Chicken Little, your services are requested.

Whew! If we listen to the "Hope and Change" President, we would think economic disaster is waiting in the wings and will strike any minute. (Where's the hope in that?) So let's act now and not worry about the debt we leave to our great-great grandchildren. (Where's the change in that practice? It sound's like the last economic act of the previous president.) In the 1980s, we had Reaganomics, which GHW Bush dubbed as “Voodoo Economics”. This was followed by Bush’s “Read-my-lips-onomics”, in which he promised not to raise taxes, but did anyway. (Granted the Democrats in Congress convinced him they would cut spending if he raised taxes, but they typically did not follow through.) Then we had the socialistic ideas of Clintonomics in the 1990s. For the last eight years, we have been through the cut-taxes-but-increase-spending debacle of Dubyanomics. So, now that the new president got his plan through with dooms-day, the-sky-is-falling rhetoric about the whole economy collapsing, can we call Obamanomics “Chicken Little Economics”?

His Love

I guess I couldn't find the time for another post the last two days. At any rate, here is the second installment on the Love of God.

Another favorite song of mine that speaks volumes about God's love is called "His Love", but it is not a hymn. It was written about twenty years ago by a preacher named Mark Webb. I cannot seem to find an Internet site that he used to have with his music, so I cannot link to the song. But the lyrics are what caught my attention the first time I heard this song.

Oh the wonder of wonders, that God should love me!
Love a sinner so guilty, so vile and unclean.
To love the unlovely, how can it be done?
'Tis only in Jesus, in His blessed Son.

Long before I ever knew Him, my Lord first knew me.
Before I ever sought Him, my Lord first sought me.
When I was in darkness, His sworn enemy,
He purchased my pardon, on Calvary's tree!

Chorus:
His Love is a mountain, that I cannot scale.
As wide as an ocean, that I cannot sail.
I'll never lay hold of, my mind fully see.
This love that in mercy, first laid hold of me.

Not that I first did choose Him, for that could not be.
Still this heart would refuse Him, had He left it to me!
I'd still fight that battle, that no man can win.
I'd still bar the heart's door, that letteth Him in.

Such richness in a few short verses, and more truth than in many modern songs. We can never attain the salvation on our own merits, and we will never be worthy of God's redeeming love without the blood shed on Calvary. "This is the love of God, that when we were yet sinners, Christ died for us" says Paul in Romans. Any child in Sunday school memorizes that verse, but oh, to really know it in our heart!

The Love of God

This Saturday, the world celebrates Valentine's Day, in which we all give little trinkets to someone we "love", whether it be school children sharing tacky cards with drawings of Cupid and red so-called "hearts" or adults buying chocolates and roses for their beloved. But is this really what love is? Where did it originate?

God.

We are told in the Epistle of First John "God is love" (1 John 4:8) The Bible tells us many ways in which God expresses his love to us, which you can find if you do a search of the scripture. (A good start would be at Bible Gateway.) Then, many hymn writers and other Christian musicians have penned words which express that love as well. This week, I will attempt to post my thoughts on several of those.

One of my favorite hymns is "The Love of God", which was found written on the wall of an cell at an insane asylum in the early 1900s. The author obviously has all his senses when he wrote it, or else he was inspired by God at the time.

Here are the words:

The love of God is greater far
Than tongue or pen can ever tell;
It goes beyond the highest star,
And reaches to the lowest hell;
The guilty pair, bowed down with care,
God gave His Son to win;
His erring child He reconciled,
And pardoned from his sin.

Refrain

O love of God, how rich and pure!
How measureless and strong!
It shall forevermore endure
The saints’ and angels’ song.

When years of time shall pass away,
And earthly thrones and kingdoms fall,
When men, who here refuse to pray,
On rocks and hills and mountains call,
God’s love so sure, shall still endure,
All measureless and strong;
Redeeming grace to Adam’s race—
The saints’ and angels’ song.

Refrain

Could we with ink the ocean fill,
And were the skies of parchment made,
Were every stalk on earth a quill,
And every man a scribe by trade,
To write the love of God above,
Would drain the ocean dry.
Nor could the scroll contain the whole,
Though stretched from sky to sky.

Refrain


The first two verses define the love of God in as good a way as any definition ever penned outside of scripture. Cyber Hymnal says the last verse is a translation of a 1050 A.D. Jewish poem. I love that verse. Once, I was driving through Iowa on a sunny summer day. The corn was tall and abundant, and the sky stretched out as far as the eye could see. I was reminded of this hymn, thinking of how much writing one could do on such a huge page. Then I though of all the water on earth -- 75% of the surface of the planet! That is a lot of ink!

Oh the wonder of the love of God!

Will the spending ever end?

As I was driving to work listening to the news this morning, they mention that Republican senators are questioning the $900 billion spending bill when we have huge deficits. Then they broadcast for all to hear a quote from Pres. Obama, saying “There was a deficit when I got here.” Is that his reasoning for spending more, because we are already so far in debt that we will never pay it off, so let’s spend more? I wish I could run my household like that! I would buy a palace, buy that expensive convertible I want, take the trip of my dreams and all the while not even batting an eye at the cost, knowing someone else will pay it off. Talk about change!

I read today that if someone spent $1 million a day since Jesus was born, he would still have over $200 billion to go to get to $1 trillion spent. Can you imagine that? I remember when the government started saying billion and thinking that was an unfathomable number. Now it is a-trillion-here-a-trillion-there-ho-hum-when’s-lunch? We have been so desensitized to the amount of money, that we say “Tax the evil rich” to get what we want. If every “rich” person gave every penny of income to Uncle Sam, would there be enough for this “stimulus” package? I hope the Republican senators are as smart as the House members, and all vote no. Let the Democrats holler partisanship all they want. I hear Obama saying the Republicans need to get on board. That’s bi-partisanship? It is inviting unwilling crew members to board a doomed ship that is already up to its deck in water.

A new President

So, it begins. Barack Obama is officially the President of the United States (POTUS). Interesting last couple of months since the election. I made a few predictions on the coming term a few posts down in "We’ve only just begun". Since then, Mr O has sounded more like his opponent than himself, making a few proposals that sound like a moderate Republican. As much as I do not want Mr Obama to be president, he is for at least four years. I want the country to do well, so he needs to succeed in recovering our economy.

A few of thoughts:

-- He is only a man, and as such has no miraculus powers. All those promises he has made? Do not be depressed if they don't happen, because many of them will not.
--God is still in control.
--We survived Carter and Clinton, if the Lord wills, we will survive Obama.
--Bush made a mess of the economy, with the help of the Congress while controlled by both parties. Perhaps it is time to either totally redo the Republican party, or work towards strengthening the Constitution or Libertarian parties.
--Write the RNC and tell them to change the rules such that independents and Democrats cannot vote in Republican primaries, thus not giving candidates like McCain the edge.
--Pray! It is a commandment of Paul in the epistles, so it is not something to forget to do.

Personal blogging dead? I doubt it.

On my usual perusal of World Magazine on line, I found an interesting post about personal blogging “going the way of the rotary dial phone.” So I followed the link to Wired.com. The premise is that writing a personal blog has become “so yesterday”, and now the fad is Facebook or Twitter. I have only gone to Facebook once in my life, and have never visited Twitter. So, here I am behind the times again, along with my email and land line phone. I actually have a cell phone, but I only use it to make and, rarely [hint to my away-from-home children], receive calls. I would rather email someone or leave a voice mail than text, as the thumbs are not made for pushing tiny buttons several times just to get one letter. Usually I don’t get the button pushed fast enough, so I get the wrong letter and have to go back and delete. Or I push too many times and have to repeat.

But I digress. I post this comment to ask my few readers (and those I invited from Worldmagblog, to tell me your thoughts on this trend. Is our society so fad based that we have to go from one form of communication to another, just so we can keep in touch? Are we so technologically bound that we cannot keep a good thing going anyway? Is the day of posting pictures of the family for all to see now going to Facebook and its kind? I have nephews who post family pictures on blogs, and I like them, as I do not have to log in every time I want to see what the latest happenings in their households are. Since I do not live in the same town, I can see how their children are doing with the click of a mouse (1960s’ technology, BTW). If I want to comment, I can use my QWERTY keyboard (1800s’ technology) and post something. And if I actually want to talk to them, or get them some message “for their ears/eyes only”, I can pick up either phone and call (19th or 20th Century technologies), or send an email (1980s) or even get out paper and pen and send a letter (B.C. “technology”), put it in an envelope, get a stamp (1800s) and send it by postman (predates Ben Franklin in the 1700s, but he was the founder of the Postal Service, you know).

Anyway, is the personal blog a thing of the past? Or will those of us who prefer this form keep it going (at least until the Internet providers make it impossible, as the phone companies have done with rotary/pulse tone phones)? Please comment (but don’t let moderation stop you, it prevents the trolls and spammers, who, according to Wired.com article, are the only ones who will read this).

Year-end ramblings

The end of another year is upon us. This arbitrary calendar date always gets us in either a nostalgic or anticipatory mood. Either we reminisce (Thank you, Lord, for spell check!) about what has happened in our lives over the last 12 months, or we look ahead to what might come our way in the next. Newspapers and magazines remind us of the “top ten” stories, which are nothing more than the editors’ way of rehashing their own opinions on the readers. Radio stations play the “top” songs, or at least the ones that sold the most copies or got the most airplay. I often wonder who chooses these. When I was in radio, many times I didn’t like the “hit” song on an album, but preferred one of the other cuts, so it would get more airplay on my shift. Now, I don’t like buying albums (or whatever they are called now-a-days), as there might be one or two songs I like, and the rest are fillers.

So, what has happened at 3rd and College to make 2008 special? Let’s see. We celebrated a college graduation of our second child (oldest daughter). Now she is engaged to be married in March. How soon before I become “grandpa”? It is scary to think of my children starting married lives.

Daughter 2 turned 21 this year. Another scary thought: I have three children over 21 years of age! They do grow up fast, don’t they?

In the next year, other than the wedding, another milestone will take place: oldest child (the son) will hit the ripe old age of 25! To think I was his age when I wed. Was I so inexperienced as he? And youngest daughter will start high school and be old enough to get her permit to drive. More gray hair as I teach another to drive.

Small things in the great scheme of life, but daunting none-the-less. Lord, help me know and Your will.

Felicitous Salutations for the Winter Celebration

It’s that time of year again, the hectic time between my favorite holiday (Thanksgiving) and the most over-commercialized event in any society at any time in history (Christmas). What started out as a religious celebration of the birth of Jesus, has become another way to make a buck. Now the holiday returns to its non-Christian origins, though not its pagan ones. No, now the religion is “PC-ism”. Want something entertaining to do this year? Keep track of how many store clerks greet you with the PC “Happy Holidays” or the religiously “unacceptable” phrase “Merry Christmas”. Some stores have policies telling the clerks which to use. However, I have never found one as bad as this one.

We’ve only just begun

So, the election is over and Barack Obama is going to be sworn in as the 44th President on January 20th. Historical, to be sure. Many questions remain to be answered, and all we can do is pray that God will intervene when needed.

While I am not a prophet, just an observer in this world, here are a few predictions:

• Mr. Obama will not be reelected in 2012. Not because he won’t run, but because the economy will continue to fall into the abyss, and he will not be able to get us back to where we were last year. The same would happen were McCain to be president. It is just going to be another Herbert Hoover situation.
• The $700 billion for Wall Street, the proposed bail out of Detroit, and the housing crisis will all work together to bring us to a depression, though not as deep as the 1930s. Get ready for it now. Learn to do with less.
  
• Al-Qaida will continue to be our enemy, in spite of efforts by the Obama administration to talk them out of their hatred. There will be another attack on US soil, though not as big as the 2001 attacks.
• The rest of the enemies of the US will soon see that Obama is too inexperienced at international affairs. He will try his charm on them, and it will work for a while. But Iran will continue its hatred of us, and will work with Al-Qaida to destroy us, regardless of the Sunni-Shia hatred of each other.
  
• Russia will also take advantage of Obama’s inexperience, and make attempts to regain more of its empire, testing Obama to see if he will negotiate or defend.
• There will be a strong 3rd party in 2012 which will cause the two major parties to reorganize themselves so we can tell them apart.

What do you think? The last prediction is more of a hope than anything, as I for one, am tired of the Republicans reaching out, only to find that “bipartisanship” means something else to the Democrats: “Our way is the only way.”

Poem: A Testimony

Note: This poem is based on a vivid dream that I had back in the 80s shortly before my conversion to the Lord Jesus Christ.

Walking on Sand

1
Sand.
A mountain of sand.
I was walking on a mountain of sand.
I thought, "The sand is firm.
I will walk on
this sand."

While climbing a dune
I thought that though
the sand was firm,
it was also soft to the feet;
It was easy to walk on
the sand.

Suddenly, a hole opened

in the sand.
I fell,
I slid,
I was surrounded
by sand.
I didn't know where up was,
I didn't know where down was.
I couldn't breath
because of
the sand.

I swam.
I tried to swim in the sea
of sand.
The more I swam,
the more I sank.
I couldn't get out of
the sand.

I tried to scream.
But I couldn't.
When I opened my mouth,
it filled with sand.
I was drowning in
the sand.

2
I awoke.
It was a dream.
I had dreamed that
I was drowning in a sea of sand.
But, thought I, it was so real.
I could actually feel
myself being drowned by
the sand.

I thought
"What does this mean?
Why is it so real?
And why did I dream
about sand?"

I couldn't sleep.
I could only think
of the dream
about drowning in
the sand.

Finally I realized
what the dream meant.
All my life I did
what I wanted;
what I thought was right.
I did my own thing.
It was as if
I were building a castle
on sand.

3
In a Book, I have read
of a man who built
his house on the sand.
The foundation was shaky.
A storm came,
with its winds and waves,
and destroyed the house on the sand.
That was my life:
A life built on
the sand.

In that Book,
the One telling the story said,
"He who hears my words
and does them not,
is like the foolish man
who built his house on
the sand."

I had heard that story.
I was living that story.
My actions and thoughts,
both good and bad,
were each a grain
in the sea
of sand.

But the Book tells more.
The One telling the story
told of the wise man
who hears the words
of Him who spoke
and does them.
This is the one
who built his house on
the Rock.
The storm came,
with its winds and waves,
and could not destroy it,
because it was built on
the Rock.

I had heard that story.
But I wasn't living like that.
My life wasn't built on
the Rock.

4
I knew that to build on the Rock,
I needed to change.
But how does one change?
Can one change by doing good
instead of bad?

No, learned I.
One cannot change from
good to bad
any more than a bad tree
can grow good fruit.
One can only be made good
by trusting in Him who said
"I am the Way,
the Truth,
and the Life."
This is how to build
a house on
the Rock.

5
If one bases his life
on the true words
which are found only in
the Book which I have mentioned,
he will live a life of peace.
The storms of life will come,
with their winds and waves,
and his life will stand,
because it will be built on
the Rock.

If one does not base his life
on these words,
his life will be built on the sand.
The storms and trials
of life will come,
with their winds and waves,
and his life will not stand,
because it will not have
a foundation.
It will not be built on
the Rock.

PSL 1997