"Freedom without virtue is not really freedom.  Hello Rome."  El Rushbo

May we be willing

"O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing."  Matthew 23:37

Strap a boy to a good man

And he grows up to be a man. 

I couldn't love this more.  Simply priceless.

Articles: The Left's Moral Relativism

Articles: The Left's Moral Relativism


Consistent with the utopian, radical egalitarian core of their belief system, liberal/progressives believe that no group or society is better than any other, and that the different moral views held by others cannot be judged as superior or inferior, or right or wrong. Furthermore, they believe that one must tolerate the behavior of others even when one disagrees about the morality of that behavior.

Dr. Tom Barron

Seriously, wowser!

The Price of Gay Marriage: The Galvanic Corrosion of Language

The Price of Gay Marriage: The Galvanic Corrosion of Language

"Freedom without virtue is not freedom -- it will eventually destroy a society."  El Rushbo

Nature and nature's God

These are some thoughts about nature, Nature's God and the twisting of nature which let's call 'wicked.'  First we must define 'nature' or 'natural.'  I am thinking of it as the knee-jerk way one responds to situations without thinking.  I am positing this theory:  God is the author of some of our natural responses.  And those Godly ways are apparent in the things we say and do.

Many of our natural observable ways are not authored by God such as the unfortunate tendency of children to lie when asked a question that may lead to discipline.  Adults, of course, do this as well.  There are countless habits that do not reflect God's ways, but there are also 'natural' tendencies or responses that are reflective of the way we were created in God's image.  For instance, the natural response of a child when undressing in their bedroom is to screech, "Get outta here!" when their sibling bursts into the room.  There is an intrinsic desire to cover one's nakedness.  No one taught the child that.  They just know.  A bit like an eagle that instinctively knows the time to push the eagle-ette out of the nest.  There was no school to learn this instinct; it is knowledge that is God-given.  Natural.  

Speaking of nakedness, the genesis of my thoughts centered around my shower today.  As I was stepping out of the stall, I hoped that the folks next door were not outside my window.  It is unlikely on this snow-swept, blizzardy South Dakota day.  But, I wondered, if perchance an unwelcome face appeared in my small bathroom window, what would my knee-jerk response be?  My natural response would be to cover myself with my hands or the towel.  It would be most un-natural for me to flaunt my naked self to my unsuspecting neighbors.  And heck, I like them and would be sad when they moved from the trauma.   

The observation of God-given 'natural responses' can be readily observed with our children at home, colleagues in the marketplace and strangers at the grocery store.  Everywhere we go, 'nature' is on display.  What we do without thinking is usually the way we are wired by God's nature.  But the wires are crossed through disobedience as well.  So certainly not all observable words and actions come from a godly source.  The child who lies, for instance, is not responding in the instinctual God-ordained way.  He is responding from the bent fallen nature.  

Then I thought about Gaga who makes a living dressing and acting in un-natural ways to the glee of her countless fans.  She flaunts nakedness, for instance, and considers it progressive and cool.
And here is where the wicked part comes in.

But first, we have to talk about God's gift to each individual:  Volition.  Freewill.  Every person on God's green globe can choose moment by moment what his thoughts, speech and action will be.  For a season while we live on this planet, we can choose with our own volition.  There will be a time when the era of freewill ends.  Then we will happily or unhappily have our way.  Forever.  But the season of 'choice' will be over.  

In the meantime, it seems to me that there is a twisted perverse step beyond "my will be done."  I am calling that step 'wicked' because it desires not only it's own corruption but the corruption of others.  In Gaga's case, she wants her perversion of 'nature' to seem progressive.  Sophisticated.  Cool.  She invites her fans to follow her.  And those who pass judgement on Gaga's Road to Destruction, are vilified.  Gaga's ways are deified.  It's upside down.  

The desire to lead people into wicked un-natural behavior is beyond personal volition.  It is perverse and wicked.  It should be judged as wicked.  Because to call something what it truly is, is reality.  And loving.  To pretend something is different from what it actually is, is not cool or progressive.  It is wicked and hateful.  If one Gaga fan could be called back to God's natural ways, that is  a charitable act.  To lure them toward the abyss of perversion is not cool or progressive or sophisticated.  It is hateful and wicked.   

Jesus came to turn upside down thinking, right-side-up.  I want to steer others toward nature and nature's God.  That is good work.  That is God's work and I want to join Him.    

Resourceful

Resourceful.  Making a useful mountain out of a useless molehill.  That's what Gabe and Elissa do.  Here are a couple of examples of re-purposed Good Ideas.

Lousy photo, but it is a wooden hanging rack
in their tight laundry room.
This ingenious item expands the space
with practical resourceful-ness.  

This barrel holds the chicken grain feed.
It swivels on the roller wheels underneath to stir the grain.
Perfect re-furbished tank.
Huddle up, chooks, Dinner Is Served!

Eternal Parameters

Articles: Is Pope Francis Liberal or Conservative?

The terms conservative and liberal are relatively new; in saner ages, there was no right and left, only right and wrong.
Selwyn Duke, American Thinker

The luck O' the Scottish

Some things never change. Thankfully

I, for one, celebrate the Immutable Anchor Truth
that the Church of Jesus Christ is fixed.
 Grounded and established.
She does not evolve.

"It's not up to the Catholic Church to bend and shape and mold itself
to the shrinking depravity of a worldwide culture.
It's to provide the exact opposite.
It's to provide a beacon out of depravity, among other things."
El Rushbo

The Election of Pope Francis

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=tCKpuA9qdNc

Little Man learning to balance
on his peddle-less Strider,
so he can ride a bicycle.  

A walk in the park and a dip in the bath

Morgan J off and running with her
new birthday bike.  

Little Man Isaiah Robert
on a walk with his Strider bike.

Baby Mimi delighted with her evening
bath with big bro and sometimes big sis.  

Back to the basics ~ make disciples

Flying in the face of CW - conventional wisdom - is more fun than a barrel of baboons.  CW says, "We must figure out strategies and methods for growing our congregations.  More people in the house.  More conversions.  Growth happens as we add more people to the roster."

Kingdom Thinking might go something like this:  "…a church could grow not by having more Christians but larger Christians.  Of course, my view is that if you have larger Christians, you're going to  have a lot more of them, too."  sage wisdom by Professor Dallas Willard

Goofy as the day is long

Auntie/Niece shenanigans
behind my back.  

The totem tandom was - you guessed it -
Sissy's idea.  

Here we are in Los Gatos, Cali,
over the holidays.
Danielley, Aunt Suz and your humble blogSter.

Sweet Baby Joy walking the streets of London.

Love!