Cute -- but ...

The following was posted with a slightly different intro in an email to a co-worker who put it on the bulleton board. It is going around - this copy is from a fellow blogger at pilgrimchristian.blogspot.com

It is obviously genuine as the "Cross Trails Church" shows up in most versions. Apparently, no one has stopped to correct the glaring error in the original post (on the wall at church).

Hillbilly Ten Commandments

People in Tennessee have trouble with all those "shalls" and "shall nots" in the Ten Commandments. Folks just aren't used to talking in those terms. So, some folks in middle Tennessee got together and translated the "King James" into "Jackson County" language: The Hillbilly's Ten Commandments (posted on the wall at Cross Trails Church in Gainesboro, TN.)

(1) Just one God.

(2) Honor yer Ma & Pa.
(3) No tellin' tales or gossipin'.
(4) Git yourself to Sunday meetin'
(5) Put nothin' before God.
(6) No foolin' around with another fellers gal
(7) No killin.'
(8) Watch yer mouth.
(9) Don't take what ain't yers.
(10) Don't be hankerin' for yer buddy's stuff.


"Extra credit" to the student that not only sees the error but fully corrects it. Clue: The "translations" can stand as they are. :-)


OK, no peeking. Scroll down for the answer.



















(1) Just one God.

(2) Honor yer Ma & Pa.[5]
(3) No tellin' tales or gossipin'.[9]
(4) Git yourself to Sunday meetin'
(5) Put nothin' before God.[2]
(6) No foolin' around with another fellers gal [7]
(7) No killin.'[6]
(8) Watch yer mouth.[3]
(9) Don't take what ain't yers.[8]
(10) Don't be hankerin' for yer buddy's stuff.

Them country folk musta been translatin' from mem'ry! They done went and scrambled th' order.

But their heart's in the right place. :-)

The Day God showed Himself

In one remarkable day in the spring of of what we call AD 32 the Creator of the world revealed Himself to a hostile world. It had to be one of his worst days of ministry outside of "Passion week."

First, his cousin John the Baptist has just been executed for the "crime" of preaching against the public sin of the "king" of Judea. The provential ruler was a pawn of Rome and as such had no "real" claim to David's throne. However, he had succeeded in locking the prophet away. However, his "wife" of the time was an unlawful union with his brother's spouse! And SHE had manipulated the situation to literally "have his head on a platter."(Matthew 14:1-12)

When the news came to Jesus, he took a ship to a hide-away to grieve. But alas, his fame has spread so that he could not hide. People flocked to the wilderness to be healed, and to hear him teach. In spite of his grief, he compassionately healed the sick all day long. In this he was fulfilling his role as a prophet. No one suspected that he was any greater than John, thought the Baptizer had not been a healer. (Matt. 14:13-14)

But then, the humble carpenter from Nazareth revealed himself to be much more: He fed the crowd "out of nothing"! Five loaves and two dried fish was made to be enough food for as many as 12,000 hungry people. It is no wonder that the people wanted to make him their King! But Jesus was yet to show His full divinity. It could be argued that this same type of miracle had been accomplished by Elijah (1 Kings 17:8-16). (Matt.14:15-21)


After Jesus sent his disciples away in their fishing boat he successfully dismissed the satisfied crowd and got away to pray alone in the hills. But then a storm blew up that threatened the life of his disciples. So he went straight to them, not even letting miles of stormy sea stop him.

The time had come to show Who he truely was.

Suspending the laws of nature, he walked across the top of the waves as if they were pavement. It was a sight so unexpected that the disciples that they thought he was a ghost! And so, Jesus comforted them, saying "Be brave. I AM. Don't be afraid"

That's right, he said the equivalent of the divine name (Exodus 3:14). The Greek "ego eimi" is a translation of the Hebrew "AHWH" (ahweh: I am > Yahweh: He is). He left no question in the minds of the twelve. They proclaimed: "Truely, you are God's son." (Matt. 14:22-33)

The following year would prove to be a trying time for Jesus and his small band of disciples. But they at least knew that the Master was the best One with whom to spend it.

Life's little miracles

O.K., providence is probably a better word. But this past trip to Philadelphia had cost me two days pay PLUS the cost of room and food. But we felt it was the "right thing to do."

So we left it in the Lord's hands and went.

Well, my wife had been expecting a performance bonus, but had not calculated it into our plans. It had not been a sure thing, and she had no way of knowing what it would be. It came through to be almost exactly to the dollar (before taxes) what the weekend had cost us!

Yehovah-Jireh! [Gen 22:14]

My name is Henry and I am an "addict"

Well, I guess I am addicted to blogging. Here it is a quarter to midnight and I am posting just so I can get something up today. It was after 11:00 pm last night when I got home from Phillie. I barely resisted firing up the computer to post something then. But I knew it would look bad -- you know, another sign of an addiction.

So now, you see what it can do to you! Watch out, don't spend all your waking hours on it. Just enjoy it. Don't do it alone, but don't seek to much out of it either. I find myself following links for far more time than it takes to put up a post. But sometimes you have to check out the other stuff just to get an idea for a blog. Maybe I will have a true idea tomorrow.

Valley Forge and Philadelphia too!

Well, today was the last full day of the conference. There was an interesting testimony in the morning, followed by another message by Paul Tripp. In the afternoon I went to a sesson dealing with physical changes that change one's mental and even spiritual condition. I also attended a session on the use of "story telling" in counseling. The thrust of the presentation was that each of us lives as a part of the bigger picture. It is up to the counselor to use this to connect with the counselee.

Since we started earlier today than we did on Friday, but we didn't have an evening session. Therefore, we had time to take the short drive into Phillie.

The problem was -- it was "rush" hour. Have you ever wondered why the period of time with the slowest traffic is called "rush" hour? Well, it did take us about an hour to get into town (about fifteen miles). And then, we had to wait about an hour to be seated at the restaurant. Of course it was not just ANY restaurant! This was my third year on the conference and my third time eating at Buca's - the food is good, but it is the atmosphere that is unbeatable!

On the way home we did a "driveby" sighting of historic Philadelphia. We saw Independence Hall and even spotted the liberty bell! Or at least someone in the van SAID she saw it. The drive out of town went a little faster, though our driver did take a wrong turn which put us going UNDER the main route out of town at least twice!

Next year's conference will be a week earlier - the first weekend in November. The subject will be on "Fear, Worry, and the God of Rest." The principle speaker will be Ed Welch. It should be interesting. Special rates are given for groups of more than ten. I highly recommend the conference AND the ministry. Just a reminder, this is the Christian Counseling and Education Foundation, a group affiliated with Westminster Theological Seminary.

Marriage, Culture, and Music

Today at the conference we heard from Paul David Tripp and from several good "workshops."

The morning meeting was entitled When Love gets messy. This had to do with relationships and sin. Forgiveness is the key.

In the afternoon we listened to three different speakers. We both listened to a message on marriage. I listened to one on culteral ("race") differences. The speaker was unexperienced but offered some good theory as to why the dominate culture has problems reaching he non-dominant ones.

This evening I listened to Mr. Tripp again, though my wife staid away. She was very tired and had even been suffering some "flu" symptoms last night. She had had a flu shot on Monday.

Any way, Mr. Tripp spoke on art and the gospel, accentuated by some art that is displayed at his wife's gallary in downtown Philadelphia. The featured music group provided related music as well. It was an interesting evening.

On the Road

Well, it was a long trip, but we are set for a few days outside of historic Valley Forge. We are at a conference through Sunday learning from the best in Christian Counseling. The organization is CCEF - Christian Counseling and Education Foundation. It is getting late and we have a long day ahead of us tommorow, so this will be short. Check out the link and see what we will be learning in the next few days!

Who's watching the counters?

I was just looking at the election "returns" for the two closest state-wide races that I can ever remember. And one thing stood out as quite strange.

For Lt. Governor, the "unofficial" totals had Mr. Barber leading by over 16,000 votes. I was viewing the same site last night when it went from 92% to 98% and Mr. Bauer "held onto" a lead that even increased a little. With 100% reporting Mr. Bauer leads by 3,222 votes! Somewhere between early counts (which I did not see) and those I did see, Bauer must have picked up ALL the votes out there (absentee?).

The same thing happened in the State Supt. of Schools race. In the same "unofficial" totals Mr. Rex has an astounding 19,320 vote lead. When I checked a midnight, his lead was around 300. With 100% it stands at just 211. Out of just over 1,056,000 votes that is astounding! But here again over 19,000 votes come in for one candidate. But from where?

I am a Republican, but what went down here? And how long will we be in the recounts. And does anyone know if only a plurality is needed in the general election? Neither Mr. Rex nor Ms. Floyd got over 50% since there were four other candidates drawing about 6%.

Down to the wire

As I write this it is 11:50 pm. The polls have been closed for over four hours but certain problems hav kept some ballots from being counted. Therefore, some of the races are too close to call. It looks like it is going to be a runoff between Karen Floyd(R) and Jim Rex(D). With 98% reporting, there are just over 200 votes between them. It looks like a strong showing by Libertarian Tim Moultrie (2% - about 19,000 votes) has been a "spoiler" of sorts, though to be fair, "Independent" Tony Fayyazi is trailing Moultrie by only about 700 votes.

Meanwhile Lt. Governor Andre Bauer holds a mere 6000 vote lead out of almost a million cast so far. There are still about 2% of the precincts uncounted at this time. So anything is possible there. I voted for Bauer, who seems to be a genuinely nice guy. However, there is something about him that has always given me pause.

I will take this opportunity to congradulate Bob Ingis for the vote of confidence he received with 63% of the votes! I was there at the Bible study in which Bob was deciding whether to run back in 1992. He served well for six years, ran against SC legendary "Jr." senator Fritz Hollings in 1998 giving the old gentlemen quite a scare, and then won his old seat back in 2004 (following six years of service in the slot by now Jr. Senator Jim Demint). One Dr. John Cobin (L) ran a gallant campaign, but his attempt to cast Bob as a "liberal" failed miserably.

The Voice of the People

We live in a representative republic. Any other form of free government would be unworkable in a nation of 300,000,000 people. It is not the majority that rules, but selected number of reasonable persons that have sworn to represent their districts and/or states as they interpret the voice back home.

Locally, we seek state and local government that echoes what we would say and do in their place. Here we voting on all the state-wide offices (only the lt. governor looks to be in trouble) and, of course, our Rep. to the US House. All these look to be shoo ins for the Republican party. Our county council member seems safe (a Democrat), though I think the Republican challenger has good qualifications.

The "marriage ammendment" is big, as is a tax assessment cap. They're the ones with the yard signs. And then there is that pesky emminent domain proposal. I urge my local readers to consider carefully these ammendments. They are found at this site.

And finally, it really IS the economy.

What is a "blog"?

My mentor at Second Presbyterian Church, Earl Russell, kidded me about this here "new fangled" communication. He is an old "Ham" himself, having logged countless hours on the shortwave radio. He said he knew that officially it is short for "web log," but offered an anagram instead.

Unfortunately, I have forgotten what he suggested. But, like him, I am just a young guy who has to deal with an old guy in the mirror every day! :-)

Anyway, what are some alternative derivations to produce our beloved "blog"?

Babbling Long On Gobbligoop?

Brain Long Over Grown?

Any suggestions?

More on the Kingdom parables

I overstepped my "gift of knowledge"! :-(

I failed to look ahead in the text of Matthew 13 to see that Jesus indeed did offer another interpretation to the befuddled disciples. I can emphasise with the twelve after my posting what was admittedly a contrarian interpretation to the series of "seed" parables.

Jesus had given these parables in what appeared from the record to be "at the same sitting." Though thismay have been the case, it didn't mean they were connected strictly by the order they were presented. Jesus makes it plain that the seed in the second case was the believer and not the Word.

That leaves open to discussion as to whether the uninterpreted parables of the mustard seed and the leaven (both demonstrating growth from small beginnings) are to be taken as allegory or as simple illustrations of a singe point. It is a simple fact that the kingdom of God (church) did eventually grow to fill the whole earth. But that is the same point made by Isaiah and Micah when speaking of a mountain growing to fill the earth (Isa. 2:2-4; Mic. 4:1-3). They started with a larger article, but the picture is the same!

My point of the three seeds is still valid, I suppose, but I certainly cannot draw it from the "logic" of Jesus' first interpretation if His subsequent interpretation contradicts me!

I learned my lesson. It is unwise to take a passage out of context just for an interesting interpretation. Remember, we see farther today because we stand on the shoulders of the "giants" that went before us!

I wonder ...

I really don't have much to say, but it seems a shame to "waste" a day. And so, just a thought:

If you mixed "Red Bull" and a brown cow, what would be the result? A maroon calf? [By the way, the "brown cow" I was thinking of is a rootbeer float, not the alcoholic coffee drink that I seem to be finding in my google searches!]

Until tomorrow ... when I get back to serious stuff! :-)

The Kingdom and the Word

In Matthew 13 we learn a lot about the Kingdom of God (Heaven). And the key to ALL the Kingdom parables is in Jesus' interpretation of the parable of the sower.

First, the field is the world of Mankind.
Then, the good seed is the Word of God.

The field is divided into four different soils - hardened, rocky, weedy, and prepared. Only the prepared soil represents true Christians.

But then, Jesus immediately gives three related parables that by all logic must adhere to the same interpretative guidelines. An enemy comes behind the farmer and sows seed into the good soil (Christians). This "seed" is a counterfeit gospel that nonetheless grows in Christian soil. Is this false Christians or just false doctrine accepted by Christians. It must be the latter, for the SOIL is the Christian, not the seed.

And lest we think that the soil can't accept false seed, yet another seed is sown. This time the farmer himself plants in the prepared soil to grow a different crop in his field. The prepared soil is hungry for different seed and the mustard seed grows quickly into a "tree" into which birds nest. These are the same "birds" that will feast on the unaccepted seed on the wayside. The pleasant shade also deprives some of the grain of life-giving sunlight. The fruit of the mustard plant are in pods that break open to produce MORE fast growing herb plants that, if not harvested, will grow up like kudzu! What seemed like a good idea turns out to be a disaster waiting to happen! By interpretation, this little mustard seed surely represents yet another type of false doctrine -- TRADITION! Not harmful in intself, the spicy seeds can overpower the truly nutrious main course.

And then, there is the harvested wheat -- now three measures of flour -- into which a "woman" places leaven. This has to be one like "that woman Jezebel" (Rev. 2:20) who offers outright lies as true doctrine. This is stuff right straight from Paganism. Over the years it has been Christianized ("sanitized"?) and called our own. But it has done nothing but to make our religion "look good" to those of the world -- just as a fresh baked loaf of bread looks far better than a flat brown piece of pan fried pita bread! And so, if it were possible, the unbelievers that have taken "to heart" some of the good seed would draw the true believers into their "brand" of Christianity.

And so, the Kingdom is the good soil into which three seeds are planted -- God's word, Satan's word, and Man's word. All of these grow together, vying for the heart of the believer. And even after the wheat is fruitful, it can be rendered less useful in the way it is presented. The "seed" planted deep, and early, makes it attractive but puffed up to look far more than it actually is. The useful, though plain, pan bread is left to do the lowly job of sopping up the leftover gravy!

But that gravy holds the nutrition found in the "juices" of the meat - the fat (flavor) and the salt (seasoning). Let us sop up the good stuff!

All Saints Day

Well, it seems that the "photo bank" at blogger has gone down. I cannot upload pictures right now. Yesterday I created a SC tag with the words "No Tag" but have not been able to download anything near. I hope it can get up and running soon.

Today is the day that the ancient church obeserved as token of respect to the martyrs of the faith. Apart from the list in Hebrews, we have no idea the hardship that these "saints" sufferred.

Meanwhile, in the 21st century, we find ourselves wondering whether we spend too much time on the computer. The short answer, for me, is yes. I seem obseessed with getting a post "every" day. I have only missed a couple of days, and I made up for them on weekends. But posting is not the only thing. I have to attend family affairs also.

And so, until text time, happy blogging

Seen in the parking lot

Yesterday, action. Today profundity. Some people just have all the good ideas. Today I saw an auto with the vanity plate that stated "No Tag." It brougt to mind the teeshirts that one sees in the catalogue -- the ones with "Your Name Here" printed on it.

I used txt3pic.com to find a template that suited my state of mind. Many of the "Christian" trinkets need a printing press and perhaps the resolve to use the printing press.

I will try once again. Later.

Runaway Cart!

Today, in the course of my work, I witnessed the charmed adventure of a runaway shopping cart. I say "charmed" because it managed to come to rest without hitting anything or being hit itself.

We were cutting across the parking lot after servicing a Belk's department store (to the right of the pictured lot) and we spotted the cart on the move. Its momentum was increasing as we tried to get in position to possibly stop it. We watched in wonder as it left the parking lot and turned down the "exit" toward the main road. There is no way that I could have run that thing down! It crossed three lanes of traffic and turned back to block one lane. A gentlemen got out of his pickup truck and pushed the cart to the median where he turned it on its side. I can only wonder how long it will stay there.

Ladybugs!

Today was a lovely day for the "longest day" of the year! The weather was pleasant and we had no one coming for Sunday lunch. So, we packed a lunch of chicken salad sandwiches and fruit salad, and a couple of Lipton brand green teas and headed to the Cherekee Foothills Scenic Highway (SC 11).

There is a nice "Wayside Park" that is privately owned and operated near a mountain creek that we had been to once by accident. It was further away than we thought, but it was worth the drive. The fall colors were not as vibrant as I had hoped, but they were impressive nontheless.

As we were leaving, I headed to the quaint "outhouse" that was provided. A rather well contructed unit, actually, with no electricity and no plumbing. I really wish we had brought the camera phone for this would be better with pictures!

Anyway, I almost went in search of a tree when what looked like a swarm of bees surrounded the structure. But nature called, and modesty prevailed. So I braved approaching the latrine. The swarm was of LADYBUGS!

Well actually, it was short of a swarm. I googled "ladybug swarm" and found that such are common this time of year. And some of them of "Biblical proportions." But it was unusual for me. I survived the "swarm."

My own "Word Cloud"

Thanks to Mel Duncan over at "River and Rhett" for finding this web tool. They also sell shirts with the same graphic on it.

I am pleased to find "God" and "Church" prominently displayed, though I would have hoped "political" would have stayed off. :-)

Well, I hope you guys in the USA turned your clocks back at 2:00 am. The "time police" are watching. Here's hoping we all get good use out of that "extra" hour.

Most Creative Booth

Well, I decided to participate in a different way this year. Our Reformation Day festival (in place of a "Halloween" celebration) fell on October 28 this year.

And so, I signed up to utilize our unused dart board (one of two, neither used) as a booth. After searching the internet for pictures of 16th century clothing, I opted to present the illusion of period dress and "go as" a 16th century innkeeper. With a long sleeve white shirt (collar turned inside) and braided leather belt I pulled it off. I tucked my pants legs into my socks to make them look like continuous leggings which came from under my shirt/tunic. I wore "matching" gray slippers to complete the illusion. Some pictures were taken, though I haven't got access to them yet. The above picture was taken at home with a cell phone camera.

I served pretzels and both rootBEER and gingerALE. But mostly I gave out candy to youngsters who successfully got three darts to stick. I gave them double and triple credit if they hit those circles. And a bullseye automatically scored a reward. There were a few bullseyes, but more misses than not, I'm afraid. In about two hours, there was not a lull in the action!

I was a hit! :-)

The Prepared Soil

In Matthew 13 Jesus delivers his most important parable: the parable of the sower. However, it is not the seed or the sower that makes a difference. It is the owner of the field. He is the one that has taken barren land to make a garden.

Once the field is chosen, a perspective farmer must perpare the soil in order to grow his crops. He finds the field and purchases it, and then He must break it, and even crush it. And then, he must rid it of life-draining weeds -- even to the extent of BURNING the soil to santitise it.

The farmer works hard. And the soil doesn't have it very easy! But in the end there is fruit everywhere!

Has God prepared YOUR soil for His seed?

"Spanish prisoner scam" > Sp..am

"Spam" has returned to snail mail. In an unusual twist, letters posted in Spain have been showing up all over the world since 2004. My wife got one offering lottery winnings of over $600,000!

As "THEY" say, "If it looks too good ..." Well, that amount of loot was supposedly our share of a European lottery which neither of us had ever entered!

According to the info I have read, the original "Spanish prisoner scam" was in 1911. However, the good news is that MOST of that stuff comes online, and therefore can easily be dispensed as useless bits.

What appears to be a Spanish stamp is in the corner of the envelope, but there is no return address. It should have been immediately obvious what whas going on. However, when my wife showed it to me I had no doubt it was a scam. Subsequent "googling" removed all doubts. The scam artists did not even change the exact figure of the amount won (be it dollars or euros). My wife was supposedly one of seventeen winners, but at least that many were posted on sites that exposed the scam.

The letter came with an application form that was to be faxed to the lottery headquarters. The form asked for every conceivable piece of information to assure the money was going to the right place. Yeah, right. This scam does not even mention the money they will eventually ask of you for processing before they can get money "transferred" to your account.

One only wonders how many people send info and/or money to these goons!

A Little Frivolity

Well, I was going to get serious about politics and religion. But I got a link to txt2pic.com via either a spam program (which shouldn't get through) or one mighty bored nerd out there. Anyway, This bookcover was created at the link below.

I was going to comment on all the hysteria over the "threat" of evangelicalism in politics these days. I was in Barnes & Noble bookstore this evening and saw numerous books from liberal religionists railing against our "agenda." But, a little levity for now. I'll get into the "good stuff" later! :-)

Georgia's accidental wonder

Back when Georgia was being settled by the western expansion from the Carolinas, farmers learned the hard way that irrigation and crop rotation is a must. In the "back yard" of Providence Methodist Church their "clear cut" method, that farmed the land and then abandoned it, rather quicklyresulted in a disaster that could not be "undone" by the governments best engineers.

The best they could do was plant trees. FDR learned the hard way that just "ground cover" was not enough as he unwittingly unleashed kudzu on the south!


The result of the inaction of nineteenth century farmers is what is now called "Providence
Canyon State Park." Back before it was "discovered" my brothers and I actually played on the banks of some of the less steep cliffs! My wife took these pictures.

The Hardest saying of Christ

This morning's sermon was from an excellent guest preacher, Terry Johnson, from Independent Presbyterian Church in Savannah, GA. His text was John 6:26-37. However, the thoughts I have tonight are from later in the chapter where Jesus elaborates on the simple "I am the bread of Life."

Verse 54 Jesus says: "Whoso eats my flesh, and drinks my blood, has eternal life; and I will lift him up on the last day."

We can surely sympathise with the disciples who said, "This is a hard saying; who can understand it?" (6:60) And Jesus' remarks to this question didn't help much, for he began:

"Does this offend you?" (6:61) ... "the words I speak unto you are spirit and they are life," He continued.

But the "damage" had been done. We read in John 6:66 that "many of his disciples went away, and walked no more with Him."

But why would Jesus have used such inflamatory language at the height of His popularity? He surely knew that this would offend the observant Jews who would not dare even drink animal blood much less human blood. They were way too literal in their mind set to accept the "spiritual" meaning conveyed by the vivid picture of consuming one's Master!

This is exactly the reason He spoke in parables to start with. This is very evident in the synoptic gospels. Matthew states in 13:34 "All these things Jesus spoke unto the multitudes in parables." This "weeded out" the glory seekers while at the same time strengthening the true believers. This is one time Peter got it right: "Master, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. And we believe that You are the Christ, the Son of the Living God." (vv 68-69).

And so, this is one of three "6-6-6" verses in the Bible. Can anyone out there share the others with us? This is the only one that deals with a case of apostacy.

Of Grief and Guilt

Tonight, I took my wife to a free movie. Yep, we were told to bring an unbeliever back to the Christian Film Festival and I brought my wife. :-(

Well, this Film Festival Tour is the premier showing of this new movie starring John Schneider. It is not a "Hollywood" producton though it is definitely a professional film. It contains the gambit of emotions as old friends return to the hometown for the funeral of a childhood friend. The character played by John Schneider sees Christians facing conflict and resolution in a manner that is faith assuring.

The name of the film is "Hidden Secrets" and it features a judgmental Christian among other Christians with secret sins that have nearly detroyed their lives. The story is how these Christians face those sins and find forgiveness from God and from each other. The "hypocrite" sees her error and the unbeliever comes a long way toward salvation (last line of movie, unclear). The gospel is presented fairly clearly but not in a harsh or overbearing way (except by the "shrew").

The movie is rated PG-13, mostly on "thematic" grounds. There is no violence, or profanity, and no sexual situations. However, specific sins are mentioned and dealt with. Therefore, a PG-13 is definitely appropriate. I would give this four stars out of five.

My wife believes. Help MY unbelief.

That is, I am probably "taking advantage" of this ministry. It is supposed to reach out to unbelievers, but I am not sure it is an effective tool. In the end, it is the preaching of the WORD OF GOD, pure and simple, that effectually leads God's remnant into fellowship with their Savior. I am afraid, as is my wife, that the heart-felt appeals at the end of these films work cross purpose with the message of the true Gospel. An emotional revivalism abounds: Jesus saves, BUT. Jesus saves, now IF... What about: "Sinners, repent. Jesus saves, are you saved?"

The point, I guess, is that Salvation is a GIFT. As such it is NOT CONTINGENT on our actions, not even our response to an "invitation." Two questions: "Do you believe Jesus saved you?" and "Does your life show that you are saved." Heart and Hands, it's what you believe AND how you live.

Christian Films on tour

The Christian Film Festival is back in Greenville. My wife being away, I decided to take in a film or two Friday night. After picking up a "hot and ready" pizza -- a medium, and I ate the whole thing! -- I was able to get in two films (both produced by Rich Christiano) . the first one was the latest, and the other was their first.

It would have been better to have seen Time Changer first since it was less finished product. I found myself comparing it to the latest production, Unidentified, which I had seen first.

Apart from technical considerations though, I think Time Changer was a more daring endeavour since it starred two well-known actors in supporting roles (Gavin MacCleod and Jennifer O'Neal). It dared to comment on the state of society today and even the "Churchianity" practiced in America and elsewhere. The hapless time travelling professor seemed a little naive in his approach to the changes that a century had brought. I am not sure if it could be attributed to the presumed "ivory tower" experience of a professor in the Victorian age, or just to idealism on the part of the film makers.

In Unidentified, the story-line is far more believable, though it deals with the unbelievable. The investigation of UFO's by a skeptic and a nominal Christian brings out two unacknowledged aspects of the UFO phenomenom: human greed in taking advantage of the gullible, and the spiritual deception behind the numerous, and truly "unexplained," sitings every year. This polished production did not have any "big names" that I recognized, but I am not into films very much.

I was actually in a Christian film over twenty-five years ago. I appeared in two scenes very briefly as different characters. The film was Sheffey, based on The Saint in the Wilderness, and produced by Unusual Films, a ministry of Bob Jones University. As a first year grad student I had the chance to grow a beard for the period film! This film, though, will not show up in a theater near you. I would highly recommend it for your home library.

Time + sound = music

Tonight at the quarterly meeting of the Creation Study Group of Greenville, SC, our guest lecturer was less than "inspiring." After a lifetime as a music teacher he has become a lecturer on Creation science. As an artist he makes scale models of Noah's Ark (but alas, no such visual aids tonight). The local group wanted him to speak on the principles behind music in nature. He taught us about the pipe organ.

Afterwards, some of the questions did get a little interesting (or should I say, the answers). It was interesting that he had way more freedom to speak his mind in Russian schools than he does in American ones. Hmmm .....

When I got home I was just "blurfing" and came upon a link to scientists putting the seismic sounds and vibrations of volcanoes to notated scores. The results are fascinating. They used software to convert the data to to music.

The originator of this project, Dominico Vicinaza, produced THIS when he "mixed" the score on a symphosizer. Mt Eatna never sounded so good!


The raw data from any activity can be "sonified" and even mixed to give us "music." However, as this random activity on an internet server illustrates, the purposeful activity of nature is "more than random"!

If this IS possible with a "cheap MIDI interpreter," then I want the software. I wonder what sunspot activity would sound like. Or even the orbits of the planets!?

Just call me "# 158M" for short

In a hospital in northern California, in the wee hours of the morning resident number "158,934,552" was born in the USA on January 10, 1953.

That one was a white boy (me!). This week that figure was almost doubled when resident number 300,000,000 was born probably somewhere in California as well. Or so some say. Chances are that child was a boy as well. But he probably was not white.

It is hard to believe that I since I was born the population has DOUBLED! The net rate now is about one person every 11 seconds. When I took my first breath it was around one every 12 seconds. Just one second, but that is an increase of 9% statistically.

Any guesses as to when the NEXT 100 million mark will be met? And what of the 10 Billionth living inhabitant on the earth? I predict that the earth will be home to 10 billion people in about 2030. That means that, if the predictions of Armageddon are meant to be literal figures, this will be reduced to about 4,444,888,900 (reduced by a third twice over). The series of 4's in that number sparked memories of a conspiracy theory regarding square roots and the dreaded "666" with regards to a store convenience card I carry. And sure enough, this projected population is EXACTLY the square of 66670! "Spooky," huh? [The square of 66666 is 4,444,355,556; and of 66600, it's 4,435,560,000.]

That is, of course, if the 2000 year mark from the Ascension to the Return of Christ holds true. And that, my friends, is something none of us can know for sure until it happens!

Seal of Approval

Actually, I was not sure what to call this blog, but it has to do with a site I found via "Bestest Blog" this evening. Above is one of a few seals I generated at "says-it.com." I am trying to decide what to use for my "ego de lego" campaign. This seal displays the Hebrew for "Lord" (Adonai) rather than the more correct "LORD" (YHWH).




This one says it fairly well, since the phrase "Ego de lego" means "I, though, say." I like the laurel, as a symbol of the crown of life. The lamp is His word.












And this is an excellent reminder of our mission: To reach the lost in this world with the message of the grace of God in Christ! I replaced the laurel with wheat, for ovious reasons.




Of course, the "says-it.com" site would love to custom design seals for individuals and companies, in order to make money with their programming. However, with their limited library on line there are "countless" combinations for excellent seals to upload to websites!

Let me know when you post YOUR seal. :-)

The Power of food

I have recently eaten "free food" which was designed to facilitate fellowship. Behind that fellowship, though, was the pushing of programs which require money!

On Friday we ate at a friend's house along with three other people and the host couple. Not as many folk were there as were hoped, but the purpose of the evening seems to have been fulfilled. My wife and I are making arrangments to be paricipants in the featured conference in November.

Tonight was the opposite, but with similar results. We attended a banquet with a sumptious buffet type meal that included salmon and brocoli (two of the "superfoods"). And then there was the iced tea (another "superfood"). With the crowd of perhaps four hundred had gathered upon the plain to hear Him preach. The enemy was on the run.

And so, we plan to give of our time for the CCEF conference, and ultimately we will give a total over 200 dollars in the next two years to the building program at the Wilds. Meanwhile, the money changers have taken over much of the courtyard. If we don not heed the Word of God, then the counsel of the world will snatch us into its diabolical masterplan.

How far do I have to walk to burn off those two meals? :-)

The Church of Sardis

We were treated today with to very sobering pictures of the church in the early twenty-first century. Dr. James McGoldrick is pulpit supply at Second Presbyterian Church (link opens sermon) in Greenville. He is professor of Church History at Greenville Presbyterian Seminary.

We heard of the church at Thyratira (the "Compromising Church") and the church at Sardis (the "Dead Church"). As bad as the theology at Thyratira was, the dead orthodoxy at Sardis was even worse! If my understanding of the churches is correct, then the long history of the Thyratiran church was played out in the around 1066 years between the last church counsel (AD 451) and the beginning of the Reformation (Oct. 31, 1517). With the Reformation attention turned to purity of doctrine. This presented the appearance of "life," but in reality of the breath of God was gone.

There is a danger among conservative, "traditionalist" churches like the one I am a member of to have all the right doctrine while the outreach beyond the historically significant walls is next to nil. We have to praye for Philadelphian fire that is seen in the evangelistic zeal that arose from the Westminster Confession (AD 1646) that spread the gospel to the ends of the earth in two short centuries. Unfortunately, as I see it, this flame burned out, giving way to the putrid Laodicean era (AD 1848 to AD 1914).

If I am right, we are in the endtimes, building up in a crescendo to a climax by mid century. If the cues in typology are correct, this "age" will be "as in the days of Noah" -- 120 years! We need individual congregations, and even denominations, to rekindle the Philadelphian spirit to survive the coming onslaught of the world. Even in the Sardinian and Laodicean churches, though, there were believers that had the life of God in them. It is those that breathe the air of heaven that will move the body on earth!

As in the days of Noah

The second millennial "day" since creation was probably the worst time in history in which to live. In those days the "remnant" of God's people had been reduced to ONE person, and perhaps his family. But even then, "Noah found GRACE." That is, God favored him over everyone else. God's grace is not dependent upon what men might be or even what they are "on the inside."

And now we seem to be in a repeat of those evil DAYS. We are in or near the seventh "day" in which we can expect the "rest" to come. Recent senseless masacres in the USA show us that man will still "evil continuouslly." A unreached populace will always tend toward violence.

Christ is much too pure to have an impure "body." We need to emulate Him, seeking daily for His guidance.

Giving Back

Boy, was I tired on that night! Friday the thirteenth indeed! Here is what I meant to type:

Taking a look at my paycheck stub I discovered what seems to be an "over payment" of at least a day in my "vacation" selection. It lists "88 hours" for the time used. I looks like I may returning the money I was overpaid.

One would think that in a day of computers, ... incoherent (see below).

And so, I will go to bed now. I cannot see straight, my head is hurting and the ol' neck is not looking forward to the night either. Incoherent rambling (see below).

The original post:

"Taking a look at my paycheck stub I discovered what seems to be an "over payment" of at least a day in my "vacation" selecton. It leasts "88 hours" for the time used. I looks like I may returning the money I was overpaid.


"One would think that in a day of computers, one could chose the right days SOMETIME. But Jesus did not want to heal everyone - only those that came faithfully, even the tune!


"And so, I will go to bed now. I cannot see straight, my head is hurnig and the ol' neck is not looking forward to the night either. Just remember, "antichrist" was a movement in the 20th century, until human interests changed things."

I am not sure where the idea of Jesus not wanting to heal came from, much less the "tune"! And then, we ALL remember the "antichrist movement," right? :-)

It may be that Jesus DIDN'T want to heal the faithless. But then, He was "marching to the beat of a different drummer," so to speak (though I don't think you can discern a "tune" with a drum, huh?) It is such musings, I suppose, that stirred up that old "antichrist" movement! :-)

Ego de lego - word of honor

Matthew 5:
33 ¶ Again, ye have heard that it hath been said by them of old time, Thou shalt not forswear thyself, but shalt perform unto the Lord thine oaths:
34 But I say unto you, Swear not at all; neither by heaven; for it is God’s throne:
35 Nor by the earth; for it is his footstool: neither by Jerusalem; for it is the city of the great King.
36 Neither shalt thou swear by thy head, because thou canst not make one hair white or black.
37 But let your communication be, Yea, yea; Nay, nay: for whatsoever is more than these cometh of evil.


The application of Jesus' admonition is harder than it seems. In today's world, against rampant humanism, no one trusts another. One's oath must be backed by reams of paper. It costs a small fortune just to keep an heirloom in the family. All because we don't let our word stand alone. If a child of God says something, that should be it!

But alas, we are all "human," and as such we are prone to forget promises and even pledges that we have made. It helps to have things written down - and even signed - so that we will not forget it within minutes.

Now where DID I put that paperwork?

Confronting the "anti-christ"

I have just spent the evening scrolling the pages of "symbols" set down by Lawrence W. Page II, self-proclaimed reincarnation of the Teacher of Righteousness as revealed in the Dead Sea Scrolls.

Basing his rantings on number tricks with the number 11 and unproven assumptions of the origins of the tribes of Israel (especially the "tribe of Judah"), Page proceeds to interpret all of history through the lens of the Dead Sea Scrolls of Qumran. He claims that Simon Magus lead a band of thugs under Roman rule to wipe out the Qumran community and steal their texts. From these texts the New Testament was supposedly fabricated to include arch villians Saul of Tarsus (Paul) and Simon Peter (the Rock). The character of Jesus was invented to replace the slain Teacher of Righteousness (aka "Jacob ['James'] the Just). The book of 'James' closely resembles the Rules of Community of Quram and supposedly is as close as any NT work comes to being the truth.

The man goes on for pages about the evil of "the Vatican," nowhere differentiating it from true Biblical Christianity. Jesus, to him, is a "fantasy god" based more on Babylonian myth than anything else. This man has the gaul to claim to be the true Messiah while challenging the very basis of all we believe to be true. At the same time, he pulls together the "best" of eastern religion and sets up the straw man of the failures of western civilization. The greatest threat to the world, to him, is Christianity.

I think I have wasted my time "worrying" about what he has written. He upholds "truth and righteousness," while saying that "faith" is for fools. And so, we are to "believe" him based on numerology and astrology? Hmmm.... :-(

The Axis of Evil

Well, it seems that things just keep edging toward Armegeddon. The world is not a very safe place these days. And I guess this is to be expected. Since the waining days of the twentieth century I have been "preaching" that we are most likely in the last generation in this world as we know it.

This is not an easy position for me to take, for I am an optimist at heart. I would much rather be a post-millenialist basting in the glow of the advance of the kingdom of God across the globe. But the events of the twentieth century do not point in that direction.

The scenario of a confrontation in the mideast that includes the ancient powers of Iran (Persia), Iraq (Babylon) and of the far east (200,000,000 men!) is easily forseen. China's "control" over North Korea will come to be a turning point in her return as a superpower. Together with her willing students, Bejing can easily make herself known.

You call THIS a holiday!

My first day back from vacation and it is a "bank holiday." It is the commemoration of Cristobal Colombo's first land fall in the Bahamas! Sailing on, and losing ships, "Columbus" eventually "discovered" Cuba, Central America, and a bit of the South American continent. Never once did he step foot on good ol' US of A!

The day was October 12, 1492. However, as "Columbus Day" began to lose favor, the "holiday" was moved to the Monday most likely to fall nearest to the day -- the second Monday of October. A long weekend for the bankers, but not many others. Since my work is so tied to the banks, I worked only a three hour day! So much for my "raise," huh.


However, all is not lost. For those that don't like Columbus, by a stroke of providenciality, today was actually Lief Erikson Day as well. How odd, but apparently the first organized immigration from Norway landed in NYC on Oct. 9, 1825!

I have some Nordic blood in me, I'm sure. So where is my present? :-)

And for our Hawaiian brothers - Happy Discoverer's Day. They got smart and realized that Columbus never even knew Hawaii existed. They honor Captain James Cook instead.

More Jett

Well, it's been a while, but I finally got the hardware and software needed to upload pictures from the cell phone. The pictures of the sunrise seen earlier were coutesy of this new technology.

So, now I can share a little of Jett as he grows up. The following four shots were from a recent visit. I particularly like the last shot. My wife should have been a photographer (at least part time)!

As with most babies, they are absolute angels -- when they are asleep!

The shirt upon which Jett is resting is mine.

The boy is getting a right bit active these days!

As I said, my wife ought to open a studio. I entitled this picture "picture perfect." It is hard to believe Jett is only five months old in this picture.

Well, that's it for today. But I am sure that Jett is a lot more exciting to watch than I am to be read.

He Tabernacled among us

John 1:14 And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.


Well, the feast of tabernacles is upon us. As I have written before, I think this is the time of Jesus' birth. It is easier to determine the "date" using the lunar Hebrew calendar. If I decide to observe "Christmas" at the "true" date, the lunar calendar is a better way to go, since it will be "right" regardless of the year of Jesus' birth (I use 2 BC).

A note concerning yesterday's post: the "blazing" speed of the La Quinta Inn's Wi-Fi seemed so fast due to earlier attempts in the week with weak signals I was using in Albany. I am home now, close to my router from my DSL. The speed is 54 Mbps. Just what I AM used to! :-)

Atlantic Sunrise

Well, today turned out to be just a day of travel. We managed to turn a three hour trip into a five hour journey, however! Below is a sequence of the highlight of our day -- Sunrise at Daytona Beach beginning at 7:15 am.



















We traveled from Daytona to Savannah, getting lost when we missed our turn off the interstate! We ended our day, though, settled into a La Quinta Inn and eating at an adjacent Denny's.

The Wi Fi here is a blazing 54 Mbps! I could get used to this!

Well, I managed to take the computer with me, and I posted every day! Tomorrow we will visit historic Savannah and travel home in the afternoon. We hope to be home in time to wind down safely. I will be posting then from my usual perch in the dining room!

300 miles for Sam

Today we came 300 miles - from Albany, GA to Daytona Beach, FL, to visit my son Samuel at school. I know, "Going to school at Daytona Beach? Must be rough! "

Actually, he is studying areospace engineering at the premier school in that field - Embry-Riddle Areonautical University. We ate supper at a local Longhorn Steakhouse.

A little "side trip" delayed us for about an hour. We continued yesterday's theme of Home Sites. We went by Gainesville, FL, to do a "drive by" photo shoot of yet another place I have lived: the University of Florida. I was so young then that I don't remember any of it, so I just took a few pictures of some campus housing and moved on. An hour later we made our way out of greater Gainesville!

And soooo, Happy Birthday Samuel.

Old Home Day

Well, I travelled to all my south Georgia home sites today, making a circuit of about one hundred miles. I found the houses in Ft. Gaines, Dawson, and Leesburg. One of the houses had been either painted or had siding that changed it's color. But otherwise, it was a good trek.

Meanwhile, we took in Kolomoki Mounds, Providence Canyon, and Westville (an 1850 reconstruction in Lumpkin, GA). Unlike yesterday, my timing was just about as I had planned.

When we go back, my brother took us to supper. It was a good day.

From Plains to the Little Whitehouse

Well, for a boy from southwest Georgia, I have been gone too long! I had planned quite a long day of visiting the sites to include natural and national "wonders." By the time I went to bed last night I had pared it down to just two stops: The small towns that contained the "only homes" that two presidents ever owned.

I chose to first go to Plains, where Jimmy Carter was born and grew up. He moved back there after a stint in the Navy and even after being president. We figured maybe an hour "seeing the sites." Well, two things happened. First, we didn't get away until almost 11:00! Two hours after I had anticipated. Anyway, we got to Plains (a mere 38 miles away from Albany) around 1:00 pm. Our first stop was the boyhood farm. That alone took an hour with a self-directed walking tour. I got a few good pictures, but I haven't got them uploaded yet. And then we went into town to the old Plains High School which is now the "Welcome Center" and museum. Them folk are might proud of ol' Jimmy! Another self-directed tour of the surprizingly rich history of our 39th president and former governor proved to take a LOT longer that we expected. We left plains about 3:00 pm in the hopes of reaching the "Little White House" in Warm Springs in time to catch the last tour of the day.

We didn't make it. Well, if we had wanted to do a self-directed "whirlwind" tour in 20 minutes we could have got in for a little over half price. We browsed the bookstore, tempted to just buy a souvenir and say we were "there." We will be going back at a more convenient time. I visited the Little White House years ago, but my wife has never been there.

We took the "long way" home after eating near Columbus at just about the time I thought we would. We saw a beautiful sunset while scoping out tomorrow's adventures to the "west coast" of the Empire State of the South. We'll see quite a bit of the Chattahoochee River tomorrow.

Do Your Best and give God the Glory

Sometimes reality is reflected in fiction. This time, the very making of a movie illustrates the message of the movie. The theme could have been any number of things, but they chose football. Some might question the timing of bringing out a football movie on a small budget, as an indie, in the same season as two other football films. But, then again, those other two did not seek an overt Christian message.

Some have said that Facing the Giants lacked professionalism. But I saw none of that. They did not use cheap video cameras, but only ONE high quality professional camera (according to what I read on the site). I was in one film, which was big on professionalism, and this film was on par with it. The other film, produced by Bob Jones University, was a period film (Sheffey) about a circuit riding preacher. A small church production company succeeded in getting into theaters that would shun those of a large religious producton company.

I have also played football. And the action shots were tremendous in this film. The work of turning a football team aound can be daunting - look at Lou Holtz's dismal record with the losing team at the University of South Carolina! Even a coaching legend needs material to begin with, and this fictional UGA alumni (again MY alma mater, though I didn't play college ball) is seen as a sincere coach of a CHRISTIAN school.

That the team would be up against an obviously different division school is odd, but it certainly made for good drama, not to mention the TITLE. Well, I don't think a Christian school would call their team the "Giants," but then, this is fiction (not to mention a parable of sorts).

The comic relief was incredible with the assistant coaches! The family problems of Coach Taylor rang true, though I wish the actors could have produced more real tears (Mrs. Taylor did show tears ONCE). That car was just like some that I have had! It is a wonder, I suppose, that they could have afforded that house in the Albany market on $30,000 dollars a year. But then, they may have been more like Leesburg. :-)

The message of the gospel was clearly shown. And furthermore, the message of the Christian life was even more prevelent. Over all, Facing the Giants was an excellent movie and I recommend it to all Christians who feel they can in good conscience go to a secular theater.

And the PG rating? Well, kids might just ask about WHY they couldn't have a baby. Or maybe even HOW? Hmmm... :-)

But then, the ones who rated it explained that it WAS the religion. I think it probably SHOULD be watched with a parent because it has so much spiritual meat!

Festaval Time in a small town

I wish I had had a camera. There we were, "lost" in backroads Georgia, and we run right into a traffic jam with police and/or patrolmen everywhere. It was around 9:00 pm and things were apparently breaking up. Cars were parked along the sides of the main road (street) through town.

I wonder if they celebrate "New Years Day" three months early? Hmmm...

The town was Roberta, GA. The crowds were mostly African-American as far as we could tell. Everything was orderly (except for the litter - against the plea of the city limit sign "Keep Roberta Clean"). But we didn't stop.

We'll never forget Roberta, Georgia! :-)

Religion: Rated PG!

Well, now we know. The gallant efforts of Sherwood Baptist Church of Albany, GA, have brought a "PG" rating for the honor of being "accepted" by Hollywood! Religious faith is now rated "Parental Guidance" recommended.

The new film, picked up by Sony Pictures, is Facing the Giants, opened in theaters Friday. My brother is a member of Sherwood Baptist, but surprisingly I had not heard of the movie before it was featured on the local news the day AFTER it opened! Any way I am not the only one incredulous of its rating:

Narrow focus draws 'PG' rating for Baptist-backed film

By TERRY MATTINGLY
Scripps Howard News Service
07-JUN-06

The Motion Picture Association of America is crystal clear when it describes why its "PG" rating exists _ it's a warning flag.

"The theme of a PG-rated film may itself call for parental guidance," states the online explanation of the rating system. "There may be some profanity in these films. There may be some violence or brief nudity. ... The PG rating, suggesting parental guidance, is thus an alert for examination of a film by parents before deciding on its viewing by their children. Obviously such a line is difficult to draw."

Disagreements are a given. The Christian moviemakers behind a low-budget film called "Facing the Giants" were stunned when the MPAA pinned a PG rating on their gentle movie about a burned-out, depressed football coach whose life _ on and off the field _ takes a miraculous turn for the better.

"What the MPAA said is that the movie contained strong 'thematic elements' that might disturb some parents," said Kris Fuhr, vice president for marketing at Provident Films, which is owned by Sony Pictures. Provident plans to open the film next fall in 380 theaters nationwide with the help of Samuel Goldwyn Films, which has worked with indie movies like "The Squid and the Whale."

Which "thematic elements" earned this squeaky-clean movie its PG?

"Facing the Giants" is too evangelistic. (more)

Providentially, I will be in Albany this week! I have purchased tickets to see the nationally released movie in its HOMETOWN.

Discovery

As they were tearing down an old mill locally (there ARE a lot of those in the upstate!) workers found a man's wallet. Everything BUT the money was still there. The wallet had been stolen 22 years ago from a worker in that mill. Needless to say, if that had been more recently, that man would have shown up buying things all over the southeast! But in those days money was all that mattered.

About the same time that man had his wallet stolen, my wife's purse was stolen while she ran into the CHURCH to get something one morning. That purse showed up in the Reedy River which runs nearby. The creep had stolen money and, for whatever reason, pictures of the children! How low can you go.

Even longer ago, when I was a teenager, I lost my wallet in Providence Canyon in Georgia. We had been sliding down the canyon walls (sandstone slope). The sand and rock had claimed my wallet while it tore my pants apart! Months later, a soldier from Fort Benning, GA, found the wallet and mailed it to me. Nothing was missing.

Vacation Plans

Well faithful readers, after three months of non-stop blogging, I am going to go on vacation. I probably will leave my laptop at home (it is a vacation to get away with my wife!) so there will be an eight day hiatus as I travel the tri-state area visting family and touring the beautiful southeast USA.



I hope to visit the homes of former presidents, see wild animals, and some of man's greatest
acheivements. All in the space of eight days (a total of about 18-20 hours in the family car)!

I will hopefully keep a journal and get some good pictures to post starting October 8. I will be leaving Oct 1, so there will be posts up through Saturday of this week. I guess I will see if I am really a blogoholic. Does Dr. Anonymous make house calls? :-)

RINOs in the "Republican led" SC Legislature

Well, the big news in SC politics this week is that retiring state senator Verne Smith (R) is supporting the Democrat running against our incumbent governor Mark Sanford (R). Meanwhile, we wonder why Gov. Sanford can't get legislature through a "Republican" legislature.

Well, the Republican candidate for State Superintendent of Schools, Karen Floyd reprinted an article from the Wall Street Journal that highlighted the effect of just a "handful" of left-leaning Republicans can have on a very partisan legislature. In part it read:

"The good news is that the Palmetto State may be reaching a tipping point that could upend the public education establishment. Reform advocates have been building grassroots support for vouchers, tax credits, charter schools -- almost anything that will give parents more options on where to send their children. Governor Mark Sanford, a Republican, is already a supporter of broad-based school choice. The problem has been the Republican-controlled legislature. A handful of GOP members (many from districts with good schools) have lined up with Democrats to oppose anything that might empower parents over the system's bureaucrats."

. . .

"South Carolinians for Responsible Government, a non-profit advocacy group in Columbia, estimates that in November reformers could pick up the seats they need in the house to pass education scholarships and tax credits for parents with kids in failing schools. These reforms failed this year by seven votes."

I added the emphasis. These "Rinos" figured that they could not get re-elected in districts that were beginning to vote Republican in national and state elections. So they switched parties. Even Verne Smith, an "icon" in SC politics, switched a few years back (in 2000, I think). But these politicians are figuring out that we Carolinians don't like wool in our eyes. Let's hope that we put "real" Republicans in their places as soon as possible.

My problem is . . .

Sometimes something crosses your desk that must be passed on. I think I have found what my problem is!

A Cautionary Tale It started out innocently enough. I began to think at parties now and then-- just to loosen up. Inevitably, though, one thought led to another, and soon I was more than just a social thinker. I began to think alone -- "to relax," I told myself -- but I knew it wasn't true. Thinking became more and more important to me, and finally I was thinking all the time. That was when things began to sour at home. One evening I turned off the TV and asked my wife about the meaning of life. She spent that night at her mother's. I began to think on the job. I knew that thinking and employment don't mix, but I couldn't help myself. I began to avoid friends at lunchtime so I could read Thoreau, Muir, Confucius and Kafka. I would return to the office dizzied and confused, asking, "What is it exactly we are doing here?" One day the boss called me in. He said, "Listen, I like you, and it hurts me to say this, but your thinking has become a real problem. If you don't stop thinking on the job, you'll have to find another job." This gave me a lot to think about. I came home early after my conversation with the boss. "Honey," I confess, "I've been thinking..." "I know you've been thinking," she said, "and I want a divorce!" "But Honey, surely it's not that serious." "It is serious," she said, lower lip aquiver. "You think as much as college professors and college professors don't make any money, so if you keep on thinking, we won't have any money!" "That's a faulty syllogism," I said impatiently. She exploded in tears of rage and frustration, but I was in no mood to deal with the emotional drama. "I'm going to the library," I snarled as I stomped out the door. I headed for the library, in the mood for some Nietzsche. I roared into the parking lot with NPR on the radio and ran up to the big glass doors. They didn't open. The library was closed. To this day, I believe that a Higher Power was looking out for me that night. Leaning on the unfeeling glass, whimpering for Zarathustra, a poster caught my eye, "Friend, is heavy thinking ruining your life?" it asked. You probably recognize that line. It comes from the standard Thinkers Anonymous poster. This is why I am what I am today: a recovering thinker. I never miss a TA meeting. At each meeting we watch a non-educational video; last week it was "Porky's." Then we share experiences about how we avoided thinking since the last meeting. I still have my job, and things are a lot better at home. Life just seemed...easier, somehow, as soon as I stopped thinking. I think the road to recovery is nearly complete for me. Today I took the final step............ I joined the Democratic Party.

This was emailed to a friend that emailed it to me. Thanks, Mary Lynn.

Providence at Second Church

God moves in mysterious ways. But He also moves in remarkably well timed ways.

Sunday was our Senior Pastor's last day in our pulpit. He has been with us about the average for our pastors at just short of fifteen years. Atypically, he is leaving without a call to another work. We join him in prayer for the Lord's timing to be as good as it has been this past year.

Our associate pastor's has experienced the gamut of life experiences this year. His two daughters were married, and his first grandchild was born. Then, he turned fifty with a surprise birthday party! And finally, last week, he lost his youngest child to complications from a three-year battle with brain damage. He has been a very busy man.

But now, all these cares have been lifted from him. Just in time for him to lead us through the transition to a new senior pastor. Now that is providence at work!

And another piece of the providence of God at Second Church is the change in our Music Director. Our new director had been with us only since the beginning of the summer. His "other job" was a music teacher in a local school. When the school year began, he found that the demands were too great, and so he had to resign. But alas! We did not have to search far to feel the position. That story is perhaps even more of a "miracle" than with our pastors.

A prominent music professional -- a professor at two Christian Universities in the last four decades -- had retired to Greenville when his beloved wife died. He was living with his daughter and her family. One of his sons had once served as music director with our church. God certainly provides for His own, doesn't He? Any way, his daughter's family was moving overseas for three years, and he was scheduled to go with them. But two things intervened: Cancer and Love.

The cancer was treated and is in remission. An old friend and associate of him and his wife had helped him in his convolescence, which developed into a beautiful later life romance! This man, who had served as our interim music director, has graciously stepped in to fill the vacancy permently!

God moves in such wonderful ways.

More of Jett Martin, at 5 1/2 months

I was going to upload some video I took of Jett while we were babysitting yesterday.

But alas, I can't figure how to get video to load on blogger. I went over to "YouTube" only to find that my video footage is too big. I have to figure how to edit snippits for view there. Once I do, I will publish links to YouTube.

BTW, I received my "business cards" showing me as a Servant of God, working for the Kingdom of God. The Web Friendly version is pictured here:




I took off my local address and phone number. Friends in Greenville will get the hard copy. Others can email for a copy that includes that local info. I made an electronic copy that I hope is "printer friendly" (I haven't tried it yet).

"Tagged"!

I fancy myself to be a writer. My only published works have been in self-published anthologies done y the local writers' group, The Writers' Guild of Greenville. One of the things all writers will tell you is that you must be a reader before you can write.

And so, Jessie at Who Are We has reached out and challenged me ("tagged" me) to consider the books I have read. And so, here goes:

1. One book that has changed my life. Though I am tempted to put "the Bible," that is perhaps a "cop-out" since it is actually a library of God's literature preserved for mankind. Therefore, I will go with a book by a theologian-philosopher who ably interpreted the Bible, applying it to the world in which we live. The author is Francis Schaffer and the book is Whatever Happened to the Human Race. He co-authored it with Reagan's Surgeon General C. Everett Koop. This book revealed how utterly wicked mankind can be when God is left out. It helped be to solidify my views on the sanctity of life.
2. One book you've read more than once. I suppose the only "book" that I have read through more than once would be the Bible. Of course, there are some books in that divive library that I have read numerous times. My favorite book, I think, would be the earliest of the New Testament books, the epistle of James.
3. One book you'd want on a desert island. If I could only have one book, I would probably bring Robinson Caruso by Daniel Defoe. I would hope that I would have read and studied the Bible enough for it to be a "part of me." I choose Robinson Caruso because it would give me practical incite into the predicament into which I had fallen!
4. One book that made you laugh. Well, one that comes to mind is Rush Limbaugh's first book, The Way Things Ought to Be. In this book, written just as his talk show was becoming an influence in America, reflected his irreverent humor well.
5. One book that made you cry. I think Gale Sayer's I Am Third, about his friendship with Brian Picollo, was a very touching book. It was made into a TV movie, Brian's Song way back in 1971. I read the book later. I don't think I watched the 2001 remake of the movie, though.
6. One Book you wish you had written. My choice here is one I have not read: The Silence Before the Dawn, by Henry Martin! The obvious reason is - this guy in New Hampshire has published in my name first! Uggh!
7. One Book you wish had never been written. Two books come to mind, one ancient and one recent. The ancient book I wish had not been written is the Koran. This chronicle of the prophet Mohammed has been used for unspeakable evil in the past 1,200 years or so. The recent book is The DaVinci Code, by Dan Brown, because it has popularized a very destructive line of thinking that dates back a thousand years or more itself. One book? The Koran.
8. One Book you are reading right now. Back to Francis Schaffer, for I am trying to go through my copies of The Complete Works of Francis A. Schaffer. I am presently in the second of five volumes, reading Genesis in Time and Space. His is a combination of exposition and philosophy and not a "light read."
9. One Book you have been meaning to read. Well, as a "committed Calvinist" I have been meaning to dive into Institutes of the Christian Religion by John Calvin. I have a two volume version in my library but have rarely sought Calvin's insight on doctrine as I probably should.
10. Tag five others. Rock, Aaron (NC), Robert, Aaron (IN), and Steve.
    

Ego de lego - making words count

It goes without saying... well, maybe.

When Jesus considers the spoken word, he equates it with the one speaking it. He, Himself, is "THE" Word. And we know we can trust Him. It does no good to "back up" your statement by raising the name of God in vain. As believers we must realize that our authority is ultimately in God Himself.

Therefore, Jesus tells us, we are not to invoke God's name, or any of His attributes, in our daily petitions. This is because we are PART of Him now! When we speak, we have the whole of heaven on our side. When the body works together, then wonders can and will happen!

Our word is our bond. When we break our word, we are acting in an unchristian manner. Therefore: "let your yes be yes, and your 'no' be no! Otherwise, you will demonstrate that you are a fool!

For more information, check out Matthew 33-37.

In record time

Remember Barry Allen? He was the fastest man alive in the "silver age" of comics. That is, in the 60's through the 80's. Then they did some funky things with multiple universes and changed a lot of things in comic land (at least at DC). Well, I think I may be related (my mom's an Allen)!

On Tuesday, I had permission to leave work to attend a graveside service and following memorial service for David Spears. However, since no one could do my "main route," I had to get the bulk of it done in the morning before 11:00, which I figured was do-able. I had not stopped to count the stops, though, so it was probably wishful thinking. It did not help that we were late getting out.

And so, counting drive time to the first stop (20 minutes), we completed SIXTEEN stops in just over two hours. We didn't make the 11:00 deadline, but my driver dropped me off at the church downtown for the memorial service at 12:00. I was only about five minutes late.

In some way, we covered twice the ground we would have on a "normal" day. I am not at all sure that my driver didn't break (or at least bend) a few speed limits of his own. On my part, I must have AVERAGED less than three minutes in any one place. All my stops were on one road, at the end of which was the cemetary where I needed to be at eleven. I popped in, signed for thousands of dollars, and moved on to the next stop. At only one stop did I even have to wait on a customer (and that one is new).

I am surprised I didn't collapse.

After about two hours I "rejoined the program in progress." Other routes had absorbed the stops that I normally would have done in the mean time. I finished with three of my regular stops and one added which had been missed by someone else.

And so, that streak you saw Tuesday morning on Wade Hampton was me, "The Flash."

Remind me not to do that again anytime soon! :-)

It should be simple ...

Well, I thought I would make my computer a portable library. All I wanted to do was run an encyclopedia from the hard drive. But for some reason I can't get the copy I made of the disk to run from the disk. The program asks me to insert the disk!

Help me, anyone! This whole disk won't take up more than a gig of space on my 40 gig hard-drive. Why can' t I make XP substiture the path commands?

I am NOT a GEEK. So someone let me know if I can copy a disk to my hard-drive in order to USE the data without turning on the CD drive. I would like to have a working encyclopedia with easy access.

It should be simple!

BTW - Happy Birthday Debbie!!

We celebrated Saturday, and today was a day of mourning for our young friend David, but it WAS my wife's birthday. She stopped counting, but she is YOUNGER than me.

Why I vote Republican

The old saying goes: "Follow the money." Just by looking at who supports whom, it is easy to see why I vote Republican. In the battle for life, the pro-death folk are outspending the pro-life guys about two to one. However, the big spenders over at the NRA are clobbering the "gun control" extremists eight to one!



These charts come to you courtesy of the Center for Responsive Politics.