Tuesday, July 31, 2012



1883- ALL AND ALL IT’S JUST ANOTHER BRICK [NOTE] IN THE WALL?


So the news for the last few days has focused on Romney’s ‘world tour’.

As most of you know- he embarked on this trip to boost his foreign policy credentials.

And of course- the ‘main stream media’ has made it sound like he has made the worst gaffs since the time Biden told one of his political ‘close friends’ to stand up at some rally.



Biden ‘go ahead- stand- don’t be shy’ of course the guy sat there- still- hoping Biden would move on.

Not Biden.

‘Go ahead stand man- stand damn it- enough of this false MODESTY- stand!!”


Finally- someone from the audience yelled ‘he’s crippled you ….’

Close friend- remember?


So- in London Romney’s asked about the Olympics- does he think there might be some security problems.

And as a former CEO who ran the Olympics in the past- he was honest- he said there might be some difficulties with the security people who were hired to do the job.


Oh my- the press in the U.K. and the U.S. made it sound like this was the worst thing in the world.

They spent days- top headlines- top world news- yes- ‘how can this be- Romney singlehandedly has destroyed the greatest coalition ever- NATO and the Brits will fall apart now!! Oh my!!!’


I mean it’s hilarious.


Most don’t realize that Romney simply expressed- in a nice way- what the British press has been saying for weeks.


As a matter of fact- the security company who was hired to do security were about 3,000 men short.


The British military filled the gap.


This is bad- very- very bad.


Though I’m sure the military are good guys- yet they are not trained for this type of job.


The London games is a major target for terrorism- and if the truth be told- Romney’s comments were mild.


But because they decided to portray them the way they did- now the media are stuck in a way- because the games have had a bad start.


Most of the seats are empty- they actually need people to attend the events.


Yet- you have people who can’t get tickets.


Why?

They don’t know for sure- but it might be that lots of companies bought tickets- and gave them to their people- and the people are not going.


I mean I’m sure it couldn’t be the fact that the media have been reporting for weeks that the security is in fact not good- no- it can’t be that.


Either way- Romney was right- and those who follow the news know it.


Then- Romney trotted off to Israel.

Of course the media have found their niche- they are waiting to stomp on him every time they get a chance.


So- he tells the Israelis ‘your culture obviously has contributed to your success as a nation’.

Okay- is this true or not?

Look- as a bald faced statement- it is true.


What did the media say?

Oh my- Romney has insulted the Arab world- he has defamed the Palestinians- how could he ever have made a statement like this!


Now- as an independent- I do not always side with U.S. policy in that part of the world.

And- I think the American Evangelical church has made some big mistakes when they read the bible- and try to fit current U.S. policy in with their interpretation of end time events.


So- I do not see the Palestinian problem as one side being the enemy [Palestinians] and the other as the ‘people of God inheriting the land’.


For the most part those are Old Testament mindsets that overlook the New Testament view- that we are all called to inherit the kingdom thru the Cross.



So- just wanted to make that clear.


But- the truth is Israel has one of strongest Democracies in that region of the world.

They are governed with a system of courts and laws- that have even ruled on the side of Arab people- against their own govt.!


That’s rare- very rare- you do not find that in Arab states- that a court in Iran would rule against their leaders- and side with a Jew.


You have certain Arab states- that to even be Jewish would get you killed on the spot.


And some Arab states [not all!] have no real rule of law- even though they have tried- many are living a lawless existence.



Okay- I know there’s more to the debate- but on its face- Romney simply told the truth.

Yet the media are reporting it as a huge blunder- the likes of which has never been seen before!!



So- they show a clip of Romney putting a folded prayer request in the Wailing Wall [Jerusalem].


They then do a quick story ‘I wonder what he said’.

You know- it’s a traditional thing- the wall is a place for the Jewish people to connect with God- and they pray daily at the wall.


So- Romney kinda says what he wrote in the note- he says he thanked God for the source of our salvation- a few other things.



Then they show the shot of Obama when he did his note- of course they had the scoop form Obama’s note.

He asked for ‘wisdom and knowledge to govern the people’.

Basically the same prayer that king Solomon prayed [convenient that this slipped out- in Jerusalem!]



Then they had the shot of good ole G.W. [Bush].


I braced myself.


They simply showed him putting his hands on the wall.


I was waiting for Brain Ross to break in [you know- Ross is the news guy who ‘outed’ Jim Holmes from the Colorado shooting- he said he was a Tea Partier from Aurora- of course he outed an innocent man].


Yeah- I was waiting for the ‘Ross Report’.



‘George- I have breaking news- I don’t know if this is the same GW from Texas- but a goat herder was walking by the wall- and he found this note had fallen- strangely- it was signed by a GW from Texas’.

Go on Brian- what does it say man?


‘Well- like I said- we don’t know if it’s Bush- but the note says- and I quote- “What’s it like to be a wall” unquote’.


Yeah- I was waiting for the scoop.



So- you get the idea- the media have the power- and the desire- to depict one side as total idiots- and the other as those who can do no wrong.


I’m not on either side- trust me- but the bias is hard not to see.


Okay- I actually do have more to say- maybe tomorrow.


Right after I post this- I’ll post some pics from the weekend- now that I got my smart phone- I’m taken pics.


In a little while I will be driving my daughter to San Antonio- she’s catching a flight back to Indiana- she’s staying there for now- her boyfriend has been working across the country- right now they are in Indiana.



So- I’m sure I’ll take some pics.


That’s it for now- enjoy the pics.

And don’t forget the lesson of the day.


If you’re in a political rally- and Biden says ‘go ahead- stand up man- for the love of Pete’.

Just leave- it will save you from a very awkward moment for sure.




Note- Do me a favor, those who read/like the posts- re-post them on other sites as well as the site you read them on. Thanks- John. Don’t forget to scroll down on the timeline [Facebook] - I have posted lots.







Friday, July 27, 2012



1882- IS GAIN GODLY?

As we close the week- lets re-cap a few things.

As an avid news watcher- once again the media over covered a very tragic event.


There were numerous days of nonstop coverage on all the news networks- of the tragic killing of 12 people in Aurora- Colorado.

While we don’t know all the motives of the sick person who did this- yet it is possible that one of the motives is attention.

And if we give a person nonstop coverage- then in a way we are playing into his distorted mind game.


The next day or 2 after the shooting [or the same day? I forget] we had 15 people killed right here in South Texas in a truck crash.

It was another case of a bunch of illegal aliens in a truck- coming into Texas.

The tire blew out- and 15 died.


Now- we also have had a string of murders going on in Chicago- it is really strange.

Ever since the former White House chief of staff- Rahm Emanuel- became mayor of the city- the death rate has sky rocketed.


I don’t know why this is- but it is a fact.

So- the real danger in the country is not the lone psycho who will walk into a theatre and open fire.

But it’s the regular gun violence taking place in Camden [N.J.] or Chicago- or any other inner city USA.

We have a terrible culture that exists in the gang lifestyle- and these are the real stories that if not dealt with will eventually kill tens of thousands more each year.


So- don’t want to lessen the horrendous act of Holmes- but just want to keep things in perspective.



The other week I caught an interview with David Brody- a reporter for CBN [Pat Robertson’s ministry].


He put out a book- Teavangelicals- and was talking about the ‘religious right’ and stuff.



The interviewer brought out some very good points- he challenged some of the ideas of the so called right.

Brody said many identify their faith with capitalism- he used a famous verse form the Old Testament ‘a good man leaves an inheritance to his kids, kids’.

I have heard [and read] this many times over my life.


So- Brody said that’s why the religious right identify with ‘right wing’ politics.


The interviewer quipped back ‘yes- but that’s one Old Testament verse- and all thru the New Testament Jesus railed against riches’.

Wow- I was surprised that the guy new his stuff.

Was he right?

Actually- yes.


This is what I talk about a lot- keeping things in context.

Avoiding what we call ‘proof texting’ which means you pick one verse out of the bible- and then build an entire belief system from that verse.


Jesus did say stuff like ‘What does it profit a man if he gain the whole world and lose his soul?’

‘You cannot serve God and money’.

‘It is easier for a camel to go thru the eye of a needle than for a rich man to go to heaven’.

Now- I can go on- and in the past I have.


But the point I wanted to make was the news guy was right.


We need to see the Christian life primarily thru the ‘lens’ of the teachings of Christ- and emphasize the things he taught the most.


Now- this does not mean we should ignore a verse like ‘leave an inheritance for your kids’.

But we should absolutely avoid making stuff like that the main thing- I mean we- in the modern evangelical church have seemed to have fallen into the whole trap of ‘keeping up with the Joneses’.

Years ago one of the prosperity preachers of the day put out a little book- the title was ‘righteousness is profitable’.

Of course the title told it all.


It was a short- and all consuming teaching that comes from this camp- and it basically taught that if you are a child of God- you will make lots of money [profitable].


The problem?

Once again- the verse comes from the Apostle Paul’s letter to Timothy [1st Timothy chapter 4].

And in context it does not mean what the author said it meant.

2 chapters later Paul will actually write ‘the love of money is the root of all evil- some say gain [profit] is godliness [righteousness] avoid them’.

The point is- the author took Paul’s words- from the bible- and ‘made’ them say the opposite of what he said.


Then taught ‘see- that’s in the bible’.

Actually ‘that’ was not in the bible- at least not the way the author made it sound.


So- at the end of the day- we need to keep ‘first things first’.


Yes- there are many people who live day by day- lives without purpose or meaning.

And we- the church- don’t want to tell them that the purpose is more material stuff.


That’s not the message Jesus gave.

Sure- we can find a good verse about leaving money to your kid when you die.

But read the WHOLE bible in context.


Jesus put much more emphasis on warning people that if they ‘gain the whole world- and lose their soul- it profits nothing’.

The Kingdom of God is not about making a fortune- it’s about living your life for a higher purpose- a more noble goal- give your life away- that’s what the Master said.




Note- Do me a favor, those who read/like the posts- re-post them on other sites as well as the site you read them on. Thanks- John. Don’t forget to scroll down on the timeline [Facebook] - I have posted lots.




Thursday, July 26, 2012


1881- GOAT MAN SAGA CONT.

Okay- I never thought I would write a follow up post on the Goat Man [few posts back].


But- yesterday morning I read another story about this masked [or fur coated?] man.

Yes- this time I figured I’d read the whole thing.

For those who didn’t read the post- Goat man was simply some guy- dressed like a goat- ‘living’ among the goats in Utah.

Some tourist spotted him and reported him to the cops.


So- Goat man made national news- and the story went viral.

They were looking for the guy- fearful that he might get shot.


So- the follow up story said the local authorities received a call- by a ‘very agitated man’.

He simply said- quote ‘leave Goat man alone- he’s done nothing wrong’!


Hmm?

 Could this caller be wearing a fleece?


Yes- it was the infamous goat man on the line.


The story went on and said he was a hunter who was simply preparing for a Canadian hunt.


He made the ‘goat outfit’ using a painters type suspendered pants- and some type of hair.


Okay- maybe goat man is innocent.

But I must correct our furry friend- no sir- dressing like a goat- making it into the national news- twice- at the age of 50 something.

O- this is wrong- so very wrong.



Second- I find funny stuff in the most unlikely places.

The other morning I was listening to NPR [radio news] and they were doing a story on Muslim athletes who are competing in the Olympics.


The reporter introduced the piece by saying the Muslim fast of Ramadan has just started- and that some Muslim athletes are ‘struggling’ with whether or not to observe the daily fast.


Muslims are not supposed to eat during the day.

So- I was expecting to hear the athlete say ‘Praise Allah- I have struggled much with this decision- and…’

You know- some type of real personal turmoil over this great dilemma.

They guy comes on and says ‘Nah- I’m not gonna be doin that’.

Huh?

Sounded like this Muslim brother came straight from the streets of Jersey- sort of like the Henry Hill character from Goofellas [or Depp in Donnie Brasco- take your pic].

So- over all- I had a few good laughs.


Okay- It’s been a few days since I did economics/politics.

But I must say- the news this past week has been very bad- economically.

Britain has reported a worse recession than previously thought.

China has been fudging their numbers too- they made it sound like they were doing better than they were.

And the E.U. crisis is not getting better- or even staying stagnate- but getting worse.


So- the other day after the markets looked like they were going into another sell off.

The dow was down around 200.

The Fed chairman popped into action and basically said they were going to do another Qe-3 [put more money into the system].

Normally- this would drive the market way up.


This time- it simply stopped the sell off for the day and the market has only risen a few points since then.

That’s a bad sign- even the investors are saying this won't do.


I heard a quote from a knowledgeable guy the other day- on one of the business shows.


He said the real money- the institutional investors- they see all this Fed action as dangerous.

That to simply print money like this- and for the market to ride on it- is not good economic policy at all.


It looks like he was right.


We really should have a national debate over stuff like this.

I feel bad for the seniors who were forced out of the interest rate market [Cd’s and bonds] and were told ‘you need to be in the market- look- you can’t live on 1 % inertest’.

So- many of these older folk- who were perfectly happy with 5-7 % on their money- they were forced out of that stable market- and into this terrible market that we have had these past 12 years.



That’s the fault of the various Fed chairmen- when they decide to enact fiscal policy that says we want to keep the rates really- really low- then that leaves the seniors no other option- they get thrown into the risky stock market- and then they take a hit.


I am not a ‘right winger’ or left winger on these things- but I do see the Fed at the end of the road- they simply have done all you can do at this point.

 I think they should leave the thing alone- no more stimulus- it’s just throwing money into a system that’s in the process of de-leveraging- and just like the real estate market- we simply need to let the system bottom out- because if we keep propping up the system- then it will never really get fixed.

[yeah- Krugman- it’s not that easy]


And Cali.

We have now seen 3 cities declare bankruptcy in the great state.

Some city is messing with the idea of actually doing Eminent Domain on the houses that are underwater.


They want to ‘seize’ the mortgages of these homeowners- and force the banks to re-do the loan- at a loss to the mortgage holder.


If they do this- trust me- your home in that town will be worth nil.

Why?

  Everyone in the state will know that if you invest in a house in that city/county- that you might someday be forced to take a loss on that house- by Eminent Domain.


These ideas come from well meaning people- but for the most part they have no business experience.



Last year the president talked about stuff like this on a national level.


It wasn’t Eminent Domain- but he made the argument that if we come to some type of a deal with the banks- to ‘make’ them lower the values on these homes- that it would help everybody out.


Obama said ‘it does no good for you to have 3-5 foreclosed homes on your block- so this will prevent that from happening’.

Look- anyone who has any knowledge at all on real estate will tell you this would be an unmitigated disaster.

Why?

If you go into a neighborhood where the homes on average sell [or sold] for 150,000.

And you take half of the homes on that block and reduce the value of the homes to 100,000.


You did not do the other home owners a favor [the ones who by the way are paying their bills!]

You simply ‘revalued’ their home to a hundred thousand as well.

See?



So all in all- sometimes people mean well ‘look- lets seize the mortgages on these struggling folk- and force the bank to take the hit’.

Sounds good- but if you do that- you will ruin the value for all the other people in that county.


Also- the biggest retirement fund in the nation- in Cali- just reported 1% growth- not the 7% it had counted on.



I think California is in danger of possibly declaring bankruptcy for the whole state.


They say ‘they way Cali goes- so goes the nation’.

Let’s hope this is not true this time around.




Note- Do me a favor, those who read/like the posts- re-post them on other sites as well as the site you read them on. Thanks- John. Don’t forget to scroll down on the timeline [Facebook] - I have posted lots.







Tuesday, July 24, 2012



1880- ZIGGY STARDUST

I’ve been catching some of the classic rock concerts on VHF 1- you know- the stuff I [we] saw back in the day.


I must admit- I have been an amateur ‘singer’ for many years.

I used to belt them out at the fire house on a regular basis- you know- sweeping the stalls- or doing a daily routine thing.

Okay- no lie- I did get some real compliments over my ‘career’.

One of the Captains asked one morning ‘were you playing the radio in there’.

I told him no- laughing- he did not believe I was singing.


My captain [Lopez] said for years that I should go on the ‘Americas got talent’ type shows.

So- after a while the guys would give a request or 2- and I tried my best.


I remember Sam- a younger guy- one day I sang Lola [the Kinks].

Sam knew the song as a remake- I guess some new group re-did it.

So- I sang the words- which Sam said he never really knew.


I told Sam ‘you do know who Lola is’.


He did not.

‘She walks like a woman and talks like a man’

‘When she squeezed me tight she nearly broke my spine’

‘I never ever kissed a woman before’ [nor this night!]


Yeah- you’re talking Penn State football locker rooms for the years that Sandusky was there.


So- one day I drove the girls to school- I tell them ‘you guys want breakfast- then you have to bear thru another one of dads songs- without laughing’.

They were up for it.

So- I picked one from my catalog [in my head!]

And I was off.


They managed to not laugh- or smile- that was the deal.

At the end- my daughter- per instructions of the bet- said ‘wow dad- that was really good’.

Hmm?

Still- no laugh.

I responded- with a dead pan serious face ‘are you serious.’


She lost the bet right there.



Ziggy Stardust.

So- I caught the re-run of a David Bowie concert tour.

To be honest- I never really liked the guy- Changes was an all right song- but not much else.


But the stardust character that he sang the tour as [he was this androgynous type persona for the tour] reminded me of the famed Physicist – Neil Tyson.


Tyson heads up the Hayden planetarium in N.Y.

My dad took me there a bunch of times as a kid- I loved it.


Tyson has been making the rounds recently- talking about the Higgs Boson thing.

He is a nice guy- and he is trying to ‘popularize’ physics for the average guy- a noble cause.


But he- like a long line of others- stumbles very badly when he wades into the field of Apologetics/Logic.

Recently I saw a clip- he gave a very enthusiastic account of how the stars ‘made us’.



He said that we now know that the basic elements of the stars are in us.

And he then reached the unfounded conclusion that ‘we came from stars’.


Okay- a brief review.


This type of argument- which is not new- says if you find common elements in 2 different things- then one must have come from the other.


Why would this be false- at least in the star debate?


Because you cannot get intelligence- information- consciousness- from a non living thing.


As wonderful as the study of the stars can be- yet- to give the stars ‘Ontological status’ [meaning- you give a non living thing the status that only a living thing has] is wrong.


Tyson gives us no mechanism of how the stars actually created us.

I mean you can’t even appeal to biological evolution- because at least it uses living things.

No- the stars have no life.


Then how would you [I] explain the fact that stars have the same base elements that humans have?

Easy- there was one creator- a ‘first cause’ if you will- and according to the biblical argument- he made man from the base element- dirt.


So- in the Christian view- you have both how the same elements are in various things- and you have a ‘mechanism’ that explains how intelligence- consciousness- and life arrived.

They came from an infinite being- who has life in himself.


In the end- this is really the only logical explanation for the creation.

Remember- you can’t get intelligence from non intelligence.


It would be like finding a C.D. in a field- you popped it into a computer and you found information on it.


Then- you broke down [in a lab] the basic elements of the makeup of the C.D. - the actual hardware- not the info on it.

And said ‘aha- I have found the source of the info on the device’.

And you proceeded to show me the ingredients that make up the disk itself.

I would respond ‘all you have done is shown me the common elements that make up the disk- you have in no way proven that these base elements are responsible for the info on the disk’.



That’s the mistake that Tyson makes- he assumes that the common elements we find both in the stars and in humans- is proof that ‘we came from the stars’.

 He’s wrong- very wrong.


About as wrong as me thinking I can make it on America’s got talent.




Note- Do me a favor, those who read/like the posts- re-post them on other sites as well as the site you read them on. Thanks- John. Don’t forget to scroll down on the timeline [Facebook] - I have posted lots.







Monday, July 23, 2012


1879- GOAT MAN [or Fire Walkers]

I have a couple of news articles I clipped last week.

The first ‘Goat man spotted in mountains of Utah’.

The first paragraph says the authorities are worried that a man- dressed like a goat- living with a bunch of other goats- might be in danger as ‘hunting season approaches’.

I refuse to read the rest of the article- why ruin the fun?


The second- ‘21 people treated for burns at fire walk’.

The story is that Tony Robbins [success guru] did one of his ‘unleash the power within’ seminars- and 21 people received 2nd and 3rd degree burns while trying to ‘unleash the power’.



The other day I was going to mention the death of Stephen Covey.

I was a fan of Covey’s stuff- I actually pulled out his book from my shelf the other day- to make sure I spelled the name right if I did a post.


There was a notable difference between Covey’s approach and the other so called ‘motivational speakers’ of the day.


Covey took a more biblically oriented approach- he said success was not so much a technique thing [Robbins- he even taught the way you look- if you look in a certain direction while thinking- or posture yourself a certain way- that this too bread success].


Covey taught 7 basic principles [when they played the clips of his stuff- I knew it by heart- I listened to his c.d.’s many times].

They focused you on trying to work on the most important things- the things that you do have some influence on.

The things you can’t change- leave them be.


And ‘begin with the end in mind’.


Basically think ‘legacy’ don’t live for pure hedonism- but make something of your life that’s worthwhile.


I liked Covey- sad to see him go.


These few stories got me to thinking about the goal of faith.

I throw the word ‘metaphysical’ around a lot in my posts- usually talking about physics.

But there are what people refer to as ‘metaphysical cults’.

Huh?

I don’t like the word cult- to be honest.


I have friends who are in groups that other Christians call cults.

I prefer to be honest and open with these friends [Mormon friends and Jehovah Witness friends].


Covey himself was Mormon.

And I have had really good- nonjudgmental talks with both of these groups many- many times.

When they come over- I talk to them as friends.

I’m not trying to continually persuade them to think my way.

I also realize that for someone that has studied church history- theology- various religious movements.

That it’s not very hard for me to throw out the standard talking points that most people use when trying to prove their side is right.

These types of ‘talking point’ debates usually lead nowhere.


So- I see the various guys who come and knock over the years- as well meaning people who wake up every day- and with a sincere heart are going out to do what they feel is God’s will.

Upfront with them?

Yes.


At the same time understanding where they too are coming from.

Got it?

Okay- said all that to say this.


The metaphysical ‘cults’ are groups that view the ‘real world’ as the non material realm.

‘Geez John- don’t we too walk by faith’?

Yeah- but walking by faith- and not by sight- is different from what these groups do.


Many in the Christian world have embraced lots of these ‘positive confession’ type beliefs- not realizing that they do fall into this category.


One example.

A few years ago I heard very popular preacher from this genre talking about an incident where a man ‘froze’ to death in a freezer.


The preacher said that they later found out that the freezer was unplugged- yet in his mind- what he thought ‘created’ an environment where he froze to death.

Okay- did this man freeze to death?

No.

He more than likely died of a heart attack.

Now- the mind does play a role in things.

So- I saw the point.

But New Testament Christianity does not see the key to the Christian life as someone who masters certain principles like this.

Often times the letter to the Romans is used.

Paul says ‘we look not at the things that appear- but that do not appear’.

This is in Hebrews as well.

These examples come from the life of Abraham- when he walked by faith- not by sight.

Many times he rejected the evidence that said ‘this will never happen’.

Instead he trusted in God- and God did what seemed impossible.

Okay- that’s faith.


But Abraham lived quite the life.

He failed many times thru out the journey [too many to recount now].

He struggled with doubt too.

But in the end- faith was him believing God’s promise- not mastering some type of technique that denied physical reality.

So that’s the difference between biblical faith- and ‘positive confession- motivational’ type faith.

Be careful- if you confuse these 2- you might just get burned in the end.




Note- Do me a favor, those who read/like the posts- re-post them on other sites as well as the site you read them on. Thanks- John. Don’t forget to scroll down on the timeline [Facebook] - I have posted lots.







Saturday, July 21, 2012



1878- THE DARK KNIGHT OF THE SOUL

Well today is surely a day of mourning.

As you all know- yesterday marked another tragic day for our nation.

We had another deadly rampage in Colorado [Aurora]. 

Right down the road from Columbine.

James Holmes- a 24 year old student- walked into a theatre- carrying multiple guns- and shot randomly at the audience.

Last I heard- 71 shot- 12 dead.

It was at the premiere of Dark Knight Rising- the new Batman movie.


We don’t yet know the motivation for the killings- maybe we never will.


But of course- that won’t stop the media from making fools of themselves.

Brian Ross- ABC’s ‘chief investigative reporter’ had breaking news on their morning show.


He actually had the audacity to report that he found a man with the same name- James Holmes- who had a web site affiliated with the Tea Party.

Huh?


Gee- I’m sure there are no other people with such an odd name that live in Aurora Colorado.


I’m sure if this were a Muslim name- I’m sure you would have reported a random find- that you found another Muslim name- sounds the same- and he’s affiliated with Al Qaeda.


The sad thing is- after a little while- Ross had to apologize- the man he ‘outed’ was not the shooter.



The shooter was a 24 year old- the Holmes from the Ross report is 54.



The 54 year old had to disconnect his phone- his family immediately became a target for revenge.



What a bang up job you did Brian- may God have mercy on your soul- and please- please go away.


It’s sad- right up the road from where I live- we had the Fort Hood shootings.


Major Nidal Hassan walked into a crowded room on the base and fired on his fellow military men and women.


Killed many- shouted ‘Allah Akbar’- and opened fire.


During the investigation we learned that Hassan carried a card that identified himself as a soldier for Islam.


He dressed in garb that indicated he was Muslim.

He made many statements thru out his career that said he was a radical.

He had on line contacts with nut sites that advocate radical Islamic terrorism.

Yet- for all this- the administration refereed to this killing as ‘work place violence’.



Yet- ABC news thought it fine to simply share- with the world- that someone with the name Jim Holmes was connected to the Tea Party.



We had another ‘attack’ just up the road from me a few years back.

The nut who flew his plane into the IRS building in Austin.


The NY Times reported- on their on line forum- ‘Tea Party unhinged’.

It was later found out that the pilot was actually a communist sympathizer- not a Tea partier at all.


Gifford’s- when the congresswoman from Arizona was shot- the media spent a week trying to connect the dots- that somehow the political use of ‘targeting a district’ used by Sarah Palin- was responsible for the tragedy.


And of course- who can forget the nemesis of the large size cola.

Yes- a few years back Bloomberg [mayor of NY] referred to the Times Square bomber as ‘probably someone who is mad at Obama Care’.



We later found out- yes- once again- that the guy was a radical Islamist.



It’s sad how slow the media are to report the associations of radical Islam- when it’s obvious for everyone to see.

Yet- they go hunting- and even report innocent names- when they think there might be a connection with a right wing group.


How did Ross do his research?


You think he just stumbled upon a name that was the same?



You think he might just have googled ‘Tea Party- Jim Holmes’.

No- I’m sure the chief investigative reporter would never stoop so low.

I’m sure.




This last week I’ve been reading Isaiah- chapters 49 thru the end.


There are so many key verses in these chapters- ones that I have memorized and quoted over the years during prayer.


In chapter 53 we read that God saw the ‘Travail of his soul and was satisfied’.

‘Because he poured out his soul unto death’.

‘He was numbered with the transgressors’.


The chapter speaks about the suffering Messiah.

Our Jewish friends apply this to their struggles as a nation.

I think both are applicable.



There is a term we use in Christianity- it’s called ‘The dark night of the soul’.


Saint John of the Cross [a famous Christian from church history] made the term popular.


Mother Theresa- we found out later- lived many of her years in this state of ‘darkness’.


It simply speaks about the trials we all go thru- times when we think all hope is lost.


Some people experience it more than others- the above chapter says this travail- this numbness- is redemptive in nature.


God uses it- and the people- nations- that go thru it for a purpose.

It was because Christ suffered- poured out his soul ‘unto death’ that he became the savior for mankind.

It was because of the struggles of the Jewish people that they have now become one of the most prosperous nations in that part of the world.


I’m not saying God ordains that a mad man shoot innocent people in a movie.


But I am saying that we as a nation can become a better people thru it all.



Yesterday Obama and Romney both suspended their campaigns for a day.

 And I even heard MSNBC give credit to both men for it.

Yeah- we saw civility- by both camps- for the first time in a while.


Today we pray for the victims of Aurora.


We try and resist the stupidity of associating this mad kid’s act with any group- at least until we get more facts.


And we- as a nation- have an opportunity- we have a ‘dark night’ opportunity- we can either become worse- hate more- blame the other side for it.

Or we can reflect- we can turn our minds to the things that count.


In the end- we can find redemption in the collective ‘travail of our souls’.




Note- Do me a favor, those who read/like the posts- re-post them on other sites as well as the site you read them on. Thanks- John. Don’t forget to scroll down on the timeline [Facebook] - I have posted lots.