2010 Reading List

A list of the books I hope to have read by the end of 2010 (apart from assigned school reads)...

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Discipleship/The Christian Life
Finally Alive by John Piper 
War of the Worldviews by Gary Demar
Stand: A Call for the Endurance of the Saints by John Piper, Randy Alcorn, Justin Taylor, and Jerry Bridges
Tearing Down Strongholds by R.C. Sproul, Jr.
The Screwtape Letters by C.S. Lewis
Light Up the Darkness by Jamin Hubner
The Abolition of Man by C.S. Lewis

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Political Issues
America Alone by Mark Steyn

Common Sense by Glenn Beck

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Philosophy
The Compleat Angler by Izaak Walton

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Biography/History
Not a Tame Lion: The Spiritual Legacy of C.S. Lewis by Terry Glaspey

William Wallace: Guardian of Scotland by A.I. Murison
A Worthy Company: Brief Lives of the Framers of the U.S. Constitution by Dr. M.E. Bradford
Undaunted Courage by Stephen Ambrose

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Fiction
The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson
Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad
The Overton Window by Glenn Beck
The Man Who Was Thursday by G.K. Chesterton
The Great Divorce by C.S. Lewis
Out of the Silent Planet (Space Trilogy Bk. 1) by C.S. Lewis
Perelandra (Space Trilogy Bk. 2) by C.S. Lewis
That Hideous Strength (Space Trilogy Bk. 3) by C.S. Lewis
Fear is the Key by Alistair MacLean
Three Men in a Boat by Jerome K. Jerome
The Hunger Games (Hunger Games Trilogy Bk. 1) by Suzanne Collins
Catching Fire (Hunger Games Trilogy Bk. 2) by Suzanne Collins
Mockingjay (Hunger Games Trilogy Bk. 3) by Suzanne Collins
I, Robot by Isaac Asimov
The Poison Belt by Arthur Conan Doyle

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Persevero,

Scribe

Merry Christmas!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

~ Luke 2:8-14, KJV

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"Merry Christmas! The words fall idly, perhaps, from too many careless lips; they are uttered by those who give it no deeper meaning than a passing friendly salutation of the moment; and yet every tongue that repeats the phrase bears unconscious witness to the power of the Gospel - those good-tidings of great joy to all mankind."

~ Susan Fenimore Cooper

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"The Son of God became a man to enable men to be come the sons of God."

~ C.S. Lewis

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"The true Christian religion is incarnational and thus does not begin at the top, as all other religions do; it begins at the bottom. You must run directly to the manger and the mother's womb, embrace the Infant and Virgin's Child in your arms and look at Him - born, being nursed, growing up, going about in human society, teaching, dying, rising again, ascending above all the heavens, and having authority over all things."

~ Martin Luther

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"Maker of the sun, He is made under the sun. In the Father He remains, from His mother He goes forth. Creator of heaven and earth, He was born on earth under heaven. Unspeakably wise, He is wisely speechless. Filling the world, He lies in a manger. Ruler of the stars, He nurses at His mother's bosom. He is both great in the nature of God, and small in the form of a servant."

~ Augustine

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"It is in the old Christmas carols, hymns, and traditions - those which date from the Middle Ages - that we find not only what makes Christmas poetic and soothing and stately, but first and foremost what makes Christmas exciting. The exciting quality of Christmas rests on an ancient and admitted paradox. It rests upon the paradox that the power and center of the whole universe may be found in some seemingly small matter, that the stars in their courses may move like a moving wheel around the neglected outhouse of an inn."

~ G.K. Chesterton

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MERRY CHRISTMAS!
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Persevero,

Scribe

"Saviour of the Nations, Come"

Saviour of the nations, come,

Virgin's Son, make here Thy home!

Marvel now, O heav'n and earth,

That the Lord chose such a birth.

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Not of flesh and blood the Son,

Offspring of the Holy One;

Born of Mary ever blest

God in flesh is manifest.

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Wondrous birth! O wondrous Child

Of the virgin undefiled!

Though by all the world disowned,

Still to be in heav'n enthroned.

~Ambrose of Milan

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Persevero,

Scribe

A Politically Correct Christmas

Courtesy of Student News Daily

From the School Library...

"Aye me, how many perils do enfold

The righteous man, to make him daily fall?

Were not, that heavenly grace doth him uphold,

And steadfast truth aquite him out of all.

Her love is firm, her care continual,

So oft as he through his own foolish pride

Or weakness is to sinful bands made thrall."

~

"Entire affection hateth nicer hands."*

~Excerpt from Book 1 of The Faerie Queene by Edmund Spenser


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Persevero,
Scribe 

* i.e. true love and true friendship do not hesitate to get their hands dirty in the service of another

It May Be Time...

A friend of mine recently wrote a post on his blog which included a link to this TV Ad... 

... hope it provides you with some laughs! :)

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Persevero,
Scribe

The First Christmas Lawsuit

Courtesy of Student News Daily

"Come, Thou Long-Expected Jesus"

Come, Thou long-expected Jesus,

Born to set Thy people free;

From our fears and sins release us;

Let us find our rest in Thee.

Israel's Strength and Consolation,

Hope if all the earth Thou art;

Dear Desire of ev'ry nation,

Joy of ev'ry longing heart.

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Born Thy people to deliver,

Born a child, and yet a King,

Born to reign in us forever,

Now Thy gracious kingdom bring.

By Thine Own eternal Spirit

Rule in all our hearts alone;

By Thine all-sufficient merit

Raise us to Thy glorious throne.

~ Charles Wesley

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Persevero,

Scribe

Dockers for Christmas?

A surprise from Dockers.  Who would have thought we'd ever see an ad like this? Tongue-in-cheek or not, it's still true.

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And, yes, the feminists are up in arms.  (CAUTION: Mature Content)

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Persevero,

Scribe

From the School Library...

Raphael Hythloday: "...I am firmly persuaded that there is no way property can be equitably and justly distributed or the affairs of mortal men managed so as to make them happy unless private property is utterly abolished. But if it remains, there will also always remain a distressing and unavoidable burden of poverty and anxiety on the backs of the largest and best part of the human race... since you cannot give something to one person without taking it away from someone else."

Sir Thomas More: "Quite the contrary, it seems to me that no one can live comfortably where everything is held in common. For how can there be any abundance of goods when everyone stops working because he is no longer motivated by making a profit, and grows lazy because he relies on the labour of others? And then, when people are driven by want and there is no law which enables them to keep their acquisitions for their own use, wouldn't everyone necessarily suffer from continual bloodhsed and turmoil? Especially when the magistrates no longer have any respect or authority, for I cannot conceive how they could have any among people who are all placed on one level."

~ Excerpted from Book I of Sir Thomas More's Utopia

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Persevero,

Scribe

Neutrality Loathesome

God will have all, or none; serve Him or fall

Down before Baal, Bel, or Belial:

Either be hot, or cold: God doth despise,

Abhor, and spew out all Neutralities.

~ Robert Herrick

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Persevero,

Scribe

Just Ten More Seconds

 

Courtesy of Student News Daily

Created for Work ~ Chapter 16 "My Instructor"

"Quiet waiting before God would save from many a mistake and from many a sorrow."

~ J. Hudson Taylor

All of us have "Mission: Impossible"s to face: those tasks that look way too big, bad, and ugly for us to grapple with. One cannot go through life without encountering walls that seem impossible to climb, oceans that seem impossible to swim, or races that seem impossible to run. It's inevitable. The question isn't "Will I face such things?" The question is, "How will I respond?"

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There are a variety of ways one can respond to the "big, bad, and ugly" things of life. Here are some of the most common...

1. Complain. This is what got the Israelites in trouble. Whenever they found themselves facing overwhelming odds, they started playing the "Woe is I" game. Too often, we are just like the Israelites, and voices which should be lifted in praise to the Lord are used to murmur against Him.  
2. Ignore. We try to take our problem and sweep it under the rug, hoping it will somehow magically disappear. We convince ourselves that a trouble unacknowledged is a trouble  nonexistent. Of course, this is really poor reasoning. Ignoring a problem will not fix that problem. Rather, it will most likely cause that problem to grow, leaving us worse off than before.
3. Despair. This response often goes hand in hand with complaining. When we face a trial, and realize just how big it is and how little we are, we go belly up. We quit, and let our troubles suck all the joy out of us. Instead if rejoicing in the Lord, we moan, groan, and say, "Just shoot me, I can't take it anymore". 
4. Panic. Sometimes, we treat life like some sort of arcade game. We're fine as long as we feel that we've got things under control. When things get real tough, however, and we begin to feel like we're losing our grip, we automatically rush to hit the big red panic button in the lower left corner of the screen. This is a very childish response to trouble. Running around like headless chickens is a sure way to get absolutely nowhere. 
5. Rage. This respones is akin to the toddler's temper-tantrum. When things don't go like we want them to, we steam and stew over it, inwardly shaking our fists and gnashing our teeth. We resent the tough situations and trials we are dealing with, and fight madly against them.  In reality, however (although we often won't admit it), our steaming and stewing is against God, who in His infinite wisdom, prepared those very trials for us. 

So, there you have five common responses to the "big, bad, and the ugly" things of life. All of them are wrong, of course (and on further consideration, these responses are more like reactions). There really is only one right way to respond to those times when we're between a rock and a hard place: "Trust in the Lord with all thine heart and lean not on thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct thy paths." (Prov. 3:5-6)

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In this passage from chapter 16 of Created for Work, Bob Schultz shares the following story... 

"At two o' clock in the morning, I couldn't sleep... In a few hours my boss expected me to begin the interior woodwor on a new house. Not just any new house, but the biggest and fanciest house I've ever built. The foundation was easy enough. We got through the framing O.K. However, now he wanted me to install the trim and I had only a little experience."

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"Thinking of the massive entry staircase, the expensive walnut paneling for the living, the truckload of tongue-and-groove ceder for the library left me weak with fear. I'd never nailed on one piece of baseboard before, let alone all this costly wood. How could I do anything but fail?

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"I poured my heart out to God telling Him my fears and worries. My spirit calmed but my stomach remained in a knot. From two o' clock to six o' clock I read the Bible, listening for His answer to my need...

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"By the time the sun came up, God had calmed my fears. He promised His wisdom and convinced me that He would communicate it. I wasn't overflowing with boldness that morning, but I did have the courage to show up for work. He was there and He kept His word.

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"I stood in the living room holding the first sheet of paneling. A painter walked through the door beside me. 'Hey,' he said, 'I saw a carpenter once putting on some of that and he...' At that point the painter began to speak as if he was lecturing to a classroom of new paneling installers. After telling me everything I needed to know, he apologized, 'I don't know why I told you all that, I'm sure you knew it already.' Embarassed by his outburst of information, he ducked from the room.

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" I followed God's advice given to me through the painter. The paneled walls turned out beautifully. No one would imagine that the installer began without knowing how.

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"My God taught me how to build stairs. I blundered my way into the double valutes, upeasings, and newels. With His help I precisely installed all the parts... Throughout the job, God brought to my mind just what I needed to know to finish the house and to exceed my boss's expectations...

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"God loves to speak, to teach, to lead. He constantly teaches anyone willing to learn. A good worker will listen for God's practical instructions and follow them. I hope that describes you. If it doesn't, start today to pay attention to the wisdom God is speaking to you. Your God isn't

a distant being who left the world to fend for itself. He's constantly speaking. May you have ears to hear."

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"My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me." - John 10:27

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Persevero,

Scribe

David Nevue

Here's a link to the website of Christian musician David Nevue, one of my favorite pianists. If you like George Winston, you'll like this guy. He's extremely gifted, and has recorded multiple albums and given concerts across the U.S. His music includes many of his own original compositions, as well as a plethora of amazing hymn arrangements. On his site, you can sample his music, check out his CD's, and even watch some clips of him performing at public and private concerts. Also, you can view, sample, and purchase the sheet music for many of his songs. Once purchased, the sheet music is immediately downloaded to your computer, and you can print it whenever you like!

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Persevero,

Scribe

Really Smart Wise Men

  

                                   Courtesy of Student News Daily

"Recessional"

God of our fathers, known of old --

Lord of our far-flung battle-line --

Beneath whose awful hand we hold

Dominion over palm and pine --

Lord God of Hosts, be with us yet

Lest we forget -- lest we forget!

~

The tumult and the shouting dies --

The Captains and the Kings depart --

Still stands Thine ancient Sacrifice,

An humble and contrite heart.

Lord God of Hosts, be with us yet,

Lest we forget -- lest we forget!

~

Far-called, our navies melt away --

On dune and headland sinks the fire --

Lo, all our pomp of yesterday

Is one with Nineveh and Tyre!

Judge of the Nations, spare us yet,

Lest we forget -- lest we forget!

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If, drunk with sight of power, we loose

Wild tongues that have not Thee in awe --

Such boasting as the Gentiles use

Or lesser breeds without the Law --

Lord God of Hosts, be with us yet,

Lest we forget -- lest we forget!

~

For heathen heart that puts her trust

In reeking tube and iron shard --

All valiant dust that builds on dust,

And guarding calls not Thee to guard --

For frantic boast and foolish word,

Have mercy on Thy People, Lord!

~Rudyard Kipling


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Persevero,
Scribe

Advice from Theodore Roosevelt

"With soul of flame and temper of steel we must act as our coolest judgment bids us. We must exercise the largest charity towards the wrong-doer that is compatible with relentless war against wrong-doing. We must be just to others, generous to others, and yet we must realize that it is a shameful and a wicked thing not to withstand oppression with a high heart and a ready hand. With gentleness and tenderness there must go dauntless bravery and grim acceptance of labor and hardship and peril. All for each, and each for all, is a good motto; but only on condition that each works with might and main to so maintain himself as not to be a burden to others."

~ Theodore Roosevelt, The Vigor of Life

Thanksgiving

1 Make a joyful noise unto the LORD, all ye lands.

2 Serve the LORD with gladness: come before His presence with singing.

3 Know ye that the LORD He is God: it is He who hath made us, and not we ourselves; we are His people and the sheep of His pasture.

4 Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, and into His courts with praise: be thankful unto Him and bless His name.

5 For the LORD is good; His mercy is everlasting; and His truth endureth to all generations.
~Psalm 100

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Persevero,
Scribe

Basic Christianity - Chapter 3 "The Character of Christ"

In the last Basic Christianity post, we began looking at the evidence that Jesus was in fact the sinless, perfect Son of God. This evidence, you will remember, consists in three things: the Claims of Christ; the Character of Christ; and the Resurrection of Christ. "No one argument is conclusive," John Stott says. "But the three converging lines point unfalteringly to the same conclusion." 

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Therefore, in this post, we will examine Evidence #2: The Character of Christ. We will divide this second piece of evidence into four points: What Christ Himself Thought; What Christ's Friend's Said; What Christ's Enemies Conceded; and What We Can See for Ourselves...

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I. What Christ Himself Thought. Jesus directly stated on one or two occasions that He was without sin. When a woman caught in the very act of adultery was brought before him (John 8:3-11), he issued a challenge to her accusers: "He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her." Needless to say, no stones were thrown, and the woman's accusers slunk away. On another occasion, Jesus boldly defied those that opposed Him with these words, "Which of you convinceth (convicts) me of sin?" (John 8:46). Stott says, "They slipped away when He accused them. But when He invited them to accuse Him, He could stay and bear their scrutiny. They were all sinners; He was without sin."

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"Similarly," Stott continues, "by the very nature of His teaching, He placed Himself in a moral category by Himself... Jesus assumed His uniquenness unself-consciencely. He did not need to draw attention to it. It was a fact so obvious to Him that it hardly required emphasis. It was implied rather than asserted." Consider the following examples...

• All other men were lost sheep - He had come as the Good Shepherd to seek and to save them (Luke 19:10; John 10:11,14)
• All other men were sick with the disease of sin - He was the doctor that had come to heal them (Luke 5:31-32)
• All other men were plunged in the darkness of sin and ignorance - He was the light of the world (John 3:19; 8:12; 9:5)
• All other men were sinners - He was born to be their Saviour and would shed His blood in death for the forgiveness of their sins (Matt. 20:28; 26:28)
• All other men were hungry - He was the bread of life (John 6:35)
• All other men were dead in trespasses and sins - He could be their life now and their resurrection hereafter. (John 11:25)

"All these metephors express the moral uniqueness of which He was conscious."

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Furthermore, Stott points out "that although we are told of the temptations of Jesus, we hear nothing of His sins." Jesus Christ:

• never confesses His sins or asks for forgiveness, although He tells His disciples to do so.
• shows no consciousness of moral failure.
• appears to have no feeling of guilt and no sense of estrangement from God

This is remarkable for two particular reasons:

1. Jesus possessed a keen moral discernment. It is often recorded of Him that He read the inner thought and questions of the crowds that followed Him. "His clear perception," says Stott, "led Him fearlessly to expose the duplicity of the Pharisees. He hated their hypocrisy. He pronounced woes upon them as thunderous as those of the Old Testament prophets. Ostentation and pretence were an abomination to Him. Yet His penetrating eye saw no sin in Himself."
2. His self-conscious purity is unlike the experience of all saints and mystics. "The Christian knows that the nearer he approaches God, the more he becomes aware of his own sin.. Yet Jesus Christ, who lived more closely to God than anybody else has done, was free from all sense of sin."

II. What Christ's Friends Said. It is clear that Jesus believed Himself to be sinless, just as He believed Himself to be the Messiah and God's Son. But, some might argue, couldn't He have been mistaken? What about His disciples? Did they share His opinon of Himself?

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There are those who call Christ's disciples poor witnesses; biased men who presented Christ better than He really was. However, Stott says that "in this the apostles have been greatly maligned. Their statements cannot be so lightly dismissed. There are several reasons why we may confidently rely on their evidence..."

1. They lived in close contact with Christ for about 3 years. 
2. They were Jews who had been trained since infancy in Old Testament doctrines, one of which is the universality of human sin (Isaiah 53:6; Psalm 14:3): thus they would not easily attribute sinlessness to anyone.
3. Their tesimony is indirect: they do not set out to establish the truth that Christ was free of sin. Their remarks are asides. As they are discussing some other subject, they add almost as a parenthesis a reference to His sinlessness. For example, Peter speaks of Jesus as 'a lamb without blemish or spot' (1 Peter 1:19) who 'committed no sin; no guile was found on His lips' (1 Peter 2:22). John clearly states that all men are sinful and corrupt, but goes on to say that in Christ, who was manifested to take away our sins, there is no sin (I John 1:8-10; 3:5)).

III. What Christ's Enemies Conceded. Some people may feel themselves on "safer ground" when it comes to considering what Christ's enemies thought of Him. After all, they were certainly not biased in His favor. We can read four of their criticisms of Jesus in Mark's gospel (see 2:1 - 3:6):

1. They accused Him of blasphemy. Jesus had forgiven a man's sins, and they considered this to be an arrogant invasion of divine authority. However, this begs a question. Stott points out, "If He were indeed divine, to forgive sins was His prerogotive."
2. They accused Him of evil associations. He dealt with publicans, ate with sinners, and let harlots approoach Him. "No Pharisee," says Stott, "would dream of such behaviour. He would gather his skirts around him and recoil from such scum. He would have thought himself righteous for doing so, too. He would not appreciate the grace and tenderness of Jesus who, though 'separate from sinners', yet earned the honored title 'friend of sinners'."
3. They accused His religion of being frivolous. He didn't fast as the Pharisees did, or even the disciples of His friend John the Baptist did. He was called a 'glutton and a drunkard' who 'came eating and drinking' (Matthew 11:19). "Such an attack hardly deserves a serious refutation. That Jesus was full of joy is true, but there can be no doubt that He took religion seriously," Stott tells us.
4. They accused Him of sabbath-breaking. He would heal people of their illnessess on the sabbath, and His disciples even walked through cornfields on the sabbath, plucking, rubbing, and eating corn, which the Pharisees forbade as tantamount to reaping and threshing. "Yet no one," Stott says, "can doubt that Jesus was submissive to God's law. He obeyed it Himself, and in controversy He refferred His opponants to it is the arbiter. He also confirmed that God had made the sabbath, and that He made it for man's benefit. But being himself 'lord of the sabbath' (Luke 6:5), He claimed the right to set aside the false traditions of men and to give to God's law its true interpretation." 

It is plain that all of these accusations are either trivial or question-begging. Therefore, when Jesus was on trial for his life, his enemies were forced to hire liars and false witnessess against Him. "But even then, they didn't agree with one another. In fact, the only charge they could manufacture against Him was not moral but political. And as the stately prisoner came before men for a verdict, again and again he was pronounced righteous. Pilate...publically washed his hands and declared himself 'innocent of this man's blood' (Matthew 27:24). Herod could find no fault with Him (Luke 23:15). Judas the traitor, filled with remorse, returned the thirty pieces of silver to the priests with the words 'I have sinned in betraying innocent blood' (Matthew 27:3-4). The penitent thief on the cross rebuked his confederate for his abuse and added, 'this man has done nothing wrong' (Luke 23:41). Finally, the centurion, having watched Jesus suffer and die, exclaimed, 'Certainly this man was innocent' (Luke 23:47)."

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IV. What We Can See For Ourselves. In conclusion, Stott reminds us that "in assessing the character of Jesus, we do not need to rely only on the testimony of others; we can make our own estimate. The moral perfection which was quietly claimed by Him, confidently asserted by His freidns and reluctantly acknowledged by His enemies, is clearly exhibited in the Gospels." Consider the following examples...

• Whether scaling the dizzy heights of success or plunged into the depths of bitter rejection alone, He is the same Jesus. He is consistent. He has no moods. He does not change.
• There is in Him no trace of the crank. He believes ardently what He teaches, but He is not a fanatic. His doctrine is unpopular, but He is not eccentric.
• There is as much evidence for His humanity as there is for His divinity. He gets tired. He needs to sleep and eat and drink like other men. He experiences the human emotions of love and anger, joy and sorrow. He is fully human. Yet He is no mere man.
• Above all, He was unselfish... Although believing Himself to be divine, He did not put on airs or stand on His dignity. He was never pompous. There is no touch of self-importance about Jesus. He was humble... He exhibited both the greatest self-esteem and the greatest self-sacrifice. He knew Himself to be Lord of all, but He became their servant. He said He was going to judge the world, but He washed His apostles' feet.

"Such a man is altogether beyond our reach. He succeeded where we invariably fail. He had complete self-mastery. He never retaliated. He never grew resentful or irritable. He had such control of Himself that, whatever men might think or say or do, He would deny Himself and abandon Himself to the will of God and the welfare of mankind. 'I seek not my own will', He said, and 'I seek not my own glory'. 

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"This utter disregard of self in the service of God and man is what the Bible calls love. There is no self-interest in love.The essence of love is self-sacrifice. The worst of men is adorned by an occasional flash of such nobility, but the life of Jesus irradiated it with a never-fading incadescent glow."

~

"Jesus was sinless because He was selfless. Such selflessness is love. And God is love."

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Persevero,

Scribe

Mission: Impossible

Here's the trailer for the spy thriller Mission: Impossible (1996). As you watch it, you'll see a part where one of the characters is wire-dropping (he's in a high-security CIA vault in quest of a computer disc with vital information, in case you're wondering). The scene is pretty brief, so watch closely. After you're done, your next mission is to click here to see the Poff Clan's rendition of this suspenseful scene. I think you'll find it rather amusing...

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Persevero,

Scribe

Hail, Burger King

Courtesy of Student News Daily

From the School Library...

"Because of more and more media, we have become a sound-bite society, an advertisement society, a talk show society. Today, what we say does not have to be thoughtful and conclusive; it just has to be said now, while the microphone is still on. In a culture like ours, the ability to be a fast talker is more valued than the ability to be a reasoned and weighty talker. In this talk show society, it seems that the quantity of language has become more important than the quality."

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"Ideas today no longer need to be expressed in full sentences. Rather, the ideas of today seem to come out in a continuous flow of ongoing language. Sooner or later the idea seems to be 'out there', and then the word-stream stops"

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"In the past, the carefully structured sentence was the medium for encapsulating and precision-stating our thoughts. Today, precision and structure seem less important than the ability to 'wax eloquent' at the drop of a hat... Precision becomes less important; spontaneous expression of opinion becomes all-in-all."

~ Robert Einarsson in Chapter I of Traditional English Sentence Style


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Persevero,
Scribe

Obama's First Six Months' Accomplishments

I was recently forwarded an article listing Obama's accomplishments during his first six months in office as President of the United States...

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1. Offended the Queen of England.

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2. Bowed to the King of Saudi Arabia.

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3. Praised the Marxist Daniel Ortega.

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4. Kissed Socialist Hugo Chavez on the cheek.

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5. Endorsed the Socialist Evo Morales of Bolivia.

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6. Sided with Hugo Chavez and Communist Fidel Castro against Honduras.

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7. Announced we would meet with Iranians with no pre-conditions while

they're building their nuclear weapons.

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8. Gave away billions to AIG also without pre-conditions.

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9. Expanded the bailouts.

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10. Insulted everyone who has ever loved a Special Olympian.

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11. Doubled our national debt.

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12. Announced the termination of our new missile defense system the day after North Korea launched an ICBM.

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13. Released information on U.S. intelligence gathering despite urgings of his own CIA director and the prior four CIA directors.

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14. Accepted without comment that five of his cabinet members cheated on their taxes and two other nominees withdrew after they couldn't take the heat.

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15. Appointed a Homeland Security Chief who identified military veterans and abortion opponents as "dangers to the nation."

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16. Ordered that the word "terrorism" no longer be used and instead

refers to such acts as "man made disasters."

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17. Circled the globe to publicly apologize for America's world leadership.

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18. Told the Mexican president that the violence in their country was

because of us.

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19. Politicized the census by moving it into the White House from the

Department of Commerce.

~

20. Appointed as Attorney General the man who orchestrated the forced removal and expulsion to Cuba of a 9-year-old whose mother died trying to bring him to freedom in the United States.

~

21. Salutes as heroes three Navy SEALS who took down three terrorists who threatened one American life and the next day announces members of the Bush administration may stand trial for "torturing" three 9/11 terrorists by pouring water up their noses.

~

22. Low altitude photo shoot of Air Force One over New York City that

frightened thousands of New Yorkers.

~

23. Sent his National Defense Advisor to Europe to assure them that the US will no longer treat Israel in a special manner and they might be on their own with the Muslims.

~

24. Praised Jimmy Carter's trip to Gaza where he sided with terrorist

Hamas against Israel.

~

25. Nationalized General Motors and Chrysler while turning shareholder

control over to the unions and freezing out retired investors who owned

their bonds. Committed unlimited taxpayer billions in the process.

~

26. Passed a huge energy tax in the House that will make American

industry even less competitive while costing homeowners thousands per year.

~

27. Announced nationalized health care "reform" that will strip seniors

of their Medicare, cut pay of physicians, increase taxes yet another $1

trillion, and put everyone on rationed care with government bureaucrats deciding who gets care and who doesn't.

~

28. Has named 32 "CZARS" into power thereby circumventing the Senate and the Congress (the ELECTED officials). There has been NO vetting of these people (see Van Jones a self proclaimed communist) and remember they wield incredible power answering only to the Whitehouse.

~

Well, there you have it. It's truly alarming to see how much damage he did to America in so short an amount of time. 

~

GOD BLESS AMERICA

GOD SAVE AMERICA

* * *

Persevero,

Scribe

Their Mt. Rushmore

Courtesy of American Thinker

"A Son's Most Precious Inheritance"

You got it from your father.

It was all he had to give.

So it's yours to use and cherish

For as long as you may live.

~

If you lose the tools he gave you

They can always be replaced.

But a black mark on your name, Son,

Can never be erased.

~

So make sure you guard it wisely

After all is said and done.

You'll be glad your name is spotless

When you give it to your son.


~ Author Unknown


* * *
Persevero,
Scribe

"In Christ Alone" by Newsboys

From the School Library...

"Your Imperial Majesty and Your Lordships demand simple answer. Here it is, plain and unvarnished. Unless I am convicted of error by the testimony of Scripture or (since I put no trust in the unsupported authority of Popes or councils, since it is plain that they have often erred and often contradicted themselves) by manifest reasoning, I stand convicted by the Scriptures to which I have appealed, and my conscience is taken captive by God's word, I cannot and will not recant anything, for to act against our conscience is neither safe, nor open to us.

~

"On this I take my stand. I can do no other. God help me. Amen."

~ Excerpt from Martin Luther's speech 

at the Diet of Worms (1521)

* * * 

Persevero,

Scribe

Created for Work ~ Chapter 15 "How Could It Be My Fault?"

Self-defense is instinctive in most of us. When confronted in any kind of threatening manner, our first reaction is to get into a fighting stance; to let fly a right swing and a left jab. This instinct can be a good thing. At the same time, it can be a bad thing...

~

Self-defense can be good thing if your accosted by a thug in a dark alley at night. In such a situation, it is usually best to let loose with whatever weapons are handy, whether that's your .38 Special, rocks, your pocket-knife, or your fists. Now, I seriously doubt any of you have ever  had to get rough with a thug in a dark alley at night. However, there is another kind of self-defense - the bad kind - which we all use quite often in everyday situations - at home, at work, at school, or at play. And it's this kind of self-defense that Bob Schultz addresses in Chapter 15 of Created for Work.

~

When somebody blames us for a problem, what is too often our first reaction? We get defensive. We "let loose" with a string of hot words, indignantly pointing out that "it's not my fault". This is the bad kind of 'self-defense' I was talking about, and it's rooted in an "I just can't bear to be wrong" attitude - in other words, it's rooted in three things:

1. Pride. We feel that if someone proves us wrong, it will damage our ego. 
2. Arrogance. We think we "know it all" and therefore we can't possibly be wrong.
3. Stubbornness. We refuse to acknowledge our fault, even in the face of evidence.

Everybody struggles with these things to some extent or another. Pride, arrogance, and stubbornness are sin, and sin is inherent to man's nature. However, Christians are called to something different than sin and wickedness; they are called to overcome their inherent nature through Christ, and to "put off the old man with his deeds, and... put on the new man which is renewed in knowledge after the image of Him that created him." (Col. 3:10) 

~

So, instead of automatically jumping the gun when trouble comes our way and shouting "It's not my fault!", we should stop, pray, and really consider what we're faced with. God will give wisdom to those who humbly ask Him. When a problem is considered in a prayerful way, God often reveals to us facets of the situation of which we were not aware. Sometimes, you might just find that you were in fact the one to blame. Schultz says, "We have the tendency to see the faults of others before considering our own shortcomings. Convinced of our right standing, we are blind to the fact that we might be part or even the whole problem."  Many people (and I've been among them at times), when faced with this, simply bluster and storm about it, choosing to be stubborn and hard-headed, which only increases the strife. This is not the way to handle things. The way to handle things is with humility. This all-important weapon of the Christian faith is one of the greatest ways we can combat pride. It will open many doors which pride closes. It is requisite to fighting the good fight of faith.

~

 Therefore, "the next time you have a disagreement with somebody, or perhaps have some other trouble on your hands, pause and ask yourself, 'Am I part of the problem?'... It's the godly man who looks for his own foot before he criticizes somebody else."

~

"Who can understand his errors? cleanse thou me from secret faults."

- Psalm 19:12

* * *

Persevero,

Scribe

Basic Christianity - Chapter 2 "The Claims of Christ"

Note: as you read this, keep in mind that Basic Christianity is addressed mainly to the skeptics, those who doubt or challenge Christianity. Remembering this fact will put many of Stott's statements into perspective...

~

In Chapter 2 of Basic Christianity, John Stott begins by stressing this all-important fact: when enquiring into Christianity, we must begin with Jesus Christ Himself. We can't start our search anywhere else. Here are the two principle reasons why:

~

I. "Essentially, Christianity is Christ. The person and work of Christ are the rock upon which the Christian religion is built. If He is not who He said He was, if He did not do what He said He had come to do, the foundation is undermined and the whole superstructure is collapsed.  Take Christ from Christianity, and you disembowel it. Christ is the centre of Christianity; all else is circumference. We are not concerned primarily to discuss the nature of His philosophy, the value of His system, or the quality of His ethic. Our concern is fundamentally with the character of His person. Who was He?"

~

II. "If Jesus Christ can be shown to have been a uniquely divine person, many other problems begin naturally to be solved. The existence of God is proved and the character of God revealed if Jesus was divine. Again questions about man's duty and destiny, life after death, the purpose and authority of the Old Testament and the meaning of the cross begin to be answered because Jesus taught about these things, and His teaching must be true if His person was divine."

~

This said, we will use the Stott continues by reminding us that "our purpose is to marshal evidence to prove that Jesus was the Son of God... only so could He be worthy not just of our admiration but of our worship."

~

This evidence, Stott tells us, "is at least threefold: it concerns the claims He made, the character He displayed and His resurrection from the dead. No one argument is conclusive. But the three converging lines point unfalteringly to the same conclusion."

~

So, right now we'll start with Evidence #1: the Claims of Christ. These can be divided into four different kinds of claim: His Self-Centered Teaching, His Direct Claims, His Indirect Claims, and His Dramatized Claims...

~

I. His Self-Centered Teaching. "The most striking feature of the teaching of Jesus," Stott points out, "is that He was constantly talking about Himself." This instantly sets Him apart from other religious leaders, who were always self-effacing rather than self-advancing. Jesus declared... 

• that Abraham had rejoiced to see His day (John 8:56)
• that Moses had written about Him (John 5:46)
• that the Scriptures bore witness to Him (John 5:39)
• that in the three great divisions of the Old Testament (the law, the prophets, and the writings) there were things concerning Him (Luke 24:27,44)
• that to believe in Him was man's chief duty and that to deny Him was man's chief sin (John 8:24) 
• that the Holy Spirit would testify of Him (John 15:26)  
• that those who would believe on Him would find eternal life. (John 3:36)   

II. His Direct Claims. Jesus did not hesitate to make very direct claims concerning His deity, His Messiahship, and His oneness with God Father. Stott says, "So close was His identification with God [the Father] that it was natural for Him to equate man's attitude to Himself with  his attitude to God. Thus, 

• to know Him was to know God (John 14:7)
• to see Him was to see God (John 14:9; 12:45)
• to believe in Him was to believe in God (John 12:44; 14:1)
• to receive Him was to receive God (Mark 9:37)
• to hate Him was to hate God (John 15:23)
• to honor Him was to honor God. (John 5:23) 

These are some of the general claims which Jesus made to a unique relationship with God [the Father]." 

~

III. His Indirect Claims. "Christ's claim to deity," Stott says, "was advanced as forcefully by indirect as by direct means. Of these, four may be mentioned..."

• He claimed the power to forgive sins (Mark 2:1-12; Luke 7:36)
• He claimed the power to bestow life (John 6:35; 11:25; 14:6; 15:4-5; 17:2; 5:21)
• He claimed the power to teach the truth (John 7:46; Luke 4:32; Matthew 7:28-29)
• He claimed the power to judge the world (John 5:22, 28-29; Matthew 25:31-46)

All of these are powers which God alone possesses. Therefore, by declaring these powers to be His powers, He declares Himself to be divine.

~

IV. His Dramatized Claims. By this, we are referring to the recorded miracles of Jesus Christ.  Stott tells us, "This is no place for a thorough discussion of the possibility and purpose of miracles. It is sufficient to indicate that the value of Christ's miracles lies less in their supernatural character than in their spiritual significance. They were 'signs' as well as 'wonders'. They were never performed selfishly or senselessly. Their purpose was not to show off or compel submission. They were not so much demonstrations of physical power as illustrations of moral authority. They were are in fact the acted parables of Jesus. They exhibit His claims visually. His works dramatize His words." Here are several examples...

• The feeding of the five-thousand (John 6:1-13) advanced Christ's claim to satisfy the hunger of the human heart (John 6:35).
• The opening the eyes of a man born blind (John 9:1-7) demonstrated Christ's claim to open men's eyes to see and know God (John 9:39)
• The raising of Lazarus from the dead (John 11:14-45) illustrated Christ's claim to be the life of a believer before death and the resurrection of a believer after death (John 11:25-26)

Conclusion
At the end of Chapter 2, John Stott reminds us that we cannot eliminate these claims from the teaching of Jesus Christ; neither can we say that these claims were merely inventions or exaggerations. "They are widely and evenly distributed in the Gospels and the sources of the Gospels, and the portrait is too consistent and too balanced to have been imagined." 

~

Of course the claims in and of themselves are not evidence enough of deity. They could have been false. However, we must find some explanation for them. "We can no longer regard Jesus as simply a great teacher if He was completely mistaken in one of the chief subjects of His teaching - Himself." 

~

We must then inevitably ask the question 'Was Jesus an impostor? Did He claim a divine authority He had no right to claim?' "This," Stott says, "is very difficult to believe. There is something guileless about Jesus. He hated hypocrisy in others and was transparently sincere Himself." 

~

'Was He then mistaken?' we ask, 'Did He simply have deluded notions about Himself?' Stott answers, "This possibility has its protagonists, but one suspects that their delusion is greater than His. Jesus does not give the impression of abnormality which one expects to find in the deluded. His character appears to support His claims, and it is in this sphere that we must now pursue our investigation."

* * *

Persevero,

Scribe