Tuesday, February 28, 2006

Rebecca McCann-The Cheerful Cherub


Once upon a time there was a young lady named Rebecca McCann, an artist just after the first turn of the last century, a gentle soul who loved life and nature. She was born in Quincy, Illinois about 1896, studied after high school at the Chicago Academy of Fine Arts, and sought work at the Chicago Evening Post as an illustrator. She told her friend Mary Bonner about the encounter later:
“I thought that I would like to do some work for one of the evening papers, so I went boldly to the newspaper office, carrying a large bag filled with samples of the work I meant to show. But in the excitement some odd little verses with drawings I hadn’t meant to exhibit dropped out of the bag on the floor. He (the editor, Julian Mason) picked them up and looked at them carefully. I had made them only for my own amusement. I had written verses when I had gone out in the country for a rest a little while before.”
There’s more, but for brevity, Mason liked the drawings, hired her and the Cherubs became a daily feature.
Rebecca loved the country, and loved to travel-as she could write and draw anywhere, she wasn’t bound to a desk or office, and composed many of the Cherubs sitting out on a rock, or under a shade tree.
The Cherubs are not all cheerful-Rebecca was a sensitive, honest soul who marked with her pen the good and bad of humanity- her life was not always a happy one, but her optimism, her cherishment of life and living made the “Cheerful” quite fitting. She wrote:
“Life itself can’t give me joy
Unless I really will it.
Life just gives me time and space--
It’s up to me to fill it.”

“If half the world is shadow
Half at least is light,
And joy comes after sorrow
As day comes after night.”

This small sampling comes from the collected Cherubs-”The Complete Cheerful Cherub”-I encourage anyone who needs a bit more blessing in their life to seek and find a copy and enjoy.

Sunday, February 26, 2006

What's all the Hubbub, Bub?

As tired as I am of writing and hearing about Muslims,Islam and disrespecting religions, I thought that an overview might be prophetable for those who can't understand why we Christians are being so intolerant of Islam. We want our beliefs to be respected, so it would seem fair that we respect the beliefs of others as well.
Baloney. Non Christians may tolerate me believing as I do,but they do not tolerate my sharing the Gospel with them. "It's okay for you, but keep your beliefs to yourself!"


Hagar was the handmaiden of Sarai, Abram’s wife. God had promised that Sarai and Abram would have a son, many offspring, that nations would come from their union.
When God seems to tarry with our blessings, we sometimes become impatient and strive to fulfill what He has promised through our own (weak) human strengths. Sarai and Abram were getting old, and Sarai, lacking faith in God’s delivering on His promise to them, sent Hagar in to be a surrogate, a ‘host mother’. Just as Adam accepted the fruit from Eve, Abram accepted Sarai’s giving Hagar to him.
And then the troubles began.
“4He went in to Hagar, and she conceived; and when she saw that she had conceived, her mistress was despised in her sight. 5And Sarai said to Abram, “May the wrong done me be upon you. I gave my maid into your arms, but when she saw that she had conceived, I was despised in her sight. May the LORD judge between you and me.” 6But Abram said to Sarai, “Behold, your maid is in your power; do to her what is good in your sight.” So Sarai treated her harshly, and she fled from her presence.
7Now the angel of the LORD found her by a spring of water in the wilderness, by the spring on the way to Shur. 8He said, “Hagar, Sarai’s maid, where have you come from and where are you going?” And she said, “I am fleeing from the presence of my mistress Sarai.” 9Then the angel of the LORD said to her, “Return to your mistress, and submit yourself to her authority.” 10Moreover, the angel of the LORD said to her, “I will greatly multiply your descendants so that they will be too many to count.” 11The angel of the LORD said to her further,
““Behold, you are with child,
And you will bear a son;
And you shall call his name Ishmael,
Because the LORD has given heed to your affliction.
“He will be a wild donkey of a man,
His hand will be against everyone,
And everyone’s hand will be against him;
And he will live to the east of all his brothers.”

Note that Ishmael was named by the angel of the Lord, and his character was described before he was even born. And that the angel commanded Hagar to return to Sarai and submit to her authority. Ishmael would be born and grow up in Abram’s tents.
At a later time, when God came to Abram and re-affirmed His covenant, changing their names to Abraham and Sarah, promising them that through Sarah His promise would be fulfilled, Abraham thought God must be kidding, as they were exceedingly past the age when they could have children. He hoped that Ishmael would be a good enough substitute:
18And Abraham said to God, “Oh that Ishmael might live before You!” 19But God said, “No, but Sarah your wife will bear you a son, and you shall call his name Isaac; and I will establish My covenant with him for an everlasting covenant for his descendants after him. 20“As for Ishmael, I have heard you; behold, I will bless him, and will make him fruitful and will multiply him exceedingly. He shall become the father of twelve princes, and I will make him a great nation 21“But My covenant I will establish with Isaac, whom Sarah will bear to you at this season next year.”

So Ishmael would be blessed, but Isaac would be the fulfillment of the Covenant.
That is clearly stated in these few verses, and many others which I could point to, but these should be enough to establish that the Covenant was with Isaac and his descendants; actually his Descendant, Jesus Christ, who would redeem the world and fulfill all of the prophesies going back to the Garden of Eden, where God said to the serpent (Satan):

And I will put enmity
Between you and the woman,
And between your seed and her seed;
He shall bruise you on the head,
And you shall bruise him on the heel.”

Fast forward 2600 years. To get an idea of how long that is, from the time of Christ’s appearing until now has only been 2000 or so years-2600 years after Isaac was born to Abraham and Sarah, Mohammed built up a false religion, claiming to be the final authorized Prophet from God. Though drawing some of his beliefs from the Jewish texts, 2600 years after the fact Mohammed declared that the Genesis account is wrong, and that Ishmael was actually the Covenant bearer. And in the famous story of Abraham being ready to sacrifice his son as an act of faith-Mohammed decided that it was actually Ishmael on the altar of stone, not Isaac.
There is no redemption through Islam. There is no Salvation through Jesus Christ according to Islam.
In Islam, Salvation is by the will of God through human obedience to God’s law.
Jesus Christ is revered as a spiritual guide, but is not, according to the teachings of Islam, the Son of God.
Which brings us to 1 John 22,23:
“ 22Who is the liar but the one who denies that Jesus is the Christ? This is the antichrist, the one who denies the Father and the Son. 23Whoever denies the Son does not have the Father; the one who confesses the Son has the Father also.” John wrote these words 600 years before Mohammed was born. And they are still true today.

Sex Scandal Hits Heartland



February 26, 2006
Omaha, Nebraska
Sociable Press

A new curriculum introduced this year in Omaha city schools is being protested by some parents and other concerned citizens. The program, entitled "Sex Educations: Back To Nature", was adopted in a unanimous vote last fall by the Omaha City School Board for introduction in grades three through twelve beginning in January 2006. "This program," said Mr. Herbert Harbinger, president of the school board, "will takee our sex education program from being an illustrative and expository approach to a picturesque and imaginative one.

The program involves skits or playlets designed and performed by the students themselves following a guide book of suggestions. The guide book includes a graduated series of lesson plans and includes such skits as 'early courtship', 'dealing with temptation', and 'cross pollination', pictured above.

Those who oppose the new program are saying that it will cut into the programs already in place such as the use and distribution of protective devices and classes in alternative activities. "How do you incorporate condom use into a skit involving insects and flowers?" asked Lola Hairraiser, spokesperson for Citizens Advocating Civic Action (CACA). "This program will drive these kids back into the dark ages."

Ms. Hermione Flowchart, superintendent of the Omaha School District, believes differently. Commenting on the cross-pollination skit pictured here she smilingly said, "The presentations are very picturesque and quaint and cover the subject matter completely. "This program will allow the children to use their imaginations in a more positive way. "In addition," added Ms. Flowchart, "the district will save several hundred dollars a month on bananas."

Those against the change however, have intimated that they may file a lawsuit to bring back the former program which included filmed demonstrations of various sex acts, lessons in alternatives to intercourse, a segment on avoidance of STD's and treatment of STD's, as well as distribution of free condoms.

-30-

Saturday, February 25, 2006

Does the world make sense to you?

Does the world make sense to you?
Have you got it all figured out?
Do you have a ready explanation for everything that is happening in the world?
Me too. I have always thought that it would be the worst kind of nightmare, to be unsure,
to lack the grounded, rational understanding of existence. To lack confidence in your beliefs, guessing your way through life.
Which is why it is hard for me to understand someone’s rationale who isn’t grounded in reality.
And it’s also why my confidence in what I believe doesn’t register as true to them-”No one can know for sure, and all these people like Doug are fooling themselves, are self-deceived.” That is a defense mechanism.
My beliefs, as true, threaten to tear down yours; they are mutually exclusive. So for the preservation of your world view, mine must either be ignored or torn down to the point where it’s just a pile of rubble no bigger than your own- that you can live with.
Lets look at those two world views for a moment-
I believe in God, the same God who created everything and created us for His purposes; He and His Word are the solid ground I build my house on. My world view accepts only one possibility-that God exists and He is the same God who led the Israelites out of Egypt and led me out of the World and into His family. In accepting Him, I reject all others.
On the other hand, someone whose world view rejects that same God, doesn’t know for sure who or what God is, but is certain that it can’t be the God which the Bible or Doug talk about-that person’s house is built on shifting sand, and the defense mechanisms can get quite loud and dangerous.

Yes, in part I’m talking about Islam again. Go ahead and click off to another site-I’m tired of hearing about it, too.
Though paying lip service to Jews and Christians, calling them “The People of the Book”, Islam rejects the God we worship.
And just like the alcoholic who cannot admit to his problem, but goes into a rage if anyone suggests that there IS a problem...Muslims rage (Moderate Muslims fume quietly) against anyone who doesn’t respect Islam.
And that rage is irrational. As in-not rational, as in-doesn’t make sense or square with reality.
An intervention is needed. Rather than placate them, or pay lip service to their fantasy of Allah and his Prophet, pretending that it is real, I suggest that they need to hear the Gospel-the Good News that they do not have to die in their sins, but can indeed be born again into a right relationship with God.
Who wouldn’t love to see 1.5 billion Muslims blessing their enemies instead of cursing them, loving their neighbors as themselves, turning the other cheek and becoming the meek who inherit the Earth?

Wednesday, February 22, 2006

The Gray-eyed Soul of Random Thoughts Tuesday


Okay, so I’m officially a day late, and always a dollar short for Random Thoughts Tuesday. Not that there’s anything wrong with that. The photo is of distant, distant cousins back in the day. I have no idea who they are; if it’s you, drop me a line, cuz. A fun picture, none the none.

Kepted. I have a new word to share. As in, “She kepted the hamster in the living room.” I actually saw this word at work last night; the alleged writer was American, not an immigrant learning the language-then it wouldn’t be as funny.

Net/Net. I thought it was a myth, a stereotype, a punchline...and then I heard a company president, in a meeting, say, “Net/Net, this will enable us to blah blah blah.” Of course, in Tennis, net/net will cost you.

I picked up one of those birthday cards for someone born in 1957 which tell about the biggest events of their birth year (But of course, the Biggest Event was YOU!).
“Democratic Senator Strom Thurmond of South Carolina delivers a record breaking 24 hour, 18 minute filibuster in an unsuccessful attempt to derail passage of the Civil Rights Act.”
Despicable, Heinous, mullet-headed, and just plain wrong. I’m sure that the Democrats will not be celebrating THAT 50th anniversary next year. Remember how they attempted to string up Trent Lott a few years ago just for making a joke favorable of Strom Thurmond? I think part of it, besides the regular tear down any Republican as opportunity presents, was anger spurred on by shame-shame for the Democratic Party’s history of racism. By the way, for those of you who know mullets only as a hairstyle worn by “Joe Dirt” or as seen on “My Name is Earl” -“Mullet-headed” is in reference to the stupidest fish in the lakes.
I learned (not earned) that appellation while living in Missouri. In Michigan I learned that tourists are “Fudgies”. According to Richard Hooker, seasonal tourists in Maine are “The Summer Complaints”.

“In order to make things easier for the cops, in my brother’s drivers license photo he’s holding a beer.”
That, my friends, is a joke.
“Jimmy Carter backs President Bush on Port deal.”
This, my friends, isn’t. As the leader of the free world (Rush Limbaugh) put it:
“I know it doesn't help this idiot Jimmy Carter has just come out for this port deal. I mean, if Bush really wanted this, Jimmy Carter has just screwed it. Jimmy Carter's just blown this deal sky high by coming out and endorsing it. (Laughing.).” Now charges of racism are flying around: “Are you saying Muslims are all terrorists? Are you saying an Arab company maintaining our largest ports is going to be a National Security danger?”
No and Yes. No, not all Muslims are terrorists-even though, with the exception of Hil Clinton, all current terrorists on the world stage are Muslim. and Yes, I am saying that an Arab company maintaining our largest ports while we are at war with Terrorism worldwide is a National Security danger. For those of you playing along at home, I differ once again from the President on this. So should you.

I have always enjoyed music, and recently I bought a Frank Sinatra collection which opened my eyes to why he was so acclaimed as a singer. He really was great. With Nelson Riddle doing most of the arrangements, Classy becomes Classic-the collection is called Classic Sinatra, and if you see it, give it a listen.

I hope I haven’t kepted you from anything important-almost done.

Maw the French hillbilly was a settin’ on the porch of their shack when one of the young un’s ran up and handed her a package. She looked at it and said,
“You’ve made a mistake, son; this is faux pas.”

Monday, February 20, 2006

Two Front War


There are many who believe that the United States is embroiled in a war which seemingly pits the forces of civilization against the forces of those who seek to destroy that civilization. As evidence they point to Islamic terror around the world, not only against the United States and Israel, but against many other ostensibly inoffensive nations such as the Philippines, Thailand, Australia, and some European countries.

There is however, another war taking place right here within the borders of this country. It too, pits the forces of those who seek to uphold certain values against others who seek to bring down and eliminate those values. It is not a shooting war and so receives less attention than the other, more violent war, but this one is no less destructive and may, in fact, be even more so. The Boy Scouts of America (BSA) has been under attack for some 30 years for standing by its core values. Here they are:

MISSION STATEMENT

The mission of the Boy Scouts of America is to prepare young people to make ethical and moral choices over their lifetimes by instilling in them the values of the Scout Oath and Law.

VISION STATEMENT

The Boy Scouts of America is the nation’s foremost youth program of character development and values-based leadership training.
In the future Scouting will continue to:
*Offer young people responsible fun and adventure;
*Instill in young people lifetime values and develop in them ethical character as expressed
in the Scout Oath and Law;
*Train young people in citizenship, service, and leadership;
*Serve America’s communities and families with its quality, values-based program.

SCOUT OATH
On my honor I will do my best to do my duty to God and my country and to obey the Scout Law; To help other people at all times; To keep myself physically strong, mentally awake, and morally straight.

SCOUT LAW - A Scout is: Trustworthy, Loyal, Helpful, Friendly, Courteous, Kind, Obedient, Cheerful, Thrifty, Brave, Clean, Reverent

Apparently, there are people in this country who find this kind of 'indoctrination' offensive and who have embarked on a campaign to bankrupt the BSA out of existence through lawsuits. That effort is spearheaded by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), a misnomer if ever there was one. This organization which defends the right of sexual predators to propagate information relating to methods of securing sex with children is, as some have observed, the most dangerous organization in America.

Compare the BSA vision statement, scout oath, and scout law with the statement of Roger Nash Baldwin, pictured above. Baldwin, an avowed communist, founded the ACLU in 1920 and staffed it with many of his communist friends. Earl Browder, then general secretary of the Communist Party said the ACLU functioned as "a transmission belt" of the party. Then and ever since the ACLU's primary mission has been to undermine all values relating to God and morality from the American scene. Oh, it has on occasion defended the rights of some upholding those values. They are no different than the Mafie except that the Mafia at least provided people with some illicit pleasure. Even Hamas which sends Palestinian teenagers into Israel as suicide bombers performs occasional charity work among those same Palestinian teenagers.

Does anyone reading this believe that it is unconstitutional to teach adolescent boys to be trustworthy, loyal, helpful, friendly, courteous, kind, obedient, cheerful, thrifty, brave, clean, and reverent? I doubt it, but the ACLU would have you believe that they are defending your civil rights by denying the BSA to teach boys those values. The ACLU must be stopped, but if will only happen if you fight back. Donate to the BSA, write to your representatives, speak publicly if you have the opportunity. The war in America will not go away, it must be fought.

Please visit Boy Scouts of America National Council for further information.

Allan

Washington Welcoming Lincoln to Heaven


My family doesn't ever throw anything away. This picture is from a postcard which was printed just after the death of President Lincoln. Here's a thought:celebrate President's Day not just as a memorial to the past, but take a moment, speak out in appreciation for President Bush and all that he has done for this country. If you can't think of anything, at least consider remaining silent for a day out of respect. You can always rip him up tomorrow.
I'll start. I appreciate that President Bush has remained firm at making war on those who attacked us on 9-11-01. That we have not had another major attack on our soil is a testament to both his and our government's vigilance. President Bush has also kept our fighting forces strong and prepared for the battles nessesary to win the war.
Thank God for President George W. Bush.

Sunday, February 19, 2006

Friday, February 17, 2006

Freedom, By Any Other name...


I love Wikipedia! Generally the relevant information about a subject can be found there, or linked from there.
I had been guilty of running on assumptions-my firmly held beliefs about Islam were based on what I had read here and there, remembered from somewhere else, heard from someone who used to live and work in Saudi Arabia...and then jolly old Roger challenged my assumptions, suggesting that I was raging against a “Paper Asad” and that the Islam he was familiar with from his Muslim friends was nothing like my pre-conceived notions.
Rather than just saying, “Pip Pip! And Bob’s yer uncle!” and moving on with my life, I decided to actually do a little research.
To keep this brief, I will start with only a few of my Islamic notions mentioned in my last post, and see how they stand up to scrutiny. C,mon, it’ll be Fun!

From the post:
“I hearby institute Sadie Hawkins Days to be held on John Wayne’s birthday in every Muslim country.
See if any woman given the free choice of chasing or running away FROM you will show up on your Radar.
If she chooses to run, she is free indeed, and never has to live in fear of you again. I’ll even set up schools and teach the women skills! Take that, Ahab!”
As the Muslim world is under Islamic rule, these questions pertain to women and others in those countries, not the assimilated Western living Muslims. A generalization can still be true.
Do Islamic women have the freedom to choose a mate?
Can Islamic women work outside the home, drive a car in a city, be independent of a man as many women do here in the West?
Are Islamic women allowed to be educated? Dress as she wants, vote?
I didn’t think so, so I went Wiki-ing for some information. Rather than fill pages with quotes written better by those more knowledgeable, I’ll link to them instead. This also cuts down of the “pulling quotes out of context” dismissive argument. Read for yourselves.
This entire site should be read, beginning with the “Read this First” box:
http://www.faithfreedom.org/

Saudi Arabia is our friend? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saudi_Arabia
I chose to check out Saudi Arabia as it is an Islamic state, under Shariah law, and is our... ally in the war on terror? Also, most of the terrorist hijackers on 9-11 were Saudi. What did I find?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human_rights_in_Saudi_Arabia#Women.27s_rights
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human_trafficking_in_Saudi_Arabia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gay_rights_in_Saudi_Arabia

My opinion on homosexuality is that it is a sin, as the Bible clearly states. We have all sinned, and fall short of the Glory of God. But a capital crime, punishable by death?
Many works-based false religions believe that bringing the flesh under the control of the mind and spirit leads to purity. So you have self torture, mutilation, whippings, such as ric has a picture of over at ’Release the Hounds’
http://thehounds.blogspot.com/2006/02/marsellus-wallace-would-be-proud.html#links
Some apologists may suggest that Saudi Arabia is not representative of true Islam-that is, the Islam they see being practiced by their moderate Muslim friends. I posit that if those Muslim friends were somehow transported to live in Saudi Arabia, they would be killed for heretically joining with the Great Satan; that is, Western culture. On the other hand, take Saudi Islamists and place them in the middle of any Western country and what do we have? One of two results: either they buy a pair of jeans, get a job and try to disassociate themselves from Islam, or they refuse to assimilate and wait for Islam to come to them, sometimes helping it along in tramways or on busses.
Here are a few reasons why I oppose Islam.
Beslan.
The young Christian girls beheaded in Indonesia.
Anti-Semitism. No Jew is allowed to enter Saudi Arabia; no visitor, according to Wikipedia, who has a stamp on his passport from Israel can enter either.
The human rights abuses mentioned above, both from Wikipedia and FaithFreedom.
Mostly, I condemn Islam as a false religion, which destroys the lives of it’s adherents and dooms their souls to Hell. Jesus does indeed preach that He is the Way, the Truth, and the Life-all others are imposters.
The most Christian work I can do is to tell the world, including adherents of Islam and all other false religions, that they are on the wrong path, and that there is Salvation possible only through Jesus Christ.
The apologist who suggests that the Islamist will not listen if I am offensive and disrespectful of Islam is missing a very important point: who can yell the loudest or the longest does not determine who is right. If that were so, we’d have a Democrat in the White House right now. The Gospel, the good news of God’s plan for Salvation can touch any heart; Christians are given the task of proclaiming that fact to the world. God touches the hearts and brings people back into a right relationship with Himself.
According to Walid Shoebat, http://www.shoebat.com/ ...if a Christian man witnesses to an Islamic woman, she can be killed by the Islamists for being sullied, having been spoken to by an unbeliever. Read that again. She is stained, and can be killed, because a non-Muslim witnessed to her. That’s how tightly Islam keeps its adherents chained by fear. That is the religion of Hate. Islam is the enemy of humanity.
Contrast Islam with:
“For God so loved that world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life. For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him.”

Thursday, February 16, 2006

Ann Coulter For President! (less offensive title for post)


Okay Islamists! Your new day has begun! I am now telling you what to do, and if you resist, so help me Allah, right before you appear on CNN I will untie your head scarves and tie them back up again so they look just Horrible!
What do you think of THAT, Mohammed? I laugh at your beard which scares young backwards children! HAH!
As you think you can dictate to the West, I now DEMAND that you in Muslandia do things MY way, even though I am just one man who will never visit your countries, read your newspaper cartoons or vote in your fake elections.
HAH! HAH!
If you do not bow to my wishes RIGHT NOW, you’re going to need Allah’s older brother and all of his shiftless friends to clean up the mess you will make on the floors while shaking in fear!
You may have done it all your lives, but you do not yet know the meaning of TERROR!
You see, allah stinkin bomb attacks and flag burnings you’ve done so far are just amateur night at St. Stevie’s Bingo Hall-you may be able to put thousands of bodies out on the streets yelpin and carryin on like they’re mad about somethin...but I got the Q-Bomb, baby, and I’m willing to use it!
First, a few lesser demands:

I hearby institute Sadie Hawkins Days to be held on John Wayne’s birthday in every Muslim country.
See if any woman given the free choice of chasing or running away FROM you will show up on your Radar.
If she chooses to run, she is free indeed, and never has to live in fear of you again. I’ll even set up schools and teach the women skills! Take that, Ahab!

I hearby declare that all political hotspots in Muslandia (Iran, Syria, France-you know who you are) be replaced with WiFi hotspots, so people can hook up to the ‘Net with decent speed, even when d/l the latest episode of “Lost”.

I demand that you give back the United Nations. No whining-I know it hasn’t been of much use to you, but it has sentimental value to me-Danny Kaye used to head UNICEF, and I loved him in “The Court Jester”!

My final demand for Today is the biggie. Oil, $20.00 a barrel. You can still make a profit, but will no longer be the tool turning the hexnuts of the world’s economy. $25.00 a barrel if you invest in educating your populations in how to make Peace instead of War-and I’ll be judging honest effort. Keep on hating and me and my Q-Bomb will have you wishing you could get .25 cents a barrel for that stuff!

So take heed, you unworthies who do not even know how to dress for the Theater! I can get pretty darned ticked off, and my finger is just a few feet away from the Q-Bomb at all times; so make my day, or I’ll remake yours Forever.

Tuesday, February 14, 2006

A Valentine for You

I read this article today that started me thinking about love, and what God’s word says love is. If you’ve spent anytime at all listening to a pastor teach, you may have heard that the bible uses four Greek words for love: Philía is the Greek word for love between friends--brotherly love, I guess. Storgé is an affectionate love in a family, especially between parents and children. Éros is basically attraction, sometimes sexual, but also can describe the pull towards God, or the attraction of the unsaved to the Saints. Agápe (Latin charitas) (English word derivative cherishing) is spiritual, the unselfish Christian love summed up by Paul in 1 Corinthians 13.

Of course, I think it would be safe to say that the highest of these would be agápe, the love that does not always run with the natural inclination, that seeks the welfare of all and works no ill to any, in search of opportunity to do good to all men. [From notes on Thessalonians, by Hogg and Vine, p. 105/ Vine’s Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words]. This is the kind of love that all Christians should desire to show to the world. We nurture this kind of love when we strive to understand and obey God. But since this is Valentine’s Day, I am going to go on for a moment about the attraction that is, in this culture anyway, the instigator of most romantic relationships.

I wasn’t a Christian and was very young when I met my husband, so any noble attitude about love was lost on me at that time. It was all about the attraction. I did what came naturally when it came to sexual attraction, and –yada yada yada-, I became pregnant. My husband, who was not a Christian, but a good and honorable guy, married me, and pretty soon we had a family, and affectionate family love has been a part of our lives since.

It is a grave error to choose a mate based solely on attraction, and my marriage lasting 31 years is the exception to the rule, and I can only say that God has intervened mightily in it. Anyone considering marriage must realize that besides the decision to follow Jesus, your choice of a life-long mate is the most important decision you will ever make. Many of the attractions to our mate are completely foolish and wrong. In fact, so many things I found attractive about my husband were simply not true, but were day-dreams that I carried on in a sort of imaginary relationship in my head. And my husband has said things to me that make me realize he wasn’t really attracted to the real me either, but more to the me he thought I should be. Sometimes we commit to a person we don’t really know. This is the truth of the matter--what makes the love work is not the attraction, but the commitment. And although I know there are marriages that last without the Lord, it seems to me so much more difficult to make it through the trials with dignity and hope without that firm foundation that is the Lord, and the commitment to Him to hang in there.

It’s funny, but the attraction that brought my husband and I together and seemed so irresistible in my youth has become the least of the “loves” in my life. I am not making a comment on my sex life here. I am just pointing out that attracting love is the one love that diminishes just as surely as one must age. And sometimes the thing that was attractive at the time (“Isn’t it cute how he can fall asleep anywhere?”) becomes the very thing that drives us crazy (“It is so annoying when he falls asleep in church!”).

A cord of three strands is stronger than a cord of two. I thank God that He is the other strand that has made the commitment to love strong in my life.

Love Not Me
by John Wilbye

Love not me for comely grace,
For my pleasing eye or face,

Nor for any outward part:
No, nor for a constant heart!
For these may fail or turn to ill:
Should thou and I sever.

Keep, therefore, a true woman's eye,
And love me still, but know not why!
So hast thou the same reason still
To dote upon me ever.

*******************
Happy Valentine’s Day!

And here’s a funny joke that reminded me of Doug: Two cannibals are eating a clown. One cannibal turns to the other and asks, "This taste funny to you?"
Bud ump um.

le

Sunday, February 12, 2006

Need A Fulltime Job?


Abraham Lincoln was born in Hardin County, Kentucky on February 12, 1809. Interestingly, Charles Darwin was born on the same day in Shrewsbury, England. While Lincoln spent his life trying to convince people that they were all created equal, Darwin spent his trying to convince them that they weren't created at all.

We all remember the stories of Lincoln's childhood in Kentucky and Indiana, how he was born into the Godly family of Tom Lincoln and Nancy Hanks, how deeply affected he was by the death of his beloved mother when he was ten, and the death of his older sister, Sarah in 1828. We know of his move to Illinois, how he studied on his own, and how he eventually entered into politics. We know how devastated he was by the untimely death of his first true love, Anne Rutledge, and his subsequent marriage to Mary Todd, a woman who always considered him beneath her. Perhaps we even remember that of their four sons only one, Robert, survived his 19th birthday. We may recall the famous debates with Stephen Douglas in the course of which he first broached the subject of slavery. Surely we remember his November 19, 1863 visit to Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. With thousands of white crosses stretching as far as the eye could see President Lincoln gave the most memorable and most often recited speech of his life. Edward Everett, the renowned orator and principal speaker of the day, spoke for two hours. Lincoln spoke for two minutes. After Lincoln had finished, Everett passed him a note of appreciation which read, "I should be glad, if I could flatter myself that I came as near to the central idea of the occasion, in two hours, as you did in two minutes."

We all know, or should know, the Gettysburg Address. It's words and imperatives should be emblazoned on the heart of every American. I reproduce it here because if you don't know it, you should and if you do...it doesn't hurt to be reminded.

"Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent, a new nation, conceived in Liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal.

Now we are engaged in a great civil war, testing whether that nation, or any nation so conceived and so dedicated, can long endure. We are met on a great battle-field of that war. We have come to dedicate a portion of that field, as a final resting place for those who here gave their lives that that nation might live. It is altogether fitting and proper that we should do this.

But, in a larger sense, we can not dedicate -- we can not consecrate -- we can not hallow -- this ground. The brave men, living and dead, who struggled here, have consecrated it, far above our poor power to add or detract. The world will little note, nor long remember what we say here, but it can never forget what they did here. It is for us the living, rather, to be dedicated here to the unfinished work which they who fought here have thus far so nobly advanced. It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us -- that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion -- that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain -- that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom -- and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth."


On November 10, 1977, in a speech at Hillsdale College in Michigan, then President Ronald Reagan remarked, "Freedom is ... never more than one generation away from extinction." If the final words of the Gettysburg Address are not part of your daily life, you are living on borrowed time paid for by others. Freedom isn't just a word; it's a fulltime job.

Nuda Veritas

So They Want a Cartoon Fight, Do They?


When Allan mentioned Pogo over at Michael's site I went over to my bookshelf and took down an old Pogo book; Here imagine Pogo as representing Denmark and all of the West-while Churchy and Ol' Owl with their manufactured outrage fill in quite nicely for the Muslims pursuing their agenda. It not an exact allegory, as Pogo tries to placate them by swearing an oath-but since Walt Kelly drew this in the early 1950's-close enough for comparison.
Elsewhere I've noted that it was an Arab who invented the game of Chess-and that this current cartoon crisis is the latest gambit of a global chess game, with the Muslims guaging our reactions to their 'moves', modifying their attack, seeking Checkmate.
Praise God we have a King who can't be captured, lured into an indefensible position, or even stalemated. It was never even a contest:Jesus Christ has Won. And the Muslims are among the sore losers.
Here's a related thought which may seem unrelated:
"Satan has never had a single friend."

Tuesday, February 07, 2006

Time To Answer The Call


It's time to stand up and be counted. Denmark, population five and a half million living within sixteen and a half thousand square miles is under attack by Islamic extremism. This tolerant little nation which ferried all but a few of its Jewish citizens to safety even while occupied by the Nazis, part of the coalition to liberate Kuwait, Kosovo, Afghanistan, Iraq, Denmark is now the battleground in the coming war, the Islamicization of the world. The extremists want Sha'aria law to become part of national law, an impossibility if freedom of speech and religion are to prevail.

Do a little research on the allegedly offensive cartoons which were first published last September or save time and read Michelle Malkin who has already researched this manufactured controversy. Follow the links for the full story and then sign the petition in support of Denmark and buy Danish goods.

When the world was largely against us, Denmark stood with us. It's time to repay the favor. Don't sit this one out, the price for doing nothing is too high.

First they came for the communists, and I did not speak out - -
because I was not a communist;
Then they came for the socialists, and I did not speak out - -
because I was not a socialist;
Then they came for the trade unionists, and I did not speak out - -
because I was not a trade unionist;
Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out - -
because I was not a Jew;
Then they came for me - -
and there was no one left to speak out for me.

Martin Niemoeller

I pray that Denmark not cave in to the intimidation. I pray that the rest of the civilized world stand by Denmark. I pray that the enemies of civilization may be confounded in their efforts. I pray that the Lord come now.

Nuda Veritas

“Git Yer Biscuits”

Al right. All Right. Okay. When the Earth starts spinning into grimmer shadows,
sometimes we need to take a breather. One of the natural states of man is to be laughing.
We cherish the entertainers who make us laugh, the funny uncle with the bad jokes (me), the wordsmiths who punctuate a page with laughter and wisdom, from Mark Twain to Kinky Friedman to Lewis Grizzard (Did I miss anybody?).
We’ve all read Mark Twain, some under duress, with a chalk eraser pointed at our head.
Not as many will have read Kinky Friedman, musician, novelist, writer of etiquette guides and recently biographical sketches of some of his friends (‘Scuse Me While I Whip This Out’-Willy Nelson, George Bush, Don Imus and others across the social plains). In these politically correct days I refuse to mention his ode to Women‘s Liberation. But you could look it up. (Hint: the name of this post)
Here’s a health tip: Go to a used bookstore and find and read Lewis Grizzard. Journalist, columnist, Atlanta Braves Fan. Author of many fine musings collected in:
“I Haven’t Understood Anything Since 1962 (And Other Nekkid Truths)”
“Shoot Low, Boys, They’re Riding Shetland Ponies”
“You Can’t Put No Boogie-Woogie on the King of Rock and Roll” and of course,
“Don’t Bend Over in the Garden, Granny, ‘Cause You Know Them Tater’s Got Eyes.”

And have fun out there.

Sunday, February 05, 2006

Who Let Her In?


I’ve been reading a lot about the most recent Islamic upheaval, and I can see that there is a wide divergence of opinions even among conservatives about what is going on. Some think it’s a tempest in a teapot, others feel it is the global continuance of the French riots of last Summer; I don’t know.
But I do know this: Look at the lives of those who are motivated by hate. See how they run. See how miserable they are, how negative they are. In the collage that I put together-see the woman smiling, pointing above her head at the caricature of President Bush losing his? That part I didn’t touch-she really is pointing at that sign with a smile on her face.
Hate eats you up until there’s nothing left but rotted squash and stinky bones.
I don’t hate, but do feel sorry for the Muslim trapped by fear in a hateful false religion. Fear feeds the anger feeds the pride feeds the riots.
So why do I post pictures like this? Because I love being free, and I love living in a country where we have the freedom to speak our minds. And I wanted the picture to be a mirror-I want that smiling woman to see how hateful her actions are. I want the Muslim to see what free speech can be like-that the Terroristic Islamists cannot run roughshod over free speech in the West as they do in Islamic countries.
Free speech -I exercised my free speech today by deleting comments made by Antigone here. They weren’t all negative, they weren’t all argumentative, or disrespectful; but some were, and I just cleaned house. After I had edited offensive comments from her awhile back, she posted a link back to her blog where she really cut loose with the vileness, knowing that I and others would check out the link. She has the right to say whatever she wants on her site-that is absolutely free speech. But when she’s a guest, she should remember that she’s a guest, and attempt to be polite. If all she has are arguments-if all she is IS contrary--so sorry, busy enjoying life here; come back last week and try again.

Friday, February 03, 2006

Some Words Last


In keeping with the light-hearted subject matter of this week I decided to scour my memory of memorable movie lines which impressed me through the years. Some occurred in conversations which provide context and make the line more meaningful, but I restricted my list to only the memorable line. I used no particular criteria except whatever came off the top of my head and then I checked the line for accuracy via Google & imdb searches. I came up with thirty particularly tittilating ones, at least to me, and here they are in chronological order.

NOTE: I know I omitted the line corresponding to the picture ("We'll always have Paris." Humphrey Bogart, Casablanca (1942), but that would have made 31. Anyway, I love the picture and besides now it is included.

01. "Well, here's another nice mess you've gotten me into." Oliver Hardy, Sons Of The Desert (1933)

02. "Oh, no! It wasn't the airplanes. It was Beauty killed the Beast." Robert Armstrong, King Kong (1933)

03. "But what in the world do they want a trumpet for?" Maidel Turner, It Happened One Night (1934)

04. "Frankly my dear, I don't give a damn." Clark Gable, Gone With The Wind (1939)

05. "I'll think about it tomorrow." Vivien Leigh, Gone With The Wind (1939)

06. "Toto, I've a feeling we're not in Kansas anymore." Judy Garland, The Wizard Of Oz (1939)

07. "Rock, sometime when the team is up against it and the breaks are beating the boys, tell them to go out there with all they got and win just one for the Gipper." Ronald Reagan, Knute Rockne: All-American (1940)

08. "Maybe that makes us tough. Rich fellas come up an' they die, an' their kids ain't no good, an' they die out. But we keep a-comin'. We're the people that live. Can't nobody wipe us out. Can't nobody lick us. We'll go on forever, Pa. We're the people." Jane Darwell, The Grapes Of Wrath (1940)

09. "The, uh, the stuff that dreams are made of." Humphrey Bogart, The Maltese Falcon (1941)

10. "Badges? We ain't got no badges. We don't need no badges. I don't have to show you any stinking badges!" Alfonso Bedoya, Treasure Of Sierra Madre (1948)

11. "In Italy for thirty years under the Borgias they had warfare, terror, murder, bloodshed - they produced Michelangelo, Leonardo da Vinci and the Renaissance. In Switzerland they had brotherly love, five hundred years of democracy and peace and what did that produce? The cuckoo clock." Orson Welles, The Third Man (1949)

12. "Fasten your seatbelts, it's going to be a bumpy night." Bette Davis, All About Eve (1950)

13. "Alright Mr. DeMille, I'm ready for my closeup." Gloria Swanson, Sunset Boulevard (1950)

14. "He'll regret this to his dying day, if ever he lives that long." Victor McLaglen, The Quiet Man (1950)

15. " Well, I've wrestled with reality for 35 years, doctor, and I'm happy to state I finally won out over it." James Stewart, Harvey (1950)

16. "Gort! Klaatu barada nikto." Michael Rennie & Patricia Neal, The Day The Earth Stood Still (1951)

17. "You don't understand! I could've had class. I could've been a contender. I could've been somebody, instead of a bum, which is what I am. Let's face it......It was you, Charley." Marlon Brando, On The Waterfront (1954)

18. "Don't he never sleep?" Billy Chapin, Night Of The Hunter (1955)

19. "Don't ask me again...don't ever ask me again." John Wayne, The Searchers (1956)

20. "It's a far, far better thing I do than I have ever done. It's a far, far better rest I go to than I have ever known." Dirk Bogarde, A Tale Of Two Cities (1958)

21. "Gentlemen! You can't fight in here, this is the war room." Peter Sellers, Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned To Stop Worrying And Love The Bomb (1964)

22. "Mrs. Robinson, you're trying to seduce me. Aren't you?" Dustin Hoffman, The Graduate (1967)

23. "Dave, stop. Stop, will you? Stop, Dave. Will you stop, Dave? Stop, Dave. I'm afraid. I'm afraid, Dave. Dave, my mind is going. I can feel it. I can feel it. My mind is going. There is no question about it." Hal (disembodied computer voice), 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)

24. "Afghanistan Bananastan" Robert Redford, The Hot Rock (1972)

25. "Bleucher! Bleucher!" Marty Feldman, Young Frankenstein (1974)

26. "You're gonna need a bigger boat." Roy Scheider, Jaws (1975)

27. "I love the smell of napalm in the morning, you know one time we had a hill bomb, 12 hours. When it was all over I walked up, we didn't find one of them, not one stinking dink body. Smell, that gasoline smell, smells like.....Victory." Robert Duvall, Apocolypse Now (1979)

28. "They're not gonna catch us. We're on a mission from God." Dan Akroyd, The Blues Brothers (1980)

29. "If you build it, he will come." Disembodied Voice (God?), Field Of Dreams (1989)

30. "Houston, we have a problem." Tom Hanks, Apollo 13 (1995)

I'm stopping at thirty only because I'm tired of searching and you're tired of reading (if you've even gotten this far). This list could easily extend to a thousand and more because there are so many lines which just knock your socks off, but because they are surrounded by action or other distractions they don't have the impact they might otherwise have had. They become throw-away lines and get lost in the shuffle. I'm sure I left off some of your favorite lines, especially since my list is predominantly pre-1980. Feel free to hate my list, produce your own, or ignore it altogether. Whatever your choice though, enjoy it.

By the way, maybe someone could come up with a list of forgettable lines. That might be even more fun.

Allan

Just enough time on my hands...




Grrr. Muslims are angry because cartoons hurt their little feelings, and they must either cry or demonstrate against Denmark. Remember, folks, you can't spell demonstrate without beginning with 'demon'. Actually, the devil DOES make them do it-the Bible calls him 'The Father of Lies' and I think it's pretty well established that he is the Father of Hate, also. These are his kids acting up like they just had their first drink. Grrr.

Yes

This final chapter is being written in the latter part of August, 1944; it is being written under an apple tree in a lovely green orchard in the interior of France. It could well be that the European war will be over and done with by the time you read this book. Or it might not. But the end is inevitable, and it cannot be put off for long. The German is beaten and he knows it.
********
We have won because we have had magnificent top leadership, at home and in our Allies and with ourselves overseas. Surely America made its two perfect choices in General Eisenhower and General Bradley. They are great men-to me doubly great because they are direct and kind.
********
We won because we were audacious. One could not help but be moved by the colossus of our invasion.
In the emergency of war our nation’s powers are unbelievable. The strength we have spread around the world is appalling even to those who make up the individual cells of that strength. I am sure that in the past two years I have heard soldiers say a thousand times, “If only we could have created all this energy for something good.” But we rise above our normal powers only in times of destruction.
********
We have won this war because our men are brave, and because of many other things-because of Russia, and England, and the passage of time, and the gift of nature’s materials. We did not win it because destiny created us better than all other peoples. I hope that in victory we are more grateful than we are proud. I hope that we can rejoice in victory-but humbly. The dead men would not want us to gloat.
********
Last night we had a violent electrical storm around our countryside. The storm was half over before we realized that the flashes and the crashings around us were not artillery but plain old-fashioned thunder and lightning. It will be odd to hear only thunder again.



These are the words of Ernie Pyle, who was killed by a Japanese sniper eight months later in Okinawa; he was the finest “Embedded reporter” of the Second World War. Michael at Christian Conservative asked, “What is heroism?” and I thought I would share a great example. This came from the final chapter of his book, “Brave Men”.
Are there any Ernie Pyles writing today? Yes.

http://michaelyon-online.com/

Thursday, February 02, 2006

A Bit O' Fun

Name five movies that you can watch over and over.

My choices:

Shawshank Redemption
The Count of Monte Cristo
Dumb & Dumber
A Christmas Story
Napoleon Dynamite

Painfully obvious I'm no movie connoisseur (yes, I had to look up the spelling of that!). I've never seen Wuthering Heights, All Quiet on the Western Front or the Godfather, or a lot of movies that are supposedly great. But I don't want the movies you think are the best, just the ones you would feel happy about seeing again tonight.

Anyway, let me see your list.

le

Wednesday, February 01, 2006

This is for le

At two o’clock in the morning,
the barking dog blues become very apparent to all
like me, who are still evaded by sleep.
You can only turn your pillow so many times before it seems
to have come straight from an oven.
Opening and closing your eyes really does nothing
In the dark, but Hey!
If there was ever a time to do that which is in our opinion best
it’s at two o’clock in the dark morning
when the barking dog blues overtake the unrested.

Ah... Finally... You’re about to drop off...
your body grins to itself...
knowing it wont be long now...

WHA? That Dog! Two houses down!
Starts defending his yard against the tree-rustling wind!

The barking dog blues cover like three heavy blankets
And falling from your window because you’re half-screaming asleep only
makes it worse.
Believe me-I know.

Good Day/Bad Day

A good day. A bad day.

Miscellaneous thought: I love archeology!

le

Barking Dog Snoring Husband

Apologies to Ang Lee. Bark! Bark! Snoring. Bark! Bark! Snoring. Bark! Bark! Snoring. Endless, annoying noise.

What an abysmal night of non-sleep! Chow Yun Fat, take me away!

le