hey everybody, don't forget to invite friends for Wednesday!  see you then.

THIS IS VERY, VERY IMPORTANT!!

There has never been another blog more important than this one.  I am sure that many of you are sick of my current affairs or political blogs, but this is HUGE.  Imagine this, a baby about to be born...the legs come out and they are wiggling about in anticipation, but before the head exits, the doctor makes an incision just below the base of the skull and inserts a vacuum and takes out the "cranial content" (the brain!). 

There is hope, though.  Right now, there is a case before the U.S. Supreme Court considering partial-birth abortions and we can actually do something about it.  Go to www.aclj.org and sign the petition.  This is not some hokey thing, but a serious petition done by a legitimate organization based in D.C.  You will see if/when you go to the website.  This is very important and a great way to make a difference in our country.  We are the only country that performs this kind of abortion. 

Please sign this petition and get your friends, parents, grandparents, bosses, co-workers, anybody involved.  This petition with your name on it will actually go before the Supreme Court. 

Josh

isn't it amazing how the world works in cliques.  even beyond our high school.  if you join a fraternity or sorority in college, you are forever in a clique, though that is not always bad.  the problem begins when that mindset leaks into the other aspects of your life. 

we separate ourselves in cliques according to our favorite teams (college and/or pro).  sometimes these get very heated.  we separate ourselves by what school we went to. 

anybody who knows baseball, knows about the Yankee/Red Sox feud as well as others, but right now, you will see the best players in MLB coming together to play for the U.S. team in the World Championship with team spirit and without spite.

why can't we be the same way in our own church walls?  why do some people come to church and, because of their age, sex, grade, school, or whatever, not be talked to or disrespected when talked to?  we are all one body and we are all of the same vine. 

talk is cheap, though.  and lip-service does nothing.  no doubt, we are all guilty, but let us encourage one another and spur one another on.

for those who know the song unfortunately dubbed, "track 06," i have spent the last ~6 hours or so looking all over the Internet for the artist, the lyrics, the song title, anything.  i cannot find a single thing.  that just keeps us in the dark for now.

on a good note, i had a blast this last weekend.  i really enjoyed being back at Belle Aire and hanging out. 

Josh   

for those who know the song unfortunately dubbed, "track 06," i have spent the last ~6 hours or so looking all over the Internet for the artist, the lyrics, the song title, anything.  i cannot find a single thing.  that just keeps us in the dark for now.

on a good note, i had a blast this last weekend.  i really enjoyed being back at Belle Aire and hanging out. 

Josh   

Okay fellas (you know who you are), One Weekend is approaching and some of us have a title to keep. 

See you in a couple of weeks,

817

Okay fellas (you know who you are), One Weekend is approaching and some of us have a title to keep. 

See you in a couple of weeks,

817

My shadows the only one that walks beside me
My shallow hearts the only thing that's beating
Sometimes I wish someone out there will find me
Till then I'll walk alone

Green Day is one of the hottest (maybe the hottest) groups right now on the radios and TVs.  Their newest album contains songs that I find catchy, but as I listen to the lyrics and read the lyrics, it begins to dawn on me that this is where much of America is.

Right now, there are so many people that are walking this same road that Billy Joe sings about and we can make a difference.  What joy do we have that we cannot share it with others?  How much love have we been given that we cannot give to others? 

These lyrics represent somebody searching.  So many people are searching, but searching for what?  They may not know and that is where we can come in.  Lonliness and despair are not from God.  Remember the demon-possessed man in Mark 5.  He too was all alone at the tombs. 

I'm not saying that Billy Joe is demon-possessed, but the lonliness and despair that others are fighting are not from the loving, caring, nurturing God that we serve.  If these lyrics describe your life, then I want to encourage you to press on towards God and you will find him waiting for you. 

Some high school boys decided to dress up-one as Snow White and the rest as the dwarfs-and act out a gang rape during their school's pep rally.  These boys spoke with the principle and admitted that they did not realize this might offend somebody.  These boys went unpunished.  "Boys will be boys."  These boys admitted that saying, "I love _____; or anything associated with love is emasculating especially for athletes who need to be fierce and tough during the game/match. 

No matter what somebody says, men can show emotions.  Better than that, they should and must show emotions.  Jesus showed emotions and nobody can question his manhood or his toughness.  He endured more than normal men during his scourgings and beatings before his death.

If we, as future dads, begin now, then our sons will notice and they will know that it is not only okay, but necessary.

who? the man executed this morning 12.35 (PacTime).  He is half of the founders of the Crips gang.  Protests and vigils surrounded the event with recongnizable names like Jamie Foxx, Snoop Dogg, and Jesse Jackson.  I'm sure that this is not a new story to most, but it occured to me that this man, whether he is guilty of the four murders that a jury convicted him of or not, is responsible for all the acts committed by any Crips gang members and any Blood gang members in retaliation.  

The protestors asked for a stay because Tookie was reformed in prison and wrote children's books telling them not to join gangs, but his best selling book only sold 300.  I have to commend him for trying to make a difference, but my concern is this:

If people can fight for a man's life who has done so much damage to society, where are we heading as a nation.  I do not want to get into the death penalty because some may not agree with what I will say, but we should consider where priorities are being placed.  Which is more precious: the life of this man or an unborn baby?  Should not they be equal?  but, Has this man destroyed God's image in the four he murdered?  Whose life gets priority?  Will there be protests for Scott Peterson? (He is on death row at San Quentin Prison for the murder of his wife and unborn son)

These are issues that must be dealt with by us, as Christians, with people we come into contact with. 

i was thinking about role models yesterday and i thought, what does it take to be a role model?  then i see today that Rosa Parks died.  of course we all know who she was (at least we should) because to me she was a role model.

but who are the role models these days?  adulterers (in real life and on TV), pompous athletes, semi-dressed singers.  have you ever noticed who gets all the magazine covers and tv coverage, etc.?  

for the 2 people who will read this...who is your role model?  something to really reflect on personally. 

i understand that many use this site as a public journal or a message board to talk to friends, but i beg that you consider the words below and take them to heart because in this world we live there are people who are hurting and searching.

the murder of San Francisco DA's wife was most likely done by a neighbor who apparently is satanic and the news this morning have called it inexplicable.  but i can explain for you right now.  we live in a time when materialism is the rule (bear with me, i know i talk about this a lot). 

have you ever wondered why books called the purpose driven life and your best life now are #1 sellers?  it's because people are searching for a purpose in their life and an ideology that says we are but accidents from blind events cannot help them.  but we can help them. 

i encourage every one of you to seriously consider these words and think of at least one person you can reach out to.  let's bring this hope to the schools, neighborhoods, coffee shops, malls, wherever.  just please don't let these words wash over you.

Josh

i understand that many use this site as a public journal or a message board to talk to friends, but i beg that you consider the words below and take them to heart because in this world we live there are people who are hurting and searching.

the murder of San Francisco DA's wife was most likely done by a neighbor who apparently is satanic and the news this morning have called it inexplicable.  but i can explain for you right now.  we live in a time when materialism is the rule (bear with me, i know i talk about this a lot). 

have you ever wondered why books called the purpose driven life and your best life now are #1 sellers?  it's because people are searching for a purpose in their life and an ideology that says we are but accidents from blind events cannot help them.  but we can help them. 

i encourage every one of you to seriously consider these words and think of at least one person you can reach out to.  let's bring this hope to the schools, neighborhoods, coffee shops, malls, wherever.  just please don't let these words wash over you.

Josh

hey everybody, just wanted to encourage you to press on hard for the last half of this fall semester.

keep all your friends in prayer that they remain diligent in their studies (including me). learning is a joy and we should be happy that we live in a country that can provide us with an education.

in Him,
Josh

Prisoner List

hey everybody, i just want to encourage you to take a look at this list and pick maybe 2 or 3 to pray for today and maybe for a week, or month, or whatever.

we must not forget these in prison who are preaching God's word with boldness and confidence even through hardships.

it should remind us of how fortunate we are to go to a church freely, to speak of God freely and all we might suffer is ridicule.

Josh

if my last blog sounded arrogant, then i apologize. i did not mean for it to sound that way. my bottom line is that people have questions and we should answer it. i only want to be available for you to ask me those tough questions. i'm not smart and i am reminded of that everyday in class, but i enjoy researching. it's wierd, but hey, it is me, right? so i just wanted to apologize if my blog sounded arrogant, but please send me your questions because your friends, classmates, etc. need a hope in these days. we have that hope and we need to share it.

in Him,
Josh

Guys,

I completely understand what you're saying. I'm glad you guys want to take a stand, but I know what it is like not having the answers.

So because I love you guys and God has blessed me with the odd pleasures of research and reading, I will be willing to answer any questions you guys (or ladies, of course) have to the best of my ability.

Hey, I just want to help you out because nobody could help me out in high school. This is where the rubber meets the road and honestly, it gets more difficult in college.

So, fire away and I'll do my very best.

I'm Out,
Josh

so here's a story about me. when i was in high school, there was this guy named (dan). now dan was an atheist and despised religion. i, on the other hand, was a "Christian" who went to youth group and did all the retreats and so on and so on.

the problem came about when dan confronted me (in friendly terms) concerning some issues about Jesus and Christianity among other things religious. in fact, this was a common debate between all of us in percussion.

however, i didn't have the answers. as a matter of fact, i looked pretty ignorant.

ladies, guys, this presents a problem. the problem is standing up for our faith, for our convictions, for what we believe in. Eva Longoria won the "Teen Choice Award" for breakout actress for her role on "Desparate Housewives". there's something wrong and it's in the high schools. who will stand up for Christ? who will say something is not right? who will be strong, stand in the line, take the punches, but remain standing strong? let that be us.

i'm out,
Josh Eph 6:10

It occurred to me that before the attack on Pearl Harbor, we were not trying to get involved in the beginnings of WWII and Hitler's tyranny in Europe. But then when Japan decided to bring us trouble we retaliated.

I understand there was an alliance between Nazi Germany and Japan, but I wonder this:
if our focus after the December attack was on Japan, but then we turned our attention to the Nazi regime, especially in France on D-Day, how is it any different than what our military is doing now?

Our original focus was on the attackers from 9/11, but the "ball was dropped" as Kerry said when we diverted our attention to Iraq. Interesting to me, though, there is much trouble in Iraq, but the media will not show any of the good sides of the war like children celebrating with U.S. soldiers (I have pics for those who do not believe me) or the new government being placed.

To me, a simple citizen with no real knowledge of such things, it appears to be quite similar. To sum it up, we are getting rid of a tyranny ( like the Nazi regime) which was aligned with the same attackers of our Twin Towers (like Japan to Pearl Harbor).

If you agree and are just as confused I encourage you to ask around. Ask your teachers, professors, anti-war friends. Be nice, kind, gentle, and loving though.

Have a good day all,
Josh

hey, we are all heading back to school and that means reading, writing, and everything else.

have no fear people...whenever you sit to read a book or write a paper remember this:

Josh Hornbaker is reading a total of 16 books and writing somewhere around 50 pages in papers, but he fears not because it's all worth it in the end.

so have fun, enjoy, and think of Christmas.