PROVOCATION

12 August 2010

Where has the American Dream gone?
By Morris Clopton

Growing up the challenge to improve myself through study and hard work consistently drove me to seek to improve. Opportunities lost returned when thought, time and effort coupled with acquiring skills and knowledge provided open doors. The sixty-seven years that God is providing for me enabled a vast array of educational and school of hard knocks experiences. Like steel that is hardened and tempered by the application of intense heat and sudden cooling, life nurtures physical, mental, and spiritual maturity with experiences.

Today I am aware of an increasingly large portion of our population that rather than participate in the growth and prosperity of our nation chooses to take from those who generate income. The entitlement mentality spawns generations of individuals with no incentive to produce wealth. These individuals choose to demand that the government take care of them rather than build upon an educations, skills and knowledge acquired. The innate desire to consume rather than produce spreads like cancer through our nation crippling job production, product creation, and new inventions all with the skewed thought process of let someone else do it.

Our government seeks to foster this entitlement mentality, because such mentality provides office holders with power by creating a population, which is obligated to the office holder. The sad result the recipients of government entitlements are too ignorant to realize that the office holder providing the miniscule entitlement is raping those same individuals to increase his or her own wealth. Our politicians berate the rich while stuffing their pockets with millions seeking to elevate their personal wealth and well-being at the expense of the people that elected them. How intelligent people listen to the diatribe coming out of Washington about how the Democrats are going to tax the rich or take from the rich and re-distribute wealth and not realize that the office holder is extremely wealthy himself is mind boggling. Do what I say not what I do seems to be the order of the day for politicians. They want you and I to believe it is ok for them to be rolling in wealth as long as they pretend to care about you.

The ruling Left would have us believe that their actions no matter how macabre they may be are reasonable and just. Consider for a moment the consistent beating of political drums by the Left that prohibits any hint of offering thanks to the God who created all that is; in any form or fashion in any avenue of our society today. However, it is perfectly ok according to the left to take your tax dollars and spend them to promote Islam at the expense of Christianity. Where is the separation of State and Church here?
EDITORIAL: Tax dollars to build mosques
U.S. underwrites fundraising tour for Islamic shrine at Ground Zero

By THE WASHINGTON TIMES
The Washington Times
7:46 p.m., Tuesday, August 10, 2010
The State Department is sending Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf – the mastermind of the Ground Zero Mosque – on a trip through the Middle East to foster “greater understanding” about Islam and Muslim communities in the United States. However, important questions are being raised about whether this is simply a taxpayer-funded fundraising jaunt to underwrite his reviled project, which is moving ahead in Lower Manhattan.

Mr. Rauf is scheduled to go to Saudi Arabia, Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Bahrain and Qatar, the usual stops for Gulf-based fundraising. The State Department defends the five-country tour saying that Mr. Rauf is “a distinguished Muslim cleric,” but surely the government could find another such figure in the United States who is not seeking millions of dollars to fund a construction project that has so strongly divided America…

Further expenditures of our tax dollars to rebuild mosque in foreign countries: Where is the separation of Church and State here?
Comments: EDITORIAL: Tax dollars to build mosques – Washington Times
Aug 10, 2010 … In NYS we had tax payer money accumulated in excess of our awful tax … Why should we spend a penny rebuilding some dilapidated mosque …

https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2010/…/tax…mosques/comments/…

In Montana, a Fight Over Separation of Church and Fairgrounds
By Tess Civantos
Published August 11, 2010
FoxNews.com

Our government controlled judicial system continues to destroy the moral fiber of out great nation by over ruling the voice of 7 million voters:

WISDOM: Marriage over the rainbow
Ruling would make traditional believers enemies of the state

By Alan F.H. Wisdom

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The Washington Times

6:32 p.m., Wednesday, August 11, 2010

U.S. District Judge Vaughn R. Walker’s Aug. 4 ruling striking down California’s Proposition 8 asserted far more than was necessary to redefine marriage as being between any two persons. Judge Walker’s decision included controversial “findings of fact” that amounted to a massive new salvo in the culture wars over sexuality.

Drawing up his judicial robes, Judge Walker rejected “stereotypes and misinformation” that “have resulted in social and legal disadvantages for gays and lesbians.” He denied that there is “any rational basis” for distinguishing the marriage of man and woman from same-sex relationships. For example, Judge Walker found no reason why the state should prefer that a child grow up with his or her mother and father. “The genetic relationship between a parent and a child is not related to a child’s adjustment outcomes,” he declared as “fact.”

Having dismissed the stated motives of Proposition 8 supporters, the judge claimed to have “uncloak[ed]” their true motives: “The evidence shows conclusively that moral and religious views form the only basis for a belief that same-sex couples are different from opposite-sex couples.”…

KNIGHT: Marriage ruling is only a ‘ban’ on truth
Intelligentsia morph language to disguise immorality

By Robert Knight
The Washington Times

6:32 p.m., Wednesday, August 11, 2010
The word “ban” is negative. Like “taboo,” the term offends modern sensibilities trained to be ever more accepting of any envelope-pushing behavior.

That’s why the media describe California’s Proposition 8 constitutional marriage law as a “ban,” not the codification of something positive and timeless. The Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) has been misreported for years as the “federal ban on gay marriage.” So when “smarter than God” federal Judge Joseph L. Tauro in Massachusetts dispatched DOMA on July 9, the media thundered as one: “Judge Strikes Down Gay Marriage Ban.”

Similarly, in California, federal Judge Vaughn R. Walker was widely reported to have struck down the state’s “ban on gay marriage” in his Aug. 4 ruling. The New York Times put it this way: “Court Rejects Same-Sex Marriage Ban in California.” Actually, Judge Walker took his activist ax to the meaning of marriage itself and the meaning of representative democracy in a free republic…

Our government seeks to deny entrepreneurship, destroying private enterprise by race and politics.

EDITORIAL: Engineered by Obama Motors
Automakers run on race-based political calculations

By THE WASHINGTON TIMES

The Washington Times

7:46 p.m., Tuesday, August 10, 2010
A report by the Troubled Asset Relief Program’s inspector general, Neil M. Barofsky, underscores the danger of handing control of private enterprise to government bureaucrats. In running General Motors and Chrysler, the Obama administration’s Auto Team made decisions based on what its members know best: race and politics.

After taking over the bankrupt carmakers, the administration ordered the immediate termination of one-quarter of existing dealerships – but not for business reasons. “Key members of the Auto Team … stated that they did not consider cost savings to be a factor in determining the need for dealership closures,” Mr. Barofsky wrote in his July 19 report. “Nevertheless, GM officials stated that they developed the cost-savings estimate … after being ‘pressed’ during meetings with congressional representatives to explain the cost savings that would result from the dealership terminations.”

These after-the-fact justifications were needed after Congress learned that closing 2,243 dealerships would cost nearly 100,000 jobs. GM invented a savings estimate of $2.6 billion, and Chrysler said its closings would save $35.9 million. Insiders reported the numbers were little more than a “math exercise” based on highly questionable assumptions, with one GM official admitting the hasty closure plan “might even cost GM money.”

GM set up a scoring system to determine the most valuable dealerships, but affirmative action was used to pick which survived. “Other dealerships were retained because they … were minority- or woman-owned dealerships,” Mr. Barofsky explained. The administration also pressured GM to cut rural dealerships. Mr. Barofsky’s office interviewed independent experts who confirmed that domestic automakers “had an advantage over their import competitors” in rural markets and that cutting dealerships in those areas would harm domestic sales. The O Force’s disdain for red states and their tendency to “cling to guns or religion” can’t be coincidental…

Our challenge today is clear, we must continue to educate ourselves, stand up for what is right, challenge our elected government, and VOTE!

Becoming involved in local, county, state and national politics is more important than ever before in our short history as a nation. Do not let a group of self-serving politicians destroy the greatest nation in the world. Each individual is responsible do not depend on someone else to do for you what you must do for yourselves.

It’s quiet. It’s early. My coffee is hot. The sky is still black. The world is still asleep. The day is coming. In a few moments the day will arrive. It will roar down the track with the rising of the sun. The stillness of the dawn will be exchanged for the noise of the day. The calm of solitude will be invaded by decisions to be made and deadlines to be met. For the next twelve hours I will be exposed to the day’s demands. It is now that I must make a choice. Because of Calvary, I’m free to choose. And so I choose…

I CHOOSE LOVE… No occasion justifies hatred; no injustice warrants bitterness. I choose love. Today I will love God and what God loves.

I CHOOSE JOY… I will invite my God to be the God of circumstances. I will refuse the temptation to be cynical… the tool of the lazy thinker. I will refuse to see people as anything less than human beings created by God. I will refuse to see any problem as anything less than an opportunity to see God.

I CHOOSE PEACE… I will live forgiven. I will forgive so that I may live.

I CHOOSE PATIENCE… I will overlook the inconveniences of the world. Instead of cursing the one who takes my place, I’ll invite him to do so. Rather than complain that the wait is too long, I will thank God for a moment to pray. Instead of clenching my fist at new assignments, I will face them with joy and courage.

I CHOOSE KINDNESS… I will be kind to the poor, for they are alone. Kind to the rich, for they are afraid. And kind to the unkind, for such is how God has treated me.

I CHOOSE GOODNESS… I will go without a dollar before I take a dishonest one. I will be overlooked before I will boast. I will confess before I will accuse.

I CHOOSE FAITHFULNESS… Today I will keep my promises. My debtors will not regret their trust. My associates will not question my word. My wife will not question my love. And my children will never fear that their father will not come home.

I CHOOSE GENTLENESS… Nothing is won by force. I choose to be gentle. If I raise my voice may it be only in praise. If I clench my fist, may it be only in prayer. If I make a demand, may it be only of myself.

I CHOOSE SELF-CONTROL… I am a spiritual being. After this body is dead, my spirit will soar. I refuse to let what will not, rule the eternal. I will be drunk only by joy. I will be impassioned only by my faith. I will be influenced only by God. I will be taught only by Christ.

Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control – Galatians 5:22,23

To these I commit my day. If I succeed, I will give thanks. If I fail, I will seek His grace. And then, when this day is done, I will place my head on my pillow and rest with the peace that passes all understanding.

What are You Talking About?

“Those who are careful about what they say protect their lives.” – Proverbs 13:3 NCV

After failing in business, Paul Galvin attended an auction for his own company. He was ‘down‘ but he wasn’t ‘out’! With the last of his money he bought back the department which later became – Motorola! How’s that for a comeback story?

The Bible says, “In… prosperity be joyful, but in… adversity consider [examine it and see what you can learn]… God has appointed the one as well as the other” (Ecclesiastes 7:14 NKJV). Whenever we face new challenges, like changing careers, going back to school or starting a new relationship, our old programming kicks in and tells us we’re not equal to the task. Look out! The Bible says, “Those who are careful about what they say protect their lives …whoever speaks without thinking will be ruined” (Proverbs 13:3 NCV).

The wonderful thing about being the person God created you to be, is that He pre-programmed you to handle new situations, to change and to grow. Don’t build a case against yourself by listening to old voices without or within, or speaking words that undermine your confidence. Doing something you’ve never done before usually involves an anxiety-induced learning curve that follows along these lines: “There’s no way I can do this… I suppose I can try… I’m doing it, but not very well… I’m still doing it but I’m scared… I’m doing better… Oops, I made a mistake, guess I can’t do this after all… Maybe I’ll try again… I’m not doing much better this time… I’ll give it one more shot… Hey, I’m doing pretty good… I can do this!”

The Bible says you’ll “be rewarded for… how [you] speak” (Proverbs 18:20 NCV), so turn all those “I can’ts” into “I cans” and get your self-talk lined up with the Scriptures.

It must be said, that like the breaking of a great dam, the American decent into Marxism is happening with breath taking speed, against the back drop of a passive, hapless sheeple, excuse me, I meant people.

True, the situation has been well prepared on and off for the past century, especially the past twenty years. The initial testing grounds was conducted upon our Holy Russia and a bloody test it was. But we Russians would not just roll over and give up our freedoms and our souls, no matter how much money Wall Street poured into the fists of the Marxists.

Those lessons were taken and used to properly prepare the American populace for the surrender of their freedoms and souls, to the whims of their elites and betters.

First, the population was dumbed down through a politicized and substandard education system based on pop culture, rather then the classics. Americans know more about their favorite TV dramas than the drama in DC that directly affects their lives. They care more for their “right” to choke down a McDonalds burger or a Burger King burger than for their constitutional rights. Then they turn around and lecture us about our rights and about our “democracy”. Pride blind the foolish.

Then their faith in God was destroyed, until their churches, all tens of thousands of different “branches and denominations” were for the most part little more then Sunday circuses and their televangelists and top protestant mega preachers were more than happy to sell out their souls and flocks to be on the “winning” side of one pseudo Marxist politician or another. Their flocks may complain, but when explained that they would be on the “winning” side, their flocks were ever so quick to reject Christ in hopes for earthly power. Even our Holy Orthodox churches are scandalously liberalized in America.

The final collapse has come with the election of Barack Obama. His speed in the past three months has been truly impressive. His spending and money printing has been a record setting, not just in America’s short history but in the world. If this keeps up for more than another
year, and there is no sign that it will not, America at best will resemble the Wiemar Republic and at worst Zimbabwe.

These past two weeks have been the most breath taking of all. First came the announcement of a planned redesign of the American Byzantine tax system, by the very thieves who used it to bankroll their thefts, loses and swindles of hundreds of billions of dollars. These make our Russian oligarchs look little more then ordinary street thugs, in comparison. Yes, the Americans have beat our own thieves in the shear volumes. Should we congratulate them?
 
These men, of course, are not an elected panel but made up of appointees picked from the very financial oligarchs and their henchmen who are now gorging themselves on trillions of American dollars, in one bailout after another. They are also usurping the rights, duties and powers of the American congress (parliament). Again, congress has put up little more then a whimper to their masters.
 
Then came Barack Obama’s command that GM’s (General Motor) president step down from leadership of his company. That is correct, dear reader, in the land of “pure” free markets, the American president now has the power, the self given power, to fire CEOs and we can assume other employees of private companies, at will. Come hither, go dither, the centurion commands his minions.

So it should be no surprise, that the American president has followed this up with a “bold” move of declaring that he and another group of unelected, chosen stooges will now redesign the entire automotive industry and will even be the guarantee of automobile policies. I am sure that if given the chance, they would happily try and redesign it for the whole of the world, too. Prime Minister Putin, less then two months ago, warned Obama and UK’s Blair, not to follow the path to Marxism, it only leads to disaster. Apparently, even though we suffered 70 years of this Western sponsored horror show, we know nothing, as foolish, drunken Russians, so let our “wise” Anglo-Saxon fools find out the folly of their own pride.

Again, the American public has taken this with barely a whimper…but a “freeman” whimper.

So, should it be any surprise to discover that the Democratically controlled Congress of America is working on passing a new regulation that would give the American Treasury department the power to set “fair” maximum salaries, evaluate performance and control how private companies give out pay raises and bonuses? Senator Barney Frank, a social pervert basking in his homosexuality (of course, amongst the modern, enlightened American societal norm, as well as that of the general West, homosexuality is not only not a looked down upon life choice, but is often praised as a virtue) and his Marxist enlightenment, has led this effort. He stresses that this only affects companies that receive government monies, but it is retroactive and taken to a logical extreme, this would include any company or industry that has ever received a tax break or incentive.

The Russian owners of American companies and industries should look thoughtfully at this and the option of closing their facilities down and fleeing the land of the Red as fast as possible. In other words, divest while there is still value left.

The proud American will go down into his slavery without a fight, beating his chest and proclaiming to the world, how free he really is. The world will only snicker.

Stanislav Mishin

The article has been reprinted with the kind permission from the author and originally appears on his blog, Mat Rodina

This doesn’t require any comment from me except perhaps to answer the question the Brit asks at the end of his commentary. The reason Obama hates America so badly is because it represents everything that he opposes. Freedom, liberty, capitalism, prosperity.

This Englishman has hit the nail on the head. Seems like people overseas have a better sense of what is going on in the White House than most Americans have. As I have said over and over again. “May GOD have mercy on America”.

If al-Qaeda, the Taliban and the rest of the Looney Tunes brigade want to kick America to death, they had better move in quickly and grab a piece of the action before Barack Obama finishes the job himself. Never in the history of the United States has a president worked so actively against the interests of his own people – not even Jimmy Carter.

Obama’s problem is that he does not know who the enemy is. To him, the enemy does not squat in caves in Waziristan, clutching automatic weapons and reciting the more militant verses from the Koran: instead, it sits around at tea parties in Kentucky quoting from the US Constitution. Obama is not at war with terrorists, but with his Republican fellow citizens. He has never abandoned the campaign trail.

That is why he opened Pandora’s Box by publishing the Justice Department’s legal opinions on waterboarding and other hardline interrogation techniques. He cynically subordinated the national interest to his partisan desire to embarrass the Republicans. Then he had to rush to Langley , Virginia to try to reassure a demoralised CIA that had just discovered the President of the United States was an even more formidable foe than al-Qaeda.

“Don’t be discouraged by what’s happened the last few weeks,” he told intelligence officers. Is he kidding? Thanks to him, al-Qaeda knows the private interrogation techniques available to the US intelligence agencies and can train its operatives to withstand them – or would do so, if they had not already been outlawed.

So, next time a senior al-Qaeda hood is captured, all the CIA can do is ask him nicely if he would care to reveal when a major population centre is due to be hit by a terror spectacular, or which American city is about to be irradiated by a dirty bomb. Your view of this situation will be dictated by one simple criterion: whether or not you watched the people jumping from the twin towers…

President Pantywaist’s recent world tour, cosying up to all the bad guys, excited the ambitions of America ‘S enemies. Here, they realised, is a sucker they can really take to the cleaners. His only enemies are fellow Americans.

Which prompts the question: why does President Pantywaist hate America so badly?

Living the Story of God

Connecting both the sermon and small group to God’s big story.

J. Scott Duvall | posted 5/01/2009

Most church leaders have a deep desire for people to experience life change. We feel the burden Dallas Willard expresses in Spirit of the Disciplines: “If the faithful devotees to our ministries are not transformed in the substance of their lives to the full range of Christlikeness, they are being failed by what we are teaching them.” But how do we serve them best? Specifically, how do we structure teaching times, select curriculum, and create an environment in which people can truly grow?

Spiritual growth is dynamic and complex, but I am convinced that six realities are essential to authentic spiritual transformation:

                               The work of the Holy Spirit

                               Life situations and experiences, especially trials

                               Time—spiritual growth is a process

                               A biblical belief system/set of convictions/worldview

                               Consistent human examples/mentors/leaders who incarnate this way of life

                               A community with whom to journey together

We have very limited control over the first three elements. However, we can influence the last three. At Fellowship Church, we do that by focusing our ministries on the grand story of Scripture and coordinating learning at the individual, corporate, and small group levels.

Connecting to the Big Story

The grand story of Scripture is vital, because if we lose touch with the biblical story, we lose touch with God. Unfortunately, most spiritual formation resources simply don’t make this connection. They typically challenge people to get God into their lives through a prescribed set of spiritual disciplines, but simply adding more of God to our lives often misses the point. We are called to link our lives to God’s life, to line up our smaller story with his grand story.

For this reason, we teach people the grand story of the Bible (believing) and help them see how what we do (behaving) and who we are (becoming) integrate into each part of the story. For example, our belief that God is both great and good draws us into praise, gratitude, and obedience—a behavior called Christian worship. Together this belief and behavior cultivate in us the character quality of purity as we realize that worship is not reserved for Sunday services but is a lifestyle.

Connecting sermon and small groups

To reinforce the connection between Sunday morning and everyday life, we use an integrated teaching approach that focuses everyone on the same passage each week, as opposed to numbing people with five or six different studies in our various mid-week programs and ministries. We encourage everyone to complete a brief interactive lesson on their own during the week. Then on Sunday we preach an inspirational sermon on the focal passage for that lesson.

We try to address the other two “controllable” elements—consistent human examples and community—through small groups. The group leaders serve as the human examples and mentors who incarnate the biblical story. There is no substitute for mature small group leaders.

Connecting with each other

The small group members become the community with whom we live out God’s story. Groups of 10–20 people gather once a week to eat a meal together, share life, pray, and encourage each other to live out God’s story. In our time together, we discuss the insights we had as we studied alone during the week, how those insights were influenced or altered by the sermon, and how we might put these lessons into action in our daily lives. Because the entire group has been engaged in the same biblical passage, has heard the same sermon, and is working through the same material during the week, the process results in a corporate, not merely individual, recalibration to the biblical story.

As we have moved beyond skimming bits and pieces of the Bible to connecting to God’s grand story in what we believe, how we behave, and who we are becoming, we have seen life change. It hasn’t been flashy or fast, but we are seeing God do a deep and powerful work among his people.

J. Scott Duvall is professor of New Testament at Ouachita Baptist University and a pastor of Fellowship Church in Arkadelphia, Arkansas. The curriculum discussed above has been published as Experiencing God’s Story of Life and Hope.

Copyright © 2009 by the author or Christianity Today International/Leadership Journal.

Cowards vs. Realities

By Morris Clopton, 3 March 2009

A depiction of America as a country of cowards by our distinguished Attorney General, Eric Holder leaves much to be desired.  Mr. Holder would have us believe that he and President Obama have a real grasp of America and the thoughts and opinions of the populous.  However I challenge both Mr. Holder and President Obama to read not rewrite the fantastic history of this great nation.

It is my belief that both Mr. Holder and President Obama choose to ignore facts not because they are not aware of those facts but because they do not fit the misrepresentations of the American people that they choose to present.  We are the greatest nation on the face of the earth because of our founding fathers and their belief in God and the principles set for in the bible.  Why doesn’t Mr. Holder and President Obama praise the efforts of this nation which have enabled black Americans to become, CEO’s, President’s, Generals, Inventors, Poets, Writers, Actors, Actresses, Teachers, Ministers, Pastors, and probably many other positions of leadership or personal gain that I am not aware of.

I am sixty-six years old and have served my country via the military and the defense industry for over forty years. It has been my experience that any person regardless of his color, creed, or sexual orientation has the opportunity through self discipline and hard work can and will succeed in their chosen fields of endeavors. If they have no self discipline and live in a world of dependency on the government there is no self initiative to succeed rather just sit on their posterior with their hand out to Uncle Sam or local government for their sustenance.

Why does the president of the greatest nation in the world seek to destroy everything our forefathers have struggled and died for with his racial prejudices?  I challenge the reader of this article to look beyond the charisma and skin color of President Obama and delve into what he is really saying.  Ask yourself why you are called raciest if you challenge any black American about any policy of procedure that is destroying the marketplace in America.  The liberal democrats would have us accept that more taxation is better when in fact it is destroying our workforce, with major companies moving offshore because they can’t continue to operate in a socialist, tax ridden economy.  Capitalism has built America, an America the democrats want to destroy through more government control, more taxes, and more dependence on the government when in reality all we want is for government to get out of our lives and allow us to succeed with out intelligence and hard work.

To quote Stephen Covey “you and you alone are responsible for how you respond to any stimulus.”  Do not be lead astray by false promises and spending of your descendents future by your government.  Become informed, know what is going on and let your representative and senators know your thoughts on their actions.

An Army of Two

by Jim Liebelt

“For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” — Ephesians 2:10 (NIV)

An old lighthouse sits on the edge of the shore in Scituate, MA. At this lighthouse a plaque memorializes what has been called “An Army of Two.” During the Revolutionary War, a British ship anchored just off shore and lowered smaller boats with British troops that headed toward the shore. Two young girls, having seen the British soldiers approaching from the lighthouse, took a drum and fife outside and played. The British troops heard the music and mistakenly assumed that the noise was coming from an American militia and quickly retreated. No one would have ever thought that two young girls could have won a decisive battle that day – all without a shot ever being fired.

If you’ve ever thought that you can’t make a difference, let this simple, true story from America’s history be an encouragement to you. Amazingly, something as simple as playing a fife and drum can make a huge difference! God has gifted you uniquely and specially and if you offer yourself to Him today – you can expect that even in some small way, He will provide you with opportunities to make a difference in someone else’s life.

How? Who knows? It may not take much. Perhaps a kind word spoken to a stranger, an e-mail to a friend, giving a hug to a family member, or helping a peer at school or work – could be just the encouragement that someone in your life needs to help them make it through a tough day.

Don’t underestimate God’s willingness to use your ordinary actions to touch the life of someone else in extraordinary ways! Today, be willing to be “An Army of One.”

as seen in “Today’s HomeWord,” a daily devotional with Jim Burns. Visit them online at www.homeword.com