Confessions of a Recovering Pharisee

[Denver Post]

The instructions are simple: Read the Prayer … / Drink the Water … / Believe in God! / Believe in Yourself! Spiritual Water, the faith-inspired venture of two Sunrise, Fla., businessmen, offers its drinkers clearer focus, positive thinking and connection to a higher power. The 11 bottles in the company’s collection bear prayers and impressively detailed images of Jesus Christ, St. Michael and the Virgin Mary.

Spiritual Water joins a broad slice of feel-good products — Testamint, Bible Gum and other bottled holy waters — emerging at the intersection of religion and commerce, entrepreneurship and pop culture.

“There is a great history of people using religious images to sell products,” says Daniel Sack, an administrator at the University of Chicago Divinity School and author of “Whitebread Protestants: Food and Religion in American Culture.” “You are talking about combining the great American traditions of religion and consumption.”

Last fall, Elicko Taieb launched Spiritual Water as a way to inspire Protestants and Catholics. The water, purified from a municipal source in Santa Ana, Calif., is not available in stores, but Taieb says independent distributors sell about 2,000 to 3,000 cases a month.

“Church is on Sundays, but people need something to help them through the week,” says Taieb, 33 and CEO of the company.

“The whole idea is for people to feel better and to know God is with them,” he says.

Spiritual Water’s message is delivered in a 16.9-ounce plastic bottle that sells for $2.

Read more here.

[From me]

Oh my.  Where do I start?  The Bible makes it clear on how one obtains eternal life–through a relationship with Jesus.  Unbelievable!  

What do you think?

[Philly.com]

A couple who broke up seven months after their wedding vows wondered if the ceremony performed by a friend ordained via the Internet was even valid under state law. Now a York County judge has ruled that it was not, although a Universal Life Church official hopes to challenge that ruling.

Read about it here.

[From me]

Wasn’t this guy ordained by the same group?

I want to welcome Bill the Mormon Realtor from the Smokey Mountains of Tennessee back to this blog. Bill decided to spam my site with posts about 2 sticks and a Baptist Preacher. Sounds like a great joke.

Bill, I’m just not feeling any burning in my bosom. Well– maybe the burrito I ate yesterday.
I hope you had fun.
BTW: This is the 1,100th post!

If my experience is any indication of how you will be treated–I would not recommend leasing vehicles from Wells Fargo. I leased a van 8 years ago and turned it in 4 years ago with no penalty. It was in fair shape. Because of that painless lease we leased another.

Two months ago I dropped off our 2003 Honda Odyssey. It was in better condition than the one I turned in 4 years ago and it was almost 10,000 miles under the allowed miles. I put brand new tires on it and I still got hosed!

Thanks Wells Fargo!

I get lots of junk e-mail at church and with my personal e-mail addresses.   Some are for prescription discount drugs, some are because I’ve “won” the lottery in about every country in the world, some are because I’ve inherited money from relatives I didn’t know I had and then x-rated emails.  I also have anti-spam on my blog that picks up every nasty post that tries to get you and me to click on porn sites.

I don’t get it.  What do the porn sites get?  They are offering free “peeks” if you click on their trash.  Am I missing something?   What kind of profit do they get?   I have come to the conclusion that there is just evil out there trying to destroy believers.  Porn has destroyed lives, shattered marriages, caused people to lose jobs, drives people to violence and makes our faith in Jesus worthless.  Who in the world has that much time to send emails and trash blogs to get people to become addicted to pornography?   I think I know the answer but it still bothers me.  We live in an evil world.  If you need help click on XXX Church, these guys are serious about helping people get out of porn.

What do you think?