Wednesday, December 28, 2005
Lazy me
Am I really living for Jesus?
Of course, I'd like to think that's the case, but more often than not, I'd have to answer, "No."
If not, then why not?
In every case, the answer is because I'm lazy. This may seem evident to anyone who knows me, but it's not readily apparent to me. At least all of the time.
It's not really indolence: I work hard enough - well, okay, I have an office job and I'm not likely to break into a sweat typing, filing and surfing the net, but you get my drift.
I wander through my day and do what I do and think a couple of churchy thoughts and that's it, I'm a Christian.
Oops.
Is it the fault of my Church? My wife? THE WORLD?
Nope.
Is there some vast conspiracy of Romish churchmen in league with the Prince of this World to lead me astray?
Nope. Whatever faults the Church has, it's always pointed me to Jesus and the Scriptures.
All I have to do is open my Bible and read:
Ps1: 1-6
How blessed is anyone who rejects the advice of the wicked and does not take a stand in the path that sinners tread, nor a seat in company with cynics, but who delights in the law of Yahweh and murmurs his law day and night. Such a one is like a tree planted near streams; it bears fruit in season and its leaves never wither, and every project succeeds. How different the wicked, how different! Just like chaff blown around by the wind the wicked will not stand firm at the Judgement nor sinners in the gathering of the upright. For Yahweh watches over the path of the upright, but the path of the wicked is doomed. - NJB
Or this version:
Happy those who do not follow the counsel of the wicked, Nor go the way of sinners, nor sit in company with scoffers. Rather, the law of the LORD is their joy; God's law they study day and night. They are like a tree planted near streams of water, that yields its fruit in season; Its leaves never wither; whatever they do prospers. But not the wicked! They are like chaff driven by the wind. Therefore the wicked will not survive judgment, nor will sinners in the assembly of the just. The LORD watches over the way of the just, but the way of the wicked leads to ruin. - NAB
I like the NJB vision of murmuring God's laws day and night. Praying without ceasing.
Reject the counsel of the wicked; follow the way of the Lord. Read His Word - and not just read - aborb. Spend less time with cynics/scoffers.
But these are all choices I must make - activities I must do. Remove myself from the company of scoffers. Pick up my Bible and read it. Pray - just do it.
Of course I started messing around with this post Wednesday and it's now Friday...
Good thing no-one is likely to read this, huh?
Tuesday, December 27, 2005
Things that make you go "Hmmm..."
Human life is precious, and if we do not stop those who wish to take it, we thereby unwittingly declare our contempt for this most precious of all gifts. ...there are three, rather than two, moral categories: the good, the bad, and the necessary. Killing terrorists is not a necessary evil, it is simply necessary.
Later, he goes on to say:
Just because we may never stop terrorism does not mean that we should ever fail our moral imperative to never disengage from the battle. And just because evil continues to stalk the earth, we dare not lessen our resolve to continually fight it, even if as yet we cannot completely defeat it.
The good - the bad - the necessary.
Hmmm...
Read it here: http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=48086
Abortion
As a nearly life-long libertarian, I came to the conclusion many years before I became a Christian that abortion was wrong for the same reason that slavery is. The libertarian argument for life is the same as the argument for freedom.
To my mind it is the one great flaw of libertarianism sans morality.
It is no great trick to legally define a "born" person of another race, ethnicity or sex as less than human and so unworthy of protection under the law as an "unborn" person. Legally, I suppose you could use any single characteristic of a human as defining a person under the law (Aryan, anyone?) and, supposing the power to enforce it, relegate all who do not have that feature to the status of subhuman.
Tolerance of the devaluation of human life led to the Holocaust, and will lead to another.
To deny the humanity of the human person at any stage of its development from conception to death is reprehensible and - now that I have become a Christian - I see it as a morally untenable position. We are indeed our brothers' keeper.
To me, the uniqueness of the DNA is the key to the abortion debate. Frankly, if you can arbitrarily and legally murder an unborn baby, there's no reason you can't arbitrarily and legally murder anyone who hasn't the power to resist.
To speak of "rights" when making an argument for abortion is simply silly, since rights are endowed by God. To believe otherwise is to admit that in reality you have no rights, as rights "granted" by humans are at best arbitrary.
Friday, December 23, 2005
'Twas the day before a three day weekend...
At this rate I'm going to be able to apply for the role of Jabba the Hut in the live action version of Star Wars.
So here I sit in my new office, listening to Grey Eye Glances and perusing the web whilst attempting to put my thoughts - seemingly as shallow as my work ethic today - to cyber paper.
I love Jennifer Nobel's voice.
"Here I am, traveling this moment again..."
Well-crafted pop songs, lyrics for adults and smooth arrangements. Why didn't I run across this band earlier in their career?
"Snow" is a wonderful song, surely worthy of winter airplay. Beats the hell out of the vapid nonsense that passes for the vast majority of holiday music.
****************************************************
In my inbox, from the Constution Party:
Jim Clymer, Chairman of the Constitution Party, believes that a major
change is in order.
"Both the House and the Senate have been thoroughly corrupted by
influence-peddling for decades," Clymer said. "But the solution is not to return
the Democrats to power or to elect a more ethical Republican majority. The
solution is to jettison the two major parties altogether and to start afresh
with principle-based leadership."
The unprecedented levels of graft and influence-peddling in Washington
are the predictable result of a legally-protected bipartisan oligarchy more
concerned with party loyalty than with upholding their Constitutional oath of
office, Clymer said.
"The two major parties," Clymer pointed out, "are not very far apart on
a wide range of policy issues, in spite of widespread perceptions. Both
Republicans and Democrats show near-total disregard for constitutional limits on
their own power. The result is a federal government of almost unlimited clout,
whose favors are for sale to the highest bidder."
Clymer believes Americans are ready for a sea change in party politics. Pointing to the recent special election in California's 48th Congressional district, in which Jim Gilchrist, running for the American Independent Party (the Constitution Party's California affiliate), made a very strong showing, Clymer noted that Gilchrist outpolled both major party candidates on election day, losing the overall election only because absentee ballots favored his Republican opponent.
Maybe I'm just being unusually grumpy, but as a supporter of 3rd parties since the '70's - usually Libertines, errr, Libertarians - I'll believe the electorate is ready for a sea change when I see it.
And I haven't, and don't see it now.
I gave up my affiliation with the LP. I'll not get involved with the Constitution Party either, although I may cast a vote for their candidates as a rather desultory protest against the status quo.
Absent a wholesale revival of the American people - in mind, spirit and body - I suspect nothing will change, except for the worse.
How long did the Roman republic rot from within before the Caesars ended the charade? I predict it won't be much longer for the American republic. An increasingly ignorant, apathetic and amoral electorate is already proving itself incapable of self-governance and lacks the critical skill to parse the BS that they are being fed by their political masters.
I either need more coffee or a beer. Or to start smoking dope again. I'm beginning to depress myself.
Good thing this is my blog, and no-one else will likely read this bilge. I can edit it away tomorrow.
Thursday, December 22, 2005
Happy Birthday, Pop!
Under construction
Don't think I won't be playing in your yard, though.
I've heard that it's not healthy to spend too much time contemplating mine own navel.
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