Thursday, June 26, 2008
Today's Little Nugget
"Throughout history, people have focused too little on the opportunities that problems present in investing and in life in general." - John Templeton
Saturday, June 7, 2008
Save Tibet?
So Sharon Stone is in trouble with the Chinese for saying the recent earthquake that took the lives of tens of thousands was the result of bad karma for the way they have treated Tibet. Well done Sharon. Way to use the tragedies of multitudes to somehow back your vacuous agenda. For once, the Chinese have a legitimate reason to be upset. Although...do they really care what Ms. Stone has to say? Not sure anyone over here does. I think I saw her career on the side of a milk carton recently.
What is it about Tibet that so many of the hippy ilk seem to be drawn to? Even here I see the occasional "Free Tibet" bumper sticker. Do these people know anyone in Tibet? Have they ever been there? Do they really have any idea what is going on besides hearing somewhere that the evil Chinese are keeping them from true freedom? Could they even find Tibet on a map? I can only imagine the level of angst this issue is causing those poor people in Hollywood.
If you want a real cause to support how about visiting someone in a nursing home or bringing food to a hungry family? Use your energy on something of substance and make a real difference in the world. The Dalai Lama doesn't need your support. A lot of other people here do.
What is it about Tibet that so many of the hippy ilk seem to be drawn to? Even here I see the occasional "Free Tibet" bumper sticker. Do these people know anyone in Tibet? Have they ever been there? Do they really have any idea what is going on besides hearing somewhere that the evil Chinese are keeping them from true freedom? Could they even find Tibet on a map? I can only imagine the level of angst this issue is causing those poor people in Hollywood.
If you want a real cause to support how about visiting someone in a nursing home or bringing food to a hungry family? Use your energy on something of substance and make a real difference in the world. The Dalai Lama doesn't need your support. A lot of other people here do.
Let us not forget...
4Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.
Friday, June 6, 2008
Harry Reid
In what is hopefully only a first step, Senator Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) threw down the gauntlet at Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid's (D-Nev.) shuffling feet yesterday after Senate Democrats, once again, failed to keep their word on moving President Bush's judicial nominees--some of whom have languished in limbo for years.
At the beginning of the 110th Congress the Senate Democratic leadership promised to at least match the average of 17 circuit court nominees that have been confirmed in prior Congresses. Instead, Senate Democrats, led by Reid and Judiciary Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), have done everything in their power to delay the process. This time around, Senator Reid promised that at least three nominees would be confirmed by Memorial Day; however, that holiday came and went with only one nominee approved. In response Senator McConnell used Senate procedure to temporarily delay the disastrous global warming cap and tax bill currently being debated on the Senate floor. We hope this is a precursor to even bolder action.
Thursday, June 5, 2008
Prediction
Obama is going to beat McCain...badly. I am thinking maybe 57/43 in the popular vote...or perhaps 56/43 with the Naders of the world getting their 1%. When McCain stands side-by-side with Obama in those televised debates, there will be a glaring difference in charisma, charm and youthfulness. McCain will likely offer more substance in his answers but it won't matter because Obama knows how to inspire based on nothing. Is that real leadership? Nope. But it will get the job done in this case.
Charles Wesley’s Radical, Fruitful Risk
From the Desiring God blog...
On July 18, 1738, two months after his conversion, Charles Wesley did an amazing thing. He had spent the week witnessing to inmates at the Newgate prison with a friend named “Bray,” who he described as “a poor ignorant mechanic.” One of the men they spoke to was “a black slave that had robbed his master.” He was sick with a fever and was condemned to die.
Wesley and Bray asked if they could be locked in overnight with the prisoners who were to be executed the next day. That night they spoke the gospel. They told the men that “one came down from heaven to save lost sinners.” They described the sufferings of the Son of God, his sorrows, agony, and death.
The next day, the men were loaded onto a cart and taken to Tyburn. Charles went with them. Ropes were fastened around their necks so that the cart could be driven off and leave them swinging in the air to choke to death.
The fruit of Wesley’s and Bray’s night-long labor was astonishing. Here’s what Wesley wrote:
They were all cheerful; full of comfort, peace, and triumph; assuredly persuaded Christ had died for them, and waited to receive them into paradise. . . . The black . . . saluted me with his looks. As often as his eyes met mine, he smiled with the most composed, delightful countenance I ever saw.
We left them going to meet their Lord, ready for the bridegroom. When the cart drove off, not one stirred, or struggled for life, but meekly gave up their spirits. Exactly at twelve they were turned off. I spoke a few suitable words to the crowd; and returned, full of peace and confidence in our friends’ happiness. That hour under the gallows was the most blessed hour of my life. (Journal, vol 1, 120-123)
Two things amaze and inspire me in this story. One is the astonishing power of Wesley’s message about the truth and love of Christ. All the condemned prisoners were converted. And they were so deeply converted in one night that they could look death in the face (without any long period of “follow-up” or “discipling”) and give up their spirits with confidence that Christ would receive them. O, for such power and witness!
The other thing that amazes me is the sheer fact that Wesley went to the prison and asked to be locked up all night with condemned criminals. It was a huge risk. These men had nothing more to lose if they killed another person. Wesley had no supervisor telling him that this was his job. He was not a professional prison minister. It would have been comfortable and pleasant to spend the evening at home conversing with friends. Why did he go?
God put it in his heart to go. And Wesley yielded. Wesley believed in hell and heaven. He believed that what these prisoners believed from their hearts on that night would determine forever their eternal destiny. It was worth risking his life for. O that I might discern the leading of God when something outside my usual path is called for.
On July 18, 1738, two months after his conversion, Charles Wesley did an amazing thing. He had spent the week witnessing to inmates at the Newgate prison with a friend named “Bray,” who he described as “a poor ignorant mechanic.” One of the men they spoke to was “a black slave that had robbed his master.” He was sick with a fever and was condemned to die.
Wesley and Bray asked if they could be locked in overnight with the prisoners who were to be executed the next day. That night they spoke the gospel. They told the men that “one came down from heaven to save lost sinners.” They described the sufferings of the Son of God, his sorrows, agony, and death.
The next day, the men were loaded onto a cart and taken to Tyburn. Charles went with them. Ropes were fastened around their necks so that the cart could be driven off and leave them swinging in the air to choke to death.
The fruit of Wesley’s and Bray’s night-long labor was astonishing. Here’s what Wesley wrote:
They were all cheerful; full of comfort, peace, and triumph; assuredly persuaded Christ had died for them, and waited to receive them into paradise. . . . The black . . . saluted me with his looks. As often as his eyes met mine, he smiled with the most composed, delightful countenance I ever saw.
We left them going to meet their Lord, ready for the bridegroom. When the cart drove off, not one stirred, or struggled for life, but meekly gave up their spirits. Exactly at twelve they were turned off. I spoke a few suitable words to the crowd; and returned, full of peace and confidence in our friends’ happiness. That hour under the gallows was the most blessed hour of my life. (Journal, vol 1, 120-123)
Two things amaze and inspire me in this story. One is the astonishing power of Wesley’s message about the truth and love of Christ. All the condemned prisoners were converted. And they were so deeply converted in one night that they could look death in the face (without any long period of “follow-up” or “discipling”) and give up their spirits with confidence that Christ would receive them. O, for such power and witness!
The other thing that amazes me is the sheer fact that Wesley went to the prison and asked to be locked up all night with condemned criminals. It was a huge risk. These men had nothing more to lose if they killed another person. Wesley had no supervisor telling him that this was his job. He was not a professional prison minister. It would have been comfortable and pleasant to spend the evening at home conversing with friends. Why did he go?
God put it in his heart to go. And Wesley yielded. Wesley believed in hell and heaven. He believed that what these prisoners believed from their hearts on that night would determine forever their eternal destiny. It was worth risking his life for. O that I might discern the leading of God when something outside my usual path is called for.
Saturday, May 31, 2008
Truth
Thank God for laptops. Working in the recliner just doesn't feel as much like work. I think I need some new furniture in my office.
Read a good summation of post-modernism today. Instead of humans discovering truth it is about humans creating their own truth. The consequences of such a dogma are quite obvious in our society - and in our churches - as the majority of individuals in this country subscribe to whatever "truth" suits them at any given point in time.
I was thinking about the parallels between the Constitution and the Bible. There are of course differences in that the former can be amended and the latter is absolute but both do represent foundational truths for society as a whole and the individual. However, both are taken pretty lightly these days and not just by the person who spends their free time watching Jerry Springer. No, they are taken lightly by judges and Christians alike - the very people who should be their greatest proponents.
You may or may not feel like you have any personal stake in attacks on the Second Amendment. An important Supreme Court decision will be handed down in June that could go a long way in deciding whether or not the integrity of the Second Amendment will be upheld or ripped apart. Again, it comes down to constructionism or another adulterated interpretation of the so called "Living Constitution". Guess which side Obama falls on? He supports the D.C. regulations because he, "...wanted to make sure that local communities were recognized as having a right to regulate firearms... The notion that somehow local jurisdictions can't initiate gun laws isn't born out by our Constitution." Additionally, he has also served on the board of the Joyce Foundation, which since 2000, has given more than $15 Million to radical gun control organizations and is closely linked to the Soros Open Society Institute, which advocates a worldwide ban on civilian firearm ownership. This is not the kind of "change" I am looking for.
We see the same kind of thing happening with the Bible and people (Christians mostly since non-Christians don't really know the Bible) trying to change the original meaning in order to excuse their own behavior or make themselves out to be something of a visionary and leader. I certainly think of Gene Robinson in this way. After being ordained as an openly gay minister in the Episcopaian church he stated that he believed that God was up to something new - leading the Church and society to a greater acceptance of homosexuals and said this, "I think God is meaning for gay and lesbian folk to have a full, whole, and complete life - both as citizens of this country and as members of the church,” says Robinson.
See what he does there? No mention of the act of homosexuality, an intentional act of sin. He chooses his words very carefully to say that if you aren't accepting of his choice to be gay than you aren't accepting of him. I have no doubt that God wants to soften the hearts of many Christians toward homosexuals. It's a sin...just like gossiping over coffee before Bible Class starts about a couple at church that are struggling in their marriage. Those who stand at gay pride parades with signs that say "God Hates Gays" are doing as much of a disservice to the Lord as Gene. Both are ignoring the absolute truth of the Bible to further their agendas.
The bottom line is that absolute truth exists. The Bible is certainly absolute and the Constitution is as close to absolute as a government forming document can likely get. That doesn't mean we should stop learning and examining them both but we also need to be very careful that we don't label something as "progress" just because it is in direct opposition to what has been handed down long before we got here. You can be intellectually rigorous AND believe that absolute truth exists. They are not mutually exclusive no matter what is taught in our universities and many of our churches today. We need to spend more of our time understanding and appreciating them rather than tearing them apart for personal gain.
Read a good summation of post-modernism today. Instead of humans discovering truth it is about humans creating their own truth. The consequences of such a dogma are quite obvious in our society - and in our churches - as the majority of individuals in this country subscribe to whatever "truth" suits them at any given point in time.
I was thinking about the parallels between the Constitution and the Bible. There are of course differences in that the former can be amended and the latter is absolute but both do represent foundational truths for society as a whole and the individual. However, both are taken pretty lightly these days and not just by the person who spends their free time watching Jerry Springer. No, they are taken lightly by judges and Christians alike - the very people who should be their greatest proponents.
You may or may not feel like you have any personal stake in attacks on the Second Amendment. An important Supreme Court decision will be handed down in June that could go a long way in deciding whether or not the integrity of the Second Amendment will be upheld or ripped apart. Again, it comes down to constructionism or another adulterated interpretation of the so called "Living Constitution". Guess which side Obama falls on? He supports the D.C. regulations because he, "...wanted to make sure that local communities were recognized as having a right to regulate firearms... The notion that somehow local jurisdictions can't initiate gun laws isn't born out by our Constitution." Additionally, he has also served on the board of the Joyce Foundation, which since 2000, has given more than $15 Million to radical gun control organizations and is closely linked to the Soros Open Society Institute, which advocates a worldwide ban on civilian firearm ownership. This is not the kind of "change" I am looking for.
We see the same kind of thing happening with the Bible and people (Christians mostly since non-Christians don't really know the Bible) trying to change the original meaning in order to excuse their own behavior or make themselves out to be something of a visionary and leader. I certainly think of Gene Robinson in this way. After being ordained as an openly gay minister in the Episcopaian church he stated that he believed that God was up to something new - leading the Church and society to a greater acceptance of homosexuals and said this, "I think God is meaning for gay and lesbian folk to have a full, whole, and complete life - both as citizens of this country and as members of the church,” says Robinson.
See what he does there? No mention of the act of homosexuality, an intentional act of sin. He chooses his words very carefully to say that if you aren't accepting of his choice to be gay than you aren't accepting of him. I have no doubt that God wants to soften the hearts of many Christians toward homosexuals. It's a sin...just like gossiping over coffee before Bible Class starts about a couple at church that are struggling in their marriage. Those who stand at gay pride parades with signs that say "God Hates Gays" are doing as much of a disservice to the Lord as Gene. Both are ignoring the absolute truth of the Bible to further their agendas.
The bottom line is that absolute truth exists. The Bible is certainly absolute and the Constitution is as close to absolute as a government forming document can likely get. That doesn't mean we should stop learning and examining them both but we also need to be very careful that we don't label something as "progress" just because it is in direct opposition to what has been handed down long before we got here. You can be intellectually rigorous AND believe that absolute truth exists. They are not mutually exclusive no matter what is taught in our universities and many of our churches today. We need to spend more of our time understanding and appreciating them rather than tearing them apart for personal gain.
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