Let's Hear It For Wiretapping!

K-Mac passed on this good op/ed on wiretapping. I agree with it...the President must do what he needs to not only protect America from terrorism but also DEFEAT it. Obviously there must be checks and balances...the President does not have authority to trample on civil rights. However, tapping the phones of suspected terrorists is not infringing on any rights. So more power to ya G. Dubya...just watch yourself...don't become dictatorial...just fight the evil amongst us.

Merry Christmas Mother India

Most in India won't be celebrating Christmas this year. December 25 will be just like any other day, as millions struggle to just get by with enough food to make it through the day. India is kept in bondage by Hinduism. The country has more than enough food to feed its citizens, but that food is eaten by cattle and rats. The cattle and rats aren't killed because of the Hinduism belief of reincarnation--people are afraid they'll kill/eat their family members. Thus Satan deceives and people starve, and approximately 1 billion people are heading into a Christless eternity in hell.


Father God, You have shed Your tears for Mother India
They have fallen to water ancient seeds
That will grow into hands to touch the untouchable
How blessed are the poor, the sick, the weak

Father, forgive me, for I have not believed
Like Mother India, I have groaned and grieved
Father, forgive me, I forgot Your grace

Your Spirit falls on India and captures me in Your embrace
The serpent spoke and the world believed its venom
Now we're ten to a room or compared with magazines

Father, forgive me, for I have not believed
Like Mother India, I have groaned and grieved
Father, forgive me, I forgot Your grace

There's a land where our shackles turn to diamonds
Where we trade in our rags for a royal crown
In that place, our oppressors hold no power
And the doors of the King are thrown wide

Father, forgive me, for I have not believed
Like Mother India, I have groaned and grieved
Father, forgive me, I forgot Your grace
--Mother India, Caedmon's Call, Share The Well

The Death of Male Friendship?

What does Brokeback Mountain have to do with the death of male friendship? Al Mohler has some interesting thoughts on this as he discusses the change in friendship among American men.

Whew! Now THAT Was A Close Call

Well I learned today that Christmas, that time Christians celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ, has avoided what would have been a crushing blow. Target and Sears have informed the American Family Association and other Christian organizations including the Southern Baptist Convention's Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission (ERLC) that they have decided to include references to Christmas in their advertising and in-store signage. Whew! I was beginning to worry that this removal by retailers would cause people to miss the true meaning of Christmas.

As Richard Land, president of the ERLC said, “Maybe it is politically correct these days to replace our true and tried values, but we think a time will come when Target and other businesses will regret their part in destroying the true meaning of Christmas.” Ah yes, the tried and true Christian values of greed and concern for material things. Errr...perhaps you can sense my sarcasm. Don't get me wrong, I have great respect for Richard Land, he's done much in promoting the Kingdom. But I just don't get this outrage over corporate America's policies on holiday greetings.

The main goal for retailers is to make money, and lots of it. The Christmas season offers the greatest earnings potential. It would seem logical to think that retailers don't want to lose billions of dollars pumped into their treasuries by celebrators of Christmas. This is of course why they reversed their decision on mentioning Christmas in advertising and greetings: Christians (or at least 700,000 people) delcared their intentions to boycott the stores. That brings our first alarm bell to Christians: Businesses rake in more money during Christmas than any other time of the year. That means Christmas is associated more with receiving material things and greed and debt not Christ and Christian virtues like, oh I don't know, not being greedy. So much for remembering the Reason for the season.

Secondly, Target and Sears and other retailers serve a diverse clinetele. While it is true that were it not for Christmas, there would be no holiday season, we must also recognize that not every shopper celebrates Christmas. Now, something tells me a Jew or atheist could care less whether they were told Merry Christmas. They've probably come to just deal with that. But I see nothing wrong with a business wanting to incorporate a greeting (Happy Holidays) to include Christmas, Chanunaka, Kwanza, and New Year's (as well as any other holiday under the sun celebrated during the month of December) to make others feel welcome.

People have been boycotting and threatening to boycott stores who cut Christmas from their marketing. I wonder if those same people will boycott bookstores that sell gay and lesbian books, Islamic and atheistic literature, and racy magazines. I also wonder whether these same boycotters will boycott when they ponder the fact that retailers thrive off of, and consequently promote and encourage, greed. Will they boycott when they consider that very little of the Christmas season mentions anything about Jesus? This is all about a saying, a generic greeting! Those who are in such a hysteria over these practices seem to be accepting the de-Christianization of Christmas in favor of corporate genuflects to celebrators of "greedmas".

Now, I'm no saint. I deal with greed and materialism, too. But, I do think I would feel proud if I read a corporate America memo explaining that there's no need to recognize Christmas, because the celebrators of the holiday have rediscovered the real meaning behind it, and it has nothing to do with buying STUFF!

Am I off my rocker?

Government inclusion of Christmas is a different story...

Meanwhile, about 3,638 babies were aborted in America today. At least Target will tell us "Merry Christmas."

Nothing Is Sound

The concert last night was amazing (even with the terrible T.J., Janet, and J-Rod--K-J103 morning radio personalities "emceeing")! Howie Day opened and he did a good job. Lifehouse was great! Then came the featured act, Switchfoot, and they did an amazing job! Because I'm not a big concert goer, this was my first time to see either of these bands, and I'm so glad I went. It's hard to beat clean and purposeful music.

Rock On!

Going to see Switchfoot tonight!!! Oh yeah, Lifehouse and Howie Day will be there too.

Lotto Tree?

Opponents of lotteries for education have often told of the dangerous message sent to students that it is okay to make your way off of the backs of those less fortunate (ie, let's pay for education because someone has a gambling addiction!). Of course, proponents pooh-pooh (I've always wanted to used that phrase) any notion that kids would adopt this mindset. Then comes this. Elementary students put together a Christmas tree that was displayed in the state capitol rotunda decorated with used lottery tickets. A school spokeswoman said, "they had been studying about the lottery and understood lottery money benefits public schools. They came up with a theme about the gift of education." Thankfully a Republican state representative called the school principal and Governor Henry's office, and the tree was removed.

One may say, "so what, it's just a decoration." However, when students are studying the fact that their education is paid for off of gambling money and they find out the realities of gambling (as they should), what message does that send? I don't think it's one of compassion. And to celebrate Christmas by commemorating the lottery smacks of idiocy.

So here we go. We will soon be seeing the fruits of the lottery for education. Our youngest minds will soon learn that it doesn't matter what price must be paid--who must be hurt--so long as we get ahead--that's whats important. Such a selfish mindset...one antithetical to everything Christmas stands for.

The Ministry

From George Muller:

"Many more people have been convicted of sin through brother Craik's preaching than my own. This is probably because brother Craik is more spiritually minded than I am, and he prays more earnestly for the conversion of sinners than I do. He addresses sinners in his public ministry frequently. This led me to more earnest prayer for the conversion of sinners. Since then, the Lord has used me as an instrument of conversion much more often."

Isn't it interesting that Muller didn't say he became more bold in his preaching or addressing sinners. Instead he prayed more for those that don't know Christ, and because of that, people came to know Christ. It is good to read this that testifies to the fact that God does the work, not us.

Speech!

President Bush is delivering a major speech about the Iraq war Wednesday morning at the Naval Academy in Anapolis, Maryland. Good move on his part, Americans need to be updated on the war effort. However, the bad move was delivering it in the morning. I'm wondering what his advisors were thinking when they scheduled the time. As already stated, Americans need to be updated on the war effort, and the update needs to come straight from the horse's mouth not Katie Couric, Brian Williams, or Shephard Smith. If you ask me (which no one did, surprisingly ;) this should have been a nationally televised prime-time speech. With the recent hoopla over timetables and withdrawal, a clear progress report of where we are and where we are going is desperately needed without the filter of the media. With the speech being when it is, a majority of Americans will come home and hear from the news sources (if they hear at all) what Bush said--and even then it will only be what they think is important and will only consist of a few minutes. Here's hoping the prime-time address will come soon.

Ghastly

Here is an article offering a look inside an abortion clinic including the thoughts of the abortionist, some of his patients, and a gut-wrenching, though general, description of an abortion. You'll be speechless afterwards. Interestingly, it's printed in the Los Angeles Times.

Money Quote

I finally finished Don't Waste Your Life. Excellent and challenging book. You ought to read it! Here is a quote that encapsulated the whole book for me: "There is a call on this generation to obey the risen Christ and make disciples of all the unreached peoples of the world.... Fan into flame every flicker of desire by reading biographies, and meditating on Scripture, and studying the unreached peoples, and praying for passion, and conversing with mission veterans. Don't run from the call. Pursue it" (pp.174-175).

My First Recording

So I decided to record one of my most favorite Christmas songs, O Holy Night. I hope you enjoy it!

Happy Thanksgiving!

In honor of Thanksgiving I give you two proclamations by our most important presidents, Washington and Lincoln. Read and reflect on the true meaning of Thanksgiving as envisioned by these great leaders. Something tells me they never thought of calling this great and noble holiday "Turkey Day." See you after the holiday.


WHEREAS it is the duty of all nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God, to obey His will, to be grateful for His benefits, and humbly to implore His protection and favour; and Whereas both Houses of Congress have, by their joint committee, requested me "to recommend to the people of the United States a DAY OF PUBLICK THANSGIVING and PRAYER, to be observed by acknowledging with grateful hearts the many and signal favors of Almighty God, especially by affording them an opportunity peaceably to establish a form of government for their safety and happiness:"

NOW THEREFORE, I do recommend and assign THURSDAY, the TWENTY-SIXTH DAY of NOVEMBER next, to be devoted by the people of these States to the service of that great and glorious Being who is the beneficent author of all the good that was, that is, or that will be; that we may then all unite in rendering unto Him our sincere and humble thanks for His kind care and protection of the people of this country previous to their becoming a nation; for the signal and manifold mercies and the favorable interpositions of His providence in the course and conclusion of the late war; for the great degree of tranquility, union, and plenty which we have since enjoyed;-- for the peaceable and rational manner in which we have been enable to establish Constitutions of government for our safety and happiness, and particularly the national one now lately instituted;-- for the civil and religious liberty with which we are blessed, and the means we have of acquiring and diffusing useful knowledge;-- and, in general, for all the great and various favours which He has been pleased to confer upon us.

And also, that we may then unite in most humbly offering our prayers and supplications to the great Lord and Ruler of Nations and beseech Him to pardon our national and other transgressions;-- to enable us all, whether in publick or private stations, to perform our several and relative duties properly and punctually; to render our National Government a blessing to all the people by constantly being a Government of wise, just, and constitutional laws, discreetly and faithfully executed and obeyed; to protect and guide all sovereigns and nations (especially such as have shewn kindness unto us); and to bless them with good governments, peace, and concord; to promote the knowledge and practice of true religion and virtue, and the increase of science among them and us; and, generally to grant unto all mankind such a degree of temporal prosperity as he alone knows to be best.

GIVEN under my hand, at the city of New-York, the third day of October, in the year of our Lord, one thousand seven hundred and eighty-nine.
(signed) G. Washington


By the President of the United States of America.
A Proclamation.

The year that is drawing towards its close, has been filled with the blessings of fruitful fields and healthful skies. To these bounties, which are so constantly enjoyed that we are prone to forget the source from which they come, others have been added, which are of so extraordinary a nature, that they cannot fail to penetrate and soften even the heart which is habitually insensible to the ever watchful providence of Almighty God. In the midst of a civil war of unequaled magnitude and severity, which has sometimes seemed to foreign States to invite and to provoke their aggression, peace has been preserved with all nations, order has been maintained, the laws have been respected and obeyed, and harmony has prevailed everywhere except in the theatre of military conflict; while that theatre has been greatly contracted by the advancing armies and navies of the Union. Needful diversions of wealth and of strength from the fields of peaceful industry to the national defence, have not arrested the plough, the shuttle or the ship; the axe has enlarged the borders of our settlements, and the mines, as well of iron and coal as of the precious metals, have yielded even more abundantly than heretofore. Population has steadily increased, notwithstanding the waste that has been made in the camp, the siege and the battle-field; and the country, rejoicing in the consiousness of augmented strength and vigor, is permitted to expect continuance of years with large increase of freedom. No human counsel hath devised nor hath any mortal hand worked out these great things. They are the gracious gifts of the Most High God, who, while dealing with us in anger for our sins, hath nevertheless remembered mercy. It has seemed to me fit and proper that they should be solemnly, reverently and gratefully acknowledged as with one heart and one voice by the whole American People. I do therefore invite my fellow citizens in every part of the United States, and also those who are at sea and those who are sojourning in foreign lands, to set apart and observe the last Thursday of November next, as a day of Thanksgiving and Praise to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the Heavens. And I recommend to them that while offering up the ascriptions justly due to Him for such singular deliverances and blessings, they do also, with humble penitence for our national perverseness and disobedience, commend to His tender care all those who have become widows, orphans, mourners or sufferers in the lamentable civil strife in which we are unavoidably engaged, and fervently implore the interposition of the Almighty Hand to heal the wounds of the nation and to restore it as soon as may be consistent with the Divine purposes to the full enjoyment of peace, harmony, tranquillity and Union.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set my hand and caused the Seal of the United States to be affixed.

Done at the City of Washington, this Third day of October, in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and sixty-three, and of the Independence of the Unites States the Eighty-eighth.
By the President: Abraham Lincoln
William H. Seward,Secretary of State

Know that the Lord is God. It is He who made us, and we are his; we are his people, the sheep of his pasture. Enter His gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise; give thanks to Him and praise His name. For the Lord is good and His love endures forever; His faithfulness continues through all generations. —Psalm 100:3-5

Here is an example of a guy exemplifying Biblical manhood. Travis has chosen to reject passivity and lead courageously by advocating a position evolutionary apologists don't like to think about. Many evolutionists commented rather voiciferously against his opinion piece as can be seen by the comments posted on his original piece and the letters to the editor. Good work, my friend!

Pride Detectors

A friend shared these with me...good points to ponder:

1) A spotty prayer life - proves you aren't reliant upon God.
2) You're worn out / weary all the time because you are trying to do too much on yor own strength.
3) Always angry.
4) A critical spirit - points to an iflated sense of self.
5) A person that's defensive. Defensive reaction to criticism. Despondency after failure (because you value too highly whatyou do).
6) Taking responsiblity for success/accomplishments - indicates you have lost sight of God's undeserved provision.1Cor.4:7.
7) Impatience - about having to listen, waiting, serving, being anonymous, being led by someone else. Points to an overdeveloped sense of self-importance.

A Moral Compass?

I read this on christianitytoday.com. It is a good starter piece on "walkin' the walk" (the Christian walk, that is). As we see in just a very short time, holiness is not an easy process, but one that is rigorous and demands accountability.

Speaking of a moral compass, the Saudi's are lacking one. A Saudi teacher has been sentenced to 40 months in prison and 750 lashes in a public square (that's 50 a week) for "mocking religion." According to a Saudi newspaper he discussed the Bible and praised Jews. This type of punishment is commonplace in this country where practicing of any religion other than Islam is forbidden.

Did You Know...

Each minute, 7 children die from a lack of clean water.

Today is the International Day of Prayer For The Persecuted Church.
Click here for articles on persecution and suffering.

Hullabaloo

The best part of Saturday's OU/ATM game besides the great 36-30 OU victory, was the Fightin' Texas Aggie Band. Those band members know their stuff!

Happy Veterans Day!

To the brave men and women of the United States' Armed Forces, past and present: Thank you for sacrificing to protect all that we enjoy in America.














And Happy 230th Birthday Marines!



















"The willingness with which our young people are likely to serve in any war, no matter how justified, shall be directly proportional to how they perceive how the veterans of earlier wars were treated and appreciated by their nation." George Washington November 10, 1781

A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To The Science Classroom

So the Kansas Board of Education has decided that their students should study the doubts about Darwinian evolutionary theory. Understandably, scientists and others are appalled by the decision, and have declared that this makes Kansas the laughingstock of the nation (well, technically, Mangino's offense at KU started folks laughing at Kansas first, but I digress...).

A couple of observations:

First, many times people equate Intelligent Design with Creationism. This is factually incorrect, and adherents to both sides (or adherents who know what they're talking about) would, and do, take offense to such equations. While this article makes no equation, the perception is there by many who oppose ID.

Second, critics contend this decision is bad for science. I fail to see this reasoning. Exposing a theory's faults can do two things: sink it, or strengthen it. Methinks hard-core evolotionists are concerned because they know if evolution is put to the test it will face many deep wounds (of course "scientists" would disagree saying that if there really were problems with evolution, we would know about these because science is competitive and there is plenty of money and prestige available to those who can come up with new theories (ie, greed and pride drive scientific exploration)). If you ask me, this decision and further decisions to teach the inconsistancies/faults/failures (whatever you want to call them) of evolution help only help us all become more intelligent. If evolution is true, then through further research and explanation, scientists can blow those smarmy religious kooks out of the water, and evolution will reign supreme once again. If careful study of evolution by all shows the theory is positively false, then science wins again right? Science wins because science is all about education, and we gain more inellect and education when we learn new things

Finally, critics contend that if ID/Creationism (again, they really need to stop equating the two) is taught in classrooms then one must also teach about all of the other ideas of how all came into existance. I say: more power to that idea! Let's teach about all of these ideas. What does it show us? It shows that from the beginning, man has been fascinated with origins and there are many ideas, theories, and myths. The fact is, we weren't around when creation happened, and so we don't know. Supernatural explanations ought not take back seat to naturalistic explanations when it comes to origins.

And In Texas...

Texas voters overwhelmingly voted to support the traditional definition of marriage. Good job Texas voters in saying that there is a definition of marriage and it is the traditional one: between a man and woman. You didn't curtail civil rights from homosexuals, but rather affirmed that there is a standard of truth and a standard of right and wrong when it comes to raising healthy families and that standard is with a man and a woman.

The End Of Empire?

Pat Buchanan (conservative commentator and smart guy) has this to say about the end of empires. This is in relation to the riots that have broke out all over France. I think he makes some very keen points, and raises a thought-provoking warning concerning the rapid growth of Hispanics in America. Are we watching the end of empires? Nothing to hyperventilate over, but certainly worth pondering.

Our Changing Society

I read a disturbing story in the Washington Post today about sex in high schools. Yes, IN high schools. Apparently it's on the rise. It has become such a problem that "School administrators are drafting a rule that bans sex on school property." Yeah, that's a direct quote. To think, they need to draft a rule about that. Even more evidence of our need for a Savior.

Garbage

I had been looking forward to the movie Jarhead for a while, and was really excited to watch it last night. Unfortunately, that was the worst movie I have ever watched. It was absolutely filthy, crass, crude, and explicit and I'm sorry I stepped foot in the theater. Talk about a huge let down. I felt like the bait and switch tactic was used on me. From the previews I expected to see one kind of movie, but it turned out to be a completely different type of movie. Don't watch that filth of a movie. It was a waste of my time, money, and mind.

Torture: What Is It Good For?

Absolutely nothing! There is an amendment floating around in the Senate called the McCain amendment. This amendment would ban the military and the CIA from torturing prisoners, and was tacked onto a military spending bill and passed by the Senate 90-9. The House passed the same bill without the amendment. Now the bill is in conference and the White House is actively working to keep the amendment off the bill and President Bush is threatening to veto (which would be his first veto of his tenure).

I agree with John McCain (a Vietnam war veteran who was tortured for 5 1/2 years by the Vietnamese), America should not practice torture. Torture is not consistent with American values and more importantly, it is not consistent with human rights. All humans have diginity and should not be subjected to torture.

I understand that the Bush administration believes that torturing prisoners is important to national security. However, I believe that America has a standard to uphold: to treat all humans with dignity. Torture is the stuff of Cuba, and the former Soviet Union, and Slobodan Milosevic, and Pol Pot, and Saddam Hussein. Not America.

Christians, indeed all Americans, should oppose torture and support the McCain amendment.

Supporting More Than Just Our Troops

Michael Yon writes in the Weekly Standard,

"I then spoke with Major Yayha Rasuruh from the Iraqi army, who is charged with securing the 46th sector of Sadr City. He said he took all 50 of his soldiers to vote, and he showed his purple finger proudly. 'I think this is great time Iraq passes through. Thirty-five years we suffer. There is freedom now.' We talked for about ten minutres, and I asked what it was like to vote. Major Yayha said that the voting worker made him fold his ballet before sticking it in the box. I laughed and said, 'The worker was brave. He told an army major to fold his paper!'

"Major Yayha laughed. 'Yes, no longer afraid to talk with police or army. This is good change.' The moment was warm and fuzzy, but the true situation is not. There is little doubt that the people are getting more confident in their new world, but the undercurrent is still Jungle Law. Major Yayha expressed gratitude to Americans for supporting Iraq, and I did not have the heart to say that many are ready to abandon him powerless and adrift on windswept sands."

Gambling Culture

Jonathan Last has written a piece about the expansion of gambling in America. As gambling has expanded in America, the attitude toward it has evolved from one of sin to vice to guilty pleasure.

Last writes, Over the past 50 years, gambling has gone from sin to vice to guilty pleasure and has come, finally, to be simply another point of interest on the entertainment map. Today America has 445 commercial casinos and 411 Indian casinos acting as beacons to the lucky. In 1993, 11.6 million Americans visited commercial casinos; in 2004, 54.1 million--26 percent of all gaming-aged adults--hit the tables and slots. In 1993, commercial casinos had $11.2 billion in gross gambling revenue; by 2004 that number had risen to $27 billion. But even this staggering figure--last year Hollywood grossed only $10.2 billion at the box office and $25.95 billion from home video--is just one piece of the gaming pie. Throw in the Indian casinos, state lotteries and horse tracks and you get a gross total of $72.87 billion--before you count Internet gaming.

As gambling has spread, whatever taboos were left about it have fallen away. In a recent survey, 81 percent of Americans said that gambling was an acceptable activity, with 21 percent saying that in the past 10 years gaming has become more acceptable to them.
The extent to which gambling infiltrates nearly every aspect of American culture is hard to fathom--we are so pious and easily scandalized on other culture-war fronts--but easy to measure: Gambling is everywhere. Its sheer ubiquity has made wagering seem banal, a normal part of middle-class life--something that only a prude would object to. But is it really? Isn't there more at stake in the loss of this taboo than the pleasure of risking a little money on chance? Taken in all its forms, the American betting habit looks like a mild form of social pathology. It is certainly one of those nodal points in culture where commerce has trumped settled custom--and maybe even conscience.

From Indonesia to Iran

Three Christian girls were beheaded and a fourth was seriously wounded in Indonesia. The girls were on their way to class when the attack occurred. Indonesia is the most populous Muslim nation, and has a history of conflict between Musilms and Christians. Brutul, just brutal.

In New Delhi, coordinated explosions ripped through markets killilng 49. The attacks were probably terrorist related, and probably came from Pakistan--a country India has a strained relationship with.

Finally, probably most have heard about Iran's new hard-line, ultra-conservative president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's comment that Israel should be wiped off the map. This kind of rhetoric is not new from the Muslim theocracy. Ayatollah Khomeni repeated the mantra almost on a weekly basis at his Friday sermons when he was in power during the 80s. What is most encouraging from this whole episode is the swift and decisive condemnation from the world community, including some Islamic nations. Ahmadinejad, however refuses to retract his statement, saying the criticism "did not have any validity" and his remarks were "just." Yesterday, tens of thousands of protestors marched in the street shouting "death to Israel" and death to the Zionists. Meanwhile, Iran continues to enhance its nuclear capabilities. Tick-tock, tick-tock....

$10 Billion???

So Exxon posted $10 billion third-quarter profits. Wow, that's some serious oil sellin'. But Exxon is not the only oil company raking it in. BP, ConocoPhillips, Marathon, and Chevron all posted "eye-popping" gains. So, can the gas prices come down now?

Errr...Not Exactly

The Heritage Foundation (a very solid, conservative think-tank), makes this claim about American family farms:

Most Americans do not mind paying taxes to help those who are in need, and farm subsidies are typically defended as being necessary to help struggling family farmers. But while many farmers were poor when farm policy was created in the 1930s, farmers today are much wealthier. Today, the average farm reports a net worth of nearly $564,000 (double that of the average household) and an annual income of $64,347 (17 percent above the national average) despite the fact that the cost of living in rural areas is 10 percent to 40 percent lower than the national average. By no means a teetering industry, the failure rate for farms is just one-sixth the rate for non-farm businesses. (read the full report here)

I've gotta tell ya, I disagree with Heritage's interpretation of statistics. I come from a rural, farming community, and most family farmers are not wealthy. Many are doing okay, some are extremely poor and debt-ridden, and a few are wealthy. To explain the networth (a suspect figure considering farms vary widely in size and crop produced) I would say that much of that can be attributed to equipment which is very expensive. But, it's not as if farmers have the cash on hand to pay for this equipment. Instead they must take out loans and borrow against their homes and land. Plus, that net worth may also take into account land, and many farmers farm between 1,000 and 2,000 acres of land (you've got to to make any kind of living). Heritage claims this is double the average household, and I respond with a very caustic, "Ya Think!?" I guess one has to know a little bit about farming to not be surprised that a farmer's net worth would be almost double that of the average household.

The Heritage Foundation, rightly points out in other parts of their analysis that corporate farms receive most the farm subsidies. However, it seems when talking about this "thriving industry", they don't take into account the fact that corporate farms could inflate the financial statistics.

I'm a conservative who is in favor of farm subsidies--so long as they go to the family farmers and not the corporate farms. Family farmers are the life blood of rural communities and rural communities are the life blood of America. If family farms falter, we all do. The products produced by America's farmers are the safest, tastiest, and most plentiful in the world. And despite what eco-liberals say, they care for and love the land. Support the family farmer, support subsidies.

And there is a great Frontline documentary done on a farm family in Nebraska titled The Farmer's Wife. It chronicles the challenges faced by family farmers, and is probably the best documentary I have ever watched.

Berkeley: Bation of Freedom, Beacon of Light

Here are some gems from a conference on spiritual activism held at Berekely this past summer. I should also mention that these snippets deal with conservative and liberal Christianity. I think you can make the distinctions.

Defrocked Catholic priest Matthew Fox, now an Episcopalian, blamed war and economic injustice on "those who want to worship a dominating punitive Father God which includes the put down of women, nature, [and] gays." In soothing contrast, Fox offered a unisex, pantheistic "mother/father God who is embedded in nature, creativity, our bodies and all our art forms." Fox lambasted the Pope for defeating liberation theology and faulted Protestants for succumbing to a "kooky Christianity" of "domination and not of justice."
--Ummm....rrrrrriiight.......

Episcopal Bishop John Shelby Spong lashed out at this "domination" religion. "It's time to name evil as evil when sounded in pious accents of biblical religion," Spong declared. Conservative Catholicism and "evangelical fundamentalists" are growing because "hysterical people are seeking security," Spong fretted. Referring to the rise of religious conservatives based in the South, Spong claimed, to the audience's delight, "The old [segregationist] George Wallace vote simply applied perfume and call themselves the Religious Right."
--Spong also claims Paul was gay and Jesus was married...

Almost all vitriol was aimed rightward. Berkeley linguist George Lakoff, a frequent advisor to religion-perplexed Democrats, explained that the left worships a "nurturing" God, while the right adores a "punitive" deity. Conservatives believe in a "strict" God who requires good behavior for getting into heaven, according to Lakoff, while progressives emphasize "unconditional love." United Methodist lobbyist Jim Winkler was less analytical: "Angry white men [which describes almost all religious conservatives] are like a wounded bear striking out in desperation," he observed.
--Really!?!? I had NO idea that I believed I have to do good works to get to heaven! Man, I'm glad this linguist was able to point that out to me. I'm also glad he pointed out that I don't worship a nurturing God. Boy howdy, I sure did learn a lot from this guy. But the "angry white men" bit has got to go. In reality were gettin' just a little bit TO'd right now, NOT angry.
But in all seriousness, these folks need to come out of their ivory towers or cramped studies and examine the true make-up of conservative Christians. Their stereotypes are AWFUL! But, you know how liberals use the Bible....
To read more ludicrousness, go here.

Sad News

Rosa Parks passed away today. She was 92. What a woman!

Bye, Bye Old Europe?

A few years ago, while trying to drum up support for the war in Iraq, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld negatively referred to France and Germany (who opposed going to war) as Old Europe and places like Lithuania and Poland as New Europe (in a positive sense). This changing of Pentagon policy was further reflected in Rumsfeld's latest overseas tour where he did not visit France or Germany, and instead focused on talks with the newest members of NATO. Rummy also visited South Korea, where he encouraged the South Koreans to end their dependence on US military protection. The other two stops were in China and Mongolia. China certainly has long-term interests that are not necessarily favorable toward the US, but it was encouraging that Rumsfeld and top aides were able to tour the Second Artillery, where China's nuclear missiles are held (they were the first foreigners to do so). Mongolia, home of the famed Genghis Khan, will be visited by Bush in a few weeks, and will mark the first time a US president has visited the country. Mongolia has shown favor to the war on terror.

All of this to say that strategy is shifting. No longer are the traditional Cold-War allies and defense plans going to work. Through the leadership of Rumsfeld, Washington is shifting its strategy to one that reflects the challenges of modern national-security. Hello Asia! Hello Middle East! Good-bye Europe (sort of...).

Supporting Christians

Tommy Nelson, pastor of Denton Bible Church, has preached an excellent series on church history. In it he mentions that the early Christians stuck together. Instead of going to a pagan repair man, for instance, they would patronize the Christian business. In short, Christians supported Christians. This got me to thinking about politics, and specifically Harriet Miers. When I found out she was a Christian I was excited to support her, after all, there aren't many Christians on the Supreme Court, and we've got to support our own. Upon further reflection, I became concerned with her lack of experience, and am still wondering whether she was a good choice.

I wonder now, should we as Christians support Christians simply because they are Christian (and of course, I'm talking about good, Bible-believing conservative Christians), and therefore throw our support behind Miers? Or, should we be more concerned with having jurists (or politicians or whatever) who have all of the secular qualifications, and therefore support those judges who may not be Christian, but are definitely ideologically conservative?

This Is Strange

Anne Rice...never read her stuff, but apparently she's very popular author, writing about the occult. Turns out she has decided to go back to the Catholic Church she left at age 18 and is now "writing for the Lord." Her new novel is about a seven year-old Jesus. Go figure...

Things That Make You Go Hmm...

The Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs has been involved in a brouhaha recently over Christians who actively evangelize other cadets. A former cadet, Micky Weinstein, filed a lawsuit against the Academy alledging the Air Force forces Christianity upon others and favors evangelical Christianity over other religions. Weinstein, a Jew, is demanding that "No member of the USAF, including a chaplain, is permitted to evangelize, proselytize, or in any way attempt to involuntarily convert, pressure, exert, or persuade a fellow member of the USAF to accept their own religious beliefs while on duty [and that the Air Force] is not permitted to establish or advance any one religion over another religion, nor one religion over no religion." Hmmmn....so Weinstein doesn't want non-Christians to have their religion infringed upon, so he's wants to infringe/criminalize another religion? I don't think I can accept that, and thankfully the Air Force isn't either. While the Air Force should not favor Christianity over other religions, there is no reason that believers of any religion ought to be told they can't practice their faith. Another example of the lunacy of secularism.

Some Odds and Ends

A bill in the US House would create a Louisiana Recovery Corporation. That gives me an uneasy feeling. Maybe it'll be a good thing, but I can see where there would be many problems in creating more government to help the Gulf Coast recover.

I've found a great new website that has a round-up of poliltical stories, and it's maintained by C-Span. It's www.capitalnews.org.

I may be changing my tune on Supreme Court nominee Miers. I think I'll wait to give my support (which carries SO much weight, lol) until after the hearings (a novel thought).

And there is a whole passel of Republicans lining up all over the place to run for several open seats in Oklahoma. So, it's going to be an interesting election season here in the Sooner State.

79,000 Perish

Not to be too depressing, but the death toll of the earthquake that struck Pakistan last week has risen to 79,000. It's is unfathomable to think of that many deaths. Here are some quick facts on Pakistan:
Population: 162,419,946
Birth Rate: 30.42 births/1,000 population
Death Rate: 8.45 deaths/1,000 population
Religion: Muslim 97% (Sunni 77%, Shi'a 20%), Christian, Hindu, and other 3%
Languages: Punjabi 48%, Sindhi 12%, Siraiki (a Punjabi variant) 10%, Pashtu 8%, Urdu (official) 8%

The eternal consequences of this event are beyond comprehension...

Worth a look: Views from the Southern Baptist's International Mission Board personnel.

-----

Overheard on the FX show Over There:
Soldier 1: "I'm Iraqi."
Soldier 2: "What? I thought you were Persian or something."
Soldier 1: "Persians speak Farsi, I speak Arabic."
Soldier 2: "I didn't know that."
Soldier 1: "Why should you? We're only fighting a war over here."

Yes, why should you..........

A Life Passion?

What's your life passion? Is there one all-consuming mission that everything you do in life falls under? Should you have one? If so, what should it be? Do you live everyday--every hour--in accordance with this objective?

Such a concept had really never crossed my mind until my roommate the last two years of school showed me the importance of developing this mission and sticking with it (brother, thank you!). He showed me that God calls us to number our days and live in such a manner that we don’t just idly coast through life. Instead, we must consciously decide what we will live for and evaluate on a regular basis if we are truly living in light of this objective. Do I always live and make decisions that are in accordance with my objective of knowing, loving, and glorifying God and in dependence upon Him, developing multiplying disciples to reach the nations? No. But oh how great it is to know for what I'm living each day and for Whom. Now that I'm out of school, I really see how vital this objective is. There is so much stuff out there competing for my time, money, energy, and love. It is really easy to give up on trying to live the radical, God-centered, Christ-exalting, Bible-saturated life and instead live the Christian, American dream (not that I think the American dream in and of itself is bad). Each day I find myself having to fight (often times losing) to live my objective. Should I--should we--fight for this?

John Piper presents an argument in his book Don't Waste Your Life (see the right sidebar) that God does want us to live our lives with an objective. All of our boasting should be in the cross of Jesus Christ: "Far be it from me to boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world" (Gal 6:14). Okay, we've got the boasting part taken care of (a vital part of our lives). So no more boasting in work or school or football or intelligence or traditions or politics (an especially tough one for me)—only in the Cross. The pursuit of wealth, status, fast cars, comfortable neighborhoods, or political victories (gosh, I keep getting hit) don't matter. One thing does: "Whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ" (Philippians 3:7-8). And now we've taken care of what matters in life: knowing Christ.

If knowing Christ and boasting only in the cross is what matters, shouldn’t we be sure to live in such a way that this is truly fleshed out in our lives? If we are serious about this, our goal ought to be only to live this way. If that is what truly matters and we don’t live that way, then we’ve wasted our life. We'll be like the 59 and 51 year old couple that Piper introduces to us. They took early retirement, and live in Punta Gorda, Florida, where they cruise on their 30-foot trawler, play softball and collect shells...."Picture them before Christ at the great day of judgment: 'Look, Lord. See my shells.'"

As Piper succinctly states, "God created us to live with a single passion: to joyfully display his supreme excellence in all the spheres of life. The wasted life is the life without this passion. God calls us to pray and think and dream and plan and work not to be made much of, but to make much of HIM in every part of our lives."

Oh God! Help me to not waste my life!

"Desire that your life count for something great! Long for your life to have eternal significance. Want this! Don't coast through life without a passion" (Piper, p 46).

C'mon November

I'll be sure to see this movie when it comes out in November: Jarhead.

There is a very sweet, kind 89 year old widow who lives in the apartment next to me. She lost her sister last year, and moved to Oklahoma from Phoenix last November to be near her son and daughter-in-law. Having other people visit her and talk with her so blesses her, not to mention the blessing she confers upon those visitors. So, when I read this story about widows in India, I was especially touched.

Most widows in India have their own shed-like room -- about four feet tall and only big enough to fit a woven cot. There they sit all day. Barely talking. Almost motionless. By withdrawing from everyday life and luxuries, these women are living a form of suttee, the now-outlawed practice of burning widows alive, chained to the dead husband's funeral pyre.

Jehovah God has such a different persepctive than that offered by Hinduism:

Psalm 68:5 tells us God is "a defender of the widows..."
Deuteronomy 10:18 "He defends the cause of the fatherless and the widow..."
Isaiah 1:17 instructs to "plead the case of the widow."
James 1:27 "Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress..."

The Cost On Society

There are also many financial and social costs that come with the lottery. To begin with, lottery revenue is not a sound source of funding for the state. Studies have shown that lottery ticket sales drop in states after a brief honeymoon period in which sales are high. Consequently, the programs that expect to receive this revenue, end up having to cut their budgets. Proponents of the lottery often cite the case of Georgia's HOPE scholarship to support how lotteries can be beneficial. HOPE scholarships were created to be financed through the Georgia lottery to provide free tuition to Georgia students. However, a study conducted by William Anderson and reported by the Oklahoma Council for Public Affairs, found that Georgia lottery earnings peaked many years ago. Because Georgia made a commitment to fund these scholarships, they must now dip into the general revenue fund to add more money for the scholarships. This takes away from other programs and agencies that are funded by taxpayers. It would seem that from the experiences of Georgia and many other states, while the lottery may provide additional money to begin with, people will soon tire of playing, placing certain programs in dire funding straits.

Lotteries are also dangerous to society. Numerous studies have shown that lotteries target those who can least afford to play. A study published in the scholarly journal Public Fiance Review showed that the Texas lottery targets those who are poor. Even more startling is that this study found that minorities are targeted by the lottery. African-Americas and Hispanics play the lottery more frequently and heavily than other groups. The lottery now makes Oklahoma government a predatory government. So much for government helping people. The Bible exhorts us to care for the poor and needy (Proverbs 14:21, 14:31, 22:16). Supporting an industry that so clearly targets the poor goes against Scripture, and is just plain wrong.

Gambling is also addictive. Researchers studied the lottery in the United Kingdom and found that when average spending on gambling was doubled by the introduction of a national lottery, there was a four-fold increase in the proportion of households where gambling expenditure was excessive. The researchers also noted that in North America, pathological gambling has risen with the increase in state lotteries. Pathological and problem gamblers are more likely to be on welfare, declare bankruptcy, or be arrested. The Gambling Impact and Behavior Study estimates that gamblers cost the United States $5 billion per year in various programs and creditor losses. This does not take into account the familial costs when divorces or other family disruptions occur because of the strain addiction places on the family. This should be a stark warning to all Oklahomans when they think of supporting the lottery.

Oklahomans and Christians should consider the information above when formulating their opinion of the lottery. The violation of biblical principles is something that all Christians must seriously contemplate. Furthermore, Christians and non-Christians alike should be concerned with the financial strain, and social costs that the lottery will bring to the state. We should put what is best for all Oklahomans ahead of our own entertainment and potential financial reward.

The Lottery: Helping Education???

Here's a textbook example from OCPA of why gambling should not be legal in any state.

"Gov. Brad Henry presented the first ticket to Oklahoma's new lottery to the state's teacher of the year. Apparently he thought this was a better idea than presenting it to the elementary school principal in Tecumseh who resigned after pleading no contest to a charge she stole $27,378 in student-earned money from a school activity fund. The district attorney said the money was used to support the principal�s gambling habit."

Put on the Lord Jesus Christ

Listened to a terrific John Piper sermon, Put on the Lord Jesus Christ(part 2). I highly recommend it!

It's Coming...

Oklahomans will soon be able to play the lottery. Oct 12 is opening day of Oklahoma government joining 39 other states in preying on its citizens. In honor of this day, I'll have a few posts on the lottery, beginning with why the Christian should not support the lottery.

Christians should oppose gambling (read: lottery) because it goes against many biblical principles. Lotteries are gounded on greed and the get rich quick idea. However, the Bible instructs against this. A stark warning is given in 1 Timothy 6:9-10, "People who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plung men into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs." Jesus instructs against greed in Luke 12:15 and Proverbs 15:27 tells what will happen to greedy people. God clearly shows us that greed is dangerous to the Christian life. Because those who play the lottery are motivated by greed, and greed is sinful, we as Christians should not support the Oklahoma lottery.

Secondly, lottery prizes come from the money of others. Since those who play the lottery want to win the prize, they are coveting what someone else has. The 10th Commandment (Exodus 20:17) forbids covetousness.

Thirdly, Jesus tells us that the second greatest commandment is to love your neighbor as yourself (Matthew 22:39). However, in order for one to win lottery prizes, many others must lose their possesions. When we wish pain, suffering, and loss on others, we are violating this command.

Fourthly, Christians are to be responsible with how they use their money. In Matthew 25:14-30, Jesus tells the parable of the talents. This parable tells us that we are to be wise in how we invest our God-given (and God-owned) possesions. Often times, the money that is spent buying lottery tickets is money that should have been used to buy essential items for the family. Also, one has a better chance of being struck by lightning (1 in 2 million) than winning the lottery (1 in 54 million). Thus, a person who buys a lotto ticket is almost certainly going to lose the money God entrusted to them. 2 Corinthians 5:10 tells us that we will give an account to God of all that we did, so we should make wise decisions with our finances.

Finally, gambling, which is what the lottery is, denigrates the work eithc. It implies that one can get something for nothing. In fact, an advertisement in Massachusetts has the slogan "work is nothing but heart attack inducing drudgery. Play the lottery!" Yet that is not how God views work. Proverbs 12:11 states "He who works his land will have abundant food, but he wwho chases fantasies lacks judgement" and Proverbs 28:19 "he who works his land will have abundant food, but he who chases fantasies will have his fill of poverty." These are just two verses where God explicitly warns against chasing fantasies and instead tells us of the great rewards of a strong work ethic.


Coming tomorrow, why EVERYONE (Christian and non-Christian) should oppose the lottery.

UPDATED: Dartmouth and Jesus

You've got to read this. While I'm not surprised such a thing would happen, it is still eye opening to see how the left reacts to the Gospel.

*UDPATE: Watch the video of this speech here

Now THAT'S a man!

Some Interesting Links

Here are some select links that I found interesting:

Pres. Bush states that God told him to attack Afghanistan and Iraq and is telling him to work to establish a Palestinian state.--this is worth a quick look.

Al Gore asserts that American democracy is in grave danger. Gore raises an interesting question: has the decline in public discourse over important issues signaled a decline in American democracy? Or is this decline good for America? Or is there no decline in public discourse, and this is the way it's always been? Interesting...

Piggy-backed on with the whole thing on public discourse, did you know there is a thing called a Federal Register? The Federal Register publishes rules changes to government policy. If you visit regulations.gov you can take part in the rule making process. Yes that's right, you can actually take part in managing the bureaucracy. So many people complain about it, but very few actually know there is something they can do about. Every federal agency must publish proposed changes to rules. There is then a comment period in which citizens can comment on these proposed changes. In theory, these comments can help shape policy (how often they do, I don't know). Of course, one must first wade through the dense federal legalese. But, if you are ever having problems sleeping, then take a look at this site! And just to get you started, here's a proposal from the Social Security Administration.

Meet The Fundies! From the Texas Observer

So maybe we crazy fundies know a thing or two: Babies Do Better With Mom

Black students more religious than those of other races--very interesting in so many ways...

And one of the chief persecutors of religions (except Islam), Saudi Arabia, has been given six more months to improve upon its record on persecution. How inexcusable their actions, but what are we left to do? We need their oil.

I'll guess I'll call it quits with that.

Help Your Country!

The current public debt is $4,599,795,468,342.59. Yeah, that's right 4 t-t-t-trillion. According to the Bureau of Public Debt, we citizens can help pay off that debt, and I don't mean with our tax dollars (let's face it, our tax dollars aren't going to pay off that debt either, but rather to pork barrel projects, but anyway). Here's the official wording from the Bureau:

Perhaps you'd like to help reduce the $4.6 public debt. If so, here are instructions:
Please follow these important steps to make a contribution to reduce the debt.
1. Make check payable to the Bureau of the Public Debt.
2. In the memo section of the check, notate Gift to reduce Debt Held bythe Public.
3. Mail check to -ATTN DEPT G BUREAU OF THE PUBLIC DEBT PO BOX 2188 PARKERSBURG, WV 26106-2188

So, there you have it. After you've paid your taxes and tithed you can help with that debt. Just think, if everyone gave just one dollar......we'd still have astronomical debt. Oh for fiscal conservatism........

Oh The Tangled Web We Weave

I’m not one for conspiracy theories, but if ever there was a story ripe for conspiracy the suicide of Joel Hinrichs is one. Just a few hours after the bombing the theories were flowing freely on the Internet. As of today, I have completely dismissed them. I continue to believe that this was suicide by bombing. However, new details have emerged that cause me to raise at least a few eyebrows. First, as reported by NEWS9, Hinrichs visited a Norman feed store to buy ammonium nitrate (yes, the stuff used to make the Murrah bomb). Apparently there was a plain clothes police officer in the store who overheard the entire conversation (how convenient that he just happened to be in the same store as Hinrichs). 2. Many more explosives and explosive making material was found in his apartment. 3. He roomed with a Pakistani roommate and had reportedly began attending the mosque in Norman (and I’m not saying all Muslims are evil terrorists, they aren’t). 4. An airline ticket to Algeria was found in his apartment. 5. President Boren stated that, to his knowledge, Hinrichs never tried to enter the stadium (of course this could never be known…out of 84,000 people, do you think a ticket attendant would remember one face?).

But, alas, I’m not buying into this conspiracy just yet. In fact, I’m fairly convinced that this was nothing more than a suicide—a reminder that there is a hurting world out there (Philip’s post was particularly convicting). But, if “sources” are to be believed, there’s something more. Time will tell.

Links of interest:
OU Poli-Sci Prof Keith Gaddie has a few observations on this bombing
Conservative commentator Michelle Malkin has a good round-up of other bloggers
NEWSOK video section has a few interesting stories, but the videos are only up for a day or two
KFOR has some good updates (but I can’t link individually…scroll down to the bottom)
ChannelOklahoma.com has this story.

And just to reiterate, while I don’t believe the conspiracy theories, there is evidence that should be looked. I have every reason to trust the FBI’s investigation.

Miers Found Christ, Turned Republican

Pres. Bush's latest Supreme Court nominee accepted Jesus Christ as Savior and later changed her party membership to Republican after long being active in the Democratic party! She is now active in the pro-life movement. How amazing is it to read a story like that? It is great to see this testimony of the changing power of Christ! Praise God for this. I think I can fully support Harriet Miers nomination to the Supreme Court. I pray many people read this (it is said to be set to run in Wednesday's New York Times) and turn to the Lord.

Courtesy Drudge.

Liberal Bias???

This is an interesting expose: The anatomy of a photograph. The San Fran Chronicle was caught!

In OU News...

Two stories caught my attention from the OU Daily

First: The Women's Outreach Center (oh what a GREAT use of tax-payer dollars) is apparently sponosoring oral HIV screenings. According to the article, all are excited that the numbers of those receiving the testing is up. Call me crazy, but I'm just a little bit concerned and in no way excited about this fact. I get excited if very few people come in to get screened for a deadly, easily transmitted virus that is spread through unprotected sex. Ya gotta love the Women's (or is it womyns?) Outreach Center...political liberalism at its finest! One can't help but wonder what would happen if a Men's Outreach Center was established.

A second story is much more positive. This story talks about alternatives to partying on Thursday nights, and the grand ole BSU is mentioned. Good to see that. The other altnernative discussed was Lifestream. Interestingly, a girl who goes to Lifestream (well, I assume she goes there) stated that she can't always go to worship on Sunday because “I might sleep in or be busy with school” so Thursday is her worship service. *Cringe* Not that I'm coming down on this girl...I'm not...but at least come up with a better excuse for missing church than sleeping! Anyway, good to see the positive pub for the LBSU.

Say It Ain't So!

When I first saw this headline, I thought it was satire...surely it was from the Onion. Unfortunately it is true. FEMA plans to reimburse faith groups for aid given during Hurricane Katrina. I hope these faith groups do not accept. Thankfully, Southern Baptists have already rejected the offer. I love how the president of the SBC NAMB puts it, "volunteer labor is just that: volunteer, we would never ask the government to pay for it." That's how it should be. Can you imagine Jesus feeding the five thousand and then looking to Rome to foot the bill? Churches give because that's what Christ would have us do, not because they expect something in return. I believe that accepting a reimbursement is contrary to the Christian teachings on giving. God loves a cheerful giver not one who gives begrudgingly or under compulsion (2 Cor 9:7). Churches ought not be dependent on the government, and accepting this reimbursement is just one step closer to that becoming a reality. No one ever said serving was easy.

Logistical Nightmare

What happens when 1.8 million people flee a city? Chaos. And that's exactly what happened in Houston last Thursday. Hearing the stories of 100 mile long traffic jams and what are normally 8 hour trips turning into 28 hours trips is astounding. Now these people must come back. Ouch! I'm sure the traffic jams will be just as bad. One thing was learned out of this evacuation, America has a long way to go in terms of having a perfect emergency response system. But, pretty good is not too bad. And I would say the emergency procedures were pretty good. After all, had Rita hit Houston, nearly all of the residents would have been safe. Good job!

Forgive Us Our Debts

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) reached an agreement this weekend to forgive billions of dollars of debt for poor countries. Now it is up to the World Bank to approve this. Suppposedly, this debt forgiveness will allow those poor countries to concentrate on infrastructure improvements and other spending to improve their economies rather than paying back their debt. While I'm no economics expert, this does seem like a good thing. However, I wonder, will these poor countries actually follow through on their obligation? Many of these countries are governed by corrupt dictatorships. Are these dictators going to build their countries or pad their palaces? My hope and prayer is they will help their citizens so that the poverty that is so rampant will be seriously wounded. Only time will tell.

Big Bad Rita

Praying that my friends in Houston and my family in Texas City are kept safe from this beast.

Evening By Evening

When I get home from work, more often than not, the last thing on my mind is communing with the Creator. Spurgeon sets me straight:

"When the noise and turmoil of the day are over, it is sweet to commune with God. The cool and calm of evening agree most delightfully with prayer and praise. Each evening it would be well to traverse the boundaries of the day and take note of all that it has brought and all that it has seen.

"It is dangerous to fall asleep before the head is leaned on Jesus' bosom. When divine love puts its finger on weary eyelids, it is brave sleeping; but so that the Lord's beloeved may have such sleep given to him, it is necessary that he should make a near approach to the throne and unburden his soul before the great Preserver of men.

"He surely never prays at all who does not end the day as all men wish to end their lives--in prayer."

Morning and Evening, Charles Spurgeon

Male Leadership?

This is not so much a post defending male leadership, as one that wonders where it's at. I'm wondering where the male leadership is in the FCA at my little brother's high school. I was home for a few brief moments this weekend, and while there, I noticed that all five of the office holding positions in FCA were held by girls. Now, I'm not saying these girls aren't capable leaders. In fact, I know that at least two of them are. However, this makes the second year (perhaps third) of all female leadership. I'm wondering why the guys are not rejecting passivity, accepting responsibility, leading courageously, and expecting God's greater reward. Heck, I'd settle for them just rejecting passivity. I'm wondering what this says about these young men with regards to their future spiritual leadership. The class officers in my brother's class are predominately male (the same goes for the other classes). I wonder if this is a sign indicating that the guys view spiritual leadership as more of a girl thing. Whatever the case, I do hope there is a change with more of these young men stepping up to the leadership plate. And just for background, this is a very small community and school, average class size is 15.

Had To Pass On

Must pass on these Fresh Words from John Piper: Was Katrina Intelligent Design? (A quality read)

Also, I listened to "Surrendering Your Rights" by J. Oswald Sanders a few weeks ago. It was absolutely convicting, challenging, and insightful. Worth a listen.

I Still Believe

Even with the disappointing loss to UCLA this afternoon, my confidence in the Sooners is up. It appears like the team is beginning to click. Bomar had a really good game (compared to last week), the defense was hitting hard, and the secondary showed some improvement. If you take away the foolish turnovers, we would have beat the Bruins. Now with a week off, we'll have time to continue to work on those critical areas, hopefully showing improvement. Thus, I am optimistic going into Big 12 play. I think Bomar will only continue to gain confidence, and if we could beef up our line and get our snapper to give the QB some decent snaps, look out. Bottom line: even with the loss, I don't look at the rest of the season with as much hopelessness as I did last week. Besides, nothing can be worse than 1997, right?

Bravo Tom!

My Senator, Tom Coburn, is doing a fine job representing Oklahoma. He is definitely a deficit-hawk--fighting against deficit spending. Coburn states, "I don't believe that everything that should happen in Louisiana should be paid for by the rest of the country. I believe there are certain responsibilities that are due the people of Louisiana." I think he makes a great point. The Gulf Coast does need federal help, and the federal government will need to dig deep to provide that help. But those states affected must also take responsibility for the price tag. Originally designed as a republic with a weak-federal government, America must remain true to its roots. The framers believed that the best form of government was not the strong centralized federal governments of Europe, but rather one of limited federal government with stronger states.

As for the federal spending, I do hope that Congress will not increase the deficit to pay for this disaster. Unfortunately it looks like they will. What ought to happen is Congress ought to cut the billions in unncessary spending. The pork and other wasteful spending must be eliminated. Taxes probably don't have to be increased, if the Congress would act responsibly and cut wasteful spending. Maybe with the leadership of Sen. Coburn, this will happen. Maybe...

Happy Start of National Hispanic Month

I don't know whether it is just a SSA-wide celebration or really a "national" celebration, but today is the start of National Hispanic Month. We celebrated at the office with an awesome Mexican potluck. Your Social Security Administration, committed to diversity!

Meanwhile...

As a result of poverty, 30,000 children under five died today.

Thoughts On The Morning

After a bit of an absence, I'm back to blogging.

It's so important to spend time with the Lord each day. Here are some select quotes from Spurgeon on the importance of morning devotions:

"[M]orning devotions have always been dear to enlightened, heaven-loving souls, and it has been their practice never to see the face of dawn until they have first seen the face of God.

"Morning devotions anchor the soul, so that it will not very readily drift far away from God during the day. They perfume the heart so that it smells fragrant with piety until nightfall; they hold up the soul's garments so that it is less apt to stumble; they feed all their power so that the soul is not permitted to faint.

"The morning is the gate of the day and should be well-guarded with prayer. He who rushes from his bed to his business and does not wait to worship is as foolish as if he had not put on his clothes or washed his face. He is as unwise as one who dashes into battle without being armed. Let us bathe in the softly flowing river of communion with God before the heat of the wilderness and the burden of the way begin to oppress us."
Morning and Evening, Charles Spurgeon

September 11, 2001

Good Church

Christianity Today has a great "parable" about one Houston church's response to Hurricane Katrina. Though the government bureaucracy may be creeky, the church can rise up with compassion and help those in need! It's also great to hear of good brothers and sisters from another church in Houston using their weekends to help evacuees, even if it means waking at 2am. Thanks guys!

Keen Wisdom From Kanye

So Kanye West thinks President Bush doesn't care about black people. Let me think about that. What about the billions of dollars sent to Africa? What about the troops sent to Liberia to quell the violence? President Bush has spoken to the NAACP every year of his presidency and has sought to court the black vote. His first Secretary of Education, Rod Paige, is black. His two Secretary's of State, Colin Powell and Condi Rice, are black. Bush travelled to New Orleans and there are video and pictures of Bush visiting black families and hugging and comforting them. Those are just a few specifics I can think of off the top of my head...I'm sure there are more. Kanye ought to stick to rappin' and not speak so ignorantly about matters he obviously knows nothing about.

Social Breakdown

Don't have much time, but I did want to comment on what experts say is a social breakdown into predatory violence in New Orleans. According to a source quoted by Drudge, experts are noting signs of complete social breakdown in the city due to the living conditions and general environment of New Orleans. There are also reports of people being beaten and raped inside the Superdome. It is absolutely heart breaking to read the stories coming out of New Orleans. It is great to see the generosity of Texans and the city of Houston for welcoming New Orleansrefugees into the Astrodome. It's time for some serious, heavy-handed government action to get this situation under control.

Incredible

Damage from Hurricane Katrina is incredible...catastrophic. It is such a blessing Katrina weakened and veered slightly east before landfall, otherwise it would have been much worse. It's great to see that answered prayer. New Orleans, however, has been hit hard. Not only is Katrina devastating in the lives she took and economically, but also environmentally. Toxic chemicals, human waste, and floating coffins are just a few of the deadly ingredients in the mix with stagnant water. Because New Orleans had such extensive build up in the marsh lands, water drainage was not allowed to occur like it naturally would. As more Americans gobble up the ocean front property and devour wetlands, damage from hurricanes--even small ones--will only be worse. Insurers predict Katrina will cost $26 billion. Incredible! Americans, indeed the world, must examine our use of the environment. Suburban sprawl is a huge problem that will only lead to an unbalanced environment. As servants of God entrusted with His creation, we must be much wiser about how we use His resources.

Now, who wants to buy me a hybrid?

This Weeks Sign That The Apocoplypse Is Upon Us

Category 5 Hurricane Katrina is about to hit New Orleans as of Sunday night. Not good. Not only will she bring destruction upon New Orleans, she is also driving up already high gas prices.

The Fruits of Evolutionary Thought

The London Zoo has a new exhibit: humans. Zoo spokesperson (or should I say spokesprimate?) explains the reasoning behind the exhibit: "Seeing people in a different environment, among other animals ... teaches members of the public that the human is just another primate." Yep, straight out of Darwin. This reminds me of a post Al Mohler has on his blog in which he addresses the fact that evolutionists deny the uniqueness of humans. He quotes Vernlyn Klinkenborg speaking about intelligent design, "It misses both the grace and the moral depth of knowing that humans have only the same stake, the same right, in the Earth as every other creature that has ever lived here." I disagree with Mr. Klinkenborg. I believe humans are created in the image of God: we are unique and we are special--the only ones chosen to worship God for His glory. It is really amazing that humans could stoop so low as to prepare an exhibit in which humans live and act like animals while being gawked at by their fellow species.

This Week's Sign That The Apocolypse Is Upon Us

Budapest has announced that they will spend $1 million to get rid of...DOG WASTE!! Of all things to spend $1 million dollars on, and they pick dog poop. In case you were wondering, the amount of waste produced by Belgium's dogs is more than the Eiffel Tower weighs.

If You Can't Say Anything Nice...

Pat Robertson has done it again! On his TV show, the 700 Club, Robertson suggested assasinating Venezualan president Hugo Chavez would be a good idea. What a ridiculous and irresponsible remark. Chavez has already used this to bolster his belief that the Bush Administration is plotting to assasinate him. I have grown weary of Robertson's asinine comments and even more weary of the mainstream media holding him up as a prominent leader of the "Christian Right." Robertson's influence is waining, and each time he speaks will only speed up the process. Let's hope that he doesn't do harm to the cause of Christ before his public profile fades. If you ask me, I think the guy is going senile. Keep the microphones away from him!

An Unlikely Revolutionary?

The Washington Post ran this story on Friday about Smithsonian scientist Richard Sternberg. Sternberg, while serving as the editor of a now defunct scientific journal, published a peer-reviewed article by scientist Stephen Mayer. Mayer's article, in a nutshell, argued for why the Cambrian explosion points to an intelligent designer. Instantaneously, Sternberg was ostracized by the scientific community. Calling him a "Bible-thumper" and a "Young Earth Creationist", highly regarded scientists trashed Sternberg. Several scientists also investigated whether Sternberg believed in God! The ironic thing is, Sternberg holds TWO Ph Ds in evolutionary biology and does not agree with Intelligent Design. Yet, because he allowed this article to be published he has been tarnished and the journal has died. Religion, according to evolutionists, is not compatible with scientific thought.

What this sordid tale illustrates is the extremes the scientific community will go to protect evolution from criticism. Evolutionists are scared and they're desperate. Do yourself a favor and read this story, it will open your eyes (BTW, free registration is required to view this article).

Congratulations!

Congratulations are in order to newlyweds Saul and Kendra! What a great couple! I'm excited to see how God will be glorified in their marriage. During the lighting of the unity candle Trav and Edith sang "How Great Is Our God" by Chris Tomlin. Excellent choice! Congratulations Gonzalez's!!!

New

I found out today that I will be soon changing jobs! I will be working at the Social Security Administration office in Moore! This is much more along the lines of my interests. Praise the Lord for this provision!

I Survived!

I made it through the Green Day concert. Though I'm no fan of their political stances or moral choices, the show was excellent! Very entertaining. Jimmy Eat World was great as well. Now, I'm exhausted!

This Week's Sign That The Apocolypse Is Upon Us

Okay, this is the real sign:

I'm going to the Green Day concert tomorrow.

Decline Of News

Hope four posts isn't too overwhelming...

Circulation is down for newsweeklies (like Time and Newsweek) and up for celebrity gossip magazines (like Us and People). I don't know about you, but it really says something negative about the state of our culture when people would rather read the latest gossip on celebrities rather than becoming informed and educated about events around the world (how can we be effective prayer warriors if we don't know what's going on in the world? how can we effectively reach the nations with the Gospel if we don't know what people are facing throughout the world? for Americans in general: how can we be the informed citizens our Constitution requires if we don't have a clue of events happening not only in America but throughout the world?). Lest you think my britches need to be loosened (which, granted, they may need to be), I do read People. However, I also enjoy reading the newsweeklies and newspapers. I think one can have both, it need not be an either/or thing.

Ch-Ch-Ch-Changes

For the first time in as long as I can remember I am not starting classes in August. A nice feeling! But it reminds me that my time on earth is quickly fading. My life needs to be lived with more intentionality and urgency.

My current employment is not where I would ideally like to be. I must trust in the Lord with all of my heart and lean not on my own understanding as He leads me through these new waters. He will use me and will provide for me accordingly--no matter what the job may look like. All for His Glory!

I'm not living in the dorms for the first time in four years. Kinda weird. Life and ministry in the dorms were so familiar. Now I'm in the unfamiliar. Things seem much harder. Certainly this too will become normal, but right now I feel like a fish out of water. What a blessing it is to have a group of Christians my age in similar life situations to meet with and be encouraged by! Thank you Lord for iMPACT.

Should We Be Surprised?

The idea of a book on the undergraduate life written by a professor posing as an undergraduate student is certainly an interesting notion...maybe even a book I would read. A professor did this very thing. Some of her "fascinating" and "interesting" findings are really more like "no duh" finidings if you ask me. For instance, she finally understands why students don't do the readings for class. C'mon, professors were undergrads once, don't they remember what it is like? I have no doubt, though, that this book will focus on the stereotypical college student (drinking beer, having sex) rather than than paying a little bit of respect to those students who don't fit that mold. That being said, it's neat to get a sneak peak at her book by clicking here. Many of us who lived in the dorms can identify with her experiences.

(HT: Internet Monk)

Persecution And The Church

Missionary "Nik Ripken" who has profiled persecution throughout the world, has said that those under persecution do not want others to pray that the persecution would stop. James Draper writes an article on this in Baptist Press, and it's worth a read.

He quotes a Chinese house church leader: "'Stop praying for persecution in China to end,for it is through persecution that the church has grown.'"

The leader also stated: "'We, in fact, are praying that the American church might taste the same persecution,so revival would come to the American church like we have seen in China.'" Ripken believes that persecution will not come to America because it will awaken the American church, and Satan doesn't want that. The chief deceiver would rather have us as we are, consumed with anything but Christ. Because as the Chinese leader said, persecution grows the church.

I think this is really interesting. Is the American church dysfunctional and lukewarm? Is persecution the only hope of waking up the church?

Mercy Part I

I am currently employed at Mercy Health Center in Oklahoma City. This faith-based hospital is operated by the Catholic order, the Sisters of Mercy--originally established by Sister Catherine McAuley. The mission statement of Mercy is "to provide personalized quality health services based on Christian value." I am extremely impressed by this hopsital. Even the top management is committed to providing care based upon the values of Jesus Christ (and the CEO explicitly states this). James tells us that "faith without works is dead" (James 2:26). Well, the faith of the Sisters and Mercy's top management is alive and well.

Their concern for the poor, sick, weak, and oppressed is absolutely amazing. Mercy does not conduct abortions. Mercy does not turn any person needing care away.

Though Catholics have a differing view of Salvation than what is presented in the Bible, I cannot help but notice the genuine faith of the Sisters manifested through their self-sacrificial giving.


The King will answer and say to them, 'Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did it to one of these brothers of mine, even the least of them, you did it to me.'

Ann Coulter And Nice

Read this brief thought from World Magazine:

"These days, being a South Park conservative is in, and the working definition seems to be: Hit hard and don't worry about hitting below the belt, because there is no belt. If you counter the left's sputum with your own, talk-show appearances and book contracts will follow."

"Amy reports that the first question to Ms. Coulter was, in essence, "couldn't she be a little nicer? Ms. Coulter said people don't respond to subtle reasoning; one has to 'bop them over the head' and use humor to make people see the light." She's probably right: Earnestness on TV shows and during after-dinner speeches doesn't turn people on, and Ms. Coulter's rapid-fire attacks do.

But Amy also noted a rare, slow-motion answer: "When a young, conservative woman asked how Coulter could stand the awful things people said about her because of her stand on abortion, she hesitated, messed with her hair, and said: 'Well, it's the same way I don't care about anything else: Christ died for my sins and nothing else matters.' I think my jaw hit the floor.'"

See my previous post on compassion and politics. This is a good piece. Michael Savage conservatism (and Savage IS savage) is crude and ought not to be normal in conservatism.