Our granddaughter Alexus (Lexie) is coming over for the weekend again. MDB LOVES keeping her, as do I! Without a doubt, she is the happiest baby I've ever seen. She practically never cries, and when whe does, it is for good reason. Even though she's only 18 months old, she's into the "terrible two" stage, grabbing everything, putting everything into her mouth, and exploring all the fascinating stuff around her. One thing that's a little strange; she doesn't talk very much. She knows "DaDa" and "BaBa," but not much else. She's so funny! When she's practicing something new to say, she'll whisper it in a barely audible tone, as if saying it out loud would be wrong if she didn't get it right! And DANCE!!! My goodness! When this child grows up, she's going to be a dancer of some kind (hopefully not the exotic variety!) If you put on music, and I mean ANY kind of music, she moves her little feet, bobs her head, sways her hips, claps her hands, and basically just does a little baby Rhumba that would make your head hurt if you tried it! Amazing!
Anyway, if you check out MDB's blog, you can see video of her doing her thing! Hillarious! More later! - Dan
Friday, February 29, 2008
Sunday, February 24, 2008
What a weekend!
I got to sleep late Saturday (PTL!) and then we went to Home Depot and got the supplies we needed to finish the dog kennel in the back. We got 2 sides done when the sun went down, so we had to leave the rest off for today. When we got home from church, we went right back to it. We finished the other two sides and put the dogs in the kennel along with several concrete blocks for their food and water AND their food and water, then we went "pooper-scooping" and cleaned up the yard. After that, I ran the weed-eater and cut down all of the dandelions that were surely taking over. Kim washed down the patio and helped me every step of the way. I COULD NOT have finished putting up the chain link without her help! I'm telling you; she is absolutely AWESOME!!! Anyway, we have been planning a garden in the back, so we removed grass from a 4x8 section of the lawn and put the sod in places where the dogs have dug under the fence and pretty much destroyed any grass in those areas. I had to do it on another 4x8 section as well, but we pretty much got grass everywhere we needed it. We're going to do 4 4x8 plots surrounded by landscaping timbers, so that should make a nice little garden for us. The soil back there is mostly sand that was brought in by the developer, so we're going to have to buy some soil to supplant what's there. Meanwhile, we'll get a compost pile going and next year we'll have the best soil in the neighborhood! Anyway, we turned over two of the four plots before the sun went down this evening, so we got quite a lot done!
More good news! On the way home, I filled my new Ford Ranger up for the first time. I got almost 26 miles per gallon! Woo-hoo! Since we replaced the 18 MPG Highlander, our expenses for gasoline just went down quite a lot!
Bother Jerry has been focusing on one of my favorite books of the bible the last two weeks; the book of Daniel. So far, he's discussed the dream of Nebuchadnezzar and Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego in the fiery furnace (not to mention the preincarnate Jesus in there with them!). I'm hoping he gets to the end of the book when Daniel prophesies concerning the end of days, but he probably won't. Like my friend Kathy, he's a "pan-millenialist;" the timing of end-times events don't matter all that much as long as we're ready, i.e., it will all "pan out" in the end!
Great weekend! - Dan
More good news! On the way home, I filled my new Ford Ranger up for the first time. I got almost 26 miles per gallon! Woo-hoo! Since we replaced the 18 MPG Highlander, our expenses for gasoline just went down quite a lot!
Bother Jerry has been focusing on one of my favorite books of the bible the last two weeks; the book of Daniel. So far, he's discussed the dream of Nebuchadnezzar and Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego in the fiery furnace (not to mention the preincarnate Jesus in there with them!). I'm hoping he gets to the end of the book when Daniel prophesies concerning the end of days, but he probably won't. Like my friend Kathy, he's a "pan-millenialist;" the timing of end-times events don't matter all that much as long as we're ready, i.e., it will all "pan out" in the end!
Great weekend! - Dan
Friday, February 22, 2008
Health Care revisited
Well, by the title you probably think I've softened my tone a bit on health care.
Not a bit.
But I would like to add a thing or two.
First, and the thing that got me off on this in the first place is the Hillary Clinton add that goes something like this:
"If you agree that it's America's moral obligation to provide health care for all, then you need to vote for Hillary..."
I'm afraid I have fundamental exceptions to take with several of the concepts in that statement.
First of all, who does Hillary Clinton think she is preaching morality to me or anyone else for that matter? Wasn't she the progenitor of the whole Whitewater fiasco? Didn't she sit idly by while Bill paraded his scam of a marriage in front of the whole world, lying about it all the while until a certain blue dress glowed brightly (in spots) under the black light? Isn't she in favor of the greatest moral outrage of our time, the murder of the helpless unborn? That's what I thought! Next, when does the morality of a question coincide with the right to govern the answer? Aren't these the same people who scream "foul!" every time someone from the Republican party tries to govern morality by outlawing even the most heinous forms of abortion? Aren't these the same folks who call on the first amendment every time some smut king is prosecuted for publishing pornographic materials? Look, Dems - you can't have it both ways! Either you're in favor of governing morality or you're not! You can't govern one issue under "moral grounds" and refuse to govern another under those same grounds! Finally, I have issue with further government instrusion into an affair of private enterprise (health care), as I've already stated. IMHO, the health care system that we have is out of whack simply because the government has made it so. The LAST thing we need is additional government intrusion into what would be perfectly fine if they'd get their fingers out of the pie and let market forces determine the price for services rendered. Lord knows, there's no shortage of hospitals and certainly none of doctors. Nurses...that's another story! Those poor folks have got the worst job short of garbage collector on the planet and they're not compensated anywhere near enough for the work that they do (IMHO)!
Hillary, take your morality to someone who's not old enough to remember the 90's; I'm not buying it, at least not from you! - Dan
Not a bit.
But I would like to add a thing or two.
First, and the thing that got me off on this in the first place is the Hillary Clinton add that goes something like this:
"If you agree that it's America's moral obligation to provide health care for all, then you need to vote for Hillary..."
I'm afraid I have fundamental exceptions to take with several of the concepts in that statement.
First of all, who does Hillary Clinton think she is preaching morality to me or anyone else for that matter? Wasn't she the progenitor of the whole Whitewater fiasco? Didn't she sit idly by while Bill paraded his scam of a marriage in front of the whole world, lying about it all the while until a certain blue dress glowed brightly (in spots) under the black light? Isn't she in favor of the greatest moral outrage of our time, the murder of the helpless unborn? That's what I thought! Next, when does the morality of a question coincide with the right to govern the answer? Aren't these the same people who scream "foul!" every time someone from the Republican party tries to govern morality by outlawing even the most heinous forms of abortion? Aren't these the same folks who call on the first amendment every time some smut king is prosecuted for publishing pornographic materials? Look, Dems - you can't have it both ways! Either you're in favor of governing morality or you're not! You can't govern one issue under "moral grounds" and refuse to govern another under those same grounds! Finally, I have issue with further government instrusion into an affair of private enterprise (health care), as I've already stated. IMHO, the health care system that we have is out of whack simply because the government has made it so. The LAST thing we need is additional government intrusion into what would be perfectly fine if they'd get their fingers out of the pie and let market forces determine the price for services rendered. Lord knows, there's no shortage of hospitals and certainly none of doctors. Nurses...that's another story! Those poor folks have got the worst job short of garbage collector on the planet and they're not compensated anywhere near enough for the work that they do (IMHO)!
Hillary, take your morality to someone who's not old enough to remember the 90's; I'm not buying it, at least not from you! - Dan
Monday, February 18, 2008
Health care is out of whack!
We have a health care crisis in this country, or so I'm told. It seems that a lot of people in this country don't have health insurance. Uhhhh....anyone been to an emergency room lately? They have CARE at no expense; just no insurance!
What's causing the problem? Is it a lack of government intervention? I think it's just the opposite! The government chose to get into the health care business when first Medicare, and then Medicaid went into law and now it's the government who controls the supply AND the demand! The government will only pay a certain amount for a given procedure, forcing the provider to recoup losses from the rest of us! The solution is not MORE government interference with this formerly noble free-market enterprise. The solution is for government to GET OUT of the health care business altogether! Oh, we've got too many seniors who depend on their Medicare to leave the equation altogether. We should send them a voucher for their care and let them shop for services. What about Medicaid recipients? Same deal. Send them a voucher and let them search the free market for the best care at the best price for a limited time only! The problem with health care is that it is NOT doctors or hospitals who are setting the prices for their services! It's the government!
Sadly, the health care dilemma is the new "Social Security" hot potato. Every candidate has a government-based solution. Has anyone ever heard of Canada? Do we want their health care system here? That's what we'll get if we get MORE government into the act! If you're planning a heart attack, you'd better get in line now! People are waiting for a year and a half for bypass surgery in Canada!
I know that everyone wants "theirs," but where does it end? "You can mess with the other guy, but don't touch my Social Security" is being spread to every corner of society! Kruschev was right - he didn't need to lift a finger to create a socialist state here; we're doing very well all by ourselves! Thanks, Hillary!
What's causing the problem? Is it a lack of government intervention? I think it's just the opposite! The government chose to get into the health care business when first Medicare, and then Medicaid went into law and now it's the government who controls the supply AND the demand! The government will only pay a certain amount for a given procedure, forcing the provider to recoup losses from the rest of us! The solution is not MORE government interference with this formerly noble free-market enterprise. The solution is for government to GET OUT of the health care business altogether! Oh, we've got too many seniors who depend on their Medicare to leave the equation altogether. We should send them a voucher for their care and let them shop for services. What about Medicaid recipients? Same deal. Send them a voucher and let them search the free market for the best care at the best price for a limited time only! The problem with health care is that it is NOT doctors or hospitals who are setting the prices for their services! It's the government!
Sadly, the health care dilemma is the new "Social Security" hot potato. Every candidate has a government-based solution. Has anyone ever heard of Canada? Do we want their health care system here? That's what we'll get if we get MORE government into the act! If you're planning a heart attack, you'd better get in line now! People are waiting for a year and a half for bypass surgery in Canada!
I know that everyone wants "theirs," but where does it end? "You can mess with the other guy, but don't touch my Social Security" is being spread to every corner of society! Kruschev was right - he didn't need to lift a finger to create a socialist state here; we're doing very well all by ourselves! Thanks, Hillary!
Thursday, February 14, 2008
Clemens Hearings - Whitlock's Take
As usual, Jason Whitlock of FoxSports.com has in interesting take on the whole Clemens debacle. In his article today, he blames the political process for muddying the water in yesterday's hearing. He noted that who backed who basically broke down along party lines. I guess I noticed it, but didn't really want to think of this as a political issue. Is Roger Clemens a Republican? He must be; it seems that almost every Republican on the committee sided with him. We thought that Roger was up there glad-handing on Capital Hill before the hearings to generate some good will and offer up some photo ops. From the way the hearing went, I'd say he was more offering up campaign contributions to whoever supported him. What does McNamee have on the Democrats? It seems as though all of them supported the former cop gone bad! Did he get a buddy from the Force to open the files on some of these guys, or what? Just questions, folks. I have no inside knowledge, I promise!
I find the way the thing went down to be totally despicable! These guys are our elected officials, are they not? These guys are supposed to act in a bi-partisan fashion with a non-political subject, aren't they? Were the Pubs in opposition to the stance of the Dems just because it was Dems espousing it? Were the Dems doing likewise? Someone make me King for a day, will you? I'd have these guys back on the bus to Topeka so fast they'd drop all of their PAC money on the way out!
Why is it so hard to figure out who's lying and who's telling the truth? Don't juries rely on the testimony of jailhouse snitches as a matter of course? Who says the truth is the sole perogative of truthful people? Can't we find truth from any number of sources? If Pettit, Roger's wife, and Chuck Knoblach all agree with the McNamee version of the truth and only Roger disagrees (with his vested interest in hand, mind you), wouldn't you tend to believe that McNamee's version of events was closer to the truth than Roger's?
Clemens is fried, but that's not the only concern here. The behavior of the United States Congress is highly suspect at this point as well. No wonder we can't get anything done up there! - Dan
I find the way the thing went down to be totally despicable! These guys are our elected officials, are they not? These guys are supposed to act in a bi-partisan fashion with a non-political subject, aren't they? Were the Pubs in opposition to the stance of the Dems just because it was Dems espousing it? Were the Dems doing likewise? Someone make me King for a day, will you? I'd have these guys back on the bus to Topeka so fast they'd drop all of their PAC money on the way out!
Why is it so hard to figure out who's lying and who's telling the truth? Don't juries rely on the testimony of jailhouse snitches as a matter of course? Who says the truth is the sole perogative of truthful people? Can't we find truth from any number of sources? If Pettit, Roger's wife, and Chuck Knoblach all agree with the McNamee version of the truth and only Roger disagrees (with his vested interest in hand, mind you), wouldn't you tend to believe that McNamee's version of events was closer to the truth than Roger's?
Clemens is fried, but that's not the only concern here. The behavior of the United States Congress is highly suspect at this point as well. No wonder we can't get anything done up there! - Dan
Wednesday, February 13, 2008
Who's telling the truth?
I'm already on the record - I think Roger Clemens is lying. Why would McNamee (sp?) tell the truth about two other guys, both of whom have corroborated his statements, and lie about Roger? Why would he lie, especially given the fact that perjury will send him to jail? Okay...I know all the Clemens apologists will say that he's got a bone to pick with Roger and he's got a history of not being especially forthcoming, or of downright fabricating stories, in the past. They'll say that he's manufactured evidence and that he's doing everything in his power to bring Clemens down. Why? What purpose does it serve him to ruin Roger Clemens? If he's caught lying this time around, he's going to jail! Why would Clemens good friend, Andy Pettit (sp?) agree with Mcnamee's account and further implicate Clemens unless McNamee is telling the truth? Why, indeed!
Let's ask a few more why's, shall we? Why has Clemens come out of retirement not once, not twice, but three times? Why does he feel the need, having already been recognized as arguably the greatest pitcher of his era, to add to, and perhaps detract from, his stellar legacy? My favorite sports columnist, Jason Whitlock, hit the nail on the head in his latest article on this same topic. Roger's not in it for the money anymore. He's got plenty. He's not in it for that elusive World Series ring; he's got two of 'em. He's not in it for personal records; he's got a one-way ticket to Cooperstown as soon as he's gone for five years straight (well...at least he DID have that!). No, Roger's in it because he loves the attention. He loves to be spoken of in glowing terms by the talking heads on television. He loves to be the center of everyone's attention and the subject of adoration from a doting throng. He can't stand the idea of being yesterday's news; the has-been that still gets mentioned in passing but isn't the hot topic today. Roger's a camera hound; an attention junkie. That's why he needs to keep coming back and doing whatever he can to remain legitimate. NOT being legitimate is tantamount to death for him.
Why do you think he'd get in front of whoever and lie about his use of performance-enhancing drugs? (I love the terminology! Steroids, HGH, amphetamines, Ephedrine, etc., are all now "performance enhancing substances," sort of like nukes, bio-weapons, chemical weapons, etc., are now lumped together as "WMDs;" you know, "weapons of mass destruction." With the accusations of McNamee, there's only two choices for Roger. First, admit that he did it and remind everyone that, at the time, these substances were NOT banned by baseball and he needed them to recover from injury (or whatever other excuse he needs to use to massage the tender sensibilities of his adoring public). By coming clean and expressing deep regret for making an error in judgement, he would have been quickly forgiven and all would be forgotten by and large. His other choice, of course, is the one he chose; deny, deny, DENY!!! I'm afraid he thought that it would all come down to a he-said, she-said situation; he did not foresee the production of biologicals from the McNamee clinic and I really don't think his friends would corroborate the statements of his accuser. Now, he's painted into a corner and risking prosecution for perjury.
Say it ain't so, Roger! Say it ain't so!
I hear Levenworth is nice this time of year! So long, Roger. - Dan
Let's ask a few more why's, shall we? Why has Clemens come out of retirement not once, not twice, but three times? Why does he feel the need, having already been recognized as arguably the greatest pitcher of his era, to add to, and perhaps detract from, his stellar legacy? My favorite sports columnist, Jason Whitlock, hit the nail on the head in his latest article on this same topic. Roger's not in it for the money anymore. He's got plenty. He's not in it for that elusive World Series ring; he's got two of 'em. He's not in it for personal records; he's got a one-way ticket to Cooperstown as soon as he's gone for five years straight (well...at least he DID have that!). No, Roger's in it because he loves the attention. He loves to be spoken of in glowing terms by the talking heads on television. He loves to be the center of everyone's attention and the subject of adoration from a doting throng. He can't stand the idea of being yesterday's news; the has-been that still gets mentioned in passing but isn't the hot topic today. Roger's a camera hound; an attention junkie. That's why he needs to keep coming back and doing whatever he can to remain legitimate. NOT being legitimate is tantamount to death for him.
Why do you think he'd get in front of whoever and lie about his use of performance-enhancing drugs? (I love the terminology! Steroids, HGH, amphetamines, Ephedrine, etc., are all now "performance enhancing substances," sort of like nukes, bio-weapons, chemical weapons, etc., are now lumped together as "WMDs;" you know, "weapons of mass destruction." With the accusations of McNamee, there's only two choices for Roger. First, admit that he did it and remind everyone that, at the time, these substances were NOT banned by baseball and he needed them to recover from injury (or whatever other excuse he needs to use to massage the tender sensibilities of his adoring public). By coming clean and expressing deep regret for making an error in judgement, he would have been quickly forgiven and all would be forgotten by and large. His other choice, of course, is the one he chose; deny, deny, DENY!!! I'm afraid he thought that it would all come down to a he-said, she-said situation; he did not foresee the production of biologicals from the McNamee clinic and I really don't think his friends would corroborate the statements of his accuser. Now, he's painted into a corner and risking prosecution for perjury.
Say it ain't so, Roger! Say it ain't so!
I hear Levenworth is nice this time of year! So long, Roger. - Dan
Anniversary
In a couple of days, MDB and I will celebrate the anniversary of our first meeting. We met at a Starbucks after getting acquainted via e-mail and talked for 30 seconds (well...it was 3 hours, but it seemed like 30 seconds!). It wasn't hard to tell right away that there was something truly special about Kim. She's so calm and totally at peace with God. Do you have any idea how hard it is to find a woman who's truly a Christian? Oh, I don't mean someone who will tell you they're Christian and then go off cursing like a sailor; I mean someone who walks the walk. Kim really lives her faith and it shines from her like a lighthouse through the fog! Reminds me of a joke:
A woman got cut off in traffic, so she promptly gave the perpetrator the "high sign," rolled down her window and let go with a string of expletives, and then raced down the street behind the offender, tailgating and screaming all the while. A police car pulled up behind her, pulled her over, and, using that loudspeaker gadget they have, ordered her out of the car and onto the ground. She did as ordered. The police officer got out of his car, slapped the cuffs on her and stuffed her into the back of the squad car. "What did I do?" she cried, "why am I being arrested?" "Grand theft auto" the officer replied. You've got a "WWJD" sticker and a fish on the back of your car - the way you were acting, you couldn't possibly be the owner."
Anyway, there's never any question about Kim's faith. She lives it daily. She's positively delightful! She's so sweet, thoughtful, giving and compassionate. She always thinks of what someone else would like before she thinks of herself. She's truly grateful for the blessings that God has given her and she does everything she can to share them. As I said, her light shines for all to see and knowing her, loving her, and being her husband has been the greatest blessing I've ever known. I thank God daily for her!
May God bless each of those who read here and may each of you find a soulmate like Kim. She absolutely completes me and I've never been happier! - Dan
A woman got cut off in traffic, so she promptly gave the perpetrator the "high sign," rolled down her window and let go with a string of expletives, and then raced down the street behind the offender, tailgating and screaming all the while. A police car pulled up behind her, pulled her over, and, using that loudspeaker gadget they have, ordered her out of the car and onto the ground. She did as ordered. The police officer got out of his car, slapped the cuffs on her and stuffed her into the back of the squad car. "What did I do?" she cried, "why am I being arrested?" "Grand theft auto" the officer replied. You've got a "WWJD" sticker and a fish on the back of your car - the way you were acting, you couldn't possibly be the owner."
Anyway, there's never any question about Kim's faith. She lives it daily. She's positively delightful! She's so sweet, thoughtful, giving and compassionate. She always thinks of what someone else would like before she thinks of herself. She's truly grateful for the blessings that God has given her and she does everything she can to share them. As I said, her light shines for all to see and knowing her, loving her, and being her husband has been the greatest blessing I've ever known. I thank God daily for her!
May God bless each of those who read here and may each of you find a soulmate like Kim. She absolutely completes me and I've never been happier! - Dan
Tuesday, February 12, 2008
Polarization
I've had a hard time trying to put my finger on exactly what troubles me about the parties and candidates in this year's elections. I think I've finally figured it out.
The candidates for the Democrats are creating polarization of different groups of society. Obama will tell you that he's not just a black man running for president, but, it is what it is. I'm sure he expects to recieve the lion's share of the black vote and hopes to garner enough support elsewhere to receive his party's nomination and then go on to win the presidency with solid support from the coalition of democrats he constructs. That's what bothers me; the ASSUMPTION that he need not reach out to black voters or speak to their concerns. They will vote for him because they share the same tone of melanin. Hillary is slimy to be sure, but she makes the same assumption about female voters; they will vote for her just because she happens to be female. I don't like the politics of division; I prefer to think that what's good for one American will be just as good for another. Now, I know the Dems like to trot out their rhetoric about "tax cuts for the rich" about now because not many people ARE rich and everyone loves to hate on rich guys (As I've said before, I LIKE rich guys! I never got a job from a poor guy! Without people with means who are willing to risk that capital by investing in America's economy, we'd all be in an unemployment line), but that's where the similarity ends. Here's the problem. The candidates the Dems trot out there ARE different so they'll be perceived to have different and original solutions to our common problems whether that is the reality or not. People vote today based on 10 second soundbites and do little or nothing to really find out about the candidates and what they have to offer.
If either Hillary or Obama get elected, I'm afraid the divisions they create may be too much to overcome for the common good. - Dan
The candidates for the Democrats are creating polarization of different groups of society. Obama will tell you that he's not just a black man running for president, but, it is what it is. I'm sure he expects to recieve the lion's share of the black vote and hopes to garner enough support elsewhere to receive his party's nomination and then go on to win the presidency with solid support from the coalition of democrats he constructs. That's what bothers me; the ASSUMPTION that he need not reach out to black voters or speak to their concerns. They will vote for him because they share the same tone of melanin. Hillary is slimy to be sure, but she makes the same assumption about female voters; they will vote for her just because she happens to be female. I don't like the politics of division; I prefer to think that what's good for one American will be just as good for another. Now, I know the Dems like to trot out their rhetoric about "tax cuts for the rich" about now because not many people ARE rich and everyone loves to hate on rich guys (As I've said before, I LIKE rich guys! I never got a job from a poor guy! Without people with means who are willing to risk that capital by investing in America's economy, we'd all be in an unemployment line), but that's where the similarity ends. Here's the problem. The candidates the Dems trot out there ARE different so they'll be perceived to have different and original solutions to our common problems whether that is the reality or not. People vote today based on 10 second soundbites and do little or nothing to really find out about the candidates and what they have to offer.
If either Hillary or Obama get elected, I'm afraid the divisions they create may be too much to overcome for the common good. - Dan
Friday, February 08, 2008
I'm afraid it has come to this...
Romans 1
18The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of men who suppress the truth by their wickedness, 19since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. 20For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse.
21For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened. 22Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools 23and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like mortal man and birds and animals and reptiles.
24Therefore God gave them over in the sinful desires of their hearts to sexual impurity for the degrading of their bodies with one another. 25They exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator—who is forever praised. Amen.
26Because of this, God gave them over to shameful lusts. Even their women exchanged natural relations for unnatural ones. 27In the same way the men also abandoned natural relations with women and were inflamed with lust for one another. Men committed indecent acts with other men, and received in themselves the due penalty for their perversion.
28Furthermore, since they did not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God, he gave them over to a depraved mind, to do what ought not to be done. 29They have become filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, greed and depravity. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit and malice. They are gossips, 30slanderers, God-haters, insolent, arrogant and boastful; they invent ways of doing evil; they disobey their parents; 31they are senseless, faithless, heartless, ruthless. 32Although they know God's righteous decree that those who do such things deserve death, they not only continue to do these very things but also approve of those who practice them.
When I first started in education, kids, for the most part, seemed to come from homes that were much like the one I grew up in; not particularly well-off per se, but comfortable. We went to church every Sunday and grew up in the knowledge of God and His holy Word. Although I've testified before that our church was "dry" and more of a Sunday morning event than a lifestyle by and large, the experience planted seeds and I knew what was in the Bible overall, though, like many of my cohorts, I hadn't read it cover to cover; not at that point in my life. Anyway, I grew up knowing about God, His Son Jesus, the Holy Spirit, and God's plan for salvation. Sadly, I think this sort of upbringing has become a thing of the past.
The kids I see now are being raised by MTV or BET. They think that there's nothing wrong with sexual expression of any kind, up to and including intercourse at whatever age they happen to have the opportunity. They dress provacatively, make moves at dances that would make "Dirty Dancing" look like a square dance, and write all sorts of suggestive, and not-so-suggestive things to one another. They see nothing wrong with this behavior for the most part. I'm afraid we've come the generation that Paul spoke of in the passage above. They know about God, but they do not fear Him or the penalty for disobedience. They chase after every sinful desire of their hearts. I'm afraid that the upbringing I had is now the exception, not the norm.
In public school, it's positively not allowed to proselytize or witness. I would be jobless and homeless very soon if I stepped over that boundary. However, I know that God can open doors that I cannot, so I pray for opportunities to answer student questions about my faith. I pray that such questions will come. They used to come fairly frequently; now...not so much.
Father God, open the eyes of the blind that they may see. Father, do not allow this generation to be lost, I pray. - Dan
18The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of men who suppress the truth by their wickedness, 19since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. 20For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse.
21For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened. 22Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools 23and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like mortal man and birds and animals and reptiles.
24Therefore God gave them over in the sinful desires of their hearts to sexual impurity for the degrading of their bodies with one another. 25They exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator—who is forever praised. Amen.
26Because of this, God gave them over to shameful lusts. Even their women exchanged natural relations for unnatural ones. 27In the same way the men also abandoned natural relations with women and were inflamed with lust for one another. Men committed indecent acts with other men, and received in themselves the due penalty for their perversion.
28Furthermore, since they did not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God, he gave them over to a depraved mind, to do what ought not to be done. 29They have become filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, greed and depravity. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit and malice. They are gossips, 30slanderers, God-haters, insolent, arrogant and boastful; they invent ways of doing evil; they disobey their parents; 31they are senseless, faithless, heartless, ruthless. 32Although they know God's righteous decree that those who do such things deserve death, they not only continue to do these very things but also approve of those who practice them.
When I first started in education, kids, for the most part, seemed to come from homes that were much like the one I grew up in; not particularly well-off per se, but comfortable. We went to church every Sunday and grew up in the knowledge of God and His holy Word. Although I've testified before that our church was "dry" and more of a Sunday morning event than a lifestyle by and large, the experience planted seeds and I knew what was in the Bible overall, though, like many of my cohorts, I hadn't read it cover to cover; not at that point in my life. Anyway, I grew up knowing about God, His Son Jesus, the Holy Spirit, and God's plan for salvation. Sadly, I think this sort of upbringing has become a thing of the past.
The kids I see now are being raised by MTV or BET. They think that there's nothing wrong with sexual expression of any kind, up to and including intercourse at whatever age they happen to have the opportunity. They dress provacatively, make moves at dances that would make "Dirty Dancing" look like a square dance, and write all sorts of suggestive, and not-so-suggestive things to one another. They see nothing wrong with this behavior for the most part. I'm afraid we've come the generation that Paul spoke of in the passage above. They know about God, but they do not fear Him or the penalty for disobedience. They chase after every sinful desire of their hearts. I'm afraid that the upbringing I had is now the exception, not the norm.
In public school, it's positively not allowed to proselytize or witness. I would be jobless and homeless very soon if I stepped over that boundary. However, I know that God can open doors that I cannot, so I pray for opportunities to answer student questions about my faith. I pray that such questions will come. They used to come fairly frequently; now...not so much.
Father God, open the eyes of the blind that they may see. Father, do not allow this generation to be lost, I pray. - Dan
Thursday, February 07, 2008
Well, my "B" team finally got off that goosegg!
Yes, boys and girls, you may now go and buy a lottery ticket! Keep your eyes on the clouds; Jesus is coming back at any moment! My "B" team finally won a game!
I've told them for the last several weeks that they don't want to go down in history as the only team I've ever coached to go winless for an entire season. I don't know if that was the motivation, but they actually played a pretty well-rounded game, playing tenacious defense, rebounding well on their defensive glass, moving the basketball for an open look, etc. Although the score was 24 to 18, it really wasn't that close. I had to call a couple of late time-outs to settle them down; they weren't ready for their sudden prosperity! The other team got within 4, but then they settled down, went back to what they were doing before and scored another basket to go up by 6. In "B" team 7th grade basketball, 6 points is like 15 "real" basketball points!
My little point guard is hillarious! He's 3 foot nothing and I'll bet he has to run around in the shower to get wet! He's got a pretty furious temper, too! If a call doesn't go his way or if he thinks he got fouled and there was no call, his face turns bright red, the corners of his eyes turn down and his little mouth gets really, REALLY tight! He looks as though he's ready to kill! It's pretty entertaining to watch him fly around and bounce off of the floor! He always gets up, but the soccer player in him makes him milk it for all it's worth! It's positively a scream!
Anyway, they felt good about it and I felt pretty good that they never quit and kept working hard even without any tangible results. It paid off in the end! - Dan
I've told them for the last several weeks that they don't want to go down in history as the only team I've ever coached to go winless for an entire season. I don't know if that was the motivation, but they actually played a pretty well-rounded game, playing tenacious defense, rebounding well on their defensive glass, moving the basketball for an open look, etc. Although the score was 24 to 18, it really wasn't that close. I had to call a couple of late time-outs to settle them down; they weren't ready for their sudden prosperity! The other team got within 4, but then they settled down, went back to what they were doing before and scored another basket to go up by 6. In "B" team 7th grade basketball, 6 points is like 15 "real" basketball points!
My little point guard is hillarious! He's 3 foot nothing and I'll bet he has to run around in the shower to get wet! He's got a pretty furious temper, too! If a call doesn't go his way or if he thinks he got fouled and there was no call, his face turns bright red, the corners of his eyes turn down and his little mouth gets really, REALLY tight! He looks as though he's ready to kill! It's pretty entertaining to watch him fly around and bounce off of the floor! He always gets up, but the soccer player in him makes him milk it for all it's worth! It's positively a scream!
Anyway, they felt good about it and I felt pretty good that they never quit and kept working hard even without any tangible results. It paid off in the end! - Dan
Sunday, February 03, 2008
Okay...so I was wrong!
The Giants WERE able to pressure Brady all game long and Eli was able to make plays down the stretch and the result is just what I said it would be if they were able to do those things (and keep New England's offense off of the field with ball-control offense); the Giants won!
I feel bad for New England. It's got to be hard to go a whole season without losing only to come up short for the most important game of the year. Unfortunately for those guys, I think that's the beginning of the end for their "dynasty." They're getting long in the tooth on the defensive side of the ball and, with the way they've finished the last several years, they're going to be drafting in a poor position. Who knows, though? They're so intelligent about the way they go about their business, they usually pull a rabbit out of the hat and no one thinks twice!
I feel bad for New England. It's got to be hard to go a whole season without losing only to come up short for the most important game of the year. Unfortunately for those guys, I think that's the beginning of the end for their "dynasty." They're getting long in the tooth on the defensive side of the ball and, with the way they've finished the last several years, they're going to be drafting in a poor position. Who knows, though? They're so intelligent about the way they go about their business, they usually pull a rabbit out of the hat and no one thinks twice!
Well, it's the culmination of football season...
...and I don't really care how it ends, as long as its a good game.Here's my take. The Giants have a real chance to upset New England if they can figure out how to get consistent pressure on Tom Brady. Brady is a smart guy who knows his offense, reads defenses as well as anyone in the league, and progresses through his reads faster than almost anyone. Having been an offensive lineman, I can attest to the fact that pass blocking is much easier than trying to mount a rush as a defensive lineman. Asking defensive linemen to work that hard for four quarters is asking a lot. Can the Giants get it done? I think if ANYONE in the league has a chance to get it done, it's the Giants; they probably have the best starting front four in football. That's on the defensive side of the ball. On the offense, the Giants have to control the clock and move the football methodically, chewing up large amounts of the clock AND scoring with their possessions. This is going to require Eli to play the game of his life, but not try to do too much. If he goes out there and tries to win the game with big "Paytonesque" plays, he'll turn the ball over and ruin the Giants' chances. He's got to be Eli; NOT Payton. If the Giants can do this and keep the Patriots offense off of the field, they have a good chance of winning today.Will this happen? WILL the Giants win? I don't think so. I think the Patriots will win because the conditions I outlined above will not happen. First, Eli's never been in a game like this. He'll try to do too much and the Patriots will make him pay for it. Even IF the Giants can mount the kind of defensive pressure I mentioned, I don't think they can do it for a whole game and the Patriots will rise up in the fourth quarter and score as often as they get the ball. The bottom line; if the Giants can keep Eli in check and control the clock (keeping Brady and the offense off the field), they will win. As I said, I don't see it happening. Patriots 34; Giants 20.
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