Full Body Scan? No thanks!

OK, when I arrived for my flight to Orlando this morning, I saw that the Full Body Scan (aka "Virtual Strip Search) has now apparently become the standard order of procedure for Richmond International Airport.  They only have ONE backscatter scanner, but everybody is expected to go through it unless they protest.  When I stepped up to the line, there was a lady patiently standing there.  I asked her if she was being made to wait because she had "opted out" of the virtual strip search.  She said, "Yes, I guess I have to wait because I have 'a choice'."  She was a first class frequent traveler and had been waiting 10 minutes for the exercise of her freedoms.  She was a bit frustrated, but was not going to be bullied into relinquishing her freedoms.  She was adamant about that fact.

I had the time to talk to her because I was also opting to exercise my constitutional freedoms from illegal search and siezure.  In fairness to TSA, I'll have to say that the guy who did my patdown was was sensitive to my rights.  When he commented that I'd probably done this many times, I said, "No, I used to be able to be screened without having to opt out of a virtual strip search."   He didn't react negatively to my comment and was quite professional in his conduct.

I told him that I was aware that he was just doing his job.  He said, "Let's just get you through here."  He scanned his gloves in advance to confirm that his gloves didn't create a "false positive" on the explosives test.  I joked that if his gloves failed, I'd have to screen him.  He didn't laugh out loud, but appreciated the humor.  (Wow!  That is a change from most of my previous interactions with TSA!)

I don't know if they've backed off on some of the "enhanced pat-down procedures" but the pat-down was not excessively invasive.  I've seen others go through the enhanced pat-down before and I don't feel that this one was as invasive as some that I've seen.  Maybe TSA is buckling a bit to our demands for our constitutional rights?  :-)  Read: http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-tsa-scanners-20110202,0,984304.story

I appreciate that TSA has some professional employees.  I appreciate that they seem to have eased up some on the enhanced pat-down.  However, none of this makes up for policies that play "fast-and-loose" with our constitutional rights to begin with.  I still contend that everyone who walked through the strip-search line this morning were denied their Constitutional right to protection from illegal search and seizure without probable cause.  The more we submit quietly to this erosion of our rights, the more the bureaucrats in charge of our "security" will sharpen their knives to whittle away yet more or our rights.

Book Review: 5 Cities that Ruled the World

5 Cities that Ruled the World
by Douglas Wilson

Belief, thought, self-rule, imagination and commerce; these are key elements that have lasting effect on human culture. Douglas Wilson has taken a unique perspective on the development of these themes and their ongoing effect on modern culture. In “5 Cities that Ruled the World”, Douglas Wilson views these significant elements through the lens of five individual cities.

While there are a multitude of cities that could be seen to have significant effect on modern culture and belief, Douglas Wilson has chosen five specific cities very specific reasons. This is an interesting book comparing and contrasting some of the most important cities in human history. By the time you’ve read through each city, you understand why he chose the cities that he did.

Jerusalem gave us the spirit. Athens gave us reason. Rome gave us love. London gave us literature. New York gave us industry and commerce.

Throughout the book, Wilson points out that these different places have given us the freedom to believe, to think, to rule ourselves, to imagine, and to make money. Along with these freedoms come bad, evil, and undesirable things, but in the long run the truth, the beautiful, and the good will be remembered.

The book was well-written and free from “insider” jargon. I would recommend this book to anyone who is interested in world history, or anyone interested in cultural trends and their roots. I found the book a pleasure to read and look forward to sharing it with my friends.

“5 Cities that Ruled the World”; each of these cities has good and bad points. Years later, we remember the good, and continue to learn from that good that emanates from these “Cities that Ruled the World”.

Prayer...a civil right?

Tomorrow is the National Day of Prayer here in the United States. It has been pretty much in the media of late, because of a few political situations surrounding the event. It is sad that a thing as simple as prayer has become a divisive political issue. Politics in the US has become such a polarized affair that just about anything can become a divisive issue.

One of the politically-charged issues that has netted significant attention is the fact that Franklin Graham, son of Billy Graham, was dis-invited to the National Day of Prayer observance at the Pentagon (HQ for the U.S. military) because of the objections of a Muslim activist group. Many are upset, believing that the rescinded invitation is bowing to a tiny minority, while offending the Christian majority in the U.S.

In another case, Senior U.S. District Court Judge Barbara Crabb, of the District Court in Madison, Wisconsin ruled that the National Day of Prayer is unconstitutional. The "Freedom From Religion Foundation" filed the suit, saying that such an establishment of prayer was not legal. (It is interesting to note that their foundation's name is anti-constitutional, since the U.S. Constitution guarantees freedom of religion...not freedom FROM religion....)

Lately I've been thinking about some of these political issues and contrasting them with what Paul says in 1 Timothy 2. In 1 Timothy, Paul urges us to pray for our political leaders and all leaders. He goes on to say that the reason we should be praying is so that we can live peaceful and Godly lives. Further, he says that the reason we live Godly lives is so that others can come to know Jesus because God is not willing for ANY to live and die without knowing Jesus.

So...do we need a nationally recognized event, one day per year, to fulfill this urgent request from Paul? I say no. Is the National Day of Prayer unconstitutional? I say no. The bigger issue is that we are prone to spend so much energy on preserving our "constitutional rights" that we spend NO energy praying! This cannot be good!

I contend that open prayer - even on government property (gasp!) - is our constitutional right. When the president, a governor or any other public official begins to establish a "National Religion" they are crossing the line set out in the Constitution proscribing as unacceptable any "establishment of religion". The National Day of Prayer is not such an establishment. While I would argue that it is our constitutional right to pray, I would argue more loudly that we don't need the governments permission to pray. More that a Constitutional right, prayer is a God-given privilege paid for and provided by Jesus! I think we need to quite "fighting for our rights" and start praying.

I say don't wait for the National Day of Prayer to exercise your rights! Pray often. Pray every day. Shucks...go ahead....pray without ceasing! And while you're at it, pray for our government leaders. They are facing a lot of adversity and division. They need wisdom beyond their own ability. I know only one source for that wisdom...and prayer is the conduit!

...been thinking about humility...

I've spent a lot of time lately thinking about humility. Humility doesn't get a lot of press these days. It is a hidden attribute and definitely not something you see displayed very often.

I had an interesting interchange recently with one of the most arrogant people I've ever come across - or at least he used language to seem that way. After a couple of rounds of interaction in which he did all in his power to humiliate me and never answered a simple question I asked, I'd had enough. I wrote a couple of paragraphs in which I took a few sarcastic jabs and then proceeded to point out how juvenile he seemed in his use of words. I really wanted to help this guys see how he was coming across.

...and then it dawned on me. Was I really going to get through? Did my sarcastic jabs do anything to help me reach out to him? Did my references to "Jr. High" to describe his attitude have much chance of helping him get better? No, if I really wanted to reach out to him, I needed to respond in humility. It meant I had to do more than use self-deprecating humor. I had to express real humility to him.

In the end, it meant that I had to delete all the trash I had written - thank heaven I hadn't pressed "Send" yet! - and quietly express humility. I simply said, "You didn't answer my question yet :-)" and left it at that. It felt better than anything I had written to him before, and he hasn't responded to me yet.

Do I have a "right" to not be humiliated? No. (Surprise! Oprah probably never pointed that out to you!) I claim to follow Jesus Christ with my life. Look at a couple of things from the Bible about what we can expect if we actually follow Jesus:

Jesus said:
Remember the words I spoke to you: 'No servant is greater than his master.' If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also. If they obeyed my teaching, they will obey yours also. (John 15:20)

Paul wrote:
Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus:

Who, being in very nature God,
did not consider equality with God something to be grasped,
but made himself nothing,
taking the very nature of a servant,
being made in human likeness.

And being found in appearance as a man,
he humbled himself
and became obedient to death—
even death on a cross!

Jesus did have the right to be exalted but he chose to humble himself. If I'm going to follow Him, I'll have to follow in His footsteps. (Not exactly the most profound thing I've ever written, I'll admit! But a profound concept nonetheless!)

How about you? How do you battle against humiliation and humility? I'd love to hear about your journey as well!

“You can’t trust anybody…”

I just got “nabbed” by America’s finest…the TSA. I forgot a bottle of water in my backpack. This water bottle has made the trip through numerous checkpoints, but always empty. This morning, I forgot to empty it.

Well…my water bottle became the proverbial “tip of the iceberg” for my TSA experience. Because I had a bottle of water, they “randomly” tested my bag for explosives…and it tested positive. Once the alarm was set off, one TSA “expert” patted me down while another did the “alarm positive” paperwork, while another checked through ONE of my bags thoroughly. (I have to ask – why didn’t they check BOTH bags of this suspected terrorist? After all, I WAS guilty of carrying a water bottle…)

I asked what types of things would cause a “false positive”. She said, “Heart medication or sometimes even hand cream.” I joked that I had heard a commentator say, “The LAST person that needs to be told they test positive is a heart patient.” (I though the implication was obvious…that the stress wouldn’t be good for a heart patient.) Her response? “Terrorists take heart medication too.”

Huh?! The BROKEN logic of that response is a good sign to me that she should be relieved of her role in screening passengers -- TODAY. Is it heart medication we are screening for here? I thought it was explosives we were guarding against, not prescription medication. Terrorists can have allergies too. Should we start screening for Claritin as well? (I confess…I had some in my bag. Arrest me now.)

The statement upset me was when she said, “You can’t trust anybody these days!” That statement is blatantly untrue. You can trust me. She stands at the checkpoint every day and sees evidence that the MAJORITY of the people passing through the airport can be trusted. (Except that you can’t trust certain conservative Christian guys to remember that they have a bottle of water in their backpack…)

TSA exists to protect the general traveling public against the VERY unlikely “bad guy” trying to get on the plane. I have traveled a lot, and I have never –to my knowledge – met anyone who turned out to be one of those bad guys. I would venture a guess that my “friend” at TSA this morning has never met one either. We can’t buy into the philosophy that “you can’t trust anybody”. If we do, the terrorist have won!

You’ve GOT to trust people. I am about to step onto a plane and TRUST a pilot I’ve never met, but I don’t plan to interview him or put him through a sobriety test. I left my vehicle in long-term parking in Washington, DC when I began this trip. I am trusting literally hundreds of people to leave it alone. And it works! You can trust MOST people for the basics in life. While I understand that TSA can’t just assume everybody is OK, I refuse buy into the philosophy that “you can’t trust anybody”.

Here is some interesting reading I found while I was writing this post.

Flat tire(s)

I was thinking the other day..."Boy, I haven't had a flat tire or a signficiant breakdown with the car in ages!"

When's the last time you had a flat? I can't recall a time in recent years where I had to stop on the side of the road and put on the spare tire. About 6 months ago, I had a flat in my parents' driveway and just fixed it right there and used their air compressor to pump it back up. Other than that, it has been a long time since I've had a flat!

On Saturday, we were in town and I noticed a distinct "thump-thump-thump" sound as we were driving. I stopped and checked my tires. One was low, but I couldn't find the source of the thump. I pulled into a restaurant parking lot and used my handy-dandy portable compressor to pump it back up and we were on our way. Later the thumping stopped too... Hmmm....

Sunday morning, I got up and looked out to see a FLAT tire on my truck! Changed the spare and we were on time for church. "Phew. Glad that is over with," I thought.

Monday, I took it to my mechanic/friend/cousin and he said he'd fix it that day. I went and did a couple more things in town and came out from one of the stores to find....guess what....? ANOTHER FLAT TIRE! This time, I saw the outline of the large head of a "cap nail" used for roofing. The nail was gone, but so was the air from my tire.

Haul out the trusty compressor again. Say a prayer of thanks that I am in a big parking lot that has a parts store just a few paces away. Hook up the compressor and go buy a kit to repair the hole. I was back on the road in about 20 minutes.

Because the spare was already on the truck, this could have been much worse! I could have been standing on the side of the road with no spare... I am thankful to God for his oversight and protection in my life. ...even if I did have two flats in two days! :-)

"Happy Holidays" means more than it used to...

I remember "back in the good ole' days" when you went to the Post Office to buy stamps and found that you had to choose between several Christmas designs. I went to the Post Office yesterday and found a whole new dilemna. There was a poster with SIX options for "Winter Holiday" stamps!

On closer inspection, I found that the first choice was....well, exactly that...a "Winter Holidays" collection. You know...gingerbread man, snowman, candy cane...just "winter" stuff. That one gets TOP BILLING. The lady in front of me was making her displeasure known to the guy in front of her..."So Christmas is SECOND now, is it?! We've got to get Christ back into Christmas!"

Well, needless to say, she got my attention. I look more closely at the poster... OK....what is on the menu this season? You've got your "Winter Holidays" collection, you've got your "Madonna and Child" stamp, you've got Hannukah stamps...the EVER popular KWANZA stamp and...what's that one? EID?? That writing looks Arabic.... Hmmm....

By now, the TWO people in front of me were quite animated in our discussion of EID as a holiday. Trust me...in downtown Louisa, VA there won't be a particularly large demand for EID stamps. I won't mention the name of the USPS employee behind the counter who let me know they didn't like it either!

I did some research on EID and I learned that it is the holiday that marks the end of Ramadan. ...and now, of course, it is a nationally celebrated "Winter Holiday" since the USPS deems it worthy of a stamp. In the year 2009, EID falls on September 21st. A "Winter Holiday??" In 2013, it will fall on the 8th of August. Hmmm...will it be a "Winter Holiday" stamp then?! How many Muslims will be buying EID stamps in December to celebrate the end of their fast that took place in August or September?! Could the USPS do anything more ludicrous? I guess maybe it makes sense to them....but it is totally lost on me.

I really can't wait until 2015 when EID falls on July 15th. I guess we'll have stamps with EID commemoration on them instead of flags, to celebrate the month of July. That red, white & blue, stripey....starry cloth thingy our ancestors died to honor will be totally out of vogue as a sign of old-school nationalism by then. We're far too inclusive to honor a nationalistic symbol that way any more!

(Edit: It dawned on me this morning that we have made the transition from "tolerance" to "inclusive". The USPS had to stretch to find a way include the Islamic community in this festive season, so they chose EID as their option.)

(I hope you can read my cynicism and still get my meaning. I am really bothered that the USPS is honoring a Muslim holiday on a stamp.)

Book Review: The Gifts of the Jews

Book Review
"The Gifts of the Jews"
How a Tribe of Desert Nomads Changed the Way Everyone Thinks and Feels
by: Thomas Cahill
ISBN 0-385-48249-3
Paperback, $14.95
Nan A. Talese/Anchor Books


I bought a copy of "The Gifts of the Jews" because a professor highly recommended it as a moving tribute to the Jewish people. Based on who recommended the book, I expected the book to be respectful of the Biblical record, but I soon found that it wasn't what I expected.

Cahill opens the book with a graphic verbal depiction of the nature of worship and the attitude towards gods in the people and culture in the Fertile Crescent prior to Abram's arrival on the scene. He does a good job of comparing various early literature to discern the difference between various forms of belief, and attitudes toward local deities at the time. He spends more time than I thought was warranted giving a graphic description of the sensual worship rituals of the ziggurats with their priestesses - making his book seem more like a paperback romance than a respectable work of historical research.

As you can tell by now, I was not overly ecstatic about Cahill's presentation of the roots of the Hebrew people. However, what I did appreciate was the credence he gave to the idea of Abraham's belief in his personal covenant God. The "evolution" of the belief in a god that Cahill outlines is a decent perspective to read, in order to understand how Abraham's neighbors would have viewed his insistence on belief in a personal Creator God.

At times, you would almost believe that Cahill was a believer. He seems at times, to have great respect for God. However, he shows no great appreciation for the Biblical record, and thereby blows his "cover" in my mind. This man is no believer. He honors his own intellect above any idea of God.

Cahill lost all credibility with me when he said:

It is no longer possible to believe that every word of the Bible was inspired by God. Fundamentalists still do, but they keep usp such self-delusion only by scrupulously avoiding all forms of scientific inquiry. They must also maintain a tight reign on their own senses, for, even without access to modern biblical criticism, any reader might wonder at the patchwork nature of the scriptures, their conflicting norms and judgements, outright contradictions, and bald errors. But even without resorting to modern scientific methodology or noticing what an inconsistent palimpsest the Hebrew Bible can be, we must reject certain parts of the Bible as unworthy of a God we would be willing to believe in.

When you strip away the camoflague, you see that Thomas Cahill, not God, is the final arbiter. God must be judged by the almight Thomas Cahill. The phrase "a God we would be willing to believe in" implies that we are the final judge of all that is right or wrong.

If God is God, then I do not have the right to set standards for Him. I cannot set a certain standard for God and only believe in Him if He performs to a level that meets my satisfaction! If I am the final judge...then I am God. If I am God, then I can cease my search for Him. I have already found him in the mirror!

While Mr. Cahill is a masterful writer, I cannot recommend this book for anyone who truly desires to honor God, or the Biblical record of His work among His people. I can only recommend it to anyone who seeks to have more fuel to fire their belief in "the almighty in the mirror."

All others....move along...there's noting to see here.

Princess Perils for Vanessa Hudgens

I don't usually pay attention to the scandals that the mass media produce. This time I have to say something. I saw on Twitter a couple of days ago that Vanessa Hudgens was a "trending topic". Trending Topics on Twitter give you an idea of what the users of Twitter are talking about. Sometimes, it is nothing at all, but when a star's name begins to appear, there is usually an event in that person's life that people are talking about and thus the trending topic.

I followed the trending topic to see what the conversation was about and learned that Princess Vanessa has yet another set of risque photos making the rounds of the internet. This happened in 2007, and she promptly apologized for her mistake. It was handily dealt with as a lapse of judgement and Disney didn't even bother slapping her wrist.

From what I've read, Hudgens' lawyers are saying that the new set of photos are from before the first set surfaced on the net. (As if that makes it all better?) The scandals and the reactions of the people around them say a lot about our attitudes toward purity and standards of behavior! It begs the question, "Why?!" Why would she take the pictures? Why would she show anybody else? Why can't Disney react with anything more like guidance? Why is she still a role-model for tweenies?!

I wanted to comment briefly on the "Why did she do it?" question here today. Vanessa Hudgens started acting when she was 8. I am not saying that 8 year olds should not act. I am saying, though, that it is the job of an eight-year-old's parents to keep them grounded in reality. At some point, it became more and more important that Hudgens follow acting. That is when the grounding in reality starts to become more and more important.

I have a lovely 13-year old daughter. She has always been the apple of our eye. From her early days, we have praised her for her intelligence and personality. I never wanted to see her develop the attitude that being pretty is the final measure of a human being. If we are not careful, that is the message we send to kids, and I wonder if that isn't the message that Vanessa Hudgens began to get.

Disney liked her. Zach Efron liked her. The cameras were always rolling. Was that enough? Maybe just a little experiment with the cameraphone. It is a private matter. Nobody will know. *POOF!* Innocence gone.

On the first occasion of pictures finding their way onto the net, her lawyers expressed dismay that a "private matter" was making it into the public arena. Who could control such things?! Well....Vanessa could've controlled the matter. She could have not taken the pictures.

Once upon a time, you had to take pictures on film. You had to have the film developed. You knew that someone handled the photos, and would see them. Now, we think we can take risks that aren't really necessary because, "Nobody will know." Ask Vanessa Hudgens if anybody knows about the photos she took in private.

I am writing this post for parents. Teach your kids values that will keep some degree of purity as a characteristic of their lives! If anybody has a problem with that word "purity" showing up multiple times in this post...then we really ARE in trouble!

Flag Burning in Virginia!!

This post was pre-written and I waited until I received Erika's permission before posting it, out of respect for her journey.

Americans have traditionally held a high degree of respect for the flag. It is not, as my daughter lamented recently, "just a piece of cloth". In her defense, I have to remind you that she has only lived as anything other than a visitor in the US for about 18 months. You've got to remember that she is culturally more Australian than she is American. We moved to Australia when she was 3 years old and left Oz when she was nearly 12 years old. Perhaps to the same degree that Americans are overly patriotic, Australians struggle to have a national identity at times. I think Erika is working through the struggles of trying to bridge BOTH of those mindsets!

Yesterday, we visited a camp owned by the Woodmen of the World Insurance Company, during a "Family Fun Day". Evan is going to go to a week of camp there with a buddy from church, so we wanted to check it out. Woodmen of the World is a fairly conservative, VERY patriotic company, so part of the event was an official retirement ceremony for a flag that had become old and tattered.

For those that may be unfamiliar with the etiquette surrounding the US flag, it is pretty specific. At no point is the flag supposed to touch the ground. There are specific ways that the flag may and may not be displayed. An upside-down flag is a sign of distress and a request for assistance. One way that etiquette is commonly transgressed of late is that a flag is not supposed to be made into an article of clothing. And perhaps more important, a tattered, faded flag is to be retired and should not continue to be displayed. ...and there is a very intricate, specific way for the flag to be retired.

I never knew what a flag retirement ceremony was like. I found it so intriguing that I thought I'd write about it here for your interest and enlightenment. The retirement ceremony we observed was carried out by U.S. Army personnel. The first thing that was done in the retirement ceremony was that the field of stars was removed by cutting it out, intact with scissors. This field was then folded and placed in the hand of one of the soldiers holding the flag. With this done, they proceeded to cut out each of the red and white stripes, folding them in half and draping them over the soldier's arm. When the process was complete, they burned the stripes, in groups of 2 or 3 and then, after a kiss by the soldier who was holding the pieces to the field of stars, it too was burned.

It is meaningful that the field of stars never gets cut into pieces. I think it represents unity of the 50 states of the Union that is the United States of America. Each of the 13 stripes of the flag represents one of the original colonies of the birth process of our union. They chose INDIVIDUALLY to become a part of the Union. (These are my personal commentary, and not the official "dogma" of the Flag Retirement Ceremony.)

On the way home, Erika asked why there was such reverence given to the flag. She felt that maybe they were giving a level of reverence to a "piece of cloth" that should be reserved only for God. I hope we did a good enough job of being sensitive to the journey she is on, and also challenging her to think beyond the symbol and reflect on the importance of the object of the symbolism. I found it very moving to spend the amount of effort that was spent to honor a symbol of our unity and a symbol of the freedoms that were bought with the price of much blood and many lives. If you have a chance to attend a Flag Retirement Ceremony, I highly encourage you to do so.

Unfaithful Blogger

I just looked at my archives and realized that I have not been particularly faithful to blogging for the last few months. It can get tricky sometimes keeping track of all the options for communication. Some of the options are so similar, I sometimes blur the lines a bit.

Let's see....there's Twitter, there's Facebook, there's my blog, there's e-mail updates, there's Skype...the list seems endless. Each serves its purpose, but at times I think there might be just too many options. Each comes with its own set of expectations, and something has to give. Hmm...did I mention face-to-face communication, telephones, letters...etc...? I think that is probably what suffers. As we develop the habits of virtual communication, we need to make sure we retain the connections that I like to call "analog" (as opposed to digital).

Do you ever struggle to keep up with your communication? What do you do to keep the tensions in check?

Obama, ideology and life...

President Barack Hussein Obama signed an executive order lifting restrictions on Embryonic Stem Cell Research. It has been interesting to read the media's descriptions of the event. The National Post put it this way:

To wild applause from several scientists, including three Nobel laureates, researchers, people in wheelchairs and members of Congress, Mr. Obama signed an executive order reversing a decision made by president George W. Bush that restricted federal research funding to only stem cell lines that existed before Aug. 9, 2001. Mr. Obama said the policy was driven by ideology and not science.

But there was fierce criticism from social conservatives and right-to-life groups. U. S. Catholic Cardinal Justin Rigali called Mr. Obama's announcement "a sad victory of politics over science and ethics."

Both sides see this as a very black and white issue. Most of the media tend to use words that make it appear that embryonic stem cell research was illegal in the United States prior to this executive order. Mr. Obama took advantage of the opportunity to proclaim that ideology can no longer trump science.

On January 23rd, just 3 days after his inauguration as President, Mr. Obama quietly removed a ban on U.S. Federal funds being used to fund international aid for organizations that fund abortions in developing nations. It must have been a high priority for him to take this step so early in his Presidency.

No, these decisions do not end and era where "ideology trumps science". They herald the beginning of a new era of ideology trumping all things. (It ceases to amaze me that during times of such economic difficulty, Mr. Obama's budget included over 600 billion dollars for a "downpayment" on Universal Healthcare!) The real question for me is this: "When did ideology become bad?" I don't like the idea of someone's will being imposed upon the people, but I feel like that is what is happening NOW, during this period when supposedly ideology is not a trump card!

I have an ideology. It isn't my own. It was written for me and "imposed" on me by the will of Another. Have a read. I take refuge in THIS ideology!

Psalm 2

1) Why do the nations conspireand the peoples plot in vain?
(2) The kings of the earth take their stand and the rulers gather together against the LORD and against his Anointed One.
(3) Let us break their chains, they say, and throw off their fetters.

(4) The One enthroned in heaven laughs; the Lord scoffs at them.
(5) Then he rebukes them in his anger and terrifies them in his wrath, saying,
(6) I have installed my King on Zion, my holy hill.

(7) I will proclaim the decree of the LORD:
He said to me, You are my Son; today I have become your Father.
(8) Ask of me, and I will make the nations your inheritance, the ends of the earth your possession.
(9) You will rule them with an iron scepter; you will dash them to pieces like pottery.

(10) Therefore, you kings, be wise; be warned, you rulers of the earth.
(11) Serve the LORD with fear and rejoice with trembling.
(12) Kiss the Son, lest he be angry and you be destroyed in your way, for his wrath can flare up in a moment.
Blessed are all who take refuge in him.

It would be easy to be taken up with all kinds of irritation and frustration and I admit I am prone to that! It is a healing balm to stop and remember that God is still on the throne! He may allow us to trounce around on the stage for a time, but He is still in charge and will have His say. Count on it!

How about you? Do you tend to get taken in and begin to "fret" (a good King James word that my grandmother used to use. grin) when you see the things that take place in the world around you? Fret not! God is still on His throne!

How much is a TRILLION anyway?

My team leader said today that he had heard a politician say an interesting concepts of how much a trillion dollars is. He said you could give away a million dollars a day from the day Jesus was born and STILL not have used up a trillion dollars. Wow.

Putting aside all implications of bi-partisanship, take a trip over to "Freedom's Lighthouse", a VERY conservative website for a look at CNN's (a very liberal network!) coverage of the concept of a trillion dollars.

Wow....that is two posts in one day by Greg! A record, I reckon!

To: Greg From: donotreply@warner.senate.gov

What does it mean when your Senator writes to you from a "donotreply" e-mail address? Do you think maybe it means "DO NOT REPLY"? Well that is the message that I get. "Thank you for expressing your opinion. Now, please take your puny little ideas and go away."

I wrote to the Senator that was chosen for me recently. (That is my attempt to avoid calling him "my" Senator!) I told him that I was concerned about the Economic Stimulus plan and that I was particularly concerned about a specific clause in the miniscule print that said NONE of the money from the stimulus package could be used on buildings that were used significantly for "sectarian education". Religious ideas are no longer allowed in the public arena.

I would counsel ANY Christian institution to NOT accept the government's money. However, this didn't apply only to religious institutions. It applied to ANY building on ANY campus that receives money from the stimulus package, if that building is used often for "sectarian education". Enough said about that. What bugs me is Mr. Mark Warner's reply.

In the second paragraph of the response, I was informed that:

On February 10, 2009, I joined a majority of the Senate in approving a bipartisan compromise to restart the economy through a responsible mix of tax cuts and investments that will create jobs.

Did you notice that little "bipartisan" word nestled comfortably in that sentence?! What does HE think bi-partisan means? The compromise agreement narrowly passed, with only three Republicans signing on to the plan. There were a good number who were crying foul that they weren't allowed to be involved in hashing out the details of the compromise since they weren't in the right party.

Well, I suppose Mr. Warner did the right thing to use a "donotreply" address when he wrote to me. I doubt he wants to hear what I have to say. I doubt that he even cares.

I wrote to him to express my concern of the Economic Stimulus Plan and he drops a bombshell near the end of his e-mail. It says:

The Recovery and Reinvestment Act is but one component of a three-part plan to restore our economy. We still have important work to do to address the foreclosure crisis and shore-up the real estate market and we also must take steps to repair our banking system so that credit will begin flowing again to consumers and small businesses.

Again, thank you for your input. As we move forward in the 111^th
Congress, please continue to be in touch with your opinions and concerns.

What?! You want to apply your sovereign expertise in those areas too? I am not surprised, but I am a bit shell-shocked. ...and sticker-shocked! What will this end up costing me in the end?

I like the closing: "...continue to be in touch..."

But DO NOT REPLY!

I get the message, Mr. Warner.

The Gallup Poll of Assigned Opinion

Have you ever answered an official opinion poll? We got a call a couple of days ago from the Gallup Association -- famous for their polls of public opinion. I have been able to take part in several opinion polls from various organizations through the years. They usually ask several questions that are "throwaway" questions, for the purpose of preparing you to answer the way that is desired. I always enjoy having the opportunity to "skew" the number a bit with my strange take on things. I am convinced that most surveys come to the very conclusions they set out to prove. This one was no different.

When they called, they said that they needed to interview the person in the household with the most recent birthday. They said the survey was about healthcare and a little about politics. Brenda's birthday is 7 days after mine so I couldn't do the survey. Hmph!

Well, Brenda took the survey. There were lots of topics covered, but when she was done I asked her what the real question was. She wasn't sure, but I had noticed she was frustrated with the multiple choice answers to one of the questions. I asked her what that question was. She said it was, "How important do you rate the economic stimulus package?" She was frustrated because she wanted to say, "I don't think it is the right thing to do!" but the closest option was, "Important, but not urgent." BINGO. I think that was the core question.

The Gallup Association is widely respected. Their polls are quoted as valid measures of the opinion of the public. However, they are carefully worded, multiple choice options at best. At worst, they manipulatively "corral" you into the answers they want to show up on the poll results! If you really want to know my opinion about the Economic Stimulus Package that my hopelessly in debt Federal Government wants to send me the $800 billion+ bill for, then -- for goodness sake -- give me the option to speak my opinion!

Hey, anybody want to do an opinion poll about the quality of opinion polls? Pick me! Pick me!

Mind Dump: 12 August 2007

Wow. Yesterday was a pretty full day. I spoke at two churches, and facilitated a "Speed Dating" event to help my church get to know the couple who are serious candidates to take the role of Interim Pastor. It was a lot of fun, and I was feeling so good last night, about the way the day had gone that I didn't want to go to bed. :-)

In the morning, I spoke at our church. I spoke on something that runs deep in my veins. Ephesians 2 talks about the work that God does in us to prepare us for the work He wants to do through us. I don't know what everybody else got, but I was quite moved by what the passage had to say! :-)

Charles Dickens penned the words, "Marley was dead; to begin with." as the opening line of "A Christmas Carol". What a funny way to open a novel that will go on to become one of the best known of his writings! A significant character in the drama is dead in the first sentence of the book!

Well....Ephesians 2 opens by saying something very similar. Only the opening line of this chapter is, "You were dead." HUH?! I really enjoy the jolt of the paradoxes that Paul lines up in this chapter. You were dead...but God made you alive. You were an object of wrath....but God loved you so much he showed mercy. You were going in a direction 180 degrees away from God's plan for you.....and he chose YOU as the one to continue His work in the direction He is going! Is that not ironic?! Fun stuff!

God brings stuff across your path that He either plans to use to prepared you for the work you were designed to do, or because it is the work you were designed for in the first place! There is something about being told that God has chosen--in advance--something good for you to do that is quite motivational. Especially when you realize that this means you are a unique part of the work that God is doing in this place. What if you are the ONLY one who could play that role?

Think about Noah, Moses, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob...etc... There are times when God seems to be unwise in His choices because He narrows the plan down to the point that it depends on the obedience and faith of ONE person! Awesome thought!

So. That was my topic on Sunday morning.

Immediately after the service, we played A Game Similar to the Game from 'Fill in the Blank Network -- Who Wants to be a Millionaire?". (PHEW! Avoided the copyright infringement issue there....I hope!!!) We had 10 questions. 5 about the couple we were getting to know, and 5 about our church...and we answered them about each other. It was a fun way to approach a serious task. I think it helped to "defuse" the possible tension over the whole matter of finding an Interim. I had fun anyway... :-) (BTW, I found a GREAT Powerpoint Template if anybody needs one for an even, I can give you a pointer to it... )

Sunday afternoon, I crashed for an hour or so, in order to have some of me left for the evening service where I was to speak.

Sunday night, I spoke on Romans 10, at a church where I knew some people, but had never attended. The message was very well recieved, and I think it helped them to think about mission in a whole new way. I use an illustration for the whole series of events that Paul outlines, and put a chair at the "end" of the series. So it is Sending > Preaching > Hearing > Believing > Calling on the Lord....and sitting down. The PROBLEM is that Paul wouldn't put a chair at the "Calling on the Lord" position like we do. He would make it a cycle, I believe.

Who better to fan the flames of those who are passionate about reaching out than those who have just been reached with the message?! And that will sweep them into the process as they learn to share their faith, and the cycle runs again. This is not a linear process....though we often tend to think, "The Gospel is about me not going to Hell." No, the Gospel is about me coming into relationship with God, and bringing others to that relationship!

So...you have had the "opportunity" to sit through two sermons of mine back-to-back! Exhausted? I know I was, but it was a very good exhaustion. :-)