The Draper Family

Why Ron Paul? by Voddie Baucham

2012-01-23T09:17:00.002-06:00

http://www.gracefamilybaptist.net/voddie-baucham-ministries/blog/why-ron-paul-2012-01/

Let me say ahead of time that I do not believe that politics will save America. Nor do I believe there are any perfect candidates. There never have been, and there never will be. Moreover, it is not my goal to answer every objection to the Paul candidacy as I know that there are those who, for various reasons, will not be persuaded, and more importantly, that’s not my job. My goal here is to offer insight in to my own reasoning as I wade through another political season and make a personal choice.

I. Ron Paul is a Christian Conservative

While I am not looking for a “Pastor-in-Chief,” it is important to me that the man for whom I cast my vote be a Christian, if at all possible. And though I recognize that there is not always a clear Christian choice (i.e., the 2008 election), I agree with Chief Justice John Jay who wrote, “Providence has given to our people the choice of their rulers, and it is the duty as well as the privilege and interest of our Christian nation to select and prefer Christians for their rulers."[1] For indeed, “Before any man can be considered as a member of Civil Society, he must be considered as a subject of the Governour of the Universe.”[2] John Witherspoon concurs: “Those, therefore, who pay no regard to religion and sobriety in the persons whom they send to [public office] are guilty of the greatest absurdity and will soon pay dear for their folly.”[3] I think we are seeing this on display right now.[4]

My desire is not to see a president who will usurp the authority, responsibilities, or privileges of the Church. However, I do not wish to see those things hindered either. I also want to know that the foundational ideology motivating a man’s decisions is biblical. I know it will not always mirror my own, but I trust God’s word, and appreciate those who look to it for aid in making decisions. To that end, I support Dr. Paul because he is not just a conservative, but a Christian Conservative.

Dr. Paul does not beat his Christian faith like a drum in his public/political life. Unfortunately, that is off-putting for the “Christian Right”. However, in a world full of ‘posturing’ in an effort to win over evangelicals, I find Paul’s public demeanor refreshing. And it is not as though he is a ‘closet Christian,’ either. “I have accepted Jesus Christ as my personal Savior, and I endeavor every day to follow Him in all I do and in every position I advocate,” wrote Paul on his Web site.[5] I have also had the privilege of talking with both him, and one of his five children about his faith and how it influences his policy positions.

Nevertheless, the more important aspect is the fact that this Southern Baptist (raised Lutheran) is a regular church attender. What would motivate a man to attend church, but not beat a drum about it in an effort to win over evangelicals in an age when political figures play at Christianity (while living totally contradictory lives, and holding heterodox beliefs) in order to assuage the fears of the Christian Right? Having met and talked to Dr. Paul, I would say it is authenticity, and humility more than anything else. He wants “to avoid any appearance of exploiting [his faith] for political gain.”[6]

II. Ron Paul is a Constitutional Conservative

Not only is Ron Paul a Christian Conservative; he is also a Constitutional Conservative. He holds himself accountable to the Constitution of the United States, even when it means he has to vote against legislation that may be otherwise beneficial. This has cost him on numerous occasions as people use the “Ron Paul voted against so-and-so” tactic to paint a caricature of him and play “gotcha” politics.
This is actually an important quality in a President. I don’t want a man in the White House making decisions based on what “feels” right. I’m not looking for a conscientious King; I want a Chief Executive. I want a man whose decisions are predictable because of a long track record of constitutional conservatism. I may not always agree with a man like that, but I will always know why he did what he did, and I can live with that. Especially in several crucial areas facing our Republic, like money, war, States’ Rights, and foreign policy, for example.

Constitutional Money

I support Ron Paul because he has a constitutional view of money. He is the only candidate consistently to confront the Federal Reserve Bank (which is not federal, has no reserves, and is not a bank), and address the issue of fiat currency (a.k.a. unjust weights and measures; Lev 19:36; Prov 16:11), which debases the dollar, manipulates business cycles, creates inflation, and always benefits the rich at the expense of the poor and disenfranchised. And he talks about the issue in just those terms.

Congressman Paul is also the only candidate who has a budget that will cut a TRILLION DOLLARS in spending in year one.[7] He is the only candidate who has committed to defund and eliminate expensive, unconstitutional agencies. This is crucial for a country headed for an economic cliff. Our debt is larger than our GDP and we simply must address it NOW (Luke 14:28)! This is arguably the most important issue we face, and while others want to tinker with the status quo, Dr. Paul wants to do the hard thing; the right thing; the biblical thing; the constitutional thing.

Constitutional War

I support Ron Paul because he is a military veteran (yup... he refuses to beat that drum too, which is why you may not have known that little tidbit). And though I do not believe it is necessary for a man to have served in the military for him to serve as President, the fact that Congressman Paul knows and hates war lends credibility to his desire and commitment to ending the wars and bringing our troops home. Moreover, he has a constitutional understanding of war (only Congress can send us to war), and a Christian commitment to historic Just War Theory (rooted in the Sixth Commandment... HIS WORDS).[8] He, unlike other candidates, can be counted on not to commit to acts of war without congressional authority (i.e., unilaterally deciding to bomb a sovereign nation if they advance their weapons technology in a region several thousand miles away from the U.S., under the watchful eye of a nation with over 300 nukes who can stop them in a heartbeat... but I digress).

There is a reason Dr. Paul has received more support from members of the military than all other candidates (Republican and Democrat) COMBINED! The top three employers of Ron Paul’s donors are the U.S. Army, Navy, and Air Force, respectively. Dr. Paul will not use our military to hunt down and overthrow heads of state without Congressional authority (i.e., Libya), kill American citizens without warrant,[9] detain citizens indefinitely without benefit of a trial,[10] or chase warlords in central Africa.[11] When it comes to war, Dr. Paul understands that, “Whoever meddles in a quarrel not his own is like one who takes a passing dog by the ears.” (Proverbs 26:17)

Constitutional States’ Rights

I support Ron Paul because he not only understands, but believes in the Tenth Amendment. I know many Christians have been scared off by the “Ron Paul wants to legalize drugs, gay marriage, and abortion” rhetoric. However, looking beyond the rhetoric reveals Paul’s true constitutional conservatism (and biblical understanding of jurisdiction). He has personal convictions, but those will not be allowed to steer him away from his constitutional oath. The presidency, and the Federal Government have limits.

The President is not “Pastor in Chief.” It is not the President’s job (or the job of the Federal Government) to set such policies. The “War on Drugs,” for example, has been a monumental, unconstitutional, fiscal failure (to the tune of more than $3 BILLION)![12] The Federal Government must be held within the confines of its enumerated powers. This is important for Christians because we will not always have people in the White House with whom we agree (in fact, politicians will always let us down). What happens when we send a man to the White House with the express purpose of “changing the moral standards” of America in our favor, then, down the line we have a president who uses the same un-cheked powers to promote moral standards with which we disagree? How’s that workin’ for ya’?

But what about the moral issues to which we, as Christians, must speak? First, we must speak to them at the local level. I have no right to look to Washington, D.C. for remedies when I am not preaching on Mars Hill at every opportunity. The Roe v. Wade, for example, started in Texas; not D.C.. Furthermore, there is not a single institution more prolific in the spread of moral decay than the government education system, and Ron Paul is the only man who plans to get the federal government out of that business by ending the (unconstitutional) Department of Education IMMEDIATELY (Luke 6:40).

Beyond that, if there are issues we wish to address on a federal level, we have a federal remedy, and it is not the election of a President; it is the amendment process. This is less favorable to those who do not wish to do the hard work of changing hearts and minds in the marketplace of ideas. However, the alternative is a quasi-monarchy (or oligarchy) that changes with the wind, and a view of the presidency that is both unbiblical and unconstitutional.

Constitutional Foreign Policy

I support Ron Paul because he has a constitutional view of foreign policy. Ironically, our foreign policy has been so unconstitutional for so long that many people recoil at the idea of getting it back in line. Moreover, the semantic game Paul’s opponents play (using “isolationism” as opposed to “non-intervention” to define his position) doesn’t help. For most Christians, this is where they believe I’ve left the reservation. They may not say, “We have to be the world’s police force,” but I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard, “Do you know his position on Israel?” “Surely you can’t support a man who doesn’t support Israel!”

Actually, nothing could be further from the truth. Ron Paul does support Israel. It is our current foreign policy that does not support Israel! However, there is a deeper issue here. There is a sort of misplaced Dispensationalism that governs people’s sentimental attitude toward Israel. Let me state clearly that I do not believe the Bible demands that the U.S. support Israel. I do, however, believe that it is wise to do so for geopolitical reasons. To do so for theological reasons, I believe, is actually misguided, and quite dangerous. Nevertheless, Israel is our only true ally in the Middle East, and that is important.

But there’s a more important question: “What does it mean to “support” Israel?” Does it mean that Israel remains God’s “Chosen People,” and we must stand with them in anticipation of the coming Armageddon? Is the President to act as “Commander in Chief of the United States Armed Forces” and “Supreme Defender of Israel”? Or are we simply to make sure the foreign aid dollars don’t stop flowing? Here are a few things I took into to consideration in evaluating Congressman Paul’s foreign policy.

Israel is the most powerful nation in the Middle East... BY A LONG SHOT! In fact, Israel could potentially defeat all the other military powers in the Middle East simultaneously if they had to.
We not only give money to Israel; we give money to their enemies as well. That is not supporting Israel! That is using money to buy influence in a region thousands of miles away from us in the name of oil, when we happen to have the largest repository of oil on planet earth right here in the US, but refuse to go and get it (in the name of Earth-worshipping environmentalism)!
Israel is a sovereign nation, and we have no right to treat her like a child. Our foreign aid has been a tool used to influence Israel’s domestic policy for far too long. If we are their friends, we should allow them to exercise their sovereignty without our interference, and certainly without our condemnation. Who do we think we are? No, I disagree with my Christian brothers and sisters who think a country who supports Israel’s enemies, interferes with Israel’s domestic policy, condemn’s Israel in efforts to keep ties with oil-rich countries in the region, and helps to destabilize and radicalize one of Israel’s historic foes lurking on her southern boarder is engaging in a foreign policy that supports Israel.

III. Ron Paul is a Consistent Conservative

Finally, I support Dr. Paul because he has been a consistent conservative. He has been married to the same woman for more than fifty years; delivered over 4,000 babies as an OB; never performed a single abortion; has never voted for an unbalanced budget, a tax increase, or a bailout; forecasted the economic debacle long before it happened;[13] and gave back $140,000 last year through his office to pay down the national debt (100,000 in 2010). This man is so principled that he refuses to claim his congressional pension!

Ron Paul is the real deal. He is not perfect. He needs a savior just like you and I do (as noted by his trust in Christ as his redeemer). But when it’s all said and done, he is a man with whom I agree in principle. I know where he’s coming from, and it’s not based on his “personal story,” or his sense of what’s going to get him elected. It’s the same thing he’s been running on (and governing from) for over three decades; the Constitution of the United States (viewed through the lens of a basic biblical world and life view). And I’m glad to support a man like that.

I wsh everyone would realize this

2012-01-21T13:22:00.001-06:00

OH and NOW, The tornado warning siren is blaring.

2012-01-21T01:01:00.002-06:00

ALL ALERTS 2

Alert:Tornado Warning

until Sat, 1:15am CST

A tornado has been spotted in your area by a trained observer or detected on radar. Take shelter immediately in a safe, sturdy structure, away from windows, doors, and outside walls. Please check back for official updates.

WEATHER and SLEEPLESSNESS

2012-01-21T00:24:00.005-06:00

I can't sleep because of this:

(It's thundering and raining terribly and storms with tornado watches scare me)

ALL ALERTS 1

Alert:Tornado Watch

until Sat, 5am CST

	Today	Tonight	Tomorrow

Light Rain with Thunder	AM Showers	Partly Cloudy	PM Showers
61°F	49°	39°	64°
Feels Like: 61°	High	Low	High

Yet my husband is dealing with this: (after driving in a blizzard half the day)

View 24-Hour Storm Report for Mankato Area

	Today	Tonight	Tomorrow

Clear	Partly Cloudy	Light Wintry Mix / Wind Late	AM Light Wintry Mix
-6°F	16°	12°	35°
Feels Like: -6°

Big Government Is Not Conservative

2012-01-19T08:49:00.002-06:00

Here's A Link To Make Informed Decisions

2012-01-17T11:02:00.002-06:00

http://www.southernnh912.com/sites/default/files/PresidentialCandidatePositions_20111203.pdf

Ron Paul on Just Wars

2012-01-13T17:51:00.003-06:00

Garrett is on the move

2012-01-09T13:29:00.002-06:00

This little dude has learned how to army crawl. He has been getting up on his hands and knees for quite a while but he is just figuring out how to move.

It's going to be fun trying to keep him out of things now. :)

Rick Santorum On Small Government

2012-01-06T14:02:00.003-06:00

Folks, I just think there are very few people who understand the true meaning of liberty anymore.

And the fact is a small limited government means more liberty.

Using 'The Arm of Flesh': The Fallacy of Attacking Ron Paul on Abortion by Jerri Lynn Ward, J.D.

2012-01-05T10:17:00.000-06:00

Using 'The Arm of Flesh': The Fallacy of Attacking Ron Paul on Abortion by Jerri Lynn Ward, J.D.

The Compassion of Dr. Ron Paul

2012-01-03T10:32:00.002-06:00

I think what Mr. Williams says about honesty is right on.

The Adventures of a Specialized Carrier Truck Driver

2011-12-26T07:41:00.000-06:00

Dad was on his way home from a long trucking trip and he called to say that he had just passed the place where he normally parks his big trailer, and it was full of other trailers. So he had to bring the trailer to our place, turn it around in one of the fields, and park it along side the driveway.
For the past week or two it has been raining. A lot. So when he went to turn around in the fields, he got stuck. Very stuck. His wheels just sunk into the soft ground and he couldn't move. So, the truck and trailer was left out in the field until Saturday.
Saturday morning dad, Jordon, and Levi, (Boaz went along to watch and I went to take these picture,) took the Chevy truck and the tractor out there to pull the big truck and trailer out.

The big truck.

Stuck

Levi

Hooking the chains up.

Try number one. They tried to pull it out backwards because they thought that this would be there best chance. They have the tractor and 'little' truck hooked up to the back of the trailer. It didn't work. They barely budged the big truck and trailer.

Try number two. They tried to pull it forward. That also didn't work.

Try number three.
This picture is so you can see the size difference in the trucks. I always thought that our Chevy truck was fairly big. But you have no idea just how big Semi trucks are until you stand beside one. This truck is huge! But believe it or not, the trailer is heavier then the truck.

Try number three didn't work either.

Try number four. And it didn't work either.

SOOOOO, we called our good neighbor. He works on tractors and always has a few big ones around. Maybe he had something to help us out this time.
How about a big four wheel drive tractor?

Try number five. And it.........worked!

I want that tractor!

A Triumphant Christmas Message from Geoffrey Botkin

2011-12-25T07:56:00.005-06:00

http://westernconservatory.com/article/2011/12/triumphant-christmas-message-geoffrey-botkin

For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.
Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even forever. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will perform this.
– Isaiah 9:6-7

Great article!

2011-12-21T18:14:00.003-06:00

Warning! Conviction ahead!

http://lorialexander.blogspot.com/2011/12/forget-submission.html?spref=fb

My new blog

2011-12-21T09:03:00.002-06:00

I've created a blog about my life. I just thought I'd let you know so that you can go check it out.
laurelscrazylife.blogspot.com

Enjoy!

Birthdays

2011-12-20T13:07:00.002-06:00

Since 2 of our grandchildren's birthdays fall around the Christmas holidays and TJ and his family go out of town to the other grandparents for Christmas, we celebrated the birthdays yesterday.

Titus celebrated his 1st birthday (which is actually today) and Natasha is 3 on the 25th.

Since I haven't been real excited about posting on our blog for a while, I will take the easy way out and direct you to Johanna's blog that has the birthday pictures.

Hope you enjoy the pics.

http://dolcemusica.blogspot.com/2011/12/birthdays-for-natasha-and-titus.html

OH, MY GOODNESS!

2011-12-20T07:33:00.003-06:00

(NaturalNews) Following the State of Maryland's threats against parents who refuse to have their children vaccinated, children were herded into a Price George County courthouse being guarded by armed personnel with attack dogs. Inside, the children were forcibly vaccinated, many against their will, under orders from the State Attorney General, various State Judges and the local School Board Director, all of whom illegally conspired to threaten parents with imprisonment if they did not submit their children to vaccinations.

Abigail's 13 birthday

2011-12-02T17:29:00.011-06:00

Yesterday was Abigail's 13th birthday. We had T.J., Rachel, Elise, and Gabriel over for lunch.
She wanted to have Ice Cream Cake, which was very good!

Umm. Spoon tastes yummy.
Mom wanted to get a picture of all four of her grandchildren together. Do you have any idea how hard it is to get a picture of four children five and under, all smiling at once? Very hard. These two pictures are the best that we got.

Titus. He is so cute! And so friendly!
Aww. I thought this one was just CUTE!
Garrett likes to get up on his hands and knees. He hasn't quite figured out how to crawl. Yet.

Boaz's Birthday

2011-10-21T11:12:00.007-06:00

Wow. This post is really late.
Dad was helping a friend move to Montana a few weeks ago and mom went up there with him. They were gone for almost two weeks. And they were gone on the fourth, which was Boaz's birthday. Boaz wanted to wait until they got home to have a celebration. So the Sunday after they got home we had T.J., Rachel, Elise, and Gabriel over for supper.

Boaz had Dirt Cake again.
I think that the presents were the most important part.
Allen thought so too.

Mourning the Loss of Another Godly Man

2011-10-14T09:49:00.003-06:00

The world has lost another Godly influence this week.

His name was David Hall.

He passed into eternity October 11, after a battle with cancer.

Even though his family and friends are grieving over their loss, they are also rejoicing that David is face to face with his savior, Jesus Christ.

No more pain, no more suffering.

David and his wife Phyllis will always have a special place in our heart. It was Phyllis who introduced us to the man that would become our son-in-law. Phyllis was convinced that Gabriel would be the right husband for our daughter, Elise. She was right.

Our prayers are with Hall family as they go through this difficult time.

http://www.proclaimliberty.us/blog/index.php/2011/10/11/david-hall/

http://www.wfaa.com/news/local/bell-ringer-who-honored-vets-dies-of-cancer-131557568.html

Jumping on the Steve Jobs bandwagon

2011-10-10T09:29:00.003-06:00

I am sure that most of you know about the death of Steve Jobs, the co-founder of Apple computers.

(My family loves the apple products; love my imac.)

I thought Doug Phillips' article on the death of Steve Jobs was very well written from a Christian viewpoint, so here it is from visionforum.com.

Thursday, October 6, 2011

On the Death of Steve Jobs: Updated

By Doug Phillips

The fifty-six-year life of Steve Jobs has ended. What is the message?

First, this was the full life of one of the greatest innovators and marketing giants since Edison. He was a man who understood that the computer revolution provided an unprecedented opportunity in history to shape culture. Over the last thirty years, American culture has been shaped by Hollywood, by music videos, by Madison Avenue, by the government schools, and by Steve Jobs. It is time for Christians to take inventory of these influences and consider our response.

Second, Jobs lived a type of aggressive life which thrived in controversy. This may be one reason why public opinion of this man unwisely tends to run from gushing idolatry to utter detestation. He showed us that businessmen could have the popularity of rock stars and the contempt of fallen politicians. My perspective on his life is different—appreciation, gratitude, disagreement, sadness. His life is a reminder that whether your name is Alexander the Great, Leonardo da Vinci, or Steve Jobs, in the end, your physical body becomes food for worms. More importantly, your eternal soul faces the same Judge that every human must stand before. This is just one reason why human idolatry is folly. We must never worship men (future worm food), but only the Lord. But it is also folly to be unduly disgusted with leaders like Steve Jobs, especially if such disgust shows a lack of appreciation for the fact that God used this man who was made in the imago dei to accomplish His providential purposes.

Third, Jobs reminds us that men of influence must be creative, have some understanding of aesthetics, work hard, and take initiative. Jobs was a college drop-out whose calligraphy-inspired love of minimalist art would help to shape the aesthetic tastes of an entire generation, not through art, but technologies—Steve Jobs made computers elegant. He was the Wunderkind who took a financially devastated company called Apple and turned it and the business world upside-down using innovation, moxie, and creativity. He was the CEO of Pixar who gave the world some of the more memorable digital films in history. He was even once a twelve-year-old boy who demonstrated initiative by calling Mr. William Hewlett, President of Hewlett-Packard, to ask for help on a school science project. He not only got the help, but a job offer.

Fourth, Jobs gave us practical tools of dominion. That may not have been his purpose, but he did it nonetheless. For these tools I am thankful. Creating clever tools was the mark of his life. Consider that long before Jobs gave the world iPods and iMacs, he was the visionary who introduced the world to the mouse. This being said, the coming of Steve Jobs’ wonderful machines did not mean that the world would become wiser or full of more knowledge. Society may have unprecedented access to information, but this does not mean it has greater understanding. Only the fear of the Lord brings knowledge and wisdom (Proverbs 1:7; Psalm 111:10—there is a strong argument that we have become stupider and less wise because of our unprofitable use of these devices.) So while the world has changed greatly because of Apple and Jobs, we are not necessarily better off in any ultimate sense. It is righteousness and the very Spirit of God, not existence of technology, which ultimately prospers a people.

Fifth, when men take initiative, exercise diligence, and fight very, very hard, they are often rewarded with temporal success. Jobs did this. He was the beneficiary of what theologians describe as God’s common grace. Christian men can learn much, both about what to do, and what not to do, from the life of this focused, hard-working visionary.

Sixth, the death of Steve Jobs reminds us that to be wise we must understand the times—our technological times. We live in a world in which technology tends to master men, not the other way around. Furthermore, technology is so ubiquitous that it is nearly inescapable. That means we better become the masters of it. Ironically, Jobs may not have written his own epitaph or obituary, but he made the tools for disseminating them. The death of Steve Jobs may be the first time in history when it could be said that most people on earth learned about the demise of a leader on a device created by the leader himself. In fact, at this moment I am writing you on a computer that Steve Jobs designed, having just spoken to my wife on my iPhone 4, and having earlier today home educated one of my children with a teaching aid on an iPad which Jobs introduced to the world less than two years ago. His technological and marketing fingerprints have become ubiquitous.

Seventh, the life of Steve Jobs reminds us of one of the great fatherhood questions of our generation: Is it worth it to win the whole world, but lose the hearts of the children that God has given to us? Now to be fair, little is known of Mr. Jobs walk with his children except what he said himself. But during one of his only and final interviews on his private life, Jobs offered some insights into his personal absenteeism as a father. Walter Isaacson, Jobs’ authorized biographer, explained:

A few weeks ago, I visited Jobs for the last time in his Palo Alto, Calif., home. He had moved to a downstairs bedroom because he was too weak to go up and down stairs. He was curled up in some pain, but his mind was still sharp and his humor vibrant. We talked about his childhood, and he gave me some pictures of his father and family to use in my biography. As a writer, I was used to being detached, but I was hit by a wave of sadness as I tried to say goodbye. In order to mask my emotion, I asked the one question that was still puzzling me: Why had he been so eager, during close to 50 interviews and conversations over the course of two years, to open up so much for a book when he was usually so private? “I wanted my kids to know me,” he said. “I wasn’t always there for them, and I wanted them to know why and to understand what I did.”

Jobs won the world, but he needed a writer to reach out to his children on his behalf.

Finally, there is no evidence of which I am aware from the public record of Steve Jobs that he knew Christ or biblically sought to honor God. I hope that I am wrong. But if I am not, then this means that while he accomplished much in his life, none of it matters for eternity as far as his own soul is concerned. Zero. In other words, it is possible to lead a very successful life and even to be a tool of mercy for others used in the hands of God, and yet none of your philanthropies or business accomplishments earn you one moment in Heaven.

The death of all men reminds us of the brevity of life, the lost condition of our souls, and the uselessness for earning eternal rewards through human accomplishments outside of Christ.

“For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord” (Romans 6:23).

Only one life, ‘twill soon be past; Only what’s done for Christ will last.

Only Christ is worthy

2011-09-24T16:22:00.003-06:00

Thursday our family attended the funeral of a friend who had been battling cancer for, I think, 2 years.

His name is Frank and Frank was a Christian.

When you attend the funeral of a Christian, the service is different.

And when I say Christian, I mean a person who is committed to serving Jesus Christ. A person who, despite his short comings and sins, is , through God’s grace and strength, walking worthy of God, who hath called him unto his kingdom and glory. (1 Thes. 2:12)

Frank did just that. The praise of the Lord was always on his lips. He accepted the will of God in his sickness.

Also, he was more concerned for other people than himself. He was always encouraging others.

At the funeral service I was impressed with some things that one man said.

I thought it tied in very well to everything I have been hearing lately in different sermons about the glory of God.

He was telling us of another man he knew that spent much time trying to be worthy of the Lord. But one day that man read in Revelation 5 that no man was found worthy to open the book and read it and only the Lamb of God, Jesus Christ, is worthy.

He realized he will never be worthy. That it’s only through Jesus Christ and his sacrifice of dying for our sins that we are counted worthy.

This man was trying to appease God in his own works.

It cannot be done.

Romans 3:10 says: There is none righteous.

And in Romans 3:22-26

Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference:

For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;

Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus:

Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God;

To declare, I say, at this time his righteousness: that he might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus.

I think we get caught up in trying so hard to walk worthy, that we miss the real goal.

We miss the goal of glorifying God.

It is God who is to get the glory, not us.

Don’t get me wrong. We are to obey the Word of the Lord. We are to produce fruit. We are to have changed lives. We are called to walk worthy, to walk a different life style, to train our children differently.

That is part of the Kingdom work.

What I mean is, sometimes we focus so much on ourselves and what we can do, that we forget that it is Christ who is working in us and who is using us to his good pleasure. It is Christ who we are to focus on and not ourselves and our works.

Could it be that we are trying to gain favor with man by trying to be so spiritual or trying to gain glory through another man’s praise of us? Because, surely, in our subconscious, we have to know that we can never be good enough or worthy in our own works to please God. We cannot impress God and God will not share His glory with another, not even our self image, which is just another form of idolatry.

Our duty is to obey and we must leave the glorification to the Lord.

Isaiah 66:1,2

Thus saith the LORD, The heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool: where is the house that ye build unto me? and where is the place of my rest? For all those things hath mine hand made, and all those things have been, saith the LORD: but to this man will I look, even to him that is poor and of a contrite spirit, and trembleth at my word.

Isaiah 2:17

And the loftiness of man shall be bowed down, and the haughtiness of men shall be made low: and the LORD alone shall be exalted in that day.

Johanna's and Laurel's Birthday

2011-09-05T13:26:00.009-06:00

Sunday was Johanna's 24th birthday and Saturday was my 16th birthday, but we celebrated them on Friday. We had the Castilles and T.J. Draper family, and of course the News over for supper.

Cute little Titus.
We played a card game that was a lot of fun.
Don't you love Rachel's look.

Of course we had presents and all that.
I love these earrings.

You just have to love my boots!

And cake and ice cream.
Natasha loves her ice cream.
So do Justin and Logan.

I won't post the crazy/goofy pictures of the other people eating there ice cream.

This was on the shady side of the house today.

2011-09-01T14:38:00.001-06:00

This will just break your heart!

2011-08-30T17:30:00.003-06:00

How can a woman smile as she talks about murdering her 8 baby girls? Yes, I said 8.

Fair 2011

2011-08-30T16:16:00.005-06:00

Last Wednesday we went to the fair with some friends. It was quite a bit smaller this year but we still had fun.
First we went to the Stokes for supper.
Levi and I are waiting to leave.

Then Rachel and I grabbed a couple of pictures together.

This is the Round Up, one of the few rides they had. I actually thought this one was kinda boring.
The little Castilles, Justin, Christy, and Logan.
This ride did not go nearly fast enough for me.
Renee, Boaz, and I acting goofy.
This was the only really good ride they had. Rachel and I went on it several times. We love it!
Yes, I'm on the Merry-Go-Round. Rachel and I went with her little siblings.

I didn't like this ride very well either.
We tried to get a group picture but every one was acting pretty silly so it didn't turn out very well.
I think we are discussing which ride to go on next.

After we got bored with the fair we went and got ice cream. So we were on a sugar high that night. Unfortunately we didn't get very many picture of that.

Allen's Birthday

2011-08-20T14:21:00.004-06:00

Tuesday Allen turned five. We had the celebration at his house. He was very excited about turning five. He got to go play at the park and he had a Winnie the Pooh cake!
Showing everyone that he turned five.

Presents were exciting too.
He got Thomas the Train books and it was hard to get him away from them to open his other presents.

The Philosophy of Liberty

2011-08-05T08:29:00.003-06:00

Good One

2011-07-20T15:19:00.000-06:00

http://defendingcontending.com/2011/07/20/a-letter-to-the-apostle-paul/

Random Stuff

2011-07-14T15:43:00.007-06:00

It's been a while since I posted pictures on the blog, so here are a some random things that have been happening around here.

One of Gabriel's ducks hatched out 6 ducklings. She is a very protective mother.
This little fellow protested very loudly about being picked up.

We have been digging the potatoes.

This is Gabriel holding up a tiny potato and saying, "I found a potato!"

We also got 5 bushels of peaches. We froze about 4 bushels. Frozen peaches make great smoothies. And there is nothing like a cold smoothy in the hot summer.
You can see Boaz is messing with a deep fryer. We were using that for boiling water to dip the peaches in. It worked great.
Levi baby sitting Garrett.
Allen and Natasha are here for the afternoon and they will be spending the night tonight.
Natasha is having a snack.

While Allen takes a nap.
Garrett is looking a little unhappy in this picture.

TAX, TAX, TAX - That's all politicians can think of!

2011-07-12T07:41:00.002-06:00

The governor of Tennessee, Bill Haslam, is now on the bandwagon to tax internet sales.

http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2011/jul/06/haslam-willing-take-lead-internet-sales-tax/

Advice from a 9 year old.

2011-06-26T09:43:00.002-06:00

This morning as I was standing at the kitchen counter, I heard Boaz say, "Mama".

So I turned around and this is what I saw as he stood there and said, "Don't let your babies grow up to be cowboys."
Disclaimer:

The phrase Boaz repeated, "Mama, don't let your babies grow up to be cowboys" comes from a Willie Nelson song.

I have not let my children listen to Willie Nelson.

But the song is used in a Christian movie, The Ride.

And although I don't recommend Willie Nelson, I do recommend seeing the movie, The Ride.

It's a 1997 movie about a washed up champion bull rider who comes "face to face" with God through the Christian witness of a 14 year old boy, who happens to be dying from cancer.

You get to hear the gospel message from Franklin Graham.

William Garrett New

2011-06-08T09:16:00.003-06:00

William Garrett New was born June 6th at 7:20 P.M. Weighing 7 pounds, 6 ounces. 21 1/2 inches long. And he is perfectly adorable!

Garrett with his mommy and daddy.

NO KIDDING!!!!!!!

2011-06-01T06:20:00.002-06:00

The Last Nail

by Congressman Ron Paul

The last nail is being driven into the coffin of the American Republic. Yet, Congress remains in total denial as our liberties are rapidly fading before our eyes. The process is propelled by unwarranted fear and ignorance as to the true meaning of liberty. It is driven by economic myths, fallacies and irrational good intentions. The rule of law is constantly rejected and authoritarian answers are offered as panaceas for all our problems. Runaway welfarism is used to benefit the rich at the expense of the middle class. Who would have ever thought that the current generation and Congress would stand idly by and watch such a rapid disintegration of the American Republic? Characteristic of this epic event is the casual acceptance by the people and political leaders of the unitary presidency, which is equivalent to granting dictatorial powers to the President. Our Presidents can now, on their own:

• Order assassinations, including American citizens;

• Operate secret military tribunals;

• Engage in torture;

• Enforce indefinite imprisonment without due process;

• Order searches and seizures without proper warrants, gutting the Fourth Amendment;

• Ignore the 60-day rule for reporting to the Congress the nature of any military operations as required by the War Power Resolution;

• Continue the Patriot Act abuses without oversight;

• Wage war at will;

• Treat all Americans as suspected terrorists at airports with TSA groping and nude x-raying.

And the Federal Reserve accommodates by counterfeiting the funds needed and not paid for by taxation and borrowing, permitting runaway spending, endless debt, and special interest bail-outs.

And all of this is not enough. The abuses and usurpations of the war power are soon to be codified in the National Defense Authorization Act now rapidly moving its way through Congress. Instead of repealing the 2001 Authorization for the Use of Military Force [AUMF], as we should, now that bin Laden is dead and gone, Congress is planning to massively increase the war power of the President. Though an opportunity presents itself to end the wars in Iraq, Afghanistan, and Pakistan, Congress, with bipartisan support, obsesses on how to expand the unconstitutional war power the President already holds.

The current proposal would allow a President to pursue war any time, any place, for any reason, without congressional approval. Many believe this would even permit military activity against American suspects here at home. The proposed authority does not reference the 9/11 attacks. It would be expanded to include the Taliban and "associated" forces — a dangerously vague and expansive definition of our potential enemies. There is no denial that the changes in Section 1034 totally eliminate the hard-fought-for restraint on Presidential authority to go to war without Congressional approval achieved at the Constitutional Convention.

Congress' war authority has been severely undermined since World War II beginning with the advent of the Korean War which was fought solely under a UN Resolution. Even today, we're waging war in Libya without even consulting with the Congress, similar to how we went to war in Bosnia in the 1990s under President Clinton. The three major reasons for our Constitutional Convention were to:

• Guarantee free trade and travel among the states;

• Make gold and silver legal tender and abolish paper money; and

• Strictly limit the Executive Branch's authority to pursue war without Congressional approval.

But today:

• Federal Reserve notes are legal tender, gold and silver are illegal;

• The Interstate Commerce Clause is used to regulate all commerce at the expense of free trade among the states;

• And now the final nail is placed in the coffin of congressional responsibility for the war power, delivering this power completely to the President — a sharp and huge blow to the concept of our republic.

In my view, it appears that the fate of the American republic is now sealed — unless these recent trends are quickly reversed. The saddest part of this tragedy is that all these horrible changes are being done in the name of patriotism and protecting freedom. They are justified by good intentions while believing the sacrifice of liberty is required for our safety. Nothing could be further from the truth.

More sadly is the conviction that our enemies are driven to attack us for our freedoms and prosperity, and not because of our deeply flawed foreign policy that has generated justifiable grievances and has inspired the radical violence against us. Without this understanding, our endless, unnamed, and undeclared wars will continue and our wonderful experiment with liberty will end.

Bye Bye to the Fourth Amendment

2011-05-27T10:14:00.005-06:00

Does this surprise us?

The "elite powers that be" in government positions just keep chipping away at the Constitution.

A question to ponder is: "Why can't we kick these people (whether it be the president, congressman, or judge) out of office when they are clearly usurping the Constitution, the law of our land?

You know what they say about power:

"power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely"

Here is a commentary by Chuck Baldwin:

Government Cannot Be Trusted To Police Itself
By Chuck Baldwin
May 26, 2011

Archived column:
http://chuckbaldwinlive.com/home/?p=3577

So many of the words and warnings delivered by America’s Founding
Fathers are appropriate for today. Consider this sage counsel from
America’s first and greatest President, George Washington:
“Government is not reason; it is not eloquence; it is force! Like
fire, it is a dangerous servant and a fearful master.” I was
reminded of these words when I read the following report out of the
State of Indiana.

“Overturning a common law dating back to the English Magna Carta of
1215, the Indiana Supreme Court ruled Thursday [May 12, 2011]
that Hoosiers have no right to resist unlawful police entry into their
homes.

“In a 3-2 decision, Justice Steven David writing for the court said
if a police officer wants to enter a home for any reason or no reason
at all, a homeowner cannot do anything to block the officer’s
entry.”

Justice Robert Rucker and Justice Brent Dickson dissented from the
ruling, saying the court’s decision violates the Fourth Amendment of
the US Constitution.

“In my view the majority sweeps with far too broad a brush by
essentially telling Indiana citizens that government agents may now
enter their homes illegally-that is, without the necessity of a
warrant, consent or exigent circumstances,” Rucker said.

The NW Indiana Times also reported, “This is the second major
Indiana Supreme Court ruling this week involving police entry into a
home.

“On Tuesday, the court said police serving a warrant may enter a
home without knocking if officers decide circumstances justify it.
Prior to that ruling, police serving a warrant would have to obtain a
judge’s permission to enter without knocking.”

See the report at:

http://tinyurl.com/3kae4zy

Shortly after the ISC decision, Newton County Sheriff Donald Hartman,
Sr. said he believes the ruling makes house-to-house searches
possible. According to a report at Infowars.com, Sheriff Hartman
“made it clear that he would use random house to house searches if
he believed it was necessary.”

The Infowars.com report also correctly notes that it was years of
illegal searches and seizures and seizures of the American colonists
(along with the attempt to seize the colonists’ firearms) that led
our forebears to resist the British government with force on April 19,
1775, at Lexington Green and Concord Bridge which ignited America’s
War for Independence.

See the report at:

http://tinyurl.com/3dhnx59

It may be helpful at this point to rehearse the Fourth Amendment to
the US Constitution. “The right of the people to be secure in their
persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches
and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but
upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and
particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or
things to be seized.”

With this ruling, the ISC effectively told the citizens of the State
of Indiana that the Fourth Amendment is null and void in their State.
And Sheriff Donald Hartman has effectively said that he will treat the
citizens of Newton County in much the same way that King George
treated America’s colonists--or the way Stalin’s or Mao’s police
treated the enslaved subjects of the former Soviet Union and Communist
China.

And what is also disturbing is the way government, at every level,
seems unwilling to police itself.

The reason the US Constitution limited the jurisdiction and authority
of the federal government and left states with their own jurisdiction
and (broader) authority was to serve as a check and balance against
the tyrannical tendencies of the central government. Today, however,
acts of tyranny seem to be taking place as frequently on the State and
local levels as it is at the federal level. This story out of the
Hoosier State is only the latest example.

Does anyone find it more than interesting (and even paradoxical) that
while the US military is being used more and more as international
policemen, local and State law enforcement personnel are often being
used more and more like military troops (and taking on the appearance,
procedures, and tactics of military troops)?

Traditionally, it was never the role of local and State law
enforcement personnel to act like soldiers. Police officers have no
“enemy” to seek out and destroy. Their job is to protect, not
punish. The citizens of their State, county, or city are not the
enemy.

I recently had a well-meaning police lieutenant tell me that his
primary concern was that his officers were protected. That is all well
and good, and I certainly understand his concern for his officers.
However, when a man or woman puts on the uniform of a police officer
(or sheriff’s deputy), he or she is saying that they are willing to
sacrifice their lives in order to make sure that the citizens of their
community stay protected. The “us versus them” attitude of many
police officers today is very harmful to the principles of freedom and
liberty.

In the above-mentioned story, it was the judiciary branch of the
Indiana State government that was unwilling to hold the executive
branch of the Indiana State government accountable to the principles
of liberty and constitutional government. Once again, we see that
government cannot be trusted to police itself.

If the State of Indiana had constitutionalist sheriffs (and surely
there must be a few of them), they would have immediately renounced
the ISC decision, and made it clear that they would never allow their
deputies to operate in the tyrannical manner approved by the court’s
dastardly decision. The same should have been true for Indiana’s
police chiefs. Was there such a response? If there was, the media
ignored it.

Furthermore, Indiana’s governor should have immediately renounced
the ISC’s decision and issued an executive order forbidding State
and local law enforcement personnel from complying with this
unconstitutional decision. Again, if he did this, we didn’t hear
about it, did we?

The propensity of government is not only to build and strengthen
itself, but also to protect itself. This is true at every level of
government. It is up to “We the People” to hold our civil
magistrates accountable to constitutional government. And this is most
efficiently done at the State level.

The citizens of Indiana can put a stop to this nonsense if they are
of a mind to do so. They should rise as one in opposition to the
court’s opinion; they should rise as one in demanding the
resignations of the three justices who affirmed this draconian
decision; they should rise as one in demanding the resignation of
Newton County Sheriff Donald Hartman (and any other sheriff who
expressed similar views); they should rise as one in demanding that
the Indiana governor publicly repudiate this opinion and that he sign
an EO countering it; and they should rise as one in making sure that
every elected official in Indiana knows that the people of the Hoosier
State will not sit back and allow their liberties to be trampled on in
such an egregious fashion.

As I have said in past columns, liberty will be won or lost at the
State level. All this talk about “saving America” is just that:
talk. If we are serious about protecting and preserving our liberties,
we will work to ensure that our individual State is the vanguard of
freedom--not the instrument of its demise. If we cannot convince our
State and local governments to protect our liberties, we are dreaming
if we think we are going to convince Washington, D.C., to do the same.

The decision of the Indiana Supreme Court and the public statements
of Sheriff Donald Hartman prove that George Washington was spot-on:
government is a “fearful master.”

Freedom-loving Hoosiers need to stand up NOW!

Shariamerica?

2011-05-22T14:52:00.006-06:00

FYI

2011-05-19T07:58:00.001-06:00

From conservativeactionalerts.com

Fellow Conservative,

Center for Defense of Free Enterprise Action Fund (CDFE Action Fund) is committed to promoting American values, and their local and national ad campaigns have consistently delivered for the conservative cause.

Right now they need your support to get the message out about the Democrats now taking control over what light bulbs we use!! The legislation that has passed by the Democrats raises the cost of a single light bulb to $50!

This means that in the average home, an annual light bulb expense would range from $500 to $2,250!! And because they burn out and need to be replaced the cost could two to three times that basic expenditure!

CDFE Action Fund is working on a campaign to help support Senator Enzi's BULB Act and urge Congress to vote for his and its companion bill in the House, H.R. 6411. We stand by CDFE Action Fund and support their efforts to end this craziness and having every part of our lives controlled by federal bureaucrats!

Reach out, CDFE Action Fund needs our help!

Sincerely,

Tony Adkins
Conservative Action Alerts

Friend of Free Enterprise:

Democrats in Congress passed legislation that raises the cost of a single light bulb to $50!

This means that the cost to light a modest home in the U.S. would be between $500 and $2,250; and homeowners would pay that price twice, or even three times each year, as LED bulbs burn out and need to be replaced.

In 2007, the Pelosi-Reid Democratic majority in Congress passed the Renewable Fuels, Consumer Protection and Energy Efficient Act, a law that bans traditional incandescent light bulbs by including new lighting efficiency standards that will phase out the use of 100 watt and 75 watt incandescent light bulbs, and requires the production of compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs), halogen and LED bulbs.

The Associated Press reports that since traditional incandescent light bulbs will be banned in January, stores will begin selling expensive LED bulbs (up to $50 each), in just a few months.

Why should a select few legislators in 2007 be able to tell hundreds of millions of Americans what light bulbs are best for them? Asked Sen. Mike Enzi (R-Wyo.), who introduced the Better Use of Light Bulbs (BULB) Act that would restore Americans freedom to choose the type of light bulbs they want to buy for their homes and businesses. Why do we have a federal government so intent on taking away people's choices and limiting their options? It's time the federal government starts worrying less about what light bulbs people buy and more about how it's going fix the deficit.

Please FAX every member of Congress to urge them to vote for Sen. Enzi's BULB Act and its companion bill in the House, H.R. 6411, so that our lives will not have to be run by federal bureaucrats or crazy environmentalists. We must ACT NOW to save our free enterprise system from the green energy advocates who believe Americans should pay $50 a light bulb for expensive LEDs or risk toxic exposure from harmful CFLs. Please include a DONATION to the Center for the Defense of Free Enterprise Action Fund, so we can continue to alert Americans about politicians' schemes to dismantle the U.S. free enterprise system.

If members of Congress refuse to pass Sen. Enzi's BULB Act (S.395), and its companion bill in the House, H.R. 6411 that was introduced by Reps. Joe Barton (R-Texas), Michael Burgess (R-Texas), and Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.), then everyone who wants to buy and use traditional incandescent light bulbs in their homes or businesses will be forced to move to South Carolina!

Since Congress in 2007 passed the federal energy law that bans the production of traditional incandescent light bulbs, legislators in South Carolina recently passed a bill that trumps the federal energy standards and will allow manufactures in South Carolina to make and sell traditional incandescent light bulbs, but they can ONLY be manufactured and purchased in South Carolina.

If Congress refuses to PASS the BULB Act, then those of us
who don't live in the Palmetto state will be FORCED
to buy EXPENSIVE $50 LEDs or TOXIC CFLs!

CFLs, a light bulb invention that was once believed to be an energy and environmental solution to America's problems, is quickly becoming a more expensive and dangerous alternative that American families cannot afford.

The US News and World Report said: Consumers are rightly concerned about the toxic substance mercury that helps CFLs produce light.

Energy Star, a division of the EPA, reports that if a CLF is broken inside a home or office, humans must leave the premises for three hours after removing a broken bulb.

Sen. Enzi says that the EPA doesn't like the new bulbs because the amount of mercury in one bulb is enough to contaminate up-to 6,000 gallons of water beyond safe drinking levels.

Along with that frightening predicament, fluorescent light bulbs also emit minute particles of X-ray and other electromagnetic pollutants, including mercury, that pose potential health risks. Researchers have also determined that CFLs can cause headaches and eye strain, and can hinder productivity for those who are dyslexic or suffer from attention deficit disorders.

By barring Americans from buying incandescent light bulbs in favor of CFLs, LEDs and halogen light bulbs, environmentalists said the country would reduce energy consumption by $18 billion a year, or save consumers between $80 and $180 on their electric bills each year. Environmentalists also said that banning the Thomas Edison incandescent light bulb would reduce global warming, because they claimed that one of the causes of global warming is traditional light bulbs.

Please FAX every member of Congress to urge them to vote for Sen. Enzi's BULB Act and its companion bill in the House, H.R. 6411, so that our lives will not have to be run by federal bureaucrats or crazy environmentalists. We must ACT NOW to save our free enterprise system from the green energy advocates who believe Americans should pay $50 a light bulb for expensive LEDs or risk toxic exposure from harmful CFLs. Please include a DONATION to the Center for the Defense of Free Enterprise Action Fund, so we can continue to alert Americans about politicians' schemes to dismantle the U.S. free enterprise system.

Now, the environmentalists' story has changed!

According to The Mercury News, The nation's accelerating shift from incandescent bulbs to a new generation of energy-efficient lighting is raising an environmental concern -- the release of tons of mercury every year. CFLs account for a quarter of new bulb sales and each contains up-to five milligrams of mercury, a potent neurotoxin that's on the worst-offending list of environmental contaminants.

The Association of Lighting and Mercury Recyclers reports that: Demand for the bulbs is growing as federal and state mandates for energy-efficient lighting takes effect, yet only about two percent of residential consumers and one-third of businesses recycle them.

If the recycling rate remains as abysmally low as it is, then there will certainly be more mercury released into the environment, said Paul Abernathy, executive director of the Napa-based recycling association. Until the public really has some kind of convenient way to take them back, it's going to be an issue.

In seven months, your traditional light bulbs
will be banned from store shelves!

Democrats in Congress have mandated that you must give up using traditional light bulbs all because environmentalists believed that traditional light bulbs caused global warming. (Even though scientists today are telling us we are entering into a solar cooling phase that will decrease the average temperatures on Earth during the next 30- to 80-years.)

As we suffer through 9 percent unemployment, this is no time to force Americans to purchase expensive LEDs, at $50 each, which can cost consumers a minimum of $500 to $2,250 three times a year, just to maintain light in their homes.

From the health insurance you're allowed to have, to the car you can drive, to the light bulbs you can buy, Washington is making too many decisions that are better left to people who work for their own paychecks and earn their own living, said Rep. Barton (R-Texas).

Tell Congress to vote FOR the BULB ACT, because it will save jobs, save money, and give Americans the FREEDOM to purchase the light bulbs they want.

Please FAX every member of Congress to urge them to vote for Sen. Enzi's BULB Act and its companion bill in the House, H.R. 6411, so our lives do not have to be run by federal bureaucrats or environmentalists. We must ACT NOW to save our free enterprise system from the green energy advocates who believe Americans should pay $50 a light bulb for expensive LEDs or risk toxic exposure from harmful CFLs. Please include a DONATION to the Center for the Defense of Free Enterprise Action Fund, so we can continue to alert Americans about politicians' schemes to dismantle the U.S. free enterprise system.

In seven months, you will be required to purchase
expensive LEDs at $50 each, or buy harmful CFLs
that emits toxic mercury vapors.

Case in point: Brandy Bridges, a resident of Ellsworth, Maine, dropped and shattered a CFL on the carpeted floor of her daughter's bedroom and wound up paying $2,000 to clean up the toxic mercury residue.
Having known that CFLs are potentially hazardous, Bridges called her local Home Depot to ask for advice, and was told that since CFLs contain mercury, she should contact the Poison Control hotline. The hotline told Bridges to contact Maine's Department of Environmental Protection. The DEP sent Andrew Smith, a toxicologist, to her home to seal-off her daughter's bedroom with plastic. Smith then told Bridges that the fee to clean up the toxic mercury from the $3 CFL was $2,000. The level of mercury toxicity in Bridges' downstairs living area was safely under 300 mg/m3. However, the mercury level spiked to 1,939 mg/m3 in her daughter's bedroom.
Bridges, a single mom with limited financial means, filed a claim with her homeowner's policy. The insurance company denied her claim because mercury is a pollutant that wasn't covered in her policy. Smith said he believed the contamination was localized at the spot where the bulb broke, adding that mercury is dangerous to anyone who has experienced long-term exposure to the chemical element.

Now remember, the above scenario is about CFLs, the replacement to the traditional incandescent light bulb that you've used your entire life, and that will be banned from store shelves in seven months.

As the world listened to eco-alarmist Al Gore's rant about traditional light bulbs being one of the sources of global warming, General Electric was applying to the U.S. Department of Energy (on Dec. 15, 1997), for an advanced waiver of domestic and foreign invention rights on CFLs under DOE Contract No. DE-FC36-97G010236, waiver W (A)-07-024, CN-0929.

If Thomas Edison had been watching the stealth movement by environmentalists to ban incandescent light bulbs in favor of CFLs worldwide, he would have been doing angry cartwheels in his grave.

We must ACT NOW to urge members of Congress to REPEAL
the 2007 green energy benchmark that would require
every American to buy expensive $50 LEDs
and toxic CFLs…as safe Tom Edison light bulbs are outlawed.

Most Republican Senators support Sen. Enzi's BULB Act that has 27 Republican co-sponsors. Many Democrats were cajoled into believing that the 2007 bill will eliminate many greenhouse gasses and be less harmful to the environment. However, the new LED light bulbs will cost roughly SIX TIMES the cost of the light bulbs we now use, and the toxic CFLs almost require a hazmat team to change them.

Sen. Enzi said: If left alone, the best bulb will win its rightful standing in the marketplace. What a revolutionary concept. Free enterprise!

Please FAX every member of Congress to urge them to vote for the BULB Act and H.R. 6411, so our lives do not have to be run by federal bureaucrats or environmentalists. We must ACT NOW to save our free enterprise system from the green energy advocates who believe Americans should pay $50 a light bulb for expensive LEDs or risk toxic exposure from harmful CFLs. Please include a DONATION to the Center for the Defense of Free Enterprise Action Fund, so we can continue to alert Americans about politicians' schemes to dismantle the U.S. free enterprise system.

How many politicians does it take to change a light bulb? It takes 218 in the House and 51 in the Senate.Help put an end to governmental interference in our lives! And, help put an end to Mr. Obama's interference with the Free Enterprise system!

Join thousands of your fellow Americans and send faxes to every member of Congress to tell them to vote for the BULB Act!

Your financial assistance to CDFE Action Fund is urgently needed now so that together we can urge members of Congress support and vote for the BULB Act.

Sincerely,

Ron Arnold
Center for the Defense of Free Enterprise Action Fund
www.cdfe.org/cdfe-action-fund

P. S. Together we can urge members of Congress to pass the BULB Act that will give Americans the freedom to buy any light bulb they choose - traditional incandescent, toxic CFLs or expensive LEDs that will cost $50 each.

CLICK HERE to FAX Congress to urge your representatives to vote for the BULB Act and H.R. 6411. If the BULB Act fails, then every American will be forced to buy toxic CFLs or expensive LEDs---YOU WON'T HAVE A CHOICE!

Or SEND your donation to:
Center for the Defense of Free Enterprise Action Fund
Dept Code - 6236
12500 NE 10th Place
Bellevue, WA 98005

The Center for the Defense of Free Enterprise Action Fund is a non-partisan education and advocacy organization that lobbies to influence legislation and mobilizes grassroots support for legislation that defends free enterprise. Contributions to the Action Fund are not tax deductible.

Scripture For the Day

2011-05-15T06:59:00.002-06:00

Ephesians 6:11-18

Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.

For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high [places].

Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.

Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness;

And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace;

Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked.

And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God:

Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints;

Did we in our own strength confide, Our striving would be losing;
Were not the right Man on our side, The Man of God's own choosing:

Dost ask who that may be? Christ Jesus, it is He;
Lord Sabaoth, His name, From age to age the same,
And He must win the battle. (Excerpt from Martin Luther's hymn, A Mighty Fortresss Is Our God)

Baby Goats

2011-05-02T09:39:00.004-06:00

Last night both of Gabriel's goats, Tripod and Butterscotch, had kids. And they both had twins. They are very cute. At least for now they are.

The 1st from left and the 3rd from left are Butterscotch's babies. They are darker than Tripod's.

Butterscotch and her babies.

Tripod and her babies.

Gabriel and Tripod's babies.
Boaz is petting Butterscotch's buckling.
Elise and Gabriel milking Butterscotch. This is Butterscotch's first time kidding, so this is the first milking.
Tripod's buckling.
And again.
Gabriel with Butterscotch's buckling.

Help for some Alabama families

2011-04-30T06:56:00.004-06:00

If you would like to help out some hurting families down in Alabama, here are some links to assist you.

http://www.bradrick.org/helpalfamilies/

http://www.christchurchbranchcove.org/tornado-relief

http://www.providencepeoria.org/2011/04/28/tornado-relief-efforts/

Praying for all those devastatingly affected by the storms

2011-04-30T05:48:00.004-06:00

I'm sure that all of you know of the storms and the resultant destruction and deaths that have happened here in the south.

Fortunately, here in middle TN where I live, we just got some T-storms. No tornadoes and no real bad flooding (like last year and the year before).

It just went all around us.

I just wanted to publicly say that my family and I are praying for all of those affected.

It's been on my mind constantly and I can only imagine what they are going through.

My heart goes out to all of them.

Lord, please give them peace and comfort through all of this.

In Jesus' name.

Amen

Happy Birthday Elise

2011-04-29T18:03:00.003-06:00

Wednesday was Elise's birthday. I'll let you guess how old she is.

New Babies

2011-04-28T18:53:00.004-06:00

Sunday evening one of Gabriel's cows had a bull calf. Then on Tuesday his other cow had her calf. Another bull. They are both really cute. Neither of them have names yet.
This is the first one. I wasn't able to get a good picture of the other one.

This is both of them and one of the mothers. The one on the left is the one that was born on Tuesday.

Happy Birthday Jordon

2011-04-21T08:13:00.003-06:00

Yesterday was Jordon's birthday. He turned 17! Wow, he's getting old.
Elise made the cheese cake. It was very yummy.

Happy Birthday to Levi

2011-04-18T11:47:00.007-06:00

Yesterday was Levi's 14th birthday. We had T.J. and Rachel over for supper. Pizza, cake, and ice cream. That's the best food.

You have to love the cake Elise made for him.

Happy birthday to you, Happy birthday to you.

Happy birthday dear Levi.
Of course Allen helped with the presents.
Waiting for her ice cream.

Mom and Dad.

Titus and Johanna.

April 15

2011-04-15T17:04:00.004-06:00

It looks like April 15th is a day for sinking.

From William J. Federer's American Minute:

On APRIL 15, 1865, President Lincoln died. He was shot the night before in Ford's Theater. On APRIL 15, 1912, the Titanic sank. It struck an iceberg the night before. In 1954, APRIL 15 became the deadline for Income tax returns. Though the Constitution banned a Federal Income Tax (Art.1,Sec.9), Lincoln passed an emergency income tax to pay for the Civil War. It was repealed in 1873. An income tax was attempted in 1894, but the Supreme Court declared it unconstitutional in Pollock v Farmers' Loan. In 1913, with World War I threatening, Woodrow Wilson promoted the 16th Amendment, which was a one percent tax on the top one percent richest people. In 1942, with World War II, Franklin Roosevelt passed "the greatest tax bill in American history." John F. Kennedy stated April 20, 1961: "In meeting the demands of war finance, the individual income tax moved from a selective tax imposed on the wealthy to the means by which the great majority of our citizens participate in paying." In 1988, President Reagan said: "I believe God did give mankind unlimited gifts to invent, produce and create. And for that reason it would be wrong for governments to devise a tax structure that suppresses those gifts."

Cannibalism in Disguise

2011-04-14T09:32:00.004-06:00

As a society, we are so desensitized that most people will not even bat an eye at the article below.

For me, I find it very disturbing.

From lifesitenews.com:

Biotech company using cell lines from aborted babies in food enhancement testing BY REBECCA MILLETTE

LARGO, Florida, March 29, 2011 (LifeSiteNews.com) – Pepsico, Kraft Foods, and Nestlé are among the corporations partnered with a biotech company found using aborted fetal cell lines to test food flavor enhancers, according to a pro-life watchdog group.

The internationally recognized biotech company, Senomyx, boasts innovation and success in “flavour programs” designed to reduce MSG, sugar and salt in food and beverage products. Senomyx notes their collaborators provide them research and development funding plus royalties on sales of products using their flavor ingredients.

Pro-life watchdog group, Children of God for Life (CGL), has called upon the public to target the major corporations in a boycott, unless the company ceases to use aborted fetal cell lines in their product testing.

“Using isolated human taste receptors,” the Senomyx website claims, “we created proprietary taste receptor-based assay systems that provide a biochemical or electronic readout when a flavor ingredient interacts with the receptor.”

“What they do not tell the public is that they are using HEK 293 – human embryonic kidney cells taken from an electively aborted baby to produce those receptors,” stated Debi Vinnedge, Executive Director for CGL, the watch dog group that has been monitoring the use of aborted fetal material in medical products and cosmetics for years.

“They could have easily chosen COS (monkey) cells, Chinese Hamster Ovary cells, insect cells or other morally obtained human cells expressing the G protein for taste receptors,” Vinnedge added.

Responses from major corporations to CGL’s letter campaign succeeded in warning the pro-life watchdog that these companies would need significant public pressure to admit involvement in and convince them of the need to change Senomyx’s unethical testing methods.

After three letters, Nestlé finally admitted the truth about their relationship with Senomyx, noting the cell line was “well established in scientific research”.

Pepsico wrote: “We hope you are reassured to learn that our collaboration with Senomyx is strictly limited to creating lower-calorie, great-tasting beverages for consumers. This will help us achieve our commitment to reduce added sugar per serving by 25% in key brands in key markets over the next decade and ultimately help people live healthier lives.”

“If enough people voice their outrage and intent to boycott these consumer products, it can be highly effective in convincing Senomyx to change their methods”, Vinnedge noted. “Otherwise, we will be buying Coca-Cola, Lipton soups and Hershey products!”

Note: This article originally stated, based on information provided by CGL, that Solae and Campbell soup were also partnered with Senomyx. However, LSN has since learned that while both companies were in the past partnered with Senomyx, they no longer have a relationship with the company.

To contact the companies:

Kent Snyder, CEO
Senomyx
4767 Nexus Centre Drive
San Diego, California 92121
email

Paul Bulcke, CEO
Nestlé USA
800 North Brand Boulevard
Glendale, CA 91203

email

Jamie Caulfield, Sr.VP
PepsiCo, Inc.
700 Anderson Hill Road
Purchase, NY 10577
email

Irene Rosenfeld, CEO
Kraft Foods/Cadbury Chocolate
Three Lakes Drive
Northfield, IL 60093
email

Gardening

2011-03-23T11:40:00.006-06:00

It's gardening time. So far we planted a bunch of onions and a lot of potatoes.
These pictures are from when we planted the onions.
I don't think we will run out of onions for a while.
This is from the Potato planting. (Sorry they are poor quality because they were taken with moms phone.)
Here we are cutting the seed potatoes.

Time to plant all those potatoes. And we planted a lot.

Mom and Dad's Aniversary

2011-03-23T10:46:00.005-06:00

Saturday was my parents 30th Anniversary!
We had T.J. and Rachel over for supper to celebrate.
(This picture was taken of them a couple of months ago.)

Elise made this really good cake. It had chocolate and caramel filling. Those are real flowers too.
Boaz and Allen playing with cars.
Cute little Natasha.
Papa and Titus.

Good Advice

2011-03-21T13:39:00.002-06:00

From the blog of Michael Hyatt, CEO of Thomas Nelson Publishing:

.....................

If you are going through a difficult, uncertain time, here are seven better questions you can ask yourself and your team:

What if this isn’t the end but a new beginning?
What if the answer to my prayer is just over the next hill?
What if this is necessary in order for me to be prepared for the next important chapter in my life?
What if God knows exactly what I need at this particular time?
What if God is speaking to me through means I would not have chosen for a blessing I cannot see?
What does this experience make possible?
What will I be telling my grandchildren that I learned was so valuable in this season of my life?

For the full post go here:

http://us2.campaign-archive1.com/?u=52d5c7778a3adfda535c3b349&id=b898467408&e=75937cd531

Titus Andrew

2011-03-03T08:48:00.002-06:00

My number 3 grandchild. Isn't he so cute?

Don't ya just love it when they smile!

He's a little over 2 months old.

In other words, "Drink the koolaid"

2011-02-27T09:55:00.003-06:00

Just in case you're not paying attention to what the author claims,

This article is SATIRE:

http://www.naturalnews.com/031517_moron_vaccines.html#ixzz1FARbqXvM

F.D.R said that?

2011-02-24T12:55:00.003-06:00

An excerpt from the article, Public Sector Unions and Basic Morality, in The American Spectator:

Years ago President Franklin Roosevelt called the idea of public sector unions "unthinkable and intolerable." Not long after, AFL-CIO President George Meany declared that it was "impossible to bargain collectively with the government." They were both speaking to the morality of public servants making demands on taxpayers' earnings under the threat of withholding public services -- or as FDR put it, "looking toward the paralysis of government by those who have sworn to support it."

You can read the rest of the article here: http://spectator.org/archives/2011/02/23/public-sector-unions-and-basic

George Washington

2011-02-22T12:45:00.003-06:00

This is a good article from Doug Phillips.

Just compare our recent presidents, and plenty of not so recent ones, to George Washington.

Who Was the Greatest American President?

A President’s Day Message from Doug Phillips

Whereupon Congress put at the head of the spirited army, the only man on whom the eyes of all Israel were placed. Posterity, incredulous as they may be, will yet acknowledge that this American Joshua was raised up by God for the great work of leading the armies of this American Joseph — now separated from his brethren — and conducting these people to liberty and independence.
—1783 Sermon from Dr. Ezra Styles, President of Yale.

On this President’s Day I want to remind you that our greatest president was our first. There are no close seconds. As a patriot, a leader, and a president, George Washington still towers over his successors. He was not a perfect man, but he was a man who embodied many of the very best principles of Christian leadership. He was correctly described as “America’s Joshua.”

Here are a few of the reasons why George Washington was our greatest and best president:

He came to the office with the greatest track record of principled and proven leadership of any president in history:
From his early days serving under General Braddock in the French and Indian Wars; to his life as a citizen planter and as an elected political leader in Virginia; to his role as Commander in Chief during the War for American Independence, and finally as president of the Constitutional Convention, Washington came to office with a widely recognized track record for patriotism, service, self-sacrifice, and principled leadership.
He repeatedly acknowledged and honored the God of Scripture in his public acts, resolutions, speeches and private letters; and he used his office to teach the American people that justice must be built upon true religion:
Washington is responsible for official resolutions that mention the Trinity, the Holy Spirit, and point to Christ; he established the precedent of taking the presidential oath upon the Bible, and he formally told the American people in his Farewell Address that justice required true religion.
He warned against a party system, and urged principled politics: In his Farewell Address he wrote:
“It serves to distract the Public Councils, and enfeeble the Public Administration....agitates the Community with ill-founded jealousies and false alarms; kindles the animosity of one....against another....it opens the door to foreign influence and corruption...thus the policy and the will of one country are subjected to the policy and will of another.”
He opposed foreign entanglements and American interventionism in unjust foreign wars:
Not only did George Washington keep the new nation out of foreign wars, but he exhorted future presidents to do the same, making this a key theme of his Farewell Address.
He demonstrated fiscal self-control and he opposed debt:
Washington wrote:“...cherish public credit. One method of preserving it is to use it as sparingly as possible...avoiding likewise the accumulation of debt....it is essential that you...bear in mind, that towards the payments of debts there must be Revenue, that to have Revenue there must be taxes; that no taxes can be devised, which are not...inconvenient and unpleasant...”
He demonstrated executive restraint and established critical precedents that would model self-control for future presidents of the United States:
Washington had been offered the supreme authority of a king and refused it. At the high point of his military power, he had willingly submitted himself to elected officials. As president he established the principle that presidents should not serve more than two terms, and he made no attempts to unconstitutionally extend the authority of the executive as did many of his successors.
He left office with the most distinguished and unblemished record of principled and visionary leadership in our history:
He was the leader in the fight for independence; the man principally responsible for the ratification of the United States Constitution; the first president of the United States; the only president to be elected unanimously by the Electoral College; responsible for the First Cabinet and the Appointment of the first ten justices of the Supreme Court; and the author of the most recognized and important inaugural speeches and farewell addresses in American history. Of this legacy, Henry Cabot Lodge wrote: “...no man ever left a nobler political testament.”

We have had fair presidents, poor presidents, bad presidents, and a few good presidents, but we have had no president who have modeled any of the above as well as George Washington. After more than two centuries the famous epitaph of “Lighthorse Lee” rings true. George Washington is still “first in war, first in peace, and first in the hearts of his countrymen.”

Ronald Knew

2011-02-22T12:24:00.004-06:00

I don't 'worship' Ronald Reagan, but he did do some things right.

This is an enlightening video.

Snow Trouble and moving

2011-02-19T13:15:00.008-06:00

I meant to blog these stories sooner, but you know how that goes.

Anyway, here it is the middle of February and now is the time to start thinking gardens and seeds.

But, better late than never on my stories.

I have already wrote that Tim's dad passed away 4 weeks ago on January 19. (see my Jan. 28 post, Tribute to a Patriarch)

Well, that was a messy, snowy, icy week for us here in Middle Tennessee. The Illinois snowy mess didn't count that week, being that their roads were clear.

Elise and Gabriel were driving up on Thursday, the 20th with a gooseneck trailer loaded full of their belongings.

Gabriel was going to stay at our place and take care of the animals, milk the cow, etc. while Elise rode up to Illinois with us to her Grandpa's funeral.

It's normally a 12 hour drive from their house in Texas to our house here in Tennessee.

But they were going a little slower due to the trailer full of belongings they were hauling.

I believe before they got to Memphis, it was raining. Then the temperature started dropping making the roads icy, turning into snow.

Elise texted me now and then on their progress.

Starting off with, "We're gonna be pretty late."

At one point they were going 5 miles per hour on Interstate 40 outside of Memphis.

People were in the ditch, stopped up on the ramps, big rigs jack-knifed.

Once, their truck started sliding backwards until Gabe got it on the shoulder where he could get some traction on the snow.

The roads got a little bit better and around midnight they called. Their truck couldn't make it up the slick hill about 1/2 mile from our house.

Tim and Jordon went out with our trusty 4-wheel drive truck and pulled them far enough up the hill until they could get some traction on their own.

Their 12 hour trip turned into 17 or 18 hour trip.

They got here safe and sound except for weariness and worn out nerves.

We got to bed around 1 a.m. and got up a few hours later and left around 6 a.m. for the 8 hour drive to Illinois.

There were some bad spots of ice and snow here and there until we got into Kentucky.

After that, it was smooth driving.

We came back Sunday evening and then started the adventure of unloading Gabriel's trailer and finding a place for some of their things until they could get a storage trailer.

AAAWWW! My grandbaby is in there.

These next 4 pictures were taken January 25, 2011

These last 3 pictures were taken February 9, 2011

5 min later

A Story Worth Reading

2011-02-18T08:43:00.001-06:00

In Praise of Caldwell, Clark, Houghton, And Muhlenberg
By Chuck Baldwin
February 17, 2011

Archived column
http://chuckbaldwinlive.com/home/?p=3091

It really wasn’t that long ago. With the way America’s clergymen
act today, however, one would think that preachers such as James
Caldwell, Jonas Clark, Joab Houghton, and John Peter Muhlenberg never
existed. But they did exist; and without them, it is this country we
call the United States of America that would not exist.

Caldwell was a Presbyterian; Muhlenberg was a Lutheran; Houghton was
a Baptist; and no one really seems to know what denomination (if any)
Jonas Clark claimed. But these men had one thing in common (besides
their faith in Jesus Christ): they were all ardent patriots who
actually participated in America’s War for Independence.

James Caldwell

James Caldwell was called “The Rebel High Priest” or “The
Fighting Chaplain.” Caldwell is most famous for the “Give ’em
Watts!” story.

During the Springfield (New Jersey) engagement, the colonial militia
ran out of wadding for their muskets. Quickly, Caldwell galloped to
the Presbyterian church, and returning with an armload of hymnals,
threw them to the ground, and hollered, “Now, boys, give ’em
Watts!” He was referring to the famous hymn writer, Isaac Watts, of
course.

The British hated Caldwell so much, they murdered his wife, Hannah,
in her own home, as she sat with her children on her bed. Later, a
fellow American who had been bribed by the British to assassinate the
preacher murdered Caldwell. Americans loyal to the Crown burned both
his house and church. No less than three cities and two public schools
in the State of New Jersey bear his name.

John Peter Muhlenberg

John Peter Muhlenberg was pastor of a Lutheran church in Woodstock,
Virginia, when hostilities erupted between Great Britain and the
American colonies. When news of Bunker Hill reached Virginia,
Muhlenberg preached a sermon from Ecclesiastes chapter 3 to his
congregation. He reminded his parishioners that there was a time to
preach and a time to fight. He said that for him the time to preach
was past and it was time to fight. He then threw off his vestments and
stood before his congregants in the uniform of a Virginia colonel.

Muhlenberg later was promoted to brigadier-general in the Continental
Army, and later, major general. He participated in the battles of
Brandywine, Germantown, Monmouth, and Yorktown. He went on to serve in
both the US House of Representatives and US Senate.

Joab Houghton

Joab Houghton was in the Hopewell (New Jersey) Baptist Meeting House
at worship when he received the first information regarding the
battles at Lexington and Concord. His great-grandson gives the
following eloquent description of the way he treated the tidings:

“ounting the great stone block in front of the meeting-house, he
beckoned the people to stop. Men and women paused to hear, curious to
know what so unusual a sequel to the service of the day could mean. At
the first, words a silence, stern as death, fell over all. The Sabbath
quiet of the hour and of the place was deepened into a terrible
solemnity. He told them all the story of the cowardly murder at
Lexington by the royal troops; the heroic vengeance following hard
upon it; the retreat of Percy; the gathering of the children of the
Pilgrims round the beleaguered hills of Boston; then pausing, and
looking over the silent throng, he said slowly, ‘Men of New Jersey,
the red coats are murdering our brethren of New England! Who follows
me to Boston?’ And every man in that audience stepped out of line,
and answered, ‘I!’ There was not a coward or a traitor in old
Hopewell Baptist Meeting-House that day.” (Cathcart, William.
Baptists and the American Revolution. Philadelphia: S.A. George, 1876,
rev. 1976. Print.)

Jonas Clark

Jonas Clark was pastor of the church in Lexington, Massachusetts, on
April 19, 1775, the day that British troops marched on Concord with
orders to arrest Sam Adams and John Hancock, and to seize a cache of
firearms. What most historians fail to acknowledge, is that it was
Pastor Clark’s male congregants who were the first ones to face-off
against the British troops as they marched through Lexington. When you
hear the story of the “Minutemen” at the Battle of Lexington,
remember those Minutemen were Pastor Jonas Clark and the men of his
congregation. Yes, it was Pastor Jonas Clark and his men who fired
that “shot heard ’round the world.”

On the One Year Anniversary of the Battle of Lexington, Clark
preached a sermon based upon his eyewitness testimony of the event. He
called his sermon, “The Fate of Blood-Thirsty Oppressors and God’s
Tender Care of His Distressed People.” His sermon has been
republished by Nordskog Publishing (www.NordskogPublishing.com) under
the title, “The Battle of Lexington, A Sermon and Eyewitness
Narrative, Jonas Clark, Pastor, Church of Lexington.”

Of course, these four brave preachers were not the only ones to
participate in America’s fight for independence. There were
Episcopalian ministers such as Dr. Samuel Provost of New York, Dr.
John Croes of New Jersey, and Robert Smith of South Carolina.
Presbyterian ministers such as Adam Boyd of North Carolina and James
Armstrong of Maryland, along with many others, also took part.

So many Baptist preachers participated in America’s War for
Independence that, at the conclusion of the war, President George
Washington wrote a personal letter to the Baptist people saying, “I
recollect with satisfaction that the religious societies of which you
are a member have been, throughout America, uniformly and almost
unanimously, the firm friends to civil liberty, and the preserving
promoters of our glorious Revolution.” It also explains how Thomas
Jefferson could write to a Baptist congregation and say, “We have
acted together from the origin to the end of a memorable
Revolution.” (McDaniel, George White. The People Called Baptists.
The Sunday School Board of the Southern Baptist Convention, 1918.
Print.)

And although not every pastor was able to actively participate in our
fight for independence, so many pastors throughout colonial America
preached the principles of liberty and independence from their pulpits
that the Crown created a moniker for them: The Black Regiment
(referring to the long, black robes that so many colonial clergymen
wore in the pulpit). Without question, the courageous preaching and
example of colonial America’s patriot-pastors provided the colonists
with the inspiration and resolve to resist the tyranny of the Crown
and win America’s freedom and independence.

I invite readers to visit my Black Regiment web page to learn more
about my attempt to resurrect America’s Black-Robed Regiment. Go to:

http://chuckbaldwinlive.com/home/?page_id=23

This is the fighting heritage of America’s pastors and preachers.
So, what has happened? What has happened to that fighting spirit that
once existed, almost universally, throughout America’s Christian
denominations? How have preachers become so timid, so shy, and so
cowardly that they will stand apathetic and mute as America faces the
destruction of its liberties? Where are the preachers to explain,
expound, and extrapolate the principles of liberty from Holy Writ?
Where are the pastors to preach the truth about Romans chapter 13?

I invite readers to watch or download my message series on “The
True Meaning of Romans 13.” I brought three messages on this subject
so far. The fourth and final message will be delivered this Sunday,
February 20, at 2:30pm (MST). To watch the first three messages on
Romans 13, which are archived online, go to:

http://chuckbaldwinlive.com/home/?cat=16

To watch the fourth and final message on “The True Meaning of
Romans 13” broadcasted live this Sunday, February 20, 2011, at 2:30
pm (MST) go to:

http://chuckbaldwinlive.com/home/?page_id=17

The sermons Americans frequently hear today deal with prosperity
theology, entertainment evangelism, feelgoodism, emotionalism, and
Aren’t-I-Wonderful ear tickling! This milquetoast preaching makes it
hard to find Christian men who even have control of their children,
much less the courage and resolve to stand against the onslaught of
socialism, corporatism, and, yes, fascism that is swallowing America
whole.

America cut its spiritual teeth on the powerful preaching and
exemplary examples of men such as James Caldwell, Jonas Clark, Joab
Houghton, and John Peter Muhlenberg. We need them as much now as we
did then.