J's Cafe Nette

Archive for December, 2007

We wish all of you a very happy new year, with peace, health, love and prosperity.

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That is what this message from Fred Thompson to those in Iowa reminded me of.

Not the stern kind of “talkin to” that we all got as kids when we misbehaved, but the kind that our parents and grandparents gave us when there were life lessons to be learned.

If I had to vote tomorrow for a GOP candidate for President, I suppose this little talk could sway my thinking. It’s the best I’ve personally heard so far, not filled with venom for another candidate but calm and laden with details of plans for the future.

I don’t know if Thompson has a chance in Iowa or anywhere else. I don’t know if he could win a national election if he were nominated. What I do know is that I would feel very comfortable inviting him to my home and sitting down to a conversation involving important issues of the day. In the political climate of today, to me that speaks volumes.

HT: Confederate Yankee

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The Lord Jesus Christ is perfectly capable of taking care of Himself, and ultimately needs no defending from—or by—we mere humans. His truth would stand even if no one on earth believed it. Nevertheless, we who believe must defend Him against the atheists and agnostics and Muslims and etc. who are attacking the historicity of Jesus Christ the divine man/God who walked on this earth 2,000 years ago.

The attacks have come from many quarters in recent years and have gotten much popular press. They include Christopher Hitchens’ God is Not Great, Bart Ehrman’s well-written and runaway bestseller Misquoting Jesus (written by a former highly educated Christian-turned agnostic), Dan Brown’s popular but laughably ludicrous The Da Vinci Code, Bill Moyers’ books What Jesus Really Meant and What Paul Really Meant, the “discovery” of the Gnostic so-called “Gospel of Judas,” which has liberal scholars all a-twitter, James Cameron’s phony “Tomb of Jesus,” and so on.

What’s the answer, and more importantly, how can Christians equip themselves properly, instead of just saying “I believe the Bible!” when the very foundations of the Bible and Jesus Himself are under attack?

Never fear: Lee Strobel has done it again. The author of The Case for Christ, The Case for Faith and The Case for a Creator has turned his considerable investigative talents toward responding to the ferocious attacks on the Lord Himself. The former atheist and hard-hitting investigative reporter, now a born-again-Christian, published The Case for the Real Jesus earlier this year. As with his earlier works, he sought out the absolute best experts in several fields and asked the tough questions on a quest to discover the real Jesus. The results in this book are stunning. It’s Strobel’s best work yet.

What sets this book apart is that Strobel plays much more of the devil’s advocate (heh—in this case, literally) than in previous books by really digging into the atheistic and etc. objections. And when he interviews his experts, he challenges them several different ways to “prove it!”

One of the best sections is Strobel’s interview with Michael Licona, one of the world’s foremost New Testament scholars. During the two-chapter interview recorded by Strobel, Licona uses five pieces of minimal historical evidence that even most ultra liberal, atheist and agnostic scholars agree on to make the case that Jesus Christ rose from the dead—that He was/is who we believe Him to be:

1. Jesus was killed by crucifixion
2. Jesus’ disciples believed that he rose from the dead and appeared to them in the flesh
3. Saul’s conversion from church persecutor to the Christian champion, Paul
4. Jesus’ half-brother, James, converted from skeptic during Jesus’ ministry to believer and leader after His resurrection
5. The tomb was empty

Again, a large majority of historians, including liberal, atheist or agnostic scholars, accept those central facts AS undeniable facts, says Licona. And he definitely would know.

And that’s just a small taster of what’s in this book. It’s intensely scholarly, thought-provoking, challenging and, ultimately, edifying. If you truly know who you worship and why, you won’t have your faith knocked flat by the latest attack from an Ehrman or Hitchins, or from a breathless media frenzy over a “lost” gospel. However, if you are ignorant about what you believe, you can and will be knocked flat and will question what you believe, because you will not know better.

Don’t be an ignorant Christian (as in “lacking knowledge and understanding”). Arm yourself with knowledge, as we are commanded to do. As the apostle Peter wrote (2 Peter 1:3-11):

“His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature and escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.

“For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love. For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. But if anyone does not have them, he is nearsighted and blind, and has forgotten that he has been cleansed from his past sins.

“Therefore, my brothers, be all the more eager to make your calling and election sure. For if you do these things, you will never fall, and you will receive a rich welcome into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.”

In 1 Peter 3, the apostle says: “But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have.”

“Add to your faith…knowledge…” Or, to quote the old cartoon show, “Knowing is half the battle.”

Get Strobel’s book, read it, absorb it, and, above all else, absorb your scripture—which is the final (and only) authority. You won’t be disappointed.

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First I received a Christmas card from Bill and Hill and today I received campaign literature designed to get me to vote for Hill in the South Carolina primary.

The problem is I have never voted in a Democratic primary as long as I have lived in this state which does not register voters by party. In every other state where I’ve lived I’ve registered as a Republican.

I thought maybe it was because she has so much money to spend in this state that she was going to send cards and campaign literature to every registered voter who faithfully votes, but I’m not the only voter in my house and the mail comes to my name.

How in the world did I get on her list? I’ve never donated to the Democratic party or any Democratic candidate. I have donated to the Republican party and to Republican candidates, much to my chagrin now, as they are bombarding me with calls from every conceivable Republican organization asking for money.

This goes on year-round whether it’s an election year or not.

I have donated my time to the campaigns in the past and donated my van and gas to drive people who otherwise wouldn’t be able to get to the polls. These were people on the Republican list but I have no idea how they voted except what they told me when I took them home.

Does anyone have any idea how I’ve managed to get on Hillary’s mailing list and, short of contacting her campaign, how to get off?

Actually, I don’t want to be on anyone’s list right now as I haven’t made up my mind fully on who I support. I’m down to two people and Romney and Huckabee are not those two.

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It has never been my choice to debate the Iraq war with most. Each individual has their own thoughts as to whether or not we should have gone to Iraq initially, or how the battles both in Iraq and Afghanistan have been commanded.

I have always believed that once we have troops committed to war, it becomes our job as citizens to support them (even if we do not support the mission which they have been charged to see to completion.)

What has become evident in the recent past is that we are “winning” on many levels in Iraq. There is not quite the mention of the situation in Afghanistan which, of course, makes it more difficult to gauge in terms of success.

Today, Michael Barone writing at Townhall has provided excellent examples of the benefits of the “surge” in Iraq, and lays out relevant comparisons to others wars fought by our military under the command of past presidents.

The entire piece is a great read but I particularly enjoyed the final two paragraphs:

Lesson three is that it doesn’t pay to bet against America. As Walter Russell Mead explains in his trenchant (and entertaining) “God and Gold: Britain and America and the Making of the Modern World,” first Britain and then America have built the most prosperous and creative economies the world has ever seen and have prevailed in every major military conflict (except when they fought each other) since the Glorious Revolution of 1688. Many of those victories have been achieved in conflicts far more grueling than what we have faced in Iraq.

Some of George W. Bush’s critics seem to have relished the prospect of American defeat and some refuse to acknowledge the success that has been achieved. But it appears that they have “misunderestimated” him once again, and have “misunderestimated” the competence of the American military and of free peoples working from the bottom up to transform their societies for the better. It’s something to be thankful for as the new year begins.

My thoughts often turn to the simple fact that this war on terror fought under a different President who is not so despised, would be presented in an entirely different light.

That’s okay, those of us who are realistic realize that no Commander In Chief has ever sent troops to battle with a light heart, and, has never had the perfect scenario for winning. (I cannot think of one example where strategy has not been altered during a conflict.)

War is like life, there are no guarantees, no manuals which define your every move. Those who proudly wear the uniform of this great nation understand the tasks before them. Truth be known, and even with all the negative rhetoric we hear, I believe most Americans understand too.

HT:Transterrestrial Musings

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Gee, do you think bin Laden will accept the generous invitation Michael Yon has extended?

It’s understandable that this turn of events might come as news to Osama, because he cannot set foot in Iraq for fear of his life. Osama is welcome to prove this wrong by visiting Basra, Baghdad or Mosul. Iraqis and Americans will welcome Osama in these cities.

Read the whole thing and I bet you’ll agree that even on a double dare bin Laden would never have the courage to face his adversaries head on.

By the way Mr. Yon, welcome home. You certainly more than deserve some R&R.

All the best in the New Year.

*Sorry folks if a few of the posts are a bit dated but with the holidays, this was my first chance to share if you have not already read them.*

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Friday night I was watching Animal Planet and they showed some of the memorable animals featured this year.

One is Snowball, a cockatoo who got angry when his owner went away to college and got a bit fiesty.

He was given to Bird Lovers Only Rescue agency in August 2007. The father of the previous owner told the people at Bird Lovers Only that Snowball liked the Backstreet Boys.

He left a CD with them and when it was played this is what they saw:

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Former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto has been killed.

Fox News is reporting:

RAWALPINDI, Pakistan — Pakistani opposition leader Benazir Bhutto was assassinated Thursday in a homicide attack that also killed at least 20 others at a campaign rally.

Bhutto was shot in the neck and chest as she was entering her vehicle, and then the bomber blew himself up, FOX News has confirmed.

The former prime minister died in Rawalpindi General Hospital, where she had been rushed to surgery. She was 54.

“At 6:16 p.m. she expired,” said Wasif Ali Khan, a member of Bhutto’s party who was at the hospital.

Her supporters at the hospital began chanting “Dog, Musharraf, dog,” referring to Pakistan’s president, Pervez Musharraf.

Some of them smashed the glass door at the main entrance of the emergency unit, others burst into tears. Top party leaders were outside the hospital, crying.

One man with a flag of Pakistan People’s Party tied around his head was beating his chest.

Sen. Babar Awan, Bhutto’s lawyer, said, “The surgeons confirmed that she has been martyred.”

*Update* In related news to this mornings assassination of the former Prime
Minister.

Jihad Watch is reporting the following:

US Special Forces to increase presence in Pakistan — Al-Qaeda’s new central battlefield

US Special Forces are to increase their presence in Pakistan amid assessments that the country is to become the central battlefield for al-Qaida as it is driven from Iraq.
“Pakistan should be carefully watched because it could prove to be a significant flashpoint in the coming year,” US think tank Strategic Forecasting said in an evaluation of al-Qaida’s tactics as the Islamist group comes under mounting pressure in Iraq.

This is a development which will become ever more necessary if we are to see peace in this area of the world. The events of today perhaps will speed the deployment of these forces and perhaps help keep some sanity in a country which will no doubt be in terrible turmoil in the coming months.

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Cal Thomas and Bob Beckel offer their predictions of what we should expect in 2008 here.

Cal: In the immortal wisdom of baseball great Casey Stengel, “Never make predictions, especially about the future.” Yet what fun is political punditry if you can’t look into the crystal ball every once in a while?

Bob: Besides, if politics isn’t a guessing game, I don’t know what is. I mean, who would have predicted in 2000 that George W. Bush would be a two-term president?

If there is one thing we can be sure about it’s that as soon as you are positive something will happen, the winds change direction.

What an interesting year 2008 is shaping up to be, not only here at home but in events across the globe.

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Anyone who knows me knows I don’t get all tied up with the commercialism of Christmas. I love to give gifts more than receive them.

Christmas is not biblically correct anyway. There is no way shepherds would have been sleeping with their sheep in December, as the weather in that part of the world gets cold and I have read the sheep get put up for the winter by October.

The Bible does not tell us a specific date for when Christ was born, but it does give us the specific time He died, which was His main purpose when He left heaven to become God as man. We know His death and resurrection took place during Passover.

Some pope arbitrarily decided December 25 was a good date to celebrate the birth of Christ. Many Christians don’t feel comfortable celebrating Christmas at all because there is no biblical reference as to when it actually happened.

The three Wise Men had to have arrived quite a while after Jesus was born as Herod had all boys under the age of two killed to make sure he got Jesus, Whom he was afraid would take his throne. If the Wise Men had arrived at the birth of Christ Herod would have had infants only killed.

I get pleasure out of watching and hearing what my grandchildren got for gifts and seeing their happy faces and hearing their happy voices on the phone.

We had lunch with our daughter and family and then cooked our own meal the night after Christmas because we were all so stuffed from Christmas dinner at our daughter’s house.

On Christmas Eve I noticed my husband had what looked like a plumb in his right cheek. After checking it in better light and asking him how he felt he told me his top tooth that has a crown on it was hurting.

Knowing he probably had an abcess I called the dentist who called the pharmacy with a prescription for an anti-biotic. Several hours later the pharmacy claimed they didn’t have the prescription. This has happened before with them so I called the dentist again and told her what was going on and also told her the redness was going below the jaw line and he said his eye hurt.

She called back and said instead of leaving the message on the voice mail this time she waited to speak directly with the pharmacist and we could pick up the medicine in 15 minutes. She apologized to us for the pharmacy making the mistake.

Wednesday morning she called my husband and had him go to her office to have the tooth checked and X-rayed. She saw the abcess and is going to do a root canal on him on Dec. 31. This will give the infection time to go down too.

She will take off the existing crown, do the root canal, put the existing crown back for a few weeks and then put a new crown in there once she’s sure everything is fine.

This reminded me of the Christmas he had a hernia and couldn’t get off the couch. He soon had that repaired.

I had a busy day running to doctors’ appointments on Wednesday and today we are going to have an HD Tivo receiver and dish installed to replace one of our Tivo receivers and the dishes outside.

We have one TV that is HD compatible, but as we replace other TVs they will be HD compatible so we might as well be ready for it.

I think we have a free day Friday, and we’re looking forward to it.

Now if my husband will just stop being stubborn and go to the doctor to see why his foot hurts him so much I’d feel much better.

I hope you all had a Merry Christmas and wish you all a Happy New Year.

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To all of our readers, may you and yours have a wonderful Christmas.

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From our families to yours, Merry Christmas!

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1And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be taxed.

2(And this taxing was first made when Cyrenius was governor of Syria.)

3And all went to be taxed, every one into his own city.

4And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judaea, unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem; (because he was of the house and lineage of David)

5To be taxed with Mary his espoused wife, being great with child.

6And so it was, that, while they were there, the days were accomplished that she should be delivered.

7And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn.

8And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.

9And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid.

10And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.

11For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.

12And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.

13And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying,

14Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.

15And it came to pass, as the angels were gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds said one to another, Let us now go even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto us.

16And they came with haste, and found Mary, and Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger.

17And when they had seen it, they made known abroad the saying which was told them concerning this child.

18And all they that heard it wondered at those things which were told them by the shepherds.

19But Mary kept all these things, and pondered them in her heart.

20And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, as it was told unto them.

21And when eight days were accomplished for the circumcising of the child, his name was called JESUS, which was so named of the angel before he was conceived in the womb.

22And when the days of her purification according to the law of Moses were accomplished, they brought him to Jerusalem, to present him to the Lord;

23(As it is written in the law of the LORD, Every male that openeth the womb shall be called holy to the Lord)

24And to offer a sacrifice according to that which is said in the law of the Lord, A pair of turtledoves, or two young pigeons.

25And, behold, there was a man in Jerusalem, whose name was Simeon; and the same man was just and devout, waiting for the consolation of Israel: and the Holy Ghost was upon him.

26And it was revealed unto him by the Holy Ghost, that he should not see death, before he had seen the Lord’s Christ.

27And he came by the Spirit into the temple: and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, to do for him after the custom of the law,

28Then took he him up in his arms, and blessed God, and said,

29Lord, now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace, according to thy word:

30For mine eyes have seen thy salvation,

31Which thou hast prepared before the face of all people;

32A light to lighten the Gentiles, and the glory of thy people Israel.

33And Joseph and his mother marvelled at those things which were spoken of him.

34And Simeon blessed them, and said unto Mary his mother, Behold, this child is set for the fall and rising again of many in Israel; and for a sign which shall be spoken against;

35(Yea, a sword shall pierce through thy own soul also,) that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed.

36And there was one Anna, a prophetess, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Aser: she was of a great age, and had lived with an husband seven years from her virginity;

37And she was a widow of about fourscore and four years, which departed not from the temple, but served God with fastings and prayers night and day.

38And she coming in that instant gave thanks likewise unto the Lord, and spake of him to all them that looked for redemption in Jerusalem.

39And when they had performed all things according to the law of the Lord, they returned into Galilee, to their own city Nazareth.

40And the child grew, and waxed strong in spirit, filled with wisdom: and the grace of God was upon him.

41Now his parents went to Jerusalem every year at the feast of the passover.

42And when he was twelve years old, they went up to Jerusalem after the custom of the feast.

43And when they had fulfilled the days, as they returned, the child Jesus tarried behind in Jerusalem; and Joseph and his mother knew not of it.

44But they, supposing him to have been in the company, went a day’s journey; and they sought him among their kinsfolk and acquaintance.

45And when they found him not, they turned back again to Jerusalem, seeking him.

46And it came to pass, that after three days they found him in the temple, sitting in the midst of the doctors, both hearing them, and asking them questions.

47And all that heard him were astonished at his understanding and answers.

48And when they saw him, they were amazed: and his mother said unto him, Son, why hast thou thus dealt with us? behold, thy father and I have sought thee sorrowing.

49And he said unto them, How is it that ye sought me? wist ye not that I must be about my Father’s business?

50And they understood not the saying which he spake unto them.

51And he went down with them, and came to Nazareth, and was subject unto them: but his mother kept all these sayings in her heart.

52And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favour with God and man.

No need to say anymore.

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A special holiday message from a politician in which nary a word is spoken.

Impressive!

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Received this in an email a while back, (author unknown).

The Wooden Bowl

A frail old man went to live with his son, daughter-in-law, and four-year -old grandson.

The old man’s hands trembled, his eyesight was blurred, and his step faltered.

The family ate together at the table. But the elderly grandfather’s shaky hands and failing sight made eating difficult.

Peas rolled off his spoon onto the floor.

When he grasped the glass, milk spilled on the tablecloth.

The son and daughter-in-law became irritated with the mess.

“We must do something about father,” said the son. “I’ve had enough of his spilled milk, noisy eating, and food on the floor.”

So the husband and wife set a small table in the corner.

There, Grandfather ate alone while the rest of the family enjoyed dinner.

Since Grandfather had broken a dish or two, his food was served in a wooden bowl.

When the family glanced in Grandfather’s direction, sometimes he had a tear in his eye as he sat alone.

Still, the only words the couple had for him were sharp admonitions when he dropped a fork or spilled food.

The four-year-old watched it all in silence.

One evening before supper, the father noticed his son playing with wood scraps on the floor.

He asked the child sweetly, “What are you making?” Just as sweetly, the boy responded,

“Oh, I am making a little bowl for you and Mama to eat your food in when I grow up.”
The four-year-old smiled and went back to work.

The words so struck the parents so that they were speechless.

Then tears started to stream down their cheeks.

Though no word was spoken, both knew what must be done.

That evening the husband took Grandfather’s hand and gently led him back to the family table.

For the remainder of his days he ate every meal with the family.

And for some reason, neither husband nor wife seemed to care any longer when a fork was dropped, milk spilled, or the tablecloth soiled.

While simply written, there are many lessons to be learned from these words. When I hear people use the phrase “children learn what they live,” I nod in agreement.

When I see a son or daughter out and about with an aging parent assisting them with little things which may now be beyond their ability, I smile, often feeling as though I would like to approach them and say, “well done.”

Those who care for the elderly on a daily basis and do so with compassion and the patience sometimes necessary are to be commended.

Whether it be done by a child or those who have reached their twilight years, there is no tragedy associated with a glass of spilled milk or a few peas on the floor. The tragedy comes when we handle these things with anger and harsh words.

Don’t sweat the little things, life is far too short.

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The following is the opening paragraph in Michael Yon’s email which links to his latest dispatch.

Been a long but productive year. Great progress in Iraq. The country has made a dramatic turnaround. But of course, there is still a long way to go, and sharper fighting in the months ahead before anyone should consider declaring this mission accomplished.

“One Step Forward” delves further into the return of troops to Great Britain and the reception of not only the citizens and the press, but their relationship with Lady Camilla. The surprise came in reading that Michael had a bit of one on one time with this member of the Royal Family:

So when the commander introduced me to Lady Camilla and we had our short and very public meeting before all those cameras, I told Lady Camilla that her handwritten letters to the soldiers were very important to them. That I could tell that they were cherished in a way that went beyond polite acknowledgment. In that brief exchange it was clear to this American with no sense of Royalty that her devotion to these soldiers also went beyond the expected call of duty.

Another great read and once more an opportunity to say thank you to all those who have sacrificed so we may live free and wish them only the best upon their return to their homelands.

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I read something in the early hours of this morning which defines exactly the way I have felt about this constant campaigning which has continued through the Christmas season.

From AJ Strata, who says this far better than I ever could:

Never before has the Presidential election attempted an incursion into America’s sacred time to give thanks and pray for peace and solidarity. Never before has politics intruded so much on Christmas (and hopefully never again). The candidates’ desperate attacks and dirty tricks are ringing a harsh dissonant note against the backdrop of Christmas caroling, and friends and family uniting to celebrate a man who tried to bring people together in peace – not to divide them with heated rhetoric. I cannot help but notice this state level race to be first in the nation in the primaries is actually turning into a disaster as politics poisons a perfectly good American Holiday meant to transport us away from the daily grind to a happier place – even if it is a fleeting and brief escape.

Don’t you wish you could just yell, STOP? I know I do!

Thanks to the folks at Blackfive, the troops will receive holiday wishes from several different bloggers.

Should you have a spare few minutes you might want to check out the compilation of greetings on the video at their site.

Would these be your choices for the top twenty stories of 2007?

Have a wonderful weekend before Christmas everyone.

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From Thursday’s Omega Letter is a very interesting commentary on how Christians should pick their president.

Lesser of Two Evils

You know, it doesn’t really matter what party you belong to this season, the best anybody can hope for is the lesser of two evils.

It is a phrase we’ve been hearing since the early 1990’s, when many voters considered Clinton/Gore the lesser of the two evils when compared to George H. W. Bush and Dan Quayle.

The elder Bush had just broken his famous promise; (“Read my lips. No new taxes!” and Dan Quayle became a running joke on the late night comedy shows.

Along comes Clinton/Gore and many voters shrugged off their choice as the lesser of two evils.

In 1996, America already had some inkling of the fact it had turned over the keys to the kingdom to a refugee from the Playboy mansion who had turned the Lincoln Bedroom into a Chinese Motel 6.

But when compared to the Bob Dole/Jack Kemp ticket, to the majority of voters, Clinton/Gore was still the lesser of two evils.

This year, the Republicans are all about selecting the lesser of two evils — or three, at this stage of the game.

Who should best carry the GOP standard forward for the next four years? A pro-abortion cross-dressing liberal disguised as a conservative? A Mormon? A former Baptist preacher using Jesus as a campaign prop?

Do we choose a social liberal who is strong on defense? A Mormon who appears to be scandal-proof? Or a conservative Christian who made rejecting evolution a campaign issue, but pledges to maintain the practice of teaching it in public schools?

Which is the lesser of two (or in this case, three), evils?

Assessment:

If the Right has a problem with its choices, consider the conundrum facing the Left. In the first place, they don’t believe in ‘evil’ — except when it comes to politics.

Then ‘good’ becomes ‘evil’ and ‘evil’ becomes ‘good’.

Hillary Clinton arranged to have a ‘ringer’ ask her at a debate if she believed in God. Hillary’s campaign denies it was a setup. . . but, for heaven’s sake, Hillary!

(The questioner was Hillary’s Sunday school teacher!)

It makes you wonder what she was thinking.

To her own constituents, admitting to a belief in God is blasphemy!

For believers in the political center, there was something disingenuous (to say the least) about having her Sunday School teacher wring the admission out of her under false pretenses.

(As for me, it sent a different message. Even Hillary’s Sunday School teacher wasn’t sure Hillary was a believer.)

But then, Hillary has to be compared with Barack Hussein Obama.

While the Right wrestles with the possibility of a Mormon in the White House, the Left is wrestling with the idea of electing an African-American with troubling links to Islam, seemingly on the sole qualification of race.

Barack Obama was sworn in to US Senate in January 2005, and has spent most of his Senate career running for president, so he has very little national political experience.

He has no executive experience to speak of. Prior to running for the Senate, he was a one-term member of the Illinois State Senate. Prior to that he was an attorney, and prior to that, a student.

And that only takes us back to 1988.

His worldview is a mystery — his father was a Muslim, his mother an American atheist. There are rumors he was educated in a Muslim madrassa. His autobiography admits he attended Muslim schools. When Obama’s parents divorced, his mother married another Muslim.

Obama wrote in his autobiography, “The Audacity of Hope”; “During the five years that we would live with my stepfather in Indonesia, I was sent first to a neighborhood Catholic school, and then to a predominantly Muslim school. . .

(Under Islamic law, that makes him a Muslim.)

So, the Left has a choice between a totally inexperienced black candidate with ties to an ideology at war with the United States, or a totally inexperienced female candidate with ties to Bill Clinton, Al Gore, the Chinese government, organized crime, etc., etc, ad nauseum.

To the Left, the principal question is, “do we choose a black guy or a woman?” — and only after that question is satisfied do they get to the question of which is the lesser of two evils politically.

Now we get to the heart of the matter. Over the past month or so, I’ve been accused of both endorsing Mitt Romney and Mike Huckabee AND slamming their campaigns.

In each case, the general consensus of the feedback is that, depending on whether one is for Romney or Huckabee, the preferred candidate is the ‘lesser of two evils.’

Those who prefer Romney compare his Mormonism to his lifestyle and conclude his Mormonism is the lesser of the two evils.

Huck supporters argue that, his socially-liberal political record notwithstanding, the fact he is running as the only true Christian in the race makes him the lesser of two evils.

(Other self-proclaimed ‘Christian candidates’ who were ultimately elected as the ‘lesser of two evils’ included Jimmy Carter, Bill Clinton, Al Gore, and George W. Bush, the poster boy for the ‘lesser of two evils’ argument.)

So, the question for Christians is whether or not we should select someone based on the criteria that he is the lesser of two evils?

Inherent in that question is another question — does being the ‘lesser of two evils’ equate to being ‘good’?

The Bible makes a promise to those who choose one form of evil over another. It promises ‘woe’.

“Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil . . .” writes the Prophet Isaiah (5:20)

America chose Jimmy Carter as the lesser of two evils. We got woe.

We chose Bill Clinton, who never failed to show up on Sunday morning television carrying a big, black Bible. Woe.

We got Southern Baptist Al Gore, who brought a Bible to church on Sunday, and spent the rest of the week preaching earth worship. Woe.

So how should a Christian vote? It depends. If one is voting for a Christian leader whose Christianity matches their own, they might just as well stay home and avoid the disappointment.

If one is voting for the lesser of two evils, the Bible says that is what they will get — evil. Evil begets woe.

The simple fact is this. God sets leaders in place according to His purpose and His ultimate plan.[Emphasis mine. Ed.]

“Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For there is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God.” (Romans 13:2)

Your vote is your civic duty, and your allegiance is to your elected government, but it is up to God to judge the lesser of two evils.

Humans are only capable of judging right and wrong. That is the question before us.

Good and evil are outcomes — and outcomes are known only to God.

Being a Christian isn’t easy. Especially at election time. Selecting a leader demands wisdom. And that is where the Christian has the advantage:
“If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.” (James 1:5)

So what is the duty of a Christian in such matters? Ask God for wisdom, vote for the candidate best qualified to do the job at hand, and let God be the judge of good and evil.
We’ve got enough woe already.

Let’s take Jack Kinsella’s advice and ask God for the wisdom to choose the candidate we think is right and not the lesser of any evils.

I know of candidates I absolutely cannot support on the Republican and Democratic sides. I just don’t know who I can support and will seek God’s guidance. It may be I sit out this election.

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From your lips to God’s ears, Mr. President.

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Today I got a Christmas card. That happens all the time around this time of year, but this was from someone from whom I had never received a card before.

This Republican received a very nice greeting card from Bill and Hillary Clinton! Actually, it was signed “Hillary” “Bill”.

I was going to scan it and put it on the site but my favorite aunt is with us and she’s a democrat, so I gave it to her.

It was nice to receive the card, but the campaign could have saved some postage money on me.

In our state we don’t register by party so I guess Hillary wanted to be sure everyone knows she’s running in the S.C. primary in whatever month it is.

If they had checked though they would have seen I have never voted in a Democratic primary the entire 30 plus years I have lived here and would have sent it to someone else who does vote that way.

It had a nice generic wish for the holidays with a picture of Bill and Hill in it and some fat handwriting for a personal message. All in all a nice touch but to no avail in my house.

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To a more current performance with their daughters.

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A few years ago, my wife and I attended a conference at Calvin Theological Seminary in Grand Rapids, Mich., which focused on music and arts in worship. One of the presenters was Dennis Dewey, who has a passion for oral presentations of the Bible.

His methodology makes perfect sense, because the Bible—scripture—was always read to people until relatively recently, before the printing press (and literacy) made the Bible physically accessible to everyone. If I remember correctly, Dewey said to take note of how some passages seem repetitive, possibly because the text often lends itself more to oral presentation than written presentation.

During the weekend conference, we were given a copy of the following, which I think is magnificent. We always seem to think of the warm and cuddly baby Jesus and how indescribably wonderful a gift He was. But how often do we reflect that the gift of the baby Jesus culminated at the cross?

This is meant to be spoken aloud, performed during a service or Christmas play—or Easter play, which would be equally apropos. Enjoy, and have a merry and blessed Christmas!

ONE: In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be enrolled. (This was the first enrollment when Quirinius was governor of Syria.)

TWO: Pilate then called together the chief priests and the rulers and the people and said to them, “You brought me this man as one who was perverting the people; and after examining him before you, behold, I did not find this man guilty of any of your charges against him. I will therefore chastise him and release him.”

ONE: And all went to be enrolled to their own cities. And Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the city of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, to be enrolled with Mary, his betrothed, who was with child.

TWO: But they were urgent, demanding with loud cries that he should be crucified. And their voices prevailed. So Pilate gave sentence that their demand should be granted. He released Barabbas, the man who had been thrown into prison for insurrection and murder, whom they asked for, but Jesus he delivered up to their will.

ONE: And while they were there, the time came for her to be delivered.

TWO: And when they came to the place which is called the skull, there they crucified him, and two criminals—one on the right and one on the left. And Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.

ONE: And she brought forth her first-born son and wrapped him swaddling cloths…

TWO: And they cast lots to divide his garments.

ONE: …and laid him in a manger because there was no place for them in the inn. And in that region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.

TWO: And the people stood by, watching.

ONE: And an angel of the Lord appeared to them. And the glory of the Lord shone around them. And they were filled with fear! But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid, for, behold, I bring you good news of great joy which shall be for all the people. For to you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.”

TWO: But the rulers scoffed at him, saying, “He saved others! If this IS the Christ of God, God’s chosen One, let him save himself!”

ONE: And this will be a sign for you…

TWO: And while the sun’s light failed, the curtain of the temple was torn in two. And Jesus cried out with a loud voice, “Father, into thy hands I commit my spirit!”

ONE: ….You will find a babe wrapped in swaddling cloths…

TWO: Then Joseph of Arimathea took down the body of Jesus and wrapped it in a linen shroud…

ONE: …and lying in a manger.

TWO: …and laid him in a rock-hewn tomb.

[PAUSE, as the tellers switch stories]

TWO: And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host, praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest, and earth peace among people of God’s favor!”

ONE: The women who had come with Jesus from Galilee followed and saw the tomb and how his body was laid, and returned and prepared spices and ointments.

TWO: When the angels had gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let us go over to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened that the Lord has made known to us!”

ONE: And on the first day of the week at early dawn they went to the tomb.

TWO: And they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger.

ONE: And they found the stone rolled away from the tomb! But when they went in, they did not see the body!

TWO: And when the shepherds saw the babe lying in the manger, they made known the saying which had been told them concerning the child.

ONE: While they were perplexed about this, suddenly, two men stood by them in dazzling apparel, and they said to them, “Why do you seek the living among the dead? Remember how he told you when he was still in Galilee that the Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinners and be crucified and on the third day rise?”

TWO: And all who heard it wondered at what the shepherds had told them. But Mary kept all these things, pondering them in her heart.

ONE: And they did remember his words, and, returning from the tomb, they told all this to the eleven and to all the rest!

TWO: And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all that they had heard and seen, just as it had been told them!

ONE: But these words seemed to them an idle tale, and they did not believe them.

– Composed by Luke’s Community/Rearranged by Dennis Dewey, 1995

(If you pass this on to anyone else, please include the credit line!)

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What do you think of when you think of Christmas? Lights, trees in your house, wreaths, gifts, meals, family time?

We traditionally have all these symbols at Christmas and spend gads of money so we can buy gifts the recipients don’t really need and we could give to them all year long without a holiday.

To the kids it’s Santa and the reindeer, school vacation and excitement on Christmas Eve to see what kind of haul they will get this time.

To some it’s a culmination of a year’s worth of shopping and hiding for the big day.

How many think of what Christmas really is? You don’t get gifts when you tell the story of God made flesh and born of a virgin, come to earth to save us from our sins and eternal spiritual death. But if you believe it and accept Jesus as the Messiah you get the Greatest Gift of all: eternal life and fellowship with God Himself.

Christmas and Easter are so holy we actually celebrate both in Christian churches of any denomination.

Some people think they have never sinned, but fail to understand that when Adam and Eve partook of the forbidden fruit they passed along a gene in every person’s DNA that was labeled “Sin and Eternal Spiritual Death”. Every person except for One.

Today it’s trendy to say anything to do with the Bible is fiction written over 2,000 years ago and not applicable today and certainly not proven science.

It’s strange, though, that when one studies the Bible he or she can follow the thread from the Old Testament prophesying the birth, death and resurrection of Jesus the Christ to the New Testament showing exactly how it all came about just as the prophets wrote.

Just as the mother of Moses hid her son so he wouldn’t be killed by Pharoah’s men, so did Joseph and Mary flee to Egypt to escape the death sentence placed on the heads of all boys under the age of two by Herod, who was afraid this King of the Jews was going to take his throne.

We think of Mary and Joseph as being homeless and Jesus being born homeless when that is not the case at all. They had a home in Nazareth, but a decree went out by Caesar Augustus that all men would return to the city of their birth and register and pay taxes. It was on this trip that Mary gave birth. They were homeless only in the sense that all the hotel rooms were full and they took refuge in a kind man’s stable, where she gave birth to the King of Kings.

Everything the prophets wrote about Jesus came true down to the tiniest detail.

Isaiah wrote that He went as a lamb to his shearers and spoke not a word when accused. He wrote that by His stripes we are healed.

He did have stripes on His body, you know. It wasn’t the sanitized version of crucifixion we have always imagined until we actually saw a depiction of it in “The Passion of the Christ”.

Yes, I knew He was beaten, I knew He had a crown of thorns placed upon His head, I knew He willingly lay down and had the nails put through His feet and wrists (it had to be the wrists or the hands would have torn and defeated the purpose of execution), I knew He gave the care of His mother to John, and I knew He cried out when the Father turned His back on Him as He became sin for you and for me. I just never imagined how extremely horrible it was. But, remember, He came down off that cross and went to the grave but only for three days. He lives even now!

Good Friday and Easter are the reasons we celebrate Christmas. It was to die and rise again that He stepped into space and time. He committed no sin, but became our sin that we might have the fellowship with God the way He intended it before Satan successfully tempted Eve.

Yes, by His stripes we are healed and by His blood we are sealed—forever if we just accept Him on His terms as a child would do. Accept by faith He is the One and only begotten Son of the One and only God Who died that we might have eternal life and fellowship with this God Who loves us so much He gave His most precious Only Begotten Son because He was the only Perfect Lamb Who could take away the sins of the world.

You can’t reason God; you have to believe as a child believes, only this isn’t a fairy tale and the consequences of not believing are eternal.

I honestly believe that when He was on that cross He looked down through the ages and saw you and me as individuals. Why couldn’t He? He’s God.

So enjoy the gifts and relax from the shopping and just think of what Christmas and its companion holy day are all about, because without one we couldn’t have the other, and without either we would be eternally separated from God.

We don’t deserve His love and we still sin because we are human, but our goal is to accept Him as our savior and try to walk in His footsteps. We won’t completely succeed until we are physically with Him for eternity, but it’s so much better than believing everyone who doesn’t believe will have their heads lopped off. That’s only physical, and what He offers is spiritual.

For some strange reason some people, most people, will not choose Jesus over Satan and will be doomed to eternity in Hell, where the physical punishment won’t be as bad as the mental anguish of knowing they could have prevented it and could have had fellowship with God. They will see those they loved in Heaven while those they loved will not be able to see or remember them.

This is because God gave us all free choice to decide for ourselves. It’s not what He wants and the Bible says that one day every knee will bow and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the Glory of God. For some that confession will come too late.

I wish you all a Happy Birthday to Christ, the Messiah still rejected by His own people. One day, soon I hope, they will see He is the King God promised them, and you will too if you haven’t already.

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As performed by Perry Como.

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Former President George H. W. Bush responds to this,

“Well, the first thing she intends to do, because you can do this without passing a bill, the first thing she intends to do is to send me and former President Bush and a number of other people around the world to tell them that America is open for business and cooperation again,” Clinton said in response to a question from a supporter about what his wife’s “number one priority” would be as president.

with this:

In a statement sent to CNN Tuesday afternoon, former President Bush’s chief of staff Jean Becker said that he “wholeheartedly supports the President of the United States, including his foreign policy. He has never discussed an ‘around-the-world-mission’ with either former President Bill Clinton or Sen. Clinton, nor does he think such a mission is warranted since he is proud of the role America continues to play around the world as the beacon of hope for freedom and democracy.

“President Bush is excited about several of the excellent Republican candidates running for president, and looks forward to discussing their candidacy once the Republican nominee is determined.”

The first story appeared odd at best upon first reading and thanks to President Bush 41, it has now been clarified.

Why is it I am not surprised?

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Those recent twin shootings in Colorado rattled a friend of mine. Greg Stier, head of the Dare2Share youth ministry, sends his kid to the same campus where the first murders took place.

Around the blogosphere, I’ve seen well-deserved praise for the ex-cop (turns out disgraced former cop who has now been redeemed by the Lord) who took down the shooter before the guy blew his own head off. I’ve also seen plenty of “enjoy hell!!” comments directed at the murderer.

But on his blog, Greg had this to say just after the first incident:

“Our hearts break for the victims of the shootings at the YWAM Training Center in Arvada, Colorado. This tragedy took place less than five minutes away from Dare 2 Share Ministries International headquarters in Wheatridge, Colorado. This hits close to home to me personally because I live in Arvada where this horrific shooting took place. I ask all Christians to pray that the perpetrator of these horrible shootings is caught, brought to justice and then to Jesus. I ask that every Christian prays as well for the surviving victims and all the families that have been affected by this shocking and senseless tragedy.”

“Pray…that the perpetrator…is brought to Jesus.” Of course, we now know the ultimate outcome and know some of the background of the killer. But Greg, amid what really was a terrifying episode, was asking for grace for the shooter instead of joining in with the chorus of those damning him to hell.

Think about that for a while.

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I’m talking about Mike Huckabee, the new Sunshine Boy of certain republicans.

I certainly approve the fact he is a professing Christian and appreciate the Christmas greetings in his latest ad, but the fact remains he is nothing more than another Jimmy Carter as far as a prospective president goes.

Here’s the ad:

Jimmy Carter was also a professing Christian and by all accounts a good man, but his was probably the worst presidency I have seen in my lifetime.

The same would be true of Huckabee, except if he is nominated I doubt he would win.

If we were electing Pastor In Chief I’d probably give him a second look, but we’re not electing Pastor in Chief. We’re going to be electing a Commander in Chief. We want someone with executive and foreign policy experience. We can’t afford OJT at this juncture in our country’s history.

How I wish we actually had a choice this year of someone who is really presidential material and not just another politician trying to gain power by holding the most powerful office in the world.

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It is interesting to see which of our past Presidents is most admired by some of those aspiring to be our next President of the United States:

The presidential candidates are wild about Harry. And Teddy. And Martin?

The Associated Press asked them to name their favorite 20th century president from the opposing party. Two presidents swept the standings—Theodore Roosevelt, the Republican who was the nation’s 26th chief executive, 1901 to 1909; and Harry S. Truman, the Democrat who was the 33rd president, 1945-1953. The runner-up: a guy who played a president on TV.

I guess great minds really do think alike. At least all but one.

I picked up the link to Michael Totten’s most recent piece at Winds of Change.

The quote with which he chose to begin speaks volumes.

“The man who reads nothing at all is better educated than the man who reads nothing but newspapers.” — Thomas Jefferson

Read the rest here, including this telling paragraph:

Mr. al-Fadhily is unhappy with the way things are going in the city right now. It means little to him that the only shots fired by the Marines anymore are practice rounds on the range, and that there hasn’t been a single fire fight or combat casualty for months. That’s fair enough, as far as it goes, and perhaps to be expected from a reporter who isn’t embedded with the military and who focuses his attention on Iraqi civilians. The trouble is that Mr. Al-Fadhily’s hysterical exaggerations, refusal to provide crucial context, and outright fabrications amount to a serious case of journalistic malpractice.

It’s funny how sometimes you visit one site with a piece which captures your interest and the very next post you read makes a statement or asks a question which is pertinent to the one prior.

Upon completion of Michael Totten’s article, I stopped over at The Midnight Sun where Aurora asked this question:

Our fighting people, British, Australian, American and Iraqi, are doing a magnificent job. They deserve respect and recognition for a job well done…But will they receive it?

I think there are two answers to that question.

Many citizens of Britain, Australia, America and Iraq do respect the job their respective forces have and will continue to accomplish.

However, the agenda driven press and politicians are another story. Sad that there are those would seek to undermine those fighting to maintain your freedoms, but unfortunately, so true.

Healthy food vs. the Food Nannies.

To believe that denying a couple of cupcakes during the Holiday season is going to make a difference in a child’s overall nutrition is idiotic. The Holidays are a time for celebration. And for generations of American kids, that celebration has taken the form of treats at school, shared in a true spirit of Christmas, with their friends and classmates. The mindset of administrators who seek to change that tradition not for the sake of better nutrition but in the name of controlling what kids eat is nanny statism at its worst.

Veggie trays with marinaro sauce will inspire little celebration among kids – unless children have radically altered their brain chemistry in the last few years. And banning cupcakes only destroys the notion that Holidays are special.

I believe that children should have well rounded diets and certainly nutritious food are vitally important to their growth, but come on now. A cupcake? One has to wonder if these adults have sacrificed their daily coffee loaded with cream and sugar or always forego the dessert table at functions or restaurants they attend. Ridiculous.

Thought I’d wrap up with one of those heartwarming pictures which leaves you feeling both happy and still with bit of a lump in your throat.

A father and daughter reunited..what a wonderful gift.

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