Monday, January 28, 2008
Fund Raiser
(This was a fund-raising 'Chip-In' widget to support the Ron Paul campaign in North Carolina.)
Saturday, January 5, 2008
New Hampshire Debates - we were lucky
Dr. Paul did not look well on Saturday night. He looked exhausted, and also a little confused. I think it was clear that he got the least face time of all the candidates. I also think it's a blessing in disguise that the FOX effort was cancelled. They are still not our friends, but the NH GOP took the opportunity to appear 'principled' and I think not having another debate works to our advantage.
Dr. Paul differentiates himself by being the only candidate who stands for the RULE OF LAW. This is significant, and instead of addressing issue-this or issue-that, he needs to rise above all the "me, too!" offered by both parties, and hold every one of them accountable to the Constitution. Even when asked about his core principles, he hit maybe a ground rule double when he should have hit that one out of the park.
We are tired of tyranny. We've seen enough rule by well-intentioned men who think that anything worth doing should be done and managed by the Federal government. And we need to hit all these tyrants with that concept over and over and over again. We need to remind the body politic that if ANY proposed course of action does not pass Constitutional muster, it must be rejected, and that any pretender to the Presidency who will ignore the Constitution is not worthy of anyone's vote.
Before we know it, all kinds of other candidates will be launching campaigns for judgeships, State senators, U.S. Congress, sheriffs, etc. etc. And we owe it to the electorate to raise up a clear standard, that standard being the Constitution. We need to tell them over and over again that we are replacing a government of men with a government of law. That's what this Revolution is all about. We want our freedom back, and we will never get it back as long as we support people who refuse to obey the law. We need to urge every voter or potential voter to turn off the tube for 20 minutes and read the Constitution (and a downloadable PDF copy should be available on every web site that supports Ron Paul).
Finally, I would suggest a series of radio spots along the lines of:
These can be mp3 files on the web site that we can download and play on local radio stations, pass on to friends, or even call local call-in radio shows and play through the phone and over the air. Dr. Paul's answers and issue statements should be salted with direct quotes from the Constitution.
We ... as Ron Paul supporters ... need to be totally conversant in the Constitution. The defining issue of this campaign is nothing less than the future of our country, and perhaps of the free world, and that issue is this: Are we a nation of law? Either we will be a nation of law or we will be a nation of tyrants. We either elect a President or we get a king. Hillary recently responded to a hard question by having the questioner hauled out of the meeting and tasered. This while she is campaigning to get people to like her and trust her. What she will do if elected is anyone's guess, but almost all of our Republican candidates are cut from the same cloth.
Feel free to forward this, read it on your program, whatever. Most important is to get these ideas before Dr. Ron or Dr. Rand.
Let freedom ring!
Dr. Paul differentiates himself by being the only candidate who stands for the RULE OF LAW. This is significant, and instead of addressing issue-this or issue-that, he needs to rise above all the "me, too!" offered by both parties, and hold every one of them accountable to the Constitution. Even when asked about his core principles, he hit maybe a ground rule double when he should have hit that one out of the park.
We are tired of tyranny. We've seen enough rule by well-intentioned men who think that anything worth doing should be done and managed by the Federal government. And we need to hit all these tyrants with that concept over and over and over again. We need to remind the body politic that if ANY proposed course of action does not pass Constitutional muster, it must be rejected, and that any pretender to the Presidency who will ignore the Constitution is not worthy of anyone's vote.
Before we know it, all kinds of other candidates will be launching campaigns for judgeships, State senators, U.S. Congress, sheriffs, etc. etc. And we owe it to the electorate to raise up a clear standard, that standard being the Constitution. We need to tell them over and over again that we are replacing a government of men with a government of law. That's what this Revolution is all about. We want our freedom back, and we will never get it back as long as we support people who refuse to obey the law. We need to urge every voter or potential voter to turn off the tube for 20 minutes and read the Constitution (and a downloadable PDF copy should be available on every web site that supports Ron Paul).
Finally, I would suggest a series of radio spots along the lines of:
Hi, I'm Ron Paul, Republican candidate for President.
During this campaign, you will continue to hear candidates for various positions as they offer their solutions to the many problems our country is now facing. How can an intelligent voter decide which solutions are best?
Might I suggest a simple test that is often overlooked? Just look in the U.S. Constitution and see for yourself if the law gives authority for the solution proposed. For instance, a candidate may universal health care. However, the Constitution does not grant the Federal government authority to meddle with health care at all. The Constitutiont says, "the powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution ... are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people," and the Constitution is the Supreme Law of the Land.
The lawful and moral answer then becomes clear: Health care is a matter for families, the free market, and perhaps state governments. History has also shown us that this is the right path. Since the Federal government began meddling in medicine, health care in this country has gotten worse.
Be an informed voter. Visit our web site for a free copy of the Constitution.
I'm Ron Paul, and I endorse this message.
These can be mp3 files on the web site that we can download and play on local radio stations, pass on to friends, or even call local call-in radio shows and play through the phone and over the air. Dr. Paul's answers and issue statements should be salted with direct quotes from the Constitution.
We ... as Ron Paul supporters ... need to be totally conversant in the Constitution. The defining issue of this campaign is nothing less than the future of our country, and perhaps of the free world, and that issue is this: Are we a nation of law? Either we will be a nation of law or we will be a nation of tyrants. We either elect a President or we get a king. Hillary recently responded to a hard question by having the questioner hauled out of the meeting and tasered. This while she is campaigning to get people to like her and trust her. What she will do if elected is anyone's guess, but almost all of our Republican candidates are cut from the same cloth.
Feel free to forward this, read it on your program, whatever. Most important is to get these ideas before Dr. Ron or Dr. Rand.
Let freedom ring!
Thursday, December 20, 2007
Blogging Techniques Offer from Simpleology
I'm evaluating a multi-media course on blogging from the folks at Simpleology. For a while, they're letting you snag it for free if you post about it on your blog.
It covers:
- The best blogging techniques.
- How to get traffic to your blog.
- How to turn your blog into money.
I'll let you know what I think once I've had a chance to check it out. Meanwhile, go grab yours while it's still free.
Saturday, December 8, 2007
Christmas - my irreverent thoughts
My bottom line on Christmas is simply this: it's a secular/pagan holiday that does NOT honor Christ, does NOT advance the gospel, and basically leaves people with warm and fuzzy sentimentality while (hopefully) emptying their pockets. The biggest smiles and the merriest Christmas belong to the retailers. January is doubly bleak, because the weather is usually disagreeable, and the bills come in.
Jehovah's Witnesses have hit this one right (and they are also right on the Pledge of Allegiance). Christmas is not for Christians. When you celebrate your birthday (if you do), do you break out your baby pictures? Do you relate a historically incorrect rendition of your birth? If not, then why is this done for Jesus Christ?
It's just Saturnalia, folks: A Pagan Holiday in drag. No "Christmas" before about the 4th Century, when the political powers that then existed apparently realized that the only way to control the Christians was to infiltrate them, something very difficult when the church was underground. So they made Christianity the 'official religion' of the Roman Empire, something to which the church never aspired.
And guess what? Same deal today: "Christianity" is the "official religion" of America, and the government (our pagan masters) controls the whole show through its network of 501(c) 3 franchises that dot the landscape.
Have you ever seen an "American Flag" in a church building? Why is that? Just who do they serve? Do they collect taxes from the folks who work there? Are they under submission to Federal, state, and local civil governments? If so, why? Perhaps because the "Jesus" they serve is also under submission - a FALSE CHRIST (that's what "antichrist" means, by the way) that has been manufactured for people who don't really want the real One.
Hmmmmm.
Jehovah's Witnesses have hit this one right (and they are also right on the Pledge of Allegiance). Christmas is not for Christians. When you celebrate your birthday (if you do), do you break out your baby pictures? Do you relate a historically incorrect rendition of your birth? If not, then why is this done for Jesus Christ?
It's just Saturnalia, folks: A Pagan Holiday in drag. No "Christmas" before about the 4th Century, when the political powers that then existed apparently realized that the only way to control the Christians was to infiltrate them, something very difficult when the church was underground. So they made Christianity the 'official religion' of the Roman Empire, something to which the church never aspired.
And guess what? Same deal today: "Christianity" is the "official religion" of America, and the government (our pagan masters) controls the whole show through its network of 501(c) 3 franchises that dot the landscape.
Have you ever seen an "American Flag" in a church building? Why is that? Just who do they serve? Do they collect taxes from the folks who work there? Are they under submission to Federal, state, and local civil governments? If so, why? Perhaps because the "Jesus" they serve is also under submission - a FALSE CHRIST (that's what "antichrist" means, by the way) that has been manufactured for people who don't really want the real One.
Hmmmmm.
"We Are The Borg"
Star Trek - The Next Generation had, as one of the nemeses of the Enterprise crew, a foe called The Borg. This was a community of people who submerged their identities into the collective and, by technological means, became completely interactive with each other. The goal of The Borg was to assimilate everyone and, of course, this meant overcoming the resistance of any who did not wish to become part of the Borg collective.
I leave it to you, reader, to determine if that's the direction we're going and, if so, whether we really want to go there. I fear that when a lot of people decide they don't want to go there, it will already be too late.
Unless, of course, we experience one of those 'singularities' that takes out our technology and puts us back where we were in the 19th century.
For myself, I'm 'tech'd out' so to speak -- I've had too much of what our technological world offers and I'm tired of it. That's why I haven't blogged in the past three months and why I'm not renewing my web sites. I fear that it can only get worse, and that possibility does not excite me.
I leave it to you, reader, to determine if that's the direction we're going and, if so, whether we really want to go there. I fear that when a lot of people decide they don't want to go there, it will already be too late.
Unless, of course, we experience one of those 'singularities' that takes out our technology and puts us back where we were in the 19th century.
For myself, I'm 'tech'd out' so to speak -- I've had too much of what our technological world offers and I'm tired of it. That's why I haven't blogged in the past three months and why I'm not renewing my web sites. I fear that it can only get worse, and that possibility does not excite me.
Friday, September 21, 2007
We Are Not Professionals
I just finished reading John Piper's plea to pastors, entitled Brothers, We Are NOT Professionals in which he outlines what he calls an appeal for "radical ministry." The word 'radical' comes from the Latin word 'radix' meaning 'root.' Ironically, radical ministry today just means getting back to the roots -- the basics -- of what ministry was when the apostles lived.
My thanks to Jim Hatfield for recommending it.
The book was published in 2002 and I don't know how long it takes for something like this to gain traction in the 'marketplace of ideas' but I sincerely hope, in this case, that it's quickly. It targets pastors, but since a pastor is a spiritual shepherd, the lessons apply to anyone in the Body who has a leadership role relating to anyone else. Fathers are 'pastors' of their families and church staff members similarly are in leadership positions.
Read it and then return to this blog and post your thoughts.
My thanks to Jim Hatfield for recommending it.
The book was published in 2002 and I don't know how long it takes for something like this to gain traction in the 'marketplace of ideas' but I sincerely hope, in this case, that it's quickly. It targets pastors, but since a pastor is a spiritual shepherd, the lessons apply to anyone in the Body who has a leadership role relating to anyone else. Fathers are 'pastors' of their families and church staff members similarly are in leadership positions.
Read it and then return to this blog and post your thoughts.
Thursday, September 20, 2007
Taking Hell Seriously
Bill Weise (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ho9iA2pJ9SM) claims that in 1998 he had an out-of-body experience in which he visited hell.
This is, to me, a very sobering thought. Today, it's theologically fashionable to postulate that either everyone will be eventually saved, or that hell is not really that serious; that is, either it's not permanent or the flames aren't really that hot.
Or that it's all parables and figures of speech ... I won't catalog all the theories; just ask any ten church-goers and you'll hear plenty.
Weise and those who interview him tend to think that this experience, and Weise's relating of it, are intended to energize the believers in their efforts at 'soul-winning.' I'm too Reformed to accept that, and think the problem the Lord is addressing lies elsewhere.
Of course, it's also evangelically fashionable to believe that the Lord is basically very satisfied with us: our attitudes, our lifestyles, our effervescent worship services, etc. So we're lagging a bit in the area of personal evangelism and He sends us a wake-up call in the person of Bill Weise, and the message is "Get out there and witness! Your neighbors will go to hell if you don't warn them!"
As I said, some Reformed thinkers may find this problematic. I certainly don't believe the Lord will allow someone to perish because I am disobedient. We can pursue this later (or write me). I think the real problem is ingratitude in the Body. We Christians don't really believe that being saved from hell was all that big a deal, so we lack gratitude for what Christ has done for us.
Check out the video. More importantly, check out what the Bible has to say about hell. Read Jonathan Edwards' classic Sinners In The Hands of an Angry God. Meditate on what God says you were like, and what condition you were in, before you were saved. Then thank God for His grace toward you, and for the mighty deliverance that was wrought for you in Christ. A flat tire, a layoff, a serious disease, a tax levy -- none of these should be even considered as evidence against God's passionate love for you in light of your deliverance from hell. So don't insult Him (as I confess I have) by questioning His love and compassion because of the temporary inconveniences of this brief experience we call life. I don't know what you may be going through right now, but no matter what it is, it sure beats hell.
This is, to me, a very sobering thought. Today, it's theologically fashionable to postulate that either everyone will be eventually saved, or that hell is not really that serious; that is, either it's not permanent or the flames aren't really that hot.
Or that it's all parables and figures of speech ... I won't catalog all the theories; just ask any ten church-goers and you'll hear plenty.
Weise and those who interview him tend to think that this experience, and Weise's relating of it, are intended to energize the believers in their efforts at 'soul-winning.' I'm too Reformed to accept that, and think the problem the Lord is addressing lies elsewhere.
Of course, it's also evangelically fashionable to believe that the Lord is basically very satisfied with us: our attitudes, our lifestyles, our effervescent worship services, etc. So we're lagging a bit in the area of personal evangelism and He sends us a wake-up call in the person of Bill Weise, and the message is "Get out there and witness! Your neighbors will go to hell if you don't warn them!"
As I said, some Reformed thinkers may find this problematic. I certainly don't believe the Lord will allow someone to perish because I am disobedient. We can pursue this later (or write me). I think the real problem is ingratitude in the Body. We Christians don't really believe that being saved from hell was all that big a deal, so we lack gratitude for what Christ has done for us.
Check out the video. More importantly, check out what the Bible has to say about hell. Read Jonathan Edwards' classic Sinners In The Hands of an Angry God. Meditate on what God says you were like, and what condition you were in, before you were saved. Then thank God for His grace toward you, and for the mighty deliverance that was wrought for you in Christ. A flat tire, a layoff, a serious disease, a tax levy -- none of these should be even considered as evidence against God's passionate love for you in light of your deliverance from hell. So don't insult Him (as I confess I have) by questioning His love and compassion because of the temporary inconveniences of this brief experience we call life. I don't know what you may be going through right now, but no matter what it is, it sure beats hell.
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