Sunday, January 31, 2010
The Cross at Groom Texas
This is the 19 story cross located on Interstate 40 at Groom, Texas. Ten million people pass by every year to see the Cross and the life size re-creations of the life of Christ.
Saturday, January 30, 2010
Secularism, Teresa, Tebow
Two religious items have come up in the news this past week, Mother Teresa and Tim Tebow. Secularists and neo-Atheists are protesting the religious expressions of life, love, and compassion.
Mother Teresa is to be placed a postage stamp; Nobel Peace Prize winner (given she wasn't an anti American Statist this is monumental), and the safety net for thousands of the poor. The protest is about her being a religious figure. There's criteria number 9: "Stamps or stationery items shall not be issued to honor religious institutions or individuals whose principal achievements are associated with religious undertakings or beliefs."
Secularists and Atheists say her religious status should keep her off the stamp. It amazing that's the issue, and not an appreciation of one human being's personal sacrifice and organizing brilliance that brought safety, health, love, and compassion to so many. What's important?
The criteria is ridiculous and serves intolerance and bigotry. The argument that it violates separation of church and state is specious since we're constantly told the the Post Office is a private, self supporting company. There's also the problem of Martin Luther King and Malcolm X being on stamps; both were ministers. King's whole approach was from Scripture, which he quoted often. Should they be removed?
Tim Tebow, college football great, is presenting a pro-life message with his mother in a Superbowl commercial. All the Secularists and neo-Atheists are in a fuss about this too. There's been an unwritten rule for Superbowl commercials that political and social advocacy ads not be allowed. CBS has changed this. Like Teresa, the message has a religious foundation, and so must not be allowed in public. Gloria Alred is suing, based upon conjecture and not fact, showing the Statists, Feminists, and neo-Atheists are so upset they are making stuff up to stop this story of courage, love and compassion. Tebow's mother said her doctor advised her to abort her child because of some disease she had, and she said no, and gave birth to Tim.
Though anti-religious bigots do their best to quash the free speech of those that disagree with them, I think both sides are being short sighted. Tebow and his mother along with Focus on the Family are opening the door for Leftist propaganda in this venue in the future. As much as I agree with the pro-life message, Statists in the future will have yet another venue to propagate their lies. Are you ready for commercials bashing America, praising Castro and Chavez, Islamofascists, and other Statist dictators, along with all the other horrible things they support? I'd just as soon keep this one on the side lines, and stick with the unwritten rule of no advocacy ads. I just want football and stupid funny commercials for three hours.
I do wish the National Organization for Women (a really small group of less than 500,000; Concerned Women for America have over 2 million members, which doesn't get coverage in the Jurassic Press because they are Conservative), militant neo-Atheists, groups like the Freedom from Religion Foundation, would just give it a rest. Just quit whining, complaining, and protesting every little thing that doesn't fit their intolerant bigoted belief system.
Mother Teresa is to be placed a postage stamp; Nobel Peace Prize winner (given she wasn't an anti American Statist this is monumental), and the safety net for thousands of the poor. The protest is about her being a religious figure. There's criteria number 9: "Stamps or stationery items shall not be issued to honor religious institutions or individuals whose principal achievements are associated with religious undertakings or beliefs."
Secularists and Atheists say her religious status should keep her off the stamp. It amazing that's the issue, and not an appreciation of one human being's personal sacrifice and organizing brilliance that brought safety, health, love, and compassion to so many. What's important?
The criteria is ridiculous and serves intolerance and bigotry. The argument that it violates separation of church and state is specious since we're constantly told the the Post Office is a private, self supporting company. There's also the problem of Martin Luther King and Malcolm X being on stamps; both were ministers. King's whole approach was from Scripture, which he quoted often. Should they be removed?
Tim Tebow, college football great, is presenting a pro-life message with his mother in a Superbowl commercial. All the Secularists and neo-Atheists are in a fuss about this too. There's been an unwritten rule for Superbowl commercials that political and social advocacy ads not be allowed. CBS has changed this. Like Teresa, the message has a religious foundation, and so must not be allowed in public. Gloria Alred is suing, based upon conjecture and not fact, showing the Statists, Feminists, and neo-Atheists are so upset they are making stuff up to stop this story of courage, love and compassion. Tebow's mother said her doctor advised her to abort her child because of some disease she had, and she said no, and gave birth to Tim.
Though anti-religious bigots do their best to quash the free speech of those that disagree with them, I think both sides are being short sighted. Tebow and his mother along with Focus on the Family are opening the door for Leftist propaganda in this venue in the future. As much as I agree with the pro-life message, Statists in the future will have yet another venue to propagate their lies. Are you ready for commercials bashing America, praising Castro and Chavez, Islamofascists, and other Statist dictators, along with all the other horrible things they support? I'd just as soon keep this one on the side lines, and stick with the unwritten rule of no advocacy ads. I just want football and stupid funny commercials for three hours.
I do wish the National Organization for Women (a really small group of less than 500,000; Concerned Women for America have over 2 million members, which doesn't get coverage in the Jurassic Press because they are Conservative), militant neo-Atheists, groups like the Freedom from Religion Foundation, would just give it a rest. Just quit whining, complaining, and protesting every little thing that doesn't fit their intolerant bigoted belief system.
Friday, January 29, 2010
The Crushed Heart of Those Who Mourn
We all lament those loved ones we've lost. "Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted". The heart ache. I heard a line from the show "Bones", 'A heart isn't hard like a bone, it doesn't break; it's a muscle, and it gets crushed.' Paraphrasing. It makes so much sense. I lost a dear friend to cancer two days before Christmas, and my heart was crushed. It ached under the pressure.
The Greek word 'to morn' used in this verse, is the strongest sense of loss that can be expressed. Something happens when we experience so much grief our heart aches. It's a contrast to all things being blissful and bright all the time. The desert has sun nearly all the time, and it's parched and dry. A little rain there brings lovely life. A loss shows who supports and loves us; brings us closer together. The personal ache in this Beatitude. Blessed by heart ache.
There's the altruistic in this verse. We care about the suffering of others. "God's Groceries" at our church feeding what poor we can. People from all over the world offering aid, time, money and anything else to help the Haitian people right now. Katrina, tsunami...so much loss and suffering, and we see so many others reaching out. Blessed by sharing.
Then there's the saddest of all, our own shortcomings, moral and spiritual. My heart is crushed that I'm so separated from Christ. What have we done that He had to go through what He did? We still do things that crush His heart. We grieve for this, and are contrite, repent, and take comfort in God, who still offers us forgiveness. Blessed by forgiveness and salvation.
We suffer the loss of a loved one, and are blessed being comforted and supported by those that love us. Others suffer and we reach out in love and caring, and are blessed for our sharing. We mourn the loss of Christ, and grieve our loss, and are blessed by His forgiveness. If you take one step toward God, he'll take nine steps toward you. He can change your mourning and sorrow to love and grace. That's a huge blessing and comfort.
The Greek word 'to morn' used in this verse, is the strongest sense of loss that can be expressed. Something happens when we experience so much grief our heart aches. It's a contrast to all things being blissful and bright all the time. The desert has sun nearly all the time, and it's parched and dry. A little rain there brings lovely life. A loss shows who supports and loves us; brings us closer together. The personal ache in this Beatitude. Blessed by heart ache.
There's the altruistic in this verse. We care about the suffering of others. "God's Groceries" at our church feeding what poor we can. People from all over the world offering aid, time, money and anything else to help the Haitian people right now. Katrina, tsunami...so much loss and suffering, and we see so many others reaching out. Blessed by sharing.
Then there's the saddest of all, our own shortcomings, moral and spiritual. My heart is crushed that I'm so separated from Christ. What have we done that He had to go through what He did? We still do things that crush His heart. We grieve for this, and are contrite, repent, and take comfort in God, who still offers us forgiveness. Blessed by forgiveness and salvation.
We suffer the loss of a loved one, and are blessed being comforted and supported by those that love us. Others suffer and we reach out in love and caring, and are blessed for our sharing. We mourn the loss of Christ, and grieve our loss, and are blessed by His forgiveness. If you take one step toward God, he'll take nine steps toward you. He can change your mourning and sorrow to love and grace. That's a huge blessing and comfort.
Thomas Tallis - Why Fum'th in Fight (vid)
"Why fum'th in fight the Gentiles spite, in fury raging stout?
Why tak'th in hand the people fond, vain things to bring about?
The Kings arise, the Lords devise, in counsels met thereto,
against the Lord with false accord, against His Christ they go."
Psalter of 1567 for the first Anglican Archbishop of Canterbury, Matthew Parker. Written by Thomas Tallis.
Based on Psalm 2:1-2 "Why do the nations rage, and the people plot a vain thing? The Kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the Lord and against His anointed."
I keep listening to this, and each time I'm more drawn in and swathed in its harmonies.
Thursday, January 28, 2010
Tribute to J D Salinger
Salinger was definitely an early influence in my appreciation of literature and of course "Catcher in the Rye" was the perfect reflection of my life as an adolescent boy. He died today at 91 years.
More than "Catcher in the Rye" as an influence was "Franny and Zooey". It introduced me to the "Jesus Prayer" and the book "The Way of the Pilgrim", an anonymous Russian book. Since my return to Christianity I do pray the "Jesus Prayer", pray a lot, and know the power of prayer. I've written of prayer here. "Franny and Zooey" I read a year or so after I graduated college. "The Way of the Pilgrim" I've read several times, and have given it as a gift. From that book, I learned that prayer and of the "Philokalia", which at that time I had never heard of. I think the impact of "The Way of the Pilgrim" is best summarized by Saint Seraphim of Sarov, "Acquire the spirit of peace, and a thousand souls around you will be saved".
"Catcher in the Rye" I got tired of. It was the favorite book of every English teacher and college lit prof. I read it in junior high, three times in high school and once in college. The only other book that approached that volume of repetitive consumption was "Huckleberry Finn".
I had also read "Raise High the Roof Beam" and "Carpenters and Seymour: An Introduction". Those, sad to say, left no impression.
Salinger had a huge impact on literature, and on my literary life, and because, inadvertently, through "Franny and Zooey", my life.
RIP J D Salinger
More than "Catcher in the Rye" as an influence was "Franny and Zooey". It introduced me to the "Jesus Prayer" and the book "The Way of the Pilgrim", an anonymous Russian book. Since my return to Christianity I do pray the "Jesus Prayer", pray a lot, and know the power of prayer. I've written of prayer here. "Franny and Zooey" I read a year or so after I graduated college. "The Way of the Pilgrim" I've read several times, and have given it as a gift. From that book, I learned that prayer and of the "Philokalia", which at that time I had never heard of. I think the impact of "The Way of the Pilgrim" is best summarized by Saint Seraphim of Sarov, "Acquire the spirit of peace, and a thousand souls around you will be saved".
"Catcher in the Rye" I got tired of. It was the favorite book of every English teacher and college lit prof. I read it in junior high, three times in high school and once in college. The only other book that approached that volume of repetitive consumption was "Huckleberry Finn".
I had also read "Raise High the Roof Beam" and "Carpenters and Seymour: An Introduction". Those, sad to say, left no impression.
Salinger had a huge impact on literature, and on my literary life, and because, inadvertently, through "Franny and Zooey", my life.
RIP J D Salinger
Tuesday, January 26, 2010
Obama and His Populism
What happens when someone with no experience, who hasn't done anything or accomplished anything that builds character, wisdom, and knowledge, gains a position of immense power? He plays with words, manipulates emotions, attacks and blames. Eventually no one trusts him.
Columnist Bob Herbert, Suporter of Obama:
Obama's latest response to our fiscal woes is to attack banks.
The result is that over 70% of Americans think he's anti-business, and 77% of businessmen thinks he's anti-business. Does Obama really think that after bailing out financial institutions, he can turn on them with targeted tax penalties and regulations? Will businessmen and entrepreneurs trust him and increase business and hire new people? Will they if they believe that for their efforts Obama will go after them and take their profits? Note to Obama and Statists; profits are needed to grow business and hire people. No one gets jobs, belay that, only government types get jobs, with this policy. What does government produce that generates wealth?
The "spending freeze" is a red herring. At best it'll begin in fiscal year 2011, and it won't have to be put into effect until 2012 or 2013 or 2014. What we're looking at too is $120 Billion in savings over 10 years, measured against a $12 Trillion debt. Peeing in the ocean will have as much an effect. The projected debt by the end of Obama's first term will be $14-$16 Trillion.
What little Obama understands about capitalism he hates. He has about a third of the country behind him on that. Posturing as a populist with empty words, attacking banks, insurance companies, corporations and small business just doesn't work. Americans, if nothing else, are practical. Obama is not.
Columnist Bob Herbert, Suporter of Obama:
"Mr. Obama may be personally very appealing, but he has positioned himself all over the political map: the anti-Iraq war candidate who escalated the war in Afghanistan; the opponent of health insurance mandates who made a mandate to buy insurance the centerpiece of his plan; the president who stocked his administration with Wall Street insiders and went to the mat for the banks and big corporations, but who is now trying to present himself as a born-again populist.Full article here.
Mr. Obama is in danger of being perceived as someone whose rhetoric, however skillful, cannot always be trusted. He is creating a credibility gap for himself, and if it widens much more he won’t be able to close it.
Mr. Obama promised during the campaign that he would be a different kind of president, one who would preside over a more open, more high-minded administration that would be far more in touch with the economic needs of ordinary working Americans. But no sooner was he elected than he put together an economic team that would protect, above all, the interests of Wall Street, the pharmaceutical industry, the health insurance companies, and so on."
Obama's latest response to our fiscal woes is to attack banks.
The result is that over 70% of Americans think he's anti-business, and 77% of businessmen thinks he's anti-business. Does Obama really think that after bailing out financial institutions, he can turn on them with targeted tax penalties and regulations? Will businessmen and entrepreneurs trust him and increase business and hire new people? Will they if they believe that for their efforts Obama will go after them and take their profits? Note to Obama and Statists; profits are needed to grow business and hire people. No one gets jobs, belay that, only government types get jobs, with this policy. What does government produce that generates wealth?
The "spending freeze" is a red herring. At best it'll begin in fiscal year 2011, and it won't have to be put into effect until 2012 or 2013 or 2014. What we're looking at too is $120 Billion in savings over 10 years, measured against a $12 Trillion debt. Peeing in the ocean will have as much an effect. The projected debt by the end of Obama's first term will be $14-$16 Trillion.
What little Obama understands about capitalism he hates. He has about a third of the country behind him on that. Posturing as a populist with empty words, attacking banks, insurance companies, corporations and small business just doesn't work. Americans, if nothing else, are practical. Obama is not.
MSM Worships, You Don't Get to Decide VIII
This past Friday there was a march in DC, which is the longest consecutive running one, and is attended by thousands yearly. Most people aren't aware of it because it's an anti-abortion march. ABC, CBS, NBC and AP did not cover it...at all. Usually the Jurassic Press at least mocks, demeans and insults protesters that don't fit their ideological views. The best recent example is the Tea Party Movement. Ten of thousands have protested in DC on several occasions and were insulted and called names, and millions nationwide have protested, and were insulted and called names.
The same day the NY Times, alleged 'news' paper, had a 780 page article on four protesters for illegal immigrants (read 'undocumented Democrat voters') that did a march from Miami to DC. NPR had two days of an interview with the successor to Tiller the baby killer, Leroy Carhart. Tiller, if you remember, provided abortions of babies up to full term. Cathart: "I mean, it's just extremism, it's religious terrorism." He's referring of course to people that have a problem with abortion on demand. Cathart reflects perfectly the view of the Jurassic Press.
The same day the NY Times, alleged 'news' paper, had a 780 page article on four protesters for illegal immigrants (read 'undocumented Democrat voters') that did a march from Miami to DC. NPR had two days of an interview with the successor to Tiller the baby killer, Leroy Carhart. Tiller, if you remember, provided abortions of babies up to full term. Cathart: "I mean, it's just extremism, it's religious terrorism." He's referring of course to people that have a problem with abortion on demand. Cathart reflects perfectly the view of the Jurassic Press.
Monday, January 25, 2010
A Brilliant Move and an Error
Two things are happening in Arizona, one good and one not so much.
The good is that talk show host and former congressman J.D. Hayworth is challenging RINO (Republican in Name Only) and Statist John McCain for the people's Arizona Senate seat. McCain is already running ads against Hayworth, who has not yet officially announced. Remember McCain of McCain/Feingold that limited free speech and was just overturned by the Supreme Court, McCain/Kennedy immigration amnesty (undocumented workers are really undocumented Democrat voters), and initially wanted Statist Joe Lieberman as his VP running mate. On all matters other than Defense, McCain supports Statist policies.
The bad is that Sarah Palin, for some odd reason, has announced she'll campaign for McCain. After McCain's staff trashed her, insulted her, lied about her; and he said nothing in her defense, or told his guys to knock it off, she's going to do this? Plus, she's made it clear she's not a Statist, so what's the deal? This is a huge political miscalculation on her part, and her political instincts up to this point have been flawless. Hopefully she's seeing something the rest of the Conservative movement isn't.
The good is that talk show host and former congressman J.D. Hayworth is challenging RINO (Republican in Name Only) and Statist John McCain for the people's Arizona Senate seat. McCain is already running ads against Hayworth, who has not yet officially announced. Remember McCain of McCain/Feingold that limited free speech and was just overturned by the Supreme Court, McCain/Kennedy immigration amnesty (undocumented workers are really undocumented Democrat voters), and initially wanted Statist Joe Lieberman as his VP running mate. On all matters other than Defense, McCain supports Statist policies.
The bad is that Sarah Palin, for some odd reason, has announced she'll campaign for McCain. After McCain's staff trashed her, insulted her, lied about her; and he said nothing in her defense, or told his guys to knock it off, she's going to do this? Plus, she's made it clear she's not a Statist, so what's the deal? This is a huge political miscalculation on her part, and her political instincts up to this point have been flawless. Hopefully she's seeing something the rest of the Conservative movement isn't.
Sunday, January 24, 2010
Obama Using Teleprompter to Talk to 6th Graders!
I try and stay away from politics during the weekend, but this is such a hoot. The Bamster using a teleprompter to talk to 6th graders!
Thoughts on "Avatar"
I saw "Avatar" yesterday, and was wowed by the visuals; saw it in IMAX 3D. It is the most creative cutting edge cinematography ever done. The story moved along, and for me the measure of a good movie is that I'm not aware of the passage of time, and I wasn't.
It does what it set out to do, and met, if not surpassed, all expectations. The icing is that it's a huge money maker.
I think too that the glasses we're given when going into the theater are a great metaphor for how people see the movie. Feminists found fault, health people found fault (Weaver's character smokes), traditional religious people found fault (Na'vi are animists), the Chinese dictatorship banned it, it was seen as a slam against the military and corporations, and a whole host of other perceptions. We all entered the theater with our own conceptions, and viewed it from those. A friend saw in it a 'beauty and beast story', and that never crossed my mind. I of course, being Christian and Conservative, viewed it through those lenses. I remember it being pointed out during the Beatles musical reign that which of the Beatles you identified most with was a great indicator of your personality type. (I was a Harrison fan, the spiritualist). Likewise, I think "Avatar" is an indicator of one's world view.
I've been reading Sci-fi since I learned how to read. At the end of third grade I had read all but the 'girl' books in the juvenile section, so the librarian took me upstairs to the grownups section and helped me get a card. First book out was "When Worlds Collide". With that many years of sci-fi behind me, I found the story in "Avatar" a repeat of an oft told story. Kudos to Cameron for finding a way to move it along and not bore us to death.
I highly recommend this movie. It's a joy for the things presented we like about movies and stories, and a Rorschach test for our world views. One of the reasons for its success is just that. There's something there to appeal to everyone.
It does what it set out to do, and met, if not surpassed, all expectations. The icing is that it's a huge money maker.
I think too that the glasses we're given when going into the theater are a great metaphor for how people see the movie. Feminists found fault, health people found fault (Weaver's character smokes), traditional religious people found fault (Na'vi are animists), the Chinese dictatorship banned it, it was seen as a slam against the military and corporations, and a whole host of other perceptions. We all entered the theater with our own conceptions, and viewed it from those. A friend saw in it a 'beauty and beast story', and that never crossed my mind. I of course, being Christian and Conservative, viewed it through those lenses. I remember it being pointed out during the Beatles musical reign that which of the Beatles you identified most with was a great indicator of your personality type. (I was a Harrison fan, the spiritualist). Likewise, I think "Avatar" is an indicator of one's world view.
I've been reading Sci-fi since I learned how to read. At the end of third grade I had read all but the 'girl' books in the juvenile section, so the librarian took me upstairs to the grownups section and helped me get a card. First book out was "When Worlds Collide". With that many years of sci-fi behind me, I found the story in "Avatar" a repeat of an oft told story. Kudos to Cameron for finding a way to move it along and not bore us to death.
I highly recommend this movie. It's a joy for the things presented we like about movies and stories, and a Rorschach test for our world views. One of the reasons for its success is just that. There's something there to appeal to everyone.
Saturday, January 23, 2010
Blessed Are the Poor in Spirit
There's a Buddhist story of a propitiate going to a Master, wanting to become a monk, and study under him. The Master offers tea, and as he pours, the cup overfills and runs onto the serving tray. The propitiate can't stand it, and asks what's he doing?.. nothing more can go in! The Master says, 'you are full of your own ideas, speculations and opinions. Until you empty yourself of those, how can I show you Zen?'
How can we fully accept God, humble and submit ourselves to Him, unless we first empty ourselves of our own ideas, speculations, and opinions? When Jesus asked us to be poor, He's asking us to empty our cup, so He may fill us with His spirit.
There are two words for poor in Greek. 'Penes' is working poor, not rich but doing okay. The other word for poor, the one used in the Beatitudes, is 'ptochos', the worst kind of poverty; destitute and without one material possession but the clothes on your back. The Hebrew word for poor is 'ani' or 'ebion', meaning a helpless and humble man, who has put his trust in God.
I'm the cup that he pours Himself into. He pours in Love. I can express that Love with more truth and intensity than when I was full of my own notions. I humble myself before Him. In that cup there is no more room for those things that diminish me in the eyes of God.
'Blessed' in Greek, 'makarious', is something happy and joyous. It's grace, given us though salvation. My cup is full of his Love and Grace. I am Blessed.
How can we fully accept God, humble and submit ourselves to Him, unless we first empty ourselves of our own ideas, speculations, and opinions? When Jesus asked us to be poor, He's asking us to empty our cup, so He may fill us with His spirit.
There are two words for poor in Greek. 'Penes' is working poor, not rich but doing okay. The other word for poor, the one used in the Beatitudes, is 'ptochos', the worst kind of poverty; destitute and without one material possession but the clothes on your back. The Hebrew word for poor is 'ani' or 'ebion', meaning a helpless and humble man, who has put his trust in God.
I'm the cup that he pours Himself into. He pours in Love. I can express that Love with more truth and intensity than when I was full of my own notions. I humble myself before Him. In that cup there is no more room for those things that diminish me in the eyes of God.
'Blessed' in Greek, 'makarious', is something happy and joyous. It's grace, given us though salvation. My cup is full of his Love and Grace. I am Blessed.
Friday, January 22, 2010
Wednesday, January 20, 2010
St Francis, or How to be meek without being a pacifist
~ “LETTERS FROM EUROPE” - by Rob (Wind Rose Hotel) ~
“Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.” What does this verse from the Beatitudes mean? As Steven rightly recalls in his recent post here at The Metaphysical Peregrine, most people think this beatitude means that Christians are, or should be, “weak and submissive.” On the contrary, he notes, “it takes a lot of strength and discipline to be meek.” Then he goes on to explain why such an interpretation is wrong and over-simplified. Now, not only do I agree with him, but I would take the point even further, because I think this is a major religious and cultural issue. Therefore… let’s talk about St Francis of Assisi, the meek par excellence.
St Francis of Assisi is known for his humbleness and for his amazing love for nature and all creatures. But he is also known, above all in these days, for his love of peace, to the point that he has become an icon of peace, an obvious point of reference—if not a kind of legitimizing myth—for pacifists and non-violent (left-wing and radical) anti-war activists. Yet, though St Francis certainly was “a man of peace,” these images are incomplete and somewhat misleading, because they ignore other equally important aspects of his life: the severity of his character and his (mostly unknown) stubbornness… In other words he had a strong personality, bordering sometimes on harsh (he had occasion, for instance, to reproach himself in his last years for the harshness with which he had treated his own body), and was what might be called a man of character.
The cause of such misunderstanding is due, at least in part, to the fact that the Legenda Maior Sancti Francisci, the official biography of the Saint from Assisi written by St Bonaventure of Bagnoregio on commission of the Order of Friars Minor and approved by the General Chapter of Pisa in 1263, was intended to reshape Francis in the apostolic and Christic mould, multiplying the parallels between Francis and the characters of sacred history, citing copiously from the Bible. Thus, St Bonaventure smoothed over the rough edges in Francis’s life, deleting whatever did not correspond to the image he wished to give. He based his Legenda maior primarily on three texts of Thomas of Celano (a Franciscan Friar and disciple of St Francis, and his first biographer): the Vita prima, the Vita secunda, and the Tractatus de miraculis. Thomas himself, in turn, wrote his books at the request of Pope Gregory IX and presented a saint in accordance with hagiographical topoi. But the reader, as John Tolan notes in his Saint Francis and the Sultan. The Curious History of a Christian-Muslim Encounter,
Bonaventure instead
As for St Francis “the pacifist” (in the age of Crusades), it is to be said that this is a “legend” built up over recent years with the complicity of some scholars such as James Powell, Chiara Frugoni, and Giulio Basetti-Sani. Here is an example of their “strange” method: in his Vita Secunda Thomas of Celano relates that Francis predicted the crusaders’ defeat in a particularly bloody battle (traditionally identified with that of 29 August 1219). Well, for Powell this means that Francis certainly did preach against crusading in general, but Thomas modified his warnings, so as not to offend the church authorities. Yet, the episode from Thomas’ book does not lend itself to this interpretation. In fact,
Thomas also claims that during the defeat Francis cried hot tears for the crusaders who fell in battle, particularly for the Spaniards, who had fought ferociously, “but he does not seem to have shed a single tear for the Muslim dead.”
Yet, according to Chiara Frugoni, “Francis, in silent disagreement with the Church, which had taken the side of the armed crusaders, championed the peaceful conversion of the infidels…”
Here is how John Tolan demolishes their reasoning:
Franco Cardini, in turn, argued in several articles and books against the idea that Francis represents a passage from the age of crusading to the age of mission. This idea, according to the Italian medieval historian (and renowned Arabist), rests on a false dichotomy. The two coexisted in the thirteenth century and were in no way incompatible. According to Cardini, Francis perhaps criticized the actions of some crusaders, but he was in rupture neither with the fifth crusade nor with the idea of crusading. And Benjamin Kedar, in his Crusade and Mission: European Approaches to the Muslims (1984), showed how in the thirteenth century there was no incompatibility between crusading and missionary preaching, the two being seen as complementary rather than contradictory. He rejected the idea that Francis was opposed to the crusades, and this for the simple reason that there is no source to prove it.
The truth is that, though “Francis the pacifist” is increasingly evoked in a troubled world in the aftermath of 11 September 2001, Francis participated in the fifth crusade “as a chaplain to the troops” and “not as a man of peace.”
But, if Francis was not, by any means, a pacifist like those of the twentieth century, he was certainly a man of “great firmness” and “strength of soul.” This is how Thomas tells the story of the encounter between St Francis and Sultan Malik al-Kamil:
Please note that at that time a cruel edict had been issued by the Sultan that whoever would bring him the head of a Christian should receive as a reward a gold piece. But the intrepid knight of Christ confidently chanted that prophetic verse: “Even if I should walk in the midst of the shadow of death, I shall not fear evil because you are with me” [Ps. 23: 4].
St Francis of Assisi is known for his humbleness and for his amazing love for nature and all creatures. But he is also known, above all in these days, for his love of peace, to the point that he has become an icon of peace, an obvious point of reference—if not a kind of legitimizing myth—for pacifists and non-violent (left-wing and radical) anti-war activists. Yet, though St Francis certainly was “a man of peace,” these images are incomplete and somewhat misleading, because they ignore other equally important aspects of his life: the severity of his character and his (mostly unknown) stubbornness… In other words he had a strong personality, bordering sometimes on harsh (he had occasion, for instance, to reproach himself in his last years for the harshness with which he had treated his own body), and was what might be called a man of character.
The cause of such misunderstanding is due, at least in part, to the fact that the Legenda Maior Sancti Francisci, the official biography of the Saint from Assisi written by St Bonaventure of Bagnoregio on commission of the Order of Friars Minor and approved by the General Chapter of Pisa in 1263, was intended to reshape Francis in the apostolic and Christic mould, multiplying the parallels between Francis and the characters of sacred history, citing copiously from the Bible. Thus, St Bonaventure smoothed over the rough edges in Francis’s life, deleting whatever did not correspond to the image he wished to give. He based his Legenda maior primarily on three texts of Thomas of Celano (a Franciscan Friar and disciple of St Francis, and his first biographer): the Vita prima, the Vita secunda, and the Tractatus de miraculis. Thomas himself, in turn, wrote his books at the request of Pope Gregory IX and presented a saint in accordance with hagiographical topoi. But the reader, as John Tolan notes in his Saint Francis and the Sultan. The Curious History of a Christian-Muslim Encounter,
has the impression that Francis’s strong personality, with his uncertainties, his fits of righteous anger, his enthusiasm, his charm, continually overflows the hagiographical frame.
Bonaventure instead
allows the saint no doubts, no spontaneity: he confronts all with serenity, sure that he is following the holy life clearly laid out in the Bible. Hence the disappointment of many of Bonaventure’s modern readers, from Paul Sabatier in the nineteenth century to Jacques Dalarun, for whom the excision of the primitive hagiography and the consecration of only Bonaventure’s text constitutes a ‘Misadventure (malaventure) of Francis of Assisi’.
As for St Francis “the pacifist” (in the age of Crusades), it is to be said that this is a “legend” built up over recent years with the complicity of some scholars such as James Powell, Chiara Frugoni, and Giulio Basetti-Sani. Here is an example of their “strange” method: in his Vita Secunda Thomas of Celano relates that Francis predicted the crusaders’ defeat in a particularly bloody battle (traditionally identified with that of 29 August 1219). Well, for Powell this means that Francis certainly did preach against crusading in general, but Thomas modified his warnings, so as not to offend the church authorities. Yet, the episode from Thomas’ book does not lend itself to this interpretation. In fact,
for Thomas, Francis spoke out not against crusading, nor against war in general, but against fighting on one specific day, a day (as God revealed to him) that was particularly unlucky.
Thomas also claims that during the defeat Francis cried hot tears for the crusaders who fell in battle, particularly for the Spaniards, who had fought ferociously, “but he does not seem to have shed a single tear for the Muslim dead.”
Yet, according to Chiara Frugoni, “Francis, in silent disagreement with the Church, which had taken the side of the armed crusaders, championed the peaceful conversion of the infidels…”
Here is how John Tolan demolishes their reasoning:
How can we suppose, along with Powell, Basetti-Sani, and others, that Francis actively preached against the crusades in the midst of the crusader camp, and did so until the capture of Damietta, yet that no chronicler mentions this? Powell and the others have a strange method: they form an idea of Francis, a pacifist like those of the twentieth century, then affirm that Thomas of Celano hid this reality so as not to offend papal sensibilities.
Franco Cardini, in turn, argued in several articles and books against the idea that Francis represents a passage from the age of crusading to the age of mission. This idea, according to the Italian medieval historian (and renowned Arabist), rests on a false dichotomy. The two coexisted in the thirteenth century and were in no way incompatible. According to Cardini, Francis perhaps criticized the actions of some crusaders, but he was in rupture neither with the fifth crusade nor with the idea of crusading. And Benjamin Kedar, in his Crusade and Mission: European Approaches to the Muslims (1984), showed how in the thirteenth century there was no incompatibility between crusading and missionary preaching, the two being seen as complementary rather than contradictory. He rejected the idea that Francis was opposed to the crusades, and this for the simple reason that there is no source to prove it.
The truth is that, though “Francis the pacifist” is increasingly evoked in a troubled world in the aftermath of 11 September 2001, Francis participated in the fifth crusade “as a chaplain to the troops” and “not as a man of peace.”
He sought by all means to obtain martyrdom in order to reconquer the Holy Land and fell into a depression when the crusaders lost. He did not go see the sultan to dialogue but to convert him and he defied him to walk on burning coals to see who was the more powerful, Christ or Muhammad.
But, if Francis was not, by any means, a pacifist like those of the twentieth century, he was certainly a man of “great firmness” and “strength of soul.” This is how Thomas tells the story of the encounter between St Francis and Sultan Malik al-Kamil:
Now in the thirteenth year of his conversion, he journeyed to the region of Syria, while bitter and long battles were being waged daily between Christians and pagans. Taking a companion with him, he was not afraid to present himself to the sight of the sultan of the Saracens. Who is equal to the task of telling this story? What great firmness he showed standing in front of him! With great strength of soul he spoke to him, with eloquence and confidence he answered those who insulted the Christian law. Before he reached the sultan, he was captured by soldiers, insulted and beaten, but was not afraid. He did not flinch at threats of torture nor was he shaken by death threats.
Please note that at that time a cruel edict had been issued by the Sultan that whoever would bring him the head of a Christian should receive as a reward a gold piece. But the intrepid knight of Christ confidently chanted that prophetic verse: “Even if I should walk in the midst of the shadow of death, I shall not fear evil because you are with me” [Ps. 23: 4].
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
America Rising (vid) Time to Send Statists Packing!
Whooohooooo!!! This is Great! In honor of the win of Scott Brown in Massachusetts winning the people's senate seat. Even a socialist state has seen that the Statists have gone too far.
The Times They Are A-Changin' (vid)
The message for Statists today. All you elitists, senators and congressman, members of the Jurassic Press. In Mass. today, the second shot heard round the world will sound.
Sunday, January 17, 2010
'The Meek Shall Inhereit the Earth' Is Not What You Think
Most people think this beatitude means that Christians are, or should be, weak and submissive. On the contrary it takes a lot of strength and discipline to be meek.
Actually, Jesus was quoting the Psalm 37:11, "But the meek shall inherit the earth, and shall delight themselves in the abundance or peace." In Hebrew, the translation of 'meek' is 'to be molded'. The following verses in Psalms talks about the characteristics of the wicked, what they inherit, and what eventually happens to them. The Psalmist goes on talking about the characteristics of the good man, and what eventually happens to him.
In the Beatitudes, meek is translated as 'praos', meaning submission to the will of God. There is a natural order of things in God's creation, and we can be aware and act within that order; or we can, through God given free will, reject it. You can read all of Psalm 37, and see the distinctions. These verses are the foundation of what Jesus said in the Beatitudes.
You can put money, power, sex, try and control and dominate, and put yourself first; or love and care about God, family, and friends first.
We can submit to the will of God, and even though we don't understand what's going on, know that it's the very best thing for us and our loved ones, and do good. Be meek, be the clay that God forms.
Psalm 24 says "The earth is the Lord's, and all its fullness, the world and those who dwell therein. For He has founded it upon the seas, and established it upon the waters."
This is the Lord's earth Jesus talks about that we inherit. Let me be the clay in the Potter's hands.
Actually, Jesus was quoting the Psalm 37:11, "But the meek shall inherit the earth, and shall delight themselves in the abundance or peace." In Hebrew, the translation of 'meek' is 'to be molded'. The following verses in Psalms talks about the characteristics of the wicked, what they inherit, and what eventually happens to them. The Psalmist goes on talking about the characteristics of the good man, and what eventually happens to him.
In the Beatitudes, meek is translated as 'praos', meaning submission to the will of God. There is a natural order of things in God's creation, and we can be aware and act within that order; or we can, through God given free will, reject it. You can read all of Psalm 37, and see the distinctions. These verses are the foundation of what Jesus said in the Beatitudes.
You can put money, power, sex, try and control and dominate, and put yourself first; or love and care about God, family, and friends first.
We can submit to the will of God, and even though we don't understand what's going on, know that it's the very best thing for us and our loved ones, and do good. Be meek, be the clay that God forms.
Psalm 24 says "The earth is the Lord's, and all its fullness, the world and those who dwell therein. For He has founded it upon the seas, and established it upon the waters."
This is the Lord's earth Jesus talks about that we inherit. Let me be the clay in the Potter's hands.
You Reap What You Sow (I love these heart warming stories)
Good morning said a woman as she walked up to the man sitting on ground.
The man slowly looked up.
This was a woman clearly accustomed to the finer things of life. Her coat was new.. She looked like she had never missed a meal in her life.
His first thought was that she wanted to make fun of him, like so many others had done before.. "Leave me alone," he growled.....
To his amazement, the woman continued standing.
She was smiling. "Are you hungry?" she asked.
"No," he answered sarcastically. "I've just come from dining with the president. Now go away."
The woman's smile became even broader. Suddenly the man felt a gentle hand under his arm.
"What are you doing, lady?" the man asked angrily. "I said to leave me alone.
Just then a policeman came up. "Is there any problem, ma'am?" he asked..
"No problem here, officer," the woman answered. "I'm just trying to get this man to his feet. Will you help me?"
The officer scratched his head. "That's old Jack. He's been a fixture around here for a couple of years. What do you want with him?"
"See that cafeteria over there?" she asked. "I'm going to get him something to eat and get him out of the cold for awhile."
"Are you crazy, lady?" the homeless man resisted. "I don't want to go in there!" Then he felt strong hands grab his other arm and lift him up. "Let me go, officer. I didn't do anything."
"This is a good deal for you, Jack" the officer answered. "Don't blow it."
Finally, and with some difficulty, the woman and the police officer got Jack into the cafeteria and sat him at a table in a remote corner.. It was the middle of the morning, so most of the breakfast crowd had already left and the lunch bunch had not yet arrived...
The manager strode across the cafeteria and stood by his table.. "What's going on here, officer?" he asked. "What is all this, is this man in trouble?"
"This lady brought this man in here to be fed," the policeman answered.
"Not in here!" the manager replied angrily. "Having a person like that here is bad for business.."
Old Jack smiled a toothless grin. "See, lady. I told you so. Now if you'll let me go. I didn't want to come here in the first place."
The woman turned to the cafeteria manager and smiled..."Are you familiar with Eddy and Associates, the banking firm down the street?"
"Of course I am," the manager answered impatiently. "They hold their weekly meetings in one of my banquet rooms."
"And do you make a goodly amount of money providing food at these weekly meetings?"
"What business is that of yours?"
"I'm Penelope Eddy, president and CEO of the company.."
"Oh."
The woman smiled again. "I thought that might make a difference." She glanced at the cop who was smiling. "Would you like to join us in a cup of coffee and a meal, officer?"
"No thanks, ma'am," the officer replied. "I'm on duty.."
"Then, perhaps, a cup of coffee to go?"
"Yes, mam... That would be very nice."
The cafeteria manager turned on his heel, "I'll get your coffee for you right away, officer."
The officer watched him walk away. "You certainly put him in his place," he said.
"That was not my intent. Believe it or not, I have a reason for all this."
She sat down at the table across from her amazed dinner guest. She stared at him intently.. "Jack, do you remember me?"
Old Jack searched her face with his old, rheumy eyes. "I think so -- I mean you do look familiar."
"I'm a little older perhaps," she said.. "Maybe I've even filled out more than in my younger days when you worked here, and I came through that very door, cold and hungry."
"Ma'am?" the officer said questioningly. He couldn't believe that such a magnificently turned out woman could ever have been hungry.
"I was just out of college," the woman began. "I had come to the city looking for a job, but I couldn't find anything. Finally I was down to my last few cents and had been kicked out of my apartment. I walked the streets for days. It was February and I was cold and nearly starving. I saw this place and walked in on the off chance that I could get something to eat."
Jack lit up with a smile. "Now I remember," he said.. "I was behind the serving counter. You came up and asked me if you could work for something to eat. I said that it was against company policy."
"I know," the woman continued. "Then you made me the biggest roast beef sandwich that I had ever seen, gave me a cup of coffee, and told me to go over to a corner table and enjoy it.. I was afraid that you would get into trouble... Then, when I looked over and saw you put the price of my food in the cash register, I knew then that everything would be all right."
"So you started your own business?" Old Jack said.
"I got a job that very afternoon. I worked my way up. Eventually I started my own business that, with the help of God, prospered." She opened her purse and pulled out a business card.. "When you are finished here, I want you to pay a visit to a Mr. Lyons...He's the personnel director of my company.. I'll go talk to him now and I'm certain he'll find something for you to do around the office." She smiled. "I think he might even find the funds to give you a little advance so that you can buy some clothes and get a place to live until you get on your feet... If you ever need anything, my door is always opened to you."
There were tears in the old man's eyes. "How can I ever thank you?" he said.
"Don't thank me," the woman answered. "To God goes the glory. Thank Jesus... He led me to you."
Outside the cafeteria, the officer and the woman paused at the entrance before going their separate ways....
"Thank you for all your help, officer," she said.
"On the contrary, Ms. Eddy," he answered. "Thank you. I saw a miracle today, something that I will never forget. And thank you for the coffee."
If you have missed knowing my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, you have missed everything in the world.
Have a Wonderful Day.. May God Bless You Always and don't forget that when you "cast your bread upon the waters," you never know how it will be returned to you..
God is so big He can cover the whole world with his Love and so small He can curl up inside your heart..
God is going to shift things around for you today and let things work in your favor..
God closes doors no man can open & God opens doors no man can close..
Have a blessed day and remember to be a blessing...
The man slowly looked up.
This was a woman clearly accustomed to the finer things of life. Her coat was new.. She looked like she had never missed a meal in her life.
His first thought was that she wanted to make fun of him, like so many others had done before.. "Leave me alone," he growled.....
To his amazement, the woman continued standing.
She was smiling. "Are you hungry?" she asked.
"No," he answered sarcastically. "I've just come from dining with the president. Now go away."
The woman's smile became even broader. Suddenly the man felt a gentle hand under his arm.
"What are you doing, lady?" the man asked angrily. "I said to leave me alone.
Just then a policeman came up. "Is there any problem, ma'am?" he asked..
"No problem here, officer," the woman answered. "I'm just trying to get this man to his feet. Will you help me?"
The officer scratched his head. "That's old Jack. He's been a fixture around here for a couple of years. What do you want with him?"
"See that cafeteria over there?" she asked. "I'm going to get him something to eat and get him out of the cold for awhile."
"Are you crazy, lady?" the homeless man resisted. "I don't want to go in there!" Then he felt strong hands grab his other arm and lift him up. "Let me go, officer. I didn't do anything."
"This is a good deal for you, Jack" the officer answered. "Don't blow it."
Finally, and with some difficulty, the woman and the police officer got Jack into the cafeteria and sat him at a table in a remote corner.. It was the middle of the morning, so most of the breakfast crowd had already left and the lunch bunch had not yet arrived...
The manager strode across the cafeteria and stood by his table.. "What's going on here, officer?" he asked. "What is all this, is this man in trouble?"
"This lady brought this man in here to be fed," the policeman answered.
"Not in here!" the manager replied angrily. "Having a person like that here is bad for business.."
Old Jack smiled a toothless grin. "See, lady. I told you so. Now if you'll let me go. I didn't want to come here in the first place."
The woman turned to the cafeteria manager and smiled..."Are you familiar with Eddy and Associates, the banking firm down the street?"
"Of course I am," the manager answered impatiently. "They hold their weekly meetings in one of my banquet rooms."
"And do you make a goodly amount of money providing food at these weekly meetings?"
"What business is that of yours?"
"I'm Penelope Eddy, president and CEO of the company.."
"Oh."
The woman smiled again. "I thought that might make a difference." She glanced at the cop who was smiling. "Would you like to join us in a cup of coffee and a meal, officer?"
"No thanks, ma'am," the officer replied. "I'm on duty.."
"Then, perhaps, a cup of coffee to go?"
"Yes, mam... That would be very nice."
The cafeteria manager turned on his heel, "I'll get your coffee for you right away, officer."
The officer watched him walk away. "You certainly put him in his place," he said.
"That was not my intent. Believe it or not, I have a reason for all this."
She sat down at the table across from her amazed dinner guest. She stared at him intently.. "Jack, do you remember me?"
Old Jack searched her face with his old, rheumy eyes. "I think so -- I mean you do look familiar."
"I'm a little older perhaps," she said.. "Maybe I've even filled out more than in my younger days when you worked here, and I came through that very door, cold and hungry."
"Ma'am?" the officer said questioningly. He couldn't believe that such a magnificently turned out woman could ever have been hungry.
"I was just out of college," the woman began. "I had come to the city looking for a job, but I couldn't find anything. Finally I was down to my last few cents and had been kicked out of my apartment. I walked the streets for days. It was February and I was cold and nearly starving. I saw this place and walked in on the off chance that I could get something to eat."
Jack lit up with a smile. "Now I remember," he said.. "I was behind the serving counter. You came up and asked me if you could work for something to eat. I said that it was against company policy."
"I know," the woman continued. "Then you made me the biggest roast beef sandwich that I had ever seen, gave me a cup of coffee, and told me to go over to a corner table and enjoy it.. I was afraid that you would get into trouble... Then, when I looked over and saw you put the price of my food in the cash register, I knew then that everything would be all right."
"So you started your own business?" Old Jack said.
"I got a job that very afternoon. I worked my way up. Eventually I started my own business that, with the help of God, prospered." She opened her purse and pulled out a business card.. "When you are finished here, I want you to pay a visit to a Mr. Lyons...He's the personnel director of my company.. I'll go talk to him now and I'm certain he'll find something for you to do around the office." She smiled. "I think he might even find the funds to give you a little advance so that you can buy some clothes and get a place to live until you get on your feet... If you ever need anything, my door is always opened to you."
There were tears in the old man's eyes. "How can I ever thank you?" he said.
"Don't thank me," the woman answered. "To God goes the glory. Thank Jesus... He led me to you."
Outside the cafeteria, the officer and the woman paused at the entrance before going their separate ways....
"Thank you for all your help, officer," she said.
"On the contrary, Ms. Eddy," he answered. "Thank you. I saw a miracle today, something that I will never forget. And thank you for the coffee."
If you have missed knowing my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, you have missed everything in the world.
Have a Wonderful Day.. May God Bless You Always and don't forget that when you "cast your bread upon the waters," you never know how it will be returned to you..
God is so big He can cover the whole world with his Love and so small He can curl up inside your heart..
God is going to shift things around for you today and let things work in your favor..
God closes doors no man can open & God opens doors no man can close..
Have a blessed day and remember to be a blessing...
Saturday, January 16, 2010
Pat Robertson, Please Shut Up
Pat Robertson made the following statement following the Haiti earthquake. [Hatians] "were under the heel of the French. You know, Napoleon III and whatever.” “And they got together and swore a pact to the devil. They said, ‘We will serve you if you will get us free from the French.’ True story. And so, the devil said, ‘OK, it’s a deal.’"
The anti-Christian bigot Jurassic press just loves this stuff. Goes to show, don't ya know, what a bunch of idiots and buffoons Christians are. Robertson has done many good things, but his inane utterings are hurtful to the perception of Christians.
Here's a 'rest of the story' moment. What Robertson was referring to was a legend. The leader of the Haitian revolution against the French, Jean Jacques Dessalines, made a pact with the devil (disguised as a voodoo god) to run the French out.
It's nonsense of course. Robertson shouldn't have said it. He shouldn't be talking about making hurricanes change direction because of prayers, or any natural disaster. At this point in his career, he shouldn't be saying much about anything. He should just be continuing his good works, which are huge and effective, and preach the Word. Other than that...
The anti-Christian bigot Jurassic press just loves this stuff. Goes to show, don't ya know, what a bunch of idiots and buffoons Christians are. Robertson has done many good things, but his inane utterings are hurtful to the perception of Christians.
Here's a 'rest of the story' moment. What Robertson was referring to was a legend. The leader of the Haitian revolution against the French, Jean Jacques Dessalines, made a pact with the devil (disguised as a voodoo god) to run the French out.
It's nonsense of course. Robertson shouldn't have said it. He shouldn't be talking about making hurricanes change direction because of prayers, or any natural disaster. At this point in his career, he shouldn't be saying much about anything. He should just be continuing his good works, which are huge and effective, and preach the Word. Other than that...
Allah, God, and the 'Religion of Peace'
Christian churches have been firebombed and Christians attacked in Malaysia because they use "Allah" when referring to and praising God.
Last Sunday, January 10, three Christian churches were bombed, several other churches and a convent school were defaced by Islamofascists. Islamists say only the followers of Mohammed can use "Allah". The problem is that Christians in the Holy Land were using the name, Allah, long before Mohammed and Islam came along.
Islam is doing what it has always done. It attacks and destroys what exists and builds on top of it. Al-Aqsa Mosque, "Dome of the Rock", was built on the top of the Jewish temple in Jerusalem. Hagia Sophia in 1453 was turned into a mosque when Sultan Mehmet the Conqueror captured Constantinople. Now it's a museum with a mosque inside. Christians are banished. Islamists are beginning to appear successful turning Europe into an Islamic State.
Now in Malaysia they are trying to control language. Oppress non-Muslims. Full article here.
Last Sunday, January 10, three Christian churches were bombed, several other churches and a convent school were defaced by Islamofascists. Islamists say only the followers of Mohammed can use "Allah". The problem is that Christians in the Holy Land were using the name, Allah, long before Mohammed and Islam came along.
Islam is doing what it has always done. It attacks and destroys what exists and builds on top of it. Al-Aqsa Mosque, "Dome of the Rock", was built on the top of the Jewish temple in Jerusalem. Hagia Sophia in 1453 was turned into a mosque when Sultan Mehmet the Conqueror captured Constantinople. Now it's a museum with a mosque inside. Christians are banished. Islamists are beginning to appear successful turning Europe into an Islamic State.
Now in Malaysia they are trying to control language. Oppress non-Muslims. Full article here.
Friday, January 15, 2010
Thursday, January 14, 2010
TSA Nominee Erroll Southers, Yet Another anti-American Creep Presented by the Obama Administration
Along with a NAMBLA pedophile and pervert supporter 'Safe Schools Czar' Kevin Jennings, Communist and Black Nationalist Van Johnson as 'Green Czar', and a Communications Director, Anita Dunn, that praises Mao, the murderer of about 80 million people, Obama has nominated this character to head the Transportation Security Administration, Erroll Southers. I included the whole hour vid.
"Which home-grown terrorist groups pose the greatest danger to the U.S?"
Southers: “Domestically speaking, a large part, most of the groups we have here in the United States, are white supremacists groups, World Church of the Creator, National Alliance, Aryan Nations. There are some black separatist groups.” “What’s interesting about those groups is you find that they are usually either Christian identity groups and/or groups that really have a foothold in our correctional or prison systems in the way of radicalization and recruiting.”
“Which home-grown terrorist groups pose the greatest danger to the U.S.?”
“Most of the domestic groups that we have to pay attention to here are white supremacist groups. They're anti-government and in most cases anti-abortion.” “They are usually survivalist-type in nature, identity orientated. If you recall, Buford Furrow came to Los Angeles in, I believe, it was 1999. When he went to three different Jewish institutions, museums, and then wound up shooting people at a children's community center, then shooting a Filipino postal worker later on. Matthew Hale, who's the Pontifex Maximus of the World Church of the Creator out of Illinois, and Ben Smith, who went on a shooting spree in three different cities where he killed a number of African Americans and Jews and Asians that day. Those groups are groups that claim to be extremely anti-government and Christian-identity oriented.”
Nothing like an anti-Semite, anti-Christian bigot to head the huge government bureaucracy that controls all movement in the US, that condemns whole huge segments of the population, millions of people, based on the acts of a few nuts. There's an enlightened individual.
Terrorism:
Terrorist Groups
Meanwhile, a Muslim TSA Agent pats down a nun.
"Which home-grown terrorist groups pose the greatest danger to the U.S?"
Southers: “Domestically speaking, a large part, most of the groups we have here in the United States, are white supremacists groups, World Church of the Creator, National Alliance, Aryan Nations. There are some black separatist groups.” “What’s interesting about those groups is you find that they are usually either Christian identity groups and/or groups that really have a foothold in our correctional or prison systems in the way of radicalization and recruiting.”
“Which home-grown terrorist groups pose the greatest danger to the U.S.?”
“Most of the domestic groups that we have to pay attention to here are white supremacist groups. They're anti-government and in most cases anti-abortion.” “They are usually survivalist-type in nature, identity orientated. If you recall, Buford Furrow came to Los Angeles in, I believe, it was 1999. When he went to three different Jewish institutions, museums, and then wound up shooting people at a children's community center, then shooting a Filipino postal worker later on. Matthew Hale, who's the Pontifex Maximus of the World Church of the Creator out of Illinois, and Ben Smith, who went on a shooting spree in three different cities where he killed a number of African Americans and Jews and Asians that day. Those groups are groups that claim to be extremely anti-government and Christian-identity oriented.”
Nothing like an anti-Semite, anti-Christian bigot to head the huge government bureaucracy that controls all movement in the US, that condemns whole huge segments of the population, millions of people, based on the acts of a few nuts. There's an enlightened individual.
Terrorism:
Terrorist Groups
Meanwhile, a Muslim TSA Agent pats down a nun.
Dreadful Vocal Drippings from the Vile Keith Olbermann
"Mr. Robertson, Mr. Limbaugh, your lives are not worth those of the lowest, meanest, poorest of those victims still lying under that rubble in Haiti tonight. You serve no good, you serve no God. You inspire only stupidity and hatred, and I would wish you to hell. But knowing how empty your souls must be for you to be able to say such things in a time of such pain, I suspect the vacant, purposeless lives you both live now are hell enough already."
Just how hateful and vile can someone be and still have a media platform? Olberman is disgusting.
This is what Olbermann has talked about the past week. Priorities. Olbermann Watch site here.
Just how hateful and vile can someone be and still have a media platform? Olberman is disgusting.
This is what Olbermann has talked about the past week. Priorities. Olbermann Watch site here.
Tuesday, January 12, 2010
Funny Email About a Dog
My Dog…
My dog sleeps about 20 hours a day.
He has his food prepared for him.
He can eat whenever he wants, 24/7/365.
His meals are provided at no cost to him.
He visits the Dr. once a year for his checkup, and again during the year if any medical needs arise.
For this, he pays nothing, and nothing is required of him. He lives in a nice neighborhood in a house that is much larger than he needs, but he is not required to do any upkeep.
If he makes a mess, someone else cleans it up.
He has his choice of luxurious places to sleep. He receives these accommodations absolutely free.
He is living like a king, and has absolutely no expenses whatsoever. All of his costs are picked up by others who go out and earn a living every day.
I was just thinking about all this, and suddenly it hit me like a brick in the head: Holy S##t!!!
My dog is a Democrat!
My dog sleeps about 20 hours a day.
He has his food prepared for him.
He can eat whenever he wants, 24/7/365.
His meals are provided at no cost to him.
He visits the Dr. once a year for his checkup, and again during the year if any medical needs arise.
For this, he pays nothing, and nothing is required of him. He lives in a nice neighborhood in a house that is much larger than he needs, but he is not required to do any upkeep.
If he makes a mess, someone else cleans it up.
He has his choice of luxurious places to sleep. He receives these accommodations absolutely free.
He is living like a king, and has absolutely no expenses whatsoever. All of his costs are picked up by others who go out and earn a living every day.
I was just thinking about all this, and suddenly it hit me like a brick in the head: Holy S##t!!!
My dog is a Democrat!
Monday, January 11, 2010
Glad We Live in a Post Racial America XII
Harry "Dusty" Reid on Obama -- a "light-skinned" African American "with no Negro dialect, unless he wanted to have one."
This has become infamous over the weekend.
Republican Trent Lott was forced to resign his position for saying, at Strom Thurmond’s 100th birthday party that he would have made a good president. Thurmond apparently was a segregationist at the time he ran. Dusty Harry said at the time: ""If you tell ethnic jokes in the backroom, it's that much easier to say ethnic things publicly. I've always practiced how I play."
Part of the Statist Jurassic Press spin is that what Dusty said was that it was "backroom" and "private". Double down on the double standard.
Then of course Democrat Sen. Byrd got a pass using the "N" word on 60 Minutes a few years ago, and was some kind of grand pubah in the KKK.
Can you say double standard? Yet again? Good grief, even conservative George Will gave Dusty Harry a pass.
Dusty should be forced to resign his position, just like Lott was.
Also on the post racial watch list is the incredibly hateful low life bottom sucking scumbag Chris Matthews. This guy use to be a fairly decent reporter. I even subscribed to his email newsletter about ten plus years ago.
From an interview with Jonathan Martin, Politco; Martin was covering the Palin book signings, and Matthews ask about who was showing up:
MATTHEWS: Were they all white people?
MARTIN: Almost entirely.
MATTHEWS: What do you mean almost?
MARTIN: I saw one African-American.
MATTHEWS: Okay, But it is a certain sort of, what do you call it, socio-metric group that she appeals to.
Full interview here.
Plus, every time Matthews brings up the Tea Party Movement, they are of course all racists, and that's the motivation for attending. Sorry Matthews, I've attended, I'm not a racist, and I didn't meet any there. I did meet ex-military, nurses and doctors, moms and dads, white collar, blue collar...The only racist I'm aware of is Chris Matthews. He's a Statist, the ones that passed legislation that destroyed the black family, made them dependent on the State, filibustered the passage of civil rights legislation and voted against it, segregated blacks in housing "projects", etc.
Statist's history of hate and racism I posted here last December.
Ah yes, post racial Amerika.
This has become infamous over the weekend.
Republican Trent Lott was forced to resign his position for saying, at Strom Thurmond’s 100th birthday party that he would have made a good president. Thurmond apparently was a segregationist at the time he ran. Dusty Harry said at the time: ""If you tell ethnic jokes in the backroom, it's that much easier to say ethnic things publicly. I've always practiced how I play."
Part of the Statist Jurassic Press spin is that what Dusty said was that it was "backroom" and "private". Double down on the double standard.
Then of course Democrat Sen. Byrd got a pass using the "N" word on 60 Minutes a few years ago, and was some kind of grand pubah in the KKK.
Can you say double standard? Yet again? Good grief, even conservative George Will gave Dusty Harry a pass.
Dusty should be forced to resign his position, just like Lott was.
Also on the post racial watch list is the incredibly hateful low life bottom sucking scumbag Chris Matthews. This guy use to be a fairly decent reporter. I even subscribed to his email newsletter about ten plus years ago.
From an interview with Jonathan Martin, Politco; Martin was covering the Palin book signings, and Matthews ask about who was showing up:
MATTHEWS: Were they all white people?
MARTIN: Almost entirely.
MATTHEWS: What do you mean almost?
MARTIN: I saw one African-American.
MATTHEWS: Okay, But it is a certain sort of, what do you call it, socio-metric group that she appeals to.
Full interview here.
Plus, every time Matthews brings up the Tea Party Movement, they are of course all racists, and that's the motivation for attending. Sorry Matthews, I've attended, I'm not a racist, and I didn't meet any there. I did meet ex-military, nurses and doctors, moms and dads, white collar, blue collar...The only racist I'm aware of is Chris Matthews. He's a Statist, the ones that passed legislation that destroyed the black family, made them dependent on the State, filibustered the passage of civil rights legislation and voted against it, segregated blacks in housing "projects", etc.
Statist's history of hate and racism I posted here last December.
Ah yes, post racial Amerika.
MSM Worships, You Don't Get to Decide VIII
"This government is governing against its own citizens. This president and his party are governing against us. We are at war with our own President, we are at war with our own government. They’re the ones standing in the way of the private sector rebounding. They’re the ones standing in the way of job creation – purposely!" - Rush Limbaugh
This following is from Lauren Monica of the Daily Kos. The Daily Kos isn't officially named as part of the Jurassic Press like NBC or the NY Times, but alleged reporters from the MSM just reprint what's said there and in other Statist blogs and media outlets without any fact checking or second sourcing.
Lauren Monica wrote about Limbaugh's quote: "Today, on his radio show, The Head of the Republican Party is officially asking His Dittoheads to harm the President of the United States and other Dems Leaders in Congress. He said 'We are at war with our own President, we are at war with our own government'. Translation, Mr Limbaugh just had committed treason by calling for a "violent" revolt (with the use of the word "War") against the President Of The United States."
For the record, McCain (I shudder at the thought) is the head of the Republican Party. Limbagh is a private citizen and holds no office. Statists need to have real things in the real world pointed out to them on a regular basis.
This following is from Lauren Monica of the Daily Kos. The Daily Kos isn't officially named as part of the Jurassic Press like NBC or the NY Times, but alleged reporters from the MSM just reprint what's said there and in other Statist blogs and media outlets without any fact checking or second sourcing.
Lauren Monica wrote about Limbaugh's quote: "Today, on his radio show, The Head of the Republican Party is officially asking His Dittoheads to harm the President of the United States and other Dems Leaders in Congress. He said 'We are at war with our own President, we are at war with our own government'. Translation, Mr Limbaugh just had committed treason by calling for a "violent" revolt (with the use of the word "War") against the President Of The United States."
For the record, McCain (I shudder at the thought) is the head of the Republican Party. Limbagh is a private citizen and holds no office. Statists need to have real things in the real world pointed out to them on a regular basis.
Sunday, January 10, 2010
Bow the Knee (vid)
From Philippians:
"Have within yourselves the same disposition of mind as was in Christ Jesus, for he was by nature in the very form of God, yet he did not regard existence in equality with God as something to be snatched at, but he emptied himself, and took the very form of a slave, and became like men. And when he came in appearance as a man for all to recognized, he became obedient even to the extent of accepting death, even the death of a cross, and for that reason God exalted him, and granted to him the name which is above every name, in order that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things upon the earth, and things below the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father."
Saturday, January 9, 2010
Conversation and Behavior
The power of words. If we don't match our words with our actions, we find ourselves in great trouble; and not just with our critics who are quick to shout hypocrite.
Apostle Paul tells us in his letter to the Philippians that we must conduct ourselves in a way worthy of our Faith. "Only let your conduct be worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or am absent, I may hear of your affairs, that you stand fast in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel."
In the Authorized Version that first line is, "Let your conversation be as it be becometh the gospel of Christ." The word from the Latin, 'conversari' is more than conversation. We think of conversation as talking. 'Conversari' means 'to conduct oneself'. The word that Paul used even goes beyond that. The word that he would usually use, 'peripatein', translates "to walk about". The word he uses is 'politeuesthai', meaning "to be a citizen". In his context, citizens of Rome had to behave in a prescribed way that was worthy of being a Roman citizen, no matter where you lived in the Roman empire. What he wants us to do then, as Christians, is to act in a way always befitting a citizen of the Kingdom of God.
If you proclaim yourself a Christian, you must in all ways, at all times, act and talk in a way that is in line with scripture. If people know you are of this Faith, you are being closely watched, by both fellow believers and critics.
Even in your personal life you must do this. In Mark, Jesus talks about a man leaving his home, and gives authority to his servants to mind the house. We can act correctly and do all the things necessary to keep the house in order, or let things slide, thinking that the master of the house will probably not return until a certain time and date, and not act properly until then. Jesus says, "Watch therefore, for you do not know when the master of the house is coming- in the evening, at midnight, at the crowing of the rooster, or in the morning- lest, coming suddenly, he find you sleeping".
We must watch. Watch our own behavior, our own thoughts, and watch for Him.
Apostle Paul tells us in his letter to the Philippians that we must conduct ourselves in a way worthy of our Faith. "Only let your conduct be worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or am absent, I may hear of your affairs, that you stand fast in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel."
In the Authorized Version that first line is, "Let your conversation be as it be becometh the gospel of Christ." The word from the Latin, 'conversari' is more than conversation. We think of conversation as talking. 'Conversari' means 'to conduct oneself'. The word that Paul used even goes beyond that. The word that he would usually use, 'peripatein', translates "to walk about". The word he uses is 'politeuesthai', meaning "to be a citizen". In his context, citizens of Rome had to behave in a prescribed way that was worthy of being a Roman citizen, no matter where you lived in the Roman empire. What he wants us to do then, as Christians, is to act in a way always befitting a citizen of the Kingdom of God.
If you proclaim yourself a Christian, you must in all ways, at all times, act and talk in a way that is in line with scripture. If people know you are of this Faith, you are being closely watched, by both fellow believers and critics.
Even in your personal life you must do this. In Mark, Jesus talks about a man leaving his home, and gives authority to his servants to mind the house. We can act correctly and do all the things necessary to keep the house in order, or let things slide, thinking that the master of the house will probably not return until a certain time and date, and not act properly until then. Jesus says, "Watch therefore, for you do not know when the master of the house is coming- in the evening, at midnight, at the crowing of the rooster, or in the morning- lest, coming suddenly, he find you sleeping".
We must watch. Watch our own behavior, our own thoughts, and watch for Him.
Wednesday, January 6, 2010
Frightening Graph of Gov't Entitlements vs Tax Revenue
What do you do when you run out of other people's money?
Climate Change
Thousands Protest Global Warming
Winter Could Be Worst in 25 Years for USA...
CHILL MAP...
Britain's big snow shuts ctities...
GAS SUPPLIES RUNNING OUT IN UK...
Elderly burn books for warmth?
Army drafted to rescue 1,000 snow stranded motorists...
Vermont sets 'all-time record for one snowstorm'...
Iowa temps 'a solid 30 degrees below normal'...
Seoul buried in heaviest snowfall in 70 years...
3 die in fire at Detroit home; power was cut...
Midwest Sees Near-Record Lows, Snow By The Foot...
Miami shivers from coldest weather in decade; Florida Gov Signs Emergency Order ...
Cold snap spurs power rationing in China...
(Drudge Report)
Winter Could Be Worst in 25 Years for USA...
CHILL MAP...
Britain's big snow shuts ctities...
GAS SUPPLIES RUNNING OUT IN UK...
Elderly burn books for warmth?
Army drafted to rescue 1,000 snow stranded motorists...
Vermont sets 'all-time record for one snowstorm'...
Iowa temps 'a solid 30 degrees below normal'...
Seoul buried in heaviest snowfall in 70 years...
3 die in fire at Detroit home; power was cut...
Midwest Sees Near-Record Lows, Snow By The Foot...
Miami shivers from coldest weather in decade; Florida Gov Signs Emergency Order ...
Cold snap spurs power rationing in China...
(Drudge Report)
Monday, January 4, 2010
Lesbian Moms, Custody, Values
This is going to be one messed up child, resulting from a messed up relationship, messed up legal system, caused by jettisoned traditional values. This is heart crushing.
Seven years ago the lesbian couple got married in Vermont, and divorced when the little girl was 17 months old. Lisa Miller was awarded custody of the child and is the bio mother through artificial insemination. The other "parent" is Janet Jenkins. Miller became hetero and a Christian.
A judge gave visitation rights to Jenkins, and Jenkins said Miller quit showing up with the child for parental visits. The judge gave parental rights to Jenkins for that, so Miller split with the child, went to another state and is hiding out from government officials. Just speculating here, but the judge sure seemed quick to try and push the hetero-Christian out of the picture.
Jenkins won't take the kid to church, saying churches teach hatred and bigotry. People full of hatred and bigotry that don't go to church often say things like that. Everyone is welcome in church. Everyone. Are there churches that fall short of the ideal? Yes. Are there churches that fulfill the ideal? Yes.
So now mother and child are on the run. The child is being used by parents to meet their own ends.
Homosexual activist Cathy Renna: "Families are incredibly diverse and come in all shapes and sizes." "You'd be hard-pressed to find a family that fit the June and Ward Cleaver model. Families are created in different ways and the law needs to understand and address that."
The reason we have this mess is that the purpose of the family is to raise children that the parents created. Secularists and Statists have successfully tossed that out, so they can make the inane statement Renna made. The government, through judicial rulings, have forced this on the citizens. Not one state where homosexual marriage is legal was passed through the legislature and reflects the will of the people. The foundation of civilization is the family. Another rule especially in this country is rule of the people by the people, not judges. Secularists and Statists are certainly happy to see those crumble for their own selfish reasons.
If anti-religious people, homosexuals, Statists, secularists or whatever, want to hook up, get legal civil unions...do whatever; but leave the traditional family alone. It's not a zero sum game. The destruction of the traditional family will negatively effect even those that wish its destruction.
What a mess. Pray for the child.
Seven years ago the lesbian couple got married in Vermont, and divorced when the little girl was 17 months old. Lisa Miller was awarded custody of the child and is the bio mother through artificial insemination. The other "parent" is Janet Jenkins. Miller became hetero and a Christian.
A judge gave visitation rights to Jenkins, and Jenkins said Miller quit showing up with the child for parental visits. The judge gave parental rights to Jenkins for that, so Miller split with the child, went to another state and is hiding out from government officials. Just speculating here, but the judge sure seemed quick to try and push the hetero-Christian out of the picture.
Jenkins won't take the kid to church, saying churches teach hatred and bigotry. People full of hatred and bigotry that don't go to church often say things like that. Everyone is welcome in church. Everyone. Are there churches that fall short of the ideal? Yes. Are there churches that fulfill the ideal? Yes.
So now mother and child are on the run. The child is being used by parents to meet their own ends.
Homosexual activist Cathy Renna: "Families are incredibly diverse and come in all shapes and sizes." "You'd be hard-pressed to find a family that fit the June and Ward Cleaver model. Families are created in different ways and the law needs to understand and address that."
The reason we have this mess is that the purpose of the family is to raise children that the parents created. Secularists and Statists have successfully tossed that out, so they can make the inane statement Renna made. The government, through judicial rulings, have forced this on the citizens. Not one state where homosexual marriage is legal was passed through the legislature and reflects the will of the people. The foundation of civilization is the family. Another rule especially in this country is rule of the people by the people, not judges. Secularists and Statists are certainly happy to see those crumble for their own selfish reasons.
If anti-religious people, homosexuals, Statists, secularists or whatever, want to hook up, get legal civil unions...do whatever; but leave the traditional family alone. It's not a zero sum game. The destruction of the traditional family will negatively effect even those that wish its destruction.
What a mess. Pray for the child.
Views on the Economy
Regarding the economy, the Statist idea of taking massive amounts of money from a few people, pocketing a lot of it, and giving the rest to constituents, as the basis of national fiscal management doesn't work, has never worked, and never will if the desired result is the most amount of wealth and productivity for the most amount of people.
Another analogy is a man with a bucket at a swimming pool. He's dipping the bucket in the deep end, walking to the shallow end and pouring the contents there, thinking he'll make the shallow end deeper.
US Military Tribute - Far Away - Nickleback (vid)
Begin the year with love and a tribute to these men and women. I've been there, and it's harder than can be imagined, or even portrayed here. The letter, the care package, a shower. My heart is crushed by the thought of these people and what they are giving up, and are opposed or not thought of at all.
Sunday, January 3, 2010
More of Julian Beever's Sidewalk Art
For those not familiar with Julian Beever's art, he has been doing 3D sidewalk art for about ten years.
Saturday, January 2, 2010
Character of the New Man- Some Thoughts Entering the New Year
Looking to the coming year I don't see good things coming. I'm mostly an optimist and know things in the end of conflict will mostly end up okay. Right now though I see economic disaster because we have an anti-business president and political party in power. Those same people are dismissive of Judaic-Christian principles and values, and that does huge damage to the culture. With that in mind, I'll still have to fight them. I love my Faith, and I love Liberty, and both are threatened. I've moved a long way from where I was in my 20's and 30's when my line was, 'you're born, you suffer, you die'. Now I'm a religious man, and belief in God and Savior informs what I do. Apostle Paul wrote:
"Because you are God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, clothe yourselves with heartfelt mercy, with kindness, humility, meekness, and patience. Bear with one another; forgive whatever grievances you have against one another. Forgive as the Lord has forgiven you. Over all these virtues put on love, which binds the rest together and makes them perfect. Christ’s peace must reign in your hearts, since as members of the one body you have been called to that peace. Dedicate yourselves to thankfulness. Let the word of Christ, rich as it is, dwell in you. In wisdom made perfect, instruct and admonish one another. Sing gratefully to God from your hearts in psalms, hymns, and inspired songs." Colossians 3:12
As a society we've put these values to rest. I see no mercy and kindness, just incessant attacks by the State and it's supporters in politics and the Jurassic press. Rush Limbaugh goes to the hospital and those people cheer and hope he dies. Sarah Palin, a mother that has stayed married and raised a family with her husband, has loving parents, got involved in her community and effected good change, is hated and vilified in the most vile ways. What kind of culture is it that promotes the suffering of others?
I don't want to chronicle all the ills our country is suffering. All I can do is know and practice the best I can the values Paul says we as Christians must live, expressed from our hearts. We can only influence the small circle around us...be the stone in the small calm pond that sends out ripples. The waters are turbulent now, so we must use bigger stones of kindness, meekness, humility and patience. That's very tough, because the people in power now, politics and press and popular culture see those as weakness and gives them the right to force their ideology of command and control on the rest of us.
I pray for myself that I can, this coming year, be meek (I'll need to write about what that means later, it's not what most people think it is), kind, patient, with love in my heart. It's hard, especially now, because Christians are under assault, as are people that want the freedom to make their own life choices without the intervention of the State.
This year for me, more Bible study, lots and lots of praise, lots and lots of worship, lots and lots of singing praises, and sharing as much Love as I can, and express Thankfulness.
"Because you are God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, clothe yourselves with heartfelt mercy, with kindness, humility, meekness, and patience. Bear with one another; forgive whatever grievances you have against one another. Forgive as the Lord has forgiven you. Over all these virtues put on love, which binds the rest together and makes them perfect. Christ’s peace must reign in your hearts, since as members of the one body you have been called to that peace. Dedicate yourselves to thankfulness. Let the word of Christ, rich as it is, dwell in you. In wisdom made perfect, instruct and admonish one another. Sing gratefully to God from your hearts in psalms, hymns, and inspired songs." Colossians 3:12
As a society we've put these values to rest. I see no mercy and kindness, just incessant attacks by the State and it's supporters in politics and the Jurassic press. Rush Limbaugh goes to the hospital and those people cheer and hope he dies. Sarah Palin, a mother that has stayed married and raised a family with her husband, has loving parents, got involved in her community and effected good change, is hated and vilified in the most vile ways. What kind of culture is it that promotes the suffering of others?
I don't want to chronicle all the ills our country is suffering. All I can do is know and practice the best I can the values Paul says we as Christians must live, expressed from our hearts. We can only influence the small circle around us...be the stone in the small calm pond that sends out ripples. The waters are turbulent now, so we must use bigger stones of kindness, meekness, humility and patience. That's very tough, because the people in power now, politics and press and popular culture see those as weakness and gives them the right to force their ideology of command and control on the rest of us.
I pray for myself that I can, this coming year, be meek (I'll need to write about what that means later, it's not what most people think it is), kind, patient, with love in my heart. It's hard, especially now, because Christians are under assault, as are people that want the freedom to make their own life choices without the intervention of the State.
This year for me, more Bible study, lots and lots of praise, lots and lots of worship, lots and lots of singing praises, and sharing as much Love as I can, and express Thankfulness.
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