with the horses, dogs, cats and fowl in their peaceful setting, I know that we all must remember what is really important.  It's not riches, and store bought "stuff", fancy cars, or gigantic houses.  No, what's important is love, caring, and accepting his gift of grace unconditionally. Only in so doing can we live up to His wish for us.

THE TOMB IS EMPTY; HE IS RISEN. HAPPY EASTER.

Today arrived with warning for potentially high winds, hail and even the possibility of an isolated tornado.  Now, early afternoon, comes with a let up on any possible warnings and, thankfully, we merely got some gusty winds and some much needed rain.  Being late March in Florida, that means grass cutting season is in full swing once the sun appears.

But there is one roadblock: we are anticipating unseasonably cold weather commencing tomorrow with three nights in the low to mid-30s.  The plants are really confused this year since the worst of our winter, which has been very mild, has been in March.

Now I'm not a big basketball fan: except for the NCAA tournaments.  Somehow seeing so many good teams over a few short days is pretty special and I very much like to watch.  My favorite team, Arizona, which I attended many moons ago, advanced to the Sweet 16 last night.  And this evening I will watch the hometown favorites, The Florida Gators, tonight.  They need to rebound from their disastrous collapse against Ole Miss in the SEC Championship last Sunday.

On the political scene, we've got the usual disaster before us.  The Senate passed its first budget in four years by a squeaker vote, 50-49, with 4 Dems joining all of the Rs in voting against.  Ah, the impact of the 2014 elections.  Once again, they put their election ahead of all else but I am thankful in this case that a few Dems voted no.  Their budget continues with extensive deficit spending and is sure to die when the House refuses to go along.

We are in deep trouble, folks. The country is broke and continues to march down the road to disaster.  I guess we'll be like Cyprus before long. Make sure you have some cash, gold and silver are probably preferable, and emergency supplies as I think this doesn't end well.

And it sure would be nice to know why Big Sis is hoarding ammo, bulletproof vests, and even vehicles built to withstand mines in a country that is supposed to be free.  It seems like they leave the border wide open while they plan to use force against citizens.  I guess this is the Civilian Army which Obama talked about years ago but nobody wants to believe.  Be careful, friends, and watch your backs.  I fear things are going to be rough ahead.  It's time to make sure you voice your prayers to God and ask for his guidance.

Enough of this, have a Blessed Sunday and remember that He is there to love and guide. Just don't forget to ask Him.

Everything is fine on the farm with my animals these days. No crises, no major issues, just normal.  With no major concerns, I spent today writing a few devotionals and also studying some of the issues in politics.  With Obama throwing the "kitchen sink" at us in terms of new radical plans, it is hard to focus on any one issue, but I found one today. It was one that I really haven't paid much attention to, but it is one that is gaining steam from the money hungry Washington crowd (not to exclude the state folks as well).

What got my attention was an article on Red State about Mike Enzi, Senator from Wyoming, pushing for a nationwide internet sales tax, one that would require payment of taxes to the state where the buyer resides.  And on first look, I can understand how some can use the old tired explanation: "It's just about fairness; since brick and mortar businesses have to pay sales tax why shouldn't on line businesses be just as liable?"

And besides, some of the big retail firms that make big money off of internet sales also support it, so why not?

The answer: small, entrepreneurial start ups, those with the ingenuity to run a business out of their home and without fancy offices will be killed. And with their ending, prices will go up.

Think about it.  In today's marketplace, a small guy doesn't have much chance to make it.  Start up cost, lawyers, overhead, guaranteed payments up front for goods, etc., etc., almost makes it impossible to compete.  And the little guys with overhead and office space? Well, unfortunately, with Obama and the upcoming Obamacare, most of them are in trouble today anyway.

But there is one issue involved here that makes this critical.  Can you imagine running a business without overhead from the internet and being held accountable for determining state sales taxes for all 50 states and then complying.  Not only would this be extremely time consuming and costly, I don't think it can be done with a low enough error rate to avoid major legal and tax problems.

And it really upsets me to think that a Senator from a rural state like Wyoming, where freedom and individuality are so highly prized, would even "hook up" with such an idea.  I wonder which "fat cat" corporate supporter is applying the pressure on him? For that's always the case, you know.  Congressmen spend more time raising money for their next campaign, or accepting perks with consequences, than they ever spend on doing the country's business.

It's kind of like McCain and many others  and their constant support for more war and military intervention.  After all, didn't Dwight Eisenhower warn us in the 1950's to beware of the Military-Industrial complex?  He was a General and then a politician; he knew how things were being done and they are only getting worse today.

So now we have the M-I complex growing riches while our young people are maimed and die and our creative internet small business people facing financial sacrifice as well.

Time for us all to wake up. We deserve better from our politicians.  They are well rewarded for their short work weeks. Call them on it.

Yesterday was dreary and damp but warm which usually means a cold front is on our doorstep. Sure enough, awoke this morning to a beautiful but crisp day yet it warmed nicely to about 68.  Tonight, back to the upper 30s and then, tomorrow night, possibly some frost and near freezing. After that, another warming trend. Ah, March in Florida is always interesting.

The horses hate the changes in weather; one day they need their blankets, then the next they don't. And then, if it warms unexpectedly later in the day they are probably a bit warm, but they are glad to have their covers when it goes back into the 30s.

Our weather is about as confusing as Washington these days. Paul Ryan did an admirable job with the Republican budget. Some, of course, think it's too harsh, others to little, but at least he's headed in the right direction.  

The Democrats......well, they don't seem to worry about our financial situation and propose more major deficits. And Obama, well he just sits there and says that we don't have a financial problem. Really?  Maybe that's why during the last campaign he said that math wasn't his best subject.  Also, he once again missed his legal obligation to submit his budget request about a month or so ago but, hey, par for the course with the vacationer-in-chief.

Maybe Ted Cruz will pull a Rand Paul and filibuster the Senate on the debt ceiling.  That would be interesting.

I trust thate our God is watching and using the Holy Spirit to knock some sense into the politicos but we'll just have to wait and see.  All I know is I hate to see the country that I love with all my heart possibly go under.  It is now a real possibility, and sooner rather than later.

Well, folks, it's getting late so I'm gonna call it a night.  Horses start whinnying early in the morning for their breakfast, you know.  God bless you all and pray for our future.  But, even if it appears bleak, always take time to smell the roses and admire God's gifts that are abundant in nature around us.  He has truly created a wonderful environment for mankind.  Let's take care of it. Bye for now. 

After a number of unseasonably cold and windy days and nights, today is bright and sunny and about 70.  I haven't written anything for about a week due, I think, to the dreary nature of the weather we were having and the even drearier nature of Washington, D.C.  But with the weather nice and my animals enjoying it, I am also heartened by some unexpected happenings in our Nation's Capital.As you are probably aware, Sen. Rand Paul took the floor for comments the night before last and suddenly announced he was commencing a filibuster to delay the confirmation vote on John Brennan as Director of the CIA.  Brennan was one of the masterminds on the drone strikes that have been used overseas and Paul had concerns about their ramification, but particularly here at home in the United States.

Everyone was taken by surprise, but Harry Reid was sure that it would be over in a few hours.  Well, was he in for a surprise.  Sen. Paul spent 13 hours schooling the Senate on the Constitution, and he brought to the forefront the use of drones as a killing machine and why Americans had reason to worry.

You see, the President and his Attorney General have been saying that they have no plans to use a drone to kill any non-combatant American citizens within the United States but they would not firmly commit to this.  Sen. Paul used the cloture vote on John Brennan's CIA nomination to bring this to the forefront.  And while some Americans didn't see any concern by what the President had, or had not said, Paul made it clear why they should be concerned.

You see, American citizens have a right to a fair trial if they are accused of something.  And we all agree that if an American citizen is standing at the end of a runway holding a shoulder fired missile aimed at an aircraft, of course "taking him down" by violent force is justified. That would be an imminent danger situation.  But by not saying that forces would NOT be used to "take down" a non-combatant in a situation lacking imminent action would open the door to all types of tyranny.

What if a citizen doesn't approve of the government and has made some speeches saying the same but in a completely peaceful manner?  And what if a federal official determined that, in itself, constituted being an imminent threat situation without defining terms and without due process?  Well, in such a case I am of the opinion it would be murder. They could kill him in his home, at a streetside cafe, even driving down the street, and there would be nothing to show that it was justified.  Furthermore it would have been done without the legal system even reviewing the case to be made.  Shouldn't they instead take him into custody for questioning and possible court action? Do any Americans really want this type of thing to happen?

Well, just remember this.  Tyranny comes in many different forms.  And absolute power corrupts absolutely.  And all Senator Paul wanted to do was require that the President state that doing such was not within the purview of his official power.  How any American could be upset by Sen Paul for this just seems astounding.

Guess what?  Surprise, surprise.  Yesterday afternoon Eric Holder affirmed what Paul was saying and the vote was held on Brennan.  As Sen Paul said, "It was unfortunate it took over a month and it was almost like a root canal but at least they have now stated what we needed to know" or words close to that effect.

Thank you, Senator Paul, for standing up for our God given rights.  It is sincerely appreciated.