Bad Science is just that. Bad.
As you know, there is much hoopla about the marvelous discovery of the ability to create embryonic stem cells from skin cells.
There are many good things related to all this.
But, why did this research continue? Because of the battle over using stem cells from human embryos. A battle well worth fighting and now vindicated by this controversy driven research.
What if the cultural conservatives and George Bush had just given in on Embryonic Stem Cell research without a fight. Would we today have this breakthru? I think not.
The battle is over. Humanity and righteousness won. I had said in the past that the whole stem cell debate was about abortion and money. If you could show that sacrificing innocent human life was a noble thing to do, soon abortion would become a sacrament.
Now the fight is won.
It's like the fight over energy and the related fight over global warming. Instead of some of the dumb things we do like pollute our skyline with windmills and pillage farmland for foolish ethanol production because of the belief we are somehow sacrificing ourselves to the eco-god by driving a Prius we might look to research and true science to find a breakthru.
I happen to believe it's coming. I have seen some very interesting things out of Manitoba using genetically modified E-Coli to do cellulosic conversions generating a better liquid fuel called Butanol.
So, hang on, hang up your false religions, and fasten your seat belts. It's a great ride a-coming.
Sunday, November 25, 2007
This is most Certainly TRUE!
The niece of Dr. Martin Luther King, Dr. Alveda King, has reaffirmed something I know to be true beyond simple politics or religion. Abortion destroys families and culture. If you want to know who threw a monkey wrench in the culture creating the mess and division you see all around you, look to the abortionists and the people who support abortion. According to a recent Pew Research Poll, hopelessness particularly in the Black Community is deep and getting worse.
Having the rich opportunity to minister among those victimized by this evil norm in the inner city culture in Chicago has allowed me to see this for what it is. Cultural suicide by infanticide.
Just about the time I find myself going soft on abortion Dr King gives me a dope slap. I think of all the wounded women, damaged lives and families I know and once more I now this must be removed from our laws and politics if the family is to be restored.
Having the rich opportunity to minister among those victimized by this evil norm in the inner city culture in Chicago has allowed me to see this for what it is. Cultural suicide by infanticide.
Just about the time I find myself going soft on abortion Dr King gives me a dope slap. I think of all the wounded women, damaged lives and families I know and once more I now this must be removed from our laws and politics if the family is to be restored.
Saturday, November 24, 2007
There's no place like Home
We're in Fargo North Dakota. Former home. We lived here for over 20 years after we were married. 20 tumultuous years of our 42. Tough Years. When we left it was to make a new start, new life, new chances.
Illinois was the destination to make that all happen. Now we come back to visit. We no longer live here. It no longer feels like home. It feels like we are visiting old ghosts.
We are here because tomorrow is Baby Dedication. Our son Tim is preaching. He's a good preacher (takes after his dad - ha). Tianna Dawn Redlin, Grandchild 4. We don't baptize babies. I won't go into it but Baptizing babies is not only not scriptural, it's dangerous spiritually.
Another time for that can of worms.
Then after church where my son Tim is preaching, we are off to Hornbachers to "Stock Up". We'll buy the same old things. Lefse, Haralson Apples, Pickled herring, and caramel rolls. We don't get that in Chicagoland.
We have to be back in Chicagoland by noon on Monday. We have opera Monday Night. They will carry that off if we are or are not there. It's Die Frau Ohne Shatten. 4+ hours long, early curtain and a really tough opera. I've listened to it on the radio ONCE. Struggled to get thru it. But Debora Voight is singing so how bad can it be.
My back hurts. Too much sitting. Too much to eat. Sleeping in uncomfortable beds. Overall I'm tired and ready to go home to Chicago.
I've seen enough ghosts from the past reminding me why living where I do was a change I needed.
I need to get back to my regular life.
Friday, November 23, 2007
What do you do about it when the truth is really not what you wanted to hear
Charles Krauthammer has a great article in the WAPO. The fact that the war in Iraq is being won in every way is really an inconvenient truth to the liberal side of the political arguments.
What to do?
Deny deny deny.
Look, I'm not crazy about the war in general. I'm not crazy about the whole methodology used in this conflict. But we are winning. It's over. We won.
So, what are they ever going to do?
Deny.
Frankly I'm pretty glad things are working out. There's going to be lots of other things going on in the world we are going to face, let's now stabilize and exit stage left except for Camp Bush with about 75,000 troops.
Now, what about that next door neighbor, Mr ABINANUTJOB, how's it goin eh? Wassup buddy. Maybe we'll go for a drive around your little country. What ya say?
What to do?
Deny deny deny.
Look, I'm not crazy about the war in general. I'm not crazy about the whole methodology used in this conflict. But we are winning. It's over. We won.
So, what are they ever going to do?
Deny.
Frankly I'm pretty glad things are working out. There's going to be lots of other things going on in the world we are going to face, let's now stabilize and exit stage left except for Camp Bush with about 75,000 troops.
Now, what about that next door neighbor, Mr ABINANUTJOB, how's it goin eh? Wassup buddy. Maybe we'll go for a drive around your little country. What ya say?
Thursday, November 22, 2007
Remembering Thanksgivings Past
I think of memorable thanksgivings. What's routine is eating too much, sleeping too much, and talking to people I haven't seen for a while.
Some Remembered Thanksgivings include:
When I was a child, before the big day we got 2 feet of snow (or at least is seemed like 2' to a 10 year old). I trudged off to the movie in Downtown Ellendale. Cars didn't make the trip but we did it on foot.
Another was at the Rudebusch home in one cold fall day. The turkey was on the top of the oil heater. It was being basted. It had been cooking for over a day at low heat. It was the best I ever ate.
There was a time when at my Grandma Lee's dinner was cooked on a wood stove. It was fabulous. Pies, turkey, baked potatoes, baked bread. This was not because it was fashionable. There was no REA yet. Electricity.
It was a fall after we were married and Tim was a little guy, we didn't go anywhere for Thanksgiving. We were pretty poor. We were married about 5 years. It was not a plentiful time. But, there was thanksgiving and joy. I've remembered that as one of the best.
Once we were the family Redlin, we put 3 pieces of corn on every place and every person had to say 3 things they were thankful for. It was a joyful time.
There is much I have to be thankful for, I have memories. It's just that life is changing, people are moving along. I don't know what to make of all this.
There is not much more I can say other than I am thankful but I think we make Thanksgiving more work and eating and sleeping and basketball than we should.
Have a good thanksgiving what's left of it all.
Tuesday, November 20, 2007
OFF LINE PROBABLY
Peggy and I are leaving for the norths of Dakota today. Be gone till next Monday PM or for all practical purposes, till Tues next.
I know I take a chance posting this but the neighbors have an eye on the place, they have a key, and they have a gun and as Julie says, "they know how to use it". I was always amused by that statement.
So, I'm sure I will have great profundity to share upon returning from the Polaris district. That will be something new. Great profundity from me that is.
Have a good Thanksgiving. I will. I'm very thankful for.
- Breath and Health
- Wonderful Wife
- Work that I Can do
- The Call of God on my life
Those four are all things that could be gone tomorrow. It's only the grace of a true and living God that allows me to have them for another second. I don't take that lightly.
If I don't find a free wireless access I'll "talk to you" next on Tuesday.
Monday, November 19, 2007
Weather from Jesus to Now is just the same as from Jesus to NOW
The last 2000 years are pretty easy to track. Trees, snow pack, ice floes, etc the records are there. We have a pretty good idea of what the years of weather were since Jesus walked the earth.
According to an actual scientist with actual credentials who actually knows something about weather, It's getting warmer, it's been warmer in the past and his guess is it will get warmer and colder and then warmer. Climate change has been going on for a very long time.
Then colder,. NOW, it's getting warmer. We will live thru this.
Despite what the alarmists say. They extrapolate the worst. The big time hockey stick of temperature we have all heard of is well discounted. Here is a chart that might help you understand how over time we have been warm cold warm cold and now warm.
Read the article if you like long detailed footnoted documentation to prove things. Or believe your eyes.
According to an actual scientist with actual credentials who actually knows something about weather, It's getting warmer, it's been warmer in the past and his guess is it will get warmer and colder and then warmer. Climate change has been going on for a very long time.
Then colder,. NOW, it's getting warmer. We will live thru this.
Despite what the alarmists say. They extrapolate the worst. The big time hockey stick of temperature we have all heard of is well discounted. Here is a chart that might help you understand how over time we have been warm cold warm cold and now warm.
Read the article if you like long detailed footnoted documentation to prove things. Or believe your eyes.
I'm done being nice - It's Monday
All weekend I was kind and nice. But, I wake up and read:
Some poll in Parade Magazine. Should the US continue to Possess and improve nuclear weapons. They posed it as, Do we need NEW Nukes?
63% said NO!
Are they idiots? Do they think the rest of the world will play nice if we do? What king of stupidity pervades our culture. I blame a failed education system for turning out morons. Then I read the Wall Street Journal and this article. So there is a voice of common sense out there.
THEN
Junk Science Day:
Peak Oil. Renowned scientists who agree on everything like global warming being caused by humans (NOT) have also make pronouncements on how much oil we can or cannot produce from this planet. None of them agree even close.
Here's a chart.
It means that by 2030 we will produce between 65 million barrels of oil per day or 140 million. As Bob "Mr. Baseball" Uecker in Major League would say, "Just a little outside". That's not statistical error. That's a major discrepancy. Each side of the peak oil debate will pick their favorite expert and pronounce like they know what they are talking about.
I'm guessing these are all people (the experts) who made it thru 6th grade science.
This isn't about liberal or conservative. I believe there are lots of conservatives and liberals who close their eyes, click their red slippers together and say, "I wish there were no nukes, I wish there were no nukes". "I wish global warming would go away" and I wish the world wouldn't run out of oil.
They don't know and neither do I. And neither do YOU !
Quit believing everything you read or hear. I spend an inordinate amount of time using snopes to discredit stupid conservative emails of what George Carlin didn't say, or what Hillary Clinton is up to (who according to a recent Wall Street Journal poll is now favored 3-2 as the next president and that's WSJ readers), or Romney being a Mormon and how bad that is. Stupid stuff. People believing every phony thing that comes along left wing or right. I'm intolerant of both. THINK. Go back and study the science. Question everything. Quit being such a sheepling. I would say that the rumormongering and stupidity is worse on the left, then I get some other inane thing from a conservative friend of mine. Both are gullible.
OK, I'm ranting again.
I will tell you one thing that bugs me however. We blame SUV driving Americans for raping the earth. We are pikers. If we wanted to rape the earth we would be far less invasive than a copper mine in Chile that you can see from outer space, coal burning in China (thanks for the articles RBB, you are right. We should burn coal cleanly, but we should burn coal), and destroying rain forests globally. Earth rape is happening. I want to stop it. Stopping earth rape is not left or right.
Kyoto would be a treaty I could get behind if it sanctioned earth rape cessation and was not focused on blatantly picking people's pockets for some crooked UN slimeball's gain. Kyoto is not about global warming, it's about money.
It's Monday and I'm back and irritated. I need to take my meds.
Some poll in Parade Magazine. Should the US continue to Possess and improve nuclear weapons. They posed it as, Do we need NEW Nukes?
63% said NO!
Are they idiots? Do they think the rest of the world will play nice if we do? What king of stupidity pervades our culture. I blame a failed education system for turning out morons. Then I read the Wall Street Journal and this article. So there is a voice of common sense out there.
THEN
Junk Science Day:
Peak Oil. Renowned scientists who agree on everything like global warming being caused by humans (NOT) have also make pronouncements on how much oil we can or cannot produce from this planet. None of them agree even close.
Here's a chart.
It means that by 2030 we will produce between 65 million barrels of oil per day or 140 million. As Bob "Mr. Baseball" Uecker in Major League would say, "Just a little outside". That's not statistical error. That's a major discrepancy. Each side of the peak oil debate will pick their favorite expert and pronounce like they know what they are talking about.
I'm guessing these are all people (the experts) who made it thru 6th grade science.
This isn't about liberal or conservative. I believe there are lots of conservatives and liberals who close their eyes, click their red slippers together and say, "I wish there were no nukes, I wish there were no nukes". "I wish global warming would go away" and I wish the world wouldn't run out of oil.
They don't know and neither do I. And neither do YOU !
Quit believing everything you read or hear. I spend an inordinate amount of time using snopes to discredit stupid conservative emails of what George Carlin didn't say, or what Hillary Clinton is up to (who according to a recent Wall Street Journal poll is now favored 3-2 as the next president and that's WSJ readers), or Romney being a Mormon and how bad that is. Stupid stuff. People believing every phony thing that comes along left wing or right. I'm intolerant of both. THINK. Go back and study the science. Question everything. Quit being such a sheepling. I would say that the rumormongering and stupidity is worse on the left, then I get some other inane thing from a conservative friend of mine. Both are gullible.
OK, I'm ranting again.
I will tell you one thing that bugs me however. We blame SUV driving Americans for raping the earth. We are pikers. If we wanted to rape the earth we would be far less invasive than a copper mine in Chile that you can see from outer space, coal burning in China (thanks for the articles RBB, you are right. We should burn coal cleanly, but we should burn coal), and destroying rain forests globally. Earth rape is happening. I want to stop it. Stopping earth rape is not left or right.
Kyoto would be a treaty I could get behind if it sanctioned earth rape cessation and was not focused on blatantly picking people's pockets for some crooked UN slimeball's gain. Kyoto is not about global warming, it's about money.
It's Monday and I'm back and irritated. I need to take my meds.
Saturday, November 17, 2007
One Third of Primates to Die
Headline today: One third of all primates (that includes humans) face extinction.
Headline Dateline 70 AD Island of Patmos, John the Apostle reporting 1/3rd of mankind dies.
Do you think there may be any relationship?
Do you think theres a chance in heck we have anything to do with this or can stop it with all the Kings horses and all the Kings men?
Headline Dateline 70 AD Island of Patmos, John the Apostle reporting 1/3rd of mankind dies.
Do you think there may be any relationship?
Do you think theres a chance in heck we have anything to do with this or can stop it with all the Kings horses and all the Kings men?
Lifes Bumps
Yesterday after NOT getting a large order I was counting on from the State of Illinois I was brooding. Irritated. Maybe a little angry.
Then I found out my SON Tim had just sawed the end off his left hand thumb. Just sawed it off. Down to the nail bed. He's a carpenter and things happen when you work with power tools, but when it's your own boy it's harder.
And, pastoral wise I have been carrying a little more than I want to. Sometimes the profound pain and difficulty people are facing overwhelms me.
Life has bumps. Mine aren't big. They're just there.
An apocryphal story is about a man who ceaselessly complains to God about all his troubles. So after hearing all he wanted to hear God snatches him off the earth and takes him to heavens storage shed. In there is a pile of bags each containing individually the troubles of all the people on the planet. Each bag labeled with the pain each person was feeling and their name. When you opened the bag you got the full manifestation of what they were facing.
The angel of God tells the complainer that he is allowed to inspect all the bags of trouble in the storeroom and trade his troubles for anyone else's on the planet. He immediately goes for some famous people, important people, rich people and even friends he knows who he always thought "had it made". But upon inspecting each bag of troubles he would move on to the next bag.
After hours and hours the man summons the angel and says he's ready to return to earth. Which bag are you returning with the angel asks, "My own". Without surprise or amazement the man returns instantly to face the circumstances in life with a new understanding.
I never can really knew how much each person's heart is breaking and when I compare my sorrow to theirs I understand and can deal with mine better. I'm not certain I could deal with theirs".
If I could be that man I am confident I would return with my own bag of problems too. I don't know one person I would rather be than me, not because I don't have problems, but because God equipped me to do what I am able to do within the circumstances I am facing.
Just for this weekend, I will treat every man, woman and child I meet with this attitude of Love, "Treat them as if their heart were breaking, because if you could look deep inside, it is".
I know this seems out of character for radical right wing warmonger Gene. I just keep getting these downloads of the Father Heart of God in Jesus.
It's a little overwhelming.
Friday, November 16, 2007
Revealed all over the Web
If you do a blog search on Google blogs and input the words Reveal and Willow Creek you will see hundreds of blogs and comments about the book Reveal by Pastors at Willow Creek Church.
The results and uproar regarding this book are healthy and unhealthy.
Healthy is the reexamination of Church Paradigms. The recognition of shortcomings of seeker friendly churches. The transparency of and honesty with which the leadership of Willow Creek have approached this issue. I particularly appreciate Bill Hybels.
Unhealthy is the idea of trying to tweak Church to make it work in today's world. Unhealthy is the triumphalism attitude by many that says we always knew that seeker friendly thing was a hoax. Unhealthy is ignoring the real truth.
That truth is this. Most of the church in America is filled with very immature Christians. The mature solid Christians are leaving the church in droves. They are bored, frustrated, irritated and stifled. The church is running them off. One of the Reveal study results is that 25% of attendees at Willow Creek are "Self Feeders". They don't want to hear another sermon, they don't want another teaching, they don't want another program, they want to make an impact on and in the kingdom of God.
The ones who drop out of church are the biggest givers, hardest workers, most generous and best soul winners. They just are tired of not being used in their church. They are kept under the thumb of tradition and hierarchy.
1/4 of the attendees at Willow Creek are on the way out the door. That will leave the immature and impotent. This is true in nearly all churches.
I don't take joy in that but the reality is that is happening everywhere. I don't want to be a part of a church. I want to be part of something that has the impact to change the culture of death around me. I want to be involved in changing the world I confront every day by making a difference. I mentioned a few days ago that money is no longer supporting churches. I know the story of Lou Engle. He is a friend of Todd Beery's. 8 years ago a multimillionaire widow who wanted to make a difference came to him and funded much of his ministry. He has made a difference. She did NOT give her money to the church. She had given up on Church a long time ago. She wanted to make a difference with her money and no longer believed the Church mattered.
I have had a vision of a CHURCH that makes a difference in my area. I may have missed the point. Maybe God's intent is to starve out the Church and recreate it for those who want to be world changers. It may be that what we will have are maturing houses and then sending centers of the mature as the come of age and start eating real meat.
Too many churches prosper by keeping people infantile spiritually. Protecting their people from thing that might "frighten" them.
That in particular means spirituals. Charismata. It's too scary to most pastors to think their people might get so tapped into God that they might be challenged.
I wish Pastor Hybels well in his efforts to restore his church to the first things first. I hope he doesn't get trapped in the same old paradigm.
It may be that in 10 years what we think of as Church will be history. I guess I hope it will be so. I'm an older man. I love the Church. But my paradigm is old school.
God is saying, I'm about to do a new thing, and if he calls it new, it will be new to YOU. So if you see anything that looks like it did before, it may not be GOD.
I fear that much of the church of Jesus on the earth is taking the REVEAL study as license to go BACK to what used to be. I don't believe that is true. Going BACK isn't going to work. God wants out to fulfill his promise from Joel 2 and Acts 2. Restoration, Holy Ghost life.
If that means the Church as we know it in tradition has to wither up and die, so be it. We must have God and people grown up in him. The church is over unless.......... and I don't know if there even is an unless.
The Prophetic War (a word)
World War Two was a terrible war. It cautioned Europe from ever allowing the administration of a despot like Hitler again. We have had 60 years of relative peace in Europe since. Oh, there are lots of problems. But once the mask was torn from the evil that Nazi lies and other fascist sycophants like Mussolini could tell. It also had the net effect of exposing anti-Semitism in a way never known before. The full manifestation of the Nation of Israel and the exposure of the death camps have driven a nail in this overt public Jew hatred.
In that way, the war was used by the forces of GOOD, in my framework, the forces of God to accomplish a purpose. The blood of victims and patriots became a foundation for what we have enjoyed in Europe and the USA for over half a century.
In the same war a brutal merciless regime driven by devotion to a man god emperor in Japan that defined the Japanese people as real humans and all others far less was deposed by the ending of the War with Japan. This is a country that stacked the bones of people and strew beheaded bodies all over Korea, China, and the east in General. They were the Borg of their day. Without humanity. Today, Japan while not perfect in many ways stands as a beacon of progress and some hope. For 60 years. China and South Korea and Taiwan are growing and prospering following the path Japan has led down.
This would never have happened had the war not been engaged, Had we allowed Japan after Pearl Harbor to dominate the region under a false pretext of superiority. Had we chosen not to go to war they would still be a force in the far east today and unstable.
In fact, had we NOT shown the willingness to bomb them into oblivion at the end of the war they would have retreated and we would have been fighting them once again.
Now the emperor is as the queen of England. A symbol. They are at peace. The Japanese killing machine is defanged and will not rise again.
The emptiness of the beliefs they had were exposed as well as was the evil violence that resulted from this in-humane political system.
Even the bloodiest war the US ever fought, the Civil War has put the idea of succession on notice. Slavery took a hard hit and while not perfect yet, has created a more perfect union. The USA today 150 years later still stands. It almost didn't. We would be having border problems with immigrants from the south in other ways today.
So, has been the wars in the middle east of today. The conflicts that began with Jimmy Carter and continue to this day are prophetic in nature. God often uses war to right a wrong or expose an evil. I won't go into a long Bible study here, but if you are any kind of student of the Word of God you can reflect on battles in the Old Testament that had a net result of fulfilling the prophetic purposes of God. Even in the Diaspora after 72AD there was a prophetic purpose.
The wars being fought today I have said from the beginning will not be understood except in a prophetic sense and in the rear view mirror. When George Bush said God told him to attack Iraq I actually believe him. I don't think he got a clear word from the Lord, I do think he got a green light and moved ahead.
Was it about OIL? Was it about the threat against Bush One? Was it retribution for 9-11? Yes and no. Yes because all of those things are true. No because there has always been a higher reason for war and why God allows it, might I even say, allows the Devil to overplay his hand and fall into this.
It's always about the devil overplaying his hand. Hitler invading Belgium and Czechoslovakia. We might have left him alone. Japan bombing Pearl Harbor. We might have stayed out longer. Antedem. And 9-11. Had none of those frontal attacks ever happened the world would have gone merrily along and life would have been swell except for the cancer growing among us.
God seems to allow/use wars to deal with evil even in the camps of his own people. Again, if you are a student of the Bible, you can reflect on lots of events where that happened. The books of Ezekiel and Isaiah have all kinds of prophetic utterances where it happens. The Book of Joel is clear on how this takes place.
So, the war in the middle east is was and will be a prophetic act of God. We think we did it. I mentioned in a post a couple days ago that I was given a sense of how much God loves those trapped in oppressive systems of culture and religion. How much he wants those people to be free of that bondage. This war has destroyed any illusion of unity in Islam. It has also exposed the excesses of an oppressive religious system that takes the name of God in Allah in vain. It's a mess. It has revealed the atrocities being carried out in the name of Allah worldwide. I invite you to take a few minutes to look at the above link. It will shake you. It has caused people of faith who name the name of Mohammed as their prophet to ask again about who is this Jesus the Christ? This is and has been a prophetic war and was essential. God has only USED the USA and George Bush as his Rod. The Rod of GOD.
My prayer and my belief is that his war has become a tipping point, a big bang, a disruption in the Borg connective to cause people of faith in the Hindu and Muslim faiths to re-examine who they are and what it all means.
They did in Germany. They did in Japan. The south did (mostly). Even in the Soviet Union while authoritariarism is rearing it's ugly head once again, there is much that has been changed for the better.
This war was essential, it was the Kairos moment of God, I won't say I'm glad it happened. Blood and pain have been shed and felt. I am hoping in God for the outcome he intended in turning this Romans 8:28 circumstance to his purpose.
He always does, He never fails. He's not about to start.
PS: This post was targeted at my spiritually mature and discerning readers. If you are an atheist and want to respond I won't stop you (unless you get stupid and mean, then I'll just delete you). From those of discernment, please tell me where I'm wrong. I know Ron Mack and I don't see eye to eye on this one issue, which frankly amazes me. How he and I can be in almost total theological agreement on 99% of everything (I have pilloried his stuff and used it in teaching others with attribution, especially his piece on Christian Charity) yet on this single issue ONE OF US IS DEAD WRONG.
I'm believe it's him. ;>)
Thursday, November 15, 2007
Keeping the Seat of the Dodge Warm
I have been last minute delivering plants as fast as I can. It's getting cold. It's getting late.
I have it on good authority that it's still warm in North Dakota. Flowers are still blooming. I can't wait to get back to the sunny north. Maybe Gore is right. (I can't believe I just said that). He's not of course.
I'm up early, out the door tomorrow morning to meet the Illinois Dept of Transportation rep to sell them a load of plants.
Then I've got meetings all PM. And IHOP Friday night.
To keep you busy, I have only 4 questions that bother me:
Why did Japanese Kamikaze Pilots wear Helmets?
Is there an actual equivalence in the art world between etch a sketch pictures and rap music?
Is it a sign of maturity when you no longer have house plants you can smoke.
When commercials show how detergents can take the blood stains splashed all over your tee shirts, don't you have a bigger problem than needing a new detergent?
Just wondering. I may not have a blogpost tomorrow. I didn't die, I'm just on the run.
Proof Positive that Liberals believe they OWN Public Broadcasting and why Conservatives shouldn't support it and should push toward defunding it so it
Rich Lowery of National Review Online, who referenced little old me once, was a guest host on the Jim Lehrer Show on Public TV.
The left was outraged. WHY WOULD PBS ALLOW A CONSERVATIVE ON PUBLIC TELEVISION.
This from the people who espouse a free press, expression and open dialogue. Exclusively for them and their viewpoint and except if it's possible a sane conservative viewpoint might be aired and pollute those poor deluded left wing brains.
They are so pitiful and so transparently incapable of carrying on a true dialogue without it turning into diatribe.
The left was outraged. WHY WOULD PBS ALLOW A CONSERVATIVE ON PUBLIC TELEVISION.
This from the people who espouse a free press, expression and open dialogue. Exclusively for them and their viewpoint and except if it's possible a sane conservative viewpoint might be aired and pollute those poor deluded left wing brains.
They are so pitiful and so transparently incapable of carrying on a true dialogue without it turning into diatribe.
Thank God for God TV
I have been up since 2 this morning. It's OK. I had a little discomfort. But, I think well this early.
What is so wonderful is that while I have been sitting here on the couch I have God TV on. Live from the Prayer Room at IHOP in Kansas City. All the night and early morning I am watching it live and participating. I see a full band, singers, prayer leader and up to a hundred participants. At 3 AM. WOW.
What a comfort and joy. If you have direct TV its on channel 365. OR do as I do, I take my Laptop to my bedroom. I push the button and it goes to this the watch online site.
It's very encouraging.
Wednesday, November 14, 2007
About Waterboarding
RBB asks me, why do I hate America. OK, Let's put that to the test, Do I love America more or Humanity more.
There is an apocryphal story, no one knows if it's true. But the answer explains why I would waterboard or more to protect large numbers of people even if after doing so I were to come under criticism or prosecution. That deals with many very hard decisions people have to make.
The story I mentioned is about a man who is a bridge tender in the days of passenger rail. He moves the tracks and lifts the bridges according to the trains that pass. If he makes a mistake or misses his cue hundreds of people will be in peril and hundreds will die. His job to make sure the bridge is down when it should be is in order.
One day he takes his young son on the job with him. The boy is playful and fun. While his back is turned the boy escapes and scampers down to where the large gears are to lift or lower the bridge. The bridge is in a kilter position which means if a train were to come it would plunge hundreds of feet off a precipice into a gorge.
A train is coming. His telegraph tells him hundreds of souls are on board. The bridge is in the wrong position. It's early 1900s and he can't quickly or efficiently communicate with the train. His son is engaged in climbing the gears.
The train is now only a mile away. The bridge tender has been yelling for his young son. It's too far down the scaffold to retrieve him and still turn the bridge.
It's only seconds. He must make a choice. If he moves the bridge into the correct position his son will be crushed in the gears he plays on and die,, if he does not move the bridge hundreds are sentenced to certain death.
What decision do you make? You have only two options. There are no other. Time is up. Is the suffering and death of one person worth the saving of hundreds? Rules or no rules? Or do you go by the book and millions die.
The reality of life is sometimes both options are horrible. One is not less horrible. torture is horrible. Sometimes the life of one to save many even if they don't appreciate or understand it is the choice we must make.
In the apocryphal story, The man moves the bridge and his little boy is crushed to death. People go by in the train at 60 miles per hour, eating , drinking, laughing, enjoying life. The bridge tender is in horror and screams at them unheard, "Don't you know what I've done, don't you know I've killed my own boy to save you".
Yes, my dear friend RBB. I LOVE America and Americans too much NOT to waterboard you or anyone else or worse if I had to if in my understanding it was the only way to save the lives and futures of thousands.
I hope for America's sake you would do the same. The rules apply to those who would routinely torture. Sometimes you have to do the horrible to save the world.
Last week the man who dropped the abomb on Japan died. Tibbet. I thank God for Tibbet. He saved millions by sacrificing thousands ending the war with Japan.
Life is hard and choices must be made by those with the courage to do the right thing. Like Tibbet did.
There is an apocryphal story, no one knows if it's true. But the answer explains why I would waterboard or more to protect large numbers of people even if after doing so I were to come under criticism or prosecution. That deals with many very hard decisions people have to make.
The story I mentioned is about a man who is a bridge tender in the days of passenger rail. He moves the tracks and lifts the bridges according to the trains that pass. If he makes a mistake or misses his cue hundreds of people will be in peril and hundreds will die. His job to make sure the bridge is down when it should be is in order.
One day he takes his young son on the job with him. The boy is playful and fun. While his back is turned the boy escapes and scampers down to where the large gears are to lift or lower the bridge. The bridge is in a kilter position which means if a train were to come it would plunge hundreds of feet off a precipice into a gorge.
A train is coming. His telegraph tells him hundreds of souls are on board. The bridge is in the wrong position. It's early 1900s and he can't quickly or efficiently communicate with the train. His son is engaged in climbing the gears.
The train is now only a mile away. The bridge tender has been yelling for his young son. It's too far down the scaffold to retrieve him and still turn the bridge.
It's only seconds. He must make a choice. If he moves the bridge into the correct position his son will be crushed in the gears he plays on and die,, if he does not move the bridge hundreds are sentenced to certain death.
What decision do you make? You have only two options. There are no other. Time is up. Is the suffering and death of one person worth the saving of hundreds? Rules or no rules? Or do you go by the book and millions die.
The reality of life is sometimes both options are horrible. One is not less horrible. torture is horrible. Sometimes the life of one to save many even if they don't appreciate or understand it is the choice we must make.
In the apocryphal story, The man moves the bridge and his little boy is crushed to death. People go by in the train at 60 miles per hour, eating , drinking, laughing, enjoying life. The bridge tender is in horror and screams at them unheard, "Don't you know what I've done, don't you know I've killed my own boy to save you".
Yes, my dear friend RBB. I LOVE America and Americans too much NOT to waterboard you or anyone else or worse if I had to if in my understanding it was the only way to save the lives and futures of thousands.
I hope for America's sake you would do the same. The rules apply to those who would routinely torture. Sometimes you have to do the horrible to save the world.
Last week the man who dropped the abomb on Japan died. Tibbet. I thank God for Tibbet. He saved millions by sacrificing thousands ending the war with Japan.
Life is hard and choices must be made by those with the courage to do the right thing. Like Tibbet did.
The Heart of Jesus and Muslims
This morning I was aware of an unusual sense of being. I recognized it was a supernatural revelation. Sometimes the Spirit of God reveals the very heart of Jesus in a way that is impossible to explain nor would i want to. Sufficient to say, I was given a revelation of the heart of Jesus.
Here's what I saw and felt:
A huge flush of Love towards the people of the Muslim Religion. I can't explain except to say he put in me an embrace of them I can't carry out except in the supernatural. He loves those who are followers of Islam in ways that are impossible to understand. It was as if I had all of the people of the Islamic faith within my grasp and I wrapped my arms around them and loved them like Jesus loves them. That was the first revelation.
The second was like that, a love and embrace of those devoted followers of the Hindu religion. His love for them is deep and rich. There is nothing like the depth of Love he has for them.
At the same time I was experiencing the heart of God toward his people in Islam and the Hindu religion, I had a sense of his anger toward those who distort the devotion of these dear people for their ends. The leaders of both religions who use it as a power mechanism.
And, I had a clear parallel sense of how Jesus views much of the so called church of Jesus' leadership on the earth today. He is grieved by lukewarm leaders, those who lead for gain, those who are called but keep one foot in the world, those who controlled from being sold out by worldly concerns. Jesus' call is being raised. If judgement begins in the house of God it will start with leadership first. He is angry in a holy way as he was with the Pharisees of his time for keeping the people who name the name of Jesus in bondage.
He will move. He will call. Many will respond and many will fall back.
This time we are in of the beginning of shaking will shake many people out who will go back to the world having never known Jesus. It will shake many spiritual leaders out and send them back into the world. Only those completely prepared to be martyred for Him will survive and that dedication to martyrdom will be tested.
The key thing that came in my morning rush of the heart of Jesus is how much he loves anyone who is in Islam or in the Hindu religion. There is a man who will read this from Tunisia. Jesus is calling YOU. He will reveal himself to you if you will open your heart. His love is beyond your understanding. You who are reading this from Morocco, Jesus won't let you die, he will come to you in a dream. He want you to really know him. To the Woman from Iran who is reading this right now, you no longer have to submit to those who impose their will on you. You can follow the one who loves you so much that he gave his life for you and then took it back again in victory.
There is no Other God. Jesus is Creator God and you were destined to know him. Ask him to reveal himself to you. He Willl. He is doing it over and over again to your brothers and sisters around the world. He will do it for you.
Here's what I saw and felt:
A huge flush of Love towards the people of the Muslim Religion. I can't explain except to say he put in me an embrace of them I can't carry out except in the supernatural. He loves those who are followers of Islam in ways that are impossible to understand. It was as if I had all of the people of the Islamic faith within my grasp and I wrapped my arms around them and loved them like Jesus loves them. That was the first revelation.
The second was like that, a love and embrace of those devoted followers of the Hindu religion. His love for them is deep and rich. There is nothing like the depth of Love he has for them.
At the same time I was experiencing the heart of God toward his people in Islam and the Hindu religion, I had a sense of his anger toward those who distort the devotion of these dear people for their ends. The leaders of both religions who use it as a power mechanism.
And, I had a clear parallel sense of how Jesus views much of the so called church of Jesus' leadership on the earth today. He is grieved by lukewarm leaders, those who lead for gain, those who are called but keep one foot in the world, those who controlled from being sold out by worldly concerns. Jesus' call is being raised. If judgement begins in the house of God it will start with leadership first. He is angry in a holy way as he was with the Pharisees of his time for keeping the people who name the name of Jesus in bondage.
He will move. He will call. Many will respond and many will fall back.
This time we are in of the beginning of shaking will shake many people out who will go back to the world having never known Jesus. It will shake many spiritual leaders out and send them back into the world. Only those completely prepared to be martyred for Him will survive and that dedication to martyrdom will be tested.
The key thing that came in my morning rush of the heart of Jesus is how much he loves anyone who is in Islam or in the Hindu religion. There is a man who will read this from Tunisia. Jesus is calling YOU. He will reveal himself to you if you will open your heart. His love is beyond your understanding. You who are reading this from Morocco, Jesus won't let you die, he will come to you in a dream. He want you to really know him. To the Woman from Iran who is reading this right now, you no longer have to submit to those who impose their will on you. You can follow the one who loves you so much that he gave his life for you and then took it back again in victory.
There is no Other God. Jesus is Creator God and you were destined to know him. Ask him to reveal himself to you. He Willl. He is doing it over and over again to your brothers and sisters around the world. He will do it for you.
Tuesday, November 13, 2007
For Everyone who Denies the Supernatural
Last Friday night a friend of mine showed me a video she had taken that had a light that showed up in the video. It was still in her camera. She asked me if I thought it was an angel. I said I didn't know. But, knowing her and her passion for Jesus I suspected it was real and was indeed angelic in nature. No demon would put himself in that situation.
At the house of Prayer in the last few weeks there have been visible angelic visitations. Several people have seen them. I haven't - Yet. I will.
A news story with surveillance video records the visitation of a supernatural presence. Angel or demon I don't know. I'm guessing Angel. I want to believe it was an angel. Mostly because there would be a good reassurance for those who believe and a stirring for those who are skeptics.
Look at this and explain it away - if you Can.
One other interesting story. Here is a picture in which you can see a demonic wolf in the picture. The story with the picture is what makes us understand that when a Demon is let in to a person's life we can be oppressed by it.
I do struggle with unbelievers and believers alike who deny the reality of the supernatural among us. Everything is reason and explanation.
Sometimes that's not enough. There is more to this life than what we see.
At the house of Prayer in the last few weeks there have been visible angelic visitations. Several people have seen them. I haven't - Yet. I will.
A news story with surveillance video records the visitation of a supernatural presence. Angel or demon I don't know. I'm guessing Angel. I want to believe it was an angel. Mostly because there would be a good reassurance for those who believe and a stirring for those who are skeptics.
Look at this and explain it away - if you Can.
One other interesting story. Here is a picture in which you can see a demonic wolf in the picture. The story with the picture is what makes us understand that when a Demon is let in to a person's life we can be oppressed by it.
I do struggle with unbelievers and believers alike who deny the reality of the supernatural among us. Everything is reason and explanation.
Sometimes that's not enough. There is more to this life than what we see.
Jesus wouldn't hire ME (as a carpenter)
Our little storage shed needed repair. I didn't want to hire someone. Money.
I shudder when I deal with wood. I repaired the rotted wall. That was the easy part. Of course all the nails used that I had to remove were galvanized and didn't come out without great effort.
The part JESUS CARPENTRY INC would fire me for was the doors. I had to replace several boards and new hinges and all that. That required mitered joints. Miters without a mitre box. I don't know where anyone would ever find one. The door looks like I don't own one or know how to use one. In fact the idea that what you see is a mitered joint would take great faith.
The doors are done, ready to be replaced on the shed. My wife said, "I won't ask you to build me a house.
If I did, it would be doorless.
Sorry Jesus I will follow you in all things, just don't ask me to pick up a hammer or a saw without a Holy Ghost mitre box.
I shudder when I deal with wood. I repaired the rotted wall. That was the easy part. Of course all the nails used that I had to remove were galvanized and didn't come out without great effort.
The part JESUS CARPENTRY INC would fire me for was the doors. I had to replace several boards and new hinges and all that. That required mitered joints. Miters without a mitre box. I don't know where anyone would ever find one. The door looks like I don't own one or know how to use one. In fact the idea that what you see is a mitered joint would take great faith.
The doors are done, ready to be replaced on the shed. My wife said, "I won't ask you to build me a house.
If I did, it would be doorless.
Sorry Jesus I will follow you in all things, just don't ask me to pick up a hammer or a saw without a Holy Ghost mitre box.
Where's the Disconnect?
Follow me here:
Do you see the disconnect yet?
And, PS to my good friend RBB. Sorry Robert, I just can't help myself, I feel a little better and off I go. I'm hopeless. But I still like you, liberal and all.
- Liberals Hate Bush
- Bush is Down on Iran
- Liberals are for anyone Bush is against
- So, Liberals plead for peace, reconciliation and understanding of Iranian Islamic Fascists. anything to be anti-Bush
- Islamic Fascists hate Gays
- Islamic Fascists execute Gays
- Liberals think being openly gay, homosexual marriage and all that is a good thing.
- If Islamic Fascists take over, Gays are the first to Go.
Do you see the disconnect yet?
And, PS to my good friend RBB. Sorry Robert, I just can't help myself, I feel a little better and off I go. I'm hopeless. But I still like you, liberal and all.
Blog Obscurity
If you received a newspaper or magazine from Newsweek or the Daily Blatt and there was nothing new in it for 3 weeks, then all of a sudden a new article appeared, then nothing again for a month pretty quickly you would cancel your subscription to these publication.
The same is true for blogging. The article below says that 99% of all blogs never get a hit. They are dead in the water. Howcome?
Many people think that simply by creating a blog the world will beat a blogpath to their virtual door. It's only true if there is something interesting and dynamic there as payoff for having beaten said path. I show up to the blogs I look at because I can expect something interesting and vital for me to read each time I do. It's a subscription. No less than a magazine or newspaper.
I have delisted a half dozen rss feeds for lack of blog activity in the last month. If I don't see posts, you won't see me for long. I don't have time or patience to keep checking in on something that isn't there.
Now, in fairness, my little bitty blog is small potatoes. More like green peas. But, I know about how many hits per day I get. I know who they are who read. I can't go by comments just as talk radio can't go by the number of phone calls they get. If you have a talk radio show and want more calls, field the subject Cat Leash Laws. For or against. Your phone will ring. It's just not a good indicator.
What I am trying to convey is this: I appreciate all the people who read my blog. Even those who disagree with me and don't share all my views on life. In fact I appreciate them even more since I admit I read view friendly blogs more than not for myself. The hard and fast rule if you have a blog must be BLOG EVERY DAY. Several Times a day can be too much. Blog personally, passionately, proveifiate (I made that word up, it's just that it started with P, I'm a preacher have to do this, it means to prove out a thing) and positively. Never stop.
IF you MUST stop, announce it. Announce a start date. You'll lose fewer readers then. I have a blog I enjoyed very much from a man I like, he hasn't posted for a week. I'm about to say goodbye.
BLOG EVERY DAY or don't bother blogging. There's a reason why the most popular blogs just voted on were voted the way they were. They blog every day. Never stop. Read on:
Welcome to obscurity: Blogs and the real world
By Patrick T. Reardon | Tribune staff reporter
November 13, 2007
The number of blogs worldwide is growing by leaps and bounds. But, as popular as blogging is today, most blogs don't have anyone reading them, said Derek Gordon, vice president for marketing for the San Francisco-based Technorati, the Internet search engine for searching blogs, in an e-mail exchange.
Q Your site says you're tracking 109.2 million blogs. That's up from the 94 million blogs that you were tracking in August. In other words, the number of blogs you track increased by 16 percent over a two-month period. Is that accurate?
A That is accurate.
Q The figure of 109.2 million blogs means there is one blog for every 151 people (based on the July 2007 estimate of 6.6 billion people). It also means that there is one blog for every 23 people with Internet access (based on the May 2007 estimate by eMarketer that more than 1 billion people use the Web). Do you have any idea how soon there will be one blog for every person on Earth with Internet access?
A I don't. Remember that most blogs are only marginally active (that is, about one blog post a month), and most are used for personal journaling purposes. Also remember that about 25 percent of active bloggers (that is, people who post to their blogs at least once a week) actually maintain more than one blog.
Q Is there some cutoff in the future that will mean we never get to that one-to-one situation?
A It is likely that the number of registered blogs will one day exceed the number of people who have Internet access, but one cannot extrapolate that, therefore, each of those persons actually has and uses a blog. The combination of spam blogs and individuals with multiple blogs means that the total volume of registered blogs will easily, one day, exceed even the total number of people on Earth, even if only some fraction of those people are, in fact, bloggers.
Q What percentage of the 109.2 million blogs are "spam blogs," or splogs, set up purely to impact search-engine results?
A Technorati, Google and others have an aggressive program of identifying and removing spam blogs so the overall percentage of spam blogs tracked versus legitimate blogs remains largely in check. At any given moment, we estimate that 5 to 15 percent of the blogs we're tracking are spam blogs. At this point, we estimate that between 3,000 and 7,000 new splogs are created every day. They are mostly link farms with various nefarious ends designed to both game ranking systems and to get unsuspecting folks to click into sites that have dubious/illegal monetization schemes.
Q Any idea how many of the 109.2 million blogs you track get no hits in the course of a year?
A Just over 99 percent. The vast majority of blogs exist in a state of total or near-total obscurity.
The same is true for blogging. The article below says that 99% of all blogs never get a hit. They are dead in the water. Howcome?
Many people think that simply by creating a blog the world will beat a blogpath to their virtual door. It's only true if there is something interesting and dynamic there as payoff for having beaten said path. I show up to the blogs I look at because I can expect something interesting and vital for me to read each time I do. It's a subscription. No less than a magazine or newspaper.
I have delisted a half dozen rss feeds for lack of blog activity in the last month. If I don't see posts, you won't see me for long. I don't have time or patience to keep checking in on something that isn't there.
Now, in fairness, my little bitty blog is small potatoes. More like green peas. But, I know about how many hits per day I get. I know who they are who read. I can't go by comments just as talk radio can't go by the number of phone calls they get. If you have a talk radio show and want more calls, field the subject Cat Leash Laws. For or against. Your phone will ring. It's just not a good indicator.
What I am trying to convey is this: I appreciate all the people who read my blog. Even those who disagree with me and don't share all my views on life. In fact I appreciate them even more since I admit I read view friendly blogs more than not for myself. The hard and fast rule if you have a blog must be BLOG EVERY DAY. Several Times a day can be too much. Blog personally, passionately, proveifiate (I made that word up, it's just that it started with P, I'm a preacher have to do this, it means to prove out a thing) and positively. Never stop.
IF you MUST stop, announce it. Announce a start date. You'll lose fewer readers then. I have a blog I enjoyed very much from a man I like, he hasn't posted for a week. I'm about to say goodbye.
BLOG EVERY DAY or don't bother blogging. There's a reason why the most popular blogs just voted on were voted the way they were. They blog every day. Never stop. Read on:
Welcome to obscurity: Blogs and the real world
By Patrick T. Reardon | Tribune staff reporter
November 13, 2007
The number of blogs worldwide is growing by leaps and bounds. But, as popular as blogging is today, most blogs don't have anyone reading them, said Derek Gordon, vice president for marketing for the San Francisco-based Technorati, the Internet search engine for searching blogs, in an e-mail exchange.
Q Your site says you're tracking 109.2 million blogs. That's up from the 94 million blogs that you were tracking in August. In other words, the number of blogs you track increased by 16 percent over a two-month period. Is that accurate?
A That is accurate.
Q The figure of 109.2 million blogs means there is one blog for every 151 people (based on the July 2007 estimate of 6.6 billion people). It also means that there is one blog for every 23 people with Internet access (based on the May 2007 estimate by eMarketer that more than 1 billion people use the Web). Do you have any idea how soon there will be one blog for every person on Earth with Internet access?
A I don't. Remember that most blogs are only marginally active (that is, about one blog post a month), and most are used for personal journaling purposes. Also remember that about 25 percent of active bloggers (that is, people who post to their blogs at least once a week) actually maintain more than one blog.
Q Is there some cutoff in the future that will mean we never get to that one-to-one situation?
A It is likely that the number of registered blogs will one day exceed the number of people who have Internet access, but one cannot extrapolate that, therefore, each of those persons actually has and uses a blog. The combination of spam blogs and individuals with multiple blogs means that the total volume of registered blogs will easily, one day, exceed even the total number of people on Earth, even if only some fraction of those people are, in fact, bloggers.
Q What percentage of the 109.2 million blogs are "spam blogs," or splogs, set up purely to impact search-engine results?
A Technorati, Google and others have an aggressive program of identifying and removing spam blogs so the overall percentage of spam blogs tracked versus legitimate blogs remains largely in check. At any given moment, we estimate that 5 to 15 percent of the blogs we're tracking are spam blogs. At this point, we estimate that between 3,000 and 7,000 new splogs are created every day. They are mostly link farms with various nefarious ends designed to both game ranking systems and to get unsuspecting folks to click into sites that have dubious/illegal monetization schemes.
Q Any idea how many of the 109.2 million blogs you track get no hits in the course of a year?
A Just over 99 percent. The vast majority of blogs exist in a state of total or near-total obscurity.
Uncle Newt Sends me a Note
I got a note this week that reminded me, once again, how much the American people disagree with the Washington elite -- and how differently we would run our country if and when we get the chance.
The note told the story of Mrs. Arnold, an 85-year-old grandmother living in Florida.
Every year, Mrs. Arnold looks forward to a Christmas visit to her apartment building by a local Sunday school class. They have a Christmas party and place an angel at the top of the building's Christmas tree.
But this year, the management of her apartment complex issued a directive: Any and all "religious symbols or religious words associated with Christmas" are banned from the public areas of the building.
The Anti-Religious Bigotry of Lawsuit Expectations
Even the word "Christmas" was banned. The residents were told to use "holiday" instead (an irony not picked up by the elites since the word "holiday" is derived from "Holy Day").
The management company blamed federal regulations for its anti-religious directive. The Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) denies that this is their policy, but they say that religious bans like this are commonplace.
Anti-religious zealots have put property owners and managers on the defensive. Rather than risk a lawsuit, they issue blanket prohibitions that amount to nothing less than anti-religious bigotry.
It's another example of the biases of the elites -- in this case, anti-religious bigotry -- being imposed on the American people.
Hiding 'Laus Deo' Under a Bushel
The anti-religious elites' attempts to drive God out of America's public square are serious and ongoing.
For example: One of the places we visit in Rediscovering God in America is the Washington Monument.
The monument's capstone is one of Washington's most profound acknowledgements of the centrality of God and faith to our nation. Etched in aluminum, the East side of the capstone reads "Laus Deo," Latin for "Praise be to God."
But recently, visitors to the Washington Monument noticed that a display plaque describing the capstone was changed to omit the words "Laus Deo" and any reference to God.
What's more, a replica of the capstone had been positioned so visitors could not see the side reading "Laus Deo."
Thanks to an e-mail campaign by outraged Americans, the references to God on the displays have now been restored. But the incident serves as a reminder of the near-constant threat of anti-religious bigotry in America.
When It Comes to Anti-Religious Bigotry, All Religions Are NOT Equal
Of course, when it comes to official anti-religious bigotry, not all religions are equal.
Did you know that, while religious images are under assault across the nation, in nine Western states the courts have ruled it constitutional for public schools to require a three-week course on the Islamic faith -- a course in which all junior-high students are mandated to pretend they are Muslims and offer prayers to Allah?
This is the same court, mind you, that infamously ruled (in the case brought by atheist activist Michael Newdow) that it is unconstitutional for students to mention "under God" in the Pledge of Allegiance.
Far from believing that religion should be banished from our public life, majorities of Americans believe that there is not enough religion and morality in:
The Values of Red, White and Blue America
Here's a sampling of the American people's most widely held views. Compare and contrast these views with what you hear and see coming out of Washington today:
One of the cornerstones of America's historical religious faith is the assertion, made so clearly in our Declaration of Independence, that our freedom comes from God.
This was a revolutionary proclamation in the history, not only of America, but of humankind. It means that no government or king grants us our freedom -- and no government or king can legitimately take it away. Our freedom is ours by virtue of the fact that we are all created by God.
But if our freedom comes from our Creator, it is protected and sustained by the men and women who serve our country when it needs it most.
Our God-given freedom was protected and sustained by my father, who served in World War II, Korea and Vietnam.
It is protected and sustained by the men and women serving in Iraq and throughout the world today.
Everyday, but most especially this Veterans' Day week, we owe our veterans the acknowledgment that they are the guardians of God's blessing of freedom. And we are their grateful beneficiaries.
Signed,
Newt Gingrich
The note told the story of Mrs. Arnold, an 85-year-old grandmother living in Florida.
Every year, Mrs. Arnold looks forward to a Christmas visit to her apartment building by a local Sunday school class. They have a Christmas party and place an angel at the top of the building's Christmas tree.
But this year, the management of her apartment complex issued a directive: Any and all "religious symbols or religious words associated with Christmas" are banned from the public areas of the building.
The Anti-Religious Bigotry of Lawsuit Expectations
Even the word "Christmas" was banned. The residents were told to use "holiday" instead (an irony not picked up by the elites since the word "holiday" is derived from "Holy Day").
The management company blamed federal regulations for its anti-religious directive. The Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) denies that this is their policy, but they say that religious bans like this are commonplace.
Anti-religious zealots have put property owners and managers on the defensive. Rather than risk a lawsuit, they issue blanket prohibitions that amount to nothing less than anti-religious bigotry.
It's another example of the biases of the elites -- in this case, anti-religious bigotry -- being imposed on the American people.
Hiding 'Laus Deo' Under a Bushel
The anti-religious elites' attempts to drive God out of America's public square are serious and ongoing.
For example: One of the places we visit in Rediscovering God in America is the Washington Monument.
The monument's capstone is one of Washington's most profound acknowledgements of the centrality of God and faith to our nation. Etched in aluminum, the East side of the capstone reads "Laus Deo," Latin for "Praise be to God."
But recently, visitors to the Washington Monument noticed that a display plaque describing the capstone was changed to omit the words "Laus Deo" and any reference to God.
What's more, a replica of the capstone had been positioned so visitors could not see the side reading "Laus Deo."
Thanks to an e-mail campaign by outraged Americans, the references to God on the displays have now been restored. But the incident serves as a reminder of the near-constant threat of anti-religious bigotry in America.
When It Comes to Anti-Religious Bigotry, All Religions Are NOT Equal
Of course, when it comes to official anti-religious bigotry, not all religions are equal.
Did you know that, while religious images are under assault across the nation, in nine Western states the courts have ruled it constitutional for public schools to require a three-week course on the Islamic faith -- a course in which all junior-high students are mandated to pretend they are Muslims and offer prayers to Allah?
This is the same court, mind you, that infamously ruled (in the case brought by atheist activist Michael Newdow) that it is unconstitutional for students to mention "under God" in the Pledge of Allegiance.
Far from believing that religion should be banished from our public life, majorities of Americans believe that there is not enough religion and morality in:
- Movies and television (72%);
- The home life of children (71%);
- Public schools (64%); and
- Decision-making by our elected officials (60%).
The Values of Red, White and Blue America
Here's a sampling of the American people's most widely held views. Compare and contrast these views with what you hear and see coming out of Washington today:
- 96% believe it is important for the President and Congress to address the issue of Social Security in the next few years.
- 94% believe children should be allowed a moment of silence to pray to themselves in public school if they desire.
- 93% believe al Qaeda poses a very serious threat to the United States.
- 93% believe, in the worker visa program, that each worker should take an oath to obey the United States law and to be deported if the worker commits a crime while in the United States.
- 93% believe it is important to acknowledge today the reference to God in the Declaration of Independence -- that we are endowed by our Creator with the rights to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.
- 92% believe our focus should clearly be to provide long-term solutions instead of short-term fixes.
- 91% believe we should dramatically increase our investment in math and science education.
- 91% believe we should hold city governments to the same standards for cleaning waste water as are applied to the private industry.
- 90% approve of a Christmas tree or a Menorah being placed on public property during the holiday season.
One of the cornerstones of America's historical religious faith is the assertion, made so clearly in our Declaration of Independence, that our freedom comes from God.
This was a revolutionary proclamation in the history, not only of America, but of humankind. It means that no government or king grants us our freedom -- and no government or king can legitimately take it away. Our freedom is ours by virtue of the fact that we are all created by God.
But if our freedom comes from our Creator, it is protected and sustained by the men and women who serve our country when it needs it most.
Our God-given freedom was protected and sustained by my father, who served in World War II, Korea and Vietnam.
It is protected and sustained by the men and women serving in Iraq and throughout the world today.
Everyday, but most especially this Veterans' Day week, we owe our veterans the acknowledgment that they are the guardians of God's blessing of freedom. And we are their grateful beneficiaries.
Signed,
Newt Gingrich
Prayer Force
I believe in the power of the US Air Force. I believe even more in the Power of the Prayer Force. A good prayer force incursion and with prayer strikes of the spirit is an effective method of accomplishing the purposes of God.
I have tried to teach against the "GOD IS IN CONTROL" pacifism in much of the Church of Jesus. God is NOT in control. He placed that in our hands and on our knees.
He's Lord, He's King of Kings. He is wonderful counselor. He is Mighty God. But, He is not in control of this world. The world is in rebellion against him. Only those who have bowed the knee to him and are in submission to his Kingship are in his Kingdom. Everyone else remains under the devil's influence, control and domain. There is no middle ground.
He placed us on this earth and as his people he commands us to pray to release His hand according to His will. Nothing can happen unless those of us on earth pray Heaven down in an "ON EARTH AS IT IS IN HEAVEN" fashion. If we don't pray, declare it according to his word, or release the will of God Prophetically with Apostolic declaration nothing will happen except the increase of evil.
If we just sit around and "Trust God" without prayer according to His revealed word in the scripture we are not trusting God. We are being passive and unbelieving. I know that sounds harsh, but if we discover a purpose and destiny in the Word of God and then don't pray it we are saying to God, "I trust you in general, but in the specifics of my life, not so much,"
All this comes to light because in drought ravaged Georgia they are "Down" to prayer. Everything else has been tried, so why not try God (whatever you imagine him or her to be).
God will probably respond in spite of their disbelief. It's lucky I'm not God. I might just let them toast till they figure out who I am.
He won't. He's full of mercy and compassion.
He even says:
And in Isaiah where things had really gone wrong:
The promise of God for his people which includes you and me as grafted in believers is a wonderful truth for our future.
One other interesting prayer dynamic happening right now. In Kansas City there is a group asking people to pray to solve difficult police cases.
I know that my brethren in more traditional Christianity may not understand this, but God wants to empower his people supernatural understanding and knowledge. He drops information into people in prayer. This a spiritual download from the throne room. 1 Corinthians 12 identifies them as words of Knowledge and words of Wisdom. It happened all the time in the old testament. So much that the enemies of Israel kept asking themselves, how is it that Israel knows what we say in our inner chambers and defeats our plans to attack them. (I would have included a link to show this, but I couldn't remember where this great story is)
I think this is a good thing. Getting people to pray in the spirit for information only God knows to solve crime. This is so much better than consulting some psychic. And it glorifies God.
I have tried to teach against the "GOD IS IN CONTROL" pacifism in much of the Church of Jesus. God is NOT in control. He placed that in our hands and on our knees.
He's Lord, He's King of Kings. He is wonderful counselor. He is Mighty God. But, He is not in control of this world. The world is in rebellion against him. Only those who have bowed the knee to him and are in submission to his Kingship are in his Kingdom. Everyone else remains under the devil's influence, control and domain. There is no middle ground.
He placed us on this earth and as his people he commands us to pray to release His hand according to His will. Nothing can happen unless those of us on earth pray Heaven down in an "ON EARTH AS IT IS IN HEAVEN" fashion. If we don't pray, declare it according to his word, or release the will of God Prophetically with Apostolic declaration nothing will happen except the increase of evil.
If we just sit around and "Trust God" without prayer according to His revealed word in the scripture we are not trusting God. We are being passive and unbelieving. I know that sounds harsh, but if we discover a purpose and destiny in the Word of God and then don't pray it we are saying to God, "I trust you in general, but in the specifics of my life, not so much,"
All this comes to light because in drought ravaged Georgia they are "Down" to prayer. Everything else has been tried, so why not try God (whatever you imagine him or her to be).
God will probably respond in spite of their disbelief. It's lucky I'm not God. I might just let them toast till they figure out who I am.
He won't. He's full of mercy and compassion.
He even says:
2 Chronicles 7
13 "When I shut up the heavens so that there is no rain, or command locusts to devour the land or send a plague among my people, 14 if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land. 15 Now my eyes will be open and my ears attentive to the prayers offered in this place. 16 I have chosen and consecrated this temple so that my Name may be there forever. My eyes and my heart will always be there.
And in Isaiah where things had really gone wrong:
Isaiah 44
1 “But now listen, O Jacob, My servant, And Israel, whom I have chosen:
2 Thus says the LORD who made you And formed you from the womb, who will help you, ‘Do not fear, O Jacob My servant; And you Jeshurun whom I have chosen.
3 ‘For I will pour out water on the thirsty land And streams on the dry ground; I will pour out My Spirit on your offspring And My blessing on your descendants;
4 And they will spring up among the grass Like poplars by streams of water.’
The promise of God for his people which includes you and me as grafted in believers is a wonderful truth for our future.
One other interesting prayer dynamic happening right now. In Kansas City there is a group asking people to pray to solve difficult police cases.
I know that my brethren in more traditional Christianity may not understand this, but God wants to empower his people supernatural understanding and knowledge. He drops information into people in prayer. This a spiritual download from the throne room. 1 Corinthians 12 identifies them as words of Knowledge and words of Wisdom. It happened all the time in the old testament. So much that the enemies of Israel kept asking themselves, how is it that Israel knows what we say in our inner chambers and defeats our plans to attack them. (I would have included a link to show this, but I couldn't remember where this great story is)
I think this is a good thing. Getting people to pray in the spirit for information only God knows to solve crime. This is so much better than consulting some psychic. And it glorifies God.
Monday, November 12, 2007
A Question I keep trying to Answer, Maybe this is it
I have a friend in North Dakota who's son was far from God. Then he got right with God. He repented from his sins and began to turn his life around. Then a week later he was logging in the woods, a tree fell on him and killed him.
This dear brother and his wife asked me and others "why did this happen"? The answer was hard. God didn't kill their son. God withdrew his hand of protection and allowed him to be taken because he knew what the future would have been if he hadn't. He was protecting him from the evil to come. He was making certain that his legacy would be one of salvation, protection and rest in Jesus rather than backsliding again as he had so often before.
Would Harold and his wife rather the boy lived in sin and degradation and gone to hell as had been the pattern of his life in the past or is this a better outcome. They miss him deeply. He was a great kid. He's safe from the enemy now.
The warning is sobering even to me. If after knowing what I know, I continue to sin against God there is a sin that leads to death. God would rather have me home with him than here and headed for hell. Here's a verse to consider:
It's sobering to even think about. It's more sobering if it's you or me. Raise your children to be Godly and warn them of the consequences of drifting from him. It can be a matter of life and death for them.
This dear brother and his wife asked me and others "why did this happen"? The answer was hard. God didn't kill their son. God withdrew his hand of protection and allowed him to be taken because he knew what the future would have been if he hadn't. He was protecting him from the evil to come. He was making certain that his legacy would be one of salvation, protection and rest in Jesus rather than backsliding again as he had so often before.
Would Harold and his wife rather the boy lived in sin and degradation and gone to hell as had been the pattern of his life in the past or is this a better outcome. They miss him deeply. He was a great kid. He's safe from the enemy now.
The warning is sobering even to me. If after knowing what I know, I continue to sin against God there is a sin that leads to death. God would rather have me home with him than here and headed for hell. Here's a verse to consider:
Isaiah 57:1-2 (New Living Translation)
1 Good people pass away;
the godly often die before their time.
But no one seems to care or wonder why.
No one seems to understand
that God is protecting them from the evil to come.
2 For those who follow godly paths
will rest in peace when they die.
It's sobering to even think about. It's more sobering if it's you or me. Raise your children to be Godly and warn them of the consequences of drifting from him. It can be a matter of life and death for them.
I wonder how that Porkchop tastes about now.
I was having dinner with a Muslim friend of mine from Pakistan a few days ago. I had pork chops and he had lamb.
It was a working dinner. He's an international businessman and imports merchandise from the east. We had a joint deal in interest we were trying to negotiate.
There was too much food. So, as most people do, we both asked for "doggy boxes". I had a whole pork chop left. He had a partially eaten lamb chop.
When the waiter brought it to us I quizzed him if we each got our correct remainders. He assured us in broken spanglish that we did.
So, I'm now wondering how Shahid is enjoying his PORK CHOP.
I'm enjoying his lamb.
Righting a Wrong to our Veterans
We as a country are not treating our returning veterans right. They are coming back from war without a Job, without a future, without limbs sometimes, under stress, and many end up homeless.
Our private sector is not responding to the cause. Without a private sector to respond, we need to at least make the public sector a place where these defenders of our freedoms can make a living.
It used to be that if you were a vet you were nearly automatically hired in a public sector job. Now it's minorities. I want our vets to take all precedent over anyone from the country or city no matter what in any public job. If we are providing a free living for those who know how to work the welfare system in the city or those who know how to work the welfare system in the country otherwise known as farm subsidies.
It's veterans day, my hat is off and my thanks is real.
Sunday, November 11, 2007
Liberals are bad 6th Grade Scientists
Click on the cartoon below and see it full sized. There is a really dumb error in science in the strip. Answer below.
Ozone is NOT a greenhouse gas. Not Stratospheric and Not Tropospheric. This is a piece of Junk Science.
OH, It's OK. There are all kinds of support for this bogus idea. That is until you get an actual scientist to comment on it.
I wish they would have paid attention. Liberals have only two Theses.
1. There is no God, Religion is Wrong.
2. The economic system of Capitalism is corrupt.
That's about it. Nearly all the arguments they make root in those two concepts.
Time for a new thesis folks.
Ozone is NOT a greenhouse gas. Not Stratospheric and Not Tropospheric. This is a piece of Junk Science.
OH, It's OK. There are all kinds of support for this bogus idea. That is until you get an actual scientist to comment on it.
I wish they would have paid attention. Liberals have only two Theses.
1. There is no God, Religion is Wrong.
2. The economic system of Capitalism is corrupt.
That's about it. Nearly all the arguments they make root in those two concepts.
Time for a new thesis folks.
11-11-11
I don't know what I can say on this veterans day that I hasn't already been said.
The Greatest Generation is great. They are still among us. Saying Thank You is important.
I want to also say thank you to all the vets among us. One thing that bothers me is the number of Vets even from the Iraq and Afghanistan wars who are jobless and homeless. This is a crime. What are we going to do about this?
They deserve better.
Meanwhile, THANK YOU. Words are so weak, but what's in my heart is strong.
The Missing ME Generation
It seems like every few years someone calls a generation the Me generation.
I don't know what generation legitimately is or is not the generation of ME. I do know this there is a generation MISSING in Church. I have blogged on this before. After attending a conference recently I posed this question, "Where are the middle age people?"
On TV tonight one of the worlds most powerful current apostolic leaders was on God TV. Todd Bentley. He is being used to do tremendous things world wide. He is releasing spiritual leadership around the Globe.
I looked at the crowd at the meeting he was conducting.
My observation is that off the attendees at this meeting ; 75% 35 years old or younger, 20% 60 or older and 5% from 35-59 years old.
Those are substantially the Baby Boomers plus born from 1947-1973. Where are they? How did we lose them. Why aren't they in Church or seeking after God. They are supposed to be the biggest generation ever to move thru the generations in America. I think they may be in fact the most lost generation of all. Too much attention paid to them. Too much about them. Too much of ME ME ME. I am not critical of them. They were coddled and cooed until they became spoiled rotten. They want a God who will spoil them too.
They are lost to the Church, they are lost to themselves, they are lost and headed for Hell unless we figure out how to tell them that so they listen.
I'm optimistic about the generation coming up. They are passionate about Jesus and seeking. I'm optimistic about the older generation. Those sold out to Jesus are really sold out.
I wish I could say otherwise. But, from what I see we in the Body of Christ have lost a whole generation of people.
If you want to check it out, take a look at the conference I saw on God TV. It's on at 12:30AM in a few hours from now on channel 365 on direct TV or tune in on the internet. You can tune in on the internet or by TV and see what the attendee group looks like in pretty much any conference. You'll see what I mean.
It's sort of sad.
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