Which Ocracy Do You Prefer?
I've got to weigh in on what's happening in Madison...
It's not a coincidence that the same afternoon that Scott Walker released his budget repair bill to the public that we received a phone message from the Teamsters strongly urging us to contact our representatives and tell them to vote against the bill.
I read the letter the governor sent to the state employees. It was sent to me by my state assembly representative who preferred for me to read it myself than to explain it in his own words. Collective bargaining was limited, not eliminated. There is a big difference between the two.
I hope the people who elected the senators who fled the state and still refuse to return will initiate a recall. They need come back and fulfill their responsibilities to those they represent by participating in the democratic process. Their absence has bought the attention and time we all needed to review the bill. To prolong the vote any further is unreasonable.
Please don't compare this to what is going on in the middle East. We already have a democratic process in place which is not a facade for a dictatorship.
Please don't compare this to what happened with Mercury Marine or Harley Davidson. These were individual companies dealing with business through unions representing employees. These unions do not represent the entire citizenry of the state of Wisconsin, neither have they been elected to state government. It's nice to know that the union members are willing to make some concessions but, the unions are not responsible for the state legislative process. The union members who are citizens of Wisconsin elected the state senators to represent them in Madison and these senators are responsible for the legislative process and they need to vote.
If you're going to compare it to something how about comparing it to stopping a bad habit or breaking an addiction? I remember when I quit smoking. Not fun. My body SCREAMED for a smoke! Losing weight hasn't been any easier...and I keep giving in...and where has that got me? If you don't know me, you can guess. And an addiction...that is only overcome by the grace and power of God. Well, that's all I can think about when I consider what our nation is facing all the way from Washington, to our local municipalities, to our own personal budgets. We're all going to be better off the sooner we do what needs to be done and if we don't, the consequences will continue to multiply to our detriment. Either way there will be pain and we will reap what we have sown.
Let's keep maturity and civility in sight when sharing our own perspective. A soft answer turns away wrath...and a polite and respectful tone is much easier to listen to (and much easier on the throat). Even if you don't change some one's mind, you can still add value to the process.
Click on the link to Chuck Colson's article in BreakPoint on 'ocracies' (good article) and at the bottom of his article you will find more links to other perspectives from the Wall Street Journal, the Washington Post and NBC Chicago.
Wednesday, February 23, 2011
Saturday, November 20, 2010
Where's the PEACE?
Refuse to allow frustration and impatience to rule. There is no evidence of faith or trust in God when we react based on our emotions.
Rise above the circumstances that have made you angry, or fearful, or caused you to doubt and establish peace in your heart by focusing on the truth in the Word. Then, you can find wisdom and direction for dealing with your...problem.
God pours out wisdom liberally (James 1:5-8) if you will set your heart and mind on trusting Him to show you the way.
In fact, reading the first three chapters of James will build your faith and sharpen your resolve in these areas.
If you discover the wise thing to do is simply to wait and trust Him to work things out in His way and in His time, the Word will again be living and active for you! Philippians 4:6-7 says, "Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus." Repeat this to yourself. Repeat it out loud. Do what it says. Peace will return.
God has established peace for us and we will be kept in it when we trust Him. (Isaiah 26:3 & 12)
Rise above the circumstances that have made you angry, or fearful, or caused you to doubt and establish peace in your heart by focusing on the truth in the Word. Then, you can find wisdom and direction for dealing with your...problem.
God pours out wisdom liberally (James 1:5-8) if you will set your heart and mind on trusting Him to show you the way.
In fact, reading the first three chapters of James will build your faith and sharpen your resolve in these areas.
If you discover the wise thing to do is simply to wait and trust Him to work things out in His way and in His time, the Word will again be living and active for you! Philippians 4:6-7 says, "Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus." Repeat this to yourself. Repeat it out loud. Do what it says. Peace will return.
God has established peace for us and we will be kept in it when we trust Him. (Isaiah 26:3 & 12)
Wednesday, October 13, 2010
Fall is my favorite season...
Am I going to enjoy it?
I post on priorities alot. That's because I need to be intentional with them because I like a full life.
I've just got to state my intention: I am going to enjoy this fall season NOW, BEFORE it is gone.
This is the verse I will meditate on to gain alignment to God's purposes in my day-to-day life:
Isaiah 33:6
Wisdom and knowledge will be the stability of your times, and the strength of salvation; the fear of the LORD is His treasure.
I am not an island unto myself. God is real. His purposes will prevail. I will give an account to Him of my time here on earth. There are consequences to action and inaction. He loves me perfectly, is always present and active, and I can count on that.
I post on priorities alot. That's because I need to be intentional with them because I like a full life.
I've just got to state my intention: I am going to enjoy this fall season NOW, BEFORE it is gone.
This is the verse I will meditate on to gain alignment to God's purposes in my day-to-day life:
Isaiah 33:6
Wisdom and knowledge will be the stability of your times, and the strength of salvation; the fear of the LORD is His treasure.
I am not an island unto myself. God is real. His purposes will prevail. I will give an account to Him of my time here on earth. There are consequences to action and inaction. He loves me perfectly, is always present and active, and I can count on that.
Friday, January 15, 2010
We have a new grandson!
Our fifth grandchild, our second grandson!
Praise God from Whom all blessings flow!
Tuesday, January 5, 2010
Thoughts to Review and Renew
I'm in that mode again...the old year past, the new year upon us.
I just want to share one thing here this time. A poem by Sam Walter Foss written more than a century ago:
The Calf Path
One day, through the primeval wood,
A calf walked home, as good calves should;
But made a trail all bent askew,
A crooked trail as all calves do.
Since then thee hundred years have fled,
And, I infer, the calf is dead.
But still he left behind his trail,
And thereby hangs my moral tale.
The trail was taken up next day
By a lone dog that passed that way;
And then a wise bell-wether sheep,
And drew the flock behind him, too,
As good bell-wethers always do.
And from that day, o'er hill and glade,
Through those old woods a path was made.
And many men wound in and out,
And dodged, and turned and bent about
And uttered words of righteous wrath
Because 'twas such a crooked path.
But still they followed -- do not laugh --
The first migrations of that calf,
And through this winding wood-way stalked,
Because he wobbled when he walked.
This forest path became a lane,
Then bent, and turned, and turned again;
This crooked lane became a road,
Where many a poor horse with his load
Toiled on beneath the burning sun,
And traveled some three miles in one.
And thus a century and a half
They trod the footsteps of that calf.
The years passed on in swiftness fleet,
The road became a village street;
And this, before men were aware,
A city's crowded thoroughfare;
And soon the central street was this
Of a renowned metropolis;
And men two centuries and a half
Trod in the footsteps of that calf.
Each day a hundred thousand rout
Followed the zigzag calf about;
And o'er his crooked journey went
The traffic of a continent.
A hundred thousand men were led
By one calf near three centuries dead.
They followed still his crooked way,
And lost one hundred years a day;
For thus such reverence is lent
To well-established precedent.
A moral lesson this might teach,
Were I ordained and called to preach;
For men are prone to go it blind
along the calf-paths of the mind,
And work away from sun to sun
To do what other men have done.
They follow in the beaten track,
And out and in, and forth and back,
And still their devious course pursue,
To keep the path that others do.
They keep the path a sacred groove,
Along which all their lives they move.
But how the wise old wood-gods laugh,
Who saw the first primeval calf!
Ah! Many things this tale might teach --
But I am not ordained to preach.
I just want to share one thing here this time. A poem by Sam Walter Foss written more than a century ago:
The Calf Path
One day, through the primeval wood,
A calf walked home, as good calves should;
But made a trail all bent askew,
A crooked trail as all calves do.
Since then thee hundred years have fled,
And, I infer, the calf is dead.
But still he left behind his trail,
And thereby hangs my moral tale.
The trail was taken up next day
By a lone dog that passed that way;
And then a wise bell-wether sheep,
And drew the flock behind him, too,
As good bell-wethers always do.
And from that day, o'er hill and glade,
Through those old woods a path was made.
And many men wound in and out,
And dodged, and turned and bent about
And uttered words of righteous wrath
Because 'twas such a crooked path.
But still they followed -- do not laugh --
The first migrations of that calf,
And through this winding wood-way stalked,
Because he wobbled when he walked.
This forest path became a lane,
Then bent, and turned, and turned again;
This crooked lane became a road,
Where many a poor horse with his load
Toiled on beneath the burning sun,
And traveled some three miles in one.
And thus a century and a half
They trod the footsteps of that calf.
The years passed on in swiftness fleet,
The road became a village street;
And this, before men were aware,
A city's crowded thoroughfare;
And soon the central street was this
Of a renowned metropolis;
And men two centuries and a half
Trod in the footsteps of that calf.
Each day a hundred thousand rout
Followed the zigzag calf about;
And o'er his crooked journey went
The traffic of a continent.
A hundred thousand men were led
By one calf near three centuries dead.
They followed still his crooked way,
And lost one hundred years a day;
For thus such reverence is lent
To well-established precedent.
A moral lesson this might teach,
Were I ordained and called to preach;
For men are prone to go it blind
along the calf-paths of the mind,
And work away from sun to sun
To do what other men have done.
They follow in the beaten track,
And out and in, and forth and back,
And still their devious course pursue,
To keep the path that others do.
They keep the path a sacred groove,
Along which all their lives they move.
But how the wise old wood-gods laugh,
Who saw the first primeval calf!
Ah! Many things this tale might teach --
But I am not ordained to preach.
Thursday, November 26, 2009
The Manhattan Declaration
Jim Daley, President and CEO of Focus On The Family, has this to say regarding the Manhattan Declaration;
"The document is...a renewed rallying cry to those who have been engaged in this historic effort of spiritual and cultural conversion. This is not a manifesto for culture war; it is a prescription for cultural change...
As a unified body, we are acknowledging that our faith is strong and redemptive, but it's not necessarily a comfortable and easy pursuit. Standing up for our beliefs can often come at great cost."
The following link is to a 2 page pdf summary of the document:
http://manhattandeclaration.org/images/content/ManhattanDeclarationSummary.pdf
I am posting this on Thanksgiving Day 2009 and at this point Christian Americans still have much more than a remnant of the Christian heritage left us by our Founding Fathers in our culture and government. As a Christian American I exhort and remind my brothers and sisters to take up their cross, follow Him, be ready in and out of season and not to be weary in well doing! We are not wrestling against flesh and blood but against the spirit of anti-christ in our generation. Christ is still building His church and the gates of hell will not prevail against it. Christ's purposes will be fulfilled.
"The document is...a renewed rallying cry to those who have been engaged in this historic effort of spiritual and cultural conversion. This is not a manifesto for culture war; it is a prescription for cultural change...
As a unified body, we are acknowledging that our faith is strong and redemptive, but it's not necessarily a comfortable and easy pursuit. Standing up for our beliefs can often come at great cost."
The following link is to a 2 page pdf summary of the document:
http://manhattandeclaration.org/images/content/ManhattanDeclarationSummary.pdf
I am posting this on Thanksgiving Day 2009 and at this point Christian Americans still have much more than a remnant of the Christian heritage left us by our Founding Fathers in our culture and government. As a Christian American I exhort and remind my brothers and sisters to take up their cross, follow Him, be ready in and out of season and not to be weary in well doing! We are not wrestling against flesh and blood but against the spirit of anti-christ in our generation. Christ is still building His church and the gates of hell will not prevail against it. Christ's purposes will be fulfilled.
Thursday, October 8, 2009
Trauma, Drama..."and the wise man built his house upon the ROCK"
It's been a long time - 3 months - since I last posted here. A whole lot has been happening. I'm reminded of the parable of the wise and foolish builders and the little song I learned as a child..."the rains came down and the floods came up and the house on the rock stood firm!"Please take the time to visit this site, read the article and check out the comments.
http://comments.americanthinker.com/read/42323/442851.html
I'd also like to share some edifying words I have heard lately:
Allow the water of God's Word to wash away all defilement of flesh and spirit. Let Him cleanse you and release you into the power of a new day. Deliberately renew your mind, and let go of all ungodly and destructive mindsets. Rise up in faith and renewed hope as you release the past and prepare to move ahead. Refuse to allow the enemy to destroy your confidence by making you feel condemned. Overcome the flesh, and walk in the Spirit.
Romans 8:1
There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit.
The enemy is poised to attack us in the area of our emotions, but we must refuse to allow our flesh to rule or our emotions to run wild. We must stand strong, and rise up in the Spirit where we can see clearly and maintain stability. Otherwise, it will be a roller-coaster ride. Let the Lord lead through this maze of extreme demands, conflict, and confusion. The war is on, but victory comes through overcoming the works of the flesh and walking in the Spirit.
Galatians 5:16
I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh.
There is a chorus, do you know it?
Let God arise and His enemies be scattered!
Let God arise and His enemies be scattered!
Let God arise and His enemies be scattered!
Let God, let God...Arise!
Beloved, refuse to allow frustration to hinder your progress. Calm yourself and quiet your soul, and allow Christ to bring you through every challenge in peace. Obstacles will literally melt away if you will just trust Him to undertake as you pray your way through. He will give you strength to accomplish all that is before you and the wisdom that you need to surmount every obstruction and clear every hurdle. Be strong and set your will to conquer.
Romans 8:37 Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us.
The enemy wants to create threatening situations that will produce enough intimidation to keep you from walking and living in the Spirit. Watch for these attacks and refuse to allow them to keep you earthbound. Just as Christ has called you to come higher, the devil is calling for you to go down with discouragement and disappointment because of the things you face and have to deal with. Refuse to allow the enemy of your soul to ground you. Resist him and keep looking up.
1 Peter 5:9
Resist him, steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same sufferings are experienced by your brotherhood in the world.
“If you will not fight for right when you can easily win without bloodshed; if you will not fight when your victory is sure and not too costly; you may come to the moment when you will have to fight with all the odds against you and only a precarious chance of survival. There may even be a worse case. You may have to fight when there is no hope of victory, because it is better to perish than to live as slaves.”-- Winston Churchill
Another song comes to mind..."My hope is built on nothing less than Jesus' blood and righteousness...on Christ the solid rock I stand all other ground is sinking sand..."
Shalom!
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