President Obama refuses to meet with Governor Gibbons about tourism comments
Updated: May 18, 2009 09:20 PM
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Carson City - The Office of Governor Jim Gibbons was notified today that President Barack Obama has refused to meet with the Governor and key business leaders from Nevada. Governor Gibbons requested the meeting in a letter to President Obama so the President could address statements he made that were critical to Nevada and have caused economic damage to convention business and tourism business in the Silver State. Earlier this year, the President told an audience in Elkhart, Indiana, "You can't get corporate jets. You can't go take a trip to Las Vegas or go down to the Super Bowl on the taxpayer's dime." That quote was seen by many as an insult to Las Vegas and as a message to companies across the Nation to stay away from Las Vegas for corporate meetings and conventions.
The Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority reports over 400 conventions and business meetings scheduled to take place in Las Vegas recently have cancelled. These cancelled events translate into 111,800 guests in Las Vegas and over 250,000 "room-nights". The cancelled conventions and meetings have cost the Las Vegas economy over $100-million, not including gaming revenue.
"I am disappointed at the hypocrisy shown by this Administration," Gibbons said, "President Obama is coming to Las Vegas later this month for a political fundraiser, but he will not help the struggling families in Las Vegas and Nevada who are out of work because of his reckless comments." Governor Gibbons noted, "President Obama is coming to Las Vegas to raise campaign cash for Senator Harry Reid, apparently our money is good enough for the President, but our tourism, jobs, and economic future are not." Gibbons added, "This is politics, pure and simple, President Obama stood for change, but all he has done is brought negative economic change to Nevada."
Governor Gibbons is calling upon Senator Reid to use any influence he might have to ask President Obama to encourage Americans to visit America during their summer vacations this year. "Sometimes Washington politicians forget that the people of Nevada are Americans," Governor Gibbons said, "This President needs to repair the damage he has done."
Courtesy: Office of the Governor
Monday, May 18, 2009
Saturday, May 16, 2009
Remembering
Looking at the photo of this blog reminds me of the day I stood on the little knoll over looking the damage done to the country I am a citizen of. Should I be angry, should I search my soul, should I blame those that did this horrific thing or should I somehow blame my self, am I partly to blame? Am I one of those arrogant Americans? Flying an airplane into a building killing all aboard, killing people who did nothing evil to anyone in their life, dead they were at the place of the hole in this building. Where do I place my distaste (anger)? Giving thought to this as I stood on this knoll among people who were so silent as if a loved on had died. I tried to blame us but that made no sense. Did we (the USA) deserve this? No!! The USA has been a benefactor to the whole world for hundreds of years, all medical advancement is from the USA, all humanitarian relief to the whole world has been led by the USA. Education of the world has been right straight from the universities and colleges of the United States of America. The United States of American has rescued people from floods, earthquakes, volcanoes, hurricanes, from dictators, slave owners, you name it the benevolence of the USA has with out fan fair or asking for praise been there to help people all over the world. The USA even helps it's enemies. So I remember and am proud of the country I live in. No, I am not responsible for 9/11 neither is the USA. Take it to the bank folks these who did this are evil, demonic people period.
Monday, May 11, 2009
Industry leaving Michigan
"Wait, in five years you will be blown away" Jenifer Granholm Governor. It is now seven years later, Michigan has the highest unemployment of all states in the USA and looses manufacturing daily. Vote Democrat!!
The Tyler Refrigeration Co. plant in Niles will be closing within three months, putting about 500 people out of work.
Advertisement
Farmington, Conn.-based parent company Carrier Corp. announced Friday it will quit making and selling Tyler-branded commercial refrigeration products.
Niles City Administrator Terry Eull told the South Bend (Ind.) Tribune that Tyler is the largest manufacturer in the southwestern Michigan city.
He said 40 white-collar workers were laid off Friday, and the rest of Tyler's 450 to 500 employees will lose their jobs in 90 days.
Conyers, Ga.-based refrigeration company Hill Phoenix Inc. says it has acquired certain Tyler assets and intellectual property, including equipment, inventory and five service and installation centers.
The Tyler Refrigeration Co. plant in Niles will be closing within three months, putting about 500 people out of work.
Advertisement
Farmington, Conn.-based parent company Carrier Corp. announced Friday it will quit making and selling Tyler-branded commercial refrigeration products.
Niles City Administrator Terry Eull told the South Bend (Ind.) Tribune that Tyler is the largest manufacturer in the southwestern Michigan city.
He said 40 white-collar workers were laid off Friday, and the rest of Tyler's 450 to 500 employees will lose their jobs in 90 days.
Conyers, Ga.-based refrigeration company Hill Phoenix Inc. says it has acquired certain Tyler assets and intellectual property, including equipment, inventory and five service and installation centers.
Clergy may not officiate at same sex unions
Methodist Court Rejects Moves
to Support Gay Marriage Library
BY KEVIN ECKSTROM ©2009 Religion News Service
he United Methodist Church's highest court has ruled that clergy may not officiate at same-sex unions, even in states where such marriages are legal, and gave the final OK for the George W. Bush Library to be built at Southern Methodist University.
The church's nine-member Judicial Council rejected separate resolutions passed by the California-Nevada and California-Pacific Conferences that voiced support for clergy who officiate at such unions.
Last year, the 8.3 million-member church upheld rules in its Book of Discipline, or constitution, that Methodist churches cannot be used to host same-sex unions and clergy are prohibited from officiating at them. The latest court ruling rejected a California-Nevada resolution that supported retired clergy who volunteered to conduct gay weddings, and a California-Pacific resolution upholding the "pastoral need and prophetic authority" of clergy to do so.
Between May and November, 2008, California allowed same-sex couples to marry until voters banned the practice with a constitutional amendment. “An annual conference may not legally negate, ignore or violate provisions of the Discipline with which they disagree, even when the disagreements are based on conscientious objections to the provisions," the court ruled, according to United Methodist News Service.
In a separate case, the court said it found no reason to halt construction of the planned George W. Bush Presidential Center at the church-owned school in Dallas.
Critics contend the library complex and affiliated policy center will promote policies that the United Methodist Church officially opposed, including the Iraq War. The former president and his wife, Laura, are both United Methodists.
The court said there was nothing in the lease agreement with SMU that violated church law, United Methodist News Service reported.
to Support Gay Marriage Library
BY KEVIN ECKSTROM ©2009 Religion News Service
he United Methodist Church's highest court has ruled that clergy may not officiate at same-sex unions, even in states where such marriages are legal, and gave the final OK for the George W. Bush Library to be built at Southern Methodist University.
The church's nine-member Judicial Council rejected separate resolutions passed by the California-Nevada and California-Pacific Conferences that voiced support for clergy who officiate at such unions.
Last year, the 8.3 million-member church upheld rules in its Book of Discipline, or constitution, that Methodist churches cannot be used to host same-sex unions and clergy are prohibited from officiating at them. The latest court ruling rejected a California-Nevada resolution that supported retired clergy who volunteered to conduct gay weddings, and a California-Pacific resolution upholding the "pastoral need and prophetic authority" of clergy to do so.
Between May and November, 2008, California allowed same-sex couples to marry until voters banned the practice with a constitutional amendment. “An annual conference may not legally negate, ignore or violate provisions of the Discipline with which they disagree, even when the disagreements are based on conscientious objections to the provisions," the court ruled, according to United Methodist News Service.
In a separate case, the court said it found no reason to halt construction of the planned George W. Bush Presidential Center at the church-owned school in Dallas.
Critics contend the library complex and affiliated policy center will promote policies that the United Methodist Church officially opposed, including the Iraq War. The former president and his wife, Laura, are both United Methodists.
The court said there was nothing in the lease agreement with SMU that violated church law, United Methodist News Service reported.
Saturday, May 9, 2009
QUESTION 191 WESTMINSTER CATECHISM
Question 191: What do we pray for in the second petition (of the Lord's prayer - ed.)?
Answer: In the second petition (which is, Thy kingdom come), acknowledging ourselves and all mankind to be by nature under the dominion of sin and Satan, we pray, that the kingdom of sin and Satan may be destroyed, the gospel propagated throughout the world, the Jews called, the fulness of the Gentiles brought in; the church furnished with all gospel officers and ordinances, purged from corruption, countenanced and maintained by the civil magistrate: that the ordinances of Christ may be purely dispensed, and made effectual to the converting of those that are yet in their sins, and the confirming, comforting, and building up of those that are already converted: that Christ would rule in our hearts here, and hasten the time of his second coming, and our reigning with him forever: and that he would be pleased so to exercise the kingdom of his power in all the world, as may best conduce to these ends.
- Westminster Larger Catechism (1648),
Answer: In the second petition (which is, Thy kingdom come), acknowledging ourselves and all mankind to be by nature under the dominion of sin and Satan, we pray, that the kingdom of sin and Satan may be destroyed, the gospel propagated throughout the world, the Jews called, the fulness of the Gentiles brought in; the church furnished with all gospel officers and ordinances, purged from corruption, countenanced and maintained by the civil magistrate: that the ordinances of Christ may be purely dispensed, and made effectual to the converting of those that are yet in their sins, and the confirming, comforting, and building up of those that are already converted: that Christ would rule in our hearts here, and hasten the time of his second coming, and our reigning with him forever: and that he would be pleased so to exercise the kingdom of his power in all the world, as may best conduce to these ends.
- Westminster Larger Catechism (1648),
Friday, May 8, 2009
A Confession of faith, what is it?
What is a Confession of Faith?: Some Quotations
"This little volume, is not issued as an authoritative rule, or code of faith, whereby you are to be fettered, but as an assistance to you in controversy, a confirmation in faith, and a means of edification in righteousness. Here the younger members of our church will have a body of divinity in small compass, and by means of Scriptural proofs, will be ready to give an account for the hope that is in them.
Be not ashamed of your faith; remember it is the ancient gospel of martyrs, confessors, reformers and saints. Above all, it is "the truth of God", against which the gates of Hell cannot prevail.
Let your lives adorn your faith, let your example adorn your creed. Above all live in Christ Jesus, and walk in Him, giving credence to no teaching but that which is manifestly approved of Him, and owned by the Holy Spirit. Cleave fast to the Word of God which is here mapped out for you." C. H. Spurgeon (from the preface to the 1689 London Baptist Confession of Faith which his republished for use by his congregation).
"A confession of our loyalty to the Bible is not enough. The most radical denials of biblical truth frequently coexist with a professed regard for the authority and testimony of the Bible. When men use the very words of the Bible to promote heresy, when the Word of truth is perverted to serve error, nothing less than a confession of Faith will serve publicly to draw the lines between truth and error. ...
The church is to "hold fast the form of sound words"(2 Tim. 1:13), to "contend earnestly for the faith which was once delivered to the saints"(Jude 3), and to "stand fast with one spirit, with one soul striving for the faith of the gospel"(Phil. 1:27). In the fulfilment of this task, a confession is a useful tool for discriminating truth from error and for presenting in a small compass the central doctrines of the Bible in their integrity and due proportions. ...
Nevertheless, our confessions are not inherently sacrosanct or beyond revision and improvement; and, of course, church history did not stop in the seventeenth century. We are faced with errors today which those who drew up the great confessions were not faced with and which they did not explicitly address in the confessions, but it is a task to be undertaken with extreme caution. ...
A confession is a useful means for the public affirmation and defence of truth...(it) serves as a public standard of fellowship and discipline...(and it) serves as a concise standard by which to evaluate ministers of the Word." R. P. Martin in Samuel E. Waldron, A Modern Exposition of the 1689 Baptist Confession of Faith, (Evangelical Press, 1989), p9-23.
"This may be affirmed, that no private Christian would fail to benefit largely from a deliberate and studious perusal and reperusal of the Confession of Faith or the express purpose of obtaining a clear and systematic conception of sacred truth, both as a whole, and with all its parts so arranged as to display their relative importance, and their mutual bearing upon, and illustration of each other...
A confession of faith is not the very voice of Divine Truth, but the echo of that Truth from souls that have heard its utterance, felt its power, and are answering to its call." W. Hetherington (concerning the Westminster Confession of Faith).
"This unique doctrinal and practical outlook of Reformed Baptists was summarised historically in the London Confession of Faith published in 1689. For almost 300 years this has been the standard doctrinal statement of such Baptists. Most Reformed Baptists today hold to this Confession as comprehensively summarising their understanding of the Word of God". Samuel Waldron, Baptists Roots in America, p.viii,ix)
"This little volume, is not issued as an authoritative rule, or code of faith, whereby you are to be fettered, but as an assistance to you in controversy, a confirmation in faith, and a means of edification in righteousness. Here the younger members of our church will have a body of divinity in small compass, and by means of Scriptural proofs, will be ready to give an account for the hope that is in them.
Be not ashamed of your faith; remember it is the ancient gospel of martyrs, confessors, reformers and saints. Above all, it is "the truth of God", against which the gates of Hell cannot prevail.
Let your lives adorn your faith, let your example adorn your creed. Above all live in Christ Jesus, and walk in Him, giving credence to no teaching but that which is manifestly approved of Him, and owned by the Holy Spirit. Cleave fast to the Word of God which is here mapped out for you." C. H. Spurgeon (from the preface to the 1689 London Baptist Confession of Faith which his republished for use by his congregation).
"A confession of our loyalty to the Bible is not enough. The most radical denials of biblical truth frequently coexist with a professed regard for the authority and testimony of the Bible. When men use the very words of the Bible to promote heresy, when the Word of truth is perverted to serve error, nothing less than a confession of Faith will serve publicly to draw the lines between truth and error. ...
The church is to "hold fast the form of sound words"(2 Tim. 1:13), to "contend earnestly for the faith which was once delivered to the saints"(Jude 3), and to "stand fast with one spirit, with one soul striving for the faith of the gospel"(Phil. 1:27). In the fulfilment of this task, a confession is a useful tool for discriminating truth from error and for presenting in a small compass the central doctrines of the Bible in their integrity and due proportions. ...
Nevertheless, our confessions are not inherently sacrosanct or beyond revision and improvement; and, of course, church history did not stop in the seventeenth century. We are faced with errors today which those who drew up the great confessions were not faced with and which they did not explicitly address in the confessions, but it is a task to be undertaken with extreme caution. ...
A confession is a useful means for the public affirmation and defence of truth...(it) serves as a public standard of fellowship and discipline...(and it) serves as a concise standard by which to evaluate ministers of the Word." R. P. Martin in Samuel E. Waldron, A Modern Exposition of the 1689 Baptist Confession of Faith, (Evangelical Press, 1989), p9-23.
"This may be affirmed, that no private Christian would fail to benefit largely from a deliberate and studious perusal and reperusal of the Confession of Faith or the express purpose of obtaining a clear and systematic conception of sacred truth, both as a whole, and with all its parts so arranged as to display their relative importance, and their mutual bearing upon, and illustration of each other...
A confession of faith is not the very voice of Divine Truth, but the echo of that Truth from souls that have heard its utterance, felt its power, and are answering to its call." W. Hetherington (concerning the Westminster Confession of Faith).
"This unique doctrinal and practical outlook of Reformed Baptists was summarised historically in the London Confession of Faith published in 1689. For almost 300 years this has been the standard doctrinal statement of such Baptists. Most Reformed Baptists today hold to this Confession as comprehensively summarising their understanding of the Word of God". Samuel Waldron, Baptists Roots in America, p.viii,ix)
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
Dietrich Bonhoeffer
All to often the Christian Church has been characterized as being complicit with the Nazis during WWII in the persecution of the Jews. This is unfair and untrue. Below is a Christian pastor who at age 39 was executed for his opposition to the Nazis. It must be recognized that Christianity did not support the Nazis and paid a heavy price for their opposition. Pastor Dietrich Bonhoeffer was one of those who was executed by the Nazis at age 39.
Ken Clouse
Dietrich Bonhoeffer (1906 - 1945) 
"Whether or not government is aware of its own true basis, its task consists in maintaining by the power of the sword an outward justice in which life is preserved and is thus held open for Christ."
Born on February 4, 1906, in Breslau, then part of Imperial Germany, Dietrich Bonhoeffer began his theological education in 1923 at the University of Tübingen. He later trained under liberal theologians Adolf von Harnack and Reinhold Seeburg.
Following what he would later call a conversion experience, Bonhoeffer intensified his focus on contemporary theological problems facing the church. With the ascendancy of the Nazi party in Germany, Bonhoeffer was among the first of the German theologians to perceive the pervasiveness and significance of the looming Nazi threat.
When the pro-Nazi German Christian party won the church elections in the summer of 1933, Bonhoeffer quickly opposed the anti-Semitism of the Nazis in an important article, “The Church and the Jewish Question.” In this piece Bonhoeffer provided a seminal overview of his perspective of the church's relationship to the state.
His framework was based on a view of the normative worldly authorities, first articulated in his doctrine of “preservation orders” in his early academic lectures and later developed in mature form in his ethics manuscripts of the early 1940s. In these latter documents, Bonhoeffer speaks of four unique and divinely instituted mandates in the world: work (or labor), marriage (or family), government, and church.
The recognition of the legitimate but limited role of government in human affairs enabled Bonhoeffer to oppose the perversion of the state represented by the National Socialists.
Marriage is not made by the government, but is affirmed by the government. The great spheres of work are not themselves undertaken by the government, but they are subject to its supervision within certain limits—later to be described—to governmental direction. Government should never seek to become the agent of these areas of work, for this would seriously endanger their divine mandate along with its own.
Bonhoeffer's resistance to the Nazi regime included his support for and pastoral participation in the Confessing Church along with other prominent Protestant theologians like Karl Barth and Martin Niemöller, as well as his intricate association with the broader ecumenical movement. When the effectiveness of the Confessing Church's opposition to Hitler was blunted and his efforts to bring the moral authority of the ecumenical movement to bear failed, Bonhoeffer became involved with the so-called Abwehr conspiracy, which intended to assassinate Hitler, overthrow the Nazi regime, and end the war.
After imprisonment for his role in the escape of Jews to Switzerland, Bonhoeffer was implicated in the failed assassination attempt of July 20, 1944. At the age of thirty-nine, he was hanged by the S.S. at the Flossenbürg concentration camp on April 9, 1945, just weeks before the liberation of the area under Allied troops. Dietrich Bonhoeffer's life and death are a testament to his commitment to the Christian faith and his ardent opposition to the absolutism and idolatry of Nazi Germany.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cHp0c49ql5s
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xuRCr-dfanA&feature=related
Acton Institute
161 Ottawa Ave. NW, Suite 301
Grand Rapids, MI 49503
phone: 616.454.3080
fax: 616.454.9454
Dietrich Bonhoeffer
Born February 4, 1906 (1906-02-04)
Breslau
Died April 9, 1945 (1945-04-10) (age 39)
Flossenbürg concentration camp
Nationality German
Education Doctorate in theology
Occupation Pastor, professor, theologian
Religious beliefs Lutheran (Confessing Church)
Children (none)
Parents Karl and Paula Bonhoeffer

Ken Clouse
Dietrich Bonhoeffer (1906 - 1945) 
"Whether or not government is aware of its own true basis, its task consists in maintaining by the power of the sword an outward justice in which life is preserved and is thus held open for Christ."
Born on February 4, 1906, in Breslau, then part of Imperial Germany, Dietrich Bonhoeffer began his theological education in 1923 at the University of Tübingen. He later trained under liberal theologians Adolf von Harnack and Reinhold Seeburg.
Following what he would later call a conversion experience, Bonhoeffer intensified his focus on contemporary theological problems facing the church. With the ascendancy of the Nazi party in Germany, Bonhoeffer was among the first of the German theologians to perceive the pervasiveness and significance of the looming Nazi threat.
When the pro-Nazi German Christian party won the church elections in the summer of 1933, Bonhoeffer quickly opposed the anti-Semitism of the Nazis in an important article, “The Church and the Jewish Question.” In this piece Bonhoeffer provided a seminal overview of his perspective of the church's relationship to the state.
His framework was based on a view of the normative worldly authorities, first articulated in his doctrine of “preservation orders” in his early academic lectures and later developed in mature form in his ethics manuscripts of the early 1940s. In these latter documents, Bonhoeffer speaks of four unique and divinely instituted mandates in the world: work (or labor), marriage (or family), government, and church.
The recognition of the legitimate but limited role of government in human affairs enabled Bonhoeffer to oppose the perversion of the state represented by the National Socialists.
Marriage is not made by the government, but is affirmed by the government. The great spheres of work are not themselves undertaken by the government, but they are subject to its supervision within certain limits—later to be described—to governmental direction. Government should never seek to become the agent of these areas of work, for this would seriously endanger their divine mandate along with its own.
Bonhoeffer's resistance to the Nazi regime included his support for and pastoral participation in the Confessing Church along with other prominent Protestant theologians like Karl Barth and Martin Niemöller, as well as his intricate association with the broader ecumenical movement. When the effectiveness of the Confessing Church's opposition to Hitler was blunted and his efforts to bring the moral authority of the ecumenical movement to bear failed, Bonhoeffer became involved with the so-called Abwehr conspiracy, which intended to assassinate Hitler, overthrow the Nazi regime, and end the war.
After imprisonment for his role in the escape of Jews to Switzerland, Bonhoeffer was implicated in the failed assassination attempt of July 20, 1944. At the age of thirty-nine, he was hanged by the S.S. at the Flossenbürg concentration camp on April 9, 1945, just weeks before the liberation of the area under Allied troops. Dietrich Bonhoeffer's life and death are a testament to his commitment to the Christian faith and his ardent opposition to the absolutism and idolatry of Nazi Germany.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cHp0c49ql5s
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xuRCr-dfanA&feature=related
Acton Institute
161 Ottawa Ave. NW, Suite 301
Grand Rapids, MI 49503
phone: 616.454.3080
fax: 616.454.9454
Dietrich Bonhoeffer
Born February 4, 1906 (1906-02-04)
Breslau
Died April 9, 1945 (1945-04-10) (age 39)
Flossenbürg concentration camp
Nationality German
Education Doctorate in theology
Occupation Pastor, professor, theologian
Religious beliefs Lutheran (Confessing Church)
Children (none)
Parents Karl and Paula Bonhoeffer

Sunday, March 8, 2009
He is Precious
Last week my wife and I had the pleasure once more of taking in an opera. As operas go except for only a few, they are tragic love affairs. Madam Butterfly the opera we saw is no exception it is a tragic love affair. A 15-year-old Japanese geisha girl is betrothed to an American Naval officer while stationed in Japan. She innocently accepts this American Councilet arranged marriage as an honorable union. A friend warns the naval officer “be careful she trusts you”, two times he is warned, “be careful she trusts you”.
Well, the naval officer ships off back home to the USA leaving his betrothed promising to return.
For four years, this young woman now age 19 with a son waits for the return of her husband. She checks the harbor for American ships, visually she checks for the red, white and blue flag, the American flag. She has been blessed to be married to an American, Americans are honorable, and they don’t leave their wives.
Her marriage cost her dearly; her family disowned her when she chooses the religion of her husband and the customs of her husband.
Struggling to provide food for herself and her child her old profession comes to mind. No she says, she will not be anything but honorable, she will not return to dishonor, she has been freed from that. She will die of starvation before she will return to the geisha’s.
One day a ship arrives with an American Flag, it’s a naval ship. Excitedly she gets her home ready for the return of her American husband. The wait was worth it after all.
When the officers friend (the friend who warned “be careful she trusts you” came from the harbor ahead of her husband and found her (former geisha girl) joyously busy being ready. The commonly accepted news (in the past) was horrifying for him to give, she was so innocent so honest so devoted. Madam Butterfly is confronted first by the wife of her American husband. (The naval officer went back to America and married an American girl)
The marriage of the geisha girl to the American Naval Officer meant nothing to him; this was convenience only.
There is now no home for her son with his father, she the geisha girl takes her own life so her son can go with his father and have a mother and father.
Now, how on earth could any one be so cruel, so thoughtless? That poor geisha girl, but who really suffered here? My opinion is the real tragedy is about the deceiver, how can he live with what he did, how can he make it right, how many apologies can he give and everything be made ok. It can never be made ok in his case. His guilt resides with him forever. If his heart is so cold he has no guilt then he is a wasted miserable man.
What happened to the girl is horrible it is true, but she had honor, the man had no honor. To live without honor, I cannot imagine.
Sitting watching the end of this opera my mind went to Peter, check these words out.
Having arrested Him, they led Him and brought Him into the high priest’s house. But Peter followed at a distance.
Now when they had kindled a fire in the midst of the courtyard and sat down together, Peter sat among them.
And a certain servant girl, seeing him as he sat by the fire, looked intently at him
But he denied Him, saying, “Woman, I do not know Him.”
And after a little while another saw him and said, “You also are of them.” But Peter said, “Man, I am not!”
Then after about an hour had passed, another confidently affirmed, saying, “Surely this fellow also was with Him, for he is a Galilean.”
But Peter said, “Man, I do not know what you are saying!” ¶ Immediately, while he was still speaking, the rooster crowed.
And the Lord turned and looked at Peter. Then Peter remembered the word of the Lord, how He had said to him, “Before the rooster crows, you will deny Me three times.”
So Peter went out and wept bitterly.
Luke 22:54-62
This is a well-known story; you know it I am sure. Check out the reaction of Jesus “And the Lord turned and looked at Peter”.
What do you suppose went through the mind of Peter; did Peter have a soft heart? What miserable disappointment he must have had in his heart. How horribly cowardly Peter turned out to be, (a coward like the sailor). How could he be forgiven for such a betrayal? Their eyes met, he promised so many times, he said I love you; you are the Christ he claimed. I will go with you to death Peter promised. What could Peter say looking into the eyes of Jesus? Horrified I suppose, I would be. Is there any way for Peter to be redeemed? I wonder if Peter thought so, I would imagine he thought he was finished. He did go away and wept bitterly, I am sure he thought he was finished. I am sure he thought he would have to live with this guilt for the rest of his life, and he would have except the one Peter was dealing with had the power to forgive, regenerate and cleanse, He cleanses from all unrighteousness. I believe the reaction by most to the Peter denying Jesus history is “poor Jesus”, Peter treated Him unfair. I think it was much different than that. I believe that Peter was the victim, he had no escape from his failure, he turned against the Lord, and Peter lost all creditability. Peter must have felt there was no hope for himself.
Here is what Peter learned in his bitter weeping.
Therefore, to you who believe, He is precious; but to those who are disobedient,
“The stone which the builders rejected Has become the chief cornerstone,”
and“A stone of stumbling And a rock of offense.” They stumble, being disobedient to the word, to which they also were appointed.
But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light;
who once were not a people but are now the people of God, who had not obtained mercy but now have obtained mercy.
1-Peter 2:7-10
Peter in his weeping found Jesus to be precious; he believed he was no longer disobedient. He no longer rejected Jesus, no longer was Jesus an offense, and no longer was he disobedient to the Word. He became so supported buy the Word of God that he could now say he was a chosen generation a royal priesthood a holy nation, even God’s own special person, who was called out of darkness into His marvelous light.
Jesus sees all of us, we all need to repent and trust Him not as an offense but a savior who has promised forgiveness of sins and life everlasting. Always love Jesus.
Ken Clouse
Lay Leader
North Michigan Reformation society
Well, the naval officer ships off back home to the USA leaving his betrothed promising to return.
For four years, this young woman now age 19 with a son waits for the return of her husband. She checks the harbor for American ships, visually she checks for the red, white and blue flag, the American flag. She has been blessed to be married to an American, Americans are honorable, and they don’t leave their wives.
Her marriage cost her dearly; her family disowned her when she chooses the religion of her husband and the customs of her husband.
Struggling to provide food for herself and her child her old profession comes to mind. No she says, she will not be anything but honorable, she will not return to dishonor, she has been freed from that. She will die of starvation before she will return to the geisha’s.
One day a ship arrives with an American Flag, it’s a naval ship. Excitedly she gets her home ready for the return of her American husband. The wait was worth it after all.
When the officers friend (the friend who warned “be careful she trusts you” came from the harbor ahead of her husband and found her (former geisha girl) joyously busy being ready. The commonly accepted news (in the past) was horrifying for him to give, she was so innocent so honest so devoted. Madam Butterfly is confronted first by the wife of her American husband. (The naval officer went back to America and married an American girl)
The marriage of the geisha girl to the American Naval Officer meant nothing to him; this was convenience only.
There is now no home for her son with his father, she the geisha girl takes her own life so her son can go with his father and have a mother and father.
Now, how on earth could any one be so cruel, so thoughtless? That poor geisha girl, but who really suffered here? My opinion is the real tragedy is about the deceiver, how can he live with what he did, how can he make it right, how many apologies can he give and everything be made ok. It can never be made ok in his case. His guilt resides with him forever. If his heart is so cold he has no guilt then he is a wasted miserable man.
What happened to the girl is horrible it is true, but she had honor, the man had no honor. To live without honor, I cannot imagine.
Sitting watching the end of this opera my mind went to Peter, check these words out.
Having arrested Him, they led Him and brought Him into the high priest’s house. But Peter followed at a distance.
Now when they had kindled a fire in the midst of the courtyard and sat down together, Peter sat among them.
And a certain servant girl, seeing him as he sat by the fire, looked intently at him
But he denied Him, saying, “Woman, I do not know Him.”
And after a little while another saw him and said, “You also are of them.” But Peter said, “Man, I am not!”
Then after about an hour had passed, another confidently affirmed, saying, “Surely this fellow also was with Him, for he is a Galilean.”
But Peter said, “Man, I do not know what you are saying!” ¶ Immediately, while he was still speaking, the rooster crowed.
And the Lord turned and looked at Peter. Then Peter remembered the word of the Lord, how He had said to him, “Before the rooster crows, you will deny Me three times.”
So Peter went out and wept bitterly.
Luke 22:54-62
This is a well-known story; you know it I am sure. Check out the reaction of Jesus “And the Lord turned and looked at Peter”.
What do you suppose went through the mind of Peter; did Peter have a soft heart? What miserable disappointment he must have had in his heart. How horribly cowardly Peter turned out to be, (a coward like the sailor). How could he be forgiven for such a betrayal? Their eyes met, he promised so many times, he said I love you; you are the Christ he claimed. I will go with you to death Peter promised. What could Peter say looking into the eyes of Jesus? Horrified I suppose, I would be. Is there any way for Peter to be redeemed? I wonder if Peter thought so, I would imagine he thought he was finished. He did go away and wept bitterly, I am sure he thought he was finished. I am sure he thought he would have to live with this guilt for the rest of his life, and he would have except the one Peter was dealing with had the power to forgive, regenerate and cleanse, He cleanses from all unrighteousness. I believe the reaction by most to the Peter denying Jesus history is “poor Jesus”, Peter treated Him unfair. I think it was much different than that. I believe that Peter was the victim, he had no escape from his failure, he turned against the Lord, and Peter lost all creditability. Peter must have felt there was no hope for himself.
Here is what Peter learned in his bitter weeping.
Therefore, to you who believe, He is precious; but to those who are disobedient,
“The stone which the builders rejected Has become the chief cornerstone,”
and“A stone of stumbling And a rock of offense.” They stumble, being disobedient to the word, to which they also were appointed.
But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light;
who once were not a people but are now the people of God, who had not obtained mercy but now have obtained mercy.
1-Peter 2:7-10
Peter in his weeping found Jesus to be precious; he believed he was no longer disobedient. He no longer rejected Jesus, no longer was Jesus an offense, and no longer was he disobedient to the Word. He became so supported buy the Word of God that he could now say he was a chosen generation a royal priesthood a holy nation, even God’s own special person, who was called out of darkness into His marvelous light.
Jesus sees all of us, we all need to repent and trust Him not as an offense but a savior who has promised forgiveness of sins and life everlasting. Always love Jesus.
Ken Clouse
Lay Leader
North Michigan Reformation society
Sucker fishing Time and canning
News from Steve.
You may process your suckers by canning them, they taste just like salmon.
There's nothing wrong with suckers except the bones unless you know bow to can them. The bones of fish get very soft after the canning process, just like Tuna.
Most people don't like eating suckers because of the numerous tiny bones, and also because they are bottom feeders so people think they are dirty. However, if you ask those who eat suckers they will tell you, contrary to popular belief, that the meat is quite good.
A superb way to prepare Suckers "can them". Follow the directions below.
How to fillet a sucker
With the fish laying on its side, cut straight down just behind the gills until you hit the bone. Then, without removing the blade, turn it sideways and cut straight along the backbone to the tail. You now have one fillet removed.
Turn the fish over and repeat the steps on the other side.
You now have both fillets removed and the rest of the fish is for the compost.
Next thing slice out the rib section, the rib bones are large and easy to remove. You will see the ribs on the inside of the fillet. Just place the blade underneath the ribs and slice the section right out.
Now skin the fillets. With the skin side down insert the knife at the tail and cut the meat from the skin. If you start the cut about a half inch from the tail it will give you something to hold as you pull the knife between the skin and the meat. Pliers can be used to hold onto the fillet near the tail for a better grip.
Hold the blade on an angle it is almost like scraping the meat from the skin.
These fillets are all ready to be placed in mason jars, before the canning procedure begins some cautions are necessary. The canning of fish requires more care than canning high acid foods such as fruits or tomatoes. The United States Department of Agriculture
considers the pressure canner the only safe method for canning meat and fish. The water bath method, boiling the fish in the jars for three hours is unsafe.
Use a pressure canner only.
Note-----Water boils at 212 degrees F. (at sea level), but in a pressure canner steam expands and builds pressure, and as the pressure builds the temperature increases. At 5 pounds pressure the temperature is 228 degrees F., at 10 pounds pressure it's 240 degrees, and at 15 pounds pressure the temperature is 250 degrees.
Now, the recipe.
Take the fillets and pack them into hot pint or half-pint mason jars. Do not use quart jars.
Do not pack them too tightly, and be sure to leave one inch head space.
Do NOT add liquid. The fish creates its own liquid as it is cooked.
Add ingredients below in pint jar.
1/2 teaspoon salt
1-1/2 tablespoon vinegar
1-1/2 table spoon mazola oil
4 tablespoons tomato juice
Wipe the rim of the jars and put on the hot lids with sealing rings.
Follow manufacturer's instructions for using your canner.
Process the suckers for 110 minutes at 11 pounds pressure. (Add one pound pressure for every 2000 feet increase above sea level.)
After the jars are taken out, make sure they are properly sealed. With the metal lids it is easy to tell, you will hear them pop as they cool.
Jars are sealed when the lid is concave "curving" in the down position, press in the center of the lid if there is no give or up and down movement the jar is sealed.
Compliments of Steve
You may process your suckers by canning them, they taste just like salmon.
There's nothing wrong with suckers except the bones unless you know bow to can them. The bones of fish get very soft after the canning process, just like Tuna.
Most people don't like eating suckers because of the numerous tiny bones, and also because they are bottom feeders so people think they are dirty. However, if you ask those who eat suckers they will tell you, contrary to popular belief, that the meat is quite good.
A superb way to prepare Suckers "can them". Follow the directions below.
How to fillet a sucker
With the fish laying on its side, cut straight down just behind the gills until you hit the bone. Then, without removing the blade, turn it sideways and cut straight along the backbone to the tail. You now have one fillet removed.
Turn the fish over and repeat the steps on the other side.
You now have both fillets removed and the rest of the fish is for the compost.
Next thing slice out the rib section, the rib bones are large and easy to remove. You will see the ribs on the inside of the fillet. Just place the blade underneath the ribs and slice the section right out.
Now skin the fillets. With the skin side down insert the knife at the tail and cut the meat from the skin. If you start the cut about a half inch from the tail it will give you something to hold as you pull the knife between the skin and the meat. Pliers can be used to hold onto the fillet near the tail for a better grip.
Hold the blade on an angle it is almost like scraping the meat from the skin.
These fillets are all ready to be placed in mason jars, before the canning procedure begins some cautions are necessary. The canning of fish requires more care than canning high acid foods such as fruits or tomatoes. The United States Department of Agriculture
considers the pressure canner the only safe method for canning meat and fish. The water bath method, boiling the fish in the jars for three hours is unsafe.
Use a pressure canner only.
Note-----Water boils at 212 degrees F. (at sea level), but in a pressure canner steam expands and builds pressure, and as the pressure builds the temperature increases. At 5 pounds pressure the temperature is 228 degrees F., at 10 pounds pressure it's 240 degrees, and at 15 pounds pressure the temperature is 250 degrees.
Now, the recipe.
Take the fillets and pack them into hot pint or half-pint mason jars. Do not use quart jars.
Do not pack them too tightly, and be sure to leave one inch head space.
Do NOT add liquid. The fish creates its own liquid as it is cooked.
Add ingredients below in pint jar.
1/2 teaspoon salt
1-1/2 tablespoon vinegar
1-1/2 table spoon mazola oil
4 tablespoons tomato juice
Wipe the rim of the jars and put on the hot lids with sealing rings.
Follow manufacturer's instructions for using your canner.
Process the suckers for 110 minutes at 11 pounds pressure. (Add one pound pressure for every 2000 feet increase above sea level.)
After the jars are taken out, make sure they are properly sealed. With the metal lids it is easy to tell, you will hear them pop as they cool.
Jars are sealed when the lid is concave "curving" in the down position, press in the center of the lid if there is no give or up and down movement the jar is sealed.
Compliments of Steve
Saturday, March 7, 2009
Depression/Unemployment
Unemployment: By the numbers
March 7, 2009
People unemployed in February 2009, the most since records dating to 1948
12.1 million:
People unemployed in December 1982, the previous record
154.2 million:
size of workforce in February 2009
111.1 million:
size of workforce in December 1982
New record-highs at all education levels (all records dating from 1992)
4.1%:
Unemployment rate for college graduates
8.3%:
Unemployment rate for high school graduates
12.6%:
Unemployment rate for those with no high school diploma
Underemployed workers
8.6 million:
Number of part-time workers who would have preferred full-time work last month, the most on records dating to 1955
2.1 million:
People who wanted to work, were available and had looked in the last 12 months, but had not looked in the last month
14.8%:
Unemployment rate including involuntary part-time workers and those who hadn't looked in 12 months, the highest on records dating to 1994
Those still working
60.3%:
Portion of the total population that had jobs in February
February 1986:
Last time the portion was this low
February unemployment rate by group
8.1%:
Adult men
6.7%:
Adult women
10.3%:
Female heads
of households
6.9%:
Asians
7.3%:
Whites
10.9%:
Hispanics
13.4%:
Blacks
21.6%:
Teenagers
Steve's take
I am not convinced the above article is about truth rather it seems to be about creation of an idea, the idea our unemployment problem to day is horrible. The article mentions "the most unemployed since 1948".(I don't put a lot of faith in statistics), check this out, in 1948 there was an unemployment rate of 3.9% out of a population of 146,000,000. Associated Press claims the number of unemployed (not percentage) is the greatest since 1948. How can this be since our population today is over 300,000,000 and we are at 8% unemployment. Our population had doubled since 1948 so why wouldn't the unemployment double as well? Actually I don't think we have a big problem an unemployment rate, below 5% is considered full employment, we are at 8%. This is high but not as high as when Jimmy Carter was president and we survived the prime rate was 22% and we couldn't buy gasoline.
The media is scaring everyone into a depression.
Steve
March 7, 2009
People unemployed in February 2009, the most since records dating to 1948
12.1 million:
People unemployed in December 1982, the previous record
154.2 million:
size of workforce in February 2009
111.1 million:
size of workforce in December 1982
New record-highs at all education levels (all records dating from 1992)
4.1%:
Unemployment rate for college graduates
8.3%:
Unemployment rate for high school graduates
12.6%:
Unemployment rate for those with no high school diploma
Underemployed workers
8.6 million:
Number of part-time workers who would have preferred full-time work last month, the most on records dating to 1955
2.1 million:
People who wanted to work, were available and had looked in the last 12 months, but had not looked in the last month
14.8%:
Unemployment rate including involuntary part-time workers and those who hadn't looked in 12 months, the highest on records dating to 1994
Those still working
60.3%:
Portion of the total population that had jobs in February
February 1986:
Last time the portion was this low
February unemployment rate by group
8.1%:
Adult men
6.7%:
Adult women
10.3%:
Female heads
of households
6.9%:
Asians
7.3%:
Whites
10.9%:
Hispanics
13.4%:
Blacks
21.6%:
Teenagers
Steve's take
I am not convinced the above article is about truth rather it seems to be about creation of an idea, the idea our unemployment problem to day is horrible. The article mentions "the most unemployed since 1948".(I don't put a lot of faith in statistics), check this out, in 1948 there was an unemployment rate of 3.9% out of a population of 146,000,000. Associated Press claims the number of unemployed (not percentage) is the greatest since 1948. How can this be since our population today is over 300,000,000 and we are at 8% unemployment. Our population had doubled since 1948 so why wouldn't the unemployment double as well? Actually I don't think we have a big problem an unemployment rate, below 5% is considered full employment, we are at 8%. This is high but not as high as when Jimmy Carter was president and we survived the prime rate was 22% and we couldn't buy gasoline.
The media is scaring everyone into a depression.
Steve
Tuesday, March 3, 2009
Money in the Closet
What is the real reason for the decline of the stock market? Trust is the reason, lack of that is. No one knows how much of a slap of taxation will be placed upon their success. Why take the chance? Why invest to make money? How much will they take if we make money? Well you guessed it, it is all a guess, who wants to risk money on a guess. Right, no one. It is apparent the man will be after you should you become successful so leave it alone, stay low, let the taxation devils fly right on by while you are in the closet with your money. No, we will not give it to them, the tax devils that is.
So this is the reason for the decline in the stock market. Money is still there as much as always has been, even more so since the printing presses are continually running. Right the money doesn't go away, it's somewhere, maybe in the closet waiting for the coast to be clear.
Steve
So this is the reason for the decline in the stock market. Money is still there as much as always has been, even more so since the printing presses are continually running. Right the money doesn't go away, it's somewhere, maybe in the closet waiting for the coast to be clear.
Steve
Monday, March 2, 2009
What is the real Agenda?
"The institutions of the North American republic had their birth and baptism from the free inspirations and genius of the Christian religion. This fact has given to the state its political power and moral glory, and shed new light on the benign nature and adaptation of the Christian
system to secure the highest political prosperity to a nation."
system to secure the highest political prosperity to a nation."
-Ref: The Christian Life and Character of the Civil Institutions of the United States
Chapter 1, Paragraph 2
By Benjamin F. Morris
On Inauguration Day, I like so many americans watched as we installed our President as we have so many times before. On this day while standing in front of the television an outspoken Athiest outwardly expressed his disgust with the Invocation. I expressed my disdain with the fact that one would be so disrespectful of our obvious national foundation. After the fact I realize that I am guilty of missing an opportunity.
Now some 30+ days later our ability to give to charities is diminished and could possibly threaten numerous charitable organizations. Many of which are attached to ministries, such as Samaritan's Purse where I have dedicated my time in disaster releif. Our new President has stated that the Federal Government is the solution to all our ills. With his taxation policy that will threaten charitable giving will come a set of consequences the Church will suffer from. The President, wishes for the Government to be the answer, but the Government by this action is destroying the financial viability of the Christian organizations which provide the much needed public service he is pushing. Funny thing, as I watch the President in TV commercials selling public volunteer service he is destroying much of the existing charitable infrastructure that has carried this country and the world since its founding.
There is only one conclusion that one can come to. That is the politicians in Washington want to abandon the foundation of this country, bastardize the constitution and the Bill of Rights. The result will be the further erosion of the spiritual health of our nation and we will continue to turn from God and our founding fathers vision. The objective can only be the erosion of the influence of Christianity in our great nation.
Sunday, March 1, 2009
Raw Milk
More “stuff“! Never has a cat died who tasted the warm milk squeezed from the farmers hand into it’s mouth while he milked his cow. Those cats would go away purring with delight. As for me, give me milk straight from the cow, water from the well, eggs from the hen house, chickens from the yard and bacon from the hog in the pen. This is the way men lived for centuries, that is before the blessing of the government who knows best about our health.
Ken Clouse
NUTRITION LAB
The raw milk debate rages on
Though proponents of unpasteurized milk tout its health benefits, including boosting immunity, scientific evidence remains shaky.
By Elena Conis
March 2, 2009
More and more consumers are forgoing standard milk in favor of "raw" milk, milk that's unpasteurized and unhomogenized, essentially straight from the udder of the cow.
Some seek out raw milk for its reportedly creamier, richer taste, but more choose it because they believe it's more healthful, a "living" food that can help fend off many illnesses, as varied as allergies and cancer. "Raw milk consumers are dedicated to building their immune systems," says Mark McAfee, founder of Organic Pastures, a raw dairy in Fresno.
The claims sound innocent enough, but the sale of raw milk is illegal in nearly two dozen states, and federal regulations prohibit producers in states where raw milk is legal, including California, from shipping it over state lines. The Food and Drug Administration cautions consumers against raw milk consumption and last year began cracking down on dairies, including McAfee's, for illegal distribution across state lines. (Organic Pastures pleaded guilty to the charge but continues to sell raw milk products -- legally -- throughout California.)
Claims about raw milk's health benefits are scientifically tenuous. Raw milk and pasteurized milk are equivalent in terms of protein, nutrient, fat and carbohydrate makeup, says Rusty Bishop, director of the Wisconsin Center for Dairy Research at the University of Wisconsin, Madison. After raw milk has been pasteurized, he says, "there's no difference in composition, other than that you've killed off a significant number of bacteria that were in the milk."
Under the microscope
Bacteria, however, are at the crux of the controversy over raw milk.
Proponents argue that the milk naturally contains an array of beneficial bacteria and enzymes that give the immune system a workout and aid with digestion -- and that are destroyed by pasteurization. Meanwhile, dairy scientists such as Bishop argue that such beneficial bacteria (such as acidophilus and bifidobacterium) occur only in small amounts in raw milk, and that any enzymes the milk contains have no proven benefit for humans.
Federal officials maintain that pasteurization is crucial because the risk of contamination with harmful bacteria outweighs any potential benefits from beneficial, or probiotic, bacteria found in unprocessed milk.
Raw milk advocates point to a small, mostly European body of research to support their claims. A handful of studies have shown that children who grow up on farms appear to be less likely than other children to suffer from allergies such as hay fever and asthma. A separate body of research has begun to link that effect to unpasteurized milk -- though the evidence is preliminary, and somewhat mixed.
A study of about 100 children in Crete, published in the journal Clinical and Experimental Allergy in 2001, found a significantly reduced rate of allergies among urban (but not rural) children who drank unpasteurized milk. A study of more than 4,000 children in a rural county in England, published by the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology in 2006, found that those children who drank unpasteurized milk were 40% less likely to have symptoms of eczema. A New Zealand study, published in the journal Allergy in 2002, found a similar effect on eczema.
But an analysis of data collected from more than 23,000 adult women in Iowa, published in the journal Cancer Causes and Control last October, revealed a slightly higher rate of asthma and eczema among those who said they had ever consumed unpasteurized milk, compared with those who hadn't.
Meanwhile, a far greater number of studies have linked raw milk and cheese to outbreaks of E. coli, salmonella, listeria and a bacterium called campylobacter. The pathogens aren't inherent to raw milk, but can get into the milk due to unsanitary conditions.
A report published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in 2007 traced 45 outbreaks, causing more than a thousand illnesses and two deaths, to bacteria in unpasteurized milk or cheese between 1998 and 2005. "Raw milk could potentially have beneficial bacteria, but there's a higher likelihood that it has pathogenic organisms as well," says Lloyd Metzger, director of the Midwest Dairy Foods Research Center at South Dakota State University in Brookings and a spokesman for the Institute of Food Technologists, an association of food scientists.
By the rules
In pasteurization, fresh milk is briefly heated to a temperature just high enough to kill off those pathogenic bacteria; by default, the process also kills any other bacteria that might be living in the milk. (Homogenization, meanwhile, keeps the cream, or fat, from separating from the milk.) Without it, raw milk producers have to take extra care to prevent contamination of their milk, Bishop says. Sanitary conditions, attention to diet, milk testing and cattle health screening can help prevent contamination episodes, and researchers in Europe -- where raw milk is widely used in cheese production -- have pioneered protocols to help ensure that raw milk is pathogen-free, he says.
"They can have that [raw] milk coming off the farm with minimal bacteria -- but it takes a lot more effort," Bishop says.
In the U.S., raw milk is regulated differently from one state to the next; in many states, it's simply illegal. In California, raw milk producers must meet the same safety standards as producers of pasteurized milk -- without the aid of pasteurization. (Advocates supported a bill last fall that would have established separate standards for raw milk, but it was vetoed by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger.) The extra effort it takes to meet those standards accounts for the high price of raw milk -- as much as $10 for half a gallon in California markets.
To the tens of thousands of California consumers purchasing raw milk, that price is worth it. To others, it's not.
"If you want beneficial bacteria," Metzger says, "you'd be better off just eating yogurt."
Ken Clouse
NUTRITION LAB
The raw milk debate rages on
Though proponents of unpasteurized milk tout its health benefits, including boosting immunity, scientific evidence remains shaky.
By Elena Conis
March 2, 2009
More and more consumers are forgoing standard milk in favor of "raw" milk, milk that's unpasteurized and unhomogenized, essentially straight from the udder of the cow.
Some seek out raw milk for its reportedly creamier, richer taste, but more choose it because they believe it's more healthful, a "living" food that can help fend off many illnesses, as varied as allergies and cancer. "Raw milk consumers are dedicated to building their immune systems," says Mark McAfee, founder of Organic Pastures, a raw dairy in Fresno.
The claims sound innocent enough, but the sale of raw milk is illegal in nearly two dozen states, and federal regulations prohibit producers in states where raw milk is legal, including California, from shipping it over state lines. The Food and Drug Administration cautions consumers against raw milk consumption and last year began cracking down on dairies, including McAfee's, for illegal distribution across state lines. (Organic Pastures pleaded guilty to the charge but continues to sell raw milk products -- legally -- throughout California.)
Claims about raw milk's health benefits are scientifically tenuous. Raw milk and pasteurized milk are equivalent in terms of protein, nutrient, fat and carbohydrate makeup, says Rusty Bishop, director of the Wisconsin Center for Dairy Research at the University of Wisconsin, Madison. After raw milk has been pasteurized, he says, "there's no difference in composition, other than that you've killed off a significant number of bacteria that were in the milk."
Under the microscope
Bacteria, however, are at the crux of the controversy over raw milk.
Proponents argue that the milk naturally contains an array of beneficial bacteria and enzymes that give the immune system a workout and aid with digestion -- and that are destroyed by pasteurization. Meanwhile, dairy scientists such as Bishop argue that such beneficial bacteria (such as acidophilus and bifidobacterium) occur only in small amounts in raw milk, and that any enzymes the milk contains have no proven benefit for humans.
Federal officials maintain that pasteurization is crucial because the risk of contamination with harmful bacteria outweighs any potential benefits from beneficial, or probiotic, bacteria found in unprocessed milk.
Raw milk advocates point to a small, mostly European body of research to support their claims. A handful of studies have shown that children who grow up on farms appear to be less likely than other children to suffer from allergies such as hay fever and asthma. A separate body of research has begun to link that effect to unpasteurized milk -- though the evidence is preliminary, and somewhat mixed.
A study of about 100 children in Crete, published in the journal Clinical and Experimental Allergy in 2001, found a significantly reduced rate of allergies among urban (but not rural) children who drank unpasteurized milk. A study of more than 4,000 children in a rural county in England, published by the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology in 2006, found that those children who drank unpasteurized milk were 40% less likely to have symptoms of eczema. A New Zealand study, published in the journal Allergy in 2002, found a similar effect on eczema.
But an analysis of data collected from more than 23,000 adult women in Iowa, published in the journal Cancer Causes and Control last October, revealed a slightly higher rate of asthma and eczema among those who said they had ever consumed unpasteurized milk, compared with those who hadn't.
Meanwhile, a far greater number of studies have linked raw milk and cheese to outbreaks of E. coli, salmonella, listeria and a bacterium called campylobacter. The pathogens aren't inherent to raw milk, but can get into the milk due to unsanitary conditions.
A report published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in 2007 traced 45 outbreaks, causing more than a thousand illnesses and two deaths, to bacteria in unpasteurized milk or cheese between 1998 and 2005. "Raw milk could potentially have beneficial bacteria, but there's a higher likelihood that it has pathogenic organisms as well," says Lloyd Metzger, director of the Midwest Dairy Foods Research Center at South Dakota State University in Brookings and a spokesman for the Institute of Food Technologists, an association of food scientists.
By the rules
In pasteurization, fresh milk is briefly heated to a temperature just high enough to kill off those pathogenic bacteria; by default, the process also kills any other bacteria that might be living in the milk. (Homogenization, meanwhile, keeps the cream, or fat, from separating from the milk.) Without it, raw milk producers have to take extra care to prevent contamination of their milk, Bishop says. Sanitary conditions, attention to diet, milk testing and cattle health screening can help prevent contamination episodes, and researchers in Europe -- where raw milk is widely used in cheese production -- have pioneered protocols to help ensure that raw milk is pathogen-free, he says.
"They can have that [raw] milk coming off the farm with minimal bacteria -- but it takes a lot more effort," Bishop says.
In the U.S., raw milk is regulated differently from one state to the next; in many states, it's simply illegal. In California, raw milk producers must meet the same safety standards as producers of pasteurized milk -- without the aid of pasteurization. (Advocates supported a bill last fall that would have established separate standards for raw milk, but it was vetoed by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger.) The extra effort it takes to meet those standards accounts for the high price of raw milk -- as much as $10 for half a gallon in California markets.
To the tens of thousands of California consumers purchasing raw milk, that price is worth it. To others, it's not.
"If you want beneficial bacteria," Metzger says, "you'd be better off just eating yogurt."
Friday, February 20, 2009
Dr.Joel Beeke on churches today
An interview with Joel Beeke, President of Puritan Reformed Seminary in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Dr. Beeke will be one of the featured speakers at the Greenville Seminary Spring Theology Conference in March. For details about the conference please visit our website (www.gpts.edu)
1. From your vantage point, how would you assess the health and vigor of the Reformed churches in North America at this time? What is the basis of your opinion?
Let me begin with your second question. Are these bodies true churches? First, do these churches exhibit the marks of a true church: namely, faithful preaching of the Word, right administration of the sacraments, and the due exercise of church discipline. Second, we must also assess them in terms of their well-being or degree of purity. What I mean by this is how truly the doctrine of the gospel is taught by the ministers and embraced by the members, and how faithful the public worship is according to the Word of God. Every church falls short of perfection, but how pure are these churches? How far do they go toward being what a local church ought to be?
1. From your vantage point, how would you assess the health and vigor of the Reformed churches in North America at this time? What is the basis of your opinion?
Let me begin with your second question. Are these bodies true churches? First, do these churches exhibit the marks of a true church: namely, faithful preaching of the Word, right administration of the sacraments, and the due exercise of church discipline. Second, we must also assess them in terms of their well-being or degree of purity. What I mean by this is how truly the doctrine of the gospel is taught by the ministers and embraced by the members, and how faithful the public worship is according to the Word of God. Every church falls short of perfection, but how pure are these churches? How far do they go toward being what a local church ought to be?
this could be any denominational congregation SMWe must never forget that it is possible to be a good, faithful member of a solid, Reformed, confessional church without personally and experientially knowing biblical, sovereign-grace truth. Healthy churches have many members who can explain how they have personally come to know the Lord Jesus and how they continue to live out of Him in daily, practical Christian living. By the blessing of the Holy Spirit, healthy churches foster large dosages of head-heart-hand theology.
I fear that in the larger Reformed and Presbyterian churches of North America, what some would call the mainline churches that come from a Reformed background, the “unchurching” of these bodies by modernism and liberalism begun in the twentieth century is continuing today. Pastors who do not believe what is taught in Scripture and who have not experienced its truths personally and savingly cannot preach the Word faithfully. In the absence of faithful preaching, the sacraments have no definite content or purpose, and church discipline seems to be used only against those who rebuke the leaders of these bodies and call them to repentance. However, even in these larger, older bodies some individuals and local churches still hold fast to the essentials of the faith, fighting against the running tide of unbelief.
The situation is much better in some of the smaller, older bodies such as the Associate Reformed, Reformed Presbyterian, and Free Reformed Churches, and newer ones such as the Orthodox Presbyterian Church, the Presbyterian Church in America, the United Reformed Churches, the Presbyterian Reformed Churches, the Heritage Reformed Congregations, and some Reformed Baptist groups. Despite debates over such things as paedocommunion and Federal Vision theology in some of these denominations, many churches continue to affirm the basic doctrines of the Reformed faith. They are growing in size as new congregations are planted and older ones are revitalized. It appears that in a number of these churches God is blessing book ministries and conferences to foster more Reformed and Puritan-minded, experiential theology. Some very encouraging things are happening. As I travel around North America doing conferences and preaching in a variety of Reformed, Presbyterian, and Reformed Baptist churches, I often think that the godly are becoming more godly and the ungodly are becoming more ungodly. Conferences are growing in numbers and in quality. God’s people are showing hunger for experiential truth, so that they might know Christ better and be more conformed to Him in daily living.
To determine the relative purity of these smaller bodies as a whole would require careful research and detailed assessment of each one, and we don’t have the space to do that here. I am aware that there are some disturbing trends with regard to the centrality of preaching, the importance of doctrinal knowledge and confessional fidelity, and the conduct of public worship in some congregations of even several of these smaller denominations. Reformed worship developed as a vehicle to serve the Reformed faith, and it is hard to see how doctrinal orthodoxy can long endure where there is ignorance, indifference, or antagonism regarding the historic principles and usages of Reformed worship.
Church discipline continues to be highly problematic under the present circumstances in North America. Its purposes are not understood, and its methods are not well known or widely respected; unhappy members easily flee church discipline and find refuge in churches of other denominations. Some of the most conservative Reformed Christians seem to have forgotten that schism is a grievous sin, and the number of Reformed microdenominations continues to grow.
2. What do you see as some of the more important challenges for the church to address in our world today?
The single most important challenge is to continue preaching the authentic, Reformed, experiential gospel of Jesus Christ, and turn a deaf ear to voices that proclaim that some seismic shift in modern culture demands a new or different gospel. We must dare to believe that in spite of 2,000 years of such shifts and changes the gospel of Christ has ever been “the power of God unto salvation” (Rom. 1:16).
Second, we need to recover a sense of the wholeness of the Reformed faith as a system of doctrine, manner of worship, and a way of life, and also as a position from which to evangelize the whole world and challenge “every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God” (2 Cor. 10:5). We need to practice the Lordship of Christ as preachers and teachers, as believers and followers of Christ, and as citizens of the kingdom of God.
Third, we need to refire and refuel the passion for evangelism, church planting, and missions that burned so brightly in the churches of the Reformation and afterwards in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. Investment of energy and resources in other lines of Christian work or activity can be a distraction from these central and urgent tasks. The huge investment of millions of dollars by churches and individual donors in recent political campaigns is astonishing, if one knows how difficult it can be to raise funds to plant new churches or send missionaries abroad. Are political or social issues more important than the preaching of the gospel and the growth of the church?
Fourth, we must strive to overcome the negativism associated with conservative Christianity in our country today. It may not be possible in this world for us to rise above being “a sect that everywhere is spoken against” (Acts 28:22), but we can see to it that those who visit our churches are surprised by the fervent preaching of the beauty and riches of Christ, the free offer of grace, the sureness of God’s promises, and the practicality of truth and godliness. “Let the beauty of the LORD be upon us” (Ps. 90:17). We may find, by the Spirit’s blessing, more people in the world beating a path to our doors.
3. How can Reformed seminaries best equip their ministerial students to address these challenges today?
Reformed seminaries have always done their best work when they have given their students a good grounding in Bible knowledge, historic Christian doctrine and experience, and the basic skills of good exegetes and preachers. It is more important to furnish our students with the knowledge and skills to find their own answers to contemporary problems or questions in Scripture and Reformed theology than to give them canned answers to repeat mindlessly and endlessly.
That said, we need to have teachers who are not only well grounded in Reformed faith, order, and living, but who are also mentoring biblical piety and alive to both the universal needs of human life and the particular needs of our time and place. The Bible places little value on mere knowledge without understanding. Church history and Christian biography stand alongside experimental and practical theology as rich resources for such understanding and wisdom. In fact, every part of the seminary curriculum should be taught with an eye to the abiding or current relevance and practicality of the subject in hand.
In sum, our seminaries need to give thorough instruction, maintain high standards, and foster a concern for practical usefulness. Part of the task is to make students aware that they must prepare themselves not simply to pass exams but to meet the challenges, foreseeable and unforeseen, of the many years of ministry ahead of them.
4. What are the similarities and differences, as you see them, between Greenville Presbyterian Theological Seminary and Puritan Reformed Theological Seminary?
I view no seminary in North America as similar to our school as Greenville Presbyterian Theological Seminary. We are so grateful for the cooperation between our schools. I count it an honor and privilege to teach periodically at Greenville and have recommended it to many potential students over the years. I am also grateful for how Greenville assisted us in the early years by providing degrees for students who completed our courses.
Both schools are unswerving in their allegiance to Scripture and the Reformed confessions. Both schools cherish the heritage of Calvin and the Reformers, the Puritans of England, and the fathers of Scottish Presbyterianism.
Both schools emphasize the centrality of preaching, and preaching with application. Both schools are committed to high standards of academic excellence and ministerial preparedness. Faculty members of both institutions know, love, and appreciate each other. I have a long established friendship with Dr. Pipa, in particular. He and other faculty members from Greenville are loved and valued in many of the churches that support our seminary.
These two schools differ, certainly, with regard to the confessional and cultural milieu in which they have flourished. Puritan Reformed Seminary is the product of a Dutch Reformed and Puritan-minded community in North America determined to preserve its theological and spiritual heritage brought to these shores from the Netherlands and through the reading of considerable Puritan literature. Greenville Seminary is located in the heart of the historic and distinctive Presbyterianism of the American South, with roots running back before the American Revolution.
It would be foolish to discount these factors of spiritual and cultural heritage in the life and work of these schools. It remains to be seen in the long run if the distinctive heritage of each school serves as a strength or a weakness. It will prove to be a weakness if it serves only to feed a narrow and inward-looking sectarianism that unchurches all Christians who may stand outside or apart from it. It will be a strength if it affords us a stable and well-identified position from which to reach out and contribute something valuable to the wider Christian community, and to meet the spiritual challenges of the day.
I am happy that it appears thus far that both schools are reaching out. Our vision at PRTS is to take Reformed, Puritan, experiential truth around the globe to penetrate as many denominations as possible. Presently we serve close to 100 students who hail from about 15 countries and from nearly 30 denominations. Greenville’s paradigm and statistics would be nearly identical to this, I should think.
5. What advice would you give to young men who discern a call to the ministry?
First, seriously examine your call. Elsewhere I have written that a ministerial calling is a holy calling that involves a holy life, a holy desire for the work of the ministry, a holy compulsion to proclaim the gospel, a holy fitness for the work, holy struggles with the weightiness of the work, holy confirmation by the approbation of believers and providential events, and a holy love and burden for the spiritual welfare of people.
Second, do not be hasty. An inward call from God will only grow stronger as time passes, and as more time passes, the greater the clarity of the call becomes. Wait on the Lord continually, by prayer and the searching of the Scriptures. Seek wise counsel in making plans, choosing a ministry path, or deciding where to train. If you are married, your partner should affirm and share your sense of call, something only the Holy Spirit can impart, in His own good time.
Third, remember that Christian service is not merely a profession or career. What you are as both a Christian and a human being is even more important than where you train or what degrees you obtain. By the Spirit’s grace, seek to learn and grow in being a true follower of Jesus Christ. Search the Scriptures. Learn koine Greek or, if that is not possible, classical Greek. Take courses that can assist you for seminary studies (Western history, philosophy, logic, speech, Latin, etc.). Fellowship with the wisest and maturest of believers. Read the best books—the great classics of the past. Learn how to think, meditate, and write well. Volunteer for ministry opportunities, such as speaking at youth conferences, teaching Sunday School, or ministering to the homeless. Be an active member of the local church, making diligent use of the means of grace. Grow and ripen as a human being. Profit from every life experience, good or bad, as a way to grow in grace.
Fourth, be practical. Learn to be organized and to manage your time well. Get into the workplace and master the skill of earning a living. Learn to manage your personal finances, to live within your means and avoid debt. Learn how to listen and how to work hard and well. Submit to the discipline of accepting any assigned task, no matter how unpleasant or demanding it may be. Learn how to learn—that is, where to find the knowledge, and how to master the skills needed to get the job done.
Finally, develop your people skills along the way. Study human nature and behavior. Visit the sick. Acquire the common graces of good grooming, good manners, and Christian courtesy. Cultivate a healthy lifestyle with regard to diet, sleep, and exercise. The ministry involves diligent work, hardships of many kinds, heavy demands on skill and resources, and constant encounters with human and personal complicating factors. Give your all to the Lord and His cause, and pray continually for wisdom.
6. What books have you recently written for lay Christians?
A few months ago, Ligonier’s Reformation Trust published Living for the Glory of God: An Introduction to Calvinism, which seeks to show the biblicalness, doctrinal soundness, experiential warmth, and practical applications of Calvinism in twenty-eight different aspects. I’ve drawn on friends like Sinclair Ferguson, Derek Thomas, and Michael Haykin to assist me in producing this popular book on comprehensive Calvinism.
Last month, Day One and Reformation Heritage Books co-published 365 Days with Calvin, in which I edited Calvin for contemporary readability and added a closing section of applications to each day’s selection.
I have also recently written enlarged editions of Family Worship and The Family at Church: Listening to Sermons and Attending Prayer Meetings.
I fear that in the larger Reformed and Presbyterian churches of North America, what some would call the mainline churches that come from a Reformed background, the “unchurching” of these bodies by modernism and liberalism begun in the twentieth century is continuing today. Pastors who do not believe what is taught in Scripture and who have not experienced its truths personally and savingly cannot preach the Word faithfully. In the absence of faithful preaching, the sacraments have no definite content or purpose, and church discipline seems to be used only against those who rebuke the leaders of these bodies and call them to repentance. However, even in these larger, older bodies some individuals and local churches still hold fast to the essentials of the faith, fighting against the running tide of unbelief.
The situation is much better in some of the smaller, older bodies such as the Associate Reformed, Reformed Presbyterian, and Free Reformed Churches, and newer ones such as the Orthodox Presbyterian Church, the Presbyterian Church in America, the United Reformed Churches, the Presbyterian Reformed Churches, the Heritage Reformed Congregations, and some Reformed Baptist groups. Despite debates over such things as paedocommunion and Federal Vision theology in some of these denominations, many churches continue to affirm the basic doctrines of the Reformed faith. They are growing in size as new congregations are planted and older ones are revitalized. It appears that in a number of these churches God is blessing book ministries and conferences to foster more Reformed and Puritan-minded, experiential theology. Some very encouraging things are happening. As I travel around North America doing conferences and preaching in a variety of Reformed, Presbyterian, and Reformed Baptist churches, I often think that the godly are becoming more godly and the ungodly are becoming more ungodly. Conferences are growing in numbers and in quality. God’s people are showing hunger for experiential truth, so that they might know Christ better and be more conformed to Him in daily living.
To determine the relative purity of these smaller bodies as a whole would require careful research and detailed assessment of each one, and we don’t have the space to do that here. I am aware that there are some disturbing trends with regard to the centrality of preaching, the importance of doctrinal knowledge and confessional fidelity, and the conduct of public worship in some congregations of even several of these smaller denominations. Reformed worship developed as a vehicle to serve the Reformed faith, and it is hard to see how doctrinal orthodoxy can long endure where there is ignorance, indifference, or antagonism regarding the historic principles and usages of Reformed worship.
Church discipline continues to be highly problematic under the present circumstances in North America. Its purposes are not understood, and its methods are not well known or widely respected; unhappy members easily flee church discipline and find refuge in churches of other denominations. Some of the most conservative Reformed Christians seem to have forgotten that schism is a grievous sin, and the number of Reformed microdenominations continues to grow.
2. What do you see as some of the more important challenges for the church to address in our world today?
The single most important challenge is to continue preaching the authentic, Reformed, experiential gospel of Jesus Christ, and turn a deaf ear to voices that proclaim that some seismic shift in modern culture demands a new or different gospel. We must dare to believe that in spite of 2,000 years of such shifts and changes the gospel of Christ has ever been “the power of God unto salvation” (Rom. 1:16).
Second, we need to recover a sense of the wholeness of the Reformed faith as a system of doctrine, manner of worship, and a way of life, and also as a position from which to evangelize the whole world and challenge “every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God” (2 Cor. 10:5). We need to practice the Lordship of Christ as preachers and teachers, as believers and followers of Christ, and as citizens of the kingdom of God.
Third, we need to refire and refuel the passion for evangelism, church planting, and missions that burned so brightly in the churches of the Reformation and afterwards in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. Investment of energy and resources in other lines of Christian work or activity can be a distraction from these central and urgent tasks. The huge investment of millions of dollars by churches and individual donors in recent political campaigns is astonishing, if one knows how difficult it can be to raise funds to plant new churches or send missionaries abroad. Are political or social issues more important than the preaching of the gospel and the growth of the church?
Fourth, we must strive to overcome the negativism associated with conservative Christianity in our country today. It may not be possible in this world for us to rise above being “a sect that everywhere is spoken against” (Acts 28:22), but we can see to it that those who visit our churches are surprised by the fervent preaching of the beauty and riches of Christ, the free offer of grace, the sureness of God’s promises, and the practicality of truth and godliness. “Let the beauty of the LORD be upon us” (Ps. 90:17). We may find, by the Spirit’s blessing, more people in the world beating a path to our doors.
3. How can Reformed seminaries best equip their ministerial students to address these challenges today?
Reformed seminaries have always done their best work when they have given their students a good grounding in Bible knowledge, historic Christian doctrine and experience, and the basic skills of good exegetes and preachers. It is more important to furnish our students with the knowledge and skills to find their own answers to contemporary problems or questions in Scripture and Reformed theology than to give them canned answers to repeat mindlessly and endlessly.
That said, we need to have teachers who are not only well grounded in Reformed faith, order, and living, but who are also mentoring biblical piety and alive to both the universal needs of human life and the particular needs of our time and place. The Bible places little value on mere knowledge without understanding. Church history and Christian biography stand alongside experimental and practical theology as rich resources for such understanding and wisdom. In fact, every part of the seminary curriculum should be taught with an eye to the abiding or current relevance and practicality of the subject in hand.
In sum, our seminaries need to give thorough instruction, maintain high standards, and foster a concern for practical usefulness. Part of the task is to make students aware that they must prepare themselves not simply to pass exams but to meet the challenges, foreseeable and unforeseen, of the many years of ministry ahead of them.
4. What are the similarities and differences, as you see them, between Greenville Presbyterian Theological Seminary and Puritan Reformed Theological Seminary?
I view no seminary in North America as similar to our school as Greenville Presbyterian Theological Seminary. We are so grateful for the cooperation between our schools. I count it an honor and privilege to teach periodically at Greenville and have recommended it to many potential students over the years. I am also grateful for how Greenville assisted us in the early years by providing degrees for students who completed our courses.
Both schools are unswerving in their allegiance to Scripture and the Reformed confessions. Both schools cherish the heritage of Calvin and the Reformers, the Puritans of England, and the fathers of Scottish Presbyterianism.
Both schools emphasize the centrality of preaching, and preaching with application. Both schools are committed to high standards of academic excellence and ministerial preparedness. Faculty members of both institutions know, love, and appreciate each other. I have a long established friendship with Dr. Pipa, in particular. He and other faculty members from Greenville are loved and valued in many of the churches that support our seminary.
These two schools differ, certainly, with regard to the confessional and cultural milieu in which they have flourished. Puritan Reformed Seminary is the product of a Dutch Reformed and Puritan-minded community in North America determined to preserve its theological and spiritual heritage brought to these shores from the Netherlands and through the reading of considerable Puritan literature. Greenville Seminary is located in the heart of the historic and distinctive Presbyterianism of the American South, with roots running back before the American Revolution.
It would be foolish to discount these factors of spiritual and cultural heritage in the life and work of these schools. It remains to be seen in the long run if the distinctive heritage of each school serves as a strength or a weakness. It will prove to be a weakness if it serves only to feed a narrow and inward-looking sectarianism that unchurches all Christians who may stand outside or apart from it. It will be a strength if it affords us a stable and well-identified position from which to reach out and contribute something valuable to the wider Christian community, and to meet the spiritual challenges of the day.
I am happy that it appears thus far that both schools are reaching out. Our vision at PRTS is to take Reformed, Puritan, experiential truth around the globe to penetrate as many denominations as possible. Presently we serve close to 100 students who hail from about 15 countries and from nearly 30 denominations. Greenville’s paradigm and statistics would be nearly identical to this, I should think.
5. What advice would you give to young men who discern a call to the ministry?
First, seriously examine your call. Elsewhere I have written that a ministerial calling is a holy calling that involves a holy life, a holy desire for the work of the ministry, a holy compulsion to proclaim the gospel, a holy fitness for the work, holy struggles with the weightiness of the work, holy confirmation by the approbation of believers and providential events, and a holy love and burden for the spiritual welfare of people.
Second, do not be hasty. An inward call from God will only grow stronger as time passes, and as more time passes, the greater the clarity of the call becomes. Wait on the Lord continually, by prayer and the searching of the Scriptures. Seek wise counsel in making plans, choosing a ministry path, or deciding where to train. If you are married, your partner should affirm and share your sense of call, something only the Holy Spirit can impart, in His own good time.
Third, remember that Christian service is not merely a profession or career. What you are as both a Christian and a human being is even more important than where you train or what degrees you obtain. By the Spirit’s grace, seek to learn and grow in being a true follower of Jesus Christ. Search the Scriptures. Learn koine Greek or, if that is not possible, classical Greek. Take courses that can assist you for seminary studies (Western history, philosophy, logic, speech, Latin, etc.). Fellowship with the wisest and maturest of believers. Read the best books—the great classics of the past. Learn how to think, meditate, and write well. Volunteer for ministry opportunities, such as speaking at youth conferences, teaching Sunday School, or ministering to the homeless. Be an active member of the local church, making diligent use of the means of grace. Grow and ripen as a human being. Profit from every life experience, good or bad, as a way to grow in grace.
Fourth, be practical. Learn to be organized and to manage your time well. Get into the workplace and master the skill of earning a living. Learn to manage your personal finances, to live within your means and avoid debt. Learn how to listen and how to work hard and well. Submit to the discipline of accepting any assigned task, no matter how unpleasant or demanding it may be. Learn how to learn—that is, where to find the knowledge, and how to master the skills needed to get the job done.
Finally, develop your people skills along the way. Study human nature and behavior. Visit the sick. Acquire the common graces of good grooming, good manners, and Christian courtesy. Cultivate a healthy lifestyle with regard to diet, sleep, and exercise. The ministry involves diligent work, hardships of many kinds, heavy demands on skill and resources, and constant encounters with human and personal complicating factors. Give your all to the Lord and His cause, and pray continually for wisdom.
6. What books have you recently written for lay Christians?
A few months ago, Ligonier’s Reformation Trust published Living for the Glory of God: An Introduction to Calvinism, which seeks to show the biblicalness, doctrinal soundness, experiential warmth, and practical applications of Calvinism in twenty-eight different aspects. I’ve drawn on friends like Sinclair Ferguson, Derek Thomas, and Michael Haykin to assist me in producing this popular book on comprehensive Calvinism.
Last month, Day One and Reformation Heritage Books co-published 365 Days with Calvin, in which I edited Calvin for contemporary readability and added a closing section of applications to each day’s selection.
I have also recently written enlarged editions of Family Worship and The Family at Church: Listening to Sermons and Attending Prayer Meetings.
Thursday, February 19, 2009
Stanford Financial Group
Obama, Ney and DeLay Also Among Stanford's Investments
Published by Lindsay Renick Mayer on February 18, 2009 7:03 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
As the story behind the embattled investment company Stanford Financial Group develops, we thought we'd take an even closer look at the seeds the company may have tried to plant in Washington via campaign contributions. When looking at ALL lawmakers to collect money from the company's PAC and employees (not just members of the current Congress), some additional, important names appear at the top of the recipient list.
President Obama ranks third among individual lawmakers, having collected $31,750 from the company's employees during his 2008 presidential bid, including $4,600 from Allen Stanford, the firm's leader. Former Rep. Bob Ney (R-Ohio), who served prison time for his role in the Jack Abramoff lobbying scandal, received $28,200 (this includes contributions to Ney's candidate committee and leadership PAC). Former House Majority Leader Tom DeLay (R-Texas), who reportedly flew on Stanford's jet, collected $20,100 from the company between the 2000 and 2006 election cycles.
As we reported yesterday, between its PAC and its employees, Stanford Financial Group has given $2.4 million to federal candidates, parties and committees since 2000, with 65 percent of that going to Democrats. Stanford and his wife, Susan, have given $931,100 out of their own pockets, with 78 percent going to Democrats.
The following party committees and members of Congress, past and present, have received contributions from the PAC and/or employees of Stanford Financial Group since 2000 (including contributions to both candidate committees and leadership PACs):
Published by Lindsay Renick Mayer on February 18, 2009 7:03 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
As the story behind the embattled investment company Stanford Financial Group develops, we thought we'd take an even closer look at the seeds the company may have tried to plant in Washington via campaign contributions. When looking at ALL lawmakers to collect money from the company's PAC and employees (not just members of the current Congress), some additional, important names appear at the top of the recipient list.
President Obama ranks third among individual lawmakers, having collected $31,750 from the company's employees during his 2008 presidential bid, including $4,600 from Allen Stanford, the firm's leader. Former Rep. Bob Ney (R-Ohio), who served prison time for his role in the Jack Abramoff lobbying scandal, received $28,200 (this includes contributions to Ney's candidate committee and leadership PAC). Former House Majority Leader Tom DeLay (R-Texas), who reportedly flew on Stanford's jet, collected $20,100 from the company between the 2000 and 2006 election cycles.
As we reported yesterday, between its PAC and its employees, Stanford Financial Group has given $2.4 million to federal candidates, parties and committees since 2000, with 65 percent of that going to Democrats. Stanford and his wife, Susan, have given $931,100 out of their own pockets, with 78 percent going to Democrats.
The following party committees and members of Congress, past and present, have received contributions from the PAC and/or employees of Stanford Financial Group since 2000 (including contributions to both candidate committees and leadership PACs):
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
Eveloution-Darwinism
Darwinism: The theory of evolution is exactly that i.e. a theory. Evolution is without a doubt a fraud. Darwin who's birthday is this month is being celebrated by some. This birthday celebration is a last ditch effort to generate some interest in Darwin and his ideas.
Think about it, the theory of evolution has been preached, taught and insisted upon and has became exclusive as the truth-theory in the public school system for eight maybe ten decades. Also for 150 years evolution has been claimed to be the truth. Well I have news, news you already know but may be unaware of. Yes, after having the whole stage for a century, still only 30% of people believe the theory of evolution is actually true. The evolutionary theory has proved to be an absolute failure. Chalk it up folks, the public school system is perpetuating a lie pure and simple.
Why would anyone want to perpetuate a lie? Give me some answers in our comments.
Think about it, the theory of evolution has been preached, taught and insisted upon and has became exclusive as the truth-theory in the public school system for eight maybe ten decades. Also for 150 years evolution has been claimed to be the truth. Well I have news, news you already know but may be unaware of. Yes, after having the whole stage for a century, still only 30% of people believe the theory of evolution is actually true. The evolutionary theory has proved to be an absolute failure. Chalk it up folks, the public school system is perpetuating a lie pure and simple.
Why would anyone want to perpetuate a lie? Give me some answers in our comments.
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