Said the Shepherd Boy to the Mighty King

Do you hear what I hear? Do you see what I see?

He had no gift to bring, so he played his drum for Him, pah-rum-pah-pum-pum.

Today marks the end of Advent, the season of Waiting. For today, in a manger, long ago, the Christ Child was born to us. King. God. Man. Tempted in many ways, to be an example to us, but perfect anyway. How do we know about this Birth? Because it was announced to the people all through time. Broadcast, as my friend Aaron Cotton told us a week ago. No accident, the news was dropped in across time, as noted in Genesis 49:10 He is to come from Judah. 2 Samuel 7:12 He is to come from the line of David. Isaiah 7:14 He would be born of a virgin. Isaiah 9:6-7 Many names, one God forever. Hosea 11:1 He would flee from Egypt. Micah 5:2 He is to be born in Bethlehem.

Luke tells us that the shepherds left their flocks and went to see the Baby Jesus. They were told about it by the angels who told them of Great News, and then the shepherds spread the word of their findings all around. Matthew tells us of the Magi, talking to Herod, who had bad intentions. The Magi followed the Star from the east to the west, until it stopped over Bethlehem. Yes, it stopped. Retrograde motion, look it up. And then John summarizes for us that the Word was with God, was God, and became flesh.He lived among us.

This promise is repeated and confirmed. Anything that is repeated in the Bible is very important, and I think this qualifies! The promises of the Old Testament are fulfilled in the New Testament, and everything changes from there. The Law is the Law, and Jesus came to fulfill it, but He came to breath new life into us. John also says that the Christ came to the world, but the world did not know Him. They did not recognize Him. They did not receive Him. Those of us who have received Him are adopted. Chosen. Set apart. We are different, and we act that way. Most of the time. And God is good with that. He has chosen jars of clay to spread the word. Shepherds, the lowliest of men, and kings, the highest. And everything in between.

And so, as the angels worshiped,  "Glory to God in the highest and on earth peace to all men, on whom his favor rests," and announced the birth of Christ, we are the adopted ones, the beneficiaries of that Good News, and it is to be spread by us, just as the angels and shepherds did. By voice and by action.

Merry Christmas to all!!!

It's not the way we think it is

I talked with some people yesterday, who were upset and confused about how things have gone this week. I told them about an email I got on Wednesday. It basically said that the Isrealites are God's chosen people. He punished them because they were disobedient, and had them captured and moved to Babylon. They had a rough time there, But He took care of them while they were there, and had a plan for them, and promised them that there was a hope for them. He told them to settle down, get married, find a place to live, have kids, work the land, and live life there while they endured this. He told them he would make them prosper, protect them, and give them hope and a future. Despite the fact that they were in captivity.

We are in a kind of exile. In our own land. But those same promises are available to us as believers, because we are His adopted. Same status as the Isrealites. We call them Israelis today, but its the same people. If nothing else, we should keep our heads up, not allow anything to get us down, and keep plowing ahead. Cuz we are Americans, and that's what we do. And we have a hope and a future. No doubt.

I had the pleasure and privilege this past week of attending EntreLeadership, which is a leadership conference put on by Dave Ramsey's organization. Aside from a mind-bending 3 days of intense learning and communing, a very large takeaway came from Dave himself. He shared some of his story with us, and his biggest point was - Don't Give Up. No matter what, don't give up. Sometimes we have to learn the hard way, and sometimes that is the best teacher, but God is totally interested in loving and supporting His people. He wants us to succeed. God doesn't define success the same way we do. But He wants us to use the talents, skills and gifts that He gave us, to glorify Him, and to serve others. He honors our obedience and faith with blessings only He can give. One of Dave's principles is to have the heart of a teacher. I had to prove to him that I have that to be selected as one of his insurance ELP's. Being a teacher means that you let go of your own interests, and pour what you have into someone else. I have found that the more I teach, the more I learn. I am not a professional teacher. Not comparing myself to those heroic souls who take on the world everyday working with our future leaders. But I know that the more I seek to serve Him and other people, the better I feel, the more connected I feel to God, and frankly, the more blessings I get. Not just money. Not really even talking about that. Blessings come in many flavors. Dave said don't quit. Don't give up. Don't stop listening to Him. If you are a believer, He WILL speak to you. You just need to be quiet enough to hear Him. If you are not a believer, He still has a Word for you. It's the Bible, and He speaks directly to non-believers in it. It's a battle out there, no question. Maybe more so than ever in history. Don't stop believing. Don't quit spiritually, civicly, your career, your marriage, your kids, your relationships, your country, your faith, your God, your peace and joy. Someone else may be depending on you. We were not put here on earth to be a hermit. Or a loner. No matter what personality type you are, you have what you need to make a difference. Don't pass it up. Make a difference. Look around. Listen around. Go find somewhere to serve.

40 Days of Prayer

Join me in this. This is the most important thing that can be done to affect our upcoming election and national crisis. Not money, phone calls, walks, posts, signs. Without this, we are doomed, no matter who the election favors. Read it. Spread it. Do it. Claim it. Meet me there. Click here.

September 12

Today is September 12. It happens to be my brother's birthday. It's also the day after September 11. As you probably do, I remember where I was when I first heard about the first plane hitting the World Trade Center Tower. I was shaving, listening to the radio. The host said that there were reports coming in that a plane hit the building. I figured some private pilot in a small plane had trouble and crashed. What I didn't know was that while I was getting up and shaving, there was a fight going on in the air, on 4 planes. First an offensive takeover and violence, then a defensive reaction to try to fight back, resist, or at least minimize the loss of life. That day was a daze, surreal, wondering what happens next. I guess the last building didn't fall until later that afternoon. It was a long day. I tried to explain to my kids about that. My older daughter was upset; she said her sister was too young to understand, but she was scared. My wife and I worked through the day. I remember looking at each other from time to time; a questioning look that does not have an answer. We watched the news, how could you avoid it. We went to church that night. Prayed to God Almighty for protection, for our leaders, for our country. We put the kids to bed, and tried to settle down ourselves. The next day came, just as it always does. It was another pretty day, weather-wise. But there was a different feeling. Everything seemed in suspense. On the other hand, I remember feeling a different feeling. Not a victim anymore, but a responder. For once, the country that needed us was our own. It was bad. But it was Good. There was a sense of community. A sense of protectionism. Of patriotism. Of God. Of our family, friends and neighbors. I learned early on in my career that usually the most valuable experiences I have come from trauma, failure, unplanned events despite the best of planning, sometimes just a sense of action, or an indiscriminate act. September 12 was not a fun day, but it was a day of regrouping. There were alot of flags out. They stayed out. I have been flying mine pretty much ever since. People were nice. Respectful. They acknowledged one another, even strangers. We were probably ignorant of how badly some people wanted to hurt us. We seem to have missed a few warning signs. One of them, the 1993 attack on the same site, was far from subtle. Can't say that anymore. Might have gone too far in the other direction. I know for myself, I know more about my country now. I notice more things. I know why and how and where it was built, and who did it, and what they built it from. I know that most of the original people came here from a country that was an empire, and that we turned on. I know that we fought the French, and then they saved our butts at the end of the Revolution. I know that we are the most generous, giving, industrious, creative, intelligent, resourceful, grass-roots people on the earth. I know that we are a Divinely blessed and appointed country, and we are chosen for His good work. I used to think that we are not as religious of a nation as some others, especially in the Middle East. I noticed that those countries are more known for their religion and practice it outright than we did. Then I discovered that we used to be that way. Most of the colonies each had their own denominational background. All of us that came over here brought our faith and denominational preferences here, and practiced them. And we were then looking for a place to be able to honor and worship and proclaim our God without somebody else telling us how to do it. And when it came to jump ship, as it were, the leaders consistently and thoughtfully and prayerfully sought the guidance of God as they put this Nation together. And I believe from a Divinely inspired Hand. And then I noticed that some of that faithful action and purpose was coming back to us. And then I learned more about the Bible. I learned more about people. I interacted with them. Sometimes across a border, sometimes just across the state. I found myself behaving differently. I wasn't necessarily misbehaving before, especially from a secular view, but I was definitely more aware of my purpose, my influence, my reactions, and my contributions. I remembered a bumper sticker I saw a long time ago. Said something like - You are going to be an influence. Is it going to be a good one or a bad one? I try to be a good influence, despite what Charles Barkley said. I think many of us do. September 11 2001 was certainly a tragic day. It caught us off guard, but it also refocused us in ways that couldn't otherwise have occurred. Here's the best part. September 12 2001 was the day we woke up, saw the Sun, thanked God for being here, and went about the task of recovery. I'm not talking about shopping. It took a week for the planes to get back in the air, but the Americans were back at it, some beat up, some physically injured, many grieving the lost, but ready to fight another day, and with a renewed vigor and perspective and strength. Every day is like September 12. And the further we draw away from the original September 11, the more diligent we should be to remember the past, and how we changed on that day, and the day after. America is an idea, not a place. It has its home on a parcel of land, but its not the land that is special, its the people, and Whom they fear, and whom they serve. God and each other. I am a fatalistically positive person, and so I tend to simplify and emphasize the good, which might be sometimes unrealistic, but its the only way to move forward. Light overcomes darkness. It doesn't work the other way around. Many people risk alot, including personal safety and life, to come here. Have you noticed that they are still doing it today, even with all the trouble we have. There are new students at our high school today who just got here. Don't speak a lick of English. But they will, and they will grow and learn and do and be. These are my thoughts, 11 years later, September 12 2012. A Good Day.

Let's concentrate on the goal

Take a skim of this - And then post your comments. Here's mine - as a former Catholic, now Protestant, I would suggest that we not be so "partisan" in our religion as to trip over the bottom line issue. Jesus was certainly concerned with taking care of the poor, but I don't find it anywhere that He sugg ested Rome do the taking care of. The more we as the faithful take care of the less advantaged, the less the government will have to do, and they don't do it well anyway. The closer the resource to the problem, the better the results. When bureaucrats are involved, things go to waste, whether they are church or govt officials. I disagree with the official Catholic perspective of social teaching, since they think that the government should be the arbiter of the benefits. Ryan subscribes to Ayn Rand's viewpoint on laissez-faire capitalism, not her atheistic positions. She emphasized individual rights, which God gave us under His Natural Law. Jesus believed we should be charitable, and I believe that means he summons us to actions as individuals, not as a government bureaucracy. And finally, allowing the job creators more money will let them provide more jobs. It won't just go in their personal pocket, especially since alot of it is company money anyway. Then more people will be paid. Problem solved. HT Restoring Love FB page

Arlington, Texas

The place on earth today is Arlington, Texas. We have been here since Wednesday night. Today we were with 34,000 other people from all over the country. Yes, we used the roads we built, but more importantly we all paid our own way, and are here to help other people and organizations in the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex. It is a gigantic outpouring of generosity, love and joy. My daughter and I worked at a food drive collection location, where 10 18-wheelers had already been loaded, and we were working on the 11th. about a hundred people where there, and hundreds of carloads of people came by with bags and boxed of food, as well as clothing, books, games, etc. Elsewhere all over the area, buses and vans transported other folks to homes, churches, community organizations, Goodwill, etc. painting, mulching, feeding, visiting the elderly.

No agenda, no paybacks or much acclaim, except amongst each other. Just being with like minded people of all backgrounds, races, colors. All 50 states. All following a noble call of a guy who has taken it upon himself to lead where others won't go. Glenn Beck. You can like or unlike him, but you can't argue with the results of a fruitful day in service to others, following in obedience to what God tells us to do. Tomorrow will be an evening filled with fun, history, entertainment, celebration, love for all, worship, a true hope, and a camaraderie worth working for. Read up on it yourself, and look for more info here, and on my facebook tomorrow as it happens.

A take on the candidates

Fred Thompson has something to say to someone who emailed him a question about Romney and Obama. They asked what choice we have if one is a Mormon and the other a Muslim. Thompson responds to not fall for the wrong thing. The mainstream media is going to whip Romney on his Mormon-ism any way they can think of. But that doesn't stick. We will never find the perfect candidate, but most Americans agree that the country is headed off a cliff, and organized religion isn't in play here. He says we gotta go with Mitt. "Obama selections for the Supreme Court for another four years will have an adverse effect on the proper role of religion in our country and in our schools as well as a host of other issues."

We got where we are a step at a time. One guy isn't gonna fix it all in a year or two. We have to use what we have to pull back, stop the bleeding, and be more involved in our own government. We are the ones who put those guys there. We need to put new people in, and then keep an eye on 'em. Don't just throw them the keys and watch them burn rubber down the road. We can make alot of progress with a few key victories in the Senate and the White House. Time will tell. Better yet, faith, prayer, door knocking, and getting out the [properly registered] voters is the key. That means us.

Happy Easter!

I find it refreshingly ironic that our Resurrection Day is titled after a Germanic pagan goddess, whom they named the month after. One might say it is just a coincidence, but I don't believe in coincidence. I think God meant it that way to teach us that things are not as we see them, He is Good, and we need to be more open-minded to Him. I think God likes dichotomies. We didn't get dressed up today for nothing. We need to live like we believe what we celebrated today. Most of you will read this on Monday or after. Are we still living during the week the way we acted on Easter Sunday? Not out of guilt or addiction or habit, but of being absolved, hopeful, purposeful. Knowing the end of the story, and that nothing here can take away our prize if we have truly decided to accept the truth of the Gospel. Seize the power of your faith to engage the purpose only you can serve.

A Broom and the Commerce Clause

Here is a little more detailed bit following up on my Facebook comments this morning about the Commerce Clause. Part of my life is really boring, so I read a modern day version of The Federalist Papers. (The Original Argument, Beck, 2011) In it, I learned that the Founding Fathers had some really cool ideas. They aren’t really very intuitive; you have to study this stuff, and realize how nature and people work. They discovered that in order for there to be order, man needed to be trustworthy ( or more to the point, he needed to be assumed to be trustworthy),  certain natural elements exist (including man’s propensity to screw things up!),  and there are certain Truths that can’t be changed, or ignored.

The Founders acknowledged Natural Law, they pointed out that rights come from our Creator, not the Feds, they discovered that liberty is a gift from God, and that with that law and gift, other things can occur. Like where the Bible says that we are to work for our keep, and we get paid for it because it has value, and if others like it they will buy it, and that creates more value, and it just grows. So, the Constitution was written to protect the natural flow of things, to keep us from mucking up the works, and set some ways that we (meaning the states) can work together for our collective common good, while still having our own states’ individual features.

The reason we are the most productive country in the world, the wealthiest, the most industrious, responsible for so much new product and ideas, is that this country was set up to foster an environment where it is practical to try stuff, and make money on the stuff that works. Reading The Federalist Papers isn’t very fun, especially the original text, but when you read a few of them on the different topics, it comes together that those dudes in the funny wigs who were always dressed up were on to something.

The Commerce Clause isn’t just a blank check that says the feds can control business and trade with foreign countries and among the states. It was written to keep each state from adding a tax to a product that traveled through it on its way to the market, and to gather the collective buying power of all 13 or 22 or 50 (not 57) states to deal with other countries, instead of each state having to deal with them on their own. (In the same fashion, the military was set up on a federal level so each state didn’t have to have a navy and army. Much better to combine ranks for that. We have a federal government, NOT a national one)

The Commerce Clause makes it so that a broom made in Florida and shipped to Ohio, or vise versa, doesn’t get tagged with a tax when it travels through Georgia and Tennessee on its way; or worse, can’t get to Ohio because Georgia won’t let it pass.

So, we need to first of all, know why things are the way they are, and what they mean (and don’t mean), and then, we need to speak up when some goon in DC says he can do this or that because of the ______ clause/amendment/section. Mostly the Constitution says what the Feds can and can’t do, and then leaves the rest to the states. And if ya don’t like how your state does something, fix it, deal with it, or move to another state that does it the way you like. Our politicians have become so uninformed, or politically correct, or are rigging the system, so that nothing is as it should be, and our liberty, religious freedoms, and peace are almost gone. So healthcare can’t be regulated by the Commerce Clause, cuz that’s not how it was written.

Ok. I’m done for now.

Goodbye Continental Airlines

Today is the last day for the Continental Airlines name. The signs are down, the computer system and websites are being updated tonight, and Houston will not have a "hometown airline" anymore. Wish it was them that was staying. I'm sure the new United will have plenty of presence and employees here, but its not ours anymore.

I guess its progress, but I fear that the new company won't be as good as what we were used to.

So long Continental. It was fun.

Math, Infinite, and the Star of Bethlehem

Friday is the Feast of Epiphany. So…

Are you any good at math? I’m not talking about algebra, just math. Arithmetic to you sixties and seventies people. Have you ever wondered about what the last number is? I have. (nothing else to do while the NBA was on strike) There isn’t one. It just keeps going. Energizer bunny. Back to that in a minute.

It seems as though math is everywhere. I don’t know a lot about computers, but I know that an algorithm is a sequence of math calculations that causes a computer to process information. Math can be used for a lot of stuff, not just to decipher your cell phone bill. (I think the cell phone companies make stuff up on purpose so it doesn’t all add up). 

Some guy in the early 1600s used math stuff to figure out the alignment of the stars, and how they progress. Name was Johannes Kepler. He was a German mathematician and astronomer (NOT astrologer!), and had at least some belief in a God that made the heavens in a very orderly fashion. He didn’t have a computer. Or a lens. And he wasn’t alive when the Baby Jesus arrived. But we are able to calculate, using laws he discovered, what the sky looked like when the Magi showed up. It seems that it took the Wise Men about 8 months to get to Bethlehem. Jesus was likely born in the spring, April-ish, and we can plot that the Magi arrived on December 25^th, 2 BC. Some people think it might have been even later than that, like 2-3 years. The exact date isn’t the point, just so we don’t get into an argument about dates.

We can also support the movement of that great Star, from the east, to the west, and then to the south, to Bethlehem. We can also define where and how it stopped. It didn’t run out of gas. It didn’t burn out. Something called retrograde motion creates an optical illusion so that it looks like the star stopped. Are you impressed? I’m not as smart as I sound right now. I just know enough to start a lot of trouble.

Anyway, a bunch of smart people have figured out how to show what the sky looked like on that night in Bethlehem (or any other night, but we don’t care about the night they first learned to make a wheel out of a rock :D ) So, the Star of Bethlehem isn’t just some church story an old lady whipped up cuz she forgot her Sunday School notes one December.

Connection to infinity. Math and numbers goes to infinity. Time is eternal. Our salvation is eternal. God was, is, and will be. We existed in God’s mind for all time, and will dwell with Him forever. So God created and used time, space, science, and the physical world to build what we see, and don’t see, and also made it so we can discover it. Or at least some of it. This is part of where I get the idea from that there is no such thing as secularism. We are here, because He put us here. He has a reason for that. Part of your job, should you choose to accept it ( pun intended), is to figure that out. How? Using your gifts, talents, personality, likes and Guidance. Then, using the rest of your life to work on that purpose, and make an Impression on others, do Good to others, and give God glory in what you do. Even the things that don’t work out, by the way. I learned that the hard way in 2002.

Some people have told me that they are not religious; they don’t necessarily think God doesn’t exist, they just don’t pay much attention to it. My response to that is, You ARE religious, you just worship other things than I do. I’m not saying you’ll live forever; the infinity analogy breaks down at that point, but God is looking for you to put your piece into the puzzle. It all works for Good.

I’m thinking that the more of us who try to figure out what we are here for, and recognize that that comes from an Almighty God who is interested in all the details, even to the minutiae of aligning the Stars so you will find Him, the more content we will be, and the better we will get along with others, and then, just maybe, the world will be a better place.

So many other topics come out of that, but that’s enough for now. 

Happy Epiphany. Look for the Star.