Yesterday, or the day before, my friend George Raterman called me with the news that he had a red-winged blackbird in his bird feeders. This morning my feeder was overrun by a mixed flock of starlings and red-wing blackbirds. It’s a definite early sign of spring for us nature lovers and bird watchers. Even in a mild winter like this one, we are glad to see it, even if the bird seed does disappear quickly.
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Senate vote is very misguided
It is very sad that the religious freedom of our country has become a partisan issue. Somehow the spin artists have tried to make it a women’s issue rather than a religious freedom issue. This is not about women’s rights; it is about religious liberty and freedom of expression of conscience for everyone. I cannot believe that the U. S. Senate Democrats are too blinded by politics to see this. I believe that Cardinal Dolan has expressed the issue well in this quote:
Religious freedom is a fundamental right of all. This right does not depend on any government’s decision to grant it: it is God-given, and just societies recognize and respect its free exercise. The free exercise of religion extends well beyond the freedom of worship. It also forbids government from forcing people or groups to violate their most deeply held religious convictions, and from interfering in the internal affairs of religious organizations.
Recent actions by the Administration have attempted to reduce this free exercise to a “privilege” arbitrarily granted by the government as a mere exemption from an all-encompassing, extreme form of secularism. The exemption is too narrowly defined, because it does not exempt most non-profit religious employers, the religiously affiliated insurer, the self-insured employer, the for-profit religious employer, or other private businesses owned and operated by people who rightly object to paying for abortion inducing drugs, sterilization, and contraception. And because it is instituted only by executive whim, even this unduly narrow exemption can be taken away easily.
In the United States, religious liberty does not depend on the benevolence of who is regulating us. It is our “first freedom” and respect for it must be broad and inclusive—not narrow and exclusive. Catholics and other people of faith and good will are not second class citizens. And it is not for the government to decide which of our ministries is “religious enough” to warrant religious freedom protection.
This is not just about contraception, abortion-causing drugs, and sterilization—although all should recognize the injustices involved in making them part of a universal mandated health care program. It is not about Republicans or Democrats, conservatives or liberals. It is about people of faith. This is first and foremost a matter of religious liberty for all. If the government can, for example, tell Catholics that they cannot be in the insurance business today without violating their religious convictions, where does it end? This violates the constitutional limits on our government, and the basic rights upon which our country was founded.
From the letter by Cardinal Dolan to the Catholic Bishops dated Feb. 22, 2012
As grandparents for the first time, we just can’t help ourselves. We have to show pictures of our grandson. And besides, people are always asking us for pictures. So I’ve added 10 more to the Samuel Stater – first days gallery.
Yesterday I was having a conversation with someone about our two service system. I was prompted to write up the thoughts that have come to mind as a result of that conversation and publish them. I think they will be helpful to many people in our church and in other churches.
Great Commandments and Great Commission reasons for two services
I am very opposed to the government making money from its citizens by promoting gambling of any kind. It is immmoral as it is a way for the powerful to shirk responsibility and to rob the vulnerable instead. In the following article Albert Mohler Jr. argues convincingly that besides being immoral, increasing casino gambling is also counter-productive financially for communities.
http://www.albertmohler.com/2012/02/21/casino-culture-and-the-collapse-of-character/
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The Faith of the Presidents
Five key conclusions
At this time of year we remember the birthdays of two great presidents, and because of them we think about all the presidents of our country. It is important to think about the faith in God that has been a part of the character of most of our great leaders as well as of our great country. To document this and help us remember it, I have taken excepts from inaugural addresses spread over the entire 200 plus year history of our country. This limitation of source material has led to some surprises concerning recent presidents included and not included. Reading all these excerpts and considering them as a whole, one cannot help but reach several very significant conclusions.
- Many of these presidents had deep personal Christian faith that is reflected in their addresses as they chose to quote Scripture, pray or chose particularly symbolic Bibles upon which to swear the oath of office.
- In most of the excerpts chosen, the big concepts such as justice, liberty, equality and peace were shaped and informed by Judeao-Christian tradition.
- These presidents expected to be speaking to a people who understood, cherished and were sympathetic to such beliefs.
- It didn’t matter substantially what party the president represented.
- The first four observations were not only true of presidents in the first few decades of our country; they were also true of presidents at various times in our history and of some recent presidents.
As support for these observations, I gleaned these quotes from inaugural speeches from one of Wall Builders resources. http://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/inaugurals.php
From George Washington’s first inaugural address:
It would be peculiarly improper to omit in this first official act my fervent supplications to that Almighty Being who rules over the universe, who presides in the councils of nations, and whose providential aids can supply every human defect, that His benediction may consecrate to the liberties and happiness of the people of the United States a Government instituted by themselves for these essential purposes, and may enable every instrument employed in its administration to execute with success the functions allotted to his charge. In tendering this homage to the Great Author of every public and private good, I assure myself that it expresses your sentiments not less than my own, nor those of my fellow-citizens at large less than either. No people can be bound to acknowledge and adore the Invisible Hand which conducts the affairs of men more than those of the United States. Every step by which they have advanced to the character of an independent nation seems to have been distinguished by some token of providential agency; …
John Adams conclusion of his inaugural address in 1797:
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New Theme for my blog
Thanks to my tech man, Steven Sgroi, I have a crisp new theme which I like much better. I hope my readers enjoy the new look.
This mild winter is passing quickly. A week from today is Ash Wednesday. This coming Sunday begins our 50 day emphasis leading up to Easter. This year, Pastor Eric and I have chosen to focus on the life of our Lord using passages from the Gospel of John. Each week we will show a DVD interpretation with words taken directly from the Good News Bible translation of the American Bible Society, an excellent contemporary translation. It’s hard to believe that it has been 5 years already since the last such series from John. Each time we cover it I find new insights to emphasize.
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Jesus’ Life Can Change Our Lives |
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Date |
Title |
Scripture |
DVD Section |
A Suggested Hymn |
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Feb 19 |
Called to Follow |
John 1:29-50 |
DVD 1 section 2 |
Follow On (440) |
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Feb 26 |
Challenged to Believe |
John 5:15-47;6:1 |
DVD 1 section 7 |
All Hail the Power (240) |
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Mar 4 |
Comforted by Forgiveness |
John 7:53- 8:11 |
DVD 1 section 11 |
Amazing Grace (293) |
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Mar 11 |
Charged to Know the Truth |
John 8:31 |
DVD 1 section 12 |
In Christ Alone |
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Mar 18 |
Cared for by the Shepherd |
John 10:1-21 |
DVD 1 section 15 |
Shepherd of Love (448) |
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Mar 25 |
Cherished by the Shepherd |
John 17 |
DVD 2 section 8 |
Jesus, I Am Resting (325) |
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Apr 1 |
Confronted in our Selfishness |
John 13:1-20 |
DVD 2 section 3 |
Hosanna, Loud Hosanna (211) |
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Apr 6 |
Cleared, Cleaned and Claimed because of Him |
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DVD 2 section 9, 10, 11 |
When I Survey the Wondrous Cross (224) |
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Apr 8 |
Celebrating Resurrection Power (Lazarus) |
John 11:25 |
DVD 1 section 18 |
Because He Lives (238) |
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Apr 8 10 AM |
Carrying Good News |
John 20:1-18 esp. v. 17,18 |
DVD 2 section 12 |
Crown Him with Many Crowns (243) |
This guy reminds me of my dog Plato who was likely half Aussy Shepherd.
http://www.christianpost.com/news/gay-by-choice-69168/
Charles Colson, a clear thinker and writer for the Christian church, has nailed it with this essay. Gay activists are often unwilling to admit that choice plays any part despite testimonials from people like the actress Colson cites and from homosexuals who have chosen to go straight. As I have written before, the evidence as I see it shows that while in the short term, our hormones may seem to dominate us; in the long run, our brain has far more shaping influence through the choices we make than our hormones do.