Common Sense

Common Sense and the U.S. Constitution win again. Thank you SCOTUS.

Supreme Court Backs Abortion Protesters

WASHINGTON (AP) - The Supreme Court dealt a setback Tuesday to abortion clinics in a two-decade-old legal fight over anti-abortion protests, ruling that federal extortion and racketeering laws cannot be used to ban demonstrations.

To your health

I was going to give up chocolate for lent, then I read this:

Chocolate Linked to Lower Blood Pressure

CHICAGO (AP) - Leave it to the Dutch to help demonstrate the health benefits of chocolate. A study of older men in The Netherlands, known for its luscious chocolate, indicated those who ate the equivalent of one-third of a chocolate bar every day had lower blood pressure and a reduced risk of death.

Now what do I do?

Daily Lectionary reading for 02/23/06

1 John 5:13-21 (NRSV)

13 I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, so that you may know that you have eternal life. 14 And this is the boldness we have in him, that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. 15 And if we know that he hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have obtained the requests made of him. 16 If you see your brother or sister committing what is not a mortal sin, you will ask, and God will give life to such a one-to those whose sin is not mortal. There is sin that is mortal; I do not say that you should pray about that. 17 All wrongdoing is sin, but there is sin that is not mortal. 18 We know that those who are born of God do not sin, but the one who was born of God protects them, and the evil one does not touch them. 19 We know that we are God's children, and that the whole world lies under the power of the evil one. 20 And we know that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding so that we may know him who is true; and we are in him who is true, in his Son Jesus Christ. He is the true God and eternal life. 21 Little children, keep yourselves from idols.


Notice how many times the writer uses the word "know". To make it easier, I have highlighted the words in red.

The question is, do we really know these things?

Daily reading for 02/22/06

1 John 5:1-12 (NRSV)

1 Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ has been born of God, and everyone who loves the parent loves the child. 2 By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and obey his commandments. 3 For the love of God is this, that we obey his commandments. And his commandments are not burdensome, 4 for whatever is born of God conquers the world. And this is the victory that conquers the world, our faith. 5 Who is it that conquers the world but the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God? 6 This is the one who came by water and blood, Jesus Christ, not with the water only but with the water and the blood. And the Spirit is the one that testifies, for the Spirit is the truth. 7 There are three that testify: 8 the Spirit and the water and the blood, and these three agree. 9 If we receive human testimony, the testimony of God is greater; for this is the testimony of God that he has testified to his Son. 10 Those who believe in the Son of God have the testimony in their hearts. Those who do not believe in God have made him a liar by not believing in the testimony that God has given concerning his Son. 11 And this is the testimony: God gave us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. 12 Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life.

The writer is not very tolerant. Who is he to say that if I do not believe in Jesus, then I do not have eternal life?

All sarcasm aside, this is orthodox Christianity. Jesus and eternal life are linked. If you do not believe this, then you do not hold to the faith given to us by the Apostles.

Thanks be to God.

Good News for a Change

Justices to Weigh Late-Term Abortion Ban

WASHINGTON (AP) - The Supreme Court said Tuesday it will consider the constitutionality of banning a type of late-term abortion, teeing up a contentious issue for a newly-constituted court already in a state of flux over privacy rights.

The Bush administration has pressed the high court to reinstate the federal law, passed in 2003 but never put in effect because it was struck down by judges in California, Nebraska and New York.

This is good news. Hopefully, with the new members of the court in place, they will uphold the late-term abortion ban. Any obstacle to this barbaric procedure is a good thing.

Thanks be to God.

My prayers are with him

Robinson acknowledges alcoholism, enters rehab
By Anne Saunders, Associated Press Writer February 14, 2006

CONCORD, N.H. --The Episcopal Church's first openly gay bishop, V. Gene Robinson, says he is being treated for alcoholism, surprising many of his diocesan friends and colleagues.


I believe 1,000 % that he should not have become a Bishop. But, I pray for him in this time of physical, emotional, and spiritual struggle.

For the Victims of Addiction
Blessed Lord, you ministered to all who came to you: Look with compassion upon all who through addiction have lost their health and freedom. Restore to them the assurance of your unfailing mercy; remove from them the fears that beset them; strengthen them in the work of their recovery; and to those who care for them, give patient understanding and persevering love.
Amen

Get me one

I'll have to get me one of these.

Daily Lectionary reading for 2/10/06

John 8:33-47 (NRSV)

33 They answered him, "We are descendants of Abraham and have never been slaves to anyone. What do you mean by saying, 'You will be made free'?" 34 Jesus answered them, "Very truly, I tell you, everyone who commits sin is a slave to sin. 35 The slave does not have a permanent place in the household; the son has a place there forever. 36 So if the Son makes you free, you will be free indeed. 37 I know that you are descendants of Abraham; yet you look for an opportunity to kill me, because there is no place in you for my word. 38 I declare what I have seen in the Father's presence; as for you, you should do what you have heard from the Father." 39 They answered him, "Abraham is our father." Jesus said to them, "If you were Abraham's children, you would be doing what Abraham did, 40 but now you are trying to kill me, a man who has told you the truth that I heard from God. This is not what Abraham did. 41 You are indeed doing what your father does." They said to him, "We are not illegitimate children; we have one father, God himself." 42 Jesus said to them, "If God were your Father, you would love me, for I came from God and now I am here. I did not come on my own, but he sent me. 43 Why do you not understand what I say? It is because you cannot accept my word. 44 You are from your father the devil, and you choose to do your father's desires. He was a murderer from the beginning and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks according to his own nature, for he is a liar and the father of lies. 45 But because I tell the truth, you do not believe me. 46 Which of you convicts me of sin? If I tell the truth, why do you not believe me? 47 Whoever is from God hears the words of God. The reason you do not hear them is that you are not from God."

The Word of the Lord.

Thanks be to God.


I love this story. Jesus speaks to the Pharisees straight up. He pulls no punches. They are: "slaves to sin", "of their father the devil", "not from God".

What of those people today who do not believe the words of Jesus? I will not say, but one has to wonder if the same descriptions apply.

Set us free, O God, from the bondage of our sins, and give us the liberty of that abundant life which you have made known to us in your Son our Savior Jesus Christ; who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen

The Time Has Come

The time has come for us to realize that we are in a war. However, it is not a war against terrorism. The War Against Terrorism is a 'politically correct' term. In reality, we are in a war against Islamic fanatics who want to destroy Western ways (e.g. cartoons which make fun of a subject in order to make a point). These fanatics are willing to use any means possible: rioting, kidnapping, beheading, flying planes into buildings, bombing innocent women and children, and other acts of terrorism. Terrorism is their way to wage this war.

Our enemy does not have the world view which says "can't we just get along". They do not want to 'get along'. They want us dead. The sooner we realize this fact, the better off we will be.

Looney Left Exposed

Method in Their Madness by Michael Novak

Prescription for Tolerance
Is Moral Judgment a Mental Disorder?
By Allan Dobras

These two articles expose the looney left's tactics to destroy our society as we know it and love it. Who says there is not a culture war?

Recommendation

In the 1970's, I had the great fortune of being introduced to the Bible teaching ministry of Malcolm Smith through his audio cassettes. Several times over the years I have had the privilege of seeing him in person. This past weekend, he was speaking in a church 25 miles from my home, so my wife and I went to see him. What a blessing!!

If you are not familiar with his teachings, visit his website at www.malcolmsmith.org and order some tapes or download some files. You will not be sorry.

The Religion of Peace?

So this is the religion of peace.

Moan and groan

Former Senator and Episcopal Priest John Danforth is bemoaning and longing for the good old days when his own Republican Party was in the minority and could not win elections. "If if wasn't for the darned Christian right, we could be insignificant again."

Fr. John should just join with the other "Country Club Republicans" and keep it to themselves.

What gets me is the ones who preach tolerance for others are the ones who are the most intolerant of the Christian right. I quess it is hard to see with the log in our own eye.