R.I.P. Late 1990s Era Hitachi 32-Inch Television

Last week the old gal gave one last throaty POP! as she bid farewell to us forever. We had seen this coming for several years, actually, but as long as she kept mostly working we were content.

"You're going to trade me in for one of those new-fangled 1080p jobs, aren't you?" she would plaintively wail from time to time.

"No, no, no," we said. We tried to reassure her that a replacement was not in the budget. Besides, the DVDs looked great and we had FIOS; her picture never looked better, although the PIP was useless with the Verizon system.

Then one day the remote ceased to function at all. But that was okay because we had picked up a Universal remote that worked great with her, and we continued that way for several years.

And so it was that she struggled to keep going, determined to hold onto her staked claim in our family life, stubbornly refusing to shuffle off her mortal coils. She wouldn't turn on again for about ten minutes after being shut down, so we began leaving her on in an input mode, or unplugging her overnight.

Every time she would always return to us, at least by the next morning.

Finally one day the strain proved to be too much for her. In the end, she had weakened. And after many attempts at encouraging her to turn on, she finally gave up the ghosts. My wife came to me with the news; it was a sad day, indeed, in the Roof household.

Later that night, alone in the backyard, I buried her next to my shop.

Now I could never be sure, but I thought that I heard the sound of "Taps" being played.

Gently.

Poets of the Fall - "Roses"

I walked the distance, I paid my dues
And I tried to have a go at what I thought I knew was real
Held no appeal

I've been to places, I've seen the tidings
I bought a book of rules for every coin that I could steal

And so I came to gaze upon the stars, when they were yet unborn
And consequently, tear at my old scars, and the mask I had outworn

So when I'm crying alone
Yeah, when I'm cold as a dying stone
Grow me a garden of roses
Paint me the colors of sky and rain
Teach me to speak with their voices
Show me the way and I'll try again

I've heard the rumors, started fires,
I sowed a sordid lot of plays for keeps for what I need
Behold the demons that I freed

I've tried my best at wearing the hard hat
But healing doesn't seem to happen when you hide away the seed

And so I came across the medicine man, and he showed me what I'd forlorn
For if I'm stayed it happens by my own hand, and my own voice full of scorn

So when I'm crying alone
Yeah, when I'm cold as a dying stone
Grow me a garden of roses
Paint me the colors of sky and rain
Teach me to speak with their voices
Show me the way and I'll try again

Without you I'm nothing at all
And life has the face of a morbid game
With you nothing seems impossible
It all seems to fit the frame

So when I'm crying alone
Yeah, when I'm cold as a dying stone
Grow me a garden of roses
Paint me the colors of sky and rain
Teach me to speak with their voices
Show me the way and I'll try again

A Catchy Tune for Christmas Time by Coldplay

A whole lot better than most Christmas songs by rock bands, in my opinion, and another fun video from Coldplay.

A Few Thoughts on Election and Predestination

Doylestown Presbyterian Church Cemetery

Today I had a brief discussion with a fellow Facebooker on the question of election and predestination. The following is a statement made by him and my response, neither of which represents anywhere near a full discussion on this tremendous topic, of course.

My interlocutor characterized Calvinistic and Reformed teaching this way:

"Go Ye Forth and Tell All Nations That Nearly All Men are Damned and that It Is Useless for Them To COME UNTO ME Unless They KNOW FOR SURE That I Have Elected Them Unto Salvation and Final Perseverance" (emphasis in original).

This is the statement that I called a caricature of what I (Reformed people) believe, and therefore rubbish. I stand by my statement, though I probably should have been more specific, so here it is.

1) Statement: "Go Ye Forth and Tell All Nations That Nearly All Men are Damned …"
Answer: The Bible does not teach, nor do Reformed teach, that "nearly all men are damned." They teach that ALL men are condemned to eternal hell on the basis of original sin that resulted from the fall of Adam and Eve. Although God has His elect, no one is actually "saved" until he is regenerated and drawn to Christ. We are, all of us, under the same condemnation until that point ("There is none righteous, no not one" Romans 3:10). Although God has chosen and secured His elect, He has arranged it so that regeneration must take place at a specific point in time, and that to be received through faith.

2) Statement: "… It Is Useless for Them To COME UNTO ME…"
Answer: Neither the Bible nor Reformed teach that coming to Christ is "useless" in any way or at any time, but rather that only those who are being drawn by the Spirit and are being renewed in the Spirit will come to Christ for salvation ("No one seeks for God" Romans 3:11).

3) Statement: "…That I Have Elected Them Unto Salvation."
Answer: Neither the Bible nor Reformed teach that a person coming to Christ must have some kind of foreknowledge of his final spiritual state before the judgement seat of Christ after coming to Christ for salvation. What the pilgrim is assured of is that his heart of stone is replaced with a heart of flesh. Typically the new convert, having been renewed in his Spirit (regenerated) and drawn to Christ by Him, and having entrusted his life and eternal condition to the Saviour through faith in Him and in God's Word, has assurance of his salvation based upon the trustworthiness of the character of God, Who has revealed Himself in the Scriptures.

4) Statement: "… and Final Perseverance."
Answer: Christ's command to go forth and make disciples of all nations carries with it no caveats of any kind as it relates to the Christian's judgement about an individual's state of grace. The Calvinist (not the "Hyper-Calvinist") does not pre-screen people, second-guess Christ, nor make judgements about the worthiness of individuals to hear the gospel or of their final state of grace. If a person is of the elect of God, then he will persevere, that is, all the saints of Christ will be preserved by His saving power throughout eternity. They cannot "fall away" utterly since the Father has His own in the palm of His hand, and no one is able to snatch them out of it (John 10:29).

I Spy with My Little Eye...A Pretty Pony!

October 8, 2012

This car belongs to a customer of mine. Oh my, but it's beautiful! And it's my favourite colour too!

Coldplay Live from Japan (2009) "Lovers in Japan"

Hatboro-Horsham Marching Unit 09.29.2012

My son's marching band unit performed in competition last night in Boyertown, PA. They placed First in Division, First overall with a score of 81, Best Overall Music and Best Color Guard. Matthew is in the percussion section. Thanks to Mark Marshall for posting the video on YouTube.

Once Again...Autumn Leaves

Some Food for Thought on the Latest Hilarious Exploits of Those who Claim The Religion of Peace™ and Tolerance® as Their Guide Through the Murky Trials of Life on Earth

Photo Courtesy of CNN.com

Forgive me, please, but I'm infuriated by what we allow to happen to our people all around the world. I have asked this question before on Facebook and have yet to receive any cogent reply. Why it is that Muslims just cannot control themselves? They have no self-control whatsoever. None. They do not exercise restraint. They have no inhibitions when it comes to murdering people, even their own children. And because they cannot think expansively beyond their religion of perpetual outrage, and imagine a society where the government does not control everything that happens within that society, they imagine that the U.S. government is responsible for that ill-conceived, cesspool-laced puking "film" that was uploaded to YouTube. These froward, fen-sucked hedge-pigs have a penchant for fire, and so will be their natural destination unless God should, by His mercy, grant them repentance.

One more thing. This Administration's foreign policy has been a total disaster and an utter and complete failure. It consists of abject fools who bow to dictators, coddle traitors and appease terrorists and others who hate freedom and want to extinguish us and our way of life. And so we're gifted the disingenuous rubbish that the Muslim attacks on our embassies and consulates weren't against the American people or its government. It's not personal, only business.

Bull----, I (almost) say. Tell that to the families of the 9/11/2012 slain. I'm betting it's mighty personal to them. It certainly was to those who lost loved ones on 9/11/2001.

And to the Obama Administration I say, as long as you have your head up there, you might as well check for polyps. What do you have to lose?

We Remember 9/11...

...because nothing says America like a farm and the flag.

Photos of the Upper Dublin School District Administration Buildings on Fort Washington Avenue in Maple Glen, PA. The site was once a working farm. Even the names can't get any more American than that!