Shifting Political Winds

We are in the middle of some turbulent political times.

Everywhere there is anger over the flagrant disregard for the will of the people and an unimaginable lack of common sense which was displayed by the President and the Democrats in congress during the healthcare debacle.

We see reports of escalating death threats against politicians and against the IRS - though there is something disingenuous about these reports.

Amid all this the President is stepping up his rhetoric as if to escalate the anger even more.

It is a troubling time for me.

But I have seen the political landscape shift before: I remember shortly after the end of Gulf War I, George H.W. Bush was enjoying unprecedented popularity - and rightly so, I thought - he seemed a shoe-in for a second term. But the landscape shifted.

When Bill Clinton was confounding conservatives at every turn and liberals were relishing their advantage, the winds shifted again in '94 with Newt Gingrich's "Contract with America". The Republicans swept the House and Senate races that year resulting in what someone coined a peaceful seizing of power.

We saw a shift in the 2008 elections: Republicans shut out their conservative base and it ushered in the historic election of Barack Obama as the first African-American President.

Shifts can bring elation or frustration.

This conversation is significant this week, because it is Holy Week. Christians celebrate this as the week leading up to the Crucifixion and subsequent Resurrection of Jesus, the Christ.

But on the Sunday known as Palm Sunday, Jesus had enjoyed enormous popularity. In fact, His support reached a fevered pitch resulting in a spontaneous public outpouring of affection and adoration. As Jesus rode into Jerusalem on a donkey's colt, throngs laid their coats in His path and waved palm branches and shouted as if to royalty!

Then it all shifted - literally almost overnight. By the end of the week, that crowd cried out for His blood. The Chief Priests and the Pharisees smirked arrogantly, knowing that they had turned the tide against Him.

I'm sure that if I had been among His followers then, my elation would have quickly changed to frustration. But as my Pastor pointed out last Sunday, Jesus faced both the celebration and the rejection with the same level humility.

Jesus knew that when the rapturous exaltation of Palm Sunday was going on - The Pharisees were angry for the wrong reasons and the people were joyous - for the wrong reasons.

The Pharisees saw Him as a threat. The people also saw Him as a threat to the tyranny of Rome and the oppression of the false leadership of the Priests and Pharisees. Neither was correct.

He did come to tear down kingdoms and to liberate souls - but He brings freedom to the heart, soul and spirit. . . . His kingdom is a heavenly one.

Though I cannot say that my emotions always reflect it - I think there is a place of level humility and general peace for us as well, during these days of shifting winds. It comes from knowing that there is a heavenly kingdom. . .

. . . and this ain't it.

Jesus said "the kingdom of heaven is within you"

Poor Little Nazi

I realize the title may be a little shocking, but bear with me - there's a point (I think).

In the old days you could always tell the bad guys in the movies - they usually wore black cowboy hats.
If that didn't work, you could just listen to the melodramatic background music; if it suddenly turned villainous - like to something akin to the Darth Vader music or the theme to "Jaws" - you knew there was a bad guy on the screen.

A couple years ago, I was endeavoring to teach AA how to appreciate cowboy movies. He became fairly astute in his recognition of "bad-guy" music.

These days its harder to figure out who the bad-guys are. Hollywood pretty much forgot how to manufacture any pure good-guys so every one is something of a bad-guy. I have noted that in newer movies, in order to firmly distinguish just who the villain of the picture is, he really has to do something heinous like bump off his own grandmother. . . . Or use plastic shopping bags and refuse to purchase those expensive government-mandated twisty light bulbs: that's almost as bad as bumping off one's grandmother.

In the haze of political correctness that now engulfs our current societal atmosphere, we can't even seem to have definable national enemies. When I was a kid, it was the Communists. Everyone knew Communism was bad. I even remember an unsettling skit being presented by my church youth group about the dangers of Communism; I had trouble sleeping that night.

Now, we can't say that Communists are bad - heck they make most of our kids toys!

All the old bad-guys have now somehow been absolved from all their badness. The only bad-guys now are the people who call others "bad-guys".

However, there is one group that has held to it's Bad-guy status for over half a century now, and that is the Nazi's.

Every other evil regime apparently passed through some sort of redemptive process and they are now acceptable - except for Nazi's. I wonder why? One might almost feel sorry for the poor little Nazis.

Now mind you, I have no compassion for Nazi's. But I don't think the evils of other murderous governments like Stalin, Idi Amin, and Ahmadinejad should be excused either. Why does the eternal albatross of badness always hang solely around the neck of the Nazis?

So it is not surprising these days that when Nancy Pelosi and her ilk want to call a citizen the worst name in the book - they always pull out the "Nazi" label. For liberals there are no other bad-guys.

Honestly, I am not interested in whitewashing Nazism or finding some way to make it socially acceptable. I just tire of all these other vice-ridden bad guys getting a free ride.

What if there suddenly emerged an army of "good-guys" - like the kind that used to wear white cowboy hats. What if suddenly people came to the forefront that observed the "Golden Rule" and told the truth no matter what? Suppose there were people that would suddenly stand up for the rights of little widow ladies and orphan kids; people that could still smile and blush.

I suspect that it would then be easy to tell who were the good guys and who were the bad-guys. We could judge them by their actions. . . .

. . . and we wouldn't even have to listen for the villainous music.

Spring Holiday Camp Out 3/25/10 at OneTrueMedia.com

We choose to give Winter and the kid's Spring Break a big send off with a camp out in the woods near our home. The enthusiasm snared my nephew and he joined us as well.

It was cold (as is tradition) but not unbearable (Our faithful dog, Tanner had chattering teeth on Saturday morning).

I actually slept much more than I normally do at these things.

It was big fun and hopefully will build pleasant memories into Ab and AA.

Make an on-line slide show at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Pride Before the Fall

Here is our President mocking:

"After I signed the bill, I looked around to see if there were any asteroids falling, some cracks opening up in the earth," Obama said, adding it turned out to be a nice day and "birds were chirping, folks were strolling down the mall."

Reuters article by Patricia Zengerle [http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSN2522952320100325]

To understand what is being perpetrated on the American people, one needs to look only slightly below the surface. Just apply the minutest amount of logic to the equation.

Then they will realize that just beyond the emotional appeal of every liberal message is the ominous reality that a little more freedom will be snatched away.

And just where is all that power that is being usurped from the common man going?

To the very bodies of government that have shown clearly that they cannot be trusted - that they can be bought and sold with a wink and a promise - our two houses of congress and the executive branch.

Unfortunately, if it is not repealed - the depth of evil embodied by the recently passed health care debacle will not be fully realized until it is too late.

a conversation on Air-Force One

Dennis Kucinich, Democratic Representative from Ohio has flipped his vote from a "no" on the President's Healthcare Reform (?) to a "yes".

It happened after a little ride on Air-Force One with the President. Lot's of speculation has gone on about what was said to Kucinich on this fated trip.

I have a pretty good idea:

I think once the jet reached cruising altitude, the President said two things:

1. I want you to vote for the Healthcare Reform Bill.

2. If you are in agreement with me, just nod your head "yes" and I'll get Rahm to let you back in the plane.

A Common Enemy

I like the old "Tom & Jerry" cartoons - I think they are funnier even than "Bugs Bunny" and the gang at Warner Bros.

I'm throwing one in here for your enjoyment.

I thought I really liked best, the ones in which Tom & Jerry team up and work together, but I'm not so sure. My kids have been bickering more noticeably lately. They take such great pleasure in aggravating and being aggravated by one another. I think the point is actually to aggravate Mom and me.

As is illustrated by the Woman of the House in this short:

The Bully from First Grade, oh my!

My sister emailed the other day to tell me that she had run across an old school mate of mine - from elementary school. He was something of a "bully". Well that narrowed it down to about three and I hearkened back to those youthful days - dealing with bullies was not a happy memory.


AA had to deal with something like that recently.


Our kids played Upward Basketball this year - it is a very effective program that mixes basketball fundamentals with the Gospel. I have been very blessed and impressed with the group of people that have served faithfully in this field at a nearby church.


Upward Basketball is not heavily competitive - in fact parents are encouraged to cheer for both teams. There were only two teams in AA's age range so every Saturday they played the same team (who needs game films).


In this group there is a large variety of shapes, sizes, skill and confidence levels. AA appears to have inherited the natural athletic ability from his Dad (as well as the absence of a killer instinct), so this is a good place for him to start.

The opposing team had one "Hoss" of a kid. This big, bulky kid (probably wore "Husky" jeans) reminded me of at least one of my nemesis in elementary school. He was good and very aggressive. Fortunately, AA's team also had one big guy who was equally skilled and aggressive so the two giants were assigned to cover one another.

However, this is Upward Basketball - and everybody plays. So when some shrimp-like guy was assigned to "kid-Goliath" they would run up the score until our "equalizer was put back in.

Late in the season, the teams went to the bench between periods and as they readied to start back up, they lined up face to face. AA had been assigned to the big guy.

Now AA is fairly tall and he's strong, but focus isn't his strong suit and he doesn't know yet how good he can be. He was smiling - but I could see in his eyes that he was beaten already.

For one period, AA followed that big kid around the court. Not really getting in on the play but trying to make a good showing by staying in the vicinity of the play.

Because my son and I are so much alike, I knew what he was feeling. After the game, we talked and I tried to instill some confidence in him. I wanted to be sure that he understood that I was irritated a little - not because he couldn't, but because he didn't know that he could and he wasn't trying his best.

Throughout the week, I mentioned it a few times and told him to stick on that guy like glue if he got assigned to him again.

Sure enough the next game AA was back on the big guy for a period. But this time, he did it - he stayed right with him. I was proud. The guy was only able to hit two or three shots and those were just because of his height advantage.

At some point AA looked at me and we both smiled. He was surprising himself, and he was pleased.

I don't have a lot of overcoming bully stories to pass on to my son. I didn't deal with bullies as well as I would liked to have.

But I do remember one in the first grade - maybe the one my sister recently met. I was afraid of him. He would sneak up behind me and jump on my back during recess.

One day he and I were somehow doing what we called "playfighting" ... which is how you explain it to the teacher when she says "HEY! are you two boys fighting!?!". . . . Anyway at some point I gained the advantage over the guy and pinned him, while I held him down he sort of got panicky.

From that point on, he didn't bother me much anymore and I wasn't afraid. In my mind, I had beaten him.

There is something about facing our fears that give us the advantage over them - when you get down there into the struggle with that thing you fear, you might just learn that it ain't so scary after all.

Olympic Gold

Okay so it wasn't actually gold and it wasn't exactly an athletic event - though she did race through those computation problems like an Olympic downhill - it was, in fact the Math Olympics and Ab did bring home a medal for first place.

The girl loves to learn and she works at it like she does everything she's passionate about. Her diligence has paid off and we're proud of this girl.

...As We Forgive Our Debtors...

The Lord's Prayer - that model that Jesus left for us to follow - that's what I want to talk about.

Praying the Lord's Prayer aloud in each Sunday Worship is a tradition of the church we are attending. I hail from a denominational background that did not place such an emphasis on The Prayer during worship services. But I like this weekly reminder of the Prayer Christ gave us.

Do you know where I learned the Lord's Prayer?
Not in Sunday School...I learned it in Mrs. Moody's first grade class at Northside Elementary School. Neat huh?

Quite awhile back, I read the book "Could You Not Tarry One Hour", by Larry Lea (1987, Creation House, Lake Mary Florida), I was impressed with the idea of using that model Prayer as a template or outline for my daily prayer. I have practiced that discipline off and on for well over ten years (if you can call "off and on" a discipline).

Lately, I have been thinking about the phrase - "forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors". Until lately, I have approached that portion of The Prayer as a time to confess my sins and failures to God. However, recently it has occurred to me that the emphasis should be on the latter part of that phrase.... "as we forgive our debtors".

In fact, I believe that the point of that portion of The Prayer can be best understood by turning it around. In the same way that addition helps us better understand a subtraction problem - this plea can best be understood by starting with the back end and working forward:

As we forgive our debtors .... forgive us our debts.

Now that is a frightening request. Do I really want God to forgive me only to the extent that I forgive others?

No, actually I would prefer that God be very liberal in His outpouring of grace toward me.

God would ask the same of me when somebody does me wrong.

In the way I forgive those who are indebted to me ... God, forgive me that way - with that same attitude.

It's a requirement. He says "...if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins" (Matthew 6:15 NIV)

Thankfully, God does not place a requirement upon us unless He also provides a way to meet that requirement. When the ability to forgive is beyond me, I must yield that offense or hurt up to God and ask Him to forgive through me. I must ask Him to do in me what I have not power to do in myself.

And He will.

What God Will Ask

"Georgia Men's Advance" is an annual event at Rock Eagle 4-H Camp near Eatonton, GA. It is sponsored by the "Full Gospel Business Men's Fellowship International" a group launched during the Charismatic Renewal of the 1970's and early 1980's.

Mark Rutland, now the president of Oral Roberts University in Tulsa, Oklahoma, has been the keynote speaker at every Georgia Men's Advance in it's 30 year history. I do not know of another person I had rather hear speak. He is my all-time favorite preacher.

During the 1990's I attended three of those conferences.

In each one the experiences were memorable and life-changing.

The last one attended was in January of 1998. Instead of teaming up with a large group that year, I roomed with two close friends: one was a buddy of mine and the other was an older man who was something of a mentor for us.

The older guy was very successful in many ways, highly intelligent, he exhibited strong leadership qualities and he and his wife had been instrumental in counseling and working with R. and I through some of the struggles of our marriage.

We three guys spent a lot of down time together that weekend, just talking.

Then our mentor said something that has stayed with me from that day til this.

He said, "When I get to heaven, I believe God is going to ask me one question - 'What did you do with the wife and children I gave you?'"

Now I don't think he had Bible for that, but it rung true with me. In fact I have referred back to that challenge often since. As we give an account of the deeds done in this body - why wouldn't God ask us about how we influenced those closest to us?

R. and I had no children at that time, but Ab would be born about one year from that date. The statement set up a determination in me to first be the husband and father that God had called me to be. He may or may not call me to go to some foreign land with His gospel - but it is a given that I am called to influence those of my own household for Him.

As I write about this influential moment I am saddened because some years later, that mentor walked away from his own marriage and it dealt a sharp blow to both my buddy and me.

Nevertheless the words he spoke that day were truth and they still drive my actions today

A New Category Launch -Driven Under the Influence

I have known people that are "driven".

I don't think many people would characterize me as being "driven".

Driven people are usually the "take life by the horns" people - the "make it happen" people.

All to often I am a "watch it happen" person.

I am coming to a place of thinking that God's best is often displayed when we let go of the situation at hand and let Him drive.

Sheep are not driven - they are led.

I like the stories when God says "be still" ... "the battle is not yours but the Lord's".

There are also times in which God's people are allowed to take part in what He is doing. Like in the case of David stepping into a duel in the sun with Goliath.

But even people like myself whose driven-ness may not be obvious, have an urging within us that pushes us toward something better.

Over the past two or three years, I have thought more about the people and events that have wielded great influence upon my life. In fact at one time I set an objective of finding a way to thank those people. I even bought some notecards.

Unfortunately - not being an especially driven person - I haven't yet sent any of those cards.

With this recurring series, I intend to point out some of those people and events. I doubt there will be many earth-shattering revelations, but it will be my way of thanking them (though I may not mention names unless I'm given permission). And since I sometimes think of these writings as being something of the legacy I hope to leave for my progeny, perhaps it will serve that purpose as well.

I will close this post with a quick example that just popped in my head. In the early part of the book of Acts (that's in the Bible), we find the story of Stephen the first martyr of the church.

At the close of that story, the fury of the townspeople reaches a fever pitch against the pious Stephen, he is driven into the outskirts of town and soundly stoned.

As one great character is leaving the stage, another is introduced: we are told that the men that did the stoning took off their coats and laid them at the feet of a young man named Saul.

Those of you familiar with the story will recall that Stephen went out in a glorious way! He saw heaven opened and Jesus standing at God's right hand ( my Grand Dad liked to point out here that Jesus was usually always referred to as being "seated" but now He was standing; this demonstrated His concern). Stephen loudly proclaimed what he was seeing and graciously he fell asleep amid the chaos and violence of the stoning.

Nothing in the Bible provides an obvious link between Saul and Stephen except that Saul just seemed to be a bystander at Stephen's death.

I think it had great influence on Saul.

I believe it convicted him. And as is often the case, when people contend against the Spirit's wooing, they can get pretty mean. The next time we hear about Saul he has become somewhat notorious. Believers everywhere fear him. In fact chapter 9 of Acts pictures hims as "breathing out murderous threats".

But in that same chapter, Saul came to the end of his conflict with God. He later became known as Paul, the Apostle. Yet I believe the road to that conversion actually began that day he encountered Stephen.

We don't know what influence our words or deeds will have. Stephen certainly knew that he had heaven's attention at the moment of his death, but I don't know if he knew that he was preaching the gospel to an unsuspecting zealot.

I want to point up in this category how people can often be used without their knowledge, to change the direction of the life of someone else.

Sophie Scholl: The Final Days

There are a number of things that I want to write about here but can't seem to arrive at the convergence of energy, inspiration and time.

This one promises to be short so I think I can attempt it...



Last night R. and I sat down to our usual custom on Sunday night - a Netflix movie.



We have recently received the John McCain prisoner of war movie, "Faith of My Fathers" - but I wasn't really in the mood for something so heavy. So R. picked "Sophie Scholl: The Final Days".



As she clicked the laptop and the screen went to the download page, I noticed in that last fleeting second that the movie genre was "foreign". I began making wagers in my mind as to how long the movie would last before she would suggest an "Andy Griffith" DVD.



Sure enough, it was almost immediately apparent that the movie was in German and we were supplied with subtitles. I decided not to invest too much into the viewing of the movie - much in the same way a farmer doesn't name the cattle he knows he will soon be butchering.



It was a slow movie and set in the cold and drab of Germany in the 1940's.


But I noticed that having to read every line, forced me to stay engaged and before long I was hooked.


The movie is a true story, I read that much of the story was uncovered after the reunification of Germany late last century. Sophie and her brother were part of a student movement speaking out against Hitler in 1943. Their plan to plant an incendiary leaflet in the university was foiled and they were arrested.


The movie centers on Sophie, and is made up mostly of dialogue between her and her captors.


She first denied involvement with the distribution of fliers, but once the evidence against her became insurmountable - she confessed and boldly defended her actions.


It is the tale of great courage.

We watched her - a young lady about the age of 21 - agonizing over the possibility of giving her life for something she believed in.

I was especially captivated by her attempts to pray during the ordeal. She always approached God with such reverence and humility, though it seemed that she received no demonstrative assurance of deliverance.

I am troubled by the softness of our generation. We get quite exercised over the slightest inconvenience... a slow check-out line, a confused order at the drive-through, a dawdling driver ahead of us... could real courage be found among us?

We are so attached to our luxuries that we now have begun to believe that we are entitled to all sorts of things - we consider them our rights! Things like access to the internet and medical insurance (not healthcare, mind you - but medical insurance) - are owed to us... or so we think.

I believe that this generation - like those before it - will one day be tested.
I hope that we will come to a place of courage.

In the movie, a grief stricken mother says good-bye to her daughter for the last time ..."I won't see you at my door again" she says. Her final instructions were, "remember" . . . "Jesus".

I'd like to think that at the last moment Sophie would have had a Stephen -type revelation; one in which the heavens opened. But it did not appear that she did. For some, faith is required all the way down to the wire.

My grandfather, who was a wise old sage of a preacher, once told me about the dying of his own father or grandfather (I don't remember which) who was a Christian believer. Yet he said, "a deathbed repentance wouldn't do for him ..." He said that even at that last moment, he was still battling self-doubt. He had to cross over armed only with faith in the loving God.

I believe he did.
And I believe that even when our trials are not life and death - God is there.

Especially when He doesn't seem to be.

New Low for Rocky Top

The University of Tennessee has announced that it will award Al Gore, reputed inventor of the internet, "Carbon-Credit" Kingpin, electoral whiner and all round "visionary" guy - an honorary doctoral degree!!

That's right, according to Knoxnews.com, they plan to award the degree during the Spring Commencement.

My first thought was that I hope my children will be able to attend the college or university of their choice someday. I doubt seriously if it will be ole "Rocky Top".

I was toggling between seething and incredulous as I read the article, but then I came to the comments section and found redemption among my like-minded peers.

I had to share one comment in particular... the insults it contains are harsh and probably old, but they just made me laugh out loud:

American1957 writes:
The University of Tennessee is perfectly justified in granting Vice President Gore an Honorary Doctor of Laws and Humane Letters in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology. After all, the University of Tennessee (do not confuse it with UT - the University of Texas in Austin) has the lowest SAT average for incoming freshmen of any state university in the country. When the library burned down back in the 60's, they were able to save 5 books, and only three of them had been colored in...You compliment a Volunteer female with 'nice tooth,' and Volunteer orange can be worn to the game on Saturday, huntin' on Sunday, and to work picking up trash on the side of the road the rest of the week. Tennessee as a state and Al Gore as a leader - the perfect combination of two losers. Go chew some 'backy you hob-nailed, inbred ding dongs.


If there are any UT alumni reading this post, I apologize and remember, "American1957" said it, not me - I just laughed.

Oh and I am also sorry that the value of your hard-earned degree just went down like some bloated-carbon-coated-lead (paint-filled) balloon.

Sunday Night Bonanza-Blues

AA and Ab have decided to join the "Running Club" at school. A couple of very thoughtful and giving teachers sponsor this club in which kids just stick around after school and run.

Since the idea is still fresh, they are both willing to run with me a little in preparation - and frankly I haven't been all that willing this winter. Anyway, Sunday evening last, we all three ran the "Y - shaped" course that links our driveway with that of my brother-in-law.

While running AA said - for a second time that evening - "I don't want to go to school tomorrow".

Now this boy likes school, he gets excited about all the going's on, it seems that he can't wait to get his homework done in the evenings. But in recent months his statement about not wanting to go to school has become a common Sunday Night occurrence.

Being a victim of the same malady - I understand what he is dealing with. My mom called it "the blues" and as a boy I, too dealt with them on most Sunday nights.

In most cases life had been non-stop wonderful since 3:30 the previous Friday but suddenly on Sunday night it all began to slow down and Monday loomed heavily in the future.

We were always a Sunday night church family. There was no question about whether we would attend church or not. On those rare occasions that we did stay home, it was something of a wicked and delicious treat to get to watch Ed Sullivan (yes, I remember), Candid Camera and The Wonderful World of Disney.

Now Sunday night church was usually fairly exciting - especially in a Pentecostal-Charismatic church like we attended, but when it was over we had to go home to "Bonanza" and a sad contemplation of another week of school.

Dad liked Bonanza and it was standard fare for our Sunday nights. I must admit I always liked the gentle-giant, "Hoss" and thought "Little Joe" was so cool - but Bonanza required a long attention span. Besides, I longed for some levity - something to life my spirits; what with all the dying of the Cartwright boys' girlfriends - the show could be downright depressing.

It was very common for me to have "the blues" on Sunday night - in dread of Monday morning.

When I became a teenager, we still went to church on Sunday night but Sunday night after church became a major social hour and I could be found at the local Wendy's, Pasquale's or Sizzlin' Steakhouse. The noise would drown out the blues.

I guess I carried on that practice until well after R. and I were married.

Now do you know what?

There is a particular point on Sunday night that is my favorite time of the whole week.

We try to do a family devotion time every Sunday night and so it would be real good if I said that was my favorite time but that's not it. It actually comes just after that, when both of our bounding, bickering bundles of joy are finally lulled into suspended animation.

That's when R. and I get together for dinner. For me, it is usually a (turkey) BLT; R. is not so rigid in her traditionalism - she may have any old kind of sandwich. From there, we select a movie - and on the best Sunday nights it is a light-hearted Black-and-White movie - and we sit down side by side on the sofa and just enjoy.

It is honestly the highlight of my week.

In fact, I must say that I have had very few cases of the "Sunday Night Blues" since R. came along.

Unfortunately, I don't think that will be a great consolation to AA. However, I have the sneaking suspicion that as the sun gets a little warmer and the days get a little longer, he will find his Sunday night blues fading quickly - faster than Hop-Sing can cook up a casserole.