Two Little Feet

This past week my blazer has had two small gold feet pinned to its lapel. Most people do not recognize it, yet for those who do they are quite astonished because this tiny pair of feet, however detailed down to the smallest toe, is a replica of a ten week old fetus's feet. On the one hand they are small and delicate and incense a feeling of warmth and caring inside those I would call human. On the other hand they are a stark reminder that these fetus's are living beings having distinctive bodily characteristics at ten weeks! A reminder that drives to the heart of those (and few do not fit this category) who have not had to come to terms with the outcome of this creature's existence.

This past Sunday Shelley Lee, who runs the Fort Worth Pregnancy Center, spoke at my church sense it was sanctity of life Sunday. She gave a reminder to all who were present of the problem which is in our own houses. She had a scroll of footprints that represented every child aborted in Tarrant County Texas last year. The scroll ran from one side of our large sanctuary to the other representing 20,000 abortions. It was a touching moment, a moment to see that Christians are not winning this battle.

The prevalent attitude, especially with the younger people, is that of apathy. They are moved by a story and say, "Gee that is sad" or "God please help them" then forget about it when their stomachs are calling for lunch. Now that is something I cannot stomach.

In 1984 George Orwell shows a society who had been conditioned to believe, rather passionately, whatever they were most recently told to believe. In fact he shows that in a matter of less than an hour feelings and loyalties changed 100%. His book was horrific, but if Christians do not begin screaming at the top of their lungs are problems will only increase. We think we have done something great since George W. Has gone to office. We are slowly making a move, but the Liberal media is trumping our every effort.

What to I propose? Pray and ask for the holy Spirit's help. Become active. Know the issues. Speak about the issues to your family, your friends and enemies. Speak out any chance you can. Write a book. Write an article, a letter to the editor, a letter to your Senator. Let your voice be heard. If you get opposition bear it. It is your Cross.

Our lives are not comfortable anymore. It is time to make a decision of who is most important. We are losing the battle on abortion. 35 million babies have been killed. Do we need another 35 million?

An Augustine Quote

"A love that strains after the possession of the loved object is desire; and the love that possesses and enjoys that object is joy. The love that shuns what opposes it is fear, while the love that feels that opposition when it happens is grief.

Consequently, these feelings are bad, if the love is bad, and good if the love is good."

St. Augustine
City of God 14, 7

Observations about Politics & Government

1.) Suppose you were an idiot. And suppose you were a member of Congress. But then I repeat myself.............Mark Twain

2) I contend that for a nation to try to tax itself into prosperity is like a man standing in a bucket and trying to lift himself up by the handle.........Winston Churchill

3) A government which robs Peter to pay Paul can always depend on the support of Paul..............George Bernard Shaw

4) A liberal is someone who feels a great debt to his fellow man, which debt he proposes to pay off with your money.............G. Gordon Liddy

5) Democracy must be something more than two wolves and a sheep voting onwhat to have for dinner.............James Bovard, Civil Libertarian (1994)

6) Foreign aid might be defined as a transfer of money from poor people in rich countries to rich people in poor countries.......Douglas Casey, Classmate of Bill Clinton at Georgetown University

7) Government is the great fiction, through which everybody endeavors to live at the expense of everybody else...........Frederic Bastiat, French Economist (1801-1850)

8) Government's view of the economy could be summed up in a few shortphrases: If it moves, tax it. If it keeps moving, regulate it. And if it stops moving, subsidize it..........Ronald Reagan (1986)

9) If you think health care is expensive now, wait until you see what it costs when it's free..........P.J. O'Rourke

10) In general, the art of government consists of taking as much money as possible from one party of the citizens to give to the other.........Voltaire (1764)

11) No man's life, liberty, or property is safe while the legislature is in session.....Mark Twain (1866)

12) The government is like a baby's alimentary canal, with a happy appetite at one end and no responsibility at the other.........Ronald Reagan

13) The only difference between a tax man and a taxidermist is that the taxidermist leaves the skin......Mark Twain

14) The ultimate result of shielding men from the effects of folly is to fill the world with fools........Herbert Spencer, English Philosopher (1820-1903)

15) There is no distinctly native American criminal class...save Congress......Mark Twain

16) What this country needs are more unemployed politicians........Edward Langley, Artist (1928 - 1995)

17) The inherent vice of capitalism is the unequal sharing of the blessings. The inherent blessing of socialism is the equal sharing of misery......................Winston Churchill

Pat Robertson and Ariel Sharon

I do not intend to become involved in the issues of the Middle East. They are far more complex than I can understand. The Few people, and I mean few, that I know from over there all give different pictures of their world. It is one I cannot comprehend. However, it is a place a extreme significance for any Bible reader, especially for Pat Robertson.

If you have not heard, he proclaimed that the health issues concerning Minister Ariel Sharon "was divine retribution for the Israeli withdrawal from Gaza." You can see (however you view this issue) that this statement is quite inflammatory, as it was taken by much of the world. The White House has spoken out against his statement and with good reason.

I am not saying this is not an act of God. It could be a possibility. His way are mysterious, especially concerning the future of the Middle East (and I am no dispensationalist). However the reasoning for the comment from Mr. Robertson is as follows:

"God says, 'This land belongs to me, and you'd better leave it alone,'"

and later:

"According to The Associated Press, Robertson spokeswoman Angell Watts said of people who criticized the comments: 'What they're basically saying is, "How dare Pat Robertson quote the Bible?"'
"'This is what the word of God says," Watts told the AP. "This is nothing new to the Christian community.'"

This last statement is one that is appalling to me. This guy needs to review his hermeneutics (interpreting) skills. Am I wrong? Please let me know.

Meritocracy

I came across a new word today: meritocracy.

1. A system in which advancement is based on individual ability or achievement.

2. a. A group of leaders or officeholders selected on the basis of individual ability or
achievement.
b. Leadership by such a group.

It put a whole new spin on my view of education. I was reading an article in Newsweek which compared the educational systems of Eastern Asia to the U.S. It claims that the Asian countries far exceed the U.S. in mathematics and sciences, however, these talented students do not do much with it. The difference: motivation.

This lead me to consider motivating factors in my education, and further, my faith. America is a place were achievements drive and abilities steer our paths. This has been the ethos with which most of our advancements occurred. It is a good thing for our country, our education, our everyday life. It is a bad thing for our faith.

This same system that drives America is not one that can be turned off at will, it is an ever present blessing and curse that Americans all exhibit in some degree. Sadly it carries over into our churches and our personal faith. We strive to do the next best thing for God. Much of contemporary piety (if there even is such a thing) is driven by this ambition. Others in the past have called it works.

It is a sad reminder that America is a meritocracy, especially in our churches. What we should seek after is a Theocracy.