Two camping trips in one week; its not hunting or a mountain fix, but for now it will do.
Last week I took the boys on their first camping trip. We went to Dinosaur Valley State Park on Monday and Tuesday. Dinosaur Valley is one of my favorite places for a short get away. Unfortunately, it rained just about the whole time and we didn't get to do everything I was hoping we would. But the boys handled it really well. They made the best of the situation. They did not complain. They followed instructions.
We had a fun time and I was extremely proud of them. God willing we will hopefully be able to camp together more in the future.
Then, last Saturday and Sunday I took my Sunday school class camping. The main point of the trip was to go see The Promise in Glen Rose. I thought those guys would enjoy camping so I made that part of the trip too. We camped in tents at Riverbend Retreat Center. The weather was perfect. The kids were pretty good. We had fun.
It had been a long time since I had gotten outside and it was good to spend several days in the country. If you live in the central Texas area or the Dallas/Ft. Worth area, I highly recommend Dinosaur Valley and The Promise. Check them out, you'll be glad you did.
Thursday, October 22, 2009
Friday, October 2, 2009
Happy Anniversary
Hey, today is the two year anniversary of this blog. The first entry is here.
Meanwhile Facebook and Twitter seem to have taken over a lot of people's screen time so there's less time for blog reading. But there are still a whole bunch of good blogs around.
Its been a crazy two years. We've seen economic catastrophe and political catastrophe with the election of a president who goes around apologizing for his nation being great and liberal legislators trying to re-engineer our society into something bordering on socialism. Every day the news is filled with stories of unbelievable human depravity such that nothing seems to shock us anymore.
Kris has gone from a Claymaniac to a Jonas Momma. She's had to give up some of her Stampin' Up time to take a part time job. The boys are really growing up, doing well in school and they seem to be growing spiritually. Blake and I are finally seeing a little spark of growth in the youth ministry.
Lately I've been trying to figure out why primarily spiritual beings have to spend a blip on the eternal radar screen trapped in a material world. We're forced to live in two realities at once. We're constantly pulled in two opposite directions. We spend tremendous amounts of time, energy, and resources to satisfy our material needs and wants when we should be storing up treasures in Heaven. Why are we given this struggle? Why is it so easy to give ourselves to the material world at the expense of the spiritual?
Makes you really appreciate Enoch doesn't it. Genesis 5:24 says, "Enoch walked with God; then he was no more, because God took him away." Apparently Enoch was so given over to the spiritual rather than the material that God translated him directly into Heaven. Isn't that cool? He must have been something.
The Enoch challenge: depend less and less on the material and more and more on the spiritual. Any takers?
Meanwhile Facebook and Twitter seem to have taken over a lot of people's screen time so there's less time for blog reading. But there are still a whole bunch of good blogs around.
Its been a crazy two years. We've seen economic catastrophe and political catastrophe with the election of a president who goes around apologizing for his nation being great and liberal legislators trying to re-engineer our society into something bordering on socialism. Every day the news is filled with stories of unbelievable human depravity such that nothing seems to shock us anymore.
Kris has gone from a Claymaniac to a Jonas Momma. She's had to give up some of her Stampin' Up time to take a part time job. The boys are really growing up, doing well in school and they seem to be growing spiritually. Blake and I are finally seeing a little spark of growth in the youth ministry.
Lately I've been trying to figure out why primarily spiritual beings have to spend a blip on the eternal radar screen trapped in a material world. We're forced to live in two realities at once. We're constantly pulled in two opposite directions. We spend tremendous amounts of time, energy, and resources to satisfy our material needs and wants when we should be storing up treasures in Heaven. Why are we given this struggle? Why is it so easy to give ourselves to the material world at the expense of the spiritual?
Makes you really appreciate Enoch doesn't it. Genesis 5:24 says, "Enoch walked with God; then he was no more, because God took him away." Apparently Enoch was so given over to the spiritual rather than the material that God translated him directly into Heaven. Isn't that cool? He must have been something.
The Enoch challenge: depend less and less on the material and more and more on the spiritual. Any takers?
A Prediction
Someday society will mine landfills for resources such as metals and organic matter.
"Sounds like a great job for our great grandchildren," he said facetiously.
"Sounds like a great job for our great grandchildren," he said facetiously.
Thursday, September 10, 2009
More health care reform
I did not hear the president's speech last night. However, I heard part of an interview with him on Nightline. During that interview he said that he is very interested in changing the way health care is delivered in the United States. I found that to be a very clarifying comment. It really gets down to the crux of this whole health care reform issue. And it depresses me so much that half the country is okay with that.
Honestly, who is he (a lawyer and politician) to tell doctors how they should deliver their product. It is not the role of government to do that. Congress needs to back off and find another way to deal with people who cannot afford their own medical care (i.e., insurance reform, healthy lifestyles, tort reform, etc.).
If they do pass this huge, sweeping, reform bill, then someone needs to write a law that puts the American Medical Association in charge of reforming the legal profession.
Honestly, who is he (a lawyer and politician) to tell doctors how they should deliver their product. It is not the role of government to do that. Congress needs to back off and find another way to deal with people who cannot afford their own medical care (i.e., insurance reform, healthy lifestyles, tort reform, etc.).
If they do pass this huge, sweeping, reform bill, then someone needs to write a law that puts the American Medical Association in charge of reforming the legal profession.
Wednesday, September 2, 2009
Are sports life?
As if there were any doubt left about whether sports have become way to important in our society, get a load of the conversation I heard on the radio this morning. The morning host and the sports caster were arguing about the fact that Tony Romo has a new girlfriend. If you don't know, Romo dumped Jessica Simpson just two months ago and he is now apparently seeing another attractive, blond, semi-celebrity.
The sports guy was upset that this will be a big distraction to Romo and the team here at the start of a new season. The host felt like Romo has the right to a private life. Duh.
With all the junk going on in our world that needs to be newsworthy and that people need to talk about and deal with, and these guys think its important to talk about Tony Romo's love life. As if it matters to anything going on in the real world. We have so lost it as a society.
The sports guy was upset that this will be a big distraction to Romo and the team here at the start of a new season. The host felt like Romo has the right to a private life. Duh.
With all the junk going on in our world that needs to be newsworthy and that people need to talk about and deal with, and these guys think its important to talk about Tony Romo's love life. As if it matters to anything going on in the real world. We have so lost it as a society.
Saturday, August 29, 2009
Edwards' town hall meeting
This morning Kris and I attended a little over half of Chet Edwards' town hall meeting on health care reform. It was in a large room at the convention center and we were in the back and had trouble hearing everything. Following are my observations on what I could hear and see.
-Nobody really understands everything the health care reform bill requires, what it will take to implement it, and the effects it will have if enacted.
-A clear majority of those present were in favor of smaller government.
-A clear majority of those present were in favor of lower taxes.
-A clear majority of those present were against the house bill in question.
-Half or more in the room would even favor doing away with Medicare and Medicaid.
-Chet Edwards does not care what his constituents want, he is going to support what he feels good about. But at least he was man enough to admit it. (Specifically, he said that he would never vote for a bill that took away Medicare or Medicaid and that he understood he could have honest disagreement with his constituents on those points. It seems evident however, that he is also more concerned with getting a health care reform bill passed than he is in listening to his constituents who do not want it.)
I have to be honest. What bothered me the most about the meeting was the way people behaved. A room full of adults and many, many of them acted like unruly school children. There was a good deal of downright rudeness; booing, cat calling, screaming, not letting the speaker talk, name calling, etc. It was very sad. It reminded me of what I said after the speech Obama made when he won the election. Namely, health care, the environment, education, the economy, etc. are not the real problems with America.
The real problems with America are in our souls. We, like all humans, are sinful. We will never solve any of these other issues until we come to the cross of Christ and let God deal with our sinfulness. America needs heart reform much more desperately than we need welfare reform, tort reform, health care reform, education reform, or anything else. Pray with me that we can see what the true problems in our land are and that we will choose the right solution.
-Nobody really understands everything the health care reform bill requires, what it will take to implement it, and the effects it will have if enacted.
-A clear majority of those present were in favor of smaller government.
-A clear majority of those present were in favor of lower taxes.
-A clear majority of those present were against the house bill in question.
-Half or more in the room would even favor doing away with Medicare and Medicaid.
-Chet Edwards does not care what his constituents want, he is going to support what he feels good about. But at least he was man enough to admit it. (Specifically, he said that he would never vote for a bill that took away Medicare or Medicaid and that he understood he could have honest disagreement with his constituents on those points. It seems evident however, that he is also more concerned with getting a health care reform bill passed than he is in listening to his constituents who do not want it.)
I have to be honest. What bothered me the most about the meeting was the way people behaved. A room full of adults and many, many of them acted like unruly school children. There was a good deal of downright rudeness; booing, cat calling, screaming, not letting the speaker talk, name calling, etc. It was very sad. It reminded me of what I said after the speech Obama made when he won the election. Namely, health care, the environment, education, the economy, etc. are not the real problems with America.
The real problems with America are in our souls. We, like all humans, are sinful. We will never solve any of these other issues until we come to the cross of Christ and let God deal with our sinfulness. America needs heart reform much more desperately than we need welfare reform, tort reform, health care reform, education reform, or anything else. Pray with me that we can see what the true problems in our land are and that we will choose the right solution.
Thursday, August 27, 2009
Health care
I'd still like your opinions on whether health care is a right or a privelege.
Here's the thing though, as far as the whole reform issue goes. There are lots of problems with our current system. Among these are medical malpractice suits, the incredible costs associated with medical technology, the cost in the pharmaceutical industy for R&D and advertising, the enormous overhead associated with medical practice, government mandates to insurance companies, etc. However, more government is not the answer because it cannot be the answer.
Government's job is to provide for our common defense, to make sure that free enterprise operates on a level playing field, to enforce the constitution, to protect us from crime, to protects us from tyrrany (political or religious). Government was never meant to operate health care or any other business.
Here's the thing though, as far as the whole reform issue goes. There are lots of problems with our current system. Among these are medical malpractice suits, the incredible costs associated with medical technology, the cost in the pharmaceutical industy for R&D and advertising, the enormous overhead associated with medical practice, government mandates to insurance companies, etc. However, more government is not the answer because it cannot be the answer.
Government's job is to provide for our common defense, to make sure that free enterprise operates on a level playing field, to enforce the constitution, to protect us from crime, to protects us from tyrrany (political or religious). Government was never meant to operate health care or any other business.
Friday, July 31, 2009
Senses and memories
Its very interesting to me how our senses can trigger memories. If any of you out there are into neuroscience you can explain it for us. I think its cool how certain sounds or smells can trigger memories and seem to transport you back to another place and time. You know what I'm talking about, right? Like hearing a certain song can make you feel like a kid again or like a newlywed again. It comes on the radio and suddenly you feel like you are back in your childhood home or on your honeymoon, or wherever. Has that happened to you?
This time of year if I go out in the morning and the dew is still on the ground and I smell fresh cut grass it takes me back to those early season two a day workouts of high school. There, I re-live some of the sensations from so long ago. The smells of the locker room--sweat, spray disinfectant, Kramer's heat balm all come back. Feelings too. Like the feel of the ground vibrating when the o-line comes off the ball, the feel of sitting down in the dew drenched grass to do the obligatory pre-workout stretches and the moisture soaking into everything, the feeling of the sun baking you and the temperature inside your helmet going up and up and up, the feel of exhausted, sore muscles screaming for a respite.
You know, come to think of it, there are a lot of good reasons why only young people play football. Maybe the stereotype of the dumb jock isn't so off base? ;-)
This time of year if I go out in the morning and the dew is still on the ground and I smell fresh cut grass it takes me back to those early season two a day workouts of high school. There, I re-live some of the sensations from so long ago. The smells of the locker room--sweat, spray disinfectant, Kramer's heat balm all come back. Feelings too. Like the feel of the ground vibrating when the o-line comes off the ball, the feel of sitting down in the dew drenched grass to do the obligatory pre-workout stretches and the moisture soaking into everything, the feeling of the sun baking you and the temperature inside your helmet going up and up and up, the feel of exhausted, sore muscles screaming for a respite.
You know, come to think of it, there are a lot of good reasons why only young people play football. Maybe the stereotype of the dumb jock isn't so off base? ;-)
Wednesday, July 29, 2009
Bravo for our senators
We still have not received the rain that was supposed to happen on Monday, but maybe tomorrow... On the positive side, it has been cloudy and we have not been above 100 degrees since Sunday. That's pretty sweet for late July around here.
Kudos to our Texas senators Kay Bailey Hutchison and John Cornyn. They have both opposed Sonia Sotomayor's nomination as a supreme court justice. Their opposition is on principle. They feel she will (and has) decide cases on things other than their strict legal/constitutional merits. That alone is certainly worthy of our respect.
However, their stand goes even deeper. There are many people who are supporting Judge Sotomayor just because she is a minority; even as there were many who supported Obama simply because he is half black. This kind of support is certainly racism and therefore unfortunate. But it does exist and it is likely to cost Senators Hutchison and Cornyn politically.
You see, Texas is about 36% Hispanic. Obviously, most of that population is not racist. However, that number probably represents a lot of folks who would be upset with our senators for opposing Sotomayor since she is Latina. So this had to be a tough decision for our senators. I applaud them for doing what they feel is right without regard for the possible political consequences.
When a legislator makes decisions based on what is most likely to keep him/her in office then he/she has transitioned from public servant to self servant. I'm thankful that Hutchison and Cornyn are doing their best to act as public servants for all Texans.
Kudos to our Texas senators Kay Bailey Hutchison and John Cornyn. They have both opposed Sonia Sotomayor's nomination as a supreme court justice. Their opposition is on principle. They feel she will (and has) decide cases on things other than their strict legal/constitutional merits. That alone is certainly worthy of our respect.
However, their stand goes even deeper. There are many people who are supporting Judge Sotomayor just because she is a minority; even as there were many who supported Obama simply because he is half black. This kind of support is certainly racism and therefore unfortunate. But it does exist and it is likely to cost Senators Hutchison and Cornyn politically.
You see, Texas is about 36% Hispanic. Obviously, most of that population is not racist. However, that number probably represents a lot of folks who would be upset with our senators for opposing Sotomayor since she is Latina. So this had to be a tough decision for our senators. I applaud them for doing what they feel is right without regard for the possible political consequences.
When a legislator makes decisions based on what is most likely to keep him/her in office then he/she has transitioned from public servant to self servant. I'm thankful that Hutchison and Cornyn are doing their best to act as public servants for all Texans.
Saturday, July 25, 2009
What's happening here
The last three weeks of June and the first couple weeks of July were incredibly hot and dry even for Central Texas. Then almost two weeks ago we had a couple of nice little showers and since then we have been below 100 degrees. In fact we have even had a couple of cloudy days that were almost comfortable. I've been really thankful for the little weather break. It is supposed to be 100 again today but then we get a little front tomorrow that cools things back to the mid 90s.
So its really becoming the dog days of summer as we brace ourselves for six or so more weeks of extreme heat. There is hope, though, that provides a little psychological boost to get through. NFL training camps start soon which is a promise of things to come (the promise of fall and all the good things that go with that). Meanwhile we make the most of summer.
I must be grumpy lately because the other day Kris told me it has been too long since I killed something. So last night when I went out to move the sprinklers and found a snake under the live oak in the front yard I figured I better kill it. Of course, that upset Jeremiah who thought it was way too cute to kill. He's a twisted little kid.
Last night Nana and the boys and I watched a good old John Wayne movie, The Cowboys. The boys had never seen it before and they loved it. I view that as comforting proof that kids are capable of enjoying something besides high tech entertainment. Now I may have to convince them that they don't need a horse, they can just use their bikes and pretend.
This morning I put on my Daffy Duck short which Jonathan laughed at. At first, Jeremiah agreed with me that they're okay because we like Daffy Duck. But a few minutes later he said, "Seriously, you're going to go out in public wearing that? Kind of tacky." I told you he's a twisted little kid.
Such is life, mid summer 2009.
So its really becoming the dog days of summer as we brace ourselves for six or so more weeks of extreme heat. There is hope, though, that provides a little psychological boost to get through. NFL training camps start soon which is a promise of things to come (the promise of fall and all the good things that go with that). Meanwhile we make the most of summer.
I must be grumpy lately because the other day Kris told me it has been too long since I killed something. So last night when I went out to move the sprinklers and found a snake under the live oak in the front yard I figured I better kill it. Of course, that upset Jeremiah who thought it was way too cute to kill. He's a twisted little kid.
Last night Nana and the boys and I watched a good old John Wayne movie, The Cowboys. The boys had never seen it before and they loved it. I view that as comforting proof that kids are capable of enjoying something besides high tech entertainment. Now I may have to convince them that they don't need a horse, they can just use their bikes and pretend.
This morning I put on my Daffy Duck short which Jonathan laughed at. At first, Jeremiah agreed with me that they're okay because we like Daffy Duck. But a few minutes later he said, "Seriously, you're going to go out in public wearing that? Kind of tacky." I told you he's a twisted little kid.
Such is life, mid summer 2009.
Thursday, July 23, 2009
Inquiring minds want to know
How come they don't make vanilla syrup to put on chocolate ice cream?
Seems like rather a double standard doesn't it?
Seems like rather a double standard doesn't it?
Tuesday, May 19, 2009
Thinking out loud
Here are some thoughts that have been rolling around my head. They are just thoughts and not even to the opinion stage yet. As such, I hope nobody takes them as criticism. They're not critical, just thoughts.
So I listen to a lot of preachers on the radio. I read a few Christian blogs. I read Christian articles from several sources on a somewhat regular basis. I try to read the Christian books my pastor assigns us for staff development. One thing I've noticed over the past five to ten years, these speakers and authors increasingly use the phrase "follower of Jesus Christ" or "Christ follower" to refer to one who is a Christian. I think that makes me sad.
Don't get me wrong. I don't really have a problem with the phrase. It is similar to the early biblical description of Christians as "followers of the Way". I certainly don't have a problem with people following Christ. I guess its the larger circumstances that bother me.
It seems that over the years the term Christian has taken on negative connotations in America. Although, I'm not really sure why that should bother us, it had negative connotations to many segments of the population in the first century as well. I guess another problem with the term is that many use it simply to indicate that they are neither Jewish, Muslim, Hindu, nor Atheist but not necessarily to mean that they are born again.
That being the case, apparently a bunch of Christian authors and speakers got together somewhere in the middle of the night and decided that they needed a new term to differentiate between "good Christians" and "bad Christians" and between "nominal Christians" and "real Christians". And they decided that "Christ follower" or "follower of Christ" phraseology is the ticket.
Somehow, in my little brain, it doesn't seem to help the situation. According to the Bible, born again people were first called Christians at the church in Antioch (Acts 11:26). We know from history that they got this name because they acted like Jesus. Maybe instead of changing the way we refer to ourselves we should change the way we act? On the other hand, Jesus said that if we acted like him we would have to expect persecution. So maybe its a good thing that "Christian" is sometimes a "bad" word?
I don't really know. It just seems kind of silly to me to stop referring to ourselves as Christians if that is what we are. I mean are we really solving any problems by adopting the trendier terminology? I have to admit that whenever I hear or read the terms "Christ follower" or "follower of Christ" the thought that pops into my head is, "well, for about three years Judas Iscariot was apparently a, 'follower of Christ'."
So I listen to a lot of preachers on the radio. I read a few Christian blogs. I read Christian articles from several sources on a somewhat regular basis. I try to read the Christian books my pastor assigns us for staff development. One thing I've noticed over the past five to ten years, these speakers and authors increasingly use the phrase "follower of Jesus Christ" or "Christ follower" to refer to one who is a Christian. I think that makes me sad.
Don't get me wrong. I don't really have a problem with the phrase. It is similar to the early biblical description of Christians as "followers of the Way". I certainly don't have a problem with people following Christ. I guess its the larger circumstances that bother me.
It seems that over the years the term Christian has taken on negative connotations in America. Although, I'm not really sure why that should bother us, it had negative connotations to many segments of the population in the first century as well. I guess another problem with the term is that many use it simply to indicate that they are neither Jewish, Muslim, Hindu, nor Atheist but not necessarily to mean that they are born again.
That being the case, apparently a bunch of Christian authors and speakers got together somewhere in the middle of the night and decided that they needed a new term to differentiate between "good Christians" and "bad Christians" and between "nominal Christians" and "real Christians". And they decided that "Christ follower" or "follower of Christ" phraseology is the ticket.
Somehow, in my little brain, it doesn't seem to help the situation. According to the Bible, born again people were first called Christians at the church in Antioch (Acts 11:26). We know from history that they got this name because they acted like Jesus. Maybe instead of changing the way we refer to ourselves we should change the way we act? On the other hand, Jesus said that if we acted like him we would have to expect persecution. So maybe its a good thing that "Christian" is sometimes a "bad" word?
I don't really know. It just seems kind of silly to me to stop referring to ourselves as Christians if that is what we are. I mean are we really solving any problems by adopting the trendier terminology? I have to admit that whenever I hear or read the terms "Christ follower" or "follower of Christ" the thought that pops into my head is, "well, for about three years Judas Iscariot was apparently a, 'follower of Christ'."
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
Book recommendation for parents
You know that I don't read many books. However, here is one that I have read and which I recommend to any of you who are rearing children or preparing to do so.
Kid CEO is not the premier book on parenting but I think it is an important one to read because the author says a couple of things that a lot of the other Christian parenting books don't.
Ed Young writes in a very conversational style and he avoids a lot of Christian-ese. I assume his intention is to make the book attractive and applicable to non Christians. At any rate it results in a book that is very straight forward and easy to read. He also tries to be very homey and down to earth. Towards that end some of his illustrations are too sappy and some are really too much of a stretch to go with the point they are supposed to illustrate. But the content that he is teaching is good enough to make wading through some of the negatives worthwhile.
Pastor Young very clearly lays out the biblical model for how a home should operate. Then he proceeds to address very practical ways to make that happen. He deals with the pace of modern life, the importance of the marital relationship, discipline, and other issues universal to families in our culture.
Based on my observations it seems that parents today need a lot of help and I feel that this book is certainly a great place to start. Happy reading.
Kid CEO is not the premier book on parenting but I think it is an important one to read because the author says a couple of things that a lot of the other Christian parenting books don't.Ed Young writes in a very conversational style and he avoids a lot of Christian-ese. I assume his intention is to make the book attractive and applicable to non Christians. At any rate it results in a book that is very straight forward and easy to read. He also tries to be very homey and down to earth. Towards that end some of his illustrations are too sappy and some are really too much of a stretch to go with the point they are supposed to illustrate. But the content that he is teaching is good enough to make wading through some of the negatives worthwhile.
Pastor Young very clearly lays out the biblical model for how a home should operate. Then he proceeds to address very practical ways to make that happen. He deals with the pace of modern life, the importance of the marital relationship, discipline, and other issues universal to families in our culture.
Based on my observations it seems that parents today need a lot of help and I feel that this book is certainly a great place to start. Happy reading.
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
Words to live by
When life gives you lemons, make lemonade.
And when life gives you nasty, mushy, over-ripe bananas-make a chocolate banana milk shake. Ooooo ya!
And when life gives you nasty, mushy, over-ripe bananas-make a chocolate banana milk shake. Ooooo ya!
Wednesday, February 11, 2009
A Tale of Two Worldviews
Status report: Millions of people experience intense suffering every day from the ravages of disease. Almost a billion people in the world don't have access to safe drinking water or proper sanitation. Millions are starving. We manipulate our environment to sustain ourselves and in the process we often completely remove other species from the planet. We fight and kill each other with knives, swords, drugs, guns, tanks, bombs, etc. We argue about whether or not torture is okay. And while many deplore this kind violence, many others will pay money to watch two guys in a cage beat the snot out of each other and consider it entertaining. We're not content just to kill soldiers, we also kill babies. We pull them half out of the womb and jab scissors in their head and slice their brains into quivering masses of amorphous tissue. Some of us profit off this and have no shame over it. Yet, we are appalled if a baby seal is killed or a whale is stuck on a beach. We appoint whoremongers, fear mongers, crooks, liars, and traitors to be our leaders. Then we are surprised, upset, and angry when they cheat us, prey on us, steal from us, lie to us, and betray us.
There is a lot of bad in the world. Yes, there is a lot of good as well. However, its not like the good makes up for the bad. The good does not somehow cancel out all that is wrong. Bad is bad and it hurts regardless of how much good there is.
Based upon the status quo, you tell me which of the following scenarios makes the most sense and offers the most hope.
Scenario one: We live in a universe that appeared accidentally from eternal matter. Said matter overcame the laws of entropy to form a universe. Eventually, some of this matter also accidentally organized itself into living cells. Through the randomness of mutations these primordial cells eventually gave birth to more and more complex cells. As these organisms became more complex and numerous they were not only acted on by random mutations but by natural selection to continue to produce more advanced life forms. Which brings us to the status quo. We who fit the description reported to you above are the pinnacle, the zenith, the grand culmination of evolution. The status quo is as good as it gets!
Scenario two: A loving, purposeful Creator formed the universe and all living things. He created man out of love. To make sure that we could decide for ourselves whether or not we wanted to love him back he let us make decisions for oursleves. These decisions led to the status quo. Even as bad as things are, the Creator is using the bad to show us the good. He gave himself to redeem all that he created and is still at work in the universe today. When his purposes are accomplished he will bring about the fulfillment of this redemption such that all who follow him will be set free from the status quo and live in everlasting fellowship with him.
In which scenario do you put your hope?
The old hymn comes to mind:
"My hope is built on nothing less
than Jesus blood and righteousness.
I dare not trust the sweetest frame
but wholly lean on Jesus name.
On Christ the solid rock I stand,
All other ground is sinking sand.
All other ground is sinking sand."
There is a lot of bad in the world. Yes, there is a lot of good as well. However, its not like the good makes up for the bad. The good does not somehow cancel out all that is wrong. Bad is bad and it hurts regardless of how much good there is.
Based upon the status quo, you tell me which of the following scenarios makes the most sense and offers the most hope.
Scenario one: We live in a universe that appeared accidentally from eternal matter. Said matter overcame the laws of entropy to form a universe. Eventually, some of this matter also accidentally organized itself into living cells. Through the randomness of mutations these primordial cells eventually gave birth to more and more complex cells. As these organisms became more complex and numerous they were not only acted on by random mutations but by natural selection to continue to produce more advanced life forms. Which brings us to the status quo. We who fit the description reported to you above are the pinnacle, the zenith, the grand culmination of evolution. The status quo is as good as it gets!
Scenario two: A loving, purposeful Creator formed the universe and all living things. He created man out of love. To make sure that we could decide for ourselves whether or not we wanted to love him back he let us make decisions for oursleves. These decisions led to the status quo. Even as bad as things are, the Creator is using the bad to show us the good. He gave himself to redeem all that he created and is still at work in the universe today. When his purposes are accomplished he will bring about the fulfillment of this redemption such that all who follow him will be set free from the status quo and live in everlasting fellowship with him.
In which scenario do you put your hope?
The old hymn comes to mind:
"My hope is built on nothing less
than Jesus blood and righteousness.
I dare not trust the sweetest frame
but wholly lean on Jesus name.
On Christ the solid rock I stand,
All other ground is sinking sand.
All other ground is sinking sand."
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
One week and I've had enough
Its stinking cold and sleeting outside. I'm sitting by the fire making s'mores waiting for my wife to get off the phone (surprise).
Man, one week of Obama and I'm already sick of this administration. As I said after the election it really bothers me that he doesn't know what the real problems facing America are. What I am particularly sick of at this moment is how he keeps using fear to get his way. He keeps playing on Americans fears, using them to convince them to approve his radical agenda. He won't be happy until America looks more like a socialist nation than a republic. Makes me sick!
Foooey on the liberals.
Man, one week of Obama and I'm already sick of this administration. As I said after the election it really bothers me that he doesn't know what the real problems facing America are. What I am particularly sick of at this moment is how he keeps using fear to get his way. He keeps playing on Americans fears, using them to convince them to approve his radical agenda. He won't be happy until America looks more like a socialist nation than a republic. Makes me sick!
Foooey on the liberals.
Wednesday, January 14, 2009
Getting told, by your 5 year old
First, Happy New Year everyone! Hope you had a great holiday time.
Don't know what the attitude is like at your house, but it is deep and thick at mine.
Yesterday, Kris had a conversation with Jeremiah something like this:
"Mom, you know you are always stepping on shadows." Such a random statement that Kris looked perplexed. "Your feet make shadows so you are always stepping on shadows."
Kris still looked a little dazed trying to figure out why he was thinking about that. So he says, "You didn't know that did you?"
"Well it makes sense." Kris said.
"But you didn't know it did you?"
"I just never thought about it, Jeremiah."
And with a sigh and a scowl he says, "I guess I'm the only one who thinks."
Man, he's a trip. Then last night Jonathan fell asleep first so I thought I'd mess with Jeremiah a little. "Jeremiah, you told Mommy that we always step on shadows because our feet make shadows?"
"Yes."
"Well, what if you are walking in the dark? Then your feet are not making shadows."
"A shadow is when something blocks the light."
"Yes, so if you are walking in the dark then there is no light so your feet cannot make a shadow."
"Shadows are dark, so you are always stepping on the dark."
He absolutely refuses to be wrong about anything, ever. It would be cute if we didn't know where he gets it from and how annoying it can be. My poor wife has a lot of bad attitudes to deal with.
Don't know what the attitude is like at your house, but it is deep and thick at mine.
Yesterday, Kris had a conversation with Jeremiah something like this:
"Mom, you know you are always stepping on shadows." Such a random statement that Kris looked perplexed. "Your feet make shadows so you are always stepping on shadows."
Kris still looked a little dazed trying to figure out why he was thinking about that. So he says, "You didn't know that did you?"
"Well it makes sense." Kris said.
"But you didn't know it did you?"
"I just never thought about it, Jeremiah."
And with a sigh and a scowl he says, "I guess I'm the only one who thinks."
Man, he's a trip. Then last night Jonathan fell asleep first so I thought I'd mess with Jeremiah a little. "Jeremiah, you told Mommy that we always step on shadows because our feet make shadows?"
"Yes."
"Well, what if you are walking in the dark? Then your feet are not making shadows."
"A shadow is when something blocks the light."
"Yes, so if you are walking in the dark then there is no light so your feet cannot make a shadow."
"Shadows are dark, so you are always stepping on the dark."
He absolutely refuses to be wrong about anything, ever. It would be cute if we didn't know where he gets it from and how annoying it can be. My poor wife has a lot of bad attitudes to deal with.
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