skydivermom

Mandatory evacuations starting at 6 am tomorrow for Baytown. I'm leaving tonight with my boys for San Antone. I was leaving tomorrow morning but I won't be able to get to San Antone unless I leave tonight! Mrs. WaltAppel All things work together for good to them that love God...Romans 8:28

Linz, What do you think of a student skydiving only once or twice a month? I would love to do it more, but I already had a family when I got into the sport and feel guilty going to the dz every weekend. Is it possible for me to learn properly only jumping twice a month or so? I guess I didn't want that to be one of my regrets; that I sacrificed family to learn skydiving (especially since my boys are so young). Mrs. WaltAppel All things work together for good to them that love God...Romans 8:28

***What? Why is your husband staying behind? Think about the number of families that lost loved ones that stayed behind. Can you support yourself and your children is something happens to him? __________________________________________________ Sure wish I could beam you into my house tonight so we could force him into the car. I've been crying off and on about this whole thing. Not sure if I'm making too big a deal about it or if I'm right on. I've never lived right on the coast during a cat. 1 storm, much less a 4 or 5. I've just been busy the last few hours getting stuff together to throw in the car, and making lists about what to do to protect the house (as much as possible). He knows I want him to come, but keeps telling me he will be okay. I hate this! Yes, I could support our kids if something happened to him(life ins. and I can make good money) but I don't ever want to do that, plus I'd be ticked off at him for some time! I'm not sure he realizes how bad this could be. I understand we are not in a "bowl" like New Orleans but still. We are both still in the same town and already we can't get in touch with eachother via cell phones because the circuits are busy! I can't imagine being 4 hours apart and not being able to talk to him! Sorry for going on so long....I'm just incredibly overwhelmed right now! Mrs. WaltAppel All things work together for good to them that love God...Romans 8:28

If every republican or democrat who bitched about someone screwing up put that effort into rebuilding New Orleans, the job would already be done. __________________________________________________ Compared to everything I've heard so far regarding the Katrina fiasco, THIS by far makes the most sense! Right on Bill! Mrs. WaltAppel All things work together for good to them that love God...Romans 8:28

***Just another cycle of life. We swung one way too far and got slapped down for it. Now it's going to swing to the other extreme for a while. __________________________________________________ Right on! Mrs. WaltAppel All things work together for good to them that love God...Romans 8:28

I live in Baytown (30 m east of Houston) and I'm kind of in a quandry myself. Should I make the 4 hour trip to SA to stay with Mom or wait out the storm with my husband? We won't stay in our house because we are too close to the bay, but my in-laws live further away from it and have a house that is more structurally sound. I'm definately taking the kids to SA after the storm as we will be without power for a bit. I would hate to leave tomorrow afternoon and then the dadgum thing hit somewhere else, but then again there's the old, very true saying. Better safe than sorry! Good luck to everyone and stay safe! Mrs. WaltAppel All things work together for good to them that love God...Romans 8:28

***Anywhere it hits, it is going to be bad. __________________________________________________ Which is why my boys and I are getting out of dodge! I am blessed enough to have a mom in San Antonio I can go bunk with. I feel for those who have nowhere to go, especially the folks who sought refuge in Houston. Mrs. WaltAppel All things work together for good to them that love God...Romans 8:28

It looks like Rita is going to be another "Karla". I wasn't here when she hit but from what I've heard, it's probably not a good idea to stay in Baytown. My husband is staying behind to discourage the looters (he's got the gun loaded). I thought at first it would be neat to see a hurricane, but I have children. Mrs. WaltAppel All things work together for good to them that love God...Romans 8:28

I haven't been at it that long (less than a year) but I do regret my first (and only) AFF jump. I tried to do it the same day I completed ground school and it was a disaster. I was tired, incredibly nervous and not feeling well. Should have landed with the plane; wouldn't have sprained my ankle that way. Mrs. WaltAppel All things work together for good to them that love God...Romans 8:28

***I'm just typng to get a rise outta people. Everyone gets so serious over things like this so its funny to see how people react when you say stuff like that. __________________________________________________ You are funny! Have you met Walt? Sounds like you guys would be two peas in a pod

***did your place flood back in the early 90's when the rest of Baytown flooded? __________________________________________________ Don't know. We've only been here since 2000. (btw, please say hello to Eric B., Douva and Jason; I've jumped with all of them) Mrs. WaltAppel All things work together for good to them that love God...Romans 8:28

***Sigh. Enough with the bible pushers! Jesus! _________________________________________________ This is speaker's corner is it not? Mrs. WaltAppel All things work together for good to them that love God...Romans 8:28

I live in Baytown (about 30 m east of Houston). We are surrounded by water, hence the name Baytown. The last major hurricane was Alicia in '83. I don't know yet if we are leaving Baytown, but we are certainly not staying in this house. My husband did mention this morning that the path of the hurricane may have been changed to Corpus, but I don't know. Has anyone else heard this? Mrs. WaltAppel All things work together for good to them that love God...Romans 8:28

Miss Rita is headed for Galveston, TX as of 4 PM today. The cruel part is that the Houston area is full of NO refugees, now they may have to flee again. Rita is due to hit late Fri. or early Sat. and is predicted a cat. 3 or 4. We live right in the bay (Baytown) and so will probably be getting out of dodge. Mrs. WaltAppel All things work together for good to them that love God...Romans 8:28

***One of the great advantages of being a guy is that there is no need to shave my legs. __________________________________________________ NOT FAIR! Mrs. WaltAppel All things work together for good to them that love God...Romans 8:28

***I was being argumentative. I tend to be that way. __________________________________________________ You are too funny! Mrs. WaltAppel All things work together for good to them that love God...Romans 8:28

***But of course, Jesus trumps the old testament, and Jesus even trumps St. Paul. Go read the Sermon on the Mount again. __________________________________________________ You are exactly right! We are no longer under Old Testament law, Jesus nailed that to his cross...and I love the sermon on the mount. I just don't see anything about not facing the consequences of our actions. We can be forgiven for sins but that doesn't mean we don't have to face the consequences. I often mention the old testament. Romans 4:15 says it was written for our learning. Just because we are no longer under that law does not mean we can't learn from it. Another verse I thought about is 1 Corinthians 3:17. I realize it says GOD will destroy, but he does his work sometimes through man. Again, I do not claim to know everything, and I love these forums because there are so many different perspectives. Mrs. WaltAppel All things work together for good to them that love God...Romans 8:28

***NOTE TO SANGIRO: instead of moderators, can we have Chaplains in this forum? __________________________________________________ I LOVE IT! Mrs. WaltAppel All things work together for good to them that love God...Romans 8:28

***Do you feel that people who either get or perform an abortion are "taking another human life", and should therefore be executed? __________________________________________________ Frenchy, You make a very interesting point. Personally, yes, I feel that abortion is taking another human life. However, since the baby is inside another human body, it opens up a can of worms that I'm not sure SC is ready to deal with, so I'm not gonna post here what I think should be done about that. The law makes it even more complicated. Abortion is legal, but if you murder a pregnant woman, you can be charged with two counts of murder. How much more confusing can it be! Plus, and this has even been argued in euthanasia cases, there is the issue of whether or not life can be sustained without help (mother's woumb/life support). I have my personal beliefs and convictions about this, but I am not about trying to force them on anyone else and I do respect the right of others to hold their own. Mrs. WaltAppel All things work together for good to them that love God...Romans 8:28

***Actually, malicious roughly translate to having the intention to do harm. It is hard to argue that someone killing someone else on purpose has no intention to do harm. __________________________________________________ I do understand what you are trying to say. Maybe I can use an illustration to better explain my point. When the term "murder" is used, it is often followed by "in cold blood". The victim did nothing to deserve what they got. Their death was not a "consequence" of something they did...and the person murdering them did it INTENTIONALLY. When someone is executed, they aren't just being killed for no good reason. They are paying the price for their previous acts. Same thing with killing in self-defense; I may intend to kill someone who is threatening my life, but I would absolutely do that person no harm if they weren't threatening me, and I would likely have some serious emotional problems if I ever had to do that. In other words, for it to be murder, it has to be INTENTIONAL and for no good reason. I hope this makes a little more sense. Mrs. WaltAppel All things work together for good to them that love God...Romans 8:28

***Let me ask you this; is abortion OK ? If not how can you defend the state sanctioned executions? Render unto Ceaser but did Ceaser create the Man? __________________________________________________ In my opinion, no, abortion is not okay! But that is a whole different can of worms. This is how I can defend that. Executions: offenders are put to death as a direct consequence of taking another human life. They are fully developed (at least physically) and are responsible for their actions. Abortion: What are these babies being killed for? What could they possibly have done to merit the extermination of their lives? NOTHING full-grown adult vs. underdeveloped baby I understand about the argument of women having the right to do as they please with their bodies, and I am absolutely AGAINST bombing abortion clinics. Mrs. WaltAppel All things work together for good to them that love God...Romans 8:28

***I think the hebrew word that Thou shalt not kill is translated from means 'kill intentionally'. State sponsored murder is without a doubt intentional. _________________________________________________ That is correct, but as I stated in a previous post, it is not malicious. There may be some (members of the victim's family) who really want revenge and want the offender dead, but to the government, it is part of their job. (supposed to be anyway). Mrs. WaltAppel All things work together for good to them that love God...Romans 8:28

***I figure you can have it two ways: either the Jesus said that ALL killing was bad or that only murder is bad. If all killing is bad, then the death penalty is wrong. If only murder, then it is okay because the law of our land (at current time) says so. ------------------------------------------------------------ Then we can't go to war either and if someone is threatening me or my kids I cannot kill them to protect us. As I stated earlier, murder is intentional and maliciuos (sp). If I kill someone in self-defense, it is not malicious, I am simply defending myself. The debate on capital punishment is definatley a tough one, and I can understand both sides. I just have yet to find a verse in the New testament that is against it. Mrs. WaltAppel All things work together for good to them that love God...Romans 8:28

"thou shalt not kill" __________________________________________________ Another tidbit. The original Hebrew translation was "thou shalt not murder". You are probably thinking "what's the difference". Murder is intentional and done with malice. If you run over someone and kill them because they ran in front of your car, is that murder? If you shoot someone in self defense is it the same as just shooting them in cold blood? Of course not. I know you are thinking "well, the death penalty is done intentionally". Yes, but it is an act of punishment, not malice. Yes, I realize this may open a whole big can of worms. If there wasn't a difference between murder and kill then we couldn't defend our country. I'm sure you guys have some different perspectives on this and It's going to be interesting to read them. Mrs. WaltAppel All things work together for good to them that love God...Romans 8:28

Another thing about forgive trespasses but don't hold me to that. Judge not? __________________________________________________ Mathew 7:1 "judge not, lest ye be judged." If you read the proceeding verses, it is talking about hypocritical judgment. In other words, if you are partaking in a sin do not judge someone else for the same sin. John 7:24 says "judge righteous judgment". Sometimes a verse has a whole different meaning when we read it in context. Genesis 9:6 "Whoso sheddeth man's blood, by man shall his blood be shed" Romans 13 talks about being subject to our government ...verse 4 "but if thou do that which is evil, be afraid; for he beareth not the sword in vain..." Mrs. WaltAppel All things work together for good to them that love God...Romans 8:28