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."