Who's kidding who

Technology presents some interesting debates. But call it what YOU want, Murder is murder. I ask, where is your pro-life president now? We’ll he’s busy with Social Security (unconstitutional) and Congress is busy with personal bankruptcy chatter. Wow! Real earth shattering stuff!
Unfortunately, the church is basically quiet on this issue. You say 'no'. Well, who heard a sermon on murder this past Sunday?
Are we so hardened as to give up hope when our fancy-pants technology is run out?

America, land of the free, murdering babies and persons in 'vegatative states'. Maybe you'll be next!!

Times they are a changin', Mabye

“July 6, 1822.

“…at one o’clock a number of Officers dined at Patton’s Tavern, and then drank the following

“TOASTS.

1. THE PATRIOTS OF ’76—May we ever cherish their principles and imitate their virtues.
2. THE ARMIES OF THE UNITED STATES—The laurels acquired by them in honorable war have never been sullied by outrageous like those of our enemies at Hampton and Frenchtown.
3. OUR DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE—A beacon to the friends of liberty and a terror to monarchs.
4. INDEPENDENCE—May we not loose it’s substance and court it’s shadow.
5. THE NEXT CONGRESS—May they encourage Domestic Manufacturers and be contented with forty-two dollars a week
6. THE LEGISLATIVE AND EXECUTIVE DEPARTMENTS OF THE UNITED STATES—May they think less about the next presidency and more of our national concern.

“A prayer by the Chaplain of the First Regiment followed, then a volley of gunshot from the common, and the diner commenced.”

Consider This

Right now I’m reading several books covering the same time period in American history, The War for Independence. A good thing about reading several books on identical subjects is that they hold each others’ biases in check. What one left out the other includes, making for a more historical account. A bad thing is that I forget which author said what.
One of the books I’m reading is A Peoples History of the United States by H.Zinn the other is What They Didn’t Teach You About the American Revolution by M.Wright. At the same time I’m sorting through a stack of old Christian Statesman and Christian Reconstruction magazines. So you will forgive me if I mess up my citations.
Having only read a hundred pages or so of each said book, I’ve got some pretty enlightening morsels to chew on. First though, scripture.

If you see the oppression of the poor, and violent perverting of judgment and justice in a province, do not marvel at the matter. For He who is higher than the highest watches; and thee are some higher than they. Moreover the profit of the earth is for all; the king himself is served by the field. Eccl 5:8-9

As is obvious from H.Zinn’s book title, he’s attempting what, I believe, has not been accomplished before. Or at least in this comprehensive manner. Our history books are usually written from the perspective of upper-middle class authors, with upper-middle class influences and presuppositions. Not that it’s wrong, just biased. I would even say that some Christian historians don’t dig deep enough and are actually trying to fit history into a box they’ve created. Let’s face it, our founding fathers were not common folk like you and me. They were politicians with more money than we’ll ever have. They had family connections to each other and to many in England. The phrase apples don’t fall too far from the tree is an accurate description of politicians too. History has a way of idealizing everything from wars to conquest. For example, living in a soddie sounds like quite an adventure to us in 21st century New England. But before you pack up the kids, do a little reading about life on the Prairie. There’s a reason why people don’t live in soddies anymore, it sucks! I digress.
H.Zinn purports that America has been run by the elite few ever since it’s conception, and to think otherwise is ignorance. Pre-Revolutionary War rebellions weren’t aimed so much at England as they were Colonial Governments run by…Colonials!

Starting with Bacon’s Rebellion in Virginia, by 1760, there had been eighteen uprisings aimed at overthrowing colonial governments. There had also bee six black rebellions, form South Carolina to New York, and forty riots of various origins.pg 59 Zinn

Bacon’s Rebellion was an uprising of poor whites and some black slaves. After this rebellion, two things happened. More English troops were sent to America because of the perceived threat to governance, and, laws were made to keep black slaves from fraternizing with poor whites. The politicians realized the inertia that ensued when these two disgruntled groups united. So, whites were promised government bennies and perks, in the hopes of creating a class division and too see the government as “a powerful protector of their common interests”. Here is where, the author purports, ‘racism’ in America really takes root. He argues that racism wasn’t specifically about black and white as much as it was about poor and poorer. A competition between the classes. Everyone’s after a piece of the pie. In order to climb the ladder to success, step on everyone below you. Zinn’s main thesis so far is that Colonial America ran on the oppression of the working class in order to continue to fill the pockets of the elite rich.
As much as I think Zinn is a socialist, he’s got some good points. So far, his book is more like a complaint. However, I’ve been taught to view American history as free of defects.

Live joyfully with the wife whom thou lovest all the days of the life on thy vanity, which he hat viven thee under the sun, all the days of thy vanity; for that is thy portion in this life, and in they labour which thou takes under the sun.
I returned, and saw under the sun, that the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, neither yet bread to the wise, nor yet riches to men of understanding, nor yet favour to men of skill; but time and chance happeneth to them all.Eccl 9:9,11

To be fair to Zinn he’s only thinking how he’s been taught. Attack the fruit and not the tree. He hates capitalism because it makes people poor. So instead of considering greed and pride, he thinks about money and equality.

Let's to Billiards

Baseball is boring. Football is mindless. Nascar is redneck. Billiards is timeless.

I dug this up just for you, Abby. 

Catechism at it's finest. 

We've got some bad news....

But it tasted great...

Here No Evil

While we are called to tear down strongholds, the lost are not kept from the kingdom merely by wrong thinking. The devil, after all, is a Calvinist.
-R.C. Sproul Jr.

The lost are not merely wrong, but dead. Unfortunately the aim of modern day evangelism is misplaced in two major areas. One, they assume that the gospel is that lil’ tidbit of cosmic information needed to make the right ‘decision’. It’s brutally obvious. Just pay attention to the words that are employed. It’s sickening to listen to someone preach and try to convince another person to accept their gospel. The gospel is not information.
Secondly, we Christians speak a different language. We go in with a whole list of presuppositions and expect, nay often assume, that the recipient will answer in the affirmative. Words often used are ‘God, sin, and Decision’ and they hear ‘Santa Claus, mistake, and I’m a god. The modern evangelism movement is working off the capital of our grandparents with the same assumptions getting the same results. Legalism and rebellion. We can no longer assume that the Average American Joe (or Josephine) knows what we mean when we say ‘God’.

Also, my fellow churchmen, think on this. An excerpt from a series of sermons on 1 Corinthians by Harold Harrington.

They did not need another invitation to receive Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of sin and eternal life. What they needed was a call to live that life of godliness which is expected and which must be evident in all who make the claim of belonging to Christ. Every sermon is not about “getting saved”. Most sermons in the church must be about living a moral and obedient life in this world under the Lordship of Christ. In the assembly of the saints a major concern is saintly living. As a pastor I have become more and more dissatisfied with the preaching of the so-called evangelical churches even to the point of exasperation.

It’s high time reformed, evangelical, protestant preaching, call it what you like, returned to the example of Paul found in First Corinthians. It’s time it stopped assuming that the audience each week needs to be converted. Yes, some individuals may be unconverted. In fact it is likely. The free gospel of God’s saving grace must be evident always. And it will be evident if we are instructing Christians in the saintly life in the light of God’s saving grace. However, if conversions do take place in the weekly assembly of the saints, they will be incidental. We correctly assume that people assembled for worship each week in sound Christian churches, bearing the marks of a true church, are for the most part saints. It’s really slanderous to assume otherwise.

Do you use 'em?

Between my wife and I, I’m really not sure how many books we own. A fair statement would be more than average. A humble library. In a way a personal library is a stairway that leads to that specific persons' ideas.
When company comes over, inevitably books are, at one point or another, a topic of conversation. We all sit down in the living room next to approximately three acres of rain forest reincarnated as books. Sip our coffee. Stare at each other for a while. Then as a ‘conversation starter’, I brace myself for the hackneyed question. “Do you use all these books? Have you read them all, I mean?”
So I’m sideswiped with a formidable question. At first I thought a discussion on the use of books, some important authors, concepts of medium vs. content etc, would weigh heavy in the air. But no, I get sideswiped. Unable to hold it in any longer, I think my expression contorts to something between cross-eyed and bitter beer face. “What”, I ask myself, “ are the presuppositions to such a question?” It almost strikes at one’s manhood. But those are thoughts for another time.
Finally I have a question to answer a question. Simply ask, “Do you own a TV set?” If the answer is affirmative (which it will be for a person who asks such queries as aforementioned); ask “Do you use all those channels, I mean is it useful?”

For the Birds

Just when you think that Toucan's are only associated with breakfast cereal.


I'm thinking 'roadtrip'.

We have finally come to realize the beauty and excellence of the homes built by the early Americans, but too often their barns are regarded as mere curiosities. They are, rather, the shrines of a good life and ought to be remembered. -Eric Sloane

Proof positive that out of heresy cometh good things. 

Who is this you ask? Only the most famous Commander of the Seas. Hint: think Victory. 

What is this you ask? Only the coolest tractor JD ever made. (well except for the R) 

Presence with no Present

Both Calvin and Luther, however, were unceasing enemies of the Roman Catholic Church, and were willing to cede extensive authority to European magistrates sympathetic to the Reformation in order to break Rome's monopoly. An unintended consequence of this action was the subsequent growth of European statism: by the eighteenth century, the tyranny of European states had replaced the tyranny of the Roman church.

Why were these men giving power to the European states? Ever hear of Dualism?

Robbing Peter and Everyone Else

With all this hype on Social Security, I thought I'd do some research. If you want to know the nitty gritty on SS, read this. SS claims a net total of 12.5% of our paycheck. Sad thing is, SS is in better shape than the rest of the Government budget.

Corynn pulling up her sleeves in the name of beer making. She was in charge of bottle distribution afore cleaning. 

Don't worry, I'm not cooking supper. I received the all important task of stirring the corn starch solution used to carbonate the bottles. The Delphed ornaments add to the ambiance of beer making. 

We entrust Nathan with the future of our liquid bread. While eager onlooker, Corynn, is fast learning the art of Kittyhood.