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Being relatively new to this butterfly ranching thing, I’m once more amazed, befuddled, and bemused that here at the beginning of June a whole new herd of caterpillars have unexplainably appeared on my milkweed plant. That cute little one I saw just the other day, was quickly joined by three others, and at today’s last count there are nearly a dozen now. Where did they come from? Sure I had three butterflies hatch back in April…but nary another butterfly as been seen sniffing around my garden since. And yet, you can go out there and count those caterpillars for yourself right now. How did they get there?
That’s something that will surely need to be addressed at a later date. The fire that burns in my belly today revolves around many of my fellow Christian broadcasters who have suddenly had to cease their internet streaming options because of the unbelievable fees they are being charged merely to present Christian music on the web.
At the core you’ll see the blame focused upon an unprecedented industry-wide struggle that began when Record Labels were allowed to collect licensing fees from the broadcasters who played any kind of music over the internet. (By the way, this goes to the heart of why ActofGraceRadio.net opted for a talk-formatted offering.)
Prior to the advent of an internet streaming option, standard radio broadcasting venues, recording artists, and record labels have operated under a mutually benefiting relationship. Radio provides an outlet for artists to have their music listened to by a mass audience, in turn the record labels are able to sell their CD’s (and now downloads) that invariably encourages more investment in promoting the careers of musicians who can sell tickets to their concerts, more CD’s, and other related paraphernalia like T-shirts and such.
Granted, over the course of history, nobody was ever really happy with this forced relationship mainly because it was based on everybody scratching everybody else’s back. In order for record labels to have a proper platform to introduce potential customers to the latest offerings by musical artists then radio had to remain a free, unencumbered, option for listeners.
But then the internet’s popularity brought about some very big changes, very quickly, and most everybody in the recording/broadcast world was caught looking in the other direction. Before anyone really knew how to control the issue, consumers were finding the convenience of downloading individual songs far more to their liking, than buying a whole CD at a record store.
I mentioned, AGR is a talk formatted internet offering, so what do I care that music stations are dropping out of the picture? I care because of why this has become their only option. And I see this as only the tip of a very nasty iceberg intended to bring regulations and restrictions to bear upon every type of Christian outreach effort.
Now before you completely pooh-pooh my premise take a look at what has happened over the last couple of years:
Today’s ‘digital age’ has seriously altered what had been the status quo. (And I’m always a proponent of something like that anyway!)
The trouble is instead of embracing this new “internet download” paradigm and reinventing an appropriate business model to address it, the recording industry has opted to hang on to their “old ways” of operating. Having already missed a significant number of opportunities to capitalize on the advances in technology, record labels as a whole, are experiencing a dwindling source of income…and that’s always felt most profoundly in the CEO's take home pay.
After many decades of not being all that fond of being reliant upon their “radio relationship” the labels are further damaging this acrimonious alliance by reaching out their radio “friends” now and asking them to now pick up the tab for the labels long standing “head-in-the-sand” attitude by paying a newer, higher, and absurd level of licensing fees associated with every song played over the airwaves. (It’s important to note that radio stations already pay a similar fee directly to the composers and publishers…plus the record labels already get another nice chunk of change when the station streams over the World Wide Web anyway. These fees, by the way, have unexplainably increased 1000% in just the last four years.)
Certainly the U.S. Congress has not been blind to this issue. They have, in due process, implemented what they call “fair rate negotiations” between record labels, mainstream radio, public radio and every other form of broadcast entity save Christian radio…You should be hearing alarm bells going off right about now!
In a nutshell, the costs of paying for the right to stream music over the internet can be recouped by commercial radio stations because they sell advertising. (That’s why you have all those annoying pop-ups and commercial what-not’s prior to your download starting.) On the flip side non-commercial endeavors, as many Christian stations are classified, are not allowed to sell advertising and therefore are at the mercy of listener support to continue operating. Just to compound the insipid unfairness in all of this, National Public Radio (NPR) a non-commercial outreach that is allowed to receive donations from listeners also receives funding from the U.S. government. Do you think this option is available for Christian broadcasters? It isn’t.
The latest form of Congressional shenanigans involves what is being called a “Performance Tax”. This wonderfully bright idea, derived at the behest of record labels, means a further tax is now being assessed for every song played, anytime, on any radio station…resulting in merely adding an additional fee to an already escalating cost of doing business for radio broadcasters to begin with. As such you’ll invariably begin seeing fewer and fewer non-commercial Christian radio stations altogether as they simply can’t be expected to absorb such costs across the board without the benefit of selling advertising or asking their supporters for more and more money to foot the bill. Inquiring minds may ask, “Well, why don’t the Christian stations just go out and compete in the marketplace for advertising revenue?” (Christian broadcasters with integrity have typically bristled at the notion of being a commercial enterprise…allowing for an ages old understanding that when you have to deal with the man with the gold, he is always under the impression that he should get to make the rules. And that has never made for smooth sailing.)
So where things stand now, Christian broadcasters are having a gun held to their heads by both Congress and the record labels. (Although theoretically Congress is looking in to this discrepancy, and the record labels – you should realize not all Christian music is produced by record labels that embrace Christian ethics – want to hold off on making any concessions to Christian stations until they see how this Performance Tax trick plays out.) It’s nothing more than a pay to play scenario that is excessively more costly for Christian radio stations than everybody else.
Overall, you are continuing to see radio broadcasters bearing the brunt of a variety of legal wrangling that is driving up their costs of producing the products they provide. The end result is that this causes a diluting in the focus of their content. This issue with Christian music is only one of the first steps in what will next be seen when conservative talk-radio will be required to present, in equal measure, contrasting viewpoints to their content all under what has been deemed “The Fairness Act” – no time to get in to that hornet’s nest right now, but this has the potential of impacting AGR. Anyway every broadcaster will be expected to find the means to absorb these increasing costs of operation if they want to keep broadcasting within the parameters of the legal domain.
I’m really concerned by the way things appear to be are going, it may very soon become tantamount to a criminal act to even call yourself a Christian. And professing the good news of Jesus Christ will become a perilous risk. Perhaps even becoming a preamble to events described in the Book of Revelation, “Then the beast was allowed to speak great blasphemies against God... slandering his name and his dwelling—that is, those who dwell in heaven. And the beast was allowed to wage war against God’s holy people and to conquer them. And he was given authority to rule over every tribe and people and language and nation. And all the people who belong to this world worshiped the beast. They are the ones whose names were not written in the Book of Life before the world was made—the Book that belongs to the Lamb who was slaughtered.
Anyone who is willing to hear should listen and understand. The people who are destined for prison will be arrested and taken away. Those who are destined for death will be killed. But do not be dismayed, for here is your opportunity to have endurance and faith.” Revelation 13:5-10
Ever yours regardlessly,
mike
Today is my mom’s birthday. Happy birthday momma!!! She’s now really getting up their in years, but I’m so glad that she’s still around.
Of a completely different vein, I came across a couple of poignant quotations about butterflies. The late George Carlin, noted for his comic outlook on life, commented, “The caterpillar does all the work but the butterfly gets all the publicity.”
Another more poetic musing comes from the pen of Ponce Denis Écouchard Lebrun who observed, “The butterfly is a flying flower,The flower a tethered butterfly.” And finally, I think this observation by Richard Bach is quite telling, “What the caterpillar calls the end of the world, the Master calls a butterfly.”
In the small patio space that comprises the entirety of my allotted backyard I’ve set out to raise butterflies to delight myself and maybe the whole neighborhood. I didn’t enter into this process lightly having studiously researched what plants caterpillars and butterflies most preferred. I then went to extreme ends to attain a proper mixture of nature’s munchies for my desired menagerie.
My first purchase, last autumn, was a sturdy looking Mexican milkweed (Asclepias curassavica). After weathering an embarrassingly mild Southeast Texas winter, by early this month, my milkweed was gloriously adorned with a plentitude of sparkling flowers and six stalks. Two of these exceeded three feet tall and were exceptionally sturdy.
However, over the last couple of weeks things began changing rapidly. To start, I first noticed several of the leaves of the milkweed had been the source of nourishment for something. Then, upon closer examination, I spotted a good many little yellow fiends having attached themselves to the flower stems. In post-haste I rushed to the internet to find out what was going on with my prize milkweed. I had aphids! Whereupon I learned that not much can be done to eradicate these repugnant rascals short of concocting any variety of potions intended to bring about a horrendous, and seemingly painful, demise. Admittedly, they certainly were an ugly adornment to the garden but anything that would poison aphids turns out to also be detrimental to the health and well-being of a baby caterpillar I noticed was among them. Incidentally, it seems he was the source of the newly discovered leaf deterioration.
Settling on drowning the aphids as being the most humane means for eliminating them I took a glass of water and some Q-tips and began a tedious task of trying to swab all of them away. They were then dunked into the drink until they stopped moving. (Note: I took no particular pleasure in this process – however, it seemed a necessary evil that had to be perpetrated.)
As I would never be accused of having anything that reflects a patient persona, upon several unsatisfying attempts at assuaging aphids, I again found – on the internet – that ladybugs feast on aphids. Okay, this could be good. I’d certainly be inclined toward letting them do the dirty work. And after all, it did seem to be an all natural solution. Except, a diligent examination of my garden indicated that it did not possess a single ladybug amid its make up. In the meantime I now have a growing count of caterpillars nearing double digits.
Alas, I learned that any butterfly rancher can actually purchase live ladybugs from your local plant nursery (the same place I’d gotten the milkweed to begin with. Indeed me thinks I begin to see a pattern developing here.) But anyway I hurried on over there and bought an exceedingly plentiful supply of aphid devouring ladybugs. (Further note: The smallest pack of ladybugs available for purchase was 1,500 – talk about overkill! What a racket.)
I dutifully released the ladybugs and they indeed quickly made all the aphids disappear. I would have expected nothing less given the insurmountable onslaught the aphids were up against. Certainly, by numerical proportion, they were outnumbered no less than two to one.
Within mere hours it seems, my caterpillars increase in number to over a dozen as the ladybugs dwindle to well below half of the original herd. (Talk about seeing money just flying away!) But, I’m now noticing that all of these caterpillars are really getting quite large as nary a solitary leaf of the milkweed is found to be un-muched-upon.
Within the next few days I have less than a dozen ladybugs left and the caterpillar count has risen to twenty! The milkweed now seems to have more of them hanging on it than it does leaves!
And then the inevitable happened. The caterpillars ate every last one of the leaves down to the bare bark, flowers included, and proceeded to begin chomping away at what remained of the original six stalks. So now I’m thinking their voracious appetites probably would have handled the aphids without me having to purchase a gazillion ladybugs…se la vie.
Sadly though, every one of my carefully nurtured caterpillars, have now left. They just crawled away under the cloak of darkness without so much as a single solitary thank you note left behind. (And don’t think they didn’t have enough legs to do this!) Wait. I’ll take that back, look, there is one little fellow who is still attempting to suck the very lifeblood out of one milkweed stalk, but the other nineteen are nowhere to be found.
Somehow, this just doesn’t seem quite fair or right and nowhere close to being justified. Not to mention it’s a far cry from the fulfillment of my dreams to be watching twenty monarch butterflies frolicking about my little garden this summer. Yes, that would have been me sitting in one of my patio chairs, sipping my morning, (afternoon or evening) coffee watching the butterflies imbibing on the nectar from the variety of other flowers I’ve provided for their sustenance. Indeed many a wonderful moment was to have been spent in communion with all my little butterfly friends.
But no, they just ate all of the milkweed plant and are now gone. Brushing aside an embarrassing tear, invariably I suppose, I can still hope that maybe one or two of them might stop back by after their metamorphoses for a visit sometime. And maybe the milkweed will even be able to recover so that some new baby caterpillar eggs can be laid by other monarch butterflies. Drat, I’m just going to have to wait and see at this point.
Now I won’t beleaguer an already plentiful prose by pointing to some rather obvious parallels that pertain to the world around us. I do expect you can garner a few of your own perspectives about the cycle of life from my observational encounter with this thankless bunch of caterpillars.
I’m not the least bit ashamed to admit that I had actually come to love these little buggers (although they didn’t stick around long enough for me to actually name any of them) although I do know my dreams and desires were for nothing but good things to be enjoyed by all of them. (Wow, there’s a whole sermon on God’s love just screaming out from this…but I’ll forego the temptation to traipse down that trail.)
Nevertheless, if you do happen to see one of my caterpillars that will soon have turned into a monarch butterfly flitting about your neighborhood this summer…would you do me the kindness of giving them my best?
Ever yours regardlessly,
mike
I’m certainly not a big fan of “a recent poll shows.” There are a whole lot of inherent pitfalls in a process wherein only a sampling of individuals are even asked a set of questions, and quite often the questions are phrased in such a manner that “lead” responders to answer certain ways, or not at all. Furthermore how can you determine the statistical probability of a whole town, state or country based solely on the opinions of a handful of people who at one particular moment in time were willing to answer the questions put to them by a stranger on the other end of a telephone receiver? (Incidentally my home phone goes directly to the answering machine – voice mail – so I wouldn’t even take a call like that in the first place.) Still, someone at a calculator would determine that I’d fall into some statistical category because…why?Now the fact that surveys and polls are big news makers can’t be denied. For example here is only a sampling of the headlines I read in one sitting regarding what Americans think. (These aren’t in any particular order, by the way.) A) Study Finds World’s Youth More Religious than Believed. B) Less than 1% of Young Americans Hold a Biblical Worldview. C) Survey Finds Younger Generation More Prone to Immoral Behavior. D) Non-Religious Americans on the Rise in Every State. E) Americans' Belief in God Nears 90% in Recent Poll.
Do you see how misleading each of these headlines is? And yet we can all check the calculations and math used to arrive at the conclusion that they have done their ciphering correctly…it’s just the minuscule sampling and manner used to collect the data that drives these number assessments with which I really have a problem. It’s certainly an alarming condition in today’s world to learn that the words “a survey shows” (although perhaps a great premise for a game show) is considered to be on the same level as proven fact.
Now here’s something you have to consider when it comes to why these polls are even taken…somebody makes money in the transaction. Don’t think that George Gallup, George Barna or even Curious George do these surveys to satisfy a personal intrigue with the issue. Somebody has to pay the employees and the utility bills and herein enters that derivation of the “golden rule” (the man with the gold makes the rules). Also, you’ll typically find that these blanket surveys are utilized by the polling groups to bolster subscription sales of their other products and services. (If you liked this survey, wait until you get your hands on several others we also provide for a small monthly fee. We also have a nice selection of books for sale as well.) Granted everybody, in one form or another, comes back around to having to pay the bills, but there are some reasonable doubts that can be raised regarding any solely altruistic function of polling operations.
I’m not suggesting that the results of a survey are skewed necessarily to arrive at a particular end result, but there is something to be said for the adage that there are small lies, big lies and then statistics. If collected data has only asked a question in a manner that elicits certain responses…then you aren’t really asking what a person thinks, you’ve asked how would they respond to…(and you can fill in the blank). Then when it comes to assessing the amassed data, we’re right back to allowing a small group of individuals to interpret what any of it all means.
My greatest concern is that readers of these polls often don’t employ critical thinking into assessing this polling material. I’d think one question that certainly bears asking is, “Who stands to make a buck off of this information?” Another issue to address is, “Why was this particular question, of all the questions that could be asked, the hot topic for this survey?” And finally, “Why did this particular survey topic make it into today’s headlines?” By employing a smattering of scrutiny toward polling figures you’ll find that, although the subjects may be interesting – even entertaining – they are far from being a true reflection of anything that really matters when it comes to engaging people one on one. That takes interest, involvement and an interchange of ideas.
Ever yours regardlessly,
mike
Grab something to drink, and maybe a snack. If you plan on reading this entry in one setting you’re probably going to require some sustenance.
We’re probably all familiar with that idiom, “you can’t judge a book by its cover.” It’s one of those meaty little snippets of insight that behooves each of us to dig a little deeper beyond the superficial…but I wonder how often any of us really do this? After all, sometimes an awful lot can be determined just by a book's title. Take for example the latest offering from Ray Comfort entitled, “You Can Lead an Atheist to Evidence but You Can’t Make Him Think.” (It’s a current best seller among atheists on amazon.com, by the way.) I’m pretty sure I’d know what that one’s about just from the title. Invariably you find titiles printed on the cover.
But judging a book by its cover is literally something everyone does with the Bible, whether they’ve ever read a single passage in it or not. Go ahead, ask a person what they think about the Bible and I guarantee they’ll have a ready answer for you.
Apart from these preconceived notions about the Bible…I certainly find it interesting that in your queries you’ll never hear, “What’s a Bible?”
Everyone knows there is a Bible. It’s available for the reading, free of charge, in countless places right here on the Internet, and yet there is an alarming ignorance among the vast majority regarding the contents of the Bible. And folks, I’ve read it, and can vouch for its content. Reading the Bible will not kill you, but simply judging it by its cover will have eternal consequences (that’s actually something you’d find written inside).
Over the years I’ve sat in on numerous Bible study gatherings, in churches and homes and public places where they sold coffee with endless refills. And there is always a person, in each one of these groups who claims to have been a Christian their whole life, wherein they are challenged about something they contend to be a life truth, respond, “Well, I don’t know a lot about the Bible.” That, to me, is an alarming statement. How can you claim to be a Christian your whole life and not know much about the very book that is the core and foundation for your beliefs?
Especially in today’s global economic and political crisis, aren’t you the least bit interested in seeing if the Bible has anything to say about these events? Or are you more inclined to utilize the resources available from those media pundits who can cleverly capsulate everything that’s going on in easily digestible one-minute content?
For those of you who prefer things short and sweet here are a couple of Bible verses I’d like you to ponder. The first one is in the Old Testament and it’s found in a somewhat obscure prophetic writing by a guy named Habakkuk. Chapter one of Habakkuk beginning at verse two reads,
“How long, O LORD, must I call for help? But you do not listen! ‘Violence!’ I cry, but you do not come to save. Must I forever see this sin and misery all around me? Wherever I look, I see destruction and violence. I am surrounded by people who love to argue and fight. The law has become paralyzed and useless, and there is no justice given in the courts. The wicked far outnumber the righteous, and justice is perverted with bribes and trickery.” (This is written around 600 B.C.)
Verse 5 continues, “The LORD replied, “Look at the nations and be amazed! Watch and be astounded at what I will do! For I am doing something in your own day, something you wouldn’t believe even if someone told you about it.”
Of course what God is doing is rising up the Babylonians to be the next world power. History affirms that these same Babylonians who lived northwest of the Persian Gulf did make a rapid ascension to dominance in that region around 630 B.C. The Babylonians, however, were a cruel and violent nation and conquered all other peoples that surrounded them. Why has God done such a thing? And better yet, why did He bother to tell Habakkuk about it? This is but one example of how the prophecies of the Bible are proven by events that transpired in world history.
There is another passage from the letter to the Ephesians written by the Apostle Paul around 60 A.D. that bears contemplating. In chapter 6 at verse 12 this is how Paul describes the world we live in,
“For we are not fighting against people made of flesh and blood, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against those mighty powers of darkness who rule this world, and against wicked spirits in the heavenly realms.”
Whether or not you consider demons and minions of Satan an old-timey form of fantasy or not, Paul contends they are very real and very dangerous. As Christians we are keenly aware of this powerful army whose sole intent is to eradicate Christ’s church. When you profess a faith and allegiance to Jesus Christ then you have declared war on them and them on you. The resulting conflict is that these demonic entities will unleash every device at their disposal to turn you away from trusting Jesus and return to the ways of wickedness and self-absorbed, self-serving, self-edification. Now a Christian is assured there is a victory over this enemy, but until the day the Christ returns or we are taken from this world in death, there is a constant and continual battle for your heart and mind that’s going on. Granted you’ll have some days that are going to be better than others over the long haul, but you can rely on the fact that this is merely a temporary cease-fire and that the enemy is only preparing for the next assault.
If you go all the way back to the earliest days of the first fledgling Christian churches of the first century, an ever growing group of believers found themselves living amid a whole lot of chaos and turmoil that at times seemed unrelenting. People of faith lost their lives because they preached what they knew of Jesus Christ and His gospel and refused to denounce the Name of the One who had died for them on a hillside outside Jerusalem.
Did you know that it was only 400 or so years ago that men were put to death for daring to translate the words of the Bible into the languages of the common man so everyone would have an equal opportunity to read them? Why did they die for something like this? Well, think about those that are opposed to what the Bible has to say and you’ll understand why such drastic means are incorporated to keep the Bible out of people’s hands and subsequently out of their minds. What is written in the Bible is considered to be subversive literature to those who would be the rulers of this world. Any number of people will testify to the truth, me included, that there is something clearly insightful, mind-altering and life changing that transpires when a person reads the Bible for themselves. Throughout history people have been willing to sacrifice their own lives so that this book can be read by everyone.
In the eighteenth century evangelists like John Wesley, and others perhaps not as famous, all rode on horseback going from one farm field to another to share with individual people the amazing Good News of what Jesus Christ was all about. And when they rode away from these places there may have been no more than a handful who understood the ramifications and believed…but that’s all it took for a church to have begun. Today, churches have moved uptown from farm fields and storefronts. And preachers no longer have to strain their voices to be heard by a crowd. Today you’ll not only see first-rate visual presentations and hear the finest sound technologies incorporated but the professional quality of the musicians who perform now in churches all over the world are presenting music that rivals what you’d expect to come out of Nashville or on the stage of American Idol.
My question to you is…did you know this is what’s going on in churches today? When was the last time you got up on a Sunday morning and went to one? I’d be surprised if there wasn’t one within walking distance of where you’re at right now. And nowadays you’ll find churches with services practically any night of the week – not just on Sunday. Do you feel the presence of God tugging at your heart? It is time for you to make a choice. The Old Testament patriarch Joshua, who got a lot of press about bringing down the walls of Jericho, asked those who heard him speak, “Whom are you going to serve?” He replied that for him and those of his household they would serve the LORD. But this choice is not a one time thing.
Hear how Jesus describes what’s involved.
“If any of you wants to be my follower, you must turn from your selfish ways, take up your cross daily, and follow me.”
This simply means that by taking up your cross, you make this decision each and every day for the rest of your life. This decision will influence what you watch on TV or the websites you visit on the web. It impacts what books or movies you’ll allow to influence your thinking. And over time you’ll find there is a whole new perspective on the world around you and the temptations and trappings it offers.
Hebrews chapter 2 verses 3 and 4 go like this,
“What makes us think that we can escape if we are indifferent to this great salvation that was announced by the Lord Jesus himself? It was passed on to us by those who heard him speak, and God verified the message by signs and wonders and various miracles and by giving gifts of the Holy Spirit whenever he chose to do so.”
The primary gift of the Holy Spirit is described in places like John 16:7-11, 1 Corinthians 2:11-15 and later in chapter 12 verse 3. There is also a specific account in chapter 16 of the gospel of Matthew wherein Jesus asks his disciples who people say that he is. After their various replies Jesus then asks specifically, “Who do you say that I am?” And to this you read of Simon Peter proclaiming, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.” Jesus responds to this comment from the apostle Peter by saying, “You are blessed, Simon son of John, because my Father in heaven has revealed this to you. You did not learn this from any human being.”
I pose the question to you today, as Joshua did to the people who were within the sound of his voice that day 3500 years ago, will you say with Joshua, “As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord”?
We’re coming up on the Easter season around the world. This would be a great opportunity, I’d think, for you to have a reason to explore the life and times of Jesus, who claimed to be the Messiah – the redeemer of the world. Let me challenge you to at least read one of the gospel accounts from the Bible in the coming days leading up to Easter Sunday. Pick whichever one you’d like – it won’t matter as long as you read one of them. You have four choices; Matthew and John are written by eyewitness apostles of Jesus. Luke’s gospel, which contains the familiar Christmas story, begins with this statement from chapter 1, “Many people have written accounts about the events that took place among us. They used as their source material the reports circulating among us from the early disciples and other eyewitnesses of what God had done in fulfillment of his promises. Having carefully investigated all of these accounts from the beginning, I have decided to write a careful summary for you, to reassure you of the truth of all you were taught." I might also recommend the gospel of Mark for two specific reasons; it’s the shortest of the four gospel accounts, and quite likely was a compilation of information that Mark obtained from the apostle Peter. Whichever one you choose, enjoy reading it. I’ve used excerpts from the New Living Translation here. I might also recommend reading from a version called “The Message” compiled by Eugene Peterson. There are certainly a good many others, but read these Bible accounts in a style of writing that is easiest for you. Don’t over complicate the process by diving in to the King James Version.
And then, after having read any of the gospel accounts, would you seriously consider visiting a church close to you this coming Easter Sunday and experience what all these crazy Christian people get all worked up about? It’d be a nice little research project to get involved in…and you can use this as an excuse to buy yourself some new duds to wear to church if you want.
Anyway, that’s what I have for you for this time. If you are willing to take me up on this challenge then drop me a reply. I’d sure enjoy reading what you have to say.
Until next time, I remain ever yours regardlessly,
mike
As I’m reading news headlines again today I’m becoming increasingly appalled at what’s being reported. It’s starting to get me really P.O.’d (Politically Outraged). Two more appointees to cabinet posts by U.S. President Barak Obama had to withdraw their nominations because they didn’t pay their taxes!?! (Aren’t these the same people who for years have been responsible for implementing our tax policies in Washington D.C.?) What is wrong with them?
I’d be inclined to give the new President credit, as he fully admitted that they shouldn’t have been nominated in the first place and it was his mistake ultimately…but hold on here…NO! These people, who have long been cashing paychecks from the government coffers, voting themselves pay raises, and dispensing monies willy-nilly, actually should have been aware of the elemental responsibility inherent to their positions to pay their taxes in the first place! These are congressional leaders, after all, who quite recently signed off on a “break-the-bank” legislation allowing the use of money, sent in annually by a reluctant citizenry of the United States (under fear of being audited by the Internal Revenue Service – Amendment 16 of the U.S. Constitution), to bail out the series of shady activities that has brought a criminal crisis upon the financial institutions of this country…along with an attached laundry list of unrelated pet spending projects. And they don’t even feel an obligation to pay into the kitty! Are these politicos oblivious to the fact that this type of behavior must be deemed as unacceptable?
Of course as an outraged (tax paying) citizen I’d be quick to call upon our I.R.S. to implement strict policies wherein the first people audited each year are those being paid money by the government. And I’d insist they start with the one’s who hold the elected posts at the highest levels. And yet, somehow I doubt that this would really change anything. You’re probably familiar with the old adage about the rooster guarding the hen house, aren’t you? Despite the best efforts of our “founding fathers” to implement a series of checks and balances into our system of government to prevent just this type of situation – there is an evil in the hearts of mankind that seemingly can’t be eradicated with any amount of rules and regulations. It’s like trying to get a warped piece of plywood straight again. (It may be theoretically plausible, but once bent is always bent.)
I don’t know if these people are just crooks and criminals before they get elected to office, or if the office corrupts them, but from the impeached governor of Illinois to Tom Daschele to Tom DeLay there’s just too much of this to keep ignoring the problem. (We should also toss the Kennedy name into the mix for those who have a longer memory.) Who ultimately is to blame for these people not just getting elected in the first place, but they keep getting reelected?
The formulation of the United States form of government has to be considered one of the greatest efforts devised by human beings to protect its citizens from the poor judgment that often befalls its leaders. That’s why it’s always important to point out that the form of government established over the United States of America is as a republic. WE ARE NOT, NOR HAVE WE EVER BEEN A DEMOCRACY!!! A democracy suggests the majority rules, whereas a republic contends each person has an equal say. (This is why there are two distinctly different parts of Congress and why we must never allow anyone to talk of abolishing the Electoral College. These are crucial aspects that set the U.S. system of government apart from a democracy.)
There is an ages old problem with democracies that our founders were quite cognizant of. The lessons from history, as regards democracies, has always been a misapplied belief as stated by Robert Maynard Hutchins that, “Equality and justice, the two great distinguishing characteristics of democracy, follow inevitably from the conception of men, all men, as rational and spiritual beings.” But the reality of democracies has always followed a path wherein, as Plato observed, “Democracy passes into despotism.”
According to Alexander Tytler, a 17th Century historian who devised Tytler’s Cycle, studied the rise and fall of nations and taught all nations go from bondage to spiritual faith, from spiritual faith to great courage, from courage to freedom, from freedom to abundance, from abundance to selfishness, from selfishness to complacency, from complacency to apathy, from apathy to dependence, and from dependence back to bondage.
“The critical thing,” said Tytler, “that leads a nation to switch from abundance to selfishness, is when they vote themselves benefits from the national treasury.” Benjamin Franklin obviously understood the same principle when he wrote: “When the people find that they can vote themselves money that will herald the end of the republic.”
The U.S. has long been on this sliding down the slope that will inevitably bring about its own demise. We may stick around long enough to see a two hundred and fiftieth year in our run at making this republic thing work…but I fear the end is inevitably looming out there on the horizon. You’ve no doubt heard it said, “The people get the government they deserve.” I contend we’re in a place in time reminiscent of the days quoted from Judges 17:6, “In those days Israel had no king, so the people did what seemed right in their own eyes.”
In our world today the only leaders we seem to respect are the one’s who don’t interfere in our personal desires to pursue our own interests. Admittedly we’d all be content to not have to answer to anyone in authority…ever. But that just isn’t how the world works. Well, you might say, I’d be inclined to follow someone who had my best interests at heart. Is that so? For your whole life you’ve heard, in one fashion or another, about the love God has for you and His great and glorious plan for your life. But…have you taken Him up on this offer or are you still intent on following after your own hearts desire? I’ll close then with this passage from the book of Jeremiah, “Blessed are those who trust in the LORD and have made the LORD their hope and confidence. They are like trees planted along a riverbank, with roots that reach deep into the water. Such trees are not bothered by the heat or the worried by the long months of drought. Their leaves stay green, and they go right on producing delicious fruit.
“The human heart is most deceitful and desperately wicked. Who really knows how bad it is? But I know! I, the LORD, search all hearts and examine secret motives. I give all people their due rewards, according to what their action deserves.”
This section from Jeremiah 17 concludes with this poignant thought, “Like a bird that hatches eggs she has not laid, so are those who get their wealth by unjust means. Sooner or later they will lose their riches and, at the end of their lives, will become poor old fools.” That Jeremiah seems to have been one pretty sharp cookie.
For now I remain ever yours regardlessy,
mike
The reality in my life today is that it’s a bright, beautifully sunny day here in the Houston metroplex. From this cursory observation I’d have my confidence boosted that God is in His heaven and all is right with the world. And yet, the news headlines of any given day might perplex me – in a passing sort of way. But let’s face it…until things begin hitting us right where we live…rarely are we inclined to give them much thought. Am I right?
In a not so distant blog entry I quoted former U.S. President Ronald Reagan’s campaign quip, “A recession is when your neighbor loses their job. A depression is when you lose your job. And a recovery is when Jimmy Carter loses his.” I noted that, far from any truth in the comment, that this certainly was top notch speechwriting. As it turned out, Jimmy Carter did lose his job, RR got it, and in due course things did start looking brighter here in the old U.S. of A. But as 2009 has started out slapping many of us upside our heads with the reality of those economic doomsday woes that began in 2007 with the first indications of a crashing housing bubble. This was later intesified by the variety of financial institutions that started collapsing like houses of cards last year, and we Americans again started looking for a change at the top by electing Barak Obama because essentially his big promise was “America needs change.”
Well, as the headlines report another 65,000 American jobs were lost this week, the economic realities began for me, earlier in the month. I was notified, in lieu of an end of the year gift, by the contributor of 2/3 of the regular support for this internet outreach, that due to economic issues of their own, they will have to stop sending in their monthly contribution. (POW!) This past week I also learned of a friend whose son has been laid off from a job he’s worked at for several years (BAM!) and, to top it off, where my wife works, a significant portion of that company’s labor force had to be let go. (SOCKO!) Even as Gena dodged that bullet…it certainly was a sad set of circumstances for all concerned. All these are only a few more instances of how bad things really have become in our world today. But let's get down to the real issue, who is to be blamed?
I read yesterday about President Obama’s meeting with the new Secretary of the Treasury and the top guy at one of those bailed out banking institutions. He heads up one of those joints that used federal dollars to pay bonuses to their top executives last year and, get this, had been seriously thinking of spending 50-million of these “free” dollars on a new corporate jet (until B.O.’s balking and squawking put the kibosh on those plans)! I’m now confronted with a serious concern over whether or not any of these “fat cats” even care what anyone else thinks of them.
This all brings to mind a response to a question posed to former Chairman of the Federal Reserve, Alan Greenspan. In October last year, before a committee of the Congress of these United States, under the standard circusesqe environment that precludes any of these proceedings, Greenspan acknowledged that he’d made a “mistake” in believing that banks, operating in their own self-interest, would protect their shareholders and their institutions. He went on to add “I am in a state of shock and disbelief,” saying that there is “a flaw in the model…that defines how the world works.” Oh really?
During the same hearing Mr. Greenspan would also respond to a query (from California representative Henry Waxman) wondering if he, Greenspan, felt any blame. In a somewhat surprisingly frank response Alan Greenspan said, “Partially.” He would go on to add in further clarification upon additional badgering by Waxman that, “Remember that what an ideology is, is a conceptual framework with the way people deal with reality. Everyone has one. You have to – to exist, you need an ideology. The question is whether it is accurate or not. And what I’m saying to you is, yes, I found a flaw. I don’t know how significant or permanent it is, but I’ve been very distressed by that fact.”
So, while I’m on this quotations kick, here are a few more from a literary favorite of mine, the Bible. In the Old Testament book of Ecclesiastes, King Solomon wrote, “Everything is so weary and tiresome! No matter how much we see, we are never satisfied. No matter how much we hear, we are not content.
“History merely repeats itself. It has all been done before. Nothing under the sun is truly new.” (Ecc. 1:8,9 NLT).
Furthermore, let me point out a couple of comments made by the Apostle Paul in his strikingly brilliant writing to Christians in Rome. In chapter 1 he really gets to the heart of the matter by referencing in verse 18 that people have a distinct knowledge of God in their hearts but they have chosen to suppress this. In verse 21 he adds, “Yes, they knew God, but they wouldn’t worship Him as God or even give Him thanks. And they began to think up foolish ideas of what God was like. The result was that their minds became dark and confused. Claiming to be wise, they became utter fools instead.”
In as much as we who believe in God and know that He has the power to save all who have placed their faith and trust in Him, it will come as no surprise then to read Paul’s concluding remarks regarding what has always been an overriding issue among humanity. In verses 21 through 32 of Romans chapter 1, Paul clearly lays out the inevitable downward spiral that a person makes in abandoning the essence of what comprises their conscience. As people first reject their innate knowledge of God they begin coming up with all manner of ideas about what a god should be like, what a god should be doing and how they ought to benefit from this, or even if a god exists.
If it all stopped right there that would be one thing. But, as the folly of an individuals mind takes them into the ever increasing realms of personal self-indulgence and the subsequent efforts to make it all seem justifiable, they aren’t content in having personally become a jerk. No, they eventually begin to hate the very notion of God and wind up encouraging others to do the same.
Interestingly though, Paul points out that God hasn’t caused any of this. It all begins when someone first decides to reject God’s authority…invariably so that they can live anyway that they choose. Sadly the end result of this, from Paul’s perspective, is that when a person refuses to acknowledge God, He, in response, abandons them. God simply allows their corrupted minds to now have free reign over them and to pursue all those activities that they certainly should know better than to do. But instead, at the pinnacle of it all, they seek to find a rationale for a behavior that only becomes increasingly more outrageous and despicable. Just like today’s bankers have not only baffled the former Fed chair, but also our newly elected President of the United States. Any of us might conclude there is an audacity to these actions. Did you hear that? It’s me howling that these behaviors are outrageous and may even begin to cross the line of demarcation that distinguishes something as being flat out insane.
A good many of us, myself included, will admit to having traipsed down a similar path of self-delusion during our lives. Certainly I’ve never been an investment banker…which we should probably all thank God for…but if I had back then, I’m not all that sure that I wouldn’t have been capable of perpetrating such outlandish atrocities. Somehow, somewhere along the way, we’ve all gone against that internal barometric thinking and started fooling ourselves into thinking that we’re really getting ahead of the other guy, making progress or, doing what’s best for us and our families. At the very least, somewhere in there we bought in to the notion that “I’m okay, You’re okay.” And hey, remember if what I'm doing isn’t harming anyone else…how bad can it really be? (I won’t even dignify the subject by taking the time to go off on this whole blasphemous politically correct nonsense.) If the past behavior of the politicos, the Wall Street moguls, and other CEO types hasn’t hit home yet…then, I fear, you may have already lost all your ability to recognize the “ideological flaw” that seems finally to have dawned on Alan Greenspan at the age of 82. And don’t miss what he said regarding this, “I don’t know how significant or permanent it is, but I’ve been very distressed by that fact.” Without question, Mr. Greenspan has one of the finest economic minds that is only further enhanced by a first-rate education. Then what’s the problem here, Al?
As you read on in the book of Romans Paul later pens the statement, “Anyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” From this the question might naturally arise…what are we being saved from? It’s not my place to rain down “hell-fire and brimstone” all over this page. I couldn’t care less at this juncture whether or not you’re inclined to consider what the Bible describes as the coming wrath of God upon all unbelievers, the prospects of heaven or hell, or if you just want to continue to dispel the whole God notion entirely, but, I would contend, you might do well to consider the point Paul makes in a statement about calling on the name of the Lord to be saved. I know for a fact, it all begins with you being saved from yourself.
In hindsight we might conclude that Alan Greenspan experienced a semblance of a personal epiphany before Congress. However the emotional charge that can arise from witnessing the bad behaviors of others (when the spotlight shines on them) should remind each of us that, in actual reality, none of our individual insanity occurs instantaneously. (Temporary insanity notwithstanding). Whatever cadre of adult-level, anti-God, nuttiness we have amassed had to be built up over time. That’s why when you read Paul writing more to the Roman Christians in Chapter 12 you see this admonition, “And so dear brothers and sister, I plead with you to give your bodies to God. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice – the kind He will accept. When you think of what He has done for you, is this too much to ask? Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will know what God wants you to do, and you will know how good and pleasing and perfect His will really is.”
It’s also important to remember you didn’t get to whatever attitude you have about God all by yourself. Some of it certainly came from your individual desire to rebel against authority, but it has also come, to greater of lesser extents, from what you’ve been taught over the years by people you respect. In addition peer pressure plays its part, but just as you have been gradually transformed away from believing in God, (Can anybody show me a four-year-old who is an atheist?) it might take you a long time to get back into some semblance of right thinking about Him. (Nobody has all of it all figured out anyway.) But this is where you have to make a choice though. Are you inclined toward having your mind transformed? Like the man at the pool of Bethesda that Jesus asked, “Do you want to get well?” Well, do you?
In one form or another we’re all victimized by a “flawed ideology.” Jesus makes the statement though, “And you will know the truth and the truth will set you free.” My closing question then is, is that a true statement? And if it is, what truth is Jesus purporting?
If you have any interest in reading more about these topics, certainly reading about Jesus in the gospel of John is a recommended start. If John looks too daunting, then give the gospel of Mark a quick read (it's shorter). To get the gist of what the Apostle Paul has to say on a broad range of subjects, naturally the book of Romans is hard to beat, but that too can seem intimidating, so may I suggest the six chapters that comprise the New Testament letter to the Ephesians? Go ahead…none of this reading is going to kill you…and what's it cost? Nothing. But a warning label should be attached...it certainly has the potential to begin transforming your mind.
Until next time, I remain ever yours regardlessly,
mike
January 27, 1967 was a very sad day for a ten year old boy growing up in the midst of the “space race.” On that day, 42 years ago, three NASA astronauts were the first to lose their lives in the pursuit of a mission, established by President John Kennedy in 1961, to land a man on the moon by the end of the decade.
The commander of Apollo 1 was Air Force Lt. Col. Gus Grissom. He had been one of the original seven astronauts chosen to participate in the United States space program in 1959. Gus was the second American in space inside a Mercury capsule in 1961. He and fellow astronaut, John Young were the crew of Gemini 3. This would be the first two-manned flight by NASA in 1965.
Ed White, another Lt. Col. in the USAF, was the pilot for Apollo 1. Ed had been an astronaut since 1962 and was NASA’s first spacewalker as part of the Gemini 4 mission of 1965.
The crew’s rookie was Roger Chaffee a Navy Lt. Commander. Having been selected to become an astronaut in 1963, Apollo 1 was to be his first mission.
The excitement surrounding another manned launch into space was at its peak that day. This marked the first of the Apollo missions that would be the ones that would ultimately take men to the moon. But, at 6:31 p.m. (EST) the unthinkable happened. The Apollo capsule, atop a Saturn 1B rocket, shuddered twice. A “Fire!” alarm rang from inside the capsule. It would take rescuers six minutes to get the inner hatch opened up. But by then it was already too late. All three men were dead from the resulting flash fire that filled the capsule with toxic fumes and carbon monoxide.
Every astronaut who has traveled into space since that fateful day has been safer for the sacrifice of these three men. An investigation following the tragedy brought about major design and engineering alterations to the future Apollo spacecrafts that would indeed make it to the moon by July 20, 1969.
In the aftermath, Flight Director Gene Kranz told his team at the Manned Spacecraft Center in Houston: "From this day forward, Flight Control will be known by two words: 'tough' and 'competent.' 'Tough' means we are forever accountable for what we do or what we fail to do," he said. "'Competent' means we will never take anything for granted."
Each January, the NASA family pauses for a Day of Remembrance, honoring each of the astronauts of Apollo 1, Challenger and Columbia. And I wanted to add this salute to all those who have given their lives in the cause of exploration and discovery.
Ever yours regardlessly,
mike
It’s apparently going to be quite a day here on planet Earth. The kind of day that gets a guy’s mental juices flowing and inspires him to jot and tittle away in the old blog section. First I notice there’s to be another annual solar eclipse. This one will partially obscure the sun and create the illusion of a “ring of fire” in the sky around the Indian Ocean region.
I suppose it’s hard for some of us to imagine that given the pervasive influence of the internet and satellite TV, the advances in scientific knowledge and global education, that there are still millions of people, on this day, who will be quite unsettled and fearful when they observe such a natural phenomenon as a solar eclipse. Is that crazy or what?
On the other hand though, there are billions of people on this planet who would also contend that all they “know” about the world around them is a result of some cosmic happenstance that instigated an evolutionary process that brought about the whole universe coming into being. To me that sounds pretty far-fetched in and of itself.
Of course, you then have people like me who are quite comfortable and at peace with the concept that God created everything from nothing. I would firmly contend that all the stuff we think we “know” is only a partial understanding of anything that can be known and even the miniscule smattering of what we hold to be self-evident has come to mankind as a result of God having deemed it prudent to reveal particular aspects of His vastness and glory to humanity. On top of that, I would further argue that a majority of the things humans think they can fathom about how things operate in this old world are, at best, quite recent revelations. Even the best speculations on the part of anthropologists suggest mankind is a relatively recent occurrence when you factor in a “billions of years” equation essential to explaining (or exploiting) the evolutionary process. I just wonder, given all that technology has afforded us -- in now being able to see things and go to regions in the heavens above and the Earth below -- how is it that we never had an inkling about so much of this even a century ago? Doesn’t it make a sort of reasonable sense that God has perchance always known about all of these things, and they are all where they are for no other reason than God likes them this way? There. Now you can really talk about your nut-case notions.
Certainly we, of this information age, would no longer believe the same silliness that the people of ages past did, would we? In the “take these for instance” category, how about the notion of a flat earth (there are actually some intelligent individuals, people who can formulate thoughts and write books, who still believe this is true), or how could anyone still entertain a long prevailing notion that suggests man has never gone to the moon and the whole pretense of a space program is nothing more than a carefully crafted sham? Such a scurrilous suggestion remains quite alive and well and persists in being debated within various portions of the public forum. (I, as you may know, also work as a Mission Briefing Officer at the Space Center in Houston, Texas – and if you’d be inclined to simply take my word for it…the whole of the human space exploration program is quite real, thank you very much.)
Have you ever wondered where any, let alone all, of our whacky ideas originate? Well certainly there must be an explanation for how we come to arrive at the conclusions we’ve drawn, isn’t there? And I wonder if one man’s mania isn’t simply the substance for another man’s scorn and ridicule?
Essentially the question comes back to, what’s up with the aspect of abstract thought that allows for the human brain to ponder such perplexities? When in the overall scheme of evolutionary development did this thing pop up? Certainly you don’t find anything else, anywhere, like the Homo sapiens capacity for seeking to unravel the mysteries of the universe among living creatures. (And don’t think people haven’t been looking.) One of our NASA scientists shared how he, on more than one occasion, tried to get his cat to look through his telescope at home. It wasn’t long before it dawned on him that the cat was just not interested in the same things he was. To my knowledge, this cat has never taken the time to peer through the telescope…not even to try and locate a bird. (Although it should be said that the cat does indeed spend a lot of time unaccounted for during the day.)
You see, I can’t imagine how the first single-celled organisms, however they came into existence, were ever inspired to replicate themselves apart from the input of some element of abstract thought. If it wasn’t inherent to the SSO, then where did it come from? What told an amoeba (something humans didn’t even know what to name them until 1878) that being two amoebae is a good thing? At what point was that first fish inspired to take a shot at walking on dry land? And even as a desire to fly seems innate to humans, what impetus caused that first speculative idea that such a feat was even doable? Was this ultimately behind the original inclination the fish had to get out of the water in the first place?
Well friend, as you ponder these paradoxical precepts you’ll not just be utilizing that special gift you have for abstract thought, but as you begin embracing the validity of some ideas and then turn a thumb down on others…you’ll be engaging in another aspect totally unique to the human creature…it’s something called critical thinking.
And honestly, this is not at all, not even close actually, to what I had originally intended to write about today. I simply thought you might find it interesting to read that after decades of being firmly aligned with a non-denominational approach to Christian worship…today my wife and I are going to be joining a Baptist church. (Southern Baptist no less!) If you’re interested I’d be willing to go into more lengthy detail about how a decision like this came about in another blog entry. But for now suffice it to say I nearly blew a brain gasket coming to an alignment of critical thoughts that resulted in a monumental decision like this one…and yet, I did it!
Anyway, until next time, I remain ever yours regardlessly,
the old-man at the mike-ro-phone – sharing voices inside my head
P.S. I did scrap the other “@ the Rock Shop” show and am currently working on another one. Thanks for asking.
Honestly, by going back to writing a blog entry today, I think I might just be stalling. I’m in a quandary over the next radio show I’m producing. (A program you can listen to, by the way, by clicking on one of the buttons back on the homepage of this site.) Anyway, in retrospect, the show I’ve already completed 90% of just ain’t all that great. It’s supposed to be about Moses, a guy who had a whole lot written about him in the Bible…admitedly having served, in large part, as his own scribe. Trying to accomplish an overview of him, as pertains to his faith in God, in a manner reminiscent of all previous “@ the Rock Shop” programs has presented a troublesome challenge. And I do have my standards…don’t you know?
I’m either going to have to scrap what I’ve already done and start over or compromise a few of my exceedingly high standards and finish off a sub-par program just because that sure would be a whole lot easier and move on. Hence, I’m in a holding pattern presently, and thought I'd provide myself with another form of distraction.
What I did think worth drawing attention to though, was the excessive amount of faith in God (Christian faith in particular) that was a planned part of the inauguration ceremonies of U.S. President Barak Obama yesterday.
Here’s a brief rundown of what transpired; The Obama’s continued the long standing tradition of attending St. John’s Episcopal Church ahead of the inauguration. Public prayers to God were offered by Christian pastor’s Rick Warren and Rev. Joseph Lowerey, the oath was taken with Barak Obama's right hand on a Bible…and, not surprisingly perhaps, the new President even made some spiritually charged comments during his first speech as leader of this free nation. In addition, you also had a handful of protesters crying angrily in outrage about this. I wonder, was their irritation over God getting more attention than they were?
I realize that many of the events that comprise the inauguration of any U.S. President have come from a long line of traditions. George Washington started several of them, particularly placing a hand on the Bible as he took the oath of office. And even at that first inauguration, April 30, 1789 on Wall Street in New York City…(ain’t that interesting?) there were those shouting their opposition to God’s place in the proceedings. The controversial issues about all that praying and church going at a “swearing-in, oath taking” of a president essentially are believed to derive from an oft misinterpreted portion of the U.S. Constitution that is erroneously dubbed “separation of church and state.” Well, I for one think the whole pretense is just silly.
Let’s begin with what the U.S. Constitution actually says on that “separation of church and state” topic. Here are the actual words written in the document that, incidentally, had to be ratified by Congress before George Washington could even be sworn in as president: “Congress shall make no LAW (emphasis mine) respecting an establishment of religion or PROHIBITING (me again) the free exercise thereof…” If you were to go looking back through history's annals to find the first instance of this “separation of church and state” notion you won’t find it entering the public mindset until after 1802 and then it’s credited to President #3 Thomas Jefferson…a guy who, as it turns out, was inclined to “cut and paste” together his own interpretation of the Bible, known as the Jefferson Bible.
Not to get too far distracted, the point is that hugely vast portions of the people who comprise the populace of the United States of America honestly believe there is a God and put their faith and trust in Him. The predominant religious faith in the U.S. is far and away Christianity. So, when you break it down to those few who are outraged by all this “God-talk” during an inauguration…it turns out they happen to be one of the most miniscule of all the minorities there are…atheists.
Granted it’s pert near impossible to get an accurate count of the number of atheists in the world. Most of that boils down to how you go about defining an "atheist." It thereby becomes challenging to draw boundaries between atheism, non-religious beliefs, and non-theistic religious and spiritual beliefs. Furthermore, there are probably a lot of these "atheists" who won’t own up to it, or might not even know they are one. Nevertheless, many studies indicate that the non-religious of the whole world make up about 12-15% of the population, with authentic atheists compromising only about one quarter of these. Of course to hear all their blathering banter you’d easily tend to think there are a whole lot more of them.
Now, as a former adherent of atheism, I know from whence I speak. There’s something charming about being different. (I mean really different.) Atheism certainly provides a stimulating form of philosophical challenge. And, admit it, who doesn’t love the entertainment factor of getting another person all upset and flustered by trying to defend their faith in God against someone who claims to have none.
But the truly troubling issue with the outspoken atheist keeps coming back to a question, why are you so adamantly opposed to the very mention of something you don’t believe in anyway? Me thinks thou certainly dost protest far too much. Prior to my coming to believe the overwhelming evidence for a creator God, I'd been in your shoes. But could someone, anyone, please enlighten me - I can't for the life of me fathom what a radical atheists palavering point is? Having now extensively examined both sides of the subject, I contend there are a whole bunch of flaws in the atheism viewpoint anyway. Therefore, enquiring minds want to know...have you ever made an honest and serious examination into why so many other people on this planet don't embrace your way of thinking? Something of significant value seems to resonate in the adage, can so many people be so wrong about something? As I've been willing to consider you're alternative, I wonder why you aren't willing to explore the option that there might actually be something to this belief in God thing?
As usual, I’m open to reading any and all opposing viewpoints that you’d care to submit. And I don't even have any qualms about posting your comments either. (The only editing criterion I've ever implemented is not to post the ones that are unduly vulgar...or those I get from my mother-in-law...not always one in the same.) Drat, now I'm once more faced with all intended stalling tactics having been exhausted, so it looks as if I’m going to have to rectify that other issue regarding what to do about my next installment of “@ the Rock Shop.” Curses…I guess starting over seems like the best way to go, so toodles, I’ve got some work to do. But in the meantime, I double-dog-dare you to give a listen to my current offering on Joseph of the Old Testament.
Until next time, I remain ever yours regardlessly,the old-man at the mike-ro-phone – sharing voices inside my head
Today Barak Obama, the first U.S. president of African ancestry, is being sworn in as commander-in-chief. President Obama will be taking the oath of office with his right hand placed on a Bible that belonged to Abraham Lincoln. This event also takes place one day after the birthday observance of civil rights leader, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and two days after the Obama family attended their first church service since August 31st (at the 19th Street Baptist Church in Washington, D.C. Founded in 1839.) Wow, ain’t that a whole heaping bunch of historically significant parallels coming together all at once?
Of course from a completely opposite spectrum, Sunday two NFL quarterbacks who led their football teams to victory and the prize of a Super Bowl match-up on February 2nd in Tampa Bay, Florida, are both outwardly vocal about a deep faith in Jesus Christ. Ah yes…herein would comprise the good stuff. One of those increasingly rare times when we sigh just before inhaling that deep breath that puffs out our chest, a moment among moments, one that tends to make we who are among the privileged feel particularly proud to be Americans.
These are instances when we have a chance to just look at the positive’s in life…forget for awhile all the bad things…and maybe even allow ourselves to think, yes…God IS in His heaven and all IS right with the world. That is if you don’t allow yourself to really look too closely at what else is going on in the world around us. Or the fact that there are plenty of people who espouse faith in Jesus Christ who don't wind up being the winners in this lifetime.
Today is also a day when many millions…perhaps billions…will not even be aware of, let alone be acknowledging anything particularly momentous about any of these solely American moments. Beyond the fact they probably couldn’t care less, they’re in the midst of their own life-and-death struggles. And you can imagine for the great majority…life (no matter how many hardships must be endured) is still preferred over the alternative.
Have you got a good answer for that one? Why, given the worst that life is capable of throwing our way would a rotten, miserable, terrible life be preferred over death? Granted, there is that whole uncertainty part about the dying thing...and then shuffling off this mortal coil does seem to have such a permanence to it too. (Did you realize we'll probably be spending a whole lot longer time dead than we ever did alive?)
Here's a twist for you then? You can read in the New Testament book of Philippians…right there in chapter one…the Apostle Paul making the statement, “For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain. If I am to go on living in the body, this will mean fruitful labor for me. Yet what shall I choose? I do not know! (Phil. 1:21, 22 NIV.) Later in the same letter to the Christians in Philippi Paul would pen this comment, “Yes, everything else is worthless when compared with the priceless gain of knowing Jesus Christ as my Lord. I have discounted everything else, counting it all as garbage, so that I may have Christ and become one with him. I no longer count on my own goodness or my ability to obey God’s law, but I trust Christ to save me. For God’s way of making us right with himself depends on faith.” (Phil 3:8, 9 NLT.) How can he say such things? You’d really have to think that Paul must not be in his right mind…then again could it be that Paul really has gotten himself into the proper mindset?
Jesus was a great one for challenging people with hard questions. From the fifth chapter of the gospel of John there’s this situation, “Jesus returned to Jerusalem for one of the Jewish holy days. Inside the city, near the Sheep Gate, was the pool of Bethesda, with five covered porches. Crowds of sick people—blind, lame, or paralyzed—lay on the porches. One of the men lying there had been sick for thirty-eight years. When Jesus saw him and knew he had been ill for a long time, he asked him, ‘Would you like to get well?’” That’s certainly one of those accounts worth reading in full sometime. You could also look in the gospel of Matthew and see this incident, “When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, ‘Who do people say that the Son of Man is?’
‘Well,’ they replied, ‘some say John the Baptist, some say Elijah, and others say Jeremiah or one of the other prophets.’
Then he asked them, ‘But who do you say I am?’”
Great question. Far more significant than anything anyone else had to say about Jesus…Christ asked each of the twelve men who had been with him for around three years this one crucial question. Here’s how one of those disciples responded, “Simon Peter answered, ‘You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.’
Jesus replied, ‘You are blessed, Simon son of John, because my Father in heaven has revealed this to you. You did not learn this from any human being.’” (Matt. 16:13-17 NLT.)
I'm going to use this as a place for me to stop this time…and an even better place to pick it up from during my next entry. In the meantime though, I sure hope you’ll give some thought to these questions yourself. By the way, this one comes at no extra charge. It’s another comment made by the Apostle Paul in his letter to the Romans. He writes in chapter 13 verse 1, “Obey the government, for God is the one who put it there. All government has been placed in power by God” (NLT).
As Barak Obama is sworn in by the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court this January 20, 2009, everyone should be able to breathe a little easier now knowing that this is God’s man for these times…and I’m also thinkin’ it’s going to be the Cardinals winning it all in the Super Bowl!
Until next time, I remain ever yours regardlessly,
the old-man at the mike-ro-phone
The older I get the more reality infers that there are seemingly fewer things aging provides for one to get all worked up about. (The throbbing pain in my shoulder that woke me up at 4:30 this morning immediately comes to mind.) Add to that the threatening onset of imminent global recession, the ever rising instances of natural disasters pummeling our planet, increasing news coverage of man’s inhumanity toward mankind and now I’ve very recently heard of a label being attributed to our current era as the “me-first” generation. Undoubtedly these are all concepts for consternation indeed.
You might expect all this would tend to give an old codger, like me, a moment’s pause. (That is, if I hadn’t already lived through a whole bunch of stuff like it in the past.) You see, there is a particular truth in the statement made by the ancient King Solomon to the effect that “History merely repeats itself. It has all been done before. Nothing under the sun is truly new.” That’s from Ecclesiastes chapter 1 verse 9 of the New Living Translation of the Bible.
Essentially the question comes to mind…are any of these catastrophic life circumstances really real? That certainly depends on your perspective, doesn’t it?
Even now, with all these threatening clouds on the horizon, things don’t seem as desperate to me as they did back in the late 1970’s. (Remember, most of perceived reality is based on perspective.) Back in those days of yore the United States was facing another of our recurring economic crises. We were experiencing the first ever energy issues (were they really the first-ever? well, gasoline was being rationed and the price per gallon was going over a dollar for the first time ever), inflation was in the double digit range, home mortgages were carrying a 16% interest rate, Americans were being held hostage by an Iranian government that nobody had ever thought to pay attention to before, and a guy named Ronald Reagan was challenging the incumbent Jimmy Carter for president. I had voted for Jimmy Carter in 1976 solely based on his open claim that he was a “born-again” Christian. To this day that would be reason enough for me to cast a vote for anybody. I know what a person means when they describe themselves as “born-again.” It’s essentially the only reason I voted for George W. Bush twice. But back in 1980 I voted for Ronald Reagan…because the U.S. needed change and I thought the U.S. president was a person who could bring that sort of change about…I don’t hold an opinion like that anymore.
I do remember in particular though a speech given by Ronald Reagan wherein he made the now famous statement, “A recession is when your neighbor loses his job. A depression is when you lose your job. And a recovery is when Jimmy Carter loses his job.” – you just have to tip your hat to great speech writing.
Well, eventually change did occur. Not just in the United States but all across the world stage. The U.S. hostages were released from Iran…even as the radical government remained in power (the effectiveness of modern day terrorism had been born), indications suggested that the U.S. economy began stabilizing amid the proposed “trickle-down” economics of the Reagan era, only during his second term mind you, and the once mighty and fearsome Soviet Union came crashing down quicker than the Berlin Wall would. Yeah…those were the days back then, weren’t they? It seemingly would make what we’re hearing about today pale in comparison, wouldn’t it?
Over the past three decades now, I’ve gotten older (some might contend wiser) nevertheless my viewpoint on world affairs has matured toward a deeper understanding and embracing of the Christian worldview. I’d like to go more in depth on that topic except I’ve written way too long already this time…well, that’ll be where I’ll pick up this blog next time a nagging pain wakes me up in the wee hours of the morning.
Until then, I remain ever yours regardlessly,
the old-man at the mike-ro-phone
Getting my blogging chops back in shape was a top resolution for 2009. Well, then I had to write and mail out a newsletter on the first day…and one thing led to another (predominantly BCS football games) and before you know it, New Year’s resolution #1 is kaput. The surprising thing is that I’m only a couple of days behind at this point and that feels kind of good.
Feeling good about ourselves at the beginning of a New Year I suppose is pretty common. Traditionally we’ve been taught that the New Year is a time for new beginnings, turning over a new leaf, getting back on the right course, and optimism abounds. It has always seemed particularly odd to me, though, that these emotions coincide with the making of “New Year Resolutions.” A list of typically unattainable goals…so that from the outset of any New Year we’ve already laid a foundation for failure, haven’t we? C’mon admit it, not that long into any New Year we’ll have let lapse all of those well intended thoughts of purpose and resolve and by March could hardly tell you what any of them were.
Well since my college days I’ve always kept my New Year’s resolutions short, simple and easily attainable. I also don’t make it a habit of writing them down anywhere to remind myself exactly what they had been…nope, when you don’t write anything down verbatim then you can’t be held accountable for missing the mark, can you? And I’ve become really good at letting myself slide along the way. After all shouldn’t my good intentions count for something?
Well, I won’t spoil the plan for this blog so soon into the New Year but I will invite you to stop back on a regular basis as I’ll begin an exercise of mental musings, peeling an onion that, at some point along the way, might just end up making both of us cry…but then isn’t laughter a good thing? Okay, I will give you a little hint. Long before we ever knew what a New Year Resolution was, didn’t we dream about what we’d want to be when we grew up? I guess I’m kind of curious about exploring how that’s been working for ya?
If all goes well, I’ll back at you soon enough…ever yours regardlessly,
the old-man at the mike-ro-phone
