Work place violence? Don’t tell that to the victims

How did the early Christians worship?

For as long as I’ve been a member of a 20th or 21st century church, I’ve heard that we need to go back and do things the way the early church did.  Yet I experience churches that have liturgy, creeds and hymns with preachers in robes, and churches that have the look and feel of a rock concert with preachers in torn jeans holding guitars. Christian leftists in the mainline churches think “social justice” when they read certain passages in the Gospels; others to the right somehow find free markets and capitalism. Why not take a look at how the first and second century Christians did “church?”

St. Justin Martyr, A.D. 150
“On the day we call the day of the sun, all who dwell in the city or country gather in the same place. The memoirs of the apostles and the writings of the prophets are read, as much as time permits. When the reader has finished, he who presides over those gathered admonishes and challenges them to imitate these beautiful things. Then we all rise together and offer prayers for ourselves . . . and for all others, wherever they may be, so that we may be found righteous by our life and actions, and faithful to the commandments, so as to obtain eternal salvation. When the prayers are concluded we exchange the kiss. Then someone brings bread and a cup of water and wine mixed together to him who presides over the brethren. He takes them and offers praise and glory to the Father of the universe, through the name of the Son and of the Holy Spirit and for a considerable time he gives thanks [eucharistian] that we have been judged worthy of these gifts. When he has concluded the prayers and thanksgivings, all present give voice to an acclamation by saying: ‘Amen.’ When he who presides has given thanks and the people have responded, those whom we call deacons give to those present the ‘eucharisted’ bread, wine and water and take them to those who are absent.”

Luke 24:30-31, 35; Acts 2:42, Corinthians 11:23-26

“He took the bread and blessed, and broke it, and gave it to them. And their eyes were opened. . . He was known to them in the breaking of the bread.”  “They devoted themselves to the Apostles’ teaching and fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers.”  In Chapter 11, after telling the Christians of Corinth everything they were doing wrong, Paul explains: “ ²³ For I received from the Lord what I also passed on to you: The Lord Jesus, on the night he was betrayed, took bread, ²⁴ and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, “This is my body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of me.” ²⁵ In the same way, after supper he took the cup, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood; do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me.” ²⁶ For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.

With the exception of the kiss, and not communing at each gathering Justin’s letter sounds like our traditional service at Upper Arlington Lutheran Church, and with the exception that the believers don’t get wine (only the priest does), it sounds like a Roman Catholic service.  Todays Protestants follow the Reformers who gave up a lot to break with Rome.  They would probably do better to follow the early church patterns, in service and sermons.  I don’t know where sermons on right relationships, parenting, attitude, volunteerism, war, government, patriotism, etc. come to play in “challenges them to imitate these beautiful things.” Maybe I’m splitting hairs, but I think everyone in the pew, saved or not, needs to hear the Good News that Jesus died for them—that no one killed him—he gave his life willingly and asked us to remember his sacrifice and to give thanks by eating his body and drinking his blood in the bread and wine.

97% of news jobs are part-time

The July jobs report was blah. . . Over the past six months, the Household Survey of the Bureau of  Labor Statistics shows 963,000 more people reporting that they were employed, and 936,000 of them reported they’re in part-time jobs. This hasn’t happened in the history of this survey.  And it happened under Obama, and the finger of blame should be at his “signature” program, Obamacare.

Arguments both pro and con at Forbes.

http://www.forbes.com/sites/theapothecary/2013/07/31/who-can-deny-it-obamacare-is-accelerating-u-s-towards-a-part-time-nation/

Having a crowd for Breakfast? Lazy eggs might work.

1) Spray each muffin well with nonstick spray.
2) Place a slice of ham in the bottom of each muffin well.
3) Place about a teaspoon or so of diced tomatoes on top of the ham.
4) Sprinkle some shredded cheddar cheese over the tomatoes.
5) Break one egg into each spot.
6) Sprinkle a little bit of salt and pepper on each.
7) Bake at 180/350 degrees for 18-20 minutes or until the yolks are as firm as you desire and the whites are cooked through.

What can’t the government fix? The government.

Monday Memories—pre-school?

Noticed this advertisement for the OSU run pre-school--"a high-quality early education and care program that prepares 3 and 4 year olds to be ready for kindergarten." Although I did attend kindergarten in Alameda, CA, when I was 5 I'm not sure there were pre-schools.  My early education program prepared me for life—not kindergarten.  It was playing with neighborhood friends Mike, Tommy and Dick, riding tricycles and pulling a wagon around the block, attending church and Sunday School at the Mt. Morris Church of the Brethren on Seminary Avenue, watching how my mom did household tasks, making tents out of blankets and the dining room table, lining up my dolls for “school,” and lunch, visiting my neighbors Ruth and Earl who had no children so I used the box of toys in their living room, shopping with my mom at the A & P,  watching the traffic on Rt. 64 which was in front of our house and pretending to be a truck driver making all the transmission noises and gear shifts, standing on a stool at the kitchen sink to “pretend” to do the dishes, listening to Mom read to my brother and me from “My book house,” a collection of children’s stories from around the world, coloring and trying to stay inside the lines like my big sisters, walking down the street to visit my great-grandmother, watching the older kids—9 or 10—play softball in the street one block over, inspecting the toes and fingers of baby cousins Joyce and Janet,  listening to my Mom tell stories while she French braided my hair, and of course, the best pre-school adventure in the world—travelling to California and back from northern Illinois in a 1939 Ford with my family seeing the prairies, mountains, desert, and interesting people.

 

The North Dakota jobs boom

When I see posters like this, I wonder how many young, unemployed or under employed, government dependent adults would even be able to figure out how to get there, apply, and then show up. Do they have any skills? Can they read instructions; follow instructions?  Would they even know ND is in the United States? What do you bet immigrants will find the jobs? 

Well, they still need fast food workers to feed all those with the necessary skills. “North Dakota has turned into an energy mecca that has delivered state budget surpluses, the nation’s lowest unemployment rate and thousands of workers who get $15-an-hour-plus jobs in restaurants and convenience stores that serve $30-an-hour oil field and construction laborers who hail from across the United States.”

WELCOME TO THE 21ST CENTURY!

*Our Phones ~ Wireless
*Cooking ~ Fireless
*Cars ~ Keyless
*Food ~ Fatless
*Tires ~ Tubeless
*Dress ~ Sleeveless
*Youth ~ Jobless
*Leaders ~ Shameless
*Relationships ~ Meaningless
*Attitude ~ Careless
*Wives ~ Fearless
*Babies ~ Fatherless
*Feelings ~ Heartless
*Education ~ Valueless
*Children ~ Mannerless

Everything is becoming LESS,
but still our hopes are Endless.
In fact we are ~ Speechless
And our PRESIDENT is . . ... CLUELESS
and our Congress, USELESS!

Passed along by my sweet sister-in-law, Debbie.

Paula Priesse—How can this be?

August 4th – NBC: “Al Qaeda threat is ‘real and serious’ intelligence chief says.” ABC: “Senior U.S. Official: Intercepted Al Qaeda Communications Indicate Planned Attack ‘Big,’ Strategically Significant,” CBS: “Source: Terrorists behind embassy threat in place.”

How can this be? Last fall President Obama assured voters 32 TIMES that he had al Qaeda on the ropes. Examples: 9/13 – “Al Qaeda is on the path to defeat, and Osama bin Laden is dead.” O used this same line seven other times. 9/25 – “Al Qaeda has been weakened” 9/28 & 10/5 - “They (al Qaeda) are on the run.” 10/9 - “al Qaeda is on its heels.” & 10/23 - “That’s why, working with Joe Biden and our national security team, we’ve been able to decimate al Qaeda.”

Either O last year was full of it or (heaven forbid) this is a cynical ploy to justify the NSA actions while keeping Benghazi & the IRS off the front pages. So which is it O-loving media? Regardless, 22 U.S. embassies are closed ‘til August 10th so it doesn’t appear it’s al Qaeda who is “on the run.” For once Mr. President, tell Americans the truth! P  (from her Facebook page)

Recent book chronicles women’s role in Iraq, long before the “combat” approval

Recently I was asked to review a new title, "All I could be; my story as a woman warrior in Iraq," by Miyoko Hikiji, Chronology Books, 2013. $18.95, ISBN: 978-1-933909-58-5. If you have a daughter or granddaughter considering a military career, she will most definitely benefit from Miyoko's story. If you've never read an account of our soldiers in Iraq, make this the first or only one. If you've ever questioned the dedication or challenges of today's military, read this book. If you've suspected sex on the battlefield now that women are in combat with men, you're right. If you’ve ever wondered what they do with human waste in the desert, you’ll find out.  She's a good writer with an ear for dialogue, and she took good notes when she was there (has  B.S degrees in journalism and psychology). And yes, she is a Japanese American, 5th generation, but grew up in rural Iowa and is a Christian, so she also brings that to her story. Recommend this to your local public library.

http://www.kcci.com/news/central-iowa/Iowa-Army-veteran-writes-book-on-woman-in-combat/-/9357080/18422922/-/gs3wrz/-/index.html  Interview with Miyoko at KCCI in Iowa.

She was U.S. Army, then joined the Iowa National Guard when she'd completed her time; her unit was called up after 9/11, and I think she had days to go before completing that obligation, but didn't ask to be released early (which some did). She was in transportation and supplies, technically non-combatant, but it sure was nerve wracking in my opinion.

http://www.allicouldbe.com/ is the website of Miyoko’s blog.

Kingston Trio at Lakeside, Week 6

We walked to Hoover Auditorium in a downpour last night, but the Kingston Trio was fabulous and worth damp clothes. They've kept their program fresh, with a few old favorites for the sing a long audience (which seemed at bit older than usual). The group began 56 years ago, and none of the originals perform, but one has been with the trio 37 years, so that's not too shabby. When the audience joined in on the MTA song, I thought of Snowden (did he ever return, no he never returned) and the riots in Brazil over the fare increase. Charlie is handed a Starbucks instead of a sandwich. Being an Ohio audience, we loved the song about trying to get to Morrow, Ohio.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=Qp88oumRQvs#at=14  The original Kingston Trio sings To Morrow.

1959 hit for the Trio, the MTA . http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aP1bvY7IqZY

A lament for the vanishing bookstore

For this topic I’m going to refer you to an article by Mark Lisheron,  but note Chautauqua is misspelled throughout the article. Also, industrialization didn’t kill the traveling Chautauqua, radio, movies and the Great Depression did. The local business community put up the funds to bring the performers (like Redpath) to the rural communities.  When there are no profits, there is no charity.  My parents grew up in adjoining counties in Illinois (didn’t know each other) and Lee County had two Chautauquas  (one in Dixon, IL and one in Franklin Grove, IL).  His point is simple.  Even with Amazon, the independent bookstores are hanging in there and publishers and authors are making money.  At Thursday’s lecture on East Asia Gene Swanger recommended the book China goes global by David Shambaugh at least 3 times, and strongly recommended that we purchase it at our local bookstore, Fine Print, which just opened 2 years ago. (Before that Cokesbury had a branch here in the summer.) Even if it costs a little more, Gene said, the whole community benefits from having a book store, and he noted with pleasure that it usually has many children in it.

“Ann Patchett, prize-winning novelist and co-owner of one of those dwindling number of local bookstores, was giving [in the WSJ] another of those waspish scoldings schoolmarms used to regularly dispense in the old Chatauqua days.

This time the recalcitrant pupil was President Obama, who snubbed Patchett’s Parnassus Books in Nashville to deliver a speech on job creation Tuesday at an Amazon warehouse two hours away in Chattanooga.

Amazon, for the last 41 people in America who haven’t heard the familiar Walmart refrain, is a destroyer of small business, a killer of jobs, a giant bent on monopoly. . .

Book sales grew by 7.4 percent last year alone, $451 million more than the year before, according to Association of American Publishers figures. Amazon gets singled out, but I’ve purchased books from Alibris and at least half a dozen online sellers whose job-producing businesses weren’t even imagined in the heyday of little corner bookshop.

I’d like to believe that with $6.5 billion spent on books in 2012 somebody is making money. I hope one of those somebodies is Ann Patchett. Many of my books came from stores like hers. I loved some of those stores.  . . ”

The latest Terrorist threat

Good thing Obama's got that terrorist threat going--what with the heating up of the new Benghazi information on gun running, more about IRS targeting going right to the top, and the crappy jobs report, he needed that.

‘On August 2, the State Department announced that as a result of unspecified, but credible threats about potentially imminent al Qaeda attacks, diplomatic missions in 21 countries will be closed beginning Sunday, August 4 and will remain closed at least until the end of August. So non-specific were the apparent threats that the US response was equally non-specific, affecting US missions from the Sudan to Asia, without any indication as to whether any specific sites were identified as targets. The move was apparently prompted by credible intelligence pointing to an al-Qaida plot “against American diplomatic posts in the Middle East and other Muslim countries.”

The State Department warned American travelers to “take every precaution to be aware of their surroundings and to adopt appropriate safety measures to protect themselves when traveling.” It also warned travelers in the affected countries that consular services might not be available to them in an emergency and that they should take that into account when making their travel plans.’ Gerard Direct, Aug. 2

Teaching math over the years

1. Teaching Math when I was in school
A logger sells a truckload of lumber for $100. His cost of production is 4/5 of the price. What is his profit ?
2. Teaching Math In 1970s
A logger sells a truckload of lumber for $100. His cost of production is 4/5 of the price, or $80. What is his profit?
3. Teaching Math In 1980s
A logger sells a truckload of lumber for $100. His cost of production is $80. Did he make a profit ? Yes or No
4. Teaching Math In 1990s
A logger sells a truckload of lumber for $100. His cost of production is $80 and his profit is $20. Your assignment: Underline the number 20.
5. Teaching Math In 2000s
A logger cuts down a beautiful forest because he is selfish and inconsiderate and cares nothing for the habitat of animals or the preservation of our woodlands. He does this so he can make a profit of $20. What do you think of this way of making a living? Topic for class participation after answering the question: How did the birds and squirrels feel as the logger cut down their homes? (There are no wrong answers, and if you feel like crying, it's ok).
6. Teaching Math In 2010
Un hachero vende una carretada de maderapara $100. El costo de la producciones es $80. Cuanto dinero ha hecho?
ANSWER: His profit was $375,000 because his logging business is just a front for his pot farm.

Seen as a comment at VA Viper blog.

Looking back with regrets, but forgiven and set free by Jesus

Ayesha writes:  “I had my first abortion at 14. I was in my 2nd trimester and had to go to Saratoga, New York, for them to perform the killing, as I was too far along for local doctors to do it. In my early 20's I had (at the time) a much welcomed and relieved miscarriage; at 24 I was pregnant again and this time scared, but happy about it. Before this pregnancy I had never known a sober day in my life. Getting pregnant saved my life. I only wish I had accepted the life God gave me the first two times. I cannot take back killing my first child Navar, nor can I take back not wanting the second one, but I have repented and I am forgiven and set free. I can also say without question that if I had kept that first child my life would have been forever changed and for the better. There is nothing happy, joyful or safe about killing your child. There is always hope and always a better way. All life is precious.”  From Ayesha Kreutz’ Facebook page.

The very rich and the poor love Obama

He’s their sugar daddy. You've got to love it when the "experts" complain that growth is slow because of greedy corporations only investing for the short term, and CEOs making buckets of money by laying off workers. Who do they blame?  Republicans, not Obama who has kept the economy at its miserable growth level by his policies and burdensome regulations. Are the rich getting richer? Oh yes, they love Obama.

http://www.dailyfinance.com/2013/07/31/reasons-americas-slow-economic-growth/

“The real reason American corporations aren't investing is that the folks who control and run them have become so selfish and greedy that they are focused on only one thing: Maximizing short-term profitability.
When the folks who control and run American corporations get together to set future goals, for example, they don't agree to, say, hire and invest heavily for the next several years in order to produce higher earnings and stock prices 5-10 years from now. In a business and investment culture ruled by annual bonuses and quarterly earnings reports, 5-10 years from now is so far into the future that it's barely worth considering. Instead, the folks who control and run American corporations set annual bonus and quarterly earnings targets designed to maximize profits and stock prices today.
In a period in which economic growth is weak (because corporations aren't investing), the way to hit annual profit targets and get those bonuses is to "increase efficiency." And "increasing efficiency," everyone knows, is usually just a synonym for cutting costs, firing employees, and scrimping on investment.
So big American corporations are maximizing their profits and letting mountains of cash build up on their balance sheets while, in the process, starving the economy and their employees of cash that would otherwise turbo-charge consumer spending and economic growth.”

If Obama won’t do what is right for the economy, why should American corporations help him drag us down?  I’d invest short term too, if I had a corporation.

The brown bag lunch is now off limits

I see that a major city, Seattle maybe, has expanded the politically correct no-no’s used in official announcements to “brown bag.”  That’s because back in the 40’s and 50’s there were clubs and establishments that had a skin tone rule—no darker than a brown bag—for African Americans.  Never mind that this was in the black community. 

I do remember this brown bag rule. In the 1970s my husband and I were part of a racially mixed couples club.  Five black couples, five white couples and membership was rather fluid.  The blacks in the group were socially and economically above most of the whites, as I recall—a judge, a dentist, a pharmacist, a businessman, civil service, teachers.  Yes, we were going to change the world through friendship and fair housing laws.  I remember one black couple complaining there were no other black families in their neighborhood.  “I thought you white folks all moved out when we moved in,” he joked.  As it turned out, and remains so today, most black churches, social clubs and businesses were all on the east side of Columbus, and most of the white couples lived either in Worthington (north) or Upper Arlington (northwest) and really didn’t have much appeal for black families with children.

One year we decided to have a holiday season dance and each couple would invite a few friends, we’d bring food, and hire a combo.  Even with friends, that’s a small group, but one of the black couples was a member of a private social club, and able to get that facility—I think it was perhaps a former bar or restaurant.  Not very fancy, but better than what the rest of us had to offer. Ed, the member who was very dark, told me that in the 1950s he wouldn’t have been accepted for membership because of the “brown bag” rule.  I thought perhaps that was local to our area, but if Seattle had it, and still remembers it in 2013, I guess not.

http://blog.seattlepi.com/seattlepolitics/2013/07/31/political-correctness-brown-bag-citizens-are-out/

“Citizen” is also on the chopping block—might offend illegals.  Before you know it, “worker” will make the list.

How to make/take money from white fans

Rachel Jeantel, Trayvon Martin’s friend from Miami, has clarified the used of "nigga" on national TV, so it must be OK for Obama's BFF to use the word to make millions from white fans who are clueless. She also explained to gullible Piers that when Trayvon attacked Zimmerman, it was just “whoop ass” and he wasn’t going to kill him. 

Summer is going quickly

The homosexual agenda in Presbyterian denominations—guest blog

What Norma says about church numbers declining is largely true - with the exception of some non-mainline churches that are conservative and are not subject to a large bureaucracy at their denominational headquarters. Southern Baptists lost members for the first time this past year! The Assemblies of God (if I'm not mistaken) are not losing members. My denomination, the PCA, has had one year when it lost members - two years ago. There has been a mass exodus from many of the 'mainline' denominations - largely for the same reasons people and churches are bailing out of the ELCA. [Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, created in 1988 with the merger of 3 synods, the former synod with which UALC was affiliated.]  A homosexual agenda - both in regard to ordination issues and marriage. Though I am not in a mainline denomination - not affiliated with the National Council of Churches or World Council of Churches--I am somewhat familiar with the mainline Presbyterians.

The past five years they have seen a significant number of churches leave for smaller, more conservative Presbyterian bodies - not the one I belong to as it is too conservative for them (on women's issues mostly). A new denomination in Presbyterianism was formed just last year called "ECO" (Evangelical Covenant Order). These were mainly large metropolitan churches across the nation who were tired of fighting the bureaucracy on homosexuality. In 1981, the EPC (Evangelical Presbyterian Church) began out of dissatisfaction with the then Northern Presbyterian Church (it no longer exists as in 1983, they merged with the Southern Presbyterian Church). A few years ago it was about 40,000 members. It has more than doubled in size from the last couple of years - and the reason?  PCUSA churches unhappy about the developments with regard to homosexual marriage and ordination. The EPC is now the third largest Presbyterian body in North America - still just a fraction (as is the PCA) of the mainline Presbyterians - but those folks are hemorrhaging members and will continue to do so as they put forward that radical homosexual agenda.

[guest blogger is a pastor in PCA]