waiting to go home

feeble knees

2007-08-01T15:59:00.000-07:00

Last night I came across Hebrews 12:12, "Therefore strengthen the hands which hang down, and the feeble knees, and make straight paths for your feet, so that what is lame may not be dislocated, but rather be healed."

I had just gotten back from a trying evening at work and I felt emotionally beat down. This verse reminded me of the importance of relying on God to keep me strong and the importance of having Christian fellowship for encouragement and for building a person up.

Sometimes I forget why God instigated the church and why Christian fellowship is important. What's so great about hanging out with more sinners? What's so great, I realized, is that these sinners know the truth and our Christian friends can give us support, encouragement, and wisdom that God has given them.

I think that's also why Ecclesiastes 4:10 says, "For if they fall, one will lift up his companion. But woe to him who is alone when he falls, for he has no one to help him up."

rest

2007-03-22T20:14:00.000-07:00

With green leaves unfurling, pink flowers budding, and the birds waking up from the winter, I can hardly believe that spring is here with summer closely on its heels. I'm two-thirds through my school semester and although I'm enjoying the sunshine, I am so ready for spring break (which starts Saturday!).

A recent focus in our last school chapel was reconnecting with God. During that time I felt that I really should be just resting in God and finding comfort in the complete control He has over my life. I'm tired, but I am confident about where He has me for the summer. He has clearly shown me the path--I just need to follow.

Matthew 11:28-29

"Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light."

something else to add

2006-12-22T22:04:00.000-08:00

I just realized I might add something by way of explanation. I'm back home on Christmas break, and finally have time to update my blog. Funny thing, at college there are so many real live people in front of me that I have little time for cyberspace.

That said, Spurgeon's sermons and Superman aren't the only things that are keeping my brain occupied. Four months away from home has taught me so many lessons, and I know I have so many more to learn.

what the world needs

2006-12-22T20:38:00.000-08:00

We were watching Superman Returns the other night, and one section of dialogue particularly caught my attention. During a encounter between Superman and Lois Lane (female heroine), Superman takes Lois flying way up high and asks her a question.

"Listen, what do you hear?"
Lois answers, "I don't hear anything."

And Superman says, "I hear everything. You wrote that the world doesn't need a savior, but everyday I hear people crying for one."

It's hard to see the Christmas story through fresh eyes when I've been hearing it for 19 years. Sitting tranquilly in my warm home with enough food, and warm clothes to wear, life doesn't seem that bad. Sin doesn't seem that bad. I can't hear anything. I can easily get lost in my Christian "bubble," and forget why I need Christ.

Take a step outside the bubble. Where there are countries at war. Where there are millions of orphaned children. Where people suffer the effects of AIDS. Where every so many seconds, some horrible crime is committed.

Where everyday, someone is crying for a Savior.

God hears everyone. He hears the single mother with three children in a homeless shelter, who is about to get kicked out. He hears the girl in Ethiopia whose country is ravaged by AIDS, who can't move up to the next grade. He hears a young man whose heart has been broken.

He sent us a Savior in an unlikely package: the child of a virgin mother.

"And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name JESUS, for He will save His people from their sins.”-Matthew 1:21

"Little-Faith"

2006-11-20T16:39:00.000-08:00

I never really expected to get anything out of a sermon written in 1885.

Yesterday wandering around my college library, I picked up a book of Spurgeon's sermons. I anticipated dry reading and was pleasantly surprised by a sermon I really needed, "the History of Littte-Faith."

I thought I'd share a few of the best parts...

A call to humility...
"Let no man think of himself beyond his own experience. Experience is the true gauge; and he who boasts of an untried faith is puffed up with vain glory. Stretch not your arm beyond your sleeve, lest it be frost-bitten."

The beauty of "Little-Faith"...
"Those who have greater faith know that they have found their Lord; they know that he is as the sun which cannot be hidden; they feel his warmth, and rejoice in his light; yet the keen hunger after Christ which goes with Little-Faith is an admirable thing, and the Lord himself hath blssed it...the eager longings of a trembling heart after the Lord Jesus are full of loveliness and fragrance, and are by no means to be despised."

Comfort for "Little-Faith"...
"He that believeth even with a little and a trembling believing, is safe beneath the guardian care of the Eternal God."

Spurgeon based his entire "History of Little Faith" sermon off of Matthew 14:31,

"And immediately Jesus stretched out His hand and caught him, and said to him, 'O you of little faith, why did you doubt?' "

who are you to judge another?

2006-10-19T15:31:00.000-07:00

One of my biggest struggles has been my critical attitude toward others. So, when I heard Pastor Dee Duke give his sermon, “Do Not Judge One Another,” I felt very blessed and inspired. This would be the first 25 point sermon I’ve ever heard.

To aid in comprehension, I regrouped some of these points, paraphrased in some cases, and directly quoted most points.

Human nature-the way things are
· We’re continually evaluating other people’s behavior, character and motives.
· The longer we have been a Christian, the stronger the urge to judge others.
· Another cause of a judgmental attitude as we age is our pride in our growth.
· Judging has a spirit of criticalness, meanness, pride, contempt, arrogance and judgment.
· Very few practices cause more problems and division in families, groups and churches than judging others does.

God’s Perspective
· The Pharisees’ big sin was judging others. Luke 7:36-39
· Jesus spoke against judging others more than any other sin. Luke 15:25-30
· We are all in various stages of growth. Accepting others is trusting God to grow and change others at His own pace. Romans 15:7, Matthew 18:10
· A judgmental attitude is particularly odious to God as He observes our life. Isaiah 65:5-7; 2 Samuel 6:23
· God is judge and that is a job that He is not going to share with us. James 4:11-12, 1 Corinthians 4:5, Romans 14:10-13
· God gives great mercy to those who resist the urge to judge others. Matthew 7:1, Luke 6:36-38

Judging-Implications for Our Lives
· When we judge others in our heart and mind, we will despise them, gossip about them, and treat them with contempt. Example: Michael judging David’s dancing. 2 Samuel 6:14-16, 20
· The more we judge others, the less we will grow in holiness. James 4:11-12
· Very few practices by Christians are more alienating to non-Christians than our proneness to judge others.
· We never pray for those we gossip about, and we never gossip about those we pray for. [taken from a separate sermon, but equally applicable]

Changing our Behavior
· A major key to breaking the bad habit of judging others is to pray for their sins, character flaws and weaknesses.
· We can evaluate other people’s behavior, character and motives for the purpose of encouraging them, praying for them, and gently motivating them. Ephesians 6:18, Hebrews 10:24, Galatians 6:1

Implications That Mercy Has On Our Lives
· As we pray for others instead of judging them, our understanding for them grows.
· As we pray for others instead of judging them, our wisdom in how to help and encourage them grows.
· We can be disciplining ourselves to thank the Lord constantly for all His mercy and grace, which will stir us to practice the same mercy and grace to others.
· The more mercy we give to others, the more mercy God will give to us at the “Judgment Seat of Christ” Romans 14:10-13, 2 Corinthians 5:10, Colossians 3:24-25

control issues

2006-10-14T16:38:00.000-07:00

Have I asked God to unveil His vision for my life, or am I only asking Him to bless a plan that I have come up with?

bride of Christ

2006-09-21T16:47:00.000-07:00

I find myself compelled to return to the bride of Christ analogy. While sitting in my general psychology class, something suddenly occured to me.

The character qualities I'm looking for in a husband are ones that Christ already exemplifies.

I want a man who would be willing to die for me.
One Man, Christ, already did.

I want a man to protect me. I want someone who won't desert me.
Jesus is the ultimate protector. He will never leave me nor forsake me.

I want a man to spend the rest of my life with.
I already know who I want to spend eternity with.

Christ is my bridegroom.

Psalm 34:8-10
"Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the man who trusts in Him! Oh, fear the Lord, you His saints! There is no want to those who fear Him. The young lions lack and suffer hunger; but those who seek the Lord shall not lack any good thing."

refining fire

2006-09-12T19:53:00.000-07:00

This Sunday I had the privilege of listening to a message titled, "Sensing God in the Storms of Life." The message had several good points, but one striking analogy.

The pastor explained the story of how silver is refined. Once the silversmith puts the silver in the fire, he doesn't take his eye off it. He doesn't let anything distract him. How does he know when the silver is perfect and pure? "I know the silver is pure when I can see my face reflected in it."

You will recall Bible verses that speak of God refining our hearts.

Psalm 66:10
"For You, O God, have tested us; You have refined us as silver is refined."

Daniel 11:34-36
"Now when they fall, they shall be aided with a little help; but many shall join with them by intrigue. And some of those of understanding shall fall, to refine them, purify them, and make them white, until the time of the end; because it is still for the appointed time."

Finally, the verse I found most powerful.

Zechariah 13:9
"I will bring the one-third through the fire, will refine them as silver is refined, and test them as gold is tested. They will call on My name, and I will answer them. I will say, 'This is My people'; and each one will say, 'The Lord is my God.' "

"I know the silver is pure when I can see my face reflected in it."

We are pure when we reflect God's image.

one desire, one focus

2006-09-08T00:28:00.000-07:00

This last week has been an incredible time of growing and learning, of seeking God and relying on Him. The theme for my dorm hall is the bride of Christ. I'm so used to being dependent on my family, that it has become a crutch. It's hard and yet really good and important to learn to be on my own.

One verse has really stood out to me this week,

Psalm 73:25-26
"Whom have I in heaven but You? And there is none upon earth that I desire besides You. My flesh and my heart fail; but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever."

I am praying that God will help me to seek Him and rely on Him only.

Psalm 119:10
"With my whole heart I have sought You; oh, let me not wander from Your commandments!"

chivalry

2006-09-04T14:04:00.000-07:00

I turned over a couple of jewels in my blog surfing today on the subject of chivalry. Hannah Beth of Beauty from the Heart wrote a post titled "Chivalry is Dead"...a Commentary." She uses a teacup analogy which I would encourage you to read. Krista, from Musings of a Lady, posted a link to an inspiring story about ladies.

These two posts reminded me of a policy here at my college. During orientation evening, we were informed that girls could pick up a safety whistle at the student life office. Girls were warned to blow the whistle only in an emergency. Guys were told that they were expected to come running and protect the ladies here if they heard a whistle blowing.

I was impressed by this public expectation that guys would protect the ladies around them, but I've also been struck by the care the guys here take to open doors for girls.

Picture credit

MySpace is Everyone'sSpace

2006-09-01T13:29:00.000-07:00

At chapel this morning, our student body received an interesting annoucement. Last year, MySpace and Facebook were banned on campus. This year they've decided to unban both, but with a little catch. Apparently the college has everyone's MySpace on file and during every chapel, they will put some random MySpace up on the projector screen.

Although I don't think MySpace or any space for that matter is inherently evil, I do see a lot more objectional material there. I have a feeling everyone will be updating their MySpaces today. Even if the content isn't bad, it could be personal.

Our campus pastor said that the purpose of this measure was to hold everyone accountable.

What do you think about this decision? Should this be left up to the students? Should the college be monitoring this?

so much more

2006-08-29T20:35:00.000-07:00

I am almost all moved into my dorm room! In between various events, fairs, and staying up way too late, I'm not getting much sleep. Maybe I'll catch up on the weekends. I've made a lot of new friends.

Some friends and I were in the car today when I had a thought. There a lot of Rachels here at college, and I thought of Rachel in the Bible. We don't hear much about her spiritual life. It reminded me of that verse in the Bible that says that too many things happened to document (if someone knows where this verse is, please let me know). We probably haven't even touched the tip of the iceberg as far as reading about the miracles Jesus performed.

Edit: Elizabeth Moore of Study.Quiet provided the Bible verse (thanks!) reference.

"Now there are also many other things that Jesus did. Were every one of them to be written, I suppose that the world itself could not contain the books that would be written."John 21:25

Anyway, that's my thought for the day. Other than that, ice cream socials are fun...although more fun when you aren't shivering in your sweatshirt.

Off to College!

2006-08-25T20:55:00.000-07:00

Well, it's my last night in my own bed for a long while. I'm off to a small Christian college in the Northwest. This will be my junior year, so college isn't entirely new to me, but the dorm experience will be!

I expect to be very busy while I'm getting settled in and until I get used to taking 17 credits.

Until then, may the grace of God be with you all.

another one of those

2006-08-23T21:17:00.000-07:00

Just when you thought another diet couldn't exist...

Stephen Lanzalotta creates the "Da Vinci Diet" and writes The Diet Code: Revolutionary Weight-Loss Secrets from Da Vinci and The Golden Ratio. Click to read the complete article.

God is working on me

2006-08-21T00:10:00.000-07:00

Sometimes I don't feel like God hears my prayers. Sometimes I think God is angry with me and won't answer my prayers. But this week God has certainly heard me. I was thankful and happy for His help in time of need-a practical matter, I lost something, and now it is found.

I also requested that the Holy Spirit would remind me when I committed particular sins. But I forgot that God's answer might not be quite what I had in mind.

Ask and you shall receive.

It hurts. But I know God loves me. My Father chastens the ones He loves.

living water

2006-08-12T11:47:00.000-07:00

I'm back! I spent the last week camping with my family, and we were able to see a variety of God's creation, including a black bear!

We camped at two different locations, and both times were able to be close to a water feature. We actually spent two nights next to this waterfall.

All that water reminded me of when Jesus spoke to the Samaritan woman.

John 4:10, 13-14

"Jesus answered and said to her, 'If you knew the gift of God, and who it is who says to you, 'Give Me a drink,' you would have asked Him, and He would have given you living water.' "

"Whoever drinks of this water will thirst again, but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst. But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life."

Heart: Part II

2006-08-01T19:08:00.000-07:00

Heart: Part II continued from Heart: Part I

The Heart Must Be Conformed to God
The Bible says that our hearts are desperately wicked and for that reason, we must ask God to help us mold them into hearts that follow Him. In seeking to become like God, one must study and understand the heart of God. What do we know about God? He hates sin. This type of examination is painful. Our hearts do not naturally desire God and His precepts. We need to seek conformity with God, not to this world. Psalm 84:5 says, “Blessed are those whose strength is in you, who have set their hearts on pilgrimage.”

The Heart Must be Protected
We hear about guarding our hearts, protecting our purity, putting on the full armor of God. Ephesians 6:12-13 writes,

“For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.”

We protect our hearts that they may remain sensitive to the evils of sin, and not callused.

Imagine the heart is like a castle. Although the king of the castle may have lands and people that lie outside its boundaries, the castle is the main fortress. If those castle walls are strong, well maintained, and well guarded, then the enemy will be hard put to enter. However, if the walls have been broken down, the gate breached, and the guard sleeps, then it will be easy to conquer that castle. So it is with your heart. What things have crept into your life that compromise the “security” of your heart?

In C.S. Lewis’ Screwtape Letters, the senior devil, Screwtape, advises his nephew that the best way to bring a man down is not to confront him directly, but wear him down. Screwtape writes,

“We know that we have introduced a change of direction in his course which is already carrying him out of his orbit around the Enemy; but he must be made to imagine that all the choices which have effected this change of course are trivial and revocable.”

Luke 11:21 says, “When a strong man, fully armed, guards his own house, his possessions are safe.”

The Result of Heart Work
Jeremiah 24:7 says, “I will give them a heart to know me, that I am the LORD. They will be my people, and I will be their God, for they will return to me with all their heart.”

If we live in accordance with God’s word, loving Him with all our heart and soul and mind, then we will be able to say, “Lord, you have my whole heart.”

Heart: Part I

2006-07-28T06:24:00.000-07:00

Who Has Your Heart?
The heart has four chambers and pumps blood throughout our physical bodies. Each day, the average heart pumps about 2,000 gallons of blood. There’s another kind of heart—our spiritual hearts. They’re nothing pretty to look at. God said in Genesis, “Never again will I curse the ground because of man, even though every inclination of his heart is evil from childhood.” There’s an absolute statement in that verse: “Every inclination of his heart is evil.”

In the chapter of Practical Christianity titled “Heart Work,” Arthur W. Pink uses the verse from Proverbs 4:23, “Keep thy heart with all diligence.” I found the “Heart Work” section of Pink’s book helpful, especially in light of the idea that the heart is the wellspring of life.

The dictionary defines wellspring as, “a source, an abundant source.” One might say the heart is the source of life. In Practical Christianity, Pink writes, “If our heart be the residence of impiety, pride, avarice, malice, impure lusts, then the whole current of our lives will largely be tainted with these vices.” Although Pink’s comments on this topic are extensive, I find three points I think best summarize his discussion. The heart must be tended. The heart must be conformed to God. The heart must be protected.

The Heart Must be Tended
Like a garden, the heart requires continual work. Sin must be rooted out, encouragement watered on, and nourishment from God’s word applied. Imagine a garden planted on the edge of a forest, overgrown with brambles, weeds, and the entangling roots of the buttercup. The surrounding environment is not conducive to healthy growth. More than likely, the garden will become overwhelmed and taken over by weeds. A while ago I quit a weekly social visit to the newspaper office I worked for, because I found that the ensuing conversation had a negative impact on my soul. Although I feel secure in my knowledge of the truth, the very environment caused my thoughts to be angry, resentful, and sinful.

Examine your heart. What sin needs to be exposed and destroyed? Each day, meditation on God’s word and prayer are essential. Often I do truly hunger for God’s word, wanting something more than this world can offer, needing more than lies, platitudes, and relativity. I need truth. Like a deer pants for water, so my soul pants for God. In my own life, I find that when I’m careless or sloppy about communing with God, my spiritual well being suffers. I require constant help from God to feel loved, to feel cheerful, and to remember God’s truth.

In the Old Testament, one can see the Israelites constantly falling away. They required constant reminder of God, what He expected from them, and what He had done for them. As a child I found myself scornful of the Israelites frail moral character, but now I empathize with their plight. I believe one of the reasons the Israelites occupy a large portion of the Bible is to remind us of our tendency to be forgetful.

To be continued...

Reliability of the Bible: Part III

2006-07-22T11:58:00.000-07:00

The Bible: The Most Bibliographically Verified Source in History

continued from Reliability of the Bible: Part I, and Reliability of the Bible: Part II

Same Theme all the way through

The continuity of the Bible amazes me.

66 different books
40 different authors
3 different languages
Written over a 1500 year time span
Same message, same God, same Savior

2 Timothy 3:16-17, “All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, 17 that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.”

Secular Writings

Dr. Phil Fernandes took some time to point out several ancient secular writers who confirmed the message of the New Testament.

Thallus (52 A.D.) wrote about the darkness of the sky when Jesus died

Mark 15:33-34, “Now when the sixth hour had come, there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour. And at the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, ‘Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?’ which is translated, ‘My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?’ ”

Tacitus (115 A.D.) wrote about Christ’s death and the 50 day gap before the explosion of Christianity

Acts 2:41, “Then those who gladly received his word were baptized; and that day about three thousand souls were added to them.” [on the day of Pentecost after Jesus’ ascension into heaven]

Josephus (37-97 A.D.) hired by the Romans to record Jewish history, says he used to visit Noah’s Ark on Mt. Ararat

Genesis 8:3-4, “The water receded steadily from the earth. At the end of the hundred and fifty days the water had gone down, and on the seventeenth day of the seventh month the ark came to rest on the mountains of Ararat.”

Talmud (70-200 A.D.) talks about Jesus as illegitimate and a sorcerer.

Acts 2:22, “Men of Israel, hear these words: Jesus of Nazareth, a Man attested by God to you by miracles, wonders, and signs which God did through Him in your midst, as you yourselves also know…” [emphasis mine]

Common Experience of Christians

Since Jesus’ resurrection, millions of people have come to know Christ as their Lord and Savior. Each person is an eyewitness to the miracles that God performs in their own lives the lives of others. Every true Christian has a personal relationship with Jesus.

At Worldview Academy, I felt incredibly encouraged by the presence of so many young Christians. At a Christian leadership camp, it’s reasonable to expect that almost everyone is a Christian. That knowledge—that all these people believe the same truth I believe and that we all love the same Savior—fills me with joy.

***********
Resources

The Bible
The New Evidence by Josh McDowell
Thy Word is Truth by E.J. Young
The New Testament Documents by F.F. Bruce

http://www.everystudent.com/features/bible.html
http://www.godandscience.org/apologetics/bibleorg.html
http://www.godsaidmansaid.com/topic3.asp?Cat2=262&ItemID=555
http://www.biblicaldefense.org/Writings/old_testament_reliability.htm
http://biblicaldefense.org/

Note: All Biblical references are from the New King James version.

Reliability of the Bible: Part II

2006-07-21T14:07:00.000-07:00

The Bible: The Most Bibliographically Verified Source in History

continued from Reliability of the Bible: Part I

Archaeology

Jay Winslow pointed to three (among many) archaeological discoveries which confirmed what the Bible says: Hittites, Assyrians, and Jericho.

Hittites

Joshua 1:4, “From the wilderness and this Lebanon as far as the great river, the River Euphrates, all the land of the Hittites, and to the Great Sea toward the going down of the sun, shall be your territory.”

In 1906, Hugo Winkler found the Hittite civilization. These people are spoken of in the Bible, but people had previously said that the Hittites didn’t exist.

Assyrians

Isaiah 19:23, “In that day there will be a highway from Egypt to Assyria, and the Assyrian will come into Egypt and the Egyptian into Assyria, and the Egyptians will serve with the Assyrians.”

Similar to their disbelief of the Hittites, people also thought the Assyrians didn’t exist. Since then, the entire city of Nineveh (one of the major, ancient Assyrian cities), has been unearthed.

Jericho

Hebrews 11:30, “By faith the walls of Jericho fell down after they were encircled for seven days.”

In the Bible, Jericho is famous for its miraculous destruction. The Israelites marched around the walls once a day for six days, then on the seventh day marched around it seven times. After the final march, the priests blew trumpets, the people shouted, and the walls fell down.

In a normal siege, the walls would fall inwards as the attackers surged in that direction. Garstang, the archeologist who excavated Jericho, said, “As to the main fact, then, there remains no doubt: the walls fell outwards so completely that the attackers could be able to clamber up and over the ruins into the city."

How can this be? God’s miraculous hand at work.

Prophecy

Isaiah 46:9-10, “I am God…Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times things that are not yet done.”

In the Old Testament, over 2,000 predictive prophecies have been fulfilled. 333 of these prophecies concern Christ. Jay Winslow spoke about a man who decided to research the chances the one man could fulfill just eight of the 333 prophecies that Jesus fulfilled.

I wasn’t able to write down all eight, but I do have six of The Eight Coincidental Prophecies:

Born at Bethlehem
Preceded by a messenger
He was to enter Jerusalem on a donkey
Betrayed by a friend for 30 pieces of silver
Money thrown into God’s house and given for potter’s field
Silent before accusers

What are the chances?

1 in 10 to the 17th power. That’s like covering the state of Texas two feet deep in silver dollars, marking one silver coin, and allowing someone in a helicopter to select one of those coins [example from Jay Winslow].

And that’s just eight prophecies. The chances of a man fulfilling 48 prophecies? 1 in 10 to the 157th power.

Jesus fulfilled all 333 prophecies about the coming Messiah.

To be continued...

Reliability of the Bible: Part I

2006-07-19T17:01:00.000-07:00

The Bible: The Most Bibliographically Verified Source in History
Lecture Compilation and Summary

During my week at Worldview Academy (WVA), my favorite lecture was “Reliability of Scripture,” given by Jay Winslow. Although I’ve been brought up my entire life to trust the Bible, sometimes I’ve wondered why I should believe the Bible.

How do I know that it’s true?

Several months ago, during the first day of my sociology class, our professor told us to come with an open mind, leaving our religion and biases at the door. I believe she did this because it some sense, she did not believe that faith and reason are compatible. WVA lecturer Jay Winslow, pointed out a common assumption of unbelievers, “If you believe in the Bible, you’re a little bit wacky.”

Jay Winslow’s lecture succinctly pointed out two important parts of determining the reliability of scripture: MAPS and the common experience of Christians. He demonstrated that Christians do not have faith without reason, they have reasonable faith.

Although I very much appreciated the format of Jay Winslow’s lecture, subsequent lectures by Dr. Phil Fernandes provided additional information, which I incorporated into this summary. I also referenced the Bible, several web sources, and my personal experience.

MAPS

By MAPS, Jay Winslow didn’t actually mean a picture diagram of the world. MAPS stands for Manuscripts, Archaeology, Prophecy, and Same theme all the way through.

Manuscripts

Jay Winslow provided an excellent quote from John Warwick Montgomery,

“To be skeptical of the resultant text of the New Testament books is to allow all of classical antiquity to slip into obscurity, for no documents of the ancient period are as well attested bibliographically as the New Testament.”

Worldwide, students learn a huge quantity about ancient history, much of which doesn’t have huge amounts of manuscript copies to back it up. During the lecture, students had the opportunity to see a table in the slideshow presentation, which provided numbers of copies for various historical documents.

Author, Work, Number of Copies
Homer, Iliad, 643
Herodotus, History, 8
Thucydides, History, 8
Caesar, Gallic Wars, 10
Various, New Testament, 5366

The last listing in the table shows the New Testament with 5,366 copies. However, that number only encompasses Greek manuscripts. All together, the New Testament has 25,000 manuscripts.

Dr. Phil Fernandes pointed out that there is 99.5% agreement between the 25,000 New Testament copies. That means that 5 words in 1000 are called into question. By comparison, there is 95% agreement between Homer’s Iliad copies. That means that 50 in 1000 are called into question.

In short, the New Testament is 10 times more accurate than the Iliad.

For the sake of space and time, I can’t go into Old Testament accuracy here, but Dr. Phil Fernandes has provided a chapter from his doctoral dissertation on this subject at http://www.biblicaldefense.org/Writings/old_testament_reliability.htm.

To Be Continued...

Worldview Academy

2006-07-09T13:18:00.000-07:00

Think Hard, Think Well.

That's the goal of Worldview Academites. I'll be attending WVA this week, so there will be yet another lull in posting. I would encourage you to check out their website. When I return, I'll be posting on the many things I expect to have learned at WVA.

quote of the week

2006-06-28T21:18:00.000-07:00

"The New York Times (proudly publishing all the secrets unfit to spill since 9/11) and their reckless anonymous sources (come out, come out, you cowards) tipped off terrorists to America's efforts to track their financial activities.”

-Michelle Malkin, “The Terrorist-Tipping Times”

Blabbermouth New York Times. They’re at it again…sinking ships with their loose lips. In the last two days, Townhall alone has published seven columns on the disregard the NY Times has shown for national security.

It almost makes a person wonder if the NY Times is actually written by terrorists.

Found: WMDs

2006-06-24T16:05:00.000-07:00

For months, war protestors have been shouting, "No WMDs!" The Left has relentlessly harassed President Bush for lying about their existence and using that as a ploy to bring the US to Iraq.

Fox News reported Thursday that a declassified report from the National Ground Intelligence Center revealed that since 2003, the US has uncovered over 500 WMDs.

Admittedly, I have felt doubtful about the presence of WMDs, but not about President Bush's intentions for the War on Terror. In light of what I've learned, I have renewed trust in our president.

30.00

2006-06-23T15:28:00.000-07:00

30.00. It must be a special day. And that number will mean something in a moment.

At the crack of dawn this morning, I hauled myself out of bed and got ready for work. (4:45 a.m.) I always hate buying gas now for a multitude of reasons.

One, the outrageous prices. It’s practically an occasion for gnashing one's teeth. Two, I always have to do it at an inconvenient time. Sometimes I think, Oh I’ll buy gas after work. Fat chance. When I get home around 4 pm, I’ve already sat through some traffic, and I know there’s a line at the gas station. So then I think, Oh I’ll buy gas before work. Big fat chance. At 5:20 a.m., I totally don’t feel like standing outside in the cold for five minutes paying an exorbitant price for gas.

I put off buying gas for yet another day, and then one day realize that my tank is empty, so I’m forced to purchase gas at another inconvenient time so I’m late for work.

But, that doesn't have much to do with 30.00.

Today, I knew I had to buy gas, and I even left enough time to do so. Not only that, but as I drove up to the gas station, the sign read $2.89 for unleaded. Cheap! I could have danced for joy.

Not only that, but the gas gauge stopped exactly at $30.00. What are the odds of that? I survived my gas adventure and the sun shines in full glory. It’s going to be a good day.

new layout

2006-06-22T20:47:00.000-07:00

As you've probably noticed, I've switched blog templates (at least temporarily). Please let me know what you think! I've been feeling like the post font on my other template is too small to easily read. I'm trying to make my blog more reader friendly.

Hate it? Love it? Too boring?

united they stand

2006-06-22T20:44:00.000-07:00

Looking at Google headlines this morning, I came across a story by Liz Sidoti, “Democrats, Republicans Spar Over Iraq War,” focusing on statements Democrats made about the polarity of opinion about Iraq. One quote in particular snagged my attention.

" 'One hundred percent of the Democratic caucus believes it's time for change. One hundred percent of the Republican caucus believes it's time to stay the course,' Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., said during debate, voicing the Democratic view of the likely vote outcome as well as the choice facing voters this fall."

Durbin seems to have already forgotten last week’s vote on an amendment for a timetable to pull troops out of Iraq. The House voted 256-153 rejecting the amendment. The Senate voted 93-6 against the amendment.

Last time I checked (last week), Democrats weren’t solidified in their stance to pull out of Iraq. Let’s take a look at those percentages. 63% of the House voted against. 94% of the Senate voted against. Don’t try to tell me there are only six Democrats in the Senate.

On a related note, I just realized that Senator Durbin is the same man I wrote about in January [see “Alito confirmation questions-is he musical?” ]. Durbin questioned Supreme Court Justice Alito because he wouldn’t reveal his musical preferences.

If “One hundred percent of the Democratic caucus believes it's time for change,” then there wouldn’t have been such a huge majority vote against the Iraq timetable amendment.

Solidarity? I think not.

a deadly future

2006-06-20T21:01:00.000-07:00

I recently viewed the movie Gattaca, a sci-fi movie, in which society analyzes each human's DNA to determine their status in life. The hero, Vincent Freeman (played by Ethan Hawke), works as a janitor because of a heart defect. In direct contrast, Vincent's parents carefully select their second son for desirable traits to achieve as much perfection as possible. Vincent's longing to go into space causes him to decide to disappear from society, undergo dramatic physical changes, and re-emerge as someone with the "right" DNA to go on a space mission.

While watching the film, I felt aware of our society's trend towards these kind of practices, but didn't realize just how far we've fallen. Yesterday, Guardian Unlimited published "Improved Embryo Test Cuts Risk of Hereditary Illness."

"British scientists announced today an advanced screening test for embryos, using a form of DNA fingerprinting, which could help prevent couples passing inherited disorders such as cystic fibrosis on to their children."

This screening test won't prevent couples from passing inherited disorders on; instead it will involve the elimination and death of children with those inherited disorders.

We're closer to Gattaca than I thought.

quote of the week (or the sometime inbetween)

2006-06-15T19:20:00.000-07:00

"Our media today seem absolutely allergic to good news, especially when it comes to Iraq."-Brent Bozell

In his column titled "No TV Time for Heroism and Victories," Bozell highlights the media's scanty and pessimistic coverage of the Iraq war .

coffee

2006-06-13T04:42:00.000-07:00

There is such a thing as a good coffee story. There’s the one about my dad, who is the ultimate coffee connoisseur with his gourmet roasted coffee. Or the story my mom likes to tell about when she was a child, and she knew *one* family with an espresso machine. I personally like my tale of downing a tall black coffee in 10 minutes and being unable to stop moving afterwards. Sometimes these aren’t so much stories as juicy rumors. Like the one about the coworker whose coffee cup never gets washed. Can I just say—GROSS!

I clung to my clean coffee cup righteousness façade as though I would always keep my cup in the best of conditions. I say clung, because my claim on coffee cup purity is now a thing of the past. As I sit at my desk, I’m looking down into my coffee cup, which isn’t particularly dirty, but is graced by a dark, brown swirled film of coffee remains (Folger’s, Coffeemate creamer, and Equal sugar). The red straw I stirred that coffee with three (it could be five days, I couldn’t say) days ago, is actually stuck to the bottom of my cup.

This particular coffee cup has the “love verse” from Corinthians printed on it, and I’m just thankful it doesn’t say love is not lazy. The only problem with my work location is the distance from my desk to the mini kitchen. Sometimes it takes a lot of nerve to walk a dirty cup across the hall. I wouldn’t want anyone to actually find out what a loaf I am. Since I’m not actually so slothful that I would pour fresh coffee on icky sticky coffee goo, I’ll probably have to give up and wash my cup tomorrow when I want more coffee. Or, I’ll just bring in another cup.

rose in bloom

2006-06-08T05:59:00.000-07:00

"God has sown his name on the heavens in glittering stars; but on earth he planteth his name by tender flowers."-Jean Paul Richter

good art illustrated

2006-06-07T19:25:00.000-07:00

After my post about how good art should be defined, I thought it would be appropriate to provide an example of good art. This painting, “A Christian Martyr Drowned in the Tiber During the Reign of Diocletian,” fulfills the three requirements I listed: skill, beauty, and an explanation of life.

I found this painting on The State Hermitage Museum website, which has a wide variety of art including sculpture, artifacts, painting, and watercolor.

"A Christian Martyr Drowned in the Tiber During the Reign of Diocletian"

This is an oil painting done in 1853 by Hippolyte Delaroche (commonly called Paul).

I looked up Diocletian (person in the title of painting), and found that he reigned as emperor over the Roman Empire from A.D. 284-305. Along with Constantine, he established an absolute monarchy. Diocletian demanded absolute respect from his subjects. Some time toward the late period of his reign, Diocletian issued an edict that “all churches should be demolished, that the sacred Scriptures should be burned, that all Christians should be dismissed from public office, and that those who secretly met for public worship should be punished with death.”

marriage amendment

2006-06-05T20:08:00.000-07:00

This weekend, President Bush impressed me with his stand in protection of the institution of marriage. On June 7th, just two days away, the US Senate will be considering a Constitutional amendment that would define marriage as union between a man and a woman.

According to a poll from the Pew Research Center for the People and the Press, 63 percent of Americans opposed gay marriage in February 2004. The articles I read from the MSM regarding the upcoming debate didn’t sound hopeful about the passage of such an amendment. In “Bush Backs Amendment Banning Gay Marriage,” Nedra Pickler wrote, “It [the amendment] stands little chance of passing the 100-member Senate, where proponents are struggling to get even 50 votes. Several Republicans oppose the measure, and so far only one Democrat _ Sen. Ben Nelson of Nebraska _ says he will vote for it.”

In previous posts, I've focused on marriage and homosexuality.
Marriage Keeps People Healthy, Wealthy and Wise
A Great Evil

Orson Scott Card also wrote an excellent article on this topic, “Homosexual 'Marriage' and Civilization.” He explains what the breakdown of the family and traditional marriage will do to our society.

What do you think? Should the protection of marriage be a federal or state issue?

sacrificial defense

2006-05-29T09:32:00.000-07:00

"Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends."

-John 15:13

In grateful memory of all those brave souls who gave their lives for this country. To all the sons, daughters, fathers, mothers, uncles, and aunts, thank you for your sacrifice. And to the families left behind, you are "our living veterans of wars."

On January 16, 1984, President Ronald Reagan said, "We will always remember. We will always be proud. We will always be prepared, so we may always be free. "

Thank you for defending liberty.

created in His image

2006-05-28T10:20:00.000-07:00

While surfing the Worldview Academy blog, I discovered this video from the Discovery Channel, "Baby Cries in Womb."

Psalm 139:13-16
"For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well."

"free" healthcare

2006-05-27T10:56:00.000-07:00

In his May 1st speech, President Bush said, “To make our health care system work for all Americans, we have to choose between two philosophies: one that trusts government to make the best decisions for the people's health care, or one that trusts the people and their doctor to make the best decisions for their health care.”

Some countries, like Canada, have already adopted socialized subsidized healthcare system. Should the United States provide free healthcare to her citizens? Although some speculate that free healthcare is a basic human right, I believe that such a service would be detrimental to American citizens. A federally controlled program would perform inadequately, acquire excessive power, and result in wasted funds.

Uncle Sam has demonstrated ineptness in many areas such as our education system, where public school quality continues to deteriorate. The Boston Globe quoted Barry McGaw saying, “Given what the United States spends on education, its relatively low student achievement through high school shows its school system is ‘clearly inefficient.’ ”

Lack of healthy competition causes this problem, because without it, the government doesn’t have incentive to offer better care, lower prices, or faster service. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) Chairman Timothy J. Muris said, “Healthy competition equals healthy consumers. Consumers want high-quality, affordable, accessible health care, and the challenge of providing it requires new strategies.” If all citizens received free healthcare, quality would decline and competitors would disappear. Who can compete with free?

With a socialized healthcare system, control of it would be nationally concentrated. Executive Director of Americans for Free Choice in Medicine, Richard E. Ralston, explained the risks of this type of system. Among other problems, surrendering medical care to the government would diminish freedom of choice and result in even more mandatory fees. Choice is imperative to liberty. Without it, freedom is meaningless. The more dependent Americans become, the more liberties they give away.

Walter E. Williams, the John M. Olin Distinguished Professor of Economics, wrote that in desperation, Canada had outlawed private healthcare insurance in order to sustain the unpopular, socialized government healthcare. If this happened in the US, independent healthcare providers would likely go out of business, leaving Americans with fewer options.

Finally, free healthcare wouldn’t really be free. Just like social security, “free” healthcare would be tax funded. With the national debt now over 8 trillion dollars, Uncle Sam doesn’t need to be spending any more money. Yet that’s just what giving all citizens free healthcare would do. Given governmental inefficiency, the government would undoubtedly charge inefficient prices for healthcare. Not only would it cost taxpayers more money, but without directly paying for healthcare, citizens would likely misuse it.

Those laboring under the delusion of “free healthcare” should open their eyes. It won’t be healthy, it won’t be free, and it won’t be freedom. The more liberties America’s citizens retain the better.

Defining Art

2006-05-23T21:41:00.000-07:00

In 2004, Cosimo Cavallaro spread 315 lbs of sliced deli ham on a four poster bed. He called this art. I call this dumb.

Many people join with me in questioning the artfulness of Cavallaro’s work. What then is art? Fred Ross, chairman of the Art Renewal Center, wrote the essay, “Bad Art/Good Art,” saying, “Well, if everything is art, then nothing is art. Any definition that includes everything is not a definition at all.”

I propose a more exclusive definition of art: the skillful, conscious production of aesthetic material which beautifies and explains life.

According to Dictionary.com, artistry requires skill: a superior skill that you can learn by study and practice and observation. Much modern artwork, such as Cavallaro’s “ham bed” or Chris Ofili’s “The Virgin Mary” (made of several materials including elephant dung), doesn’t demonstrate skill. Ross describes the modern art philosophy, “Whether you dribble little dollops of colors or drag fat uneven slashes of black...The effect is always the same. MEANINGLESS PRIMITIVISM.” The ability to accurately and vividly portray a landscape now pales in the face of defecatory material smeared over a poorly depicted representation of the Virgin Mary. True art should be valued for the artist’s mastery of the medium.

Good art is beautiful. People buy sculptures, hang photos, and admire paintings because they are lovely. The Artist of this world, God, created a planet so vibrant and visually pleasing that humans endlessly enjoy trying to capture their own representation of it. Whether delighting in a bright yellow daffodil, the way the sun hits the edge of a cloud, or the black-purple colors during a thunderstorm, we appreciate the aesthetic value of the earth. Vincent Van Gogh’s “Starry Night” depicts a night sky glowing with stars. Although anyone might observe a starry night, Van Gogh drew attention to potentially unnoticed beauty. Georgia O’Keeffe painted flowers close up, giving care to tiny details like the black centers of two poppies.

Finally, some art doesn’t qualify as beautiful, but can be valued because it seeks to explain life. My art professor believes that good art provides answers. There is value in compositions which portray suffering, because they explain the realities of life. Jean-Léon Gérôme’s painting “Pollice Verso” portrays a crowd giving the thumbs down in a gladiator fight. Can you say that this painting is beautiful? Not really, but one can see the work as an explanation of Roman life at the time.

Given the subjective nature of art, its quality will always be debated. However, if artists demonstrate skill in their work and the art beautifies or explains life, there’s a good possibility that the art has value. Just don’t expect me to be impressed if you call a bloody, crumpled up piece of Kleenex art.

grateful for mercy

2006-05-08T19:59:00.000-07:00

“ ‘Why,’ she said, ‘we are just the same—I am only a little girl like you. It’s just an accident that I am not you, and you are not me!’ ”

Sara Crewe from A Little Princess (written by Frances Hodgson Burnett), said these words to the scullery maid, Becky.

Her words remind me of how grateful I ought to be. Although my role in this world is certainly no accident, but rather predestined by God, I do count myself blessed. Who knows why God chooses to put certain people in particular places?

The Bible clearly states in Romans 3:10-11, “There is none righteous, no, not one; there is none who understands; there is none who seeks after God.”

Nothing in me merits the fact that I’m living comfortably in America with anything I could possibly want. Besides that I know God planned it that way, there’s no particular reason why I was born in America instead of being born in Africa with AIDS. It’s through no merit of my own that I’m still alive and have every reason to expect to stay alive as opposed to being killed in a massacre.

In that vein of thought, the fact that I’m a Christian has nothing to do with anything good in me. Why would God choose me to be a part of his kingdom and allow someone else to go to hell? I’m no better than them. I don’t claim to understand God’s ways, but it’s thoughts like these that cause me to tremble in fear and worship my God because He is so great.

In Exodus 33:19 the Lord says, “I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion.”

Job realized the enormity of God’s power in Job 12:9-10, “Who among all these does not know that the hand of the Lord has done this, In whose hand is the life of every living thing, and the breath of all mankind?”

Who am I to complain about my life when I’m the recipient of divine mercy?

Psalm 18:28-30
“For You will light my lamp; the Lord my God will enlighten my darkness. For by You I can run against a troop, by my God I can leap over a wall. As for God, His way is perfect; the word of the Lord is proven; He is a shield to all who trust in Him.”

Discrimination is an Essential American Liberty

2006-05-01T08:04:00.000-07:00

I’m a victim. All around me, people are constantly discriminating against me. Just because I’m not a Revolutionary War descendant, I can’t get that scholarship award. If I try to walk into Costco, I’m shunned for being cardless. I can’t even sign up for a payment plan with Capital One. Wrong age, wrong family, wrong bank account (as in empty). Help! This isn’t fair. Actually, discrimination isn’t all bad.

Every person uses standards to make decisions. This differentiation is discrimination. In the article, “The Right to Discriminate,” Michael Miller wrote, “In fact, discrimination is essential. You can't live without it. You can't live for a day, let alone a lifetime, without continually choosing one thing and setting aside others, without preferring one thing to another.”

When a person chooses chocolate double chunk over vanilla ice cream, he displays bias. When an employer compares three interviewees and chooses one, he has indicated that one interviewee has more desirable qualities than another. Not only is type of distinction and choice appropriate, but it is necessary to life.

Foundational American liberties include freedom of speech, freedom of religion, and the freedom to organize and protest. Choice, which is discrimination, is imperative to liberty. Without it, freedom doesn’t mean anything. Dictionary.com defines freedom: The capacity to exercise choice; free will.

A couple of weeks ago, parade organizers and John Dunleavy, parade committee chairman of a St. Patrick’s Day Parade, refused to allow the Irish Lesbian and Gay Organization from participating in their parade. Although the gay rights campaigners boycotted the parade because they thought it unfair, the parade organizers simply used their American freedom to express a choice.

Imagine what a prochoice parade organizer might say if they were forced to allow a prolife group to march in their parade. Private organizations should have the right to exclude whom they wish.

Dictatorships force those under them to conform to their standards. A couple of weeks ago in Afghanistan, Abdul Rahman, a man who converted from Islam to Christianity, was imprisoned and almost killed for becoming a Christian. United States citizens should rejoice that our government doesn’t dictate choice.

Professors at colleges discriminate when they grade one paper higher than another. Costco discriminates when they require membership for entrance. Parade organizers discriminate when they exclude groups contrary to their platform. Even if someone finds a particular choice offensive, the right of private organizations and citizens to hold that position should be protected.

Voltaire put it nicely, “I may disagree with what you have to say, but I shall defend, to the death, your right to say it.”

You may also enjoy my other post on this topic: The Right to Discriminate.

philosophy and empty deceit

2006-04-25T18:47:00.000-07:00

A couple of weeks ago I had an interesting discussion with my art professor about art and life. He studies art’s purpose in life and finds their interrelation fascinating. While we were talking, he mentioned his religious beliefs. He said, “I know I’m a part of the universe and that is good enough for me.”

Empty Philosophy
At Worldview Academy, Bill Jack talked about the ways of the wizards, who are highly skilled individuals believing the wrong thing. My professor is no fool and certainly puts a lot of thought into life. Yet, after I had this discussion with him, and he explained his religious beliefs and tolerance for the beliefs and actions of others, I thought of Colossians 2:8.

"See to it that no one takes you captive through philosophy and empty deception, according to the tradition of men, according to the elementary principles of the world, rather than according to Christ."

Dictionary.com defines philosophy: Love and pursuit of wisdom by intellectual means and moral self-discipline. In and of itself, philosophy isn’t a bad thing, but like the Bible says, it is merely empty deception. We can say that one ought to treat people with respect, but why? Who cares? Why does it matter? Men and women philosophize to no end if it doesn’t lead them to Christ. Humans labor to find meaning and purpose in life, and some say they have found it, but truly, it is only empty deception. They have been deceived into thinking that their philosophy is enough, that the “elementary principles of the world” are sufficient.

“Good” People
It reminds me of a phrase some people like to use, “I’m a good person.” Some say that as long as you aren’t what society calls a “bad’ person, then all’s well. These people are under a great deception, they have bought into worldly philosophies, and they’re living the lie.

In my yoga class, our teacher talks about the restraints and observances of yoga which include non-violence, truthfulness, moderation in all things, non-stealing, non-covetousness, purity, contentment, austerity, study of the sacred texts, constantly living in an awareness of the Divine presence.

The above is a philosophy, a pursuit of wisdom by moral self-discipline. It sounds good, and I agree that truthfulness, non-stealing, non-covetousness, ect are important. However, people have been deceived if they think these self-disciplines are good enough. These things are of the world, these statements are very inclusive because most people would probably agree with them, and these statements lead to the broad path mentioned in Matthew.

“Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. 14 Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it.”-Matthew 7:13-14

Flee from the lie of empty philosophy and enter by the narrow gate. Don’t be taken captive.

Today

2006-04-19T17:58:00.000-07:00

Stress. Anxiety. Discontentment. Depression. What do these four words have in common?

These four words spawn from the common human problem of failing to live in Today. By stressing, we look to the future with apprehension. Anxiety is caused by fear of what lies ahead. Humans are discontent because they think the future may hold something better. When the future disappoints us, it causes depression.

Failing to Act in Today
One of my favorite verses in the Bible talks about the importance of living in Today.

“Beware, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief in departing from the living God; but exhort one another daily, while it is called “Today,” lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin.”-Hebrews 3:12-13

In illustration of this point, William J. Bennett’s story called "The Magic Thread" tells the story of a boy, who always wanted to be at a different point in his life. He received a ball with the thread of life, and every time he pulled on the thread, he could skip to the next best part. This boy skipped through the hard parts of life trying to get to the parts he wanted to live, and before he knew it, he was an old man, disappointed.

That boy was not living in Today. He always looked at Tomorrow and how he could be happy Tomorrow. I’m a lot like him because I imagine that in a couple of years I’ll have more time to work on reading my Bible. In a couple of years I’ll magically become kinder. The flip side to this type of thinking is worrying about Tomorrow. Will I have enough money Tomorrow? Will I meet Mr. Right Tomorrow? What about all these things I have to do Tomorrow?

Destroying Today’s Joy
In Matthew, Jesus specifically mentions worry.

“Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather in barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? Which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature?”-Matthew 6:25-27

“Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.”-Matthew 6:31-34

Sometimes I worry about the future that won’t happen. I imagine what life would be like if I had born in Africa with AIDS. How horrible, and how silly for me to worry about something that cannot happen. Or I wonder if great tragedy will befall me years from now when I become paralyzed from the waist down, blind and deaf. Or, I worry about something that will happen in class weeks from now, that I can do nothing about. All these cause me to feel depressed and afraid. I am not living in Today.

Practical Application
There’s a song by Tim McGraw called “Live Like You Were Dying” that tells the story of a man who finds out he’s dying and starts living more, forgiving more, and loving more. I think there’s a good message there. I want to live each day as though it were my last. Jesus talks about the need to be ready for his return at all times (Matthew 25:1-13). You can’t do that if you’re waiting for Tomorrow, because Today will come and you won’t be ready.

Practically speaking, what can I do about this?

First, I can prioritize. What duties do I need to think about Today? Which ones can I put out of my head for the time being? I know I need to finish my quilt, but it isn’t going to happen while I’m working and in school. This is a task that I don’t need to stress about Today.

All those character traits I’ve been waiting for Tomorrow to work on, can be worked on Today. I can smile at the grumpy lady down the hall Today. I can be cheerful even when my head aches Today. I can joyfully serve my family Today. I don’t need to wait until Tomorrow for any of these things.

Although Yoda isn’t a great philosopher by any stretch of the imagination, he did say something in The Empire Strikes Back that applies.

“A Jedi must have the deepest commitment, the most serious mind. This one a long time have I watched. All his life has he looked away... to the future, to the horizon. Never his mind on where he was. Hmm? What he was doing.”

I know it’s silly, but I spend a lot of time imagining terrible hypothetical situations. However likely or unlikely these situations, I need to remember the most important fact: God will never leave me nor forsake me. Nothing can separate me from the love of God (Romans 8:38-39). Ultimately that’s why I shouldn’t worry, because I never can lose that which is most important: Jesus Christ.

Up From the Grave He Arose

2006-04-16T21:35:00.000-07:00

As this Resurrection Sunday comes to an end, I feel compelled to at least pay tribute to this celebratory day. It should be the most important holiday for Christians. 2,006 years ago, Jesus Christ was crucified on the cross, separated from God, and bore the burden of our sins. The Jews and Pharisees thought they had destroyed Jesus forever.

Throughout my walk with God, Christ's resurrection from the dead becomes increasingly more meaningful to me. It is a pivotal part of the Christian faith. It was there on the cross, there in the tomb, that Christ's words were tested. Would the old prophesies be fulfilled? Could death destroy God?

The Crucifixion
Although I try, I can't imagine what it must have been like for those who loved Jesus to watch Him die on the cross. All their hopes, everything they had put faith in, must have felt shattered. Even though Jesus explained many times that He would rise from the dead on the third day, nobody seemed to believe it.

On the third day, to the disbelief of the apostles and Jews, Jesus Christ rose from the dead.

The Resurrection and Supremacy Over Death
Luke 24:5 says, "Then, as they were afraid and bowed their faces to the earth, they [the angels standing by the tomb] said to them, 'Why do you seek the living among the dead? He is not here, but he is risen!"

To pagans, death seems like the end. There isn't anything else. Just like that, life is over. However, Christ conquered death.

"O Death, where is your sting?
O Hades, where is your victory?"-1 Corinthians 15:55

Jesus Christ demonstrated that He was supreme over everything, including death. This gives us all the more reason to worship God.

"And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. But rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell."-Matthew 10:28

The End Result: Salvation and Inheritance
Ultimately, Christ's resurrection from the dead saved His elect from their sins and gave them eternal life.

"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and that does not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, who are kept by the power of God through faith for salvation ready to be revealed in the last time."-1 Peter 1:3-5

Eternal Life
Because Christ conquered death and saved His elect, we are to spend eternity with Him in heaven. There is no way that we could have earned such an existence, but God in His great mercy gave us the free gift of eternal life.

"They shall neither hunger anymore nor thirst anymore; the sun shall not strike them, nor any heat; for the Lamb who is in the midst of the throne will shepherd them and lead them to living fountains of waters. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes."-Revelation 7:16-17

I can't wait to enter into heaven and hope to hear my Savior say as He did to John,

"Do not be afraid; I am the First and the Last. I am He who lives, and was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore. Amen. And I have the keys of Hades and of Death."

gender diversity

2006-04-12T21:15:00.000-07:00

“What are little boys made of? Snips and snails, and puppy dog tails. That's what little boys are made of. What are little girls made of? Sugar and spice, and everything nice.” What separates girls and boys is more than sugar and snails; it’s inherent gender differences. The feminist agenda attacks important qualities of womanhood and manhood while claiming to promote gender equality.

The traditional role of women is mocked as an unworthy calling. The Women’s International Center (WIC) states, “Although these developments [abortion and contraception] have freed women for roles other than motherhood, the cultural pressure for women to become wives and mothers still prevents many talented women from finishing college or pursuing careers.” The WIC portrays being a wife and mother as less laudable than pursuing a career. Even though many women are happily “prevented” from finishing college, feminists treat motherhood as an inconsequential contribution.

The feminist agenda also threatens traditional male roles. Influential feminist Gloria Steinem said, “The cult of masculinity is the basis of every violent, fascist regime. … We need to raise our sons more like our daughters, with empathy, flexibility, patience and compassion.” Some feminists suggest that the patriarchal family is simply a way of oppressing women, and that masculinity only manifests itself in violence against women and other people. Hello, masculinity is not a bad thing. America’s women need courageous, risk taking men.

Not only does the feminist agenda undermine the unique qualities of both genders, but it attempts to lead each gender in the other direction. NOW (National Organization for Women) leader Lt. Col. Karen L. Johnson praised the lifting of a ban which restricted women’s positions in combat situations. However, not only are women less muscularly equipped than men, but they’re also at increased risk for sexual assault if captured. In the quote from Gloria Steinem, she wanted boys to move away from their masculine nature and toward femininity. Women aren’t encouraged to embrace femininity, and men aren’t encouraged to embrace masculinity.

Men and women really are different. A University of Virginia Health System study found male and female behaviors are actually built into our genes. In addition to being biologically suited to being mothers, women are designed to nurture. Men’s genes actually predispose them to more aggressive behavior, which, when used appropriately, can be an asset to society. Masculine behavior can cause men to fight wars and save their countries, lead groups of people, and come to quick decisions.

I am not saying that women are incapable of making decisions or that men can’t be gentle. However, I am saying that because male and female genes have uniquely equipped them, their traditional gender roles shouldn’t be scorned.

What happened to diversity? Why isn’t the diversity of men and women celebrated? Rather than men trying to act more like women, and women trying to act more like men, both genders should be proud of who they are. I have a unique role in society and I’m proud to be a woman.

putting God in a box

2006-03-31T22:41:00.000-08:00

“Largest Study of Prayer to Date Finds It Has No Power to Heal” said one headline on Google news this morning. The article from the LA Times cited a 2.5 million dollar study which studied 1800 patients recovering from heart surgery in six different hospitals.

The article makes a couple contentions:

“The largest study yet on the therapeutic power of prayer by strangers has found that it provided no benefit to the recovery of patients who had undergone cardiac bypass surgery.”
“In an unexpected twist, patients who knew prayers were being said for them had more complications after surgery than those who did not know, researchers reported Thursday.”

After reading a few articles on this topic, there were three things I noticed.

Religious Plurality
There’s an interesting theological issue involved because the study involved the prayers of Catholics and Protestants. Although some people might claim both denominations are one and the same, there’s a crucial difference. Catholics do not believe in salvation by grace alone like the Protestants. I’m sure there are some Catholics that are Christians, but Catholicism relies partly on works for salvation. Not only that, but Catholics don’t just pray to God, they also pray to Mary. The study didn’t differentiate between religions. The researchers based their conclusion on prayers to two different deities.

The Limitations of Science
“Ultimately, can science really measure the power of God?” asks an article from the St. Petersburg Times. To say that a study has come to a conclusion about prayer is to put God in a box. As C.S. Lewis described Aslan, “He’s not a tame lion.” That’s the very thing that makes God worthy of our praise and adoration. If we say that science can measure God, we are saying that science has an edge on God. As the creator of our world, God is in control of all things, and has preeminence over everything. If God could be measured, if everything He does could be understood, I admit I would be disappointed. To me, one of the most beautiful attributes of God is his supreme superiority. When I get into a sticky situation and ask God for help, it is because I know he is wiser, more powerful, and everything more perfect than myself.

Testing God
I don’t know whether Christians were involved in this research project, but we should take heed of Jesus’ words, “Do not put the Lord your God to the test.” In Matthew 4:1-11, Satan tempts Jesus in the desert, telling Him to make stones into bread, to throw himself down, and to worship Satan. In a sense, Satan was conducting his own research. If the story had gone differently, Satan might have had a headline that said, “Latest Study of Miracles Reveals That Stones Turn Into Bread.” Going back to the ideas in the previous paragraph, we know that God is the Alpha and the Omega, the great I Am, and He cannot be explained. He cannot be tested. He is beyond human understanding.

" 'My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways,' says the Lord. 'For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts.' " Isaiah 55:8-9

quote of the week

2006-03-29T17:10:00.000-08:00

"Love that had only begun in creation. Love that was so great that it didn’t end there."
-blogger Brittney at Aletheia Liberty.

Her post, "Created In His Image," is a beautiful discussion of the miracle of creation and God's love for us.

Marriage Keeps People Healthy, Wealthy, and Wise

2006-03-28T18:57:00.000-08:00

Healthy marriages are on the decline. The National Coalition for the Protection of Children and Families quoted Dr. David Popenoe, “between 1960 and 2004 the number of unmarried couples in America increased by nearly 1200 percent.”

Although the Women’s Rights Movement led to voting rights and equal pay for equal work for women, the modern feminist agenda has a negative effect on marriages. Today, 43% of Americans are unmarried and single. Fewer marriages and more divorces ring warning bells, especially since research indicates that married people are happier, wealthier, and safer.

The feminist agenda says that marriage oppresses women and makes them unhappy. Marlene Dixon, a University of Chicago sociology professor, declared: "The institution of marriage is the chief vehicle for the perpetuation of the oppression of women.” The Pew Research Center research found that married people are twice as happy as single people. Together, these two pieces of information say that there are a lot more happy “oppressed” people than happy “free” people. Based on those percentages, if you’re married, you are two times as likely to be happy.

Married people also are wealthier than single people. Bridget Maher, a family policy analyst, found that married-couple families make three times as much as single parents. The cost of living for married people is only 1.5 times as much as that of singles. Not only does marriage benefit adults financially, but it also profits children.

“Children raised by never-married mothers are seven times more likely to live in poverty than children raised by their biological parents in intact marriages,” says the Heritage Foundation. Poverty and welfare could be reduced if more Americans married.

The feminist agenda focuses on fighting domestic violence. The National Organization for Women (NOW) devotes an entire section on their website to violence against women. Ironically, while feminism portrays marriage as an oppressive institution, they are undercutting the very institution that keeps women and children safe. The Heritage Foundation said that domestic abuse is twice as high for women who have never been married. Children are also at increased risk in unmarried households.

Jennifer Roback Morse, Ph.D., commented on a British study saying, “Children are safest living with their natural parents, married to each other, next safest living with their mother and her new husband, next safest living with their natural mother alone, still less safe with two natural parents cohabiting and the least safe with their mother and a cohabiting, but unrelated boyfriend.” The marriage commitment helps keep women and children twice as safe as other unstable relationships such as cohabitation.

Not only do married couples have more joy, a higher income, and greater safety, but they also are healthier, less likely to have children who commit crimes, and more likely to have their children go to college. Although not all marriages are happy, wealthy, and safe, statistics favor marriage over singleness. If feminists really want to fight depression, poverty, and domestic abuse like they claim, they should get married.

The Necessity of Belief: Part II

2006-03-26T07:07:00.000-08:00

After my previous post, I now return to summarize.

Summary
To summarize, we can see that at least in these stories, belief is important for emotional and physical well being. Not only that, but the right belief (believing in the right thing), is also important.

What did the authors of these stories really intend? That’s a very difficult question. On the one hand, Mark Twain tells his readers not to read too much into the story. On the other hand, based on Twain’s focus on right and wrong, I think it is safe to say that Twain wanted his readers to ask themselves how they know what is right and what is wrong.

At the very least, Kate Chopin wants her readers to ask themselves about the significance of their life and what they believe in. She uses Edna as an example of someone struggling to find meaning. Stephen Crane is both ambiguous and clear. His story scarcely mentions the thoughts of the men in the boat. On the other hand, the men very clearly question what they believe in because it has done them no good.

We return to the original questions. Based on my analysis of these three stories, it is very necessary to believe in something—both for emotional and physical well-being. To not belief in something is to feel like one is floundering hopelessly in life. In Edna’s case, not knowing what she believed in led to so much depression that she committed suicide.

Not only that, but it is most important to believe in the right thing. It has been said that it is only important that a person believe in “something.” However, such a belief leads to failure and disappointment. It yields nothing. It leads to even more hopelessness. The seven mad gods will not save you. Fate will not save you. Believing in the right thing, my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, leads to joy, fulfillment, and eternal life.

The Necessity of Belief

2006-03-25T11:22:00.000-08:00

How necessary is it for us to believe in something?

Is that something a specific end or is it more like a process? What is more important—that we believe in the right thing or that we believe?

These were the questions asked on the final exam in my American literature class. What follows consists mostly of my in class essay, but also additions I made subsequent to the final exam. The rephrasing and additions were made to improve the clarity of this essay.

The Necessity of Belief

Before I can explore these questions through American literature, I feel that a couple questions must be answered. The first question—how necessary?—leads to another question: what is necessary? Merriam-Webster’s Online Dictionary defines “necessary” as: absolutely needed, required. For the purposes of this discussion, I will ask: is belief necessary for emotional well being and/or for physical well being? In other words, is belief required for a person’s emotional and physical well being?

The second question is: what is belief? Wikipedia says, “Belief is usually defined as a conviction to the truth of a proposition.” In a casual sense, one might say, “I believe I will go shopping tomorrow.” In this discussion, belief most likely adheres to a meaning along the lines of “Mental acceptance of a claim as truth” (Wiktionary). To accept something as truth, one must first have a basis for determining truth.

Belief is necessary for both emotional and physical well being, as I will explain later on. This explanation leads us to the answer of the last question: what is more important—that we believe in the right thing, or that we believe?

I will explore these questions through three stories: Huckleberry Finn (Mark Twain), “The Awakening,” (Kate Chopin) and “The Open Boat” (Stephen Crane).

Analysis
Let’s examine the stories. Huck Finn spends the entire story trying to find a moral philosophy. He struggles with what society calls right and how that plays out in reality. “I was trying to make my mouth say I would do the right thing…I was full of trouble…and didn’t know what to do.” Huck is struggling with belief and how to determine what is true. Even at the end of the book, Huck never gets the answer to his questions. His feeling of hopelessness is expressed when he says, “All right, then, I’ll go to hell.” When Huck didn’t know what to think, what to believe in, what to accept as true, he felt much inner conflict and frustration. One can see from this story that belief was necessary for Huck’s emotional well being.

Edna, in “The Awakening,” also seeks meaning, significance, which are, more or less, a type of belief. The quote that best sums this up in the story says, “There were days when she was unhappy, she did not know why. .when it did not seem worthwhile to be glad or sorry, to be alive or dead.” Belief indicates that a person has something to stand on, and the reader can see that Edna does not know what she stands on. Edna doesn’t believe (at least on the basis of her actions) in marital fidelity.

At one point in the story, she speaks of life as simply an endless drivel. She does not know what is significant, or who is significant. Her dissatisfaction with her empty married life leads Edna into adultery. However, she doesn’t find meaning in life even while pursuing someone she thinks she loves.

In fact, the book says, “Despondency had come upon her there in the wakeful night, and had never lifted…There was no human being whom she wanted near her except Robert; and she even realized that the day would come when he, too, and the thought of him would melt out of her existence, leaving her alone.” Edna never finds life’s significance, her emotional well being rapidly deteriorates, and she dies. In this story, belief was important for both emotional and physical well being.

In “The Open Boat,” the men in the boat become more frantic as the situation becomes more desperate. They are in the midst of a horrible storm. These men question whomever is in charge of the situation—the seven mad gods or Fate. One man asks, “If this old ninny-woman, Fate, cannot do better than this, she should be deprived of men’s fortunes.” Unlike the other stories aforementioned, the men in the boat arrive with a belief. They believe in the seven mad gods or Fate. Yet, not only does their emotional well being deteriorate as their beliefs—gods and Fate—fail them, but their physical well being also suffers. In fact, their gods (or Fate), their beliefs, don’t save them.

To be continued...

2008 Presidential Election: Sam Brownback

2006-03-23T14:24:00.000-08:00

Samuel D. Brownback (Brownback family pictured on right)

Biography (taken from Brownback's official bio)

1986-Kansas Secretary of Agriculture
1994-elected to U.S. Congress
1996-elected 32nd U.S. Senator of Kansas to fill in for Sen. Bob Dole
1998-elected to full six year term as U.S. Senator
2004-reelected to a second term as U.S. Senator

Samuel Brownback and his wife, Mary, have five children. Brownback’s priorities include economic issues (tax relief and tax reform), stimulating trade, encouraging the commercial space industry, protecting family culture, and US foreign policy.

Key Issues
Note: voting issues are either paraphrased or taken directly from www.vote-smart.org.

Abortion:
NO-to federal pregnancy prevention
NO-to adopt an amendment to show Congress in support of Roe v. Wade
YES-to prohibit partial birth abortion

Budget/Taxes:
YES-to provide $170 billion in corporate tax breaks
YES-to provide $350 billion to supply tax breaks
YES-to provide tax relief for married couples
NO-to increase funding for Title I grants and reduce debt by closing corporate tax loopholes.
NO-to fully reinstate the pay-as-you-go requirement through 2011.

Defense:
YES-to appropriate $87 billion to fund ongoing military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan.
YES-to authorize funds for military construction and defense activities
YES-USA Patriot and Terrorism Prevention Reauthorization
NO-to ratify the Comprehensive Nuclear Test-Ban Treaty

Education:
NO-to increase maximum Federal Pell Grant
NO-to provide additional funding for title I of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965.
YES-No Child Left Behind Act

Healthcare:
YES-to pass a bill that would add prescription drug benefits to Medicare.
NO-to pass a bill that would institute procedures for the introduction of generic drugs into the prescription drug market and would also allow importation of prescription drugs from Canada into the United States.
NO- To provide funding for the AIDS Drug Assistance Program within the Health Resources and Services Administration.

Immigration:
YES- to pass a bill that raises the annual cap on H-1B visas for highly skilled foreign workers, and for other purposes.
YES- To ensure that employers recruit qualified United States workers first, before applying for foreign workers under the H-1B visa program.

[unable to find voting record on Iraq]

Iraq: Brownback seems supportive of the Iraq War and Bush’s stance, and seems to think it is important to show support even if mistakes were made.

Religion: Brownback is Roman Catholic.

Read about another presidential candidate: George Allen.

Coming up! 2008 Presidential Election: Bill Frist

Quote of the Week

2006-03-22T05:25:00.000-08:00

“God doesn’t call the equipped, He equips the called.”
-author unknown

I discovered this quote on the blog Advancing His Kingdom. Blogger Marshall Sherman wrote a post on this site that expounds on the above quote, “Talent…A Pre-Requisite?”

2008 Presidential Election: George Allen

2006-03-21T16:20:00.000-08:00

The 2008 presidential election looms every closer. Townhall.com is polling visitors about presidential candidates, so I thought it would be interesting to take a look at each of the ten men featured in the poll.

I’ll be providing a biography of each candidate, as well as a summary of their stance on key issues taken from their voting record. The issues I’ve chosen to highlight are: Abortion, Budget/Taxes, Defense, Education, Healthcare, Immigration, and Iraq. Finally, I’ll note religious background for each person.

In the next couple weeks, I’ll post about each candidate.

George Allen (Allen family pictured above)

Biography (taken from Allen’s official bio)-

2001 – Present 51st United States Senator from Virginia
1994 – 1998 67th Governor of the Commonwealth
1991 – 1993 U.S. Representative, elected in a special election
1983 – 1991 Virginia House of Delegates

Allen is married to Susan and they have three children. For his first term as a US senator, Allen lists a few priorities including national defense and homeland security, jobs, improving technology, and reduction of tax burdens on families and small business owners.

Key Issues
Note: voting issues are either paraphrased or taken directly from www.vote-smart.org.

Abortion:
NO-to federal pregnancy prevention
YES-to prohibit partial birth abortion

Budget/Taxes:
YES-to increase statutory limit on public debt
YES-to pass a bill that authorizes and extends $70 billion in tax credits and cuts.
NO-to increase funding for Title I grants and reduce debt by closing corporate tax loopholes. NO-to fully reinstate the pay-as-you-go requirement through 2011.

Defense:
YES-to authorize funds for military construction and defense activities
YES-to approve 3.2 % for DoD and national security programs at DOE
YES-USA Patriot and Terrorism Prevention Reauthorization

Education:
NO-to increase maximum Federal Pell Grant
NO-to provide additional funding for title I of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965.
YES-No Child Left Behind Act

Healthcare:
YES-to pass a bill that would add prescription drug benefits to Medicare.
YES-to pass a bill that would institute procedures for the introduction of generic drugs into the prescription drug market and would also allow importation of prescription drugs from Canada into the United States.

[unable to find voting record on immigration or Iraq]

Immigration: Believes illegal immigration must be curbed by securing our borders, not rewarding illegal behavior, reforming legal immigration.

Iraq: Allen seems optimistic about Iraq’s future and US participation in their freedom. He is very supportive of the changes being made like unifying Iraqi government, but also seems to think there is a hard road ahead.

Religion: Allen is Presbyterian.

Coming up! 2008 Presidential Election: Sam Brownback

Senator Frist on the Issues: Immigration

2006-03-20T20:10:00.000-08:00

Americans have become increasingly concerned about lax border security and the large numbers of illegal immigrants entering the country. Last Friday, March 16th, Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist circumvented the Senate Judiciary Committee and introduced his own bill—Securing America’s Borders Act (SABA).

The 243 page bill provides for reform including border enforcement, interior enforcement, unlawful employment of aliens, backlog reduction and visas for students and aliens with advanced degrees, and immigration litigation reduction.

One NY Times article by Rachel Swarns stated,

“Mr. Frist said his bill would include several measures already hammered out in negotiations under way in the Senate Judiciary Committee, which had included an increase in the number of border guards, more fencing along the Mexican border and faster deportation of illegal immigrants. But Mr. Frist's bill would not create the temporary worker program that President Bush has urged to legalize the status of the 11 million illegal immigrants thought to be in this country.”

Frist hopes to have the bill go to vote by the Senate during the week of March 27th. This turn of events most interests me because Senator Frist is drawing attention to himself. I don’t claim to be familiar with the ethical, legal and political implications of immigration policy, so let me direct you to a couple sources that I found useful.

Human Events Online takes the stance that immigrants should not get amnesty, and even provides of a list of senators and the way they’re likely to vote. John Gizzi wrote “Bush Defines Amnesty as 'Automatic' Citizenship,” in which he explores Bush’s stance on the issue.

The Right to Discriminate

2006-03-17T20:47:00.000-08:00

Browsing the news today, I was pleasantly surprised to find an organization from New York sticking to their guns and refusing to cater to the politically correct gay tolerance groups.

Reuters published the article titled, “NY St. Pat's chairman compares gays to neo-Nazis.” Despite the heated headline, the actual story is best summed up by a quote from the article,

“In an interview with The Irish Times, parade committee chairman John Dunleavy defended the organizers' decision to bar the Irish Lesbian and Gay Organization from participating in the biggest St. Patrick's Day party in the world.”

It seems that the issue comes down to whether private organizations have the right to discriminate. In 1995, the Supreme Court thought so, when they ruled that Boston parade organizers had the right to exclude gays and lesbians.

"If an Israeli group wants to march in New York, do you allow neo-Nazis into their parade? If African-Americans are marching in Harlem, do they have to let the Ku Klux Klan into their parade?" said John Dunleavy.

Although I’m sure there are a few people who can’t get past the analogy (as in, *gasp*, I can’t believe he compared gays to neo-Nazis), I think he has a legitimate logical argument.

In this day and age of tolerance, it seems that some people cannot abide uniqueness or the idea that someone might believe something different. They want everyone to be one big happy family. One big happy cloned family. You can’t exclude anyone. You can’t offend anyone.

Private organizations should and do have the right to exclude whom they wish. Private organizations should have the right to discriminate. Imagine what a prochoice parade organizer might say if they were forced to allow a prolife group to march in their parade.

In his article, “The Right to Discriminate,” Scott W. Sixier said, “Discrimination, then, is vital to the proper functioning of the market economy. It is a process of differentiation-a process by which we demonstrate our preferences…If some people make decisions which we view as immoral, the way to change these values is by peaceful persuasion. The solution is surely not to impose our values on others.”

It is for these reasons that I grateful to John Dunleavy for being willing to swim against the political correctness current. If I were to sum Dunleavy's comments up I would say, “Hey, this is an Irish Catholic parade. Gays and lesbians are not following a path which we consider morally right. We are making the free market decision to exclude them.”

Don’t let your liberties get taken away. Stand up for what you believe. It’s your right.

R.O.C. or Regenerate Our Culture

2006-03-15T13:56:00.000-08:00

The launch date for Regenerate Our Culture has finally arrived! I am very excited to say that the site looks great. Already, I've been able to puruse some inspiring articles by bloggers Alex King and Tim Sweetman. In addition to front page articles, if you navigate to the 'blog network,' there are several more listed bloggers you might want to check out.

Quote of the Week

2006-03-14T20:27:00.000-08:00

Tolerance is the virtue of the man without convictions.
-G.K. Chesterton

*---*---*---*---*---*---*

Also, please take a look at a wonderful post by blogger MVB at The King's Highway titled, "The God of All Comfort, Continued..." I came across this post today and found the message comforting (no pun intended). You can also read the prelude post, "God of All Comfort."

I especially liked MVB's point about "dismal Christianity." In speaking with a Christian friend, he said that he wanted people to ask the reason for his joy. I want those around me to want the kind of joy I have. I want a joyful light to shine forth from me in everything I do.

The Fool

2006-03-09T21:34:00.000-08:00

In youth, the young
disregarding, indifferent
they say they don't care
heaven, hell, God, no God, any god
it makes no difference

the dead will know the truth
though in youth gave no thought
yet now know the existence of
Alpha, Omega, Beginning, End

trembling, yet defiant
embracing, the eternal fiery flames
because they said, "There is no God."

quote of the week

2006-03-08T15:37:00.000-08:00

"Why, the anti-social wretch!"
-Don Feder

In his column, Feminists Control Women, Don Feder explains the feminist attack on real femininity, and the 'novel' idea that women might actually like being mothers. Imagine that!

the modern pirates

2006-03-07T15:57:00.000-08:00

Not too long ago I wanted to purchase a music album by a popular female artist. Much to my chagrin, thirteen skanky songs accompanied the one song I really liked. That song could be obtained in three ways: a legal download, an illegal peer to peer music sharing network, or an illegal free download.

80% of teenagers have been involved in some kind of music piracy in the last six months, said a statistic from The Barna Group. An ever growing problem, worldwide theft causes the music industry to lose about $4.2 billion annually.

The RIAA (Recording Industry Association of America) provides a definition, “ ‘Piracy’ generally refers to the illegal duplication and distribution of sound recordings.” Technology has made it easier than ever to burn CDs or download music.

In a speech from RIAA representative Hilary Rosen, personal recordings aren’t a problem. “We have always been supportive of the ability of consumers to copy a CD for the gym or for their car. . .The problem is with the student who burns 100 copies for his friends in the dorm or makes available hundreds of files for uploading onto Kazaa.”

Bottom line: there’s nothing wrong with a personal copy of an album, as long as you purchased it. The problem lies in actions that cause loss of profit: illegal or counterfeit recordings, bootleg records, and online piracy.

Don’t assume that you won’t get caught. The RIAA, AFM (American Federation of Musicians), and IFPF (International Federation of the Phonographic Industry) are working to fight music piracy by suing violators and seizing pirated music. The crime is punishable by up to three years in prison and $250,000 in fines.

PC World announced a new policing method—an embedded watermark that tracks pirating from peer to peer networks back to the originator.

If the RIAA doesn’t catch you, spyware will. When a person agrees to the terms for ‘free’ file sharing, they often agree to allow a third party to monitor them, says Tom Stafford from the University of Memphis.

Colleges and universities are working to crack down on peer to peer music sharing networks. They’re especially affected by music file sharing, because the illegal activity clogs up college network bandwidth.

That leaves the broke college student with a dilemma: where can they find legal, inexpensive music? Personally, I listen to the radio a lot. It’s free and there’s a lot of variety. However, I buy most of my CDs off http://www.amazon.com/, where I’ve been able to purchase most of albums for $7 or less.

Some people might not make that big a fuss about music piracy, which can be easy and free. That doesn’t justify stealing. Somewhere down the line, somebody pays for this illegal activity—the user in fines, the artist because they’re losing profit, or the music industry, because their contributors can’t afford to stay in business.

Thou shalt not steal is still true.

And what did I do about the one good song in a sea of sleaze? I guess I’ll just keep enjoying it on the radio.

Regenerate Our Culture

2006-03-02T19:05:00.000-08:00

Regenerate Our Culture (ROC) is a brand new organization, dedicated to bringing Christianity back to America. ROC’s leaders include Alex King, Kristin Braun, Jake Smith, and Tim Sweetman. Alex and Brett Harris are serving as launch sponsors for Regenerate Our Culture.

What’s the point?
ROC exists for the purpose of regenerating American culture in the areas of politics, religion, and life. Christians bloggers can team up and have a greater impact on the culture.

What’s the plan?
ROC’s plan includes a web magazine, to be published the 1st and 15th of every month, as well as creating a Christian blog network.

What can I do?
You can visit Regenerate Our Culture now, and when it launches on March 15th. You can also become a launch sponsor.

quote of the week

2006-03-01T16:06:00.000-08:00

"With the public's interest and anxieties sated, the media moved on to the next hot topic -- one we might describe as "Help, Help, Bush is Turning over Six U.S. Ports to the Arabs!!!!!" -William Murchison

Murchison’s column, “So Much Speech, So Little Caution,” talks about the dangers of microwaved news or commentary that makes sweeping judgments before the whole truth can be known.

joy

2006-02-28T21:30:00.000-08:00

I was delighted to run across two excellent posts about joy from blogger Elizabeth Moore at Study.Quiet.

The first post gives Biblical definitions of joy, while the second gives reasons for joy and ways to show it.

You can also read my posts on joy: Joyful Life and The Joy of Eternal Life.

Senator Frist on the Issues: National Security

2006-02-27T19:24:00.000-08:00

Sunday found Senator Bill Frist claiming credit for diffusing the hostilities of the deal with Dubai Ports World. According to BBC News, Senator Bill Frist had previously threatened to move a blocking law if the US government didn’t delay a deal with Dubai Ports World.

President Bush and the White House feel that the ports deal should go through although some people fear the deal is a threat to national security.

An article from the New York Times said that Frist took credit for the decision to allow 45 days for a national security review. Today’s White House press release explained some of Bush’s reasoning for his support of the ports deal.

“The President believes very strongly that we shouldn't be holding a company from an Arab country to a different standard than a company from Great Britain. So it's a principle that is involved here…It's also something that we have to look at in the broader context of our foreign policy and the war on terrorism that we're engaged in. The United Arab Emirates is a strong and good partner in the war on terrorism.”

While Bush feels strongly that the Dubai ports deal is not a risk for the US, Frist seems considerably more concerned, going so far as threatening to block the deal.

a great evil

2006-02-26T22:24:00.000-08:00

About a week ago I came head to head with an ugly monster. However, I had managed to avoid seeing it until my dad pointed it out.

Some of you may have read the Canadian comic strip, "For Better or For Worse," by Lynn Johnston. The early strips are endearing in their depiction of the ordinary troubles of a homemaker. However, Johnston later introduces a gay character.

In a book compilation of her strips, titled Never Wink at a Worried Woman, Johnston brings in yet another gay character, who is easy to talk to, kind, fun, and sympathetic. She makes it seem as though there is nothing wrong with this young man.

In this increasing tolerant culture, the homosexual agenda is worming its way into society. Truth is, I read the comic compilation, giving but little thought to the ugly truth about homosexuality.

The Independent Gay Forum (IGF) echoes Johnston’s sentiments,

“Being gay is simply a natural characteristic like having blue eyes or brown hair…Gay Pride is a healthy and reasonable response for gays in a society where many people still view being gay as something to be ashamed of or embarrassed about or discreetly silent about.”

IGF is saying that being gay is natural, normal, and certainly nothing deserving of censure. I am concerned that I have become so used to hearing about how being gay or lesbian isn’t wrong, that I am not reacting strongly enough to this abominable sin.

Besides that homosexuality defies nature, God has a lot to say about it.

The creation of man and woman speaks for itself. God wants a couple to become one flesh, be fruitful and multiply.

In Genesis 19, God destroys Sodom and Gomorrah because of the great evil in the city. When two angels come to visit Lot, homosexual men accost them, and the angels blind these men. After Lot and his family leave the city, God destroys it.

“Then the Lord rained brimstone and fire on Sodom and Gomorrah, from the Lord out of the heavens.” -Genesis 19:24

Romans 1:26 more specifically addresses the issue.

“For this reason God gave them up to vile passions. For even their women exchanged the natural use for what is against nature. Likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust for one another, men with men committing what is shameful, and receiving in themselves the penalty of their error which was due.”

A few verses down it says that God considers these sins as “deserving of death.” In 1st Corinthians 6:9-10, Paul points out the consequences of this evil behavior.

“Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor sodomites, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God.”

God has clearly condemned homosexuality as evil. As Christians, we ought to view it as such and be disgusted. We should not buy into the idea of being tolerant towards gays and lesbians.

I am resolved to be more aware of what kinds of ideas I am allowing to be put into my head, and to examine them carefully, so that no monster will camouflage his way into my thinking.

To learn more about this from a Christian perspective, try:
Homophobia or Holiness?
Homosexuality: The Christian Perspective

conflict

2006-02-25T20:16:00.000-08:00

I’m afraid of my opinion. So are you. Consider this situation. Spring quarter, I became involved in a political debate with a couple friends during a class break. It started calmly enough until I realized the opposing views that we represented. A couple of us supported Dino Rossi, and one of us supported Christine Gregoire.

The tension grew as mild statements turned into bald faced assertions. We were in deep water before long, discussing pro choice versus pro life views, and Bush versus Clinton. I knew we couldn’t go much further before one side would be seriously offended, and I didn’t want to risk a friendship over the issues. We swept the entire debate under the rug. It hasn’t come up since.

Still don’t believe me? Have you ever listened to a teacher say something you completely disagreed with and just sat there? Have you ever said ‘uh huh’ just to avoid a dispute?

I would contend that we’ve become so afraid of our opinions that we can’t even discuss elections with other people in a civil manner.

More than a few times I’ve kept my mouth shut simply to avoid an argument. I didn’t speak because I feared someone’s opinion, thought that the ensuing conversation wouldn’t be productive, wasn’t prepared to defend my position, or simply had no desire to have a conflict.

A naïve, no-conflict attitude seems to be common among my peers, leaving us unprepared for a vocal onslaught. We perceive an argument as something to be avoided at all costs, which causes a lack of communication, and an inability to support our arguments.

Because many of us haven’t learned how to debate in a civilized manner, feedback often turns into an ill considered combination of sweeping generalizations and accusations. During a discussion with a coworker, I mentioned that I thought public school teachers were overpaid. My coworker immediately responded defensively, telling me I was wrong.

It wasn’t a debate—she thought I was attacking her. She didn’t perceive it as a learning opportunity—she thought my motivation lay in destroying her argument.

I don’t like the implication of this, because it assumes that conflict is a bad thing. Not necessarily. The Department of Computer Science and Engineering at the University of Washington presents an interesting take on conflict in their paper, “When Conflict Helps Learning.”

The paper targets conflict in a learning environment specifically, but emphasizes two ideas. They write, “Conflict motivates learning because people do not like to repeat frustrating, embarrassing, or painful experiences.” Approached with the right attitude, conflict can be an ideal opportunity to understand an opposing viewpoint.

Expanding on this idea, the paper continues, “Conflict inspires innovation by illuminating areas of misunderstanding, invalid assumptions, personality or value differences that, when explored, can result in greater value to everyone involved.”

Ideally, Americans should have a free exchange of ideas, especially among college students, who vary considerably in backgrounds and beliefs. A debate should not destroy a friendship or relationship, but should be approached non-combatively and with a desire to understand the other point of view.

I’m still afraid of my opinion, and you probably are too. However, if you are willing to share frightened opinions with me, I will do my best to use our conflict to learn and understand.

American thought

2006-02-24T06:57:00.000-08:00

Literature classes can be maddening. The professor usually has some convoluted explanation for what looks like a simple story. For example, my literature professor pointed out that the open boat in Stephen Crane’s short story, predictably called, “The Open Boat,” symbolizes life and the hindrances a person must overcome.

I didn’t think the story had any mysterious meaning. Four guys. One dingy. Huge chance of drowning. It just seemed like another shipwreck adventure. Just goes to show what I know.

That is one of the reasons why I’m a journalism major and not a literature major. However, this quarter I’m taking a second literature class and I’m again reminded of its importance.

The most significant benefit that great books, poems, or short stories provide, what makes hours of mind-numbing reading worthwhile, is their ability to provoke a flow of inquisitive thoughts and ideas.

For example, a recent reading of “The Awakening,” by Kate Chopin, which wasn’t a particularly diverting selection, inspired me to ask weighty questions and mull over the ideas in the story. Reflection of personal fulfillment in life could be contrasted to how Edna, the story’s main character, seeks to find fulfillment. One can hypothesize about what depresses people and about the responsibilities of couples in a marriage.

In my political correctness column last issue, I mentioned the importance of thinking, “If it can’t be thought, it can’t be done.” One of America’s greatest assets is her living, breathing, thinking Americans who use their cognitive functions to make sense of life.

College students are in a position to make the most out of new ideas, and the careful consideration of culture and philosophy can provide answers for a purposeful existence.

When reading a novella like “The Awakening,” or a story such as “The Law of Life” (Jack London), the reader might ponder the ideas and moral dilemmas the characters face.
Is man a product of his environment? What should a person do when they don’t feel fulfilled in life? Asking oneself these questions forces evaluation of one’s own life.

In his book, The Closing of the American Mind, Alan Bloom confronts the dangers of not thinking and reasoning, “The most successful tyranny is not the one that uses force to assure uniformity but the one that removes the awareness of other possibilities, that makes it seem inconceivable that other ways are viable, that removes the sense that there is an outside.”

Historical proof exists showing that thought and logic can be a powerful threat against tyrannical government. The former U.S.S.R used the Glavlit, the central censorship office, to repress, “domestic writings of just about any kind—even beer and vodka labels.”

At a time when government continues to expand, Americans should vigilantly think and reason, ready to fight thought suppression.

The very fact that literature exists evidences the power of thought on humanity. Hundreds of books are published yearly, yet only a few survive for any amount of time. So, before dissing an agonizingly long, arid piece of literature like Crime and Punishment, you might want to think about it.

identity crisis

2006-02-23T18:54:00.000-08:00

This morning in American literature, my professor took a brief hiatus from an off topic lecture and said something I thought was significant. We were discussing a short story by Ralph Ellison, “Battle Royal,” a horrible short story in which a young man is faced with intense pressure to conform to what society wants.

My professor said, “The crime is in losing your uniqueness. Don’t lose track of your own individuality. . . Part of knowing yourself is knowing your place in history.”

The idea boils down to an identity crisis. Society says, “Who are you? Discover the real you. What is your purpose? Find the inner you.”

I believe there are three important questions: Do you know your identity? What/who determines your identity? What do you do about your identity? The question following these is: why am I here on earth?

At one point or another, humanity must ask themselves this question. In a secular world this question is so important that over 4 million copies of Rick Warren’s book The Purpose Driven Life have been sold.

This question is so important that books, articles, and speeches have been devoted to it. It is so important that a big focus of today’s society is helping people feel good about themselves. Not knowing why you’re here, or who you are, can lead to depression. What is the point of life if you don’t understand your purpose in it?

These are questions I don’t have to ask, because I know the answer. I know who I am, because my identity is immutably linked to Christ.

I bear the legacy of Adam and Eve, who shortly after the beginning of the world, brought sin into the world. I am a sinner. There is nothing good in me.

Every act I do, anything I might consider “good,” doesn’t measure up. “But we are all like an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are like filthy rags.”- Isaiah 64:6

That is depressing. No wonder anti-depression medications like Zoloft are necessary.

However, I have reason to rejoice. I have not been left to die in my sin. I am the recipient of mercy. I was dead in my sins, but I have been redeemed and set free.
Ephesians 2:1, “And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins. . .”

Now I have a new identity. “I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me, and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.”-Galatians 2:20

I am a new creation, born again, now a servant of Christ. “For just as you presented your members as slaves of uncleanness, and of lawlessness leading to more lawlessness, so now present your members as slaves of righteousness for holiness.” -Romans 6:19

I know my identity. I am a daughter of my Lord and Savior. By saving me from inevitable eternal suffering, Jesus has determined my identity.

What can I do about this identity? I will glorify God and enjoy Him forever!

A Christian brother said something significant today. He said, “People wonder why I’m so happy, and I want to tell them why.”

“You will show me the path of life; in Your presence is fullness of joy; at Your right hand are pleasures forevermore.” -Psalm 16:11

quote of the week

2006-02-22T20:42:00.000-08:00

"The living Constitution, which has performed innumerable feats of jurisprudential prestidigitation, has accomplished a miraculous new trick during the national debate over NSA surveillance. It faked its own death." -Jonah Goldberg

Goldberg's column "The U.S. Constitution: Dead or Alive" talks about the hypocrisy of the left as they twist the meaning of the Constitution to suit their own agenda.

Waiting to Go Home

2006-02-21T20:16:00.000-08:00

"Waiting to Go Home" What does it mean? Why did I choose that phrase as my site name? Why is this important? I will endeavor to answer these questions in this post.

"Waiting to Go Home" means that I, along with other Christians, am waiting to go to my true home—heaven. I chose this phrase as my site name because it reminds me of why I am here on earth. The true and catechismal answer: to glorify God and enjoy Him forever.

Here on earth I have the responsibility to do just that, but I look forward to a greater, better, most fulfilling life in heaven. "Waiting to Go Home" reflects the idea that I have not yet arrived at home. I am waiting to ascend to my true home.

Why is this idea—waiting to go home—important? I will strive to answer this question in three parts.

This idea is important because: it gives me a reason to hope; it causes me to live my life in such a way as to prepare for heaven; and it causes me to look forward to eternal life with Jesus Christ. These three, the culmination, bring me great joy.

Reason to Hope
“But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, and always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear.” -1 Peter 3:15

As a Christian, I am responsible for being able to explain why I hope. God has promised that His children, myself among many, will sit in heaven with Jesus. Those who endure will “receive the crown of life.”

I hope because I believe what God has told me: that He will save me from my sins and grant me eternal life in heaven. Without the idea of an afterlife, life is hopeless. I believe that is the reason why so many religions include the aspect of an afterlife. However, only through Jesus Christ will someone enter into the kingdom of heaven.

When this life seems dark, sinful, and ugly, I can look forward, with joyful hope, to the next life in the presence of God.

Preparing for Heaven
With the knowledge that I do in fact have hope and that this life on earth is temporary, my chief goal lies in preparing myself for heaven. Although salvation is by grace alone, Paul states in Romans 6:15, “What then? Shall we sin because we are not under law but under grace? Certainly not!” Although I long for heaven, I must live my life for God here on earth.

“Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” -Matthew 6:19

While here on earth, I strive to lay up for myself treasures in heaven, obeying God and producing fruit.

Eternal Life with Jesus Christ
The ultimate prize, the ultimate reason why I am waiting eagerly to go home, is my anticipation of life in heaven with Jesus Christ. In a previous post I spoke of my excitement about spending eternity with my best friend, Jesus.

Not only has Jesus taken away my sins, but He also gives me daily joy with the beauty of creation, and the joys of life. There is beautiful imagery in the Bible about what heaven will be like, a place so wonderful we cannot fathom it. Not only will heaven be wonderful, but I’ll be basking in God’s eternal love.

Kingdom of Heaven
Paul constantly speaks of the ‘hope within us,’ because it is the reason to stay alive. It is the reason to live well, the reason to do hard things, the reason to hope for heaven. I can hope because I know that my God has forgiven my sins and will mercifully bring me into heaven when my time on earth is through.

I look forward to heaven with great anticipation, with intense joy, because I will be spending eternity with my Lord and Savior. He is the Alpha and Omega. He loves me unconditionally and like no other.

“Though now you do not see Him, yet believing, you rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory, receiving the end of your faith—the salvation of your souls.” -1 Peter 1:8

I’m still waiting---waiting to go home.

a new face

2006-02-18T09:56:00.000-08:00

With less than two years until the next presidential election, I hopefully look around for new leaders. If Bush wasn’t on his second term, he’d be the definite candidate.

Condoleezza Rice, the US Secretary of State and National Security Advisor, hasn’t expressed interest in running even though she could make a good candidate running against Hillary Clinton. America’s Vice President, Dick Cheney, doesn’t seem like a strong enough leader.

The big question: Who is out there? In his column “Backing Away from Bush,” Robert Novak wondered if Senator Bill Frist might be eyeing the 2008 presidential race.

Senator Bill Frist came to my attention about a year ago when I wrote a paper about medical malpractice in America. Frist is a proponent of the medical health court idea.

In light of what I’ve learned, and the fact that Frist is the Senate Majority Leader, I’m going to be starting a “Frist Watch” to keep tabs on Senator Frist’s activities, voting record, and public statements. Check my sidebar for links to learn more about Senator Frist.

Frist Bio

Medical Experience
First and foremost, Bill Frist is an M.D., but also the 54th senator of Tennessee. “On November 7, 2000, Bill Frist was elected to a second term in the United States Senate by the largest vote total ever received by a candidate for statewide election in the history of Tennessee.”-from Frist's official website.

He graduated from Princeton in 1974, from Harvard Medical School in 1978, and in 1985, Frist founded and directed Vanderbilt Transplant Center, “which under his leadership became a nationally renowned center of multi-organ transplantation.”-from Frist's official website. Frist’s specialty is in heart and lung surgery. Frist takes medical mission trips to Africa to help combat the global AIDS problem.

Political Experience
2000-elected chairman of National Republican Senatorial Committee
2001-one of two Congressional representatives to the United Nations General Assembly
2002-elected Majority Leader of US Senate
Currently serves on these committees: Finance; Rules; Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP)
Has served on these committees: Foreign Relations, Budget, Banking, Commerce, and Small Business

Personal Life
Frist is married to Karyn and they have three sons. The Frists are members of the National Presbyterian Church.

Coming soon: Senator Bill Frist on America’s Issues

cheap shots and blameshifting

2006-02-11T10:15:00.000-08:00

This headline caught my attention this morning.

"Brownie's Revenge"

The New York Daily News published an article titled, "Brownie's Revenge." Apparently, the recently fired FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency) boss, Michael Brown, wants the last word. In the article, Brown claims that the White House had advance warning of the Katrina disaster.

" 'For them to now claim that we didn't have awareness of it, I think, is just
baloney,' Brown told the Senate Homeland Security Committee."

Ironically, Brown himself bungled the handling of the disaster. Michelle Malkin wrote about his mishaps during Katrina, including not preparing for the severity of the disaster and misrepresenting the success of relief efforts.

"Brownie's Revenge" also said, "Two Department of Homeland Security officials testified that numerous conflicting reports came in about levee breaches and that Brown was withholding information."

Brown's words yesterday seem to be a cheap shot at the Bush administration, a last minute attempt to redeem his own failures.

A Societal Drift

In regards to Brown attempting to shift blame, I am beginning to see a common link. Coretta Scott King's funeral should have been a day to respect and honor, but turned into a pulpit where the Democrats threw out several cheap shots at Bush. Not only am I disgusted at this display of childishness, but I now have an even greater respect for Bush, who acted like a gentlemen and a real man.

What I see, the common link, is a lack of willingness to take responsibility. Brown doesn't want to take responsibility for his own mistakes. The Democrats want to blame Bush and his administration for every bad or uncomfortable thing that happens in America.

The feminists fight for abortion to avoid taking responsibility for immoral behavior. Lawsuits such as blaming McDonalds for a weight problem drive licensing and insurance fees up, while relieving the public of responsibility.

It takes humility to be willing to accept blame for a mistake and face the consequences. It takes real men and women to accept responsibility for their actions.

a passage meant for me

2006-02-09T20:36:00.000-08:00

The other night I randomly opened my Bible and read John 14:19-31. It's long, but certain passages just jumped out at me. Even though I've read the Bible through more than once, these verses seemed new to me.

"A little while longer and the world will see Me no more, but you will see Me. Because I live, you will live also."-John 14:19

For a long time now I've tried to verbalize this idea in my head--that I am eternally grateful to God simply for creating me. "Because I live, you live also." Thank you for living, God. Thank you for being there. Not only am I thankful that my sins have been forgiven, or that I will spend eternity in heaven, but also I am thankful to God for being God.

"Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid. You have heard Me say to you, 'I am going away and coming back to you.' "-John 14:28

Jesus is coming back. That's a promise. I should not be afraid because Jesus has promised he won't leave me here, he'll be back.

"Because Your lovingkindness is better than life, my lips shall praise You. Thus I will bless You while I live; I will lift up my hands in Your name."-Psalm 63:3-4

finishing well

2006-02-05T10:31:00.000-08:00

In his State of the Union address, President Bush said, "“Before history is written down in books, it is written in courage. Like Americans before us, we will show that courage and we will finish well.”

Besides being a patriotic call to courage, this also has meaning for the Christian.

"We will show that courage and we will finish well."

I find two significant points in this sentence. First, to show courage is to have something hard to do. "Do Hard Things" is The Rebelution's slogan. We must have courage to do hard things. It isn't easy to lead a Christian life. The world constantly tries to break down our defenses and tempt us down the wrong path.

Second, we must finish our race well. Hebrews 12:1, "Let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking onto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith."

The apostle Paul said in 2 Timothy 4:7, "I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith."

We must strive to "finish well," so that when we have finished the race we will hear, "Well done, good and faithful servant."

Alito-'a servant of the law'

2006-01-31T19:21:00.000-08:00

Good news in the political world doesn’t seem to come very often, but it has today. Judge Samuel A. Alito has been confirmed as the 110th Justice of the Supreme Court. It’s nice to hear some good news once in a while.

Bush said in his State of the Union address tonight, "I will continue to nominate men and women who understand that judges must be servants of the law and not legislate from the bench."

I hope that Alito will practice judicial restraint, bring back morality, and show respect for the sanctity of life.

companion post

2006-01-28T13:24:00.000-08:00

This is a companion post to the previous "the students strike back." A while back I wrote a column about professors using their classrooms for political indoctrination.

*College name has been omitted for privacy purposes.
*^*^*^*^

Spout politics at me, just not when I’m paying you to teach me something. When I polled 50 college students, I discovered that one in five students said their professors talk politics in class unrelated to the subject matter.

A survey by the Independent Women’s Forum (IWF) revealed, “70% of students surveyed say their professors express their political views in class.”

I’ve had three professors who used their classroom as a political soapbox. Two of those professors didn’t stop at the level of inappropriate and unrelated political jokes. They went so far as to imply that Republican views were idiotic and unreasonable.

In one class, the low level of student participation caused me to wonder if students were intimidated. The professor routinely ridiculed the Bush administration and conservatives. In that class, I felt that if I spoke up, the professor would treat me like an imbecile.

In the IWF survey, close to a third of the students, “are uncomfortable expressing their opinions in class if they differ from their professor’s point of view.”

Before I continue, it’s worth mentioning that political debate has a place in some classes. Several students I’ve spoken with said political discussion occurred in history and political science classes.

However, I’m really talking about the difference between an open debate, and a professor who expects the students to quietly listen to their political rant.

Imagine going to the doctor about your headaches, and instead he starts your visit by talking about the best way to grow lavender. After a little while, he starts addressing your headaches, and you get billed for the entire visit.

It’s sad when 1 in 5 college students must pay to hear someone using their classroom as a political pulpit.

I find it interesting to compare two of my history professors. One of them consistently presented quality lectures, and somehow managed to avoid injecting political beliefs into the class.

Another history professor’s lectures consisted of some historical facts, but tended to include sensational tabloid style historical stories and political bias sprouted from every topic. Yes, I still had to pay for the class.

David Horowitz, founder of Students for Academic Freedom and author of the Academic Bill of Rights, wrote, “What they [professors] must not do is jump into the controversy on one side, wielding all the authority of their greater experience and superior knowledge, backed by their grading power. They are not in the classroom to recruit students to their political or religious agendas. They are there to teach them.”

The Academic Bill of Rights includes a crucial section, “Faculty will not use their courses for the purpose of political, ideological, religious or anti-religious indoctrination.”

Some professors seem to think that they are paid to provide political views on topics of their choice whether the class is Spanish 101 or English 104. Maybe they think that political jokes are a constructive way to teach students about differing points of view.

I doubt I will gain the best understanding of politics from listening to an English professor undermine our country’s leaders.

Soapboxing professors might do well to follow Obi Wan’s advice, “You should go home and rethink your class.”

the students strike back

2006-01-28T10:39:00.000-08:00

Looks like somebody in the college world finally got smart.

Burt Prelutsky wrote an article titled “Cracking the Eggheads,” where, “It seems that a young UCLA alum named Andrew Jones came up with the nifty notion of getting students to tape their professors’ lectures. He figured that was the one sure way to discover whether or not the pedants are really just a bunch of leftist windbags using their lecterns as soap boxes, indoctrinating rather than instructing.”

It seems that this upset more than one professor. Let me ask, if you’ve nothing to hide, what are you whining about? Although Prelutsky’s article didn’t elaborate on the results of these tape recordings, I applaud these students for taking action on this issue.

However, I’m not altogether sure I can condone the action itself. Students for Academic Freedom published an article on their site, which expressed the fear that this action (taping lectures without a professor’s consent) “opened itself up to charges of McCarthyism and played right into the hands of its detractors.”

While the students' methods are questionable, I’m impressed by the action behind the complaint. It’s really not a bad idea. If students obtained permission from professors for tape recording and actually followed through, maybe professors wouldn’t be so free with their political commentary.

quote of the week

2006-01-26T17:23:00.000-08:00

" 'If you hamper the war effort of one side, you automatically help out that of the other. Nor is there any real way of remaining outside such a war as the present one. In practice, 'he that is not with me is against me.'

It wasn't George Bush who said that. It was George Orwell. "

-Clifford D. May, "AWOL in the War of Ideas"

40 Ethiopian birr

2006-01-25T20:26:00.000-08:00

Today I received my second letter from an Ethiopian girl I’m sponsoring through Compassion International. A while back I sent her money for a birthday gift--$25.

She writes back, “Thank you for your birthday gift. I bought sheep with 130, a pair of shoes with 40 Ethiopian birr. I also used the rest for celebration.”

Sheep. Not one sheep. Sheep plural. Shoes. And a celebration.

I’ve heard people talk about how much impact just $5 can have on a family, but her letter really felt like a taste of reality. Attached to the letter are two photos—one of them with my Ethiopian friend and a goat. One very real girl, who writes in a foreign language, who lives in Ethiopia.

It doesn’t take me very long to make $25, but it can have such an impact on someone like this girl and her family. Sometimes it doesn’t feel like tithing means much, because I don’t hear back or see any impact.

But in Ethiopia, just a small amount of money helped a great deal. I hope and pray that I will feel even more encouraged to give with my hands open, knowing that even if I can’t see the impact, it’s there.

“But whoever has this world’s goods, and sees his brother in need, and shuts up his heart from him, how does the love of God abide in him?”-1 John 3:17

Alito confirmation questions-is he musical?

2006-01-19T15:02:00.000-08:00

I read an article this morning titled “U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin says no to Alito” by Nathaniel Hernandez. Not a bad article in general, but the fourth paragraph really struck me.

“He [Sen. Dick Durban] also criticized Alito for being guarded at his
confirmation hearings, noting that the New Jersey native would not even clearly
say whether he is a Bruce Springsteen fan.”

This is listed as one of the reasons that Sen. Durban will be voting against Alito’s confirmation.

I can just imagine Durban’s note pad. He writes a big headline at the top: Alito Confirmation Notes. Then under it various things he has noticed. Seems like a Bushie…actually values unborn babies...didn’t reveal music preferences.

I would love to ask Durban what music preferences have to do with the Supreme Court.

I don't blame Alito for not saying whether he was a Bruce Springsteen fan. Imagine if Alito said he wasn’t a Springsteen fan. The democrats might have a field day with that and decide it indicates that Alito hates liberals.

Who knows, maybe Durban is right and musical questions are important in the confirmation of a Supreme Court Justice. In that case, if Durban were running for Supreme Court, I wouldn’t be surprised if his favorite album was “You Just Don’t Get It.”

quote of the week

2006-01-18T15:14:00.000-08:00

I'm going to be implementing a new tradition: quote of the week.

This week's quote:

“Forget that. I’m not here to propose a therapeutic plan to help poor little Saddamy-wammy.”

-Jennifer Roback Morse, What emotionally disturbed children taught me about world politics: Part II, what to do?

confronting ideas from a worldly literature class

2006-01-17T15:44:00.000-08:00

This morning’s literature class discussion of The Awakening (Kate Chopin) lured me out of my shell and into the deeper waters of a semi-intelligent discussion.

A multifaceted story, The Awakening focuses primarily on the ‘sexual awakening’ of Edna, who is married. Chopin makes it obvious that Edna’s marriage is stagnant, and although her husband is good by society’s definition (i.e. he supports her and makes enough money), Edna is dissatisfied and unfulfilled.

Edna ‘awakens’ when she kisses another man, who is not her husband, describing it as “It was the first kiss of her life to which her nature had really responded.” Edna hopes to find fulfillment in extramarital affairs.

Our class discussion involved two main ideas. First, whether Edna’s husband had fulfilled his duties and acted as a husband ought, and second, Edna’s ‘awakening’ in the story and how her suicide plays into that.

Most of the class agreed that Edna’s husband treated Edna like a piece of property as opposed to a wife, but a couple males in the room thought that Edna’s husband was really a good husband. This struck me as interesting because it made me wonder if some men think that all they need to do in a marriage is provide. I completely disagree with this, because I believe husband should be loving providers, not just providers.

The second and more disturbing part of the discussion regarded Edna. The gist of her story is: Edna is dissatisfied, she seeks fulfillment in her various sexual affairs, and when fails to fulfill her, Edna commits suicide by drowning herself in the sea.

Some people in my class said that Edna had no choice, she was forced to seek fulfillment else, ostensibly because her husband did not provide it. Others said that today divorce would have solved that problem, but back then, Edna was ‘trapped’.

My professor even went so far as to say that Edna’s suicide achieved fulfillment (her final defiance and freedom from her marriage), and he said he would be very disappointed if that wasn’t the way the author had meant it.

When I examine Edna’s actions, and her fatal demise, I would tend toward the conclusion that Chopin has punished her heroine (or antiheroine) for her actions.

First, to confront what my classmates said. They claimed that Edna had no choice, yet we know that all human beings have choices. She was not trapped in an abusive marriage, but rather a stagnant one.

I would conclude that Edna felt dissatisfied with her life, and decided to take matters into her own hands and seek fulfillment through immoral affairs. I agree, her life wasn’t all roses, but it wasn’t so horrible that she had no choice but to follow an immoral life.

The divorce dilemma is just another result of a society steeped in wayward morals, in that they think divorce is an acceptable escape to any problem.

The idea I would like to highlight here, is the idea that humans of victims of their environment. It shapes you, it forces you to do things. My classmates believe that Edna is a victim of circumstance—her husband is a loser. They believe that these circumstances permit a divorce.

My professor’s conclusion seems that of a hopeful literary admirer. He hopes to justify Edna in her immoral actions, and justify a selfish suicide. Really, he hopes that it is not Edna’s fault after all. Edna doesn’t deserve the bad things that have happened to her, or the despondency that has ‘forced’ her to commit suicide.

Here I see the idea that man is really good, and doesn’t deserve to have bad things happen to him. Certainly, man does not deserve to be punished.

Literature is a gray area, and is interpreted hundreds of different ways. However, in light of how the story is written, the time period the author wrote this story (1899), and Chopin’s religious leanings, I think it is a logical conclusion that Edna is being punished for her actions.

Edna has sought happiness along a path that God has not sanctioned. Therefore, it is logical that Chopin would have decided that Edna’s pursuit of this evil would cause her great unhappiness. Disobeying God’s law causes unhappiness. Edna’s suicide is simply thought put into action. By the time she has committed all this evil, rejected all that was good, pure, and simple in her life, forsaken her family, her soul is rotten. She cannot abide herself, and suicide seems a relief from this living hell.

irresistible grace

2006-01-15T11:04:00.000-08:00

Go check out this most excellent post about irresistible grace.

the joy of eternal life

2006-01-10T18:13:00.000-08:00

The search for eternal life is a common factor in almost all religions, in that they believe in some form of an afterlife.

Eternal life is also a keystone of the Christian faith. Why? Because those who do seriously consider their purpose in life realize the futility of life outside of an afterlife.

It’s such a disappointing thought to imagine that this is it. You have 100 years if you’re lucky, more likely less. After that? The end. Caput. Nothing. Nothingness.

The Bible says, “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.” What if He hadn’t created them? What if He were the only One existing? I think about how sad that would be, and yet, I wouldn’t be alive to think it was sad. Nothing would be without God. The thought is staggering, and my brain can barely grasp even a thread of this truth. Life exists because God caused it to exist.

I cannot express in words what life would be like had humans never been created. Emptiness. Great emptiness. I am grateful to God simply for existing. If He didn’t exist, life would be horrible. There would be no life! It is wonderful to simply exist.

We have such a great God. I am very grateful that I have been given the opportunity to live! I don’t understand people who don’t care about where they’re going after this life. No wonder people fear death so, because that is the end in their minds.

I have so much to look forward to, and I know that death will truly be the beginning of the real story. It’s hard to imagine, especially with the cutesy images we often have of heaven: harps, golden streets, and endless singing.

C.S. Lewis’s book The Last Battle, spoke of heaven as being like earth, but 100 times better. When you ran, you could run without getting tired. When you plunged into cold water, it was deliciously cold without freezing you. When you ate a fruit, it was the best fruit you had ever tasted. I like to imagine heaven in this way, with a whole wonderful adventure to anticipate with joy.

We must not forget the greatest joy of all: being in the presence of God. I haven’t always thought this would be the most wonderful thing in the world, until I realized that Jesus is my best friend.

Imagine being in the presence of the best friend in the world, and once you’ve been eternally brought into His presence, you never do or say the wrong thing. Jesus knows everything about you, knows how to make you laugh, knows what things you enjoy doing. Jesus loves you the most. Think about a time when you truly felt loved. Imagine feeling that way all the time.

Truly, we have a loving God, who loves us so much, that He’s willing to share eternal bliss with us.

2006-A Brand New Year

2006-01-01T10:15:00.000-08:00

2005 was quite a year. So much happened in 2005, and I learned so much. I change so much each year I wonder what kind of person I’ll be in thirty years.

The most important change I experienced in 2005 was becoming closer to Jesus Christ. I hit crunch time and realized I needed to "work out my salvation with fear and trembling." I believe my soul is better for it.

As I reviewed everything that happened in 2005, I came up with six resolutions for 2006.

One: don’t be afraid to be friendly. At times I’ve felt rejected by people I made an effort to get to know. In response, I tend to keep to myself and not try to be friendly. I admire those who go out of their way to be friendly. What I learned last year, is that most people are a lot like me: nervous about getting to know people.

Two: get to know people before you judge them. Everyone fits into some type of stereotype: cheerleader, jock, preppy, weird, religious, quirky and others. I met so many new people last year, and in my head made sweeping assumptions that I later discovered were absolutely false. You miss out on new friends if you judge people before you even have a chance to get to know them.

Third: seek and conquer challenging things. Sometimes I find myself with what seems to be an insurmountable problem. It seems that I’ll never be able to conquer it and I’ll have to admit defeat. For example, I recently was confronted with learning a new computer program. No one else was familiar with it, so I had to answer all my own questions. I didn’t think I could do it. However, after considerable struggling (i.e. 2 weeks), I have conquered my problem. How does that make me feel? Great. Don’t buy into the ‘I’m not good enough’ lie.

Fourth: keep your own council. The Bible talks about the wisdom of keeping silent and not gossiping. I have committed this sin so many times I have reaped the ill consequences. Therefore, this year I resolve to learn when to be silent. I don’t always need to ‘spill the beans’.

Fifth: keep the peace. I am guilty of giving a ‘harsh answer’ which ‘stirs up anger’ all to often. I need to be willing to give up what I want in order to make things work. I need to learn to let go all over again.

Sixth: maintain a strong relationship with Jesus Christ. I cannot live without His Word. It teaches me, encourages me, and keeps me from straying away.

NSA wiretapping

2005-12-30T14:47:00.000-08:00

Ever since a leak revealed that the NSA had been eavesdropping on American citizens, the media has scrutinized President Bush to death. Was it legal? Did he have the authority to do so? A recent Townhall column asked why the media focused so heavily on President Bush, and ignored the leak itself. It’s a crime to leak classified information.

The media’s ‘righteous’ indignation over Bush’s authorization of wiretaps (a legal and not uncommon move for the president) holds the underlying assumption that the media, and Americans, have the right to know.

While some disclosure is necessary and appropriate, Americans don’t need to know everything. That’s why certain information is classified. It’s not for all eyes. It seems to me that the MSM wants to pretend to be god, and sees it as their duty to know everything, reveal some things, and lie about the rest.

There’s a good reason why the president is called Commander-in-Chief. There’s a good reason why the media is only public relations.

I don’t suppose it has occurred to the MSM that the president might actually be qualified for the job. It didn’t occur to them that America’s founding fathers established checks and balances to fight corruption.

The MSM always thinks they know better. It’s like a party they didn’t get invited to—they still want to spy through the windows and find a way to bash the party.

when love came down to earth

2005-12-25T08:34:00.000-08:00

Over 2000 years ago a very special person was born, Jesus Christ. However, His birth, although notable, is nothing without His resurrection.

Psalm 9:4-5
What is man that You are mindful of him,
And the son of man that You visit him?
For You have made him a little lower than the angels,
And You have crowned him with glory and honor.

This Christmas, be joyful, that God saw fit to visit and deliver man. We have an everlasting hope. Merry Christmas!

life, death, and everlasting life

2005-12-24T07:34:00.000-08:00

The other night we watched Tuck Everlasting. Winnie, the girl who discovers the Tuck’s secret, that they will never die, says at one point, “I wish this moment could last forever.”

Jesse Tuck, who is already going to live forever, tells Winnie how great it would be to have moments like that forever. Forever. That’s a long time.

Sometimes I get caught up in the joy of life on earth, and like Winnie, I wish it would last forever. I wish I could stay 18 forever.

The Tucks ability to live forever comes from a certain spring. When a man in yellow who has been tracking them discovers the secret, he wants to sell the water to ‘deserving people’. He really seems to think it will bring great happiness.

Why wouldn’t it bring great happiness? Jesse’s father had it partly right. “What we are, you can’t call living,” he says. As the movie progresses, living forever seems less and less appealing. No change. Just ‘rocks stuck by a stream.’

There’s another reason why it wouldn’t bring great happiness. This earth is completely corrupted and to live here forever would be horrible. No escape. It would become tiresome.

To live forever, in our present sinful state, isn’t what God meant for us. In a sinless world, Adam and Eve would have lived forever.

The only everlasting life that would truly bring happiness is life with God in heaven, in a new sinless world, with our sinful natures forever banished.

The message of the movie really struck home with me. Mr. Tuck says to Winnie after she finds out that the Tuck family will live forever, “Don’t be afraid of dying, Winnie. Be afraid of the unlived life.”

The unlived life. Death is frightening. But it would be more frightening to be forever trapped in this depraved world. The movie reminded me to live my life. Change is a wonderful thing, although it may seem frightening in the moment. I must just live my life, and when I die, my sinless eternal life in heaven will truly be wonderful.

enough work for a lifetime

2005-12-23T18:18:00.000-08:00

The other day I read a post by someone that caught my attention. She said that her perfect day involved sleeping in, going to the gym, talking on the phone, and watching Gilmore Girls. An easy day maybe, but not a perfect day.

Why? No work. Just play days are fun once in while, but tend to turn into (at least for me) a very long day of doing what I want, feeling discontent and unfulfilled. Therefore, I believe that a perfect day consists of: a completely productive work day with plenty of work, lots of loving people who are kind to me, an evening cooking goodies to eat, and maybe watching a late night romance/comedy.

I believe that work is essential to feeling fulfilled in life. For me, I believe that I am most fulfilled when I am trusting God, giving and taking love from those around me, and accomplishing a lot of work.

Adults spend most of their time working, and especially for a husband, working and providing for the family is an important task. Someone I know from school once said he didn’t want to get a job. I just didn’t understand. I wonder where that frame of mind, that working is drudgery, comes from. Habit? Laziness? Family influences?

People talk about not having enough time, and I often agree. Sometimes I feel overwhelmed. I don’t see that as the perfect status quo. However, being able to go to work, accomplish a lot and serve others, has its own reward. It’s a joy to come home from a long work day and know that you were needed. I have felt most fulfilled in my work when I was able to serve others, handle problems and challenges, and do it all quickly and competently.

I know that many people in this world hate their jobs, and that in other countries, people are stuck in jobs that are truly drudge work. But in America, there are many job opportunities available, and I look forward to spending many more years working.

The Enemy Within

2005-12-13T18:09:00.001-08:00

An article by the San Francisco Chronicle titled “Bush says 30,000 Iraqi civilians dead in war He says 'terrorists, Saddamists will continue violence' ”, is just one in thousands of articles that seek to undermine US efforts in Iraq.

No one should be surprised when the MSM (mainstream media) resort to stopping up their ears, spouting lies, and shouting ‘lalala we’re not listening.’ It seems to be a common malady lately.

Although the San Francisco Chronicle’s article included quotes from Bush including, “The Iraqi people are stepping forward to claim their liberty, and they will have it,'' and “Thanks to the courage of the Iraqi people, the year 2005 will be recorded as a turning point in the history of Iraq, the history of the Middle East, and the history of freedom.” But no, of all the quotes they choose for their headline, they tell us how many Iraq civilians are dead, and that violence is continuing. True statements, but only a portion of the truth.

Same article, another quote: "I regret that the American people have still not received a plan that identifies the remaining political, military and economic objectives that must be met in order to succeed,'' said Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev.

Maybe Mr. Reid doesn’t understand. Political objectives? From Bush’s 35 page "National Strategy for Victory in Iraq", political victory means that Iraq is, “meeting political milestones, building democratic institutions. . . with a fully constitutional government in place. . . well integrated into the international community.” Not specific enough? Further down in the document see, “The Political Track”:

The Political Track involves working to forge a broadly supported national compact for democratic governance by helping the Iraqi government:
>Isolate enemy elements from those who can be won over to the political process by countering false propaganda and demonstrating to all Iraqis that they have a stake in a democratic Iraq;
>Engage those outside the political process and invite in those willing to turn away from violence through ever-expanding avenues of participation; and
>Build stable, pluralistic, and effective national institutions that can protect the interests of all Iraqis, and facilitate Iraq's full integration into the international community.

Military objectives? Right after “The Political Track” see “The Security Track.” Economic Objectives? See “The Economic Track.” Or, if the above hasn’t satisfied your need for a plan, see Part II of "National Strategy for Victory in Iraq": Strategy in Detail. Mr. Reid? You can open your eyes now. The plan is called "National Strategy for Victory in Iraq".

Let us return to the original article. Yet another quote: “ "It's not going to get better with us over there," Murtha told reporters at a Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce reception.” Murtha, let me direct your attention to something you must have missed.

See Bush’s fact sheet: Democracy in Iraq, “Two and a half years ago, Iraq was in the grip of a cruel dictator. Since then, Iraqis have assumed sovereignty of their country, held free elections, drafted a democratic constitution, and approved that constitution in a nationwide referendum.” It already has gotten better with us over there.

A glaring error came to my attention this morning. A headline from the website http://www.zmag.org/ says, “In Growing Numbers, Public Opposes Iraq War, While Most Congressional Democrats Play It 'Safe'. This article was published on December 9th, the same day that MSNBC’s article “Bush’s approval rating rises to 42 percent” was published.

While I was reading the "National Strategy for Victory in Iraq", I came across a section titled The Strategy of Our Enemies. One line in particular struck me, “The enemy's strategy, in short, is to intimidate, terrorize, and tear down -- a strategy with short-term advantage because it is easier to tear down than to build up.”

I think that one of America’s enemies lurks in the MSM. They seek to tear down, they seek to cause fear in the American people, and they seek to intimidate the American public into backing down. I can only hope that Bush was right when he said that this short term strategy will fail, “But this strategy is not sustainable in the long term because it is rejected by the overwhelming mass of the Iraqi [in this case American] population.”

Chronicles of Narnia movie review SPOILER WARNING

2005-12-12T17:02:00.000-08:00

Preceded by hundreds of articles, one children’s book, and much anticipation, The Chronicles of Narnia, produced by Andrew Adamson, brought a 55 year old classic to life. The book was written by C.S. Lewis, who is famous for numerous Christian books, most notably, Mere Christianity.

The story begins when the four Pevensie children are sent to the country to escape the German Blitz in London during World War II. The four children, Peter (played by William Moseley), Susan (played by Anna Popplewell), Edmund (played by Skandar Keynes), and Lucy (played by Georgie Henley), discover another kingdom inside an old wardrobe. During their encounters with various creatures, the children learn that this kingdom, Narnia, is ruled by an evil witch who causes it to always be winter and never Christmas. Following Edmund’s betrayal of his siblings, the children are led to Aslan, a lion, the Christ figure in the story. The witch’s demands cause Aslan to give the ultimate sacrifice to spare Edmund and ultimately save Narnia.

Currently grossing an estimated $67.1 million dollars, The Chronicles of Narnia truly brings its audience a glorious movie. I have divided my movie review into three sections: differences between the book and movie that don’t affect the book’s message, differences that negatively affect the story, and my general impression.

Although the book humorously portrays Mr. and Mrs. Beaver as having amusing little spats, the producers of the movie took it one step further. Humorous lines are spattered throughout the film, including some sarcasm, and a memorable line just before the great battle. Addressing Peter’s comment about the size of the Witch’s army, a centaur says, “Numbers do not win the battle.”

“No, but I’m sure they help,” says Peter, provoking laughter from the audience. Little moments like that don’t detract from the movie’s message by overshadowing the story.

For those who have been avid Narnia fans for years (this includes those who have read the book more than ten times), they will notice minor differences between the dialogue in the movie and the dialogue in the book. One missing line in particular caught my family’s attention. In the book after all the children discover Narnia, Peter says to Edmund, “Why you poisonous little beast!”

The movie lacks the biting zest of that particular line. These minor dialogue changes don’t change the perceived intent of the text. The movie producers also added an entire ice chase scene, not a choice I would have made, but not a change that harms the movie.

I did notice three major areas where the movie producers changed or added material that I believe negatively affected the original story. The first, although it could be classified by some as a minor difference, felt very significant and memorable to me. When the Pevensie children dine with the beavers in the book, they enjoy a spectacular meal with fresh trout, potatoes, plenty of butter, and “a gloriously sticky marmalade roll.” These victuals are sadly missing in the movie, where Lucy crinkles her nose at what looks like burnt fish with their skins on and something that looked like scorched chicken feed.

The movie producers created the impression that the Pevensie children thought about returning home, as opposed to their obvious duty to stay and take their places on the four thrones at Cair Paravel. Susan whines that this battle is not their fight, and that it’s too dangerous. Peter almost takes the children back to the wardrobe.

I can’t help wondering if the movie producers were trying to relay a message about pulling out of Iraq. In any case, the ‘cut and run’ thread that runs through a part of the movie plays no part in the book. C.S. Lewis made in clear that once Edmund was in danger and the situation was fully explained, the Pevensie children had no question about their duty to stay, save their brother, and fulfill the old Narnian prophesy at Cair Paravel.

The final area where the producers took undue liberties with the book is in regard to Aslan. In the movie, Aslan says at one point, “I will do what I can.” There seems to be an attitude that Aslan isn’t in charge, and can’t handle what’s going on. He’s not enough. This flouts the intent of the book, where Aslan portrays the Christ figure.

The producers redeem themselves at the end of the movie however, because the Pevensie children do decide to stay and do their duty, Aslan does save the day and redeem Edmund, and as World Magazine put it, “Aslan's fearsome roar is still powerful enough to be heard over the din.”

Aside from these differences, good and bad, I thoroughly enjoyed the movie. As I watched the movie unfold, it seemed just like I remembered from the book. I believe this speaks of the excellent job that C.S. Lewis did in portraying the story, as well as the producer’s efforts to remain faithful to the story.

Unlike some movies I’ve watched, The Chronicles of Narnia completely captured my interest, and I found myself so caught up in the story that I jumped when Maugrim, head of the witch’s secret police, snarled at Edmund. I often find myself disappointed at a producer’s choice in actors because I have imagined the book characters differently, but the four children were represented almost perfectly.

The Chronicles of Narnia truly is a masterpiece, and definitely worth paying to see in the theatre. Besides being an enjoyable story, it reminds us anew of Christ’s sacrifice.

empty lives

2005-12-06T18:40:00.000-08:00

It hasn’t escaped the media’s notice that The Chronicles of Narnia movie has a moral message. Not only a moral message, but :gasp: a Christian message. The Chronicles of Narnia follows the lead of three The Lord of the Rings films produced by Peter Jackson. Highly successful, LOTR paved the way for another film: The Chronicles of Narnia.

I believe that the success of LOTR and expected success of The Chronicles of Narnia points to growing dissatisfaction with content empty films. The media produces movie after movie with a poor plotline, no real message, and no real redemption. Is it possible that Americans are tiring of that emptiness?

A movie devoid of redemption and good triumphing over evil, and soaked in sexual innuendo and foul language, only serves to remind Americans of their own empty lives. It serves to remind them of the immoral world they live in, and of their own hopeless lives.

What does LOTR have that other movies lack? For starters, a solid plotline. In addition, it has real heroes, who value doing the right thing over the easy thing. The biggest thing that LOTR has is true redemption. Our brave heroes save the day, and evil is crushed.

This type of story appeals to people because life with Christ is a life with hope. A brave hero (Christ) saves the day. Death loses its power with Christ’s sacrifice. Bottom line: life with Christ is full of meaning, not emptiness.

For those Americans who live their whole life with emptiness and dissatisfaction, they may find a film that has true meaning to be relieving, and perhaps, enlightening.

Sometimes taking a step back from the truth you know can make you appreciate its true value. If I find myself amazed at what Aslan did for Edmond, then I can be truly amazed at what Christ has done for me.

And maybe, someone who doesn’t know Christ will say, “I wish someone like Aslan really existed.” I can tell them, “He does! Jesus lives today.”

the 'duh' factor

2005-12-05T21:57:00.000-08:00

With the upcoming release on December 9th of film version of C.S. Lewis' fairytale, The Chronicles of Narnia, the media has a whole new topic to discuss. What surprised me, and probably shouldn't have, was the sheer ignorance in print.

Muswell Hill Journal's article "Thrown in at the Deep End", says,
"And interpretations of the book can be somewhat controversial. Some see the book as a barely disguised Christian parable - with brave lion Aslan cast as Jesus who dies but returns to help save the kingdom. When the film's climatic battle is over, Aslan is heard to say "It is finished" - Jesus's final words on the cross. So does Adamson worry that the film may be hijacked by certain religious groups?"

You think? Don't worry about the film being hijacked by certain religious groups, the book itself has already been hijacked. I didn't realize that the book was so hard to interpret; after all, it is a children's book.

MSNBC's article, "Disney quietly touts ‘Narnia's’ religious side", states,
"While refusing to call it a religious movie, Disney is using the same company that promoted Mel Gibson’s “The Passion of the Christ” to publicize “Narnia” through churches across the country. The goal is to create the perfect Christmas blockbuster, appealing to both secular and religious audiences."

Who is Disney afraid of? Are they afraid that an allegory of Jesus Christ's sacrifice might be more offensive than the sexual undertones in their animated films?

I've read several articles than either indicated that C.S. Lewis intended for the story to be an allegory of Christ's sacrifice, or that Lewis didn't intend that. Here's where I think the 'duh' factor applies.

We have a Christian man, C.S. Lewis. He wrote many Christian books, and he writes an entire series of children's novels. The Chronicles of Narnia just so happens to talk about Aslan, who appears as the omnipotent being of the story, and Aslan is sacrificed for another's crime. Could this possibly be the story of Jesus?

Duh.

a call to action

2005-12-03T07:52:00.000-08:00

Pastors, writers, presidents, and government officials are always calling for some type of action. Love your neighbor, consider these dangers, support your troops, conserve gas. It’s a call to action. I think to an extent we all enjoy listening to a call for action. “All right, someone’s finally coming out and saying it!” It’s easy to say rah, rah, but where’s the action? When I heard about President Bush’s call to for gas conservation, I thought, fat chance, it’s a good idea, but you’re not going to get action. I find myself thinking that a lot. Fat chance, everyone in the church isn’t suddenly going to change their ways because of your call to action.

Then I realize just what a hypocrite I am, and how ironic the situation is. I think the call to action is appropriate, I doubt anyone will do it, and I have no intention of doing it. Action requires change. Action requires humility. Action requires effort. It’s very easy to philosophize.

I think that joy is an essential part of a Christian’s life. When things are going bad? By all means. But of course, I ‘feel’ the most joyful when things are going my way. So what happens when I get hit by the curve ball? Suddenly, action is a whole lot harder.

And here I am, philosophizing. We are to rejoice when we face trials of many kinds, “because the testing of our faith produces perseverance.” [James 1: 2-4] I’ve hit a snag in my joy plan, but that shouldn’t stop me.

Action isn’t comfortable. Action is humbling, because I realize just how dependent I am on outside circumstances. But my responsibility is clear: joyful at all times, because I know that God is in control. Nothing is happening that has surprised God.

My justification for writing this is because I triumphed over my anti-joy tendency today. “Count your blessings.” Trite, but true. I have everything in the world for which to be thankful. And that leaves me full of joy.

stereotypical judging

2005-12-01T15:20:00.000-08:00

Matthew 7:1-2
"Judge not, that you be not judged. For with what judgment you judge, you will be judged; and with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you."

I have read this verse for years, and failed to really understand it. Do not judge, blah blah blah.

Recently, it suddenly made a whole lot of sense in light of three people with whom I became acquainted. In one of my college classes, four people sit at a table with me. The first is someone who has more than a few piercings and who I immediately stereotyped as weird. The second is someone who enjoys skiing. I steretyped him as a ski dude, and assumed that he might be very apathetical. The third is a girl I stereotyped her as a cheerleader type girl. I felt disappointed that these people wouldn't really be people I was interested in getting to know.

Amazing what a little bit of first impression does to me. Over the course of the last couple months, my stereotypes have been almost completely ruined. Malcolm Gladwell's book Blink had it wrong. My 'thinslicing' proved almost 100% inaccurate.

The weirdo turned out to be one of the most polite, helpful guys I have known. He is very smart and friendly, and honestly, I barely see all the piercings now.

The ski dude turned out to also be very smart, interested in life, and someone who really takes a genuine interest in other people's lives.

Finally, the cheerleader girl, was a whole bundle of surprises. She can be very sweet, friendly, sympathetic. Although I gave her a cheerleader stereotype, she's whizzed through a bunch of college level calculus, and got a job at Mervyn's just a week after I quit Mervyn's. The kicker: some of our political views coincide. The person I had 'tagged' as someone I probably wouldn't get to know, turns out to be someone more like me than I thought.

John 7:24
"Do not judge according to appearance, but judge with righteous judgment."

What have I learned?

I've learned that my experience is just one of those reasons why Christians are not called to judge. I nearly missed out on three new friends.

A second major reason we are called not to judge is because pagans have no hope. Where would I be without Jesus? Where would I be if God hadn't chosen me?

James 2:13
"So speak and so do as those who will be judged by the law of liberty. For judgment is without mercy to the one who has shown no mercy. Mercy triumphs over judgment."

Even if people are 'unlovely' and unlikely to become Christians, it is all the more reason to demonstrate love to them. They have no hope.

James 4:12
"There is one Lawgiver, who is able to save and to destroy. Who are you to judge another?"

short on time

2005-09-29T13:19:00.000-07:00

Last night I watched "Without a Paddle," during which an old man said something profound. He told the young men that money you can get back, but time, once you lose it, is gone forever.

It's a frightening thought, if pondered very hard, that this life is the one life you've been given the opportunity to live. All the bad and good things you do, go right on your spiritual record, and will affect your eternal soul. What worries me most is what a mucky muck I've already made of my chance.

Time is indeed precious. I've read stories where it was asked, "If you could go back in time, what would you change?" A common response is 'spend more time with people.' Tim McGraw wrote a song "Live Like You're Dying" which talks about someone who suddenly realises that he's short on time. He went on to live life to its fullest, "And I loved deeper, and I spoke sweeter, and I gave forgiveness I'd been denying."

I already know I will have much to regret when I'm dying. Each moment of time should be treated carefully, because you can't get time back.

Are you living life to its full potential?

Great Expectations?

2005-09-28T22:30:00.000-07:00

I’m being cheated out of my college education. I made this appalling discovery when I received my worst ever grade on an English paper. Plentiful teacher scribbling covered the pages, and a note at the end included this sentence, “There is much room for improvement should you choose to revise.” I was shocked. Since I started college, I had not received such a devastating comment on any of my papers.

My most challenging English professor, Pearl Klein, saw right through my attempts to skim the material, and she didn’t give me a ‘one size fits all’ evaluation on my paper. She didn’t write, “Needs work, grade B.” She said ‘much room for improvement’, added lengthy comments, and I could tell she had read and seen potential in my pathetic paper.

I had to revise, but I doubted my ability to write any better. However, two hours of extensive reworking produced a much different draft, and a revelation. If I wanted to be truly prepared for adult life, I would have to take more responsibility for my own education. I could see now how much potential my other teachers had failed to elicit.

One might think that doing the assignment and fulfilling the professor’s expectations would produce a quality learning experience, but not when the said professor has created a class that should be titled, ‘Credit for Dummies.’ After a year at Olympic College and ten different professors, I’ve realized that five of those ten professors didn’t expect enough out of me.

At first I felt relieved by the low expectations; I could hold down my job, do the minimum amount of homework and still make the grade. However, when I revised one of my mediocre papers and saw how much better I could do if challenged, the light went on. The ‘Oh! I’m not actually learning anything’ light.

My own experiences, coupled with the realization that many of my classmates still didn’t have a grip on basic punctuation, make me wonder if college professors don’t demand enough out of their students.

Student supervisor Ralph Givens said, “Both high school and college classes are ‘dumbed down’ when they try to make one size fit all.” On a college campus where diversity and uniqueness are emphasized, the last thing one would expect is the ‘one size fits all’ attitude, which fails to provide an exemplary education.

I’ve written papers that I knew lacked originality, understanding, and professionalism, and yet I still made the grade. From past classes, I’ve realized that I can’t rely entirely on teachers to provide me with the necessary challenge and incentive to produce quality work. If I desire to turn into an educated adult, I will have to set my own bar, and exceed that bar.

A good grade may be easier to come by if you take the ‘easy’ teachers, but you’re only cheating yourself. Did you come to college to hide in your comfort zone or to prepare yourself for a career in the adult world?

2005-09-06T20:13:00.000-07:00

"Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil;
Who put darkness for light, and light for darkness;
Who put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter."-Isaiah 5:20

A verse for those who believe in relative truth.

"The Lord of hosts, Him you shall hallow;
Let Him be your fear,
And let Him be your dread."-Isaiah 8:13

It sounds like poetry--poetry of a great and terrible God.

Toby Mac wrote,
"My burden's easy and My yoke is a featherweight.And this you know yet you're still a man of little faith."

I am a woman of little faith.

"The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; Those who dwelt in the land of the shadow of death, upon them a light has shined."-Isaiah 9:2

We have a hope. The shadow of death cannot oppress forever.

overlook to love

2005-08-30T14:52:00.000-07:00

If you judge people, you have no time to love them. -Mother Theresa

The Bible talks about overlooking other people's offenses, and I see some serious merit to that. It is not my job to fix everyone else's life. It is my job to follow my God, and it is my job to love my neighbors. Love overlooks a multitude of sins.

Should the FDA Regulate Dietary Supplements?

2005-08-26T20:14:00.000-07:00

In an arena dominated by powerful drug companies, the debate rages on as to how much regulation should be required for dietary supplements, also known as alternative medicine. Currently, the FDA (Food and Drug Administration) exercises limited control over herbal supplements. According to Judy Foulke, FDA spokeswoman, “It is the manufacturer's responsibility to produce a product that will not cause harm.” (Herb) The Journal of Athletic Training wrote, “Under the current legislation, supplement makers do not have to prove a product is safe; the FDA has the burden of proving a product is unsafe. The FDA can only take action if a product is found to present a significant or unreasonable risk of illness or injury” (Winterstein and Storrs). While manufacturers must provide adequate labeling, the FDA can ban any substance they feel is harmful to the public. Herbal advocates accuse the FDA and big drug companies of suppressing dietary supplements, while the FDA and drug companies claim that dietary supplements should be subject to regulation. There are several reasons why FDA regulation is not the answer to this problem. Regulation of a substance by the FDA does not guarantee its safety. Regulation of dietary supplements by the FDA is ineffective. Regulation by the FDA gives drug companies a monopoly on medicine.

Despite their extensive research requirements, the FDA cannot assess all the perils of a product. Some products have long term consequences that cannot be discovered in a study confined to the limits of time. The Herb Research Foundation writes that, “Over half of approved drugs are discovered to have "serious post-approval side-effects" requiring them to be removed from sale or restricted from use” (Herb). In addition, some drugs, although useful in dire circumstances, are seriously injurious to human health. Yet, these dangerous drugs are FDA approved. For example, the pain killer methadone received FDA approval in 1947, yet overdoses last year killed 264 Floridians (Greene). The FDA stamp of approval is no promise that the substance taken cannot have serious side effects.

Inconsistency and inaccuracy do not secure confidence that the FDA can both protect the public and improve the quality of available medicine. If someone is to believe that FDA regulation is imperative, they must also believe that the FDA already fulfills its duties. Sources indicate otherwise. “In fact, dietary supplements are subject to a safety definition stricter than that required for conventional foods and far stronger than for all classes of drugs. A supplement is considered unsafe if it "presents a significant or unreasonable risk of illness or injury. . .drugs are allowed to present significant risks, as long as these risks are outweighed by benefits” (Herb). Last year’s FDA ban on ephedra demonstrates the same inconsistency—the drug was banned based on the deaths of 5 people, and yet 106,000 deaths attributed to prescription drugs don’t have the same effect (Wong). It does not appear that the FDA seeks to increase the availability of safe medicine when their standards are inconsistent, and they ban herbal substances at will on insufficient grounds. Consequently, no one should expect that regulation of dietary supplements by the FDA will necessarily assure a safe product.

The last link in the argument leads to the drug company monopolizing the market. With free license to ban products, the FDA controls the dietary supplement market. Their regulation only gives drug companies a bigger hold on the availability of medicine. One source states that FDA bureaucrats want to regulate all nutritional supplements, and force, “citizens to depend entirely on prescription drugs that are controlled by a monopolistic industry” (News Target). Drug and pharmaceutical companies have every incentive to oppose and encourage opposition of alternative medicine, which, in some cases, can provide the same results at lower costs and fewer side effects.

The original question is: should the FDA regulate herbal supplements? FDA regulation is not the answer. Based on various sources, the FDA cannot reliably, effectively and consistently determine safety of a given product. The FDA’s bias and incentive towards selling expensive drugs prevents the public from receiving potentially useful, affordable, and comparatively safer medicine. Alexander Tabarrok said, “The FDA can make two kinds of mistakes. It can permit a bad drug, and it can fail to permit a good drug” (Tabarrok). Finally, despite the claim that dietary supplements endanger the public, their track record is incomparable to the dangers and deaths associated with conventional drugs.

Contact author for works cited and bibliography.

I know your innermost being

2005-08-24T10:07:00.000-07:00

The other measure of a true relationship is how well one person knows the other. I found this very interesting when applied to God.

He knows me better than anyone else in the world. He knows why I do things, why I don't do things, who I love, what I struggle with, my evilest desires, and yet He still loves me.

I know God better than I know any of my friends. His entire Word is a testimony of who He is. I know what His desires are, what He hopes for me, why He put me on this earth, and I love Him for who He is.