Bob S-C's Blog

Our Daily Bread: How Food Proves God's Providence

2011-04-10T18:05:00.000-05:00

Our Daily Bread: How Food Proves God's Providence

by James J. S. Johnson, J.D., Th.D.

Sometimes the proof that God is our Creator comes in the form of a potato, or lingonberries, or cheese, or eggs, or a codfish. Each type of food is a witness to God’s providential care. The meals consumed over a human lifetime offer a huge quantity of proof, from a huge pantry of witnesses!

...more

My new favorite hymn

2011-03-29T23:02:00.000-05:00

Before the throne of God above
I have a strong and perfect plea.
A great High Priest whose name is Love
Who ever lives and pleads for me.
My name is graven on His hands,
My name is written on His heart.
I know that while in Heaven He stands
No tongue can bid me thence depart.

When Satan tempts me to despair
And tells me of the guilt within,
Upward I look and see Him there
Who made an end of all my sin.
Because the sinless Saviour died
My sinful soul is counted free.
For God the just is satisfied
To look on Him and pardon me.

Behold Him there the risen Lamb,
My perfect spotless righteousness,
The great unchangeable I AM,
The King of glory and of grace,
One in Himself I cannot die.
My soul is purchased by His blood,
My life is hid with Christ on high,
With Christ my Saviour and my God!

(The musical setting for this was written by Vikki Cook in the 1990s. It has been recorded by many groups, and you can hear it here.)

(Lyrics written by Charitie Lees (Smith) Bancroft, when she was about 21 years old, in 1863 in Ireland. Good article about it here.)

Mark Goulston, M.D.: How America Messed Up Its Kids... And How We Can Fix Them

2011-01-03T16:39:00.000-06:00

Mark Goulston, M.D.: How America Messed Up Its Kids... And How We Can Fix Them: [It] "might be helpful is to reach a consensus between parents and their children as to what terms related to personal responsibility mean. Here are ten terms that come to mind for me:

Commitment: the level of dedicated action(s) you continue to take after your enthusiasm for an enterprise stops.
Accountability: taking full responsibility for your actions by owning up to the negative or failed results, taking action to make up for it to the person(s) you let down, and learning what you did wrong so that it doesn't occur again.
Maturity: how well you are able to resist an irresistible impulse and instead have and exercise judgment and do the reasonable thing. In the brain we refer to this as exercising one's executive function.
Honesty: this is simply telling the truth according to the facts as you understand them. You know honesty best, when you tell a lie. Pathological liars lie whenever they are trying to get their way and take advantage of a situation. Compulsive liars lie both when the are trying to get their way and when they are trying to get out of facing the consequences of their actions.
Forthrightness: this is coming forward and telling the truth and revealing untruths that you become aware of. It's believing and following Justice Louis Brandeis words: "Sunlight is the greatest disinfectant."
Character: what you do when you are frustrated, angry, annoyed, afraid and/or bored and nobody is watching and your chance of getting caught is close to nil.
Sacrifice: what you do unto others who will not (immediately) be able to pay you back by doing unto you.
Compassion: what you feel unto others who will not be able to do more than say, "Thank you."
Thinking ahead and planning: overcoming the aversion to anything that causes you to forego immediate gratification.
Listening: and then pausing to consider what you've heard before rejecting it, tuning out or competing with it (a skill every generation needs to learn)."

Mark Goulston, M.D.: How America Messed Up Its Kids... And How We Can Fix Them

2011-01-03T14:03:00.000-06:00

Mark Goulston, M.D.: How America Messed Up Its Kids... And How We Can Fix Them: "...consider that at the exact moment that you as a parent bail out your child from facing the consequences of their screw-ups and taking full responsibility for them, literally millions of children in this world the same age as your child are taking full responsibility for their actions and becoming smarter, stronger and wiser. Within the next 10 to 20 years, those children (from China, India and elsewhere) will become your child's boss, and they won't bail out or accept your child's excuses."

So, What if the Bible Really Is True? - David Limbaugh

2010-12-25T09:43:00.000-06:00

So, What if the Bible Really Is True? - David Limbaugh"

I'd like to challenge you to consider that the 'good news' we celebrate during the Christmas season really is true.

You may choose to believe the Bible is merely a book of fables with nice moral lessons, but there is more abundant and accurate manuscript evidence for the New Testament than any other book from antiquity. Moreover, the number of witnesses to Christ's life, death and resurrection, as well as the nature of their testimony, is strong evidence of the reliability of the scriptural accounts, as are the corroborating secular testimony and archeological evidence.

In fact... Full Article

Adobe Systems

2010-12-09T16:20:00.001-06:00

"What inspires you this holiday season? Share your thoughts with us and we’ll help turn inspiration into action by donating $1 to Mercy Corps. Happy Holidays from Adobe!" http://bit.ly/AdobeGreet

Wonderful Food Court Surprise!

2010-12-05T21:48:00.001-06:00

This is a wonderful way to handle Handel!

National Day of Prayer, April 30, 1863

2010-04-21T17:00:00.000-05:00

On March 30, 1863, President Abraham Lincoln issued the following proclamation:

By the President of the United States of America.

A Proclamation.

Whereas, the Senate of the United States, devoutly recognizing the Supreme Authority and just Government of Almighty God, in all the affairs of men and of nations, has, by a resolution, requested the President to designate and set apart a day for National prayer and humiliation.

And whereas it is the duty of nations as well as of men, to own their dependence upon the overruling power of God, to confess their sins and transgressions, in humble sorrow, yet with assured hope that genuine repentance will lead to mercy and pardon; and to recognize the sublime truth, announced in the Holy Scriptures and proven by all history, that those nations only are blessed whose God is the Lord.

And, insomuch as we know that, by His divine law, nations like individuals are subjected to punishments and chastisements in this world, may we not justly fear that the awful calamity of civil war, which now desolates the land, may be but a punishment, inflicted upon us, for our presumptuous sins, to the needful end of our national reformation as a whole People? We have been the recipients of the choicest bounties of Heaven. We have been preserved, these many years, in peace and prosperity. We have grown in numbers, wealth and power, as no other nation has ever grown. But we have forgotten God. We have forgotten the gracious hand which preserved us in peace, and multiplied and enriched and strengthened us; and we have vainly imagined, in the deceitfulness of our hearts, that all these blessings were produced by some superior wisdom and virtue of our own. Intoxicated with unbroken success, we have become too self-sufficient to feel the necessity of redeeming and preserving grace, too proud to pray to the God that made us!

It behooves us then, to humble ourselves before the offended Power, to confess our national sins, and to pray for clemency and forgiveness.

Now, therefore, in compliance with the request, and fully concurring in the views of the Senate, I do, by this my proclamation, designate and set apart Thursday, the 30th. day of April, 1863, as a day of national humiliation, fasting and prayer. And I do hereby request all the People to abstain, on that day, from their ordinary secular pursuits, and to unite, at their several places of public worship and their respective homes, in keeping the day holy to the Lord, and devoted to the humble discharge of the religious duties proper to that solemn occasion.

All this being done, in sincerity and truth, let us then rest humbly in the hope authorized by the Divine teachings, that the united cry of the Nation will be heard on high, and answered with blessings, no less than the pardon of our national sins, and the restoration of our now divided and suffering Country, to its former happy condition of unity and peace.

In witness whereof, I have hereunto set my hand and caused the seal of the United States to be affixed.

Done at the City of Washington, this thirtieth day of March, in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and sixty-three, and of the Independence of the United States the eighty seventh.

By the President: Abraham Lincoln

William H. Seward, Secretary of State^[4]

Pro-Existence: Announcing Nancy Pearcey's New Book "Saving Leonardo"

2010-02-11T14:13:00.000-06:00

Announcing Nancy Pearcey's New Book "Saving Leonardo"
SAVING LEONARDO
A Call to Resist the Secular Assault on
Mind, Morals, and Meaning

New book by Nancy Pearcey, best-selling author of Total Truth,
goes on sale Sept. 1, 2010, published by Broadman & Holman

February 11, 2010 -- Is secularism a positive force in the modern world? Or is it a destructive ideology that must be unmasked and resisted if human beings are to live as whole persons with dignity and freedom?

In Saving Leonardo: A Call to Resist the Secular Assault on Mind, Morals, and Meaning, Dr. Nancy Pearcey offers an unflinching analysis of the profound personal and social devastation wreaked by secular worldviews in every area of life. The assault is being launched from the classroom to the courtroom, from the talk shows to the television screen, from the pulpit to politics. Read more...

Posted using ShareThis

Hillsdale Constitution Town Hall

2010-01-22T10:15:00.000-06:00

Hillsdale Constitution Town Hall

Hillsdale College Constitution Town Hall

"Reviving the Constitution" -- A Constitution Town Hall, brought to you by the Allan P. Kirby, Jr. Center for Constitutional Studies and Citizenship

When: Saturday, January 30, 2010, 9:00 am - 3:00 pm

List of Speakers:
Larry Arnn:
President, Hillsdale College

-David Bobb:
Director and Lecturer in Political Science

-Matthew Spalding:
Adjunct Fellow

-Paul Moreno:
Senior Fellow

-Ronald Pestritto:
Senior Fellow

PLEASE REGISTER FOR THE FREE ONLINE CONSTITUTION TOWN HALL MEETING

http://www.constitutiontownhall.com

Made in His Image: Baby's First Breath

2009-12-11T22:02:00.000-06:00

Made in His Image: Baby's First Breath
by Randy J. Guliuzza, P.E., M.D.

In 1967 Dr. Christiaan Barnard performed the first heart transplant. Until that time, if someone's heart was taken out, they died. People were astounded to learn that not only was a man’s heart removed, but a non-beating donor heart put in, restarted, and he lived. Years of design efforts and testing resulted in a sophisticated invention that circulated blood and functioned as patients' lungs to bring them oxygen--the all-important "heart-lung" machine.

No doubt in the same hospital in 1967 was a brand-new mother. Her baby had just made a similar transition of survival on an exceedingly better "lung machine," but no reporters covered it. Although the first event was a great feat of human engineering, the second has never been explained by any natural process.

Read the rest of this fascinating article.

Mere Conservatism - A Voice in the Wilderness

2009-11-10T08:53:00.000-06:00

Mere Conservatism: History • A Voice in the Wilderness

An extremely well-written essay, well worth your time to read!

Oliver North : The Raiders - Townhall.com

2009-09-18T10:19:00.001-05:00

Oliver North : The Raiders - Townhall.com:
Friday, September 18, 2009

According to colleagues back home, our Fox News team here in Afghanistan has missed all the excitement. They note that since we left the USA last month.... But I wouldn't trade a single day with the raiders with whom we have been keeping company for any of that. The "raiders" are an extraordinary cross section of talent, tenacity, experience and courage... Read more ...

Made in His Image: From Solar Energy to Human Energy

2009-09-13T21:38:00.002-05:00

by Randy J. Guliuzza, P.E., M.D. -- Acts & Facts. 38 (3): 16.

"Plants use biological systems that harvest light energy from the sun to convert environmental water and carbon dioxide into tiny carbon/hydrogen energy units stored within them. When people eat those energy units, the extraordinary human digestive and metabolic systems convert the work of plants into energy that is useful to people and give back water and carbon dioxide to the environment that can be used by plants. How do these systems make that happen?" Read more...

Nehemiah 9:6

2009-09-13T17:33:00.001-05:00

Nehemiah 9:6
Thou, even thou, art LORD alone;
thou hast made
• heaven, the heaven of heavens, with all their host,
• the earth, and all things that are therein,
• the seas, and all that is therein,
and thou preservest them all;
and the host of heaven worshippeth thee.

Marine David Hedrick at Baird Town Hall

2009-08-25T19:50:00.002-05:00

HedrickDavid --August 22, 2009
"I, David William Hedrick, a member of the silent majority, decided that I was not going to be silent anymore. So, I let U.S. Congressman Brian Baird have it. I was one questioner out of 38, that was called at random from an audience that started at 3,000 earlier in the evening. Not expecting to be called on, I quickly scratched what I wanted to say on a borrowed piece of paper and with a pen that I borrowed from someone else in the audience minutes before I spoke. So much for the planned talking points of the right wing conspiracy."

Classics of the Christian Faith on CD

2009-08-23T09:41:00.002-05:00

Max McLean has recently produced an audio CD set called Classics of the Christian Faith that includes The Conversion of St. Augustine (from Book Eight of His Confessions), Martin Luther’s Here I Stand, John Bunyan’s The Pilgrim’s Progress, Jonathan Edwards’ Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God, and George Whitefield’s The Method of Grace.
I bought it, listened to each of them, and rejoiced! The Augustine, Luther, Edwards, and Whitfield items are each on a single CD. Bunyan's Pilgrim's Progress is on 5 CD's. I am on my 4th trip through Pilgrim's Progress now.

Highly recommended!

Irving Chorale sings Beethoven's "Hallelujah" from "Mt. of Olives"

2009-05-20T22:10:00.003-05:00

Hallelujah from Mount of Olives - Irving Chorale

Reunion for iPhone & iPod Touch

2009-02-23T10:49:00.003-06:00

This is the reason my wife wanted an iPhone. We have been using Reunion on our Macs for over 10 years, and we are thrilled to now be able to carry our entire genealogy database around in our iPhones!
In fact I have three databases on mine: our large family (over 28,000 people), a smaller one of other families, and one of all the U.S. Presidents.

Right here on my phone I can look up any data I want, view pictures of ancestors, and enter new data or make corrections. Then when I get home I can download and merge the changes into the database on my Mac.

This is by far the most exciting application I have found for my iPhone!

Micah 7:7-9

2008-11-09T14:36:00.004-06:00

7 Therefore I will look unto the LORD;
   I will wait for the God of my salvation:
   my God will hear me.

8 Rejoice not against me, O mine enemy:
   when I fall, I shall arise;
   when I sit in darkness, the LORD shall be a light unto me.

9 I will bear the indignation of the LORD,
   because I have sinned against him,
   until he plead my cause, and execute judgment for me:
   he will bring me forth to the light,
   and I shall behold his righteousness.

Melvin Earl Duke

2008-11-08T22:10:00.004-06:00

My friend, Mel Duke, died on October 14, 2008, at the age of 75. Mel and and his wife, Mary Lou, are both very special to me. Mel spent countless hours discipling me when I was a young Christian, in 1959 and 1960, and I have never forgotten. We visited several times since then: in Wyoming, at Glen Eyrie (The Navigators headquarters in Colorado), in Riverside, and once at our home in Dallas.

Mel and Mary Lou served the Lord with The Navigators for over 40 years. They spent many years in Russia and Estonia, and just returned to America this year.

Last year I found his blog, and we traded several emails. A memorial web site has been established at Melvin Duke.

I will greatly miss him, as I am sure many will. But he is home now, with his Lord!

Good Books in Amharic

2008-10-19T14:40:00.003-05:00

Brad and Betty Lapsley spent 10 years in Ethiopia as missionaries. They have collected lot of good books, including the whole Bible, written in Amharic (the language of Ethiopia), and they are freely available on their web site:

Fireproof -- the movie

2008-10-10T19:11:00.002-05:00

Well, Becky and I did go to see this movie. And we loved it! It is very well done, and has a terrific message. Do your marriage a favor. I dare you to go see it.

Do you need more cowbells?

2008-09-20T10:11:00.002-05:00

This is just for fun: you can go to the website and upload any mp3, and add all the cowbells you want. I uploaded a recording I made many years ago, of my daughter and me singing.


	Make your own at MoreCowbell.dj

Fireproof -- the movie

2008-07-30T21:12:00.001-05:00

I look forward to seeing this movie, when it comes out in September!

Win Ben Stein's monkey - by Chuck Norris

2008-04-26T19:04:00.001-05:00

"Why can't creationism or ID be taught in public schools? Naturalists answer by saying that ID is not science. Rather than debate classifications, however, I would further ask: Why can't variant theories of the origins of life be presented even outside science classes? Isn't education based upon presenting a wide array of knowledge and opinions?"

read more | digg story

Scots-Irish Patriots and the Holy Scriptures

2008-02-27T22:19:00.003-06:00

I received the follow inspiring email from my friend Mike Casey:

To the Casey Clan, et al,

In his great book, Born Fighting, author James WEBB omitted from his list of great Scots-Irish Americans, a man who is perhaps not as famous as some of the others but is still deserving of our respect and admiration today.

James McHENRY, a Protestant by faith and ancestry, was born at Ballymena, Ulster, Ireland on 16 Nov 1753. He was educated in Dublin, and immigrated to Philadelphia in 1771.

McHENRY was one of three physicians (with Hugh WILLIAMSON and James McCLURG) involved in crafting the constitution. A delegate from Maryland, he was a signer of this most important American document, and was an outstanding early American statesman. He served under George WASHINGTON and John ADAMS as the third Secretary of War. He is also the namesake of Fort McHenry - the subject of the 1812 poem by Francis Scott KEY, which later became our national anthem.

At 62, McHENRY died on 3 May 1816, and is buried in the Westminister Burying Ground (est. 1802) in Baltimore, MD. Other great Americans are buried here; among them, one Philip Barton KEY (1818-1859), the son of Francis Scott KEY.

In an 1813 letter, as president of the Bible Society of Baltimore, McHENRY wrote:

"Public utility pleads most forcibly for the general distribution of the Holy Scriptures. The doctrine they preach, the obligations they impose, the punishment they threaten, the rewards they promise, the stamp and image of divinity they bear, which produces a conviction of their truths, can alone secure to society, order and peace, and to our courts of justice and constitutions of government, purity, stability and usefulness. In vain, without the Bible, we increase penal laws and draw entrenchments around our institutions. Bibles are strong entrenchments. Where they abound, men cannot pursue wicked courses, and at the same time enjoy quiet consciences."

Mr. McHENRY's quote is one one of many such early American quotations expressing faith in God and the importance of the Christian religion in the lives of early Americans.

And the liberal minority continues to have us believe that God has no place in a government founded on religious principles. Shame on them!

It's not freedom from religion, but the freedom of religion that keeps this country great. When we turn our backs on Him, it will only be a matter of time until He does the same to us.

As a most important election looms nearer, please keep America in your prayers!

Mike CASEY,
Casey Family Association., Inc.
27 Feb 2008

God is my Rock!

2008-01-22T21:49:00.000-06:00

Psalm 62:5-8

5 My soul, wait thou only upon God;
  for my expectation is from him.

6 He only is my rock and my salvation:
  he is my defence; I shall not be moved.

7 In God is my salvation and my glory:
  the rock of my strength, and my refuge, is in God.

8 Trust in him at all times;
  ye people, pour out your heart before him:
  God is a refuge for us. Selah.

'Twas the Month Before Christmas...

2007-12-20T21:33:00.000-06:00

A politically correct Christmas poem ... sent by a friend

Twas the month before Christmas
When all through our land,
Not a Christian was praying
Nor taking a stand.

See the PC Police had taken away
The reason for Christmas -- no one could say.
The children were told by their schools not to sing,
About shepherds and wise men and angels and things.

It might hurt people's feelings, the teachers would say --
December 25th is just a "holiday."
Yet the shoppers were ready with cash, checks and credit,
Pushing folks down to the floor just to get it!

CDs from Madonna, an X Box, and I-Pod,
Something was changing, something quite odd!
Retailers promoted Ramadan and Kwanza
In hopes to sell books by Franken & Fonda.

As Targets were hanging their trees upside down
At Lowe's the word "Christmas" was nowhere to be found.
At K-Mart and Staples and Penney's and Sears,
You won't hear the word "Christmas" -- it won't touch your ears.

Inclusive, sensitive, di-ver-si-ty
Are words that were used to intimidate me.
Now Daschle, now Darden, now Sharpton, Wolf Blitzen,
On Boxer, on Rather, on Kerry, on Clinton!

At the top of the Senate there arose such a clatter
To eliminate Jesus in all public matter.
And we spoke not a word, as they took away our faith,
Forbidden to speak of salvation and grace.

The true Gift of Christmas was exchanged and discarded,
The Reason for the Season, stopped before it started.
So as you celebrate "winter break" under your "dream tree,"
Sipping your Starbucks, listen to me.

Choose your words carefully, choose what you say,
Shout MERRY CHRISTMAS ... not Happy Holiday!

-- Anonymous Author

Victory in Defeat

2007-12-16T16:14:00.000-06:00

Defeat may serve as well as victory
To shake the soul and let the glory out.
When the great oak is straining in the wind,
The boughs drink in new beauty and the trunk
Sends down a deeper root on the windward side.
Only the soul that knows the mighty grief
Can know the mighty rapture. Sorrows come
To stretch out spaces in the heart for joy.

EDWIN MARKHAM - 1899

It's Called Christmas, with a Capital C

2007-11-23T23:22:00.001-06:00

Not being particularly "politically correct"... No, not being PC at all, I appreciate this video:

Real Christianity

2007-05-12T10:21:00.000-05:00

William Wilberforce wrote a book, which I recommended a few weeks ago: A Practical View of Christianity. I just finished reading an abridged version Real Christianity which I also recommend.
It was originally published in 1797, with the full title A Practical View of the Prevailing Religious System of Professed Christians, in the Higher and Middle Classes in this Country, Contrasted with Real ChristianityIt is now 210 years old, but it is equally relevant in our day. I hope that the 200th anniversary of the abolition of slavery will help rekindle interest in Wilberforce, his life, his faith, and his book.

2007-05-02T23:07:00.001-05:00

Amazing Grace!

2007-04-22T22:23:00.000-05:00

Adding my praise for this wonderful book: Amazing Grace -- William Wilberforce and the Heroic Campaign to End Slavery, by Eric Metaxas. I bought this book because I loved the movie, Amazing Grace, which I saw in March. Finished reading it yesterday. William Wilberforce is now definitely one of my heroes!
I believe everyone in America needs to know more about Wilberforce, and especially Christians do. I also want to recommend this book, a modern edition of a book written by Wilberforce himself: A Practical View of Christianity

Parsons at a Pizza Place

2007-01-18T21:01:00.000-06:00

This is Rebekah, Joshua, and Jessica, taken at Chuck E. Cheese January 17, 2007.

Two Proud Grandparents

2006-12-30T11:47:00.000-06:00

Here is Carys, with her proud grandparents Becky and Bob S-C. The picture was taken with the built-in camera in our iMac, and I see we are looking at the screen instead of at the camera.
(Click the picture to get a larger version.)
More pictures of Carys with her parents here.

I John in 4 languages

2006-12-30T11:24:00.000-06:00

From time to time I like to (try to) read New Testament passages in Spanish, French, and/or Greek. Usually this means using Online Bible, which lets me open each language in a separate window, or else interleave the languages in one window. As an experiment, a few days ago I made a parallel polyglot version of the First Epistle of John, with the verses side-by-side and each language in a separate column. Here is a one verse sample:
I John 5:12

He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life.

El que tiene al Hijo, tiene la vida: el que no tiene al Hijo de Dios, no tiene la vida.

Celui qui a le Fils a la vie; celui qui n’a pas le Fils de Dieu n’a pas la vie.

ο εχων τον υιον εχει την ζωην ο μη εχων τον υιον του θεου την ζωην ουκ εχει

See the rest starting either here or here.

By the way, Online Bible is a free Bible study program, available for both Mac and Windows. The latest beta of the MacOSX version is available here.

Two Proud Marines!

2006-11-19T21:17:00.000-06:00

This picture was taken at the U. S. Marine Corps "Birthday Ball" in 1999, in Okinawa, Japan. (She is my daughter) More pictures of this wonderful family here.

Ready, Set, ... Chew!

2006-11-19T17:15:00.000-06:00

From Tricia Deaton (my daughter):

"SO much has happened this year. On this side of the fire, I am so thankful to have gone through it. (emphasis on "this" side) But through it I have learned to praise in it, and NOTHING NOTHING NOTHING NOTHING NOTHING is as precious to me now as my time with Jesus. I still have to kick this body out of bed in the mornings sometimes to get up for prayer and the Word. But NOTHING NOTHING NOTHING NOTHING NOTHING is as fulfilling, healing, purpose giving, doubt destroying, encouraging, joy filling, boldness- and strength-giving as the WORD. PUT IT IN YOUR HEART. MEMORIZE IT, QUOTE IT, SAY IT, SPREAD IT...memorize it, quote it, say it, spread it...TO WHOEVER WILL LISTEN, even if that is just you and Jesus.

"Speaking of Jesus, SEE HOW MANY TIMES IN A DAY YOU CAN MENTION HIS NAME TO SOMEONE. Jesus is the WORD, and He said we have to eat the WORD as bread. READY, SET AND ... CHEW!!!
He who hears My word
and believes Him who sent Me
has eternal life,
and does not come into judgment,
but has passed out of death into life. (John 5:24)
"So -- get into the WORD." [ Tricia Deaton, in her blog. ]

Doing Things Right

2006-11-13T21:40:00.000-06:00

James S-C, 11/13/2006:
"Well, recently I have been doing some things right, and I think I feel happier, perhaps to those little things. I guess I haven't paid attention to it, but I just realized I am happy. A few simple things can add up." More...

Death in the Womb

2006-11-13T21:27:00.000-06:00

James S-C, 11/12/2006: "Why is the abortion topic labeled as pro-choice and pro-life, when those who want to be pro-choice do not give the person who matters a choice? Let's face it, the two sides are really pro-death and pro-life. For such an advanced race that we are, we still allow murder even if we have laws against it. We try to hide it under various names, but it is still murder.

"Yes, a human being can be aborted and people will think nothing of it because, after all, it is only a thing. But, now if we took the same action against an animal, we would have broken all kinds of laws and we would receive massive punishment for that action. Now, I am not saying we should be cruel to animals; I just don't see where in the Bible God tells us that animals are valued more than people." More...

Remember your Creator, Now!

2006-11-04T19:37:00.000-06:00

Solomon said, "Remember now thy Creator in the days of thy youth..." (Ecclesiastes 12:1). He knew the importance of bringing up children with a constant awareness of their Creator. To realize they were made by a personal God, not a mere accident in an impersonal universe. To recognize their responsibility to their Maker, and the certainty of judgment.

What we see in America today in the delinquency of adults is certainly the fruit of more than a century of Darwinism.

Darwinism directly contradicts the wise injunction of Solomon. Darwinism preaches that we should forget our Creator! The next step is to deny responsibility and judgment. If Chance is ruling the universe and determining the course of our lives, then we had best grab everything we can while we can.

Many of the inner conflicts we and our children have are rooted in our tendency to forget our Creator. His sovereignty and His love, His law and His grace, His justice and His mercy, His power and His glory, His wisdom and His purposes: remembering these will answer to our conflicts.

Remember NOW thy Creator!

More good sense from James Sander-Cederlof

2006-11-04T10:13:00.000-06:00

Public education will allow kids to worship Satan, treat Santa like God, and let kids think multi-colored eggs are laid by rabbits, but won't allow them to believe Jesus was born in a manger and is the Son of God. Santa can be God; a rabbit can be God; Satan can be God. But to let someone believe God is God and Jesus is the Son of God is strictly forbidden; after all, you may offend someone. The schoolmate can talk about the rape or murder they committed, which may offend and disgust me, and nothing will happen to them, but unless I blaspheme God, I can't even mention God without threat of discipline.

In case your parents never told you, Santa Claus is not real. However, Jesus Christ and His Father are quite real. As we move through the year, let us remember that simple fact.
More...

Some Excellent Essays!

2006-10-24T20:27:00.000-05:00

I just discovered a great treasure: an on-going series of little essays by my nephew James Sander-Cederlof. He calls it Tilted Talk.

The Walk — When a child asks about the strange way he walks...
Commercials — Thoughts about mis-directed and thoughtless TV commercials.
Hot Coffee — "There is nothing wrong with knowing your child; that is called being a parent. Since when did it become un-cool to have a game that you do not mind your child seeing you play?"
The Price of Education — "It is astonishing how much better home-schooled children behave, act, and think compared to those in the public education system."
9/11 Revisited — His flight was cancelled, just in time.
Education, Again — "You became involved with your child nine months or so the child was born. Remain involved throughout their life; the education of the child should not stop at some magical age. Only the subject matter should change. Just keep God at the center, and the other things will fall into place."
Spiritual Leaders — "Our leaders should be men of faith."
Lawyers in Love — Afterthoughts from a lawyer's TV commercial.

James also writes poems, and you can read some of them here.

Tampering with Physicians?

2006-10-12T19:50:00.000-05:00

“To be always tampering with physicians upon every occasion is the way to lose all natural soundness of health, and to be continually talking and enquiring about the nature of ailments and powers of medicines for the head, the heart, the spirits and nerves is the way to lose all true judgement concerning our own sickness or health.

“It is much the same with respect to our spiritual health and constitution. We do much hurt to it by running after spiritual advice on every occasion, and wanting the help of some human prescription for every fear, scruple or notion that starts up in our minds. This actually weakens the true strength of our spiritual constitution which, if left to itself, would do all that we need to have done.

“If it be asked what this soundness of our spiritual constitution is, it may be answered that it is a state or habit of such humble, total resignation of ourselves to God as by faith and hope expects all from Him alone. This is the health and strength of our spiritual constitution, and nothing is health in the soul but this state.”

[ William Law, in a letter to Lady Huntingdon, January 10, 1754 ]

Need to Uncover Need

2006-09-02T21:17:00.000-05:00

“So many preach the human aspect of Christ, His sympathy for the bereaved and the suffering and sin-stained, and men listen whilst Christ is brought down to their conditions; but a preacher has to bring the Gospel of God to men’s needs, and to do this he has to uncover their need and men resent this -- ‘I don’t want to accept the verdict on myself that Jesus Christ brings; I don’t believe I am so sinful as He reveals.’ A man never believes what Jesus Christ says about the human heart until the Holy Ghost gives him the startling revelation of the truth of His diagnosis. (See Mark 7:20-23: And he said, That which cometh out of the man, that defileth the man. For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lasciviousness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness: all these evil things come from within, and defile the man.)”
[Oswald Chambers, in Approved Unto God, “The Origin of Our Salvation”.]

Were you ever in all your life sorry for your sins?

2006-07-07T19:44:00.001-05:00

"Give me leave to ask you, in the presence of God, whether you know the time, and if you do not know exactly the time, do you know there was a time, when God wrote bitter things against you, when the arrows of the Almighty were within you? Was ever the remembrance of your sins grievous to you? Was the burden of your sins intolerable to your thoughts? Did you ever see that God's wrath might justly fall upon you, on account of your actual transgressions against God? Were you ever in alI your life sorry for your sins? Could you ever say, My sins are gone over my head as a burden too heavy for me to bear? Did you ever experience any such thing as this? Did ever any such thing as this pass between God and your soul? If not, for Jesus Christ's sake, do not call yourselves Christians. You may speak peace to your hearts, but there is no peace. May the Lord awaken you, may the Lord convert you, may the Lord give you peace."
[George Whitefield, from a sermon titled, "The Method of Grace". Quoted in Whitefield Gold, compiled by Ray Comfort.]

In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. (Genesis 1:1)

2006-06-26T21:03:00.000-05:00

In his commentary on the the first book of Moses (Genesis), commenting on the first verse of the first chapter, Calvin says: "Moses simply intends to assert that the world was not perfected at its very commencement, in the manner in which it is now seen, but that it was created an empty chaos of heaven and earth. His language therefore may be thus explained. When God in the beginning created the heaven and the earth, the earth was empty and waste. He moreover teaches by the word "created," that what before did not exist was now made; for he has not used the term "yatsar", which signifies to frame or forms but "bara", which signifies to create. Therefore his meaning is, that the world was made out of nothing. Hence the folly of those is refuted who imagine that unformed matter existed from eternity; and who gather nothing else from the narration of Moses than that the world was furnished with new ornaments, and received a form of which it was before destitute. This indeed was formerly a common fable among heathens, who had received only an obscure report of the creation, and who, according to custom, adulterated the truth of God with strange figments; but for Christian men to labor (as Steuchus does) in maintaining this gross error is absurd and intolerable. Let this, then be maintained in the first place, that the world is not eternal but was created by God." [More of this commentary online here]

"Jesus is alive and very truth"

2006-06-25T17:00:00.000-05:00

"It was while I was in the Holy Land for thc purpose of making three B.B.C. television programmes on the New Testament that a curious, almost magical, certainty seized me about Jesus' birth, ministry and Crucifixion. I realised, in the first place, that the many shrines, and the legends associated with them, were for the most part, from my point of view, as fraudulent as the bones of St Peter, the fragments of the True Cross and other relics revered by the pious. Then, seeing a party of Christian pilgrims at one of these shrines, their faces bright with faith, their voices as they sang so evidently and joyously aware of their Saviour's near-ness, I understood that for them the shrine was authentic. Their faith made it so. Similarly, I, too, became aware that there really had been a man, Jesus, who was also God. I was conscious of his presence. He really had spoken those sublime words. I heard them. He really had died on a cross and risen from the dead. Otherwise, how was it possible for me to meet him, as I did in the desert wrestling with the Devil, on that hillside preaching of how the meek inherit the earth and the pure of heart see God, falling in step along the road to Emmaus? As I tried to explain in my commentary (included in this volume), the words Jesus spoke are living words, as relevant today as when they were first spoken; the light he shone continues to shine as brightly as ever. Thus he is alive, as for instance Socrates who also chose to lay down his life for truth's sake isn't. Let the dead, as Jesus himself said, bury their dead; in other words, relate themselves to history. Socrates is historical, the shrines and the legends are historical, the Resurrection is historical; Jesus is alive and very truth."
Malcolm Muggeridge, in the Introduction to Jesus Rediscovered

A New Book

2006-06-16T22:14:00.000-05:00

I bought a new book today at Mardel's, Whitefield Gold, by Ray Comfort. I have long been a fan of George Whitefield, and more recently of Ray Comfort, so it is a delight to read this book!

2006-03-30T22:01:00.000-06:00

For some truth about the Da Vinci Code, visit Haven Ministries for a fascinating interview with Lee Strobel, author of a new book Exploring the Da Vinci Code.

2006-02-24T11:11:00.000-06:00

More on Arthur H. Compton: His father was Professor of Philosophy and later Dean of the College of Wooster, where Arthur was educated; his older brother Karl was also a noted physicist and president of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology
[Paraphrased from this biography]

Arthur H. Compton said...

2005-11-28T22:18:00.000-06:00

Arthur H. Compton (1892-1962) won the Nobel Prize for Physics in 1927. He is quoted as saying: Science is the glimpse of Gods purpose in nature. The very existence of the amazing world of the atom and radiation points to a purposeful creation, to the idea that there is a God and an intelligent purpose back of everything ... An orderly universe testifies to the greatest statement ever uttered: In the beginning, God...
[ quoted in Hidden Wealth Series - Scientific Facts in the Bible, Ray Comfort, Bridge-Logos 2001, page 31. ]

Thanksgiving thoughts

2005-11-25T16:35:00.000-06:00

What am I thankful for this Thanksgiving Day?
God's Holiness - which showed me my sin
God's Nearness - who heard my cry
God's Forgiveness - who cleansed my sins
God's Goodness - who gave me a new beginning
God's Greatness - who has made beauty from my ashes
God's Loving-Kindness - who blesses me in spite of myself
God's Faithfulness/Truthfulness - who restored my mind and never fails me.
God's Uniqueness - There is none other who has all these traits though there are many deceivers who claim them.

I have tasted of the Lord's Goodness and Greatness towards me and found Him to be Faithfully True; He satisfies all my longings.

Blessings to you and yours for this beautiful Thanksgiving Day.
Marilee

This will be my first attempt to use ...

2005-11-24T09:43:00.000-06:00

First attempt to use Writely

This will be my first attempt to use the web-browser-based word processor, Writely. I read about it in eWeek's Pings and Packets. For the time being it is free, while in beta. Access Writely at http://www.writely.com

It looks like it will work nicely in Firefox, but so far it will not work in Safari. They say they are working on a solution for Safari.

False premises lead to rejection

2005-07-10T19:32:00.000-05:00

“All man-made religion stupidly imagines two false premises. First, that God is against us. Second, that our own painful effort, galling sacrifice, and religious observances will pacify and soften His wrath. Self, self-service, and self-sacrifice, mixed with good works, are the foundations of all religions, including the ‘streamlinged unbelief’ of the Twentieth Century, which generally but quite inappropriately goes by the name of Christianity.

“Few, perhaps, in any ‘Christian’ church will actually substitute something they can do for Christ, and deliberately say, ‘I will not be saved by Christ.’ Many, however, do zealously strive to put something of their own making, Cain-like, along with Christ. It is generally the Bible and Christ; or feelings and Christ; or the Virgin Mary and Christ; or the Church and Christ; or my dead level best and Christ; or prayer and Christ. All these are but subtle forms of unbelief and an evasive form of Christ rejection.”

Building Gold, Silver and Precious Stones, N. A. Woychuk, 1947, 1955, 1995.

Patrick Henry Quotation

2005-01-02T15:55:00.000-06:00

FREEdom Flyer: A Message from the CEO, Mark Rizzo: "Patrick Henry, who is called the firebrand of the American Revolution, is still remembered for his words, "Give me liberty or give me death." But in current textbooks the context of these words is deleted. Here is what he said: "An appeal to arms and the God of hosts is all that is left us. But we shall not fight our battle alone. There is a just God that presides over the destinies of nations. The battle sir, is not of the strong alone. Is life so dear or peace so sweet as to be purchased at the price of chains and slavery? Forbid it almighty God. I know not what course others may take, but as for me, give me liberty, or give me death."
The following year, 1776, he wrote this; "It cannot be emphasized too strongly or too often that this great Nation was founded not by religionists, but by Christians; not on religions, but on the Gospel of Jesus Christ. For that reason alone, people of other faiths have been afforded freedom of worship here."

Our Benediction

2005-01-02T15:37:00.000-06:00

Our Pastor (at Redeemer Bible Church) frequently closes his sermons with the following benediction:
"Now go into the world in peace;
Have courage;
Hold on to what is good;
Honor all men;
Strengthened the faint-hearted;
Support the weak;
Help the suffering and share the Gospel.
Love and serve the Lord in the power of the Holy Spirit,
And may the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all.
Amen."

More Patrick Henry Quotations

2005-01-02T15:13:00.000-06:00

More Patrick Henry Quotations: "I know, sir, how well it becomes a liberal man and a Christian to forget and forgive. As individuals professing a holy religion, it is our bounden duty to forgive injuries done us as individuals. But when the character of Christian you add the character of patriot, you are in a different situation. Our mild and holy system of religion inculcates an admirable maxim of forbearance. If your enemy smite one cheek, turn the other to him. But you must stop there. You cannot apply this to your country. As members of a social community, this maxim does not apply to you. When you consider injuries done to your country your political duty tells you of vengeance. Forgive as a private man, but never forgive public injuries. Observations of this nature are exceedingly unpleasant, but it is my duty to use them."
--Patrick Henry

"Bad men cannot make good citizens. It is impossible that a nation of infidels or idolaters should be a nation of free men. It is when a people forget God that tyrants forge their chains. A vitiated state of morals, a corrupted public conscience, are incompatible with freedom."
--Patrick Henry

My Prayer

2004-11-19T08:07:00.000-06:00

The following prayer is from Hannah Whitall Smith, in The Christian's Secret of a Happy Life, near the end of chapter 4. She wrote the prayer in thee-thou-thy English; I have updated the language to make it more my own language.

Lord Jesus,

I believe that You are willing and able to deliver me from all the care and unrest and bondage of my Christian life. I believe You died to set me free, not only in the future, but now and here. I believe You are stonger than sin, and that You can keep me, even me, in my extreme of weakness, from falling into its snares or yielding obedience to its commands.

And Lord, I am going to trust You to keep me. I have tried keeping myself, and have failed, and failed most grievously. I am absolutely helpless. So now I will trust You. I give myself to You. I keep back no reserves. Body, soul, and spirit, I present myself to You, as a piece of clay, to be fashioned into anything Your love and Your wisdom shall choose.

And now I am Yours. I believe You accept that which I present to You; I believe that this poor, weak, foolish heart has been taken possession of by You, and that You have even at this very moment begun to work in me to will and to do of Your good pleasure. I trust You utterly, and I trust You now.

A Perceptive Observation

2004-10-28T21:09:00.000-05:00

“Man is now thinking out a Bible for himself; framing a religion in harmony with the development of liberal thought; constructing a worship on the principles of taste and culture; shaping a God to suit the expanding aspirations of the age.” — Our Ministry, How It Touches the Questions of the Age, Horatius Bonar 1808-1889, published in 1883.

PEACE and HOLINESS

2004-10-28T09:32:00.000-05:00

PEACE and HOLINESS: “He who affirms he has peace, while living in sin, is ‘a liar, and the truth is not in him.’ He who thinks he has holiness, though he has no peace, ought to question whether he understands aright what the Bible means by either one or the other.” — God's Way of Holiness, by Horatius Bonar (Moody Press, Chicago, 1970)

ACCEPTANCE

2004-10-19T12:53:00.000-05:00

ACCEPTANCE: “There are two questions that every believer must settle as soon as possible. The one is, Does God fully accept me? and, If so, upon what basis does He do so? This is crucial. What devastation often permeates the life of one, young or old, rich or poor, saved or unsaved, who is not sure of being accepted, even on the human level. ” more...

Paraphrase Romans 8:17-39

2004-10-18T16:43:00.000-05:00

Paraphrase Romans 8:17-39: "Again I say, NOTHING will ever separate you from my love, which is in my Son, Christ Jesus, your Lord. When you die, no matter the manner, I will be there. While you live, whatever happens, I will be there. When Satan and his minions attack you, I have set their limits, and my love shields you. All creation could turn against you, but you will still stand in my LOVE." more...

Victory In Christ

2004-10-07T22:06:00.000-05:00

The Life that Wins: "There is only one life that wins; and that is the life of Jesus Christ. Every man may have that life; every man may live that life."

Definition of Faith

2004-10-07T22:01:00.000-05:00

Definition of Faith: "Evangelical, justifying, or saving faith, is the assent of the mind to the truth of divine revelation, on the authority of God's testimony, accompanied with a cordial assent of the will or approbation of the heart; an entire confidence or trust in God's character and declarations, and in the character and doctrines of Christ, with an unreserved surrender of the will to his guidance, and dependence on his merits for salvation. In other words, that firm belief of God's testimony, and of the truth of the gospel, which influences the will, and leads to an entire reliance on Christ for salvation."

Bob S-C's Blog

Our Daily Bread: How Food Proves God's Providence

Our Daily Bread: How Food Proves God's Providence

by James J. S. Johnson, J.D., Th.D.

My new favorite hymn

Mark Goulston, M.D.: How America Messed Up Its Kids... And How We Can Fix Them

Mark Goulston, M.D.: How America Messed Up Its Kids... And How We Can Fix Them

So, What if the Bible Really Is True? - David Limbaugh

Adobe Systems

Wonderful Food Court Surprise!

National Day of Prayer, April 30, 1863

Pro-Existence: Announcing Nancy Pearcey's New Book "Saving Leonardo"

Hillsdale Constitution Town Hall

Made in His Image: Baby's First Breath

Mere Conservatism - A Voice in the Wilderness

Oliver North : The Raiders - Townhall.com

Made in His Image: From Solar Energy to Human Energy

Nehemiah 9:6

Marine David Hedrick at Baird Town Hall

Classics of the Christian Faith on CD

Irving Chorale sings Beethoven's "Hallelujah" from "Mt. of Olives"

Reunion for iPhone & iPod Touch

Micah 7:7-9

Melvin Earl Duke

Good Books in Amharic

Fireproof -- the movie

Do you need more cowbells?

Fireproof -- the movie

Win Ben Stein's monkey - by Chuck Norris

Scots-Irish Patriots and the Holy Scriptures

God is my Rock!

'Twas the Month Before Christmas...

Victory in Defeat

It's Called Christmas, with a Capital C

Recommended Reading

Real Christianity

Amazing Grace!

Parsons at a Pizza Place

Two Proud Grandparents

I John in 4 languages

Two Proud Marines!

Ready, Set, ... Chew!

Doing Things Right

Death in the Womb

Remember your Creator, Now!

More good sense from James Sander-Cederlof

Some Excellent Essays!

Tampering with Physicians?

Need to Uncover Need

Were you ever in all your life sorry for your sins?

In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. (Genesis 1:1)

"Jesus is alive and very truth"

A New Book

Arthur H. Compton said...

Thanksgiving thoughts

This will be my first attempt to use ...

First attempt to use Writely

False premises lead to rejection

Patrick Henry Quotation

Our Benediction

More Patrick Henry Quotations

My Prayer

A Perceptive Observation

PEACE and HOLINESS

ACCEPTANCE

Paraphrase Romans 8:17-39

Victory In Christ

Definition of Faith