Sunday, February 1, 2009
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
Socialism is Here
Gotta maintain that constituency...not on the quality of your ideas or vision or the betterment of America...but on handouts and free money.
Thursday, January 22, 2009
It's This and That With Rusty
Any MADTV fans out there? Hello?
I haven't been sleeping well lately and I think part of the problem is that I haven't been blogging enough which helps me get things out and off my mind. That was the original intent of this blog and I need to get back to it.
So, first things first...Janeane Garofalo on "24"? Please...not that. Shouldn't she be working a gig on a lesbian cruise somewhere in the Alaskan waters? Her early comedic act consisted almost entirely of tirades against men and Hollywood for believing women should look a certain way, i.e. pretty. She made it pretty clear that she refused to play that game just to get more acting gigs. So, now we have a slimmed down Janeane on prime time. Nothing motivates like the need for money, now does it?
Just in case anyone thinks that all the conservative fervor over the incoming Obama's administration total disregard for the unborn is just hype and hoopla, consider this: As President Obama was inaugurated, the White House Web site was being transformed. In the Agenda section, the new administration set forth a range of ambitious technological goals. Most were stated in general, if not vague, terms. One goal, however, was blunt and straightforward. “It says, simply, the administration will ‘Advance Stem Cell Research: Support increased stem cell research. Allow greater federal government funding on a wider array of stem cell lines.’ This can be done by executive order, so there is little uncertainty that it will come to pass.”
Also, Obama held true on his word to repeal the "Mexico City" policy, which means that US taxpayers are once again funding international abortions. He postponed signing this act until the last possible minute on Friday so it garnered as little media coverage as possible. Isn't it interesting that Obama himself wanted no attention regarding this policy reversal? If you believe it is the right thing to do, why not shout it from the rooftop? Perhaps, for the same reason that pro-abortionists wouldn't want to sit and watch footage of a nearly born child having a pair of scissors inserted into the back of its skull. Deep down, in the recesses of their hearts, where God's image still resides, they know it's wrong and have a sense of shame, even if they have buried it so far down under rationalization and misplaced indignance that they can no longer consciously connect with it. It's a tragedy on numerous levels.
I was in Borders today trying to find a John Eldredge book. No luck. However, I was struck by the number of books on atheism, tarot cards and every other kind of man-made belief system. It truly is a tragedy that so many are looking in so many wrong places. We truly have a lot of work to do. On a lighter note, I noticed there was a "Literature" section. It's a bookstore. Isn't the whole place a literature section?? I guess these are books written about books. Kinda like a coffee table book about coffee tables.
I was listening to JC and the U-Man on the radio on my way to work on Thursday and caught JC's latest thoughts, or lack thereof, on God. I have tried to witness to him on several occasions but his mind and heart are so closed that I think it will truly take a "Damascus Road" moment to shake him out of darkness. They were talking Obama's inauguration speech and his supposed agreement with the Constitution's assertment that "all men are created equal". JC jumped on that and said that is crap because you can't tell me that the guy standing next to Michael Jordan is equal to him...in talent, money, fame, etc. And, of course JC is right in that context. We are not equal to each other when it comes to physical gifts, intelligence or socioeconomic status. But that isn't what the Constitution is saying. As much as he would hate to admit it, JC should realize that the signers of that document, for the most part, very much believed in the God of the Bible. Thus, equality means that we were all created equally in God's eyes, everyone in His image. God made each of us wonderfully different and unique but His love is available to each and everyone (by the way, I heard a recent Piper teaching on how God's love for believers is uniquely special compared to the unsaved, using John 17 as his reference). It was the founder's hope that America would value that kind of eternal equality and live it out in this temporal world by promoting life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. I am somewhat surprised that JC didn't jump on the word "created". Since, he doesn't believe in God, he can't believe in creation. That would have been the better point to make but perhaps he has learned to tone down the overt references to atheism on the radio.
OK...that should hold me for a bit. I need to do a 2008 wrap up at some point. Hopefully soon.
I haven't been sleeping well lately and I think part of the problem is that I haven't been blogging enough which helps me get things out and off my mind. That was the original intent of this blog and I need to get back to it.
So, first things first...Janeane Garofalo on "24"? Please...not that. Shouldn't she be working a gig on a lesbian cruise somewhere in the Alaskan waters? Her early comedic act consisted almost entirely of tirades against men and Hollywood for believing women should look a certain way, i.e. pretty. She made it pretty clear that she refused to play that game just to get more acting gigs. So, now we have a slimmed down Janeane on prime time. Nothing motivates like the need for money, now does it?
Just in case anyone thinks that all the conservative fervor over the incoming Obama's administration total disregard for the unborn is just hype and hoopla, consider this: As President Obama was inaugurated, the White House Web site was being transformed. In the Agenda section, the new administration set forth a range of ambitious technological goals. Most were stated in general, if not vague, terms. One goal, however, was blunt and straightforward. “It says, simply, the administration will ‘Advance Stem Cell Research: Support increased stem cell research. Allow greater federal government funding on a wider array of stem cell lines.’ This can be done by executive order, so there is little uncertainty that it will come to pass.”
Also, Obama held true on his word to repeal the "Mexico City" policy, which means that US taxpayers are once again funding international abortions. He postponed signing this act until the last possible minute on Friday so it garnered as little media coverage as possible. Isn't it interesting that Obama himself wanted no attention regarding this policy reversal? If you believe it is the right thing to do, why not shout it from the rooftop? Perhaps, for the same reason that pro-abortionists wouldn't want to sit and watch footage of a nearly born child having a pair of scissors inserted into the back of its skull. Deep down, in the recesses of their hearts, where God's image still resides, they know it's wrong and have a sense of shame, even if they have buried it so far down under rationalization and misplaced indignance that they can no longer consciously connect with it. It's a tragedy on numerous levels.
I was in Borders today trying to find a John Eldredge book. No luck. However, I was struck by the number of books on atheism, tarot cards and every other kind of man-made belief system. It truly is a tragedy that so many are looking in so many wrong places. We truly have a lot of work to do. On a lighter note, I noticed there was a "Literature" section. It's a bookstore. Isn't the whole place a literature section?? I guess these are books written about books. Kinda like a coffee table book about coffee tables.
I was listening to JC and the U-Man on the radio on my way to work on Thursday and caught JC's latest thoughts, or lack thereof, on God. I have tried to witness to him on several occasions but his mind and heart are so closed that I think it will truly take a "Damascus Road" moment to shake him out of darkness. They were talking Obama's inauguration speech and his supposed agreement with the Constitution's assertment that "all men are created equal". JC jumped on that and said that is crap because you can't tell me that the guy standing next to Michael Jordan is equal to him...in talent, money, fame, etc. And, of course JC is right in that context. We are not equal to each other when it comes to physical gifts, intelligence or socioeconomic status. But that isn't what the Constitution is saying. As much as he would hate to admit it, JC should realize that the signers of that document, for the most part, very much believed in the God of the Bible. Thus, equality means that we were all created equally in God's eyes, everyone in His image. God made each of us wonderfully different and unique but His love is available to each and everyone (by the way, I heard a recent Piper teaching on how God's love for believers is uniquely special compared to the unsaved, using John 17 as his reference). It was the founder's hope that America would value that kind of eternal equality and live it out in this temporal world by promoting life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. I am somewhat surprised that JC didn't jump on the word "created". Since, he doesn't believe in God, he can't believe in creation. That would have been the better point to make but perhaps he has learned to tone down the overt references to atheism on the radio.
OK...that should hold me for a bit. I need to do a 2008 wrap up at some point. Hopefully soon.
Saturday, January 17, 2009
He Ain't no MLK
It is no small irony that the day before Obama's inauguration, the nation will pause to honor Martin Luther King. In 1963, King stood on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial and gave his most famous oration, the most well known line from which is, "I have a dream that my four children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character."
But Obama and his party have divided the nation into constituency groups judged by all manner of ethnicity and special interests rather than the individual character King envisioned.
Perhaps the most famous line from any Democrat presidential inaugural was uttered by John F. Kennedy in 1961. He closed his remarks with these words: "And so, my fellow Americans, ask not what your country can do for you; ask what you can do for your country."
Barack Obama and his party have turned that clarion call on end, suggesting that their constituents should "ask what your country can do for you."
On Tuesday, Barack Obama will take an oath "to support and defend the Constitution", but he has no history of honoring our Constitution, even pledging that his Supreme Court nominees should comport with Leftist ideology and "break free from the essential constraints that were placed by the founding fathers in the Constitution, at least as it's been interpreted."
But Obama and his party have divided the nation into constituency groups judged by all manner of ethnicity and special interests rather than the individual character King envisioned.
Perhaps the most famous line from any Democrat presidential inaugural was uttered by John F. Kennedy in 1961. He closed his remarks with these words: "And so, my fellow Americans, ask not what your country can do for you; ask what you can do for your country."
Barack Obama and his party have turned that clarion call on end, suggesting that their constituents should "ask what your country can do for you."
On Tuesday, Barack Obama will take an oath "to support and defend the Constitution", but he has no history of honoring our Constitution, even pledging that his Supreme Court nominees should comport with Leftist ideology and "break free from the essential constraints that were placed by the founding fathers in the Constitution, at least as it's been interpreted."
Thursday, January 15, 2009
Tuesday, January 13, 2009
Charles Spurgeon
"Perseverance is the badge of true saints. The Christian life is not a beginning only in the ways of God, but also a continuance in the same as long as life lasts. It is with a Christian as it was with the great Napoleon: he said, "Conquest has made me what I am, and conquest must maintain me." So, under God, dear brother in the Lord, conquest has made you what you are, and conquest must sustain you. Your motto must be, "Excelsior." He only is a true conqueror, and shall be crowned at the last, who continueth till war's trumpet is blown no more. Perseverance is, therefore, the target of all our spiritual enemies. The world does not object to your being a Christian for a time, if she can but tempt you to cease your pilgrimage, and settle down to buy and sell with her in Vanity Fair. The flesh will seek to ensnare you, and to prevent your pressing on to glory. "It is weary work being a pilgrim; come, give it up. Am I always to be mortified? Am I never to be indulged? Give me at least a furlough from this constant warfare." Satan will make many a fierce attack on your perseverance; it will be the mark for all his arrows. He will strive to hinder you in service: he will insinuate that you are doing no good; and that you want rest. He will endeavour to make you weary of suffering, he
will whisper, "Curse God, and die." Or he will attack your steadfastness: "What is the good of being so zealous? Be quiet like the rest; sleep as do others, and let your lamp go out as the other virgins do." Or he will assail your doctrinal sentiments: "Why do you hold to these denominational creeds? Sensible men are getting more liberal; they are removing the old landmarks: fall in with the times." Wear your shield, Christian, therefore, close upon your armour, and cry mightily unto God, that by His Spirit you may endure to the end."
will whisper, "Curse God, and die." Or he will attack your steadfastness: "What is the good of being so zealous? Be quiet like the rest; sleep as do others, and let your lamp go out as the other virgins do." Or he will assail your doctrinal sentiments: "Why do you hold to these denominational creeds? Sensible men are getting more liberal; they are removing the old landmarks: fall in with the times." Wear your shield, Christian, therefore, close upon your armour, and cry mightily unto God, that by His Spirit you may endure to the end."
Monday, January 12, 2009
A Stark Contrast
Both in my inbox today.
From openly gap Bishop Gene Robinson who has been invited by Obama to speak at his inauguration: "It is also an indication of the new president's commitment to being the President of all the people. "...[I]t will be my great honor to be there representing... all of us in the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender community" Robinson said. Robinson will deliver the invocation at Sunday's ceremony, which both Obama and Vice President-elect Joe Biden are scheduled to attend. According to the AP, "Robinson said he doesn't yet know what he'll say, but he knows he won't use a Bible. 'While that is a holy and sacred text to me, it is not for many Americans,' Robinson said. 'I will be careful not to be especially Christian in my prayer.'"
From Bill Keller who will be presenting the Gospel at the upcoming Florida State Fair: "If you have been called to serve the Lord, now is the time to start serving
Him. There is a lost and dying world outside the four walls of the church
that desperately needs God's Truth and the hope we have in Jesus Christ. God
needs men and women to rise up in these last days who will take His message
of hope to these lost and hurting souls. Paul could have had a nice life
simply preaching to those Believers in the churches of his day. But he
understood that it was the lost who needed to hear the Gospel, since without
Jesus they were going to die and spend eternity in hell. He literally put
his life on the line each day to bring the Good News to the lost and hurting
even though most didn't want to hear it!
The cold hard reality is that a person who dies without Jesus is going to
spend eternity in hell. People are dying and going to hell every second. We,
who possess the words of everlasting life have a responsibility to bring
that message of salvation through faith in Christ to these dying souls. Why
do we spend all of our time, energy, and resources telling the saved how to
be saved, when it is the lost who need to hear those words of everlasting
life?"
There couldn't be a greater difference between these two who both call themselves Christian. Even though I shouldn't be surprised at this point, Gene's comment that he "will be careful not to be especially Christian" is an abomination to the Lord. Can you imagine Paul having that attitude as he went on his missionary trips? Can you imagine having that attitude as you interact with co-workers or strangers at the grocery store? Or does each of us have that attitude from time to time even if it is unintentional?
From openly gap Bishop Gene Robinson who has been invited by Obama to speak at his inauguration: "It is also an indication of the new president's commitment to being the President of all the people. "...[I]t will be my great honor to be there representing... all of us in the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender community" Robinson said. Robinson will deliver the invocation at Sunday's ceremony, which both Obama and Vice President-elect Joe Biden are scheduled to attend. According to the AP, "Robinson said he doesn't yet know what he'll say, but he knows he won't use a Bible. 'While that is a holy and sacred text to me, it is not for many Americans,' Robinson said. 'I will be careful not to be especially Christian in my prayer.'"
From Bill Keller who will be presenting the Gospel at the upcoming Florida State Fair: "If you have been called to serve the Lord, now is the time to start serving
Him. There is a lost and dying world outside the four walls of the church
that desperately needs God's Truth and the hope we have in Jesus Christ. God
needs men and women to rise up in these last days who will take His message
of hope to these lost and hurting souls. Paul could have had a nice life
simply preaching to those Believers in the churches of his day. But he
understood that it was the lost who needed to hear the Gospel, since without
Jesus they were going to die and spend eternity in hell. He literally put
his life on the line each day to bring the Good News to the lost and hurting
even though most didn't want to hear it!
The cold hard reality is that a person who dies without Jesus is going to
spend eternity in hell. People are dying and going to hell every second. We,
who possess the words of everlasting life have a responsibility to bring
that message of salvation through faith in Christ to these dying souls. Why
do we spend all of our time, energy, and resources telling the saved how to
be saved, when it is the lost who need to hear those words of everlasting
life?"
There couldn't be a greater difference between these two who both call themselves Christian. Even though I shouldn't be surprised at this point, Gene's comment that he "will be careful not to be especially Christian" is an abomination to the Lord. Can you imagine Paul having that attitude as he went on his missionary trips? Can you imagine having that attitude as you interact with co-workers or strangers at the grocery store? Or does each of us have that attitude from time to time even if it is unintentional?
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