The Porter's Lodge

Around the Bend--Another Kind of Twin Towers

2012-01-03T22:01:00.001-05:00

So I'm on my way to a new customer's house this morning. I can anticipate what I will see on the way as I get very close to my destination. I know the two landmarks will be there. But when I go over the top of the hill and come around the bend, I'm surprised to see them anyway.

It's too bad my little 2 megapixel camera-phone can't do justice to the sight of the twin towers of the Limerick Nuclear Power Plant as I go over the top of the hill and around the bend.

But boy, I'll tell you, was it cold here today! And it's also too bad I couldn't really capture the icicles hanging off the branches next to the waterfall on the Sanatoga Creek, right at the bridge. If you look closely to your left of the main waterfall, you can see some icicles on the branches. It was beautiful. Click on the pics to enlarge.

Best. Coldplay. A Capella Cover. EVER!

2011-12-26T21:34:00.000-05:00

Well, it's certainly the most unusual cover I've seen and heard. And maybe just a little bit creepy? But I think you'll agree that Mike Tompkins is a very clever and accomplished voice actor/musician.

Check it out and let me know what you think. And yes, I know he claps his hands during one part which means he went beyond using only his voice and mouth. Let's cut him a little slack, shall we? The overall effort, in my view, is astonishing.

Make sure you check out Mike's website and his YouTube videos.

Merry Christmas 2011 from Our House to Yours

2011-12-25T01:52:00.002-05:00

Another Winner from Coldplay

2011-12-20T23:17:00.006-05:00

What can I say? It's just a catchy tune and a delight to the ears and eyes! This music video is, in my mind, vying for top honours as "Best Coldplay Music Video Ever" against "Life in Technicolor ii" which I highlighted back in June of 2011.

Both videos display a tremendous amount of effort and are visually stunning. From a layman's perspective, this one seems to represent more "grunt" work with all the chalk drawing and stop-motion animation. There is some serious artistic work going on here, but I'm not very knowledgeable about such things. Nonetheless, the ever-changing perspective is most impressive to me.

What do you think?

Addendum: I just checked out WikiColdplay and discovered that this video is #1 with the fans, followed closely by "Life in Technicolor ii." Either I can pat myself on the back for recognising good popular music and art when I hear it and see it, or I'm just becoming a common Coldplay lemming. Either way, it's a heck of a ride!

The Tim Tebow Knee/Jerk Phenomenon

2011-12-16T14:29:00.011-05:00

I'm not much of a trendy guy. In fact, if I discover anything, it's usually several years out of fashion before I experience how interesting and entertaining that TV show/movie/music group really is. Er, was. Sometimes I discover things at around the time their popularity peaks. Sometimes after, but rarely before.

This does not mean that I'm unaware of what's happening around me. I'm aware, for example, if not necessarily a fan, that Tim Tebow is a quarterback for the Denver Broncos. I'm aware that the Broncos are having a very good season. And I'm also aware that a lot of people seem to really hate this guy Tebow.

I think of it as "The Tim Tebow Knee/Jerk Phenomenon." When Tim takes a knee, jerks react. They mock him. They make fun of his faith, of what he believes, to Whom he chooses to ascribe glory on one knee on a football field on any given game day. It seems to me that Tebow's public displays of affection are at the heart of the heavy criticism leveled at him.

Now as a Christian I am aware of the risk of public displays of affection for Christ. I'm a conservative Presbyterian, so PDAs hardly enter my mind, frankly. We Orthodox Presbyterians have been charged with "the worship of order" instead of being concerned for the order of worship. Ah well. So be it. "It's the doctrine, stupid!" But criticism of us for excessive displays of emotion in church? Eh, not so much.

I understand that it's perfectly possible to be obnoxious in the way we choose to ascribe glory to God; that is, if we bring a lot of attention to ourselves when we do it for the purpose of self-aggrandizement. This was one of Jesus' criticisms of the Pharisees. And perhaps this is a perception from others with which Tebow has yet to grapple. But it seems to me that the problem goes way beyond that.

It's a spiritual problem. God's people have been hated for millennia. I'm not sure that that hatred is on the rise in our day. But one thing is certain; mass communication such as radio, TV and the internet have made these bigoted feelings much more vocal and ubiquitous.

Recently, an article originally published at Jewish Week by Rabbi Joshua Hammerman (and subsequently removed because of reader backlash) highlighted perfectly from where these critics come. The entire original article can be found here. For those of you who don't wish to read the whole article, the pertinent part is as follows:

If Tebow wins the Super Bowl, against all odds, it will buoy his faithful, and emboldened faithful can do insane things, like burning mosques, bashing gays and indiscriminately banishing immigrants. While America has become more inclusive since Jerry Falwell’s first political forays, a Tebow triumph could set those efforts back considerably.

Hey, way to go there, Rabbi! Seems to me, though, you need to work on that whole uniter versus divider thing, dontcha know?

It's interesting how this "mistake" only becomes one in hindsight and in the aftermath of their readers' moral outrage. Are there no editors at Jewish Week, someone to reign in the nutjobs?

Oh yeah, I forgot.

The answer is, "Of course there are." But if the editors are nutjobs too, who reigns them in?

Well, it would seem that that is the purview of the readers. On the other hand, this writing style has the virtue of letting the writer say what he really believes and then to say something truly idiotic akin to "I didn't really mean it."

Right.

It would be as if I said "All Jews are terrorists and I can expect to find my church firebombed this Sunday because of them," but then added, "oh, I didn't really mean that."

Right.

If someone offends me but truly repents, then it is my duty as a Christian to forgive them. As it is, this offense is not against me personally, so I don't know what I would have to forgive. And I cannot know whether they are being sincere or not.

But I suspect that we are just seeing the tip of the bigotry iceberg that exists within the hearts and minds of at least some of the people at Jewish Week. I believe they printed exactly what they think of Christians and conservatives. They're just sorry they got called out over it.

As for Rabbi Hammerman, he has shown his whole "interfaith" schtick for what it is--evangelical Christians need not apply. And if it means denying essential truths, then we should not apply. Interfaith courtesy and respect, after all, are entirely different matters from compromising and denying the absolute claims of Christ.

Now couple Rabbi Hammerman's comments with comments made by Bill Press recently in which he just wants Tim Tebow to S.T.F.U. about Jesus Christ.

Nice.

But surprising? No. It's all part and parcel of what we've come to expect from our deeply caring, tolerant and articulate friends on the left. Their masterful use of the English language makes me swoon with astonishment and envy.

Jesus Himself warned his disciples:

18 "If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you. 19 If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you." (John 15:18,19)

John himself adds this in his epistle:

13 Do not be surprised, brothers, that the world hates you. (1 John 3:13)

Jesus equates hatred of the disciples with hatred of Himself. In fact, hatred of the followers of Christ is merely a spiritual by-product and a physical manifestation of one's hatred for God.

Would I ever tell you that you must like Tim Tebow? No. If you disagree with him do I think you're necessarily a God-hater? Or course not. It's possible to be a Christian and to question seriously whether a brother in Christ may be young and a bit overly rambunctious from time to time, though I'm not suggesting that is the case with Tebow.

By all accounts, Tim Tebow is a decent human being. We are all fallen, but Tebow has managed up to now, by the grace of God, to avoid many of the pitfalls that plague many of those in the NFL. He's not a drug addict. He hasn't done time for cruelty to animals. He hasn't been in court on weapons or robbery or assualt charges. He hasn't gotten an STD. Is the world so turned on its head that these virtues no longer matter, and in fact, are no longer virtues at all? Could we really be staring into the abyss of the death of decency in our society when we can no longer recognise it when it comes into our homes through our television sets on game day?

Above I said that I wasn't necessarily a fan of Tim Tebow. All right. I've convinced myself. The Eagles aren't doing anything this year. Why shouldn't I cheer on a brother in Christ who's done nothing but be a positive role model for the youth of this country, and one who has happened to have led his team to victory time and again this year? Yeah, why shouldn't I be a fan?

And honestly, ask yourself this: if I don't agree with someone's public displays of affection for His Lord, do I really need to say that Christians will burn mosques and bash gays and Tebow should S.T.F.U.? Doesn't this indicate that there is something desperately wrong with these people? Something that a Tim Tebow, perhaps, and to their utter horror and dismay, may be able to help them with?

The Delaware in December

2011-12-11T13:56:00.005-05:00

I was out and about doing my piano tuning work on Saturday the 10th when I grabbed the opportunity to take a few photos of the winter scenery. Below are photos of the Delaware River as taken from River Road (Route 32) in Yardley, PA looking over into Trenton, New Jersey. It's a beautiful ride any time of year, but even when it's cold and the leaves are gone, it's still a lovely sight to me.

(Below) I also took a few shots of a pond connected to the river from the parking lot of Saint Andrew's Episcopal Church in Yardley, PA. Lots of ducks and geese casually drifting around enjoying the sunshine.

Christmas 2011 in Sellersville, PA

2011-12-05T21:50:00.000-05:00

The Washington House Restaurant and the Sellersville Theater.

Sellersville Theater Winter Concerts

2011-12-03T17:10:00.002-05:00

I had the privilege of tuning for JD Souther at the Sellersville Theater today. And then between Monday December 5 and Wednesday December 7 I'll be tuning the piano for rehearsals and Wednesday night's performance by George Winston. This performance is a special Holiday-themed concert, which undoubtedly will consist largely of material from his December album, as well as other carols and tunes associated with Christmas and the winter season.

This will mark the fourth time I've had the pleasure of spending some time with George and helping out with his performance by making sure the piano is as good as it can be.

Thanksgiving 2011

2011-11-23T22:32:00.001-05:00

I have very much to be grateful to our Lord for this year. But for now, let's just say that I relish the blessed thought of embracing oblivion through my annual tryptophan coma.

Blessings to all at this Thanksgiving. May you find grace in the love of Jesus Christ for now and for many years to come.

--Pilgrimsarbour

A New Honour and an Old Mission

2011-11-05T12:52:00.001-04:00

Westminster Seminary has appointed the Rev. Dr. Carl R.Trueman to the Paul Woolley Chair of Church History. Carl will be stepping down as Dean of Faculty to take up his new post in June of 2012. For Carl this marks a return to primarily teaching and writing, that which is closest to his heart.

You can read about it here.

Congratulations to Carl and may God richly bless you in your new (and old) work.

Snow Update

2011-10-30T22:33:00.000-04:00

I posted the first pics of the snowstorm here. This day after pic shows one medium-sized branch down in the back yard. We made out very well. Some 42,000 homes were without power in this area for many hours. Our home was not affected. I suspect it may be due to the fact that our development is much younger and the power cables are underground, though we have lost power on other rainstorm occasions.

Snow! In the Same Sector! Incredible!

2011-10-29T13:28:00.003-04:00

Cold and wet Philly October 29, 2011 - about 1:15 p.m.

Neither a Bang nor a Whimper

2011-10-23T14:11:00.003-04:00

Earth as seen from space by Apollo 17

God's Word is His revelation to us. He tells us not when the end will come. Our Lord Christ did not intend for us to read His revealed Word as if it were some kind of numerology puzzle that we needed to decipher.

I call on Harold Camping and all those caught up in the cult of Harold Camping to repent of their apostasy from Christ's true Church and be received back into full fellowship with the brethren. I pray you will abandon the Family Radio cult, its bizarre teachings on modalism, annihilationism, and false prophecies, and once again embrace the The Lord Jesus Christ as He is revealed to us in His Word.

May God grant you repentance and forgiveness for all the damage you have done to Christ's Church and to the world who needs the truth of the one true gospel of Jesus Christ.

Meet the New Earth...Same as the Old Earth

2011-10-20T21:20:00.000-04:00

Well tomorrow, October 21, 2011, is the big day. Again. Hope you all have made your peace with God because this time it's for real. Honest! And now that Mr. Camping has declared that the end will actually come very, very quietly rather than, you know, with a loud trumpet blast and angels and the visible return of the Lord Jesus Christ in the clouds so that every eye will see Him and all, we can all relax because we really don't need to believe all that Bible stuff, ya know.

Yeah, that's for peons!

If Harold Camping has taught me anything over the past few years it's that we really don't need to pay any attention to that revealed Word of God thing.

Now may God richly bless you and I hope to see you in the New Jerusalem. Or if not, happy annihilation!

Pre-Election Harangue No. 1 -- Why do European Leftists Hate Americans?

2011-10-17T03:34:00.007-04:00

Misha Collins as Castiel in Supernatural

I'm about to rant and rave. If you have a few minutes, and if you care to read this, be forewarned! I'm only going to do this once. Well, at least like this. WARNING: European cuss words involved.

If you listen/watch/read the news from Europe and Canada as I do (especially BBC, CBC, and their online affiliates, as well as sites like Daily Mail, Daily Telegraph, etc.) enough you get to see patterns. Sometimes it comes out in the stories themselves, but the comboxes on these sites are a very good indicator of what people think of Americans. And believe me, if an American dares to comment there, even just asking a simple question for clarification (that is, if his comment gets published at all) he gets his head ripped off: (f--- you, bugger off, bastard, s.o.b., piss off, twit, git, etc.).

Leftists (which I continually distinguish from American "liberals") in Europe and Canada hate, I mean, absolutely HATE Americans. The root of that, from what I can tell (barring any individual personal dislikes for obnoxious persons) seems to be this obsession with us not being like them. There is a constant campaign from leftist Europeans (and leftist Canadians) to get us to drop our 235 year old experiment for a "more enlightened" approach to society. I think part of that is jealousy. Another part is an overwhelming and natural sense of entitlement based upon their upbringing. There is also, I believe, an attitude of moral superiority among Europeans over and against their American counterparts concerning the latter's unenlightened Christian worldview, especially since the Christian worldview is all but dead in Europe. In any case, there is no doubt some personal conviction that their system or way of doing things is better, whether it's expressed as "superior," or "more moral," or "more ethical" than America's outdated Judeo-Christian morality.

So if you get harangued enough, that's the kind of thing that prompts me to say,

"You know, we don't want to be you. We don't want to be like you. Give it a rest, why don't you, and leave us the hell alone! We see what's happened to your families. We see what's happened to your governments. We see sharia law as the law of the land in various European countries in, oh, twenty years or so because you're too damned politically correct to put your feet down to save your culture from hostile foreign invasion. There's no assimilation there, and when that happens, you can kiss your arse goodbye. And let's not forget your enlightened policies on limiting your own procreation. If ever there was a recipe for cultural death, it's that one."

"We see your cathedrals, how they are now mostly museums and relics. We see what's happening to your economies and how we're somehow, once again, on the hook to bail you out. You hate us, but you'll suck on the American teat at every turn. And your people have become like whiny baby Olivers with their hands out crying, 'Please Sir, I want some more.' Only it's more like 'Give me your damn money and then sod off, swampy.'"

Well, I'll say this. You may realize your vision of Americans being more like you soon anyway, given the sentiment that these anarchist occupier protesters have expressed lately.

And given this kind of sentiment, you can imagine why it chokes me to hear my foreign Christian friends identify themselves with the left under the rubric of Christ's "compassion." The truth is, their use of the word liberal is not at all the way we use it here. Still, I don't consider them leftists, even if they think that is where they need to identify themselves politically.

"Leftist" or "Liberal," to a conservative in this country, means they believe some of the following:

1) Abortion on demand, no matter what the circumstances, even partial birth abortion.
I cannot think of anything more offensive to God that the heartless slaughter of those whom He has created in His image.

2) Government, that is, the taxpayers, provide whatever money they've earned to carry those who refuse to work.
Fraud is rampant, and there is no way to adequately prevent it. As I've said before, conservatives are opposed to those who WON'T work, not to those who CAN'T work.

3) Equal financial outcomes for all citizens.
Rather than equal opportunities for growth and excellence as the founding fathers envisioned.

4) Corporations = BAD whereas Unions = GOOD.
Only corporations are lobbyists and "special interests;" unions are not. In spite of the fact that only 17% of the American workforce belongs to unions, no other non-union person has the right to refer to himself and his family as a "working family." Just ask the union thugs.

5) Conservatives are racists, bigots, homophobes, stupid, unkempt, uncool, idiotic, uncompassionate, uncaring rednecks.
Just read Facebook and Twitter for a bit. You'll get the idea. And don't forget all those loving, diverse and tolerant people in Hollywood. Merely to disagree with someone's lifestyle based upon biblical teaching earns you the right to these kind sentiments, which are merely tactics to shut down dialogue on these matters completely.

Winning!

6) Black conservatives are "Uncle Toms," "house n-----s," "inauthentic."
If a black man leaves the white liberal's plantation, he can expect to get this thrown at him. Just ask Herman Cain and Allen West. If they think there's a better way to do things than what liberal policies have produced in the past and currently, this is what they get. To most on the left, the Cains and the Wests of the world are merely puppets playing a role for their Republican masters. It sickens me. These are all common things that are regularly stated by both white and black liberals in Congress, not to mention the same old crap coming from that pit of Hell Hollywood.

This is only a partial list, and perhaps missing some other important leftist concepts, but I think you should get the point. Some of these things I've written about before, albeit specifically on American leftists. You can read about them here, here and here.

I'm not making this stuff up. It really happens. And it's very prominent, especially right now at this point in our history. Some of it has to do with the anonymity of the internet and how folks feel free to vent their very spleen without inhibitions or fear of repercussions. And some of it is merely the airing of decades-old attitudes that are for the first time available for easy access by the citizens of the world.

Now, another thing. Do I like Barack Obama? No. Is it because I hate black people? No, it's because of his policies which are meant to appease leftists who want to move this country toward socialism, or at least a democratic socialism, which most of us do not want. But should I have to explain this over and over again after I've been asked and I've answered? Isn't my word about what I think and believe worth anything? And yet we still hear, "the Tea Party is RACIST!" If you don't want to pay more taxes, you're "GREEDY!" We're constantly told that we want the sick to die and the old to fade away and fend for themselves. No real intellectual thought is ever given to the question of whether the current policies are doing right by these people. Is it ever right to keep people dependent upon the government for their sustenance when there may be other options? And what does this dependency do to the human spirit? Could it be that we are hurting these people more than helping them? And are these questions ever asked by the leftists who control most of our institutions?

Tell me truthfully, do you really think I'm racist merely because I'm very unhappy with President Obama's policies? I would gladly have voted for the man if at the time I'd thought:

A) He represents what I believe about the history of this country, where it's going and where we the people should take it, and

B) He is a person of great integrity, a uniter who will do his best to heal relations between the races and treat all Americans fairly as equals.

Instead what we got was "The cops acted stupidly. Republicans are trying to scare voters. They're going to cripple the U.S."

And what we got was crony capitalism and union-pandering with economy-crippling entitlement programs.

Uh, NOPE. And uh, NOPE NOPE NOPE NOPE.

I've hardly seen a more partisan person in the White House in my time. So Republicans get blamed for "obstructionism," even after two years of democratic majorities in both houses. But I say, why let people who hate your guts get what they want when what they want is a "fundamental transformation of this country?" It goes against every fiber of a sensible man's being to lay down and take this onslaught against decency. Whatever could be perceived as an "obstruction" I would call standing on principle. To our great shame over the years we've let the left throw out the baby. Now they want to throw out the bathwater too.

I'm a preservative. I want to preserve what is good and right about this country, and repair or improve what is wrong. If it can't be repaired, then yes, let's make some stronger changes. I'm not opposed to change on principle. I'm only opposed to radical, unnecessary and dangerous change.

Finally, I'm not going to feel guilty about anything. And I'm not going to pander to those people who have no desire to discuss different approaches to government and social policy, but feel a need to express their hatred of those who don't think exactly as they do. But I am going to continue to call out idiocy when I see it, and I do not discriminate. I've got plenty of bones to pick with sites such as the Daily Kos and The Huffington Post. But let's not kid ourselves. I'm not too fond of websites like The Blaze and Fox Nation either, since they continuously try to snag readers with phony headlines that mislead what the real story is about. We make no moral progress with hypocrisy such as this on display.

So listen, if you will, to what this old mid-geezer Christian has to say about these matters. And never think that I'm not an equal opportunity hater of all things that try to dance around the eighth commandment.

Our Lady of Guadalupe Catholic Church

2011-10-15T22:43:00.006-04:00

One of the recent churches I tuned for, and a brand new one at that, was striking for its beautiful Spanish flair. Our Lady of Guadalupe Catholic Church in Doylestown, PA, at the time these pictures were taken, was still awaiting the laying of its cornerstone. You can see the stone to the left of the entrance, sitting on a platform.

The piano tuning was for the occasion of the new church building's dedication. You can see the Yamaha C3 (above photo) up toward the front and to the right with the lid propped up.

I very much enjoy taking pictures of the various churches I come across in my travels. I typically will take about ten photos. As it is, I took more pictures of this church (35) than of any other to date.

Someone is Watchin' You (He's Gonna Get Chu)

2011-09-30T15:19:00.013-04:00

Earlier I wrote about my emergency cardiac catheterization which took place in early September. Well, two weeks to the day after I had my surgery, I was sitting at a red light on a dry, sunny day when someone decided to take it upon himself to improve the looks of ol' Bessie here. This was accomplished through the kind and gentle ramming of my car's arse whilst I sat quietly musing about the vagaries of life, or politics, or faith, or all of the above.

Now you might be tempted to think that I behaved well when this happened. You might also be tempted to think that I was rational, clear-thinking and focused; that I was kind and gentle in my response to the driver who hit me. You're free to do that, and thank you ever so much for being such a concerned and caring (if delusional) individual.

Oh, the truck that hit me and the car he pushed me into? Both had very little or no damage. Me? I'm totaled. My neck and back hurt for a couple of days. We'll see how that goes. At any rate, I can't keep my tools in the trunk anymore, especially since it just can't seem to stop raining around here. The car runs, but it ain't exactly legal, and that can't be remedied easily.

Now I've been wondering, what horrific thing is waiting for me next?

Autumn Leaves

2011-09-13T21:56:00.001-04:00

Ahhh...

The Mercying God

2011-09-11T22:30:00.002-04:00

Wednesday, September 7, 2011, 4:30 p.m. - Nope, no signs of foreboding here...

Thursday, September 8, 2011, 12:30 a.m. - In the ER

I had some trouble this week. Wednesday evening I had chest pains that radiated into my left arm accompanied by shortness of breath, so I asked my son to drive me to the hospital. Anyone who knows me knows I would have to feel mighty bad to voluntarily go to a hospital.

I thank God, my family, and my church family for their prayers and support while I underwent angioplasty and the insertion of a stent to free the blood flow in a blocked vein. The cardiologist tells me that I had a kind of pre-heart attack. Thank God He overrode my stubbornness and made me seek medical help.

As I said in my Facebook post, it seems that the Lord wants me to hang around for a while longer. Who am I to argue with the Lord?

Can We Cease to be Human? Part 2

2011-09-11T22:02:00.002-04:00

Read this New York Times blog article by faux writer and self-loathing tool Paul Krugman and try to guess what my reply to the above question would be.

Special Prayer and Financial Request

2011-09-10T14:19:00.001-04:00

One of the bloggers at Triablogue, John Bugay, has asked for prayer and financial assistance for him and his wife Bethany. Bethany has been diagnosed with chronic myelomonocytic leukemia and needs a bone marrow transplant. As you can imagine, the financial costs are staggering and the insurance will only cover so much of it.

You can read about it here.

Much more detailed information is offered in John's running journal. If you wish to know more and would be interested in donating, click on this link.

Beth Bugay

Great Main Title Sequences - No. 2: Gods and Generals

2011-08-30T14:08:00.002-04:00

Gods and Generals Music by Randy Edelman and John Frizzel: "Going Home" sung by Mary Fahl

Oh! What a magnificent Main Title Sequence!

This sequel to Gettysburg, or more properly speaking prequel had lofty aspirations but fell short for many viewers owing to its excessive speechifying by the various main characters. The filmmakers unwisely used full texts of speeches and quotes from diaries and other writings to imbue their characters with an extra measure of pathos, presumably to engage the audience on a much deeper emotional level.

Sadly, the movie flopped due largely to these critical choices and made the production of the final film of the trilogy, The Last Full Measure, impossible.

Alas, it seems that the audience had had its own full measure of incessant lecturing in the midst of an otherwise engaging and moving film.

Great Main Title Sequences - No. 1: Gettysburg

2011-08-12T21:39:00.001-04:00

Gettysburg Music by Randy Edelman

Film people will tell you how important the Main Title sequence to a movie can be. It's the viewer's first impression, their first introduction to the material that's about to be presented. It is something which embodies, in just a few minutes, the theme of the film. It sets the tone for what is to come.

Main Title sequences are sometimes farmed out to companies who specialise in creating them, in addition, perhaps, to creating teasers and trailers for the film.

What makes a Main Title sequence great? Great music and great visuals well timed and complementing each other.

I'm going to embed a series of Main Title sequences (whatever I can find on YouTube) which I feel best embody the films they represent, and are in themselves beautiful art. The numbering reflects only the continuation of the series and is not meant as a rating of the series.

So put on your headphones, turn down the lights, grab your popcorn and enjoy!

Not So Close...But Maybe Someday?

2011-08-05T19:50:00.003-04:00

Continuing on the theme of somewhat famous people that I have brushes with in my travels, M. Night Shyamalan is one that I hope I can meet someday. One of my customers has been an extra in nearly every one of his films to date since Shyamalan lives in and routinely films in the Philly area. Could it be that I can come this close to being Shyamalan's piano tuner? Knowing that he has at least one piano and that his daughters take regular lessons, I feel confident that I can think of being at least in the running. He doesn't live far from me; it would be no trouble at all to accommodate his piano tuning needs.

Of course, I'd have to find and kill his regular piano tuner first.

"This comes out to me. It comes out."

2011-07-25T15:54:00.003-04:00

God. Is. Great.

This Close

2011-07-20T13:23:00.005-04:00

Some years ago I met Glenn Beck at one of his Christmas shows here in the Philly area. The piano dealer I was subcontracted to asked me to tune the rental player piano in the lobby of the event. Glenn was not feeling well, but he autographed a photo for me. We talked about pianos a bit and he told me that he was interested in buying a piano for his wife. Since Glenn and his family were living in the area at the time, a lunch meeting with him and with the dealer reps and myself was arranged. But the meeting was cancelled the day before it was to occur. The reason? As we found out later, Glenn had just been offered a chance to do TV work for CNN and was now looking to move his family to near the New York area (Connecticut, as it turns out).

Long story short--I came this close to being Glenn Beck's piano tuner.

I‘m thinking it’s been worth missing out on that opportunity for myself given all that Glenn has accomplished since that time. And in spite of the vitriol constantly thrown his way, particularly by people who never watch him, never listen to him and nevertheless make pronouncements against him, I think history will bear out that he is an extraordinary individual. I don't agree with everything he says, but I'm convinced that he is neither a fraud nor a hustler, but is a sincerely concerned American who is trying to do what he can to preserve the best of our country in the midst of the many forces which have been raised to destroy it. And he is turning out to be a great friend to Israel and the Jews at a time when the whole world seems to be preparing to repeat the atrocities of 20th century Europe. Israel, after all, is surrounded by dedicated governments and peoples who have sworn an oath to exterminate the Jewish state and the Jewish people.

And besides, anyone who knows me knows I have a history of always being on the verge of someone else’s greatness.

Beautiful Summer Day

2011-07-15T14:07:00.001-04:00

Limerick, PA from Ridge Pike

Click on the pics to enlarge.

Delaware Canal July 7, 2011

2011-07-07T21:44:00.008-04:00

Delaware Canal, Yardley, PA July 7, 2011 - looking roughly northwest.

Looking roughly southeast.

Best. Music Video. Ever!

2011-06-10T21:51:00.015-04:00

"Life in Technicolor ii" by Coldplay

I'm always years behind everyone else in discovering these things. But I know what's clever and well done when I see it. These young whipper-snappers today can be downright brilliant at times!

Maybe something else will come along someday and knock this off the throne in my mind. But until then, I present what could be the Best. Music Video. Ever!

If you can, watch it in 720p and full screen.

Life in Technicolor ii

There's a wild wind blowing
Down the corner of my street
Every night there, the headlights are glowing
There's a cold war coming
On the radio, I heard
Baby, it's a violent world

Oh, love, don't let me go
Won't you take me where the street lights glow?
I can hear it coming
I can hear the siren sound
Now my feet won't touch the ground

Time came-a-creeping
Oh and time's a loaded gun
Every road is a ray of light
It goes o-o-o-o-o-o-on
Time only can lead you on, still it's
Such a beautiful night

Oh, love, don't let me go
Won't you take me where the street lights glow?
I can hear it coming
Like a serenade of sound
Now my feet won't touch the ground

Ohh, ohh, ohh

Gravity, release me
And don't ever hold me down
Now my feet won't touch the ground...

UPDATE December 20, 2011:

In the original post I stated that I was unsure of some of the lyrics since different websites had slightly different texts. I have re-posted the lyrics today since I have come to trust WikiColdplay for all my Coldplay lyrics needs.

Bird Attitude

2011-06-08T22:09:00.005-04:00

Even the self-employed have a boss.

Fair is Fair

2011-06-07T13:30:00.055-04:00

Some of you have read my previously stated opinions of Sarah Palin on this blog and on Facebook. I’ve been pretty open and clear about them. I’ve stated frequently and uncategorically that I don’t think she should run for President, that I don’t think she is ready, and that she may not ever be ready. If she gets the nomination, I feel that I will be in a quandary.

But I also try to be fair in my assessments of political candidates, what they say and what their behaviours tell us about them, whether they are a Sarah Palin or an Anthony Weiner.

Leftists and other Palin haters have latched onto a supposed misstatement of Palin’s while she was in Boston recently. While there have been a number of excellent blogging responses, I'm taking a little different approach to the issue. As I've said, I’m really not a fan of Palin's, so I have no particular dog in this hunt. However, I have seen the quote and have come to the determination that she did not misspeak at all in this case, that she said exactly what she meant to say.

Here is her quote:

“[Revere] warned the British that they weren’t gonna be taking away our arms, by ringing those bells, and making sure, as he’s riding his horse through town, to send those warning shots and bells that we were gonna be secure, and we were gonna be free.”

If you think Palin meant to say Colonists instead of British, then substitute the word Colonists for British:

“[Revere] warned the Colonists that they weren’t gonna be taking away our arms…”

Do you really think Palin meant to say that the Colonists were warning themselves that they (the Colonists) weren’t going to stand for attacking themselves and taking away their own arms?

As far as the rest of the quote, these events are a matter of historical record which Big Journalism deals with quite well.

So the question may be understood in terms of Revere's primary mission. Was it to warn the British that armed Colonists were waiting for them? No. But Revere was detained by the British and did, in fact, warn them of this fact. Was Revere's primary mission to warn the colonists of an impending British invasion? Yes. But at no time did Sarah Palin state that Revere's primary mission was to warn the British.

Do I think Palin has made mistakes in the past. Of course. And so do most people when speaking publically. But let’s be fair. Think before you speak. Look carefully at the video and at the quote. There's no question that Palin did not get her facts mixed up as the smug and obviously biased reporter in the video above stated.

A Beautiful Day for a Wedding

2011-06-06T21:56:00.015-04:00

My boys on the dock at the Jefferson House Restaurant overlooking Lake Hopatcong in northern New Jersey, USA on June 5, 2011. It was a beautiful, if mostly overcast day for my nephew's wedding. The sun poked through in the early evening.

Perhaps He's Out Helping O.J. Find the Real Killers...

2011-06-04T23:45:00.002-04:00

...of the economy.

President Bush got shellacked by the left for playing golf while in office. Here’s a comparison between Bush and Obama. And it ain’t from Fox News.

AP Photo

No Coffee for You! One Year!

2011-05-27T02:45:00.005-04:00

I received a forwarded message today making me aware of an article posted on ChritianityToday.com. The gist of the article was that we all have people in our churches who are a little “off,” but that we should treat them in a godly way, with compassion. With this I cannot but agree, especially since there is always the possibility that I myself may be perceived as a little “off,” in which case I am grateful for the compassion of my brethren and friends. Who knows whose patience and good will I’ve tested over the years with my sometimes strong and vocal opinions on everything from eschatology to politics? Nonetheless, we should invite these folks over for coffee to encourage them and to get to know them a bit better, shouldn't we?

The author’s intention was to make an analogy between his crazy Aunt Julie and (crazy Uncle) Harold Camping. I admit that Camping’s latest and arguably most scurrilous attack on Christ’s Church, an advertising campaign prophesying the end of the world, lends itself, in my mind, to nearly unfettered ridicule from all quarters. However, we as Christian believers do need to be mindful, and indeed prayerful, in our behaviour toward Camping. This really should not need to be emphasised, but the ongoing coarsening of speech and writing in our society, particularly through the walls of inhibition late tumbled by the anonymity of internet blogging, makes it relevant and important to restate, even to Christians who should know better.

Among other things I was struck by these statements in the article:

But while we were Aunt Julies, Christ died for us. To know that, to trust that, to give your life to the One who died and to the family created by his Spirit--is to know that you too are a member of this dysfunctional family.

However, let us consider the following:

Harold Camping has completely rejected his Church family. He has told everyone outside of his exclusive group that God has removed His Holy Spirit from God's Church on Earth,* that He has rejected them and divorced His Bride. Those who remain within the visible churches are now under the influence and control of Satan; Satan is ruling in the churches. And those of us who have not followed Camping are the children of Satan, we are told, and that there is no salvation for us any longer. One inescapable conclusion to be drawn from this is that unless you believe in Camping's prophecies, you cannot be saved. To object to Camping is equated utterly with the rejection of God and of His Word. Forget the coffee maker. A different appliance comes to mind when considering all of this.

So here is where the author’s analogy detours away from reality.

Crazy Aunt Julie got help. She was hospitalized for a time and apparently does pretty well when she’s on her meds. Aunt Julie, in a manner of speaking, has experienced a kind of repentance; a humbling, a realization that she needed help to cope with life. And her family, who loves her very much, got her that help.

Camping, on the other hand, refuses to admit that he was wrong about his date-setting. He refuses, and has refused for decades, the help of godly men in the Church. To whom is he accountable? He refuses to admit that he has been and is wrong about his scandalous biblical hermeneutic of searching for hidden and secret meanings in both the biblical text and in the numbers in the text which God has revealed to Him alone and to those who sit doe-eyed at his considerably aged feet. Within the context of church discipline, isn’t a refusal to repent of one’s sins, false teachings and false prophecies a game-changer?

This article, while making a good point about the Christian’s responsibility in thought and speech in dealing with wayward brethren, in my view actually ends up trivialising the damage Camping has done to the Church and to the witness of the gospel in the world. And while we should pray that God would grant Harold Camping repentance, there has to be a point where Christians will stand up and say, "You know, crazy Aunt Julie nuthin’! Until God grants crazy Uncle Harold repentance, this guy is a false prophet, an enemy of Christ's Church, and someone I will definitely not have over to my house for coffee."

*God’s removal of His Holy Spirit from the churches curiously and conveniently coincides with one point in time in 1988 when Camping, a Sunday School teacher at Alameda CRC, was shown the church door for refusing to submit to church authorities and cease teaching his false prophecies regarding the end times and Christ’s return.

A Few More Thoughts on Not Knowing the Day or the Hour

2011-05-24T21:38:00.004-04:00

Of course, some Christians believe (I myself have sympathies for this eschatalogical position which is called partial preterism) that Jesus was referring to His coming in judgement on the nation of Israel in 70 A.D. when Jerusalem was sacked by Rome and the temple was destroyed.

Certainly there were disciples still alive at that time to see it, and those who survived it did so because Jesus had told them to flee to the hills instead of hiding behind the walls of Jerusalem, which was what they normally would have done during a seige.

Camping rejects this whole idea uncategorically.

I still believe in a final coming of Christ at the consummation of history. When Jesus said He didn't know the day or the hour, I believe He was referring both to 70 A.D. and to His final return, both of which in His human incarnation the Father had not seen fit to make Him aware. Read Matthew 24. I should think that after His resurrection, once He had been restored to the right hand of God the Father, Jesus once again knew everything the Father knows, including when He would return at the end of history to bring His elect Church to heaven.

Having said all that, I still believe we are not to try to figure out from the Bible or elsewhere when Christ will return. Suffice it to say, the day we die is exactly the same as Christ returning for us. We don't know when we'll die, but we can make some educated guesses based upon our age, our health, etc., though these are still merely speculations.

At any rate, NOW is the day of salvation, for we can never know what tomorrow brings.

Camping Fail

2011-05-21T02:25:00.005-04:00

A screenshot of the Familyradio.com website

The first rapture experience was to take place at 2:00 a.m. EST (6:00 p.m. in Tonga and New Zealand). Nothing has happened. No earthquakes, no missing people (at least from the Rapture), no nuthin'. Although a website has been set up to catalogue the failure of Harold Camping's false prophecy regarding Judgement Day and the return of Christ, I prefer to refer to it as Camping Fail rather than Rapture Fail. The latter suggests a failure on God's part to keep His promise; the former, a failure on man's to stop meddling with the secret things of God.

Take a look at RaptureFail.org if you want to follow the glorious failure of man's arrogance:

CONTENT WARNING: Although this site is run by an apparently sincere Christian organization, there doesn't appear to be any comment moderation from the live Tweets regularly coming in. Expect scorn and derision in various colourful metaphors from atheists and Christians alike for Camping's folly. Read at your own risk!

Three Days Until The Rupture

2011-05-18T21:17:00.000-04:00

I prophesy that in three days it will be the end of something...

The Answer

2011-05-15T23:02:00.002-04:00

He watched the orange flame rim the mountains as the canvas began to be wiped clean. The dark pointed shapes rose higher in relief against the hazy orange and blue-gray sky. Blood-red shadows moved slowly across the landscape, filling the void where the horizon rose to meet the ever darkening sheath of crystal ebony.

This is it.

As he looked upward, here and there tiny specks shimmered, came into focus. Everything around him was fading from the warm, soft colours of day into the ash gray of night. It had always been this way. He had thought it would always be, right up until a few years ago.

This end. This last sunset of humanity.

He shivered. It was a little cold for late May. He knew there was very little time left. Little time for tears and pain. For laughter. Or regrets. How did his favourite pop band put it?

No more cry.

All that was about to give way to intimacy and warmth. The joy of fulfillment and the fulfillment of joy would merge now and forever. It was the Answer. And more than that. He was even more sure of this than he was of the last Answer.

Childhood's End sat open pages down on the damp grass next to him after it had slid down off the open attache case. It was further away from him as he sat there, out of reverence for his Bible, which he carefully cradled captive on his lap. He looked over at the old paperback lying on the ground. No sense worrying about ruining it now, he thought. Having just finished it again, the expected torrent of melancholy that inevitably overtook him upon his completion of it wasn't inevitable this time at all. As usual, trying to project any meaningful theistic correlation onto the sovereign Overmind in the light of special revelation had failed at every turn of the page. The forces that brought about the kind of punctuated equilibria described in the story were ultimately impersonal and without compassion, as is to be expected. It was merely a mechanism. Intelligent, yes, but really no more than an impersonal guide to the next step. This revelation, no doubt, only served to validate the melancholy of the reader.

But not for him. Not today. Especially not today.

Contrast that with Lewis who wrote of whole races living on those shining spheres above, one whose cold, ancient existence was coming to a close even while a new and warmer world was witnessing the birth pangs of its new Lords. Those ancients who saw the passing coming and had never known within themselves what it was to be bent, patiently and with great reverent expectancy awaited the turn of the page.

And now it was the turn of the page for his own people.

Who knew of it? Hadn't it been known for so long now? They had tried to get the word out. Tried to warn everyone. But so few would listen, even among those who were supposedly destined to be called the Remnant.

But the Remnant was so much smaller than he had ever dreamed. Why hadn't they listened? Had he and the others like him failed?

He was alone. In spite of it all, in spite of the tearful pleading, even his friends, and finally his family, had abandoned him. But not before he had abandoned them first. After all, they were unbelievers. This was all to be expected, he was told, though it offered him little comfort in the end, and he still stung from the shocked looks given him by his wife and children. A minor thing for the sake of Christ's return and for my eternal happiness, he told himself.

Being true to his calling he argued and cajoled, carefully laying out the plan in his blog which he kept meticulously updated.There was no shortage of argument and mockery, even from those whom he thought he might have received some sympathy. Some he had previously counted among his friends. The gospel had gone forth, had been going forth from the churches for centuries, for millennia. His own special fellowship group had picked up the baton after the churches had failed, when God had withdrawn Himself. The Great Commission was now a thing relegated to fallen history. And now...

All good things.

His ruminations moved him softly, quietly, to examine himself. Was he ready for this? Would those dalliances, those flirtations with transgression, haunt him now in these final hours? It had been said that when the end comes no one will be thinking I really wish I had spent more time at the office. Indeed, all of that was far from his mind. But misery and dread can accompany even the saintliest disciple, and wreak havoc with his assurance.

Too late. Either I have trusted or I have not. I cannot judge. But I can hope...

The night was passing swiftly. He had been thinking of his family, his friends, all those who told him he was crazy for believing. Again. And yes, they had abandoned him. He was, in a real sense, a pariah of the first order.

But all that would change. And then they would know. And it would be too late. It was getting well on into the night, and very dark, although the moon still cast a hazy blue glow on the landscape before him. And whether it was a product of overexcitement or merely fatigue, as the last hour approached he found himself drifting off in spite of himself. In spite of his fears and doubts, his self-recriminations. In spite of everything. And right in the middle of prayer, he was not even conscious of having broken the connection as he slipped under.

II.

The dawn broke suddenly to someone who had not expected to see it. The sun had carved its way through the inky black without his notice. The moon had moved on too. Too bad. It was a lovely sight. And made all the more lovely by virtue of its sameness, its continuity. It is what has been decreed; a new morning.

With the dawn came the dawning of all hopes and aspirations. Everything was new. It was beautiful. And it was dispiriting. For the Answer, like the last Answer, was not the Answer at all. What had he given up to follow it? To follow him? Oh not much. He had quit his job for the sake of it. Had left his friends for the sake of it. Had even left his family all for the sake of it. Not much, he lied again to himself.

Then the churches, their individual clocks nearly synchronous, began to toll their bells together as if triumphant for having managed to stay sober and faithful amidst the brazen theological onslaught against them and their Lord Christ. It was as if they were inviting him to return to humanity. Return to sanity.

And he thought that he might, if he could but conquer his embarrassment and pride. And if he could convince them to take him back. Convince them all.

Maybe it won't be that hard, he thought. After all, they are Christians. All is forgiven. All is well. Give it some time. I just need a little time.

And Mary. And the boys. And all those once and future brothers and sisters, dear friends who stayed behind at his old church. And all the other churches, the ones he left for the higher calling of True Fellowship with the True Believers in him and his calculations. A fellowship, as it would ultimately turn out to be, of one.

Would I be in violation of Matthew 5 if I called myself a fool? Would they? Perhaps.

But maybe, just maybe not.

His heart began to pound louder in his ears with the thought of it, making the bells seem more distant than before. He stood up from the dewy grass, the soggy pages of the respective books sticking together as he placed them in the attache.

I should have been more careful, he said only to himself.

But as the sun slowly continued its upward climb on the new day he felt courage return to him. I can try, he thought. I'll go back. I'll apologize. I just need a little time. I'll make it right with everyone on my blog. It will be hard, but God's people are forgiving. At any rate, the worst thing I can do is give up hope.

Hope. Hope for what? Hope in what?

And here he began to waver. Here he began to question. And so he faltered. In spite of everything; the job, the church, the friends, his family, he began to explore the unthinkable with recriminations.

What went wrong? How could we have been so wrong? We must have missed something. But we were so careful. We read the Bible very, very carefully. We took the whole Bible, everything into account. We diligently compared Scripture with Scripture. It was quite complicated, but there was so much confirmation from the others who also were watching and waiting. So much. And we were so sure this time. There has to be an explanation!

Yes. He was hashing it all out now, a cool, steady stream of computation that would be sure to meet with his approval.

Yes. We missed something this time, there's no doubt about it. But I'll tell you, that's what we need. A new resolve to work it all out right again!

He sat on the grass thinking for some time. The more his thoughts swirled about his head, the more he felt the urge to reach up and scratch his ears. Screwing up his courage in the face of a hopeless though noble cause, the more determined he felt, he noticed, the more the church bells faded into oblivion.

I just need a little more time to figure it all out.

Yes, he would go back. And yes, he would keep on working the problem. And if they would have him, he would stay.

At least until the next Answer.

3 For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, 4 and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths. 2 Timothy 4:3-4.

Life--Just Outside My Front Door

2011-05-15T17:52:00.000-04:00

Mrs. Robin is busy flitting back and forth with worms for the babies. Whenever we open the front door we can see and hear her scurrying away.

Life is beautiful. Don't ever lose sight of the wonderful gift that God in His great wisdom and goodness has bestowed upon us.

Final Destiny

2011-05-13T15:11:00.002-04:00

The final episode of Stargate Universe aired on Monday May 9, 2011. After two seasons, the show, and probably the franchise itself, could not be sustained.

As the crew of the Destiny gather into their stasis pods to sleep through the long three-year voyage, one pod remains non-functioning. Young genius and former gaming slacker Eli Wallace volunteers to stay awake as the one who has the best chance of repairing the unit. But with only enough life-support power and provisions for two weeks, he'll have to work quickly in order to be reunited with his comrades on "the other side."

The producers of Stargate Universe got it right. And they went out in style.

That beautiful Joel Goldsmith score. All the lights turning off in the Destiny as if striking the sets of the show right before our eyes. And finally, at the end, watching Eli's face in closeup as he begins to smile in awe of the wonder and mystery of the whole thing, the unimaginable beauty and opportunity before him--before them.

And now that it's all over, for the first time I feel like I truly understand what it was all about.

I bin Deaden

2011-05-02T20:32:00.002-04:00

I have just a few thoughts to share on this historic occasion.

The destruction of evil is always a cause for rejoicing. Frankly, I am not experiencing the Christian "tension" of the situation by wondering how I should feel about it; whether I should or should not rejoice in the death of the wicked. I don't feel conflicted at all.

However, I would make a distinction between being relieved that a mass murderer has been killed by the constituted authorities God has put in place just for such necessities and the fact that we as individuals are not commanded or sanctioned by God to carry out judicial or vengeful acts on our own. Unlike Muslims, Christians are not commanded as individuals to murder unbelievers.

For my part, I rejoice in the destruction of a mass murderer, the vile reprobate who cost so many their lives--the families of whom will suffer that loss until the day they die; a man who long ago ceased to be human through a seared conscience, and whose hatred of God, of His people, and all people, has taken its course and has placed him forever securely, as Screwtape would say, "in our Father's house."

He is Risen!

2011-04-24T15:15:00.003-04:00

He is Risen Indeed!

Now Tell Us What You Really Think About Us...

2011-03-09T14:00:00.005-05:00

In an undercover operation by James O'Keefe, Ron Schiller, former President, NPR Foundation and former Senior VP, Development offered this moment of clarity for those who he apparently thinks never ever watch and enjoy PBS or listen to NPR. This would be Christians, Zionists, Tea Partiers and other Republicans, all of whom he regards as anti-intellectual, racist, Islamophobic, xenophobic, among other lovely qualities. He laments that there are so few "intellectuals" in America today, a group in which he apparently feels he's a charter member. Ah yes. What this country needs now more than ever is more leftist intellectual elitists. Schiller also makes the surprising claim that NPR doesn't need taxpayer money, and even offers up some thoughts on Juan Williams. Watch the entire exchange below.

This kind of thing only serves to confirm to me what folks like Dennis Prager have been saying all along, namely, that the gulf between left and right is vast. Whereas conservatives think people on the left are wrong, leftists think conservatives are not only stupid, but in essence evil. Once conservatives have been effectively demonised by the left, any method, anything that leftists do in opposition to conservatives is a grand battle against evil and is permissible. In their world, the ends justifies the means. This is why rich leftists will demand that Joe Average reduce his carbon footprint as they fly around to AGW speaking engagements all over the world in their private jets. Leftist hypocrisy is not possible in this worldview. To hold the "right ideas" is enough; one doesn't need to live it out in one's personal life. As Prager recently said, "I have a dream, and you are going to pay for it."

I also don’t understand why NPR/PBS thinks that conservatives don’t ever listen/watch their programming. Over the years some of my favourite PBS programs on WHYY and NJN have been The Civil War, Over New England, Motorweek, The Pennsylvania Road Show, This Old House, and The New Yankee Workshop. In addition, Masterpiece Theater and Great Performances have always been on the docket. One of my most favourite GPs was the special Moviola about my favourite film composer John Barry. I’ve even been a contributor to PBS a few times. Why does NPR/PBS disparage us all the time? Don’t they have any clue at all who tunes in to them, even if it’s only from time to time? Don’t they know their audience? Or maybe they're annoyed at the idea that conservatives could enjoy their programming since it doesn't fit with their narrative paradigm. Heck, maybe they just don't care.

UPDATE: Here's a breaking story about the resignation/ouster of NPR President and CEO Vivian Schiller. As it has been said, not a good day in the Schiller household.

CORRECTION: According to the Associated Press Ron Schiller and Vivian Schiller are not related.

Pilgrimsarbour Discovers Greatest. Invention. Ever!

2011-03-04T01:00:00.002-05:00

Once again I have been introduced to the 21st century by way of my dear brother (hopefully late of California).

Over the past couple of years I have upgraded some household items, namely, the computer, which is currently a pretty nice one. I also recently got a brand new cell phone with a slideout qwerty keyboard, though I won't be texting. It was a free upgrade from T-Mobile when they had a two-day special a couple of weeks ago. Come into the store and get any phone you want free! And so I did. It's got a 2 megapixel camera which is certainly better than any throw-away 35mm film camera I've used over the years.

I still have a 13-year-old 32-inch CRT TV and a Marantz receiver that's got to be some 40 or more years old. My speakers and some other equipment I bought during my first year of college in '76, and they still work well enough for now. But my car's CD player is acting up and I didn't know what I was going to do about it. I wanted to get an MP3 player but it just isn't currently in the budget. And trying to carry around as many CDs as I want to carry is just impossible. There's always something I wish I had in the car at the time I want to hear it.

Then one day last week my brother called me and said, "Hey, I've got this iPod Touch laying around that I don't use. It's a couple of years old, but it works fine. Do you want it? You can give it to the boys."

Give it to the boys? Oh, no no no no no no. This one's for Dad!

So I thanked my brother profusely, as I always do when he sends me toys, and it arrived today.

Man, oh man! What a great thing this is! You touch the screen and it does what you want! Every time! And it can do a lot of other stuff too which I haven't figured all out yet. But I'm a big iTunes (AAC/MP4) fan and the iPod, of course, syncs up with the files on my computer. Neat. Yeah, it only holds 7 GB and my entire music/video collection is currently approaching 60 GB, but hey! So I need to make some decisions and whittle stuff down to a few playlists. Big deal. It's still many days worth of music in my car without repeats. Days, not hours like before! Do you know how cool this thing is? I mean, really!

So old mixes with new. I've got four playlists on the iPod to play in my car as I'm driving around. How do I do it in my old car with the disc player and no USB or other inputs for MP3 players, etc., you ask? Well, my friend, that old car has a cassette deck with the CD player. So I plug the iPod into the cassette tape adapter and WHAMO! Instant 21st century! Well, with a little help from the past.

So as you can see I'm very excited. I'm looking forward to driving around to my tunings tomorrow. Yep, opening up the old book maps and looking up the streets in the index will be much less of a hassle now that I've got my priorities straightened out with my tunes!

And my brother also sent me some big honking piece of equipment, something called, uh, "Garmin." Huh. I wonder what it does?

Child Abuse and the Snyder v Phelps Ruling

2011-03-02T23:57:00.008-05:00

²¹"Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. ²²On that day many will say to me, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?' ²³And then will I declare to them, 'I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.' (Matthew 7:21-23)

I have just a few comments to add regarding the HotAir post on the Snyder v Phelps ruling today.

First, I sympathise with Mr. Snyder. I would like to see "Rev." Phelps and his "church" (more properly to be regarded as a cult in my view) prosecuted if possible, but not on the matter of freedom of speech. Perhaps disorderly conduct or disturbing the peace may apply, but I have no legal knowledge of these matters. Although as a religious group and as individual citizens of the United States of America, the members of Westboro Baptist Church should be free to speak, I would like to see a law that bars anyone from demonstrating or picketing at any funeral. They can do it on their own property if they want. The grieving family and friends of those who have sacrificed their lives for our freedom, especially, should be let alone. After all, free speech is also subject to some measure of regulation, and appropriately so. Today's ruling at least gives local authorities discretion as to the precise distance from the funeral site Westboro can protest, so that may be well enough for now.

But in England there has been at least one case where a Christian street preacher was arrested for allegedly (see the article) preaching against homosexuality, and not at all in an ungodly way like Phelps and his ilk. And there are surely more arrests to come in future. But today's ruling, I should think, makes it more difficult for that to happen here. In the light of such a legal precedent it would be foolish, inefficient and costly for the government to try to enforce ideas of political correctness as if they were legislation. And regardless of the eventual and final legal status of so-called "gay marriage," today's ruling may make prosecution of supposed "hate speech" against homosexuality more difficult. Sadly, once again Sarah Palin appears unable to see the big picture here, consistently reinforcing my conviction that she is not qualified for the Presidency.

I've been a conservative Christian for decades and I can count on one hand the number of times homosexuality was the main subject or point of any sermon. Such is the nature of the Scriptures: it's a very large and diverse book with a lot to say about a lot of things. One can never truly "plumb the depths" of God's Word. It is (if I may expand on the author's original use of the term) "the unfolding mystery" of redemption in Christ Jesus. But if self-professing Christians such as those at Westboro Baptist Church will not restrain themselves for the sake of the gospel of Jesus Christ, then Christ's Church must declare unequivocally that His Spirit has no part in any such foolishness. In fact, we are commanded to discern the truth of a situation through the God-given mechanism of investigation:

²⁴"Do not judge by appearances, but judge with right judgment." (John 7:24)

The answer to the question of the veracity of the Westboro Baptist Church should be as obvious to those who truly name the Name of Christ as it is to those who do not. Does any true disciple of Christ not think that these folks are going to have a lot to answer for on that Great Day when our Lord Christ asks them why they abused their children so--children He Himself gave them, who were created in His image? I shudder to think of all the goats separated out on that Day when our Lord tells them how they abused Him by abusing others, and especially those that belonged to Him. Our Lord's command to Christian charity is not limited to those who think and believe exactly as we do. Properly understood and practiced, loving the lost in Christ's Name never entails an enabling of their sins. But, as we are commanded of Him, treating with decency all those with whom we share the gospel of God's grace does demand of us compassion and understanding as well as service and sacrifice.

If Westboro Baptist Church ever had a true understanding of our Lord's Great Commission to the world and entrusted to His Church, it seems forever lost in their twisted belief in a god who never calls the sinner to Himself, whose wrath is never appeased by the redemption accomplished and applied in Christ Jesus at the cross, and whose mercy never tempers his justice.

³¹ "When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on his glorious throne. ³²Before him will be gathered all the nations, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. ³³And he will place the sheep on his right, but the goats on the left. ³⁴Then the King will say to those on his right, 'Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. ³⁵For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, ³⁶ I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.' ³⁷Then the righteous will answer him, saying, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? ³⁸And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? ³⁹And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?' ⁴⁰And the King will answer them, 'Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.'

⁴¹"Then he will say to those on his left, 'Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. ⁴²For I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me no drink, ⁴³I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not clothe me, sick and in prison and you did not visit me.' ⁴⁴Then they also will answer, saying, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to you?' ⁴⁵Then he will answer them, saying, 'Truly, I say to you, as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me.' ⁴⁶And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life." (Matthew 25:31-46)

The Cruelty that can be Winter

2011-02-26T15:13:00.004-05:00

Chapman Park, Doylestown, PA--October 2003

Chapman Park, Doylestown, PA--February 2011

Same place, another day...

Looks like the township used the park to dump all the snow cleared from the streets--dirt, gravel and all.

You might think there had been a volcanic eruption.

Oh, come Spring!

Saying It All and Saying It Right

2011-02-16T23:39:00.003-05:00

I'm not a big fan of Mark Levin; mostly because of style, I suppose. There's a lot of yelling and screaming typically, which I'm sure his supporters would say is passion, but which makes me turn the radio dial or put in a CD as I'm driving my car.

Be that as it may, when someone I don't typically care for says something right and says it well, with passion but not histrionics, then they have my attention. And my gratitude.

I hope you agree.

The clip is audio only.

Time for Another Covetousness Confession

2011-02-15T03:37:00.040-05:00

Yup. I sometimes have a hard time deciding between this 1969 Mustang Mach 1 Fastback and this 1965 Mustang GT Fastback.

It's entirely academic, mind you, since it's highly unlikely I'll ever own either the '65 or the '69.

The truth is, I'm neither rich enough nor cool enough.

But don't hate me for dreaming, eh?

(Photos courtesy of Mustang Monthly magazine)

Farewell

2011-02-02T21:21:00.014-05:00

Probably my favourite film composer, John Barry passed away on January 30, 2011 of a heart attack at the age of 77. He had been in poor health for some time.

I'm grateful to our Lord Jesus Christ for the beautiful music that this talented man produced throughout his 50-year career, music which has touched my life very deeply.

See his bio and discography here.

If you want a good introduction to Barry's film scores, many with which you will already be familiar, I highly recommend this CD. Take a few minutes to listen to the samples.

The Music Sampler at Amazon doesn't list the track names for Moviola for some reason. They are as follows:

1. Out of Africa
2. Midnight Cowboy
3. Body Heat
4. Somewhere in Time
5. Mary, Queen of Scots
6. Born Free
7. Dances With Wolves
8. Chaplin
9. The Cotton Club
10. Walkabout
11. Frances
12. We Have All the time in the World
13. Moviola

Updates to the Leftist Hypocrisy Post

2011-01-14T20:59:00.047-05:00

Here is the current updated list of links discussing the rhetoric issue spurned by last week's Arizona shooting. My original discussion of these matters can be found here.

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Here is another post documenting the use of bulls-eyes and targets by Democrats during elections.

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More information on the shooter--left wing conspiracy theories about the Mars Rover and Space Shuttle missions being faked, and the U.S. government being behind 9/11.

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Michelle Malkin has penned an excellent article entitled The progressive “climate of hate:” An illustrated primer, 2000-2010. It's well worth your time to examine objectively all the examples of leftist hate rhetoric which far surpass anything those on the right have ever said or done in connection with political figures.

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Another good post by Allahpundit over at HotAir.com. in which former Senator Bob Kerrey's (D-NE) comments about Loughner being angry over the repeal of Obamacare are discussed.

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Jay Nordlinger has a great article over at National Review Online. (H/T Steve Hays at Triablogue).

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Brent Bozell, President of the Media Research Center on death wishes against conservatives by liberals in the media (H/T Steve Hays at Triablogue).

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Tucson, AZ TV station KGUN9 reports that shooting victim James Eric Fuller, a Democratic political operative, was arrested for threatening Tucson Tea Party founder Trent Humphries during an ABC Town Hall Meeting taped in Tucson on Saturday January 15, 2011 for broadcast as a part of ABC's This Week program. Fuller reportedly "took a picture of Humphries, and said, 'You're dead.'" He was arrested and charged with disorderly conduct and making a threat. When he was escorted from the event he was heard to shout "You're all whores!"

UPDATE--Fuller has been involuntarily committed for psychological evaluation. Trent Humphries has expressed his desire that Fuller get the help he needs, which means pressing charges so that Fuller will be in the system and not fall through the cracks like Loughner apparently did.

UPDATE--CNN Politics has Fuller's apology for his death threat. The article concludes:

Jared Loughner, 22, has been charged in the shooting, but no evidence has been found that could link a motive to incendiary rhetoric.

UPDATE--A protective order was issued Tuesday January 18, 2011 by the Pima County Superior Court against James Eric Fuller in response to his death threat against Tea Party leader Trent Humphries.

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Here's another blog post showing the previous bulls-eye usage by Democrats. Also referenced in this post "BoyBlue" writes this headline in the Daily Kos:

My CongressWOMAN voted against Nancy Pelosi! And is now DEAD to me!

Where's the mainstream media's outrage about that rhetoric?

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Two posts which deal in part with Loughner's obsession with the film series Zeitgeist: Three Exculpatory Facts and Michael Kinsley's delusion over blaming the right-wing for their "violent rhetoric."

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"But those who say right-wing rhetoric was the one factor tipping Loughner misunderstand the complex nature of psychosis. 'No single variable explains violence in schizophrenia,' write Swanson and eight colleagues in a 2006 paper published in the Archives of General Psychiatry. 'Rather, violent behavior occurs within a social-ecological system involving a 'whole person' with a particular life history and state of health.' In short, saying Sarah Palin or Glenn Beck caused Loughner's actions is, to put it charitably, completely idiotic."--Time magazine, not exactly a bastion of right-wing opinion.

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Mike Malloy, Liberal radio hate-talker, dreams of choking Rush Limbaugh to death.

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Anderson Cooper grills Representative Steve Cohen (D-TN) on his hypocritical hate speech comparing Republicans to Nazis, and the Tea Party to the KKK. Cooper tenaciously tries to get Cohen to see his hypocrisy but Cohen defends his disgusting opinions to the end. A truly sad and foolish man, second only to one-term Congressman and full-time loser Alan Grayson (formerly D-FL) whose incendiary e-mails blame Sarah Palin directly for the Arizona shooting.

Progressive Democrats still refuse to acknowledge their own use of bulls-eyes and crosshairs in their political ads, all of which predates the SARAHPAC ad (see the comparison of Palin's and the Democrats' ads here).

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Why is Chris Matthews displaying a target and crosshairs on the U.S. Capitol?

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Metaphors in American Public Discourse

2011-01-13T15:25:00.014-05:00

Big Government has the exclusive Alan Dershowitz statement in defence of Sarah Palin's "blood libel" comment in her speech. In addition to the link I have reprinted his statement below:

"The term “blood libel” has taken on a broad metaphorical meaning in public discourse. Although its historical origins were in theologically based false accusations against the Jews and the Jewish People, its current usage is far broader. I myself have used it to describe false accusations against the State of Israel by the Goldstone Report. There is nothing improper and certainly nothing anti-Semitic in Sarah Palin using the term to characterize what she reasonably believes are false accusations that her words or images may have caused a mentally disturbed individual to kill and maim. The fact that two of the victims are Jewish is utterly irrelevant to the propriety of using this widely used term."

It should be noted that Mr. Dershowitz in no way classifies himself as a conservative.

The AZ Shooting and More Friendship Messages from the Left

2011-01-11T14:01:00.011-05:00

In my previous post I spoke of my indignation that so many on the left who are in positions of authority or influence would use the Arizona shooting atrocity as political leverage to further demonise Republicans and conservatives in order to advance their own political agenda. The left's targets have been especially conservatives Sarah Palin, Glenn Beck, Rush Limbaugh and others, which would by extension have to include the conservative public at large--half the country judging only by recent election results.

Yesterday I had a brief exchange on Facebook with an old High School chum. He took me to task for highlighting the hate speech coming from the Democrats during this whole incident saying that what I had written was "more of the same" and that I needed to "look to (my) own house." I did not really want to prolong the conversation on Facebook so my answer to him was brief. But if I were to expand what I wanted to say and in a general way speak to so many others who think like he does, I would have said the following:

"I distinctly and precisely said in my post that I am disgusted and angered by the people who made those comments. I in no way and at no time accused leftist rhetoric of inciting people to violence, though I would have ample warrant for it (see, for example, the 2006 film Death of a President which portrays the fictional assassination of President George W. Bush, a wish fulfillment fantasy for many on the left at that time)."

"You seem to see a moral equivalence between me saying 'These leftists make me angry and disgust me' and them saying 'This shooting is Beck's and Palin's fault.' I regret you've chosen to be enslaved to this paradigm by embracing the left's narrative. I've always known you to be an intelligent guy and so am disappointed that you seem either unable or unwilling to make these common sense distinctions between hate speech on the one hand and the one who is shining the spotlight on hate speech on the other hand. I am just the messenger. I'm indignant, but I'm not making anything up. When, if ever, will you hold your own team accountable to decency?"

As the media pundits and other leftists continue to scream against alleged hate speech from the right by, well, practicing real hate speech against the right, leftist Twitter users joined in the rhetorical lovefest.

I have chosen a few examples from Twitter to demonstrate below how some Democrats' hate speech rhetoric against conservatives (actually calling for the death of Sarah Palin) could, unlike Palin's crosshairs graphic (a metaphor for political defeat during an election cycle*), actually encourage some mentally unstable person to carry out acts of violence. So in the space of one day I find myself ammending my argument above to say that I am now willing to concede the possibility that leftist rhetoric may be responsible at some time in the future for acts of violence against Republicans and conservatives since they are true direct calls for violence.

(*See the graphic on my previous post as an example of Democrats using almost the exact same metaphor; they used a bulls-eye in 2008 instead of crosshairs and also "targeted" Gabrielle Giffords. It should be noted that neither in the SARAHPAC graphic nor in the Daily Kos graphic is there a reference to nor a call to physical violence of any kind).

The language and imagery of the tweets is so foul that I needed to make some editorial decisions regarding what I would allow to be posted here, but you'll get the idea. No spelling or grammar has been changed. Every tweet focuses on Sarah Palin as the cause of the shooting, and many actually call for her assassination as well as calling for the murdering of her family.

"when will the crosshairs fall over a Palin? don't any liberals own guns and forget to take their meds? c'mon already."

"Sarah Palin and her family is #1 choice of people who should get **** cancer this year..."

"...I hope Sarah Palin dies an ugly death and takes her moronic hate with her." (Oh, I get it! Irony!--ed.)

"...guns don't kill people, sarah palin's website kills people // I hope she dies gnashing her teeth"

"I hope Sarah Palin gets cancer and dies in the next two years."

"GOT YOUR WISH ****! JOIN US IN PRAYING TO GOD THAT SARAH PALIN CONTRACTS CANCER AND DIES..." (Wow! My friends have tried to tell me that leftists can be religious too. I didn't believe them. Boy was I wrong! [/sarc]--ed.)

"I ******* hate Sarah Palin ugly ***. I just wanna punch her in the face then take her to Lens Crafters."

"listen. i don't want much from sarah palin. i just want her to admit partial fault, then shoot herself in the face. is that wrong?"

"So...will everyone be satisfied then when Palin is assassinated? You know she's next."

"My hatred for Sarah Palin continues to grow. I think this woman should be assasinated. Sorry bout chya."

I hope Sarah Palin dies a slow and painful death. That **** has blood on her hands."

Why can't Palin have a hunting accident and get shoot in the face?"

Palin is a murdering **** who deserves a crosshair on HER house so Al-Qaeda can come shoot HER family. See how that feels, republican trash"

"As these Teabag nutters believe in an eye for an eye can we shoot Sarah Palin at point blank range in the bonce?"

This is only a tiny sampling of the left's vitriol. Read them for yourself here, but be sure to observe the obligatory CONTENT WARNING. If you're shy about the foulest of bad language and imagery, including sometimes the chosen user names of the tweeters, don't go to the source. My edits will have to do.

Disgusting Leftist Hypocrisy in the Middle of Our Sorrow

2011-01-09T14:22:00.075-05:00

What did Rahm Emanuel say? Something to the effect, "Never let a crisis go to waste," in which he meant "Use every tragedy and atrocity to your own political advantage whenever you can." In the midst of our sorrow over the atrocity committed by this reprobate in Arizona, I am more than a little angry by the rhetoric coming from the left who continually try to gain political advantage while we are still grieving and trying to understand what happened.

Once again, conservatives are being blamed for this idiot's ranting and violence. On CNN and other left-wing media the idea of Sarah Palin's "In the Crosshairs" analogy of March 2010 in a Twitter post, where specific elected officials had been "targeted" for defeat at the polls, has been regurgitated ad nauseum.

Never mind that this shooter, a fool named Jared Lee Loughner, names among his favourite books Mein Kampf and the Communist Manifesto, as well as having embraced Karl Marx and burned the American flag. As Senator Lamar Alexander said, "Now that's not the profile of a typical Tea Party member, if that's the inference being made."

And of course, that's the inference we are to make from these statements.

Once again, the left thinks we're stupid and can't find these things out for ourselves, that their lies won't ever see the light of day. They really do believe they are immune to scrutiny when they project themselves into the news stories of the day.

Jane Fonda on Twitter

"Progressive Arizona Rep Gabrielle Giffords is shot. In her ads, Sarah Palin had her targeted in a gun site. Inciting to violence."

"Glenn Beck guilty too. Shame. It must stop!"

Keith Olbermann on "Countdown with Keith Olbermann"

After blaming Fox, Glenn Beck, Bill O'Reilly, Sarah Palin and other conservatives for the shooting, Keith Olbermann called for a general boycott of Fox by their sponsors and anyone who might be appearing as guests on Fox, including President Obama. He then said of conservatives:

"If all of these are not responsible for what happened in Tucson, they must now be responsible for doing everything they can to make certain Tucson does not happen again."

Arizona Sheriff Clarence W. Dupnik (D)

"It's the vitriolic rhetoric that we hear day in and day out from people in the raido business and some people in the TV business and what we see on TV and how our youngsters are being raised that this has not become the nice United States of America that most of us grew up in, and I think it's time that we do the soul-searching."

"Unfortunately, Arizona, I think, has become sort of the capital. We have become the Mecca for prejudice and bigotry."

"We see one party trying to block the attempts of another party to make this a better country."

Paul Krugman, New York Times

"You know that Republicans will yell about the evils of partisanship whenever anyone tries to make a connection between the rhetoric of Beck, Limbaugh, etc. and the violence I fear we’re going to see in the months and years ahead. But violent acts are what happen when you create a climate of hate. And it’s long past time for the GOP’s leaders to take a stand against the hate-mongers."

Rep. Robert Brady (D-PA)

"Gabrielle Giffords is in a coma because there was a bulls-eye– a crosshair put on her."

Eugene Robinson, Washington Post

"But today I think we can say incontrovertibly that violent political rhetoric and the threat of political violence in this country comes almost exclusively from the right."

State Congressional Representative Democrat Linda Lopez

"...the shooter is likely, from what I've heard, an Afghan vet..."

(It was well known early on in the news cycle that Loughner had been rejected for military service by the army.--ed.)

Nah, nothing wrong with what these folks are saying, right? Nothing like jumping to conclusions before all the facts are in, right? Nothing like ignoring what little facts we do know about this lunatic, right?

So why no outrage from the left over this web picture I've posted in which the leftist website Daily Kos specifically puts a bulls-eye on Congresswoman Giffords? Because they're flaming opportunists and hypocrites, that's why. And flaming hypocrites project their foul stench onto everything with which they come in contact. (H/T to commenter Trafalgar who provided the link to this pic in the combox of this post over at HotAir.com entitled "The Shame--and Hypocrisy--of CNN."

These people disgust me. They'll do anything, and I mean anything to score political points, even at the expense of the lives and safety of people. Their feigned outrage at conservatives merely shines one more spotlight on their immense hypocrisy.

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UPDATE--See Updates to the Leftist Hypocrisy Post for additional links regarding the Arizona shooting and the left's attempts to blame conservatives for Jared Loughner's murderous rampage.

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Addendum

On a note of grief, however, below is Gretchen Carlson on a phone interview with Roxanna Green, the mother of young murder victim Christina Green. I can't watch this without tears streaming down my face. As a parent myself, this, perhaps more than anything else, angers and grieves me most. 9-year-old Christina was born on September 11, 2001.

It Just Keeps Getting Better and Better!

2010-12-09T01:20:00.013-05:00

On Monday December 6, 2010 I had the opportunity to once again meet with my favourite music artist, Grammy Award-winner George Winston. Earlier in the day I prepared the Petrof grand piano that he would be using on Wednesday evening December 8, 2010, at the Sellersville Theater. That Monday evening he came by the Grafton Piano & Organ Company's store in Souderton, PA to practice. He greeted both Glenn Grafton and me with a gift of his latest disc Love Will Come - The Music of Vince Guaraldi, Volume 2.

Although this was my third time tuning for him, I had several opportunities to interact with George this time that I did not have previously. And Tuesday night he returned to the store to give a workshop for local school students and musicians in which he discussed and demonstrated guitar and harmonica techniques, as well as his theories about harmonics and piano playing. My number three son Matthew was with me for the workshop and got to meet Mr. Winston.

From his early days of learning to play organ and piano by ear after listening to The Doors, Fats Waller, Professor Longhair, Henry Butler and others on records and tapes, to his thoughts on the rigidity of written notation, it was a great and informative evening. For me, the most instructive insight into his playing came when he said, "Why play with two hands what you can play with one?" In addition, George explained his need to recreate sounds on the piano and guitar and harmonica that other instruments make, at least giving an ethereal impression to the listener of instruments and techniques that a piano wouldn't ordinarily be able to produce. And so the secret to the Winston sound and style is not tracking and overdubbing (which I knew), but raw talent and, more to his way of thinking, "a whole lot of hard work."

My number two son Thomas and I arrived at the Sellersville Theater this evening about 7:00 so I could go over the piano once again before the performance. In addition, I cleaned up the unisons in the upper treble during intermission. The concert was fantastic, and I think I enjoyed myself more than ever. George performed some of my favourite tunes including "Colors/Dance," "Tamarack Pines," "The Cradle," "Thanksgiving," "(Love Echoes in the) Pine Hills," "Carol of the Bells," and many others.

Once again a great experience that is likely not to be repeated, and yet is, gets better each time. I hope I can catch him the next time he's in town and prepare the piano for his performance. It's very rewarding knowing that my small contribution helped to make for a very enjoyable evening for everyone. In addition, our local PBS affiliate WHYY was in attendance to tape the concert for future television broadcast.

Many thanks to George, Larry Rust, Glenn, and Dan Faga at the Theater for once again putting me on the verge.

(Photo of George Winston and Tim Roof courtesy of Glenn Grafton)

See more of Glenn's photos of George and me taken December 6, 2010 on my Facebook Page.

A Brief Look at John Newton's Amazing Grace

2010-11-04T14:52:00.004-04:00

I have been interacting with some folks over at Dave Armstrong's blog where the question of whether it is appropriate for a Catholic to sing Amazing Grace, a Protestant hymn, is being discussed. It's Dave's opinion, and seems to be the consensus there, that the hymn is not anti-Catholic and is appropriate for Catholics to use in worship. However, there also exists the viewpoint that the hymn is of Protestant origin and therefore is to be dismissed outright as heretical and inappropriate for the Catholic.

I have broken down the lyrics below to try to determine if those Catholics opposed to the hymn have a valid argument. This is by no means an exhaustive argument one way or the other. I don't know what verses specifically influenced John Newton. I'm sure that can be researched in the various Newton biographies. The reader may, in fact, find many other verses from which Newton's lyrics could have been drawn, (and better ones), but I'd like to suggest a few. At the end I will draw a few conclusions.

Amazing grace! (how sweet the sound)
That saved a wretch like me!
I once was lost, but now am found,
Was blind, but now I see.

7 What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body that is subject to death? (Romans 7:24)

4 “Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them. Doesn’t he leave the ninety-nine in the open country and go after the lost sheep until he finds it? (Luke 15:4)

24 A second time they summoned the man who had been blind. “Give glory to God by telling the truth,” they said. “We know this man is a sinner.”

25 He replied, “Whether he is a sinner or not, I don’t know. One thing I do know. I was blind but now I see!” (John 9:24-25)

17 You say, ‘I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing.’ But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked. (Revelation 3:17)

'Twas grace that taught my heart to fear,
And grace my fears relieved;
How precious did that grace appear
The hour I first believed!

24 The LORD commanded us to obey all these decrees and to fear the LORD our God, so that we might always prosper and be kept alive, as is the case today. (Deuteronomy 6:24)

16 Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need. (Hebrews 4:16)

16 But I received mercy for this reason, that in me, as the foremost, Jesus Christ might display his perfect patience as an example to those who were to believe in him for eternal life. (1 Timothy 1:16)

4 But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit, 6 whom he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, 7 so that being justified by his grace we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life. (Titus 3:4-7)

Through many dangers, toils, and snares,
We have already come;
'Tis grace hath brought me safe thus far,
And grace will lead me home.

9 For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you by his poverty might become rich. (2 Corinthians 8:9)

9 But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. (2 Corinthians 12:9)

The Lord has promised good to me,
His word my hope secures;
He will my shield and portion be
As long as life endures.

24 But I do not account my life of any value nor as precious to myself, if only I may finish my course and the ministry that I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of the grace of God. (Acts 20:24)

16 Now may our Lord Jesus Christ himself, and God our Father, who loved us and gave us eternal comfort and good hope through grace, 17 comfort your hearts and establish them in every good work and word.

Yes, when this flesh and heart shall fail,
And mortal life shall cease,
I shall possess, within the veil,
A life of joy and peace.

7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:7)

The earth shall soon dissolve like snow,
The sun forbear to shine;
But God, who called me here below,
Will be forever mine.

--John Newton, Olney Hymns, 1779

The final stanza below is an anonymous addition to Newton's hymn.

(When we've been here ten thousand years
Bright shining as the sun.
We've no less days to sing God's praise
Than when we've first begun.)

29 "Immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. 30 Then will appear in heaven the sign of the Son of Man, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. (Matthew 24:29-30)

Conclusions

It's obvious that we shouldn't take this hymn as being theologically exhaustive. It's not a confession or creed. There is no specific mention of, for example, (except by certain implication) the Holy Spirit, the sacraments, preaching, baptism, the Lord's Supper, and any number of other doctrines with which Catholics and Protestants may contend regarding the faith. Nor does it discuss the nature and mechanism of justification, the critical dividing line for Catholics and Protestants. The hymn is a reflection of Newton's own personal experience, as is the case with most of his hymns. One Catholic commenter objected to the hymn on the grounds that grace is operative in the sinner from the time of baptism, and not merely at the point where one first believes in Christ. I would point out that what is in view here is Newton's perception of grace, his recognition of it as it came to him, not the actual application of it to him by God. He is not saying that grace only put in its first appearance when Newton believed. If he had, that would be contrary to biblical and Reformed teaching, as well as Catholic teaching.

I welcome any further thoughts on the hymn, which is, as I said, much less doctrinal and more oriented to personal experience. Please feel free to comment and add any Bible verses that you think may apply.

Oh, the Irony!

2010-10-29T19:07:00.005-04:00

Courtesy of our old friends at NPR.

Carl Trueman's Short Response to his Critics

2010-10-27T14:22:00.002-04:00

Dr. Carl Trueman has responded to the readers and critics of his new book Republocrat: Confessions of a Liberal Conservative over at the Reformation 21 blogsite.

You can read my own review of the book here.

A Short Note on the Juan Williams Kerfuffle

2010-10-21T22:06:00.004-04:00

News analyst and commentator Juan Williams was fired by National Public Radio yesterday for daring to share his feelings of anxiety about being on an airplane with Muslims dressed in traditional garb since the 9/11 attacks. His story, in his own words, can be read here.

I regularly watch Juan on the Fox News Channel and appreciate his typically honest take on things. However, I think he does suffer from a little left-wing tunnel vision now and again. For example, his inability to factually state that Timothy McVeigh, the Oklahoma City bomber, was in no way a Christian. McVeigh was, in fact, a deeply disturbed person with an active criminal lifestyle who by both his deeds and his own words denied Jesus Christ, claiming that science was his religion. Nor can it be demonstrated that McVeigh was acting in the name of Christ or Christianity when he blew up the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building on April 19, 1995, killing and wounding hundreds.

Secondly, I have heard Mr. Williams frame the illegal immigration debate as an American hatred for any kind of immigration. This is both untrue and disingenuous.

Despite these two concerns, I still enjoy watching Juan and will continue to do so now that his work at Fox as a news analyst and commentator is to be greatly expanded.

And let's not forget what probably would have happened if the tables had been turned and Williams had been fired by Fox News. The left would have had a cow and cried "racism!" Funny how conservatives don't make that claim about NPR's reprehensible action though NPR has now fired the only African-American working for them on the air. Now there is none. How diverse, how tolerant our leftist friends are.

Book Review: Republocrat--Confessions of a Liberal Conservative

2010-10-18T21:05:00.030-04:00

Dedication

Since it is unlikely that I will ever write a book that would be published, I would like to dedicate this blog post to

Carl and Sandy

Brothers and Friends in Christ

and

Strangers in a Strange Land

May your sojourn among us

Be nonetheless sweet

There is rarely a time I am more acutely aware of my intellectual limitations than when I'm reading a Carl Trueman book, and this latest Trueman offering is no exception. He successfully accomplished at least one of his goals; to make the reader think. And I think my first impression is the most striking. When well into the book I found that there was little with which I disagreed. To read some of the book reviews, and indeed, Dr. Lillback's introduction, one would think that the expectation for the reader was to experience periods of chortling followed by spurts of outrage. Chortle I did. But outrage? Not so much. Perhaps that assessment is more a product of generalised expectation than reality. Or maybe I'm just not as lock-step right-wing as some others.

In my comments below I would like to make a distinction between what I consider to be liberalism as it has been classically known for the past few decades in the American Democrat party, and modern leftism, which is liberalism carried to bizzarre and extreme ends, and which now dominates that party, and from which the scourge of political correctness naturally springs. I am certain Dr. Trueman would fall into the former category.

Having acknowledged that a good deal of Dr. Trueman's book can be readily agreed with by conservative Christians, I'd like to say what the book is not. It is not a book about American civil religion. It's not a book about the evils of conservatism and the glories of liberal utopianism. Nor is it a book about theonomy, theocracy, religion in the public square, or constitutional rights. It was none of the things I was expecting, and so was a surprise. Popularly and clearly written, what I actually and ironically experienced while reading it is a sort of puzzlement.

Before I get into the book proper, however, I'd like to begin with a few general statements about my own political perceptions which I did bring to the reading of it. There's a popular liberal and leftist notion that American conservative resurgence is due in large part to the influences of conservative talk radio, the internet and the Fox News Channel. The thinking goes that conservatives swallow talking points from their entertainment masters like mind-numbed robots; not a direct statement by Dr. Trueman in his book, though he by implication navigates in that direction in his assessment of Christians who think uncritically. A more accurate assessment, in my view, would be that conservatives are drawn to Fox News because the commentary programs like O'Reilly, Beck, Hannity, et. al., regularly reflect their deeply held personal values and the frustration they feel living in a society where most of its major institutions are dominated by leftist ideals. Yes it's cathartic, and Dr. Trueman is right to be critical of the unthinking absorption of (possibly) erroneous information.

Now the cynic in me believes that the left, to a high degree, has abdicated their original and noble goals of concern for the poor, the underprivileged and the working class for the expediency of consolidating their own political power, an idea with which Dr. Trueman seems to agree. Previously at issue was not so much conflicting ideologies as conflicting mechanisms for accomplishing certain common goals. But the mantra of wanting to “fundamentally change America” later brought the shocking realisation that then candidate Obama meant that we should take him at his word. He really does want to fundamentally change America rather than merely repair America. The new realisation has struck that perhaps the goals weren't so common after all. And if Dennis Prager is right when he says that in the opinion of conservatives leftists are wrong, but in the opinion of leftists conservatives are evil, how could it not be taking the moral high ground to fight against evil with whatever means necessary and possible? Evil, of course, is defined by the left as racism, sexism, homophobia, neglect of the environment, and imperialism (among other things), imperialism meaning any military venture, no matter how nobly conceived and executed, which is perceived as having impacted the sovereignty of another nation in any negative way whatsoever. But good luck trying to get a devout leftist to admit that extremist Muslim jihadis, people who regularly murder innocent people, are evil. I've heard it tried many times. We're lucky if the word terrorist remains in the public lexicon.

Murdoch Bad / Fox Bad

Dr. Trueman spends some time questioning the character of Fox News owner Rupert Murdoch. That's fair, I suppose, though he seems to have a personal grudge against Murdoch due to Murdoch's having unfairly influenced British elections to the detriment of the British people. I agree that as Christian believers we should be aware of those under whose influences we find ourselves to a lesser or greater degree. But taking into consideration the backgrounds and character of the people with which President Obama has surrounded himself, do we really need to worry about Rupert Murdoch when we've got people under the direction of Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid writing a two-thousand-plus page healthcare bill mandate that no one has time to read, much less fully understand? Why is government-run health insurance (the argument as it should be correctly framed) superior to that which is to be found in private industry? And who in America believes that government naturally can manage such an enormous program better than the private sector? I suppose the IRS can manage the program well enough (/sarc) since that is the Obama administration's stated intention. And Dr. Trueman's point about the necessity of healthcare rationing as it already exists in the private sector is well taken. The difference is that a Rupert Murdoch can't mandate under threat of criminal penalty that I buy into every opinion to be found on Fox News, whereas if I don't buy government-mandated health insurance I will soon to be subject to fines, imprisonment or both by that same U.S. Government for lack of compliance. The power of the state is at issue, which far outweighs in practical realities the influences of the media. Again to quote Prager, “the bigger the state, the smaller the citizen,” that is, the individual. Is there really any question about that which I need to be more concerned?

I found that some of what was written in the book seemed to me so obvious that I wondered who it could possibly be that was making ridiculous statements such as “the Fox News Channel is unbiased.” Everyone has an agenda. After all, their slogan "fair and balanced" implies some kind of underlying bias; in this context one can only be fair and balanced toward one's opponent. It would be a mistake to equate "fair and balanced" with "unbiased," no matter who makes the error. I also wondered what Christians (or any conservative) would leave Trueman with the impression that we all sit trance-like in front of our television screens nodding in stunned amazement at every dewey word that drips from the mouth of a Fox News commentator. And since we have apparently abdicated our critical faculties to the post-modern cultural sound-bite, no real critical thought goes into the positions we take, nor is such thought necessary. Perhaps I am unusual, but as far as the internet goes, I actually click on the links to the source material embedded in the articles I read. If that were possible while watching the Fox News Channel on TV, and someday it will be, I'd probably do it there as well, assuming it wasn't too disruptive for the other viewers in the room. But I don't think I'm alone. In fact, I believe most people channel-surf to see what "the other side" is up to. It also struck me as odd that I should give much weight to the sinful flaws and inconsistencies in the personal life of the network's owner before I could identify with the political opinions expressed there, and make sound, critical distinctions.

Dr. Trueman also makes the point that Christians either seem unaware or have not fully considered the type of entertainment programming which is regularly aired on the Fox Network. I confess to finding this one of the more esoteric points of his book. Of course, Fox entertainment programming is not a part of the Fox News Channel. And admittedly, many of the Fox entertainment programs I would not call "family values-friendly." But I think that people regularly discriminate between the political programming of a Network and its entertainment programs. I certainly do. And isn't it my critical faculty, informed as it is by my faith, that lets me watch Fringe but pass on Family Guy? I haven't seen evidence that Christians watch Fox entertainment programming uncritically, and I really can't see dropping Fox News merely because of the network's other questionable programs. Here's an idea: channel up or down on your remote until you find a place where you're comfortable.

To my way of thinking, Dr. Trueman has misread, to some degree, the resurgence of political conservatism by in some ways (perhaps inadvertently) echoing certain leftist talking points about the inconsistent, uncritical (and hypocritical) nature of the conservative thought process. In this view, someone like Hollywood's Robert Downey, Jr. is to be lauded for overcoming decades of cocaine addiction through rehabilitation, but right-wing "bloviater" Rush Limbaugh should be shunned by conservatives as a hypocrite for his former addiction to pain killers. A tragedy of Christian compassion indeed. But the left has a lock on compassion, or so we're told by them. However, it's typically strictly reserved for "one of our own," that is folks who think like they do; not a very complex, nuanced or tolerant position to take. And a Rupert Murdoch, for some reason, is to be scrutinized by conservatives in a way that a George Soros is rarely scrutinized by leftists. Now I'm not suggesting that the personal character of individuals should not be a part of our considerations. But how far do we take it? Should Christians boycott corporations because of the alleged sinful behaviour of certain CEOs? Should I deny service to clients who I know regularly and consistently flout God's laws with their “chosen lifestyles?” What is the dividing line when it comes to that sort of considered judgement on my part?

The author's point regarding the sloppy use of terms and definitions on the Fox opinion shows should be noted and taken quite seriously. But competition in the public square for pompous jackassery is not limited, by any means, to the Fox News Channel. In fact, I would argue that bloviating bastions of bombasity are the sina qua non of today's leftism, moreso than on the right. The right's bombast is more popular and is more well known than the left's since the right's audience is generally much larger. Dr. Trueman makes mention of Rachel Maddow in the book, but she is hardly on the radar screen of most conservatives. Typically on either side of the equation the squeakiest wheels get the grease, and those on the left would be Keith Olbermann and Ed Schultz among others. But take Democrat freshman congressman Alan Grayson (FL). Not necessarily associated in any official way with any news or entertainment program, he has nonetheless imaged himself as a commentator of sorts. His comedy gold sketch about what Republicans think of healthcare reform, "Don't get sick, and if you do get sick, die quickly" is a classic statement of leftist hyper-rhetoric. I can't even bring myself here to discuss Keith Olbermann or Chris Matthews, much less Markos Moulitsas of The Daily Kos blog. And Ariana Huffington is about as relevant to accurate information as Dan Rather's forged George W. Bush documents regarding his National Guard service. I would like to have seen at least some acknowledgement by Dr. Trueman of a distinction between someone who escapes to Canada (or Oxford) to avoid the draft, and someone who actually does serve his country in the National Guard during that time, regardless of the “unfairness” of silver spoons and pulled strings. In addition, one would hope that Dr. Trueman would be as vigilant and as critical of Stephen Colbert and Jon Stewart as sources of “news” mainly absorbed by today's youth, which is their targeted demographic. And does anyone remember the Reuters doctored photos?

I also noted that the book makes no distinction between Fox News Channel opinion commentators and its real journalists. All are lumped together as if monolothic without regard to professional distinction. I would argue that one is hard-pressed to find more professional and better real journalists than Brit Hume, Bret Baier and Chris Wallace. And I'd enthusiastically pit the Fox News Sunday discussion panel of Brit Hume, Charles Krauthammer, and National Public Radio's Mara Liasson and Juan Williams against any other broadcast network or cable program. None of these folks is completely of one mind with the other, and rigorous but thoughtful disagreements regularly ensue.

Elites

Dr. Trueman discusses his views on "elitism" and the apparent accompanying hypocrisy of the right for choosing George W. Bush, the very model of an elite. But the problem is not one of conservatives being angry at elites for their wealth or station. If anything, the right generally looks much more favourably toward the wealthy than the left does. Class, race and sex warfare are the purview of the left. It is essential to keep the entitlement of victimhood alive in Democrat (now almost thoroughly far leftist) constituencies to accomplish the goals of consolidating their power through the natural inclination of disparate special interest groups to clash with one another over their respective political agendas. No, when conservatives speak of the elites, they are speaking mainly of offensive attitudes of both entitlement and superiority. Do we want our candidates to be the very best they can be? Of course. Do we always make the right choices? No. As Trueman says, we want the very best brain surgeon, the elite, to work on us. But I don't want the elite surgeon to remove my brain tumour by removing my whole brain. There has to be some critical thought about processes and degrees. But it's hard-wired into the American DNA, and I'm not sure this is something my foreign friends can understand; we don't like people who lord their positions over us, speak condescendingly to us, tell us that we don't know what's good for us and then proceed to thoroughly screw up our society. Democrats have been in charge of major U.S. cities for decades. How's that worked out for us as a nation?

Temptations for Believers

Those who have embraced our culture's consumer mentality to such a degree that they would quickly leave their local congregations giving the same amount of thought to it as to what appliance to buy and what store from which to buy it would do well to heed Carl Trueman's advice in this regard. The church is not a store, he says. To some degree we must look for a proper fit, but the temptation to ape the consumer culture through the endless search for the perfect congregation is both powerful and ubiquitous.

There is a real danger of conflating the gospel with right-wing politics, and this does happen all too often in today's American society. I would mention a recent example of this being Glenn Beck's Restoring Honor rally of August 28, 2010, of which, generally, I have little to complain, but some caution is warranted. Though this specific issue is not directly addressed by Dr. Trueman in his book, I'm confident that he would agree in principle. As it is, he did address the issue of too closely identifying conservative politics with conservative Christianity so directly that the two are barely distinguishable. I did pick up one thing from listening to Beck recently. His take on Obama's thoughts about "corporate salvation" is one that is not well informed by biblical Christianity, but rather is a mix of American Evangelicalism, Mormonism, rugged American frontier individualism, patriotic nationalism and a host of other influences. Not that I think the President's theological understanding is well reasoned either, being clearly heavily influenced by liberation theology, anti-colonialism, Marxism (by his own account in his own books), and a host of other suspect philosophies as well. The Bible describes Christ's Church as His bride; He died for His Church. As Christians we are elect individuals who nonetheless exist united through His Holy Spirit as one elect body in Him. We cannot be separated either from Him or from His people in any spiritual sense. Dr. Trueman sees as crucial the idea that believers think critically and be wary of inappropriately and unnecessarily making logical connections from some political consideration to some (even roughly analogous) religious one. Sound advice. The danger inherit in the Beck view is its uncritical acceptance of American individualism as the nadir of Christian soteriology.

The Economy, American Sovereignty and Premillennialism

Carl brings up another very important point. History demonstrates that economic systems come and go over time. Each generation was under the impression that their system was probably the highlight of human experience; that is, until the next one came along. So we as Christians should not fall into the trap of thinking that democratic capitalism is the penultimate economic system by virtue of being the most current.

However, I think there are other reasons that American evangelical Christians view capitalism as the high water mark of human society. One prominent biblical principle deeply embedded in the American evangelical Christian's consciousness is to be found in 2 Thessalonians 3:10-12:

10 For even when we were with you, we would give you this command: If anyone is not willing to work, let him not eat. 11 For we hear that some among you walk in idleness, not busy at work, but busybodies. 12 Now such persons we command and encourage in the Lord Jesus Christ to do their work quietly and to earn their own living.

These verses have a very strong influence on how American evangelicals view things such as welfare, social security and other government programs which they feel are hopelessly subject to fraud and abuse by both American citizens and the bureaucrats who manage those programs. And with the vast influx of illegal immigrants and the added strain on the entitlement system, the tendency is to dig our heels in deeper than ever. Rightly or wrongly, Democrats are seen as enablers of bad behaviour, the ones who want to give unlimited and unconditional handouts, whereas Republicans are seen as "holding the biblical line" against idleness. However, evangelicals are quick to point out that those who cannot work are excluded from the biblical injunction and are to be cared for by the Church primiarily, and society at large as well.

Another major influence, and I think this cannot and must not be underestimated, is the American evangelical's belief, and dare I say obsession with all things "end times." And since Premillennialism, particularly of the Dispensational type, is still the majority report among American evangelicals, any new economic policies are to be considered suspect. It is said that since the Antichrist is going to come out of Europe to bring a one-world political/economic/religious system, the faltering European Union, the corrupt and incompetent United Nations and any other such organisation must be dismissed out of hand as having satanic origin and purpose. The thinking is that we need to, at all costs, preserve our national sovereignty and reject attempts to bring America under the influence and rule of some world body of foreign authorities. The Antichrist is the Ultimate Socialist in this view; a one-world globalist bent on destruction. So anything that smacks of "socialism" raises red flags for a fairly large segment of the American electorate.

In addition, American evangelicals' views toward the nation of Israel are largely informed by biblical passages such as Genesis 12:3:

3 And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.

This, along with what Revelation has to say about the Jews effectively gives permission to American evangelicals to give carte blanche to Israel regarding how she manages her internal and external affairs. And so the danger for America, as many evangelicals see it, is to lose God's blessing on our nation for not supporting the Jews in every possible way. The tendency may be, then, to be completely uncritical of Israel most of the time, regardless of the times they may actually be in the wrong in their international dealings.

Conclusion

I'd like to see a follow-up to this book which explores in some depth the differences between American and European democratic principles, their history, development and consequences, and the implications for (particulary) American evangelical and confessional churches. And I'd like to see it set against the framework of the Westminster Confession of Faith Chapter 23: Of the Civil Magistrate. I believe that American Christians, especially those of the Reformed, confessional type, need to understand this better and would benefit immensely from such a work. If we're getting bad historical infomation about these matters, let's turn that around and get the best information available. For my money, Trueman and Finlayson are the men to do it. Collaboration! I say.

In the end, in spite of the difficulties I have with this book, I still highly recommend it. Those difficulties pale when compared to its value for making the reader think, especially in terms of being sure to slow down and think critically before passively accepting every sound bite that comes from one's favourite commentator or journalist. My heart goes out to Carl Trueman who is obviously not at home in the political landscape of American conservatism, nor can he find refuge in the Democrat party as it is currently constituted. But I suggest that you read his book. Only fools and horses will ignore what Dr. Trueman has to offer, and that to their detriment.

Republocrat: Confessions of a Liberal Conservative by Carl R. Trueman
Presbyterian and Reformed Publishing
2010
Paperback, 110 pages

Carl R. Trueman is the Vice President for Academic Affairs and Professor of Historical Theology and Church History, Westminster Theological Seminary. Carl has degrees from St. Catharine’s College, Cambridge, MA and the University of Aberdeen, Ph.D. Carl has authored many books, including; Republocrat: Confessions of a Liberal Conservative, Minority Report: Unpopular Thoughts on Everything from Ancient Christianity to Zen Calvinism, and The Wages of Spin: Critical Writings on Historic and Contemporary Evangelicalism. Carl also is a regular contributor to Reformation21. He is a teaching elder at Cornerstone OPC in Ambler, PA and lives in Oreland, with his wife, Catriona, and his two sons.

Good Books and Autumn -- Heaven on Earth

2010-10-03T14:04:00.008-04:00

Not the best Easton Press Autumn picture I've seen, but tradition compels me to post it anyway. It's not bad, but needs the cherry finish wood bookshelves and a bigger window displaying the beautiful Fall foliage. Is that too much to ask, my friends?

Bomblastic! Pilgrimsarbour Hits the Jackpot!

2010-09-23T12:00:00.005-04:00

Well, folks, it's been real. Thanks for all the good times. I'll be retiring from those interwebs now and taking in the high life! Please allow me to share with you my new-found joy at my good fortune!

From my new bestest friend in Africa:

Hello...I Need Your Foreign Asistance,

I work with a bank In West Africa,Burkina faso .I have a business
transaction for you.
In my department we discovered an abandoned sum of $10.5 Million US
Dollars .In an account that belongs to one of our foreign customer who
died along with his entire family in a Bomb blast in irag

Since his supposed next of kin died along side with him at the Bomb
blast,there is nobody to claim the left over balance in the account.It
is therefore upon this discovery that I and other officials in my

department decided to seek your assistance and present you to the bank
as his Next of kin. If you accept i would give you the guide lines of how we can achieve
this transfer of the balance (10.5Million Dollars) to your account..and
we will shear the money 50//50%.and note that this transction is 100% risk free
that you should not entertain any atom of fear as i have some docments to back
you up for the claim.I expect that you will give me your telephone and fax numbers for easy communication with you and for more details.

Trusting To Hear From You Urgent,

Mr.Hamidu Idris.

Wow! Now all my problems are over! I can thank my lucky stars for those Islamic Jihadis, eh? It all sounds completely legit to me. Although, I do admit to some trepidation regarding the fact that we are to "shear" the money. Rather than cut it up, couldn't we just launder it?

George Washington on the Human Condition

2010-09-04T16:19:00.005-04:00

"On my honor and the faith of a Christian, what I've written is true."

"If we're going to be a happy nation we must imitate the divine author of our blessed religion."

"The blessed religion revealed in the Word of God will remain an eternal monument [to] what human beings can do in their depravity to corrupt the best institutions."

--George Washington as quoted in George Washington's Sacred Fire by Peter A. Lillback

And the Offers Just Keep On Rolling In!

2010-09-03T01:17:00.012-04:00

Carolina Swampland for Sale!

I'm becoming quite a popular guy of late it seems! Who knew I had so many friends overseas that trust me so implicitly! Here is the latest letter of "faith" from a bereaved (and soon to shuffle off this mortal coil) soul:

Friend in Lord,

Please use this money for the churches and less privileged.

Greetings to you and your family in the name of God. In my search for a reliable and God fearing person and having gotten your contact through prayers and painstaking efforts I have decided to seek your help in carrying out my last wishes. My name is
Mrs. Marvis Smith . I'm a 65 years old woman and from my Country is Benin Republic . I was a merchant and owned two businesses in Dubai. I was also married with two children.

My husband and two children died in a car accident six years ago. Before this happened, my business and concern for making money was all I live for. I never really cared about other values in life. But since the loss of my family, I have found a new desire to assist helpless families. I have been helping orphans in orphanage /motherless homes. I have also donated some money for humanitarian needs in Sudan, South Africa, Cameroon, Brazil, Spain, Austria, Germany and some Asian countries. Only recently I saw on television the colossal loss of properties and livelihood people in Canberra, Australia through fire.

I was moving with great pity and compassion that I decided to make this contribution on assisting people over there, I kept US15 Million United States Dollars in a long-term deposit account in a Finance company here In Benin Republic.

Presently, I'm in a hospital where I have beenundergoing treatment for oesophagi cancer at Bright Life Memorial Hospital Benin Republic. I have since lost my ability to talk and my doctors have told me that I have only few months to live. It is my last wish to see this money distributed to victims of the fire outbreak in Australia and other charity organization. Because relatives and friends have plundered so much of my wealth since my illness, I cannot live with the agony entrusting this huge responsibility to any of them.

Please, I beg you in the name of God to help me collect the deposit and distributes it accordingly. Use your judgment to distribute the money and keep 5% of it to yourself. Feel free to reimburse yourself when you have the money for any cost you incur during the process of collecting and distributing the money. If you are willing to help, please reply as soon as possible. May the good lord bless you .

Please,send reply and all correspondences to my Email:

Regards,

Mrs. Marvis Smith

Confronting Irrationality at the Restoring Honor Rally 08.28.2010

2010-09-02T18:36:00.021-04:00

I found this video posted at The Blaze, Glenn Beck's new hard news website which he sponsors but does not manage. This confrontation took place at the Restoring Honor Rally on the mall in Washington, D.C. last Saturday. This woman attending the rally is approached by several of Al Sharpton's counter rally protesters. She is so well able to articulate and defend what she believes by backing up everything she says with facts and her own life experience that I can't blame the Sharpton antagonists for failing to engage her in any meaningful way and finally just walking away. All I can say is, I want her on my side!

Notice how the older gentleman's framing of the abortion argument is incoherent. First, he seems to believe that if a black woman is pregnant, the only options for her are abortion or adoption. The idea of actually bringing the baby to term and raising the child herself or in an intact nuclear family doesn't even enter his mind. But say for argument's sake that raising the child herself is not an option. To this guy, having an abortion is much preferable to living in poverty, again, as if that is the only alternative. The average person living a life of relative poverty and struggle has been the norm throughout history until only relatively recently in the west. Is he really arguing that it has always been better to terminate a pregnancy than to raise a child in poverty? Poverty is so much worse than death? What does this kind of attitude say to the rest of the world where there is real poverty, poverty of a kind mostly unknown in the west? In America, even the poor have cars, televisions and computers. And let's face it, the framing for the argument in this video is what's happening right here in America; it really does not take into consideration anywhere else.

Notice also his definition of hypocrisy. He calls the woman a hypocrite for not having adopted a child herself. So, if you believe in something but do not have the wherewithal to do it yourself, it becomes a non-option for someone else who is able to adopt? No, the hypocrisy, if any, would be if this woman railed against abortion and then had no qualms about having them herself. That is what hypocrisy is, not what this guy says it is. It makes me seriously wonder about the ability of folks in general to think deeply and rationally about that which they so condescendingly and passionately lecture others.

But what is always true is that there can be no sovereignty of God considerations when dealing with this kind of "argumentation" which dismisses, out of hand, His role in the circumstances of the believer and the non-believer.

Here is another video that you might find interesting. Can you say pwnage?

I posted the following comments on YouTube yesterday regarding this video. This was before I saw the rally video. My points dovetail with what our conservative friend said in the first video, and based on her comments I suspect she would agree with what I said. Included below is the response to my comments from one YouTube commenter. A little clarification: my first statement is in reference to the idea that leftists and liberals get almost all of their information from leftist/liberals sources, pal around with leftists/liberals only, and don't actually know or have any real conservatives as close friends. I've referred to this phenomenon as "inbreeding." My original YouTube comments are in blue with additional comments especially for this post in black.

Pilgrimsarbour said...
A little inbreeding goes a long way, it seems. Right, as if the "Black Community" is just one big homogeneous group with no one able to think independently from the collective. This is what the left thinks of African-Americans and those who prefer to call themselves (merely) black Americans. As long as they stay on the democrat/leftist plantation and don't stray into conservative territory, then the oh-so-benevolent white leftist masters will take care of them. All others can drop dead.

Jethro494 said...
They certainly do have the ability to think independently. And they've decided to shun the GOP en masse.

Pilgrimsarbour said...
The Dems and other leftist/progressives have succeeded in creating an enslaved dependency class that will almost always vote for them and keep them in power. It's a part of their condescension and true contempt for black Americans that they have convinced them that they can't make it on their own without white liberal masters.

As for the GOP having failed miserably at convincing minorities to embrace conservative principles and freedom, I can't argue with you on that.

One more point: you understand, don't you, the incredible risk black Americans take when they leave the Dem plantation to embrace conservatism and/or Republicanism? They are hounded from the midst of their communities as unfit to live with: they're called "Uncle Toms" and "house n*****s," threatened by union thugs and generally disowned by those who should know better. [Notice the clear example of this in the first video above at :22 where one woman implies that our conservative friend is "in the slave house cookin' for the master." Despicable]. Even the children buy into the idea that being well educated and articulate is a "white" thing to be shunned. [As one young African-American schoolgirl said about her well-spoken black classmate: "He talk like a white boy"].

I'm a registered Republican. But I'm not convinced, if the House and/or Senate should revert to Republican majorities in November, that the incoming folks will be able to do any better than the fools we have in there now. And I don't have a CLUE who I'll vote for in 2012. I haven't seen anyone I like (currently looking to run for President) that I think can handle the job and succeed at championing real conservative values--except for [New Jersey Governor] Chris Christie who should not run for a few years yet anyway. [Meaning that I would like to see him do well in New Jersey first for a few years, even two full terms before breaking out onto the federal government stage].

UPDATE--Runaway Slave

I've just watched this video which is an adjunct to the first one above. I spoke above about modern black Americans being on the modern Democratic plantation. I didn't know how prevalent that analogy is among black conservatives. Make sure you watch this.

Just Because

2010-08-31T20:45:00.003-04:00

Just holding my breath until the later Autumn picture with the beautiful fall leaves just outside the windows...

Cornerstone OPC Sermon Updates - Dr. Carl R. Trueman

2010-08-27T00:03:00.007-04:00

All right. So I haven't been good about posting the Carl Trueman sermons like I said I would. May you all forgive me, and, er, blah blah blah...

So here's the thing. I'm just going to paste as many links as I can to catch you up to speed. One sermon is not available, and there was a several-month lag in between. Otherwise we're all caught up now.

And while you're at it, feel free to check out the other sermons on my church's website. You'll find some there by the Rev. Dr. Richard B. Gaffin, Jr., our former Pastor the Rev. John Currie, and our new Pastor the Rev. Charlie Abbate and others.

May your attentive listening be edifying!

UPDATE:
Go to the sidebar link list to listen to the Carl R. Trueman Sermon Series on the Book of Judges

Better Than You

2010-08-22T04:20:00.004-04:00

With the November elections coming up on us fast I thought it would be a good idea to recap some of the greatest arrogant, mean-spirited, idiotic and condescending statements from elected officials to come our way in a long time. This is, admittedly, just a small sampling, and by all means I don't limit arrogance and stupidity to any one party. I've included Mr. Obama in the mix although he is not up for re-election this November. My purpose is to examine those who are currently in the majority and ask the question, "Uh, why is that again?"

Barack Hussein Obama, President of the United States of America on

Small Town Pennsylvanians

"You got into these small towns in Pennsylvania and, like a lot of small towns in the Midwest, the jobs have been gone now for 25 years and nothing's replaced them. And they fell through the Clinton Administration, and the Bush Administration, and each successive administration has said that somehow these communities are gonna regenerate and they have not. And it's not surprising then they get bitter, they cling to guns or religion or antipathy to people who aren't like them or anti-immigrant sentiment or anti-trade sentiment as a way to explain their frustrations. (source)

Abortion

"...I've got two daughters. 9 years old and 6 years old. I am going to teach them first of all about values and morals. But if they make a mistake, I don't want them punished with a baby." (source)

The Great Racial Unifier

"I can no more disown (Jeremiah Wright) than I can disown the black community. I can no more disown him than I can my white grandmother - a woman who helped raise me, a woman who sacrificed again and again for me, a woman who loves me as much as she loves anything in this world, but a woman who once confessed her fear of black men who passed by her on the street, and who on more than one occasion has uttered racial or ethnic stereotypes that made me cringe." (source)

"The point I was making was not that Grandmother harbors any racial animosity. She doesn't. But she is a typical white person..." (source)

Representative Alan Grayson, Freshman Democrat from Florida's 8th District on

Health Insurance Reform

"If you get sick, America, the Republican health care plan is this: die quickly. That's right. The Republicans want you to die quickly if you get sick." (source)

Getting Along With Others

"Scientists have studied for years this difficult question of why some people have a conscience and some people don't. Some people are called Democrats, and some people are called Republicans." (source)

"We're dealing with people on the other side who are utterly unscrupulous. These are foot-dragging, knuckle-dragging Neanderthals who know nothing but 'no.' (source)

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on

Progressives vs. Liberals

"My biggest fight has been between those who wanted to do something incremental and those who wanted to do something comprehensive. We won that fight, and once we kick through this door, there'll be more legislation to follow." (source)

Doing the Math

"Every month that we do not have an economic recovery package 500 million Americans lose their jobs." (source)

National Security

"The impact of climate change is a tremendous risk to the security and well-being of our countries." (source)

Obamacare

"But we have to pass the bill so you can find out what is in it, away from the fog of the controversy." (source)

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid on

The Great Unwashed Swarming into Washington

"My staff has always said 'Don't say this,' but I'm going to say it again. 'Cause it's so descriptive. 'Cause it's true. In the summertime, because the high humidity and how hot it gets here you could literally smell the tourists coming into the Capitol." (source)

Town Hall Participants Opposed to Obamacare

"They are evil-mongers." (source)

Jobs

"Today is a big day in America. Only 36,000 people lost their jobs today, which is really good." (source)

"Men, when they're out of work, tend to become abusive. Our domestic crisis centers in Nevada are jammed. It's the way it is all over the country." (source)

General "Betray-Us" and the Iraq Surge

"Now I believe myself that the secretary of state, secretary of defense and -- you have to make your own decisions as to what the president knows -- that this war is lost and the surge is not accomplishing anything as indicated by the extreme violence in Iraq yesterday." (source)

"No, I don’t believe him, because it’s not happening. All you have to do is look at the facts." (source)

"The situation in Iraq is not getting better, and it won’t until we change course." (source)

Racial Stereotypes

Barack Obama is a "light-skinned" African American "with no Negro dialect, unless he wanted to have one." (source)

"I don't know how anyone of Hispanic heritage could be a Republican. Okay? Do I need to say more?" (source)

Do I need to say more?

Heaping Hot Coals on the Political Left with Tolerance and Friendship

2010-08-11T13:02:00.004-04:00

Bridges, not walls. Elton John performed for guests at the wedding reception of Rush and Kathryn Limbaugh on Saturday June 5, 2010. Check out the Facebook page for more wedding photos.

Theological Understanding and God's Sovereignty

2010-08-03T13:37:00.009-04:00

I recently responded to a commenter over at Triablogue on a question involving Reformed theology and the nature of saving grace through faith.

Nascent,

Thank you for your comments.

This is why Calvinists are frustrated with those (Peter Lumpkins, for example) who say that Calvinists only think Calvinists are saved. Calvinists view Arminians (corporately) as true believers and brothers in Christ, in spite of whatever errors we see in theology because we believe in God's salvation accomplished and applied to His elect at Calvary. "Arminian" doesn't automatically mean "unsaved" to the Calvinist; after all, most of us were Arminian once. In my case, I would have to deny that I was a true Christian for some 17 years before embracing Reformed theology, and I don't believe that for one minute. The fruits of the Spirit working in my life say otherwise, and that's no "burning in the bosom."

Now granted, I may be at odds with some here, but I am confident that God has His people placed in most denominations, including Roman Catholicism, and He has them there to suit His purposes. If the Spirit reveals enough to them so that at some point they feel compelled to leave a particular congregation or even a particular denomination, then they should by all means do so. We rarely have an accurate idea of how our life impacts others. There are people there, wherever you are, who may need your sound spiritual guidance in many matters, and you may have doctrinal influence on them so that as you grow, they grow. All I'm saying is, let's try to be thoughtful about where God has placed us and obey Him accordingly. He knows what He's doing and will inform us on a need-to-know basis as He takes us from one point to another along the journey. Having said that, of course we have an obligation to follow Christ as intelligently as we can, by the right use of the means He has provided through the Scripture, prayer and the sacraments. But we always find new ways to improve our understanding over the years, do we not? We are (or should be) always growing, ever changing as He conforms us more and more to His image.

The point of all of this is, if I am going to be consistent in my view of God's sovereignty, I'm going to have to understand that He guides His elect into all truth in His time, not ours. How can it be that someone who is by all accounts a real man of God, one who loves Jesus Christ, and whose life reflects the fruits of the Spirit to all who came across his path, nonetheless had some doctrinal misunderstandings at the time of his death? The answer is because God is in charge of what we know and when. Even, if. If we are saved by God's grace through faith in His Christ, then we are saved by Him period, in spite of our wrong-headed thinking in some matters.

Finally, I would hope that every Arminian would embrace Reformed theology. But as I said, that is up to God's timing. However, I have grave concerns about those who rail against the doctrines of predestination and election. Those are Scriptural teachings, and if you're going to preach about what is in Scripture as being "of the devil, Satanic in origin," etc., now we have a new set of very serious problems. It's one thing to disagree about something and struggle to understand the Biblical teaching on it, but to refer to fellow believers of the Reformed variety as "Satanic" or "Nazis" cannot be ignored or dismissed. It evidences a very serious spiritual problem in the life of the slanderer which goes far beyond mere rhetoric and into the realm of eternal danger.

(Photo by Pilgrimsarbour: Tyler State Park, Bucks County, PA)

A Conversation with Sandy Finlayson

2010-06-30T16:20:00.001-04:00

I recently spoke with Sandy Finlayson, author of the book Unity and Diversity: The Founders of the Free Church of Scotland. My review of the book can be found here.

Sandy, in the preface of your book you touched on some of the reasons for writing it. Would you discuss some of those reasons again here?

The book was written, in part for personal reasons, because my Scottish Canadian background has given me many historical and family connections with the Free Church. Also, I served as an elder at the Evangelical Presbyterian Church in Toronto, which is a part of the Free Church of Scotland.

More than this, I was moved to write this book because I think this period of Scottish church history has something to say to the 21st century church around the world. The men who left the Church of Scotland in 1843 to form the Free Church were men of principle, they were passionate about the gospel and they placed a high priority on the church impacting the world. They were committed to confessional orthodoxy, evangelism and social action. In the book I mention that the

"…Free Church would become an influential force in the ecclesiastical life of Scotland and beyond. As the nineteenth century progressed, the Free Church had to contend with the issues of confessional orthodoxy during a time when the winds of theological change were blowing. The church also evidenced a desire to inculcate evangelical piety in the lives of its members and to put the gospel into action in the world. Its ministers, office bearers and organizations would show genuine concern for the social conditions of the poor in Scotland. Lest it be thought that this was a parochial church, it should be noted that it would be responsible for mission work in a number of parts of the world.

I hope that as people read this book they will not only learn something about a distant era of church history, but they will also see what it means for the church to implement the Great Commission then and now.

In the book you highlight the differing interpretations of what is called the "establishment principle" as the key to understanding the Disruption of the Church of Scotland which led to the formation of the Free Church. This principle is undoubtedly quite foreign to the typical American Evangelical in the 21st century. How you would describe it?

The establishment principle is based on the belief that Christ is both Head of the Church and King of the nations and Lord of all. As a result there is a link between the church of Christ and the state. Both institutions have been created by God and are to support and further the work of the other. This view is found in the Westminster Confession of Faith Chapter 23 Section 3 which states:

"The civil magistrate may not assume to himself the administration of the word and sacraments, or the power of the keys of the kingdom of heaven; yet he hath authority, and it is his duty, to take order, that unity and peace be preserved in the church, that the truth of God be kept pure and entire, that all blasphemies and heresies be suppressed, all corruptions and abuses in worship and discipline prevented or reformed, and all the ordinances of God duly settled, administered and observed. For the better effecting whereof, he hath power to call synods, to be present at them, and to provide that whatsoever is transacted in them be according to the mind of God."

In 1788 the Presbyterian Church in the United States removed this section from the Westminster Confession of Faith. They did so believing that this was consistent with the American belief in the separation of Church and State.

Although you have written articles in the past, this was your first book. Tell me a bit about your experiences with the writing process as it pertains to this obviously very personal work of yours.

As I began the process I have to confess I felt someone daunted because, as you point out, I’d never taken on a project like this before. After doing a good deal of preliminary reading I wrote the first chapter and provided an outline of the rest of the book for the publisher. After they sent me a contract I started writing! At this point I want to express my thanks to Westminster Theological Seminary who granted me a six month study leave during which time the book was written. Without the concentrated block of time I don't think I would have been able to complete the project, or at the very least it would have taken me a whole lot longer!

As I began I had a very helpful piece of advice from a friend who told me that the best way to write was... to write. What he meant by that was if I sat waiting for inspiration, it wouldn’t come and that I needed to discipline myself to write a certain number of words each day I was writing. Writing does beget writing and I was able to work up “a head of steam” as the project moved along.

When I completed a chapter I sent it to the two people who were editing it for me. When I gave them the chapters I told them to let me know if my writing was clear and if they found the chapter engaging. Some of the chapters came easier than others and many of them went through several rewrites. I also sent some of the chapters to experts in the field who provided critique and suggestions.

After I submitted the manuscript to Christian Focus they then sent it to one of their editors who went over the manuscript very carefully and provided me with feedback that was incorporated into the final draft.

You've been on the library staff at WTS for several years now. Tell me about your journey in the faith and how you came to Westminster.

I had the great blessing of being born into a Christian home where my parents were very active in a Presbyterian church. I grew up hearing good preaching, often from WTS graduates and occasionally from Professor John Murray of Westminster. I struggled with the faith in my teen aged years partly because of my anger at God over my disability. I eventually professed faith when I was a teen ager.

Coming to Westminster was quite unexpected. I had been working at Tyndale College and Seminary in Toronto for about nine years when one of my colleagues told me he had seen an advertisement in Christianity Today that said that WTS was looking for a Library Director and he encouraged me to apply. I did and after a lengthy interview process I was hired.

Those of us who are not in a wheelchair may be tempted to think of your anger at God as somehow being more justified than it might be in other situations. But I know you don't see things that way. How were you able to come to grips with your anger at God and your disability so many years ago now? And how did coming to an understanding of the doctrines of grace and the Reformed faith help you in this regard?

Coming to grips with my anger at God was an act of the grace of God in my life. I wasted a lot of time and energy being angry with God combined with wondering why he hadn’t healed me. It was only as God healed me of my anger that I was able to really function in life. The doctrines of grace and the Reformed faith which cause us to focus on the greatness of God, the providence of God and the love and mercy of God for us, are the only way to make sense of the world. There is a chapter I wrote in a book about all this.

So what's next for you? Any book ideas for the near future?

I don't have any ideas for the immediate future, but I would like to do some more work on Thomas Chalmers. The chapter that I wrote on him didn't even really scratch the surface of his eventful life. The other person who really interests me is Hugh Miller and while there have been some books written on him, I think there's more to tell.

Thanks for taking some time with me, Sandy.

Thank you, Tim, for your interest in my book and for this opportunity to “chat."

Elder Sandy Finlayson is Director of Library Services and Professor of Theological Bibliography at Westminster Theological Seminary. Sandy has degrees from the University of Toronto, MLS, and Tyndale Theological Seminary, MTS. Before moving to Philadelphia, Sandy served as an ordained elder in the Toronto congregation of the Free Church of Scotland. Sandy is married to Linda, who is the Administrative Assistant at Cornerstone Orthodox Presbyterian Church in Ambler, PA, and they have one son.

At Liberty University Anything Goes When You're On A Mission From God

2010-06-29T19:51:00.011-04:00

Today on Facebook I commented briefly on the Ergun Caner situation and Liberty University's response to his fanciful embellishments of his personal testimony. Below is a part of that comment with some additional thoughts added for this post.

To me this is one of the most disturbing and discouraging things to have happened within Evangelicalism in some time. This does nothing to advance the gospel; in fact, this is one giant leap backward for the cause of Christ in the world as we witness to non-believers in general and Muslims in particular. Any kind of witnessing in His Name requires honesty and integrity on our part. Isn't this self-evident to the Christian believer? But not so, says Liberty University, apparently. In addition, the Liberty decision and those surrounding Caner who unconditionally support him only end up driving a wedge further between the Arminian and Reformed camps since almost to a man it was Reformed leaders (as Christian critics of Caner) that tried to bring the truth to light. The evidence is beyond dispute: the Arminians staunchly opposed bringing the truth to light for the sake of their culture of celebrity, their worship of this man, and in Liberty's case, undoubtedly, the golden calf of filthy lucre. It cannot be denied that Caner's presence at Liberty Theological Seminary has been a big factor in the dramatically increased enrollment there, especially since 9/11.

Previously I had commented speculatively on TurretinFan's blog regarding this issue in a way that was intended to give Dr. Caner at least a measure of the benefit of the doubt:

Like TF, I have gotten the impression that Caner embellished his story, to his way of thinking, for the sake of the gospel. As a former Arminian I can relate to the Arminian angst of having to "win souls for Christ;" that is, "it's up to us to bring them into the Kingdom!" It is a particularly strong temptation for Arminians to embellish things in order to "close the deal" with the sinner.

The blessing of embracing the doctrines of grace is being able to leave these things entirely in God's capable hands. So we share the gospel with everyone, and whoever the Spirit moves toward Christ is who He wills it to be. The results of our obedience to share the gospel are His will to be done.

After further thought, I think Dr. Caner should lose his teaching position, barring any confession and repentance, which is a big consideration.

God will provide for his family. And maybe Caner will have to take up some other job in a different field. To what degree are we to shield someone's family from the consequences of sins committed by the head of that family?

But Liberty has now become the poster child for much of what is wrong in both Evangelicalism and our political system today. They not only allowed this to happen, they encouraged it to happen by their tepid actions (cf. Revelation 3:16) and in their unswerving support for a man who padded his resume seemingly for personal gain, and perhaps for some other considerations as I suggested above. But in any case, in the end, it's not Ergun Caner that I dislike, it's his foreign policy; the truth is foreign to him, it would seem.

Now I am forced to reassess those to whom I will listen and whose books I will bother to read. And if there are not any apologies and repentance forthcoming from these folks, that list may become quite long indeed. Will Christian brethren disappoint us? Of course. Will they repent? May God grant each of us, every believer in Christ, this blessing. But until that time, I cannot in good conscience recommend Liberty University and Liberty Theological Seminary to anyone--and I know of some who are considering these schools even now.

Is this the legacy Liberty desires to leave to the next generation? Lies, coverups, a slap on the hand, unconditional support; some minor recognition of "misstatements" and "discrepancies?" If I lose my car keys I've made a mistake. If I tell TurretinFan I was born in Waukegan and I tell James White I was born in Philadelphia, am I not lying to one of them? And perhaps I'm lying to both of them. Is this really so difficult to understand? Have we really become so inured to sin that we cannot even recognise it anymore?

What if the answer to that question is yes? Well, first I would say that I need to look at my own life and ask that question. It could very well be yes, at least from time to time. I may justify many actions in my life that are not pleasing to God. But isn't it also a consideration to ask if my actions go beyond offending God to offending others? Shouldn't systemic, institutional sin be rooted out with at least as much zeal and fervour as I would have Christ root out my own individual sin? Isn't institutional sin potentially even more heinous since it impacts so many others, and for years to come, in a way that my individual sins may not? And what of the damage that has been done and is being done to the gospel in the name of "circling the wagons" and covering one's own backside? If the answer to the question is yes, then may God help His Church for we are indeed undone. In the case of another Christian leader, when adultery becomes "relational mobility," and in the case of Dr. Caner lies are said to be "misstatements" and "discrepancies," can God's judgement of His own people be far behind? The only thing emerging in the Evangelical Church today seems to be tares among the wheat.

For it is time for judgment to begin at the household of God; and if it begins with us, what will be the outcome for those who do not obey the gospel of God? (1 Peter 4:17)

Friends and brethren, let us strive to not let the Name of the One who has saved us and brought us out of the darkness into His marvelous light be dragged through the mud. May we pray that Ergun Caner, Liberty University and Liberty Theological Seminary, and all those who unconditionally support Dr. Caner be granted repentance and mercy from our loving heavenly Father that they may still repair the damage they have done with this absurd display of faux discipline and unholy exoneration.

Pilgrimsarbour's Nook

2010-06-25T23:03:00.007-04:00

I thought I would post a picture of the place where original thinking begins. A place where the germ of enlightenment coalesces into the flowering of ideas of thought and form, of light and shadow, of substance and being. A place where all that is, all that was, all that will be, is observed, scrutinized, collated and delineated into its proper categories. Where original thought not only grows but thrives amidst the genius of intuition. A place where the very essence of brilliance drives the darkness out of the human mind to prepare for that light which would fill our existence now and unto the end of all our days!

But I couldn't get a picture of Dr. Trueman's study.

So here's the spot where I do my reading.

(Photo by Pilgrimsarbour)

I Have a New Friend and He wants to Sell Me Something!

2010-06-24T22:13:00.012-04:00

The Brooklyn Bridge

Today I received a very important e-mail from a new friend in the China:

Compliments,

This is my third instance of delivery this e-mail without any respond, I told
you as regards a deal on an investment account totalling 10.5 million dollars of
my late patron who bares the same surname with you.

My offer to you is that since I have elite right of entry to his file, you will
be made the recipient of these funds. On authentication, which will be the
details I make available to depository holding the funds, my company through our

lawyer will initiate the organization to make disbursment to you. You do not
have to have known him. I know this sounds a bit heavy and complex but believe
and trust me as it is attainable without hitch.

For your support, I intend we split the funds in half and share it equally. This

practice is not bizarre in the banking quarters here in the China. The other
option is that the funds will revert back to the state, where it may be shared
by statutory officials. Nothing ventured is nothing gained and that success and
riches never come easy or on a platter of gold. This is the one truth I have
learned from my private investment clients, We should act swiftly on this if you

are in accord.

please get back to me without delay, I am contacting you autonomously and no one
is informed of this letter.

Please do keep this off the record, I await your prompt response.

Best Regards,
Marcus Chang

Thomas Edison Restored

2010-06-20T22:51:00.001-04:00

Read the story of how some modern day Thomas Edisons reinvented a unique recording machine and brought some ancient and long-forgotten recordings into the digital age. This recording is from October 21, 1929 and is "one of the world's oldest surviving radio broadcasts, recorded on an obscure machine that General Electric developed in 1922 and called a pallophotophone -- which means 'shaking light sound' in Greek."

First Look: Return to Narnia on December 10, 2010!

2010-06-17T20:38:00.004-04:00

Trailer: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader

All right, so I want this...

2010-05-24T16:52:00.007-04:00

...is that so wrong???

(Photos courtesy of Mustang Monthly magazine)

And yeah, I know it's not the same car in both photos but I couldn't decide. Give me a break, will ya?

Book Review: Unity and Diversity: The Founders of the Free Church of Scotland

2010-05-22T02:45:00.012-04:00

One thing that is painful for me to admit is my lack of knowledge regarding certain detailed aspects of European history, that is, at least before the Reformation and since World War II. That being said, I probably stand somewhere in the middle between knowlegeably insightful at the one extreme and abjectly (and blissfully) ignorant at the other. But much worse than that, there is no excuse for not having spent any real time investigating the history of Christ's Church in Europe, particularly during the 18th and 19th centuries. Of course, over time I have managed a sort of cursory knowledge of people and events. One can't help but pick up both some general ideas and specific details by reading the works and biographies of certain 18th and 19th century authors. And some names wind their way into one's consciousness from reading, say, Andrew Bonar, William Cunningham and J.C. Ryle. But there is so much more to learn and so much available in the marketplace from which to draw, from which God would surely have us to be blessed.

One such book is Sandy Finlayson's Unity and Diversity: The Founders of the Free Church of Scotland. Now I have admitted to being as ignorant as any American Evangelical about Church history as it relates to Europe over the past few centuries, and particularly, in this case, as it relates to Scotland. One attraction of this work for me is its introductory nature, though within its own natural bounds it manages to present as more than a general overview of the Free Church and its founding fathers.

As an introductory work, Finlayson has achieved, in my view, a very good thing here. He has managed to dust off something which most of today's American Evangelicals would consider to be ancient, and perhaps irrelevant, and has brought a light to bear on the lives and works of as noble a group of faithful ministers as ever has been chronicled. Though a much different kind of work, naturally, than Calhoun's in-depth two-volume Princeton Seminary, I find myself as much greatly moved by the courage and convictions of these Scots who worked so hard and sacrificed so much to bring about and maintain the Free Church of Scotland, often to the detriment of their health, for the sake of the advancement of the gospel. For a book designed to be an overview, the author, in his portrayals of these great thinkers and doers of old, manages to go well beyond a merely basic factual understanding of their lives and motivations.

The book begins with a brief sketch of the history of the Church of Scotland at the time of the Disruption of 1843 and the major issues related to that event, culminating in the formation of the Free Church of Scotland. One such issue was in relation to the "establishment principle," which is referenced in the Westminster Confession of Faith, Chapter 23 Section 3 dealing with the relationship between the Civil Magistrate and the Church. As Finlayson says,

"Since we live in a day when most Christians take for granted that the church may regulate its own affairs, it sounds odd to modern ears that this should be a cause for major division in the church" (p. 17).

The concept of patronage had been in force for many years, even before the Reformation. Landowners would appoint Roman Catholic priests, and later Protestant ministers to churches. The principle and the law remained somewhat controversial and was openly opposed by some in the early 18th century. But even long before that several laws were enacted during the 17th century over the years variously establishing, abolishing and then reestablishing patronage laws. The ten years prior to the Disruption in 1843 were partcularly times of conflict over the interpretation of the state's rights in regards to church ministers and church property and was the immediate cause of the Disruption and the formation of the Free Church. Foundationally at issue was who had the right to call and appoint ministers, the state or the individual congregations themselves.

Controversy surrounding the "establishment principle" coupled with the new ideas of representative government together were the major forces bringing about the founding of the Free Church. When it was formed, many ministers lost not only their livliehoods in the Church of Scotland but also their buildings as well. This put me in mind of what happened in America to what was to become known as the Orthodox Presbyterian Church when it first began in 1936. Both in 1843 and nearly a century later in 1936, with buildings and properties confiscated by the parent denomination through legal claims, congregants of the new denomination would meet, at first, anywhere they could for worship.

The history of the Free Church continues to unfold in the book regarding new controversies surrounding the "regulative principle" of worship, while at the same time the church was constantly moving and growing its gospel and social outreach to the poor of Scotland and around the world. Missions work, the establishment of new theological institutions as well as new congregations in and outside of Scotland, and food and education for the poor were the hallmarks of the new church.

While these facts are necessary to ground our understanding in the historical events, the reader will find the book's biographical sketches especially of interest. Ten great Reformed men of faith, each one a thinker and a doer with a common goal and a unique approach to expanding Christ's Kingdom, are highlighted. Among these may be found names familiar to anyone who has read Reformed authors of the 19th century; Thomas Chalmers, William Cunningham, Hugh Miller, Thomas Guthrie and Andrew Bonar, to name a few. For me, seeing William Cunningham in context was important, having previously read and enjoyed his The Reformers and the Theology of the Reformation. It was also helpful regarding Andrew Bonar, whose biography of Robert Murray M'cheyne is due to be taken up by me again, hopefully sometime soon. It's always good when we can put a face to the brethren whose writings we've admired. As it is, each chapter provides a picture and biographical sketch of one of the founders of the new church, along with the author's astute comments on their place in these historical events.

It sounds trite but is true nonetheless; the more I learn, the more I realise I don't know. The footnotes are useful in helping to encourage the reader to look deeper into God's work in history through His Church militant. I'm grateful especially to authors who take a specialised interest in what we may deem to be "narrow" aspects of church history. But as Mr. Finlayson demonstrates, these events have far ranging and lasting impact on the Body of Christ. I hope many will take up this book and read, and thereby connect once again to at least one segment of Christ's Church, of which all true believers, wherever they may be found, are an integral part both now and into eternity.

Unity and Diversity: The Founders of the Free Church of Scotland
by Sandy Finlayson
Christian Focus Publications
2010
Paperback, 310 pages

Good Books and Good Looks

2010-05-04T01:20:00.006-04:00

Just because...

Reader's Choice of Literary Masterpieces at the Easton Press.

Ravages

2010-04-20T00:43:00.007-04:00

Among the other benefits of having a job where you drive around all day and enjoy the beautiful sunshine while looking at green pastures, lovely middle class to upper class homes, farms, horses and cows, is that of the post-tuning chat with the customer. After 27 years I have become so familiar with so many of my customers that we regularly talk for awhile after the work is done. Sometimes I even get homemade cookies to go, and quite frequently am offered water or some other beverage. I typically refuse beverages because I'm terribly afraid I'll spill something somewhere bad. But when pressed, I may give in so as not to offend.

Now most of these relationships are casual, cordial and mutually beneficial. But every once in a while you'll meet someone with whom you have a special affinity. You get to go beyond just surface chit-chat and get into some very personal issues. Some have confided in me about matters that are affecting the family. When appropriate, I have offered to pray for them. And it hurts when I discover that a customer for whom I tuned passed away shortly after the last tuning. We had scheduled the next appointment, but when I arrived, no one was home. A phone call a day or two later from the spouse clears things up, but I'm left a little shocked. Neither I, nor my customer (perhaps) suspected that that last appointment would be the last time we would visit together in this life.

But it's a different kind of passing that I experienced today, though it seems to me no less cruel than the ultimate, final ravages of sin in this world. I phoned a customer last night to remind her of our appointment this morning, which was arranged at our last appointment six months ago. But when she answered the phone, she sounded quite confused:

Mrs. Smith: Hello?

Tim: Hi Mrs. Smith. It's Tim. I'm just calling to confirm our appointment for tomorrow morning.

Mrs. Smith: Who is it?

Tim: It's Tim, your piano tuner.

Mrs. Smith: I didn't call for a tuner.

Tim: No, I know. We had set up a tuning time the last time I was out six months ago.

Mrs. Smith: Well I don't think I need a tuner. Nobody plays it anymore.

Tim: Mrs. Smith, do you remember me?

Mrs. Smith: No.

I had tuned for Mrs. Smith for ten years since I've been on my own and for longer than that while I was employed by an area piano dealer. After each visit we would sit down in her kitchen and talk about our families for some time before I needed to move on to my next job. I remember, many years ago, when she lost her husband, and we talked about that at that time. Recently, over the past few years, we would set up her next appointment for six months down the road. She would say to me, half-jokingly, "Well, if the Lord wills it, I'll be here in six months." And I would say, "Oh, I have no doubt you'll be here." And she would be.

But sadly, at 90 years of age, this time she was right.

(Photo by Pilgrimsarbour: Sunlight through stained glass shines on a Yamaha P22 church piano)

The Key to Holiness

2010-04-03T14:11:00.009-04:00

Trinity Great Swamp United Church of Christ, Spinnerstown, PA

(Photo by Stephen)

Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth. As thou hast sent me into the world, even so have I also sent them into the world. And for their sakes I sanctify myself, that they also might be sanctified through the truth (John 17:17-19).

"The church, and the Christian, and the gospel, are not so much concerned about removing the occasions for sin, as in removing from man the desire to sin.

Our Lord is saying, in effect, 'I am not so concerned that you should take the occasion for sin away but that you should take out of man the desire to take advantage of the occasion.'"

Martyn Lloyd-Jones, Sanctified Through the Truth: The Assurance of Our Salvation, p. 17

Being Careful with Analogies and Metaphors

2010-03-30T21:33:00.008-04:00

This is a reposting of some comments I made over at Dave Armstrong's blog regarding 1 Timothy 3:15 as it relates to Christ and His Church.

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I know Dave thinks Protestants typically don't understand analogies. I agree that we don't understand Catholic analogies very well sometimes. I don't mean Paul's analogy here, but the conclusions that Catholics draw from them.

For example, I think we're pushing this analogy of the Church and its relationship to Christ too far in order to construct a doctrine of an infallible Church. I won't repeat everything I've said in the combox here (Catholics may stop applauding, it's rude!). But let me reiterate a few points about this and some related to it for clarification:

PILLAR, SUPPORT, FOUNDATION

1) Paul calls the Church "a pillar and buttress of truth," (ESV), or "the pillar and ground of the truth," (KJV), speaking of the universal Church. Other translations sometimes use "foundation."

2) Paul calls the apostles the "foundation" (Eph. 2:20).

3) Paul calls Christ the "foundation" (1 Cor. 3:11).

4) Paul calls Christ the "cornerstone" of the foundation (Eph. 2:20).

5) John says of the Celestial City (which is the Church): "And the wall of the city had twelve foundations, and in them the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb." This reaffirms what Paul said in Ephesians 2:20 about the twelve apostles.

So the Church is the foundation, the apostles are the foundation and Christ Himself is the foundation. Christ is also the "cornerstone of the foundation." I was told in this combox that no building has more than one foundation. Well, when you're dealing with Biblical analogies, expect the unexpected. There are at least three distinct uses of the word foundation as it pertains to Christ and His Church in the New Testament.

THE CHURCH AND CHRIST RELATIONSHIP

1) Jesus Christ is the bridegroom and His Church is the bride.

2) In marriage, there is a mysterious union when the man and the woman come together and become "one flesh." So it is logical to conclude that in at least some sense Christ and His Church are "one flesh."

3) The man and woman in a marriage remain two individuals with all that entails, and each remains accountable to God as individuals, though they are said to be "one flesh."

4) Christ and the Church are "one flesh," but the Church is not Christ, just as the man is not the woman in marriage.

5) Christ is the Head of the body, His Church.

6) The body (the Church) cannot live without the Head (Christ).

7) However, the Head (Christ) can most certainly live without the body (the Church), not to say that the Church can be destroyed--but neither does this truth require that the Church be infallible. It is a repository of the truth. It upholds, supports and disseminates the truth. But because it comprises sinful human beings, it necessarily espouses both truth, and from time to time, error. The Church gets things wrong sometimes, and this is a direct reflection of our fallen natures. We will not be perfect as a body until we reach that glorified state at the Last Day and the consummation of all things in eternity.

My point is to make sure that we are doubly careful with analogies and not try to make them say more than they should. For these reasons, and some other presuppositional ones which should be obvious to those familiar with Reformed theology, I cannot conclude, based on 1 Timothy 3:15, that the pillar and buttress, or pillar and foundation, that is, Christ's Church, is infallible, though our Blessed Saviour and Lord most certainly is.

(Photo by Pilgrimsarbour: Bryn Athyn Cathedral, Church of the New Jerusalem, Bryn Athyn, PA)

A Few More Thoughts on Prayer

2010-03-28T16:39:00.010-04:00

The following is culled from comments to some Roman Catholic friends on the subject of Reformed Theology and prayer.

As a very young Christian in college, lo so many years ago, I was reading the gospel of John. While reading chapter 6, I was shocked and taken aback. I said to myself, "Is he really saying that no one can be a disciple of Christ unless God wills it to be so and gives that person to Christ?" Then I had discussions with friends of mine, one of which was "Reformed," though I did not know what that meant at the time. He confirmed for me that I was on the right track, though I understand you think I am not. I would agree, then, that with that new presupposition, everything else in the Bible I read that dealt with election, predestination, etc., was seen through the lens of my new understanding of John 6. I began to wonder what it truly meant that before knowing Christ I was "dead in sins and trespasses" (Eph. 2). I began to see that "you must be born again" (John 3) did not mean "you must born yourself again," which is a typically Evangelical Protestant way of looking at the passage; that is, God has done all He can and now the rest is up to you, which (in my view) certainly places limits on God's omnipotence and immutability. So the switch in emphasis from man's responsibility to God's freedom in mercy, grace and election, began at that point, though the full systematic ramifications of it all would not work themselves out in my life until many years later.

So yes, it would be an overstatement on my part to claim that the Bible alone was my sole source of Reformed doctrine, which I did not intend to do. I was, however, zealous to convey that I believe fully that the Bible teaches these things, apart from what others have systematically written on them. Again, I realise you do not agree.

I did not mean to overstate my case, and perhaps I did. What I meant to say was that I initially read something which was later confirmed by someone far more knowledgeable than I whom I respected. I realise that you would not read those things in John 6 and other passages, but I am merely trying to clarify what I meant. On the other hand, my Catholic friends would do well to acknowledge reading the Scriptures through the Roman Catholic lens as well, especially concerning passages pertaining to Mary, the Saints, and other Roman Catholic distinctives.

Regarding what you posted on the "ransom to Satan" concept, I have never believed, even in my pre-Reformed days, (that is, I was never taught and cannot find it in the Scriptures), that Jesus' death was a ransom paid to Satan. I'm sure there are some Protestants who wrongly think and teach that. I don't know who they are; you may be able to point me to some Evangelical authors (who I suspect are not Reformed). The immediate problem is that the idea seems to create a cosmic dualism mentality--that Satan is on a par with God in his attributes, as if he were (particularly) omnipotent, omnipresent, omniscient and so forth. Satan is a created, fallen being, not on a par with God. This I learned very early on.

As far as praying for forgiveness when it has already been assured, I would say this: there is always a future expectation and hope which is not fully accessible by the present reality. There is the eschatological reality of the already and the not yet; that is, in this case, redemption as it is accomplished and applied. There is a natural tension between what Christ has accomplished at the cross and its application to us in the fullness of time and into eternity. We remain, after all, both sinners and saints. Simul justus et peccator I think Luther said. I know you don't agree with that statement, but again, just trying to clarify my position.

As another example of the already and the not yet, one might say, the Holy Spirit is called "the earnest of our inheritance" in anticipatory hope in Ephesians 1:

12 That we should be to the praise of his glory, who first trusted in Christ.

13 In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise,

14 Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory (KJV).

We have Him fully now in our sanctification as He leads us into all truth and causes us to grow in grace and strength in the Lord. And yet we do not have Him fully. He is the earnest, the downpayment, the gurantee of our salvation in Christ which is both now and is yet to come. It's both/and, not either/or.

Likewise, our forgiveness in Christ is both already and not yet. While we are assured of forgiveness, in much the same way as a child asks forgiveness from his father, knowing full well that he has it, nonetheless expresses to his father his sorrow at having disobeyed and disappointed him. The acknowledgement of sin is the first step to the reconciliation which has already been accomplished at the cross of Christ and which will be fully realised at the consummation of all things at the end of history when Christ returns and grants to us our glorified, resurrected bodies.

(Photo by Pilgrimsarbour: St. Matthew's Evangelical Lutheran Church, Perkasie, PA)

A Few Thoughts on Prayer

2010-03-27T14:31:00.009-04:00

I was asked a question recently regarding prayer. The gist of it was this: "Why would you pray for forgiveness if your sins have all been paid for?" I responded with the following comment, which I will expand a little here.

Aside from the question of obedience to what Christ and His apostles have commanded, I pray because it is the mechanism God has ordained by which we communicate with Him. If I want to know and understand someone better, the best way to do that is to talk to him. Likewise, we grow closer to Christ and know and understand Him better by talking to Him, and He to us through His Word. Without that communication, our growth in Christ is sure to be stunted. It's cause and effect, but it's not God who is effected by my prayer--it's me. This is not to say that God does not respond to our prayers. Indeed, He always answers our prayers. His answer may be "yes," or it may be "no." It could even be "wait." But whatever it is, we can rest in the sure knowledge that it is all for the believer's good, as God defines it, even if we can't see how at the time, or ever, in this life on earth (cf. Romans 8:28; 1 Corinthians 13:12).

But why specifically ask for forgiveness when it has already been granted at the cross and conferred upon those He has called as His own? Because He is Holy, Holy, Holy. I need to be consciously aware of the ways in which I have offended Him on a daily basis. He has given us His Holy Spirit as "the earnest of His inheritance." He is committed to sanctifying us, growing us in His grace. As the apostle Paul says,

For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them (Ephesians 2:10).

He has paid for my sins in a specific point in time, and from all eternity. But I can only perceive my sins in a linear way in time. He has paid for sins I have no idea I will commit yet. I can think of it this way: every sin I commit is in a very real sense one more excrutiating agony I caused him on the cross all those years ago from my perspective. "Maybe," we can reason, "if I consciously work to sin less, that is one less pain I put Him through all those years ago." A little mind-boggling, perhaps, and maybe a wee bit theologically suspect, but it works for me.

Although the following is a only a screenwriter's quote from the movie Shadowlands, it nonetheless adequately expresses C.S. Lewis' thoughts on the matter of prayer:

"I pray because I can't help myself. I pray because I'm helpless. I pray because the need flows out of me all the time--waking and sleeping. It doesn't change God, it changes me."

I don't believe I can "change God's mind" through prayer as He is immutable. But what I can do is acknowledge my sins in real time which leads to my repentance in real time. I'll grow through His grace and be a better representative of Christ, which befits a child of the King. And I'll be better equipped for the good works He has planned from all eternity for me to do. Prayer changes me.

12 Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, 13 for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure (Philippians 2: 12-13).

(Picture: "The Hour of Prayer" by Thomas Kinkade)

Best Political Ad Evah!

2010-03-13T22:59:00.006-05:00

I found this video embedded over at Hot Air.

Now I have little at stake in the California elections, aside from the fact that I can't stand that statist/elitist condescending leftynut Barbara Boxer and want to see her booted out of the Senate. But this has to be one of the best political ads I've ever seen. Kudos to the Carly Fiorina team for pulling this off. An homage to Monty Python, perhaps? Stick with it until the end--it's worth it. That massive swelling is going down!

Yet Another Winston Post?

2010-03-10T22:23:00.015-05:00

by Pilgrimsarbour

Another Winston post so soon, you ask? Well, I just received my copy in the mail today of his latest album, Love Will Come - The Music of Vince Guaraldi Volume 2. Interestingly, the version I received has a bonus track because I ordered it as an exclusive through Barnes and Noble.

Once again we are treated to the music of Vince Guaraldi as it was heard in the many Charlie Brown TV specials over the years before Guaraldi's untimely death in 1976. As always, though the cues are familiar, it's Winston's spin on the tunes that makes this album extra cool.

If you like the jazz sound of the Peanuts specials, this is a great supplement to Winston's first Guaraldi album Linus & Lucy - The Music of Vince Guaraldi.

Click here to listen to the album on the George Winston website. Scroll the audio player's track listing until you find the highlighted track playing.

Track Listing

01. Time For Love

02. It was a Short Summer, Charlie Brown

03. Macedonia / Little David

04. Woodstock

05. Fenwyck's Farfel / Calling Dr. Funk

06. Room at the Bottom

07. Air Music

08. Be My Valentine, Charlie Brown

09. You're Elected, Charlie Brown / Little Birdie

10. Brasilia

11. Jambo's (Casaba)

12. Pebble Beach / Dolores Park

13. Love Will Come / Slow Dance

14. Rain, Rain, Go Away

15. Nobody Else

16. Love Will Come 2

B & N Bonus Track

17. Charlie Brown's Baseball Theme