Godly Thoughts On Environmentalism

Genesis 1:26 Then God said, "Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move along the ground."

If God gave mankind the responsibility to rule, that is manage, the Earth, why aren't we leading the charge for environmentalism? Why are we not demanding corporations set aside their desire for profits and make them accountable for managing the resources they use? Instead, we look at the ungodly who are doing so and protest their ungodliness, all the while letting them take over our God given responsibility.

The New Age movement is worshiping the Earth. And, we point and say “evil”, but refuse to fulfill the original call placed upon man in the Garden of Eden. Why? The only reason I have ever heard is that we must not worship the creation, only the Creator. This is right and proper. However, we are called to love more than serve. When you truly love someone, you do the things that make them happy. And, you do it, not because you have to do them, Instead, you do those things to see the one you love smile.

If we really love God, why are we not doing more things that make Him smile? He asked to manage and care for His creation. Why are we not demanding this, along with caring for the unborn, the poor, abandoned, neglected?

Perhaps Paul wrote more prophetically than anyone previously thought when he said:

Romans 8:19-21. The creation waits in eager expectation for the sons of God to be revealed. For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the glorious freedom of the children of God.

When will we bring a smile to our Lord and Saviors face by doing what makes Him, and all creation, happy?

A Questions of Perspective

On this Thanksgiving, as a man of Faith I would like to share a profound thought. Are we living in times of darkness or Glory? The choice truly is up to us. Yes, things are going bad to worse. The rule of man is continually and increasing degree replacing the rule of God. And, I do mean the rule of God. The Church was not meant to rule, but to influence. But, I digress. Yes, all manner of evil things are occurring throughout the world. So, yes darkness is increasing.

BUT, at the same time, all of this was foretold. So, that makes it the unfolding of the will and plan of God. And, that makes all of it glorious because God is revealing Himself in our days for all who are willing to recognize Him.

How you view it, and how you react to it, is up to you. We can see the darkness and revel in God's glory, while letting Christ and the Holy Spirit work through us to influence others. Or, we can point to everything evil, decry how bad it is, and demand people change. Personally, I prefer to focus on glory rather than darkness.

Happy Thanksgiving.

Food For Thought...

Here's an odd thought...considering my sual bent here.

We live in a rather frightening environment these days. People make choices, and then blame God for not stopping or correcting their choices when they go bad or have a negative affect on others. Why is God responsible for your choices, or mine, for that matter? He chooses to respect us enough to let us make our own choices, and let's us live with the consequences of them.

As long as we blame God for the outcomes, rather than humble ourselves and take responsibility for what we have done, God will not get involved in redeeming these things in our lives. The good news is Jesus died so you could have the chance to humble yourself before Him, honor and respect God, and let His redemption flow into your mistakes.

So…which one would you rather have?

The Growth of Islam in the West

The frightening part of our current world is not suicide bombers and Islamic extremists. The frightening part is that, simply due to population growth, Muslims will take over and become the dominant culture of the world sometime in the next 30-40 years. That’s what the numbers say. Check it out.



Now, admittedly, this comes across as something of a scare tactic. But, the scarier part is that population controls instituted on industrial nations via the UN, Planned Parenthood and so forth will easily make this a reality. Just remember the math. Our apathy and religious lukewarmness makes us a ready target for a growing, dynamic culture. All that has to happen is a lack of population growth. As the video shows in other countries, the lack of growth is always filled from somewhere else, and Muslims already have a plan to make it happen in America. And, unless trends change, it will happen here.

(…better brush up on your Arabic and Islamic law…unless liberals stop taking away the ability to maintain our cultural definition…)

History Repeats Itself In Afghanistan and Pakistan

Reports on Friday and Saturday indicated that the Taliban is using civilians as human shields. This article seems to imply that this is a surprise. I fail to understand why it should be. This has been a tactic of intimidation used by every terrorist guerilla warfare group, at least in recent history--Hamas, the Taliban, all the way to Vietnam, Moa, Che Guevara, and even farther back in time. Unfortunately, the frightening part of the article is the last paragraph:

On Friday Karzai said "we cannot justify in any manner, for whatever number of Taliban, for whatever number of significantly important terrorists, the accidental or otherwise loss of civilians."

Like it or not, civilian suffering is a part of standing against evil. The Taliban, or whatever extremist group you care to name, will always use that suffering to get their opponents to stop fighting for fear of hurting innocent someone. They will try to plaster the media with how ugly the destruction is that gets “imposed by the good guys.” We must remember one very important thing. THEY DO NOT CARE ABOUT THE SUFFERINGS OF OTHERS. And, extremeists will never be stopped if we put suffering or some other difficulty ahead of defeating those extremist groups. Taking President Karzai’s statement at face value would indicate he has already given up the will to fight. For the sake of our soldiers, and those of supporting nations, I hope not. If that occurs, Afghanistan will become another Vietnam for someone.


But, then again, given Thursday’s announcement that US troops won’t go to Pakistan just brought flashbacks of Vietnam to me. Any student of history knows that a big reason North Vietnam overcame the South was the ability to hide and build forces in Laos and Cambodia. The communist forces successfully controlled those other countries, and then used them as bases. With the take over of the Swat area and areas closer to Islamabad by militant forces, coupled with the inability of the Pakistani Army to turn back the tide (some reports indicate they are being complicit in the takeover), this is looking more and more like Vietnam. Contrary to popular media reports, Bush did indeed set us on the road to get out of Iraq. His timetable has become the same timetable that President Obama is using. The question now becomes: will Obama be able to get us out of Afghanistan without the disgrace we suffered in Vietnam?

Banking, Education...and Islam

Despite Ben Bernake’s news of increased consumer spending, things are not what they appear. According to The Economist, consumption will remain in a depressed state for years. Why?

Since the early 1980s, spending by households on goods, services and homes has grown faster than GDP, making it the locomotive of American—and global—expansion. By 2006 it accounted for 76% of nominal GDP, the highest since quarterly data begin in 1947.

It will likely remain depressed for the same reason we got into this mess: an ever increasingly credit driven economy. And that problem, by the way, is not one that governments are addressing. Instead, they are trying to increase the amount of available credit. Granted, there is a need for that in the short term. But, the long term solution for the credit mess is not being addressed at all. And that is going to be very bad.

Ultimately, it’s why the Chinese and other Asian countries own so much of America. And, lest we forget, so do the Arabs. Unfortunately, with their continued investment will likely come more Sharia Law requirements which banks will undoubtedly go for. Don’t think they will? Think again. Profits alone will drive them there. But, the western world is not being threatened by Islamic rules just in banking. Germany is facing this issue in their schools. But, that is nothing new. It’s been an ongoing battle in the U.S. for a few years. It was an unintended consequence of 9-11, to be sure. Of course, educators and teachers unions deny this is some soft form of indoctrination, but…

The Banking Crisis, Anger and Islam

There has been a lot of media hype lately about the financial crisis. And, of course, the crisis has EVERYONE’S attention. But, what isn’t covered, or dealt with openly is the seething anger below the surface. This was best revealed on the Tonight show when President Obama was a guest.

Jay Leno described the immense dollar amounts of executive bonuses, and said

"I know what would make me feel better -- shouldn't somebody go to jail?"

At this the audience clapped and cheered loudly. In turn the President indicated that he understands the sentiment, but gave this reply:

"Here's the dirty little secret -- most of the stuff that got us into trouble was perfectly legal."

Actually, it’s not that dirty of a secret. But, it is true. It was all legal. One thing the media and government has not focused on is that most of it went on with Democrats in charge of financial oversight through the US Congress, but who said and did nothing about it. Their inaction caused a lot of this trouble. And the trouble has, in turn, generated is a lot of anger. As the audience of the Tonight show demonstrated, we are pointing fingers and demanding vengeance. And, what is being done to deal with the anger? NOTHING! ZIP! NADA!

Would you like to know why Islam is the fastest growing religion in the world? At it’s fundamental levels, it justifies anger. Most religions do the same thing, but some are more codified about it than others. You have to earn forgiveness, favor from heaven, etc. Any structured institution built by men does this.

So, why is it that we expect government to be able to solve the problem? Due to the control factors, government obviously has a vested interest in not seeing this change. People need to pay more attention to how and why government, or any other institution, gains more control over situations. And, what government does not do to solve issues…like go after the ones who did not solve the financial problems in the first place (aka Barney Frank and company).

Only one thing is required break the growth of the anger in America. It is changed hearts. So, pray for America to have a changed heart, and for people to go out living lives from changed hearts. Otherwise, the anger is only making room for more judgment and anger, which can only be justified by a religion built on it--Islam.

(...i bet you never thought there was a real connection...did you?...)

Policy, Medicine and Islam

After the report on medical information safety by the BBC, the NYT reports that many doctors question whether the cost of implementing digital records may not be worth it.

Two articles, to be published on Thursday in the New England Journal of Medicine, point to the formidable obstacles to achieving the policy goal of not only installing electronic health records, but also using them to improve care and curb costs.

Studies found use of data to be far lower than originally thought. One journal article went so far as to say implementing this would be a serious policy mistake. In typical liberal line-toeing, The NYT, though, goes on to cite the importance of implementing the proposed Obama/left wing policy without citing any real sources that refute the Journal’s findings.

On the subject of dealing with tough policy issues, Germany is wrestling with dealing with Islam in the schools. Religious instruction is a constitutional reality in all but two states. The honor killing of a Turkish woman in 2005 scared Berlin into using an ethics based teaching instead of religion.

What everyone shares is an obsession with Muslims, who account for over half the students in parts of the city. The ethics course is partly meant to snuff out incipient violent radicalism. But it leaves many children learning the Koran from teachers who have little stake in German society. Better, says Pro-Reli, to bring it into school, where German-speaking teachers can impart Islam under the state’s watchful eye.

Bringing it into the school to allow state control of religion can be dangerous. America, for instance, was founded on the idea that government should not control the church as well as the church not being the government. At the same time, giving Islam an inroad in one area is just as dangerous. Islam is not tolerant, contrary to those who say otherwise. Just follow the history of how Islam has gained control of once Christian Lebanon.

Consider, for another example, the proposed rules in Tajikistan.

The new law imposes censorship on religious literature and restricts performing rituals to state-approved venues. It makes it harder for new religious communities to get registration.

The new law revolves around a state sponsored version of Islam, for a primarily Sunni population. Part of the new law is government control to block a resurgence of the Taliban.

All of this leaves the U.S. with the question of how it will deal with the most rapidly expanding religion in the world. Will we continue to tolerate it without question, as C.A.I.R. desires and lobbies for? Or will we give it equal footing with other religions and remove the anti-religious laws and restrictions that are steadily increasing in the nation? Or will we do something entirely different? The choice is ours, and we must act. And, we act by what we say to our legislators, and how we deal with those around us. Are you speaking out?

Banks, Obama, Islam, and...What the...?

Think Sharia Law will not come to the states? Think again.

University Bank now has an entire subsidiary devoted to financial products that comply with Muslim religious law, or Shariah. It has done nearly $80 million in Islamically approvable “mortgage-alternative” financing for residential and commercial real estate in 15 states.

For the past decade, Dow Jones has computed a stock index for Shariah-compliant companies. The law schools at Harvard, Fordham and the University of California, Berkeley, have held academic conferences on Islamic finance.

In fact, the Harvard Business Review had an article that detailed how numerous business mergers and actions had been forced to become Sharia compliant due to involvement by Muslim companies or nations. It has even been reported that Muslim financial institutions have remained much more stable during this financial crisis. I will readily admit the need for more stringent controls to be in place for lending. A sizable portion of the financial crisis is the extension of too much credit to too many people. But, is Sharia Law the way to go? As it did in Lebanon, this could lead to a very slippery slope giving the religion of Islam control of America.

Speaking of strange successes, Obama is being credited for success in Iraq. The sad thing is the success is due to policies and procedures during the Bush administration. The frightening part is…he is welcoming giving power to Taliban leaders, albeit moderate ones.

"Yesterday, Mr. Obama accepted and approved the path of peace and talks with those Afghan Taliban who he called moderates," Karzai said during a function in Kabul to mark International Women's Day.

The part of the article I found most amazing…

The Taliban, who often operate out of bases across the border in Pakistan, could not be reached Sunday but have turned down similar overtures from Karzai in the past.

(…like the Taliban is going to respond to interview requests to verify news…)

Finally, in an odd piece of news Friday, Spanish police arrested a man with a caast made of cocaine.

A Chilean man with a broken leg was arrested at Barcelona airport after his "cast" was found to be made of cocaine not plaster, Spanish police say.

The 66-year-old carried six cans of beer and two hollowed-out stools that also contained cocaine, they add.

I have a couple questions on this one. First, he was arriving in Spain. How did he get past airport security in Chile? And, second…I want to know what tipped of the cops to check the cast in the first place.

10/05 Morning Report

I haven’t done a “sermonette” in a long time. But, I was thinking on the way home from work about something, and thought I would share it.

“Mercy triumphs over judgment.”
James 2:13.

(…the whole verse by the way reads, “because judgment without mercy will be shown to anyone who has not been merciful. Mercy triumphs over judgment!”…)

Wouldn’t we all like that to be applied to us? Well, whether anyone applies it to you or me, we should be applying it to others. The cycle of accusation and blame only breaks when we chose not to pass it on to others. This is a choice we must make in our private life as well as our public life. That, by the way, is one reason there is no such thing as “private religion.”

But, let’s take that Biblical principle a bit further. What about applying it in politics? There is nothing wrong with recognizing wrong doing. And, there are always consequences to our actions. But, if all we do is point fingers and find fault, when will there be any reconciling? When will there be any healing of wounds?

We need to be asking ourselves if we are judging others without mercy. If we are, what are we doing to change that?

Food for thought.


On the subject of mercy, Any Soldier reported the following:

Capt. Richard G. Cliff Jr., 29, of Mount Pleasant, S.C. died Sept. 29 in Yakhchal, Afghanistan, from wounds suffered when his vehicle encountered an improvised explosive device during mounted operations. He was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 7th Special Forces Group, Fort Bragg, N.C.

Well, Captain Cliff, at our house we remember your cry—the cry of all warriors:

"Tell them of us and say,
For their tomorrow, we gave our today."
--The Kohima Epitaph--

We remember what you have given. And we say thank you for the tomorrows you have given others. May God give back to your family more than they have sacrificed and lost.

And, now, we dance In Memoriam.

02/05 Morning Report

Did you know it isn’t enough to talk about overcoming racism? Now days, at schools, you also have to support the anti-family agenda of the left.

You may know Ken Hutcherson's name from his pro football days or, more recently, his pro-family activism in defense of traditional marriage. But Hutcherson's daughter was introducing her father at her high school to talk about how he overcame racism thanks to the work of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

"And then she says, 'But the most important thing is, this is my Dad.' I stood up to walk up to the microphone and there were some boos. They started booing."

Hutcherson, senior pastor of Antioch Bible Church in Kirkland, Washington, ignored the hecklers and gave his presentation, which never mentioned homosexuality. But the homosexual activists who booed Hutcherson were not finished. After his speech, they challenged him directly in front of the entire assembly.

"The sponsor of the Gay Straight Alliance stood up and yelled out, 'I know that I am not on the program, but why is this man here when he doesn’t believe in equal rights for everybody?'" says Hutcherson.

The woman accusing Hutcherson was Kit McCormick, his daughter's favorite teacher. "And I felt like I couldn't sit and not say anything," says the teacher. "I felt like this was a moment that I had to stand up and say something."

McCormick told KING-TV that Hutcherson was misrepresenting himself. "He is not about equality for everyone," she asserts. "He's about equality for some people."

Hutcherson says the teachers' behavior was inappropriate and [the behavior] would never have been tolerated if they had been pro-family activists criticizing a pro-homosexual speaker.

It’s obvious that Hutcherson is right. Those on the left are just as exclusive towards their conservative opponents as they claim conservatives are towards them. It’s immaterial the crux of the disagreement is whether homosexuality is natural or not. It only matters that those on the left want their way, and they will intimidate and shout down anyone who opposes them…all in the name of “equality”, of course.

(…I guess that makes the left just as wrong as the right, unless your on the left…or teaching our children…not that this is anything new…)


Islam is having it’s own public image problems lately. Wikkipedia’s entry on Islam is causing quite a stir. Why? It shows images of the Prophet Muhammed. Supposedly there is a prohibition about showing people’s pictures in Islam. But…

Paul M. Cobb, who teaches Islamic history at Notre Dame, said, “Islamic teaching has traditionally discouraged representation of humans, particularly Muhammad, but that doesn’t mean it’s nonexistent.” He added, “Some of the most beautiful images in Islamic art are manuscript images of Muhammad.”

The ban actually dates only to the 20th Century. There was an on-line petition with some 80,000 signatures sent to Wikipedia, and a lot of emails. One interesting point about the uproar…

The petition has more than 80,000 “signatures,” though many who submitted them to ThePetitionSite.com, remained anonymous.

“We have been noticing a lot more similar sounding, similar looking e-mails beginning mid-January,” said Jay Walsh, a spokesman for the Wikimedia Foundation in San Francisco.”

(…hhhmmm…sounds like Islamists have learned how to use SPAM to intimidate…)


Not to be outdone by possibly fictitious rules, requirements and actions, the French bank Société Générale is facing some more problems. It seems bank policies may have let the rogue trader get as deep into trouble as he did. There are apparently several holes in the argument that Mr Kerviel is the supervillain he is portrayed as. Us authorities are investigating the bank as well. Specifically, they are looking at bank board member transactions in the days before the scandal broke. Meanwhile, Agence France press reports that while French trader Jerome is saving any substantial statements for the judges, he is refusing to be a scapegoat for the bank.

(…another rousing success for the French…)

01/22 Morning Report

What happened to religious freedom in America? It seems to be a right for some, but not others. I’llyou’re you think I’m about to bash christian groups. I’m not. It appears that Athiests, Wiccans and Agnostics have more rights and priviledges than Christians in the military. If that’s true of the military, and it is usually the last of social institutions to reflect such changes, what does that say about the rest of America?

Then again, pro-abortioists outright lie and no one seems to care--even when they admit it. Check out the link for the video.

(…let’s see that in mainstream media…)


But, that would be the quivalent of the media suddenly denouncing Hugo Chavez. In his latest move, Chavez is threatening to seize farms. Chavez says he is doing it to alleviate food shortages. Low food prices let even the poorest get food to eat. But, Chavez’s price controls are apparently bankrupting farmers, who are selling their produce to other countries for the money.

In the show, called "Hello President", he said this would happen no matter who the owner was.

He went on: "If the army must be brought in, you bring in the army.

"A government cannot allow itself to be slapped and do nothing."

He also announced plans to nationalize the banks that did not give low interest loans to farmers.

(…am I missing something…farmers are going to lose their farms for trying to pay their bills…and his solution is to put farmers farther in debt…what a great plan!...)


On the subject of high costs, do think you pay a lot for gasoline? In Israel, it is selling for over $6 per gallon. One solution to that cost is electric cars! This one, built by a partnership between an entrepreneur, Rennault, and Nissan, will run on lithium-ion batteries, going about 124 miles per charge.

(…going green just took another BIG step…)

1/4 Morning Evening Report

I saw one little political tidbit that really caught my attention. It seems that Islamic organizations are
politically pressuring the Pentagon about how they counter the war on terror. Aside from the special interest argument, do we really want special interest groups deciding how the military does it’s job? Hasn’t that been the argument against several contractors over the years?

(…not mention the separation of church and state argument…oh…I forgot…Muslim organizations are exempt from that restriction…)


Finally! It seems that Domestic issues pushing past Iraq war.

Even though polls show that Iowa Democrats still consider the war in Iraq the top issue facing the country, the war is becoming a less defining issue among Democrats nationally, and it has moved to the back of the stage in the rush of campaign rallies, town hall meetings and speeches that are bringing the caucus competition to an end. Instead, candidates are being asked about, and are increasingly talking about, the mortgage crisis, rising gas costs, health care, immigration, the environment and taxes.

(snip)

Part of the shift appears to stem from the reduction in violence in Iraq after President Bush’s decision to send more troops there last year.

I liked that last part. The MSM is grudgingly giving credit to the administration, and the military, for something that worked.

(…wonders never cease…)


Speaking of wonders, would you believe Global warming is natural?

There's a natural cause that may account for much of the Arctic warming, which has melted sea ice, ice sheets and glaciers, according to a study published Thursday in the journal Nature. New research points a finger at a natural and cyclical increase in the amount of energy in the atmosphere that moves from south to north around the Arctic Circle.

Of course, the blame still falls on pollution. Study authors also say the combined effect is the “killer punch.”

(…I’ve been waiting for someone to explain why the increase in temps the graphs show also appears before industry and pollution showed up…like prior to the last ice age…according to a PBS special I saw a few months ago…)


The
EPA is being sued over a stricter state law dispute. It seems states don’t like the fact that the Federal government set a standard for the whole country. The states want authority to make manufacturers (automotive in this case) possibly subject to 50 different standards.

In an emailed statement, EPA spokesman Jonathan Shradar said the federal Energy Independence and Security Act "is a more beneficial national approach to a national problem, which establishes an aggressive standard for all 50 states - as opposed to a lower standard in California and a patchwork of other states."
California officials contend their 2004 law is tougher than the new national standard. It would have required the auto industry to cut emissions by one-third in new vehicles by 2016 or reach an average of 36.8 mpg.
Twelve other states - Connecticut, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont and Washington - have adopted the California emissions standards.
The governors of Arizona, Colorado, Florida and Utah have said they also plan to adopt them. The rules also are under consideration in Iowa.

While I see the need for tougher standards (i.e. oil at $100), I fail to see why a tougher standard makes it more acceptable for a state to make the rule for all states. The argument is over who sets the standards for the nation—the Feds or the states.

(…not that that has ever stopped California before…)


Finally, Any Soldier reports the following:

Sgt. Reno S. Lacerna, 44, of Waipahu, Hawaii, died Dec. 31, 2007 in Al Qayyarah, Iraq, of a non-combat related illness. He was assigned to the 87th Corps Support Battalion, 3rd Sustainment Brigade, 3rd Infantry Division, Fort Stewart, Ga.

Well, Sgt. Lacerna, at our house we remember your cry—the cry of all warriors:

"Tell them of us and say,
For their tomorrow, we gave our today."
--The Kohima Epitaph--

We remember what you have given. And we say thank you for the tomorrows you have given others. May God give back to your family more than they have sacrificed and lost.

And, now, we dance In Memoriam.

11/1 Morning Report

Think the U.S. is the only country with immigration problems? Think again. British authorities have said for years that migrant workers benefit the economy. But, yeasterday’s news story on more recent information revealed:

More than half of new jobs created under Labour since 1997 have gone to foreign workers, it has emerged.

Among other things, the statistics revealed it is incredibly hard to keep track of people. The government used wrong population data to make their original conclusions. And, then it revised those conclusions twice.

(…and the Democrats on this side of the pond wonder why we don’t trust their version of immigration impact…)


In, another scary report today U.S. officials are ready to say Russians nuclear missiles ”are secure”. Isn’t it wonderful that it’s done two years ahead of schedule? Meanwhile…

On Monday, the Russian military claimed to have conducted more than 20 long-range flights with its aging fleet of strategic nuclear bombers, and said a similar number of flights were planned for this week.
Russia has also taken to broadcasting state-controlled news reports of tests of cruise missiles and powerful conventional weapons, drawing comparisons to American systems and suggesting that the tests are necessary because of threats from the West.

(…Oh…and radiation detectors will be installed along the borders by 2011…does anyone really that that means only four more years of dirty bomb possibilities…very encouraging…)


Still over in Russia, it seems that corporate America, in this case Ford, has gone another step into hyper-political correctness. RFE reports:

ORTHODOX CLERIC BLASTS FORD MOTOR'S 'POLITICAL CORRECTNESS'
Andrei Kurayev, who is a deacon in the Russian Orthodox Church and a professor at the Moscow Theological Academy, was quoted by Interfax as saying on October 30 that the management of the Ford plant in Vsevolozhsk in Leningrad Oblast refused to allow him to tour its premises in clerical attire, Interfax reported. Kurayev added that he is currently giving lectures in that town and was interested in seeing the factory. He said that he was "told that the plant has a multiethnic work force, and it might insult someone if I came in wearing my cassock." He was accordingly told he "should wear ordinary clothes" on his visit. Kurayev stressed that the ban reflects not bureaucratic arbitrariness but an "ideology, a new totalitarian form of censorship in the name of political correctness." He added that there is "a part of this transnational corporation that does not want to take into account the character of our cultural and political climate.... [This shows] disrespect even for its own workers and for the country in which they work."

Meanwhile, another report states that Haloween events are banned in Moscow schools.

(…I guess you can’t have everything…some things are just better than others…)


In other weird news, there was yesterday’s report in the NYT that Iran is hiding art. Billions of dollars worth of art, at that, by artists such as Renoir and van Gogh all the way to Andy Warthol.

(…Sadaam hid lots of cash…maybe the Iranians have a different take on valuables?...)


I think the most concerning thing I’ve read the last few days was this report on Sir Hillary, from yesterday. Supposedly, there are photographs showing she was involved in President Bill’s presidential pardon extravaganza. However, the most frightening thing is not that photos exist which show it may be true. No, it’s the comment threads that follow, demonstrating the politicized apathy of America, that is truly frightening.

(…remember, Halloween never ends…just watch the politicians constantly putting on their new constumes…)

And, in sad news, Any Soldier reports the following:

Spc. Hugo V. Mendoza, 29, of Glendale, AZ, died of wounds sustained when he came in contact with enemy forces using RPG, machine gun, and small arms fire during combat operations on Oct. 25, in Korengal Valley, Afghanistan. He was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 530rd infantry Regimentm 173 Airborne Brigade Combat Team, Vicenza, Italy.

Well, Specialist Mendoza, at our house we remember your cry—the cry of all warriors:

"Tell them of us and say,
For their tomorrow, we gave our today."
--The Kohima Epitaph--

We remember what you have given. And we say thank you for the tomorrows you have given others. May God give back to your family more than they have sacrificed and lost.

And, now, we dance In Memoriam.

The Jesus Painting

(...Christian or not...you have to admit this man's work is creative...It was posted about a year ago, but I am encouraged every time I watch it...if you are a Christian, I hope this stirs your faith, as it does mine...)

8/28 Morning Report

It was a very slow night at work and for the first time in a while, i was able to do some reading. So, in a recently rare event, I am posting some random thoughts from Blogdom. Enjoy!

Are they really spontaneous anti-war rallies? Take American Thinker’s quiz and see if you know the real truth.
(…thanks to Yankee Mom for the link…)

Flopping Aces had a really good write up on the legal in-and-outs of the NSA wiretapping program. It’s a very interesting read.

And, as if that wasn’t enough, the media is already hard at work discrediting the coming report from Gen. Petraus. Don’t believe me? Check out this breakdown.

Meanwhile, Op-For has discovered that the military is worse about OpSec concerns than milbloggers in uniform.
(…I’m with him…it’s the layers of bureaucracy keeping evil doers safe…oh…sorry…I was thinking of Congress…)

There is a CNN series on religion and America. It’s kind of frightening in the level of denial the left is exercising. Faultline gives his take on it—and some links to a couple of others, too.

And, finally, I will tag off of something Suzanne posted at Big Blue Wave. The radical elements of the left work by intimidation. The goal, as Suzanne makes clear, is to intimidate those who oppose their views into silence. The left has become more and more effective at this in the last few decades. Look at the power very minor sized groups, like the gays and lesbians, hold in our society. There are many known instances where social minority groups have been the more destructive element in confrontations, and they get off by making it about discrimination. And, through uniting their voices, the left has successfully undermined many institutions of society. Islam could very easily do the same thing, as CAIR is demonstrating regularly. The political right must learn to unite its voices in order to overcome and regain influence in general society. If not…

8/3 Morning Report

Libya is still big in the news. Bulgaria is waiving $57 million in debt! Well, sort of. They are putting the money into a fund for HIV victims in Libya—which means Kadfi gets the money twice! What a reward for falsely accusing and imprisoning people! Meanwhile, France and Libya are doing an arms deal! Isn’t that special? Makes me really feel safe again. But, then again, money does talk…

One deal for 168 million euros was for Milan anti-tank missiles and the other for 128 million euros was for communications systems, the source had said.

(…really makes me think highly of EADS…which after the Airbus problems, isn’t saying much…)

And, not to be outdone, the French even thumbed their noses at the international community.

Rwanda is shocked by a French appeals court ruling that freed two Rwandans indicted by Kigali and an international court over the country's 1994 genocide, and its foreign minister called the decision absurd on Thursday.

The two men were freed on a technicality. It seems the French appeals court believes they can only be arrested if the international court was making a judgment, and in this case it was asking for arrest pending any decision.
(…how utterly compassionate…and stupid…I hope no one epxects they’ll stop bashing Americans after this farce of justice…)

Speaking of legal surprises, and the US, it seems more and more doctors are citing religious reasons for not doing certain procedures or prescribing certain drugs.

More than half the states in the past two years have debated expanding legal protections for health care providers, including pharmacists who refuse to fill prescriptions for the "morning after" pill. Two states have passed them.

I’m sure there are a lot of surprised people reading this article. The media has let us believe there is little or no resistance along these lines. But, more and more often, it is ending up in court.

Most disputes arise out of beginning-of-life and end-of-life issues, such as assisted suicide. No doctor is required to perform particular treatments.

The collision between religious freedom and rules against discrimination occurs when physicians perform procedures selectively, offering them to some patients but withholding them from others, says Jill Morrison, legal counsel to the National Women's Law Center.

This year in a case generating wide interest, the California Supreme Court will hear a first-of-its-kind lawsuit: fertility treatment denied to a lesbian.

In Washington state, a gay man recently settled out of court with a doctor who refused to prescribe him Viagra.

Honestly, I fail to see why these two ended up in court. If this type of sexual life is natural, fertility treatments do not apply since only by intercourse with the opposite sex (ie. male-female, penis-vagina) can procreation take place. It seems more of an argument against the naturality of it than anything else.
(…personally, I just see it as a strong statement about our selfishness as Americans…)

Meanwhile, the legal scene over the Minneapolis bridge collapse is just starting to heat up. No surprise that information about lack of oversight or negligence is suddenly coming to the surface. Recriminations are flying in all directions:

White House press secretary Tony Snow said while the inspection didn't indicate the bridge was at risk of failing, "if an inspection report identifies deficiencies, the state is responsible for taking corrective actions."

(…snip…)

Gov. Tim Pawlenty responded Thursday by ordering an immediate inspection of all bridges in the state with similar designs, but said the state was never warned that the bridge needed to be closed or immediately repaired.

And, there are over 70,000 more with an estimated repair price tag of $188 billion.
(…and we wonder why they haven’t all been repaired yet…reminds me of how badly oil refineries need to be upgraded…and the price tag for that…)

The Pastor's Ass

The rural pastor entered his donkey in a race and it won. The pastor was so pleased with the donkey that he entered it in the race again, and It won again.

The local paper read: PASTOR'S ASS OUT FRONT.

The Bishop was so upset with this kind of publicity that he ordered the pastor not to enter the donkey in another race.

The next day, the local paper headline read: BISHOP SCRATCHES PASTOR'S ASS.

This was too much for the bishop, so he ordered the pastor to get rid of the donkey. The pastor decided to give it to a nun in a nearby convent.

The local paper, hearing of the news, posted the following headline the next day: NUN HAS BEST ASS IN TOWN.

The bishop fainted . He informed the nun that she would have to get rid of the donkey, so she sold it to a farmer for $10.

The next day the paper read: NUN SELLS ASS FOR $10.

This was too much for the bishop, so he ordered the nun to buy back the donkey and lead it to the plains where it could run wild.

The next day the headlines read: NUN ANNOUNCES HER ASS IS WILD AND FREE.

The bishop was buried the next day.
........................................................

(...the moral of the story is....being concerned about public opinion can bring you much grief and misery...and even shorten your life. So be yourself and enjoy life...

Stop worrying about everyone else's ass and you'll be a lot happier and live longer!...)

CREATION

…as it’s never been explained before…

In the beginning, God created the Heavens and the Earth and populated the Earth with broccoli, cauliflower and spinach, green and yellow and red vegetables of all kinds, so Man and Woman would live long and healthy lives.

Then using God's great gifts, Satan created Ben and Jerry's Ice Cream and Krispy Kreme Donuts.

And Satan said, "You want chocolate with that?" And Man said, "Yes!" and Woman said, "and as long as you're at it, add some sprinkles." And they gained 10 pounds.

And Satan smiled.

And God created the healthful yogurt that Woman might keep the figure that Man found so fair.

And Satan brought forth white flour from the wheat, and sugar from the cane and combined them. And Woman went from size 6 to size 14.

So God said, "Try my fresh green salad."

And Satan presented Thousand-Island Dressing, buttery croutons! and garlic toast on the side. And Man and Woman unfastened their belts following the repast.

God then said, "I have sent you heart healthy vegetables and olive oil in which to cook them."

And Satan brought forth deep fried fish and chicken-fried steak so big it needed its own platter. And Man gained more weight and his cholesterol went through the roof.

God then created a light, fluffy white cake, named it "Angel Food Cake," and said, "It is good."

Satan then created chocolate cake and named it "Devil's Food."

God then brought forth running shoes so that His children might lose those extra pounds.

And Satan gave cable TV with a remote control so Man would not have to toil changing the channels. And Man and Woman laughed and cried before the flickering blue light and gained pounds.

Then God brought forth the potato, naturally low in fat and brimming with nutrition.

And Satan peeled off the healthful skin and sliced the starchy center into chips and deep-fried them. And Man gained pounds.

God then gave lean beef so that Man might consume fewer calories and still satisfy his appetite.

And Satan created McDonald's and its 99-cent double cheeseburger. Then said, "You want fries with that?"

And Man replied, "Yes! And super size them!"

And Satan said, "It is good."

And Man went into cardiac arrest.

God sighed and created quadruple bypass surgery.

Then Satan created HMOs

What Do You Preach?

For my final post of 2006, and my first post for 2007, I thought I would share some thoughts from a friend of mine. First, I’ll give you a little more background on him. He was my pastor while living and working in a street shelter. He was my boss while working in a Cajun restaurant. I have lived in his home while searching for an apartment. And, he stood as a groomsman at my wedding.

His article is aimed at Christians. But, you know what? Everyone has a purpose in this life. What we do with it, and how we live it out, is up to us. We are all preachers of something. We can proclaim fault and point fingers—which is nothing more always looking at the past. Or we can proclaim what could be and point the way to a better future. It is our choice.

Which way are you pointing?

Preachers: Worth or Worthless?
Larry R Taylor
Dec 4, 2006
§ We are not entertainers
§ We are not politicians
§ We are not businessmen
§ We are not educators
§ We are preachers!

Romans 10:14 " How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher? Romans 10:15 " And how shall they preach, except they be sent? as it is written, How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things!"

I have lost track of the number of times I have heard people misquote Saint Francis recently; "Preach the gospel at all times—when necessary use words." Like most religious traditions of men, it sounds good at first. The only problem with this well meaning and high sounding quote is that it promotes a totally unbiblical view of preaching. Scripture commands that we preach the gospel. (Mk. 16:15) The "foolishness" of preaching is the means God ordained to save the lost. (1 Cor. 1:21). Preaching is the method chosen to correct false teaching and heresy. (2 Tim. 4:2) Preaching is the conduit for imparting the wisdom of God in contrast to the teachings of men. (Col. 1:28) Proclamation of the word of God produces faith. (Rom. 10:17) The preaching of the word releases signs, wonders and miracles. (Mk. 16:20) The word "preach" by definition means that we speak words.

Why the trendy attack on the act of preaching? I believe that the ambivalence toward preaching is due primarily to feelings that have developed towards preachers. Those that occupy the pulpits (TV monitors) of America have left many feeling manipulated, ripped off and used. I would like to suggest that it is not preaching with which we have the real problem. Our problem is with those who have failed our expectations as preachers.

I suppose everyone has anomalies in their family history that helps to shape their thinking and behavior. Mine is no exception. On one side of the family tree preachers were held in the highest regard. My great grandfather was the pastor of First Baptist Church Groveton, Texas for over 32 years. His daughter (my grandmother) was the organist at the same church for over 30 years and her husband a deacon. Pastors were treated with respect and admiration. On the other side I had a several uncles and cousins that felt, or at least expressed feelings, that seemed to indicate that preachers were a specialized group of leeches on society worthy only of the highest contempt.

Here was my dilemma. As a young boy who felt "the call to ministry" at 8 years old, I had to agree with both sides. The pastors that my uncles were personally exposed to and acquainted with seemed to qualify for that position primarily by not being qualified for any other position. Whenever they got in debt, or had a business failure, or lost a job these particular backwoods country pastors would always "go back to preach'n". Sometimes they even quit drinking and chasing women.

It seems to me that at this juncture of Church history that we are faced with similar conflicting views on the role of preachers in general and pastors to be more specific. Some are crying for the overthrow of the current pastoral system based on the behavior of those who have embarrassed themselves and the people they serve with acts of immorality and the "unforgivable sin" of modern secular thinkers: hypocrisy. At the other extreme are groups elevating the pastor to near god status through "touch not the anointed" teachings and honoring their leaders by giving them titles of royalty (Your Highness, Your Majesty, etc. My thinking is this, if they really wanted to honor their spiritual leaders they would call them what they are- Pastor, Prophet, Evangelist, Teacher, Apostle-not by giving them degrading titles of earthly royalty. To be a King or Prince or Queen would, in my estimation, be a step down.)

I have nothing against world rulers, or entertainers or businessmen or educators. My point is simply this—to be called to preach the gospel is not a shameful condition. To be identified as a preacher is not a reproach, but an honor. Biblically there is no alternative in the body of Christ but to make room for the men and women of God who have been called and sent to minister the good news.

Before you hastily hit reply and send me a corrective email, let me be the first to acknowledge that all Christians have been called to preach the good news. All believers have the capability of prophesying and ministering in the anointing of God. However, at the same time, I hope that you can recognize that there are clearly those in the New Testament Church who were called to be given wholly to the ministry of the Word and derive their primary source of income from that ministry. (1Corinthians 9:14 "Even so hath the Lord ordained that they which preach the gospel should live of the gospel.")

In this season of shifting paradigms, apostolic reformation, new wineskins and structural innovations, we should be careful not to throw out the biblical baby with the dirty bathwater of exposed carnality and immorality. Rather than adopt a world system model from which to derive our identity, we should instead boldly stand up and be the real thing: Preachers of the Gospel.

You can find Larry at Go In Ministries.

Have a blessed New Year! See you in 2007.