The Truth Project

On the invitation of someone that attends a denominational church in my town, I have attended for the last two weeks what is in reality, the second and third installments of a modular series called The Truth Project.

This work, produced by Focus on the Family, is a DVD series, each lesson broken down into hour-long segments. The group at large is then broken down into smaller "discussion groups," where what is taught during the lesson can be given at least a small degree of traction in the mind before one leaves.

This program is stunning. And though I am one who demurs from any real criticism of apostolic organizational issues (as I'd have to get in a very long queue do do it anyway), I do feel that this kind of thing is something we rarely see. And since apostolics are entering the world of academia at unprecedented rates, it would be wise to fully comprehend the philosophical, anthropological, musical, and humanistic poisons that await--not the blatant things that assault one's faith at face value, but the subtle "pernicious lies" as Dr. Tackett calls them--that place us in handcuffs we aren't even aware are being applied.

The Cosmic Cube

The video features a one Dr. Del Tackett, who using an apologetics framework derived from CS Lewis' Mere Christianity. The first session I attended involved a central theme of the program, involving the "Cosmic Cube," or "The Box." This box contains every philosophy, moray, theory and prognostication man can possibly conjure to explain the universe. God, of course, lives outside the box, where his Transcendency is ignored, impugned, and explained away. Dr. Tackett-- supremely gifted teacher--illustrates how luminaries like Carl Sagan, Rousseau, Maslow and Hawking, along with a myriad of ancient philosophers--all try to explain a cold, limited accidental existence, while battling with the very voice of creation which proclaims God is who He is.

What Is Evil?

The third installment details the over saturation of Abraham Maslow's teaching particularly his "Hierarchy of Needs." By the time one has written about this goofy, pyramidic chart for tenth consecutive class, Maslow becomes the default standard, even if it is from narcoleptic coercion.

Dr. Tackett doesn't shy away from the world's foremost humanistic thinkers, but plunges headlong into what they've really established. And using Maslow's assertions that there is no "inherent evil" in man, coupled with his "self-actualization" capstone, Tackett exposes alarmingly inconsistent theories, incapable of marrying at the altar of logic. Footage from various adversarial events, interviews from notorious killers claiming "self actualization devoid of a God," and man-on -the-street comments intersperse throughout, giving cultural snapshots of these theories in play.

But his main point being, that even atheists admit to there existing what they call "evil." They just can't see it emanating from a fallen state. And to do so means they have to admit to a "broken" plan, with an "unbroken" one being preferential. Thus an arrow--pointing upward.

I know I ran long here. Click here to view the trailer (see the long version), or the picture to see the events surrounding this. A smart, and scriptural, look at rebuilding our arts and sciences.

UPDATE: Or . . . just watch this:

-R

Too Funny Not to Share

I've seen this in cartoons, but in real life..?

Pop Music Alert: Beyonce

Okay, I don't live for music & I'm always late to the party on new releases, but...

Beyonce's "If I Were a Boy" makes me ache. Of all her songs (that I've heard), it's the first genuine hit that only she could have sung. (Which is the 2nd level of Greatness.) To me, she's a secular Sandi Patti--amazing voice without a signature sound. (Which is the 1st level of Greatness.)

But, when you're lovely to look at and barely clothed on your album photos, you don't need a signature sound. But that doesn't mean you're doing much besides making money.

So, I've always felt she was overrated and soon-to-be-forgotten; but now . . . maybe not. (Can't say the rest of her new album impressed me, but we'll see what else she sings in the near future.)

The music video is tepid and almost completely disconnected from the song lyrics, so if you haven't heard it, listen closely but don't bother watching it. Then let me know what you think.

Every Parent's Dream

From this week's New Yorker.

Sexting Anyone?

So it had to happen - any technology can be used for positive or negative. Turns out the great freedom that cell phones give each user, also allows teens to send nude pictures of themselves to each other, mainly girls to guys ...

"Some teens send the graphic photos of themselves to boyfriends, and some teens send them to prospective boyfriends or girlfriends in a graphic update of the old calling card. Either way, the images might meet the legal definition of child pornography, and the trend is raising moral and legal dilemmas along with a heavy dose of good old-fashioned shock."

While this isn't a shock, just an unwelcome surprise, the legal ramifications are severe and largely uncharted. (I've even heard second-hand that this has been an issue at some of our youth camps, though I can't verify that.)

What's most interesting to me is a teenager commented on this story (at the bottom of the article) proclaiming:

"EVERYONE NEEDS TO STOP BEING SO PARANOID ABOUT THIS.

First, PLEASE stop calling it ''sexting''. No one uses that word. It's dumb. Second, guys don't pressure girls into sending nude pictures. EVER. They always ALWAYS ask (if they ask at all) "wanna send me some pix" and it is completely the girl's decision whether she will or not, and then if she does she can always just send a picture of her face. I was asked just the other day for these pictures, and I told him my camera was broken. He kept pushing, so I sent a picture of my face. He called me "stunning" and then proceeded to send me two pictures of himself with his shirt off without me saying anything! It was, needless to say, disgusting."

So, is this our sex-crazed media latching onto a story of a few sex-crazed deviants and blowing it out of proportion, or is this the unveiling of a persistent problem that will always be with us?

In Case...

...you don't check our other blogs:

* "Month in the Life" offers its final missive.

* CompassionART is out. Ann offers her response to this lively CD that features Israel, Chris Tomlin, CeCe and others in a review and on Notes.

Have a Darwin Day

A UGST graduate is celebrating Darwin's (upcoming) 200th birthday and the 150th anniversary of The Origin of Species on February 12th (Darwin Day), by daily blogging on evolution, creationism, intelligent design, and the Genesis account of creation.

So go visit Creation Moment. It's definitely worth perusing.

Dutch Lawmaker Faces Possible Prison Over Criticism Of World's Most Peaceful Religion

Of course I say that last part tongue-in-cheek, as I currently retain both. This man, however, may not in a few months:

A member of parliament in the Netherlands who has been charged with "insulting" Muslims says he fears he will be found guilty and sent to prison in only a few months.

An appeals court on Wednesday overturned a previous decision by prosecutors not to charge Geert Wilders, and ordered that he stand trial.

Sounds almost like Nancy Pelosi's running the Kangaroo court over there. This--is downright chilling. And anyone that believes these things will be isolated to the Dutch shores doesn't know the meaning of "Jihad." A man like me isn't given much hope in this life, anyway, when the new President's first concern in office was to make sure the genocidal maniacs at Guantanamo Bay aren't forced to acknowledge the five pillars in substandard housing, possibly moving them into a congressional district that doesn't even have a proper prison (the sheer irony of Jack Murtha, a congressman that slandered our Marines at Haditha with no evidence, would wind himself into a tortured little ball of hospitality for terrorists. next thing you know, tax evaders will be running the IRS).

I already feel safer. Hope and Change, baby!

-R

All The Best, Mr. President

As you acclimate to the tangible shift of gravity, may God be with you and your family, sir. I'll be praying for you. As will many. And though the upcoming days will have their sheer moments of ideological logrolling and dispute amongst peaceful men, today is not that day.

All the best, Captain.

-R

From The "Shooting Fish In A Barrel" Column

Bro. Curry asked us to provide our "predictions" for the year 2009, which was then pooled here. The above title refers to the non-clarivoiant nature of one of my predictions:

"That our new and energetic President will discover that those that hated America before he was president will hate America after he was president as well. "

Looks like Venezuelan President, Hugo Chavez, is already running with the template:

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez apparently doesn't appreciate Barack Obama's classifying him as a supporter of Colombian terror group, FARC, likening the president-elect's odor to that of Chavez nemesis President Bush.

In an interview airing on Venezuelan television and reported by The Washington Post Monday, Chavez said Obama has "the same stench" as Bush. The comment harkens back to September 2006, when Chavez followed Bush at an appearance at the United Nations General Assembly opening and said he could still smell the "sulfur" left behind by the U.S. president's presence at the podium.

The thing that should be the most disconcerting isn't the fact that the nefariously addled, possessed and intoxicated are going to continue fulminating and calling for the death of America. The thing that should concern all is an insular media that will pretend that all dangers and perils facing this country face an exit on January 20th. The American press is far more than just a little infatuated with Mr. Obama, but are given to near intercessory moments in his presence. This is neither healthy for a press that--in my opinion--needs to die a structural death anyway, nor Mr. Obama, who will hopefully overcome the throng of "yes men" who actually see in him a messianic backdrop.

To the media, it was funny when Chavez told the UN General Assembly he could "smell" Mr. Bush's stench. Now it isn't so funny anymore to them. Looks like the only stench now is the one emanating from the New York Times and the Seattle Post-Intelligencier.

-R

The Wonderfully Obligatory Post

Not even sure where to begin.

I'm sure a higher-resolution video will manage to surface eventually, but this one gets more amazing every time I see it.

At 3:31:02 we see the plane enter from the left, already broaching the water.

By 3:31:41, after the Coast Guard camera zooms in, we already see a good number of people evacuated to both wings.

At 3:33:58, we see just how fast the Hudson River's current is actually moving.

At 3:34:42, we see the first ferry boat reach the plane to provide assistance. Let's do the math:

3:34:42

-3:31:02

_________

0:03:40

I'm downright blown away by this. 155 souls, including one infant. Saved. Quite possibly the most gratifying thing I will see for a very long time.

Honorable mention here. Notice how that ferry boat races to the plane, makes the proximal arrival, and immediately assumes a congruent, downward current trajectory with the plane. Those crew members--all of them--the pilot, the flight attendants, the rescuers--every last one of them--are my heroes.

-R

Download Info, "Gig Economy" & More

Get a nice cultural snapshot of the moment at my post on "Month in the Life".

The Perfect Job

As I'm currently in the market for a new job when I saw this one posted I KNEW it was for me.

It's being billed as "the best job in the world" - six months working as a "caretaker" on Hamilton Island in Australia's Great Barrier Reef. As if these weren't enough, the job comes with a pay packet of nearly £70,000 (that's almost USD$105,000) and a rent-free three-bedroom villa, complete with pool. In return, the successful applicant will be expected to spend the six-month contract exploring the idyllic surroundings, filing weekly blog, photo diary and video updates and conducting "ongoing media interviews".

The job is open to applicants from around the world, starts in July - which is Australia's winter but where temperatures on the island rarely drop below 80, and seems way too good to be true. So, now the question is how do I go about beating out the other 2 million unemployed people who are so busy trying to apply that they've crashed the website?

Kudos to the marketing genius who came up with this idea in an effort to bolster Australia's tourism industry.

Free "Fiction Family" Download!

Jon Foreman of Switchfoot and Sean Watkins of Nickel Creek have joined forces to create “Fiction Family.” Their self-titled debut album will be released on January 20 via ATO Records/Credential Recordings.

They’ve graced ninetyandnine.com with a free download off the CD, to be available Tuesday night, January 13-January 20, 2009. Don’t miss out on this exclusive listen on this exciting new project or read/hear more at their website!

The Best Job in the World

Tired of winter yet?  Ready to escape?  How about spending a few months relaxing on a tropical island.  How about living in a multimillion dollar beach home and snorkelling the Great Barrier Reef.  How about getting paid for it .

 

josh r

Gospel is Good News to Atheists Too

After hearing the remarkable remarks of the pro-proselytizing atheist, Penn Jillette, it was fascinating to read this article by another committed atheist, Matthew Parris.  In it he makes a strong case--based on his own personal experiences--that Africa needs Christian missionaries more than secular aid organizations.  Having grown up in and toured Africa he concludes that where Christian missionaries where hard at work, the people were better off.

 

Now a confirmed atheist, I've become convinced of the enormous contribution that Christian evangelism makes in Africa: sharply distinct from the work of secular NGOs, government projects and international aid efforts. These alone will not do. Education and training alone will not do. In Africa Christianity changes people's hearts. It brings a spiritual transformation. The rebirth is real. The change is good.

 

He goes on to claim that many in Africa are suffering under the burden of an oppressing paradigm.  The only thing that can change this oppression is supplanting it with another paradigm.  So why not atheism or pure secular humanism?  While Parris doesn't venture an opinion, is it possible that he feels the logical oppression of his own paradigm?  At any rate, two atheists calling for more evangelism from Christians has brought me to a place of personal repentance.  Because it is not just in Africa that Christ brings spiritual transformation, rebirth, and change, it should also be in Clermont, FL.

 

josh r

Astronomy On Steroids

Think this picture is some pixellated, CGI construct? Think again:

Explanation: In the shadow of Saturn, unexpected wonders appear. The robotic Cassini spacecraft now orbiting Saturn recently drifted in giant planet's shadow for about 12 hours and looked back toward the eclipsed Sun. Cassini saw a view unlike any other. First, the night side of Saturn is seen to be partly lit by light reflected from its own majestic ring system. Next, the rings themselves appear dark when silhouetted against Saturn, but quite bright when viewed away from Saturn and slightly scattering sunlight, in the above exaggerated color image. Saturn's rings light up so much that new rings were discovered, although they are hard to see in theabove image. Visible in spectacular detail, however, is Saturn's E ring, the ring created by the newly discovered ice-fountains of the moon Enceladus, and the outermost ring visible above. Far in the distance, visible on the image left just above the bright main rings, is the almost ignorable pale blue dot of Earth.

Click the image for even larger luminosity.

-R

Atlas Shrugged: From Farce To Fact In Only 50 Years

And Stephen Moore from the Wall St. Journal's not sure anything close to resembling America will be around for a sequel:

Many of us who know Rand's work have noticed that with each passing week, and with each successive bailout plan and economic-stimulus scheme out of Washington, our current politicians are committing the very acts of economic lunacy that "Atlas Shrugged" parodied in 1957, when this 1,000-page novel was first published and became an instant hit.

And:

For the uninitiated, the moral of the story is simply this: Politicians invariably respond to crises -- that in most cases they themselves created -- by spawning new government programs, laws and regulations. These, in turn, generate more havoc and poverty, which inspires the politicians to create more programs . . . and the downward spiral repeats itself until the productive sectors of the economy collapse under the collective weight of taxes and other burdens imposed in the name of fairness, equality and do-goodism.

* * *

David Kelley, the president of the Atlas Society, which is dedicated to promoting Rand's ideas, explains that "the older the book gets, the more timely its message." He tells me that there are plans to make "Atlas Shrugged" into a major motion picture -- it is the only classic novel of recent decades that was never made into a movie. "We don't need to make a movie out of the book," Mr. Kelley jokes. "We are living it right now."

Wouldn't be holding my breath for a follow-up, entitled Taxes Shrugged, either.

-R

Shocker: Parents Matter

I know. I know. Only the behind the vaunted walls of science can we arrive at the following conclusions:

The difference between male and female brains may come down to something as simple as a mother’s touch.

Treating a baby boy like a girl and vice versa can change the way their brains work, new research suggests.

It had previously been thought that such things were decided long before birth.

This, of course, on the informative-to-revelatory ratio, pales in comparison to the following conclusion, achievable only through the most labyrinthine research methods:

The research, reported in the New Scientist, challenges the long-accepted belief that the physical differences between a male and female brain are genetic.

Celia Moore, of the University of Massachusetts, said: “Sex may not be just genes and hormones.”

Copy that. Color me informed.

-R

Michael Moore Already Thorn In Obama's Side

If it isn't bad enough that Rick Warren's got people rending their clothes for sackcloth and ashes, now, the President-Elect can't even appoint a legitimate doctor to the highest medical position in the land without having to run them through the "Castro-is-god" prism:

Citing a lack of experience, Rep. John Conyers Jr. (D-Mich.) is leading an effort to thwart Barack Obama’s expected nomination of CNN’s Sanjay Gupta to become surgeon general.

But there are also indications that Conyers’s opposition is linked to a 2007 public clash between Gupta and the liberal filmmaker Michael Moore.

The House Judiciary Committee chairman doesn’t have a vote, or a formal role, in the anticipated Gupta nomination. Yet, he is lobbying the Senate and the incoming president to reject Gupta.

Michael Moore, of course, being the picture of health himself. The coming clash with Conyers points up a very vivid intersect between Mr. Obama's idealist protractions with the "real world" of entrenched congressional dogmas. I don't know terribly much about Mr. Sanjay, above and beyond his telegenetic appeal, but man. Just because he might think that, you know, Michael Moore's affinity for Cuba's free and horrible health care system may not be the best template for the American model . . . I for one hope Mr. Obama sticks to his guns on this one.

-R

Extraterrestrials Now Attacking Alternative Fuel Sources

Or . . . something:

At the nearby wind farm one of the 60ft blades from a 200ft turbine was found ripped off. Another had been left twisted and useless.

So far, so mysterious, except - of course - to the UFO experts.

For them, the strange goings on at a wind farm in Conisholme, Lincolnshire, can be explained by a flying saucer crashing into the turbine in a close encounter that could, at last, provide the evidence of other life forms they have been waiting for all their lives.

John Harrison, of nearby Saltfleetby, saw the ball of light and its 'tentacles' over the farm. 'It was an incredible sight, I have never seen anything like it before,' he said. 'I have no idea what it was.'

Odd. Not odd enough for me to buy the whole Roswell/Hangar 18/Megadeth validation thing, but odd nonetheless.


-R

An Interesting Geek: Coding Horror.com

I don't remember what got me reading Jeff Atwood's blog, but I go back to it every few days just to see what he's got going over there.

Don't know what his daily traffic stats are, but anyone that can distill computer programming experience into something I actually want to read is quite a feat. Currently, he's addressing the recent Twitter hijackings, and manages to analyze the human proclivity to create predictable--and therefore vulnerable--passwords for on line accesses. In fact, the guy's a veritable analysis freak. Seems to have tables, charts, breakdowns and stats for nearly everything.

Worth a look.

-R

Psychic Finds Caylee In Exact Spot Where She Was Already Located By Mere Mortals

In the Old Testament, these people were killed outright. Now I think I know why. Not because of the direct, abominable vocation of hanging out one's necromancer shingle, but because you look like an out-of town turtle, just now showing up to the forest fire. Being really annoying must have been 9/10ths of Mosaic Law:

Meanwhile, a psychic said this week she sensed that 2-year-old Caylee's remains were in the wooded area where they were found last month.

The skull and bones were discovered in a bag a half-mile from the Anthony family home in Orlando by a water meter reader, Roy Kronk, who says he called investigators months earlier about a suspicious find there.

Psychic detective Gale St. John, who will star in a forthcoming reality show called "The Body Hunter," told MyFOXOrlando.com she was drawn to the same area on the same day in August that Kronk was — and caught her hunch on video.

Is this even news? Isn't it bad enough that this little girl's death was cruel and heartbreaking, only to have this second-tier Nostradamus pouring retroactive salt into the wounds?

Although, I just called MyFoxOrlando a few minutes ago and told them that President Lincoln would be shot at Ford's Theater. Provided them details too. Maybe they'll get back to me.

-R

Update: Arianna Huffington Aks Forgiveness For Blasphemous Global Warming Article

. . .because, you know, Mother Earth could come back any minute, and she wants to be ready.

This, of course, references my post from the other day, in which I wondered, somewhat sarcastically, how such a well-written piece of anti-totalitarian apostasy ever made it to her site, anyway. Via NewsBusters:

Harold Ambler reached out to me about posting a critical piece on Al Gore and the environment. We are always open to posts that present opinions contrary to HuffPost's editorial view . . .

But,

When Ambler sent his post, I forwarded it to one of our associate blog editors to evaluate, not having read it. I get literally hundreds of posts a week submitted like this and obviously can't read them all -- which is why we have an editorial process in place. The associate blog editor published the post. It was an error in judgment. I would not have posted it. Although HuffPost welcomes a vigorous debate on many subjects, I am a firm believer that there are not two sides to every issue, and that on some issues the jury is no longer out. The climate crisis is one of these issues.

I expect that "associate blog editor" will meet a Trotsky-like fate and be airbrushed from the final manifest.

-R

Atheists Regale British Buses Displaying Slogan Skeptical Of Own Slogan

The irony of these guys is what I enjoy the most.

I have a good many friends--and I mean legitimate friends--who profess to be atheists. I find most of them to be an avatar of the sign to the right, despite their more resolute professions to me verbally. Mainly because their arguments about war, poverty, genocide and pain being either a subset of an impersonal god or no god at all also latently argues that we exist in a broken model of something that had a higher ideal to it. And of course we all know what--or more imporatnly who--that points to.

Now as far as Richard Dawkins goes, I've got to give him props for at least decorating his prevaricating, inaugural slogan in non-threatening pinks with accompanying balloons for the trial run. I think the campaign may be successful. Probably.

-R

Meanwhile, Outside The Static, Academic Bubble . . .

Imagine a siren that gives you 30 seconds to find shelter before a Kassam rocket falls from the sky and explodes, spraying its lethal shrapnel in all directions. Now imagine this happens day after day, month after month, year after year.

If you can imagine that, you can begin to understand the terror to which hundreds of thousands of Israelis have been subjected. Three years ago Israel withdrew from every square inch of Gaza. And since that withdrawal, our civilians have been targeted by more than 6,000 rockets and mortars fired from Gaza. In the face of this relentless bombardment, Israel has acted with a restraint that other countries, faced with a similar threat, would find hard to fathom . . . We fight to defend ourselves, but in so doing we are also fighting a fanatical ideology that seeks to reverse the course of history and throw the civilized world back into a new dark age. The struggle between militant Islam and modernity -- whether fought in Afghanistan, Iraq, India or Gaza -- will decide our common future. It is a battle we cannot afford to lose.

--Benjamin Netanyahu--Wall Street Journal, three hours ago.

Counterpoint

 

Never think that war, no matter how necessary, nor how justified, is not a crime.

 

--Ernest Hemingway

 

Every gun that is made, every warship launched, every rocket fired signifies, in the final sense, a theft from those who hunger and are not fed, those who are cold and not clothed.

 

--Dwight D Eisenhower

 

Violence is immoral because it thrives on hatred rather than love.  It destroys community and makes brotherhood impossible.  It leaves society in monologue rather than dialogue.  Violence ends by defeating itself.  It creates bitterness in the survivors and brutality in the destroyers.  A voice echoes through time saying to every potential Peter, "Put up your sword."

--Martin Luther King, Jr.

 

Do not resist the one who is evil.  But if anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also...  You have heard that it was said "You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy."  But I say to you love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you so that you may be sons of your Father who is in Heaven.

--Jesus

 

josh r

War

War is an ugly thing, but not the ugliest of things. The decayed and degraded state of moral and patriotic feeling which thinks that nothing is worth war is much worse. The person who has nothing for which he is willing to fight, nothing which is more important than his own personal safety, is a miserable creature and has no chance of being free unless made and kept so by the exertions of better men than himself.

John Stuart Mill--English economist & philosopher (1806 - 1873)

Al Gore's Glacial Influence Melting

Earlier in the month, I was going to be self-serving and reference something that buttresses the position I've taken from the beginning, but after all, it is 650 scientists making these claims--that the giant, yawning chasm between what can be called "Climate change" and "man-made global warming" is joined only by a suspension bridge of fraud. Click the link. The language is unequivocal, and at least as acerbic as me on the subject. So whatever you may think about the subject, scientific consensus doesn't get to fortify your position anymore, because it doesn't exist.

Me? I'm a man who endures verbal persecution on a daily basis for simply contesting that we've gone from "Don't litter" into an entire secular religion. Being a global warming denier on the modern campus is equated to telling the Nazis that Anne Frank is hiding in the attic as they invade Poland. I may as well be a holocaust denier, according to one of the correspondents in my local paper--all for simply asking how Halliburton managed to cause the ice age, or the global cooling that still has Greenland isolated from its lush, foresty potential.

Now, it looks like one of the uber-leftys from Arianna Huffington's site has had enough, too. I'll get out of the way, and let him have at it, since he does it so well. In part:

Indeed, it is Mr. Gore and his brethren who are flat-Earthers. Mr. Gore states, ad nauseum, that carbon dioxide rules climate in frightening and unpredictable, and new, ways. When he shows the hockey stick graph of temperature and plots it against reconstructed C02 levels in An Inconvenient Truth, he says that the two clearly have an obvious correlation. "Their relationship is actually very complicated," he says, "but there is one relationship that is far more powerful than all the others, and it is this: When there is more carbon dioxide, the temperature gets warmer." The word "complicated" here is among the most significant Mr. Gore has uttered on the subject of climate and is, at best, a deliberate act of obfuscation. Why? Because it turns out that there is an 800-year lag between temperature and carbon dioxide, unlike the sense conveyed by Mr. Gore's graph. You are probably wondering by now -- and if you are not, you should be -- which rises first, carbon dioxide or temperature. The answer? Temperature. In every case, the ice-core data shows that temperature rises precede rises in carbon dioxide by, on average, 800 years. In fact, the relationship is not "complicated." When the ocean-atmosphere system warms, the oceans discharge vast quantities of carbon dioxide in a process known as de-gassing. For this reason, warm and cold years show up on the Mauna Loa C02 measurements even in the short term. For instance, the post-Pinatubo-eruption year of 1993 shows the lowest C02 increase since measurements have been kept. When did the highest C02 increase take place? During the super El Niño year of 1998.

Ouch. And this is just one paragraph. His entire takedown is brutal, factual, and not only backed up with pointed data, it also simultaneously addresses the repulsive, totalitarian hand in the puppet that is Global Warming:

To be told, as I have been, by Mr. Gore, again and again, that carbon dioxide is a grave threat to humankind is not just annoying, by the way, although it is that! To re-tool our economies in an effort to suppress carbon dioxide and its imaginary effect on climate, when other, graver problems exist is, simply put, wrong.

How this essay made it to Huffington's Post, I have no idea.

-R

US Lawmakers Worried About Coming Apocalypse

You guess which apocalypse has lawmakers laying awake at night:

a) A sudden, lightning fast invasion of our shores by a raping and pillaging Chinese military.

b) The detonation of a crudely-formed, radioactive dirty bomb by Islamic fundamentalists.

c) America's television viewing making a precipitous drop.

If you guessed "c," you are correct:

The Feb. 17 transition from analog to digital television broadcasts looms and as many as 8 million households are still unprepared, but the government program that
subsidizes crucial TV converter boxes is about to run out of money.

People who still rely on analog TV sets to pick up over-the-air signals — whether it is through rabbit-ear aerials on TVs or antennas on the roof — will see their screens go dark when the changeover happens. To avoid that, those people have to switch to cable or satellite TV, buy a television set with a digital tuner or buy a converter box that can translate digital signals from the airwaves into analog.

If you surf over to the article proper, you won't find even the faintest hint of indignation--the kind that should exist when the government is willing to toss this kind of money at a frivolity. But no. We are literally talking about saving the very fabric of American culture; falling far short of heroic measures and simply providing the water and air needed for life essential:

Now the NTIA is warning that unless lawmakers step in quickly with more funding or new accounting rules, it will have to create a waiting list for coupon requests. That would mean it could send out additional coupons only as unredeemed ones expire, freeing up more money for the program.

Do you feel the extreme, "imminent threat" to Americans? Do you see the grappling hooks of the apocalypse coming over the starboard side? You don't? Well, let the Associated Press paint the picture for you:

In other words, if Congress doesn't act soon, consumers who apply for coupons in the final weeks leading up to the digital transition might not get them in time.

If Congress doesn't act soon? I have a feeling MSNBC , the AP , and Congress would support waterboarding children in the HeadStart program if it meant keeping their influence on the air. They know a real crisis when they see it. television access is not only a phantom inheritance enumerated in the Bill of Rights, but the lifeblood of all that matters. Islamic terrorism, H5N1 viruses, and the Jackals at our national gates will have to take a financial back seat until Charm School and Flavor Of Love are over.

-R

Why Does All the Weird News Come from Florida?

 

Thousands of shoes were discovered on a Miami highway early this morning.  Authorities had to get a front-end loader and a dump truck to clear a half-mile stretch of road of the offending footwear.  Nobody knows where they came from or how they got there--evidence, the authorities say, that the shoe-dumpers were probably wearing sneakers.  My suspicion is that Miami was mobbed by angry Iraqi journalists.

 

josh r

Dude.

Gotta love those scientists when they do something cool:

A clinic is offering mothers bronze models of their unborn babies.

The London Ultrasound Centre, near Harley Street, is the first in the country to offer the service, which allows parents to 'celebrate' their babies in the womb.

A 3D printer uses ultrasound images to build a cast of the child. The models cost £1,200, take up to two-and-a-half weeks to make, and are created when the mother is at a safe stage of pregnancy at 24 weeks.

Doctors say the technology could also help improve survival rates for sick babies. Accurate casts of birth defects could be taken in the womb then studied by surgeons before they operate.

Which . . . oh I don't know could still manage to aggravate someone out there. Anyway, the technology--nearly similar to that toy-store novelty--the one where you can shove your face into a canvas of movable "nails" and then see your own mask--is intriguing to say the least:

Instead of ink, the printer uses a special dust which is built up layer by layer. An adhesive glues these layers together to form an accurate cast of the unborn baby. This mould is then used to make the bronze.

Hopefully, a widespread demand and sufficient and predictable copycatting will drive the prices down. Seems safe enough, at the outset anyway.

-R

The Coming Bailout For Newspapers

Seriously. I want this whole notion to become as simply laughable as it is. But it looks like what may happen in Connecticut may not stay in Connecticut:

Connecticut lawmaker Frank Nicastro sees saving the local newspaper as his duty. But others think he and his colleagues are setting a worrisome precedent for government involvement in the U.S. press.Nicastro represents Connecticut's 79th assembly district, which includes Bristol, a city of about 61,000 people outside Hartford, the state capital. Its paper, The Bristol Press, may fold within days, along with The Herald in nearby New Britain.

That is because publisher Journal Register, in danger of being crushed under hundreds of millions of dollars of debt, says it cannot afford to keep them open anymore.

If you click on the link in my first sentence, you will be treated to the following headline: "Government aid could save U.S. newspapers, spark debate."

Spark debate? Debate? Debate? Debate on what? On having the the very thing that the press was supposed to help keep in check become its primary underwriter? You'd thing a Congressman--you know, someone who has actually . . . oh I don't know READ the constitution once or twice would know this. But in a tumultuous time where jobs are evaporating as quickly as our nation's proclivity for self-defence, it's not surprising:

Nicastro and fellow legislators want the papers to survive, and petitioned the state government to do something about it. "The media is a vitally important part of America," he said, particularly local papers that cover news ignored by big papers and television and radio stations.

To some experts, that sounds like a bailout, a word that resurfaced this year after the U.S. government agreed to give hundreds of billions of dollars to the automobile and financial sectors.

Relying on government help raises ethical questions for the press, whose traditional role has been to operate free from government influence as it tries to hold politicians accountable to the people who elected them. Even some publishers desperate for help are wary of this route.

Remember, we must rely on "some experts" to arrive at the conclusion that this is a bailout. And AP writer Marc MacMillan's contention that violating the very breath of an independent media's existence struggles in a tepid arena of "ethical questions" is simply ludicrous.

This, all on the heels of recent reports that the economic downturn has shoved the New York Times closer to the precipice of actually doing the world a favor and imploding on itself. How in the world any lawmaker, who's spent the last seven years watching the Old Gray Lady turn over our national defence strategies to the Jihadists can keep a straight face while these erstwhile counterculture unibombers start clamoring for their jobs in a country they've sought to marginalize and render naked before its enemies . . . well I just don't know. I for one, believe that newspapers that can't "evolve" should just go ahead and die.

-R

Compassion + Art = A Demurment Of Royalties

Those old enough to remember hunger projects like Live Aid, the 1980's We Are The World and Hear 'N Aid outreaches may appreciate the contrast of this. While no one can begrudge a philanthropic cause itself, the wheedling, transparent and egotistical divas that stand between a cure and its intended target can many times nullify the audience outright.

Such is why projects like CompassionArt are comparatively wonderful. In a world where the famous and talented spend more time being lauded for their charity work than actually doing charity work, it's refreshing to see a few household names (at least in Christendom) allowing the inertia of their notoriety propel the work and then get out of the way.

Delerious' frontman Martin Smith decided that he's had enough--and pushed his chair away from the tables of the fat and insular:

Always striving to be someone who practiced what he preached, Smith couldn’t help but wrestle with a troubling dichotomy in his quest to be a history maker. While he was nestled comfortably in the confines of five-star accommodations, many of those he was reaching out to, particularly in his international travels, were living in slums. If that wasn’t a shocking-enough reality check for the father of six, he also met an abundance of mothers and their young children, caught up in the horrifying, dangerous life of sex trade in India. And in Phnom Penh, a poverty-ravaged locale Smith visited in Cambodia, children were routinely digging through rubbish dumps just to find anything resembling food to make it through another day.

Unable to reconcile his comfortable life with that of “the least of these,” Smith knew something truly unique,something life-changing, needed to be done to start “creating freedom from poverty.” So Smith decided to giveback with what he’s been given—a platform, a microphone and a knack for writing songs that connect with the heart—and boldly asked 11 of his fellow musician friends to do the same.

Thus, CompassionArt was born. With a rather impressive roster--all agreeing to siphon any and all funds to the project itself--the only stipulation being that a percentage would also be irrigated to legitimate charities already championed by the artists themsleves:

Then in what Smith described as a “truly pinch-myself moment,” the artists, which included Paul Baloche, Steven Curtis Chapman, Delirious bandmate Stu G, Israel Houghton, Tim Hughes, Graham Kendrick, Andy Park, Matt Redman, Michael W. Smith and Darlene Zschech, began arriving in Scotland with a slew of great song ideas in tow. Later on sessions at the famed Abbey Road studio in London and the recording studios of Music City F 2 (Nashville) would feature fruitful collaborations with Chris Tomlin and a slew of genre-defining guest artists including Kirk Franklin, Amy Grant, Joel Houston, Leeland Mooring, Christy Nockels, tobyMac and CeCeWinans.

To top it off, they waxed the project at Abbey Road studios, which should reverberate with a few visually. The recap is here:

Disney Dumps Narnia

After a promising start with The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe , the Narnia series did not, it seems, generate enough excitement to keep the Mouse's money.  Disney has announced that they will not be co-financing the third movie in the series--originally planned for seven films--with Walden Films.  Although the first film did well, grossing $745 million, the second floundered in its attempt to match such success.  Some experts have attributed this to the disapproving review by Kevin Crispo published in 90&9 when it was released.  Because of the difficult economic times, several studios are being very selective with which movies they chose to finance.  Disney has decided that the money required for this particular film, $100-$150 million, is just not worth the risk.

 

josh r

Rick Warren, And The Convenience-Driven Web Page.

Frankly, the whole "Controversial, creationist to give invocation at Obama inauguration" thing bored me. I mean, I guess the polemical side of me enjoyed watching the toxic underbelly of the gay lobby take time out from vandalizing Mormon churches in California to stage a new insurrection was . . . I guess a bit fun, but . . .

I didn't really get it. Sure, Proposition 8 made for the only interesting political fodder out here, as the same constituency that delivered all 54 of our electoral votes to Mr. Obama also voted to rid the state of definitional marital oblivion. Mr. Warren was far more tepid on the matter than many to his ideological left who voted to oppose gay marriage. Mr. Obama graciously appeared with Warren, on stage, in his church at Saddleback. It stands to reason that Mr. Obama would also reward this gracious treatment with an above-board, quid pro quo, if you will.

So anyway, the fact that Mr. Obama asked this high-profile evangelical to say a prayer at the inauguration is something I found far less intriguing than many. That was, until, I discovered that Saddleback's website has now expunged the Q&A section that includes their positions on homosexuality, creation and dinosaurs.

Really. I wouldn't be surprised a bit if Mr. Warren accepts a position as so kind of ad hoc, White House clergy, who suddenly finds definitional wiggle room between salvation and gay theological upstart ministries.

Thankfully, Jesus wasn't a web page, or in any way a personality or character that bore all the spiritual, two dimensional hallmarks of the Saddleback web page--or it's founder. The very fact that He didn't delete his cache-file is the only reason any of us can escape the recycle bin--and ultimate deletion ourselves:

Pilate: "Art thou the King of the Jews?"

Jesus: "Thou sayest."



Compared to:



The World: "Is the Bible the inspired, infallible word of God?"

Rick Warren: "Error 404. Page Not Found."


Lastly, in a turn-the-world-on-its-head twist of the lens, High-profile atheist and bad-boy Las vegas magician, Penn Gillette, posted this holiday message on YouTube, where he, quite frankly, says that despite his complete and total non-belief in a God of any kind, says that anyone convinced of the actual existence of a Hell has something inherently wrong with them if that belief does not tranlate into a sincere effort to save others from it:



I know. Seems like the world is upside down. Oh . . . wait. It is.

-R

Narnia, C.S. Lewis & Christmas

I'll be blogging over at Month for the rest of December, but thought this cultural commentary somehow fit over here.

Laura Miller discusses reading The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe every Christmas season, then offers some interesting (non-Christian) insights into the literary Narnia and how its theme of love is what best epitomizes Christmas. Hmmm. Anyone see a pattern here?

"The unifying principle of Narnia, unlike the vast complex of invented history behind Middle-earth, isn’t an illusion of authenticity or purity. Rather, what binds all the elements of Lewis’s fantasy together is something more like love. Narnia consists of every story, legend, myth or image — pagan or Christian — that moved the author over the course of his life. Our contemporary, semi-secular Christmas is similarly a collection of everything yearned for: warmth, plenty, peace, family, conviviality."

Life's Less Fair Than Usual Department

It's not enough that you're not beautiful enough to star in movies. It's not enough that you don't starve yourself into a moving skeleton just to be skinny. It's not enough that you haven't stumbled into a big break that allows you a shot at fame and riches. No, you're just an ordinary looking female trying to make a difference in the world today.

That's where the media lies. Jessica Alba just happens to be beautiful, skinny, and famous enough to be tracked by the media everywhere. Yet, when she's just had a baby, they'll make sure she's made more beautiful and skinnier if they need to. (Hey! They weren't even happy with the pool and changed that, too!)

It's not easy being a female in America today. I feel for you. Just remember, much of the pictures you see aren't real - even if the people in them are.

Just in Time for Christmas Shopping!

Heads up internet shoppers!  A major security flaw has been discovered in Internet Explorer that seems to affect all versions of the browser.  Microsoft is trying to engineer a patch for the flaw.  Users are encouraged to download another internet browser, at least for the now.  So far, the flaw has only been used to steal gaming passwords , but it could be used to steal things important to normal people too, like financial information. 

 

josh r

Iraqi Correspondent Auditions For Keith Olberman's Show

By now, you've at least heard about this. Not one, but two shots from the Bruno Magli gallery in the Baghdad press pool. Two things to note, one is the cat-like duck Bush does to avoid the first ordinance, which the MSNBC correspondent on the video says "sailed right over his head," and the fact that Maliki gets props for the attempted block on the second one. Gotta love the way he just carries on. I couldn't say I'd do the same, but kudos to President Bush for taking it all in stride.



-R

10 Silver Stars Issued For A Single Battle

This--simply stunning:

After jumping out of helicopters at daybreak onto jagged, ice-covered rocks and into water at an altitude of 10,000 feet, the 12-man Special Forces team scrambled up the steep mountainside toward its target -- an insurgent stronghold in northeast Afghanistan. "Our plan," Capt. Kyle M. Walton recalled in an interview, "was to fight downhill."

But as the soldiers maneuvered toward a cluster of thick-walled mud buildings constructed layer upon layer about 1,000 feet farther up the mountain, insurgents quickly manned fighting positions, readying a barrage of fire for the exposed Green Berets.

A harrowing, nearly seven-hour battle unfolded on that mountainside in Afghanistan's Nuristan province on April 6, as Walton, his team and a few dozen Afghan commandos they had trained took fire from all directions. Outnumbered, the Green Berets fought on even after half of them were wounded -- four critically -- and managed to subdue an estimated 150 to 200 insurgents, according to interviews with several team members and official citations.

Literally the stuff that usually only happens in movies. Not sure exactly what the term "subdued" in that last sentence is meant to imply, unless the terms "rout" ""annihilate" or Heaven forbid "defeat" were just not deemed palatable by the Washington Post readership. I simply have my doubts that twelve green Berets took a hundred prisoners. Perhaps the Post should do a focus group study on the term "rendered the insurgents carbon neutral" and see how it plays.

-R

Paging PT Barnum

Unless you are building heating units with the Amish, you might have noticed that Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich was arrested yesterday, for attempting to sell the senate seat vacated by President-elect Barack Obama. It's that simple. Corruption at its most reprobate within the public spectrum.

Now, I have to admit that I battle with simultaneously being repulsed at the sheer reptilian coldness Chicago politics ushers in while also looking forward to the next four years giving us the most colorful, arrhythmic circus national politics has ever seen. And unless the world's most tenacious prosecutor, Patrick Fitzgerald, comes down with a sudden case of "Fatwa Syndrome," then the next president is already going to be laying his hand on the Bible on a politically overcast day with no sign of clearing.

Public spotlight on some episodes Obama thought he had put behind him, including his ties to Antoin Rezko, a convicted Chicago real-estate developer who was accused in a Federal Bureau of Investigation affidavit Tuesday of scheming with Blagojevich. Rezko raised campaign funds for both men, and was one of Obama's earliest supporters as he was climbing the political ladder in Illinois.

Man. Talk about baggage so overloaded that it's begun spilling out on the tarmac as you're boarding Air Force One for the first time.

I've got my popcorn. Too bad the circus is four years long. But at least the clowns are entertaining.

-R

Vatican Fails to Cave to Political Correctness--Cue the Protests

France and the European union are presenting a declaration on gay rights to the United Nations on December 18th in an effort to curb the violent oppression and "the deprivation of economic, social, and cultural rights" of gays worldwide.  Fearing that it may be used as a weapon to pressure countries into accepting homosexual marriages, the Vatican has opposed this declaration--not exactly what you would call a surprising move after 2,000 of holding the same stance against homosexuality.  Still, because this particular sin has become so widely accepted, a simple refusal to support it has led to a dramatic reaction against the church.

 

The real issue is one of polarization.  Either you completely support homosexuality, gay marriages, and full "economic, social, and cultural rights," or you support killing all homosexuals.  There can be no middle ground.  Obviously the Catholic Church is not issuing a Crusade against homosexuals here.  They are simply opposing a document that will be used as a means to a political end that they do not agree with.  The odd thing is that the Catholic Church does not even have any official say in the United Nations' acceptance or rejection of this declaration.  And yet they are being vehemently attacked for not putting their stamp of approval on it.

 

You have to have some respect for them for standing up for what they believe.  Only time will tell how many others will have the strength to a stand with them.

 

God, I pray that you would continue to give these Catholic leaders the strength to stand for Your Word.  I pray that you would be at work in the hearts of all those who feel threatened by a false polarization of an emotional issue.  I pray that You would be with those who are imprisoned right now for being homosexual in countries where it is illegal.  And I pray that you would help those in the LGBT community to find the purest form of love in You, even in the face of hatred from those who call themselves Your followers.  Amen.

 

josh r

George Bush and Oprah Spiritual Bedfellows?

The Bible is probably not literally true.  Different religions worship the same God.  The latest clips from Oprah's religious melting pot?  No, actually the religious beliefs of President Bush.  In a Monday night interview on ABC's "Nightline" our current president made declarations of faith that many Americans would identify with, but seem strangely dissonant with the beliefs of many of his evangelical supporters. 

 

 

Asked by Cynthia McFadden if he thought the Bible were literally true, he answered "You know.  Probably not. ... No, I'm not a literalist, but I think you can learn a lot from it, but I do think that the New Testament for example is ... has got ... You know, the important lesson is 'God sent a son." '  ...a wonderfully vague message that can be defined or applied in whatever way suits you best.

 

But the God of the Bible is the one true God, right?  Maybe not.  "I do believe there is an almighty that is broad and big enough and loving enough that can encompass a lot of people," he said.  In other words, people of many faiths are worshipping the same God.  In a very diplomatic expression of faith, he bases everything on his own personal experience.  "All I can just tell you is that I got back into religion and I quit drinking shortly thereafter and I asked for help... " 

 

These kinds of faith statements work wonderfully in a postmodern society that cannot accept the Bible as the Word of God or one religion as the only way.  But they will undoubtedly leave a bitter taste in the mouths of many Evangelicals who thought they had a president who believed exactly like them.  I am keeping my eyes open for Ron's outraged deprecation of the religious liberalism of Bush and the Republicans.

 

josh r

Another Apostolic Reality Star

http://www.kdhnews.com/news/story.aspx?s=29494

This story intrigues me on two levels. First, I still get a little excited when I see Apostolics making news in a positive way. My view is that we are to be a light in the world, and a lighthouse doesn't have to shoot a canon off to let people know it's a lighthouse. It simply shines. In other words, I like to see people doing "ordinary" things in a Christian-like manner without having to declare their spirituality. Daniel Jens, while competing on America's Got Talent, sings well, plays well, and has an authentic, if not polished, stage presence (Check out the clip here). I think he's a great witness for his Father, even if he didn't manage to squeeze Acts 2:38 into his speech. His love for God and his wife shine throughout, and he certainly wowed the judges. That performance earned him a trip to Las Vegas, where he ultimately placed 11th. His ranking would have been higher, but he forgot the lyrics to part of his song there. Still, it was another excellent performance.

Second, I am happy to see a member of our American armed forces doing well. As a veteran who has not had to be away from my family for 15-months, I tip my hat to Daniel. It sounds like he used his talent to minister to his fellow soldiers while overseas. I'm glad he got he's home with his wife now, and got the opportunity to play on a national stage.

I guess the bottom line is that we, as Apostolics, have no excuse to hide inside our church walls. Why let televangelists be the only face of Christianity that the mass media transmits over the electrons?

The Bible Illuminated

Even for people who don't believe in it, the Bible is a very important part of Western society.  Unfortunately, too many people in our society do very little reading outside of Vogue and Cosmo.  Trying to convince them to take a serious look at the Bible is similar to trying to convince them to let you practice your dental skills on them.  In an effort to change that, Dag Soderberg is publishing a repackaged version of God's Word in the format of popular magazines.  And it seems to be working.  In Sweden, where Bible Illuminated: The Book was originally published, there was a nearly 50% rise in the sale of Bibles following its release!

 

 

Featuring captivating images that resonate with many postmoderns, Soderberg's coffee table book demands attention from even the most ardent atheist.  Angelina Jolie, Bono, Ghandi, and other familiar faces make the reader feel as if they are nestled snugly within pop culture, even while they are being exposed to timeless truths from the Word of God. 

 

Soderberg, himself, is not particularly religious, but he does hold a deep respect for the Bible and wanted to make it more accessible to others.  He wanted "to make a version of the Bible that people want to pick up, instead of hide away or just place on a bookshelf."

 

"Most people have issues with the Bible," he explains.  "They have never gotten into it.  They don't find it accessible.  But it's our history, our heritage.  And for most of us, we relate to it more than we think.  Religious or not, it shapes much of our moral codes."

 

I can't wait to put one on my coffee table and see what kinds of conversations it sparks with my non-Christian friends.

 

josh r

Just Try . . .

. . . watching this without being profoundly moved. Perhaps it's just me, being the daddy to little girls:



Naw. It's not just me.

-R

Which Brands Do College Students Trust the Most??

According to the Anderson Analytics fall survey Nike, Apple and Time Magazine top the list. For the first time since the survey started in 2005 Time has moved above Cosmo and People. It is possible that this move was precipitated by the election year and President elect Obama's appeal to younger voters who found themselves interested in politics for the first time and who were looking for a reliable source of new coverage. This seems to be backed by CNN.com's appearance in the top 10 for the first time ever as well.

But as the authors of the survey also point out,

But before you conclude that the Obama effect has led college students to become more high-minded than ever, consider this: The fondest wish of some 7.2% of respondents (and the No. 6 response, two slots below world peace) was the ability to fly.

Ahh, it's so nice to see that the entire world hasn't tilted off its axis. In fact that I'd be willing to say that the results next year, especially in the face of the economic crisis, will probably see a return of Cosmo, People and Perez Hilton to the top of the survey. College students have notoriously short attention spans and when facing stressful situations enjoy their escapisms (and this doesn't apply only to college students, ever wonder why viewership of soap operas increase during recession and while overall stocks plumment alcohol and tobacco companies see their stocks soar??).

Three Simple Steps to a Merrier Christmas

Christmas is getting crazier each year.  This year they started with the decorations and music the day after Halloween in some stores!  With the tough economic times stores are doing all they can to get you to uphold the tradition and buy, buy, buy.  If it seems like Christmas is becoming too commercialized and losing it's focus allow me to make a couple of suggestions to help us get back on track (and, no, watching It's A Wonderful Life isn't one of them).

 

1) Read the Christmas story again.  And not just the first section of Luke 2 that Charlie Brown reads every year.  Read the entire first two chapters of Luke.  Maybe even take a look at Matthew as well.  Try to read them as if you didn't know the end of the story.  What would it have been like to be a teenage girl trying to convince people that you were still righteous when all of the evidence pointed to the contrary?  What would it have been like to be a young man offering to raise a child who wasn't his based on a dream about an angel?  What would it have been like to be a redneck sheep farmer surrounded by angels inviting you to the birth of a king?  Before it was the Greatest Story Ever Told, Christmas was something experienced by normal people.

 

2) Do some research.  Ok, so I'm a theology nerd, but a little bit of reading goes a long way toward making sense out of a world completely different than our own.  Two books I would reccomend are The Jesus I Never Knew by Phillip Yancey and  The Jesus Conspiracy by Gordon Thomas.  Both of these do an excellent job of introducing 21st Century Americans to 1st Century Palestine.  Additionally, the prose of the first and the prose/narrative combination of the second draw the reader in almost like a novel.  Challenge yourself to discover the additional dimensions of a story that you think you already know well.

 

3) Live the story.  If the problem is that we have lost focus of the "reason for the season" in our capitalistic furor, perhaps the best solution is to refocus ourselves personally.  In an effort to redefine Christmas, there is a movement to move away from commercialism by encouraging people to donate to charity instead.  On the first Christmas God gave of Himself to people who could in no way pay him back.  Mary's Song celebrated the fact that God would care for the poor and the hungry would be fed.  Too often we think about the three rich guys in the story who gave the fancy gifts and forget about all of the poor and disenfranchised who make up practically every other character.  This Christmas let's do more to remember them.

 

josh r.