THE SQUARE NAIL

CIARAN HINDS

2012-01-24T10:47:00.002-06:00

Does this man have a familiar face? Perhaps it is because this actor has a list of movies as long as your leg.

He is Ciaran (pronounced Keeran) Hinds, born in Belfast, Northern Ireland and friend to another Irish actor, Liam Neeson.

Ciaran Hinds has been in the latest HARRY POTTER and has played everything from Lord Tarleton in AMAZING GRACE to King Herod in THE NATIVITY STORY.

Lately, he has also been in two spy films...TINKER, TAILOR, SOLDIER, SPY...and THE DEBT. We found one of those movies to be gray-drab and rather tedious, while the other was a thriller.

Gray TINKER may have been too hard for us to keep up with. It had a number of characters and subplots and we thought it failed to flesh out the characters enough for us to care what happened to them. Gary Oldham played the main character and his face never changed throughout the whole movie. Spooks may need to be inscrutable and Spockish, but only once when his wife hurt him emotionally did a tiny nerve twitch under one of Oldham's eyes. Yesh.

On the other hand, THE DEBT made us feel that we were right in the kettle of fish along with Hinds and Helen Mirren and Tom Wilkinson. This is an R-rated, classic tussle of good and evil with a script that blew life into each character and flashbacks that kept you on your toes. Helen Mirren is great in this movie; she's all scar-faced and intense. We thought THE DEBT might be scary so we got a Redbox and watched it in the afternoon.

The contrast of these movies illustrate how varied life's pace can be. Things may be going along all gray-tedious for us, only to round the corner into a frenetic adrenaline surge. It takes mature faith to stay between the ditches. Sunday morning Charles Stanley explained how to get such a mature faith. One of Dr. Stanley's points was to stay close to God's word. He reasoned...

1. We lose our focus if we don't stay plugged into Scripture. God's Spirit takes God's words and brings them back to my mind so I will remember what God has promised. God's promises fuel faith. I know that I lost my focus during the movie TINKER because the plot was too hard to follow.

2. God's words show His character and are a window into what He is like. I can't love the Lord if I don't know what He's like. And in the same way, TINKER was a struggle because the characters were under-defined.

Final caveat. The opinions offered about these two spy thrillers are worth what you paid for them. Everyone has an opinion.

But in matters of faith, we seek God's opinion. That opinion is defined in His Word, where He promises an amazing thriller ahead for those who lean back in faith on Him.

Jump in before the expiration date.

JANE FONDA

2012-01-17T08:33:00.004-06:00

Yesterday I was reading some comments by "friends of a friend" on Facebook. I was surprised by their discussion of Jane Fonda.

Of course they were amazed at this star's beauty/body at the ripe age of seventy-four. Who isn't? She's pretty much up there with Dick Clark in the Who's Who of the legendary well-preserved.

Some of the women on FB gushed about the star's wisdom displayed on an Oprah program. Another woman joked about giving an arm or leg or a firstborn for Jane's toned arms. There was a lot of adulation.

Well, I didn't see Oprah, but the general consensus is that this lady is one of the best known faces for feminism. Her family name kickstarted her fame and her multiple careers have made her wealthy. Truly, if fame and money worked together to produce the abundant life, Ms. Fonda would be the picture of satisfaction. But instead, when I think of this beautiful woman...I think of the word striving. And striving can be like spitting in the wind.

Oh, dear Facebook ladies...you wouldn't swap all of China's tea for that package. Jane has been swimming upstream for most of her years. She had a rocky beginning with her Daddy who withheld love and a Mama with mental trouble who took her own life when Jane was twelve. All the material gain in the world can't fix that; only the Lord can fill in that hole.

This intelligent/accomplished/Oscar-winning/"liberated" woman went into her first marriage submitting to her husband's desire for a third person in their bed. The next husband was an alcoholic dedicated to being non-materialistic. He belittled her and would not allow a washing machine or dishwasher in the house. Too bourgeois. She subjugated herself to him, built a successful business, and gave big chunks of her money to finance his political campaigns. On her 51st birthday he told her he was in love with someone else. During those unhappy years, she dealt with children from both marriages...her affairs...desperate searches for causes and more causes...years of severe bulimia...and other body image issues.

Then came the husband behind door number three, a mega-narcissist who was caught in a "nooner" one month into the marriage. This husband had a trophy wife, but he did not love Jane in the way she needed. These days Ms. Fonda is single and says she is entering the third phase of her life, having moved from actress to business woman to now...an author.

Jane Fonda has had a rough life with many rejections. I cannot see her heart, but I've read her words that describe coming to Christ about seven years ago. Good! It is a blessing to know the pure Love that never changes.

But after her God walk began, the body of Christ let her down. Someone rejoiced publicly that Jane had come to Christ and she felt betrayed. It set her journey back.

All of this to say...I have compassion for Jane Fonda. But does her life offer any wisdom that I wish to follow/emulate/envy? Notsomuch. The next generation does not need to assign inordinate value to body image and Jane Fonda would be the first to agree. Jane's ungodly life choices reveal how 70+ years of rebellion take their toll. The "rebel without a bra"...the star of "The Vagina Monologues"...the Vietnam War protestor...the one casting around for significance...has hopefully found newness in Christ. He is a place of acceptance and love that she has ached for all her life.

I've always thought that Jane Fonda's honesty was one of her best qualities. I hope her future includes telling others the truth about her Fountain of significance and peace. Ms. Fonda has tried "everything else under the sun" and would be a unique spokesperson to confirm that He is the best cause of all.

PLEASE, SIR

2012-01-12T13:41:00.001-06:00

You are America's umbrella of protection in a world that would seek to do us harm.

Even the ones who did not vote for the Commander-in-Chief must now count on him to safeguard us.

Now, incredibly, we read...

*you are slashing the military budget a trillion click here

*you are looking to deal with the Taliban click here

*you formulate plans to release a big Taliban fighter from Gitmo click here

*you look to meet with the Muslim brotherhood click here

*you are giving Russia our missile defense secrets click here

*your oil policies put us under the thumb of volatile governments and hamstring our economy click here

These decisions all beg to know whose interest is being served.

No more withdrawals from the trust jar, Sir. The trust jar is empty.

HOME INVASION

2012-01-10T12:33:00.003-06:00

Can you think of anything worse than someone coming into your home with evil intent?

Although we did not know the victims, a home invasion happened in Fayetteville yesterday. The incident seemed so unlikely...and random...and cruel.

It happened out close to our church (aka "our little church"), which is @16009 Black Oak Road. The Black Oak community is in a beautiful valley about 20 minutes from the south edge of Fayetteville. The residents know one another and it is quiet and just a good place to live.

But yesterday morning @15860 Black Oak Road, 78-year-old Herbert Davis (his friends call him Dean) left home to get coffee. Later, his 73-year-old wife Betty opened her front door to someone in need who asked to use their phone. Once inside, Betty was tied up and a "bomb" was strapped to her leg. Then when Dean returned, he was duct-taped to a chair. The plan was to force Betty to go to town to withdraw money.

Sound Hollywood? Well, Hollywood has reached our peaceful valley. And someone probably only paid a dollar for the idea @Redbox.

GOD'S PEOPLE PRAY
Here is a bit of the back story. Mike and I made a WalMart run after lunch and as we passed the bank, we rubbernecked as we saw all the yellow tape around it. The story then became obvious as we got home and saw our numerous emails.

We live in a neighborhood about 25 miles from Black Oak. Our neighbors here have been doing a Bible study together for twelve or thirteen years. Although not everyone goes to the same church, we have common ground. And one of the emails was from Janice, our neighbor who goes to the Davis' church. The message WAS IN ALL CAPS...a plea to please pray for their friends Dean and Betty who were in trouble.

At that point there were many unknowns but prayer was what we knew we could do. Betty Davis had walked up to the bank counter looking dazed and told her story of why she was there; she was quickly escorted out of the building so no one would be hurt. No one knew where the extortionist(s) were or if a finger was on the detonator. The Davis' stolen truck was missing. The police were headed out to Black Oak to find Mr. Davis.

Then we got more emails. Dan is our neighbor across the street. He added to the prayer request..."Dean and Betty have been my clients for 30 years. Please keep praying for this sweet and godly couple!"

Lou, one of our men @Black Oak, drove down to the church to check on reports that the church parking lot was full of police cars. An email from Fonda, one of our Black Oak church friends, said she thought when her family moved out to the country, they were moving to safety. Everyone was shocked.

THE NEXT MORNING
The story is still evolving. The bomb squad cut off whatever was strapped to Betty's leg and we wait for their evaluation. Dean Davis was found unharmed. The abandoned truck was found in good shape. The extortionist(s) have not been found.

WHAT WE KNOW FOR SURE
1. Betty Davis was brave.

2. Dean Davis must have agonized as the minutes dragged on and he was helpless to move or protect his wife.

3. This couple do not go to church @Black Oak so I wouldn't know them if they walked in the door. But people I trust say the Davis' are godly people. Being "godly" means their lives illustrate God's character qualities. God is faithful and a defender. That makes me strongly suspect that Dean and Betty prayed fervently for each other. (Or if they were so scared they couldn't pray, they could take comfort in the verse that says the Holy Spirit takes over and prays for our needs when we can't get a prayer out.)

4. God's people went to bat for a brother/sister in Christ and we need to continue to pray that the outlaw(s) be caught. It is a privilege to have prayer cover.

5. This morning as we heard the good news that Dean and Betty were safe, the body of Christ will be thanking Him. Now we will ask for coping grace that would draw the Davis' eyes off their trauma and onto Jesus.

None of us know the future, but we can know Who holds the future. He is our safety.

http://news.yahoo.com/video/fayettevillekhbs-18191180/elderly-couple-survives-potentially-deadly-extortion-scheme-27832164.html

FARE THEE WELL, 2011

2012-01-03T08:40:00.000-06:00

Our world has weathered 2011 (notwithstanding Harold Camping) and we're marching into 2012 (notwithstanding the Mayans).

Below please find several bookmarks from the old year. If you like a video montage, you might want to click here.

#ANGER
There was considerable anger in America in 2011 because our economy is broken and we don't think anyone is minding the store. Occupiers were born. They're a new movement of angry people who said they were goofed at the 1%. It seems pretty easy these days to work up a good case of mad.

#NATURAL DISASTERS
America felt earthquakes in unusual places and one cracked the Washington Monument. In the North there was water from Hurricane Irene and a crushing pre-Halloween snow. In the South, we hit record high temperatures and drought...and the deadliest tornado in 60 years which picked clean a wide swath through Joplin, Missouri.

On the far side of the world, Japan suffered an awful 9.0 earthquake/tsunami, compounded by the associated nuclear disaster.

#JOYS
We watched Prince William marry lovely Kate...and Rep. Gabby Giffords recover.

#EXITS
Bin Laden, Gadhafi, Liz Taylor, and Steve Jobs. Some people you will miss more than others. You probably heard, but it bears repeating...that Jobs' sister reports his last words were "Oh wow. Oh, wow. Oh, WOW!"

#NE'ERDOWELLS
Charlie Sheen, Casey Anthony, Jerry Sandusky, Rep. Anthony Weiner, and former Governor Rod Blagojevich.

#LIVES WHO MADE A DIFFERENCE
Hmmm. This is harder. Who comes to your mind that might get a big attaboy for their contribution to 2011?

Certainly soldiers in harm's way make the list. Add police and firemen...the Seal 6 team who took out Bin Laden...and the people who responded to Joplin. Maybe I'm forgetting someone.

Who chooses less to give others more? Who has been a purifying influence or called us higher? Tebow tried. Who else? Sounds like Mamas and Daddys and pastors and missionaries. Sounds like the Passion Conference.

Who? Passion is a four-day gathering held a couple of times a year for 18-25 year olds; Passion 2012 is happening NOW in the Georgia Dome/Atlanta. They have SOLD OUT with 44,000 students! What a terrific training for future attaboy moments! This worship conference is challenging the next generation to be salt/light for Jesus. I'm old and sometimes discouraged by the darkness; watching this video gives me an infusion of hope. video

So WELCOME, 2012 with your 525,600 minutes of fresh potential.

SEEING STARS

2011-12-29T10:04:00.008-06:00

Ever seen stars? Yeah. Me, too.

During the Christmas extravaganza, the ten of us went out to eat at Hugo's. I rode one way with Beth's family and was thrilled that the little girls wanted Mimi to ride home with them. It was dark and raining. The stage was set.

Lunging into Brad's van, I only missed one step. It was a small step, but apparently a strategic one. The good news was...the doorframe caught my fall. The bad news was..my forehead also made the catch.

Now I'm thinking the Lord was pretty wise to cover our brains with bone. There was quite a lot of forward thrust that creased the midpoint above my brow.

Brad was at my elbow in a flash. "Did you lose your dignity?" he asked.

In our family, humor is essential and a laugh goes a long way. So I humored him with a chuckle while wanting to blubber like a baby.

When we got home and into the light, the bulge had apeared and I was dubbed CroMagnon Woman.

Sure enough, my dignity WAS lost.

On day three (see right), the bulge is gone and the color is coming. I'm loving these shades of red-violet. Besides blue, purple is my favorite color.

OK. Day four. Seriously, is this what boxers look like the week after?

I asked Mike how I'd know if I had had a concussion. He said "oh, you'd know. You'd have double vision and seem confused/loopy".

Then we both died laughing.

Of course I'm grateful. The Lord spared me real harm. It really doesn't hurt that bad unless you touch the forehead. I"m SURE not looking to touch it but sometimes I forget. It itches.

So have I learned anything besides watching my steps more carefully?

LESSON ONE

Things happen in a flash, but consequences dawdle.
(BTW, this is certainly not a lesson new to me.)

LESSON TWO

What hurts one, hurts others. My face causes others to wince.
Poor Mike. We're avoiding going places because he gets looks.
My pain is not his gain.

LESSON THREE

Slowing life down...limiting destinations and resting...is REALLY a good thing.

Don't you agree that our bodies need this week between Christmas
and New Years? Let's leave turmoil and enter quietness.
God will be there if you invite Him.

The Message has its' own version of Matthew 11:28..."Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you'll recover your life. I'll show you how to take a real rest."

WE WISH YOU A MERRY CHRISTMAS!

2011-12-23T16:13:00.001-06:00

The Lord says through Isaiah...

"Look! I am about to do a brand new thing. See, I have already begun! Do you not see it?"

No, Lord. We never saw it coming.

The Cruses have been bowled over this year. Last December if you had told us that @Christmas 2011, Beth would be pregnant and Brad would live in Little Rock...we would have guffawed. Who saw either of those coming?

I sent Beth's baby bump picture to a friend...who responded that God had answered prayer. I emailed back. "No, you don't understand, Georgia...they weren't even praying. They were content and now they are flabbergasted."

Her answer? "If you will remember, they DID pray some years ago. And now the answer is here."

Amen, Georgia. Nate (7) is so excited about his little brother Will...arriving around Valentines.

Brad, Laura, and the girls left New York City and arrived in Little Rock on the hottest month on record.

Now they've unpacked, survived, and are settling in. The girls are enjoying their new space. We love having them "drop in" from only 2.5 hours away.

It is funny how interconnected life can be. Brad is working with a dentist on the 9th floor of the Med Towers next to Baptist Hospital. He's in a corner room that is all glass. Niiice.

Who would have thought that Gary and Jeanne Rollins (with four boys of their own) would adopt another? But Brad says they treat him like a son. Can you see their familial funny bone? God can make a match.

Here is a random factoid. Know who occupied that office space before Dr. Rollins moved in? The space belonged to a surgeon for nineteen years. And Georgia...the friend who reminded me about God's answer to Beth's prayer...worked everyday in that space alongside her husband, Dr. Chuck Nash. Small world.

Mike and I are loving our stage of life up here in the hills. Well, mostly. A kind lady pushed a cart by me the other day in the WalMart lot and stopped to offer "can I help you ma'am?" All of a sudden I realized she was honoring an older person. That SHOCKED me to realize my age. In the spring, Mike will begin his seventh decade. Are you kidding me? When did we get old?

At the same time, life is increasingly vibrant. When we tell the Lord goodnight, Mike and I constantly tell Him how amazed we are at His grace toward us. This year the Spirit has been home-schooling Mike as he prepares a weekly SS lesson. Mike has always been a facilitator for groups, but this year he's hit his stride in cracking open Scripture. I wish you could hear him. About mid-week I'll say "seein' the lesson yet?"...and he'll say "not yet". Then about Friday when I ask again, he'll GRIN and say "well, there MAY be a lesson there...". It's an adrenaline rush to depend on the Lord.

Mike is my greatest blessing of 2011, followed by the kids and the grands. But there's someone else who has poured into my life this year. Check out the lady to the left in pink.

I hang around Bobbie because she's a glowing Hebrews 10:24 billboard. "And let us take thought of how to spur one another on to love and good works." Bobbie is a "spurrior" whose delight in the Lord is catching.

[Note: the other women in the pic are Bobbie's daughter/granddaughters. Don't be fooled by their gorgeous cheekbones 'cuz they're more than just pretty faces. Their love for Jesus translates into outposts in Africa, an island nation, and a couple of stateside spots (plus their brother on the left coast). Love this precious family.]

Just wanted to close with some pics of what Mike and I have counted as richness this year. It is touchy to talk about richness when we know no one has a perfect life...or a completely easy one. In fact, several dear friends are walking through a HOT fire right now. Our prayer for them is that the Breath of Heaven would (in the words of an Amy Grant song) "hold them together" . It helps to remember the final chapter is yet to be written.

Mike and I wish your family a joyful celebration of that first noel when Mary and Joseph were caught completely offguard. The Giver of unexpected blessings...that is our God!

PURE TEBOW

2011-12-09T09:42:00.005-06:00

Why does Tim Tebow get under people's skin? Why would goodness cause such chafing and irritation? Do they think he's a poser? If a showboater is all about the show...is Tebow all "show"?

Here are three things that come to mind about Tim.

1. He proclaims the virtue of saving sex for marriage.
DARE we mock what God set out? Our sex-soaked world runs hard to diminish that choice. But even the stats are in favor of waiting.

Commandments and emotional residuals aside, recreational sex brings promiscuity/STDs/unwanted pregnancies, and associated medical risks. No one thinks they will get pregnant, but it happens. Stats say people who live together before marriage are more likely to divorce. And they say a woman's likelihood for marriage is dimished if she has a child out of wedlock (by age 35, only 70% of unwed mothers are married vs. 88% of women who have not had a child). http://www.drphil.com/articles/article/351 There are alarming stats for how single parenthood causes poverty/public assistance.

We may act like sex has no consequences, but it is powerful. http://thefreshxpress.com/2009/04/what-happened-to-saving-sex-for-marriage/

In the professional sports arena of bad behavior, why in the world would people not be delighted to have GOOD behavior modeled for their kids?

2. His knee-drop and eye-black cause others to think about God.
Tim Tebow reaches for high ground and isn't that wordless leadership?

If people feel Tebow is forcing his religion on them, perhaps they are really feeling conviction. Conviction in an honest moment is profitable.

3. He is positive and encouraging of others, including those who treat him poorly.

Here is a short excerpt from an interview done with Tim Tebow and Peter King, writing for SPORTS ILLUSTRATED:

*******

King: Before I let Tebow go, I asked him if anyone after the game...coaches, players, execs...had said anything memorable to him.

Tebow: "Everybody was happy...but I'll tell you one thing that happened during the week that I remember".

King: Good, I thought. Maybe it was John Fox sidling up to him and saying something sportingly profound like "Son, we're going to ride that left arm and those legs to the SuperBowl."

Tebow: "I had an opportunity to talk with a kid named Blake Appleton from Florida on Thursday. He's a leukemia patient who's just been moved to hospice. And after the game, when I was being interviewed on TV, I got to say his name. That's what I'm proud of today. I let him know people cared about him. I let him know God has a plan for him."

King: And that was the end of the Tebow interview. He had to rush to get on the bus to the airport. Except...

Tebow: "Have a good day, Mr. King. And God bless you."

********

Pure Tebow.

He may be polarizing, but when Christ was on earth, not everyone liked what He said. Keep walking your talk, Tim.

And please, Lord, increase the ears that hear.

FACT AND FICTION

2011-12-08T08:29:00.006-06:00

This pastor from the fourth century was born in what today would be known as Turkey. Forensic pathologists have used computers to reconstruct his image from his 1,600-year-old skull. Here is what history teaches about Nicholas of Myra.

...he was a short man (5 ft) who lived from 270-346AD

...born into wealthy Greek family who lived in coastal city on Mediterranean

...orphaned as a child; thereafter had a heart for children

...secret gift-giver with liberality toward those in need

...nasal bone between eyes broken; attributed to

persecution of Christians under Diocletian

...devoted to Christ and served as pastor and bishop of the church

...had a seat at Council of Nicaea which produced our Apostles Creed

Why mention this good man? You are seeing him everywhere...at the mall and ringing a bell @WalMart. The man is St. Nicholas. More olive-skinned than Scandinavian...more like a fighter than a jolly old elf...you may be wondering how in the world St. Nicholas morphed into Santa Claus.

The answer begins in 1822 when Dr. Clement Clark Moore wrote this whimsical poem for his children. http://www.nightbeforechristmas.biz/moore.htm (Note: the New York Times takes issue with who really wrote the poem.) http://www.nytimes.com/2000/10/26/arts/26NIGH.html

Apparently Dr. Moore (who taught classics and languages at a New York seminary) was always embarrassed that in light of the body of his scholarly theological works, he would be best known for "Twas the Night Before Christmas".

Then in 1947, MIRACLE ON 34th STREET perpetuated the caricature of the jolly old man.

It's interesting to think back and watch a truly heroic man become a fictional character that is held up to children...while frankly, confusing them. Santa knows when you've been naughty or nice? He sees you when you're sleeping and knows when you're awake? Whew. He's been assigned some pretty divine qualities along the way.

St. Nicholas was a real man who loved God's Word and loved to give. He lived a productive life imitating/serving his Savior.

So we can tell Virginia "Yes, there really IS a St. Nicholas. And he deserves a lot more credit".

http://us1.campaign-archive2.com/?u=5369bb601ac44bfdda928110b&id=a2aaae7edb&e=e7c870fc44

FETCH THE FIBRILLATOR

2011-12-07T13:39:00.002-06:00

Our church has about a half-dozen seasoned members who have spent time on the heart floor of our hospital lately.

None of them eat like this. They are not even overweight...their tickers are just troubled.

So it seemed fitting that our congregation should consider getting a defibrillator.

Of course with a population in their 70's and 80's...some immediately said "Oh, don't bring me back! If He is calling, I'm ready to go."

Others allowed as how they were counting on their heavenly home, but knew that a heart attack was survivable and they wanted to live.

Some wondered about operating the machine and being legally vulnerable. Sad times when fear of legal action trumps compassion.

The defibrillator people assure us they send out a trainer...and the device is so sophisticated that it will not allow a shock unless all the signs line up for pushing the button.

So the vote was FOR the big purchase. Now we have to get the list of those who want to be revived...and the list of those who don't. Then we try not to get confused. One lady said "I want Mike to operate the machine for me...he will read the instructions." Yes, some of us are more detail-oriented.

Our new defibrillator can be a huge blessing for our church. In September when one of our members had a heart spell, I can say that the impotence of sitting while the episode played out was excruciating.

I believe the Lord unlocks knowledge for our good and a defibrillator in a school or church or public area is a terrific tool. We marvel at technology and the outflow of things that earlier went unimagined. I can speak proudly of my new knee and how that has made life easier for me.

But technology has also allowed us into uncharted and gray areas. We now decide whether to take away life-giving measures. We decide what to do with artificially inseminated embryos. We clone. We're getting pretty big for our britches.

Some things cross the line into "His business". Can we agree that there IS a line to honor?

I certainly can't assume to know His prerogatives or plans.

Didn't He say "My thoughts are nothing like your thoughts, and my ways are far beyond anything you could imagine." Isaiah 55.8

I sure wouldn't consider applying for His position.

Jehovah God says "I am the Lord and there is no other." Isaiah 45.5

NOT IN KANSAS ANYMORE

2011-12-05T16:35:00.003-06:00

"Toto, we're not in Kansas any more!" But Mike and I WERE there last week.

Mike has had his heart set on a ginormous KS deer for some time. Surely this would be the year. He found a guide (that he likes enough to adopt) and he made big plans. And I got to go along!

Hunting gives Mike "space" and he competes against himself/the elements/the wildlife (a manthing). My needs were satisfied and then some because I got to take books and beads and no schedule.

We drove less than two hours from Fayetteville and were in Kansas. Actually, we were on the outskirts of Joplin, Missouri. We were sissy-camping on the concrete RV parking lot of Downstream Casino (exit 1 right on the Missouri and Oklahoma border) and 17 miles from where Mike was to hunt.

The driveway into the casino is in Missouri, the casino is in Oklahoma, and the parking lot was in Kansas. I guess they have figured out how to get the taxes divided....

Because it was freezing @night, the camping crowd was very sparse. My security needs were met with lots of cameras and security that drove by periodically. To encourage visitors, the casino gives you three free nights on the camping space and then it is $15/night. People brag about the buffets at casinos, so I was satisfied to lollygag in the camper and then buffet at night. The first night the meal was good, but the air quality made the trip our last. Mike later talked to a worker who proudly said they spent $250,000 on the air system. But I don't know how anyone breathes in that smokey air.

The first morning, Mike left "home" at 4:30 a.m. and returned about 6:30 p.m.

I reached my goal of doing nothing, but sadly Mike didn't reach his goal. He got no deer after sitting 12 hours on a stand in weather that began in the 20's, with wind gusts up to 25 mph. Mike had layers of down, hand warmers, and a peanut butter sandwich. Plus anticipation.

Over the four days, Mike saw several bucks...but he was high-grading and wanted to go home with "BigBoy".

He did make several new friends including the casino shuttle driver who was a Quapaw Indian. Because the Quapaws are from Arkansas...and because Mike loves the Indian culture...they struck up several big conversations. You may know that Quapaw means "downstream people" (hence the casino name).

A retail opportunity fell out of the blue and into my lap. Friends had told me of a great place out from Joplin called Sandstone Gardens, a shop on 68 acres which has home and garden decor and a tea room and lots of concrete statuary. I had no idea that it was @our exit! The inside was a feast of eye candy and the creative juices flowed. I found part of Laura and Beth's Christmas there.

Then on the weekend, we met our neighborhood Community Group in Branson and went with them to Silver Dollar City.

Here are all fourteen of us on the front row of a great production of Scrooge's Christmas.

Sunday morning we had a worship service with a guitar and communion and we all shared the verse that had propped us up longterm.

What a grand time of feasting on God's grace!

LEEKS AND CUCUMBERS

2011-11-28T14:49:00.011-06:00

Last week's Sunday School lesson has set wheels spinning in my head. We are in Numbers 11, studying the wilderness wandering after the Exodus.

My oh-so-excellent Sunday School teacher was explaining how Moses was putting in overtime as he tried to lead his flock of malcontents.

The children of Israel had chosen to employ the ever-alluring "blame others" option by moaning about how they were in a pickle and it was all Moses' fault. They cried because life was hard for them without Egypt's cucumbers and leeks. In that complaint, somehow they had forgotten that they DIDN'T have the sting of the whip or dawn-to-dusk brickmaking. When their murmuring reached the ears of their intercessor Moses, it displeased him.

If I had been Moses I might have wanted to fund their desire for getting up a busload to go back to Egypt.

In the narrative, their desperate words are recorded. They said "but who will give us meat?"...

WAIT.

In the span of time that Israel was in Egypt, they went from being a nomadic, collectively self-sufficient people...to people who looked to government to take care of them. Some were children of slaves and perhaps had heard their parents talk of how hard life was in bondage. Now they were thinking that life as free men wasn't so much to crow about.

They had lost their focus. And frankly, they had lost their good sense.

Instead of being God-dazzled by all of the miracles they were honored to witness, they were circumstance-dazzled. Instead of pursuing a thankful attitude for the manna and quail, they clamored for the abundance (the leeks and cucumbers) that they found so easy to get used to. Now it was out with the Promised Land and in with the known commodity. They wanted Egypt as provider. They didn't trust God.

How long does it take for self-sufficient people to swerve into helplessness? A generation? Two? I kept thinking how much that story sounded like my country.

BEYOND JOBLESSNESS
The number of people on government aid swells beyond joblessness and compromises self reliance. We can trust God that He has a good purpose for "work" in our lives. And when men are paid not to work, something starts to disintegrate. Lord, allow us to understand and value the work ethic in our society.

COLLECTIVE SELF-RELIANCE
America has a history of collective self-reliance as government was structured around Judeo-Christian tenants. We help each other under God. It was Christians who established universities and hospitals and organizations to protect the helpless. God said it was not good for man to live alone...and then He modeled community as Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Lord, help us see the foolishness of autonomous living...or living under a faux benefactor.

ACTS 17.26 BLESSING
Our country may not be the Promised Land, but it is an exceptional place to be born. Give us a heart of gratitude for our liberty, Lord. Our country is a gift that blesses our lives and also blesses the world. It began as a safe place for Your kingdom to be proclaimed. God, help us not take America for granted.

But most of all, Lord...

It is YOU who gives all good gifts. Help us trust You as our Provider.

OVERSTIMULATED

2011-11-28T05:22:00.002-06:00

TWENTY BILLION of our stimulus dollars went to green industries to stimulate job growth and the economy.

Know precisely where those dollars went? SEVENTEEN of the TWENTY BILLION went to Obamaites...people on his re-election committee and bundlers who raised money for him. Really? Eighty percent of the money went to cronies?

There used to be a word for that back when we knew what "corruption" was.

For just a minute, forget stimulating the economy and creating jobs. Let's just look at a raw cash cow:

SOLYNDRA
At the tip of unsustainable business models sits a company whose name you recognize from the news. We have heard about it because a whistleblower called into a talk program back in September and the next day the FBI swarmed Solyndra headquarters to confiscate papers. http://www.breitbart.tv/ex-solyndra-employee-everyone-knew-the-plant-wouldnt-work/

What was the beef? As they built the extremely expensive, state-of-the-art building with our dollars, everyone already knew the Chinese were producing their product cheaper. So less than a year later, it predictably folded and took our wad of cash ($500 million) with it.

BRIGHTSOURCE
Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.'s green company needed DEEP POCKETS to bail them out. That would be you and I...to the tune of $1.4 BILLION dollars through a loan guarantee from a "former" employee of BrightSource who went to work for us at our Energy Department.

It is hard to envision a company that couldn't get float on $1.4 billion.

FORMER VP GORE'S GREEN COMPANIES
Let's say former VP Al Gore put 16 million and Senator Dianne Feinstein put 1 million into a startup.

Then suppose the Feds GIVE them a grant. Not a loan...a TAXFREE CHECK from the slush fund called "stimulus" that you and I funded. Next, the stockholders go public and issue an IPO. Within 18 months, Gore's investment goes to 89 million. Nice. He has every right to invest and make money...isn't that capitalism?

NOT IF MY MONEY FINANCES HIM.

When Mike put his 30 years in working for the government, he was under layers of regulation that restricted what could be done that even SEEMED like influence-peddling. No one could so much as buy lunch for a government worker. Nevermind working in a political campaign...we couldn't even put a candidate's sign in our yard.

Perhaps you are thinking that these green technology companies are the future and government should invest in the future. Investing in risky, demonstrable losers that their own number-crunchers advised against? You might say...well, they were creating jobs that are badly needed. Yes. Jobs. And the number of jobs BrightSource created averaged out to be $1 million per job.

Now a pronouncement comes down from on high. http://blogs.investors.com/capitalhill/index.php/home/35-politicsinvesting/6645-solyndra-staff-get-13000-taa-federal-aid The Labor Department has decided something novel; ALL of the 1,100 ex-employees of Solyndra have each been declared eligible for $13k in federal aid. That's right. The taxpayer will now add $14.3 million MORE dollars, which added to Solyndra's initial loan guarantee makes over half a BILLION.

That's a hard furball to swallow. The rationale is given is that the workers were hurt by overseas competition. UH, yeah! Now we're back to those pesky Chinese. But since when is GOVERNMENT in the severance package business, propping up private employees whose company goes belly-up?

The environmental movement is on shaky ground because not everyone is convinced of the science. But everyone SHOULD BE convinced of a frail economy that doesn't need to try and change horses in mid-stream...and particularly if the horses are running toward red.

A late news release says Solyndra has only received a very lowball offer for their equipment and another very lowball for the property. So don't count on seeing our 500 MIL investment. Taxpayers poured money out of a boot.

So are these guys creating jobs or creating billionaires? Are they environmental saviors or profiteers? The rest of us non-caring, knuckle-dragging, poor-steward schlubbs are just asking. Using OPM to get rich is a sweet deal if you can get it.

Like a Madoff scheme, it "made off" with lots of dough.

A DIFFERENT SPIRIT

2011-11-21T08:04:00.002-06:00

There is a different spirit moving across our land.
It's a spirit of comparison and strife and envy...

...and violence.

A spirit that exalts the created rather than the Creator.

A spirit of corruption in high places.

A spirit of power that is rottenness toward the young.

Unspeakable rottenness.

And harmful toward the most innocent.

Light of the World, we beg You to shine in these dark places. How we need your goodness.

Spirit, make us protectors of the weak...

God lovers...

responsive to authority...

and mindful of our divinely-assigned purposes.

Father, we so look forward to the day

when motives will be PURE.

The lion and lamb will both have new natures

and our nature-of-grace won't have to contend.

Lord, we just want you to know

that we won't miss that urge to be powerful.

Or rich.

Or...first.

The new Jerusalem will dazzle the eyegate

with all those fiery jewels and colors.

But the absence of rottenness

may be the most dazzling perk of all.

Maranatha, Lord!

AUTHENTICATE!

2011-11-10T07:22:00.005-06:00

Color me crestfallen this morning because I really like everything Herman Cain SAYS he stands for. Yesterday I posted Cain's debate in TX with Gingrich...and wrote the word "electrified". Today that has turned to a sour burp.

I WANT HERMAN CAIN TO BE THE REAL DEAL. How can Americans know the truth in a "he said/she said" gossipfest? Is Mr. Cain a predator or innocently accused?

You know what Herman Cain needs? Authenticating. Perhaps he should release the National Restaurant Association's report that vindicated him.

Here's a different authentication. Thomas and the disciples are checking out what Jesus has said.

That's just ONE of the things I appreciate about the Lord. God authenticated what His Prophet said. Jesus' walk/talk aligned. Boy, are we thirsty for authentication in our day!

When Jesus walked across the Promised Land, He proclaimed the good news. Then He authenticated His credentials with signs and miracles. That helps my confidence in what He says...and also in His uniqueness. No other religious leader authenticated what he said. Neither Joseph Smith nor Mohammed nor any other figure came back from the dead. And that's not all.

Take Isaiah 40.22. The Holy Spirit overshadowed Isaiah to cause him to write "it is He (God) who sits above the vault (sphere) of the earth". Why is that 2,500 year-old-verse so inspiring? In Isaiah's day, scientists thought the earth was flat and held up by three elephants. I can just imagine Isaiah obediently putting down words while his human nature was shouting "do you know how crazy this is?"

Isaiah's verse is just one example of Scripture breaking new ground. But the BIGGEST reason I put my confidence in what the Bible says...is because there were so many prophecies of Jesus that came true. Coincidence? Maybe one or even two would be a coincidence. But how can the fulfillment of dozens be explained? (*See below)

Then there are hundreds of prophesies that are future to us about Jesus' return. If He got the first bunch right, I'm willing to trust Him for the second bunch.

Finally, Jesus' Messianic miracles are powerful persuaders. Israel had been told to watch for certain things that would define their Messiah. That's how they would recognize Him...if He did four specific things that only God could do.

HEALING THE LEPER
Jesus cleansed a man of this incurable disease of leprosy in Luke 5. Then He told the leper not to tell a soul, but to go straight to show himself to the priests. Their response? They called Jesus a blasphemer.

CASTING OUT THE DEMON FROM A DUMB MAN
To do a Jewish exorcism you had to first establish communication (identify the demon's name). Because the afflicted was dumb, his demon was unexorcisible by human means. When we read in Matthew 12 and Mark 9 about Jesus casting out the demon, the multitudes were amazed. But the response of the religious leaders? They say Jesus is demon-possessed.

HEALING CONGENITAL BLINDNESS
In John 9, Jesus healed a man born blind. Who better to give sight than the Light of the world? The teachers of the law responded "you are healing on the Sabbath". Then they added "you are born in sin and now you try to teach us? Get out!"

RAISING THE DEAD
When Jesus raised Lazarus (John 11), the multitudes believed. But when the Pharisees found out, they convened the Sanhedrin and decided to bring Rome in to deal with the situation because "it was better for one man to die for the nation".

Jesus met the Messiah requirements and the religious leaders (above all people) should have known. But they were not interested in authentication. They already had their minds made up.

It is no different in our day. Check out the bodacious claims below that our Bible makes about Jesus. Remember they were hundreds of years before He came. And then watch Him fulfill what was written. It is great vetting when your walk and talk match. I still don't know about Herman Cain, but all my confidence is in the Good Book and the One who authenticates me.

*OT PROPHECY and NT FULFILLMENT

Micah 5.2 predicted Jesus would be born in Bethlehem (Matthew 2.1, Luke 2.4)

Zechariah 11.12,13 said He would be sold for thirty pieces of silver (Matt. 26.14-15, 27.8-10)

Psalm 41.9 described His betrayal by a friend (Matthew 26.49-54)

Psalm 27.12 and 35.11 talk of Jesus being accused by false witnesses (Matthew 26.59-60)

Zechariah 13.7 shows He's forsaken by disciples (Matthew 26.56, Mark 14.49-50)

Humiliated and spit upon in Isaiah 50.6,7 and 53.4 (Matthew 27.28-30)

Wounded and bruised in Isaiah 53.5 (Matthew 27.26, Mark 15.19)

Silent before accusers in Isaiah 53.7, 9b (Matthew 27.12 and 14, 1Peter 2.22-24)

Hands and feet pierced in Psalm 22.16 (Luke 23.33, John 20.25-27)

Crucified with thieves in Isaiah 53.12 (Mark 15.27, Luke 22.37)

Prayed for persecutors in Isaiah 53.12 (Luke 23.34)

Reviled, rebuked, mocked in Psalm 22.6-8 and 109.25 (Matthew 27.39-44, Mark 15.29-30)

People were astonished and stared in Psalm 22.17 (Luke 23.35)

Clothing divided and lots cast in Psalm 22.18 (Matthew 27.35, John 19.23-24)

Cried out in anguish in Psalm 22.1 (Matthew 27.46, Mark 15.34)

Gall and vinegar given in Psalm 69.21 (John 19.28-30)

Friends stood afar off in Psalm 38.11 (Luke 23.49)

Bones not broken in Psalm 34.20 and 22.14 and Exodus 12.46 and Numbers 9.12 (John 19.33 and 36)

Side pierced in Zechariah 12.10 (John 19.34-37)

Darkness came over the land when He died in Amos 8.9 (Matthew 27.45)

Committed Himself to God in Psalm 31.5 (Luke 23.46)

Buried in tomb of a rich man in Isaiah 53.9 (Matthew 27.57-60)

COUSIN PATTY

2011-11-02T17:46:00.002-05:00

The Lord kindly painted the hills of NW Arkansas this week for a visit from my Massachusetts cousin Patty.

Patty is my age and the oldest kiddo from my Daddy's favorite sister, Aunt Babe. Patty had never been down South before, so Mike and I tried to spread the drawl and hospitality thickly.

EASY
My cousin is one of those rare birds who can be happy doing whatever. Isn't that true contentment? Being easy was a great quality for a house guest and I took a lesson. "Patty, we can do this or that" we would say as our list of options framed scenarios. She would say "Oh, THAT sounds like fun!" But then she said the same thing about the next option and she meant it. She has been a blessing and we've vacationed, too, as we rode alongside her.

LINEAGE
Do you see that tall, skinny, handsome man on the top right? That's my Daddy, Jim Hodges (and my grandparents on the front right). The groom at this wedding was Daddy's best buddy and they joined the Army together after Pearl Harbor. Daddy introduced Charlie to his little sister Babe...and Babe and Charlie are Patty's parents.

Patty loves family and the Lord graciously plopped her down in a big one. My Grandmother Hodges had eight kids and so did Aunt Babe.

When my cousin grew up she matched her love of children with a teaching career and served 36 years. Nate was with us when we picked up Patty at the airport and they joined at the hip immediately. Then when we took her to Little Rock, the little girls swarmed her.

FAMILIAL
Familial traits are endearing. Patty and all my New England relatives call me "Sue". No one else calls me that, so it's sweet to me. We share the Hodges humor...on retail day we stood @a wire card rack at least 10 minutes laughing our heads off. We're both a bit ADD and we're people people. Growing up, my family didn't have money to make many trips East, but I can remember my cousins from a trip we made when I was twelve. Then when Mike retired, we made a "leaf peeping" tour of New England and we stopped @Patty's. She threw a family reunion at her house and tons of strangers who all seemed familiar showed up.

BUMPY
The small prop flight coming here from Hartford to Newark was choppy for Patty, but she had already experienced a bumpy ride. Patty took good care of her husband who had esophageal cancer and died at home in June. And she's coped with some illnesses of her own. So when she stepped onto that flight with a history of AVERSION to flying, she was putting faith into action. God met her there. He put a character in the seat ahead of her for distraction...and when the stewardess' head hit the ceiling, Patty's thought was "if I live, God is with me and if I die, I'll see His face and Don's". She felt peaceful. I like a practical God who makes us able.

FIRSTS

Patty's new friends are fried okra and four-wheeler riding. One day we drove her through a gated community called Pinnacle and she kept rubbernecking and repeating..."I had no IDEA there was this much wealth in Arkansas". When we drove through the mountains and past pastures full of cows, she talked about how much open space there was in AR and how the color reminded her of New England. That day we ended up at a restaurant called "Grandma's" on a mountain in Winslow and agreed that the rolls and chicken/dumplings and pies were blue ribbon. She found the town squares in Fayetteville and Bentonville charming. And when we took her to Fellowship Bible Church in Little Rock, she was blown away. We told her Arkansas was a well-kept secret.

ADIEUX
We tracked Patty's flight home on a neat little site called www.flightaware.com and watched the plane's progress and knew when it touched down. OK, Patty, we're making our list for next year. Wanna do something really bizarre and sit on a deer stand?

FREE AT LAST?

2011-10-24T09:40:00.002-05:00

This is a picture of Mohammed Bouazizi, a Tunisian street vendor who set himself on fire as a martyr for the Arab Spring.

Now ten months later, Tunisia turned out in HUGE numbers (70%) to vote for the very first time in a free election.

Bouazizi had an influence in his country.

GOT TUNISIA (in your mind)? She's the red dot in northern Africa...Libya is to the right. She joins the growing ranks of Arab countries which are now shed of repressive governments and dictators.

Of course, we're all wondering which way these nations will turn. The released peoples have only known repression and they're pretty sure THAT'S not what they want.

Yesterday the "new" Libya touted radical Sharia law. That lockstep conformity doesn't exactly smell like a whiff of freedom. So what does the Muslim worldview call the individual (and then the nation) to desire?

THE INDIVIDUAL
Would Muslims consider turning the other cheek? Loving/praying for their enemies? Why not? The missing element is forgiveness. If they are not "free" from their sin, they are continually striving. And there's no bridge to broken fellowship. They hack off an arm for stealing and stone/behead for adultery/blasphemy.

Harsh religion that offers no internal power source...creates harsh people who may function best under "enforcers".

THE NATION

The Arab Spring nations have a clean slate in front of them to build governmental structure. Will there be a Thomas Jefferson/John Adams who conceptualizes the Arab future? We come from a democratic mindset that assumes the human heart yearns for freedom. But how will Muslims know to structure something they've never tasted?

Meanwhile, Gilad Shalit was released home in Israel to a hero's welcome. His pale/frail frame saluted Prime Minister Netanyahu with all his might. Shalit might be compared to Bouazizi in that they both held national sway. Bouazizi rallied Tunisians for an end to oppression; Shalit rallied Israel to remember why they are one. It is not likely that either man got up one day and thought to himself..."today I will become a national symbol for my country". The 24-year-old Shalit was bushwhacked @19 and held captive 5 years. Bouazizi martyred himself @26. Young patriots.

EVALUATING WORLDVIEWS
The West compares objective facts about free thought vs. compulsive thought such as is seen in the awarding of the Nobel prize. Most know the prize is given to those who work for mankind's benefit in six areas of Literature, Chemistry, Physics, Medicine, Economics, and World Peace.

There are 1.4 billion Muslims in the world (20% of the world's population). They have 9 Nobel prizes. One Nobel prize went to Yasser Arafat for Peace. Three others (two Medicine winners and one Chemistry winner) were not actually Muslims, but Arab Christians.

Of the 12 million Jews in the world (.2% of the population), there are 165 Jewish Nobel prize winners. When thinking and expression are restricted, the results are stunted. A free society allows soaring.

We live in an unprecedented time of openness in the Middle East. Christ is showing Himself in dreams and visions just as Joel prophesied. Can man throw a roadblock against such revelation? How? By declaring a no-dream zone?

God will not be limited in what He can do in the Arab Spring. Let's pray that the opportunities for God's word would increase and prosper.

Isaiah said "the people who walk in darkness will see a great light". Isaiah 9.2

HOLD FAST

2011-10-19T09:40:00.006-05:00

What if your son or daughter fell in love and planned a wedding...but you were not permitted to go to the service?

Sound strange? Mormons believe that weddings in their temple are sealed and eternal and therefore desirable. But non-Mormons cannot go into the temple.

Well, maybe Mormons are exclusive, but they MUST have other redeeming features because they live such clean lives! Who can argue with THAT?

Yes. Their lives appear clean. But it's so important to put more weight on what God says than what we think. He's the Judge who sees hearts.

How crazy is it to think that such a theological discussion would be at the top of today's national news? But here we are. May I offer just four examples of how Christianity and Mormonism disagree? Christianity believes God is

...THE one true God (vs many gods) who has always been (vs a god who was once as we are now, a body of flesh and bones).

...Provider. He's the One who gave Jesus, the accessibility hinge into His kingdom (vs Jesus being Satan's spirit brother).

...Sanctifier. Jesus' blood makes forgiveness possible (vs salvation by progressive deification according to works).

Finally, God warns of a serious penalty for adding or taking away from Bible words. And the Mormon writ is not complete without Joseph Smith.

In fact, Dr. Albert Mohler says Mormonism…"does not claim to be just another denomination of Christianity. To the contrary, the central claim of Mormonism is that Christianity was corrupt and incomplete until the restoration of the faith with the advent of the Latter-Day Saints and their scripture, The Book of Mormon. Thus, it is just a matter of intellectual honesty to take Joseph Smith, the founder of Mormonism, at his word when he claimed that true Christianity did not exist from the time of the Apostles until the reestablishment of the Aaronic and Melchizedek priesthoods on May 15, 1829." http://www.albertmohler.com/2011/10/10/mormonism-democracy-and-the-urgent-need-for-evangelical-thinking/

Christianity didn't move; Mormonism did. While the world rushes by with an inclusiveness drumbeat that encourages the "tolerant" embrace of all faiths, we want to be hearing what God has both declared and authenticated. Has Joseph Smith authenticated any of his writings?

There are two Mormon candidates for the Republican nomination. This is not to say that either would not be able to run the country. Martin Luther was reported to say he would rather be governed by a competent Turk than an incompetent Christian. But if we learned ANYTHING in the last election, we learned that a man's worldview is important.

God is distinctive. Titus 1.9 calls us to "hold firmly to the faithful message as it has been taught". Each heart must decide what the message is...and then hold firm.

THE THOUSANDTH DAY

2011-10-17T17:25:00.005-05:00

If you are into marking celebrations, today is President Obama's thousandth day.

Let's just set aside the bad economic news and also many people's assumption that the president inherited the economic mess (therefore, it's not his fault...but rather Bush's fault/Arab spring's fault/tsunami's fault/etc).

Just for today on this anniversary, let's ask ourselves what President Obama is doing TODAY to help us?

Today he starts a bus tour. Uhhh, does he get to count that? That's to help HIM and it's on OUR dime. What DOES this man do until 4:00 each day?

Obama's past strategy to combat the economic woes was to spend 4.2 TRILLION (of the 14.9 trillion national debt). That bombed. When I consider how economically wobbly we are, and consider Obama's toolbox for economic repair, I only find two tools. Spend and talk.

Let's hand it to the president. I'm not sure even I could spend 4.2 trillion in a thousand days. That is stupefying.

Today's bus tour launches a repackage of his same ole/same ole. "This time it is broken up into pieces of taxing and spending still big enough to choke a horse." http://links.heritage.org/hostedemail/email.htm?h=e63a7dc651fbd4256dcfbb3065f5f9f5&CID=10108237810&ch=F84B3F63619F95CC30FB53DFE67BEEE3

The question is "how will we recover?" Here is a revealing chart on our past recoveries.

Our recovery time is not likely to shorten, given the occupiers in the streets. The president's endorsement of them has lent credibility to their varied causes. The fruit of his baiting is ripening.

The president appeals to the darker side of people's nature for his own purposes. He promotes envy (wanting others' things), he appeals to anger (the rich are not doing their part), he targets legitimate enterprises (such as corporate jet owners, tanning salon owners, Las Vegas tourism, banks, insurance, doctors and the RV industry) and he causes business uncertainty as to who will be next in his sights.

For a post-racial leader, it seems race is worse than it has ever been. For a man who came to be the great uniter, his pitting of one American against the other is baffling. And for the occupier of the Oval Office, the past thousand days have been bows/apologies, spending, job destruction, corruption, whining, tax hiking, berating/blaming...and traveling around like a sultan.

We see the change; where's the hope?

BRAND BROUHAHA...a theological dustup

2011-10-11T10:54:00.003-05:00

Oh, this is rich. The media is camping out in a foreign land, chiming in about something they perhaps haven't majored in. The question which has caused the brouhaha is...

Would the Mormon Mitt Romney also be considered a Christian?

Well, like it or not this issue has landed foursquare in our laps. Will we deal objectively?

Come, let us reason together...

ECCLESIASTICAL BRAND

At noon yesterday, Meghan Kelly said "...and the preacher from Texas SLAMMED Governor Romney, saying he was not a Christian."

Was Romney slammed? Christianity is clearly defined by Jesus in His Book. A match to the Biblical Jesus equals Christianity. No match/no cigar. That's not judging, that's accepting a belief system. Everyone chooses to believe something and Christianity is a unique brand.

Here's what may be part of the problem. Over time, being a Christian has come to mean less and less as the perimeter got more and more fuzzy. So when people hear you say someone's not a Christian, it's like you are saying they don't love God or they're not nice. That's why when Meghan Kelly made her remark, it was like she was saying "the TX preacher SLAMMED Romney because Romney doesn't love God".

Well, the Governor is a nice man who loves God, but that's not what the TX preacher said. Not being a Christian is an objective fact based on Romney's choice of beliefs. Governor Romney is a Mormon. Mormons have a stated list of things to believe just like Christians have a stated list of things they believe. Both lists have some tenants in common, but Mormons have some extra stuff about Jesus that is not in the Bible and therefore not considered characteristic of what Jesus would have done/asked His followers to do. That matters. It defines.

Similarly, there are people who choose to believe Black Liberation theology. If I said Jeremiah Wright was not a Christian, some would bow up. But the facts are...he adheres to a list of things that are not on the list of things adhered to by historic Christianity. That is not a slap to Reverend Wright. That's just a fact. Black Liberation theology is not Christianity.

Neither is Buddhism. Or whatever that stuff Marianne Williamson and Oprah believe. Or Islam or Hinduism or Shintoism or Baha'i...or any number of other belief systems.

ESSENTIAL BRAND

Last night Karl Rove said "This concern over theology is not productive or important. I would give as an example Abraham Lincoln, who might be described as a casual Christian. Have we now decided HE would not have made a good President?"

What about that? Does theology have a place in politics? Rove was saying that a leader's brand might disqualify him from the office when actually an "off-brand" fellow might be able to be a great leader.

That is somewhat akin to what Bill O'Reilly said. He talked of Rick Santorum being too much of an "ideologue" for the partisan politics of today. O'Reilly figured a more centrist man (woman) would have broader appeal. That's a veiled way of saying ... too much conviction.

So what about brand and conviction? Do they matter? What does our day demand? Should we look for a man (woman) with a certain brand, or should it be "who cares what brand"?

We live in perilous times that are unlike the mid-1800's. Abraham Lincoln had it tough, but our times have shrunk the world and our iThings bring on warp speed. If terrorists don't get us, we will get ourselves...with a looming depression and anarchist mobs roving the country. We need a leader who understands the times because they HAVE an operational God-app. We need someone who is used to walking with/hearing from God...because it's gonna take some clear wisdom from above to sort out all of today's economic and security needs.

I think Mr. Rove is wrong. I think theology is key. Perhaps President Lincoln could be characterized as a casual Christian because he didn't attend church, but I read devout words when I read his writings. I hear great angst in his deliberations and know by seeing his lined face and reading about his life...that he prayed and wrestled with God over the weight of his office. I do not believe that a casual Christian could have written the Gettysburg Address.

So yes, Mr. Rove/O'Reilly. Theology and conviction have a place in the lives of our leaders. It may be just the lifeline that God throws us.

EXCLUSIVE BRAND

BTW, I heard a commentator who "got it right" last night. Ann Coulter said "commentators should stick with what they know". Smile. Commentators are people and people in general want to be inclusive about matters of faith. It just SEEMS open-minded and generous to be inclusive. No one wants to be seen as brittle or judgmental.

But don't forget this. Christians are called to agree with God on what HE SAID, not make up what seems right. And in the Book, we read about many belief systems in the world. And they FROSTED God. He responds by saying He is a jealous God who wants an exclusive relationship with us. He warned over and over and over about the way other belief systems influenced His people Israel. God did not endorse or tolerate any of those systems. In fact, He THUNDERED against them. And when His finger wrote on the stone tablet, the very first thing He ordered was NO OTHER GODS. He was calling His people out of a polytheistic culture and calling them to monotheism. To the one God. To Himself. I didn't make the rules, but I SURE want to follow them. And He said "come unto ME".

P.S. God's phone number is Jeremiah 33.3...and there he makes an exciting promise that would be awsome in regard to leadership.

"Call to me and I will answer you.

I'll tell you marvelous and wondrous things

that you could never figure out on your own."

"I FOUGHT THE LAW AND THE LAW WON"

2011-10-10T14:22:00.012-05:00

Are you old enough to remember that R&R song from 1966? That was my spiritual story.

I've been melancholy lately...looking back at my road to God. I spent thirty years without Him; now that I'm 64, I've had thirty-four years WITH Him. Perhaps my melancholy is due to a couple of friends (a husband and wife) who both died this summer. When Mike and I first married, they were our next-door neighbors.

When the four of us began our life journey, none of us knew the Lord. Then in the early 70's, Bill and April found Christ, got weird, and Mike and I shunned them. To us, they had become religious freaks. You know the definition of a religious freak, don't you? Someone who loves Jesus more than you do?

About seven years went by before Mike and I came to Christ at a parachurch ministry called Bible Study Fellowship. Then Bill and April seemed normal and our friendship got a kickstart. Today as I write this, I picture them arm in arm, grinning at this story. We miss them both a lot and look forward to seeing them again.

Everyone has their own storyline to God. Here's a phrase that used to gripe me. "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal." I knew everyone has wildly divergent economic and ability starting lines, so how could we all be created equal? Our equality is in our access ability to God.

During the first half of my life, my religious reach-of-choice was self-righteousness. I did good things for God so He'd like me and I'd feel good about myself (maybe not in that order). Now THERE'S a hamster wheel that spells exhaustion.

The year was 1978 and for the first time I was getting to the end of myself. I looked UP in a study of the Bible. It was the first time I had ever studied the Bible even though I was the Children's Coordinator of my church and had a pretty spanking clean attendance record (if I do say so myself...see the problem?).

God was gracious and began to show Himself. He makes a promise that seekers will get insight. I began to learn what it took to come into a relationship with the Almighty. The way WAS NOT through the law. My law-keeping gave me pride (not the good kind) and the pride made me not need God and that pushed Him farther away. Of course, no one can keep the law and that's why in the song it says the law won. Next comes guilt...and it's nasty twin, lack of assurance. Then I was back on the wheel to do more for God.

The law has no power to blow life into a person because it's only a sin-revealer.

Here's what a man in the 1700's said about my legal struggle:

The law could promise life to me,
If my obedience perfect be;
But grace does promise life upon
My Lord’s obedience alone.

The law says, DO, and life you’ll win;
But grace says, LIVE, for all is done;
The former cannot ease my grief,
The latter yields me full relief.

Ralph Erskine, 1745

I remember an old commercial for a product called Calgon. A frazzled lady slid down in a hot bubbly tub and the voiceover said "Calgon, take me away". That is what grace does.

My prayer was, "Lord, I am so sorry for ignoring you all these years. My self-sufficiency must have been a stink in your nose because you wanted me to depend on YOU. Please allow Jesus' death to cover my sins. Please make me your child and show me your way."

Charles Spurgeon had great insight on this truth. He said "when I thought God was hard, I found it easy to sin; but when I found God so kind, so good, so overflowing with compassion, I smote upon my breast to think that I could ever have rebelled against One who loved me so and sought my good."

The law may have temporarily won, but mercy came running.

God had regard for me when I was lost and spinning that hamster wheel...living so far from Him in "religion". All that wasted time still hurts my heart. It's like what Christ said on the cross "Father, forgive them because they don't know what they do".

His kind regard for me, and His desire that I be with Him now and forever...is wonderfully illustrated in the place He has prepared. First Corinthians 2.9 says "no one's ever seen or heard anything like this, never so much as imagined anything quite like it - what God has arranged for those who love him."

Mother used to say "I love the thought of heaven, but I'm not getting up a busload". Me, too, Mama. We're not ready until He's ready for us. But the hope of what is ahead gives dazzle to my soul.

OCCUPIED

2011-10-09T14:02:00.002-05:00

Wall Street has had some unruly guests lately who want to be a voice against economic disparity.

We can agree on the premise but disagree about how to fix the problem.

And here's a laugh. The official line now being floated in the media...is that the youthful protesters are a "Tea Party-esque" national movement leaning toward the liberal end of the spectrum.

Huh? Occupiers are liberal Tea Party-ers? I don't think so. Tea Party rallies did not break the law, they chose to work within the system, they knew why they had assembled, and they were NOT paid to attend rallies.

Besides, isn't it interesting that the Occupiers even COMPARE themselves to the Tea Party? Thought the Tea Party was racist, violent, and ignorant.

RACIST

Even though that brand was repeatedly thrown against the Tea Party, it's doubtful that it ever stuck. Why? Actions speak louder.

In 2010, Tea Party-ers voted in an Indian-American Governor of South Carolina, the first Latina Governor of New Mexico, a Cuban-American Senator in Florida, and TWO conservative African-American Congressmen (South Carolina and Florida). AND it's been huge fun to watch these perceived racists "RAISE CAIN". Perhaps the other side, then, could explain why they single out a certain group of people to defame.

America was born to tolerate disagreement. And I disagree with the stated course of taking someone else's wealth for a more "just" society...when half the country does not pay income tax. One wonders who is running the "just" scale. And as has been reported over and over, if ALL the money was taken from the top 2% of Americans, it would not dent the debt. So why make Custer's last stand on top of the rich? Something else is in play.

VIOLENT

The only violence to report about the Tea Party were a couple of provoked skirmishes when SEIU thugs attacked individual Tea Party-ers. But now Occupiers have been arrested for their rowdy blocking of the Brooklyn Bridge and 700 were carried away. Wonder...if the Tea Party had caused such civil disobedience, would New Yorkers have cheered the inconvenience?

IGNORANT

Let's see...how would I prove a lack of ignorance? Yeesh. I just know that the Tea Party movement began as a reaction to the last two administrations and their increasing regulation/spending/size of government. The faces in the TP crowd were all ages, but many were older; retired folks can turn out in the middle of the day and they know how their taxes have been wasted and why debt cripples. Speaking for myself, it takes a lot to get this old girl up and out of her faux leather recliner...but concern for country is motivating and needs no coaching. Tea Party-ers understand their cause. And when they went to the national rally in DC, they revealed their commitment by picking up the tab.

On the other hand, the Restoring Sanity Rally saw big buses bringing in people and providing lunches and some union workers were even paid for the day. While Tea Party rubes are thought to be uninformed, many of the Occupiers interviewed revealed nonsensical platitudes. One interviewer asked what they wanted if capitalism were to be replaced. The young man's blank stare revealed that he apparently hadn't read the CliffsNotes on that question. They can't seem to get their rhetoric around what they want, so here's a MSNBC reporter coaching their fuzzy focus. http://www.breitbart.tv/nbc-news-ratigan-to-occupy-wall-st-protesters-i-love-what-youre-doing/

C'mon. Let's get serious. We have anarchists in the streets who are the polar opposite of the people who rallied peacefully and then picked up their trash as they left. Comparisons to the Tea Party are ridiculous.

Here we have youth whose anger is stoked and manipulated, while the government they elected coddles them over and over. Yes, you can stay on Daddy's insurance till you are twenty-six. Yes, you can have another extension of unemployment for two years. Yes, you deserve a guaranteed house and job. Yes, the rich are mean not to share and you should hate them. This unconscionable madness cripples people.

Sure there are some sincere young people in the streets looking for a cause in order to "make a difference". They get it right when they say abuse of the system exists. We just don't want to swing the pendulum clear to Cuba. Let's reform, not completely overhaul the system. Youth may be naive and predictably passionate about something they haven't lived yet, but every generation has a learning curve. The youth are not what we worry about.

We need to be aware of other forces that would use this disruption for a darker purpose. These are dangerous times, America. Congress needs to fix our inequities and loopholes before The Land of the Free tumps over.

AN AMERICAN EXCEPTIONALIST

2011-10-06T14:29:00.005-05:00

Steve Jobs wasn't soft and he didn't need government subsidies. He was a self-made man who created products that made America clamor for them.

I watched him on YouTube as he addressed the 2005 graduating class @ Stanford.

One of the things he said was that his birth mother chose adoption under the condition that he be sent to college. She thought college would be the formula for his success.

But Mr. Jobs seems to have always been a bit of a round peg in a square hole. He was the kid thinking out of the box.

It only took a semester for Mr. Jobs to start/quit college. Subsequently he "audited" classes. And without the help of this popularly-agreed-on-formula for success, he heard a creative Voice that breathed innovation into his abilities. The outworking of those innovations went around the globe. Wiki says this genius was primary or co-inventor on 338 US patents or applications.

His corporations grew exponentially from nothing (a couple of kids in a garage) to become a huge opportunity for Steve Jobs to offer livelihoods to many people. He was VERY aptly named.

And it all came from a 70's hippie who made it big. How ironic that his "big" is what the hippies protesting down @Wall Street would like now to redistribute. For all of Jobs' great wealth, he was unlike Bill Gates; we know of no history of charitable giving. In fact, in 2007 when SPJ took back Apple, he also cut out corporate philanthropy. Ouch.

Although this entrepreneur changed the way business works, he did not change the way the universe works. Steve Jobs left this world as we all will...to appear before God.

The True and Righteous Judge does not take into account the same things man takes into account when considering a life. Man grades on the curve, thinking "ah, wasn't Steve Jobs amazing and didn't he have a positive impact on the whole world?" Mr. Jobs may have had a profound impact on the way the world does business, but it was God who decided to bless mankind with those innovations. Then He just looked for a vehicle.

When Steve Jobs breathed his last, He stood before God to be sent to the left or right.

That sheep/goats designation is based on Christ's righteousness. God doesn't evaluate lives on a "goodness" balance scale.

The Ancient of Days checks for the admission ticket...Christ's imprint on a life. That imprint is the pearl of great price that comes when an individual heart humbles before God.

One of the joys of heaven will be seeing people again and I would love one day to be able to see Mr. Jobs and thank him for figuring out my favorite tools...the bigMac, iPhone, and iPad.

Perhaps SPJ knew the Savior. Even though his bios say that he was a Buddhist, we know cancer can be a heart softener.

When it came right down to it, Steve Jobs either believed there was an Innovator...or that the innovation came from himself.

SUNDAY @BLACK OAK

2011-09-28T17:09:00.002-05:00

May I crack the front door of our church just a bit? Yesterday Black Oak had quite the day.

The first hour was great. Well, since my hubs was the SS teacher...I'd say that. But that's my story and I'm sticking to it.

After class we began to set out the preparations for Kingdom Kids. The children @BOBC sit in church with their parents for the first two songs and then go down front for Pastor's "children's church". That's a lesson which captures every adult's imagination. Then the kiddos are dismissed to the back.

I peeked out at the congregation and we had a light crowd. There were may have been 30 people sitting in the pews and there were NO children! #steppingonmylip

Our service started and when it was time for the choir, the three women and four men went to the front to sing. Afterward as they stepped down, one lady who has been experiencing atrial fibrillation stumbled and someone grabbed for her and she landed on the first pew. The Lord began to call His troops together.

Up popped a sweet LPN in the back, dressed in scrubs for her job after church and armed with her stethoscope. Our patient's husband and other men helped our friend to the back. The church was stunned. Although this lady has had episodes and we've prayed, this was the first episode we've witnessed. And we simply are not ready to lose this precious woman.

This saint has served the Lord from North Africa to South Fayetteville and everywhere in between. Although she's ageless, we could discreetly describe her chronological assignment to the decade that rhymes with "greaties". She's an A+ role model for being a God-truster/pointer...a ladylike husband-lover...and she's a champion advocate in prayer. She constantly loves on folks with food and cards and calls. She's my hero. You know that song "Give Me Jesus"? That's her story, too. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vu2E2FUcIiE

The congregation reacted. Heads bowed together to immediately plead her case. Then our Pastor led prayers from the front. We sang a song, knowing she could hear us in the back and know that we loved her.

Besides that, we were helpless. Such a time calls for total dependence on God and that's hard because we want desperately to DO something. We force ourselves to remember that He holds us in his hand and nothing gets through His grip without permission. We know this lady's number of days was settled in heaven since before she was born and nothing can take a day away until her job He gave her to do is complete. I know these truths and lean back on them with my whole weight...but we just didn't know what number had been assigned to last Sunday. So we asked for mercy.

This story ends well because our sister in Christ was granted more time. Bright and early the next morning she was in a cardiology appointment for more evaluation and was hooked to a monitor. It's calm now, but yesterday things were pretty frantic. In fact, our pastor dismissed church without his message. He looked out at distraught faces and knew no one could absorb more. That was fine because yesterday, God was the Teacher. Here are four points I gleaned from His lesson plan:

FATHER KNOWS BEST

I was disappointed there were no children there on Sunday, but that turned out to be a good thing.

BODY LIFE WORKS

God's church body functions as one; the drama required all hands on deck and each hand pitched in. When we tried to think of songs to sing, a voice from the back row was a sweet teen who said she thought Amazing Grace would be appropriate. Everyone knew that song...and we need to know songs so that in such unscripted times, we can cheer ourselves or others.

LAST WORD

The same Almighty who spoke all of creation into being...worked to calm a speeding heart and give a wife back to an 89-year-old husband who was emotionally spent. God had the last word.

EYES UP

As our friend left church yesterday, she was apologizing in sobs because she seemed to think her episode pulled our eyes away from the Lord and onto her.

Don't fret, Sweetheart. We knew we were in over our heads, so our eyes instinctively went up. The One who calmed the seas would not consider one little heart muscle a heavy lift. And even though no one verbalized David's 121st Psalm, we knew "our help comes from the Lord who made heaven and earth".

Now we must be careful to remember to thank El Roi (the God Who Sees). Our little church may be way out in the country, but it was on His GPS system. He saw our needs and our turmoil and we are VERY grateful for His answer to our prayers.

A DO-ER...or a BE-ER?

2011-09-24T17:13:00.001-05:00

We are by nature "do-ers" while the Divine call is to become "be-ers".

I might get on a spurt and clean the fridge so thoroughly as to even read the expiration dates on the salad dressing...yet put off spiritual disciplines like prayer or Bible study. Why? Cuz it's easier to "do".

When the Lord was explaining the concept of our deportment, He framed ten commandments. Later, He went on to say the ten could even be reduced to TWO...love God and love others. Don't miss the order of that simple life plan. He wants us to "be" and THEN "do".

My closest earthly love relationship calls for maintenance. You might think that after forty years, Mike and I would have the co-existance rhythm down pat. But instead of less maintenance, we are finding more need for closeness. I get to missing that man and by suppertime, look forward to downloading the day with him.

Ever been in love? It's fun to recall love's beginnings when the intensity knob is turned way up. I can remember how unbelievably gorgeous the fall colors were in 1969 because all of our senses were on alert. Mike and I couldn't wait to be together and talk. The sound of his voice made the bottom of my stomach fall out.

That's how it should be with the Lover of my soul. He wants me to see life as He paints it...vividly and in intense color. He wants to chart my path. He waits for my call and delights in giving me good gifts. Still, the best of the Redeemer's good gifts is second to His unbelievable desire to be with me forever.

So why's it so hard to choose to "be" in His presence?

I was listening to Anne Graham Lotz (Billy Graham's daughter) on Huckabee the other night. The Governor told her that he had met her brother Franklin and he wondered if she, too, had rebelled. Anne grinned. She said she had not bucked God in that way, but that her life was full when she was newly married and began to have kids. God took a backseat until one day when Anne realized the distance and reached for Him in a study called Bible Study Fellowship. That struck a chord in my heart because BSF is where I found the Lord.

There is a truism that the more you move toward the Lord, the more He moves toward you. What I have found is that while in a systematic study of question/answer, God probes our hearts and reveals more and more of His heart. The process of unlocking God's heart is a little like an earthly love relationship. The more I talk to Mike, the more I understand what is inside his heart and understand what motivates/pleases him. And so it is with God.

It pleases the Creator to reveal truth to His children. But such truth is only discerned spiritually. If the Spirit is not present, there is no translator. So the first part of "be-ing" is belonging to Him. John 1.18 says "to as many as receive Him, to them He gives the right to be called children of God". Then, as Anne Graham Lotz said, you're @ the starting line.

I would not likely commit at the marriage altar and then move away from intimacy. Neither would I commit to God and then not pursue Him. Church is not enough. We need to personally interact with God to plumb His mind.

You probably know your mate's love language. Do you know the Father's love language? Speak love to Him in the spiritual disciplines of Bible study, prayer/fasting/giving, and forgiveness.

"To be...or not to be". That IS the question.

IN MEMORIAM

2011-09-10T16:15:00.001-05:00

Reliving 9.11 is hard. Yesterday I listened to some newly-released audio tapes of the air traffic controllers as they tried to piece together what was happening. My body tensed and strained...as though if they just hurried, they could change history. It's awful seeing the anguish on the faces of family and excruciating to think of how so many people perished.

Cartoonists have drawn special strips for the anniversary as our nation grieves.

STUNNED

We could never guess the depth of evil in the world that is actively engaged against us. But on 9.11, when evil raised it's ugly head, there followed for us a euphoria of just being glad to be alive...and gratitude for what we have in America...and special gratitude for our families. "Zits" is a cartoon which daily portrays a family who struggle to live with their teenager. But not on 9.11.

RESPONSE

Resolve, rebuild, retaliate.

America's response began with the brave passengers on Flight 93 who stormed the cockpit and probably saved our Capitol. Then after the towers fell, men and women poured into NYC to help dig for survivors. Volunteers nailed boards to make stretchers. Within hours, lines were out the door @ the Red Cross centers across the country as people gave blood. Young men signed up for the armed forces. Flags were flying everywhere. Americans worked together and that unity felt good.

GRATITUDE

We remember how those firemen were lined up and heading into the building while the survivors ran out. That was amazing courage and a high calling to give your life for others. Last night we watched footage that reminded us of how in that first few days, the pile kept shifting and the workers had to run back away from it. Those volunteers knew the air was not good and they knew the workplace was hazardous. But someone had to do it. God, bless them.

"I'LL TAKE IT FROM HERE" GRATITUDE

Brave men left home and family to sweat in 120 degree weather...forfeiting a comfy bed/nice meals/their safety. Who does that for someone else? We owe the military and we cheered when they got Bin Laden.

Charles Krauthammer writes..."9/11 was our Pearl Harbor. This time, however, the enemy had no home address. No Tokyo. That's why today's war could not be wrapped up in a mere four years. It was an unconventional war by an unconventional enemy embedded within a worldwide religious community. Yet in a decade, we largely disarmed and defeated it, and developed the means to continue to pursue its remnants at rapidly decreasing cost. That is a historic achievement.http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/the-911-overreaction-nonsense/2011/09/08/gIQAc727CK_story.html

HEALING

How is such a monumental task accomplished if the threat is still there? Go back our initial response. Remember resolve, rebuild, and retaliate?

We are rebuilding. We have retaliated. How's our resolve?

Resolve is sagging. Somehow the years have insulated us from the enemy. Now the fashion is to say that alQaeda is really not a threat. After all, they say...there has not been another successful attack. Instead of acknowledging our protection came from the walls installed to protect us, there are complaints about how the walls harmed us. That's incredible.

GOING FORWARD

The country holds a memorial service tomorrow and expunges God because He's too controversial. The mayor asks "whose god should we invite?"...and goes on to say "we should remember the separation of church/state". Excuse me, Sir? The Constitution says government is not to impede religion. And why not invite the God on whose principles the country was founded?

This is not hard. This is basic stuff. How did we get so far off base?

I read an editorial by Mark Steyn who said that we have moved from a "let's ROLL" nation...to a nation mired in "let's roll over" mush. http://www.investors.com/NewsAndAnalysis/Article/584330/201109091746/Lets-Roll-Nation-Mired-In-Lets-Roll-Over-Mush.htm

Can we expect God to bless America if we choose to ignore Him? 9.11 was our wakeup call. Let's not push the snooze button. PRAY.

STICKS AND STONES

2011-09-08T16:28:00.001-05:00

It's time to officially get my feelings hurt.

I support Tea Party policies. I can't say I'm a member of the Tea Party since there are no memberships or elected leaders. But I CAN get behind their philosophy.

SMALLER GOVERNMENT

LESS REGULATION

DEFICIT REDUCTION

These three planks are hardly extreme, but if I had just fallen off a turnip truck, I'd get that impression.

In April, 2010 Mike and I went to a tea party rally here in Fayetteville. There were speeches and prayers and singing "America the Beautiful" acapella. No one SEEMED like a raving lunatic, but you can check out pictures from an earlier blog ("Partying on the Square") and decide.

My heart was @the Restoring Honor rally in DC on Labor Day, 2010. Unfortunately, the rest of me didn't make it there so we watched it on television. Tons of people showed up peacefully, had fun dressing up patriotically, cheered in agreement for speakers, and picked up trash as they left. Seemed like responsible, involved citizenry.

But because of this political perspective, Maxine Waters has told me to "go straight to hell". Legions of voices (including the Vice President) have called me a racist. The VP has also said I am a barbarian at the gate. And Jimmy Hoffa said I was an "sob" (only he didn't abbreviate) and called union members to be an army against such. He's scary.

But we don't have to worry because our President took care of things. He held those voices accountable because he has lectured on the First Amendment (@law school) and civility (@Rep. Gabby Giffords' service).

Huh? He DIDN'T? Gee, does that mean there is only room for one voice at America's table?

Vitriol, thy name is coarse and threatening.

SHAKE AND BAKE

2011-09-06T10:08:00.003-05:00

The Connecticut River is delivering Irene's flood waters out through Long Island Sound. Part of Vermont enters the Atlantic Ocean.

This week wildfires are burning central Texas and their drought is severe. A couple of weeks ago, earthquakes were rattling our nerves.

You don't have to be brilliant or a Bible scholar to notice something going on; these are the signs of our times. While natural disasters have always been around, the Bible says in the last days they will increase in frequency and widen in scope.

All of creation is eagerly awaiting the future day when God will reveal who his children really are (Romans 8.19). Until then, it says creation groans as with childbirth pains. Creation is groaning, all right.

We were stunned last winter when Fayetteville registered a MINUS 20 degrees. Then this summer we lived through many consecutive 100+ days. When Brad and Laura arrived at the Little Rock airport, 108 degrees slapped them in the face. The next day was 114. I heard Laura ask Beth if she remembered it being that hot when she and Brad were growing up. Huh uh! Our NW AR trees are so stressed from the extreme temperature variance, they have thrown up their arms and crisped their leaves. No more singing "the hills are alive" as we drive south on I540. This fall the hills are begging for mercy.

The Bible also talks about how the Lord will shake the nations in the end times. Colorado and DC have just had their first earthquakes and the Washington Monument got a four foot crack. Central AR has had quivers.

Our nation shakes literally, but she especially shakes economically these days. The market is rolling like a queasy stomach. With 14M jobs gone, nothing says shaken like being unemployed...or being in your 60's and watching your nest egg melt like cotton candy on the tongue.

All around the globe we see similar physical and economic and soul-yearning shaking. European economies are upside down. There is an unprecedented political shaking in the Arab world as dictators are being thrown out. Shall we start a party? Not yet. Our pause for the Arabs is that we wonder if people who have always lived under a harsh thumb...can structure freedom. If chaos reigns, then the people will be more unsafe than they were before and they will beg for peace.

Disasters make us feel helpless. I can only imagine how the people in Joplin crouched in fear. When Japan shook, I'm remembering the video of those poor souls screaming and running from the tsunami wall of water that swept into their valley. When we are helpless, we look for a savior. That sets the stage for the "hero" with supernatural winsomeness who steps forward to offer worldwide peace. That faux peacemaker/savior is the one believers are warned to beware.

It is so critical to know what the Bible says. The ancient words talk about how people will swarm to this man of peace who turns out to be peace's polar opposite. We need to know truth because we want to follow the One who will be left standing. Once the endtimes sounded pretty farfetched, but notsomuch now. We can all envision a global economy accessed by a chip implant. How long do you think it would take you to submit to the chip if the chip was necessary to buy or sell? Do you know what the Bible says about such a chip?

I heard an old expression the other day "going to hell in a handbasket". Well, I've said that all my life, but my logical side waked and wondered "what does that even MEAN"? So I googled it. It said that back in the off with their heads days, there was a receiving basket under the guillotine. And because people with a death sentence were thought to be GUILTY and headed for the underworld...voila! Makes perfect sense.

GUILTY describes the age we live in and it would be no problem to make a case for why God should call us to account. Remarkably, He knows our bent and wants us. His desire is to save us from the handbasket. He wants to be an ark of safety like Noah entered when the flood waters rose.

So please study the Bestseller. Kneel before Christ. And get ready for the big ride.

DO UNTO OTHERS/Part Two

2011-09-03T05:48:00.007-05:00

Last week the movie THE HELP was on my mind...and Jackson, Mississippi...and treating people differently. This blog is Part Two because I can't quit thinking about it.

Are Jackson's racial problems in the rear view mirror? Here's a recent CNN news story about a white teen from Jackson who beat a black man and then ran over him in his truck. The victim died. The teen didn't realize the motel camera caught the whole episode. http://www.etidbits.com/teen-in-alleged-hit-and-run-hate-crime-isolated-from-other-prisoners=7918

This young Jacksonian made some obviously poor choices. He decided to stay out and drink all night, then drove under the influence, tried to impress the girls in his truck with his bully testosterone, used violent force against a man, and then ran over the innocent, defenseless human being. It was technically a hate crime because he specifically picked out a black man. Who is the brute who DOES such a hateful thing?

The Jackson teen has the dubious honor of being the first one charged in Mississippi under the hate crimes law. But did the hate crimes law intimidate the guy? Impede the guy? Punish the guy more than established laws would have?

It is ironic that in the news account, the footage shows the detainee flanked by two black policemen. The District Attorney of Hinds County is also black and the victim's attorney is black. So life HAS changed in Jackson in some ways. But no matter the decade (the 60's or today), no matter the part of the country (South, North, East or West), no matter the consequences (hate crimes or no), no matter the race (black or white or yellow or brown)...people seem intent on aberrant behavior. Sin happens.

The law stands ready to call lawless choices to task, but not even "hate crimes" legislation can prohibit hatefulness. We educate, but education isn't the total answer. We legislate, but we legislation isn't the total answer. Civilization calls for both education and legislation, but the greater problem is the human heart. That's why we need Jesus.

In the last blog, I mentioned a trip to Jackson, Mississippi with a friend who had been invited to speak to a Christian Women's Club. What I didn't mention was that my friend Marilyn was brave.

The movie THE HELP taught us that there were many falsehoods about blacks in the South. For instance, the genesis for "separate but equal" facilities was born out of the fear that blacks carried diseases. That sounds preposterous to our 2011 ears, but it helps us understand the humiliation blacks faced daily.

Blacks were not the only people who were misunderstood. Stereotypes existed about Jewish people...and my friend Marilyn is Jewish. Her trip to Jackson meant she was headed into unknown territory. You might be asking "but didn't you say that she was invited to come speak?" Yes. And the people of Jackson turned out to be very gracious. But judging by the questions they asked, we could tell that they had never heard an explanation of how the Old Testament revealed the New Testament. Marilyn explained the exquisite, continuous picture of Christ in our Jewish roots.

Stereotypes die hard. In 1989, a popular movie called DRIVING MISS DAISY came out that also put a spotlight on the stereotypes of both blacks and Jews. It was fun to watch that unlikely pair (Miss Daisy, a Jewish lady...and Hoke, her black butler) develop a deep affection for one another over the years.

When Miss Daisy's synagogue burned, she began to realize that she and Hoke shared a common understanding of discrimination. That led to acceptance and a touching friendship.

About that same time, Marilyn and I were also involved in a ladies Bible study in Eastgate, a black housing project in North Little Rock.

I remember one particular morning that as we studied, something was said that opened an anger portal; there was animated venting around the table.

Marilyn listened and then quietly said..."Yes, I understand that you have suffered much at the hands of people who do not like you and who would make you feel less than human. That makes the Lord sick and makes me sad. But can any of you know what it feels like to have all of your race rounded up and sent to their deaths en masse?" One lady responded "blacks were beaten and hung all the time in the South!" Marilyn pointed out that whatever the percentage of those incidents against the black population as a whole, it did not approach the scope of the Holocaust.

Undeniable truth. Sometimes we can't see around our assumptions or our lack of information about each other. We need each other.

And we desperately need the Spirit of the living God. If your heart gauge is on E and there's no more love one another left...you need to hear the promise that God makes to believers in Romans 5.5:
"the love of God has been poured out in our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us."

Not feeling the love? We don't have to gin it up. It is poured out by our power Source. Ask Him.

DO UNTO OTHERS/Part One

2011-08-23T05:31:00.006-05:00

"You is kind, you is smart, and you is important".

Aibileen's story began with those encouraging words that she spoke into a child's heart. Hers is a courageous story that began in Jackson, Mississippi...a place of little hope if you were born black.

In the early 90's I went with a friend on a road trip from Little Rock to surburban Jackson, Mississippi. My friend had been invited to speak at a Christian Women's Club meeting. The trip made such an impression on me that even my husband remembered the incident now twenty years later.

And as Mike and I drove home after seeing the movie The Help, he asked me again about the Jackson trip. Back then I had been broadsided because my friend and I were overnight guests in a Christian home. I was not expecting to see the maid treated as though she were invisible. Some roots go deep and unexamined.

That's why we need Scripture.

Chuck Colson said in his commentary about The Help that the movie reminds us how easy it is to get blinded to personal and societal sin. I agree. The movie calls the audience to consider how our lives square with Scripture...

I watched Skeeter's mom cave to peer pressure while miserably wishing she hadn't. She was living Romans 7.15: "for I do not understand my own actions. I do not practice or accomplish what I wish, but I do the very thing that I loathe." It was sad to see that the women turned their children over to others to raise. Then I wondered...if I had been financially able, would I have done the same thing? I cringed when Hilly refused the maid's request for $75, saying "as a Christian, you will thank me one day". Some pretty ungodly things get wrapped in Christ's name. Hilly (in the pink flowered dress, played by Ron Howard's real daughter) just NAILED her role as the mean girl on a power trip. I know I'm to love my enemies and pray for those who despitefully use me, but don't we ALL have an irregular person that we'd be tempted to send one of those chocolate pies? Minny's humor was just the right lightheartedness that this serious movie needed. And Missus Walters (Sissy Spacek) came in a close second. What a hoot!

The movie told a story, but the intent was not to slam Jackson. I came away from the movie inspired and challenged and I hope the people of Jackson did, too. Jacksonians may have winced at their old ways, but I'm hoping they have reason to rejoice over progress. While the story was told within racial perimeters, the problems were not restricted to race. Deeper than Jackson's racism is the problem inside the human heart. Cecilia Foote (below on left) could preach that sermon.

After leaving the movie, I began to ask myself if I have ever been someone who caved to fit in? Yes. Skeeter stood up for righteousness and then her world imploded. Could I have had Skeeter's convictions at her age? I totally doubt it. Have I prayed for my enemies? Only sometimes. This "looking into the heart" is a messy undertaking and good movies help because we are visual learners.

Ever felt invisible? Helpless? Terrified? Furious? Mistreated by enemies?

We've all felt those emotions and that's why we identified with the movie. Jesus felt those wounds, too...and more. He understood Aibileen and Minny's deep degradation because He was despised and rejected by men. His counsel? "Do to others as you would have them do to you." Why is such a simple command so hard to accomplish? Heart issues are killers.

Some of the hearts on display in this movie had trusted Christ and some trusted their own perception of "right". One day all will bow before the Judge and He will accurately assess the intent of each heart.

And Aibileen's sweet words to the little girl about being kind, smart and important? Aibileen spoke life! The words were healing and affirming and redeeming...just like what the Lord would have said.

Still, those three words come with a caveat. The only way to be consistently kind is to have the Spirit of God empowering your life. And smart? Just thank God for whatever grey matter He has assigned to you. Then ask Him to show you how to turn that information to wisdom (seeing life as He sees it). Little children are our best examples of limited understanding speaking pure wisdom.

Then how can we know if we're important? The One who made the world and all that is in it volunteered His life to buy our ticket home. He wants to be with us forever and THAT'S the purest elevation of esteem. With that assurance, no matter what the world dishes up, the love of the Father and the hope of His coming kingdom...will pull us through. Just ask Aibileen and Minny. They would tell you the ground is level at the foot of the cross.

QUITE A GRAB

2011-08-09T23:59:00.015-05:00

Our President lives in a world called government. His paternalistic answer to every question is authoritarian government.

But is our America defined as government? Or are we defined as we the people? Whatever happened to free enterprise and our rugged individualism?

America's most pressing issue is our economy. What solution does his government offer for this problem? Stimulus spending.

Here's a little chart from the Heritage Foundation (based on Labor Department statistics) that reveals employment numbers after the recession. The chart answers the question..."so who got stimulated?"

Well, if you didn't feel effects of the stimulus, that explains why. We the people did not benefit; the government did.

And here's another question. What caused our economy to go south?

Google "Obama blames". Pages of stories will come up...headlines naming those the President holds responsible as he gives a finger wag. Dubya bears the mother lode of all the scapegoats, followed closely now by the Tea Party. The Tea Party? Yes, for real. Those "extremists" who begged for cuts and a balanced budget...now have earned the label "terrorist" from their "civil" opposition. Who would think to mention that there were more Dems who voted against the debt legislation than Republicans? Reason has fled.

Here's something else for the INCREDIBLE file. Know how many new regulations this administration put in place just in July ALONE? They proposed 229 new rules and finalized another 379. That regulatory excess will cost the economy $9.5 billion and hamstring business. Whose side are these guys on?

You would think the President would be trying new ideas to HELP the economy. Is spending the only trick in his bag? In his address Monday, the President suggested putting construction workers back to work. And who will pay them, Mr. President? The government? With what?

The cry of "yes, we can" has faded into the reality of "no, we cannot". There is no way to pay for folks from cradle to grave. The news from London this week should make us TREMBLE. Think those rioters are thugs, reacting to a police killing? It may have started there, but the riots have morphed. Listen to their comments. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XhgzF1DFcF8 Some Brits have been taught to expect government subsistence and to hate the rich...and they are furious that their programs are being cut. These programs are unsustainable in Great Britain and across Europe. Sound familiar? That is our future if we continue down the nannystate path.

Will we have to lose our freedoms to realize how large government impedes them? Maybe we will wake up when small business is regulated completely OUT of business...or when government leads the charge on fellow Americans...or when the consent of the governed is ignored...or when government robs individuals of initiative...or when government robs the next generation...or when government's true intention is cloaked in faux righteousness.

Yes. Those things have already happened. And today with a straight face, the President repeated his call for more stimulus.

Our system of government is being stolen before our eyes...and that's quite a grab. The American experience, a unique and God-given opportunity, is being squandered. And now Planned Parenthood dances in the street for joy because government has instructed insurance to pay for women's reproductive rights. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sw2REPmbtj4 This video adds a note @the end to say Health and Human Services should be thanked for this wonderful thing they've brought about.

Woe is us! God designed the authority of government to protect us, not to bring us harm. He designed our work for our good, but some of us take without giving. He offers true liberty and we insist on cheap rights. Lord, we ask forgiveness for going our own way...for making life about "us"/not you...and for assuming you are so impotent that you can't even see us running to do wrong.

Abba, your followers rest when we remember nothing will grab us out of your mighty hand. We praise you for that surety.

REBRANDED

2011-07-27T07:52:00.005-05:00

Anders Behring Breivik posted 1,516 pages to explain his motive for killing 76 of his Norwegian countrymen.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2018198/Norway-massacre-Killer-Anders-Behring-Breivik-privileged-son-diplomat.html

Breivik's tank must have been topped off and brimming over with evil on Friday. He had no room for conscience or reason or compassion or love or mercy.

How does a person pull the trigger against a living being...not only the first time, but over and over and over and OVER for 90 minutes?

Breivik said steroids helped him. And he listened to music from Lord of the Rings at full volume to "suppress fear". This man was a toxic mix of abandonment (a father who left him as a baby) and disillusionment with life...mixed with narcism (having plastic surgery in his 20's, going to a tanning booth and applying makeup before his spree)...with being obsessive and paranoid. He had trouble with women and lived with his mother until he was 30. He needed to be important and he believed his deeds could cleanse Europe. Doesn't this all sound very Hitler-esque?

Surely, the mass murder ITSELF is a window into this man's soul. Breivik acted out rage that knew no limits. His post was the rant of a madman and it took him nine years to write it. He said he filled exploding bullets with drops of nicotine for optimum killing ability. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2018748/Norway-massacre-Anders-Behring-Breivik-Dum-dum-bullets-injected-poision.html He left a cowardly bomb to terrorize innocents. Yet he was a warrior who gave up without a fight when the police arrived.

Breivik knows his motives and seems to want to share them. His posting suggests political motives, but his grasp on reality was tenuous. His animosity toward his father and stepmother was palpable. It was revealing today to hear the elder Breivik say his son should have committed suicide and now he was going to always have to live with his son's notoriety. Those two Breiviks must be a pair.

But now, incredibly, there is another angle on this case. Above the fold in the New York Times, we read the big headline that Breivik was a Christian fundamentalist. What would make the NYTimes PRINT such a thing? Considering the shooter was a mass murderer, what was the basis for that assessment?

The Times might argue that Breivik wrote "Christian" on his Facebook info page. Well, he's insane, right? He could have called himself a giraffe. Can we agree that journalism with a big voice should have used extra discretion in branding? The Times has responsibility for accuracy as all the smaller papers will follow suit.

Which of Christ's qualities did Breivik exemplify? His thoughts and actions had political and cultural overtones, but barely had religious ones. He didn't kill those people for Jesus' sake; he killed to do something important. His guns didn't target the Muslims that he hated. He targeted the establishment which embodied his father's belief system. He wanted to take out the Prime Minister (the one he saw as responsible for Norwegian policy toward Muslims) and the teens (whose liberal views would affect the country's future). Was Breivik's a hate crime against Muslims? Indirectly.

Remember Major Hasan @Ft. Hood? Now THERE'S a direct hate crime. He stood on a table screaming "Allahu Akbar" and gunned down thirteen people while the media bent over backward to not attribute the crime to his religious beliefs. So was Hasan crazy...or faithful? Here are comments from Anwar al-Awlkaki, Hasan's former imam:

"The fact that fighting against the US Army is an Islamic duty today cannot be disputed. No scholar with a grain of Islamic knowledge can defy the clear cut proofs that Muslims today have the right - rather the duty - to fight against American Tyranny. Nidal has killed soldiers who were about to be deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan in order to kill Muslims. The American Muslims who condemned his actions have committed treason against the Muslim Ummah and have fallen into hypocrisy...may Allah grant our brother Nidal patience, perseverance, and steadfastness, and we ask Allah to accept from him his great heroic act. Ameen."

Hasan was motivated by RELIGIOUS ISSUES in his beliefs of Muslim fundamentalism. On the other hand Breivik was a child of privilege and concerned about POLITICAL ISSUES which were fueled by his seething fury against his family. He ranted on about a litany of things that were "wrong", including multi-culturalism and feminism and neo-Nazi issues. Video games may have influenced him. They didn't make him a killer, but they may have "trained" him to make the multiple kills.

Jesus said we would know his followers by their fruit. I cannot tell you Breivik's heart, but I can easily see his deeds do not match Christ. I would call him neither a Christian nor a fundamentalist.

The media would have us believe that Christianity has splintered in two. They see "regular believers" and "Christian fundamentalists". Since I see myself as a Christian fundamentalist, I would beg to differ.

Fundamentalist believers adhere to the fundamentals of the faith (since 33AD) and truth as proclaimed in the Apostles Creed (which has been around since the 5th century).

In some places around the world, Christianity has grown cold and church attendance has declined. That is especially true in Europe. Christ followers may look out of step in a pagan culture, but it is not Christians who moved.

Is Breivik in the looney fringe of conservative issues? Yes. Is he a looney on religious issues? Yes. He said he was a crusader for Christendom. We don't have to have a psychology degree to know how weird that was. Unbalanced folks are unbalanced in all areas, but if unbalanced in matters of Christ...they do two things:

they profane Christ's name

and

they make it hard for Christians

What about Breivik's hatred of Muslims?

The same media who believe Christianity has splintered - also think Islam has splintered. People see Muslims as either "regular believers" or "Muslim fundamentalists". Al-Awlaki would be an example of an extreme, Sharia-promoting fundamentalist...and peace-loving Muslims would be the regular believers. Are "peace-loving" Muslims and Muslim fundamentalists split? THAT is the $64,000 question.

Consider the smirk on the shooter's face in this picture. He seems content to be the center of the media attention.

This poor man is deranged and is a right-wing extremist. He has turned into the very people he purports to despise.

But is Breivik a Christian fundamentalist? Shame on the New York Times for their lack of objective, responsible reporting.

UP AND DOWN

2011-07-23T11:38:00.002-05:00

Here's an old YouTube that's a guaranteed trip down memory lane. The Clintons watch as Al Gore captures the crowd's enthusiasm and explains how everything that should be down is up and everything that should be up is down. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wApxxm-vOgQ

The Vice President thought he was a prophet about climate change, but who knew he could predict America's financial future? Today unemployment is up and jobs are down. Bankruptcies/home foreclosures are up and personal income is down. Deficit is WAAY up and business activity is WAAY down. Fear is up/hope down.

Face it. We were sold a bill of goods.

Whatever this administration touches has turned to pottage. From "Cash for Clunkers" to "Fast and Furious"...from "Stimulus" to "Obamacare" (not even enacted yet, but already with thousands lined up to get a waiver)...these programs are hitting the fan. Why? Unintended consequences? We are black and blue over liberal intentions.

If the Clunkers program was a small arrow aimed at a small part of our economy, where is the howitzer aimed at the big picture? Was Stimulus the howitzer? If that didn't work, shall we do it again?

If you or I were responsible for fixing "the worst recession since the depression", wouldn't that be top on our list? Yet what does our President SAY we should do? I've heard no plan. Bupkas.

I've heard the President lecture Americans about eating their peas. I've listened to the President in many press conferences with the wagging of the finger and talk of sacrifice.

But doesn't the leader go first? Did you know that since President Obama announced his re-election, he has spent one of three days flying to a fundraiser, then speaking, then flying home? That'll take a chunk out of a third of your time.

Last February he DID propose a budget and the vote was 97-0. The only written-down plan he has offered was completely rejected. Why? It was a budget that doubled the debt instead of addressed the debt while his mouth preached the need to reduce the debt. Is there ANY wonder why the GOP won't bite on the offer "you raise the ceiling, then I'll cut"? Riiiight. Third grade made us wise about that ploy. The Heritage Foundation twittered yesterday "a promise to cut spending is not a spending cut". Amen.

Yet he appears to be the reasonable one while the House GOP are the ones who have proposed and passed a plan. http://www.usnews.com/news/washington-whispers/articles/2011/01/20/house-gop-lists-25-trillion-in-spending-cuts

Reasonable doesn't wait till the last minute to get this done. That's how kids do their science project, but how is that responsible? We have seen this coming and in fact, the President was hired to do something about it. He had clear sailing his first two years. Those mean elephants were impotent until the midterms when Americans began to wise up. Why was debt not a priority?

We need to rare back and get a perspective on this administration. Yes, all the doublespeak throws us off. And yes, he is tricky in parsing words. Remember when he tried to get Israel to give up her borders? He left just enough cover in the statement to run back under if the balloon didn't fly. The balloon collapsed and he ran under the words "with land swaps". http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702304066504576339292070000576.html

It's amazing that the President is on record saying you would NEVER increase taxes during a recession...yet that is what he persists to push in the "deal". Complete repudiation of himself.

I never thought I'd see President Clinton supplanted; he's the King of Syntax/Obfuscation. And by the way, as an Arkie I can speak with some experience about our state's native son and his whoppers. Examples are myriad and you may be thinking "Lewinsky"...but I'm still aghast about this beaut which went out in a radio address TO THE NATION in June of 1996. "I still have vivid and painful memories of black churches being burned in my own state when I was a child." NEVER HAPPENED. Good grief, is there not any shame for these self promoters?

Here are some cold hard facts that cannot be parsed. During the Clinton administration, our debt increased daily by 547 MILLION. During Bush it jumped to 1.6 BILLION a day. Now during just the first half of Obama, the debt clicks off @ 4.1 BILLION everyday.

We are hemorrhaging. We need real leadership that puts the country first. Our leader has lived on the government and thinks government and spending is the answer. He has swelled the structure of government and put a sway in Uncle Sam's back.

But there have been Presidents before who have brought the country back from unemployment and inflation. Can their policies be considered NOW? Here is one man who tried to be heard. Economics is laughter-challenged and dry, but this is hilarious...and only 19 seconds long. http://famousdc.com/2011/07/20/closing-bell-are-you-an-economist/

We don't need a degree in economics to know we have overspent and have to quit.

RICHNESS

2011-07-19T20:42:00.003-05:00

"It is the blessing of the LORD that makes rich".

Proverbs 10.22

Mike and I are giving thanks for a rich weekend in Little Rock. We got to spend some time with these good friends, some of which are four decade friends. We've all been in Bible studies together and have prayed each other through some sticky stuff. Prayer joins hearts. We were whooping it up Friday night over one friend who had just received a cancer-free followup. Another friend was soon to leave for a mission trip in Poland. Those Polish women have no idea how much fun is coming their way.

Facebook is a wonderful tool to keep up with friends, but nothing beats the old face-to-face.

Our original intent for coming to Little Rock was to see a sweet couple say "i do" on Saturday night.

It is always fun to be in different churches and see how they present Christ. The Anglican Church has respectful gestures that appealed to us.

Anna and Nathan are special. They serve in China and so there were touches of that culture through their service.

Anna only had to travel just a couple of hours in China to the place where most bridal gowns are actually made.

This was one of the most beautiful dresses I've seen. And God gave her a bargain!

And now I pronounce you...

man and wife!

Sunday we got to go to the church that "raised" us. When you spend thirty years in a place, it's home. This building is only two years old, but Fellowship has been in so many different structures (a school when we first started, a movie theatre, their first building that was added onto and cobbled onto, and now this megaplex). All the building projects just serve to prove the building is not the church. There's a sweet spirit in this place and it's a privilege to see familiar faces and worship together.

Brad and Laura's new 2005 Accord followed the motorhome down to Little Rock. Then we also picked up this shiny 2007 Odyssey which had been drop-shipped from Houston in an eBay transaction. It exists, Brad!

Brad's new boss has graciously offered to keep the cars @their place until Brad and Laura arrive. The Rollins' are hospitable people; two extra cars in the driveway will give their home the appearance of being in perpetual party mode.

We ate supper with Gary and Jeanne as we did the car shuffling. We've been friends since their four boys and our kids were in primary school. They serve Christ with eager willingness and humility. It is very satisfying to think of what the Lord has done for Brad in providing this fine mentor/friend/co-worker.

Our three day weekend also offered a time away for Mike and I and we seemed to need it. It was nice beside the river. Even though the heat and humidity wrestled one another for top billing, there was actually one piece of time on Sunday afternoon that we could sit outside. We were under a huge sheltering walnut tree, enjoying the breeze and just talking. We are still classified as "in shock" to think Brad and Laura will be in Little Rock.

Max Lucado says "each life is a story to be written. The Author starts each life story, but each life will write his or her own ending." Awesome liberty.

It's funny how the newly married Nathan and Anna are in one of life's beginning phases, but Mike and I can hardly remember the starting line. Surely life has surprises and phases, but God's faithfulness is the overarching constant. The Cruses are feeling particularly blessed these days...richly blessed.

DEER HUNTING

2011-07-12T08:11:00.006-05:00

Last month Mike and I had blood in our eye(s) because a deer left nubs in my cutting garden.

Just when we were busy thinking murderous thoughts, somehow that emotion morphed into deer delight.

Now Mike has hung a feeder at the far corner of the property. We hope that by feeding them, they will have no reason to sample our tomatoes and phlox.

Basically, we're just bribing 'em not to steal from us. We learned that principle from American foreign policy.

Mike says deer notice when something is new or not right. Click to enlarge this smart doe. She's looking up at the new feeder...trying to remember if the corn tree used to look like this.

In addition to Ms. Naughty (who now we call "Lonesome Doe" because she has no fawns)...our herd now includes two other mature doe named Thelma and Louise. They each have twins that we just call "the kids".

That makes a grand total of SEVEN in our herd. The deer come out several times a day and we find ourselves running to the window like it's snowing.

The fawns no longer nurse so they eat the corn, too.

Here's a pair of the kids saying "Uh... Momma....isn't this when we're supposed to run? Check this out, Mom!"

We keep binoculars by the window and we can begin to tell the difference in the deer.

Lonesome Doe has a notched right ear and a scar down her side.

We didn't need binocs to see her markings in this shot taken by the game camera back in her outlaw days.

This is Thelma with her fawns.

One offspring is on task and the other clearly has had some caffeine.

It takes effort for Thelma to keep up with both of them now that they venture farther from her. The days of traveling in a tight pack are over.

July Fourth we sat on the deck and could watch simultaneous fireworks to the west and to the northeast. The woods lit up and the noise was loud and long both on Saturday and Sunday night. That had to make the herd skittery.

I remember when our dog Sweetie would cower and slink next to the wall when firecrackers went off. If Maltese hate them, I'm sure the deer do, too.

This week Louise has been coming with only one fawn and we're hoping that doesn't mean what we think it means. It's a hard life in the wild. With the triple digits, I've worried they were thirsty. There is a pond pretty close and Mike says they get water in the leaves they eat. Maybe we should put a long hose out there with a sprinkler. I can't believe I just said that.

We have a friend named LeAnne who lives in the woods and loves to deer hunt. But she has a fast rule for those hooved friends who come up close to her house. If she names one, they are not fair game in the fall. No wonder.

CAYLEE

2011-07-07T14:03:00.003-05:00

Lady Justice must have wept.

Whether you were screaming at the television because you thought the defense covered up murder and then crowed about it...

or you were screaming because you thought the state overreached a first degree murder count without sufficient motive or conclusive DNA...

EVERYONE in America was sad about Caylee.

We watch Law and Order and we know Jack McCoy could have nailed this case. For three years we've been told the evidence was a slam-dunk and CSI taught us to follow a powerful evidence trail. Well, neither reality TV nor sitcoms ARE real life. The evidence in this case wasn't believed.

Maybe The Twelve held the prosecutors to an impossible and artificial "TV standard". Or maybe The Twelve were morons. But now what? Did a dysfunctional family just stage the perfect get-away? Did George and Cindy Anthony pull their red Jeep into the garage and let the door down and turn to one another in a smile? All of a sudden, America is rounding up a posse.

There WAS something heinous about Caylee's helpless state that wrenches our hearts. Something about that little body left in a swamp alone causes us to want to rise and defend her. Thank goodness we still have enough decency as a nation to react to justice denied an innocent child.

But our finite minds couldn't untangle all those tangled lies. Did we really expect justice to sort through them? What a Solomonic job! We may not ever know how Caylee died, but we know that "this side" of life is full of unraveled knots that call for trusting God. Perhaps you have a few unexplained knots. I do.

Let's think biblically about this case:

1. The only thing worse than miscarriage of justice is a wrong conviction. God gave us our justice system...laws to protect us and preserve order. Do we sometimes miss the boat? Yes, things aren't perfect. But I'd wager a guess that Dominique Strauss-Kahn is grateful today for a system that protects the innocent.

Sometimes life can seem to be only about what our eyes can see. Today I see a different Casey Anthony as the judge said she might be released on Wednesday. Of course her countenance would be brighter, but there is now preening and stroking the hair. I hope this is not all about Casey.

It's easy to get snookered about this life being "all there is". It isn't. This is a blip and eternity stands before us. One day all the things that cause today's angst will not even be a memory. Today's woes serve to make us long for another place...and prompt us to get a ticket for that place...and fit us to serve in that place.

2. Caylee Anthony was two months short of her third birthday and therefore not accountable to God for her ticket. She got a fast track to heaven. We overestimate the value of life on this side when we think Caylee's life was cut short. In her new digs there are no lies or duct tape; the motives there are pure and love is trustworthy and complete. The Bible says Jesus called the little children to come to Him. Caylee may not have had a father on this side, but now her heavenly Father has her safely on His lap. She is home.

3. Are you angry because the Anthony family got away with murder? They didn't. The One who will judge all men's hearts knows what happened and He is a perfect Judge. That is comforting when nothing else seems to help. Hebrews 10.30 says "for we know the one who said, 'vengeance is Mine, I will repay' ".

Christians are grateful for the way that verse takes us off the judgment seat and keeps us from regrettable action. Unless we were a witness in the Anthony home, the cause of Caylee's death is unknown.

Meanwhile, we are instructed by the "capital J" Judge...to put off anger, rage, malice, slander, and abusive language. That might also include the inflammatory salute the associate defender gave to the media. God called for the putting-off of destructive emotions because He knew how they chew up our insides.

The ability to actually put aside such rage is possible through Christ. If the Anthonys decide to sell their story, it will be harder. I hope we do not have to see this family anymore.

Our justice system has declared that we may not accuse Casey Anthony again for this murder. But this murder case is not over...so put down your pitchforks. The Judge With All Omniscience and Perfect Justice will have the final say.

"The LORD has made the heavens his throne;

from there he rules over everything."

Psalm 103.19 NLT

FOURTH REFLECTIONS

2011-07-03T07:57:00.005-05:00

When I was a young girl, this was my idea of a terrific movie. Still is.

Remember how crazy Rhett was about this flirty little coquette? Miss Scarlett was spoiled and she took Rhett for granted. Then one day he walked out and she realized that it really WAS Rhett that she loved. We all wondered if it was too late...

This July 4th, I'm thinking I have been spoiled by living in this great country. I'm ashamed to say I've taken it for granted. And I'm waking up to the appalling thought that her best days may be over and my grands will not inherit the freedoms that Mike and I have enjoyed. I don't want to be like Scarlett and think about it tomorrow. Tomorrow may be too late.

When Jesus was born, the Romans were the dominant world power. They built roads throughout their empire and promoted one language. Commerce prospered, and so did the gospel. That is one reason why it says in Galatians "but when the fullness of time came, God sent forth His Son". That fullness of time included an earthly governmental structure whose improvements facilitated the spreading of the gospel.

In the same way, my country did not just happen; God gave America to the world so that men could taste liberty and want liberty in their spirit. Isn't that why people beg to come here from all over the world? We all want to live under benevolence. That desire foreshadows heaven.

Our republic flourished in the world like a city set on a hill. When Ronald Reagan used those Bible words, it connected with people. They understood that the phrase meant being salt and light...and being a light to the world implies initiative and stewardship and integrity.

We are not exceptional because we are exceptional people. We are exceptional because God has blessed us and given us the amazing privilege of cooperating with Him.

God's heart and intention now and always is for reaching the world. In America we have the freedom of worship connected with the freedom of speech...plus the prosperity to make possible the generosity that makes Him known. Just as the missionaries went down Roman roads to faraway places, in our day we have dollars to go/send people to China or to the urban cities. We can reach the world through the internet. We live in innovative times.

The theme to know Him and make Him known is woven in our national history from the pilgrim's discovery of this new world, to the wisdom of our founding documents. If you have three minutes, this link illustrates how His grace HAS been shed on us. http://www.sermonspice.com/product/10180/in-their-own-words-4th-of-july-version

The men in the above video were able to flourish because a sovereign God had a plan and the men knew the Planmaker. Now our republic has been handed off to we the people and it is now ours to keep or to squander. Unfortunately, the Planmaker has been routinely run outta Dodge in our country. That's good reason for the phrase be careful what you ask for.

Let's ask for mercy. Let's tell Him that we don't want to trifle with His good gift and we want to be good stewards, but we really don't know what that means practically. Let's pray and pray again. From my earthly perspective, prayer doesn't seem like enough. But it IS what He said do...

"If my people, on whom my name is named, make themselves low and come to me in prayer, searching for me and turning from their evil ways; then I will give ear from heaven, overlooking their sin, and will give life again to their land." 2 Chronicles 7.14 BBE

WARNING LABEL

2011-06-30T10:17:00.002-05:00

Our Secretary of State spoke before a group of gay and lesbian State Department employees on Monday.

Question: Why are State Department employees divided into sexual preference?

She told them of State Department efforts to get Lady Gaga to come to Rome to participate in a Lesbian/Bisexual/ Transgender/Gay festival. Our Ambassador to Italy, David Thorne, apparently wrote a letter urging Gaga to take part.
http://www.cnsnews.com/news/article/hillary-us-ambassador-instrumental-seali

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-13948149

http://www.lifesitenews.com/news/hilary-clinton-us-state-dept-instrumental-in-securing-lady-gaga-gay-prid/

Question: With Arab governments imploding, debt riots in Europe, and worldwide terrorism, why is our State Department involved in such a thing?

Color me flabbergasted. My country's leadership has dragged all of us onto a world stage movement to poke God in the eye. If individuals wanted to participate in such a thing...GO. But don't throw the weight of government into seeing to it that a vulgar pop star insults the Pope in his backyard...as well as the whole of Christendom.

Thomas Jefferson said "to compel a man to subsidize with his taxes the propagation of ideas which he disbelieves and abhors is sinful and tyrannical". Yes, Mr. Jefferson! It is sinful to cause my money to be used for purposes that will bring judgment.

Question: How is it possible that in only 2.5 years, we have managed to hack off every world leader or ally...and now we insult our greatest Ally, the Almighty?

Society is clearly changing while God stays the same. The essence of the Great I Am...His patience, generosity, mercy and grace...are welcomed into the world and presumed upon. The equally present character traits...His purity, judgment, and wrath (His fixed opposition to all unrighteousness)...are skipped over. We skip them to our peril. He loves, but He also calls to account.

Question: When a person challenges aberrant behaviors, what is the predictable response? Hater?

The FDA is wanting to put graphic pictures on packs of cigarettes. They are hoping the gruesome pictures will persuade people to quit smoking.

Does anyone think the FDA is hateful by trying to save lives? No.

We still have the freedom of speech in our country to speak within reasonable limits. Some would speak a warning to keep people from killing themselves spiritually.

God has painted a graphic picture in both His testaments of offensive sexual behavior. The word pictures in Romans 1 draw the eye like the cigarette pack's warning pictures. What shall we do with His words? God included the verses because He wants people to avoid things that would separate them from Him. That is not hate; that is love. God wants our company in eternity.

A loving Father calls the behavior an abomination (in Hebrew,"tow ebah", meaning disgusting or detestable). When I hear that God HATES something, I snap to. How smart would it be to love something He hates...or endorse something that He does not endorse?

The choice to engage in the behavior will always exist in this fallen world. God won't MAKE you go to heaven with Him. He's looking for folks who WANT to go there because they love Him. He's explaining how the behavior puts you @arm's length from Him.

Question: Is it love or hate to explain such an important distinction?

The Lord set up His kingdom to work with a man and a woman. The whole anatomy thing is pretty self-evident. To go another way is to say "Listen, God. I know what you say, but I've come up with a better idea". What an old story! People have been going their own way (sinning) since the garden. We may all have gone there, but we don't all STAY because God can't bless anything that He has a fixed attitude of opposition toward. And unrighteousness will receive His wrath.

Question: What does His wrath look like?

The first chapter of Romans says God put the truth about Himself into EVERY man and then illustrated that truth through the creation He made. Therefore, no one gets a pass for "not knowing".

When someone decides to suppress truth, there is a downward progression of events. Foolish speculations (about what God is like)...result in darkened hearts, then an exchange of God's glory, and finally, a "giving over". That last one is scary. First God gives them over to the lusts of their hearts to impurity, then gives them over to degrading passions, and then gives them over to a depraved mind to do those things that are not proper. Ironic that in an effort to be in charge of their lives, they totally lose charge.

Finally, descent results in a dreadful laundry list of sinful behaviors that follow in verses 29-31...ending in verse 32, the final stiff neck which Gaga illustrates: "They are fully aware of God's death penalty for those who do these things, yet they go right ahead and do them anyway. And worse yet, they encourage others to do them, too."

The first chapter of Romans is an amazing warning label.

ENCROACHER

2011-06-22T23:03:00.002-05:00

We have been out of town and came home to some nubs in our cutting garden. I thought that Beth had come over to water and had cut the flowers. Mike's first thought was to go get his game camera.

Before breakfast this morning, we couldn't wait to see if the camera caught anything on night #1.

Sure enough, here is Ms. Naughty, grazing by the 1a.m. moonlight.

Now, the good news is she doesn't like EVERYTHING in the garden.

She could care less about the "gumdrop" coneflowers or the "orange glory" butterfly plant.

She turned up her nose @ this beautiful "coral reef" bee balm...and the purple coneflower.

She must have stepped or sat on this "oranges-and-lemon" blanket flower.

But the bad news is...she thinks tomato plants and phlox are yummy. We HAD been looking forward to some homegrown tomatoes. But those will take a while to come back since she ate them halfway down.

The phlox I took personally. That is one of my "go to" cut flower perennials.

Look how she stripped the poor phlox. She must have a space between her two front teeth. I know a good dentist...

The red penta is in the middle of a "tangerine dream"cone flower and a black-eyed Susan. Of course, you have to take my word for it that it was full of red blossoms. Deer must also be penta lovers.

Ms. Naughty and her short spotted dependants have a clump of woods behind the house that belongs to them. True, our buffet is tempting, but it doesn't belong to them. They need to honor the white picket fence.

I was thinking about how much we paid for this land and how irrelevant that is to the encroacher. So now do we invest in a tacky electric fence...or get up each night @1 o'clock...or just give up the fight? Two weeks ago we saw her fawns out playing. This afternoon we saw them again and they seem to have grown a foot. Soon we will have THREE naughty fence-vaulters.

So now what? This boundary issue won't end well. The lovely Ms. N has mistakenly chosen the cutting garden of a hunter's wife. She may have gotten in the wrong buffet line.

God knows that His children have to deal daily with another kind of encroacher whose modus operandi is to ignore boundaries, wait for the opportunity of darkness, and jump into places without permission.

There's no snoozing with that encroacher. If we let down our guard, we're toast. Nubs. We need a Defender who never sleeps and who knows what is in the darkness. If I honor the words He left me, I have a fence which keeps the encroacher at bay.

My Protector paid a high price for His defense system. And it works.

"Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour. Stand firm against him, and be strong in your faith." 1Peter 5.8,9

SMARTYPANTS

2011-06-20T23:59:00.006-05:00

A lot is said about intelligence these days. Apparently, in our country we are bullish on smart.

I don't claim to be the brightest bulb, but I'm beginning to get a whiff of a stacked deck. See if you smell anything...

Consensus from the media and the left had President Reagan pegged as an actor/empty suit, lacking mental acuity long BEFORE his dementia began. Everyone knows Dan Quayle can't spell potato(e). Both Bushes were characterized as "not really that bright". The former Governor of Alaska is made out to be a buffoon. And now, the word "airhead" is in the same sentence as the name Michele Bachmann.

Conversely, Joe Biden is said to be really sharp. Bill Clinton was the smartest politician ever. Listen to these commentators in a discussion about Anthony Weiner and Eliot Spitzer:

SIMON: It's the very intelligence of these men like Spitzer, like Weiner -- how bright they are, how quick they are, uh, how successful they are -- that gives them a sense of invulnerability, that nothing bad could really happen to them because nothing bad ever has.

HALPERIN: You won't meet any smarter people in politics than those two guys. Just won't.

Right. And of course, there's the President. He's so brilliant it affects nerves that run down Chris Matthews' leg. OK, I'm picking up a pattern here.

So this is about one side's density versus the towering intellectuals on the other side? Surely not.

Perhaps it's just a case of elitism. Maybe if you graduate from the right coast schools, you're a brainiac. Nope...that wouldn't work. Both Bushes graduated from Yale (the elder in just three years) and W went on to get a masters @Harvard. It must not be about the right school.

Maybe it is misogynistic. No, they think Hillary is brilliant.

So if this mindset is not elitist or gender-oriented, then what drives the "big brains" bandwagon?

And why do all the conservative candidates get to wear the dunce hat? Methinks one side has a bully pulpit.

Let's flip through the Rolodex and consider a few conservatives in that corner:

SARAH PALIN

Has our country sunk so low that a candidate would be smart NOT to run? Do liberals and the media have the power to "r-u-n-n-o-f-t" a candidate? (Washington Hogwallop @"Oh Brother, Where Art Thou?")

Sarah Palin probably won't run for President, but even if she WERE to run...let's unpack the attacks on this woman. What drives a hatred that slanders/mocks her every word, her special needs child, her out-of-wedlock daughter, and on and on and on. What would YOU think if someone published a request to the general public for help going through 24,000 of YOUR personal and business emails? Sounds like a witch hunt to me. Mother would have called it a "water haul" since it hasn't turned up anything juicy. http://www.investors.com/NewsAndAnalysis/Article/575779/201106171909/Pursuing-Palin-NYTs-Fixation.htm

Sarah Palin's IQ is unknown, but without the number it is obvious that she has good instincts and she espouses her own clear vision for our country. No one has to send Sarah Palin talking points or plug her into a teleprompter. In Alaska, she bucked her own party, bucked the mighty oil companies, and bucked "the way it's always been done". She has walked her fiscal talk and her love of country.

RONALD REAGAN
This President held firm to his plan to cut tax rates when even his own advisors lost confidence. The plan worked and the economy roared. Reagan was a LEADER who had vision regardless of polls or criticism. At his death, the public stood in long lines at the Capitol to pay respects. Wiki says 104,684 people passed by at the rate of 5,000 per hour. Mourners then lined both the motorcade route to Andrews AFB, and then along California's 25 mile route to the burial service with 700 invited guests at the Reagan Library.

History tries to rewrite this man, but facts are facts. Ronald Reagan connected with the American people and people loved him. His words ring fresh and true even now, thirty years later.

GEORGE H. W. BUSH/GEORGE W. BUSH
Both gracious men, these Presidents were respectful and refused to return evil for evil. I remember one time when Barbara Bush said in frustration "George is a GOOD man!" It must have been hard to hear her husband criticized so unfairly. Little did she know the reviling would be ratcheted up when her son was elected. George W. Bush received hateful assaults and chose to turn the other cheek, even today choosing not to respond to criticism.

Both GHWB and GWB were smart enough to reach the pinnacle of service to their country.

MICHELE BACHMANN
Now let's consider a woman who IS running for President. And just for the record, Michele Bachmann's smart badge was awarded to her for a life well lived.

She is an attorney who specializes in tax law. Thirty-three years and five children ago, she married her Phd college sweetheart. Together they began a small business, a counseling service for people going through tough times. She has a heart for foster children and has brought 23 teens into their home. And she serves as Minnesota's Congresswoman.

As Michele Bachmann announced her candidacy, it struck me that courage was part of her integrity. Right now she is no threat and the media is treating her gingerly.

But if this woman gets traction....we will know she's connecting with people when the attacks come against her intelligence.

"This is what the LORD says: 'Let not the wise man boast of his wisdom or the strong man boast of his strength or the rich man boast of his riches, but let him who boasts boast about this: that he understands and knows me, that I am the LORD, who exercises kindness, justice and righteousness on earth, for in these I delight,' declares the LORD." Jeremiah 9.23,24

FATHERS DAY

2011-06-20T22:33:00.005-05:00

Father's Day 2011 has come and gone. I'm wondering if the president's family history makes that holiday hard for him.

President Obama married a strong woman and together they have steered their ship toward the harbor of a solid home. Those little girls seem to adore their daddy and I'll bet he is a good daddy.

The cycle of brokenness seems to have stopped in the president's generation, but still...those old heart holes must nag.

An absent father-wound rips a huge anger portal. His mother's absences and his moves from pillar-to-post must have been problematic.

As a teen, his grandparent's choice of mentors was unfortunate. They turned him over to Frank Marshall Davis and it would be an understatement to say Mr. Davis was waaay off in the negative numbers for mentor-potential.

All the president's influencers taught him to see the world through eyes of radical strife. Little Barry Soertoro carried a load that he had no control over.

But who would know that to look at him now?

Barack Obama has prospered in life and has been set in the highest place of authority and leadership.

President Obama has been in office two and a half years and has seen all the sparkly eye candy that the White House trappings afford. He's been saluted and pampered; he has moved among people all over these United States. Up until now, Americans have fawned over the man with great affection. I just wonder if this is the country he thought it was? Or that Michelle thought it was?

Have the president's experiences resulted in a philosophical watershed? How could a person NOT understand our history after they have lived in a house full of precious artifacts? Surely the documents from our framing have had an impact. Has he searched the faces in those portraits of courageous men who led before him? Does his heart stir when "Hail to the Chief" is played? Has his view of black opportunity changed? It would seem that all his mentor's advice about the white race...now has had to be rethought.

Until 2012 it is President Obama's charge to guard the liberties of ALL of us. But as his change is instituted, our hope is draining. People sense that our country is hanging by a thread. Just as President Obama must have longed for a solid family, we long for a solid connection to liberty and justice for all.

Lately I've been convicted about not regularly praying for my president by name. I am a Christian and my book calls me to pray for those in authority over me. Since I disagree with his policies, my prayers in the past have gone something like this: "Oh, Lord, HELP our country!" But that is SO not the heart of prayer that He calls me to offer. I never have prayed in depth for the man.

I never have said "Father, Barack Obama is made in Your image. You loved him when he was a confused and isolated little boy and You love him now even as he sets his seat high. Open his eyes, Lord. Help him see that Your gospel has nothing to do with the black liberation theology that he espouses. Show him how to bow to a real King and SERVE the people under him...just as he has promised he would. Help him realize that the system he bucks is the same opportunity that gave him access to his office. Lift his veil, Lord, and show him Your governance so he can turn and practice wise governance.

I pray for Barack Hussein Obama, Father. I ask You to take him to the Damascus road. And I make this prayer in Jesus' name."

ALL ABOUT ANTHONY

2011-06-14T06:48:00.006-05:00

Has there been enough said about Anthony Weiner?

If this Congressman had an inordinate need to make himself known, that is certainly what has happened.

Narcissism pushed it's way past any potential concern of shame he would cause his wife...then went past any stain to the family name for his future child...then bowled over his high calling of leadership, and then slapped God in the face.

But perhaps if Anthony Weiner had been "@hisrightmind", those choices would have been no-brainers.

So what makes John Edwards and the Governator and Eliot Spitzer and Mark Foley and Mark Sanford and Bill Clinton and Anthony Weiner all lose their minds and become self-destructive?

Doctors-With-Couches can explain the compulsive behavioral issues, the power issues, the addiction and exhibitionist issues. But at the end of the day Anthony Weiner has a sin issue. Sin won't be dallied with because it wants to be master. There's an old familiar phrase that comes to mind: "sin will take you farther than you wanted to go, keep you longer than you wanted to stay, and cost you more than you wanted to pay". That repeats the thought of the hymn words "I'd rather have Jesus than be the king of a vast domain or be held in sin's dread sway". This Congressman underestimated the power of sin's dread sway.

Many years ago someone gave me an acrostic (SEE) that helps me remember that sin wants to keep me from seeing clearly. Sin promises me S(satisfaction), E(excuse) and E(escape). That acrostic helps me understand Anthony Weiner's humiliation.

Sin promised him satisfaction. "Wouldn't it be great to have a stringer of adoring women who are impressed with my brand?" But the promised satisfaction was fleeting...and then required more and more rebooting.

Sin promised an excuse. "This wasn't real sex." "I'm connecting with my constituency and contributing to my popularity." "It is hip and young to sext and send racy pictures."

Sin promised escape. "Huma is away. Besides, I've already told her some of this." "I am powerful enough to slip the noose if I'm caught. Or I'll blame the accuser."

Anthony Weiner is getting a WHOLE lot more exposure than he ever dreamed of, but now he's overexposed. Who could take him seriously now? He SAYS he is taking responsibility, but what responsibility does not have consequences? Now it's uphill sledding for the Congressman because he is not trained to fall back on another profession and he doesn't want to quit.

Here are some reactions from the man on the street. "It's his personal business and has nothing to do with his job". "I support Rep. Weiner because he's done a good job for us." "He will go away to some rehab and be cured."

1. Nothing to do with his job?

First, there are pictures of him both in his office and in the Congressional bathroom, where he snapped pics of himself without clothing. So he seems to have lost his vocational focus.

Then his requested job-leave certainly affects his work.

But infinitely more important, the question that I don't hear being asked is "what about how the risky behavior of this man could have affected our nation?". He IS married to a woman who is the top aide to our Secretary of State. Could there be possible opportunity for blackmail there from a foreign government?

Anthony Weiner does not have the option of corrupt personal business when he assumes the mantle of a public figure.

2. Rep. Weiner has done a good job? That does not deserve a dignified response. The intensity of his abrasive personality does not lend itself well to a mercy plea. Now he has lied in several ways. His behavior lied in passive ways. Then when caught, AW boldface lied about himself to the nation and was just about to involve the FBI in an investigation. Then he purposefully damaged the truthteller's name by defamation of Breitbart's character.

3. Will the Congressman get fixed? Do people really think a man who has forty-six years of accumulated behaviors will go to rehab for a couple of months...and get straightened out? Who ARE these people on the street?

This man should be on his face before the Lord, begging for forgiveness for the abject mess he has made.

But what a complicated situation!
Congressman Weiner is Jewish (although on his Wiki page, he says he did not come from a religious household), his wife is a devout Muslim, and Jesus is the answer.

There are MANY young people who regularly send suggestive emails and pictures; they do not see this behavior as problematic. But the real question is what would God say? Is sexting problematic? We know that things with God are all about the heart. He has said that if you look on a woman to lust for her, then you have committed adultery in your heart. The Lord wants a pure heart and His standard is waaaay above what the world demands of Anthony Weiner.

So can the Congressman be forgiven? Is God that good that He would offer His Son for a liar, a thief who stole a man's reputation, brought shame to his family, and could have compromised the nation's security?

Here's a little story to answer that question. Back in the 50's there was a comic strip called "Dennis the Menace". Dennis was a little tow-headed trike rider who could find trouble effortlessly. He had a pal named Joey and an older couple who lived next-door, the Wilson's. One day Dennis and Joey were leaving Mrs. Wilson's front steps with a cookie in hand. Joey says "why does Mrs. Wilson think we deserve a cookie?" Dennis replies "you got it wrong, Joey. Its not that WE are so good, it's that Mrs. Wilson is so good."

God is all over the redemption page; He specializes in second chances. He is that good. His Son is the atonement Anthony Weiner needs...the Passover Lamb. The Congressman still would have the horizontal consequences, but his vertical channel would be clear. Sin prowls and seeks our demise, but we serve a loving Father who has made provision for sin. And His patience waits for us to ask for Jesus' covering.

Yes, God IS good. Hope your choice is to believe that, Anthony. He loves you more than you could imagine. They say on the news you are now despondent about your situation, but brokenness can be a path. Call out to Jesus. That's why they call Him the Savior.

"God wants all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth." 1 Timothy 2.4

"NO, I HAVEN'T SEEN YOUR LIPSTICK!"

2011-06-07T07:34:00.003-05:00

Fables are spun out of cotton candy and air. But sometimes they're as obvious as the lipstick on your face.

Americans are called constantly to swallow fables that are economically implausible. We are WEARY of being insulted.

Think about being told we are in a recovery summer...or that there are jobs saved/created or shovel-ready... or that we can be saved by the slush fund called stimulus... the bogus your healthcare costs won't go up...the ridiculous I won't raise your taxes...the miracle we staved off a depression...and blah, blah, blah.

Reality says our May job numbers are dismal even though President Obama called them "a bump in the road". Half of those meager 54K new jobs listed were McDonald's jobs. No one is hiring or creating in a hostile business climate.

Unemployment is @9.1%. Food costs a fortune. Gas bites. We've lost our home value, which was our nest egg. Spending continues to freely pour out of a boot. Government regs squash free enterprise. We pay Brazil to drill for oil so we can turn around and buy it back...and we have joined into another expensive armed conflict in Libya.

Where is the way out of this financial morass?

After 2.5 years in office, all this can no longer be hung on the last guy. The big my bad belongs to someone else.

And that someone has had a flawed plan from the beginning. If you tried to SPEND your family's way out of debt, it wouldn't work. Government is no different; government cannot create wealth. They can pay a man to work a shovel (with MY money), but when my money runs out, so does the "job".

Criticizing the plan usually draws the "racist" or "party-hack" label. Sometimes criticism is even judged to be unpatriotic (as in..."why would you NOT want your president to succeed?"). The kicker is that from the beginning, the economic policies were predictably catastrophic...and now the fruit bears out that claim. Who WOULD want their country to slide down that dead end?

So here we are. Now what? Does the president have Plan B, or do we continue with his A game? Stimulus Three, anyone?

JOPLIN

2011-05-28T14:52:00.002-05:00

Gotta love an imaginative, entrepreneurial spirit. For 5K, you can get some guys to come dig out below your garage slab and insert a fraidy hole. The car is parked above it, but there is still room to slide the lid open and get in. I'll bet those companies pick up the business now!

Well, if you lived down South this spring, you would be considering a fraidy hole, too. Arkansans are used to tornadic activity and STILL we have been frightened. Why? The tornados came after months of out-of-a-boot rain and flooding, which came after ice storms, 24" of snow, and a minus 20 degree temp. We are scratching our heads here. Since I don't have enough faith to believe a global warming theory, does that mean the world is coming to an end?

We're certainly closer to that than we were yesterday. Jesus called the days He lived in "the last days" and that was 2,000 years ago. It MUST be the last of the last days. Disasters are coming more frequently and with greater fierceness.

The people of Joplin had a twenty-minute warning on May 22nd, but where would you go if you didn't have a concrete hole?

Where would there be protection from a wind that sucks paint off a house and implants a brick into the side of a red Chevrolet?

Yesterday a dozen from our church went to Joplin. One team worked with the Salvation Army to assimilate supplies. The second team went out to homes with four chainsaws and assorted log bearers.

The home where we served was missing the hospitalized grandmother, who was making her way into the bathroom to be safe when the tornado hit. The wind blew out the bath window and the grandmother was picked up and slammed against the hall wall, breaking her hip.

You might wonder why the lady was late getting to her safe place if the alarm had been sounding for twenty minutes. Perhaps the 76-year-old was having difficulty getting there. But sometimes when I hear the tornado warnings, I don't want to be interrupted until I really need to be. So I keep one eye on the sky and proceed with my agenda.

As we later drove through the swath-leveled neighborhoods, you only saw matchsticks. There are piles and piles of matchsticks as far as the eye can see.

I know that Solomon was the wisest man on earth and he said all of life was vanity. But I'm thinking if he had seen Joplin, he might also want to add "matchsticks" to his assessment. All their dwellings, Barcaloungers, and toys are all bulldozed out by the curb and worthless.

What endures? Only God's people and God's Word go into eternity. No one gets out alive from this world...but then, this world is not our home. This is just the dress rehearsal. According to Colossians 1.17, the One who spoke all this world into existence also holds it all together. And if the Lord is slightly removing His protective hand, men will begin to realize how much protection we've taken for granted.

I like what Dr. James Denison said: "God redeems what He allows, in ways we see and ways we do not see". If this weather is a warning, and if this weather causes people to look up...then it is a good thing. Souls are important and eternity is a long time. I wouldn't go sit on the porch in Joplin or Tuscaloosa with sirens blasting, and I wouldn't fail to sandbag my home along the Mississippi River. By the same token, I wouldn't ignore God's words about what is coming.

God is a gentleman. There are lots of black books laying around that spell out His plan and there are churches on lots of corners. They are like sirens going off to deaf ears. Still, the Lord is a Grand Auctioneer, calling out "fair warning!". Dr. Denison pointed out that God warned people before the destruction in Noah's day. He also sent Moses to warn Pharaoh, and He sent prophets to Assyria and Babylon. The Lord said in Revelation that those with ears to hear should listen.

Perhaps people intrinsically know that God is speaking through all this freaky weather. It IS causing some to look up! But we can't just keep one eye on the sky and proceed with our agenda. Scripture says the Lord is a high tower; the righteous run in and are saved.

That means they give up their agenda, and ask God what His agenda is.

They tell the Lord that they are sorry for "going their own way".

They ask Him to make Jesus' sacrifice count for their sin...and they start living for Him.

And reading His book. And getting together with His people.

And praying and growing.

Remember that fraidy hole at the beginning of this blog? Make Jesus your place of safety.

VALUING INTEGRITY

2011-05-20T09:50:00.003-05:00

In these divisive days, there might be one thing that everyone could agree is profitable. Integrity. That's a word that we recognize when we see it, but wrapping words around it might be tricky.

How would you describe integrity?

Could it be that a person has integrity when all of their lifehats mesh?

I am a wife, mother, Mimi, citizen, church member, Christ lover, retired teacher, friend, and blogger. All my life areas have hats, and all the hats should mesh like the teeth of a gear.

On the political stage, there have been

some recent obvious illustrations for the lack of integrity.

The Governor of California threw in an outside woman hat that didn't mesh with his husband hat. Proverbs says "the one who conducts himself in integrity will live securely, but the one who behaves perversely will be found out."

In Governor Schwarzenegger's case, it took 14 years to be found out. But think of the terrible stripping sound when the gears clashed in their home. Pray for the pain and shame of that betrayal as it falls on the innocent.

Newt Gingrich's private life is complicated. He has promised three women he would be there "till death do us part". Some folks may set that aside because they feel it is more important for the country to have a political professor who gets our need for historical context in the national debate. But there are more troubling details.

When Callista Gingrich released financial disclosure records in 2006/2007 as part of her government job, there was a considerable revolving charge account debt. Some might argue about the validity of challenging their spending habits, but I find two compelling things. The debt was very large (a quarter to a half mil), and it was "trinket debt" (@Tiffany's). Doesn't such a case define the country's number one problem...as it relates to debt?

Americans go for flashy candidates, but then we can't figure out why they disappoint. Presidential hair does not make a leader with a core. Can it be enough for a candidate to SAY they have a God hat, or shouldn't we reach for men/women who have a demonstrable life of integrity? Only One was perfect, but doesn't a credible life-resume MATTER?

When President Clinton was our leader, we were told that his compartmentalization didn't matter because the economy was good. Really? Now we have a generation of young people for whom oral sex is humdrum.

Unmeshed lifehats DO matter. Intelligence is not more important than fidelity. Prosperity is not more important than godliness. Character qualities come together in a package or the package comes apart.

When our lifehats are all submitted to God's authority, the intersection is integrity. So let's find a leader who shows in their resume that they have ALREADY lived such a life. Let's reach for a person with common sense and dignity...a person who can seamlessly wear multiple hats without stripping any gears.

Let's value integrity.

ENMITY (noun: feeling of hostility)

2011-05-15T18:30:00.008-05:00

This bluebird fam hatched babies @our friend LeAnne's house in the country. She LOVED watching their whole process until yesterday when a black snake helped himself to a breakfast buffet of the baby birds. LeAnne totally hit the warpath. It's an old enmity thing; there is eternal enmity between the snake and the woman.

Running down the hill to the bluebird house, LeAnne found the snake still curled around the box. You may know that snakes are stupefied after gorging and sit still to digest. So much the better for LeAnne's fury. She shot him, then hacked him into pieces. Later that day, she had another enmity surge as she saw another black snake (albeit an innocent one) and killed him for good measure.

The snake in the garden of Eden was a troublemaker, too. When he tempted Eve and she and Adam tasted the knowledge of evil...innocence went wanting. So began enmity between the kingdom of God and the kingdom of Satan. Because the deceiver is a murderer, he killed our first parents' relationship with God. But our omnipotent and loving Father had a plan to get us back. The promise is in Genesis 3.15.

"And I will put enmity between you (Satan) and the woman, and between your seed (Satan's children) and her seed (Jesus);

He (Jesus) shall bruise you (Satan) on the head (@resurrection) and you (Satan) shall bruise him (Jesus) on the heel(@cross)."

Matthew Henry describes the battle: "the fruit of enmity is a continual conflict between grace and the corruption in the hearts of God's people. Satan corrupts, assaults, buffets, sifts, and seeks to devour them. They (by the exercise of their graces) resist him, wrestle with him, quench his fiery darts, and force him to flee. Heaven and hell can never be reconciled, nor light and darkness. Neither can Satan and a sanctified soul be reconciled, for these are contrary the one to the other."

The Genesis verse shows that from the beginning, the fight has been settled. A child (Jesus) is promised and that Rescuer will win the battle. Still, Satan doesn't seem to have gotten the memo. He persists in his fight to be Numero Uno - against the One who IS the First and the Last. Their fight requires that the rest of us pick sides, and we have since 4000BC.

There were times when Satan thought he had gotten rid of the coming Messiah. The devil figured if he got rid of the Jews, he could destroy the Messianic line. Satan knows that at the end of time, Jesus consigns him to the Lake of Fire. No WONDER Satan has repeatedly tried to knock off Israel.

The Jews know that putrid smell of Satan's sulphur breath. Pharaoh and Herod both killed innocent baby boys and quenched generations. But Satan's two largest murderous lunges came in 473BC (@ Esther's story) and in our lifetime (@the Holocaust). Here are some interesting similarities between these two events:

ESTHER
Did you happen to see the movie "One Night with the King"? That is Esther's story, and it's on Hulu @ http://www.imdb.com/video/hulu/vi729745177/

The guy in Esther's story who wears the black hat was her enemy Haman. He was an Amalekite (Agagite), a people who plagued Israel for years during the time of Joshua and Gideon and even David. They were a people in Ishmael's line, born to a concubine of one of Essau's sons. They were known for not fighting a frontal assault, but for conducting raids from behind. They were particularly cruel and killed the young, the sick, and the helpless. Their king was King Agag and God had commanded King Saul to take out Agag and all the Amalekites. God has good reason to order the death sentence, but Saul didn't obey. That disobedience was costly. 1Chronicles 4.43 speaks of a time 300 years forward when 500 leftover Amalekites were finally put to death. Those Amalekites were Haman's family tree.

When Esther's story is told, Haman finds out she is a Jew and hatches a plot to destroy her race. Esther trusts that the Lord is with her for a time such as was before her. She prayed and fasted and then proceeded into the king's presence to plead for her people.

How could Haman's plan have affected Jews around the world? The Persian empire WAS most of the known world in that time. So when the edict gave permission to kill the Jews, that meant the Jews worldwide. Esther's courage was the difference in life and death. Since that day, Jews celebrate Purim (meaning casting lots or fate); Haman cast lots to decide which day to attack the Jews. Purim celebrates the woman who saved her people from extinction.

THE HOLOCAUST
Everyone knows about the genocide that removed 6 million Jews from the face of the earth. That number represented 75% of the 9 million Jews who lived in Europe at that time. Satan must have smiled to think how close he was to destroying God's chosen.

Here are some similarities between Esther's story and the Holocaust:

A. Haman and Hitler both led an effort to eradicate Jews and both came to a just end.

B. Haman had ten sons who all were hanged on the gallows.

During the Nuremberg trials, there were twelve associates of Hitler who received a death sentence. Martin Bormann was already dead and was being tried in absentia. Hermann Goring committed suicide the night before his execution. That left ten men to die by hanging.

C. Haman died, then ten men were hanged. The Jews survived. Hitler died, then ten men were hanged. The Jews survived.

D. One of the condemned Nazis (Julius Streicher) screamed "Purim Fest 1946!" before the noose was put around his neck.

E. The Talmud describes Haman's daughter as also having committed suicide. She would be the eleventh death in Haman's plot. Hermann Goring was said to be a transvestite. His suicide was the eleventh Nazi officer's death.

The Bible says that 75,000 Persians perished as a result of Haman's treachery. We know that perhaps as many as 17 million died at Hitler's hand (without even counting the Allied deaths). What sickening numbers. Satan does come to kill and destroy.

Esther was an orphan born into a conquered people who lived in a foreign land. Who could have guessed she would have ANY influence, let alone become the queen of the known world? Would she be flabbergasted to find that after 3,000 years, a movie was made of her life? There is no telling how many people have been emboldened over the years after reading of Esther's courage.

Satan has a history of interference, but the God we serve is a big God with a plan that will be accomplished. And at the end of the story, Satan goes to a fiery pit and all the world will celebrate the lack of enmity in the world.

Meanwhile, we remain alert for the hissing.

DITHER DIMENSIONS

2011-05-07T11:12:00.001-05:00

How long is a "dither"?

A dither was measured in months... when the Iraq surge was waiting.

A dither was measured in days...when the captain was bouncing in the Arabian Sea with Somali pirates. That is, they bounced until the SEAL team marksmen took the pirates out.

But a dither was only 16 hours when the CIA thought they had OBL and waited for the President to pull the trigger.

Credit for pulling the trigger? Yes. But probably by that time, too many people already knew Osama was in the crosshairs and no other decision could have been reached. Still, let's give the President credit for going for that plan over the bomb option.

What? No need to give him credit because President Obama has already taken the credit? In his speech about getting Osama, Obama ran the personal pronouns into the ground. And then there was the media hype about all the pressure the President was under. Surely that caused a sweat ring in his golf shirt from that morning's golf game.

The raid had a small glitch with the helicopter, but the White House was Glitch City. There was much adoo about that situation room picture. Later the WH had to admit they weren't watching the take-down because the raid wasn't filmed inside the compound house. National Security Advisor John Brennan, the administration's first voice, said there was a 40 minute firefight and five died. Later that version had to be pulled back. Brennan bristled and said "well, I wasn't there". The narrative was that Bin Laden was armed, then that he was going for his gun. OBL had a wife-shield, then he didn't. Press Secretary Jay Carney took over and said Bin Laden was unarmed and was shot twice. But Carney couldn't bring himself to credit the waterboarding intel. CIA Director Leon Panetta said there would be a picture; the WH said there might be a picture and then said there wouldn't be a picture.

This bunch is the gang who couldn't shoot straight. Their only part was to say yes and then report it.

President Obama's large credit-grab didn't fly with the public because the polls say he only got a small bump. People can sniff a poser like a cheap toupee. Everyone knows that the President stood for NONE of the things that made that capture work. Although OBL went down on this administration's watch, this President has worked tirelessly to change the perception of the terror war.

REDEFINITION

The war on terror became a more mellow "Overseas Contingency Operation".

Terrorism became "Man-Caused Disaster" and terrorists are "foreign fighters".

JUSTICE TOOK AIM AT HER OWN COUNTRY

A former SEAL team was prosecuted for giving

a foreign fighter a fat lip during his capture.

There was much talk of prosecuting the former administration

for protecting the country. That put a chill on CIA recruitment/morale.

Attorney General Holder spent two years trying to bring the "foreign fighters"

to our country, give them citizen rights, and put them on trial in NYC.

The administration said "no" to military tribunals

and "yes" to a mosque near Ground Zero.

PATRIOT ACT

The President is trying to dismantle the tools that served us well in the Patriot Act.

Previously the NYTimes had squalled about "domestic wiretapping"

and the SEAL team was called "Cheney's Assasination Team".

The outcry against "torture" and "black sites" in Europe was deafening.

But waterboarding is not torture and the black sites delivered OBL.

Perhaps people who have REALLY been tortured would be able to explain

the difference in losing a body part and flooding the nose.

The NYTImes and others refuse to accept
that waterboarding gave us the couriers.
But here is a video of Leon Panetta in his own words...

http://winteryknight.wordpress.com/2011/05/04/cia-director-leon-panetta-confirms-that-waterboarding-led-to-osama-bin-laden/

GITMO

With bravado, the President orders Gitmo closed...then cannot find a way to do it.

Some Gitmo prisoners are released, only to return to the battlefield.

DEFENSE SPENDING

The President is cutting back on military spending.

The SEAL team gave America swift justice. Now the mass murderer will not have a Miranda warning or be lawyered up. There was no checking with the UN or other governments. The operation that brought the ladies of The View to euphoria...was planned and executed by THE GOOD OLE USA, using the prior administration's guidelines that BHO had to adopt. Pure irony.

And American's "get it". All along the President has led from behind. Then at the last minute Sunday, he conquered his dither and basked in the sunshine.

JUSTICE SERVED

2011-05-02T16:45:00.001-05:00

"Let destruction come upon him unawares, and let the net which he hid catch himself; into that very destruction let him fall." Psalm 35.8

In this case, Osama bin Laden was caught in a net that took years to perfect, but then came together like a well-oiled machine.

Team Six, a special Navy Seal counter-terrorism unit working with the CIA and FOLLOWING A THREAD FROM GUANTANAMO INTEL...ended the search for the alQaeda mastermind with a bullet.

The unemployed brother-couriers who built the million dollar compound (8x larger than anything around it, and 100 yards away from a Pakistani military academy) were traced back to the interrogation of the hairy KSM. Thank you, President George W. Bush for acting to protect our country through the tools in the Patriot Act. And thank you, President Obama, for giving Team Six the green light. If bombing had been the chosen plan, there would not have been that moment for OBL to realize he was called to account.

We often hear the phrase "justice was served". What exactly does that mean? Why does bin Laden's death cause people together to cheer and chant and sing our national anthem? Initially, those expressions released ten years of pent-up frustration. But another death won't bring back the innocents of 9/11. So what is the value of this swell of emotion?

Our internal thirst for "right" is disturbed when "wrong" goes unanswered. That's why when the little blonde Elizabeth Smart is taken from her bedroom, we are outraged until her case comes full circle and the person responsible is punished. God gave us that thirst for things being put right. That causes us to desire THE righteous Judge who will ultimately settle accounts and bring about perfect justice.

But since all accounts aren't settled on this side of eternity, we were totally grateful for last night's resolution in the hunt for bin Laden. George W. Bush was right when he said "whether we bring justice to our enemies or our enemies to justice, justice will be done". Last night, Team Six and the CIA joined many members of the Armed Services who have worked hard for ten years and have brought justice to our enemy. They have every reason to celebrate.

I don't know what lesson you may have taken away from this event. Over and over as I watched the familiar pictures of OBL, I curiously searched his face. I see a calm countenance and nice eyes. I don't see the monster that his monstrous acts would belie. As he crawled over the rocks and knelt down to shoot an AK-47, he looked more like a shepherd than a fighter. In fact, he looked out of place with the automatic weapon. So my take-away? "Seein' isn't always believin'." I remember that my enemy was the most beautiful of the angels and he takes some of his best shots at Christ by using a pretty face.

Another thing that struck me was that this man was sincere to the end. And in the end, he was sincerely up Salt Creek. How can I be such an arrogant smartypants?

Think with me about what this man believed...

OBL believed that God gave him the right to kill anyone

who did not adhere to his worldview; God calls that intimidation MURDER.

OBL believed women had very limited rights and should be fully draped;

God gives women an equal part in His story.

(How ironic was it that some of them reportedly

hid behind a woman at the end?)

OBL sees a god who is a master permitting servants;

God adopts us into His family.

OBL thought his hope's result was carnality (virgins);

God offers true hope...eternity in a place with Him forever.

OBL's belief system deals brutally with men's disobedience (hack off an arm);

the Bible says men's sin grieves God's heart.

OBL's religious language does not have an understanding of the term "forgiveness";

God saw sin inside of man and offered a Solution (Christ)

and a Power Source (The Holy Spirit).

OBL knew conditional acceptance that depended on his continuous acts for god;

God unconditionally sent Jesus to take even OBL's sin on Himself at the cross.

But that was not what OBL chose to believe...and what you believe matters.

Bin Laden had an account in heaven that never was activated.

Here's what all of us can take away from last night's execution...we can PRAY for those who do not know the Savior. Know anyone stuck in draining relationships with gods who demand and do not offer assurance?

God is full of justice and mercy. The time is NOW to fall on mercy because I sure wouldn't want the justice that I would have coming to me. That's why the hymn lyrics say "let me hide myself in Thee". I have a mercy Covering that will cause God to passover my sin.

I guarantee today OBL wishes he had the same cover. If he could tell you, he would say it wasn't virgins he has now encountered...but the wrath of a holy God.