Notes from the Blue Book

Which disciple would I have been?

2012-01-16T01:01:00.002-05:00

Or, of all the 12 original disciples during Christ's walk on earth, which one am I most like?
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It's more fun criticizing and finding faults with others than it is tackling shortcomings about my own faith.

Which sin is worse?

2011-12-27T01:12:00.003-05:00

Let's say there's two men who're next door neighbors. One man is a fall-down drunk, the other sneaks a peek at online porn and lingerie catalogs. Which man's sins are worst?

Without Christ's forgiveness, which man's sin disqualifies him from eternal life?

Dear Lord

2011-12-26T00:30:00.001-05:00

Thank you for loving sinners so much your son was willing to die in their place. I meant our place.

I meant my place.

Race Results

2011-11-12T23:38:00.003-05:00

"They [the driver and his throttleman] sustained injuries incompatible with life."

Wouldn't it be simpler to say "Both men died from their injuries"?

Or has dying become optional here in the 21st century, so long as we exercise enough, eat enough of the right foods, breath the right air, avoid the wrong chemicals, drink the right fluids, avoid the wrong fluids, get the right inoculations, avoid the wrong inoculations, take enough of the right supplements, live the right lifestyle, get the right health care insurance, do exactly what the right doctors say and not make any mistakes?

No wonder people think in terms of "preventable deaths."

King criticizer, Self publicizer

2011-11-05T02:16:00.003-04:00

I wonder how many folks who find fault with others, who demean their brothers for no other purpose than to exalt themselves, voice their criticisms from the comfort (and safety) of central-heated living rooms, lounges or corner-office studies.

Then I wondered how many others criticize and find fault looking down from the cross ...

... waiting for the spear.
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Peter replied, “Even if all fall away on account of you, I never will.”

“Truly I tell you,” Jesus answered, “this very night, before the rooster crows, you will disown me three times.”

- Matthew 26: 33-34

Are all religions the same? Really?

2011-10-22T19:41:00.001-04:00

Joseph Smith wrote his own sacred book and called his followers Mormons.

Mohamed wrote his own sacred book, called the religion he created Islam and its followers Muslims.

Confucius wrote texts which may or may not be attributable to him, and the question of whether Confucianism is a religion or not remains wide open to debate.

L. Ron Hubbard wrote his own sacred book and his new religion was called Scientology

Bahá'u'lláh wrote his own sacred book and called his new religion Bahá'í. Its followers are called by the same name

Sun Myung Moon co-wrote his own sacred book. His new religion is the "Unification Church" and its members are called Moonies.

How is Christianity different?

For starters, Jesus Christ wrote no book, named no new religion after himself and called his disciples friends.

Having Faith ... and meaning it

2011-09-29T14:31:00.009-04:00

Christian Pastor Faces Execution in Iran for Refusing to Renounce His Faith

- from The Daily Mail U.K.

A man who converted from Islam to Christianity is facing the death penalty in Iran for refusing to return to his former religion.

Pastor Youcef Nadarkhani, 34, of the Church of Iran, faces hanging after refusing a court order to renounce his Christian faith.

If the execution goes ahead it would be the first Christian to be officially executed in Iran for religious reasons in 20 years.

The pastor had defied a request by the Gilan provincial court, in the Iranian city of Rasht, to repent ahead of today's hearing.

He said: 'Repent means to return. What should I return to? To the blasphemy that I had before my faith in Christ?'

-full story here

So how's Mans' Plan Workin' for You?

2011-08-06T00:02:00.004-04:00

Saturday, February 09, 2008

Selfishness Pays ... with interest [improved & super-updated]

"We deserve ours ... and all you other people can get in line behind us and wait till we're done."

The US is the greatest country on earth, right? The rest of the world is jealous, and that's why they hate Americans. Americans enjoy the highest standard of living and are the wealthiest people in the world, right?

Wrong ... in fact, the US isn't even close.

Standard of Living
1. Norway
2. Sweden
3. Canada
4. Belgium
5. Australia
6. United States
7. Iceland
8. Netherlands
9. Japan
10. Finland
-source

Snoozing in The American Dream Land
-U.S. students scored lower on science/literacy than their peers in 16 of the other 29 OECD jurisdictions and 6 of the 27 non-OECD [Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development] jurisdictions - source

-The US ranks #21 in Litericy (behind Armenia and Barbados)

-The US is the world's largest debtor nation.
"In recent years, the US trade deficit has reached roughly 6% of the GDP, a level former Federal Reserve Chairman Paul Volcker calls unsustainable." -wiki

-Every US citizen owes the federal government $$30,378.80 (babies and children are citizens, so figure about $79,000 per taxpayer). "Poor" countries like China and India are lending money to the US to service its debt)
(Update: As of August 5, 2011 everybody you know owes Uncle Sam $46,838.47)

Check out the National Debt Clock here.

-The second most expensive item in the US budget (after Defense spending) is paying interest on the national debt ... more than $1 billion per day in 2006. (NASA's annual budget is just $15 billion ... that's just two weeks of interest)

-Though accounting for only 5 percent of the world's population, Americans consume 26 percent of the world's energy -more energy info here

-The US ranks #45 in both Life Expectancy and Suicide Rates

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I'm not crossing the line into politics, but look at today's headlines.

I hope it's not s sign of things to come that OPEC and other global oil suppliers, worried about the shrinking value of the dollar, might start asking to be paid in currencies other than dollars. Or that Great Britain is mussing with the idea of "constructive accommodation" with Islamic Shariah law.

Meanwhile Congress borrows another $168 billion to stimulate the world's greatest consumers into spending themselves even further into debt.

Don't get me wrong: Americans enjoy tremendous political freedom and have greater economic opportunity than any country in the world. Still I wonder if the US is the greatest country on earth ... or maybe just the most selfish.

I guess we'll find out when the bills come due.

Thursday, October 02, 2008

Bail Me Out, I'm Sinking!

Digging the Hole Deeper

The Coast Guard, by law, mandates a required minimum equipment list for boats to have onboard at all times. Safety-associated things like life vests, signal flares and fire extinguishers.

But bilge pumps? Wouldn't you think some kind of pump that's designed to keep your boat afloat in case it starts sinking would make the list? Shouldn't a bilge pump be life-saving priority numero uno?

Nope, and for a very simple and revealing reason:

"There is no more efficient bailing device than a scared sailor with a bucket."

-- -- --

America's financial market is in danger of sinking. The credit crisis is so severe that the proposed "bail-out" is considered an emergency action ... not to save the big shots on Wall Street, but the little guy on Main Street.

Here's the catch: by heaping another $700 billion burden on top of the budget, the national debt will approach $11 trillion (that's eleven thousand billions) to be repaid by taxpayers. So where is this extry $700 billion in bail-outs gonna come from?

Our government will borrow the money it needs to save our finance and credit markets from other countries. So our $11 trillion debt figure doesn't include interest. You know, like you pay on your charge cards every month for carrying an outstanding balance after buying all the things we're entitled to as Americans.

$11 trillion dollars of debt is outstanding indeed. So let's not call it a "bail out" or even a "rescue."

"Digging the debt hole deeper" better describes what happens when countries, like people, live beyond their means by spending money they don't have and keep borrowing on credit to spend even more.

Rather than stop spending, and start bailing.

-- -- --

You can calculate the share to be plucked from your purse or wallet by dividing 11 trillion dollars by about 60 million people ... that's a rough estimate of the number of citizens actually paying taxes in the US.

But you might wanna sit down first.

"Owe is me!"

2011-08-05T23:58:00.000-04:00

"I don't think God knows what I'm going through"

Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said,

“Never will I leave you;
never will I forsake you.”

- Hebrews 13:5

When Love meant telling a story

2011-07-26T23:48:00.004-04:00

Ever wondered why Jesus so often used parables ... riddles ... to illustrate and explain his point?

Christ himself provided the answer in Matthew 13:10-17.

The disciples came to him and asked, "Why do you speak to the people in parables?" He replied,

"The knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of heaven has been given to you, but not to them. Whoever has will be given more, and he will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken from him.

This is why I speak to them in parables:
Though seeing, they do not see; though hearing, they do not hear or understand."

But why did Christ bother explaining himself in the first place?

Being God, why didn't the Messiah simply put his hands on his hips and angrily inform the multitudes, "Why? Because I said so."

I believe Christ went the extra step and told parables to the crowds because he loved the people who'd taken the time and trouble to seek him out and hear his message, and because he wanted each and every person to believe and place their faith in him.

Through their choice, and not through his threats or commands.

no assembly required

2011-07-17T00:48:00.009-04:00

I've noticed three all too common characteristics in folks who call themselves Christians:

1. An amazing capacity and willingness to remake God, Christ and Scripture in their own image to satisfy their expectations and suit their own purposes: "God fits right inside this shiny box I built"

2. An unflinching eagerness to identify and diagnose the other guy's sins while completely overlooking and denying their own: "I may have my faults, but they're nothing compared to so-and so"

3. A condescending and suspicious I'm more saved and closer to God than you are attitude under the smiling handshakes and happy veneers: "I'm glad they're going to church and all, but I'm just not sure they're sincere"

Why those 3? Because I see them reflected in myself.

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Take a night off from network TV and the cable channels to experience the film Of Gods and Men on DVD instead.

"Under threat by fundamentalist terrorists, a group of Trappist monks stationed with an impoverished Algerian community must decide whether to leave or stay." - imdb.com

What's faith ... and testimony ... without works?

Watch the trailer here.

Indefinite power outages in Tanzania

2011-07-13T10:59:00.002-04:00

"Nairobi — Tanzania's chronic energy crisis deepened last week after the country announced a 12-hour power-rationing schedule.

"A drastic drop in the water level of the Mtera hydroelectric dam in Iringa Region forced the Tanzania Electricity Supply Company (Tanesco) to announce an alternating power rationing programme ushering in 12-hours of power cuts during daytime and six hours at night in most regions.

"According to the World Bank, only 15 per cent of households in the region are connected to national grids. Tanzania is the least electrified of all, with 7.2 million off-grid households. This is followed by Kenya (6.2 million), Uganda (5.5 million), Rwanda (1.7 million) and Burundi (1.4 million)." - allafrica.com

Death ... and hating sin

2011-07-11T00:10:00.005-04:00

Much as I try accepting that it's inevitable, I can't say I'm looking forward to death.

The Apostle Paul seemed to sometimes have trouble making up his mind too, so I hope none of you will judge me too harshly if I confess to some ambivalence.

Some people look forward to being reunited with loved ones and pets in Heaven while others look forward to reaping great rewards like mansions and crowns. Still others can't wait to be bestowed with omniscient knowledge (even if that gift isn't mentioned in scripture and it means spending eternity never knowing "who shot JFK").

Tonight it occurred to me there's something I've never heard anyone claim they're looking forward to: Shedding the sinful self and finally being free of sin and temptation forever.

Being alive with Christ in God's presence ... with every form of sin and temptation vanquished, dead and buried forever ... is a powerful reason to rejoice, to give thanks to Jesus and to be humbled by his love and sacrifice on the cross.

How powerful is your God?

2011-07-03T17:24:00.002-04:00

Ever noticed how many folks have adopted "designer" religions? People feel completely comfortable, and actually empowered by, picking and choosing what parts of what religion they like while rejecting any parts with which they disagree.

For those people, faith is all about choice. But here's a question.

If you believe in a god that's your custom creation, how powerful can your god be ... since you were powerful enough to create him/her/it in the first place?

The Sin Driven Life

2011-06-05T00:38:00.002-04:00

I'm neither a preacher nor a priest so I have no way of knowing, but my guess is that sermons dealing with sin seldom rank at the top of the congregation's My Favorite Message list.

Sin is never a pleasant or entertaining subject (unless we're talking about the other guy). Sin is something we'd like to pretend our spiritual lives have grown past, as if sin is what separates that other guy from our holiness and our righteousness.

Like mixing castor oil with orange juice to disguise the taste, church doesn't seem so tedious when the worship hour is watered down to meet our tastes. Similarly, the sermon can be made easier to swallow when it's mixed with humor and self-deprecating anecdotes. But it's hard to sugar-coat sin and then believe we pulled one over on the Creator.

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Scripture is often described as out-dated, restrictive, dull and boring. Dead, in other words.

Why is it that sin can be described as exciting, liberating, satisfying and interesting? Alive, in other words.

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Remember the skip in your heart when you walked into the dealer's showroom and saw that new car? Remember the morning you looked inside your closet and decided you "deserved" that new outfit? (Just a month ago my TV broke, which I excitedly told myself was "proof" I "needed" a new one.)

I don't believe scripture teaches us it's a sin to have material possessions. But I do believe that beyond our appearance and the role we play on Sunday mornings that it's our goals, our ambitions and our priorities that combine to reveal what's at the center of our hearts.

We should take notice soon as we become more excited and more thrilled about achieving our goals and securing the things we want than we are about surrendering and listening to our Creator.

Be Awed

2011-05-18T00:10:00.000-04:00

God’s voice thunders in marvelous ways;
he does great things beyond our understanding.

- Job 37:5

How's your god been feeling recently?

2011-04-27T14:00:00.003-04:00

How's life been looking?

If you keep up with the news and find yourself worrying about the future and what calamities may be lurking just around the corner, is it because the thing you worship, whether it's career, money, power, success, prestige, social status or whatever, has been taking a beating in the headlines ... and suddenly your god doesn't seem as permanent and secure and safe as you'd hoped and expected and believed?

Are you so surprised?

Do you not know?
Have you not heard?
The LORD is the everlasting God,
the Creator of the ends of the earth.
He will not grow tired or weary,
and his understanding no one can fathom.
He gives strength to the weary
and increases the power of the weak.

- Isaiah 40:28-29

a new look

2011-04-23T15:31:00.000-04:00

Every saint has a past, and every sinner has a future.

Worldly Priorities on another earth day

2011-04-23T01:59:00.007-04:00

Ever noticed how often we're told burning fossil fuels is dangerous? Just like we're admonished that wearing animal skins for clothes is wrong?

The earth must be protected ... and animals have rights, you see. And because animals and the earth are co-dependent, they're both deserving of dignity and protection.

That's why, we're told, showing disrespect for the environment and killing animals for food is disgusting and reprehensible.

Disgusting and reprehensible?

------------------

What about suctioning human embryos from their mother's uterus or injecting 8 month old fetuses with saline solution to induce abortion?

Doesn't a living human being merit a greater measure of respect and protection than a swamp marmot or an orange tailed flying squirrel or a snoot-nosed summer salmon?

Ooops no, we're told. That's different, because God's law can't be allowed to interfere with man's politics, schedules and agendas.

But man didn't separate light from dark, nor did he create the earth nor breath his life upon it

They encourage each other in evil plans,
they talk about hiding their snares;
they say, “Who will see it?”

- Psalm 64:5

Does it please you to oppress me,
to spurn the work of your hands,
while you smile on the plans of the wicked?

- Job 10:3

The LORD foils the plans of the nations;
he thwarts the purposes of the peoples.

-Psalms 33:10

John 3:17

2011-04-10T00:24:00.001-04:00

For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.

"I don't think God knows what I'm going through"

2011-04-03T01:24:00.001-04:00

Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said,

“Never will I leave you;
never will I forsake you.”

- Hebrews 13:5

What's your ride to work like?

2011-03-04T09:33:00.003-05:00

-Friday blog lite

A 25-mile commute through Russian traffic showing the "quick" way to work. Hang on ...

"Why does God let bad things happen?"

2011-02-27T00:08:00.004-05:00

I've heard critics use that argument, asking why a loving, benevolent and forgiving Creator would let tragedies happen ... as if therefore, God must not exist.

If God exists and if God is supposed to love us, then why did He allow that tragedy to happen?

In other words if God doesn't answer their inquiries or fulfill their expectations, these critics will eagerly deny God's existence and then optimistically place their faith (and salvation) in whatever god they can bend and conform to conveniently suit their expectations.

That's why the world is filled with gods like intellectualism, rationalism, money, fame, material success, sex, drugs, religion ... or anything else that happens to suit.

---

The next time the news headlines are splashed with the lurid details of another flood, another famine or any other tragedy, I wonder how many of the same critics who deny God's existence will step forward and argue

"Rationalism/money/sex/career success must not exist, because rational thought/money/sex/career success didn't prevent that bad thing from happening."

"My Sins don't matter"

2011-02-21T01:37:00.002-05:00

So let's talk about you, your faults and your sins.

In other words since I was born without sin and since I helped Jesus climb up on the cross and since God never asked me to sacrifice what I love

... And since I helped Roman soldiers drive spikes through Jesus's hands and feet so Jesus could prove who He said He was

Let me tell you why I think you're a sinner:

Here's what's wrong with your life.

In your prayers, please remember Jean and Scott Adam

2011-02-19T22:36:00.006-05:00

Jean and Scott Adam are the Bible-distributing missionaries captured by Somali pirates on February 18.

"The Adams were unhappy being "dirt dwellers" so they took to the sea on their yacht, distributing Bibles around the world, their website said. Photos show a smiling couple who delivered Bibles to remote villages "fromNew Zealand to Alaska to Central America -- and now from Panama, through French Polynesia, the Cooks, Samoa, Tonga and back to New Zealand."

"We seek fertile ground for the Word and homes for our Bibles," the website said. "Often, the ultimate homes are best found by people who are already living locally and seeking and cultivating that fertile ground. AND even more extraordinary are the times when people have been praying for Bibles for their group or their schools and when we arrive we are often greeted by the attitude of, 'We were expecting you.'" - source

Read the full story here.

Feel compelled

2011-02-17T00:15:00.003-05:00

For Christ’s love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died. And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again.
So from now on we regard no one from a worldly point of view. Though we once regarded Christ in this way, we do so no longer. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!
All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting people’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation.
We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God.
God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

- 2 Corinthians 5:14-21

Which way should we go?

2011-02-10T23:11:00.001-05:00

Trust in the LORD with all your heart
and lean not on your own understanding;
in all your ways submit to him,
and he will make your paths straight.

Proverbs 3:5-6

no lines, no driving, no waiting, no hassles

2010-12-24T17:49:00.004-05:00

Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord.

- Luke 2:11

Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.

- Matthew 11:28-30

The 10,000 Hour Principle

2010-12-16T14:46:00.008-05:00

Several years ago I watched a TV interview with a world-famous jazz trumpet player who remarked that "People are always coming up to me and saying 'I'd give anything to play like you do!'

"And so I ask them, are you willing to practice five hours a day?" Would-be trumpet players start frowning and making faces and shaking their heads No, and that's when he points out "Practicing five hours a day is what I have to do."

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In the early 1990s a study of violinists at a Berlin music academy was undertaken to determine what specific factors separated virtuoso students from their peers ... the students considered either "good" or "average."

The students were divided into three groups according to their level of playing skill. The first group consisted of students with the potential to become virtuosos; the second group was considered good enough to become professional musicians and the third group of students was rated sufficiently proficient to become music teachers.

The study found that between the ages of 8 and 20, virtuoso-potential students had logged more than 10,000 total hours of practicing. The students good enough to become professional musicians had 8000 hours and the third-tier students had accumulated 4000 lifetime hours or less.

That means potential virtuosos averaged practicing 30 hours per week ... over 4 hours per day ... for 12 years. The professional-level students averaged 23 hours per week while the third group averaged 15 hours per week, which translates to just over two hours of practicing per day over 12 years.

The study also determined that unquantifiable variables like "natural talent," "perfect pitch" and "a willingness to work harder than anybody else" made absolutely no difference whatsoever. Read that sentence again.

The students' level of performance only depended on how much time they'd put into practicing. Period.

Lots of folks claiming they's give anything to be world class trumpet players, violinists or guitarists simply aren't willing to log the 10,000 lifetime hours it takes to get there.

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In more than 36 years of service and with over 1550 daily flights, SkyWest Airlines has never been cited in a fatal accident.

The average newly-hired airline pilot has 4000 hours of flight experience and flies 75 hours per month. Many SkyWest pilots have over 10,000 hours of flight time.

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I started thinking about why people sometimes complain "God isn't listening" as if that proves "Prayer doesn't work." But if prayer is a dialog with God (and not just an opportunity to tell God our wish lists), have we stopped to consider what God thinks of our prayers and our answers?

"He/She isn't listening, and that proves prayer doesn't work."

Why do we think prayer's just a one-way street?

---

I also started thinking about how much time I've spent praying and reading Scripture over the course of my life and realized that if praying was like learning to play a musical instrument, I wouldn't come anywhere near close to being included in the group considered sufficiently proficient to become a prayer teacher.

All of us want to pray like virtuosos when an emergency arises and we feel it's time for God to sit up and pay attention. But unless we make time and create a daily habit, it just seems like too much trouble and aggravation to put in all those hours of practicing .

When choice comes to town

2010-12-14T11:53:00.018-05:00

"The greatest destroyer of love and peace is abortion, which is war against the child. The mother doesn't learn to love, but kills to solve her own problems. Any country that accepts abortion is not teaching its people to love, but to use any violence to get what they want.
"Abortion, which often follows from contraception, brings a people to be spiritually poor, and that is the worst poverty and the most difficult to overcome." - Mother Teresa

Maryland to become the late-term abortion capital of America:

Activists protest doctor performing late-term abortions at Md. clinic

By Lena H. Sun

Washington Post Staff Writer
Monday, December 6, 2010; 1:08 PM

About 200 to 300 antiabortion activists gathered near the Germantown clinic Monday where Nebraska doctor LeRoy Carhart has started performing late-term abortions.

Carhart is one of the few doctors in the United States to perform the controversial procedure. He will be working at Germantown Reproductive Health Services, where physicians performs abortions earlier in a pregnancy. Only a handful of doctors publicly acknowledge that they perform abortions late in a pregnancy, and Carhart has been the target of protests.

"We don't want Maryland to become the late-term abortion capital of America," said the Rev. Patrick J. Mahoney, director of the Christian Defense Coalition.

- source

In the Late-Term abortion procedure, the preborn baby is rotated and delivered feet first, except for the head. The back of the neck is punctured with scissors and suction is used to suck out the brain and collapse the skull. The dead baby is then fully delivered.

I was there when they crucified my Lord
I held the scabbard when the soldier drew his sword

I threw the dice when they pierced his side
But I've seen love conquer the great divide.

When love comes to town I'm gonna catch that train
When love comes to town I'm gonna catch that flame

"When Love Comes to Town"
- lyrics by U2

For today

2010-11-25T01:41:00.001-05:00

On that day
they will say to Jerusalem,
“Do not fear, Zion;
do not let your hands hang limp.
The LORD your God is with you,
the Mighty Warrior who saves.
He will take great delight in you;
in his love he will no longer rebuke you,
but will rejoice over you with singing.”

- Zephaniah 3:16-17

Thanksgiving

2010-11-21T04:01:00.002-05:00

Thanksgiving's just around the corner, and it seems like a good time to remember all we have to be thankful for.

Food

Income

Friends

Family

Health

Most of all give thanks to God, for a Savior willing to take our place on the cross.

But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

1 Corinthians 15:57

The Calvinist Salvation Show: a life of re-runs [Part 2]

2010-11-01T12:29:00.011-04:00

Here's an (imperfect) analogy to refute Calvinist tenets:

It's estimated that approximately 160 billion human beings have lived on the earth since Creation. So let's say each one of those people is represented by a single DVD movie ... which amounts to about a 1.8 million years of constant movie-watching time in your private collection.

Let's also say every one of your 160 billion DVDs is a copy of the same movie, so you know beforehand all the action, all the dialog and exactly how each movie ends.

The problem is that only a small minority of those 160 billion DVDs play according to your expectations, while the vast majority will not ... so you decide to throw out all the skipping, scratched, blemished and flawed discs.

Now let's assume you already know which DVDs are scratched and which ones you'll select to keep, so here's the kicker:

Does it make sense to spend the next two million years watching re-runs ... copies of scratched, flawed and skipping copies of a movie you already know backward and forward to decide which ones to throw out ... when you already know before turning on the DVD player which discs you've chosen to keep?

I suppose to Calvinists, it makes a perfectly select sense.

The Calvinist Salvation Show: Notes on Being Born Lucky [Part 1]

2010-11-01T11:53:00.007-04:00

Yesterday my friend Ken M. sent me this article about young Christians turning to Calvinism, which I found to be especially troubling.

The logic behind Calvinism is that since God is all-powerful and all-knowing, then God must know in advance who'll be saved and who will not. Which means every one of us is essentially "pre-destined" to a place in Heaven or in Hell ... which leaves Free Will entirely out of the question ... and there's not one thing we can do to alter our pre-ordained eternal destination.

The 'But It Makes Sense to Me' Argument

In previous posts I've written that what makes logical, ordered sense to Calvinists doesn't necessarily make sense or apply to God the Creator. God exists outside of human concepts of Space and Time, and Scripture doesn't assign we fallen beings the task of understanding the mind of God or permit us to second-guess His will.

Not that either of those obstacles has ever kept Calvinists from creating a theology that, at least from my perspective, subjugates God's grace and mercy and substitutes an automated assembly line salvation system in its place.

Could be because Calvinists enjoy identifying themselves as among "The Elect" so much.

Yes I'm Lucky, and Proud to Say So

The irony for Calvinists is that according to their own theology, no personal faith or works was required to achieve their favored position among the chosen ... because belonging to "The Elect" was pre-ordained before the Universe was created.

Excuse me, but if it's all about being born Lucky then why did Christ did on the cross to save us from our sins if Salvation was preordained for some, but eternally out of reach for others?

Starts sounding to me as though Calvinist theology has more to do with being born lucky than it does with personal faith in God's mercy and accepting Christ's sacrifice on the cross.

Rescued

2010-10-13T07:55:00.001-04:00

Chile miners rescue: 'I was with God and the devil - and God took me' says miner

By Mirror.co.uk 13/10/2010

http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/most-popular/2010/10/13/chile-miners-rescue-i-was-with-god-and-the-devil-and-god-took-me-says-miner-115875-22630937/#ixzz12EtMpEKF

+5=162

2010-10-11T12:05:00.000-04:00

OCTOBER 11, 2010

Murders continue in Baltimore

Five people were killed in Baltimore over the weekend and the gunmen didn't stop today. About 9:25 a.m., police responded to 911 calls for gunshots and found the body of an adult male behind some rowhouses on Shirley Avenue, just off Park Heights. Police said he had been shot in the head.

-full story and source here

Wow

2010-10-09T18:54:00.001-04:00

USC Defeats #1 Alabama 35-21

Clemson 16 North Carolina 21

Spare the rod and ...

2010-10-04T16:57:00.004-04:00

... spoil the lion?

At about 48 seconds, notice in the lower right corner how close one lion gets to escaping into the audience.

No comment.

"Prosperity Means Success, right?"

2010-10-02T13:31:00.002-04:00

The Dangers of the Prosperity Gospel is a powerful and timely article by Robert Barron.

Here's some brief excerpts:

In its American incarnation, the prosperity Gospel probably began with the theological speculations of the late evangelist Oral Roberts. Roberts encouraged his followers to "expect miracles" and to look forward with confidence to the ways in which God would reward them, materially and financially, for their trust in his providence.

To give the prosperity gospellers their due, there is some biblical warrant for their position. The book of Deuteronomy consistently promises Israel that, if it remains faithful to God's commands, it will receive numerous benefits in this world.

However, we must be attentive to the very subtle way that the Bible itself nuances and specifies these claims. The great counterpoise to the book of Deuteronomy is the book of Job, which tells the story of a thoroughly righteous man who, in one fell swoop, suffers the loss of all of his material prosperity. Job's friends, operating out of a standard Deuteronomistic (or prosperity Gospel) point of view, argue that he must have grievously offended God, but Job—and God himself—protest against this simplistic interpretation.

Obeying the divine commands does indeed lead to the right ordering of the self, and therefore to an increase in joy, even if that very obedience leads, in worldly terms, to abject suffering or failure. [emphasis added]

Read the entire piece by clicking here.

Whatcha readin'?

2010-10-01T16:53:00.005-04:00

From Booklist

When his former girlfriend, Doris Jimenez, was murdered in the small town where she lived, Volz became the primary suspect even though he was miles away in Managua at the time. He was a twentysomething American starting a new publication in Nicaragua, resented by some of the locals for what was perceived as his wealth and power. Despite a strong alibi and no physical evidence linking him to the crime, Volz was tried and sentenced to 30 years in prison. He began serving his sentence at one of the most notorious prisons in Nicaragua, where he had to navigate the violence and corruption to maintain his mental and physical health.

FFrom Publishers Weekly

When reading de O'Higgins's first cookbook, evocative prose seems to bring a distant Cuba back to life. Thanks to a lifelong love of Cuban food and devotion to her extended family, O'Higgins never lost touch with her Caribbean roots: she was raised there in the 1920s and '30s. With a sensibility that is responsive to both the flavors of food and the feelings that accompany meals remembered, the writer lets readers understand the myriad of influences that have formed Cuban cuisine

In my own words

2010-09-30T14:09:00.008-04:00

I hate this kind of house-keeping and hope you'll bear with me.

Over the past five years I've occasionally quoted or referenced materials here from secondary sources, including newspaper and magazine articles, encyclopedias, TV shows, novels, poems, Scripture and even other peoples' blogs.

In each case I was careful to follow the principle of Fair Use as closely as possible, in addition to attributing full credit to original sources and authors.

From my un-affiliated, non-competitive, un-ordained and un-paid perspective as an amateur blogger, there's precious little difference between including a link pointing readers to an outside source and quoting the exact same material verbatim while identifying the original source, simply as a convenience for the reader. Nonetheless I accept responsibility for any outrage or misunderstanding.

To avoid any potential misunderstandings, accusations, suspicions or hurt feelings in the future, I removed all links to external blogs from the "Convenient Links" on the right hand side of this page. Hopefully that'll put an end to the question.

Two more things.

In no case did I ever quote, copy, plagiarize, appropriate, borrow, incorporate, apply or re-word someone else's work and present it to others as my own. Posts bearing my name reflect my thoughts expressed in my words. Each one of The Blue Book's 4565 posts is still available in the online archives if anyone wants to check.

Finally, please feel free to quote, borrow, mention or copy anything I've written here in the service of God's kingdom. I don't earn a penny from The Blue Book and I'm not in competition with anybody ... regardless of their denomination, position, title or affiliation. No one. I hope you won't even think of The Blue Book as belonging to me.

My ambition is that The Blue Book will somehow share the Gospel and reach people for Christ no matter where they are in the world. Period. Whether or not I receive financial reward, popular acclaim or public credit for my words simply doesn't matter ... and is the least thing I have time to worry about.

How I became a Catholic

2010-09-30T13:31:00.005-04:00

Mount Calvary Episcopal Church will vote in October on full-communion with the Catholic Church

By Randy Sly
9/30/2010

WASHINGTON, DC (Catholic Online) - In a letter to parishioners, the Reverend Jason Cantania, rector of Mount Calvary Episcopal Church in Baltimore, Maryland, announced that the vestry of the parish had voted unanimously in favor of two resolutions. First, they have voted to leave The Episcopal Church (TEC) where they are a part of the Episcopal Diocese of Maryland, and, second, to become an Anglican Use parish in the Catholic Church through the new initiative from Rome - the Anglicorum Coetibus.

Under the terms of this apostolic constitution, the Church has provided opportunities for "personal ordinariates for Anglicans entering full communion with the Catholic Church."

- source
----- ---

It strikes me as odd that voting can change an entire congregation's affiliation. I mean, how can an entire church wake up one morning belonging to one faith, and then fall asleep the same night identifying themselves as something else? Is such a wholesale realignment possible, or does the identification a church decides for itself even matter?

And what happens to the members who voted not to change? Are they still Episcopalians, or would the parish's vote change them into Catholics?

At least in this case, the congregation gets the chance to vote on the vestry's decision.

PS. Vestry is another word for Committee.

Wal-Mart where?

2010-09-29T05:19:00.004-04:00

Wal-Mart expands into Africa with $4.2bn deal

Wal-Mart, the world's biggest retailer, is expanding into Africa for the first time after offering to buy one of South Africa's largest chains in a multi-billion dollar deal.

By Richard Blackden
Published: 9:40PM BST 27 Sep 2010

Andy Bond, who helps run Wal-Mart's international business, said South Africa 'possesses attractive market dynamics' Photo: Clara Molden

The US retailer, which owns the Asda chain in the UK, plans to buy MassMart, which sells general merchandise, electronic goods and food at its 290 stores, for $4.2bn (£2.6bn). The deal also gives it a toehold in Nigeria, Ghana and Botswana.

"Africa fits very nicely into a strategy of building an international business skewed to emerging markets," said Bryan Roberts, an analyst at Planet Retail.

- source and full story here

Choices vs Decisions ... vs Bull

2010-09-28T19:24:00.003-04:00

Quotes from outside

2010-09-28T15:31:00.003-04:00

Success is not built on success. It's built on failure. It's built on frustration. Sometimes it's built on catastrophe. - Sumner Redstone

Our fatigue is often caused not by work, but by worry, frustration and resentment. - Dale Carnegie

All that is necessary to break the spell of inertia and frustration is to act as if it were impossible to fail. - Dorothea Brande

إِنَّ اللهَ مَحَبَّةٌ

2010-09-27T05:41:00.000-04:00

God is love.

The "I didn't mean to, it was an accident!" excuse

2010-09-27T02:24:00.017-04:00

My sleeping schedule's off-track.

I blame insomnia, but the reason doesn't matter. The point is that after staying up until almost 7AM earlier in the week, since then I've been getting to bed later and later each successive night. Which helps explain why I was up and awake, fidgeting, and badly craving a Diet Coke at 1:10 AM tonight.

My tiny 12-volt fridge is empty, but then there's a drink machine in the middle of the marina, outside the Rec Room and office. So I counted the change in my pocket, grabbed a rain coat and headed down the dock.

And I tried not to remember or think too much about the clock.

Rain had been falling off and on for most of the night, so at that hour of the night the Promenade along the waterfront was completely deserted. I saw a few lights left on in the windows of condos adjoining the marina but I didn't see a single person along the way, not even one.

The quiet and almost complete stillness didn't stop me from thinking what I'd do if the situation suddenly changed ... and things got seriously very serious.

What if the wide shadow behind the next bush suddenly jumped up and turned into a knife-wielding assailant? After all, we've had 158 murders (that's two every three days) in the city already this year.

Sure, I was on Def-Con 4 Situational Code Red High Alert looking out for bad guys all the way to the Coke machine and back ... but if bad guys had showed up, how could I explain why a Diet Coke was soooo important at 1:15 AM that I left my boat (and the security of surveillance cameras and an electronically locked gate) to get one?

"Bad guys showed up at my boat at 1:10 AM, climbed on board with weapons, fought their way inside, handcuffed my wrists behind my back, threw a bag over my head ... and then forced me at gun point to walk to the machine and buy myself two Diet Cokes"?

How about "Walking to the machine in the middle of the night to find a drink machine was an accident?" or "I have a right to do anything I want to at any time of day or night at any place I want"?

Don't all those excuses sound dumb, selfish or both?

Then why do we think those lame excuses work when we use them to rationalize and explain our sins?

The real reason I left my boat at 1AM to go grab a Diet Coke was because I wanted to.

I didn't mean to tell a lie

It was an accident that I fell in love with a married man/woman

I didn't wake up thinking about stealing from my employer

My girlfriend got pregnant by accident

He/She's not a believer, but nobody chooses who they fall in love with

Looking back, everything just happened so fast

I never planned on letting my debt getting out of hand

I lost my temper by accident

... It just happened.

But those are all lies.

The truth is that Bad Guys didn't show up and snatch you out of bed this morning, threaten you or your loved ones at gun point and force you to sin.

And neither is it the truth that six months ago you tripped over your shoe laces at work and stumbled into an adulterous affair as a result. Just as it's true that slipping on a banana peel can't explain stealing, lying ... or rationalize a secret porn addiction.

Sin is never an accident.

The hollowness of every justification we dream up to squirm our way out of our sins and the consequences of our choices offers a pretty clear indication of how much faith we put in ourselves and how little faith we put in Christ.

Our excuses, no matter how sympathetic or reasonable they sound to our ears, only reveal how convinced we are of our ability to deceive God ... and how deluded we are that we can double-talk The Creator into looking the other way.

At least until the shadow of evil jumps out of the bushes, and life suddenly gets seriously very serious.

The Problem with Popular Wisdom, Snowclones, Bromides, Platitudes and Thought-Terminating Clichés

2010-09-26T16:53:00.007-04:00

You can't convince a believer of anything; for their belief is not based on evidence, it's based on a deep-seated need to believe.

- Carl Sagan

Hmmm. I wonder if Sagan believed that. Or if he just needed to believe it.

End of an Empire?

2010-09-26T00:55:00.010-04:00

You may have seen headlines this week detailing the lurid sexual accusations against a nationally-known "megachurch" pastor.

Church/pastor scandals are hardly unique, and sadly seem to unfold in a similar way. When this story broke I guessed it wouldn't be long before additional claimants surfaced and leveled another round of allegations, just as I'm guessing the publicity generated by this outrage will likely spark similar allegations against other pastors in other churches in other parts of the country.

One more guess tells me that if the claims made against this pastor turn out to be true, his sexual sins will prove to be just the tiny tip of an iceberg concealing large scale financial wrong-doings, fraud, lies, cover-ups and greed ... because the revelation of one man's sins will cast light on his partners and associates who chose to ignore God's commandments and reap their own benefits from sinning right along beside him.

A headline in The New York Times hints that this "Scandal Threatens A Georgia Pastor's Empire." That pastor's empire, built on preaching a "Prosperity Gospel," may well crumble to dust whether or not the allegations turn out to be true.

Christ never taught that salvation depends upon his followers driving Bentleys, wearing Gucci sunglasses or living in million-dollar mini-castles.

Reading Scripture and comparing God's Word to what this man teaches, I wonder if God entrusted Christ's message of Grace, Forgiveness and the Cross to a celebrity pastor earning $3 million dollar annual compensation, who preaches a "Prosperity Gospel" and who arrogantly proclaimed "We're not just a church, we're an international corporation. I deal with the White House. I deal with presidents all over this world. I pastor a multi-million dollar congregation."

That pastor's empire might fail, but no matter what tomorrow's headlines reveal, God's kingdom will always prevail.

Now available on Kindle

2010-09-23T00:33:00.002-04:00

Notes from the Blue Book is now available on your Kindle.

Thing is I don't know anybody who owns a Kindle ... and I've never even seen one, except on TV.

If Facebook existed back then ...

2010-09-17T09:06:00.003-04:00

Always Dangerous

2010-09-14T23:33:00.012-04:00

Tonight I found myself walking alone again for about a mile along the waterfront after 11 PM in the second most dangerous city in the country. That's not the first time; it's just the latest.

I've never tried walking alone on the waterfront late at night dressed in a suit and tie, complete with a starched shirt, shined shoes, minty breath and freshly combed hair.

So here's a couple of things worth passing along:

1. With my grimy jeans, 10 year old sneakers, sweaty baseball cap, 9 months without a haircut hair, torn shirt, grease-stained hands and unshaved face, it's me who 99% of people are worried about ... and I easily picked up on that

2. It doesn't make sense to try running away from the other 1%

Which made me of the Gospel and the Apostle Paul.

---

Why do Believers act as though they've got to protect themselves and switch to a "Prevent Defense" late in the fourth quarter to keep the enemy from scoring? Why do folks who call themselves Christians become indignant when Satan throws pebbles at the Kingdom's fortress walls, and cower in the corner over every little thing in the world they happen to oppose?

Are they afraid of getting their suits and ties dirty?

Why aren't the believers who profess Jesus Christ as their Savior and King the ones who the world considers dangerous?

Why are Christians afraid of an enemy who has absolutely no chance of winning?

PS. When I got back to the marina I found a crated clothes dryer I'd ordered online delivered to the slip beside my boat. Turns out the marina had two muscular twenty-something guys and a propane-powered tug drive it to my boat, so how was I gonna lift that thing over my head and somehow get it on-board?

I could've waited till tomorrow and asked the marina for assistance, or I could've called my friends and asked for creative solutions, or I could've gone online and sent an address book-full of emails requesting leadership to provide me with guidance and direction ... and then crossed my fingers hoping to hear something back before my dryer magically vanished forever from the dock.

Instead I hauled my gimpy 53 year old body and half-lame knee on-board, said a prayer, got seriously dangerous and grabbed with both hands.

And now I've got an actual clothes dryer on-board my boat.

The Superstition of Atheism

2010-09-14T10:53:00.004-04:00

Last night I remarked in an email to my friend Ken M. down in Florida that I'd seen Bill Maher on The Late Show and was amazed at the comedian's supercilious slams against religion, which he considers little more than unscientific superstition. Then this morning Ken forwarded this timely article to my Inbox. Thanks again Ken!

Proving the Existence of God

Posted By Frank J. Tipler

September 14, 2010

In 1966, Stephen Hawking published his first — completely valid — proof for the existence of God. Over the next seven years, he followed this with even more powerful valid theorems proving God’s existence.

So how did Hawking, who successfully proved God’s existence, remain an atheist? Simple. He simply denied that the assumptions he used in his proofs were true. As a matter of logic, if the assumptions in a proof are not true, then the conclusions need not be true. What assumptions did the young Hawking make? He assumed that the laws of physics, mainly Einstein’s theory of gravity, were true. In the summary of his early research, namely his book The Large Scale Structure of Space-Time, Hawking wrote:

It seems to be a good principle that the prediction of [God] by a physical theory indicates that the theory has broken down, i.e. it no longer provides a correct description of observations.

Hawking then began working on quantum gravity, in hopes that God would be at last eliminated from the equations.

Alas, it was not to be: God was even more prominent — and unavoidable — in quantum gravity than in Einstein’s theory of gravity. In his latest book, The Grand Design, Hawking has pinned his hope of eliminating God on M-theory, a theory with no experimental support whatsoever, hence not a theory of physics at all. Nor has it been proven that M-theory is mathematically consistent. Nor has it been proven that God has been eliminated from M-theory. There are disquieting signs (for Hawking and company) that He is also unavoidable in M-theory, as He is in Einstein’s gravity, and in quantum gravity.

In spite of what the atheist press is telling you, it’s looking bad for atheism today. And it is extraordinary the lengths an atheist like Hawking will go to avoid the obvious: God exists.

The alert reader will have noticed that in the above quote, Hawking did not actually use the word “God.” But this is what he really meant. To see this, let us recall just what the word “God” means.

Consider the opening words of the (original) Nicene Creed: “We believe in one God, the omnipotent Father, Maker of all things visible and invisible.” These words give the basic definition of “God” used by Christians and Jews: God is the Cause of everything, but He Himself has no cause. God is the Uncaused First Cause. In his Second Way, Thomas Aquinas proves the existence of the Uncaused First (efficient) Cause, and Aquinas concludes, “to which all give the name ‘God’ (quam omnes Deum nominant).”

So now let us return to the theorems of the young Hawking. By following the history of the universe back into time — in other words, by following the causes of the current universe back into time — Hawking proved that all of these causes had a common cause; a common cause that did not itself have a cause. This common cause was an Uncaused Cause that was beyond the control of the laws of physics, beyond the control of any possible laws of physics. Rather, the entire universe began at this Uncaused First Cause.

In exactly the same way that Aquinas used the word “create,” we can say that the Uncaused First Cause, whose existence was proven decades ago by Hawking, “created” the universe.

Hawking called this Uncaused First Cause a “singularity.”

But given the properties of this “singularity,” it is God. So I have replaced the word “singularity,” which Hawking actually used in the above quote, with what it really means according to Aquinas.

To show how this Cosmological Singularity — the Uncaused First Cause — can manifest itself as a personal God would require a book, which I have written. Indeed, the personal nature of God is not obvious in Hawking’s proof of His existence. But neither is it obvious in the proof of Aquinas, and Aquinas also required a book to establish God’s personal nature.

The interesting thing about Hawking’s existence proof for God is that it can be tested experimentally, since it is based on experimentally confirmed physical law. I published a paper in a refereed physics journal a few years ago pointing this out. Eventually the experiment will be done, but it will require tens of thousands of dollars for equipment.

So don’t despair, my fellow theists! The recent slew of best-selling books by atheists attacking religion, supposedly using science, is their last gasp. Remember the great words of Gandhi: “First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win.”

We theists are now at stage three.

Frank J. Tipler is Professor of Mathematical Physics at Tulane University. He is the co-author of The Anthropic Cosmological Principle(Oxford University Press) and the author of The Physics of Immortality and The Physics of Christianity both published by Doubleday.

"Who's telling us the truth?"

2010-09-11T22:37:00.016-04:00

We live in a time when social customs and political expediency have come to demand that people communicate and express themselves by telling each other convenient lies, rather than risk saying something that someone else might take offensively, or cause them to feel uneasy in their convictions or to start worrying that the truth of their values and beliefs is in dispute.

We're told we must speak and write "correctly" because there is no absolute truth, since what's true for you may not always be true for me. But if that's true for you, then it may not always be true for me. Which makes that statement a lie.

We're told that all religions are the same and therefore all faiths are equal, because there is no absolute truth, not about anything. So on any question involving morals or values there is no right or wrong, because the answer is always, "It depends."

But is "It depends" absolutely true? How can it be, if there are no absolute truths?

People will eagerly deny that absolute truth exists, because absolute truth condemns their personal beliefs and their values, their individual preferences, their lifestyle choices and their selfishness, their idolatry and all their wickedness ... and their hatred of the truth, too.

Does every sin start with a lie? I'm starting to think that's true. No wonder current times and "correctness" want nothing to do with the truth, because all Truth comes straight from the Word of God.

I tell you the truth, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.

- Luke 18:17

But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what he has done has been done through God.

- John 3:21

Jesus said to them, "I tell you the truth, the tax collectors and the prostitutes are entering the kingdom of God ahead of you. For John came to you to show you the way of righteousness, and you did not believe him, but the tax collectors and the prostitutes did. And even after you saw this, you did not repent and believe him.

- Matthew 21:32

This is my command: Love each other.

If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first. If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you.

- John 15:17-19

"Just horsing around with members of his staff"

2010-09-09T23:57:00.002-04:00

Police: Bieber Hit Md. Troopers With Water Balloons

Pop Star Accused Of 'Inappropriate Behavior'

BALTIMORE -- It seems teen sensation Justin Bieber had a bit of a run-in with Maryland state troopers before his sold-out concert Sunday at the Maryland State Fair.

Thousands of fans attended Sunday night's concert at the Timonium Fairgrounds.

A state police spokesperson said Bieber, while "horsing around with members of his staff," threw water balloons at two troopers, the 11 News I-Team's Jayne Miller reported.

One of the balloons hit a trooper's gun belt and burst, and the other brushed a trooper on the chest but didn't burst, Miller reported.

It happened outside a trailer Bieber was using before the concert. The troopers were there for crowd control.

- source

Today is One Five Oh

2010-09-09T23:45:00.004-04:00

How were you doing at 9AM this morning?

2010-09-07T00:20:00.022-04:00

It's 12:21AM as I write this, so I'll assume you're joining this post on Tuesday. How's your day been going so far? I mean, since yesterday was the end of the Labor Day weekend.

I imagine that sometime around 7AM lots of folks heard the alarm and started shouting bad words (or throwing things) at the alarm. A few probably even had a little bit of trouble getting out of bed, sadly wondering how their vacation had flown by so quickly.

Maybe a handful of others spent a good long time wide awake in the shadows before the alarm went off, thinking about the stressful things in their lives ... like that situation coming up at work, or the fretful condition of their marriage (or relationship; or the lack of marriage or meaningful romantic relationship), or their credit card debt or about the dim prospects for improvement in any those areas.

Could be one or two were wide awake all night, thinking about that thing that happened a long time ago that no one else knows about.

I'm sure more than a handful simply couldn't feel any good reason to get out of bed and face the day, even though they did it anyway. Like robots, simply responding to instructions.

You might have been one of them.

Or, you might have been one of the gung-ho Yee-ha, I Can't Wait To Be Anywhere So I Can Get Busy Asserting Myself So You'll Know I'm Here and I'm In Charge Type A Personality types willing to brutalize your new SUV's engine warranty on the way to work if it'll save three seconds of driving time (meanwhile pressure-testing your arteries waiting for the "stupid jerk with his head up his phone" ahead of you at the red light to pay attention, hang up from his conversation, notice the light's been green for 10 minutes and finally kick the gas pedal).

Or when you woke up this morning and looked at the clock, you might not have felt anything at all ... Is it really Tuesday? ... because you haven't felt anything change or been part of anything worth mentioning, because nothing has seemed worth remembering or looking forward to for a long, long time.

If that's you, maybe life feels like it's passing you by ... and this morning you felt a tug to make a change, but then doing something seemed like too much work, so before climbing out of bed and facing another day you did the usual thing and pushed that thought aside.

Regardless, whether at 9AM this morning you found yourself worrying about your finances, or complaining to yourself about your job, or felt hostile about your marriage or bitter about a relationship, or resentful of lost opportunities, felt disrespected, ignored or unloved, or woke up blaming someone else for all the problems in your life ... then Please remember this:

At 9AM on a morning almost two thousand years ago, Jesus found himself abandoned and denied by his closest friends, sleep deprived, accused, tried, found guilty, whipped, flailed and bleeding, seconds away from being nailed to a cross at the top of a hill called The Place of The Skull, crucified with nails through his hands and his feet between two outlaws, for sins he never committed.

For our sins, because he loved us that much.

So how's your day been going so far, truly?

Instead of cussing out the guy ahead of you at the red light, instead of screaming and calling your spouse ugly names in anger, instead of thinking about how to get revenge at work, instead of thinking about filling up the tank with gas and driving away from the bank and the credit card companies forever, think about pulling over soon as you're safely through the intersection ... and praying to thank God out loud that Christ's sacrifice means we'll never face the same kind of terrible, horrific 9AM morning Jesus suffered and endured on our behalf.

Lost by Translation

2010-09-04T15:13:00.002-04:00

Just got back from running a few errands on this gorgeous Saturday afternoon.

On the way home I stopped at a sandwich shop to pick up a sub. I told the girl behind the counter which sandwich I wanted but even though I was the only customer in the store, I still had trouble hearing and understanding her thick Asian-Pacific accent.

After five attempts at failed communication and three times repeating "Twelve inch Philly Cheese Steak please," she resorted to pointing at two trays of meat that, at least to my eye, looked exactly the same. "Sure," I said, even though I had no idea if anything about my sandwich was sure.

No big deal, but I didn't get the sandwich I ordered.

To me it was a bigger deal was that none of the other employees behind the counter bothered to step forward and offer to help either of us with our obvious communication problems, and so the message got lost.

On the walk back to the marina it occurred to me that upon hearing the gospel for the first time, not everyone understands, comprehends or grasps Christ's message as clearly we might think.

I'm not talking about language or cultural differences, and I'm not saying either the listener or the speaker is at fault. I simply mean not everyone has the gift of clear communication (on the flip side I also mean people like me, who can't comprehend anything the first time they hear it).

I am talking about what happens when uniform-wearing believers show up for work and then stand around behind the service counter trying to look busy, without once offering to help when it's clear there's someone standing before them who needs to hear the gospel is having trouble understanding and grasping the message.

I know how grateful and appreciative I would've been 30 minutes ago if somebody behind the sandwich counter had stepped up and offered to help me understand what I was getting.

At least in this case, it was only my sandwich that got lost by the lack of translation.

Can I get all my sins double-bagged, please

2010-09-02T01:27:00.013-04:00

I save all my plastic grocery bags to use later as trash bags. Sometimes the bags get tiny holes in the bottom, which can be a problem if galley (kitchen) stuff starts draining toward the bottom.

That's why when I have two bags with holes, I'll use them together and double bag my trash.

Just a few minutes ago I dumped a paper plate and a plastic spoon into my double-bagged trash bag and guess what? The spoon slid right out the bottom and went dancing across the deck (floor).

The next five, count them, five times I put the spoon back in the bag it somehow magically did exactly the same thing.

How is that possible?

Turns out the spoon was just the right shape and size and weight and had just the right slickness to slide its way through and out the bottom. I couldn't believe it.

On my sixth attempt I jammed the spoon inside the plastic assortment box it came in, crumpled both in half and dropped them together inside the bag. That time the spoon stayed put.

Then a plastic fork fell out the bottom. No kidding ... and I never did find the hole.

That real life scenario reminded me of how some folks see Salvation, and how complicated and legalistic God's gift can become once men start creating doctrines, theologies and traditions.

Some religions describe Salvation as an uncertain, can never be sure, always in doubt and permanently unsettled thing: Have you done every good work possible for today? What about sinning? Sure, maybe you already asked God for forgiveness, but are you absolutely certain you remembered to ask forgiveness for every single sin you committed today? You did? Then Pride just caused you to commit another sin, and therefore your salvation is in doubt.

Christ's sacrifice on the cross for our sins didn't leave room for doubt.

Christ's love didn't involve jumping through church hoops and wasn't dependent on any legalistic man-made rituals. Nor did Christ's resurrection require a vote or a convention statement explaining church policies before it happened. What did happen was that God loved us so much that he sent his one and only son to die in our place, that whoever believed in him shall not perish but have eternal life.

Pure and simple: we can't double bag what Christ's already done.

No religious double bagging or traditional re-arranging our trash is ever required to make sure none of our sins fall out the bottom.

"I Hate Your Nasty Stinking Guts"

2010-08-29T00:13:00.008-04:00

Ever been in the same room when something suddenly blows up and two people in a relationship decide to have a fight?

Things get uncomfortable in a hurry, and only get worse once both participants decides it's gloves-off and start addressing each other as though no one else is within earshot to hear the vitriol and name-calling that comes flying out of their mouths.

I can't stand the sight of you!

You make me sick!

I must be crazy to think I ever loved you!

You'll never change!

Of course the reality is that people say much, much uglier things than that.

Do those folks really mean what they say? Even if they know they'll be forgiven, why intentionally antagonize the other person by saying them in the first place? To emphasize their feelings? To express hurt and anger? At some point maybe screaming, name-calling and finger pointing simply becomes a habit.

Or in a relationship (or marriage), is that kind of insulting ugliness and antagonism only "natural"?

No matter what's happened that makes a person feel like screaming I Hate Your Guts, that sentiment can't come close to describing how God feels about sin. Yet God doesn't start insulting us in his wrath, and he doesn't call us ugly names and then ask us for forgiveness. So why do we think it's OK for us to rant and rave any time we feel provoked?

People who feel self-important in their faith, who look down on sinners, should consider that.

None of us live completely without sin. None of us has reason to praise ourselves for our righteousness, and we should always remember our humbleness before the Father when we ask his forgiveness before confronting others for their sins. God is perfect and holy, but we fall short every time.

We should remember too that God's never come to any of us asking for our forgiveness.

"Hey Ref, whose TEAM are you on???"

2010-08-25T13:02:00.013-04:00

Ever noticed how we treat God as though he's either a spectator watching the game of our lives from his Heavenly sky box, or else folks believe The Father's beside them on the playing field as the game's referee ... which sometimes sounds like fun, because we think it's great having our Father as our game's referee.

Even though he's our Father, some believers treat God's on-field presence as an irritating but necessary part of the game's structure while secretly hoping our Father The Ref pays more attention to our opponents and how they play than he does watching to see if we're staying in bounds or lining up in an illegal formation.

During the game we tell our opponents The Ref is always impartial, unerring and perfect, while at the same time expecting every judgement call will go our way, just as we expect a great spot after every play.

Because The Ref's our Father, we get frustrated when he rules our passes out of bounds or calls us for being offsides or penalizes us by moving life's ball backwards.

If we think God's missed a call we feel it's perfectly OK to gripe, complain and throw our helmets on the ground, and that it's our right to throw a red flag on the field and demand that God stop the game and take a timeout so he can review the action on Instant Replay and see where he made a mistake and blew the call.

That's pretty arrogant, but what's most wrong with all those perspectives?

What's wrong is that God's not a spectator watching our game from the bleachers, God's not on the field as a referee to make sure life's always fair and God doesn't show up on game day to play on our team. And we certainly don't have any right to question The Creator's calls.

God doesn't show up once a week to watch or referee our game; God's there 24x7x365 because he owns the team, because he created the game and because the rules and the playing field and the stadium all belong to him.

As believers we're on the field for him and belong to his team. Not vice versa.

Looking forward

2010-08-22T00:10:00.003-04:00

With our faith in Christ we know that no matter what happens ... no matter what ... everything's ultimately gonna be OK.

Retro Reversal: ZeRo iNpuT

2010-08-21T00:42:00.014-04:00

Been down with bronchitis and feeling horribly weak all week ... probably the result of ripping out the boat's 28 year old fabric headliner and installing foam board insulation in its place (without using a respirator). Well, lesson learned.

What I originally thought would be a two-day job is already well past its second week. But the good news is I'm finally almost halfway done. And Yes, insulation already makes a BIG difference.

Nobody likes having other people making decisions on their behalf. Especially when we perceive the issue as being vital, personal and non-negotiable. It's even more aggravating when other folks make decisions without bothering to consult us to see what we think or when they show little concern about how we'll be affected.

But what's most aggravating is when people make decisions in complete defiance of what we've expressed as being of permanent importance ... because then we're left feeling ignored, used and betrayed. And maybe even wondering how much importance the other guy places on our relationship.

Several weeks ago a friend learned his girlfriend was five weeks pregnant.

My friend is staunchly and unashamedly Pro Life; his girlfriend was also Pro Life until she found out she was pregnant. Now she has less than four weeks to make up her mind how she feels.

My friend doesn't much relish the reality that according to our nation's laws, his girlfriend can pretty much do whatever she chooses ... whether that means terminating their unborn child or carrying her pregnancy full-term; whether that means keeping the child as a single mom or putting the child up for adoption ... he's got absolutely no legal say-so.

In fact, she's not even legally obligated to inform him of her decision after she's made it. Ever.

To him, his girlfriend's pregnancy means it's only common sense that the unborn child has 50% of his DNA, and that means the unborn life belongs equally to him. To her, pregnancy means an unwanted crisis with severely complicated life-altering consequences and the fetus is just the thing causing the problem.

What preoccupies my friend's thoughts and keeps him up nights is that ultimately he has zero input on his girlfriend's decision.. All he can do is stand on life's sidelines and wait to find out her choice.

Of course, even the most rabid Pro Choice advocates have no way of knowing the fetus's choice ... since "Pro Choice" supporters are too impatient to wait long enough to ask first hand. So the "right to choose" argument has less to do with being "Pro Choice" than it does with Me and Putting My Choice First.

Me me me me and whatever's easiest for me, you see.

----

Yessir we sure don't like other folks making decisions on our behalf and yet we seldom stop to think how often we make decisions ignoring the Father and slap God in the face. We'll feel it's perfectly OK to ignore scripture and defy God's commandments simply because our eyes have become focused on the thing we want instead of remaining riveted upon what God intended.

We get hopping mad and start acting crazy upset when folks make decisions or treat us as though our existence doesn't matter. Think about it: whether it's the husband getting upset because his wife persists in running up credit card debt despite his warnings that their income can't support her spending habits, whether it's the husband who cheats with his wife's best friend or whether it's the co-worker who decides to take that extra week of vacation even though his or her absence leaves you facing a 60-hour week to take up the slack: being ignored at decision-making time makes us angry, doesn't it?

It makes me wonder what happens when we make choices that ignore God's will. It makes me wonder how things will turn out when we ignore His commandments and choose to pursue that thing we've got to have right now or the thing we've got to do right away.

And it makes me wonder how believers can be so persistently stubborn and rebellious against the Father.

#52 Ray Lewis

2010-08-14T19:41:00.015-04:00

Three years ago, I'd never even heard of Ray Lewis. But I've been hearing about the Baltimore Ravens' linebacker a lot lately.

"So why do some people in this town hate Ray Lewis?

-“The chest-thumping Christianity aspect of his personality.”

- Alex Tomas's blog

35-year old Lewis, a native of Bartow Florida, isn't ashamed of being a Christian. And he's not scared of sharing his faith with others either.

Ray Lewis discusses Christian men and Leadership.

Ray Lewis speaks about his faith and love for God

April 1st, 2010 3:56 pm -www.examiner.com

Ray Lewis, the future hall of fame Middle Linebacker for the Baltimore Ravens, has earned a lot of respect around our wonderful city. When fans see the number 52 anywhere, whether it be on a license plate or on a lottery ticket, they immediately link it to the number that Ray wears when he is smashing Halfbacks into the turf. (Speaking of which, enjoy this video where Ray makes one of the best plays in Ravens history.)

Not just in Baltimore, but across the US, Ray is synonymous with terms like "champion", or "play maker". However, did you know that you can also think of the term "Christian" when you think of Ray?

The Fellowship of Christian Athletes radio show, Sharing the Victory, had a chance to sit down with Ray Lewis and talk to him about his Christian faith.

"To get to God, you gotta go through things. Don't look at my yesterday, look at my tomorrow," explained Ray during the interview. "I've said it before, God never changes. The relationship was there all along."

Psalm 91 is a personal favorite scripture reference for Ray, who states that God is everything.

-www.examiner.com

- Ray Lewis highlights on youtube

Did we forget again already?

2010-08-11T01:03:00.011-04:00

I have to admit that it came as a shock several years ago when I first heard Pastor Perry Noble explain (and I'm paraphrasing) that it was the religious people of Jesus' day, not the sinners, who persecuted Christ and demanded His crucifixion ... because Jesus' message was contrary to their religious beliefs.

Wow.

It came as a shock because until then (and until re-reading the Gospel accounts of the temple guards arresting Christ, of the Sanhedrin accusing Jesus and of the Pharisees and the religious leaders demanding that Pilate crucify the Messiah), it just seemed to fit better that Christ had been accused and then crucified to satisfy the evil outbursts of an angry mob of sinners.

But for "The sinners did it" explanation to be true, then you've got to ignore Christ's triumphant entry and welcome into Jerusalem ("Palm Sunday") and believe instead that the same crowd of people who placed palms fronds at Jesus' feet after having heard of the miracles He's performed and who'd worshipfully praised Him as the Messiah then somehow, just a few days later and two thousand years before CNN and Fox News, somehow all woke up together in the same identical enraged state of mind, climbed out of bed before dawn and together skipped their morning coffee to rush across town and arrive at Pilate's court just in time to demand Christ's crucifixion.

It doesn't make sense, because that's not what happened. What happened was that Christ was accused, tried, flogged and turned over to be crucified before most folks in the city heard a whisper about it.

Even if we accept that Christ was hounded and persecuted by the Pharisees, we like to think of the Pharisees as a kind of secret police who kept tabs on Jesus' whereabouts and preaching through spies and informers.

But it wasn't like that at all. According to scripture, here's several examples contradicting popular impressions:

Now one of the Pharisees invited Jesus to have dinner with him, so he went to the Pharisee's house and reclined at the table.

- Luke 7:36

When Jesus had finished speaking, a Pharisee invited him to eat with him; so he went in and reclined at the table.

- Luke 11:37

Some Pharisees who were with him heard him say this and asked, "What? Are we blind too?"

- John 9:40 [emphasis added]

Sounds like in addition to being more in love with their religion than with God, the Pharisees were outright opportunists as well. They were self important ladder-climbers willing to invite Jesus over for dinner (who sometimes even took time to travel with Jesus), and paid attention so long as Christ and his message were curiosities that offered the chance of serving and profiting the Pharisees' ambitions and purposes.

But then Christ started rocking the legalistic boat and threatening the religious order by calling the givers of the law (both Pharisees and Sadducees) the offspring of snakes, accusing the Pharisees of being hypocrites and identifying them as sons of hell.

Uh oh suddenly the Pharisees ... and the temple chiefs ... became indignant and turned their wrath on the God (through His son, The Prince of Peace) they self-righteously claimed to worship and honor in every way.

Two thousand years later, how on earth did we forget that?

God's Scratch-Off Game?

2010-08-10T23:57:00.003-04:00

Owings Mills, August 9, 2010 -- A returning star to the football roster was revealed today by Ravens President Dick Cass and Maryland Lottery Director Stephen Martino. The twosome was onsite at Ravens Training Camp at McDaniel College in Westminster to unveil the new Ravens Cash Fantasy scratch-off, which went sale today at Lottery retailers across Maryland. “The original Ravens Cash Fantasy was the best-selling $5 scratch-off in Maryland Lottery history,” said Martino. “We are thrilled to renew our partnership with the Baltimore Ravens.”

The Maryland Lottery was one of the first lotteries in the country to partner with an NFL team, following League approval of such partnerships in 2009. “This is a natural alliance,” said Cass. “These are two iconic Maryland entities coming together to offer great fun and winning experiences.”

This year’s Ravens Cash Fantasy ticket offers more than $11 million in instant prizes – including three $1 million instant top prizes.

- Baltimoreravens.com

More than 116,000 people played the inaugural version of the game last year, making it the best-selling $5 scratch-off in the lottery's history,

Tickets for the game feature a perforated portion called "Extra Yards." That area contains a code. Players who enter the code on the Maryland Lottery's website can win prizes valued at up to $1 million, including season tickets for life, sideline access to games, framed autographed jerseys and away trips with the team.

- The Baltimore Sun

That's interesting.

Apparently folks were so excited about the chance of winning free football jerseys, free sideline passes and free lifetime season tickets that they willingly wagered enough hard-earned money to make that scratch-off ticket the best-selling game in state history.

Is buying a lottery ticket that offers the chance of winning lifetime football tickets (instead of cash) really the same thing as gambling? Or is risking five bucks in hopes of being rewarded with an authentic pro football jersey or traveling to away games with the home team no more sinful than buying a raffle or drawing ticket? I don't know.

Would you call it gambling? Or does risking a little money each week in hopes of being rewarded with a big prize sound a little bit like the way some folks treat tithing?

You know, the sometimes-habit of dropping a few bucks in the offering plate (or bucket) and hoping (praying) your numbers show up big in God's Mega Millions drawing?

This next sentence may sound like swearing or profanity or even seem to some people with pew-thumping knee-jerk reactions that I'm taking the Lord's name in vain. But I'm not, so turn off your ears and see:

For Christ's sake, as believers shouldn't we celebrate His resurrection and give thanks for God's gift of eternal life every single minute of our lives, without for one second ever begrudging the joy of giving back to God the 10% that's already His?

Tithing isn't a tax or an installment on Heaven's membership dues. Neither is tithing a punishment nor a weekly assessment on the cost of salvation, because Jesus already paid the price in full. And tithing is definitely not a lottery ticket to be purchased in hopes of winning even bigger rewards from our Father.

Putting things another way, so you want free lifetimes football tickets and eternal life, too?

Wasn't Christ's sacrifice for our sins and God's promise of eternal life better than sitting on the sidelines?

7 Days and 7 More

2010-08-09T00:10:00.012-04:00

BALTIMORE -- Baltimore City spent another weekend contending with an outbreak of violence. Three people were killed and two others were injured in a seven hour span, according to police.

- www.baltv.com

That's seven more homicides over the past 7 days ... not counting the number of non-fatal stabbings, beatings, GSWs and drug overdoses over the same period of time.

The latest homicide victim was an unidentified 25 year old man who was shot and killed at about 3PM this afternoon (Sunday afternoon) in Northeast Baltimore. Police said the killers fled in a vehicle.

Decreasing the activity in your anterior cingulate cortex

2010-08-08T16:15:00.003-04:00

Thanks to my friend Ken M. for passing this along ...

Brain study shows that thinking about God reduces distress -- but only for believers

August 4th, 2010 in Medicine & Health / Psychology & Psychiatry

Thinking about God may make you less upset about making errors, according to a new study published in Psychological Science, a journal of the Association for Psychological Science. The researchers measured brain waves for a particular kind of distress-response while participants made mistakes on a test. Those who had been prepared with religious thoughts had a less prominent response to mistakes than those who hadn't.

"Eighty-five percent of the world has some sort of religious beliefs," says Michael Inzlicht, who cowrote the study with Alexa Tullett, both at the University of Toronto Scarborough. "I think it behooves us as psychologists to study why people have these beliefs; exploring what functions, if any, they may serve."

With two experiments, the researchers showed that when people think about religion and God, their brains respond differently—in a way that lets them take setbacks in stride and react with less distress to anxiety-provoking mistakes. Participants either wrote about religion or did a scrambled word task that included religion and God-related words. Then the researchers recorded their brain activity as they completed a computerized task—one that was chosen because it has a high rate of errors. The results showed that when people were primed to think about religion and God, either consciously or unconsciously, brain activity decreases in areas consistent with the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC), an area associated with a number of things, including regulating bodily states of arousal and serving an alerting function when things are going wrong, including when we make mistakes.

Interestingly, atheists reacted differently; when they were unconsciously primed with God-related ideas, their ACC increased its activity. The researchers suggest that for religious people, thinking about God may provide a way of ordering the world and explaining apparently random events and thus reduce their feelings of distress. In contrast, for atheists, thoughts of God may contradict the meaning systems they embrace and thus cause them more distress.

"Thinking about religion makes you calm under fire. It makes you less distressed when you've made an error," says Inzlicht. "We think this can help us understand some of the really interesting findings about people who are religious.

Although not unequivocal, there is some evidence that religious people live longer and they tend to be happier and healthier." Atheists shouldn't despair, though. "We think this can occur with any meaning system that provides structure and helps people understand their world." Maybe atheists would do better if they were primed to think about their own beliefs, he says.

Provided by Association for Psychological Science

Silly Safety (updated)

2010-08-07T23:15:00.069-04:00

Update: Please see Reverend Hilliard's tribute to Stephen Pitcairn, in green below.

Notes from Bodymore, Murdaland

When you walk through the garden, you gotta watch your back
Well, I beg your pardon, walk the straight and narrow track
When you walk with Jesus, he’s gonna save your soul
You got to keep the Devil down in the hole

He’s got the fire, people he’s got the fury at his command
Oh, you don’t have to worry, hold on to, hold on to Jesus’ hand
We’ll all be safe from Satan, when the thunder, when the thunder starts to roll
We got to keep the Devil, keep him on down, down in the hole

-theme from "The Wire" *
song by Tom Waits

Last weeks' posts included the recent murders of Stephen Pitcairn** and Milton Hill. One victim was white, the other victim was black. One victim was two days shy of his 24th birthday, the other victim was 70. One man had applied to Med School at the University of Florida, the other man was retired.

One man was Presbyterian, the other belonged to The Ark Church.

One man died from a stab wound after surrendering his iPhone, backpack and wallet. The other was shot to death for his scooter. One man wanted to find a cure for breast cancer. The other man volunteered at his church.

Nothing at all indicates the two men ever met in life.

Of course, in a city where the most popular underground video is called "Stop $%#!ing Snitching, Vol. 1," the murder rate can be tough to control. - www.Murder-Ink

Especially for Baltimorgue, a city infamous for logging a murder a day throughout the year, public outrage was surprising. The outcry for "Something to be done" was measured daily on the local nightly news for over a week ... at least until both victims were buried and laid to rest. Although superficially opposites, each man represented our best hopes and our highest aspirations. Yet somehow everything basic and fool-proof went irrevocably wrong. And it happened twice in less than a week.

Both men apparently complied with their assailant(s). Both men handed over their material possessions. Neither man resisted, called for help or tried fighting back. Nonetheless, despite having literally surrendered everything, each man died needlessly, suddenly and violently, without reason, without mercy and without explanation. One man was found in the street and the other in an alley, both left to die alone, amounting to nothing more to their assailants than bleeding piles of flesh for someone else to find and report as police statistics.

In each case it was on the next day that neighbors heard the news and faced an awareness of individual vulnerability ... and heard an inner voice whispering "Maybe next time me, too" ... that caused folks to lock their doors and voice their collective helplessness as a neighborhood outrage that was loudly accompanied by urgent demands for action and for a swift remedy to guarantee their safety.

But it's been like that for a long time here. Anyway, by now the local politicians are gone and the news teams are busy juggling the latest news for tomorrow's news.

That's two more numbers out of 300 or so for the year.

--
- Baltimore graffiti

Around 10:30pm tonight I got a craving for Thai and called in my order to a restaurant just down the street. That meant walking four or five blocks by myself along the waterfront and getting back to the marina's locked gate just after 11pm.

What in the world is wrong with you? Why on earth would you take chances like that? For crying out loud! Why are you even living in Bulletmore?

I got back to my boat without incident and tore open my chop sticks soon as I sat down. That food tasted awful good, it sure did. But it didn't stop me from thinking how many people might die between the time I started writing this post and the time you started reading it. [I'm not picking nits or looking for an argument, I'm simply stating a fact: I feel far, far safer here than I did for the 8400 nights I spent where I used to live. No joke. No kidding. Walking the waterfront here, in the second most dangerous city in America, is nothing compared to the 23 years I spent literally afraid to go outside in my own yard after dark, despite being armed and having a 6-foot fence prowled by five Rhodesian Ridgebacks.]

Nor did it stop me from thinking about why people behave, do things and treat others like they do.

In denying both Christ and the enemy's existence, our culture's loftiest visions and greatest social experiments let the devil out of the hole.

--

As believers I don't know where the point lies between being safe and being un-safe. You might be at home right now, locked behind a security fence in a house wired with 24-hour alarms in a gated neighborhood patrolled by security guards. Maybe all those things make you feel safe.

But even as you're reading this, feeling relaxed and ready for bed, could be that the first cell at the end of a sequence of a hundred million other DNA replications before it just separated from the cell that was its progenitor ... except that this one new cell mutated during the process and will be diagnosed in another 20 years as cancer.

Or it could be that a sparkling new airliner, complete with the latest electronic innovations and representing the safest technology available, just rolled out the door of an assembly plant on the other side of the world. Yet a $5 dollar nut securing a turbine engine inside its nacelle was over-torqued during assembly because the guy behind the air wrench was thinking about his retirement package and got distracted, meaning that five years from now that nut will suffer stress fatigue and crack in mid-flight at 29,000 feet, severing the aircraft's hydraulic control lines ... and you'll happen to be on board.

Then also there's the chance that right now, 900 million miles away from earth somewhere deep inside the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter, a football field-sized rock just collided with an even bigger object ... with the result that a multi-megaton projectile is now zipping along a celestial flight plan scheduled to arrive in your backyard at 8:12PM on February 3 2013 just as you're flipping the burgers on your bar-b-que while you're in the middle of enjoying The Big Game on TV with your friends.

In all three scenarios there's not a thing you can do to know, postpone or prevent the outcome.

--

Unless Christ returns to earth in the meantime, death is inevitable ... for me and for thee and for everyone in between. We can look back over the course of human events and realize each and every one of us is going to die. Because we know death is inevitable, none of us should be surprised or worry about when or where, because despite our elaborate measures and precautions, physical death is already on its way to claim us.

So it doesn't matter how carefully we plan to protect and save our lives. Folks with more money and more power than we can imagine have tried ... and every one of them failed miserably. Christ told us that whoever wants to save his life will lose it.

What does matter is how we serve, honor and live for Christ.

* Set in Baltimore, "The Wire" centers around the city's inner-city drug scene. The show depicts the lives of every part of the drug "food chain", from junkies to dealers, and from cops to politicians. - imdb.com

** During [Stephen Pitcairn's] 90-minute [funeral] service, [Reverend Ronald] Hilliard urged the family not to focus on the tragic circumstances surrounding Pitcairn's death. He suggested that the family may be wondering what would have happened if circumstances had been different.

"We may be sad about the book ending before we were ready," said Hilliard, but that sadness should not overshadow the value and impact that Pitcairn's life had.

"The reality is that in God's eyes, Stephen's life was complete," he said.

Speakers largely avoided discussing the tragic circumstances surrounding Pitcairn's death, instead paying tribute to his Christian faith.

Pitcairn, a researcher at a cell engineering laboratory on the Johns Hopkins medical campus, was on the phone with his mother, Gwen Pitcairn, around 11 p.m. Sunday when he was confronted by a man and a woman in the 2600 block of St. Paul St., police say. His mother listened as he pleaded with the robbers and was stabbed in the chest.

- source "The Baltimore Sun"

We got to keep the devil down in the hole.

Making way, or following God's will?

2010-08-04T02:29:00.003-04:00

The other night I bookmarked these two passages:

We made slow headway for many days and had difficulty arriving off Cnidus. When the wind did not allow us to hold our course, we sailed to the lee of Crete, opposite Salmone. We moved along the coast with difficulty and came to a place called Fair Havens, near the town of Lasea.

Much time had been lost, and sailing had already become dangerous because by now it was after the Fast. So Paul warned them, "Men, I can see that our voyage is going to be disastrous and bring great loss to ship and cargo, and to our own lives also." Acts 27:7-10

Before very long, a wind of hurricane force, called the "northeaster," swept down from the island. The ship was caught by the storm and could not head into the wind; so we gave way to it and were driven along.

As we passed to the lee of a small island called Cauda, we were hardly able to make the lifeboat secure. When the men had hoisted it aboard, they passed ropes under the ship itself to hold it together. Fearing that they would run aground on the sandbars of Syrtis, they lowered the sea anchor and let the ship be driven along.

We took such a violent battering from the storm that the next day they began to throw the cargo overboard. On the third day, they threw the ship's tackle overboard with their own hands.

When neither sun nor stars appeared for many days and the storm continued raging, we finally gave up all hope of being saved. Act 27:14-20

Sounds a little bit different than "God's plan for your life promises to take you straight to your destination so you can enjoy honey and rose petal rewards along the way to being rich, respected and happy in every way" theology, doesn't it.

Zonked & a kick in the head

2010-07-31T19:00:00.012-04:00

A Zonkey is a cross between a zebra and a donkey.

Apparently zebras and donkeys don't interbreed very often (for which we're all grateful) and that's what makes Zonkeys so unusual. Zonkeys are like mules in that for genetic reasons, they're typically incapable of reproducing (donkeys have 62 chromosomes and zebras have between 32 and 46).

A Zebrinny is the offspring of a male horse and a female zebra and a Zebrula is what happens when a male zebra mates with a female horse. Zeedonk refers to the offspring of any horse paired with any zebra.

Ain't that a kick in the head?

Now here's the kicker: courtships between the two species are especially difficult because the horse mating ritual involves the stallion expressing interest by nipping at the mare's head. The mare responds by kicking at the stallion's head, until she's certain of his affection and feels she's ready to commit.

Because this "Honey, bite me again and I'll kick you in the head" behavior is stronger in wild equines than in domestic horses, horse stallions are frequently disheartened by the mare zebra's prolonged roughhouse behavior and quickly lose interest.

What's odd is that naturalists explain the biting/head-kicking ritual as a learned behavior that equines acquire from watching other equine courtships, and isn't "natural" or innate at all.

I guess it's a good thing horses and zebras don't have internet access or PPV TV channels, like people do.

Too bad horses and zebras can't be convinced that biting and head-kicking, even if it seems exciting and "Everybody else is doing it," isn't a natural part of courtship at all.

Pictures of me shaking hands with Bill and Hillary Clinton at at Chelsea's Wedding

2010-07-31T18:34:00.006-04:00

OK no such pictures exist, so I hope you're not too disappointed.

;-)

I just don't understand why the national press got so excited about a wedding that wasn't kept very secret. And I scratch my head thinking about the $2.5 million dollars spent on the ceremony and reception.

This just in ...

2010-07-30T16:08:00.003-04:00

... 10 seconds ago:

Church caretaker found slain in apparent robbery

Milton Hill, 70 and spry, shoveled the snow from the front walk of the church next to his small East Baltimore apartment. He helped carry heavy boxes to the food pantry, and walked women to their cars after late night events. He trimmed the church hedges on Thursday, just because it needed to be done.

On Friday morning, a relative found Hill slumped against a fence, lying in a pool of blood. He had been shot. The scooter he used to get around town – a retirement present he bought himself, according to the church deacon – was gone.

Because Hill's scooter and the keys to it were taken, police believe the motive may have been robbery. But no one could understand why anyone would take his life too.

Here’s what they did know: whenever they needed a hand, they could count on Milton.

- source: The Baltimore Sun

Had a super-stressful week?

2010-07-30T15:05:00.016-04:00

It's been a long week in the city, with eight slayings recorded through Friday morning.

B-more Fight

Drug Use Afflicts Baltimore

Note: the above video is a news segment from the Al Jazeera 24-hr English language and current events channel headquarted in Doha, Qatar. Al Jazeera English is the first English language network headquartered in the Middle East. Their slogan is "Setting the World Agenda" and their catch phrases include "The World In Your Hands."

Just Another Baltimore Shooting

Note: on the same street 23 year old Stephen Pitcairn, a breast cancer research specialist at Johns Hopkins University, was stabbed to death just before 11PM last weekend after handing over his backpack, wallet and iPhone to his assailants. Cairn, who spoke fluent Japanese after spending a year in Japan working with stem cells, was poised to enroll in medical school.

Pitcairn was murdered two days before his 24th birthday.

Originally from Jupiter Florida, Pitcairn was on the phone with his mom when the two assailants approached. Tragically, Pitcairn's mother listened helplessly on the other end as her son was stabbed and left dying in the street just four blocks from his apartment.

Pitcairn's death was the sixth homicide this year in Charles Village, a neighborhood that had been considered one of the safest in the city.

When will people change?

2010-07-30T04:13:00.010-04:00

Baltimore: A city succumbing to heroin

September 22, 2000

From Pierre Thomas

CNN Justice Correspondent

BALTIMORE, Maryland (CNN) -- The steady stream of people picking up clean hypodermic needles on a recent Friday morning in Baltimore is one indication the Maryland city has perhaps the nation's highest rate of heroin addiction.

Even the addicts feel they are victims of an urban plague.

"Pure hell, hell, hell," said one man, who didn't want his name used. "I'm saying it's hard for me to function in the morning. When I get up, I have to find a way to get the heroin to function through the day. And it's taking a toll on my life."

- source

Baltimore Is the U.S. Heroin Capital

One in 10 Residents of Baltimore Addicted

B A L T I M O R E, March 14 2001

Baltimore is the heroin capital of the United States.

The U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency says the city has the highest per capita heroin addiction rate in the country. Estimates of the total number of addicts in the city vary, but experts agree it's staggering.

In a city of 645,000, the Baltimore Department of Health estimates there are 60,000 drug addicts, with as many as 48,000 of them hooked on heroin. A federal report released last month puts the number of heroin addicts alone at 60,000.

The problem in the city is so acute that the federal government has designated Baltimore part of what it calls a High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area, making it eligible for special federal assistance to local police.

Tom Carr, the director of the Washington/Baltimore HIDTA program — a joint federal, state and local effort — says the heroin epidemic in Baltimore dates back to the 1950s and is now an engrained part of the city's culture.

"It's an old 'heroin town,'" says Carr. "There is an appetite for heroin in Baltimore … It's accepted by all too many people down there as something that's normal behavior."

"It's almost a rite of passage for some," he adds, noting that heroin habits are often passed down from generation to generation.

"They might as well put a gun to their head and kill themselves," says Wanda, forming the shape of a gun with her fingers and pointing it at her forehead. "It's suicide."

"I wouldn't let my worst enemy do it," adds "T." "Once you learn how it feels, you're on that track and there's not much that's gonna help you."

The Washington/Baltimore HIDTA predicted in its February situation report, "The number of heroin addicts in [Baltimore] will continue to rise."

- source here

Who's Waging the War in the Streets?

2010-07-29T12:42:00.024-04:00

With a population of 638,00 Baltimore ranks as the 21st largest city in the country. That's like 25 cities the size of Anderson, South Carolina packed inside an urban area just six times as large.

Another big difference is that you're almost three times more likely to be murdered in Baltimore than in Anderson because according to the FBI, Baltimore's the second deadliest city in America.

- photo from HBO's The Wire

How bad is it, really? Here's another comparison:

US Combat Deaths in Afghanistan vs Baltimore Homicides, by year

____US Combat Deaths ______Baltimore Homicides

2007 ..... 83 ........................................ 282

2008 ... 133......................................... 234

2009 ... 267......................................... 238

2010* ... 89..........................................119

* to date

total ... 572.........................................873

-photo by John Moore/Getty Images

Those numbers mean that in less than three years, the US lost 1.53 times as many citizens to murder in just 82 square miles of one US city as it did soldiers to armed combat in all of Afghanistan. Think about that means for a minute, in case you're not already shocked. So who's waging the war in the streets?

It's the enemy ... and God's Word is the only sword sharp enough to defeat him.

- a little more perspective

With a land area just under 82 square miles, Baltimore can't be described as a single homogeneous city: according to wikipedia Baltimore's divided into 9 separate and distinct geographical regions.

A glance at the statistics suggests that provided you're not a convicted felon trying to score crack in East Baltimore at 2AM, Charm City's about as safe as Anderson, and shares an almost identical rape and burglary risk.

Some sources include North Charleston, SC as among the most dangerous and others don't mention Baltimore in their top 10 dangerous cities list at all. Among the top 330 metropolitan areas, #20 Baltimore's far below #10 Myrtle Beach.

And when the 25 most dangerous metropolitan areas are compared, Baltimore's completely absent from the top 25 ... unlike Florence, SC (#6) Sumter, SC (#22) and Macon, GA (#25).

Has 'Jesus & the Mud Puddle' splashed your Inbox yet?

2010-07-29T11:15:00.007-04:00

This morning my friend Fran in Columbia sent me this chain letter that's fast making its way around the web:

Jesus & the Mud Puddle

Howard County Sheriff Jerry Marr got a disturbing call one Saturday afternoon a few months ago. His 6-year-old grandson Mikey had been hit by a car while fishing in Greentown with his dad. The father and son were near a bridge by the Kokomo Reservoir when a woman lost control of her car, slid off the bridge and hit Mikey at a rate of about 50 mph. Sheriff Marr had seen the results of accidents like this and feared the worst. When he got to Saint Joseph Hospital, he rushed through the emergency room to find Mikey conscious and in fairly good spirits.

"Mikey, what happened?" Sheriff Marr asked.

Mikey replied, "Well, Papaw, I was fishin' with Dad, and some lady runned me over, I flew into a mud puddle, and broke my fishin' pole and I didn't get to catch no fish!"

As it turned out, the impact propelled Mikey about 500 feet, over a few trees and an embankment and in the middle of a mud puddle. His only injuries were to his right femur bone which had broken in two places. Mikey had surgery to place pins in his leg. Otherwise the boy is fine. Since all the boy could talk about was that his fishing pole was broken, the Sheriff went out to Wal-mart and bought him a new one while he was in surgery so he could have it when he came out.

The next day the Sheriff sat with Mikey to keep him company in the hospital. Mikey was enjoying his new fishing pole and talked about when he could go fishing again as he cast into the trash can.

When they were alone, Mikey, just a matter-of-fact, said, Papaw, did you know Jesus is real?"

"Well," the Sheriff replied, a little startled. "Yes, Jesus is real to all who believe in him and love him in their hearts."

"No," said Mikey. "I mean Jesus is REALLY real."

"What do you mean?" asked the Sheriff.

"I know he's real 'cause I saw him." said Mikey, still casting into the trash can.

"You did?" said the Sheriff.

"Yep," said Mikey. "When that lady runned me over and broke my fishing pole, Jesus caught me in his arms and laid me down in the mud puddle."

GIVES YOU GLORY BUMPS DOESN'T IT! GOD WILL DO THE REST.

Did that little tale make you cringe or roll your eyes? Better keep going ...

"So much of what gets forwarded online claims to be true, when they are merely stories designed to inspire and enlighten. This one is relatively rare in the realm of chain letters because of the amount of detail it contains - details that can be verified.

Nobody seems to know exactly who authored the piece above or when and it is most frequently attributed to "Author Unknown." I found more than a hundred sites that post the story exactly as it appears above.

"Yet, Pat Munsey, of The Kokomo Perspective, told BreakTheChain.org that the story of Sheriff Marr's Grandson is mostly true:

"Having known [Marr] personally for six years, I know that the incident did take place - and that Mikey’s assertion of seeing Jesus was made. It took place in the spring of 1999.

"The driver did lose control of the car while trying to change the radio. However, the car didn’t actually leave the road. It hit Mikey while on a bridge. Also, Mikey didn’t travel 500 feet laterally. Part of that distance was falling from the bridge.

"Mikey made a full recovery. He and his grandpa practiced fishing with the new pole while in the hospital - using a bucket of water as the 'lake.'"

- breakthechain.org

How bout dat?

"I don't know how I'm gonna make it"

2010-07-29T01:25:00.013-04:00

Times are tough, no kidding. Foreclosure and "more than one month late" rates on condos costing more than $500,000 passed 30% ... and the guys who repossess million-dollar yachts have more work than they can handle.

The economic future seems bleak, but the trouble isn't just financial.

Casual conversation reveals people are more than just troubled: they've looked at their lives, tallied their prospects and realized there's a huge difference between what they expected and what they've come to expect from life. Americans seem less confident than ever things will get better, with many hinting "I don't know how I'm going to make it" because they've lost confidence not only in themselves, but also in what they believed.

If our Faith is rooted in the notion "God wants me to be happy" or "God will never let anything bad happen to me" or "Bad things only happen to sinners," then dad losing his job one month and the bank calling to threaten foreclosure the next month might deliver a faith-shattering shock.

But those things do happen ... even to God-fearing, righteous, church-going and tithing people: the Bible nowhere teaches that Salvation is an immunity shot from either sin ... or from living in a world wallowing in sin.

I mean to be encouraging, not trite or disparaging: truly Bad Things can and do happen to people who love God beyond everything else. Just read the Bible and see for yourself. But Bad Things happening shouldn't be the end of our Faith: bad things happening should unleash our Faith, and reveal God's power, grace and total sovereignty through us.

Hmmmm, Faith seems sure seems easy when the ball's rolling downhill, when everything's going according to plan and we're receiving lots n' lots of blessings along the way. But what about when life starts going wrong and the ball suddenly feels like it's gonna roll right over top of us?

How am I gonna make it?

I keep re-reading the gospel chapters describing Christ's prayers in Gethsemane. What slaps my face is that despite knowing what the rest of his human life had in store, despite the fact that unlike us Christ lived a totally sin-free life, Jesus didn't bail or ask God to beam him back up to Heaven to avoid the agony of the cross. Nossir.

He could've and you and I would've, but Jesus didn't call down legions of angels with fire to flame the Sanhedrin's guards into temple tater tots to save himself from crucifixion. Nor did Christ pray to his Father, "I don't know how I gonna make it, so get me out of here!"

What Christ did instead was surrender and submit to his Father's will: Not mine, but your will be done. That's what perfect Faith means. Christ's Faith was in God's will and purpose; not Faith in "God wants me to be happy" or "I have faith God will fix things and get me out of this."

Faith isn't at all about what we expect or want God to do: Faith is all about submission and surrender.

We're not used to hearing this, but tough times pretty clearly reveal whether our Faith is based on expecting God's submission to our comfort and satisfaction, or whether our Faith is founded on complete and joyful surrender to God's will and to His purpose.

No matter what.

What's wrong with people?

2010-07-28T12:36:00.007-04:00

Police: Mom Threw Newborn Out Window

Police Release Sketch of Serial Rapist

Police Investigating Quadruple Stabbing

Arrests Made In Hopkins Researcher's Murder

America's Got Talent

2010-07-27T23:11:00.006-04:00

Just finished watching tonight's live performance of the TV show America's Got Talent.

Some of the dance teams looked like they had 15 or 20 members, and it got me to thinking what the chances were that I could climb into a costume (with the dance team's permission of course) and join them on stage for a show-stopping dance number before folks in the audience noticed and started asking, "What's wrong with that guy? Does he have any idea what he's supposed to be doing?"

Being optimistic, I gave my impersonation about two seconds before the audience started laughing, pointing fingers and throwing sharp-edged projectiles in my direction.

Very few people would try pulling off such a deceit, because they know perfectly well that costumed or not, their mere presence on stage would instantly give them away.

Then what makes people think they can show up at church and put one over on God?

It is because it's far easier putting on the costume, showing up at 11am, blending in with the congregation and thinking we've got everybody else fooled ... so the Father must be, too?

Bison attacks woman

2010-07-22T17:47:00.004-04:00

But they're so cute ...

How hard is Faith?

2010-07-21T21:45:00.008-04:00

This post is already in trouble because the word Faith means so many different things to different people.

Among believers, more than a handful use Faith to describe their belief in God. Some others treat Faith as a system of religious doctrines and standards, accompanied by an obligation and demonstration of loyalty and respect. Then there's the folks for whom Faith means the belief in something that cannot be proven.

Next are the believers who see Faith as the observance of their religious obligation, and the last group are those believers for whom Faith encompasses their trust in God and His promises revealed through Christ.

The last meaning's the one that matters most.

After Christ's appearance on the road to Damascus, the Apostle Paul didn't rise from his knees, scratch his chin and start nodding, "Wow! I didn't a minute ago, but now I believe in God and everything's gonna be great for the rest of my life!"

Paul didn't jump up, stick out his chin and announce, "Starting next Sunday, I'm walking backwards to church with a pro-Christian bumper sticker on my forehead to prove my loyalty and respect, and God will reward me for always being right."

Paul didn't choose to start writing a telephone book-thick scroll citing the intellectual arguments in favor of God's existence or take out pro-Christian ads in the Damascus Daily Tribune. Nor did Paul storm into Damascus and start looking for a church devoted to "meaningful applied Bible study and getting deeper into the word."

After Christ's one-on-one appearance left him blinded and helpless beside the road, what did Paul do?

Paul's sudden new Faith came from complete surrender and total obedience, and that meant putting himself aside to trust and follow everything Christ said.

For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Peter, and then to the Twelve.

After that, he appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers at the same time, most of whom are still living, though some have fallen asleep. Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles, and last of all he appeared to me also, as to one abnormally born.

- 1 Corinthians 15:3-8

Trading Places at Relationship Ball Park (updated)

2010-07-19T00:21:00.017-04:00

I've got single friends of both sexes, aging from 20-somethings to 50-somethings. When it comes to Relationships and What's Wrong With Relationships, despite the age differences, women seem to agree with each other on the same things, just as men tend to agree on the same things.

What are those things?

Generally the women wish men would be more like Men, and take charge when it's time to Take Charge. Women say they want a man who's not indecisive, who's not a little boy waiting to grow up and who doesn't need to be "Mommied" 24x7. They want a man with some Spine.

Men tend to agree with each other, too. But men grumble that "What's wrong with women is they're too bossy and trying too hard to prove they're men."

Well then. How can we make sense of that?

---

When men stopped being Men (and started buying pedicures and hair products instead of power tools and socket sets), the relationships' loss of a Man created a Role Vacuum. Who else was around to step in and fill the vacancy created by the Man's departure, but the woman?

When the home team's trailing 2-0 in the bottom of the 9th with two outs and runners on first and second, the batter's wife isn't hoping for a short pop fly to center. And she definitely isn't hoping he'll be the last out with three called strikes so she can listen to him whine for the rest of the season about how unfair the umpire is.

Women need to know that when their man's at the plate, he's ready to blast the next pitch over the left field bleachers' roof.

---

Men should stop wasting their time in the Minor Leagues and commit to rejoining the Majors.

I'm not talking about men subordinating or browbeating women according to their whims. I'm not talking about the Man being superior, the boss, the woman's new father or the man being the Final Authority On Everything. I'm talking about Men becoming co-equals again. With boldness. With Spine and with Love.

I'm saying men need to quit pacing back and forth in the dugout, wondering what's wrong with their game. Men ought to stop expecting women to be interested in hearing for the 100th time about what went wrong the last time they struck out at the plate.

I'm saying men need to quit retying their shoe laces, stop scratching and stop taking practice swings in the on deck circle. If you're wearing the uniform and you've got a bat, step up to the plate and face down the pitcher.

Does that sound hard?

It's gotta be even harder hitting Home Runs from the dugout.

Because of your mercy ...

2010-07-18T01:30:00.000-04:00

the stranger at the playground

2010-07-16T21:58:00.036-04:00

Several years ago I watched a disturbing episode on a nationally televised TV news program.

The segment began with the show's anchor briefly interviewing a dozen or so mothers of young children, asking what they thought the chances were that their child would voluntarily help a total stranger "Help look look for his puppy" at a mall or public playground ... despite a lifetime of hearing Mommy preach Don't Talk to Strangers and Never Ever Get into a Car with a Stranger!

Every Mom on the show was firm and indicated the chances were an emphatic ZERO: there was absolutely No Way their child would ignore all the warnings they'd been taught and intentionally disobey what Mommy'd said.

Then the anchor showed the Moms previously recorded videos of their kids doing exactly what Mommy had warned them ten million times to never ever do.

More than 75% of the kids happily ignored Mom's instructions and wandered off with a stranger to "help look for his puppy" without any hesitation whatsoever.

Of that seventy-five percent, 100% of their mothers were shocked speechless by what they saw their child doing. How could their child completely ignore everything that was meant to keep them safe and out of danger?

Could be because the stranger with the lost puppy at playground didn't look or sound anything at all like the Bogey Man who Mommy warned them about: that nice man at the playground didn't look or sound scary at all.

Her child might, but mine never would.

I watched a DVD interview with a fragile-looking college professor who'd moved to the US after surviving years of confinement at a Nazi concentration camp during World War II. As part of the liberal arts curriculum, the professor had his students watch films of Hitler's speeches and afterward, he always tried engaging them in discussions about what they'd just seen.

He was troubled by how often his students began snickering and laughing during the films, as though Hitler was nothing more than a caricature of a madman. The professor was also dismayed that so many intelligent, supposedly open-minded college students would shake their heads and ask him, "How could the German people be so stupid to fall for that clown?"

The old professor's backbone must have been made of titanium because his answer was always the same: "Are you so stupid that you believe the next Hitler will come goose-stepping down the street wearing swastikas and a tiny mustache? No, you simpletons! The next Hitler will appear from nowhere and gain attention by promising he has all the solutions necessary to fix everything that's wrong with the country.

"Once his words excite the people's hopes, from that point on he'll tell them exactly what they want to hear. He'll promise that victory is within reach. He'll assure them that every problem can be solved ... if only the people will stand behind him and give him the power necessary to take the necessary and appropriate action." That's how dictators are made.

The wise old professor went on to say that in all his years of teaching, practically none of his students believed they could ever be so gullible or so easily manipulated. Which of course, he said sadly, is the mindset that makes the ascension of a monster like Hitler possible.

That other guy is a fool, but not me.

Satan must not be much intimidated or feel too threatened about me, because in my entire life he's never shown up or appeared to me in person and said, "Hey Joe ... doesn't a little sin sound like FUN right now?"

Not only that, but I've never even had a demon grab me by the arm and whisper "Hey buddy, let's go out and get ourselves sinned up real good" nor have I ever met anybody who had horns, or anybody who concealed their clove hooves in shoes, or anybody who carried a pitch fork nor anybody who wore a red satin body suit around town. Not one time. Ever.

So what's preventing me from living a completely sin-free life?

The other guy's obviously a sinner, but not me.

The world would likely shake its head an announce, "Aha! You yourself said you've never seen the devil so obviously you're not being targeted by demons or evil spirits. Thus your own words prove the devil doesn't exist."

I didn't say that at all, but that argument makes my point: the stranger at the playground doesn't show up wearing bloody overalls or carrying a chain saw. The stranger at the mall who talks a child into following him out the door wouldn't dare tell that child what's on his mind or what's about to happen.

Nor would the stranger who rings the front doorbell to ask a child "Is your Mommy home?" show up wearing a scary mask or dress himself as the bogey man. Instead he'll put on his best face and try his hardest to be pleasant and reassuring ... because he wants the child to feel comfortable and actually eager to unlatch the door and let him inside.

No matter how many times Mommy and Daddy told them not to ever, ever do it.

God is our Father. And because God loves us far more than we can imagine, God also wants to protect and keep us from harm even more than we can imagine.

Put simply, because none of us were born knowing everything about anything and will never know anything about everything, God gave us His commandments to keep us out of trouble in every thing.

Not to keep us from having fun. Not to keep us from "discovering our true selves." Not to keep us chained to man-made authorities or institutions. But to keep us close to him ... and to protect us from that poor man at life's playground who's just lost his puppy.

I slept through it, sorry

2010-07-16T16:03:00.003-04:00

3.6-magnitude earthquake wakes Md. residents

Temblor centered in Gaithersburg felt by as many as 3 million people in Mid-Atlantic region

A 3.6-magnitude earthquake with a center near Gaithersburg was reported around 5 a.m. Friday, and felt by as many as 3 million people in the Mid-Atlantic region, according to the United States Geological Survey.

It may have been the strongest measured tremor on record for the state. The Maryland Geological Survey's web site lists the strongest confirmed tremor centered in Maryland prior to this one was a 3.1 shaking recorded in Hancock in 1978.

The Friday morning earthquake was reported across the Baltimore area as well as in D.C. Virginia, Pennsylvania and Delaware. People in Columbia, Owings Mills, Carroll County and Odenton reported feeling the quake this morning, describing the movement as enough to rattle household items.

Odenton resident Paul Muirhead said the temblor woke him up around 5:05 a.m. "I was startled from my sleep as if being shaken," he wrote in an e-mail. "Though there was hardly any light by which to see, I could hear items of mine — large and small — rattling on glass shelves."

- source here

What keeps your battery charged? (updated)

2010-07-15T23:15:00.024-04:00

Any car (or boat) battery will eventually lose its charge given a long enough period of time, even if the battery's brand new and left completely disconnected on a dealer's shelf. And asking a battery to start your car (or boat) engine, especially on a cold winter morning, day after day after day, consumes an amazing amount of available energy.

Thing is, no battery is self-recharging. So what puts energy back into the battery and keeps it recharged?

That's why your car (or boat) has an alternator: once the engine starts, it's the alternator's job to supply the voltage necessary to recharge your car (or boat) battery and replace what was lost from starting the engine.

Memo: It's a fact of life that if your car (or boat) battery loses its charge and won't start the engine, no amount of screaming, yelling, sarcasm or swearing about being two hours late for work will help put it back.

Hmmm.

We like to think we're more complex than a car (or boat) battery, but like it or not, human beings have something in common with car (and boat) batteries. The juice we expend in our day to day lives has gotta be replaced; otherwise we couldn't get started in the morning.

Since none of us were born with alternators bolted to our backs, what will we use instead to recharge our energy and keep us going?

Anger, rage, resentment, jealousy, pride, revenge, conceit, selfishness and suspicion are one way of keeping our batteries charged. All those things feel powerful and light up the internal indicator lights that assure us something's happening and getting done.

But remember, none of those emotions will recharge a dead car (or boat) battery. And as human beings, aren't we much more complex than any car (or boat) battery?

Right?

Isn't it funny how easily we'll remember and stay angry about the smallest things for months and months ... like somebody cutting us off in traffic, or somebody taking too long checking out at the grocery store or somebody gossiping behind our backs at work ... compared to how quickly we forget all the things we have to be truly grateful for?

Energy spent = Energy requiring replacement

So what's keeping your life's battery charged?

The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For out of the overflow of his heart his mouth speaks.

"Why do you call me, 'Lord, Lord,' and do not do what I say?

Luke 6:45-46

When an evil spirit comes out of a man, it goes through arid places seeking rest and does not find it. Then it says, 'I will return to the house I left.'

- Luke 11:24

pics fm TZ

2010-07-11T00:46:00.007-04:00

I asked Vernon to email some pictures ...

Masai jumping, above.

New school building, above.

Worship Team.

Now I get it ... as best as I'm able

2010-07-10T23:40:00.010-04:00

Tonight I listened to a woman describe what natural childbirth is like. She told me that "Natural" means no epidural, no Demerol, no aspirin, no nothing to ease or dull the pain.

A little while later, her newly born baby held in her arms for the first time, she explained that she'd felt such love for the child that she was overwhelmed beyond anything she thought possible ... because she realized This person is part of me. And because she knew then that nothing could change the attachment she felt to her child.

She summed up her feelings by saying no matter what her child did and regardless of what mistakes he made, she knew that it was impossible for her to ever stop loving him ... and neither could anything keep her from wanting to love and protect him.

Her words gave me just the slightest glimpse of what God's love for us must be like ... times a thousand billions, and more ... if it were possible for us to grasp and comprehend it.

So God created man in his own image,

in the image of God he created him;

male and female he created them.

- Genesis 1:27

We love because he first loved us.

-1 John 4:19

The man who says, "I know him," but does not do what he commands is a liar, and the truth is not in him. But if anyone obeys his word, God's love is truly made complete in him.

This is how we know we are in him: Whoever claims to live in him must walk as Jesus did.

-1 John 2:4-6

"Jesus is mine and He Is Alive Forever"

2010-07-04T13:02:00.000-04:00

From Tanzania, East Africa

2005

"It's half empty, I'm tellin' ya!"

2010-07-03T23:17:00.009-04:00

Can't help noticing that when we're having a long-term, head to head disagreement with someone else, the words we use to describe that person often include:

Stubborn

Pig-headed

Selfish

Foolish

Crazy

But when we see someone else stand up for principles or convictions we agree with, the words we use to describe the same characteristics magically become:

Determined

Brave

Admirable

Heroic

Savvy

---

Is the glass actually half empty or half full? Culture teaches It Depends. It's all a matter of perspective. It's impossible to know if the glass is half empty or half full because there are no universal truths or absolutes.

But that's just plain wrong.

You prepare a table before me
in the presence of my enemies.
You anoint my head with oil;
my cup overflows.

-Psalm 23:5

Scenes

2010-07-03T00:34:00.040-04:00

I was on a grocery store parking lot one hot afternoon a long time ago and watched a stocky middle-aged man with the build of a stevedore push a buggy (cart) to his car.

The buggy's load included not only the man's groceries but also what looked like a two or three year old girl seated on the mesh fold-down shelf intended to hold ladies' purses as they shopped. The child was facing the man and she was bawling her eyes out.

And each time she cried, the man reached back as he walked and slapped her across the face.

The little girl would stop crying for three or four seconds after she'd been hit, but then I suppose as the pain receptors kicked back in and each blow's impact registered as if for the first time that afternoon, she'd begin crying all over again.

Which brought another slap to her face and re-start the crying cycle.

The man kept on swatting the little girl as he walked, as casually as if he was slapping mosquitoes from his forearm. With total indifference, without even looking down to see what he was doing ... his mind was a million miles away from what he was doing ... as though he believed he could get away with slapping a three year old girl in the face, in public, without consequences whatsoever.

Because he was so much bigger. Because no adult came forward to stop him. Because he was convinced, on a Neanderthal level, that slapping the little girl was nobody's business but his .... because she belonged to him.

--

On a different afternoon I saw a haggard-looking woman in her late 60s wearing what looked like a greasy pillowcase stand beside a car and use a stick to reach the car's backseat and spank the children, most likely her grandchildren, inside.

I don't know how long this was going on before I got there but the children were already in tears. The woman continued angrily calling each one by name to "Git to this winder right now, you hear me?!" to make it easier for her to give that child its swats with her stick.

Then soon as the child jumped out of reach again she warned her bellowing target to "Stop that crying" and then called for the next one one to come close and get theirs.

I don't know how many times each child got a turn, but every one of them was screaming and running up and down, hopping back and forth over the backseat like scalded rabbits trying to stay away from her stick.

The woman was too worked up and emotionally involved, and the children dancing so hard to avoid her, that she stopped bothering to take aim at their backsides and began swinging wildly, blistering whatever part she could reach.

I'm sure enough time has passed for all the children in both those events to have children of their own. And maybe their children have children of their own, too. Because both incidents happened such a long time ago.

So long ago that the man who slapped the little girl and the grandma swinging away at a backseat full of screaming kids with her stick, if they aren't dead, surely have forgotten what they did. Come to think of it, I'm not sure either one of those adults would remember anything they'd done just a few hours after they'd done it.

They hadn't suffered any pain or endured any trauma: the man was just being a father and the woman was only doing what she thought best, too. Kids have to learn, for crying out loud. So why waste time over-analyzing long-ago events that never mattered much in the first place, especially when nobody remembers?

And after all this time, what's the point in wondering how those children may have been affected? Maybe those kids got exactly what they needed, learned a good lesson, and never acted up again ever, not even one time for the rest of the lives. Ever.

But I doubt it. Wonder what punishment they received the next time?

---

Not too long ago several new stories got major headlines after a handful of airline pilots, in separate incidents, found themselves arrested, detained in jail and facing felony charges for flying drunk. No kidding. Turns out that both passengers and ground crew had concerns after noticing the pilots' erratic behavior, and notified authorities.

Until they found themselves in handcuffs and locked up in jail, it could be that every one of those pilots believed that what they were doing was simply business as usual and that no one on-board would care or bother to notice.

Apparently some passengers and ticket personnel didn't quite see things the same way.

---

What do I know about raising kids, being a grandparent, flying commercial jets or blogging about the Gospel?

I don't have children and I've never been either a parent or a grandparent. I've never been an airline pilot or flown commercial jets. Nor have I ever preached a single sermon or started so much as a single church.

But that lack of apparent qualifications doesn't mean I can't see, or that I don't have a brain ... or that I'm too deaf to prayerfully listen and hear.

Communication & Instructions

2010-06-30T00:54:00.018-04:00

I still remember the afternoon I got my private pilot's license. I landed the tiny Cessna 152 on the correct runway (without damaging either myself, the airframe or the FAA examiner onboard), tied down the wings and walked back to the tiny house that served as the airport's FBO (fixed base operator) office.

The examiner told me he couldn't find anything really wrong with my piloting, signed some official-looking forms and handed them to my instructor. Then my instructor presented me with my new license and said, "There's a new pilot in the world."

I was so excited & enthusiastic that day that I had zero hesitation about continuing to the next pilot skill level ... and earning the coveted Instrument Pilot Rating.

I borrowed a set of Instrument Pilot Rating videos from my instructor and plugged them into the VCR soon as I got home. But by 11 PM I began facing the awful realization that I was suddenly a beginner all over again ... with an amazing amount of information to grasp ... and pitifully in way over my skillset and experience.

---

Imagine you're flying alone at 9000 feet and turbulence has been knocking you silly for the past two hours. It's pitch black outside but a lightning flash suddenly reveals you've flown into a cloud bank so thick you can barely see the tips of your wing lights just ten feet away. Oh boy, you're ready to land and have this flight over with when the radio fills with static and crackles,

"Cessna November three-two-niner five, Atlanta Center. Turn left heading one four zero for traffic, cleared as filed direct to ATL. Descend to five thousand, cross FIQ at or above 4000 and continue to JAILS until established, left-hand holding pattern. Expect vectors to PUMIF. Hold and expect NDB backcourse approach Zebra runway two seven left. Squawk 123.5 Contact Hartsfield Approach one two four six. Have a good evening, sir .... oh, and keep your speed up on final."

Only it takes the air traffic controller lots less time to blast through that paragraph than it does for you to reach down and realize your pencil is broken, no kidding, but as an IFR-rated pilot you're expected to have your clearance nailed down on the first transmission. That's what IFR flying is all about, after all.

You did copy all that, right?

I hope so, because both your radios and navcoms just lit up like sparklers and filled the cockpit with the smell of burned bacon, leaving you completely incommunicado at six thousand feet, boring propeller holes through a solid cloud layer doing 130 mph and flying completely blind ... with the runway and all kinds of hungry trees, hillsides and power lines waiting down there to greet you.

November three two niner five, Atlanta Center. Acknowledge and confirm clearance, over.

That sounds so hard! Yikes, it's like they're talking a whole different language down here. Why can't somebody tell me what to do in plain "10-4 Good Buddy" English ... and make it seem easy instead?

---

I haven't had cable TV for the past two weeks and without The History or Discovery Channel available I checked in on Dr. Phil ... whose afternoon was jammed trying to put the adulterous pieces of a broken marriage back together again with sound, common sense good advice:

"It's going to come down to both of you asking yourselves, How bad do I want this marriage to work? Am I ready to communicate with my spouse and accept professional counseling? Am I willing to reach down deep inside and do whatever it takes to make this marriage work?"

Those instructions seem sincere, easy to understand and don't require lots of explanation. In a nutshell, all you and your spouse gotta do to heal what's broken is to Communicate and Really Want It... and Viola, your broken marriage will eventually sort itself out.

What's left out is that Communicating and Really Wanting It depends on a lifetime of perfection and failure-free success from the partner(s) who violated the marriage covenant in the first place. Communicating and pursuing "What I Want" as a priority is what led to one or both partners to have an adulterous affair in the first place.

That's the pitfall with Pop Psychology strategies and feel-good Self Help instructions: the hope of a quick and self-empowering fix, without repenting and trusting that God's power and righteousness is greater.

That's why Communicating and Really Wanting It sure sounds easier to remember and apply than putting ourselves aside to acknowledge, obey, trust and live according to God's commandments.

Why be captivated, my son, by an adulteress?
Why embrace the bosom of another man's wife?

For a man's ways are in full view of the LORD,
and he examines all his paths.

The evil deeds of a wicked man ensnare him;
the cords of his sin hold him fast.

He will die for lack of discipline,
led astray by his own great folly.

- Proverbs 5:20-23

Customer Service, or Disservice?

2010-06-26T23:28:00.049-04:00

People don't much care to be criticized, not even when the words are spoken in love and with an honest heart. Just watch and see.

---

I stopped by the produce aisle at the grocery store this afternoon because I needed a green pepper. The store had 54 green peppers in the display. I know the number is 54 because I handled or turned over half of them and looked over all the rest.

But 20 minutes later when I left the store and walked home, I still didn't have a green pepper. Why not?

Without any doubt, it was the worst produce I'd ever seen: every pepper was either covered with a white dust that looked like dandruff (but was probably water mold), splotched with orange and brown patches that looked like bruises (but was probably bacteria) or had visible holes ... like bugs had bored their way inside.

I wanted to find a manager and ask him or her if they really expected customers to pay $2.99 a pound for produce that looked, in all seriousness, like it was unfit to eat. But I didn't.

I've become pragmatic in my old age and realize it doesn't matter if I was trying to be helpful: without the authority to start firing people on the spot, chances are the manager would just look at me and smirk, because he or she couldn't care less what I had to say.

Not because I'm just a customer, but because I'm just another customer, you see, and there'll be a hundred more like me walking through the store before closing time, and the only thing that makes me different is that none of them will gripe about the green peppers.

It's just a fact: the manager knows he's not going to lose his job and the chain's not going to go out of business because Joe Hall thinks their green peppers belong in the dumpster behind the store.

Now will that be paper, or plastic?

---

Walking back to my boat, green peppers covered with mold, bacteria and bugs got me thinking about churches.

And how, with everything the church has to offer out in the open and on display to everyone who walks through the door, the service so often becomes a disservice.

Good thing visitors can't fire church staff on the spot, right?

Amen.

--

Ever arrived 20 minutes early to visit a new church, glanced inside at the half-filled pews and then had an usher offer to help you find a seat?

I have and frankly, I never liked anybody telling me where to sit. But it could be that's one of my quirks and one of the church's ways of welcoming strangers into the sanctuary and helping visitors feel less awkward. And that's awesome.

It just never feels that way.

Instead it feels like the ushers have super secret special instructions, and their Job Priority Number One is wrangling visitors away from the pews where the regulars sit. Like Brother So-and-So.

See, you've got to understand Brother So-and-So's family bought the wood for that pew from Pharaoh himself, and Moses helped build it with his own hands. For the past 208,000 weeks since then somebody from Brother So-and-So's family has filled that pew every Sunday, and there's a gold pin waiting if Brother So-and-So can hold on and make it 210,000 Straight Sundays in a row.

So don't sit there, let's go see what's in the balcony instead. Oh, and next Sunday please comb your hair, get a coat and tie and wear some different shoes. If you wanna sit with the regular folks, that is.

Then again, that's probably just me. ;-)

---

I pretty much had to be dragged to church after hitting my teens, and soon as I left home for college I stopped going completely. I moved to Colorado after graduating and although a Baptist church just 4 blocks from my apartment I only went there one time, for Easter, because my mother asked me to.

Then in 2003 I became a member of a church that changed everything, and I mean everything literally and in the literal sense.

Instead of going once every 200 Sundays, I suddenly found myself wishing they had services every day of the week. No kidding, I dreaded 7:30pm on Sunday nights because it meant having to wait a whole week for Sunday morning to roll around again.

Wow, I wondered. Have I really changed that much that fast? What happened?

Was there that much difference in this church's green peppers? Or was the difference that at this church, "customers" really mattered, or that service was this church's top priority?

Hmmm.

---

Church has too often become focused on prioritizing its members and on glorifying each other in death.

Instead of prioritizing and preaching the gospel, praising God for what He's done by forgiving our sins and offering us eternal life.

Uh oh, I'm not sure John 3:16-17 will fit on one stained glass window. So put Brother So-and-So's name there instead.

---

Don't smirk at what I'm about to say, because I'm going to say it anyway and your smirking won't change what I've said.

If you're already smirking, could be that's because you're reading this like I'm just another customer, right? And there's thousands more people just like I was waiting to walk through your church's door. Right?

Or maybe they already walked through your door ... and have no intention of coming back:

If you've ever wondered why your church's membership has been stagnant or been falling away for the past 15 years, pick a name at random from the newspaper obituaries on Monday morning, drive to the listed church and attend that person's memorial service.

Chances are you'll be more welcomed, thanked by more people for coming, feel more involved and attentive during the service ... and most important, you'll hear a more powerful, relevant and memorable message than you will by picking a church at random from your city's phone book and attending its services every Sunday for the rest of the year.

Why have churches come to glorify death, instead of preaching the gospel and Christ's message of eternal life?

The answer explains why 60% of Americans won't be in church tomorrow. And why most of that 60% will wait until they're dead to show up for the first time.

As church customers in death, chances are that the funeral services will be solemn, reverent and done exactly the right way, with the men wearing ties and perfectly combed hair and the ladies in their best Sunday dresses and shoes. Because that's what church means and how service should be and what church is all about.

At least, some churches think so.

Speak to one another with psalms, hymns and spiritual songs. Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord, always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ.

- Ephesians 5:19-21

We pray this so that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you, and you in him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ

- 2 Thessalonians 1:12

For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves

- Colossians 1:11-13

Praying Big for Something Bigger: God's plan for my life

2010-06-25T00:26:00.009-04:00

I've heard a few folks say that they want to do something big for God. I've heard more folks admit "I want to do something HUGE for God" but I've heard even more confess "I just don't know what it is."

In other words the destination seems clear as crystal in our minds ... but God's map looks a little fuzzy and hard to make out, especially the crowded, busy part in the middle, the part with the little circle at the end of the red arrow that reads "You Are Here."

---

"I want to do something BIG for God" ... but how many of us are expecting to be looked up to and worshiped, adored as "success stories," admired as role models ... and copied or imitated in Heaven?

---

I don't know God's comprehensive plan for my life, but I'm trying to submit to and obey His will. That's not extreme; that's not going over the edge and that's not going off the religious deep end. That's not even crawling. It's just as big and as far as I can go on my own.

I don't know the plan, the destination or the means ... and I don't need to.

But praying and realizing "May every word I say and every thing I do, may every decision I make and every step I take be to Your glory, that people around me believe You sent your son Jesus into the world" ... now that's BIG and something worth praying for.

It also sounds like a good start to following God's plan for my life.

Seeking The Father in Prayer

2010-06-24T23:09:00.013-04:00

This is one of those passages I can't read, much less read out loud, without fighting back tears. Seriously.

It's John's account of Christ raising his friend Lazarus from the grave:

Jesus, once more deeply moved, came to the tomb. It was a cave with a stone laid across the entrance. "Take away the stone," he said.

"But, Lord," said Martha, the sister of the dead man, "by this time there is a bad odor, for he has been there four days." Then Jesus said, "Did I not tell you that if you believed, you would see the glory of God?"

So they took away the stone. Then Jesus looked up and said, "Father, I thank you that you have heard me. I knew that you always hear me, but I said this for the benefit of the people standing here, that they may believe that you sent me."

When he had said this, Jesus called in a loud voice, "Lazarus, come out!" The dead man came out, his hands and feet wrapped with strips of linen, and a cloth around his face.

Jesus said to them, "Take off the grave clothes and let him go."

Wow.

Back in John 1:1-6, we learn that Lazarus is Jesus' friend and that Lazarus was the brother of Mary (this was perfume Mary, not Christ's mother) and Martha.

We also find out that Jesus already knows that Lazarus' sickness will not result in death.

In Verse 8 we're reminded that there's more than a few folks in Bethany eager to stone Jesus to death. Verse 11 relates Christ telling his disciples he's going back to Bethany "to wake him up" and Verses 14-15 reveal exactly what Jesus intends to do.

There's a little kicker in Verse 16, which describes how most of us would've reacted if we'd been standing beside Christ in the moment, listening to God's Son sharing His plan and imperiling our lives to preach the gospel.

---

Christ hears Mary's scolding in Verse 32 and witnessed the peoples' doubts in Verse 33. We see his reaction in Verse 35.

Then things start happening fast.

Christ commands them to take away the stone from Lazarus' tomb, looks up and prays, Father, I thank you that you have heard me. I knew that you always hear me, but I said this for the benefit of the people standing here, that they may believe that you sent me.

When he had said this, Jesus called in a loud voice, "Lazarus, come out!"

And Lazarus, four days in the tomb, came out.

Christ never had any doubt.

---

Maybe seeking God in prayer to ask for material things, successful outcomes, personal advantages or painless deliveries from our problems is a habit we embrace without realizing that giving us what we want might not at all be what prayer is all about.

What strikes me about Christ's prayer is that the thing He's expecting to happen is huge; the prayer itself is short (especially compared to the blessings we recite before dinner); He thanks God for hearing Him; Christ is praying not to receive anything for Himself or for His benefit.

But the big thing is this: Jesus never even asks God to raise his friend Lazarus from the dead. (Isn't it strange how we tell God in our prayers exactly what we want, and forget that He already knows exactly what we need?)

And so with sinners, skeptics, critics and doubters standing around watching to see if He'd fail, what did Jesus pray for?

He prayed that they may believe that you sent me.

---

Did Jesus wrap up his prayer with an "Amen," shrug, scratch his head and start rushing away to beat the after-church crowd at Canaan's Cafe? Did he drop a $5 bill in the offering plate & promise to start tithing, pledge to stop looking at porn, agree to stop swearing, stop telling dirty jokes and to start going to tabernacle three times a week or promise to "start living right if God would just do this one thing?"

Well, that prayer was so short it sure looks like Jesus didn't pray the right way ... the way we pray ... offering to make God a deal and sincerely promising to give up stuff we like to get something we want in return and adding a bunch of Thee's and Thou's in the middle to make our prayers sound convicted, reverent, righteous and holy.

So without all the details, extras, religious wrappers and add-ons, what makes us think God was even listening?

Because Scripture tells us the Father heard His Son's prayer, and Lazarus came out of the grave.

And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Son may bring glory to the Father.

- John 14:13

Heat Wave

2010-06-20T11:01:00.004-04:00

Don't miss today's service. There's two more chances today to watch the message live and online at 11:15am and 6PM EST:

NewSpring Live

"It's no big deal. It's just a tiny little sin."

2010-06-20T00:09:00.002-04:00

You've heard people use arguments like that to justify themselves.

"It's no big deal. It's just a little sin. It's up to each person to decide whether it's sinning or not."

Here's the problem with those mind-sets:

Christ dying naked on the cross for our sins was a big deal.

Jesus wasn't flogged and crucified just a little bit.

God didn't raise Jesus from the dead to give each person His blessing to pick and choose what's sinful and what is not.

Plain Sense About Common Sense

2010-06-16T21:42:00.006-04:00

(blog lite)

I've never been accused of having common sense, not one time in my life. To some people it makes sense to have common sense, but having common sense never made much sense to me.

Common Sense refers to a person's practical judgment apart from any special training, education or skill. In other words, you can't teach a person to have common sense if they don't already have it.

That makes sense to me, but folks who value having Common Sense can easily lose patience and become exasperated with folks who can't learn to have Common Sense. From their perspective it makes no sense to lack Common Sense and so it makes good sense to explain things in a way that makes the most sense.

Folks with common sense try to teach others common sense by relying on common expressions that make plain sense, including obvious truths like "A pound of prevention is worth a pound of cure" and basic principles like "Look before you leap" and "Better safe than sorry."

Does it make sense to keep trying to teach someone to have Common Sense when by definition, Common Sense is an innate sense of judgment existing apart from what's been learned?

What makes even less sense is why so much of what we commonly say and trust to be true makes so little sense.

:-)

Nothing ventured nothing gained vs. Look before you leap

If it ain't broke don't fix it vs. An ounce of prevention's worth a pound of cure

Don't cross the bridge until you come to it vs Don't put off til tomorrow what you can do today

Clothes make the man vs Don't judge a book by its cover

The pen is mightier than the sword vs Actions speak louder than words

A rolling stone gathers no moss vs Better safe than sorry

Paddle your own canoe vs Two heads are better than one

Silence is golden vs The squeaking wheel gets the grease

You can't teach an old dog new tricks vs You're never too old to learn

If at first you don't succeed try try again vs Don't beat your head against a brick wall

He who hesitates is lost vs Look before you leap

Out of sight, out of mind vs Absence makes the heart grow fonder

Hitch your wagon to a star vs Don't bite off more than you can chew

"Sometimes I'd rather be a dog"???

2010-06-15T23:30:00.012-04:00

- from 6/12/2010

Mr Vining was my Sunday School teacher when I was 12 years old. Mr Vining made Sunday School interesting (he described folks in the Old Testament riding around on "Camel-lacs") and something to look forward to. When the time came to move on to a different class at the end of the year, I didn't wanna.

Mr Vining, who worked for a well-known electronics company, was also a big part of the church's Audio/Visual department. I'm not sure it was even called the A/V Department back then, but someone had to handle the service's sound reinforcement (not PA) system and make tape recordings for shut-ins. I spent lots of Sunday mornings watching how things worked.

Mr Vining always seemed happy and had a great, entertaining sense of humor. But one Sunday morning in the choir room where the big A/V gear cabinet was installed, something seemed different. Even Mr Farmer, the man who adjusted mixer knobs before and after choir solos, noticed and eventually asked Mr Vining what was wrong.

Mr Vining said, "When I was driving to church this morning I saw a dog trotting down the sidewalk. He was a stray ... but he was prancing along like he didn't have a care in the world.

"It got me to thinking, that dog wasn't worried what he looked like.

"He doesn't know where his next meal's coming from and he wasn't worrying about how he's going to pay his bills. He doesn't have a home or know where he's spending the night, or whether he'll even be alive tomorrow.

"But that poor mangy dog just kept trotting along, happy as can be."

Mr Vining raised his hands up to his chin, like paws, and made happy panting sounds as he looked back and forth across the room. It was easy imagining the dog just as he described it. Then he looked at us and said,

"And all the time you hear people cry, worry and complain 'But I don't have anything.'"

---

Of course people aren't dogs, but don't lose the point.

Because we were created in God's image the Father gave us an awareness of Self that's not shared with the animal kingdom. Our unique sense of Self is how we know "I exist" and why we're able to make personal choices and informed decisions.

But it's that sense of Self ... combined with trying to please Self by putting I and What I Want ahead of God's will ... that leads us away from God and into sin.

Because sin's promises are empty, we get frustrated and remain preoccupied with expecting more ... instead of thanking and praising God for what we already have.

And I'm not just barking about material stuff.

---

God gave us free will, but living as though that freedom entitles us to make sinful choices defies His authority and is abhorrent to Him.

Every one of us makes choices every day, and yet we have such a hard time figuring out why the consequences of our choices so often leave us confused, depressed, bitter, angry and empty ... and sometimes wishing we could swap places with that carefree dog prancing its way down life's sidewalk ... without a worry in the world.

Guess what.

We have only our Selves to look to and hold accountable for the consequences of letting Pleasing Me become more important than loving, honoring, worshiping and obeying the Creator.