MCCAIN PREFERRED AS COMMANDER IN CHIEF
"in fairness to everybody here", a poll showS that, 53 to 42 percent, Americans think McCain is better suited to be commander in chief. Tom Brokaw, "Meet the Press" interview with Steve Schmidt and David Axelrod.
Tuesday, September 30, 2008
Monday, September 29, 2008
DESIRING GOD CONFERENCE
The Desiring God conference is over. One of these days, d.v., I will make it there. Anyway, video and blogs of the event are already posted. Timmy Brister is a good place to start. Go here for lots of links. Thanks, Timmy.
One of the things to commend about John Piper and Desiring God is how much they make available free. All of Piper's sermons are online free. Conference material is made available free. Since the conferences cost money and travel is expensive and some of us have to work, this is a great boon, especially the video.
Besides, how can you not like a guy that speaks to a national audience in a $5 sport coat?
So, enjoy and learn from some great speakers.
The Desiring God conference is over. One of these days, d.v., I will make it there. Anyway, video and blogs of the event are already posted. Timmy Brister is a good place to start. Go here for lots of links. Thanks, Timmy.
One of the things to commend about John Piper and Desiring God is how much they make available free. All of Piper's sermons are online free. Conference material is made available free. Since the conferences cost money and travel is expensive and some of us have to work, this is a great boon, especially the video.
Besides, how can you not like a guy that speaks to a national audience in a $5 sport coat?
So, enjoy and learn from some great speakers.
Thursday, September 25, 2008
BACK FROM BRECKENRIDGE
I am back from beautiful Breckenridge, Colorado. I would liked to have blogged, but had no internet service in my condo. The lobby of the resort complex had one computer with internet service, but you had to stand at a desk to use it.
The Little Woman and I had a good time relaxing and enjoying the cool mountain air. It was our first trip without children. Sorry, children. But we had a great time. I was a little worried that the Little Woman would find my personality grating after a few days with no distractions, but she says she did not. (She did go to work really early today, but I'm sure that is coincidence.)
I hope to post some photographs, but have to find the USB cable for the camera first.
Wednesday, September 17, 2008
Go here to see pictures of the Texas Coast before and after Hurricane Ike. You can really see the damage and erosion when you compare the pictures.
ELECTORAL VOTES
As you know, it is not the popular vote that actually determines who wins the presidential election. It is the electoral college. Pollster projects the electoral votes on a map. They currently show the Democrats with 243 electoral votes, the Republicans 208, and 87 in the "toss up" category.
As you know, it is not the popular vote that actually determines who wins the presidential election. It is the electoral college. Pollster projects the electoral votes on a map. They currently show the Democrats with 243 electoral votes, the Republicans 208, and 87 in the "toss up" category.
ELECTION NEWS
I have not been very excited about this campaign season, so forgive me for the lack of posting on it. However, Gallup shows Obama ahead of McCain by 4% today, 48-44. I'd say that means the bounce McCain got for the convention and the Pallin nomination is over, at least among those Gallup polled.
I have not been very excited about this campaign season, so forgive me for the lack of posting on it. However, Gallup shows Obama ahead of McCain by 4% today, 48-44. I'd say that means the bounce McCain got for the convention and the Pallin nomination is over, at least among those Gallup polled.
JOHN STOTT
If you do not subscribe to John Stott’s daily email, you should. Here is today’s:
In saying that saving faith includes obedience, I mean that in true faith there is an element of submission. Faith is directed towards a Person. It is in fact a complete commitment to this Person involving not only an acceptance of what is offered but a humble surrender to what is or may be demanded. The bent knee is as much a part of saving faith as the open hand. --From 'Must Christ be Lord and Savior?' "Eternity" (September 1959), p. 17.
You can subscribe by going to the website for Langham Partnership International. Scroll down and look for the boxes on the right. His daily Bible study is also worth taking if you have time to read it. They take parts of his published commentaries on Bible Books and break them up into tasty bite sized pieces. I subscribe to both.
Monday, September 15, 2008
REDEMPTION IN EXODUS
I heard a sermon recently from Exodus 1-2, regarding the command of Pharaoh to kill the male babies of Hebrew women. The preacher did not mention it, but this passage started me thinking of God’s sovereignty, and, especially, God’s sovereignty in redemption.
Here is the story. Pharaoh gave the order to the Hebrew midwives. The midwives refused to do it. Then, Pharaoh said that everyone in Egypt must kill any male Hebrew child. At that point, Moses’ parents put him in a basket and hid him among the reeds in the river. The daughter of Pharaoh found the basket and decided to keep the child. She unknowingly hired Moses’ mother to nurse him and take care of him. He able to stay with his family until he “grew up”, then moved to the palace. Thus, he had a Hebrew upbringing and then learned the ways of the Egyptian court.
I try to read the Bible theologically. Reading the Bible theologically means reading with a focus on God. Focusing on God, rather than the midwives, brings God’s sovereignty into focus.
In this case, God determined to redeem the Hebrews from slavery in Egypt. He chose Moses to effect this redemption. When God is doing his will, nothing can stop him. Consider his words in Isaiah 14:24:
The Lord of hosts has sworn:
“As I have planned,
so shall it be,
and as I have purposed,
so shall it stand,
Pharaoh tried to stop God's redemptive plan by killing the Hebrew boys. Daniel 4:35 says:
all the inhabitants of the earth are accounted as nothing,
and he does according to his will among the host of heaven
and among the inhabitants of the earth;
and none can stay his hand
or say to him, “What have you done?”
God put in place two midwives who would not allow it. Pharaoh enlisted all of Egypt to kill the Hebrew boys, but God moved the heart of Moses’ parents to hide him in faith that God would care for him (Hebrews 11:23). Then God moved the heart of Pharaoh’s own daughter to care for the child.
I love irony and evidently God does too. He said, in effect, ok, you want to oppose me, I’ll use your very household to carry out my plan. In fact, I’ll not only use your household to raise my redeemer, I’ll have you pay his mother to care for him, so I’ll use your treasury, too. That is great stuff.
God purposed to bring about the redemption of Israel and he did. God purposes to bring about the redemption of all who believe in his son, Jesus Christ, and he will. It took many years for Israel to see its redemption. Israel lived in Egypt for 430 years and spent 40 years wandering in the wilderness before crossing the Jordan River and touching the soil of Canaan, the promised land, the land of redemption.
Today we toil and struggle and cannot see our redemption. We possess it by faith. But the day will come when Jordan’s shores will be experienced. Because God is sovereign and because he said he would do it, we know it is true, just as it was true for the Hebrews of old.
I heard a sermon recently from Exodus 1-2, regarding the command of Pharaoh to kill the male babies of Hebrew women. The preacher did not mention it, but this passage started me thinking of God’s sovereignty, and, especially, God’s sovereignty in redemption.
Here is the story. Pharaoh gave the order to the Hebrew midwives. The midwives refused to do it. Then, Pharaoh said that everyone in Egypt must kill any male Hebrew child. At that point, Moses’ parents put him in a basket and hid him among the reeds in the river. The daughter of Pharaoh found the basket and decided to keep the child. She unknowingly hired Moses’ mother to nurse him and take care of him. He able to stay with his family until he “grew up”, then moved to the palace. Thus, he had a Hebrew upbringing and then learned the ways of the Egyptian court.
I try to read the Bible theologically. Reading the Bible theologically means reading with a focus on God. Focusing on God, rather than the midwives, brings God’s sovereignty into focus.
In this case, God determined to redeem the Hebrews from slavery in Egypt. He chose Moses to effect this redemption. When God is doing his will, nothing can stop him. Consider his words in Isaiah 14:24:
The Lord of hosts has sworn:
“As I have planned,
so shall it be,
and as I have purposed,
so shall it stand,
Pharaoh tried to stop God's redemptive plan by killing the Hebrew boys. Daniel 4:35 says:
all the inhabitants of the earth are accounted as nothing,
and he does according to his will among the host of heaven
and among the inhabitants of the earth;
and none can stay his hand
or say to him, “What have you done?”
God put in place two midwives who would not allow it. Pharaoh enlisted all of Egypt to kill the Hebrew boys, but God moved the heart of Moses’ parents to hide him in faith that God would care for him (Hebrews 11:23). Then God moved the heart of Pharaoh’s own daughter to care for the child.
I love irony and evidently God does too. He said, in effect, ok, you want to oppose me, I’ll use your very household to carry out my plan. In fact, I’ll not only use your household to raise my redeemer, I’ll have you pay his mother to care for him, so I’ll use your treasury, too. That is great stuff.
God purposed to bring about the redemption of Israel and he did. God purposes to bring about the redemption of all who believe in his son, Jesus Christ, and he will. It took many years for Israel to see its redemption. Israel lived in Egypt for 430 years and spent 40 years wandering in the wilderness before crossing the Jordan River and touching the soil of Canaan, the promised land, the land of redemption.
Today we toil and struggle and cannot see our redemption. We possess it by faith. But the day will come when Jordan’s shores will be experienced. Because God is sovereign and because he said he would do it, we know it is true, just as it was true for the Hebrews of old.
R.I.P. CHURCH OF ENGLAND
The Director of Mission and Public Affairs of the Church of England has decided the church needs to issue an apology to Charles Darwin. I knew things were bad there, but I did not know they were this bad. It is over for the C.O.E. It is dead. It may flop around for a while in death throes, but it is dead, a smelly rotten corpse instead of the Body of Christ.
John Murray wrote "The moment we posit the existence of anything independent of God in its derivation of factual being, in that moment we have denied the divine sovereignty." The C.O.E. has chosen to deny the Creator, the Divine Sovereignty.
What a shame to the memories of great Anglican theologians of the past, of men who bled and died to bring the Bible to England in English, to establish freedom to read the Bible and worship this same Creator. What a shame to men of that church who have preached and written great books, sermons and hymns for the glory of this Creator, now denied. Like a bad son, the current bishops have brought shame and dishonor on their spiritual fathers.
If the Apostle Paul could only come to London. He could dust off his speech to the pagan Athenians: "God that made the world and all things therein, seeing that he is Lord of heaven and earth, does not dwell in temples made with hands" (Acts 17:24).
Paul also said the Creator called on all men everywhere to repent. Church of England, heed the call.
The Director of Mission and Public Affairs of the Church of England has decided the church needs to issue an apology to Charles Darwin. I knew things were bad there, but I did not know they were this bad. It is over for the C.O.E. It is dead. It may flop around for a while in death throes, but it is dead, a smelly rotten corpse instead of the Body of Christ.
John Murray wrote "The moment we posit the existence of anything independent of God in its derivation of factual being, in that moment we have denied the divine sovereignty." The C.O.E. has chosen to deny the Creator, the Divine Sovereignty.
What a shame to the memories of great Anglican theologians of the past, of men who bled and died to bring the Bible to England in English, to establish freedom to read the Bible and worship this same Creator. What a shame to men of that church who have preached and written great books, sermons and hymns for the glory of this Creator, now denied. Like a bad son, the current bishops have brought shame and dishonor on their spiritual fathers.
If the Apostle Paul could only come to London. He could dust off his speech to the pagan Athenians: "God that made the world and all things therein, seeing that he is Lord of heaven and earth, does not dwell in temples made with hands" (Acts 17:24).
Paul also said the Creator called on all men everywhere to repent. Church of England, heed the call.
Whitesmoke Update
Whitesmoke contacted me today and advised they contacted their email marketer and stopped them from spamming me. I have not received any email advertisements from them today, as opposed to received many every day for the last few weeks. They did not respond quickly, but they did respond and I have to give them credit for that.
I also have spam from other guys that do not comply with the federal legislation. It requires the emails to provide a way to "unsubscribe". Many of the do not. Even the ones that do are not always effective. I often unsubscribe, but still get the email from other senders.
The battle continues.
Whitesmoke contacted me today and advised they contacted their email marketer and stopped them from spamming me. I have not received any email advertisements from them today, as opposed to received many every day for the last few weeks. They did not respond quickly, but they did respond and I have to give them credit for that.
I also have spam from other guys that do not comply with the federal legislation. It requires the emails to provide a way to "unsubscribe". Many of the do not. Even the ones that do are not always effective. I often unsubscribe, but still get the email from other senders.
The battle continues.
SARAH PALIN CORRECTION
It has been pointed out to me that the comparison I posted between Palin and Teddy Roosevelt was not really accurate, because, although those facts were true, they were not the full story. Roosevelt had much more experience that the comparison ignores. My friend, who prefers to remain anonymous, points to David Frum's comments on this comparison, which are apt, so I'll just quote him:
"And can we please stop this silly TR analogy? In 1900, Theodore Roosevelt had already (1) established himself as one of the country's leading experts on military affairs, (2) served as Assistant Secretary of the Navy and worked ferociously to modernize the American fleet, (3) taken on the then-overwhelming problem of corruption both as New York police commissioner and as a civil service commissioner (in the latter job he was so successful that he was re-appointed by a Democratic president), (4) raised and led a regiment in war, and (5) been elected governor of the nation's largest state. "Nobody said "Teddy WHO?" when the Republicans put him on the ticket ..."
Good point.
It has been pointed out to me that the comparison I posted between Palin and Teddy Roosevelt was not really accurate, because, although those facts were true, they were not the full story. Roosevelt had much more experience that the comparison ignores. My friend, who prefers to remain anonymous, points to David Frum's comments on this comparison, which are apt, so I'll just quote him:
"And can we please stop this silly TR analogy? In 1900, Theodore Roosevelt had already (1) established himself as one of the country's leading experts on military affairs, (2) served as Assistant Secretary of the Navy and worked ferociously to modernize the American fleet, (3) taken on the then-overwhelming problem of corruption both as New York police commissioner and as a civil service commissioner (in the latter job he was so successful that he was re-appointed by a Democratic president), (4) raised and led a regiment in war, and (5) been elected governor of the nation's largest state. "Nobody said "Teddy WHO?" when the Republicans put him on the ticket ..."
Good point.
Friday, September 12, 2008
Tuesday, September 09, 2008
Monday, September 08, 2008
TROPICAL STORMS
Centurion does the math and finds "we have had 36.36% fewer tropical depressions this year" so far.
Centurion does the math and finds "we have had 36.36% fewer tropical depressions this year" so far.
143 DAYS
From the time Barack Obama was sworn in as a United State Senator, to the time he announced he was forming a Presidential exploratory committee, he logged 143 days of experience in the Senate. After 143 days of work experience, Obama believed he was ready to be President of the United States and Commander In Chief. Just think what he'd be qualified for if he had actually worked for a full term.
Friday, September 05, 2008
QUOTE OF THE DAY
"The road must be trod, but it will be very hard. And neither strength nor wisdom will carry us far upon it. This quest may be attempted by the weak with as much hope as the strong. Yet such is oft the course of deeds that move the wheels of the world: small hands do them because they must, while the eyes of the great are elsewhere." Elrond
"The road must be trod, but it will be very hard. And neither strength nor wisdom will carry us far upon it. This quest may be attempted by the weak with as much hope as the strong. Yet such is oft the course of deeds that move the wheels of the world: small hands do them because they must, while the eyes of the great are elsewhere." Elrond
AMAZED
People never cease to amaze me. There is an obit in the local paper. It is a man of about 20 smirking into the camera in the attached picture. The family writes that he liked video games and playing with his family.
He was one of two men conducting a home invasion with a shotgun when the homeowner and his wife fired back and killed him.
If I have to explain to you why this is amazing, please do not have children.
People never cease to amaze me. There is an obit in the local paper. It is a man of about 20 smirking into the camera in the attached picture. The family writes that he liked video games and playing with his family.
He was one of two men conducting a home invasion with a shotgun when the homeowner and his wife fired back and killed him.
If I have to explain to you why this is amazing, please do not have children.
Wednesday, September 03, 2008
Great article on the state of the SBC at Boar’s Head Tavern.
Plus, it has a nice plug for my friend, Fred Malone.
Plus, it has a nice plug for my friend, Fred Malone.
AGGIE JOKE
A Old Ag walked into a bank in New York City and asked for the loan officer. He told the loan officer that he was a Wall Street Stock broker going to Houston on business for two weeks and needed to borrow $5,000 and that he was not a depositor of the bank.
The bank officer told him that the bank would need some form of security for the loan, so the Aggie handed over the keys to a new Ferrari. The car was parked on the street in front of the bank. The Aggie produced the title and everything checked out. The loan officer agreed to hold the car as collateral for the loan and apologized for having to charge 12% interest.
Later, the bank's president and its officers all enjoyed a good laugh at the Old Ag for using a $250,000 Ferrari as collateral for a $5,000 loan.
An employee of the bank then drove the Ferrari into the bank's underground garage and parked it.
Two weeks later, the Aggie returned, repaid the $5,000 and the interest of $23.07. The loan officer said, 'Sir, we are very happy to have had your business, and this transaction has worked out very nicely, but we are a little puzzled. While you were away, we checked you out and found that you are a multimillionaire. What puzzles us is, why would you bother to borrow $5,000?'
The Aggie replied, 'Where else in New York City can I park my car for two weeks for only $23.07 and expect it to be there when I return?'
A Old Ag walked into a bank in New York City and asked for the loan officer. He told the loan officer that he was a Wall Street Stock broker going to Houston on business for two weeks and needed to borrow $5,000 and that he was not a depositor of the bank.
The bank officer told him that the bank would need some form of security for the loan, so the Aggie handed over the keys to a new Ferrari. The car was parked on the street in front of the bank. The Aggie produced the title and everything checked out. The loan officer agreed to hold the car as collateral for the loan and apologized for having to charge 12% interest.
Later, the bank's president and its officers all enjoyed a good laugh at the Old Ag for using a $250,000 Ferrari as collateral for a $5,000 loan.
An employee of the bank then drove the Ferrari into the bank's underground garage and parked it.
Two weeks later, the Aggie returned, repaid the $5,000 and the interest of $23.07. The loan officer said, 'Sir, we are very happy to have had your business, and this transaction has worked out very nicely, but we are a little puzzled. While you were away, we checked you out and found that you are a multimillionaire. What puzzles us is, why would you bother to borrow $5,000?'
The Aggie replied, 'Where else in New York City can I park my car for two weeks for only $23.07 and expect it to be there when I return?'
Tuesday, September 02, 2008
ANCHORS AWAY
This is interesting.
The U.S. is amassing its Navy in the Persian Gulf. There have been two aircraft carriers there for some time, the Abraham Lincoln and the Peleliu. The Iwo Jima started for the Gulf on August 22.
Now, the Theodore Roosevelt and the Ronald Reagan appear to be headed that way. That is 5 aircraft carriers, by the way. Last month, the Theodore Roosevelt conducted joint naval maneuvers with the French Navy. That, of course means the French have ships there, too. France also conducted joint exercises for 10 days with the United Arab Emirates and Qatar in the Persian Gulf. They all brought troops as well as ships. France brought 1,500 people, including navy, marine and air force personnel. Iran criticized France's military ambitions in the region. France is also setting up a new military base in the UAE.
In addition, it now appears that British ships coming to the Gulf with the Theodore Roosevelt. This is three countries and many ships. What are they up to?
The Persian Gulf is named after Persia and the Persians, who are now the Iranians. There has been much speculation that Israel would attack Iran by air if it completes, or gets close to completing, its nuclear reactor.
On Tuesday, the White House denied that the United States intends to attack Iran. However, it also said the military option had not been taken off the table. This denial was in response to The Jerusalem Post article saying an Administration (U.S.) official saying that the President and Vice President believe military action against Iran is necessary.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)