When I Say, "I Am A Christian..."

I thought this poem, recited by our pastor last week,  was worth sharing... 

When I say..."I am a Christian"
I'm not shouting "I am saved"
I'm whispering "I get lost!"
"That is why I chose this way." 

When I say..."I am a Christian" 
I don't speak of this with pride.
I'm confessing that I stumble
and need someone to be my guide. 

When I say..."I am a Christian" 
I'm not trying to be strong.
I'm professing that I'm weak
and pray for strength to carry on. 

When I say..."I am a Christian"
I'm not bragging of success.
I'm admitting I have failed
and cannot ever pay the debt.  

When I say..."I am a Christian"
I'm not claiming to be perfect,
my flaws are too visible
but God believes I'm worth it. 

When I say..."I am a Christian"
I still feel the sting of pain
I have my share of heartaches
which is why I seek His name. 

When I say..."I am a Christian" 
I do not wish to judge. 
I have no authority.
I only know I'm loved.

The Abiding Faith Of Warm-ongers - Investors.com

In between shoveling the white stuff, take some time to consider what 'science' has been telling us for the last twenty years...

The Abiding Faith Of Warm-ongers - Investors.com

O Come, O Come Emmanuel by Selah

Christianity with Cojones - HUMAN EVENTS

Christianity with Cojones - HUMAN EVENTS

Sermon on the Nativity of Jesus Christ by John Calvin

If you find time to do little else this Christmas, I urge you to read and ponder this gem from Calvin.

If this were to be the sum of your theological study all year, then you have delved deeper than most.

He does a great job in helping us to wrap our minds around the greatest gift of all time:
God with Us - Emmanual........God in Us - the Hope of Glory........Hallelujah!!!

The Nature of the Incarnation, Part 1 (8/22/1999)

Essential Christmas reading; Part I of III by John MacArthur.

Let every heart prepare him room, and heaven and nature sing...

The Nature of the Incarnation, Part 1 (8/22/1999)

Unpluggable: The Wikileaks Saga - The Economist 12/10

http://www.economist.com/node/17633606

The Way Diseases of the Psyche are Diagnosed is Rapidly Changing - The Economist 10/10

http://www.economist.com/node/17248900

Who Got Stimulated? - Alexander's Essays - PatriotPost.US

Who Got Stimulated? - Alexander's Essays - PatriotPost.US

Bombs Don't Kill People, Terrorists do

Bombs Don't Kill People, Terrorists do

The utilization of government-sponsored groping in efforts to uncover possible terror-laden junk in the trunk has become the stuff of farce. This article lays out the case for common sense reasoning in our intelligence efforts, which has been lacking ever since 9/11 morphed from an act of terror to a 'man-caused disaster'. When intelligence operations are based on political correctness instead of observable facts sifted through the laws of logic and deduction, we jeopardize lives and waste taxpayer money. Fort Hood could have been prevented if people were not afraid to buck the PC police and call a potential terrorist a potential terrorist - or at least a nut job. If the perpetrator were a white guy in a red pickup truck, I'll go out on a limb and say that tragedy never would have happened - he would have been reported and removed well before he went off the deep end. Not only are lives compromised, but we also waste considerable money by not expending it to get the most bang for the buck. For example, as a general rule it is a waste of time and money to feel up a 60 year old white nun who doesn't fit any known terrorist profile.

Somewhere along the line, 'intelligence' has become a casualty of 'security', with the result being that everyone's safety is compromised, and that's just dumb.

The Paradox of the Welfare State - Freeman Online Classic

Losses double for U.S. Postal Service

Losses double for U.S. Postal Service

The Progressive-Communist Alliance - Accuracy in Media 11/12

If you think that progressivism and communism are separate and distinct, think again...

The Tea Party Demystified

Why Liberals Don't Get the Tea Party Movement

Whether you lean right, left or tiptoe on top of a fence, this is required reading if you want to understand the real issues surrounding this most unusual election season.   Our most highly vaunted educational institutions have largely scrapped inculcating students in the historical narrative of the roots of our Republic, resulting in a constitutional illiteracy that makes enlightened  debate almost impossible. This Wall Street Journal editorial gives some good background on why the left is so seemingly incapable of understanding the Tea Party phenomenon.

Poverty Pimps - Alexander's Essays - PatriotPost.US

It is essential that we understand not just parties but principles as we go to the polls in a few weeks - redistribution of wealth from those who produce it to those who do not is not only bad for the country, but such a policy strips man of his dignity and therefore constitutes not just bad policy, but evil policy.  It is completely at odds with the guiding principle of our Declaration of Independence, which is man's liberty to pursue his own happiness.  Fostering dependence replaces the blessing of liberty with the  shackles of enslavement.  Our form of government correctly recognized the dignity of the individual, while restraining government as the power to be kept in check.  Government dependence as a matter of policy wrongly elevates the state as the benevolent patriarch, while denigrating the worth of the individual.   It is unAmerican at its core.

Poverty Pimps - Alexander's Essays - PatriotPost.US

Faultless Before His Glory: Can You IMAGINE?!

"Faultless before the presence of His glory." — Jude 1:24

Charles Haddon Spurgeon:  Revolve in your mind that wondrous word, faultless!" We are far off from it now; but as our Lord never stops short of perfection in His work of love, we shall reach it one day. The Saviour who will keep His people to the end, will also present them at last to Himself, as "a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing, but holy and without blemish." All the jewels in the Saviour's crown are of the first water and without a single flaw. All the maids of honour who attend the Lamb's wife are pure virgins without spot or stain. But how will Jesus make us faultless? He will wash us from our sins in His own blood until we are white and fair as God's purest angel; and we shall be clothed in His righteousness, that righteousness which makes the saint who wears it positively faultless; yea, perfect in the sight of God. We shall be unblameable and unreproveable even in His eyes. His law will not only have no charge against us, but it will be magnified in us. Moreover, the work of the Holy Spirit within us will be altogether complete. He will make us so perfectly holy, that we shall have no lingering tendency to sin. Judgment, memory, will—every power and passion shall be emancipated from the thraldom of evil. We shall be holy even as God is holy, and in His presence we shall dwell for ever. Saints will not be out of place in heaven, their beauty will be as great as that of the place prepared for them. Oh the rapture of that hour when the everlasting doors shall be lifted up, and we, being made meet for the inheritance, shall dwell with the saints in light. Sin gone, Satan shut out, temptation past for ever, and ourselves "faultless" before God, this will be heaven indeed! Let us be joyful now as we rehearse the song of eternal praise so soon to roll forth in full chorus from all the blood-washed host; let us copy David's exultings before the ark as a prelude to our ecstasies before the throne.  

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

Spurgeon unpacks this profoundly simple verse beautifully.  My mind is so often stubbornly fixed upon that most microscopic speck of the universe:  me.  This of course, causes untold calamity when I, as the proud captain of my own ship, continue to run it aground at every turn, while never seeming to run out of others to blame.   The sails were improperly set; the deck hands screwed up, etc., etc.  Yielding to His will as a matter of course is a struggle for me, and while it does become less so over time, I know the struggle itself will remain until my last earthly breath.  These words from Jude are a great comfort, knowing that it is God, not me, who is able not only to save me (as if that were not enough!), but to keep me, sustain me, and ultimately present me, spotless before the Father and robed in the righteousness of Jesus Christ!  When I think about how  graciously and completely He covers over every ugly, painful and sin-scarred part of my life, I am overwhelmed with a gratitude that cannot be captured in words.

Looking forward to worship this morning!

Abortion can be perilous to both victims

And the Band Played On

Reading this article, my mind replayed scenes from the movies depicting the sinking of the RMS Titanic, while the multiplex in my head resonated with Harry Chapin's 'Dance Band on the Titanic'. The similarities between the dramatization of reality and actual events being played out on the stage of life are striking, if unwelcome and sadly pathetic...

My cousin just sent me this story - probably been hanging around the internet for awhile now, but it's the first I've seen of it and found it well worth sharing:

Grandpa's Hands

        

Grandpa, some ninety plus years, sat feebly on the patio bench.   He didn't move, just sat with his head down staring at his hands.  When I sat down beside him he didn't acknowledge my presence and the longer I sat I wondered if he was ok. Finally, not really wanting to disturb him but wanting to check on him at the same time, I asked him if he was okay.

He raised his head and looked at me and smiled.  "Yes, I'm fine, thank you for asking" he said in a clear strong voice.

"I didn't mean to disturb you, grandpa, but you were just sitting here staring at your hands and I wanted to make sure you were OK."  I explained to him.

"Have you ever looked at your hands?" he asked, "I mean really looked at your hands?" I slowly opened my hands and stared down at them.  I turned them over, palms up and then palms down.  No, I guess I had never really looked at my hands as I tried to figure out the point he was making.

Grandpa smiled and related this story:

"Stop and think for a moment about the hands you have, how they have
served you well throughout your years.  These hands, though wrinkled, shriveled and weak have been the tools I have used all my life to reach out and grab and embrace life. 

They braced and caught my fall when as a toddler I crashed upon the floor. 

They put food in my mouth and clothes on my back. 

As a child my mother taught me to fold them in prayer.  

"They tied my shoes and pulled on my boots. 

They held my rifle and wiped my tears when I went off to war. 

They have been dirty, scraped and raw, swollen and bent.

"They were uneasy and clumsy when I tried to hold my newborn son. 

Decorated with my wedding band they showed the world that I was married and loved someone special. 

They wrote the letters home and trembled and shook when I buried my parents and spouse and walked my daughter down the aisle.

"Yet, they were strong and sure when I dug my buddy out of a foxhole and lifted a plow off of my best friend's foot.  

They have held children, consoled neighbors, and shook in fists of anger when I didn't understand.  

They have covered my face, combed my hair, and washed and cleansed the rest of my body.  

They have been sticky and wet, bent and broken, dried and raw.  

"And to this day when not much of anything else of me works real well these hands hold me up, lay me down, and again continue to fold in prayer.  

These hands are the mark of where I've been and the ruggedness of my life.  

"But more importantly it will be these hands that God will reach out and take when he leads me home.  And with my hands, He will lift me to His side and there I will use these hands to touch the face of Christ."

I will never look at my hands the same again.  I remember that it was not too long after that God reached out and took my grandpa's hands and led him home.  

When my hands are hurt or sore or when I stroke the face of my children and wife, I think of grandpa.  I know he has been stroked and caressed and held by the hands of God.  I, too, want to touch the face of God and feel his hands upon my face.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~author unknown~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; 

then we shall see face to face. 

Now I know in part; 

then I shall know fully, 

even as I am fully known.

1 Cor. 13:12

The American Dream of Home Ownership Has Become a Nightmare - US News and World Report

The American Dream of Home Ownership Has Become a Nightmare - US News and World Report

Examiner Editorial: Obamacare is even worse than critics thought | Washington Examiner

Examiner Editorial: Obamacare is even worse than critics thought | Washington Examiner

I really hate to say 'I told you so', but in this instance, it's sort of necessary.....told you so!

We The People

Our Day of Shared Despair

Several decades ago people actually talked about where they were when Kennedy was shot.  I remember not thinking much of it until I was older, relegating it to one of those odd instances where detailed memories of the mundane are forever implanted in the brain, based on some traumatic experience that occurred while people were otherwise engaged in the banalities of life.


I have experienced a few such seared-in memories myself, like the early September morning in 1972 when I  came down the stairs, surprised to see my dad still home, until he quietly told me that I didn't have to go to school that day, because my mother had passed away during the night.  I vividly recall crimping the rough wool skirt of my school uniform into my 12-year old hand as I twisted it in my fist, held my breath and bounded back up the stairs to my room, where I promptly buried my head into my pillow and let out a silent scream that arose from unknown depths.  Sharing a room with 2 sisters afforded little privacy to mourn without rivals, and looking back I realize that residing in a family of  7 children carried with it (for me) the further distress of burying my pain for fear of appearing weak and helpless to my friends and family, instead of the confident, smug, almost-teenager I was certain I was.   While the brain cancer did not take my mother suddenly from my midst, familial denial made the penetrating sting as sharp and immediate as if it had been thrust upon me without warning, the sheer force and momentum of which caught me completely unawares.


This is something of how I imagined the September 11th families may have felt twenty-nine years later when the collective rug was pulled out from under all of us.  The horror and the pain of that day cut a hole in America's heart, even as most of us could thank God that the same knife spared our own loved ones.

On that morning we were engaged in any number of the endless ordinary actions that make up our seemingly ordinary days.  Some took advantage of the glorious early autumn weather to enjoy a walk through their neighborhood.  Others rushed to make a morning meeting, feeling hemmed in by the gridlock that defines rush hour in the city.  Still others were home, scanning their morning paper over a steaming cup of coffee, glancing every so often at the muted news.  Perhaps the only thing we held in common that day was that we were all in the process of taking life for granted, existing in the seeming autonomy of our own little bubbles of individual identity - separate lives occasionally coalescing into the stifled comfort of larger masses of humanity, usually of our own choosing.  All of it was quite 'not bad' - we had so much to be thankful for, even if we failed to acknowledge it, until the fine fall morning when suddenly and without warning,  the very whole of life became horribly and inexplicably far more precious than we ever dared imagine, as the rude smack of its brevity fell upon every American on the 11th of  September - the day we shared our despair.


I grew up in NJ, in the shadow of the New York city skyline.  When my husband and I began dating, he often took me into the city, which he knew well and could navigate like a native cabbie (which was not always comfortable!).   One of my fondest memories from that time was having dinner at Windows on the World, which revolved atop one of the towers.  I was quite young (20) and unused to what was to me disarmingly deferential treatment by anyone, and felt quite the princess as we dined and I tried not to drool as I drank in the gorgeous, expansive and ever-changing views of  the city and beyond.  Looking back at it today, I see our evening as I would view a movie - it somehow strikes a cord within me that is deeper/better/more satisfying than the reality we live on the surface, probably because the towers themselves are forever gone.   Life on earth is transitory.  


I have a dear old friend whose husband Paul worked for Cantor Fitzgerald, a large firm headquartered in one of the towers.  Carol and I met in a young moms' group at a church in Montclair, NJ more than 20 years ago and have remained close over the ensuing years.  On the morning of September 11th 2001, Paul called Carol after the first plane hit and told her that he was ok; he and his colleagues were all together in a conference room, and were totally safe.  Agonizing weeks later, Carol would finally come to terms with the fact the Paul would never be coming home.


The days immediately following 9/11 were like a movie for so many of us, but I especially felt it as I watched my dear friend,  as she and so many others sought desperately to find their loved ones.  I viewed the news with numbing incredulity as the days wore on, first feeling immense sadness as multitudes of family and friends searched in vain for the lost, occasionally  having our profound sadness buoyed by the joy of someone found alive.  Except it was never Paul, and that continual turmoil took my dear friend on a roller coaster of emotions until she finally, despite the absence of any tangible evidence that Paul was among the dead, held a memorial service to try and close an indelible wound.


As profoundly sad as it is to recall the events of that day, I am convinced that hope springs from the depths of such despair, if only we have eyes to see.  From whence does my help come?  Most of us don't look up to see God until we are flat on our back.   I believe we were all looking up on 9/11.  As a result of our crushing pain, there seemed to me to arise that day a renewed acknowledgment, reverence, appreciation and reliance on God as the source of the blessings that we have heretofore received as individuals, and as a people.  God is the source.  


America stood taller in the aftermath of  9/11 than this 50 year-old remembers in her lifetime.  The countless stories of  sacrifice, bravery and compassion we have all heard, witnessed and must remember, were borne of a cataclysmic disaster that would drive lesser people to seek, and not offer, help to those in greater need than themselves.  Our brothers and sisters shouldered burdens that were not theirs to carry, and gave care to those that were not their charge.  This is the 9/11 that is permanently seared in my memory.  I cannot help but remember with awe the amazing things that ordinary Americans did on that day, and every day thereafter, to rescue, help and care for those for whom 9/11 was a day without end.


Fireman running in when sanity dictated running out, police and security officers bravely calming others amidst tremendous chaos and calamity; EMTs, steel workers, and scores of others who worked tirelessly until they could move no more in the immense search and rescue effort...all of this is what I shall never forget.  One of the most endearing memories to me personally is one that I can most relate to.  Not being a fireman, EMT or any sort of technical professional, my heart was lifted each and every night for weeks on end as the news carried footage of ordinary people, just like me (only better for their presence!) - who waited at bridges, and points of exit and entry into the city, for the sole purpose of hooting and hollering as they gleefully thanked and cheered on the multitude of workers who had either just begun or just ended a hellishly long shift helping with the rescue efforts.   I don't know - that just brought tears of thankfulness to my eyes, and made me feel so proud to be an American...  

The Perils of Hipster Christianity - WSJ

This is an interesting article to consider, given evangelicalism's myriad efforts to attract the postmodern, unchurched demographic surrounding it....   Sometimes I wonder if we just try too hard to fit in to the culture, when the opposite is really what we are after, after all...food for thought

When the Gate KeepersCrash the Party

The recent revelations of a 'vast left-wing conspiracy' among journalists provides a reasonable hypothesis as to why certain stories 'make the news' while others never seem to burst out of the 'FoxNews bubble' and into the mainstream media.

Now we can understand why the story of Obama's 20-year relationship with the radically wrong Rev. Right never gained the traction it deserved during the campaign.  Could it also explain why Obama avoided the hard-hitting interviews we expect for any Presidential aspirant, much less one so seemingly devoid of executive experience yet surrounded by questionable associations?  By contrast, the media's treatment of Sarah Palin quickly devolved from a focus on her purportedly insufficient executive experience to the tabloid-like accusations questioning her commitment to motherhood.

Not that any of this is a surprise to me personally.   I have joined the upwards of 100,000 pro-life advocates converging on Washington to peacefully protest abortion each January.  One might think that such a massive event would necessarily entail news coverage on a similar scale.  But one would be incorrect.  When the few seconds the network news devotes to coverage is dominated not by the peaceful protesters, but by footage of eight snarly women waving signs protesting the protest - it becomes pretty clear that someone, somewhere, is behind the proverbial curtain holding the lever that determines who gets to be news and who doesn't.  In the same vein the tea party rallies were ignored for month and months, until it was simply no longer possible to deny their existence, so the mass media  instead began to subtly (at first) apply the repulsive label of racist to them, in the hopes of denigrating if not their existence, than certainly the integrity of their message.

That 'big journalism' has always tilted left is not in question, and one only has to read a daily newspaper with an eye towards the insertion of opinion to find glaring examples everywhere.  The frustration this garners among those of us who really do want "just the facts, ma'am" when we view news (as distinguished from opinion) is what catapulted Fox to the top of the ratings game in the first place.  Moderates of all stripes, conservatives, libertarians -  in fact, anyone holding to a different view of the world than a liberal lens permits, viewed the cable upstart as a welcome respite from the 'News for the Benighted' that the rest of the media outlets were producing.   And like any spoiled child used to getting their way, they don't appreciate it when one of their own quits the game or changes sides (see John Stossel's article, below).  This is why the mainstream media pundits maintain to this day, despite all evidence to the contrary, a petulant attitude of disbelief and derision at the success of FoxNews.

This is not just conspiratorial musing for the sake of thinking aloud:  even the discussion of the possibility of suppressing certain stories, or publicly disparaging those whose views would detract from the 'cause', represents at the very least a blatant and callous disregard of a sacred public trust granted a privileged few.  In the past journalistic ethics have been held in sober regard specifically because journalists have been viewed as indispensable 'watchdogs' of government (and other institutions).  But when they decide en masse to influence rather than report, then the watchdogs have become no better than ravenous wolves, and the trust we have granted to them is no longer deserved nor wise to extend.

Further Reading:
http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/Politics/2010/0720/JournoList-Is-call-them-racists-a-liberal-media-tactic/(page)/2
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704684604575381083191313448.html
http://townhall.com/columnists/JohnStossel/2009/11/04/the_double_standard_about_journalists_bias

PORN: The Sexual Revolution's Slave Master

This is the most in-depth scientific article I have ever read on this subject, and the facts it brings to light have huge societal implications.  These are not the words of some sexually repressed prude longing for the days of pleasure-less sex and puritan attitudes; this is neuroscience and its attending biological, psychological and societal implications, and it is eye-opening to say the least.  So whether you think porn is no big deal, or struggle with it yourself or know someone who does, this article convincingly outlines why this insidious and ubiquitous monument to the freedom won for us in the revolution was no gift.   Thanks for nothing, Dr. Kinsey:

http://www.salvomag.com/new/articles/salvo13/13hilton.php

The Tax Tsunami On The Horizon - Investors.com

The Tax Tsunami On The Horizon - Investors.com

Extraordinary Usurpations

Since January 20, 2009, the Obama administration has undertaken a multitude of actions which together constitute government overreach of an intolerable magnitude.  In the span of 18 months what slowly began as a quietly  collective groan from those who are attentive to such matters, is slowly coalescing into a unified voice of righteous indignation, as Americans of every stripe are beginning to realize just how susceptible we are to destruction from within.  I hope that we are not too late.

We are led by a Commander-in-Chief who has repeatedly displayed a certain detachment to, and even disdain for, the Constitution he was sworn to uphold.  During his debut on the international stage, he seemed far more comfortable apologizing for America's sins than he was affirming her moral leadership and strength,  resulting in  a weakening of our standing with global allies while simultaneously emboldening our enemies.  He has raised blaming his predecessor for our country's ills to a petulant art form, never tiring of it after 18 months in office.  Why doesn't he realize that we tired of his finger-pointing long ago?   No self-respecting mother would allow that kind of behavior from her 8-year old, and it is embarrassing to see it in my President.

Domestically, in Obama's hostile takeover of entire sectors of private enterprise, he has caused structural damage to our economy and stifled growth like no other leader in recent memory.  One of the more egregious examples of his control-freak style of governing includes his legion of non-vetted, personally appointed czars with far-reaching powers, all of whom are free to operate with neither the benefit of congressional oversight nor the scrutiny of the American public who pays their salaries.  This goes entirely counter to the very principal of checks and balances that our form of government was structured to uphold.  Another example is Obama's use of the public's checkbook to purchase private corporations  (GM), while simultaneously preserving bloated and unsustainable union deals (which were, not surprisingly,  part and parcel of GM's downfall in the first place).  

There are other violations and usurpations, but the one with the most immense negative consequences may be the healthcare overhaul (which may itself be disastrously surpassed by the financial overhaul, but we will have to wait and see how that monstrosity shakes out).  In this convoluted patchwork of regulations, there are a multitude of issues with which to find fault.  One that is clear is the requirement for a citizen to purchase a product (insurance) simply because they are breathing.  This has never been done before, is not permissible under the constitution, and runs completely counter to the very notion of individual liberty embodied in our founding documents.   In subsequent lawsuits (not surprisingly) brought on by several states, I have read that the government will apparently refute this claim of unconstitutionality by claiming that the fees imposed for non-compliance amount to nothing more than a 'tax' and are therefore constitutional.  Now if that makes sense to you, I'd like to hear how.   Never mind we were promised otherwise.  Promises, we are learning, are for people, not potentates.

Up until now America has been a leader in healthcare outcomes, and has stood at the forefront of medical innovation and new technologies to further improve those outcomes.  Leaders from other countries don't go to France or England for their surgeries - they come to the United States.  There are problems with our system, to be sure, but what we have produced in this monstrosity is akin to going to the doctor for a migraine and having him perform a full frontal lobotomy.  The truth is that in America, virtually everyone has access to health care, but not everyone has access to health insurance.  Now that will change.  Everyone will have access to health insurance, but not everyone will have access to health care.  Because rationing is coming; it is inevitable in the system Obama built.  Is this the 'change' we were looking for?

The usurpation of our liberties and freedom by the sometimes illegal actions of this administration must be met with appropriate and serious challenges.  We have waited too long to continue to 'hope for the best', as we have watched too many of our precious freedoms melt away like sealing wax.  Hope doesn't make wrong right, hope doesn't improve our economy, hope doesn't improve our standing internationally, and hope doesn't win wars.  A return to the founding principles embodied in our constitution is the only thing that can turn this ship around before it sails off into the ash heap of what could have been, had we not let our country go.