Puns sent by my son

How does Moses make tea? Hebrews it. 

Venison for dinner again? Oh deer! 

A cartoonist was found dead in his home. Details are sketchy.
I used to be a banker, but then I lost interest.
Haunted French pancakes give me the crêpes.
England has no kidney bank, but it does have a Liverpool.
I tried to catch some fog, but I mist.
They told me I had type-A blood, but it was a Typo.
I changed my iPod's name to Titanic. It's syncing now.
I know a guy who's addicted to brake fluid, but he says he can stop any time.
I stayed up all night to see where the sun went, and then it dawned on me.
This girl said she recognized me from the vegetarian club, but I'd never met herbivore.
When chemists die, they barium.
I'm reading a book about anti-gravity. I just can't put it down.
I did a theatrical performance about puns. It was a play on words.
Why were the Indians here first? They had reservations.
I didn't like my beard at first. Then it grew on me.
Did you hear about the cross-eyed teacher who lost her job because she couldn't control her pupils?
When you get a bladder infection, urine trouble.
Broken pencils are pointless.
What do you call a dinosaur with an extensive vocabulary? A theasaurus.
I dropped out of communism class because of lousy Marx.
All the toilets in New York's police stations have been stolen. The police have nothing to go on.
I got a job at a bakery because I kneaded dough.
Velcro - what a rip off!

WHAT I LEARNED FROM WATCHING THE DEMOCRATS' DEBATE, Steve Fyten, guest blogger

* Black Lives Matter, All Lives Don't Matter.
* College should be free and all student loans cancelled.
* Medical treatment should be free.
* To become an American Citizen just show up here.
* The economy sucks and after 7 years in office, it's not Obama's fault.
* The Middle Class is shrinking and after 7 years in office, it's not Obama's fault.
* The Average Family income is dropping and after 7 years in office, it's not Obama's fault.
* Black youths have over a 50% unemployment rate and after 7 years in office it's not Obama's fault.
* Hispanic youth unemployment is over 35% and after 7 years in office, it's not Obama's fault.
* 50% of the Population is paying 100% of all the taxes and they are still not paying their fair share.
* Everyone who votes Democrat will work less, make more, get more time off, spend more time with family, pay less taxes, and get more government subsidies.
* Everyone else does it, so should we, regardless of the results other places.
* Government wants more money to squander on promises already broken.
* The word "Progressive" is less cringe worthy than saying you're a Liberal.
* When America grows up, we want to be Norway, Sweden or the Netherlands.
* There's a quagmire in Iraq, Syria and the Middle East and Obama's retreating from the area has nothing to do with the situation.
* Republicans want dirty air, dirty water, oil spills, trash on the streets, polluted oceans, old people without medical treatment and dead, young people without educations being paid the lowest wages possible, starving children, don't believe in equal rights, were responsible for Jim Crow Laws and not Affirmative action.
* Snowden and General Petraeus broke laws for releasing and not securing secret documents but Hillary Clinton shares no responsibility.
* Marijuana cures all diseases.
* Marijuana smokers are being imprisoned for smoking a joint.
* If elected, everything will be rainbows and Unicorns - just like with Obama.
* Hillary Clinton does walk on water.
* Cheaters do prosper.
* People often cheer stupidity.
* There are only two candidates given a voice in the Democrat Race.
* Hillary and Bill Clinton were born poor Black Children.
* All the qualifications needed to be President is to be a woman.
* Evil looks like anything white, rich, successful and productive.
* You will receive a participation trophy in life.
* Agreements of any kind should be signed and committed to even if the other agreeing party doesn't live up to its obligations.
* Everything is still Bush's fault.

And this is the best woman for the job?

Hillary said in an Iowa Townhall, 'I Wouldn't Keep Any School Open That Wasn't Doing A Better Than Average Job'. How does that work? Once she had a new number of schools, tested those kids and teachers, wouldn't she have a new mean to work with, and then have a bunch of schools not performing better than average? Wouldn't she be closing schools in primarily minority and poor neighborhoods or schools with a lot of special needs kids whose children haven't had the advantage of 2 parents, or educated parents or have had physical and mental challenges? I know we have a Department of Education (b. 1979, Jimmy Carter) which funnels tax money through its bureaucracies, but isn't education a responsibility given to the states and local governments?
 http://www.weeklystandard.com/clinton-i-wouldnt-keep-any-school-open-that-wasnt-doing-a-better-than-average-job/article/2000327 

Really, folks. You want her in the White House telling your school to close?

Down the rabbit hole with musician Eric Wyse

The other day I purchased at Marc's for $1.50 a Christmas CD, "Log Cabin Christmas; 20 songs of the season performed in simple folk styles."  It's really lovely, and quite relaxing.

So in deciding to mention it on my blog, I needed to do a little research.  I chose the name of one of the producers, Eric Wyse, because the rest of the production, musicians, and location stuff didn't look too promising-- Barbour publishing, licensed from Classic Fox Records, made in the USA (in Uhrichsville, Ohio).

What a find.  Wyse is a song writer and pianist, and I'm not sure about how much production he does on the side, but I've enjoyed listening to his Christian music.  These are called "rabbit holes" when you get an idea and it takes you to places you didn't know you needed to go.

http://www.ericwyse.com/ericwyse/Home.html  From his home page:

An accomplished keyboardist, songwriter, church musician, and record and video producer, Eric Wyse will complete 19 years of service as Organist/Choirmaster (1994-2001) and Director of Music/Organist (2001-2013) at St. Bartholomew's Episcopal Church in Nashville, Tennessee June 2013. In September,  he will begin a new position as Director of Music/Organist at St. Michael’s Church in Charleston, SC.

As a pianist, Eric has recorded the best-selling  "Reflections" series of solo piano music with sales in excess of 200,000 units. His organ work was featured on the worship project "City on a Hill - Sing Alleluia".

He is best known, perhaps, as the co-writer of the modern hymn, "Wonderful, Merciful Savior," written in 1989 with his wife, Dawn Rodgers. Recorded by numerous Christian artists including Selah, Phillips Craig & Dean, Kari Jobe, Anthony Evans, Kathy Troccoli, Travis Cottrell, and Clay Cross, the song received a 2002 Gospel Music Association Dove Award nomination for “Inspirational Song of the Year”. It appears in many new hymnals, including Rejoice Hymns (Majesty Music, 2011), Songs for Worship and Praise (2010, Taylor Publications), The Baptist Hymnal (2008, LifeWay Worship), Hymns for a Pilgrim People (GIA/NAACC, 2007), and The Christian Life Hymnal (Hendrickson, 2006). Other songs written by Eric include "Lamb of God (Angus Dei)" recorded by BeBo Norman and Mark Hall & Megan Garrett (Casting Crowns) and his setting of the Lord's Prayer, "Our Father in Heaven", which is gaining acceptance in churches across the country.

An award-winning producer and consultant in recording and video production, Eric has worked with a variety of artists, including Keith & Kristyn Getty, Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir, CeCe Winans, Amy Grant, Donnie McClurkin, and Hee Haw’s LuLu Roman. In 2007, he produced a critically acclaimed full-length London recording of Handel's Messiah with British conductor John Rutter, featuring The Cambridge Singers & Royal Philharmonic Orchestra.

 And even after researching it, I still have no idea who the musicians are for this CD.  I do think that is an oversight. They are good. So, after wandering around that rabbit hole, I decided to look at Uhrichsville, Ohio, a town I'd never heard of.  What I found was a wonderful Christian publishing company, named Barbour.

Faithfulness to the Bible and Jesus Christ are the bedrock values behind every book Barbour's staff produces from its 115,000-square foot facilities in Uhrichsville, Ohio. When the company's unit sales reached fourteen million in a fiscal year, Martins commented, "I'm really excited about that figure. That's fourteen million Christian books - not fourteen million hamburgers, or fourteen million cars, or fourteen million computers. It's fourteen million books sharing the message of Christ!"

What a fun search. And all for $1.50 from a remaindered supply at Marc's.

Back to the drawing board

About 8 years ago I was in a writing group with an adorable, really precocious kid about 11. Years go by and we friend each other on Facebook and more years go by and it turns out he's now in college and an active protester at his university saying the same dumb things we all did at that age. I don't know if he's a "snowflake," yet but he's definitely listing to the left.  He shared a poster of demands on his Facebook page. I had to correct the spelling of two words, one of which was "proffesors." Couldn't resist.

Music theory song

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dF074CL5vjI

Hoping for some new books for Christmas--on my Nook

I recharged my Nook the other day and handed it to my daughter with some suggestions for Christmas of multi-volume books I'd like to have around, but not on my bookshelves due to space, like the early church fathers. I'm not a digital book fan, and probably only have 5 or 6 loaded. But I've also found some good audio on YouTube. "A large video collection of classic hymns, contemporary Praise and Worship songs, and the works (audio books, devotional readings, and sermons) of men greatly used of God, such as: Charles Spurgeon, Jonathan Edwards, A.W. Tozer, A.W. Pink, John Owen, Oswald Chambers, Andrew Murray, E.M. Bounds, John Bunyan, George Whitefield, and many more, covering topics on many aspects of the Christian life." Listening to Eusebius History of the Church this morning. Sponsored by a group called "Christian Praise and Worship in Songs, Sermons and Audio Books." 

Despite all the crap and dirt, the internet is also full of treasures.

 http://sermonsandsongsdotorg.com/category/audiobooks/

The earliest Christian creed

There was no Bible to direct Paul on his missionary journeys or to guide his letters to the converts.  He had to tell them what he had been told in the period of time between his Damascus Road experience (about 4-5 years after the resurrection) and the beginning of his ministry.  This was a time when the disciples of Jesus were able to school him in the truths of the gospel until he was ready to go out on his own. They gave him this creed. Also, Paul’s letters were circulating before the four Gospels. He teaches using a form of a creed--a statement of belief--which had been taught to him.

“For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance:

That Christ died for our sins
According to the Scriptures
That he was buried
That he was raised on the third day
According to the Scriptures
And that he appeared to Peter
And then to the Twelve.”

1 Corinthians 15: 3-5

He preceded that statement of faith by reminding them that this is the gospel that saved them, otherwise their belief is in vain.  And also ours.

https://carm.org/questions/about-jesus/1-cor-153-4-demonstrates-creed-too-early-legend-corrupt

 http://winteryknight.com/2009/04/03/gary-habermas-explains-the-earliest-source-of-resurrection-facts/

 http://www.evidenceunseen.com/bible-difficulties-2/nt-difficulties/romans-2/1-cor-153b-5-was-this-an-early-christian-statement-of-faith/

Cute puppy, hold him close

Sally his owner says: ". . . he was diagnosed with a very rare disease called CMO, CranioMandibular Osteopathy. We expect him to outgrow this by age 12 months. He is doing consistently well on 1/2 tsp. colloidal silver each day. The vets have no treatments to offer." 

Fresh take on old verse

"During the Christmas season I think often of that extraordinary verse in Isaiah 9:6, "For to us a child is born, to us a Son is given. The Son is not born; the SON eternally existed and is GIVEN. The CHILD is BORN and entered our time." - Ravi Zacharias

HT Pastor Dave Mann, UALC

Housing for the poor

The nation’s leading housing agency, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), reported in April 2015 that more than 7.7 million very low - income families have “worst case housing needs ”because they do not receive government housing assistance and paid more than half of their monthly income for rent, lived in severely substandard housing, or both. But how can that be? There are at least 160 federal programs at 20 different federal agencies providing assistance and affordable housing for the poor! $270 billion in 2012. There are block grants to states, special deals for mortgages, vouchers for rent assistance, thousands of regulations on special housing projects—you name it—and there are eager government employees making a good living helping the poor. If you’ve wondered why government won’t do much to lower the costs of health care by taking over insurance, just look at how government takes care of the poor who need housing.

 

160 entities involved in housing 

Chart book

Federal rental assistance

I slipped His fingers, I escaped His feet

I heard this lovely poem recited at the end of a very complex lecture on theology and history by Charles Craigmile, but without attribution.  I googled the first line, and found it is often attributed to Bishop Fulton J. Sheen, but kept looking, and found it in one of his addresses from 1940.  It is so lovely.  Some say the name of the poet doesn't matter, but she does. The Sheen source attributed it to Elizabeth Cheney (b. 1859).
    
"I slipped His fingers, I escaped His feet,
     I ran and hid, for Him I feared to meet.
     One day I passed Him, fettered on a Tree,
     He turned His Head, and looked, and beckoned me.

    "Neither by speed, nor strength could He prevail.
     Each hand and foot was pinioned by a nail.
     He could not run or clasp me if He tried,
     But with His eye, He bade me reach His side.

    "For pity's sake, thought I, I'll set you free.
     'Nay -- hold this cross,' He said, 'and follow me.
     This yoke is easy, this burden light,
     Not hard or grievous if you wear it tight.'

    "So did I follow Him Who could not move,
     An uncaught captive in the hands of Love."

         -- (Attributed to) Elizabeth Cheney (in a Sheen address found on a blog)

But I kept looking (it's a librarian thing) and found a version with a  different message attributed to Cheney--more evangelistic, perhaps more social justice, but without Christ's words. Neither poem provides the truth of the resurrection. The poet Cheney is best known for a small poem about birds and anxiety that appears on plaques. So perhaps the Sheen version and the Cheney version are not one, but different treatments of the same theme.

 Whenever there is silence around me
By day or by night—
I am startled by a cry.
It came down from the cross—
The first time I heard it.
I went out and searched—
And found a man in the throes of crucifixion,
And I said, “I will take you down,”
And I tried to take the nails out of his feet.
But he said, “Let them be,
For I cannot be taken down
Until every man, every woman, and every child
Come together to take me down.”
And I said, “But I cannot bear your cry.
What can I do?”
And he said, “Go about the world—
Tell every one that you meet—
There is a man on the cross.”

Elizabeth Cheney

Incidentally, not only is there a modern Elizabeth Cheney (daughter of the former vice president), but there was an English Elizabeth Cheney in the 15th century who because of her two marriages was the great-grandmother of Anne Boleyn, Jane Seymour, and Catherine Howard, three of the wives of King Henry VIII of England, thus making her great-great-grandmother to King Edward VI, the son of Henry VIII and Jane Seymour, and Elizabeth I, the daughter of Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn. Her first husband was Sir Frederick Tilney, and her second husband was Sir John Say, Speaker of the House of Commons. She produced a total of nine children from both marriages.

Isn't the internet amazing? It's not often you can get a 15th century royal, a 19th century poet and a 20th century priest worked into the same article.

Lectures on the Church Fathers

This morning while exercising I listened to lecture 8, St. John of Damascus, series on Early Church Fathers, held at St. Mary's Summer School in Lake Forest, IL in 2014. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FBAJoXfXZl8 The lecturer, who is not a priest or deacon but a business man, is so good, I listened to all 8.  Then I find there was another series in 2015, which I'll have to look at.

The lecturer Charles H. Craigmile holds an undergraduate degree in philosophy, with minors in Latin and Greek from the University of St. Thomas, an MA in philosophy from DePaul University, and an MBA from JL Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University.   Charles has also completed three-years’ course work toward a graduate degree in Theology at the University of St. Mary of the Lake in Mundelein.  Over the last 25 years, Charles has taught Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults (RCIA) programs across the Chicago area and led summer programs in recent years at Church of Saint Mary in Lake Forest. He is President and CEO of Revenova, LLC, the leading Cloud based Transportation Management Application built on the Salesforce.com platform. Previously, he was President and CEO of Forseva which he sold to Equifax in 2014.

The summer 2015 series:

#1 Framework for Catholic Social Teaching:  Faith, Morals and The Universal Call to Holiness

Tuesday, June 23rd (Grotto)

#2  The Dignity of the Human Person as the Foundation of Catholic Social Teaching:  Secular and Catholic Perspectives

Tuesday, June 30th (Stuart Community Room)

#3 Human Sexuality Part One:  Authentic Love in Truth

Tuesday, July 7th (Stuart Community Room)

#4 Human Sexuality Part Two:  Authentic Love in Truth

Tuesday, July 14th (Stuart Community Room)

#5 Medical Ethics:  New Technologies and the Promotion of Human Dignity

Tuesday, July 21st (Stuart Community Room)     

#6 Core Principles of Catholic Social Teaching on the Political Economy

Tuesday, July 28th (Stuart Community Room)        

#7 Catholic Social Teaching and Public Policy:  Core Principles’ Application to Contemporary Policy

The Emperor Constantine did not found the Catholic Church

 Jimmy Akin refutes the claim made by some Christian Fundamentalists that the Emperor Constantine founded the Catholic Church.  He did however allow them to be "tolerated." He didn't make Catholicism the official religion of the empire.

Did the Emperor Constantine found the Catholic Church? | Catholic Answers

 http://shoebat.com/2013/09/21/constantine-create-catholic-church/

 http://www.churchhistory101.com/feedback/protestant-myths.php

Who were the Church Fathers? | Catholic Answers

Who were the Church Fathers? | Catholic Answers

Don't panic, all you Protestants and non-denominationalists.  We share most of these. And probably all their ideas if they died in good standing with the church

Stop demeaning the Trump supporters as ignorant and uneducated

I was watching the huge crowd of Trump supporters last night as he was being interviewed by O'Reilly. Don't underestimate him by demeaning his supporters (of which I'm not one). They were all ages, genders, ethnicities, incomes, education (it's not cheap to go to those expensive tourist towns to hang out at political events) and all thoroughly fed up with the antics of both parties in Washington. The Republicans don't keep their promises to return us to good values and the Constitution, and the Democrats keep their promises to run up the taxes, regulations and drive us away from the Constitution.

We don't have RA, but these are good tips

http://www.healthline.com/health/rheumatoid-arthritis/life-hacks

13 tips for anyone who is getting up in years, or feeling some stiffness.

New on my Nook--Eusebius

"If Herodotus is the father of history, then Eusebius of Caesarea (c. A.D. 260-339) is certainly the father of church history.  He was the first to undertake the task of tracing the rise of Christianity during its crucial first three centuries from Christ to Constantine.  Since no other ancient author tried to cover the same period, Eusebius is our principal primary source for earliest Christianity and his Church History is the cornerstone chronicle on which later historians would build."  Introduction, "Eusebius: The Church History," c. 1999, 2007, 2011 translation and commentary  by Paul L. Maier, Kregel Digital Editions, Grand Rapids, MI.

I've downloaded a "sample" which seems to be 72 pages.

I've had my Nook about 3 years, and haven't done much with it. I thought I'd put some titles on a list and hand this puppy over to my daughter, who loves this stuff. (She bought it for me for Mother's Days a few years ago.)

Review at Christianbook.com "Dr. Paul L. Maier's award-winning translation Josephus: The Essential Works, now has a companion volume in a brilliant, word-for-word translation of and commentary on Eusebius's great Church History. Beginning with Jesus of Nazareth and ending with Constantine the Great, the first Christian emperor in the early part of the fourth century, Eusebius presents a panorama of apostles, church fathers, elders, bishops, heroes, heretics, confessors, and martyrs. Key features in this new translation include more than 150 full-color photographs, maps and illustrations, an informative introduction to Eusebius and his works, commentaries on the significant historical developments addressed in each book of The Church History, and four indexes listing persons, places, and subjects cited, as well as photographs and illustrative material. This flowing, contemporary English translation remains faithful to the original Greek text but liberates Eusebius from previous outdated and stilted works, creating a new standard primary resource for anyone, lay or professional, who is interested in the early history of Christianity.

Christianity Today:  "There is no book more important o understanding the early church than Eusebius's The Church History.  And there is no edition more readable and engaging than this one."

Bacon or lettuce on that?

Are they pulling my leg? ""Eating lettuce is over three times worse in greenhouse gas emissions than eating bacon," said Paul Fischbeck, professor of social and decisions sciences and engineering and public policy. "Lots of common vegetables require more resources per calorie than you would think. Eggplant, celery and cucumbers look particularly bad when compared to pork or chicken."

No more lettuce on my BLT!

From masters to heads to . . .

According to R.R. Reno (First Things, Jan. 2016) Princeton has agreed to rename "masters" of its residential colleges to "heads" to protect the crybullies from feeling unsafe. One alum recommends changing "heads" to "asses" so as not to marginalize that part of the body, and to more aptly describe their role.

Is anyone in charge here?

Yesterday I came across a slick brochure advertising IF:Gathering 2016, which seems to be an ecumenical live gathering with lots of high tech underground and over reach--blogging, twiitter, Pinterest, tumblr, etc.--supposedly reaching about 400,000 women for the last event as reported by Christianity Today and Huffington Post. The brochure made no mention of the ministry or resurrection of Jesus which always gives me pause in publicity for massive "Christian" events. Is that to be "seeker" friendly, or was it an oversight by the proof reader? No theology, Christology, ecclesiology, or any isms or ologies that I'm familiar with that point back to the New Testament church. Just lots of good vibes and emotion, plus some social justice links to well known Christian groups. "A fresh, deep, honest space for the next generation of women to wrestle with essential questions that plague their generation." I can find no "authority" or church leader higher than the woman (and her husband) who organized it. I'm feeling my age today--and the multitude of events I've seen come and go in the last 40 years. Thoughts? Have you attended one of these?

Where are the adults?

They need to start hiring adults to be teachers in this district. "During a world geography lesson on Friday about world religions, including Islam, teacher Cheryl LaPorte had students complete an assignment that involved practicing calligraphy and writing a Muslim statement of faith, also known as the shahada, which translates as: "There is no god but Allah, and Muhammad is the messenger of Allah." Students were also reportedly shown copies of the Quran." Parents are unhappy; school board saw no problem. If it was a geography lesson, why not write the name of their city? Or their own name? Students also got to dress modestly with a scarf like Muslims. Patrick Madrid wondered what would happen if the assignment was to dress like a Carmelite nun (they still wear the black and white habit) and write "Jesus is Lord." I think someone would be fired, don't you?

Vanilla Lemon Chex Mix

Read this for the instructions; not difficult.  Great for a holiday party.  
http://mylitter.com/recipes/vanilla-lemon-chex-mix-recipe/ 

Ingredients

• 5 cups Rice Chex Cereal
• ¾ cup Vanilla Baking Chips
• 3 Tablespoons Butter
• 2 Tablespoons Lemon Juice, fresh
• 1 1/4 cup Powdered Sugar

After the Ball, the PR agenda for normalizing homosexuality

 It wasn't just the book "After the Ball" which normalized homosexuality in our culture. It was the other 99%.

"It should be obvious to anyone who has been paying attention over the course of the past 25 years that the strategies proposed by Kirk and Madsen have been all too successful at normalizing homosexuality—or, at least, the idea that a homosexual “orientation” is perfectly natural.  (Homosexual practice, on the other hand, has been kept discreetly under wraps.)  But as successful as this marketing of the gay brand has been, it could not have made much headway if Americans had not already been predisposed to it by the long development of what sociologist Philip Rieff called the “therapeutic culture,” a culture rooted in affluence, consumerism, and perpetual rebellion against the old communal culture and its system of moral demands.  In the therapeutic culture each individual is liberated to pursue his own desires, convinced that he is the self-created agent of those desires, or, as Stephen L. Gardner has so aptly put it, the “demi-god of his eros and ambitions.”  Within such a culture, sexual desire has gradually become detached from its place in the natural order, and sexual “identity” elevated to an almost sacramental status.  Facebook, surely a bellwether of our free fall into mass narcissism and incoherence, now offers some 56 gender alternatives to traditional male/female sex identities, and each of these implies one or more modes of sexual satisfaction.  Of course, most Americans are boorishly indifferent to this bewildering array of options.  Nonetheless, the unending Sexual Revolution has made deep inroads in Middle America.  Consider the sex-toy industry.  David Rosen at alternet.org estimates that global profits in sex accessories now approach $15 billion annually, much of which is generated by U.S. sales.  Who is buying all those naughty products?  Well, it seems that a whopping number of them are purchased by middle-class American women."

Jack Trotter, Conservatives and the Gay Agenda

The IRS is at it again!

 What could be worse than the IRS being in charge of your medical records?  How about crushing with a burden of paper work every organization you donate to? And not just demanding donor lists for conservative groups like they did to conservatives during the 2012 campaign.  This could also hurt you Democrats who have a heart for charity. The IRS has proposed a new regulation that would require 501(c)3 charitable organizations to collect social security numbers of donors who donate $250.  Mega death organizations like Planned Parenthood would have no problem with this, or the Clinton Foundation which has accepted millions from foreign donors while Hillary was Secretary of State.  But the little church around the corner?  Your local dog breed rescue group?

 https://www.501c3.org/irs-proposal-to-provide-social-security-numbers-of-donors-worries-charities/


“And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity.” 1 Cor. 13:13

So easy even a librarian could do it

Glenn Beck resettles Iraqi Christians in Slovakia

As I’ve said before, I’m all for resettling Christian refugees from the Middle-east. I think I read somewhere that so far, 53 Christians have been admitted to the U.S. even though they are facing genocide—we’ve probably admitted more Muslim terrorists than that. However, how to support this? 

Last night Glenn Beck showed video of his organization (Mercury One) taking 149 Christians out of a refugee camp in Iraq (I think they’d been in the camp 2 years). They contacted 11 countries, including the USA, but only Slovakia would take them. Iraqi Christians are probably descended from the apostles or someone who knew them, as are other Orthodox Christians, so it shouldn’t be an impossible job. They had their last mass with their priest, said good-bye to friends and family, and flew off to a new country, new language, new customs. It was really heart wrenching. 

These were not peasants, they are educated people with careers and homes, now all ripped away. Iraq has been their people’s home for centuries. Their community had a good life in Iraq (as I recall from pre-war days, they were protected by Saddam Hussein who was a secular Muslim). ISIS was threatening to behead them right up to the end, in fact, the first flight was delayed due to intelligence they might be attacked. (Several times Beck mentioned that ISIS was killing the handicapped, although I haven’t seen that report elsewhere. He has a physically challenged daughter, so he’s always very sensitive to that.) It was like watching the frantic flights out of VietNam after U.S. renigged on the treaty agreements. 

Anyway, we had talked before about who could we trust with money to do this? Mennonites? Brethren? Lutheran? Any of the groups we’ve supported in the past? No, plus they all cooperate with World Council of Churches for world relief, which if you’ve ever read their documents is very pro-Muslim (I saw that even in the 1970s). Beck had tried to raise $10,000,000 to do this with listener/member donations, but instead raised $13,000,000. So we knew where to send our help. God bless people like Beck who take enormous risks (he was also Iraq with the camera crew and all the people it took to organize this).

Incidentally, he said a crew from 20/20 went along to film it, but I don’t think he really trusts the MSM to get the story right. We’ll see if it gets more than a few minutes on another news show. It has been reported on Fox and in some Christian on-line publications.

http://www.christianpost.com/news/glenn-beck-johnnie-moore-evacuate-iraqi-christian-refugee-slovakia-152273/#!

A cloud of euphemisms

"Forgive us for looking through the legacy smoke, but if climate change really does imperil the Earth, and we doubt it does, nothing coming out of a gaggle of governments and the United Nations will save it. What will help is human invention and the entrepreneurial spirit. To the extent the Paris accord increases political control over human and natural resources, it will make the world poorer and technological progress less likely.". . .
"As we have learned from the Iran nuclear deal and so much else, Mr. Obama is not into winning democratic consent for his policy dreams. Mr. Obama plans to use Paris as a stick to beat Republicans even as he ducks a vote in Congress. We doubt the Paris climate deal would get 40 Senate votes once Democrats in Ohio, Colorado or North Dakota were forced to debate the costs."

Wall St. Journal

Who are the "deniers" the left ridicules?

Calling me a “man-made climate change denier” is very different than believing that climate changes over time. And yes, I have read the reports on both sides (or 3 or 4 sides, because there aren’t just 2). It’s just a lie and insult to say that those of us who don’t believe the Wizard behind the curtain and the leftist hype don’t believe in a clean environment. It’s also a lie that the president is talking about pollution. These are two different issues. All these climate change folks in love with the latest cell phones need to look what they are doing to the land in Africa where the precious rare earth elements come from for that technology. The U.S. used to have them, but they were over mined, and now all the orders go to China. I’ll believe they are serious about dangers to climate when thousands of globalist power folks give up using jet planes to get to conferences in interesting places like Paris and Hawaii.

 

Yes, climate does go in cycles. But that is change, right? There was the “little ice age” from the 16th-19th century. That’s not huge as time goes, but if you were living then and trying to grow food, it was pretty desperate times in some parts of Europe. If a volcano explodes on an island and sends dirt and ash into the air, it can cool some areas of the globe for years. But I don’t call that “man made climate change.” If there are solar flares that last a few decades and heat things up, I don’t call it man made climate change even if it creates new deserts and dries up lakes with changing jet streams. http://www.space.com/19280-solar-activity-earth-climate.html

 

“Welcome to [Obama’s] leaps in logic that would span the Grand Canyon. Apparently excruciatingly slow, contradictory, and sometimes nearly imperceptible changes in the atmosphere’s temperature are capable of spawning ideologies like communism, fascism, and now Islamic jihadism, although the president won’t use that term. Never mind all those historical details about what actually caused these ideologies to rise—social upheavals like industrialization, philosophical disputes unleashed by the Enlightenment, and the crises inside Islam. The president has got it figured out.”

http://dailysignal.com/2015/12/07/obamas-insane-history-lessons-on-climate-change/

 

 

Meet the neighbors--by guest blogger Septimus Sextus

Went to a Holiday Party last night in my neighborhood and talked politics with some interesting folks. Was told by several that Bernie is the man because he was going to take on the corporations, was going to push for single payer, and was going to take the money we spend on war and spend it domestically. Also spent some time discussing specific issues with some folks.

To recap... These are amazingly pleasant people who are great parents and good neighbors. But when I said single payer means Medicaid for all they claimed to not know much about Medicaid. I told them they were lucky.

When they talked about the high price of college and their student loans I asked them if they saw a correlation between a government loan program, the education lobby, and the rising cost of higher education.
When we discussed energy policy and I mentioned ongoing changes in the coal industry to make it cleaner and the overwhelming need to not mothball coal plants until a workable alternative is actually in place, they mentioned renewables.

When I said renewables wouldn't power heavy industry they didn't follow the logic. When we discussed the need to transition to nuclear power as an alternative and reminded them of the French nuclear success story they focused on waste byproducts. When I said those are buried in the ground in a desert miles from anyplace somebody would want to live they didn't understand. 

And finally when I said you can't not have a military and you have to blow up the really bad guys they didn't understand why we couldn't just wash our hands of international entanglements. And when I said that's fine then don't be surprised if we go back to covert operations and propping up somewhat crazy despots to keep the really crazy people in check, they mentioned human rights. 

So yeah... Quite an evening. And their votes count the same as ours.

Getting ready for Christmas

The brown couch wearing its festive pillows, and a dark sheet to protect it from the cat's sneezes.

With my "new" red dress (bought it in March at the spring sales) with one of the few pieces of jewelry from my mother, her necklace.

Is it perception, the pew or the pastors?

"Less than 1 percent of senior pastors and discipleship pastors told Barna that “today’s churches are doing very well at discipling new and young believers.” Six in 10 said that churches are discipling “not too well.” 

But those in the pews disagree. More than 9 in 10 said that their church “definitely” (52%) or “probably” (40%) does “a good job of helping people grow spiritually.”"

And how about this one?  Ah, the problem with polls. . . I'm doing OK, but that guy is really bad off.

 “Pastors give their own church higher marks than churches overall, but few believe churches—their own or in general—are excelling in discipleship,” the report stated

 http://www.christianitytoday.com/gleanings/2015/december/pastors-pews-vastly-disagree-discipleship-barna-navigators.html

Practicing Christians (attend worship, Sunday School) report "some spiritual progress" in the last 12 months, but 43% of Non-practicing Christians also report "some spiritual progress" in the last 12 months!  Must be that golf course meditation really works.

A writing prompt from Tweetspeak Newsletter--Home

“If, many years from now someone were to live in your home, what would you want them to know about it? What does house and home mean to you? Talk about its comforts and your favorite spaces. What might be different? What will always remain the same? Write your answer in poetry.” December 12, 2015

Memories of Home
Norma J. Bruce
December 12, 2015

Home.  Where is that located?
Is it Kenbrook where memories
Are daily, brief and quiet.
Where we moved in January
And I was then hospitalized?

Home. What would it look like?
Is it Abington with memories
Of babies, birthdays and weddings?
What will the current owners risk
And remodel beyond recognition?

Home. When a horse was pastured?
Is it Hannah where memories
Push a porch swing with Polka-dot,
When boyfriends stopped by for dates,
And we went to movies and dances.

Home. Why not a whole village?
Is it Forreston whose memories
Of  friends hold  to this day
Why when some have moved or died,
And we are always children.

Home. Would it be war time?
Is it Alameda’s bay area memories
With trips to the zoo and playground.
Would I hear White Christmas in fog
And walk to kindergarten?

New Christmas CDs

Can't beat the price.  $2.99 at Marc's for four. Actually it was the Red Army Chorus that grabbed me.  Copyright is 1999 when they made this, but Russia hasn't been "red" since 1990. When I played it I discovered a lot of female voices--well, I guess they've integrated, too.  You can tell it's phonetic.  Difficult to understand the words--but I know them.  I had one of their records in the 1950s. Very rich, folk, Russian and very male.    Songs 4 Worship is Integrity Music / Time Life, 2001.  The other is all the "old" favorites from the 40-50s like Guy Lombardo, Frank Sinatra, Bing Crosby. Probably won't be able to use the kid's music, but that's still $1 per disc.

The Pope, the Lutheran and the Eucharist

I have now found a good translation at a Catholic site of what Pope Francis said to a Lutheran woman about taking communion at her husband's Catholic church, although it doesn’t help much. “Talk to the Lord and then go forward” is why we have 35,000 different Christian denominations many with no authority higher than the pastor who organized the church.

 

”I can only respond to your question with a question: what can I do with my husband that the Lord’s Supper might accompany me on my path? It’s a problem that each must answer [for themselves], but a pastor-friend once told me that “We believe that the Lord is present there, he is present” – you believe that the Lord is present. And what's the difference? There are explanations, interpretations, but life is bigger than explanations and interpretations. Always refer back to your baptism – one faith, one baptism, one Lord: this Paul tells us; and then consequences come later.

I would never dare to give permission to do this, because it’s not my own competence. One baptism, one Lord, one faith. Talk to the Lord and then go forward. [Pauses] And I wouldn't dare – I don’t dare say anything more.” http://whispersintheloggia.blogspot.com/2015/11/life-is-bigger-than-explanations-to.html

 

I’m still left with the puzzle that what Lutherans call “present” and what Catholics call “present” have not been the same, and for many Protestants and those who came later like non-denominational denominations of the last 50 years, there isn’t even a “present,” just a memorial.

Former Homeland Security employee told to shut down a surveillance program

 He says he likely could have helped prevent the San Bernardino terror attack if the government had not pulled the plug on a surveillance program he was developing three years ago. Philip Haney's story has "holes" says government sources.  Yes, I'm sure.  He had links to Farook's mosque.  Malik would have been identified as she tried to enter the U.S.  Instead, she was "vetted" and found to be OK.

Political correctness run amok.

Malik ignored. 

"The attack by Farook, the U.S.-born son of Pakistani immigrants, and Malik, a Pakistani native he married in Saudi Arabia last year, has heightened security concerns in the United States and become an issue in the U.S. presidential campaign."

Hope for a terrible disease--Dengue Fever

Mexico has approved the world’s first dengue virus vaccine. Sanofi’s Dengvaxia will be available to children over nine and adults 45 and under. . . Sanofi spent two decades and $1.6 billion on the development of Dengvaxia. According to BBC News, about 40,000 people in Mexico will initially receive the shot. “With this decision, Mexico moves ahead of all other countries, including France, to tackle the spread of this virus,” the country’s health ministry in a statement.

The Scientist

The fun Christmas party for PDHC

Last night we attended a Christmas party for the volunteers of the pregnancy center. We save lives--one womb at a time. Saw a few friends I know from church, and some I've met volunteering. I was on a great gift wrapping team (but we could only use one hand) as a game. But what really warmed my heart (more than the delicious food that Abigail Colon's husband made) was the number of young women either volunteering or on staff. Wow. I'm so used to hanging out with retirees and senior citizens and imagining that it's all on our shoulders, it's so nice to know there are young people out there wanting to save babies and mentor women in crisis situations.

A grudge can be a heavy burden

There's a reason why it's called resentment.  You are re-sending the grief back to yourself.

Women in combat

On the Patrick Madrid show (radio talk, Dec. 9) the topic was the recent approval for women in combat. A career female military officer called in and said she disapproved for a reason I'd never thought of: In WWII the USSR lost about 10 million men in combat, but did not draft women, and their population recovered. China has lost females primarily in the womb (abortion, one child policy) and can't recover for many years, if ever. If women of child bearing age are killed in combat there is no way to replace your population. She also mentioned the different physical standards for women in the military, but that has been the case all along. In combat it could be a more serious issue.

The general consensus is that women in combat weakens the military.  There are many, many who call themselves Americans who would like to see this.

Zuckerberg, Facebook, and ISIS

Maybe this is the reason Zuckerberg is offering comfort and peace to Muslims on Facebook?

 In the past few years, the use of Twitter (as opposed to Facebook), on the other hand, has grown. ISIS supporters embraced the platform in the latter part of the last decade, Stalinsky says, when old-school web forums regulated by moderators remained popular among Al Qaeda members. According to research from the Brookings Institute, ISIS supporters used some 46,000 Twitter accounts between September and December 2014, though not all were active at the same time.

Mark Zuckerberg will offer Muslims peace and safety at Facebook

When do women with white hair and conservative views get to comment at the Facebook pages of The Daily Beast or Huffington Post or Vox without harassment, Mr. Zuckerberg? When do we get to have an opinion and not be called "old hag" or told to take a "dirt nap" because we're worthless because everyone knows if women aren't young and sexy they have no value? Where's my peaceful and safe environment free of sexual innuendos from weird ugly men and F words from female bar flies? And what about Arab or Syrian Christians on Facebook? There are millions in the USA and Europe, and a decreasing number in the middle-east. Are they safe from harassment? They've been in the U.S., the land that gave you and your immigrant great grand parents this opportunity, 100 years longer than Muslim Syrians. Where are their peace and safety on Facebook?

 Facebook is a free service to which we can unsubscribe at any time. I could ignore HuffPo and just post cat photos. But some are made more welcome than others, and some are held to higher PC standards. I know people who have complained to FB about obnoxious, hateful photos and comments, and nothing is done.  At other times, really innocuous comments gets someone banned. 

Zuckerberg made a huge fortune on a good idea at the right time using the capitalist system, and now he goes all soft and gooey for socialism and a religion whose radical adherents would kill him for no reason other than he is a Jew.

Zuckerberg reassures Muslims

More have slipped into lower income group under Obama

At the county level we've lost a lot of ground under Obama. "Based on poverty rate estimates for all 3,141 counties for all ages, 26 percent (820 counties) had a statistically significant increase in poverty between 2007 (the year before the most recent recession) and 2014. Only 1 percent of counties had a statistically significant decrease in poverty during that period."

The recession was "over" in June 2009, yet the middle class has lost out and some have slipped downward. Finger wagging (Obama), criticizing the GOP (Hillary) and creating additional expensive government programs (Bernie) won't take the place of sound economic policies.

http://www.census.gov/did/www/saipe/data/highlights/files/2014highlights.pdf

The Silent Scream

Parental guidance recommended.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gON-8PP6zgQ

Obama violated federal law with his Bergdahl deal

"A House Armed Services Committee report set to be released Thursday accuses the Obama administration of misleading Congress and violating federal law during a controversial prisoner exchange.

The report compiled by the GOP majority charges that the administration did so when it bypassed Congress in negotiating the exchange of five Taliban prisoners for U.S. Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl, who was being held in Afghanistan. They suggested that the White House had put politics and expediency ahead of proper procedure in making the deal." (CNN)

https://pjmedia.com/trending/2015/12/10/house-armed-services-committee-obama-violated-federal-law-with-bergdahl-exchange

Ohio pro-abortion legislators want to take away first amendment rights

A young man named Faisal Mohammad stabbed 4 students on a California campus last month, but the government is calling it a version of "workplace" violence, i.e., that he was mad about something and it has nothing to do with his ideology. No one is banning Muslims from walking around that college or driving through the campus. No California congressman is drafting a bill to obscure first amendment rights.

But in Ohio, based on the crazy guy who attacked people at an abortion clinic in Colorado, 2 female pro-abortion legislators want to further infringe on the rights (speech, religion, assembly) of people peacefully walking near abortion clinics and they want clients, staffers and abortionists of the clinics to be able to sue the demonstrators who are doing nothing wrong using pseudonyms. They essentially are accusing people who have done nothing wrong of plotting murder. Dear was not demonstrating, was part of no pro-life group, and had a history of disturbing behavior with a criminal record, infidelity, multiple marriages, and abuse of women. Apparently, he believed babies were being killed there and said so. For that, these legislators want to take away the rights of Ohioans.

Electroporation

This article in the OSU News is about interesting cell research on cancer cells, but includes some possible good news on Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s.

https://ece.osu.edu/news/2015/12/cell-cell-curing-cancer-nanoscale

The process of cell reprogramming through electroporation is recognized as an important strategy for curing Parkinson and Alzheimer’s diseases, as well as many cancers. Stem cell reprogramming researchers were even awarded the Nobel Prize in 2012.

Electroporation involves delivering probes to individual cell membranes, in order to apply a focused electrical field. This makes the cells permeable enough to place foreign molecules inside, like genes or drug treatments, without damaging the surrounding tissue.

[If my troll who doesn’t like my medical articles or my political articles or my pro-life views takes issue with this, please take it up with either the researcher or the editor of the article.  Thanks.]

No wonder people are ready for Trump

“A student at an Arizona community college is challenging her school’s so-called “speech zone,” arguing the policy “severely limited” her right to free speech and due process.

Brittany Mirelez, a freshman at Paradise Valley Community College in Maricopa County, Ariz., was kicked out of the designated speech zone in October for failing to obtain permission to use the space.”

http://dailysignal.com/2015/12/08/college-student-takes-a-stand-against-campus-free-speech-policy-sues-school/

Three Word Wednesday—the Obituary

Three Word Wednesday gives writers, poets and those who journal a mid-week jolt of creativity. Each week, three words are selected; you create something with the words. Then come back and post a link to your contribution.

Obituary,  a notice of a death
Placid, not easily upset or excited;  calm and peaceful, with little movement or activity.
Resonant,  deep, clear, and continuing to sound or ring;  filled or resounding with (a sound); having the ability to evoke or suggest enduring images, memories, or emotions;

The obituary
by Norma J. Bruce
December 8, 2015

She died.
Two days later, he died.
The obituary was clear on the dates.
Death notices are often dry and placid,
It took my breath away as I thought back.
With careful wording and verbs about the destination.
Brief paragraph, not resonant with the muffled sounds of the past
Of young love, quarrels and misunderstandings,
When sixty years ago they had hoped for a future that
Was not to be. Ever.  At least on this side.

Farook and Malik

I only had the news on about 2 minutes this morning before I turned to something more spiritual and scriptural, but I did catch more bad news about Farook, the San Bernardino shooter. It could be unsettling for the leftist meme--which continues to be shattered as more investigation is done.

Now, it appears, in addition to the bank account transfer 2 weeks ago, workplace violence can't even be a partial motive, like that quarrel with a Jewish co-worker. Obama and Lynch so desperately wanted that label! They want to blame Islamophobia so the American people can be at fault.

He had planned this 2 years ago, then got spooked. That also means his wife didn't radicalize him (not sure why her radicalizing him was such comfort to some, but it seemed to be—even Donald Trump who is looking for more excuses to get publicity). Now I'm wondering if she was the 15th victim, did she actually have a choice? In those hours after the shooting driving around when the bombs didn't explode, was she pleading with him to give up so they could see their child again? We'll never know.

And I'm still wondering how CAIR knew to call a press conference before the rest of us knew their names. Unless the White House or FBI (which reports to Obama) gave them a heads up.

What if Obama had been president on December 7, 1941?

Talat Strokirk, Pakistani-Swede, former Muslim

Of all the segments I’ve watched on Journey Home (EWTN), this is one of the most interesting given the struggles today between Muslims and Christians.  Talat Strokirk has lived all over the world, but now lives in Sweden and is married to a Swede.  She was born in pre-partition India and her Muslim family became citizens of Pakistan.  Although she speaks very lovingly of her devout Muslim parents, they had a number of serious breaks in their relationship—when she became baptized, and when she decided to marry a foreigner.

But it also shows the importance of Christian missionary schools, as she was educated in several countries by Catholic nuns, although with no pressure to participate in Christian activities or worship.  She said her Muslim father approved of the Catholic schools because, “the nuns dressed modestly and followed a good moral code.” She also said that leaving home (around 1960) to take refuge in a convent (after her baptism) was unusual in that day, but today would be almost impossible. Her parents were embarrassed in their community by a Christian daughter, and her mother said she would have preferred she had come home with a child (from England where she had studied) rather than as a baptized Christian.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S0iXAXXxQvY

Walnuts—food of the week

“Most U.S. adults have yet to discover the benefits of walnuts. A recent study has determined that only 5.5% of all adults (ages 19-50) consume tree nuts of any kind! This small percentage of people actually do a pretty good job of integrating tree nuts (including walnuts) into their diet, and average about 1.25 ounces of tree nuts per day. But the other 94.5% of us report no consumption of tree nuts whatsoever. In a recent look at the nutritional differences between tree nut eaters and non-eaters, researchers have reported some pretty notable findings: on a daily average, tree nut eaters take in 5 grams more fiber, 260 milligrams more potassium, 73 more milligrams of calcium, 95 more milligrams of magnesium, 3.7 milligrams more vitamin E, and 157 milligrams less sodium! “

For more information from WH Foods

The tough question

HT Berit.

We’re in big trouble, folks

“The president’s mention of the visa waiver program comes at a time of heightened scrutiny for the program. In recent weeks, members of Congress have proposed changes to the program, which allows citizens from 38 countries to travel to the United States for up to 90 days without a visa.”  Daily Signal

“In the wake of the deadliest terror attack on American soil since 9/11, the Obama administration is promising swift action -- against Islamophobia.”   Daily Caller

Hillary Clinton writes in an Op-Ed on Wall Street that she would "fight for tough new rules, stronger enforcement and more accountability that go well beyond Dodd-Frank." New York Times

“I think the standard of living should be lower because I like to go to the bars and drink the alcohol for lower,” one woman, a Hillary supporter, said.  Watters world.

BYRON YORK: "But in the end, Obama's brief speech -- immediately after, he donned a tuxedo and dashed to a Kennedy Center gala -- contained no new measures against ISIS, and he spent as much time repeating old warnings not to offend Muslim sensibilities as he spent discussing any particular effort to combat terrorism."

“For nearly seven years, this Administration has been an abject failure in defining, confronting, and ultimately defeating the radical Islamist threat facing our nation. Radical Islam seeks to destroy our way of life and derives its power from the establishment of an Islamic caliphate. Sharia Law and the desires of radical Islam are diametrically opposed to the values of America and they cannot co-exist. This is a fact and the President has refused to level with the American public.”  Rich Santorum

We have visited Israel—this is true

Why are we afraid?

Dr. William Warner has had a life-long interest in religion and its effects on history. He has studied the source texts of the major religions for decades. Even before the destruction of the World Trade Center he had predicted the war between Islam and America. The day after 9/11 he decided to make the source texts of Islam available for the average person.

He holds a PhD in physics and math, NC State University, 1968. He has been a university professor, businessman, and applied physicist.

He was a Member of the Technical Staff in solid-state physics at the Sarnoff Princeton Laboratories in the area of integrated circuit structures. During the energy crisis of the 80’s he founded and ran a company that specialized in energy efficient homes. For eight years he was a professor at Tennessee State University in the Engineering School.

He is puzzled that we are afraid to know the truth about Islam.  Take a look at this video.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t_Qpy0mXg8Y#t=313

http://www.politicalislam.com/the-most-despised-people-in-the-world/

http://www.politicalislam.com/

The politicians do not use the word jihad, but terror and terror networks.

The left of center press says that the rhetoric of the right causes terror and that poor Muslims will suffer from being associated with terror. They should be worried about being associated with jihad.

The professors still teach Islam without jihad. The press will not offend Muslims. Police do not study the doctrine of jihad. Politicians cry out for more Muslim refugees.
We are losing a civilizational war because of political correctness. To win we must start using the language of Islam. We must start conversations that about the ideology and doctrine of political Islam.

Do Catholics read their Bibles?

So you think your Catholic friends don't read the Bible? "Some time ago, a friend of mine compared the amount of the Scripture used at Mass to that used in an Evangelical Protestant service. The Catholic Mass was almost 30 percent Scripture. When my friend checked the content of his local Bible-based Evangelical church, he was surprised to discover that the total amount of Scripture read took just 3 percent of the service."  It's the difference between study and worship. In theory, most Christians follow the lectionary, a series of readings from the Old Testament, Psalms, Epistles, and Gospel for their Sunday worship. But if your church is like mine, if there is a topical series for the sermons, it would be a stretch to use the lectionary selection that Christians around the world are using. Our new year has started (Advent) and we're supposed to be in cycle C; the gospel of Luke.

http://www.cruxnow.com/faith/2015/11/17/why-dont-catholics-read-the-bible/

The administration is reluctant to find evidence of terrorism.

“The shocking sight of journalists storming into the apartment of the San Bernardino terrorists, less than 48 hours after the attack, was apparently allowed by the FBI, which handed the apartment back over to the landlord, who let the media in with a crowbar.”

http://www.breitbart.com/national-security/2015/12/04/fbi-neglect-of-san-bernardino-crime-scene-fits-a-pattern/

http://thefreethoughtproject.com/fbi-allowed-mainstream-media-destroy-san-bernardino-crime-scene-live-tv/

http://www.theguardian.com/us-news/live/2015/dec/04/san-bernardino-shooting-victims-named-live

http://twitchy.com/2015/12/04/reporters-hammered-for-entering-sanbernardino-apartment-thats-not-a-cleared-crime-scene/

If I lived in San Bernardino, or even California, I’d be very nervous right now.  There could have been many helping set up this arsenal.  There may be many cues in the apartment about friends and colleagues. Now all trampled and pawed over.

Three Word Wednesday—The Christmas Letter

Three Word Wednesday gives writers, poets and those who journal a mid-week jolt of creativity. Each week, three words are selected; and participants create something with those words. Then they return to the website and post the link. This week’s suggestions:

Lackadaisical, adjective: lacking enthusiasm and determination; carelessly lazy.
Makeshift, adjective: serving as a temporary substitute; sufficient for the time being; noun: a temporary substitute or device.
Nude, adjective: wearing no clothes; naked; depicting or performed by naked people; (especially of hosiery) flesh-colored; noun: a naked human figure, typically as the subject of a painting, sculpture, or photograph; flesh color.

The Christmas Letter
by Norma J. Bruce
December 2, 2015

The page is almost nude, missing inspiration.
The 2015 Christmas letter has stalled.
It looks makeshift, a temporary substitute
For the lively travel log and holiday schedule
I had hoped to create.
My lackadaisical attitude is pushed by a short time frame,
And so  I start again. It reappears on the back of the card.
Problem solved.

Stole classified documents, but at least he didn’t use an e-mail server

Sandy "Socks" Berger died this week. He's the Clinton official who stole classified documents from the national archives that were needed for the 9/11 investigation. I can't find out if he ever served his sentence or paid his fine. He was a crook and a thief, and loyal to his President. He was a Clintonian, after all. Serving time is for people like Martha Stewart. Obama called him a leader and humanitarian.  He’s on the list of Clinton staff who believed Saddam had WMD.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sandy_Berger

http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2015/dec/2/sandy-berger-clinton-security-adviser-dies/

http://www.politico.com/story/2015/12/sandy-berger-national-security-adviser-216344

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A16706-2005Mar31.html